Today marks the start of New York Fashion Week for the Fall 2011 season and I can’t think of a name more synonymous with fashion in this vibrant city than The New York Times’ Bill Cunningham. Before the term “street style” was even invented and before names like The Sartorialist and Garance Dore ever surfaced, Bill Cunningham was trolling the streets of New York on his Schwinn documenting the latest trends and the enviable style of high society and fashion industry fixtures for his popular column in The New York Times Styles section. Next month, a documentary that chronicles Cunningham’s storied career will hit theatres across the country in limited release. Filmmaker Richard Press spent nearly 10 years working on this film which also provides a rare glimpse into Cunningham’s daily. (He’s generally very publicity shy.) At 81 and brimming with energy, Bill Cunninham is an icon and is still snapping pictures and chronicling style on the setreets of New York City. As he puts it, “the best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been. Always will be.” Check out the film’s trailer below and click here to find out where Bill Cunningham New York is playing near you. Showings begin on March 16th.

Bill Cunningham New York from So Haute on Vimeo.

Christmas is less than a week away so if you’re stumped on what to get that special someone, don’t panic! From the latest lust-worthy gadgets and fashion-forward accessories, to luxe items for the home and cool duds for your dude,  here are some seriously stylish suggestions to inspire your last minute shopping for everyone on your list!

1. Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm – $28, Barney’s New York

2. NARS Precious Mini Nail Polish Set – $30, Neiman Marcus

3. Tory Burch Sequin Scarf – $193, Tory Burch

4. Threaded Chain Bracelet –  $22, Madewell

5. Sleep Shirtdress – $49.50, J. Crew

6. Emily Leopard Clutch – $138, Club Monaco

7. Smythson of Bond Street Wish List Panama Notebook – $69, Net-A-Porter

8. Rachel Roy Pakistan Tote – $20, RachelRoy.com (100% of the proceeds benefit UNICEF’s relief fund for victims of the July 2010 Monsoon floods in Pakistan, making this the chic gift that keeps on giving!)

9. Flora by Gucci – $47-90, Sephora

10. Byredo Rose Noir Body Wash – $50, Barney’s New York

11. Rag & Bone Chunky Knit Cardigan – $240, Net-A-Porter

1. Gingham “Secret Wash” Shirt – $59.50   , J. Crew

2. Ray Ban Classic Aviators – $139.95  Sunglass Hut

3. Shiny Cocktail Shaker – $14.95, Cb2

4. Beats by Dr. Dre “Solo” HD Headphones – $199, Apple Store

5. Marc by Marc Jacobs Shiny Traditional Wallet – $128, MarcJacobs.com

6. Mill Leather Box Dopp – $155, Jack Spade

7. Gran Patron Platinum Silver Tequila 750ML – $199.95, Crown Wine & Spirits (or your local premium liquor store)

8. John Varvatos for Converse Slip on “All-Star” Sneaker – $95, Barney’s New York

1. “With Love” Red Wine – $25, Swanson Vineyards

2. L‘Objet Asian Key Wine Stopper – $88, Vivre

3. Tyrol Horn Vase - $48, Jayson Home & Garden

4. Luxe Faux Fur Throw – $350, Calypso

5. Nouvel Studios Twisted Tumbler - $24, Barney’s New York

6. Apothecary Oatmeal Soap Set – $22, Jayson Home & Garden

7. Adrienne Landau Mongolian Lamb Fur Pillow - $225, Barney’s New York

8. R&Y Agousti Shagreene Mini Frame – $70, Calypso Home

9. Hollywood Coaster Set – $68, Jonathan Adler

1. Sony Bloggie Touch Camcorder – $167.99

2. MacBook Air, – from $999, Apple

3. Lumix GF-1 Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera – $799, Best Buy

4. Marc by Marc Jacobs Jumbo Logo Laptop Case, $48, Saks Fifth Avenue

5. Music Balloon Portable Speaker - $39, DWR

Marie Claire’s Style & Accessories Director Taylor Tomasi-Hill might arguably be the most photographed fashion editor in the industry. Known for her fiery red hair and penchant for combining feminine pieces with edgy, rocker-inspired accessories, Tomasi-Hill has created a style of her own that’s effortlessly chic and totally cool. Her look has incited style crushes all around the world and has made her a favorite subject of top street style photographers like The Sartorialist and Tommy Ton. She recently gave fashion site Refinery 29 a peek inside her her apartment in New York City’s West Village and it it’s no surprise that her home is just as stylish as she is!

