CURIOUSER NEW YORK

This B Brian Atwood Resort 2011 is so damn sexy and seductive and the vibrant colors make a strong statement, encouraging a woman to be more adventures and colorful. Is the desire to be irresistible in style? Always...

Uniqlo for Tokyo... Very often we see fashion brends' contribution to support a great cause: Breast Cancer Awareness, AIDS, natural disasters, etc. You start to appreciate the fashion industry players even more, when you see them do something that is more meaningful to the people and the world than their 'runaways'. And I think they do understand how important is to give out and that luxury and fabulously is not what the life is all about...

They are doing it again! We can't keep up.  H&M is collaborating with Marni for Spring 2012 collection that is set for March 8th - just in time for the International Woman's Day! I wonder if they've planned it on purpose to give a woman such a present?!

Don't you ever wish, if only we could turn the time back and become kids again? - And start believing Santa Clause and elfs again. I do...  Even in the most basic things in life, like window shopping, kids have it 'cutier' - it's one thing to be enjoying Christmas store window decorations, tailored to adults, but it's a complete different feel to enjoy the ones for kids and teens - they seem to be more 'fairy', full of inspirations to really wish for Christmas, snowflakes and Santa Clause. Didn't we all make snowflakes at one point or another in our lives? I did... I used to make my own paper mache tree decorations, cut out snowflakes and make Japanese crane out paper - Origami , as the Japanese call it. (You can learn how to make it here .) Do you remember your very first Christmas? I don't, but nevertheless...

How do you feel about fashion brands becoming messengers instead of being the message? This is the future of the fashion labels entering and playing the social / digital media field. They go, and we follow...

  My HAREM... It's been quite a touchy subject matter for many fashionistas. Many argue that 'harem' pants should be out. However, there quite a few people - [including myself] - who think that it, really, depends on how 'harem' your pants are and whether you can pull it off...

Central Park Reservoir, NYC I'm loving how NYC became so bike friendly over the last few years that I have been away from the city. When I was leaving NYC, one could only spot take-out food guys on the bikes and casual biking crowds at the Central Park. There were hardly any other people biking in the city-city, while now - [to my greatest pleasant surprise] - so many people venture to bike on a daily basis in the city itself. 

Don't take me wrong, even though I might not believe in these things - many people do. And not because I became a bit 'cynical', perhaps, and do not believe in signs anymore, when I used to, but mostly because I believe that every single person is 'responsible' for his/her own luck.

Have you ever noticed how many couples dress alike and/or how one's fashion sense changes over time to 'mimic' the one of his/her partner? I have...  It's rather interesting to see how many couples - [the longer they are together] - start to look alike and/or dress alike that is especially noticeable when they are together. 

It's been one good day today - Sunday, November 28th, 2011 - [or it's been good for someone who likes to photograph people's fashion around and about the city in the weather that permits to shoot without gloves and under the right natural lighting]. I love shooting around Soho...  As I took a stroll in various parts of the city - NYC - I've been amazed how differently one can dress in the same weather/temperature: from puffy coats (aka - parkas) and wool blazers and tall riding and arctic boots to light knits, leggings and sneakers - all on one day. 

I won't be original - [and the only one] - who would say that one of the best things about Christmas time is Christmas Market, or as they call it in Germany, where I've been exposed to my very first old school traditional Christmas market at the age 14 - Weihnachtsmarkt .  Christmas Market, Union Square/NYC. A view from the top. It was in Gottingen, a small German town (here's more on the town from my upclose and personal experience), where I first learned the joy of Christmas market traditions and which - up until this day - I consider the best Christmas markets in the world. I still very vividly recall - as it was yesterday - the smell of freshly made steamy Glühwein (Mulled wine) - [the memory of which is kept by my family in the glasses one can keep for paying an extra .50 Euro], Brätwurst (usually described the way the sausages are made - grilled or pan fried, and sometimes cooked in broth or beer) and Kartoffelpuffern (potato pancakes/cutlets deep frie...

