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Androgyny is back in fashion

Daily Fashion Juice
Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Androgyny is back in fashion, so man up, ladies


Last February, as fashion designers showed their fall 2011 collections, it didn't take long to see that this would be a season about sex. The woman in red lurked everywhere, along with the mysterious femme in black lace and feathers.

But the most provocative woman may look more like a man.

As exhibit A, we point to Lady Gaga's chain-smoking, expletive-fuming male alter ego, Jo Calderone, who set off a Tweet-fest during this past Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards. You had to appreciate the irony of "his" accepting her award for Best Female Video, even if some viewers thought the act wore out its welcome.

Androgyny is hardly new to the entertainment industry. Before David Bowie, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, Michael Jackson, Boy George, Prince, Madonna, Morrissey, Adam Lambert and the Cure's Robert Smith, to name a few, there were Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn - although they didn't abandon their curlers and makeup.

The fashion industry has flirted with the idea for decades, too - even centuries. Fashion historian Tove Hermanson, writing for the academic blog Worn Through, notes how women accessorized with men's headgear in the 1700s after they began riding horses for sport.

Nearly as prevalent as the ladies in red and black on fall's runways were ladies in menswear-inspired suits. Many designers continue to channel Yves Saint Laurent's '70s sensibility, Nordstrom fashion director Gregg Andrews says. He also sees '40s influences happening.

Of course, YSL creative director Stefano Pilati sent out fabulous pantsuits, carrying on a tradition established in 1966 with his predecessor's iconic Le Smoking tuxedo suits. But so did Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, Hermès and others. Often, their models had super-short, slicked-back hair; and if they wore jewelry, it was power chains, not pearls.

On the runways, who doesn't want to push the theatrics? Jean Paul Gaultier has sent Andrej Pejic, who's a man, down his women's show runways for several seasons now.

Magazine editors seem to love the menswear look, perhaps because a great model or actress can make it smolder in an alluringly styled, creatively lit fashion photograph. For quick reference, see last Sunday's Wall Street Journal Magazine cover featuring "The Seductive Charm of Rachel Weisz."

Note, however, that her underwear peeks through the wool in every image. Today, we prefer our man-women with some skin.

"It's not Annie Hall," Andrews suggests, "and it's not like you raided your husband's closet."

Fall's hot jackets and pants are shapely and feminine, he adds, with fitted silhouettes and fluidity. "It's about the lady, as opposed to the lady trying to look like a man." Today's woman is more powerful than her predecessors, he says. "She doesn't have to look like a man to compete in his world."

For most of us, there are some tricks to adapting the look. For starters, find one-button jackets that nip the silhouette in at the waist. Some jackets are boxy; belt them or layer them over something fitted "so you see shape underneath," Andrews advises.

Choose drapey pants and leave the man-tie behind. If you wear a great white shirt, make it one with bows or pleats.

Menswear influences also are showing up in dresses and other pieces with patterned fabrics such as houndstooth plaids. But there's always a feminine touch, Andrews says.

He loved Gaga's performance, by the way. "She's a master at what she does, whether you like it or not," he says.

He doesn't expect fashion to follow that look anymore than it did last year's meat dress, although he says "counter trends" can emerge immediately when consumers reject a trend.

Fall's ladylike attitude - which extends to pumps and structured handbags - appears to be plenty strong enough to hold up. Amid all her sisters in man-killer dresses, however, the woman in the pantsuit may only need to stand quietly in the doorway to be noticed.

Take note, Jo.

spiked, head to foot

Daily Fashion Juice
Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Flare for fall fashion - spiked, head to foot

Labor Day is nearly here, opening the door to many September activities. Schools will reopen. Congress will reconvene - although it is unlikely to accomplish anything. For most of us, however, it's time to consider our fall wardrobes, put away the white shoes and bags and assess our fall clothing options.

Fashion always presents a mixed message - it's forward with new looks and new designers and it's backward with retro looks, revamped for fashionistas.

Referring to retro styles, a friend once wisely told me, "If you wore it then, you can't wear it now." She was right then and she's right today.

The coming season is bringing back flared jeans, but they're not exactly the bell-bottoms some of us wore "back in the day." Two things have changed: one is the actual cut of the pant-leg - the other is your body, which may have done its own flaring already.

"High heels" have literally reached new fashion heights. Some of us once thought being chic was wearing a three-inch heel, maybe with a platform sole. Today it's really teeter time, with heels measuring at least five, very tapered, very skinny inches tall.

Poor men - it's not that males have become shorter, they just look shorter because they now need to literally look up to women, who are all standing on truly elevated, almost dangerously spiked footwear.

Entertainers have tripped and even fallen on and off stages as they walk while wearing towering shoes. Lady GaGa wore one pair that were nearly the height of the legs on the piano she was about to play. To add to her mystique, GaGa's shoes and her piano were equally sequined. Watching her, I wondered if she had ever heard of "Cuban heels," those squat, low, sturdy numbers we once wore, back in our "beehive," teased and lacquered hair days. That was long before spiked haircuts, but it was an age when our hair had even more height than our shoes.

As we add years, we seem to accumulate a variety of clothes that we hope to wear in another season. But first, they need to still fit us, and often don't. Second, they shouldn't look outdated, even if we, ourselves, may be. But most of all, we need to consider the image we want to project as we move through the phases of our lives.

Looking around, it's clear that some of us are several F-stops out of fashion focus. The truth is always in the eyes of the beholder and we all know that beauty can really be a beast.

Goodwill Fashion Show

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, August 29, 2011


Goodwill Fashion Show spotlights cost-conscious couture


The third annual Goodwill Runway Show is Sept. 8 at Designer's Place in the VF Outlet Center.

A committee of volunteers is overseeing and tailoring a runway line of vintage and contemporary clothing found in Goodwill stores.

With more than 80 outfits, spectators can see how to have a trendy wardrobe on a thrifty budget.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the show begins at 6:30 p.m. After the show, attendees can shop at the runway boutique.

Tickets are $40 and can be bought at The Store at Bell Tower and Goodwill stores in Berks County. They are available online at www.yourgoodwill.org or 717-525-6210.

• Residents within the jurisdiction of the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department can learn about police work beginning next month through the Lehigh County Citizens Police Academy.

The academy runs on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. from Sept. 20 to Nov. 1 at the Fogelsville Fire Company. The deadline to register is Sept. 6.

An application can be obtained at www.blrpd.org/index.php/citizens-police-academy or at the Upper Macungie Township website: www.uppermac.org.

• The nonprofit Business Executives Networking Group typically meets the first Monday of each month but the next meeting is Sept. 6 because of Labor Day.

The meeting will be in Room 227 of the Upland Center at Alvernia University.

The group facilitates networking among mid- to senior-level executives, or such executives in transition. It gives each member an opportunity to hone networking skills, meet peers from a variety of disciplines, share job leads and develop networking opportunities.

The meetings the rest of the year are Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

For more details - including what to bring - visit www.thebeng.org.

