Corey Feldman commits Michael Jackson memorial fashion mistake

 

 

Technorati Tags: CoreyFeldman,Michael Jackson,fashion

Now granted, the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday was an odd mix of the surreal and oddly sweet. The remaining Jackson brothers pulled off the one hand gloved look nicely and even Al Sharpton managed to look dressed up and adult-like.
But then there was Corey Feldman, who showed up at the memorial dressed like Michael Jackson, complete with outfit, greased hair and shades.
While I'm no expert, I'm pretty sure that showing up at someone's memorial dressed exactly like the deceased must break at least one or two fashion and/or etiquette rules.

Berlin Fashion Week | Print Is In

 

 

Technorati Tags: Berlin,Daily Magazine,Fashion Week

Der Zeit, a new daily magazine for Berlin fashion week, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.

Whether your taste runs more to Escada (the German fashion powerhouse whose exhibition “A View on Fashion 1978-2009″ is currently on at the Bode Museum) or to Peaches, the divinely raunchy singer who rocked the Club Berlin party last Thursday, kicking several glasses of God knows what onto me from the stage, there was a lot going on in Berlin last week.

Of the many art and design shows in town, the talk centered mostly on Rirkrit Tiravanija, who hosted the opening of his new show at the Galerie Neugerriemschneider with a BBQ in the courtyard, and on the Alex Wiederin show “Alles Liebe” at Contributed.

But it’s fair to say that a lot of the buzz in town was also reserved for Der Zeit, a new daily magazine that was passed out during fashion week. Of course, Der Zeit featured the requisite images from the runway and the red carpet, but it also became an essential compass for navigating the city, offering interesting perspectives on Berlin’s art, culture, architecture, design and fashion scenes.

In addition to introducing visitors to artists like the duo AIDS 3-D, Der Zeit also included stories on everything from the 10th anniversary of the Helmut Newton superbook “Sumo” to a cover story on centerfolds and another on objects inspired by the 1974 Lamborghini Countach.

Colorful, vibrant and interesting, with submissions from a host of local and international contributors, it was as if Monocle magazine and Fashion Daily had produced a love child delivered by a cool German art director. What makes Der Zeit even more special is that it was bankrolled (at the last hour) by Mercedez-Benz, the official sponsors of Berlin fashion week.

“What’s cool about our project is that we have Mercedes as a sponsor but not as a publisher,” said Michael Ladner, one of the managing editors. “So nothing is censored and we can be as weird and experimental as we want. We know the limited relevance of Berlin fashion week in the industry, so we decided to expand our coverage beyond the catwalk to the unique cultural character of the city.” And not a minute too soon.

Burani to License Giambattista Valli Fashions Article

Technorati Tags: Mariella Burani,Italian Fashion,economic crisis

ROME—Italy's Mariella Burani Fashion Group said it has signed a five-year contract to make and distribute the ready-to-wear collection of Italian fashion designer Giambattista Valli, a deal aimed at growing both companies as the luxury goods industry suffers through the economic crisis.

The licensing deal would give the 43-year-old Mr. Valli a stronger industrial and marketing base on which to build his five-year-old namesake brand, which has garnered international attention through fashion mavens like Queen Rania of Jordan and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Burani, a fashion group listed on the Milan stock exchange, expects Mr. Valli's ready-to-wear collections to generate around 60 million euros in sales over the next three years. Mr. Valli, who until now has produced and distributed clothes via another Italian company, made 20 million euros in sales last year on his ready-to-wear line and other business, including wedding dresses and furs.

Partnering with the Giambattista Valli label, which is sold in key markets such as the U.S. and Middle East, is likely to boost the fashion cachet of Burani, which owns its own brands and distributes other labels, including La Perla, under license. The two sides are also considering the possibility of starting an accessories line under the Giambattista Valli name. Financial details of the deal, including the breakdown of profits between the two companies, weren't disclosed.

The deal is a blow to Burani's rival, Italy's Gilmar Group, which has been making and distributing Mr. Valli's collections since he first launched his label in 2004. Mr. Valli was Gilmar Group's most important creative figure, who also designed for Gilmar's Iceberg brand.

In an interview, Mr. Valli said the licensing deal will allow him to stay independent, without seeking financial partners to take a stake in his business. "I want to keep this independence. This is important from even a creative point of view," said the designer, who shows his collections in Paris. "I am not involved with any investors or bankers. It is therefore very important to organize my business from a licensing point of view."

