Lakme fashion week: Snippets of day 5
The finale of the Mumbai fashion week was a special affair with young designers Kallol Datta and Pankaj and Nidhi showcasing their Winter/Festive collection. The lack of celebrities in the front row, was more than made up by actor Kareena Kapoor adding a touch of glam as the showstopper, though we were surprised to find none of her Bolly friends cheering her on. Kallol’s line took the black and white theme forward with tunics, gowns and skirts with snail prints, faces and detailing like fabric fringes. Pankaj and Nidhi played on texturing with quilting and lattice work on their kimono style gowns, ponchos and tunics. The designer duo has won an international award, and will be competing with other winners next February at London Fashion week, where they’ll be judged by Karl Lagerfeldhimself and Albert Elbaz and Alexandra Shulman — the gods of fashion.
Injury alert
Through the week, models complained of minor injuries at the event. While no major accidents occurred, a number of models ended up getting scratches from some of the designer outfits. A few were seen tending to their wounds with ointment in between shows as they hung outside the green room, as there was no designated space for models to unwind either.
Tamara missing
Top model Tamara Moss, who was expected to walk the ramp at LFW this week, was absent from the event. A source told us that Tamara had missed the fittings which supposedly the organisers were miffed about, hence she was apparently asked not to be part of the fashion week.
No time to breathe
The tight schedule at the fashion week was something quite a few people were unhappy about. Back to back shows between the main show area and the Talent Box meant attendees and media alike had to run back and forth with shows almost overlapping because of delays.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Blogger a fashion icon in China
Blogger a fashion icon in China
Until recently Han Huohuo was just a 20-something Chinese fashion blogger.
Today he enjoys front-row seats at European catwalk shows and rubs shoulders with the editor of Chinese Vogue.
More than a million people now follow the wildly famous fashion blogger on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, and a leading website recently listed him among the country's top 20 movers and shakers in the industry.
The 28-year-old's flamboyant style - he favours women's clutches, skintight black pants and the occasional high heel - and passion for the industry have won him fame in a country where fashion icons are just starting to emerge.
Experts say his rapid rise to fame over the past four years was propelled by international brands eager to latch onto anyone who holds sway in China - set to become the world's largest luxury market by 2015, according to a Boston Consulting Group forecast.
"You've got so many luxury brands throwing money at China and they are grabbing people who have some sort of influence," says Chloe Reuter, who runs a luxury communications agency in Shanghai, Reuter PR.
"It's extraordinary what kind of stuff they get given. They fly first class and have chauffeurs.
"Because everything is very new, people are basically being catapulted into A-list segments - something that might take a lot longer anywhere else."
Han's unconventional style would stand out anywhere, but in China, it is particularly unusual.
His microblog - set against a leopard-print background - features a stream of portraits of himself stalking city streets in leather pants, designer purses, fur-lined coats and gold bracelets.
Part of his head is shaved, while what hair he has is long and swept back like a mane.
Not everyone likes his look, with some scorning his feminine style as "abnormal" and "evil".
"It's just like Lady Gaga," Han says, referring to the pop star known for extravagant outfits.
"A lot of people criticise her but many are also praising her because she did what others didn't dare to do.
"The reason I got attention is that I did what others didn't dare to do.
"I think I encouraged a lot of people."
Han launched his blog in 2008 but since then his microblog, which he began in 2009, has become his main outlet for expression.
He is now so well-known that he says he sometimes dresses down when he goes out to avoid being pestered for photos.
Most of his fans simply follow him on his Weibo account.
"I look at it pretty often. He has his own ideas and opinions," says Jiang Li, a design student at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.
"We see him as one of the trendier fashion icons," says her classmate Guan Jiao.
Han entered fashion early - and almost by accident.
Bored with university, he left to work as a travel writer for a Beijing magazine that decided to launch a fashion section. The management tapped Han to run the new venture simply because he was the youngest person in the office.
From there he became an editor at the Chinese version of Marie Claire magazine, where he built up his fashion knowledge and network, leaving four years later in 2010 to start his own projects.
Now his fame extends to the upper crust of the fashion world, including the editor of Chinese Vogue, Angelica Cheung.
Cheung says bloggers like Han are "very good in terms of influencing this younger generation of consumers", but cautions that they could lose their position as quickly as they won it if they only post uninformed or unoriginal views.
"I think certainly these fashion bloggers create a lot of celebrities out of nothing," she says.
"The only ones who will remain are the ones who have real knowledge and insight into the fashion industry.
"Even with Han Huohuo, he's still young. There's still a lot to learn."
And other fashion voices are cropping up as well - not only online personas such as "Dipsy" (270,000 followers) and Leaf Greener (30,000) but also artists including Yi Zhou, models like Du Juan and editors such as Cheung, says Reuter.
As he seeks to establish himself beyond his blog, Han has worked with labels including Hong Kong-based Linea Rosa to design shoes and clothing, compiled a fashion photography book and appeared as a judge on a Chinese fashion design television show.
He says his style has evolved into plainer clothing like T-shirts, although bold accessories - especially women's purses - are still a must.
"Accessories must stand out," he says.
"I really like women's clutches because I think men's accessories are too ugly… they're impossible to use.
"I don't care what people say. I figure, I like them, and that's the most important thing."
Until recently Han Huohuo was just a 20-something Chinese fashion blogger.
