mine are prescription glasses

I am clueless how, out of the blue, there is a whole new generation of near sighted individuals, in NYC at least. And they do favor the old movie star 1950's type bold frame my dad was wearing until around after the time I was born. But do they all contain prescription lenses like mine? As I dared to mention there may be a new generation perhaps...? We should check the water supply from Upstate New York....

These are my new glasses with transition prescription lenses.

So yes, I have been wearing glasses since I can remember, really. Styles offered at the shops change with the seasons and trends. From the perspective of a fashion designer glasses can be a welcomed style element, permitted they are in fashion at the time, or they can pose a challenge when they are not necessarily. Well right now you better be nearsighted or you've got to fake it!

When the 80's come back, outrageous glasses are not far and so when the trend started a few years back, I think Kanye West brought that frame back to the masses. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me. But Kanye ALMOST gets away with it. Emphasis on the ALMOST.

But guys! It does NOT mean YOU should WEAR them on the street!! Yes they come in all shades of color but they do look ridiculous and they do not protect you from any harmful rays.... so let's stop this already!



Go to a great glasses shop like Selima Optique NY, who has several shops across town and features really cool one of a kinds and vintage frames that are really the thing to be wearing during this trend of larger frames, which I think IS cool.

So I just wanted to share my opinion and my new frames, which I will still be changing up with all my other frames, depending on what I will be wearing any given day.
And lucky me: I never threw away my dad's old original frame he was wearing in the 50's, (never get rid of quality frames!!!) so I am right on target with these too!

me in my dad's old frames from the 50's/60's

If you are still looking for some of these frames and are not the flea market, thrift stores browsing type, check out the 90 year old NY institution Moscot on 14th street in Manhattan, they got them all brand new!

art in new york

The rain clouds are still lingering on and so for fun I go to the galleries to look at some art.

idilvice looking at art...


...wearing an art piece itself.



photo & digital art: carl posey
grateful dead hoodie: idilvicefashionrocks

gladiator sandals from turkey?

Right, it's not Summer yet - what in the world is going on?? Or what is going on in the world?? It's cloudy and it rains since weeks - but we sure are prepared for the trends which are going to be worn this season!

As I mentioned, we have not had a chance to wear any of them - my garden is ready for sun, the lettuce planted, the orchid bulbs already aiming towards the sky, but the lounge chairs are still folded leaning on the house wall for roof top coverage.

Last year I took some pictures in the front yard where I planted flowers and this year I am planning to do some more garden shoots, provided the sun finally comes out...

Elvis Presley cotton dresses and shirt by idil vice fashion rocks.

But it's really not the subject of this post, got carried away...

In 2001, just a week before 9/11, me and my hubs spent a wonderful vacation in Turkey and Greece, which of course came to an abrupt end that day, when we were about to get some last minute presents from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, before we intended to board our plane back to Switzerland and then finally back to NYC, which everyone knows did never happen.

Anyway, I got carried away again here, sorry!

The gladiator sandals that promise to be THE trend this Summer are the reason for my post. They come in all shapes and colors, and even in a jelly version ( I ordered the white ones).

The jelly versions in different colors and the genius version by Balenciaga above.

For all that do not know, these sandals were worn by the Roman and Greek gladiators. Ha! And until today there are the hand crafted originals in Bodrum (South/West coast of Turkey) in a variety of styles, but of course in the classic version, in leather only. Nothing better than an authentic original, right?

There is a lot of history in these parts of the world and the nearby town of Ephesus, which once was governed by the Romans in the year 190 B.C. after Athens and the Spartans, who dominated it during the Persian Wars, during which Alexander The Great won it for the Persians, is an absolute Must-See.




Yes, and that is what I wanted to tell ya'll, that THAT Summer in Turkey, I bought a pair - and since have cursed myself that I did not buy the whole collection - Bodrumlu originals.

And here they are... I wore them in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and I will wear them in 2008.
They just came form my shoe maker and have a brand new rubber sole (even the one that the old greek guy on Simi Island, insisted on putting on ((for free)), so that I would not slip on the many stairs on the island and who spoke Italian so that I was able to communicate with him, Nicolas was his name, had been worn down by now).


So I am looking forward to go to Bodrum again soon to buy me a few more styles... (I love them, be they trendy or not) and visit one of my absolute favorite parts of the world!

