For sartorial traditionalists, the first weekend in May, when the Kentucky Derby takes place, ushers in the start of seersucker weather.
Seersucker, a striped cotton fabric with a slightly wrinkled surface, connotes Southern gentlemen in a full suit with white bucks, but with men's fashion enjoying a preppy moment, young men can find fresh ways to wear seersucker without looking like their grandfathers.
This December, as in years past, Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai will set aside time to craft handmade holiday accessories and gifts.
Homemade items are creative and meaningful, say the designers, who last month were named runners-up for the Council of Fashion Designers of America /Vogue Fashion Fund award, which recognizes new and emerging talent.
July 3, 2008
Some of this year's fashion trends look hard to wear for women who aren't long and lean. But Jose Solis, the designer of Bill Blass New York, likes to figure out ways that women with all kinds of figures can wear current styles.
June 24, 2008
Summer marks the middle of green tea season, which runs from late spring to fall. While it may seem counterintuitive to drink hot liquids in the heat, many Asian cultures believe that doing so will increase sweating and help cool you off.
During New York's fashion week, publicity and branding company People's Revolution stages between six and 16 fashion shows. For founder and chief executive Kelly Cutrone, this entails 18-hour workdays overseeing everything from casting models to arranging seating.
Ms. Cutrone devotes nearly as much attention to throwing her own parties. "I don't have a lot of time for my friends," she said. "So when I do spend time with them, I want to make it really special."
After she opened her Philadelphia dermatology practice, Susan C. Taylor began thinking a lot about the beauty regimens of women with dark skin.
Since then, Dr. Taylor, who is African-American, has become co-founding director of the Skin of Color Center at St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals in Manhattan and Chief Executive of Rx for Brown Skin, a skin-care line designed for Asian, Indian, Latino and black skin.
December 27, 2007
David Hamilton was 25 years old before he knew what shirt size he wore. Mr. Hamilton grew up wearing the bespoke button-down shirts that his family business, Hamilton Shirts, has sold since 1883.
"I've never had to buy a shirt off the rack," says Mr. Hamilton, 29 years old. He is partner, with his sister, Kelly, in the Houston-based custom-shirt-making company. One time when he did bring home an off-the-rack shirt, he says, "my dad took it apart and said, 'No. You can have that fit but we're making it.' "
Even in the less-than-genteel world of reality TV, Tim Gunn, the mentor figure on the "Project Runway" TV show, never fails to project poise. With several high-profile jobs -- he is also chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. and co-host of the show "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" -- Mr. Gunn must attend numerous social functions and confidently navigate social interactions with executives, fans and people who have never heard of him.
