Latest Fashion Trends

When studying the latest fashion trends, you need to look at the world around you. People are hustling this way and that. Most people today want clothes that are comfortable and easy to wear. This means no ironing or time spent keeping them looking good. They want wash and wear and easy access. The latest fashion trends are coming in every color under the sun and run with bigger sizes. These clothes are great for working or wearing to the beach especially in the summer. So hit up your neighbor or family and see what the latest fashion trends are this year. You might be surprised.

Many of today’s styles are colored with bright and vivid colors. Most of the greens, pinks, yellows, blues, and oranges are very bright or pastel in color. Wear the blues and pinks as shirts and pants, save the orange for your shoes. These will make a very enthusiastic outfit.

Just make sure you match your colors well with the use of a purse. A plaid purse does not go well with a polka dot suit or dress. Some people can’t match colors very well and wind up looking like a rainbow. Ask for help if you are unsure.

Polka dot fashion has come back again. You are seeing them everywhere – shorts, pants, dresses, tunics, and shoes. They are an old fashion trend that comes back every five to six years. The look will never go out of style.

The tribal look is also popular today. The dark browns, yellows, reds, and blacks cause the prints to be more noticeable. Earth tones like sepia and beiges bring out the black characters. Dull metals will help accent this ensemble as well. Bracelets and necklaces will be perfect to wear. Tribal jewelry is also a big trend now. Whether it is using bone, wood, or metal to make the unique pieces of jewelry, they will all bring out the clothing and your complexion. Jewelry pieces can be very huge or very small depending on what you are looking to match with your outfit.

Jumpers and jumpsuits are the rage today. These jumpers and jumpsuits are easy to wear and quite comfortable. The jumpers you can wear alone or with a shirt. The jumpsuits also come in the shorts variety. These can also be wore alone or with a shirt. They also come in denim and cotton. There is great choice out there concerning jumpers and jumpsuits.

Even shoes and formal wear are getting in on the rage. Dressy type sandals are now the thing with formal attire. No back or strap, just a dressy pair of sandals to wear is all you need. Many people go out and buy designer shoes and clothes. You can spend much less with a simple look and a simple pair of shoes. Look around and pick a pair that will go with all your different styles. Maybe a gold or silver pair will work, or try white or black. Many times you can find a great style in different colors.

Check out your best friend’s attire and ask her where she gets her clothes. You ma get another great place to shop for the latest trends. You just have to ask around or go to the best clothing store in your town and see what they have to offer. Above all, make sure you like the pieces, and you are comfortable in them.

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Truly Stylish: Fashion Dangle Earrings

If you pick up a fashion magazine and study the accessories on the female models, you are apt to note the presence of many fashion dangle earrings. The smart woman makes certain to keep a few such items in her jewelry box. She knows that men love to see such earpieces bouncing around in the region of a woman’s neck.

Some simple dangles feature a combination of two different tones. Sometimes that is achieved through utilization of more than one metal. Silver and gold combine to create the alluring look in the latest leaf earrings.

When beads get added to dangles, they can appear in a single long line, or a series of short lines. The beaded hoop has become increasingly popular. It features a set of parallel lines with colored beads covering each one. The two ends of each line attach to the dangling hoop.

Sometimes a gemstone is placed at each end of a dangle. That is the case with a dangle that contains both gold and diamonds. The top and bottom section of that impressive line-up displays a green cubic zirconium.

While a dangling earring is a stylish accessory, it can make a woman’s face even more alluring if it contains a bit of sparkle. Consequently, gemstones often decorate a hanging earpiece. If it is an earpiece that copies the shape of a long oval, then it features a diamond on its bottom section.

Still, an eye catching accessory does not have to contain a gemstone. A skillful artisan can design metal in a manner that helps it to attract looks for men. That experienced metal working expert might shape two pieces of metal into two hooks. Then that same expert might hang a cluster of circles from that hook.

In the above accessory, the cluster hangs down from an open design. That pattern can be reversed. A cluster can cover an ear lobe while a piece of metal hangs underneath. Fashion conscious women often elect to wear pair of earpieces in which pearls have been clustered at the top. Metal hoops would hangs from those clustered pearls.

