From Bergdorf's New Fall Missoni Collection:

A glimpse of Missoni's pre-Fall collection, new at Bergdorf Goodman. I actually tried this Ribbed Dress (at left) in Montreal last month (they pulled it from the 'special' back room as it had just arrived) and loved it. Now I have to admit, I am not yet a Missoni girl, I've always been a little scared of too much pattern and color...I know, I know, I'm so 'boring New York clad in black girl', but its true. So when I tried this dress it was a happy medium, dabbling in a little Missoni without all the color. Now some might argue, 'whats the point then'?, but even without the color you still get that wonderful Missoni fabric weave and delicate blend of silk and wool to pull off a beautiful shape and hang to the dress. Soooo for those of you that have not yet forayed into the world of Missoni, I would suggest this dress as a nice stepping-stone. I've heard like Louis Vuitton's it becomes an addiction! And hey there are far worse addictions than buying valuable, collectible, highly re-saleable pieces such as Missoni clothes and Louis Vuitton bags, right? Or at least that what I tell myself!


A few more pieces below:

Cashmere Turtleneck. With Ruching, love it!

Dotted-Striped Dress. So chic. So easy, just add tights and boots and your done.

Have a wonderful weekend dahlings!
xo, BG

Cool Opening Tonight at Clarabella on the LES!

BUILDINGS by SHAUN KARDINAL

New to the Lower East Side art scene, boutique/gallery CLARABELLA is pleased to present BUILDINGS, the inaugural New York City exhibit from Seattle based photographer, Shaun Kardinal. Photographing rooftops has been a hobby of the artist's for many years. Though an avid digital artist in his teens, it was not until his twenty-third year with an antique medium-format camera in hand that Kardinal developed an absolute passion for the subject. It was the way the buildings looked as he gazed through the viewfinder, playing with the vibrancy of Seattle's sunsets, the richness of her summers, the austere dullness of her grey winters. It was a love affair with a new city encouraging familiarity, ushering these monoliths in as kin, good friends, integral parts of Kardinal's daily walks to and from work. In this way, his photographs are meant to be seen as intimate portraits.

These buildings, at once solitary and full of life, seem to play with and against each other: three skyscrapers playfully fall against one another; an isolated wall dares to stand alone; a telephone pole bisects a brick building, while sagging lines tease its rooftop; four more in four corners, never to embrace; another still, reflects on the day as the sun plays its final notes on a bright pink sky.

Clarabella, 279 E. Houston Street (between Clinton and Suffolk) NY, NY 10002

Showing from June 1 – July 31

Reception: June 28, 2007 from 7 – 9pm

Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat 12-8pm, Sun 12-7pm

P.S.
Hope to see you there! I am juggling a few events tonight...but I'm hoping to make it!

TaTa, BG

Two Greats in One Week: The Loss of Designers Liz Claiborne and Gianfranco Ferre

After the devastating news last week of Ferre's death now Liz Claiborne.

It is always sad when an iconic 'Great' passes away.

I adore Gianfranco Ferre's clothes and collect any vintage pieces I find.

Liz Claiborne in addition to being an inspiration for her pioneering work in fashion as a women in the 50's, 60's, 70's and onward was also later in her life an inspiration in 'doing good for the world' with your success. Claiborne and her husband retired from active management of the company in 1989 in order to pursue environmental and charity work. The Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation was established in 1989 to provide support for protection of the wilderness.

Hamptons Antiques Show

OMG, I'm dying. I soooo wish I could be there for this. Hello Georg Jensen silver jewelry. Have I mentioned I'm dying. In case it has been missed I am insane for old stuff. Love the hunt, adore the sweet success of "the find", scoring the "goods". Can you tell I am missing NYC yet, my hunting grounds?

TaTa Dahlings!

PS Back in NYC late next week, so regular posting should resume!

More Info on the show:

Beautiful, sophisticated, chic, charming – all describe this highly-anticipated three-day event opening at noon on Friday, June 22nd in the heart of Bridgehampton. The three-day show takes place in high-peaked white tents on the lawn of the historic Corwith House at the Bridgehampton Historical Society on Montauk Highway.

Cutting-edge exhibitors offer modern (like the dining set from Mode Moderne pictured above), formal & early continental furniture, hard-to-find garden antiques (like the Mexican mahogony table & chairs from Bridges Over Time) , paintings (like the Richard Wengenroth from Larry Sirolli Fine Art) & sculpture, folk art, and exquisite fine and vintage jewelry.

