5 Reasons to Get Excited for NY Fashion Week Fall 2014
2014 February 5. | Szerző: shannon
The New York Fashion Week Fall 2014 or Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week takes place between February 6 and 13, but the Lincoln Center isn’t the only venue this year, as Fashion Week is expanding. Besides showcasing the upcoming trends, the fashion event also brings a slew of brand new rules and changes, most of them controversial.
Discover the most important reasons to get excited for NY Fashion Week Fall 2014 and get ready for the biggest names in the industry to showcase their fresh collections.
Fashion Week Fall 2014 Trends
As always, the industry event will present the newest trends, that are sure to make an impact this year and beyond. Fashion Week is the best guide to clothes, accessories, hair and makeup for the second half of 2014 and beyond.
There’s a growing concern that showing off clothes that only celebrities will get to wear for the next 6 months before they go on sale in an outdated model for the fashion industry. The biggest names in fashion don’t seem to be preoccupied with this and continue to promote their collections way ahead of the time they hit stores.
On the bright side, having a finger on the pulse of the Fall/Winter fashion allows fashionistas everywhere to raid their closets for pieces that are on trend before the new collections actually arrive. After many years in which the Lincoln Center was the home of the NY Fashion Week, this years designers are ready to take off and show their work all over the city. Over 60 runways shows will take place at the Lincoln Center, but a lot will be revealed elsewhere. Some of the most popular spaces for the Fashion Week Fall 2014 include new spaces in Brooklyn.
Spring Studios (50 Varick Street) is the new space where top designers like Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg and Calvin Klein will be showing off their new collections.
13-17 Laight Street – Zac Posen
Dia Center (535 West 22nd Street) – Vera Wang
Industria Superstudio (775 Washington Street) – Altuzzara
23 Wall Street – Donna Karan
Duggal Greenhouse (63 Ship Ways Avenue) – Alexander Wang
The downside for the press is that there will be a lot more running around the city to make all the must-see shows, but… there’s always an app for that.
A New App to Stay on Top of Everything
The Council of Fashion Designers has prepared a special app that will help Fashion Week Fall 2014 participants get around the city and miss as few shows as possible. The web-based NYFWList app is only available by request to the CFDA, but it’s the best source of information for fashion insiders who are trying to navigate the new schedule of Fashion Week.
Better Instagram Coverage than Ever
If you’re not going to make it to the NY Fashion Week Fall 2014, Instagram will be one of the best ways to stay on top of everything, both during the runway shows and backstage. Whether you decide to follow the official Instagram page of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week or check the pages of designers and editors, you won’t be missing out on the big reveals this year. Must-follow Instagram account include Nina Garcia , creative director of Marie Claire and Project Runway judge, and Laura Brown, executive editor of Harper’s Bazaar. Don’t forget about , the official photographers of the New York Fashion Week Fall 2014.
New Legislation for Underage Models
One of the more controversial changes at the NYFW 2014 has been the newly passed law that enforces new rules for models under the age of 18, similar to regulations for child performers. All underage models will need work permits and 15% of each fee will go into a trust fund they’ll be able to access when they turn 18. Their schedules will also be better regulated, allowing for longer breaks.
This might change the practice of many designers to pay their models “in trade”. It’s uncertain how paying models in clothes is compatible with the 15% rule, but all the changes make for a new and exciting New York Fashion Week Fall 2014.
The Rules of Men’s Jewelry
2014 January 18. | Szerző: shannon
IT HAS BEEN said a man needs no more ornaments than a watch and wedding ring. Perhaps that’s because the idea of men wearing jewelry can evoke images of gold chains framed by a barely buttoned shirt. But there are many degrees of decoration between a strict limit of watch and wedding ring—with the occasional cuff links, of course—and the stuff of “Saturday Night Fever.”
A few old-school accent pieces have started to make their way back into the gentleman’s wardrobe—the signet ring, the tie clip and the lapel pin—thanks, in part, to the influence that the ’50s have been wielding on menswear runways.
But how to wear all this hardware? “There are a million ways to get it wrong and only a few to get it right,” said Tyler Thoreson, vice president of men’s editorial and creative at Gilt Groupe. “That’s part of the fun—it’s a little tricky, and more rewarding to pull off in a sophisticated way.”
As a general rule, it’s wise to err on the side of understatement. Employing a tie clip? Skip the lapel pin. Considering multiple rings? Leave that look to the likes of Johnny Depp.
