Editor's Letter

Fashion Fad. Just how much can we invest today in "the new look" and how far has it gone off tradition to break your pocketbook in what can possibly be a poor investment in just a few months? In this issue we're holding onto the classics with a twist and hoping you get the message since some of our suggestions will surely stabilize your style fantasies and give you a whole new look - from dress code to decor makeovers. Hang on to that classic look with the trench and pumps, but jazz it up with some animal graphic prints. What's in and out, keep and toss by Fashion Editor Jilian Sanz in Spring Cleaning 08" (page 34) can be a guide, but by keeping classics and tossing old fads you can never go wrong. Even men's fashion has taken on a new twist with edgy statements in accessories - big bags have crossed the line into his wardrobe with patent blue shoes and the dressed up T, which are sure to make it through a few events and tossed next year ("We've Got Male" page 42). The fashion features in this issue have us spinning: shorter-than-ever minis for her ("Double Take," about the trends and models happening right now, page 80) and Pee-wee hems on slacks for him ("Swing Of Things" page 94) - these are definitely big statements for the most confident dressers. I can't help remembering when years where defined by the length of skirts and just one inch above or below the knee meant you were either in or out. How we traumatized ourselves over shortening that skirt because it was bye-bye forever. Hailing from the northeast, where seasons do change, this was a costly decision. And remember pegging? Well, forget it this year. The skirt is either flouncy or so short it hugs just below the hips and then cuts off!

Fashion is just not for the weak kneed.

Decor is also on a rampage of change and judging by the new product intros last fall, contemporary styles are embracing traditional embellishments and vice versa ("Classic Cool," page 54). Fendi, one of the monogram branders on just about everything, has taken to the ceiling with a glam crystal chandelier on which you can't miss the double "F"-- even when it's hanging from the tallest ceiling. Colorful painted furniture looks old and new with a twist of the leg. And metal chairs that just can't be comfortable are taking up space in "cool" artsy lofts, but how long will they hold court when space is such a commodity these days? Don't throw out your antiques. Just store them and introduce them back into your lifestyle one at a time when you're confident you can handle the "mix trend" - not to be confused with eclectic, but preferably referred to as acquired taste. Just one signature piece can bring on a whole new look and these showpieces are getting all the attention. In "The Perfect Mix" (page 100) jewelry designer Annick Krasna and her husband David show us how they've nestled cozily into a former water tower where they've stashed a lifetime of travel acquisitions into a unique setting that becomes very entertaining several nights of the week.

For me, there's just too much flash - both in fashion and interiors. Color has me blinded and bored, and big prints will just make us all look bigger, which brings me to diets. Editor Jennifer Kramer pulls it all together in her article ("Hand To Mouth," page 138), which details everything you need to know about diets that run the gamut from fad to fabulous.

I'm giving it another month before I settle on one that will entice me enough to give up my new favorite flavor from Häagen-Dazs, chocolate peanut butter. We have some serious issues with the makeover here.

Esther Jackson
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief