on an upswing.

when old navy announced back in january that they would be doing monthly collections, i was cautiously optimistic. the first, "urban safari," wasn't bad (i even scored a great pair of canvas platform sandals), but since then, i haven't been terribly impressed. today though, after seeing preview pics of june's "spotlight" collection, i'm excited to head back. the best thing about the looks? they include pieces for work (like cuffed trousers, cropped jackets, and knit dresses), cocktails (sequined vests and tanks, and ruffled hem lbd's) and play (cute shorts, slouchy tees and skinny denim). look for it in stores starting june 1.

clockwise from top left: sequined racerback dress ($49.50); sequined vest ($24.50), short sleeve metallic flutter shirt ($16.50), skinny jeans ($34.50); 3 button sateen jacket ($39.50), low rise cuffed shorts ($24.50); ribbed sweaterdress ($34.50)

go ali go.

ali michael is not one of my favorite models, but i applaud her for speaking out about her recent battle with an eating disorder this morning on the today show and in an exclusive article in teen vogue. at the fall collections in paris, ali was cut from some major shows because she had gained five pounds. she talked about only eating oatmeal, grapes and lettuce last september and that she stopped getting her period and her hair was falling out.

so many models suffer in silence about their eating disorders, not saying anything to their agents, friends, or parents. ali is not only getting help from her family, but is speaking out to the media, something no one else in recent memory has done while they were an active, working model. my only beef is why didn't ann curry ask amy astley about her magazine's role in contributing to girls' unhealthy self-image. i don't see teen vogue featuring any models over a size 2.

check out ali's appearance on this morning's today show, and read her story in the june/july issue of teen vogue, on newsstands may 20.



ali backstage at f/w 08.09 phillip lim from style.com

june magazine roundup.

june is traditionally a thin month in terms of magazines...too early to talk about the recent fall collections, and not quite in the thick of the summer. here are the mags you'll be reading over your memorial day holiday...some good, some bad, and some make you go "huh?"

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

it was a forgone conclusion that sarah jessica parker was getting the cover of vogue this month...pics of sjp and big shooting with annie leibovitz were all over the internet. in seeing the cover however, i can't help but feel let down. where's big? why is sjp sitting on the floor in that gorgeous dress? the inside editorial is much, much better...i love the shot of noth and sjp on the red carpet (there's also a video from the shoot). other eds in this issue are: "san francisco chronicles" by mario testino (daria werbowy and pierce brosnan), "from here to timbuktu" by mikael jansson (liya kebede), and "falling off the map" by patrick demarchelier (caroline trentini).



nicole richie, not content with her cover and major article in people after the birth of daughter harlow, snags june's bazaar. in the article, richie talks about settling down from her former wild child days (something we already knew), her upcoming jewelry line with mouawad and maternity clothing line (ditto), and joel. the pics inside are pretty, of course, but nothing we haven't seen already. inside is an ed with sarah lawson (george clooney's gf), eva herzigova plays a political wife whose husband is involved in a scandal in "stand by your man?" by peter lindbergh, plus agnete and anabela by tom munro and malgosia bela by anthony ward.



finally, oscar winner and all around stunner charlize theron looks smokin' on the cover of w. in the article, she talks about being ugly on film and her role in the new will smith movie, hancock. only one other ed, with heidi mount, elsa sylvan, and abby lee kershaw shot in the same environment as theron (and also by craig mcdean).

sjp: fadedyouthblog.com, richie: thefashionspot, theron: wmagazine.com

total lack of super.

last night was the metropolitan museum's costume institute gala for the upcoming exhibition "superheroes: fashion and fantasy." how perfect is that theme! you'd think people would have shown up on the red carpet in capes and masks and their best hero (and villan) inspired outfits (or at least some thierry mugler). instead, many showed up in the same ol' gowns that you'd see at the oscars. the ones that stood out and fit the theme were few and far between.



karolina kurkova has a knack for killing it on the red carpet. this time, she rocked a silver vera wang with just the right drape to show off her awesome body, and accented it with wonder woman-style silver cuffs.



amber valletta also did a liquid metal dress, hers by atelier versace and came complete with "wings." she kept the accessories at a minimum and let the dress stand out.



rachel bilson isn't a favorite of mine, but she looks great in a slinky blue dress from calvin klein.



kate bosworth (with karl lagerfeld) was gorgeous in a vintage sequin embroidered dress from chanel haute couture that echoed a comic book. multicolored metallic sandals and a stroke of turquoise eyeshadow keep it fun.

more gala coverage on nymag.com and style.com...and watch e's coverage on the red carpet on thursday at 8pm est.

pics from celebutopia, style.com and justjared

can't see the forest for the trees.

