'Advanced Style' book features street fashion of the over-60 set

For all those who are sick and tired of seeing style and fashion presented solely as a young woman’s game, behold "Advanced Style."

Out Tuesday from powerHouse Books, this collection of street fashion photographs of the over-60 set is a joy to look at.

PHOTOS: Pictures from the book

Although very few of the subjects photographed on the street of New York City actually reveal how old they are, they do offer lessons in confidence and style that women of all ages will appreciate, which is exactly why Ari Seth Cohen started Advanced Style, the blog that inspired the book.

Among the stylish portraits in the book is the elegant and refined Rose, age 100, (pictured above left) in a paisley caftan, Hermes belt and oversized beads, who believes, "If everyone is wearing it, then it’s not for me." Alice, posing in a men’s tweed jacket, jodphurs, boots, fingerless gloves and a silk scarf, says, "Fie on women in sneakers and sweats." Then there’s Debra (above middle) in electric blue sunglasses and brocade pants, who approaches getting dressed like an art project and says, "Tomorrow is another day and another look."

Cohen combs the entire city looking for elder style on the street. "It’s fun to hang out outside the Carlysle Hotel," where he snapped the photo of Elaine Stritch wearing one of her signature menswear-inspired looks. "But I don’t spend too much time on the Upper East Side because a lot of the women there have had a lot of plastic surgery."

"Advanced Style" is about embracing your age, not fighting it, he says. "In society, women are told to back down from fashion as they get older, and they become invisible. I got an email from one woman who said her grandkids were embarrassed by the way she dresses.... She showed them my blog, and they changed their minds."

He has learned that there really is no such thing as age-appropriate dressing. The book features its fair share of traditional houndstooth suits, silk scarves and sensible shoes, but it also has women in artsy hats and colorful turbans.

"Some women think fashion should be more proper, others don’t care at all. If someone is comfortable and confident, that’s what matters," Cohen says. "I like to have a mix of eccentric and elegant in the blog and book, because I’m attracted to both extremes."

Lucky magazine hosts conference about business of fashion blogging

They came to the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica wearing spring's flourescent bright colors, floral jeans and sky-high wedge sandals, their rainbow-manicured hands clutching iPhones at the ready to tweet, Pin and Instagram tidbits to their fashionable followers over the Internet.

Their goal? To learn how to make it--not in Hollywood, but in the fashion blogosphere--and earn up to $20,000 a month doing it.

"I want to help you quit your day job." That was Lucky editor-in-chief Brandon Holley's message in her introduction to FABB, the Fashion and Beauty Blogger conference, a meeting of old and new media hosted by the glossy on Monday. "And I want you all to subscribe," she said in a pitch for the Conde Nast magazine about shopping that launched in 2000. (Holley took over last year with a vow to transform Lucky into a "social shopping experience" by bringing bloggers into the fold.)

"In the magazine, we don't do head-to-toe looks. We are inspired by you," she said, explaining that it is precisely because so many magazines are still stuck in the old mindset of expensive, head-to-toe designer dressing that more and more women are seeking out fashion advice from blogs.

The event attracted nearly 150 attendees who came to hear panel discussions and conversations with blog stars such as Brit Morin, founder of HelloBrit and the self-proclaimed "Martha Stewart for the Digital Generation, and Sophia Rossi, co-founder with Zooey Deschanel of HelloGiggles, a self-described "online summer camp" experience. The roster of speakers also included Hollywoody digital mom-trepreneurs (Jessica Alba and the Honest Co., Soleil Moon Frye and Moon Frye) and fashion insiders (designer Zac Posen, "Mad Men" costume designer Janie Bryant and J. Brand founder and Chief Executive Jeff Rudes). 

One of the more interesting panels, "Ways You Didn't Know You Could Monetize," got into the nitty-gritty of how the blog sausage is made. 

One way bloggers make money is through affiliates, or links, which allow them to earn commissions of 12% to 20% on purchases made through affiliate websites.

"We have bloggers who make more than $20,000 a month," said Amber Venz, president of RewardStyle, a company that helps set up affiliate deals for bloggers to earn commissions like personal shoppers do, for purchases made through their blogs with brands including TopShop, Net-a-Porter, J. Crew and Zappos.

"Getting money for stuff you're writing about, does anyone think that's not kosher?" Lauren Sherman, executive digital editor of Lucky, asked the panelists. (According to FTC laws, bloggers must disclose when they are paid--in cash, products or perks--to write about a brand.)

