http://www.gg2.net Fashion | GG2.Net 2013-05-19 http://www.gg2.net en http://www.gg2.net/images/logo.png http://www.gg2.net
    WITH THEIR black leather, studded jackets, ripped jeans, bondage trousers and messages of rebellion and anarchy, punks from the 1970s probably never envisioned that a major museum would be celebrating their influence on fashion 40 years later. But the Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is doing just that with a new exhibition, ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’, that opens on May 9 and runs through August 14. It includes 100 punk styles and ran]]>
CRAWLING with creative types and packed with high-end designer furniture, Milan Design Week has shown all its characteristic panache with no hint of the economic crisis crushing Italy.   But despite the tens of thousands crowding the pavilions this year, and upbeat praise from architects, artists and style-minded businessmen, all was not well below the surface.   “The crisis was really paralysing in the run-up to Christmas and so we were all very afraid that th]]>
    DESIGNER duo – the MAPXENCAR sisters – will present a collection inspired by their visit to spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Ashram in Bangalore during the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week 2013. Riddhi and Siddhi Mapxencar own a fashion label mapxencaRS. ‘The idea for this collection came from our visit to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s ashram in Bangalore,” Riddhi Mapxencar said in Mumbai. The Mapxencar]]>
  FASHION designer Anupama Dayal paid tribute to New Delhi’s past and present in her ‘Ishq-e-Dilli collection’ on day one of the Wills India fashion week. The designer showcased a series of clothes influenced by Islamic art and Mughal traditions on Wednesday (March 13). ‘I am from Kolkata, but Delhi has been my home for the past 10 years. I wanted to pay homage to the city’s rich culture and tradition, so I decided to do it thro]]>
NEW YORK fashion star Alexander Wang on Thursday (February 28) presented his much anticipated first show for Balenciaga with a collection praised as “elegance, modernity, structure”, while Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz opted for a large helping of old school glamour.   In one of the shows of the week, Wang paid homage to the founder of the illustrious fashion house Cristobal Balenciaga in what he modestly described as a “prologue”.   Wang, one of]]>
ROBERT Rauschenberg’s fabrics in electric blues and rich reds pop from the sterile walls of the Gagosian Gallery in London in a show of one of the American artist’s lesser-known collections which curators hope will lure a new generation to his work.   “Jammers”, named after the Windjammer merchant sailing ships, conjures the exotic with vibrant textiles draped, looped and layered across walls and around rattan poles.   The creation of the work]]>
THE SUN returned to Manhattan after a severe storm on Saturday (February 9) and New York Fashion Week had reasons to celebrate of its own, with a futuristic Lacoste show and a stylishly militaristic vision from Prabal Gurung impressing on the catwalks.   After two days in alarm over the gathering blizzard, fashionistas surveyed the snow blanketing the city and were not only relieved that they’d survived, but declared they loved the look.   “We were in a v]]>
  DESIGNER Masaba Gupta is all set to open the upcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW)  Fall 2013 with her debut collection for the fashion brand Satya Paul.   Satya Paul appointed the 24-year-old as fashion director late last year.   “Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is proud to announce that the upcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Fall 2013 will begin with a fashion show by Masaba Gupta for]]>
    IGNORED for years by the pet fashion industry and left to dwell in the shadows of tiny dogs in tutus and tiaras, large dogs are finally loping onto the high couture catwalk. What are they wearing? The chunky prints and large patterned fabrics that would overwhelm smaller dogs, as well as camouflage fleece hoodies, jean jackets and, yes, even ostrich feathers. Bigger, bulkier dogs are growing more popular, especially in trend-setting New York City, where the Labra]]>
 GERMAN fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld on Tuesday (January 22) used the finale of his Chanel haute couture show in Paris to signal his support for gay marriage.   Closing his spring 2013 show, two female models in long white gowns and trains swept into an amphitheatre in Paris’s vast Grand Palais accompanied by Lagerfeld’s four-year-old godson Hudson Kroening.   Speaking backstage after the show, Lagerfeld confirmed that it was intended as a show of]]>
