In honor of W’s two newest interns—Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey—we asked Associate Market Editor Garrett Munce to shed some light on the dos and don’ts of intern attire. To see how our newest additions fare in the fashion closet and for a peek at the W offices, check out the new episode on the CW tonight, 9/8c.

Plus, enter to win enter for a chance to win your own behind-the-scenes fashion experience in New York.

Girls aren’t the only ones who need to navigate the minefield of appropriate intern attire. There are plenty of male interns who need help figuring out what to wear, especially to a fashion internship. Here are my tips for a flawless fashion closet look:

1. A sleek leather jacket is a great alternative to a blazer, and layering is essential when you’re running all around the city.

Brunello Cucinelli’s leather jacket, $3,640, at neimanmarcus.com

2. Chances are you won’t need to wear a suit or jacket every day, so a cardigan or light knit is great for adding a bit of refinement. Plus, it helps with the frigid temperatures inside most offices.

Lanvin’s cotton and wool cardigan, $795, at barneys.com

3. Plaid button down shirts are extremely versatile. They look great with or without ties and are perfect for adding depth to layered looks.

Marc by Marc Jacobs’s cotton shirt, $188, barneys.com

4. Corduroys or chinos can be a great alternative to jeans if you want to dress up your look. Opt for a style like these that are cut like jeans for more comfort.

Rag & Bone’s corduroy trousers, $265, at saks.com

5. When it comes to footwear, comfort is key — you’re on your feet all day. Desert boots are great because they’re often as comfortable as sneakers.

Prada’s leather boots, $495, at neimanmarcus.com

Fashion is all about your look—but if you go overboard, what you’re wearing can overshadow your work. It’s usually good to avoid:

—Tank tops, deep-v t-shirts and short shorts: This is not a day at the beach. If it’s that hot, wear a polo.

—Heavy jewelry: While it’s definitely a statement, wearing a lot of jewelry can pose a hazard when you’re moving racks, packing trunks and carrying garment bags around the city.

—Open-toed shoes: Take it from me it really hurts to get your toes run over by a trunk.

—Really tight jeans: Interns’ outfits should be a balance between style and comfort. You should be able to sit down in your jeans.

Friends with benefits takes on a whole new meaning at the Standard Spa Miami Beach, where a new shop in partnership with the OHWOW gallery, STND X OHWOW, recently opened. The cultural cultivators who inhabit the Standard—and its parent company, André Balazs Properties—have called on their talented clan of fashion, art and design pals to stock the shelves of this jewel box of a store with limited-edition merchandise, in addition to the usual hotel shop fare.

Designed by Rafael de Cardenas, of Architecture at Large, the space “aims to create discovery.” “There’s a history of small spaces like this one,” says Cardenas. “I always reference this absolutely amazing jewelry store in Vienna called Schullin when I work on a project like this one. Jewelry stores do small spaces well; they know how to narrow your focus.”

In focus at STND X OHWOW are books from artists/friends-of-the-Standard like Brian Donnelly (whose monograph from Rizzoli was launched at the store during Art Basel), Jose Parla, Ari Marcopolous, Tim Barber and Scott Campbell. Other artist editions include Julia Chiang’s gorgeous porcelain apples and a new set of light bulbs from Donnelly whose colored filament bears his signature “XX.”

De Cardenas is no stranger to working with artists himself; his recently completed fordProjects gallery opened two weeks ago in New York, and in March, his exhibition design for “New York Minute” will debut at Dasha Zhukova’s Garage Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow.




Shop Photos by Floto + Warner

Celebrating its fifteenth birthday this season, Brazil’s biggest fashion week kicked off on Friday with an au courant mix of supermodels, cult bloggers and one international tabloid celebrity. The opening show went to Animale, a commercially successful brand that mixes Calvin Klein-esque minimalism with Brazilian va-va-voom—the label’s body-conscious styles went in an airy winter white direction this season, but the biggest runway stars were the slew of supes, including Raquel Zimmerman, Animale’s longtime face, Isabeli Fontana, Ana Claudia Michels, Bruna Tenorio, Deborah Muller and Viviane Orth. The front row was dotted with foreign press and Internet superstars, including the Facehunter (aka Yvan Rodic) and Bryanboy. Fresh off an epic flight from the Philippines, where he spent a single day after being away for all of January, Bryan was instantly mobbed by enthusiastic Brazilian press, to whom he doled out his nascent impressions of Brazilian style.

Animale

Animale

The night closed with a show from fast fashion brand Triton, who gave their teeny bopper fans (along with plenty of grown adults) something to scream about as Paris Hilton sailed out in the first look. Afterward, a high-profile Brazilian editor admitted to being embarrassed by her compatriots' exuberance, pointing out that in Paris, the audience would never get that excited. They certainly wouldn't, and that's part of what makes Brazil so much fun.

