Alongside pop culture pioneers and genre defining icons, Phetus has etched a prolific pathway as unusual and non-conforming as his street artist moniker. Vevant both recognizes and supports the artistic talent and vision of Phetus and is proud to spotlight the exciting artist to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week attendees and the world at large.

Phetus has created original art installations for each day of the eight-day event. Every day, the Vevant Lounge in the Bryant Park Tents will feature a new and original mannequin bust, 4’ x 6’ canvas and accompanying 12? x 12? canvas in themes relating to the world of fashion and current events.

“I started out inspired just because of my excitement for fashion and style in general,” says Phetus of the chic collaboration. “Also, I’m naturally driven by a lot of the elements that are tied into these installations. Once the concept to use the mannequins was solidified, the ideas kept flowing.”

To wit: Rugged Blue. An American classic and worldwide icon of cool, there is no textile more rugged and true than denim, as seen in this stylish installation.  The Phecasso mannequin, meanwhile, pays tribute to Picasso’s cheery palette and features fashionistas as its source of inspiration. And Neg di san fe (Haitian for “People talk and don’t act”) was created in tribute to the people of Haiti, with the intention of putting art to action.

Explains Phetus, “I’d like people to take away the realization that they can do something. I’m an artist, not a Red Cross worker or a philanthropist, but I wanted to do something. We all have some talent or ability that with a little bit of thought and effort could be used to do something positive in this world.”

Phetus is also enthusiastic about the chance to partner with an equally forward-thinking web site. “I’ve found the minds behind Vevant to be a real resource in formulating and executing my artistic endeavor,” he says. “Having them along for the ride has been a good time and I hope we get to do it again soon. It’s been rewarding to take on a project of this scale and visibility.”

In the days leading up to the event, Elite Gudz also provides a live web stream documenting Phetus’ creation of these unique art pieces, which can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/elite-gudz-studio-cam3.

Grim news struck the fashion world this morning as media outlets reported the untimely death of British designer Alexander McQueen. The 40-year-old McQueen had recently announced the passing of his mother Joyce on February 2nd, 2010. On his Twitter account (which was not verified), the designer posted “I’m letting my followers know my mother passed away yesterday if it she had not me nor would you RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.”

McQueen was born in London to a social science teacher and a taxi driver. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 and went on to complete an apprenticeship at the prestigious Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard, and later, another at Gieves & Hawkes. After a brief position with Italian designer Romeo Gigli, McQueen returned to London and enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design. After graduating with a Master of Arts degree, McQueen’s final thesis collection was purchased in entirety by fashion stylist Isabella Blow. Following five years of work with John Galliano at Givenchy—during which time McQueen won his first of four British Designer of the Year awards—the designer launched his namesake collection in 2001.

An admired and frequently discussed figure among the fashion community, McQueen was known to shock his audiences through catwalk presentations. Contentious shows include McQueen’s 1995 “Highland Rape,” which featured models in torn lace dresses and disheveled clothing. For his 1998 spring/summer collection, which the designer named “Yellow Rain,” models appeared on the runway amidst artificial rain tinted with yellow lights—a move that caused sponsor American Express to request that the show be renamed “Untitled.”

Other memorable shows include McQueen’s 1999 spring/summer presentation, where catwalk queen Shalom Harlow wore a white strapless dress and was doused in black and yellow spray paint by two robotic arms. In 2006, McQueen featured the first supermodel hologram of Kate Moss wearing a flowing organza gown encased in a glass pyramid.

As media continue to speculate about causes of death and potential memorials, McQueen’s publicity team has posted this message on his website:

“On behalf of Lee McQueen’s family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee’s family. Lee’s family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this.”

The fashion visionary will be remembered for his whimsical, scandalous, and unyieldingly innovative designs.

The new plan has large sections devoted exclusively to special collections and accessories, with a circular section in the front for Banana’s limited-edition, slightly more expensive, Monogram Collection.  In the back of the store you’ll find a large space that showcases their jewelry line (I could spend hours here!), right  next to the classic Heritage collection.  Menswear is just upstairs,  with shoes, sunglasses, and tables of apparel overlooking New York City’s Broadway through expansive windows.  The entire space is crowned with strings of lights that cast an ambient glow.

I’m excited to check out the new layout (and maybe some new products).  It might be an occasion to plan a girls’ shopping trip and a nice lunch.  I am in the market for some new shoes, you know….

Day-wear from Escada? Count me in! I’d love to see a line with elegant designs that can be worn more often. This is one we’ll want to watch.