Thierry Mugler's Anniversary Show in 1995 Last week I told you about my visit to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) for Evolution of the Fashion Runways: A Photographer's Viewpoint ~ Maria Chandoha Valentino , a fashion runway photographer, who discussed her more than 20-year career on the runaways around the world. She shared her - inside - perspective on how it all started and the 'evolution' of the runaways shows through her personal experiences shooting runway shows in the top fashion capitals of the world. She talked how both the fashion and photography industries have dramatically changed over the years, and how the standards and expectations of both professionals behind the scenes and those of the designers' themselves can no longer satisfy even the most worldly - and 'have-it-seen-all' crowd - who back in the days were satisfied with a warehouse runaway, and now wanting more in terms of the 'performance' and 'presentatio...

Who said that once you are old, you need to dress old and non-stylish? Quite the contrary. I remember growing up seeing how every morning my grandmother would lay out on her vintage dresser all her make up kits and glue on the fake lashes, put on a blush and apply the rest of make up before heading to work. She still does it at 88 years old, which both amazes me and inspires me to not become one of those old ladies who just let's it all go... That's why, when I spotted a rather stylish, accurately - [as would my grandmother say] - dressed old man, I took a note. There's just something about it that speaks class the 'old way' - the days of Gary Grant. Besides noticing his 'accurate' style, I also noticed how rather adorable than stylish this man was. He kinda reminded me of my grandfather who passed away when I was 13 years old, and who ironed even his socks! I think the fedora hat, the polka dot tie and the rain coat did the trick.

Not a year goes by when I don't stress enough the importance of being 'thankful', especially when it comes to Thanksgiving Day's tradition of 'expressing thanks' - a day that, actually, reminds you to be thankful...  You see, I haven't been born with this holiday's traditions. I, rather, acquired them along the way over the years, and once I did - it seemed very natural to me and my 'foreign' loved ones to spend this holiday with the family and close friends and thank those who matter in our lives and eat the foods that otherwise we wouldn't consume all at once on the same day - at the expense of your skinny jeans. This is - [and, perhaps, Christmas] - the only day that I feel no guilt about mixing all the carbs, protein and fats together...And, you should not as well.

Having been running every day around the Central Park Reservoir , I had an opportunity to 'inspect' and visually memorize the all around views of the upper sides of Manhattan. I've noticed that the Upper East Side of Manhattan (UES) and Upper West Side of Manhattan (UWS) are rather  slightly different from each other, just as the East is different from the West... 

I've always respected Valentino, and not because he created quite a powerful fashion empire - [neither because he owns five pugs - the luckiest, by the way, pugs in the world! And one of my favorite dog breeds] - but also because when a person is inventive in one thing, he would most likely be also inventive in other things, like social and digital media. Surprise, surprise...

A faux fur vest should be part of any self-respected fashionista's wardrobe... Let's face, not many people like cold seasons - [I, personally, have a love-hate relationship with cold seasons] - and we spend all winters wrapping ourselves in everything that makes us warm and cozy, dreaming of summers, beach and bathing suits. However, there are quite a few people who actually enjoy wearing boots, leather jackets/dresses/pants, scarves, hats and gloves - and they wait for the cold season to come to showcase their fall/winter collections. And that includes fur and/or faux fur overalls, which is a must to have despite the fact that not many people know how and when to wear them...

Japanese tourists on Fifth Ave. I like the plaids. It's very cozy. It has a very Fall/Winter feel. However, I wonder if plaids overalls and plaid on plaid looks too much? Perhaps, with a beret, ankle length socks and low cut boots to match adds it a certain ala French peasant look? I've spotted this Japanese girl on the 5th Ave. and I, kind of - [to the disappointment of Anna Wintour, I'd guess] - found it adorable.

