So Haute!

Who's That Girl: Celerie Kemble and J. Crew

I'm a big fan of interior designer Celerie Kemble and was excited to see her featured on the cover of J. Crew's March 2010 catalog! Kemble was one of 9 muses, all creative women with great personal style, that the brand hand picked to model its latest spring fashions. The J. Crew website also features an in-depth interview with Kemble  who opens up about how she got her start in design, shares some of her favorite things, plus reveals a few of the exciting projects she has in the works including a new book! Scroll down to read her inspiring interview. (just click the photo to enlarge if you find the interview hard to read) And to read more about the other stylish muses featured in J. Crew's March catalog, click here.

Givenchy Lust

I need this bag in my life! Sponsors welcome.

Woodson and Rummerfield's House of Design

When I was in LA last week I got to sneak away from work for a bit to hit up LA's design district and browse some of the amazing antique stores and showrooms scattered up and down La Cienega. One of the showrooms on my must-visit list was Woodson & Rummerfield's House of Design. I love Ron Woodson & Jaime Rummerfield's design aesthetic. Their signature style combines California modern with old Hollywood vintage to create a look they've dubbed "Modage". I've seen many different incarnations of their ever-changing showroom in pictures, as I'm sure many of you have, but seeing the space in person was so incredibly inspiring. The rooms were GORGEOUS! It made me want to go straight home and re-decorate my apartment! Below are some photos I took of the place...

This is the main "living room." Love! The black fireplace, moldings and chandeliers make the room feel very dramatic while the purple velvet sofa and pink jacquard throw pillows add a feminine touch. This room is so glam! The entire  showroom, including the above space, is filled with re-done antique and vintage pieces mixed in with items from Ron & Jamie's Woods & Fields line. The photography on the walls is by an up-and-coming LA photographer named April Brimer. The modernity of these photos is striking against the more classic furniture styles and decorative elements in the room.

One of Woodson & Rummerfield's more prominently featured items is this stunning chesterfield style "Aristocrat" sofa. The luscious velvet fabric...the tufting...the Louis-esque legs...the beautiful color...all so perfect! And so chic! I envision some stylish woman with a glass of champagne in hand wearing a dress and high heels sitting cross legged on this sofa while tossing her head back and laughing at something hilarious. Seems like a fitting scenario for such a regal looking sofa! And don't you just love the series of Brimer photographs of the girl in the yellow dress above the sideboard? I do!

This is W & R's "Through The Looking Glass" chair. This beautiful wingback chair is the perfect example of how Ron & Jamie use just the right fabrics to make a more traditional piece of furniture to seem ultra modern. I forgot who makes the fabric but I love it.

I also really love this chair here. Another classic wingback style...this time with tufting and nail head detail...made to look more contemporary with white vinyl upholstery. Yup...I said vinyl. The designers opted for this as an eco-conscious alternative to leather. The chair, with its more petite frame, was designed with women in mind.

I love really creative pieces that are a bit out-of-the-box. This cute little chandelier is made of vintage crystal wine glasses and goblets. Very cool. I've never seen anything like it!

I noticed a kitchy little collection of interesting porcelain lady heads scattered all over the showroom. You can see them in the photos above. The top two photos are from the main room and the bottom photo shows a few lady heads positioned around the mirror above this chinoiserie cabinet in the entryway. I love the gold Florence Broadhurst wallpaper featured on the in the bottom photo. This is also seen framed within the moldings in the main room.

A view of the main room from a different angle. I really like the portraits at the top of the bookcase.

Lots more eye candy in the photo above of the showroom's "dining room". The red bamboo chairs add such punch and I love love love that table. I swear, I could just pack a bag and move right into this place! The best part about my visit was that Ron & Jamie's super nice business partner Tom happened to be there and was kind enough to show me around and give me the scoop on some of the projects Ron & Jamie have been working on. One exciting venture in the works is a new book called High Style, slated to be released this Fall. A little blurb about the book reads: "From Palm Springs to the Hollywood Hills, features on vintage furnishings and flea market finds complement the stories behind the fabulous rooms they've created. With over 300 stunning photographs, High Style packs all the glamour of Los Angeles-where modern fashion meets Hollywood antique-into a book as attractive to display as it is compelling to read." Another book to add to my wish list and I can't wait for it to hit the shelves! You can read more about it here.

