[Images via Norma Kamali]

Influenced by classic films from the 1930s and 40s and the “classic American movie start style,” Norma Kamali introduced the iconic Bill swimsuit decades ago. A feminine skirted silhouette with a sweetheart halter neckline with ruching is flattering on every body type. The chic, fun, and elegant retro style is here to stay. Who said you have to wear a two-piece to be sexy?

Luckily, Kamali reintroduced the Bill swimsuit last year in a range of colors at an affordable price ($98), available exclusively at her flagship store in New York City and online. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the new, affordable style, Norma Kamali will be giving away four swimsuits on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare.  Can I get one of every color, please?

[September 1987 in WWD]

[Miranda in Sex and the City]

- Ambika Makin

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Jersey Shirred Sleeveless Dress, $20

Structured Shoulder Sweater Cardigan, $20

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[With Jordana Bruner of Clutch22 at the Cocktails & Couture Fashion Week Event]

Day 3 of Fashion Week was full of shows and running around, so I needed a break from my high heels and contact lenses! What I ended up wearing was a comfortable yet chic blend of reliable clothing, with a requisite pop of color

Top, with a very cool twisted racerback detail in the back, Nicole by Nicole Miller (courtesy of Nicole Miller)

Leggings (Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart)

Mohair Sweater (Old Navy)

Kayla Boots (courtesy of Kork-Ease)

Lucille Buckle Satchel (courtesy of Handbag Heaven)

]]> http://fashionpulsedaily.com/2011/02/20/new-york-fashion-week-what-i-wore-day-3/feed/ 0 http://fashionpulsedaily.com/2010/06/27/give-it-some-personality-the-classic-lbd/ http://fashionpulsedaily.com/2010/06/27/give-it-some-personality-the-classic-lbd/#comments Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:59:33 +0000 fashionpulse http://fashionpulsedaily.com/?p=10816 ]]> [I apologize for the incredible paleness of my legs in these pics!]

In the world of fashion, black is always a safe, chic choice. I easily have eight lbds that I wear on a regular basis,  with brands ranging from Target to J.Crew and Calvin Klein to Norma Kamali with styles ranging from boatneck to strapless, empire to full-skirted numbers. The one thing that always remains the same across all of these styles? The ability to include a ‘stunner’ – a terrific accessory- be it footwear, earrings, necklaces, or bracelets, that give your lbd a tremendous amount of personality and individual style. I decided to start this ‘Give it Some Personality’ series to show how you can take things you already have and breathe new life into them. I was inspired by these floral Marlee Tea Party Pink Floral Canvas Sneakers by 80%20 to create the look — the canvas shoes make the look very urban and playful, as well as practical (my feet log a lot of miles each day!). I’ve recently fallen for 80%20 shoes, interviewing designer Ce Ce Chin earlier this month, and after receiving a complimentary pair of shoes from the spring collection, I wanted to make them work in a way that was meaningful to me. I received this glass and metal necklace from my Mom for my birthday yesterday, and thought it married its sophisticated, modern aesthetic well with the downtown cool vibe of the shoes (and looked great with my Hudson Clutch!). Stay tuned for more ‘Give it Some Personality’ features!

-Julia DiNardo

Betsey Johnon's mannequin

[Images via NYMag.com]

A project that launched yesterday in NYC’s Garment District, the The Fashion Center Sideawalk Catwalk involves 32 designers who custom-designer Ralph Pucci mannequins as part of a public-art installation put together by the Fashion Center Business Improvement District. Designers participating include Isabel Toledo, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Rebecca Taylor, Donna Karan, Betsey Johnson, and many more. After the installation closes on September 3rd, the mannequins will be auctioned off and proceeds will benefit Materials for the Arts.

My other favorite pics from the new collection:

Shirred Column Print Jersey Dress, $20

Organic Cotton Knit Capri Jumpsuit, $15

Shirred Column Print Jersey Dress, $20

Tie-Dye Leggings, $10

Stripe Button-Down Tunic, $15

It’s pretty obvious that I am a huge Norma Kamali fan, however, when conveying reviews and information to you, my faithful FPD readers, I must always be utterly honest. The subject at hand is the Norma Kamali Women’s Sleeping Bag Jacket, $35 at Walmart. Although I’ve felt that most of the products I’ve tested out by the Norma Kamali for Walmart line have been fantastic for the price, this one gave me a few doubts. For one, it’s very lightweight, and could pass for a fall jacket but by no means a heavy duty winter one – it only has one button closer, and hardly a pillow’s worth of synethetic down filling. Even though it’s lightweight, it is rather bulky, and not really shape-defining, even with the belt tied tightly. Last, it is a bit too shiny; not in a metallic way, but more akin to a rain coat or – dare I say it – trash bag. What do you think? Is it a keeper? Am I asking too much for $35?

