Kate Middleton’s bold fashion choice for the Olympic Opening Ceremony
When it came to who wore what during the Olympic Opening Ceremony Friday night, much of the chatter and Tweets focused on the hit-or-miss outfits worn by the athletes during the parade of Nations.
But there was one woman’s outfit in the stands that got just as much scrutiny and interest. That would be the outfit worn by Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
It was an icy blue silk coatdress by Scottish designer Christopher Kane. Fitted and belted to show off her slender figure, its shimmer was subtle and it hit the right note of elegance — not too formal or regal.
Kate cannily left the regal style notes to the Royal who was really the star of the night — the Queen, a.k.a. the Duchess’s mother-in-law.
Kate’s choice was also noteworthy for another reason. Kane is known for his edgy work, so it was an unexpected designer choice. (It is rumoured that this particular dress may have been custommade for her.) Some of the designer’s past work has featured fiery bomb-blast prints and colourful galactic photo imagery. He has designed for Donatella Versace’s younger line, Versus.
In an interview last year with WWD, he said Kate Middleton was on his list of the celebrities he would love to dress.
“It’s a shame she doesn’t wear more designers,” he told the fashion trade newspaper.
Here’s hoping that this is just the beginning, and that the Duchess will continue to take a chance with some of the bright young talent on the London fashion scene.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
2012 London Olympics opens in spectacular fashion
2012 London Olympics opens in spectacular fashion
The 2012 London Olympics opened in spectacular fashion Friday night when, after a star-studded show, seven unknown teenage athletes lit the Olympic cauldron that will burn for the duration of the games.
British newspapers proudly hailed it with headlines claiming "London Sets The World Alight."
Seen by millions around the world, the high-octane, musical celebration of British history and culture rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. It was inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and spliced together by director Danny Boyle.
The highlight of the Oscar-winning director's $42 million show was pure movie magic, using film tricks to make it seem as if Britain's beloved 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had parachuted into the stadium with the nation's most famous spy - Daniel Craig as 007.
Boyle turned the stadium into a giant juke box, with a nonstop rock and pop homage to cool Britannia that ensured the show never caught its breath.
The high-adrenaline soundtrack veered from classical to irreverent. Boyle daringly included the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and a snippet of its version of "God Save the Queen" an anti-establishment punk anthem once banned by the BBC.
The encyclopedic review of modern British music continued with a 1918 Broadway standard adopted by the West Ham football team, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Bohemian Rhapsody,'" by still another Queen, and other tracks too numerous to mention, but not to dance to.
The evening started with fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke and roaring over the stadium, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people, at 8:12 p.m. or 20:12 in the 24-hour time observed by Britons.
Boyle, one of Britain's most successful filmmakers, who directed "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting," had a ball with his favored medium, mixing filmed passages with live action in the stadium to hypnotic effect, with 15,000 volunteers taking part in the show.
Actor Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean" provided laughs, shown dreaming that he was appearing in "Chariots of Fire," the inspiring story of a Scotsman and an Englishman at the 1924 Paris Games.
Opening the ceremony, children popped balloons with each number from 10 to 1, leading a countdown that climaxed with Bradley Wiggins, the newly crowned Tour de France champion.
The 2012 London Olympics opened in spectacular fashion Friday night when, after a star-studded show, seven unknown teenage athletes lit the Olympic cauldron that will burn for the duration of the games.
British newspapers proudly hailed it with headlines claiming "London Sets The World Alight."
Seen by millions around the world, the high-octane, musical celebration of British history and culture rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. It was inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and spliced together by director Danny Boyle.
The highlight of the Oscar-winning director's $42 million show was pure movie magic, using film tricks to make it seem as if Britain's beloved 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had parachuted into the stadium with the nation's most famous spy - Daniel Craig as 007.
Boyle turned the stadium into a giant juke box, with a nonstop rock and pop homage to cool Britannia that ensured the show never caught its breath.
The high-adrenaline soundtrack veered from classical to irreverent. Boyle daringly included the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and a snippet of its version of "God Save the Queen" an anti-establishment punk anthem once banned by the BBC.
The encyclopedic review of modern British music continued with a 1918 Broadway standard adopted by the West Ham football team, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Bohemian Rhapsody,'" by still another Queen, and other tracks too numerous to mention, but not to dance to.
The evening started with fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke and roaring over the stadium, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people, at 8:12 p.m. or 20:12 in the 24-hour time observed by Britons.
Boyle, one of Britain's most successful filmmakers, who directed "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting," had a ball with his favored medium, mixing filmed passages with live action in the stadium to hypnotic effect, with 15,000 volunteers taking part in the show.
Actor Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean" provided laughs, shown dreaming that he was appearing in "Chariots of Fire," the inspiring story of a Scotsman and an Englishman at the 1924 Paris Games.
Opening the ceremony, children popped balloons with each number from 10 to 1, leading a countdown that climaxed with Bradley Wiggins, the newly crowned Tour de France champion.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Ryan Lochte’s Olympic style: in and out of the pool!
Ryan Lochte’s Olympic style: in and out of the pool!
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte stood out from the crowd as he recently sported his own green and yellow high-tops at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials last month in Omaha, Nebraska.
Most of us know Lochte for his swimming triumphs like the five gold medals he pulled off last summer at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China and posed with proudly on his birthday August 3rd! But did you know that Ryan is also quite stylish in his own right?
View slideshow: A look at Ryan Lochte in and out of the pool
Yes, Ryan Lochte is quite the fashionista – one look at his shoe wardrobe alone, a peek at which was provided during his recent interview with Matt Lauer – he loves fashion and designing clothes and has designed his own shoe collection!
That is, Ryan Lochte’s snazzy metallic Speedo shoes which will fit right into fashion trends right around the corner for 2013 which feature a lot of metallic pieces for men by designing houses like Burberry to Roberto Cavalli!
And you can catch him poolside in a myriad of stylish trunks by Speedo including a rather splashy pair of violet, coral and neon yellow trunks he wore in London yesterday July 25, 2012 at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park, standing next to Australian swimmer Kenrick Monk, or in the floral pair the day before…
Ryan was also seen sporting a Speedo I heart BREAST T-shirt, no doubt in support of both the breast stroke and women’s causes.
But what about Lochte out of aquatic centers? The 27-year-old swimmer is quite the snazzy dresser when not in a pair of swimming trunks and favors stylish touches such as camouflage bottoms, a square-studded belt and a fedora.
Attending the 2011 Golden Goggles at JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, where he received his Male Athlete Of The Year and Male Performance of the Year awards, Ryan Lochte wore a crisp white tuxedo jacket which showcased his swimmer’s tan, dressing up the look with a spotted black and white scarf. Mom Ileana also wore spots on her LBD (little black dress) sleeves.
The previous year, Ryan Lochte wore the most unusual black tuxedo with studded lapels at the 7th Annual Golden Goggle Awards in New York City, picking up his Men's Race of the Year award.
And Ryan Lochte is no stranger to the fashion world, having made the rounds of several fashion weeks, attending shows for designers Tommy Hilfiger, Chris Han and Max Azria.
Lochte’s also known for his diamond mouthpiece, a diamond grill with two flashing rows of diamonds, which at first sight may seem to some like an orthodontic treatment but nevertheless makes quite the fashion statement. Ryan Lochte – the man with the diamond smile!
Ryan was also featured in the June 2012 Vogue issue where he posed with model Karly Kloss. And you could say that Lochte is a model in his own right, being featured in ads for Gillette, Gatorade and AT&T and on the covers of magazines like Men’s Journal and Men’s Health…
But no doubt, Ryan Lochte looks his best in his (somewhat controversial) Team USA 2012 Olympics uniform designed by Ralph Lauren but made in China.
The London Olympics Opening ceremony will be held tomorrow night July 27, 2012. Here's wishing Ryan Lochte all the luck and every success at the London Olympics. Enjoy the slideshow of Ryan Lochte’s style…
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte stood out from the crowd as he recently sported his own green and yellow high-tops at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials last month in Omaha, Nebraska.
Most of us know Lochte for his swimming triumphs like the five gold medals he pulled off last summer at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China and posed with proudly on his birthday August 3rd! But did you know that Ryan is also quite stylish in his own right?
