A (sort of) New Yorker's take on fashion.

The September Issue.

The Wall Street Journal

“There is something about fashion that can make people very nervous,” Anna Wintour, the chief editor at Vogue, explains in the ninety-minute documentary “The September Issue.”

Perhaps, it is the high priestess of fashion herself that puts everyone on edge when it comes to fashion, as we have seen in Meryl Streep's depiction of her in the "Devil Wears Prada."

However, this documentary, which follows the Vogue editor through the drama of piecing together the 2007 September issue (the most coveted issue of the year), shows a softer, funnier version of Wintour that will make any fashion fanatic adore her.

This documentary allows us to follow Wintour and her top-of-the-line fashion team around the world to London, Paris, Rome and New York as they put together the fattest issue (over five pounds in weight) of Vogue to date. I adored watching the Vogue entourage travel to Versailles and Rome -- places I visited while living abroad last year. The dream world of Vogue appears more tangible after experiencing these places first-hand -- the places are just as glamorous as the garments being modeled.

My roommate Brie Colangelo -- a California native -- introduced me to this documentary last summer. She discovered this documentary from a review in "Entertainment Weekly."

"I am not a fashionista in any sense of the world," Colangelo said. "But I enjoy fashion and I enjoyed this documentary. I am not one to spend a lot of time on my fashion, but this documentary definitely made me think more highly of the fashion and how much work goes into an outfit -- not to mention a fashion magazine."

Colangelo said she was very impressed and has more respect for the world of fashion after seeing this documentary.

"I really enjoyed this documentary because it gave us a behind-the-scenes look at Vogue and how Anna Wintour works and decides what fashion is in or out," Colangelo said.

The documentary also introduces us to Wintour's family life and we meet her daughter, Bee Shaffer, who does not share or understand her mother's passion for the fashion industry.

"Some valid points are made about how fashion is viewed by both fashionistas and those who believe fashion is unimportant and not influential in the world."

Either way, the fashion, the drama and the glamour of "The September Issue" will leave you drooling.

New York continued.

Hello all!

Unfortunately this will be another short post because I am still updating from my Blackberry. I was at a journalism conference all day and wandered around Chelsea, the lower East Side, NYU and Greenwich Village. While I was at a small diner in Greenwich Village, Daniel Vosovic from Project Runway sat behind me. You guys, I just about died! I was very tempted to ask him for an interview for my blog, but could not interrupt his dinner with several friends. Tomorrow the Westboro Baptist Church is protesting outside my hotel in Times Square. Also the keynote speaker is the daughter of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church. It's going to be really interesting and probably frustrating.

On a lighter note, I will be sitting in on an Associated Press meeting. I know this has nothing to do with fashion, but I am freaking out!

Anyways, I definitely enjoyed the fashion of Greenwich Village because it was less touristy and more New York, if that makes sense. The girls had their own style of tights, boots and hats. This is the New York I've been waiting for.

new york, new york.

In the city that never sleeps, neither do I. I left Portland early this morning to jet off to New York, the fashion capital of America and my dream destination since as long as I can remember. I feel that this is somewhat of a pilgrimage, though I am here for reasons other than fashion (a journalism conference, if you are dying to know).

Though I have always dreamed of venturing to New York, it does and does not meet my expectations.

Where is all the fashion? Perhaps all the fashionitas were busy with their social lives or hiding from the tourists of Times Square. Perhaps Gossip Girl and The Real Housewives of New York exaggerate the glamour of the Big Apple? This is probably the case. However, I have realized that the stereoypical New Yorker tends to have an attitude, and with that attitude comes six inch stilletos and a fur coat.

My apologies for a lack of a post. There appears to be a lack of wireless internet. Thus, I must scrammble in between my meetings to update from my Blackberry. Please expect more updates later today, as I will be headed to Greenwich Village tonight.

an ode to Jackie Kennedy style.

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google images

During the early 1960s, Jackie Kennedy was a fashion icon for many women. She enlisted Oleg Cassini to design her wardrobe when her husband was elected president of the United States. Cassini designed nearly 300 looks for Kennedy. 

Cassini, a French-born American designer,  originally worked as a costume designer. Cassini grew up in Florence, but visited Paris twice a year with his mother to study French fashion. In later years, he moved to New York and eventually Hollywood. 

Kennedy's style was elegant, yet simple. She wore pieces that were tailored, geometric and decorated with large buttons. Many women copied the "Jackie" look by donning pillbox hats, above-the-elbow gloves and low-heel pumps. However after her time in the White House, her style changed dramatically. Her conservative First Lady clothes disappeared and she started to wear wide-leg pantsuits, headscarves, large sunglasses and gypsy skirts. Her clothing was also bright in color. 

Not only did Kennedy wear Cassini, she also wore Chanel and Dior. 

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was the inventor of the "little black dress," quilted handbags and the tweed suit. Chanel grew up in an orphanage during the late 1800s. Though she never married, she had several lovers and eventually obtained the funds to start her fashion empire. She shortened the hems of skirts to just below the knee (this was long before Courreges instituted the miniskirt in France) and made costume jewelry fashionable. According to Werle (author of "50 Fashion Designers You Should Know"), Chanel was not the first to reject the corset in her designs (Poiret and Vionnet had previously done so), but it was ultimately she who banned this garment from the wardrobes of the world. 

During World War II, Chanel stopped production of her clothing (as did most other French designers). However, in 1954 at the age of 71, Chanel made her comeback. 

Christian Dior, yet another French designer, took his wearers into the past. His evening gown creations used up to 40 meters of fabric. Chanel is quoted as saying, "These heavy, stiff dresses that don't even fit into a suitcase--ridiculous! Dior doesn't dress women, he upholsters them." However, Dior said his aim was to "make elegant women more beautiful and beautiful women more elegant." 

Dior proved to be successful, and by 1950 he had as many as 1000 dressmakers working for his fashion house. In only ten years he created 22 collections, and changed the silhouette of his designs each season. As many designers abolished the corset, Dior brought it back. Chanel's answer to this was tweed suits, quilted bags and the "little black dress."