LEGENDARY FASHION DESIGNER BETSEY JOHNSON TO RECEIVE THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB’S MEDAL OF HONOR FOR LIFETIME ACHEIVEMENT IN FASHION ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH

New York, NY – Legendary fashion designer and New York native Betsey Johnson will be awarded The National Arts Club’s prestigious Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement at a dinner held in her honor at the historic members-only Gramercy Park club in New York City. Johnson, who has earned a much-deserved stellar reputation within the fashion industry by following her own set of rules, will join the esteemed ranks of previous lifetime achievement honorees including Geoffrey Beene (2003), Oleg Cassini (2004), Carolina Herrera (2005) and Arnold Scaasi (2006).

There will be a retrospective showing of Betsey Johnson’s work during this event in the entrance of The National Arts Club in addition to the unveiling of a new portrait of Johnson, which was painted by Visual Arts Committee Chair Dianne Bernhard. The portrait will be displayed in The NAC’s permanent collection.

“I’m so excited, honored, and thrilled! It doesn’t get any better than this,” states Betsey Johnson.

“It is an extreme honor for the Fashion Committee of The National Arts Club to have the privilege of formally recognizing the unmatched visionary talent we call Betsey Johnson with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Fashion,” says Chrishaunda Lee, Chair of The NAC’s Fashion Committee. “Her vivacity and timeless message of an energized and inspired life through her designs has influenced the fashion industry for over three decades and runs parallel to our mission statement at The National Arts Club.”

Since the 1960’s, Betsey Johnson has been rocking the fashion industry with her over-the-top, exuberant and embellished unique designs. She began to first make her mark in fashion history as top designer for Paraphernalia (1965) and it was then that she began to apply her childhood aspirations of becoming a dancer and love of costumers to developing her trademark look of sexy silhouettes; hippie inspired flowing fabrics; whimsical detailing; and a fabulous fit. Thirty years later, alongside her friend and business partner Chantal Bacon, Johnson has witnessed the evolution and expansion of the Betsey Johnson label as it continues to rank as one of the top recognizable American lifestyle brands with over sixty retail stores in international markets. The National Arts Club’s Fashion Committee is proud to honor Betsey Johnson for a lifetime’s worth of success and will continue to support her with all of her future endeavors.

The National Arts Club:

Run by volunteers, the Arts Club was founded by Charles de Kay, New York Times literary and art critic, in 1898 with the mission to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts. A historic staple in Gramercy Park, the Arts Club is located in the Tilden Mansion which was built in the 1840’s. Today, The National Arts Club hosts art unveilings, award dinners, film screenings, lectures, dances and many more various types of art performances. In order to help recognize untapped talents, the Arts Club’s committees frequently award scholarships to young artists, writers and singers to help them develop their talent and work towards their dreams.

Estée Lauder has announced its decision to close the Prescriptives brand on January 31, 2010.  After January 2010, Prescriptives products will cease to be produced, but products will remain for sale in stores and online until stock runs out.  It’s a good idea to stock up on some of your favorite products!

The message sent to Estée Lauder employees said that, “After a thorough analysis of the Prescriptives brand, we have concluded that the brand’s long term business model is no longer viable in the current market environment. We believe that this decision will allow The Estée Lauder Companies to redirect and more sharply focus our resources to key strategic imperatives where we see the highest growth potential for our Company.”

There is a tiny but of good news, we’ve just learned that the Prescriptives fragrance Calyx will continue to be distributed through Aramis and Designer Fragrances and sold at the fragrance bar in select fine department stores and online beginning February 1, 2010.

It’s the end of an era.  Prescriptives: we’re really going to miss you.

September 12– 15, 2009

New York, NY – After five consecutive years of cutting-edge fashion events and experiences, A-List Communications and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) are thrilled to announce dates and designers for its annual STYLE360 multi-day fashion showcase during New York Fashion Week.

STYLE360 has always explored the relationship between fashion and contemporary culture by pairing style trends with innovative brands—and 2009 promises to take this tradition to the next level. From September 12 – 15, STYLE360 will serve as the alternative Fashion Week destination and showcase its most impressive roster of fresh fashion talent and inventive design houses yet. Headquartered at the Metropolitan Pavilion in the fashionable Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, STYLE360’s sixth year includes not only runway shows, but celebrity-hosted after parties, buzz-worthy press events, and unique product interactions.

This year’s exciting line-up of fashion shows includes headliner Kristin Davis’ apparel collection, Dash by Kim Kardashian presented by Oral B, Abbey Dawn by Avril Lavigne, Liquid Metal, Geren Ford presented by Tide Total Care, and renowned accessories designer, Rebecca Minkoff presenting her ready to wear collection. STYLE360 will also be welcoming back designers Abi Ferrin presented by Toni & Guy as well as Walter presented by Kipling and international designer and Project Runway alumnus Malan Breton presented by Rado Watch Company. STYLE360 is also delighted to present a special benefit “Pink Dress Breast Cancer Awareness” fashion show hosted by beneficiary, the Susan G. Komen Foundation as well as a special presentation for the 15th Anniversary of the annual Gen Art “Fresh Faces” fashion event. Both of these multi-designer fashion events will be co-produced by Rock Media & Entertainment.

