JUST HAD TO SHARE: AGANOVICH'S POETIC MANIFESTO

above the founders of the label, nana aganovich and brooke taylor. (aganovich.com)

london - hey blaynistas. i know the posting is kind of slow today. clearly it's deadline day. i literally have about five articles due - so i'm trying to grind it out. one of the pieces i'm working on mentions aganovich, a label i noticed in london and loved right away. i am on their website doing some research and came across their absolutely awesome manifestor. see it below:

The Aganovich ‘Pussy Grenade Manifesto’

Our aim is:
To be as ambitious as we are humble
To be as iconic as we are iconoclastic
To bring humour where it is least appropriate
To demand elegance where it is least welcome
To requisition style over substance
To distinguish altruism in the superficial
To find, like Proust, delight in the proscriptions of the mundane
To make of generosity a weapon
To make of kindness a ransom
To make of integrity a threat
To make greeting cards of manifestoes
To make anarchy through elegance

“If she can’t dance it’s not her revolution”

JUST HAD TO SHARE: CELEBRITY STYLIST, DHALIMU ROBINSON

a photo of accomplished stylist and my dear friend, dhalimu robinson.

new york - blaynistas, we all have it: that one friend who can dress so well you'd think it was their full time job. (often times, it actually is their full time job as for some reason the most stylish are often the least employed. but i digress...) i happen to be blessed with several, several stylish friends including mr. dhalimu robinson. dhali - or dhalla, as he is called - is a connoisseur of many things including food, fine living and clothes. celebrities ranging from sean combs to lil mama have tapped into him and his partner, terrell, for tips on style, dance and general fabulosity. little wonder then -that he has style in spades. above is a photo of him outside the jimmy choo store looking simply flawless. dhalimu, you must send us more. if my readers are anything like me, we really love how you dress.

COVER TO COVER: MADONNA'S NEW VANITY FAIR COVER

(dlisted.com)

worldwide - so what do you think? photoshop or not, i for one love this new vanity fair cover. at fifty, madonna looks fiercer than a lot of girls i know - a third and a half her age. i'm inspired to put on my trainers, pull on a spandex leotard and tone my body! it's very rare that a cover moves me in this way. kudos to all involved.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH INTERNATIONAL FASHION NEWS - BUT IT'S SOOOOOO TASTY

worldwide - blaynistas. you know me. i am a writer. writing and reading is my life. and in my 25 years, i've read lots. trust me. but my eyes have never come across something as funny and readable as this review of red lobster which i saw online at www.yelp.com. without further ado, see the review by mike w below.

a photo of the outside of a red lobster which i saw online.

"The Red Lobster night will go down in infamy. In! Famy! Well, maybe not. But at least now I'll think twice before eating another bucketful of breaded, bite-sized crustaceans. Here's the mise-en-scene. Phillip, Mrs. Phillip, Havy and yours truly, after several weeks of lightheartedly suggesting a dinner at R.Lobst finally decide to make good and go on the rainiest, weather-suckiest Friday night ever. After a considerable wait, we finally got the call on our Red Lobster Cellular Communicator that we could take our seats in the modestly decorated dining room. There weren't even those wooden lobster traps on the walls! Clearly, New York does it classy. First off, our waitress was rad and had the ironic sense of humor that I presume is necessary to work at the Times Square Red Lobster. I want her to be my friend. Phillip and I got the gluttony ball rolling by each ordering a Lobsterita. The Lobsterita can only be described as a stadium full of sugar and nothing but sugar. "Lobsterita" is, in fact, a bit of a misnomer. Not present: a noticeable amount of alcohol. Or lobster, but that's neither here nor there. No one should consume the Lobsterita ever. So after getting an extreme sugar high and making the requisite, inappropriate "Thanks for the Type II" jokes, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits came and we each had about seventy-three. Finally our entrees came. We, of course, all got Never-Ending Shrimp or All-You-Can-Eat-Shrimp or Shrimpus Infinitum or whatever it's called. You get two different kinds of shrimp (Breaded, Garlic Scampi, etc.) and you can keep ordering more to your now-sluggishly beating heart's (mal)content. Radness of the waitress Exhibit B: While putting down our first plates, "Do you want to put in your second order now, so it's ready right when you're done with these?" Do you even have to ask, my friend? By the time I was halfway through my plate I couldn't see straight."

an upclose photo of red lobsters' epic cheddar bay biscuits. i live and die for these. do you?

