Fashion Salon

How to convert a Hoodie into a bag for your laptop

2012-02-16T06:49:00.001-08:00

FASHION meets TECHNOLOGY - How to convert a Hoodie into a bag for your laptop.

Who is Patrizia?

2012-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

FASHION - I just really like the smart way they did this advertising campaign... keeps the focus on the clothes, not the model's face.

James Laver's Law of Fashion

2012-02-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

FASHION - James Laver was a museum curator for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from the 1930s through the 1950s. Laver was also a fashion theorist and historian and having no other claim to fame he conceived of Laver’s Law — an attempt to make sense of the "fashion trend life cycle".

Here is James Laver's Law of Fashion:

Indecent	10 years before its time
Shameless	5 years before its time
Outré (Daring)	1 year before its time
Smart	Current Fashion
Dowdy	1 year after its time
Hideous	10 years after its time
Ridiculous	20 years after its time
Amusing	30 years after its time
Quaint	50 years after its time
Charming	70 years after its time
Romantic	100 years after its time
Beautiful	150 years after its time

What is interesting is that James Laver's Law of Fashion's has become the standard by which clothes buyers now operate. ie. Stanley Marcus, the former president of Neiman Marcus, recounts in his rather boring memoir titled "Minding the Store" how Laver’s Law was used by Neiman Marcus clothes buyers in the late 1960’s.

At the time there was a heated debate on whether the trend for the next year would still be the mini skirt (which was the current fashion) or the longer midi skirt. Marcus recalls asking Laver point blank if the mini skirt was dead. Laver told him that the mini skirt had at least another 2 years to go... whereas other experts were saying the time for the midi skirt would be soon.

His forecast was right, the midi was a complete flop, many women continued to wear the miniskirt, and those who couldn’t or wouldn’t make up their minds went into the pants suit. Pants were bound to come, but the skirt-length controversy made pants acceptable at an accelerated rate.

The real and sheer brilliance of James Laver's Law of Fashion's timeline is that it can be applied to nearly all creative mediums — not just fashion but also art, design, architecture and even music. So called Smart or Current Fashion, doesn’t have a particular time frame attached to it. Something can be smart for 1 year or a even few years. It might not even be a trend, but a wave lasting generations, such as when bikinis were first introduced and became popular.

Now think back to some of the trendy things of the past and you’ll see how it applies: Brightly colored iMacs, Victorian wallpaper, Disco, Preppy clothes, stainless steel art deco appliances...

Hitting that sweet spot around Daring and Smart is what fashion designers are trying to design... because obviously they want to make a product that everyone will want to buy and it can be mass produced. Go shopping and look at all the stuff that in a few years will start to look bad.

In 10 years it will look horrible.

And then eventually your kids will raid your closet or attic and it will be hip again.

Fashion Masks

2012-02-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Because pretty dresses and masquerade masks will ALWAYS be chic and kewl.

Raven leather mask

2012-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Found this one on Etsy.

Its a raven mask cut out of black leather... but I ask you, couldn't it be made out of this something other than leather? Faux leather at least. Cloth?

The designer cuts it out of 5-6 oz tanned leather, then hand shapes it while wet to fit a face. Once dry she paints it black and seals it with an acrylic finish.

Because of all the cut outs it weighs just 1½ ounces, which means it will be comfortable to wear for extended periods. Comes with an adjustable double strand of elastic.

But come on, use something other than leather. And its so easy to make anyone could make it. Even my idiotic ex could do it.

Is Semen Fashion???

2012-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Whoa, talk about a fashion statement.

According to the jewelry designer's website this Necklace "Is an Accurate Representation of Semen"... meaning male ejaculate...

Wow.

And they're $600 USD each. Handmade by designer Leah Piepgras. Wow, some people will just walk all over all the strives made by feminists just to make a quick buck off the kind of women who would actually buy such things. (Jewelry for skanks.)

Eyeliner Art

2012-02-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

ART HISTORY - Isn't photography awesome??? Here is some kewl art made using nothing more than makeup and a digital camera and lighting.

Eyeliner art rocks!

Milan Fashion Week Spring 2012

2012-02-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Huzzah, the Milan Fashion Week for Spring 2012... set to music!

Disturbingly Thin

2012-02-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

Wow.

Fashion models are just getting thinner and thinner. What is next, surgically altering their bodies to make themselves even thinner?

Suspenders for Men and Women!

2012-02-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

FASHION - On Saturday night I went out to a pub and I saw two separate guys wearing suspenders.

Since then I've been noticing it more. I saw suspenders yesterday and today at the bank I saw a woman wearing suspenders.

What the heck? I want suspenders too now!

They certainly provide a nice alternative when you can't decide on a belt to wear.

What struck me is how classy and sophisticated they looked. And honest and hardworking at the same time. Its a nice look, a bit retro, but very kewl.

Its official. Suspenders are back in fashion!

Toronto's Mobile Salon

2012-02-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

FASHION - When it comes to the fashion and beauty industry, Rachelle White Wind is a one-woman show. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native is an actress, model, master hair stylist, makeup artist and owner of BBTO Mobile Salon, a high-end salon service in Toronto that services clients in the comfort of their own homes. White Wind, who speaks English and French, is of Ojibwe/Cree background and divides much of her time between not only these various disciplines but between locales Toronto, Winnipeg and L.A.

On an unusually rainy January day in Toronto, Rachelle and the BBTO Mobile Salon are on call at a condo in the Distillery District. It’s 11 A.M. and she’s all set for her first two clients of the day—two businessmen who live in the building. When the owner of the apartment (who was going to be meeting the seventh richest man in the world that same evening) told Rob Campbell (who was making a presentation on search and social rank in the Distillery that same evening) that he was expecting a house call from Rachelle, Rob wanted in.

Is there anything that boosts confidence as much as a nice, clean haircut can? And is there anything more convenient than staying in out of the January rain while a stylist like Rachelle comes to you? It’s the unfailing combination of customization, comfort, convenience and customer satisfaction that has made BBTO such a runaway success for Rachelle White Wind.

Starting in show business at age 7, Rachelle knows a thing or two about helping others to look their very best. And, although her services are regularly in demand for CBC Television, fashion shows and high-profile weddings, the prices of the BBTO Mobile Salon are highly competitive, starting at $20 for men’s haircuts, $40 for women’s haircuts, $55 for coloring and $150 - $250 for a Brazilian Blowout.

Rachelle’s Brazilian Blowout prices are the best in Toronto and she has the distinction of being the only mobile technician of this highly popular treatment in the city.

Brazilian Blowouts may take 90 minutes to execute, but Rob Campbell’s fresh new look was achieved in under 20. He didn’t have a haircut in mind, and so put his trust in Rachelle to make him look good for his event before she was out the door on her way to the next appointment. As a stylist, Rachelle has come a long way since her days in a Winnipeg hair school; her schedule is booked and her reputation on the rise. On the acting front, you can catch Rachelle as Vicki in the pilot episode of Mohawk Girls, airing on APTN Feb. 6, 2012, at 9 P.M.

Fashion Vs Silly Gossip

2011-07-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Why do fashion magazines often have gossip about celebrities in them?

To me it would make more sense (and appeal to more women's brains) if the magazines contained more feminism or politics. Issues that people can really talk about, discuss and try to change things to make the world a better place.

Gossiping about which celebrity is pregnant and who they are sleeping around with isn't going to change anything. That stuff never changes.

In other news I've noticed a lot more celebrities are now wearing cowboy hats casually... now if only we could get the politicians and feminists to wear more cowboy hats eh?

Just kidding, I know that will never happen.

But I do think there is some politicians and feminists who could use makeovers to make them look more professional.

There is this photo of Barack Obama, but he only did it for a photo shoot. He needs to be wearing his hat more often.

Business Casual = Confusion

2011-06-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Note to self... don't wear a hoodie to work, even if its "Casual Fridays".

The term "Business Casual" can be rather confusing... you can get away with small things. Little bits of casualness. Not too much however. No bikinis for obvious reasons.

Lets say you have a good understanding of your company's policy allowing business casual attire.

And then one day you get pulled her aside by one of the IT staff who then tells you it is inappropriate to wear Bermuda shorts, sleeveless tops and capris. Seriously, the nerd is telling the fashionista what she can and cannot wear... Has the world gone completely upside down???

Each generation seems to have a different idea of what is acceptable in the workplace... and in such a situation you can't help but be offended. Seriously. Capris! Get a life loser!

On one occasion I was actually not allowed to attend a meeting because my attire was deemed 'inappropriate.' People my age are taught to express themselves... but then when we enter the workforce we're supposed to shut up and do what we're told. We're told to follow our own initiative and think for ourselves, and then told to suddenly become brainwashed zombies... maybe our schooling system should be training sheep instead?

I mean let's say we go to a Toronto accountants school and we're taught to keep track of numbers on computers... sounds pretty dull right? So dull they could probably make a computer program that could track numbers and do accounting for us, erasing the need for accountants in the first place.

In which case we shouldn't need to dress like boring accountants, right? If we replace all the boring jobs with computer programs the only jobs left should be creative jobs, which implies workers should be encouraged to be more imaginative in terms of their artistic freedom.

Next: Are flip-flops appropriate business casual attire?

How about Crocs? (I'd argue Crocs are a fashion don't wherever you are!) They belong at home in your backyard, maybe the beach (if you don't care who sees them), or maybe in greenhouses or sunrooms. Any place you would normally wear sandals, but not necessarily want to be seen in them.

Anywho back to the office...

Business casual has become a staple of the office, but some idiotic companies are trying to enforce rules that set at least a minimum standard of dress (and this minimum is sometimes raised to gestapo like levels). These companies are increasingly enforcing more formal attire, despite calling it "business casual". Its become an oxymoron (smart idiot). Especially at meetings or on days when clients may visit the office, it reaches a point where you wonder what exactly is acceptable in terms of clothing (when in doubt, ask the HR rep, that way if someone asks or says your clothes are inappropriate you can pass the buck to the HR rep who said it was okay).

As summer heats up and fashion trends become even more laid back, employers are wrestling with how to adopt dress-code policies that encourage both productivity and professionalism... and I'd argue that if they really want to enforce gestapo black suits in the height of summer they had better have a good air conditioner in the building. Because if the AC is shoddy, don't expect people to wear thick clothing...

Business casual is a largely popularized topic in the dot-com crazed Silicon Valley. The argument has permeated the workplace, with 60% of employers allowing a dress-down day at least once a week, according to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.

And a backlash is brewing: The number of employers allowing casual dress days every day has plunged from 53% in 2002 to a new low of 38%. Eventually this has to reach a tipping point where people rebel against these often idiotic rules.

And what is even sillier is what is acceptable for "blue collar jobs". You know, work men. Construction workers, factory workers, and so forth. The type of people who fix Ottawa roofing, build decks, dig holes to put in pools, you get the idea. What is acceptable there is a t-shirt and blue jeans. Show up in something different and you will be open to ridicule by the manly men.

So this idea of appropriate work attire isn't limited to the office.

The reason for the return to more dressed-up attire is, in part, is because of the confusion generated by business casual standards. Companies will often lean towards the more gestapo-esque clothing rules when in doubt and then it just becomes a slippery slope.