Bone vacanze!

hottest mc in tha game

Best Rock Star Alive, Best MC, Man Of The Year, you name it! Lil Wayne has been called it all. That's right! This talented, although worry some cough syrup mixed with Hawaiian punch instead of regular water favoring individual, is hot!! And he is not afraid to die. Oh, get over it! Which 25 year old is...?



When I first laid my ears on his rap I must have completely lost it because, every time after time it was played on the radio (and he's played a lot - still not enough for me - here on the East Coast), I turned up that volume and just could not believe my ears! The words come out of his mouth like I never heard it in my hip hop adoring years since the life altering appearance of Ice T's O.G. in the early 90's (Original Gangster, for the pitty'd one's who are ignorant) and later Body Count of course.

Ice-T's LP above and ja,me, a true Rock 'N' Roll Punk babe,
just around the time I discovered Rap (as we know it today) in 1991..? It was also probably when my
obsession with prints on clothing started...

...and here a few years later wearing yet another one of my favorite rappers.... Snoop Dog, in print!

There may have been only one other rapper (or maybe 2, no, there are more) who I've found untouchably striking in the same way which is ODB (Old Dirty Bastard, you uneducated MF's) and I love Method Man.

Meth, courtesy of Carl Posey Photography

Now you got to go and hear for yourself 'cause there ain't no way for me to explain this voice, rap style and lyrics, without making a foul of myself (I tried to imitate :-0). But don't tell me later, I did not make you aware of this lil' (by no means little in talent) genius from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Lil Wayne doin' his good thing

superheroes: fashion and fantasy

Men! I mean, Ladies! No, damnit Katie Holmes!! Look at this outfit!

Although I am not one of those scandal hungry young woman who read the gossip tabloids on their way home in the subway or anywhere else (I swear I never bought one, I just can't let myself go down that addictive, senseless path and most importantly, I'd like to be pictured in those magazines and therefore I don't have time reading them) for news on the celebs break-ups and make-ups, but only by looking at the covers every time I pay at the supermarket and have no choice but to squeeze by them very closely... I must admit, I would recognize Katie Holmes.... that sharp bob, in brownish black!

When I saw this picture of her (and Tom Cruise) walking up the stairs at the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the annual party was hosted by Anna Wintour who named this years gala “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy”) I held my breath, damnit Katie Holmes! Why was I not the first to pair this red dress with these fabulous deep aqua blue pumps?? She looks like a superhero. Tom, not bad either.

a shot from the inside at Met

Back in the nineties I literally shocked the people in Zurich by pairing sneakers with evening gowns on the runway, but the 2008 thing to do is a contrast color pump for sure!

Even if it was not me: Someone was ahead of Katie (or Katie's stylist) though.

Pope Benedict XVI's style recently graced America's TV screens and newspapers last month...


...wearing...



... looka here! The red papal shoes struck me then.

I am not religious, but those shoes made me look at the Pope as if he was a superhero, sort of!

The shoes are made by Gammarelli - the Pope's taylor - and are made of red leather. They have been worn by Popes since the times of the Roman empire. Benedict, an Aries ( just like my husb and I know what I am talking about!) known to have a very distinct style and putting a lot of emphasis into his pope look - I like that! He almost convinced me to give up my right to choose, but then, I still decided to keep it!

the Pope shop

I think his smirky smile had something to do with it! My momentary attraction to all things Pope and the new found trend in colorful shoes in the fashion - if fantasy - world!

last night out

It's a documentation of my last night out (at the Cinco De Mayo party at the photo studio at Chelsea Market with friends Uli, Nadine and Briscoe Savoy) before I got my door kicked in by one of the biggest Flu's I've battled in years... I hate to sit in the bed and do nothing! But we are lucky nowadays: once the headache is over we can happily sip our organic peppermint tea from Traders Joe's (my late favorite is the African Rooibos tea) and take the laptop on our lap (it's one of those rare occasion this is actually comfortable) and keep on working, until we drift off into the next little nap dream :-) it's all good! See you soon!

10 dollar dress

Oh, no! Not mine, forget it!

Despite the fact that I damn near go ballistic mastering and mixing, juggling tasks, working hard on making things niiiiice, managing local production, in order to save travel cost (gas) and escape enabling sweatshopping, keeping things under control with my laptop and blackberry alone and use a$ le$$ ga$ a$ po$$ible.... my dresses do not cost dollars 10 period.