Paris Hilton for Triton

In Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut, a hilariously candid collection of personal essays available February 1st, Jill Kargman, Upper East Side mom and author of mega hits like The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund, turned the pen on herself. Chapters run the gamut: “losing her ‘v’ card,” raunchy name suggestions for Essie nail polish colors, a missive on becoming a mom for the first time titled “My Vagina Is the Holland Tunnel,” and her midlife crisis realization: “I needed to shoot guns. Immediately.”

It’s ironic that coming off of her chick lit books, these stories reveal Kargman as a totally cool, earthy, foul-mouthed (“I just write like I talk and I curse all the fucking time,” she says), seemingly un-chick-lit-y kind of woman. As she put it in the title of one of her chapters, she’s something of a “Wednesday Adams in Barbietown;” the only one not sporting Patagonia fleece at her new boarding school: “that little mountain logo may as well have been an active volcano that Pompeeii’d everyone’s ass into fleece for all eternity,” and supporting her three-year-old daughter when she told a classmate to “fuck off,” saying: “Oh, okay, well, she used it in the right context then!”

It’s a short read made even faster by her quick wit and wicked comedic timing, and true to her book’s mantra (a Woody Allen quote) “Comedy = Tradegy + Time,” Kargman somehow even found levity in her decidedly unfunny battle with cancer, “Tumor Humor,” in fact. “No sooner had I signed my contract [to write this book] did that shit go down.” she says. “I feel like laughter can be the best medicine—that cliché exists for a reason.”

The book, just like its author, can only be described as brilliantly uncensored—rounded out with equally devious cartoons drawn by Kargman. “I let it fly. I figured if I was going to do it, I wanted to go down in flames and have no edit button,” she says. “It can be kind of messy sometimes, but then again, so is life.”

With the objective to produce luxury sunglasses unlike any on the market, London-based design duo Megan Trimble (left) and Gareth Townsend launched Zanzan in 2009. Hand-made from rare, iridescent 60s and 70s Italian acetate in very limited editions, Zanzan’s specs are the visual embodiment of their name – a term, the designers say, Maltese gangster’s used in 60’s London to describe a “rush of style”. Inspired by art, literature and film, Zanzan draws on a multi-faceted history of style— from the 1920s through the 1970s—resulting in retro wares that are as much objet d’arte as fashion accessories (they even come with a hand-made leather pouch that doubles as a satchel). Megan Trimble, the chic redhead behind Zanzan, takes five minutes out to talk Sunday afternoons, relishing 70s films and the art of living well with W.

Can you tell us about the fabulous name?
We discovered the word Zanzan in ‘The Way We Wore’ by Robert Elms—his personal account of the life of a style-obsessed kid throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s in London. It’s a Maltese word used by gangsters in 60s London’s Soho to describe the feeling of wearing something great for the first time, like a new suit; a rush of style. Actually, I was talking to a young Moroccan boy on a beach in Essaouira recently and he told me that Zanzan means ‘crazy girl’ in Arabic. Maybe he was winding me up though?

Where do you find the inspirations for your sunglasses and their equally captivating names?
Everywhere—we’re both bookworms, film freaks, music addicts. Zanzan is a response to the world rather than a response to the fashion scene. Culture and history are my passions and Zanzan is just a way of making sense of all that ‘lost’ time in cinemas and art galleries, and all those Sunday afternoons watching 70s films, loving the clothes and hair-styles. The names come out of books mostly, and are just words that jump out and have some sort of resonance, romance or lyrical quality. I love it when I discover words in other languages that we don’t have equivalents for in English. We have a men’s style called Sprezzatura— it’s an Italian word for the stylish art of dishevelment. It’s a guy thing really—not trying too hard. Only the Italian’s could have a word like this! Consistent inspirations though would be Italy, France, Brazil and NYC/California in the late 60s and 70s—anything to do with living well. I am fascinated by the arts and crafts that are produced when cultures collide, probably because I grew up in colonial Hong Kong.

So interesting that you grew up in Hong Kong, then Australia and now London?
Yes, I’m Australian but grew up in Hong Kong and Sydney and now split my time between London and New York. I did a degree in Photography and have always worked in design and fashion. I saw sunglasses as a product that weren’t being made well, generally speaking. Italian style is a huge influence for Zanzan, but it seems to have lost its way. That’s part of the problem with sunglasses; they’re all made in Italy (well China really but let’s skip that). We saw the opportunity to bring an English style sensibility to the conservatism of the industry and to present a more strident visual statement to support the product. Sunglasses have gotten boring, but why? What could be more glamorous?

