The Trend Forecaster Sees Bright Colors in the FutureOnce a model, Sonya Holly is now a trend forecaster scouting the future at Fashion Week. She doesn’t buy much here, though. “I always shop in Europe,” she tells Amy Larocca in the Video Look Book. ”If it’s affordable, everybody’s wearing it.”
Video Look Book: Sonya Holly
Plum Sykes Exposes Fashion Week’s Cold TruthFashion writer Plum Sykes changed her mind about what to wear to Fashion Week at the last minute, but that doesn’t prevent her from rattling off designers’ names without pause. A veteran attendee, Sykes has come to terms with the event: “You never look pretty enough. That’s the con. The pro is you see all these amazing girls in these amazing outfits, and it’s so inspiring.” Watch the Video Look Book for more words of wisdom.
Vido Look Book: Plum Sykes [NYM Video]
the fab life
Jennifer Missoni, Sophia Bush Backstage at Catherine MalandrinoNew York fashion correspondent Fabiola Beracasa took our cameras backstage at Catherine Malandrino today. At just one show, Fabiola gets her hair done, spies someone wearing her dress (scandalous!), talks politics with Jennifer Missoni, chats with Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill, and learns about the designer’s love for the color green. Watch the video to see the mayhem.
Backstage: Fabiola Beracasa at Catherine Malandrino [NYM Video]
video look book
Recent Fashion Grad Wants Wintour’s HelpRecent FIT graduate Javier Cruz is on the prowl for Anna Wintour at Fashion Week. “Help me like you helped Proenza Schouler,” he would plead if he saw her. To catch the editor’s eye, Cruz relies on his equestrian influences and an ascot. See if he’ll pass muster with Wintour by watching the Video Look Book.
Video Look Book: Javier Cruz
video look book
Rugby Ralph Lauren Designer Beats on Her Miu Miu BagRugby Ralph Lauren designer Cecilia Bien wears her own designs to Fashion Week look for her jacket in stores come spring. Bien confesses that she’s rougher with her Miu Miu bag than she ought to be but swears she’s “giving it personality!” See what else Bien fashioned for herself by watching the Video Look Book.
Video Look Book: Cecilia Bien [NYM Video]
backstage video
Apply the Stormy Eye Backstage at Tracy ReeseWhat’s the difference between stormy eye and smoky eye? New York beauty editor Aja Mangum and our cameras found out from makeup artist Mally Roncal backstage at Tracy Reese.
the fab life
Fabiola Beracasa Talks Preen and Patent Leather With Cathy Horyn, Leigh Lezark, and Arden WohlLondon label Preen is showing at the New York tents for only the second time this season, but designers Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton have already attracted a savvy fan base that includes New York Times critic Cathy Horyn and downtown personality Leigh Lezark, who both talked to Fabiola Beracasa before the show. “They went from being very funky in the beginning, and now they’re much more put together,” Horyn explained, while Arden Wohl talked about her obsession with patent leather. Watch the video for more.
the fab life
Fabiola Finds the Flaws at Alexander Wang With Chanel Iman and Jaime KingAs the music blasted backstage at Alexander Wang, Fabiola Beracasa caught up with model Jaime King, fashion editor Meredith Fisher, a very soft-spoken Chanel Iman, and the designer himself (“Did I mention he’s cute?” said Paper’s Mr. Mickey). Wang talked about his edgy aesthetic as “something that’s a little bit loose and baggy. Own it. It doesn’t have to fit in every little place. It’s all about the flaws and imperfections.”
backstage video
Baby Phat Invents ‘Understated Bling’Only at Baby Phat could black-on-black nails embellished with black crystals be considered low-key. But as Creative Nail Design co-founder Jan Arnold explained backstage before the show, Kimora Lee Simmons decided to go with an “understated bling” look this year. Now there’s a contradiction. New York Magazine Beauty Editor Aja Mangum also caught up with MAC’s Nadine Luke, who expanded further on the show’s makeup theme — “it’s 1920s but a modern 1920s, so instead of a flapper girl, she’s a flippin’ girl.” Watch the video to see the nails and the makeup close up.
the fab life
Video: Yigal AzrouëlIt’s that time of year again — well, yes, Fashion Week, we’ve established that. But it’s also the time when our roving video reporter Fabiola Beracasa takes to the streets! Er, runways. Today Fab braved the torrential downpour for the Yigal Azrouël’s show.
Filmmaker Sky Hirschkron’s Three-Way Phone CallDon’t be put off initially by the austere, quiet nature of Sky Hirschkron’s You Called Me, an endearingly sad little film about a young Japanese man bouncing between two girls over the course of a day.
backstage video
Video: Backstage at the Sean John Open Call
Sean John last showed in February 2003. So how can the designer bring his name to the forefront this Fashion Week? Casting all African-American models is a good start. Novelist and New York correspondent Brian Keith Jackson took our cameras to the Sean John open call in midtown yesterday afternoon. Watch the video to check out the hot competition.
