Tag Archives: streetchic
Street Chic: Random Shots Fired
Here are a few random shots from around the Village, end of summer. One thing’s clear: hemlines are getting super short. If you’ve got legs, now’s the time to use them.
Her denim short shorts counterbalance the slouchy-chic masculinity of the boyfriend shirt. (more…)
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Street Chic: Meatpacking District, Evening
What’s the best clothing to take you from day to night on a hot summer evening? For women, the answer still lies in dresses, one of few recession-resistant pieces at stores like Urban Outfitters, either in lightweight jersey like this one or in shirtdresses. Both looked great when belted. For men, linen or fine cotton shirts deflected the heat. Both sexes kept the look upscale with bags and accessories. Here are some of the best looks that passed by in the Meatpacking District at about 7pm.
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Street Chic and Red Carpet: The September Issue Premiere
After her former assistant wrote the bestselling tell-all novel The Devil Wears Prada, which went on to become a hit film, you’d think the last thing Anna Wintour would invite into her office would be more prying eyes. Yet here we are, several years later, witnessing the reigning queen of fashion expose the formerly-clandestine inner workings of Vogue. It goes to show you that the only constant in fashion is change. RJ Cutler’s documentary on the fashion mag, The September Issue, is already getting lots of good buzz from those who’ve seen the advance release, which is not surprising given the tantalizing trailer. Wintour gamely decided to make a party of it with a screening at MoMA followed by a dinner hosted by Oscar de la Renta. She arrived with Sienna Miller, seen here in blue Thakoon. And on Anna Wintour?
Prada, of course.
47 Gastro Chic red carpet photos – Renee Zellweger, P. Diddy, the Trumps, Andre Leon Talley, Chanel Iman and more – after the jump. (more…)
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Tagged Andre Leon Talley, Anna Wintour, culture, Jason Wu, Julie Macklowe, Melania Trump, movies, New York, Olivia Chantecaille, red carpet, street chic, streetchic, The September Issue
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Beat the Heat Fashion
Just because the mercury’s pushing 90 doesn’t mean most New Yorkers can give up running errands, grabbing lunch, or generally stepping out into the concrete jungle. Shorts, shirt dresses, slouchy layers, and buttoned-down-but-breezy work outfits were the order of the day on a very hot afternoon on Ladies’ Mile, the stretch of lower Fifth Avenue that has attracted chic shoppers for over a century now.
Siren Music Festival 2009
Onto another subculture: The 2009 Siren Music Festival, hosted out in Coney Island by the Village Voice. There was a great roster of international bands this year, from already-popular Built to Spill to cult faves (and fashion icons) the Raveonettes from Denmark and up-and-comers like Grand Duchy and Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit.
This being Coney Island, tattoos and quirky fashion were welcome. A number of concert goers – especially the women – pulled the look off with aplomb, even in 85-degree heat. (more…)
WASPs: What They Really Wear
As boat shoes, white bucks, nautical outfits and madras infiltrate the world of fashion, the misunderstandings about what WASPs really wear have become widespread. Even the term “WASP” (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) is more fantasy than reality – more and more truly preppy people are not Protestant or even white. So from here on in, we are referring to them as preps.
Particularly irksome are the shopping guides urging people – men in particular – to buy expensive designer clothes in order to look like a WASP. The Harvard student in this New York Magazine Look Book feature, wearing head-to-toe Paul Smith, calls himself a WASP but has a lot more in common with a British dandy. Of the white bucks shopping guide by David Colman piece in today’s Times, the only pair an actual prep would buy would be the ones that cost $130, by Johnston & Murphy. (Preps have already been buying bucks at Johnston & Murphy for years, so why start paying $400 now for something from faux-preppy Steven Alan?) Most importantly, white bucks are only for special occasions like weddings or cocktail parties. Not for running errands on a Saturday afternoon.
“WASP fashion” is not fashion at all in the traditional sense. It’s based on practicality, comfort and timelessness, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are few designer labels and even fewer trends. For fashion editors and designers to suggest otherwise is specious at best.
To set the record straight, I’ve taken photographs from an undisclosed, very preppy location on the Fourth of July and made them available to you, dear readers. Consider it an update to the Preppy Handbook – the only true guide to preppy fashion.
Flowers and Floral Fashion on the High Line
If the weather is going to behave like England’s, the logic seems to be: dress the part. This past Sunday on the High Line, the rain held off for a few hours, and many strolled the length of the new park in Wellies, floral dresses, and interesting hats. Among the native wildflowers on the High Line, English country eccentric was the look of the day.
