August 29, 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Highlights from fashion week in Stockholm Sweden

 










A model walks down the runway during the Maria Sofia Bahlner S/S 2013 Fashion Show from the Swedish School of Textiles during the Mercedes-Benz Stockholm Fashion Week on August 29, 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden.
 

Photo: Andreas Rentz, Getty Images / SF 

2nd Post:

Kelly Osbourne shares her fashion advice

Style expert talks spray tans, happy feet and ... Spanx?

 

CHICAGO — Kelly Osbourne was a reality star, actress and musician before anyone took notice that she had a knack for style.

But lately the 27-year-old daughter of Ozzy Osbourne, currently with violet hair after stints of pink, lilac and gray, has earned the title of certified fashionista, dishing the designer dirt with Joan Rivers and co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and George Kotsiopoulos after major Hollywood red carpets on E! “Fashion Police.”

She also sat front row with Rivers at the Badgley Mischka show during the New York Fashion Week this past February.

“I’m in the process of branding, doing my own line. I will not just attach my name to something,” Osbourne said. “I want to be a part of every aspect of it. I want to do everything on it and even down to like making sure I know where the clothes or items are being manufactured.”

Now she’s being tapped to kick off fashion-fueled events too, like this month’s Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.

While there Osbourne shared three things she learned walking the red carpet that she considers top everyday tips for real women:

• Spray tans: “It just gives you that golden glow, a bit of bronze, like you’ve been kissed by the sun,” Osbourne said. “It makes you look slimmer and it makes you feel healthier. I always do that. I hate that I don’t have one now.”

• Flatter that figure: “Even if you’re a skinny girl, Spanx are a must,” Osbourne said, name-checking the shaping undergarments have become a red-carpet staple for women. “Nobody wants to see your belly button through your dress.”

• Pamper your feet: “Always pack a pair of ballet flats in your handbag because by the end of the night your feet are killing you. You want to keep going but you can’t. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to go home early because my feet hurt and I haven’t had a pair of shoes to change into. Don’t let your footwear ruin your good time,” she said.

And for those who must know what Osbourne was wearing in Chicago to meet with reporters last week: A long, flowing short-sleeved black dress with a rainbow leaf print by Issa (a British label that Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, has helped popularize) and a ring with a large purple stone and a jeweled leaf by Chanel.

 

Fashion Doesn't Matter? "Poppycock!" Says Tim Gunn

Sources:

http://www.sfgate.com/columns/slideshow/Highlights-from-fashion-week-in-Stockholm-Sweden-48189.php#photo-3383447 
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/threadny/Tim-Gunn-Fashion-Bible-New-School-167867975.html

Design within reach

INDIA’S modern and contemporary artists enjoy an international following, and the country’s manufacturing industry is getting recognised abroad. But India’s design industry is scarcely known or recognised, even in India. There are markets for Indian fashion and traditional handicrafts, but little attention is paid to modern design (except for cars and  smart home interiors), and there is scant design education.

India Design Forum

 
The two-day India Design Forum in Delhi last weekend was meant to help correct for this. It brought together approaching 700 Indian designers, architects and students with some famous international figures, such as Paola Antonelli, a leading American curator,Karim Rashid, an America-based designer, and Lidewij Edelkoort, a fashion expert from France for a series of lectures and debates. 

“Companies live on design but don’t see it as an important function,” says Rajshree Pathy, An Indian entrepreneur and contemporary-art collector. She organised the event with her daughter, Aishwarya Pathy, through her south India-based Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Art. “India is one of the largest consumers of design, be it automobile, textile, industrial or product design, so there’s no end to the need for design professionals. But CEOs see it as elitist or something just for handicrafts.”

Inspired by the Dubai Design Forum four years ago, Ms Pathy went “knocking on doors” for sponsors in India, but was regularly rebuffed. Most saw design as a subject for fashion and luxury goods, with little relevance to their own work. The conference’s list of 40 sponsors includes only two manufacturing and infrastructure companies: Punj Lloyd, a leading engineering group, and Titan, a watch manufacturer in the Tata group. More mainstream Tata companies, such as Tata Motors and Tata Steel, clearly kept their distance, as did Mahindra and Hero from the auto industry, and Godrej and ITC from consumer goods.

“In the West, design plays an integral role in improving the quality of life,” says Atul Punj, chairman of Punj Lloyd. “In India it must have relevance for the masses.” His company chose to support the forum to “help shape design aspirations” in everyday life. He mentions the importance of sustainability in cities, "with contemporary design in public utilities, buildings and infrastructure”. Mr Punj's affirmation of the need for better infrastructure is significant, not only because he represents a big construction firm, but also because of the unauthorised and uncontrolled expansion of most Indian cities, frequently with poor-quality construction.

“Global brands use design companies in places like Paris and New York that often involve Indian craftsmen and designs, so why isn’t India doing it itself?” asks Ms Pathy. The problem, she says, is that there is “no design thinking” in India, in part because the education system is too structured to allow for much creativity. A National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, produces a few dozen design graduates, but that is a tiny pocket of excellence.

 

Yet India has the brains and the massive human potential to bridge these gaps, as Mike Knowles, a British furniture designer and dean of the Delhi-based Sushant School of Design, has discovered. "One major advantage India has over other nations is the dynamic qualities of students who quickly grasp the fundamentals of great design," he says.

