Abe Gurko Talks to TheFE About Reeve Carney, star of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Text, Vivian Kelly

A few days ago, I blogged about my fave fashion pundit, and fashion PR man, Abe Gurko, and his work with Reeve Carney and his band for the Monarchy Collection lookbook video. collaborated to redo Monarchy’s somewhat stale image.

If you missed the post, here’s the link to it so you can watch Reeve and Zane in action working the Monarchy Collection.

http://thefashionexaminer.blogspot.com/2011/01/chat-with-abe-gurko-my-favorite-fashion.html

Once you’ve watched today's video of Abe talking to me about his work with Reeve and Zane Carney on the Monarchy lookbook, you’ll see that Reeve's got the package going. He’s stylish, can sing; seems he can also act. We’ll all bear witness to that sometime in March, barring further delays to the delayed opening of the much-anticipatedSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

The new Broadway opening date is set for March 15. What they have on tap sounds well worth the wait and seemingly endless postponements. Previews started way back on November 28, but the announced opening dates in December 2010, January, then February 7 fell by the wayside like a bunch of dominoes collapsing.

The new and we hope, final new opening date is March 15^th. According to a statement released by lead producer Michael Cohl, the delay is needed to give the creative team more time to "fine tune" certain aspects of the show and…. A new ending!

In addition to the stylish Reeve Carney as “Peter Parker aka Spidey”, there’s music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge of the band U2, and a book by director Julie Taymor and Glen Berger.

Maybe this production has gotten all of its bad luck out of the way and we’ll get our socks blown-off in March. In any case, I’m looking forward to Abe’s commentary post-show.

The 12 Days of Xmas-Fashion

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

On the first day of Christmas,

Caswell Massey sent to me, a lovely little Gianna Rose Bird Soap, complete with her two perfect eggs, nestled in a little porcelain dish. Voila, the perfect hostess gift for under $30!

On the second day of Christmas,
my UPS Man sent to me
Two items from QVC: KJL’s “Lady Di” blue engagement ring and a pair of black Jackie O
sunglasses in a chic red leather case.

On the third day of Christmas,
my grocer sent to me
3 bunches of fresh watercress because Dr. Nicholas Perricone

said, "It’s the new Ancient Superfood” that may just be the secret ingredient in the Fountain of Youth. You’ll have to read his latest book, FOREVER YOUNG to find out what the rest of his magic formula is.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
X-Rated Fusion Liqueur sent to me 1 bottle of the pink elixir and 3 festive cocktail recipes to toast the holidays in. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur is a low calorie vodka infused liqueur, and delicious on the rocks, but I’ll kick things off with a special holiday cocktail, “Sassy Little Elf” with 4 gal pals
after some holiday shopping. We'll mix-up some “Holiday Mischief Makers” to help with culinary inspiration on Xmas Eve, and St. Nick’s Naughty or Nice Punch will keep things merry all through-out Xmas day.

Sassy Little Elf

2 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
1 ½ oz. guava juice or nectar
1 oz. half-n-half
½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
garnish: lemon zest (or mini candy cane)

Vigorously shake all ingredients with ice.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Serve with the garnish on the rim of the glass.

On the fifth day of Christmas,

sent to me 5 Great Skin Care Products from the new SHISEIDO BENEFIANCE WRINKLE RESIST 24 line. Thanks to its advanced technology, I won’t have to visit my dermatologist and plastic surgeon for a while.

It’s a grand slam of a combo:

1.Extra Creamy Foaming Lotion

2.Wrinkle Resist Balancing Softener Enriched

3.W.R. 24 Day Cream SPF15

4.W.R.24 Night Cream

5.NEW Shiseido Suncare Urban Environment UV Protection Cream SPF 35 PA +++. This last goodie will come in handy when I go down to Orlando in two weeks as it’s for face + body. Just remember to pack it in your check-in Lilly Pulitzer "Pink Daquiri" Tote






so the TSA Grinches don't swoop it away.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
I got busy sitting at my little gold rolltop Italian desk and knocked-out Xmas cards from HAUTE HOLIDAY CARDS, stylish eco-friendly initiatives, hauteholiday cards use papers that have high recycled content from www.hauteholiday.com with the help of a lot of Café Bustelo Espressos brewed in the Dolce Gusto Piccolo
coffee machine, a tres stylish coffee machine discovered at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Lounge during NYFW.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
I went to the Apple Store and bought seven different ipod covers – one for each day of the week.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
United Artists sent to me, 8 posters of Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning in "Cherry Bomb".

Joan Jett and Cherie Currie themselves didn't look this good. Aviators, anyone? You can't beat a pair of classic Ray-bans.

