'Fashion's Night Out'

Have you ever wanted to hear the musical musings of Oscar de la Renta, or style tips with Alexander Wang and the designers of Proenza Schouler?

Ever wanted to introduce yourself to Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour?

You can do all this and more during Fashion’s Night Out!

The global fashion fest will hit all major cities Thursday, Sept. 10, an initiative hatched by editors and publishers last spring in Paris and then cultivated by all 13 Vogue editions.

Its primary focus: to shop, shop, shop!

‘Fashion’s Night Out is Vogue’s response to the notion that in these challenging times, certain kinds of pleasure, such as shopping, are impermissible,’ wrote Wintour in Vogue’s September letter from the editor.

And with pleasure comes business.

More than 300 retailers (from independent shops to global luxury houses) plan to stay open as late as 11 p.m., luring customers with music, giveaways and special appearances from designers, celebrities, models and magazine editors. Pop-up stores – like the one between Vogue and Macy’s, or Parisian boutique Merci and Gap – will be a onetime shopping experience.

In New York City, Fashion’s Night Out equates to an appearance by Isaac Mizrahi at Bergdorf Goodman and the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte selling clothes literally from a car trunk at their trunk show.

At the Stella McCartney store on 429 West Fourteenth Street, have some vegetarian food from a food truck parked outside and swap eco-fashion tips with Vogue fashion director Tonne Goodman.

Add a free pint to your tab at the Rag & Bone pop-up Irish pub, or a signature frocktail and some free pampering at Tracy Reese.

Aside from giving some much-needed business to retailers, Fashion’s Night Out has teamed up with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Community Trust to host a city-wide clothing drive for the NYC Aids Fund. Stores like Costume National and Dolce & Gabbana will have their own collection bin for new or gently used clothing donations.

Or purchase your own short- or long-sleeve Fashion’s Night Out tee ($30 or $35), with 40 percent of sales benefiting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

For a complete listing of participating stores, visit fashionsnightsout.com

I've marked my calendar. Have you?

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of fashionsnightout.com and vogue.com

'Hide and Seek'

It must be the new recession mantra: that when times get tough, so does the clothing.

Biker jackets and vests, fingerless gloves, leggings and thigh-hugging boots all in leather are arriving in stores in numbers. And with their unwavering popularity, it has me feeling like I’m playing a game of hide and seek.

Not all of the leather is real, either. Designers, armed with a returned sense of responsibility, are using faux leather to keep designs original, detailed and prices sensible.

Big-time retailers like H&M and Urban Outfitters (bottom right) are pushing faux-leather biker jackets in hopes of driving back-to-school sales in the coming weeks. The moto and bomber jackets in prices from $39 to $89 are affordable for most teens and yet, still have enough zippers and grommets to compete with their more adult Saks Fifth Avenue and Shopbop's $803 (bottom left) leather counterparts.

For instant femininity in the office with a touch of rock, wear the jacket over a sheath , mini floral or knit dress. Out on the town? Wear it over a comfy white tee, skinny jeans and colorful ballerina flats.

Extending into home décor, faux leather accents are turning up in the shape of pillows, couches and stools. Cherry, vanilla, chocolate – a set of 18x18 pillows ($29.99) come in sumptuous fall colors that sound good enough to eat. Less than half the price of genuine leather, faux leather satisfies our growing need to lead more eco-friendly lives.

Select a favorite shade (I prefer white or brown) and place on top of the bed or sofa. Looks best when paired with different fabrics like voile and velvet.

Sequined. Sheer. Rhine stoned and gemmed. Appliquéd. The leggings of season past have evolved from ordinary spandex to a hybrid of luxurious fabrics and embellishment thanks to fashion’s best. Miuccia Prada. Missoni. Louis Vuitton.

These designer leggings – now made from unexpected leather, denim and silk top even the snuggest of all skinny jeans. But if you’re rethinking the leather $875 lambskin leggings from Helmut Lang (above left), you should. Juicy Couture (above right) faux leather leggings cost $78.

The best news is that with this season’s faux leather, you can’t even tell the difference.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue; Urban Outfitters; Decor Innovation; Shopbop

'Splish, Splash'

"Splish, Splash, I was taking a bath..."

