Diane Von Furstenberg Spring '09 Backstage

We arrived at the Bryant Park tents just about the same time our hero, Diane Von Furstenberg, herself got there. The mad rush of paparazzi to get her photo was intense. If that's what they did for Diane, we hate to imagine the crush Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson created when they went to the Charlotte Ronson show on Saturday!

Once inside, Diane's first stop was to check in with her good friend Orlando Pita who was styling the hair for her show.

When Diane saw this mural, the inspiration of her Veruschka meets safari show, she gushed, "I LOVE it!"

Judging by this dress, hemlines aren't getting any longer at the house of DVF.

We HEART this fringed, studded bag.

Gucci Westman, Revlon's Global Artistic Director working on a model.

Orlando told JSG that the inspiration for the hair were 60s' photos of Veruschka--very Bohemian, very natural, fresh, clean and windblown as if she were in the desert. Orlando swears he didn't use any product to get the look. "We just wet the girls' hair then scrunch it as it's blowdried." We're pretty sure we couldn't recreate the look at home quite so easily.

Gucci Westman complemented the safari-look with a 60's lined eye that she updated with a hit of bright yellow shadow at the crease. For the lip, she used a lustrous pink lipstick then used a white eyeliner on top."It creates a really chalky, really sexy look."

For photos of the show and more review, check out Coutorture.

Tracy Reese Spring '09 Backstage

We were able to sneak backstage after the dreamy Tracy Reese show. Here's Tracy accepting her accolades from friends, family and fans. She deserves them! The dresses were so stunning and wearable, we wish we could live in a world where we could wear Tracy Reese dresses 24/7!


We ran into Mally Roncal who did the makeup for the show. Even though we've only met her a handful of times, she greeted us like an old friend, before dishing on the makeup look for the show. "The inspiration was ethereal, totally innocent and very girlie, but with a touch of toughness." Mally accomplished the first part with eye and cheek color applied in a "C" so it ran together, in a pretty apricot color. The lips were an apricot shimmer gloss that will be in Mally's line next spring. "I'll probably call it Tracy," she mused. To give the look edginess, Mally used black eyeliner on the inner rim of the lids and gave the models a strong brow.

Be sure to catch Mally on QVC tomorrow night (September 8), when she'll be hosting a live show from 10 pm til midnight.


We got a kick out of the post-show carnage left on the makeup tables. Whomever said models don't eat just haven't seen them around free candy!

For photos of the show and a review not quite as glowing as JSG's, check out Coutorture.

Erin Fetherston Spring '09 Backstage

We went backstage yesterday to check out the scene prior to Erin Fetherston's Spring '09 "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" show.

Erin was calm, relaxed and absolutely adorable. She posed for this photo just for JSG!


Bobbi Brown was the head makeup artist on the show. She created a shimmery look she described as a "sophisticated angel". Note her Barack Obama button on her sweater. Bobbi was headed to meet with the man himself post-show at an undisclosed location in NJ. She did share that Michelle Obama is a fan of her makeup. JSG is, too!


Lyndell Mansfield was the hair stylist on the show (right). She added extensions to each model's ponytail, then cut the ponytail straight across to create the illusion of a graphic, blunt ponytail. "Erin's girl has grown up," she says of her inspiration. "She's more punk, more rebellious."
Lyndell says the final look was, "more sexy, less flouncy".
We were happily surprised to run into one of our favorite Bumble & Bumble stylists, Margueritte, who was working on the show. She styled Annie's hair for the Valentino party on Wednesday!
A model having her hair worked on by two Bumble & Bumble stylists and her mani and pedi done by Dashing Diva technicians. Each girl got two coats of Dashing Diva's Dizzy Pink Lizzy polish, a wearable sheer pink.
All of Erin's looks. We were in heaven with all the meringue, frothy, chiffon and organza outfits.

On Our Radar: 3 New NYC Hotels

We can't wait to check out these new hotels in NYC. JSG's Hope has been staying at the Muse off Times Square on her last few visits because of the great location (close to the train, shopping and Anne's place); but it's time to try something new.