Lets say for example that flip-flops aren't allowed. What about tennis shoes, jeans and shorts? Sleeveless dresses? T-shirts? Younger employees are more likely to push the envelope, which annoys more veteran workers who have long worked in offices where ties and shirts were expected no matter the day of the week. Such people resent younger workers breaking the rules they've become used to over decades being broken. Meanwhile employers resent becoming fashion police and having to solve disputes between generation gaps (and often managers are older themselves and thus err on the side of the older workers).

Are Casual Fridays getting out of hand?

"It started with casual Fridays and got out of hand," says June Webb, a fashion consultant in Alexandria, Virginia. "Now companies are starting to clamp down a little bit. They've found women have a tendency to show off too much skin, and men tend to show up in clothes that are wrinkled and not ironed."

Seriously. They want us to iron our clothes for "casual fridays"? I have never in my life ironed a pair of jeans.

Despite the push towards gestapo fashion, employer policies still run the gamut and often don't bother to write any official rules down, preferring to handle things on a case by case basis. I'd argue this is because it makes it easier for them to fire people on short notice for "inappropriate attire". An useful tool for bosses who want to fire people and are just waiting for an excuse. Show up wearing capris, get fired.

According to marketing firm McGrath/Power in Santa Clara, California they used to allow shorts, T-shirts and baseball caps on Casual Fridays. But now they require a more businesslike attire, with business casual including 'slacks and skirts'. Like its a school uniform at a prep school.

At McGrath/Power there have been situations where employees were asked to take off a baseball cap, leave on a sweater or not wear something again. With the third warning, employees are sent home to change.

"The pendulum has swung," says McGrath/Power CEO Jonathan Bloom. "We went through a too-casual period. … In the aftermath of the dot-com bubble, we tightened things up a little. When we were very casual, the quality of the work wasn't as good."

Bullshit. Nothing to do with the quality of the work. The economy prior to the dot com bubble bursting was skyrocketing. Unemployment was down. Job satisfaction was up. Companies were in the black (the red is the bad one, because that implies you are bleeding money).

Meanwhile in Auburn, New York, the city manager made headlines in April when he banned most city employees from wearing jeans on Fridays, a day that had long been reserved for casual attire. His office did not return calls seeking comment.

In contrast IBM has thrown out dress codes altogether. Once known as a traditional company of button-down shirts, cuff links and pinstriped suits, today it's an anything-goes approach. People just use common sense.

"As society has changed, so has IBM," says Donna Riley, the human resources vice president at IBM. "We do have a Birkenstock crowd in some of our locations. Many years ago, it was a suit and tie for men and skirt, dress and stockings for women. [Today's policy] says we trust our employees to use good judgment."

General Motors, where suits were once expected, now is also much more casual. Perhaps this is because the managers want to feel more relaxed around their blue collar employees. Not everyone gets away with this however. Employees representing GM to customers, suppliers and visitors are expected to dress consistently with the norms and expectations of the meeting or event, officials say. Business casual does not include athletic shoes, jeans, shorts, tank tops or sweatshirts.

Procter & Gamble also allows employees to dress more casually than in previous generations. Ford Motor Company has a casual business dress code, which is more laid back than 15 or 20 years ago.

"We ask them to use good judgment," says Marcey Evans, a Ford spokeswoman.

Imported Blog: Black Super Models

2011-04-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!

I have just imported some older blog content from a different blog I run called Black Super Models. Most of the posts date back to 2007 and the reason behind the blog was to draw attention to the SHORTAGE of black supermodels. Sure there is a few out there, but I wanted to draw attention to the fact that there is no shortage of African models out there worthy of being paid more for what they do.

Amongst the posts imported are collections of photos of:

Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell (obvious choices because they're more well known)

Tyson Beckford (a male supermodel you will probably recognize)

Ajuma Nasenyana (much less well known, but no less worthy)

See my post on Black Supermodels being Left Behind.

I will add more to this post later, I am off to the beach now...

Guide to Fashion Sketches

2011-04-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

FASHION - The intense competition in the fashion industry makes it important for any fashion designer to showcase the designs to a larger audience. This can be done by creating fashion sketches and displaying them on the Internet.

The sketches give an insight to the fashion fraternity and also to the common audience on the concept behind a particular fashion design. It is a way of communicating the theme to the people associated with the apparel industry. Hence, they are extremely important for any fashion designer.

Fashion sketches are illustrations made by professional artists and designed in a way that they can be easily displayed on the Internet. They portray the true creative genius of the designer. These can be considered a blue print of the final product.

The perfection in making sketches is a prerequisite as they serve as the main marketing tool of the fashion professionals. The sketches reflect trends and the value added features of the design. They can also be used to evaluate the various patters used by different designers.

Fashion sketches are important, since they are the preliminary designs that have to be taken to the different apparel manufacturers in the market. The sketches are then used to select the different fabric samples from the wide range on offer.

Computers are increasingly being used for the purpose of making fashion design sketches. Several software are now available that assist the designers in making the drawings. While some still prefer the traditional hand-drawn sketches, others choose to opt for the speed and convenience of computer-aided designing. Hand-drawn sketches can also be fed into the computer with the help of a scanner.

The art of making fashion design sketches is important for creating a niche in the highly competitive fashion industry. Fashion designers can make their presence felt only if their sketches are different and original. Good quality sketches are the only means of establishing a firm foothold in the fashion industry.

Is Fashion Design an Art Form?

The question of what constitutes "Art" with a capital T has been around for a long time. People pretty much agree that making a good cup of coffee is not an art form but there is still a lot of dissent about certain modes of expression like writing, movie making and fashion.

There is the idea that fashion cannot be an art because it evolved from sewing and tailoring which is a craft even though tailoring has been referred to as "architecture" and the draping of fabric across the body as being "sculptural".

Many designers make references to art and artistic theories and concepts in their work yet are nevertheless relegated to the ranks of the frivolous where haute couture is viewed as the fetish of the financially well-to-do. And once haute couture and runway collections have been watered down for consumption by the general public then they are seen as nothing more than financial commodities and functional apparel in the marketplace.

Another reason why fashion is not considered to be art is because, as with film making, a number of people performing different functions take part in the creation of a garment, such as the designer, fabric producer, pattern cutter and seamstress to name but a few. Because designers often don't work alone to produce a garment, they don't fit with the traditional view of the artist as a solitary genius and are therefore not considered artists even though their vision of what the garment will look like is their own.

In short, there is no clear-cut answer as to whether fashion is Art or not because there are so many ways to interpret and use an individual garment. It can be seen as protection from the elements, an expression of belonging to a particular socio-cultural group, as a personal form of expression when it is worn, or in its purest sense, as the embodiment of the vision of its creator, the designer. Because fashion is so fluid and open to interpretation, it fits in with the theories of many disciplines and forms of expression, of which Art is only one.

Cruelty-Free Clothes

2011-04-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Fashion for Vegetarians, Vegans and the Animal Friendly

If vegan fashion is all about living a more eco-conscious lifestyle, then you may be wondering how it can possibly go hand-in-hand with stylish living. Can the two co-exist? Today's vegan designers prove that this is certainly the case, by refusing to sacrifice aesthetics to create an earth-friendly look. If anything, the inclusion of eco-friendly materials adds to the appeal of the fashion.

Sample Site: veganchic.com

Cruelty-free fashions come in the same wide array of styles and current trends you'd find in the mainstream market. From clothing to handbags and shoes and more, there is no shortage of great items to buy. Vegan fashions are made from plant materials, such as hemp, or synthetic fibers, such as rayon. Many of them also include recycled materials such as rubber and plastic. The dyes used are organic. No one will be able to tell the difference between vegan styles and mainstream looks, unless you let them know. Vegan fashions are durable, comfortable, stylish and even biodegradable, though they are also beautifully crafted to withstand many years of use.

The stylish look of Vegan fashions could easily fool those who still are not aware of this trend into thinking you are wearing real leather, suede, or velvet. They offer rich colors and textures and a bold fashion statement without the harm to animals or the earth. Any eco-conscious, animal loving individual will want to check this out and take advantage of the great range of vegan fashions that is quickly taking over the fashion world.

Sample Site: bboheme.com

You won't have to sacrifice looks or quality or spend a fortune to find beautiful, well-made vegan clothing and accessories. Take a stand against animal cruelty and environmental sacrifice by purchasing vegan fashions, and you'll know you are doing your part to promote a green and eco-friendly way of life.

Whether you are a vegan or simply recognize that wearing clothing made of leather or fur is not kind to the animals, you can make the switch to vegan clothing rather easily. Beautiful vegan fashions can be found in more and more retail stores, and of course a great selection can be found online. Many major brands and up and coming labels make vegan fashions these days, some for their own ethical reasons, and others because they recognize the changing trends and the importance of buying "green" products.

Sample Site: veganfashionblog.com

We all talk about going green, but what exactly does that mean? Many people see it as recycling and using organic products. Is it really all that simple? To go completely green means to recognize all of nature, including the other creatures inhabiting the earth. Do they deserve to be abused and mistreated just so someone can look good? No way. If you truly want to live as green as can be, take things up a notch and go for vegan fashions.

If you love vegan food I recommend beautiful-vegan.com.

See Also
The Rise of Eco-Fashion
European EcoFashion

Sexy Sweaters

2011-04-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Its chilly during the Spring sometimes and if you wanna stay warm without having to carry a jacket everywhere I find sweaters and cardigans work quite well.

And better yet, sweaters can be quite sexy if you know what to look for that will accentuate your figure.

Evidently you need to exercise some brains when picking a sweater... the one below may look interesting on the catwalk, but is certainly not practical.

The one below may be good for showing off cleavage, but its lack of shoulders makes it look slutty.

I really like this one with the matching skirt and grey hat. See Fedora Femme.

Who says stripes and a turtleneck can't be sexy?

Nothing complicated here. Its not even tight fitting. The long length makes you look taller and thinner.

Try to avoid grabbing yourself. Yes. You're sexy. No need to brag about it.

Cowboy Hats back in fashion

2011-04-10T04:19:00.001-07:00

FASHION - My friends and I think cowboy hats are coming back into style. We think its because of the film True Grit but maybe its just a cyclical thing. (We also think the film 'Country Strong' might have something to do with it, even though we HATE that film.)

Shown here is a Stetson black cowboy hat. Stetson was the inventor of the cowboy hat and is still considered the best company when it comes to making cowboy hats. (Like Levis inventing jeans.)

The thing about cowboy hats is that they can be quite stylish, while simultaneously looking adventurous.

To show you what I mean about how cowboy hats being stylish I've collected some images of various celebrities, athletes, supermodels and fashion models wearing cowboy hats.

I think the mere fact Emma Watson is wearing a cowboy hat signifies it has gained a wider acceptance as a fashion item, similar to how fedoras, swisses and hamburgs are so popular right now. See Mens Hats.

The Tuxedo Hoodie

2011-04-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

FASHION - A friend of mine in Toronto, a guy, wants to make tuxedo with a hoodie so he can wear it to art galleries and be (without a doubt) the kewlest dressed person in the room.

I admit, fashion conscious heterosexual men are a rarity, but I can say "You go man! You da man!"

The Fairies Pyjamas

2011-04-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

FASHION - The Fairies Pyjamas is a cute little boutique shop in Toronto's Kensington Market (its easy to find in the alley of fashion shops) which sells a wide array of handmade clothing... and my favourite, arm and leg warmers!

For those that don't know, Kensington Market is just west of Chinatown and just north of the Queen Street West fashion district.

The Fairies Pyjamas
29 Kensington Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T2J8
(647) 343-1876

Check out thefairiespyjamas.com and don't forget to visit the other great shops in Kensington Market to check out great local fashion.

