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...