By Erin Weinger on August 3, 2010
Judging by the dates we’ve been on lately, gentlemen aren’t always easy to come by. But we stumbled upon a website that, with a little luck, could help change that.
The Rules of a Gentleman is a simple, minimally designed site that features no pictures and few words — they just happen to be pretty smart ones. Nuggets of wisdom include the following: The best suit is a tailored one (rule no. 7), cufflinks when appropriate are never optional (rule no. 34) and — a favorite that applies to both genders — you really do have to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em (rule no. 30 which comes with an addendum — Kenny Rogers is a deep dude).
And the site’s street cred comes from the fact that it was started by Ryan Evans, a web developer who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. And everyone knows that the midwest produces the finest gentlemen in the land.
Check it out at therulesofagentleman.com
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By Erin Weinger on July 28, 2010
We love Corey Lynn Calter. So much so that we photographed her modern art-filled, East Hollywood Hills pad last February. And now the designer’s grown up, yet girly aesthetic can be found on her new blog, CLC’s Bees Knees. The blog, named after the bee tattoos on Calter’s knees, features press clippings, personal photos including those from a recent LAXART garden party in Bel Air and images from upcoming lookbooks.
She joins other designers and retailers such as Shipley & Halmos and Topsy Design in the trend of using super inexpensive, bare bones blogging platforms to create an “I made this at home in bed” look for their blogs, rather than the glossy, flashy, overtly professional sites we’re used to seeing from the fashion world. In Calter’s case she used TypePad and even kept that company’s name in her URL. Shipley & Halmos did the same thing with Google’s free Blogspot platform, which Topsy Design (the rad Silver Lake based vintage e-comemrce business we profiled earlier this summer) also used.
The strategy is to create an on-line presence that feels organic and allows consumers to “enter your world.” And Calter has accomplished this mission with a very cute, very personal blog that accurately shows off her unique voice and style in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
Check it out here: http://clcsbeesknees.typepad.com/
Photo: A homespun image of Calter’s design area, part of a recent blog post.
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By Editors on July 6, 2010
Shopping sprees at the trendiest boutiques, having a masseuse on call , multi-course dinners at the hottest Hollywood eateries. Yes, everyone would agree that life as a Hollywood star would be fabulous, especially if you’re stuck cruising the drive-through to save a few dollars. But two new websites have come along that allow everyone to partake in the good life at prices that will make wallets say “Hello Lover.”
Bergine and Living Social are two new lifestyle websites that offer up to 70% off the regular price for fashionable shopping, relaxing spa treatments, amazing entertainment happenings, delish dining and much more (hot-air balloon rides, hotel stays, you name it).
Bergine, which just launched their L.A. edition last month, is the more luxury-minded of the two sites — kind of like Gilt Group, but for experiences. Offers including a half-off a Sonya Dakar signature fitness facial, a $100 champagne-fueled shopping spree at Feature in Brentwood that only costs you $60 and a four-course chef’s tasting menu at Chaya Downtown for $45. Deals occur daily and weekly, and Bergine has a flexible 24-hour cancellation policy for those that get too spend happy (you know who you are).
For shoppers that want to indulge at a more modest level, Living Social is the way to go. Prior deals have included shopping at M. Fredric, a sunset cruise around Newport Harbor and $40 worth of food and bev at Tarascos in Silver Lake for just $20. We recently went crazy for an 80-minute combo deep tissue massage for a mere $37.50. Your credit card will be charged once the deal ends for the day, so cancellations must be made ASAP if you change your mind.
Membership to both sites is free, and perks are given for friends and family that purchase deals with you (who can eat $40 worth of Mexican food by themselves, anyway?). Sign up at bergine.com and livingsocial.com
-Rakhee Bhatt
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By Editors on June 18, 2010
I admit it — when a celebrity launches a “lifestyle” website, I’m cynical. So when British Model Agyness Deyn and her friend Fiona Byrne, former editor of music website NME.com and contributing writer to Nylon and New York magazines, decided to launch NAAG.com, an online magazine, this past Monday, I was undoubtedly ambiguous. But after reading their pages for the past few days I am completely enamored with the site.
NAAG (named after the last two letters of Byrne’s first name and the first two letters of Deyn’s first name) touts itself as, “Fiona and Aggy and our friends, talking about things we like and do and see and feel. We live in New York and like to hang out.” Byrne heads up the site as Editor-In-Chief, with Deyn as Creative Director. Topics range from fashions they die over (French label Sessun, and we concur); to drugstore beauty finds they adore (Rimmel’s $7 mascara); to the places they go for food and drinks (NY’s Boom Boom Room); to the movies and musicians they love (Bloc Party’s Kele Okreke. Again, major agreed). The site is charming, witty, and surprisingly original in its dialogue, with one tongue-in-cheek caption reading, “It’s not a headband, it’s a 21st century crown, actually.”
The site also boasts photoshoots that rival Vogue and contains quirky designer interviews (in case you’re wondering, Chris Benz prefers crunchy peanut butter to smooth).
NAAG feels like you are at a coffee shop with your friends talking about the things you love. Except in this case your friends are famous and actually like eating donuts.
-Rakhee Bhatt
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By Erin Weinger on March 15, 2010
If there is one awesome thing about the great recession, it’s the rate of budding entrepreneurs making their way on to the business landscape. Enter L.A.-based former Vogue staffer Brenna Egan, whose new on-line vintage boutique, Chic and You Shall Find, just launched today.
