Fashion Union Become Official Sponsors of Chasing The Saturdays

Leading online retailer Fashion Union are very excited to announce that they are the headline sponsor for Sky channel E!’s new reality show, ‘Chasing The Saturdays’.

The campaign starts on 3rd February and runs for ten weeks and the online women’s wear brand are sponsoring girl-group The Saturdays’ new reality show on E! in which they take on life in Hollywood and begin work on their new album. The show will broadcast once a week with a minimum of five additional repeats per week. TV spots will include opening and closing credits as well as four five-second bumper breaks per show.

The campaign, which is targeted primarily at women between 16 and 34, aims to continue to raise the profile of Fashion Union and further position the retailer as the one stop online destination for up-to-the-minute women’s clothing and fashion. Activity will also include an online push via social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, including a competition to win The Saturdays’ latest look.

Fashionunion.com launched in 2009 and has swiftly become a leader within online fast fashion. The brand targets the on trend women’s wear shopper, fashionunion.com boasts an extensive and regularly updated collection, which includes the latest catwalk and celeb inspired trends in women’s wear, including going out dresses, mix and match separates, women’s shoes and accessories.

Pawan Khosla, CEO at Fashion Union said: “This is a major campaign for Fashion Union. It’s the first time we’ve explored TV advertising in this nature and E!’s audience is a great fit for this campaign which is very much in-line with our targets and business objectives. “There is a clear synergy between Fashion Union as a clothing brand and the programme content of ‘Chasing The Saturdays’. Out target audience has a real affiliation with the girl group and this sponsorship allows Fashion Union to remain front of mind when viewers are looking to recreate the outfits worn by The Saturdays in the show which fits in perfectly with Fashion Union’s commercial strategy.”

Fashion industry turns to social media

Our generation, otherwise known as “Generation Y,” has come to rely heavily on social media.

Fashion is constantly changing, so those involved in fashion have to keep up with what’s “hip” in order to successfully reach their audience.

Blogs, Twitter and Instagram, have changed the fashion industry.
Here’s a rundown of social media forums and mediums to help you keep up with what has come to create a rather “intimate” relationship between fashion and the digital realm and what you can to do stay in the game.

Blogs
If you want to make it in the fashion industry, it is essential to have your own blog where you can showcase your personal style and what aspect of the fashion world you’re interested in.
“Electornic portfolios” are another sort of blog where you can add your resume, examples of your work and whatever else you want potential employers to see.

Employers want to understand who you are, and with the help of a blog and an electronic portofolio, you can prove to them why you’re the right person for the job.

What to use: Blogspot.com is a popular site for blogs, as is wordpress.com for an electronic portfolio.
A quick note on the more technical always look at the AP Stylebook to make sure you don’t make any grammar or punctuation mistakes.

If your writing is not accurate, readers will not take you as seriously. 
Contrary to the importance of having a blog, you should always be reading blogs.
Whether the blog is your friend’s, or just someone’s that you are inspired by, it’s so important that you keep up with what’s going on in the fashion industry.

Some great blogs are Cupcakes and Cashmere, Man Repeller and Who What Wear. Also keep up with sites like FDLuxe, Business of Fashion, Women’s Wear Daily and Style.com.

Twitter
Many bloggers, magazines and fashion gurus have turned to Twitter as an alternate method to entertain their fans.

Because “tweets” can be updated on a regular basis, Twitter creates an even more personal feel.
And, thanks to the high traffic rates on Twitter, these individuals and companies are getting a lot of free publicity.

So if you have a blog or are thinking of creating one, make a Twitter account with the same name, or a similar one so your followers can be consistently updated on what you’re up to.

Some great Twitter accounts to follow are @nytimesfashion, @wwdmarketplace and @cfda.
Also, be sure to check out the “about” section of a blogger’s page. They may have a Twitter you didn’t even know about.

Instagram
Instagram is definitely one of the most recent fads that has taken fashion to a whole new level.
Bloggers, fashion magazines and anyone else who simply loves fashion can upload pictures of runway shows and their outfits of the day (otherwise known as #ootd).

With the editing option, Instagram has created a more enjoyable experience when it comes to sharing pictures. And, like Twitter, they can use hash tags that will lead the “instagrammer” to similar pictures that have been taken by other people in the Instagram sphere.

But it doesn’t end there. Instagram allows users to “add your location” so you can let your friends know where you were when the picture was taken.

Apps
Then there are the applications, otherwise know as the “apps” that are made for iPhones, Androids, iPads and Tablets.

As it has been said, “there’s an app for that.” This is undoubtedly true — whether it’s to deposit a check or to get some great “pick-up lines,” you can find an app to do just that.

So of course there are apps for everything fashion-related.

Magazines, like Vogue and ELLE, have subscription apps that will give you access to the magazine so you can look at it anytime and anywhere without having to lug around a stack of your favorite reads.

Other apps can give you quick rundowns of current trends (Vogue Stylist), make it easy to shop online (HauteLook and H&M) right on your device or give you advice on how to style an outfit (Style Book).

So why have they all jumped on the social media bandwagon? Well, because social media is making things more easily accessible and more appealing to this generation, which- let’s admit it, is obsessed with all things digital.

Kate Upton Just Passed A Major Milestone In The Fashion World

Kate Upton has publicly said that she wants to be more than a swimsuit model.
She proved she has what it takes to succeed in fashion with several Vogue editorials.

But now, Upton has passed another major milestone: her first major fashion campaign.

Upton is starring in a campaign for Sam Edelman shoes, a role previously held by couture model Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Women's Wear Daily reported.

Advertising guru David Lipman, who ran the campaign, said he chose Upton for her curvy body.

" We chose Kate because she isn’t stick thin. She’s beautiful and all-American,” he told WWD.

Sam Edelman said Upton caught his eye because she was often photographed wearing a pair of his equestrian boots.

Upton told Vogue last year that she aspired to walk runways and do a "big, glamorous ad campaign."
But the 20-year-old has been snubbed by much of the industry. She's never walked a major runway campaign and was famously rejected by Victoria's Secret.

Why does much of the industry shun Upton?
Our theory is that like Kim Kardashian, the industry is turning a cold shoulder because it prefers waifish models to voluptuous, overtly sexy women.

But Upton's manager at IMG said he always believed in her potential.

"Kate’s only beginning to first realize the power that she has… A lot of products are now approaching us because she’s accessible and women are captivated by her. Last year it became very clear in my mind that she was a supermodel like Cindy Crawford," Ivan Bart told the New York Daily News.

India has indigenous fashion handwriting: Ritu Kumar

New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) Veteran fashion designer Ritu Kumar, who has been named for the Padma Shri award, takes pride in the fact that the Indian fashion industry can still boast of having an indigenous identity.

"I am deeply appreciative of the fact that the government has recognised my efforts in the field of fashion, textile and craftsmanship. India remains (to be among) very few countries which have an indigeneous and a very strong fashion handwriting, not dictated by Paris or New York, but is evolving with the designers of the country," Kumar said in a statement Saturday.

Active in the fashion industry since 40 years, Ritu Kumar began her work with four block printers and two tables in a small village near Calcutta, and was the first woman to introduce the 'boutique' culture in India under the brand name 'Ritu'.

Since then, she has grown to be one of the most formidable names in the country's fashion scene, and has also helped make its local textiles global.

"I am grateful for the support I have received from the crafts people of this country," added Kumar, who now has her outlets in 14 cities in the country.