• The Spring Township Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled a bus trip to Allenberry Resort for Murder Mystery Weekend, leaving Nov. 4 and returning Nov. 6.

The trip includes two nights lodging, six meals, Las Vegas-style entertainment, transportation and more.

Register by Sept. 15 at 610-678-5399 or www.springtwpberks.org.

Fashion giant H&M takes UK's high streets

Daily Fashion Juice
Friday, August 26, 2011


Fashion giant H&M takes UK's high streets by storm with Scandinavian chic

Swedish retailer leads charge with 'cooler' brands such as Acne and Monki a hit with celebrities

Lauren Cochrane
H&M has become increasingly popular with British shoppers – the Swedish retailer recently moved into Selfridges. Photograph: Christian Charisius/Reuters

While the French look has invaded British high streets over the past few years, thanks to brands such as Sandro and Comptoir des Cotonniers, the latest conquerors sweeping in are Swedish.

At the heart of this revolution is H&M, which has almost 200 stores in the UK. But the Swedish fashion giant's ambitions remain far from satisfied.

This week it entered Selfridges for the first time; next Thursday the London department store also welcomes Monki, the H&M-owned brand which began five years ago and now has 49 stores in seven countries. COS, also owned by the H&M group and present in the UK since 2004, will open two stores this autumn, suggesting growing demand for its high street-priced minimalism.

Then there is the cool stock of Swedish fashion brand Acne – beloved of TV presenter Alexa Chung and her acolytes for its easy but edgy style – which opened a London boutique last year after recording a 2009 turnover of £32m.

Stockholm's reputation as an alternative fashion capital has grown and grown. The city's fashion week now attracts major international names in search of the next Acne.

"I never used to go but now I know I'll always find brilliant things there," said Yasmin Sewell, a creative consultant and forecaster who has been instrumental in the brand's UK success.

Stockholm's street style is also becoming influential: city residents, known for a classic yet quirky look, regularly feature on blogs such as Facehunter.

Susie Lau, of fashion blog Style Bubble, believes it is an aesthetic "that appeals to a lot of people – a sort of intangible cool nonchalance".

Lau says that Monki – which apparently targets "the young-at-heart girl" – is well aware that capturing Stockholm's street look could become its unique selling point with young British shoppers.

Monki chief Henrik Aaen Kastberg describes the label as "a flirt between expressive street style and Scandinavian fashion sense".

The branding comes with cute cartoons, with prices for pieces such as the polka dot blouse or skater miniskirt below £120.

"It's quite niche but I can see it working in fashion cities," said Sarah Peters, lead analyst at Verdict Research. "The big difference is that it has H&M behind it."

H&M, which has had a presence in the UK since 1976, aims to add 10%-15% more stores each year with the help of designer collaborations; its latest, with Versace, arrives in November.

While H&M's sales figures in July were down 6% on the previous year's figure, it remains the second biggest retail group in the world, after Inditex (which owns Zara and Massimo Dutti). Profits in 2010 were 25bn Swedish krona (£2.4bn), up 13% on the previous year, with 8.3bn kronor earned in the UK. George MacDonald of Retail Week described the July figures as "a blip", adding that "there's no evidence to suggest they have lost their way".

And with newer brands such as COS and Monki strengthening the group's position through diversification, Sweden looks set to have an ever increasing influence on British high street style.





Top 10 fashion crimes

Daily Fashion Juice
Thursday, August 25, 2011


Stuff's Top 10 fashion crimes

Low-hanging denims look bad on both sexes.

New Zealand Fashion Week is almost here again and all the fashion industry types are dusting off their finest for the shows.

Fashion can be taken far too seriously at times - so with that in mind we have put together Stuff's Top Ten worst fashion trends of the decade for your viewing pleasure, because fashion can be funny (and frightfully ugly) too!

See if you agree with out selection and send your suggestions for what you think this decade's worst fashion crimes are by commenting below.

» Join us for live fashion chat from 12.30pm today

1. Side effects of low-rise jeans
Blame Alexander McQueen for this one - believe it or not the master of the British catwalk can be credited as the first to make low-riding denim popular. Sadly, the after effects of this trend are some of fashion's worst crimes - muffin tops (lardy rolls hanging out the top of the pants), whale tails (G-string showing out the top of the pants) and, for the blokes, boxers hanging-out the top of jeans or pants.

2. Popped collars
This Chav trend crept onto our shores and became popular with jocks and other sport-inspired types. Not just for the boys, the pop was also adopted by private school girls with their matching Canterbury track pants. Polo shirts are usually the victim of "the pop", although dress shirts are seen popped in more drastic cases. (A Chav, for those who don't know, is the British version of white trash.)

3. Ugg boots and mini bits
We all "oohed" and "aahed" when Elle McPherson, Britney Spears and Kate Hudson were spotted wearing this iconic Aussie footwear, and we copied them as they flaunted their bits in the boots on warm summer days. While it never really made sense to keep your toes warm while your legs got cold, we did it anyway. This slobbish footwear is the nightmare of true shoe lovers, and should be kept in the house.

4. Von Dutch anything
Those were the days. When we eagerly watched Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's every move. The early 2000s were dominated by trashy trends. To look cheap, it seemed, was expensive. Von Dutch was the brand of the moment, and we lived for faux leather bowling bags and trailer-trash trucker caps. Those days are, thankfully, gone!

5. Adding a heel to casual footwear
For some reason, fashion had an obsession with trying to turn the casual into dressy. And apparently the easiest way to do so was to throw a heel onto it. Heels were glued onto everything - Converse Chuck Taylors, sneakers, even work boots. The worst by far, though, are the following: Spice Girls boots (adding a heel to a sneaker), high-heeled flip flops (yep, we added a wedge heel AND a stiletto heel to these), and high-heeled Timberland boots. J-Lo was a fan of these last ones, and my weren't they fine!

6. Matching tracksuits
See also the Von Dutch Anything trend. Our obsession with matchy tracksuits went hand-in-hand with Von Dutch accessories. Again, Paris was responsible for sparking this trend, with her matching tracksuits by American ambassadors of trash Juicy Couture. Paris had a tracksuit in every colour and we did too. Hell, she even wore hers with heels.

7. Mince and cheese hair
For the uneducated in food-related hairstyles, the mince and cheese 'do comprises of a dark dye job on the under layer of the hair (usually brown or black), and a light layer on top - this is almost always white blonde. This was the sophisticated hair trend of the mid-2000s; it screamed class and polish. Also of note is the sister of this trend, the skunk streaks.

8. Frosted tips for men
We blame Justin Timberlake and his curly golden locks. It was the height of N'Sync's fame, and posters of JT and his band mates were pasted in teenage bedrooms all over the world. Young men all over mimicked their blonde tips, and it became normal to stumble upon teenage guys walking about with streaking caps on their heads. The lucky (and wealthy) ones got it done properly at the hairdressers, and the rest of them did it at home. Frosted tips ranged from the whitest white tips of the hair, to the dirtiest "morange" (the result of failed bleach jobs on black hair).

