The Great Designers, Part One

Armani Privé evening gown. Silver silk, Diamond Leaf Swarovski crystals. Fall 2007.

Now on view at The Museum at FIT is The Great Designers, Part One. Jennifer Farley and Colleen Hill co-curated fifty garments from FIT’s own collection of over 50,000 garments and accessories to celebrate the greatest designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, arranged alphabetically from A to Z.

This unique approach means you will see pieces by Cristóbal Balenciaga but also by Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga; dresses by Coco Chanel, as well as by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. It also allows the viewer to look at garments by lesser-known design houses such as Boudicca, represented in this exhibit with a striking black and white ensemble from their Fall 2006 collection.

On the left is a coat by Cristóbal Balenciaga from Fall 1950 made of gray, brown, tan and black cut silk velvet. On the right is a 2007 coat by Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga of wool, leather and chinchilla.

Boudicca (Zowie Broach & Brian Kirby) ensemble. White cotton, black polyester net, black rayon stretch knit, black leather. Fall 2006.

Note the black ruffled crinoline underneath the unusual cut of this skirt.

A 1954 Charles James evening gown of dark emerald green silk satin.

A 1947 Mainbocher evening dress on the left, a Claire McCardell evening Popover dress from 1955 on the right.

Viewers will enjoy works by famous mid-century American designers like Charles James, Mainbocher, and Claire McCardell, as well as standout (and unusual) groupings such as the 1908 Paul Poiret coat alongside Miuccia Prada’s 2008 Guipere lace skirt and blouse, and Gareth Pugh’s 2007 black wool and patent leather dress.

An interesting juxtaposition, left to right, of Poiret, Prada and Pugh, from 1908, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

A 1908 Paul Poiret coat of black silk faille and black and gold silk fringe.

Miuccia Prada’s 2008 Guipure lace blouse and skirt.

A closeup of Gareth Pugh’s 2007 dress of black wool and patent leather appliqué.

The Great Designers, Part One is on view until May 8, 2012. The second half of the exhibit, The Great Designers, Part Two, will open May 23, 2012.

The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue and 27th Street
New York NY 10001-5992
212-217-4558
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: Noon-8PM
Saturday: 10AM-5PM
Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays
Admission is free

Give ‘Em the Ol’ Razzle Dazzle

1898 Dresses from American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity at the Met in 2010.

I recently came across this contraband photo I took at last year’s American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity at the Met. It was the only picture I took from that exhibit because as soon as I snapped it the guard yelled, “No pictures allowed!”

Well, at least I got one.

The black dress with the sequins, on the left, was one of my favorites from the show. I don’t think of dresses from that period as being festooned with sequins, and yet this 1898 dress was a gorgeous subtle sparkler.



Fast forward to today and, as Rachel Zoe would say, “I love me a sequin.” Here is a J. Crew sequined cardigan I bought last year that I’m determined to wear more this fall and winter. I love how the sequins are sewn in straight lines up and down the sweater.




Consider this post your sparkly invitation to join Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) and me in our “How I Wear My: Sequins” post on December 1. If you’d like to show how you wear your sequins, send either of us a photo of yourself in your finest sequined attire or the name of your blog, or both, so we can include you in all the glittery gleaming fun!

The Red Shoes

It’s been a long time since I’ve had red shoes but when I saw this pair of red patent penny loafers on a stacked heel by Tahari at DSW last week, I fell instantly in love. It didn’t hurt that they were on clearance. I know red is not the most practical color for shoes but I wear so much black, gray and navy in the fall and winter that I find myself instinctively drawn to deep intense colors in accessories and footwear. These looked fantastic with what I happened to have on in the store—dark denim, long-sleeved navy T-shirt, gray scarf, black peacoat—so I went for it. And then I bought a second pair in black patent.

But the red really stole my heart.

A true penny loafer.



What about you? Do you own a pair of red shoes?

Neutral Party at Prada

After so much color and boldly patterned dresses, coats and shoes in recent Prada displays, I was surprised by the neutrality of the windows at the Prince Street store in SoHo when I passed by on Friday. All of these paler tones reminded me I have a lovely cream-colored wool coat I need to wear more often this winter.

Of course, then I think about getting on the New York City subway wearing said coat and cringe at the idea of what it will come into contact with.

Are you a fan of winter white?

