Friday, February 26, 2010

mr magazine. TOP 10 TRENDS


Check out my Legionnaire cap CR115-BLK, as featured in MR Magazine on the top 10 trends.It coordinates very well with the current military/utilitarian trend. It has a very sleek Pradaesque look. www.MRKETPLACE.COM

Sunday, February 21, 2010

steampunk hat competition


So you think you can design hat? Then have a go at this;-))

Saturday, February 20, 2010

hats can make you look fit


Not only do hats protect you from the sun's cancer causing nasty rays but the correctly chosen hat can also add a few inches to your height. The human eye always looks to the highest point in judging height, so add a dashing fedora with a pair of heal to look like an Amazonian goddess.
Hats also help your colour enhanced locks from fading in the sun.
Style CR111OS-NAT can be found in better stores nationwide and is featured in the March issue of www.FITNESSMAGAZINE.COM.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN HEADMASTER


Suicide is dreadful at any age but in one so young and talented it is numbing. Did his friends not hear his cries for help? Did his doctors fail him? In the high profile fashion industry, was he unable to ask for help? With suicide comes so many unanswered questions. His spirit will live on in his creation and in designers not even born today who will look to his creations for inspirations. God speed dear one. RIP.

Monday, February 8, 2010

head over heals for shoes

Inside a Hat Designer's Shoe Closet
http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/inside-a-hat-designers-shoe-closet-2450475

John Callanan knows what he likes when it comes to accessories. The 45-year-old hat designer for Dorfman-Pacific boasts his own Callanan Resort, Millinery and Legacy labels, and he’s just as passionate about footwear.

“Great accessories, like shoes, belts, watches and, of course, hats make or break the look,” said the New Yorker. “Shoes are the foundation of a good look. It’s so sad to see a guy wearing a great-looking suit with cheap, scuffed-up shoes or, even worse, sneakers. A great pair of shoes that fit well make people feel better about themselves.”

For Callanan, one of life’s simple pleasures is having his shoes shined at Louis Shoe Rebuilder, a shoe repair shop in the Empire State Building. Though the designer admitted to having a shoe addiction early in life, he didn’t have the opportunity to indulge.

“Growing up in Cork, Ireland, I didn’t have the shoe selection to fuel my addiction,” he said. “It really [happened] when I moved to New York 25 years ago.” Today, Callanan’s wardrobe includes a diverse range of tony brands such as Paul Smith and Salvatore Ferragamo, as well as casuals from Keen and Sebago.

Pairs owned: “About 30. I tend to donate old styles somewhat quickly, keeping the count down.”

Brands owned: Prada, Bruno Magli, Kenneth Cole, Sebago, Barneys Co-op, Paul Smith, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cole Haan, Hugo Boss, Keen

Personal style: “Euro chic. I like a more fitted look. American clothing tends to want to hide the body, while European styling accentuates it.”

Most comfortable pair: “I love all my shoes and rotate them daily. But I do wear my Barneys Co-op dark-brown brogues more often. They’re a more practical choice for running around New York streets.”

Most uncomfortable pair: “Prada slip-on booties. They look great, but after about an hour, they begin to hurt my left arch. I usually slip off the left one under the table while in a restaurant.”

Biggest shoe mistake: “Cole Haan patent dress shoes. I was suffering from the ‘Cinderfella syndrome.’ The shoes were on sale for $70, and I was adamant they would fit. I somehow stuffed my feet into them for a black-tie event, then threw them away when I got home. Sometimes a sale is a waste of money. I also bought a pair of Tony Lama boots while living in Houston some years back. They never really grew on me. I also felt like I was wearing high heels. They ended up as a donation.”

Most ever spent: $400 for a pair of Prada ankle boots

Least spent: $20 for a pair of athletic shoes at Old Navy. “They fell apart after a month.”

All-time favorite pairs: “That’s a tough one. There’s my jelly sandals from when I was 6 years old. Also, the Kenneth Cole Roman-style laceups I now only wear with my gladiator Halloween costume. The purple-lined Paul Smith laceups I bought while living in Paris. My rainy day boots, lined with beautiful butter calf. There’s also my favorite Spaghetti Western-style short boots in a crackled brown leather from Buttero. They have about a 4-inch side elastic hidden by leather strips [and were] purchased at a Barneys warehouse sale. And how could I forget my olive canvas Ryan Rowe laceups in hibernation until spring? Working from home, I wear my favorite flip-flops from Adidas. The soles have hundreds of plastic pressure points. The first week is like walking on nails. My favorite running shoes for the past six months are, by far, my gray/black GoLites, which I get constant compliments on.”