The company that has made this possible is Steve & Barry’s. Yeap, they sell their dresses (worn by Sarah Jessica Parker - she wears mine too by the way, but she is under contract with them) for actually even less than $10, $8.95. Considering the weak dollar, the Europeans could say they bought a dress (worn by Sarah Jessica Parker!) for exactly 5.79 Euros (at today's conversion rate).



Now - of course - it is not the first time that I have heard of a dress costing a couple of bucks, as I have my entire life been shopping at fabulous thrift stores and if you'd start to compare, you'd get a much nicer dress there for that money if you are willing to dig through the garbage to find your rad piece! So don't get it twisted, people!


But let's analyze this: What better promotion can someone come up with at the start of a recession period that will most likely last for a few years? Make the cheapest dress! Yeah! Although customers of Steve & Barry’s are clueless about how the company manages to keep the quality being still so good, they do not think further and spend $100 on 10 dresses made in India.

Steve & Barry’s deny any sweatshop employment allegations, naturally coming their way now... although they name manufacturing countries such as China, India, Madagascar and about 20 others.
They say they save in other ways such as using cheap motels when traveling with the company and instead of paying for advertising, they rely on word of mouth (employing Sarah Jessica Parker as a spokes model and designer however can't be too cheap, huh?).

Frankly it sounds like just another trick to make a very quick buck.
Sarah Jessica Parker will still be preferring her Manolo Blahniks (after sporting the cheapies until she satisfies her contract terms) she made famous during her decade long embodiment of Carrie Bradshaw on “Sex and the City", when she goes out in the town, but of course, she needs to make the dough to pay for them - get it? You pay for her Manolo's while you must wear the $10 dress, sorry the 8.95 dress :( not a good trade right?

I honestly do not care for, nor fancy this $10 dress and I doubt that it will be a classic that will last a few seasons... hey, don't get me wrong, I am all for surviving the recession and looking good while in it, but as I mentioned in my recent article dated April, 25th, 2008 "Sewing Machines Are Back In Fashion" I am more exhilarated about the return of the sewing machine for home use and all the possibilities of individualism coming with that and I was just about to bring down any foreign made piece of s***t.... Yeah, it takes more than a revolution it takes more posts and it takes more people, so join me!

I'd like to add - I am afraid this does become a regular thing now and in the future - the announcement of another departure of a New York institution.
IF rock purists were unsettled last month by the opening of a designer boutique on the site of what once was CBGB, the hard-core Bowery nightclub, imagine how they will feel reading the next sentence: The old Tower Records space a few blocks away on Broadway, for two decades the spot for adolescent reveries of dance, pop and punk, has been leased by Steve & Barry’s, a clothing chain where everything costs less than $10.

Nuf said.

printed matter

Get ready for some seriously chic printed matter!!!

idil vice fashion rocks items will be accompanied by all kinds of limited edition printed matter of the newly concepted 2008 ad campaign by "ueber" talented photographer Carl Posey. Labels, postcards, posters, hangtags, print ad's, etc. Below a sample of what's to come...


Depicted here, on a late night in NYC's Meatpacking District, idil vice wearing her own Jimi Hendrix Hoodie and her Keane Soldier printed tunic, paired with silver spandex leggings by American Apparel.

I would like to give a shout-out to the renowned Restaurant Florent (just across the fabulous mural depicted in our campaign), a long appreciated French Diner who served early breakfast, (you risked to be spoiling the party to show up here before 4AM) to countless night birds throughout the 1980's and 90's.



It is sadly closing it's doors and serves it's last Eggs Benedict on Saturday, June 28th, 2008. If you can, pay tribute to this NY institution, yet another one disappearing, making way for the commercialism controlling the Big Apple. Au revoir!

sewing machines are back in fashion

JC Reports most recent newsletter contains an article from Telegraph UK about the comeback of sewing machines - not that I ever thought they were out of fashion, as they generate my income over the past decade! What would I do without them??!


Sewing machines are back in fashion:

Environmentally conscious women are buying more and more sewing machines as they turn their backs on disposable high street fashion in order to "make do and mend", according to retailers.

It has put the boom down to an increased awareness of social and environmental issues and the desire to stand out from the crowd. The chain described the revival as a backlash against a "throw-away" society.