"We're blogging about what we want to blog about, not what an advertiser wants us to blog about," said Kelly Cook, co-founder of Snob Media, which encompasses several blogs, including BagSnob and ShoeSnob. "I'm going to find something to blog about and chances are we'll have an affiliate to click and buy it."

Vanessa Flaherty, director of brand development for Digital Brand Architects, a New York-based agency that represents bloggers, emphasized how new media darlings can build their careers beyond the digital space, through TV, book, licensing and manufacturing deals.

To that end, Cook and her partner Tina Craig talked about a line of handbags they designed for DKNY. "We came up with the styles, the hardware and the story boards," Cook said of the BagSnob for DKNY collection. "And the experience allowed us to be better reviewers of bags." 

When it comes to blog content, most panelists echoed the importance of "showing things in a positive light" and "not responding to haters" who comment negatively. But interestingly, the BagSnob DKNY deal came about as a result of founder Craig's negative review of a DKNY bag, which prompted a response from @DKNYPRGirl on Twitter, that led to a conversation, a meeting and eventually a design deal.

Another juicy discussion, featuring representatives from OPI, Neiman Marcus and Benefit Cosmetics, centered on "How Brands Work With Blogs," and the possibility that some successful bloggers could be pricing themselves out of opportunities to model, style and write about products.

Neiman Marcus' VP of Corporate PR Gabrielle De Papp complained about escalating fees for hiring top bloggers to generate content. She even mentioned an instance in which she had hired a blogger to style and appear in a fashion shoot, only to find out that person had recently completed a similar project with a competing department store.

Aimee Song, who founded the blog SongofStyle, fired back that some brands are demanding too much for too little. "There was an instance in which a brand wanted me to model, photograph and style clothes and put them on my blog, and they thought gifting me the item was enough," she said. "If a brand is willing to hire a photographer, a stylist and an editor for a shoot, than they should pay the same amount to bloggers," Song said, eliciting applause from the audience. "They get a bigger outreach from hiring us than some random model."

"But not everything should be transactional," warned Geri Hirsch, founder of BecauseImAddicted. "If everything on your blog has a monetary value, your readers will recognize it and you might see your traffic go down. We must be mindful of the tipping point."

--Booth Moore

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Top photo of Lucky magazine editor-in-chief Brandon Holley at the FABB conference at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica. Bottom photo of Jessica Alba at the conference. Credit: Donato Sardella.

Kelsi Smith: The future of fashion is online and on the street

The future of Los Angeles fashion is online and on the streets, at least according to Kelsi Smith. The 27-year-old London transplant is becoming an unlikely leader in creating a collective voice for the city's style blogging set, and trying to come up with a better way than the traditional runway for emerging designers to gain exposure.

Smith and her business partner, Cuit Gonzalez, recently launched Fash Mobs, a new production concept to present fashion shows in public spaces and high-traffic areas. The first Fash Mob was held at the inaugural Los Feliz Fashion Fest at the Los Feliz Street Fair on July 24, featuring models in bikinis designed by Cia Maritima. As cute as the swimwear was, another show was just as compelling -- what the crowd was wearing. And that was the point.

The pop-up fashion-presentation format is driven by the kind of spontaneity and enthusiasm for street fashion that have made style blogs -- including Smith's own Dedicated Follower of Fashion -- such a phenomenon.

"The idea evolved because I was frustrated with L.A. Fashion Week," said Smith, who moved to L.A. six years ago to become an actress but ended up becoming a style blogger instead. "In terms of established designers doing runway shows, New York has that covered. L.A. is a springboard for new designers, and should embrace that by taking advantage of the entertainment industry, the weather and the great locations to do something community-based."

(Smith knows first-hand, having previously worked with Fashion Los Angeles organizer Michael Venedicto on an aborted effort to revitalize the local fashion week.)

Smith, who lives in Glendale with her graphic designer husband and names Wren's Melissa Coker as her favorite local designer, says she has been talking to the L.A. Fashion District about producing the next Fash Mob downtown during market week in October.

She already has a built-in audience and megaphone. Last year, Smith created an organization to leverage the collective power of L.A.'s style blogs, called Two Point Oh LA!. Two Point Oh is a social media sorority of sorts, with 120 members and counting who meet monthly for events, which could be a picnic or a holiday formal. Not surprisingly, brands have lined up to be sponsors and provide free products, including Pepsi, Crossroads Trading Company, Forever 21 and Reef.

