Hope you and your families are enjoying the Thanksgiving day weekend. We all have a lot to be grateful for. I for one am thankful that I escaped to Puerto Rico… Not very traditional, but very warm!

After Nicolas Ghesquiere has announced that he is leaving Balenciaga, it gave me time to think about the ever changing landscape of the fashion industry.

There were a lot of comments that Nicolas leaving was the “end of an era”. In some ways I would agree. With the passing of McQueen, Galliano being booted and now Nicolas resigning, it does appear that the few creative minds that have shaped creativity in fashion are dwindling quickly.

There are still a few pillars (like Rei from Comme Des Garcon, Raf Simmons and Marc Jacobs who are known for understanding the theatrics of fashion as well as the artistry) working today, but there does seem to be a dramatic lack of talent at the moment. There is always the new young crop of designers that the industry pushes forward, but these days, they seem to follow the heavies listed above. It has definitely left a huge vacuum for creative designers to come forth. Let’s hope some do and put creativity first before being sucked into the aspects of business and making money in the industry.

Here are few pics of Nicolas’ work:

Nicole and I met first in Scottsdale at another personal appearance I was doing. Her husband was stationed in Japan at the time, and she came to do a little shopping and say hi. At the time she struck me as one of those amazing examples of a perfectly balanced and beautiful person that is SO hard to find. She has 4 gorgeous children and her heart radiates.

Apparently Nicole has started a business designing tee shirts. Her business is called Cotton Candy Playground and you can visit her website here (www.cottoncandyplayground.com). This is an image of her latest, very chic indeed.

I heard that the Pope is starting to tweet. As much as I love technology, I found that a bit too progressive… The imagery seems strange, imagining him tweeting after mass.

I’m obsessed with the Sunset Tower Hotel in LA. I stay there when I’m in LA for its old Deco charm and boutique feel. It doesn’t feel like a club and there are only 8 suites on each floor.  If you want a low key hotel this is the joint.

The First Lady on the road, wearing another Flower Pin!

Today is Election Day, GO VOTE!!!!

My friend Todd had a family vacation and discovered that his 14 year old nephew, Zak, is a budding designer who lives in Southern California.

Apparently, he has been studying Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, taking in all the nuances.

Todd asked me if I could look at his work and give him some pointers. At first I thought, he’s probably going to be super young and really rough around the edges… Which at 14 years old, what more could you expect?!

After I looked at Zak’s work, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This kid has got some crazy talent! He designs and edits his own magazine. He styles the hair, does the art direction and meticulously designs the dresses which he sews himself and uses Barbie as a model.

Some of the shots would give FIT students a run for their money, and since I have designed 2 Barbie’s myself, I felt not only competitive looking at Zak’s work, but intimidated!

I think we will see a lot more of Zak in the future so I wanted to be the first to introduce this talented kid to the world… World meet Zak.

You can check out Zak’s blog here http://www.behance.net/zp

Here’s a look at some of his work:

I dropped off from writing for awhile but now I’m back!

Last night I had the chance to hear Cyndi Lauper sing “Time After Time” with Allan Cummings.

It took me back to being 14 years old and watching MTV. She looked great and still has the same thick NY accent when she talks. Her voice is riddled with pride but when she sang it was incredibly delicate.

In Milan we just debuted the collaboration between Alberta Ferretti and me for Spring 2013.

Alberta Ferreti is known for her amazing detail and execution of ready to wear. There is always a femininity to the collection which also reflects the modernity of today.

We decided to sculpt clear Lucite so that it resembled the way the fabric would be pleated. Each bracelet was encrusted with inlaid rectangular and square crystals, which accented the curves and angles of the bracelets. The clothing combined the metallics with a softness for the season. Below are some shots and the reviews from WWD which just got posted.

Get the look:

Get the look:

Here’s the write up from WWD:

Pink’s new video Blow Me (One Last Kiss) just came out and she’s wearing 3 necklaces designed for the video. She’s gone very feminine and is looking incredibly elegant. Basically, she looks great.

Here are some still’s from the video:

Lady Gaga rocks Miss Havisham earrings. They were made from hand sculpted wood and are accented with gold metal bird beaks.

Here’s a complete list of where I’ll be this upcoming season. Come by and say hello!

Saturday, September 22
Neiman Marcus #23 – Tyson’s Galleria
2255 International Drive
McClean, VA 22102
703-761-1600

Saturday, October 20
Nordstrom #4- Bellevue Square
100 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.455.5800

Friday, October 26
Saks #38 – Bergen County
The Shops at Riverside
380 Hackensack Avenue
Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-646-1800

Friday, November 2
Nordstrom #221 – Oakbrook
10 Oakbrook Court
Oakbrook, IL 60523
630-571-2121

Saturday, November 3
Holt Renfrew #21 – Toronto, Canada
50 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M4W 1A1, Canada
416-922-2333

Friday, November 9
Bloomingdales #28– Century City
10250 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310-772-2100

Saturday, November 10
Neiman Marcus #10 – Beverly Hills
9700 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310-550-5900

Saturday, December 1
Nordstrom # 320  – South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-549-8300

For the last few years I’ve noticed an occasional jet ski speeding around the NYC harbor. I’ve been trying to track down where to rent them and it has alluded me for sometime.

Finally, I found it! Jetty Jumpers in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn. I took the tour to the Verrazano Bridge, which is about 90 minutes.

There were a total of 7 people who went on the tour. The minute you get onto the Hudson River you can go full throttle, about 65mph.

My boyfriend Matt had never done it before and was apprehensive about being in the Hudson on a jet ski. He weathered it alright, except for a brief collision with a bunch a fishing lines. He had inadvertently got caught like a fly in Charlotte’s Web with 20 fishing lines from fisherman on the pier. It was like something out of a comedy.

After he was untangled we really hit the waves, which was incredible with the outline of NYC in the background.

For those who are aren’t afraid of getting The Hudson water on you and the occasional ship, I highly recommend it.

I designed a crown for Lady Gaga’s new tour. I wanted something futuristic and we slammed it!

Her styling is INCREDIBLE in the interview, the juxtaposition of  her looking like a California girl from 1989 with a massive spike crown on her head is provocative and memorable.

Here’s a clip of the interview: