I always wondered what it would be like to stand on the other side of a cosmetics counter. So, when Kiehl’s opened its Valley Fair store
a few weeks ago and invited me to shadow store manager Andrea Navin for an afternoon, I was game. (photo of best-selling lotion Creme de Corps/courtesy Kiehl’s) 
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San Jose joins the growing list of cities that can now boast an H&M store. Our first store opens at noon tomorrow (Thursday) at Santana Row with celebrity stylist Robert Verdi in the mix, doling out fashion advice.
Because of the Swedish retailer’s continuing buzz for providing high fashion lookalikes at relatively cheap prices, it’s a big deal that San Jose finally has its very own H&M. 
Predicted is an opening day commotion with possible camp outs for the diehards: if you didn’t see today’s ad in the Mercury News, the first 100 customers receive a free T-shirt and a gift card with a surprise value between $10 and $200.
(photo of accessories display in the Santana Row store by Josie Lepe/Mercury News) Read the rest of this entry »

  I just came back from a couple days in Las Vegas and feel the need to comment on the fashion I observed on The Strip.
  Or, rather, the lack of it.
  I might go as far as proclaiming that the visitors to Vegas are the worst-dressed
tourists in America.
(photo: Sharon Stone in a scene from Universal Picture’s 1995 film, “Casino” )
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If you love fashion the way I do, it doesn’t matter that you can’t always afford to buy designer labels.
  As much as I’d like them hanging in my closet, it’s enough to
appreciate the ideas and workmanship that go into each piece and walk away having touched the fabric and studied the construction. I always flip over the garment to look at the seams and lining. The tiny chain link that anchors the hemline of every Chanel jacket is still a work of wonder for me, no matter how many times I see it.
I learned the art of tailoring and fit from my perfectionist mother,
and I understand the difference between a garment that’s mass manufactured to fit most people just fine and one that is adjusted and sewn to drape and flatter the curves and planes of a body –although I’m not sure of the economics that drives the cost of an unadorned designer blouse to $3,500.
  It’s that sense of fashion as an adventure that always takes me to Barneys New York, the legendary Madison Avenue mecca of luxury fashion. My trips to Manhattan are incomplete with a walk-through and, occasionally, a purchase.
  Now I don’t have to go 3,000 miles for the fix: Barneys New York is in San Francisco. It opened a couple of weeks ago in Union Square in the former FAO Schwarz building on Stockton Street.
(Derek Lam platform slingbacks from Barneys.com) Read the rest of this entry »

(Macy’s Passport 2007 photos by Josie Lepe/Mercury News)

One of the best segments of Macy’s Passport this year didn’t have anything to do with fashion. It was the exuberant performance of the Spirit of Uganda, a group of children and teens who performed a rousing dance and drums number. It was the jolt of energy that was needed after several dramatic but somewhat slow segments showcasing clothes the traditional catwalk way.
For almost 90 minutes, guests were treated to fall fashions, song and dance theatrics and a mesmerizing finale by modern burlesque queen, Dita Von Teese. (For more on Dita, read my interview with her in Style on Sept. 30.)
The gala evening, held Thursday night at the Herbst and Festival pavilions at Fort Mason in San Francisco, started with drinks and noshing in a vintage circus-themed atmosphere amid wandering Cirque du Soleil performers. On the menu: catfish BLTs, mini flautas, cotton candy and foie gras corn dogs.
The color du jour was silver–the 2007 show marks the 25th anniversary of Macy’s Passport, a significant milestone for the nationally-recognized HIV/AIDS fundraiser. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m ready to come home. Today’s New York weather, while on the warm side, reminded me of California. Manhattan is one of my favorite places in the world, but it also makes me appreciate San Jose.
My last event ended around 2 p.m. and I headed straight for SoHo. The boutiques, the people watching–I go there there to feel like I’m really in New York. I once saw Kate Moss in the Marc Jacobs store there, photographers camped outside waiting for her exit.
The stores are full of fall clothing–dresses and jackets and pants and coats that I saw coming down the runway last February.
It’s a little disconcerting that I already know what next spring and summer will bring. And it’s not gray flannel and pencil skirts. It is still metallics.
In the next week, I’ll be working on stories that will tell you what to expect by March. What you’ll likely see in San Jose and what you likely won’t.
I’m exhausted and beaten up from a lack of sleep, wearing high heels too long, then flip flops even after a colleague pointed out that my feet were exposed to “street juice.”
For a most glamorous job, I am not feeling glam at all. In fact, I’m feeling a little homesick and ready to board that plane to SJC tomorrow morning.
See you back in San Jose.
(Diane von Furstenberg lei dress from the spring collection/AP)

A few looks from Tuesday’s Marc by Marc Jacobs runway show.

Another Fashion Week in New York is just about over. I have two shows, a walk-through at Banana Republic to preview the holiday offerings and a luncheon at Saks Fifth Avenue with a Singapore designer whose line will be carried in the San Francisco store.
Then, I’m going shopping.
I know I’m at the end when I want to throw away all the clothes I brought because they look as if I cleaned the Manhattan streets in them. I miss eating Mexican food. And all six pairs of shoes that I packed look like torture devices. Even the flats.
Over the last seven days, I’ve gone to 52 fashion shows. presentations and interviews.
The week in review:
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Monique Lhuillier  featured a cocktail dress that draped in such a way that it looked as if you could see the underpinings.  Actually a gorgeous lace corset that was the focal point of the dress. The peek-a-boo lingerie  is a possible trend for spring.

Calvin Klein’s beautifully austere looks included this sheath dress and a turtleneck bodysuit worn with a high waisted skirt.