"My memory is all kind of blurry and shrimpy after that, which was all due to the volume and butterosity of the food combined with the sugar from the Not-sterita. By the time my second plate came (Spicy Buffalo Shrimp) I was so full that I started fearing Kevin Spacey-like serial killers were coming to kick me in my gluttonous belly and cause my inevitable bodily fulmination. Naturally, I picked at my plate a little more. Then I went home and fell asleep at ten o'clock on a Friday night. I now hate the following: shrimp, neon lobsters, food, myself, life. It was fun. No, really. I got exactly what I wanted, albeit in such a quantity that I now wonder if Red Lobster is actually part of Dante's ironic construction of hell. You should go!"

WHAT DOES THIS COVER REMIND YOU OF?

new york - so above is the latest cover from trace magazine. as you can see, it features q-tip and erykah badu. i love the cover subjects and the tag. but for some odd reason, the erykah - in this particular pose - reminds me of golumn (that scary, slithery thing) from lord of the rings. is it just me? i'm just asking....

DEREON GETS THAT FIGHTING SPIRIT: DO YOU LIKE IT?

compare and contrast. (photo courtesy of thefury.com)

worlwide - so blogs have been blabbing about the new house of dead wrong - i'm sorry, - house of dereon ad. as you know, the house of dereon is singer beyonce knowles' clothing line. it is suppossedly a take off ads for the cult classic film, fight club. i really do like the concept, i think it's interesting. the execution was quiet refreshing and brilliant. this could easily be a david la chapelle shoot. unfortunately, the ad is better than the clothing. the label still needs to find a stronger focus and a way to connect with an audience. in due time...in the meantime, what are your thoughts on this ad?

THE PURSUIT JUST GOT EASIER FOR LOVERS OF LIBERTY

this silk scarf was designed in honor the chelsea flower show. it will set back a pretty penny, around $350.(libertyoflondon.co.uk)

worldwide - love the luxury label liberty of london, but can't make your way to london? well, you can ask me to buy the stuff and send it to you (for a small fee) OR you can simply log on to liberty's new retail site. in addition to handbags and scarves, readers can also purchase limited edition pieces from the website. log on to www.libertyoflondon.co.uk to check it out. i loves the site.

HANNAH TEARE NEW FASHION EDITOR AT TATLER

london - so i want to start clueing you cuties in on job moves in the fashion media industry. do you care for this kind of news? something tells me you do. either way.....here's the first lil tid bit. many more to come from now on: hannah teare is the new fashion editor at european fashion magazine, tatler. we are looking forward to amazing things from her.

FEAST YOUR EYES ON MY NEW CHANEL BAG

me and my brand new baby, my black leather chanel tote. please take a look at my other new baby: my jet black 32 inch lace front weave. damn! i'm such a drag queen.

a front view of the bag. see the embossed cc logo? it house a nice roomy pocket.

a view of the roomy interior. when i bought the bag, i found a nice littel pamphlet and a card confirming the authenticity of the bag. suhweeet!!

a side view of the bag with the gold hard ware.

worldwide - do i sound materialistic? just indulge me for a bit my darlings. that said, feast your eyes on my brand new chanel bag. i went out to dinner with my good friend omar ibn abdullah yesterday and he took photos with his iphone and just sent them my way. it's a very simple, basic, every day tote. but that's just what i wanted. something i can report stories, do errands and in the future take my little rugrats to the park with. trust me this bag is roomy enough to handle it all! okay, so enough from me. what do you think?

