Marc Bower's Online Show = Dire Recessionista Trend?

So in the midst of the paper and electronic invites I've been receiving this week, both "in-tent" and "off-campus," I got an email from Marc Bower announing that everyone's sitting front row at his Sept. 9th show: Because it's online! His 2009 Spring/Summer collection, called "Goddess by a Pool" promises 70-style retro styling in shades of bright poppy. OK, I can do op and pop! What's harder to ascertain is what to do next: From the email, it seems that I just click on a link at noon on Monday the 9th and through the magic of cyberspace, I'll be transported to the House of Bower, right? It sounds groovy, but I do hope it's not a harbinger of recessionista trends to come ... ??

Waiting List Open NOW for Lancome's Limited Edition Black Gloss

Black lipstick is fabulously gothy on the runways and gloriously sinister in magazines, but just how does this haute trend translate in the real world? Enter Lancôme, which just announced the November debut of Color Fever Gloss in Piha Black, created by the company's new artistic director for makeup, New Zealander Aaron de Mey. Black gloss is much more wearable than lipstick, says Mey, and he's even created the perfect undershade to accentuate his dark sheen: Color Fever Lipstick in Piha Red. A true, eye-popping red, it's inspired by the sole of a Christian Louboutin shoe and named for a beach near his childhood home. Wear the colors alone or customize your own shade by mixing them together. (Check out the lips above to see just how that looks.) Mey also suggests using the black gloss on the eyes. Love it? We thought so. Here's the catch:Only 500 of the sets ($48 each) will be available in the United States come November, and only at Bloomingdale’s NYC location on 59^th Street, at www.lancome-usa.com and at the company's five boutiques (click here for locations). Don't panic: The waiting list at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street has just opened. CALL NOW -- 212-705-2886 to add your name to the list!

Swag factor: Zero. Lancome publicists told us there were no samples available. Editors just gotta git in line with ev'ryone else!

Berlin's MYKITA: Made for Shade & the Pix to Prove It!

The easiest way to find out if you look good in a pair of sunglasses? Try them on of course. And that's just what we got to do at the MYKITA event during Berlin Fashion Week. MYKITA's the creation of the Berlin-based design team of Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling; each pair is handmade and the line boasts the street cred of having recently won a top European design award. Besides the Champagne, the biggest draw at the ultra-minimalist boutique (all white walls adorned only with sunglasses racks, extra stock held in tricked out metal airplane galley storage containers) was the chance to check out the glasses. Not only did MYKITA execs help you choose the primo frame for your face, but they took a Polaroid of you in them, too -- two of 'em, in fact: one for you to take home and another for the company's "frame of fame," which they emailed to all of us the other day. Check it out: GET FLASHED WITH MYKITA PHOTO GALLERY. You can see how good the shades look on all types of wearers, cool cats and an actual K-9! But the photo gallery's also a neat picture essay in Berlin street style. Think you can find me in the line-up? Let me know and I'll send you some Fashion Week goodies. I have to say, I rocked my MYKITAs. They were red powdercoated metal in an oversized aviator style and they were fabulous. Even better, these shades were indestructable. So well designed are these MYKITAs that you can bend the arms every which way and even smoosh the glasses entirely (no more sunglasses-in-the-driver's-seat-surprise!) and they won't break. Alas, what MYKITA can't design against is my forgetful nature. Over the years, I have found that the price of my sunglasses is inversely proportionate to the speed at which I lose them. Which is why I still have a crooked pair of black Ann Taylor shades, circa 1996, and the amount of time I got to enjoy my rimless, rose-tinted Chanel wrap-arounds could be measured in hours. So, no MYKITAs for me. But for anyone looking for an ubercool pair of $400 sunglasses made to the highest production and optical standards, check 'em out.

NY FASHION WEEK - FOUR WEEKS AND COUNTING!

The credentials have been approved, now I am just waiting for the morning when the designer contact list comes out and I -- along with tens of thousands of colleagues de plume -- will bombard publicists with our invite requests. In the mean time, the tentative spring 09 participant list was released this morning with several new and exciting names (Welcome Charlotte Ronson! Shout out to you Lela Rose!) -- here's the list:

