Top 10 African Fashion Moments

Author and stylist and editor of African lifestyle magazine ARISE, Helen Jennings, has just published a brilliant and brilliantly hefty coffee table book about African-inspired fashion called New African Fashion. We wanted to know more, so she kindly outlined her 10 most seismic moments in African and African-inspired fashion! 

The textiles, landscapes and colours of Africa have been pillaged by international fashion for decades. But in the past few years a new generation of African and diaspora designers have been showing the world how African fashion is really done. Lets go back in time and look at the best moments yet! — Find out more here

Japan’s F/W ‘Glowing Fashions’ …!

Taiwanese couturier Johan Ku managed to make his clothes shine – literally – by making them out of material that glows in the dark. Ku’s spring/summer 2012 collection, which he named ‘The Two Faces,’ features dresses which shine brightly, in greens and blues, in the dark. Ku mixed artificial fiber with natural materials like linen and bamboo fiber for this collection. Some were woven into the luminous dresses and some made it into the Grey Label ready-to-wear series.

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Bette Midler’s Auction for charity

The Divine Miss M – Bette Midler – is auctioning off her personal collection of costumes for charity. The auction will feature some of Ms. Midler’s most iconic and instantly recognizable looks, including her famous mermaid costume, stage costumes designed by Bob Mackie, designer dresses from Valentino, costumes from her films, spectacular stage sets, sketches, art, jewelry, and items from her personal collection. Highlights from the auction, being organised by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, include he – Julien’s Auctions/Splash NewsBette Midler is auctioning off her personal collection of costumes for charity.

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Costume Designer Arianne Phillips discusses ‘Wallis Simpson’

‘W.E.’ costume designer Arianne Phillips reveals how she recreated Mrs Simpson’s famously lavish taste in fashion for Madonna. Wallis Simpson was “That Woman”: a strikingly glamorous and impeccably dressed American adventuress whose attempts to infiltrate English society sparked suspicion, snobbery, ridicule and – ultimately – ostracism. So even a cod psychologist could venture a guess as to what first attracted Madonna to the idea of directing a film about her. For while Madonna might not have prompted a king to abdicate, and the Duchess of Windsor never donned a conical bra and simulated intimate acts on stage with a backing dancer, the two women have a fair bit in common. – - Read more  …here — story by Luke Leitch © Telegraph.co.uk

Lisbon Design Fashion Museum

The building was designed by the architect Cristino da Silva (initiated in 1952) and was characterized by a ground floor, entirely dedicated to client service with a strong urban relationship to the streets surrounding the building and, most importantly, an atmosphere distinguished by the solid nature of the materials used and the sophistication of the construction undertaken. - – more Read

Toronto’s LG Fashion Week

Toronto, ON – This season, the LG Fashion Week Beauty by L‟Oréal Paris calendar is CanadaCool. October 17th – 21st will see two custom presentation spaces and a chock-full calendar of Canada‟s most established and most promising fashion designers. The Spring 2012 shows are under the tents, but certainly not under the radar. – - more

Donatella Versace into snakeskin!

One of the coolest (and coldest blooded) trends to have slipped off the Autumn Winter runways was coloured snakeskin. Now queen of fashion, Donatella Versace, has gone for a controversial matchy-matchy accessories look by pairing her jacket to her holdall on a recent flight. To help water-proof our theory, here’s Anna Wintour in a bottle green snakeskin mac, making her way to the Burberry show at London Fashion Week. It’s all the rage this autumn. Chloe provided everything a girl could wish for in snakeskin – from floaty, snakeskin printed chiffon maxidresses to slinky rock n roll snakeskin blouses. Then, chez Gucci, snakeskin came in rich jewel colours, mainly in the form of outerwear like belted trenches and bikers. Then there was the super-feminine collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli at Valentino which was complemented by coloured python handbags and snakey knee-length boots. Continue reading →

Rise of the Asian models

Asian Fashion Supermodel on International Runways

From the top designer shows in New York to ads for the all-American brand J. Crew, a new group of supermodels is taking center stage. Move over, Heidi, Gisele and Naomi, and make way for Du Juan, Shu Pei and rising star Liu Wen. (A wave that started a few years ago when we saw the color line breaking in modeling and fashion.) Lui Wen was a ubiquitous presence at New York Fashion Week this fall and was the most-booked model of color at this year’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She was the first Chinese model to walk a Victoria’s Secret runway show, which is usually dominated by blond bombshells. - - Read more:

Tokyo Fashion Week 2011 S/S

The 11th edition of Tokyo Fashion Week – officially called “Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo” (JFW) – has begun. The JFW 2011 Spring/Summer Collection runs from October 15 – 24, 2010. This season’s incarnation of JFW feels a little different than previous Tokyo Fashion Weeks. While there are still more than 35 brands taking part in the official JFW shows, more designers than usual are holding non-sanctioned runway shows, exhibitions, parties and other events. This mix of official and unofficial events is helping to create a little bit of mayhem, making for a more vibrant and unpredictable Fashion Week – something we applaud. - - more on this HERE