On The Cover Maddy Ruff

David Fernan, a native of Buffalo, returns after more than25 years in south Florida. While living in Ft. Lauderdaleand Miami, David established himself with fine modernand antique furniture shops and art galleries. His busi-ness catered to premier clientele as well as the film andcommercial advertising industry. He has worked on nu-merous films, music videos and advertising providingstyle and prop expertise. His Buffalo gallery is availableby appointment to the trade and public, by appointment.

Born and raised in Buffalo, After obtaining a degree inJewelry Design Lucy moved to Florence Italy where sheworked in various aspects of the Fashion Industry. Design-ing jewelry, belts and accessories for Italian Handbag de-signer Gianfranco Lotti and Fiorucci. After 15 years in Italyand extensive world travel Lucy moved to New York cityand managed a jewelry store on Madison Avenue forMauro Vanzi a Florentine silversmith. During this periodLucy worked for Macys as a freelance Stylist and traveledto various locations for all their catalogue fashion shoots.Now in Buffalo she keeps busy running Moda Vintage aunique shop on Hertel Ave.where her life long passion forone of a kind treasures continues. Still actively involved inthe local Fashion Scene, Moda supplies local filmmakers,photographers and Fashion Stylists with props and acces-sories. As well as being a member of the Fashion Maniacshe has worked as Wardrobe mistress for local film pro-ductions and commercials.

www.hollywoodmakeupartist.net

Dani Weiser is a professionally trained Hollywood makeupartist who has worked extensively in London, Los Angeles,and New York, where she now resides.

In 1992, Dani graduated from the highly respected Com-plexions International and Greasepaints makeup schoolsof London, England. While obtaining her makeup artist cre-dentials, she began work on the critically acclaimed inde-pendent science fiction film, Hardware.

During the next few years, Dani was a makeup artist onseveral prestigious films, commercials, print ads, andmusic video projects, including videos for the bands Spaceand UB40.

In 1997, Dani moved to Hollywood, California, where shecontinued her career as a first-rate Hollywood makeupartist. She worked on numerous impressive projects, in-cluding Beverly Hills, 90210, and the Balthazar Getty/PeterWeller/Rebecca Gayheart feature film, Shadow Hours.

Dani has shared her expertise as a makeup artist by work-ing as a teacher at the Cinema Makeup School of Los An-geles. She recently lectured to the Department ofPhotography at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)in New York. Dani also penned the forward to the 2008book, Stage and Screen Makeup by Kit Spencer.

Skilled in many facets of makeup artistry, including periodmakeup and special effects, Dani Weiser is available forthe following:

Film• Television• Music Videos• PrintTeaching and Lectures • Weddings and Events

For information on rates and availability, please call DaniWeiser, Hollywood Makeup Artist, at

(716) 348-1239 or e-maildaniweiser@hollywoodmakeupartist.net.

f a s h i o n m a n i a c . c o m

Buffalo Photo CD, based in WesternNew York, was founded and estab-lished by Terry Wherry.Although Buffalo Photo CD was estab-

lished in 1999, Terry has been photographing since 1974.Prior to Buffalo Photo CD, Terry was first introduces to com-mercial photography through Calspan Aeronautical Labora-tory and then moved to become the Chief Photographer atSumma Graphic. Terry, an avid cyclist, sailor and sports en-thusiast has competed in various sports and has coachedand taught over the years in these disciplines. With over 30years of photography and color separation services, Terry

continued to dedicate his talent to athletics photography.Buffalo Photo CD/ Terry Wherry Photography is recognizedas the official photographer of many major marathons andregional events including: New York City, Seattle's Rock &Roll, Nissan Niagara Marathons as well as other major roadraces. In addition, Buffalo Photo CD/ Terry Wherry Photogra-phy's work is viewed all over the world through major runningmagazines, various websites and other publications.

Terry WherryBuffalo Photo CD716-536-3022

I have been doing hair professionallyfor 6 years. Known for my work in thefashion industry including photoshoots and runway. I can turn any-one's hair into an absolute work of art.I see hair and fashion as having noboundaries. It is limitless! I haveworked and completed many educa-tional classes in New York City, the"fashion capital of the world." Now that

I am in Buffalo, Chez Ann Salon, voted #1 salon inArtvoice has also allowed for me to take things to a newlevel. Fashion Maniac is a great way to stay creative andup to date with current trends and I am so happy to bethe hairstylist for all of the shoots!

f a s h i o n m a n i a c . c o m

More information and photos from ourFashion Maniac Team coming soon!

Is Something Missing?

Stephanie Luksch Lucy Mancuso

With a commitment to creative communication, Jim Breidenstein has been involved in countless promotionalprojects throughout WNY. As the founder and organizer of the charitable fundraiser, Buffalo Chilifest, theBuffalo Monsterfest as well as former editor of Hard Tales Magazine, Jim has expanded his skill set to includehigh impact graphic design, web design, music composition, recording and video production.After working in the commercial print industry for 20 years, Jim has maintained a viable, successful independ-ently owned design/marketing business for over 10 years. Throughout this time, WebArt Designs and hasbeen a contributor to the success of many of downtown Buffaloʼs most notable nightclubs, restaurants andtheatres. Jim is also the music director for a number of TV and theatre projects produced by TCT TV fromMarion, IL with a studio in Orchard Park NY including writing the musical score to the soon to be released,“Race to the Finish” appearing in select Dipson Theatres beginning February 24, 2011.Jim is excited to be a part of Fashion Maniac Team and is look forward to help bring an enjoyable online read-ing experience to all who flip through our digital pages.

f a s h i o n m a n i a c . c o mKimberly Cohen

Kimberly Cohen BioKimberly's love for fashion and modeling landed herinto the entertainment industry. This fondness firststarted at a very young age, which groomed her ca-reer as a model. Modeling made it easygoing to takecreative control with casting . Her quest for PR andMarketing, with continuing education in advertising,led her to Fashion Maniac. "I am continuously gain-ing new knowledge of what the industry wants andneeds to be successful ".Kimberly's enthusiasm and passion is an asset toour Fashion Maniac Team.

Jim Breidenstein

David Vincent

Andrew Brown

My journey started over 25 Yearsago . After graduating from col-lege in Graphic and Fine arts , Idecided I wanted to use my cre-ative education in hair and make-up .I then graduated from PeterPiccolo and went to New York tolearn advance make-up. Sincethen I have worked in various Sa-lons and modeling agencies (Conwell, June II, and JohnRoberts Powers).I also worked atStudio Arena, Phieffer and UBfine Arts theater doing hair and

make-up for various plays Hair Spray, Joseph and the Amaz-ing Technicolor Dream Coat and etc. Later I had the pleasureof meeting Cheryl Gorski and we worked together in variousFashion Magazines and free lance model shoots. Today I amthe proud to own my own Salon and Spa (salon Rouge ) for15 years. I'm excited to work for this Fashion magazine, whoknows the sky is the limit!

Cassie Rose joined the Fashion Maniac Team back in August of 2010 as head stylist . Shecreates clothing, and accessory conecpts, based off of current trends from each season ofMercedes Benz New York Fashion week. Gaining knowledge, and inspiration from trendsspotted on the catwalks , and streetstyle of New York , conveys a luster to each photo ses-sion. Cassie's love for vintage clothing, has influenced her latest endevour, designing, andrevamping vintage clothing . Expect to see her line coming soon in the photo spreads of Fash-ion Maniac.

