STYLE/BEAUTY

For those who are recovering from the chaos of Fashion Week, or just need to escape to a tranquil hideaway, the irresistible deals of Spa Week are calling you.

Since 2004 Spa Week has been the original and most successful National Spa Marketing Event to date has allowed millions to take advantage of the healing benefits of the spa with its biannual, signature $50 treatments. From October 10th – 16th, hundreds of day spas, medical spas, resort spas, yoga and Pilates studios and other health and fitness centers will offer 2-3 exclusive services for a discounted price of just $50 each. The average price of a massage is $85, a facial is $91, and a body treatment is $95, but during spa week these prices are slashed to a universal price. This is the perfect opportunity for those who don’t have the money to spend on a day of relaxation as often as they like ­­­–– this week is the ultimate coupon!

All you have to do is go on the Spa Week website, register and search for spas in your area that are participating in the event. Some of the most luxurious spas around are offering people the chance to indulge in their services at minimal cost. Whether you live in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County or out of state, this national event is available to everyone. But don’t forget to book your spa treatments as quickly as possible, this notorious event is known to be booked instantly.

By Ashley Caputo

To the untrained eye, it may not have looked as if much has changed on the men’s jeans scene. But for those working behind that scene, quite the mini-crisis has been taking place. With cotton prices soaring and the economy plummeting, this crisis has not been helped by consumer apathy. Jeans just don’t seem to be as popular as they used to be, especially with men getting more and more adventurous with their dress sense.

But a plan is afoot to save the day, apparently. The big players in the world of men’s jeans are putting together a huge fourth quarter push in an attempt to revive flagging sales – even though, in the bigger scheme of things, sales haven’t dipped that much when compared with other sectors. And the core idea at the heart if this plan is? A “reinterpretation” of colored denim and vintage wash jeans.

This might seem like a tired old formula with little inspiration behind it, but when you look a little deeper there is more to this sales push than meets the eye at first glance. For instance they have decided to concentrate on the premium sector, which has seen significant growth in and of it, and are applying mainstream market trends to that higher price bracket – which may not be great news for the consumer.

Some of the premium brands seeking to capitalize on this sales theory include True Religion, Seven For All Mankind and AG Adriano Goldschmied.

Handcrafted washes certainly seem to be the order of the day. Again. However, newer designs are incorporating innovative tweaks, such as one-of-a-kind shank buttons and rivets made from reclaimed tin signs – a feature that is really hot at True Religion right now. Other companies are also adding their own twists, with Seven For All Mankind also turning toward more vintage washes and away from the cleaner looks it’s best known for.

It may be less trend driven, but trends certainly seem to be the order of the day when it comes to this planned mini-revival. In the meantime, men can start looking forward to all of those out of season jeans that will be going for cheap in the not too distant future!

The end of Fashion Week in New York meant the beginning of another –– Fashion Week in London. As designers send their latest masterpieces down the runway we left here to analyze, compare and add some more trends to our grand theory for Spring of 2012.

Metallic fabrics are a hit on both New York and London runways, a bold statement for those who want an edge in their suits, dresses and t-shirts ensembles. On the runway we see metallic throughout the entire collection at Giles, on layers of draped fabrics at Todd Lynn, mixed with sequins at Sass & Bide and on shimmery skirts at Danielle Scutt. This metallic look adds a bit of fun to the designer’s aesthetic on the runway and a great way to stand out.

The tribal sensation that consumes much of the stores as we shop for fall this year is here to stay for yet another season. These bold, exotic patterns are mesmerizing on the runway are seen in a variety of forms in many collections, like the House Of Dereon and Burberry Prorsum. Tribal is also the inspiration behind a very futuristic jumpsuit at Peter Pilitto and the many party dresses at Matthew Williamson.

In both London and New York designers take the runway with a more sporty edge by using mesh fabrics –– like Alexander Wang, Vera Wang, Cynthia Rowley and Tibi had during New York Fashion Week. Wang’s collection most utilized mesh by threading it through his entire sportswear collection, and even on his headscarves. For London Fashion week Craig Lawrence did just the same as Wang, and meshed up his entire collection of long dresses, tights and cover-ups. In London the House of Holland also embeds a lot of mesh shirts and cover-ups, while Jaeger London plays with a lot of cutouts that has a similar appearance of mesh.

There were just as much of a tropical floral vibe in London as there was in New York. Designers like Erdem and Temperley London had flowers from top to bottom in simple, loose silhouettes. At Christopher Kane you can see flowers in a variety of different dress shapes and cut-outs. Ashish uses large, bold flowers to make a statement as Matthew Williamson ties light, tropical florals into his bohemian look.

And we can’t forget the snakeskin that seemed to slither down the runway in an array of different combinations. From the head to toe snakeskin jumpsuits at Maria Grachvogel to the snakeskin embellished suspenders at the House of Holland –– this is the “it” animal print for 2012. Designers at (TopShop) Unique and Fashion East also incorporated snakeskin into their collections.

Once again, Fashion Week in both London and New York has opened the door for fashionistas to mix-and-match their favorite trends for next Spring. And remember, have fun with fashion –– just as the designers do on the runway each year.

By Ashley Caputo  

For the beauty junkie, any development in skin care is cause for celebration, so imagine the thrill that ensues when a truly revolutionary new product bursts upon the scene. Fellow beauty buffs, trust me: ioma is just such a line.

Available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue, ioma combines radical new technology with holistic skin care to create a truly personal beauty regimen. ioma’s treatment follows three key steps: diagnose, customize, and measure and quantify. I recently visited ioma’s counter at Saks and let beauty adviser Ornella Marcone walk me through the steps.

After a brief chat about ioma and my own skin care concerns (acne and under eye circles), Ornella led me to a white orb that looked like a cross between the machine that blows air into your eye at the opthamologist and the space suit heads of your most feverish dreams. One side cunningly served as a computer screen, onto which I input my basic information (name, age, skin type, etc.). After I was done, Ornella turned the orb around, revealing a chin rest. I poked my head in and, quick as can be, a camera took five pictures.

Here’s the revolutionary genius of ioma – each picture revealed something different about my skin. The first was natural – my skin as it appears to people passing me by on the street. The next picture utilized a parallel polarized light to highlight my fine lines and wrinkles (this one was unpleasant to look at). The third picture used a cross-polarized light to feature my redness. The fourth involved a UV light and, astonishingly, showed the sun damage BELOW my skin! This is the same technology they use to investigate melanomas and it was an eye-opener – I’ll definitely be more religious about sunscreen in thefuture. The final picture used a blue light to show bacterial activity and clogged pores – gross.

Ornella then went through the results with me – turns out my skin is dehydrated and I have too many forehead wrinkles. On the plus side, my pores are largely unclogged, my UV damage is minimal, and I have no redness. So there’s that. At this juncture, it was hard not to feel a little shaken – forehead wrinkles and bacterial activity isn’t what anyone wants to think about in regards to their skin. Fortunately, ioma has all the solutions. Ornella went through each photo of my face and, without being at all pushy about sales, showed me exactly which of ioma’s many products would be best for my skin. As a final flourish, she printed out my photos, skin profile, and recommended products so I could think about which I’d like to buy and return later, and sent me off with several lovely samples.

I experienced the first two of ioma’s three steps. Had I purchased a product, I would have returned in a month to experience step three: measure and quantify. All customers get a one-month check-up to see how the products are working and make any necessary adjustments. ioma is currently available exclusively at the Manhattan Saks Fifth Avenue, though a Beverly Hills location will open next month. If you’re a beauty junkie and/or a tech geek, it’s an absolute must visit.

By Leila Cohan-Miccio