The 68-year-old's designs reflect rich Indian cultural heritage and her forte lies in traditional Indian designs.

Kumar was recently in the news for designing costumes for a wedding sequence in Deepa Mehta's forthcoming "Midnight's Children", based on Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winnng novel of the same name. Earlier, she designed for films like "Love Breakups Zindagi" and styled Freida Pinto for a few of her scenes in "Slumdog Millionaire".

Her clientele includes Jemima Khan, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai and almost all the winners of the Miss India titles. She had even designed for late Princess Diana.

Her fascination for tie and dye pattern appealed to former Spice Girls singer Mel B so much that she asked Kumar to design the band's clothes for one of their shows.

No sign of fashion prizes

Dunedin fashion graduate Emily Scott is still waiting to receive more than $15,000 worth of prizes from Australian Graduates Fashion Week, more than two months after winning the inaugural event in Sydney.

The Otago Daily Times has been told others associated with the November event are also out of pocket and have taken legal action against organisers.

Miss Scott (21) won $10,000 to launch her fashion design career, a $5000 website package, a two-page spread in international fashion magazine Cielo and various other prizes.

But she said calls and emails to event organisers had been ignored and she doubted whether she would ever receive her prizes.

''The whole thing just seems like a joke. If this is how they are going to run it, I don't think it will go very far,'' she said.

An Australian public relations employee who worked for Australian Fashion Graduates Week said the event had ''turned sour'' and Miss Scott was not the only one owed money.

The ex-employee asked to remain anonymous because she did not want to be associated with the competition.

''Myself and several other team members have not received payment for work, nor reimbursement for things we paid for.

''I spoke to Emily before Christmas and advised her to take the same action I have taken, to get legal help for this matter,'' she said.

''Unfortunately, a great event has turned sour and given itself a bad reputation,'' the woman said.

Project co-ordinator Elmedin Kumalic said delays in getting prizes to winners were beyond his control.

He said the $10,000 cash prize was only registered in Australia, despite the competition being opened to New Zealanders. The money had proved difficult to transfer. He said Miss Scott would receive the money in the next week, as well as her other prizes.

''She was advised there was going to be a delay,'' he said.

Mr Kumalic said other prize winners were also waiting to receive products, which had been late coming from sponsors.

He did not know the details about money owed to former employees, but said it was being dealt with. He said prize delays were unfortunate and had been made worse by businesses closing over Christmas and the New Year.

He was unable to comment on whether the event would be held again.

Cielo editor Dimitri Frost, who also judged the competition, said yesterday he had been overseas for work and unable to arrange the spread which was part of the prize. He said he would feature Ms Scott's work as she had been promised.

It was the first major competition Miss Scott had entered, and she was left disillusioned.

''You just presume that if you win something you will actually receive it.''

The event included 32 fashion graduates from Australia and New Zealand, of which Miss Scott was one of three entrants from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design.

She travelled to Sydney with her parents and sister to see her garments modelled at the competition, for which she paid a $98 entry fee.

''I was so excited about winning. It was amazing to be praised by the judges. They said my collection was cohesive. They loved the accessories and colours used, and they appreciated the unconventional cuts of my garments.

''All that excitement and elation has now disappeared, I feel really let down and frustrated.''

Otago Polytechnic academic leader of fashion Margo Barton said it was extremely concerning a graduate appeared to have been ''ripped off''.

''This is an appalling way to treat a young designer and the organisers of this event should be very embarrassed. It's a disgrace that such an exciting moment in Emily's career has been tarnished by this level of unprofessionalism. She deserves her prize,'' Dr Barton said.

Fashion competition fails to pay prize

Dunedin-based fashion designer Emily Scott hasn’t yet received the $10,000 prize money she is entitled to after winning the inaugural Australian Graduates Fashion Week held at Carriageworks in Sydney in November 2012.

After several broken promises about payment from the event’s Project Manager, Elmedin (Elmo) Kumalic, Emily is now concerned she may never receive her $10,000, nor the swag of other merchandise she won including a $5,000 website created by Fly Finch Fly, a double-page spread in the international magazine, CIELO, and a substantial cosmetics and accessories gift pack.

"It’s been so difficult to contact Elmo - he has only occasionally replied to my repeated emails and messages," she explains. "When I have managed to get hold of him, he first told me the money would be through before Christmas. Then he said by 11-14 January, and finally I was informed it would be in my account by Wednesday 23 January. However, there’s still no sign of it. I’m really disappointed and upset and I think it’s incredibly unprofessional." The Bachelor of Design (Fashion) graduate from Otago Polytechnic beat out 31 others from New Zealand and Australia to win Australian Graduates Fashion Week, thanks to her colourful and progressive collection. Not only did Emily pay for her own airfares and accommodation in Sydney, she also paid organisers an entry fee of $AUD79.

"I was so excited about winning," recalls Emily. "It was amazing to be praised by the judges. They said my collection was cohesive, and they loved the accessories and colours used. They also said they appreciated the unconventional cuts of my garments. All that excitement and elation has now disappeared, really. I feel let down and really frustrated."

Otago Polytechnic’s Academic Leader - Fashion, Margo Barton, says she’s extremely concerned that one of her graduates appears to have been ripped off. "This is an appalling way to treat a young designer, and the organisers of this event should be very embarrassed. It’s a disgrace that such an exciting moment in Emily’s career has been tarnished by this level of unprofessionalism. She deserves her prize."

The judging panel at Australian Graduates Fashion Week was made up of fashion designers Nicola Finetti, Paolo Sebastian and Phoenix Keating; Editor of CIELO magazine, Dimitri Frost; and international fashion photographer, Elvis Di Fazio.

Gaultier gives Paris fashion Gypsies, Valentino goes Renaissance

Jean Paul Gaultier chose swirling translucent veils, the sound of sitars, and the insouciance of Gypsy culture for his haute couture show on Tuesday, while Valentino opted for an ethereal yet decorative look that evoked the bloom of the Renaissance.

The Spring 2013 collections presented on Wednesday by the two design houses, one French and one Italian, found inspiration from different epochs and parts of the globe, pointing to the diversity seen during Paris Fashion Week, the creme de la creme of the global fashion industry.

Gaultier, often labeled the bad boy of French fashion, turned eastward to India for inspiration, transporting his audience to Rajasthan, with sinewy models sporting oversized earrings and billowy veils in periwinkle, tangerine and pink.

Valentino - under new owners the Qatari royal family and with the designing duo of Maria Grazie Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli at the helm - presented a more sober but no less theatrical vision. Gowns that a 15th century queen would have been proud of featured patterns that brought to mind iron grillwork in a formal garden.

This range of options for women willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a made-to-order haute couture outfit help prop up the global women's luxury apparel market, estimated at 27 billion euros ($35 billion) and growing, according to consultancy Bain & Company.

Only a small number of houses such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Giorgio Armani are allowed to exhibit haute couture in Paris, where manufacturing is carefully regulated and work must be sewn by hand in order to be considered haute couture.

At Gaultier, majority owned by Spanish family luxury group Puig, some expected an elephant as the grand finale, but instead a delightful Mother Goose moment saw an elaborately decorated bride flipping up her voluminous skirt to reveal four little children who scampered down the runway to applause.

Backstage, Gaultier said it was not the first time he had been influenced by India, but this time he evoked the Gypsies, a migratory people whose centuries-old ancestral home is India.

