Author: jess-stein

Autumnish

October 1, 2008

photography Patrick Clinton
make up and hair Leo Oley for Macpro
models Ola and Alesia (Muse Models)
stylist Cheryl Gray

There’s something non-committal about the Autumn season. Recently the weather has left many confused. It’s not quite warm, it’s not quite cold, nor on its way to cold. That’s the case at least in the mid-atlantic and north east. Maybe its due to global warming. Others around the world have noticed the trend as well and so they state that the weather is not Autumn, but Autumnish. It’s not a word you will find in the dictionary, its a recently created word. When photographer Patrick Clinton came to us with these photos editors all stated that the photos reminded them of Autumn but in that same non-committal manner. It was very… Autumnish.

jess-stein

The Seasonal Shift

August 2, 2008

Fall’s arrival worries most fashion designers. The issue is not whether it will come but more a matter of when it will come. The doubt is stemming from recent seasons when change in whether refuse to come on time or it came too late to truly capitalize. In some regions the season came and went with a whimper. The winter season seemed more like fall and all the articles of clothing constructed for the seasons went unsold. Some designers attributed the lack of a defined seasonal weather change to the advent of global warming. Designers in New York were the most vocal in their complaints about sales being affected. The sales were down because of the exceptionally mild September and October months.

Some designers have decided to address the matter by creating collections that mirror the season. Those in search of the next in fashion for the season may be surprised to find that fall collections are only slightly modified versions of Spring/Summer items. The reason for this change is that designers have taken global warming into account and have adjusted their collections with that in mind. Heavier fabrics for fall are being replaced with items that can be worn in warm weather. Lighter colors are also part of the fashion landscape where at one point wearing white after Labor Day was fashion heresy.

Now white after Labor Day is part of the stylish uniform and there seems to be no end in sight. A visit to NYC fall fashion week this past February revealed even more in the way of the lighter colors free flowing fabrics and a silhouette reminiscent more of Spring. What trends can you look forward to this fall?

Equestrian Love: Get the riding boots out. The season calls for them and jodhpurs, beige pants (yes beige for Fall) with some cropped leather jackets. All that is missing is a pair of stirrups.

Velvet Means Soft: Look forward to wearing light velvet looks. Light and velvet tended to be mutually exclusive words but in the age of global warming they go hand in hand. Missoni went in that direction with great success.

Not Mini – Maxi, Skirt that is The Maxi skirt with a pair of slouchy boots held court during Chloe’s fall 2008 presentation and you’ll be hard pressed to miss this one for the season.

Pleats Please Don’t miss the memo, pleats in your skirts are la rage. They are fun, flirty and can take your fashion admirer’s breath away.

The Czars would be proud Russian inspired fashion for fall means that communism is worn away. The styles are filtering through albeit some twenty years later. Joanna Mastroianni hasn’t abandoned it completely and Donna Karan took Russian dolls and made them into life sized creations.

The weather may surprise us all and take a turn for something colder than expected, and fashion designers may be ready for that in future seasons. As of now, the Fall is looking like a cooler version of Spring, dress accordingly!

jess-stein

Brighton Memoirs

July 1, 2008

photos– Anne-Marie Michel
fashion editor — Aradia Crockett
hair– Daminie Hutton
makeup– Sandra Cooke

model– Kamil from Bookings Models London

There are beaches in London! No really there are! Yes it rains a lot and the food… well. But there really are beaches in London and you can actually swim in them. With that we took a photo crew and sent them to find these elusive beaches. Some in New York exclaimed that the searches for a beach in London is akin to searching for the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. Though our team in London was subject to ridicule, finger pointing and abusive phone calls, in the end, the proof in the photos meant that New York would have to eat it’s words. And then we woke up from a dream and realized, there are no beaches in London. Not a one. Not even a tiny one. New Yorkers can still be proud of Coney Island, Manhattan, Jones and any other of their dreaded beaches. We’ll keep the light on for Brighton because that’s the closest Londonders will ever get to having a beach in their city even if it’s miles and miles away. Brighton takes on a whole new meaning for the folks back in New York.

jess-stein

The Pirelli Calendars

April 2, 2008

Richard Avedon, Peter Lindbergh, Annie Leibowitz and Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott are all names that command direct attention when in the photographic sphere. All have done works that are marveled at, fawned over and literally lectured about in schools everywhere. With such a prestigious lineup it is hard to believe that they were once associated with the T&A spectacle that is the Pirelli yearly calendar. But this is no average T&A. This is an art form. For decades (going back to the 60s) the Pirelli calendar has been a staple of high fashion and lipstick models. The 2007 edition was shot by Inez van Lamsweerde.

