Bobbi Brown Nail Polish SS07

Last weekend while the makeup lady at MAC was trying on loads of eye shadow colours on my sister, I wondered over to the Bobbi Brown counter and fell in love with the BB salesgirl's makeup. She had a 'light' (as in not as dramatic as most of MAC's salespeople's makeup,) smokey eye. She proceeded to try it on me but they were out of a certain shimmery, creamy eye shadow base so the eye shadow didn't look at all impressive on me, (or maybe it's just that the salesgirl was really pretty herself -that is so unfair!)

Next I noticed her nails and loved the colour. They were a lovely milky, white-ish, pinkish, champagne colour. They were exactly what I was looking for -something milky, but not plain white or pink. But I didn't realise Bobbi Brown made nail polishes at that point so I didn't ask her where she got her nail polish from. Later on, a friend told me Bobbi Brown did actually make nail polish so I decided to head to another Bobbi Brown counter in the hopes that the salesgirl's nail polish was from BB. After looking through the six shades, half of which were already out of stock, I guessed it was Tutu.

Since I have zero skills in painting nails, I got someone to do it for me while getting a facial. The results were... a bit more pink than I anticipated. Now that I've had time to accustome myself to painted nails, I suppose they don't look as pink as they first looked. Actually I think I may be starting to like the colour! (Haha sorry, this is my 28 hours of thoughts after getting my nails done.)

The one really big thing I must complain however is that BB nail polish seems to chip REALLY easily. Admittedly, I've got three layers on because I wanted the colour to completely cover up my nails so maybe the polish on my nails is really thick. But I've been pretty careful about using my fingers in the past day and it's not like I'm doing any nail-polish-chipping activities. (Although did you know msn-ing people is terrible for your nail polish? Too much constant typing!) BG justifies the chipping to me as "Bobbi Brown isn't exactly known for their nail polish". I know but still, I expected more from the brand and the price! Oh well.

Nail-painting is such an irritating and time-consuming activity, who know? No wonder I only ever experiment with nail polish during school holidays! Please let me know what other nail polish brands chip or scratch easily so we can all avoid them!

Image credit: www.bobbibrown.co.uk

Giorgio Armani, Milan

So this photo has finally run in Wallpaper magazine so I can finally share it with you.

Back in April I was in Milan shooting the Salone for Wallpaper.
It was Saturday, the last day, and the fair was slowing down so I took a lazy walk around the Brera.
I was on Via Borgonuovo when I looked up and saw Armani walking down the street.
Actually, I saw Armani's giant bodyguard first but Armani was about four steps in front of him.
Anyway, I stopped Armani and began to ask him, and quickly began asking the bodyguard (that guy moves quick) if I could take his photo.
He asked for a business card ,which I didn't have on me, so he looked me over and agreed to let me take his picture.

Armani still looked a little hesitant but I have seen him in action enough backstage at his shows that I know he likes to be shot against a dark backdrop to highlight his white hair.

He began to take his one of his trademark poses but I motioned that we should move off the street and in front of a nearby building with a dark background. I motioned to his hair and said something like "bene constrasto" (not to be confused with "bene castrato"). This instantly won a few big points with him and he was very patient while I got a couple of shots.

Funny thing, one of the reasons Armani has built such an incredible empire is he is very careful with every aspect of his image. For example, when you take a photo of Armani he will not look up at the camera until he has set his pose and checked every element of his look. You cannot take a picture of him until he is ready.
As a photographer this is a pain but it is a perfect example of how he continues to worry about every little aspect - I have tremendous respect for that. The guy is in his 70's and is still sweating all the little details.

INTRODUCING - The SartoriaList Women's

I am happy to begin The SartoriaList Women's
Same concept as the Men's SartoriaList plus two additional services.
As with the men's list I will try to get a good mix of ladies from varied income levels.
I am currently efforting responses from women in New York, Milan, Paris, London and Stockholm (Berlin?).
I will be updating the SartoriaList as I receive answers but quite a few will be going up in the next two weeks.

Of course, I had to start with a few of the coolest women I know.