STYLE360 will also host its series of fashion week after-parties including the Abi Ferrin After-party and STYLE360 Launch Celebration hosted by Oral B with celebrity, Kim Kardashian and the Abbey Dawn by Avril Lavigne after party hosted by Avril Lavigne at new luxury lounge, The Gates located at 290 8th Avenue as well as a VIP closing party at retailer, What Goes Around Comes Around, the renowned SoHo boutique located at 351 West Broadway. Complete information about the designers, program schedule, sponsors as well as featured interviews, and fashion show video and photos is hosted at www.elle.com/style360 .

“Our proposition is still about showcasing an innovative stage for all designers, from established to celebrity to emerging, along with integrating corporate partners to create an enhanced fashion show experience,” declares David Manning, President of A-List Communications. “The STYLE360 concept, however, takes the 60 feet of runway to magazine pages, the internet, TV sets, mobile phones and retail displays to reach a much bigger market for both the fashion designer and participating corporate brands.”

Al Silvestri, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Creative Services for HFM U.S., elaborates further, “In light of the current economic landscape, it is crucial that STYLE360 adapts to the needs of designers and sponsors. Our ability to provide a unique—and fully turnkey—fashion show and experiential event platform, while reaching millions of consumers via nationwide media and promotion, guarantees STYLE360 is an unqualified success for all involved.”

Hachette Filipacchi Media, the publishers of ELLE (www.elle.com), ELLE Decor and Metropolitan Home (www.pointclickhome.com), continues its support via its media partner status. Corporate sponsors making STYLE360 possible include Toni & Guy (www.toniguy.com), who will be officially styling the hair for all Style360 fashion shows, Oral B (www.oralb.com), Tide Total Care (www.tide.com), RADO (www.rado.com), Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) ELLE Jewelry (www.ellejewelryus.com), , Clarisonic Skincare (www.clarisonic.com), Kipling (www.kipling-usa.com), Orbit Mist Gum (www.youtube.com/user/OrbitMistGum), Rose’s Cocktail Infusions (www.mixuptheparty.com) and Prairie Organic Vodka (www.prairievodka.com). Venue partners include Renaissance New York City Hotels (www.marriott.com/renaissance-hotel/travel.mi),The Gates (www.thegatesnyc.com) and What Goes Around Comes Around (www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com).

About Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S:
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) serves consumers’ passions and lifestyles through trusted, expert content that entertains and inspires on all media platforms. Illustrated with extraordinary images, these engaging editorial environments combine with highly-targeted demographics and scale to create rich opportunities for our advertisers. Our prestigious brands fall into five sectors: Fashion & Beauty (ELLE, ELLEgirl); The Luxury Design Group (ELLE DECOR, Metropolitan Home and PointClickHome); Women & Wellness (Woman’s Day, Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications); Automotive (Car and Driver and Road & Track as part of Jumpstart Automotive Group) and Motorcycling (Cycle World). HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère’s (www.lagardere.com­) media division Lagardère Active, a producer of special-interest content in more than 40 countries. (www.hfmus.com)

M·A·C and MILK have always supported designers and the fashion community which is the driving force behind this project. Both partners want to create a space where designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers, media, retailers, design schools and students can come together and foster the evolution of Fashion Week in New York.

Here are some of the designers who have confirmed participation: Adam Lippes, Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Barbara Tfank, Costello Tagliapietra, Erin Fetherston, Pamela Love, Peter Som, Preen, Proenza Schouler, Temperley London and threeASFOUR.

“As a longtime supporter of New York Fashion Week, M·A·C is proud to take its advocacy to the next level with this initiative. The M·A·C brand celebrates fashion and encourages creativity. We are delighted to help bring the vision of these talented designers to fruition,” says John Demsey, Estée Lauder Group President.

Daily Makeover Enhances its Online Community with the Introduction of the Beauty Bloggerati
Daily Makeover Selects 13 of the Web’s Leading Beauty and Fashion Bloggers to Offer its Community Members Trends and Advice

New York, NY May 13, 2009 – Daily Makeover, the web’s leading beauty site that provides users access to its virtual try-on technology to create customized makeovers, today announced the addition of the Beauty Bloggerati. The Beauty Bloggerati is an elite group of beauty and fashion bloggers selected to join Daily Makeover’s team of experts to enhance its online community of four million women with a powerful combination of in-depth, beauty and fashion news for all women across all demographics.

