Rihanna determined not to change sexy image

Rihanna says women who criticise her for being sexy are "unhappy with themselves".

The pop beauty - who is famous for her flesh-flashing stage outfits and revealing fashion choices - is proud of her body and insists girls who attack her online are "hypocrites".

She said: "People think I'm overly sexy. It bothers them for some reason. Girls don't like to see other girls dressed sexy . It's a little intimidating, I don't mean that in a cocky way. There's always going to be somebody not liking what you do. People have a lot of crazy opinions on things.

"Things I say, things I wear, places I go. It's just stupid. It's bulls**t. I'm a 22-year-old human being. It's fine for me to go to a club.

"People are hypocrites. They can't wait to say something horrible. Most of them are unhappy with themselves. It's women who are mad at other women. They should take a look at their own lives. A lot of people don't have the guts to confront themselves. They don't have the b***s."

Although her online critics make her angry, Rihanna can accept that her overtly sexual image could annoy people.

But she is determined not to change her behaviour or style just to please anyone else.

She added in an interview with the UK edition of GQ magazine: "Public figures can become annoying. They see me a lot and every time they see me my a** is out or my boobs are out, so it can get a little irritating. I get that. But I have to do what makes me happy, what I feel like doing."

Swarovski's costume jewellery brand

Swarovski's costume jewellery brand, for example, now competes for many consumers who also scout - and can afford - Chopard, Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari and comparable fine jewellery collections for their bling.

''In fashion, it's not shocking any more to mix designer (labels) with high street brands,'' says Swarovski's French creative director, Nathalie Colin (pictured). ''So you find the same principle working here: fine jewellery (brands) now work like fashion jewellery brands, and fashion jewellery brands like fine jewellery brands.''

It's a concept that tempers, or even negates, the allure of genuine diamond, sapphire or ruby jewellery if the rival in the consumer's mind is a crystal-based alternative as finely crafted, as fashionably designed, and as cunningly marketed as the real bling.

The tiny price cards placed around the Swarovski ''crystal forest'' store by Japanese designer Tokukin Yoshioka, the focus of Monday's marketing extravaganza, for instance, showed sums ranging from just $180 for rings and $500 for necklaces of precious-looking, hand-cut multifacetted and coloured ''stones'' that would sell for tens of thousands more were they mined from the earth.

''All those frontiers in the world; in food, in fashion, in jewellery, are getting totally blurred,'' Ms Colin says. ''Everything is cross-fertilising.''

She says Swarovski's history - it was founded in Austria in 1895 by entrepreneurial glass cutter Daniel Swarovski, and evolved into a multibillion-dollar company with integrity in crystal products from industrial tools to road safety equipment - and what she calls its ''DNA'' of fine jewellery crafts, contributes to that blurring and crossing of markets.

The rest is achieved with luxury-look stores, luxury-look advertising and luxury-based marketing such as Monday night's party and appearance by the iconic Blondie which, incidentally, triggered a wide viral fallout as A-listers tweeted and Facebooked their delight even before they had been whisked by limousine away from Bennelong Point.

''This material has a spontaneous fascination,'' Ms Colin says of the watery pure and brilliantly coloured crystals she worked into a collection of modernist and exotic jewels dubbed Wings of Poetry. ''It is a lively material, like a chameleon, mysterious and capturing.'' She could as easily have described her marketing campaign.

Inside the hair-raising world of competitive coiffure

We are all familiar with the sleek, highlighted manes sported by denizens of the fashion and celebrity magazines, from Gisele to Jennifer Aniston and Kate Middleton. But, says the German-born photographer Daniel Stier, "I like the idea that there are different ideas of beauty." Seen here are a startling array of locks Stier shot earlier this month at the Organisation Mondiale Coiffure (OMC), the "Olympics of hair", in Paris. Some are several hairstyles in one, with 1940s rolls, waves, curls and sprays of hair looking like some sort of sci-fi flower arrangement.

The OMC competition and trade fair takes place every four years – "like the World Cup", says Stier, who has been biding his time to snap the event ever since he saw an "unforgettable documentary about a guy from a small town who goes to compete in the show". People come from around ' the world to take part with a team or as individuals, many of whom are from small salons – and they take it extremely seriously, down to the preparation and the kit. One team from America arrived a week in advance to acclimatise, as if they were going to be hairdressing at altitude. Stier recalls a German team with customised tracksuits with Hairworld 2010 on the back, and a team from Mongolia with the name of their country emblazoned on their clothes.

