Vogue
Fashion Mags On Their Way Out?
What: Fashion magazines are the Pink Elephant in the room right now - as everything moves to the World Wide Web and the recession continues to affect retailers, we have to wonder how much life expectancy they really have. The clock truly is ticking for our favorite style rags. The WDD recently reported that ads dropped drastically for upcoming September issues of Vogue, Self, Glamour, and other notable publications. Meanwhile, InStyle did pretty well, and Forever 21 is actually thinking of breaking into print media. Although it’s not all bad, the worst is probably yet to come…predictions for fall are even more depressing.
What They Say:
“Ads will decrease only because most marketers are panicked right now,” said David Lipman, chief of the agency bearing his name.
What We Say: Seems print mags just need some synergy with their online counterparts, and/or should go mobile.
Do you still subscribe to tangible fashion magazines? If so, which ones and why?
Vogue Gets Budget Friendly?
What: You know recession-chic has gone mainstream when even Vogue is buying in. The fashion bible has gone “budget-conscious” for its July issues by introducing “Steal of the Month” items, along with a section full of clothing and accessories all under $500. The frugal focus is part of the magazine’s attempt to become cost-conscious—in light of the economy—and incorporate more products from designers like Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang, who have created high design collections for lower priced retailers in recent months.
What They Say:
“It was a very deliberate decision,” Ms. Singer [Vogue‘s fashion news and features director] said about the cheaper items. “In the past year, I feel a greater need to signpost certain elements we’ve had in the magazine. Maybe we need to make sure the reader can find them more easily.”
What We Say: Call us crazy, but the $145 beach chairs and $449 croquet sets offered up as “recession friendly” options in Vogue hardly feel like budget buys. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see a high-fashion magazine at least attempting to make an effort to list the frugal finds everyday people can afford—even if we’re still not sure who these everyday people are spending hundreds on designer croquet sets.
Vogue Goes Budget with Picks for Under $100
What: Vogue continues to go “cheap chic” with a spread this month’s issue featuring classic pieces for under $100.
What We Say: You know things are bad when Vogue features $30 sandals from Macy’s house line Style &Co. Regardless, we give a big fat “Bravo” to Vogue for coming over (or being forced over) to the budget side of life. We especially love the chambray blazer from the Gap ($98.00 at Gap.com). You can view some of their picks online at Vogue.com.
Web Round Up: Marc’s Muses, Spring Handbag Trend Guide, Flower Accessories, Free Lotion
The Cheap Chica digs up a great coupon find: print it out for a free sample of Pink Energizing body lotion!
Marc Jacobs has this to say about his modeling muse, to Vogue UK. (Marc’s Muses)
Handbag Heaven compiles a comprehensive Handbag Trend Guide for Spring 2009.
Cheap Chic Daily is feeling inspired by the New York Fashion Week runways and chooses flower hair accessories at from $3-$38. (Flower Shopping)
Is Plus Size In?
What: Ms. Anna (Wintour), Vogue’s Editor in Chief, is generating buzz throughout the fashion industry via her props of Grammy winner Adele’s plus size fashion sense. Some say a plus size fashionista on the cover of Vogue is in the works.
From Nancy LeWinter, OneStopPlus.com- “62% of all American women (18 or older) wearing a size 12+, and yet the plus size market is still overlooked,” says LeWinter. “Fashion is fashion no matter what your size….. Having worked at Vogue for years, it’s great to see their new found respect for women of style no matter what their sizes. The plus size market is finally receiving the recognition it deserves”“
What We Say: Remember the story Oprah told to Vogue Fashion Editor at Large Andre Leon Talley, about how she had to starve herself to a size 6 to be on the cover of Vogue, in which ALT responded, without missing a beat, “Miss Anna don’t like fat people?” Well, “fat people” do buy magazines and, Ms. Wintour, who is faced with a decreased in ad sales due to the economy, understands this all too well. Hopefully we can get soon get to a point where STYLE becomes more important than SIZE.
