BeautyBlitz.com Needs Interns!” y 11 mas

BeautyBlitz.com Needs Interns!
Best Dressed: Carey Mulligan, SJP and Birthday Girl Alexa Chung
Balenciaga’s Archive is Up For Grabs at Maxfield… For A Limited Time
Ask Chris Benz: Help Me Find the Perfect Pair of Pants!
Chris Benz, Christian Cota and Rachel Roy to Mentor Savannah College of Art and Design’s Fashion Students
J.Crew Women’s Spring 2011: The Complete Collection
J.Crew Men’s Spring 2011: Twombly, Penn, and the Navy
Attention, Fashion Bloggers: Brandon Holley Wants You (Plus More From Lucky Shops)
Madonna and J.Lo Will Get Their H&M For Lanvin After All
An Open Letter to Fashionista: Quit Writing About Taylor Momsen
Fashion News Roundup: Dash Opened, The Biebs is Shilling Perfume and Scientists are Developing a Real Life Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak
September Issue Report: Jennifer Aniston Still Sells Magazines, Tonchi’s W Down 14%

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 03:17 PM PDT

Online beauty mag BeautyBlitz.com is looking for interns to assist their Editor-in-Chief and CEO. This is an awesome opportunity for folks looking to learn about new media, the beauty biz, communications and marketing.

Candidates must have superior organization; excellent communication and writing skills; pay close attention to detail; have the ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines.

Duties include:
- overseeing viral marketing and social media efforts
- testing new beauty products
- researching and reporting feature stories
- coming up with story ideas
- working with public relations and marketing executives to call in products for stories,
- possibly writing stories for the site

We are looking for an intern to come in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday. This is an unpaid internship with the chance for college credit.

If you’re interested please send a cover letter and resume to Kaitlyn Dreyling, kaitlyn@beautyblitz.com.

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Best Dressed: Carey Mulligan, SJP and Birthday Girl Alexa Chung

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Carey Mulligan accepted Harper’s Bazaar‘s Best Dressed Woman of 2010 award wearing this Preen number. Sienna Miller glammed it up in Stella McCartney. We had to include one of our faves Alexa Chung because it’s her birthday! And she looked adorable in a Margaret Howell sweater, 3.1 Phillip Lim shorts and Prada shoes. Sarah Jessica Parker looked put together in Ralph Lauren at his party for Gloria Vanderbilt. Finally, Natalia Vodianova, despite hairy legs, looked perfect in this Balmain.

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Balenciaga’s Archive is Up For Grabs at Maxfield… For A Limited Time

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES–Installed on mannequins throughout Maxfield's floor yesterday were iconic Balenciaga pieces from decades past. There was a sari gown marking the store's entryway, and more than a dozen dresses and jackets crafted by the French fashion house's namesake, Cristobal Balenciaga, during the late 1950s and 1960s. Part of Balenciaga Edition–a line of recreations (down to an exact button or stitch) of classic ensembles made between the years 1954-1968–the garments on hand were priced between $1,800-$27,000.

But the startlingly high price tags are by no means keeping shoppers with the wherewithal at bay. Maxfield welcomed quite a bit of foot traffic yesterday and word has it a recent Edition sale in Boston saw a $30,000 jacket fly off the rack. The sale in Los Angeles will continue through today at 6pm. And, whether or not you're prepared to drop that kind of capital on museum-worthy pieces, it's well worth visiting. After all, entrance is free.

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Ask Chris Benz: Help Me Find the Perfect Pair of Pants!

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 01:30 PM PDT

Dear Chris,

Thanks for answering my letter! Anyways, I love that pants are “back” for fall, but I’m not sure what style to try. Are there any that you’re particularly fond of right now?

Yours, Currently Pantless

Dear Pantless,

Pants are a basis for much of our collection, and I love them for many different reasons…. Whether it’s a swishy pajama pant, a severe cropped matchstick, or a loud floral trouser, pants can play to so many different figures and tastes.

It’s a relatively new category for womenswear, historically, but one that is very important indeed. The social acceptance of women in pants only really harkens to the 1950s; think of Mary Tyler Moore on the Dick Van Dyke Show, vacuuming the living room in her cigarette pants and little slippers, or Lucille Ball in a gingham pedal-pusher in the Connecticut ranch house.

