A Style Blog for Tots: Has Fashion Gone Too Far?

Fashion blogging has gone from the streets to the cribs, thanks to fashion designer Jenni Kayne and celeb-stylist Estee Stanley.

Best friends and mothers, Kayne and Stanley created the Ladys & Gents kids' fashion blog in December as a way to display fun looks their children and other children wore.

"Estee and I love shopping for our little ones and dressing them in cute outfits. We found ourselves sending one another pictures of the kids and what they were wearing," Kayne said in a statement.
The purpose of the blog is to bring joy to moms everywhere.

"We decided it would be really fun to create a blog - something for us moms to appreciate now and hopefully inspire other moms when it comes to kids' fashion," said Kayne.

Ladys and Gents isn't the first kid's fashion blog, other blogs like The Tiny Times and Petit Vogue are increasing in popularity.

The clothing on Ladys & Gents isn't particularly over-the-top expensive, unlike those seen on mini-celebs like Suri Cruise, who's been spotted wearing $300 shoes and carrying an $800 Salvatore Ferragamo bag.
Anyone can submit photos of her child along with a list of brands they're wearing. The clothing showcased includes mass brands like Target all the way up to high-end looks from Stella McCartney.

Who Will Be the Next Suri Cruise?
Dr. Alan Kazdin, professor of psychology at Yale University, brings up the point that women are featured predominantly in fashion blogs over men, and the same is true for Ladys & Gents.

"Yes, there's a deep concern here. Any woman should be concerned about this because it's not another job passed for woman, it's not a way to get to the top, this is all about you and your body," said Kazdin. "I would rather see the same thing, those same pictures with those girls standing by calculators."

Not surprisingly, those in the fashion world are less critical, contending that fashion and fashion blogging are a form of creativity and self-expression. Designers look to street style, now captured by bloggers like the Sartorlialist's Scott Schuman, for inspiration for a new line.

Kayne's other blog, Rip + Tan, also includes kid fashion. Rip + Tan chronicles the designer's musings, including her love of Stella McCartney rain gear, Hunter boots and cute winter weather looks for a family ski trip.

This isn't the first time stylish tots have taken the internet by storm. Celeb stylist June Ambrose also brought her daughter, Summer Chamblin, to the fashion week tents. Chamblin has an Instagram account and chronicles her favorite outfits and inspiration.

Designer Alexander Wang's niece, Aila Wang, stole the show at New York Fashion Week in September, when she showed up at his show in a custom-made dress, Nike shoes and a Chanel bag.

Nolcha Fashion Week: New York Announces Official Presenting Sponsor: RUSK

Nolcha Fashion Week: New York is excited to announce the return of RUSK as its presenting sponsor for February Fashion Week this season, which runs February 11th-14th, 2013.

After working together for the first time in September, the two companies—RUSK and Nolcha—have discovered just how well their joint emphasis on innovative design and a fresh approach to their respective industries has blended.

Last season, Forbes Magazine called Nolcha a "hot incubator of new fashion design talent," and this season, Nolcha and RUSK are eager to introduce more emerging fashion brands together.

"We're ecstatic to have RUSK on board as our presenting sponsor again this season," says Kerry Bannigan, CEO of Nolcha. "Their vision really helps us to bring our designers' presentations to life."

The RUSK team, led by Artistic Director Gerard Caruso, will use the brand's high-performance hairstyling products and tools backstage to create runway looks in collaboration with the designers to showcase their inspiration.  Caruso will also create a signature RUSK look that will dominate the evening runway show, allowing the team to push the boundaries of creative expression through hair design.

"RUSK is thrilled to take part in Nolcha Fashion Week again! We have a passionate team of haircare artists that share the same values of creativity and individuality that Nolcha does," says Heather Simmons, Vice President of RUSK Marketing and Education. "We are so excited to return to Pier 59 for this truly inspired collaboration of the RUSK creative stylists and Nolcha's independent designers."

Fashion passion gets student a Nordstrom blog

She knows how to put an outfit together and searches out the latest trends and celebrities with chic tastes.

The sophomore at the Ellis School in Shadyside was rewarded for her fashion sense.

Ellis, 16, who lives in Edgewood, is one of three girls chosen nationwide as a blogger for Nordstrom BP Fashion Board. (BP is the name of Nordstrom‘s junior department.) The other girls are from North Carolina and California. Ellis blogs about everything from clothing to accessories to footwear for Nordstrom.

She is a member of the Nordstrom BP Fashion Board at Ross Park Mall. It is a group of high schoolers who meet monthly to discuss fashion. The board often discusses trends appealing to a teenage audience and evaluates the clothing in the store‘s junior department. They meet fashion insiders from Nordstrom, learn about the history of fashion and design and become brand ambassadors for the store‘s styles.

Members of the board are eligible to apply to be a blogger. They submit a portfolio of original writing about fashion designers who inspire them and images in homage to their favorite designers. Ellis‘ favorite designer and biggest inspiration is Alexander McQueen. She also likes designers Elie Saab and Oscar de la Renta and fashion photographers Scott Schuman, Boo George and Sebastian Kim.

As part of her application, Ellis submitted a sample blog post about school-uniform style.

“I think my unique viewpoint and experience with making uniforms personal appealed to the lead blogger and BP department head at the Seattle headquarters,” she says. “I also used my own pictures of my classmates to really illustrate my point. I think they like how personal I made it.”

Some topics she‘s blogged about recently include fashion icon Diana Vreeland, award-show fashion and watches.

“My favorite thing about blogging is definitely the journalism aspect of it,” Ellis says. “I love writing, and I, especially, love writing about fashion or my style icons.”

“Brittany is a great asset to our blogger team, and her take on trends and personal style really resonate with our blog audience,” says Sydney Schuit from the Nordstrom BP marketing team.

Ellis‘ posts go live Tuesdays and Fridays at blogs.nordstrom.com/bp.

“The blogging experience is wonderful,” she says. “It has been a great opportunity through a local store here to compete with other bloggers from across the country for this position. I value every minute of it.”

Ellis learned about the fashion board through classmate Alexandra Foster, 15. The two girls say the fashion board helps them learn about new styles.

“Fashion is about expressing your personality,” Foster says. “There is no set definition of what is fashionable. It is up to the individual to create her own style that she feels good about.”

The monthly fashion board meeting teaches about jobs with fashion photography, modeling, starting a fashion line, running a business, trends and style. They plans events, such as an annual fashion show.

“The BP Fashion Board is a fun opportunity for high-school students to learn the ins and outs of the retail industry and to network with people their age who are passionate about fashion and style,” Schuit says.

“I love being around others who love fashion,” says Anna Argentine, a senior at Mt. Lebanon who designs clothes. “I think fashion is art, and I use the body as my canvas versus a fabric canvas.”

The board includes members from public and private schools as well as cyber students and home-schoolers, like Dominique Seneca.

“Some of my friends look at me like I am speaking a different language when I talk about fashion,” Seneca says. “But here, everyone understands me. I know everyone has her unique style, but I love to see how others put outfits together. We learn from each other.”

Nordstrom employees often address the group. Recently, Linda Graswick, personal stylist manager for Nordstrom, divided those at the meeting into four groups and gave them 15 minutes to put together outfits for four outings: semi-formal, job/college interview, lunch with Grandma and first date.

“My favorite part of being on the board is the opportunity it gives me to make both personal and professional relationships,” Ellis says. “I have made new friends, but I have also had the chance to talk to people working in various industries in the fashion world — stylists, fellow bloggers, advertisers, etc. I think those connections are invaluable.”

Is fashion frivolous or fabulous?