Anna Wintour Goes Budget (Well, in Theory)
What: Anna Wintour, Editor In Chief of American Vogue Magazine and, I suspect, undercover Wal-Mart shopper, gives her two cents on the importance of value in fashion.
From Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Dodes Interview with Anna Wintour:
Are you trying to add more moderately priced clothes to fashion spreads?I think we need to give women the aspirational clothes that can make them dream, and another portfolio that’s about mixing high and low, certainly the way the First Lady is dressing. It’s about a mix. …In the Index pages we are looking more rigorously at price and value and asking, ‘is something worth that particular price tag?’
A thing that wasn’t worth it? Without naming names, we had a little sequined thing that wouldn’t come down to here on you [points to chest.] And I said, ‘How much is it?’ $25,000. I said, ‘No. We’re not going to photograph that right now.’
What I Say: Welcome back to the sales rack, Ms. Wintour, and I stress welcome back because preaching the gospel of value isn’t something new for her. In fact, Ms. Wintour caused a firestorm in the fashion world, when she put a shirt from the Gap on the cover of Vogue as a new Editor in Chief. Plus, it’s amazing to see the impact Michelle Obama is having on the fashion world- changing the image of working women/moms- and how very smart people like Anna Wintour notice and capitalize on this change. You can see the generational shift between Mrs. O (and to a lesser extent Sarah Palin) and Secretary Clinton- one came from a generation where self expression is worn as a birthright and the later, came from a generation when in order to “play” with “the boys”, you had to look like “the boys” (although Secretary Clinton’s royal blue suit in this month’s Vanity Fair is quite chic).
It will be, however, interesting to see how Ms. Wintour balances her belief in “value”, with the hundreds of pages of ads in her book for frankly inspiring clothing, worn by models that don’t reflect the diversity of our country.
Michelle Obama Strikes a Pose for Vogue
If you haven’t noticed by now, the whole fashion industry has been looking to the first lady for glamor guidance, so it’s not all that surprising that Michelle Obama will be gracing the cover of Vogue in March.
While many presidents’ wives have been featured in the elegant magazine, only Hillary Clinton has made it on the cover. Well, until now. And what will the lovely first lady be wearing? A magenta gown by her go-to designer, Jason Wu, as well as dresses by Narciso Rodriguez and J Crew. While the economy gets stimulated by the President, we hope our sense of style will get stimulated by the first lady.
Photo: Wall Street Journal blog
Anna Wintour Ambassador to France or England?
What: Rumor mill is churning that the Devil Who Wears Prada herself, Anna Wintour, may be up for an ambassadorship to England or France.
What They Say: From Fashion Week Daily: Granted, her résumé lists all the qualifications—flawless organizational skills, an enviable Rolodex, hostessing experience to spare. (Think a State dinner is tricky to finagle? Then consider the Costume Institute gala.)
What We Say: Well, the luxury market is hurting cause, well, nobody has any money and if the luxury market is hurting, you can bet that Vogue is too, so may be this is a good option for her. But, how would Anna do in DC? When I was an intern on the hill, it was all about the Naturalizer shoes, not the Jimmy Choos.
I guess if Sanjay Gupta can be placed on the short list, so can Anna…
Photo: Frillr
Don’t Forget to Enter: Vogue Italia Contest
Our contest to win a copy of Vogue Italia’s July issue (which is selling out from many newsstands) ends tomorrow! Don’t forget to leave a comment on that post for your chance to enter! In case you hadn’t heard, Vogue Italia’s July issue features all black models in its editorial photographs, including Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Iman, and many more beautiful ladies.
Click it: Vogue Italia: Win This
Image from NYTimes.com
Vogue Italia Black Issue: Win This!
What: Vogue Italia’s July issue is a historical one: it addresses the issue of racial inequality in the fashion world by filling its editorial pages with models of color from Naomi Campbell to up-and-comers like Sessilee Lopez.
