A press release and a party: that's all Salvatore Ferragamo needed to successfully launch their lush new women's scent, Signorina. But digital times call for more inspired strategy and so Ferragamo added another dimension: a brand new website.
The site, which officially launched on Monday, is dubbed "The...
1 Comments | Posted March 19, 2012 | 11:31 AM
It took almost a week, but the kinks had finally been ironed out. By day four of ARISE Magazine Fashion Week (AMFW) in Lagos, Nigeria, shows started relatively on time, seats filled up rapidly, and there was fierce competition between socialites and press for the front row. Audiences could now...
0 Comments | Posted March 12, 2012 | 11:20 AM
The collections were interesting -- but it was the designers who intrigued me.
As each of them took a bow on the second day at ARISE Magazine Fashion Week, I noticed a theme.
From the exuberant bow by Romero Bryan of Jamaica, to the fresh-faced beauty of Lia...
1 Comments | Posted March 9, 2012 | 4:45 PM
They key to enjoying a fashion show is not to look too closely.
Should your eyes wander to the back of house, you will witness the chaos that consumes designers and production crew seconds before the show. Should you look at the front of house you will see dozens of...
2 Comments | Posted March 8, 2012 | 3:05 PM
This was personal.
After years of reporting on fashion shows everywhere from the Caribbean to Brazil to New York to London -- I was thrilled to finally cover a show in a location that is closest to my heart: my native Africa.
The continent, now enjoying rapid growth in...
0 Comments | Posted March 2, 2012 | 2:29 PM
To the untrained eye, the three women chatting in the corner of the restaurant could have been a girl group. While their make-up was understated and their clothing sophisticated, their obvious joy and friendship simply screamed 'Girl Power.' One quick chat with them and you discovered why: these distinct personalities...
1 Comments | Posted March 1, 2012 | 10:45 AM
With just one billboard, Calvin Klein Underwear changed it all. Their 1983 Time Square ad featuring Olympic athlete Tom Hintnaus revolutionized how the male physique would be seen and celebrated in mainstream advertising. The unapologetically virile image of the bronzed pole vaulter leaning against a stark white background in snug...
0 Comments | Posted February 21, 2012 | 11:20 AM
It all comes down to one moment: when the light's dim, the models exit, and the designer takes a bow. For a journalist, this is when the real show starts. You must rapidly process what was seen then quickly craft copy that provides commentary and context. This Fashion Week ritual...
0 Comments | Posted February 15, 2012 | 8:01 PM
It is the summer of 2009, and the relative tranquility of West Broadway is shattered by the appearance of Laquan Smith. It's not his boyish good looks or lean 6'1 frame that turns heads -- but the sight of said frame draped in gold leggings, high-heels and a bright neoprene...
4 Comments | Posted February 14, 2012 | 5:34 PM

Mimi Plange (above) had no choice. When it came to selecting a New York City venue to showcase her Fall 2012 Collection it had to be luxe as her clothes. As editor after editor stepped inside the sprawling space -- a...
0 Comments | Posted February 13, 2012 | 11:08 AM
A common theme binds Fashion Week parties: celebrating a successful end. But the soiree held by W Hotels last week celebrated the opposite: a successful beginning. For five lucky designers, the event at Lilium at W Union Square commemorated their induction into the brand's Fashion Next Program. They include
0 Comments | Posted February 6, 2012 | 9:18 AM
A few months ago, Tilda Swinton, Waris Ahluwalia and Paul James walked into a London restaurant. As meals among friends are wont to do, talk turned to favorites. Travel was a common denominator and the trio swapped stories of memorable hotels. With an actress, an entrepreneur and the Global Brand...
0 Comments | Posted February 3, 2012 | 4:49 PM

The legend goes when Klaus Obermeyer immigrated to Colorado from Germany in 1947, his mother insisted he pack a comforter. In this case, Mom's advice wasn't only right, it made Obermeyer a mogul. When he began working the slopes of Aspen as a ski-instructor,...
0 Comments | Posted February 1, 2012 | 1:37 PM
Standing well over 6-feet, with shoulder-length hair, and a charming smile, Shubhankar Ray is much like the brand he represents: striking, handsome and consummately cool. As Global Brand Director for G-Star Raw, Ray is one of several key figures behind a label which has catapulted from its Dutch roots to...
0 Comments | Posted January 18, 2012 | 12:59 PM
Sophie Theallet seemed silent at first. But as friend after friend arrived at a dinner in her honor at the Gramercy Park Hotel, she came to life. Kisses were planted, hugs were given and compliments were exchanged. As these guests, including Vogue's Meredith Melling Burke, Paper Magazine's Mickey Boardman and...
0 Comments | Posted December 27, 2011 | 11:16 AM
If you've ever struggled, shimmied or even slipped into a pair, this best describes your relationship with denim: it's complicated. No matter your genes, jeans generally come up short... or long... or tight... or wide. Despite the deficiencies, we've continued our love affair with them, while designers continue to offer...
0 Comments | Posted December 16, 2011 | 8:06 AM
There are many places one could wear a sleek blue suit.
For Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Cave for Dom Pérignon, that place just happened to be a hologram.
Geoffroy, the tall handsome scion of a long line of Côte des Blanc winegrowers, was transformed into a foot-high digital version of...
0 Comments | Posted November 9, 2011 | 11:39 AM
It's a little after 10 a.m at the brand new Joe Fresh boutique at 110 Fifth Avenue. Somewhere between racks of orange neoprene coats, gold dusted jeans, and a rainbow of lip colors -- Joe Mimran, creative director for the brand, holds court.
With a sleek suit, a slick hair...
0 Comments | Posted November 9, 2011 | 10:34 AM
With her sleek black coat, long brown hair and confident stride, it looked -- if only for a moment -- like Patrice Farameh was walking into a gunfight. More specifically: a classic, Western fight where tumbleweeds blow, heads turn, and the sinewy strings of a theme song echo in the...
0 Comments | Posted November 4, 2011 | 3:52 PM
"If you are lucky enough -- you can land a great work husband," announces Mimi Nguyen over a cup of coffee.
Ngyuen ought to know. She accidentally met, then actively courted hers before getting him to commit as the chief technology officer of her company: thre.ad.
His name...

0 Comments | Posted March 28, 2012 | 5:32 PM