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Everyone seems to be in love with the 1920’s and fashion designers around the world have been using the infamous decade as inspiration. As
this leading and latest trend in fashion is making its way through the masses, Gucci has hopped onto the 20’s bandwagon, and in my opinion, in the most ingenious way. Gucci is making hand-tailored suits! How exciting, a time period that seemed long-lost is returning.
However, the big news is the front man of the ad campaign “All The World’s A Stage,” James Franco. James Franco has worked with Gucci before
but on a fragrance campaign. This time around James Franco is even more prominent, creating some great buzz for Gucci. The comedic, action-adventure, dramatic, real-life portrayal actor is now an Oscar nominee and Academy Award host making him quite the Renaissance man and a great fit for the face of the campaign. Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini made a statement about Franco saying, “James has an innate ability to fuse classic elegance with contemporary style and interpret formalwear in an individual way, true to the spirit of our Made to Measure service.”
Well, let’s face it, it has been far too long since people have gone out and purchased a hand-tailored suit, dress, coat, or any piece of clothing made custom-fit. It seems the only time in this day and age that custom-fit garments are produced is for weddings and some special occasions (depending on your wealth status). Well, Gucci isn’t exactly low-end, and this new ‘Made to Wear’ collection is no different. Each suit is estimated to cost around $3,000, which includes measurements, construction, and personal options. The campaign is entitled, “All The World’s A Stage” and was photographed by
Nathaniel Goldberg. Every suit made is going to allow the customer to select fabric and color with over 170 different combination possibilities. Eleven Gucci
boutiques across the globe will offer this ‘Made to Wear’ service.
October is in full swing, Halloween is almost here, and we have the holiday season upon us which usually brings on the flu, colds, and allergies. Unfortunately, another thing coinciding with being sick this time of year is Homecoming dances and special occasions. Well if you want to beat the flu and the colds undoubtedly floating around in the air we all breath in, I have a few tips. There actually are common foods we eat every day that can help combat the viruses and colds that are too easily contracted during this season. Since it is the fall season, I will first bring to your attention a few foods that are currently in season that have some amazing powers to keep you healthy. Vegetables! Yes, it is almost as simple as that. However, to be more specific, vegetables that are currently in season are good for the body. The major thing to look for is the orange vegetables like pumpkins and squash. The reason the orange vegetables are better for you is because they contain beta carotene, and they contain a lot of it. The beta carotene is actually one of the sources our bodies use to make Vitamin A. And as we all learned in health class, Vitamin A improves the immune system, keeps your skin healthy, and believe it or not will be the first defense to fight off any sort of disease. The next food and one of the most common is yogurt. If you have been lead to believe yogurt is bad when you’re sick, then you have never heard of probiotics which are also referred to as “good” bacteria. These probiotics will help with cold or flu symptoms that involve your digestive tract. Just make sure you buy yogurts that contain live and active probiotics. Another very common food is garlic. Garlic contains a compound called allicin which works similar to the probiotics. Allicin will act as an antibacterial and antiviral force in the body, but unless you use raw garlic or freshly processed garlic, you will not necessarily receive the all of the benefits. One more common food is black and green tea. Of course we all know tea is a good companion to a cold or flu, but they also contain antioxidants. These antioxidants have even been tested by scientists, and have proved to be very beneficial in fighting off viruses. When you purchase, no need to pay too close attention to ingredients, any black or green tea will do, even decaf! Lastly, a good protein is always necessary to improve a cold, but did you know oysters are among those proteins. Oysters contain zinc, omega-3, selenium, and iron which are all good for the immune system. In addition, the best way to get these nutrients is through food and not vitamins, because you do not want to get too much of any of these nutrients as they could cause potential damage to the immune system. Hope this helps and keeps at least a few of you from getting sick this season.