Afterwards I recommend stopping for espresso, tea (33+ flavours), coffee or whatever you fancy at "Espresso Etc" at 350 Dundas Street West, directly across from the Art Gallery of Ontario (just east of Chinatown).

Hungry? I recommend the Rol San Restaurant, north of Dundas on Spadina, or the Furama Bakery, south of Dundas on Spadina. Don't forget to check out the local shops in Chinatown for great bargains and items you won't find anywhere else.

If you want to make a day of it I recommend going on a Wednesday because it will be less crowded and the AGO is free on Wednesday nights.

Love Art History? The AGO is the largest art gallery in Canada and one of the top five in North America.

Teddy Bear Jacket

2010-09-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

FASHION - I just LOVE this jacket made out of teddy bears. Its by artist/designer Sebastian Errazuriz (who also brought us the zipper dress).

I want one!

BootyPop your Buttocks

2010-07-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Remember the 1980s when a tiny butt was considered sexy?

Well now you can have a tiny ass... but look like you have a bit more bounce in your bottom. Basically they give you a sexy ass like Beyonce, or at least the illusion of having one.

Susan Bloomstone and Lisa Reisler are the Canadian inventors of “Booty Pop”, padded panties that give you a bubble butt without the need for surgery. The panties cost $19.99 USD.

Bloomstone and Reisler met at McGill University. Bloomstone is a producer for CBC’s The Journal and Reisler used to be a fashion merchandiser. Together they've managed to make their BootyPop panties go viral with their BootyPop infomercial, and have since appeared on television shows The View, The Today Show, Regis & Kelly and The Tonight Show.

The pair noticed a societal shift towards shapely buttocks. Breast implants were no longer a big deal because what women want now is butt implants... but they don't want to spend a fortune and they're worried about permanent side effects. Enter BootyPop and the solution is provided.

Its a bit like the water bras skinny young women were wearing circa 2001 to make their breasts look bigger.

Or like George W. Bush's business suits with the padded shoulders. Same idea.

The pros: There's no risk, its not permanent and BootyPop panties cost about the same you'd pay for regular panties. BootyPop panties are cotton/Spandex panties fitted with two egg-shape foam pads and are no more complicated than a pair of boots with a zipper up the side (and if you can't figure those out, you're in trouble). That makes them ideal for date night or when you're trying to impress someone with the coveted bootylicious look.

BootyPop panties are basically for young women who are, shockingly, too skinny and have realized their flat ass isn't sexy. They want a more voluptuous and curvy look.

Booty Pop's playful warning: “The makers of Booty Pop are not responsible for all the extra attention you will receive as a result of wearing our product.”

BootyPop is not the only company trying to glorify a baudacious booty. Jean manufacturers have begun marketing butt enhancing designs and shoe companies Reebok and Sketchers are promoting shoes that encourage butt muscle development.

“People are always finding ways to look better. You take off your padded bra, your contact lenses, your hair extensions. When it all comes off, you better have a good personality,” says BootyPop co-designer Bloomstone.

Knitted Sleeves

2010-04-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

FASHION - I saw the knitted sleeves below on a website and my immediate response was I WANT THEM!

I don't care if they make it look like I have Popeye arms. I also don't even know what they're called. I just know I must have them!

Boycotting Peter Nygard

2010-04-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Its not often I discuss boycotts, but in this case I am making an exception.

Peter Nygard is a 67-year-old Canadian fashion designer known for marketing to women in the 25 - 35 range, supporting breast cancer research and his playboy lifestyle.

But what you might not know is he routinely treats his workers like slaves, abuses labour laws, skips out on paying for work permits, uses sweatshop labour in his factories... and his sex life involves 16 year old girls. Sometimes younger.

According to former staff Peter Nygard routinely has wild sex parties, has a staff member who is charge of luring young women with promises of being on the lookout for supermodels but in reality he's just looking for a roster of young girls to have sex with. Some of them allege he's raped or sexually abused them.

In one case Peter Nygard admitted the one girl had been living on his wallled estate in the Bahamas and that she had been there since she was a teenager. She had basically been held captive there because employees and guests aren't allowed to leave the estate without Nygard's personal permission.

Staff members allege Peter Nygard frequently has temper tantrums and shouting matches, verbally and physically abusing employees for HOURS at a time. Many employees have left due to a combination of physical, sexual and verbal abuse.

And then there's his factories overseas in China, India and Indonesia... where women and children work in sweatshop conditions producing clothes that are later sold in Peter Nygard's stores in North America and Europe.

So do you want to buy clothes from a man who is best described as a "tempersome rapist" and a "belligerent control freak"?

I think I'll pass. I'd sooner spit on him if I ever met such a horrible old man in person.

Its my firm opinion that most men who get involved in the women's fashion industry are just doing it so they can live like playboys and have sex with young women. Peter Nygard confirms that belief. He's an absolute sexist pig.

Borat killed the Thong

2010-02-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Its confirmed, the thong is dead as a fashion item.

Oh sure, some people (who don't have a clue) will continue to wear the thong, especially if they're hicks or just mucking around with their boyfriend... but as a serious fashion item (ie. supermodels wear it on fashion catwalks) the thong is dead.

Some say Monica Lewinsky kick-started her affair with Bill Clinton by showing him hers.

Some say the thong is uncomfortable, impractical and leaves nothing to the imagination.

All we know is its dead, maybe not as dead as powdered wigs, but certainly dead as far as the lingerie industry is concerned.

In the glory days of the thong it never once outsold women's panties, briefs or even jockeys. What it had instead was media attention.

During the 1990s the thong was on the catwalks, it was promoted by Cosmopolitan, it broke rules for what was considered sexy... and the next thing you know people were wearing them in public, accompanied by low-rise jeans and Sisqo wrote "The Thong Song"...

But beyond media fluff, celebrities and supermodels, teenagers and young women wearing them... it never truly became mainstream.

And then the movie Borat came along... in which he wore an electric green, V-shaped thong swimsuit wedged deep between his hairy buttcheeks.

Voila! C'est incroyablement horrible!

In fashion terms the thong was now passé. It was done and over with. Next please!

So instead what I am predicting is lacy briefs... but worn in such a way that people can see the top of them. Just a peak.

In my opinion silk and lace will never go out of fashion. They're just too comfortable and enjoyable to wear. The trick is to make a fashion statement with them by letting people actually see them a little. That way they know what you're wearing and say "Hey, thats damn sexy. I want some too!"

If anyone asks you can just say they're really comfortable, but in reality you will know they're also totally sexy otherwise they wouldn't have asked about them anyway.

The trend now is to give people a glimpse of your underwear... just an inch of that highly decorative lacy bra, an inch or two of your snug lacy panties... its playful and suggestive (and probably not good to be wearing at work), but it gives a bold fashion statement about what you think is sexy.

Brazilian Student Expelled for wearing Mini Dress

2009-11-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Brazil is known for women wearing skimpy clothing, but in university students usually wears jeans and a t-shirt. However when Geisy Arruda wore a tight pink dress to class however she was accused of "immorality" by the university who says she behaving in a slutty fashion and disrespected "ethical principles, academic dignity and morality."

The incident happened on October 22nd when she had to be escorted off the campus by police.

The dress shows off quite a bit of leg, but that is about it. I've seen way worse at universities in Canada.

The private Bandeirante University backed down today on its decision to expel 20-year-old Geisy Arruda following a flood of negative reaction. The Brazilian government also came down hard on the university, giving them 10 days to clarify its reasoning for kicking out Arruda.

I smell lawsuit.

Are Niqabs and Hijabs a Fashion Statement?

2009-10-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

FASHION/RELIGION - Have you seen any women recently wearing a Niqab or Hijab?

No, I am not talking about Conservative Muslim women. I am talking about women (of any ethnic background) wearing it as some kind of fashion statement.

And an important point is you can now buy them in brand names like Calvin Klein and GAP.

Like WTF? How did that happen? Well, its not so much that these brand name companies are getting into the business, its the fact they're making scarves/etc that can be used as such.

First lets affiliate you with some of the fashion terms:

A Hijab is basically a hood that is worn over your hair.

A Niqab (or Niqaab) is a scarf you wear over your face. A full niqab covers everything but a slit for the eyes.

There's also:

Abaya - Covers you from head to toe except for the eyes, one large piece that looks very baggy. Usually found in Pakistan.

Burqa - Like the Abaya, but it covers the eyes with semi-transparent fabric or a grille. More common in Afghanistan.

Dupatta - Popular in Pakistan, covers the head and shoulders.

Its important to note this is NOT a religious belief per se... and nor is it sexist. Many men in Arab countries also wear headwear to cover their heads. Such things include the Igal, Bisht, Ihram, Kufi / Kuffiyya / Ghutra / Shmagh, Taqiyah cap, Thawb and the more commonly known Turban.

So yes, before you go jumping to conclusions you have to realize this is a CULTURAL tradition, not a religious edict. Some Muslim women choose to wear such things and often make that choice when they are a teenager (ah, the horrors of peer pressure). In that context they see their friends wearing such things and they follow suit.

After all if you're best friend gets a tattoo, or a nose piercing or a pair of high heels... are you repressing yourself if you choose to get the same thing for yourself? No, you're making a choice. Admittedly your friend played a role in making that choice, but thats just a sign of a strong friendship.

Thus when non-Muslim women start wearing such clothing its not simply because they're trying to make a fashion statement. Sometimes they just have Muslim friends who wear such things, they look at it, realize they'd like to wear a hood or whatever, so they go out and buy it.

I myself have a fondness for hoodies, especially on rainy days. I could see myself buying a hijab someday if I found one I really liked. Does it mean I would be changing my religion? No.

Its just a fashion statement and frankly I think thats kewl. It could even be considered sexy.

Granted I am not about to run out and buy any full-length garments that cover me head to toe... they just look too much like radiation suits to me. But I could certainly see wearing a wide variety of Muslim clothing.

Let me give you an example you might not normally think of: Look at the adorable photo below of the little girl wearing a Kufi hat. Those hats are totally kewl and I WANT ONE! It has nothing to do with religion, its just plain a really kewl looking hat. Who wouldn't want one?

David Dixon, Hip to be Different

2009-10-22T10:45:00.001-07:00

FASHION - I really like David Dixon's fashion designs. They're simple, stylish and I can see wearing them on a day to day basis. They're sexy too.

What I also like is his choice of models. He picks his models carefully, choosing not just ethnically diverse models, but also being careful to pick models who have more meat on their bones as opposed to the disgustingly thin.

"I don't even think about it," admits Dixon. "It's not a conscious decision to cast women from various ethnicities. I pick the girls I like. I pick girls I think women can relate to."

Its also smart business sense. "I get feedback from women who have a critical opinion. They want to see themselves in these clothes," says Dixon. They're more likely to buy the clothes they can see themselves wearing.

Designer Mark Fast does the same thing. A couple weeks ago he insisted on having plus-size models for his 2010 spring fashion show... which drew a lot of media attention. Fast says: "My knits respond differently to different bodies. Some looks just work better on curves."

Which sparks my belief that "Its hip to be diverse", not just by adding plus size models, but by including models from a wide range of backgrounds.

