TheFE's Bids for Academy Award Dressing, Makeup, Hair and Grooming

Hi Fellow Fashionistas -

I'm in the midst of moving over to WordPress.
Today's post on what I'd like to see at today's Oscars, www.thefashionexaminer.wordpress.com

See you there!

NYFW - fall 2011: Impressions, So Far...the Weekend Report

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

It's Saturday night, and "I'm feeling alright" and prepping for round #2 which will kick-off Monday when I get to meet Woolrich's new designer.

So far, I've sat something like half a dozen shows, the incredible Douglas Hannant - Piguet launch party at  the impossibly elegant French Embassy Uptown, dropped in at a few presentations and have eaten more tuna wraps at the Moonstruck Diner than I want to for the next six months, usually at the ill-advised hour of 11p.m. or so. Lucky for me,  my metabolism wakes-up about that time.

Taking it back to NYFW, what wowed me was the quilted Chanel case for the Coco Chanel books at the Assouline Plaza boutique, Duckie Brown's shrunken white suit, a very interesting arty architectural jacket in gray and cream, an emerald green velvet skirt at Nicholas K, handsome models who could body double for Rob Pattinson, the much improved AOL Media Lounge in the Media Pitt spearheaded by the fabulous Tara Shashaty, in the Lincoln Center Tent.

Thanks to Tara (who was photographed and whom you'll see non-stop in any yellow cab you hop into], I got "a clue" about which eyebrow tool I should use. After the make-over, I bum-rushed the MAC Cosmetics store in Grand Central Station, and bought "brun", to fill-in my frankly icky, over-plucked brows.

 This enlightenment took place in the posh  www.stylelist.com
trailer across the street from the Tents. A few hours later, I fell in love - with a black wool and duchesse satin long dress at the Academy of Art University Show.

The next day. I hauled everyone from TheFE team out of their Madison Ave. temporary home to go and see the Libertine Collection. I had "a feeling". Happily for me, the Libertine collection was A-mazing - no "ifs, and or buts".

Offering a bit of pop culture and comic relief was the UNbelievable madness ANTM's "Miss J's" presence at the AAU show caused. I wasn't around when the Beatles debuted, but honestly, the stampede of female tweens and teens who rushed Jay was...."beyond".

Jay's presence will certainly rank in the top three moments of paparazzi frenzy-dom for the fall2011 NYFW.
Enjoy the show!

Casting Call! Duckie Brown Casts for their fall 2011 Show

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

So what’s a real live model casting like? Like one for a big NYFW show such as Duckie Brown?

It’s been a while since I attended a big show casting, the last one was one I did somewhere around 2000 for Searle, when said brand was trying to become a player at NYFW.

I wondered if model casting would be tremendously different so many years later. I got to find out when Daniel and Steven invited me to sit –in on a day of their 2-day casting.

It’s not. The casting Director, Claire, took polaroids of the models who had been invited in [@ 80 on day 1 of 2 daysworth]. The model was asked to walk down and back as if they were on the runway. If that went well, they were asked to try on an oufit. It’s a process, yes, but a lot of it is intuitive.

I asked Daniel the “What are you looking for?” question.

In response, he  stated, “We’re looking to cast whomever makes the look look best.”

Simon made it to the point where he walked twice, was asked his shoe size and to try a few outfits on.

At the end out of day 1, the Duckies had around 15 candidates. Said Steven, “We’ve got about 15 we like so far, the trouble is to sew them in together so that they all work together for the show.”

Shortly after my post-lunch arrival, Grant Woolhead, the stylist walked in and conferred with the rest of the group. Grant is Fashion Director of Out Mag, and this is the sixth season he’s working with the Duckies, helping them to cast their show.

As Steven pointed-out, not only does the model have to “work” individually, he has to fit in with the group. There are levels upon levels of casting hurdles to jump before a model makes the final edit and is one of the lucky few to walk the show.

Then there’s the walk, Daniel – “You have to have a mission. You have to work on it. Walk like you’re going to go cash-in a 15 million dollar check.” Simon left, vowing to practice his walk all night.” Shaking his dark head of hair out of his face he said, “Yeah, this is for me. I’m doing it for me.”

SpotLight: Mary Alice Stephenson -Style Expert and Celebrity Stylist

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

To outsiders, Fashion has the bad rap of being an industry rife with snotty anorexics who are heavy on drama and who could use a little dose of nice. That happens to be untrue and I'm devoting a series of Q&A's to dispel that notion, which starting next week run on Mondays. Every Monday, I'll be Spotlighting a fashionista who is talented and personable.

