Apparel

Reach the Beach: Luxury Resort Style in the Turks & Caicos Islands {Exclusive Feature}

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Apr 15th 2011 at 9:01AM

Click above for a high-res image gallery

The Turks and Caicos islands in the British West Indies is well known for having the world's most beautiful beaches. It also has some of the world's most stylish and luxurious beach resorts, which are remarkable for their amazingly private settings and lush natural landscapes, far removed from the over-development that plagues some other Caribbean hotspots. The perfect setting for our latest style feature, we're sure you'll agree.

Parrot Cay, located on a pristine 1,000-acre private island, including a mile-long powdered beach, is an elegant combination of glorious nature, understated luxury and unparalleled privacy complete with an award-winning holistic spa, healthy gourmet cuisine and beach villas with private pools (above).

The villas are a favorite with celebrities including Donna Karan, Bruce Willis, Keith Richards and Sir Paul McCartney. Some like Willis and Karan were so entranced they decided to build their own beach houses on the island. Want to own one? So do we. Parrot Cay is currently offering a small selection of villas for private ownership, starting at $10 million.

Tags: Aman resorts, Amanyara, architecture, Bagatelle, beach, beach resorts, books, Caribbean, celebrity vacations, Donna Karan, Gansevoort, Girard-Perregaux, Helly-Hansen, islands, JetBlue, Land Rover, luxury resorts, Parrot Cay, private island, R A E N Optics, resorts, Rizzoli, Royal Elastics, shoes, spa, Tods, Turks and Caicos, Vineyard Vines, watches

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The Classicist: Southern Proper's Timeless Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Apr 11th 2011 at 8:01AM

Mint juleps, seersucker, stately plantations, belles in summer dresses and those F. Scott Fitzgerald stories where they go around saying "Good mawnin', Sally Carrol" -- all come together in the new spring collection from Southern Proper, a gentleman's outfitter from Atlanta now gaining wider recognition from natty northerners.

Tags: Atlanta, bow ties, croquet, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Georgia, golf, Kentucky Derby, mens clothing, mens style, mint julep, polo, preppy, sailing, southern plantations, Southern Proper, southern+mens+style, southernmensstyle, tennis, the south, ties

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Miu Miu Launches E-Commerce Site

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) — Apr 7th 2011 at 12:31PM

Ladies, get your credit cards ready!

The Italian fashion house Miu Miu has recently launched their e-commerce site. Known for their eclectic and innovative designs against classic silhouettes, Miu Miu consistently creates fashions that make a statement while transcending trends.

Miu Miu's online store features their full collections, online-only exclusives and our personal favorite -- The Fashion Show selection where you can shop looks straight from the runway.

As much as we may love online department stores and luxury e-retailers, let's face it, they don't always have the latest or the widest range of clothing and accessories. The more fashion companies enter the e-commerce race, the better for the consumer. More options equals better selections and deals. Happy shopping!

Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Tags: apparel, e-commerce, handbags, miu miu, online shopping, shoes

R13 $300 Sweat Jeans

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) — Apr 6th 2011 at 8:01AM

Comfort is key when getting dressed. That's a no brainer. But many of us, including myself, forgo comfort to somehow squeeze our bodies into a piece that we most certainly know will instill pain.

The pair of sexy jeans that are so tight, you avoid sitting at all costs. Or the "gotta have it" high heels that forces our toes to look like they have taken on another life form. And when you take (insert painful article of clothing or accessory here) off, it feels so good that you swear you'll never put yourself through that again, but knowing that you really will. It's insane what we put ourselves through for the love of fashion.

Tags: apparel, jeans, pants, R13, sweatpants

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Men's Socks by Subscription: The Sockscription Review

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) — Apr 4th 2011 at 9:01AM

The idea of the Sockscription is pretty simple (we first discussed it here). The guy who never thinks about buying new socks gets them delivered via mail direct a few times a year. It also makes good business sense for Blacksocks as they know they have your ongoing business. Convenience services such as this make a lot of sense for the modern busy guy - but you also run the risk of having just too many socks. The problem the service tries to avoid is you having hole-ridden business socks when you least want to.

Tags: apparel, business, gift, mens socks, review, sock, socks, sockscription, subscription

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The Fashion Statement: Stripes, Polka Dots and Plaids

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) — Mar 31st 2011 at 6:01PM

'Tis the season to break out your spring wardrobe (if old man winter would ever go away). But if you don't have this season's take on stripes, polka dots and plaids, get thee to a boutique toute de suite. This is not a time for wallflowers.

These prints have very little in common with the classics. This year, designers painted stripes with a bold brush, used variously-sized polka dots head-to-toe, and paired plaids with floral blouses.