"It's glimmering, it's incredible the colors that you see, it's superb," he told reporters, speaking of Rajasthan. "I tried to recreate a bit of that, but more the Gypsy side, rather than the Maharaja side. It's more like couture Gypsies."

The audience - which included French film star Catherine Deneuve and actress Rossy de Palma, a muse of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar - began furiously snapping photos at the appearance of a black form-fitting gown with an exposed brassiere whose diaphanous hot pink veil added a jolt of color.
Bold stripes, tight pleating and even fringe figured prominently in the collection, where a dose of colorful patchwork offered a fresh, devil-may-care attitude.

Gaultier said the patchwork was hard to recreate, but offered a fashion tip to anyone with scissors.
"In the time of economic crisis, those who are game, take your old clothes, cut them up and make patchwork! It's a new outfit!"

The liner notes for Valentino's collection described it as "sublime art" and indeed, many of the looks could have been stolen from a Botticelli painting.

With founder Valentino Garavani, who retired in 2008, in the front row, guests admired the parade of ivory, black and carnal red dresses, where heavy embroidery reminiscent of armor nevertheless imparted a light, evanescent feel.

"We think that beauty lies in the armor, in the proportion," Piccioli told Reuters. "That comes from the Renaissance, the proportion of Italian master paintings."

Silk piping wove its way across a translucent black cape covering a diaphanous white gown, the cape's swirls and geometric patterns evoking the ornamental gates to a garden.

High necklines and tight long sleeves evoked the gowns one sees adorning the marble tombs of many a deceased Renaissance-era queen, but Chiuri and Piccioli's work never felt old.

The decorative swirling pattern on some dresses evoked tapestries, while the sharp horizontal bodices of others recalled the Elizabethan-era.

Despite the many references to centuries gone by, the collection felt fresh and elegant. Backstage, a note to models summed up what the designers hoped to communicate: "You are all beautiful. Be Light. Be Delicate."

In an October 15 report, Bain forecast the worldwide luxury industry would bring in estimated revenues of 212 billion euros ($281.56 billion) in 2012, of which women's apparel would be a 27 billion euro slice.

Michelle Obama's inaugural gown puts fashion designer Jason Wu back in the spotlight

Jason Wu was a relative newcomer in the fashion world in January 2009 when Michelle Obama appeared at the inaugural gala wearing a one-shoulder chiffon gown by the designer, then just 26 years old.

Suddenly Wu, who was born in Taiwan, was on the map. He has spent the last four years building his consumer base and product assortment to include clothes at a variety of prices, accessories, and even cosmetics.
But for all the buzz, neither Wu nor industry insiders expected the first lady to wear another of his designs to the second-term inaugural ball. Seems like she fell in love with Wu's red velvet and chiffon dress with a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald at the neckline. Photos of it were instantly seen and shared on social media around the globe Monday night.

"Inshock!!!" Wu tweeted.
"To be honest, I was surprised," said Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York. The organization has a membership of more than 400 top fashion industry talents, including Wu, who won its emerging designer award for women's wear in 2010.

"I've known him very well from the early years of his career," Kolb says. "He's basically the same person he was then. He's humble, and still has that childlike enthusiasm and excitement when something good happens."

But being a nice guy isn't going to get you far in the fashion business. "To succeed, no matter what opportunities you are given, if the talent isn't there, you have nothing to leverage," Kolb says.
The designer's ability to create clothes that are both modern and elegant set him apart from the pack, according to Ken Downing, senior vice president for fashion at Neiman Marcus. "A return engagement in elegance made for perfect partners when Michelle Obama chose Jason Wu again," Downing said in an email Tuesday. "Jason once again proved he is a designer that transcends generations."

The 2013 inaugural gown will be donated to the National Archives for display in a future Obama presidential library, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Her first inaugural gown was given to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., where the ensemble is exhibited in the first ladies collection.

Wu is savvy about business as well as being creative. His company has grown from four to 30 employees as he continues to produce his seasonal fashion collections sold at such stores as Neiman Marcus. He also launched a high-end handbag and shoe line, and collaborated with Target in 2012. Among the designer's latest ventures is his Miss Wu contemporary line of clothing for Nordstrom, in stores and online this month.

Wu dedicated his life to his creative pursuits beginning at an early age. His family moved to Canada when he was 9 and he started designing and sewing clothes, using dolls as his first models, according to the biography on his website. At age 14, Wu went to Tokyo to study sculpture. He decided to become a fashion designer after spending his senior year of high school in Paris. Fashion studies followed at New York's Parsons School of Design and Wu launched his first collection in 2006. In 2008, he was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nominee for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear and received the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award.

"He's part of what I like to the call the new generation of American talent," Kolb says of a group that includes such designers as Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung and Thom Browne, whose coat Michelle Obama wore to Monday's swearing-in ceremony. "There hasn't been a pool of talent like this in some time."

Fashion Bug goes out of business across the metro-east

The women’s clothing retailer already closed its Granite City store last Saturday and will go out of business at its Belleville store, located at 656 Carlyle Ave., after today.

The store at 1112 Collinsville Crossing in Collinsville expects to close after business on Wednesday, and the location at 2637 N. Illinois St. in Swansea will close after business this Saturday.

Last June, Suffern, N.Y.-based Ascena Retail Group announced a $890 million acquisition of Fashion Bug owner Charming Shoppes, which is headquartered in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem, Pa. The move includes shuttering all 300 Fashion Bug stores, which had reportedly been struggling for business.

A Belleville restaurant and bar is changing its name and making a few other changes. By Thursday, the owners of the seafood restaurant known as Catch 22 Gastrolounge at 22 Mascoutah Ave. will officially change their name to Taps N Corks. Also new will be an expanded lounge, expanded spirits and 75 draft beer lines. The new business will serve dinner and be open from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 233-8822 for more information.

A new gym opened in Belleville. Trainer Josh Nimmo opened CrossFit Metro-East at 1925 S. Illinois St., Suite B. The gym was initially established in 2010 and is the first metro-east locale for the chain. Nimmo moved the business and opened during the fall. He has been a CrossFit trainer for more than four years and an established personal trainer in the area for the past decade. You can reach him at 978-6665.

An new store in Collinsville sells name brand and mostly used office furniture. Absolute Commercial Interiors at 9500 Collinsville Road sells new, re-manufactured, and pre-owned desks, chairs, filing cabinets and more. Call the store at 344-9811 to find out more.

A new pediatrician practice opened in Shiloh. Dr. Daniel Mora is seeing patients at Right From the Start Pediatrics in the Prudential building at 1941 Frank Scott Parkway, Suite A. The practice has another location at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese. Call 526-8850 or visit www.drmorra  .com   to learn more.

And finally, a Swansea veterinarian and kennel service has joined other area animal welfare groups that list homeless pets online via Petfinder. Best Friends Animal Hospital and Pet Resort has tapped into Petfinder, www.petfinder.com  , the oldest and largest database where pet lovers can find animals to adopt. The site currently has more than 375,000 pets available and is constantly updated.

Fashion, not films, on show

Awards season is the Olympics of the fashion world. Being named best dressed at the Academy Awards is the style equivalent of winning gold. Months of preparation and years of networking combine to create the perfect Oscars look.

''The Oscars are very serious. The reality is the bigger the star the more power you have. It used to be an actress went into a store with a friend and bought a dress, now it's all about the relationships,'' co-host of E!'s Fashion Police and stylist George Kotsiopoulos told Fairfax.