9. Diamantes on everything
Again referring back to our love for the trashy, 'bling' was in. We practically rolled in glittery diamantes, gluing them onto everything including cell phones, teeth, children's dummies and the neighbourhood cat.

10. Self deprecating T-shirts
What was up with that? Sorry but I honestly have nothing to say about this except "really?" It's hard to believe we were happy to label ourselves as "Slut", "Bitch" and "Nasty Girl".

Fashion walking a wine line

Daily Fashion Juice
Wednesday, August 24, 2011


Fashion and wine have always gone hand in hand, but these days the relationship is increasingly viable for both.


Jean-Paul Gaultier designed Piper-Heidsieck champagne bottles which kept in theme with his haute couture spring/summer collection. Photo / AP

A glass of red thrown in the face of gossip queen Bridget Saunders at a past New Zealand Fashion Week may be one of the more striking ensembles of wine and fashion. However, recent years have also seen the two become more positively connected, with cross-industry collaboration currently taking fashion to the wine labels and the wine labels to the catwalks.

Fashion designers have increasingly been employed to shape the look of a number of high-profile wine labels: from the figure-hugging, corset-clad Piper-Heidsieck Champagne bottle dressed by Jean-Paul Gaultier to Veuve Clicquot's La Grande Dame draped in Emilio Pucci.

This year jewellery designer and rock star offspring Jade Jagger ventured into the traditional and largely visually conservative region of Bordeaux. Following the success of her revamp of Guerlain's Shalimar perfume bottle, Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou got her on board to revamp their second label wine.

Another recent unveiling was new wine label for the 2009 vintage of Bordeaux's Chateau Rauzan-Segla, designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the property's 350th anniversary. The fashion/wine connection for both these two luxury-associated names is strong: Rauzan-Segla is currently owned by the fashion house of Chanel, while Lagerfeld has already worked with prestige cuvee Champagne Dom Perignon, on a campaign for its Oenotheque Vintage 1993, for which he recreated the bol-sein (literally "bosom bowl"), modelled on the attributes of the champagne house's adopted model, Claudia Schiffer.

With their high-end associations, champagne and fashion have unsurprisingly been hand in glove for some time now. However, there are some less likely partnerships that have turned heads in recent years, such as the hook-up between the designers Basso & Brooke and American wine giant, E&J Gallo. The British duo, known in the past for their controversial use of pornographic images on their digitally printed fabrics, were appointed designers-in-residence for spring/summer 2010 to the mainstream Californian Turning Leaf brand.

Here in New Zealand, Trelise Cooper and Marisco Vineyards got together to produce, the joint venture wine, Entente. This initiative grew from the Marisco label, The Ned having sponsored Cooper for some years, before deciding the synergies between their alliance of fashion and wine could result in something potentially exciting.

"I think wine and fashion go hand in hand - just as fashion is all about the creation, so is wine," explains Marisco's sales and marketing manager, Siobhan Wilson.

"On another level wine is fashion: we have a wide range of consumers who like to be seen drinking the 'in' wine of the moment whether it be a variety or label."

In the case of Entente, the wine came first, an unusual aromatic blend of viognier, chardonnay gewurztraminer, pinot gris and riesling, which Wilson identified as "the perfect match to Trelise and her style of design".

Cooper went for a characteristically French style in Entente's label artwork, which was inspired by the ornate cover of some 1930s French sheet music. Marisco's own graphic designer, Chris Thompson, then went on to work the flavors of the wine into Cooper's design, adding hand-drawn fruits, such as the pears and peaches that can be detected in the wine.

Another heavily fashion influenced local wine label is Soho, which takes it's the inspiration for its "contemporary, stylish and a little risque" style from fashion designer, Tom Ford. It's named some of its wines after designers, which include the McQueen pinot noir in homage to the late British couturier, Alexander; a Valentino Syrah, after the Italian designer, Stella Sauvignon Blanc after Ms McCartney and Westwood Rose as a tribute to the punk doyenne of British fashion, Vivienne.

"Each wine varietal reflects the designer, their personality and style," explains fashion forward, Soho boss, Rachael Carter.

Some fashion names have even gone so far down the wine path that they've launched their own wine ranges. One of these is the designer and entrepreneur Christian Audigier, who, after popularizing the likes of trucker caps at Von Dutch, established his own champagne and wine range. It comes as little surprise that Audigier has taken packaging to a new level with his own wines, which sport his stunning tattoo-inspired art.

The owner of the jean giant Diesel, Renzo Rosso has also turned his hand from textiles to winemaking after purchasing a 100ha estate in Italy's Veneto region. From this, he's released a chardonnay, merlot/cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir under the Diesel Farm label.

Unfortunately for us here in New Zealander, the Audigier and Diesel Farm wines are not currently available in the country.

Wine on the catwalks

Wine is not just being seen in glasses at today's high-profile fashion events either. As well as being the official champagne for London Fashion Week and associated with fashion weeks including ours in New Zealand, a brand such as Moet & Chandon - already from the same stable as Louis Vuitton - has actively celebrated fashion through its annual fashion tribute. Past years have seen this dedicated to the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson.

At fashion weeks throughout the world, wine as well as champagne is starting to move more to center stage. At one of Spain's fashion weeks a few years back, top international designers selected 11 wineries to inspire their new lines of clothing.

Here in New Zealand, marketing manager for the local Kim Crawford label Nina Stojnic thinks there are many crossovers between the country's style scene and wine. This is something that's seen label support local designers such as Huffer, Kathryn Wilson and Stolen Girlfriends Club and informed its decision to be the official wine of this year's New Zealand Fashion Week, following on from being an official wine partner in New York Fashion Week earlier this year.

"Kim Crawford Wines has always celebrated personal style and inspirational people that help shape our ideas and that's why partnering with New Zealand Fashion Week was natural fit," explains Stojnic.

"Self-belief, vision and perseverance are also core to the Kim Crawford brand, values synonymous with the New Zealand fashion industry, which is full of people who have overcome adversity, taken risks and challenged themselves and because of this found success both here and abroad."

Stojnic was keen that the Kim Crawford wines were not only enjoyed by fashionistas at the event, but to see the label engage more widely with fashion fans. This led to the brand launching its competition in conjunction with Viva and style bloggers Four Eyes to find New Zealand's most stylish person.

So put on your glad rags and raise your glasses to more stylish and scrumptious associations.


Jenné Lombardo W Hotels Worldwide new Global Fashion Director

Daily Fashion Juice
Tuesday, August 23, 2011



W Hotels Worldwide appoints new global fashion director



DOHA: W Hotels Worldwide announced the appointment of Jenné Lombardo as its new Global Fashion Director.

For more than 12 years, W Hotels has had a continuous commitment to fashion, and in 2010 appointed the first-ever Global Fashion Director for a hospitality brand – Amanda Ross. As the W brand continues to expand its international footprint and opens in fashion capitals around the world, Lombardo, a global trendsetter with a knack for identifying what’s new and next in fashion, will be instrumental in developing strategic initiatives and partnerships that showcase W’s innovative point of view on fashion.

“W Hotels has established itself as a brand that is constantly searching for ‘what’s new and next’ across music, design, and fashion,” said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “Jenné Lombardo’s international outlook and connection to emerging talent makes her a perfect fit as both the W brand and the role of Fashion Director continues to grow.”



Amy Winehouse’s Dad Deals With Domain Squatter

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, August 22, 2011


Amy Winehouse’s Dad Deals With Domain Squatter In Less-Than-Ideal Fashion

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for NARAS

Remember that addiction treatment foundation Amy Winehouse’s dad was going to set up? It’s stalled because someone’s squatting on the mostobvious (if overly long) domain name. Not even lawyers and Parliament support can wrench it back yet; in fact, things are so serious thatMitch Winehouse is… returning people’s donations. The reason, he said over Twitter, is because he doesn’t have a bank account in thefoundation’s name–something that, as Billboard points out, he didn’t bother explaining and that his representatives aren’t explaining either. Then there’s this:

"We all have to bombard the tabloids websites to put pressure on this dick head who stole our foundation name."

Name-calling and threats of denial-of-service attacks? How nice. Never mind that “bombarding” the websites, if done by drive-by readers oftweets, will probably just drive up pageviews and stoke the gossip machine even more. We’re still stuck on the returning of donations–notto mention the royalty cut from Winehouse’s duet with Tony Bennett, which was supposed to go the floundering foundation. It’s fair that Mitch Winehouse doesn’t want to look fraudulent by keeping money for something that isn’t 100% settled yet–charity scams are real and numerous, and Winehouse isn’t among them. But if someone’s sending back your donations, would you really be inclined to donate again once things are settled? Even if you think Winehouse’s being organized about this–we’re not suggesting he isn’t, mind you–it’s just human nature not to expend the effort again. Every part of this situation, in short, is unfortunate. If we hear anything further, we’ll let you know.

Gucci's spin on the Fiat 500

Daily Fashion Juice
Friday, August 19, 2011


Is Gucci's spin on the Fiat 500 set to make the car New York Fashion Week's hottest accessory?

By Daisy Dumas

It is a car built with the uber chic roads of Milan in mind.

But the new Fiat 500 has taken many a fashionable city by storm.

Now, the Italian icon is having a Gucci makeover and the special edition retro design will hit the streets of New York during Fashion Week.
Wheels on fire: The lovechild of Gucci and Fiat, the limited edition car features green and red stripes on its sides and many an interlinked G symbol. Beautiful models not included.
The Gucci wheels - for the girl who has everything - will feature the company's signature green and red stripe on its side, with a soft top version sporting the stripe down the middle of its roof.

Alloy wheels are emblazoned with the famous Gucci interlocking G symbol, and, according to Automobile magazine, steering wheels will be hand-stitched in two-tone ivory and white.

Trademark Gucci lettering leaves passers-by in no doubt of the fashion-mobile's illustrious provenance.

The body, the car: Elle Macpherson was one of the first to take delivery of the 500c in London. It was voted the sexiest car in Britain in 2008

And, where more fitting for the U.S. launch of the limited edition than at global fashion showcase, New York Fashion Week?

Granted, there are no tiny, winding streets in New York, and awkward parking spots aren't quite so commonplace as they are in Rome, Florence or Pisa.

But the 500 is having its moment in the sun - it has come a long way since its birth as an economy car in the 1950s - and owning the keys to the retro design might just be as stylish as carrying an Hermes Birkin.

Prices for the Gucci versions aren't yet known, but the standard 500s start at around $15,500 in the U.S.

That's the same as three Gucci hand-painted woven leather totes, or just half of the cost of a Victoria Beckham large hand luggage bag.

Not bad for a style accessory that was voted sexiest car in Britain in 2008 - and it can carry more than lipstick and a phone.

Since launching in 2007, the Fiat 500 brand has been enjoying something of a renaissance, the updated diminutive design drawing celebrity fans.

Elle MacPherson, who was one of the first to take delivery of her new soft top version said: 'I love the Fiat 500c, it has that sexy, cool, Italian thing going on.'

Elsewhere, an original version of the tiny car features in a recent Missoni for target ad, its shapely blue form next to an equally shapely Margherita Missoni.

It's not the first time the car has been given a personality change.

Cementing its place in pop culture, the car had a Barbie makeover in 2009, which saw a set of bubblegum pink lip-glosses - complete with application mirror - integrated into the fittingly girly design.


Lady Gaga’s Little Sister’s Fashion Design

Daily Fashion Juice
Thursday, August 18, 2011


Lady Gaga’s Little Sister’s Fashion Design Career Is Rolling Along Nicely

Natali Germanotta in "Telephone."

Natali Germanotta is the 19-year-old sibling to mammoth pop star Lady Gaga. She made a cameo in her big sister's "Telephone" video, and was her date to the CFDA Awards, where Lady Gaga told the crowd while accepting her Fashion Icon prize that Natali had just started at Parsons. (Imagine the admissions officers getting that application.) Considering she shares parents with the fashion industry's favorite person (outside of Kate Middleton or Michelle Obama, that is), how could she not have a rollicking, boldface career in fashion? She's off to a heady start, reports WWD, already in the running to design costumes for the show Simon Says, which opens off-Broadway in New York this fall.

But what is Natali "Baby Gaga" really like? Is the dark lipstick and goth look a gimmick imposed by "Grown-up Gaga" or is it coming from her heart?

As a Convent of the Sacred Heart high school student, she interned for Allison Parris and pitched in backstage at the designer’s fall 2010 show.


...Parris said of her former intern, “Natali has an edgier sense of style like her sister. Initially when she went to the Grammys a few years ago, she wore one of our little lace trapeze dresses, but she styled it up with leather and hardware. She is so nice and so easy to work with. She is such a great girl.”

So she's black lipstick and razor-blade shades to the core, perhaps. No photos of her wearing Abercrombie in high school have surfaced, at least.



'Housewife' discusses fashion line

Daily Fashion Juice
Wednesday, August 17, 2011



'Housewife' discusses upcoming fashion line

By TANYA LYON

ANA VENEGAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

From shuttling three young kids under the age of six to and from summer camp to hosting local beauty pageants, life isn't always easy for the modern housewife. That's especially true for 'Real Housewife' Alexis Bellino.

Between wrapping up season 6 of the popular Bravo series 'The Real Housewives of Orange County' and moving into a palatial new home in Dana Point this summer, the 34 year old is putting the finishing touches on the new looks in her clothing line "Alexis Couture & Casual."

The clothing line is a natural fit for the beautiful blonde who loves fashion.

"I was always the kind of girl that was always at the alterations. Probably spent way too much time and money at alterations changing my outfits," Bellino says.

"Making them shorter, taking a sleeve off, adding an embellishment -- I had so many compliments on my dresses during the first season of filming that I thought 'why wouldn't I go there? Why wouldn't I just do something that I'm already so fascinated with and love doing and make it a business?"

Cramer's Fashion Statement

Daily Fashion Juice
Tuesday, August 16, 2011


Cramer's Fashion Statement on Luxury Retail

By: Drew Sandholm

"The market can be pretty darned stupid sometimes," Cramer said Tuesday. "And that’s a good thing, too, because when the market’s dumb, it gives us some terrific opportunities."

Take Saks [SKS  7.99    0.18  (+2.3%)   ], for example. The department store operator reported a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss and forecast same-store sales growth for the rest of the year, but said it is cautious about falling sales. Overall, Cramer thinks it was a strong quarter.

"We know that we have a Dickensian, bar-bell economy right now in America," Cramer said. "High-end retailers are thriving as the rich get richer and the low-end is also working, as everybody else trades down, while the middle just gets squeezed."

Saks is as high-end as it gets, Cramer said. Is this stock a buy, though? To learn more, he spoke with CEO Steve Sadove. Watch the video to see the full interview.




Fashion Houston returns Wortham Center

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, August 15, 2011


Fashion Houston returns to Wortham Center

By JOY SEWING 

photo
Stephen Lovekin Getty Images
Carmen Marc Valvo will be one of the better-known names when Fashion Houston Presented by Audi returns to downtown's Wortham Theater. Not so well known, at least as a designer, will be Patrick Schwarzenegger, the 17-year-old son of Maria Shriver and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Valvo, a Texas favorite, is known for great evening wear. Schwarzenegger will bring his Project 360 clothing line (T-shirts and hoodies) to Houston for the Oct. 10-13 runway action. Tickets go on sale next week.

This year's lineup also includes: 

Barbara Tfank: First lady Michelle Obama recently wore one of the L.A.-based designer's floral resort dresses.

Douglas Hannant: He's known for have a straightforward approach to women's wear.

Chloe Dao: This hometown favorite is showing at Fashion Houston again. She is known for her bold color and details, especially in dresses.

Cesar Galindo: Another hometown designer, Galindo is expected to debut his secondary line, CZAR. He also showed last year.

Jerri Moore: The Houston-based designer will showcase her special-occasion dresses for the first time.

Robert Rodriguez: He worked at Dior before stepping out with his own line. Rodriguez mixes feminine and edgy, and his white shirts are pretty awesome.

"Fashion Houston is about fashion and Houston, bringing them together and showing the world that we have what it takes to be a true fashion destination," said Jared Lang, the event's founder and co-creator.

Tickets are $64-$300 and will go on sale Aug. 26 at www.fashionhouston.net.




Madonna’s daughter Lola discusses her fashion line

Daily Fashion Juice
Friday, August 12, 2011


Madonna’s daughter Lola discusses her fashion line

By Associated Press 
 
 
 
NEW YORK — Even though she’s got her own fashion line, Lourdes Leon — better known to the masses as Lola, the daughter of Madonna — admits that she had a lot to learn when she first launched the Material Girl brand.

“It was really hard at first because I didn’t know what I was doing,” Lola, dressed in a tank top and jean cutoffs, said in a recent interview. “I was like, `You know, not a lot of people wear this. Let me just wear it.’ It wasn’t even that it looked good on me. I was just like, `Let me do this because not a lot of people are doing it.’ Now I feel like I can follow fashion a lot better than I used to, but also have some of my own take on it.”

Her learning curve is understandable: After all, she’s just 14. But she’s already a fashion star with Material Girl, which is geared toward teens and sold at Macy’s. The line, which she launched with her mother last year, is now branching out into cosmetics, undergarments and nail polish.

Through laughs and typical teenager banter, Lola talked about her vision for Material Girl, her mom and fashion dos and don’ts.

AP: It’s been a year since your clothing line launched. What have you learned about fashion over the past 12 months?

Lola: I learned a lot of things that I shouldn’t wear or do. Like don’t wear white to school, because then stuff gets dirty really fast. I don’t think you should wear shorts that are too small and I don’t think you should wear shorts that are too big either because I find myself looking really awkward. It takes me a really long time to find the perfect pair of shorts. I like the ones you can pull up to your bellybutton almost, which makes it look extra weird and retro.

AP: Your mom once told me that the two of you don’t always agree on designs.

Lola: Absolutely. Every day. ... I will be like, “Mom, you can’t wear that.” Or she will be like, “Lola, you can’t wear that.” A lot of the time we don’t listen to each other, but sometimes we do.

AP: When it comes to designing Material Girl, who wins out?

Lola: Me. I have to tell her, “Mom, it is the in thing. This is what kids are doing now. If you don’t do this, then it is going to suck.” And then she usually gives in.

AP: Do you go to your mom’s closet for inspiration?

Lola: Her closet is huge. All the time. I am always in there and if no one knows where I am in the house, it is usually my mom’s closet and I am usually taking something without asking her. She gets mad at me.

AP: How does it feel to have a clothing line at such a young age?

Lola: It is really cool, and also it is a lot of fun to know that my friends enjoy it, and to know that a lot of people enjoy it because it is also a lot of what I like. My friends have great style. I go to an arts school, so a lot of them are really artistic and passionate about a lot of things that inspire what they wear.

AP: Advice time. What is your idea of a fashion faux pas?

Lola: Don’t wear white. I am all for crop tops, but I don’t like it when people wear crop tops that are excessively cropped. Really, don’t be a skank with your crop top. I think boots are always a “go-to,” no matter what you are wearing, but you always have to make sure they don’t cut off your leg because that is not right. When you are wearing heels, it is more comfortable to walk in platforms. Platforms always look good and they are more comfortable to wear and they make you look way taller. I used to do this a lot, but the hippie bands around your head are very out. Don’t ever wear that again.

AP: Your line has expanded to include nail polish and undergarments. What is your ultimate vision for the collection?

Lola: I think it has continued to evolve and now it is at a point where we have so much stuff that I use and that I think other people will really enjoy using, so I like it.



Miami Rescue Mission’s summer fashion show

Daily Fashion Juice
Thursday, August 11, 2011


Pretty princesses grace stage at Miami Rescue Mission fashion show

Children enrolled in the Miami Rescue Mission’s summer program participate in a fashion show sponsored by a local designer.

Jailyn Dixon strutted down the runway in a sparkly blue pleated dress--a dress she says is unlike any she has ever owned.

“I love it,” she said. “I like the color.”

The newly tapped 6-year-old model was one of 20 girls in the Miami Rescue Mission’s summer program to participate in a fashion show sponsored by Davie based Bella Fashion Designs, which primped the girls with sparkly and jeweled gowns to wear on the runway.

The Miami Rescue Mission provides services to the homeless and needy in Dade and Broward Counties.