With bracelets, too, less can be more. Let the Zoolanders flaunt coils of rope and leather that creep up their forearms. For laymen, one does the trick. Robert Bryan, author of the book “American Fashion Menswear,” is a proponent of the classic chain link ID bracelet. With men’s jewelry, generally, “silver is the safer choice,” said Mr. Bryan, who also advised caution when it comes to decorative stones. “They should be small and discreet, lest you be known as the Diamond Jim Brady of the office.”
It also helps to wear pieces that have a significance beyond sheer aesthetics—jewelry that has a history or was received as a gift. “I think for men, the key is that it have meaning,” said Lisa Salzer, who designs women’s jewelry for her own label, Lulu Frost, and recently spun off a men’s line called George Frost. Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president of menswear at Barneys New York, noted that bracelets are often bought as gifts since, unlike rings, they usually don’t need to be sized.
Casual wrist-wear—beads and bracelets made of worn leather and nautical-style rope, like those popularized by American brand Miansai—suggests a life of adventure, imagined or not. However, more sophisticated pieces can carry a compelling back story, too. Jewelry designer Monique Péan, who recently launched a men’s line, uses materials with notable past lives. Ms. Péan’s tie clip is made of 18-karat recycled white gold, and ivory from a wooly mammoth sourced from the Arctic Circle, as well as onyx. “Men gravitate toward fossils,” she noted.
Her distinctive clip brings a layer of intrigue to what can otherwise be a pragmatic accent. (The tie clip—also known as tie bar or tie clasp—does serve a function, unlike other pieces of jewelry: It keeps your tie straight, out of your face on a windy day and off of your plate.)
The clip should be narrower than the tie on which it’s worn, said Mr. Thoreson. The correct placement is between the third and fourth shirt buttons. It should also be perfectly horizontal, though Mr. Bryan suggested that daring men might try the downward-tilted “rakish angle” that flourished in the 1930s.
Hogan Gidley, a Republican consultant based in Columbia, S.C., and Washington, D.C., wears a sterling-silver tie clip from Tiffany’s that’s engraved with his initials. “I might be an outlier in the party for wearing a tie clip, but I have seen more Republican pundits on TV starting to dabble in [them],” he said.
Known in political circles for being a dapper dresser, Mr. Gidley also sports a signet ring; it’s engraved with a family crest that, he said, dates back hundreds of years. Signet rings are more prevalent in the South, he noted, and can also bear the crest or seal of the wearer’s alma mater.
The signet ring is an age-old emblem of aristocratic belonging, yet designer brands are reworking the look, if not also the underlying message, into fashion accessories. See: Eddie Borgo (inlaid rubber), Bottega Veneta (a crosshatch motif that mimics the brand’s signature woven leather) and Ms. Péan (fossilized walrus ivory). One savvy tactic is to wear the ring up against a wedding band, thereby confining digital decoration to a single finger.
Another badge that has become more of a style statement is the lapel pin. In the form of an American flag, it is de rigueur among politicians. But luxury labels have embraced pins as well. Several years ago, Italian brand Isaia created a mini-craze for the coral-shaped lapel pins that come with its jackets. And fashion houses that once tacked lapel pins onto suits as a bit of runway-only styling are now selling the accessories in stores. This spring, Louis Vuitton is offering pins shaped like pretzels and marijuana roach clips while Saint Laurent is selling one that looks like a surfer shooting the curl.
Lapel pins can add a hint of personality in more buttoned-up work environments. “A lot of guys in my line of work don’t want to draw attention to themselves. They’d rather just wear the uniform,” said Chris Schumacher, a 37-year-old Manhattan financier. He wasn’t speaking for himself—he’s partial to nautical rope bracelets, and wears an enamel fox-hunting pin on his overcoat. He added, “It’s nice to see people getting away from just the watch and ring.”
The Czech Fashion Model Karolina Kurkova Seems to Be Everywhere
2014 January 16. | Szerző: shannon
The crowd in Central Park had swelled to 60,000 as Karolina Kurkova, the Czech fashion model and former Victoria’s Secret Angel, waited backstage at the second Global Citizens Festival, a star-studded concert last September. Scheduled to go on after Alicia Keys and her performance of “Girl on Fire,” Ms. Kurkova sang along with gusto from the wings.
After the applause died down, she stepped out in front, statuesque in a white Proenza Schouler leather skirt and Manolo Blahnik stilettos. Her blond hair whipped as she leaned into the microphone and spoke with the brio of a cheerleader and the confidence of a politician.
“Hello global citizens, the world is on our shoulders,” she called out.