Todd WarfieldPhillip Johnson

Stephen Phillips

Joe Cascio

Michael Merisola

Dani Weiser

f a s h i o n m a n i a c . c o m

Nathan Hall

TEAM CONTACT INFO:Newell Nussbaumer : Publisher of Buffalorising.com newell@buffalorising.com, newellnussbaumer@gmail.comCassandra Elsaesser : Stylist of the Fashion Maniac team cassandraelsaesser@yahoo.comWhitney Curry : Beauty Editor & Hair Stylist of the Fashion Maniac team whitfemale@gmail.comDani Weiser : Beauty Editor & Makeup Artist of the Fashion Maniac team dani@daniweiserartist.comKimberly Cohen : Castings Director of the Fashion Maniac team kimcohen14@gmail.comPhillip Johnson : Features Editor of the Fashion Maniac team fashionguyphil@gmail.comCheryl Gorski : Managing Editor & Photographer of the Fashion Maniac team info@cherylgorski.comTodd Warfield : Set Designer of the Fashion Maniac team Todd.Warfield@roadrunner.comJim Breidenstein : Web Designer for Fashionmaniac.com jwgb@aol.com,Lucy Mancuso : Accessories Prop Stylist of the Fashion Maniac team coco321c@aol,comMichael Merisola: Furniture Prop Stylist of the Fashion Maniac Team coocoou@aol.com ,Stephen Phillips Prop Stylist of the Fashion Maniac Team thelodgeauction@verizon.net ,Pamela Anczok : Auto Editor of the Fashion Maniac Team pamela.anczok@hotmail.com ,Terry Wherry : Auto & Product Photographer of the Fashion Maniac Team terry@buffalophotocd.com ,Mario Lorenzo : contributing castings of the Fashion Maniac Team mario@bellavisage.me ,Nathaniel Hall : Interiors Editor of the Fashion Maniac Team dawgnip99@yahoo.com ,Joe Cascio Interiors Photographer Of the Fashion Maniac Team joe@jcasciophoto.com ,Andrew Brown : Makeup & Hair Stylist of the Fashion Maniac Team salrougeny@yahoo.comShon O'Connor : Mens Editor, casting, and stylist of the Fashion Maniac Team shonmiami@yahoo.comDavid Fernan Costume & Prop Stylist lifeinart@ymail.com ,John Marfoglia Prop Stylist of the Fashion Maniac Team jmarfoglia@aol.com ,Stephanie Luksch Assistant Stylist for the Fashion Maniac Team sluksch@gmail.com

TEAM PHONE NUMBERS:Cheryl Gorski : 716-903-0600Dani Weiser : 716-348-1239Cassie Elsaesser : 716-982-1387Whitney Curry : 716-239-8766Kimberly Cohen : 716-907-2686Phillip Johnson : 203-512-2528

Todd Warfield : 716-289-1078Lucy Mancuso : 716-603-3402Michael Merisola : 716-432-6216Jim Breidenstein : 716-674-0870Andrew Brown : 716-884-1010Stephen Phililps :716- 573-9505Terry Wherry : 716-536-3022

Mario Lorenzo : 716-860-5547Nathaniel Hall : 315-762-3212Joe Cascio : 228-5100Shon O'Connor : 305-509-0625David Fernan : 954-479-0576John Marfoglia : 716-913-8549Stephanie Luksch : 716- 864-7529

Shon O'Connoris Jack of all creative trades thatoriginally hails from the PacificNorthwest.Ambitiousatayoungage, he has been renovatingand restoring houses since hemoved to Portland, OR at 18 forschool. In addition to renovatinghouses, Shon opened a mid-century modern furniture andvintage clothing store called theUrban Edge in Portland. He re-located to Miami at 24 andworkedasa talent recruiter,artistand model there while also ren-ovating homes. For the last 10yearsShonhassplit his timebe-

tween his Buffalo and Florida homes while working as a freelancewriterandcontinuing to renovatehouses.ShonO'Connor 57NorthPearl Street Buffalo, NY 14202 305-509-0625

Pamela Anczok BioPamelaʼs grandfather sparked herinterest by restoring vintage auto-mobiles and continued throughouther professional sales career. Shegrew up to sell Ford OEM partsand accessories for her fatherʼsbulk oil and lubricant business toover 150 dealerships and after-market retailers throughout NewYork State and Pennsylvania.Pamelaʼs automotive experienceis broad as it includes industrysegments from suppliers of after-market parts and accessories toOEM distributors and retail loca-tions. She is looking forward tosharing a womanʼs perspective on luxury vehicles.

Pamela now works in the payroll business for Comput-erSearch Payroll. Her present focus is to offer local businessowners with affordable and efficient solutions to payroll pro-cessing, human resource management as well as retirementservices.

Pamela Anczok

Once upon a time, in an era not so long ago, 7thon Sixth/CFDA/IMG used to have the New YorkMens' fashion shows separate from the morecrowded schedule of the womens' shows. And itwas beautiful. It was four days of relative calmand you could feast upon the collections at apace not readily available during the womens'show week. The parties were fun, not stressful,the designers were more relaxed and somewhatfriendlier, the drinks flowed like water and theswag were gender-appropriate. But then, to savemoney, the mensʼ shows were folded into thewomen fashion week schedule and most of themenswear designers eventually went offshoreand instead showed their collections during theMilan and Paris menʼs fashion weeks in July andJanuary of each year. Over time, some of themenswear designers came back to the tents but it wasnʼt thesame. Oh well, change is the only constant in our lives andsometimes itʼs actually a good thing, although I am not al-ways so sure about that.

For the Spring/Summer 2012 shows at Lincoln Center andaround Manhattan, there was a good complement of menʼswear designers showing their collections this time around, soyou really did get a sense of the full spectrum in menswearfor the next six months. Some collections surprised me; oth-ers were what I expected them to be. And I was able acquaintmyself with a few collections and designers that I have nevercovered before.

I have long been a Parke + Ronen fan from their first show inSouth Beach at the first IMG/7th on Sixth Miami SwimShows. I have followed their careers over time and I lovedtheir SS2012 collection. Ronen Jehezkel and Parke Lutterwere initially known for their near perfect swim trunks andboard shorts and it was a good thing. They were among thefirst group of designers, along with Vilebrequin and maybe acouple others, to really try to elevate the menʼs swimwearmarket and wean American men from the tacky, loud and ob-

noxious board shorts that you saw onthe beach. They gave their customersmany options: from 2-inch to 8-inchlength board shorts, striking color-block,print and solid color swim trunks thatmade you look good and generally an

air of fun that comes as part of the DNA of the line. Quietlyand carefully over time, they have expanded into fitted jack-ets in linen and stretch poplin, city shorts, collared shirts instretch cotton and cotton voile fabrics, expressive t-shirts, ex-ercise wear and into various accessories. They opened astore so that they can properly express their design point ofview without outside interpretation from the departmentstores that carry their line. They became a BRAND.

Pantone's Color Forecast for SS2012 was well representedhere: Lovely reds (rust red, deep red), desert orange, brilliantblues (turquoise, Azure, powder - loved them all), mustard,light green – all in balance with black, ivory and slate gray.The jackets were slim cut with rounded shoulders and higharmholes. The swim trunks were cut to fit and sexy withoutbeing vulgar, their pants were equally as fitted and tapered asit hits the ankle. Short of the speedo-like swim trunks– I simply donʼt have the body for them - I wouldwear everything else in this collection. An especiallynice touch was the rose-stamped white tank tops for the fi-nale and those gorgeous Walk-Over saddle shoes usedthroughout the collection. (More on the Walk-Over saddleshoes in a later article.)