''There are enough dresses, shoes and bags to go around but designers want exclusives and actresses don't want to see anyone else wearing something even remotely resembling their outfit on awards night.''

Stylist Jeanann Williams' photos of Australian actress Naomi Watts in her Zac Posen gown heading out the door to last weekend's Golden Globes.

The red carpet at an awards ceremony is one of the most important fashion shows in the world, not only for the guests and designers but also for the stylists and beauty therapists behind them. One person sashaying down the 152-metre red carpet into the Kodak Theatre in the right gown with the right hair, make-up and accessories can make or break careers.

Kotsiopoulos, who was named as one of the Top 25 stylists of 2012 by The Hollywood Reporter, encouraged Australian brands, like Australian actors, to make US connections in order to get noticed on the red carpet.

''It's all about relationships and reaching out to the stylists. You have to be present here in LA for at least a week before the ceremonies. It's tough and it's not cheap, especially for designers, as you have to have a seamstress on call at all times,'' he said.

Rather than enter the ring of the Hollywood fashion 'Fight Club' several Australian fashion and jewellery houses have, in previous years, preferred to tailor specific looks for specific celebrities.

For her 2011 Oscars debut, Jacki Weaver accessorised her Collette Dinnigan princess gown with Paspaley pearls. She visited the Sydney boutique and personally chose what she would wear on advice from in-house consultants and Australian fashion editors.

More recently, expat actress Teresa Palmer and her Camilla and Marc dress were a red-carpet highlight at the G'Day USA gala - a promising sign of things to come from Camilla Freeman-Topper and her brother Marc's awards season capsule collections that they have been producing.

The several million people who will tune in to watch the Oscars around the world next month will encounter the most diverse fashion plate the awards show has served up in its 85-year history.

The best actress category will showcase everything from children's wear to senior citizen's style thanks to nine-year-old nominee Quvenzhane Wallis and 85-year-old Amour star Emmanuelle Riva.

Fellow contenders Naomi Watts, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence will all be vying for style gold stars as well as golden statues on the night.

While competition among stylists has intensified over the years as they try to secure never-before-seen and custom gowns for their clients, Kotsiopoulos said the playing field levels out as some stars have connections and lucrative deals with designers.

In 2012 Valentino came out of retirement especially to design Hathaway's wedding gown. She has previously worn gowns from his private vintage archive to Academy Awards ceremonies and recently travelled to Switzerland to attend his exclusive New Year's Eve party. ''Anne is like a daughter to him,'' a Valentino representative said.

A Dior-clad Lawrence didn't know the meaning of the words ''haute couture'' during an interview with Ryan Seacrest at the Golden Globes. The 22-year-old best actress nominee is the new face of the Miss Dior handbag campaign and is tipped to wear another one-off Christian Dior creation by Raf Simons to the Oscars.
Watts, a regular recipient of the Academy's critical attention, has been lauded with best-dressed accolades thanks to her new experimental looks. The 44-year-old's style evolution has been attributed to her role as Australia's Pantene Beautiful Lengths ambassador and her new stylist Jeanann Williams.

The pair have been working together since August and for most of that time Williams, who is married to Watts' brother Ben, has spent hours, sometimes even entire nights, sourcing inspiration for the dress The Impossible star will wear for less than six hours.

''The day the nominations came out the major fashion houses were all calling, sending sketches and colour options through because the designers love her,'' the fashion publicist turned stylist told Fairfax.
''She wears a dress beautifully and she has great relationships - as do I - with a lot of designers so we are now slowly trying to narrow it down, but we're not quite there yet. There will be two or three fittings then we will go back and forth with the atelier to ensure the fit is just perfect.''

She hinted historical photographs of Grace Kelly have provided her and Watts with ''options''. ''In my mind I'm imagining her going up to that podium so I'm envisioning a dress, a hairstyle and the accessories that will all stand the test of time.''

John Galliano invited to return to fashion

John Galliano has been invited by Oscar de la Renta to return to fashion for the first time since the designer's anti-Semitic rant at a Paris cafe was captured on video.

De la Renta invited Galliano to spend time in his studio over the next three weeks, according to a statement released Friday by de la Renta's company.

Galliano was dismissed as creative director of Christian Dior and left his own label two years ago after his rant went viral. A French court also convicted him on two other complaints of anti-Semitic behavior.
In a statement, Galliano said he is an alcoholic and has been in recovery for the past two years.

"Several years prior to my sobriety, I descended into the madness of the disease. I said and did things which hurt others, especially members of the Jewish community. I have expressed my sorrow privately and publicly for the pain which I have caused and I continue to do so," he said. "I remain committed to making amends to those I have hurt."

De la Renta said he has known Galliano for years and is "a great admirer of his talent."

"He has worked long and hard on his recovery and I'm happy to give him the opportunity to reimmerse himself in the world of fashion and reacclimate in an environment where he has been so creative," de la Renta said in a statement.

The statement did not elaborate on what role if any Galliano might play in de la Renta's business.
The saga of Galliano's undoing began with run-ins at a Paris watering hole where fellow diners contended the designer showered them with a litany of racist and anti-Semitic insults. Video posted online showed an inebriated Galliano slurring "I love Hitler," among other incendiary remarks.

The Anti-Defamation League said Friday that it welcomed Galliano's return to fashion.

"We believe that individuals can change their hearts and minds as long as they demonstrate true contrition," National Director Abraham H. Foxman said in a statement. He said Galliano met with the group on several occasions and "dedicated a significant amount of time to researching, reading, and learning about the evils of anti-Semitism and bigotry."

Foxman added that he hoped to work with Gallinao as a spokesman against anti-Semitism and intolerance.
Galliano's extravagant, theatrical collections drew inspiration from far-flung cultures like Kenya's Massai people and the geishas of Japan and his proud rooster-like post-fashion show strut had long been a thing of legend.

Although Galliano's remarks would not be punishable in the U.S., France has strict laws aimed at curbing anti-Semitic and racist language. The laws were enacted in the decades following the Holocaust.

Galliano's own namesake label, now designed by Bill Gaytten, was presenting its menswear collection in Paris on Friday.

Fashion Week, World Boutique Open for Business

Four-Day Hong Kong Fashion Fairs Attract more than 1,800 Exhibitors
Hong Kong, Jan 14, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - More than 1,800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions are taking part in the 44th HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter and the 11th HKTDC World Boutique, Hong Kong. The twin fashion fairs opened this morning and continue through 17 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Together, the two fairs welcome 115 buying missions from 43 countries and regions, representing more than 5,400 buyers from over 3,900 companies.

Product Spotlights
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, the largest event of its kind in Asia, and the world's second largest fashion fair, features two new product zones: Fashion Jewellery Feast, and Men in Style. Returning to the fair are Fashion Gallery, focused on high fashion from Hong Kong and overseas, Emporium de Mode, presenting distinctive garments in an elegant setting, the Garment Mart, offering mass merchandise, and such special product zones as Denim Arcade and Intimate & Swim Wear.

Five group pavilions - from the Chinese mainland, India, Macau, Pakistan (new this year) and Taiwan - are participating. The Hong Kong Fur Federation's "Designers Love Fur Collection 2013" is on display at the Hall 1C Concourse, and the Hong Kong Apparel Society is featuring fashion by Hong Kong fabric suppliers at the Fashion Fabrics Hub Display, Hall 1B Concourse.

