September Issue Review

JSG was thrilled to be one of a select group of bloggers invited to see a screening of The September Issue last night. Here's my immediate reaction, which I tweeted: Loved, loved, loved the September Issue. Want to watch it 5x in a row. Actually made me miss working in print.

After sleeping on it, I don't think I could have summed it up better. The movie is fascinating as a character portrait, both of Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington, Vogue's creative director, who gets about twice the amount of screen time.

In the opening sequence of the movie, Anna defends fashion saying, "You aren't a bad person because you wear Carolina Herrera or J. Brand jeans." (Note: I may not have that quote verbatim, but the spirit is correct. That's one of the reasons I want to see the movie 5 more times. There are more memorable lines in it than shades of red lipstick in the magazine.)

In the middle of the movie, her daughter, Bee Shaffer, expresses that she doesn't have the same passion for fashion as her mother, nor does she take it as seriously. Anna, in turn, has to be reminded by the housekeeper that her daughter interns for a judge, not a lawyer. Near the end of the movie, Anna talks about her do-good siblings.

It leaves one wondering how Anna feels about her career and life's work as a fashion editor.

Grace Coddington, on the other hand, is an artist who loves fashion for its sheer beauty and power expression. She is the heart of Vogue. Watching Grace flip through photos of the 20s with her group of editors to make sure she gets the shoes right for a jazz-age inspired shoot or strap on the shoe of a model, when surely there's an assistant who could do the job for her, you feel how much she cares. To her, fashion matters and she doesn't need to waste a breath explaining why.

The movie has many humorous or aha moments. It's worth the price of admission alone to watch André Leon Talley, with a Louis Vuitton towel and trunk, "playing" tennis at Anna's suggestion.

The movie took me back to my own days as a fashion editor at a major woman's magazine where fashion definitely was not the main focus and I had a budget of about one-millionth the size. All the same, I cracked up when the printer gets blamed for the off-color of a spread, shared Grace's pain when her pages are cut and she hears about it from someone other than her editor-in-chief and sympathized when the managing editor nearly has a heart attack after finding out a story is being re-shot just days before it has to ship.

It was also fun to compare Vogue in The September Issue to Vogue in the Devil Wears Prada. Miranda Priestly's office is a carbon copy of Anna's, but her assistants are nowhere near as well dressed, none of the editors wears much makeup and nobody looks like Giselle.

The movie opens on August. 28.

JESSICA'S New Fall Collection

No matter the season, we can always look forward to new nail colors. JESSICA, founder and creator of JESSICA Cosmetics International and manicurist to the stars introduces the fall 2009 collection, Burlesque Beauty.

The Burlesque Beauty collection presents six new rich colors that add femininity and allure to your style. The collection puts a spin on the typical warm colors of fall, with shades of purples, berries and greens. Think wines and evergreens! They have fun and sexy names like "Gorgeous Garter Belt", "Sexy Siren" and "Fishnets and Fringe." Even with your conservative work clothes you can still be wearing something as sexy as "Feather Boa." All JESSICA Custom Colors are formulated with Vitamins A for maximum conditioning, contain UVA/UVB protection from sun’s damaging rays, eco-friendly and quick-drying. It's like she thought of everything on top of being creative! All colors are $7.00 each. We know what we'll be wearing this fall!

Bachelorette Party Ideas #21 - Newport, Rhode Island

A few years back, we joined in a friend of a friend's bachelorette party to Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is breathtakingly beautiful and is an easy drive for New Yorkers, Bostonians or anyone in between.

If headed for a bachelorette party, make the Viking Hotel your home base. It's within easy walking distance from the harbor and the Newport nightlife. Be sure to leave time for a massage or facial at the decadent Spa Terre. The hotel is offering a special 10% off the bill for groups of 10 or more. Request the 10% off promo when booking rooms.

Stop by the Clarke Cooke House for an all-in-one dining, drinking, dancing experience. Start in the the Candy Store on the Wharf Level of to bag yourself a yachtsman cooling off with a G&T before his next sailing. The Boom Boom Room in the basement is the place to get your groove on, then come midnight, head up the stairs to the SkyBar, which turns into a dance club.

We're also fans of the Black Pearl--nothing makes us happier than sipping Champagne and eating lobster on its terrace. To eat like a local, head to Brick Alley Pub for its endless salad bar.

Newport doesn't have much going on in the shopping front. Trust us--we were in and out of everystore along Thames Street and Bellevue Avenue last fall and came out empty handed. Instead, spend your days on the beach or touring the mansions along Cliff Walk, including the famed Vanderbilt home, The Breakers (below).


Or hit up a polo match at Glen Farm, every Saturday in June, July, August and September.


The town does get sleepy in the off months, so plan your bachelorette party for May through September.

MAC Cosmetics New Collections

We’ve been using M·A·C’s new Colour Crafted collection and we really love it. It contains Mineralize Eye Shadow that can satiate any color craving you have. It combines new hues in modern, neo-geo ways. They are great for day or night and simply to play with new colors you haven’t been daring enough to use! We’ve also been using the Burnt Ginger colored Lipglass (shown) which looks great, is smooth and not sticky. As a base, we brush on the Mineralize Skinfinish. It looks natural with or without a suntan, as long as you correctly match the color to your natural skin color.

Also good is the Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 in the Baby Bloom collection. It provides you with a sunless glow while simultaneously rescuing your skin from sun damage and hiding small imperfections and discolorations. We also recommend pairing it with Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balm for a touch of sheer color, moisture and protection for the lips, which comes in five shades. All of these items are available now. Enjoy!

Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne

We recently attended an event hosted by Liz Claiborne and Isaac Mizrahi to watch their new Red Bucket Button Films. The films feature the process of shooting the print ads for the new line and we must say they were hilarious! We insist you watch them. Not only are they funny, but the pro-woman message behind the collection comes across in a bold way. The videos and the clothing illustrate how to defy age with personality and fashion. Age is simply a state a mind. It's something we all should be reminded of every now and then, no matter how old (and young) we are.

Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne collection is beautiful, youthful, colorful and perfect for fall. They are not all your typical fall colors which sometimes makes us sad, because it reminds us that summer is over. The collection is filled with fun prints. You can tell Isaac Mizrahi truly finds inspiration from all over, because this collection is eclectic yet playful. Even if you're not in the market for clothing, grab some popcorn and watch the videos!