The Boys AreBack in TownThe New York SS2012Menʼs CompilationCollectionsʼ ReviewPhillip D. Johnson

Photos by Cheryl Gorski and Phillip D.Johnson

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

Parke + Ronen

I look forward to the Nautica show/presentation every seasonbecause I know what to expect. That's not necessarily a badthing. The collection is going to be very beautiful and I amgoing to like it all. This season, the clothes were beautiful (aswell as extremely functional) and I loved all of it. Well, maybenot the flag polo shirts. I mentally salivate over the sailingjackets and windbreakers. I silently envision myself in thedouble face blazers and shawl collar sweaters with leatherelbow patches – very Professor Higgins. I thought aboutwhen and where I would wear the ripstop tech trench coats(in blue, yellow and orange) and the various other jacketsand pants in silk linen, wool, cotton seersucker and cottonoxford would all fit right here right now in my presentwardrobe. I am a fanatic when it comes to watches and therubber big-faced watches the models were wearing was rightup my alley. It's times like these that one wishes they had anunlimited clothing allowance.

Every season, I fall in love with one singular collec-tion. This season it was the Simon Spurr's. I received a late-notice invite to his show from a friend and I was pleasantlysurprised by what I saw. Mr. Spurr's design aesthetic is onethat is an equal mix of his English upbringing (he grew up inKent, England in 1974, studied in London and graduatedfrom Middlesex University in 1996 with a B.A. in Men's Fash-ion Design) and his full-on embrace of the American sports-wear legacy he learned from his years of by working with

Hedi Slimane, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. His design ap-proach is appreciated for its attention to proportion, slim fittingsuits that is modern in their cut, and sophisticated precisiontailoring that has its roots in Savile Row. Garments are indi-vidually designed and manufactured to the highest standardsin Italy, France and the United States using the finest Italian,English and Japanese fabrics.

For Spring, Mr. Spurr was inspired by English estatedressing and that influence was seen in the body-con jodphurpants worn with riding boots. But I was bowled over by hisbeautifully-cut three-piece suits and his out-of-the-box black& blue striped suit. These pieces definitely showed that Eng-lish-Savile Row influence. I likewise would kill to own his pink& white striped barbershop quartet shirt, that rocking oxbloodred leather jacket, the collarless quilted leather jacket and hisgray long-sleeve shirt with black laminated swirls. Where heshowed an ability to push the boundaries were his blue/graydouble-breasted jacket with leather sleeves, the raincoat withleather sleeves, the blazer with laminate lapels and wherehe replaced shirts with open weave mesh shirts. I am goingto keep him on my radar. He's talented, young and is a majorstar in the making.

Nautica

Nautica

Nautica Nautica

Nautica Nautica

Nautica

Nautica

Nautica

The Perry Ellis men's line is one of those collections that, likeNautica, has a built-in audience and a reputation for quality,strength of character and uncomplicated and clean lines.Over the past five years, under the stewardship of CreativeDirector John Crocco, the Perry Ellis line has begun to ex-pand beyond its borders; and he has sought to keep its basicDNA while venturing into more “trendy” environs. It has not al-ways gone smoothly but his spring-summer 2012 line is oneof the best collections he has done in many years. Becausehe kept the pieces comfortable and easy-fitting while ex-panding the horizons, the Perry Ellis man is sure to embracethis new direction.

Inspired by his recent travels to Arizonaʼs PaintedDesert, Mr. Crocco drew inspiration from the desert land-scapes and the general sense of being he experienced. Col-ors ran the gamut from burnt tones of yellow, red, coral,brown and tan to blues, lavender desert sage, vanilla, andstone. Set against a backdrop of a desert landscape, themodels showed the pieces to great effect. Early standouts inthe collection includes his peach and beige striped polo shirt,the must-have coral cotton windbreaker, the white linen/cot-ton hooded shirt, and my favorite, a light gray/stone linen/cot-ton safari shirt. I truly coveted the linen/cotton multicolored

striped t-shirt (paired with a light gray/stone windbreaker), thebrilliant blue cotton cable sweater, the all-purpose linen/cot-ton blue/black plaid sports jacket and all the slim jeans andBermuda shorts. And then you have both the cool coatedlinen white peacoat and its light gray/stone counterpart(shown early in the show). Truth be told, with the exceptionof a couple pieces, I want and will wear everything in this col-lection. Mr. Crocco showed a lot of Capri pants; and in thepast that would have been highly unusual. But I have seenmen in New York City and elsewhere this summer wearingthem and they seem fine with it. Maybe he knows somethingwe don't. Either way you look at it, this was a very good col-lection.

Designers at New York Fashion Week opened thedoor to what had to be some of the most colorful collections

we have seen in along time. At the sametime, other designers,like Libertine's John-son Hartig, went theother way by focusingon muted pasteltones, whites and/or ablack and white colorpalette. And it was notin the least bit boring.You may think that thisblack and white can-vas would be restric-tive to Mr. Hartig; butno. He found new andexciting to present hisviewpoint while stillstaying within hisstated color palette.He showed whitedresses with black cir-cles (and the reverse).He mixed it up by pair-

ing black and white stripes top with a graphic XOXOXO printskirt, a black poodle skirt with a bold white floral print, a blackand white bamboo print jacket with a corresponding blackand white circle skirt and a gorgeous white trench coat withthat same bold black flower print graphic minimally scatteredover the coat's surface. For men, it was all about the blackjacket with a white piano key graphic, bamboo print cityshorts, a striking gray/black/white suit with a . white shirt witha black collar. Of course, one can't fail to mention the men'swhite swim trunk with black circle graphic or its black andwhite bamboo print counterpart. Although this was truly a funand youthful collection, there were brief moments of luxurioussophistication in his gray collarless jacket with black circlepaired with a bamboo print top and a gray pencil skirt withblack circle graphic. (Very Coco Chanel) One also cannot for-get the groovy black and white paint splatter platform shoesworn by the women. They stood out, even in thismaximum/minimalist collection. The only spot of color was asplash of red presented in a silk wrapped gown in a strippedprint with a white hue.

Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis

Cheryl Gorski, our intrepid photographer, is totally in love withthe Bespoken line. Co-designed by two sets of brothers(James, Liam, and Sam Fayed and Paulo and CarlosGoncalves), the line came about when the brothers discov-ered that their shared love of music extended to a shared pas-sion for stylish and well-crafted clothing. Their obsession withold Savile Row traditional tailoring is seamlessly merged withtheir own interpretation of today's modern styles, thus creatinga hybrid aesthetic that has founded an ever-increasing audi-ence in the retail marketplace. In their own words, they are“part Savile Row, part Rock'n'Roll” with an underlining sub-versive nature that comes through in all their designs. Theytake their work seriously but still injects a sense of fun. Forspring/summer 2012, they showed extremely well-cut suitsmade from washed and treated fabrics, banded collared shirtsthat also had that same soft, washed feel, and soft shoul-dered jackets. That signature military/working man's gearmerged with upscale, classic fabrics and construction tech-niques displays a sure, tightly edited hand. Nothing here isfiller. Every look, every piece has earned its way into the col-lection. They also debuted their new spring-summer shoestyles. I am partial to the Derby Weave Saddle shoes myselfbut I wouldn't turn my nose up at the Chester Boot either.

The sister-brother team behind Nicholas K strongly believesin layers. And they do it very beautifully. The New York City-based based design company, founded in January of 2003 bysiblings Nicholas and Christopher Kunz, Nicholas K is basedon the intent of providing sophisticated customers with mod-ern classics that becomes wardrobe staples. This was alsoone of few collections shown that avoided riotous color alto-gether. Instead, they used white, light gray, sage green, black,(light) seafoam, and ink blue, with very little prints or patterns.But it all comes down to their layering of the pieces. For thewomen, each look was made up of numerous light, fluid layersin neutral colors. More than not, it was an asymmetrical jacketor coat on top of a gypsy dress with legging and some trulykiller platform boots. For the most part, the end result was alightweight visions of loveliness. The effect was one-part Ste-vie Nicks at her most ethereal and one-part Bianca Jagger inher Studio 54 days (hence the long scarves wrapped aroundthe head and off to the side). Sometimes there were one toomany layers but it is proof that this collection is about sepa-rating the individual pieces more than the whole.

Bespoken

Bespoken Bespoken

Bespoken

Bespoken

Bespoken

The mens' looks were a little more cohesive and pulled to-gether. There was definitely something more earth-bound (ifthat was the right way to look at it) about the tank tops, shirts, soft leather jackets and athletic-cut pants that was shown onthe male models. I can't see most men wearing some theasymmetrical jackets with big shawl collars but I can see themin the hoodies, the suede camp shirts, the slim cut drawstringpants, the soft shouldered jackets, the trench coats, the light-weight sweaters and the various shorts.

Willis & Walker, a lifestyle collection created by formerNBA star Kevin Willis in collaboration with Marcraft ApparelGroup, has discovered an underserved niche market in menʼswear: Clothes, shoes, suits, pants, sport jackets, sweaters,tuxedos – all specially designed for the man who is 6ʼ3” andover. All good designs come from a place of necessity. (VeraWang became a designer because she couldnʼt find a wed-ding dress that she liked. So she created her own.) Mr. Willisgrew up with limited options when it came to finding clothesthat fit his 7-foot frame; and it was only because his mothermade his clothes were he able to develop a sense of stylethat fits with his outsized proportions.

His first ever runway show at was inspired by theTemptations and their signature suits; and it was surprisingly

good. I loved his velvet jackets with contrasting leather piping.I thought his various three-piece suits were sharp looking andhe styled the show rather well, showing his generally mutedtoned suits with unexpected bursts of color in the accompany-ing shirts and ties. His tuxedos came in three styles: one-but-ton, two-button and six-button double-breasted. He showedlightweight suits made up of a blend of wool and cashmereall the more special with hidden paisley silk linings. Mr. Willisis definitely NOT afraid of color at all. Mostly because it wasmatched with black, brown, windowpane, cream/ivory andnavy, the colorful aspects of the collection seemed properlyrepresented but not garishly loud.

Bespoken

Bespoken

Richard Chai Love

For the Spring/Summer 2012 shows at LincolnCenter and around Manhattan, there was agood complement of menʼs wear designers

showing their collections this time around, soyou really did get a sense of the full spectrum

in menswear for the next six months.“ ”

The double-breasted jacket hasemerged as the biggest trend comingout of the international menʼs fashionshows and I am not the biggest fan ofthese jackets. But as shown on the run-way, they worked for Mr. Willis. I adoredthe various velvet jackets because ulti-mately, they are the most versatilepieces of this collection. Mr. Willis wasan athlete and while I am sure that theaverage guy will want to wear some ofthese pieces,they were designedfor men with athletic

broad shoulders,small waists (earned

from eating theproper foods and ex-

ercise, of course)and long legs.

And this market continues to grow, evenwith the bad economy, because thesemen donʼt necessarily want to shop atBig & Tall stores. They want quality, agood fit in luxurious fabrics that will holdup well over time. You canʼt always findthat at Big & Tall stores. Mr. Willis alsodebuted a line of oversized, high-endtravel bags made of deconstructedleather. Again necessity was the foun-dation because these bags comes asturdy flat bottom (they can stand ontheir own and not wobble) and they ex-pand in size depending on how muchstuff you are carrying. That's meaningfulbecause I know that I could have usedone of those coming home from fashionweek.

Designers Laurence Chandler &Joshua Cooper of the New York City-based Rochambeau line are very muchinfluenced by New York City; its urbansurroundings, its culture and the way itshapes our lives. They are freethinkers;and they take what is somewhat main-stream, turn it on its ears and challengeus to open our minds to the raw, thenew, the different. Messrs Chandler andCooper reminds me of the wonderfully

talented Haider Ackerman, in thatthey have torn asunder the traditionalsuit and gives it a raw-edged feel withasymmetrical hemmed jackets, al-most shawl-like lapels and collars,pants that are palazzo-ish with broadwaistbands. They took the stuffing outof their jackets, leaving them looseand round-shouldered, with some ofthem sporting lapels that are mereslivers of leather. In other instances,the jacket's lapel is as long and aswide as a scarf, also in black leather.

Simon Spurr

Simon Spurr

Simon Spurr

Michael BastianMichael BastianMichael Bastian

Simon SpurrSimon Spurr

Lacoste

Lacoste

J. Crew

Nicholas K

Nicholas K

Nicholas K

J. Crew

Gant by Micheal Bastian

Libertine

Libertine

Silhouette Optical, a subsidiary of Silhou-ette International, the Austrian eyewear manufac-turer founded in 1964 by Arnold and AnnelieseSchmied in Linz, launched its SUN 2012 Collectionat the Spring/Summer 2012 Fashion Week at theDaily's Style Sessions Lounge at the Time WarnerCenter. A visionary design with optimum functionfor the best vision, comfort, and style, Silhouetteʼsdecades-long involvement perfecting its sun-glasses development has resulted in this extraordi-nary collection; the perfect combination of rimlesseyewear, design and optimum protection from thehazards of the sun.

A team of three designers - Angela Strecker,Gerhard Fuchs and Martin Preuer-Lackner - andMr. Arnold Schmied (who was himself closely in-volved in the development of the new line) has pro-duced a collection with unusual, mainly rimlessdesigns that 'bears the signature of the three Sil-houette designers'. and is justifiably proud of it.

The process of creating their latest collec-tion involves research, design product develop-ment and production, has resulted in an'extraordinary 2012 sunglasses collection'.Åh saysSilhouette's co-owner and Chairman ArnoldSchmied.

About the 2012 collection, he says, "The de-mands of the wearers of sunglasses are becomingmore and more individual. Our challenge is to an-ticipate and recognize this. With the new 2012 sun-

glasses collection, we are not followinga trend but making statements."

The line consists of two collections, Lifestyleby Design (for that chic look and good vision in thesun) and Action by Design (for sporting moments inthe sun) and 16 individual models. The two collec-tions offer perfect sun protection and meet individ-ual requirements as they provide high design andgreat comfort in wear due to incomparable light-ness and state of the art hand-craftsmanship.

The collection, Lifestyle by Design offers chic, boldlook and includes:

The Silhouette Icon: Ultralight and without screwsor hinges, it's the most authentic Silhouette sun-glasses available and combines unmistakable de-sign with the greatest comfort in wear in a range ofseven colors and has the option for polarized andprescription lenses.

The Silhouette Adventurer: Robust and flexible atthe same time as a result of using titanium, it's aclassic for men with style and a statement forwomen that enhances the classic aviator with theuse of high-tech titanium. It is available in four dif-ferent lens shapes, three colors and two differentstyles.