Some have a dim view of fashion, but it's a powerful industry that is more than just the sum of its sweaters, writes ROSEMARY MAC CABE

In a time of economic turmoil, political unrest and fallen idols, it would be all too easy to suggest that fashion has lost what relevance it once had.

In fact, online commentators often turn to me when they are angry at the world. Haven’t I something better to write about? Does this “stuff” really warrant air time or column inches? How can I take myself seriously when writing about this most vacuous of topics?

But fashion is more than just the sum of its sweaters. As Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestley, the terrifying editrix in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, says to Anne Hathaway’s fashion sceptic: “You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select . . . that lumpy blue sweater because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back . . . but that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs . . . You’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”

It’s a point well made – but one chick flick isn’t enough to silence the dissenters, and fashion still comes up for an inordinate amount of criticism.

“Nobody questions whether the motor industry matters,” says Brendan Courtney of RTÉ’s Off the Rails and now fashion designer. “But because it’s about aesthetic and looks, people think it’s shallow.”

Courtney says the derision is worse in Ireland because our culture is particularly harsh when it comes to vanity. “We have a lot of stigmas stacked against us in fashion, because it’s based on appearance – and being vain, for Irish people, is the worst thing in the world. This conversation would never happen in Italy or Paris, where looking after yourself and how you look is celebrated.”

Laura Cunningham is fashion editor of Prudence magazine and also falls on the “fashion matters” side of the fence. “It matters as much as the design of a car matters,” she says. “Or as much as architecture matters. As human beings, we like to express ourselves, and fashion is just one of the art forms that allows us to do that.”

A sceptical approach

The designer Peter O’Brien is somewhat more sceptical about fashion’s importance – as an art form or as an industry. “I love clothes, and I know it’s a huge business and employs loads of people.

“But since shopping became the main pastime of the western world, fashion has become something ‘other’,” he says. “Everybody has a broad, if not particularly deep, knowledge of it now. There are nine million bloggers, seven billion magazines, the internet . . . there’s far too much stuff, and nobody needs it. The masses have become used to buying very, very cheap clothes, and very often, what’s called fashion isn’t.

“Fashion is a thousand different things, depending on whether you’re an editor who never wears anything but black, or a girl on Take Me Out who thinks she’s fashionable but Grace Coddington [the creative director of US Vogue] would think is grotesque.”

There are, of course, very few people who are exempt from an industry that, at the very lowest level, provides the clothes we wear, day in, day out – and Priestley was right: any decisions we make relating to those clothes are, whether we like it or not, related to fashion.

“Even people who say they have no interest in fashion like one pair of shoes over another,” says Cunningham. “And that’s a fashion choice.”

For Laura Cunningham, there is a certain democracy about clothing even if this doesn’t extend to the higher end of the industry. “If you think about guys in factories in China, truck drivers . . . everyone, at every age, every class, wears clothes – it’s a big business. I get it from maybe my parents’ generation, people who say, ‘oh, you’re a fashion editor’, as if it’s a joke of sorts, and sometimes I do think I’m writing about dresses and skirts while there are a lot more important things in life. But everyone has to get dressed in the morning.”

Brendan Courtney points out that another person’s idea of style might not be his, but that doesn’t make any of it, whatever your definition, irrelevant. “It employs millions of people; it affects how women feel about themselves. It’s an industry,” he says.

Even the people whose livelihoods are based around this same industry don’t see it as the be-all and end-all; they acknowledge, by and large, that it is art, creativity, entertainment and enjoyment, and should be viewed as such.

“I enjoy the frivolity of it,” says Courtney. “Sonya [Lennon, Courtney’s partner in design and on TV] once said, ‘That’s so Róisín Murphy’ about an outfit, and then someone made a T-shirt of it and The Republic of Telly made a whole skit on it.

“And it sounds foolish, but really it’s quite genius. What the rest of the world doesn’t get is that we know it’s foolish and funny; we’re in on the joke.”

Ultimately, fashion is a question of economics. It may be frivolous and fun and fabulous, but it’s also a living, breathing industry. And in Ireland, it’s an industry that has never been more important.

“The fashion industry in Ireland creates jobs and the design industry is just incredible,” says O’Brien.

“I was at Showcase [an Irish design expo at the RDS in Dublin] and it’s amazing to see so many up-and-coming designers and craftspeople who help our identity internationally as well. And Pamela Scott went into examinership the other day, with so many jobs at stake. It’s so important at the moment.

“If any industry is based on economics, fashion is. If it won’t sell, it won’t exist. If it’s for sale, somebody’s buying it.”

Fashion Faceoff: Eva Longoria vs. Jessica Alba

This ought to be good! Two brunette beauties who've each been known to rock a chic street style compete in casual sweaters for our latest fashion battle. In one corner, we have a former star of "Desperate Housewives," Eva Longoria, and in the other, film star and mom of two, Jessica Alba. Stiff competition, right?!

What they wore: An oatmeal-colored knit sweater from Stylestalker, with a loose fit and made to look like he has holes from wear.

When they wore it: Longoria sported her sweater at Los Angeles International Airport in August, while Alba opted for it in November while out and about in L.A.

How they styled it: The 37-year-old Longoria went with a summery style, adding white skinny jeans, shades, a fedora, and a neutral tote with a pop of color. When Alba sported the sweater, she bundled up in a gray scarf and Current/Elliott skinny jeans.

Judge's scorecard: Alba loses points for those busy pants. However, if anyone can pull them off, she can! Meanwhile, Longoria's look makes us want to lounge on a beach somewhere, although that doesn't necessarily mean she should win. What do you think?

Fashion Editor Calls Out Michelle Obama For Acting Like An 'Indulged Starlet'

A renowned fashion editor was not impressed with Michelle Obama's behavior leading up to the Inaugural Ball.

The first lady reportedly asked between 15 and 30 designers to submit looks before going with this red Jason Wu number, which was kept secret.

"Mrs. Obama isn’t an indulged starlet primping for the Oscars, nor should she behave like one,"  writes Bridget Foley,  executive editor of Women's Wear Daily . " Women everywhere have big events for which they select a single dress in advance of the moment."

Michelle Obama's behavior is high-maintenance compared with that of first ladies' past, such as Laura Bush, Foley wrote.

Foley speculates that Mrs. Obama liked the attention.

" But let’s say Mrs. Obama enjoyed the public guessing game; she must, or it wouldn’t have happened," Foley writes. "The rampant speculation should have been handled differently."

The First Lady's dress selection process was unkind to the fashion world, Foley said.

"At the very least, with five minutes of attention she could have cut the list to a couple of finalists," Foley writes.  "As it was, Mrs. Obama’s fashion team needlessly disappointed and possibly misled many hard-working people, some of whom hoped vainly for a much-needed commercial boost."

Rikers Island’s Most Popular Class: Fashion Theory

Rikers Island is a 413-acre spot of land in the East River, home to the eponymous and notoriously violence-ridden prison complex where beatings are the most commonly noted form of expression. In 2004, a group of concerned friends formed the New York-based Prison Education Initiative (PEI), a nonprofit aimed at changing that reputation by offering meaningful education to incarcerated women. Though classes on law or hip hop at Riker’s Rose M. Singer Center drew respectable amounts of students (generally 6-20 per class), none have matched the success of the Fashion Theory course, which boasts a 30-inmate roster. It’s no college lecture hall, but PEI is betting that smallest stitches of discussion can promote creativity and identity.

Chyiome handbag designer and Project Runway alum Anna Lynett Moss teaches the class, which tackles cultural identity and design process by narrowing in on provocative style and design approaches. “People with creative training are in a unique position to envision innovative alternatives to some of our deepest social problems,” she explained to Of a Kind. The designer and humanitarian—she is developing a socially—conscious accessories line with the UN–chooses talking points that range from fashion shows to magazine spreads to educate and enlighten.