I WANT THAT JOB: LOGISTICS COORDINATOR AT MARC JACOBS

regine strikes a very pretty pose. we are living for that roland mouret inspired dress and that fierce lipstick!

new york - blaynistas if you are currently in college, please be super nice to your friends. you know why? because one day, they will grow up to be super fly fashionistas working at marc jacobs and living a fabulous life. in fact, it will be so fab, that you will beg them for an exclusive interview on your daily fashion blog. that's exactly what happened to me. i've known ms. regine lahens since the age of 17. even back then, she was a self-assured, elegant young lady and the years have done her well. today she is channelling on that chic into her job at marc jacobs. she sat down with shavon greene, one of my wonderful reporters, to talk style, career, and her burning desire to be a writer.

why does this shot remind us of the juergen teller ads for marc jacobs?

shavone: do you care to give your age?

regine: 25

shavone: where were you born/raised? regine: Brooklyn, NY

shavone: where did you attend school? interned? what led up to your current position?

regine: I graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Communication and Rhetorical Studies. I actually wanted (and still want) to be a writer and ended up interning for a boutique PR company with the goal of writing press releases for emerging brands. I ended up hooking up with one of those brands, a shoe company called Detny where I reluctantly fell into the business end of fashion. After 2 years as the Operations Manager for Detny, I was ready to take on a larger name and lucky for me Marc Jacobs snatched me up.

shavone: i understand you are currently a coordinator for Marc Jacobs, which i bet entails many things...please elaborate on your position? what are some daily duties? who do you interact with? how many hours do you work?


regine: I am actually the Logistics Coordinator for Marc Jacobs International so I coordinate (obviously) the global shipping of Marc by Marc Jacobs Ready-to-Wear and Accessories as well as Marc Jacobs Collection Accessories. So, day to day work consists of monitoring the movement of thousands of units a day and hundreds of thousands of units per season. That's just a normal day. During market my team is responsible for getting the samples for the shows, even if it means flying to Italy to get it ourselves. I work closely with the production teams-the girls who get the items you see in stores produced in bulk. Do I get to work with Marc? No, I'm not that lucky but I do get to see him a couple of times a season :)

shavon: what have you learned from working for a major designer like Marc Jacobs?

regine: Nothing is impossible.

shavon: working for a designer like Marc Jacobs, i can imagine all the fab clothes...describe your typical outfit for the office.

we love this pose too! this chic gives good face!

regine: It's a pretty laid back atmosphere but it definitely encourages me to express myself however I want, whether I'm feeling pin-up and I wear a pencil skirt, sweater and platform pumps and bright red lipstick or I'm feeling up to the minute chic with high waisted wide-legged denim trousers,ankle boots and chunky jewelry. It's a great environment for experimenting.

shavone: so besides Mr. Jacobs, who are the designers you have been eyeing lately?

regine: Proenza Schouler...love it!

shavone: for someone hoping to model your steps...give me a checklist of 3 do's and don'ts in your field?

regine: 1. Do take advantage of every opportunity given to you. Don't think you're above dirty work...stay humble. 2. Do find a mentor or someone who'll show you the ropes and allow you to pick their brain. Don't be afraid to ask questions 3. Do share your ideas or suggestions in a constructive way. Don't ever take "No" for an answer

shavone: thank you so much for your time, but I have one more favor: - i heard you were an avid reader of The Blay Report..tell us why you love it!

regine - Besides being written by my old college comrade, The Blay Report is wittyas well as informative. Whether you're a budding fashionista or a stylesavant, The Report has got you covered.

DSQUARED LOVERS REJOICE! NEW PRODUCT LINE

dean and dan caten, the design duo behind dsquared, flank popsinger rihanna. now is it just me or does she look draggish? just asking! (tattleart.com)

worldwide - i can't say i share their enthusiasm, but i have several friends who live and die for the dsquared label. in other words, they really, really, really love it. now those aficionados have even more to love when it comes to the label: dsquared is launching a new eyewear range. marcolin group and staff international s.p.a, who already hold the license to dsquared clothing, wil now be producing the eyewear for them. it is a five year deal, renewable at the end of the term. number crunchers expect the line to yield about 31 million dollars a year. in addition to sunglasses, customers will also be able to purchase prescription specs from the label. mu$t be nice.