Why You Want This: Vogue Italia isn’t exactly available at the grocery checkout line and even if you happen to live in a major city with a great international book store, your chances of finding it is pretty slim. Plus the issue features our girl Toccara (of America’s Top Model fame), Chanel Iman and Grace Jones, who is perhaps one of the most underrated style influencers out there. I was very disappointed that virtually none of the adverts featured a model of any color, which is sad, cause the real money in the modeling world comes from adverts, beauty contracts, and commercials. Even after Oprah and Queen Latifah and designers like Marc Jacobs borrowing heavily from hip-hop and urban culture, corporations still have a hard time believing black women can sell products to a global community.
To Enter: Leave a comment below by Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 11:59pm. One lucky winner will win one copy of the magazine. Winners will be selected from the list of comments.
Rules:
- Contest ends July 25, 2008 at 11:59 pm. All entries received after this point will not be eligible for the prize.
- One winner will receive a copy of July’s Vogue Italia
- Winner must respond within four business days or a new winner will be chosen.
- Prize is not transferrable
- Entrants must be residents of United States.
Image from NYTimes.com
Spring 2007 Fashion Week Day 5: Vivienne Westwood + Nine West = Not So Cheap Fashion
I love Vivienne Westwood, so when I heard that the women who some credit with inventing punk was teaming up with Nine West to premiere a line of lower priced (but certainly not cheap) shoes I was thrilled. The shoes, ranging in price from $160 to $350 a pair, will be available at selection Nine West stores. It’s an effort by Nine West to pump up it’s sales and image after years of dismal sales. Unfortunately, the collection will only be available for four weeks.
Viv will be in NYC today, at Macy’s Herald Square, chatting up the line. It’s suppose to be a consumer event, but of course, only the folks at Vogue, Elle and other people who would normal never set foot in a Macy’s store will be invited.
From Fashion Week Daily
Vivienne Westwood will be making a personal appearance at Macy’s Herald Square on September 12 to promote her new line of shoes designed in collaboration with Nine West. Vogue and Macy’s have sent out invitations to attend what is being billed as a primarily consumer-driven event, but look for a healthy sprinkling of the industry to be on hand for the Q&A session that will be led by Mary Alice Stephenson.
I will definitely be in attendance.
Next at Target’s Go International: Behnaz Sarafpour
With the launch of the Paul & Joe line set for next week, Target has already announced the next designer on deck for its Go International line. Socialite fave and Vogue darling, Behnaz Sarafpour, will design a collection of tops, bottoms, dresses, and more for the mass market giant.
Sarafpour is one of my favorite new designers and sheer marketing genius—she got Tiffany’s & Co. to sponsor and host her fall 2005 fashion show, got Hewlett Packard to sponsor fall 2006’s show and now has the hook up with Target. Her style is very Karl Lagerfeld- Chanel with a bit of Marc Jacobs’ downtown vibe thrown in. She’s also a big fan of black and white. Sarafpour’s line will appear starting this November and last for 90 days.
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Shoe Boots: Fall 2006 Fashion Preview
The hot new boot this season is actually a shoe. Everyone from Vogue to Topshop are featuring shoe boots as the new boots for fall. Think round toe, black boots, circa late 19th century, made of satin, with thick and/or lacey shoe laces. You won’t see me rocking a pair—they make chunky legs look chunkier—but I do think that budget fashionistas who are a bit trendier or socialite in their style would be able to carry off the look without a hitch.
How You’ll Wear Them:
- With a tailored, 1940’s style suit and pair of black (or gray) leggings
- to add a bit of femininity to a pair of tailored menswear pants
- with a ultra mini and pair of bright colored tights
Fashion Interview: Lynn Yaeger
Lynn Yaeger is one of my favorite fashion writers and it was such a pleasure to interview her 2 years ago. Here’s a replay of the interview.
