never say never

if u have not had the great pleasure of catching wunderkind justin bieber's docu-flick, never say never, I highly recommend taking the time this weekend to pop in on what I can only describe as a cinematic success! it's inspiring, its fun, you'll clap, laugh, squeal and smile and what is bad about any of that. never say never. oh! and then click on over to my latest glamour blog on how I've gone completely bieb crazy in my closet.

retail dreams do come true!

if u haven't already read and posted a comment on my most recent glamour post about swimwear line bikini thief making the sports illustrated swimsuit issue, it's a quick & inspiring read with a very happy ending. take a peek and leave us a comment on the glamour page.

mtv 'made' me a fan

mtv's made has been on the air for years turning nerds into homecoming kings and cheerleaders into skaters. so it was my pleasure when I was invited to a private screening of the show that while the subject, james padgett, wants to be a rapper, the storyline goes much deeper than that. his motivation to be a rapper comes from his desire to stop the bullying he suffers. bullying sucks. at any age. its hard to rise up when one feels they are beat down. we watch james be brave enough to confront his offenders and the rest, you'll have to tune in to see. and while james' boyish struggle is heartwarming, the real star of the show is Grammy award winning rap star, Killer Mike. he got swagger, style, heart and soul and seriously whips james and his attitude into shape. to catch this episode of made, it airs tomorrow, thursday 2/24 at 4pm. to stop bullying in schools, click here.

rock the color block

lots of ladies have been seen rocking the color block trend. from red carpet to front row, from lois eastlund in the lower east side to macy's, read all about it here.

Who is YOUR favorite Indie Designer?

My latest post on Glamour celebrates the Indie Designer of who I always support. It was on the eve of her Fall-Winter 2011 fashion show, I was invited downtown for a pre-show fitting by budding fashion designer, Sheila Frank. The color story, composed primarily of midnight navy and black, reminds one of an 18th century factory. While handmade production was overtaken by machine production during the Industrial Revolution, make no mistake about it, Frank's collection is carefully crafted with intricate details and hand sewn attention to each willowy black and gauze-y blue garment. Which you can view the full photo set here. Who do you think is an Indie Designer to watch? Post your comments here.

hey YOU - I need YOUR comments!!

in celebration of the beautiful spring like weather in new york city and my mumsy's upcoming birthday, I will be giving a yummy gift away from make-up to exclusive styles to gift certificates EVERY DAY starting tomorrow and through this Wednesday, 2/23 for the reader, blogger, man or woman who writes the most comments on any of my Glamour site posts found here: http://www.glamour.com/contributors/jess-zaino -- here's a tip: if you re-post to your Facebook and Twitter communities and they post a comment on my Glamour site posts with an @____ linking back to your name - that counts as a post for you!!! some really fun posts up that I'd love your thoughts and comments on, like sexy sleepwear and the diva exchange in the comments between me & marilyn monroe impersonator jimmy james on my most recent post. read, set, comment! xxJZ

no one ugly allowed...

I am obsessed with Jimmy James' dance hit, Fashionista. with one click of play on You Tube, it hasn't stopped in my daily rotation. so, I had to reach out and get the goods on this dude. Turns out, in addition to being a singer/songwriter, Jimmy James is a world famous impersonator. For more than a decade he played the incredibly beautiful Marilyn Monroe to a T, fooling fans and skeptics alike. his makeup job as Marilyn (and Cher. and Gaga) is so believably unbelievable, I wanted Ms. Jimmy James to share his Marilyn makeup secrets with the world for the every day girl. click here for the list (and 'like' it on the Glamour post, please). we want to be loved by you ; )

milly muse: peggy guggenheim

during a quick chat and tour of her new collection, michelle smith of milly confessed her collection muse was the fabulous, ms. peggy guggenheim. read the glamour post (and 'like' it) here. I had heard of peggy guggenheim but the big, bright citrus florals michelle embellished her collection with had me wanting to know more. peggy guggenheim, was born in the late 1800's into the wealthy guggenheim family. her father went down with titanic and with that, she inherited a small fortune. rather than squander her riches, she worked as a clerk in an avant-garde bookstore. it was there that she met a group of artists who she began to foster, finally opening an art gallery in london to showcase her new friends. over the course of her lifetime, she collected an unprecedented collection of art, donating it to the guggenheim museum in nyc. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important for american art of the first half of the 20th century.

how NOT to get laid on valentine's day

why is it that the most comfy trend, which is considered high style amongst the female fashion elite is the thing that guys hate the most? I get that there is a certain poopie pant look to the harem pants and that a woman's best asset is covered by a plastic bag of layering...but again, so comfy. and in some cases, as paired with a cotton tank, chanel jacket, a ton of pearls and a bootie heel, so chic. proves that men are from mars and women love clothes. happy valentine's day lovers. get some.

