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(style.com)
Featured are some of my favorites from Devi Kroell’s Pre-fall collection. I love the softly draped dresses, clean lines and bold color and detailed silhouettes. She certainly has command of her designs and is taking her brand to the next level.
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Nine isn’t the first film inspired by 8½: Woody Allen got there first, with Stardust Memories. Charlotte Rampling was the legendary beauty in that movie. Nine, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago), recruits a whole team. Kate Hudson! Nicole Kidman! Marion Cotillard! Sophia Loren! And Penélope Cruz, left, an actress whom Fellini, were he alive, would no doubt have loved, just as Pedro Almodóvar does.
8½ is a study of, among other things, the power of a muse. In this film, the muse is Claudia Cardinale—kittenish, concupiscent, and, in the film’s own words, “child, yet already a woman, authentic and radiant.”
A candid Cardinale, circa 1960.
An altogether different kind of beauty shows up in 8½ when Anouk Aimée appears onscreen. Aimée—who also starred in La Dolce Vita—brings her aristocratic cheekbones and astringent intelligence to the part of the director’s semi-estranged wife. (Marion Cotillard steps into the part in Nine.)
Aimée, ready for her close-up, 1969.
Blond, buxom, Swedish: Anita Ekberg was the ultimate fantasy sexpot. The image of her romping in Rome’s Trevi fountain in La Dolce Vita is one of cinema’s most indelible. (That film also bequeathed the word paparazzi to the culture: The wild-child movie star played by Ekberg is hounded by a tabloid photographer named Paparazzo.)
Ekberg, off duty, in 1951.
Giulietta Masina’s performance as a guileless circus performer in La Strada earned her the nickname “the female Chaplin.” La Strada won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, as did Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria, where Masina played against her waifishness as a spunky, streetwise prostitute. They married in 1943. The director dedicated his last Academy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, to her, and died the day after their 50th anniversary. Masina passed away a mere five months later.
Masina in Paris, 1956.
(Vogue)
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Laid-Back
The Toronto-based actress is the antithesis of Hollywood high maintenance. Her life: a low-key mix of Kundalini yoga, long walks, and the occasional knife-skills class. Dior lace top.
Photo: Mario Testino
Cheery Red
“She cares about the craft, not the parties and fancy clothes,” says Sherlock Holmes coproducer Joel Silver. Dior belted organza-and-satin dress with built-in bra. Cartier white gold-and-diamond earrings.
Photo: Mario Testino
What the Girl Wants
Her material desires are minimal, and her extracurriculars are mostly eco-minded. Dolce & Gabbana floral silk-and-nylon bodysuit and pencil skirt. De Beers diamond earrings. Christian Louboutin heels.
Photo: Mario Testino
She is absolutely gorgeous……..red is definitely her color.
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Tamara Mellon, designer
I will be spending Christmas in St Barths with my daughter, Minty, and some close friends.
My wow-factor frock is any dress by Alexander Wang (£855, Harvey Nichols, 020 7235 5000) will be perfect for holiday parties.
My dancing shoes are Jimmy Choo’s glamorous glitter Private shoes (£550, Jimmy Choo, 020 7823 1051).
My party accessory is the animal-print Conti bag (£995, 020 7823 1051) from my new collection.
My luxe lounging essentials are cashmere tracksuit bottoms by Juicy Couture (£92, net-a-porter.com).
My favourite winter beauty treat is Rebecca Körner Loaded The Anti-Ager Moisturiser (£120, 020 7229 2700) at night to replenish my skin after nights out.
On my party playlist Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga (£8.98, amazon.co.uk) – they put me in the party mood.
I will be catching up on time with my daughter and friends – and some rest.
My foolproof Christmas shopping destinations are gift-library.com always stocks great things – I’ve bought personalised bathrobes and towels as gifts; Hamleys is a one-stop shop for children – I’ll be buying from the Hannah Montana range for my daughter this Christmas; and Alfies Antiques Market for one-off items (Fifties Beswick cup and tray, £38, from Beth at Alfies Antiques Market, 020 7723 6066).
Anya Hindmarch, handbag designer
I will be spending Christmas on the beach.