_{Above photos: Kava Gorna for Refinery 29}

To see more of Taylor Tomasi-Hill’s chic NYC apartment and hear her style secrets click here to read the full feature at Refinery29. And as a bonus, below are a few of the photos that have made Tomasi-Hill an internet street style sensation!

Fashion designer and style icon Diane von Furstenberg can now add the title interior designer to her resume after the debut of 20 glamorous hotel suites she recently designed for Claridge’s hotel in London. In her first-ever interior design project, von Furstenberg developed bespoke fabrics, rugs, furniture and cashmere throws for the rooms in the historic art deco landmark hotel. The rooms are stunning with luxurious fabrics in bold geometric patterns, ikat prints and Chinese florals plus pops of bright color, lacquered surfaces  and – of course – plenty of animal prints, a von Furstenberg signature. The bathrooms are quite spectacular featuring rich marble surfaces and complete with plush DVF wrap robes. The suites also feature personalized touches like photos taken by von Furstenberg during her travels through Europe, Africa and Asia. I especially love the striking berry and chocolate colored ikat print sofa shown above which is covered in one of von Furstenberg’s custom fabrics. The DVF suites at Claridge’s are definitely fit for a princess. In fact the 5-star hotel is the only place where von Furstenberg (once married to German Prince Egon von Furstenberg) is still referred to as “your Highness!” Visit the Claridges website for room rates and reservations.



“Hotels are fantasy and they’ve just got to make you dream.” – Diane von Furstenberg

_{Photos: Claridge’s and DVF}

Since I’m on the subject of Todd Selby…here’s a video recently posted on Style.com where the photographer gives the site an exclusive tour of his studio plus a peek inside his new book, The Selby Is In Your Place.” Check it out!

This just in…Fashion designer, CFDA President and all around style icon Diane von Furstenberg is launching a home collection! She is collaborating with Springs Global, a worldwide supplier of bed, bath and home fashion products. The licensing deal was announced yesterday and Von Furstenberg’s collection of  home accessories, bedding, bath and tabletop items will debut in select department and better specialty stores in Spring 2011. The designer’s first foray into the world of home was in the 1970s when she partnered with Sears on a line. That program did close to $100 million in sales, according to HFN. Von Furstenberg also partnered with The Rug Company in 2006 to design a line of signature carpets. I can’t wait to see her new products when they hit the market next year! I hear the line will be very textile driven, just like her fashion collections and I’m sure it will be as chic and sophisticated as she is!

_{Above, Diane Von Furstenberg’s designs for The Rug Company. Top photo by Douglas Friedman for Harper’s Bazaar}

Can’t figure out what to get the fashionista in your life this holiday season? Here are our most stylish gift picks for the fashion obsessed…

Of-the-moment sequins make this classic style blazer perfectly on trend…and perfect for the holiday party season! Sequined Blazer $295, Club Monaco stores nationwide. Visit clubmonaco.com for locations.

This chic emerald green clutch is sure to add a punch of color to any ensemble. The perfectly worn lambskin and Balenciaga signature zipper also adds a bit of edge. Arena Pouch $595, Balenciaga. Available at Barney’s New York.

Unleash your inner urban warrior with this stylish studded cocktail ring….makes a great stocking stuffer! Metal Stud Ring $18, from BCBG.

25 year-old wunderkind designer Alexander Wang’s diffusion line, T by Alexander Wang, is less than a year old but has already gained a cult following among fashionistas. Wang’s tees are made of super soft jersey and have a drapey, laid-back silhouette. This must-have wardrobe staple makes the perfect holiday gift. Scoop-neck Jersey T-Shirt $76, T by Alexander Wang. Available at Net-A-Porter.

Classic Chuck Taylors are updated in a stylish gold metallic leather finish. Chuck Taylor All Stars $74.99, Converse.

This durable all-purpose tote, made of burlap and 100% organic cotton, is also reversible. The best part is that this gift gives back…a purchase of one tote feeds a child for an entire year through the World Food Program. Feed Bag $60, Feedproject.com.

A classic black pump complete with a sexy sky-high heel and Louboutin’s signature red sole. I think Christian Louboutin shoes might soon edge out diamonds as a girl’s best friend! Feticha Pumps $695, Christian Louboutin. Available at Sak’s.

This bright red cheetah print scarf makes a bold statement. Into the Wild Cotton Scarf $130, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Available at Net-A-Porter.

The pages of this definitive guide to finding your personal style, penned by Vogue contributor and fashion consultant Amanda Brooks, are full of style advice and inspiration. I Love Your Style $13.59, Amazon.com.