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule begins with Michael Angel and is followed by BCBGMAXAZRIA , Perry Ellis, Duckie Brown, Rubin Singer, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Academy of Art University, Venexiana, Lacoste, Charlotte Ronson, Tony Maticevski, Abaeté, Andy & Debb, Rosa Chá, Verrier, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Rock & Republic, Macqua, Lela Rose, DKNY, Tracy Reese, Terexov, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Diane Von Furstenberg, Y-3, Akiko Ogawa., Tibi, Miss Sixty, Thuy Diep, Twinkle by Wenlan, Carolina Herrera, Peter Som, Jill Stuart, Sergio Davila, Diesel Black Gold, Luca Luca, Yeohlee, Tony Cohen, Ports 1961, Gottex, Cynthia Steffe, Badgley Mischka, Monique Lhuillier, Iódice, Betsey Johnson, Dennis Basso, Joanna Mastroianni, MAX AZRIA, Vivienne Tam, Brian Reyes, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, Richard Chai, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Carlos Miele, Pamella Roland, Milly by Michelle Smith, Anna Sui, Mara Hoffman, Malan Breton, Vera Wang, Naeem Khan, Rebecca Taylor, Reem Acra, Calvin Klein, Leifsdottir, Chris Han, Custo Barcelona, Zac Posen, Aurelio Costarella, Project Runway, Ralph Lauren, Tadashi Shoji, Sabyasachi, Carmen Marc Valvo, Donna Karan Collection and OmniaLuo by Zheng Luo.

This is my first season as a freelancer, without the power of a masthead mention to support my application. So I was thrilled to get the nod, and to all of you out there in PR-ville, please don't overbook your shows but please do let me in --I will be spinning queries like there's no tomorrow!

Auf Wiedersehen Berlin Fashion Week!

More looks from Killian Kerner

Love the belt!

Le fin!

Cutie KK

Killian Kerner -- Berlin Fashion Week Day 3

What an exciting final day! I'd seen Killian Kerner's January BFW show on You Tube and was excited to see it for real. He didn't disappoint. It also didn't hurt that Kerner & Co. gave us amazing seats-- hello front row! -- and neat KK tote bags filled with a CD, a small brush and a handy sewing kit. Like his earlier show, Kerner had a live band in the house. But not just any group -- this one, an electro-emo group called SpinterX, was more like a band inspired by a designer inspired by a band. Basically, it was a true creative collaboration that was readily apparent, as the band's lead singer, Ben Ivory, looked a hell of a lot like all the male models in the show, who all looked a hell of a lot like Killian Kerner. But I digress. Kerner showed a mix of mens and womens looks, with the mens stuff all pretty on-trend (think weird drop-crotched pants and walking shorts paired with tall socks). The women's looks were uniformly simple, gorgeous and wearable. I loved one of the belts, and appreciated how he played with pleats and construction. I also loved the back pockets on the jeans he sent down the runway, the tops of which were finished with the top outline of his double-K logo. The show's final look, a grayish-lavender gown, left the entire audience breathless. But it was the appearance of KK himself -- boyishly cute and YSL-shy -- that sent the audience into wild applause and a standing ovation. Want to see more? Check out Killiankerner.de. And if you yearn for Depeche Mode and believe in your heart that Curiosity Killed the Cat deserves a comeback, check out SpinterX's singles, "Head over Heels" and "I am", both of which were written especially for Kerner and this show, at splinterx.net or myspace.com/splinterx.

PureBerlin - Berlin Fashion Week, Day 2

This show, featuring streetwear by local designers pureberlin, was one of the hottest tickets of the entire week. Everyone seemed to know everyone, and one of the models even high-fived a frontrower as she tromped down the runway. Yet the familiar tone seemed to fit the casual line to a T, since the collection is largely T-shirts, hoodies and jeans, all made from 100 percent cotton. The inspiration is simple: Berlin. But the graphics used on the pieces is pretty cool -- designs feature postcodes for the city; for example, 10117 for Berlin-Mitte, 10997 for Berlin-Kreuzberg, 10623 for Berlin-Charlottenburg and 10245 for Berlin-Friedrichshain. Depending on which district is being featured, the matching areacode appears on the garment. Unfortunately, the local focus means the brand can only be found locally. I for one will be checking the website to see if any distribution points pop up in the states or the site gets ecommerce enabled.

Berlin Fashion Week: Name that Celebrity!

OK folks, correct-seeming answers win a prize. Looks like Mila Jovovich, right?

But not really here, and if it were Mila, why would she be canoodling with the K.D. Lang type next to her? Anyone have an idea who these folks could be? Enquiring minds sure wanted to know, they were much photographed prior to the Pure Berlin show.

Maybe-Mila, Quasi-KD and to their left, I think are three of the four members of the German pop group No Angels.

Perhaps the most photographed guy at the shows -- anyone know who he is?

