Post 16

1) An update from the Vera Wang Shanghai post from last time

• There was a press release indicating the company was “reviewing our policy“
• The fee was then abolished
• However, other bridal boutiques have been known to do this as well in Shanghai
• This story kind of blew-up and shed some light on Shanghai shopping practices, making me curious about other international shopping practices

2) Beyonce covers British Vogue

• This pose reminds me of her pre-Superbowl GQ shoot, non?
• I do like the outfit
• But the pose is too midriff-y

3) Cate Blanchett will be the face of an Armani perfume

• Yay, I support this!
• She also is a brand ambassador for SK-II skincare, which is really smart as she probably gets it for free
• Hopefully Cate does not go endorsement-crazy, but I doubt she will

Post 15

1) Vera Wang is reportedly charging a fee for patrons to try-on wedding dresses

• This.Is.Awful.
• I really hope this sways Chinese consumers to support local designers
• China loves foreign brands, and with all this talk of wooing Chinese consumers, you’d think there’d be some actual wooing

2) It’s Lakme Fashion Week in India!

• Masaba Gupta is the ultimate queen of prints
• I am however not a fan of roping in Bollywood actors to walk the ramps, keep that to the professionals, please

3) Toronto Fashion Week wrapped up too

• Am not a fan of the official moniker: World MasterCard Fashion Week (WMCFW)
• My fav Sunny Fong presented a more toned-down line for VAWK
• His work always makes me nostalgic for Project Runway Canada, hosted by Iman, yes, IMAN!

 

Post 14

1) Ok, let’s break-down the Anne Hathaway dress fiasco:

• According to a tweet before the Oscars: Valentino sends out a press release revealing who is wearing the brand on the Oscar red carpet, with Anne Hathaway on the list

Valentino just announced its red carpet lineup for tonight: Look for Sally Field, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston, all in couture.

— Eric Wilson (@EricWilsonNYT) February 24, 2013

• Anne Hathaway shows up in a Prada dress, and it is despised by a lot of people, and lands on some “Worst-Dressed” lists
• Her nipples cause a stir on Twitter and get their own account
• It is revealed that the Prada dress was a last minute find by Rachel Zoe and she planned to wear Valentino originally
• She issues a public apology

2) Fan Bingbing attended the Oscars in Marchesa

• Aishwarya Rai attended in 2010, maybe they’re trying to boost foreign interest
• But, maybe increase the foreign film category to 10 films then?
• I don’t know if she actually went into the Kodak Theater to watch, or just walked the carpet

3) In non-Oscar news, Tilda Swinton will head a Chanel campaign

• It is for the Paris-Edimbourg collection
• Not a surprise, Tilda Swinton is the Queen of Scots, at least my Queen of Scots
• Loved her Pringle of Scotland campaign

Post 13

1) The rise of the lower priced line:

1. Zac Posen is launching Zac Zac Posen, a mid-priced line really
2. Oscar de la Renta is developing such a line for The Outnet
3. Prabal Gurung for Target launches tomorrow

• My initial impression of lower priced lines was “Huzzah, I can be chic too!”
• But will the novelty end soon?

2) New York Fashion Week has commenced!

• I really liked Rag and Bone’s collection

3) Montreal Fashion Week just wrapped up

• It wants to branch out globally
• I’m surprised that major Canadian retailers that are based in Montreal, like Aldo and Jacob, don’t have more of a presence here

 

Post 12

1) Michelle Obama is covering Vogue again in 2013

• Not a surprise, Anna Wintour is very much pro-Obama (henceforth known as PrObama!)
• I don’t recall Carla Bruni being on many covers during Sarkozy’s time in office in France

2) Katie Holmes is now the face of (or hair of?) haircare brand Alterna

• That is in addition to her being the face of Bobbi Brown, and having her own clothing line, Holmes & Yang
• Dang, girl is hustlin’ post divorce

3) Tia Cibani is back designing for Ports 1961

• I’m happy to see this Canadian, or somewhat Canadian, label garner some  attention
• It is known for it’s very small advertising budget, and reluctance to provide celebrities with free clothes (oh snap Hollywood)

4) Natalia Vodianova for Stella McCartney Spring 2013

• Love the Supernova! That is all.

Post 11

1) Elle brings you Prabal Gurung’s Target collection

• There are a lot of dresses, I’m not into dresses
• The line is quite print heavy, a la Peter Pilotto or Mary Katrantzou
• I kind of have print fatigue
• I do love Prabal Gurung though

2) Ralph Lauren had a show at Highclere Castle

• Highclere Castle=Downton Abbey!!
• He also sponsors the show
• His Fall 2012 show was quite Downton-inspired, more specifically, Lady Edith-inspired
• I want to go to there

3) Glamour has a 2013 Critic’s Choice Awards Fashion round-up

• Am disappointed with wardrobe choices.  All of them.
• That is all.

Post 10

1) Fei Fei Sun covers Vogue Italia

• I’m surprised this is the first time an Asian model as covered the magazine
• Vogue Italia is known to be ground-breaking, but the Asian catwalk invasion has been happening for a while now

2) Tsanna Latouche modelling for Nordstrom

• She is an up-and-coming Canadian model
• She has potential and I bet she’ll be a Victoria Secret angel soon
• Love that Calvin Klein dress

3) The case for kitten heels

• I love kitten heels, but am aware of the hate they get
• As a taller person, I appreciate not having to teeter around everywhere

 

 

Post 9

1) Conde Nast is working with Wal-Mart to launch a magazine

• So, this is the American counterpart to the Rogers Publishing/Wal-Mart collaboration happening in Canada (I discussed that in Post 6)
• I hope that is not the cover
• It’s only 12  pages! That’s hardly bigger than the weekly flyer

2) Kate Moss modelling for Stuart Weitzman

• I think Stuart Weitzman is having a resurgence
• Been seeing the brand a lot in the press lately (didn’t Beyonce pay tribute to him too?)
• I’m guessing everyone’s over the platform heel?

3) Check out the work of Georges Hobeika

• Add him to your mental fashion repertoire
• The looks are quite red carpet friendly, a la Elie Saab
• It is already quite popular on the Asian red carpets

4) Deborah Lippmann is launching a Girls nail polish line

• I wrote about this happening in Post 8!

Post 8

1) There is now a Modern Family line of nail polish from Nicole By OPI

• The  colours shown are cute and actually embody the referenced characters
• I am a bit surprised other shows weren’t higher on the list for collaboration
• I’m thinking a Girls (the HBO show) nail polish line would be popular, as would Mad Men (obviously) and Downton Abbey

2) Check out the 2013 Spring trends, as modeled by 1990s sitcom characters by SheFinds.com

• Not usually a fan of these photo slideshows, but love this one
• Forgot how stylish Laura Winslow from Family Matters was
• I know this is the second TV related item posted, but I love TV, yes that means TV>>>Film for me

3) How the term curvy now can be used to describe sizes 2 to 22

• Love this article by Laura Bans
• Curvy as a term has really become a crutch, and most often, doesn`t even apply to the person being described

Post 7

1)  Prabal Gurung instagrammed his mood board for his fall 2013 line.

• I guess “instragrammed” is a verb now, although spell-check disagrees
• There’s a lot of Romeo & Juliet inspiration, with pictures of Leo & Claire
• Does that mean a California vibe for the collection?

2) China is now the largest consumer of luxury goods

• No doubt, the industry has been catering to this market, by featuring Chinese models
• But, I am a bit surprised that a designer from China has not hit it big yet

3) This is Jessica Chastain’s BEST.COVER.EVER. (Vogue Germany, January 2013)