AnA's NYFW Lookbook: Day 3: Snow! Head! Girl! Friend!

Since New York has apparently become a mountain town and will be covered in four feet of snow by noon, the ladies of AnA have bundled up in preparation of what will nevertheless be a hectic day.

As I am from a tropical climate, though at this point Montreal could be considered tropic in comparison, I have opted for Fall '10 Moncler Gamme Bleu because I do NOT fuck around with this shit.


Usually I am not one for practicality, but our old friend Thom Browne can even make ski wear fun. I'm also wearing this underneath.

Just for kicks.

Ms. Streisand, desiring a pop of color in all this neutral white, chose to stalk out of her apartment this morning in Fall '09 Michael Kors, paired with Prada wellingtons and a Mizrahi bag hat.

Depth, warmed over.

Meanwhile, Dolly, brave soul she is -- Gaga bless her, amidst warnings from Babs and myself, decided to throw caution to the gusting wind and venture out in he favorite pair of Nina Ricci tranny pumps.


She hasn't reported into the loft as of yet, but she's a resilient gal from hardy stock. If we don't hear from her within the hour, we'll send out a search party of resourceful lesbians (are there any other kind?) to dig her out from the avalanche no doubt caused by the loud clopping of her nonexistent heels.

The Fashion Show v. PJ Runway: Round 1

Bravo aired the second part of The Fashion Show finale last night and crowned Anna the winner based on viewer’s votes. As the whole point of this show was “Real fashion for real people” (snore), Anna was the obvious choice. Her clothes throughout the season were very wearable and covetable:

Plus, she featured an AnA staple, the shoulder bow.

Though her collection was not the most cohesive, that honor goes to supercunt Daniella, it was definitely the most mainstream and marketable. We can see ourselves in any of these pieces from her final show...except perhaps that jersey dress, unless, that is, it was cinched with a say-something belt:

The aforementioned supercunt was the judge’s choice for her young, “edgy”, fashion-forward aesthetic. It's a little punk, it's a little new wave, it's definitely very now:

Though a bit rough around the edges, it was a good collection, and despite her supercuntiness, Daniella is a talented designer. That she’s only 22 bodes well for her future. Also, Editrix-in-Chief of Bazaar, Glenda Bailey, promised—on camera no less—to hook Daniella up with some designers to assist her in her career so...mission accomplished, bitch.

Our favorite collection, by far, though, was that of the adorable pocket designer, James-Paul. Not only one of our faves from the get-go, his collection was the most thought-out, was the best-executed and was really more than one could hope from a reality show.

Based on the idea of indigenous people dressing for the modern world, or something along those lines, the soft-spoken James-Paul came closest of the final three to delivering high fashion.

That he was the least favorite among the audience is not surprising since his work has polarized both viewers and judges since day one, except for his first, challenge-winning look, which incidentally sold out on Bravo’s website.

Now that the first season of The Fashion Show is over, we can all wait with baited breath for the return of the champ: Project Runway. The Fashion Show didn’t really give PJ Runway much of a run for its money, though the former’s final collections were as good as anything Runway’s done. Will Heidi and Co. disappoint, or was Sir Isaac just a warm-up for the main show?

I guess we'll have to wait until next month. But for now, the line has been drawn in the sand. A line of coke, yes, but a line nonetheless.

Checkin' In Akimbo

Hi Michelle! Hope you liked the Mother's Day basket we sent you. But who doesn't love chocolate rum balls? Anyway, you've been looking AMAZING lately! Here you are traipsing across your lawn in silver flats and a yellow floral cardigan by Liz Claiborne. Loving the baby daddy.

You looked superb at that MET ribbon cutting the other day in that whimsical purple get-up by AnA's newest resurrected godfather Isaac Mizrahi.

That corset! That impossibly appropriate hair! You cinched your Michael Kors with a laced-up Peter Soronen. Immaculately sleek, so well done.

Our favorite First Lady Look? The Azzedine you broke out to give a speech/steal the Kennedy thunder. It's a modernized black, you carry so well a modified Puritan collar, and AnA wouldn't be surprised if you whipped out a laser gun!

And check out those guns! Squeeze the spotlight out of her!

Heidi Klum to Nina Garcia: Shady Pines Ma!

Well this is a bit distressing. We here at the AnA loft are a little perplexed about the Weinstein Co.'s decision to move Project Runway to Lifetime, hence our quizzical hunches around the vodka cooler. Now, don' get us wrong, no one loves their Lifetime more than the gays, but the channel has never been, shall we say, cool. Their show line-up consists mostly of old shows that people love and newer shows that no one could give a pair of orange Crocs about. Add to that the fact that they've recently lost their golden luster to The Hallmark Channel and the move doesn't quite inspire our confidence. Is this a sign that Runway's tickety tack tranny days are numbered or that Lifetime is stepping up its proverbial game to appeal to a younger, hipper, gayer (if that's at all possible) demographic?

PJ Runway, long the jewel of Bravo's princess tiara, helped propel the channel to what it is today: a big ole gay wet dream with such fagtastic hits as The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York, Atlanta and most recently, New Jersey. Before La Klum first stomped down the catwalk in 2004 and Auf'd her first wannabe couturier, Bravo was vaguely artsy fartsy. Since then, however, it has dropped all of its pretension and most of its dignity with one reality show after another. As a result, its ratings and pop culture appeal have soared. Perhaps Lifetime hopes that Klum and Co. will do the same for them, or maybe the Weinsteins just got a better deal and expect their loyal viewers to remain loyal. After all, where else will we get our dishy dose of drama in the high-waisted, high pressure world of fashion? Where, I ask you?

By the way, the previews for The Fashion Show literally put us to bed last night. They even tucked us in and shut out the light. Competition is the new black. Really? As much as we LOVE Isaac, and acknowledge Kelly Rowland's minor contributions to Destiny's Child, we're not quite sold yet. Stay tuned, kids.

Cinematically Cinched...at the Waist

Unzipped (1995)
Directed by Douglas Keeve

Oh the mid-90s. Colors were bold, supermodels were bolder, the economy was booming, and one of AnA's patron saints, Isaac Mizrahi, was on top of the world. Following his electric neon, critically-acclaimed 1994 Fall line, Miz released Unzipped, which chronicled the line's creation and execution. And girl shined in it.

The queen takes a bow.

This was for many the first glimpse at Mizrahi's dynamic, divisive personality (I mean, really, Johanssen get over it) as well as a look at the day's top Supers at their whiny best--after watching this, it's impossible not to want to slap Linda Evangelista.

Everyone who was anyone in fashion at the time is in this movie, which alone makes it essential viewing for any self-proclaimed fashionista. But more importantly, the doc details the rigors and pressures involved in putting on a high fashion runway show: meeting with editors, coddling temperamental models and having to scrap your Eskimo fantasies after realizing Gaultier has already been there and done that.

Fashion is a dog eat (then purge, natch) dog world and Isaac was one of its casualties in 1998 when he had to close his line after his backers backed the fuck out. But like all divas, she rebounded and pioneered the current high-low trend that has the financially strapped but sartorially-forward jumping in their Matthew Williamson for H&M peacock mini.

But for now, let's electric slide back to 94 and revel in the madness: