Fashion, Beauty and Retail Blogs

Hints of Better Days Ahead for NYC Retail

Posted by Evan Clark- Associate Editor, Financial at 6:03PM EST, November 6, 2009

Charles Grom's upgrade for Macy's Inc. Friday held a glimmer of hope for the New York City retailing scene as well.

The J.P. Morgan analyst switched his recommendation on the stock to "overweight" from "neutral" Friday and pinned part of the change on an improvement in Manhattan's shopping backdrop.

Posted in: Business, Retail

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Mind Games With 'Idiot Savant'

Posted by Vanessa Lawrence- Associate Eye Editor at 4:48PM EST, November 6, 2009

Willem Dafoe with Alenka Kraighter in "Idiot Savant."
photo by Joan Marcus

I see my fair share of theater, ranging from way Off-Off Broadway experiments to big money productions on the Great White Way. And while I don't always come away with universally positive reactions, I have never quite encountered the complete sense of bafflement that Richard Foreman's "Idiot Savant," currently at the Public Theater, inspired in me.

This is not to say that I did not enjoy the play. Watching Willem Dafoe on stage in an intimate space for 80 minutes is pretty much a win-win situation. Add in a talented supporting cast, fantastical set design and an enthusiastic audience, and the ante only rises.

Posted in: Lifestyle

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Rear Window with Illustrator Matteo Pericoli

Posted by Taylor Harris at 5:02PM EST, November 5, 2009

City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York

New Yorkers will never look out their windows the same way again.

In his latest work, "City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York," illustrator Matteo Pericoli has recreated the city landscape as seen from the offices and homes of renowned urban dwellers including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mario Batali and Philip Glass.

Posted in: Lifestyle, Media

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Testing the 'American Fashion Cookbook'

Posted by Brenner Thomas, Market Editor, Men's at 7:13PM EST, November 2, 2009

The cover of the "American Fashion Cookbook: 100 Designer's Best Recipes," published by Assouline in conjunction with the CFDA, shows illustrations of two chicly dressed and very slender women. One is holding a glass of wine; the other, a platter of fish. Neither is eating or drinking. Nor do their reedy figures and model-esque poses suggest an air of hunger or appetite.

That message doesn't bode well for a book that is ostensibly about the ingestion of food. So I was ready to be disappointed when I cooked a meal using its recipes.

Posted in: Fashion, Lifestyle

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Night Rider on Broadway

Posted by Matthew Lynch- Financial Reporter at 6:21PM EST, October 30, 2009

David Hasselhoff has always existed as an abstract to me; a pop culture construct that lives more in reruns and forwarded YouTube links than real life.

It was a bit of a shock to the system, then, to meet The Hoff, as he is known, Thursday night at the Bryant Park Grill.

Posted in: Lifestyle

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Women and Changing the World

Posted by Marcy Medina - West Coast Bureau Chief at 5:11PM EST, October 29, 2009

"Women don't have to hate men to get ahead," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said.

And she should know.

"I used to want to be a journalist," said Albright, who was among a score of successful women who headlined the sixth annual Woman's Conference on Tuesday that drew about 15,000 people to the convention center in Long Beach, Calif. "But when I told my husband's boss what I planned to do, he said, 'Honey, you better find something else to do. So I did."

Posted in: Lifestyle, Media

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A Fashion Backdrop to Dye For

Posted by Jenna Groesch at 11:29AM EST, October 29, 2009

Behind the scenes at the shoot.
COURTESY PHOTO

Stylists at WWD are no strangers to creative photo shoot locations. Abandoned subway cars, bowling alleys, surf lodges -- you name it, they've probably shot there. But what to do when an editor's inspiration is a painting of a lush garden, but autumn is in full blaze? Do it yourself!

Enter the WWD art department.

Posted in: Fashion, Lifestyle

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On Target: NYC Art Battles

Posted by Taylor Harris at 1:24PM EST, October 28, 2009

Two months ago, while all of Manhattan was in a frenzy over Fashion's Night Out, two artists at Intermix engaged in an art battle. While shoppers watched, the painters smothered mannequins in neon yellow, sky blue and gold lacquer. While it helped stir up excitement for the night itself, the demonstration was also being taped for the Web series "RADAR: Art Battles," which starts its second season today.

Posted in: Lifestyle

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Pink Collar: A Woman Wades Into the Manly World of Men's Shirts

Posted by Brenner Thomas, Market Editor, Men's at 11:22AM EST, October 22, 2009

Emma Willis
Photo by Colin Thomas

Emma Willis is London's first lady of men's shirts. Make that the only lady of men's shirts.

Posted in: Men's, Retail

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Open Mike

Posted by Vanessa Lawrence- Associate Eye Editor at 7:11PM EST, October 21, 2009

With the recent spate of documentaries, designers young and old have been getting plenty of face time these days. But as much as these behind-the-scenes, no-holds-barred portraits can prove revealing — and entertaining — they can often be more about the director's perspective than their subjects' voices. So I was especially excited to hear from them at the Friends of the Costume Institute's season opening event "Young Americans: Designers in Conversation."

Posted in: Fashion, Lifestyle

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