The competition is divided into categories from Classic and Creative to Hair by Night (unsuitable to be viewed in daylight, perhaps?) and Trend Cut, which seems to be mainly a short, spiky style with tips coloured red, pink and peroxide; rather like a punky porcupine. Eye-catching? Certainly. Likely to topple Alexa Chung or Jennifer Aniston from their hair-icon pedestals? Maybe not. The Fantasy category certainly lives up to its name, featuring one ' model dressed as a pineapple, another with hair teased into something resembling a tree stump covered in flowers, and a third with hair – or rather extensions – teased into vertical blue ringlets in the style of an underwater scene, complete with replica clownfish. "The really outrageous ones were like something out of a carnival, with trees and leaves," says Stier. "It was mayhem and there was no way of even getting near to the entries, because there was so much excitement." But, he adds: "I liked the idea of the more realistic hairstyles." Well, everyone's reality is different.

Rocker-inspired fashion label Faith Connexion bills itself as a lifestyle collectio

Rocker-inspired fashion label Faith Connexion bills itself as a lifestyle collection. But really, it's a brand built for the woman who is looking to channel her inner vixen.

Consider the brand's noir fall collection. Looks include opera-length gloves, skinny pants, mini-dresses and a biker jacket with the entire back cut out — all rendered in jet-black leather — plus shiny black printed leggings, zipper-laden miniskirts and '80s-inspired slashed black tops.

This is power dressing at its sexiest.

And now the razor-sharp collection, which was previously available only in specialty shops in the U.S., has its own storefront on Melrose Avenue — a sleek black-and-white boutique that doubles as the brand's West Coast headquarters (there are offices and a wholesale showroom in the back).

The company — a licensed extension of the original, Paris-based Faith Connexion — chose Los Angeles as the location for its first U.S. store because "it's one of the major cities in the U.S. known for fashion," said Evelyn Lugo, director of marketing for Faith Connexion U.S.A., adding, "and on Melrose we have all of the great designers as neighbors."

The 900-square-foot flagship is covered in the label's medieval-feeling winged-dagger logo. Inside, shoppers will find the brand's fashion line, which consists of cocktail dresses, tops, tunics, pantsuits, blouses, leggings and skirts, priced from $120 to $1,200; its casual wear array, which includes tees, loungewear and denim, priced from $100 to $250; and the accessories collection, featuring purses, belts and gloves ranging from $140 to $800.

Demand for luxury goods defies downturn as label's profits treble

If the world is tightening its belt, then it's made of luxurious Italian leather. Profits at fashion house Prada have trebled so far this year, boosted by sales of luxury items in Asian and American markets.

Rising unemployment and a crisis in the eurozone, not least in the label's home of Italy, have not affected the world's appetite for staggeringly expensive handbags and leather boots and shoes.

All four of the Prada Group's labels have contributed to the rise: Prada, Miu Miu, traditional British shoemaker Church's and designer moccasin makers Car Shoe.

Church's were among a number of high-profile acquisitions in the 1990s which left the company €1bn in debt. But Prada's attempt to increase revenue by expanding its network of shops has paid dividends.

It marks a significant step in the extraordinary journey of the company since it was taken over in 1978 by Miuccia Prada, now 61, granddaughter of Mario Prada, who opened the first Prada store in 1913, a leather goods shop in Milan.

Miuccia Prada's husband, Patrizio Bertelli, an Italian who had begun his own leather goods business at the age of 17, joined the company shortly after meeting Ms Prada in the late 1970s, and is now its chief executive. He has been at the heart of the company's drive to become a big player in the global fashion world.

Prada hopes to list on the stock market next year with Hong Kong rumoured to be the most likely centre, close to the Asian consumers which are driving its recent surge in profits.

China, in particular, has been the centre of Prada's commercial renaissance. There are estimated to be more than 130 US dollar billionaires in China at the latest count and hundreds of thousands of Chinese millionaires.

"The data confirms that the retail network expansion is a winning strategy. These excellent results let us confidently look at the oncoming group's development," said Mr Bertelli in a statement.

Sales were said by the firm to have risen by 31 per cent to €1.38bn in the last nine-month period. Europe and the United States have contributed to growth, but in the Asian market sales have risen 51 per cent, the most significant element in the firm's success.

Prada's status as a major global brand was enhanced by the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada, which was based on the notorious Vogue editor Anna Wintour and celebrated the fashion industry's love of corporate excess.