Moss poked at cultural roots of design to develop the kind of creative training she feels is most effective. During one class, she examined the influence of Ghanaian wax printing on Burberry Prorsum’s Resort 2012 collection to help her students make sense of their traditions and heritage.

For another class, Moss challenged the inmates to interpret why The Row showed their Fall 2012 collection on exclusively Caucasian models. “What does it mean for my students of color not to see many icons of beauty who mirror their image?” she stated as the basis for the discussion. “Many of my students claimed they felt alienated by conventions they see in fashion advertising and on the runway.”

Edward Burtynsky‘s portfolio of  surreal industrial landscapes prompted a broader look at sweatshops and mass-produced, lower-priced clothing, Moss explained to Of a Kind. “This image stood out as a reminder of what kind of conditions must exist for communities in developing nations so that we can buy sweaters for $7 from fast-fashion retailers. A new sweater shouldn’t be $7. Many of my students said they prefer purchasing clothes second-hand, which is a smart alternative.”

She selected images of Maasai women on their wedding days from the November 1999 edition of National Geographic to illustrate cultural notions of beauty. ”It didn’t seem as if many of my students had conceptualized their personal standards of beauty in a larger context, so our conversation was very rich,” Moss said.

Moss’ diverse approach has visibly generated interest and participation. What remains to be seen is how well a prison sentence can incubate a creative spirit. The best indication is last year’s documentary “The World’s Most Fashionable Prison,” which showcased designer Puey Quinones mentoring prisoners competing for a chance to design pieces for a show on Project Bilibid Runway. Moss’ tutelage is more creative than competitive, but perhaps her caged wisdom can break through the same barriers.

Fashion, fillies and bubbles at polo open

Exclusive designer shows and a fabulous fashion lawn will put the focus on the BMW NZ Polo Open finals as the chic place to be this February.

For the first time in New Zealand polo’s 36 year history, the typically invite-only tournament will have some tickets available to the general public in a bid to increase national awareness of the sport.

Auckland Polo Club event director Amy Calway says February’s polo finals day will be the most glamorous day out this year and the club wants lots of people to get interested in the sport.

"In the past the polo has been ultra exclusive, but we want all New Zealanders to get into the game and to have more people experience the fun, interactive day out," says Calway.

A spotlight on style during the day will take place in the form of a fashion lawn showcasing designers such as Ted Baker, TK Store, Rodd & Gunn and Adrian Hailwood, and a fashion in the field competition.
Polo fashion director Lulu Wilcox says polo and fashion go hand in hand so it makes sense for style to take centre stage this year to attract more interest to the tournament.

"Style and sophistication, fashion and glamour have always been a part of a day at the polo so these new attractions fit perfectly, with the added bonus of appealing to a wider crowd," says Wilcox.
The fashion in the field celebrity judges, Colin Mathura-Jeffree, Owen Glenn, Aja Rock, Myken Stewart, Sophia Nash and Oliver Driver will be on the lookout for not just those dressed to impress but also for people in polo appropriate attire.

"There will be a prize for the best shoes for stomping the divots, so the judges will be looking for wedges and even glam sandals as opposed to high heels and skinny stilettos," says Wilcox. "Think Julia Roberts at the polo in Pretty Women."

Helicopter flights, an afternoon cruising on a super yacht and high value goodie bags are all up for grabs for those who make the right impression on the judges.

Alongside the polo, fashion shows and style-spotting there will be the hugely popular BMW vs polo pony vs jockey race, the opportunity for guests to test drive BMWs and a hair and make-up powder room to keep spectators looking polished all day.

Tickets and Corporate Packages are available to the public now through iTicket.co.nz.
The BMW NZ Polo Open is proudly supported by Veuve Clicquot, Bayleys, Rodd & Gunn, Vodafone, Heineken, Verifone and Mitavite.

First Family of Fashion Dresses for Inauguration

The first family of fashion showed up for President Barack Obama's second Inauguration in style.

The first lady's early morning outfit consists of a navy and black checkered Thom Browne coat. Under her overcoat, Michelle is wearing a dress by the same New York based designer and a cardigan by Reed Krakoff. She is accessorizing her outfit with a J. Crew belt and shoes, and a necklace by Cathy Waterman.

According to the White House after wearing the outfit for a service at St. John's Episcopal Church before the ceremonial swearing-in at noon today, the first's lady's outfit is expected to go to the National Archives.

See How the Obama Girls Have Grown Throughout the Years
The fashion bug must have bit the Obama daughters, too. Malia Obama is also wearing J. Crew, like her mother. And the younger, Sasha, is wearing a Kate Spade coat and dress.

Tune in to the ABC News.com Live page on Monday morning starting at 9:30 a.m. EST for all-day live streaming video coverage of Inauguration 2013: Barack Obama. Live coverage will also be available on the ABC News iPad App and mobile devices.

Chinese High-Fashion Womenswear Brand Invited to Who's Next Paris

As a high-fashion original designer brand in China, SUNFED has been invited to the Who's Next Paris fair this year. With its crossover collaboration with the well-known sculptor Gao Xiaowu, SUNFED will give a fashion show themed as "Moving Boundary". As the only Chinese high fashion brand to be invited, SUNFED will definitely act as a positive example of brand internationalization for the Chinese fashion world through its trip to Paris.

The Only Invited Chinese High-Fashion Womenswear Brand
Known as the trends lab of the international fashion scene, Who's Next is not only a professional exhibition for fashion designers to showcase their works, but also an important platform to reveal the next season's prevailing trends. The increasing proportion of emerging brands joining the exhibition shows the professional standards of Who's Next in exploring the rising stars. These emerging brands are also new sources of inspiration and procurement targets for global professional buyers. The honor of being the only invited Chinese high-fashion womenswear brand is another step for Sunfed after its design director Helene Zhou becoming the first Chinese jury member of an international fabric trends exhibition, which symbolizes a brand-new milestone of Chinese high-fashion brands entering the international stage.

Extracting Dunhuang Spirituality, Transforming the Fashion Landscape
At a time when global design is being "sinicized", SUNFED perfectly interprets the theme of this show - "Moving Boundary" - with contemporary art techniques in Paris. The head portrait of a traditional lady with oriental beauty made by renowned sculptor Gao Xiaowu brings out the demeanour and elegance of SUNFED's costumes.

SUNFED will present its 2013 Fall/Winter collection in the show, including the highlighted series of "Dunhuang" and "Dragon Robe". The "Dunhuang" series evolved out of the magnificent paintings in the Mogao Grottoes, inspiring the vivid colors of women's life by using bright-colored silk fabrics and specially stitched tailoring. The "Dragon Robe" series derives from the five traditional Chinese colors (black, white, red, yellow and green) extensively used in the daily wardrobes of crown princesses of the Qing dynasty, as well as the four patterns symbolizing auspiciousness (richness, dignity, longevity and happiness) which were commonly used by the Chinese royal family.

The Chinese name SUNFED is a transliteration, originating in the traditional Chinese Kunqu opera "Torn Down" ("Si Fan"), which was one of the last performances by Peking opera master Mei Lanfang. In the opera, a detached young lady yearns for the beautiful ordinary life and longs for the freedom of life and self-redemption. SUNFED is not simply a brand name. It is a symbol of the feminine culture, advocating the noble spirits of purity, perfection and dignity, proposing a bourgeois lifestyle and pursuing an elegant and noble realm of life.

Founded in 1997 as an original Chinese designer brand, SUNFED inspires the inner perception that "I am inherently a pretty woman" with its unique clothing style, distinct spiritual pursuit and cultural system, as well as extraordinary value communication. It is the dream of every female who pursues the perfect life.

SUNFED Design Director Helene Zhou
As the soul and style builder of the SUNFED brand, Helene Zhou has created a unique style of magnificent atmosphere. With rich experiences of studying abroad in Japan and Chambre syndicale de la couture Parisienne, as well as her "percipient hands", which can precisely tell the fabric's proportions, she became the first Chinese jury member of "the PV (Premiere Vision) jury of the World's Premier Fabric Show Trends Exhibition" in 2011. In 2012, Helene Zhou set up a design department in London. With her world-class capacities, she goes out of her way to observe and judge the fashion trends led by Chinese oriental elements and presents Chinese national characteristics on the international stage. Helene Zhou and SUNFED draw strength and absorb spirits from each other, while helping each other constantly go beyond themselves to create miracles.

Fashion designer John Galliano starts comeback -Vogue

Disgraced fashion designer John Galliano is making his return to the industry with a temporary residency at Oscar de la Renta's studio in New York, Vogue magazine reported on Friday.

The British designer, who was fired by Dior in 2011 after he was caught on camera making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe, will spend the next three weeks with de la Renta as he prepares for his forthcoming New York Fashion Week show, a report on vogue.co.uk said.

"John and I have known each other for many years and I am a great admirer of his talent," de la Renta was quoted by Vogue as saying.

Galliano's sudden departure from the star position at one of the multi-billion dollar global fashion world's most recognised labels shook the industry and left LVMH, Dior's owner and a leading international luxury goods conglomerate, without a creative leader at its top couture brand for months.

Dior's new lead designer, Raf Simons, presented his first ready-to-wear collection in Sept. 2012.
A French court handed out a 6,000-euro ($8,000) suspended fine to Galliano in 2011 after he was found guilty of anti-Semitic behaviour. Galliano said an addiction to drugs and drink had left him out of control.

"He has worked long and hard on his recovery and I am happy to give him the opportunity to reimmerse himself in the world of fashion and reacclimate in an environment where he has been so creative," de la Renta told Vogue.

Since his Dior dismissal, Galliano, 52, has designed British model Kate Moss's wedding dress and was mooted as the new creative director of the relaunched fashion label Schiaparelli in rumours that were quickly dismissed, Vogue reported.

Galliano is widely thought of as one of the most talented and creative names in fashion. His shows for his eponymous label and Dior were known for their drama and theatrical beauty.

"I am grateful to Oscar beyond words for inviting me to spend time with him in the familiar surroundings of a design studio," Galliano was quoted as saying by Vogue. "His support and faith in me is humbling."
Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said she was also "delighted" by the news.

"Oscar de la Renta is the king of uptown style and John Galliano the prince of romantic glamour, so it should be a magical match," she told Vogue. "I am delighted John's returning to fashion."

Tablet PCs, cheap fashion lift UK retailers

Trading updates from six major British retailers on Thursday demonstrated that the must-have gadget, cheap fashion and internet sales were key to overcoming an otherwise tough Christmas.

Consumer spending generates about two-thirds of Britain's gross domestic product, but job insecurity and a squeeze on incomes has put shoppers under pressure, which in turn has given retailers a rough ride, pushing music retailer HMV, camera store Jessops and DVD rental firm Blockbuster into administration over the last week.

But Thursday revealed a few bright spots, with Dixons Retail, Europe's second largest electricals retailer, selling five tablet PCs a second in the week before Christmas and beating analysts' forecasts with a 3 percent rise in group like-for-like sales.

"This Christmas everybody wanted a tablet," Chief Executive Sebastian James told reporters.

In the 12 weeks to January 5, Dixons' fiscal third quarter, the firm sold "well over 1 million" tablets, he said, with Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus the most popular lines.

Though gross margins fell, Dixons said it would meet year profit forecasts.
Argos owner Home Retail, which in October unveiled a plan to reposition its catalogue-led business to a mainly online operation, raised its year profit forecast, pushing its shares up 15 percent.

Argos, which also saw strong demand for tablets, posted better-than-expected third quarter like-for-like sales growth of 2.7 percent.

Shares in Home Retail are among those being heavily shorted, according to data published by Britain's Financial Services Authority, so some fund managers will be staring at hefty losses today.

CHEAP FASHION
While Marks & Spencer, Britain's biggest clothing retailer, posted a weak Christmas trading update last week, cheap online fashion retailer ASOS posted on Thursday another stellar trading performance over the Christmas period.

The company, which targets young women looking to emulate celebrity fashions on a budget and has even clothed U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, said UK sales climbed 34 percent year-on-year in December, while international sales jumped 47 percent.

A higher-than-expected 25 percent increase in sales at discount fashion retailer Primark also underpinned a 10 percent rise in group sales at owner Associated British Foods.

Bargain-hunting consumers also drove a 3.1 percent rise in third-quarter like-for-like sales at Booker, Britain's biggest cash-and-carry wholesaler.

But Mothercare, the baby and maternity products retailer, remained a laggard despite a change in management last year. Its UK like-for-like sales fell 5.9 percent in the third quarter and its shares fell 4 percent.
Official data for British retail sales will be published on Friday.

Kimora Lee Simmons Lays Down the (Fashion) Law in ‘House of Fab’

Kimora Lee Simmons has always had a passion for fashion — modeling for Karl Lagerfeld at 13, launching Baby Phat in 1999, sitting front-row at New York Fashion Week year after year — and now she’s laying all her cards on the table with her new Style network reality show, Kimora: House of Fab.

The series focuses on Simmons, of course, and her burgeoning, affordable online shopping destination justfab.com. There’s the usual reality show drama — cranky coworkers, tight deadlines and lots of “fabulosity” — with a heavy dose of fashion porn. Check out an exclusive clip of the series premiere below!

Kimora: House of Fab “gives a behind-the-scenes look at the growing business of fashion online and what it takes to interact with consumers and their tastes in real-time,” Simmons tells PEOPLE exclusively. “This series is about how tech, business and fashion converge.”

“Our viewer not only loves fashion, but she loves the business behind it,” Simmons continues. “I always want my shows to inform and inspire as well as entertain. It should feel like a crash course in design, management, business, tech.”

It’s amazing Simmons finds time to film the show — let alone run her brands — with three small children at home. But the mama mogul says it’s all about scheduling.

“I have a great staff that I appreciate, but the key thing to remember is that you’ll only do as well as your prioritization,” she explains. “Do what’s in front of you, remember what’s important and go from there.” Though she admits to having a packed schedule, “I never lose sight of the importance of being there for my kids and for my family,” she says.

So are her kids interested in the family business? Maybe. Daughters Ming and Aoki ”are blossoming into beautiful young women with their own interests, passions … and agendas,” Simmons says. “They have friends, school and volunteer work so I’m not sure that the show ranks so highly for them!”

But if they do take notice, Simmons will be there, watching with them. “I know they’re budding entrepreneurs, so I’m sure they’ll watch and have questions,” she shares. “And I’ll be there to answer them.”

Milan fashion: Conservative looks are in

The winter fashion statement coming out of Milan this time has been decidedly conservative.
Milan designers stuck to the classics in their menswear collections for next winter, presented during four days of previews that ended Tuesday, but sought to enhance the traditional with a focus on technology and details.

Radical fashion choices were definitely out.
Staples — suits, double-breasted and pinstriped, as well as coats — were the mainstays in any collection, coming in urban dark colors: anthracite, navy and slate gray.

Yellow as the stand-out color of the season but baby blue also saw more exposure, showing up even as a monochromatic overcoat.

Details reflected the winter season. Pockets were big and bold, as were some of the buttons or clasps. Men were challenged to try a little lace, on both their outer and underwear and male jewelry included lockets and amulets. In addition to ties, there were kerchiefs knotted neatly at the neck.