Today he enjoys front-row seats at European catwalk shows and rubs shoulders with the editor of Chinese Vogue.
More than a million people now follow the wildly famous fashion blogger on Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, and a leading website recently listed him among the country's top 20 movers and shakers in the industry.
The 28-year-old's flamboyant style - he favours women's clutches, skintight black pants and the occasional high heel - and passion for the industry have won him fame in a country where fashion icons are just starting to emerge.
Experts say his rapid rise to fame over the past four years was propelled by international brands eager to latch onto anyone who holds sway in China - set to become the world's largest luxury market by 2015, according to a Boston Consulting Group forecast.
"You've got so many luxury brands throwing money at China and they are grabbing people who have some sort of influence," says Chloe Reuter, who runs a luxury communications agency in Shanghai, Reuter PR.
"It's extraordinary what kind of stuff they get given. They fly first class and have chauffeurs.
"Because everything is very new, people are basically being catapulted into A-list segments - something that might take a lot longer anywhere else."
Han's unconventional style would stand out anywhere, but in China, it is particularly unusual.
His microblog - set against a leopard-print background - features a stream of portraits of himself stalking city streets in leather pants, designer purses, fur-lined coats and gold bracelets.
Part of his head is shaved, while what hair he has is long and swept back like a mane.
Not everyone likes his look, with some scorning his feminine style as "abnormal" and "evil".
"It's just like Lady Gaga," Han says, referring to the pop star known for extravagant outfits.
"A lot of people criticise her but many are also praising her because she did what others didn't dare to do.
"The reason I got attention is that I did what others didn't dare to do.
"I think I encouraged a lot of people."
Han launched his blog in 2008 but since then his microblog, which he began in 2009, has become his main outlet for expression.
He is now so well-known that he says he sometimes dresses down when he goes out to avoid being pestered for photos.
Most of his fans simply follow him on his Weibo account.
"I look at it pretty often. He has his own ideas and opinions," says Jiang Li, a design student at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.
"We see him as one of the trendier fashion icons," says her classmate Guan Jiao.
Han entered fashion early - and almost by accident.
Bored with university, he left to work as a travel writer for a Beijing magazine that decided to launch a fashion section. The management tapped Han to run the new venture simply because he was the youngest person in the office.
From there he became an editor at the Chinese version of Marie Claire magazine, where he built up his fashion knowledge and network, leaving four years later in 2010 to start his own projects.
Now his fame extends to the upper crust of the fashion world, including the editor of Chinese Vogue, Angelica Cheung.
Cheung says bloggers like Han are "very good in terms of influencing this younger generation of consumers", but cautions that they could lose their position as quickly as they won it if they only post uninformed or unoriginal views.
"I think certainly these fashion bloggers create a lot of celebrities out of nothing," she says.
"The only ones who will remain are the ones who have real knowledge and insight into the fashion industry.
"Even with Han Huohuo, he's still young. There's still a lot to learn."
And other fashion voices are cropping up as well - not only online personas such as "Dipsy" (270,000 followers) and Leaf Greener (30,000) but also artists including Yi Zhou, models like Du Juan and editors such as Cheung, says Reuter.
As he seeks to establish himself beyond his blog, Han has worked with labels including Hong Kong-based Linea Rosa to design shoes and clothing, compiled a fashion photography book and appeared as a judge on a Chinese fashion design television show.
He says his style has evolved into plainer clothing like T-shirts, although bold accessories - especially women's purses - are still a must.
"Accessories must stand out," he says.
"I really like women's clutches because I think men's accessories are too ugly… they're impossible to use.
"I don't care what people say. I figure, I like them, and that's the most important thing."
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
'Atrocious' Olympic fashion horrifies Londoners
'Atrocious' Olympic fashion horrifies Londoners
At least that's the verdict of one of London's dedicated followers of fashion on the uniforms doled out to more than 90,000 staff of the Olympic Games.
For the tsars and tsaritsas of British fashion, the outfits - either a juxtaposition of purple and red on sports jackets or constellations of pink and magenta diamonds on unfitted t-shirts - are an insult to London's reputation as the hippest city on earth.
"Atrocious, artless, cynical," is the way Stephen Bayley, one of Britain's leading voices on style, taste and contemporary design, described the uniforms.
"Look as though they were made for a Sacha Baron Cohen parody," Bayley told Reuters, referring to the Cambridge-educated comedian behind fictional characters such as Ali G and Borat.
Bayley, co-founder of London's Design Museum, added that the Olympic logo, advertisements and car designs were also failures unlikely to win gold in any Olympian design contest.
Londoners pride themselves on living in one of the world's most elegant cities: from the tailors of kings on Savile Row to the "freshest" designers of the London's ever-so-hip East End.
"In all the areas where we are thought to excel, the Olympics shows weakness, lame thinking and lack of enterprise," Bayley said.
He is not alone: Members of the British public took to the social networking site Twitter to air their dismay too.
"Seen a few Olympic volunteers, the outfits they have to wear are awful, purple shell suit, chinos and chunky trainers anyone?" said one Twitter user, Steven Joyce, after noticing a volunteer on the street.
"The shirts the Olympic volunteers have to wear are tragic," added another, Matt Page.
SARTORIAL SENSATION
The purple and red uniforms, worn by 70,000 volunteers, 6000 staff and 4500 technical officials, were produced by sportswear label Adidas and designed by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).
