MICHAEL KORS DEBUTS A NEW STORE IN LONDON

london - nestled between hermes and burberry is the brand-spanking-new michael kors boutique on new bond street. the 2500 squarefoot store is kors' second one on the continent, the first being milan. to celebrate the debut, he hosted a chic dinner party the other night featuring the hoi polloi of london town including yasmin le bon, princess beatrice, kristin scott thomas and yasmin le bon. kors wasn't in town just to party but participated in several events where he put his sale skills into play in order to woo new customers. you've got to love this designers' hustle. he does it all and with a smile. zandile blay

ARE YOU FREADY FOR FIFA CLOTHING?

paris - or more to the point, do you even know what fifa clothing is? so let me school you. fifa stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association, and it is the international governing body for soccer. they've just announced that they will be launching soccer inspired clothing which will be available on the market starting this august. global brands will be the master licensee, meaning they design and manage the distribution of the clothing. no word yet on if this will standard jerseys or something more, but either way soccer fans must be so excited! zandile blay

WANT TO KNOW HOW V-MAGAZINE DOES SWIM? CHECK OUT THEIR LATESET ISSUE....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

new york-  upcoming V Magazine summer 2009 issue #59 – V's first ever swimsuit issue starring cover girls Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova on the cover wearing Paul & Joe jacket, H&M swimsuit, and Chopard jewelry, Daria Werbowy and Claudia Schiffer.  Mario Testino shot all these gorgeous gals along with 5 lucky guys these shots are like sex warmed up- I can see myself tearing these pictures out of my copy and putting them on my wall. Make sure to pick up a copy of your own...

 

 all images of v magazine summer 2009 issue #59

GRACE JONES WOW AT MATTHEW WILLIAMSON H&M EVENT

 

 

 

New York- last nights matthew williamson for h&m party was the place to be. The party housed such celebrites and socialites as Mary Kate Olsen, Daria Werbowy Olivia Palermo  Richie Rich and even Pat Fields but perhaps whom was most of the essence was the legendary grace jones. end of story. Terrence Phearse

JUST HAD TO SHARE: JULEE WILSON ET AL, SHOT BY KWAKU ALSON

new york - see that pretty black girl in the middle serving a strong look? thats my sister (from another mister) julee wilson. she's posing with the other fashionistas from the fab fashion team at real simple magazine: fashion assistant elinor smith on the left and fashion director karen kozlowski on the right. the shot was taken by famed photographer, kwaku alston who has also shot my family members, uncle and auntie obama as well as the kids. i love it. kudos to julee and team for being part of such fabulosity. 

HARVEY NICHOLS AND SIXTY GROUP EYE MOSCOW FOR NEW RETAIL STORES

moscow - so russia is where it's at when it comes to retail? clearly, that's the case if you judge by the recent plans of two major retailers the u.k's harvey nichols and the sixty group which owns miss sixty, energie and killah clothing/retail stores. harvey nichols just announced it's intention to open a 15,000 square foot flagship in moscow, while sixty group has already launched five stores in the city.

picture: lightingalliance.com

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR GIVENCHY IN SELFRIDGES?

london - retail powerhouse, selfridges is offering customers yet another fabulous shop in shop and this time it is french luxury house givenchy. the brand will be opening a new store in store retailing givenchy accessories, including bags, shoes, jewellery and scarves.

picture: the late hubert de givenchy, the designer behind the house

update - so my bad! mr. givenchy is still alive. my faithful reader jaiden pointed that out to me. this means i still have a chance to meet and marry him. thank you j!

I'M SO CONFUSED....SARAH JESSICA PARKER IS HAVING TWINS....

