“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

In today’s Women’s Wear Daily, the discussion is whether New York deserves a Men’s Fashion Week, similar to those in Milan and Paris. Listening to the argument, one has to side with the reality that New York needs one in order for these designers to compete with the international business cycle. Naturally I MEAN WHAT?!? has a different agenda, and are voting in favor of New York Manzie Week. Imagine how much fun we will have, especially with the next series of shows being Spring 11, when light frothy outfits come tra-la-la-ing down the runway on gossamer wings. (Note: Whoever… Read More »

There are some things we should not stand for, and horrible fashion is one of them. Celebrity designers is another thing, but let’s stick with today’s program, which is horrible fashion shown in irrelevant cities that host Fashion Weeks. Let me start with Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. At least Brooklyn knows they could never sustain a week (or a day) but that does not excuse their vain, sad, little attempt to make their fashion mark. Yeah, yeah, Williamsburg is amazing…if you live there. Say what you want, but Williamsburg is better in theory. But this ongoing desperate attempt to prove that… Read More »

“It’s good to be the king.” So said Mel Brooks in History of the World, Part 1. The reason I bring this up is because the men’s collections for Fall ’10, between Milan and Paris and now in New York City, are really great…and very butch. So, my quote for this season is, “It’s not good to be the queen”. In what I am calling an immediate response to my Manzie Reports from last season, every designer on Earth quickly revisited their sketches for this season and chose to man up. Thank you all for taking note, but now what… Read More »

Overall, the men’s collections in Milan are pretty great. Sifting through all the images to mine for Manzies was not quite as easy as last spring. Somehow I would like to go out on a limb and take some credit, that my Manzie Reports impacted some of the designers. Seems like many of them worked overtime to avoid making Manzie Faux Pas, for fear of being included in the Manzie Reports. What I can say about Fall 10 is that there’s much ado about nothing special, since quite a few collections played it really safe. Perhaps it is a no… Read More »

Anyone who is anyone that reads I Mean…What?!? knows my opinion on the fashion phenomenon called World Fashion Week. New to town? Let me explain. Just about every city on Earth except Peoria, Illinois, ‘has been’ hosting their version of a Fashion Week. Sure, we all are obsessed with New York, Paris, Milan and London…Tokyo even. But this year, there seems to be an epidemic of Fashion Weeks spreading like the H1Ni Virus. I have reported on Los Angeles Fashion Week, Madrid Fashion Week, Lakme Fashion Week, New Zealand Fashion Week, Pakistan Fashion Week, Arabia Fashion Week, Dubai Fashion Week,… Read More »

Being amongst a collection of collagenous junkies out here in Fire Island, where an arrogant puss is as common as sand, it got me to thinking about arrogance in general. Lord knows gays have not cornered the market on that lovely trait, but oh, how they try. Today’s news featured a few arrogant twits. All of them suffering from that terminal illness of believing their own press. And they all have something else in common: flared nostrils, slightly turned up as though they are smelling week-old fish left in the fridge. That is sooo the look of arrogance. Here now… Read More »

Earlier in the week I did a report on the Milan Men’s Shows an noticed a burgeoning trend that I lovingly call the “Season of the Manzie”. Now, maybe I need to clarify here. A Man-zie is not like a Dandy, nor is it like a Pansy, hence the revised spelling. In my book, a Pansy doesn’t necessarily need to dress effeminately in order to be called a Pansy by a bunch of blokes. On the contrary. They just need to have a sisssing “S” in their speech or run with their arms flailing or become cheerleaders. A Dandy on… Read More »

In case you have been living under a rock in New York City, then you will surely know that the long-awaited High Line opened its pearly gates this week…after much toiling and trepidation. Finally, you can stroll down this lovely patch of whatever it is, that stretches from the Meatpacking District to Far West Chelsea. This, naturally, suits me just fine as I live on one end and have a client on the other. It’s as though they built this little walk-way just for me. And a stunning patch of thing it is….at night it’s amazing. Thank you New York… Read More »

Certain mistakes on the pink carpet of the Costume Institute Gala were inexcusable. I mean even Marc Jacobs had a better dress on than some of these gals.… Read More »