Make Me Beautiful

I somehow missed the daily coverage of Paris Fashion Week Spring 2009. Thanks to Telegraph site, for listing all the possible trends for spring 2009.

• Wild west Gaucho “chaps” and jeans (Givenchy); cowboy fringes (Hermès); denim (Watanabe)

•Overalls, boyfriend-blazers, jumpsuits, scout-shorts, military jackets (Chloé, Balmain, Wunderkind, McCartney)

• Africa and the East Ethnic prints (Junya Watanabe, Tsumori Chisato, Bernhard Willhelm); tribal hair, fertility goddess-heels (Dior); kimonos and fisherman’s trousers (Yves Saint Laurent); sarongs (Lagerfeld); global souvenirs (Westwood); bug prints (Alexander McQueen)

• Space hi-tech, cyber-warriors, Star Trek, futurism (Balenciaga, Hussein Chalayan, Gareth Pugh)

• Straight shoulders, pads, epaulettes, “wings”, shoulder-guards, dramatic seaming, cutaways and one-sleeve shapes (Rue Du Mail, Comme, Stella McCartney)

• Metallics/mirrors, copper, silver, gold, (Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Sophia Kokosalaki, Christian Lacroix, McQueen)

• The new greens Fern, jade, olive, celadon (Galliano, Chloé)

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Who said that fashion and politics don’t mix? Well, he or she is wrong. Today, politics are evidently entering the world of fashion. We can see political phrases and slogans on some items of clothing that advertise specific candidates or political parties.

Sarah Palin is not the only politician who is setting fashion trends. Barack Obama is also becoming a fashion icon. After being featured in Andrew Christian’s Obama ‘08 boxer briefs, he was also featured on the runways of Paris in the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac show. Obama’s face can be seen on a sporty yellow sequined dress and was completed with a matching gloves that said YES and NO.

Some famous fashion designers including Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone and Derek Lam produce merchandise for Obama’s official online store .

Moreover, Hollywood celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Madonna and Halle Berry said yes to Obama as they pledge their allegiance to him by regularly wearing Obama tee shirts.

In addition to the list, Drew Barrymore gets into the election season spirit on the cover of November’s Harper’s Bazaar. Like lots of other celebrities, she wants to encourage young people to vote while at the same time endorses Barack Obama.

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Erwan Fichou has a photography series entitled “Dog Wool”. The series captures the portraits of people posing with their pets and wearing coats or sweaters that resembles the fur of their pets.

In fact, the sweaters are made from the fur of their own pet dogs. The hair, once recovered after brushing, is carefully preserved until the necessary amount for knitting is collected. The hair is spun into balls of 50 grams by a specialist, before returning the fabric via mail to the owner. The hair is then used to construct the garment.

If you want to be in with this fashion trend and wear your dog’s fur, you can contact Doumé Jalat-Dehen to make a sweater for you.

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Watching almost every ad campaign as they unfold right in front of our own eyes, we can say that a great ad campaign is one that captures the interest and curiosity of the viewers without resorting to needless sex, violence, blood or aimless shock-advertising.

Their latest ads by Concept, Turkey shows shoppers as newborns with the delivery doctor holding them upsidedown. The ads use the tagline, “Are you ready to be reborn?” The ads relays a message that experiencing the Harvey Nichols fashion line is unlike any other fashion experience you’ve had before. Once you put the clothes on, it’ll be as if you were reborn.

Nowadays, we can rarely see ads that are genuinely clever and witty and Harvey Nichols belong to one of the few brands who create ads with essence. I can still remember my first post about their Fashion Statements ads, the models are with big balloons that knocked down all the people around them.

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I am loving the SS09 Chanel collection. There is something quirky, modern and refreshing about it, that is still very Chanel (of course!).
The reinterpreted plaid pattern is a refreshing twist on the classic Chanel prints. The technique involved in creating some of the structures (i.e. above right), is also modern and chic.
The evening wear were divine. I love the more relaxed silhouette throughout the collection- much more forgiving for all body types. The black dress here (left) is actually one of my favourites. The upper part, with the sheer fabric makes it modest yet subtly provocative at the same time- very classy and elegant. The white dress (right) is admittdely not the most flattering shape on the runway, but there is just something very intriguing about the play on volume and the delicate floral details here.
Then there were beautiful tiered tulle dresses fit for a fairy princess. Ok, the cape (left) is a bit too much with that dress, but the bolero (also a hot item on this runway) is the perfect compliment to the heavily tiered dress on the right.
Onto accessories- see what I mean by quirky, with this vertical classic flap bag (left)? The leather shopping bag (right), is perfect and very clever for the whole “street” theme of the show, but I hope they’re not planning to sell it in stores. Otherwise some misguided soul might just buy it and become a walking advertisement- and not even the good kind!
It appears that the peep toe bootie (left) is definitely here to stay for another season or two…. I guess I better get used to it. It doesn’t look too weird here. And the feathers here (right) creates just the perfect dramatic effect for the runway, but they’re definitely not suitable for rainy/muddy/humid weather. Luckily, the shoes look gorgeous without the feathers as well, and I’m sure Karl will be commercial minded enough to produce them without the feathers for the stores (or maybe they will be attachable!).

One thing I’m unsure about though are the two tone stockings featured throughout the show. It looks a bit like Karl is trying to put a new spin on the much over done legging trend, but I don’t know, the spin is not that new and it cuts the model’s legs off in an unflattering way, making them look short. The stockings on his F/W 08 runway is way better.
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We’ve only got 24 days before Halloween! I think it’s high time to look for the hottest and fashion-inspired Halloween costumes. Well, the search is over as I present to you the new Halloween costumes by Party City, they are heavily influenced by what we see on the fashion runways, in the movies and on TV. According to Melissa Sprich, Party City Merchandise Manager of Costumes and Accessories, they have taken the best of fashion influences and shaped them into a finest costume collection yet.

Party City has led the Halloween costume industry by collaborating with designers and manufacturers to incorporate the latest fashion and pop cultures trends. For a start, Snow White, Tinkerbell and Wicked Witch of the West have undergone a couture makeover. Their designers have created the trendiest costumes for this year’s Halloween season that features sleeker silhouettes, softer fabrics and hot, must-have accessories.

Women are not the only ones who will enjoy the style flares this coming Halloween. Party City has also costumes for girls, boys and men. Batman:The Dark Knight, Star Wars: Clone Trooper, Transformers and Iron Man are among the top costumes for males. High School Musical’s Sharpay and Gabriella and the sensationally-popular Hannah Montana are expected to be the favorites for girls.

Visit the Party City website for a sneak peek at this year’s most popular Halloween costumes and trends.

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