After introducing Janelle Monáe, she hit the V.I.P. tent with Archie Drury, her husband, and their 4-year-old son. She yelled hello to Russell Simmons and Amy Sacco, and hugged Gayle King. She goofed around with fans, stealing their caps and mugging for selfies with them. Then it was on to Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the United Nations, whose office had arranged a photo op. She greeted him like family.
“You’re so tall,” he said.
“And I’m not even wearing my heels,” she replied.
Perhaps not, but she is definitely flying high these days. Ms. Kurkova wants to be more than just another pretty face who has graced countless magazine covers. With a budding TV career and a regular presence on the charity circuit, her fame now extends beyond the runway, and she is poised, as Anna Wintour once said, to be the “next supermodel” and a bigger celebrity.
In an industry with looming expiration dates, Ms. Kurkova, who turns 30 in February, appears here to stay. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has worked on sitcoms and reality shows, lunches with royals, walks runways and red carpets, and was on People magazine’s “Most Beautiful” list in 2004. Even those who don’t know the difference between Prada and Pucci may recognize her from NBC’s “Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” where she is a playful and regular guest. “Jay knows I’m fun,” she said. “I always want people to have a good time.”
Clearly word has gotten around. As Ms. Kurkova said, “I’m the girl who gets asked to do things.”
It has been some time since the supermodels ruled catwalks and popular imaginations, a time perhaps best personified in George Michael’s 1990 video for “Freedom ’90,” which featured Linda, Naomi, Christy and Cindy — no last names necessary, thank you. Since then, models seemed to have receded back into the fashion fishbowl, though there are notable exceptions. Milla Jovovich and Amber Valletta took to acting. Padma Lakshmi remade herself as the host of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” as have Heidi Klum with “Project Runway” and Tyra Banks on “America’s Next Top Model.” And if you marry Tom Brady, as Gisele Bündchen did, well, touchdown.
But few outside the fashion bubble have heard of today’s top models, which according to the industry website Models are led by Joan Smalls, Saskia de Brauw, Liu Wen, Karmen Pedaru and Cara Delevingne.
And while Ms. Kurkova doesn’t even crack the site’s list of top 50 models, she continues to be a presence in and beyond the field. Maybe that’s what happens when you beat out Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson on the E! network’s 2008 list of the world’s sexiest women.
“Everyone has a different idea of beautiful,” she said with a self-deprecating smirk.
Her road to semi-supermodeldom began in Decin, a small city in the Czech Republic, where her father was a basketball player and her mother was a bank administrator. She worked very hard at school, especially on her English, knowing it would help get her out of town. “I was a girl with big teeth, and the tallest in my class, who coped by being funny,” she said. “I mean I was always drawing attention but not always for the right reasons.”
That changed when she was discovered by a modeling scout in Prague after a friend submitted some pictures. From Prague, she quickly moved on to work in Milan, where Miuccia Prada gave Ms. Kurkova a contract with Miu Miu before she turned 16. To improve her career prospects, Ms. Kurkova moved to New York in 1999, and in 2001, she became the youngest model to appear on the cover of Vogue. It was the first of several covers.
“Distinctive” and “instantly recognizable” is how Ms. Wintour described her in a fashion documentary on A&E.
Ms. Kurkova’s career took off with appearances on runways and in advertising campaigns for Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace and Christian Dior. Mario Testino called her a model who could “fit into any moment.” Marc Jacobs noted her “angelic look with a dark side.” In the first few years of her professional modeling career, she ended up on 52 magazine covers and was named model of the year at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
But there was something else that set her apart from other models. Beyond her towering physique, aquiline nose and perfect credentials, Ms. Kurkova also showed that she had charisma and a bubbly, witty and disarmingly gracious personality. She was game for anything.
Soon, she was getting speaking roles on NBC’s “Chuck” and “30 Rock,” and CBS’s “Person of Interest,” as well as the 2009 action film “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.” She also co-starred last year in “The Face,” Oxygen’s reality show about modeling, but left after one season. Insiders assume she couldn’t handle Naomi Campbell, the show’s star, who called her a “complete idiot” on the air. Ms. Kurkova doesn’t comment. But last year, Mr. Leno pushed her on the air about working with the notorious, phone-throwing supermodel.
“Being the mom of a 3-year-old prepared me for a lot of things, I guess,” she said with a sheepish grin.
“Meow,” Mr. Leno shot back.
In addition to TV, she now appears with socialite regularity on the charity circuit, not just as red-carpet eye candy, but as a presenter and member of various committee lists including the Novak Djokovic Foundation, New Yorkers for Children and the Semper Fi Fund.