Street Chic (and Red Carpet): 2009 CFDA Awards
When the fashion world brings a Hollywood date to an awards ceremony, the glamour quotient is extreme. This was black tie dressing at its best and most tricky, since the skies alternately threatened rain or just plain mugginess. But both the male and female guests pulled it off with aplomb, playing with hemlines (of both trousers and dresses) and reinterpreting what “black tie” means for 2009.
The “muse” theme of this year’s CFDA Awards (Council of Fashion Designers of America) encouraged designers to bring someone who inspires them as a date. You could almost imagine them designing clothes with a specific beautiful woman in mind.
It also meant that the women were accompanied by designers for this fashion event, not their husbands/significant others, who stayed at home. Everybody wins! (more…)
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Tagged Anna Wintour, CFDA Awards, CFDA Awards 2009, Joe Zee, Mickey Boardman, Molly Sims, New York, Padma Lakshmi, red carpet, street chic, streetchic, Virginia Smith
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Street Chic: David Byrne Concert in Prospect Park
What happens when David Byrne throws a free concert in Prospect Park to open the season of Celebrate Brooklyn, a summer of music, dance, spoken word, and film at the band shell? Approximately ten thousand people show up to see an amazing show. The concert, which was free because, as Byrne joked, “Given the cost of concert tickets these days, the poor hedge fund guys and investment bankers can no longer afford them. So made sense to do a free show, as the tour has been going incredibly well and we can afford it.”
Not only was there valet parking for bicycles, Byrne himself biked to the concert. (He lives in DUMBO.) Because of huge monitors and speakers set up in the surrounding fields, even fans squeezed out of the band shell could see the show.
The wait was suspenseful, but fortunately, we had people watching to entertain us in the meantime. Here are some of the best outfits on the scene – and some good clues to what to wear at outdoor shows this summer. Plus! A brief video of Byrne shimmying to vintage tunes “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Once in a Lifetime.”
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Tagged bikes, Brooklyn, culture, music, street chic, streetchic
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Meatpacking District, 1pm on a Tuesday
Yesterday’s weather made for tricky dressing: the sunshine was brilliant, but it was quite cool in the shade. In the Meatpacking District, women wore white jeans, boots with skirts, leggings, and scarves to warm up summer clothing. Men ran the gamut in everything from shorts to tailored suits. Neutrals look nice, but bursts of color are popping up everywhere.
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Tagged New York, street chic, streetchic
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Outside Barneys, Lunchtime
Anna Wintour may be joining forces with Michael Bloomberg to create a customer initiative for New York, but the well-dressed crowd outside Barneys on Madison Avenue the other day suggested that some people are still shopping – or at least still looking good.
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Best and Worst Dressed of the Met Costume Institute Ball
There was a lot to love – and so much to hate! – about the celebrity fashion at the 2009 Met Costume Institute Ball. First off, the theme of “The Model as Muse” guaranteed that there were going to be a lot of beautiful models there, because what beautiful person doesn’t want to go look at photographs of herself? Marc Jacobs, who bought up several tables for the event, supposedly counseled his posse to “wear short.” Maybe I am drinking the MJ Kool Aid, but the short styles, especially with the minidresses with trains, looked especially fetching. Mermaid styles? Please, please, celebs: stop shopping your closet for these.
All these photos are from WWD, which has an amazing slideshow of all the major hitters.
– OMG, Donatella, you didn’t tell me you were going to wear the blue Versace dress too?
– Quit your bitching, Cindy. At least I’m not popping out of my fabulous clashing blue Versace creation. You should be lucky we got these back from those drag queens in time for the ball.
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Tagged Kate Moss, New York, street chic, streetchic
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Street Chic: Union Square Greenmarket
It may seem like forever ago that it was warm and sunny, but spring will be sprung again – and when it does, what will you wear? Dresses are still a strong trend, though this year the focus is on the waist. Put away the empire-waisted baby doll styles and go for shirt dresses in bright colors or delicate florals.
Distressed denim in all forms is going strong, and it seems like you can roll up the cuffs on almost anything and call it the “boyfriend” look.
After the jump: look at what New Yorkers were wearing on a hot Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket.
The rule for bright colors this spring? There are no rules. Go as bright as you want and mix them all up. Love her pixie haircut, too.
TopShop Opening Day Photos
There were a lot of trendsters in line on the opening day for TopShop – in fact, there was more fashion outside than inside TopShop, due to the sheer volume of TopShop fans.
The biggest trend? Jean shorts in a variety of washes and cuts, often paired with tights and Doc Marten’s. New York designers may be channeling the ’80s right now, but this generation definitely seems to be having its own 1993 grunge moment.
Denim shorts: first sighting.