Interview With Lynn Yaeger
We could not think of a better way to kick off our new View section, than to interview one of the funniest fashion writers in the business, Lynn Yaeger. Her amusing and insightful rantings about fashion and shopping can read in her column “Elements of Style” on a bi-weekly basis online and in print in the New York newspaper, The Village Voice. She also contributes to Vogue and Travel and Leisure Magazine ( we are hoping that she does an expose on society ladies being forced to carry fake Hermes because of the horrible New York economy). She is the writer for the “thinking shopper”, someone who likes a text with their editorials.
image courtesy of Mediabistro.com
- Basics
- What is your full name?
- Lynn Yaeger
- How old are you (or how old do you feel)?
- Are you kidding? No comment.
- Occupation
- Fashion writer/editor
- Place of Birth
- New York City
- Current Home
- The (Greenwich) Village
- Celebrity Fashion Twin (a celebrity whose fashion sense is most similar to your own)
- Isabella Blow/Miuccia Prada
- Writing Background
- How did “Elements of Style” begin? Do you have a background as a fashion writer?
- Not really. Like the best things, I sort of just fell into it, though I have always been completely obsessed with fashion. I tried studying political economy once but ended up making lists of clothes in the back of my notebooks.
- Where you draw inspiration for your articles?
- I’m a compulsive shopper.
- New York City
- You are our fashion column hero. Have you ever written a book? And if not, why?
- No, but I’m a contributor to Travel and Leisure and I’ve been writing a lot for Vogue.
- What are five things people SHOULD NOT wear this spring/summer?
- I think people should wear whatever they like!
- As a fashion writer for the hippest newspaper in NYC, do you have designers and retailers clawing at your door for a press mention? Do they ever send you free stuff?
- I wish they were clamoring . . . I’m still not invited to a lot of A-list shows. As for free stuff, newspapers—us and the Times anyway—don’t allow you to take it. We have to pay for everything, which certainly keeps us in touch with our readers.
- What are five things a tourist should know BEFORE coming to New York to shop?
- 1) We have the best stores.
- 2) Don’t be intimidated, but do dress up a little for Madison Avenue.
- 3) Bring cash to the flea market.
- 4) Come in January and/or July to find great sales.
- 5) Don’t forget slightly off the beaten path shops like the ones on the Lower East Side.
- Has New York lost some of its “fashion flavor,” now that Gaps and Banana Republics seem to be on every corner?
- Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a little, but there are still so many great shops.
- Do you go to sample sales? If yes, tell a little about your last experience. If no, explain why.
- Oh, sample sales! I try to avoid them, as I have bought some real doggies over the years. I am big buyer-and-returner (in some cases, I have actually bought and returned the same thing twice) and I hate to have that option closed off.
- Fashion & Style
- What is your take on the whole t-shirt frenzy. Is it just me or does it seem like EVERYONE is starting a t-shirt company?
- I actually think t-shirts look good on people only very rarely.
- In a recent article, you stated, “Believe it or not, Prada even sells its own version of the deconstructed Chanel jacket, in gray tweed and with the requisite frayed cuffs. Everything is relative: At $1,295, it’s less than half the cost of the Chanel original.” Do you think there is a trend toward high-end designers, such as Prada, knocking off higher-end designers, such as Chanel, on a regular basis? If this is the case, do you think it is fair for Prada to then get angry with manufacturers selling Prada knock-offs, when they knock off as well?
- I actually think everyone knocks off everyone . . . there are no new ideas in fashion. As for getting angry about fakes, the time to worry is when no one knocks off your bag. You should be enormously flattered that people want it, and if you can’t make it affordable (I mean, it’s a nylon sack) what do you expect?
- What is the one piece of clothing you cannot live without?
- This season, my pink lace Dries skirt.
- You have $50 and 30 minutes to shop. Where do you go and what do you buy?
- Canal Street for a fabulous fake.
- If you could give one fashion public service announcement statement regarding a fashion no-no what would it be?
- There are no no-nos!
- A family member gives you a Louis Vuitton Bag, which turns out to be a fake. Do you carry it, give it away or trash it?
