EventKC.com Blog

Not as conservative as we first appear

2010-05-25T09:15:32-05:00

As we enter the summer season in Kansas City, we are becoming unseemingly aware that fashion has never been more prominent. Typically, fashion starts with an influence from the coasts. The Western coast of the States is a melting pot of hot Japanese trends and cool southern California style. While the trends from the East Coast are cutting edge, can be elegant and punk at the same time.

We have often been the last to feel these trends. With so much at our fingertips now, and the magical powers of the internet, we in the Midwest are often influencing from the inner states, out. For women, florals are definitely in this year, and if every sense. Soft color patterns suggest a breezy humid day, with women wandering around the Plaza in and out of shops and cafés. While the bold neon prints can and will be seen from Westport to the Power and Light District.

There has never been more of a sense of diverse stylings throughout the city. In our store’s own collection, we try to embrace this, sweet dresses made of the sheerest fabric, hot jersey knits for with rivet detailing and delicate chains. The ability for each Kansas City woman to dress to their personality is an endless possibility.

Men aren’t missing out anymore. The days of shopping for basic oxfords, less than graphic tees, and indigo blue denim are quite over. The conservative nature of our region is now allowing us to where bold graphics, mix bold graphics, and wear hot embellished denim styles. We are finally back to the place where distressed denim isn’t enough, torn out knees hit the runway this season, and if you were enough of a couture packrat to hang on to the styles of nearly a decade ago, you’re set. I held on to a pair I bought in 2003, and put them back on a few weeks ago. The result, sheer popularity.

Whether or not you consider yourself on the cutting edge of fashion, it’s evident around every corner. Boutique shopping is on the rise and Kansas City has never had more of it. Your challenge, find one piece in your wardrobe that you haven’t worn in years, mix it with hot new items and drench yourself in accessories to tell the world, Kansas City isn’t behind anyone.

Randall Schneck

General Manager

The Garment District Boutique

Randall Schneck
General Manager
randall@garmentdistrictboutique.com

"Not as conservative as we first appear..."

2010-05-22T13:00:00-05:00

Randall Schneck

General Manager

The Garment District Boutique

Randall Schneck
General Manager
randall@garmentdistrictboutique.com

Not as conservative as we first appear

2010-05-22T13:00:00-05:00

Randall Schneck

General Manager

The Garment District Boutique

Randall Schneck
General Manager
randall@garmentdistrictboutique.com

Your Weekly Fashion Fix

2010-03-01T09:38:34-05:00

It’s taken a while but fashion has finally woken up to the internet. Online shops such as Asos and Net-a-porter are booming, brands such as Yves Saint Laurent are using short YouTube-friendly films to showcase their designs, and fashion designers are Tweeting like there’s no tomorrow.

In the midst of this bold new landscape are the bloggers – providing commentary at the click of a mouse. Whether they’re posting catwalk images live from Paris, drooling over the latest Balenciaga wedges or writing about Lindsay Lohan’s dress sense (or lack thereof), they have become an important part of the industry and a voice for a new generation of style aficionados.

'Right now they’re at the forefront of fashion news and gossip,’ says Isaac Lock, the deputy editor of Love, the new magazine from the super-stylist Katie Grand. 'Pretty much anything new hits the blogs first nowadays.’

Indeed, some blogs aren’t just breaking news, they’re making it. Late last year when the designer Marc Jacobs allegedly stuck his tongue out at the journalist Suzy Menkes on the New York catwalk, it was Cathy Horyn, the fashion critic for the New York Times, who fuelled the scandal with her blog posts on the Moment.

While blogs such as the Moment and Catwalk Queen are fantastic for delivering a daily fashion fix, it’s the more personal sites that are receiving most attention.

Bloggers such as the Sartorialist and Style Bubble – both about the blogger’s individual take on fashion, from a self-confessed amateur point of view – have become a sensation.

The Sartorialist was named by Time magazine as one of the most influential forces in design, and Susanna Lau, the creator of Style Bubble, is given a front-row seat at Chanel shows.

