izzi blog

The official izzibag blog

I woke up on Sunday to a bright and what I thought was going to be a sunny day, but my was it chilly outside, so we went from 72degrees back to bone chilling almost freezing. Izzet and I decided we would go for brunch to a place we had never been before and I won’t bore you with it, as we will not be going again, Yuck food Yuck, Yuck, Yuck. Anyway the reason for telling you was that as we walked home I realized that the blossom was on the trees already and it made me think of my childhood in England, for once I admit I actually felt home sick.

I felt so homesick

So many things have happened since I last wrote a blog post I almost have no idea where to start. My niece Katie came to stay and as luck would have it she came during Mercedez Benz fashion week. This was great as we got to hang out at some amazing shows and parties and we even got snapped by the papps at the EMU show, where they very generously gave us a pair of boots..

Anne at EMU

Rock those izzi Bags!

This was the first time in her life that she came to stay with me and it was really a precious time that I will cherish forever. I think sometimes we forget just what is important in our lives. Then it was the turn of my son to come and stay as he was in New York on business and I had a lovely one to one time with him. I love it sometimes to be selfish and have that special mum and son time. We even got a free Cab ride in the Jeff Lewis Taxi which was promoting his new TV hit show ‘Interior Therapy, this taxi had been decorated inside like a boudoir, love it.

Steve and I with the Jeff Lewis Taxi

The day turned into a disaster when Steve tripped on the uneven pavements in Tribeca and broke his ankle! so glad he got to fly home Upper Class with Virgin Atlantic, my FAV airline or I am sure he would have been in a pickle! Writing note to Mayor Bloomberg, ‘get your sidewalks fixed’!

Ouch...Get the sidewalks fixed Mr Bloomberg!

So one of the things that happened to me recently was that as you all know I am applying for my Green Card for the US and as part of the process I had to have ‘shots’ as the Americans call them as we Brits say…’Vaccinations’ this in itself was a total drama. I am 51years old and proud of it but here I was standing in line to have an MMR and a Diphtheria, Tetanus and some other Jab that I have never even heard of let alone try to spell something like Depthusis . To me it sounded like some dreadful disease., but hey ho I was brave and took it like a man!  The best bit, if you can call it that was when they did the TB test and scratched my arm with a huge needle. Very unpleasant if I may say so and I nearly punched the nurses lights out when she said ‘All Done’! really? Seriously? You just stuck 6 needles in my arm and tell me ‘All Done’ where is my lollipop?

Highlight of the weekend is that I went to the Gym on Saturday, yes you heard it here first I went to the Gym, the first time in 10 years, I ache like nothing on earth but am acting all brave and went again yesterday which nearly killed me. Who said it gets easier by the day? They must be a Triathlon competitor! Anyway I will brave it and carry on I want to get rid of that flabby bit that I can tuck into my Socks!

I ran over to the store yesterday (Oh get me all American, of course I mean the local corner shop) and as I had not yet had any coffee I can be excused for thinking I was Hallucinating when I saw this fine gentleman dressed up like Barbie!

Take me to the Moon

When I stopped snorting with laughter, I actually braved it and asked him if I could take his picture, he very politely posed for me! and then I went one step further, obviously my mistake when I asked him where he was going…. hang on to your beds, this is what he said…’I am taking the next ship to Mars’.. I obviously needed more than a coffee! Only in New York.

As I am a lady that lunches (A little too often I think my husband might say) I thought I would for once be a good wife and go take my husband out for lunch. I got myself all dressed up, hair, makeup and my new best dress, hold those thoughts there is a reason for telling you. We met at Union Square, the sun was shining so we decided to grab a bite and take it to the park on the square. We found a bench in the sunshine and sat down, life was feeling good, as we sat there just putting the world to rights munching away I looked up to see this girl ( I can’t refer to her as a lady!) I thought I was mistaken, had sunstroke, or really needed a new pair of glasses, for she was wearing a pair of jeans, had a tote thrown across one shoulder and that my friends,was it! have you fallen in yet? No? well let me paint the picture, she was Topless, yes she was Topless!! Now in the UK she would have been surrounded by Coppers, dragged kicking and screaming into the Meat Wagon, carted off to the Nick.  Fear Not Americans I will explain, This translates to… She would have been surrounded by Police, dragged kicking and screaming into a Police Vehicle and taken to the local NYPD HQ.

I forgot I had met the Queen!

However you look at this situation, believe me when I tell you that she sauntered around the park and noone, yes noone, battered an eyelid! I, being British voiced my opinion a little too loudly to my husband, when to my surprise there was an old lady in her very late 70′s (being kind here) turned to me and said ‘ What is your problem, honey, men do it so why shouldn’t she’? Flawed was an understatement, if my grannie had been there she would have taken an umbrella to that girl, called her something very unladylike and averted her eyes. The police would have arrested her and probably sent her to the Nut house for assessment. How things have changed and how living in America never ceases to amaze me! Oh and by the way you didn’t expect a picture of a Topless girlie did you? No, sex please we are British!

In the name of pure madness here we go again it’s that time of the year, Yes it’s fashion week 2011……

I was very kindly sent a range of hair products from Joshua Ladner actually they are Paul Mitchell but Joshua sent them to me… I have to say that I love all things hair and there fore they were gladly received and used immediately. Even Mr izzi said he liked the easy to squeeze bottle and the smell. I pampered myself no end on these and I encourage you to check out his web site as he writes about all things fashion…..

Paul Mitchell

Next up is a brand new line of make up that you my friends are going to adore it’s call JingAi Skin.