new york  - really though? really? umm....really. sarah jessica parker, aka sjp, aka carrie bradshaw, of sex and the city fame is having a baby. i'm sorry: two babies. twins. both girls.  and her baby daddy? actor matthew broderick. the couple have a six year old son together. sjp won't be carrying the children herself, but has instead enlisted the help of a "generous" surrogate who will carry the twins to birth. so why is such good news confusing? well, is it just me or didn't it come  out that roderick allegedly cheated on sjp a few months back? i didn't expect them to break up over this, but thought they'd take some time for healing....but what do i know! zandile blay

picture: sarah and matt, courtesy of movie.moldova.org

JUST HAD TO SHARE: I'M OBSESSED WITH THE VIVIENNE TAM HP MINI

www - blaynistas, please get into the latest love of my life: the sexy vivienne tam hp mini. i never imagined i'd fall in love with a laptop, even after my legendary fling with the sony vaio p series computer. but alas, this cherry red, peony printed p.c has seduced the kid. i first used it in march during the rock fashion show in miami, where my only accessory besides my room key to the fountain bleau hotel was this chic laptop. what i loved about it was how well it worked. it logged on seamlessly to any network, had amazing battery life and was positively immune to all the bumps and scrapes i inflict on lap tops in my day to day. the book is less than 1 inch thick and weights only 2.2 pounds, the ten inch screen is high definition assuring you a crisp, clear view and has a built in web cam for live chats and more....for that extra touch of luxe, the computer comes with a silk duster - ala what chanel et al provide once you purchase a bag - as well as a tote. log on to www.hpdirect.com/minivt to learn more! zandile blay

WAIT...FOREVER 21 IS IN TOKYO?!

Tokyo-  Forever 21 is about to open its first store in Japan,

 raising the fast-fashion stakes in the world's second-largest economy.
I cant believe it but knowing the fashionistas out there they will put

on anything.... New York stylistas dont get into but I think its a great

move for the brand. Terrence Phearse

 

VALENTINO: A STYLISH CAREER LAID BARE

Worldwide- when asked what does women want.. he exclaims-

"they want to be beautiful" valentino dressed audrey hepburn and 

jackie o.-vogue editor anna wintour and gwynenth paltrow. his reign lasted

for four and a half decades. he retired last year at age 75- his story and the 

story of his giancarlo giammetti. his partner in business and in life. is told

in the new documentary valentino the last emperor. check it out

in select theatres.  Terrence Phearse

GET INTO THIS: BOW TIE NECKLACES BY MARC C

new york - this sunday, i attended a phenomenal brunch organized by jey van sharp of uberlife in new york city. there were loads of stylenistas -ofcourse. but one in particular stood out, marc clark, the designer of marc c broaches. the maryland graduate was sporting the amazing bow-tie necklace i'm rocking in the pic above and his friend wore a bow-tie broach also designed by mark. they had the entire crowd of 100+ brunch goers abuzz. i think it's safe to say that these are about to be the next haute thing. check them out online at http://www.marcclark.com/. the bow tie broaches are on sale now and the necklaces will be available in august of this year. they come in blue, black, pink and yellow. clearly my poison is the red one! what's yours?

OOOOH PRADA IS SO INTELLECATUAL, JUST CHECK OUT THEIR NEW TRANSFORMER

korea - so i've always heard prada referred to as the intellectuals luxury label. i like to think i belong in that category, but often times, they completely lose me. (just give me good old, retro glam stella mccartney or sexified ysl any day) but i digress....the label has just linked up with rem koolhass' office for metropolitan architecture to debut the prada transformer. according to the korean times - who told the story the best, every other news outlet just confused me - the transformer is to be "the venue for events devoted to art, film, fashion and of course, the Prada brand, for the next sixth months." in addition to the odd shape, the actual grounds the transformer is built on are equally breath taking. it's situated in downtown seoul on the grounds of a 16th century palace. koolhaas, miuccia prada and her husband patrizio bertelli were both on hand for the inauguration of the new venue. zandile blay

photo: wwd.com and korea times

SWAROVSKY ACTUALLY HAS HISTORY - AND LOTS OF IT: CELEBRATING 20TH ANNIVERSARY

 

New York-  The Daniel Swarovski collection - the high-end couture collection of Swarovski accessories generally found adorning celebrities on the red carpet - celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and with that come 20 new bag designs and 20 new pieces of jewelry to commemorate the brand's history. Terrence Phearse

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU OVER THE LAUNCH OF GAP'S 1969 DENIM?

 

nationwide- The latest Gap product to get an upgrade from

 Patrick Robinson, executive vice president of design, is denim,

 with a new premium collection, "1969," which will debut for Fall 2009.