KELLY FOR KARL IN PURPLE: THANK YOU FASHIONISTA.COM

worldwide - so i just want to put it on the record: i love fashionista.com. the blay report, is a curated blog. in addition to exclusive interviews and news items, i am pulling the best bits of fashion news from across the web. to be often, very rarely do i find this from other blogs - especially fashion ones. everyone wants to tell you about a sale or how to wear a trend. i couldn't care less about those things - and i don't think you, my wonderful reader does either. bits like that have their place, but overall, folks like you and be are more interested in the visual/cerebral aspect of fashion. that's what turns us on. (ofcourse the odd sample sale here and there doesn't hurt.) i say all that to say, i'm glad i found fashionista.com, because they actually post clever, concise, and cultured fashion news. the photo shoot below is from (not by) the fashionista.com team. it features kelly (her last name escapes me) in a photoshoot directed and shot by the legendary karl lagerfeld of chanel and fendi. i loved it. do you?

JUST HAD TO SHARE: MY FIRST CHANEL BAG!

worldwide - i know yall don't care unless i post a picture. (at least i wouldn't) but i'm entirely too patient to put up with my faulty digi cam right now, so i am going to just tell you: I BOUGHT MY FIRST CHANEL BAG!!!!!! yes! yes! yes! now, i know what you are thinking "must be nice to have that kind of budget." but let me tell you. momma worked super hard to get the coin for this bag. i won't even bother telling you the price, but suffice it to say i could have bought an entire set of bedroom furniture. it is a large black tote with gold hardware and i am in total love with it. even though i walked out of the store with the bag, my country bumpkin bum insisted on keeping the box and shopping bag which it came in. i asked the sales clerk if that was tacky, he just laughed. i'm sure in the back of his mind he was thinking, "hell yeah! excited much newbie!!?" but i am. i am. it's a mind trip always writing about luxury goods and fashion brands and never being able to buy it. for this humble lil fashion writer, this is a tiny slice of heaven. just thought i'd share with my wonderful readers. i promise you, pics are coming soon.

PEACHES FOR PPQ: I AM LOVING IT

peaches and the paparrazi: to me this look says i'm rich beeyotch! (virginmedia.com)

the deyn on the ppq runway last year. (theguardian.com)

london - blaynistas, you know peaches geldof don't you!? (my readers know everything!) well peaches is the daughter of daughter of super rich brit, sir bob geldof. she along with sister, pixie geldof, are famous for being famous (and ofcourse rich). like america's paris hilton though, peaches is on her hustle. she's already written and directed a bunch of reality shows centered around - who else!? - herself! and she has now announced a very major deal: she will be designing a capsule collection for ppq, the "it" london label designed by percy parker and amy molyneaux. the collection is scheduled to debut this coming christmas and will include essentials necessary for all pretty party girls. this means loads of dresses, hot pants, and costume jewelry. i am actually curious to see what she comes up with. stay tuned for deets.

DO YOU LOVE THE BLAYREPORT?! THEN VOTE FOR ME!

worldwide - hey blaynistas! i am proud to announce that i am one of the nominees for glam.com's fashion blog of the year. do you love my site and find yourself coming back for more and more? do you hate my site, but still find yourself coming back for more and more? then click here and vote for me!!! you have to scroll down to find the name of my blog. thanks in advance for the love!

update: voting ends april 10th!!!

JUST ASKING: WHEN DID CLAUDIA SCHIFFER BECOME SO HOT AGAIN?

schiffer with actor jason gordon levitt. (thanks a big bunches to fashionista.com)

worldwide - it's not that claudia schiffer was ever lame, but i don't recall her ever being this popular (in recent memory). now, we are seeing her all over blogs (front row at fashion week with victoria beckham and dita von teese), all over ads (chanel!!!?? and salvatore ferragamo) and all over magazines (the latest gq spread seen above.) wow! talk about a comeback. it turns out that it's not just her model good looks and personality that's sparked a renewed interest in her. it is simon fuller, the british svengali who not only manages schiffer, but manages posh spice and her husband david beckham. if his name sounds familiar, it's because he is also the genius behind the spice girls brand/band. this man is brilliant, i wish he would find me and this blog and work is magic!

