Designer to Debut Crowd-Sourced Fashion Collection on eBay

Fashion designer Derek Lam will let eBay members vote on an original collection to be sold exclusively on eBay. He will unveil a ready-to-wear collection of original designs at a presentation during New York Fashion Week in February 2011 and invite shoppers to vote for their favorites on eBay.com. The final collection will be available for purchase on eBay in 2011 at "accessible, fixed price points."

"Having a direct and immediate dialogue with the online audience is what makes fashion exciting and relevant in this moment," Derek Lam stated in a press release. "eBay's technology offers me a unique and innovative opportunity to reach new and existing customers directly, and to create fashion they desire.”

Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week

With one glaring exception, Los Angeles' recent crazy-quilt fall calendar of fashion-focused activities unfolded pretty much as planned with a handful of smaller shows that included labels such as Skingraft and Anthony Franco, plus two larger events: Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week, which showcased a handful of designers downtown, and Los Angeles Fashion Weekend at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.

But that lone wrinkle was a real doozy. The 11th-hour cancellation of World Coast Management's long-planned Los Angeles Fashion Week — which had been scheduled to run Oct. 20 to 25 — caught the 14 participating designers (some slated to travel from Europe and Mexico) and the rest of the city's fashion faithful by surprise.

Event organizer Susan Costa did not return repeated calls seeking comment, but a media alert sent from Costa's e-mail address three days before the event's scheduled start blamed the last-minute cancellation on the Los Angeles Fire Department's refusal to sign off on a temporary-use permit for the downtown warehouse space WCM planned to use. A lack of any further detail kick-started rumors in the local fashion world, among them a conspiracy theory that forces within the mayor's office had moved to quash a fashion week event that didn't have the city's official stamp of approval.

French luxury groups eye Middle East growth opportunities

 France's famed luxury retailers, from Chanel to Baccarat to Cartier, are to put their best foot forward Friday in the Gulf emirate Dubai, seen as a gateway to the riches of the Middle East.

An estimated 30 groups are to present their offerings at the mammoth Dubai Mall, a 1,500-square meter temple to luxury.

The Middle East accounts for around eight percent of the 22 billion euros (30 billion dollars) in sales recorded by the 75 French luxury companies that are members of the Comite Colbert industry association.

In Dubai, said Elisabeth Ponsolle des Portes of the Comite Colbert, it is "important to show the full range of French flare and not simply handbags or watches."

Among the big names on display will be fashion houses Lanvin and Chloe, accessories specialist Chanel, Dior perfumes, Bernardaud porcelain, Gien china and jeweller Cartier.

Craftsmen will conduct demonstrations, a glassmaker from Saint-Louis, a leather worker from Hermes, "to show the importance accorded to human capital in our companies," said Ponselle des Portes.

French luxury houses for years made their presence felt in the Middle East through specialised distributors rather than through their own shops.

But recently French retailers have established outlets in the Gulf states and Lebanon. Beirut, bidding to regain its status as a luxury destination in the region, has this year seen the arrival of Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.

Dubai is meanwhile seen as a bridgehead to the Middle East "as Hong Kong has been for China," said Ponsolle des Portes.

She said the Chinese, looking for lower prices than they can find at home, have become "the leading clientele for our houses at the Dubai Mall, after regional customers and ahead of the Russians."

 

Back to the Seventies with Fashion

A new 1970s-style fashion muse, who means business during the day but can disco the night away, dominated the recent runway trends in the world’s fashion capitals.

Gone from the spring 2011 collections previewed in New York, London, Paris and Milan, Italy, was the aggressive, tough woman designers had sent out to do battle with the recession. But, it seems, the fashion world isn’t quite ready to embrace a full, floaty free-spirit, either.

The vision falls somewhere in between, which is the way most people live and dress.

Starting this fall, there already is movement toward high-waisted, trouser-style pants, bow blouses and longer hemlines. The fabric moves away from the body instead of cinching it. Still, you can find skinny jeans and a short biker jacket if you want them.

That will be a harder task in the coming months, and fashion insiders say women are ready for the change.

