THIS-JUST-IN
We love sunglasses. And parties. And beautiful bubbly entrepreneurs. So when we heard about the opening reception for a new one-of-a-kind eyewear boutique in the Upper East Side founded by the adorable Jaclyn Edelstein, we had to check it out. Ultimate Spectacle, located at 789 Lexington, is the new go-to spot for fashion savvy shoppers looking for high fashion, hard-to-find frames as well as specialized eye care. Not only can you find the hottest new styles, you can also get a comprehensive eye exam onsite, while eyewear experts fit you with ideal frames suited to your facial structure. And they know what they're doing! After glancing at me for a mere 5 seconds, they were able to instantly pick out two frames that fit my face perfectly.
When shopping a brand new beauty brand, we can’t help but wonder about its credentials. We may be a bit skeptical about the formulas, color palettes, or even the manufacturing. Well we’ve got news of a fresh-faced venture that is sure to be foolproof. Aerin Lauder (yes, granddaughter of legendary Estee Lauder) will be launching eponymous luxury lifestyle brand Aerin, premiering with a cosmetics category this August/September.
Lauder worked side by side with her grandmother and remains the style and image director for the esteemed cosmetic brand. Now, following her lifetime of experience in the industry, she takes a leap with a new generation of products with modern, effortless beauty in mind. Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. licenses the cosmetic line for production, so we can be sure the new products will be manufactured with the same heirloom quality that resonates through the brand’s history. The starting lineup will include Fresh Skin Compact Makeup, a cream-to-powder foundation in six shades; Pretty Bronze Illuminating Powder in two shades; Multi Color for Lips and Cheeks; Rose Lip Conditioner; Rose Hand and Body Cream; an Essential Makeup Bag; and a Brush Essentials set with five specific tools. The products range from $28 to $48 and the brush set is priced at $148. Lauder is also excited to introduce a fresh twist on seasonal color palettes. Four times a year Aerin will offer limited edition collections that will vary based on beauty needs for each season. The fall set will feature two color collections, Weekday and Weekend, each consisting of a pair of eye shadows, a blush, and a highlighter plus a separately sold lip color. Holiday will debut party-perfect lipsticks and summer will focus on bronzers and skin creams. Initially, Aerin will be available online and placed in specialty stores (Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, and select locations in the U.K.) alongside Estee Lauder’s skincare brand ReNutriv.
While the popular Madison Avenue location gets a makeover that benefits in-store shoppers, those who prefer to shop at the click of a finger can now reap the benefits of the store’s newly revamped e-commerce site as well. Just launched on Monday, Barneys.com is full of consumer-friendly features designed to create a “completely dynamic and very emotional experience.”
Secondary to brick and mortar locations in terms of revenue, the e-commerce site is the fastest growing channel and one Barneys sees opportunity to improve and capitalize on for future growth. It’s part of a grand strategic overhaul spearheaded by Barneys CEO Mark Lee. By creating a cleaner aesthetic to highlight featured merchandise, optimizing navigation, and simplifying the online shopping process for registered customers, Barneys hopes to engage loyal online consumers like never before.
As we saw during February’s Fashion Week, Versace’s fall/winter 2012/2013 collection is filled with leather, studs, and fishnet stockings. The designs along with the harsh bang-lines and cat eye makeup made for a dark, rocker-chic show, and as far as their ad campaign goes, they have just bumped that ambiance up another couple of notches. The combination of model melancholy brilliantly expressed by Elza Luijendijk, photography work by the ultimate duo- Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and Joe McKenna’s styling, made for a dark, gothic-chic ad campaign.
This year for the annual sponsorship of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, J.Crew has partnered up with inventive Pamela Love to come out with some new pieces for their collection.
"The collection was inspired by what my friends and I wear almost on a daily basis," Love explains."I'm a big fan of mixing bold statement pieces with more subdued vintage classics, and I think that blend is pretty well reflected in the collection."
This limited collection is a three piece line that includes denim elements which is a staple of J.Crew's style. All of the pieces are available online at J.crew.com and at select J.crew stores.
Adding to the constant comparison of two great editorial counterparts, new details have surfaced on the upcoming documentary (fashumentary?) starring Carine Roitfeld. Raising our suspicions that the feature will be an edgier version of Anna Wintour’s September Issue, director Fabien Constant (Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton) has been shadowing Roitfeld day to day as her “September issue” debut of CR Fashion Book nears. Yes, that means behind the scenes production of the issue, its sure-to-be exciting launch, and undoubtedly juicy tidbits from Carine’s personal life thanks to “unprecedented [directorial] access.” What an exciting follow up to Constant’s mini-doc for W Magazine featuring Roitfeld at couture fashion week last year!
The finale of NBC's Fashion Star concluded a knock-out first season Tuesday night as 4.9 million viewers bit their nails in the anticipation of the first ever Fashion Star winner.
Kara Laricks came into the competition as an unlikely winner, as she started out designing ties, and truthfully, we didn’t even think she’d make it past the first round! But thanks to the fashion industry panel of judges (Jessica Simpson, John Varvatos, & Nicole Richie) Laricks was saved and ultimately stepped her game up, improving by leaps and bounds episode after first episode, and was finally pronounced the winner.
2012 is shaping up to be an unforgettable year in the celebration of fashion. Definitive exhibitions are popping up all over the globe honoring fashion greats both past and present. As we awe over the recently opened Schiaparelli and Prada exhibit at The Metropolitan, our style savvy counterparts across the pond are lining up for an equally exciting view inside the heritage of Hermes. Leather Forever examines the brand’s love affair with the luxury material as they showcase their unique design and craftsmanship that makes this year’s 175th anniversary possible.
As you may have heard—Betsey is bankrupt! Well, not Betsey exactly. Neither the brand nor its eccentric creative director is involved, but the licensing firm that operates Betsey Johnson boutiques filed Chapter 11 a little more than two weeks ago. While this is unfortunate news for 54 BJ boutiques and 9 outlets around the nation, it seems there’s a silver lining for loyal Betsey shoppers. For a cool $5.2 million, two retail liquidation firms have partnered to take the remaining inventory off the hands of the shuttering shops. A major going-out-of-business sale began last Friday and will run until all merchandise has been sold.
What do you do when your storefront gets vandalized with graffiti? Call the police? Cry? Scrub it off? No. You do as Marc Jacobs does and you just make a really, really expensive t-shirt. Like, $700 expensive. In light of Jacobs' SoHo storefront being vandalized with "Art" by a graffiti artist named Kidult last week, the eccentric designer decided to once again do the unexpected.
He's now offering a baby pink t-shirt with a photo of the vandal's artwork that reads "Art by Art Jacobs." If you don't have rent to pay, food to buy, or like basic common sense, run down to your local Marc Jacobs boutique and drop $680 plus tax on this baby now!
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