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• Latest summer dresses fashion trends 2010: Floaty summer dresses

  
  17 April 2010
  

  Latest summer dresses fashion trends 2010: Floaty summer dresses: Float into summer with dreamy dresses in featherweight fabrics. Fashion by Daniela Agnelli. Photographs by Ellen Nolan.

  Float into summer with dreamy dresses in featherweight fabrics. Fashion by Daniela Agnelli. Photographs by Ellen Nolan.

  Washed-silk organza dress, £2,125, and calfskin shoes with ankle chain, £600, both Lanvin (020-7491 1839); gold chain and ribbon necklace, £667, Marni (020-7245 9520); gold bangle, £190, Tom Binns

  Ruffle jacket, £3,189, Moncler (020-7235 0857); silk dress, £1,390, Sophia Kokosalaki, from Matches (020-7221 0255); shoes, £420, Christian Louboutin (020-7491 0033); gold bangle, £190, Tom Binns, as before .

  Silk dress, £250, Roksanda Ilincic for Whistles (whistles.co.uk); shoes, £544, Christian Louboutin (020-7491 0033).

  Silk muslin bolero, from £3,915, suede clogs, from £500, and knuckleduster, from £1,445, all Chanel (020-7493 5040); layered and striped skirt, £199, Hobbs Heritage & Artisan (0845-313 3130); gold chain and ribbon necklace, £667, Marni (020-7245 9520) .

  Silk chiffon dress with black leather neck, £3,400, Giambattista Valli, from Browns (020-7514 0000); large-stone necklace, £321, Marni (020-7245 9520); pearl strand necklace, £595, Tom Binns (020-7518 0680).

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Hollywood shoe business for Tod's

  
  17 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Hollywood shoe business for Tod's: A host of celebrity guests turned out for the opening of the refurbished Tod’s boutique in Beverly Hills

   

  

  Kate Bosworth, Gwen Stefani and Kate Beckinsale were just some of the big Hollywood stars who attended the event Photo: REX

  There’s no business like shoe business! Especially when you are the billionaire Italian footwear baron, Diego Della Valle, and you are in Hollywood.

  Della Valle - the man behind the de luxe moccasin with 133 little rubber "nodules" on the sole - hosted a star-studded party to celebrate the reopening of the refurbished Tod’s boutique and Tod’s Home Concept, last night, in Beverly Hills, California.

  Among the celebrity guests were Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Kate Bosworth, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Beckinsale, Anjelica Huston, Jessica Capshaw, Marisa Tomei, Jacqueline Bisset, Jordana Brewster, and Jim Belushi.

  Dante Ferretti, the Oscar-winning production designer and art director (The Aviator, Sweeney Todd), created a 1940s Hollywood-themed VIP showroom on the third floor of the boutique. The Academy Award-winning costume designer, Milena Canonero, (Barry Lyndon, Chariots of Fire, Marie Antoinette), who was also the costume designer for the TV series, Miami Vice, created a special new bag, "The Script", in conjunction with Tod’s design studio, especially for the relaunch.

  The reception was followed by a dinner at the Tower Bar to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Lara Stone is the new model of Giorgio Armani Cosmetics

  
  17 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Lara Stone is the new model of Giorgio Armani Cosmetics: The model girlfriend of British comedian David Walliams has just landed another lucrative contract

  

  Model Lara Stone with fiancé David Walliams Photo: REX

  The curvaceous catwalk star, Lara Stone, has been announced as the new "face" of Giorgio Armani Cosmetics.

  The Italian designer said he had chosen the Dutch model because she was "seductive, sensual and above all modern. With her individual beauty, she epitomises the feminine ideal of our time.”

  Stone has been photographed for the campaign by David Sims, with make-up by Linda Cantello.

  Aged 26, Stone was born in Geldrop, Holland, to a Dutch mother and English father. She was "discovered" in the Paris Metro, at the age of 12, and has built an international career, appearing in all the major catwalk shows, in global campaigns for Calvin Klein, Jean Paul Gaultier, MaxMara, Jil Sander, DKNY and Givenchy, among others, and has also modelled for the Pirelli calendar.

  In January, she became engaged to the British comedian, David Walliams, who sat front row at the Givenchy show in Paris last month, to watch her walk on by.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Latest fashion trends for wedding dress 2010-2011 of Vera Wang fashion

  
  14 April 2010
  
  

  New fashion news 2010 – Model presents a design at the Vera Wang Spring 2011 bridal show in New York on Tuesday, April

  Latest fashion trends for wedding dress 2010-2011 of  Vera Wang fashion: For the major bridal houses in New York, the spring and fall bridal markets are a semi-annual tradition. However, after a few presentations of cream or white satin trumpet gowns and tulle-covered ball gowns with just a few slight variations, showing this often can seem redundant.

  One designer, however, who has consistently reinvented bridal since her company's inception in 1990, is Vera Wang. Her latest collection for Spring 2011, shown in New York on Tuesday, April 13, was the latest exhibition of her artistry.

  Armed with a thorough knowledge of couture techniques from the past, Wang propels the form forward as she develops new techniques. She'll make organza look ever lighter with her draping, shape silk into sculpture or use tulle as a canvas for hand-printed blossoms or lace, all of which her spring collection featured.

  Taking the "fragile femininity" of the garden or tea party as her starting point, her tightly edited collection introduced just 11 new gowns, but each with its own carefully constructed identity.

  Starting with the first dress, a hand-printed blush Chantilly organza mermaid gown with one shoulder that delicately whispered over the arm, it was clear that not all bridal dress terminology is created equal when it comes to Vera Wang. This mermaid gown hardly resembled the usual stiff satin silhouettes one usually associates with the term. Instead, Wang's version of the flange skirt looked like an organza rendering of a Japanese woodblock depicting a frothy wave.

  In another dress, it was the smallest detail that made the entire dress sing, like a pale lilac gown that had subtle sensual touches: a shoulder strap falling down, or an "illusion" corset peeking through, as though the bride and groom had slipped off for a clandestine moment in the garden. With the barely-there color, Wang aimed for an Easter egg effect, with colors glazing a smooth eggshell-like surface.

  As one might guess in this ode to the garden, there were plenty of floral elements, from hand-cut petal embroidery on a bodice to twists of tulle fashioned into oversized blossoms that floated on a draped skirt like a tossed bouquet.

  But most stunning were the architectural gowns employing what Wang's program notes termed a "ladder technique": a fabric fractal made up of cascading layers of gravity-defying silk gazar that were like a mad mathematical epiphany transformed into art. Turns out there might be a reason to study calculus after all.

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Fashion trends 2010 for Models with Gray Hair

  
  14 April 2010
  
  

  Fashion news 2010 – Photo shows model Kristen McMenamy wearing a design from the Calvin Klein …

  Fashion trends 2010 for Models with Gray Hair: Among the more avant-garde looks shown on the runways of New York, London, Paris and Milan was one that seems ho-hum in real life: gray hair.

  More mature models — some even in their, gasp, 40s — were stars at the previews of fall styles. And in the fashion world, that's a radical turn from the use of models not old enough to drive a car, let alone wield a credit card.

  "I wanted something different," said Francisco Costa, creative director for the Calvin Klein Collection. "I wanted a cast that really represented a customer I design for, and that's not really a 16-year-old."

  Costa hired gray-haired Kristen McMenamy, who also appeared at Viktor & Rolf, as well as '90s sensations — and now mothers — Stella Tennant and Kirsty Hume.

  Marc Jacobs, widely considered the most influential American designer, cast 47-year-old Elle Macpherson in his Louis Vuitton show, along with Bar Refaeli and Alessandra Ambrosio. Trendsetting Miuccia Prada used Ambrosio, Isabeli Fontana, Doutzen Kroes and Miranda Kerr — all best known as voluptuous Victoria's Secret models and all in their mid-20s, a relatively advanced age for runway models.

  It's a smart move by the fashion industry to make itself more relatable to consumers. Costa acknowledges that the tough retail climate has helped force design houses to speak more directly to their customers.

  "The woman who puts my clothes on needs a certain level of sophistication," says Costa. "We wanted to acknowledge women who have always worn our clothes, women with their own identities, have full lives, have kids."

  It also may help counter perennial complaints about skinny models. It's said that age brings wisdom; it also usually brings curves.

  The more mature look was on-trend with the chic, retro styles shown for fall, so helping models' health may be icing on the maybe-not-entirely-fat-free cake.

  Still, Nian Fish, creative director at fashion-show powerhouse producer KCD, says designers, stylists, casting agents and modeling agents all collectively heeded the call to put forth a healthier image.

  "This is fashion coupled with compassion," says Fish, who helped the Council of Fashion Designers of America launch its health initiative back in 2007. "But I think the compassion came first, and then the fashion suited these bodies. I loved seeing these bodies in Prada. We're always looking for trends at Prada, and seeing Victoria's Secret girls on the Prada runway woke up a lot of people about what a women should look like."

  Older models have had far more success in print, where 41-year-old Christy Turlington and 39-year-old Claudia Schiffer, for example, still star in top-tier campaigns. But while ads have always been specifically crafted to sell something, the runway had been about fantasy.

  The reaction to Costa's more womanly look — a shift from the house's usual almost androgynous muse — has been very positive, he notes. "You can see a Kristen McMenamy wearing the clothes. You can see a woman who's so cool, but her hair is so real — it's amazing," he says.

  "These runways looked great," agrees Fish. "Our eyes adjusted very quickly because we wanted it to. Everything looked fresh and new. Seeing clothes on post-pubescent bodies didn't look fresh."

  The current controversy about models' weight actually goes back to the early '90s and the days of Kate Moss, her waif body and a look dubbed "heroin chic." But the conversation turned to age at a panel discussion earlier this year where Kroes, 25, and Coco Rocha, all of 21, both said they weren't getting much runway work because of their age and curvier figures.

  "I had been away from fashion shows seven or eight years, other than Victoria's Secret," says Ambrosio, who also walked for Giles Deacon. "It was really nice to participate. It was surprising because, for such a long time, designers were only using girls that weren't so sexy, whose bodies were less curvy."

  It was a coup for her to be cast, she says, but it also helped score public interest in the shows.

  "People were interested in the known faces on the runway," she says. "We've all been working for such a long time, and the more you walk, the more you work, the more confidence you have. You can relax, smile more, add personality. You walk the way the clothes need to be shown."

  Ed Razek, president of Victoria's Secret, is amused that the fashion world is rediscovering boldface models, who, naturally, have to have a few years under her belt to become famous.

  The first time he met Chanel Iman, she was already considered an It Girl in the fashion world, starting on the runways at 15. But she was too scrawny and young, Razek recalls. Now at age 20 she has a lucrative Victoria's Secret contract.

  "She promised in the next year, she'd grow curves — and she did," Razek says.

  This season, girls of 13 or 14 were told this season to come back when they were a bit older, says KCD's Fish. And other models who looked unhealthy were advised to take the season off but with an open pledge to embrace them when they return after getting treatment.

  The CFDA's voluntary wellness guidelines link age and health, even if they don't set specific standards, says Steven Kolb, the organization's executive director. There are standing recommendations that models under 16 not be hired and those under 18 not work past midnight and have supervision, rest and regular meals.

  "The age and thinness thing go hand-in-hand," Kolb says.

  Fish says she hopes the younger girls do come back — with many more years of work in front of them. "This is all going to snowball now. Once these few key designers do this, it snowballs and it makes it OK for everyone else to do."

  Will McMenamy and her gray hair be back, too?

  Costa won't commit, saying he does embrace newness. But, he adds, that doesn't have to be synonymous with youth.

  "Kate Moss has grown up," he says. "Now she's the woman I wish to wear my clothes."

   

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Chloe Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage: Young and Old Hollywood Gather at the "Kick-Ass" Premiere

  
  14 April 2010
  
  

  Fashion news 2010 – Chloe Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage arrive at the film premiere of "Kick-Ass" in Los …

  Chloe Grace Moretz and Nicolas Cage: Young and Old Hollywood Gather at the "Kick-Ass" Premiere: Just like in the new superhero comedy "Kick-Ass" itself, at the movie's premiere it was a mix of young, up-and-coming Hollywood and old, established Tinseltown stars. They all came together on Tuesday, April 13, in Los Angeles, to celebrate the new film, led by Nicolas Cage, who stars in "Kick-Ass" but takes second fiddle to three fresh faces.

  Cage embraced 13-year-old Chloe Moretz, the youngest of the three, who plays his daughter in the comedy, and both cheerily greeted their co-stars, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Aaron Johnson. Those guys are 20 and 19, respectively, and part of a new generation taking over Hollywood.

  Ironically, Mintz-Plasse, who first gained fame as the nerdy Fogel in "Superbad," chuckled at an earlier press day when asked about playing another teenager in "Kick-Ass." "I'm definitely growing up. That's always a nice thing," he said, then admitted that Hollywood still looks at him as a kid. "I've gotten roles where they want me to play the 16 year old. I'm not going to deny that, but it's also very nice to do different roles, something I've never done before."

  He'd certainly never donned a superhero costume and gone out to fight bad guys; neither had Aaron Johnson, who plays the nerdy lead character of "Kick-Ass" in the flick. The British teen has been acting since he was ten, and reflected on how he, Mintz-Plasse and Moretz share a common drive to succeed as actors very early in their lives.

  "It's good to kind of know who you are when you're younger," Johnson said, "and have an instinct about what you want to do and where you are creatively, and have a mind to express yourself."

  The premiere drew Hollywood stars of every age, from Vinnie Jones, Stephen Fry and Yancy Butler to Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse, Eli Roth, Jamie King, Lyndsy Fonseca and Nicky Hilton.

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Latest Reem Acra Spring 2011 Bridal collection show in New York

  
  13 April 2010
  

  

  Fashion news 2010 – Model presents a design at the Reem Acra Spring 2011 bridal show in New York on Sunday, April

  Latest Reem Acra Spring 2011 Bridal collection show in New York : Always a champion of flights of fancy in fashion, whether in her ready-to-wear collection or bridal, Reem Acra's latest bridal presentation, held in her New York showroom on Sunday, April 11, took a trip to the idyllic paradise of a mythical Shangri-La.

  Acra's garden gowns, many with lingerie-style corsets and bustiers, were bursting with floral touches, from "3D" floral embroideries that looked almost as good as wearing a dress embellished with real flowers, to tulle that looked like stems of a bouquet, every detail spoke to the designer's celebration of couture finishing.

  To highlight the delicate features of the gowns, Acra kept to a traditional palette of white, ivory or champagne, with one lone peach dress.

  "I'm just trying to tone down on the colors," said Acra, who in the past had experimented more with color. "I'm trying to keep it calm because of the extraordinary hand in these dresses."

  "Calm," however, did not mean boring. A discerning mix of materials - lace, satin, tulle - twisted and ruched, draped and hand-pleated gave each dress a distinctive air, and a bride would feel confident knowing that her gown was one-of-a-kind. And, added Acra, very fashionable.

  "Today's brides are very fashion oriented and all about ready-to-wear, and all the techniques of ready-to-wear and she wants to see it in wedding dresses," said Acra. "So it was exciting for me to put these elements in and combine all these fabrics. Still, the dresses are very simple. The challenge is to make them look simple, yet they are very couture."

  Couture craftsmanship aside, there were also some practical aspects to the gowns, like pockets. And for the bride who wants both a long and a short dress, Acra designed a clever gown with a detachable skirt, that can be removed for the reception.

  "I think it's adorable, and it's very functional," said Acra. "Today's bride is very sexy, and she likes her shoes, her Manolo's. So why not? She can go formal to the wedding, and then it's a nice surprise at the end."

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Singapore seeks to showcase Asian fashion to the world

  
  13 April 2010
  

  Well aware that to get from the runway to the retail store takes more than fashionistas, Singapore is launching a trade fashion show this month intended to parade Asia's designers before international fashion buyers.

  Dubbed Blueprint, organizers say they want the 4-day event to become the basis of the Asian Fashion Exchange (AFX), the region's answer to New York or Milan's fashion weeks.

  The event is modeled on Berlin's "Bread and Butter" industry fair, and will start out with 50 designers, mainly from Asia but with some U.S. and British labels as well. There will also be an opportunity for the public to shop.

  Some 60 buyers from all over the world, including British department stores Harrod's and Liberty, are set to attend, but organizers say it's early days yet to realize their ambitions.

  "Asia has much potential as a market for the fashion industry and with its growing pool of talent, there is potential in developing a premier fashion initiative for Singapore and the region," said Andrew Phua of the government's tourism board, a main sponsor of the event.

  "We recognize that as a new brand, the AFX will take time to grow and root itself in the minds of fashion professionals, but we hope that it will quickly step up to fill a current gap in the industry and become a fashion exchange hub for the region."

  Shopping is often called the national pastime in affluent Singapore, a city-state of some 5 million people that, as the rest of the world slowly shakes off the global economic crisis, has been attracting luxury retails in droves.

  French jeweller to royalty and the stars, Chaumet, opened its first Southeast Asian outlet in Singapore last week, adding to a long list of international names including Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Harry Winston, Prada and Louis Vuitton.

  From a retailing point of view, Singapore's got, and attracts, more than enough local and Asian shoppers willing to spend on luxury goods, a statistic fitting the country with the world's highest density of millionaires which is positioning itself as a center for luxury living.

  Singapore holds an annual fashion festival, which last year featured several major international labels, but now, the government has decided that the time has come to really turn the country into Asia's fashion capital for the world.

  "By bringing the best of Asian fashion designers under one roof, we hope to raise the profile of Singapore designers in the region and beyond," said Tan Soon Kim of International Enterprise Singapore.

  "It is precisely because Singapore is not known yet as a fashion capital that there is a need for Blueprint. While there are other fashion festivals in Asia, Blueprint has a more international outlook."

  While luxury goods have yet to come back in vogue with the economic recovery still fragile, organizers see the AFX as a long-term initiative and designers said it was never too early to get brand exposure.

  "We're already very well known on our homeground Thailand, but we want to reach out to an international audience. Those attending Blueprint will help heighten our brand exposure on a global level, which will ultimately, increase sales," said Roj Singhakul, founder and designer of Thai label ISSUE.

  Singaporean designer Wykidd Song, who made his mark on the international market in the 1990s with label "Song and Kelly" with partner Ann Kelly, also said it's high time Asian designers got a platform to showcase to the world.

  "Singapore is not Tokyo, we're not the United States, but we have to try and do what we can. We want to be held up to international scrutiny, to gain the knowledge of what works and what doesn't," he said.

  "We need a sales pitch. That's what Blueprint is."

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Book's Alexander McQueen fashion designer for sale

  
  13 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Book's  Alexander McQueen  fashion designer for sale: The first of what will undoubtedly be many books on the late British fashion revolutionary, Alexander McQueen, will go on sale on May 7th.

  

  Extracts from the book, which traces McQueen?s remarkable life story

  Entitled "Alexander McQueen, Genius of a Generation", the 128-page volume traces McQueen’s remarkable life story, from a child, drawing on the walls of his parent’s council flat, in London’s East End, to his final, fabulous - but unfinished - Fall / Winter 2010/2011 collection , shown posthumously, in a series of private presentations, in Paris.

  

  The cover of the book by Kristin Knox

  More than 120 iconic images capture the dramatic and thought-provoking concepts of his catwalk shows, which fired the imagination of an entire fashion industry, from CEO to student; from 1995, in London, through to the hi-tech, cyber fantasy that was "Plato’s Atlantis", for Spring / summer 2010, simultaneously live-streamed to millions around the globe.

  

  Extracts from the book, which traces McQueen?s remarkable life story

  The photographs demonstrate how McQueen’s vision eclipsed mere ready-to-wear and how he struggled and sought to define fashion through complex thought-processes, science and computer technology, special effects and elaborate sets which were astonishing examples of installation art, designed to showcase some of the most bizarrely-beautiful, ingenious and mind-boggling clothes ever seen on a runway.

  The book is written by Kristin Knox, an international fashion journalist and blogger, and published by A&C Black.

  It is a tribute to the astounding, shocking talent that was Lee Alexander McQueen, born March, 1969, d. February, 2010. Something of a late-starter at Central Saint Martins, he had already worked with the Savile Row tailors, Anderson & Sheppard, and Gieves & Hawkes - where he sharpened his surgeon-like cutting skills - and, later, the theatrical costumiers, then Angels & Bermans - which fed and fostered his lust for fantasy - as well as for the designers, Koji Tatsuno, and Romeo Gigli, in Milan, before arriving at the famous college to tutor in pattern-cutting. He enrolled instead for an MA.

  The fashion guru, Isabella Blow bought his entire MA graduate collection, one piece at a time, and their friendship was one of the great platonic fashion "marriages" of its generation - until Blow’s tragic death by suicide in May, 2007.

  Following a series of explosive shows at London fashion week, including "Highland Rape", and the launch of "bumsters", which ignited a global, and enduring craze for low-slung trousers, McQueen caught the attention of Paris. Following in the footsteps of John Galliano, he was appointed creative director at the august "maison" of Givenchy, part of the LVMH group, at just 27 years of age. It was always an uneasy alliance: the firebrand McQueen versus the entrenched values of a brand which had had Audrey Hepburn as a muse.

  Surprisingly, McQueen lasted five years, before quitting, selling 51% of his label to Gucci Group and finally embarking on the outrageous creativity which was to set the fashion world ablaze.

  McQueen’s death, at the age of 40, was announced in London on the afternoon of February 11th this year - the day before the funeral of his beloved mother, Joyce.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• The Spring 2011 Monique Lhuillier Bride collection

  
  12 April 2010
  
  

  Fashion news 2010 – Model presents a design at the Monique Lhuillier Spring 2011 bridal show in New York on Sunday

  The Spring 2011 Monique Lhuillier Bride collection, titled "A Field of Dreams," was all about bringing the garden party indoors.

  Shown in the lofty heights of an airy two-level penthouse in the London Hotel on Sunday, April 11, in New York, models stood alongside picture windows with stunning Manhattan views in equally jaw-dropping gowns, where elements of nature added whimsical details to the dresses.

  Romantic embellishments like butterflies, branches, twigs, wheat stalks and feathers were woven into soft layers of tulle and organza and floral embroideries were appliqued onto sheer corsets.

  "I thought this season it was about showing your figure off," said Lhuillier after the presentation.

  To that end, Lhuillier introduced some shorter dress lengths, one of which was a convertible dress that could go from long to short.

  "Instead of changing dresses, why not have one dress?" said Lhuillier, noting that more and more her customer was asking for an all-purpose wedding ceremony and reception option.

  A lean trumpet silhouette also dominated this season, "bringing out the diva-ness of the girls," said Lhuillier.

  Trumpet gowns "accentuate your curves," explained Lhuillier. "They're best for hourglass figures. Also if you're petite, it elongates your silhouette."