And the new fashion dilemma? Socks or no socks. Shoes were oversized and worn with skinny cropped pants.
Designers also experimented with technology to play with cashmere, leather and fur, enriching their looks. Sweaters had a starring role in that vein, notably big and bulky and often worn with shirts left deliberately untucked. Finer knits replaced shirts under jackets, will all this adding up to a boyish look.
The Missoni family went ahead with their preview show, to the admiration of the fashion world, despite the uncertain fate of CEO Vittorio Missoni, eldest son of the founders of the famed knitwear company. His plane went missing with five others on board off Venezuelan vacation islands on Jan. 4.

GIORGIO ARMANI
Next winter marks the "return of the classic suit." That's just what Giorgio Armani does best.
Fame came to the designer in the 1970s with his invention of the lining-less jacket. Shortly afterwards Armani became a fashion icon when he dressed Richard Gere for his role in the 1980 film "American Gigolo." Ever since, an Armani suit has been a must among the jet set.

The designer's latest collection included super-light single and double-breasted suits with tailored trousers. Suit jackets and pants may appear to be the same, but techno treatments mean the textures may be slightly different.

In the sportswear department, Armani offers structured leather coats and jackets using modern technology that recreates an age-old Italian tanning process. For the ski set — or anyone in a city blizzard — he provides a water-resistant hooded parka with a cozy fur lining.

Armani sticks to his urban color guns using black, warm grays and shades of brown. The surprise effect comes in the recurring flashes of ruby red, for pants, jackets or just a touch of bright detail.
DSQUARED2

Canadian designing twins Dean and Dan Caten of the DSquared2 label present their wears in a different runway setting each year. For next winter, the show theme was a 1940s jazz club complete with pretty girls and a trumpet-blowing, white-tuxedoed band.

The DSquared2 guy has just come home from the front and is looking for a good time. At first, he still sports his army private hat, crumpled military jacket, trim trousers and sturdy combat boots.
But he soon gets the swing of things, hitting the dance floor in a double-breasted wide-lapeled suit, accessorized by an exaggerated bowler hat and slick footwear. He now wears his pants low-slung, and his shirt tails stick out from under his fancy cashmere crew-neck sweater.

No matter what the current theme, DSquared2 is still all about jeans. This round they come loose and worn out, but also carefully pressed to match the classic camel hair coats and the luxurious Astrakhan furs featured in the show.

Colors for the new winter collection are mainly monochromatic: black, white, gold, red and green. Favorite accessories include waistcoats, suspenders, pocket watch chains and a tuxedo bib.

ANGELO GALASSO
Fashion designer Angelo Galasso says men are becoming increasingly more fashion-indulgent and vain but says designers must move with caution.

An Italian based in London, Galasso's strategy is to add fashion touches to already accepted styles, conquering male wariness one small step at a time.

"Men have a harder time accepting change," Galasso said at his Milan showroom during a presentation for Milan Fashion Week, which wrapped up Tuesday. "I work on a piece that has already been seen and accepted, and maybe add an unusual lining or different buttons."

Once Galasso sees those changes are accepted, he will tinker some more, a process he calls "tradition in evolution."

Galasso's collections are rooted in traditional styles, such as double-breasted suits and overcoats, and he typically combines British touches such as equestrian motifs with Italian flair and tailoring.

The latest collection mixes plaid, striped and checked patterns with velvet and shearling details and dandy bow ties. A plaid tuxedo jacket with velvet trim was worn over a classic V-neck sweater paired with a white shirt and a bow tie.

A rich royal blue suede jacket with gray shearling lining and cuffs was worn over a mix-matched plaid jacket and shirts. The combined looks were rich without being flashy.

Fashion Week, World Boutique Open for Business

Four-Day Hong Kong Fashion Fairs Attract more than 1,800 Exhibitors
Hong Kong, Jan 14, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - More than 1,800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions are taking part in the 44th HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter and the 11th HKTDC World Boutique, Hong Kong. The twin fashion fairs opened this morning and continue through 17 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Together, the two fairs welcome 115 buying missions from 43 countries and regions, representing more than 5,400 buyers from over 3,900 companies.

Product Spotlights
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, the largest event of its kind in Asia, and the world's second largest fashion fair, features two new product zones: Fashion Jewellery Feast, and Men in Style. Returning to the fair are Fashion Gallery, focused on high fashion from Hong Kong and overseas, Emporium de Mode, presenting distinctive garments in an elegant setting, the Garment Mart, offering mass merchandise, and such special product zones as Denim Arcade and Intimate & Swim Wear.

Five group pavilions - from the Chinese mainland, India, Macau, Pakistan (new this year) and Taiwan - are participating. The Hong Kong Fur Federation's "Designers Love Fur Collection 2013" is on display at the Hall 1C Concourse, and the Hong Kong Apparel Society is featuring fashion by Hong Kong fabric suppliers at the Fashion Fabrics Hub Display, Hall 1B Concourse.

Hot Picks Showcase
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter also offers a Small-Order Zone, featuring more than 1,000 products from some 200 suppliers. A "Hot Picks" showcase will allow buyers to try out products. The zone is located at the Expo Drive Entrance.

Global Fashion
The 11th edition of World Boutique, Hong Kong, is showcasing a record-high 559 brands, including Ashworth, b+ab, bread n butter, IKA BUTONI, Che Che New York, Episode, Jessica, KATIE JUDITH, Language, MARCCAIN, Mini Cream, Moiselle, Pashma, tout a coup and Ztampz. Peruvian designer Sumy Kujon is spotlighting her latest collection of baby alpaca blended with silk.

Industry associations with pavilions include the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, Japan's Kokusai Fashion Centre, the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, the Carpi Italia, the Taiwan Textile Federation and the Los Angeles Regional Export Council.

Fashion Extravaganza
World Boutique, Hong Kong, once again includes Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza. Tonight's event spotlights the latest collections of Paris' Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor designer duo, Beijing's Chi Zhang, London's Holly Fulton and Hong Kong's Johanna Ho. The gala presentation will also be broadcast live at Causeway Bay's Times Square, as part of "Hong Kong in Fashion." (The HKTDC will broadcast the show live as well, via the Google+ Hangouts On Air online.) The promotion, showcasing Hong Kong's role as a fashion hub and lifestyle trendsetter, continues through 23 January. The city-wide campaign includes the participation of local fashion retailers, restaurants, shopping malls and coffee shops.

Spotlight on Design
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers Contest gala evening, 15 January, will present four awards: Contemporary Day-wear, Party & Evening-Wear and Best Innovation, as well as an overall winner. The judging panel includes French creative consultant Marc Ascoli, this year's VIP Judge, as well as Kyoko Mashiko, Director of the Harajuku Project Showroom, HP France Inc, and Hong Kong fashion designer Hidy Ng. Winning designs will be on display at the Hall 1D Concourse during the fair.

The fairs offer a variety of seminars on fashion and design trends. Speakers include representatives of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, Fashion Snoops, the Hong Kong Apparel Society, Li & Fung Ltd, Peclers Paris, Stylesight and WGSN. Fashion Extravaganza designers Johanna Ho and Nana Aganovich and her partner Brooke Taylor will also be speaking about their work during the fair.

Milan Fashion Week starts on somber note

Milan Fashion Week started off on a somber note Saturday, as the design world maintained a vigil for the missing CEO of the family-run Missoni fashion house.

The Italian National Fashion Chamber urged the fashion community to post messages on social networks to keep pressure on authorities not to abandon the search for Vittorio Missoni and five others who disappeared aboard a twin-engine plane near Venezuelan islands on Jan. 5.