“They look fabulous, it really touches me,” said Nora Marvilli, owner of Bella Fashion Designs. “I want to offer all these things to the kids, not for them to get impressed, but for them to get and happy and see how they can reach their goals.”

Dressed in a palette of pastels, this was most of the girls first time hitting the runway.
“I thought I was going to fall,” said 11-year-old Antonia Gibson. “Everyone was calling my name. It was scary at the time.”

But with group huddles and squeals of excitements, the girls made it through the pre-performance jitters and the show went smoothly.

Parents and more than 80 other campers were in the audience as each girl struck a pose and had their solo time on the runway.

Jasmine Smith, 6, said she thought up her pose in a spur-of-the-moment decision on stage at the Miami Rescue Mission community center.

She went with the classic one hand on the hip, one hand on her head sideway pose.
“I got to be pretty on the stage,” she said.

The fashion show’s emcees were two local teen pageant winners who encouraged the kids to always be themselves and serve their communities.

“No one is the same, everyone has a different sense of fashion,” said Milena Rodriguez, Miss Fort Lauderdale Teen U.S.A.

Rachel Marvilli, Miss Weston Teen USA and Nora Marvilli’s daughter, was the other host.
After the show, Marvilli donated jeans and other clothing items to the children, including a gown to a teenager who was about to celebrate her sweet 16 birthday.

Casey Angel, communication manager for Miami Rescue Mission, said that Rescue Mission’s camp and after school programs serve children who need places to go when school is not in session.

“This is here because we want to stop the cycle of homelessness,” Angel said.




Demand for summer dresses

Daily Fashion Juice
Wednesday, August 10, 2011


UK FASHION BRAND BUCKS RETAIL TREND



Demand for summer dresses has been strong at French Connection

By Daily Express Reporter

SHARES in fashion chain French Connection rose 11 per cent yesterday after it said its UK stores were defying high-street woes.

In a statement the retailer, up 6½p to 64½p, said profit for the first half of the year to July 31 was in line with management expectations, helped by growth in same-store sales at its UK stores. It said this had come despite the “difficult market conditions”.

French Connection, which has previously noted good demand for its summer dresses in recent months, said net cash beat expectations at approximately £30.5million.

It said wholesale orders for its winter collection were ahead of last year and that it approaches the “important winter season with confidence”.


Numis Securities analyst Andrew Wade called the update reassuring given the current problems faced by high-street retailers among weakening consumer confidence.


Numis Securities analyst Andrew Wade called the update reassuring given the current problems faced by high-street retailers among weakening consumer confidence.

Wade said the group’s performance reflected the strength of its current ranges and expects it to post full-year profits of £8.8million.



Lucy Hale makes a fashion statement with heel-less shoes

Daily Fashion Juice
Tuesday, August 9, 2011



Pretty Little Liars actress Lucy Hale makes a fashion statement with heel-less shoes at Teen Choice Awards

By Nadia Mendoza

She may not be well known this side of the Atlantic, but Lucy Hale clearly wants to be noticed.

The US actress, best known for her role in Pretty Little Liars, stepped out in a pair of heelless platforms at the Teen Choice Awards yesterday.

Lady Gaga also has a penchant for the eccentric shoes, on this occasion from designer Giuseppe Zanotti.

Keeping her balance: Lucy Hale poses in her gravity defying shoes at the Teen Choice Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Los Angeles



Trying not wobble: Lucy does her best not to fall in front of the press


The 22-year-old picked up the award for Choice Female Summer TV Star for her work on the hit ABC Family series at the event in California.

Lucy has been on a steady rise to fame since her teens, with small roles in The Wizards of Waverley Place, Bionic Woman and Privileged.


While the brunette star didn't quite have fireworks exploding from her bra or any facial prosthetics, she did opt for an unusual dress that wouldn't seem out of place in the Bad Romance singer's wardrobe.

The asymmetric gown was slashed at the neck and entirely covered in cream and black sequins.





Cameron Diaz on Fashion

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, August 8, 2011


Cameron Diaz on Fashion: “I Have Never Been Into Trends. I Don’t Understand Trends!”



 

Cameron Diaz always looks amazing wearing the latest fashion trends, but that doesn’t mean she understand them! The actress chatted with OK! at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night about how confusing fashion trends really are.


OK! NEWS: TEEN CHOICE AWARDS RECAP — HARRY POTTER WINS BIG & JUSTIN BIEBER PROCLAIMS EXCITEMENT TO SEE SELENA GOMEZ PERFORM!

The ladies of the Teen Choice Awards showed off some of the hottest new fashion trends, but not all of them were doing that on purpose.

“I have never been into trends. I don’t understand trends!” Cameron said with a laugh to OK!. “I tried on a dress a few days ago that was like Spring 2012 and I was like, ‘Where are we? Why can’t I just buy a dress for Summer 2011?’ That’s all I need so you know, by the time we get to 2012, I am going to be wearing something for 2013 so it doesn’t really make any sense to me!”
But it looks like Cameron still manages to stay fashion forward despite the confusion.

OK! NEWS: JASON SEGEL ON KISSING CAMERON DIAZ — “IT WAS VERY GOOD FOR HER”

Keeping in theme with the Teen Choice Awards show, Cameron also shared with reporters the best advice she got from her mom.

“The best advice that I got is that you know where you are at as a teenager, that’s not the real world. Life is — outside of high school, is when you really start living life, “Cameron explained. “The things that happen in high school — it’s not the real world.”

Cameron may not understand trends, but it sounds like she’s got a good handle on life!

Plus-size and high-end designer fashion

Daily Fashion Juice
Friday, August 5 , 2011


Can plus-size and high-end designer fashion meet in the middle?


By Debra D. Bass,



Pardon the pun, but New York's Full Figured Fashion Week has doubled in size and shows no sizes of shrinking.

The organizers of last weekend's event are celebrating, and plus-size models are rejoicing, yet mass opinion probably will remain mixed for years to come.

This is the third year that former plus-size model Gwen DeVoe has produced the show, which featured 15 designers from the United States, Canada and Europe. In interviews with various media outlets, she's said she was inspired to launch the event because prestigious New York Fashion Week designers weren't creating clothing for women like her.

Full Figured Fashion Week showcases models with dress sizes that start in the double digits and clothes that fit women who wear sizes into the 30s. This makes a sharp visual contrast to typical size zero to 2 runway models, who tend to be improbably tall and thin.

DeVoe has said that she intends to show designers the plus-size market that they are missing out on. Statistics continue to document the widening waistline of the U.S. population, making her focus on full-figured fashions even more relevant.

The controversy, of course, is that many people believe that celebrating large-size women, many of them obese, will encourage them to continue tipping the scales.

Phyllis Brasch Librach of Sydney's Closet in Maryland Heights, Mo., sells special-occasion clothing from size 14 to size 44, and she has no qualms about the service
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she provides. In fact, she proudly waves the plus-size flag. On her website, she declares that the majority of women are larger than a size 12.