With the looser silhouettes, white and tropical-hue colors, and a relaxed vibe, designers were showing both an optimistic attitude and a willingness to invest in design instead of gimmicks, they say.

"This comes after many seasons of maximalism and decoration, but no one wants to go back to ’90s minimalism," says Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of W magazine. "This is romantic minimalism."

He adds: "When you look at fashion the last 20 years, there’s a lot of backward movement. You can’t find too many meanings in why you’re going back - last year was the ’80s - but, in the end, this season has a contemporary attitude to simplify and take away the ornamentalism and give freedom and romance to clothes."

Catherine Moellering, executive vice president of the Tobe Report, a fashion retail trend consultancy, sees a little more purpose to the historical reference, though.

"What was happening in society then is similar to many of the global issues we’re facing right now: It was a difficult economy, we were involved in an unpopular war, there were environmental issues," Moellering observes.

 

renovated by the Gucci fashion house for the 50th anniversary of its release

US director Martin Scorsese is to attend the premiere in Rome of a digitally remastered version of "La Dolce Vita", renovated by the Gucci fashion house for the 50th anniversary of its release, Gucci said.
The premiere is scheduled for October 30 during the Rome Film Festival.

"'La Dolce Vita' is a film that paved the way for a new world with an obsession for style, fashion and celebrity... It was therefore only natural for Gucci to honour this legacy," the company said in a statement on Monday.

Italian director Federico Fellini's masterpiece, "La Dolce Vita" stars Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg and is considered one of the greats of world cinema.

FASHION trends are timely

FASHION trends are timely, but when it is utilized as a tool for world change, then it becomes timeless.

This is what local Filipino designers aimed for when their works were paraded at the recently-held "The Elite Fashion Show" of the Fashion, Accessories and Beauty Bazaar.

Held recently at the East Wing Area of the World Trade Center, the fashion shows were part of the bazaar’s activities for the benefit of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.’s E-Media program—a program that provides alternative education for children in remote provinces.

One of the creative forces fighting for this cause is featured designer for the finale, Jun Escario, a 32-year old visionary that has helped shape the fashion landscape in his hometown, Cebu. Seen and expected to influence the direction of future Philippine fashion, this designer has gained national recognition for his ideas, original identity, and contribution to Philippine fashion at a young age.

DEBENHAMS SIGNS UP LONDON DESIGNERS

Debenhams has revealed this morning that it's launching a new project called Edition next Spring, and it's signing up some of the coolest designers around to create collections. The first three to take part? Jonathan Saunders, Preen and Jonathan Kelsey. And Roksanda Illincic will be swiftly following, offering up her first collection for the high street store next autumn.

All of the designers will create ranges over a minimum of four seasons and the pieces will be stocked at 30 Debenhams stores across the country. No pics of the collections have been release yet but we have been given some clues as to what we can expect.

Jonathan Saunders has aimed for a collection that's '...simple, modern and wearable with a focus on clean cuts and fresh colour.

Jonathan Kelsey has revealed that '..it’s been interesting to really study what the customer likes and then offer them something new, while keeping the DNA of my mainline at the heart of the design.' And, big excitement, the shoe designer has branched out into bags for the first time.

And Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi of Preen say that they '...thought about real women across all ages during the design process; so there will be something for everyone regardless of shape or age.'

 

FIDM’s new exhibition showcases 150 years of clothing trends

Seeing a Victorian dress on Wilshire Boulevard today is not the norm. Clothing, trends and styles constantly change, fall out of fashion and sometimes, return back to the limelight.

The new Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising exhibition “Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000” observes this cycle of bringing past styles to the present.

Running until Dec. 17, the exhibition by FIDM, a private fashion college, consists of 36 ensembles and is free for all visitors.

Ensembles consist of garments from both well-known designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and anonymous designers, as a result of lost tags. All garments, accessories and jewelry are authentic pieces fit to match each ensemble’s era. The curatorial team even went so far as to the create historically accurate hairstyles made of paper clippings for each mannequin to give the exhibition an overall feel of authenticity.

The exhibition itself was created using the 15,000 pieces of FIDM’s Museum collection, from which FIDM students are permitted to set up appointments to explore, study and draw inspiration.