English actress Carey Mulligan was also wearing a strapless jet-black Prada gown when she lost out to Sandra Bullock at this year's Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

To anyone who revels in a vibrant, colorful, utterly cheerful floral

Nandini D'Souza, a regular contributor to The Inside Source, eBay's online style magazine, talked to Schoenborn about her enviable position -- her access to the Pulitzer archives, full of dancing monkeys, blown-up lilies and bold tropicals.

"We have such a large and varied collection of vintage 'Lillys.' We own around 300-plus pieces, including bathing suits, maxi dresses and skirts," Schoenborn told Nandini D'Souza, a regular contributor to The Inside Source, eBay's digital style magazine. So much of the archives end up inspiring current collections, from direct prints to riffs on a certain color palette.

Like so many Pulitzer fans, Schoenborn is always on the hunt for classic pieces that span the collection's half-a-century and, she says, "eBay is our first stop. When a print shows up on eBay that we do not already have, the bidding starts."

Schoenborn shared some of her search secrets. First, there's always a treasure of Lilly Pulitzer. She usually finds up to 200 items on any given day when she starts with a straightforward "vintage Lilly Pulitzer" search. "I found the cutest set of six vintage melamine appetizer plates with matching napkins that I pull out when entertaining."

To learn more search secrets and see what lovable Lilly finds Schoenborn tracked down on eBay using her favorite keywords, click here.

The man whom America calls "the merchant prince" just became king of a retail empire

The man whom America calls "the merchant prince" just became king of a retail empire.

Mickey Drexler, who turned Gap into the epitome of Nineties casual and in the process made himself one of the tastemasters of American popular fashion, is fronting a $3bn (£1.9bn) takeover bid for J Crew, the fashion chain he has been running since 2003, and which broke through to the big time when it dressed the First Lady, Michelle Obama, for her husband's inauguration last year.

The $3bn bid – the money for which will come mainly from the private-equity firm TPG – caps years of growing acclaim for J Crew and for Mr Drexler's own intuitive sense of what Americans want to wear. It is also a final two fingers to the old guard at Gap, which fired him in 2002 during a brief dip in sales.

J Crew began as a catalogue retailer and opened its first store at the South Street Seaport tourist hotspot in New York in 1989. When Mr Drexler arrived, it was struggling to find a way out of its niche of staid preppy clothing. In the past seven years, it has marched resolutely upmarket, and branched out into kidswear and by selling other brands' accessories. The discovery that Michelle Obama was a shopper only added lustre to the brand, and the company has endured the recession better than many of its peers as heretofore designer-label clothes-horses decided to trade down to its lower-cost, high-fashion range.

With 250 stores across the US, analysts believe it is only a matter of time until it sets its sights on the international market.

As the champagne corks popped yesterday on the announcement of a takeover – and as J Crew shares soared 17 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange – Mr Drexler's existing stake was valued at a cool $165m. He will roll most of that money into a shareholding in the private company and continue as chairman and chief executive.

"As I have always said, we are in this for the long term," he said yesterday. "We do what we do, day in and day out, so we can deliver the best possible products to our customers."

Mr Drexler, 66, is an instinctive and ebullient rag trader in the mould of the UK's Sir Philip Green. The son of a garment worker from an underprivileged neighbourhood in the Bronx, Mr Drexler started as a buyer for iconic New York stores such as Bloomingdale's and Macy's, and today he still travels the US bursting in on J Crew stores to check the arrangement of stock, or visiting suppliers to pick out the latest colours or fashions.

"A merchant is someone who figures out how to select, how to smell, how to identify, how to feel, how to time, how to buy, how to sell, and how to hopefully have two plus two equal six," he told The New Yorker recently. "Does the merchandise speak to you numerically? There's a rhythm. You see goods as numbers. You see stores as numbers. And the numbers have to work out."

TPG is putting in about three-quarters of the money for the takeover deal, with another private-equity firm, Leonard Green & Partners, stumping up the remainder. TPG has a long association with J Crew, having previously owned a majority stake before luring Mr Drexler to the company and floating it on the stock market in 2006. Under the merchant prince's regency, the company's shares have soared from their $20 price in 2006 to yesterday's takeover price of $43.

To reassure shareholders that the deal is not a stitch-up, Mr Drexler said he did not take part in the boardroom decision to approve the deal, and directors got independent advice on the value of the offer. In addition, the company is being allowed to actively solicit other bidders until well into the New Year – after the Christmas-shopping results are in. Deals at this time of year are unusual because so much of the company's profitability depends on the holiday season, which kicks off this week on so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers hold big sales, shoppers flock to the stores, and the companies are said to go into the black for the year.