More Sartorialist Subjects Revealed: The Milan/Paris Edition

Fall 2008 show season has officially ended and since I previously recapped some of the chicest fashion show goers captured by The Sartorialist during New York Fashion Week, I thought I'd do the same for the Milan and Paris shows as well. Enjoy!

This is Nylon magazine's Fashion Director Dani Stahl. (In Milan on the left and Paris on the right) She's has such a cool, downtown style.  Dani is also designs an AMAZING collection of jewelry for Lia Sophia. I have one of her rings from her first line and it's one of my favorite jewelry items.

Pictured here in Paris is Canadian model Irina Lazareanu who's supposedly engaged to druggie British rocker Pete Doherty. They started dating just after Doherty's split from Kate Moss.

This is Joanna Hillman, Teen Vogue's very chic market editor. I swear, all the girls from Teen Vogue have such great style! On the left she's at the Giorgio Armani show and on the right she's outside Emporio Armani.

This is Virginia Smith from Vogue. She's the magazine's market director and is married to fashion designer Patrick Robinson who is currently Gap's creative director. Patrick is most known to the masses for his eponymous Go International collection for Target a couple of years ago.

The men: To the left is one of the most influential photographers in fashion, the legendary Patrick Demarchelier. On the right is Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Both photos were taken outside the Karl Lagerfeld show in Paris.

The Models: On the left is 16 year old of-the-moment model Tanya D who hails from Russia. On the right is Australian born model Skye Stracke who's just 17. Stylish young things! Both photos were shot in Paris outside the Celine show.

All photos by Scott Schuman via The Sartorialist and Style.com

Diane von Furstenberg's Oscar Moment

This year I watched the entire broadcast of the Oscars and I actually thought the show was pretty entertaining. Rather surprising given that this year’s show almost didn’t happen due to the writer’s strike…not to mention the fact I that always find the Oscars to be such a bore. Usually I just watch the pre-show red carpet coverage and then tune-in to the last half hour to see who wins Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture. I'm very pleased this year's Oscars surpassed my expectations! 

Anyway--One of Sunday's more memorable Oscar moments, in my opinion, didn’t involve the actual show itself but rather a riveting commercial that premiered during the broadcast featuring one of my favorite fashion designers ever-Diane von Furstenberg. The commercial was for American Express and is part of their “Are You a Cardmember?” campaign which in the past has featured everyone from Kate Winslet, Tina Fey and Beyonce, to Tiger Woods, Martin Scorcese and Al Pacino. Truly one of the most amazing ad campaigns I’ve ever seen...both on TV and in print. And what a great choice to add DVF to the mix! I cannot tell you enough how talented, how chic and how fabulous I think this woman is!

The commercial was directed by Bennett Miller who garnered an Oscar nomination in 2005 for directing the film Capote. It features scenes of Diane outdoors surrounded by trees interspersed with scenes of her working alongside her team in her design studio on the Fall 2008 collection which she presented earlier this month during NY Fashion Week. The shots of the trees along with the close-ups of the prints on some of her garments reflect how Diane and her designs are influenced by the world around her. Her voice over, which narrates the commercial, is meant to inspire confidence in women while illustrating what it means to be an AMEX card member. Such a great commercial! Click play below to watch and enjoy!

Sidebar: This photo was in Sunday’s New York Daily News. It’s a shot of DVF with the gorgeous model Chanel Iman before her Fall ’08 show holding a sign that was posted backstage. Signs like these are displayed back stage at shows to set the tone of the show and convey to the models how they should walk. I LOVE that she’s all about confidence and being yourself. DVF, I heart you!!!

{Haute Style} Linda Rodin

Just before Christmas I ran into stylist Linda Rodin, a long time colleague, at a party and she told me that she was going to be featured on the endnote page in the March issue of Domino. So...when my copy arrived in the mailbox a couple of days ago I flipped straight to the back of the book to read her feature. As usual, Linda looked fabulous! She always wears red lipstick and has on a stylish pair of frames...just like in her Domino photo. In the "10 Things that Make Me Happy" feature she even mentions tortoise shell glasses as one of her favorite things.