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Latest fashion trends 2010: Military fashion

  
  12 April 2010
  

  Latest fashion trends 2010: Military fashion: Canvas satchel with leather trim, by Pied a Terre, £99

   

  Ring necklace, £14, Freedom

  Embroidered cotton scarf, £22,

  Metal-bead, woven cuff, £15, by Matthew Williamson for Jon Richard

  Khaki belt, £15

  Sandal, £49.99

  Cotton trousers, 8-16, £34.99

  Lace-up wedge boots, £40

  Wooden-bead tankini top, £7; matching belted brief, £4; both 8-20

  Military cap, £14

  (telegraph fashion news)

   

• Fashion news 2010: Lower-Priced Mark and James Introduces Second Season collection

  
  11 April 2010
  
  

  Fashion news 2010 – FWD102 Model presents a design at the Badgley Mischka Fall 2010 bridal show in New York on Saturday

  Fashion news 2010: Lower-Priced Mark and James Introduces Second Season collection: Becoming a blushing bride wearing Badgley Mischka is now a little easier on the wallet, thanks in part to the label's Mark and James bridal collection, which marks its second season with its Fall 2010 collection.

  Shown in New York on Saturday, April 10, alongside the Badgley Mischka signature line, designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka showed a fashion-forward collection with Mark and James bridal.

  They included some with shorter lengths, great for customers who might want to show off some equally deluxe footwear. One of the more fanciful Mark and James dresses featured luscious, accordion-plated ruffles for the bride with a princess-at-the-ball fantasies for their wedding day.

  While the dresses for Mark and James were no less elegant than their more expensive line, the focus here was more on silhouette, whether trumpet, full tulle ball gown or a vintage-inspired peplum, rather than on all-over, expensive embellishments.

  Their latest bridal designs for the Badgley Mischka signature collection, which range in price from $4610 to $7250, kept close to their tradition of infusing the looks with elements of high Hollywood glamour.

  Elaborate beading and embroidery is a constant in their collections - this season it was inspired by vintage gowns from the '20s and '50s - but for Fall 2010, they also demonstrated that they can achieve gorgeous texture with a lush use of fabric, too, whether using Alencon lace or with dramatic yet soft multi-tiered skirts created from petal-like layers of net.

  And whether a bride wants a body-conscious, streamlined gown with an elongating trumpet flare or a more structured dress - an Italian silk satin gown with a contrasting black lace obi cinched the waist for an hourglass-enhancing look - once again Badgley Mischka lead the way in a variety of gorgeous options.

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Grace Kelly: a royal recycler of fashion

  
  11 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Grace Kelly: a royal recycler of fashion: Grace Kelly's clothes will show how the actress and princess regularly recycled her favourite outfits.

  It was hours before the most important encounter of her life, a meeting with her prince charming that would lead to Grace Kelly's transformation into Princess Grace of Monaco.

  

  Grace Kellys first meeting with Prince Rainer

  But as Hollywood's leading lady prepared to meet Prince Rainier for the first time during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, disaster struck.

  A power cut at her hotel made ironing her chosen dress and styling her hair impossible, forcing Kelly to improvise.

  

  Assistant curators put the finishing touches to dresses worn by Grace Kelly on display at a new exhibition at the V&A Museum

  Scraping back her hair in a head piece, she put on a shiny floral-printed gown, the only dress in her wardrobe that did not need ironing.

  Although it was later described as "Dior-inspired", it was actually an "easy to sew" dress from the McCall Patterns magazine that she had previously modelled for the magazine.

  The dress is just one of several examples of Kelly's surprising fashion thrift that are to go on display at Grace Kelly: Style Icon, a new exhibition of the actress' wardrobe at the V&A which explores her glamorous image.

  While few of Hollywood's leading ladies have ever been seen in the same outfit twice, Kelly ripped up the fashion rule book, regularly recycling her favourite outfits throughout her film career and in her role as Princess Grace.

  The show includes a pink lace and silk taffeta dress that she first wore to the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.

  The dress, designed by Oleg Cassini, became one of Kelly's favourites, and she continued to wear it on many occasions, including for a game of charades aboard the SS Constitution in 1956, en route from New York to Monaco shortly before her marriage to Prince Rainier.

  Also on display is a green silk draped dress with a bustle train designed by Edith Head, the chief costume designer at Paramount studios, which Kelly first wore to the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window in 1954.

  Breaking with red carpet protocol, she donned the dress again in 1955 to accept her Oscar for Country Girl and to pose for the cover of Life magazine.

  The exhibition also features an emerald green Givenchy wool dress with a matching bolero jacket, an outfit that Kelly wore in 1961 when she and Prince Rainier visited the White House for lunch with President and Mrs Kennedy, and again the same year during a visit to Dublin.

  Also on display is a pink silk net polka dot dress designed by Mark Bohan for Christian Dior. Kelly first wore the dress at Cannes in 1970 and chose it again in 1972 for a photo shoot with Lord Snowdon for Vogue.

  Jenny Lister, the curator of fashion at the V&A, said: "Princess Grace was very sentimental about clothes and treasured things that had fond memories.

  "Certain outfits were like special friends to her, so she kept them close for many years and wore them time and again, a bold decision for a woman who was the subject of so much scrutiny.

  "As an actress and then as a fairy tale princess, hers was a simple, streamlined elegance.

  "She epitomised 'style' as opposed to 'fashion', and her appeal has remained timeless, with women today still emulating her understated chic."

  Among the exhibits from her acting career are costumes created by the MGM designer Helen Rose, including the grey and pink silk chiffon dress embroidered with roses which she wore in the famous dancing scene with Frank Sinatra in High Society, and a Grecian-style bathing robe from the same film.

  A silk organza pleated dress from Rear Window will also go on display, alongside a white embroidered cotton dress that she wore in The Swan, when as a future princess already engaged to Prince Rainier, she played the role of a princess.

  The designs will be shown alongside footage of Kelly's performances and original film posters and magazines from the period.