Sunny Fong for example recently hired two models: One that was a lot older, and other who was bigger. "Other cities look to this unnatural ideal of what's beautiful," says Fong who only hires models with a waist larger than 24 inches. "I've never liked skinny-skinny models. They don't suit my clothes. My target market is real women, not skinny 16-year-old girls. When I put my clothes on skinny girls, they hang like they're on a hanger. I want the body to translate the garment. On a skinny girl, it says nothing."

Curves are sexy. Show em off!

Paris Fashion Gaffs

2009-10-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

FASHION - You know what a gaff is right? Its a mistake. Its a blooper. Its the outtake that usually doesn't make it into TV or magazine spreads.

But unfortunately in the fashion world these gaffs do make the news, and in a silly way some people actually take them seriously.

Like the two images to the right.

You see, as an artistic / creative person myself, I would be totally embarrassed to make things that look so ridiculous. They can't be worn, they can't be taken seriously, they're barely even 'art' because they're not making a statement about anything.

And the holes? What is the point of that? There's no statement there. Ripped blue jeans makes a fashion statement, but only if the rips are real. Fake rips are for poseurs.

And then there's the 1/2 dress / 1/2 business suit... WTF is that? What a complete waste of fabric.

Sometimes I swear Paris fashion designers are sniffing glue or something. They could be making fashion which actually helps people, looks good, gives people jobs, makes them look professional...

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain.

To infer from that, well-dressed people are leaders and go out and change the world. People who dress like idiots will be treated like idiots (and not taken seriously).

And they say fashion isn't important?

Lindsay Lohan's Fashion Line

2009-10-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Lindsay Lohan's latest fashion for Spring / Summer 2010 was unveiled on Sunday... and frankly, what brain-dead person would wear this crap?

The brand is Emanuel Ungaro and the fashion itself was co-designed by Barcelona-born designer Estrella Archs, which is a funny way of saying Archs did most of the work. Lindsay Lohan is just the "artistic advisor".

Ungaro has been a fashion house since 1965 and fashion designer/owner Emanuel Ungaro retired from the house in 2004 at the age of 71 and in 2005 the brand was sold. Esteban Cortazar was anointed the head designer...

But pedigree aside, I'd say it still sucks.

Its too... 1980s.

And I realize some people think the 1980s is in vogue again, but frankly this is too much. I am beginning to think people are taking it too far. Its one thing to bring back the "good fashion" from the 1980s, but why would you bring back the crappy fashions too?

Oh and there was WAAAAAY too much fuchsia and pink. Sorry, that is just too Barbie Girl for me.

And before you think I am just being mean, or copying what other people are saying go ahead and Google Lindsay Lohan Ungaro and you will see there are a lot of people who hate the fashion looks being produced at the new Ungaro. There are probably a 'few' who like it, but they are in a minority.

In summary Lindsay Lohan's fashion style... 1980s pink Barbie. Its like fashion for 9 year old girls...

Take the Magnetic Bra Test

2009-09-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

FASHION/TECHNOLOGY - There is a new bra coming to North America, and its positively and negatively attracted to itself. In case you didn't read the title of this blog post, yes its a magnetic bra.

Look ma, no hooks or clasps!

The bra is being offered by lingerie retailer La Vie en Rose, but they're not the only ones going magnetic. Wonderbra also has a new magnetic bra out being promoted by burlesque star Dita Von Teese... and not because its easy to take off, because it actually isn't as easy as it looks.

La Vie En Rose's version is called "Magnetic Attraction" and it retails for $33.95 CDN each. It also comes in three styles – the Boost push-up, the Daily lightly padded and the Au Naturel unpadded.

You see in the past attempts to make a magnetic bra always failed because the magnets were too weak to stand up to the stress of say... jumping up and down, running, or even simple tasks like bending over to pick something up.

Whoops. It popped open again.

But these new magnetic bras are MUCH MORE POWERFUL and both La Vie En Rose and Wonderbra are daring people to come into their stores and put them to the test.

Because apparently these things aren't budging. You can jiggle it, jump and dance in it, run, whatever.

The magnet's sheer strength is already annoying men too... its even harder to remove than those old hook bras, causing complaints:

"Why did they invent this? Is it supposed to make it easier? 'Cause it's not."

Of course the bra is also causing some jokes, like what if paper clips get stuck to your shirt... or if you can't find your keys and they were stuck to your bra the entire time. Let alone problems with airport security.

"Finally a bra I can open, and also hang on my fridge!"

Short Skirts coming Spring 2010

2009-09-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

FASHION - All the top designers are pushing short skirts for women in Spring 2010. Below are: Prada on the left, Dolce & Gabbana in the centre and Versace on the right.

In other news where did the decade go? Its October 1st 2009 already and in only three short months it will by January 2010. Seriously, WTF. Seems like only yesterday the United States was worried about Y2K, and then George W. Bush snuck into the White House... then September 11th 2001, the War in Afghanistan that failed to capture Osama bin Laden, the War in Iraq that failed to find Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Tsunami in Malayasia, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the American Recession started in 2007, Barack Obama got elected in November 2008, and slow but steady economic recovery in 2009.

According to some fashion gurus the trend towards short skirts happens whenever people are short on cash. Skirts costs less than dresses, and the less fabric used often the less expensive the skirts are. Thus frugal people are more likely to buy them.

HOWEVER, predicting fashion trends based on economics are tricky. What if the economy completely rebounds by Spring 2010 and people have more cash to buy whatever they want?

Well, you see there's also a backup issue... global warming and climate change. With hotter temperatures people will be wanting more short skirts anyway, so its also a pretty safe bet people will want them since jeans/dresses will be too hot.

So my advice? If you see shorts skirts on sale and you absolutely love them and think they will be kewl to wear in the future, buy them.

Goth, Courtesan and Kabuki

2009-09-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

FASHION/GOTHIC - East meets West, Victorian gothic meets kabuki performer and designer Marc Jacobs takes aim at trends with a scattergun.

Seeing what he did it looks like he ripped off ideas from "The King and I", "Blade Runner" and Queen Elizabeth I era fashion... victorian ruffles, gothic lolitas... mixed with army jackets and khaki trench coats.

He also deliberately played fashion don'ts... like wearing lingerie as outer wear, a luxury fanny pack and socks with sandals.

In other words... you'd never actually wear this stuff outside.

Don't get me wrong, I love gothic fashion... but I think fashion designers playing lip service to gothic culture is just lame. The things they design don't appeal to real goths, and the fashionistas like myself won't wear this crap either because:

#1. Its too expensive.

#2. Its full of fashion faux pas don'ts.

In his latest show Marc Jacobs mixed leopard prints... you know the kind that old women with dyed blond hair, gold teeth (or missing teeth!) wear... seriously. That stuff may look good on a thin fashion model, but marketing that is just a bad idea.

I swear some fashion designers are just complete hacks. They just copy whatever they see and never come up with anything original.

Proof that Haute Couture belongs on the runway

2009-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

FASHION - To the right you see photos of Sandra Bullock and Madonna dressed in haute couture fashion.

And what you realize is that what looks good on the runway doesn't necessarily look good in real life. In fact it looks just plain ridiculous.

What were they thinking?

Did they not bother to look in the mirror?

Its what I've been saying for years now. Haute couture is the fashion industry's version of Abstract Expressionism. Its something for fashion designers to look at and appreciate, they're experimental. They're not actually meant to be worn in real life.

But apparently there's enough dumb celebrities out there to at least attempt it.

Motorcycles and Heavy Metal Fashion

2009-09-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Motorcycles, heavy metal and a darker look are in this Fall. Be on the lookout for a lot of young women wearing motorcycle jackets and sporting heavy metal jewelry.

In seems like the younger generation are pushing the late 80s cliques once more.

The Preppies (the preppy look is also in)

The Slackers (lots of plaid shirts)

The Rockers (the heavy metal, motorcycle jackets, big clunky boots, etc)

Look for "leader of the pack" studs, spikes and chains on everything from boots to bracelets. The aggressive biker image becomes a lot softer as women wear buttery soft leather and shapely cuts in real or imitation leather.

NOTE: The process used to make imitation leather isn't very environmentally friendly. So you're either killing some cows or destroying the environment. Your choice. Its either faux leather or the real thing. Plus the beef industry kills the cows anyway for their meat whether we wear the leather or not. The fur industry is a whole different matter because we don't actually eat minx, fox, chinchillas and rabbit that often.

Big clunky boots smothered in nail heads or studs. Wide belts with tonnes of studs. Bullets, Skulls, Fake Tattoos... its all good.

And not necessarily steel! You can also get a variety of colours.

By the time you're done your parents will want to send you to reform school for an attitude adjustment.

Even little kids are getting into the motorcycle jacket trend. They can be found at H&M, Gap and Joe Fresh, giving new meaning to the phrase biker babe.

And even if you don't like the jackets, check out all the kewl accessories.

The last time the motorcycle jacket was so popular it was during the late 80s and early 90s. The era was captured perfectly in 1991 by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh who featured the top supermodels of that era posing like street toughs in Chanel leather biker jackets.

The don't-mess-with-me attitude with broad menacing shoulders and flashy hardware, buckles, zippers and studs was the ultimate way to tell your parents' you're rebelling. Add biker boots, leather officer caps and mini skirts and there is a variety of looks you can make.

You want the look to be natural however. You shouldn't feel like you're wearing a costume.

Move over jeans, Trousers are in

2009-05-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Jeans will always be cool, of that there is no doubt. But its starting to look like they will have a lot of competition from the growing trend of wearing trousers.

You would think that jeans, perhaps the most proletarian piece of apparel, known for durability, strength and versatility, would soar during recession times, but instead blue jeans appear to have fallen out of favour with women (sales are down world wide over the past 8 months). Denim is practically a demi-god in the fashion world, but in this David and Goliath story it seems like the lowly trousers now has the advantage.

It used to be that blue jeans were kewl. Rebels wore blue jeans. Now everyone wears them. My grandma wears blue jeans. High school teachers wear blue jeans. George W. Bush wears blue jeans (he's really trying hard to fit back into civilian society).

Conclusion? Blue jeans aren't that kewl any more. The hip thing these days is the more counter-culture look of trousers, sometimes made of leather or my personal favourite, army camouflage.

In the world of jeans sales for three of the sector's publicly traded players – True Religion, 7 For All Mankind and Joe's Jeans – have declined in department stores. The market is over-saturated with too many jeans brands (and ridiculous prices) and everybody (and I hate to sound like a fashion snob, but everybody includes the ugly people) is wearing jeans now.

They've also run out of gimmicks too. Shredded them, rhinestones, sequins, tread marks, coutured leggings, acid washes, crystals encrusted in them... its been so over done. And its become two other things: Blue jeans aren't worn by rebels any more, they are worn by rich people and by squares.

Such an '80s term I admit, but that is the situation we're in. To borrow a Canadian term, jeans are for hosers.

"Denim was a symbol of youthful defiance, embraced by Marlon Brando, James Dean," writes Daniel Akst, a Wall Street Journal columnist. "Now we're all rebels, even a billionaire CEO like Steve Jobs, who wears blue jeans and a black turtleneck whenever unveiling new Apple Computer products."

So the laws of fashion dictate that its time for change. And if jeans are out, a different sort of pants must step up.

Trousers come in a variety of shapes: Drop-crotch, dhoti, high-waisted, full-leg, peg-leg, multi-pleated, harem – all different styles and all taking great strides to topple jeans in the popularity contest.

The unusual shape of trousers is another part of the new rebel look. It may look slouchy or slovenly, but they're also comfortable and compliment your legs by making them look thinner in comparison. They're more flattering than pants that cling and betray your faults.

