LYRA MAG.

Text, Vivian G. Kelly The Reem Acra doll signing at FAO Schwartz Timestamp: Friday, October 26th, 12 noon Location: FAO’s flagship, 5th Avenue and 59th Street, 2nd floor, the Barbie Salon Sometimes, designers do collaborations that are a bit more light-hearted. We caught up for a moment with Reem Acra at the tail end of a personal appearance she did at FAO Schwartz’ flagship, where she was signing the boxes of the new Reem Acra Bride Barbie Doll. There wasn’t a single child to be found at the event, but there WAS a long line of women who qued up for the privilege of meeting Reem. When asked if she believed that Barbie was still relevant, Ms. Acra smiled broadly and declared, “Barbie is still very relevant!” “It’s every girl’s dream to design a gown for Barbie.” The new Platinum Label doll retails for $179.95, about 1/20 the price of the actual life-size gown. Barbie’s gown is an actual Reem Acra design that brides have worn and can order. It’s a great example of Ms. Acra’s skill ...

Land’s End = New Beginnings! Text/ Images by J. Ecochard We love rooting for the underdog. It’s a great American tradition . Not that Land’s End ever was down for the full count. It’s just that the likes of Nike , Under Armour , J. Crew , Abercrombie and Fitch etc…seem able to adapt their collections for 21st century lifestyles. Let alone those eye catching capsule collections at Target , H&M etc. But…the Spring/Summer 2008 Press Preview for Land’s End had our heads spinning in Linda Blair Exorcist amazement. Building on the smart (and chic) winter Chevron Jackets and performance ready skiwear that should be huge hits for Land’s End…we postulate that the anonymous design teams ensconced in the Wisconsin company headquarters have queried hard core athletes, Little League teams, punk surfer dudes, weekend golf hackers, etc and asked them all what that wanted in activewear clothes. And implemented the answers. As in… hidden pockets in the women’s tennis skorts and men’s tennis sh...

Patricia Field Patricia Field Loves Barbie® Text/Images of Barbie® Launch by J. Ecochard Merchandise Images Courtesy of Mattel™ We were thinking of the Blackgama adage, “What becomes a legend most?” the other night when attending the festive launch of the eclectic über stylist Patricia Field's (of Sex in The City fame) dolled up, unapologetically fun collection of clothing and accessories for Mattel’s Barbie™ . The answer is… the legend just keeps on fashionably going. At the predominately “ Painkiller Pink ” tinted House of Field’s boutique on the Bowery in the NYC’s hip downtown neighborhood, two different women’s contemporary lines debuted that will have Barbie® fans and Field’s cult followers ringing the register. For glamourish gals the Barbie Luxe™ by Patricia Field™ on display came in four striking themes of Black and White Tapestry Print, Gold and Pewter quilted Barbie® pattern, a retro Barbie® and a pony tailed Barbie® silhouette logos. We could definitely see ourselves...

Text/Images of Designers For Darfur Benefit by J. Ecochard The fashion and cosmetic industries have always been about the latest trends, the hottest supermodels, the must have handbags, the ne plus ultra gowns worn by an “ it” celebrities…and just about everything else devoted to outer appearances. Yet, the glamorous sides of these companies have always had other more altruistic angles…namely, the enormous amount of money and time donated to worthy charities that have positive global impact. Recently we spent some time at two local hotspots that kindly donated their spaces for worthy causes. In Miami’s trendy South Beach, the always jammed Shore Club hosted a reception/silent auction for Charity:Water . Founded by former event planner Scott Harrison , this non-profit organization builds safe, clean water and basic sanitation systems in impoverished communities. Having spent time in environments where a child’s entire day is spent securing water …instead of attending school, we kno...

Time Stamp: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Location: The Dooney & Bourke showroom 601 West 26th Street, NYC, The Forbidden Zone Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images, Richard Spiegel Dooney Carves Out a Fresh New Image for Itself Admittedly, until we made it to the spring 2008 preview, we hadn’t paid much attention to Dooney’s recent endeavors towards modernization. Their preppy all weather leather structured handbags with the Duck company crest prominently displayed on an elliptical leather tag were wildly popular in the seventies and eighties. If a woman wasn’t carrying a Coach Bag on her shoulder, she was carrying a Dooney. Our pre-preview visit to the glossy boutique in the tony Westchester Mall brought us squarely into the present. There were of course, logoed bags [they sell] but there were also some great red/black/white zebra and giraffe prints bags that the salesman confirmed were the store’s best sellers. At the spring 2008 preview *Dooney maintains a gorgeous showroom deep in the...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Photography, J. Ecochard Description of photographs: -Gown w/ green ruffled trim, Paula Varsalona -Strapless w/ floral embroidery, Claire Pettibone -Gown w/ veil, Romona Keveza -Models in pastel off the shoulder gowns, Priscilla of Boston -Models in lace dresses, Monique Lhuillier -Tiered strapless ivory gown, Lela Rose -strapless cocktail dress and long gown, Priscilla of Boston HERE COMES THE BRIDE, but she’s not all dressed in white. Well,not really. Most brides are choosing ivory or champagne over the traditional white the doll on your wedding cake wears. They're also opting for strapless [a trend that's just not going away] and seeking gowns that are more Ready to Wear [RTW] in nature. If you’re lucky enough to be able to buy one of Reem Acra’s gowns, she has some incredible pastel colored gowns the color of sugared almonds. Romona Keveza also had some gorgeous pastel gowns in her couture collection for fashion minded brides who are open to somet...