NewSilhouette SUN

CollectionMakes a StrikingStyle Statement

at New YorkFashion Week

A visionary

design with

optimum

function

for the

best

vision,

comfort,

and style

The Silhouette Class: It incorporates some ele-ments from watch design and reinterpreted it withdistinctive design with metal effects; these rimlesssunglasses are also available with polarized sunprotection lenses in two different models. It is de-signed primarily for men.

The Silhouette Cosmopolitan: Adapted with variousmaterials to mimic 80ʼs glamorous style and withleather decorating the temples of its fashion for-ward frames, the Silhouette Cosmopolitan is avail-able in a variety of colors ranging from apricot topurple.

The Silhouette New Horizon: A classic rimlessshield made with high-tech titanium combines light-ness and style to add glam to any appearance.

The Silhouette Center Court: A modern pair of sun-glasses that stay put with movement and do notslip thanks to optimum fit. Both the shapes and thecolors of Silhouette 'Center Court' uses titaniumand light SPX eyewear.

The Action by Design collection is ideal for aleisure-sport style and includes:

The Silhouette Pro: A combination of state of theart sunglasses technology and dynamic design, ithas strong color accents and a sporty wrap-arounddesign.

The Silhouette Trophy: This model meets the re-quirements of sporty classics with the wrap aroundlook and light design. Suited for many situations,the Silhouette Trophy is intended for wear by bothmen and women.

Klaus Schmied, co-owner and the Directorof Technology, Research and Production, is verymuch proud of his company's esteemed reputationwithin the sunglasses and eyewear industry andespecially satisfied with this collection: "Sun-glasses are now one of the most important acces-sories all year round. Not only are they decorative,but more and more people are becoming aware ofthe real function of sunglasses. We want to meetthese ever higher expectations _ paired withlifestyle and design _ so we offer many additionalfeatures such as polarized sun protection lenses, a

sophisticated lens system, the option of prescrip-tion lenses and much more."

Brand Director Andreas Aschauer-Martinellistresses the importance of individuality within thecollection: "With this well-designed system of sunprotection lenses, Silhouette emphasizes the ideaof individuality because for every requirement,every need, every personality and every face thereis a pair of individual Silhouette sunglasses in theSUN 2012 collection."

The collection was one ofthe highlights of The DailyʼsStyle Sessions Lounge as

celebrities and fashion insiderswere encouraged to accessorizetheir look with the artful and boldcolor combinations that embodythe new collection and cater to

individual needs.With 11 styles to choose from, in mood enhanc-ing colors, guests like Gossip Girlʼs Kelly Ruther-

ford and Matt Settle added a touch of glam totheir everyday look and were photographed in aSilhouette photo-booth for the opportunity to see

themselves donning the futuristic styles.

The Silhouette SUN 2012 Collection will be avail-able at specialty retailers starting January 2012.

The Dosand

Don'tsof

Holiday2011

Dressingby Phillip D. Johnson

Maddy Ruff is wearing a black Bandage BCBGMax Azria dress (available at Lord & Taylor).

If you are a society dame or a JuniorLeague socialite, dressing for the upcomingholiday parties is a no-brainer. You are sim-ply wearing more of the same clothing youwore to the Fire & Ice Ball in November, thethree cancer benefits you attended in Octo-ber, the Metropolitan Opera's Grand Open-ing Season Gala in September. Youwearing the same jewels, the same fra-grances, and even the same shoes.But for the rest of us, whose lives are, shall we say,simpler, this is a treacherous time for us. You wantto fit in but you also want to inject your personality.You want to go out all glamorous but you want tobe comfortable as well. It's minefield out there.Whether it's a casual neighborhood drop-by, a fes-tive dinner at the boss's house or a formal affair atyour favorite restaurant in town, there's always areason to dress up and celebrate during the holi-day season. But here there simple rules to followthat will assure that you will have a good time,dance up a storm and not embarrass yourself.

As we mentioned in the intro, do dress with per-sonality. This is the perfect time to show off yourown individual style and be a little playful. This isthe perfect time to mix your style metaphors: leop-ard print cocktail dress with zebra print stockings,your most killer heels with a somewhat demure a-line dress. As along as you are happy with the endresults, it's a go. The haters can hate all they want.It's your party and you will dance if you want to.

You are not a Christmas tree. You may be a tradi-tionalist but now is NOT the time to wear red andgreen anything, and certainly not together as a set.Dressing in head-to-toe green or red is a definite"don't." The same goes for red and green plaid _really red and green anything- this is not the time toexplore your latent lumberjack tendencies. Evenworse, avoid that ÅglovelyÅh sweater from AuntMary with green trees and that horrible red back-ground. You may want to stay in her will but thereare limits to what one must do to placate the per-son holding the pure strings.

Do Be A Drama Queen -Show-off your “StevieNicks Witchy” self.The rest of the year, you have to be moderate inyour dress but now is the time to bring out the flow-ing palazzo velvet pants, the voluminous ÅgBat-manÅh cashmere cape, the fur vest (real or not) ,the Fabulous Elizabeth Taylor flowing caftan andthe Prince Valiant ÅgPoetÅh shirt or blouse. Youmustn't wear them all at once, of course, but aslong as you pay attention to the luxury factor ofeach piece, you are golden. It's better to be over-dressed than to under-dress and stick out like asore thumb. After all, it's that time of year.

Add Some Color - Black may be your "go-to" partyattire (ergo the Little Black Dress), and green andred may be too predictable, but now's a great timeto expand your color options. Orange, yellows,pinks, peach, pastels are perfect for winter partiesthis year and a refreshing surprise in a sea ofblack. As long as it is the right shade of yellow, or-ange, pink, peach or pastel, you will do fine. Creamand the more subtly shades of whites are alsogood options for those of you who aren't braveenough to go full hog on the color spectrum.

Don't Try to Corner the Commodities Market - A little drama is one thing, but mixing yourgold with silver, bronze, platinum _ it's all too much. If you MUST shine at a party, thenstick to one shimmering piece - a metallic, jeweled shoe, a sparkling silver/emerald, di-amond broach, a discreet white gold tiara, a satin, silver blouse or a sparkling gold clutch.Again, it's easy to get carried away, but you don't want to blend into the Christmas dec-orations either.

Never Mix Work with Pleasure Unless You Cannot Avoid It - Going to a party right aftera day at the office in your buttoned-up professional suit with your laptop handbag slungover your shoulder is only OK if it's a work-relatedevent. But if it's a more festive occasion - say cock-tails at eight, or a sit-down dinner in a white table-cloth restaurant at 9 pm, go home, take ashower, put on your evening-out make-up, throwon a nice dress and then go out to the party. Ifthat's not possible, then make sure you have adressier blouse, maybe a change of skirt or anevening pants, your good evening jewelsand/or a dress shoe with you so that you canchange in the ladies' room before headingout. Not only will you feel fabulous, it meansa lot to your fellow dinner or party gueststhat you made the effort. Believe me, theywill appreciate it.

Maddy Ruff is wearing a men's wear-inspired vestedsuit (provided by Sarah Mahoney Adrian Jules, LTD)and Calvin Klein shoes (available at Lord & Taylor) .

Know Your Key Pieces - You can survive the holi-day party season if you have some or all of the fol-lowing pieces in your wardrobe:

- The Caftan. It works for most shapes as the fabricis usually fine and glides nicely down both curvyand straight figures. Choose a color that really flat-ters you, and take care with size and pattern.