Video: Sean John Open Call [NYM Video]
VideoFeed
The Internet Plans Your Super Bowl Party
If there’s one rule about Super Bowl dude food, it’s this: The guac is crucial. That’s why this week’s In Season offers a recipe from Cipriano Pita, the Puebla-born chef at Bar @ Etats-Unis. With an accompanying video, there’s no way you’ll botch it. As for the rest of your Super Bowl spread, UrbanDaddy has some haute delivery suggestions and news that Momofuku Ssäm’s venerable Bo Ssäm will be delivered for this special occasion.
In Season: Guacamole [NYM]
Super Bowl: Haute Delivery [UrbanDaddy]
agenda
The Closest Thing to Our ‘Spinal Tap’ Returns!Hollywood Steve—host of Yacht Rock, our favorite Web-video spoof show—has told the “true stories” behind ten of the titular smooth-music subgenre’s greatest hits.
Rachael Ray Feeds Sicko YouTube FantasiesYesterday, “Page Six” ran a blind item asking which “daytime gabber” snips at staffers for bringing her the coffee she endorses rather than Starbucks. Hmmm, wonder who that could be? Speaking of Rachael Ray, yesterday also saw the debut of two YouTube videos taking the stuffing out of the impish toque. One of them imagines Anthony Bourdain stealing her nose and serving it stuffed with foie gras. We’re not sure how that qualifies as a “mildly erotic parody,” as advertised, but we can tell you that the other video, “Rachel Ray Is a Sex Freak” [sic], is safe for work only if you have headphones, since it uses audio to imagine Ray teaching sex education to New England debutantes. Yucko!
Anthony Bourdain Talks Rachael Ray’s Old News [YouTube]
Designer’s Journal: Chris Benz Prepares for Fashion Week
We know what we go through getting ready for Fashion Week the frantic calls, the faxes, the begging and pleading for access. If it’s this insane for us, what must the designers go through? So we asked up-and-comer Chris Benz to keep a pre—Fashion Week diary of the chaos, the caffeine runs, the status of the candy-colored raccoon collars, and more. Feel the pressure!
(Plus: See where Chris Benz works! Watch a video tour of his studio on the eve of Fashion Week.)
Monday, January 7
The office is abuzz: a flurry of fabric-cutting, color, buttons flying, and packages being compiled to be sent via intern to our garment-district factories. Almost all samples for the fall 2008 collection are now in the sewers’ hands. A few straggler Italian fabrications have yet to clear customs, so for those we sit with scissors spread.
Number of completed samples in house: 42
backstage video
Video: Studio Tour With Chris BenzNew York’s Amy Larocca recently visited with young (only 25!) designer Chris Benz in preparation for his upcoming show at Fashion Week. Citing inspirations from frumpy Parisian ladies to Mary-Kate Olsen and Margot Tenenbaum, Benz explained his design process and predilection for bold, colorful prints. Watch the video to get a peek at what Benz may bring to the tents. Video: Studio Tour with Chris Benz How does a designer prepare for Fashion Week? Read Chris Benz’s; journal. More Videos Studio Visit With Michael Kors Inside Derek Lam’s Studio
backstage video
Video: Studio Visit With Michael Kors
Michael Kors doesn’t restrict his pithy comments to Project Runway he had plenty to say when New York fashion director Harriet Mays Powell visited his studio with our cameras. “I was having a Virginia Slims moment for spring,” he said of one tennis dress. He was exuberant about a day-to-night, adjustable lizard bag and gave a colorful hint about his upcoming fall collection. Watch the video for more joie de Kors.
Video: Studio Visit With Michael Kors
More videos!
Studio Tour With Chris Benz
Inside Derek Lam’s Studio
backstage video
Video: Inside Derek Lam’s Studio
Derek Lam invited New York’s fashion director Harriet Mays Powell to his studio, and our cameras tagged along. Will Lam use lace for fall 2008? Or will he go with embroidery and pleating? It’s all out on his design table, but Lam wouldn’t get specific beyond admitting that purple and green are his favorite colors. But his fashion philosophy is worth remembering: “If a woman feels comfortable in her skin, then she’s the best-dressed one out there.” For more advice from Derek Lam, watch the video.
Video: Inside Derek Lam’s Studio
More videos!
Studio Tour With Chris Benz
Studio Visit With Michael Kors
Filmmaker Marlene Rhein Has Five Missed ConnectionsBy turns funny, absurd, passionate, and sad, Marlene Rhein’s Let Me Tell You a Story is one of the more touching evocations of a missed romantic connection that we’ve seen.
video look book
High-School Frosh Doesn’t Dress the Part
High-school freshman and musician Evan Gonzalez doesn’t have a job, so he must wear within his means. “I like to work with pants a lot,” he muses. “Bleach on green jeans is always really cool, because it comes out yellow.” He is influenced by prog rock and metal, and his hair is a three-year-old project. Find out what Gonzalez plans next for his locks in this week’s Video Look Book.