The pink and magenta creations, for 11,000 Olympics ambassadors charged with helping visitors make the most of their time in various Games locations across Britain, were designed to stand out and reflect Britain's sporting heritage.
"The feedback we've received from our games makers has been great - our volunteers love their uniforms," a LOCOG spokeswoman told Reuters.
A spokesman for Adidas said that, while the company produced the volunteer uniforms, the design brief was issued by LOCOG.
When asked what he thought of the red and purple uniform, one Olympic volunteer said: "Not very nice at all. Let's just put it this way: I wouldn't wear this garment to go anywhere outside these Olympics."
"Red and purple is a bit of a fashion clash but it is quite comfortable to wear," added another, who asked for her name not to be used because she was not supposed to speak to the media.
The uniforms are not the only clothes attracting criticism.
Spanish canoe sprinter Saul Craviotto tweeted a picture of himself wearing Spain's red and yellow patterned outfit: "At home trying on my Olympics clothes. It's best if I don't give an opinion, I will leave it up to you.".
Russia's offerings of swirling cherry red lines have made the Time magazine "ugly" list.
OLYMPIC DESIGN
London's fashion police has also set its sights on other Olympian design faux pas.
After the official Olympics 2012 logo was unveiled in 2007, 50,000 people in two days signed a petition to scrap it.
The logo, designed by Wolff Olins, features jagged abstract shapes forming the numerals of 2012 in bright shades of pink, green, blue and orange with a yellow outline.
Designed to appeal to a modern Internet generation, the logo was reported by local media to have cost £400,000 pounds ($592,131).
"We have terrible, wince-making ads. The worst graphics in the history of design. A terrible font," Bayley said.
Wolff Olins told Reuters Bayley was missing the point.
"Our intention was to take the Olympics off the podium, out of the stadium onto the streets into people's hands," a spokesperson for the brand consultancy said.
"These are Olympics like no other, these are everyone's Olympics, with unprecedented levels of participation. Our work conveys and encourages that."
So far, the London Olympic Games have cost the British taxpayer more than £9 billion ($13.32 billion), an outlay, which has been criticized as excessive in a time of government budget cuts and the paring back of public services.
"Given the commitment of money, it should have been a demonstration of excellence. Instead, it does not in these areas rise even to the level of mediocrity," Bayley said.
The loose-fitting uniforms for Olympics volunteers and staff appear to have been made on a one-size-fits-all basis, but British athletes have seen no expense spared in the creation of their team kits.
Team GB stepped into the sporting limelight wearing a subtle medley of blue, white and red, created by high-profile British designer Stella McCartney, who based her work on the British flag, the Union Jack.
McCartney's creations have been broadly well-received, but even they have not escaped.
Tour de France winner and Britain's most decorated athlete Bradley Wiggins, cheekily tweeted: "Stella was a bit Lucy in the Sky when she knocked this one up."
At least that's the verdict of one of London's dedicated followers of fashion on the uniforms doled out to more than 90,000 staff of the Olympic Games.
For the tsars and tsaritsas of British fashion, the outfits - either a juxtaposition of purple and red on sports jackets or constellations of pink and magenta diamonds on unfitted t-shirts - are an insult to London's reputation as the hippest city on earth.
"Atrocious, artless, cynical," is the way Stephen Bayley, one of Britain's leading voices on style, taste and contemporary design, described the uniforms.
"Look as though they were made for a Sacha Baron Cohen parody," Bayley told Reuters, referring to the Cambridge-educated comedian behind fictional characters such as Ali G and Borat.
Bayley, co-founder of London's Design Museum, added that the Olympic logo, advertisements and car designs were also failures unlikely to win gold in any Olympian design contest.
Londoners pride themselves on living in one of the world's most elegant cities: from the tailors of kings on Savile Row to the "freshest" designers of the London's ever-so-hip East End.
"In all the areas where we are thought to excel, the Olympics shows weakness, lame thinking and lack of enterprise," Bayley said.
He is not alone: Members of the British public took to the social networking site Twitter to air their dismay too.
"Seen a few Olympic volunteers, the outfits they have to wear are awful, purple shell suit, chinos and chunky trainers anyone?" said one Twitter user, Steven Joyce, after noticing a volunteer on the street.
"The shirts the Olympic volunteers have to wear are tragic," added another, Matt Page.
SARTORIAL SENSATION
The purple and red uniforms, worn by 70,000 volunteers, 6000 staff and 4500 technical officials, were produced by sportswear label Adidas and designed by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).
The pink and magenta creations, for 11,000 Olympics ambassadors charged with helping visitors make the most of their time in various Games locations across Britain, were designed to stand out and reflect Britain's sporting heritage.
"The feedback we've received from our games makers has been great - our volunteers love their uniforms," a LOCOG spokeswoman told Reuters.
A spokesman for Adidas said that, while the company produced the volunteer uniforms, the design brief was issued by LOCOG.
When asked what he thought of the red and purple uniform, one Olympic volunteer said: "Not very nice at all. Let's just put it this way: I wouldn't wear this garment to go anywhere outside these Olympics."
"Red and purple is a bit of a fashion clash but it is quite comfortable to wear," added another, who asked for her name not to be used because she was not supposed to speak to the media.