normally, when a retailer decides to branch out, it means a slight tweeking of a winning formula. american eagle took its casual looks to a more grown-up audience, abercrombie went to the beach and the city, and gap tried (unsucessfully) to bring chic to the forty-something woman (forth & towne). now, urban outfitters, already with anthropologie and free people doing well, has launched a new store concept called terrain. the company purchased j. franklin styer nurseries, a popular garden center in concordville (right outside philly on baltimore pike) and will transform it into "a local garden center into an experience that celebrates the beauty and abundance of nature while offering an eclectic mix of garden-inspired products tailored for the contemporary customer." interesting. so a company used to selling shirts that say "obama is my homeboy" is getting into the home garden business?



along with a cushy lounge serving la colombe coffee, terrain will sell books, garden tools, flowers and plants, plus will continue to offer styer's construction and landscape services. and therein lies the key word..."service." urban outfitters is moving from the retail business to the service business. styer's has a built-in customer base (it's been in business since 1890), and by "urbanizing" it, women who shop at anthropologie or with her kids at urban will now bring her husband to terrain. and unlike home depot or lowe's, which prides itself on being a male haven, terrain will be more female-friendly.

so what's the downside? well there's that nasty thing called a recession that's looming, not to mention the fact that many thirty-somethings (like myself) don't own a home and therefore, don't have need for gardening tools or landscapers. but urban's cfo john keeyes is confident and told the philadelphia inquirer that terrain's customers are "exceptionally wealthy and like to fix up their homes." after the recent closure of forth & towne and the slowdown in retail, i will be interested to see how terrain fares in its new "terrain."

terrain sign by the design lady (aka rachel robertson); inside pic from ohjoy.blogspot.com

view from the bay: the 2008 academy of art spring show.

i attended the academy of art university spring fashion show and awards ceremony last night, and like last year, i was amazed by the talent i saw. in attendence were honorees ralph rucci and james galanos, special guests michael fink (vp and women's fashion director at saks) and cameron silver (owner of vintage couture boutique decades), plus sf luminaries denise hale, tatiana sorokko, willie brown, and others. there wasn't enough time to talk to all the great designers in the pre-show session, but there were some highlights.




kamolrath maneepairoj went to aau as an undergrad (receiving a degree in computer art), but returned to get a mfa in visual merchandising. her jewelry line, gamenn, was inspired by everyday items, like rubber bands and branches.



ronnie escalante had some very interesting sketches of eveningwear...check out the drawing behind him. his collection, which was inspired by boudica, said loved dressing "strong women." i was excited to see his pieces on the runway.



joonhee song was a knitwear major whose inspiration was medieval armor. she had some pictures of a sweaterdress with horizontal ribbed bodice and "scaled" skirt, and a shft made in a charcoal "cone" weave.





my favorite presentations were katie lares, who used soft shapes, interesting seaming, and big bows to create a feminine collection. she incorporated a pastel palette of peach, grey, and pale blues mixed with black and a cool, crinkled irredescent fabric.





alyssa prentice was inspired by geometry, and her collection was very reminiscent of narciso rodriguez with slim herringbone pants, handknit shetland vests, breezy dusters, and a gorgeous asymetrical hem shift with slit neck.





finally escalante's collection was a breath of fresh air. in a sea of all sportswear, he presented some stunning gowns, with plastic beading on an empire waist, a one shoulder jet beaded number with chiffon skirt, and the closer, an asymetrical gown with ruched neckline and beaded bug pin used to drape it up on one side. escalante and prentice's beautiful efforts earned them internships with ralph rucci.

you can check out more of the student work during the aau spring show from may 22 to july 25.

a san francisco treat.

when it comes to my style icons, the traina sisters (daughters of writer danielle steel) are near the top. unlike those other socialite siblings, vanessa and victoria keep it low key, showing up at fashion week supporting their favorite designers (victoria used to style alexander wang's shows and both are friends with jack and lazaro, vanessa styled the video lookbook for the row) and at charity events looking chic and age appropriate.

i was happy to see vanessa featured in vogue paris' une file un style this month. she dishes about her favorite designers (mostly french and proenza, of course), her beauty secrets (hardly ever wearing makeup and ren moisturizer), and her passions and inspirations (photography, styling, and the holy trinity of amanda harlech, camilla nickerson, and katie grand). funny, no mention of carine roitfeld...

check out the article below...thanks to berlin rocks at thefashionspot!

the biggest. the best.

confirmed today: linda evangelista as the new face of prada. one of the best supermodels nabs one of the most coveted ad campaigns, booting miuccia fave sasha pivovarova in the process. the fall campaigns are gonna be great!

pic from bwgreyscale.com