J Crew is trying to prove it has not hit a bad patch, after giving warning about "nervous" shoppers and promotions by competitors in recent weeks. The company said yesterday that it had to discount women's clothing more than expected in its third quarter.

Kardashian Sisters Partner with Skechers

Kicking off yet another exciting business venture, the Kardashian sisters attended a press conference for the announcement of their new partnership with Skecher’s Shape-Ups Fitness shoes on Monday (November 22).

Joined by their mother Kris - Kourtney, Kim and Khloe all posed for pictures at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel and all seemed to be quite excited about their latest project.

The new “Kardashian collection” was launched today on the Skechers website and features shoes with bold colors as well as some classics for a more low key style.

In other news, Kim has created a bit of a buzz as she attended Sunday night’s L.A. Lakers game and was spotted sitting next to and flirting with Halle Berry’s ex, Gabriel Aubry. Of the rumored couple, a source told People Magazine, “They’ve been dating a little bit.”

Nothing captures the imagination like an animal print coat

Nothing captures the imagination like an animal print coat – from Mrs Robinson to Bet Lynch, safari-spotted outerwear renders a woman modern and vivacious yet classically elegant. The trick is to get the proportions right. Longer lengths are best kept minimally styled – collarless, for example, and in wool or gabardine, rather than faux fur. The line should be simple and fitted, perhaps with a Fifties-esque nipped waist or swing detail.

Short jackets can be more daring – this is the place to introduce some fuzz, if that's your bag. Banish leopard print's naff associations with barmaids and working men's clubs: a faux fur jacket or chubbie can be dressed up for a bit of vintage glamour or down for latter-day grunge Similarly, sweaters and cardigans are sturdy separates that mean you can invest in this trend without overhauling your entire wardrobe. Make sure, though, that if you choose an animal print pelt to keep you warm all winter, you wear it in isolation. Don't go overboard with this trend – one layer is quite enough.

 

Designer and high-street collaborations might have been one of the fashion sensations of the Noughties

Designer and high-street collaborations might have been one of the fashion sensations of the Noughties, but they've stayed firmly on our shopping lists into the new decade. The next couple of days will see the launch of two big-hitting double acts – a capsule collection by Valentino for Gap launches in Milan today and in London on the 27 November, while Lanvin for H&M arrives worldwide on the 23rd.

These are just two of numerous designer collaborations around this season. Like those other Noughties sensations – Uggs and skinny jeans – they're still here. According to Charlotte Woods, at the retail analyst Verdict: "Well-executed collections with high-profile individuals still hold substantial pull."

It's hardly surprising, really. What's not to like about the chance to buy clothes with some designer flair at affordable prices? However, what has changed is that consumers have become more discerning and are no longer impressed by celebrity collaborations passed off as credible design. We're increasingly familiar with the names of the head designers or the houses originated a trend and we want integrity.

The unlikely pairing that is Valentino and Gap is likely to intrigue. Gap is known for preppy basics, Valentino for classically feminine clothes, ruffles and showstopping red dresses. Aficionados will know that the house's founder Valentino Garavani retired in 2008 and the label is now designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.

 

Chanel J12 watch the treasure inside

Chanel J12 watch the treasure inside, is a "pass book", can not see the "old" not to know too, but at least 9 years in this, it is still pleasant surprises, not tired of watching a hundred! I also know that a new family of Premiere ready to go, but mentioned Chanel watch, is the first time most people still think of J12's.

Born in 2000, J12, into the high-level representatives of the Chanel watch the determination. Design Art Director Jacques Helleu once said: "I spent 7 years of efforts and time to find a perfect black on the inside J12." Indeed, in that high-tech ceramic case and strap, we feel that not the same as the noble black texture! The first one is the Chanel J12 Watch, J12 is the brand for the first time application of high technology ceramic products.

To evaluate, I think J12 is a rather ambitious lady. Models from the initial sweep, the 02 additional timing function, and then adding the brand's most powerful skills - diamond, followed by a one of a limited series, to 05 to enter the formal complexity of the tourbillon watch style formation, is gradual, step by step, the forces also its expansion. This man really convincing, and is the brand launched last year Calibre 3125 mechanical movement, which is jointly developed with Audemars Piguet to this year mature ladies want to please the taste of men, and in the Basel Watch Fair, we see that Chanel J12 The first costume back belt, so do not like sudden loud applause of men!