Woolworths reported a similar trend, with its sewing machine sales growing by 258 per cent between 2006 and 2007, but offered a different explanation for the increase.

A spokesman said: "We think it's down to more home economics classes being taught in schools, the increasing popularity of fancy dress parties and the death of the high street tailor."

Reports of a sewing machine revival come ahead of Alternative Fashion Week, which starts tomorrow in London.

Josie Nicholson, founder member and project manager of the Ethical Fashion Forum, said: "Fast fashion has meant consumers have lost some of their individuality but customising your own clothes means you can create your own unique style."

Wow, "yeay" I'd say, "this is the spirit"! Maybe this new found interest in the crafty side of ones personality is also being somehow related to the equally recent found ability to be able to independently sell carefully handy-crafted goodies over the internet and is probably being promoted to originally creative individuals by the popping-up of yet more e-shops and - malls all over the world? Whatever the reason for this comeback- it is a great development!

Although I still swear on my Bernina. It's the best sewing machine in the world and I do NOT recommend any other, especially for home use. (I wish they'd finally made their embroidery elements be compatible with Macintosh however!!) Designers do RARELY use Microsoft. We design on Mac baby.

I'll attach one of my old pics (once I dig it out of my vast archive of deteriorating press clips) of when I received my "Artisa", which was sponsored by Bernina, back in 1998 - or was it 1997? - all I remember it was a X-mas present. Hope this advertising will lead to an upgrade to the newest model "wink", "wink"!

But honestly, a revolution should be on the calender! What is going on in this world? We all damn near look alike and destroy the planet by doing so - how stupid! Death to all China made garbage fashion. I like Uniqlo, sorry! Yeap, a contradiction and some may call me a hypocrite.

There is however a need for casual pieces at low prices in tough economies and that is why we frequent a store like this, but it does not mean we have to live by them and hopefully one completes his basic look with individual pieces made somewhere locally or like this post is trying to suggest hand made by yourself! Try it! I'll supply knowledge and advice in case you need it! Let's bring manufacturing back to the US.

Long Live Individuality! Go get your own machine and fix your style up and make a mark! It's about damn time!

swiss press

Below is the current weekly issue of Anzeiger, the magazin of the Eastern region of Switzerland, which includes my hometown and Kanton St. Gallen. I am especially proud of this article (It's all about me!!) because during all these years in the fashion business, I was reminded and learned, again and again, that St. Gallen, besides being one of the most beautiful towns in the world, is also the place of origin of the most pricey and highest quality fabrics in the entire world!

"This one is expensive, it's Swiss!" I hear from countless fabric dealers in NYC's Garment District. And whenever I came across a piece of Swiss fabric, it was true: The do not compare to anything. They are smooth, crisp and mostly detail oriented.

Some of the most regarded St. Gallen textile firms are Jakob Schlaepfer, Bischof Textil and more..

Examples of Haute Couture designs by Jean Paul Gaultier and others using Jakob Sclaepfer textiles from St. Gallen.

Can you imagine that I, growing up there was not aware of this world famous export? It shows in a way the character of the people in St. Gallen and maybe in the rest of Switzerland as well: The got it, but they don't flaunt it! Well, it's served them well so far and they have been the quiet leader in all things design and manufacturing.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

People like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspire me. It's been 40 years since the day he's been assassinated. He is an icon and his legacy lives on...

R.I.P

idilvicefashionrocks MLK tribute skirt honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 4 - Gerry Hudson, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement today:

“As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, it’s time for an honest assessment of just how far we’ve come to achieve his dream of freedom and justice for all."

"A quick snapshot of today’s income inequality and continued health and educational disparities suggests that we haven’t come far enough."

“Economic disparities alone are higher today than it’s been in this country since 1928. Today’s minimum wage is just $5.85 an hour, which buys significantly less than the minimum wage of King’s time."

"Health disparities are also grim. More than one in five African Americans are uninsured and they have the highest rates of death due to diabetes, heart disease, and breast, lung, and colon cancer than any other ethnic group. And perhaps most sobering—segregation and inequality continue to define our public school system. Most recently we learned that in 17 of the nation’s 50 largest cities, less than half of the students who entered high school in 2003 graduated."

“We’ve got lots of work to do."