The uniforms are not the only clothes attracting criticism.
Spanish canoe sprinter Saul Craviotto tweeted a picture of himself wearing Spain's red and yellow patterned outfit: "At home trying on my Olympics clothes. It's best if I don't give an opinion, I will leave it up to you.".
Russia's offerings of swirling cherry red lines have made the Time magazine "ugly" list.
OLYMPIC DESIGN
London's fashion police has also set its sights on other Olympian design faux pas.
After the official Olympics 2012 logo was unveiled in 2007, 50,000 people in two days signed a petition to scrap it.
The logo, designed by Wolff Olins, features jagged abstract shapes forming the numerals of 2012 in bright shades of pink, green, blue and orange with a yellow outline.
Designed to appeal to a modern Internet generation, the logo was reported by local media to have cost £400,000 pounds ($592,131).
"We have terrible, wince-making ads. The worst graphics in the history of design. A terrible font," Bayley said.
Wolff Olins told Reuters Bayley was missing the point.
"Our intention was to take the Olympics off the podium, out of the stadium onto the streets into people's hands," a spokesperson for the brand consultancy said.
"These are Olympics like no other, these are everyone's Olympics, with unprecedented levels of participation. Our work conveys and encourages that."
So far, the London Olympic Games have cost the British taxpayer more than £9 billion ($13.32 billion), an outlay, which has been criticized as excessive in a time of government budget cuts and the paring back of public services.
"Given the commitment of money, it should have been a demonstration of excellence. Instead, it does not in these areas rise even to the level of mediocrity," Bayley said.
The loose-fitting uniforms for Olympics volunteers and staff appear to have been made on a one-size-fits-all basis, but British athletes have seen no expense spared in the creation of their team kits.
Team GB stepped into the sporting limelight wearing a subtle medley of blue, white and red, created by high-profile British designer Stella McCartney, who based her work on the British flag, the Union Jack.
McCartney's creations have been broadly well-received, but even they have not escaped.
Tour de France winner and Britain's most decorated athlete Bradley Wiggins, cheekily tweeted: "Stella was a bit Lucy in the Sky when she knocked this one up."
Monday, August 6, 2012
Wear it proud: The flag as a fashion statement
Wear it proud: The flag as a fashion statement
There was no mystery as to which team Varun Pemmaraju was supporting: His American flag was tied around his neck, the Stars and Stripes floating like a cape behind him.
"I was going for the Superman, Captain America-look," said the beaming 19-year-old computer science and chemical engineering student from San Jose, California, as he stood a stone's throw from Olympic Stadium. "I thought America was a little under-represented."
Patriotism and the Olympic games have long gone together, but gone are the days when one just waved a flag. Now flags are worn.
The fashion flags can be found at Olympic Park and around London as shift dresses and smocks, pants and shorts, hats and shoes, even dangly earrings and bracelets. There's apparently no garment — nor nail polish — that can't be fashioned into something akin to a national banner.
Although the sponsorship police at the International Olympic Committee can stop merchants from using the five Olympic rings, there's no trademark police on flags.
Besides, capitalizing on a good fashion idea is not new. In recent years, "fast fashion" has transformed the retail industry, as mainstream companies seize the hottest ideas from the catwalk, copy them as quickly as possible and move them onto the shop floors. Some manufacturers have gotten so fast they can produce wearable creations from factory to store in the same season in which they were created by top designers at Chanel, Ralph Lauren or Dior.
None of these flag fashions are going to give Burberry a run for their money — they are not made to last.
Jayne Ody got her raincoat, which was covered in Union Jacks, from Primark, a British store that specializes in cheap, cheerful fashion. And it was a bargain, at 8 pounds ($13).
Her friend Ann Wanklyn was wearing two Welsh flags — emblazoned with a dragon — that had been sewn together into a simple shift dress. But Wanklyn is not about to claim she's a fashion princess — Olympic Park is a sporty crowd.
"You won't see anyone here walking around in heels, I can tell you that," Wanklyn said.
Turns out those flags can be handy in this unpredictable British weather. Someone seems to have a concession of selling a plastic variety that doubles as a raincoat. The British flag, as one might expect, seems to be very popular, but so is the tricolor of France and the triangle-cornered ones of the Czech Republic.
And then there are the Dutch. Who needs a flag when your nation is basically a color — blinding orange? There are orange jackets, overalls, shoes but you almost never see the Dutch flag itself.
The orange also comes in the form of tiny hats — a bargain at 1 pound ($1.56) each — as worn by three Wagenaar sisters. Sabine Wagenaar, 24, simply laughed when asked about her fashion choice.
"It's a nice little hat," she said giggling. "It's girlie."
Then there are those just trying to buck their athletes up. Hugh Barton, 11, from Brisbane, Australia, was sad that the Aussie swimmers weren't at their best this year. He wore a flag around his neck and held one in his hand for maximum patriotism.
"Australia needs moral support," he said.
Before the games, American athletes were briefed on how to hold the flag should they be lucky enough to win. The U.S. Olympic Committee pointed out a picture of swimmer Missy Franklin displaying the flag properly after winning gold — right hand on stars, left hand on stripes.
Wearing the flag, well, that's for spectators. Still, people like Pemmaraju are wearing it well.
"It's a way of celebrating all the things that your country is about," the University of California student said. "I know America is not a perfect country ... but it's got me where I am."
