WHAT EVER YOUR TASTE - THE STYLE IS GREEN!

Green is definitely the movement of the moment.   Everywhere you look, companies are jumping on the 'GO Green" bandwagon.  What was once seen an a sacrifice is now becoming a "trend" in marketing.  While some companies have come around to greener ways of manufacturing with less than benevolent intentions - who cares?  We can all agree - any effort to Reduce, Re-use, Recycle is a worthy cause.    Even the smallest changes you make in your own life will help the environment and also raise the next generation to think about these issues in a way that is beneficial to our planet.

Many of us have questions about just how to make the best choices.   If you are wondering how you can make a difference and just what to do - I suggest you check out  www.DeepGreenLiving.com.   DGL is a great company founded by Susan Short, that will help you learn the best options and why to choose the products that are good to the planet.

DGL has thought of some innovative and fun ways to learn about the environment - my favorite - a cocktail party!  That's right - if you invite the friends and provide the cocktails - one of the razor sharp staff members from DGL will attend and serve as your party host and give you all the Green lowdown as you down your favorite libation or four.   Great excuse to have the gang over and play mix-master!LADY GAGA A LA KERMIT

There are many other programs that do not include alcohol and also a great list of products to buy and even a GREEN gift basket that would be an EXCELLENT choice to give to any host or hostess you are visiting this summer!  
KERMIT THE FROG

By the way, why isn't Kermit the frog all over this movement?  Could there be a better celebrity endorsement for Green causes than Kermit?  Oh, maybe Oscar the Grouch!  Now that I think of it, Oscar lived in a garbage can, so obviously he was into recycling.   Maybe there could be a Sesame Street / Muppets tie-in!  I'm going to get on that!

To find out more visit www.DeepGreenLiving.com !

JAVA WARS - NESPRESSO PODS TAKE OVER!

NESPRESSO COFFE SYSTEMRemember Invasion of the Body Snatchers?   Well the current invasion in coffee making is no science fiction movie!  Just like that, coffee making changed overnight and now EVERYONE you know has one of those pod-using coffee makers!  What was wrong with our old coffee pots?  How were were all convinced we NEEDED a new coffee system?  I must admit I joined in the craze and ran out and got my Nespresso machine for Xmas like a good little consumer.   You know Nespresso, they are owned by corporate giant Nestle and designed that sleek machine that resembles a cathedral or bullet (their own words, not mine). KEURIG COFFEE SYSTEM

The whole coffee conundrum was an inevitable next step.  We all got used to our Starbucks designer coffee beverages. NESPRESSO PODS A $4.00, no-foam, extra hot, skinny latte?  Big deal!   What's next the American consumer shouted?  "We are in the middle of a recession and we need to waste our money in a way that feels new!"    Well the marketing  whiz kids were ready.   There are a dozen systems that will pod you a cup.   Because only the freshest of fresh coffee, vacuum sealed in a pod is good enough for our overly sensitive taste buds.. .right?

Running right alongside Nespresso is the Keurig coffee system.  This monster of a machine takes up more room than my NYC kitchen counter space would allow, otherwise I just might have gone there.   I mean how can you resist the hundreds of flavor choices Keurig has aligned by partnering with so many coffee companies!  To make it even more enticing, they sell the system at every Bed, Bath & Beyond from Secaucus to Sausalito?  Keurig also makes Iced Tea pods and my Spidey senses tell me the machine is big with the ladies.   The whole Starbucks vs. Dunkin Donuts scenario is happening all over again with Nespresso vs. Keurig.   Girls like their Dunkin Donuts and their Keurig - I know it!

OBAMA JAVANespresso is counting on the cult appeal and the "members only" approach as you can only buy the pods (sold by the sleeve) online or in one of their far and few between retail stores.

NESPRESSO ICED COFFEESlick marketers, Nespresso even hosted a pop up store in Soho, NYC to kick start traffic flow in their latest store that won't bow until the end of the year.

The company commissioned oversized portraits of world leaders and famous icons made from what else?  Nespresso Coffee pods! 

President Obama has inspired millions, but never  before to drink a cup of coffee!  That's change you can caffeine in?

The charge was $2.00 at the pop up store and actually was a donation to a host of charitable causes.   I highly recommend making an iced coffee from a Nespresso pod as it was my savior recently when I needed an escape from the NYC summer sun.
The pop up store is closed - but will be a full scale cafe / boutique come January 2010.

Visit Nespresso.com to find out more.

May the Java be with you!