At first seemingly resilient to the global economic downturn, the 175 billion euro luxury goods business is now suffering as high-spending consumers cut back. Profitablity for the global industry as a whole, as measured by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or EBIDTA, is expected to fall 21% in 2009, according to Altagamma, an association of Italian high-end fashion companies.

Though few players are immune, the situation is particularly difficult for small, independent fashion brands that are struggling to boost sales, pay off debts and cut costs—without being able to rely on the financial reservoirs of big groups such as LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA or PPR SA.

Italian company Itierre SpA, which produces ready-to-wear collections for Italian designer Roberto Cavalli, and Itierre's parent company It Holding filed for bankruptcy protection in February after running out of money to service its debt or make royalty payments to designers, including Mr. Cavalli.

In an attempt to better manage their businesses and find ways to fuel sales, some independent fashion companies, including Salvatore Ferragamo SpA and Gianni Versace SpA, have recently hired nonfamily executives and branched out into new areas, such as furniture, hotels and interior design.

Burani—which designs, produces and distributes high-end footwear, leather accessories and jewelry collections—has also been hit by the global slump in demand. The company, which posted 700 million euros in sales in 2008, is currently evaluating a debt restructuring plan. The company sees new licenses as a way to bolster revenue and expand.

The Valli license "could help us enter into other markets that we are really interested in such as in the ex-Soviet bloc," said Andrew Burani, managing director of the company's product and operations, in an interview. "We have about 10 collections and we have the potential to do more. We are currently in talks for more licenses."

Mr. Valli's clothes are currently distributed in more than 220 locations in 42 countries. The new license will kick off with Mr. Valli's pre-Fall/Winter 2010 collection. In the interview, Mr. Valli said that smaller companies such as his may be able to emerge from the economic crisis strongly because they don't have too many overhead costs such as factories and expensive boutiques around the world.

"Small independent houses are going to surprise," Mr. Valli said. "They are the ones that have the potential to really jump as they are more agile," he said.

Rant Yankee Imperialism Back in Fashion

 

Technorati Tags: Yankee,honduran

 

We have musical fashions. Hip hop, Motown, the Beatles. New fads create multimillion dollar sales as albums go platinum. Music and film are a major industry. I remember when I was in eighth grade and the mini skirt went out of fashion. It was like a rainstorm, with scattered raindrops adding up to a shower. In September, one girl wore a "midi". By January, miniskirts were a rarity.
The political world is as much a slave to fashion as the worlds of music and clothing. The unrest in Iran continues as before. demonstartors are being shot. Ahmadinejad's stooges are trying to terrorise Iran into submission But the TV cameramen have their lenses trained on Honduras. Manuel Zelaya, who looks a like Groucho Marx retread without the laughs is the latest cause celebre of the ditzerati from Hollywood to Greenwich Village. Much has been made of the fact that he was removed from office by the Honduran military. What is overlooked is that he was removed by order of the Honduran Congress. The military was performing a constitutional function. Zelaya was determined to have broken Honduran laws, including those against drug dealing. The Honduran legal system is working its course.
Despite this, the Organisation of American States (OAS) , once condemned by Fidel Castro as a tool of US imperialism is still a Yankee Tool. But this time, the Honduran people are getting their marching orders from Obama and others who have decided that Manuel Zelaya is in vogue.
Perhaps if we can keep our focus on Honduras, the disturbing news coming out of Iran will go away. Perhaps the rioting Uighurs in China will stop bothering Chairman Mao's heirs so we can keep breaking American workers with cheap Chinese labour. I mean, Obama's Cairo speech felt so mellow. It was like a beer buzz on a summer evening. It was sooo cool. But all this bummer news from the Islamic world is just messing up that peaceful easy feeling. We need to pick the right stories to frame Obama's Cairo speech so it will be a classic.
The world is a complicated place. We need deep thinkers like Barbara Streisand and Alec Baldwin to make sense of it all. There was never any world problem that couldn't be solved with a smart Alec and some B.S.
I can't remember the comedian who didn't like the x rays his doctor was showing him. He didn't want an operation. The doctor said, "No problem. I'll touch up the X Rays." For Americans, we have the cure for all of the world's problems. We switch the channel. Forget about Iran. Forget about actually discussing and solving economic problems. Let's talk about Michael Jackson. Those smart people who bring us all that great music must know about world politics too. Right?
In our small world, Iran's problems will affect us at the gas pump and possibly with attempts at terrorism on American soil. If Honduras gets its hand picked dictator, we will have refugees from the turmoil up in Los Angeles in six weeks.
But this talk is like such a downer. I mean, we haven't even buried Michael Jackson yet. Let the Iranian demonstrators wait a few months until some slow news day when we are really bored.
OK I'm sorry. I have a few story lines I could kick around to pander to popular tastes. Here are some headlines.
"Michael Jackson's Coffin Brought to Prominent San Francisco Taxidermist."
"Ruth Madoff Bares All For Hustler Magazine."
"HBO" Changes its Name to BHO."
"President Obama Launches New Deodorant With His Initials"
"Feminists Picket 4H Club for Use of Hoes."
That's it. I'll pander to popular tastes and see if I can slip in some serious stories. Kind of like slipping healthy vegetables into the lasagna. I hope it works