Donna Cristino is the founder of Jing Ai, which means Pure Love.  Jing Ai is an eco – chic beauty brand inspired by timeless memories of the pure love received from her grandmother Rose who died of  breast cancer.  The ranges of pure, organic cosmetics are named after different types of roses from around the world.  Every Jing Ai product is formulated with the finest-possible certified- organic ingredients including botanical and flower oils, natural mineral pigments, coconut oil and is 100% Gluten free. Every product is packed with high  concentrations of proprietary signature compounds made from certified- organic Champagne Grapes from the Napa Valley and Wild Roses from Brazil; the one for its superb antioxidant/anti-inflammatory/anti-aging properties and the other – the “Elixir of Youth” – for its rich multivitamins, Omega  3s and Omega 6s that heal and regenerate. Seriously you have to try this wonderful makeup, my favorite is the concealer and the lip gloss, costs start at $19. Donna will be at Henri Bendel’s on Fifth Avenue from February 27th through to March 4th for her first trunk show, so if you are living in New York please go and see her.

JingAi Skin

A highlight of my week was receiving this wonderful StarkWeather Umbrella. So here is what they say about it….

The vision behind the Starkweather Umbrella is to give the user a sense of comfort. The hand is a naturally ergonomic shape, and the experience of holding a hand provides a sense of companionship. What would you rather hold on a dark and stormy night?

Starkweather umbrella launched in 2010 with it’s first model, Bridget named after the model whose hand was cast to create the line. Each handle is cast from the original and sculpted into shape for a comfortable fit. After the handle is moulded and cast, it is sanded by hand to a satin finish. Assembly and finishing are completed manually, this ensures that all mating surfaces are perfectly matched. The subtle differences that these manual processes create add to the individuality of each piece.

The Umbrella body is imported from Italy, the fine woven canopy complements the solid handle and polished metal hardware. The Umbrella is designed and manufactured in Brooklyn New York and I have to say on first impression I was a little unsure of what I thought about holding a hand, but I want to tell you that I have not been able to put it down and what is more important is that my husband and niece who is staying with me for a week also has had to keep picking it up. The cost is $349 and can be purchased on their website www.starkweather.umbrellas.com . So all I need now is the rain so that I can try it out……

Starkweather Umbrella

Finally for this blog post, last night I went to the Style Coalition Fashion 2.0 awards which was a really fun evening, hosted by Yuli Ziv and Robert Verdi, of course as always the joker in the pack, Robert told so many of his funny stories that had the audience giggling and ducking for cover when he threw several pairs of his new sunglasses into the auditorium.

It was really nice to see Norma Kamali at the event and to hear her thoughts on where things are going within our industry. It was great to see DKNY and Prada at the forefront of Social Media getting awards. I attended the event with my niece Katie and my good friend Bhavna Juneja of Jammu the wonderful Cashmere and Silk Scarf company.

Bhavna Juneja, izzi bag Anne Agoren and Katie Dixon

So now let the fun begin as the 2012 New York Fashion Week gets under way and I so look forward to seeing what the designers will bring to the table.

If you have followed my blog over the years, you will know that I very rarely advertise someone else’s work. This blog post is totally different, I have to tell you this story, I was invited to attend a networking / Christmas Fare in early December, unfortunately the day i was supposed to go I couldn’t because I had just flown in from Los Angeles and I was drained beyond belief. Normally I would just have said sorry to the organizer and moved on, but on this occasion I could not do that, firstly because the organizer was a good friend Kimmie Smith and she had gone to great pains to put this event together.

Bhavna

So having said all the above I made izzi come into the city with me and left him browsing around his favorite store B&H on 9th and I went off to the ink48 Hotel on 11th Avenue to see what products Kimmie had put together. I was instantly drawn to the corner of the room where this stunning Indian Lady was standing amongst an array of Silk and Cashmere scarves. Everything else seem to just fold away, I had to talk with her, I wanted to touch the fine silks and soft cashmere. Please do not ask me why I had this urgent need to talk to her I have no idea. Anyway her name is Bhavna Juneja and she is one of two sisters, brought up in New Delhi, India by a single mother. She came to the USA and got married and had two children, she now is also a single mother. I know so much about her already, I feel like I have known this woman half my life, oh and before I forget her company is called Jammu Style

The Story of Two Sisters

I spent a lot of time asking her about her scarves, asking where she got her inspiration from, where the silks were made, how she printed the soft cashmere. I wanted to know everything about them, Bhavna told me that she has been inspired by the Indian Maharajas and it shows through in the prints on the scarves. The silks are hand rolled to perfection and the cashmere is not only hand woven but dyed in the spring waters of Kashmir. She has even encrusted her new collection with Swarovski crystals. Her collection of silk twill scarves have been printed with ceremonial swords, timeless timepieces, royal jewels and royal classics. There are truly amazing and the colors are so vivid.

See the Vivid colors and designs

I left the hotel feeling really inspired by Bhavna and her story and felt that our paths would cross again, little did I know that she had felt the same and the next day she contacted me and we agreed to have lunch. When I met her again we talked for more than two hours and realized we had a lot of synergy in our lives. I have to tell you that Bhavna is an amazing woman and I for one think that you my readers must check out her website as soon as you can. I ask you to pass the word to your friends about her, she needs all our help to make this business a success and I for one will talk about her often. I count her now as a friend and wish her every success for her future, the next time I see you, I hope you will be wearing one of scarves from the Jammu Style collection.

This is my Favorite Scarf