The e-tailer carries goods for girls only, including dresses, bottoms, tops, accessories and jackets mostly priced under $100. The selection is on-trend, with a lot of the early 70s, flowing folsky garb that is sure to become summer’s staple (in my closet, at least). Not included in the largely label-less lineup (save for an area dubbed “collection” which features names such as Gucci and Escada) are the sequined Blanche Deveroux-style looks that have become almost nauseatingly abundant at vintage stores as of late.
Sure, clicking lacks the same something-something as wandering the Silver Lake Vintage fair on a Saturday. But Chic and You Shall Find has found a nice, solid footing in the oft overcrowded world of on-line vintage. I’m excited to see what new pieces Egan adds next.
Photos: Left, a fuzzy coat from Egan’s site that channels Pendelton x Opening Ceremony for just $58. Right, a breezy blue dress I really wish I was wearing at this very second.
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By Erin Weinger on March 2, 2010
Earlier this afternoon, I was part of a trend panel (along with Mondette.com’s Tasha Nita Adams and California Apparel News‘ Alison Nieder) presented by Fashion Group International at the California Market Center. And one of the subjects we discussed had to do with the relationship between traditional brick and mortar stores and their on-line counterparts.
We talked about the rise of mobile shopping apps (and how I believe that is a MAJOR part of retail’s future), how e-commerce websites now include their own editorial-style content with products strategically strewn in and how brands including downtown L.A.’s own Apliiq are giving consumers options to customize their purchases via the web (another trend I believe will be on the rise).
Weirdly, as soon as I got home I discovered this cool post from Refinery29 that lists seven e-commerce websites that offer more than just shopping. Among them are Shopbop, who includes editorial spreads of their goods and Net-a-Porter, who allows you to click, pause and buy product from right inside various runway videos. There are many others out there that employ other amazing marketing strategies besides for blogs, which are what the bulk of Refinery’s picks are, in essence. I’m working on my own list as a future post.
What are some of your favorite, unique e-commerce websites and why? Do you think these on-line “gimmicks” get people to buy more goods?
[7 E-Commerce Sites That Offer More Than Shopping | Refinery29]
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By Erin Weinger on January 15, 2010
Back in October, the Wall Street Journal reported on internet start-up MyFDB.com, a subscription-based service that acts like an IMDB for the fashion industry.
The story described the business that, for $15 a month, allows users to track editorial and ad campaign credits of models, photogs, stylists and make-up artists to see exactly who worked on what, both behind the scenes and in front of the lens of fashion spreads.
But what the piece failed to mention, which we just noticed while reading an item in Star Magazine (don’t hold it against us — we all need mindless entertainment every now and then), is that the site was co-founded by Avatar actress Zoe Saldana and longtime boyfriend Keith Britton, a former model and actor who acts as the company’s CEO.
Makes sense, since the site’s upcoming launch party during New York Fashion Week is hosted by Saldana. And as an added bonus, the lucky winner gets to greet the actress when she hand-delivers party passes to their door.
Considering the vast amount of fashionphiles, bloggers and working press who have a vested interest in the personalities who make fashion shoots happen worldwide, the site sounds like a successful business in the making to us. Best of luck.
Photo: A MyFDB.com screenshot of one of Saldana’s recent model credits for Elle.
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By Erin Weinger on November 16, 2009
While taking a quick cruise around Flickr, I came across something slightly disturbing, slightly cool. It seems that there is a whole culture of hobbyists out there who create editorial-quality fashion shoot photos with none 
other than Barbie and her plastic-bodied friends.
And the pictures are kind of mind blowing. Like, double-take “I can’t believe these aren’t real people” mind blowing.
Many of the dolls used are from Integrity Toys’ Jason Wu-designed collection (there was even a recent convention devoted to the line in Chicago), but a bunch of these budding shutterbugs design their doll’s outfits themselves, using nothing more than a sheet of standard tinfoil.
The tight-knit community trades tips on where to find the best sparkly stockings (here, apparently), how to position lighting and which backgrounds work well for certain kinds of shots.
Yep, its kind of creepy to think about grown men sitting in their basements bending Barbie into a Testino-worthy pose.
But the pictures are really quite awesome, anyway. Here are a few of my favorites so far:
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By Erin Weinger on November 11, 2009
Until November 19, L.A.-based Society for Rational Dress is blowing out merch on new-ish pop-up/sample sale website Cutdrop.com. Find a selection of sweet dresses and satin tops, most marked 50 percent off retail prices; all featuring designer Corinne Grassini’s signature draping and detailing. Our personal pick is the cream-colored, metal-clasp dress at left, priced $125 from $270. Still not ready to whip out your plastic? A percentage of sales benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Score.
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By Erin Weinger on November 6, 2009
If things got a little crazy in Vegas that one weekend and your Blackberry background is now something you’d never show your mother, this one’s for you.
Mid-century decor master Jonathan Adler is offering free Blackberry and iPhone wallpaper on his website.
The free designs are taken from actual Adler wall coverings from his Palm Springs-infused collection and are available for a variety of screen sizes on different devices. You can even download a shot of Liberace, the adorable pooch belonging to Adler and spouse Simon Doonan.
We’re draping our phone in the brilliant black-and-white Greek key design until we can wrap our foyer in one of Adler’s impeccable patterns.
Or until our next weekend in Vegas.
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