As women take to showing more and more neck, they give fashion magazines a greater number of reasons for publishing photos of fashion dangle earrings. At the same time, those photos help to emphasize the importance of the dangling accessories. They show the extent to which the proper accessory can make an outfit appear a bit more stylish.

While most such earpieces are meant to go in a pierced lobe, some of them can clip onto that cartilaginous tissue. Of course, the woman who buys and wears such an item needs to avoid shaking her head vigorously. That action could loosen a clip on earring and facilitate its dislocation from its intended location. Until new fashion term dictate the stylish nature of a single accessorized ear, the loss of a single earpiece should be avoided. Therefore, the woman with pierced ears is the one most apt to spend time looking for a pair of dangling earpieces.

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Pandora Bracelets – Making a Personal Fashion Statement

Whether you are looking for the perfect gift to give as a wedding, birthday, or anniversary present, you can tell the special women in your life how much they mean to you by giving them Pandora bracelets made of either gold or silver. The choice to include a bead or two with the bracelets, signifying the event for which you purchased the bracelet, will add to the meaning of the gift. Then, she will be able to personalize her new favorite piece of jewelry for years to come as she celebrates important events in her life.

There are many occasions for buying Pandora bracelets. The way you choose to fill it with beads will make it mean something to you. Life-changing events like a wedding, the birth of a baby are all things you want to keep close to your heart by adding a new accessory to your Pandora bracelet. These beautiful trinkets are of a high quality and fun to wear, and they also act as great conversation starters. As you explain to a friend what each bead means to you, you will keep the events and people that mean most to you on the forefront of your mind. What other piece of jewelry can help you accomplish such a task?

Different people build their Pandora bracelets in different ways. Some people are concerned about making them look symmetrical with patterns in the colors and the kinds of beads they use. Others enjoy the mishmash of charms that go chronologically from the time they were given their bracelet to the most recent event that spurred the purchase or gift of a new bead. With hundreds of bead choices made from various materials and in numerous styles, you can make your bracelet different from anyone else’s in the world. You must simply be willing to make the investment for each bead designed for these bracelets.

After all, each bead is handmade and constructed out of high quality materials like sterling silver, 14K gold, precious stones, Murano glass, and cultured pearls. Some are basic in shape and design while others are highly intricate with dangling parts and tiny sculpted images. Creating the perfect Pandora bracelets for every occasion is easy when you have such a selection of beads. Whatever you prefer in color or style, you can have it with the basic silver and gold colors or brightly patterned glass beads. No two Pandora bracelets are identical as no two people are identical.

Official website: www.pandora.net

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All About Fashion Shows

A fashion designer’s showcase for his or her upcoming line of clothing in a different fashion and style is the fashion show events. Models of the typical fashion show do walk in the form that they have given and dressed. They do a catwalk dressed in the attire they have given by the designers of the attire. Only at times these fashion shows takes the form of installations when the models do stand in a static position or sitting in a constructed environment. These fashion shows do have an obscure history from the year of 1800s, where in Paris couture salons do periodically keep the fashion parades.

Fashion refers to dressing styles that are popular in a culture at any given time. These styles of dress may seem changing quickly, and fashion in the more sense refers to the latest version of these styles. Natural in the term is the idea, which states that the mode will change faster than the culture as a whole. So such a fashion needs to be pronounced in a better way to the people who walk in it, it is the fashion shows that brings and throws light in these changing trends of fashion. Such fashion shows do have a beautiful history as follows.

Fashion shows are done on stages with ramp walks and cat walks. It was mainly featured to show off the beauty along with the costume styles of those beauties. Some thing looking beautiful attracts more. With this concept in mind the fashion shows are held by the designers to show off their costume styles dressed up for beauties.

This concept of Fashion show from Paris has been imported by the American retailers in the early 1900s. In 1903 was the first American fashion show likely took place in the New York City store Ehrlich Brothers. And next in the flow of following, the large department stores such as Wanamaker’s in New York City and Philadelphia were also staging fashion shows.

When it was taken from Paris to America it showed a little higher in its way of procure. The events that are followed by these stores showed couture gowns from Paris or the store’s copies of them. Their main aim was as to demonstrate the owners’ better taste and to bring the attention of female shoppers.