 

While the price tags on these American-made watches

One of my cheap Chinese watches from a big box store is beeping every hour. The poorly written directions don't say how to make it stop. So, I've buried my offending cheap Chinese watch under clothing, in a dresser drawer, and in a box. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I still hear it: beep. It makes me think that there has to be a better way: an American way that leads to a watch that doesn't need to be buried in the deep recesses of a dresser drawer. I did a little research and found that there are still companies proudly making some of the world's finest wristwatches right here in America: The Towson Watch Company, The RGM Watch Company, and The Sedona Watch Company.

While the price tags on these American-made watches may seem steep to big box store shoppers, all of these watches are real bargains in the world of high end luxury wristwatches and show that America can compete with the finest European watchmakers. Best of all, the Towson Watch Company, RGM Watch Company, and Sedona Watch Works are joined by other trailblazing American watch companies. Other American watchmakers like the Bozeman Watch Company and the Montana Watch Company make beautiful watches and are rising in prominence. None of these Made in USA watches beep and none of these American-made watches deserve to be buried under socks. Any of these American made wristwatches would be a proud addition to a collector's watch box.

 

Burberry raised its interim dividend by a massive 43 per cent to 5p

Burberry touted a strong performance in Asia and barnstorming sales of its leather aviator jackets for driving record half-year profits yesterday.

The luxury group also hailed the contribution of a 26 per cent surge in non-apparel sales, with the star performer being its leather handbags, to pre-tax profits surging by 49 per cent to £118m.

Angela Ahrendts, the chief executive of Burberry, said: "The continued focus on the brand, ongoing investment in our digital, IT and retail infrastructure, especially in China, and a disciplined approach to driving growth underpin our confidence in delivering long-term sustainable returns."

Total revenues at Burberry, which has retail, wholesale and licensing divisions, rocketed by 21 per cent to £641m over the six months to 30 September.

Ms Ahrendts, who has been feted for her turnaround at Burberry, cited an impressive performance in China where it acquired in September 43 of the 50 stores that were previously operated by its franchise partners. Sales at the new company-owned stores jumped by 25 per cent in the half-year. Burberry expects to transfer over the seven remaining franchise stores over the coming months.

Sales across its emerging markets division accounted for 13 per cent of total sales in the first half, up from 11 per cent last year, with Turkey also making a strong contribution.

Ms Ahrendts said Burberry would continue to invest in new markets from India and China to the Middle East to deliver "long-term sustainable growth". The luxury brand also boasted double-digit underlying sales growth in Europe – where it has 87 shops including concessions – with the UK, Italy and France "among the best performing markets".

In the UK, which accounts for 6 per cent to 7 per cent of its global sales, Ms Ms Ahrendts said: "We are absolutely thrilled that it [UK] is one of the strongest markets in the world for us. We have a loyal local customer base and London is one of the most visited places in the world today. We get Russian, Middle Eastern tourists coming in... and we now get the Chinese customers coming in."

A key driver of the uplift in Burberry's retail and wholesale profits to £87m was a 670 basis point rise in its gross margin.

Ms Ahrendts said that Burberry's aviator jackets had gone down a storm with customers. She said: "The aviator went down the runway [catwalk] last autumn in about 10 different iterations and it is very difficult to find one in one of our stores these days."

She also played down the prospect of Burberry following other retailers in rising prices next year, in the wake of cost pressures in the supply chain from spikes in the price of cotton and record freight charges.

Ms Ahrendts said that through better negotiation with suppliers, aided by its increased volumes, it would be able to "mitigate all these to a large extent".

Burberry raised its interim dividend by a massive 43 per cent to 5p.

Lindsay Lohan Allowed to Shoot Fashion Advert

Lindsay Lohan has returned to her work commitments after health experts approved her progress at a rehabilitation centre.

The Mean Girls star, who has been in and out of jail and rehab this year, is spending three months at California's Betty Ford clinic after failing two mandatory drug tests and violating her probation.

She has improved during her time in the centre and was moved out of the main facility and into a Palm Springs "sober house".

And on Sunday, professionals at the clinic allowed the star to head to a magazine shoot and complete a fashion advert for Russian clothes company Kira Plastinina, according to TMZ.com.

 

Luxury groups have seen sales rebound strongly

Cartier watchmaker Richemont's (CFR.VX) first-half profit soared more than expected as buoyant demand for top-of-the-range watches and jewellery in Asia and the Americas fuelled the brisk pace of growth into October.

