NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: THE SHOWS WE'D WATCH TODAY

new york - my dear regular reader, you know the deal: i am in london far away from the jazz and pizazz of "the city." hence my inability cover new york fashion week first hand. but if i was there, please believe these are the shows i would be going to today.....

(shopinblog.com)

to me, there's something off in the choices badgley mischka makes in their spokeswomen. can't figure out if it is the ad concept or the celebs themselves. (mkashley.com)

TIBI I've never been to a Tibi show. As a newbie to fashion week, I think I was always interested in the glitzier shows and brands I knew off hand. As I am growing and understanding fashion beyond gimmicks, it would be great to see a brand that's established itself beyond slick marketing... BADGLEY MISCHKA Love this design duo and love their recent hustle to enlist celebrity endoresement. It's a smart way to draw attention to the amazing work they do. I just don't know if the folks they've picked (Olsen Twins and Teri Hatcher) do more harm than help.... MONIQUE LHUILLIER Blaynista's do we really need a reason? Monique is doing it big, and has been for a while. She's giving Vera Wang a run for her money in the bridal category. (Though on my bid day it will def be Ms. Wang all the way.)... DIESEL I'm just over them. For no goood reason, I'll admit. Never the less, I'd love to see what their collection holds.... MATTHEW WILLIAMSON Matthew Williamson....He is one of those designers whose name is familiar but whose clothes aren't. I'd love to change that by getting an indepth look at the garments he produces.

$WAROVSKI CLEARLY HAS CASH TO BURN

the boy wonder of british fashion: christopher kane poses with a model in one of his looks. (telegraph.co.uk)

london - business in the fake crystal industry must be brisk. how else does one explain swarovski, pioneers of man-made crystals, sponsoring fourteen shows during london fashion week. to their credit, it's not just any shows either. instead, the swarovski name will be proudly stamped on some of the most anticipated shows during the week including: gareth pugh,christopher kane, giles deacon, sinha-stanic, erdem, richard nicoll, marios schwab and louise goldin.

a look from the runways of a recent louis goldin show. (top2bottoms.com)

to top this off, all swarovski sponsored shows will be televised online at swarovskisparkles.tv. talk about brand extention and brilliant marketing. kudos to whoever is heading these initiatives.

HOW DID HALSTON DO? The Blay Report Weights In

new york - blaynistas! instead of inundating you with reviews and shows (though something tells me you would have liked it!) i gave you a quick list of top shows to see yesterday and i sent you packing to style.com to check out pictures. did you do your assignment? what did you think of the looks. well my favorite from yesterday - for several reasons - was halston. as i mentioned, the label - once a major fashion house - has been revived by a few odd fellows: harvey weinstein, tamara mellon and rachael zoe. what do a movie producer, shoe designer, and celeb stylist care for a faded brand? perhaps money and opportunity? either way, their concerted efforts produced the pieces below. what do you think?

hugs to style.com for photos.

i for one found the pieces amazing. the critique that nicole phelps leveled at the collection and it's designer, is that it failed to move halston forward. as someone seeing halston pieces on the runway for the first time - it looks and feels fresh and new enough, and exciting to boot. the collection was exceedingly strong and balanced and had a very strong point of view. whether it was a billowing pastel gown, or a strong and sexy pant and top combination - you knew at once that this is the halston woman. from the pieces sent down the runway, you imagine her to be, above all a career woman. she is powerful, confident, knows her worth and is always on the go. how else would you explain pieces that are, though beautiful and sensual - are still not fussy. the silk jerseys, wools, and towelings he selected are all materials that can take wear and tear and still make you look beautiful. the new halston speaks my language. i am a fan 110%.