And after that, by 1920’s all other retailers of USA started to have their own fashion shows, showing off their theatrical presents with narratives and of course it was organized around a theme. And this theme may be Persian, Russian or Chinese. These shows attracted thousands of customers and pass bys. And obviously the fashion shows started to enjoy the better popularity throughout the mid-centuries.

Following in the 1970s and 1980s, the fashion shows of the American designers began to hold in private spaces apart from such retailers. With this they started to gain their personal popularity, rather than depending on the retailers. So now in this world of fashion one could basically find a huge of fashion shows held in many places. Most of the money is spend on the advertisement media, as to attract the people to their designs. One such way of advertisement is the fashion shows given by the most of designers nowadays.

A lot of fashion magazines do complement these fashion shows giving the events and the designers talents are expressed in the wordily forms.

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World’s Fashion Capitals

France had the fashion industry to be the most important and cultural export. France is considered to be one of the world’s fashion capitals and this city is the home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses. The Paris fashion housed attracts many foreign designers. The expression “Haute couture”- in France, is an officially confined name, this is to assure certain quality standards. In Paris you can find the Paris Fashion week take place twice a year, after the London Fashion week. Paris attracts fashion firms through out the world. The world greatest jewelers are all in Paris creating fashion to the peak in jewelry too. A lot of affordable fashionable clothes from various famous brands could be found in one that Paris does not miss.

The full-size shopping centers in and on Paris, gives the occasion to meet average Frenchmen and discern some of Paris fashion. While in Paris, you can also attend a fashion show, which introduces fashion to the rest of the world. In the last few centuries, the French are said to have the ultimate word when it comes to fashion and style-Parisian, hang on to its fundamental nature of what is the height of fashion design with its distinguishing looks and eternal affix of wardrobe and accessories. But, it’s not necessary for one to live in Paris to show off their cosmopolitan elegance for dress.

French fashion is known for its black dress. And also other fashion innovations, that includes the two-tone sling back pump, the two-piece tweed suit and a range of clothing that is both elegant and unconstrained. French fashion had a crave for black dress as the reason that a single black dress can be worn casually with flats and a sweater or may be changed into evening wear with high heels and a gaudy handbag or scarf. There are many dress mode existing today, but French women normally choose clothing that is close apt, but not astringent. Black and white clothing is craze for French women, to be worn seasonally. The white blouse in its many incarnation from classic button-down to peasant-like Bohemian can be added to the costume all together or worn with a pair of black pants-consider glossy black denim or black suede.

With French fashion, in shape of the clothing is awfully important. Whatever your body type, be sure to wear clothing that fits you quite good, and this is a hallmark of French style. On average, most of an outfit spins in the order of a dominant color, like black, with even other neutral colors are also been introduced. A three-piece collection might include a brown leopard-print skirt, a white blouse, and a beige cardigan. When in nights in town French fashion do take in lavender cocktail dress adorned magenta-colored scarf and amethyst-beaded handbag. Tone on tone colors is typical a Paris color choices for everyday wear.

French women do like to have lingerie and a range of camisoles is a staple in the Parisian woman’s cabinet. In Paris most of the neutral colors-beige, white, black, or navy are only for daily wear, whilst reds, purples, or more gaudy garments are worn only at night. When talking on the French fashion accessories do include the black leather belts-one with silver and one with gold buckles-black and white high heels and black and white handbags. One important point on the French fashion is that the French woman to look on the quality with good quantity, when she opts for clothing.

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Look Good And Don’t Make These Fashion Mistakes

If you want to look and feel your best, you should keep track not only of the hottest and latest trends of the fashion industry, but also what types of fashion mistakes to avoid. Regardless of the latest trends, it is important to follow fashion rules for certain situations, and if you do, you are sure to always look great. Don’t make these fashion mistakes, including choosing colors and clothing that make you look older and larger than you are, chipped nail polish, and the wrong attire for the office. Avoiding these fashion mistakes, and many others outlined in the article, will ensure that you always look stylish and polished.

The fashion world is an ever-changing entity. One year you may be the hottest thing wearing a dress over jeans with a pair of great flats to the next year fizzling out with the same ensemble. Some trends come and go as quickly as the days change and others, like the little black dress, have proven that they can stand the test of time. Regardless of what the latest fashion trends are, there are a few rules to go by, which can help you stay in the “safe” zone when it comes to fashion. In order to keep looking so great, always be sure that you don’t make these fashion mistakes.