The soft, comfy fabric is what wearers seem to love about the new-look trousers, especially the slouchy jodhpur-style pants. Quite a few are made from Lycra or rayon, giving them a bit of the '80s glam-rocker look.

See Also:
Jeans, Pants and Trousers
Levi Strauss
Fendi

Cycling Chic

2009-05-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

FASHION - I've been doing some research and I think the hot new look for Summer 2009 is cycling chic.

And I've got the photos to prove it.

If you Google "cycling fashion" you will find a tonne of websites selling fashion for cyclists, both professional and amateurs. What I prefer however is clothes that is multi-functional, great for doing-whatever, but close fitting enough that you can ride your bike without hassle.

Note the text on the buttocks: Lucky Saddle. (Saddle is another word for bicycle seat for those out there not familiar with bike lingo.)

You may be tempted to go for the tight fitting clothing, which looks hot.

Or even a short skirt, which is cool too, but you will have to be careful about the length and how you sit to make sure it doesn't get tangled up.

A lot of girls, especially if its really hot out, prefer to shed some layers and maybe even opt for a tank top or bikini.

On cooler days you will want to maybe accessorize or wear something warmer because the breeze when biking can be chilly.

Think of your bike as an accessory. You don't want to ride any rusty piece of wheels. Think retro and fully restored, that or opt for something new and snazzy.

Depending on what you wear you start to realize how chic and hip you look. Definitely a way to attract hot guys who are also into cycling.

Don't be afraid to make your own riding uniform if you're planning to ride daily. Something that will allow you to shed or add layers depending on the weather, and won't show off your sweat (although some guys tell me there's nothing hotter than a woman dripping with sweat and smelling of pheromones).

If you get a summer dress just the right length you don't even have to worry about it getting caught or tangled up.

If you opt for something a lot longer, make sure its something you could hike up around your waist more or is more smooth flowing so it doesn't interfere with your ability to pedal.

Depending on where you are going (busy streets) you may want to get a helmet. You may feel a bit dorky so look for a helmet you feel makes you look hot, and while you're at it find a backpack or satchel so you can carry things easily. That or buy a bike with a basket.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Don't forget to keep your bike in tip-top shape by visiting your local bicycle mechanic for oiling, greasing, truing your tires, removing those nasty rust spots, replacing an uncomfortable seat and making sure the handlebars, pedals, etc. aren't behaving sluggishly.

After all, how fashionable will you be if your bicycle is a wreck and/or you end up in a crash and drooling out the side of your mouth all the time?

Surgical Masks: The Latest Fashion Craze from Mexico

2009-04-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

FASHION/HEALTH - When it comes to fashion, its become a cliche to wear a gas mask on the runway. Especially when it comes to fetish or BDSM garb. Its been OVERDONE. Stop doing it already! (I swear people are so unimaginative at times.)

But... with the recent spread of the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) from Mexico, a lot of people are taking the wise precaution and are wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from the deadly plague.

Before I get into this I think its really important that people wear protection, even if you're not sick. You could catch H1N1 from somebody else, just by shaking their hand, opening a door, handling money, someone coughing nearby (or in an elevator) or any number of ways since its an airborne bacteria. The best way to prevent it is to be very careful about what touches your hands, what touches your face or goes in your mouth, and be mindful of washing your hands regularly.

So buying food at the cafeteria or restaurant near your workplace... big no-no. Bring a bag lunch. No, you're not poor, but you are cautious. Who knows what people are coughing onto the food in the cafeteria's kitchen... its best not to take that chance.

Far too few people in epidemics even take these things seriously... and they're the ones who get sick first. It is better to err on the side of caution, even if you feel weird about wearing a mask in public.

However, there are two things that concerns me:

#1. How effective are surgical masks at preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus? Really we should all be wearing gloves, washing our hands and faces multiple times per day, and wearing masks which are much more effective.

#2. How fashion friendly are surgical masks? Well... not very. But you could wear lots of blue to match them... or maybe even buy nurse scrubs and wear those, which would be kinda kewl even if you're not a nurse.

My solution has been to skip the mask and opt for a bandanna, folding it in half diagonally and wearing it as per bank robbers in the Ol' West. I firmly believe the bandanna, which comes in many fashionable colours and designs, is more effective because it covers the sides of the mouth much more effectively than a surgical mask.

If I wanted to go all out I could get a gas mask, but they're pricey and apparently take a lot of practice to learn how to wear properly. If the H1N1 virus epidemic reaches that point... I think its time to just call in sick (even though I am not) and avoid going to work for several weeks until this whole plague thing is over.

But in the meantime I think the bandanna option makes a smart (and much more fashionable) way of keeping myself safe. A thick scarf could also work, but depending on the weather that may be unpractical.

See Also:
Swine flu spreading faster than expected
Worldwide Influenza Pandemic Warned
Swine flu hits Mexico and western United States

The Purpose of High Fashion

2009-04-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

FASHION - What is the point of high fashion?

Last year supermodel Carla Bruni (now the First Lady of France) wanted to bring herself down when standing beside the Queen Elizabeth II... She also chose a sombre grey dress-coat so to not upstage the Queen and for her shoes she wore a pair of plain black flats, while the Queen wore black heels.

Had she worn something exquisitely beautiful it would have been wildly out-of-place... plus with Carla Bruni it doesn't really matter. She'd look good wearing a burlap sack.

Most of us however are so ashamed of our bodies we wouldn't get caught dead wearing a burlap sack smock (or anything like it). We know we don't have the figure and we try to wear things that make us look better than we really do.

That's the purpose of high fashion. Its like make-up in a way. Or high heels. Or corsets. Its to make us look better. We aren't naturally stunning to look at, so we need high fashion as a prop.

If we all looked like supermodels there would be no need to go to such lengths.

Are we doing this for men? Not necessarily. Sometimes we just want to stand out or blend in. Depends entirely on the circumstances.

"We look at a beautiful person and think they are lucky," says Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator of Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum. "But if we look at a particularly fashionable person who is not possessed of raw beauty but rather a socially constructed beauty, then we're impressed. Real style is considered a magical skill."

High heels are now inextricably linked to pornographic imagery. Six-inch heels have elevated women's sexual allure to the point that flat shoes are now derisively described as "sensible."

Although frankly if I see a woman on the street wearing 6-inch heels, chances are likely she's a prostitute. She knows exactly what she's doing, especially if she has a fur boa, a short skirt and is showing a lot of cleavage.

Its always possible she's just a clubbing chick, but with those clothes she's still selling sex, except her payment is liquor and a guy good-looking enough to pass her drunken standards.

This is the POWER OF FASHION. It transforms a person from whore to madonna and back to whore again.

For women who are plain, or downright ugly, fashion is the way to even the playing field.

Lets take for example Susan Boyle, the bushy browed, wild-haired Scot who recently became world-famous as a contestant on Britain's Got Talent. The 47-year-old ugly duckling with the angelic voice has become a pop culture icon since her April 11 performance on the show partly because of the enormous disconnect between her appearance and her voice.

She's since had a makeover. Her grey hair has been coloured and styled. Her famous caterpillar eyebrows have been tamed. And she's traded in the unflattering mother-of-the-bride beige dress she wore on TV for a pair of fashionable, wide-leg trousers and a cool leather jacket. Though her supporters worry the makeover could diminish her chances of winning the competition, it's undeniable that she looks a lot better.

"This is why stylists are so popular," says Barbara Atkin, vice-president of fashion direction for Holt Renfrew. Women presume they can't learn these tricks themselves, so they hire a professional.

"Fashion offers women an alternative route to the spotlight, some sense of pride and dignity that they might not have if they don't approximate conventional standards of beauty," says Holly Brubach, former style editor of The New York Times Magazine.

Brubach is convinced the recent evolution of feminist culture has allowed women who aren't beautiful to participate in fashion. Feminism's first wave in the early 20th century liberated women from corsets and constructed silhouettes, she says. But in the 1960s, fashion was denounced as a male conspiracy.

"It was the hemlines issue, when the miniskirt was popularized and then seemingly one season later the maxi-skirt was in. Fashion was revealed as a commercial endeavour intended only to make women spend money."

In this era of post-feminism we have softened our dogma and now everyone can be stylish (or sexy).

It the dual faces of fashion – the model as front person and her plainer sister as participant. (Except behind the scenes the fashion models are hiding in plain sight wearing skinny jeans and t-shirts, because they're comfortable and they know they look hot wearing whatever.)

On TV's Ugly Betty the show's frizzy-haired protagonist stands alone as the unattractive employee of a fashion magazine staffed by beautiful people... except in real fashion magazines, the opposite is true... If you think the front row of an international runway is lined with lithesome Paris Hilton types, you'd be dead wrong. We're usually pretty butt ugly and our obsession with fashion is really about wanting to look better because we physically are below our own standards.

(We also work in an industry with an unusually high number of suicides, but thats another topic for another day...)

Try doing a Google image search for:

Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune.
Isabella Blow, the late stylist and fashion muse.
Ingrid Sischy (who looks like a man), formerly of Interview magazine.
Anna Piaggi of Italian Vogue.
Kim Hastreiter of Paper magazine.
Lynn Jaeger, formerly of The Village Voice.
Glenda Bailey of Harper's Bazaar.

They are some of fashion's most powerful players, always a breath away from the runway but never on it... and they're all pretty plain or ugly looking.

So we ask again, what is the purpose of high fashion? Its not to make beautiful people look better, its to help the rest of us raise ourselves a bit up on the beauty scale... without having to exercise.

Tween Fashion and the Girl-Next-Door

2009-04-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

FASHION/ENTERTAINMENT - Young teens (aka Tweens) are all abuzz about the new Hannah Montana Movie, starring Miley Cyrus... but their adoration has also sparked an unusual fashion trend...

Modesty.

In an era when teenagers and young girls seem to be showing a lot more skin, this trend is a welcome change for parents concerned about their kids' promiscuity.

So instead we have the wholesome girl-next-door.

As opposed to the skanky Britney Spears look or the slutty Paris Hilton look. Or punkish Avril Lavigne or heroin-chic Amy Winehouse.

Adapted from the hit TV series from Disney, Hannah Montana is covered-up, ladylike and wholesome.

But what do the fans say?

"I saw the movie and really liked the clothes – I really liked the looser jeans and I want to get a flannel shirt. I liked that it was sort of peasant-y and plain," says Ruby, age 14. Ruby admits "I'm too old to have this admiration for her," and admits she had to pick her way past throngs of 8, 9 and 10-year-olds for a seat to watch the movie.

"I've always worn skinny jeans, but I liked that sort of casual, farmy look," says Ruby, who says she will be going shopping for baggier jeans, flannel shirts and peasant skirts.

Wow. Maybe clogs will become fashionable too? (That was sarcasm BTW.)

The Hannah Montana franchise is important fashion for tweens and young teens.

"Hannah Montana dominates the tween market," says Nadia Casarcia of La Senza Girl. "I saw the movie myself and we're definitely seeing a softer side of Miley. Even though there were two very different looks, she was more subdued. Maybe that's a reaction to some of the pressure she's faced in real life."

Miley Cyrus, who plays Hannah Montana, wore a very grown-up couture gown on the Oscars' red carpet this year, and has been criticized for appearing in Vanity Fair swathed only in a sheet, sparking controversy about her age and the amount of skin she was showing.