The 2008 edition was shot by Patrick Demarchelier and features ultra super model Agyness Deyn among others. Our retrospective concern is the 1970s. Shot by a variety of photographers including Brian Duffy (1973) and Sarah Moon (1972). The 70s edition of the Pirelli calendar reflected the nuanced upheaval of the decade. Coming out of the constant bombardment of the 60s and into a drug induced hangover in the early 70s the sporadic calendar of that decade went from beauty, to harsh reality. The beauty took on a Victorian heir in the Sarah Moon shot 1972 version and went a complete 180 in the Brian Duffy makeup spectacle that was the 1973 version. Luscious lips, heavy sky blue tinged eyes created a surrealistic embellished look from 1973 inevitably seeped into the 1974 Hans Feurer shot calendar.

The tradition carries on today in Pirelli’s exuberant 2008 calendar, but forgetting Sofia Loren in the same calendar of yesteryear is akin to forgetting fashion itself.

Online: PirelliCal.com

jess-stein

Oral Pleasure

April 2, 2008

Believing makeup company’s promises is akin to believing that a politician will do exactly as he/she says when running for election. The key is to read between the lines. Will the mascara truly enhance the eyes? Will the blush enhance bone structure? Will the New York governor admit to any more sins? No? Ok well then some investigative work will have to be done. While we can’t bug a politician’s office or bedroom (though we doubt there’s much of a difference), we can experiment with several makeup products with reckless abandon. This month the focus is on lips and the various new items out. Some fall flat on their promises and others have completely taken over our bathroom closets.

Calvin Klein’s Lip Plumper

There’s absolutely no doubt that Calvin Klein has no idea what this lip plumper is like. The designer is so far removed from the same brand that carries his name it would be surprising if he knew that he carried a lip pumper at all. The company does, and it is a godsend minus the excess shine. Klein’s “Fully Delicious Sheer Plumping Lip Gloss” is simply one of the better gloss/plumpers on the market. The promise of fuller looking lips is enhanced specifically through the shine. Dab a little at the top and work it all around. In minutes there’s this voluminous shine that gives the illusion of plumper lips. While no one will confuse you with Angelina Jolie, the plumper does have its’ merits. There is such a thing as being too shiny and that could be a byproduct of the greasy feeling that this gloss has. But it is not so overwhelming as to dissuade a tryout or even purchase. Verdict Definitely worth it.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect

Here’s how you do a lip gloss without having that aforementioned greasy effect. Dior’s Ultra Gloss Reflect lip gloss is shiny, it’s not attempting to be a plumper and a gloss all in one. This product is unambiguous in what it is trying to do. It is a gloss that comes in 16 different colors. Dior even has darker colors that reflect all the different shades in which women come. The true shine effect that you get from this is not slippery. It also lasts a good 4 hours without starting that whole dry cracking process. A recommended product that comes in a little hefty at $24.50.

Nars Lipstick

If you were to purchase one lipstick for the Spring, this is it. Nars describes this lipstick as “a pure creamy lipstick formula.” Though the lipsticks come in a variety of pastellish colors there’s also deep colors that help out for more boldness. What you really love about the lipstick though is that it lasts an extremely long time, Let’s say you were to put it on under Spring weather conditions (between 50 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit) you’ll find that it would last for just under 8 hours. The range of colors is also astounding. I’ve counted 23 different colors, but there are tons more. This is simply one of the top lipstick products out there. It is somewhat expensive at $24, but it’s worth every penny. Available at Sephora.

Stila Lip Rouge

The Stila Lip Rouge pens are essential if you are looking to add a certain degree of fullness to your lips. Simply line the lips with this “marker”. It actually works best with lipstick from the brand as the colors match other colors already in their product line. The design of the nib (tip) also helps getting the fullness aspect of your lips perfect. A great product at $20.