Chanel Do Over

A trio of feathery sequined suits from the “Sparkle” section of Daphne Guinness.

When I attended the recent lecture Andrew Bolton gave at FIT on this year’s Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met, one thing I found interesting is what he had to say about the lessons he learned from the 2005 Chanel exhibit, which he organized, along with Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute at the Met. The Chanel exhibition, Bolton noted, was “stark, minimal, it looked like fashion.” He also noted the public didn’t respond to it as much as they did to McQueen. If he had the exhibit to do over, he said he would focus on the detailing of Chanel’s clothes, knowing Coco herself was very concerned with the fit of a sleeve, say, or in the way a skirt hung.

In that spirit, I thought I’d take another opportunity to show pieces from Daphne Guinness’s Chanel collection, part of her larger couture collection now on view at The Museum at FIT, but with a focus on the details.

A Chanel jacket made of ivory sequins on silk net, with white feathers.

This suit is made of wool crepe, with a flared skirt over “mushroom” petticoats in pleated and embroidered tulle. From the 2002 Chanel Haute Couture collection.

The back of the suit featuring an ivory ribbon, a particular touch of Daphne’s and one I love, giving the suit a romantic feel. Can’t you picture the wind fluttering this ribbon in the breeze?


The “mushrooms” attached to the petticoat appear to be made up of a lightweight metal. Amazing.

Dior on the left in champagne pink, Chanel on the right in black.

The back of the Chanel and Dior dresses.

Detail of the diamanté tips on the back of the dress, making an interesting and modern train. Who wouldn’t want to follow this lady at the party to see where she’s going?

Daphne Guinness is on view through January 7, 2012.

The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue and 27th Street
New York NY 10001-5992
212-217-4558
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: Noon-8PM
Saturday: 10AM-5PM
Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays
Admission is free

Everyday Makeup & Into The Gloss

I’ve wanted to do a makeup post since having a peek inside the makeup bags of Jennine Jacob, founder of the Independent Fashion Bloggers, at her blog The Coveted, and Coco Rocha, featured on my favorite beauty blog Into The Gloss. I have been more interested in Coco after she sat on one of the panels at the IFB Conference in September. She was tall and beautiful, just like a model should be, and she seemed nervous moments before she joined her fellow panelists, which made me like her instantly.

I decided to show what’s in my makeup bag after realizing I got some helpful hints from both Coco and Jennine. Maybe somebody can get a helpful hint from me. Also, I don’t know about you, but I love to know what cosmetics different women are using.

Another great bag made by my friend Juliet. I love looking at this bag so it always gets my day off to a terrific start.

If I ran into you on the street in NYC chances are I’d be wearing most of these products:


Neutrogena Deep Clean Facial Cleanser. An inexpensive cleanser that I use every morning. It’s great for oily skin.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, Oil Free, in Porcelain. I switched to tinted moisturizer when I wanted something lighter than foundation and since finding this I haven’t worn foundation at all.

YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch in 2, Luminous Ivory. This is a liquid concealer that multitasks. I use this not only under my eyes but under my brows as well, as a highlighter. It’s a splurge at $40 but it’s worth it.

Origins Just Browsing in Soft Brown. Otherwise my eyebrows would be all over the place. This provides control and a bit of color.

Covergirl Perfect Blend Eyeliner in Smoky Taupe. My old standby. I have been using this pencil in this color for over 10 years. It blends well and is a fantastic neutral shade. You can draw a precise line or go smoky with this liner. I hope Covergirl never stops making it.


Laura Mercier Eyeshadow, the Mauve Sunset trio (shown here above the YSL gold pen, on the left). I only use the pink-tinged taupe, which is matte. Some eyeshadows irritate my eyes. This is not one of them.

Almay Smart Shade Blush in Berry. I can’t do powder blushes anymore, they don’t adhere to my skin like they did when I was younger. This gives me a more dewy look and I will sometimes even use a tiny dab of this instead of eyeshadow.

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara. I’ve been through three tubes of this since I discovered it while looking for a lower-priced version of a mascara I love, DiorShow Mascara, which sells for $24.50. I use mascara nearly every day so the DiorShow, while a great product with a heavenly rose scent, has to be a treat. The Revlon is a pretty good substitute, not only in packaging but in the wand design and the product itself (though without the great scent) and sells for about $9. It provides volume and definition without flaking or clumps.

Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Twilight (the eyeshadow quad next to the Revlon eyelash curler). I use the pale pink shimmer, just the tiniest amount, directly under the brow to highlight that area.

Estée Lauder Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder in 01 Light. This has been good for taking away shine but I’m switching to something new when this compact is finished. I’m ready for a change (and any product suggestions are welcome).

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Cavalière (top) and Chanel Glossimer in Mica (bottom).

For lips I am currently using these (though not at the same time):

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Cavalière. The Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks have sheer shimmering color and are perfect for daytime wear. Cavalière is a wine-infused dark pink. I also have this lipstick in Bel-Ami, which is a lighter shade of pink.

Chanel Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer Lipgloss in Mica. I thought this was going to be a bubblegum pink when the Chanel sales associate gave me a sample to try (and therefore way too sweet for me), but it’s surprisingly sheer, with just a hint of pink shot through with silver.

Voilà! The very natural looking result.

I highly recommend the beauty blog Into The Gloss. Emily Weiss, who writes it, is on staff at Vogue and gets amazing lengthy interviews with magazine and beauty industry insiders. My favorites have included Jean Godfrey-June, the beauty director at Lucky, and Linda Rodin, a stylist who started her own line of facial oil called Olio Lusso. If you want to read a really crazy interview, check out the piece on Lauren Santo Domingo. It’s like wealth on another level. She doesn’t even wash her own hair. Ever. She has someone else do it. I’ll admit, part of me is fascinated by this piece of information, even if another part of me is repulsed.

Emily Weiss of Into The Gloss. She’s hustling to make it to a fashion show on time and I love the photo of this guy watching her running in high heels!

Halloween in Review

With my son the skeleton and my daughter the pirate.

My Halloween costume this year was “Glamorous Witch,” the same as last year. A new addition to the look was a long purple wig bought for ten dollars at Save on Fifth, Park Slope’s answer to Woolworth’s (remember that store?). The wig satisfied my fantasy of long hair and added a nice pop of color.

Walking with my daughter along Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn.

The main reason I’ve been repeating this costume is an annual chance to wear a full-length vintage black velvet coat given to me by my husband’s grandmother. I love its Joan Crawford shoulders and bell-shaped sleeves. It is one of the most glamorous things in my closet.

Street corner witch and the NYPD!


The jack o’lantern on my front stoop in the shadow of my witch hat.

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

How I Wear My: Missoni Cardigan

Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget), one of my regular blog reads, bought the same blue cardigan I did from the Missoni for Target collection and we thought it would be fun if we each did a post showing us wearing it. Since I was about fifteen minutes from hosting my son’s 9th birthday party when these pictures were taken I wore my cardigan with a black long-sleeved T-shirt from J. Crew, a pair of Levi’s and Calvin Klein wedge boots.

Please do visit the gorgeous Adrienne to see how she styled her Missoni cardigan!


When the Missoni for Target items were released in September, I was prepared to want everything. Before the Target.com site crashed because of nationwide Missoni lust, I managed to buy three cardigans, a tote, and a knit scarf. The tote was way too big and the scarf was itchy, so I returned those items. I did keep the three cardigans, although I gave one to my mother as an early birthday present.

This blue cardigan was the only thing I truly wanted out of the Missoni collection and it does not disappoint. I love the shape of it and the different shades of blue. I knew if I had too many Missoni items I would experience zigzag fatigue. Sometimes I like to have just one item from a particular brand, in order for it to feel special to me. (I will, of course, make an exception in the case of Hermès, but I’d only buy a scarf design or Twilly in one colorway, not several, to preserve the sense of rarity.) I like certain things in my closet to be unique and this Missoni cardigan is one of them.

Hard to believe I looked this calm minutes before a bunch of 9-year old boys were about to ring my doorbell, expecting to be admitted into my house and served cake.

Blues like this look great with a red nail. This is Berry Hard by Essie, my favorite shade of red right now.

Adrienne and I think this idea, one item worn by different people, is a great way to showcase key pieces in our closets that we bet you have in yours too. We like it so much, we’re doing it again next month. On December 1 we will be showing how we wear…

SEQUINS!

We’d love to have you join us. The more the merrier! Let either of us know via email or comment so we can add your link to our blogs. If you don’t have a blog, just send us an email with a photo of yourself a couple of days prior to December 1 and we’ll include you in our “How I Wear My: Sequins” post.