Rachel Zoe's Hat Attack, Apple's Haberdashery's Cure



Theirs ($595 yikes!?!)



This felted fedora was featured in the Zoe Report and for good reason.  Fedora's are hot even when the weather is not. Although it's a fantastic find (designed by Patricia Underwood) you too may experience Rachel's hat attack when you see the price tag $595.  You can avoid this fashion emergency by visiting the wardrobe specialists at http://www.appleshaberdashery.com/ . Click on the CATALOG button and flip to page 15.  There you will find an equally amazing and luxurious vintage fedora (a Czechoslovakian import) for a mere $110.

Ours ($110 yeah!)

Vintage Whiting and Davis -- Timeless Luxury On Sale this Black Friday

In just a couple of days Apple's Haberdashery will be having its first online holiday shop where you can purchase from an expanded line of high-end vintage accessories.  The "Her Favorite Things" collection makes Christmas shopping simple, memorable and elegant.

Free Gift Wrap with every purchase! 

Be sure to visit http://www.appleshaberdashery.com/ on Black Friday.  Checkout opens at 1:00PM.

Above are Whiting and Davis accessories that are available at the online shop.  If you've ever held a Whiting and Davis product then you know how delicious the mesh material feels as it ripples across your hands and lays gently on what ever it touches.  For more than a century they've made the production of  interlocking fabric an art form...no wonder designers like Catharine Malandrino and Michael Kors have used it in their collections.

Parisian Style Employs Vintage Flare



Photo Credit: Tamu McPherson 

  

Photo Credit: Tamu McPherson


 

Personal style and Paris go hand-in-hand and the photographs, taken by Street Style blogger Tamu McPherson, were the energizing catalyst for this fashion analysis.  

Although very different, these two ladies employed a method that I would encourage others to consider when selecting an ensemble to shine in.  Aside from the frequently touted "be confident," "work with your body type," and the oh-so famous "wear colors that suit you" try updating a favorite era.  Julia (on the left) is not afraid of color and has amalgamated bold pieces from 60's into a free spirited look that gets her noticed (in a good way).  Meanwhile Athena's, Audrey Hepburn meets Betty Boop, puts the flirt in what would otherwise be common replica of 1950's attire.  The uber-short skirt and heeled booties make a contemporary statement for chic street style. 

Parisian style is just a click away when you do your holiday shopping at:  www.appleshaberdashery.com

Julie Lewitzky's Friends and Other Beings at the Burchfield Penny

I am certainly glad that my nieces enjoy life's more traditional luxuries, surprises and imagination centered entertainment.  We spent the early afternoon on this Veteran's Day Holiday at the Burchfield Penny Art Center--a magnificent museum, if ever you get a chance, visit it.  The "Useum" Interactive exhibit greeted us with teams of smiling faces made from old sweaters, buttons and  repurposed textiles.  Artist Julie Lewitzky created a land reminiscent of the archived world of H.R. Puffinstuff.  My sister and I couldn't believe the degree to which every nook and surface was embellished with odds and ends easily found around the house or in a garage.

It is indeed a good sign when museums embrace the luxurious aspects of reuse.

Get a Few of Her Favorite Things From Apple's Haberdashery This Black Friday

Apple's Haberdashery is here to stuff your stockings with Christmas bliss.  Starting November 26, 2010 (black Friday) we'll have posted a few of my favorite things that I know every woman loves too.  Visit: http://www.appleshaberdashery.com/

What a Wonderful World...Historic Architecture Buffalo New York

Explore Buffalo a little more with this book on the Pan American Expo. held in 1900.
I make no apologies for the fact that I love this city watch the video and see why.  Historic reuse all around.  While you are at it, sing the words to What a Wonderful World.

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do

They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll never know

And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Take the Short Cut

Hilfiger Fall 2010
photo credit: style.com



ORGANIC Fall 2010
photo credit: Allita Lee

 

It's getting pretty chilly outside and I, just like many of you, need to freshin' up my autumn look on a budget. Luckily Fall 2010 collections include closet stapels made chic with a good pair of scissors. This season's must have takes a cue from summer by transforming shorts into street style that is simple yet solid. Check out these wardrobe essentials from ORGANIC, Hilfiger and ADAM. 

ADAM Fall 2010
photo credit: style.com

Although I encourage my clients to purchase at least two designer pieces each season, a modified version of a close fit mini short, baggie knee-length trousers, and a smartly nipped collegiate jersey two piece provide a respite for the financially strapped IF you have the time to re-create the looks at home. This post is not a license to "slash" perfectly good garments, but rather, a nod to reuse by modifying what would otherwise be landfill fodder. 