Avoiding these fashion mistakes will help you look your best day in and day out. First and foremost, you should always wear colors that complement your skin tone, which will give you a healthy glow. Wearing the wrong colors can make you appear sickly and older than you really are. Additionally, you should never wear too much makeup. Wearing too much makeup can also give you an older appearance and pronounce any fine lines and imperfections.

Your appearance as a whole is very important to fashion as well as your grooming habits, which is why you should also never keep chipped nail polish on. Furthermore, your appearance is always the first impression that others will have of you, so be sure to keep your hair neat and modern. Lose an old-fashioned or messy hairstyle whenever possible. If you color your hair, make sure that your roots are maintained.

Another tip to look your best is to always make sure that your clothing fits well. Clothing that is too small will make you look larger than you are and clothing that is too large will make you look dumpy. In order to look fashionable, you should always look put-together by also avoiding bras and bra straps that show as well as mismatched pantyhose. Your hose should always match your skirt, pants, or shoes. And while we are on the topic of shoes, it is best to avoid wearing the wrong shoes for your outfit or messy shoes. Shoes complete the look of your outfit, so keep that in mind.

A very serious fashion mistake to avoid is wearing inappropriate clothing. If you are going to work be sure to dress that way. If you are going to a special event, dress the part. When dressing for the office, be sure to follow these suggestions to avoid making fashion mistakes at work. Always be sure to wear the appropriate length skirt – no miniskirts! Always dress in an appropriate manner to ensure successful yet fashionable look at work. If any clothing item is questionable as to whether or not you should wear it to work, save it for a night on the town or lunch with friends.

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History of Fashion

Fashion is something that is more popular than most people think. It controls the way people dress and the trends that are popular. It even helps to determine the way that you dress each day. Fashion has come a long way over the years. It’s important to understand the history of fashion in order to better understand its influence on the world. Take a look at the following information, to learn more about the history of fashion.

In the past, clothing and accessories were used to determine wealth and status. Depending on what was worn on a daily basis showed your current status. If you had poor materials and didn’t accessories, you didn’t make much money and weren’t high up in society.

You were also treated negatively if you were poor or not as socially known. On the other hand, if you wore rich materials and items, you were known for your money and social status. You were also treated better.

As time progressed, this was no longer the case. Fashion and clothing were meant as a way to be expressive. If you wanted to wear certain items or products, you were free to do so. Fashion was a way for you to experiment with new looks. While certain trends were becoming more popular during certain time periods, everyone was now free to wear what they wanted.

As fashion became more popular, so did things such as fashion shows. These shows were developed to help showcase current trends and looks. Fashion designers would showcase their latest clothing lines in order to draw attention. A variety of people choose to attend fashion shows. A lot about fashion and clothing can be learned here.

Currently, fashion is very popular. It helps to set the stage for current trends and looks. If you flip through any magazine, you will likely read something about fashion. The clothes that you purchase in any clothing store are inspired by current fashion trends. Fashion is going nowhere anytime soon. It will just continue to evolve and grow.

The history of fashion has made an impact on today’s fashion choices. While some looks come and go, there will always be a place for the fashion world. There will also always be new trends. It will be interesting to see how fashion changes over the years.

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Luxury Watches are Rich

Did you know that jewelry has a rich history? Did you also know that jewelry and fashion go well together? Jewelry and fashion go together as well as peanut butter and jelly .It is possible, even probable that people know all of these tidbits. However, it could be the case that people have different ideas on what jewelry is to them.People probably consider rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and pins to be jewelry.

However, due to the fact that watches are necessary for telling time and keeping people on schedule, people might overlook them as true jewelry pieces. This is a misguided assumption about watches. In fact, watches are jewelry and there are many types of watches. There are everyday watches and there are dress watches. Moreover, there are luxury watches that are the crème de la crème of watches. Therefore luxury watches are rich. Let’s discuss watches.