- If it’s cute, I’ll carry it!
- What is your number one fashion secret?
- Be yourself! Ignore all the rules!
- Quick Questions
- Wal-Mart or Target?
- Target, because Wal-Mart is unfair to its workers. Though I suspect Target is no picnic either.
- Kate Spade or Prada?
- Prada
- Martha or Oprah?
- Oprah
- New York or London?
- Love them both, but NYC is home.
- Saks or Barneys?
- How can you choose between two children?
Fashion Advice: Color Scheme
Dear Budget Fashionista
This morning when I got dressed, I thought I looked rather spiffy. But when I got to work the 2 girls I work with said I missed the boat. Tell me if this sounds like it goes together: Plum corduroy nicely fitted blazer, white cami underneath, khaki slacks, and teal suede slingbacks. The girls are telling me I can’t wear teal shoes because I’m not wearing teal in my outfit. Am I wrong in my selection, or are they just being narrow-minded? I would love to hear what you have to say about what I chose to wear today.
A I give you credit for at least trying to put together an outfit that is different, But you and your colleagues are in the fashion wrong. Here’s why . . .
You: Purple blazer and teal shoes- great idea. The khaki pants—bad idea. The dominant colors in your outfit- purple, teal, and light tan don’t work well together and looks a little “off” to the naked eye. A better option would have been a pair of chocolate brown slacks. Why? Purple, teal, and brown creates what is called a triadic color scheme (three colors equally spaced along a color wheel). Using these colors in the outfit creates a more harmonious color scheme, which in turn looks more balanced. It is one of the reasons why prints with the dominant colors of purple and teal often have a dash of chocolate brown thrown in to add balance.
Officemates: The whole “matchy-matchy” look is very tired—just pick up any Lucky, Marie Claire, or Vogue and you’ll see that mixing and matching colors and prints is very “in”.
Vogue UK 10th Anniversary Contest
THIS CONTEST IS EXPIRED. FOR COUPONS AND DEALS, PLEASE VISIT TBF’S ONLINE COUPON PAGE.
Vogue UK is celebrating its 10th anniversary by giving away a whole bunch of prizes from Chanel, Mulberry (whom I adore), and other high end companies. I’m not quite sure if peeps from the states can enter, but I went ahead and entered away. Hey you never know. Here’s some of the prizes . . .
- a Mulberry bag from NET-A-PORTER.COM, worth $595
- a Little Black Dress from La Redoute, worth $139
- a one-on-one make-up lesson with an expert from Chanel
Plus a whole bunch of other prizes. Visit Vogue UK to enter.
Miss Anna (Wintour) Don’t Like Fat People
Andre Leon Talley is my imaginary VBF (very best friend). In my Pucci printed daydreams, the Vogue editor-at-Large and I stroll, arm in arm, through the Garden State Mall in Paramus, NJ, Andre giving me advice on what shoes to buy during Nordstroms Half Yearly Sale and divulging that Anna Wintour secretly buys her underwear from Target and I showing him how to score a Friends and Family Coupon for Bloomingdales and the amazing restorative powers of a strawberry Orange Julius.
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw my Imaginary VBF on Oprah (another imaginary best friend) last week dishing tips on fashion and dieting. On the show, Andre confirmed what we already knew “Miss Anna (Wintour, the Vogue Editor in Chief) don’t like fat people.” I’m pretty sure that she also doesn’t like poor people, people who ride the subway, people who can’t walk in 4 inch stilettos, Santa Claus, and small children.
Before you start to bash her royal evilness, peep this: Wintour was one of the first embrace the Budget Fashionista concept, featuring a mixture of high and price pieces on the covers of Vogue.
New York Fashion Week Fall 2005: Hot Dogs Inspire Fashion—Day Six at Fashion Week
It is day six at fashion week and I’ve had enough Splenda cupcakes to ensure the development of some sort of strange cancer only present in lab mice.