KARL - KING OF RTW, COUTURE?- NOT SO ROYAL

KARL LAGERFELD You have heard the tale of the emperor's new clothes, but what can you say about the Kaiser with so many collections?  Karl Lagerfeld is the king of designer fashion.    Every designer wants to be him or have his job.   Magazines cover every project he is involved with - which is about 3 per day.   Every Japanese fashion fan worships him.   But when the Fall 2009 couture show came and went, I had to ask myself - is couture Karl's strong point?  Now you might say who cares?  Couture is out of touch with reality, right?   However, the unreal or at least untouchable world of couture is alive and well and is responsible (usually) for setting the image of any fashion house. CHANEL COUTURE -Fall 2009

With Chanel, it's the other way round.   Couture is more of a courtesy and provides bragging rights for the house.  Keep in mind that Coco never saw the RTW collection during her lifetime.   Every Chanel suit was Couture until her death at the age of 88 in 1971.  It's just that under the reign of KL the big WOW factor rarely happens at Couture like it does at RTW.CHANEL COUTURE- LESAGE EMBROIDERY-FALL 2009

Karl Lagerfeld is the most prolific designer alive.   He has had his hands in so many collections  over the last 50 years that I doubt he would be able to name them all.   The interesting thing is that Karl was never a couture designer and could not compete on that level.  His 50+ year  love/ hate friendship with Yves Saint Laurent was very much fueled by the fact that while both started their careers at the same time, it was Yves who was instantly embraced by the world of couture through the house of Christian Dior.  Karl on the other hand became affiliated with a string of high profile RTW collections from Fendi to Chloe and many more "ghost" designing assignments for companies with no public profile but tons of cash.  It was Chloe that put him on the map globally and Karl had two stints as the creative director of the house before Stella McCartney kick started the collection again in the mid 90's.   I was involved with Chloe during the end of Karl and the beginning of Stella and the sensation she brought to the house was amazing!

While Mr. L would never admit this bothered him, how could it not?  A man who revamps his family history more times than Coco herself did, each time coming off more gentry can hardly say he is not about image.

What Karl has done for Chanel is hands down the most amazing turn around in the fashion world- as interesting as Tom Ford for Gucci - even more-so maybe - because Karl has done it by revamping the classics over and over again while Tom started Gucci RTW from scratch which comes with it's own excitement.   Karl pushes the boundaries of playful and prudent and gives women another reason to buy a Chanel suit each season.    Lets not forget that handbags fueled the biz for the last 10 years - but the RTW is still the most prestigious collection in the world and hugely profitable for the house. 

The strange thing is - Karl is so strong with RTW that he upstages his own couture shows and you actually come away thinking - oh this or that look would have been cool from last season"s RTW.   Amazing, as no other designer could ever make you feel that way.    In terms of value though, any women would be better suited to buy 3 or 4 Chanel RTW suits for the same amount one couture creation would cost.   The quality of Chanel RTW is head and shoulders above any other brand - and I have to say that spending time in the couture salon of the house of Chanel in Paris is one of the highlights of my career.  The mystique of Coco's legacy still lives in every inch of the salon and in Coco's apartment above the salon.   However, at a certain point - do the extra small details warrant spending 10's of thousands of dollars if you are not a red carpet walker?  Especially in 2009?CHRISTIAN DIOR COUTURE- FALL 2009

John Galliano is the polar opposite.   His shows are always a fantasy - but his couture shows are more like an acid trip in creativity.   He gives till it hurts!   JG never seems to be bored  which is actually how Karl looked at the couture show.   Granted, Karl has 25+ years on Galliano - maybe we would all be bored by then!  Jean Paul Gaultier also showed a very strong couture collection.   There were many references to what the press are crediting to "Lady GaGa", but that really means Thierry Mugler - as he designs many of GaGa's looks!JEAN PAUL GAULTIER COUTURE FALL 2009

One of the most interesting details from the Chanel Couture show was the music.   Spin master Michel Gaubert kept your toes tapping with his mix of  La Roux "In For The Kill".   If you don't know the U.K. sensation - check out their website that has a very cool interactive home page!   Also, you must check out the video for this track - think blade runner meets V magazine!

Karl has been increasingly outspoken lately.   Most recently making derogatory statements about Heidi Klum and later her husband Seal.   It's almost like Karl is becoming Coco the older he gets!  Long live Kaiser Karl!!

WEEKEND INVITE?- SUMMER GIFT GUIDE

TRAVAUX EN COURS (T.E.C) HAND WOVEN STRAW TOTE - $150 AT BERGDORF Heading to your friend's house at the beach this weekend?  If so, I have several great ideas for the gift that will let your host know just how much you appreciate the invite!   In this economy - weekend invites are worth their weight in gold!    When buying a gift for a host or hostess there are a few things to keep in mind.   Click - HAMPTONS HOLIDAY- to read on.