fuller, who manages schiffer, posh spice & hubby, and annie lenox. (viewimages.com)

A TOPIC THAT CONCERNS US AL: LEGGINGS

worldwide - do you hate me for bringing this topic back up again!? please don't. i loved your comments on my post about leather leggings as a haute trend and i want to start another dialogue: where can we buy good ones. up until now, i've been an american apparel aficionado. their style and color selection is great - but the quality is crap - especiallyf or those price points. i definitely wear my clothes down,so i need sturdy good quality ones and don't mind paying the price if it's worth it. i am going to reach out to some fashion editors i know for their take on things - but would love to hear from my readers too. i will post the answers i get to this very pertinent question on wednesday. xo,zb

ARE YOU READY? KIRA PLASTININA SET TO TAKE NEW YORK BY STORM

paris congratulates kira as she takes a bow during russian fashion week last year. something about that smile tells me paris got paid to attend this show. or am i just a cynic?

this inside of one of plastinina's stores in russia.

russia - kira plastinina. does the name ring a bell? if you are in america or the u.k, probably not. but if you are reading this from russia chances are you love (or possibly loathe her). either way, she's about to be major on the international scene. plastinina (ironic how her name is not at all catchy)is set to take the u.s by storm with 50 planned store openings this year. she is only 16 years old and is the face and designer behind her namesake label. the company launched last year and was funded by her father, who is an extremely wealthy business man in russia. her line is full of ultra feminine, hyper girlie pieces. but despite the lack of sophistication, girls are tripping over themselves to wear this label. now, so are celebs.

the word tacky doesn't do full justice to this look. this is paris in moscow during russian fashion week. i am only posting this photo because i think the pieces she's wearing are by plastinina, but i could be wrong....

paris hilton was a special guest of plastinina's show during russian fashion week last year, and now dylan's candy bar (famous mid town sweet shop started by ralph lauren's daughter) has entered into partnership with plastinina. all the stores will now have a dylan's candy bar outpost. this is a genius move on the part of plastinina and her handlers. from what i've seen her clothes are fug, but with brilliant marketing like this, i predict that the stores will be a success. the first one will be in new york city's soho and is scheduled to open shortly.

NEW COLLABO: WHEN HARI MET DAISY

london - model-of-the-moment, daisy lowe is now the face of hari. if you haven't heard of hari (trust me, i hadn't either!) it's a new casual label from london that sells graphic tees, cotton dresses, leggings,etc. (think american apparel, but with a bit more glam and a touch of edge). it was started by ace fashion agent lainey sheridan, and has already started attracting a celebrity following (madonna allegedly loves the line.)











lowe at an agent provocateur party. (exposay.com)

BRILLIANT: THE PRADA FOUNDATION DEBUTING THE PRADA MUSEUM

artists flank muiccia prada, who is seated. peep her husband, standing on the left. his name is patrizio bertelli. (newyorktimes.com)

prada on the cover of the times' magazine. artists francesco vezzoli stands on the left and john baldessari on the right. (newyortimes.com)

italy - muiccia prada's love affair with art is legendary. she's regarded as a patron of the arts and commonly commissions work from young, contemporary artists. her clothes themselves blur the line between art and fashion and for this reason the prada label is nothing less than a wardrobe for those in artistic circles. now, she's taking that love affair a step further by planning a full fledged museum in the south of italy. the new york times magazine reported this past weekend that the prada foundation has purchased a huge space which will be designed by rem koolhaas (he designs all the prada stores). the space will showcase an eclectic mix of commissioned art work, past prada collections and will be regarded as a "cultural center" for the area. look for it to be completed by 2012.

