About Town

How to describe Jeffrey Fashion Cares? An annual fundraiser that generates staggering sums for breast cancer and AIDS research? A showcase of retailer Jeffrey Kalinsky's discerning eye for style? The inaugural event of the fall social season—where "dressing appropriately" has nothing to do with the length of your skirt or height of your heel and everything to do with the festive and fashion-forward spirit of your ensemble?

Yes, yes, and yes. Last year, the fifteenth-annual event raised more than $700,000, unveiled Downtown's glittering Allen Plaza, and counted Oscar de la Renta among its guests. This year, returning chairs Lila Hertz and Sacha Taylor followed the same recipe, trading Oscar for Isaac (as in Mizrahi), and pulled off a record-setting $800,000 for Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund. In context of the economic climate, that's borderline miracle-working.

Speaking of climate: Hurricane Fay did not deter a capacity crowd from turning out, but she did hold up Mizrahi's plane, leaving me and another journalist with just five minutes to co-interview the gregarious fashion icon. Though his designs hang in the poshest of stores, Mizrahi may be best known for his revolutionary partnership with Target. (We have him to thank for feeling super stylish in our cheap skirts and blouses—and for all those detours on the way to grabbing laundry detergent!) Mizrahi recently split from Target to become creative director of the struggling Liz Claiborne label, and while the move was verboten as an interview topic, we had plenty to talk about in our limited time:

EW: Have you spent time in Atlanta before?

IM: I can’t really say I come here regularly, but I find myself in Atlanta once a year. I’m intrigued by the South in general. I’m intrigued by exclusively warm-weather climates. I think it makes people kind of easy, genteel, and laid back—and slightly crazy. I think there’s a crazy factor that enters into the picture when it’s always hot. But I think it’s so stylish, and in the end if you live in a hot climate, you’re sort of hot-blooded and tend to be a little dramatic, which I’m very attracted to.

EW: Since cool weather is still a ways off for us, how can we give a fall spin to warm-weather clothes?

IM: Well, nowadays there almost isn’t a season. You could wear, like, fur trim in the middle of the summer. You could wear a cotton eyelet top with tweeds. There really isn’t a season, and I think that’s the good news. Also, whether it’s Atlanta or—what’s the coldest place in the world?—Minneapolis or something like that, it’s nearly impossible to sell very heavy clothes anymore. You can’t sell a heavy old coat; you can’t sell heavy tweed suits or flannel suits. It’s like if the suit isn’t very lightweight and seasonless, it just sits there on the rack.

EW: So it comes down to layering?

IM: I think a good way to put it is that people really know how to layer now. And I think there’s a balance, because for the past twenty years everybody’s sort of teaching each other how to, like, make mistakes, how to not look all put together. You want to look a little bit off, right? But I think we’re a little tired of that. In a way, what we’re approaching is a more put-together look. So layering is going to get trickier and trickier and yet more and more important.

EW: You're a master of cheap-chic style. On a limited budget, what are three good investments for fall?

IM: Start with the right pair of hose, the right pair of tights. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but something that’s kind of semi-opaque. I would also spend money on sunglasses. You can get great sunglasses that are inexpensive and make your look really snappy right away. And buy a great belt. The thing is, there are so many belts at so many levels—you could find almost the same belt at $600, $300, and $60. So that’s what I would do: a belt, a pair of tights, and sunglasses. And I’m not a sunglasses kind of guy, but somehow this fall I see a lot of it.

EW: On a different note, I love your blog! Any blogging tips you could share?

IM: I think my biggest tip is to just tell the truth. Tell the truth, tell the truth. And have as many pictures as possible.

[END]

On that note, some scenes from the fashion show. . .

Jeffrey Kalinsky and Isaac Mizrahi work the crowd

 This origami-inspired dress helped win SCAD alum Laura Russell the Jeffrey New Talent Award

Chairs Sacha Taylor (left) and Lila Hertz thank donors and sponsors

 Black tights were a recurring element on the runway. We saw them paired with navy and deep purple (above) to great effect.

 Another common sight on the runway? Flashy colors on shoe bottoms, including teal and fire-engine red.

 A model walks by Sacha Taylor, who is wearing a shortened version of this Mizrahi stunner

 A parade of Mizrahi designs

Last but not least, a Christian Lacroix–designed water bottle, my favorite item in the goody bag

I've received several fun, colorful fliers in my e-mail inbox this week. Thought I'd share a few:  

1. Vickery's Crescent Crawl. This Saturday, $5 gets you a commemorative pint glass plus food and drink specials at the below roster of bars. I'd go, but I joined some fellow NU grads in the Big Ten pub crawl this past weekend on the same strip, and I'm still sweating alcohol. And smarting from repeated jeers of "Here come the accountants!"

2. A Shop and Spa Affair at Castleberry Hill's No Mas! Cantina. This Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m., receive complimentary hand and back massages, cocktails, and goody bags and shop for apparel, jewelry, bath/beauty, and other products from Snobbshop.com vendors. Tickets are $10 in advance (click here) or $12 at the door, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Georgia chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

3. Grand opening of Studio 658 and Artists' Summer Sale. This Saturday from 12 to 5 p.m., find steep discounts on Ann Roth shoes (up to 75 percent off!) and jewelry by Jacqueline Sanchez along with goods from a host of other local lines: Fringe by Tracey Tirrell, Handmade Studio, Karen Meyers Handbags, Meg & Cait, Ruby Slippers, Sage Saks, Tania Julian Ceramics, Tasha Hussey, and The Little Rose. (If you like Beehive Co-op, this is right up your alley.) Studio 658—located in the Old Fourth Ward at 658 Angler Avenue, unit C—is home to lines Felted Heart and Mama, both of which will sell their wares at the market. For more information contact 678-559-4977.

