hola custo

fashion week has been such a blast. to see it up close and personal is much better than reading about it and certainly gives me a much stronger understanding of what trends are emerging. metallix. check. oxford heels. check. bronzer make-up and nude lips. check. crest patches and scarves. check. check. and check. I was fortunate enough to get a coveted front row seat last night to the the custo barcelona show. his designs are made wth a sexy, international flair so it was no wonder that it was vibrant contrasting colors, sheer farics and high heels all around. they even gifted the cool scarf you see pictured above where I am posting this to you now. ole!

snap. crackle. pop.

meg d. says rice crispy treats are the new cupcakes. and if trendster meg d. says it, it must be true...

models are people too

part of our fashion week coverage with stylewiz included asking the models backstage what their beauty secrets were. they are after all, consistently putting on and taking off make-up including that special monthly week where their faces are prone to acne. most of the girls backstage were really sweet and open to share their tips from making sure to sleep enough to shu uemuras miracle make-up remover. lots of the girls (who don't look a day over 14) read, text or even (yikes!) EAT!? I saw more than one stuffing down a cupcake. the moral of this story is that even though they're models and inches taller and skinnier than most, they still are women with the same womanly issues we all face. even face issues.

trendster for men

my ultra-hottie boyfriend S. is one snappy dresser. really. he always puts a good outfit together with his unique mix of urban chic. fitted shirts, beautiful sport jackets and his favorite puma flip-flops or timz (you can take the boy outta brooklyn but you can't take the brooklyn outta the boy). we often discuss the lack of choices men have when it comes to fashion. well, I am here to report that I saw a male fashion trend emerging at this week's fashion week (and where better to spot the newest and coolest?). men with a crisp button down, tucked into a "skinny" jean or pant with a shortened length over a european oxford. of course it takes an open-minded man to test it out but I think it looks great and certainly gives men an alternative option to the baggy jeans and t-shirt look.

my oh! mya

so, I was up and at 'em early yesterday morning. meg and barbara came up to my hotel room for hair and make-up and by 2pm I was ready to hit the tents with the stylewiz production crew. the tents are of course, a scream with fashionista, editors and fashion wanna-bes galore. we got to sample the samples like haviana flip-flops and mac make-up (bronze and natural lip are so the new makeup trend!). we even stopped in on the moet room (flowing champagne is a necessary accessory at fashion week) where we ran into mya. we got a great interview and she told of us of her all around beauty secret - vaseline! she uses it for everything from her make-up remover to a foot salve. we also shot a ridiculous pic together (shown above) that has her looking like a wax doll and me looking like, who the heck knows what...

vma

its late and I'm tired so I'm winding it down to head to beddy-bye before our big bryant park tent debut but before I do I just wanted to quickly comment on the vmas from last night -- brit. OMG! was she drunk? she called that one in but I dont think her phone had reception. chris brown was a performance wiz. love that rihanna but her pink dress was uncomfortably tight and she couldnt walk in it - her stylist should' ve known better. more later. time is up on hotel lobby computer. cest le vie. sweet dreams.

live from new york, it's jess zaino!

I'm finally at ny fashion week, babeeee! I came in last night from lax to cover the fashionable week for my lovely friends at YAZ. I'm staying a t a really cool hotel, toted to be a "fitness hotel". have you ever such a thing? ginko biloba tea in the morning followed by an intense workout with a fitness concierge. and all before 9am. that'll certainly keep the endorphins running. the huge suite with 360 views of the city don't hurt either. there is an excitement in the air at the tents as we explore a more feminine and powerful silouhette for spring. my advice is take your newest season trend ideas from st.john girl, angelina jolie and say buh-bye the to the barbie look of paris hilton. tomorrow I hit the custo barcelona show with my new YAZ friends. I'll keep you posted. love, jess

three french hens

and the fashion week rolls on... today held some heavy hitters, tracy reese and vera wang included. tracy reese is the champion of the every girly-girl with her lovely silhouetted pants. one pair had 10 buttons up the front panel!?! that's enough to button up the mouth of miz star jones who was sitting front row and center. vera wang did her usual silky, jersey, drapey, comfy fits and fabrics. and a personal cocktail party fave of mine, ports 1961 showed a giraffe-like alek wek in shimmery silver, golds and ivory.