View slideshow: A look at Ryan Lochte in and out of the pool
Yes, Ryan Lochte is quite the fashionista – one look at his shoe wardrobe alone, a peek at which was provided during his recent interview with Matt Lauer – he loves fashion and designing clothes and has designed his own shoe collection!
That is, Ryan Lochte’s snazzy metallic Speedo shoes which will fit right into fashion trends right around the corner for 2013 which feature a lot of metallic pieces for men by designing houses like Burberry to Roberto Cavalli!
And you can catch him poolside in a myriad of stylish trunks by Speedo including a rather splashy pair of violet, coral and neon yellow trunks he wore in London yesterday July 25, 2012 at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park, standing next to Australian swimmer Kenrick Monk, or in the floral pair the day before…
Ryan was also seen sporting a Speedo I heart BREAST T-shirt, no doubt in support of both the breast stroke and women’s causes.
But what about Lochte out of aquatic centers? The 27-year-old swimmer is quite the snazzy dresser when not in a pair of swimming trunks and favors stylish touches such as camouflage bottoms, a square-studded belt and a fedora.
Attending the 2011 Golden Goggles at JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, where he received his Male Athlete Of The Year and Male Performance of the Year awards, Ryan Lochte wore a crisp white tuxedo jacket which showcased his swimmer’s tan, dressing up the look with a spotted black and white scarf. Mom Ileana also wore spots on her LBD (little black dress) sleeves.
The previous year, Ryan Lochte wore the most unusual black tuxedo with studded lapels at the 7th Annual Golden Goggle Awards in New York City, picking up his Men's Race of the Year award.
And Ryan Lochte is no stranger to the fashion world, having made the rounds of several fashion weeks, attending shows for designers Tommy Hilfiger, Chris Han and Max Azria.
Lochte’s also known for his diamond mouthpiece, a diamond grill with two flashing rows of diamonds, which at first sight may seem to some like an orthodontic treatment but nevertheless makes quite the fashion statement. Ryan Lochte – the man with the diamond smile!
Ryan was also featured in the June 2012 Vogue issue where he posed with model Karly Kloss. And you could say that Lochte is a model in his own right, being featured in ads for Gillette, Gatorade and AT&T and on the covers of magazines like Men’s Journal and Men’s Health…
But no doubt, Ryan Lochte looks his best in his (somewhat controversial) Team USA 2012 Olympics uniform designed by Ralph Lauren but made in China.
The London Olympics Opening ceremony will be held tomorrow night July 27, 2012. Here's wishing Ryan Lochte all the luck and every success at the London Olympics. Enjoy the slideshow of Ryan Lochte’s style…
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Perth Fashion Festival signs up socialite and laser beam specialist
Perth Fashion Festival signs up socialite and laser beam specialist
The 2012 Perth Fashion Festival plans to outshine WA's natural assets and mining boom bling.
The Festival has appointed two international ambassadors for this year's event to help put WA designers on the wider cultural map.
Rather than models or fashion editors, organisers looked further afield than the sartorial scene to appoint French composer, performer and producer Jean Michel Jarre and Singaporean blogger and socialite Marie Choo to the PFF international spokesperson team – headed up by Perth-born Victoria's Secret photographer Russell James.
Ms Choo has been recoginised as one of Singapore's best dressed women by Tatler magazine and her lifestyle blog Style-Canvas is one of the most widely read in the Asia-Pacific region.
"This year will be the first time I've attended Perth Fashion Festival and having read and heard so much about the vibrant Perth fashion scene I am looking forward to discovering the established labels as well as emerging designers," she said in a statement.
The Festival has worked hard over the years to develop strong ties with South-East Asia – including hosting flamboyant Malaysian blogger Kee Hua Chee at the 2011 Festival and sending a contingent of representatives to this year's Singapore Audi Fashion Festival.
Perth-label One Fell Swoop showcased a collection for international buyers alongside Zac Posen, Roland Mouret and Thierry Mugler.
"Singapore offers significant opportunities for the state's arts and cultural sector," culture and arts minister John Day said earlier this year.
"The recent opening of the WA Trade Office in Singapore underlines the importance of WA-Singaporean relations and the government is keen to identify practical measures to build on this relationship."
Mr Day said the Department of Culture and Arts had supported the delegation, which included couturier Aurelio Costarella, with a $20,000 grant to review and participate in the event.
"I am so proud and excited by the addition of two new international ambassadors to the Perth Fashion Festival team for the simple reason that it will take Perth's brand global and in doing so allows our talent and creativity to be seen worldwide," Perth Lord Mayor and PFF Ambassador Lisa Scaffidi said.
"These ambassadors will enable international visitors to realise that our state's strengths go beyond mining and natural beauty. Our creative industry and city are truly inspirational and world standard."
While Ms Choo will be front row at most shows, Jarre will present Rendez-vous Perth – his electronic concert tailor made for Perth complete with his trademark lights, lasers and possible fireworks.
The 2012 Perth Fashion Festival plans to outshine WA's natural assets and mining boom bling.
The Festival has appointed two international ambassadors for this year's event to help put WA designers on the wider cultural map.
Rather than models or fashion editors, organisers looked further afield than the sartorial scene to appoint French composer, performer and producer Jean Michel Jarre and Singaporean blogger and socialite Marie Choo to the PFF international spokesperson team – headed up by Perth-born Victoria's Secret photographer Russell James.
Ms Choo has been recoginised as one of Singapore's best dressed women by Tatler magazine and her lifestyle blog Style-Canvas is one of the most widely read in the Asia-Pacific region.
"This year will be the first time I've attended Perth Fashion Festival and having read and heard so much about the vibrant Perth fashion scene I am looking forward to discovering the established labels as well as emerging designers," she said in a statement.
The Festival has worked hard over the years to develop strong ties with South-East Asia – including hosting flamboyant Malaysian blogger Kee Hua Chee at the 2011 Festival and sending a contingent of representatives to this year's Singapore Audi Fashion Festival.
Perth-label One Fell Swoop showcased a collection for international buyers alongside Zac Posen, Roland Mouret and Thierry Mugler.
"Singapore offers significant opportunities for the state's arts and cultural sector," culture and arts minister John Day said earlier this year.
"The recent opening of the WA Trade Office in Singapore underlines the importance of WA-Singaporean relations and the government is keen to identify practical measures to build on this relationship."
Mr Day said the Department of Culture and Arts had supported the delegation, which included couturier Aurelio Costarella, with a $20,000 grant to review and participate in the event.
"I am so proud and excited by the addition of two new international ambassadors to the Perth Fashion Festival team for the simple reason that it will take Perth's brand global and in doing so allows our talent and creativity to be seen worldwide," Perth Lord Mayor and PFF Ambassador Lisa Scaffidi said.
"These ambassadors will enable international visitors to realise that our state's strengths go beyond mining and natural beauty. Our creative industry and city are truly inspirational and world standard."
While Ms Choo will be front row at most shows, Jarre will present Rendez-vous Perth – his electronic concert tailor made for Perth complete with his trademark lights, lasers and possible fireworks.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
MTV Revives Fashion Series 'House of Style'
MTV Revives Fashion Series 'House of Style'
Move over, Project Runway and Fashion Star. There’s a new -- make that old -- style show hitting to the catwalk this fall to reclaim the fascination of a new generation of fashionistas.
our editor recommends
MTV Redeveloping, Recasting 'Awkward' Creator's 'Dumb Girls' Pilot (Exclusive)Style Notes: Victoria Beckham Enjoys Coco Chanel's Apartment, Lauren Conrad Goes GreenEmmy Fashion Prognosis: More A-Listers Means Better ClothesMTV announced Tuesday the decision to revamp its iconic series House of Style starting Oct. 9. Exploring the cutting edge of fashion in today’s media savvy market, House of Style will be featured exclusively on the MTV Style digital platform but also include crossover content for TV. The refurbished program promises to “highlight the humor and personality of leaders and tastemakers in the industry.”
“House of Style is deeply rooted in celebrating and drawing energy from our audience’s mix-and-match love of fashion, music and pop culture,” said Dave Sirulnick, executive vice president of MTV News and Docs.