- The Maxi Dress. Even more popular this year. Itcan be tricky on petites (too much volume orlength) or big busts with small hips, (sizes that fitthe bust will be bigger elsewhere so can add un-necessary bulk) but shop around, as there areplenty to choose from. The skirt should be justskimming the floor, not halfway up your ankle ortripping you up.

- White trousers. White is big for summer (andfall/winter) and is a fabulous holiday look. You cango head to toe white if it works for you, or insteadteam it with your favorite seasonal shades. Chooselightweight cotton or linen and wide leg, palazzo orpeg cuts to keep you cool. A word of warning: Win-ter white is right except when it comes to VisiblePanty Lines. A trick Sarah Jessica Parker oncementioned in Vogue magazine is that if you a rewearing white or transparent clothing, check your-self at home to make sure that you won't experi-ence negative coverage when you get to the partyand encounter high voltage lighting where every-one can see your business clear as day.

- Utility, tapered, or harem pants. Donʼft panic! Youdonʼft have to don the full army/masculine/desertlook _ there are simpler variations of these styles.They are airy, comfortable and can be rather ele-gant. If youʼre wider on the hips or short in staturethen minimize details such as zips, pockets, drap-ing and volume and always wear with a heel. Theylook great in khaki, stone, grey or white, all of whichare easy to paired up with colors or metallic s.

The Biggest fashion ʻDoʼ for the season is for youto be comfortable and to have a good time. Bemindful of your alcohol intake as not to do or saysomething you will regret the next day. If you areunable to drive at the end of the night, or want tohave an all-out good time, please make sure youhave a designated driver, someone who pledges

not to drink at the party or someone who's lookingout for you and make sure you get more safely andin one piece.After all, yourlife is worthmore than afew drinks.

At least,I wouldhope so.

Maddy Ruff is wearing a men'swear-inspired vested suit (pro-vided by Sarah Mahoney AdrianJules, LTD) and Calvin Kleinshoes (available at Lord & Taylor).

Stephanie is wearing aTadashi Shoji blackvelvet evening dresswith bugle beading andsequin embellishmentat the bodice.

Beauty Watchwith Dani Weiser: Holiday/Evening Makeup

As a professional make-up artist with 20+ years in the business, I have long been on the receivingend of a product avalanche from the various cosmetics companies. Professional make-up artists areusually the first to receive samples of new products, the first to try out these products on models andtheir other clients and to send feedback to the respective companies. I have received products fromcompanies big and small that over-promise and under-deliver on their claims. I have also received andused products that under-promise (no over-reaching narrative about how the product will find you a fi-ance and a fortune in gold under a rock, make you the most beautiful woman in the world, will make yourchildren behave and love you) and in a pleasant surprise over-delivers to spectacular results. My expe-rience with Artistry Beauty and Skincare is the latter. They didn't promise the world but they gave me themoon and the stars.

Here at Fashion Maniac, we recently shot our holiday dress and beauty editorial for our Decemberissue and I primarily used cosmetics and skincare products from Artistry. The kind folks at Artistry, asubsidiary of Amway has a clear mission statement: We believe that beauty is derived from truth. Truththat comes from careful, modern scientific discovery, and the belief that every womanʼs individual beautyshould be celebrated. This philosophy and the hard work they have done to create products that en-hance, not damage, your skin has placed them among the worlds top five, largest-selling, premium skin-care brands, and among the worldʼs top ten, largest-selling, premium cosmetic brands, according toEuromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care database, premium cosmetics sector,global 2009 RSP, global brand name classification

For our photo-shoot, we worked with women from across the age spectrum: a 40-year-oldwoman, a 20-year-old young woman and a 13-year-old teenager. Across the board, Artistry Beauty andmake-up line performed beyond expectations. Ifirst used the Time Defiance Cleansing Treatment($31.65) to gently removes dirt and excess oilwhile it also improves the skinʼs firmness andelasticity. I like that it is formulated with non-irritat-ing ingredients, while serving to calm the skin, in-creasing its resistance to the visible signs ofirritation. Time Defiance Cleansing Treatmentmoisturizes only specific areas of skin that needhydration and is ideal for most skin types. I fol-lowed up with the Time Defiance ConditioningToner ($33.20) and the line's Time Defiance DayProtect Lotion SPF 15 ($62.25).

Stephanie iswearing a cream

empire silkorganza cocktaildress with jewel

embellishedbodice fromAdam with

Christian Diorshoes.

On Sophia, our beautiful and glamorous 40-year-old, I used Artistry's Sheer Coverage Lip Gloss inPrecious Pink (10-9633, $20.00) and the Artistry3D Face Powder in Shimmer Coral (11-0079$27.70) and I couldn't be more pleased with the re-sult. The Artistry Lip Gloss is a sheer color de-signed to glide on evenly with a single stroke; andlightly flavored with natural pomegranate, I foundthat the color was natural yet shiny, stayed on themodel's lip longer than most I have used, and theaccompanying brush made it easy to apply any-where, anytime perfectly. The face powder falls inline with the movement within the beauty industryto give the customer multiple options for a fairprice. With five softly shimmering shades, I wasable to create a contours and shadows on thecheekbone, and once dusted on the cheek, it cre-ated a blushing effect that was complementary tomy model's skin tone. On Sophia's eyes, I usedArtistry's Automatic Eyeliner Pencil Refill in Bronze($12.50, which I found to be not the least bit oily,was dry enough to not smudge and wet enough to

enhance the eye with a single swipe of the pencil),Rimmel's Sexy Curves Mascara, a well knownEnglish makeup brand sold in places like Targetand Rite Aid (I love this mascara, it is affordableand comes in with all different brushes to suit yourvarious need) and Revlon Matte 009 Brown eyeShadow (also very affordable and long lasting).The gold on her lid, which is great for night andvery flattering. The 3D Face powder, I found, canalso be used as highlighting anywhere on the face,goes on smoothly and comes in 6 different shades.

I used Artistry's Sheer Coverage Lip Gloss on all our other models, MAC Cosmetics' Half Red LipLiner, MAC's Blush in Hush-a-Bye and Coy Girl, Clinique's Brow Shaper 01 for the lighter brow onsome of our models and Brow Shaper 07 for a darker brow on the others, and Smashbox HighDefinition Light Concealer. For the highlight under the brow, whichalways helps to lift the eye, I used Bed Head's White", which is agreat subtitle highlight and last until you go to bed.

I used Dior Skin Spray Foundation (available at Sephora,and at the Dior beauty counter at various department stores) on allour models because it goes on flawlessly and feels like airbrushing.But you have to be careful as you only need to spray for a few sec-onds before it gets heavy and you end up redoing it. Additionally, Iused Dr. Jart Beauty Balm, an amazing moisturizer and foundationin one that is also great for a light coverage as seen on Gabrielle,our youngest model. To finish off all the faces, I used Make-Up For-ever's High Definition Powder. This is a MUST because it sets yourmake up for up to 12 hours; and something I have deployed overthe years when working on all-day photo-shoots, movie sets, andtelevision shoots where actors and models are working under harshlighting and has to look beautiful all day. It's likewise a great productto use for a bride on her wedding day. She's likely to be out front allday at the church and reception and to cry at some point during theday. When used at home, if used sparingly, it can give you that flaw-less face you are looking for for a professional appearance and lastyou for months before being depleted.