So what’s the secret to a great fashion blog? As Lau says, 'It isn’t necessarily about providing information, but having an individual voice. It’s really important for you to stand out.’ Here, then, are our favourites…

ashadedviewonfashion.com

While many bloggers like to remain anonymous, Diane Pernet positively welcomes the attention. A true fashion eccentric, the American-born journalist and editor is frequently spotted on the front row of fashion shows dressed head-to-toe in black with a voluminous veil. Based in Paris for the past 20 years, she blogs all about young talent – it’s a great place to spot a future Alexander McQueen or Raf Simons.

bryanboy.com

Bryan Boy is a star. On his diary-like blog he sounds like a giddy fashion-obsessed teenager, dreaming of Lanvin trainers and next season’s clothes by label-of-the-moment Balmain. In real life, however, the 22-year-old from Manila has become a serious industry player – today Bryan is flown to the international shows, all expenses paid, and hangs out with Christopher Bailey, the Burberry designer. Oh, and Marc Jacobs has even named a bag after him.

catwalkqueen.tv

One of the first fashion blogs on the scene, Catwalk Queen began as a labour of love for the London College of Fashion student Gemma Cartwright. Today it boasts more hits per day than Vogue’s website. Great for celebrity style gossip, secret sample sales and exclusive fashion collaborations. It even has its own YouTube channel.

facehunter.blogspot.com

'Real people on the street can be just as inspiring and creative as top models in magazines,’ says Yvan Rodic, the man behind the street-photography blog Facehunter. Always travelling the globe on the lookout for new subjects on the streets from Reykjavík to Vienna, Rodic is more interested in personal style than in keeping things on-trend. It’s well worth a visit just to see the sheer variety of retina-popping looks on display. 'It’s eye candy for the style hungry,’ he says.

feelslikewhitelightning.com

Whether she’s lusting after the new resort collection from Giles Deacon or a vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier bustier, Elizabeth Spiridakis has a love of fashion bordering on the obsessive. The fact that she can’t actually afford most of the items she writes about only adds to the charm of her blog. Currently on a road-trip across Europe and America, Spiridakis seems to spend most of her time moving from one charity shop to the next. Such is her clout that she now gets recognised everywhere she goes.

gofugyourself.com

For a quick fix of celebrity fashion disasters, Go Fug Yourself can’t be beaten. The creation of Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, the blog rounds up the latest paparazzi shots from the red carpet and passes judgement on the good, the bad and the 'fugly’ (a merging of 'ugly’ and another, less print-worthy word). Comments range from the cruel – in one shot Lindsay Lohan is said to resemble an 'Easter bunny caught gnawing on his own chocolate-egg stash’ – to the even crueller, but all done with a brilliant sense of humour. Proof that fashion really has no mercy.

jakandjil.com

The photographer Tommy Ton gives good shoe. Like the Sartorialist, Ton shoots fashionistas on the street, but for the 25-year-old Canadian the focus is on footwear. If you want to know which styles the high street will be copying in six months, then this is the place to look. Jak & Jil has become a big success, with 30,000 hits per day. In his hometown of Toronto, one department store has even created a Tommy Ton mannequin.

libertylondongirl.blogspot.com

When Sir Philip Green announced plans to launch Topshop in America every newspaper and magazine was beaten to the scoop by Liberty London Girl, an anonymous British fashion editor living in New York. Her blog doesn’t just trade in great fashion gossip, however; this girl blogs on everything from the fashion world’s prejudice against big busts to last night’s bad date, all with a big dollop of very British humour. If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to live a real-life version of The Devil Wears Prada, this is probably it.

madamesays.com

Pippa Brooks is the coolest mum on the net. A co-owner of the boutique M Goldstein, DJ and former pop star, she’s also the mother to seven-year-old twins Joe and Duke. Her blog covers their impeccably dressed adventures around London. 'They dress themselves, can peel carrots, write stuff and have all sorts of opinions of their own,’ she writes. For anyone trying to balance the creative with the domestic – and still have fun – her blog is a must.

nymag.com/daily/fashion

Are you wondering what Michelle Obama is wearing today? Then check out MObama Watch, a day-by-day rundown of First Lady fashion. Alongside this brilliant guilty pleasure, New York Magazine’s blog offers a host of stylish attractions – from video look-books with Daphne Guinness to catwalk reviews. Its guide to the best buys of the season – right now they’re loving Diane von Furstenberg’s Sweetheart Pant – is also bang on the money.

