Fashion | The New York Observer

Today in Fashion: Scrawny Man is Out; D&G's Tax Problems

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:18:50 -0400

The male ideal in fashion and advertising has returned to a more traditional masculine look: "The twink thing seems over," said Jim Nelson, the editor of GQ. [Times Styles]

The tax evasion investigation into Dolce & Gabbana has been finalized, but charges could still be brought against them and other employees of the company. [Vogue UK]

Black Swan, the ballet drama starring Natalie Portman, will feature designs by the Rodarte sisters. [WWD]

Meanwhile, New Yorkers are baffled...

Today in Fashion: Horyn Wants FNO to End; Lagerfeld Builds an Island

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:15:25 -0400

Alexander Wang will not be collaborating with Nike after all. [WWD]

Cathy Horyn on Fashion's Night Out: "I hope it doesn't go on. I don't want it to continue... You know, we're a nation of shoppers. That's how people spend their time, shopping online, shopping in stores, acquiring. And I feel like we perpetuate that with Fashion's Night Out. What are you really celebrating? Not art or great books. You're celebrating shopping." [The Daily Beast]

When...

Today in Fashion: Mischa Barton Missteps; WSJ Censors the A-Word

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 10:08:08 -0400

The Wall Street Street Journal is not entirely comfortable with denim companies using the words "booty" and "butt" in their national ad campaigns. [WSJ]

Lauren Conrad compared her new MTV reality show, which centers around her new fashion line, Paper Crown, to The September Issue. [Fashionista]

Mischa Barton wore something very strange to a polo game on Sunday. [Coco Perez]

The Novemeber issue of W Magazine features a naked Kim Kardashian. [W]

Jean Paul Gaultier has designed a...

Today in Fashion: Kate Moss Doubles Her Salary; Lara Stone "Smizes"

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:02:14 -0400

Philip Green, the owner of Topshop, has reviewed England's finances and has declared spending inefficient: "There is no reason why the government should not be as efficient as any good business." [Vogue UK]

Alexander McQueen will take control of the McQ contemporary line starting with the fall 2011 season. [WWD]

After her cocaine scandal, Kate Moss' salary doubled. [Mirror UK]

Vogue's November cover girl Lara Stone learned how to "smize" by watching America's Next Top Model. [Fashionologie]

If...

Today in Fashion: Steve Madden Now Owns Betsey; Thom Browne's First Women's Show is Forthcoming

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:14:26 -0400

Steve Madden has officially taken full control of Betsey Johnson's company in exchange for taking care of her outstanding bank loan. Ms. Johnson will remain the designer of her label. [Vogue UK]

Thom Browne will host the first proper fashion week show for his new women's collection in New York in February. [WWD]

Next season, get ready for the Midi: the skirt that hits mid-calf as shown on the runways by Nina Ricci, Oscar de la...

A Century Of Wall Street Fashion

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 09:19:19 -0400

Through the 20th century, Wall Street and the titans of American capitalism have walked a fine line between projecting power and appearing reassuringly conservative. Over the years, the codes for such signals have changed. The Observer has compiled a set of representative Wall Street fashions to show how the financier look has evolved. In that spirit, we give you ...

A Century Of Wall Street...

Project Runway's Diana Eng Makes Clothes From the Future

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:44:43 -0400

Diana Eng, a hi-tech designer and Project Runway alum, makes outfits that would work in Brooklyn or in Blade Runner.

Eng will be having her own runway show this Saturday as part of the first ever NY Maker Faire, an event dedicated to inventors, hackers and mad tinkerers of all types.

For a peek at what we'll all be wearing in 2020 check out some of Eng's designs here...

At Jay-Z's Fashion Week Party, 'I Know You're Thirsty, Say Ahh'

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:59:43 -0400

In the main room of Provocateur on Wednesday night at 8:30, the D.J. was blasting the song "Everyone Nose" ("All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom! All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom!"). Everyone was standing around the club on Hudson Street in the Meatpacking District waiting for Jay-Z to arrive at the party he was co-hosting with GQ for Fashion Week.

"His...

At G-Star Raw's Runway Show, Tinsley Mortimer Can’t Keep Her Hands Off Her Beau

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:00:33 -0400

In the front row at the G-Star Raw runway show yesterday, Tinsley Mortimer clearly enjoyed herself -- though whether she was happier with the clothes or with a chance to show off her boyfriend, Brian Mazza, is unclear. Ms. Mortimer and Mr. Mazza, who has been variously described as a "hospitality executive," "gatekeeper," and "nightlife guy," smiled and laughed together throughout the show, and Ms. Mortimer spent much of it clutching Mr. Mazza's white...

Paul Johnson-Calderon Takes a Cue from Scarlett O'Hara

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:06:51 -0400

At a party and presentation last night for IMPROVD, The Observer spotted Paul Johnson-Calderon sporting a bit of an uptown/downtown ensemble: blazer and bow tie up top; cutoffs, knee socks and sneakers down below. And in the middle: black nail polish. "Goth is coming back, I think," Mr. Johnson-Calderon explained, "So I did the Dior black nails."

Mr. Johnson-Calderon said he had just been to a Brooks Brothers party for True Prep, the new...

What Does Heaven Look Like to Terence Koh?

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:47:06 -0400

At the 10th-anniversary party for Style.com last night, it seemed statement jackets were the order of the evening: immediately upon entering the party, we ran across the artist Terence Koh, who was wearing an immaculate white one with befeathered shoulders. He looked a bit like an art-world angel -- and he informed The Observer that yes, he does believe in heaven. "It's all white and peaceful and fluffy," Mr. Koh said dreamily.

Waris Ahluwalia...

The High Holy Days of Fashion

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:01:33 -0400

At the unfashionably early hour of 9 a.m. on the first day of Fashion Week, among rail-thin women in bondage pumps at the brand-new Lincoln Center location, I ran into Robbie Myers, Elle's editor in chief. She was in very high heels and a snug little black dress for Fashion Next, the magazine's new awards event for student designers.

"Wow, you look so thin," I told her.

"That's always a wonderful thing to say,"...

Jeremy Piven is Not a Jerk (To Us, At Least), and Christina Hendricks Wants to Work with Tim Burton

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:07:48 -0400

We saved our best material from Tommy Hilfiger's epic afterparty at the Met Opera on Sunday night for the Shindigger column in tomorrow's paper, which is chock-full of Fashion Week gossip and intrigue. (Check it out!) In the meantime, here's a little taste of what we said, heard, and witnessed:

--The reports of Kelly Osbourne's weight loss have not been exaggerated: she looked positively tiny in person, clad in a Tommy Hilfiger dress, Marni...

Our Favorite Pairings from the Tommy Hilfiger Front Row

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:06:32 -0400

Tommy Hilfiger spared no expense for his 25th-anniversary show yesterday; the invitations were notably elaborate, the runway was flanked by Astroturf, and even the run-of-show lists were printed on heavy-duty paperboard. (And that afterparty, at the Met Opera? We'll get to that later.) It paid off, at least if you measure success by front-row attendance: there were so many celebrities in the VIP section that some of them had to share seats. Some of...

Carmen Electra Wants a Trenchcoat and a Tropical Vacation

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:05:42 -0400

We caught up with Carmen Electra at the afterparty for Rebecca Taylor's collection yesterday at Hudson Terrace; Ms. Electra, despite the rain, looked lovely and nonplussed. "It's not been traumatic to the hair," she said, scrunching her mane with one hand to prove it. "It's better if it gets a little damp."

Ms. Electra had plenty to say about Ms. Taylor's show: "The tangerine trenchcoat that had snakeskin lining: I was obsessed. And then...