February 2008

Meghan in Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2008 at New York Fashion Week

Source: Meghan in Costello Tagliapietra Fall 2008 at New York Fashion Week

Runway Beauty: Backstage at United Bamboo with Dick Page and Shiseido

I was so excited to kick off my Fashion Week coverage at United Bamboo, because Shiseido’s Dick Page was the lead makeup artist at the show. This guy is a trip. Not only is he incredibly talented, he has a great sense of humor (and he always has 5 minutes to talk to a blogger about the look).

United Bamboo’s designers showed Dick a photo from Self Service magazine featuring an eye look that they wanted for the show. Turns out Dick did the makeup for that shoot, so recreating the look was a snap!

He changed the colors slightly, creating a copper and aqua blended eye that wasn’t “super glammy, but kind of a ’70s thing.”

Dick started with Hydro Powder Eye Shadow in Clover Dew, a pale shimmery green, and then applied gold and copper powder shadows over it, concentrating the color at the outer corners. (He blended the gold and copper shades from the Earth and Sky (Q2) eyeshadow quad.) No blush was used and lips were finished with just a bit of lip balm, making the eye the only detail on the face.

While you might not wear copper and aqua on a plain old Monday at the office, the look was a study in blending two completely different shades and giving them a gorgeous gradient effect. Personally, I was happy to see the Hydro Powders popping up…those shadows are my all time favorite Shiseido product! Get the look with:

• Shiseido Hydro Powder Eye Shadow in Clover Dew
• Shiseido eye shadow quad in Earth & Sky
• Black mascara
• Concealer, foundation and powder as needed
• Bare cheeks
• Aquaphor on lips

Source: Runway Beauty: Backstage at United Bamboo with Dick Page and Shiseido

NOM NOM NOM [Distractions]

A dear reader named Babylonia sent this video of Flocke, the German polar bear, looking into a mirror and consequentially, heads exploded in the Jezebel virtual HQ from “teh cute.” Thanks alot, Babylonia. [BBC News]

Source: NOM NOM NOM [Distractions]

What Makes A Good Wife Or Husband? You Tell Us [Rules & Regulations]

So we’ve been posting all these excerpts from the reprints of How to be a Good Husband and How to be a Good Wife for your amusement (and, perhaps, education?). Although the manuals, written in the 1930s, seemed reasonably progressive for their time (”Don’t pose as a weak little thing,” Good Wife admonishes), they certainly don’t cover most of the issues germane to a romantic entanglement in 2008. But, thanks to your comments, we’ve been collecting some suggestions for good spousedom in the 21st century! Like: “Let her win at Guitar Hero sometimes, but not all the time,” and “Don’t expect a backrub to turn into sex. Just give her a backrub with no agenda once in a while”.

But we want to hear more! So post those rules and regulations for proper relationship behavior in the comments now. I’ll start: “Do pick the bathmat up off the floor after you’ve showered, especially when your girlfriend has asked you to do so at least forty times.”

How to be a Good Husband [University of Chicago Press]
How to be a Good Wife [University of Chicago Press]

Source: What Makes A Good Wife Or Husband? You Tell Us [Rules & Regulations]

playing it cool

>> You can always count on Alexander Wang for upbeat music, a boisterous crowd, and covetable clothes, but this season, he really seems to have come into his own.  The show this afternoon attracted plenty of fashion notables, including Terry Richardson and Julia Roitfeld, and had Erin Wasson once again styling behind the scenes.

Speaking of Erin, her personal style has really started to infiltrate Alex’s collection: the black leather, biker boots, zippers, and hanging chains were all there.  Also, I saw a little bit of the Olsen’s The Row in the sheer jersey tees.

But overall, the models, who walked in a smoke machine-induced haze, ended up looking very cool grungy goth girl to me.  There was a nude gauze skirt, a furry bag, a dress with a mini-train, and a beaded vest that all caught my eye — but when the designer jumps up and down and claps at the end, you can’t help but catch the energy.

If you’re in the mood for more Alex, this up close and personal look at his jeans that zip into two halves is always fun.

**images: wireimage, getty

Source: playing it cool

The Perfect Dress for Spring/Summer [Just a Formality]

This is so pretty.  Imagine yourself at a party on a luxury yacht in this dress — that’s what it makes me think of.

Available at bcbg.com, which ships to the United States and its territories.  You can aslo start your own wish list on this site, get a look at their fall 2008 line, find sale items, or visit their look book.

Where do you imagine yourself wearing this dress to?

If you got to this article by some other means than the official website, please visit justaformality.com to view the homepage (and more articles like this one).