A watch is a timepiece that is worn on a person. Moreover, the person is usually wearing a wrist watch. This might be common knowledge but, a wristwatch is worn on the wrist with a strap or bracelet. It might be interesting to note that along with the time, modern watches often display the day, date, month, and year. Plus, electronic watches may have many more functions than analog watches. Did you know that most inexpensive and medium priced watches used primarily for timekeeping are electronic watches with quartz movements? On the other hand, expensive and collectible watches are known more for their workmanship and aesthetic appeal rather than their timekeeping skills.

In addition, these types of timepieces have purely mechanical movements and are powered by springs. Another interesting tidbit about watches involves pocket watches. It is a fact that before wristwatches became popular in the 1920s, most watches were pocket watches.

These watches were often had covers and were in often carried in a pocket. Moreover, they were attached to a watch chain or watch fob. It could be the case that today pocket watches are considered luxury watches. This is because they are hard to find and they are associated with England and English men. Plus, they are probably collector’s items today. Let’s discuss a particular brand of luxury watch.

It could be the case that the crème de la crème of luxury watches are Rolex watches. This is because these watches have a rich history. Do you know the origins of Rolex watches? The origins of Rolex watches are Swiss. These Swiss timepieces are considered high-quality wristwatches. Rolex watches are also considered luxury watches. This makes sense because Switzerland is well-known for its rich chocolate and rich cheese. Did you know that these luxury watches are also known as status symbols? Rolex also has watches for scuba divers and watches for space travel. It might also been nice to know that about 2,000 Rolex watches are produced per day. In addition to Rolex watches, there are other luxury watch brands. However, it could be the case that Rolex watches are the most recognized luxury watch brand. Luxury watches are rich.

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Are Rectangle Eyeglasses Right for You?

The old adage, “Boys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses” can safely be laid to rest. The advances in the eyewear industry have made glasses more like a fashion accessory than social stigma. Today’s lenses are light an easy to wear, making them a more socially acceptable fashion accessory. There are countless subcategories of frames—from construction to shape and color, there are endless styles to choose from. So what’s best for your face? Should you choose round frames, metal frames, frameless or rectangle glasses? Frame choices are a matter of taste, really, but some shapes suit some faces better than others. Rectangle eyeglasses are suitable for a range of face-shapes. Read on to learn more.

Just about any face can look good with rectangle eyeglasses. Round and heart shaped faces both look fantastic with this type of eyewear. And because oval and oblong faces can handle a wide variety of spectacle shapes, the rectangle is an option for this crowd as well. In fact, the only group that should steer clear is our square-faced friends. Because they already have strong facial features, a round or oval frame will help soften their features, while the strong lines of a rectangle shape will wind up looking clunky and awkward.

Rectangle eyeglasses come in a variety of colors with varying details and construction materials. The wearer will enjoy a fresh, young look when the right details are chosen to enhance their natural features.

For example, a heavy and chunky frame gives your style an instant makeover without changing your wardrobe. In this instance, a petite face may be overpowered by the heavy looking frame. A petite face that meets all other criteria for wearing rectangles well might have the best luck with a lighter looking metal frame. Metal frames also don a sophisticated and smart look. It’s all in the details, really.

And because rectangle eyeglasses make such a fashion statement, they have become a popular choice for cosmetic glasses as well. This means that individuals that don’t need prescription lenses often choose this type of frame for no other reason than making a fashion statement. Even celebrities have been spotted wearing this popular frame choice.

The likes of Denise Richards, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Amber Rose have all been spotted donning this star-studded look in eyewear. If you are in the market for a new pair of eyeglasses, whether to see better or just to make a statement, consider the rectangle frame.

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Vera Wang Fine Jewelry – Beautiful Designer Jewelry

Vera Wang is a designer of many things including jewelry. Vera Wang Fine Jewelry is carried in fine jewelry establishments all over the United States. Lovely necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are available from Vera Wang. She creates unique jewelry pieces that stand out against other designer jewelry. She uses lots of colors in her jewelry.

The bridal and wedding lines are unlike any other. That is where Vera Wang began her designs in jewelry. From there the designs expanded into a large collection of fine jewelry. She has a special delicate and feminine style that tends to be bold at the same time. Her designs depart from the traditional but are loved among all jewelry designs.