Right now, I am loving the idea of a novelty pant taking the place of a fancy accessory. Why not throw on a simple blouse with a colorful printed pant? This feels new to me, rather than a loud topcoat or novelty handbag. And boys, this goes for you too. A navy blazer and tee-shirt goes a long way with a novelty pant in lieu of jeans.

Interesting waistband details are also important to me: a combination of materials like leather/shantung or wool. Safari waistbands with buckles, rope belts, and cargo pockets all seem like a good direction to go in.

Genetic Denim makes a terrific lean trouser-cut denim that is dazzling, and my girlfriends have been going nuts for. I think as long as you can find something comfortable and chic that makes you feel beautiful, that is trend-enough.

xx
CB

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Chris Benz, Christian Cota and Rachel Roy to Mentor Savannah College of Art and Design’s Fashion Students

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 01:00 PM PDT

The Savannah College of Art and Design's fashion students are in some very good hands this school year. Designers Chris Benz, Christian Cota and Rachel Roy are serving as the school's 2010-2011 fashion mentors.

SCAD is no stranger to big names in fashion. Earlier this year, Lauren attended SCAD Style, a nine-day series of lectures, exhibitions, panel discussions, book signings and workshops that focus on preparing students for creative careers. Participants included everyone from Kelly Cutrone to Fern Mallis to Victoria Bartlett.

Last year’s fashion mentors were Catherine Malandrino, Angel Sanchez and Tuleh's Bryan Bradley. Before them were Yigal Azrouël and Lars Nilsson for the 2008-09 academic year, and Ruffian designers Claude Morais and Brian Wolk in 2007-08. Not bad for the university, which has campuses in Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong and is steadily gaining recognition as one of the best art and design schools in the world.

This year’s lot are amazing role models for aspiring fashion designers. They’re all extremely talented, successful up-and-comers who are CFDA-recognized. Plus, we just love Chris Benz-he acts as a mentor to us all the time! And it sounds like the designers themselves are excited to be a part of the program. "It is such an honor to work with SCAD and have the opportunity to be a sounding board for the students," says Benz.

Another thing that makes these designers great mentors is that, like their predecessors, they are independent and recently established. They remember what it's like to be starting out. Michael Fink, Dean of SCAD's School of Fashion, echoes this sentiment: "They are all part of the new guard of young American designers–modern, chic, sophisticated. Plus they all have a firm understanding of what it takes to succeed in today's global fashion economy, an invaluable asset to our students."

This news comes with the announcement of a new Chair of the Fashion Department at SCAD. Carmella Spinelli was a merchandise and fashion consultant for Stuart Weitzman Collection handbags. Prior to that, she was the Associate Chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons from 2001 – 2007. As Chair, Spinelli will be responsible for developing new curriculum, strengthening the school's educational, professional and recruitment opportunities in New York and Paris and overseeing the fashion faculty at both the Savannah and Atlanta locations. Her position is effective January 2011.

With this kind of expansion and support from the industry, SCAD, despite what might seem like a bizarre location, is clearly paving its way to becoming a top fashion school. No doubt we’ll be meeting some majorly talented graduates in the coming years.

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J.Crew Women’s Spring 2011: The Complete Collection

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 12:00 PM PDT

J.Crew rarely fails to delight us, and their women’s collection for Spring 2011 is no different.

Creative director/president Jenna Lyons and women’s lead designer Marissa Webb imagined a look that was decidedly spring–lots of short suits, nautical sweaters, and chambray–but also decidedly cool. There was much more of a tomboy feel to this collection than I’m used to from J.Crew, and that’s a good thing. And it seems that they also used Nars Heat Wave lipstick on the models–one of my favorites. J’adore.

Click through to view the complete collection.

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J.Crew Men’s Spring 2011: Twombly, Penn, and the Navy

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 11:30 AM PDT

A game some of my fashion friends and I like to play is “What Happened to American Apparel?”

That symbol of the aughts’ stock is currently trading at just over one dollar, one fifteenth of its 2007 high. And there are a number of reasons why: poor management, spotty trend spotting, over-expansion, lack of investor confidence. Another reason is J. Crew.