Laura Geller Lip Spackle

Laura Geller’s Lip Spackle is exclusively available at the Sephora site. The truth about this product is that we really enjoyed using it. “We” meaning everyone at the Papierdoll offices. You use it like a primer very similar to a first coat of paint. The purpose of the product is to give a longer lasting moisturized feeling on the lips. It also plumps up the lips very similar to a plumper. The difference with this is that you can actually add lipstick after putting this lip spackle product. It is available for $21.50.

jess-stein

Inside Out: Spring '08 Underwear on the Outside

March 3, 2008

If fashion were a living sentient being it might be bored right now. It might say to itself, “I’ve done it all and feel as if there’s nothing left to do.” That is, until Marc Jacobs decided it was about time that underwear was worn outside of clothing. No more hiding that beautiful bra or those panties or that garter, the world needs to see what you have and so the pied piper of fashion began the trend (for this season at least) and many others followed. Many noted the absurdity of the Marc Jacobs Spring collection. A reviewer said something to the effect that the emperor, read Jacobs, had no clothes and his panties were showing both figuratively and somewhat literally.

Fast forward a couple of months and the verdict is almost close to being unanimous, showing a bra strap or two is the must do thing for the season. Not only is Marc Jacobs saying it, so it Nina Ricci and Christian Dior. The negligees are out getting sunlight and it’s a-ok. The truth is though that while Jacobs, Dior, Ricci and others pursued it aggressively with their Spring collections, retailers and imitators at large are going to do what they do and tone it down somewhat. The influence is their though and the anticipation to see what one has underneath will become less of an issue because underneath may not exist after this mini-revolution.

The winners stand to be lingerie designers like Agent Provocateur, Aubade, and Coco de Mer. Their high end offerings mean that the $150 bra will be shown to the public if only as a strap. The other winners are the designers of course, material cost for bras and panties are much less than creating a complete ensemble. The bigger picture of course is the type of look that will be seen in fashion forward cities. Thoughts of women parading around in nothing but their skivvies are sure to give conservatives a reason to complain, but the complaints will be without merit. The over exaggeration of almost nude women walking the streets is a fallacy. The lingerie looks are sure to be complementary to any ensemble. So a blouson may subtly hide a bra strap, while giving a glimpse only in the slightest of terms.

To be sure, the trend of wearing underwear on the outside partially or in total is not a new thing. Madonna did it in the 80s, the flapper girls did it in the 20s and as not-so-long-ago as in 2005, Prada as well as Comme Des Garcons and even Betsy Johnson had mild forays into this territory. So this is quasi revolution is long in coming. Will it help the self esteem of the woman wearing it? Maybe/Maybe not. But the reports of the end of society as we know it due to this trend may be a little on the premature side.

jess-stein

Scents for Spring

March 3, 2008

Uncorking a favorite bottle, decanter or weirdly shaped candle of a new fragrance can truly be a singularly wonderful experience. The bouquet of a scent, its ability to bring back faint memories or try it out on a significant someone is worth the price of admission. This month we look at 3 scents for Spring that will part the seas, open the person wearing it to thoughts not remotely imagined before and enlighten. That was all hyperbole, but the point should not be lost: these Spring scents are an important part of any woman’s perfume collection.

8 88
by Comme des Garcons

This new scent stays away from the floral themes of past Spring. It in fact is not meant for a particular season but more as something that can be worn year round. It just so happens that it is a recent perfume and definitely deserves a certain degree of attention. The scent is initially strong and unmistakable. The miracle happens after the first inhalation. We’re talking a softening of the scent, it is almost as if it is settling into your natural scent almost as if homeostasis is being reached. What kind of scent do you end up getting? You end up with geranium, saffron and notes of amber that waft upon the first couple of seconds of wear. This perfume is not for everyone. Comme des Garcons innovates and so you end up taking a leap of faith that this scent truly will work for you and you really will love it. The mechanics behind the scent works so does the ideology behind the perfume. It is not love at first sight, but something meant for the longer term.

Chloe (Eau de Parfum)
by Chloe

A dry spell best describes Chloe’s perfume efforts for the past 3 years. There has been nary a peep from the French fashion house on the scent front. Then all of a sudden, as if by magic, the company releases an Eau de Parfum. Again this is not expressly a Spring scent as it can be worn any season with compliments coming from everywhere. But for the purposes of Spring we’ll take note and be happy for doing it. It’s a good thing that this scent can be found at Chloe stores and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York primarily. 10 seconds with the perfume girl spritzing a card or worse, you, is not enough to truly appreciate what was done with this scent. A mixture of cedar and lychee with rose undertones makes this a unique experience that you will cherish for any season… Hint: buy it for the Spring. It retails for $110 2.5oz.