Berlin Fashion Week: My American Fashion Selection

Berlin was ... cold. Last I checked with the folks at Weather.com, the predictions were in the mid-to-high 70s. I estimate the true temps were about 10 degrees colder than that. One H&M jacket later, I was happy as a clam. That said, it was sunny and 70 degrees in the tents. The first day, I mixed high and low with a shirt and jacket from the Gap accented with a nautically inspired double-brooch that I absolutely love that was made by Chicago designer Cyndi Chan (www.cyndichan.com), a big yellow leather Botkier bag and modified gladiator heels from Cynthia Vincent. Day 2 was a paisley silk shirt from NYC-based Nieves Lavi, a years-old Adrienne Vittadini silver and wood necklace and an oversized 80s clutch courtesy of eBay. Day 3, the cold took hold and I paired that new dark gray H&M jacket with no-name bootleg jeans from Nordstroms and my favorite favorite favorite white T-shirt from Rogues Gallery, which I bought at Koros Art & Style in the West Loop of Chicago. (If anyone from Koros is reading, please contact me if you have any more of these shirts, especially with the rabbit, size XS!). So with the exception of the jacket, I kept it All American, folks.

Eastpak - Berlin Fashion Week Day 2

Why an American-based backpack company is showing at Berlin Fashion Week is beyond me but who cares! The show featured a kickass band and everyone attending the show scored funky little Eastpak bags. This was the SECOND ROUND of freebie bags -- Eastpack also provided the press swag bags, which were amazing: large, multi-handled black bags tricked out with several pockets inside and out and embroidered -- yes, embroidered! -- with Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009. The show featured packs and streetwear (hoodies, windbreakers, etc.) designed by cutting-edge stylesetters, Eley Kishimoto and Raf Simons -- Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto are of course the designers behind the Cacharel label and Simons heads Jil Sander. Perhaps the coolest thing about the show, though, was a feature that seems to be unique to Berlin Fashion Week: a show soundtrack courtesy of a live band instead of a recording. Eastpak's house band was insider Berlin fav MIA. It was my first encounter with MIA -- actually when I saw the announcement on the invite, I thought the label had scored the M.I.A., the American MC who mixes hip-hop with Bollywood beats. Imagine my surprise when instead a red-plastic-clad white chick named Mieze Katz came down the runway instead, mic in hand, belting out the electro-punk band's newest single, "Mein Freund." What I didn't realize until later was that Eastpak in Germany is quite expensive -- and actually quite fashion forward. Thumbing through their catalogue, they've collaborated with more than a few designers and have a range of fashion-forward fabrics printed with everything from McQueen-esque plaids (or more recently, D&G) to rows of barbed wire. The kids are definitely alright!

Smeilinener - Berlin Fashion Week Day 2

The word here was charming. This mother-daughter duo sent out a sweet collection of brightly colored knits and fabrics, baggy fits and sweet patterns like stars and stripes. It can all be found at the Smeilinener flagship store in Berlin on Schroederstrasse (www.smeilinener.de), but I found a small selection at a popup fashion week boutique at Gallerie Lafayette. I loved one of the shirts and considered making the acquisition, but the combination of limited-edition designer piece and a crazybad exchange rate intervened. I do love this stuff, however -- just don't make me pronounce the name!

Basso & Brooke - Day 2 Berlin Fashion Week

Day 2 was by far the busiest day for us: Starting the day was an 11 am show from Brit wonderduo Basso & Brooke that was more showcase than show. Rather than debut a new collection, B&B sent a retrospective down the runway, a gathering of wildly artistic costumes that brilliantly displayed the duo's uberinventive combinations of textiles, patterns and colors. It was an exciting presentation, with models coming down the runway and posing along its side instead of exiting. Not an inch was missed here, from bound ankles to wrapped wrists to extra-drama hats and hair notions. For a city that revels in its grunge-slash-biker look (hello, was there a Berliner in the house who was NOT wearing boots, a motorcycle jacket and a neck wrap or scarf!?) this was a welcome shot of good old fashioned GLAMAH!

SP- Susanna Peric Show Photos

This was our first show upon arriving in Berlin -- unfortunately we missed three earlier shows that first day, Lac et Mel (which the NYC-based editor of Lyramag.com said was a super showing), Sisi Wasabi and HUGO. But as I said in the posting below, it was definitely the one to see, as it will likely be a preview for SP's NYC debut. The photo of the attractive couple is a Teutonic starlet who was much photographed from her front row perch (anyone who can identify her gets a goody bag of Berlin Fashion Week swag!) along with the city's fashion week host, rocking the dapper Alec Guinness look. And finally, some runway looks from SP. I can't say much about these looks or any others because one thing that was nowhere to be found this fashion week was a bill of fare. A few designers placed vision statements on chairs, but no one provided a laundry list identifying the looks and the models coming down the catwalk. No press kits either and all told, a general low level of schmoozing taking place, unlike the common and near constant card-exchanges in NYC.

Aufstanding! Berlin Fashion Week Recap

Back from Berlin! What a wunderbar event this fashion week was. First, the photos, then some parting thoughts. Here, a word from our sponsor: A massive. building-long Mercedes Benz billboard marking the fashion week locale. I think that the featured model was the winner of Deutschland's Next Top Model -- can anyone out there confirm?

Inside the Big Tent