Similar blogger networks exist in other cities, but Smith's is the first in L.A. To join Two Point Oh, bloggers must have three months of experience and post at least once a week. Dues are $45 annually. Popular local style blogs RackedLA.com, LiveLoveLA.com and StyleSectionLA.com are among the members.

Two Point Oh partners with fashion brands on events (instructing bloggers to follow FCC guidelines about disclosure of gifted products or services). For a fee, members attend, participate in and write about parties and launches, such as the Grammy Style Studio gifting suite. Last October, at the South Bay Mall's 25th anniversary "1980s style off," Two Point Oh bloggers styled looks and shoppers voted on their favorites. 

A weekly newsletter lists store openings, discount salon treatments and job openings of interest to members -- assuming they don't want to be style bloggers forever. Though I really can't imagine why. Now that superstar bloggers have talent agents, front-row seats at fashion shows, endorsement deals and clothing lines, it doesn't sound like a bad career choice.

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-- Booth Moore

Photo: A Fash Mob swim wear show by Cia Maritima at the Los Feliz Fashion Fest July 24. Credit: Rachael LaRoche

Style blogger Q&A: Shauna Miller of Pennychic.com shows how to dress cheap and chic at Walmart

West L.A. native Shauna Miller wants you to rethink Walmart. An NYU grad who worked at a fashion house in Paris, she dreamed of being a stylist, but had trouble finding a great job in fashion. Frustrated with the industry, she decided to test her fashion abilities at the least fashionable place imaginable --  Walmart -- and created Pennychic.com, a style blog where she puts together outfits from clothes and accessories pulled 100% from the big box discount store. We're talking shoes, jewelry and everything in between.

She started the blog in December and quickly drew media attention from news outlets as disparate as Perez Hilton and CNN.com. Today the site gets about 60,000 visits per month.

Walmart, of course, is delighted. "We think it's great that through her blog she's helping people combine style with savings by shopping at Walmart," said Tara Raddohl, a spokeswoman for the company. She added that while the marketing department occasionally works with Miller to confirm prices on items featured on her blog, they have no other relationship with her.

"We have no other tie to her financial or otherwise," said Raddhol. "She functions very independently."

Penny Chic is refreshing, not just because of the price point -- $36 for shoes is considered expensive -- but also because of the shapes of the girls who are wearing the clothes. Miller's models (she calls them muses) are real-looking women who range from size 4 to size 14 and beyond. As anyone who has shopped online knows, clothes look different on women who are 8 inches taller than you and 20 pounds thinner. Miller's blog depicts what accessible affordable fashion looks like on real women. 

Miller has a good eye, but she's not working magic. Her muses look cute but they aren't pushing the boundaries of fashion in their floral rompers, baby doll dresses and big plastic necklaces. But pushing fashion boundaries isn't the point here.The real goal is to show that thrifty shopping can be fun, even at the unlikeliest of places.

We asked her to tell us about herself, Walmart and the art of style blogging.

ATR: What inspired you to create pennychic.com?

Miller: I graduated college in the wake of the recession (Summer 2008) and applied to maybe 100 jobs in editorial and high fashion, but couldn’t get a gig. Fed up, I decided to funnel my frustration with the (often pretentious) world of luxury fashion to create a venue that made fashion accessible to everyone. I knew that styling was my calling, but I wanted a challenge. I didn’t see what was so epic about styling an outfit with a budget of 10k and a size zero waist (sorry Rachel Zoe). What was more intriguing to me was the challenge of looking chic at a time when the season’s must-haves were no longer an option. I created Penny Chic to show women the simple fact that you can be chic on an extreme budget and there’s no shame involved. What better way to prove that than to use clothing from Walmart, the most notoriously un-chic discount department store in America.  If I could accomplish that, then not only did I prove my talent, but I proved my case. Being chic is not about the price tag; it’s about choosing the right pieces to fit your body type, pairing them with fabulous accessories and most importantly, owning it!

ATR: How long did it take for the blog to get popular? Was there a tipping point?