The key is to break every rule your mother taught you: Mix and match patterns. Select stripes in contrasting colors, pair the polka dots with stripes and spice up florals with any geometric design. Just make sure the contrasting patterns have a consistent theme, use the same color palette, or same motif.

Prada and Jil Sander presented some of the best collections of the season. Sander sent out a floor-length gown contrasting vertical black-and-sheer stripes on the bodice with the skirt's pink-and-white horizontal stripes. Prada took a white blouse with a navy monkey print and paired it with a black-and-fuchsia striped skirt. That same skirt served as the foundation for a blue-white-black-green striped top.

Tags: Dolce and Gabbana, Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton, Moschino, plaids, polka dots, Prada, Spring 2011, Spring 2011 Fashion Week, stripes, The Devils Cloth, The Fashion Statement

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Heritage Craftsmanship: Red Wing Shoes Video Series

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 28th 2011 at 2:01PM

For over 100 years, the Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoe Company has been carefully crafting premium quality footwear made for specific work environments. Designed for duty on factory floors, construction sites, refineries and railroads, their rugged style has also been adopted by many who do nothing more perilous than cross a Brooklyn subway platform at rush hour. These days you can even find them at J. Crew.

The Red Wing Heritage collection pays homage to the company's history of hardcore work boots with some styles designed for the Range Rover set as well. We are, admittedly, in the latter camp. Regardless of which style suits you, the boots and shoes are still crafted with skill and treated like fine tools for the wearer. Premium Red Wing Shoes leather, tanned at the company's own S.B Foot Tanning Company, is triple stitched with waxed thread for quality. The video above shows the process in action.

Charles Beckman, a Red Wing, Minnesota merchant who saw a need for durable and comfortable work boots, founded the firm in 1905. Today, a third generation of employees, located just down the road from the original factory, continues the tradition he established by using the same craftsmanship and attention to detail. The tannery video is one in a series showing all facets of Red Wing's time-honored operation. You can check them all out here.

Tags: American clothing, boots, heritage clothing, leather, mens clothing, mens shoes, mens style, Minnesota, Range Rover, Red Wing, Red Wing boots, Red Wing Shoe Company, Red Wing shoes, shoes, video

Pierre Hardy's High-Heeled Boat Shoes

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) — Mar 28th 2011 at 1:01PM

Pierre Hardy wants women to take preppy chic to a whole new level. While the traditional boat shoe provides comfort and an effortlessly classic flair, Hardy's High-Heeled Boat Shoes ($1109) offers casual sexiness and unique appeal.

Styled in black pebbled leather and decorated with contrasting white stitching, brown leather laces, and a golden buckle, these leather heels maintain their classic aura but with a modern update. Hardy's High-Heeled Boat Shoes are just shy of four inches, so you'll get height, but hopefully the rugged rubber sole will counterbalance the pressure on the balls of your feet.

Pair with loose fitting shorts and a linen button down shirt for a casual, yet polished look.

Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Tags: boat shoes, footwear, heels, pierre hardy, pierre hardy high-heeled boat shoes, shoes

RSVIP: Fashion Sings at Yves Saint Laurent-Sponsored Met Opera Gala

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) — Mar 25th 2011 at 2:01PM

Emmy Rossum Yves Saint Laurent Met Opera

Rossini never wrote love music more lovely than the score of "Le Comte Ory" (1828), a comic opera which debuted at The Metropolitan Opera in New York on Thursday. But Yves Saint Laurent creative director Stefano Pilati was responsible for the cavalcade of fashion on the gala's jet-black arrivals carpet.

The set: the icy chill of a tented quarter-mile hallway leading to the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center on March 24.

The story onstage at the Met: love, identity confusion, and some cross-dressing in the 19th century. Met director Bartlett Sher has described "Le Comte Ory" as "a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt."

"That can be very funny and very painful," quips Sher.

Let the media coverage begin!

Tags: celebrities, events, fashion, Le Comte Ory, opera, red carpet, red carpet style, RSVIP, Stefano Pilati, The Metropolitan Opera, Yves Saint Laurent

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The Fashion Statement: The Shirtwaist's Enduring Influence

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) — Mar 24th 2011 at 4:01PM

I read with interest Ruth La Ferla's article in the New York Times about the shirtwaist.

As you may have heard by now, Friday marks the 100th anniversary of one of the worst workplace tragedies in history -- the Triangle Waist Company fire where 146 people, mostly women, were killed in a New York garment factory. The factory was one of the largest makers of the shirtwaist. That event changed the labor movement forever, not to mention mandated laws like sprinkler systems and unlocked exits in public areas.

As newspapers and TV documentaries chronicle this terrible turn-of-the-century event, some people have asked me, "What exactly is a shirtwaist?"

