“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

The Manzie Report. You know you want it, especially because it has been way too long since the last one. Just because I am no longer diligently blogging and pontificating on all things ridiculous does not mean I am dead. On the contrary, I have been lollygagging in Los Angeles writing a book and need to use all those creative juices for the massive undertaking of writing a novel. Until I can crank out The Great American Novel that is titled  Last Five Minutes of Fame, here is a little somethin’ somethin’ to chew on. So, without any further ado,… Read More »

Come on. Admit it.… Read More »

Next week, Paris plays host to Couture Week where several extraordinary fashion designers will present their collections to a plethora of extremely wealthy women. The landscape of the Couture shows is ever changing to include a crop of new, younger designers such as Alexis Mabille, Ann Valérie Hash and Alexandre Vauthier. The world’s favorite couture collections by Chanel, Dior (sans actual designer), Givenchy and Valentino will surely be the highlights of the week, while the new guard will be out in force, hoping to snag the spotlight. The good news is that there is a rise of couture customers because… Read More »

There are so many viable inclusions in the Manzie Report: Paris, that I can’t even write individual comments because it is Gay Pride weekend in New York City, we got the Gay Marriage Act approved last night and I’d rather participate in some festivities than sit here and yattle on about Walter Van Beirendonck’s Bird Bird ensembles or his pastel cotton candy numbers that double as topiaries. Just click through these images and you will see a plethora of nelly galore ditties from leather sports bras…yes…for men…and Givenchy’s bouquet of Bird of Paradise skirts. Alexis Mabille seems to have tried… Read More »

Q. What is a Manzie? A. A Manzie is not a Pansy or a Dandy. A Pansy doesn’t necessarily dress effeminately to be teased by a bunch of blokes. They can have a sisssing “S” in their speech, run with their arms flailing or cheerleaders. A Dandy dresses like a gentleman with a touch of avant-garde. A Manzie is desperately trying to be “on trend”. A Manzie can be a straight man trying too hard to be stylish or a straight-acting-gay-guy who acts extra butch to compensate for his quirky fashion choices. Comprende? Some runway looks fall under the umbrella… Read More »

Hot off the rumor mill! Riccardo Tisci is replacing John Galliano at the House of Dior. Really? But Carine Roitfeld will be the resident stylist. Double really? As you know, I am all about Haider Ackermann, and my suggestion was for him to replace Galliano. But the world surely does not revolve around me and what I think. Anyhoo, I’d like to think that Haider has an unofficial deal in place with Karl Lagerfeld to follow him at Chanel, so why go to Dior? Especially with all the fashion bitches, claws out, ready to trash next season’s collection, no matter… Read More »

There has not been this much talk about a dress since J Lo wore that green, Versace scarf number. In case you have been under a rock, I am referring to Chelsea Clinton‘s Vera Wang number. The cover of today’s Women’s Wear Daily declares Chelsea’s Moment, but in truth, it is Vera Wang‘s. Miss Wang, known mostly for her wedding collections could not have asked for a better PR moment than the Clinton wedding. Her ready-to-wear collections are much more modern and edgy than her frothy wedding gowns. Though Vera receives a good amount of attention and editorial for her… Read More »

The Paris Fall Couture Shows are under way and from the looks of it, my editing services were surely needed at all the shows, except maybe Christian Dior. A freind of mine asked me why I didn’t goof on the recent John Galliano men’s show in Paris, and my response was, “John Galliano can do no wrong”. He is such an incredible creative force that he could put doody in a bag, and I would say, “Brava, Maestro.” Anyhoo, back to the couture story at hand…rather… petites mains. Shall we start with Chanel? Look, I know he is the lion… Read More »

The Milan shows bring out the masculine guns of the fashion industry. Armani, Zegna and Gucci lead the charge in sophisticated, sexy, masculine clothes. One can consider it boring (some of my readers, you know who you are), but it is at the core of the business and must be respected as such. There is less frills on the runways in Milan, than let’s say, it’s sister fashion city, Paris. The shows got off to a hootenanny of a start here in the City of Lights. Once again, we were presented with the quirky man-hat, a look that I was… Read More »

Boy, am I glad I am not a socialite or one of these ladies-who-lunch that have to wear Haute Couture in order to justify my existence. Pawing through the images from this week’s 2010 Spring Couture shows, it is hard to understand why some of these designers even bother. Naturally, there are choices galore at Chanel, Armani Prive, Christian Dior and even Stephane Rolland (major improvement this outing, click for last season’s yikes). You really have to be uber-fabulous and have even more uber-fabulous places to go in order to justify some of these eccentric pieces of art to frolic… Read More »