Every move is considered and many meetings are taken in a crucial career moment that requires both pollinating and mining for gold.
“Models need to be more proactive these days,” said Scott Lipps, the founder of One Management, who handles her career. He noted that she had started to focus on her social media presence substantially, with nearly 168,000 Instagram followers, up from 15,000 a year ago. “Karolina is a real businesswoman who knows she has to tap into pop culture.”
Her husband, Mr. Drury, 42 and a former Marine, helps strategize. So does her publicity agency, Rogers and Cowan. “The important thing is to do everything to ensure your staying power,” said Rod Aissa, an Oxygen executive who is producing a second season of “The Face.” Terron Schaefer, a Saks Fifth Avenue executive who appears on NBC’s “Fashion Star,” agreed. “Karolina wants to do more, which is why she’s everywhere,” he said.
Everywhere is putting it mildly. Last winter, when Jay Z needed a co-host for his party after his Carnegie Hall benefit, he asked Ms. Kurkova. When someone was needed to sit next to Prince Harry at his polo charity event in Connecticut in May, she was there to kiss and chat. The next week, she was towering over actresses on the red carpets of Cannes as a “friend” of the Swiss watch company IWC Schaffhausen. In September, at the United States Open tennis tournament, she hit the Moët & Chandon V.I.P. suite before sitting with Kate Upton in the private box of Mr. Djokovic. Right after that, she was omnipresent during Fashion Week in New York, walking the runway for Michael Kors and posing with Jim Carrey at the Marchesa after-party, and then in Milan, where she could be spotted on runways and on guest lists of events like the amfAR benefit for AIDS research and a Condé Nast charity concert at La Scala.
Then, after presenting at the Global Citizens concert in Central Park, she and her family were off for meetings in China and an appearance at a Dubai Cares charity event sponsored by Italian Vogue.
She knows it’s necessary to keep the momentum going. “She’s not at the point where people on the street know who she is,” said Albert Watson, a cover photographer for Vogue and Rolling Stone. “But she’s a much better model than Kate Moss ever was. Sometimes notoriety is what you really need to become known.”
Scandal-free and without a diva’s disposition, Ms. Kurkova, who now lives in Miami, will have to rely instead on her charm and ability to accept as many invitations as possible. And even if the jet lag can be overwhelming, especially with a toddler in tow, she isn’t complaining.
“You have to keep showing up because just being in magazines isn’t enough,” she said.
On a sunny day last fall, she was walking along the West Side Highway in TriBeCa, where she keeps an apartment, chattering away and gesticulating wildly, as is her way. Although gorgeously dressed, taller and far blonder than anyone in sight, she was not drawing any stares or smiles. But as a sign of her relevance, two paparazzi aimed their long lenses at her from a distance. She didn’t seem to mind.
“They have to make a living,” Ms. Kurkova said.
She would know.
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Style-studded runways impress at Milan Men’s Fashion Week
2014 January 14. | Szerző: shannon
Once again, the first three days of ongoing Italian menswear celebration Milan Men’s Fashion Week did not fail to impress the audience with its style-studded runway shows and celebrity-filled venues.
Famed Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana presented its interpretations of male winterwear for the next season. Drawing inspiration from their eternal muse, the post-Norman Conquest medieval courts of Sicily, the designer duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana created a line with thick warm woollen fabrics and yarns.
Based on a deep dark royal colour palette, the line featured robust tops with images of kings, slim-fitting trousers, heavy sheepskin coats, bejewelled gloves and embroidered knitted wool caps.
Rugged denim wearing cowboys were the theme behind Italian label Versace’s fall 2014 menswear collection, which showcased sharply-tailored tight-fit suits decorated with rhinestone-made horseshoes and cactus plants. The range also included red leather chaps stylishly teamed with jeans and bandanna-print innerwear.
Apparel brand Jil Sander, founded by the minimalist German fashion designer Heidemarie Jiline Jil Sander, stuck to its signature aesthetics, replete with skilled deftness and luxurious fabrics. The newly appointed design team of the label showcased a clean line with moody hues.
The collection offered bubble-textured thick overcoats and jackets, high-waist trousers and shimmering fluid metallic fabric made pants.
The Weimar period of historical 1919 to 1933 Germany as well as the early Eighties of Europe played inspiration behind Italian powerhouse Prada’s latest catwalk creations. Based on shades of powder blue, violet and cinnamon, the range showcased breezy shawl-collared lightweight topcoats, roomy trousers and silk scarves.
Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2014 Campaign
2014 January 11. | Szerző: shannon
For the Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2014 campaign, the two masterminds behind the label, Domenico and Stefano, decided to stick to a tested formula that works. The new set of ads unveiling the upcoming season’s coolest ensembles might bring a sense of deja-vu as they’re still based on the family type of gathering with a glam spin we’ve seen over the past seasons. However, that doesn’t make it any less interesting to watch. The new campaign brings bombshell Bianca Balti in the spotlight once again. She poses alongside Eva Herzigova, Catherine McNeil and Marine Deleeuw and male models Adam Senn, Evandro Soldati, Noah Mills and Tony Ward.
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The new Dolce & Gabbana spring 2014 campaign was lensed by designer Domenico Dolce in Taormina. With Sicily being a big part of the inspiration behind the Dolce & Gabbana spring 2014 collection, the location couldn’t have been a better choice. The new campaign is, in essence, a curated selection of the new line with a more practical spin. With massive coin motifs and many ostentatious textural contrasts, it was quite easy to remember the Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2014 line as being opulent and over the top first and foremost.
However, the styling of the new campaign for most of the options displayed makes the new creations seem much easier to sport in real life, without overly diminishing their statement making potential. Ladylike elegance and sultriness are tightly interwoven in the new Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2014 ads. The label does a great job at revealing how women with different style needs can update their look, making the new campaign a good source of inspiration for those who have made dressing more elegantly a resolution for the new year. The new Dolce & Gabbana spring 2014 campaign also brings an interesting assortment of accessories into the spotlight, particularly when it comes to handbags. As with the rest of the looks, the label brings both season-inspired options and versatile items which would prove a great investment.
The five factions of men’s fashion
2014 January 9. | Szerző: shannon
Nowhere else do men in challenging tracksuits mingle more freely with men in three-piece suits than at the masculine fashion shows in London.
Today (Wednesday January 8) the male showcase – formally titled London Collections: Men – comes to a close with a schedule that veers from experimental knitwear at Sibling and goth-tinged sportswear at KTZ to luxury ‘heritage’ fashion at Burberry and impeccably made, incredibly priced English shoes at John Lobb. This dizzying spectrum is reportedly worth £10 billion a year to the national economy. It is also tricky to unravel. So here, from the ostentatiously loopy left, via a safely tasteful centre, and through to the creative conservatives, we present a guide to the factions of men’s fashion.
1 THE NEW RADICALS
Imagine it: you’re male, under 25 (or at least you wish you were), and you want to stand out from sad old squares and suits. Skinny jeans and logo T-shirts are mainstream, and demonstrations are so last century; so to really mark your generational territory, what you need is hard-to-credit conceptual clothing.
If you’re older and wiser, you might splutter, then mutter that things just aren’t what they used to be. You’d be wrong to, though: from punks back to Bowie and beyond, dressing in a way calculated to confuse your elders has become a time-honoured trope of radical teenager-dom.
KEY DESIGNER: Craig Green
This young Londoner became the poster boy for “What are you on about?” radicalism when, last season, he presented a series of wooden sculptures as clothes. This time round, Green tempered his grand gestures a little, mixing monkish silhouettes (above) with a painted rose window pattern and some alarming harnesses.
Bobby Abley (above right), who shows in the Topman-funded MAN show alongside Green, trumped his peer this season by getting his drooling models to wear mouth-retainers (“so McQueen 20 years ago”, sighed an unshockable veteran as he watched). They topped off a collection of mohair and sportswear in which Abley daringly played with Disney-style decoration – very daringly indeed if it was done without permission.
WEAR IT IF: You’re an enfant terrible.
2 THE LADIES MEN
Fifty years after the sexual revolution, fashion is catching up. After all, if traditional gender roles are shifting so fundamentally, why shouldn’t their traditional clothes change too? At the women’s shows, you see plenty of ‘masculine’ looks: minimalist tailoring, ‘boyfriend’ trousers, and even the odd tuft of artificial facial hair. Thus, at the men’s shows there are ever more flashes of lace, jauntily swung handbags and one-shoulder numbers to smoulder in. Are you man enough to slip into one?
KEY DESIGNER: JW Anderson
Ever since this young Northern Irishman started showing in London a few years ago, his agenda was to disregard gender. Later, Anderson showed to the women’s crowd and became an instant darling. He still shows menswear – and yesterday unleashed elegant tabards, carefully proportioned platform heels, backless blouses, and ruffles aplenty (above). It was held in the home of the University of London Officers’ Training Corps, and afterwards the men in uniform looked heartily baffled. Anderson insisted: “I find the idea of looking into what is right for a woman or what is a right for a man really stale. It’s a dated concept. Instead, I work with an idea of a shared wardrobe.”