Luxury groups have seen sales rebound strongly from their worst slump in decades and Swiss watch exports have soared this year, with Hong Kong, where mainland Chinese love to shop, still the prime export destination for Swiss watches.

April-September sales at Richemont rose 37 percent, helped by a weak euro, driven in particular by Asian consumers spending on Cartier and Piaget watches, Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery and Montblanc pens.

"A blow-out set of figures," Kepler Capital Markets Jon Cox said, adding that the improved gross margin and the sales acceleration in October were also positive.

Net profit almost doubled thanks to a revaluation gain on recently acquired online fashion retailer Net-a-porter, beating estimates in a Reuters poll.

Shares pared earlier losses, rising 4.8 percent to 53.85 Swiss francs at 1119 GMT, while nearly all of its peers in the STOXX Europe 600 Personal goods and household index.SXQP fell or remained flat.

Richemont shares have risen 50 percent this year, outperforming a 25 percent rise in the sector.

Peter Copping on his Nina Ricci collection

Although several designers have tried to forge a modern identity for Nina Ricci over the last decade, the French fashion house is still better known for the iconic fragrance L'Air Du Temps (launched in 1948 in the Lalique bottle with glass doves) than for clothes.

But the brand's new creative director, Peter Copping, is trying to change that. Copping follows on the heels of Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens, who wowed critics and fashion eccentrics alike with his collections (remember those heel-less fetish shoes?) but didn't sell much of anything.

Copping, who is British, is aiming for more of a balance between fantasy and reality on the runway. "It's called the fashion industry after all," he said over toast and hot chocolate in Los Angeles recently.

His first two collections have been sexy and sweet, with lots of lingerie-like details, lace and bows, and an emphasis on party dresses and feminine knits. Now he's on the road selling it and stopped at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills recently for a trunk show and charity event.

Late Fashion Renegade Alexander McQueen

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that the 2011 edition of its tony "Met Ball" — as Vogue's annual Costume Institute Gala at the museum is known — will take as its inspiration the work of the late British designer Alexander McQueen, an art collector himself whose gilt-and-brocade final collection was inspired by Old Master paintings. The May 2nd gala event, co-chaired by PPR chief François-Henri Pinault and his wife, Salma Hayek, along with Anna Wintour, Stella McCartney, and Colin Firth, will be followed by an exhibition of the radical fashion designer life's work, scheduled to run from May 4 to July 31 under the title "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty."

Over 100 pieces will be included in the show, from the 1992 collection that McQueen presented as his Central St. Martins graduate thesis to ensembles created for Givenchy in the 90s and items he crafted for his friend, the late queen of style Isabella Blow. Hats and jewels he produced with such collaborators as Philip Treacy and Shaun Leane will also be exhibited, along with his celebrated last collection, which was premiered posthumously.

"His catwalk presentations were outstanding and straddle art and fashion," Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton told Women's Wear Daily. "We want to get across two elements — the spectacle of the runway presentations and the beauty of his craftsmanship."
"Savage Beauty" will be arranged not chronologically but around themes, including "The Savage Mind," "Romantic Gothic," "Romantic Nationalism," "Romantic Exoticism," and "Romantic Primitivism." Sam Gainsbury and Joseph Bennett, who produced many of McQueen's over-the-top runway shows (think paint-flinging robots) will serve as creative consultants for the exhibition and the red carpet extravaganza, which is always a kind of better-dressed, art-touting version of the Oscars, jam-packed with more stars than the Milky Way.

More in: http://www.replicashermes.com/

Rick Owens's Wife Swims in His Gowns

More than half the looks in Rick Owens's spring 2011 collection, which WWD calls "one of the season’s strongest," included sumptuous floor-grazing hemlines. Owens said after the show that he hoped women would wear the gowns "to the grocery store. If you wash it, tone down the colours and minimise it, that can happen. I hope you will see these dresses on the beach — I definitely see them on the beach!" And he's definitely seen them on the beach on Michele Lamy, according to WWD:

Lamy, Owens’ wife and muse, kick-started the idea for the collection’s voluminous dresses, when this summer she requested more of the big chiffon cartwheel skirts that he did a while ago. She likes to swim in them at the beach, and watch the fabric cloud around her.

