Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann photographed by Patrick Demarchelier.

Fashion’s Night Out is one good reason to shop for something good. Like it is said on the website, the countdown has started and you have 24 days left to hyperventilate while planning your night of ping-pong’ing from stores to stores shopping, mingling and sipping Champagne with “petits-fours” with models and designers among others. For its second year, Anna Wintour is doing things grandiose, but actually she did not have much to do this year. The brainchild was so successful last year that almost a thousand (just in New York) retailers and brands have already joined the wagon.

So now the ultimate question is where to be on September 10th from 6pm to 11pm? But going through the 51 pages of events may already give you a headache. To make you happy, I’ve been doing some research and made my chess plan for the night. I can’t promise it, but with this plan you will have the most chance to get closer to your favorite stars and go where the parties and events are hot, but not without having to fight to get a good spot. Anyway, bring friends, as we like to say: the more the merrier.

Rag & Bone and 3.1 Phillip Lim teamed up to co-host a block party with booze and food to give you enough energy for the night. Stop by 119 Mercer St. to see live DJ performers and meet the designers Phillip Lim, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville who will give a presentation of their Fall collection. Makeovers will be offered as well for the lucky ones.

Helmut Lang also is having his own block party outside his store on Washington Street. Harley Viera Newton will bring music for the night, photographer-blogger Cobrasnake and cool activities with uber-prizes are expected. Don’t miss the cocktails served by Death & Company for the second round.

Nicolas Ghesquière will be at his Balenciaga store on 542 W 22nd St. to present his limited edition Cindy Sherman Untitled (Balenciaga) Series. Don’t miss model Karen Elson who will be performing her album “The Ghost Who Walks” at 9pm.

Shop at Ferragamo for a good cause and design your own Salvatore Ferragamo bag with models and guests such as Elettra Weidemann, Alek Wek, Caroline Winberg, Ashley Wick and Arden Wohl. For the occasion, Massimiliano Giornetti will present his first women’s collection with the launch of the highly anticipated W bag that you will be able to customize (if you are not afraid to burn your retirement plan).

Barney’s will be the “plat de résistance” of your night. A troop of superstars such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Daphne Guinness, Julie Gilhart, Simon Doonan, the designers of Proenza Schouler, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte, Alexander Wang and many more will be in the superstore on 660 Madison Ave. Expect a huge crowd for a long night of shopping and marathon in the escalators. It’s time to work out your nudge.

Armani will host supermodel Bar Refaeli who will give you her best advices to be strike a pose and walk like her. Don’t miss your camera, you will want to tag yourself next to Bar on Facebook.

Opening Ceremony will organize a flea market with a Parisian flair in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. The designers of OC will also be presenting their new Fall/Winter collection. The sale includes garments from Agnès B., Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, Deyrolle, Joseph Altuzarra, Keds, Ladurée, Patrik Ervell, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, and more.

If your feet hurt or feel the need of taking a break. Go to the Adidas store on 610 Broadway to attend a yoga class with Elena Brower. Go early to get the chance to get in and you will be covered with gifts.

And if you really don’t feel like going out or you have a good excuse to miss it. CBS will air an hour-long documentary on Sept. 14th at 10 pm to talk about the making of Fashion’s Night Out and its impact on the current industry.

Most importantly, do not forget that Fashion’s Night Out is a night to shop for a good cause, so get your tee shirt and forty percent of the proceeds will benefit The New York City AIDS Fund. Where to find it?

God Bless Anna Wintour!

Sounds like the name Alexander Wang has been in everyone’s mind for the past couple of days. The downtown hipsters’ favorite designer is creating a lot of buzz with two big news (or one that I should still call rumor). First, the rumor of his first store/flagship opening has been spreading all over the fashion blogs but also mainstream news desks in the past month. The redaction at Racked@NYC has been spying over the former Yohji Yamamoto flagship store that is rumored to be Wang’s own space at some point and “yet to be official”. Watch out Alexander, the neighborhood is watching through the peephole!

The second is not a rumor. The release of his first time ever video has been buzzing again all over the fashion news and fashionistas went crazy on the forums giving their approval or most severe critics. Do you care about my opinion? Anyway, you will have it otherwise I would not talk about it. Alexander Wang’s web video in what I call a “risqué” attempt, a format that is hard to categorize in between a thirty seconds advertisement and the short-film that other designers like to develop. The video format itself reveals Alexander Wang’s wisdom to create a buzz via the new digital medium (Note the Fashion industry is still behind digitally), accomplishing where many have tried and failed too many times. Like, or not like, the video, is that so important?

So why not giving my appreciation of this video? In one word, I have found it “ecstatic”. The directors, the music, the theme, Abbey Lee, the wind machine, etc. Everything is juxtaposed to create fifty-four seconds of floating frenziness in my mind. Set in a dark room where everything seems to be chaos, Abbey Lee plays a tantalizing muse wearing different clothes from the Fall line.

This is video is by Craig McDean, creative direction by Fabien Baron, styled by Karl Templer and Abbey Lee Kershaw as the sexy storm chaser.

www.alexanderwang.com

Anna Wintour photographed by Tommy Ton

I just checked the weather forecast and I have to tell you this week is going to suck big ass… Between the temperature that has been rising over the weekend, then the rain tomorrow afternoon and snow coming later this week. In the middle of the week expect huge temperatures rises and drops. Don’t know how to answer to the global warming effect… I wonder what would Anna Wintour wear this week? Ha, never mind, she is probably just wearing a raincoat in London this week.

Model: Alice Gibb - Photographer: Craig McDean

It may have taken me a while to write a note after the loss of the genius designer Alexander McQueen. Despite the tsunami of message of sympathy you could find all over the web, on TV and in the press, it was hard for me to really write about a designer I barely followed. Not that I have been hiding for so long in a cave, it’s just I’ve never wanted to concentrate my attention on McQueen. Back in the days, all I’ve learned in the press about Alexander McQueen is that he was a genius, a freak, a British weirdo that designs crazy and unwearable clothes. And somehow, most of his collections were favorited by Fashion Editors in eccentric, dark and gothic editorials. As a blogger, I had to start giving more attention to his work which led me to cover the extraterrestrial SS 2010 and primitive FW 2010 (menswear) collections. And this is where my young McQueen culture starts and stops, with a high anticipation of the upcoming (canceled) FW 2010 show next week in Paris.

Before writing this post I wanted to go through all the show videos and photos online until realizing that his brightness and creativity will be forever lost wherever he is resting now. Alexander McQueen was and will be probably the only designer able to make collections from scratch with his imagination defying the industry’s needs and economic objectives. Every season, every collection was a fresh wave of creativity, audacity and a clear vision that defined his work and attitude. This is probably why editors worry that the industry won’t be the same anymore. The industry worries that monotonous collections will take over his creativity and that no designer will be able to take over his legacy.

Alexander McQueen certainly left us a legacy in the industry that have inspired today’s designers. Just by looking at what I, and many others, believe is McQueen’s best collection, you can tell how much he inspired many collections and designers after his Fall 2008 Fashion Show in Paris. Right now, Lee Alexander McQueen may be resting in peace in this tree that inspired him in a day when his brilliance had never shone more brightly.

It’s one of these mornings, when the time freezes, wandering on your bed trying to put each chunks of your memories together. When all the things you’ve done become clearer and all make sense. Assembling the puzzle of your vulnerable life on this thin line that will get you to happiness. Time is a river. Once again realizing you can’t go against your nature but traveling through the storms and mountains forges your character. It’s time. Dreams fade away until the next morning.

Iceberg, John Rocha, John Varvatos

When we all thought the fedora was dead after the last Indiana Jones movie, the famous hat is still an accessory that endures across the seasons. Usually men’s favorite millinery, on the Spring 2010 runways I’ve seen fedoras all over and stylishly designed to freshen up your head. Not only intended for men, I’ve spotted some fedora on collections for women on occasions. From the beachside to the office, there is a fedora for everyone.

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After looking at the Spring 2010 boards of collections I’ve been wanting for a couple of months to share this trend I had spotted on the runways. For Spring, designers had had a fascination for youth, not to mention it in a perverse way, but the iconic Lolita spirit was definitely around. With a combination of provocative little-girl frocks, quirky embellishments with floral or crystal embroideries, and innocent accessories like the bow-tie in the hair or the Chanel clogs. Pastel and bright colors, animal and floral prints were all over the place, designers pulled off extremely well what could be the summer’s “heat”.

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Romantic and dreamy promenade on the South Californian seaside, this is what Pendleton is promising us with Opening Ceremony in this exclusive collaboration. Weaving the American spirit, the line is composed of innovative plaid items and native Indian inspired patterns. The highlight of the collection is the jacket wearable as a backpack when you feel the heat is up. The women items are absolutely brilliant and feminine, the bohemian vibe in plaid-style is so well played and the fabrics look so comfortable. On the men’s side, despite the plaid shirt and short over-patterned, all look great – jacket and short would be to try this summer but a mistake to wear on top of a another plaid shirt. Thanks for this summery break, looking forward to see it in the stores (in a few months according to their site).

See the entire lookbook here.

Click to enlarge the pictures

Natasha Poly & Lily Donaldson by Peter Lindbergh

It’s that time of the year you feel totally thrilled about the idea of a new year, the new resolution you are going to make and all the crazy things you look forward to. 2009 absolutely sucked ass however looking at the positive side of the force, fashion has been staying “à la mode” as usual. 2010 will be awesome because I feel everyone’s mojo is getting back.

Here a compilation from “the crème of the crème” to pay a little homage to the year that is ending. Hope you enjoy and looking forward to rocking 2010 with you!

R29: Our Street Style’s Best Dressed in 2009 & The Year of the Boob: The 11 Sexiest Editorials From 2009! (that one is NSFW)

Fashion Indie:  The Ten: Hottest Women of 2009

StyleList: The Best-Selling Celebrity Fragrances of All Time

Bunny Bisous: Best of Events 2009

Papermag:  President Barack Obama’s Ten Best Style Moments of 2009

The Daily Beast: 2009’s fashion highs and lows

Huffington Post: The Best Trends Of 2009 & The Worst Trends Of 2009

Modelina: The Models Who Changed Our Year: 9 of 2009

Run of Show - Photographed by Craig McDean - styled by Alex White for W Magazine

Over the past 2 days, I heard my girl friends constantly flooding me with the same question: “What should I wear for NYE?” My answer was still and will always be the same, even though the fashion stake is at the highest your party outfit shall depend of the type of party, the dress code and obviously the style you feel comfortable in (and I did not include budget this time). To help them, I collected a few links I could find quickly from the web with some outfits inspiration.

The team at Refinery29 put together some great party ensembles and not the usual ones: boyish, sparkling or edgy – here are 4 iconic styles. Another shopping list made by the same team with 19 holiday party dresses to help you outshine any light display.

Style.com gathered the list of outstanding “celebrity” party dresses according to their tastemakers – motto: life is a party.

If you want to rule the red carpet with celebrity sexiness at its best, Elle.com has got what you want if you have the body of sexy-goddess Jolie or the angelic Miranda.

And my last link is this original editorial by W Magazine with 27 dresses all chic, fluid and spring-like nicely photographed by Craig McDean.

My favorite? I have to admit the Chloé silk dress is for-mi-dable.