"If India does not establish some brands soon, it will be too late since all the imports will just take over the country,” says Karim Rashid. “It was a shame that the hotel I stayed at in New Delhi had Italian lighting, Italian furniture, German sinks, German faucets, French products,” he adds.

Auspiciously, the forum’s 700 delegates were noticeably younger than those who gather at most Delhi conferences, and included 100 students. India is now emerging into a new consumer society where the drab products, poor quality and inefficiencies of its pre-1991 controlled economy are becoming less acceptable. Ms Pathy plans to host a second forum at the same time next year.

Some point to a parallel with the dawn of design in Britain. By the end of the 1950s, Brits enjoyed a prosperity that allowed them to grow out of the bleak environments wrought by the second world war. A nascent appreciation for design finally blossomed in the early 1980s, when the field became an accepted profession. India still has a way to go, says Mr Knowles, given the lack of design education in the country. “Most young people with design skills would rather call themselves artists because that’s where the money and glory is”.

Sources:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/03/india-design-forum?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/designwithinreach

Fashion News: Dick Van Dyke weds his makeup artist

Dick Van Dyke, 86, got married on Feb. 29 -- Leap Day -- to his makeup artist of the last six years, Arlene Silver, who is 40.
 [E! Online] [People]

Savile Row tailors are horrified at the prospect of a planned Abercrombie & Fitch children's store coming to their street, which is synonymous with the finest bespoke clothing. "I don't think anyone objects to moving forward, but a chain store selling crappy clothes to ghastly people isn't really the direction in which we should be traveling," as one put it.
 [Guardian]

Another Briton calling it as he sees it is Piers Morgan, quoted in the Mirror with his opinion of supermodel Kate Moss. The two don't like each other at all, and Morgan says Moss has been known to kick him in the shins repeatedly if they run into each other. "She's just a vile little creature," he said.
[Mirror]

Halle Berry's engagement ring from fiance Olivier Martinez is described as a one-of-a-kind piece featuring a 4-carat emerald and two diamonds in a yellow gold setting. It was designed by Paris jeweler Robert Mazlo.
 [People]

Los Angeles Fashion Week got underway with not one but two unofficial opening events.
 [Los Angeles Times] 

"Diana Vreeland After Diana Vreeland," an exhibition that opened over the weekend in Venice, Italy and will run through June 25, is the first major show dedicated to the late legendary Vogue editor.
[WWD]

European model Marina Asenova is suing her modeling agency, MC2 Models, contending that her photos have been used on bottles of Coty hair-care products for years without her knowledge -- and without compensation. 
[New York Post]

Jimmy Choo announced a new shoe style named for fashionable nonagenarian Iris Apfel.
 [Telegraph] 

Conde Nast reportedly has overhauled its internship program to ensure that the positions are in compliance with labor laws. This comes after Hearst Corp. was sued by an unpaid intern and after ongoing concerns about internship practices in the fashion publishing industry. 
[Fashionista]

Gloria Sachs, a fashion designer and former model who is credited with spotting short pants on the island of Capri while on her honeymoon in 1953, bringing the style to the U.S. and christening them "capris," died Monday at age 85.
 [The Cut]

Posted By Muhammad Basharat

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2012/03/los-angeles-concept-fashion-week.html

Taylor Swift Celebrity Hairstyle 2011

Taylor Swift has naturally curly hair, which can be a challenge to style. In the following photos, you’ll see how she wears her hair down and super curly, how she sometimes hits the red carpet in more formal updo’s. She has great thick hair that allows her to wear it in a huge variety of hairstyles, from straight to curly.

Gallery

Reference:

http://kif-fashion.blogspot.com/2011/02/taylor-swift-celebrity-hairstyle-2011.html

http://www.google.com.pk/search?q=aylor-swift-celebrity-hairstyle-2011&hl=en&gbv=2&um=1&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&oq=aylor-swift-celebrity-hairstyle-2011&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=12&gs_upl=0l0l0l10319l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0

Simple Dark Nail Art Ideas

Simple Dark Nail Art Ideas

Are you more impressed by the subtle and more darker nail polish shades. Then why not experiment with these simple dark nail art ideas that would turn your manicure into a real work of art. Choose the most popular patterns and prints as well as hues if you wish to take nail painting to the next level and polish your creative skills

Goth and Emo chic inspired nail designs are extremely popular among those who wish to sport a more eerie and mysterious manicure. Those who long for an instant eye-popping effect should definitely arm up their nail polish collection with classy black as well as other profound and dark tones. If you're in need of some creative ideas to test your skills check out these simple dark nail art ideas. These would provide you with the most voguish options to decorate your nails. Pair the right nail art to your outfits and Rock chic look to stay true to your unique clothing style.

Dots and stripes as well as checks and floral designs are some of the easiest patterns to try your hand at. These won't require special skills, all you need is a high quality manicure kit with the best applicators as well as nail polish shades. Those who are fond of black as one of the timeless hues both in fashion and manicure should use it as the base tone to pull off a chic and up-to-the-minute nail design. Take a closer look at the examples above and make sure you team your creativity with one of these blueprints of an ace manicure.

Dark grey, red as well as black are some of the hip nail colors of the season. Though Halloween is far behind it's still worth taking a glimpse at these scary nail designs decorated with skulls and cat eyes as well as Goth-style lace to update your mani to the newest nail painting tendencies. In order to achieve a similar fab effect make sure you use high quality products and properly prepare the canvas for the spotless application of the nail varnish. Start your manicure session with the most simple designs then proceed towards the more complex and difficult patterns.