Hot Picks Showcase
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter also offers a Small-Order Zone, featuring more than 1,000 products from some 200 suppliers. A "Hot Picks" showcase will allow buyers to try out products. The zone is located at the Expo Drive Entrance.

Global Fashion
The 11th edition of World Boutique, Hong Kong, is showcasing a record-high 559 brands, including Ashworth, b+ab, bread n butter, IKA BUTONI, Che Che New York, Episode, Jessica, KATIE JUDITH, Language, MARCCAIN, Mini Cream, Moiselle, Pashma, tout a coup and Ztampz. Peruvian designer Sumy Kujon is spotlighting her latest collection of baby alpaca blended with silk.

Industry associations with pavilions include the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, Japan's Kokusai Fashion Centre, the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, the Carpi Italia, the Taiwan Textile Federation and the Los Angeles Regional Export Council.

Fashion Extravaganza
World Boutique, Hong Kong, once again includes Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza. Tonight's event spotlights the latest collections of Paris' Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor designer duo, Beijing's Chi Zhang, London's Holly Fulton and Hong Kong's Johanna Ho. The gala presentation will also be broadcast live at Causeway Bay's Times Square, as part of "Hong Kong in Fashion." (The HKTDC will broadcast the show live as well, via the Google+ Hangouts On Air online.) The promotion, showcasing Hong Kong's role as a fashion hub and lifestyle trendsetter, continues through 23 January. The city-wide campaign includes the participation of local fashion retailers, restaurants, shopping malls and coffee shops.

Spotlight on Design
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers Contest gala evening, 15 January, will present four awards: Contemporary Day-wear, Party & Evening-Wear and Best Innovation, as well as an overall winner. The judging panel includes French creative consultant Marc Ascoli, this year's VIP Judge, as well as Kyoko Mashiko, Director of the Harajuku Project Showroom, HP France Inc, and Hong Kong fashion designer Hidy Ng. Winning designs will be on display at the Hall 1D Concourse during the fair.

The fairs offer a variety of seminars on fashion and design trends. Speakers include representatives of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, Fashion Snoops, the Hong Kong Apparel Society, Li & Fung Ltd, Peclers Paris, Stylesight and WGSN. Fashion Extravaganza designers Johanna Ho and Nana Aganovich and her partner Brooke Taylor will also be speaking about their work during the fair.

Fashion and home: Seventies style is stayin’ alive

From home decor to fashion and food, the styles and trends of the 1970s have slowly been creeping back into the mainstream, and this year they’re out in full force. Don’t be alarmed when you see the vibrant colors, bold patterns and relaxed entertaining of the decade taking over in today’s world. There are many ways to embrace the retro style while staying thoroughly modern with some simple expert tips.

Beauty and lifestyle expert Alexis Wolfer of TheBeautyBean.com has some simple suggestions for bringing the best of the ’70s to the current day.

“Fashion is always one of the earliest indicators of style re-emergence,” says Wolfer.
The popularity of mixed prints and varying textures is straight ’70s, and aspiring fashionistas shouldn’t be afraid to take risks.

“Keep all prints in the same color family and you can wear those striped pants with a polka dotted top,” Wolfer recommends. “Tweed, velvet and suede take boring basics to trendy new heights. Swap out your go-to little black dress for a velvet one to entertain in ’70s -inspired style.”

It’s not just personal fashion that is getting the ’70s treatment — this trend is popping up in home decor as well. Forty years ago, colorful appliances were must-haves to match shag carpets and paneled walls. Today the color is back, but dull green refrigerators are being replaced by brighter, more playful colors, like a tangerine orange KitchenAid stand mixer, a purple Keurig coffee machine or a bright red washer/dryer.

Appliances aren’t the only place in the kitchen where trends are re-emerging. Back in the ’70s, the Swiss tradition of fondue, shared around a table, was all the rage at dinner parties and social gatherings throughout the decade. Today, inspired by fondue restaurants, like The Melting Pot, and easy-to-prepare at-home options, people are breaking out their fondue pots more than ever for easy entertaining and a fun, social meal to enjoy.

“Fondue pots, either electric or candlelight-powered, are inexpensive and easy to find at retail chains or online,” says Wolfer. “Emmi Roth USA has a fantastic line of ready-made fondues that are simple and really delicious. Just open the package, pour into the pot and stir!”

Entertaining in the ’70s also meant playing games. “The ’70s brought game night into the spotlight and it’s making a comeback,” says Wolfer. “With family or friends, plan your own game night with classics like Twister or modern ones like Cranium. It’s inexpensive and fun for all ages.”

The ’70s was a complex decade but there was no shortage of fun, and embracing the tastes and trends of those days gone by can bring newfound vibrancy and enjoyment into the present.

Amid Tax Scandal, Italy's Bad Boys Of Fashion Dolce And Gabbana Become Billionaires

As Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana ready their latest collections for this spring’s slew of international catwalk shows, their lawyers will be working behind the scenes to ensure two of Italy’s most successful designers won’t be spending the next few Fashion Weeks behind bars.

In December, the design duo went on trial for alleged tax evasion after more than four years of investigations, hearings, and finally an acquittal that was then overturned by Italy’s Supreme Court.

On three separate days this January and February, a Milan judge will hear from Italian tax officials and other witnesses who’ll claim the two evaded over $500 million in taxes on well over $1 billion in royalties when they sold their Dolce & Gabbana and D&G brands to their own Luxembourg-based holding company in 2004. If convicted, they could face five years in jail and a hefty fine.

Dolce, 54, and Gabbana, 50, have denied any wrongdoing. “Our conscience is clear,” Gabbana told Women’s Wear Daily when their acquittal was overturned in 2011. “The decision is in God’s hands…We pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s not in our thoughts on a daily basis.”

“Tomorrow is another day,” said Dolce, adding: “We never did this for money…please write it down.”

They may not have had money on their minds when they went into business together 28 years ago, but ever since, the bad boys of Italian fashion have amassed a fortune that has propelled them into the billionaires’ club.

In 2011, Dolce & Gabbana’s parent company reported revenues of just under $1.5 billion. Using our own calculations and price-to-revenue ratios for similar public companies, Forbes estimates that the one-time romantic partners, who own 50% of the private company apiece according to Italian legal filings, are worth well over $1 billion each.

The designers — fixtures on the party and yacht circuits — made their fortune selling their decadent, sexy lifestyle to the masses, who snapped up the Dolce & Gabbana aesthetic not just in clothing but in perfume, purses and accessories.

The two made the decision to shutter lower-priced diffusion brand D&G (think $80 slogan t-shirts) in 2011 to focus on their bread and butter, Dolce & Gabbana. This allowed the duo to debut their first couture collection in September 2012, to a rapturous reception from the fashion press (Vogue deemed the gowns “stunning”, and they don’t mince their words).

They claim to have no interest in taking the company public — at least, not for the foreseeable future. Nor will they sell out to one of the all-powerful fashion conglomerates like LVMH. In an interview with the Financial Times last year, Dolce explained that they “don’t want the money.”

Dolce and Gabbana will likely debut on Forbes’ next World’s Billionaires List in March. They’ll join American designer Tory Burch, the most recent inductee to the 10-figure fashion club, just behind Diesel founder Renzo Rosso who made his fortune with designer denim and made it into the billionaires’ club in December.