On the ninth day of Christmas, I pulled out my Farrow & Ball
paint catalogue and decided that I’d start 2011 by repainting TheFE Home Office in one of their spring 2011 fashion colors. The winner? The "Elegant" room, painted in "Arsenic No.214, trimmed in "Slipper Satin".
My target - to have it done in 9 days

On the tenth day of Christmas,
I threw caution and my AMEX to the wind and went leaping over to Neiman Marcus, and did a "his and hers". If you want to pull out all the stops, the REAL "HIS + HERS" = the official 50th anniversary of NM's His & Hers gifts - the ultimate romantic retreat: the MetroShip houseboat. The 48-foot by 12-foot open floor plan and 7-foot-high interior ceiling is richly appointed, offering the best in comfort, technology, aesthetics–and portability.
Neiman Marcus
style: HIS - 5 Tom Ford Private Blend Fragrances

HERS - 5 Tom Ford Lipsticks.

On HIS List

• Tobacco Vanille Eau de Parfum

• Oud Wood Eau de Parfum

• Amber Absolute Eau de Parfum

• Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum

• And the latest one- Vetivier

On HERS List

• Ginger Fawn

• Black Orchid

• Pink Dusk

• Vanilla Suede

• Blush Nude

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
I went to Border’s Book Stores, picked up the “Complete Sushi Book DVD” kit, and watched Steven Pallett guide me through the process of making a respectable California roll. It's also available on www.amazon.com, where it earned a *****rating.

Nobu, it’s not, but it’s good to be able to make a basic California Roll for lunch – just like Super Model Cindy Crawford used to swear by when she needed to keep her killer bod
toned for strutting down Gianni Versace’s runway back in the day.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
I gave myself the gift of relaxation, starting with a hot bath in India Hicks' Island Living "Spider Lily" bath salts, put Sinatra's,
"Nothing But the Best" on my Ipod and

followed by a shower with the matching body polisher, body lotion, and a spritz of the eau de toilette - all from www.crabtree-evelyn.com

Then, I snuggled onto my newly upholstered couch, courtesy of Kostas Decorating, wrapped myself-up in a snuggly "heather honey zen cardigan" from Worth with India's enormous "Casa Causarina" candle burning

on the dresser, and threw-in the DVD of the 1967 Jacqueline Susann cult classic, Valley of the Dolls and soaked in some sixties fabulosity. Try this at-home "sleep cure", just like "Neely O'Hara, Anne Welles, and Jennifer North", indulged in at exclusive Swiss jet set
spa retreats. Thanks to all of these little luxuries, I won't have to pop any "dolls" like the Girls did for my long winter's nap.

###

The Academy of Art University s/s2011 Show

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Photos by Randy Brooke
This season, the Academy of Art University student show 2011 show premiered six women’s wear and one men’s wear collections. The AAU show is one of my favorite shows on the bi-annual NYFW lineup. It's not just because I'm an online instructor for AAU's Fashion Department - it's much more than that.

People in fashion tend to be jaded, to great or lesser degrees, which comes from constant rejection and the risk of "putting yourself out there" when you present your creative body of work, whether it be your modeling, writing, PR, styling, or design talent.
What's different at the AAU backstage scene is the sense of "feels like the first time" excitement that just can't be duplicated. The atmosphere is stressful, of course - what backstage scene isn't? but I stayed far longer than I'd intended, caught-up in the festive atmosphere, and arrived late at the Assouline Book Party uptown at the Plaza.
Being late was worth seeing the little girls dancing and posing about in the brightly colored dresses that were inspired by a number of British influences including cricket, the television series “Brideshead Revisited,” British interiors, and the uniforms
of Oxford University.
The eclectic dresses were a collaboration between textile designers, a group of Technical Designers, Fashion Designers and Textile Design students all working together. As Oprah so famously said, "It takes a village".

After stopping to chat with AAU's Dino Ray Ramos, he took me over to meet
Maria Korovilas, M.F.A. Fashion Design. On the way there, I stopped to admire Cara Chiapetta's Helmut Newton-y black dress, thinking how professional it looked. No wonder, Cara's won the Fashion Group Foundation Scholarship, and participated in an LVMH Creative Briefing Design Challenge, interned for N.I.C.E. Collective, as well as for Michael Kors. Her muse for this collection was Bridget Fonda’s character Nina in the film “The Point of No Return”.



A small gaggle of photographers and I were transfixed by the incredible tambour beading coat
Maria was applying some final touches to. Simultaneously working and speaking, she explained that she was resewing some of the nuts and bolts "just in case" to avoid a disaster on the runway [like the metal bits falling off - that did not happen]. Tambour Beading is a specialty which originated in 1770, and was established in Paris by Charles de Saint- Aubin.
There were workrooms dedicated to making beadwork for the French court, who prized these intricately worked garments.
After completing classes in Tambour Beading at AAU's School of Fashion, Maria incorporated metal encrusted pieces and details into her collection. The hand beading took her over 600 hours to complete. The starting point of her inspiration was the Jenny Lewis song “You Are What
You Love” from which she pulled visual and conceptual references for her collection.

