I am so identifying with this, as a collector of things and especially when you are in cramped quarters of a Paris or NYC apt this is so relevant. This coming from a girl with beautiful rolls and rolls of French 1930s ribbons, glassware bursting from its cabinets and boxes, vintage Ungaro pieces that I just can't part with. Letting go is so hard but mostly for the best, no? We make room for the new.
Happy New Year all.
XOXO,
BG
Just a little note.
The Barney's sale is a-mazing. At least the recession has provided more equal access to fashion ;).
I picked up the most beautiful Lanvin boots from Fall 08 (remember those highly coveted flat ones that LL and Nicole Ritchie were sporting?).
Sign. Heaven.
Get thee to Barney's. And, hey--just think of it as a safer investment in these trying times. Ha.
xo,
BG
Pick up a signed copy of Simon Doonan's (Barneys resident style guru) new style manual and meet him in person this Sat at Barneys NYC location; 2-5pm!
Samples for (eco)mpassion invite you to experience a sample sale that promotes conscious consumerism. Samples for (eco)mpassion is a carbon neutral sample sale where you will find merchandise marked at up to 90% off retail prices from such name brands as Citizens of Humanity, Del Forte Organic Denim, Lauren Moffatt, Seven Jeans, C&C California, QI Cashmere, Philosopher Garden, Alice and Trixie, Raven Denim, Big Drop, Julie Brown, Caravan, Rebecca Taylor, Young Fabulous and Broke, and many others.
Shopping bags provided by Bio Bag are 100% biodegradable and compostable made from corn starch. Five percent of of total sales will go to support Trees for The Future.
It's Antiques Week in NYC and there are shows and auctions all over town!
None more varied than Antiques at the Armory downtown at the Armory on Lexington @ 26th Street.
100 dealers bring their best and although Americana and Folk Art are WELL represented they
are by no means the only categories in abundance. There will be garden antiques, fabulous jewelry,
silver, 20th century furnishings, African art, majolica, ceramics, paintings, prints,
decorative arts and more.
Plus - it is THE HUB of ANTIQUES WEEK!
Free shuttles to and from the venerable Winter Antiques Show uptown and The American Antiques
Show on 18th Street. Then from those shows you can shuttle walk or cab to and from
other events and then back to the hub - The Armory on Lexington & 26th.
Download or view a show program here. You can view the list of exhibitors, floor plan,
all Antiques Week events at a glance, a shuttle schedule and even a few local
restaurant recommendations.
Show info at www.stellashows.com or call 212-255-0020
Phone during show hours 212-532-0490
Show Hours: Friday & Saturday 11-8, Sunday 11-5
Admission: $15
Location: The Armory on Lexington Avenue @ 26th Street, NYC
| ||||
| Event Begins: | 1/7/2008 | |||
| Event Ends: | 1/11/2008 | |||
| Event Times: | Mon-Fri 9am-7pm | |||
| Location: | 311 West 34th St. Manhattan Center Studios (Btwn 8th & 9th Ave.) Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY 10018 | |||
| Payment Types: | Cash/VISA/AMEX/MC |
Welcome back from the holiday bliss and chaos!
The holiday had lulled us into a eggnog and shopping coma but we have returned.
The weather here in the city has turned wonderfully warm for the next few days which is putting us all in good mood.
I hope your holidays were wonderful and 2008 is even better.
xo,
BG
Everyone's favourite everyday lingerie Hanky Panky (or at least all the girls in the know!) is having a sample sale. Apologies for the late notice, I was too busy fighting in with the masses for my share :)!
You've still got 2 days to pick up some new pieces.
All bottoms are 10$ each including their low-rise thong, a perpetual favorite for good reason (it allows us to still wear underwear with the impossibly low-er trend of jeans...) and they have cami's for 15-20$ as well as an assortment of other accoutrement's.
Be careful girls, its wild in there!
I have been meaning to mention that FIAF is focusing on fashion this month (other than the fashionable crowd that routinely attends their functions). Besides featuring wonderful french films of Fashion Icons at their Tuesday Cinema screenings they also have three fashion talks with: Véronique Nichanian of Hermès, Bruno Frisoni of Roger Vivier, and Olivier Theyskens of Nina Ricci. I attended the Hermes talk and it was great, get your tickets now.
I highly recommend!
I recently saw:
And God Created Woman (Et Dieu créa la femme)
Roger Vadim, 1957.
With Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Louis Trintignant
Color. 100 min. In French with English subtitles.
and it was so so wonderful. If you haven't yet seen it, do!
This is so, so, so sad. I was alerted this morning by Mrs. Fashion that Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop, had passed away. What a great loss, Anita was an inspiration to women everywhere. She not only established herself as a dynamic successful WOMAN in business, but she was a pioneer in the field of environmentally conscious beauty products, especially fair trade. If you've never visited her website, please do, it has been listed as a link under my 'Girl Power' section since this site's inception and is an invaluable resource for progressive thought in social justice.
Anita died unexpectedly from a brain hemorrhage. She was just 64.