  Other highlights of the show will include the belted shirtwaist dress by Branell of New York, which Kelly wore for the official announcement of her engagement to Prince Rainier, the clothes designed for her trousseau and the antique lace bodice and skirt designed by Rose which she wore for her civil marriage ceremony in 1956.

  Haute couture creations by Chanel and Balenciaga, a "Mondrian" dress designed by Yves St Laurent, jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels, and the original Hermès "Kelly" bag, which was named after the actress, will also be on display.

  Much of the collection is on loan from the Palais Princier in Monaco, with additional loans from the Balenciaga museum in Spain and private owners in America.

  Speaking about his mother, H S H Prince Albert told The Sunday Telegraph: "My mother Princess Grace had a personality which was both very sensitive and full of acute artistic sense.

  Her incredible charisma transpired in everything she did and gave her that unique, very distinctive style.

  "I feel sure that it is those qualities that made her style so special. To me, every item is a reflection of her elegance and it is no surprise such an elegance has become legendary."

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Ethical fashion hits big time with German takeover

  
  10 April 2010
  

  

   Fashion news 2010 – Models present creations during the "Ethical Fashion Show" in Paris in 2007. Green fair-trade

  Fashion news 2010: Ethical fashion hits big time with German takeover: Green fair-trade fashion looks set to slip out out of the closet as one of the world's top trade fair organisers, Germany's Messe Frankfurt, takes over the Paris-based "Ethical Fashion Show."

  The absorption of the six-year-old event, one of the highlights of busy Paris Fashion Week, was announced Friday by Messe Frankfurt, the world's third biggest trade fair firm with annual turnover of almost half a billion euros (671 million dollars).

  "This demonstrates our commitment to a highly current issue -- sustainable development," said Detlef Braun, a director of the firm running almost 100 fairs yearly worldwide, a third of them involving textiles and the textile industry -- including some of the biggest in Asia.

  "This is also our first venture into fashion," said Braun.

  While the market for ethical fashion is far more dynamic in Britain, where there is a fiercer emphasis on dressing different, Paris's Ethical Fashion Show is currently the world's largest event spotlighting eco and fair-trade fashion.

  Held once a year, the burgeoning show has grown from 20 designers at its inaugural 2004 edition to 90 last year, from all of the world's continents.

  Every one of the designs displayed at the four-day event is made with either environmental or social concerns at heart, the makers committing to a charter to respect working conditions, protect the environment, and preserve traditional skills.

  At its origins, said founder Isabelle Quehe, was her encounter with Bangladesh designer Bibi Russel and Senegalese fashion supremo Oumou Sy.

  "They made me share their vision that fashion could spur development in poor countries, that there was an elegance spawned by local crafts that must be protected for future generations," she said Friday.

  In the world's fashion capital, the growing success of the Ethical show has acted as a catalyst, spurring a bevy of mainstream trade fairs to host eco and fair-trade corners of their own.

  Likewise, Messe Frankfurt's own twice-yearly textile shows in Paris now feature eco-labelling -- giving the tens of thousands of buyers who pour into the city an instant look at who is offering organic cottons, or fabrics certified under fair trade practices.

  "Sustainable development is a mega social trend," said the company's French director Michael Scherpe. "There is an increasing demand for fashion that respects the environment and fair working practices."

  This year's event will take place September 25 to 28 at Paris' new Fashion and Design City at the Docks en Seine.

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Fashion show defies Taliban in Pakistan's Peshawar

  
  10 April 2010
  
  

  Fashion news 2010  – A model presents a creation by students of a private university during a fashion show in Peshawar on …

  Fashion news 2010: Fashion show defies Taliban in Pakistan's Peshawar: Days after bombers tried to storm the US consulate, models defied the Taliban to sashay down a catwalk in Pakistan's troubled city Peshawar, flashing navels and exposing shoulders.

  Organisers told AFP that the private fashion show, arranged by a private university in the northwestern metropolis of 2.5 million, was intended as a stress reliever in a city that has been hard hit by bomb and suicide attacks.

  "The situation is very tense. The atmosphere is very stressful and we arranged this show to bring some entertainment and as an opportunity for young people to show their capabilities," Mohammad Yasir, an organiser, told AFP.

  "It was a great success. More people came than we expected," he said.

  Trussed up in glamorous confections of gauze and silk, western-style skirts slashed to the knee, towering gladiator heels and millinery, male and female models marched down the runway, smouldering and pouting late Wednesday.

  There were bare shoulders, trousers hanging from the hips and tops slashed to well-toned navels -- a far cry from the heavy veils, baggy trousers and body-hiding shirts favoured by the city's women in public.

  Strict security was in force for the event at Deans shopping plaza in the heavily guarded and upmarket garrison-controlled central area of Peshawar where Indian Bollywood tracks and western pop blasted out of loudspeakers.

  The show took place just 15 minutes' drive from the American consulate -- targeted Monday by Islamist militants armed with guns, grenades and suicide car bombs who killed five security officials.

  "I am really happy that the fashion show was successfully held in this stressful environment of Peshawar," Maheen Raza, a dress designer told AFP.

  While some models and designers came from the relatively moderate capital Islamabad, others live in Peshawar, one of the most conservative big cities in the country where fashion shows are rare.

  The city lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt -- branded by Washington a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the most dangerous place on Earth, where a secretive US drone war is targeting top Islamist militant commanders.

  The US consulate attack was the most audacious this year in Pakistan, where insecurity, particularly in the northwest, has raised concerns in the United States as Washington steps up the fight in Afghanistan and against Al-Qaeda.

  Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the consulate attack, saying it was to avenge the US drone attacks and threatened further assaults on Americans.

  The United Nations announced a two-day closure of its offices in Peshawar, citing security fears following a US consulate attack.

  Around 3,200 people have been killed in suicide and bomb attacks over the last three years in Pakistan, blamed on militants opposed to the US alliance.