As La Ferla points out in the Times, the shirtwaist was all the rage in America at the turn of the century. It was a combination of a tailored shirt and a skirt that showed a bit of leg (it would show even more leg years later). The shirtwaist began to take on historical significance in fashion. After the fire, it signified women's demands for better working conditions and a kind of liberation.

Several decades later, it morphed into Dior's famous New Look of the '40s, typified the way most women dressed in the '50s (think: Donna Reed) and, later that same decade, became an emblem of the civil rights movement.

Tags: apparel, fashion, shirtwaist, The Fashion Statement, Triangle Waist Company

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Luxe Style Staple: Christopher Fischer Cashmere Scarf

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 21st 2011 at 3:00PM

After searching for a cashmere scarf in just the right shade of olive green for some time, we recently came across this natty number from Christopher Fischer.

Paired here with a classic and well-worn Barbour Bedale jacket and fleece Connaught sweater jacket from Private Stock, it's finished in a good mid-season weight with enough length to double over for the "Euro" knot when extra insulation is called for.

Fischer, a self-described cashmere addict, has product ranges including men's, women's, home and travel, with boutiques in New York City, Southampton, East Hampton and Greenwich, CT. He founded the company 25 years ago in the town of Hawick in the borders of Scotland, the birthplace of the Scottish cashmere industry.

Tags: Barbour, cashmere, Christopher Fischer, Christopher Fischer Cashmere Scarf, East Hampton, mens style, Private Stock, scarf, Scotland

Gold: How to Shine in Style

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) — Mar 18th 2011 at 8:00AM

Gold is a color that exudes opulence and contributes sophistication to an outfit. Whether its packaged through jewelry, a handbag or a piece of clothing, a touch of gold can instill elegance without being ostentatious.

As with any prominent color or print, to maximize its impact and make a fashionable yet classic statement, less is more. Otherwise, an abundance of gold can easily cross the line over to Vegas showgirl.

Tags: Elie Tahari, Emma Cook, gold, heels, jewelry, Lanvin, Levis, Shaesby, shoes

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The Fashion Statement: The Plight of Japanese Designers

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) — Mar 17th 2011 at 1:45PM

Lakme Fashion Week Japanese Designers Designs

Normally, Tokyo follows India in the global fashion week calendar. But in the wake of the earthquake, the tsunami and nuclear explosions that rocked the country, shows were canceled. Although Tokyo wasn't directly hit by catastrophe, the decision to halt the shows came down to an iffy electricity supply, transportation snafus and the safety of attendees.

Yet some of Japan's top designers showcased their collections at Lakme Fashion Week (pictured above) in India. Tokyoeye, an initiative by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, brought the best of Japanese fashion talent to India. Designers Motonari Ono, Tamae Hirokawa and Sara Arai showed on the very day the tsunami hit their home country.

Arai, implemented a dying art from Japan called Yohenzomei, in the form of a fabric that changes color under light. She hoped to make an impact on India in order to "send cheer back to her countrymen." Designers Hirokawa and Ono noted that they were influenced by their country's traditional weaves and craftsmanship.

Tags: apparel, fashion, Japanese designers, Junko Shimada, Kaito Hori and Iku Furudate for Commuun, Lakme Fashion Week, Motonari Ono, Sara Arai, Tamae Hirokawa, Tokyo Fashion Week, Tokyoeye, Tsumori Chisato, Yohji Yamamoto

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Roberto Capucci Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — Mar 17th 2011 at 9:01AM

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently featuring more than 80 sculptural fashion creations by Italian designer Roberto Capucci in an exhibit called "Art Into Fashion." Capucci is known for his wild and interesting use of silhouettes and structural design elements to create fashion that's as much art as it is clothing. The exhibit marks the first survey of Capucci's works in the United States and also includes various sketches and drawings from past years.

Roberto Capucci was born in Rome in 1929 and sold his first design at age 18 to the wife of film director Roberto Rossellini. The "Art Into Fashion" exhibit runs through June 5, 2011.

Tags: apparel, fashion, museum, philadelphia museum of art, roberto capucci

Vena Cava Launches E-Commerce Site

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) — Mar 15th 2011 at 5:02PM

The designers of Vena Cava are taking their DIY ingenuity online.

And it's only appropriate for a label that was formed when ambitious designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock got shut out of their Parsons School of Design senior fashion show. Unfazed, they hosted their own show and launched a label, instead. Four years later they were honored by Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America and stars from Blake Lively to Rita Wilson don their designs.

Today the label, which is sold at fashion-forward boutiques and trend-setting Barneys New York, launched its own e-commerce site to sell directly to customers. Naturally, they're doing things their way.

Tags: Lisa Mayock, new york fashion, Sophie Buhai, spring 2012 fashion, vena cava, womenswear

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