There was no mystery as to which team Varun Pemmaraju was supporting: His American flag was tied around his neck, the Stars and Stripes floating like a cape behind him.
"I was going for the Superman, Captain America-look," said the beaming 19-year-old computer science and chemical engineering student from San Jose, California, as he stood a stone's throw from Olympic Stadium. "I thought America was a little under-represented."
Patriotism and the Olympic games have long gone together, but gone are the days when one just waved a flag. Now flags are worn.
The fashion flags can be found at Olympic Park and around London as shift dresses and smocks, pants and shorts, hats and shoes, even dangly earrings and bracelets. There's apparently no garment — nor nail polish — that can't be fashioned into something akin to a national banner.
Although the sponsorship police at the International Olympic Committee can stop merchants from using the five Olympic rings, there's no trademark police on flags.
Besides, capitalizing on a good fashion idea is not new. In recent years, "fast fashion" has transformed the retail industry, as mainstream companies seize the hottest ideas from the catwalk, copy them as quickly as possible and move them onto the shop floors. Some manufacturers have gotten so fast they can produce wearable creations from factory to store in the same season in which they were created by top designers at Chanel, Ralph Lauren or Dior.
None of these flag fashions are going to give Burberry a run for their money — they are not made to last.
Jayne Ody got her raincoat, which was covered in Union Jacks, from Primark, a British store that specializes in cheap, cheerful fashion. And it was a bargain, at 8 pounds ($13).
Her friend Ann Wanklyn was wearing two Welsh flags — emblazoned with a dragon — that had been sewn together into a simple shift dress. But Wanklyn is not about to claim she's a fashion princess — Olympic Park is a sporty crowd.
"You won't see anyone here walking around in heels, I can tell you that," Wanklyn said.
Turns out those flags can be handy in this unpredictable British weather. Someone seems to have a concession of selling a plastic variety that doubles as a raincoat. The British flag, as one might expect, seems to be very popular, but so is the tricolor of France and the triangle-cornered ones of the Czech Republic.
And then there are the Dutch. Who needs a flag when your nation is basically a color — blinding orange? There are orange jackets, overalls, shoes but you almost never see the Dutch flag itself.
The orange also comes in the form of tiny hats — a bargain at 1 pound ($1.56) each — as worn by three Wagenaar sisters. Sabine Wagenaar, 24, simply laughed when asked about her fashion choice.
"It's a nice little hat," she said giggling. "It's girlie."
Then there are those just trying to buck their athletes up. Hugh Barton, 11, from Brisbane, Australia, was sad that the Aussie swimmers weren't at their best this year. He wore a flag around his neck and held one in his hand for maximum patriotism.
"Australia needs moral support," he said.
Before the games, American athletes were briefed on how to hold the flag should they be lucky enough to win. The U.S. Olympic Committee pointed out a picture of swimmer Missy Franklin displaying the flag properly after winning gold — right hand on stars, left hand on stripes.
Wearing the flag, well, that's for spectators. Still, people like Pemmaraju are wearing it well.
"It's a way of celebrating all the things that your country is about," the University of California student said. "I know America is not a perfect country ... but it's got me where I am."
Friday, August 3, 2012
My fashion career stole my smile, says Victoria Beckham
My fashion career stole my smile, says Victoria Beckham
Singer-fashion designer Victoria Beckham says fashion stole her smile.
Victoria Beckham, 38, who is married to soccer ace David Beckham and has four children with him, said she pouts in pictures because she does not want to be seen grinning, reported Showbiz spy.
"I actually used to smile a lot in pictures. I think I only stopped smiling when I got into fashion. Fashion stole my smile! I've created this person. And I'm not saying that's not me, but I wouldn't say that's the whole me... It's an armour that goes up," she said.
She also says that she wants to see her business growing from five years down the line.
"I'd like everybody to be healthy and happy. I'd like to be growing the business at a steady pace, and to be making more women feel empowered, beautiful and confident. And I'd never say never about another baby. It's a juggling act a career, family, a husband who's busy. But I'd never say never!"
Singer-fashion designer Victoria Beckham says fashion stole her smile.
Victoria Beckham, 38, who is married to soccer ace David Beckham and has four children with him, said she pouts in pictures because she does not want to be seen grinning, reported Showbiz spy.
"I actually used to smile a lot in pictures. I think I only stopped smiling when I got into fashion. Fashion stole my smile! I've created this person. And I'm not saying that's not me, but I wouldn't say that's the whole me... It's an armour that goes up," she said.
She also says that she wants to see her business growing from five years down the line.
"I'd like everybody to be healthy and happy. I'd like to be growing the business at a steady pace, and to be making more women feel empowered, beautiful and confident. And I'd never say never about another baby. It's a juggling act a career, family, a husband who's busy. But I'd never say never!"
Thursday, August 2, 2012
First food trucks, now mobile FASHION? How high-end labels are moving their stores on wheels in the pursuit of shoppers
First food trucks, now mobile FASHION? How high-end labels are moving their stores on wheels in the pursuit of shoppers
The first time the brakes went out in her trailer/store, Joey Wolffer ran a stoplight and worried what would happen to her high-end accessories inside.
Two years later, she has a close relationship with a mechanic, knows the best spot to park in New York's Meatpacking district and has a devoted summer following in the Hamptons.