American Apparel presented a unique challenge to the market, and while Gap kept making the same old crap and used the same old advertising, J.Crew took a different route and went up-market. It started looking for a more sophisticated customer, constructing tailored, comfortable menswear that didn't look or feel like each item was just one of hundreds of thousands that had come off the line.

For Spring Summer 2011's menswear, designer Frank Muytjens draws inspiration from "the paintings of Winslow Homer, and the coast of Maine where he painted."

J. Crew is no exception to the utilitarian workwear-inspired theme that dominated the fall shows, but Muytjens has done it better than most. "This year we offered a mixture of the utilitarian, the uniform of sailors and deckhands," the designer said after the presentation on Thursday, at Milk Studios. (The designer also cites the paintings of Cy Twombly, the photographs of Irving Penn, and the Navy as sources of inspiration, for good measure).

A highlight is the very casual, seersucker two-button jacket, with crinkle fabric, a nifty export of a southern tradition brought into an east coast mentality. The collection draws heavily on chalky whites and greys, as well as naval details, for a pleasing effect. A lightweight heather grey cardigan, a cool navy duffel coat, and a sleek navy dinner jacket also stole the show from the dependable array of chinos and trousers (note: more roll-ups are coming your way this spring). There was also a chunky crew-neck sweater, again, navy, that caught my eye—it's the kind of jumper that could just as easily be thrown on to a recently rescued castaway as the winner of a local regatta.

There's only the occasional misstep, like Muytjens insistence of adding patches to a number of the shorts and trousers. The worst example is the off-white trousers with the inexplicable rectangular blue patchwork running along the front. Symmetrical, yet different lengths and shades of blue, it's as if the designer was less inspired by minimalist arti than a shitty game of Tetris.

But this is no reason to give Muytjens and his team Das Boot. J.Crew has a winning collection on its hands. Come spring, you won't need a trip to the Cape to get that nautical feeling—a trip to the mall may do.

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Attention, Fashion Bloggers: Brandon Holley Wants You (Plus More From Lucky Shops)

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Last night, the Lucky Shops weekend-long event kicked off here in NYC with a "VIP Shopping Party" to celebrate the mag's 10th anniversary. Hilary Duff hosted, looking sophisticated and relaxed in DvF. Brandon Holley, Lucky‘s new EIC, held court and welcomed everyone to her party.

I cornered her and asked about her plans for the shopping glossy.

On Andy Spade and the "new and improved" Lucky:
"I don't know what Andy's doing yet! I ripped out pictures from Lucky that I loved. I took out some stuff that I thought was a little sleepy. I ripped out some pictures from European magazines. We looked at blogs online, really inspiring things that we want to bring in. We want to bring the bloggers into the magazine. And then I said "Go!" You'll see a little bit of my influence in January and February, but the Andy Spade coat of paint will be in March."

On celebs:
"We want to bring in more celebs. We just shot Kate Bosworth, and we've got some really great, exciting cover people. [The magazine's] 10 years old–it's time to give it a little shake-up."

On how she's going to increase Lucky's online presence:
"We want to do a really big community platform online–bring together fashion blogs, create an open social platform, and then possibly thread e-commerce throughout where it makes sense. Women love to shop and this magazine does it so well. You know when you buy something and you just want to tell people what you just bought? There are so many social aspects of shopping and that's where we need to be. We need to own that. Imagine where I am! I missed magazines but I loved online and now I get to do both."

OK, so on to the shopping. Rebecca Minkoff had the longest lines and was a mob scene. Most bags were about $275, which is quite a bargain. Autumn Cashmere was also crazy. In general, prices at most booths were about 30%-50% off current retail. While there was a bit of last season merch in there, I spotted lots of current season clothes. Alice by Alice Temperley, Charlotte Ronson, and Nicholas K had some of the cooler offerings. Kelsi Dagger and Pour La Victoire booties were getting snapped up by the armload. My friend bought $11 Lee Angel orb earrings. The salesgirls had to double check the price because they couldn't believe it was so low.

And yes, I shopped. I got the Style.com Alber-designed 10 year anniversary T-shirt, because it was just too cute and fashion geeky to pass up. I also picked up a $100 cozy Steven Alan dress.