Power pink is red-hot

Technorati Tags: hot pink,new attitute,designer

The fashion world needs to get past the dark cloud of the recession and look to a brighter day when the shopping public will be excited to buy new styles and try new colors. And that new attitude is largely being carried on the back of hot pink.

"I love fuchsia. I'm always drawn to it," says designer Thakoon Panichgul, who has had success with a hot-pink lip print in recent seasons. "It's a reaction color, and that's what fashion is. You can't quantify it, it's just you know what you like. You can't analyze it."

But you can try.

It seems hot pink is aiming to do this summer and fall what yellow did last year. The industry is using bright, happy, smiley face-worthy color to court customers back into stores. Sure, there are browns and blacks on the racks, and that very well may be what people end up with in their bags, but eye-catching they are not.

"Hot pink is all over the place right now," says Hope Greenberg, fashion director at Lucky. "Right now, designers need to do something that will capture your attention at retail. You really need clothes that are going to jump out at the customer."

And the choice to use fuchsia, bright berry or highlighter pink makes sense twofold, she says: They're colors most women don't already have in their closets, but they look good with the shades they do.

"From neon to fuchsia, hot pink is very versatile. It goes with gray, brown, navy, army green. There are a million things to wear it with," says Greenberg, whose magazine dedicated its entire July issue to buys under $100. There was a lot of pink.

It's good to start out test-driving such a bold color with a small purchase -- perhaps a belt or shoe, she suggests. She started with a neon pink T-shirt from American Apparel. "I wore it to work, and everyone loved it and gave me compliments all day. It made everyone want to go out and buy it," Greenberg says.

Meanwhile, Linda Wells, editor in chief of Allure, is eyeing a hot pink Dolce & Gabbana coat. "I feel like it's really energizing. You have to be up for wearing the color, though. You are going to get noticed."

(2 of 2)

Style expert Mary Alice Stephenson says celebrities are attracted to fuchsia and its cousin colors for the red carpet for that very reason.

"It's bright, fresh and sassy," says actress Molly Sims, a Stephenson client. She wore bright pink to the Vanity Fair Oscars party this year. "You don't need a lot of anything else with that color. It makes it easy in that way that you can keep the rest of your outfit simple."

Sims adds: "Putting on pink -- it just makes me feel good."

Stephenson thinks the fall collections of designers such as Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez and Matthew Williamson did wonders to dispel any fears that hot pink is too young, too bold or too scary.

"They showed you it can look sophisticated and grown-up. Feminine pink is pretty, but it's the over-the-top hue that makes it strong and sexy."

It helps that bright pink works with many skin tones, giving an instant lift to the complexion, notes Stephenson.

A hot-pink dress with black tights and ankle boots will be really chic next season, adds Lucky's Greenberg, and a berry blouse under a jacket is the kind of look you can wear anywhere.

David Wolfe, creative director at the Doneger Group, a fashion-forecasting company, says pink is popping because the fashion industry is looking back at the 1930s for ideas on getting out of the recession.

"Pink is a psychological expression of feeling good," he says. "You like seeing it on others; people like seeing it on themselves."

Fashion Flash: models, mascara and Madonna

 

 

FD Luxe creative director Tammy Theis will see a dream realized on Monday, when Wallflower Management opens its doors on Travis Street. Theis will serve as president and creative director of the boutique modeling agency, and will concentrate on fashion and print clients, for now. "I've been finding models for years," says the former director for Page Parkes Management new faces. "This is a natural progression for me." Joining Theis will be Brenda Gomez, also formerly of Page Parkes, and John Bassignani, who worked at Trump Model Management in New York before relocating to Dallas to open the West Village home store Haven. The agency's Web site will be active with open call information on Monday, at www.wallflower management.com.