The Vera Wang Candy Collection is a line of big bold gemstone jewelry. It definitely departs from traditional engagement ring fare. The gems are large and highly colored, resembling rings made of candy. They are luminescent and eye catching. They may not be a great choice for the shy or reserved. The designs are set in 18k yellow gold which complements the color of the gemstones. The most popular of the Candy Collection is the rings, but designs also come in pendants, earrings, and bracelets.

The Princess Collection is another distinctive line of Vera Wang Fine Jewelry. The special style of Vera Wang shows through in these pieces as well. These too are created in 18k yellow or white gold and diamonds. Hearts and crowns are common motifs in the collection.

Gemstones are cut in heart shapes and gold is fashioned in heart shapes. Charms resembling crowns also make this line unique. Diamond bracelets are also a part of this line. These are stunning and become heirlooms that last more than a lifetime for the lucky owner.

Vera Wang Fine Jewelry has a vast amount of micro pave technique. The technique involves the placing of tiny diamonds in a piece of jewelry aided by a computer. The effect is a dainty and delicate diamond piece that complements many other styles and stones. Micro pave adds some glitter and sparkle in all the right places and make the piece of jewelry a masterpiece. The way Vera Wang uses micro pave is distinctive. It makes up some of the best Vera Wang jewelry. It also makes some of the most sought after jewelry in the world. A Vera Wang piece brings a lifetime of pleasure.

Vera Wang official website: www.verawang.com

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Seoul Mates

Calvin Klein's event in Seoul, South Korea, last night was all about making connections—digital and analog. For realization of the concept, the destination had to be special. And, yes, the rooftop party zone above Seoul Station did surprise, kitted out as it was with a long gray carpet, bars, lounges, and media galleries, as well as a terrace overlooking a 23-story building across the street. Projected onto the structure's facade was an installation by New York-based digital artist Rafaël Rozendaal, MuchBetterThanThis.Com, featuring multicolored silhouettes of people kissing.

Adding to the evening's glamour quotient were Kate Bosworth and Chloë Moretz, making rare appearances in Korea. Moretz, star of the new Dark Shadows, said it was her mother who got her into wearing Calvin Klein. And there was no shortage of Korean celebrities, either—from Lee Hyori, Yoon Eun-hye, and Go Ara to supermodel Lee Hyun Yi and the K-pop band EXO-K—all dressed in minimalist Calvin Klein.

Creative director Francisco Costa worked the crowd with Lara Stone on his arm. Having visited South Korea a few times already, the globe-trotting designer was optimistic about the future: "We chose Seoul Station, an important landmark in the world's most digitally advanced country," he said, because "we wanted to show our global connectivity through media, art, and fashion."

Speaking of connectivity, in addition to Rozendaal's installation, the media artist Scott Snibbe and the collective Flightphase, in collaboration with New York's New Museum of Contemporary Art, showed their works against a presentation of the Fall 2012 offerings from all of the Calvin Klein lines. The night's most popular spot was where top model Matthew Terry posed in nothing but the brand's signature briefs. Let's just say it was the smartphones doing the talking.

—Ines Cho

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Camilla and Marc

Maybe it has something to do with the way the seasons work down under, but Sydney-based designers Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman came to Fall '12 with a spring in their step. The new Camilla and Marc collection was positively giddy with color—never mind the somewhat obligatory blacks, of which there were plenty, because the standouts here were undoubtedly the dazzling floral print and hand-painted jacquard numbers. In large part, that had to do with the luxury of the fabrics: Freeman and Freeman-Topper have really exerted themselves, in terms of their materials, applying the floral print to silk cotton that had been pleated and fused and developing a wide-wale jacquard with an almost velvety texture. (They also developed a denim jacquard, which proved more compelling in person than it comes off in pictures.) The punchiness of the patterned items was nicely complemented by sculptural pastel dresses and the signature wide-leg Camilla and Marc trouser, this time turned out in hot pink, blush, and peach. The Freeman siblings didn't turn an entirely blind eye to the usual winter prerogatives, however; the shearlings this season were extra sharp-looking.
—Maya Singer

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Opening Ceremony

Two seasons in, it was tempting to wonder whether Humberto Leon and Carol Lim's commitment to Kenzo would suck any of the creative energy out of Opening Ceremony. But as the brand's latest outing proves, O.C. commands a seemingly bottomless reservoir of ideas. This wasn't necessarily a standout collection, but it was so full of the usual charm and so well stocked with desirable pieces that it would be mean-spirited to complain.


