JUST HAD TO SHARE: PHOTOS FROM THE POWER40 by ZANDILE BLAY MIXER

new york - alas, after over nine years of interning, working and living in the city of new york, i've accumulated more than a serious sample sale habit. i've been blessed to find many good friends and colleagues who continue to inspire me to this day. as an homage to them, i partnered with courvoisier exclusif to launch a private event called, the power40 by zandile blay. as the title suggests, i invited 40 esteemed friends and colleagues plus their guests to the gates, new york city's posh members club for drinks and music. it was a great night. life magazine, guest of a guest and wire image all covered the cocktail mixer on their sites. but most important: it was awesome to be able to show with more than words how much i appreciate and value these folks. more images to come. here is the first round.

WHAT 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA' WAS TRYING TO BE: THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

new york - so i for one can't wait to attend the editor preview of this film: the september issue. historically, the september issue of most magazines have been "the big one." you turn to that for the most advertising packe, most creative issue of the year. here is when all parties involved in creation peacock to give you the most spectacular issue - period. and so it is at vogue, where annually, their september issue is more like a december christmas catalog: thick and full of products. someone -with lots of acce$$ and connections, no doubt - decided to shadow the staff, including wintour herself for an inside look of how it goes down. i won't lie. it looks fab. will you be watching this?

COLETTE VERSUS TIMBERLAND: WHICH BOOT IS BETTER?

paris - call it frivolous, but i am willing to spend my last to go to paris to buy these (and this is not an empty threat.). ofcourse i am talking about the boots on the right side, which are colette's limited edition timberland shoes. and by limited, i mean limited. only 40 pairs of these boots are being made, and only 9 out of these are for women considering the weight of this collaboration, i think the retail price of $330 is pretty reasonable. it will be launched at colette's paris boutique in september. (sidebar: why hasn't a colette, new york been launched? seriously!) by the way, if you are reading this blog, i assume you not already know what colette is, or why colette is, but have a piece or two from the legendary paris boutique in your closet. that's why i heart you.

OH SNAP! SHE'S STILL DOING THIS: LINDSAY LOHAN DEBUTS NEW FORNARINA ADS

italy - i mean, honestly this whole lindsay lohan for fornarina situation is just weird to me. when i look at her ads for the company the intended message (chic, trendy, party girl jeans) does not translate. instead, i just see a struggling actress who is doing whatever she can for coins in these tough economic times. the phrase, "i'm just doing this for the check," just leaps off the pages when i look at these pictures. besides this, there is the further tragedy of the art direction, styling and actual product. it's wrong on so many levels. the only thing that makes it right - i hope - is a fat paycheck for lohan. but i digres...the news of the day is: yes, lohan is still the face of this italian denim company (ofcourse it's italian - no offense to my amazing italian readers! i live for you!), and the photos are from the company's fall 2009 campaign.

STEVE MADDEN AUSTRALIA GETTING THE BOOT?

new york - ok.. perhaps that title's trying a bit too hard but yes, the australian arm of US footwear retailer steve madden has been appointed a team of administrators who are now on the look out for investors in order to keep the 35 store outlets afloat. steve madden crafted his first shoe collection in 1990, with $1,100 at a factory in queens, ny. since then, the company has expanded into the internationally recognized label it is today with $17 million in earnings at the end of last year. hope its australian subsidiary pulls through! lottie ntim

photo: the designer in his trademark fitted cap; www.nymag.com

WE LUST THIS: MCTEGA JEWELRY

www- oversized necklaces are leading this season's poll to becoming a staple piece. rather than the usual dainty locket or small trinket, think more along the lines of an adornment that truly makes a statement and exudes unabashed elegance. whether it's the focal point of a daytime fit or the perfect accent to an evening dress, sometimes bigger really is better. check out these far out customized designs by mctega. available at mctega.com. -sydney cannon

COMPANY THAT SELLS CROCS IS IN TROUBLE: CAN'T SAY WE'RE SAD

www - Very few things annoy me. As a matter of fact I like it when someone

wheres something that others find ugly or uncovinental. Yet I have
never come across a pair of crocs I liked. Ever . And now I wont have
to. It looks like the time may be coming to wave a said good by to
these monstrous shoes that should have stayed within hospital doors.
The company, which just launched in 2002 with celebrities such as
Aerosmith and (we are not calling him a celebrity) George W.Bush. Yet
you probably saw them more often on your grandma, or the same friend
that owns several pair of Uggs. Yet some how the company managed to
sell 100 million pairs in the past seven years (that's a lot of
fashion therapy action to come). Today, the company is in debt and
has until September to turn around. Lola Mendez

JUST HAD TO SHARE: DJ PIERCE JACKSON

new york - blaynistas, soon enough  i will be posting on the power 40 x zandile blay, an awesome cocktail mixer i held in honor of forty folks i love. in the meantime, here is a sneak peek of my darling, pierce jackson, who deejayed the event and a friend in the dj booth. i'm loving it. zandile blay