SDL and Specialty Fashion Group Create Winning Project

 SDL (SDL.L) today announced that its client, Specialty Fashion Group (SFG), has won the Customer Engagement Award from Retail TouchPoints in the category of Cross-Channel Analytics, powered by the SDL Intelligent Marketing Suite.

SFG is Australia''s largest women''s apparel group, delivering mass personalization to over 7 million loyalty members across 6 brands in 893 stores and 7 transactional websites. By implementing the SDL Intelligent Marketing Suite, SFG was able to drastically reduce production times for electronic direct marketing from 24 hours to less than two hours. The company then leveraged this improved efficiency to interact with data captured through customer interactions in new ways. For the first time SFG was able to gain a single-view of their customers and deliver personalized, targeted communications based on the behavior of individual customers. Since implementing the SDL solution, SFG has seen an ROI of 2,200 percent on its most recent electronic direct marketing campaigns.

"We are thrilled to congratulate SFG for their foresight and vision in creating what can only be described as an ''omni-channel'' approach," said Bob Hale, CEO of SDL Campaign Management and Analytics Division. "SFG''s results are impressive and show how retailers can optimize individual customer experiences and drive engagement by looking at a single view of customers across the multiple channels."

"SFG is honored to be recognized by Retail TouchPoints," said Alison Henriksen, CFO of SFG. "Data is a critical component of our business, but too much data or the wrong data can be detrimental to our relationships with our customers. Working with SDL, we are able to better understand our customer data and as a result deliver promotions and information through the right channel at the right time."

The Retail TouchPoints awards recognize retailers for their unique customer engagement strategies and analytics. Winners include large, national retailers as well as smaller, regional companies.

"We are proud to honor retail companies that have embraced customer engagement and implemented solutions and services that are delighting customers and improving the bottom line," said Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief of Retail TouchPoints. "The award winners are ahead of the curve and are achieving business success in this increasingly competitive and challenging marketplace."

Pursue Trendy Wholesale Designer Purses in 2013 through NP Fashion

As the New Year dawns, trendsetters and figureheads in the fashion world take a retrospective look at the hottest fads of 2012. Similarly, in the final weeks of the year and during January, fashion mavens predict what will hit big or continue to be popular in the New Year. Professional stylists and fashion journalists declare that the trends of 2013 will be in line with the buzz-worthy styles of last year. According to fashion connoisseurs, ladies will continue to cultivate a clean, modern look, with tailored blazers, fitted pants, and skinny jeans, while using colorful purses and accessories as well as leather jackets and handbags to add some zest to their ensemble.  Los Angeles' handbag emporium, NP Fashion, provides fashionistas with plenty of glamorous and edgy wholesale handbags to accentuate a sophisticated, streamlined appearance.

Online retailer NP Fashion sells wholesale designer inspired handbags to buyers throughout the world, with enormous discounts on bulk purchases. "Designer inspired" bags are those which feature elements that are consistently popular with lovers of high-end handbags.  These original handbags at wholesale prices will add energy to any outfit. The bags currently available from NP Fashion are on point with what is hip these days: studded leather bags, ultra-feminine purses, and iridescent and neon fabrics to complete an attractive, up-to-date look.

While flamboyant, over-the-top clothing might not be the 'in' thing this year, the stylish, street-wise lady can add some flair and vivacity to her wardrobe with an NP Fashion purse. The feminine take on grunge remains popular this season, as women combine flower prints and lace embellishments with leather and loose-fitting frocks. NP Fashion carries an assortment of leather handbags, detailed with metal studs and rhinestones.  Many of these bags feature long straps and deep pockets which work nicely with slouchy t-shirts and black skirts, as well as floral, girlish clothing. NP Fashion also offers an array of large and small purses made of shiny fabrics. When the customer is ready to attend a fancy evening event, she may choose an iridescent silver, white, or pink clutch or handbag that shimmers like a brilliant opal. Many of these reflective leather bags also feature studs or tiny jewels for added glam-meets-grunge appeal. Additionally, NP Fashion's wholesale inventory is filled with messenger bags, backpacks, purses with flower appliques, and many other styles.

As NP Fashion is an online outlet for bulk buyers, the customer can pick and choose many diverse purses at excellent rates. If the buyer is not sure what styles or colors to select when first visiting the site, he or she may leisurely peruse the many categories of purses available. The NP Fashion team constantly adds to their online inventory. With NP Fashion, there's no need to play catch-up with the current trends. The consumer can stay ahead of the curve this winter and spring, taking cues from fashion insiders and visiting NP Fashion to acquire bags that keep in step with the trends of 2013.

Fashion Retail Academy boosts Wi-Fi with Networks First

The Fashion Retail Academy (FRA) has worked with Networks First to bring improved Wi-Fi connectivity to its staff and students.

The London-based college provides courses for those wanting to make a name for themselves in high street fashion, so deals with a large number of creative students, looking to be connected all the time.

The FRA has had a Wi-Fi network for a number of years, but it used a pre-shared key. This meant students had to go to IT every time they wanted to connect to the wireless, inconveniencing both groups and using up a huge amount of the IT team’s time.

“It was a huge drain on our resources on the old wireless network to have to provide a single password for students when they brought a device to the helpdesk to be added,” said Brendan Kearney, senior manager of IT systems and e-learning at the FRA.

It approached Networks First with this problem and the company, which provides network infrastructure and services to a number of colleges and public sector organisations, began surveying the college’s property to work out what was need to optimise a Wi-Fi network for the 700 students.

After three months of planning, deciding where was best for the access points to provide strong signal and deal with peak-time traffic across the building’s five floors, Networks First deployed it in just one month using hardware from Aruba Networks. It also signed a deal with the college to manage the network going forward on a 24/7 basis.

“We’re a small, internal team and so the involvement of Networks First as an extra pairs of hands in assessing the network, upgrading the academy and then working alongside us managing this aspect of the network and the security is invaluable to my team,” added Kearney.

Users now have their own individual credentials for their devices that don’t have to be manually signed off by IT, and the network can handle up to 1,000 mobiles and tablets at any one time.

“The new service means that students are able to access the network using their individual login [and] it also means that students will have one login for all systems at FRA, such as the Wi-Fi network and Moodle – the virtual learning environment.”

The college has future plans to make a guest Wi-Fi network available so visitors to the site can take advantage of their connectivity, as well as their sponsors and partners, which include Arcadia, Marks & Spencer and even business application specialists Oracle.

“Access is so much easier for all parties and is less of a burden for IT,” concluded Kearney.

Starting the Year With a Bon Mot

THE social calendar roared back to life on Tuesday night, when the YMA FSF Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards held its annual dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Among those who ducked in during the deafening cocktail hour was Jason Kidd of the New York Knicks, who wore a dark suit and tie. He didn’t linger — he had a Knicks event downtown — but his wife, Porschla, a former model, stayed on. “I don’t really have much to do with Jason’s clothes,” she said. “He’s a classics kind of guy. He sticks to his shirts, jackets, jeans.”

Adding to the festive din were the young scholar awardees, about 125 of them, crowding under picket-style signs that displayed their academic stripes, including Harvard, Pratt, Marist and even Wharton. With many sporting name tags, it felt like freshman orientation. That would make Alber Elbaz, one of the night’s honorees, the dean emeritus.

“It’s more than surreal; I just hope I keep it together on stage,” said Mr. Elbaz, who spent seven years working under Mr. Beene, who died in 2004. He wore a tuxedo (by Lanvin naturally) with an oversize velvet bow-tie and red suede sneakers by Golden Goose.