Also flavoured by femininity is the work of Jonathan Saunders (this season: Arts-and-Crafts trousers and satinate tracksuits), and Richard Nicoll (pastel skinny-fit frills, inset) – both known for womenswear.
WEAR IT IF: You don’t mind it being borrowed from your wardrobe.
3 THE STYLISH CENTRISTS
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Not too old and not too young. Not too out there – but not boring either. Defining the centre ground of fashion without becoming dull is the hardest niche to fill in the spectrum of nattiness. A theme can be fun, but these clothes have to be practical, and rugged, too.
KEY DESIGNER: Oliver Spencer
Harrogate-born Oliver Spencer’s show today will feature a flash of tartan, a few veiled references to architecture and plenty of chin-stroking prints (right). But, he said: “The key is that we always try and make clothes that a man will want to wear over and over, time and time again.
“The more you wear it, the more you will appreciate the fit and the material – my favourites in this collection have come from mills in Lancashire and been used in coats made in Bow. We are a label that concentrates more on making clothing that will suit your life, rather than on more extreme show pieces that barely anyone would ever wear.” Other designers who overlap with this stylish centre include Lou Dalton (from the left), Margaret Howell (bang in the middle, pictured below) and Sir Paul Smith (from the suity side).
WEAR IT IF: You’re bothered, but you don’t want to give the appearance of being so.
4 THE EMINENTLY CONVENTIONAL
Lapels may narrow and trousers widen. Collar shapes change constantly while jacket lengths go down as well as up. But a suit is a suit is a suit – however much you mess with it, this garment has longevity because it is both flattering and forgiving. So-called “sartorial” dressing – fashionese for suit and their sundries – is now about lustrous fabrics, restrained pattern (if any), and blue-chip back stories. The suit isn’t nearly the power it once was but it marches on with majesty undiminished.
KEY DESIGNER: Hardy Amies
Hardy Amies may have dined out on his tales of dressing the Queen, but this couturier’s real meat and drink was menswear, specifically suits. From Alberta to Adelaide, Amies licensed his designs across the Commonwealth, making a mint. Its founder is now dead, but this brand has been revived from its old base on Savile Row, and is again pitching Amies-labelled suiting to department stores around the world. Designer Mehmet Ali said that his new season collection (above) of suits, bags and more was partly inspired by Amies’s war work in intelligence. “He was very outspoken, but had that covert existence too. We wanted to balance that aesthetic – elegance and style – with a real functionality.”
Gieves & Hawkes and Ede & Ravenscroft are two suit specialists on the London Collections register. Marks & Spencer presented its Best of British collection here this week, along with Hackett (inset).
WEAR IT IF: You want to play it safe in style.
5 THE DADDISH DANDIES
His jacket has one button undone on the sleeve, half-an-inch of shirt cuff showing at the wrist, and is fitted just so. He is either older in years but younger in outlook, or a youngster who wants to look grown up. Both age groups flirt with pulsating colour in the summer, mismatched old English patterns in the winter, and double-breasted jackets all year. Simultaneously fuddy-duddy and dandified.
KEY DESIGNER: Richard James
“When we set up in a shop the size of a cupboard on Savile Row 20 years ago,” said Richard James before his show yesterday, “it felt very fusty; a street for old people. None of the tailors had windows [whereas] ours was brightly lit, and we sold ready-to-wear [off the peg], which alarmed them.”
Two decades later, James represents the new Establishment in menswear. David Cameron wears his suits, while Mayfair is strewn with well-heeled Peter Pans in eye-catchingly bright jackets, open-necked shirts and pocket squares. So successful has the look become that a conservative clique of 20-somethings now apes it, even if they don’t have the investment portfolios to match. Modern British tailoring, as cut by James, has provided a template for companies like Rake and Kent & Curwen – as well as many European tailoring companies – to combine decadent decorative touches with soberly cut silhouettes. Tom Ford is the king of this particular niche.
WEAR IT IF: You’re a party-loving alpha male (or want to be one).
Cara Delevingne’s New Mulberry Campaign is Quirky Perfection
2014 January 3. | Szerző: shannon
Behold an ad that’ll make you wish you were in spring. 2013’s most-searched model knows how to quirk for the camera, and Miss Cara Delevigne’s latest Spring Summer 2014 collaboration with Mulberry is no exception. After achieving success with Delevingne in its Fall 2013 campaign rife with allusions to Tippi Hedron in Hitchcock’s The Birds, Mulberry signed Delevingne for another season with a wildlife motif. The concept? A topsy turvy tea party occupied by an array of farm animals.
