Rent The Runway

Hello again dear loves,

As I promised in one of my previous posts I'm doing my best to increase the frequency of my entries. After all I would hate for you to have to wait months to hear from me again. Well this entry is about the Rent The Runway event, which took place this past Monday at the Stern School of Business. The founders of Rent The Runway (the magical website which lets women rent designer dresses and gowns at a fraction of the retail price), Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, talked to students about how they came up with the idea for their company and everything they went through in order to launch their website. It's interesting to see how in a little over a year their idea became an extremely profitable business. What's even more amazing is how young both of these women are, they’re only 27 and 30 years old. Just this past summer they were featured in Inc.com's 30 Under 30 list along with other young entrepreneurs. The event itself was not that thrilling but it was still interesting to hear advice from such young entrepreneurs.

On a personal little rant I think it’s just saddening how companies like Rent The Runway focus only on the female demographic. I mean there are so many guys (like me) who would love to wear designer clothing but don’t have that luxury. Alas, just one more of the tragedies of being fabulous and broke

Love Always,

Fashion Cruzader

NYChic Launch Party

Tonight has been quite the night my dear readers (at least I hope someone reads this). Earlier tonight I was at the NYChic Launch Party. For those of you who don't know what NYChic is (and I'm sure there are many), NYChic is the fashion magazine published by NYU's Fashion Business Association (a group I am a proud member of). Tonight was the launch party for their Fall issue which is soon to be published. Anyway the highlight of the rather uneventful night was my winning of a David Barton Gym gift card (whoop whoop!!) something I was in desperate need of (just kidding ... but not really). As soon as I get my hands on a copy I will upload my article on Men's Fall Fashion for your enjoyment (or criticism). Love always.

Photo Courtesy of NYChic

Favorites from Reem Acra

My September Issue (but not really)

Dear Readers (or lack there of),

My sincerest apologies for not blogging in ages but as I'm sure some of you know, the end of high school and beginning of college can be quite a troubling time and I regret that my blog was one of the first things that suffered. Well enough of me and my personal woes (after all this isn't that type of blog) let's get to the fun stuff: New York Fashion Week.

Ah, New York Fashion Week perhaps one of the most magical times of the year. This year was my first official New York Fashion Week (if we define official as actually going to a show). Yes dear readers, yours truly (thanks to his internship at Teen Vogue) was able to attend two shows during fashion week (alas none at the Lincoln Center but important none the less). My first show (in my entire life!) was the A Detacher show at Pier 59 studios and I must say it was truly a magical experience. Not only did I sit front row (thanks T.V.) but I sat across from Maggie Gyllenhaal who is gorgeous in person. The clothes were amazing and the small, intimate setting (I could reach out and touch the model if I had dared) made it one of the most memorable experiences of my budding fashion career. Unfortunately I did not have a camera on me (a lesson I learned the hard way) so I was not able to document this event.

My second show (for this I came prepared with camera and moleskine in hand) was the Reem Acra presentation. The clothes were amazing and could only come from such a talented designer. The collection was called "An American Princess" and the clothes were just that, beautiful pieces which could easily be seen on a European heiress. The models (who were all stunning) were so sweet and would smile and pose as I snapped their picture. It was truly an honor to be in the same room with such a brilliant woman. All in all my first official fashion week was quite the success, 2 shows before my 18th birthday.

September was quite the busy month for me. Not only did I play fashionisto at the shows but I also took part in the amazing event that is Fashion Night Out. I spent my night at Versace, Gant and lastly Lord and Taylor. My first stop was Versace, which although fabulous with the gorgeous live models, was quite the animal house with masses of people vying for the free alcohol at the bars. Luckily my friends and I were able to find a nicely secluded spot upstairs near the stunning glamazonian DJ. After Versace we moved onto Gant where we were able to mingle with the amazing and extremely attractive Michael Bastian (if you're into the hot, successful daddy types). Of course the highlight of Gant was the nearly naked models showering in the window (delicious eye candy). Finally our last stop of the night was Lord and Taylor which turned out to be uneventful but nice none the less.

Well dear readers that was by quick September recap. October was not thrilling I unwillingly admit. As I mentioned earlier, I promise to post more often my fashion loves.

- Fashion Cruzader

Hells Angels and Prolific Demons

Today may mark the start of fashion week but it also marks the death of the icon that is Alexander McQueen. Unless you've been under a rock for the past decade you know who Alexander McQueen is and if you just so happened to be living under a rock then let me tell you who this great man was. He was the embodiment of everything that fashion is. He was a visionary, a risk taker with a skill level that is rarely seen these days. He saw fashion not as a business but as an art form which allows for a great level of self expression. We may not have shared the same tastes or design aesthetic but I admire his creativity and his passion for the industry. NYmag.com, one of my favorite websites, has put together a retrospective of this great artist's work which can be seen here.

Happiest Time of the Year

It's officially the start of fashion week season which means all the fashion week kiddies are out to play while I'm stuck writing about all the festivities. Yes, NY Fashion Week is in full swing with London and Milan trailing not far behind. For those fashion obsessed, like myself, who prefer Marc Jacobs to jolly Old Saint Nick this is truly the happiest time of the year.