The original show, which ran for 78 episodes from 1989-99, chronicled the inner workings of the fashion industry from haute couture by designers such as Todd Oldham and John Galliano to the meteoric rise of fashion models such as Cindy Crawford, Rebecca Romijn and Molly Simms. With a revolving door of hosts including Crawford (for six years), Romijn and Simms, the show was eventually canceled in 2000. Although briefly resuscitated for a one-time special in 2009 hosted by Bar Refaeli (who graced the 2009 cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue), with Chanel Iman (a former Victoria Secret Angel) as a correspondent, House of Style has remained dormant until now.
With the creation of MTV style channel in 2010, viewers and industry insiders began peppering the network with requests to restore House of Style to its former glory. Staffers began to unearth the original archives, including 150 still photos and 170 video segments previously unreleased. This body of work has been complied into an impressive digital collection with images of Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, award-winning designer Marc Jacobs and singer-turned-fashion designer Gwen Stefani.
“The landscape has changed, but the common threads of humor behind the scenes of fashion and the DIY spirit are universal,” said MTV Digital VP of Production Sophia Rai. “Now it’s more about how to tell the story using social media tools.”
As different memories of the beloved staple resurfaced, Sirulnick spearheaded the idea of recording its legacy in the documentary House of Style: Music, Models and MTV. Airing Aug. 7, the behind-the-scenes special deciphers the evolution of fashion in the ‘90s and its symbiotic relationship to music with insight from luminaries such as model Coco Rocha.
“In bringing back House of Style, we’re once again looking to spotlight the spirit, personality and sometimes humor of the most interesting people in fashion who personify the energy of style in 2012,” said Sirulnick.
The new host of House of Style will be revealed during the red carpet show of the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. The show’s shooting schedule coincides with New York Fashion Week, but will debut officially on Oct. 9.
Move over, Project Runway and Fashion Star. There’s a new -- make that old -- style show hitting to the catwalk this fall to reclaim the fascination of a new generation of fashionistas.
our editor recommends
MTV Redeveloping, Recasting 'Awkward' Creator's 'Dumb Girls' Pilot (Exclusive)Style Notes: Victoria Beckham Enjoys Coco Chanel's Apartment, Lauren Conrad Goes GreenEmmy Fashion Prognosis: More A-Listers Means Better ClothesMTV announced Tuesday the decision to revamp its iconic series House of Style starting Oct. 9. Exploring the cutting edge of fashion in today’s media savvy market, House of Style will be featured exclusively on the MTV Style digital platform but also include crossover content for TV. The refurbished program promises to “highlight the humor and personality of leaders and tastemakers in the industry.”
“House of Style is deeply rooted in celebrating and drawing energy from our audience’s mix-and-match love of fashion, music and pop culture,” said Dave Sirulnick, executive vice president of MTV News and Docs.
The original show, which ran for 78 episodes from 1989-99, chronicled the inner workings of the fashion industry from haute couture by designers such as Todd Oldham and John Galliano to the meteoric rise of fashion models such as Cindy Crawford, Rebecca Romijn and Molly Simms. With a revolving door of hosts including Crawford (for six years), Romijn and Simms, the show was eventually canceled in 2000. Although briefly resuscitated for a one-time special in 2009 hosted by Bar Refaeli (who graced the 2009 cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue), with Chanel Iman (a former Victoria Secret Angel) as a correspondent, House of Style has remained dormant until now.
With the creation of MTV style channel in 2010, viewers and industry insiders began peppering the network with requests to restore House of Style to its former glory. Staffers began to unearth the original archives, including 150 still photos and 170 video segments previously unreleased. This body of work has been complied into an impressive digital collection with images of Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, award-winning designer Marc Jacobs and singer-turned-fashion designer Gwen Stefani.
“The landscape has changed, but the common threads of humor behind the scenes of fashion and the DIY spirit are universal,” said MTV Digital VP of Production Sophia Rai. “Now it’s more about how to tell the story using social media tools.”
As different memories of the beloved staple resurfaced, Sirulnick spearheaded the idea of recording its legacy in the documentary House of Style: Music, Models and MTV. Airing Aug. 7, the behind-the-scenes special deciphers the evolution of fashion in the ‘90s and its symbiotic relationship to music with insight from luminaries such as model Coco Rocha.
“In bringing back House of Style, we’re once again looking to spotlight the spirit, personality and sometimes humor of the most interesting people in fashion who personify the energy of style in 2012,” said Sirulnick.
The new host of House of Style will be revealed during the red carpet show of the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. The show’s shooting schedule coincides with New York Fashion Week, but will debut officially on Oct. 9.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Fashion News: Teen Choice Awards bring out the Barbies
Fashion News: Teen Choice Awards bring out the Barbies
The Teen Choice Awards brought stars of film, music and TV to Universal City on Sunday night and a lot of Barbie-esque mini-dresses in bubble gum colors, too (Selena Gomez, Lea Michele, Hayden Panettiere). The look was fitting considering the audience and the event, but I preferred Kristen Stewart rocking fall's menswear trend early in a blue silk Robert Cavalli jacket and leather leggings (above), and singer Carly Rae Jepsen's red-carpet look of a palm-tree print jacket and shorts suit by Lisa Ho, and Tiki bar clutch by Kate Spade New York (below). Stewart, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift were among the evening's winners. You can check out E! Online's gallery of arrivals here.
I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" this weekend, and Anne Hathaway is hot, hot, hot in that skintight black catsuit. She is going to do more for the black leather fashion trend that's upon us for the fall season than any magazine spread. Hathaway looked so good in the costume, in fact, that a fashion friend I spoke to wondered whether the filmmakers used computer technology to whittle her waist. Not likely. The Huffington Post reports that the star went on an anti-inflammatory diet to fit into the suit, which was created by the film's costume designer Lindy Hemming.
It looks like the next big historical costume blockbuster will be "Anna Karenina," which opens Nov. 9. The costumes for the screen adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy classic are being made by Jacqueline Durran, and Women's Wear Daily reports the baubles for the film's lead Keira Knightley were supplied by Chanel Joaillerie.
Nicole Richie's exclusive limited-edition collection for Macy's Impulse is slated to make its runway debut on Sept. 7 in L.A. at this year's annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser, "Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama," but we have a sneak peek.
The Teen Choice Awards brought stars of film, music and TV to Universal City on Sunday night and a lot of Barbie-esque mini-dresses in bubble gum colors, too (Selena Gomez, Lea Michele, Hayden Panettiere). The look was fitting considering the audience and the event, but I preferred Kristen Stewart rocking fall's menswear trend early in a blue silk Robert Cavalli jacket and leather leggings (above), and singer Carly Rae Jepsen's red-carpet look of a palm-tree print jacket and shorts suit by Lisa Ho, and Tiki bar clutch by Kate Spade New York (below). Stewart, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift were among the evening's winners. You can check out E! Online's gallery of arrivals here.
I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" this weekend, and Anne Hathaway is hot, hot, hot in that skintight black catsuit. She is going to do more for the black leather fashion trend that's upon us for the fall season than any magazine spread. Hathaway looked so good in the costume, in fact, that a fashion friend I spoke to wondered whether the filmmakers used computer technology to whittle her waist. Not likely. The Huffington Post reports that the star went on an anti-inflammatory diet to fit into the suit, which was created by the film's costume designer Lindy Hemming.
It looks like the next big historical costume blockbuster will be "Anna Karenina," which opens Nov. 9. The costumes for the screen adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy classic are being made by Jacqueline Durran, and Women's Wear Daily reports the baubles for the film's lead Keira Knightley were supplied by Chanel Joaillerie.
Nicole Richie's exclusive limited-edition collection for Macy's Impulse is slated to make its runway debut on Sept. 7 in L.A. at this year's annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser, "Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama," but we have a sneak peek.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Dodgers Sweep Mets in Dramatic Fashion: Fan Reaction
Dodgers Sweep Mets in Dramatic Fashion: Fan Reaction
The Los Angeles Dodgers are starting to regain their winning ways from earlier in the season and they are setting their sights on the first-place Giants. There is a lot of baseball left to be played, but it is always good to go on the road and sweep a team like the Mets. Los Angeles was able to win the three-game series and they won the final game with a dramatic 12th-inning win. Will the Dodgers keep rolling on this road trip?
Offensive production
While Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Mark Ellis were hurt, the Dodgers struggled to put runs on the board. Now that the big bats are back, the Blue Crew is starting to score runs again. They put up 23 runs in the three-game series, and pounded out 35 hits. However, it was pinch hitter Matt Treanor who broke a 3-3 tie in the 14th inning on July 22. This unleashed a five-run inning that was the final blow to the Mets.