NEW MAGAZINE: PREPARE FOR PALLADIUM

london - if you are a fashion forward, intellectual, upwardly mobile male between the ages of 25-40, then this magazine is for you. palladium, is a new bi-monthly publication, targeted at this demographic. they launch on april 30th and will be published in lonodn. they are owned by sixty sixty four, ltd. a french publishing firm. so far romaine ibanez has been named editor in chief, gavin knight is the deputy editor, and mitchell belk is the fashion editor.

MEET VANITY FAIR'S NEW EDITORS: INGRID SISCHY & SANDY BRANT

brant, and sischy are a power couple in more ways than one. (viewimages.com)

new york - we all know about powerful design duos, but let's get into powerful editorial duos. that's exactly what ingrid sischy and sandy brant are. for nearly 20 years, the two worked as editor and publisher for heavy weight publications - interview. that is until brant's nasty divorce with her husband (who co-owned both publications) led to her selling her 50% ownership back to her ex. subsequently both girls left titles which they had been helming for decades. the art world's loss is vanity fair's gain. the publication promptly hired the two as international editors. they will be based in new york and will travel the world, doing quality control on the magazines many international issue, including the soon to launch spanish issue. this is great work if you can get it! congrats to the two women.

NICHOLAS GHESQUIERE ISN'T THINKING OF YOU WHEN HE DESIGNS

ghesquiere, creative director for balenciaga. (tucloset.files.wordpress.)

worldwide - and by you, i mean any woman with minimum or maximum curves. check out this quote he gave to purple magazine, below. the women who inspire him are more like boys. but to each his own. i live an die for ghesquiere. i spotted this on fashionista.com. (don't know how to pronounce his name? check out my designer pronunciation key on the right.)

sixties french fashion icon, francoise hardy, is one of the women that floats ghesquiere's boat. (featuringdave.com)

"I am dealing with women. Their sensuality moves me. But the girls around me are rarely sex symbols in the carnal or voluptuous sense. I prefer Johanna Preiss or Charlotte Gainsbourg to Scarlett Johansson. I prefer Francoise Hardy to Marilyn Monroe."

HEATHERETTE AND MAC UNITE

richie rich and traver rains always know how to put on a good show. here they are walking down the runway after a runway show. (viewimages.com)

new york - so i have no idea where one can actually buy their clothes, but at least now i know where we can buy their make up: mac. richie rich and traver rains, the design duo behind heatherette, have partnered with mac cosmetics to launch their own limited edition makeup palette. rachel brown of womens wear daily the products deliciously saying it is, "part Willy Wonka, part club kid and all Heatherette." richie rich was equally ecstatic saying, "the MAC team was right on our wavelength. they know heatherette inside and out. the translation was amazing."

JESSICA & ANONYMOUS: THIS ONE'S FOR YOU

worldwide - i gotta say, I LOVE how much my wonderful blaynistas are commenting. thanks for all your responses. i wanted to shine i light on questions asked by jessica and a fellow blaynista a few days back. essentially both wanted to know: "What type of fashion jobs pay well?"

can i hug you for asking? a friend and i were JUST having a very long and drawn out discussion on the irony of the fashion industry: many folks design, write about, and promote luxurious objects, but can't actually afford to write about it - at least not on their salary. simply put, no matter the design house, fashion magazine, or stylish p.r firm - many folks in fashion simply don't get paid a lot. based on my experience (i have to stress that part! my answer is very subjective and pertains to my own professional history and those of close friends around me) the average salary for fashion professionals generally starts at $30,000 and tops up around $75,000. that's for the rank and file, but those in the upper echelons of this industry and successful entrepreneurs in fashion are often making four times as much or more.

now i know that a lot of fashion industry professionals read this blog, so i welcome your responses and your figures. it's fun to talk about what to buy, but i am loving this dialogue on how to actually afford it. jessica and anonymous, i hope this helped. you've inspired me to talk about stuff like this in depth on this blog, so look forward to exclusives on this issue. in the meantime my dear readers, blog back on fashion industry salaries. i'd love to know your thoughts.

