Could it be, Joe Zee ?!?!

Joe Zee, born in Hong Kong in 1968, is most known for his work as creative director at Elle Magazine. This not-so-camera-shy fashion powerhouse has been spotted in reality shows such as Project Runway Canada, The City, and Stylista as well as an episode in the series we all love, Ugly Betty. He even showed his humorous side by appearing in Zoolander.


Not only is his editorial career impressive, but he is also one of the industry's top stylists. However, we would never know the magnitude of his success by talking to him due to his gracious and humble attitude. Who would have known he was the creative eye behind TV and print ad campaigns for DKNY, Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole, Sean John, Banana Republic, H&M, Estée Lauder, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Chanel, and Coty, and many others. He also did the Gap (PRODUCT) RED charity advertisements with huge stars like Madonna and Missy Elliot.

Joe Zee is also the mastermind behind Justin Timberlake's transition from awkward boy band member to the sexy man he is today. He has worked closely with Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Mariah and other huge names in the entertainment industry. How does he do that, you ask? Well he believes that he identifies with big personality women, he loves there style and he loves their careers.


Like most of the other people that have made it as far as he has in his career, he began his interest in fashion at an early age. After moving to Toronto at age one and living there through his teenage years, Joe Zee's love for fashion and magazines engulfed him as a child. He worked at the only Club Monaco in Toronto when he was 16 and fell in love with the cutting edge fashion scene of his older co-workers. This passion led him to move to New York in 1990 at the age of 22. He registered at FIT to get a visa but he really wanted to get a magazine job in NY. He told Page Six magazine he jammed all his classes in 2 twelve hour days and spent the rest of his time begging to work for free for any magazine editor because that is how bad he wanted to succeed.


His hard work finally paid off in 1991 when he landed his first real job at Allure Mag, assisting creative director Polly Mellen ( who I will write about at a later date). He won the heart of an influential make up artist, the late Kevyn Aucoin, who had some pull at the magazine. Kevyn told the then editor-in-chief Linda Wells to let Joe do a photo shoot. Quicker than he can remember he was on a shoot with Roseanna Barr. He spent the next four years growing at Allure until he left to do freelance styling and as the fashion director of W and contributing editor at Details and Vanity Fair (in March 2006 he collaborated with Tom Ford on the Hollywood issue). And Finally, before his current position at Elle he worked as editor-in-chief of Vitals.


At Elle he is created with helping to recreate the style and look of the magazine that has surely caught our attention ( mainly evident because it hasn't shut down yet). Though it is unimaginable that Joe would make mistakes, there have been some poor decisions made on his part and the part of his edit oral staff members. One of those poor decisions was loosing Project Runway and dropping Nina Garcia. Their stylist reality show didn't do as hot as they thought so they need to find other ways to revive their brand which is sinking due to the economy.



Despite mistakes, Joe continues to bed a social butterfly hanging out with friends such as Michael Kors and Zac Posen, throwing parties with Gucci for Rihanna, and hanging out at high end specialty stores socializing with adoring fans. He is quiet popular among his colleagues and celebrities alike. He also has relationships with sports stars. I bet you didn't know that Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley works at Elle under Joe Zee. After I read that he worked on photo shoots his second day and having lunch with Diane von Furstenberg, I couldn't help but think he was getting special treatment.



Though Joe has submerged himself in the fashion world, he doesn't act like normal fashion-ites. He eats normal food like french fries and burritos. Given his career choice, this seems like a sort of odd choice of diet, but I love it; diets are out, portion control is in. He enjoys cheap deli coffee with a half a package of splenda, quesadillas, and his secret weapon; WATER. He claims he could drink 3-5 liters a day and he wasn't kidding. A detailed account of everything he ate in a 5 day period proved his claims, water with every meal, activity, and outing does the trick. He also adds a healthy spin to his highly caloric diet by doing hip hop classes at Equinox.


Back to his fashion influence :-)

Joe Zee's early interest in fashion and pop culture has given him an innate sense of style. He is able to transform the image of celebrities and give a face lit to a struggling magazine at the same time. His success is partially due to the leg work he put in when he first started out, calling editors and actively seeking to work for free to learn. His strong work ethic and " I don't take no for an answer" motto has gotten him to where he is today, in addition to no sleep, dedication, passion and loving what he does. He wants people to know that the job is not all glamour, as seen on television, its much more behind the scenes dirty work. For some, that is a turn off, but others are hungry for the opportunity.




