“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Last night I was invited to speak on a panel with the fashion industry’s coolest and/or smartest people including Mary Alice Stephenson, Patrick McMullan, Dani Stahl, Stuart Elliott, Annabel Tollman, Brian Reyes, Alex Gonzalez and Moi. I was representing the New & Social Media portion of the swimsuit competition. It was a lively discussion on “Redesigning the Rules of Fashion in Today’s New Media”. I was honored to be invited by Michael Flutie, Madwood Media, who hosted this event for the The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund. The meeting of the minds (OK, a little too much ego here) was held… Read More »

You gotta love Clint Eastwood for calling it as he sees it in the December issue of  GQ, “We’re becoming more juvenile as a nation…now, we have a bunch of teenage twits.” Oh no you didn’t, Dirty Harry. To Clint’s point: You don’t have to be 79 years old to see that our childish fascination with pedestrian nobodies is why perhaps his new movie Invictus, Nelson Mandela‘s true story with the South African rugby team that helped usher the country out of apartheid, might have a challenge finding an audience. So, what better tactic than to call us all a… Read More »

There’s nothing better than starting the day with a fresh pot of coffee, my 24-inch MAC (daddy) and all the news of the world. By the end of the first cup, I have read through the top stories of The New York Times, Huffington Post, and the New York Post (loves me my Page Six). Then I segue with my second cup through the Daily Beast, The Guardian, Style.com and a slew of blogs to get me ready for cup three, ’cause by then I have determined what item(s) annoyed me most and then start writing. Today, like every other… Read More »

Somehow I must have been asleep at the wheel or something, but somewhere between Paris and Milan, several designer shows slipped under my radar and have just now surfaced. If the Manzie Report bores you, by all means, leave now and wait till we cover the NY Fashion Shows in September. And if you are that high, then I suggest taking a spiritual aerobics class.… Read More »

I was just reading on the The Daily Beast about how stylists are being cut from budgets and all other sorts of nonsense. The article was an outtake from a bigger story in The New York Observer pointing out that these “celebrity stylists” are being bypassed as the actual celebrities are going directly to designers. There seems to be less and less patience for these spotlight grabbing stylists such as Rachel Zoe, Phillip Bloch and Stacy London. Well, let me pipe in here and say hold on just one minute. Unless you have been a stylist, you can take these… Read More »

The Russians are coming…for Michelle Obama. Yes…really. Now even Russian fashion designers are dishing our First Lady. Like Russians, are known for style, grace and elegance? I don’t think so. Let’s take a look at some of the Russian designer’s schmatehs that were recently featured at Moscow Fashion Week. I am sure you will agree with me, that the Kremlin will continue to be known for vodka, borscht, and trading their girls on the internet and at modeling agencies. I mean…who has time to listen to this Russian nonsense? These designers are best served honing their craft and piping down.… Read More »

So, there you have it. Levi and I have both now gone on record to say that Sarah Palin resigned her post as Governor, due to financial reasons. All these bloviators and regular folks too, I might add, who said with conviction that she will go for the 2012 presidential run are out to lunch. I wasn’t kidding when I quoted Deep Throat, “Follow the money”. And now, it’s official, since Levi Johnston said so. Levi and I…blood brothers…fraternal twins…life partners. Naturally, the Huffington Post did not post my story from last week. No, only Levi’s pearl of wisdom get… Read More »

Would everyone just leave Michelle Obama and her wardrobe alone for five minutes? I have never seen anything like it. This woman is not allowed to step out of the shower without some yenteh looking her up and down, snapping a photo and printing it, and as of late…dishing her. Today the NY Daily News trashed Michelle for sporting an expensive, alligator purse. And naturally, to salacify (yes, I made that word up, it means to make more salacious) the wearing of the bag, the NYDN offers up a vote to their “sophisticated” readers as to whether she “should” or… Read More »

In Day 2 of the Paris Couture shows, there was definitely more hits than misses with Chanel, Armani Prive and Christian Lacroix showing stunning collections. For people like me, it was slim pickin’s. But as always, one can find horrendosity amongst the flowers, crap alongside elegance, preposterous within reach of fantastic, as in the case of Givenchy. From there we segue into Maison Martin Margiela then onto the two Alexandres.… Read More »

I Mean…What?!? presents the Paris Couture Shows. Lord knows I got the Manzie Report down…and two snaps up. However, man does not live by bad men’s fashion alone. Granted, it won’t be as knee-slapping as the Manzie Report due to the nature of this beast. But beasts there are, I can assure you. Now before I show you some highlights or “high”-lights from Alexis Mabille and Stéphane Rolland, I need to say something here. Couture is a unique business that services much of the hype and interest in the fashion industry. The couture customer is not the customer that buys… Read More »