He was posed with admirers, including Alina Cho of CNN, the evening’s M.C. “It’s so comfortable,” she said of the one-shoulder, midnight blue Lanvin dress she wore. She brought her mother, Youngja, as her date.

In the dining room, cabbage slaw salads and bottles of white wine were already on the table. Seated at Table 33 were the designer Bibhu Mohapatra with Ms. Cho and Stefano Tonchi of W magazine. “My New Year’s resolution is to be a nice guy — no more fashion cat-fighting,” Mr. Mohapatra joked. “No, really, if I was to give advice to these young fashion students, it’s to always be nice. It really comes around in the industry.”

Over at Table 18, Mr. Elbaz made a connection with the writer Rula Jebreal. “How wonderful that we’re from the same country and he invited me and we’re sitting at the same table,” said Ms. Jebreal, who is Palestinian. (Mr. Elbaz is Israeli.)

Winners of the Geoffrey Beene national scholarships accepted their $30,000 awards. But no one could top Mr. Elbaz’s speech for the Fashion Impact Award, peppered with charming bon mots. He fondly recalled his many attempts to land an interview at Geoffrey Beene, and his eventually befriending the receptionist. “Her name is Joyce and she’s sitting with me tonight,” he said to warm laughter.

And of his first “office” there: “It was a coffee table in a dressing room, and I was sketching, sketching, sketching. No one even came to say, ‘Hi, my name is John.’ ”

His kicker, though, had people pulling out their smartphones and echoing it on Twitter. “Success is like a perfume,” he said. “You should always smell it but don’t you ever drink it.”

Fashion goes square: 2013's cool straight lines

Remember that bit at the end of the Da Vinci Code movie, after Tom Hanks has been looking everywhere for the chalice or inverted pyramid or whatever it is that will lead him to the Holy Grail? After all the deciphering cryptograms and fighting people in churches, he finally realises that what he's looking for must be right back where he started his search, because what matters is the shape, and next to the big glass pyramid at the Louvre there's that little inverted glass pyramid, the one that makes a skylight over the underground gift shops, and so the answer was in plain sight in front of him all along.

Well, fashion for the new season is a bit Da Vinci, except the maths isn't so tricky and hoods are totes over. Just like Tom Hanks, I was trying to figure out What It All Means – is the key to a successful new season wardrobe to channel one's inner 1970s groupie (YSL) or planning a look around a surreal fluffy shoe (Céline) or wearing fuschia top-to-toe (Gucci)? And all along, the answer was right there in front of me. I was going around in circles, and the answer was a square.

Fashion's holy grail right now is to be square. (Literally. We're talking right angles, not geek chic.) The square is the visual link that connects the season's key fashion shows with the advertising campaigns now launching in the glossies and the It bags now flying out of Selfridges. Because it's a shape, rather than a colour, or a decade, or a classic film, it's easy to miss – but once you spot it, the square is everywhere.

Squares and lines from Sportmax, Marc Jacobs and Unique from Topshop. Photograph: Composite
Paris fashion week was bookended by catwalk shows designed around squares. It began with Raf Simons' first ready-to-wear show for Dior, which was staged in a giant white cube built for the occasion beside the gold dome of Les Invalides. Inside, the space was divided into a series of interconnecting white rooms, linked by square windows hung with sheer curtains in sugar almond shades. A week later, it ended with Louis Vuitton and a stage set created by French installation artist Daniel Buren, which featured a giant checkerboard catwalk in white and buttercup yellow on which models, in neat pairs, carried handbags in the Vuitton Damier check. And both Dior and Vuitton have reprised the squares from their catwalk shows to star in their multimillion-pound advertising campaigns, dispelling any notion that the geometry was just a piece of set-dressing whimsy. The Vuitton adverts star models in checks, set against checks; for Dior, the square windows of the catwalk tent become an elegant backdrop for the Dior woman to strike her New Look poses.

Here in London, the humble square began to show its style credentials before Christmas, when jumpers with squares on emerged as a surprise competitor to the traditional popularity of the festive jumper. In early December – peak season for a jolly snowflake/reindeer knit – the fashionables were quietly placing orders for Richard Nicoll's latest men's sweaters, which feature a simple square of blue or white on a grey background. (The new Whistles collection features a similar womenswear sweater.)

The Grace Box by Mark Cross, £1,280 from Selfridges.
Windowpane checks are next up for a revival. They were widely admired on the catwalk for Sportmax in Milan, and feature strongly in the latest Topshop Unique collection. (I've got my eye on an extremely nice navy-and-white windowpane skirt-and-tunic co-ord – that's a matching set, do keep up – that should hit the Whistles shopfloor sometime soon.) In my dreams, I'd be accessorising it with this season's best-pedigreed It bag: the Grace Box by Mark Cross, a glorious and defiantly angular mini-trunk currently on sale in Selfridges, which is a direct descendent of the Mark Cross bag carried by Grace Kelly in Rear Window. (Sadly for me, the new bag carries a very 21st-century price tag of £1,280.)

Like the weather, fashion can only be reliably forecast in fortnightly chunks. But sniff the wind, and you will find that the signs point to squares, straight lines and geometric shapes dominating fashion next season as well as this. Sarah Burton's triumphant SS13 McQueen collection was themed on womanhood and female power but eschewed curves for the hexagons of the beehive. Alexander Wang, a designer whose aesthetic is defiantly cleanlined and graphic (check out this season's kneeboots) is about to take over at the storied and influential house of Balenciaga. For now, the learning curve ends here, in straight lines.

The fashion assassins

We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss fashion as shallow, writes Damon Young. We're more influenced than most of us care to believe.

For some, fashion has a whiff of shallowness to it. Thought is profound, says the received wisdom, but clothes are superficial.

For example, I was once invited onto a television program about fashion. As the token philosopher, I suspect my job was not to share my sartorial tips (‘geek chic’), but to give my eyes-over-bifocals professorial contempt for beauty and clothes.

Friends and colleagues will agree that I’m no ambassador for fashion or style. Torn cheap jeans shorts and a Marvel Hulk t-shirt usually win over a Rhodes and Beckett shirt and fitted Levis.

But it is absurd to pretend my clothes are alien to me. They convey a casualness that softens my professional profile; they speak to pop culture tastes, and wariness of academy formality. To deny this is what the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre called ‘bad faith’: refusing responsibility for my own existence.

And every item in my wardrobe was designed, produced, distributed, purchased, and is now worn by a paying consumer. This is the point of Meryl Streep’s sharp monologue from The Devil Wears Prada, as she chastises her blithe assistant. “It’s sort of comical how you think you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry,” she deadpans to a doe-eyed Anne Hathaway in a cerulean jumper, “when, in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.” Those who are wary of fashion’s influence are still touched by its industry.

Alongside the rag trade is clothing’s social currency. As the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu noted in his book Distinction, so many of our tastes and habits speak to economic class and social status. Food, music, accent, gestures, couture or bargain bin jumpers: they arise from social distinctions, and reproduce these within us. While we are not mindless automatons, argued Bourdieu, even spontaneous splurges and improvised outfits usually obey unwritten social laws.

And this is not just a French quirk. In Accounting For Tastes, Tony Bennett and colleagues demonstrated how many of Australia’s everyday choices are marked by socioeconomic standing. “The care of the body,” they write about beauty and fitness, “is both more intensive and more extensive as one’s educational level rises.”
In short: even if I am contemptuous of fashion, the economic and social character of clothing will stick to me like synthetic underwear on a summer jog.