Building momentum
It feels like the Dodgers are starting to get their whole team on the same page. The pitching staff wasn't exactly dominant against New York, but there was enough balance to get the sweep and the Dodgers now have a four-game winning streak. The Dodgers will now have a tough four-game series with the Cards before they head to San Francisco for a showdown with the Giants. That could be a statement series that has ramifications for the rest of the season.
Trade options
There are rumors that the Dodgers are exploring various trade opportunities. Granted, there are a lot of teams out there that are looking for additional help, particularly as it pertains to pitching. Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster of the Cubs have been mentioned, but it will be interesting to see how much the Dodgers would be willing to give up. You can always use more pitching, but this is not necessarily a major weakness of the Dodgers right now. They should be careful that they do not give away too many prospects.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are starting to regain their winning ways from earlier in the season and they are setting their sights on the first-place Giants. There is a lot of baseball left to be played, but it is always good to go on the road and sweep a team like the Mets. Los Angeles was able to win the three-game series and they won the final game with a dramatic 12th-inning win. Will the Dodgers keep rolling on this road trip?
Offensive production
While Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Mark Ellis were hurt, the Dodgers struggled to put runs on the board. Now that the big bats are back, the Blue Crew is starting to score runs again. They put up 23 runs in the three-game series, and pounded out 35 hits. However, it was pinch hitter Matt Treanor who broke a 3-3 tie in the 14th inning on July 22. This unleashed a five-run inning that was the final blow to the Mets.
Building momentum
It feels like the Dodgers are starting to get their whole team on the same page. The pitching staff wasn't exactly dominant against New York, but there was enough balance to get the sweep and the Dodgers now have a four-game winning streak. The Dodgers will now have a tough four-game series with the Cards before they head to San Francisco for a showdown with the Giants. That could be a statement series that has ramifications for the rest of the season.
Trade options
There are rumors that the Dodgers are exploring various trade opportunities. Granted, there are a lot of teams out there that are looking for additional help, particularly as it pertains to pitching. Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster of the Cubs have been mentioned, but it will be interesting to see how much the Dodgers would be willing to give up. You can always use more pitching, but this is not necessarily a major weakness of the Dodgers right now. They should be careful that they do not give away too many prospects.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Anne Hathaway's red carpet fashion
Anne Hathaway is the latest Cat Woman for the Batman series and she has some super sexy boots to fill in the role, as the excitement builds for the release of The Dark Knight Rises we take a look at some of Anne's fashion choices over the years.
Looking through the images you'll see that The Devil Wears Prada actress rarely gets it wrong, and choses classic looks that make her stand out on the red carpet.
She has Hollywood glamour down to a tee and we can't wait to see what else this promo tour is going to bring. We're already in love with her Prabal Gurung and Gucci looks from the premieres this week.
One of my favourite looks from the One Day promo tour last year has to be this Alexander McQueen cream lace dress. She looked, classy, elegant and stylish.
She paired the look with a pair of tan peep toe heels, an Alexander McQueen cream box clutch with a gold skull on top and wore her beautiful brunette locks sweeped over one shoulder and a deep pink pout.
Absolutely beautiful.
She wore Alexander McQueen at the New York premiere of One Day as well. This time she opted for a black fifties style dress.
The dress came from the Resort 2012 collection, and was a black strapless design which fitted under the bust and then flared out to below her knee. Another classy but fun look.
She paired the dress with gold Christian Louboutin pointed Pigalles and a matching clutch bag. She wore her wavy hair loose. The gold tones in her brunette locks complimented the dress perfectly.
2011 was a big year for the actress as she co-hosted the Oscars with James Franco.
During the night she wore a number of beautiful looks, but her most dramatic
was obviously that in which she walked the red carpet with.
She chose a Valentino Fall 2002 Couture red gown which fitted at the body and then gathered volume to the floor.
Only someone with as much stance as Anne could pull off a dress like this.
She paired it with a beautiful updo, a statement red pout and a diamond necklace.
It was perfect.
Another of my favourite looks has to be from the 2011 Golden Globe Awards.
Anne smouldered in her Armani Prive Rose gold embellished gown.
Looking through the images you'll see that The Devil Wears Prada actress rarely gets it wrong, and choses classic looks that make her stand out on the red carpet.
She has Hollywood glamour down to a tee and we can't wait to see what else this promo tour is going to bring. We're already in love with her Prabal Gurung and Gucci looks from the premieres this week.
One of my favourite looks from the One Day promo tour last year has to be this Alexander McQueen cream lace dress. She looked, classy, elegant and stylish.
She paired the look with a pair of tan peep toe heels, an Alexander McQueen cream box clutch with a gold skull on top and wore her beautiful brunette locks sweeped over one shoulder and a deep pink pout.
Absolutely beautiful.
She wore Alexander McQueen at the New York premiere of One Day as well. This time she opted for a black fifties style dress.
The dress came from the Resort 2012 collection, and was a black strapless design which fitted under the bust and then flared out to below her knee. Another classy but fun look.
She paired the dress with gold Christian Louboutin pointed Pigalles and a matching clutch bag. She wore her wavy hair loose. The gold tones in her brunette locks complimented the dress perfectly.
2011 was a big year for the actress as she co-hosted the Oscars with James Franco.
During the night she wore a number of beautiful looks, but her most dramatic
was obviously that in which she walked the red carpet with.
She chose a Valentino Fall 2002 Couture red gown which fitted at the body and then gathered volume to the floor.
Only someone with as much stance as Anne could pull off a dress like this.
She paired it with a beautiful updo, a statement red pout and a diamond necklace.
It was perfect.
Another of my favourite looks has to be from the 2011 Golden Globe Awards.
Anne smouldered in her Armani Prive Rose gold embellished gown.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Olympic fashion controversy is only thing Made in USA
On Monday, a group of nine U.S. Democratic senators introduced the “Team U.S.A. Made in America Act,” legislation that would require the United States Olympic Committee to adopt a procurement policy requiring that all ceremonial uniforms for U.S. Olympians be “sewn or assembled in the United States with fabrics formed and cut in the United States or components knit to shape from yarns wholly formed in the United States.”
In an interview with Mitt Romney (who oversaw the 2002 Games in Utah), ABC’s Jonathan Karl boasted his network ‘broke’ the story that the 530 U.S. athletes in London would be wearing ceremonial outfits designed by USOC sponsor Polo Ralph Lauren, which were actually manufactured in China.
As though the integrity of the garment’s original home could impeach the integrity of the athletic endeavour. As though U.S. athletes wearing “Made in China” somehow made them any less patriotic — heck, it makes them quintessentially American. Just walk the floor at any large U.S. retailer — let’s say Wal-Mart, for instance. Now look inside and check the tags.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I both get the furor, and I don’t. Initially, neither U.S. political party made any comment on the issue, but after the issue percolated all over the media, they offered a contrite promise. Collective embarrassment gave way to spin and justification: certainly any clothing for athletes sourced overseas must merely be an oversight or mistake. Next time, they said. 2014! Because of course by then domestic fashion industry won’t be further decimated. (Notably, the proposed act says nothing of the athletes’ trousseau of training, warm-up, competition and village-wear multiples. Just the stuff of the big broadcast moments, the ones with the biggest television audience.)
While the Olympics are a glorified public relations campaign and morale-booster for any country, why should Olympians — and the private-sector USOC — be held up to a higher standard than every other fashion retailer in America? They’re elite athletes on a budget.And it’s not as though elected officials or their high-profile fashion plate wives are contractually required to wear America-made goods.
If this symbolic sartorial moment bothers Americans, I don’t want to be in the room when they discover how many of the Old Glorys fluttering in the wind were made off-shore.
These very same critics would probably shocked to learn that the iconic denim arcuate pockets emblazoned on Bruce Springsteen’s blockbuster 1984 album are like the many other American über-brands that now outsource production to developing countries. Levi’s may be Born in the U.S.A., but most of them are now made elsewhere (try Vietnam and Mexico).
My own feelings are mixed. I, too, would like to see more of the letters “U.S.A.” on the tags inside as well as outside garments, and “Made in Canada” on our Canadian Olympic apparel and replica wear. But the reality is that’s a wish as archaic as Ralph Lauren’s throwback country club stylings of nautical navy blue blazers, berets and cream trousers.
And it’s a little late, two weeks before the Games’ opening, to be hand-wringing, but at least people are talking about the sorry state of domestic fashion manufacturing and of the American designers who make almost everything elsewhere.
Or is it? Over at NBC, longstanding American label Hickey Freeman is dressing the male sportscasting team. The Rochester, N.Y., manufacturer claims it still has the production capability to make the clothing at a fair price. Even if the parent company is now foreign-owned, at least the hundreds on staff are American.
The proposed “Team U.S.A.” act is proposed for ceremonial garb, not anything else. It’s the most visible outfit the athletes wear, but makes up the least of their wardrobe. The token move might cut into profit margins, free enterprise suggests — it’s cheaper. But at a fall fashion preview of the Canadian contemporary label Judith & Charles earlier this month, I chatted with president Charles Le Perrès about how the brand manufactures all its apparel in Montreal. The price tag on one of their luxe tailored blazers is about $425. The Olympic counterpart at Ralph Lauren, designed in America but made in China, is priced at $795.
In an interview with Mitt Romney (who oversaw the 2002 Games in Utah), ABC’s Jonathan Karl boasted his network ‘broke’ the story that the 530 U.S. athletes in London would be wearing ceremonial outfits designed by USOC sponsor Polo Ralph Lauren, which were actually manufactured in China.
As though the integrity of the garment’s original home could impeach the integrity of the athletic endeavour. As though U.S. athletes wearing “Made in China” somehow made them any less patriotic — heck, it makes them quintessentially American. Just walk the floor at any large U.S. retailer — let’s say Wal-Mart, for instance. Now look inside and check the tags.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I both get the furor, and I don’t. Initially, neither U.S. political party made any comment on the issue, but after the issue percolated all over the media, they offered a contrite promise. Collective embarrassment gave way to spin and justification: certainly any clothing for athletes sourced overseas must merely be an oversight or mistake. Next time, they said. 2014! Because of course by then domestic fashion industry won’t be further decimated. (Notably, the proposed act says nothing of the athletes’ trousseau of training, warm-up, competition and village-wear multiples. Just the stuff of the big broadcast moments, the ones with the biggest television audience.)
While the Olympics are a glorified public relations campaign and morale-booster for any country, why should Olympians — and the private-sector USOC — be held up to a higher standard than every other fashion retailer in America? They’re elite athletes on a budget.And it’s not as though elected officials or their high-profile fashion plate wives are contractually required to wear America-made goods.
If this symbolic sartorial moment bothers Americans, I don’t want to be in the room when they discover how many of the Old Glorys fluttering in the wind were made off-shore.
These very same critics would probably shocked to learn that the iconic denim arcuate pockets emblazoned on Bruce Springsteen’s blockbuster 1984 album are like the many other American über-brands that now outsource production to developing countries. Levi’s may be Born in the U.S.A., but most of them are now made elsewhere (try Vietnam and Mexico).
My own feelings are mixed. I, too, would like to see more of the letters “U.S.A.” on the tags inside as well as outside garments, and “Made in Canada” on our Canadian Olympic apparel and replica wear. But the reality is that’s a wish as archaic as Ralph Lauren’s throwback country club stylings of nautical navy blue blazers, berets and cream trousers.
And it’s a little late, two weeks before the Games’ opening, to be hand-wringing, but at least people are talking about the sorry state of domestic fashion manufacturing and of the American designers who make almost everything elsewhere.
Or is it? Over at NBC, longstanding American label Hickey Freeman is dressing the male sportscasting team. The Rochester, N.Y., manufacturer claims it still has the production capability to make the clothing at a fair price. Even if the parent company is now foreign-owned, at least the hundreds on staff are American.
The proposed “Team U.S.A.” act is proposed for ceremonial garb, not anything else. It’s the most visible outfit the athletes wear, but makes up the least of their wardrobe. The token move might cut into profit margins, free enterprise suggests — it’s cheaper. But at a fall fashion preview of the Canadian contemporary label Judith & Charles earlier this month, I chatted with president Charles Le Perrès about how the brand manufactures all its apparel in Montreal. The price tag on one of their luxe tailored blazers is about $425. The Olympic counterpart at Ralph Lauren, designed in America but made in China, is priced at $795.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Fashion News: Karl Lagerfeld advised Diane Kruger on 'Queen' role
Fashion News: Karl Lagerfeld advised Diane Kruger on 'Queen' role
One of the first people actress Diane Kruger called when she won the role of Marie Antoinette in "Farewell, My Queen" was Karl Lagerfeld, she tells the Wall Street Journal. "I've known him since I was 16 years old and today he's both a friend and a neighbor," she said. "He is obsessed with Versailles and Marie Antoinette. When I got the part of the queen he was one of the first people I called, and I walked over to his home and picked his brain for inspiration." The Journal also says that much of the actress' fashion "ascent" can be credited to Lagerfeld.
In the ad campaign for Lady Gaga's soon-to-be-released new fragrance, tiny little men climb all over the nude star as she reclines, propped up on one elbow holding the egg-shaped bottle of the scent, called Fame. The photo was shot by Steven Klein, but it may be a bit too risque for major retailers to display.
After the dust-up last week over Ralph Lauren making the opening ceremony uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team in China, Lauren has pledged to make the uniforms for the 2014 Olympics in the U.S. of A. [Los Angeles Times]
Speaking of Olympians, champion figure skater Evan Lysacek, 27, is the new roommate of fashion designer Vera Wang, 63, who just last week announced her separation from husband Arthur Becker after 23 years of marriage. It's unclear whether they are platonic or romantic roomies, though. [The Cut]
Models Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Lily Cole and Georgia May Jagger "will strut the catwalk to David Bowie songs 'Fashion' and 'Rebel Rebel'," during the London Summer Olympics closing ceremonies, according to several British newspapers. But it is unclear whether any Olympic officals have confirmed the reports.
Finalists have been named for this year's Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund competition (won last year by Joseph Altuzarra). They are Andrea Lieberman of A.L.C.; Greg Armas, Assembly New York; Sofia Sizzi, Giulietta; Justin Salguero, Daniel Silberman, and Alina Silberman, Illesteva; Jennifer Fisher, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry; Jennifer Meyer Maguire, Jennifer Meyer; Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, Suno; Tabitha Simmons, Tabitha Simmons; Greg Chait, the Elder Statesman and Wes Gordon, Wes Gordon. Contenders will go through several challenges — including staging full-fledged runway shows at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles — before a winner and runners-up are named in November. At stake are cash awards and mentorships.
Eileen Fisher's fall ad campaign will include a graphic element to indicate items that are sustainably produced. An ampersand will signal that there is more information available on the brand's website about the sustainable practices used in a garment's manufacture. About 25% of the line's offerings at present reportedly are sustainable.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran's "Anna Karenina" collection for Banana Republic, due out along with the film's release around the holidays this year, interprets the clothing of the 19th century Russian aristocracy into modern-day dresses, military-inspired outerwear, fur accessories and elegant baubles.
One of the first people actress Diane Kruger called when she won the role of Marie Antoinette in "Farewell, My Queen" was Karl Lagerfeld, she tells the Wall Street Journal. "I've known him since I was 16 years old and today he's both a friend and a neighbor," she said. "He is obsessed with Versailles and Marie Antoinette. When I got the part of the queen he was one of the first people I called, and I walked over to his home and picked his brain for inspiration." The Journal also says that much of the actress' fashion "ascent" can be credited to Lagerfeld.
In the ad campaign for Lady Gaga's soon-to-be-released new fragrance, tiny little men climb all over the nude star as she reclines, propped up on one elbow holding the egg-shaped bottle of the scent, called Fame. The photo was shot by Steven Klein, but it may be a bit too risque for major retailers to display.
After the dust-up last week over Ralph Lauren making the opening ceremony uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team in China, Lauren has pledged to make the uniforms for the 2014 Olympics in the U.S. of A. [Los Angeles Times]
Speaking of Olympians, champion figure skater Evan Lysacek, 27, is the new roommate of fashion designer Vera Wang, 63, who just last week announced her separation from husband Arthur Becker after 23 years of marriage. It's unclear whether they are platonic or romantic roomies, though. [The Cut]
Models Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Lily Cole and Georgia May Jagger "will strut the catwalk to David Bowie songs 'Fashion' and 'Rebel Rebel'," during the London Summer Olympics closing ceremonies, according to several British newspapers. But it is unclear whether any Olympic officals have confirmed the reports.