deux

looks like day two brought in shades of grey/gray (what IS the correct spelling of that elusive color?) paired with bright, intense splashes of color for the woman coming out of her shell. keep an eye out for finnish model suvi kaponen who is the newest CK ad girl. tonite is the fashion rocks! show at radio city with huge guest celebs and jeremy piven hosting.

spring 2008 ahead

today was the official kick-off day for new york's most fashionable and fabulous week, ny fashion week. if you don't already know, they show in the fall for the next year's next season. what?! yup. we're already at spring 2008, so take pre-trend note. today's shows included rachel roy, rag & bone, marchesa and hollywood starlet fave, BCBG. it was at the BCBG show, that we continued to see metallic colors of silver, white, greys, ice blues and plums. and it looks like the lady-like trend of a womanly silohuette continues, so leave the jeans for when your "aunt flo" comes to visit. I'm heading to nyc to report from the front lines this sunday. so until then , I'll keep you up to date on what goes on your nice or never in a million years fashion wish list.

auf Wiedersehen

this morning whilst shopping for nail polish remover, a fan (for my unair-conditioned hotbox of an apt.) and vogue's annual 800-page issue, I saw a tall drink of fabulous woman in the baby section. she was wearing tight gray skinny jeans with spiky high black heels. draped over the jeans, was a fabulous, kimono-style black studded floor skimming cover-up and her hair was in pulled up braided twists. I thought, my goodness, what a sight! I must know who this woman is! as I inched closer to tell this magnificent creature how lovely her ensemble was, wouldn't you know, it was heidi klum!! girl was working it. I myself was wearing pink sweatpants and my boyfriends old tee-shirt, so I decided to hold off on the sycophantic introductions for now. auf Widersehen.

the next child star

I just finished up the week working as the on-air stylist/"brand" consultant for vh-1's newest celebreality show, the next child star with danny bonaduce. its a show danny created and its rife with drama and hope and catfighting and celebrity. my manager, the enchanting and enigmatic, miss marki costello is co-hosting (think the female simon cowell but hotter and better) the show and when it called for a style expert, the producer was a friend of mine and it all fell in to place. the first day at the valley manse, I had to meet with the parents and remaining contestants to discuss and create a "brand", like a young beyonce or a catholic sarah silverman. afterwards I headed to the glendale galleria to shop for the looks requested. five hours of shopping and I am here to report, if you are lil lady reading this or if you're a mama with lil' lady - the most versatile and fun store for the tween set is limited too. we hit up pumpkin patch, nordstrom kids and gap kids and everything I was looking for (fuzzy slippers with bling, knee high socks) and more was found at the limited too. so, if you're still doing some school shopping, now you know where to go. how the looks turned out, you'll just have to wait and see it on teeeeeeveeeeeeeee.

how do I look?

last night was the celebration of 100 episodes of style network's how do I look? can you believe it!? one hundred episodes!! that's a big deal in teevee land. I was around for episode five so obviously it holds such a special place in my heart to have watched it grow into such a success. finola hughes is a tremendously talented hostess who has entertained millions making HDIL the longest running show on the network. the party was held at social and they had yummy cupcakes and fruity drinks named after the cast and crew members. and of course, it was a pleasure to spend time with all of the people for who I am so greatful for having given me my start on the network. namely deana delshad and renee simon. happy 100. you don't look a day over 21.

spectator sport

I was in target the other day and saw the cutest pair of spectator heels for $26. that sure beats the price of the pricer hot trend at $300 or more. thing is, I didn't get them and now they are gone. darn shoes. where did they walk off to? will they come back to target? I hope so because this is the PERFECT example of a trend. these shoes won't last past the next season, so buy 'em cheap and then discard of them when you have fabulously walked them into the ground. pair them with opaque black tights or menswear-inspired trousers.

holy sheet!

I need your help on this one. I just got done doing my laundry and I think I've figured out an appropriate combo of detergent/cleaner sheet BUT! I'd love to hear what you guys are putting in your whites to really whiten things up. I currently use the most yummy smelling oxy clean, which I thought would whiten but no such luck. the smell however is to die. for the dryer, I throw in some lavendar scented method dryer sheets from target. it softens while it dries so thats a double whammy. for the most part, I do not dry the clothes in the dryer, I stick to airdry as it preserves the life of the garment. while I'm at it - if you're taking your things to the drycleaner, make sure to take the clothes out of the plastic immediately, as it does not let the clothing breathe and will ruin the piece. I was using the laundress for a while but I did figure paying $25 for a bottle of detergent seemed a bit too excessive as I'm sure the budget fashionista would agree. hey maaan, if it will whiten my stuff up (cleanliness is godliness), I'll go to great financial lengths to make my clothes look, smell and last great.