Skinny margaritas and tiny delicious brownie bites kept everyone fueled and in a good mood. Susan Lucci swanned by and I heard Abigail Breslin was there, too.

The Lucky staff seemed really energized and in the middle of a big creative lovefest. I’m excited to see how they use that momentum to perk up the magazine.

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Madonna and J.Lo Will Get Their H&M For Lanvin After All

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 10:40 AM PDT

Earlier this week, in an item about the Lanvin for H&M collab, WWD quoted an H&M spokesperson as saying, “Madonna and J.Lo have [already] asked for pieces from the collection, but we're not lending out clothes until the runway show on Nov. 18."

Then Elle noticed that some British starlets (who are way less famous than Madonna and J.Lo) were wearing the collection on Wednesday. Then I noticed that Leighton Meester was wearing the leopard pumps at a Vogue event on Wednesday as well. And then a reader pointed out that Korean actress Ha Ji Won wore head-to-toe Lanvin for H&M to the Asiana International Short Film Festival on November 4.

So it seemed peculiar that all of these young actresses across the globe had somehow managed to get into Lanvin for H&M and Madonna and J.Lo would have to wait until November 18. Turns out it’s not true. A spokesperson from H&M told us that the brand is, in fact, working with Madonna and J.Lo to get them pieces from the collection and the hold up is due to scheduling conflicts. H&M assures us that Lanvin hearts H&M hearts J.Lo and Madonna and they’ll be receiving their favorite pieces from the collection shortly. PHEW.

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An Open Letter to Fashionista: Quit Writing About Taylor Momsen

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 10:09 AM PDT

A little background: John is our go-to menswear writer. We like to write about Taylor Momsen a bit too frequently. He’s annoyed. We respect his opinion. That’s why we’re publishing it. Also, it’s just another reason to bring up Taylor.

To the editors of Fashionista (Lauren and Leah, let's not pretend we don't know each other),

This letter is difficult for me to write, not because my heart isn't in it, but because the subject—Taylor Momsen—has already had far too much attention from media outlets, including this one, and I am reluctant to keep feeding the beast.

I am greatly disappointed and a little disgusted at Fashionista's continued coverage of Taylor Momsen and her band, The Pretty Reckless. Momsen's cultivated, "shocking" antics and irresponsible behavior should earn the starlet anonymity, not attention.

I am not someone who normally goes around telling people what they should or shouldn't say, but I write about young Hollywood, and I am particularly concerned with the current celebration of this fabricated, irresponsible little phony. Originally, I wrote off her new rocker adventure as just another starlet, accompanied by legions of producers and songwriters, taking her irrepressible talent to the recording studio—just like Lindsay Lohan, Jared Leto and Heidi Montag before her—and I paid her no mind.

Momsen's carefully placed quotes—meant to bolster her no-bullshit, rocker persona, like cursing on a morning show, and telling FHM "I am not Miley Fucking Cyrus"—were ridiculous, but harmless. She said that she'd like to be considered closer to Kurt Cobain—a notion as fantastic as it was laughable for anyone who lived during the grunge era, has listened to Nirvana's music, or ever been to a rock show of any kind (ironically, it was Courtney Love who mocked her openly on stage at Alex Wang's after party in 2009)—than the teeny boppers she was being lumped in
with. Judging by audience size, bank account and media attention, Taylor Momsen is certainly not Miley Cyrus; unfortunately judging by the age of her fans, she is.

With her ripped tights, raccoon makeup and faux hard sound, Momsen looked to be just another teen industry hoping to broaden her appeal from TV to music, sniffing out her own little niche in the pre-teen psyche. Fine.

And then she released this little gem to the press: "I dress like a high-class hooker."

The majority of Momsen's audience is made up teens and tweens, which she and her handlers know full-well, and to endorse and glamorize prostitution in any way is reprehensible and irresponsible beyond belief. Many people do not know that the average age of a sex worker during their first year of prostitution is 14 years old. And we're not talking about Vietnam. That's in America.

Prostitution, whether it's "high-class" or not, should not be glorified in any way, especially not to impressionable young women and girls. It is not about a sartorial style or getting media attention because you brought down a governor, it is about coercion, poverty, drug addiction and child rape.