Video Look Book: Evan Gonzalez
Video: ‘Daily Show’ Audience, Writers Face Off
One week ago, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report returned to production, without writers. Would the shows be any good? Would anyone watch? The reviews were mixed, as were the ratings. But what about the audience? Daily Show diehards, who have waited months for their free tickets, now receive unexpected lessons in labor relations. Plus, they have to face picketing writers while waiting outside the studio. Awkward! Late last week, we sent intrepid video correspondent Tim Murphy to try to broker peace. And while the strike continues, at least the audience doesn’t have to feel scabby about it.
Video: Comedy on Strike
Related: The Daily Show: Jon Stewart Displays His Strike Guilt, Unibrow
Blogging the Colbert Report
ByJonah Green
vulture picture palace
See the Short That Got Filmmaker Seith Mann a Job on ‘The Wire’Seith Mann’s intense, touching, and very well-made 2003 NYU short five deep breaths helped get both Mann a stint directing on the show and its lead, Jamie Hector, the chance to play young drug lord Marlo Stanfield.
Combustion Research Will Buy You a Fly CoatA recent trip to the East Village yielded the Video Look Book’s favorite occupation ever: combustion researcher! Say fuel spills in a subway tunnel. It’s Diem Nguyen’s job to find out how long before we’re all totally effed. When she’s not setting things on fire, Nguyen works with designers to create her own custom clothing. Arson might not pay, but combustion research apparently does. Watch the video for more career guidance.
Video Look Book: Diem Nguyen
Rebuilding the Temple on the Lower East Side
In the magazine this week, architecture critic Justin Davidson considers the recently restored Eldridge Street Synagogue, calling it a “splendid relic of a more deprived age.” Now a museum and Jewish cultural center, the synagogue opened in December after a decades-long restoration. We took our camera for a grand guided tour. Read the review, watch the video, and then take a trip downtown to see for yourself.
Reconstructionist Judaism [NYM]
Video: Inside the Eldridge Street Synagogue
tube junkie
At Long Last, Some ‘Cloverfield’ Viral Marketing Worth Half a DamnAs a simple people who just want to see a huge monster eat Manhattan and stomp on some young professionals, we’ve certainly had to put up with a lot of nonsense from J.J. Abrams and the Cloverfield viral-marketing team.
vulture picture palace
Filmmaker Ray Tintori Reunites Father and Son, Blows Up EarthWe don’t quite know what to make of Ray Tintori’s Jettison Your Loved Ones — a deranged, no-budget sci-fi epic about perpetual motion and families — other than to say that it’s some of the most hypnotic and strange six minutes you’ll ever spend staring at a computer screen.
video look book
California Visitor Actually a Displaced New Yorker
California legal secretary Colleen Delee took a break from shopping on Rodeo Drive to wear her Fendi fur in New York, where it’s actually cold enough for animal skins. But is that the only difference between New York and Los Angeles? Of course not. Delee shares her insights (and her recommendations on custom shoes) in this week’s Video Look Book.
Video Look Book: Colleen Delee
Stop-Motion Animation Explained by Doomed Lego GuyWe were shocked recently to discover that a couple of our readers didn’t quite understand just how stop-motion animation worked. So, we unearthed this little gem, which was created last year by Canadian high schooler Joel Plosz for a science-fair project.
Dress Your Dog in an ‘Urban-Hipster Blend’Sylyse Rivera touts his “urban-hipster blend” in this week’s Video Look Book. The pierced hairstylist is now turning his stylish eye to his three-month-old puppy, Asia. “I’m getting her into fashion, too,” Rivera says, though she can’t fit into the Timberlands he loves so much.
Sylese Rivera [Video Look Book]
‘The Dark Knight’ Trailer: Heath Ledger Is Not Joking AroundHeath Ledger looks like he might exceed even our admittedly high expectations, and after just these two minutes we’re quite ready to declare him the greatest-ever Batman movie villain.
Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin’s Beautiful, Disgusting JourneyFirst, a word of fair warning: This week’s film features gruesome beheadings, rotting corpses, mouse-eating, a pile of shit, and a human uvula used as an action-movie prop.
video look book
Nicole Poree-Zayas Has the Hookup
Fashion-design student Nicole Poree-Zayas gets bored and then dyes her hair. It was blue, but now there’s some purple in it, which matches her striped shirt and skinny jeans. Poree-Zayas is also sporting some Supreme X Nike Blazers, but it’s not like she had to camp out to get them. No she knows some people. See what else she knows by watching this week’s Video Look Book.
Video Look Book: Nicole Poree-Zayas
New Woman Thrilled With Jacket, Anatomy
Jasmine Catt describes herself as someone who decided that “at 46, he’s going to chuck it all including gender and become happy.” Now, sporting a jacket that was a gift from her ex-wife, Catt is thrilled with her new life. But other ladies may not be so down with her. Watch the video to learn why.
Video Look Book: Jasmine Catt