Fashion tends to go in cycles (hence why Madonna keeps changing her look). I think this new modest-look is simply a reaction to the overtly-sluttiness of the previous look being pushed on young teens.

So will this stick around? Maybe awhile, another year or two, but after that tweens will be older and moved on to something new.

Besides... aren't we forgetting something?

Miley Cyrus and her character Hannah Montana don't always dress the same... and Miley Cyrus is hardly the only female rolemodel out there that young women are emulating.

And then there's also feminists and their chance every summer to go topless and upset the religious wackos who think nudity is a sin. Or the opposite... there's young women going topless during Spring Break, etc...

So is America's young women becoming more modest? I think not. This is a quaint idea, but there's so much other stuff in the mass media and the internet now that young women really have a lot to choose from when it comes to deciding to dress like a madonna or a whore.

Outrageous Clothes that I will never wear

2009-04-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Call it my biggest fashion industry pet peeve... but what is with all the clothes that, admittedly, none of us would ever wear in public. Or in private for that matter.

In the olden days of fashion design there was this thing called the avant garde, which was meant to represent anything that was so outrageous it was... controversial.

The term is also used in art history, to describe artists like Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol who did something nobody else had ever done before.

Except when you look at the clothes shown here, you realize, yes, that's probably been done before. Its not very... experimental. Its like they're trying to be avant garde, but really they don't have a clue what they are doing. (I've tried to show a variety of different faux avant garde styles here, so you get a broad idea of the kind of bullshit nonsense these designers are pushing.)

I admit some of the clothes does look pretty kewl, and I could see wearing some of them to a gothic club... but its difficult to imagine where I might wear any of the other pretentious avant garde crap they're pushing.

I don't know why the fashion magazines even bother to show these photos any more. Is it like what I am doing? Making fun of it? No, they show them, talk about the designers and are totally serious about it. Its like they haven't clued in to the simple fact that:

AVANT GARDE IS DEAD.

Even retired fashion designer Pierre Cardin says Haute Couture is dead. Haute couture is basically just another word for avant garde.

Let's imagine for a moment if someone actually wore some of these things in public...

You'd have to get used to the idea of people staring at you all the time. You'd just look like a complete freak (more so than the goths, punks and emos look like freaks).

You'd also would have to have the hot sexy body to make it work. You'd definitely have to be female... a guy would never wear this stuff.

Its also not very practical. Its too cold for the winter, too hot for the summer, you can't wear a jacket over top of it and if it rains your clothes will get ruined.

In other words... nobody in their right mind would wear these clothes in public... unless they're eccentric or outright wacko.

You will never find a store that sells this avant garde crap either. Its not wearable or sell-able. It makes me wonder what the designers do with it after they're done on the catwalk... stick them in storage? Rip them apart and reuse them? Give them away as gifts?

I can just imagine the clothes being regifted from person to person until finally someone either recycles the material or trashes it completely.

I realize what the designers are doing of course. They're trying to make a name for themselves by doing something remotely outrageous. If they can get their name out there as a fashion brand... then they can start charging a lot more $$$ for their regular clothes lines. In other words... they're self-indulgent greedy little pricks... the same kind of pricks (and yes, they're mostly male) that only hire anorexic girls on the runway and are probably screwing the models (or snorting coke with them) behind the scenes.

After all when you make it big in the fashion industry, what else is there to do but f*ck around and snort cocaine? Like Kate Moss below.

Cage Shoes

2009-04-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Cage shoes may be popular right now, but how comfortable are they?

Cage shoes may be the rage this season, starting at the spring/summer 2009 Yves Saint Laurent collection shown in Paris last October followed by designer Stefano Pilati sending his models down the runway with their feet encased in a shoe featuring thin strips of leather that form a grid-like pattern and perched on a metal cage-inspired heel.

And ever since these cage shoes have been imprisoning the feet of models and supermodels all over the blogosphere, setting people a-twitter.

I can't help but admit they look kewl, and indeed I wouldn't mind having a pair or two... but I've also tried them on several times at Holt Renfrew... and was very disappointed.

They pinch your feet, your toes and your ankles. They are HORRIBLY uncomfortable. I have yet to find a pair that fit properly and are comfortable.

I am soooooo glad I didn't buy them either, because I found out later they leave horrible waffle tan lines on your feet. So they're definitely more for partly cloudy days.

Fedoras, oh la la what a cock

2009-04-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

FASHION - When it comes to hats and headwear, there is nothing more stylish than a fedora.

And nothing more geeky or tells the world you're a complete idiot.

I will say that women look fabulous in a fedora. Its very stylish and they don't look geeky whatsoever, but when a man wears it he ends up looking like:

1. A geek.
2. A pimp.
3. A complete cock (a British term to describe a braggart, idiot, jerk).

The last thing, the absolutely last thing a man will look like, is stylish and kewl. The men in the photos above... all look like cocks. They're trying really hard to be stylish. Too hard, and it ends up looking fake.

When you're stylish, you're not trying hard, you're natural about it. You're not pretending to be something you're not. You just are. Men wearing fedoras in an attempt to look stylish... well, they just end up looking like cocks.

As much as fedoras may be back in fashion for women, for men it could be years or decades before fedoras are considered stylish again.

I will say however there is a practical reason for wearing wide-brim fedoras. In the future, with global warming et al, it will be a wise move for more people to wear fedoras, cowboy hats and other ways to cover your head.

These short-brim fedoras... they're not practical, they're purely for style and people trying to look stylish. When people start wearing fedoras because they're a practical way to keep the sun off... then it will become stylish again.

See Also:
Fedora Femme

Does the Fashion Industry Ignore Average Women?

2009-04-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

NOTE: For photos I managed to find several images of 'average' and 'plus-size' women's fashions, but its rarity. I experimented with Google image searches and I'd say skinny fashion outweighs average-sized fashion by a factor of 150.

FASHION - The average American woman is size 14.

But when was the last time you saw a size 14 woman on a catwalk? Or a size 14 mannequin in the store window? They don't exist.

But male mannequins and male models that size (or bigger) do exist. Why is that?

In these troubled economic times, it seems idiotic for an industry to ignore half of its potential customers. But that is exactly what the women's-fashion industry is doing by catering to size 4 women, according to the L.A. Times.

The average American man in contrast weighs 189.8 pounds and can easily find his size in department stores or expensive boutiques selling Armani. They know men won't diet to fit into a suit, but women will diet to fit into a dress.

Many women's designers limit their collections to size 10 and under, while department stores carry vastly fewer selections in women's so-called plus sizes and relegate those to fashion's "back-of-the-bus" by tucking them in hard-to-find corners of the store.

"I just don't want fat people wearing my designs," says one fashion designer. "Fat people aren't cool, and no hip designer wants uncool people wearing their clothes."

But these aren't fat or obese women. They're average. The fashion industry is ignoring AVERAGE women just because they're worried its 'uncool'.

Only a few chain stores, such as Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Avenue and Torrid, focus on full-figured women, despite 62% of United States women being categorized as overweight (and approx 30% as being obese). Retailers are hurting for business, many are reluctant to even talk about plus sizes, let alone promote them, because they don't want to be seen as uncool.

It seems like the fashion industry is only marketing to the less than 5% population that is "super thin".

Where are the stores for fat women?

Where are the stores for average women?

The L.A. Times also reports that almost every major retailer, including Macy's, Nordstrom and even Wal-Mart, the county's No. 1 seller of plus-size clothing, declined to give interviews or failed to respond to requests. Why? Because they don't want to admit they sell to 'uncool' women apparently and are worried such a stigma would hurt their sales.

See Also:
Skinny Fashion Models / Standardized Women's Clothing Sizes
Skinny White Runway Models
Anorexia in Asia
Carre Otis
Fashion Waifs Disappearing
American Obesity Rates
The Perfect Female Body at Work

Real Women on the Runway

2009-03-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Its not that fashion models and supermodels aren't real, its just that they're not realistic compared to average working women these days.

Today Vancouver Canada based fashion designer Cheri Milaney created a first-of-its-kind runway show that stitches together real women and high fashion. She's chosen 22 average-sized non-models from a variety of careers to display her Fall/Winter 2009 collection tonight at LG Fashion Week.

The women he's trained are mothers, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs and cancer survivors.

"It's not just a runway show," says Milaney. The concept is intended to shake up the notion of ideal beauty, she says. "It's about bringing life to the clothing."

While not professional models, the models have each been given practice sessions on the catwalk by Ben Barry, the author of 'Fashioning Reality' and a modelling consultant.

Milaney hopes her stance will give the younger generation role models to look up to.

The name of Milaney's Fall 2009 collection, Viola, which means purple in Italian, also represents an instrument that can be associated with the natural curves of women.

To make the clothes fit women sized 2 to 16, Milaney takes into account the rise in the pants, the seams on the jackets and the way they drape over the body, details that both flatter the models and looks great.

Fashion Brawl in Manhattan

2009-03-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Supermodel Tyra Banks says producers of America's Next Top Model are "doing everything we can" to see all the women left out of auditions after a weekend melee in Manhattan.

Three people were arrested and six injured in New York on Saturday afternoon when an audition lineup for America's Next Top Model turned into a brawl.

Thousands of women had been waiting overnight outside the Park Central New York hotel for a shot at stardom on the hit television reality show created and hosted by former supermodel Tyra Banks when the chaos broke out.

Two people were taken to hospital, but four others refused treatment.

Its believed the riot started when a fight between two women broke out. Matters were made worse when a man charged into the crowd attempting to steal handbags.

Police canceled the day's auditions and two women and a man were arrested on charges of inciting the riot and disorderly conduct.

The street outside the hotel was littered with shoes and clothing from people who had tried to escape the melee.

Tyra Banks, who is also the show's supermodel executive producer, has said she created the show to counter stereotypes about beauty. The current auditions were open only to women no taller than five feet, seven inches tall, which is shorter than the industry's conventions.

"It is so important to me to redefine beauty, and make sure that everyone gets a fair chance to pursue their dream," says Tyra Banks. "I am beyond excited for Cycle 13; for the first time ever, young women 5'7" and under have a shot at becoming America's Next Top Model! I encourage each girl to come out ready to rock the runway and show off their fiercest pose. I'm rooting for all of you!"

Tryouts are being held around the United States this month.

Luxurious Earth Tones

2009-03-11T01:13:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Love earth tones but don't want to blend into the background?

Think luxury.

When picking earth tones to wear, the trick is to look at the clothing and imagine if Marilyn Monroe was wearing it. Would it look elegant, luxurious and sexy? Or would Ms Monroe toss it to the side and look for something else.

If it can't pass Monroe's standards, why would it pass yours?

FOR REFERENCE: Earth tones is a color scheme that draws from a colour palette of browns, tans, greys, greens, and even some reds. The colours in an earth tone scheme are muted and flat in an emulation of the natural colors found in dirt, moss, trees, rocks and minerals. Many earth tones originate from clay earth pigments, such as umber, ochre and sienna.

Earth tones has a very natural, sexy look.

Depending on the fabric, the cut of the fabric or what you mix it up with, earth tones can also look rustic, festive, warm and soft. It breathes sensibility, sexuality and it slimming. Earth tones also brings out your unique qualities and compliments your skin tone.

After all, why get stuck with the little black dress in a room filled with little black dresses, when you can wear something that is both slimming and unique.

When picking clothes, regardless of what colour(s) it is, I always take into account Three Things:

#1. When/where am I going to wear this?

#2. What can I wear with this? What will it match?

