WE LUST THIS: THE NEW CORDONES SHOE BY TOMS

Finally. TOMS I actually want to wear.


USA - Honestly, the heart-warming charity angle aside, there was something about TOMS shoes which looked decidedly....unchic. Hence, while I've admired the shoes half-heartedly (and admired the founder, Blake Mycoskie, whole-heartedly), I've never truly been moved to buy a pair. Until now.

Behold Tom's with laces, formally known as the Cordones. I spotted it online at Valet Mag. It's a total departure from the silouhette of the original shoe, and while that might mean TOM's has lost all its charm to some, it means its regained it all to me. Find it wherever TOMS are sold or online at www.TOMSshoes.com this month. It retails between $69 and $78, a sum so small that while picking one up for yourself, you can surely pick one up for me. No?  [image + story =racked.com]

Fashion Without Fashions: W Magazine Explores Homelessness

W Magazine releases images of a homeless inspired photo shoot  from its upcoming September Issue. We can't decide: Tacky or Tasteful?

usa - Leave it to a fashion magazine. In any other medium, exploring homelessness would mean in-depth interviews, following up with local politicians and including a quote or two from national charity organizations. For W Magazine: it meant draping models in tissue paper from Dior, paper bags from Prada and odds and ends from Chanel. The shoot, which was shot by Craig McDean and styled by Alex White, features model Sasha Pivovarova. W gets brownie points for an interesting concept and - per usual - beautiful imagery. But are we the only ones who think a chic twist on homelessness is in poor taste?

ALL JOKES ASIDE: EXACTLY WHO IS BUYING HOUSE OF DEREON?

Tina and Beyonce Knowles announce the expansion of their contemporary line, House of Dereon into "Daywear."

usa - it confounds me to no end that in these harsh economic times not only are folks buying beyonce's line, 'house of dereon,' but that they are buying to the point that its actually making profit , and a lot of it. at least that's what it seems like in light of the latest news: house of dereon is adding yet another category to it's roster: daywear. by way of explanation, tina knowles told reporters: "beyonce and i have had several occasions where we are in meetings all day and don't have time to run and change by dinner. this is the perfect collection to wear from the office to dinner because every piece can easily be dressed up or dressed down." (editors note: really, girl? is that so?) all these daytime fashions won't come cheap. they will debut in stores at end of the year and are estimated to range in price between $100 and $200 per piece.

in other house of dereon news, (yes - there is more!) beyonce announced the sasha fierce for dereon collection. yes - sasha fierce for dereon. what does this mean? it means that an entire clothing collection has been dedicated to beyonce's alter ego, which she busts out during performances. fittingly, the clothes will all be based on her concert costumes. It is allegedly designed by Beyonce herself, in tandem with her mother Tina Knowles. (I have a little inkling that a ginormous team of freelance designers actually do the bulk of the work.) The Sasha Fierce collection promises to be, well...fierce. It offers fashionistas with a penchant for over-designed garments, dresses, handbags, eyewear, even lingerie. (can someone say, 'too much?'). in an interview with women's wear daily, beyonce revealed, "the line really exudes a different side of my personality, which i am grateful to express." fans of dereon are sure to be grateful to buy this line which debuts this fall and retails for $25 to $75. it will be sold at macy's and dillards. naturally.

[above image is of sasha fierce collection; top image of dereon day; all images from fabsugar.com]

LOVE OR LOATHE? TOM FORD EYEWEAR CAMPAIGN, FALL 2009

Tom Ford unveils his Fall 2009 Ads for his eyewear collection starring Anna Maria Jagodzinska and Jon Kortajarena.

usa - how long did it take you to try and pronounce those names? but i digress....mr. tom ford himself snapped this dynamic duo for his latest campaign. nudity is clearly a key part of the tom ford aesthetic. but mercifully, it has yet to wear thin. it works perfectly in this here campaign by drawing the eyes to, well, the eyes. (after you have gazed at everything else of course....).

OLD NAVY'S REALLY RIDICULOUS SUMMER SALE - BUT WE AINT COMPLAINING

We've heard of a good sale, but these uber cheap tanks from Old Navy are a beyond!

usa – Blaynistas. We asked for it. All summer long we whined about the rain and begged for heat and now we got it. If you're like me you're running out of all things light weight at a remarkable speed. Old Navy to the rescue. Starting yesterday - until - is selling their form fitting rib-knit tanks for only two bucks a pop. The colors go around the entire color wheel. Heat like this calls for a pop of color and a floral high waisted skirt! Yet don't try to purchase more than five at a time… there is a limit!!