As Homecoming approaches there are many decisions left to be made. I would hope at this point in the game, everyone has found the perfect dress for the spectacular season – if not, check out our website to get the hottest, trendy dresses with expedited shipping! Well, with the dress checked off the To Do list and out of the way it is time to decide on makeup! Probably the best accessory to any special occasion gown is your face and how you decorate it. Whether your preference is smoky eyes, natural eyes, or wing-tip-Tavi inspired eyes, every girl needs the perfect lip gloss to pair with her look. Many girls tend to think it is necessary to spend a lot of money on their makeup. Simply because they are under the impression that Chanel, Dior, or whatever designer makeup booth is busiest at Bloomingdale’s have the best cosmetics. Well, take a closer look; Lancôme and L’Oreal are the same company, so why spend over $20 on a “Juicy Tube” when you can get a “Colour Juice” by L’Oreal for half the price. On a budget? It is understandable to be in high school or college and simply not have $10 to spend on lip gloss. If that is the case, then this article is for you! Ever hear of Jordana Cosmetics? Well, they have heard your prayers and are selling lip glosses for the affordable rate of $1.99 a tube! The Jordana lip glosses are available in twelve different shades giving a nice set of options for you girls. And hey, if you can’t decide between two, or even three of the colors, you won’t break the bank by being indecisive. Jordana glossy lip colors are available in; Sugar Plum, Raspberry, Cotton Candy, Mango Delight, Berry Colada, Pink Lemonade, Grape-Tini, Sweet Strawberry, Watermelon Juice, Fresh Melon, Brown Sugar and, Sugar Cookie. All of these colorful glossy lip colors are available online and at your local drugstore (ask about Jordana products).
Gap Inc. which operates the GAP, Old Navy and Banana Republic retail chains released detailed plans yesterday for the closing of nearly 200 of their U.S. retail locations. Glenn Murphy, CEO of Gap Inc. explained that the retailer would be looking to reduce the chain’s overall square footage in the U.S. by 10% for the end of the 2013 calendar year while simultaneously increasing presence in China and other emerging Asian markets by three-fold.
The company, which is currently the largest U.S. clothing chain in the world has been in dire straights since the end of its heyday in the 1990s, loosing ground to domestic specialty retailers such as Abercrombie & Finch and J. Crew as well as international fast fashion merchants like H&M. Now with the U.S. recession things have gone from bad to worse for Gap Inc. both The GAP and Banana Republic have been posting continued drops in revenue for the last few years and Old Navy while not experiencing the same revenue drops has seen its once robust growth all but stop.
Despite the somber nature of the news Gap Inc. management seems optimistic that like many U.S. companies the retail giant will find new life in the international markets, with Glenn Murphy telling investors “The combination of our global strategy and formidable growth platform puts us in a strong position to expand our reach in the top ten apparel markets worldwide. In North America, we’re taking a number of steps to improve sales in the near-term, and I’m confident that with a strong management team in place, we’re well position for sustained growth across the business.”
Whether or not you share Mr. Murphy’s optimism for the future of the company, and if you don’t you’re not alone because business experts worldwide have long been eying GAP’s slow decline as a sign that the retailer may not be around forever; the silver lining to this particular cloud is you can look forward to the big close-out sale which will probably be coming to a GAP near you.
Since you are reading a fashion news website we are going to go ahead and assume that you know who Miuccia Prada is, however unless you are versed in the history of 20th century fashion the name Elsa Schiaparelli may not ring any bells. Ms. Schiaparelli was a contemporary of Coco Chanel and one of the most influential and interesting minds in the world of fashion during the twenties and thirties. Sadly Ms. Schiaparelli did not adjust well to the post-war years of the forties and fifties and the business that bore her name closed its doors for good back in 1954 when Miuccia Prada was five years old. Ms. Schiaparelli passed away in 1973 at the age of 83.
So while these two fashion icons may never have worked together in life, their extensive and sometimes hauntingly similar styles will soon meet in a place where past and present have a long history of blurring together, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton, curators at the Met’s Costume Institue announced earlier this week that the spring 2012 exhibit at the Institute would be “Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion”.
This news comes of course after the Costume Institute recently finished up “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” not only the most successful exhibit in the history of the Institute but also one of the most successful exhibits in the history of The Met itself. Clearly with such a hard act to follow Mr. Koda and Mr. Bolton have spent a great deal of time and energy searching for a worthy successor, and with Anna Wintour as one of the exhibit’s co-chairs and acclaimed director Baz Luhrmann taking on the role of creative consultant, it seems they may have found what they were looking for.
The exhibit will include a total of 80 designs from Ms. Prada and Ms. Schiaparelli and will run from May 10th through August 19th with the gala opening being held on May 7th.
As the world is now coping without fashion week, fashionistas out there in cyber space need something to spice up their life, and I have found it. Well, it’s no big secret but like Target, Macy*s has had their foot in the high-end designer collaboration door as well. Macy*s last run at it was with Karl Lagerfeld and did quite exceptional. The new collaborator is…Giambattista Valli. This Italian designer has earned critical acclaim in Europe, especially in Paris where he shows his runway collections. However, Valli’s style is very much so what American’s find trendy and fashionable. Giambattista Valli’s designs are always fun, flirty, and above all fashionable. For example, Giambattista is well known for pleasing his client Victoria Beckham, Mrs. Fashionista herself – rather impressive if you ask me.