Typically, there was a lot going on here, with the key themes being chunky knits, felted wools, quilted and puffer-style outerwear inspired by Patagonia, sporty piping and color blocking, and a wide variety of metallics, including some very good metallic leathers. The real story, though, was texture. The Opening Ceremony team has developed a fetish for all things nubby and fuzzy: Fur made an appearance in the classic O.C. flare coat, and there were tufted fabrics everywhere. One of Lim and Leon's more interesting ideas was to use a fuzzy fleece material in tailored pieces such as a body-hugging dress with a mesh inset. The tactility extended to those chunky knits as well as to shiny brocades and pieces dappled with coinlike paillettes. Meanwhile, O.C. continued to explore Argentina, its country of choice this year, via gaucho pants and a winning painterly print abstracted from an aerial photograph of the Andes. All in all, this collection may have erred a little too much toward "cute"—Lim and Leon may indeed be saving their more sophisticated creations for Kenzo. Then again, given that Opening Ceremony just opened its second store in Japan, that was probably a canny, or perhaps kawaii, choice.
—Maya Singer

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Collette Dinnigan

Collette Dinnigan opened her show to Blondie's "One Way or Another," an indication that the designer's usual prettiness was getting a punk makeover. The tip panned out, but for the most part it was the result of styling (though a little silver beaded shift did give you an edgy Joan of Arc-meets-Balmain vibe). Dinnigan finished her parade of dresses with the wayward touch of little back-seamed lace socks dotted with winking crystals and slouched into killer studded Louboutin pumps.


"This stuff can all get a bit too ethereal-fairyland, and it's like floating in too much mystery," she explained after the show, which was curiously called Fairy Tale. But some tales are more believable than others. Mystery was kept to a minimum in Dinnigan's mostly un-tricky silhouettes that let the material and embellishment speak for themselves.


And they did. No amount of the Undertones and Garbage on a soundtrack can distract from the fact that these dresses are made from exquisite stuff, particularly the custom laces. Check out the perfectly engineered placement of scallops on Dinnigan's lace tees, and the polka-dot motif at the hem of a dress that echoed the paillettes at the neckline. One aberration was the woolly yarn-loop embroidery that would appear to be a nod to winter in this rather un-wintry collection, but felt a bit crafty and wrong in this context. To stay warm, a better choice was the velvety black coat with a barely there trim of lace petals on the pockets and back. It's the kind of thing that might be chosen by Stevie Nicks—a woman who knows how to work romance with a different brand of darkness.
—Meenal Mistry

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Rogan

As a general matter, Rogan and Chanel aren't brands with much in common. This season, however, Karl Lagerfeld and Rogan Gregory have found themselves plowing the same furrow, creating collections that are crystal-inspired and knitwear-focused. Weird. Anyway, if Chanel's extravaganza in Paris was the maximalist, über-luxury expression of those themes, the new Rogan collection gave us the affordable, minimalist flip side. The crystal reference was primarily elaborated here via brushstroke prints, the best of which was done in black and white on crepe georgette; Gregory played with layering the print against itself, creating palimpsest effects. That made for several striking pieces. Elsewhere, the standouts were the collection's draped knits, in particular a long, asymmetric skirt, and a clever halter-neck sweater that flashed decorous amounts of skin. Gregory's tailoring was also quite strong this time out, with taut dresses featuring paneled construction and natty takes on outerwear staples such as the trench and frock coat.

In terms of the men's collection, Gregory didn't do much to advance on his signatures. That said, his hemp cotton jerseys will find a lot of takers, and the plaited cotton shawl-neck sweater and low-waist short mac made for nice refinements of his relaxed take on urbanity.
—Maya Singer

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Wendy Nichol

Wendy Nichol operates her studio out of a room at the back of her Soho boutique—a room so petite, it's hard to believe the amount of stuff that comes out of it. Nichol designs jewelry and bags, and as of last season, clothes; the fact that she sees fit to spin all those plates out of a small, serviceable space is telling, somehow. Simply put, she doesn't have room for the extraneous.