My Versace... The day has arrived for all the fashionistas, who are big fans of Versace - the Versace collection for H&M   finally hits selected cities of USA, and the lines of the first shoppers were lining up the night before...

Yesterday, The Fashion Institute of Technology - [aka FIT, as we - the regulars - call it] - held the event: Evolution of the Fashion Runways: A Photographer’s Viewpoint ~ Maria Chandoha Valentino. A fashion runway photographer - one of the veterans in this business - Maria Chandoha Valentino, came to share and discuss her career that has spanned more than two decades. From an insider’s perspective, she talked about her experiences shooting runway shows in the top fashion capitals of the world, and how both the fashion and photography industries have dramatically changed over the years. I was very reluctant to go to this event. I thought it'd be just 'another' lecture of "bla, bla, bla me, bla, bla, bla I'm doing these awesome things...", expecting just to get a few good points in regards to fashion runaways and then leave and go about my business...But, not only I ended up staying through the whole event, but I actually had quite a few questions to ask M...

Fall's colors really make sense when choosing outfits for the Fall and Winter - the vibrant colors and hues of reds, greens, yellows, oranges and browns - is the way to go as both overalls and accessories... I can't stress enough how much I love my morning runs in the Central Park . Regardless of how bad the weather is and how cold it is, the best motivation to get up earlier than - [anyone in the house] - is to visualize the place where you are going for a run - to picture the gold leaves laying around along the Fifth Ave. and in the Central Park, the air's being fresh and crisp, new yorkers adorably-sleepy walking dogs, morning dew still sitting on grass, the park rangers swapping leaves and branches off the wet, exposed ground and the Reservoir's ducks slow waking up, forming circles in search for food... But today was a very special day - opening the Spring planting season!

On my way from a run in the park this morning, I've spotted a very busy looking old lady. But it's not her hurrying pace that caught my attention, rather - her rather 'young' fashionable style. I almost thought it was a girl from shoulders down - [that's how her style would totally work on a young woman]. Khaki rain coat, 'Vuitton' look-alike raining boots, knee-high bright straight skirt and a colorful bag that matches the whole 'gamma' of the look - very urban, yet, at the same time - very Safari. And yet - very British... London Fog anyone? I really digged it and took a few photos.

Last September I was a part of the press team for the Couture Fashion Week New York . As a result, within 4 days of the back-to-back runaway shows of the designers from around the world: India, Turkey, UK, Russia, Lebanon, Spain, Dubai, Peru, Germany, etc. - I shot hundreds of photos, which made the next few weeks of my life both exciting and very stressful. But I did chose the best of the best, which you could see here . This fashion week is a rather unique event. Unlike the already known top designers that are featured during the Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week in NYC, these designers are not as known in USA, but very popular and sought after in their native countries. Of course, I've been pretty subjective to the Russian designers this year, but there is a reason for that...

I've spotted this girl in Soho. I couldn't help myself but noticing the way she put so many different patters and color blocks on one outfit and it all came together in harmony... I always thought that this look not for everyone. I wish I could do it, but with her - it looks amazingly great...

Prada, Soho/NYC Have you ever noticed how much New Yorkers like 'window shopping'?

I already said many times how much I admire a personal style that is unique and on the verge of... shocking - [in a very fashionable sense] - to the others around. I can't seem to get enough of my friend Leonid Gurevich's  personal style. (Check out his blog  here ). Yes - he's a designer!

The first time I've been ever exposed to a flea market - [but I didn't know it was a 'flea' market, but rather a 'vintage' market] - was when I was little... My grandma took me to this local market, where I was very surprised, as a kid, to find out that here is actually a market, where people sell some old stuff - [stuff, I thought, you usually throw away] - worn clothes, tea-marked cups, waxed-up candle holders... And what surprised me the most - there were many people who were actually buying this old stuff.  I turned to my grandma and asked her, why all these people are buying this old ugly stuff - [little did I know that THIS old stuff was more valuable than some of the new stuff out there...] But as a traditional grandma, she explained to me in almost 'fair tale' terms: "Well, you know, this stuff has history. Each of these things has a magic, it carries a spirit of that family, the family secrets, traditions, it might have seen the events...