Come to think of it, when was the last time you redid your bathroom? Not recently, I bet.

What are you going to do if you unexpectedly have a bunch of guests wanting to a’splishin’ and a’splashin,’ reelin’ with the feelin,’ movin’ and a groovin’ in your bathroom? Will they take the party somewhere else if they see your dated bath towels and amenities?

A tight budget is no reason to keep you down. The bathroom is the one room in the house where less is always more.

1. First, stock up on mini soaps, hairbrushes, towels, robes, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Think ‘hotel,’ but with the warmth and comfort your home can bring. Future guests will appreciate the gesture and not feel like they’re imposing should they forget to bring bath essentials.

2. While painting a bathroom a different shade sets the tone, you might not have enough time for a quick paint and dry. Picking a small handmade tile for your wall and inserting it with the rest is the fastest way change the face of your bathroom.

3. Change your vanities and shelving units. Protect your belongings from getting damp or wet in a new vanity – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. When I remodeled my bathroom a few years ago, I replaced everything but the tub and bathroom wall tiles above it. But even with the new flooring and paint job, the biggest difference came from the shelving unit above my toilet and drawers next to the sink.

4. Curtains. From American country, to retro, or beach. Whatever your style or color preference, make sure your set of new curtains can withstand moisture and staining. The curtains should be easy to remove and clean, when necessary.

5. When it comes to applying makeup or shaving, having adequate lighting is key. You’re also going to need a good mirror. After leaning over my sink to apply my makeup in front of the mirror, I decided to place a smaller magnifying mirror next to the sink. Now, no more leaning over the sink and ruining my blouse.

6. The bathroom can be a place for rest and relaxation. Let the candles
take care of the romantic lighting. Use scented oils or incense for aromatherapy and get that bubble bath going!

Splish, splash, now you have a new bath!

-S. Gonzalez


*Photos courtesy of everythingturquoise.com/

Calculators. Pencils. Binders.

When your kids were younger, back to school shopping was pretty straightforward. Now with your child heading to college, you need to start thinking out of the box – out of the Yaffa box, that is.

Without compromising style and personality, decorating a dorm room has to follow these simple rules:
1. Must stick to a student’s budget.
2. Must save as much space as possible (we all remember how small those sardine cans, uh I mean, dorm rooms were).
3. Must be able to move out at a semester or school year’s notice.

When I was in college, I had the good fortune of spending my summers as a bookkeeper in the same craft store I had worked in since high school. With an endless stock of gift items, frames, craft supplies and patio furniture, I had a number of items to pull from.

My inspiration came from a set of patio lights in shiny, pastel-colored boxes like pink, orange, green and blue that I used to decorate the length of my dorm room. Find your inspiration!
Using the colors of the patio lights as my foundation, I selected a set of candle holders covered in a shiny woven fuschia, pink and lilac fabric. My bath/hand towels too echoed the color trend, in bright blue, lavender, yellow and orange.

Bring your most cherished objects and incorporate them into a theme. One of my roommates was an avid music lover, who kept her acoustic guitar by her bed. For me, it meant bringing my sewing machine and my love of fashion design. I had little ceramic mannequin picture holders on a shelf and a calendar on my wall displayed vintage fashion design sketches.

College is a time when your child will make the transition from a teenager to a young adult. It’s important to keep sight of what will always be there – friends and family. You can never have enough decorative picture frames (again, within the boundaries of the color scheme or style) to display photos of siblings, parents, relatives and best friends.

When it comes to saving space, the following items are tested and true: yaffa boxes for under the bed, bed risers, hanging racks, extension cord holders, thumb tack, double-sided tape, foldable canvas chairs and loft beds.

And if it’s your child’s first year away from home – might as well throw in a box of tissues! But just in case.
-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of burlingtonfreepress.com and spokesmanreview.com

'Over the Edge'

Over-the-knee or over-the-edge?

Pre-fall collections have already hit major department stores like Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, prodding its dedicated clientele to spend on the best Fall-Winter ’09 pieces of the season. Investment buying, as we like to call it in the fashion industry, is one sure way to beat the recession blues and jumpstart the flagging economy.