CARINE ROITFELD

Hair salon
Romain Color - 37 rue Rousselet paris 7eme

tailor:
Styl'up - 5 rue pasquier paris 8eme

Dry cleaner:
Delaporte Teinturerie - 62 rue Francois I paris 8eme

Shoe repair
Pulin bottier - 5 rue chauveau Lagarde paris 8eme

Nail Salon
Sothys institut de beaute - 128 rue du faubourg saint honore paris 8eme

Body Treatment
L appartement 217 - 217 rue saint honore paris 1er



EMMANUELLE ALT

Hair Salon:
Leonor Greyl - 15 rue Tronchet paris 8eme

tailor:
Styl'up - 5 rue pasquier paris 8eme

Dry cleaner:
Delaporte Teinturerie - 62 rue Francois I paris 8eme

Shoe repair
Cordonnerie Vaneau - 44 rue vaneau paris 7eme

Nail salon and body treatment
Institut Revlon - 19 rue Bassano paris 16eme



TARA HENTHORN

Hair Salon: ALAIN COIFFURE 184 rue de grenelle 7emer
cute little place, where the clientele are like your grandparents, and walking in the door is like stepping back into the 1950's. the ladies have regular appointments to get themselves coiffured and to catch up on the quartier gossip. i go there not really for the haircut (as my hair is never in more need than a trim), but so soak up a little of the old life...

Tailor or Alterations: Being a designer i do it myself.

Dry Cleaner: PRESSING MALAR 27 rue malar 7eme

Shoe Repair: CHAUSSURE ROLAND 12 rue malar 7eme
Gorgeous little old man, owns and runs the place all by himself, and every morning i pass him on the street on the way back from the boulangerie, smile and say "bonjour".

Nail Salon: NOCIBÉ 96-98 rue st Dominique 7eme
A quiet little old place that also gives the most fantastic relaxing body massgaes.

Body treatment: CORPORO SANO 15 bis rue Amelie 7eme
Great eyelash tints.

Office Fashion: Suits I

Ah work clothes. I must say, I've always somewhat dreaded wearing it before- especially business formal. I always thought that it looked more like a uniform, and since my high school uniform, which resembled a prisoner's outfit, I never want to go back to wearing them again. But alas, the real world beckons. So lets take a look into office fashion and start with suit jackets.
Suits. The first thing that pops to mind is Giorgio Armani. As I always say when I write runway reviews about them, these are the things that makes me want to work hard. Don't they just look so sexy and stylish? (Left: Giorgio Armani, Right: Ralph Lauren)
But of course, in the real world, suits are not that sexy. For my first suit, I followed my best friend's lead, and went for the Theory, Hayward (left)(and no, I did not deliberately choose the same cutting, but I found that it fitted me best). Theory isn't Armani, but its pretty good. And the fit is quite good too. But still, for the first few times I wore it, I still felt very conscious of myself, uncomfortable and old. Like I was a poser, pretending to look professional when I'm not. But this summer, having worn it more often (almost like an uniform- changing the shirt of course- such a good investment!), I'm actually feeling much more comfortable in it (maybe I've aged too!). My friend once said that wearing a suit makes her feel sexy and I was confused- now I get it!
Just witness Calista Flockheart in Brothers and Sisters. Doesn't look like an uniform at all! She just looks very chic and put together.
I think the trick to looking good in suits is the fit. So try until you find the right one. Typically, I find one button suit jackets fit the best- for me anyway(note how this whole post is filled with one button suits). They also look slightly more casual, giving it a younger and chic look. (left: Elie Tahari, right: BCBG). My only problem is that my chest is small, so I have to be careful that I don't find an one button suit that is too loose in the chest- disaster! Some cheaper options, from Express (left) and J Crew (right). Who knew J Crew HAD suits? Turns out they have a pretty good selection, so go check it out.
Besides black, I also got one (very cheap from a local store in HK) with very thin stripes. Not quite as bold as these ones from Max Studio (left) and Express (right), but these are quite nice and sharp too. Next I'm looking to get a suit in grey (not sure dark or soft yet!) and beige/white (for summer)....wow, its like a whole new door of fashion has opened up- but all this will probably be when I actually get a real full time job.

Image Credit: Elle, BCBG, Express, Nordstrom, Max Studio and Brothers and Sisters

Lino in GQ plus Out-Take

This is one of my all-time favorite shots of Lino.
It appeared in July GQ but I wanted to make sure it had a home here also.
To me it is the very essence of Milanese style.


I loved this shot but I guess the page just isn't big enough for two Lini (the plural of Lino)

On the Street......Soho, New York

New on The SartoriaList! Reza Raein

As I promised recently, I will be making new additions to The SartoriaList over the next few weeks
Our good friend Reza has sent over his list of resources not only for New York but also Naples!
Reza has also informed me that he has lost 15 pounds and we may soon need to change his moniker to TBM!!