Who would you love to see wearing your specs?
My friends. Nothing beats seeing the people you love get excited about what you do. I’m more interested in seeing them photographed and interpreted by great photographers or used by certain stylists really. I’d much prefer to see them in a Tim Walker shoot than on some celeb, but we sell to all sorts really. I had a woman call me from Africa recently telling me she had read about Zanzan in The Sunday Times and wanted to buy a pair when she was in London. We met for tea in Liberty, and I sold her a pair. It’s fascinating who turns up. If you make something romantic or nostalgic then you always have a chance of striking a chord with someone.

Can you tell us about your latest collection of limited edition sunglasses that has just launched—why did you choose to craft them from rare, vintage acetate?
We’re showing eight styles at our showrooms in NYC and Paris this year: Avida Dollars, Zuki, Aubade, Spa Ma Ma, Sprezzatura, Paninaro, Ortolan and Erzulie. We collect vintage acetate. The colors can be truly extraordinary – some look like iridescent marble and some of the one-off’s are made from diaphanous veneers—they light up from behind if you catch the right aspect. I get a lot pleasure holding the acetate up to the light and looking at all the beautiful colors and patterns. They’re quite kaleidoscopic. They are all Italian, usually 1970s and we use this acetate because no one else can get their hands on it! 95% of sunglass sales are in black or tortoiseshell but we’ve created a small market for something more unique.

Any exciting projects for Zanzan this year?
Yes! We’re working on silk kimonos and kaftans, French-cut men’s trousers, leather accessories, a pop-up shop, and a collaboration with a hotel in Asia alongside a continuation of our work with the Fred Hollows Foundation to fund sight-saving operations in developing countries. A call from Tom Ford to lend a hand with his next collection? Okay well that hasn’t happened—but here’s hoping!

At Ikram, Maxfield, House on Genesee in the USA and Liberty, Start boutique and online at Farfetch in the UK.

Also available through zanzan.co.uk

Blair Waldorf seems to be buckling under the pressure in her new job at W, so we decided to catch up with real-life assistants Katy Younger-Hadwiger and Lacey Lennon to see what working in the W fashion closet is really all about.

W: What is an average day like?
Lacey Lennon: BUSY. I come in usually at 8:00 am to get organized for the day. The closet is extremely fast-paced: Katy and I, on average, receive at least 100 emails per day from the editors, PR firms, and designers.
Katy Younger-Hadwiger: If we are lucky and no shoots are going out, we come in at 9 a.m. and leave around 8 p.m.. On a crazy day, or when a shoot is coming back, Lacey and I come in to accept the delivery around 7:00 a.m., unpack the trunks and try and return all of our urgent returns, which is always like 20 showrooms demanding all their stuff back! Eeeekk!

How many items come in and out in an average day?
LL: Hundreds of samples!
KYH: And the day before a shoot goes out, maybe 200 samples?

Does it ever get really crazy?
KYH: When doesn’t it! [Laughs]
LL: Yes it can get very crazy when we have to pack for a shoot.
KYH: Accessories take forever to pack because everything needs to nicely tissued and wrapped.
LL: Since W does so many amazing editorials, we often send out a lot of samples for these shoots. Sometimes it feels like a race against time to make sure everything is packed up properly and with care, cataloged, and in the truck by the deadline time so it can be delivered to set the next morning!

Any crazy stories?
LL: Yes, I remember when I was an intern we sent out a very large shoot, about 20 large duffel bags! Our messenger service that came to pick up the shoot sent someone driving a mini-van and we all thought that there was no way the duffels would fit. To our disbelief that driver made magic happen and everything fit!
KYH: I think when we did the January cover with Emma Stone and we were pulling all the fetish wear. One of the editors sent me downtown to this place called The Baroness to pull [samples] and I had to refer to the owner as The Baroness.

Any tips for people who want to get into the industry? Any intern tips?
LL: Work hard! Intern as much as possible and treat an internship like it’s your real full-time job. Don’t miss any of your scheduled days, and always volunteer to help anyone that needs assistance because it can really go a long way. Know designers and be familiar with the different markets.
KYH: Just have patience and a good work ethic. We work long hours, but have fun in the closet. I love working with the interns and seeing how their taste changes when they learn a lot about fashion via W.

Francesca Woodman in a self portrait. Untitled 1977-78 (Rome)

When she took her life by jumping out a Manhattan loft window in 1981 at just 22, photographer Francesca Woodman left behind a prodigious body of work. And not surprisingly, it is difficult to read her work separate from the story of her short life. C. Scott Willis' documentary The Woodmans (playing at the Film Forum in New York until February 1) aims to go further by investigating not just Woodman, her journal and her photographs, but also her family—a family of disciplined, loving and competitive artists.