Fashion comes first at Wanakafest

Tonight's Passion for Fashion show, which opens Wanakafest 2010, will show off the talent of several emerging designers from around the South Island in a bid to broaden the event's profile.
The fashion show has introduced a "design pioneers" element to its format this year, with debutant designers bidding to establish their own fashion labels asked to contribute garments for the catwalk.

Passion for Fashion director Terzann Elliott said they would feature the designs of 10 "invitational" finalists who had submitted their work to be shown in the design pioneers section.

Entries for the pioneer category had come from all around New Zealand, with one of the chosen finalists based in Perth, Ms Elliott said.

"We've also picked up some really good labels from outside the region and will be showcasing these as part of our emerging designers category," she said.

Luxury Handbags Spotlight at Paris Fashion Week

Parisian chic has many emissaries but none quite so playful as luxury handbag designer Olympia Le Tan, whose third collection based on maps and globes brings new bag shapes and more of her signature handiwork.

Her bags are produced to order in sets of 16 and hand-stitched in a Parisian studio at a time when haute couture, and the world of fashion more broadly, is shedding its taboo about outsourcing and growing ever more globalised.

The trendy designer who came of age as the assistant of former Balmain creative director Gilles Dufour told Reuters ahead of her show that she had no intention of turning her boutique business into an international franchise.

"I like the fact that it's a boutique," she said in an interview in a hotel room, surrounded by her bags. "We work as a family and I have a hand in everything the brand puts out.

For her third show, held late on Sunday in a planetarium in Paris, the half-British Le Tan branches off from the book cover designs which established her name with trendsetters to take an unlikely turn into the world of cartography.

as the store kicked off LG Fashion Week's runway

As one of the nation's most prestigious brands, when Holt Renfrew puts its name on a fashion show, only the best can be expected. On Monday night, as the store kicked off LG Fashion Week's runway with Canadian talents, they did not disappoint.

Starting with remarks from the Fashion Design Council of Canada's Robin Kay, who touted "the established, the emerging and the breakthroughs" who would be showing this week, the star quotient was upped as supermodel Coco Rocha introduced the nine designers for Holts.

Lida Baday's smart and sleek skirts in lustrous tans, complete with a rear exposed zipper, looked ideal for office wear, while her sweet pleated pink skirt simply screamed for a date picnicking in the park.

Montreal's Denis Gagnon carried out the striped theme, with hard-edged elongated shirts and dresses composed almost exclusively from hanging fringe, in a eye-pleasing, figure-flattering dress.

Calgary's Wayne Clark took to the red carpet quite literally, with majestic gowns in shades of scarlet, complete with giant bows, rosettes and ruffles that moved to and fro with the models' steps.

As a finale, Mikhael Kale brought his eye for detail and crafty finishes to glitz up the runway, showing off sweet cocktail dresses showered with ribbons, sequins, and for one notable outfit, nothing more than a PVC skirt covered by a sash of satin turned flowing train.

A leather bag and a silk scarf will always be a perfect match

A woman very often might not know what she wants, but when it comes to accessories to go with her clothing she knows exactly what will go well with it. A leather bag and a silk scarf will always be a perfect match and as long as there is demand for these items, women's handbags and scarves New York will do a roaring business. These two accessories make or break your overall dress sense so you should be careful when you choose them.

The businesses dealing with scarves New York and women's handbags will always make good profits as women just cannot do without them. They certainly need a handbag to keep their lipstick and other make-up and the scarf comes in handy many a time and just not to keep your neck warm.

its 56th Annual Mothers' Guild Fashion Show for Financial Aid

its 56th Annual Mothers' Guild Fashion Show for Financial Aid, will take place on November 12, 2010, at The Fairmont San Jose, first in a luncheon setting and later during a black-tie dinner dance.

"This year's fashion show theme IMAGINE was inspired by John Lennon's lyrics and has a social consciousness component while the tagline, 'a band of brothers,' speaks to Bellarmine's underlying philosophy of being 'men for others,'" explained Suzette Chiechi, 2010 Fashion Show Chair. "This segues into the fact that our fashion show is a fundraiser and a platform that showcases the spectrum of Bellarmine student talent."

