Wanna Go To A Gucci Show?

You're a style enthusiast, right? Do you spend hours oogling at your PC screen because your invitation to Fashion Week got lost in the mail? Well here's your chance to get in to Gucci's 2009 Resort show {I know, they're late right}. On Tuesday July 8th @ 2:00pm edt, Gucci will be holding a live simulcast of their Resort show via world wide web. So grab your Yoplait Key Lime Pie yogurt and log on Gucci's Website for your own exclusive front row seat. The reason for the webcast is in honor of Gucci's 70th anniversary in Condotti Rome.

On The Campaign Trail: Estée Lauder Sensuous Perfume

Sensuous, launched in June 2008 exclusively at Bloomingdale's first and later at Estée Lauder counters in July, continues this tradition of attention to femininity. Lauder perfume advertisings consistently show off the women featured in them like idols on an invisible pedestal (the perfume is that invisible pedestal) and seldom even seen as part of a couple so as to stress their ideal courtly-love character. But Sensuous offers a more casual, modern feel. With Sensuous, we get another attempt at further accessibility, similar toTuberose Gardenia Private Collection. It is not a reflection of the couture dress but rather about the simple white shirt, an attribute taken from men and adapted to the feminine form as shown in the new ads. In order to embody the every woman, not one but four models were chosen to represent Sensuous: Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, Carolyn Murphy, and Hilary Rhoda. They perhaps represent not so well the ethnic diversity that exists today in America and are all uniformly elegant and sleek, but it is an attempt at conveying a message of pluralism nevertheless.

Aerin Lauder said, “Each model represents a different side of sensuality,... Hilary conveys youth, while Carolyn’s classic look communicates elegance. As an actress, Gwyneth brings an emotional range to sensuality and Elizabeth portrays confidence and wisdom."


**Images courtesy of Estee Lauder and Sensuous Perfume

Belle Of The Ball

Remember when I mentioned my five favorite men of fashion? Well in case you missed it, Elie Saab was one of those men and always, there is never a disappointing moment with him. His Couture show was absolutely fabulous. In a time when there is much debate about what is luxury and what should be considered haute couture Saab displayed that there is something about evening wear that is always couture. If you have been to {or seen pictures} the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome then you definitely know where he drew his inspiration from for Fall 2009 Couture collection. The silhouettes were created by using dozens of meters of taffeta and georgette gathered into off-the-shoulder swags, fabric rosettes and floor-sweeping trains.

"If it hardly amounted to a soaringly imaginative ode to one of the greatest works in the canon of art history, Saab did add a touch that puts him in line with an emerging look of the season: a layer of lace petticoat glimpsed through beneath chiffon skirts." -To quote Sarah Mower, from Style.com
















**Images courtesy of Style.com

Sun Blocks, Protectors

Please don't forget you sun block! Don't want you out there getting done over easy in the sun. One summer my daughter (after she was grown) was only in the sun momentarily not even 10 minutes and the poor little thing started peeling on her arms and her back. I looked at her in horror and told her to get out of the sun. When she realized what had happened she swore off the sun! To this day you cannot get her to go outside for anything! I think she's suffering from a little PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I keep telling her all she needs to do is put on the right sun protection. She's not trying to hear me though! If it's an activity that has to do with the sun she always takes a rain check! (Literally) We all need protection from the sun though, and here's our top 3.

Vital Sun Protection Sunscreen Lotion

Protects skin from the sun all year-round with the minimal level of chemical sunscreen ingredients.• Choose one of two formulas: SPF 15 for adults, or pediatrician-tested SPF 30, specially formulated for children.• For face and body

Philosophy
Hope In A Jar SPF 20

What it is: A high-performance moisturizer with SPF 20. What it is formulated to do: Give your skin the drink of water it's thirsty for while protecting it from the harmful effects of the sun with Philosophy Hope in a Jar SPF 20. Hope in a Jar high-performance moisturizer with SPF 20 hydrates the skin, provides a gentle exfoliation, and helps improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, texture, and tone. This multi-tasking moisturizer helps prevent further sun-damage with multiple antioxidants and broad spectrum sun protection while inspiring a healthy, rosy glow.



Korres is all-natural

Korres
Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 20

What it is: A daily moisturizing cream with SPF 20 and anti aging watermelon extract. What it is formulated to do: Ideal for everyday use, Korres Watermelon Sunscreen for Face SPF 20 provides broad-spectrum sun protection from UVA, UVB, and IR rays. Made with a rich formula of hydrating and antioxidant ingredients including watermelon extract to repair the stressed UV immune system of the skin, the cream also prevents photo-aging and red, inflamed skin.What else you need to know: This product is dermatologically-tested and non-comedogenic

Now, if I could just get this child back out in the sun! That is a serious battle of epic proportions around here! By the way, all of the above mentioned products are available at Sephora.

