JUST HAD TO SHARE: SOME AMAZING LOOKS BY AGANOVICH

london - aganovich, designed by londoner nana aganovich is one of my fave labels. she and her partner are heading to new york shortly where i'll meet with them to check out the latest pieces. above are some example of her work. thoughts?

REMEMBER HIM? THAT'S TYLER RIGGS

milan - does the name ring a bell? tyler riggs the young model i interviewed last summer. i was the first person to do so.the story posted on paper magazine onine and america online.  now dude is storming the catwalks of milan. he's been in just about every show i've seen online so far including lanvin (which this look is from), and gareth pugh. loving it! are you missing me!? i'm missing you too. more tk later. xzb

BUT WILL THE SHOES BE AVAILABLE? ACCESSORIES STEAL SHOW AT PRADA

milan - clearly i am catching up on the looks from the men's shows in milan. the pieces at prada were - to me - very classic and true to the brand's dna. i loved the boxy shapes, the use of leather and the somber tones. but what really caught my attention was the footwear. from the photos on menstyle.com, i can't tell if it is stiched leather or a painted pattern. either way, it's brilliant and very lust worthy. thoughts?

MCQUEEN IS KING: MY FAVE LOOK FROM HIS MEN'S SHOW

milan - guys, i miss you. work has me swamped...but what's knew. forgive me. in anycase, i'm checking in to share this amazing look from the alexander mcqueen men's show which took place in milan. simply amazing. all 46 looks from make up to accessories are simply brilliant. it reminds me of a 19th century prize fighter who is battling a fatal case of influenza. i know...i sound like i'm on crack, but log on to menstyle.com and you'll see what i mean.

 

photo: courtesy mensstyle.com

JUST HAD TO SHARE: PICS OF STREET INSTALLATIONS SENT MY BOY NK

 

Quote done with masking tape: 15th & 8th 

brief to redress social issues

*separate from cooper brief, I installed 25 mistle toes around manhattan week leading up to December 25th.

I made a life size portrait of myself as a magnetic puzzle for the "full scale portrait" brief from Cooper,  nude!

JUST HAD TO SHARE: A MURAL IN BROOKLYN

new york - its 8:30 am and I'm in bushwick, brooklyn on my way to a photo shoot, that how I ran into this amazing mural of president elect (and my fantasy baby-daddy) barack obama. I live for it. Do you?

YOU KNOW THE DEAL....

new york - to my faithful readers like camille acey and chic noir and fashion frenzy (just to name check a few, but I know you all) thanks for putting up with me even when there's nada on this site. multi-tasking multiples makes it a challenge to be consistent - even with this fierce g1 phone that let's me blog on the go. please bear with me and send me love today: I am styling my first shoot for paper magazine!!! more deets and pics to come.

INTRODUCING....THE AIR JORDAN 2009

new york - blaynistas, just checking in to show you the latest jordan, simply called the air jordan 2009. It costs $190 and debuts in february. Would you buy?

PLEASE GET INTO ME ON THE WAY TO THE NOTORIOUS MOVIE PREMIERE

new york - the film premiers this evening as I mention below. Sprite was kind enough to give me a personal driver. This pic is of me outside my office and in front of the car. I will take more pics for you as night goes.

A SAMPLE SALE FOR THE BLUSHING BRIDE TO BE

usa - i am many moons away from my special day, but perhaps  you aren't. if you are one of those lucky girls - or queens - who has use for a wedding dress then i encourage you to check out this amazing saks bridal sample sale. for the first time in recent memory the sale has been expanded to include other locations besides new york (perhaps because as reported earlier on this blog, saks plans on shutting down several of its bridal salons nationwide). expect deep discounts.  details are....

• When:  Beginning Wednesday, January 7 (NOTE: the sale in NY only ends on Tuesday January 20th)

• New York:  5th Floor in the Bridal Salon and in Snaks

• Nationwide Markets:  Columbus, Short Hills, Richmond, Atlanta, Bal Harbour, Boca Raton, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Plano, San Francisco and South Coast Plaza

• What:  The bridal sample sale will begin on Wednesday, January 7 in select markets nationwide, offering up to 50% off original prices.  Hundreds of gowns will be on sale from the foremost designers, including Vera Wang, Reem Acra, Amsale, Kenneth Pool, Monique Lhuillier, Anna Maier-Ulla-Maija and more.  
  

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SIS

new york - that's the other z blay, zeba blay to be exact. she is my talented, dynamic, stylish, dry-witted little sister. we caught up briefly in midtown manhattan yesterday as she did some last minute shopping in advance of her trip to ghana. do get into these sasha-level (aka fierce) glasses she purchased for $10 at.......Port Authority!! I gagged too!

NOT FASHION - BUT HONESTLY, YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!

online - guys! i miss you so much! i have been late to blog because i've spent all morning whipping up a story on the latest chanel book for the huffington post. i just wrapped with it when gary pini of paper magazine showed this hilarious video with me. i promptly turned around and wrote about it for the huffington post too. check it out for yourself abo e. it shows controversial political activist , and newly elected senator al franken in his prime. i've never thought of the old man as sexy, but this vid sure changed my mind. am i buggin!? see the video here.

WHICH ONE OF THESE IS KARL LAGERFELD?

online - alas, the answer is both. on the left is "fat" karl, as the designer looked a few years back when he was very hefty. on the right is "skinny" karl. in recent years he's taken to, allegedly, eating baby food which has given and maintained his svelte frame.


photosource:dlisted.com

DO YOU LIVE FOR THIS JACKET?

new york - I got this badboy at my store of choice, h&m. As you can see its fairly big and boxy so I don't expect a lot of folks to cotton to it, but the feedback has been very warm and positive. What do u think?