#happyvalentinesday

valentine's day chococlate

what is a valentine's day weekend without a few chocolate treats? my girl valentine and founder of yourbellalife.com, nitika chopra put together a delicious chocolate walking tour of the lower east side with the coca crazy boys behind the book, Professor Chocolate Presents the Ultimate Guide to Finding Chocolate in New York City: 11 Chocolate Walking Tours to Guide You to the Best Bonbons, Truffles, Small Boutiques, and Secret Shops in New York City . just like the book states, we searched and found vegan chocolates from organic avenue, to die for caramel del sel truffles at whole foods from azur chocolat and the richest, buttery-iest beer and pretzel dark chocolate bon bon from roni sue's shoppe in the essex street market. the sweetest part of the day? spending the time exploring with friends. for the full photo set, click here.

new york fashion week: friday

the fashion world is abuzz for mercedes benz new york fashion week. it started this past thursday and goes through next thursday. for the designers to watch, check out (and 'like') my Q&A with simon doonan here. last night, I hopped the the 1 train to lincoln center to catch the nicole miller show. while the show left something to be desired, it was the scene in the tents that caught all of the action. and most surprisingly, despite rumours of a kelly green & citrus season, a lot of fabulous fashionistas were rocking big, bold reds. I guess valentine's day is in the air warming the hearts of the coolest. for the full photo set and behind the scenes tour, click here.

before it was barneys

I am a third generation New Yorker, so my ties to the city are true blue. My Dad, who was raised in the borough of Queens, Astoria specifically, had this hilariously heartbreaking story to share when I told him I would be interviewing Barneys New York Creative Ambassador Simon Doonan for Glamour Magazine... "Barneys Story, Funny or sad? Both are the same. I was a husky size, short and stocky. Back in the day Barney's on 17th Street always prided itself on fitting anyone. You guessed it I was in a small corridor of the store as a last resort and did not get any suit to fit my size. Is this what you want?? Humiliation and embarrassment." Thanks, Dad! To note, my Dad is still one of the hippest dressers around, always sporting the tortoise-shell Ray-Bans and Jack Nicholson-like combo of popped collar with his Brooks Brothers cashmere. And that short and stocky was passed down to me, which I love, so thanks for that too!

From Egypt, with love

You say you want a revolution? We've been watching the stir happening in Cairo, Egypt in the name of America's strongest trait, democracy. Their current President has been in office for over thirty years and it is the young people who are rising up and sayin' it ain't right. Hence, all the fighting and nasty images we're seeing on television. While the fighting is scary, the idea of students rising up together to overthrow a dictatorship is mighty. It reminds me of our 1960's when American students revolted against the Vietnam War and the staunch views of their parents generation. From this resistance, we created great art and fashion as a country; John Lennon's bed in, wide leg denim, fringe and boho chic are a few trends that come to mind. My bfriend is of Arabic descent and his father lives smack dab in the middle of Cairo. It has been scary for us here, waiting for calls, as their Internet and cell phones were shut off by their Gov't in an attempt to control the student masses from meeting. We received an email from his Dad in a temporary moment when the Internet ban was lifted and I thought it was so powerful to hear the experience from the inside, I wanted to share:

"Our Internet has been restored at least for now so we wanted to send you a quick note to say that we doing fine. We have plenty of food and drink and our neighbors have been absolutely marvelous in their nightly, all night, vigil in the streets surrounding our building and adjoining houses. They build camp fires in the middle of the streets as the nights are cold and keep contact with each other, whenever an intruder is suspected, through whistles and shouts. The neighbors and building caretakers are carrying sticks and two are carrying a 4 and 3 iron golf clubs contributed by yours truly. No match to guns but at least it offers some protection. This is being carried out throughout Egypt, especially greater Cairo. We've been making rounds to make sure that students, faculty and staff have sufficient funds to buy food as banks are closed and have been all week. Some students and faculty have accepted charter flights out of the country but most are staying put. We'll take it one day at a time."