The Star, reports:
Roddick began her beauty and retailing career in 1976 in a little hippie shop in Brighton, England. But the 33-year-old entrepreneur set herself apart by underscoring the ethical properties of her formulations, created with natural ingredients, often sourced from the developing world.
Roddick pioneered ethical beauty long before it was fashionable, long before Dove campaigns and Stella McCartney.
Adrian Bellamy, chairman of The Body Shop International, said in a statement that "Anita was not only our founder but she was also the heart and passion of The Body Shop and with her we achieved so much, whether on animal rights, human rights, Community Trade, or through the founding of organizations like Children on the Edge. It is no exaggeration to say that she changed the world of business with her campaigns for social and environmental responsibility."
Roddick pioneered ethical and environmental beauty decades before it became fashionable, earning the royal title "Queen of Green." In 2003, the Queen made her a dame in recognition of her contributions."
Anita you inspired others to do good with your actions.
You were HUGE, you were one of my hero's. You will be missed.
Love,
BG
Left, a dress from the Versace Spring/Summer '07 collection, which retailed for $1,685 when it was offered by Neiman Marcus this spring. On the right from Bebe, which sells their most expensive comparable dress for about $130. Forever 21 also sold a similar dress later in the summer.
“They want to look fabulous,” she said. “It’s their right to look fabulous.”
Love it.
Enjoy!
Oh and speaking of NY Fashion week, I had been meaning to post this, one of the myriad reasons I love NY. Came across this upon my return from vay-cay, yay for being back in town!
In case you missed the raging scheduling debate that occurred after last years fiasco with Paris Fashion Week being scheduled on top of the High Holidays (only the most religious holy days for Jews), here's a little primer.
Now, the biggest question remains? What am I going to do for the High Holidays??
Ciao, Dahlings.
XO, BG
So yeah, I know this is sooo overdue, but some thoughts on my Montreal trip. Sorry for the delay, it seems I have been swamped since I returned and this posting just required more time than I had!!
In July I unfortunately missed the great One year anniversary party for 'Don the Verb' held at the Grand Hotel. Boo hoo. I was sooo looking forward to going, but got sick at the last minute. But I know they were launching the debut of their new private label line, which includes these wonderful shiny black pants (above). Now I don't actually have to covet these, because I picked up a similar and equally great pair from "T by: Thomas Tait", the Montreal designer of the same name (pictured below) in the fantastic Montreal store Reborn. If you are interested in his designs, either stop by Reborn a total gem in Montreal which carries his designs or contact him by email at T.Tait@hotmail.com.
Other cool Montreal spots:
Olive + Gourmando for wicked brownies and yummy sandwiches.
La Rose Blanche for wonderful European cuisine and a delightful atmosphere
355 St-Paul Ouest
tel: 514.285.0022
Bodhi Spa for some relaxin'
And finally the very funky skater/raver/coolcat under-groundish newly opened 'Ed Shop' where you can find very hot sneakers, and jackets made from parachute material! Owner Benjamin Deras says they opened very recently and are establishing themselves in the Montreal fashion scene. They should have a website up soon. One of the coolest items they have are these Italian made chairs/couches/sitting items that resemble rocks. They are located on the garden level of a great carved out industrial-feel space at 387 St. Paul Ouest in Old Montreal. You can contact them at 514.656.4635 or at ed.shop@hotmail.com.
Jane Birkin, with the worlds most adorable bulldog that I have been coveting for years, oh yeah and her famous namesake bag. Love the hair, love the comfortable laid back way, love the attitude.
Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg.
That hair!!! By the way, take note of the bangs trend featured in the next few pictures.
Madonna in her Desperately Seeking Susan phase (circa 1984). Love the use of yellow and navy, layers and charms. Who can forget that wonderful scene in DSS when 'Susan' changes tops and the jangle of all her necklaces clinking together. Remember to bring meaning and the texture of life into your everyday! 
Audrey Hepburn carrying her staple Louis Vuitton Speedy. Polished and perfect as always!
Wonderful bouquet courtesy of Paris Parfait (a wonderful delightful blog). Take a glance at her antiques feature if you have a moment, she has the most beautiful collection, very inspiring!!
I've put up a few new pieces on Steal my Clothes, and will be listing others this week! Enjoy.
Cool. I never win anything, and I was having a pretty crummy day at that. So what a great surprise!!!
They said:
"One of the coolest blogs to have surfaced recently on the fashion blog scene. Original, diverse, quirky and inspiring! "
Check it out!!
Awww, Thanks guys!
xo, BG
From Life & Style, on newstands this week.
You can't see this that well (so click on it to enlarge to full size), but they are featuring my Swatch! Cool. I don't really know how to work any of the fancy features they are talking about..I just liked it cuz it's big and gold, you know to tide me over 'til I get my gold Rolex like Ashley (speaking of, I know I have been deficient in my posting of Olsen fashion the last month or so due to my prolonged trip...so expect an update soon)!
Hope you all are enjoying the summer! Stay cool.
xo,BG
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:
Dotted-Striped Dress. So chic. So easy, just add tights and boots and your done.
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.
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