Designers expressed their solidarity with the family on the first day of menswear previews Saturday.
"No one better than me can understand the pain and anguish that they are experiencing, the suffering of the sister Angela," Donatella Versace told Italian reporters before her menswear preview. Versace's brother, Gianni, the founder of the company, was killed by a gunman in Miami in July 1997.

Despite the uncertainty, the Missoni fashion house confirmed its menswear preview show for Sunday. In a message posted on Facebook, designer Angela Missoni, Vittorio's sister, expressed gratitude for messages of support. Their brother, Luca, a trained pilot, was in Venezuela helping with the search.

"They did very well to confirm the appointment with the new collection. Vittorio would have done the same," said Mario Boselli, head of the fashion chamber.

Thirty-seven brands were holding fashion shows to present their menswear collections for next winter over four days.

DOLCE&GABBANA
Dolce and Gabbana's menswear collection for next winter is pure masculinity, infused with southern romanticism.

With motifs of winter roses, illuminated Madonnas and baroque embossing, the 2014 winter menswear collection evokes the design house's Sicilian roots. And to drive home the point, the designing duo chose ordinary Sicilians as their models, as they have done in the past, filling the runway with men who were more muscular, with more pronounced features and often shorter than those usually seen in fashion.

Cinched high-waist pleated pants strongly suggested a bygone era. Trouser lengths varied from calf to ankle, straight or cuffed, while jacket, coats and vests ranged from short waist cuts to long overcoats.
In its most basic iteration, the collection featured black pants paired with white blousons or dark ribbed sweaters — the clothes of a craftsman, a fisherman, a laborer. Detailing like an overlay of white lace on the blousons elevated the look far above mere utility.

And there were also garments fitting of the merchant class — rich brocade jackets and thick furry overcoats and velvet suits. These more formal clothes, including a dark suit jacket overlayed with white lace and finished with velvet trim, could be worn for business, a personal celebration or to Sunday Mass.

BURBERRY PRORSUM
Tradition meets innovation in Burberry Prorsum's new winter looks for men.

The "I Love Classics" collection — or made more technology-friendly, I (heart) Classics — focuses heavily on outerwear, from the classic trench and duffel, to topcoats, Chesterfields and bombers.

While diving deep into Burberry's archives, designer Christopher Bailey managed also to have fun, adding a touch of whimsy with repeating heart motifs and oversizing military-inspired accents.

"I liked the idea of celebrating things that are familiar, classic, the kind of classic Burberry, classic menswear," Bailey said backstage. "But I wanted to be playful as well."

Bailey married innovation and levity in traditional coats made of light-weight transparent rubber with a repeating heart lining. Bailey said Burberry developed the rubber to be silky to the touch. Cashmere also gets special treatment, with new finishes and bonding to alter the texture.

Colors followed the classic line — camel, bone, olive, navy and black — with deep reds and dark royal purple.

Maintaining a light mood, animal prints also accented classic bags, complementing the Burberry check pattern, and also adorned shoes and boots. Animal print sunglasses complete the look.

JIL SANDER
Tall, almost Puritan collars gave gravitas to Jil Sander's first winter menswear collection since returning to the label she founded.

The ample lapels made prominent in the collection for next fall/winter often contrasted in tone or texture with the jacket or sweater they accented, and were sometimes layered over more traditional notched lapels. Short-cropped hair kept the focus on neckline.

Suit jackets were kept mostly shorter and allowed to billow slightly in the back. This permitted whimsical layering with longer sweaters underneath — and most of the suits were finished with sweaters, crew necks or mock turtlenecks, rather than shirts. Pants were straight, and ankle-length, giving way to well-polished boots.

While the looks adhered to the line's minimalist credo — simplicity and clean lines — there was nothing austere about it.

The colors and fabrics were both lush and luxurious. Crimson, cobalt and pine contrasted soothingly with more sober grays and black. Even strong shades were easy on the eyes. Materials included chunky corduroy, cashmere knit and leather.

For fun, Sander offered sleeveless pull-over vests, leaving arms and shoulders bare, and sometimes bi-colored in Harlequin fashion. For more serious moments, there were double-breasted pinstripes, distinguished with monochrome panels.

ZEGNA
Cyber-kinetic patterns give energy to classic looks by Ermenegildo Zegna.
Zegna signals a push for innovation in the title of the collection: "Style for Change."

Zegna zips up the double-breasted suit with graphic lines, while repeating patterns of dots fused into lines give motion to overcoats.

Gray dominates the collection, giving it an urban flair.
The basic look forms around suits, paired with slim, elegant ties or scoop-neck sweaters. Trousers are straight cut without being tight, and might include a cummerbund that elongate the look.

Much attention is flourished on collars, which when small might be decorated with a clip, or when oversized adorned with a clasp.

Textures operate in contrast. Soft alpaca coats are worn over tailored suits.
Shoes taper to a point, while bags span a range from travel backs to computer totes.

Fashion Fair Cosmetics Introduces Its First Makeup Collection from Legendary Makeup Artist Sam Fine

Fashion Fair Cosmetics, the prestige cosmetics brand for Black Women, known for breaking barriers in the world of beauty, announced today it will begin celebrating its 40th anniversary year in 2013 by introducing the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Color Collection. Inspired by his observations of colors during his international travels, Sam Fine, Fashion Fair Cosmetic's Creative Makeup Director and legendary makeup artist, has revolutionized the beauty landscape once again.

"What better way to kick off Fashion Fair's 40th anniversary than to deliver a new luxe makeup collection," said Clarisa Wilson, president, Fashion Fair Cosmetics. "For more than a decade, Sam has created spectacular looks for the most beautiful women in the world; the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Color Collection takes his vision a step further."

Fine translates his tips and expert techniques into trend-setting, head-turning looks that all women can achieve at home.

"It's been such a privilege to work with Fashion Fair to create this inspired collection," says Fine. "As a pioneer in the cosmetics industry, Fashion Fair has truly changed the way we approach beauty. I'm excited about the future."

With the launch of the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Color Collection, women are even more empowered to create signature, glamorous looks on their own. Showcased in ornate gold packaging, the Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Color Collection features two eye shadow quads, eight lipsticks and a golden lip gloss:

Eight Supreme Lip Color Shades: This luxurious formula has an ultra-creamy texture to guarantee incredibly smooth application and rich color payoff. Specially treated pigments are blended to deliver pure, intense color with the perfect hint of shine.

Colors include: Champagne Toast, Whispering Rose, Deep Suede, Pink Parfait, Moroccan Spice, Dynasty Red and Cognac African Violet

Suggested Retail Price: $22.00
Two Supreme Eye Color Quads: Each Eye Color Quad is designed with four opulent, complementing shades to achieve multiple looks, from a bold, smoky eye to a sexy, glam eye look enhanced with pops of color. Featuring a variety of finishes for luxe effects – sheer sparkle, satin, shimmer and matte – these Eye Shadow Quads deliver smooth, long-lasting color.
Colors include: Tunisian Nights and Amalfi Coast

Suggested Retail Price: $38.00
Supreme Shine Lip Gloss: A high-shine, sheer golden shade designed to enhance your pout for a glamorous look, this luscious, non-sticky gloss can be worn alone or layered over lip color to add dimension.
Colors include: Canary Diamond

Suggested Retail Price: $20.00
The Sam Fine Fashion Fair Supreme Color Collection hits counters Jan. 15, 2013. It is available at select stores including Macy's, Lord & Taylor, BonTon, Belk, Dillard's and on fashionfair.com.

Sam Fine
For more than a decade, Sam Fine has created iconic, one-of-a-kind beauty looks for some of the world's most dazzling stars. From Jennifer Hudson and Tyra Banks to Vanessa Williams and Iman, Fine has made a name for himself as a highly sought after makeup artist for women of color.