And each of those women, she writes, "should be able to find a dress for a special occasion that makes her look -- and feel -- as glamorous as a movie star." Who's to say we should discourage that?

The irony in the condemnation of the plus-size shows is that typical runways have been vilified for encouraging women to starve themselves into a low ideal weight.

The truth is probably less black and white. Women whose self-esteem is based on an image in a magazine have bigger problems than what to wear.

Webster Groves, Mo., boutique owner Natalie Woods of Daisy Clover said that people "have to learn to take responsibility for their choices." She said she'd never be a size 2 because she hates to exercise and enjoys fried foods, but that doesn't mean she gets to blame lithe models. She said that most of her business is equally distributed between size extra-smalls and extra-larges.

With that in mind, she greeted news of the new fashion week with a shrug.

In contrast, outspoken plus-size model Fluvia Lacerda, who was named plus-size commercial model of the year at Full Figured Fashion Week, issued a rant (her words) on her blog about why plus-size or curvy fashion needs more respect.

She wrote: "Although it might sound astonishing for some, looking GOOD doesn't necessarily equate to looking THIN/SMALLER to a lot of us plus size women. Curves aren't an embarrassment that we need to wear pieces to disguise 'em or use accessories to divert people's attention from noticing my wide hips. They are there and I find no reason to disguise them (I probably wouldn't be able to even if I tried, LOL)."

I know the kind of vitriolic condemnations many of you are thinking in response. You're not wrong, but neither is Lacerda. The question of how big is too big is valid, but I can't condone the idea that we should teach women, men, children to be ashamed of their size. Health should prevail, and I'm betting that Lacerda hits the gym more than most of us.

What drives me crazy in the plus-size vs. ectomorph argument is that women who are in the middle weight classes are ignored. Instead, we choose sides and everyone typically heaps undue blame on a group of women who are usually and naturally thin.

Where's the middle ground? I wonder. What's so unappealing about sizes 8 to 12. Seriously.

Those sizes are in a no-man's land as far as the fashion world is concerned. Someone in the middle is not large enough to be plus-size or small enough to be a traditional model. Yet she's most likely to have an acceptable body mass index and, therefore, is probably eating relatively balanced meals. I'm guessing some will argue that fashion is about fantasy and that's best embodied by extremes, not the average.

Still, it seems odd that no one champions the women in the middle, when common sense should tell us that that's not a bad place to start.

GQ fashion 'duel'

Daily Fashion Juice
Thursday, August 4 , 2011


Cheezburger chief challenges GQ to fashion 'duel'

Cheezburger
Ben Huh, misunderstood fashion icon?
By John Cook
Ben Huh is the CEO of Cheezburger, the company behind hit sites such as I Can Has Cheezburger and Fail Blog. As a result, he's known primarily for "LOLcats" and random moments of disastrous hilarity.
But this week his penchant for ironic, cat-themed T-shirts gave him a different rep — as No. 10 on GQ's list of the 15 worst-dressed men in technology, right up there with the likes of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

"We get it," chided the GQ editors in their blurb on Huh. "Your office chair is a FUF and you sift through zany cat pics for a living, hence the whimsical kitty graphic tees and white-rimmed specs. It's cute. But we can tell you just rolled out of your 1,000-thread count bed sheets and picked out the nearest T-shirt in or around the laundry basket."

But now the mag has a cat fight on its hands. Huh is taking the issue to the people — challenging GQ to what amounts to a fashion duel.



In this lighthearted video message, with his shirt changing every few seconds, Huh says that he will dress in his very best geek duds and then also have GQ dress him in what they deem as cool. Then, in a blind test, the community would vote on who actually has the better fashion sense.

"My theory is that technologists, like me, and geeks, like many of our users, know how to dress," Huh says. "It is that we just really choose not to."

Kate Middleton on fashion high

Daily Fashion Juice
Wednesday, August 3 , 2011


Vanity Fair puts Kate Middleton on fashion high


The duchess in Canadian designer Erdem (L) and in the Catherine Walker "Kensington" dress.


Kate Middleton named alongside Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on top of Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List.

The Duchess of Cambridge's mix of high and low looks - designer fashion one day, jeans the next - and a "whirlwind year of fashion successes" earned her a spot on the 72-year-old list, according to a preview statement from the magazine. She had appeared once before, in 2008.

Other royals who caught the eye of the designers, retailers, editors, socialites, photographers and entertainers who submit ballots include Princess Alexandra of Greece, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Italian Countess Matilde Borromeo and Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar.

Michelle Obama, a four-year veteran of the list, was named for the first time as part of a best-dressed couple. Bruni-Sarkozy is another repeat recipient.

First-timers include Justin Timberlake, Colin Firth, Armie Hammer and Christine Lagarde, chief of the International Monetary Fund.

Actresses Carey Mulligan and Tilda Swinton have each made it twice.

Fashion professionals get their own category on the list: model Stella Tennant, photographer Mario Testino, Burberry designer Christopher Bailey and couple Lauren Bush and David Lauren were among those to make the cut.

Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, the King of Bhutan and couple Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp fill the fashion originals group.

Vanity Fair inherited the list, considered one of the most influential in the fashion world, from the late fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert in 2004.

Fashion has a new muse

Daily Fashion Juice
Tuesday, August 2 , 2011

Fashion Industry Salivates Over Creepy Photos Of 10-Year-Old French Girl

Fashion has a new muse, and she is 10 years old. Meet Thylane Loubry Blondeau.

The child model's parents are Patrick Blondeau, a former soccer player, and Véronika Loubry, who used to present a celebrity news show on French television and now designs a mother-daughter clothing line. Thylane has graced the cover of Vogue Enfants, starred in ad campaigns for the children's lines of major brands, and regularly works with top fashion photographers including Dani Brubaker. She started early: in October, 2005, at the age of 4, Thylane walked in Jean-Paul Gaultier's spring show. She came to my attention earlier this year, when she was one of the models featured in a Vogue Paris — that's regular, grown-up Vogue, not kiddie Vogue — editorial that took fashion's fetishistic, often exploitative relationship with extreme youth as its subject.

Click any photo to enlarge.
I personally found the Vogue Paris editorial refreshing. Sure, it was disturbing, but it seemed purposefully, knowingly disturbing — disturbing in the sense that it aimed to perturb and provoke a reader to question the fashion industry's treatment of young girls as a kind of natural resource to be transformed into product, which is, you know, itself disturbing. It was published in the knowledge that outrage would follow, and, like clockwork, outrage came.

Models only three or four years (and one middle-school growth spurt) older than Thylane grace international runways, glossy magazine covers, and ad campaigns for luxury brands regularly. Only they are not styled as children, which Thylane and the other child models so obviously were in this spread, with their too-big shoes and their white, little-kid cotton undershirts peeking out from too-big designer outfits, made up to look like they'd gone a little nuts with mum's rouge. No, children just a few years older than Thylane are styled and made up to look like the adults they can pass for — thanks to age-exceptional height — all for the purposes of selling clothes and accessories. No outrage — a total, complete lack of anything that might be called "outrage" — ever greets the publication of their work. That's why, to me, so much of the criticism of that particular Vogue Paris spread rang hollow.