BONUS: Here is a special treat, some trend forecasts from the man himself, Mr. Joe Zee! Just remember everything isn't for everyone, try what works for you.

1) Influence of menswear: Tailored blazers, strong shoulders, feminine while androgynous.
2) Boho Chic: Pile it on, patterns, textures, colors, knits, fringe.
3) Berry Colored Trend: Berry tones in all textures.
4) Holiday Dressing: Embellished dresses, feathers, sequins, colored tights.

Bonjour Jean Paul Gaultier!

After hearing so much about Jean Paul Gaultier on The Fashion Show on Bravo this pass week and seeing his inspirations everywhere I turned, I decided that he was a suitable candidate for my blog this beautiful Monday night.


I can only hope that you remember him from the infamous cone shaped bra he made for the 1990 Madonna tour, Blonde Ambition. Costumes in movies and films have been heavily influenced by this one design, including Whitney Houston's outfit in Bodyguard ( I absolutely love that movie). However, Mr. Gaultier means way more to the fashion world than his pointy bra design. Much, much more. Let me tell you why!

Jean Gaultier was born on April 24, 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Mame. He is of French descent which evident from his website where I cannot get it to translate to English. His life took a different turn from a lot of other influential designers, as he was not formally trained. At the age of 18, Gaultier was sending out his couture sketches to Parisian stylists. He caught the eye of one designer, Pierre Cardin, who offered him a position as his assistant in 1970. Jean Paul happily obliged.


In 1971 he worked with Jacques Esterel and later that year Jean Patou, two famous Parisian Couture designers. He assisted Michael Gomex and then Angelo Tarlazzi. He returned to work for Pierre Cardin in Manila while working on his individual collection for the U.S.A.


He was only 24 years old in October 1976 when he created his first womenswear collection. The inspiration for his designs came from French Cultural Icons to the London streets. All his collections have said to have inspirations ( whether large or small) from Hasidic Jews and the Indian culture. This clothing line was able to launch with the backing of an unknown Japanese company.


By the middle 80's his avant garde designs were gaining critics rave reviews. He became known as the bad boy( enfant terrible) of fashion. He was famous for implementing, what some would call, disrespectful influences in his clothing lines. However his clothing was legendary for its street style and punk references. His signature is and always will be his striped navy and white Breton fisherman's sweater. In the 1980s he redefined a traditionally underwear garments and made them into outerwear, which is demonstrated by his corset dress of 1982.



In 1984 Jean Paul jumped right into menswear. He used his own personal experiences when shopping, claiming he couldn't find anything he really wanted, especially in terms of sizing. Men had be reportedly buying women's jackets because of the fabrics and cut and Jean Paul saw this as an opportunity . He made a huge spectacle of his new line during a show where men wore see through skirts and women smoked pipes down the run way, he was inspired by designers like Gianni Versace. Gaultier is also famous for using unconventional models in his shoes such as older men and full figured women(30th anniversery show), pierced and heavily tattooed models, and the obvious switching of gender roles.



Gaultier, also a master tailor, used details such as metal tipped collars and extended shoulder lines to popularize his clothing in European capitals. The tailoring of his jackets gave the wearer a whole new flattering figure, transforming their normally mundane bodies to shrines that should be envied by all.

After the success of his men's and women's lines he began to bring to play around with all of his ideas. In 1988 Gaultier decided to expand his brand by incorporating a lower priced line for the younger market that has a nautical influence. This line was replaced by JPG by Gaultier in 1994, a unisex line that played with the idea of blending gender lines in clothing. Gaultier also dipped his toes into the music world by releasing a house new-beat hit How to do that in 1989. He then started a line of perfumes in 1993 called Classique and two years later a men's fragrance Le Male, which were both wildly successful all over the world. He also introduced fragrances such as Fragile, Fleur du Male, and Gaultier. Those perfumes were not as successful as his premiere fragrances, however they did gain some popularity. Jean Paul was also involved with the first series of Eurotrash , a comedy on British television. He tinkered with furniture, designing a two person chair on wheels and a dresser constructed from luggage. He designed his future collections with inspirations from random aspects of the world such as constructivism in his '86 Russian collection, inspirations from rock stars for the '87 collection.