Available in girls' sizes 2-toddler to 14, Oh So Posh! jeans and interchangeable cuffs are a crafty way to get more wear out of mini denim. The Frisco-based company recently launched an e-commerce site at ohsoposh.com, where the regular and capri-length cotton-spandex denim is on sale for $59.95. The button-on cuffs, adorned with flowers, bows, pink leopard and camouflage prints, retail for $36 per set. Want to mix-and-match in person? Check out the collection at Plano's Safari Kids and Southlake's Ella Bella.

Akin to an appetizer tray at Chili's, Sephora has compiled 40 of its best-selling mascara brands into the Lash Stash Mascara Deluxe Sampler (below). Summer intern Amy Pham had a go with the kit, which didn't leave her hungry: She suggests starting out with Lançome's Cils Booster XL as a primer then applying the Anastasia Lash Lifting Mascara or the lengthening Too Faced Lash Injection Mini – or both. The $39 box, purportedly worth $96, provides a variety of mascaras with different brushes and purposes, allowing users to experiment.

Now's your chance to snag some Hermès signature orange – the Highland Park Village boutique (214-528-0197) is hosting a sale during store hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., July 8-11, with 40 percent to 60 percent off of men's and women's ready-to-wear, shoes, hats and gloves. Carry plastic – purchases can be made with credit cards only, and store credit can't be redeemed.

Louis Vuitton recently unveiled its fall campaign featuring Madonna in artistic director Marc Jacobs' designs. The pre-eminent pop star stays on the job from spring in the latest glossy Man Ray-inspired ads, shot by Steven Meisel and breaking in magazines next month. Look for Dallas' new 5,900-square-foot LV boutique to be unveiled in October.

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Angola Fashion Week with extra exhibition time

Technorati Tags: fashion week,organizer

Luanda - The Angolan company that is promoting the Angola Fashion Week, “Arenadirect”, has increased to three days of displaying of biggest fashion event in the country, due to the increasing number of designers.

This was said on Tuesday, in Luanda, by the administrator of the institution, Bruno Albernaz

During a press conference held at Luanda’s Atlântico cinema, the venue which is also hosting as from last Tuesday the 10th edition of Angola Fashion Week, the official said that different from the previous nine editions, the organisers have decided to add one more day to give space and opportunities to who he called as “New Designers”.

Another innovation in relation to the previous editions, is the holding of a party, which will happen after the event, on 2 July.

According to him, the event will count on the participation of 14 designers, with 12 Angolans. Brazil and  Portugal are represented by one designer each.

The Arenadirect intends to take to stage of that cinema, during three days of exhibition, at least 1,800 guests, being 600 ones for each of the three-day parade.

Among the names of the fashion world confirmed to participate in Angola Fashion Week 2009 include António Augusto, Dina Simão and Nadir Tati from Angola, Nuno Gama from Portugal and Tony Palha e Totem from Brazil.

Michael Jackson’s style helped men in need of mirrors

 

 

While he was metaphorically staring at the man in the mirror, asking him to change his ways, Michael Jackson helped men and women everywhere take a second look at themselves.

He did this with style, both good and highly debatable.

The icon who left behind the most valuable single glove on the planet was a master entertainer.

Part of his talent was the ability to craft an image with his fearless wardrobe choices.  We need more fearless men to put an end to the boring male uniform rut.

Jackson was “Bad” with the help of some black leather and buckles.

He was a lover and seducer with an unbutton white shirt and T-shirt.

He was a charming-boy turned ghoul with the help of the red leather jacket embellished with a black V.

He was a not-so-average Joe with girl trouble in a sparkly blazer lighting up the street with his dance steps.

And he was a smooth criminal in a vintage suit, hat and his perennially high-water pants.

It was, of course, hard to imagine the soft spoken, lithe often androgynous Jackson with a gift for dance and song as anything but the King of Pop in disguise. But that didn’t keep him from experimenting.

It made a some guys follow suit.

Thank goodness many of his racier looks were not as popular at the “Thriller” jacket that now symbolizes an era.

I think, Jackson helped people consider the zanier side of their fashion sensibilities.

The military style, band leader jackets that he wore for years are now mainstream. Target offered up a version in it’s recent designer collection.

There was nothing practical about Jackson and despite the many, many controversies in his life, his fashion prowess is to be commended and remembered.

So often it is a great cause and effect of fashion, that some go to extremes, so that we can take small steps forward.

Technorati Tags: michael jackson,fashion,thriller