  (Yahoo fashion news)

• Latest fashion 2010 for Modern girls

  
  09 April 2010
  

  Latest fashion 2010 for Modern girls: Coats and dresses with a clean-lined, architectural simplicity

  Coats and dresses with a clean-lined, architectural simplicity:

  White silk-mix backless dress, £120, by Aqua Couture Black suede platform wedge sandals, £640, by Paule Ka, London SW1. Orange patent-leather clutch bag, £250, by Anya Hindmarch, London SW1

  Black vinyl coat, £1,005, by Paule Ka, as before. Black leather shoes, £150, by Ted Baker

  Black silk dress with leather bolero, £1,916, by Céline, from Dover Street Market, Clear resin square bangle, £41.60, by Jackie Brazil

  Silver silk-jersey dress, £99, by Ted Baker, as before. Black leather sandals, £430, by Roger Vivier, London SW1 Black acrylic studded cuff, £48, by Angie Gooderham

  (telegraph fashion news)

   

• Fashion news 2010: Ladies' Day fashions at Aintree Racecourse 2010

  
  09 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Ladies' Day fashions at Aintree Racecourse 2010:

  

  Photo: REUTERS

  There was no holding back in the fashion stakes on Ladies’ Day at the Grand National. This was clearly not a place for wallflowers, the shy or modest, the style-virgins and the fashion-wary.

  Any colour, as long as it’s shocking pink, flaming orange, fluorescent yellow, electric purple, or neon-lime; any print as long as it’s psychedelic and vaguely Pucci-esque.

  Every look in the book was explored from fairy tutus to fishtail evening gowns to fruitbowl headdresses and flamingo-style feathers.

  Cleavage was clearly a vital accessory, the premise obviously being that it’s better out than in.

  Vogue purists might scoff at the attention to detail - a rose-pink coloured portable wine cooler to match the bottle of rosé inside, for example - but there was no doubting the unbridled enthusiasm, passion and fervour with which the girls - and at least one man - galloped into the fashion arena.

  Photos in Ladies' Day fashions at Aintree Racecourse 2010:

   

  Leanne Price (L) and Vicki Wignall enjoy the party atmosphere on Ladies' Day during the second day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree Racecourse

  Maria Sussex, 48, from Liverpool enjoys Ladies' Day

  Ladies queue for fashion tips at the Matalan Fashion Doctor stand

   

   

  Two ladies view the race card

  Coleen Rooney on Ladies Day during the second day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool

  Coleen Rooney with Colin and Justin and Ricky Whittle

  A man dressed as a woman poses with a guard on Ladies' Day 2010

  

   

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: The rise of Erdem Fashion

  
  08 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: The rise of Erdem Fashion: Erdem presented his latest autumn/winter 2010/11 collection during London Fashion Week

  Erdem presented his latest autumn/winter 2010/11 collection during London Fashion Week

  Samantha Cameron sat on the front row at the autumn/winter 2010/11 show

  The designer's spring/summer 2010 collection was full of bright, zingy floral patterns

  A striking design from the autumn winter 2008/09 collection

  The designer was inspired by nature for his autumn/winter 2007/08 collection

  Erdem's spring/summer 2007 collection showed a sure knack for elaborate evening wear

  Erdem claimed the Fashion Fringe prize in 2006 during London Fashion Week

  Erdem received his master's degree from the Royal College of Art, London, in 2003

  Erdem's designs have caught the imagination of many high profile women. Sarah Brown wore an Erdem frock to open the London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2010/11 season, in February 2010

  The Prime Minister's wife also chose Erdem when she attended the Annual Labour Party Conference in Brighton, September 2009

  Actress Keira Knightley has worn pieces by Erdem to several red carpet events, most recently at the Laurence Olivier Awards

  Erdem was also her party frock of choice when she attended the film premiere for 'The Edge of Love'

  Actress Thandie Newton regularly champions British design talent on the red carpet, and opted for this striking silk shift when she attended the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2008

  Red carpet newcomer Romola Garai looked resplendent as she arrived at the BAFTAs in February earlier this year wearing a strapless creation by Erdem

  Anna Friel also chose to stand out with a floor-sweeping Erdem creation at the British Independent Film Awards in 2008

  Earlier this year, Ashley Olsen donned a cute, voluminous dress with sleeves to attend a party after the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards

  The models on the scene have also been clamouring to get a piece of the Erdem action. Jacquetta Wheeler wore a floral, ruffled gown from the spring/summer 2009 collection with thick black tights...

  ...as did Laura Bailey

   

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Cheryl Cole is best-dressed celebrity

  
  08 April 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Cheryl Cole is best-dressed celebrity: Lady Gaga, Florence Welch and Anna Friel are new faces in Glamour magazine's Best-Dressed Women List 2010.

  ''Fearless dresser'' Rihanna makes second place, followed by Gossip Girls Blake Lively ''on the right side of the classy/trashy divide'' and Leighton Meester, and TV presenter Alexa Chung.

  Pregnant Dannii Minogue is sixth, her highest ranking so far, but for the first time in the 8th Annual Glamour List sister Kylie doesn't make the top 50.

  Last year's number two, supermodel Kate Moss, has slipped to seventh place, while Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria has fallen from third to eighth.

  Beyonce is ninth followed by Harry Potter actress and Burberry model Emma Watson in the list of the globe's style-makers, voted for by the public.

  Other newcomers include Twilight actress Kristen Stewart (20), singer Pixie Lott (21), Angelina Jolie (23) and Leona Lewis (49).

  Hollywood star Anne Hathaway suffered the biggest drop, cascading 23 places to 42 while Sienna Miller (15), Sarah Jessica Parker (22) and Kate Winslet (40) have also fallen down the rankings.

  Twilight star Robert Pattinson has been named the best-dressed man, while Cole's estranged husband Ashley does not get a look-in in the top 10 men.