First up to kick-off the series - Mary Alice Stephenson, Style Expert and Celebrity Stylist. We met years ago, when she was an Assistant Editor at Allure Magazine. She was one of the nicest people who walked into the Michael Kors showroom I worked in and most definitely not "flaky"in any way shape or form. I first noticed her because she looked like a model [height and face]. After talking to her, I picked-up on her irreverent sense of humor about everything [self-included] and her razor sharp eye for fashion. She had me laughing five minutes into what would have otherwise have been a routine ho-hum market appointment.

She worked with some of the coolest photographer in the business: Matthew Rolston, Peter Lindbergh, and Richard Burbridge, trained under styling legend Polly Mellon's watchful eye while at Allure, and been a fashion editor at Vogue, Marie Claire, and currently, Harper's Bazaar. On the commercial side of the business, here's just a partial listing:

-MAC Cosmetics,

-Swarovski,

-Saks Fifth Avenue,

-Mastercard

-Calvin Klein

- Victoria’s Secret Beauty

-Talbots

-Old Navy.

M.A. is a concept person who has the knack of being able to be an "incisive yet approachable personality", meaning you can count on her to tell you the truth, but in a nice way."While searching for truth in fashion on the Tube, you may have caught her on any of the following: MTV, VH1, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’ Early Show, Fox News, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, E!,The Style Channel - the list goes on.

It's this combination of editorial and commercial work in the fashion world topped with lots of experience as a top celebrity stylist that gives her real street cred.

The list of stars Mary Alice has styled reads like a "Who's Who" of Hollywood.

On the List:

-Jennifer Lopez

-Sarah Jessica Parker

-Halle Berry, Beyonce

-Renee Zellweger

-Drew Barrymore

-Nicole Kidman

-Cate Blanchet

-Scarlett Johansson

-Jennifer Aniston

The hardest and funnest part of putting this post together was deciding which images to run.







There are so many that they may spill over into their own photo pictorial, which I've got scheduled for the weekends.

I was impressed at the work portfolio she's put together in the last decade [How could I not?] and recently got to ask a few questions as she sped home in a taxi.

As we were crunched for time, I focused on the recent "I Remain You Desire" Photo Exhibit Party, staring herself, supermodel Lindsey Wixson and photographer Gabrielle Revere.

Gabrielle Revere, like Mary Alice, works in the celebrity and fashion worlds. She shoots for clients such as Sony Music, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazineand Life.

Mazdack Rassi is referred to as "the Milk Man" by industry insiders, appropriately so, as he's the founder of the 80,000sq. ft. studio in NYC's Meatpacking District that's the go-to place for fashion editorial shoots.

TheFE: What was special about this particular party? There are so many.... You said earlier that it was a more intimate gathering?

M.A: The timing, location and who was involved in it. It was during Fashion Week and Sotheby's understands how fashion permeates pop culture.

What's always amazed me about Mary Alice is that she has the knack for speaking really quickly yet so clearly that you don't miss a word. She also always has a huge smile on her face and engages - nothing phony hear. Talent aside, this is why I like her so much.

I’ve worked with Gabrielle in the past, think she’s talented and Lindsey’s a star. I think it was smart of Sotheby’s to have these little intimate soirees – it was sweet, it was good. I’d love to do a series on this. In the past, Sotheby's have had great exhibitions such as [the one on] Resurrection, the Vintage store.

Lindsey is ranked #12 of the top 50 models according to www.models.comand has representation in NYC [Marilyn Mgmt], London [Storm] and LA [Vision LA]. In addition to all of her editorial work, she walks just about every show in the bi-annual fashion week trifekta, most notably Miu Miu, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton - in Paris, New York - Jason Wu and Marc Jacobs, Milano- Iceberg and Missoni. Although this is an impressive lineup by any standards, editorial "stars" tend to have the life expectancy of a fruit fly. I wanted to know if Lindsey was different.

TheFE: Before I flipped through your electronic press kit, I knew you'd worked with pretty much everyone in the world of fashion and celebrity. I'm still a die-hard fan of the original "Supers" - Linda E., Christy T., Naomi, Kate.
[From Left: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Polly Mellon, Christy Turlington]
Most girls [models] just don't stand out like these larger than life stars. What's special about Lindsey? These photos Gabrielle shot of her?

M.A: Lindsey is really current, kind of this girl who’s on the cusp of becoming a supermodel and yet on the cusp of becoming a woman. She still very much looks like a kooky little girl within the Glamazon, a Lolita.

Gabrielle has so much exuberance and personality and she gets that from her subjects. It was just about Lindsey being Lindsey and you get about whom she is.

Her imperfections [are what] make her perfect.

