I have talked a lot about Goop on this blog. I think my fascination with Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle empire is because the entire company is built on the alchemy of personality. Goop isn’t so much a company as much as an aesthetic: The business plan may as well be an appreciation for cashmere sweaters and the rustic simplicity of turnips […]
Fashion Critique
What You Shouldn’t Buy on Black Friday
It’s Black Friday, and as always, there’s a culture war afoot. There’s an inherent tension between those who love to shop on Black Friday (and Thanksgiving night) and those who loathe the materialistic mobs. There are moral questions about the implications of Black Friday on retail workers, as well as philosophical questions about whether we, as […]
Stamp Your Passport at the Museum at FIT
Nothing in life is free, especially when you live in New York City. So imagine my delight when I discovered the Museum at FIT. Not only is this museum completely and totally focused on fashion — it’s also free. The current exhibition, Global Fashion Capitals, focuses the globalization of design. No longer is the world’s aesthetic […]
VMA Fashion Has Jumped All the Sharks
Believe it or not, 10 years ago I was in Miami to cover the VMA after-parties and gifting suites. It was a whole different world back then. Jessica Simpson was still with Nick Lachey. (I know.) Dave Navarro was still with Carmen Electra. (Yes, I barely remember that, too.) Gwen was still with Gavin. (Sniff.) […]
Review: J.Crew’s July 2015 Style Guide
J. Crew is in the middle of it’s spring sale bonanza, which means the fleet of catalogs it sent to customers this week was no coincidence or accident. Most of the pages are devoted to standard summer fare: generically ethnic woven sandals, bland tissue-thin tees, raffia baseball caps. Nothing great. Nothing too terrible, either. As always, […]
It’s a J. Cruel Summer
TGIF, people. I’m borderline giddy because I think we’ve finally — sorta — reached spring. (I’m still wearing a trench coat half the time, but CLOSE ENOUGH.) Today, I’m reviewing J. Crew’s latest style guide, which is chock full of its warm-weather offerings. (There’s virtually no office wear on offer, so apparently, J. Crew customers have […]
Lilly Pulitzer for Target: First Thoughts
Just a few days ago, Target released its hotly anticipated Lilly Pulitzer for Target lookbook. This type of country club aesthetic is a big departure from Target’s recent attempt at a design comeback with the impressive, slinky Altuzarra collection — which I covered here. While my enthusiasm is wan at best, that may be because I’m not the […]
The Label You Need to Know: Trademark
Over the weekend, I was racing through Soho in a late-night cab when I spotted a chic storefront emblazoned with a simple logo: Trademark. I spent the rest of the cab ride wracking my brain: Where had I heard that name before? It was nearly 2 a.m., but I got a brief reprieve from sleep deprivation […]
10 Oscar Gowns, 10 Opinions: Red Carpet Round-Up
Last night’s Oscar looks were among the most boring in recent memory — and that’s saying A LOT. I suppose it’s only fitting that the lukewarm Fashion Week is so closely followed by a ho-hum Oscar red carpet. As the New York Times noted, the current zeitgeist has no zeitgeist. (If this were the Matrix, […]
Is Reformation Worth the Hype?
A few weeks ago, I read a New York Times article about Reformation, a so-called shopping sojourn for “cool girls.” That’s the kind of descriptor I typically scoff at — are “cool girls” just code for “women with credit cards?” But I hate to ridicule something until I’ve had a chance to see it myself. The […]