Wait, is that Christopher from the Sopranos winning a moon man? I thought Tony suffocated him in season six? That’s all I could think of last night while watching Lady Gaga’s alter ego Jo Calderone during the MTV VMAs.Ummm…newsflash Lady Gaga, alter egos are super lame!You remember a guy named Chris Gaines? I hope not.We all tried to block those awkward Garth Brooks memories out.I’m down with Lady Gaga’s messages and all, but really, can’t these superstars at least pick alter egos that aren’t so creepy.
We get the inside scoop from the woman bringing Fashion's Night Out to Boston
Do whatever you can to ignore the end of summer sales – you’ll need to save some of your clothing budget for Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) Boston on September 8th.
What is FNO? Close your eyes and imagine Newbury Street Yawkey Way style. On this glorious evening, the only traffic allowed is fashionista foot traffic. And, the excitement doesn’t stop at Mass Ave; select retailers in every hub hood will stay open until 11 p.m. for a night of fashion, fun and events.
Since I like to have the inside scoop on everything, I wanted to hear straight from the clotheshorse’s mouth the real story behind FNO in Boston. Michelle McCormack and Richard Villani, both Boston natives, are working officially with The City of Boston and the Conde Nast team in NYC to bring FNO to Boston for the first time this year. Michelle and Richard spent 20 years living in the NYC magazine world and moved back to Boston eager to bring the magic back home.
Recently, Michelle took time out of her hectic schedule to “sit down” with me and give Down The Rabbit Hole readers a sneak peek at what’s in store.
DTRH: FNO Boston is promising “the greatest shopping events Boston has ever seen.” For someone who takes shopping VERY seriously the thought of FNO living up to the hype is making me extremely excited. Care to expand on some of what FNO might have in store for us?
Michelle: Well, Newbury Street is shutting down for the first time in 15 years - they'll be luxury vehicles lining the street, Berklee College of Music is setting up a stage and many retailers are planning their own events. For example, Brooks Brothers will have a three-piece jazz ensemble, Safar Hair salon is throwing a fashion show, DKNY will have a champagne toast and the Taj Boston is hosting a fashion show, w/ the MFA throwing the very first pop-up museum in history. The top of the Pru will turn its lights pink for the night in celebration of FNO, Copley Place is hosting a fashion show. Plus, the marquee event at Quixote Movie Studio in Allston is gearing up to be the party of the year, if not the century! Rue La La is hosting a fabulous party on one stage, and The Ames Hotel is hosting a pop-up hotel room on the other. Stoli is sponsoring the whole event and it's completely free and open to the public, in the spirit of FNO! Mayor Menino is planning to attend as well as a stable of press and celebrities. And to top it all off, Richard and I are working closely with the Main Street neighborhood associations to make sure JP, Rossie, Hyde Park and all the neighborhoods are celebrating FNO.
This is not a Back Bay event - it's a city-wide initiative, started by Vogue to restore consumer confidence during the recession on '09 and get people out shopping - and that's what Richard and I are committed to! So yes, we're making sure it's fabulous, but also all-inclusive!!
DTRH:Imagine, you have to choose a Boston clothing boutique to live in for 24 hours, which would you choose?
DTRH: We’re all on the fashion defensive here in the Hub after some cranky writers at GQ lambasted our wardrobes. We may have a seersucker misstep here and there, but you know the magazine got it all wrong, right?
Michelle: Yeah, I was like, "what about Albany?"
DTRH: Which Boston boutiques and stores have signed on for FNO? Anticipate any surprises?
Michelle: Brooks Brothers, Barneys, and almost everyone on Newbury Street. I'd say the surprises are the little mom and pops in the neighborhoods, like George's Shoe Store in JP. Been there for 50 years and haven't changed a bit, yet are serious about throwing a fabulous FNO event. Love it!
DTRH: So, how do we get involved with FNO Boston? Where do we show up on September 8th?
Michelle: First start by LIKING the Facebook page. We started it less than a month ago and it already has over a thousand fans! We haven't even advertised - it's all organic and relevant and turning into a thriving fashion community, which I hope to continue beyond FNO. We're seeding the stream with editorial type content to get the community involved and then asking retailers to promote their events. We are also driving all press there for regular updates on what's going on. Perfect use of social media! Everything is auto-posted to our Twitter feed and my other page, Secret Boston, which has thousands of local fans. Plus, the FNO FB page and Twitter is monitored closely by Vogue and CFDA and the LIKE.
Fashion’s Night Out will hit the streets of Boston on September 8th 2011 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. With Mayor Menino and the City of Boston in support of Fashion’s Night Out, retailers across the city will participate in celebrating the evening with in-store events and extended shopping hours. For the first time in over fifteen years, Newbury Street will be closed off to vehicle traffic in honor of Fashion’s Night Out. Fashion’s Night Out was created in 2009 as a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York. The event was created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry’s economy during the recession. Last year, Los Angeles, London and Milan were among hundreds of cities around the world that participated in Fashion’s Night Out.