TheFE: Thanks for squeezing this in - in a car ride, no less!

Photography Credits

Exhibit Photos, Gabrielle Revere

Party Event Photos, Andrew Rothschild

Photos from Mary Alice's Portfolio, MICHAEL FLUTIE’S OFFICE

TALENT BRAND MANAGEMENT

The New & Improved Tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week & Celebrity Sighting- Heidi Klum

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Welcome to the new and improved NY Fashion Week. A big "thank you" to CFDA/Vogue/IMG for pulling the Lincoln Center Project together. Initially, I balked at the idea of going to the Upper West Side, away from my Bryant Park and Meat Packing comfort zone. All of that went out the window yesterday, on my first full day of doing the MBFW shows.
On entering, I was agog at how upscale the environment was, and was won-over after hitting the well-equipped media pit equipped with [gasp!] plenty of ethernet cables.Better still, good-bye crashers, thanks to the new Fashion GPS system, in which Citadel's Guards scan your ticket before you're allowed into the show venue.

It truly IS "NO TICKIE NO LAUNDRY as the guys on 'Seinfeld' quipped so famously, years ago. Once I got over the feeling that I was in the first class lounge [a very large one], I was fully on board.

It got better.After nibbling on a few crudites in the MERCEDES BENZ STAR LOUNGE, I felt human again. The lounge is decorated with IMAN's flocked black and white wallpaper and a panel of peacock feathers that made me feel as if I were sitting in one of the courtyards of the ALHAMBRA Palace in Seville, Spain, rather than in one of the busiest places in Manhattan.
The biggest problem about fashion week is food, or a lack thereof. Even supermodels get the munchies, and voila! PROJECT RUNWAY's HEIDI KLUM dashed-out of the show venue with a bag of barbeque POP-CHIPS, in her hand. Before you start snickering at her weakness, think again. POP CHIPS are all-natural and guilt free.
I haven't had any solid food yet, so I'm shutting-down and grabbing a bag - BBQ flavored, of course.

SKINCARE: INDIAN SUMMER BEAUTY With FEMME SCIENCE, SHU UEMURA, LOLA , POP, CHANEL, and ANASTASIA's BROW KIT

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Labor Day's around the corner, and with it comes Indian summer. While I absolutely love these last few weeks of warm weather, it always gets me thinking about how to fortify my skin for the tough winter ahead, and what kind of makeup I should wear for fall, once my skin’s in tip top shape.

Before even considering color trends, start with EXFOLIATION. This is especially important if you’re guilty of having indulged in too much pool time these past few months. EXFOLIATION is 1st + foremost. I love FEMME SCIENCE’S NEW FACE MASK. It’s got green tea [a trendy ingredient], Kelp, Tea Tree, Rosemary and Witch Hazel in it. The antioxidants did a very nice job clarifying my skin. After 2 treatments, I looked as if I’d just had an hour-long facial. Women’s skincare is new to the more established MENSCIENCE ANDROCEUTICALS Co, but if they keep rolling-out products as good as this mask, FEMME SCIENCE will capture a slice of the women’s market as effectively as MENSCIENCE did in the mens' grooming arena. Free shipping for orders over $40 and their rapid-fire shipping policy is a big plus. www.menscience.comand www.femmescience.com

NEXT, even though your skin already feels great, it’s time to start using a heavier moisturizer, to prep your skin for the coming weather. My new fave in the MOISTURIZING department is SHU UEMURA’s PHYTO-BLACK LIFT FIRMING ANTI-WRINKLE CREAM. It’s rich and you feel the moisture, thanks to the plethora of natural oils in it. If you’re ultra-dry like me – or have “normal skin”, this is the one to get.
I discovered PHYTO-BLACK thanks to a summer visit to Farmington, CT, home of MISS PORTER’S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. While desperately seeking a Starbucks, I stumbled onto this beauty junkies’ nirvana. KZEN BEAUTY is THE PLACE to go if you’re seeking quality skin care, fabulous makeup and top shelf customer service.
Better yet, KZEN BEAUTY is running a huge sale so don’t waste any time and start picking up some deals right now. Their summer clearance is on – how does 75% off sound? Also, spend $30 and you get a jar of SHU’s PHYTO BLACK for FREE.

Another fun feature – and why I spent close to 2 hours there on my visit, was that they’re always running little events that are too good to say “no” to. The next round of events conflict with NY Fashion Week, but if you’re not at the Tents, make it your mission to get over to Farmington if you can or at least visit their site at www.kzenbeauty.com.
Coming up at KZEN: Appleseed resurfacing peels, facials, microdermabrasion and much more.