ITALIAN fashion king Armani rounded off Milan’s Autumn/Winter menswear fashion week on Tuesday (January 15), wrapping up a four-day schedule starring seductive silhouettes and dashes of colour from the likes of Prada, Gucci and DSquared2.   Giorgio Armani unveiled a largely military-inspired collection which he said created “a strong, precise image and a pure and essential style which creates a virile silhouette, defined by ample jackets and coats paired with closely-]]>
THE new Gucci Museum in Florence opened its latest show this month - a selection of US artist Cindy Sherman’s early works - in a setting where mediaeval architecture meets fashion history.   “For visitors to Florence, it’s nice to react with something that is contemporary and alive,” said Francesca Amfitheatrof, curator at the Gucci Museum and a celebrated London-based jewelry designer in her own right.   The temporary exhibit “Cindy She]]>
DIOR, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga: three top Paris fashion houses kick off 2013 with a new designer at their helm. What better way to whet the appetite of fashionistas and keep sales ticking over?   “There comes a point when a brand needs to renew itself,” said Serge Carreira, a luxury industry expert and professor at Sciences Po university.   Change can come about involuntarily - as in the case of John Galliano, sacked by Dior over a racist outburs]]>
CLAD in a black and orange Prada winter coat with a diamond-shaped pattern she snapped up during a trip to Milan, Jennifer Ren embodies China’s nouveau riche.   For the 27-year-old exhibition planner, accessories such as Dior handbags, Chanel perfume and necklaces by French jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels are daily fashion essentials.   “Luxury goods have become a necessary part of my life,” said Ren, who earns about $960 (£593.86) a mo]]>
      GULF princesses. The key to success holds in two simple words for Maison Lejaby, a historic lingerie maker rescued from collapse 10 months ago, and newly revived as a purveyor of ‘Made in France’ luxury. Nestled in a Paris courtyard a stone’s throw from the Louvre, the firm this month opened what it dubs a lingerie Couture Salon in the hope of seducing the mega-rich shoppers who populate the neighbourhood’s dozen five-star hotels. ]]>
WHAT did Yves Saint Laurent, Jackie Kennedy and the architect Le Corbusier have in common? Their eyewear, for one, as clients of the luxury French tortoiseshell artisan, Bonnet.   Four decades after the trade in tortoiseshell was banned under the 1973 CITES convention, the fourth-generation family firm sees itself as custodian of a rare craft, fashioning made-to-measure spectacles from stocks amassed before the ban.   Bonnet describes its customers - among them Audre]]>
THE OSCAR dress worn by Julia Roberts and a frock for Audrey Hepburn are just two tantalising items out of the dozens of sumptuous pieces gathered for a new show in London celebrating Italian designer Valentino Garavani’s 50 years in fashion.   “Valentino: Master of Couture” at Somerset House on the River Thames in central London features more than 130 pieces from a designer whose clients included Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Princes]]>
BRITISH researchers have come up with a new body scanning device that gives accurate measurements and could boost online clothes shopping.   Shoppers are still nervous about ordering clothes online because they often do not fit and, some say, there will never be a substitute for trying something on - one reason why the boom in online retail has not had the same impact on clothing as on music, books and electronics retailing.   In the US, for instance, the consultancy]]>
ANTIQUE props have been used for the grand mughal-themed reception for Saif Ali Khan and his new bride Kareena Kapoor in a spacious government bungalow in New Dehi on Thursday (October 18).   UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Delhi Chief  Minister Sheila Dikshit, BJP leader Arun Jaitley, former  cricketers Kapil Dev and Abbas Ali Baig are among the invitees for the Dawat-e-Walima, being organised by Saif&rsq]]>
CELEBRITY fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who is designing Indian actress Kareena Kapoor’s  wedding trousseau, says the marriage ceremony is like a family affair to him.   “It’s a wedding which is very close to my heart. It’s almost like a family wedding. A lot of preparation is going into it. It would be unfair to speak about it tonight. It’s all very Indian,” Manish said at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2]]>
TANYA Heath is on a double mission: to prove women can wear heels without ruining their feet, and that her answer to their plight, a heel that switches from high to low, can be made entirely in France.   The Paris-based Canadian started with a simple idea. When your shoes start to hurt -- half way through a party, a wedding or a workday -- press a button in the sole, slot out your dressy high heel and replace it with a walking version.   “I’m a feminine f]]>
DESIGNERS love to push boundaries in the search for that sexy catwalk look, but Nzinga Knight, an American Muslim, takes an even more daring tack: covering her models up.   At New York Fashion Week, which starts on Thursday (September 6), impossibly tall, slinky creatures will sashay down the runways at Lincoln Center in clothes that can leave little to the imagination.   But when it’s Knight’s turn, forget about flashes of breast or thigh-high split skir]]>
JUMPSUITS inspired by sari drapes, urban dresses in tribal cloth and digitally printed lehenga skirts - young designers have re-embraced their Indian heritage at Mumbai’s latest fashion week.     In a country that has struggled at times to find its way in the global sartorial stakes, a renewed pride in ethnic traditions has been sauntering down the catwalk.     “People have realised the whole point of Indian fashion is its Indian-ness,&r]]>
THE BRAUTY industry is booming in Brazil, where meticulous manicures, sophisticated scents and impeccable make-up are a must-have for women who have made the country the sector’s world number three.   Last week, Sao Paulo hosted “Nails Fashion Week” - where about a dozen domestic and foreign brands are offering up the latest trends in nail color as well as stilettos, make-up and eyewear in a bid to seduce new customers.   “We created this even]]>
BENT over strips of blotting paper, senses primed and notebooks in hand: this is how generations of “noses" have honed their art at the world-famous Givaudan perfumery school near Paris.   Fully one third of all fine fragrances created worldwide owe their existence to alumni of the school, which has been training young men and women in the subtle art since 1946 in the bland suburb of Argenteuil.   In the “vanilla building,” five perfumers in th]]>
THE first British Bangladesh Fashion Week (BBFW) will take place in east London in October, and the fashion week will sponsor two aspiring designers to further their studies in the industry   The event will take place twice a year in the English capital.   Founder Fokrul Hoque said: “The very first British Bangladesh Fashion Week is a platform for aspiring and renowned British   Bangladesh fashion designers to bring their creations to the forefront]]>
CHEAP Asian imports nearly killed production of "espadrilles" in Mauleon, France, the birthplace of this iconic summertime cloth and rope-soled shoe, but in a twist of fate Asia is now coming to their rescue.   As Basque as berets and espelette peppers, the shoe originated centuries ago as cheap and easy footwear for peasants in the Pyrenees region that straddles the border between France and Spain.   They became a unisex hit for all classes and just about ]]>
BOHEMIAN belles in feathers and sparkling faux-tweed glided past the white wicker tables of an old world spa as Chanel put its own spin on the vintage craze at the Paris haute couture shows on Tuesday (July 3).   Chanel's designer Karl Lagerfeld took over a disused wing of Paris' Grand Palais exhibition hall - his venue of choice - with a decor of black-and-white sketched doors and a giant fresco meant to suggest a genteel thermal resort.   Britain’s Al]]>
AN UPCOMING British Asian designer whose clothes have sold out at Harrods and Selfridges is set to dress the Duchess of Cambridge.     It was at her old university, De Montfort in Leicester, that London-based Shivani Chavda met the Queen and the Duchess at the start of the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee tour.     Chavda, 24, said: “Kate (Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge) was really interested in the prints; she told me she loved them and a]]>
  LADIES, forget those flimsy fascinators and get yourself a proper hat: one that has a base of at least 4 in (2.5 cm) in diameter.   So says a new dress code coming into force at this year's Royal Ascot, the annual horse-race meeting attended by the Queen and a highlight of British high society's summer season.   "Strapless, off-the-shoulder, halter-neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than 1 inch (2.5cm) are not permitted,&q]]>