Last but not least, who can resist a classic Chanel 2.55 quilted flap bag? Named after the month and year the bag was first introduced (Feb 1955), this bag is a versatile investment piece that will last a lifetime and can be worn with just about anything in your wardrobe. Tres chic! Medium 2.55 Bag $2395, Availabe at Chanel boutiques worldwide. Visit Chanel.com for locations.

_{Zac Posen’s dramatic runway creations. Photos via Style.com}

Attention all fashionistas. You must check out Fashionair – the soon to launch interactive fashion entertainment website that is the brainchild of American Idol creator Simon Fuller and Net-a-Porter alum Sojin Lee. This innovative new site features lots of video content and almost feels more like a very cool fashion TV channel than a website.  It will offer up close profiles of top fashion industry insiders, along with the latest news, shopping, trends and styling secrets plus an exclusive look inside the homes and closets of the fashion elite. (A highlight for us decor obsessed folk!)

The current content lineup on Fashionair’s beta site includes a look
inside the Manhattan apartment of Thakoon Panichgul- one of my favorite
young fashion designers.

Thakoon’s apartment features a clean, neutral, minimal aesthetic and is full of pieces with deep personal meaning.

Thakoon’s place also features a few off beat pieces to mix things up such as the photo over his living room sofa seen here.

The photograph, titled “Lying Gun” is by photographer Laurie Simmons, whom Thakoon collaborated with for his Spring ’09 collection. The piece portrays a pistol with a woman’s legs sprouting from it.

Thakoon treasures this framed drawing by Vogue’s Grace Coddington who gave it to him as a good luck gift when he was nominated for a CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) award.

Another one of his favorite things on the bookshelf is this photo of him and his brother in Thailand when they were little. They are on their way to school in their crisp uniforms. Thakoon says his obsession with his school uniform is what fueled his love for fashion and ultimately led him to pursue a career as a designer.

I love how Thakoon is able to mix various styles together yet they all work cohesively thanks to a unifying neutral palette. Here, an antique French bergere chair from ABC carpet is right at home atop a Moroccan rug and surrounded by Thakoon’s other modern furnishings and artwork. The chair is covered it in muslin, as he preferred this unfinished look over having the piece upholstered.

In the bedroom, some ethnic inspired patterns are introduced in his bedding which is nicely juxtaposed with the delicate Gustavian chair in the corner and the masculine tufted leather bench at the foot of the bed.

At his bedside are a pair of lamps by Robert Ogden who is known for creating one-of-a-kind table and floor lamps using old industrial parts.

Another cool house tour currently up on Fashionair features the home of designer Anna Sui who happens to be from my hometown in Michigan.

Anna’s place is quite eclectic with a mix of bold patterns in a black and white color scheme.

Some of the fabrics used throughout her home are actually from her current collection. While I won’t go into too much detail here, I found it interesting to note the connection between the aesthetic of her home and the aesthetic of her fashion collections. Have a look at the photos below. Do you see the parallel?

_{Photos via Shopbop}

Fashionair launches this September, but if you’d like to get a sneak peek, click here and just enter your email address along with the password FLIPFLOP to preview the site!

Remember my stylish friend Linda who was featured in the March ’08 issue of Domino? Last weekend I stopped by her place for a visit and brought my camera along so I could give you a peek inside her quirky cool apartment in Chelsea.

Linda has lived in the same building for something for something like 20 years and this her third apartment in the building. Her sunny one bedroom is quite spacious by New York standards. She lives there with her eight year old basset hound, Billy, who you can in the photo above curled up in his bed just underneath the window. (He has a plush doggy bed in every room in the house except the bathroom). Looking around the apartment it’s clear that Billy is the king of the castle!

Linda’s place is eclectic and bohemian, filled with treasures from around the world and every single piece has a story. Her blue chenille sofa from Paris doubles as a twin bed for guests. Draped over it is a gold vintage crochet throw that covers up stains, spills and dog hair. Above the sofa are several paintings from her very enviable art collection. On the left are three original paintings by Hugo Guinness that she bought for a song from John Derian a number of years ago before Guinness became an über popular Vogue darling. On the right is a painting of a gypsy woman that she purchased directly from the well-known artist Hunt Slonem.

The brass side table with rope and tassel detail shown here was found at the antique show at the pier here in the city. Just about everything in Linda’s apartment came from flea markets or antique stores. Some of Linda’s favorite places to shop in New York for her home are Penine Hart Antiques, John Derian, ABC Carpet and Home, the 25th Street Flea Market and the Brooklyn flea market. She also loves Indigo seas in LA and will shop any flea market around the world whenever she has the opportunity.