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Source: The Perfect Dress for Spring/Summer [Just a Formality]

mind the gap

>> A note to Gap: rather than collaborating with designers like Doo.ri, Rodarte, and Thakoon — who I love, but they’re totally not your style — consider Rag & Bone.  They’ve got the right neutral color palette and the casual cool aesthetic going on; in short: both very you.  Or who you strive to be, at least.

Plus, their tailoring is really starting to come of age, especially on the outerwear.  I could tell from yesterday’s show, even as far back from the runway as I was.  The stellar quality of these clothes doesn’t translate nearly as well into the photos, but trust me, these are what good staple clothes look like, with a bit of a Britishy twist.

**images: getty

Source: mind the gap

Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton Documentary (Sneak Peek) [Tops 2 Bottoms]

Giving you a taste of what you can expect from the full Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton documentary which will be aired on the 4th over at the Sundance channel for Fashion Week.

Tags: documentary, Fashion Week, Louis-Vuitton, Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton Documentary, Marc-Jacobs, Sundance channel

Source: Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton Documentary (Sneak Peek) [Tops 2 Bottoms]

Tory Burch ‘Shea’ Wicker Wedge [ShoeBlitz - Shoe Fashions]

This shoe combines two very different textures to create a unique shoe. The Tory Burch ‘Shea’ Wicker Wedge uses both wicker and patent leather. The woven wicker wedge platform heel is a sharp contrast to the slick black patent upper. When I first glanced, I hated these shoes. But now that I looked at them awhile, they aren’t half bad. Though if I could remove the rope accents on the toe and back strap, I would. I think they ruin the look of these shoes.

These wedges are high with 4 3/4″ heel with 1 1/4″ platform. You can order them right now at Nordstrom.com for $310.

Tags: patent leather shoes, patent-shoes, platform-shoes, Platforms, shoes, Spring Shoes, tory burch, wedge, wicker shoes, womens shoes

Source: Tory Burch ‘Shea’ Wicker Wedge [ShoeBlitz - Shoe Fashions]

Crashin’ Show [Crashin’ Show]

Duckie Brown, co-designed by Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, is a menswear line frequently described as “edgy.” But that always seemed like a misnomer, because “edgy” seems to connote pretentiousness and an attitude that’s painfully serious… and Duckie Brown is anything but. The line is playful, occasionally provocative and frequently funny; these are clothes that make you feel happy, a sensation an “edgy” label would often fail to impart. After the jump, Jezebel Jennifer critiques the Fall 2008 collection, currently being held in NYC’s Bryant Park. (Click on picture to jump to her liveblog.)

1:10 PM
Ok in my seat @ duckie. Swag is a men’s shaving kit (with a brush and everything) and a box of RIT dye. Mine is kelly green. I am going to try to spy in other people’s bags to see what color they got.

Hmm, Guy next to me got green too. He seems super puzzled by the dye. Dude, aren’t we all.

In the front row are these people I was chatting with before: A middle-aged-ish woman and her 13-yr old niece. The older cousin is friends with the designers and they met her cousin and invited her to the show
This is her first-ever fashion show, she told me, and the other kids in school are all really jealous. I am glad her first show is menswear. Now she’ll just think fashion is cool and fun and quirky and not about anorexia. Also this crowd seems more…oh, how shall I put it? It’s more gay men and less bitchy women.
As opposed to the usual 50-50 split at most shows. Subsequently, there is an air of bonhomie, as opposed to silent judgment, in the air

1:15
Ooh the music is starting. It almost sounds funereal; Lots of organ, think fast-paced phantom of the opera. Ok they’re taking the plastic off the runway…

If I were a gay man, this music would make me want to dance around in a g-string and do poppers. Everyone’s swaying in their seats to the music. If I didn’t know better, I would think this was an episode of Pinky & The Brain. And that the music is here to make us never want to stop swaying in unison so the Brain can take over the world.

1:30
Ok lights are going down…it’s starting…They turned the music all the way down. There’s a very slim, tailored suit with an full blouse underneath. Very cool. And a wool coat I want for myself! Ooh and this hooded grandpa sweater in green. I would totally wear that.

Everything’s in black and grey and green is the only color. Haha, someone just whistled at one of the male models - and considering we’re sitting here in silence, it was awkward.

Ah - a purple hat! And a purple suit that almost looks like a dress from behind?

These slouchy knit caps are fierce. I even think I could talk my boyfriend into one of those

1:35 PM
A sheer crochet sweater, however? Not so much. Same goes for the glittery sweater. And the blouses being shown underneath the suiting

And…it’s over. I think my straight man would wear the plaid shirt, the windbreaker-puffy jackets, and I would beg him to try one of those hats. And I want a hat and that green sweater for myself, all the way!
Gender roles: who needs ‘em?

P.S. Overheard by a fellow attendee exiting the show: “I loved all the papery weirdness!”

Source: Crashin’ Show [Crashin’ Show]