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It was the last day of fashion week, with the exhaustion and burnout from the last eight days already taking a toll on me, but there was no way I would skip Norma Kamali’s fashion week presentation! It was done in two parts — the first part was a 25 minute presentation at the Apple Store in SoHo, in which Kamali explained and demo’ed some of the innovations she’s incorporated into her business, from the “try before you buy” model with customers now using Skype, the Roiworld game, the more on-trend ebay-exclusive collection,  to the Norma Kamali iPhone application where one can fashion an outfit and then buy the actual items at Walmart.com. Normal Kamali has always been way way ahead of the curve, and is so modest that I don’t think a lot of fashion devotees even know to attribute her with many of her amazing contributions to fashion.

I give her so much credit for designing in her own style and executing the Wal-Mart collection, which now includes a $24 all in one dress, and she announced that for winter a $35 sleeping bag coat is on the way. The invite to the event was titled “the democracy of fashion” and in Kamali’s case, this really does ring true in everything that she does, from make really good fashion affordable for all, to her re-appropriating of materials such as parachutes, sleeping bags, and jersey fabrics into fantastical yet functional new creations. The second part of the presentation involved a lineup from Kamali’s new collection for ebay, her OMO (on my own) collection found in her store, and the Wal-Mart collection. Most of the collections were interspersed, and the only distinguishing factor to tell which was which was the signs the models were holding. Despite the rain and the last day of fashion week mayhem, Norma Kamali is always worth paying attention to, because what she’s doing now, will eventually set the pace for many other designers to follow in the near future.

-Julia DiNardo

Via our friends at LollieShopping.com:

I am so impressed with how Norma Kamali has developed her brand. From fine retailers to Wal-Mart, we can all find a Norma Kamali piece to suit our taste and budget. And regardless of your taste or budget, you know that whatever Norma Kamali piece you do find is going to be simply flattering.

But did you know that you can find Norma Kamali on ebay? Norma Kamali has set up her own ebay store called Norma Kamali Exclusive, where you can find exclusive styles at discount prices, such as this cute bubble skirt that’s only $50.

Norma Kamali Orange Bubble Skirt

Starting Bid: $50

And when you’re done perusing the Norma Kamali Exclusive ebay store, visit her blog…or rather, her dog’s blog at Zeke’s View from Below. Zeke is Norma Kamali’s miniature dachshund, and the eyes and ears of the Norma Kamali design room. Plus, he’s simply adorable and I’m sure you won’t regret bookmarking this doggie-licious fashion blog and adding it to your favorites.

“My life’s dream has been to promote self-esteem for women and wellness for the entire family. Through the Wal-Mart stores and Web site, I can reach more people and affect more lives than in any other venue.” —

We can’t really think of a better reason to create a lower-priced line for the mega-retailer — can you?  Our curiosity was piqued and our interest in the collection grew as the launch date approached. Sure enough, as mentioned in an earlier post, many of Kamali’s signature items rapidly sold out! We wanted to know how Norma Kamali was able to translate her innovative style to a collection priced at $20 and under, so we decided to give the line a go and try some of the pieces on ourselves! Norma Kamali and Wal-Mart were kind enough to lend us some pieces so that we didn’t have to trek to New Jersey for the nearest Wal-Mart location. We tried on items from both her Activewear and Careerwear categories for Wal-Mart, and our conclusions are as follows:

We were impressed with the quality of the jersey dresses, but overall felt that the Careerwear was targeted toward an older customer. That’s absolutely fine– and is part of the Kamali mission in creating the collection. We tried on the swingy Jersey Red Twist Shirred Dress, $20, which had a great fit, flattering paneling in the skirt portion, and remarkably well-done twisting and shirring on the bust.

Our main obsession with the collection was the Activewear; we loved how comfortable the sweatshirt material was, and vowed to buy several of the items we tried on. The best part about the items was that there were tiny details that really added a lot of value, such as trims on the sweat pants and cardigans that definitely showed that Norma Kamali put a lot of care and effort into making the collection quite extraordinary for the price point. The organic cotton tees for $6 felt amazing in both the hand of the tee and the fit — in our opinion, to offer organic shirts for $6 is going to convince  the fashion industry that it can, and should be done at lower prices. I really liked the Bootcut Jog Pants($15), and are actually acceptable to wear outside of the home! Us fashion pulsers were fighting over the Milk Terry Hooded Oversized Sweatshirt ($15), which could be worn as an actual sweatshirt, tunic top, or even a dress! Last, we really like the incredible softness, detailing, and longer length of theLong V-Neck Cardigan ($20) which had a thin, tissue-like underlay trim and adorable, military-inspired epaulets on the shoulders.

Overall, we commend Norma Kamali for doing an excellent collection that fused great design and quality, and can’t wait to get our hands on more Activewear pieces! The collection is available online, and in select stores nationwide.

-Julia DiNardo

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