Tyra Banks Picks San & Soni

Over the course of my five years running Kick PR, I have had the chance to work with so many amazing small designers. Many of them have a hard time breaking into the mainstream consumer market because they are short on funds. Many PR firms charge an arm and a leg, and make promises they can't keep. Being a small designer is a constant uphill battle. Whatever money there is, it needs to be allocated to make the most sense, and often times that's sales and production. In many cases, PR takes a back seat.

Sometimes though, even with the limited PR efforts, something amazing happens... word of mouth. San & Soni is one of those designers that people talk about, in a positive light. It's one of the most beautiful and unique lines I have seen, and every season the designers Jeet and Sonali Singh give us something even more special than the one before. This is a collection that speaks for itself and often times you hear, "Wow, what a fantastic jacket, where did you get that?" followed by "This is San & Soni." And it's in this exchange that word of mouth begins. Its exactly what Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book, "The Tipping Point."It takes that one person, or group of people, to spread the word on something noteworthy.So, when Tyra Banks wore the San & Soni Princeton blouse from Fall 2009 on her show with Miss J, you can imagine what that does to a brand. Tyra is an all around fabulous woman. She embodies a woman of style and class, and choosing to wear San & Soni on her show is not only amazing exposure, but truly flattering. Even better, it happened on its own, naturally. Tyra's stylist was shopping in TG 170 on Ludlow Street and picked up the blouse.

The Fall collection is available online at TG170.com and www.sanandsoni.com, under Collections/ Fall '09. Check out the beautifully tailored blouses like the one that Tyra is wearing, the elegant and chic cocktail dresses that will wow a crowd this holiday season, and the blazers and coats that will keep you fashionably protected from winter's elements.

If you are in New York City, San & Soni will be selling for the third season at the Gen Art Shops event on December 2nd. The location is 7W, and shop 'til you drop from 7-10pm.

I Love Combos... No, Not The Cheesy Snack.

For the holidays, I try and be smart and thoughtful with my gifting. It's hard earned money I am spending, and the only way I feel good about throwing down the dollars is if I know I am going to make someone happy. People have confidence in me, that if I am getting them a gift of jewelry or apparel, I didn't go grab something off the Summer '06 rack at Wal Mart. I also don't always love giving something for the sake of giving something.

I just found out about the gift sets for under $100 from Chicago designers Kirsten Goede of Objets d'Envy and Kate Boggiano of Kate Boggiano Blouses. These two women are amazing designers, and happen to be very good friends. Girl power! They are both offering a gift set including a pair of earrings, an every day tank, and a pashmina for $82. What I love, is that there are four color ways to chose from, and I feel that having those options helps to personalize the look for each person. My mom for instance should really stay away from the color gray, but she looks ten years younger in teal and fuchsia!
And though what I am about to say may sound cliche, remember, cliche's speak the truth. This gift set is "more bang for your buck." Check out the sets HERE. And there's no timer on the website, so feel free to shop around for hours!

New Hampshire Chic. Yes, It Exists.

My boyfriend lives in New Hampshire, so that means I am there as well. And New York City and New Hampshire are pretty much the same, so I don't even notice the difference! Ha. At first, I had accepted the fact that when I was in New Hampshire, I needed to put away all of my NY clothes and lounge around in sweats and flannels. It was a bit depressing; New York is like a stage and every day is a new presentation! In New Hampshire, no one gives a flying whoop if you are wearing shoes from an obscure shoe designer out of Spain. So I threw my hands up, stomped my feet and screamed "How can they not care about such things?!" Well, the answer always is, its just fashion. Its true, it is just fashion, but for me its a wonderful art of expression.

So after my tantrum, I decided I would recreate my look for New Hampshire and instead of dresses, tights and wedges, I would design "New Hampshire Chic." And I have to tell you, New Hampshire Chic is super cute! So, I went over to my favorite outfit design site, Polyvore, and worked up an outfit that I would wear. Here is my creation:

Flannel: Check. Puffy Vest: Check. Cardigan: Check. AWESOME LEATHER BOOTS by BELSTAFF: NEED TO BUY! So, its not that bad. Its OK that no one here cares, what matters is that I feel good. Somehow I feel like Blaire Waldorf complaining that no one at NYU knows who she is, but she gets out of her hole and builds a new life accordingly. And that's kind of what I am doing in New Hampshire. When in Rome...