That is Owens's idea of luxury. "That kind of opulence — meters and meters of fabric — is the most minimal, simple way to show luxury, like Dior did with the New Look. That was such a great message at that moment," he explains. "By just piling on useless meters of fabric, there’s something so wonderfully sumptuous about that. And that’s what I was in the mood for: meters and meters of delicious fabric to spin around in." Can you imagine having so much Rick Owens that you swim in it? That's another way of looking at luxury.

Leave Blake Lively and her megashirts alone!

By now you've probably seen this photo of Blake Lively, in which she pairs a gigantic tech-support guy, button-down shirt with a belt stolen from a Banana Republic store circa 1987, possibly posing right after reaching up under the hem of her sparkly miniskirt and giving those shirttails a nice firm tug for fit's sake.

Lively caught heck for that get-up. But she's bound to catch even more in weeks to come, no matter what she wears. Why? Lively has revealed what the fashion media considers an almost mortal sin: She has no wardrobe stylist.

Everybody who's anybody in this town is supposed to have a stylist -- somebody to help a star put together looks, mostly for red carpet events and other public brouhahas. Yes, celebrities receive thousands of dollars of free clothes a month anyway, via starry-eyed designers hoping to curry favor. But a paid stylist helps elevate an actress to the next level, providing a connection to couture clothes, vintage pieces, archived gowns -- the rare pieces of wearable art that reflect true star clout.

More detailed information from: http://www.replicashermes.com/

Catwalks

Many of Ireland's top models like Tara Chetty and Carmel Mannion started out as college students posing for the Irish chain before going on to develop international modelling careers on the catwalks of Europe.

Among the models taking part yesterday was Amber Rowan, the teenage schoolgirl model from Clontarf who was runner-up in RTE's 'Model Agent' programme.

A-Wear's 'Showtime' Christmas party dress collection took centre stage at the birthday photocall yesterday; and with nostalgia in the air, the collection delves back into an era of decadence with lots of Gatsby fringing and sequins.

"This is one birthday that we didn't want to go unnoticed, " said Ms Flood, a former nurse turned fashion buyer who now heads up the company.

"A-Wear started life with one standalone store so we've come a long way since then. We're very proud of our heritage and the fact that we've been in Ireland for 25 years.

"2010 has been a year of positives for us, we've just launched a new shoe collection; our 40th store -- and these are all things worth celebrating."

Asked about trading patterns, Ms Flood said :"Business is as good as it can be and a lot will depend on the Budget."

The company is planning a 25th birthday party on November 10, where Dublin-born MTV presenter, Laura Whitmore will DJ at her very first Irish gig on the night.

Fashion Week gives Scottsdale merchants a boost

Fashion Week has grown into one of Scottsdale's signature events, and many local clothing businesses are hoping to gain a boost from it while tourism officials see the added benefit of more people spending time in restaurants and stores.

Local Talent's designers will be featured during both Wearable ArtWalk and Fashion Week, she said.

"They consider (Fashion Week) an integral part of being able to really launch their careers," McRae said. "They want to become career designers and career-minded businesspeople. There's a lot riding on it with regard to them being able to launch their brands because they need a retail-client connection."

This year, Fashion Week has been moved from the Marshall Way-SouthBridge area to Fashion Square, and for the first time will include a community night.

"Fashion Week sets itself apart from other fashion weeks because the theme is see it on the runway, buy it in the stores," said Kate Birchler, Fashion Square's senior marketing manager. "It just gets more exciting. The event continues to grow every year."

Local Talent designers then will be featured in numerous fashion shows on Friday and Saturday, she said. That includes Local Talent's Rebecca Turley, named Fashion Week's 2010 Designer of the Year.

McRae, a designer herself, will launch her own line of men's wear during Fashion Week.

"The last show on Saturday night will be all the other local designers that are not having their own slot," she said.

McRae hopes one day to see a bustling garment district, a multifaceted hub of fashion-related businesses serving both the trade and the general public, along Fifth Avenue.

"We used to have fashion shows in the 1950s and 1960s around the Horse Fountain and down Fifth Avenue, and if we can revive all that, I think that would be fabulous," she said.

Fashion fans will make their way from Fashion Square into the downtown area, said Rachel Pearson, the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau's director of corporate communications.

