StyleFlicka

Paris By The Bay

2010-07-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Each year I find myself dreaming for Paris, planning trips in my head whenever one of those Air France emails lands in my inbox. I've been three times in my life but never long enough where I feel like I can make a dent in a seat at the Cafe de Flore. San Francisco is often compared to Paris with its breathtaking beauty and cosmopolitan lifestyle, and there are certainly enough French people living here. Truthfully no city can match Paris, but while I'm still here I can fantasize and celebrate Bastille Day.

This year I was lucky enough to be invited to French Kiss, ArtPoint's Bastille Day celebration at the De Young Museum. Perfect theme and perfect venue as the museum is currently hosting the Birth of Impression exhibit which I have yet to see. The event was a Marie Antoinette meets French New Wave extravaganza, and at one point in the evening I noticed that the only food left (sadly there wasn't enough savory food past the first hour or so) was a tower of baguettes from Acme Baking Company, wine from Michael David and trays of chocolate truffles. Treats that I could live by, on or off the avenues. Bardot A Go Go provided the music - the crowd provided the color and fashions that ranged from mod girl to courtesan.

If you missed it, Art Point will be hosting an event for the next wave of French Impressionism to hit the De Young in the fall: A Moulin Rouge party on November 13th. Could we tempt Baz Luhrmann to San Francisco to plan that party? For more information on Art Point go here.

All photos by Jennifer Graham for The A-List Images

Daniel V.'s New Fashion Book

2009-01-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

While on vacation in Santa Fe this past weekend I was browsing the fashion section at Borders and came across a new hardcover release by my favorite Project Runway alumn Daniel Vosovic - Fashion Inside Out: Daniel V's Guide to How Style Happens from Inspiration to Runway and Beyond. I almost bought it right then and there but opted to wait and order online for half the price. It looks to be worth the purchase - Daniel V. takes us through all the levels of being a fashion designer from inspiration to the hard sell of working with your client. Tim Gunn wrote the forward and is also interviewed in the book, along with a wide range of industry luminaries including the founder of one of my favorite fashion blogs, The Fashion Informer's Laura David Peden. Even better - the book is full of beautiful, glossy photos of Daniel V. himself!

Space NK Joins with Bloomingdale's!

2008-07-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to hear the news today that British beauty chain Space NK is partnering with Bloomingdale's to have freestanding locations within their department stores. The New York flagship is naturally the first, but on the horizon - San Francisco! I read about this amazing boutique beauty chain years ago in the magazines when it was first started by Nicky Kinnaird in London. On a trip to London last year I finally had the chance to check out the location in Sloane Square. The brands are hand-picked and tested by Nicky and her team - one of my new favorites was REN, which is now available in select Sephora and Barney's locations. I also found a new brand called Face Boutique which prints neat 60's style illustrations on their packaging. But it's not even the products - the stores are super sleek without being too glitzy and they're without the chaos of Sephora, which frankly now feels as relaxing as a trip to Walgreens. The 59th street location is set to open in November, and 15 other locations including mine, will open some time next year. And Nicky herself is slated to appear at all the openings. I only hope that the service will be laidback and not hyper aware like the sales staff at Barney's. I don't know about you, but I love to wander around and study all the products (especially the packaging) without having to scurry from the inquisition.

Film School Visit The Fillmore

2008-05-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's rare for me to get excited about a current band that is actually creating new music and touring. Since 1991, not many bands have really kept my interest. But Film School are another story. I've been following them obsessively since 2004-ish - I've gone to every show they played in SF provided I wasn't out of town. I haven't felt this way about a band since Spoonfed Hybrid toured England in 1994. Last night they played the historic Fillmore, opening for Swervedriver, a real milestone for them. I even felt a little proud, like what I nurtured finally bloomed. I'm not going to write a blow-by-blow review of their show. All I'm going to say is that if you've ever remotely liked My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain or Seefeel, just go see them. And if you don't know who those bands are, that's okay. Film School are now.

Do Mind The Gap Please

2008-04-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

On my way home from dinner tonight in the taxi we drove past The Gap flagship store on Market Street - and finally a beautiful window display. Of course, it's the new CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Designer Editions - the classic white shirt "re-interpreted" by finalists of last year's competition. It will be interesting to see how the collection does in the stores - I'd hate to see any of these creations find their way to a sale rack. The 3/4-sleeved top by 3.1 Philip Lim would be my choice.