A more tailored version of jean shorts.
First male TopShop fan in line. He was dressed a lot like the TopShop guys in their uniform of cropped pants.
Bright colors continue to be a big spring trend.
A variety of footwear. The heels are killer, but I would probably go with the other two choices for standing in line for two hours.
The official TopShop male uniform. Love the socks and the blazer with piping.
Sir Philip Green, left.
Kate Moss in a green dress, her own design, blocked from view by a cop who promised paparazzi he would move out of the way when the time came. Thanks, buddy.
Doc Marten’s, first sighting. Very appropriate for this occasion since they’re a British brand.
A glam rock look.
This look is sort of lazy-post-collegiate. Very artfully done.
A couple in plaid.
The floral, feminine dress belted with a rough-looking leather belt is right on target. It echoed several of the Kate Moss Liberty prints inside.
Doc Marten’s and plaid.
Model Coco Young. Her blazer is perfection! The shoulders are just strong enough without being overwhelming.
More Doc Marten-esque boots, this time paired with a stretchy black miniskirt.
The waiting game.
The ripped denim shorts paired with ripped tights and Doc Marten’s are classic early ’90s – but the feminine blouse and cool headphones place the whole outfit in this era.
Marc Jacobs FS09
Nowhere was the radical change in NY Fashion Week more apparent than at the Marc Jacobs show. Where last season Posh and JLo walked the red carpet hand in hand amid a crush of paparazzi, now there were just gates, strict warnings about invitations, a small group of editors and buyers going in, and one very disappointed paparazzo standing next to me. But the end result isn’t that different from a (not much) earlier time before celebrities discovered fashion week, when it was actually all about the clothes.
Melissa Ventosa-Martin of TMagazine, right, in a fabulous feather (?) coat.
Anna Wintour arrived 25 minutes ahead of time, though she is even harder to photograph now that she comes with two very large bodyguards blocking the way. A result of the fact that 60 Minutes may be doing a story on her? P.S. This may be the only time that you’ll ever see Anna Wintour and Ray’s Pizza in the same frame.
Carine Roitfeld. She wore this coat several times during fashion weeks here and in Europe. It’s a myth that the fashionably dressed “never wear the same outfit twice.” In fact, it seems that when they’re really in love with a piece, they’ll wear it over and over. Certainly a more sensible (and economical) approach.
Cropped trousers like these will soon be everywhere for spring.
Brightly striped cardigan.
This mix of lurid colors looked quite jarring as this woman was going into the Marc Jacobs show; after it was over, however, it seemed prescient. Marc Jacobs showed a lot of loud ’80s colors that injected a note of optimism for fall – photo below from Style.com.
Love the slash of bright red lips against the neutral gray of her trench.
A quirky haircut and funky blazer.
The fur flies as this woman runs to get to the show in time. Ever since the complaints about his show starting hours late a couple years back, Jacobs has been almost sadistically punctual.
An excellent menswear look.
More menswear style, this time on Roberta Myers, editor in chief of Elle.
Joe Zee in a Barbour jacket.
Her rolled up shorts fall into that “boyfriend”-anything trend. Also watch for camouflage and any army-navy-store type clothing – very recession-friendly.
A fellow photographer who looked to be a model-turned-photographer – very pretty and chic.
Love, love the dilapidated chic of this outfit. The scuffed loafers and Burberry trench look like relics of wealthier times.
It’s true – bowl cuts are appearing on women. It doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to try right now, but if you wait 30 seconds, it may get annoying.
Chanel bags are another totem of dilapidated chic. Since they’re classic, you could have bought it years ago, or even got it from Mummy. Either way, it looks right.
A great mix of high-low with the fur jacket and jeans, plus the sparkly headband.
Glenda Bailey of Harper’s Bazaar steppin’ out in some hot shoes.
Kate Lanphear of Elle joking around with some guy friends. She was captured in a similar outfit by TopShop, which featured her in their newsletter – a fashion coup!
More colored fur.
Nina Garcia in all black.
Cecilia Dean in a striking black-and-white coat.
Meredith Melling Burke carrying a still-fab Chloe handbag.
Lynn Yaeger’s mash-up vintagey style seems particularly a propos this year.
A detail shot of her amazing embellished Gucci bag – rabbits! – and knit scarf – cartoon characters!
Grace Coddington carrying a Stephen Sprouse Louis Vuitton bag.
The leopard print is great, but this model has amazing hair! Wavy-haired girls, this is your moment.
A model after the show, proudly sporting the ’80s hair and makeup from the runway.
Another model in outrageous ’80s hair and makeup. Where to go to show it off? Too bad Area is no longer.