But while I didn't find that single spread necessarily inappropriate, the body of Thylane's work — and fashion's apparent fascination with her — gives me pause. Is it really necessary to depict a 10-year-old hooking her thumb into her jeans and slinging her hip out? Is it really a good idea to intentionally recall, as one writer put it, a Diesel ad? If looking at some of her many, many fashion photographs makes me feel creepy, is it because of the way the magazines and photographers have chosen to present her, or is it because of something I'm reading into the images?

Even posing questions like these about the sexualization of children is discomfiting. To ask is this child too sexy is to put a child's body under a kind of scrutiny that is (and should be) strange and unnatural, and that's not a thing that should be taken lightly. But it's one thing for a parent to take a photo of his or her little girl while she's running around a beach in a pair of swimsuit bottoms. It's another for a fashion magazine to take a photo of a 10-year-old sitting topless on a bed and publish it for a global audience.

What steps are being taken to ensure Thylane is comfortable with these images? Is she aware that, to people older and more familiar with the commonplaces of fashion photography than she is, the way she is being portrayed reads as somewhat adult, somewhat sexualized? Is a 10-year-old truly capable of consenting to being shot in the nude — by a fashion industry client that is using her body to move product, no less? Is a 10-year-old capable of understanding the ramifications of that consent?

It's complicated. Cultural conservatives and politicians tried to censor Robert Mapplethorpe's images of nude children, but it always seemed to me that you'd have to be kind of sick to see a picture of a naked little boy spontaneously climbing on an armchair as something sexual. (And the children themselves, once they were grown up, strenuously defended the artist.) This isn't Mapplethorpe, though, and fashion editorials aren't art; they're the pictures that go between the luxury ads. I see no reason to trust that the fashion industry's intentions are honorable.

Fashion Industry Salivates Over Creepy Photos Of 10-Year-Old French Girl

Especially when fashion's overall relationship with age is, to put it bluntly, messed up. Models commonly start working internationally at age 13-14, and the pace of the work makes it difficult to do things like finish high school. (Models are independent contractors, and are thus exempt from many provisions of labor law, including minimum wage and age requirements, as well as legal protection from sexual harassment.) Fashion loves to infantilize grown women and portray girls as though they were adults. A fashion shoot isn't necessarily, categorically an inappropriate place for a 10-year-old to be — with appropriate supervision. I don't want to argue that, because of her age, Thylane should be limited to posing with bouncy balls or oversized lollipops for French children's catalogs, or whatnot.

Fashion Industry Salivates Over Creepy Photos Of 10-Year-Old French Girl

It's just that so many of the tropes of fashion photography — the focus on the long limbs, the aestheticization and objectification of these young bodies, the preference for blank expressions and softly opened mouths — are inherently sexualizing. And that's creepy. (It doesn't help things that the writer of the "Fuck Yeah" blog and his or her commenters are all too keen to dismiss any criticism of the nature of these pictures as the product of America's "uptight culture." And to remind us all, "If you're seeing the images in a sexual way, then that is obviously your OWN problem.")

I modeled as a child, beginning around the age of 7 or 8, and I enjoyed it very much. I earned money, which I saved, I got an occasional day off school, I got to be around adults with interesting, creative jobs who made the work we were doing seem fun, I saw some interesting places. Unless you consider the mere fact of a child having "work" inappropriate, I would say that all of my work was very appropriate to my age and my interests. I don't want to condemn another child, and another family, for making the decision to pursue modeling. But something about some of these pictures, on a level almost deeper than language, creeps me out. And for that, I blame fashion, not the child or her parents.



This, for example, is what's known as an "implied nude." I really don't think a 10-year-old should be shot for one.

18th Century Back in Fashion at Versailles

Daily Fashion Juice
Monday, August 1 , 2011

Marie-Antoinette Meets Vivienne Westwood: The 18th Century Back in Fashion at Versailles





When Marie-Antoinette meets Vivienne Westwood... Le XVIII au gout du jour is an extravagant exhibition held in the apartments of The Grand Trianon in Versailles, and dedicated to the influence of the 18th century on modern fashion. Fifty models by great designers of the 20th century dialogue with costumes and accessories from the 18th century.

French culture of the 18th century was embodied by Marie-Antoinette, Madame de Pompadour and Madame Du Barry -- paragons of frivolity that have always fascinated the movie industry, writers and the fashion world. With its huge powdered wigs, hoop petticoats, corsets, embroidered vests... This extravagant style has influenced many designers of the 20th century.

Vivienne Westwood brings back brazen courtesans, fashionable Belles are corseted by Azzedine Alaia, Christian Lacroix drapes his queens with brocades lavishly gleaming with gemstones, and Olivier Theyskens summons up the ghost of Marie-Antoinette in a Hollywood film. With Yohji Yamamoto, court dresses are destructured and so does Rei Kawakubo with riding coats. While Thierry Mugler hides over sized hoops under the dresses, Jean Paul Gaultier puts them upside down.

All of these pieces come from the archives of maisons de couture and from the Galliera Museum's collections.






Collections Galliera, 1750-1760


@EVP / J-M Manai, C Millet








1750-1755


Collections Galliera @ EVP / J-M Manai, C Millet








1730








1785










Pierre Balmain, Haute couture Summer 1954


Collections Galliera @ EPV / J-M Manai, C Millet








Vivienne Westwood, Pret-a-porter S/S 1991


Collections Galliera @ EPV / J-M Manai, C Milet








Vivienne Westwood, F/W 1995/96


Collection "Vive la Cocotte" @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Vivienne Westwood, S/S 1996


Collection "Les Femmes" @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Thierry Mugler, Haute couture F/W 1997/1998


Collection Maison Thierry Mugler @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Thierry Mugler, F/W 1992, 1993


Collection Maison Thierry Mugler @ Patrice Stable








Jean Paul Gaultier, Haute couture S/S 1998


Collection Maison Jean Paul Gaultier @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Jean Paul Gaultier, Haute Couture S/S 1998


@Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Maison Christian Dior, Haute couture F/W 2004/2005


Collection Maison Dior @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Maison Christian Dior, Haute couture F/W 2007/2008


@Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld, Haute couture S/S 2005


Collection Maison Chanel @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere, S/S 2006


Collection Maison Balenciaga @ Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin








Rochas by Olivier Theyskens, Marie Antoinette for Sofia Coppola, F/W 2006


Collections Galliera @ EPV / J-M Manai, C Milet








Yohji Yamamoto, S/S 2011


@Marcio Madeira / Zeppelin





All images, courtesy Chateau de Versailles and Galliera Museum


Le XVIIIe au gout du jour - The 18th century back in Fashion is currently on exhibit at the Grand Trianon, Versailles, France.


July 8 - October 9, 2011