chelsea in her empire dress

I met Chelsea at the Maison Margiela party the other night through our mutual friend Peter Hale Cooney III. I told her I liked her dress and she said it's her own design. Maxi dresses will be big this summer but this one's different than most that look like they're straight from an LA party circa '79. This is an empire dress with a gathered bottom and a decidedly romantic feel. I especially love the pocket details!

Catwoman

Or maybe she's more like a kitten...but the fitted black outfit and the slightly startled expression remind me of a cat. And the pink bow is perfect for a kitty. Meow!

NYC Street Style

My dear friend Colleen Koltick was rocking this custom made Pegasus jacket at our Get Your Fame On party last Saturday night at Sloane. The image looks like it was taken off a 5th grade girl's notebook, but the sweetness is offset by the additional spikes and studs. And I love that Colleen's eyeshadow matches the jacket...a genius bit of chance.

Ubercool x 2

The woman on the right is Lindsay Jones, a designer of the uber-cool line Outlaws of the Border. I don't know if either of these women are wearing that label but I think they both look brilliant. Lindsay looks charmingly waifish like Pippi Longstocking grown up and her friend is rocking the black and red in a way that's simultaneously retro and current -and smoking hot. Kudos to both.

Kawaii Cutie @ the Distorted Beauty Show

Forget Chelsea. The BEST art event tonight was in Tribeca - the Distorted Beauty show at Station Digital which literally spilled over into the street. Yes there were gorgeous photos everywhere and naturally equally gorgeous people. This girl was rocking it out with her blue hair, nail polish and music player. So adorable. Super kawaii.

Jacqueline Marie in her own design

I posted a photo about a week ago with a girl wearing a latex dress which happened to be designed by none other than Jacqueline Marie (shown here). I love that her clothes work for both petite and curvy girls...I am really beginning to consider the possibilities of latex.

street style - manhattan hipster

I like to tease Williamsburg hipsters of all looking alike. (you know: big glasses, shaggy hair, skinny jeans) But Manhattan has its own brand of hipster that is similar but not the same. A little edgier and sleeker all at once. Kind of like this girl...

White Trash Style

Can I say that?? They look like they're from a small town with only Walmart open 24 hours and on Sundays...yep...kind of like where I spent 4 years in my own special...purgatory. Or honestly, like a Hollywood version of someone who would live there because if you really went to one of these towns you wouldn't see anyone who really had this kind of style. Which makes me think of the other place they remind me of: which is London. I know, completely different than white trash USA, but some of the girls going out there look as if they, too, are styling themselves after Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers or the girls in Drugstore Cowboy or some variation. Call it tacky cool. You think I'm insulting them...not really. But one helpful hint:always say NO to permed hair. (and I learned the hard way!)

Deedee Luxe is delightful

This shot is from a series I took at Bon Bon. A club night in NYC that is rumored to be going under because there aren't enough bottles sold. (and for those who don't know: somewhere in the last 10 years NYC clubs started charging outrageous amounts of money to buy a bottle of alcohol and be "allowed" to sit at a table. It's a ridiculous practice and made a more "those who can pay can play" vibe with rich bankers hanging out instead of more authentically creative people.) Anyways, the girl on the left is burlesque performer DeeDee Luxe and I think both of them have it going on NYC-style.

My Fashion Week Thoughts

Mostly people write about the shows and I'll be doing that as well but here are a few other observations on the week.
1. Despite the prevalence of black, neon is coming back. Particularly hot pink and acid yellow/green.

Here are 3 looks from the parties and as we all know, fashion gets its cues from the street.


From the runway at the Richie Rich show. The clothes are black and white but neon was in the styling.

2. Shaved sides are big. So get out your razor already!

See what I'm talking about?


Imitation on the runway of Park Choon Moo


Again at the Christian Siriano show.

3. Children ran rampant this fashion week.


So fashionable, so precious, so annoying. Did you hear about the 5 year old blogger? The fashion world is showing their insecurity by pandering to children and frankly it's ridiculous. Me, I am not overly fond of children. Period. And unless they have a paycheck and the stature for the clothes I fail to see why they are everywhere. Shoo! shoo! little people!


4. It doesn't matter how bad your clothes are if you can get Pamela Anderson on your runway.

After an interminable wait (to the point that the photographers in the pit started booing) and ultimate disorganization the Richie Rich show finally began. And overall it was a joke.However when I Googled his show the next day to see if others agreed with me all that came up was Pam, Pam, Pam. So if nothing else I have to give this former club kid props for knowing what to show to get the press...and it has nothing to do with clothes.

all kinds of craziness

Sometimes fashion seems to short circuit...when the rest of the world up-ends why shouldn't fashion? I'll be interested in seeing the collections next week but on the streets I feel like there is a really edgy energy right now which is seen in the revival of a quasi-punk aesthetic and a really anything goes attitude. This girl fits right in with that with her 2-toned half shaved hair, old fur over a kimono, accentuated eyemakeup and (following in the footsteps Ms. Roitfeld) the pantless look...I guess that's a look for less!

Ladylike Sonia Li style

Mad Men (which I am not a fan of) has made ladylike dressing more popular again. Which can be a refreshing change from the blue jean shorts and shredded tights trend. Especially when it's done like my dear friend Sonia Li. The cut of this dress is modest but the animal print makes it edgy. And then she accessorized it with a teal snakeskin belt with a gold cat buckle, and a 60s style handbag decorated with...Tori Spelling!?!

the face as the new accessory

Last night I stopped by the Hudson Hotel to take photos of some of my favorite club kids for an upcoming video. This is Jackie Birdy and I adore how she has added dots to her face to match her dress. Super crazy and creative.

evening jackets dressed down

As girls are wearing more blazers again and boyish jackets, these boys are taking it up a notch by wearing more formal jackets -satin lined tuxedo and velvet- to dress up more casual looks. Well done!

Boots with shorts trend continues

But what's nice about this look is the buttoned up blouse. It adds a little conservative slant to the outfit which is unexpected. I also really like her black rings.

Creative Spirit

I met Megg Morales through a mutual friend and was immediately struck by her amazing energy. Her free spirit and attitude (or maybe lack of attitude) seems at odds with the edginess of New York. Especially when you consider she is a model by trade. (and yes, might look familiar to you from a certain reality tv show) But what she's passionate about is making things. I visited her in her Bushwick apartment where she kindly showed me some of her work which you can see in the Musings section.

Friends of Betsey

Okay, in truth I don't know if they're friends of Betsey J. or any other Betsey but I think that like Ms. Johnson these 2 are super cool and have amazing energy. When I grow up I want to be just like them!

Channeling Mary-Kate + Ashley

This girl has that slightly confused fashion and generous eyeliner that has been made fashionable by the Olsen twins...she just needs her bag to be 4x the size to fully complete the look.

Earrings the size of Africa

Okay, not really the size of Africa but certainly in line with the larger earring trend that I predict will grow stronger in 2010. I was informed that all her jewelry was designed by her friend Kaya Jackson and that 10% of all proceeds would go to The Women of Africa Foundation. I'd put the website link on here but when I tried to go to it myself I was told it might be an "attack site" which kind of freaked me out...so if you're interested in finding out where you can buy your own Africa earrings try this email instead: ambiguousjewelryart@yahoo.com... her hair is pretty amazing as well...


CLOSE UP SHOT

Dramarama

Michelle Harper is known for her edgy style in NYC and this night is no exception. Crazy sculptural thing happening on her right arm which I love...it all looks a bit post-apocalyptic Blade Runner. And for the record I did not photoshop the definition in her arms...it's merely emphasized by the lighting.