Though his collection was growing in popularity and gaining in markets all over the world, at the end of the 1980's his lover and partner Francis Menuge died due to Aids. His partner was responsible for making his designs more simple and sober, but upon his partners death, he went back to the sexy and daring clothing that made him controversial and popular.



In 1997 he did something on 2 designers in las 3 decades had done, he created a couture house under his own label. Though he was not formally trained, he worked under Parisian craftsmen who taught him the art and skills needed to highly tailored and detailed designs while still adding his own outrageous style, inspired by places such as imperial India. He is inspired by the landscapes and the faces of Indian women and their colorful clothing. He believes " Color is life."



In 1999 a "dream marriage" as described by Gaultier was born when Hermes invested $23 million in his business, taking ownership of 35% stake in the company. This gave Gaultier a world of opportunities to expand his brand. This unexpected union help Jean Paul take control of his licensing operations like jewelry and to expand into timepieces (which he is a collector of) and footwear, all of which would boost his international business. With the money he also renewed his fragrance license with Shiseido and Beaur Prestige Internation, in addition to the luxury hosiery firm, Wolford.


His achievements have not gone unnoticed among his peers. In 2000 he won the CRDA International Award in addition to winning the title of Chevalier, one of France's highest honors. Because of the success of his revamped brand due to the large investment from Hermes, Jean Paul Gaultier, also named as the successor of YSL, was hired as the creative director of Hermes in 2003/2004.


More recently, in 2008 Jean Paul Gaultier partnered with with producing a premium spring water brand Evian. The team was so successful that they joined forces again and he has designed a elegant glass bottle made of Baccarat crystal that will be limited edition whose proceed will go to RAMSAR fun which protects the water resources of out planet.





With his Spring 2009 collection inspired by the style of Klaus Nomi, Jean Paul Gaultier has shown his dedication to clothing and design and not buying into the industries trends. I am impressed by his ability to be color, gender, and size blind. He is not afraid to send models down the runway with authentic afros, larger bodies, or men in skirts. He doesn't fall for fads and trends which is why his clothing is highly controversial but also critically acclaimed. Taking risks is important in this industry, but i don't think Jean Paul G. thinks he is taking risks with his clothing, I think he is merely portraying his vision for the world,without remorse or hesitation, to either hate it or love it; And I have to say, I'm fully on the LOVE side.



Jean Paul Gaultier, thank you for being you and staying true to your beliefs no matter what society thinks. That dedication and originally is much needed in today's world where every celebrity and wanna-be are exact replicas of each other.



P.S. When I make a little cash, I would really love a custom made Birken, complete with feathers, leathers and the works.

Love <3

Alexander Wang Is Doing His Thang!!!

Firstly, I want to say RIP Michael Jackson. You will be missed by many. :-(





" Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress on their off days that [is] the most intriguing. It's these in between, wayward days when a person's true style emerges from their everyday life, forming the basis of Alexander Wang's collection..." This quote from his website is what drew me to write about him. After thinking about it, this is so true. I see people all the time that look so nice when we go to dinner or have a party, but when we go to class or chill on the weekend, they look like a completely different person. Good thing Alexander Wang makes clothing that introduces an urban chic ideas to clothing. He believes that a t-shirt and jeans can be as sexy as an evening gown. He believes in mixing street with luxe which is a growing trend of today.


How did he get started you ask? In a very similar way to all of the fashion greats. He is a California boy, born and raised in San-Fran. to a Chinese American family. At the tender age of 18 he moved to the Big Apple to go to Parsons School of Design. There, you guessed it, he had many internships. He said his goal was to get an internship with Marc Jacobs, and BAM, he got it. And from then on he was sailing through the industry. He interned for Vogue and Derek Lam as well and said he was truly inspired by his small set up.


Two years into Parson's in 2005 he was already designing his premier collection which was mostly knits. He focused his collection around eighties hip hop and seventies Parisian chic, mixing Run DMC and YSL, which was an uncommon mix. He created his label with business help from his sister in and law and mother who in the beginning, who knew nothing about fashion.