Hottest investment buy: Over-the-knee boots.

First spotted on the spring catwalks of Givenchy, Preen and Rodarte, a variety of thigh-high flats, wedges, stilettos and platforms are now taking up most pre-orders on fall merchandise.

Style icons like Kate Moss, Rihanna, Blake Lively and Hilary Duff sported pairs last winter, wooing fans who once associated the style with the same profession as Julia Robert’s character in Pretty Woman (let’s just say that Roberts was ‘no saint’ in the film).

Designers like Chloë and Stella McCartney have perfected the over-the-knee boot, creating a sleeker version that rivals the aggressive vinyl look of thigh-high boots from yester years. These over-the-knee boots act as a second skin – made of taught leather and with light ruching at the sides for ease.

The shoe adds length to the mini-dress silhouette, looking its best when paired with monochromatic leggings or pants. No longer do you have to be built tall and slender in order to pull off this season’s must-have shoe.

Want to get your hands on a pair? Look for out for these popular styles:

A bit of a wedge. This Pour la Victoire boot looks like a typical riding boot, but has slight wedge heel and two wraparound straps at the ankle and knee. Comes cool gray and black colors. Slips on easily – important when it comes to being effortlessly chic.

The classic over-the-knee boots gets a major makeover. Can’t be afraid of heights if you want to pull off this Colin Stuart 4 3/4-inch heel. This daring platform boot matches suede with leather in a combination that is sure to turn heads.

Talk about having a second skin. This Brian Atwood shoe comes in stretch suede that is as soft as rolling around in a bed of Egyptian cotton. The boot may be just as high as the Colin Stuart, but with a boot as snug as this, I promise you won’t even know it’s there.

Never mind designers going over-the edge. I’ve fallen head-over-heels in love.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of www.batchplease.com, shopbop.com, victoriassecrets.com and saksfifthave.com

'Lap of Luxury'

“How about tea at the Biltmore Hotel?” my boyfriend asked.

The grandiose Biltmore Hotel, with its 93-foot Giralda tower, stood out in my memory while driving past the upper-crust Coral Gables section of Miami as a teenager with my father and cousin.

After a three-year hiatus, I would be returning to Miami to spend a few days in South Beach and to visit my Cuban family and friends. But being that a stop to the coastal city would be a first for my boyfriend, I wanted both of us to experience all new sights and sounds in my little Cuba.

I considered my boyfriend’s request.

The only resort in South Florida recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the Biltmore Hotel boasts the largest 23,000-square foot hotel swimming pool in all the continental United States.

The Biltmore Hotel tops the history books with its legendary cast of characters: Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Al Capone and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were all frequent guests. Hollywood’s original ‘Tarzan,’ Johnny Weissmuller, broke a few world records at the pool during his days as a swimming instructor there.

The Biltmore Hotel was built in the 1920’s during the peak of the Florida land boom by the same great architects that designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver. Their designs drew inspiration from Mediterranean architecture – a fusion of Italian, Moorish and Spanish tastes.

During galas hosted at the hotel, guests would dance on the polished terrazzo floor underneath vaulted ceilings with hand-painted frescos. Guests could sit it out on their own balcony or room – one of 400 rooms in the hotel. The many aquatic shows allowed guests to watch synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties and divers leap from an 85-foot high platform.

The hotel was considered an American Riviera resort of sorts, the jewel of Coral Gables, a ‘center of sports and fashion.’ More than 75 years later, guests can still sit on the lap of luxury in the historic Biltmore hotel.

The arched driveway and 93-foot Giralda tower, modeled after the one in Seville, Spain, greets visitors before entering the rich mahogany-furnished lobby. The travertine floors and hand-painted ceilings remain. The immaculate courtyard and fountain are not far from the 18-hole golf course, also restored to its former glory.

I thought of the Vanderbilts, the Roosevelts and my favorite Hollywood heroines like Judy Garland. I imagined how I might channel some of that old 30’s Hollywood glamour while delicately dipping a Madeleine into my tea, listening to a string quartet play lightly out on the terrazzo.

“Yes,” I told my boyfriend. “The Biltmore sounds perfect.”

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of Biltmore Hotel