  Designer Henry Holland said of the Fight For This Love singer, who first shot to the top spot last year: ''X Factor was my fashion moment of the year because of Cheryl. She wore Giles Deacon, Marios Schwab and Richard Nicoll. She was flexing her fashion mojo.''

  Newlyweds Katie Price and Alex Reid have been voted the worst dressed couple followed by Victoria and David Beckham and Coleen and Wayne Rooney.

  :: The 8th annual Glamour Best Dressed Women List 2010 - compiled from around 14,000 votes - appears with the May issue of the magazine, on sale from April 8.

  :: Best-Dressed Top 50

  1. Cheryl Cole

  2. Rihanna

  3. Blake Lively

  4. Leighton Meester

  5. Alexa Chung

  6. Dannii Minogue

  7. Kate Moss

  8. Victoria Beckham

  9. Beyonce

  10. Emma Watson

  11. Katy Perry

  12. Fearne Cotton

  13. Jennifer Aniston

  14. Diane Kruger

  15. Sienna Miller

  16. Megan Fox

  17. Lauren Conrad

  18. Chloe Sevigny

  19. Taylor Momsen

  20. Kristen Stewart

  21. Pixie Lott

  22. Sarah Jessica Parker

  23. Angelina Jolie

  24. Rachel Bilson

  25. Scarlett Johansson

  26. Florence Welch

  27. Eva Mendes

  28. Michelle Obama

  29. Keira Knightley

  30. Lady Gaga

  31. Gwen Stefani

  32. Nicola Roberts

  33. Thandie Newton

  34. Mischa Barton

  35. Kimberley Walsh

  36. Taylor Swift

  37. Whitney Port

  38. Lily Allen

  39. Zoe Saldana

  40. Kate Winslet

  41. Olivia Palermo

  42. Anne Hathaway

  43. Marion Cotillard

  44. Kate Beckinsale

  45. Ashley Greene

  46. Anna Friel

  47. Charlize Theron

  48. Dita Von Teese

  49. Leona Lewis

  50. Vanessa Hudgens

  :: Worst Dressed Couple

  1. Katie Price and Alex Reid

  2. Victoria and David Beckham

  3. Coleen and Wayne Rooney

  4. Heidi and Spencer Pratt

  5. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

  6. Katy Perry and Russell Brand

  7. Katie and Tom Cruise

  8. Britney Spears and Jason Trawick

  9. Paris Hilton and Doug Reinhardt

  10. Beyonce and Jay-Z

  :: Worst Dressed

  1. Katie Price

  2. Lady GaGa

  3. Ashley Greene

  4. Rihanna

  5. Cheryl Cole

  6. Madonna

  7. Amy Winehouse

  8. Lindsay Lohan

  9. Kristen Stewart

  10. Britney Spears

  (telegraph fashion news)

• New Fashion 2010: Fashion for pregnant women 2010

  
  08 April 2010
  

  New Fashion 2010: Fashion for pregnant women. Chic maternity solutions for Samantha Cameron.

   

   

• New fashion 2010: Chocolate Fashion collection at Salon Du Chocolat in Cairo, Egypt

  
  05 April 2010
  

  New fashion 2010: Chocolate Fashion collection at Salon Du Chocolat in Cairo, Egypt. A model takes to the catwalk wearing a creation which incorporates chocolate during an exhibition in Cairo, Egypt.

  A model takes to the catwalk wearing a creation which incorporates chocolate during an exhibition in Cairo, Egypt.

  The fashion show is part of the Salon Du Chocolat trade and industry fair, where manufacturers, major chocolate shops, and those who use chocolate in their products have opportunity to introduce their new innovations.

  A model wears a chocolate cowboy hat.

   

  Egyptian themed costume with chocolate jewels.

  Another chocolate hat and chocolate accessories around the dress.

  A chocolate mask.

  The bodice of the dress is covered in chocolate.

  Chocolate drops on the gloves, sleeves and earrings.

  A chocolate themed umbrella.

  A model wears an outfit inspired by chocolate wrapping.

   

  (telegraph fashion news)

• 2010 fashion news: Japan designer Yohji Yamamoto plans flagship store in China

  
  04 April 2010
  
  

  2010 fashion news: Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto (C) speaks to reporters after his men's collection in Tokyo. Yamamoto …

  2010 fashion news: Japan designer Yohji Yamamoto plans flagship store in China: Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto plans to open a flagship store in China in coming years as his brand, despite filing for bankruptcy last year, eyes Asia's growing class of luxury shoppers.

  The iconic designer, famous for his black minimalist creations, said after a Tokyo show Thursday night that he plans to open new shops for his eponymous label in China, although he did not set a specific date.

  The fashion house, founded in the 1970s, is undergoing restructuring with help from investment fund Integral Corporation after crumbling under a mountain of debt worth 67 million dollars amid the global economic crisis.

  "I am receiving ample funds to pursue my operations. The bankruptcy filing has in no way hampered my creativity," the 66-year-old told reporters.

  The avant-garde designer made his homecoming on Thursday, holding a men's show in Japan for the first time in nearly two decades, which attracted a crowd of 3,000 spectators and celebrities.

  The fashion house already has several stores of its Y's brand in China as well as its Y-3 sportswear line co-branded and distributed by Adidas.

  Yamamoto electrified the fashion world in the 1980s with austere white and black designs that contrasted with the decade's extravagance and colourful exuberance.

  With luxury sales slumping in traditional markets in Japan, the United States and Europe, fashion houses are shifting their focus to emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil and Russia.

  Although Japan has long been a big market for luxury brands, China has become the Asian hotspot for establishing their regional flagship stores.

  Louis Vuitton opened its Asian flagship store in Shenzhen last year, and Italy's Bottega Veneta opened its own two weeks ago in Taiwan. Salvatore Ferragamo is to open its largest Asian store in Shanghai this month.

  (Yahoo fashion news)