For Christmas my friend Sharyn bought me the book “The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris,” which chronicles the Karl vs. Yves era of fashion. I admit to having barely cracked it since then, although I look at it every day as I pass through the dining room.

However, in honor of Saint Laurent, who died Sunday, I did sit down and watch “Yves Saint Laurent: His Life And Times,” a documentary I happened to record on DVR late last month. (And, with “5, Avenue Marceau,” one of two films about the designer from the same director in the same year — the first a look at the individual, the second more about an artist at work for the last time.) It’s a great reminder of how revolutionary fashion can be: Today, can you imagine a woman in a pantsuit being turned away from a restaurant or hotel? Yet it happened in his menswear-inspired tuxedo suits.

Back when I was doing more fashion shoots, I sort of used to dread the fall fashion ones because after a few years, it seemed like I was being forced to muster up enthusiasm for the same damn trends year after year. Like it’s a revelation that suddenly tall boots start appearing in stores. And wine-colored lips. And … menswear-inspired suits. It’s easy to forget how relatively new a development that actually is. And how shocking and controversial it once was.

I have absolutely no interest in “Sex and the City: The Movie.” Well, that’s technically incorrect, since that implies a neutral stance.

Let me rephrase that: I hate all things “Sex and the City” … Read the rest of this entry »

Those ultrashiny lip glosses can increase your chances of getting skin cancer, according to this report on MSN.

The shiny gloss attracts more light, “like a magnifying glass over your lips,” and the hydration of an occlusive formula “smooshes down” (to use the word of one of the dermatologists quoted in the article) lips’ natural outer protective layer, leaving the lips more vulnerable to UV rays … and sun damage. That could lead to conditions like “farmer’s lip” or, in worst-case scenario, skin cancer.

Two solutions: Use a balm with SPF under your gloss, or find a gloss with SPF included. (Hint: The Clinique Long Last Glosswear you could win here are SPF 15.)

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 5/01/08
The shirt: Short-sleeved knit polo (Gap.com)
The pants: Khakis by Chip and Pepper (I can’t stop wearing them!)
The shoes: Sneakers by Skechers (Last Chance)
The sweater (when needed): Navy cardigan (Martin + Osa)

sammit

So, last year I was browsing on Yoox and found a pair of pants that were supersale — like $25 from $400 or something. And, sure, they were pink, but the photo made them look fun in like an spring/Easter/bleached-pastel/polo grounds sort of way.

As you can see from the photo above, they are definitely more … vibrant than expected.

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The spring 2008 issue of The Nest magazine includes a feature on jeans, with a “what to wear at work/night/weekend” info/photo package (or “charticle,” as they have become known) … and a Q&A with Eleanor Ylvisaker, the PR director for Earnest Sewn denim.

Most of Ylvisaker’s advice falls on the denim-for-dummies side: Keep your body type in mind; you’ll probably need a few different pairs; good quality lasts longer and usually looks better.

But she really threw me with her answer to “What’s the best way to wash jeans?” She replied: “True denim aficionados never wash their jeans in order to let them wear in and age. The great thing about denim jeans is the more you wear them, the better they get. If things get really unsanitary, you can either spray them with Febreze or hand-wash in cold water and then line-dry them.”

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I got a press release that mentioned that the average American woman owns 30 pairs of shoes. That sounded like a lot of shoes … until I did a count last night.

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No, a self-loathing problem.

Chances are you got this “Reimagine You”  supplement tacked onto one of your magazines this month – it came with everything from Cosmo to Popular Mechanics. And inside, the magalog steadfastly refuses to associate itself with Sears – the very company that put it out.

Let’s put our cards on the table: This is a giant Sears tie-in. That “O at Home media room” spread? Filled with Ty Pennington furniture. The Redbook spread of ladies sharing cosmos and appetizers? All wearing Apostrophe. The “love list” of must-haves? Kenmore and other Sears exclusives.

And yet, there are no references to Sears on any of those pages — not even in the product descriptions, where usually it’s helpful to tell readers where to pick up the items featured. Only a reference to reimagineyourself.com.

Sure, there are full-on ads, which conveniently tie into the “reimagine yourselves as … (suburban legends, the alpha neighbor, the green Samaritan)” theme, but even those use the Sears logo only in a small, inch-long variety in the corner of a page.

To me, this says: “We’re embarrassed that we’re Sears.”

To put it another way: Nobody is going to go through the smoke and mirrors and emerge at the other end, delighted that it turns out they can buy these items at Sears. They’re going to say: “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”

And the people who already know … well, they’re going to see through the façade and think that Sears has tried to trick them into shopping there.

And if Sears doesn’t believe in itself enough to promote its brand– “hey, we’ve got some great stuff you probably haven’t noticed before!” – why would readers believe it’s worth spending their money there?

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 3/20/08
The sweater: “Luxury blend” V-neck (Banana Republic)
The shirt: V-neck T-shirt (Old Navy)
The pants: Pinstriped sueded-cotton dress chinos by Banana Republic)
The shoes: Snakeskin loafers by Taxto (Last Chance)

sammit

I’m always digging around web sites looking for help figuring out what’s fodder for Great Stuff and what … isn’t. A new site, Truth in Skincare (run by the cheesily named “Dr. David,” who also doesn’t share his credentials with us), has some advice for anyone looking at what’s inside their favorite face creams.

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The Web is instant information gratification, true, but libraries remain indispensible.

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photo from Women’s Wear Daily

Lotta Luv, the company that brought you all those retro-candy-flavored lip glosses, has scored a behemoth of a licensing deal: Hannah Montana hair care (shampoo, conditioner, glitter spray). I wonder if it’s for the wig hair or the real hair?

Women’s Wear Daily quoted the president of Lotta Luv: “There are very few choices for the teen and tween category in hair care” — (translation: “nobody’s specifically targeting these vulnerable preteen girls as far as shampoo goes, but soon they’ll have the message drilled into their heads that stuff their big sister or parents us is totally unsuited to them”) — so we see this as a big opportunity” — (translation: “to make a buttload of money off parents who can’t say no”).

Speaking of parents who can’t say no, Hannah Montana hass already unleashed licensed fragrance, hair accessories and even, yes, wigs. And Wal-Mart will open Hannah Montana boutiques with beauty products, bedding, clothing, toys and shoes.

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE (before he showered): 2/17/08
The shirt: Cotton T-shirt by Pure Stuff (Last Chance)
The pants: Cotton lounge pants by Calvin Klein (Macy’s)
The shoes: Camo-print flip-flops by Wax (International Male catalog)
(Except for the shoes, this is also what I slept in last night.)

sammit