All proceeds from the 2010 Mothers' Guild Fashion Show will benefit Bellarmine's Financial Aid Endowment and Direct Financial Aid Program to help make it possible for every student to complete his high school journey. Since inception of the first fashion show in 1954, the Mothers' Guild has donated more than $3 million to Bellarmine's financial aid program.

Heritage fashion houses pay tribute to the past

The show spanned the entire floor of the Grand Palais in central Paris, an area the size of a football pitch transformed to resemble a classical French garden, complete with black hedgerows, gravel paths and polished white fountains.

There were more models, more styles, and more spectators than usual for Chanel, all signs of a brand intent on spreading its influence with a generation of fashionistas which has learned to cut corners during the global recession.

The half-hour procession of outfits seemed to prize variety over consistency. Evening dresses of cascading white mousseline and silvery chain mail followed giant knitted cardigans or a flamboyant gown of dyed ostrich feathers.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld, appearing after the show in typical high collar and powdered white hair, said he had delved into Chanel's cinematic history for inspiration.

"My inspiration was Delphine Seyrig from 'Last Year in Marienbad,' he told Reuters, referring to the Chanel-clothed star of the surrealistic 1961 film.

 

Young Leeds designer makes final of fashion contest

A fashion student from Leeds has kickstarted her career after qualifying for the final of a regional young designer contest.

Emma Cowie, 21, reached the final of North West Young Designer of the Year 2010 with her collection, based on a Second World War theme.

The final show will be at Manchester's Triangle Shopping Centre on Tuesday, judged by a panel of experts from the fashion industry including a celebrity judge.

The winner will get an all expenses paid photoshoot of their collection featured in a glossy magazine.

Emma, a third year student at Liverpool John Moores University, said: "To win this competition will certainly help to establish my name in the world of fashion.

"The designer industry is very difficult to break in to, but I'm hopeful my collection will make the grade and win me the title.

"I'm very excited just to make the final, but winning it would be a dream come true. Hopefully everyone will get behind me and support me on the day – I'm hoping to bring lots of Leeds support."

Handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff designs shoes

We caught up with Rebecca at the launch of her shoe collection and quizzed her on all things stylish:

Do you design with a particular woman in mind?

I definitely design for myself and for my friends. I’m also inspired by them. For the shoe collection, I raided my mum's shoe wardrobe – she has hundreds of pairs, and I found lots of ideas for the collection, which was 1970s influenced.

Which celebrities do you love seeing in your pieces?

All of them! I love Rachel Bilson, Reese Witherspoon and especially Sienna Miller – she’s just got such a fresh approach and always looks cool.

Do you have any handbag rules?

I think everybody should wear a handbag that suits them but maybe makes them feel a little uncomfortable. It's good to take a leap. I find that when I wear something that makes me feel a little uneasy, like this mad pair of Isabel Marant trousers I just bought, it's the one piece that everybody comments on in a positive way.

that camel is the colour to be seen in this autumn and winter

Seen on the AW10 catwalk from designers Chloe, replica hermes, Gucci and Stella McCartney, there is no doubt that camel is the colour to be seen in this autumn and winter. Whether you wear an oversized camel jacket, a traditional camel coat, a pleated camel skirt, pencil dress or polo top, or you prefer a bit of understated glamour with a camel leather bag or a pair of camel courts, there is lots to choose from in the high street and independent boutiques in the city.

If the thought of wearing head to toe camel fills you with in trepidation here’s my guide to how anyone can jump on board the camel trend.

Look 1: Keep it classic

A camel coat, shift dress and tan leather boots keeps the camel look perfectly classic. Camel button coat, £85, Wallis; Camel shift dress, £159 Hobbs; Tan riding boots, £80, Wallis.

Look 2: Wear with denim

Make it easy by wearing camel with denim. Camel cape, £45, TU at Sainsbury; belted zip detail bootcut jeans, £40, Jane Norman; Jack low single eyelet lace up boot, £140, French Connection.