redcarpet-fashionawards.com

Working from her rented studio-flat in north London, Catherine Kallon, a 34-year-old entrepreneur and ex-PA, is taking on Hollywood with her blog. The site itself is a mix of style news and 'who wore it best’ vote-offs. But it’s Kallon’s photographic memory that has made the blog such a hit – when Angelina Jolie wore a Max Azria dress back-to-front at an awards ceremony this year, Kallon was the only writer to identify it. This has made her a favourite with the glossies, and attracted fans including Stella McCartney and Miuccia Prada.

stylebubble.typepad.com

One of the blogosphere’s biggest fashion icons, Susanna Lau (aka Susie Bubble) started her online diary in March 2006. Style Bubble sees Lau, a Londoner, playing dress-up with new purchases and offering her thoughts on everything from fellow bloggers to the rebirth of Miss Selfridge. Thanks to its infectious tone, Style Bubble has become one of the most widely read fashion blogs, receiving 20,000 hits a day. No surprises, then, that Lau was recently recruited to the online arm of Dazed & Confused magazine. Fans needn’t worry, however – the blog is still going strong despite the day job.

tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com

Like many of her fellow style-bloggers, Tavi Gevinson posts pictures of herself in cool charity-shop finds and loves dissecting catwalk trends. Unlike most of them, however, Tavi is 13. A self-confessed 'tiny dork’ who loves the high-fashion labels Luella, Charles Anastase and Comme des Garçons, the Chicago schoolgirl has already been profiled by the New York Times and launched her own T-shirt line. Her biggest problem right now? Finding designer togs that fit.

thelovemagazineblog.wordpress.com

When Katie Grand left Pop magazine to start up a new venture with the publishing house Condé Nast, the fashion world was buzzing with excitement. The resulting magazine, Love, has certainly lived up to expectations and its blog is a neat window on to life on the precipice of cool. Alongside catwalk news and Twitter updates from Pixie Geldof, the site also features pictures of the Love staffers with pals including Justin Timberlake, Beth Ditto, and their pet rabbit, Clara.

themoment.blogs.nytimes.com

There are very few blogs that could persuade Donatella Versace to be guest editor for the day or ask Frida Giannini, the Gucci designer, to send in her holiday snaps. Such is the persuasive power of the Moment, the blog by the New York Times T magazine. Covering fashion, beauty, design and travel, the blog’s recent highlights have included an exclusive preview of Madonna’s Givenchy tour costumes, a celebration of vintage Pucci and the return of recycled jewellery.

thesartorialist.com

Since launching in 2005, Scott Schuman’s blog has become a phenomenon. The formula itself is straightforward: the diminutive New Yorker travels the globe shooting simple portraits of well-dressed individuals including fashion insiders such as Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue, as well as stylish passers-by on the street. It’s Schuman’s eye for detail that sets his images apart. He has recently made the transition from 'street photography’ to advertising campaigns for DKNY Jeans, and has even modelled for Gap.

theselby.com

Almost like a 2009 version of Through the Keyhole, the Selby features pictures, videos and paintings of hip homes around the world – from Manhattan apartments to cute basement flats in east London, all belonging to the likes of Peaches Geldof, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and the model Erin Wasson. The blog started out as a side project for Todd Selby, a photographer, who began his career shooting fashion and portraits, but has since grown into something a whole lot bigger. 'I wanted to look at people’s houses and surroundings and try to tell more of a story,’ he explains.

thethoughtfuldresser.blogspot.com

Created by the novelist and Stella contributor Linda Grant, the Thoughtful Dresser has witty musings on all things clothes related. Whether she’s answering tricky questions such as 'How many shoes does a girl need?’ (Crocs don’t count, obviously) or discussing female dress codes in Iran, Grant is one of the sharpest fashion writers around. She’s also launching the Great Mutton Debate on her site, a lively discussion of 'age-appropriate’ dressing for the over-fifties.

whatisjameswearing.com

James Andrew is the ultimate dandy. Every day the New York-based interior designer posts pictures of himself in the latest designer threads. The results often verge on the fantastical – James never travels without pocket squares – but his Gatsby-meets-Gucci style has attracted a legion of fans. 'It’s our favourite blog of the moment and possibly of all time,’ declared Elle Decoration.

whatkatiewore.com

Started in January by an east London couple, Joe and Katie, this blog will warm the hearts of even the most stony fashion scenesters. Documenting what the eccentric Katie wears every day of 2009, Joe comments on each outfit, with praise ranging from 'truly beautiful’ to 'very pretty indeed’. When that refers to sequin tunics, curtain ties from B&Q and a host of coloured tights, you have to applaud this sartorially enlightened male. A blog to forward to partners everywhere.

