“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

My assistant Ryan said yesterday that he was thinking about getting a spray tan because the BCBG Max Azria store was doing an in-store promotion and he wanted to try it out. Horrifying as that sounds on every front, I implored him not to do it and hoped that he heeded my words rather than follow his heart when he left the office. The thing about spray tans is that no one looks good with them. Anything obvious is not a good thing. Most bridezillas that have adopted this practice for their wedding day look borderline insane…and orange. Orange and… Read More »

It has been a while since I have commented on The New York Times Style Section. Seemed like someone was listening and there were actual fashion related stories running in the bi-weekly Style Section…ya’d think. But today, the lead story in the Sunday Style is all about Jenny Sanford. Now, she is a lovely woman and I thoroughly sympathize with this woman. No one should be publicly scrutinized for being cheated on by their spouse. It is a shame that the public is so consumed with human foibles. Alas, we are. But of all the humans to be focused on…especially… Read More »

Yes, there is a definite shift in the air since Spring, when nelly, prissy, fembots ruled the men’s runways. There is a butcher tone overall, but Lord knows not exclusively, as that would render me out of business. Surprisingly, Junya Wantanabe, Viktor and Rolf, and even Gaspard Yurkievich all had smart showings. It’s not like I am disappointed that I can’t find what to poke fun at, I would frankly rather not have ever started this Manzie business. I am a bit Pollyanna in that I want every designer to do well. Rather than leave a hole for yet another… Read More »

I don’t know who I fear most: Nigerian bankers, (surely American bankers give me the willies), or Yemenites or Charlie Sheen, and while I’m at it…Ivana Trump. Starting with Ivana. I actually share her sentiments with her yelling at a baby on board a flight from Florida to NYC yesterday. You know that feeling, once you are comfortably seated on the plane and some third world mother and her kid(s) or worse, a white woman and one kid, one who has not yet heard the word “no” plops down alongside you…well…it puts me over the edge anyway. And, apparently Ivana,… 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 »

Awww. The poor little babies (a.k.a tragic media whores) that think they are all that and a bag of chips by virtue of their being tracked by the tabloid news. You have to love these people for they know not who they are. They only know who they think they are. Then we also have the people who’s media-driven projects that got all sorts of hype but alas, did not live up to the expectations. Cheer up because you have been graced with the honor of being on the I MEAN…WHAT?!? LAST FIVE MINUTES OF FAME LIST. It’s a great… Read More »

Men, we’ve come a long way since Fred Astaire and the Golden Age of Hollywood, when slicked-back hair, a clean-shaven face, spats, a top hat and tails were in vogue. Today that combination sounds more like a costume than a reality. Through the years our wardrobe has become much more casual, hair lengths went from the top of the ear down to the middle of the back, while beards and mustaches adorned our faces in countless variations. Fred was Elegant Chic and now we have Casual Chic, a term that is readily bandied about. This look could even be a… Read More »

Michelle Obama is fierce…but…not everything she wears works. Today’s New York Daily News did a pictorial on “Michelle’s Smashing Summer Style”. Now, I will be the first to say that Michelle is fierce…she has had quite a few sensational looks since entering the Vanity Fair International Best Dressed List. But like every other human, one can not be flawless 365 days out of the year. Unless you are Blaine Trump or Carolina Herrera. That said, since Michelle–prior to White House duties–was a working attorney mom, she definitely proved a great sense of style, considering lawyers are known for their fashion… Read More »

Hair is probably the most complicated issue of our time. Perhaps second to universal health care…but an issue of the highest, most unprecedented order. Oh, yeah, and world peace. On second thought, hair is the number one issue for mankind and the other things follow suit. How can I say that? Well, admit it. You spend more time thinking about your hair as opposed to Obama’s heath care plan or the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Therefore…hair wins…horrendous as that sounds. These days with regards to hairstyles…everything goes. But, someone needs to be the voice of reason to prove… Read More »

UPDATE: DECEMBER 21, 2009 Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall has been sentenced one to three years in state penitentiary. This is the mandatory jail time carried with the charge of grand larceny in the first degree. The 85 year old Marshall will also receive one year for each of the other charges for which he was found guilty, to be served concurrently. THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL STORY This ongoing salacious, sordid story about Brooke Astor, her namby-pamby eighty year-old son, (85 year-old and son in the same sentence sounds weird) Anthony Marshall and his cow (or pig) of a wife… Read More »