The Style Set

I spotted this stylish girl in the subway on the same day.  She was giving me mid-90′s Muiccia Prada – opaque off-color tights, chunky shoe, pattern mixing, color clashes, water color plaid dress, fresh faced with little or no makeup.  What made her look so great was her ultra modern layering of a glen plaid boyfriend blazer and granny coat.  I got the feeling that she may not have been a ‘fashion girl’, but she sure was fashionable…..and that is what matters!

The Style Set

One of the great lessons that I learned as a designer while at Ellen Tracy was an appreciation for the classic woman.  This woman is ultra -chic, timeless, elegant, luxe, understated – a true style doyenne.  I spotted this diva just outside my shop and was in love with her H2T (in Tyra speak – head to toe!) heather grey ensemble.  Mother was a vision in grey cashmere – slim sweater, knit gloves and fringed wrap with mink trim.  Her pinstriped grey flannel trousers were perfect as were her accessories – oversized tortoise framed sunglasses and grey patent leather flats with tortoise trim.  Her perfect cut and color only added to the fabulousness of her look.  Fashion all too often looks past women of a certain age (in Wendy Williams speak!).  It is sad because good taste and admiration for beautiful things are timeless.  I honor and LOVE these women!!!

APNYC Does Bryant Park

We currently have our first shop in the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park.  It has been an amazing experience.  We started on November 6th and go through January 3rd, 2010.  It has been a great way to show the full collection, create an aesthetic environment and to meet and get feedback directly from customers.  We’ve had great feedback about the product and about the decor.  We figured we had to make a dramatic yet clean visual impact so that people got a clear vision of what this brand stands for and what direction we are going.  Please come visit Courtney and I in shop #F-01 at the corner of 42nd Street and 6th Avenue in NYC.  Come shop, browse or just say, “HEEEYYYYY!!!!!”

Shecky’s Girl’s Night Out

Shecky’s Girl’s Night Out is a retail/social event that attracts cool girls looking for the latest and greatest in new products, gifts and accessories.  We are now prepping to do the Shecky’s Holiday Night Out which is scheduled for December 17-19th, 2009.  These are pics from our first outing with Shecky’s.

Summer Days

One of the things I love so much about summer is the proliferation of flowers and butterflies.  They are huge aesthetic inspirations to me.  I think they are two of nature’s most perfect, beautiful and ethereal creations.  They are like the embodiment of angels here on earth.  In my garden, which is like my little paradise in the big city, I have a gorgeous lilac bush that attracts tons of Monarch butterflies.  In looking through my phone, I found these pics which make me long for those warm July days where flip flops and cargo shorts are my daily uniform and I survive on fresh peaches and half burnt hot dogs.

Mannequin/Manic-quin

Honey, when I saw this ole’ doll in the window at a store along Fulton Mall in Brooklyn, I had to take a pic of her.  She has seen better days!  From that beat-up wig to that hitting-the-stroll outfit, girlfriend is quite frightening.

Art On The Go

As a creative person, my eye catches many points of inspiration.  For some reason, my eye has picked up on ‘cars as canvases’.  I love that people use mediums that make art accessible, visible and in-your-face.  This is very much in the spirit of Basquiat, Warhol and of course Keith Haring.  Some might argue that those artists were overly commercial, but I LOVE that they made art a part of pop culture.  They reached all corners of the earth, including me as a little kid in the not-so-artsy city of Detroit.  These NYC cars and trucks, even thought their POVs are different,  keep that spirit alive.

A Sketchy Evening

At the TTPatton event, I did live, quick sketches of some of Theresa’s customers.  Here are some of the finished sketches:

Patton To The People

….and here is the finished display at TTPatton.  The event turned out to be amazing.  I met some really great people, sold some product and established a great relationship with Theresa, her family and her fabulous associate, Norma!

Prepping for Patton

The very first store to reply to my mass mailing was TTPatton – a fabulous luxury paper store in the tony Chicago suburb, Barrington, Il.  Theresa, the store’s proprietor, is a fabulously modern woman with an amazing eye for fine things.  She patiently waited while I got my production together and then suggested that I do a trunk show in conjunction with their yearly local fashion/retail event.  The pics in the post detail my prep for the event which turned out to be an amazing experience.