Savannah is wearing a short mini metallic dress available at Half& Half clothing ,and a Silk "fringe" cocktail dress from Ann Taylor

Sophia is wearing Jay Godfrey Black silk chiffoncocktail dress with gold sequin detail, VeraWang green silk organza evening dress, silkevening shoes by Yves Saint Laurent. Red &Black embroidered top from Lotions and Po-tions, Christian Dior silk tulle skirt. Marchesa silkevening gown with hand sewn embroidery onbodice. Adam silk chiffon evening dress, Es-cada rhinestone embellished shoes. Pearlscame from the model's own collection.

Sophia is wearing Adam's cream silkcharmeuse cocktail dress with rhinestoneembellishment on the shoulder,Shoes by Christian Dior,

Gabrielle is wearing ashort gold metallic minidress (available at Half& Half clothing) and along velvet gown withred chiffon ruffles fromdesigner SebastianaPiras of Atelier

Here at Fashion Maniac,we recently shot our

holiday dress and beautyeditorial for our Decemberissue and I primarily usedcosmetics and skincareproducts from Artistry.

The kind folks at Artistry, asubsidiary of Amway has aclear mission statement:We believe that beauty isderived from truth. Truththat comes from careful,

modern scientific discovery,and the belief that every

womanʼs individual beautyshould be celebrated.

“”

Dani Weiser is a 20+ year veteran of the beauty wars and have served as a make-up artist for JuliaRoberts and other celebrated actors and actresses, worked on numerous film and television sets,photo-editorial shoots for international fashion and lifestyle magazines around the world, as well asprivate jobs and at-home appointments.For more information on any of the make up used in this shoot or just a asked a make-up and beautyquestion, please feel free to contact her at www.hollywoodmakeupartist.net

FASHION MANIAC TEAM:Features Editor : Phillip Johnson

All Photography & Managing Editor : Cheryl GorskiStyled By: Sophia Smith ,Susan Morreale, Whitney Curry, & Mario Lorenzo

MakeUp : Dani WeiserHair Stylist : Whitney Curry

Guest Makeup & Hair : Andrew Brown

All Jewelry provided by :Lotions and Potions ,789 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo, (716) 886-6457 www.lotionsandpotions.comADAM www.shopadam.com 5454 Main St Williamsville NY 716-630-6410Half & Half clothing 1088 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo 716-881-4147 www.halfandhalfclothing.comDesigner Sebastiana Piras of Atelier 820 Elmwood Ave 716-332-6935 www.sebastianapiras.comSarah Mahoney Adrian Jules, LTD.2930 Monroe Avenue Rochester, New York 14618585.381.1111 facebook: facebook.com/AdrianJulesCustomClothiersShoe Fly 801 Elmwood Ave ,Buffalo (716)-886-3595 www.ShoeFlyNY.com

Book BeatPhillip D. Johnson

Dior Coutureby Patrick Demarchelier (Rizzoli New York)

I completed my Holiday 2011 Gift Guide toosoon. A book I would sure to have included, DiorCouture by Patrick Demarchelier (Rizzoli New York),is one that I, myself, would have loved to have re-ceived under my Christmas Tree (if I had botheredto put one up). Released in early December, DiorCouture is a portfolio of over 150 iconic dresses,gowns, suits and coats from the entire era ofChristian Dior Haute Couture (1947-2011), includ-ing pieces designed by Christian Dior himself andthose of his successors, Yves Saint Laurent,Marc Bohan, and John Galliano.

Each of these beyond beautiful portraits wereshot by legendary French fashion photographer Patrick De-marchelier whose work is regularly featured in leading inter-national fashion and lifestyle magazines including the variousinternational Vogue editions, Harper's Bazaar (ditto), Elle(ditto), Vanity Fair (ditto), and many others. Mr. Demarchelieris also famous for being the official photographer of the late(and much missed) Princess Diana of Wales; and the firstnon-Briton to become an official photographer to the BritishRoyal Family. (Of all the photographers that worked withPrincess Diana during her life, he was the one that workedwith her the most and the one she was most comfortablewith.)

Shot in various places -a movie studio in Beijing,Times Square in New York City and in Paris, where the set-tings included a private chateau, the Opera Garnier, avenueMontaigne, and at the world famous and ultra chic HotelPlaza Athenee, the stunning clothing - vintage and contem-porary - were worn by models, super and otherwise, includingNatalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Karlie Kloss (whoreigned supreme on the runways of London, Milan and Paristhis past September at the Spring/Summer 2012 shows), ac-tress Charlize Theron, and many others.

According to Cathy Horyn, The New York TimesChief Fashion Critic, Dior Couture Ågis far and away the mostgorgeous book on the house, established by Christian Diorshortly after the end of World War II.Åh Never one to not pullthe curtain back and show the whole picture, Miss Horyn like-wise acknowledged that ItÅfs not a complete record. Thatwould require that they publish a doorstop of a coffee bookthat would include an image of every single piece in thearchives.

Mr. Demarchelier, working closely with the DiorArchives and its archivists, only skimmed the surface in thissurvey of the house talent. Naturally, there are prime exam-ples of Christian DiorÅfs early work, like the famous 1947 barsuit with its neat peplum, and a natural-line Mirza dress in

chic polka dots from 1951. Yves Saint Laurent, who suc-ceeded Dior at his death, in 1957, is represented with twokiller dresses, including one in a deep-red floral print with avery modern sense of shape. Marc Bohan has two outfits.

Italian designer Gianfranco Ferr_ gets none.And while Mr. GallianoÅfs work is

well covered, glaring omis-sions are quite obvious. Ms.Horyn notes that none of hisextreme examples of decon-struction shown in the 1999Matrix show at Versailles areincluded, and thereÅfs nothingfrom the 2000 hobo collection.

As an example of the well-thought out process behind thisbook, the first photograph rep-resented the one thing that hasnot changed since the openingof the Christian Dior fashionhouse in 1946: A photograph thatshows the members of the Diorateliers assembled in front of thehouse, at 30 avenue Montaigne.Originally shot for American Vogue,

this portrait of these indispensable men and women in labcoats with tape measures around their necks and perhapspin cushions on their wrists expressed how valuable the tech-nical know-how they possess is to the foundation of this sto-ried fashion house. That, dear reader, will never change.

Founded in Paris by designer Christian Dior in 1946,the House of Dior is one of the most venerable names infashion, and continues to be the archetype of Parisian cou-ture. With glorious images accompanied by thoughtful textby the former editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, IngridSischy, and a special foreword by American artist Jeff Koons,Dior Couture is a is a book that anyone with an interest infashion will want for their library and people who are not fash-ion maniacs like us should read, if only to see what true cre-ative genius and pure fashion magic is.

Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, PatrickDemarchelier spent his childhood in Le Havre with his motherand four brothers. In 1975, he left Paris for New York wherehe discovered fashion photography by working as a freelancephotographer and learning and working with photographygreats such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Terry King, and JacqueGuilbert.

In addition to his editorial work for fashion andlifestyle magazines, Mr. Demarchelier has shot internationaladvertising campaigns for Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Ce-line, TAG Heuer, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lacoste, CalvinKlein and Ralph Lauren. The additional advertising cam-paigns he has shot included Farrah Fawcett shampoo in1978, the Brooke Shields doll in 1982, Cutty Sark, GiorgioArmani, GAP, Gianni Versace, L'Or_al, Elizabeth Arden,Revlon, Lanc_me, and Gianfranco Ferr_. In 2007, ChristineAlbanel, the French Minister of Culture, honored Mr. De-marchelier as an Officer in L'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (theOrder of Arts and Literature), one of France's highest civilianhonors.