This isn't a debate about sexualizing youth, or Momsen's freedom to behave, dress, and give quotes however she pleases. Nor at issue is whether the mistakes of a 17-year-old, and her handlers, who have sought out the public eye, should be scorned publicly. This is a critique of our own industry, for its inability to resist the temptation to cover anything that will get us uniques and page views. Fashionista is a blog, yes, but it is also better than this.

Momsen and her people's conscious effort to cultivate a trashy rocker vibe, which include her dress, makeup, and stage antics shouldn't be dissected by sites like Fashionista, they should be treated as they are: the petulant, rehearsed theatrics of an indulged adolescent.

No trip to the principal's office or the woodshed; no grounding or threats necessary; all we should do is ignore her.

Sincerely,

John Ortved
@jortved

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Fashion News Roundup: Dash Opened, The Biebs is Shilling Perfume and Scientists are Developing a Real Life Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 09:51 AM PDT

Be Invisible: There may not be a cure for cancer, but scientists are finally on the path to developing a real life Harry Potter invisibility cloak. That’s right–real, serious scientific researchers at a British university are spending their days working on a fabric that, depending on light, can render objects (or people!) invisible, because that will be soo awesome. {Mirror UK}

Justin Bieber Hearts Girls. And Charity: Apparently, Justin Bieber has a passion for shilling female beauty products. He already has a line of nail polish out, scented dog tags, and now he’s developing a women’s fragrance. He’s partnering with a company called Give Back Brands, which develops celebrity franchised products as a means of raising money for charity. He told WWD, "The idea that I can create an amazing fragrance that I love, and actually give back to a charity that matters to me at the same time, was an opportunity I couldn't pass up." {WWD}

Carey Mulligan Wins: Harper’s Bazaar UK has crowned Carey Mulligan as their Best Dressed Woman of 2010, beating out Victoria Beckham, Tilda Swinton, Natalia Vodianova, and even the Prime Minister’s wife, SamCam. We heart Carey, who never misses on the red carpet, and fully support HB’s decision. {Daily Mail UK}

Swiss Miss: Mary Katrantzou, a buzzed about new designer who showed in London this season, was named winner of the Swiss Textiles Award, beating out Jason Wu, Duro Olowu, Adam Kimmel, Juun J and Damir Doma. Plus, she gets €10,000 worth of Swiss textiles. American designers (Rodarte and Alex Wang) won the award the past two years. {Vogue UK}

A Dash for Dash: Not surprisingly, Wednesday night’s Dash opening in SoHO caused huge, ridiculous crowds of fans and paparazzi, resulting in three summonses for disorderly conduct. The good(?) news is Dash New York is officially open for business! {Daily News}

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September Issue Report: Jennifer Aniston Still Sells Magazines, Tonchi’s W Down 14%

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 09:23 AM PDT

WWD’s got the sales stats on the all important September issues. A quick break down of the winners and losers:

Who’s up?
Harper’s Bazaar: The Hearst title won big this past September with Jennifer Aniston on the cover. Sales were up 22%, making it the best-selling issue in seven years. Aniston’s love life (or lack thereof) has always moved tabloid weeklies, and apparently she can move fashion titles too. Go Jen.

Glamour: Not a huge increase for Glamour, but their J.Lo cover upped newsstand sales about 1%.

Marie Claire: Only a slight increase here too–the mag’s MK Olsen cover was up 1% from last year. Of course, these are pre-Maura Kelly numbers. It remains to be seen whether Kelly’s controversial blog post will have an effect on sales and subscriptions.

Who’s Down?

W: Sales for W‘s September issue under new EIC Stefano Tonchi were down a whopping 14%. We’re hopeful about Tonchi’s redesign and direction for the mag, so hopefully the drop can be chalked up to some kind of adjustment period. We’re sure October, featuring a naked Kim Kardashian, fared better.

Elle: Julia Roberts, she of the mega watt smile and box office gold, wasn’t enough to increase sales. Single copy sales fell 10%.

Vogue: Sadly, Vogue’s history-making Halle Berry cover didn’t do anything for sales. They fell 5.5%.