"We do often find that when people are coming down to the events, they make it more than an hour or two," she said. "They'll eat in the restaurants, have lunch or dinner, they'll shop and perhaps go into a nightclub. This is another chance to highlight downtown, and the retail and fashion community of downtown."

the 8-bit Watch which

Everyone remembers 8-bit games, with their super simplistic graphics as well as ditties which tend to stay in your head for hours on end after the game is over and console stashed away. Well, for those who have a soft spot for the 8-bit era, remembering fondly how the soundtrack tends to speed up dramatically whenever you spend too much time in a particular level to add that touch of urgency, enter the 8-bit Watch which will certainly have your fellow video gaming friends clamoring for one as well.

This 8-bit styled wristwatch will feature a stainless steel face and ABS band, coming in black or white colors for $69.99 a pop. Strangely enough, being 8=bit doesn’t mean it is digital, so you have a couple of hands to help you tell what time of the day it is. Would be great if it had a button to play musical ditties from classic 8-bit games when pressed.

 

Fashion is an industry that's always on the hunt for the next big thing

From Adolfo to Yohji Yamamoto, Women's Wear Daily has recorded the A to Z of fashion over the last 100 years. There are the suffragettes, flappers, career women in pantsuits and, later, miniskirts.

Fashion is an industry that's always on the hunt for the next big thing. Yet, in researching a new book about a century of style, "WWD 100 Years, 100 Designers," executive editor Bridget Foley found some constants.

"So many designers, when they talk about their work talk about women first," Foley says. "There's an ongoing idea and a belief among the very best designers that you have to push forward, but also that you also always have to consider what women will wear."

For all the declarations of trends, including hemlines, silhouettes and embellishments, Foley finds that most garments — be they skinny jeans or pencil skirts — are consistently available year after year, even when they're not winning headlines.

And, she adds, however modern and urban we like to think black is, women have been wearing it — regularly — since the 1920s.

The power of buzz has been around even longer.

Some of the designers included in the book were chosen because they literally changed the shape of fashion: Paul Poiret, Claire McCardell and Christian Dior, among them. But someone such as Gabrielle Chanel (known, of course, as Coco) really created an entire culture around a brand.

A recent survey of high-end consumers' holiday plans

A recent survey of high-end consumers' holiday plans uncovered a priority shift among America's wealthiest shoppers—and perhaps a trend that jewelers should pay close attention to.
 
This holiday season, the wealthy will be emphasizing their personal relationships above all else, with 30 percent of affluent consumers saying they plan to spend more time with family and 18 percent saying they are intent on logging more face time with friends, a survey from American Express Publishing and The Harrison Group found.
 
Retailers would benefit from doing the same, particularly with those established customers who are like family, experts agree. One way to get started is by calling on those close customers to see what they have in mind for the holidays, and another is to make a friend out of every shopper who comes through the door, even if that customer purchases nothing more than a $50 sterling silver charm.

"That's the strength of an independent jeweler," Wilson says. "The difference is, we're really pushing it this year."
 
Associates at the retailer's three upstate New York stores, including one in and one near Syracuse and one in Watertown, are working to perfect their introductions and presentations and are practicing the art of getting customers to talk openly about what they want.
 
"Always make a friend" has been the philosophy at Sarah Leonard Fine Jewelers in Los Angeles since its founding 64 years ago, and that motto will continue this holiday season, as usual.

Take a lesson in Parisian cool from Lou Doillon

Whether it's strolling by the Seine in distressed denim, or wading in the pool impromptu at the Hotel du Cap in Dior Couture, all around it-girl and arbiter of chic Lou Doillon's effortless style is undeniably her own.  All tousled hair, long limbs and killer cheekbones, the striking daughter of icon Jane Birkin and director Jaques Doillon has managed to perfect the Parisian art of delicately arranged deshabillé, be it in biker boots or a ballgown. 

With creative collaborations with Chanel, Givenchy and Vanessa Bruno under her belt, as well as a diffusion range for Lee Cooper, it’s clear that Doillon leads, not follows. Take inspiration from the talented actress, musician and designer for a look that is part Joan Jett, and part coquette.

A strong set of monochrome staples (the tee, the silk blouse, the ubiquitous blazer, and ofcourse Chanel’s 2.55..) pieced through with worn jeans, form the base for an easy to wear wardrobe built on cult streetwear labels and topped with high-end luxe. A blend of man-style tailoring and feminine dresses will easily get you half way there. Unusual cuts and accessories, and the occasional eccentric hat, raise eyebrows and provide the sense of fun that is so much a part of Doillon’s style- particularly at night, when bright bandage dresses, body conscious LBDs or prints and sequins are thrown on under leather jackets to dance the night away. Just add red lips to a clean face, and a sweep of sixties liner, for the full french effect.