Patrick Demarchelier

Hear ItNow!Hot on the heels of releasing Glee: theMusic, The Christmas Album Volume 2,Columbia Records and Twentieth CenturyFox Television dropped Glee: The Music,Volume 7 on Tuesday, December 6, 2011.Featured on this release is the widelypraised mash-up of Adele's "Rumour HasIt" and "Someone Like You", which soaredto #1 on the iTunes Top Songs Chart withthe official video garnering 5.3 millionviews on www.Vevo.com.

My name isPhillip and

I am arecovering

Gleek.I say that because season two and most of season three(so far) has been so inconsistent, I am losing patience withRyan Murphy. The only consistent thing coming out of Gleeright now is the music. And even then, they drop a dud ortwo when you are not looking. But Volume 7 is fairly dudfree. The jewels in the crown on this CD is the aforemen-tioned mash-up Rumour Has It/Someone Like You, withRun The World (Girls), Fix You, and Last Friday NightÅhrounding out the selections you should hear first beforedelving into the rest of the songlist.

The mash-up of Adele's Rumour Has It and Some-one Like You is the reason you watch Glee in the first placeand/or buy the songs on iTunes every week. It was a mas-terful piece of work. I can't get enough of it. With Mercedes(Amber Riley) and Santana (Naya Rivera) as the leads, itdoesn't get any better than this. Lea Michele and AdinaMendes on Somewhere is an unexpected pleasure but Kurt(Chris Colfer) needs to expand his musical repertoire be-yond Broadway tunes. It's getting a bit old. Glee: TheMusic, Volume 7 will be available both in standard anddeluxe versions at Target and other retail outlets.

The full track listing for the standard version of "Glee: TheMusic, Volume 7" is as follows:1.You Can't Stop the Beat2.It's Not Unusual3.Somewhere4.Run The World (Girls)5.Fix You6.Last Friday Night7.Uptown Girl8.Tonight

9.Hot For Teacher10.Rumour Has It/Someone Like You11.Girls Just Want To Have Fun12.Constant Craving13.ABC14.Control15.Man In The Mirror

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2,is another story. It features the cast's festive renditions ofsuch Christmas staples as "Little Drummer Boy," "Let ItSnow" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You," as well as twooriginal tracks "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" and "Christ-mas Eve With You". They did a fine job on the Christmasstaples but I really enjoyed the new original tracks. Theyhave the potential to be Christmas classics themselves.Fans will be treated to these Gleeful carols on a specialGlee Christmas episode which will airs on Tuesday, De-cember 13, at 8:00PM ET/PT on FOX.

To date over 36 million Glee songs have been digi-tally downloaded, with over 11 million albums sold world-wide. Glee scored three consecutive #1 releases with Glee:The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers, Glee: The Music, ThePower of Madonna and Glee: The Music, Journey To Re-gionals. The RIAA has certified Glee: The Music, Volume 1and Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Volume 1 Plat-inum (sales in excess of 1 million units) as well as Glee:The Music, Volume 2, Glee: The Music, Volume 3 andGlee: The Music, Volume 4 Gold (sales in excess of500,000 units). Glee has also broken another record: Theyhave over 300 songs on the iTunes Top Songs Chart; themost of any artist or group.

Phillip D. Johnson

Alexander McQueenForever

An AppreciationPhillip D. JohnsonPhotography by the author

A lot has happened this year. We had the ArabSpring where nearly every Arab and/or Middle Eastern coun-try was being torn asunder by the citizenry who were tired ofbeing poor under prolonged economic dictatorships. Wehave the Occupy Wall Street protests that eventually endedup with the disenfranchised 99% of the world striking outagainst the economic oppression of the 1% that owns every-thing, including the banks and the multinational corporations.Now the disenfranchised in downtown Manhattan, mainlyover-educated young people who are severely under-em-ployed, has inspired many more in their generation to takeup the gauntlet to Occupy San Diego, Occupy WashingtonDC, Occupy London, Occupy Berlin, Occupy Los Angeles,Occupy Barcelona, Occupy Zurich. You get the picture. Fran-cois Lesage, Loulou de la Falaise and Evelyn Lauder, toname just three of the giants in the fashion industry who gaveso much of themselves, died and our world is that much moredimmer from their loss. The Republicans decided to take upvaluable television airtime and have (and will) conduct debateafter debate until we lose patience and say 'enough'.

But there were some good things too. One of themwas the most excellent Alexander McQueen: Savage Beautyexhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alexander McQueen, the British fashion designerand one of the world's most creative minds (ever), was founddead at his London home on Feb. 11, 2010. After a coroner'sinquest, it was determined that he hanged himself, on the eve

of his mother's funeral, after leaving behind a note. He was40 years old. Mr. McQueen was a master showman who,time after time, surprised us with his vast talent, know how toput on a spectacle, how to leave us warning more. He alsoknew how to cut a dress, a jacket and a pair of pants with thebest of them.

He once said: ''I believe in depicting what's going on.I'm a big anarchist. I don't believe in religion, or in anotherhuman being wanting to govern over someone else. Thethemes that go through my shows will continue to."

There was a reason he was considered one of thegreatest fashion designers of his generation, one of the great-est designers of any generation, admired by his peers for hisastounding technical ability and idolized by students for hisnear-fearless risk taking. His legacy is one of beauty, a senseof craft, a strong, confident silhouette; and the wonderful mar-riage of pairing tradition with the avant-garde. He was, foronce, a true genius, a word that gets tossed around way toooften and used when describing undeserving people.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty was a surveyof the career of Mr. McQueen, about control and change. Ac-cording to The New York Times art critic, Holland Cotter, theshow, or rather whatʼs in it, is a button-pushing marvel: ethe-real and gross, graceful and utterly manipulative, and poisedon a line where fashion turns into something else.

Scheduled to close in mid-July,the show was a triumph. The ex-hibition attracted more than661,509 visitors through to theend, is among the 10 most visitedshows in the museumÅfs history,and the most popular special ex-hibition ever at the Costume In-stitute, which is housed at themuseum. People came from allover the world to see the exhibit;the Museum sold over 100,000copies of the exhibition catalog(at $45 a pop) in its buildingalone with thousands more soldvia Amazon and other retail out-lets, and the number of newmembers who joined the mu-seum (allowing them to skip theline at the exhibition) from theopening through July 24 nearlydoubled to 23,000 from a compa-rable period in 2010. The showwas extended three timesthrough to August 7th, with mu-seum members allowed in at8:30 am., an hour before theshow opened to the public andadditional hours were extendedthrough to 9:30 pm., and 17,000people bought $50 tickets to seeit over the last eight Mondays, ona day when the museum is nor-mally closed.

The exhibition was mov-ing, wonderful, inspiring. So itgives great pleasure to showonce again some of the imagesfrom the show, as taken at thepress preview last May. With over100 designs and accessories, theexhibit's fantastic theatricality,special effects that include athree-dimensional hologram ofKate Moss, as well as clothes in-cluding frightening concoctionsmade of feathers, razor clamshells, medical slides printed tolook as if they were bloodied,resin vulture skulls and simulatedhuman hair exposed Mr. Mc-QueenÅfs work to a wide audi-ence outside the fashion industry.The next exhibition at the Cos-tume Institute will feature designsfrom Muiccia Prada and ElsaSchiaparelli, two other giants inthe industry. I can't wait to seethat one