Delevingne’s Spring ad campaign for Mulberry is twee with a twist, featuring a grazing pony, a pelican, cockatoo, tortoise, and a host of disobedient dogs. Mulberry’s eccentric concept behind the shoot is not a stretch for the model, whose signature kooky expressions and outlandish campaigns define her career as much as her sought-after eyebrows. Delevingne’s previous idiosyncratic projects include a punk Marie Antoinette-themed Chanel campaign, a neon sportif shoot for DKNY, and a shimmering Disco throwback campaign for Blumarine.
Photographed by Tim Walker, the shoot took place at an 18th century Oxfordshire home where climbing vines of vibrant blooms and a messy table of treats set the stage for Mulberry’s sleek bags and streamlined floral ensembles. Mulberry’s handbag collection took shape in a number of reinterpreted classics, such as the Bayswater tote, in a range of neutral shades, punctuated by pops of crimson and persimmon. The clothing took a subtly feminine route, an interplay of muted brocade and neutral stripes with punchy patterns.
ScarJo on beating the bloat
2013 December 19. | Szerző: shannon
Scarlett Johansson needs to exercise after eating big meals.
Scarlett Johansson feels “bloated” if she stays still after eating.
The 29-year-old actress is known for her enviable figure, which has earned her the Sexiest Woman Alive title from publications such as Esquire and Playboy in the past.
Although she doesn’t follow a strict diet to keep in shape, Scarlett strives to be active after tucking into a big meal.
“I am one of those people who feels bloated if I sit around too long eating and drinking and not exercising,” she explained to British magazine You. “So I may hit the gym a bit more [in the New Year], but not as punishment or out of guilt but because I feel physically and mentally better when I exercise. And it’s nice time out for myself.”
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Scarlett feels comfortable venturing out in public by herself, crediting her petite stance for keeping her hidden.
However, she sometimes feels pressure to dress appropriately at the risk of being snapped by paparazzi.
“Most of the time I walk round by myself because I am pretty short, so people don’t tend to see me! I used to worry more when I was younger, even trying to disguise myself, but now I feel more comfortable to just be me,” she explained.
“There are certain things I see that I think, ‘God, I would love to wear that if I wasn’t recognisable.’ I think if I was just an anonymous person I would probably have a much more exciting day-to-day wardrobe. So I just have to appreciate the clothes I love but can’t wear by encouraging other people, like my girlfriends, to buy and wear them.”
Maje captures Asia’s diversity by going to extremes
2013 December 16. | Szerző: shannon
As the invasion of contemporary French brands continues around the world, their appeal to fashion-savvy working women is increasingly clear.
Labels such as Maje, Sandro, Claudie Pierlot, The Kooples and Zadig & Voltaire have flooded Asian markets and attracted sophisticated consumers from the middle and upper middle class.
Cool, urban and effortless, the French contemporary aesthetic is a globalised take on the classic styles Paris is known for. Its muses are more likely to be Alexa Chung and Lou Doillon, rather than delicate Audrey Hepburn-types.
Maje has enjoyed a measure of success in Hong Kong with the reopening of its IFC store earlier this month.
When I met Judith Milgrom, Maje’s glamorous founder at her Paris headquarters in October, she said the company’s focus for this year and next would be on opening more stores in the US and China.
The company’s success did not come overnight. Maje was founded 15 years ago. Back then there was no brand that offered what it did, Milgrom says. Her sister, Evelyn Chetrite, had founded competing brand Sandro with her husband just a few years earlier.
“There is always stimulating and healthy competition,” says Milgrom. “Evelyn is a very talented person … but we have our own tastes.”
Both brands, as well as Claudie Pierlot (whom both sisters design for) soon formed an interesting fashion movement. Investment from the LVMH Group luxury goods conglomerate, followed by American private equity firm KKR buying a 65 per cent stake this year, has spurred a global expansion for the brand.
“Basically, when we started we were right in the middle of the top brands and the cheaper brands that didn’t have the style to go with it.
“I created the collections to offer an alternative to working active women … as well as the younger fashionistas who could not afford those luxury brands. I wanted to give them the opportunity to wear beautiful pieces at affordable prices.”
It is a niche that has proven to be rewarding for both sisters. With the diverse lifestyles of today’s woman, Maje – a little bohemian, a little glam, but always offering plenty of chic, sharp office wear – has found a combination that really hits home.
