New 'lay-away' plan for premiere ATL event

Organizers of the annual Jeffrey-Fashion Cares runway extravaganza won’t let a sour economy ruin the sweet time they’ve had raising millions for AIDS and breast cancer charities for the past 17 years.
This year’s event chairs, Sacha Taylor and Lila Hertz, are breaking new ground by launching an installment payment plan for tickets, which they hope will keep Atlanta’s premiere fashion show as inclusive as possible.
"We feel it is important to offer our support and understanding to the many Atlantans who have shown unwavering support to Fashion Cares and our beneficiaries over the years,” the chairs said in a released statement. “We are thrilled to offer creative options to our attendees so they can continue to participate in such an important charitable effort.

(Jason Wu, Resort 2010)
Those who choose to pay for their Fashion Cares tickets can do so anonymously. To learn more about payment options, simply send an e-mail to accounting@jeffreyfashioncares.com.
Ticket prices to the August 31 gala vary widely. Guests can attend at “Patron” levels ranging from $1,500 to $25,000. Individual tickets,_ which entitle guests to a pre-show cocktail reception, a runway preview of Jason Wu’s 2010 resort collection, silent and live auctions and a lavish after-party _ are $500 each.
Bringing in Wu as this year’s featured designer should the charitable event founded by retail visionary Jeffrey Kalinsky reach its goal of exceeded the $800,000 raised in 2008. Wu instantly became an international star after designing the gown that Michelle Obama wore to President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Jeffrey-Fashion Cares moves this year to a new event venue: 55 Allen Plaza downtown. For more event details: call 404-745-0293 or visit www.jeffreyfashioncares.com.


Photo: Fashion Cares/Style.com

Gisele Bundchen's Days Are Numbered!

Once you go “hack”, can you ever go back?
A computer-generated “humanoid” walked the runway in the finale of Japanese designer Yumi Katsura’s couture bridal fashion show this week in Osaka.
The robot’s strut on the catwalk may signal the ultimate demise of supermodels, who are notoriously unwilling to roll out of bed unless thousands of dollars await them in the fitting room.
Even though Katsura stridently rides the cutting edge of design, the most popular wedding gown magazines trumpet her looks and she claims to have battalions of satisfied brides on her web site. Katsura claims credit for designing: the gymnast Nadia Comaneci’s wedding dress; the memorable gown actress Kathleen Turner wore in the md-1980’s film “Jewel of the Nile” and a vestiment worn by Pope John Paul II.
Katsura collaborated with a national team of scientists to make her runway wonder _ a robot dubbed HRP-4C _ come to life. Due to delays in translation, full details of the press conference staged with the (ahem) model on the podium with Katsura are still forthcoming.
But it’s a safe bet that HRP-4C didn’t storm out on reporters, seek solace in a meal of cigarettes and sparkling water, or slap anyone upside the head with a cell phone.
(Left: A chain-strapped bridal gown from Katsura's Spring/Summer '09 couture show)

Images: Yahoo.com, prphotos.com

Gordon Biersch Brewery's Calling All Babes!

There’s an age-old debate over the proper way for women to drink beer, if they do at all: out of glass, or out of a bottle?
An expert on the subject, whose business thrives on his female patrons, tried Thursday to lay the argument to rest. In his opinion, the correct way helps a woman look like she’s enjoying herself, and not just drinking.

Gordon Biersch CEO Dan Gordon (top left) tasting with friends

“Out of glass, absolutely,” Dan Gordon said while staff and contractors hurriedly put the finishing touches on the 27th Gordon Biersch in his national chain. Complimentary food and drink tastings are seemingly going on non-stop, but the new Gordon Biersch in Buckhead (3242 Peachtree Road, NE) doesn’t officially open until Monday, July 13.
“Beer in a glass lets you enjoy both the aroma and the taste,” said the gregarious Gordon, a SoCal native went to Germany as a youth to earn his Master’s degree in brewery engineering.
Though beer is primarily marketed toward male customers, Gordon maintains that women have the greatest propensity to enjoy it.
A Gordon Biersch beer sampler (left)
“Women typically make the best beer-tasters. Their palates are more youthful, cleaner, more sensitive. They can pick up on the nuances of good beer better than men can.”
The fairer sex feels freer to relax and order a beer, Gordon said, as long as the environment has a classy air.
“There’s no peanut shells on the floor here,” he huffed. “This place was designed to be modern, airy and open.”

Custom-crafted light fixtures hanging from the vaulted ceilings cast new Buckhead location in a warm, golden glow. The “beer signage” gracing the walls is actually a series of vintage Art Deco framed prints. The pool tables posted near the main bar are covered stylishly in slate grey felt.
“The days when women felt hesitant to order a beer are gone,” Gordon said. “They’ve evolved to the point where they know exactly what they want (out of all the brewery’s in-house varieties). And if they’re not sure, we offer them a sampler to guage their tastes.”
Donated proceeds from the Gordon Biersch Buckhead grand opening will benefit the Shepherd Center for children's spinal ailments. For more info: call 404-264-0253

Girls Night Out! at the W Hotel Buckhead

When guests got their invitations to the Girls Night Out! Party at the W Hotel Buckhead, many adopted the mindset that they should dress as if they would be modeling in the affairs Betsey Johnson fashion show.
Styles ranged from slinky to borderline kinky. Bold splashes of color in some outfits were balanced by the get-ups cast in black. Short, flowing dresses and off-the-shoulder tops worn over shiny leggings were the night’s most notable looks.
A bottomless supply of Martini & Rossi’s blush champagne helped keep the mood bright. And if in any rare instance anyone felt the least bit bored, they needed only to cast their eyes downward and soak in the staggering array of sky-high summer heels strutted in the crowd of 300.

Back-to-School Clothes: Beyonce Style

What sort of parents would permit their daughters to go to school dressed like this? Pop superstar Beyonce and her own mother Tina are banking on the notion that a bunch will.
They’ve just (disjointedly) announced an extension of their stagnant House of Dereon clothing line: it’s the Sasha Fierce juniors collection they plan to ship to stores in time for the back-to-school shopping period.
In statements released separately (Bey’s on tour, Tina’s not), they implied that the clothes are based loosely on the costumes that Thierry Mugler designed for Mrs. Jigga’s ongoing series of concerts to promote her third solo album.
Online, New York magazine reported the launch derisively; mocking potential Sasha Fierce customers as “misguided”. “It all sounds perfect,” nymag.com deadpanned, “except the merchandise list lacks two key elements: the metal glove and the money fan.”
Women’s Wear Daily took a more measured tone toward the launch of Sasha Fierce “sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry”. Parents beware: “the line has so far been picked up by department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s,” WWD reported.
The expectation is that all the young ladies who’ve bought into the Sasha Fierce alter ego Beyonce concocted will make cash registers ring to the tune of $50-$150 per item.
Looking at this garb _ this money grab _ just makes me grateful that, for the foreseeable future, my son will be taught in a single-gender classroom and his female schoolmates will wear mandatorily drab uniforms.