Gap gave a sneak peek of the new additions to their denim roster at a

press preview in New York on Monday, April 20, with a line-up of diverse

styles and washes for both men and women, from skinny to straight and

the new "boyfriend" jean for women, to re-designed boot cuts for both, from

light to dark rinses and all shades in between. Terrence Phearse

GET INTO THIS: ZANDILE BLAY IN LESPORTSAC 35th ANNIVERSARY BRAND BOOK

japan - yeah, i know....i am doing the most in that picture. i just felt like looking like a new york drug dealer's girl friend that day. in anycase, my girl paula spadaccini at lesportsac asked me to be one of a handful of new york fashionistas to be featured in the brands 35th anniversary book. i love that the text is totally not in english. it adds an touch of international cache, no? by the way, please get into the contents of my purse. are you living and dying for my pocket sized vaio or are you living and dying for my new pocket sized vaio? i'm doing both. twice.

THIS MAN IS HAVING A REALLY GOOD CAREER: DRIES VAN NOTEN IS HONORED BY THE COUTURE COUNCIL

new york - talk about hitting his stride. is it just me or does it seem like dries van noten is really just having his moment. noten might seem like a flavor of the month - or in his case - a couple of years - but he's paid his dues. he started his label in 1986 and prior to that was part of the movement of belgium designers who really revolutionalized clothing design. noten is being recognized for his amazing body of work and contributions to the fashion industry by the couture council at f.i.t. (yeah, i didn't know this existed either.) noten is the new kid on a very presitigious block: isabel toledo, alber elbaz and ralph rucci have all been honored in the past. the ceremony will take place at a lunch at ciprianis in new york. "his incredible sensitivity to color, to pattern and to ornamentation - and the way he has searched the world to find crafts people who can do what he wants them to do - is extraordinary," said valerie steele, director of the museum at f.i.t. "his clothes are unmistakably his. i think they have made a really important contribution to the history of contemporary fashion." agreed. zandile blay

photo: mr. van noten; source, vouge.co.uk

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? ZARA TO SELL HELLO KITTY MERCHANDISE

worldwide - are you as confused as i am? who knew that the execs of fashion forward mass-tailer, zara, would be aware of hello kitty, let alone agree to sell it. between you and me, i thought they only swagger jacked from luxury labels like balenciaga and yves saint laurent. but i digress.....apparently, inditex, the company which owns zara, has signed a deal with sanrio company - which owns hello kitty. the agreement means that zara will start selling household goods and childrends wear stamped with the allegedly adorable kitty kats face. some things really do make you go hmmmm.....please explain this bit of news and or the allure of hello kitty if you can. this fashion blogger is greatly intrigued and perplexed. zandile blay

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON DEBUTS AT H&M TODAY: PUT ON SOME SNEAKERS, GREASE YOU FACE, AND GO SHOPPING

usa - you know it's about to be on right? after top shop sucked all the press from h&m, my favorite swedish retailer is swinging back with some stylish news of its own: the debut of matthew williamson's collaboration with h&m. this promises to be extremely sexy and extremely colforful. trust ms. blay on this one. i had a chance to check out this collection a few weeks ago and fell in love with just about every single item on the racks. i've selected visuals of my favorite pieces to show you. the prices aren't cheap (think $400 for a ruffled gown, $100 for a jersey dress, etc) but honestly for the quality and design they are so incredibly worth it. the good news is that there are also loads of accessories which you can stack up on like neon coloed belts an an amazing pair of glasses that remind me of my favorite balenciaga pair. if you live in the u.s i suggest you rush to your latest h&m and stock up on these goodies - if not, brave inflated e-bay prices in less than 24 hours. zandile blay

JUST HAD TO SHARE: ROBERTO CAVALLI'S FACE ....THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM

miami - so this pic was snapped of mr. cavalli during the opening of his new store on bal harbor in florida. is it just me or is there something very....worked-on-ish about his face? just asking.....blaynistas, please answer. i beg. zandile blay

photo: fashionweekdaily.com

UMMM WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE PRADA FALL 2009 CAMPAIGN IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE

new york - if the whispers i'm spotting on the internet are to be believed it promises to be a juicy shoot. apparently legendary photographer steven meisel commandeered milk studios in new york for four days straight for the photo shoot. in addition to the usual combination of models, madness and catering (yummmay!) there were also horses. real horses. live horses. yeah, i know what you are thinking. prada.is.genius. zandile blay

photo: steven meisel; this man is incredibly sexy, i think i love him. source: fashion-iconography.net