How Do We Share The Love?

2010-02-04T16:45:00-05:00

How Do We Share The Love?

I know some people are going to take this the wrong way. I’m completely prepared for this. But, as the days go by this topic weighs on my mind every day so here it goes.

In the days following the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti, I was amazed at the herculean efforts to give medical aid, raise funds, and send military personnel to the island that lay in shambles. It made me feel good in my heart that so many people were coming to the aid of the Haitian people. I even tried to do my part by helping with the relief effort in the Power & Light District.

As much as I was proud that Americans stepped up to the plate to help it made me start to wonder. Why doesn’t this happen right here at home? With all of the Super Bowl festivities in full swing, I began to remember the images of a New Orleans that lay in waste following Katrina.

It took FEMA over 5 days to get water to the Superdome right here in the United States. We’ve all seen the images of people with signs saying, “Please Help Us!” The national guard issued evacuation warnings even though the 2000 census would have alerted them to the fact that many of those people had no way to evacuate. It was a terrible scene that I hope that we don’t ever forget.

In the days that followed there were several scandals. Supplies that were earmarked for victims remained in warehouses for months and then were given away to charities with no link to Katrina victims. The media and other referred to displaced victims as “refugees” as if these people were somehow not Americans who had just suffered through a horrible disaster. And worst yet, there was a growing sentiment that the victims weren’t people that had lost jobs, homes, and family members, but people that were just looking for a handout.

Years have passed since Katrina and there are still many neighborhoods that haven’t been rebuilt and people that haven’t been able to go HOME. But yet, one of the most disturbing things is that not many people are surprised by this, or even care.

The remarkable run by the New Orleans Saints has brought this issue back to the forefront. It was truly remarkable to see the streets of The French Quarter after the Saints punched their ticket to the Super Bowl by beating the Minnesota Vikings. The crowds erupted in to pandemonium, and filled the streets without incident.

The people who are in New Orleans today have a revived sense of belonging and are working to ensure that long proud city of the bayou maintains the culture that it is known for throughout the world. The music is there, the food is there, the party and drinks are there for sure. And, there are people making their way back to a New Orleans of renewed vision.

However, these proud Americans still need help. My hope is that one day we will do unto those in this country as we do unto those on foreign soil that need help. There are people that don’t live in the mainstream areas in New Orleans that still live in sub-standard housing and conditions. Why shouldn’t we strive to help these people also?

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that we need to help those in foreign countries in their time of need. But I also think that we should save some of the love for home.

So as Valentine’s Day approaches I’m sending out some love to those who help others near and far. I hope that you will remember some of this next time we have people here in the US that need a helping hand.

###

Palm Pre v iPhone

2009-08-17T15:15:00-05:00

This Week - Palm Pre v iPhone

Which Should You Choose???

CES 2009 brought us a new player in the smartphone upper-echelon. Let's drill down and see how the Palm Pre compares with the iPhone and Android's G1.

1. Multitouch touchscreen/gesture control: All three are capacitive, only the Pre and iPhone have multitouch. The Pre's glowy little "gesture area" has dropped the touchable real estate all the way down tto the bottom of the phone, which is great for being able to navigate with one hand and not interfere with the screen at all. The wavey dock you bring up from the bottom looks awesome, but can you use it out of the box without a second thought or page through the manual? That's my question. Advantage: iPhone/Pre tossup.