  IN A MODERN, airy workshop located in a fashionable Kathmandu shopping hub frequented by Nepal's rich and famous, two skilled craftsmen assemble some of the world's most exclusive luxury watches.   For Namgel and Thundu Sherpa, the sedate, intricate world of precision watchmaking is about as far removed as possible from their previous lives as Himalayan guides working in deeply hostile, often life-threatening conditions.   Their unlikely career cha]]>
TWENTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Lydia Maurer has been named artistic director for womenswear at Paco Rabanne, where she will take over from India’s Manish Arora, the Spanish fashion house said.   Born to a Colombian mother and German father, Maurer worked for both Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy before becoming studio design director for Paco Rabanne in late 2011, the Paris-based house said in a statement on Wednesday (June 7).   “Her determination and her sensitivi]]>
FOR A FASHION designer it is a unique task: dressing a woman who must be immediately recognisable from Antigua to Zimbabwe, visible from a distance, bright, dignified and immune to wardrobe malfunctions.   But the series of dressers who have worked with Queen Elizabeth II have helped her evolve a personal style that wins praise from unlikely quarters, including from a young French designer who worked for a decade with Jean Paul Gaultier.   “She has her own styl]]>
A DECADENT gown made from feathers and a printed lace latex dress designed by some of fashion’s luminaries will go on display as part of a new exhibition to celebrate the glitz and glamour of Britain’s ballgowns.   Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950, on at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum from May 19 until January 2013, showcases a collection of 60 dresses marking the journey of formal attire from private events to the public parade.   “]]>
FASHION house Paco Rabanne, which launched a women’s ready-to-wear line last year, has dismissed its artistic director, Manish Arora of India, by a “mutual agreement,” it said on Friday (May 4). “We are most grateful to Manish for the work accomplished and the energy that he displayed all along this project,” it said in a statement. “The strong media impact of the past two seasons has enabled Paco Rabanne to partake with strength in the universe of ]]>
A GIANT 3D hologram of a burlesque dancer greeted footwear-lovers earlier this week at a playful London exhibition marking 20 years since celebrated French shoemaker Christian Louboutin first set up shop. The exhibition at London’s Design Museum features dozens of the Frenchman’s creations, many of them displayed on a 17-metre (56-ft) version of the famous scarlet sole that features every Louboutin shoe. Lashings of glitter, ruffles and feathers reflect Louboutin’s l]]>
FORMER Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan and paceman Umar Gul turned heads at a bridal fashion show at the weekend with a rare turn on the catwalk. Wearing a blackish grey sherwani, Younis smiled all down the runway in his first-ever appearance in a fashion show in Karachi on Saturday (April 14), while Gul wore an off-white shirwani. Fashion show regular Hina Sheikh gave the players a resounding thumbs up. “It was delightful t]]>
THE COOL, modernist lines and sober mien of Christian Dior’s new fashion director offer a clean break from the way out shows and wayward behaviour of his predecessor, but he faces a challenge to restore the legendary French couturier’s lustre. Raf Simons, who comes from fashion house Jil Sander and leans toward clean, minimalist fashion, promises to offer a more restrained approach than John Galliano, who was fired for making anti-semitic remarks. The blue button-down shir]]>
AFTER years of turning heads with her riotously colorful frocks in Malaysia, fashion designer Tom Abang Saufi can’t decide whether to shed a few shades on her batik dresses for the Middle East.“If you wear red and fuchsia in the desert, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb,” she says. “(But) it’s slowly getting to be accepted because the Saudi Arabians are well traveled people. They’re global, they wear Roberto Cavalli and they’re all very colourful]]>
FASHIONISTAS are buzzing with excitement over the ball gown Michelle Obama will wear as the next first lady of the US after her husband’s inauguration on Tuesday (January 20) as the 44th president. “Just about everyone yearns to dress Michelle, who could raise the profile of American fashion around the world,” said Women's Wear Daily senior editor Bobbi Queen. Obama, 44, has already been named a fashion icon by magazine editors, fashion designers and a flurry of bloggers. Her]]>