Fashion Fair: 40
Eunice W. Johnson created Fashion Fair Cosmetics 40 years ago. She was inspired by the excitement and glamour of the Ebony Fashion Fair runway and its models. Fashion Fair is the preeminent beauty brand made for Black Women, by Black Women.

DHL Appointed Official Logistics Partner for Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza 2013

DHL Express, the world's leading cross-border express services provider, has been appointed by Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) as the official logistics partner for the city's premier fashion show event, Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza 2013, for the second year. Taking place on 14 January at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, it brings together over 1,500 merchandisers, celebrities, business elites and media in the city's finest showcase of international fashion.

DHL will provide door-to-door transportation for the show outfits and accessories of the four participating international designers - ranging from full-size mannequins, showpieces to delicate earrings - totaling around 100 outfits. Importing them from the world's fashion capitals into Hong Kong and re-exporting them back to Beijing, Paris and London after the show demands flexibility and close coordination to deal with unexpected changes at short-notice as designers often have multiple shows back-to-back. DHL will also be responsible for ensuring the smooth completion of all necessary documentation and customs clearance.

"We are proud to have once again been selected by HKTDC as the official logistics partner for Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza 2013," said Mr. Ken Lee, Head of Commercial, Asia Pacific and Managing Director, Hong Kong and Macau, DHL Express. "We strive to understand the unique complexities and challenges of every industry that we support, and fashion demands careful handling of often-delicate shipments coupled with the need for rapid and reliable delivery. Our expertise as the international specialist means we can offer support in the world's fashion capitals to ensure prompt delivery and comprehensive support throughout the process to ensure the designers' outfits look their best on arrival."

Mr. Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director for HKTDC, said, "This is the second year in a row that we have worked with DHL Express as the official logistics provider for Hong Kong's premier fashion show event. With their persistently reliable, fast and careful service, we are sure that our 1,500 participants will be treated to an excellent showcase of the very best in international fashion."

This year's Fashion Extravaganza will showcase London's Holly Fulton, Beijing's Chi Zhang, Paris-based designer duo Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor, and Hong Kong's Johanna Ho. DHL is one of the leading international logistics service providers for the textile and garment industries, providing services ranging from procurement of material to sample production, quality control, warehousing and processing of garments to direct delivery to shops. DHL's customers include both small, independent fashion boutiques requiring a one-off service as well as large retail groups with complex distribution requirements.

DHL - The Logistics company for the world
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and "The Logistics company for the world". DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 275,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of 53 billion euros in 2011.

HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, and HKTDC World Boutique
Some 1,800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions will take part in the HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, and HKTDC World Boutique, Hong Kong, 14-17 January, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. World Boutique, which celebrates its 11th anniversary this year, will include the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza. The event on the evening of 14 January will feature four internationally acclaimed designers and Hong Kong supermodels will model designs on catwalk.

Former AP fashion editor Anderson dies at 91

Former Associated Press fashion editor and foreign correspondent Nadeane Walker Anderson, who interviewed legendary designers including Coco Chanel and Christian Dior while working in Paris, has died in Texas. She was 91.

Anderson, who used her maiden name Nadeane Walker as her byline, died of natural causes Monday in Austin, her daughter Jane Fredrick said late Tuesday.

Born in Canton, Texas, Anderson first entered journalism as a staff writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after graduating from North Texas Teacher's College in 1942.

"Since they had so many reporters drafted, you know, I got an opportunity to do bigger stories, and I covered murder cases and all sorts of things and did very well in it," Anderson said in the 2009 interview. "They sent me to do a story on the Women's Army Corps, and of course I decided I wanted to join."

She enlisted in the Women's Army Corps and became a reporter with The Stars and Stripes newspaper's Paris Edition in 1945, according to an oral history she provided to the AP.

In 1946 she married AP correspondent Godfrey Anderson in Paris and joined the AP as the European fashion editor. She interviewed some of the biggest names in fashion at the time, including Chanel, Dior and Yves Lanvin — who even named a dress after her.

"You had to come back and file your stories (after) we were served champagne ... off silver trays by waiters with white gloves, all day long, and I developed a great tolerance for champagne, I guess, because I never got too drunk to write my stories," she said.

She later became the London correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and worked as a freelance writer for a number of publications.

In 1970, she returned to Texas and joined the staff of the Dallas Times-Herald as a reporter. In 1978 she cooperated with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into age and gender discrimination at the paper and was fired in 1979. In 1981, she joined a labor department lawsuit that led the paper to change its employment practices.

She continued to write for various publications until she retired and moved to Austin with her daughter. Her husband, a World War II correspondent for the AP who was taken prisoner in North Africa during his career, died in 1999.

Former AP fashion editor Anderson dies at 91

Former Associated Press fashion editor and foreign correspondent Nadeane Walker Anderson, who interviewed legendary designers including Coco Chanel and Christian Dior while working in Paris, has died in Texas. She was 91.

Anderson, who used her maiden name Nadeane Walker as her byline, died of natural causes Monday in Austin, her daughter Jane Fredrick said late Tuesday.

Born in Canton, Texas, Anderson first entered journalism as a staff writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after graduating from North Texas Teacher's College in 1942.

"Since they had so many reporters drafted, you know, I got an opportunity to do bigger stories, and I covered murder cases and all sorts of things and did very well in it," Anderson said in the 2009 interview. "They sent me to do a story on the Women's Army Corps, and of course I decided I wanted to join."

She enlisted in the Women's Army Corps and became a reporter with The Stars and Stripes newspaper's Paris Edition in 1945, according to an oral history she provided to the AP.

In 1946 she married AP correspondent Godfrey Anderson in Paris and joined the AP as the European fashion editor. She interviewed some of the biggest names in fashion at the time, including Chanel, Dior and Yves Lanvin — who even named a dress after her.

"You had to come back and file your stories (after) we were served champagne ... off silver trays by waiters with white gloves, all day long, and I developed a great tolerance for champagne, I guess, because I never got too drunk to write my stories," she said.

She later became the London correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and worked as a freelance writer for a number of publications.

In 1970, she returned to Texas and joined the staff of the Dallas Times-Herald as a reporter. In 1978 she cooperated with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into age and gender discrimination at the paper and was fired in 1979. In 1981, she joined a labor department lawsuit that led the paper to change its employment practices.

She continued to write for various publications until she retired and moved to Austin with her daughter. Her husband, a World War II correspondent for the AP who was taken prisoner in North Africa during his career, died in 1999.

Along with her daughter, Anderson is survived by her son, David.

Missoni family hopes missing fashion boss still alive

The family of missing Italian fashion boss Vittorio Missoni said on Monday they still believed he was alive, three days after his plane disappeared off the coast of Venezuela.

The small twin-engine aircraft carrying Missoni, 58, his wife Maurizia Castiglioni, another couple and two Venezuelan crew members went missing on Friday after taking off from the island resort of Los Roques.
"We are full of hope and confidence for the work that the authorities have done so far. We will not give up," Missoni's sister Angela wrote in an emailed statement to the media.

"We believe Vittorio, Maurizia, Elda and Guido are still alive!" Angela also wrote on Twitter. "Please help us find them and bring them back home."

Missoni, a sports lover known for his informal looks and charming smile, is the oldest son of the founders of the fashion house famous for its exuberantly coloured knits featuring bold stripes and zigzags.

He is the firm's co-owner with siblings Luca and Angela, who handle the technical and design sides of the firm.

Luca Missoni, who is also a pilot, was flying over the area to help with the rescue effort together with Alberto Piantoni, chief executive of the fashion house, Angela said.

Venezuelan rescue divers were searching the aircraft's last determined location, while searches also continue on the ground.

