LYRA MAG.

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images of collection, J. Ecochard Image of Dana Delaney, courtesy of Romona Keveza Time/Place: Couture Bridal Weekend, Sunday, April 13, @ noon The Helmsley Palace Towers, 53rd floor Romona Keveza showed her latest collection in a new pared down setting. While we liked the splendidly baroque suite she’s had in years past at the Waldorf Towers, the new collection really complemented her stylish, pared down designs. Ms. Keveza consistently proposes designs that are flattering and with just the necessary amount of tweak to excite nervous brides who don’t want to make a mistake in their choice of gown. The proof - she’s grown her business to the point that she’s selling to 110 accounts worldwide. What she always provides is classic timeless detailing with rich fabrics that has made her a go-to designer for many brides who want to look beautiful rather than risk looking cutting edge. Think Town & Country rather than Vogue Italia. In fact, her gowns have appeared on...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Product Images, from www.goldfaden.com Image of Dr. Goldfaden from www.lef.orgmagazine DR. G’s MISSION STATEMENT: "My ultimate goal is to allow people to have a relatively simple skin care regimen that allows them to both prevent skin damage and restore their skin to what it was when they were younger." As far as we’re concerned, DR. GARY GOLDFADEN is THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN POTION. His UNIFY Daily Complex for redness correction is the magic bullet that ELIMINATES ROSACEA. While there are far bigger problems going on in the world today than our mild case of rosacea, it bothered us. It continued to be a nuisance UNTIL we discovered Dr. Goldfaden’s products, thanks to Peoples’ Revolution Public Relations. Prior to trying the Dr’s skincare line, we’d gone the route of RX vitamin creams, [Metro-Gel – a vitamin A cream] as well as many different well-known commercial brands. We won’t even begin to touch on all of the green-toned cover sticks we tried and a...

A SUCCESSFUL 3rd SEASON FOR A BRAND ESTABLISHING A HANDSOME NICHE Text, Images by J. Ecochard April 23rd, Mid-Town Manhattan We met the dapper Patrick Groenendaal, Design Creative Director of giant Hampshire Group - last year at the Spring 2008 Spring + Mercer women’s press preview. Since then, the company has moved to a new multi-storied showroom on 41st Street- that's a sleek mix of cool modern (cement floors, high ceilings) and warm (original brick walls liberated from layers of plaster). And as Groenendaal points out, this autumnal palette toss became the inspiration for the colors of the very, very affordable Spring + Mercer’s men’s knitwear. Our visit’s first glimpse of the s pacious, natural light filled entrance room got us curious. Since we prefer intimate press previews as a way to get to know a collection…we were eager to see what the inner rooms revealed. We were not disappointed. A simple, effective tableau of glossy mannequins standing and ensconced on clear Philip...

April 22nd, 2008 201 Mulberry Street, NYC 6PM “Responsible Innovation Comes To Everyday Life” Images, Text by J. Ecochard We are native NYers/Big Apple residents-so turning on a tap and recycling are everyday no-brainers. But we've ventured abroad to poor "developing" countries and witnessed the scourges of modern civilization; an unbelievable American sized floating toxic mess made of discarded garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean…and plastic water bottles clogging what would be fresh water gathering wells in just about every continent we’ve ever been in (which is all of them). So on Earth Day we were filled with “yeah… but.” As in, yes that nifty satchel is cruelty free BUT it’s made of a fossil fuel derived “old” carbon PVC material-dredged up from the earth’s burial grounds for dead dinosaurs. As in, yes that chi-chi organic cotton tee, denim jeans, or day dress spa red the soil of pesticides BUT still sucked up massive amounts of fresh water to grow, and left quit...

Time & Place: 10:30am, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 The Starlight Building, 601 West 26th Street Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images, J. Ecochard Dooney & Bourke’s Andrea Mathewson, took us through the spacious showroom filled with carefully edited groupings of the Norwalk, CT based company’s latest collection. For Fall 2008, the phrase that best describes the various collections is “PULLED TOGETHER”. No matter which fabrication you choose, there are options available so that you can match everything up, from you wallet to your handbag, to your travel roller bag. Ms. Mathewson started with the most editorial item on the line – the Limited Edition appliqué patent leather sac that looked great in brown and white. If you’re craving color, not to worry, there will be many different color combinations to choose from come fall. Last season, we fell in like with Hayden Panetierre’s [the Company’s current IT Girl] and her Hayden Bag, especially the one in white patent leather. Good news for Hayd...

Text, Images by J. Ecochard and courtesy of Chocolate Bar & Photographers Limited Editions' websites April 22, EARTH DAY 7:00 PM West 25th Street NYC The official Earth Day ran smack in the middle of a week full of eco-events. It’s great that organic products and lifestyles are mainstream (IMHO), but frankly the over, (mis)-use of the word “green” is making us cross-eyed. So it was a relief to take a quick spin through Workhouse Publicity’s Workhouse Wonderland- to start a night of agenda-less light-hearted fun. Spilling off the service elevator, we made a bee-line for the purely addictive choc/pretzel samples from Allison Nelson's Chocolate Bar - an ingenious candy company that operates espresso-like bars…but for chocoholics (located in upscale retail sites like Henri Bendel’s). Then, buzzed but thirsty we graciously accepted a glass of sparkling rosé poured by Vito Polosa , the effervescent co- owner of the romantically snug, “in” Italian restaurant Aroma Kitchen and W...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images, J. Ecochard Time & Place: mid-afternoon, Wednesday, April 23rd, at the Studio and offices on West 41st Street We loved the easy presentation that Atelier Creative Services helped arrange that perfectly showcased the new Joseph Abboud® Components men’s sportswear label. The label was officially unveiled a few months earlier, back in February at MAGIC in Las Vegas. The tableau of male models posed in the entrance of the showroom made a statement from the get go. Presentations such as these are our favorite way to view a collection. Unlike a traditional runway show, at a presentation, you can ask the models how the clothes fit and have a close look at the details. We were lucky enough to get a run through of the new Joseph Abboud®Components line with ALAN NEEDLEMAN, the Vice President of design. LYRA MAG: What is Components all about? ALAN NEEDLEMAN: It’s the spirit of what Joseph would do but made available at a traditional department store prices. ...

TEXT, IMAGES J. Ecochard We were intrigued by an evite to a “ Bloggers Preview ” at the downtown NYC JuJú Showroom because: It was an acknowledgement by the fashion community that s coops online pre-date print reads …BY MONTHS!!!!! Plus the name is French (we are 50% too) – and we already follow one client, Willow -a women’s designer from Australia who showed to a packed house during New York’s Fashion Week this past February. A striking Fall 2008 look that caught our eyes at the time-and again in the showroom- is the last look struttin’ down the runway- a wool felt A-line dress with draped high neck detail and mirror beading (Look #24). OUR VISIT: Entering the spacious showroom escorted by the smart Erin Fischer -we are toute de suite awestruck by the over the top, sparkling extravaganzas masterminded by Manish Aurora , a UK/India based designer- who clearly sources his native India’s affinity for sizzling pop colors, and intricate hand embroidered and beaded details . We feel Aur...