Finalists have been named for this year's Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund competition (won last year by Joseph Altuzarra). They are Andrea Lieberman of A.L.C.; Greg Armas, Assembly New York; Sofia Sizzi, Giulietta; Justin Salguero, Daniel Silberman, and Alina Silberman, Illesteva; Jennifer Fisher, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry; Jennifer Meyer Maguire, Jennifer Meyer; Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, Suno; Tabitha Simmons, Tabitha Simmons; Greg Chait, the Elder Statesman and Wes Gordon, Wes Gordon. Contenders will go through several challenges — including staging full-fledged runway shows at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles — before a winner and runners-up are named in November. At stake are cash awards and mentorships.
Eileen Fisher's fall ad campaign will include a graphic element to indicate items that are sustainably produced. An ampersand will signal that there is more information available on the brand's website about the sustainable practices used in a garment's manufacture. About 25% of the line's offerings at present reportedly are sustainable.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran's "Anna Karenina" collection for Banana Republic, due out along with the film's release around the holidays this year, interprets the clothing of the 19th century Russian aristocracy into modern-day dresses, military-inspired outerwear, fur accessories and elegant baubles.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Resurgence of Rome With Art and Craft
An apricot sunset over the waters of the river Tiber, a catwalk show on the new Ponte della Musica bridge, dresses slithering over the body like light and shadow — you could not get a more classic vision of alta moda, as Italy’s high fashion is known.
This 21st-century flashback to the era of la dolce vita even had the actress Gina Lollobrigida sitting front row at the Faustus Sarli show. La Lola, as she was known in her cinematic heyday, wore the brand’s red and green flowered dress with a matching ruby and emerald necklace, sparkling under her spirited curls.
Eternal fashion in the eternal city sounds like a romantic mix. And the Sarli couture dresses, with their geometric lines raking shapely bodies, their structured architecture and glass fringes dangling at a cutaway back suggested an update of alta moda.
But Silvia Venturini Fendi, the president of the AltaRoma/AltaModa organization, wants more: a “creative meeting point.” She aims to align fashion not just with the society women who still want couture clothes, but also with the crafts that are the heart and fashion soul of Italy.
“Rome has always been a center of craftsmanship,” says Ms. Fendi. “There are streets named for basket makers who are still making them today. ” Ms. Fendi’s own hand-decorated baguette bags are celebrating a 15th anniversary this summer.
The resurgence of Rome comes from the idea that Milan, long the capital of Italian fashion, has an aging roster of mighty designers; and that the city’s industrialized fashion, while still a hub for international brands, lacks the emotional engagement of products crafted by human hands.
Rome was Italy’s first fashion center before the shows migrated to Florence and its Pitti Palace and then to Milan.
“Alta moda started here right after the war, then in the late 1980s it lost its power, and even Fendi, which had presented during high fashion in Rome, went to Florence and the Palazzo Pitti,” Ms. Fendi explained.
Rome’s current initiative is based both on exploiting the existing creative crafts and on finding new talent.
Franca Sozzani, editor in chief of Vogue Italia, heads up the fashion event named Who Is On Next, a contest to bring designers who already have small businesses into the limelight.
“Creativity is everything,” said Ms. Sozzani, as she brought the finalists together this month in Rome, offering a runway platform to fashion designers and a chance to make inventive videos to those doing accessories.
The result was a clear win for the sophisticated prints and imaginative cuts of Marcobologna, a label by fashion duo Marco Giugliano, 26, and Nicolò Bologna, 27. The accessories awards went jointly to two shoe designers: Conspiracy, designed by Gianluca Tamburini with his fantastical footwear decoration, bringing twists of coral to stiletto heels and flower garlands to the straps. and Carlotta De Luca, a Roman trained at Central Saint Martin’s college of fashion and design in London. Her architectural shaped heels and multistrap shoes are sold internationally under the name Charline De Luca and by 11 Italian stores including Luisa Via Roma.
Ms. Fendi’s approach is to nurture craftsmanship by providing a place — usually an old stone building — where originality and creativity are paramount.
Her point of view includes the public, who were also invited to attend the events and follow a trail of contemporary art galleries in the Trastevere district with its medieval streets, art and architecture academies and its prison.
The first event, named “Limited/Unlimited,” took as its theme “Sculptural,” inviting designers to express in one single piece the relation of fashion to the human body. It was on view for four days to the public at the complex of Santo Spirito in Sassia.
Ms. Fendi called it “the new soul of alta roma” and sees it as a project to give free expression to creativity. Well-known names involved included Fendi itself, Valentino, Roberto Capucci, Marco de Vincenzo and Maurizio Galante, whose marbled chair seemed like an artwork.
A spiky jacket created from pine needles by Tiziano Guardini competed for attention with claw shoes from Aoi Kotsuhiroi and the equally arresting wood block heels designed by Cat Potter.
Valentino produced a dramatic cape in ivory tulle caged by whale bones and decorated with bows.
“This is about a young generation. When we started there were many young people,” said Pier Paulo Piccioli, speaking alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, his co-designer at Valentino.
“Rome is not about a fashion lifestyle,” he said. “You really have to work hard, more than in Milan or London. And fashion today has to be open-minded.”
The second Roman project was the Artisanal Intelligence, or “A.I.” Fair, conceived by AltaRoma to unite art, craft and fashion under the umbrella “Made in Italy.” A walk past hanging laundry, as if in a typical old Italian apartment block, led toward historic wooden doors undergoing restoration and then to a gallery with 25 artisans. They included Roman shoemaker Petrocchi, still creating handmade footwear on wooden lasts, to designers of Tuscany hats, embroidered bags and clothes with an independent spirit.
“The whole concept is to help independence,” says Ms. Fendi about the AltaRoma projects. “Milan does industrial fashion. We want things that last longer. First of all, every piece is different and can also be customized. It is not something that has a date on it. It has a different fashion life.”
This 21st-century flashback to the era of la dolce vita even had the actress Gina Lollobrigida sitting front row at the Faustus Sarli show. La Lola, as she was known in her cinematic heyday, wore the brand’s red and green flowered dress with a matching ruby and emerald necklace, sparkling under her spirited curls.
Eternal fashion in the eternal city sounds like a romantic mix. And the Sarli couture dresses, with their geometric lines raking shapely bodies, their structured architecture and glass fringes dangling at a cutaway back suggested an update of alta moda.
But Silvia Venturini Fendi, the president of the AltaRoma/AltaModa organization, wants more: a “creative meeting point.” She aims to align fashion not just with the society women who still want couture clothes, but also with the crafts that are the heart and fashion soul of Italy.
“Rome has always been a center of craftsmanship,” says Ms. Fendi. “There are streets named for basket makers who are still making them today. ” Ms. Fendi’s own hand-decorated baguette bags are celebrating a 15th anniversary this summer.
The resurgence of Rome comes from the idea that Milan, long the capital of Italian fashion, has an aging roster of mighty designers; and that the city’s industrialized fashion, while still a hub for international brands, lacks the emotional engagement of products crafted by human hands.
Rome was Italy’s first fashion center before the shows migrated to Florence and its Pitti Palace and then to Milan.
“Alta moda started here right after the war, then in the late 1980s it lost its power, and even Fendi, which had presented during high fashion in Rome, went to Florence and the Palazzo Pitti,” Ms. Fendi explained.
Rome’s current initiative is based both on exploiting the existing creative crafts and on finding new talent.
Franca Sozzani, editor in chief of Vogue Italia, heads up the fashion event named Who Is On Next, a contest to bring designers who already have small businesses into the limelight.
“Creativity is everything,” said Ms. Sozzani, as she brought the finalists together this month in Rome, offering a runway platform to fashion designers and a chance to make inventive videos to those doing accessories.
The result was a clear win for the sophisticated prints and imaginative cuts of Marcobologna, a label by fashion duo Marco Giugliano, 26, and Nicolò Bologna, 27. The accessories awards went jointly to two shoe designers: Conspiracy, designed by Gianluca Tamburini with his fantastical footwear decoration, bringing twists of coral to stiletto heels and flower garlands to the straps. and Carlotta De Luca, a Roman trained at Central Saint Martin’s college of fashion and design in London. Her architectural shaped heels and multistrap shoes are sold internationally under the name Charline De Luca and by 11 Italian stores including Luisa Via Roma.