(t)oki doki

I'm sure by now, you've seen the toki doki brand. they've been on everything from america's top model to l.a. fashion week to cutie lesportsac bags. started by pooneh and her hubby, who also started hard candy, they are at the forefront of the fashion/art mix. they hold unbelievable events and have thought so out of any box to build buzz that their urban hello kitty-like looks from japanimation inspired italian artist, simone legno would beat out anybody in a pants-off brand-off.

high school musical 2

I headed down to disneyland on tuesday to cover the premiere of high school musical 2 for j-14 magazine. it was a hot and sweaty day so thank gosh I was given a shady spot on the blue carpet to get my interview questions in. the celebs made their way down the carpet in front of thousands of screaming teen fans. what a sight! cindy crawford was decked out in roberto cavalli and most of the young HSM2 cast was wearing bebe with the exception of vanessa hudgens who was in a floor length red satin gown reminiscent of old hollywood. paired with her dress was chanel's black satin nailpolish of which she told me was her absolute fave. up and coming moviestar, zac efron was in country club casual in slip on vans and a breezy brooklyn industries blue button down. after the premiere I headed over to the house of blues with my new access hollywood buddies (including billy bush) for a after-work drink. turns out, the access hollywood.com hostess had a ticket into the theme park which I promptly took off her hands, paid up my bill and excitedly headed over to the park. for four hours, I rode the rides and enjoyed disney solo (including the new finding nemo sub ride that for a line two hours long was no big deal). I finished off with a frozen mickey treat, disney gifts for S and a fireworks show over cinderella's castle. I had a pretty magical night!

a nice ports.

have you seen the line, ports 1961? perfect name for perfect cocktail wear. if you're in need of a dazzler for an impressive night out, all the hollywood chickadees are wearing it. and as a stylist insider, I can tell you its true.

baby makin' hips.

I've got a big bum. and not in a sexy badonk-adonk way but in a large, flat pasta-making way. and on top of that (literally), I've got a short yet small waist. it is pretty difficult for me to find a pair of jeans that truly flatters and feels right. the low riders give me muffin-top and the newly-popular high waists accentuate my thighs. I ain't too proud to share my womanly wardrobe woes, so I'd like key you in on a denim secret -- maternity. if you can get over the fact that you are not pregnant and would be willing to wear pregnant pants, you may find a world of wonder in these jeans. I was shopping for a preggers client the other day when I popped into two maternity clothing stores and ended up walking out with a pair of the jeans (in small) for me (don't worry ma - I am not pregnant. yet). they have the great elastic band that makes my rump look round and the flare at the ankle to bring the look up to date. in the small size, it flatters the tummy and fits perfectly. and like that seinfeld episode, I take out the tags so no one knows (should they see) that I'm rocking maternity jeans. so lets please keep this between you and me.

triple xxx, errrr.... A

here's a trend that everybody with a car should tap into - triple AAA. my car broke down the other day in an underground parking garage and thanks to months of my mother and boyfriend pleading for me to acquire the service I did. and boy am I glad I did. I was running an hour late on a dinner party I was throwing when the incident went down and it took triple AAA fifteen minutes to come and tow the car back to my place for a $50. a year fee. this is most definitely something you want to have in your closet of life.

bite me.

sarah jessica parker does it again. for a while now, she has been designing clothes for her line, bitten. I had read about it but only knew of it as a wardrobe myth. like finding chanel at the salvation army or socially acceptable knock-offs. I caught a seventeen magazine spread that used alot of the line which was so cute that it motivated me to get online and look it up. bitten is exclusively sold at steve and barry stores and I had never been to one, let alone know where one is. turns out across the street from the beverly center in the beverly connection is a steve and barrys where the old old navy used to be. I headed out just before closing time to see what the fuss was about. sjp has designed everything from great wide leg sailor pants to flats to bras to workout gear. and ALL UNDER $20!?!? and so cute to boot. there is such a wide selection that I was shocked we havent heard more about. I walked out with a sweet tote in distressed gray for $10!? I would've bought out the whole line but I ended up in the store after it registers closed. I'll be back tomorrow. locate the nearest steve and barry's yourself and get bitten. you'll be glad you did.