Lola Méndez






[image via spoiledpretty.blogspot.com]

GOD LIVES: RODARTE TO BE SOLD AT TARGET

usa - listen, i know what you are thinking: wtf!? how can rodarte's ethereal, handwoven, delicate, uber luxurious pieces be translated into mass market items hanging on the racks of target? easy! it's already been done. go international, target's designer collaboration arm, has inked a deal and already produced a capsule collection featuring holiday dresses, knee highs, and leapord print pants amongs others. the collection debuts nation wide in target stores and online on december 20th and will be available through february 6th. if you live in new york city, i know your plan is similar to mine - taking a road trip to targets waaay outside the tri-state area to scoop the fashion finds the locals are sure to look past! my shopping ambitions aside, how great is it that the kate and laura mulleavy, the sisters behind the brand will finally be making real coins! hopefully a fragrance is next.



Photos: Kate and Laura Mulleavy from WWD.com; Fall 2009 Runway Photos from Style.com

IN CASE THERE ISN'T ENOUGH CHEAP SHIZZ IN YOUR HOUSE...

usa - forever 21 is going to give you a helping hand. the company which is legendary for $21 knockoffs of $2100 dresses is now launching a home collection. yeah, you read it right: home. according nymag.com deets are sparse on exactly what it will be, but we can all be sure it will be plenty trendy and plenty disposable!




image from: fashionlawyerblog.com

JUST HAD TO SHARE: FASHIONISTAS COOK TOO

florida - as i boarded the train to catch to plane to brazil, i gave one of my favorite girls , janelle grimmond a quick call to say good bye. that's when she shared the unthinkable with me: she was cooking...lasagna. i gagged. (in fact, i'm still gagging). as you know , lasagna is not to be trifled with by the amateur chef. it's a serious, authentic, italian cuisine requiring several layers, several ingredients and genuine poise and talent in the kitchen. i've seen janelle, who is a native of guyana, whip up a mean caribean meal. but an italian one? unless it was bought in the frozen aisle, i just couldn't imagine it. but they say seeing is believing so behold images of the lasagna she baked just hours after our convo. as janelle triumphantly wrote in the email accompanying the photos, "Don't try it on my time Zandile Blay. JG can cook whatever baby!!! IRON CHEF!! I rules the kitchen ya heard!!!!" okay miss thing. congrats! but i still would have loved undeniable proof, like a shot of you actually making this! zandile blay

I CAN'T...I JUST CAN'T...AKON IS LAUNCHING NOT 1 BUT 2 FRAGRANCES...

usa - okay, so let's file this under the "what recession" and while we are at it the "wtf" category as well: rapper, label owner, mogul, c.e.o akon is now a perfumer.  he has just announced a launch of two new signature fragrances: konvicted and aliaune. if the latter name seems totally out of the blue - it's not. it is actually akon's real name. the kicker isn't the fragrance, but the fact that akon is distributing them through his own newly launched company: konvict cosmetics int'l. i can't knock the hu$tle at all. it's really just a matter of time before t-pain and lil wayne come out with their own scents. i'm holding my breath....zandile blay 

image via vibe.com

ANNA SUI FOR TARGET? OH THIS ONE WILL BE A SCANDAL!

usa - i have very mixed feelings about this bit of news. the good part is: legendary designer anna sui, known and loved for her eclectic pieces, is the latest designer to debut under targets designer collaborations program. she is currently working on a collection which will be in stores from september 13th until october 17th. that's fair enough. but what isn't? her inspiration for the collection. according to news sources characters from the hit american show, gossip girls, are the inspiration for the sui's target collection, which gives you an inkling as to who the clothes will be made for: teenagers. but i will reserve judgement until i see a preview of the collection. for all i know it might turn out to be the most sophisticated and sexy debut from target yet. but i sort of doubt it. sui walks in the legendary foot steps of designers like luella bartley, proenza schouler and alexander mcqueen who have all debuted collections for target. zandile blay

pics: images from a recent sui show courtesy of pulsemag.com; above, anna sui on left with my darling, wendy lam, of nitrolicious.com

I'M GOING TO NEED THESE IN MY LIFE: HUSSEIN CHALAYAN FOR J BRAND DENIM

usa - for those of us who didn't think it was possible to top lanvin and acne denim's collaboration, here's one for you: london based designer hussein chalayan is reportedly partnering together with iconic denim label jbrand to create a line of jeans.....can you hear the angels singing?.....