Ms. Fendi’s approach is to nurture craftsmanship by providing a place — usually an old stone building — where originality and creativity are paramount.
Her point of view includes the public, who were also invited to attend the events and follow a trail of contemporary art galleries in the Trastevere district with its medieval streets, art and architecture academies and its prison.
The first event, named “Limited/Unlimited,” took as its theme “Sculptural,” inviting designers to express in one single piece the relation of fashion to the human body. It was on view for four days to the public at the complex of Santo Spirito in Sassia.
Ms. Fendi called it “the new soul of alta roma” and sees it as a project to give free expression to creativity. Well-known names involved included Fendi itself, Valentino, Roberto Capucci, Marco de Vincenzo and Maurizio Galante, whose marbled chair seemed like an artwork.
A spiky jacket created from pine needles by Tiziano Guardini competed for attention with claw shoes from Aoi Kotsuhiroi and the equally arresting wood block heels designed by Cat Potter.
Valentino produced a dramatic cape in ivory tulle caged by whale bones and decorated with bows.
“This is about a young generation. When we started there were many young people,” said Pier Paulo Piccioli, speaking alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, his co-designer at Valentino.
“Rome is not about a fashion lifestyle,” he said. “You really have to work hard, more than in Milan or London. And fashion today has to be open-minded.”
The second Roman project was the Artisanal Intelligence, or “A.I.” Fair, conceived by AltaRoma to unite art, craft and fashion under the umbrella “Made in Italy.” A walk past hanging laundry, as if in a typical old Italian apartment block, led toward historic wooden doors undergoing restoration and then to a gallery with 25 artisans. They included Roman shoemaker Petrocchi, still creating handmade footwear on wooden lasts, to designers of Tuscany hats, embroidered bags and clothes with an independent spirit.
“The whole concept is to help independence,” says Ms. Fendi about the AltaRoma projects. “Milan does industrial fashion. We want things that last longer. First of all, every piece is different and can also be customized. It is not something that has a date on it. It has a different fashion life.”
Friday, July 13, 2012
Fashion error: Misadventures in camouflage
The following editorial appeared Wednesday in The Chicago Tribune:
Ever notice how many people you see wearing camouflage apparel in public? Well, maybe not. Wearing camouflage, they’re invisible, right?
Not always, because no one has designed a pattern that blends into the background at a mall food court or a Little League baseball game. So those woodland and desert patterns tend to make the wearer more conspicuous, not less.
Unless you’re hunting deer or ducks, that’s often the point. Camouflage has found its way into all sorts of products where its practical utility is, well, hard to see. You can buy camouflage toilet seats, beer koozies, shower curtains and wallets.
You can even buy Mossy Oak underwear, which theoretically would help conceal something that is not supposed to be visible in the first place. The trend extends as far as racy lingerie. The camouflage strapless corset and thong at Lingerie Diva is probably a big Valentine’s Day item in some places.
Camo used to be strictly a functional feature, but at some point it became a fashion statement — advertising that the wearer is rugged, outdoorsy or rural, if not all three. Plenty of hunters still don it to achieve stealth in a blind, but most of them don’t feel out of place wearing it in town after the season is over. Urban hipsters have been known to sport it in a spirit of subversive irony.
But there are people who wear it every day for the most practical of all reasons: to keep from getting killed. No one has a bigger appetite for clothing that makes one hard to detect than the U.S. military.
But that doesn’t mean soldiers are necessarily good at the design decisions. Reports a story in the online magazine Slate, "There’s a lot of brown in Afghanistan, says one aggrieved soldier, but the U.S. Army’s camo print contains not a speck." This, nearly 11 years after American fighting men and women arrived en masse.
The pattern that made its appearance in 2004, a gray and green pixelated one known as the Universal Camouflage Pattern, turns out to be OK unless you want to escape the notice of armed hostiles. As the online newspaper The Daily reports, "The government spent $5 billion on a camouflage design that actually made its soldiers more visible." Now it’s in the process of replacing this unfortunate wardrobe.
Ever notice how many people you see wearing camouflage apparel in public? Well, maybe not. Wearing camouflage, they’re invisible, right?
Not always, because no one has designed a pattern that blends into the background at a mall food court or a Little League baseball game. So those woodland and desert patterns tend to make the wearer more conspicuous, not less.
Unless you’re hunting deer or ducks, that’s often the point. Camouflage has found its way into all sorts of products where its practical utility is, well, hard to see. You can buy camouflage toilet seats, beer koozies, shower curtains and wallets.
You can even buy Mossy Oak underwear, which theoretically would help conceal something that is not supposed to be visible in the first place. The trend extends as far as racy lingerie. The camouflage strapless corset and thong at Lingerie Diva is probably a big Valentine’s Day item in some places.
Camo used to be strictly a functional feature, but at some point it became a fashion statement — advertising that the wearer is rugged, outdoorsy or rural, if not all three. Plenty of hunters still don it to achieve stealth in a blind, but most of them don’t feel out of place wearing it in town after the season is over. Urban hipsters have been known to sport it in a spirit of subversive irony.
But there are people who wear it every day for the most practical of all reasons: to keep from getting killed. No one has a bigger appetite for clothing that makes one hard to detect than the U.S. military.
But that doesn’t mean soldiers are necessarily good at the design decisions. Reports a story in the online magazine Slate, "There’s a lot of brown in Afghanistan, says one aggrieved soldier, but the U.S. Army’s camo print contains not a speck." This, nearly 11 years after American fighting men and women arrived en masse.
The pattern that made its appearance in 2004, a gray and green pixelated one known as the Universal Camouflage Pattern, turns out to be OK unless you want to escape the notice of armed hostiles. As the online newspaper The Daily reports, "The government spent $5 billion on a camouflage design that actually made its soldiers more visible." Now it’s in the process of replacing this unfortunate wardrobe.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Opposition: Syria's Iraq Ambassador Has Defected
The Syrian ambassador to Iraq has defected, denouncing President Bashar Assad in a TV statement Wednesday, becoming the most senior diplomat to abandon the regime during a bloody 16-month uprising.
Nawaf Fares, a former provincial governor, is the second prominent Syrian to break with the regime in less than a week. Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, an Assad confidant and son of a former defense minister, fled Syria last week, buoying Western powers and anti-regime activists, who expressed hope that other high-ranking defections would follow.
The high-level defections could be a sign that Assad's tightly wrapped regime is unraveling, but it was too early to be certain. There have been thousands of defections in the past, mostly low-level army conscripts, but until now no one as senior as the general and the ambassador had fled.
In a statement broadcast on the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera, Fares said he was resigning and joining the opposition. Wearing a dark suit and reading from a prepared text in what appeared to be a large office, Fares harshly criticized Assad.
"I'm announcing from this moment on that I'm siding with the revolution in Syria," he said, according to the Al-Jazeera translation into English. He called on all Syrians to abandon Assad.
"Where is the honor in killing your countrymen? Where is the national allegiance? The nation is all the people, not one person in particular," he said. "The allegiance is to the people, not to a dictator who kills his people."
It was not known where or when Fares recorded the statement.
Appointed to the Baghdad post four years ago, Fares was the first Syrian ambassador to Iraq in 26 years. Like Tlass, he is a member of the privileged Sunni elite in a regime dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect.
Khaled Khoja, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council who is based in Istanbul, said Fares was "moving toward Turkey." Asked for details, Khoja said the information came from his own sources on the ground in Iraq.
There was no immediate comment from either Iraq or Syria. An operator who answered the phone at the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad said there was nobody at the embassy. When asked if the ambassador is currently in Iraq, the operator said he did not know.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. had no confirmation of the defection as of Wednesday afternoon. But he said recent high-level defections from the Assad regime were "a welcome development."
"That is an indication of the fact that support for Assad is crumbling," Carney said.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said that if true, Fares would be the first senior diplomat from the regime to defect.
The conflict in Syria has defied every international attempt to bring peace. Although the Assad government's crackdown has turned the Syrian president into an international pariah, he still has the support of strong allies such as Russia, Iran and China.
A prominent Syrian opposition leader said Wednesday during a visit to Moscow that Russia's resistance to international intervention in the conflict was bringing misery and "suffering" to the violence-torn country.