NO MORE HALF-STEPPING FOR CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

this is one designer with a lot to $mile about. (wwd.com)

look forward to seeing more bright, feminine clutches like this from louboutin. (wwd.com)

paris - fashionistas rejoice! christian louboutin, creator of the all-mighty red sole pumps, is making plans to expand his business. the designer has revealed that in coming months he, along with alexis mourot, the company's ceo and general manage, plans to expand the current number of stores by 36 more boutiques world wide. that's over triple the current number of freestanding boutiques the store has now, which is nine. in addition, louboutin plans to expand the offering of handbags currently sold by the company. as it stands, handbags compromise 5 percent of thier growth, the want to boost that nuber to 20 percent.

this louboutin bag is brilliant! (wwd.com)

despite all the aggressive plans, the most important one is their decision to aggressively protect the famous red sole feature, which has now become synonomous with louboutin. since this distinction burst on the scene, numerous shoe companies have shamelessly copied the detail, thereby diluting the louboutin brand. those days are near over though, as the designer and his team are now quietly working on legal documents that will bar this in the future. what does all this mean to you? stock up on the fakes now, or save up for the real mccoy in the future.

A LITTLE TOUCH OF COLOR

(wwd.com)

new york - after reading an article in today's london paper about the lack of minorities in fashion it was a pleasure (if perhaps a tiny and insignificant one) to see a gorgeous black model on the cover of today's womens wear daily. she is wearing looks from the latest diane von furstenberg collection. anyone know her name?

WILL IT BE A GAP YEAR?

new york - the gap had a very interesting 2007 that was peppered with highs and lows. a slump in style was the perpetual low, but bringing on patrick robinson was a newsworthy high. the hope was that this maverick designer would be able to orchestrate a turn around in the collections and collective perceptive of the gap as a total has been label. well, here's his first step. nicole phelps of style.com covered the debut of the latest looks from the gap earlier this season. overall, she gave it a strong and positive review. my thoughts?

(double air kisses to style.com for these flawless photos!)

well look above. everything looks lovely. there's no doubt about it. there's a strong perspective and identity to the collection. and the presentation makes these pieces appear fresh. ultimately, perhaps, the kudos should go to the stylist for these photos and not the design team. why? together, these tight denims, slouched pants, and layered sweaters look good. taken apart though, aren't these the same items gap has been designing since your senior year in high school? these pieces are not a departure in style or structure from what gap has been offering for a while, but thanks to robinson, the perspective is new. and maybe that's the point. it's cetainly made the media happy. but what about you, the customer?

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: THE SHOWS WE'D WATCH TODAY

new york - fashion week is in full swing. babyphat started it with a bang and there've been some amazing shows over the weekend. i am a wonderful woman, but certainly not a super woman, so i can't possibly cover them all, so i won't try. but here's what i will do: each day i will post on shows i think are worth checking out, then the next day i will show you all my favorite looks for them. i also suggest you check out my fave, style.com, for photos and seasoned reviews of the shows. so let's get in why don't we?

we hear tell that zoe went hard for the halston job. (exposay.com)

TODAY'S TOP PICK

Halston
With Tamara Mellon of Jimmy Choo and Rachel Zoe of every stylish starlet in H-Wood, behind the wheel, this show will be a total must see. Net.a.porter.com is actually going to run live footage of this show on it's website tomorrow.

Carolina Herrerea
Seeing her show is like reading Shakespear in high school. It's a must.
Betsey Johnson

Max Azria
I don't care how many celebs line up to wear his clothes, there is still something slightly tacky about Max Azria clothing. That's exactly why I love them and why I'd love to watch this show.

Ports 1961
Are you familiar with this line? I wouldn't be surprised if you said no. At the end of the day, though it's slowly growing in mainstream recognition Ports is still somewhat under the radar. Ironically, I find the back story behind the label more interesting than the clothes. But things should change this season, non?

A BOOK YOU'LL BE DRAWN TO

borrelli sitting font row during a season of fashion week. (viewimages.com)

world wide - lacroix, laurent, rykiel: these names are synonmomous with couture and bod design. nor, for the first time, you get to own sketches by them and hundreds of the worlds' renowned designers. it will all be contained in a new book called "fashion illustration by fashion designers." it is authored by laird borrelli, senior fashion editor of style.com and published by london based thames & hudson.

the cover of fashion illustration now, a previous book from the author. (amazon.com)

look out for the book to hit shelves in early march. a classic like this costs though: a hard back version of the book will retail for around $50 u.s.d.