CAN YOU AFFORD MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA'S NEW HOME COLLECTION?

milan - i'm going to take the liberty of answering for you and say "NO!" (but in the off chance your pockets are deep enough to buy what is sure to be a very pricey line of sheets and furniture. call me!) per usual, i digress....today's news is: the legendary designer is set to launch a collection of lamps, rugs, wall paper, sheets and tables under his imprint. prototypes of it were on display this week at Salone del Mobile in milan. according to wwd.com, many of the pieces in his collection will be literal reproductions of pieces currently in margiela's headquarters. no word on price points yet, but if they are anything like his ready to wear pieces, then this is sure to break your bank - but at least your flat will look intellectual and fashionable. zandile blay

photo: wwd.com

ARE YOU A FACE OF THE FUTURE: P.DIDDY WANTS TO KNOW

www - i just want to prelude by saying how absolutely phenomenal sean "p-diddy" combs is. the man - and his team - is a total idea generating machine. the brilliant part is every campaign, product, album, ultimately goes back to one thing: promoting him. but alas, i digress....diddy has launched a new campaign called "faces of the future" to select the next face of sean john clothing. starting tomorrow, male models , or model hopefuls, can log on to www.seanjohn.com, and upload their photo in hopes of being selected. please be advised that folks can comment on these photos, so this should be extremely colorful. hopefuls can upload thier photos starting today and ending on the 29th. zandile blay


photo: nymag.com via getty images

PETER COPPING ANNOUNCED AS NEW DIRECTOR OF NINA RICCI

paris - here's to a smoother transition: peter copping who until recently was the studio director for louis vuitton womenswear has been named as the new artistic director of nina ricci. if you remember olivier theyskens stormed out of there in march, months ahead of his agreed upon date of october 2009. copping has deep roots with vuitton, he was one of the first people selected to join jacobs' team when he came on board and remained until recently. this news comes as no surprise to those who are plugged in to fashion gossip as there have been whispers since january of this year that copping would be taking over after theyskens left. it's going to be interesting to see if copping will be able to make the bosses at ricci happy both creatively and financially. zandile blay

photo: romantic theyskens and less romantic copping....i clearly have a visual favorite between these two...fashioncopious.typepad.com

GET INTO THIS: WHITNEY VARGAS' SHOE GAME

 

 

New York- Whitney Vargas, Senior Fashion News Editor, in Givenchy boots seen tippin into the Elle offices serving a strong look. 

 

Terrence Phearse

Photo by: Kelly Stuart 

Fwd: LUCIEN PELLAT-FINET & TOKYO ARTIST MR. (MISTER) COLLABORATION

worldwide - never you mind that they retail at over $4000 for sweaters and $900 for shirts. just focus on the fact that lucien pellat-finet is your go to label for uber luxurious cashmere creations. this season the brand has partnered with mr - one of japan's most dynamic artists to create a new series mens and womens tops as well as sheets and blankets, all stamped with mr.'s iconic manga characters. these items will be available starting in july at finet's boutique on 14 christopher street in new york city. you can call 212-255-8560 if interested in purchasing these and call me if you can actually afford them. zandile blay

YSL GOES GREEN FOR FILM

Exclusive YSL boutiques-  Yves Saint Laurent

has created a limited-edition range of T-shirts,

tank tops and tote bags in exclusive prints on

organic cotton.  They'll be sold in select YSL

boutiques in early June in tandem with the June

 5 worldwide release of the film, which is directed

by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and produced by Luc Besson.

I dont see it- i think its noble in a sense but those

t-shirts are not beat for the house, looks like this

could be picked up at the local army surplus store not an

exclusive YSL boutique. thoughts blaynistas....?