"You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you."---Eric Hoffer

Lovin Life, Truth Is

On The Campaign Trail: Longchamp & Kate Moss

As we have seen late in the season, supermodel Kate Moss has been being downgraded... like... A LOT. She was recently bumped from Yves Saint Laurent for Naomi Campbell, moved to Just Cavalli instead of Roberto Cavalli line. Well at least she still has Longchamp. For the fall 2008 campaign she is featured with model Gaspard Ulliel. Longchamp is known for changing the mood up every season for its various campaigns went with a M+M motif. This season is no different. With five various shots for the ad campaign all of you ladies {and gents} that love Gaspard.

My Gosh! Their Sooo Cute!

There seems to be no age limit on wearing "cute clothes" so let me show you a couple of "cute " things from Anthropologie. They never disappoint when it comes to stylish, affordable clothes. Their pieces are usually classics with a twist. But you know whatever they have it'll be a keeper because it meets my durability, well-made, and stylish test. Take a look at these fall pieces:

Plum Perfect Trench

Picture Window Jacket

Finch & Thistle Dress

This is just too cute, you've got to see it on! Dove's Flight Sweater Coat

Abundance Jacket

Ok, that's enough, you know where to go!

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."---
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Lovin Life, Truth Is

Gerard Darel

So you know I love a good bag, right? Check out these bags from Gerard Darel. BUDGET BLOWERS, each and every last one of them! I gotta have "em! I want these bags and I want them NOW! I won't tell...but I think my addiction to handbags just got worse!

"24 Hours Buckled Barcelona Bag"

"Midnight Midday Barcelona Bag"

"24 Hours Saint Germain Bag"

"24 Hours Santa Fe Bag"

Hhhhmmmm!!! Mother's Day-past, Birthday-past, Sweetest Day-too far away, I see I'm gonna have to make up holiday to get one of these bags!

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."---Albert Camus

Lovin Life, Truth Is

Zang Toi

Zang Toi (Pictured on left) After his Fall 2008 show. (Thank you Imax Images)

Who: Fashion Designer Zang Toi

What: His Fall 2008 Collection

Little Bio: Toi left his native Malaysia at the age of eighteen, and via Toronto, landed New York a year later. There he attended Parsons School of Design and apprenticed with Mary Jane Marcasiano and Ronaldus Shamask. In 1989, he opened his own atelier.

Available Where? Zang Toi is available in globally fine stores including the Couture Department at Nordstrom, fine specialty boutiques and Zang Toi Boutiques in Malaysia.

Don't you just love a man who knows how to dress a woman?

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. ---Viktor Frankl

Lovin Life, Truth Is

FYI Books

Here are some new books that you may be intrested in.

100 New Fashion Designers by Hywel Davis (Author)

Madame Gres: Spinx of Fashion by Patricia Mears, Jennifer Park The Fashion Institute of Technology, Pub. Date: March 2008
While the classically inspired “Grecian” gown designed by Madame Alix Grès is widely recognized and admired, little else of the brilliant couturier’s life or work has received close attention. This book, by far the most detailed study yet published on this influential fashion designer, carefully analyzes Madame Grès’ innovative construction techniques and connects her designs to the art styles and movements that inspired and informed her aesthetic. Gorgeously illustrated with images of fabulous clothes designed by Madame Grès, the book focuses on her long career (spanning the early 1930s to the late 1980s) and refutes the previous understanding that her work was static and unchanging. Rather, her designs consistently changed and evolved, even as a thread of continuity connected them. The volume discusses how sculpture and the construction of non-western clothing inspired Grès’s fashion, and examines numerous couture versions of her saris, ponchos, serapes, caftans, three-dimensional sculptural pieces, and Grecian gowns. In addition, the book constructs a timeline of her career and discusses her secretive private life, including the circumstances of her death, inexplicably concealed by her daughter for over a year.

Paris 1962: Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior: The Early Collections by Jerry Schatzberg (Photographer)
On assignment for Esquire magazine in 1962, fashion photographer and filmmaker Jerry Schatzberg documented the ultra-exclusive world of French haute couture in stunning photographs of famous fashion icons. All the glamour and drama of the runway is presented, including images of Yves Saint Laurent’s first collection after leaving Dior, as well as tastemakers such as Diana Vreeland and American Vogue editor Jessica Daves mingling in the chic crowds. As an insider, Schatzberg was permitted entry into the private, behind-the-scenes world of the models and photographers, which he reveals in candid images of renowned photographers such as Helmut Newton, William Klein, Hiro, and Norman Parkinson perfecting their glamour shots.Schatzberg’s images embody an era in fashion history, and document the glamour, intrigue, and opulence of the Parisian runway shows. With an eye for subtle moments of elegance, drama, and humor, Schatzberg captures the essence of the period’s style and grace.

All books available at: Barnes & Noble and Amazon


"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common -- this is my symphony."---William Henry Channing


Lovin Life, Truth Is

A Rare Moment With Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto is definitely known for not talking to the media but the 64 year-old designer recently allowed Prestige's Vivienne Tang to sit down and talk with him about his career thus far, his upcoming project that will be featured on YouTube, the relationship with his mother, his present views on fashion {as well as that statement he made a few years ago about disliking fashion} and his daughter. You can read the interview in its entirety here.