A Look At Jay Z's Exclusive Holiday Collection for Barneys, 100% Of Which Benefits Charity.

“A New York Holiday” is an unprecedented collaboration between Barneys New York and Mr. Shawn Corey Carter - aka Jay Z. They have partnered with some of the most prestigious fashion houses in the world — Balenciaga, Balmain, Lanvin, The Elder Statesman, En Noir, Hoorsenbuhs, Hublot, Just Don, Lanvin, Moncler, Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens, Roc Nation, Stutterheim, T. Anthony, Acne Studios, and Cutler & Gross — to create exclusive, limited edition products inspired by New York City in a color palette of black, white, gold and silver with many featuring Barney's Holiday Emblem (a stylized Maltese cross).




The products are available in the BNY SCC Gallery (a space dedicated to the partnership) as well as for purchase online.

In the spirit of the holiday season, Barneys New York will donate 100% of sales from this collection to the Shawn Carter Foundation.



“With this project, Barneys New York and I were able to take the slickness, energy, and innovation of New York City and translate that into quality, timeless pieces,” said Mr. Carter. “Everything that encompasses ‘A New York Holiday’—the items chosen, the amazing designers that participated, the windows, the design of the BNY SCC Gallery—represents a perfect example of a unique and groundbreaking collaboration that I hope demonstrates how inspiring New York has been to me.”

The making of A New York Holiday:


Below are ALL the items in the collection (some may no longer be available for purchase).

Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for The Elder Statesman blanket:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Knit Mask with emblem for The Elder Statesman:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Balenciaga leather backpack:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Balmain
Barney's Print Holiday Emblem scarf:

Epaulette Tee Shirt in white and black:

Emblem-print Epaulette Tee Shirt:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Leather Brooklyn Cap for Just Don:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for En Noir.
Embroidered Leather Boxing Shorts:

Leather and Suede Camo Windbreaker:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Rick Owens:
Mollino Crocodile Jacket:
Leather Cutwork Fleece Hoodie:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Stutterheim raincoat:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Hoorsenbuhs 18k Gold New York City Ring:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Hublot:
18k Gold Shawn Carter by Hublot 45mm Classic Fusion:

Shawn Carter by Hublot Black Ceramic 45mm Classic Fusion Watch:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Cutler & Gross Sunglasses:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Down and Leather jacket for Moncler:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Roc Nation Nylon-Overlay Camo Field Jacket:

Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Leather Duffle for Proenza Schouler:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter for Lanvin:
Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Lanvin Vinyl Coated Camo Jacquard Tie:


Lanvin Slim-fit Two-button Jacket:

(Lanvin slim trousers and white dress shirt also available)

Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter T. Anthony Oversized Zip Duffel:


JAY Z Gold by JAY Z:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Cohiba Comador Cedar-lined Humidor Set:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter NYC NYC Tee:


Limited edition Shawn 'JAY Z' Carter Acne Studios Town Jay Resin-coated Jeans - BLACK


BNY SCC Gallery:



Shop the entire collection here.

“We are proud to honor our home, the great city of New York, this holiday season—and there is absolutely no one better to collaborate with on this project than the New York born and bred Shawn ‘JAY Z’ Carter. He is a groundbreaking musician, a pioneering entrepreneur, and the ultimate creative collaborator,” said Mark Lee, Barneys New York CEO. “We look forward to capturing the energy of New York, and merging the vision of Shawn Carter and the style of Barneys New York in this unprecedented holiday event.”

In the spirit of the holiday season, Barneys New York is proud to be making a donation to the Shawn Carter Foundation, a New York-based charity which awards post-secondary scholarships to students facing socio-economic hardships.

all images and information courtesy of Barneys

Meet The Hippest Star Of TV's The Bridge: Diane Kruger's Character's Leather Jacket

The Bridge is a new gripping crime drama on the FX network. Adapted from the Swedish television series, Bron, it's a present-day crime thriller exploring the tensions on the U.S. - Mexico border.



Sonya Cross, played by cool blonde actress Diane Kruger, is an El Paso,TX homicide detective with Asperger's Syndrome who teams up with Mexican counterpart from Chihuahua State Police, Marco Ruiz (played by the sexy Demian Bichir) to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the border.