In the film, parents Betty and George Woodman stress that their daughter’s photos are merely genius on their own, and more importantly, that there is nothing dark about them. She felt joy from the vision she communicated, and recognized her depression only when she wasn’t producing. In her characteristic black and white nude self-portraits, Woodman challenges the borders of her surroundings by merging with them—be it the wall or bathtub, or even the wall or light around her. When Woodman selectively covers her nude body in peeling wallpaper as if it’s lingerie, or hangs from a doorframe, it is illuminating to know she was a force of a young woman, and not a sad one. To know her more than just her work or the story of her death, is to really appreciate her.

Photo by Francesca Woodman. Untitled 1977-78 (Rome)

Woodman was also a lover of fashion. In the film, her father tells of her first drawings—copied from portraits elaborately costumed women, such as Velazquez’ Las Meninas. This translated to her personal style. When she is not nude in her photos, she is wearing statement frocks and has a pile of unkempt hair. She is described as having a "rock star" quality among her school peers, and a bevy of characters remember her for her intense sexuality, or wearing her “skin inside out.” During her time studying abroad in Italy, the film notes how she was noticed for the striking contrast between her yellow-blonde hair and black fur coat.

We learn that once Woodman graduated form RISD and moved to New York, she searched for work in the fashion photography world, and began by loading film as an assistant. Photo rep Glenn Palmer-Smith recalls a memory of meeting her: "So here I am, I'm spending my life addressing the ego of an Italian fashion photographer, meanwhile in the studio here's one of the great photographers of the twentieth century under everyone's nose."

The photograph is the ultimate medium for recording fashion—it captures an ideal, specific moment in time. Sometimes those moments become contemporary classics, and if you stare at them hard enough, they move. As Woodman wrote, "I wish I could change minds as easily as I change socks. But then I don't change socks so easily."

Portrait of Francesca Woodman and her father George Woodman, taken by Francesca Woodman. Untitled 1980 (New York)

The Woodmans is showing at Film Forum until February 1.

—Kelley Hoffman

My typical weekend routine of casual relaxation was put to an end this past Saturday when I was lovingly invited to House of Lavande’s Centennial Celebration in the warm (well, warmer than New York) glossy and always glamorous Palm Beach. House of Lavande founder Tracy Smith welcomed her guests (a slew of editors including Marie Claire’s Amanda Hearst and Paper’s Mickey Boardman) to Florida in her amazing boutique full of vintage jewelry treasures — like those from the 1930s, vintage Chanel accessories, and a great selection of 60’s and 70’s mod jewelry.

From left: House of Lavande's founder, Tracy Smith; Paper’s Mickey Boardman.

In a girls dream come true, we were able to pick out a few select pieces to wear to the evening’s celebration at Tracy’s beachside bungalow. While meeting the Lavande team and sipping champagne, I was overwhelmed by the choices in the endless number of drawers (a scene best illustrated by fashion blogger and downtown casting agent Natalie Joos on her website, Tales of Endearment.) I finally opted for a Cartier-esque jaguar bracelet, Art Deco style crystal earrings and a 70’s gold chocker necklace to pair with my black and white Thakoon dress.

The evening was wonderfully orchestrated by brand consultant Kate Schelter and produced by Mimi Van Wyck, who decorated the bungalow with chic seaside décor and beautiful arrangements of violet flowers that lit up after the sun went down. The night ended with hours of dancing to DJ Chelsea Leyland’s crazy yet wonderful mix of beats — everything from Coolio to Talking Heads — and everyone joined in dancing (including the waiters), making it a fun night to remember.

From left: W's Lindsey Gathright, Elle’s Kyle Anderson, Teen Vogue’s Andrew Bevan and Marie Claire’s Amanda Hearst.

From left: Judy and Jane Aldridge and Garance Doré

Natalie Joos and Kate Schelter

Photos: Billy Farrell Agency

Walking through Maison Objet in Paris, the salon for all things new in the world of home design and décor, I passed by hundreds of internationally acclaimed furniture and home accessory design labels, but it was Jonathan Adler's bright, happy booth that had me most inspired. Colorful glasses, fun porcelain shaped vases, tiny travel pillows embroidered with names of cities I dream of one day visiting, squirrel shoehorns, letter openers and the most vibrant backgammon set I’ve seen—it was fun central and, as usual, so was Mr. Adler himself.

Men’s Fall 2011 collections just finished showing in Europe and the stage is officially set for an exciting season. Designers showed collections with playful takes on proportions and color—I especially like mixing of textures with interesting uses of leather and fur.

From left: Givenchy; Lanvin

From left: Burberry; Marni

From left: Dries van Noten; YSL

From left: Prada; Versace

From left: Louis Vuitton; Jil Sander