PRE FALL ELEGANCE AT CALVIN KLEIN

usa - herewith are my favorite looks from the 25 piece calvin klein pre-fall collection. it feels sort of odd to praise these pieces for being chic, simple and elegant because at the end of the day, that's what most calvin klein collections are and have always been. yet, these are the key adjectives that apply to this pre-fall line up and precisely what excites me about them. kudos to ck creative director, fransisco costa for maintaining and even exceeding the vision of this label.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER STORE CLOSING...SAKS FIFTH AVENUE BRIDAL STORE EDITION

usa  - this time the loser is....saks fifth avenue's bridal salons nationwide. saks incorporated announced that 16 out of 18 of its bridal salons nationwide will be closed. the only two which will remain open are those in manhattan and beverly hills. according to analysts the news won't get better with time. one in ten u.s retailers are projected to shut down completely in coming years, says, shawn kravetz, president of esplanade capital. he gave this funny (but sad) quote at the reuters investment summit in new york, shopping malls " are going to look like a nine-year-old who's losing a few of his or her teeth." wow. 

photo: saks fifth avenue in new york city, www.newscenter.philips.com

KOHL'S TO SELL AND DESIGN MUDD CLOTHING

usa - okay, are you thinking what i'm thinking?  a) mudd clothing still exists and b) why would kohl's want to design or sell it. in these tough economic times, the answer can't possibly be a profit. but apparently, there's a market for mudd clothing  - and if you are a member of that market please do excuse me. but i digress...the news is: starting in july of next year kohl's corporation will become the exclusive u.s retailer of mudd apparel, jewelry and accessories. senior executive at kohl's , don brennan, had this to say about the deal: " we're pleased the agreement with iconix (owners of mudd)...., will enhance the mudd brand's presence in stores and grow our portfolio of exclusive offerings."  i think this is a really good look for mudd, but i'm not sure if the same goes for kohl's. thoughts?  and p.s the big old photo of ashanti? thats from mudd's recent campaign for its delicious curves line. they decided to go with ashanti as their spokes model. again.....i know what you are thinking....

photo: www.ashantidaily.com

REESE WITHERSPOON ON THE COVER OF AMERICAN VOGUE

new york - ...but why does she still bore me? that said, it's a lovely cover and i love the spread with her and nina ricci designer, olivier theyskens.

photos via www.fashionweekdaily.com

A GLOSSY NEW BIBLE, STARRING ANGELINA JOLIE

usa - see that title up above? its correct. according to a new article in the washington post, publishers are debuting a brand new version of the bible which will look like a glossy magazine complete with pictures of sultry hollywood celebs and iconic figures like angelina jolie and dr. martin luther king. so....does this count as a sign of the apocalypse. the article is a good read, check it out here. (p.s when i think about it, doesn't jolie look just how you'd imagine mary magdalene from the new testament to look?)

photo via askmen.com

DID YOU GO? A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE BAG TRENDS ARM CANDY PARTY

new york - the ever fabulous bagista pamela peckerman threw this event a few weeks back. unfortunately, i was in london and couldn't make it. but i heard it was all kinds of fabulosity. here are some photos from the event.

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW...BEYONCE'S RING IS....

usa - 18 karats and worth nearly 5 million u.s dollars. this is according the england's daily mail newspaper. it is also reportedly a very rare stone that is said to be totally flawless. beyonce's husband, jay-z, purchased the ring from lorrain shwarz jewelers. good for beyonce. personally, i don't necessarily require all this fabulosity. a tiffany's engagement ring and wedding band in platinum with a princess cut diamond will do just fine. someone please tell my boyfriend.

photo via the daily mail.

SO WOULD YOU BUY THE ANGELINA JOLIE DOLL? AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

worldwideweb - you know, artists make the darndest things. check out this angelina jolie doll sculpted by noel cruz. according to dlisted.com, the lifelike doll recently sold on ebay for $3,350. cruz has also made dolls in the likeness of johnny depp, daniel craig and orlando bloom. he usually takes special commissions in case the only likeness you want to see is your own. but dude is apparently so hot that his commission book is closed. check out his site at: www.ncruz.com.

BARACK OBAMA IS SURE TO GET THE FASHIONISTA VOTE WITH THIS SUPER STYLISH CAMPAIGN MOVE

usa - ohmygah! ohmygah! ohmygah! barak obama has a well dressed genius in his campaign team. that's the only way to describe the einstein who came up with this idea: enlisting twenty designers to create limited edition obama gear to be sold on the presidential candidate's website next month. blaynista's, we aren't talking any old regular designers, we are talking: diane von furstenberg, isaac mizrahi, derek lam, tracy reese, vera wang...do you need me to go on? its gonna be absolutely mayjah! even folks who may not have been thinking about voting might be swayed after seeing the amazing goods which will debut on the site. rumor has it that even beyonce will contribute some designs.