Wolffer transformed a greasy potato chip truck into a 1980s glam, bohemian den she named Styleliner.
It is stocked with limited-edition accessories, like a $430 crystal and fringe necklace, from her world travels.
Styleliner is among a handful of mobile retail stores in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland and across the U.S that are hawking vintage accessories, sexy shoes and denim to-die-for in their haute wheels.
Owners say they're taking cues from the food truck industry, which glamorized street cuisine, garnered a cult following and even spawned a hit TV show.
Friends were always asking Wolffer where she got a piece of jewelry, and the former trend director for Jones Apparel Group said she was looking for a unique way to introduce some favorite designers to the U.S. market, along with some of her own creations.
She bought the truck with money she inherited and set up shop.
'I wanted relationships with customers, I wanted to get out there and work with people and meet new people all the time,' said Wolffer, who made a profit from her first summer in business in 2010.
The boutiques on wheels can only accommodate a few customers at a time, providing a more intimate shopping experience than a crowded department store.
Styleliner can fit about five customers at a time.
'The old door-to-door salesman is too difficult in today's world but we're seeing an uptick in bringing the product to the consumers,' said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at New York-based NPD group.
It's also a cheaper way for start-up companies to break into the business quickly.
When former fashion editor Sarah Ellison Lewis wanted to open a funky shoe boutique in Austin, Texas, she had sticker shock every time she saw the price for a store lease.
So for a quarter of the price, she bought a 30-foot trailer, decorated it with vintage wallpaper photography, reclaimed wooden benches and leased a parking spot between a chic hotel and popular brunch spot.
She declined to say how much she paid for the truck or her parking spot.
Retail spots in hot Austin neighborhoods can be as high as $45 per square foot, according to Habitat Hunters Real Estate Services.
Lewis does not pay property taxes but many mobile retailers are required to pay permit fees, which vary by city.
The 36-year-old stylist specializes in smaller, hard-to-find designers of men's and women's shoes.
Bootleg Austin's customers - about 50 a weekend - love to paw through her well curated collection that includes black ankle booties with gold buckles, polka dot flats and gold metallic lace-up sandals.
The trailer was turning a profit in nine months, says Lewis, who predominantly sells from her leased space, but is about to embark on a 20-city tour this fall.
'This was about being an entrepreneur and doing it in a strange and audacious way and the trailer brings out all these great stories from people that I love,' said Lewis. 'I wanted to do something that was also really friendly and really warm. I'm really sick of retails being cold and stark and snotty.'
Experts say traditional stores want to collaborate with mobile retailers, not compete with them.
The trend comes as brick and mortar stores are struggling to get customers excited about shopping in a struggling economy.
'It's an opportunity to get [customers] into the parking lot and go to the mobile truck and we believe there's overflow traffic that goes right into the store from there,' said Mike Gatti, a senior vice president of the National Retail Federation. 'We're not hearing really any complaints about them.'
Customers are also drawn to the novel experience and personal attention they get from mobile retailers.
'People love it... You are now back to the social aspect of shopping,' said Cohen.
In Portland, Oregon, shoppers sift through vintage dresses and men's ties on a tricked out double-decker bus.
The Fashion Truck features cute and affordable clothes from its Boston-based trailer - a chevron print shift dress sells for $48.
And it's not just retail. Experts predict consumers will see more industries, including medical and home furnishing, hitting the road.
The Man Cave offers haircuts, shoe shines and neck massages in an air conditioned trailer with high-end cigars and a humidifier.
Owner Julia Hutton also runs two other mobile retailers in Phoenix, including Biker, Babes and Beyond LLC and Bling N' Things.
Hutton says a permit costs $35 a year in Cave Creek, a popular area in metro Phoenix, and about $1,000 in nearby Chandler. The Chandler permit requires owners to park in the same spot and doesn't allow them to roam the city.
Her company, ExTreme ReTrailers, also designs custom trailers to look like mini stores on wheels. The trailers include wireless credit card machines, changing rooms and air conditioning.
Trailers start at $10,000 and Hutton has five companies looking to purchase within the month, including a massage business, a pet products retailer and a craft store, she said.
She decided to take her store on the road after struggling to get enough foot traffic at her biker store in northern Arizona.
Hutton says mobile retailers solve a lot of problems for entrepreneurs in a struggling economy.
'They own their own business,' she said. 'They own their own building that the business is in. They own their own billboard. They have a traveling billboard wherever they go.'
The first time the brakes went out in her trailer/store, Joey Wolffer ran a stoplight and worried what would happen to her high-end accessories inside.
Two years later, she has a close relationship with a mechanic, knows the best spot to park in New York's Meatpacking district and has a devoted summer following in the Hamptons.
Wolffer transformed a greasy potato chip truck into a 1980s glam, bohemian den she named Styleliner.
It is stocked with limited-edition accessories, like a $430 crystal and fringe necklace, from her world travels.
Styleliner is among a handful of mobile retail stores in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland and across the U.S that are hawking vintage accessories, sexy shoes and denim to-die-for in their haute wheels.
Owners say they're taking cues from the food truck industry, which glamorized street cuisine, garnered a cult following and even spawned a hit TV show.
Friends were always asking Wolffer where she got a piece of jewelry, and the former trend director for Jones Apparel Group said she was looking for a unique way to introduce some favorite designers to the U.S. market, along with some of her own creations.