I have to admit I really, really have hope for The Gap to turn itself around. The current issue of Vogue has a great interview with the latest Creative Director, Patrick Robinson. He looks more like a Gap model himself than a designer, but I really loved the energy that came through the interview. You get the sense that the old corporate locks on creativity that have been bolted onto the design studios the past 6 or 7 years are finally coming loose. I know the company has high expectations coupled with desperation, but they need to give him a chance - at least two years to turn it around.

There seems to be an evil trend with big fashion companies for firing designers before they barely have a chance to finish one collection, and all out of panic and consumer apathy. The first thing that Robinson did was to give The Gap some cohesiveness in its women's collection. The Fall collection shown in Vogue is simple but smart. Plaids and khakis aren't really my favorite (I'm more of a Banana girl), but at least it's not another wool sweater and stripey scarf collection. I'm especially excited to see the new ad campaign and store windows. And even better, The Sartorialist will be starring in one of them. And according to him - "the Gap is back." Let's wait and see, shall we? Fall clothes are just around the corner...

Picture: NY Post

Style Crush: Frida Giannini

2008-04-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've been following the media coverage of Gucci's new star Creative Director Frida Giannini and I have to admit, I'm getting a little obsessed. She always looks super cool and she's only a year younger than me, so I don't feel too old and depressed reading about her success. But then again, she is in charge of everything Gucci and I'm just writing about it. But it's all about living vicariously I suppose.

The current issue of the U.S. edition of Harper's Bazaar explores her cool city style in Florence. I love that she chooses to stay in Florence and only commutes to Milan for Fashion Week. I especially love what a huge music collection she has - over 7,000 records. And that means vinyl. While her everyday outfits are sleek and simple, she respects the brand and doesn't let any of her employees wear Converse to work. I can just imagine her sending home a house graphic designer to put on his Gucci loafers.

I went into the new Gucci flagship store on Fifth Avenue when I was in NYC last weekend. I felt so much more comfortable walking around browsing than I ever did when Tom Ford was at the helm. Nothing against Tom Ford but he was always more about making us feel jealous that we couldn't look or live as well as Tom Ford. And he's still doing it! But this is about Frida. For a brand like Gucci, her pieces are actually wearable and she brings a cool touch of femininity for women not girly enough for Prada and not as tough as Balenciaga. Even better - Drew Barrymore is a fan and you can't ask for a cooler celebrity spokeswoman.

The Tree Girl Becomes a Queen in Alexander’s World

2008-03-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection delivered something so daring and spectacular you could almost call it, dare I say, commercial. His influence was “the girl who lived in the tree,” and there certainly were many spriteful pieces with earthly details such as tulle ball gowns and tutus over leggings, just the kind of thing one might prance around in an upscale production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

But true to McQueen, this girl had an edge – there were plenty of cropped jackets and skinny trousers with the color palette never veering far from black or plaid tartan. The first half of the show was presented with an eerie violin rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” in the background and I could imagine these girls in their black and white lace cutout gowns and jeweled ballerina flats heading to a party with a gothic version of Marie Antoinette. While there, her friends beckon her on a trip abroad to India to check out the British wealth, and here they uncover some of the most exquisite pieces yet.

Royal blues, reds and gold popped up in a dizzyingly beautiful array of even more gowns, many of these with cropped bolero jackets that I could see many a woman coveting. Many queens walked down this runway – the rock-n-roll holograph of Kate Moss has clearly worn off and McQueen was ready to launch into his own version of couture cool. While the collection was built up to a fantastical level with a show stopping floor-length silk red coat with a jeweled headpiece, I found myself drawn to the wider appeal of many pieces, especially the finely detailed black tutu skirts and fitted plaid blazers and coats. While McQueen’s last collection was a tribute to his mentors Isabella Blow and Philip Treacy, this show proved they clearly knew fashion royalty when they saw it.

Image: style.com

A Target Without Isaac?