Trends: I can’t help but to wonder if hot dogs are the major inspiration behind this fall’s color scheme. The color trend seems to definitely be towards mustard, brown and ketchup-colored clothing. Somewhere in NYC, there is a hot vendor who is a creative consultant to Marc Jacobs.
So there were tons of shows from the past two days—including two of my favorites—Marc by Marc Jacob(geared towards younger, less rich people like me) and Narcisco Rodriguez, the “look-I’m a socialite-with-lots-of-celebrity-friends” Tara Subkoff & her Initiation of Christ label, and editorial fav Matthew Williamson.
The best show, in my humble opinion, was Monqiue Lhuillier who is the go-to-girl for celeb red carpet fabulousness. Also known for her wedding dresses (I used one of her dresses as an inspiration for my own wedding dress), her Fall/Winter 2005 collection featured a splendid mixture of silk and lace, in, of course, bright mustard, brown and ketchup.
Following up on yesterday’s posting regarding how to get into NYC fashion shows and how arbitrary the whole system is, read this tidbit from Fashion Week’s Official Newspaper, The Daily:
At Kimora’s Baby Phat show, PR flacks turned editors away at the door—including Andre Leon Talley, dressed in a velour tracksuit and a furry Louis Vuitton scarf, citing fire hazards. Yet, when Usher arrived with entourage in tow, he was immediately ushered to the front row. A peeved Andre told The Daily: I’m going to have words with Kimora. It’s fine if you want to go to the after-party, but the fashion show is for the press. The bling has gone too far.” Earlier in the day, Andre sat in Section A, Row 3, Seat 15 at Tracy Reese, while the rest of the Vogue gang sat front row, a request he apparently had made. We asked why: “It’s all about a frame of mind, it calms me down,” says Vogue’s guru.
Now I like to think that I’m cool, but there is no way in hell I should have better seats than Mr. Talley. This is the guy that taught Anna Wintour the ropes. Granted, he has requested third row seats because the front row seating is made for people who consider water a complete meal, but not to even get into the tacky Baby Phat show—major booboo by the PR firm. There are not many people I would give up my seat for, but you Mr. Talley, I would not only give up my seat, but also give you Robert Verdi’s goodie bag.
Photos: Style.com
P.S. More on Designer Knock-Offs (aka The Fake Debate)
Even Harper’s Bazaar, a magazine that I love, has a page in September’s issue called “Smart Shopping—Best Buys for Every Budget”. Here are the items listed on the page:
DKNY jacket—$425
Kulson Vest—$430
Coach pump—$196 (the cheapest item)
Miu Miu bag—$545
Tory by TRB top—$775
Patricia Underwood Hat—$220
Exactly whose budget are they talking about? Paris Hilton’s? Oprah’s?
Bazaar, a magazine known for glamour and high brow taste, should be embarrassed to even try to wax poetic on anything dealing with the term “budget.” Magazines like Bazaar and Vogue are not—and should never be—budget focused. They are aspirational, fulfilling our Chanel and Lanvin covered dreams. The occasional Isaac Mizarhi for Target is acceptable, but other than that show us the stuff we can put on our mental fashion wish list.
This obsession with the term “budget” just shows how out of touch those in the world of fashion media are with the rest of the world. If they were in touch or on a budget themselves they would know that $200 bucks for a pair of shoes is not cheap. Cheaper than Manolo’s, yes, but not cheaper than, say, a pair of Hype shoes from DSW. Bazaar should do what it does best—give us clothes to lust for and styles to imitate. Leave the budget stuff to the rest of us.
Vogue’s September Issue: Fashion’s War and Peace
I love Vogue, but September’s 1,000 page orgy of ads, editorials, and advertorials (the combination of advertisements and editorials) was just too much. It took me a week to look through the book and 2 weeks to recover from the repetitive stress syndrome caused by turning a thousand pages. Vogue, of all publications, should know that bigger is not better—except in the case of the fabulous Andre Leon Talley.
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