“Fashion today has to definitely adapt to this lifestyle. I like to create collections that you can wear all day at work and then you can just add one accessory or beautifully cut jacket and carry on into the evening,” says Milgrom.
The brand has been popular in Asia for some time, she says, despite only setting up stores here a few years ago.
And while Maje’s French customers may still favour a more effortless style, Milgrom says her Hong Kong clients are often more fashion conscious and particular about specific pieces. The collection for spring-summer 2014 channels a feeling of warmth that is inspired by an imagined, road trip across the US, moving through extremes between the coasts.
Feather-light, ethereal pieces are accompanied by heavy, protective jackets. “Leather fringe suede might remind people of Texas and coastal music festivals, but on the other side, there is the New York working girl with fitted, black structured pieces,” says Milgrom.
Well-edited extremes seem to be a theme at Maje. And with women’s styles diversifying fast in Asia, they appear to be hitting a rather powerful note.
How to Choose Necklace Lenght
2014 February 7. | Szerző: shannon
A necklace can elevate your look immensely or it can draw attention to areas that you don’t want highlighted. Whether you’re shopping for a necklace online or in stores, find out how to choose the necklace length that’s right for your body and style.
The first thing you need to do is measure the circumference of your neck. Use a soft measuring tape and make sure it’s a snug fit to determine your size. Once you’ve gotten that out of the way, you can start looking at the right length for you. Keep in mind that the clasp also adds lenght to the necklace. The standard lenght of the connector is three-fourths of an inch, but the clasps can sometimes be longer and they’re not included in the overall lenght.
Finding the Right Necklace Length
Based on the circumference of your neck, you should always add at least two inches when purchasing a necklace that wraps tight around the neck. If the size of your neck is bigger, adjust the following sized based on the fact that a standard chocker is 16 inches (for a 14 inch neck).
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14-16 inches. The choker, also called a chain or strand is supposed to wrap loosely around the neck, never restricting your neck when you take deep breaths.
18 inches. Usually called princess necklaces, these pieces of jewelry are designed to sit on the collarbone.
20 inches. Siting just below the collarbone, a 20 inch necklace is called a matinée and is usually the standard length for adding lockets and pendants.
22 inches. Landing at the top of the bust, this also falls into the matinée category.
24 inches. A necklace this long should be at the center of the bust or just below it.
28-38 inches. Hanging below the bust, a necklace in this region is either an opera necklace (30 inches), or a lariat (36 inches). The term rope refers to lariats without a clasp.
40 inches or more. At this length, necklaces hang below the navel and are usually worn wrapped around the neck, either two or three times.
Now that you know how to choose necklace length based on the look you’re going for, you should also learn more about what types of necklaces work for you, based on height and body type.
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How to Choose Necklace Length Based on Height
The length of your necklace has a flattering effect when it’s proportional to your body. That doesn’t mean that petite women can’t wear longer necklaces, but it’s always something to consider when you choose the right length for you.
If your height is below 5’4’’, don’t go longer than 20 inches. If you want to elongate your frame, stick to this size and wear it over a V-neck dress or top.
Women with a height between 5’4’’ and 5’7’’ can pull off any length of necklace, from chokers to lariats.
If you’re 5’7’’ or taller, try to avoid tight chokers. The most flattering look is usually a longer necklace.
How to Choose Necklace Length Based on Body Type
Since necklaces can accentuate your bust and even your whole frame, it’s important to keep a few rules in mind when you choose the right one for you.
If you’re a column or a banana body type and you want do draw attention to your bust line, go for a necklace that hits above the top of the bust and below the collarbone, usually 20-22 inches. For a more flat chest, choose a longer and thinner necklace.
For an apple or a pear body type with full figures, stick to necklaces that hit above the breast line. Go as high as 18 inches, but don’t go too far in the opposite direction, by choosing a voluminous choker.
How to Match a Necklace to Your Outfit
A deep V-neck isn’t always compatible with a long necklace. For formal attire you should stay on the collarbone or above. When you’re wearing jewelry over a top with a turtleneck, either dress or blouse, go for the longer variety of necklaces. Never wear chokers over a turtleneck, go for a brooch at the center.
For pearl necklaces, two looks are considered the best. If you’re looking for pearl for a formal outfit, stay above the collarbone. The long pearl strands, for a less formal occasion, are usually even longer than 48 inches, allowing you to wrap them around multiple times.
How to Choose Necklace Length for Girls
Children’s necklaces usually only come in two standard sizes, 14 and 16 inches. For younger children with thin necks, 14 is the right call, but for preteens, you’re better off measuring or going for 16 inches.
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