She bought the truck with money she inherited and set up shop.
'I wanted relationships with customers, I wanted to get out there and work with people and meet new people all the time,' said Wolffer, who made a profit from her first summer in business in 2010.
The boutiques on wheels can only accommodate a few customers at a time, providing a more intimate shopping experience than a crowded department store.
Styleliner can fit about five customers at a time.
'The old door-to-door salesman is too difficult in today's world but we're seeing an uptick in bringing the product to the consumers,' said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at New York-based NPD group.
It's also a cheaper way for start-up companies to break into the business quickly.
When former fashion editor Sarah Ellison Lewis wanted to open a funky shoe boutique in Austin, Texas, she had sticker shock every time she saw the price for a store lease.
So for a quarter of the price, she bought a 30-foot trailer, decorated it with vintage wallpaper photography, reclaimed wooden benches and leased a parking spot between a chic hotel and popular brunch spot.
She declined to say how much she paid for the truck or her parking spot.
Retail spots in hot Austin neighborhoods can be as high as $45 per square foot, according to Habitat Hunters Real Estate Services.
Lewis does not pay property taxes but many mobile retailers are required to pay permit fees, which vary by city.
The 36-year-old stylist specializes in smaller, hard-to-find designers of men's and women's shoes.
Bootleg Austin's customers - about 50 a weekend - love to paw through her well curated collection that includes black ankle booties with gold buckles, polka dot flats and gold metallic lace-up sandals.
The trailer was turning a profit in nine months, says Lewis, who predominantly sells from her leased space, but is about to embark on a 20-city tour this fall.
'This was about being an entrepreneur and doing it in a strange and audacious way and the trailer brings out all these great stories from people that I love,' said Lewis. 'I wanted to do something that was also really friendly and really warm. I'm really sick of retails being cold and stark and snotty.'
Experts say traditional stores want to collaborate with mobile retailers, not compete with them.
The trend comes as brick and mortar stores are struggling to get customers excited about shopping in a struggling economy.
'It's an opportunity to get [customers] into the parking lot and go to the mobile truck and we believe there's overflow traffic that goes right into the store from there,' said Mike Gatti, a senior vice president of the National Retail Federation. 'We're not hearing really any complaints about them.'
Customers are also drawn to the novel experience and personal attention they get from mobile retailers.
'People love it... You are now back to the social aspect of shopping,' said Cohen.
In Portland, Oregon, shoppers sift through vintage dresses and men's ties on a tricked out double-decker bus.
The Fashion Truck features cute and affordable clothes from its Boston-based trailer - a chevron print shift dress sells for $48.
And it's not just retail. Experts predict consumers will see more industries, including medical and home furnishing, hitting the road.
The Man Cave offers haircuts, shoe shines and neck massages in an air conditioned trailer with high-end cigars and a humidifier.
Owner Julia Hutton also runs two other mobile retailers in Phoenix, including Biker, Babes and Beyond LLC and Bling N' Things.
Hutton says a permit costs $35 a year in Cave Creek, a popular area in metro Phoenix, and about $1,000 in nearby Chandler. The Chandler permit requires owners to park in the same spot and doesn't allow them to roam the city.
Her company, ExTreme ReTrailers, also designs custom trailers to look like mini stores on wheels. The trailers include wireless credit card machines, changing rooms and air conditioning.
Trailers start at $10,000 and Hutton has five companies looking to purchase within the month, including a massage business, a pet products retailer and a craft store, she said.
She decided to take her store on the road after struggling to get enough foot traffic at her biker store in northern Arizona.
Hutton says mobile retailers solve a lot of problems for entrepreneurs in a struggling economy.
'They own their own business,' she said. 'They own their own building that the business is in. They own their own billboard. They have a traveling billboard wherever they go.'
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Fashion Olympics: Big designers behind games
Fashion Olympics: Big designers behind games
The athletes' parade during Friday's opening ceremony might as well have been a catwalk show, with some of fashion's biggest names -- Armani, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney -- designing the team uniforms.
Many in the fashion industry are already calling this the most stylish Olympics ever.
"For any designer, this is the biggest audience you can possibly have for your designs and arguably the most critical," said Avril Graham, Harper's Bazaar executive fashion and beauty editor. "These outfits have to fly the flag and represent their nation in the eyes of the rest of the world."
The Italians must be some of the best-dressed athletes, scoring points with an understated monochrome kit in navy and white by Giorgio Armani, as well as waterproof blue designs for their sailing team by Prada.
Stella McCartney has worked with Adidas to design the sporting gear and "village wear" (read lounge wear) for Britain's home team, though the outfits weren't on show Friday as athletes covered up in white and gold tracksuits. McCartney's gear takes inspiration from the iconic Union flag, but she said she deconstructed it to make it "more delicate and feminine." Look out for them on the track and at the pool: Red is sparingly used to highlight a palette that mostly features white and shades of blue -- turquoise, navy, cobalt.
Meanwhile, the American team may have gotten a barrage of bad press for its made-in-China Ralph Lauren uniforms, but the preppy designs were still some of the most stylish in the arena: clean-cut navy blazers, crisp white trousers, skirts, and shoes, accessorized with navy berets and blue, red and white striped scarves.