Miller: Just two weeks after I officially launched Penny Chic, Perez Hilton got hold of my blog and covered it on Coco Perez (his fashion blog). Without any warning whatsoever from his team, I woke up and had about 100 emails on my phone from fans and Twitter followers. Overnight, my traffic went from 50 unique visitors (40 of which were my mom signing on from different computers) to 10,000 on the day of the Perez post. It was such a surreal moment for me. I anticipated it would take about 12 months before Penny Chic took off and then all of a sudden, in one day, Penny Chic went viral. Since then, I have been covered by many news sources, but none have given me more traffic than Perez Hilton. I now understand the power of the blogger as a cultural influencer. Bloggers are the new tastemakers. It’s kind of funny that it took another blogger to put my blog on the map. It definitely says something about the blogosphere. It’s not a competitive community. We are all trying to “pay it forward” in a lot of ways.

ATR: Have you gotten any feedback from Walmart?

Walmart is very supportive of the blog. In fact, I went to their annual shareholders meeting this year as the first blogger to ever attend as press and was shocked when everyone in the corporate headquarters knew who I was and reads the blog. Within six months of blogging I was able to penetrate through the biggest company in the world. It was very surreal.

ATR: When you aren't working on Pennychic.com, what are you doing? 

Miller: I decorate, redecorate, organize and clean out my bedroom, aka the Penny Chic headquarters. After six years of living on my own as an adult, I moved back in with my parents to start the blog. My high school bedroom needed a major facelift in order to make it tolerable to live and work in. Now that I come to think of it, even decorating my room is connected to Penny Chic. Once you have a baby (mine is Penny Chic) everything in your world revolves around it!

ATR: Favorite store to shop at besides Walmart?

Miller: I’d be lying if I said Walmart was my favorite store to shop at. If I was given carte blanche, I would go skipping down Madison Avenue buying couture and giggling the whole way through, but let’s be honest, anyone can look chic under those circumstances and it’s not exactly the smartest thing to do given the economy we’re in. Penny Chic is about making the best out of what you’re able to spend and feeling good about it. The decision to showcase Walmart apparel was purely to show women that you can look chic wearing just about anything if you have a discerning eye. Do I have fun shopping at Walmart? Absolutely. Who wouldn’t have fun running with a cart filled to the brim with clothes that in total only add up to $50? If I’m not scoping out the fashions at one of the “big box” discount retailers, then I’m at a consignment store fishing for a unique gem that I can incorporate into my wardrobe. 

ATR: You go into Walmart, you can only buy one item, what would it be?

Miller: I would buy the 7-in-1 dress by George. It can be worn seven different ways, all of which are flattering and elegant. The dress costs $20, but you’re technically getting seven of them, making each dress less than $3. When you’re on a budget, it’s always smart to pick versatile items that can transform into more than one style.

ATR: What item do you not recommend getting at Walmart?

Miller: I would not recommend buying high heels from Walmart. They just don’t have the selection yet, and the ones they do have are very outdated.

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 -- Deborah Netburn

Photos, from top: Shauna Miller wearing the 7-in-1 dress by George from Walmart;  Miller's "muses" modeling Walmart attire for her blog, in the pictures in the middle and at bottom. Credit: Penny Chic.

Your Morning Fashion and Beauty Report: John Galliano trial starts. Michelle Obama wears Narciso Rodriguez. Cameron Diaz wears Chanel, and more.

John Galliano, fired as creative director at Christian Dior in March after he was accused of making anti-Semitic and racist remarks in several Paris bar incidents, goes on trial there on Wednesday on charges connected to two of the altercations. French law prohibits incitement of racial discrimination, hatred or violence based on ethnicity, race or religion, and Galliano faces up to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to about $32,000 if convicted. He has reportedly entered a substance abuse rehab program in the U.S. since his firing but is expected to attend the trial. [Los Angeles Times] 

Michelle Obama wore a coral silk skirt suit by Narciso Rodriguez for her South Africa meeting with Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, on Tuesday. She accessorized with blue flats and turquoise earrings by Nava Zahavi. Later in the day she switched to pants topped by a yellow Rachel Roy trench coat. she's shown here with South African First Lady Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma. [Cut]

Promoting a new movie is hard work, from a fashion perspective. In New York for some television appearances and the Manhattan premiere of her new movie, "Bad Teacher," Cameron Diaz went through five wardrobe changes involving a monochrome jacket and pants outfit, a vibrant blue dress, a cute denim jacket, an Elizabeth & James blazer and a Chanel minidress, shown at left. [Telegraph]

Teen fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson racked up her first post for Jane Pratt's new website xoJane.com this week. It's a youthful take on the "what's in my makeup bag or purse" feature common to fashion mags and blogs (including this one) for which she cleaned out her school locker. In it she found tap shoes, a turquoise wig, containers of Play-Doh, a veil, a French dictionary and a plastic bag full of some unidentifiable mush. "Maybe I am as interesting as I wish I was!" says the 15-year-old. Um, or maybe not. [xoJane]