Laura Biagiotti Donna
by Laura Biagiotti

The Italian fragrance queen graces us with a very unique scent this season. Although the scent debuts this Spring, this is also another year round perfume great for any occassion. As a matter of fact after the initial whiff it may be decided that this perfume is best left for the darker months (December, January, February). That is truly the byproduct of having a mixture of the white musk and white pepper notes. But don’t let that confuse you (as well it should not), the undertones of white orchid and jasmine more than make up for what may initially seem like an overpowering scent. There’s also tones of black currant, prune, peach blossom and sandalwood cedar. One would think the maker threw all these scents into some sort of wicked cauldron to get this product as-is, but there is genius inherent in he design. The perfume is available as a body product and an Eau De Parfum.

jess-stein

Head to Toe in 2008

January 2, 2008

This year our beauty resolution is to make sure that we focus on the whole body. 360 maintenance is the key to getting exactly what we want out of being beautiful from head to toe. Because beauty doesn’t simply end with facial features, it’s time to look at the overall body and the things that can be done to get it looking if not at it’s best, close to it’s best.

Skin – Complete skin care means using the right skin products for not only the face, but for the hands, arms and feet as well.
Our Resolution: Using water based moisturizers (as opposed to oil, and moisturizers with fragrance or alcohol). The beauty experts say that within two months the results (real results) will be apparent.

Hair – Beginning the healing process. If you have colored your hair, used a shampoo or conditioner with which you are not familiar or have done some other ungodly thing with your hair, it’s time to start over. It’s time to start from scratch.
Our Resolution: Using Hamadi’s Healing Serum. You can wash, lather, rinse and repeat but by the end of the day, we want hair that is ready for 2008 and anything it brings. So before coloring this year, before getting the cut, before putting any additional chemicals in your hair, use this all natural organic serum to get things back to base. Then you can start using all the other products that get your hair in experimentation mode. You can find the product here

Feet – The feet are unbelievably important for obvious reasons (you stand on them and expose them in the summer) and we may have neglected them before, but not this year. This year is different. This year we will take care of our feet and we will get them looking absolutely gorgeous. Our Resolution:Get a massage, slough off all the dead skin under your feet, wear comfortable shoes during the cold weather and then put on the heels once it starts getting warm. These are all personal ideas but let’s look at them one by one.

-Keep the skin on your feet soft by using a foot moisturizer. Yes, they make them and they come in all shapes, sizes and scents. Use the moisturizers at night especially before you go to sleep to get beautiful, wrinkle-free skin.

-Wear comfortable shoes. The doctors will tell you you should always wear comfortable shoes. Who are we kidding? Comfortable shoes usually mean ugly shoes. Still, find something that you feel absolutely fine wearing aesthetically and start wearing it. Your feet will absolutely love you for it. Once the summer months hit, you can break out the heels and wear whatever you want. Though keep a pair of flip-flops handy at all times.

Strengthen your toe-nails. Use nail natural nail strengthening products to get your nails ready for prime time. A product that we love here in the office is the Bioquick Cream for Nails. This product contains lactic proteins and amine acids that will help the nails grow properly and strengthen them.

All these resolutions will help get you rolling for the year that is 2008. It’s time to be beautiful once again.

jess-stein

Karl Lagerfeld Knows How to Throw a Party

June 15, 2007

I apologize for the long title, but I simply had no other way to describe Karl Lagerfeld’s runway show this past may. It was a great time sitting there and watching his collection at Santa Monica Airport. Security was tight enough that one would think we were actually getting on a plane.

And there was no reason to believe we weren’t getting on one because Lagerfeld took those in attendance for a ride. With the sun getting ready to bid adieu, two small jets with the Chanel logo taxied into the hangar and gorgeous models wearing his cruise 2007/2008 collection sauntered down the literal runway.

They wore smoking jackets, 70s style stewardess uniforms (sidebar anything 70s is going to look super cool at this point), and I won’t even get into the bags that doubled as dogs. Bernard Arnault would be rolling over in his grave if he were dead and knew the expense this spectacle must have cost. But who are we kidding? This is Lagerfeld and if the man who doubles as a vampire (I kid and I love) wants to spend lavish money and hold a fashion show on a runway it’s his prerogative.

Just to get to the party theme and retread a bit…I marvel at how awesome is was to have two jets roll up a runway and have models dressed in designs mimicking stewardess uniforms. After reading John Colapinto’s opus in the New Yorker on Lagerfeld it’s there’s no need to guess where Lagerfeld’s ideas come from.

One thing is certain, the man knows how to throw a party.

jess@papierdoll.net

jess-stein