As a compliment to its New Lock bag, Dior has made a series of short films directed by Peter Lindberg and Darius Khondji. (Luxuo)
"Saks Inc has informed about 116 workers at its flagship Fifth Avenue store that they would lose their jobs by the end of January." (ABC News)
"Lanvin has announced the release of an update of its Jeanne fragrance, the label’s creative director Alber Elbaz’s hommage to founder Jeanne Lanvin." (Luxuo)
The Fashion Beat sheds light on finding the right pair of jeans. (The Fashion Beat)
I got back to New York on Sunday and braved the torrential downpour to satisfy my craving for Momofuku’s chicken ramen. It’s the best in town and the perfect Sunday afternoon comfort food. Sunday is also a good day to catch up on the TV shows you missed during the week. And while I don’t own a TV, I can always rely on my friend Chuck Amos to have reality shows and interesting documentaries cued up.
Launch My Line is the latest reality fashion show on Bravo. A few episodes had aired but I hadn’t had a chance to peep it. The cast is filled with familiar faces. Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared are the hosts, Patrick McDonald and Roberto are contestants and Stefani Greenfield is one of the judges. The show is entertaining enough and doesn’t far from the Project Runway formula of creating clothes under pressure cooker conditions. So why watch this and not Project Runway? This is question Bravo is surely trying to answer.
I hit the ground running on Monday.
With only a short time in town before returning to LA on Thursday, it was all about face time meetings. I met up with Roger Joseph and Nancy McDonnell, two former colleagues at Style.com and old friends for some catching up and trading industry news over lunch at Delicatessen on Lafayette Street. Fittingly we ran into Anne Watson, formerly of Henri Bendel’s. I then met up with Andy Salzer, formerly (yes there’s a lot of formerly these days) of Yoko Devereaux at Emilio Ballatto for a long overdue catch up. I’ve known Andy for over a decade but with living out of the country for the most of those years we haven’t been so current with each other. Lunch was a raucous chitchat filled with loads of laughs.
The word is out that Number (N)ine will be closing its doors in January so I’ve been plotting how to get my hands on as many multi-pocketed sweatshirts and pants as possible. I scooped up a few before my trip to St. Barth but still not satisfied, I met up with a couple of my clients later on that day to buy some more pieces. They also wanted to get in on the act and score some goodies for their own wardrobe. We purchased ten articles of clothing between us and then it was time to less materialistic pursuits.
Donna Karan, Hugh Jackson and his wife Deborah Furness invited us to attend a talk on Global Poverty Project at Urban Zen. We said hello to Calvin Klein on the way in where other bold-faced names such as actor Joel Grey and photographer Russell James were in attendance. After a serious digest of facts on global proverty(1.4 billion people living in extreme proverty on less than $1.25 a day), we capped off the night with a quick dash over to Momofuku for another fix of chicken ramen.
Consistent innovation virtually guarantees a surfeit of new (though not always novel) gadgets across a broad swath of the ever-burgeoning tech market. Those lacking the insatiable gizmo geek appetite for in-the-know finds, may be daunted by sifting through lists of the latest must-haves. Yet most gadgets can typically be separated into one of two categories: the things you actually need and those you simply want. This year, we’ve added a third group to the simple breakdown—arguably the one in which most items fit: the cool, utilitarian products that aren’t exactly justifiable purchases for oneself, but make excellent gifts for others.
Want It:
You’re not James Bond. Neither is your best friend, father or boyfriend. But sometimes it’s fun to pretend. For would-be 007′s on-the-go, Geek Stuff 4 U‘s key holder spy camera features a 4GB internal memory recorder, 29 FPS video resolution and 1.3 mega pixels CMOS in the palm of your hand. When it comes to the bigger picture, look no further than Philips‘ 42″ LCD HDTV, an eco-friendly set that actually consumes less power than a 100-watt light bulb. Indiglo aficionados and ’80s enthusiasts will appreciate Timex‘s 80 blue neon watch, while just about anyone can get into Dyson‘s AM01 bladeless Table Fan—yet another innovation from the people whose ultra-efficient vacuums actually make you want to clean. Those who prefer to sip rather than sweep will love Vinturi‘s red wine aerator, an ideal for getting that vino to suitable room temperatures.
Need It:
Chances are you’re going to be popping some bottles this season, and oenophiles will love Emerson Electric‘s soft-grip bottle opener, a rechargeable gadget that eliminates the all-too-common problems of broken corks and aching hands. Equally useful for the holidays is Flight001‘s hand-held luggage scale, the ideal protection against overstuffing suitcases with fruitcake you’ll never eat. Any Netflix lover sticking around the house this year will want Roku‘s DVD player, the easiest, most convenient way to instantly watch more than 50,000 movies and TV shows. Once the clutter of all those DVDs has been eliminated, streamline your gadget juicing with Blue Lounge‘s Refresh, a six-connector charging station with four USB sockets, including one mini and one micro. Using Incase‘s iPod/iPhone combo charger will ensure that those traveling by car can always rock out on the road and still phone to say they’re running late.
Could Totally Use:
Polaroid’s we’re-abandoning-instant-film announcement did little to dampen our love of getting just-snapped pix then and there. We predict Fuji‘s lightweight, compact Instax Camera will be an integral part of instant photography’s next generation. Speaking of taking the future reins, Motorola‘s DROID, a Verizon exclusive, has quickly emerged as the go-to smartphone for anyone not already on AT&T—as well as the only legitimate rival to the seemingly indomitable iPhone. Hook it up to Idea International‘s balloon speaker, a quirky, colorful alternative to anything staid and silver. Old schoolers who still want to indulge their inner techie and save some paper will also enjoy the New York Times‘ deluxe touch screen Crossword Puzzle, while water guzzlers can do something that never goes out of style: charitable giving. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every KOR ONE BPA-free special edition Hydration Vessel goes to the organization’s Thirst for Giving water cause partners.