#3. Will I still be wearing this 2 years from now, or 5 years from now?

And if you're on a budget, you can add a 4th: Cost.

With earth tones its really easy to accessorize and it matches with a lot of the clothes you already have (hence why brown leather jackets have stayed hot throughout the ages). Add a fedora, bandanna or long gloves and you can create a very unique look.

Brown doesn't have to be boring however.

It can be very elaborate, elegant and vibrant. Mix it up with some golds/reds/greens it becomes even festive.

And don't think for a second this is just for Winter, Spring or Autumn. A brown bikini can be quite sexy, because it matches your skin tone very well.

Red Alert: Fashion Entering the Red Revolution

2009-03-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

FASHION - For almost 30 years black has maintained a stranglehold on fashion, even in Paris the avant garde capitol.

But there are growing signs that things are changing and that red... isn't dead.

In the early 1980s purist Japanese designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto claimed black was dense with meaning and subtext.

They rejected colour and focused on form and shape. Colours were frivolous and only to be used as accents, if absolutely necessary.

Black was existential, smart, artsy and serious. Wearing it meant separating yourself (like goths do) from the rest of the overly colourful society.

For Kawakubo, black was a feminist colour because she felt it desexualized the female form.

These days everyone wears black, but the high-mindedness and theory has gone stale. Now black is a cliche and is "so two decades ago".

Women today who wear black will defend it by arguing it's easy to co-ordinate and that it visually flattens unwanted curves.

Even now as the fall/winter 2009 Paris collections unfold, black continues its death grip on the runways, from the outrageous puffy black gowns at Junya Watanabe to the dark elegant suits at Lanvin and the black rocker dresses at Balmain.

But long ago red was the hot ticket and now red may be positioning itself for a comeback.

Red is also the symbolic colour of economic failure, of blood, love, passion, hate, ambition. It is the colour of revolution, danger, bloodshed and change.

Red has so much more meaning, its bolder and more likely to land you the job when you go for the interview.

Barack Obama is here and change is in the air. The United States is the only place where change is taking place. We can almost taste it like a blood-red steak that hasn't been fully cooked.

Heck, Michelle Obama (the latest and kewlest fashion icon) is wearing red and so are her kids.

In Paris red is everywhere. From the scarlet hair of Sonia Rykiel to the discreet red soles of a Christian Louboutin shoe, even for the famous tourist trap the Moulin Rouge, red has always figured prominently.

An exhibit on display until November at Les Arts Décoratifs reminds visitors of the importance of red and its relationship with cultural subversion and political strife. The exhibit, called "Aussi Rouge Que Possible," pays its respect to the colour red as a symbol of life, danger, luxury, sex and fantasy.

Over two floors at the museum on Rue Rivoli, the exhibit chronicles the role of red in all of the visual arts, from art history to furniture to fashion.

It examines the part red has played in political struggles (revolutions from Ché Guevara [by photography Alberto Korda] to China); in eroticism as in red-light districts for prostitution; and in the pomp of military uniforms.

Even Little Red Riding Hood would seem inappropriate in any other colour.

The truth is, red may never regain its former glory. But right now, red is for people looking to be hot and cool at the same time.

Paulina Porizkova - Czech Supermodel

2009-03-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Check out this biography of 1980's Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova.

BagTV: The Latest Fashion Accessory?

2009-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

FASHION/TECHNOLOGY - Jon Marquis's new purse design for 2009 gives fresh meaning to the term "as seen on TV."

In a town obsessed with who carries what, be it the current love affair with Mulberry's "Bayswater," Anya Hindmarsh's green shopper sensation of the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" canvas tote, or the holy grail of coveted accessories, the Hermès Birkin, Marquis has found what might be the ultimate "It bag" niche.

It has a built-in DVD player, complete with a 7-inch flat screen on the side.

And it's not nearly as tacky as it sounds. In fact, the high-end leather totes are downright chi-chi.

Marquis says his plan was to take advantage of the increasing supply of gadgetry that women carry in their purses, including iPods and cellphones that can record or carry video, but only offer mini screens for any actual viewing.

"It is our belief that people don't really use these to watch films as the screens are too small," he says of the devices, calling his BagTV the "must-have accessory for true trend followers."

The product, he says, is ideal for frequent travellers who have spent too much time waiting around airports for their flights or stuck in hotel rooms with little choice on TV.

He says his market research shows that mothers with small children are buying the bags – first available in Britain in December – as a portable entertainment option for their kids.

"We have found in research that the bags appeal to both fashion-conscious women and also women with children, who might want to just keep the kids quiet. They can now just say to them, `Watch my bag!'"

The BagTV is a classic shape that gives a respectful nod to the Birkin, and comes in black and red patent leather, as well as white, tan, pink and a fetchingly nautical navy and white combo for spring.

Two brass clasps secure a cover over the screen, which looks like a pocket when it is not in use.

The purse also houses a lightweight DVD and mpeg player, a USB port and an SD card slot for viewing photographs.

Also tucked inside is a separate stand so that the screen can be used on its own.

The battery lasts for 2 1/2 hours and can be recharged on the go using the dashboard cigarette lighter in a car.

All this technology in such a pretty package doesn't come cheap.

It sells on the company's website (bagtv.com) for £295 (about $550 Canadian or $440 US).

Sexy Pajamas for Valentines

2009-02-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

FASHION

Fashion Recessionista

2009-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Being frugal is the new in look and being a shopaholic is out. So much for "Confessions of a Shopaholic"... that concept is outdated and so much like yesterday's flip flops.

The book "Confessions of a Shopaholic" did well and sold millions but the movie is too late... we're on a new fashion trend now and its all about being frugal during the current American recession.

So what can you do?

Well for starters its time to go to your closet and organize. Make a party of it and maybe invite some friends over for Kool-Aid (cherry with extra sugar and vodka) and get righteously high on sugar and alcohol while you did through your old clothes...

Find out whats in there first. Decide what you can still wear, what is fashionable, what you never wore but still want to and if they're not but your friends want'em and can fit into them... you know the deal.

"Shop till you drop" has been replaced by "shop your closet" and finding new ways to wear your old stuff.

Then your friends do the same thing and suddenly everyone has new clothes that fits and is trendy.

Being a Fashion Recessionista also means going shopping online and finding the best deals, shopping around for sales only when you really need something for work or a special occasion, and no more shopping for the sake of shopping (and filling your closet with more clothes you never wear).

You can also host a home sales party. Kind of like Tupperware Parties, but for clothes and cosmetics.

Another thing to do, and this is more of an environmental thing, is to carry your own tote bag or backpack when you go shopping and refuse to take a shopping bag when the vendors offer you one. You can go with either the "I Am Not A Plastic Bag" or something similar. See The War on Plastic Bags.

Don't overlook menswear. Some men's accessories and fashion items not only look hot on you but are cheaper than buying female accessories.

Now this doesn't make you a Frugalista. There is a difference.

Fashion Recessionistas also shops vintage or off-price, while the "frugalista" makes do with what she already has and mends old clothes. You still buy new clothes, but you're sensible about it. You might even make spend some cash to buy fabric and make your own clothes.

Reconsider summer sleeveless and tank tops. Try pairing them under well tailored suit jackets, or under denim jackets. Layering is in this year which will allow you to wear tanks under sweaters in contrasting colors. Bold colors are ok to wear in the winter time.

I recently read about a guy in Canada who has started his own business sewing quilts. If a guy can do it so can you.

Remember you're not begging. You're just being sensible and fashionable. Eco-Chic is the way to go, even if you do have money to burn, its still cool to show your fashion sense is right on the mark.

80s Chic and Shoulder Pads

2009-01-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Shoulder pads are back. Its getting a revival in Spring 2009 and is largely result of the current American recession. Balmain, Louis Vuitton and Proenza Schouler: They all have retro-80s shoulder padding.

When the going gets tough, the masses seek clothes that pump up their volume, providing them with the illusion of strength and substance.

Besides, shoulders were already swelling or extending outward early last year at labels like Martin Margiela and Balenciaga so this is just following a growing trend.

Blame it on the current '80s vibe in the fashion industry.

After the return of leggings, drop-crotch pants, jumpsuits and DayGlo colours its too late now. The eighties are now back in fashion.

If you hated the counterculture '80s you are probably dreading this shift. If not, then you're likely rummaging in your closet for your old clothes that are suddenly back in style.

Its not just the fashion industry either. New music and TV shows are mirroring ideas from the '80s too. An excellent example is "Wild Roses", a clear ripoff from the popular '80s show "Dallas".

Shoulder pads was in the 1980s had a feminist kick, when women wore them to compete with men in the boardroom. Today women no longer feel the need to puff themselves up artificially to compete.

So why the shoulder pads?

Part of it is the green movement and the economy. People want to save money and reuse old clothes. They find the clothes in their mom's closet and the next thing you know they're wearing them to school and starting a fashion trend.

Not unlike the 1940s, the other time shoulder pads were popular. Following the Great Depression of the 1930s, the '40s became known for strictly tailored jackets with sharp, squared-off shoulders in order to save fabric.

Designers also point out that we've embellished clothes as much as we can. The only thing left now is to change the shape and silhouette.

Plus it makes the hips look narrow. Like you've just lost 10 pounds off your hips.

See Also:
The Rise of EcoFashion
Eco-Fashion in Europe

Ex-maid settles with Naomi Campbell

2009-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

FASHION - Supermodel Naomi Campbell has ended her legal tussle with a former maid Gaby Gibson who accused the supermodel of hitting her and calling her names. Gaby Gibson worked for Campbell from November 2005 through January 2006.

Terms of the settlement are confidential, but a lawyer for the 38-year-old Naomi Campbell says both sides are pleased with the outcome.

Gibson claimed in her lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, that the British fashion model and catwalk star also threatened her after being unable to find a pair of designer jeans.

Naomi Campbell then attacked the maid and threw her cellphone at her.

Campbell has a notoriously bad reputation for losing her temper and attacking them with small hard objects.

In 2005 Naomi Campbell attacked a personal assistant with a Blackberry, a charge to which she pleaded guilty and settled out of court.

Little Black Lace Dress

2008-12-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

FASHION - You don't want a lump of coal for Christmas, but a little black lace dress and the accessories to match might be on your list this year. Its sort of an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas idea, but don't forget black lace suffers from a Madonna/whore complex in fashion.

When done in white and in a voluminous form for wedding dresses, lace is considered innocent and pure. In black and in the boudoir – lace is sexy, racy and risque. With the colour of flesh underneath there is also underlying simmering sexuality.

Miuccia Prada, in her fall/winter collection, managed to marry the two personalities of this fabric with guipure lace dresses. She took black lace and made it look austere and prim and by adding dickies at the neckline – they practically look like something a nun or Mennonite might wear, a naughty one.

Prada believes in lace so much that she reportedly bought the entire stock produced from a Swiss factory. Small surprise, whatever the highly influential Prada does, it usually sends shock waves through the fashion world.

This holiday season, any chain store worth its fashion credentials is in on this trend and has lacy little black dresses for the holiday. They're perfect for the festive season and beyond, ladylike and classic, but also suggestive and sexy.

Best part of all, accessories to match are really easy to find. See Long Gloves and Fingerless Gloves.

Black Supermodels being left behind

2008-12-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

Last year during the January 2008 fashion week...