michelle obama fashion icon

I freeeking love first lady michelle obama!! at the gym this morning, I had the pleasure of spending an hour working the elliptical on a level 12 incline (I must, I must, I must decrease my... a**!) and watching regis & kelly. on walks our first lady of awesome, michelle obama. she is class. she is sass. she is smart and substance. she has instilled in me a new level of pride to be an american. her letsmove.gov initiative is spectacular and her story of the bee hive which produces organic honey on the south lawn had me begging for more. as if anything could top that, she's got on an incredibly cool, flowy trendy polka-dot dress belted at the waist with a pop of red showing off her legs for miles. she is it! always pushing the fashion envelope, including mostly an independent designer lineup in her bevy of beautiful outfits, michelle obama is absolutely the coolest first lady ever! as jackie o. was to chic and eleanor roosevelt was to action and hillary was to smarts, the mighty ms. o embodies white house cool. I'm forever a fan.

are you on the glam list?

a few months ago, I was approached by the fine folks at driver digital, a full service production house and online distribution company. their popular web hit, digits needed a follow-up and we were fortunate enough to find one another at the right time. I created 'The Glam List', an irreverent style show from a fashion insider with an outside point of view, which I cannot wait to debut. tongue in cheek trends, celebrity guests and off the wall style segments will have you laughing in the name of le fashion. stay tuned.

the open toe and tights debate

like whoa! the comments on my latest glamour post are hard hitting. never did I think my opinion of a open peep toe and tights in the sneaux would be so hated on. I stand by the trend! I won't let the man get me down. I rise up on heels, on high, in the name of fashion. post your comments for good or bad on the glamour site here.

love the leather

elly clay is a hot handbag line. I had the pleasure of interviewing the designers behind it not too long ago. two sassy chicks living in brooklyn raising babies and making awesome, leather, grown-up rock n' roll bags. read it here: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/50691/

online or hard copy?

mercedes benz fashion week is right around the corner so invites are swiftly making their way to the fashion elite. turns out, I'm considered included in this group, so woe! is me, my mailbox is filling up with invites of all shapes, sizes and weights. additionally, I get the online invites too, which usually come accompanied with a yes or no reply box. easy peasy. so, my question is, is it better to receive a gorgeous invite with all of the fashion week fixins in the mailbox or does an eco-friendly email pack the same fancy pants punch. you decide...

I want my JZTV!

what's up, ma? how's your day going? I uploaded a new vid to the right of this post, under press play, if u care to take a look => => =>

brooklyn boheme

I'm a big fan of documentaries. they are my favorite genre of film and with netflix and the internet, I eat 'em up like oreos. I saw something tonight that is worth giving props to. as a member of the private arts club, norwood, I am privvy to all types of fun screenings, book readings and exclusive events hosted by the artists that create them. it is my love of such artistic communities that led me to join norwood in the first place, so what a pleasure when I caught the rought cut screening of doc, brooklyn boheme hosted by filmmaker nelson george documenting the brooklyn neighborhood of fort greene and the artists it fostered from spike lee to chris rock to rosie perez to erykah badu to branford marsalis to talib kewli and beyond. it was in the late 70's, early 80's when this hood served as a hotbed of african american urban art culture like an addendum to the harlem renaissance. it home to me from 1998 - 2002 so I know its magic. if you've seen any spike lee film, you know the place and the vibe. keep an eye out for this film, rich with new york history and some brooklyn moon snaps to the producers of the piece. no sleep till.

young & posh: glamour magazine

a few months back I was contacted by the coolest magazine ever outside of the now defunct domino, GLAMOUR MAGAZINE!?! home to conde nast's vogue, anna wintour and awesome, pop-y beauty finds under $25. well, today is the day that marks their young and posh campaign on glamour.com of which I am incredibly honored to be a part of. I am one of 17 bloggers chosen and I will posting often, so please make sure to check back often, and like and share and re-post and re-tweet. it was seven(?!) years ago that I launched my blog on suggestion from my good friend, america's leading dating expert, evan mark katz and close to thirteen (?!!) years that I was "building" social media at psuedo.com. it has been a long and lovely road and I thank you for all of your constant love and support!!