THE AMERICAN dream, the great melting pot, made-in-America, the triumph of small business, happiness and hope - can a woman’s dress really say all that? Fashion designer Isabel Toledo, who designed the outfit Michelle Obama wore to her husband’s inauguration, thinks so. A Cuban American who lives in New York, Toledo was at work with her seamstresses when her mother-in-law called to tell her America’s new first lady had chosen her dress for the big day. “I didn’t ]]>
IT'S OFFICIAL: Michelle Obama is the first lady of American fashion, appearing on the cover of the March issue of Vogue. Every first lady since Lou Hoover — save Bess Truman — has been featured in the high-fashion magazine, but Mrs Obama is only the second to grace the cover. She appears wearing a magenta silk sheath dress by Jason Wu, who also designed her inaugural gown. Vogue's editor at large Andre Leon Talley called his interviews with Mrs. Obama ahead of President Bar]]>
THE FILM academy is adding a 'Project Runway' element to the Oscars this year by asking the public to vote on which dress the trophy presenter will wear. The academy tapped seven emerging designers to create gowns for the competition. They unveiled their entries Tuesday during the annual Oscar fashion show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' headquarters. The winning dress "will be seen on Oscar night probably more than any other gown on the red carpet," said ]]>
WHATEVER colour dominates wardrobes this year, the mood will be dark when Fashion Week kicks off in New York this Friday. Almost all invitations to catwalk shows are being sent out in black envelopes, symbolic of the serious downturn hitting one of the world's most extravagant industries. Top designer Marc Jacobs is inviting only a third as many people to his show, while Betsey Johnson and other stars are exchanging their usual costly displays at Fashion Week for private presentations.]]>
FASHION consumers buffeted by recession's blows and chilled by bleak news may find welcome warmth and comfort in styles emerging for the fall season. From edgy newcomers to traditionalists, designers showing fall 2009 collections this week in New York went heavily with cozy sweaters, soft cowl necks, leggings and snugly scarves. The looks were straight-forward, if not downright sensible, for an era when lavish spending is clearly out of style. "These are not clothes meant for]]>
IF WOMEN buy just one fashion item for autumn 2010, let it be long leather gloves or an over-the-top hat to freshen up their wardrobes, according to style experts at New York Fashion Week. Making a statement with unusual accessories can get consumers to spend because it is fairly easy on the budget, they said. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a couture dress, women are more likely to spend a few hundred or less on a necklace or shoes. "Bold accessories are the most affo]]>
BIG TIME glitz is out — but a little bit is still good fun. That's the prediction for London Fashion Week, which opens today as Britain is struggling with its worst recession in decades. Fashionistas will still celebrate London Fashion Week's 25th year with catwalk shows and late night parties, but observers expect the mood to be toned down. "Designers will be cautious not to look too over the top," said Alice Olins, fashion writer for The Times of London. "We]]>
LONDON lived up to its reputation yesterday with a traditionally strong mix of classic tailoring with a twist and funky fashion with established labels and new talent battling for attention on the catwalks. Betty Jackson, Nicole Farhi and Jaeger London offered sleek, elegant styles in rich materials, fashion-set favourite PPQ was a burst of colour and fun, and Eley Kishimoto drew from both sides with bold airline-style uniforms. Actress Sienna Miller's collection with her sister Savann]]>
PAKISTANI designer Deepak Perwani, a Hindu whose creations include glittering bikini tops, believes fashion can help Pakistan polish its 21st century image in the media. Perwani, who was named Pakistan’s cultural ambassador to Malaysia and China, told reporters on a visit to London that stereotypes of Pakistan heavily laden with references to the Taliban, violence, political strife and poverty failed to reflect the fuller picture of his country. “You only print the pictures of poor]]>
NEXT winter, according to Prada, is all about red.  “I loved it,” a beaming Miuccia Prada said backstage after presenting her fall-winter 2009-2010 collection.  The designer expressed surprise at the standing ovation for the town and country collection that paired fisherman boots with chic city suits, and mingled leather, velvet and wool as if they were always meant to go together. “Often when I like something, others find it boring,” she said with a twinkle ]]>