Favorite going-out shoe: “I have an adorable pair by Hugo Boss with a patent tip that ombrés back to a charcoal — very sleek and sexy. I wear them with my Energie jeans with an oil-slick finish and a Bogosse shirt. Unless I’m going to be bar hopping, and then it’s my Kenneth Cole or Harley black boots with Diesel jeans and a T-shirt.”

Favorite store for shoe shopping: “Century 21. They have the best selection of designer shoes for under $300.”

Style I’d never be caught dead in: “Crocs. They’re just plain ugly. I also have a pet peeve about people wearing flip-flops on the filthy city streets. All those bad pedicures and hairy toes are so unsexy. I can’t stand wearing shoes without socks.”

Favorite fashion era: “I like clean contemporary looks. But a classic monk-strap shoe from the 1950s can still look sexy and contemporary.”

Celebrity style you most admire: “Tom Ford. He dresses so stylishly. Even in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he looks great. He understands accessories. He never looks like he’s trying too hard to be trendy. George Clooney, Matt Dillon and Brad Pitt are all in that stylish gang who don’t have to try to be trendy. They have great personal style.”

Favorite outdoor shoe: “Keen sandals. They are techy looking and slip-on with a toggle. I wear them to the beach for walking over rocks. They went with me to Chile and Cape Town, South Africa, last year.”

Recent purchase: “A pair by Bruno Magli. Suggested retail was $950, but I snatched them up for $350 at Century 21. They look like jester shoes with a tongue, but they’re really pointy and sexy looking. Definitely not for running around, but for special occasions.”

Saturday, February 6, 2010

ERNEST IN LOVE

Brilliant, hysterical play that even has a HAT SONG. What does a man first notice in a lady............a hat of course. The hat is a glimpse into her soul, so to speak. It has become so expensive to put a show on Broadway that the best shows I have seen lately are off Broadway. Their is a correlation here with fashion. Main street, with it high rents have pushed the independent stoeRs to the off-street. Only the bland stores like Forever 21, H AND M Top Shop can afford the exorbitant rents. The costumes are also great in Ernest in love, very STEAMPUNK!
Ernest in Love is a musical with a book and lyrics by Anne Croswell and music by Lee Pockriss. It is based on The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners at the irish Repitory Theatre, 130 w 22 street, NYC.
Synopsis
Act I
In Victorian era London, tradesmen and valets debate the upper class's failure to pay their bills on time, with the tradesmen accusing, and the valets fervently defending, their employers ("Come Raise Your Cup"). Lane, a valet, returns home to find his master, Ernest Worthing, rehearsing the proper words to say to Miss Gwendolen Fairfax, to whom he intends to propose that afternoon ("How Do You Find the Words?"). Gwendolen, meanwhile, with the help of her maid Alice, is searching for "The Hat" that will impress Mr. Worthing enough to elicit a proposal.

Ernest visits his friend Algernon Moncrieff, who accuses him of leading a double-life. While in the country, where he lives, Ernest goes by the name of Jack (which he believes to be his real name) and pretends that he has a wastrel brother named Ernest, who lives in London and requires his frequent attention. Jack must assume a serious attitude for the benefit of his young ward, Cecily, an 18-year old heiress and granddaughter of Jack's late adoptive father. When in the city, he becomes the profligate Ernest. Algernon explains to Jack that he has an imaginary friend named Bunbury who lives in the country and is frequently in ill health: whenever Algernon wants to avoid an unwelcome social obligation, or just get away for the weekend, he "visits his sick friend". He calls this delightful practice "Bunburying" ("Mr. Bunbury").

Gwendolen and her mother Lady Bracknell come to call, and Jack proposes to Gwendolen ("Perfection"). She joyously accepts, but Jack is worried that Gwendolen seems to love him largely for his name, Ernest, which she thinks the most beautiful name in the world. In addition, Gwendolen's mother, the terrifying Lady Bracknell, does not approve of Ernest and is further horrified to learn that he was adopted as a baby after being discovered in a handbag at a railway station ("A Handbag is not a Proper Mother"). She advises him to find one or both parents before the season is out. Meanwhile, Jack's description of his pretty ward Cecily has so appealed to Algernon that he resolves to meet her, in spite of Jack's firm opposition.