Central Park Reservoir...Even on a very bad day, the views are amazing.

I'm a big fan of casual-fabulousity...There's something about a person, who has a sense of style to be able to pull a casual - [as it seems] - look and look very stylish at the same time. Those could be the RIGHT kind of sneakers to go with classic-cut pants and oversized scarf. It could be rubber boots with a RIGHT kind of bohemian dress... There's so much to experiment with, and with some people it comes - [again, as it seems] - naturally... This is what I'm talking about - a very cool, very New York, casual style...

Up until this day I'm still perplexed of why so many people wear flip-flops and/or sandals during cold seasons, matching it with the warm overalls, like coats, scarves, gloves, etc.? What's the appeal?  I could never understand - [and, perhaps, never will] - how one could be 'cold' above the waist and 'warm' below the knees? It's either - all or nothing - [at least for me, if I'm cold, I'm cold all the way...]  Maybe you could explain it to me?

Since I've been on a 'part-time parole' for the last two weeks, I've taken the advantage of the situation to do as might of the catching-up with my lover - [a.k.a. New York City] - as possible.  I've been walking around, equipped with the basics to capture the moments that would catch my eye - [that is, with my iPhone and mini Canon cameras] - in hope, they'd do just about magic that I'm looking for...And, they did manage to serve the purpose - [not that I wouldn't like to get my hands on the Nikon D90 and/or Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but that's in my 'things to get' X-mas list, and my parents don't even know it yet, he he he]. But before my Friday thoughts drive me away from what I wanted to say in the first place, here it goes. I had no idea that day by day we pass streets, buildings, garbage bins, stores, cafes, people, cars, etc...and we don't really even notice how much of the RED color is in the city!  When an old m...

A leopard purse from Kate Spade's new collection... Not that I just noticed it, but apparently bags, clutches and purses don't have to come in 'solids'. I guess I have to rethink my collection of bags now. I recently took a look and realized that I'm all 'brown' and 'black' in the bags department, which brought me to realize that I have to give up my 'practical' approach to bags and become more 'adventurous'. 

I've recently started to follow and correspond with the NYC.gov - [no, I'm not saying I've been talking to them in person] - I've been following their Chief Digital Officer on Twitter. Her name is Rachel Sterne, and, apparently, we have a lot in common: she wants to bring the bikes into the city - [make NYC a very bike-friendly place] - I do too! She wants to make NYC digitally-friendly - like give New Yorkers the tools to improve the connectivity and awareness among the residents of what's happening around - [e.g. introducing WiFi everywhere, including parks] - I do too! I'm tired of my lost signal on subway.  Actually, the way she - and Michael Bloomberg - state it, they want to make New York City "the world's leading digital city" - and I do too! Basically, we have a lot of things in common, we practically think alike. So, this is what in 'our' plans:

I'm usually a rather 'baby-indifferent' person, meaning - not that I don't like babies and children, it's just I don't really think about them unless I see my friends' children and/or one of those too-cute-to-walk-by babies on a street that I want to mush around... Other than that, I'm co-existing with the babies and children on the level, where I do not yet notice that I don't have any on my own, so when a conversation among my friends and/or an over-heard conversation with the strangers occurs, where the 'moms' are discussing shopping for baby clothes - I kind of tend to not really participate as I have little idea of what they are talking about... However, recently, I finally got the point of what they meant by saying "Oh my god, I just saw the most adorable baby clothes. I can't believe they are making those for the toddlers. They are soooo cute, I just wanted to buy the whole store. I wish they were making those in my size....

That's right, just as I was about to agree upon my obsession with the sugary - [only God knows how hygiene they are] - street nuts in NYC, the chestnut season has arrived! I'm now torn between the two, which all comes down to the basics - non-sweet chestnuts for the main course, sweet roasted sugar nuts - for desert...I'm basically on a 'nut lunch diet', which does NOT save me any money at all. That reminds me of the days when I lived in Paris, where I've established quite a cozy 'routine' that I called my 'rewards' program: for every French lesson I take, I buy myself a bag of chestnuts.

I fell in love with Uniqlo at the very first sight. It's not a secret that I love clean lines, fabulous simplicity in clothes, uniqueness in details and tailoring, and minimalism looks in general. Embroidered ornaments never did it for me. I always choose simplicity over 'crowded' details - and, in everything - from furniture to clothes. That's the reason that I still dig Gap, which, by the way, has a great fall collection of sweaters, work out / yoga clothes, coats and boots that I couldn't stop myself from not getting last week - [indulging in the idea of where to wear it soon]... See here . Seriously, what's there not to like? So, that's why when I walked in the minimal modern-artsy store of Uniqlo in NYC (Broadway & Spring, SOHO) for the very first time, I instantly felt at home - [and terrified from the idea that my credit card would be seeing a lot of charges from Uniqlo]...

Yes, it's cold, it's very cold and it's getting colder! But, then, again, it doesn't mean you now have to spend all your time sitting at home in front of a portable heater and feeling sorry for the end of the summer... The Fall season is at its fullest force, but it's still leaving us some time to enjoy leaves - [colorful!] - on the trees - [not bare yet!], sunny days and moderate winds... Moreover, with some of us the central heating in the buildings we live in didn't even kick in yet, as if we still should be fine with the temperature outside that is becoming closer and closer to equal the temperature inside...Oh, well, there's always the UGGs :) On this note, I, then, might say that it means it's still okay to wear shoes - [not boots]. And I found the way to do it - [yes, every year I have a hard time letting go of shoes when the fall and winter arrive] - the leg warmers, which, actually, add a certain  je ne sais quoi  to the whole look...

I never thought I'd actually fall for the 'python' pattern. It took me sometime to accept the 'leopard' print, but python?!? That's a first. Never had it, never thought I ever would, but here I am...In python jeans that I absolutely love.

Such a great, great feeling - [no words can explain it...] - to be back to my daily runs around the Central Park Reservoir... This place is a true magic - [one of the Central Park's jewels, truly]... It's a place that offers 'a full package' of good vibe, beautiful sighting all around, clean running paths, 'work out natural stations' and a breath of freshness. Luv, luv, luv it!

'Patterned' girlfriends. On the streets of NYC... 5th Ave. and 86th Street. Pleaded, patterned, leopard, dotted - seems to be THE patterns of this Fall 2011-Winter 2012 street style. Mixing and matching the patterns from top down is a thing to do this season - from dotted hats and overalls to leopard tights and shoes - there's about any combination that you can come up with and be stylish...

It's very refreshing to find out that a shoe designer who is more known for his 6-8" heel shoes is actually making flats  - [and who helped bring stilettos back into fashion in the 1990s and 2000s, designing dozens of styles with heel heights of 5 inch and higher]. I was very surprised to spot the new flat spiked shoes by Louboutin on the streets of NYC. Couldn't help myself to take a photo of them... On the streets of NYC, 20th Street & Park Ave...

Are you ready for the Versace + H&M Collaboration? I am! Braze yourself for a crazy line outside the store when Versace collection hits H&M! I know I will be there with my camera to capture the 'battle' of the fashionistas and, perhaps, some cash. So far of what I've seen - [if to believe that this would be the items that would be selling at H&M - ahhh] - I liked it...I might even join the line of the NY fashionistas myself.

If you feel that your job is hectic, check out a day in the life of the PR Girl for Donna Karan. Here is the look into the daily schedule of Aliza Licht, SVP of Global Communications for Donna Karan.