My wow-factor frock is a mad, old vintage kaftan (£355, By Malene Birger, net-a-porter.com).
My dancing shoes are Seventies’ wedges (£263, cleob.com).
My party accessory is the sparkly Valorie clutch (£250, 020 7730 0961) from my cruise collection.
My luxe lounging essentials are oversized men’s shirts (£95, b Store, mywardrobe.com).
My favourite winter beauty treats are anything from Sisley (Soir de Lune Limited Edition Set, £165, 020 7591 6380), or Crème de la Mer moisturiser.
On my party playlist Christmas carols from King’s College, Cambridge.
I will be catching up on books, exercise and sleep.
My foolproof Christmas shopping destinations are amazon.co.uk for last-minute shopping, and abebooks.co.uk for that something special.
Betty Jackson, designer
I will be spending Christmas in London, for the first time in two years, so we’re looking forward to it.
My wow-factor frock is a velvet day dress (£350, 020 7589 7884) from my winter collection, or possibly the one-shoulder dress in black taffeta – you can change the look by putting a black body under it.
My dancing shoes are kitten heels (£550, Christian Louboutin, net-a-porter.com). They’re the new chic height for shoes – and you won’t have to reach for the ballet pumps at the end of the evening.
My party accessories are anything that sparkles, such as a great big necklace (£121.67, Linda and Kim Renk, intermixonline.com) or huge earrings (£450, Carla Shanks, kabiri.co.uk).
My luxe lounging essentials are I’ll be lighting a candle and sinking into a fragrant bath to re-energise.
My favourite winter beauty treats are long, warm baths and a manicure – nails seem to require more attention in the cold weather.
On my party playlist all of those cheesy Phil Spector classics, plus anything by Florence and the Machine (£6.98, amazon.co.uk).
I will be catching up on quality time with my children.
My foolproof Christmas shopping destinations are Wild at Heart is filled with beautiful cushions (£195, Pimlico Road, London SW1, 020 7229 1174), and Donlon Books is a brilliant shop for unusual art books (Cambridge Heath Road, London E2, 020 8980 4859).
Yasmin Le Bon, model and designer
I will be spending Christmas in the exotic climes of Putney.
My wow-factor frock is a long, red Studio 54-inspired gown (£120, YLB for Wallis, 0845 121 4520) from my collection for Wallis.
My dancing shoes is an old pair of Manolo Blahnik mules that have huge drop pearls on them. I’ve never worn them out as they’re so decadent, but Christmas is perfect.
My luxe lounging essentials are vintage silk nightwear from the Thirties (£19.99, Sonia Ryiel for H&M, 020 7323 2211).
My favourite winter beauty treats are E Coudray Perfumed Dry Body Oil (£45, 020 7734 8040), Avon Anew Reversalist Serum for the face, and a glass of champagne.
On my party playlist Bing Crosby, The Cure (£8.18, amazon.co.uk), Stevie Wonder, Duran Duran and T Rex.
I will be catching up on Gossip Girl (£13.98, amazon.co.uk).
Laura Bailey, model
I will be spending Christmas in London with friends and family.
My wow-factor frock is Stella McCartney’s beautiful lace dress (£1,135, Matches, 020 7221 0255).
My dancing shoes are Charlotte Olympia’s black platform wedges (£493, Harvey Nichols, 020 7235 5000). I love that they make me 6ft tall!
My party accessories are jewellery by Lara Bohinc (£500, 020 7730 8194), Stella McCartney’s satin clutch and I’ve long lusted after a Stephen Jones trilby.
My luxe lounging essentials are Temperley London’s zebra-print playsuit (£420, 020 7229 7957), super-soft skinny tees by American Vintage (£45, mywardrobe.com) and oversized scarves by Wool and the Gang (£120, net-a-porter.com).
My favourite winter beauty treats are a facial by Una Brennan (020 7313 9835), Realhair Masque, Cowshed Salt Scrub (£39, cowshedonline.com) and Chanel’s Beige perfume ( £160, 020 7493 3836).
On my party playlist Leona Naess, Nick Cave and Roald Dahl stories for car journeys.