The June Hamptons show will feature an exceptional selection of art from outsiders to posters to impressionists. Paul Manning will be set up near the entrance with stunningly restored high power WWII binoculars. The Druckers will be showing exquisite silver, specializing in Jensen. Americana is well represented by Bird in Hand, Susan Parrish and others. James Butterworth is showing period wicker. There will be Art Deco, midcentury modern, industrial design and sublime style on view by Skyscraper/ Catwalk Couture, XX Century, Needful Things, Glen Leroux Collections, Lowstudio and so many more.

Show hours are Friday 12 Noon to 7:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $8.

For more information, Stella Show Mgmt. Co., 212-255-0020; www.stellashows.com
You can reach us during show hours at 201-410-1547
Parking is free, plentiful and right on site! Want to come by train, bus or jitney? It's easy...
MTA, Long Island Railroad, Bridgehampton schedule
Hampton Jitney

Catherine Malandrino Summer Sample Sale

FYI.

Mark your calendars.

Ummmm Catherine Malandrino. Love it.

FYI: 'The Row' is Now Available Online

Continuing to continue on in the hoopla surrounding celebrity fashion lines, wanted to let you know that MK and Ashley's line "The Row" is now available online from the always cutting-edge chic British establishment Browns. Previously the line was available only at Barneys NYC and Maxfields in LA.

If you live in NYC and haven't checked out the collection in person yet, do! It is a wonderful line, with great basics to build into your wardrobe. The pieces are a bit pricey so beware, but they are definitely quality items worth investing in. Selma Blair is already a fan and we all know she is the queen of cool when it comes to style!

Oh, and for the more budget conscious cats they have a new lower price-bracket line set to launch this fall aptly named Elizabeth and James (after their other lesser known sibs). That line will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Intermix.

One of their awe-inspiring T's that are being praised for their couture style cling and unbelievable drape (due to the infamous "single seam"). Get it here.

Oh and apologies again for the scattered and infrequent posting. I am off in far-far-away lands where connections to the Internet are rare, inconsistent and definitely not high-speed. In the meantime enjoy catching up on old posts.

Ciao Dahlings...
XO,
BG

Love it: Valentino Pin-tucked Shopper Bag

Still love it, now in faded Gray. Even Better than before!!!! I posted this bag in the red and off-white awhile back , and now its available for pre-order ONLY at Bergdorf Goodman. Loooooooooooove gray, you know I keep saying its really the new black. Seriously coveting this bag. Amazing.

Get it here.

• Maison Style.
• Aged silver leather.
• Silver-tone hardware.
• Shoulder straps with rings; zip top.
• Pintucked body.
• 11 1/2"H x 13"W x 4"D.
• Made in Italy.

Enjoy!

And Speaking of Celebrity Fashion Lines...Kate Moss's Topshop Barneys Collection is Re-stocked and New Items are Added.

By the way, meant to tell you about this days ago...apologies, this vacation is slowing me down! So if you care, the Kate Moss collection for Topshop at Barneys has been replenished and new pieces are in as well.

Get it here.

Yawn.

Celebrity Fashion Lines: The Demise of the 'Real' Designer?

The 'celebrity perfume' phenom seems like its been around for ages, but the recent furious increase in 'celebrity fashion lines' (think SJP, the Olsen Twins, JLo, Kate Moss, Madonna, Kylie Minogue....Oy it gets tiring just typing the masses in) has some critics questioning where this leaves the 'real designers'?

The NY Times featured the topic in today's Style section, check it out!

Thoughts?? Much as I love MK and Ashley (and the new 'Row' line), I gotta admit that the whole thing (more-so the Madonna/Kate Moss/H&M/Topshop bit) does seem like a bit of a celebrity wash. Some lines appear solid like 'The Row', others seem just lame, such as SJP's 'Bitten'. The fact that celebrities have so much more financial capital to build upon and the tails of their success, seems to give an unfair advantage in an extremely cut-throat and competitive arena. Is fashion going the way of pop music? Are we selling out in some way? How much of a free-market approach is 'too-much' when it comes to the creative arts like fashion?

It appears to me that too often money is driving fashion rather than talent.

Sex and the City: Wardrobe Secrets Revealed!

OK, um maybe I've been in a closet somewhere, but when I stumbled upon this resource for a complete break-down of every outift worn on SATC, I was totally excited (and surprised). What a great idea, and I know several of you that have seen every episode like 10 times who may not even have to re-watch to know which outfits these are (you know who you are.....).

Outfits are broken down to the last detail. Select a season, then an episode and then voila, each outfit as worn in each scene is described in detail, with color and designer!

Cool!