Thanks Reza and the first one to Naples wins!!

from Reza email:
BARBER New York: Peter at Delta Hairstylists
BARBER Naples, Italy: Gianni at Barbieria, via Crispi 13-15
(In my case, given the little hair I have, the barber is really more of a surgeon)


TAILOR/ALTERATIONS suits, Naples, Italy: Mr. Pasquale Sabino at PrimoPiano Italia, Piazza dei Martiri, Naples
TAILOR/ALTERATIONS shirts, Naples, Italy: Mr. Salvatore Piccolo, via Strettola S. Anna alle Paudi 54, Naples


DRYCLEANER: Sophia Careplus 150 E 79th St NYC ( hand pressing of shirts + general dry cleaning)
DRYCLEANER: Perry Process 427 E 74th NYC (suits)


SHOE REPAIR Naples, Italy: Paolo Scafora Custom Shoemaker TEL +39-333-239-6239
SHOE REPAIR NYC: The Empire, 991 Lexington Avenue, NYC (ask for Roman)

This information should be permanently updated on The SartoriaList by the end of this week.

Ladies don't despair the women's SartoriaList in full process. Just wait till you see who I post tomorrow!

On the Street.......Summer Cardigan, Soho

No matter how hot it is outside, it is always colder in your office.

On the Street.......Chopped Leather Pants, Paris

2007 Trend: The Slogan Tees

80's styled, bright-coloured slogan tees are 'in' this year. This unfortunate trend was started by House of Holland, which basically makes loads of this kind of tees. I suppose one of the reasons why it caught people's attention was the cheeky slogans about other designers and models, (such as "Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey" and "Wham Bam Thank You Stam" or somthing like that.) I really didn't mind this trend back when the only people I saw wearing the tees were in magazines and websites. Unfortunately, my local department store has recently started selling them and now I'm actually seeing the tees worn on people and featured in local magazines around me! Bleh, I'm obviously no fan of this look.

And thanks to rising model Agyness Deyn, who is claimed to be 'cool and hip' by various magazines, House of Holland tees are now also considered to be 'cool and hip'. Uh, tacky colours much? (And I mean both Aggy's makeup and the tee, or maybe it's the combination of both.)

If you simply can't resist this trend, consider these very affordable choices by Urban Outfitters (left) and Top Shop (right.) Just because I don't like this trend doesn't mean I'm going to stop you from experimenting. Afterall, fashion's meant to be fun too and I'm sure lots of people out there love this trend!



So ok, I still don't completely get why so many people and supposedly classy magazines like Vogue are crazy for these tees. They're just so... unclassy and flashy. But I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Plus, trends pass by so quickly these days, so why not? What does everyone think about this trend?



Photo credit: http://www.style.com/, http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

Revlon Make-Up Eraser Pen

When I first saw the clipping from the magazines for this eye make-up eraser pen, I knew I had to have it. It was like they had read into my mind and knew I was looking for such a product (recall my previous musing on Jane Blog about dabbing a qtip with make-up remover, putting it in my purse and hope it still works later into the night). My friend told me she thought some brands already had such a thing, but still, this is the first time I've heard of it. So holding the $2 off coupon, I rushed out to the nearest Walgreens and picked one up (I was disappointed to find that it was not easily singled out amongst the products, in my mind, it should be placed on a pedestal).What it basically is, is a spongy/felt tip pen that is soaked with eye make-up remover (not unlike my original idea, except they figured out a way that the eye make-up remover doesn't dry out). It doesn't quite magically cleans off eye make-up at a swipe of the pen, but more like it disburses minimal amounts of eye make-up remover and kind of smudges the area. I advised you to wipe the rest off with your fingers or a qtip to get maximum cleaning effect. Even though it is not as magical as I'd hope, so far I am loving it as I've discovered two ways of using it:

1. To very quickly and effectively get rid of make-up screw ups during application. This is especially helpful when you are applying eye liner and you accidentally make a thicker line than you wanted. Then simply swipe off the extra bits and you'll be left with a perfect eye line.


2. To get rid of those smudges that inadvertently creeps up after a few hours of application of eye make-up- even when they say its water proof! To avoid smudges completely, I heard using bases, avoiding water/sweating and keeping your lids oil free helps...but good luck with stopping natural body responses to the environment.

Wow, if only I can patent my random thought processes. I'd make a fortune...

Photo source: Revlon

Mr. Stefano Tonchi at YSL

Haidee Findlay-Levin, Stylist, Manhattan

Sartorialist Lesson #1A- Wear Your Pants On Your Waist NOT Your Hips

The late Mr. Ferre shows how a larger man can wear his pants at his waist WITH a vest and create a very slimming effect.

Again, the "rules" don't work for everyone but they can usually be slightly tweaked and work more often than not.

If you are taller, check out old photos of Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart or Gregory Peck - all tall and still wearing their pants at their waist (with very successful results)

Sartorialist Lesson #1 - Wear Your Pants On Your Waist NOT Your Hips

The easiest and least expensive way for ANY gentleman to look much better in his clothes is to pull those pants up.

Both of these gentleman look more refined ,even while dressed in just shirt sleeves, because they are wearing their pants at their waist and not at their hips.