A 17-year-old French house DJ combined 39 of his favorite songs to create one amazing three-minute music mashup. Holy amazingness. I think I’m going to throw a party and just play this on repeat. Wanna come?
Tracklist : Alphabeat – Boyfriend, Alphabeat – Fascination, Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars, Black Eyed Peas - Gotta Feeling, Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time, Capsule - Can I Have A Word, Chromeo - Momma's Boy, Coldplay - Viva La Vida, Daft Punk – Aerodynamic, Daft Punk - Around The World, Deadmau5 - Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Remix), Deadmau5 - Right This Second, Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed, ELO - Mr. Blue Sky, Girls Aloud – Biology, Gorillaz – Dare, Gossip - Heavy Cross (Fred Falke Remix), Gwen Stefani - What You Waitin For (Jacques Lu Cont Mix), Housse de Racket - Oh Yeah, Justice – DVNO, Justice - Phantom Part II, Katy Perry - One Of The Boys, Ke$ha - Take It Off, Kylie Minogue – Wow, Lady Gaga – Alejandro, Linkin Park – Crawling, Madonna - Hung Up, Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette - Boys and Girls, Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Nero - Me and You, One Republic - All The Right Moves (Danger Remix), One-T - Magic Key, Ratatat – Shempi, Solange - I Decided (Freemasons Remix), Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You, The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star, The Killers - Losing Touch, The Who - Baba O'Riley (SebastiAn Remix), Yelle - Que Veux Tu (Madeon Remix)
I've decided to post an "I Heart Music" entry every now and again since so many of you (slight exaggeration) ask me what's playing on my IPOD. Well, my friend CW and I are LOVING Foster the People's newest track, Helena Beat. What I'm enjoying even more is the SpaceKid remix of it. But, if you don't want to take music suggestions from a gal that attended last night's Ke$ha concert, I totally understand.
Not me, everyone else.I mean I am chilling in the East End, but I’m not sure I’d call myself haute in this crowd. Parking your Toyota Corolla between a Bentley and a Lotus twice in one day is a great reminder of exactly what is not in your bank account.However, a few observations thus far:
Birkin Bags – People are toting them around like it’s a freaking Vera Bradley bag.If I had a dollar for every Hermes Birkin bag I’ve seen in the past two days, I’d be about $2,000 closer to buying one myself.The bag can cost upwards of 20k and is rumored to have waiting lists up to six years.From what I’ve seen, there aren’t too many people who are still waiting in Southampton.
Rich doesn’t = stylish – Sure, I’ve seen some designer duds that I’d swap my beloved cat for (sorry Bella), but the styling is all wrong.That Pucci dress is looking kind of lame with those Havaianas flip-flops! And, I think it might be safe to take off your Calypso beach cover-up off four hours after you left the beach and are now in a fine eating establishment. Just saying.
Money can’t buy you class – Elegance is learned my friend.I haven’t really experienced this yet, but I thought it would be a good time to quote my favorite NYC housewife Countess Lou Ann.
Hamptonsvs. Cape Cod &Islands– Sorry to turn on you Massachusetts, but I have to go with the Hamptons. Do you know how many J.Crew outposts and beautiful wineries they have over here? Point Hamptons.
This week, Vanity Fair announced its 2011 International Best Dressed List. No surprise, the world is in agreement that Kate Middleton is the fairy princess of frippery. But, in typical Vanity Fair fashion they always throw in a couple weird picks/people you’ve never heard of who are simply on the list to make you feel uncultured, poor and American.
1. H.H. Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar
When you think of “best-dressed” does the name H.H. Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar come to mind? If you said yes, stop trying to act so smart, you did not.Anyway, a quick Google image search confirms that she is in fact a bombshell and more than deserving of VF’s honor.
2.Tilda Swinton
I really wish they would stop trying to push Tilda Swinton on me.I get it. She’s androgynous and wears Lanvin all the time.I’m never a fan of her red carpet choices.
3. Stavros Niarchos
Sound familiar? Remember Paris Hilton’s Greek shipping heir ex-boyfriend? Well, that’s him. Apparently, he’s still hanging around, looking hot and spending his mountains of money on some pretty tight threads.
Can someone please explain Burning Man to me? I mean I know it’s an artsy festival in a Nevada desert that’s supposedly all about self-expression.But, I don’t think I’m getting it.My impression has been that it attracts affluent thirty and forty somethings who rent RVs, wear strange costumes or not many clothes at all, and dance with reckless abandon for a week? Am I wrong, can somebody please help me out?And, if my impression is on target, I’m changing my vacation week.