Now that my skin’s feeling up to snuff, after poring over the big 3 [Vogue, Harper’s, and W], I’m going to go for the red lip as my fall makeup statement.
W’s September “TRUE BLOOD” spread shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and featuring LINDSAY WIXSON’s delicious gap-toothed smile, is visual eye candy, but I’ll be keeping it on the lighter side.
I’m leaning towards dropping into BEAUTY 360 and trying on LOLA’s PLUMPING LIPS “MARILYN” lipstick, in a bright cherry red for the days I’m feeling a little “MARILYN” and am going for fall’s LADY LIKE TREND
For TWIGGY days, I’ll go with my new spiky POP falsie lashes and a dash of CHANEL sparkly nude gloss in #93 and it’s a more MINIMALIST TROUSERS AND SOFT SHIRT day.
For days [and there’s always one] during fashion week, when I just wear jeans, a tee and a blazer, either of these two classic beauty looks work. Whatever look you go with, don't forget to always have your BROWNS perfectly groomed. Beauty gurus have been going on forever about how "brows frame your face". Just look at how much attention has been paid to famous brows over the years: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Liz Taylor, Brooke Shields. BROW QUEEN, ANASTASIA [Soare], MAKES IT EASY TO ACHIEVE PERFECT-LOOKING BROWS WITH HER EASY TO USE 5-ELEMENTS BROW KIT. She's debuting it today, on HSN at 2:00 and 8:00p.m.EST.

Beauty 360 products are available on their parents’ website, www.cvs.com
NEXT UP: MEN'S GROOMING TRENDS FOR FALL

Clarasonic Skin Care Demo, and Hilary Rhoda Plays Gran Turismo 5 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim

Some of the most fun parts of my few short days during this latest Miami Fashion Week took place not at the actual shows, but in-between events.
Saturday night was a long day, a day at the laptop and a botched opportunity to meet KENDRA WILKINSON followed by the now-it’s really getting old chaos at the door of each and every show. Sometime between the True Religion and Ed Hardy shows, Clarasonic’s fabulous HELEN MILLER, got me in for a full facial treatment with the Clarasonic wand/brush system. The whole treatment, took under 10 minutes and I got off the spa bed in the back of the booth and inspected my face in the magnified mirror the technician put in my hands. The fine lines around my eyes did not disappear but my skin DID feel significantly more hydrated, as if my tight pores had suddenly opened up and allowed much-needed moisture in. Mind you, this was after only one treatment. The key here is daily use, much like oral hygiene. If you floss, you’ll keep the tartar build-up away. If you use CLARISONIC, you’ll gradually get rid of the build-up on your skin, and the products you use will penetrate and actually do what they’re supposed to do.
After relaxing and chatting with Helen and a stiff sea breeze cocktail, I reluctantly pulled myself away and peeked over to see if I could get in some eye-makeup tips over at the MAKEUP FOR EVER.
I passed on the free touch up booth, as the line was overly long. Instead, I reapplied my latest favorite products, MAKE-UP DESIGNORY’S “Mahogany Lip Pencil [tremendous staying power] topped with BECCA’s new GLOSSY LIP TINT in “MARSALA”. I was one of the few women at the Raleigh with “grown-up lips” on, ie: not stripper-like sticky candyfloss pink gloss on. My nails, which I painted in the room with NAILTINI’s “BORDEAUX” held-up beautifully, despite the cloying Miami heat and humidity – no chipping here.
Because I left early, I missed-out on seeing my favorite model of today’s generation – HILARY RHODA – have some fun demoing MERCEDES-BENZ’s between shows, when she got behind the wheel and played Gran Turismo 5 poolside, at the Raleigh. She was there to join Lisa Vogel, creative director of LUXE and co-president of RAJ Manufacturing, to
Raise Money for Oceana to 
Raise Money for Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on protecting the world's oceans.

SHOPPING NOTES:
Shop Beauty360.com for 20% off all your suncare and skincare purchases! Your readers can save while they stock up on their favorite sunscreens and moisturizers from their favorite prestige beauty brands, just by entering coupon code GLOW at checkout. Shoppers will also receive free shipping if they spend $49 or more. This promotion is only valid until Sunday, July 25th so start shopping now! Click on this link for additional details and products: http://tinyurl.com/337cyau

CLARISONIC is THE ORIGINAL Sonic Skin Care System, and Sonicare is a registered trademark of Philips Oral Healthcare Inc. The system is available at www.sephora.com
With this as with anything else, get the ORIGINAL, not a shoddy copy – your skin is worth it.

To buy Becca glossy lip tints, shop www.beccacosmetics.com