So go ahead and send those slim fit slacks (with the hole in the knee) to your tailor for shortening and create a classic preppy look. While you are at it, grab the 1940's trouser that your dad no longer fits and then cut 'em and cuff 'em. Finally, breathe new life into your study hall sweats by customizing the neckline and adding dark tights for a sleek new look.



 



 

Ever wonder What Presentation Shows are Like? Sneak Peak Inside ORGANIC's Spring 2011 Line

A previous post, highlighting some of life's more attainable pleasures, reminded me of footage that I shot in NYC for Spring 2011.

My favorite socially conscious designer John Patrick of Organic described the inspiration for his collection as "the water that connects us." John Patrick explained that water is free flowing and is that unifying thing that all of us need and are entitled to. He emphasized that he didn't create the line for money, but rather, he was doing it for the love of design and the need for people to hear his greater message.

Although many of John's travels are to Third World countries, parts of the south remain hidden behind the "cotton curtain" and experience the same kind of life as those in opposite hemispheres. Therefore his global based presentation had a suitable all-American relevance as it mirrored the romantic and unpretentious nature of a beloved Country Time Lemonade commercial...Ahhh refreshing, graceful, chic.  Models sat on crates leisurely mingling about the set in their pale colored, patent leather, wing-tipped shoes. An enormous woven hat and over sized lightly tailored linen took me back to childhood memories south of the Mason-Dixon where folks talked of drinking sweet water (which was nothing more than well water with locally grown sugar cane stirred in).  I can imagine that sweet water provides a universal refreshment across the globe.

This brings me to my final point in this post which is: that I love a presentation style fashion show. I could never have seen the level of detail sitting front row in a runway show as I got mingling the crowd of a presentation. Watch the video above you'll feel like you were right there talking to the designer elbow to elbow with major magazine editors, having the models flirt with YOUR camera. From now on I'm going to every presentation I can, because I know that I'll certainly get my camera's worth.

Halloween Portrait of Josephine Baker and Dorothy Dandridge by Douglas Levere

This weekend Torn Space Theatre Company hosted a Halloween fundraising gala to support the production of avant-garde stage drama here in Buffalo, New York.  That's me on the right dressed as Josephine Baker with the incomparable Dorothy Dandridge (left).  In addition to her clutch "Dorothy" is also clasping a bottle of vodka and a bottle of pills.  Dangerous? Not anymore.  Necessary? Absolutely.  I'm holding a stogie, 'cause every vamp needs one.

Not Just a Gathering of Gobblins...

Guests were asked to come dressed as famous people who had passed to "the other side" in addition to the look we were expected to come in character and tell their stories.  I don't like to brag but I think that we had the most interesting costumes there and we spent not a cent on them... that's what I call making good with what you got.

The super cool photography portraits were done by Mr. Douglas Levere  you can view his other wcostumesork by visiting his site at:  http://www.douglaslevere.com/

Autumn's Simple Things

With all of the glitz and glamour of the past few weeks I decided to bring it down a few notches and post a more attainable autumn treasure. 
In a recent Facebook post someone snapped a picture to poke fun at, and challenge the design aesthetic of, this community when they used antique bed posts in lieu of a more traditional fence to encircle the vegetable beds.  However I, on the other hand, beg to differ. Not only was this a good way for some really decorative pieces to avoid the nearest landfill, it also lent some serious charm and stand out quality to what would otherwise be just another urban garden.  Oh yeah...If there was a person in this picture I'd award them the October Style Watch winner just to show those garden bullies what's what!

That was Then, This is Now --From the tents at Bryant Park to the courtyard at Lincoln Center

It's October which marks the close of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week shows across the globe and makes this the perfect opportunity to reminice a bit about Bryant Park and gush over the new digs at Lincoln Center. Although I'm relatively new to the whole MBFW madness I found that in chatting with some of the regular bloggers and media types that we all agree Lincoln Center is the superior venue to host this biannual event. The Mabelline Lounge served as my living room for the time I spent in NYC giving me a stelth vantage point from which to capture everthing from celebrity entrances to the all-important Free Giveways. It also provided a quiet nook to talk to any and everyone looking to get the scoop on what's what.

In a conversation with a smartly dressed construction crew member I was told that the square footage of the general area was the exact same as that of the Bryant Park location...what a difference set up makes.