The Beauty Bloggerati is an invitation only editorial initiative that brings together the leading beauty bloggers in the country in categories including: makeup, skincare, hairstyles, hair care, green beauty, weddings, travel beauty and mom beauty. The group of bloggers will serve as expert beauty beat reporters, enriching Daily Makeover’s in-depth beauty and fashion news with information from their area of expertise. This editorial initiative also creates a unique opportunity for advertisers to connect with millions of women, a highly desirable demographic.

“The Beauty Bloggerati will expand our beauty knowledge base, enrich the online dialogue and offer our community members the latest trends and advice from experts across the country,” said Jeannette McClennan, CEO, Daily Makeover. “This isn’t simply another beauty network. We’ve hand selected 13 beauty and fashion bloggers to join after conducting an extensive search, which included their content, traffic and online ratings from various outlets. Not only will the Daily Makeover Beauty Bloggerati enhance our members online experience, but it offers a channel for these experts to extend their exposure and stand-out in the blogosphere.”

The Beauty Bloggerati are on the pulse of beauty trends in their local areas as well as nationwide, reaching everyone from leading fashionistas to moms on the cutting edge. The addition of these trend-makers provides community members individual perspectives and opinions and expands on the beauty and fashion topics that are important to them personally and in their local community. Leading beauty bloggers selected for the Daily Makeover Beauty Bloggerati include:

• All About The Pretty
• A Mom in Red High Heels
• Beauty Blogging Junkie
• Beyond Beauty Basics
• Hair Thursday
• Makeover Mamma
• Makeup and Beauty Blog
• Makeup Bag
• Product Girl
• Spoiled Pretty>
• The Jet Set Girls
• Talking Makeup
• These Lips are Made for Glossin

About DailyMakeover.com

DailyMakeover.com, from Makeover Solutions, Inc., is the web’s leading beauty information site, providing virtual try-on technology and content needed for personalized makeovers. With more than 4 million unique visitors, Daily Makeover enables users to see themselves wearing numerous hairstyles, cosmetics and accessory options to create their best looks, which can be saved, printed or emailed. The site also offers up to the minute trends, celebrity hairstyles, an online community including beauty blogs for women to share style opinions and product reviews. Makeover Solutions, Inc. licenses its turnkey try on tool and vast customizable content library to other publishers. It is currently licensed to 53 web sites in the USA and around the world. For more information visit www.dailymakeover.com, Facebook and Twitter.

About Makeover Solutions

Makeover Solutions, Inc. is a leader in interactive media and virtual reality try-on technology. The company has been developing and delivering image processing tools and technology for more than 10 years. With a library of 7300 hairstyles and 6000 beauty products and accessories, Makeover Solutions has deep content that its partners can leverage to reach a unique set of audiences.

The try-on technology is used by Makeover Solutions’ own highly-popular beauty website, DailyMakeover.com, as well as several beauty and lifestyle sites and the sites of major brands. Makeover Solutions, Inc. is headquartered in New York City and is backed by Village Ventures, Rho Canada and Borealis Ventures.

–Designer and Advertising Campaign Star Creates an Exclusive Design for the Professional Haircare Brand–

Woodland Hills, CA – Procter & Gamble Professional Care, a division of The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE:PG), unveiled today some substantially fashionable news for its Sebastian Professional brand involving a partnership with the line’s advertising campaign star and designer, .

Beginning this month, Ronson appears in a multitude of glamorous looks in Sebastian Professional’s new print advertising campaign promoting the latest installment of product innovation – a new collection of shine stylers. To extend the NYC-based designer’s sensibility to fashion followers nationwide, Ronson designed an exclusive tee-shirt for Sebastian which will be available in-salons this summer as part of a special gift-with-purchase of Sebastian products.

“I am excited to share my design with Sebastian fans – the tee is very me and Trilliant is a great product,” says Charlotte Ronson.

In addition to the exclusive-for-Sebastian tee-shirt which captures the designer’s trademark feminine style, consumers will receive a trio of summer must-haves for healthy, shiny hair perfect for flaunting and flirting to the max. The limited-edition special offer, only available at salons, retails for just $47 and includes these innovative products:

• Sebastian Professional Trilliant Thermal Protection and Shimmer Complex – This multi-faceted shine styler goes the distance with a multitude of benefits ranging from thermal protectant and shimmer complex to moisturizer, anti-frizz protectant and volumizer.
• Sebastian Professional Light Shampoo & Conditioner:
  • Weightless Shine Shampoo For Normal to Fine Hair – Combination of three cleansing actives purify and remove build-up.
  • Weightless Shine Conditioner For Normal to Fine Hair – Balanced levels of fatty alcohols and guar-based polymers protect and provide manageability.

For more information and to find a salon near you, please visit www.sebastianprofessional.com. Or to see Charlotte Ronson behind-the-scenes and at Fashion Week, check out www.SebastianProfessional.com/Charlotte.