Assuming the identity of Ernest, Algernon visits Jack's house in the country. Cecily has for some time imagined herself in love with the mysterious Ernest, whom Jack has told her is "A Wicked Man". Her governess, Miss Prism, is easily distrated by the attentions of the clergyman Dr. Chasuble ("Metaphorically Speaking"). Jack, meanwhile, has decided to put his life as Ernest behind him. He is forced to abandon his intention to declare that his brother Ernest has died in Paris by the presence of Algernon in the role of "Ernest", who threatens to expose Jack's double life if the latter doesn't play along.

Act II
Lane, the valet, and Cecily's maid Effie, lament the way the upper classes make love so difficult ("You Can't Make Love"); as servants, they find it much easier together. Cecily is swept off her feet by Algernon, and she accepts his proposal ("Lost"). Cecily admits to her "Ernest" that she loves him at least in part for his name. Algernon and Jack, unbeknownst to each other, each ask the local rector, Rev Canon Chasuble, to be baptised as "Ernest".

Gwendolen flees London and her mother to be with her love. When she and Cecily meet for the first time, she declares that she can always recognize a lady and knows immediately that she and Cecily will be great friends ("My Very First Impression"). Upon discussing their engagements, though, each indignantly insists that she is the one engaged to "Ernest". This results in verbal conflict until Jack and Algernon appear and their deceptions are exposed. Since neither is named Ernest, the girls renounce their engagements and walk away, their noses in the air. Jack deplores their situation, but Algernon calmly consumes his tea ("The Muffin Song").

The couples soon reconcile when the girls learn of Jack and Algernon's plans to be christened. They all swear "Eternal Devotion". Lady Bracknell arrives in pursuit of her daughter. She meets Cecily and finds her as a suitable wife for Algernon, especially when the amount in her trust fund is revealed. However, Lady Bracknell still refuses to countenance Jack's marriage to Gwendolen, while he, in retaliation, denies his consent to the marriage of his heiress ward Cecily to her penniless nephew Algernon ("The Muffin Song (reprise)").

The impasse is broken by the appearance of Cecily's governess, Miss Prism. As she and Lady Bracknell recognize each other with horror, it is revealed that, when working many years previously as a nursemaid for Lady Bracknell's late sister, Miss Prism had disappeared with the sister's child, a baby boy. Miss Prism reveals that, in a moment of distraction, she had placed the baby in a handbag and put the manuscript of a novel she had been writing in the perambulator. The handbag was left at Victoria station and, when she realised her mistake, Miss Prism had fled. When Jack produces the handbag in which he was found, it becomes clear that he is Lady Bracknell's nephew and Algernon's older brother.

Dr. Chasuble remembers that Jack was named after his father, Ernest John. Jack, now truly Ernest, receives Gwendolen's forgiveness for the fact that he has been telling the truth all along. The happy couples embrace, including Miss Prism and her clerical admirer, the Reverend Canon Chasuble ("Ernest in Love").

Friday, February 5, 2010

ANTHROPOLOGIE HAT


Anthropologie ordered a fine crochet raffia Callanan resort hat today, style CR84OS-TEA. In addition to the crochet flower trim and ruffle, this hat has a shapeable wire so you can have fun with the brim. Shape it into a sexy western style or bend the brim to cover your eyes for a more sultry effect. Wear it in good health!!

Thursday, February 4, 2010


Lord and Taylor Department stores will carrying Callanan Resort hat CR89 EXCLUSIVELY in Blue and Ivory. This sexy hat uses 5 different shades of blue ribbons. It is a combination of ribbon and braid making it great for traveling. So no need and to look like an old bag as you try to protect your skin from the suns damaging rays;feel young and sexy in a Callanan resort hat.

Monday, February 1, 2010


KITSON L.A., that emporium of style came by the booth at the NEW YORK GIFT SHOW today and purchased 3 Callanan hats.
CR105-ASST,the sequined L.V. pool-hat.
CR41OS-ASST, a fine crochet raffia with a filigree edge.
CR43,an upturn sewn braid hat with circular detailing.
All the hats are wonderful but I am surprised tha they did nor pick some of my more fashion hats. Having said this, as KITSON is ahead of the fashion curve, they probably know better then me where hat fashion is going. I am so honored to be in their store.
Fashion is funny. Often I have stylists borrowing hats that they think are the new hot hat while I am trying to sell it off price. Sometimes in fashion you are so behind the curve that you are actually ahead of the "new" curve;-))