ShopFlick

Last Tuesday night, herald of Hollywood “It-girl” trends, Intuition, hosted—guess it!—a book signing. Between the cutesy stalls filled with billowy, bright smocks and leather riding boots were tables stacked with the debut copies of photographer Nicole Maloney’s RARE. With a foreword by Cindy Crawford and a preface featuring the Alice Walker poem “In Everything I Do,” the aim of the collection of photographs was to uncover some unknown facet of a public or symbolic figure—politician, glitterati, or, say, New York firefighter—by juxtaposing the portrait with an animal. Half an attempt to celebrate personal beauty, especially of the unexpected sort, the other intention of the project was to enlist the aid of recognizable faces on behalf of humanitarian initiatives. All of the royalties from sales of RARE will be donated to the International Rescue Committee. On the night of the book signing, Intuition owner Jaye Hersh chipped in by also donating 25% of the proceeds from all smock and boot purchases to the IRC. A book signing, a charitable cause, and some shopping all in one evening? I don’t see a reason why not.

In recent weeks, Shopflick has been the beneficiary of heaps of e-love. Style chronicler FabSugar.com highlighted us in their regular lineup of Fab Sites, honing in on Shopflick’s reputation as an end-of-year oasis for unique gifts:

“Just in time for the holidays is a fun site called Shopflick.com… sure to help you find that special gift for your loved ones… Unlike most retailers, this site is community driven and features some of the best emerging talent I’ve ever seen.”

Women’s Wear Daily, that little bible of fashion, wrote an article about the special mission of Shopflick.com to bring independent designers to the forefront:

“Shopflick, which uses video to help emerging designers connect with customers, reached… more than 100,000 visitors last month.”

With emerging designers on Shopflick pitching the perfect deal—Candice Held offering free, vintage scarves, Violet Valen throwing in Buddy tees and free shipping, and Raquel Allegra rounding out the generous donations with free leather headbands—it’s no wonder! Shopflick is also proud to be mentioned on Stylephile.com, Variety Magazine’s much beloved online fashion accompaniment, in the final week before their unexpected discontinuation. To us, it’s e-fashion history; to them, just a little slice of bandwidth appreciation for Raquel Allegra’s high-end freebies.Thanks FabSugar, WWD, and Stylephile!

The trends of Spring 2009 will be volatile: hedge fund short hemlines, color and print mergers, international acquisitions that suggest supply shortage, a newfound appreciation of transparency, and international trading of African tribal and traditional Asian prints. The stuttering economy was the theme of Fashion Group International’s “Fashion 101, Spring 2009” trend report, and for good reason: off the runway, there is no better indicator of what will seize the public spirit.

The fashionistas or, rather, recessionistas, arrived at Saks Fifth Avenue last Thursday night in droves. An assembly of fashion majors and stylist wannabes from FIDM, clothing designers from LA’s fashion district, and industry folks like yours truly nibbled on fashion tidbits the size of the single serving shrimp cocktails and flutes of champagne that circulated. Braving rush hour traffic in Beverly Hills, the most stalwart of the Shopflick crew finished our annual pilgrimage to the oracle of the New York, Milan, London and Paris runways.

What were we told? Here’s the condensed version: to jumpstart the economy, you’ll need–what else?–a jumpsuit, like the Petro Zillia Colcci Denim Jumpsuit. Buckle down on your finances during the on-and-off again peekaboo economy recovery with the Double Buckle Cutout Boots. Just remember there are fringe benefits to a recession, like a sale on this Suede Fringe Passport Bag; and to ensure future financial transparency, become intimate with see-through undergarments like the Elle Macpherson Sheer Contour Underwire Bra and Elle Macpherson Intimates Sheer Ribbons Bikini. Finally, if money worries still have you distressed, it doesn’t hurt to don a cape, but forget the dramatics and go with Raquel Allegra’s Sheer Cape Dress. Spring 2009, Shopflick has you covered.

Shopflick seller Violent Valen is having a party! Check out the Buddy Sweatshirt Collection Exhibit this Saturday from 7-11 in downtown L.A. Valen & BPM Magazine will present her one-of-a-kind hoodies while hubby, Stone Throw Record’s Peanut Butter Wolf, dj’s the event. Purchase one of her works of art, available exclusively on Shopflick, or watch more on Valen at her store. Just make sure to RSVP (buddybyviolet@gmail.com) for Saturday’s event!

Appropriately named the House of Petro Zillia, this welcoming space set the scene for a trunk show last Thursday…a house party of sorts. Inside, Nony, the head of household and generous host, introduced company to the guests of honor, designers Massimiliano (Max) Musina and Karen Zambos. Meanwhile, as some patrons (houseguests?) were slipping into Musina belts and Zambos dresses in the back dressing rooms, others gathered in the back patio, sipping cocktails. At one point, Max helped a woman coordinate his belt with a Zambos piece, a fitting summary of the well coordinated event.