kickin it old school

stopped by the reebok fall preview party at the chateau marmont tonite. hosted by kari feinstein in bungalow one, with morty spinning, it was a charming get together for a classic brand. they are putting alot of work into resurrecting the brand and I hope it gets off on the right foot come fall (pun intended). the pieces were sportswear to be expected with some throw-back neon numbers thrown in for good measure. very cute for the teen set or a harajuku girl armed with a spray can. walked away with some fab goodies, including a nights stay at the chateau, which is divine because its my fave. on the way out, ran (in my new reebok kicks) into robbie williams and jamie sigler. that place never disappoints.

boobs!

being a female means always having to buy a good bra. since I first picked up a leopard-print number at ross a few years ago, my favorite and best fit has come from the betsey johnson intimates line. it was time for a new bra (mine can get pretty worn out from wear) so I headed into victoria's secret to pick up a BJ special (ross has since yet to carry any more of her pieces). for $42 I picked up a cream colored number that has me feeling so supported and sexy that I was inspired to post this blog. in my bra. and nothin' else. its that good. you can check out the selection and make an online purchase here. this spectacular line of pretty underthings has got my stylist stamp of approval.

buy the friendly skies

I found these awesome sunglasses in the atlanta airport today. they remind me of something diane keaton would wear in an early 80's woody allen film. keep an eye out on your next flight out for the fab airport store named bijoux lerner where all the fun accessory goodies are $10.

mind the gap

OMG! have u seen the new gap ads as shot by annie leibovitz? for a clothing brand that went down hill, they sure know how to work it out with their marketing skills. besides john mayer (thanks perez for the pic), the big leibov-ski also shot sarah silverman and ken watanabe. you'd think with these names they'd get a little cool cred...

sample of a sample sale

for the ladies that asked, I usually get emails or fliers for the local sample sales. in fact, if you are in los angeles, you can go to this one...

Vanitas of California is going to be participating in a fabulous group Sample Sale, including Wilen and N.Fem. There will be Amazing clothes at Amazing prices!
If you are a woman, have a woman in your life, or know a woman, I suggest you stop by!!! :)

When: Saturday July 21 from 12-4pm.
Where: 7600 Melrose Ave, Suite N (upstairs), LA 90046.

libertine has arrived!

took a pop in to target this morning to pick up some necessaries and saw a wild crowd of women tearing apart the new libertine line for the GO! collection. yup. it's here and it's kinda cool.

cheap and chic

I head to tampa on monday for a couple of home shopping network appearances and I decided to pull some designer duds for myself to rock on air, considering I am a trend expert and all. I am very lucky to have friends in high fashion places and was able to pull a fab moschino dress and three pairs of moschino heels from my friends at bluPRint who rep such unbelievable lines as oscar de la renta, zac posen and more. I also borrowed three dress from my fave new line, mon petit oiseau from my friends at bollare. I'm on air the 23rd and 24th of this month so (like waldo) watch for the cute couture. p.s. for the girls that ask, a stylist usually pulls clothes through a PR house to style out the subjects/celebs in the most fashion-forward yet to be released finds. p.s.s. it's a good idea to keep and build your contacts at the local pr firms/department stores for such occasions.

that's all folks

me and andi hit up the warner brothers studio sale a couple of weeks ago and walked away with some fab finds. the studio sale is when they rid themselves of all of the wardrobe, sets, misc. pieces that are used throughout the years on the different television shows. you pick up a cute purple gap tee and chances are you walking away with television history. it was fun to rummage (for hours) over the racks of clothing and furniture looking for fun and cheap finds. as a style expert, I was able to decipher between a pill-y, unwearable no name from a comme des garcon original. we were pretty happy to have me around.

sicko

see michael moore's new movie sicko and get to talking.

in the (k)now

if you're looking to stay tres chic, c'est chic, follow these simple trends:

- bangles, bangles and more bangles layered up
- big tassles on your bags ala 80's chanel
- red lips and red nails
- channel annie hall with menswear-inspired wide leg trousers and fitted tops

happy trending!