Terrence Phearse

 

 

INDOCHINO SUITS HELP YOU SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY

shanghai - i know you've heard of indochino. it's one of my favorite companies for men's suiting. why? the provide extremely well made, ridiculously inexpensive custom suits which are hand tailored and delivered to your door. the label was founded by two maverick young men, kyle vucko and hekal gani who first conceived of the company as university students in canada then put their school project into test drive in the bustling city of china. if that's not innovative enough, the duo have now launched something total new and special in suiting message monograms. essentially, now you can have a joke, a phrase, or a quote stitched on the inner portion of your suit jacket to add a quirky and personal touch. for a limited time, this feature will be free on all suit orders. log on to www.indochino to learn more. and tell then the blay report sent you! zandile blay

BEAUTY FIX: SIMPLE CLEANSING FACIAL WIPES

what: simple cleansing facial wipes
where: duane reade stores nation wide or log on to www.duanereade.com
why: if you are like me, monday morning will find you in your flat uptown, but tuesday morning will see you at em....a friend's....house downtown. despite an unexpected change in location, a busy fashionista must still keep her grooming together. enter: simple cleansing facial wipes. these portable wipes cleanse, hydrate, and refresh your skin. its alcohol and oil free, so it won't dry out your skin or clog your pores. best part it's only $5.99.


pic: thanks to fashionweekdaily.com

CALVIN KLEIN DEBUTS EUPHORIA

Nationwide- Just in time for Mother's Day, Calvin Klein euphoria

has partnered exclusively with Macy's and Calyx Flowers. From

April 1 through June 30, spend $70.00 or more from the euphoria

fragrance collection and receive a beautiful orchid plant from Calyx

Flowers as a special gift. with top notes of pomegrante, a mid note

of dewy lotus blossom and an end note of mahogany wood. this

fragerence is sure to have you feeling easy and breezy where ever

you are this summer. now we know diamonds are a girls best friend

but flowers are good girl friends as well....

Terrence Phearse

MARNI OPENS UPTOWN

 

New York-  Consuelo Castiglioni is known for not stating

the obvious- especially keeping it quirky chic for the italian

brand. Marni opens store number two in the city- uptown.

Instead if madison or fifth- the label opted out for a quiet

block on East 67th, at No. 21. "I like for our customer

to have the sensation of discovering the boutique." - Castiglioni

 

Brilliant!! - Terrence Phearse

 

UK LEADS AS MOST INT'L RETAIL MARKET

 

 

United Kingdom- The UK continues to lead the world as the most international

retail market, as Europe maintains its ability to attract the world's top retailers,

according to new research. And get into how large this Zara is.. they are

bringin in the pounds- literally.. While the US registered in 10th position globally,

with 39% of international retailers present.

 

Terrence Phearse

IDRIS ELBA & ZANDILE BLAY: LIKE HUSBAND & WIFE? LET'S DISCUSS

miami - herewith a juicy photo i snapped with my latest obsession (pun intended) mr. idris elba. i know why everyone likes him: talll, dark, handsome, etc. but can we please add ridiculously abundant swagger and a british accent to kill all british accents to that list? i was fortunate enough to interview him during rock fashion week in miami. we actually hit it off and here's photo graphic proof! in anycase, do we look anything like husband and wife? the comment was first posed by the illustrius erica kennedy (one of my fave writers) on a facebook group. just thought i'd rehash it here amongst my favorite group: blaynistas. thoughts?

testing testing text blogging

GET INTO THIS: HEART TRUTH DRESS EXHIBIT AT GRAND CENTRAL STATION

new york - blaynistas, i swear, a check up never felt so good - or glamorous. diet coke has linked up with the heart truth celebrity red dress foundation as well as the national heart, lung and blood foundation to put on a fabulous exhibit in new york's grand central terminal station. on hand will be dresses worn my celebs like heidi klum and vivica fox at the famous red dress fashion show earlier this year. besides checking out at glam pieces, you will also have the priceless opportunity to check up on your health. free heart check ups and consultations with nutritionists will be available for everyone - in addition to a goody bag from diet coke. if you are in new york, just hop over to the east side and visit the exhibit if not - you may want to consider taking a fabulous train ride in. so here are the deets:

date: april 15-17th, 2009
location: grand central terminal, vanderbilt hall, 87 east 42nd street
time: 12 pm to 6 pm

log on to www.dietcoke.com to lean more about this ultra fab event!