Manolo's, Ma-no-no's, I Can't Tell

From the wise lyricist and Apple Bottom aficionado, Nelly, you really can't tell that these sandals aren't Manolo's. Newport News is now selling the chic t-strap flat sandals that Manolo Blahnik made popular. A genius- yes, price conscious - no. These pretty babies go for a cool $10, and shipping is even sweeter at $5.99. So, if you're not a socialite and you have a decent head on your shoulders, go to www.newport-news.com and pick up multiples for the summer months.

End Note: As a personal playa hata of flats, I'm reforming after having a visual epiphany of ugly toes on New York streets as the weather warms up. I plan to buy 3 pairs to allow my barking dogs ample recovery time.


Photo taken from: Newport News

Hip Hop Don't Stop

If you're in New York or L.A., the graphic hoodie is nothing new. After seeing 20 somethings pick up on the trend like wildfire, however, this is a signal of a trend that could really make a killing if translated correctly to the mass market.

While casually sipping my Mexican hot chocolate at La Esquina this weekend in SoHo, I snapped some pictures of the hippest looking dudes around. I began to realize that although the colorful and 80's inspired Run DMC style hoodies may have been created for a hip hop crowd, they had struck a chord with hipsters that was undeniable and noticable every block. If you're not familiar with a New York hipster, here is a quick education: Hipsters in New York dwell in the Lower East Side, cite Indie Rock as religion, and swear by vintage. Their prententious style is original yet homogenized, and the dudes are even more into fashion than the gals.

Colorful graphic & 80's inspired graffiti styles first caught my eye this fall, upon discovering the subculture of L.A. young entrepreneurs at the Project tradeshow in Las Vegas, and was further reiterated by H&M, Christian Louboutin, and Juicy Couture this Spring. Even KidRobot has their own graphic hoodies that are now being sold at Barneys alongside Lanvin and Fendi.

If you're looking to be so hip it hurts, snag a pair of rainbow colored Court Forces from Nike's new graffiti art campaign - and hop in that Escalade.

How to feed your graphic need: www.UrbanOutfitters.com for sneaks & www.RocaWear.com for tees, hoodies, & hats.

Christian Louboutin photo taken from: www.Style.com

How High

Much like the business cycle, there is a fashion cycle that moves at the speed of light thanks to blogs like this. It's only logical that after the straight leg will come flare again, and after hip huggers will come waistlines at the actual waist - who would have thunk it!?

I personally would like to thank the 70's for coming back. A higher waist means a goodbye to obscene plumber crack views of normally discreet women, as well as lovehandles - since the extra fabric acts as a corset to hold in and define your womanly curves better. And just think of all the adorable cork wedges and espadrilles you can rock with them while channeling Farrah from her better days!

A word of caution: If you dare to wear high waisted short shorts, counter it out with a tucked in boatneck tee and some demure patent flats.

Photos taken from: Missbehave Magazine & TopShop

Can a Turban be Fashionably Correct?

So when I first saw that Prada was showing turbans for Spring 2007, my gut reaction was that it was ridiculous. This is just my middle-America-raised gut speaking though, and so I retract and contemplate Miuccia's dealings. Miuccia, not so much Prada, has always been an enigma to me, and this is where my love/hate relationship with the turban lies.

Turbans come from various backgrounds, Turkish, Indian, Islamic, Iranian, etc, and are sometimes regarded as sacred headgear, a sign of mourning, and divine right depending on the culture. Maybe I shouldn't think so much into it, but my American gal self would just feel terribly vapid and politically incorrect strutting down the streets of SoHo in one.

Regardless, after being bombarded by those delicious advertisements that strategically pull at my heartstrings, and seeing Rachel Roy rock the chocolate colored one on SocialiteRank.com, I started to crush on the turban. You can imagine my delight when re-closeting a mess of stockings at Vogue, I discovered a bin chock full of gold ones. My delight soon turns to what I feel most of the time at Vogue, however, which is pure envy. So, how do I relieve it? Thanks to the advent of apparel technology and fast fashion, TopShop.com has come to the rescue with a black jersey knit version (shown above) for a lovely £10 or $20.

Will I really sport this on the streets? Time will tell, but I figure you can roll in anything as long as you're confident, in New York, and in your 20's.

Photos taken from: Top Shop & Style.com

Universal Display & Design, Inc.

Universal Display & Design is a showroom located at 138 West 25th Street in New York City.

Now I know that there is a flurry of debate surrounding skinny models & mannequins, but as anyone who does visual merchandising knows, those size 2's weigh more like size 22's.

Back in February the Spanish Ministry of Health agreed to homoginize sizing, both retail and runway, and are implementing larger mannequins for store windows. The new mannequins must correspond to the normal weight of the Spanish population, which is at least a U.S. size 6 to size 14. The average was concluded by polling the Spanish women.

Part of me loves this concept and part of me questions the economic result. It makes me think of why people buy the clothes they do in the first place. Excluding parts of the U.S. where sweats are considered ready to wear, most women choose their clothing based on how they look and feel in it. If I were to walk by Chanel and see a size 8 model in a dress, I'm not sure if it would have the same appeal aesthetically. This is most likely because I work in fashion and live in New York, surrounded by media at every angle, but I wonder if the clothes will really sell themselves on plumper mannequins? Secondly, if in Spain the mannequin sizes are increasing to a max size 14, I wonder what it will come to in the U.S., where obesity is arguably much greater. And for that matter, will Americans have even less motivation to eat healthy and exercise when presented with mannequins that support the fact that we're all enormous?

In the end, though, it is in the best interest of our daughters and granddaughters to put business aside and start concentrating on changing beauty ideals - because I sure as heck know there is no Chanel dress in my near future.

Welcome to Paradise, Ladies.

This is me! (and the boyfriend) chillin chillin at Bar 13 in Union Square a couple of weeks ago. Notice the Lucite bangles? You better, clear is the new patent and patent was the new metallic. Which brings me to the introduction: My name is Jenny and I would die for fashion. Well, I wouldn't die, but it consumes most aspects of my day-to-day life. I'm a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY, majoring in Fashion Merchandising Management. Come May, however, FINITO! Unlike most of my peers, I've managed to graduate in 4 years by jamming semesters of 21 credits together and somehow surviving. I'm currently an intern at Vogue. Yes, Vooogue. And no, it's not like the Devil Wears Prada - and you will not be the first person to ask. I also work at an upstart accessories company, eenamaria, and do freelance showroom styling for Universal Display & Design. I'll list some pictures to better explain. Last but not least, I have started this blog because I love watching trends and love seeing how they're interpreted, especially on the mean streets of New York. So hopefully, this blog will serve as a kind of trend forecasting via street style service that will not charge you gazillions.