FOREVER 21 IS DEAD WRONG FOR THIS...A BALENCIAGA KNOCKOFF

new york - I just can't take forever 21's brazenness any longer. I am all about this cheap/chic haven, but they take the piss with their blatant copies of high end lines. case in point this brown tote. Its bears a super strong resemblance to balenciagas motorcycle le dix bag. I snapped this pic minutes ago at forever 21's 34th street store in new york city.

A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR MY BABY, FRANKLIN

new york - (i already know that my mom is rolling her eyes at the post title!!! lol!) but moving on, last friday, january 2nd, was my boyfriend, franklin's birthday. he is a legendary homebody who wants nothing but a homecooked meal for his birthday. i definitely don't mind obliging that wish 264 days out of the year, but when it comes to birthdays i like to do it big (hence my trip to stonehenge and bath to celebrate mine.) for his, i pulled together an intimate surprise birthday dinner at talay in harlem. our dear, dear, dear friends: julee, rasaahn, janelle , leigh ann, matthew, q, jaqueline , randal , david , kareem as well as franklin's family, omar, louis, miguel and friends adele and prius made it a very special night. i am begging you to get into my dress. it is my favorite lbd (little black dress of the moment.) it is a skin tight, mid-thigh situation, with strappy back detail. i paired it with my sergio rossi pumps, a statement bangle from hennes and mauritz in london (trying to make h&m sound posh blaynistas) and a briel necklace i got from my girl michelle as a gift.

Ecco Domani Winners Announced

new york - zac posen, vena cava, alexander wang, and rodarte are just a handful of the fashion stars who were spotted early on by the ecco domiani. the wine label annually awards $25,000 to bright young (fashion) things to help them towads debut collections at new york fashion week. this year, the winners are  "Cushnie et Ochs, Lyn Devon, Matthew Ames, OHNE TITEL, CORPUS (in the men's category), Monique Péan (in the accessories category), and Bodkin Brooklyn (the first recipient of the Sustainable Design category."  they were chosen by a committee which included julie gilhart, christopher bollen and sally singer of vogue and my boss, kim hastreiter of paper.


photo: carla cushnie and michelle ochs of cushnie et ochs. courtesy of wwd.com

BOY OH BOY IS IT A SLOW FASHION NEWS DAY....

new york - maybe not slow but definitely depressing. everything is closing, everything is down 80% (maybe not, but something like it) and everything is awful! the optimist in me is rebelling and ignoring it all. still scrounging for happy - or at least juicy - news, so stay tuned.

xzb

JUST HAD TO SHARE: ME & MY BABIES

new york - aren't you soooo over bloggers using their sites as a personal photo album!? i'm not!!! :-)!!!! (forgive me if i'm being cheeky!) just had to share a pic of me and my girls, janelle grimmond, associate market editor at vibe on the far left, followed by julee wilson, fashion editor at real simple, myself (now officially market editor at paper magazine) and latoya scott who is a top, money-making talent agent at ford model management in new york city. this photo was taken at latoya's flat in harlem, new york as we got together to catch up. i met these three years ago when we were all teenage interns at vibe magazine. i barely liked any of them at the time, lol. but now i love them. the magic of time. 

WHAT KAISER KARL SAYS ABOUT FUR....

"In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and even clothes and handbags, the discussion of fur is childish."

ANNA WINTOUR TO SPEAK AT THE Y IN NEW YORK CITY

new york - so speaking of vogue....anna wintour, editor in chief of the u.s version will speak at the ymca on lexington avenue in new york city. her appearance is scheduled for may 12th at 8 pm and tickets are already on sale. they are also likely to get sold out in three seconds. i don't think i'll be paying to see her. i'll just get my fill during new york fashion week. if you are interested, see the details below:

When: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 8pm

Where: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street

Venue: Kaufmann Concert Hall

Price: $40.00 Premium Orchestra / $27.00 Orchestra

Buy tickets here!

OHMYGOODNESS, CATHY HORYN OF THE NEW YORK TIMES CAME FOR VOGUE!!!!

new york - okay, so this right here is from an article in the new york times called "whats wrong with vogue" written by cathy horyn of the new york times. frankly, i think that's GANGSTA! i thought there was a certain level of respect - or at least silence - that publications reserved for one another, but i guess not. and i digress....the fact is what's wrong with vogue is something routinely discussed in this industry. it's a topic i've discussed with fellow market and fashion editors. it's something i've discussed with fellow m.a students at central saint martins. it's something i've discussed with non-fashion folks - period. and i always assert that there's NOTHING wrong with vogue. it's an institution that is so rich with fashion scholars (or socialites) that whatever it does is valid  - in my opinion - be it major or mundane. but in any case, cathy horyn, a columnist for the new york times feels differently. here's what she had to say:

 

There are too many stories about socialites — or, at any rate, too few such stories that sufficiently demonstrate why we should care about these creatures. What once felt like a jolly skip through Bergdorf now feels like an intravenous feed. To read Vogue in recent years is to wonder about the peculiar fascination for the "villa in Tuscany" story. Ditto staff-member accounts of spa treatments and haircuts. - From Cathy Horyn's "What's Wrong with Vogue," in the New York Times.

 

 

 

photo: cathy horyn, styling on these fools. source: moca detroit

JUST HAD TO SHARE: ANDRE LEON TALLEY CUTTING A RUG

studio 54, new york - spied this online at wwd.com. apparently it is from a new years eve party of yore (specifically 1978) and shows legendary vogue fashion editor, andre leon talley dancing with diana ross. also in attendance were truman capote, carolina herrera and halston. i'm just wondering what song that was...it must have been beyond good...