The Jamaican team is in the spotlight because of sprinter Usain Bolt, so it's fitting that it also got a boost in the fashion stakes this year. Its kit, which features the national colors as well as lightning-like prints, was designed by Cedella Marley, daughter of legendary singer Bob Marley, for Puma. The styles were modeled by a flamboyantly dancing Bolt at a London catwalk recently.
"Cedella Marley brings island color to team Jamaica -- a sea of tropical yellow, green and black," Graham said Friday.
Other designers behind the Olympics this year include luxury label Hermes, which designed riding jackets for the French equestrian team, and Salvatore Ferragamo, which designed the official uniform for the tiny European republic of San Marino.
Some designers didn't get involved in the official Olympics gear but used the games as an opportunity to cash in and promote their brands anyway.
Karl Lagerfeld, for example, launched an Olympic-themed women's wear collection called Team Karl at the London department store Selfridge's -- though he reportedly said he wouldn't tune in to watch the games.
Meanwhile, high-street chain store H&M said it was launching two pop-up stores dedicated to selling sportswear in London.
Friday's parade of athletes also showcased some surprising and less popular designs.
The German team was notable for not using its national colors at all. Instead, the kit was all hot pink for the women's jackets and cornflower blue for the men. Both were paired with white trousers.
The Czechs, meanwhile, wore bright blue wellington rain boots paired with white shorts.
Spectators also made their own judgments about the much-maligned uniforms for the Spaniards and Russians, both made by Russian sportswear company Bosco. Some Spanish athletes have posted tweets grumbling about their garish red and gold outfits, and there are even Spanish Facebook groups set up to campaign against the gear.
Official kit aside, there were strong fashion showings in the spectator stand, too.
Michelle Obama chose a white dress by J. Mendel, while the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate Middleton, dazzled with a pastel blue satin and belted coat dress reportedly by wunderkind Christopher Kane.
British Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha, demonstrated her fashion credentials with a bold red and black outfit by London-based designer Roksanda Illincic.
The athletes' parade during Friday's opening ceremony might as well have been a catwalk show, with some of fashion's biggest names -- Armani, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney -- designing the team uniforms.
Many in the fashion industry are already calling this the most stylish Olympics ever.
"For any designer, this is the biggest audience you can possibly have for your designs and arguably the most critical," said Avril Graham, Harper's Bazaar executive fashion and beauty editor. "These outfits have to fly the flag and represent their nation in the eyes of the rest of the world."
The Italians must be some of the best-dressed athletes, scoring points with an understated monochrome kit in navy and white by Giorgio Armani, as well as waterproof blue designs for their sailing team by Prada.
Stella McCartney has worked with Adidas to design the sporting gear and "village wear" (read lounge wear) for Britain's home team, though the outfits weren't on show Friday as athletes covered up in white and gold tracksuits. McCartney's gear takes inspiration from the iconic Union flag, but she said she deconstructed it to make it "more delicate and feminine." Look out for them on the track and at the pool: Red is sparingly used to highlight a palette that mostly features white and shades of blue -- turquoise, navy, cobalt.
Meanwhile, the American team may have gotten a barrage of bad press for its made-in-China Ralph Lauren uniforms, but the preppy designs were still some of the most stylish in the arena: clean-cut navy blazers, crisp white trousers, skirts, and shoes, accessorized with navy berets and blue, red and white striped scarves.
The Jamaican team is in the spotlight because of sprinter Usain Bolt, so it's fitting that it also got a boost in the fashion stakes this year. Its kit, which features the national colors as well as lightning-like prints, was designed by Cedella Marley, daughter of legendary singer Bob Marley, for Puma. The styles were modeled by a flamboyantly dancing Bolt at a London catwalk recently.
"Cedella Marley brings island color to team Jamaica -- a sea of tropical yellow, green and black," Graham said Friday.
Other designers behind the Olympics this year include luxury label Hermes, which designed riding jackets for the French equestrian team, and Salvatore Ferragamo, which designed the official uniform for the tiny European republic of San Marino.
Some designers didn't get involved in the official Olympics gear but used the games as an opportunity to cash in and promote their brands anyway.
Karl Lagerfeld, for example, launched an Olympic-themed women's wear collection called Team Karl at the London department store Selfridge's -- though he reportedly said he wouldn't tune in to watch the games.
Meanwhile, high-street chain store H&M said it was launching two pop-up stores dedicated to selling sportswear in London.
Friday's parade of athletes also showcased some surprising and less popular designs.
The German team was notable for not using its national colors at all. Instead, the kit was all hot pink for the women's jackets and cornflower blue for the men. Both were paired with white trousers.
The Czechs, meanwhile, wore bright blue wellington rain boots paired with white shorts.
Spectators also made their own judgments about the much-maligned uniforms for the Spaniards and Russians, both made by Russian sportswear company Bosco. Some Spanish athletes have posted tweets grumbling about their garish red and gold outfits, and there are even Spanish Facebook groups set up to campaign against the gear.
Official kit aside, there were strong fashion showings in the spectator stand, too.
Michelle Obama chose a white dress by J. Mendel, while the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly known as Kate Middleton, dazzled with a pastel blue satin and belted coat dress reportedly by wunderkind Christopher Kane.
British Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha, demonstrated her fashion credentials with a bold red and black outfit by London-based designer Roksanda Illincic.
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