In a release about the collection Valli was quoted saying, “This capsule reflects my enduring loves, but is really a celebration of my biggest inspiration of all ‐ the energy and vitality of women themselves. I love dressing them for all their happiest moments, making them feel as special as possible. This collection is a passport into my world and a chance to experience the passion and romance of my house and Paris itself.”
The Giambattista Valli-Macy*s collaboration will be available online at the end of this month, scheduled for October 26th, 2011. The collection will also be available in stores, but only in a selected 250 locations. Each of those 250 stores plan to begin their Giambattista Valli for Macy*s sales at the end of this month as well.
While it seems everyone is comparing Giambattista Valli’s collection to Karl Lagerfeld’s collection, let’s follow the trend; Valli’s collection will consist of only seventeen pieces where Lagerfeld’s totaled at forty-five pieces. Among the forty-five pieces Karl Lagerfeld released with Macy*s were quite a few professional outfits and pieces, like your little black dress that is conservative enough for work and a blazer or two. Well, Giambattista Valli will offer mostly fun, flirty, cocktail dresses, but get ready for his pant suit set. Valli’s matching blazer and trouser pants are fully adorned in leopard print! Leopard print is huge right now and it is most definitely visible in this seventeen-piece collection. Beside the animal print, you will notice a lot of rosy pinks and ruffles…take a look for yourself at Fashionologie.com.
As one of the summer’s hottest trends, tribal patterns, continues running strong into fall there are a few actual tribes out there that are none to pleased with the way their culture is being co-opted into a fashion trend. The most recent target of their ire, Urban Outfitters, should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with racial controversy in fashion. The retail chain that once got in hot water for trying to sell Christmas decorations shaped like handguns to inner-city residents of Philadelphia, a city often plagued by gun crime, have apparently not learned their lesson about confusing racism with cultural referencing. This time around Urban Outfitters is offering up Peace Treaty Feather Necklaces, Native Headdress T-Shirts, Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flasks (classy) and Navajo Hipster Panties that have the slight flaw of not being designed or manufactured or approved by the Navajo Tribe.
The Navajo Nation Attorney General recently sent Urban Outfitters a cease and desist letter, which the retail chain would to well to listen to considering their products are technically in violation of The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 which prohibits businesses from making or selling any product “that falsely suggests it is Indian produced”. However the most poignant letter to date has come from Sarah Houston Brown who took Urban Outfitters to task in an open letter that was later posted on Racialicious.
The following except lays out her point very well:
“All too often industries, sports teams and ignorant individuals legitimize racism under the guise of cultural ‘appreciation’. There is nothing honorable or historically appreciative in selling items such as the Navajo Print Fabric Wrapped Flask… or the Navajo Hipster Panty. These and the dozens of other tacky products you are currently selling referencing Native America make a mockery of our identity and unique cultures… I stand in solidarity with the Navajo Nation and ask that you not only cease and desist selling products falsely using the Navajo name, but that you also stop selling faux Indian apparel that objectifies all tribes.”
What really doesn’t make sense about Urban Outfitter’s latest debacle is the fact that there are many Native American tribes that are happy to manufacture authentic tribal goods for consumers. After all, if you are trying to stay on top of this whole tribal trend, wouldn’t it make sense to buy items made by an actual tribe?
Is it true? Beyonce has been wearing a fake baby bump?! Beyonce, we can’t get enough! It may be possible that your fans are in more anticipation than even you for your child to show his or her face to the world. Clearly Beyonce and her baby bump are everywhere right now, there could be another hurricane, and Beyonce, her baby bump, and Jay-Z would still be on people’s minds. But in Australia, on Sunday Night HD, Beyonce appeared to chat about her career, life, and obviously her and Jay’s bun in the oven. Well, when Beyonce sat down to start the interview her belly deflated! Yes, we saw it with our own eyes on high definition television; Beyonce’s baby bump is not as big as she has been letting onto. Her publicist has assured the nation that Beyonce is most definitely pregnant, despite the technical difficulties witnessed by millions. Her publicist actually referred to the rumors as “stupid, ridiculous, and false!” I might have to agree with her as these rumors are ranging from Beyonce wearing a prosthetic belly to appear larger to rumors of surrogacy – someone else is bearing her child and she doesn’t want America to know she is infertile. However, this is very unlikely considering the photos of Bey and Jay on a beach where Beyonce is sporting a bikini with a most definite pregnant belly. It seems the rumors have also come to the possible conclusion of blaming the ambiguous mishap on the material of her dress. It doesn’t sound like this issue is going to go too far until Beyonce releases another bare belly photo disproving them, maybe a magazine cover? Speaking of, Beyonce is now on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. In the cover shoot she is wearing a pretty little black bathing suit, and the other a little gold dress. Harper’s does confirm Beyonce does indeed have a baby bump, and she will be collaborating with her mother to create a maternity line for House of Dereon (Beyonce’s mom’s clothing line). What are your thoughts on this bump or no bump issue?