With dreams of having a lifestyle brand, he wanted to start with the manageable knitwear. He truly worked his way up from the bottom. He knew his collection was fabulous because when he took it an editor at Teen Vogue, she said it was great. However, he didn't jump into trying to get his pieces in Saks or Nordys, he started by simply selling his line to stores in San Francisco. There, the pieces sold out within days. Next stop, a trade show, there, they were struck with success. An amazing 80 stores picked up his line, stores such as Barneys and Bendel. BeeTeeDubs (by the way) those stores are the holy lands for fashion designers everywhere and Alex has taken them by storm at the age of 20.


His look, called that of the lower east side, was described as gritty and edgy. Girls near and far flock for his clothing because of its accessibility and savvy. His elegant spin on hoodies and T Shirts make his line irresistible to on-the-go/ trendy women in their 20's and 30's who want to look fabulous while going for a coffee run. Those type of things are his inspiration, things that people do not usually pay attention to. His muse for example is his close friend Erin Wasson, model and stylist who embodies his signature style of " model off duty."


Wang's story continues to get more and more interesting. Word is, he doesn't even have any external investors other then his family, isn't that fabulous. What is even more fabulous is all his accomplishments in the form of awards. In 2008 , Alex won the Vogue/CFDA Fund which he was given $20,000 to expand his line and he did just that by adding a whole accessories line in 2008. Most importantly, the Fund winner was given the prize of Dian Von Furstenberg as his mentor, which is priceless. (the runners up would be mentored by Kate spade, Patrick Robinson, and Andrew Rosen which as also fabulous prizes.) In 2009 he was the winner of the CFDA Swarovski womenswear Designer of the year.

Wang has gotten so popular that he has even been solicited to revive a lot of falling clothing companies. He has been chosen to collaborate with Gap( Hitting stores June 16, 2009), Keds(fall of 08), and Uniqlo (May 2008). Additionally he has supported Project Blue, a shop-for-charity initiative that benefits the clean-water advocacy group Oceana, by designing clothing from old donated denim. That clothing was then to be auctioned off on Ebay.



With all his success, he doesn't let all the hype get to him. He remains humbled as his line's popularity literally sky rockets overnight. People like Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker sit front row at his shows, those shows that have lines that stretch for blocks. Regardless, he still works hard and strives to prove people wrong who think he is too young to produce quality, renowned clothing; I think he is doing a great job.



From cutting patterns as a young teenager to being revered by huge names in fashion and entertainment such as Anna Wintour, Dree, and Rihanna-- all before he is 25. While the awards and praise keep pouring in, Alex continues to impress the fashion world with his creativity and vision. He is a particularly awesome choice for my blog because I, one day, want to design clothes with the idea of luxe and street mixed together. I consider him as one of my main inspirations.

So Alex Wang, please, keep doin' yo' thang!

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Donna Karen Mixes Luxury, Business and Fashion To Make a Huge Pot of Success

Donna Karen of New York has truly become a household name. In my house especially because I refuse to buy jeans or denim from anyone else but her. I get so many compliments that my jeans look tailor made for me, and that does nothing but fuel my addiction to those fabulous pants. However, we are not here to discuss my love of her denim, but to talk about DKNY.

Donna Karen, whose birth name is Donna Ivy Faske, was born on October 2, 1948 in Forest Hills, Queens. She grew up in Long Island with her stepfather ( a tailor who died when she was 3) and her mom ( a model), which is a perfect formula for success in the fashion industry. Her stepfather was also in the fashion business.

She began selling clothing at the age of 14( a true hustler) on Cedarhurst a Central Avenue in New York. In high school she interned for Liz Claiborne. Additionally while in high school she designed her first line and put on her first show. In 1966 she graduated from Hewlett High School and went to Parsons School for Design, like many other famous designers that we know and love. Similarly, she left after two years, which is also a trend among great designers, to work for Anne Klein. While at Anne Klein in 1973, she married her first husband Mark Karan and divorced him in 1978. She worked her way up to the head of the design team at A. K. and held that position until 1985.


(side note: Wow, she stayed at A. K. longer than she was married to her first husband.)

When she left A.K. she started her own company and created/ invented "the body" ( one of the most practical items of clothing to come out of the 80's). That was her claim to fame. Her Essentials line offered seven pieces that wrap and sculpt the body, which every woman should have and of course, has expanded to about 200 pieces.