Here’s another view of her living room. Aside from her many paintings, Linda owns an amazing collection of photography some of which you can see propped on the floor here. I love the beautiful 18th century French Gilt cabinet that sits atop her console. It’ has a tiffany blue interior and  houses many of the vintage perfume bottles which she collects among other things. On the floor is a Harry Allen piggy bank that was all the rage a few years ago and on the white slipper chair is one of her rose pillows from A Détacher which was one of her favorite picks in Domino.

Here’s another little vignette in Linda’s living room. She found the dress form at  25th Street flea market.  The form is dressed with vintage silk flowers that she purchased from Dulken and Derrick, a company specializing in gorgeous silk flowers that are often used to embellish haute couture creations as well as more mass market fashions like J. Crew. The graphic pink and white throw on her chaise which I love is actually a cashmere scarf she found at Barney’s!

Among the many things Linda collects are seashells and here are several displayed atop a chinoiserie cabinet.

Just inside the entry to Linda’s living room is her “office in a closet” which was featured in New York Magazine last August. This is where Linda works on Olio Lusso, her line of amazing face and body oils that are a favorite among celebs, models make-up artists and beauty editors alike. Olio Lusso has been generating a ton of buzz, with recent features in Elle, InStyle, Marie Claire, W, Oprah, Domino, The New York Times, international editions of Vogue and Bazaar and many more top fashion and lifestyle publications. Very exciting!

One of Linda’s most beloved pieces in her home is this mural sized painting done by a student of the renowned Mexican painter, José Clemente Orozco. A friend of hers saw it in an antique shop in Cold Springs, NY and knew she would love it. A year later Linda finally went to visit the shop and the painting was still there. Of course she loved it and bought it on the spot.

Here’s a view of Linda’s bedroom. Billy clearly prefers the comfort of Linda’s bed over his own custom hot pink doggy bed! Above the bed is a portrait of Linda’s mother that was done in the 1930s. Her mother was an interior designer who also owned an antique shop. The giant linen pillows on the bed were custom made and they’re accented by two of the rose pillows from A Détacher. The blue chandelier is from Ruby Beets.

All of her shells were found during her travels over the years.

More shells are on display in this bedside cabinet. The hand-hooked rug you see in the picture is another one of Linda’s favorite things. It’s from an art center in California called Creative Growth Center that supports artists with physical and mental handicaps. She has two of these rugs (one on either side of her bed) and like the Guinness paintings, she bought them years ago for a steal. Now the rug collection, called Hooked Up, sells at Moss for thousands of dollars. Go figure.

Linda says that at the moment she’s obsessed with books. Next to her bed is a stack of colorful books piled on top of a Chinese side table. She’s currently in the midst of finishing Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles!

Here’s a closer look at the artwork from the very first photo in this post. They’re portraits of Linda, done in oil pastels, that she commissioned from a talented artist named Noa Ain.

On top of her dresser are more family photos, jewelry and other objets d’art. She adores her table mirror, seen here draped in jewelry. It came from her mother’s antique shop. When I asked Linda what her favorite thing in her apartment was she couldn’t choose! “It’s like someone having so many children that you can’t pick out the one you love the most,” she says.

Another view of Linda’s dresser. I’m loving that pink patent Gucci clutch!

The piéce de résistance in Linda’s kitchen is this antique cabinet from an old barbershop in India. It houses all of her kitchen and entertaining essentials. The piece belonged to John Derian, who Linda has known for years. It was in his apartment for a while and then he finally decided to put it up for sale in his shop. The second he did, Linda snapped it up!

Here’s another view of the kitchen. At the top of the photo you can see a bit of her seashell chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She bought it while traveling for a photoshoot. The white cabinet houses more of her prized shells.

Here’s a closeup view of some of the shells in the kitchen cabinet.

Here is Linda’s bathroom which is filled with more of her quirky finds. I always say that surrounding ourselves with things we love is the key to creating a home that’s warm and comforting…this is a principle Linda wholeheartedly embraces. She loves her shells so much that even her toilet seat is filled with them! I asked her where she found it and her response? Seashelltoiletseats.com. Where else?!

I hope you enjoyed this peek inside Linda’s home. For more info on Linda or Olio Lusso visit oliolusso.com.

If you’ve been following the fashion of Michelle Obama and are as fascinated by this incredible woman as I am (and probably the rest of America too), you’ll probably enjoy a great blog I recently discovered. The blog, titled “Mrs O”, seeks to “Follow the Fashion of Mrs. O: Who and What She’s Wearing.” Check it out here and enjoy!