This black boots (Nine West) and biker's gloves (Urban Outfitters) are proving to be my winter 'combo' of the season. I can easily dress it up or dress it down. You might not think that these gloves can go with many things, but they do!! They so do! I think it - the gloves - reached that point where it’s an ‘everyday piece’ rather than a special piece I only take out on special occasions.

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Each one of us has a certain place that they associate with something happy and/or sad in their lives, but in any of the cases, it's a place that brings certain memories to a person that makes them think and feel...It's part of their life experiences... It could be a corner of some streets, a cafe, or a bus stop...For me - it's NYC's Central Park. The Great Lawn...NYC Central Park. Fall 2011. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it in 1998 when I visited NYC for the first time...But at that point it had no real meaning to me, just a gorgeous green - secluded - the place in the city, which has no real other oasis within...

There is not a better way to mark  - [or, rather, celebrate] - my return to the Big Apple as to make a shopping trip and treat yourself to something very stylishly yummy... I call it - 'a path to reconnecting with all the fashionable sense that New York City brings to the rest of the world' - and so, I did.  Resuming my love affair with NYC... Deep down, I knew, I had too many boots - [this obsession does not seem to go away with the time...] - but on a good note, I shop 'economically' and it helps to know THE places that offer affordable fashionable items of very good quality...

Mark your calendars, dear fashionistas and fashion costume historians!   November 29, 2011 - May 8, 2012 F.I.T. - The Fashion Institute of Technology presents The Great Designers: Part One.

Meet Delfina Delettrez , whose jewelry and accessory designs are making quite some buzz in close circles of very, very fashionable people, because those jewelry pieces are unique and different from all the other ones out there. And as we all know - to make it creatively and stand out from the crowd - one needs to be, first of all, different from the others. Delettrez has met this criteria. She's been designing quite peculiar jewelry that not everyone might like, especially it won't be liked by those who have entomophobia and/or necrophobia. Here is inside the world of Delfina Delettrez's wacky phobic world of jewelry that's been mesmerizing fashionistas all around the world:

There is one man - [well, there are a few men, of course, in my life, whose advice I took seriously; like my dad's, for example...] - whose fashionable opinion I take very serious...He is a world totter, he's been everywhere, seen it all, and find the stylish 'gems' that he swears by...His name is Scott Schuman , the one who's usually sitting next to the likes of Anna Wintour at the fashion shows and whose photo-camera keeps on tirelessly shooting the people who define the street fashion around the world...I, basically, love his work...There - I said it. Anyway, aside from my rhetoric prologue, I'd like to share with you Scott's finds for men - or, as I would say - the finds that would, perhaps, make a man very, very stylish... effortlessly stylish, in a non-gay way...

Long before Kate Middleton became the "IT" royal, fashionable girl and our answer to the 'stylishly classy Britain' - [finally, we could let go of Princess Di and move on to the next British inspiration...] - we started to crave some British...British movies, British actors - [don't even get me started on Colin Firth and Daniel Craig...] - British tea sandwiches, Earl Gray, Kate Moss' unpretentious style, Prince Henry's polo-games, Pierce Morgan's dry humor, Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic's In-Flight Entertainment, Burberry trench coats ...We were becoming a bit of "British" ourselves, admitting it or not - but we were...And the next thing we know, it became hip and cool to wear rubber boots - the once considered 'hideous' trend - the rubber boots became the "IT" boots to have, raining it or not, everyone seems to be wearing them nowadays... [Back in the days, I thought I'd be caught dead wearing rubber b...

The fall colors on the East Coast, and anywhere, where the full frontal fall seasons exist - are the most beautiful thing that could ever happen to the Fall...Red, orange, yellow, green, brown - with a hint of other colors - define not only how we feel spiritually, mentally and physically, but also how we beatify and accessorize ourselves during Fall season.

When I saw this sign upon my arrival - [my return] - to New York, I knew I was home...