RUSLANA KORSHUNOVA DEAD: WAS IT SUICIDE?

new york - so it's super early to speculate - and prolly entire inappropriate - but this is exactly what media sources are whispering. russian model ruslana korshunova was found dead this past weekend. according to articles, she plunged to her death from a new york city apartment building. korshunova's name may not sound familiar, but chances are you've seen her in ads for a variety of labels from dkny to christian dior to the cover of vogue.

AEEEYO BLAYNISTAS! A MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGER!

new york - so are you over me!? my bad readers. but honestly, sometimes this blog becomes a casualty of my schedule. i just got back to new york. actually i have been back for a week, but looking for an apartment has me tied up and ignoring all deadlines. (so unprofessional!) but enough with the past, let's focus on the present: i am back! i missed you guys. so many personal updates, but let's save that for later and start talking about FASH-ON! xxx,z

I THINK THIS IS A GREAT VOGUE COVER, BUT....

usa - i'm a lil bored of nicole kidman and julian moore and drew barymore who seem to be the perpetual covergirls for all magazines, especially vogue. are you loving it?

A GREAT WAY TO SPEND $650 (USD): LANVIN/ACNE DENIM

new york - i know! i must sound mad. but i am definitely growing couture crazy out here in london. i haven't been this excited about something since my parents told me i a was moving to america from africa sixteen years ago. maybe i'm over exaggerating but...alber elbaz gave the press a first look at lanvin's upcoming collaboration with acne jeans. honestly, acne is a cool label , but damn this is such a coup for them. in my opinion, i think acne earns a lot more in cool points and cache from this collaboration than lanvin. but chances are lanvin get's the cash and that's prolly all that matters. that said though, the photos above show how chic this denim range will be. according to fashionweekdaily.com, jeans will retail for between $550 to $650. outerwear $1,200 to $1600 and jewelry and bags upwards of $1500. prices like these make you want to strip to afford them. or is that just me?

NOW YOU REALLY CAN'T TELL HER NOTHING: ANNA WINTOUR NAMED AN OBE BY THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND

i love this photo of wintour. (soundoffcolumn.com)

london - oh this is fantastic (in the true sense of the word, as in a fantasy, as in it can't be real....but then again....but i digress...) so anna wintour, editor-in-chief of vogue just received an OBE award from the queen of england. o.b.e stands for officer of the british empire (why do i think of plantations and slave ships when i see that term!?) and wintour was honored specifically because of "her services to British journalism and British fashion in the United States." according to fashion week daily. well, aint this mayjah! another living legend who was added to the list was my course director , louise wilson of central saint martins , where  i am earning my masters. she was honored for "her services to education and the fashion industry." congrats. 

VICTORIA'S SECRET: PLEASE STOP THE PINK MADNESS

models promoting victoria's secret "pink" clothing. it looks good here. but i promise you when you see it on city sidewalks one too many times, it just reads sloppy.

usa - lazy dressers of the world - rejoice! victoria's secret - whose  line of "pink university" sweat shirts and hoodies  is ultra popular (on and off campuses) -  is set to heighten the frenzy for the sloppy-chic threads. according to women's wear daily, they have reached a licensing deal with several american colleges including harvard, boston college and texas a&m. the new line of "pink" clothes will incorporate logos from these schools and will sell the range on campus.  i won't lie. it's a brilliant marketing step. but i cringe at the avalanche of cut-off sweats and ugg boots that getting ready to hit these schools. 

TAILORED TO PERFECTION: INDOCHINO OFFERS CUSTOM TAILORED SUITS THAT ARE GREAT ON THE BODY, YET EASY ON THE POCKET

british columbia  - fellas, this one is for you. i came across clothing company the other day while surfing the web and instantly fell in love with the concept. the label is called indochino and they specialize in custom, made to order, specially tailored suits for men. usually something like this (from say...tom ford in new york city or oswald boateng in london's saville row) would run you a few thousand. but with this company you get it for a lot less. it was started in 2006 by university of victoria grad heikal gani with co-founder kyle vucko. in less than three years indochino has gone from a simple business plan to a global brand with offices in british columbia and shanghai. learn more about them and most importantly - check out their suits. this is a great and economical way to get your swagger on boys. 

"HAWAII MEETS THE HAMPTONS" IN LANVIN'S RESORT COLLECTION

new york  - lets thank wwd for that fu n title. that sentence was used in their review of lanvin's latest resort collection. it accurately sums up the looks which manage to be chic and...fruity at the same time. in the article, alber elbaz creative director/designer at lanvin says, "it's about the original idea of cruise, a fantasy vacation."......interesting. i can't say i like or don't like it. i think i'm still trying to digest it. i'll revisit this again. in the meantime what is your take? 

GUESS THE DESIGNER?

new york - my friend, janelle new grimmond, who an editor at vibe magazine took these pics during a fashion market appointment.  she emailed them to me and asked me to guess who designed them. i guessed donna karan, dolce & gabanna or kenneth cole. i was wrong on all counts. do you know who designed it? take a guess. i will reveal the answer tomorrow. 

GUESS WHO IS BACK!!?? DID YOU MISS ME!?

me and designer henry holland. please, please get into my yves saint laurent rive gauche blazer. she is a classic.

that is the fabulous arieta to my left. she is the press manager for river island, one of london's - actually - the u.k's largest high street stores.

these two just got added to my favorite people list: stylist ann look and journalist fabio immediato. met them during graduate fashion week and instantly fell in love.

maria is a fellow journalist and one of the few people who understands how partying is actually work. between sips of champagne and bites of mini-burgers, we were running around the london graduate fashion week after party interviewing folks and taking pics. loved hanging out with you doll!

london - ohmygah! so i just realized that every time i "come back" to blogging it's with a huge photo of henry holland. the london designer has become a regular aquaintance of mine since i am always covering every move he makes. the latest move was as a presenter at london's graduate fashion week. blaynista's what a week it was. i was totally, totally blown away by the work these students did. the photos above are from the last day of the event. river island, which sponsored the show, organized a nice get together of drinks and bites for guests.....but i digress...the point is I MISS YOU GUYS! i really do. even though i wasn't actually blogging, there were several points through out this week where i was making up posts in my mind and thinking of things to tell you. i'm glad to be back and will be posting furiously today and tomorrow so you are in for a fash-news-round-up treat. XO!zb

update: you can check out my coverage of the weekend online at aol styledash.

I'M COMING...I PROMISE!

london - aaaaahh, deadline drama. every once in a while, no matter how organized i try to be, my deadlines just pile up on me. right now i am working my way through a few. i haven't forgotten about you though my lovely, faithful blaynista. i'll be blogging shortly! come back in a lil bit! zb

WE LOST A LEGEND: YVES SAINT LAURENT DEAD AT 71

worlwide - i know i never knew the man...but months of researching his history and collections almost made me feel like i did. saint laurent lived a full and marvelous life and made an impact on the fashion world from the most elite levels onward. he died sunday night at his home. he was 71 years old. his business associate pierre berge (himself a legend) said to french radio, "There are not that many people in the pantheon of fashion. There will be two who will undeniably remain -- one who symbolized the first part of the 20th century, and that's Chanel, and the other one who will symbolize the second part of the 20th century, and that's Yves Saint Laurent." i could not agree more. more deets to come as they emerge. this is truly the end of era.