“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Nothing is garnering more media attention than Fashion’s Night Out. Not the Oscars, the MTV Music Awards, New York Fashion Week, Snooki. Nothing.  When we look at what drove Anna Wintour to devise one of the greatest marketing plans on Earth, we see at the core, a beautiful, well-intended, generous, spirited gem of an idea. “Bring people back to the stores.” Funny, that when George Bush said the same thing after 9-11, that people should just “Go Shopping”, it was met with mixed emotions. Actually, Democrats were apoplectic. But if you think about it…it was a good idea. When is… Read More »

There is so much hub bub about Anna Wintour‘s planned “world’s largest fashion show” at Lincoln Center during Fashion’s Night Out in September. That bit, coupled with the fact that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, having been booted from Bryant Park, will also be in the Lincoln Center area is giving me the willies. As a true downtown New Yorker, my heart skips a beat every time I go north of 24th Street. (It used to be 14th Street but I moved to 22nd Street and my friend lives on 24th, hence my new line in the sand.) When you think… Read More »

On the eve of the Bryant Park tents being dismantled for the last time, thousands of fashionistas and people came to the park for So Long Bryant Park, the official goodbye party, complete with sobbing uncontrollably and drinking…and not in that order. From what I know, getting that party together was like pulling teeth from sponsors. But, since Fern Mallis was on the case…there was no way those tents were going out without a bang and some booze. So what’s next for New York Fashion Week? Will everyone run to Lincoln Center because Anna Wintour deems it the thing to… Read More »

Oh man. Will the celebrity-turned-designer cycle ever stop? Or at least slow down? Everyday this week, Women’s Wear Daily has reported YET another celebrity-designer collaboration, which is beginning to make my skin crawl. Must every actress try her hand at designing (and I use that term loosely here) a capsule collection? The only capsule I am interested is one that can be washed down with fluids and alter my reality. But the new reality world of celebrity designers is like living in Bizarro World. We now have Sarah Jessica Parker heading up the Halston legacy (click link for yesterday’s IMW… Read More »

Ladies, get out your underwear. In light of the hard hit economy, and the teetering luxury goods business, there’s a great way to be up to the minute in fashion without buying a thing. The answer? Wear nothing. I kid you not. I am not saying buy nothing new. I mean wear actually nothing. Now you can  prance around in your skivvies AND be in vogue. How fantastic is that? I’m a little jealous because men cannot get away with that, whereas women can. I have been grappling with myself (schizophrenia) about this lingerie as outerwear fashion trend that has… Read More »

Before the Paris shows get under way, I wanted to stop and take stock of the images I saw today from paparazzi-land that struck me as either annoying, or questionable. Just because these people are photographed, does not make them interesting. I have done several editions on IMW, called The Party’s Over, where I feature images of “party people” that are basically a bunch of nobodies who think they are somebody, or shall we say, a wanna-be somebody that really is nobody, or perhaps, a wanna-be who will always be…in essence…a never-was. Am I clear? Does that make sense? It… Read More »

“Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” Somehow, that signature quote from the soap opera Days of Our Lives came to mind this morning as I was looking at the last few bits of this season’s men’s shows. It feels like time stood still this week with excitement everywhere…and yet…nowhere. It was like watching a soap opera, no? There was so much anticipation leading up to this week. Yes, Fashion’s Night Out kicked off the week with a bang but there were serious questions hovering over our heads. Was the ailing economy going to be… Read More »

Dear Anna, It is with great joy that I am writing to you this morning after having such a great time at your city-wide…correction…world-wide shopping party last night. I hope you are sipping your coffee and reveling in your success. You know, a lot of people were looking with a crooked eye at this Fashion’s Night Out thing. From the get go…I knew this was gonna be mayjah. I believe the retailers, consumers, well, everyone needs to thank you because when you said “Jump” everyone asked, “How High?” And the higher they jumped, the better off they did. Everywhere I… Read More »

This is it…the night of all nights. The Big Kahuna of shopping nights. It’s Fashion’s Night Out and after all the hub-buh and nay saying and ruckus…it’s here. I can feel it in the air. Can’t you? Anna Wintour and I have been staring at weather.com and accuweather.com for days hoping the forecast would change. And you know, 40% chance of rain is better than 50%. So I am going to be optimistic and say, it’s going to be fine. And what’s with God anyway? Isn’t he a fan of Sex and the City? Because Fashion’s Night Out is like… Read More »

I absolutely loved The September Issue starring Grace Coddington and Anna Wintour.  It’s the feel good movie of the summer. Anyone who walks away without rethinking Anna, has a bigger bug up their ass than she supposedly does. She is a woman obsessed with her work. Anyone that is, knows to what degree they will fight for what they think is best for the situation at hand. In this case, Anna is holding on for dear life to what may well be…the last amazing moment in fashion…perhaps never to be seen again. Did Anna have precognitive dreams about the economy… Read More »