Photo via Domino

This rose pillow from A Detacher is another one of her picks. How chic! I think I need this in my life!!!

I'm sure Linda's favorite thing on the page is Rodin Olio Lusso, her latest venture. Rodin Olio Lusso is a hydrating skin serum she developed herself. It's made from a blend of eleven botanical oils and floral extracts and it makes the skin so soft and smooth! For additional info on Rodin Olio Lusso and to read Linda's bio, visit her website www.oliolusso.com.

Photos: Keith Myers/The New York Times

Another little tidbit...Linda's stylish Chelsea apartment was featured in the New York Times House & Home section a couple of years ago. The two photos above accompanied the article. If you look closely at the second photo you'll see the the chic rose pillows from Domino propped on her bed! Click here to read the full article. Enjoy!

The Sartorialist's Subjects Revealed!

Don’t you just love The Sartorialist? I visit the site nearly every day and find it such an endless source of fashion inspiration. I especially love it when Scott Schuman, the photographer behind the blog, shoots pictures of all of the stylish fashion show attendees for Style.com during Fashion Week in New York, Milan & Paris. To most people, the trend-setters he snaps are just anonymous faces but to me (a fashion publicist if you didn’t already know) they’re my colleagues and friends in the industry…Editors, stylists, models and other movers and shakers that keep the business of fashion thriving. Since New York Fashion Week just ended I thought I’d recap some of The Sartorialist's chicest subjects from Style.com and fill you in on who they are. Enjoy!

Stylist and former Elle Style Director Isabel Dupre ouside the tents on Feb 4 (L).

The always chic Susan Cernek, current Fashion Director at Glam.com and former Fashion News editor at Elle. Outside the Rodarte show on Feb 5 and just in front of Bryant Park on Feb 7. (Susan is The Sartorialist's little darling...he loves snapping photos of her...probably because she always looks amazing!)

Stylist and Harper's Bazaar contributer Mary Alice Stephenson outside the Thakoon show on Feb 4.

Teen Vogue's adorable Associate Market Editor Mary Kate Steinmiller at the Zero Maria Cornejo show on Feb 6.

KCD Publicist Bonnie Morrison on her way to work the shows at Bryant Park on Feb 4 and Feb 6. At KCD Morrison handles publicity for the CFDA among other accounts.

Style.com's Executive Fashion Director Candy Pratts Price leaving the Isaac Mizrahi show on Feb 6.

Domino's Fashion Director Lauren Goodman at Isaac Mizrahi on Feb 6.

The super cute Beitressa Mandelbaum, Accessories Editor at W Magazine. Outside the tents on Feb 6.

Vogue Accessories Editor Sylvana Soto Ward outside the Thakoon show on Feb 4.

Women Management model booker Helena Suric outside the Phi show on Feb 7. Helena works with top models such as Carmen Kass, Selita Ebanks, Natasha Poly and Shannon Click among others.

Former Voguette and current New York Times Fashion Market Director Karla Martinez Feb 3 outside the Reyes show.

Nylon's Senior Market Editor Michelle Reneau at Thakoon.

The New York Times' Fashion Editor Anne Christensen at Ralph Lauren Feb 8.

Vogue's Fashion Market Editor Valerie Boster outside Marc by Marc Jacobs and Phi on Feb 5 & 7.

Teen Vogue's uber chic Fashion Director, Taylor Tomasi, at DKNY on Feb 3, at the Tents on Feb 7 and at Ralph Lauren on Feb 8.

{Haute Style} Front Row Chic

I was perusing one of my favorite celebrity gossip blogs and came across this photo of Dita von Teese, Claudia Schiffer and Victoria Beckham sitting front row at Roland Mouret's Spring/Summer 2008 Haute Couture show in Paris last week. With their makeup, the lighting and their nearly identical poses they sort of look like plastic dolls. And I'm not sure how well they can even see the clothes through their dark shades! Still, I have to admit they look tres chic! What do YOU think?