Fashion Love: Alison Edmond & John Pearson

Alison Edmond and John Pearson met as teenagers in Yorkshire, England, before, as Alison says, “any of this fashion stuff happened.” That fashion stuff would be Alison’s career as a magazine and fashion stylist and current Fashion Editor-at-Large for Marie Claire and John’s as one of the most sought-after male models of the last few decades, producer and editor. That’s him on the Prada Spring 2013 runway. You might also remember him from George Michael’s iconic Freedom video with Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and the lot — a shoot Alison covered for Vogue. Thirty years together and three children later, they are still very much in love.

Recipe: Terry Richardson, the Drink

With Fashion Week (and the weekend!) upon us, we hunted down mixologist Brian Bartels, of Fedora, Joseph Leonard and Perla, for a boozy refresher. The novelist and Director of Bar Operations for Little Wisco restaurant group surprised us with a cheeky take on the Aperol spritz, named after industry shutterbug Terry Richardson and resembling a camera lens. “A colleague of mine was joking about how anything can happen at his photo shoots,” says Brian of his mustachioed inspiration. “The same applies to cocktails — anything can happen.”

Best Dressed: Alexis Bryan Morgan

We caught up with Alexis Bryan Morgan, Executive Fashion Director at Lucky, before the onslaught of Fashion Week. Here, wearing Tory’s Isidor Dress (available in April), the mother of two talked to us about the Lucky life, Paul McCartney and why editors sneak in a drink or two between shows.

Fashion Love: Christina & Swaim Hutson

Christina and Swaim Hutson are cult figures in the fashion world — at one point responsible for Obedient Sons & Daughters and Generra. The design duo now juggle both their creative consultancy Hutson New York and parenthood. Somewhere in there, they get time to just talk.

Spotlight On: Even Designers Eat

Fashion Week involves more than klieg lights and runway spectacles — there are a lot of sleepless nights, especially for designers and their teams. Of course, you can’t burn the midnight oil without a little sustenance so we asked a few of our designer friends — in the Garment District, TriBeCa and NoHo — for their go-to late-night takeout spots and orders. And there’s not a handful of almonds in there.

Book of the Week: New York at Night

They don’t call New York the city that never sleeps for nothing. We kick off fashion week here with an ode to Gotham’s twilight hours. As New York at Night: Photography after Dark shows, the city comes alive when the sun sets. With shots from Richard Avedon, Guy Bourdin, Diane Arbus, Stanley Kubrick, Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley and more, the book’s a seductive and electrifying slideshow of the city pulsing through the ages. And like New York itself, there’s a little of everything, from the glittering and glamorous to the gritty and deliciously debauched.

Photograph by Larry Fink, George Plimpton at Elaine’s, NYC, January 1999 © Larry Fink

Best Dressed: Candice Lake

We caught up with street-style photographer Candice Lake as she settled in to her new London apartment after her January wedding back home in Australia. She’s known on the fashion week circuit for her height (a cool 6′) and streamlined style (a lot of color blocking). Here, wearing Tory’s Lacquered Rattan Basket and Daphne Wedges, Candice talked about how she reinvented her own career in fashion, style and how to kick homesickness.

Book of the Week: Hawaii

Curling up with James A. Michener’s 1959 novel Hawaii is the next best thing to jetting off to the sunny islands themselves. The book, a favorite of Tory’s mom Reva, is an epic tale that traces the history of Hawaii from its creation (literally — chapter one begins with volcanic eruptions) to its statehood, as seen through the eyes of various families through the ages. Equal measure fact and fiction, it’s a lush, sweeping narrative, much like Michener’s 1947 account of the South Pacific, which turned into the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. There’s a Hollywood version of Hawaii, too, which starred Julie Andrews. One of the extras was a young as-yet-unknown Bette Midler. Who, it so happens, is a Honolulu native.

Street Style: Stripe Tease

It’s hot somewhere, right? While it’s winter here in New York, we dream of warmer days ahead. And the kinds of things you get to wear then, like a tank, jeans and gladiators. Photographer Bibi Cornejo Borthwick (shot here by Hanuk) epitomizes the buy-now-wear-later ethos as she pairs our Marlien Denim Leggings in just that kind of sunny-day combination. Her vertical stripes, paired with a heel, add an extra leg-lengthening boost.

Just One Thing: Straw Struck

Straw = beach. Clutch = night? Not so. We love the idea of taking something you wouldn’t expect to see, and putting it into a new context. Why not swap out your day bag with a hand-held clutch, bursting with personality? This pint-sized style transforms even the most basic look: its cheerful pom-poms (which remind us of marigolds) break up an otherwise monochromatic, double-denim outfit — channeling a bohemian, vacation vibe. 

Shop the Beachy Norah Flat Clutch now.

Spotlight On: Gucci Westman on the Go

We recently caught up with beauty guru Gucci Westman to find out where she’s been, what she’s up to and what’s inspiring her. Here’s a teaser: Sleepytime tea, TLC with her children Dash and Gray and husband David Neville of Rag & Bone, playing cards in Antigua and loving Caribbean colors for spring.

Spotlight On: Muscle Shoals at Sundance

Nashville, New York, Austin and…Muscle Shoals? Any music buff will tell you that, when it comes to music capitals, the small Alabama town turns out big sound. The film set is discovering just that at Sundance right now with the documentary Muscle Shoals, which features Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Etta James and Aretha Franklin, among many others, talking firsthand about this magic locale. Here, filmmaker Greg “Freddy” Camalier tells us about its legendary recording studios. Imagine if those walls could talk….

Spring 2013: As Seen in Vogue

Good things come in threes. Get a head start on spring and shop the Tory Burch trio seen in the February issue of Vogue: our wheat-print Ninian Skirt, hourglass Emilie Dress and striped iPhone Case.