But why be contemptuous of fashion at all? The basic idea is that thought and beauty are somehow at odds; that the industry of style is in conflict with the enterprise of thought.
This is false. Yes, fashion can be ludicrously priced, and sold on hype instead of talent or craft. But this is true of the art market. Much fashion is trivial or pretentious – again, this is true of all arts and crafts. Both art and fashion, as industries, can corrupt or cultivate their chief worth: semblance.

Semblance is an old-fashioned word, but in this case it means a show: display, appearance, performance. It is something knowingly false, which is enjoyed without pretending it is straightforwardly true - the way we ‘suspend disbelief’ at the movies. In many cases, semblance is literally superficial: a surface, whether painted, projected or embroidered.

The philosopher and poet Friedrich Schiller once noted that semblance and reality are bedfellows, not enemies - as long as they are not mistaken for one another. And to avoid this, we have to be familiar with both: to seek truth and savour the show.

If Schiller’s right, the runway’s haute couture weirdness is no threat to genuine thinking. It is a semblance, which is never enjoyed as anything else. It might be a luxury for the ludicrously rich, but this is often a problem with the market, not with the clothes themselves. Likewise for cufflinks or a race day fascinator: they are chiefly enjoyed as a show, or not at all.

In this light, there is no epic war between fashion or style and thought. There are priorities of class and status, time and temperament - I might donate to charity instead of buying a shirt. But I can still admire its precise fit, harmonious lines and crisp Egyptian cotton.

Fashion Faceoff: Anne Hathaway vs. Salma Hayek

Today, actresses Anne Hathaway and Salma Hayek aren’t facing off at the box office, but on the red carpet. "Les Miserables" leading lady Hathaway, 30, and "Savages" star Hayek, 46, recently donned the same LBD, leaving us to decide ... who wore it best?!

What they wore: A knee-length, black Stella McCartney dress with sheer panels and fringe.

When they wore it: Hathaway chose the frock for her July 12 appearance on "Late Show With David Letterman.” Her competition wore it at the British Fashion Awards in London on November 27.

How they styled it: For Hathaway, the look was simple and all about the dress, as she added only black pumps and sunglasses. Hayek glammed it up more with a sparkly necklace and a swipe of bright lipstick, in addition to her black pumps and updo.

Judge's scorecard: The flapper-style design looks fabulous with Hathaway's cropped haircut! It also hangs well on her tiny frame. The always-stunning Hayek, on the other hand, impressed with pretty makeup. Who wins this Fashion Faceoff for you?

Protecting Fashion Designs

On September 20, 2012, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted for the Innovative Design Protection Act of 2012 (a.k.a. the “Fashion Bill”) to proceed to the Senate floor without amendment, and on December 20, the bill was placed on the Senate legislative calendar. The Fashion Bill extends copyright protection for three years to fashion designs that “(i) are the result of a designer’s own creative endeavor; and (ii) provide a unique, distinguishable, non-trivial and non-utilitarian variation over prior designs for similar types of articles.”


Fashion Design (Photo credit: Brendan Lally)

Proponents of the law, including major fashion houses, claim it would provide more protection for fashion designers by closing existing gaps in US copyright law. In particular, it would prohibit copying the appearance of articles of apparel, including ornamentation, original elements and original arrangement or placement of both original and non-original elements. Opponents argue the bill would (i) chill creativity to the extent that new works often borrow and build upon what has come before, (ii) increase independent fashion designers’ legal costs, due to required consultations with lawyers to reduce the likelihood of infringement claims, as well as representation for actual infringement disputes, and (iii) indirectly, increase the cost of apparel and accessories for all consumers. It has also been suggested by some that fashion designs are afforded ample protection under existing US intellectual property laws. The proposed law provides a good opportunity to review the existing US laws relating to the protection of fashion designs.

Copyright

Copyright law protects original prints and patterns, unique color arrangements and novel combinations of elements (protectable or non-protectable) used on apparel and accessories but, in most cases, not fashion designs themselves. The one exception under the US Copyright Act is that a fashion design may be protectable “only if, and only to the extent that, such design incorporates pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features that can be identified separately from, and are capable of existing independently of, the utilitarian aspects of the article.” Courts have established that the test for separability may be met by showing either physical or conceptual separability. A design element is considered physically separable when it can be removed from an article of apparel and sold separately (e.g., a belt buckle), and conceptually separable when it comprises artistic features that do not contribute to the utilitarian aspect of the apparel and such features invoke an idea separate from the functionality of the apparel (e.g., a Halloween costume).


Patent for an evening dress (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Design Patents

A design patent provides 14 years of exclusive industrial design rights for new and nonobvious ornamental designs of functional items. The USPTO examination process for design patents used to take over a year, which would often exceed the life expectancy or actual lifespan of many designs in the rapidly changing world of fashion. However, the USPTO has recently exerted efforts to improve and streamline its review procedure, so a design patent can now be obtained in approximately 10 to 12 months, and with certain expediting methods at additional cost (e.g., filing a petition to expedite with the USPTO or pursuing the USPTO’s extra-expedited “rocket docket” procedure), in as few as six months.

Trademark and Trade Dress

The US Trademark Act does not provide protection for fashion designs per se. Instead, trademark law protects brand names, logos, symbols, designs and other optional elements of apparel and accessories, and trade dress law protects the design, packaging or appearance of apparel and accessories, solely to the extent they identify the source and origin of such products. For example, the brand name and logo hang tag and distinctive pocket stitching on a pair of jeans could be registered as protectable trademarks, and the unique shape of a dress could be registered as protectable trade dress. In that vein, a federal court of appeals recently ruled that Christian Louboutin owns trademark rights in his distinctive red outsoles since they identify him as the sole legitimate source of his shoes, while Yves Saint Laurent and other parties retain the right to produce and sell monochromatic red shoes (where both the outsoles and uppers are entirely red). To be clear, elements that do not identify source and origin of apparel and accessories do not qualify for protection under the US Trademark Act.

Unlike packaging and other elements where trade dress protection may be acquired through “inherent distinctiveness,” trade dress protection of an apparel design requires distinctiveness to be acquired through “secondary meaning,” a process whereby consumers come to recognize the design as a source identifier over a period of time. In this respect, design patents can work well together with trade dress rights. In particular, a designer may first seek and secure a design patent and then secondary meaning for trade dress protection of the design can be developed during the 14 years of design patent protection.

What Should Fashion Designers Do?

Based on existing US laws, fashion designers should seek to maximize their protection by (i) federally registering copyrights for their original prints and patterns, unique color arrangements and novel combinations of elements, as well as their protectable design elements to the extent physically or conceptually separable from the functional aspects of the subject apparel or accessories, (ii) applying for a design patent for new and nonobvious ornamental fashion designs when the useful life of the design is expected to last more than a few seasons, and (iii) federally registering for trademark and/or trade dress protection for brand names, logos, designs, packaging and other elements of apparel and accessories to the extent they identify the source and origin of such products. If the Fashion Bill is enacted into law, designers would be well-advised to continue pursuing the foregoing copyright and trademark registrations, but would have to reconsider pursuing design patents based on cost considerations and whether the useful life of each relevant design is expected to last more than the three years of copyright protection provided by the Fashion Bill.