From the very first episode I noticed the distressed leather jacket worn by Sonya Cross. With a faint image of a horse image on the back, two tigers (one patch and one illustrated), leopard print shoulder insets, a fading red star on the right sleeve and embellished with such personal items as a row of safety pins on the shoulder and duct tape on the cuff, she rarely takes it off. By the 7th episode I was both obsessed with the show - and the leather jacket.



I did a bit of research and found, via the Costume Designer's Guild, that the jacket was custom made by costume designer Anna Terrazas and her team.



According to Terrazas, Kruger's character is a “very uniform person and does the same routine every day.” As such, Sonya doesn’t have a real sense of style. One piece that will potentially stand out to viewers, however, is a vintage leather jacket that Sonya wears all the time. Viewers eventually come to find out that the jacket once belonged to Sonya’s sister.




“[The jacket] doesn’t make sense for what she does as a detective or who she is, but the whole idea is that it has sentimental value and is worn in memory of her sister,” says Terrazas.



Terrazas says it took a very long time to find the right jacket, but eventually they came across the staple piece in a vintage store in Los Angeles. Terrazas and her team worked to age and distress the leather so that it would appear to be as old and special as the story intended.




“I like to work in teams, everything is very collaborative,” says Terrazas, adding that each team member was allowed to give suggestions for the jacket or add their own personal touch. For example, she says, they painted a horse onto the back of the jacket because Sonya’s sister had a love for horses. The jacket also has hidden studs on the back under the collar and inside the jacket, as well as two “piercings,” which were popular in the 90s – one for Sonya and one for her sister.

“The studs and hidden details are more for Diane than they are for the audience,” she says. “They make the character and story more real.”



Don't miss The Bridge and this fabulous leather jacket. It's on The FX Network Wednesdays at 10pm.



images courtesy of the FX network and Anna Terrazas.

If You Don't Look Like Steve McQueen At Least You Can Dress Like Him.

Steve McQueen was the embodiment of rugged sexiness. The fact that he was as masculine offstage as on, makes his appeal timeless. So it's no wonder that clothing company Barbour has introduced a Steve McQueen Collection consisting of good-looking outerwear, rough-hewn workshirts, knits and tees. Created to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the International Motorcycle jacket, the iconic British Brand designed this limited edition capsule collection featuring the King of Cool.

Secret Circus Clothing: They're Not Clowning Around

There's a new clothing company whose style is evident in both their website design as well as their products. A little regal, a little rock n' roll, a lot of sparkle, leather and cashmere and you have Secret Circus Clothing. With a youthful, wealthy, hip look and feel, it's bound to be a favorite amongst celebs.




In a goth meets rococco meets royal kind of style, Secret Circus makes tops, denim, leather and accessories for both men and women who like to be noticed. Their clothes are not for the meek or timid, but instead for those who wear them as a badge of honor- or style.



From cashmere hoodies embellished with imagery and text like "beauty kills" (my personal favorite, shown above) to leather jackets studded with Swarovski crystals and ornate text, Secret Circus Clothing is not what you'd call affordable, but certainly what you'd call original and artful.

Some examples of their cashmere tops and hoodies:




Leather jackets and vests embellished with crystals and text:






Denim: Back pockets display the SC logo in gold, black or blue:


The website is a feast for the eyes as well.



Designed by Strange, it has the same look and feel as the clothes and is both easy to navigate and fun to look at.




So, even if you're not in the market for a cashmere hoodie or swarovski studded leather jacket, you may want to check out the site just the same.



If the name of this company sounds familiar, they received a lot of attention when, to launch the company, they auctioned off a pair of diamond emblazoned jeans at this past January's London Fashion Week to an unnamed buyer.



The jeans featured five large diamonds (and ten smaller ones) on the back pocket along with the SC logo.
Two 6.0 carat brilliant cuts
A 4.63 carat marquise cut
A 5.36 carat pear shaped
A 5.09 carat princess cut
and 10 smaller diamonds.
Value? $1.3 million USD, making them the world's most expensive pair of jeans.

UPDATE: Since this post, Secret Circus has changed their site and their look and style. The clothes shown in this post are no longer in their inventory, but you can see what they have here