Just a little weekend inspiration . . .

I do wonder, sometimes, how much the booming market for all things "green" helps the earth. Consumption is consumption, and stocking up on tote bags only does so much. That said, I have definitely grown more conscious of buying organic and earth-friendly products where I can. As long as it's something I'd be purchasing anyway, I may as well do it thoughtfully.

To that end, one very handy website is greenzer.com, a shopping portal that highlights products meeting a minimum "green" requirement. The site scores items based on their environmental friendliness, and it allows you to sort by price, so you don't have to worry about spending $25 on dish soap. Categories include apparel and accessories, beauty, babies and kids, electronics, home and garden, and travel. Though some of the products seem a bit over the top (green lingerie?), others are practical (tons of baby products) and even pretty (check out these recycled-glass candle holders). Also cool is the section featuring "face-offs" between conventional products and their green alternatives.

Just something to keep in mind when it comes time for holiday shopping! 

If you were stuck in the congestion at Peachtree and North Avenue last night around 7 p.m., at least you had plenty to look at. Dolled-up women flooded the crosswalks, headed toward one of two big events going on at the Fox: the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival’s showing of Sex and the City: The Movie, and Urban Chic, the annual fashion show/fundraiser for Aid Atlanta.

As my sister and I pushed through the box office line and located the red carpet leading into the latter event, I felt a flutter of excitement. Last year I was lucky enough to attend many a glittering party for this blog; after a quiet summer, Urban Chic marks the kickoff of a new social season. Inside the grand old eery Egyptian Ballroom (where my sister and I spent a collective four proms), some 500 guests traded air kisses, strolled past silent auction tables, lent their signatures to an AIDS memorial quilt, stole glances at a male and female model wearing nothing but G-strings and body paint (the female, in particular, painted a perky picture), and enjoyed a gloriously cheese-filled hors d'oeuvres spread.

The main event was a fashion show featuring fall styles from some of the city’s preeminent boutiques: Addiction, Bill Hallman, Festivity, Kaleidoscope, Lui-B, Luxe-Atlanta, Okonali.com, Sage, Thread House, Tootsie’s, Vanessa Vinci Designs, and Jewelry by Goldwasser. Attendees consisted mostly of boutique owners and friends—I spotted the lovely Cindy Hallman (wife of Bill), who recently modeled for our “Real People” fashion shoot (September), and chatted with Nikki Salk, owner of smashing new boutique Addiction—as well as friends of Aid Atlanta and chairs Richie Arpino, Ken Goldwasser, Karyn Greer, Randi Layne, and John Stupka. Prior to the show we heard words from hosts Tom Sullivan and Greer (both of 11Alive), Arpino, and Hot 107.9’s Maria More. Then came the most memorable moment of the evening: a spoken word performance by a woman who has lived with AIDS for twenty-five years. She briefly thanked the boutique (Kaleidoscope, I believe) that dressed her for the evening, saying she felt "fabulous," then launched into a recitation that referred to, among other things, being raped as a thirteen-year-old girl and being a "poor, drug-addicted black woman living with AIDS in the South.” It occurred to me that baring your soul in front of such an imposing crowd would take far more courage than baring your body-painted breasts.

Before I sign off, some words about the fashion show: Men's ensembles relied heavily on graphic tees and fedoras, plus a few extravagantly patterned suits. The women’s lineup showcased pieces that were simultaneously tailored and elegantly draped; bold-colored tunics with tall boots; and my favorite accessory of all, scoopy “backlaces" (necklaces that drape down your back; see above). I'm seriously considering pursuing ownership of one. With the right dress, how heads would turn when you do!

The first time I watched my two-minute television debut, I put it on mute. The second time, I listened with the screen minimized. I felt like a terrified little kid peeking at the Wicked Witch of the West through parted fingers. But hey, I guess it's not that bad.

Prior to this summer, Perimeter already had plenty going for it—Apple, Anthropologie, a fabulous Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. Recent or soon-to-open additions have punched up the directory even more: Stuart Weitzman, Betsey Johnson, Italian shoemaker GEOX (with the legendary breathable sole), British soap company LUSH, XXI Forever (basically a larger, flagship Forever 21), and Spanish mega-chain Zara. Zara, in particular, will be a huge draw. It’s set to open in late fall, in time for shoppers to stock up on some of their sub-$100 coats and jackets. Recently I almost walked away with a sweet bomber jacket from the Lenox store, but it was ninety degrees out and I’m all about instant gratification, so I bought a purse instead:

Lenox, of course, is a wonderful mall. It’s also an effing circus, best to be avoided unless you're in the area during workday hours. Such was my good fortune last week, so I dropped in to get a peak at two new stores, conveniently located next to each other on the main floor: the revamped Pottery Barn (the largest in the U.S.!), which my fellow editor Betsy Riley describes here, and Madewell, the new concept from J.Crew.

My heart always beats a little faster when I encounter a new store that’s within my price range. And though I wish the prairie-pretty scarves were a little cheaper (H&M has spoiled me), the tees and tunics are affordable, and jeans from the “denim bar” are priced right around $100. As for the look of the clothes, I’ve heard it described as J.Crew meets American Apparel, though I’d throw in a little western/cowboy influence to boot (ha!). And they do sell boots—suede and leather, black and brown, knee-high and ankle. When that cold weather finally hits, I might have to find myself in the area during workday hours yet again.

In other Lenox news: 7 For All Mankind and Ed Hardy will be opening fall 2008, and Betsey Johnson will expand.

Image courtesy of Madewell