Captain Raul Rivas, Coast Guard Commander in Los Roques, said the son of a jewelry designer and owner of an international hotel chain was also believed to be on board alongside Missoni, his wife and their friends Elda Scalvenzi and Guido Foresti.

The pilot of a Cessna 402 that took off a minute after the Britten Norman BN2 carrying Missoni said he saw the plane as it disappeared into a cloud.

"I saw them right in front of me as they were swallowed up by a huge cumulus cloud," pilot Enrique Rada told Turin daily La Stampa in an interview published on Monday. "It was a lightning bolt. It must have been a lightning bolt."

However Rivas said the weather conditions were favorable when the aircraft disappeared.

"The sun was good at that moment and the atmospheric conditions couldn't have been a determining factor if the aircraft had a problem," the captain said.

The company said it would go ahead with a Milan fashion show on January 13 but the family may not attend. Family-owned Missoni posted sales of 70 million euros ($91 million) in 2011.

Venezuela searches for missing plane, Italian fashion boss

Boats, helicopters and divers were searching off the coast of Venezuela Sunday for a director of Italy's famed Missoni fashion house and five others who haven't been heard from in more than two days.

Venezuelan officials said search efforts to locate the small plane Vittorio Missoni and his wife were flying in were intensifying. Authorities say the plane last made contact about 10 nautical miles from shore on Friday.

"All the organizations involved will not diminish the intensity of the search and also will not discard any hypothesis that could lead us the the location of the plane," Venezuela's air transportation ministry said in a statement Sunday.

More than 385 people were involved in the search, including military personnel, divers, civil protection search teams and volunteers, the ministry said.

Italy's ANSA news agency reported that rough seas were complicating the investigation.

 Missing fashion mogul Plane carrying Missoni is missing 2011: Rise of an Italian fashion empire
Vittorio Missoni, 58, runs the fashion house with his siblings, Luca and Angela.

The company Missoni confirmed in a statement Saturday that Vittorio Missoni was on the plane with his wife.
"The small plane they were traveling on has disappeared. This is all the information currently available," the company statement said.

The plane left Los Roques, an archipelago and resort, Friday morning bound for the international airport outside Caracas, about 90 miles away, Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol Torres said.

Venezuelan authorities said four Italian tourists and two crew members were onboard.
Missoni, which boasts such celebrity clients as Katie Holmes, Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie, is a high-end fashion label known for its patterned knitwear and signature zigzag stripe.

The private company, based in Milan, has estimated annual sales of between $75 million and $100 million.

The brand, first created in 1953 as a knitwear workshop in Gallarte, Italy, has expanded from apparel to housewares, a fragrance line and a chain of hotels.

Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of W magazine, called the Missonis "one of the most important Italian fashion families," crediting their move to Milan in the late 1960s with helping make the northern Italian city the fashion hub it is today.

Vittorio Missoni and his siblings took over the brand in 1996 with an eye toward marketing to a younger consumer.

The fashion house partnered with Target in 2011 to produce a more budget-friendly collection for the discount retailer, which caused Target's website to crash due to the high demand.

Versace Mansion, Miami, Florida

The oceanfront mansion of late couture designer Gianni Versace is a crown jewel of South Beach. Originally built in 1930 to resemble the historic Alcazar de Colon mansion in the Dominican Republic once owned by the son of Christopher Columbus, Versace purchased the 1930 mansion and an adjacent lot in 1992 for nearly $10 million. He then invested about $33 million more to restore it with frescoes on walls and ceilings.

The mansion boasts arched doorways, an open air, mosaic-covered courtyard; a 6,100-square-foot south wing and a gold-lined 54-ft. swimming pool with more than one million hand-worked mosaic tiles. After Versace was murdered on the 19,000-square-foot home's front steps in 1997, Casa Casuarina was sold and converted to a 10-suite boutique hotel. It's on the market for $100 million, reduced from $125 million.

Fashion Week, World Boutique to Open 14 January

Hong Kong Twin Fairs Expected to Attract 1,800+ Exhibitors
Hong Kong, Jan 3, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - More than 1,800 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions will showcase their fashions, accessories and related products at the HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter and HKTDC World Boutique, Hong Kong, 14-17 January. The two Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) events will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

New Product Zones
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter, the largest event of its kind in Asia, will feature two new product zones: Fashion Jewellery Feast, and Men in Style. Returning to the fair are Fashion Gallery, focused on high fashion from Hong Kong and overseas, Emporium de Mode, presenting stylish and distinctive garments in an elegant setting, the Garment Mart, offering mass merchandise, and a variety of special product zones, including Denim Arcade, Intimate & Swim Wear, Bridal & Evening Wear and Infant & Children's Wear.
Five group pavilions are participating from the Chinese mainland, India, Macau, Pakistan (new this year) and Taiwan.

Fashion Week will also feature the Hong Kong Fur Federation's "Designers Love Fur Collection 2013," which will be on display at the Hall 1C Concourse, as well as 24 fashion shows and parades to be held throughout the fair period. As an added feature, the Hong Kong Apparel Society will feature fashion outfits by Hong Kong fabrics suppliers at a Hong Kong's Fashion Fabrics Hub Display at Hall 1B Concourse.

The 11th edition of World Boutique, Hong Kong will feature several big names, including Che Che New York, IKA BUTONI, MARCCAIN, and Pashma. Renowned Peruvian Designer, Sumy Kujon will showcase her latest collection of baby alpaca blended with silk, symbolising her Chinese and Peruvian design heritage. Numerous industry associations will form pavilions at the fair, they include: the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, Japan's Kokusai Fashion Centre, the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, the Carpi Italia, the Taiwan Textile Federation and the Los Angeles Regional Export Council.

Fashion Extravaganza
This year's World Boutique, Hong Kong, will once again include the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza. The 14 January event, one of the year's fashion highlights, spotlights internationally renowned designers and their latest collections. This year's Fashion Extravaganza will showcase Beijing's Chi Zhang, London's Holly Fulton, Paris' Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor designer duo, and Hong Kong's Johanna Ho.

Hong Kong in Fashion
The exclusive gala presentation of fashion and lifestyle will also be broadcast live at Causeway Bay's Times Square, as part of "Hong Kong in Fashion." The new promotion, designed to showcase Hong Kong's role as a fashion hub and lifestyle trendsetter, officially begins today, with a kick-off press conference at Harbour City.

The city-wide campaign, which includes the participation of local fashion retailers, restaurants, shopping malls and coffee shops, continues through 23 January. It features a variety of activities and events, including a Street Snap Competition for local fashion trendsetters, and offers the public opportunities to receive free tickets to World Boutique's last two days, 16-17 January.

Spotlight on Design
The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers Contest gala evening, 15 January, will present awards in four categories: Contemporary Day-wear, Party & Evening-Wear and Best Innovation, as well as an overall winner. The judging panel includes French creative consultant Marc Ascoli, this year's VIP Judge, as well as Kyoko Mashiko, Director of the Harajuku Project Showroom, HP France Inc, and Hong Kong fashion designer Hidy Ng. HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee Chairman Shirley Chan is Chief Judge. Winning designs will be on display at the Hall 1D Concourse during the fair.

The Footwear Design Competition Hong Kong 2013, organised by The Federation of Hong Kong Footwear Ltd and co-organised by the HKTDC, and the Knitwear Symphony 2013, organised by the Knitwear Innovation and Design Society, will gather young local designers to present their innovative designs. Fashion Extravaganza designers Johanna Ho, Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor will also discuss upcoming fashion trends and introduce their designs.

Trend Forecasting
The twin fairs will also offer a variety of seminars focusing on fashion trends and design directions. Speakers will include representatives of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, Fashion Snoops, the Hong Kong Apparel Society, Li & Fung Ltd, Peclers Paris, Stylesight and WGSN.