Films - "The Runaways" - A Candid Glimpse Into the Early Joan Jett Days

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Last night was that kind of night David Bowie famously sang about, " I don't want to stay in, I don't want to go out...Modern Love".
I elected to stay in and finally watch "THE RUNAWAYS", starring KRISTEN STEWART and DAKOTA FANNING. Yes, they WERE both great in the Twi-series, but there's more to these girls than hanging-out with vampires and werewolves. Kristen was totally believable as the tougher than tough JOAN JETT [who I mistakenly thought was originally from Long Island]. DAKOTA FANNING played the band's reluctant sex pot, CHERIE, to a tee. The hair, makeup and costume team got it right too, and even if you're not into girl punk bands, if you love fashion, you'll appreciate the visuals.
The best part - when the Japanese school girls actually broke the glass of the green room where the girls were relaxing pre-show and swarmed in like a bunch of hornets.
A close second - when Joan comes-up with the lyrics and music to "I Love Rock And Roll".
See it - rent it at your local RedBox kiosk.
www.redbox.com

PATTI SMITH + PORTS1961's Resort 2011 Collection=AN IRRESISTIBLE COMBO

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Patti Smith's 'Because the Night' - you've got your foot in the grave if this doesn't evoke an emotion in you.
Running home and listening to her on You-Tube was the first thing I did after getting home from previewing the Ports1961 Resort Collection.
I'm a lucky girl. Lucky in that Tony Alcindor, Ports' uber-gracious [and fun to hang out with] VP of Communications, let me take a sneak peak the day before the show. The show was, of course, great - heard that a week later from blogger buddy Judi Ecochard. Ports' resort shows always are, and beat-out the big-deal spring and fall shows.

I love nothing more in fashion than the scene backstage and to see the creative process in action. The day before, they were busy setting the mood for show. Patti's voice was on the speakers, speaking though, not singing.
I got to roam about the racks and draw my own conclusions before going into Tony's office to chat for a few minutes. The eighties references were all there, hanging on the racks.
The muse, his assistant told me, was PATTI SMITH. Of course! The easy separates, flowing dresses and pinprick size perforation treatment on the leathers all spelled P-A-T-T-I. Other telling details were grommets and the cobalt blue. Everyone in the eighties owned at least one thing in this "it" color. While I liked the structured pieces for work, cocktails, I LOVED the easy flowing black black dresses w/ a plasticized finish. These pieces are meant for living and like the new resort, serve you year round not just for a quick Caribbean get-away. The deep armholes gave the tees Patti wore rockstar status 20 odd years back, and now Tia's given it to us in a more refined version.

Patti’s an interesting fashion muse. Even young, you couldn’t call her “beautiful” as many icons were [Grace Kelly, Babe Paley,Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor] but Jane Birkin, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy weren’t gorgeous either, but they WERE captivating and unforgettable. Patti falls in that category, no question. It’s hard to beat her muse resume – roommate of Robert Mapplethorpe, and a rock icon.

I left the studio with the inspiration statement that would be on the seats the following day. I wish I had the space to copy the whole thing, as this one was really well-done and totally on target. Nice job - Ports team!
Here though, is a snippet I have to share with you.
"Inspired by paradox and contradiction, Tia Cibani takes pre-spring 2011/resort to a state of fragile poetry enhanced by the rocker's edge, where masculine and feminie boundaries are blurred, resulting in a unique and modern androgyny."


To see what else Ports has to offer, visit www.ports1961.com

LADY GAGA- When a Pop Star Strikes a Deep Cultural Chord

TEXT,* Staff Writer, JULIETTE KELLY
Edited by: Vivian G. Kelly-VanZutphen


We all know and admire her, but past the glitz and glam Lady Gaga has influenced the culture of the United States. Just the other day whilst we were waiting for the train to Grand Central we saw a girl in her mid-twenties wearing a bubble skirt that has been seen on this famous fashion icon dozens of times, all in different formats. Needless to say it did not look as fabulous on this girl as it did on Lady Gaga’s dance figure, but this just shows some of the effect her crazy and new sense of fashion have shaped and twisted the minds of women everywhere. It is not just the interesting sense of flair that radiates off such a strong woman, she has led the music industry out of the resection full speed ahead with her The Fame, The Fame Monster, and The Fame Monster II. Her music tour took her around the world meeting famous figures such as the Queen on her way. Her wild sense of confidence seems to have been more, and more distributed throughout the US.

More and more you will see girls about 20-25 walking down the street with pieces that belong on the runway, not made for everyday apparel. I think Lady Gaga has made a great name for herself in spite of vicious rumors distributed by People or Us Weekly. This explosion of self expression was bound to happen someday and I think that Lady Gaga delivers. I give her a standing ovation.
We're betting that the Fox Channel's wildly popular GLEE show will do a segment on Lady G.
To have a look at Glee, if you haven't seen it yet, visit www.fox.com

*Juliette is a staff writer for TheFE. she is in 7th Grade and loves all things fashion, especially classic Louis V. monogrammed bags.