I think it also visually drops about ten pounds on a guy because your shirt doesn't blouse-out and hang over your belt as badly.

On the Street.......Yohji Femme, Soho

Vanessa Bruno FW07 Presentation

Ever since I've noticed the rack of Vanessa Bruno clothes at Lane Crawford (which is like the Barneys of Hong Kong,) I've loved Vanessa Bruno the brand. VB clothes are Parisian chic, cool and classily casual. Plus VB stuff is relatively affordable. It's now a norm for me to get at least one VB item each season. So imagine how excited when Lane Crawford held a little VB FW07 presentation (tonight) and Vanessa Bruno herself was actually going to be there!

The event was a typical one: half an hour of cocktail and a mini runway show. It was a small event so there weren't actually any seats, so thankfully the event was short and started on time.

The presentation is pretty much like it is on the VB website. Even the music is the same!

The first outfit that came out was a lovely trapeze coat that I've liked from the Paris runway back in Feb and have been looking out for. It swayed so nicely along with the model's walk!

This was definitely my favourite dress from the presentation. SO gorgeous! It's so perfect for mild winters (with temperature around 14 degrees Celcius, as in Hong Kong.) The dress is youthful but looks so graceful and pretty. Sigh...

Remember Elyse Sewell from America's Next Top Model many seasons ago? She's been in Hong Kong since then.

And there's Vanessa Bruno in the middle! Spot the light blonde lady in a black skirt and plum-coloured top. She fits in with the models so well.

This collage really shows the style VB's clothes... feminine, light, carefree and pretty. Everyone was invited (err, encouraged) to shop the FW collection afterwards, but I was too tired today to appreciate the clothes I was trying on and decided that I can try on the clothes another day. Also, I'm just not in the mood to shop for FW clothes yet. My sister on the other hand, got a really pretty casual dress. Hmm, I'll definitely have to go back in September for my FW shopping spree!

At Valentino....Leopard Tie, Milan

On the Street.......Bold is Beautiful, Harlem

On the Street.......Sunday's Best 3, Harlem

On the Street.......Go-To Summer Dress, Milan

Smooth Legs

Previously for fear of pain and mess, I've always been satisfied with shaving. Upon seeing the very cool Veet ad for their hair removal cream (with the zig zag thing), I'd also given it a try. Alas, I was sorely disappointed when it only worked half way (ads are SO deceiving).

So I went back to shaving. And I was thrilled when they came out with a combination of two of my favourite razors- Venus and Intuition- clean smooth shave with a built in gel thing for those lazy souls out there like me. Naturally I dashed out to get one of these, Venus Breeze and was SHOCKED at the price tag ($10.99)- especially of the cartridges (23.21). But I persevered, convincing myself that each filler probably lasts longer-wrong! Because of the combination of design, the gel bar is very thin, and though it doesn't wash away as quick as the soap, it lasts for about 2 weeks at most. Ouch! Even if the catridge pack does contain 8 thats still quite pricey. (Note: If you still insist on trying it and you already own a Venus, my advice to you is just buy the refill right off the bat, because the attachment is the same. Although it may not fit onto the case anymore, it'll save you a few bucks!)

That, in addition with the recent summer heat and the short shorts trend, I decided shaving, with all its constant need of attention and unflattering stubbles after a day or so, is simply not good enough anymore. And so, I finally decided to brave the pain and go for waxing. Turns out, when it comes to beauty, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. While it was messy and slightly painful at first, I soon got over it. Especially with these Veet wax strips, which makes it even easier (just remember to wipe off the excess with their special wipes or oil). The result were exactly as they had advertised it to be- clean and it lasts for ages! My only complain is that I don't always get everything, but I've found that skill and speed comes with practice.
So I've really tried many different methods of hair removal. Next on my list would be an epilator (above: Braun). But it is kind of pricey and I heard that the pain may be worse (I mean, they are literally pulling hair out one by one instead of all in one quick rip). Has anyone tried it? And how do you all out there keep your legs smooth?

Photo Source: veet and amazon

On the Street.......Spring Street, Soho

On the Street.......Sunday's Best 2, Harlem

UPDATE Congrats to Michael Bastian -New Designer for Bill Blass

For my August GQ page I talk about the particular to Manhattan look of guys running out of the office on "early Friday's" in rigs that are somewhere between Manhattan and the Hamptons a.k.a Manhattan Beach.

Live and Let Loose p2

I know I'm fickle but all it takes is seeing a guy like this (looking really cool in in a loose silhouette) to reconsider my my love of the slim Italian classics.
You have to admit that this guy looks pretty cool and comfortable.

On the Street.......Summer Knits, Greenwich Village