The designer's new collection of ready-to-wear is thus appropriately concise. In general, she's focused on outerwear, all studiously well cut. A sharp black trench trimmed in leather, with a detachable lining embroidered in a crocodile pattern, was a standout; so too the blanket coat, with its high collar, and the fringed cream leather blazer. Elsewhere, Nichol refined and updated a few of her key silhouettes from Spring, including her apron dress and boyish button-downs. Her clothes don't jump out at you—even a sheer shirtdress in French lace had a quiet, almost monastic quality—but their details make them sing. To wit, that blanket coat, which was done in a very rich cashmere blend, trimmed in leather, and fully lined in wool taffeta. You get the sense that Nichol is so committed to keeping her range of product small because she wants to give each individual piece its due. That's an admirable stance.
—Maya Singer

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Erdem

Erdem Moralioglu's designs recently crossed over into the heady realm of wronged-woman court attire, courtesy of the floral dress worn by Linda Evangelista on the last day of her child support hearing in Manhattan. It felt so right for the Erdem ethos: an outfit proper enough to persuade a judge, but with an undercurrent of emotional excess. Of course, "rightness" isn't an Erdem ideal. As he talked through his new pre-collection yesterday, he was clearly still enraptured by the wrong. Acid pink lace appliquéd to a black neoprene sheath certainly filled that requirement, as did a serious coat—its tweed threaded with gold lamé—whose collar and cuffs were crusted with distinctly unserious plastic flowers and doodads. "Scooby-Doo inserts," Erdem called them. "It's always so tasteful and controlled. Mixing in the gummy plastic things felt new."



Did that hint of control-related ennui imply a designer on the brink of a breakout? Not really. Propriety still ruled, even if its grip on the collection wavered here and there. Erdem cited the Amish as a starting point, as well as a photo essay called Las Mujeres Flores, about a German settlement in Mexico. (His bookshelves are always laden with such fascinating ephemera.) What both shared was the idea of a closed world where craftsmanship thrives, a little like haute couture, actually. In fact, Erdem joked that his collection was Amish couture. "There's a human hand to it," he added. "That's what I find interesting."



The reference was most obvious in the hexagonal patchworking that recalled Amish quilts, but if that sounds just about as proper as proper gets, consider that it was most striking in the weird glamour of a midnight navy suit: tone-on-tone lace appliqué, worn-looking lamé sleeves, and big jeweled buttons that glittered darkly. Perhaps it was the folksiness of the patchwork contrasted with the sophistication of the components that made a shift stitched from hexagons of tweed and silk crepe jacquard appear so unhinged. The patchwork looked heavy, especially in comparison to the airy charm of something like a cotton poplin blouse with a print in Venetian blue that could have been rococo Rorschach blots. Erdem likes the tension of opposites, but here, heavy and light were pulling too hard. All that crepe contributed to a retro mood. (Even Erdem's first foray into bathing suits had a fifties squareness.) Looking for something breezier, there were sweater and skirt sets, those languid gowns will always be winners, and, ultimately, Erdem's pursuit of the off-kilter can't help but yield a peculiar beauty.
—Tim Blanks

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Surface to Air

It's never been just about the clothes at Surface to Air. Since its beginnings in 2000, the cult Parisian creative collaborative has offered its urban hipster clientele an appealing lifestyle brew that is equal parts fashion, music (S2A has partnered in recent seasons with artists like Kim Gordon, Kid Cudi, and Justice), interior design, and film. For brand founder Jeremie Rozan, the video he directed for the latest lineup is just as important as the merchandise itself.


Shot on a walkable roller coaster in Duisburg, Germany, and set to the Rapture song "Roller Coaster," the short film depicts a young couple chasing after each other along the ride's empty tracks. The girl is dressed like any insouciantly cool university student—picture, for example, Léa Seydoux in the 2008 French flick La Belle Personne. She wears rugged yet refined parka jackets, slick stovepipes, and platform sneakers from Fall. There are flashes of both grunge and glam in the form of beanie hats and Bowie-esque silver leggings. According to creative director Aldric Speer, the S2A customer never wants to appear as though her style is too studied or deliberate. She stays current by taking in new exhibitions and bands, instead of taking cues from the glossies. Still, the new collection nodded to a few of-the-moment trends, including coats and the still-happening varsity jacket.
—Brittany Adams

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