“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

The least of Pakistan’s problems is the recent discovery that Osama Bin Laden was living high on the hog in the midst of their military retirement village. As Bill Maher so eloquently put it on Real Time this past Friday, “Let’s not call Bin Laden’s compound a mansion, it looks more like a five story tenement in Van Nuys.” One would have to agree there. No, what the Pakistanis have to be far more concerned about are their dueling Fashion Weeks. Yes, as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has inspired even third world countries to get on the fashion stick, Pakistan,… Read More »

There are certain things that I do not need to know, like who designed Kate Walsh‘s jewelry when she is on some red carpet. Well, or anyone’s jewelry on a red carpet come to think of it. Sure. I like to know who designed the dresses, but the jewelry? Who cares? It’s not like the TV viewing audience is running to Google Neil Lane and ordering the diamond encrusted emerald earrings. For the most part, that information is blather. In this age of celebrity hounding, there’s way too much information out there and it is really getting nauseating. It makes… Read More »

When I say, “Now I have seen everything”, I am not lying.  As the runways are now being influenced by the real world…which used to never be the case…elements of fashion are creeping onto the runways that defies my perception of runway chic. Especially out of Paris. There was a time when fashion was the unachievable goal. To play in the sandbox of fabulosity meant being part of the exclusive, illusive dream machine. Now that fashion has been democratized…gross…we see now that the fashion houses are buckling under pressure to deliver the people, that which will make them feel special.… Read More »

Paris Fashion Week is under way and there is much ado about nothing…so far, anyway. Love Dries van Noten. As the week goes on we will be slayed with fierceness from the usual suspects. The parties will be amazing, the hipness quotient will be high and the front row will be…well…whatever front rows are these days. A hodge-podge of faces and names that make it all worthwhile. Notably, Balenciaga had a groovy front row with Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Orlando Bloom and Salma Hayek. That’s pretty cool, I’d say. Anyhooo, now onto the far more pressing topic of the day,… Read More »

New York kicks off World Wide Fashion Week. We’ve seen the best of Nepal (a.k.a. TGIF) Fashion Week and now the fashionistas are prancing around London, wearing their Alexander McQueens (may he rest in peace) and pining for the food in Milan…next up. I love London but wonder if their edgier fashion industry does in fact gives them…an edge. Not sure. Perusing the collections, there are designers whose names are completely new to me. It is as though many British designers are not global brands…which is no judgment…frankly it’s cute. To think that British designers design for themselves and not… Read More »

There is a great article in Sundays’ The New York Times Magazine about Fat Fashion called Plus-Size Wars. It is appropriately titled, because the Battle of the Bulge is a lifetime commitment, most often, a losing one at that. Fat and Fashion rolled into the same conversation is not the sexiest of topics, however it is a growing (no pun intended) market, yet the F word still has its adverse effects on the industry. No one wants to be called fat. Having been a fat child, I know all too well how painful it is to be ridiculed for just… Read More »

There’s something fishy going on here. My guess is that the unexpected news of the pending nuptials between Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston is really just a ruse and not even true. The whole story is a publicity scam generated out of Sarah Palin‘s office. Well, seeing that her publicist is Bristol Palin, BSMP, LLC, the idea was to show the world just how forgiving and generous Sarah Palin is. And given the sensitive, personal nature of this matter, Sarah will come off as a magnanimous force of nature, hence a great candidate for the Presidency in 2012. Here’s how… Read More »

Yet another Gay Pride Weekend filled with cha cha and booze is upon us. Since washboard abs and cheesy music has hijacked the look and tone of what is “gay”, let alone the Manzie fashion filled funways, you can see why I have proclaimed that I am homosexual yes, gay no in the piece I AM ASKING AND I AM TELLING.  However, this season there is provocative and compelling element that will be front and center in the Gay Pride Parade. I am speaking of my friend Lauren Foster, the Miami-based glamour puss, who has chosen to take this moment… Read More »

I never really read them, but today I was drawn to the Vows section of The New York Times Style as the main picture is a couple standing in from of the Statue of Liberty. At second glance, I saw that the couple standing in front of the Statue of Liberty was interracial. Boy, what a slap in the face to Tea Baggers everywhere. Naturally I clicked in for more details. Besides this wonderfully diverse storyline, each of the couples featured this week are entirely nontraditional. Kudos to The Times Style for making a statement in their otherwise traditional Muffy… Read More »

Now, correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t Dita Von Teese start out as a stripper….excuse me…burlesque performance artist? Don’t get me wrong, I think she is fascinating, beautiful, intriguing, beguiling, bewitched, bothered and bewildered. Surely she is a one-of-a-kind, that is for sure, and her iconic stature is undeniable. But, stripper plenty. So you can imagine my shock and awe at the recent revelation that Dita is considering designing a line of clothing. Clothes designed to be taken off, I guess. Must everyone who achieves any level of celebrity automatically design a line of clothing? I am beginning… Read More »