2008-03-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

First Tim Gunn, now Isaac? I don't know what those people at Liz Claiborne are passing out, but they're really doing a great job of rounding up the talent - Project Runway/Parson's Tim Gunn was first, then Deborah Lloyd from Banana Republic (she's working on Kate Spade), and now my beloved Isaac Mizrahi? I never gave Target a second look until Isaac showed up, and since then it's become a ritual whenever I visit my parents in New Mexico or my soon-to-be nieces in Eureka. Let me tell you - it is much easier to find coveted pieces at Target in Eureka than in San Francisco. You don't find too many people there rushing for the satin Loeffler-Randall ballet flats.

Isaac really paved the way for affordable luxury at Target by offering fashionable apparel, accessories and housewares without compromising quality. I could always find something great for work or a dress for a cocktail party. And while Target is now firmly on the fashion radar with its successful GO! International line, those designs are usually geared towards a younger demographic and probably don't appeal to as many shoppers. With Isaac leaving at the end of this year, I'm definitely going to stock up.

So who will Target turn to next? Some potential candidates who could bring a wave of fresh air to the chain: Cynthia Rowley (already a partner with her Swell collection; Nanette Lepore (sweet femininity for the career girl); and former Chloe-designer Paolo Melim Andersson. He needs a job, and joining forces with a large American corporation would be a nice slap in the face to Chloe executives who swiftly let him go after showing his Fall 2008 collection.

I Dream of Bergdorf's

2008-03-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

I recently went to New York for work and had the opportunity to pay Bergdorf-Goodman my first ever visit. On my list of must-sees was the Kelly Wearstler designed cafe BG and her new boutique of lovely things. Also - the gowns. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had read Bergdorf Blondes and anticipated a certain kind of clientele. They were certainly out in full glory on this wintry Saturday morning. I was taken away by the unattainable beauty of it all. My first thought - what can I do to live here? How do I become part of this pretty little music box painted in my favorite lavender?

We checked out BG and it really is beautifully designed - the powder blues and greens are an oasis between the shoe and cosmetics floors and it really makes you feel like you're sitting in a Tiffany's box. Sadly, I had a plane to catch that afternoon so there was no time for lunch. KW's new boutique in the home design section is full of beautiful and exotic trinkets that would make great gifts for the person with everything. I mean if you had $1500 to spare, wouldn't you want a pair of bronze hands to hold your favorite rings and bracelets? I don't think that's quite what Kelly would want for that item, but I fear some people might do just that.

Across the way was a little bookshop with many beautiful coffee table books on fashion and art, plus some unusual visitor guides on New York City. I found a fashion dictionary written by Christian Dior which I almost bought, and an amazing book on Tord Boontje that I swear I would have bought immediately if I didn't have to lug it back to JFK and mind it on a 6-hour flight. So I consoled myself with a fresh hardcover copy of "Crossing Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf Goodman," written by the store's former CEO Ira Neimark. It's a great story about the rise of luxury retailing, and the cover is in the pretty Bergdorf lavender.

Feeling rejuvenated from my purchase, we made our way to the room of gowns. I'm getting married in September and have been looking for an evening gown, rather than a traditional wedding dress. This room was full of amazing gowns that you'd see on the red carpet, and they were also all out of financial reach - at least for now. But I did find the perfect pink champagne gown by Marchesa that had about ten pounds of beading on it. The price was over $6,000. Not bad when you consider the cost of an Oscar de la Renta wedding gown, but not for me this time. I just found the dress online and discovered it was from the 2008 Resort collection. I'm not sure whether to feel good or bad about this– did that mean I chose a dress for my wedding that another woman would wear to walk around St. Tropez?

Either way, I walked away sad and feeling poor. Then I remembered that I was in Manhattan, the land of money, and that someone is always feeling sad about never having enough. So I left the store happy that I had graced its presence and even happier that I’d been able to walk out with my credit intact. And I'll be back in April!

images: bergdorfgoodman.com, luxist.com

Style Crush: Winona Ryder at Valentino

2008-03-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all the front row frenzy at the Paris Fall '08 shows, this picture of Winona Ryder at the Valentino show is a gem. Her style is so Audrey that I feel like I'm looking at a movie still from Sabrina. I've been a fan of hers since Heathers and have always been in awe of her low-maintenance style. I'm sure she could wear anything and look good, but I admire how she never tries to draw attention to herself like the other girls. Wearing a black coat buttoned up all the way is far more enticing than a low cut Cavalli in my humble opinion. Go modesty.

Source: InStyle.com