Nawaf Fares, a former provincial governor, is the second prominent Syrian to break with the regime in less than a week. Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, an Assad confidant and son of a former defense minister, fled Syria last week, buoying Western powers and anti-regime activists, who expressed hope that other high-ranking defections would follow.
The high-level defections could be a sign that Assad's tightly wrapped regime is unraveling, but it was too early to be certain. There have been thousands of defections in the past, mostly low-level army conscripts, but until now no one as senior as the general and the ambassador had fled.
In a statement broadcast on the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera, Fares said he was resigning and joining the opposition. Wearing a dark suit and reading from a prepared text in what appeared to be a large office, Fares harshly criticized Assad.
"I'm announcing from this moment on that I'm siding with the revolution in Syria," he said, according to the Al-Jazeera translation into English. He called on all Syrians to abandon Assad.
"Where is the honor in killing your countrymen? Where is the national allegiance? The nation is all the people, not one person in particular," he said. "The allegiance is to the people, not to a dictator who kills his people."
It was not known where or when Fares recorded the statement.
Appointed to the Baghdad post four years ago, Fares was the first Syrian ambassador to Iraq in 26 years. Like Tlass, he is a member of the privileged Sunni elite in a regime dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect.
Khaled Khoja, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council who is based in Istanbul, said Fares was "moving toward Turkey." Asked for details, Khoja said the information came from his own sources on the ground in Iraq.
There was no immediate comment from either Iraq or Syria. An operator who answered the phone at the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad said there was nobody at the embassy. When asked if the ambassador is currently in Iraq, the operator said he did not know.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. had no confirmation of the defection as of Wednesday afternoon. But he said recent high-level defections from the Assad regime were "a welcome development."
"That is an indication of the fact that support for Assad is crumbling," Carney said.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said that if true, Fares would be the first senior diplomat from the regime to defect.
The conflict in Syria has defied every international attempt to bring peace. Although the Assad government's crackdown has turned the Syrian president into an international pariah, he still has the support of strong allies such as Russia, Iran and China.
A prominent Syrian opposition leader said Wednesday during a visit to Moscow that Russia's resistance to international intervention in the conflict was bringing misery and "suffering" to the violence-torn country.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
RIM exec: New BlackBerrys will impress
The new marketing chief for BlackBerry smartphones isn't dejected by perceptions that his products look ancient next to iPhones and Android devices.
Frank Boulben, four weeks into his job as chief marketing officer for Research in Motion, promises to impress people when phones running the company's new BlackBerry 10 software are released in early 2013, at least a year later than analysts had expected.
RIM will tout features that current devices lack, he said. Few details about BlackBerry 10 have been released, but the company has said it will include the ability to run multiple programs at once and will let users switch between programs without returning to the home screen. Android devices and iPhones typically require people to return to the home screen to start or resume an app, while traditional computers let you jump directly to themYou'll be able to flow seamlessly from one application to another," Boulben said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "The underlying operating system is truly multitasking."
But touting new features is just part of the challenge. BlackBerry devices will be handicapped because, compared with rivals, they have fewer games, utilities and other apps available to extend the phones' functionality.
Analysts believe RIM is running out of time to turn itself around. RIM is holding its annual shareholders meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, on Tuesday, less than two weeks after announcing disappointing financial results, deep job cuts and the latest delay in BlackBerry 10. Its stock is trading near a nine-year low .
Sales of the once-pioneering BlackBerry phones fell 41 percent in the latest quarter and likely won't pick up again until new phones come out next year. By then, people will have even more choices, including a new iPhone expected from Apple this fall and phones running the latest version of Google's Android software, called Jelly Bean. Phones running a revamped version of Microsoft's Windows system are also coming this fall.
Although BlackBerrys were once a staple in corporate environments because of their reputation for security and reliability, they've lost their cachet as iPhones demonstrated that smartphones are good for more than email. The BlackBerry's U.S. market share has plummeted from 41 percent in 2007, when the first iPhone came out, to less than 4 percent in the first three months of 2012, according to research firm IDC.
RIM portrays BlackBerry 10 as its way of catching up. It promises the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand. Better multitasking, Boulben said, is one way the new BlackBerry won't become a "me too" product.
Boulben said the smartphone market is still new and growing, so RIM can go after the millions of people around the world who still don't have smartphones. He added that people in the U.S. replace their phones every 18 months on average, giving RIM a chance to lure them with the new BlackBerry devices.
"We won't be present for this year, but next year we will be present in a larger market," he said.
Boulben also said he has developed a global marketing strategy for BlackBerry 10. In the past, countries and regions ran their own campaigns, which caused conflicting messages to appear when people searched for information online.
Centralizing marketing, he said, will reduce costs and allow the company to take better advantage of global social-networking services such as Facebook. He's counting on word of mouth once the first people get their hands on new BlackBerrys.
But BlackBerrys will still be far behind in the number of apps available from outside software developers. These are the games, maps, photo-sharing programs and other tools that extend the functionality and popularity of existing devices. Apple and Google each claim more than 500,000 apps for iPhone and Android devices, while BlackBerry's app store has fewer than 100,000.
To succeed, RIM will need to excite not only phone buyers, but also the software developers who'd make the BlackBerry apps. Analyst Steven Li at Raymond James has warned that the repeated BlackBerry 10 delays could discourage those developers from doing so.
Frank Boulben, four weeks into his job as chief marketing officer for Research in Motion, promises to impress people when phones running the company's new BlackBerry 10 software are released in early 2013, at least a year later than analysts had expected.
RIM will tout features that current devices lack, he said. Few details about BlackBerry 10 have been released, but the company has said it will include the ability to run multiple programs at once and will let users switch between programs without returning to the home screen. Android devices and iPhones typically require people to return to the home screen to start or resume an app, while traditional computers let you jump directly to themYou'll be able to flow seamlessly from one application to another," Boulben said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "The underlying operating system is truly multitasking."
But touting new features is just part of the challenge. BlackBerry devices will be handicapped because, compared with rivals, they have fewer games, utilities and other apps available to extend the phones' functionality.
Analysts believe RIM is running out of time to turn itself around. RIM is holding its annual shareholders meeting in Waterloo, Ontario, on Tuesday, less than two weeks after announcing disappointing financial results, deep job cuts and the latest delay in BlackBerry 10. Its stock is trading near a nine-year low .
Sales of the once-pioneering BlackBerry phones fell 41 percent in the latest quarter and likely won't pick up again until new phones come out next year. By then, people will have even more choices, including a new iPhone expected from Apple this fall and phones running the latest version of Google's Android software, called Jelly Bean. Phones running a revamped version of Microsoft's Windows system are also coming this fall.
Although BlackBerrys were once a staple in corporate environments because of their reputation for security and reliability, they've lost their cachet as iPhones demonstrated that smartphones are good for more than email. The BlackBerry's U.S. market share has plummeted from 41 percent in 2007, when the first iPhone came out, to less than 4 percent in the first three months of 2012, according to research firm IDC.
RIM portrays BlackBerry 10 as its way of catching up. It promises the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand. Better multitasking, Boulben said, is one way the new BlackBerry won't become a "me too" product.
Boulben said the smartphone market is still new and growing, so RIM can go after the millions of people around the world who still don't have smartphones. He added that people in the U.S. replace their phones every 18 months on average, giving RIM a chance to lure them with the new BlackBerry devices.
"We won't be present for this year, but next year we will be present in a larger market," he said.
Boulben also said he has developed a global marketing strategy for BlackBerry 10. In the past, countries and regions ran their own campaigns, which caused conflicting messages to appear when people searched for information online.
Centralizing marketing, he said, will reduce costs and allow the company to take better advantage of global social-networking services such as Facebook. He's counting on word of mouth once the first people get their hands on new BlackBerrys.
But BlackBerrys will still be far behind in the number of apps available from outside software developers. These are the games, maps, photo-sharing programs and other tools that extend the functionality and popularity of existing devices. Apple and Google each claim more than 500,000 apps for iPhone and Android devices, while BlackBerry's app store has fewer than 100,000.
To succeed, RIM will need to excite not only phone buyers, but also the software developers who'd make the BlackBerry apps. Analyst Steven Li at Raymond James has warned that the repeated BlackBerry 10 delays could discourage those developers from doing so.
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