BUT WOULD YOU BUY THIS? PETE WENTZ LAUNCHES CLOTHING LINE

wentz and girlfriend, ashlee simpson.

seattle, washington - no. we may not need more labels selling tees, hoodies,and denim, but nordstrom's clearly doesn't care. that's part of the reason they are assaulting customers (i know i'm being dramatic!) with the clandestine industries, a label that's co-designed by rocker pete wentz. the range will debut at select nordstrom stores and online at nordstrom.com. starting this april, pieces will be available in the clandestine industries store in chicago. in my opinion, the only thing brilliant about this is the business deal wentz struck. as you know, we at the blay report are all about brand expansion. but, i am not a fan of what will surely be a very boring and typical range of clothes. pete nordstrom, exec at the retailer, had this to say about the collaboration, "I think this relationship shows how much fashion and music are linked," said president of merchandising Pete Nordstrom. "In the case of Pete Wentz, here's an artist who's really well known, has a proven, personal interest in fashion design, and happens to have great fashion sense too. It makes for a perfect collaboration between Pete and the BP department where we will carry the line."

TELL US SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW: LEGGINGS ARE A BOOMING TREND

i love leather leggins! and so do women in paris. how chic. (wwd.com)

paris - a few months ago i spent several hundred dollars on leggings from american apparel (very poor quality by the way!). i bought sparkly ones, cotton ones, spandex ones, and denim ones. i went buck wild! boy was i smart. as it turns out, leggings are all the rage, as confirmed by womens wear daily on today's front page of the paper. leading the trend are tight leather leggins which were apparently all the rage in paris during the shows. above are photos from womens wear daily's spread, prominently featuring the leather tights. personally, i love it! what about you?

TRAGIC: REEBOK FINED FOR TOXIC BRACELETS

photos of the recalled bracelet as well as the reebok packaging. (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov)

usa - the tragedy i am referring to deals with the death of a four year old boy who swallowed a pendant from a reebok charm bracelet. that death in 2006 prompted the recall of 300,000 of these bracelets which were made in china. despite the rapid recall the us consumer product safety commission has levied a fine against them. reebok has to pay a record amount of $1 million u.s dollars, the largest fine ever given for something of this kind.

AMAZING! NEW FRAGRANCE FROM MARGIELLA

looks from margiela's previous collections on flckr.com. his very modern, abstract aesthetic will now be translated into a fragrance by l'oreal.

usa - the ever elusive martin margiela has come up for air long enough to strike what will be a very lucrative fragrance deal. the deal is with l'oreal which will create several fragrances under the designer's namesake label, maison martin margiela. according to wgsn margiela already has "32 single-brand sales outlets and more than 500 multibrand stores across five continents."

I JUST TAKE THE PISS DON'T I? FORGIVE THE LACK OF BLOGGING

new york - blaynistas! don't you love how incognito i've been over the past few days!? please forgive me. blogging sometimes becomes a casualty of my busy schedule, especially when i am changing time zones. i'm happy to announce I AM NOW BACK IN NEW YORK CITY!! i am on break from my masters program in london, and decided to spend the extra time in the u.s. look out for photos while i am home on break. in the meantime, please forgive me! now on to blogging...

LOU DOILLON LETS THE SECRET TO GOOD DRESSING OUT

i agree with what this beauty has to say (viewimages.com)

london - the french are renowned for their wonderful dressing. here, model and stylecon (i made that word up b.t.w, it is a combination of style and icon. don't u love the blay report!?) lou doillon gives her take on why the french are so damned fashionable to the guardian weekend magazine. "the silhouette is the most important thing in clothes. every french girl knows that. high-waisted trousers give you long legs and a pretty bum which, after all, is what we all want."

BERGDOF IS STEPPING ITS GAME WAAAAY UP

looks like this from balenciaga's fall 2008 collection, should be available at bergdof's in late summer. (style.com)

new york -i'll begin by saying that at the end of the day it's bergdof's. it will always be the epitome of fine shopping. and yet, i am surprised at how many new labels are debuting there so far this year. (by the number, and the fact that these folks didn't already have a presence.) it's been announced that balenciaga will be debuting their store in store on the third floor (next to prada.) lanvin recently got it's own dedicated space on the fourth floor, while tom ford will be debuting in the mens shop in may. this simply sounds like a fashionista's wonderland. i can't wait to check it out when i return to nyc on holiday next in a few weeks.