I will be catching up on reading and Pixar films.
My foolproof Christmas shopping destinations are Couverture for its original selection of childrenswear (cashmere bunny hat, cardi and mittens set, from £109, Kensington Park Road, London W11, 020 7229 2178), toys, books and one-of-a-kind vintage treasures – I recently bought a green leather antique cake-stand for a friend; Atlam on Portobello Road for trinkets; and Honeyjam for children’s stocking fillers.
Laura Bailey is an ambassador for fairtrade.org.uk (Daily Telegraph U.K.)
I like Tamara Mellon and Betty Jackson’s choices.
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Skull puzzle £19.95, Horsfall and Wright (horsfallandwright.co.uk)
Tom Ford Private Blend atomiser £155 (harrods.com)
iPod hoodie £9.99, Pussy Home Boutique (pussyhomeboutique.co.uk)
Playlister voucher: One-on-one music playlist consultation, £150 (playlister.fm)
Neon Red Pro Powerball – a pocket-size workout, £17.99 (play.com)
Close Shave soap £5.20 (nealsyardremedies.com)
Doctor Who T-shirt £11.99 (play.com).
Charity playing cards Limited-edition pack decorated by artists and designers including David Bailey and Alber Elbaz to support the homeless charity Shelter, £70 (shelter.org.uk/shop)
Salt and Pepper Bots £20 per pair, Marc Owens (suck.uk.com)
Muck Truck desktop vacuum cleaner £4.98 (lakeland.co.uk) (Daily Telegraph U.K.)
Cool stuff!
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Log onto www.launchinfashion.com and upload your Designs now!
We know how hard it is to break into the fashion industry. Funding, mass manufacturing, press and stockists are often impossible to find. This is why Launch Initiative offers a variety of opportunities for designers at different stages in their career.
Whether you are just starting out and looking for a way into the fashion industry, or you have an established label, looking for an outlet or agent to get your stuff in the stores, Launch Initiative has a way to help.
Launch Initiative aims to nurture and assist Fashion Designers in any way they can. Through our Designer Membership we are not only opening up, but we are breaking down the door for you to achieve in the illustrious world of fashion.
Designer Membership
A Designer Membership allows new or established designers, to enter our bi-monthly design briefs. This allows them to submit their designs, to be critiqued by a changing panel of judges. These judges are growing to include potential stockists and expert designers. The winning designs are then manufactured and distributed for sale to top retail outlets, complete with the designers name on the label and a swing tag all about your label. Not only does this give the designers maximum exposure, and gets their name out in the industry, it also gives designers who are struggling with funding a head start in the industry.
?The designer remains in complete control of their design and receives a 10% royalty from the sale of their product – just like a professional. Designer Members can submit as many designs and can seek expert advice from the Launch Initiative design team before and after submitting their designs, giving maximum feedback to each designer to increase their chances of winning. ??
As well as this Launch Initiative also provides our Designer Members will access to our Webinar Series, Designers Boutique, our Mass Manufacturing facilities, and the Platinum Program.
Webinar Series
Run by two business coaches from Quantum Compass, this series guides fledging designers through the business process of starting a label and making the most of their fashion career. The business coach’s will conduct a once-a-month interactive Webinar, where members can ask questions and get immediate feedback. The series is also designed to help designers create a network for themselves and meet others in the industry.
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Designers Boutique
The Designers Boutique is an ‘Online Store’ for Designers and established labels. Launch Initiative is opening it up to any designer members who want an outlet to sell their label.
Launch Initiative has anticipated that the Designer Boutique will help to cut out the fees that are often associated with starting an online presence, and to assist Designers in gauging maximum exposure for their label.
As well as gaining an online presence, our fashion agents regularly search the boutique for new designers to represent throughout the world. Our agents are always glad to receive look books from our designer members, and offer feed back, if not representation.
This is an exclusive offer to Designer Members ONLY. Unfortunately, we cannot view collections from any other members as we get overloaded with responses. Our Designer Members are priority at Launch and our agents are always happy to check out what you have on offer.
Mass Manufacturing
Launch Initiative has now opened an outlet to assist mass- manufacturing for new and established fashion labels.
Even the team at Launch initially struggled to find outlets in the industry to have clothing mass produced at reasonable rates when they started. But have since built strong relationships with manufacturers both in Australia and overseas.
Knowing how hard it is for a designer to find the right fabrics, pattern makers, samplist, and manufactures for their designs was the leading factor to opening this new area.
When you are ready to venture into larger orders simply bring or end your designs/samples to us, and we will handle the rest, from giving you fabric options, and custom printing fabrics, to final production, the Launch Initiative production team will ensure that you achieve the best possible quality for the best possible price.
Platinum Program
The Launch Initiative Platinum Program is an incredible opportunity for a very select few designers. The platinum program gives the top aspiring designers the opportunity to work within the Launch Initiative office, being given their own office space and all our resources to produce their own label. This program is aimed at nurturing aspiring designers, through the highs and lows of starting a label.
The Platinum Program is an invitation only program, which is based on;
- Designer Member activity
- Quality and response from submitted designs
- and Your Boutique Garments for sale
There are no catches and no deep, dark holes to fall in to. Launch Initiative is simply here to collaborate with aspiring designers, and to bridge the gap between what the consumers what, and what the designers design.
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For the past few seasons, hardware embellishments have clearly been huge trends; we’ve seen studs, chains, grommets and rhinestones. But, lately, a different type of hardware trend has surfaced and has upped the ante; I’m talking about needles and spikes. As I’m all about anything black, tight, leather, shiny and daring, this trend has me intrigued.
More dangerous than pyramid studs, that’s part of the appeal. Rock and Republic featured a spiked dress, which Kristen Stewart wore to the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, in its recent campaign, and Ioannis Dimitrousis played with the hybrid of hard and soft via the knitted, body-con dress-dripping-with-needles he sent down the runway at London Fashion Week. In addition, Cheryl Cole stirred up a fashion frenzy when she wore a studded and spiked Agent Provocateur corset in a music video; the corset comes from their new couture “Soiree” collection and retails for $4,900. Feel a little adventurous? Feast your eyes on this killer clutch by Corto Moltedo and Tom Binns. Obviously, dangerous beauty is the name of the game.
Aside from spikes and needles, the hardware trends of safety pins and staples have surfaced. For the DIY-inclined, try combining these 14k gold staples from Studio OOOMS with influence from Viktor & Rolf ‘s FW08 collection.
Not convinced office supplies belong in your closet? Then consider Tom Binns’ safety pin and pearl necklace, or Moschino’s of-the-moment safety pin dress.
For complete photos, visit Corridor40
http://www.corridor40.com/2009/12/fashion/on-trend/the-needle-and-the-damage-done
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1. Duncan Quinn 2. Duncan Quinn 3. Minox digital spy camera 4. Hackett folding sunglasses 5. Loro Piana cashmere sweaters 6. Bill Amberg weekender 7. Loro Piana cashmere slippers 8. Loro Piana 9. Mecchaniche Veloci 10. Castaner 11. It’s about time cuff links 12. Grahame Fowler Lambretta scooters 13. Nancy gonzalez Loro Piana long wallet (vivre.com)
During this posting, Cary Grant and others from the “dapper set” came to mind.
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If the Kaleidoscope Tote failed to meet your glam quotient, the Small Glamorous Tote from Valentino will surely live up to your expectations. A stylish accessory for every fashion conscious lady, this tote is sure to be the envy of many. The handcrafted black shiny nappa leather, paillette-covered tote sparkles with Swarovski crystals, jet bead embellishments and intricate hand-embroidered flowers. The stylish Tote features two black leather top handles, a detachable shoulder strap, black satin lining, magnetic fastening at top and a zipped internal pocket. Team this bag up with a beautiful sundress and you are sure to make head turns. Glamorous, stylish and extremely amazing, this tote is a must have for every fashionista.
The Small Glamorous Tote measures 12″ / 31cm in width, 9″ / 23cm in height and 4″ / 11cm in depth. Priced at £$2,795 ($4,500). (Luxury Launches)
I love it!