Everybody’s favorite standards authority is at it again. Britain’s infamous Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which has made headlines recently for banning L’Oreal ads featuring Julia Roberts which it deemed overly airbrushed and for pulling Beyonce’s fragrance commercial from daytime TV because of suggestive “body movements” has taken another bold stand against what it considers “overly sexual” images used in advertisements. The Daily Record is reporting that the ASA will be tightening advertising content codes and applying a particularly stringent set of standards to any advertisements posted within 100 yards of schools or nurseries. Nurseries? Are their really British toddlers capable of recognizing sexual innuendo?
The British agency released the following statement over the weekend:
“The protection of children from inappropriate or harmful material sits at the heart of our work and the Advertising Codes. We are signalling a tightening of our approach in light of new evidence we have received from the public on what is acceptable in terms of sexual imagery on posters, and also is response to a Government commissioned report into the commercialization and sexualisation of childhood, the Bailey Review.”
The ASA has issued a very specific set of guild lines for what the new addition to the Advertising Code would consider unacceptable. The agency has said that these new regulations are designed to target sexual images so images such as a man without his shirt on or a woman in a bikini will still be allowed so long as they are not posed a sexually suggestive nature. Some excerpts from the ASA’s list of images that will NOT be acceptable include:
– Amorous or sexually passionate facial expressions
– Exposure of breasts, including partial
– Poses such as hands on the hips, gripping of the hair in conjunction with a sexually suggestive facial expression
– Images of touch oneself in a sexual manner, such as stroking the legs or holding/gripping the breasts
– Suggestion in facial or bodily expression of an orgasm
Call us crazy but those five points alone seem to describe more than 95% of fashion ads in the market today. It would seems that the long and short of this new regulation is that if you are advertising clothing near a school in Britain then you had better be selling overcoats or parkas and even then your models better not look like they are enjoying it.
So, they say it’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings. Well, it appears American Apparel’s plus-size pal, Nancy Upton, has sung – but American Apparel isn’t quite sure what she said.
American Apparel’s contest has been over for weeks now, but the gossip behind it has continued. If you can recall, a previous article concerning this issue is available at http://news.promgirl.net/?p=552 . If you do not recall the issue concerning the contest and its rightful winner take the opportunity to catch up. A brief overview of what happened is basically this; American Apparel hosted a contest to find the company their very first plus-size model. Nancy decided, “American Apparel was going to try to use one fat girl as a symbol of apology and acceptance to a demographic it had long insisted on ignoring,” so Nancy posted pictures of herself in a mocking manner, however within the theme of American Apparel ads. With all the controversy, Nancy no doubt ably won. The winning title however was given to another contestant as American Apparel’s creative director put it, “we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company.”
It seemed pretty clear that Nancy and American Apparel were not going to be the best of friends. However, word has gotten around that American Apparel flew Nancy out to California to meet at their headquarters because the company has gotten so much heat for the negative press surrounding the issue. When Nancy arrived at headquarters to “talk thing over,” she was greeted with a plate of cream puffs (don’t meetings usually have coffee paired with a healthier/classier choice pastry?). Either way, Nancy got taken out for drinks and fun (just one night of the trip), but when she came home she went right to her blog and informed us of the trip and what was accomplished. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like much as Nancy said, “OH, we went, it was neat, we had a half hour chat and ate cream puffs?”
Well, Nancy didn’t have a terrible time, but the last thing we will hear between Nancy and American Apparel is the email Nancy, after thought out and thorough debating, posted in her blog; “Marsha and I were trying to remember what we even talked about, and amidst all of the late night fun and cream puffs (compounded by the fact that we couldn’t re-watch the video of the meeting), we can hardly remember what was said at all.”
Sound very successful…I am very interested to hear the readers thoughts on American Apparel after this mess.
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