2. Multitasking: One of the beefiest of our beefs with the iPhone SDK is its insistence on Apps running one at a time. The G1's notifications drawer was definitely a step in the right direction, but the Pre's interface is the first smartphone OS that was built with multitasking as a core design element. Resembling the Xbox's old Blades, or a less-jarring OS X Expose even, the Pre's "Cards" interface always places you in the context of every app running for fast switching, and notifications from other apps don't pull you away completely from the task at hand. Multitasking is hugely important on a phone, and it's a good sign that Palm recognizes. Advantage: Pre

3. Hardware: Adrian says:

While the hardware is definitely high quality, I'm not entirely blown away by the design. It looks really nice, and original, but it's a little too cutesy in shape and kind of reminds me of an oversized pebble. A slightly larger screen could have definitely been put to good use, and I really don't like the black space on the sides of the screen.

A phone with a built-in QWERTY still hasn't touched the iPhone in terms of sleekness and pure sex. And it might still be a while. Advantage: iPhone

4. Development platform: The Pre's "Web OS" sure sounds nice—all developers need to know is JavaScript, HTML and CSS? Sounds good in theory, but building a mobile app will never be as easy as cranking out a new theme for your Tumblr. Palm's stressing ease of development, though, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Apple's solid, familiar-to-devs OS X-based SDK and Android's fully open source approach. Advantage: Pre? If it's straight-up JavaScript, that's a lot of programmers ready to go. Note: we had iPhone here before, but we've switched with a qualification. Developer community still goes to iPhone for volume.

5. Web Integration: The Pre subtly integrates the internet into the phone at every opportunity, and it's awesome. Contacts get pulled in from Facebook, Gmail, IM and and scanned for dupes; the messaging app shows your last several emails, IMs and SMS with that contact in a single window. Really, really smart stuff. Advantage: Pre

6. App Store/developer community: A smartphone is only as good as the software it runs. On the Pre, Palm is still keeping application delivery details like pricing behind the curtain, but they did say the app delivery will be entirely handled by the phone (without a desktop app), which is a shame. They're saying that they're not going to duplicate Apple's Hobbesian app approval black box mistake, which Android has also hasn't fallen for, but there will be an approval process based on "security and stability." But as we know with Android, a dev community needs enough devices in the hands of consumers to reach critical mass, which the Pre will have to match. Advantage: iPhone, even with the black box, but Android and Pre's more open stances are reassuring.

7. Wireless charger: We've seen wireless charger tech for years at CES, but it's taken this long for a major consumer gadget to come bundled with its own wireless charger in the box. Whoops, it's not in the box, sold separately for unknown $$. But still: Bravo. Advantage: Pre

8. The Network: Dan Hesse, Sprint's CEO, gave our coast-to-coast 3G test a shout out in his press conference. Of course he did: Sprint won (in download speeds). Sprint was the only major carrier without a powerful, hype-catching smartphone choice, and now they have one. The Pre is a data-centric phone with a network we've proven to be strong in a large swatch of the country—that's a good combo. But would you switch to Sprint for the Pre? Ugh. Advantage: Not cut and dry for everyone, but we stand by our numbers: Sprint is the best 3G network in our tests.

9. Physical keyboard: It's preference, but one held by a large swathe of the gadget buying public: physical QWERTY keypads are still the mainstream input of choice. Touch is getting better all the time, but a lot of people still want physical keyboards. But better yet is the ability to choose; unfortunately, the Pre doesn't have a soft onscreen keyboard, and its slide-out is the same meh QWERTY from the Treo Pro. Advantage: It's preference, but on me, the iPhone's soft keyboard can't be beat.

10. Camera: The Pre has an LED Flash for its 3MP camera, something both the iPhone and G1 lack. Flash cellphone photos are ugly, but for a lot of people, they're good enough. So credit for throwing it in. Advantage: Pre

11. Battery: Apple's still an outlier with their non-removable battery; like the G1's, the Pre's comes out for a spare swap too. We've heard Apple's reasons for this a million times, we know the drill, but removable batteries will never stop being handy. Advantage: Pre

12. Copy & Paste: Yep, Pre's got it. iPhone still doesn't. Advantage: Pre/G1

13. Browser: All three use a browser based on WebKit, which has become the standard for the mobile web. We couldn't put it through our Mobile Browser Battlemodo ringer obviously, but what we saw looked great, and it's the only other mobile browser besides the iPhone that supports multitouch zooming. Advantage: iPhone/Pre

So there you have it. We're excited. Are you?