http://www.thestylearbiter.com Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:15:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week glided to a close last week, more of New York's big guns lined up at the plate and hit home runs out of the park. [caption id="attachment_1463" align="alignright" width="275" caption="Stephen Burrows"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1464" align="alignright" width="275" caption="Dennis Basso"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1466" align="alignright" width="275" caption="Brian Reyes"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1467" align="alignright" width="275" caption="Badgley ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/creative-chic-collections-close-out-fashion-week.html While time will tell if Tiger Woods' public statement regarding his adultery was convincing, the disgraced king of golf made excellent fashion choices when he finally faced the public Friday. Woods, 34, needed to hit the right note sartorially as well as rhetorically for the occasion, the first time he has ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/featured/tiger%e2%80%99s-attire-for-press-statement-a-hole-in-one.html Four of the strongest trends emerging for the season are an incredibly strong military influence; unapologetic opulence and luxury; the ubiquity of grey and its connotations of independence and authority; and black as the new black. [caption id="attachment_1441" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Monique Lhuillier (photo by Ben Nelson, Envision Studio)"][/caption] Designers are incorporating epaulets, ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/american-womenswear-designers-are-redefining-power-dressing-for-fall-winter-2010.html There always have been and always will be cheapskates, those for whom a perceived bargain price trumps everything -- even poor quality. [caption id="attachment_1427" align="alignright" width="270" caption="ADAM"][/caption] There is another demographic that influences the economy, especially during recession. While not as visible, this segment of the population keeps the bottom from falling ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/show-stopping-glamour-by-georges-chakra-and-zang-toi.html Sometimes strong designer labels falter for one reason or another, whether there's a new creative talent calling the shots or the brand fails to remain relevant or true to its clientele. [caption id="attachment_1421" align="alignright" width="270" caption="Cynthia Steffe"][/caption] It's always good to see them rebound, returning better than ever. That's what appears ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/cynthia-steffe-lovely-fusion-of-romantic-military.html Farah Angsana showed up and showed off at Bryant Park yesterday. Her line of cocktail, evening, and special-occasion looks for fall-winter 2010 gave a jolt to the opening day of Mercerdes-Benz Fashion Week in Midtown Manhattan, electrifying an audience during an otherwise ho-hum day. As they left the show, some guests praised ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/angsana-reigns-on-ny-fashion-weeks-first-day.html Serious singers know that sometimes they have to make the face real ugly to create the best sound. Just ask super-talents like Jennifer Holliday and Rachelle Ferrell. Well, there's a similar strain of thought in the world of revolutionary footwear manufacturers - that a shoe not only must perform heads ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/say-what/finally-shoes-uglier-than-original-crocs.html Miguel Androver, one of the hottest designers to emerge in the last decade, views fashion as a medium for social messages. "My collections," he once said, "attempt to open up the eyes of the people of our society." [caption id="attachment_1397" align="alignleft" width="275" caption="Miguel Androver"][/caption] Now he's designing for a brand with the ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/up-close-and-personal/miguel-androver-and-hessnatur-a-natural-fit.html Inquiring minds are wondering how this Feb. 11-18 will be commemorated as the last season that New York's twice-yearly fashion shows will be staged at Bryant Park. Will any designers salute the storied Midtown setting in their shows? Will event organizers memorialize it on billboards, the tent's façade, or on ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/style-911/bryant-park-bids-adieu-to-ny-fashion-week.html More men are discovering what some of us fellows have known for years - that a hip wardrobe is incomplete without at least one pair of boots. We're not talking about brogans, Timbs, Wellies, or even cowboy boots, all of which have a place in the well dressed man's closet. We're ... http://www.thestylearbiter.com/in-the-know/rockport%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98lexington%e2%80%99-bridges-boot-sneaker.html