The VU Hotel, opening this Fall in Hell's Kitchen, is the Kimpton's third property in NYC. We love that each Kimpton has its own story and that you can see that all over the property. The Vu Hotel recognizes we all have our own style and point of view and appeals different lifestyles.

Gild Hall, the latest Thompson hotel offering, is close to Wall Street and South Street Seaport. It has a champagne bar and the Libertine tavern, by Todd English. It took some time to get the restaurant up and going (it was supposed to be May); but it opened yesterday. We're curious what spin Todd put on fish and chips. The rooms look masculine with dark leather headboards and green plaid throws, definitely different than other properties we've seen of theirs. Amenities we like: fresh toiletries and a mini-bar stuffed with Dean & Deluca treats.

The Greenwich Hotel, from Robert DeNiro, is located in TriBeCa. Each of the 88 rooms has unique furnishings- think Tibetan rugs, English settees and Moroccan tiled bathrooms. We'd like to stay in a ground level room on the inner courtyard. We're most excited about the Shibui Spa, which opened this week. It's available to hotel guests only and has a bamboo covered, lantern lit swimming pool and lounge.

Have you been to any of these yet? We'd love to hear about it!

Shibui pool picture courtesy of the NY Times.

Valentino Samsung Icon Series

While we missed Liv Tyler, the night’s biggest celeb aside from the star of the show, Valentino, we still had a fabulous time at the Samsung Imagination Icon Series opening party last night.

We wound our way through rooms filled with Valentino gowns on mannequins,

Valentino sketches and flat screen TV’s that were showing clips from Valentino: The Last Emperor, the documentary on Valentino’s life. That’s About.com’s celebrity style editor in front of the TV’s sipping prosecco.

The party itself was in a cordoned off area outside the north side of the Grace building. The night was gorgeous, there was a live jazz band playing and the crowd was dressed to kill (some more successfully than others! Looking at you woman in Hollywood-esque pink purse with a bow and matching shoes). We were hoping to spot Rihanna, who was rumored to be a guest, but no luck. We did see the man himself, Valentino (tan as always), who arrived for the Samsung presentation and left promptly afterwards. Our heart skipped a beat when we spied tiny Christian Siriano. We were also excited to see Vivica Fox and ANTM’s Nigel Barker (hotter in person!) and Jaslene (exotic and sexy and super skinny). We were less excited to see Rachel Zoe (in the highest heels we've ever seen), ANTM’s CariDee and folks from The Real Housewives of New York City.

You can check out the exhibit for yourself from today through September 10 from noon until 8 pm at the Grace Builiding (1114 Sixth Avenue at 43rd Street), before it heads off to London for that city's fashion week. Admission is free.


Thanks again to Felissa for the plus one invite!

Liv Tyler and Valentino photo courtesy of Zimbio.com

Black Lace Tops, Bracelets, and the Perfect Smoky Eye

Black lace is everywhere this fall and happily, it's a trend that's actually wearable and easy to find at all price points. We would love to fill our closet with all of the tops that were featured in Page Six Magazine this past weekend. For shopping info, click here.


Here's an even chicer way to wear the trend: A black lace bracelet. What makes this bracelet so special? It benefits the Glamour Gals Foundation, a nationwide program that trains teenagers to go into nursing homes to give facials and makeovers to the residents. More good news? It sell for only $20! Available online.

The Nars new Black Eye Set is the natural makeup pairing for this trend. The "ultimate tool for creating a flawless, smoky eye" includes liner, mascara, eyeshadow, and even eye makeup remover. Find instructions and complimentary 3 day shipping from Nars.

Brooklyn Bridge Fashion Indie Show

Here are some of our pics from Tuesday night's Brooklyn Bridge Fashion Indie show, courtesy of our fellow blogger (and co-worker) 20 Something Girl. We'll fill in more detail and designer info on Friday.

The girls are walking up the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side. There were lots of surprised tourists. Ya--just a normal day in NYC!


Couldn't have asked for a better day.



It was hard to tell who was wearing what designer. That's JSG's Annie asking a model who she is wearing.

The Mandate of Heaven girls were late for the show, but vamped it up once they got there.