The TV Guide Network's new reality show "Nail Files," set in The Painted Nail salon in Los Angeles, debuted Tuesday night. Owner Katie Cazorla sat down and talked about nail trends, salon safety, celebrity clients and more before the premiere. [StyleList] 

A new study shows that Botox competitor Dysport is more effective at smoothing crow's-feet and some other wrinkles. But the difference was seen only when the study's subjects contracted their muscles, not when their faces were at rest. [Time]

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-- Susan Denley

Photos, from top: Michelle Obama, wearing a Narciso Rodriguez skirt suit, with South African First Lady  Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma; Cameron Diaz at a post-"Bad-Teacher" premiere party in New York. Credits: . European Pressphoto Agency; Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

 

Your morning fashion and beauty report: The stars shine at BAFTA Awards

-- The Grammys and New York Fashion Week had a fashion competitor Sunday: the BAFTA Awards' red carpet. "The King's Speech" took home a cartload of awards, and the stars were elegant in a more understated way than the musical multitude at the Grammys. Emma Watson wore a pink, one-shoulder Valentino gown, Jessica Alba, left, was in a sapphire blue strapless by Atelier Versace and Amy Adams wore a beaded coral dress by Elie Saab. Jennifer Lawrence also chose sapphire in a gown by Stella McCartney, and Julianne Moore was in dark blue by Tom Ford. [People] [Telegraph] 

-- The longer skirts we're seeing on the New York runways may be a sign that the recession is over, says Harper's Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey. [NY Magazine]

-- "Twilight" star Kellan Lutz is the new celebrity frontman for Dylan George denim. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Marc Jacobs is looking for someone new to handle its Twitter account and is conducting interviews via tweet. [Fashionista]

-- Meanwhile, Chanel is rumored to be considering partnering with fashion bloggers. [Fashionologie]

-- Something new from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen: The pair are collaborating with Toms shoes. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- China is poised to become 44% of the world's luxury goods market by 2020, a new report says. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Jessica Alba at Sunday's BAFTA Awards. Credit: EPA

 

Bloggers hit the Magic trade show in Las Vegas to talk about trends as they happen

Starting Feb. 14 through Feb. 16 an army of young and well-dressed style bloggers from around the country will descend upon Sin City to give their take on trends, the blogosphere and their ideas on fashion forecasting at the Magic apparel trade show in Las Vegas.

Teen Vogue magazine and the Women’s Wear Daily portion of the trade show (WWDMagic) have teamed up to fly these 40 bloggers to Las Vegas where they’ll participate in panel discussions, trend reports and, most importantly, do what they do best -– give of-the-second dispatches on the parties, people and styles they are seeing. People can access what they have to say by following them at Wwdmagic.tumblr.com, where there are already Q&As with the bloggers on their style and a behind-the-scenes look at the setup for Magic. Of course, All the Rage will also be on the ground at the trade show, blogging about all the goings-on from the various shows.

This is the first time the trade show has had an organized blogger initiative, but of course it’s been happening for several seasons now at Fashion Week in New York, London, Milan and Paris, where the likes of Tavi, Bryan Boy and Scott Schuman (as well as even less established new media scribes) sit front row at the season’s most hotly awaited shows.

The bloggers attending Magic will be a mix of the established (Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes) to the emerging (JazziMcG) who were all selected by Teen Vogue and WWDMagic executives.  Aldridge will be walking the show interviewing shoe brands and letting followers in on what footwear trends are coming for fall 2011 and several panel discussions such as “You’re a blogger, now what?” will take place over the course of the show.

Teen Vogue and WWDMagic have also teamed up with the retail website Moxsie so people can follow the Moxsie buyers on Twitter and give their opinion on what they should buy for the site for fall. Followers can chime in as to whether a shoe should be bought in blue or black, or if they love or hate a floral skirt and the buyers will take into account what is expressed on Twitter.

Talk about fashion for the masses.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: A few of the bloggers dispatching from the Magic trade show in Las Vegas from left:

Erica Domasek of the blog PSIMADETHIS.com/photo credit: Ben Watts

Jazzi McGilbert of the blog JazziMcG.com /photo credit: Sean Kilgore-Han

Natalie Suarez of the blog natalieoffduty.com/photo credit: courtesy of Natalie Suarez