Pictured above are Karen (left), Max (center) and Nony (right).

Want to visit the House of Petro Zillia and meet Nony as well? Check out her store (and fun videos!) here.

Hollywood takes its cues from what the hot red carpet celebs are wearing. Stalking them day and nite paparazzi stop at nothing to capture a solitary frame of Christina Aguilera in her newest Louboutin stilettos or Nicole Richie’s Balenciaga flavor of the month. Until recently, rarely did anybody bother to find out who the masterminds are behind these billion-dollar celebrity personas? The magic word is STYLISTS.These image-makers can make or break a celebrity it-girl, helping to catapult a girl-next-door into the girl-everyone-wants-to-dress-like: the Olsen twins, Angelina Jolie, and JLo. Coincidently, all these names can be found on the Margaret Maldonado Agency (MMA) client roster. Maldonado’s latest venture is the launch of clothing line L’Agence (translation: The Agency)–a unique collaboration in which her talented stylists will each guest-design part of the collection, working hand in hand with designers that will help to execute their vision. Ever looked for that perfect-fitting basic tee? Or craved a sick pair of japanese-influenced leather slipper-slides? Stylists Simone Harouche, pictured at left (Christina Aguilera, Nicole Richie) and sisters Maryam and Marjan Malakpour (Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham, Courtney Cox) are just a few of the iconic style-makers that pitched in so that you can find that perfect fashion staple.And if that weren’t enough fashion fabulosity from Ms. Maldonado, the 43-year old entrepreneur has just also launched Fashionrules!– a fashion trivia board game that doubles as a chic coffee table book perfect for any stylish home. What could be more fun than inviting the girls over for a Sex In The City inspired evening of champagne and Carrie trivia? Look out for more great things from Miss Maldonado and her team of stylists. Shopflick will keep tabs on these rising stars, and the star celebs they outfit.Psst: There is talks of an upcoming reality series based on Maldonado’s Melrose Place fashion agency. Watch out Rachel Zoe!

Believe it or not, even fabulous fashion parties can get old. To change it up, and bring attention to a topic near and dear to everybody’s heart, I come bearing news of Danny Seo’s latest green adventure: a foray into the eco-friendly sleep world. At LA’s designer furniture hub, HD Buttercup, Environmental Lifestyle Expert DANNY SEO showcased his new eco-friendly mattress line, Natural Care. Afterall, as Danny says, we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so why not make it as comfortable and healthy an experience as possible!With this innovative Simmons partnership Danny has given us all another reason to want to hop in bed. Minus the guilty feeling. Replacing the landfill-prone mattresses of yesteryear, Danny’s line melds cutting edge design with earth-friendly materials. (After all Danny was born on Earth Day.) The Green Guru uses latex derived from rubber tree sap (a naturally microbial substance) so you can kiss away dust mites, mold and mildew, and usher in a new era of eco-chic sleep. Check out Danny’s blog to read eco tips from the foremost export on green-ifying your home.

We are excited to announce a new handbag collection on Shopflick—Jasmin K! While you can interchangeably carry your everyday necessities or nighttime essentials in these sophisticated bags, they will always carry with them the inspiration of Jasmin’s travel, art, design and personality.And, coinciding with the launch of her Shopflick store, Jasmin is throwing a launch party this Saturday in Hollywood! Along with enjoying great company, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, you will be able to shop (offline and online, of course) and benefit a charitable cause. Select bags will be available for purchase at the event, and Shopflick will have an e-commerce station to fulfill additional purchases. A portion of all the proceeds will benefit the Violence Intervention Program’s Secret Santa initiative.So, we invite you to both Jasmin K’s online store and offline party.Her Shopflick store is located at this address.Her launch party is located at this address (Make sure to RSVP to be added to the guest list):Falcon, 7213 W Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA.November 15, 10:00 p.m.RSVP: info@jasmink.com

Shopflick: Visit this store | Get your own Store!

Deborah Samantha’s line of adorable art is adorned with sentimental, sweet phrases and characters, as seen in the example above. She uses organic materials, which give the pieces a raw and warm feeling. Her photographs, which are also available on Shopflick, are equally warm in feeling and beautiful in aesthetic. From her little creature characters, to her more sophisticated works, Deborah Samantha’s art is always charming and unique. Perfect to give to someone special.

Shopflick: Visit this store | Get your own Store!

It’s Friday night! I’d love to offer you a cold beverage, but how about a sale instead?One of Shopflick’s fav’s- Miss Misa - added two new pieces to her collection and in celebration Misa has marked both pieces 20% off for a limited time. Emerald Green Owl RingReg Price- $34Shopflick Price- $27.00The Double Strand Saint NecklaceReg Price- $35Shopflick Price- $28.00Original designs and reasonably priced make both of these pieces perfect for gifting!

Shopflick: Get Miss Misa Saint Necklace SALE yourself!See more of Miss Misa on Shopflick!