Look 3: Mix styles

Camel is a trend from the 70s but why not take some inspiration from the 60s which is also a trend this season by wearing a suede camel mini dress with over the knee boots. Camel suede dress, £160, House of Fraser in Chapelfield; Disco Over the Knee Boot, £99.99, Schuh; Faux leather tan biker jacket, £30, Florence and Fred at Tesco.

Profits upgrades in the bag as Mulberry sales soar

The luxury brand replica hermes revealed that its underlying sales had rocketed by nearly 80 per cent since the summer, as well-heeled shoppers snapped up its celebrity-endorsed handbags.

In a trading update, Mulberry said its booming sales meant its full-year profits for the year to 31 March would "significantly exceed" market expectations. The brand, which has 40 UK stores, including department store concessions, said its star performing handbags were the Bayswater, Lily and Alexa, which sells for up to £795 and was named after the TV presenter Alexa Chung.

For the 10 weeks to 2 October, Mulberry said like-for-like sales in its full-price stores surged by 79 per cent – up from 44 per cent growth for the previous 10-week period.

Godfrey Davis, the chief executive of Mulberry, said its sales growth in Asia, particularly in South Korea, was outstripping the UK. "The wholesale business in Asia is growing at more than 100 per cent per annum," he said. Over the 10 weeks, sales at Mulberry's shops in the UK jumped by 57 per cent, boosted by visitors from China to its London stores.

Fashion has rejected its current minimalist aesthetic and heartily embraced colou

One day you're in and the next day you're out: that's fashion. And with the ever-increasing cycle of fashion, what was on the runways last season is oversaturated by the time it reaches the shops. Case in point: the "new minimalism" which you may have heard about it in your latest issue of British Vogue, or read about on one of a million blogs dedicated to the collections from Celine, Stella McCartney ,replica hermes and Chloe, or seen on the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week last month.

For those who aren't aware of fashion's recent penchant for stripping it back, it includes everything from camel coats, smart trousers, sensible colours and classic handbags. It was a refreshing trend because it rejected trends, and one that saw many jump on the classic bandwagon.

But now, almost too self-consciously, fashion is rejecting this minimalist aesthetic. At recent fashion weeks in New York, Milan and London, designers seemed to do a total 180 by heartily embracing colour.

designer clothes and handbags on sale for charity

Pop star Pixie Lott is selling off her collection of free designer clothes and replica hermes handbags to raise money for charity.

Lott regularly receives bundles of clothes and accessories from big designer labels eager to attach her to their brand.

However, the singer admits she now has too many clothes to wear - so she plans to sell them off in aid of a good cause.

"I get clothes and accessories from different brands delivered to my house every day. It's lovely stuff, but I don't get the chance to wear it all. I'm arranging to have a lot of it sold and I'll give the money to charity," the Daily Star quoted Lott as telling the Sunday Times Magazine.

Although Avery is most widely known for her handbags

In 2001, making replica hermes was just a hobby for Hoboken designer and small business owner Megan Avery.

An online marketing researcher by profession, it wasn't until the dot-com she worked for went out of business that Avery seriously considered turning to her longtime interest as a means of paying the bills.

Although Avery is most widely known for her hermes handbags, after moving to her current location on Seventh Street in 2006, she had the space and means to expand her ambitions and began to make all kinds of personal fabric accessories. Those searching for a unique and handmade look can find apparel from scarves and skirts to handbags and wristlets.

Avery takes just as much pride in her hands-on instructional programs, as she does in her products. Her six- and three-week programs during the summer teach campers how to sew, cut fabric and lay out patterns.

I try and keep it to the bare minimum and receipts

I'm always on a quest to make my wallet thinner by removing superfluous things. I try and keep it to the bare minimum and receipts? Forget about it. They don't last a day, two at the most. Someone told me once that the older you get the more stuff you can't leave the house without. I've found that to be true.

Sometimes it's rough for us guys because you can only carry so much stuff in your pockets and replica hermes. And that's just the bare essentials. Better to have it and not need it right? I'll tell you what, safety is always cool. Believe that. Women have it a little easier with purses but they do need more stuff than men. Have you seen a female wallet? Most of them are like four men's wallets in size. It seems that women fill up their purse with junk, whatever size it is.