In 1988/89 she introduced a less expensive DKNY line, in order to dress her daughter. She designs all her lines without thinking of the top model, but the actual end consumer of her products. She calls her DKNY line the fast food to her caviar of her signature collection.


During the early 90's her and her husband, Stephan Weiss whom she married in 1983, ran her company. In 1995 Weiss stepped down to concentrate on his real passion, sculpting and in 1997 Donna resigned as the CEO of her company. Soon after in 2001 her husband died of lung cancer in 2001. That same year Donna Karan's line was acquired by LVMH for around $643 million dollars ( 2/3rds of that went to Donna personally), however Donna still remains in creative control of the company's lines.


Donna relinquished her powers within her company because her husband was fighting cancer, which can surely cause enough emotional and physical strain and stress. From that experience, she was able to launch Urban Zen project in 2007. Her interest in Yoga came from the times that she shared yoga with her cancer stricken husband as a way to help ease his treatments. She has given millions to teach patients and care givers these techniques as well.


Donna has experienced her share of hurdles in her life. In February of 2008 she fired her assistant after she allowed animal right activists in her home. Karen, at the time, had been targeted by PETA for her fur designs during fashion week. When she came home to the activists they tried to show her a graphic video. Karen and a female activist got in a verbal debacle. The protests didn't stop there. The activists attended her show soon after wearing masks resembling Donna and carrying bloody, dead rabbits. Eww. Karan never lost her cool throughout that whole charade because of the kind hearted person that she is. Karan, for her 2010 collection will go Fur Free... I guess the trespassing and harassment by PETA really worked. Or maybe it was the website DonnaKarenBunnyButcher.com or a video received from Tim Gunn that urged her to cease her use of fur. Either way, PETA and Tim got what they wanted.

Karan is also a major believer in the support . She recently told 150 customers at Neiman Marcus not to feel bad about buying expensive things because it is actually helping the designers, in addition to all the people involved in the making, advertising, and selling of the garment. She also supports a lot of charities and philanthropic causes.



Karen, known for her innate ability to understand a woman's body, has been humbled by her years in the industry. She is thankful for her family that helped her get through everything. Though times got tough for her she always had the underlying support of her 3 children and 7 grandchildren. A touching quote from her comes from NY MAG:
“My husband, my mother, and my boss all died on a day of a show,” Karan says. “Black and white. Birth and death. I have to believe it has something to do with karma. That’s how I cope.” I know that has to be hard. But she did pull herself to date again which has kept her happy.


As a great entrepreneur, wife, mother, and designer, many women look up to her. She had to balance the good and bad in life with no breaks in between. She knew, however, that in being successful you must take risks and that is exactly what she has done. Her risks have paid off and have been recognized by organizations near and far. In the 80's she won 3 Coty awards. She won Womenswear designer of the year in 1990 and 1996, followed by winning Menswear designer of the year in 1992. In 2003, Karan was the first American designer to receive Fashion Group International's "Superstar Award." A year later, Karan's Alma Mater Parson's gave her an honorary doctorate to commemorate her contribution to the school and fashion industry. That same year she won the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award as well. Finally, in 2007, Glamour magazine named Karan one of their Women of the Year.


In addition to receiving awards, she has also been know for her generous giving of both her finances and her time. She raises money for AIDS awareness and education with Seventh on Sale, a apparel sale which the procedes go to Karan's cause. She is a co chair the "Kids for Kids" events for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation as well. She also participates in "Super Saturday" which is a flea market that benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. She also co founded the Karen Weiss Foundation in 1999 with her late husband, for which she also runs her Karan's Urban Zen Initiative.


I chose Donna Karen as the focus of my blog today because she has pushed through a lot of hard times and has still turned out successful and grounded. She was able to withstand divorce, deaths, criticisms and much more and still remain a kind hearted , generous ( not to mention fabulous looking) 61 year old designer.

P.S. Donna has also been compared to Oprah because of her weight ups and downs and here is what I have to say to those people, get a life. If you were going through a quarter of the things Donna experienced I am sure you wouldn't handle it any better.


Donna K. please, keep doing what your doing and do not EVER stop designing clothing that fits my body perfectly , sans tailor. You are the best and I admire your strength and tenacity.