marc my words

people tend to have misconceptions when it comes to designer shops. a fear of the unknown (and exorbitant pricing) keeps many a good shopper out of a prada or a versace. well fear not high fashion lovers! I am here to report from the front lines that marc by marc jacobs on melrose has the freshest affordable trinkets this side of target. I picked up a quilted oversized bag, a gold wallet, flips and a tee for S. and another carry-all bag for me, while spending close to $100!?!? if you're not in the la. area hit up their website or check out eBay. rumour has it, someone is selling some of the cheap stuff there. speaking of rumers, if you are in the la. area, rumer willis is a shopgirl at the marc by marc joint. perhaps an ashton sighting is in your fashion future?

and the award goes to...

the mtv movie awards are happening this week which means its swag time in l.a. and no one does it bettter than the doe-eyed miss kari feinstein. this chick keeps it cool and calm and together depsite the chaos that surrounds the annual gift-giving event. yesterday me and S. caught the valet truck up with my girl claudia and proceeded to take shamelessly the goods that the gifters had to offer. the style lounge was held in a private residence up top bev hills where room upon room was filled to the brim with folks ready to dress the musique elite for the awards show. reebok was stocked on sneakers and were happy to give out pumps for the boys and old school neon joints for the girls. they win the award for most giving and prepared. I loved the creative and sweet prints done up by papier, whimsy and was happy to stock up some very cool new wrapping papers and note cards. check em. cheap and cute. they get the most likely to succeed award. coming in best overall performance of a brand is marnie rocks. this chick from texass was working the room and every guest like they were her best friend. funny enough, she had a genuine enthusiasm about her interactions and goods and I was happy to unload her of a gigantic black cocktail ring and gold python-skinned waist bag (perfect for our new york trip next week, despite S.'s hate of the look). it was a great event with some really fun celeb sightings like elisha cuthbert and miss perez hilton (me missed out on jessica alba. poopers). again, major propers to kari feinstein for the tremendous work she does putting the event together.

phu bu

my fashionista friend, phu put together a very cool fashion/art exhibit/show last night at the cabana club in hollyweird. she did a great job parodying the money-luvin crowd and an even more impressive job making reconstructed clothes out of thrift store finds and target bags for her one of a kind zoe winston line. made for us, by...phu.

trend predictions

I see the future... and it includes suspenders and body suit shirts. worn together or seperately. to the future in style, ladies!

true blue, baby I love you

if you're looking for the hottest new nail color of the season, look to the skies. literally. everyone is rocking the blue these days.

I wear my sunglasses

I love the sunglasses. In the past I've always made the decision to spend 1/2 my rent money on sunglasses rather than on my, well, rent. I have several favortie pairs of Chanels, Dior and a great pair of Chloe with some Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban and Betsey Johnson thrown in for good measure. Lately though, I've been more interested in my $5 aviators that I picked up at the Fairfax flea market. What's great about them is they are chic and classic (like a Michael Kors) but I can lose them, break them, sit on them, throw them out and still go and pick up a brand new pair for next to nothing. It's the great sunglass debate. what's your stance?

lotsa mozza

my family is obsessed with the food network. even my sister who lives in switzerland gets her daily fix of paula deen and the gang. when my dad is home in the daytime, he doesn't miss a second of mario batali. as a result, we've been to all of the batali restaurants in new york. recently the big red MB opened up his first west coast venture, mozza. being the pizza and batali fan I am, I was dying to pull a hard to get rez. last night I had that opportunity. mozza, located on highland off melrose looks similarly to batali's new york joints with the simple bold colors of tuscany and a killer wine selection. the eggplant companata and marinated peppers were a great start and the margherita pizza (despite the 12 other more fanciful pizza concoctions) was buttery and yummy and filled with basil-y goodness. a glass of their slightly overpriced red was a perfect accompaniment. buon appetito!

the other jessica

I had a fab time down in tampa with the home shopping network and even got to meet some very interesting and recognizable business folk. I happened to appear after master chef wolfgang puck several times so we would run into each other in the halls. that man is made of good energy and vibes (as S. says). no wonder he is a culinary whiz cum worldwide personality. also on the list of amazing star sightings was none other than ken paves, ruler of jessica simpson's locks as well as so many other celebs. he did a line of clip ons with ms. simpson and was doing an HSN special for them annnnd staying in the same hotel as moi. I approached him and the entourage at lunch by the pool and asked for a photo for my blog. I seriously asked for a photo from this guy. while he was eating. for my blog. only a die hard trendster would get super psyched over a hairstylist. what a dork I am. I did however, get the shot.