BOLD COVERS FROM VOGUE UK & US

the cover and a page from the photo spread accompanying it. i love it all to bits. this won't be beckham's last vogue cover. at all. i expect loads more in the future. (celebgossipjunkie.blogspot.com)

new york + london - blaynistas, let's talk about the dynamic vogue covers on both sides of the pond. the u.k led off with a beauty shot of victoria beckham aka posh spice. when i first heard about it, i didn't necessarily love the move, but i understood. posh is - like it or not - a style icon. (to whom? i don't know.) after seeing the cover and the spread, i've just got to say kudos. i'm all about it. it was a brilliant move.

james and bunchden both giving much body on the vogue u.s cover. (justjared.com)

vogue u.s paired lebron james and gisele bunchden for it's shape issue. both personalities were very apropo copies, and photographer annie liebowitz can do no wrong (can't wait for the day she captures me on film!) BUT it would have been nice to see lebron in a more glam or adventurous get up. what he's wearing speaks to the issues theme (fair enough) but it also looks like he just stepped off the court. i haven't seen the actual spread, so perhaps they glammed him up in there...? let me know if you've seen it and what you think.

PRADA SPA ANNOUNCES A NEW EXEC

italy - well, it's looking like that much discussed ipo of prada will be happening. just for some background, prada, currently a privately/family owned company, is now planning to go public. this means shares of the company will be offered on the italian stock exchange. (imagine not just owning a bag, but a piece of the firm. how fab!) there's been lots of back and forth, but a new development points to this happening for real. carlo mazzi has been appointed as executive vid president of the milan-based luxury label. mazzi has been with prada for the past four years as a financial advisor and his new role will fit within the company quite nicely once they go corpoate.

JAPAN FASHION WEEK GOES LIVE

this has nothing to do with japan fashion week, but still thought i'd share. it's the line up from the fall 2008 limi feu collection. it took place in paris. but do you knowwho limi feu is? she is yohji yamamoto's daughter. i love how she's following in daddy's footsteps. i like what i'm seeing above. ( girldir.com)

tokyo - ironically, japan fashion week generally has very low attendance. the irony lies in the fact that so many designers are basically staying afloat because of the huge consumption of high end goods by the chinese market. that said, organizers are trying to attract more guests through technology. guests can now view collections from mikio sakabe, aguri sagimori , heath and others via real time videos. the screens are installed in a shopping complex in midtown tokyo. in addition any one in the area, will be able to watch the shows via mobile phones equipped wiwth 1seg tv, a digital televsion service. sounds cool. but sounds to me like it will open it up to just about everyone - and not necessarily the editors and buyers they'd want to attract...

CONGRATULATIONS TO BLAY REPORT READER: ANNA

london - blaynistas, last night i had the pleasure of meeting a devoted blay report reader: anna. turns out we have a mutual friend. anna looked absolutely fabulous in a black, cinched vest worn over a long sleeved black top and a calf-skimming textured skirt. even more fabulous than her hair and ensemble!? her wedding! anna is on her way to the seychelles as you read this to marry her long time love of five years. we wish you all the best and please send us some photos!

CFDA ANNOUNCES NOMINEES: ARE YOU SURPRISED BY NOMINEES?

i like his look: designer dries van noten captured by the sartorialist for style.com. he is the international award winner for this years' cfda awards. (style.com)

new york - the council of fashion designers of america, otherwise known as cfda, announced its 2008 honorees and nominees earlier this week. they are: menswear designer of the year nominees: tom ford; michael bastian (bill blass); tom brown womenswear designer of the year nominees: marc jacobs; francisco costa (calvin klein); lazaro hernandez and jack mccollough (proenza schouler) international design award:dries van noten eugenia sheppard award: candy pratts price (style.com) geoffrey beene lifetime achievementaward: carolina herrera board of directors special tribute: mayor michael bloomberg