'There should be more than one spot for a black model," says Yordanos Teshager, 21, a reed-thin, nearly 6-foot-tall model from Ethiopia who is represented by the prestigious Elite agency. But despite going on 85 cast calls seeking work during Fashion Week last season, she says she often left feeling that "they were going to hire a white girl."

Teshager walked in only 11 of some 200 shows last September, a season in which, overall, women of color were glaringly absent. Of the 101 shows and presentations, more than a third employed no black models.

Models were a homogeneous bunch - overwhelmingly white, bony and often blond. Along with the obvious - and serious - issue of racism, some wondered whether it wasn't all becoming just a little boring. When Fashion Week comes to town observers won't just be looking at the clothes - they'll also be looking for a serious change in who's wearing them.

"I would hope some of the designers would mix it up this season. Unless you were Eastern European, white, extremely skinny ... you didn't fit into the shows last season," says Nigel Barker, the photographer and judge on TV's "America's Next Top Model."

"Some shows had just one black model," Barker says, adding that he found the shows monotonous, visually unexciting and depressing. "Fashion is about fantasy, and everybody's fantasy is not to be 6 feet and white."

"I think designers will be more mindful," says Jasmine H. Chang, executive fashion editor of O, the Oprah Magazine. Chang says the absence of black models last season made her feel "uncomfortable. Here I am seated in an audience with every ethnicity in the world, and I did feel it was wrong."

Efforts from the inside

If there is a change, it will be in no small part because of the efforts of former model and agent Bethann Hardison, who has organized three panel discussions since September on the lack of diversity on runways. And it's a problem that's been building, she says. "It's not just a bad year, it's been a bad decade."

Who does she blame for the runway whiteout? "I blame us all - the designers, the agents, myself. ... But for me it all starts with the fashion designer," Hardison says. "They've gotten very 'Stepford Wives,' lost in commerce, very conservative. ... Where is the glamour? The avant-garde? I'm trying to get designers to stop following the yellow brick road."

Though she particularly advocates for African-Americans, Hardison says the problem affects all races and she vehemently objects to the apparent new taboo of looking different. "Forget even a white girl with style and personality. ... Fashion is going backwards." Bottom line, Hardison says, "The fashion designer no longer relates to the model, and I believe this is where I can raise consciousness and generate a sense of responsibility. It's race-based, and race conscious and that makes it unconsciously racist."

John Mincarelli, a longtime professor of fashion merchandising at the Fashion Institue of Technology in Manhattan, who takes a sociological view of fashion, agrees. "There's a complete lack of personality and that has to come from the designer. It's a dictate. Black models always bring personality to the runway."

Designer Carmen Marc Valvo, who dresses plenty of women of color including Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah, says he's well aware of the issue and makes it his business to include a variety of ethnicities in his show. "It's almost as if the industry dictates this blond, blue-eyed ideal. We are very cognizant of this and always include women of color. I think it's almost criminal that one-third of the shows were all white."

Blaming the agencies

But casting agent Jennifer Starr, who is also a judge on Bravo's "Make Me a Supermodel" and is casting for Ralph Lauren, J Mendel, Alice Temperley and Carlos Miele, believes the problem stems from the modeling agencies.

"It's not the designers' fault ... at least the designers I work for," she says. "Ralph Lauren, especially, is constantly asking me why there aren't more African-American models he can put in his show." Starr says the agencies don't seek out African-American women of the same level as the white women they take on. She says she would hope that designers would want diversity, but, she adds, "I don't feel anyone should compromise their aesthetic just to be more representational. They should use the girls they love, whether that girl is white, black, Hispanic or Asian."

Likewise, Kate Armenta, the bookings editor at Vogue magazine, says, "The black presence has somewhat faded and there seems to be a lack of up-and-coming black women. We see some, but not enough." She adds that other racial groups are underrepresented as well.

Daul Kim, 18, a Korean model also at Elite, has felt the cold shoulder. In Paris last season, she was actually told at a casting that they were only hiring white women. "I think it was so rude," Kim says. Not to worry, though. This season, Kim was named one of the "Top 10 Models to Watch" by New York Magazine and is, according to her agent, "surging a bit in popularity."

Not surprisingly, modeling agencies don't want to take the blame for the dearth of diversity. Roman Young, the director of new faces at Elite, says, "We are doing our part. This is a blended office ethnically and culturally. I'm really passionate about the beauty spectrum." Young says that when a client asks for "the girl next door," he responds that "the girl next door to me was Filipino. ... Can I send a black girl?" Although he says he's fully aware that the client wants a white model, he notes that in the end, "It's my job to sell beauty not ethnicity."

Getting behind change

Calling for an end to all the finger pointing, Ivan Bart, senior vice president of powerhouse agency IMG models who represents black supermodels like Tyra Banks, Alek Wek, Liya Kebede and Naomi Campbell, says this should be "about the industry coming together and recognizing what the consumer wants. There's a diverse group of consumers out in America and we should be listening to them."

He is optimistic that this season's runways will feature more diversity. In fact, he says IMG has a slew of new ethnic talent to help fill the bill.

Ford Models president John Caplan adds, "Our role, and the role of the agent, is to scout for interesting faces of all ethnicities. ... The responsibility for who is successful comes down to what the marketplace wants." Well in advance of Fashion Week, Ford's superstar Chanel Iman Robinson, who was often the single black face in shows last season, was already reserved for most of the major shows.

For its part, the Council of Fashion Designers of America is taking a hands-off approach to the issue, though it did send members a letter that touched upon it by saying that "fashion can impact how individuals define themselves so it is the responsibility of the industry to take action to celebrate diversity."

Will it? Elite's Young has noticed "more girls of color on the request list this season." And that holds true at Ford, as well. Hardison is hopeful. "If I was dealing with homeland security, I know nothing would change. But I think it's going to make a difference. You got to keep on, keep on, keep on."

So will 2009 be more of the same? You'd hope the Obama effect would sink in and the fashion industry would suddenly realize black supermodels aren't just sexy, they're cool.

Festive Silver - Decor for the Holidays

2008-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

RELIGION - Whether you're into Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, the Winter Solstice, Yuletide or New Years the "in colour" this year isn't really a colour. Its silver.

Move over red and green – neutrals, metallics and peacock shades are the hot holiday hues of 2008.

This year’s decor is taking a cue from the runways. PARA Paints chose a royal-inspired festive palette of plumy purple, flat silver, icy white and cream and, the season’s rising star, cobalt blue.

For traditionalists, deep blue paired with silver and white is stepping up as a wintry alternative for the now oh-so-passé combo of red and green.

Metallics, including classics like silver, gold and bronze, are also popular again this season. Metallics in a not-too-shiny, midtone finish are particularly hot this year and mixing metallics isn't as hard as it sounds.

For the more adventurous host or hostess you may want to embrace the monochromatic trend. A combination of white, cream and silver can evoke a warm but wintry feel, while copper, beige and brown creates a natural-yet-chic atmosphere.

You don’t have to spend a gazillion dollars

When money is tight, holiday decorating doesn’t have to mean placing a single white candle on the table. Getting the house ready for the holidays on a budget simply means being a little resourceful, decorating experts say.

Carefully revamping or creatively using what you already own can create lush looks in lean economic times. Objects found in the home can be used to create a sense of richness and warmth in a family room. The idea is to convey a sense of abundance.

ie. Find a clear glass bowl and fill it with ornaments of a single bright colour for an eye-catching display.

Set a budget and follow it closely, reuse your stash of decorations, bring in the great outdoors, and remember that it’s supposed to be fun. Paint or glitter can refresh the decorations pulled out of closets and basements and spray paint can be your best friend.

Try buying a large roll of wide ribbon and making bows that can be placed on trees, garlands on staircases and gifts. Making your own bows is cheaper than buying new ones.

You can make wreaths look new by attaching new fake berries, sprigs or pine cones.

Try using nature to update your decor, for example, by gathering twigs, pine cones, branches and pine boughs and arranging the items in a vase, as though they are part of a flower arrangement. Spray painting the cones festive silver can also work wonders.

Teenagers cutting back on Fashion

2008-11-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

FASHION - American teenagers are being forced to cutback on fashion this holiday shopping season. Why? Because their parents are cutting back on spending, and this means allowances are being cut, parents are reining in on their children's credit cards and teens are being told to GET A JOB whenever they ask their parents for more money.

All of this is the result of the current recession and credit crisis in the United States.

THE GOOD NEWS: The holiday sales this season are EXTREME. All the companies are DESPERATE for cash, afraid of going bankrupt and are offering 70% sales or better. This means for those of us who do have spending money we can stretch our budget a bit farther and buy more clothes (or more quality) than we normally do.

Australian Fashion Week dumps 14-year-old model

2008-11-22T17:11:00.001-08:00

FASHION - Last April 14-year-old Polish girl was dumped from Australian Fashion Week (AFW) after organizers bowed to public pressure to adopt a minimum age of 16 for its fashion models.

The controversial decision to feature 14-year-old Monika Jagaciak in the major Sydney fashion event was reversed "in light of industry and community concern regarding the acceptable age for models".

"Effective immediately, both male and female models participating in Rosemount Australian Fashion Week will need to be at least 16 years of age and must be represented by a model agency," AFW said in a statement.

Monika, who was to have been flown to Sydney for the event which begins on April 28, has previously fronted a campaign for French fashion house Hermes and has been photographed in a white swimsuit being sprayed by a shower jet.

Vogue magazine added to the pressure for an age limit of 16 to be adopted, saying it would not feature Monika in its AFW coverage.

BUT WHAT ARE THE AGE STANDARDS IN OTHER FASHION SHOWS???

Obamachic and Obamamania

2008-11-21T20:08:00.001-08:00

FASHION/POLITICS - Like Barack and Michelle Obama's fashion sense? You're not alone.

Barack Obama is not just the next president of the United States. He's also the new face of fashion.

Thanks in part to sightings of A-listers like Ryan Phillippe, Brad Pitt, Beyoncé and Kanye West wearing Obama T-shirts, as well as the constant and prominent display of the politician's handsome face on the big screen at the recent MTV Europe awards, his image has reached the status of an international pop culture icon.

So it shouldn't be surprising that Toronto designer Kingi Carpenter, of the quirky label Peach Berserk, is making stuff emblazoned with Obama's face. Carpenter makes silkscreened hoodies, dresses, T-shirts, skirts and scarves... all with Obama on them. One woman even bought Obama pillows for her house.

The designer, a self-admitted political junkie, follows American politics obsessively and is an Obama fan. But her inspiration for the Obama items arose out of Canadian history. She once saw a dress from the Trudeaumania era emblazoned with the image of the famously attractive prime minister and was fascinated with what it meant.

MICHELLE OBAMA

Every time Michelle Obama wears one of her unusual dress selections on television, the item flies off the shelves.

The famous $148 sundress she wore on The View and the J.Crew yellow suit she wore on Letterman were huge hits with shoppers, while the red dress she wore on her first visit to the White House sold out within a week.

For women it will be Michelle who will be setting fashion and cultural trends when the couple reaches the White House.

Michelle Obama also nixed getting a designer pooch like a stupid chihuahua, saying her kids would adopt a rescue dog, and will continue this thrifty, socially conscious pattern throughout the term.

Obama's American-made family car, a Ford Escape hybrid, is a perfect example of this, as it is both patriotic and environmentally responsible. It sets an example Americans can live by.

This doesn't always work: Jimmy Carter tried to get Americans to wear sweaters during the energy crisis of the '70s and, even though he happily sported a cardigan, the style was only adopted by a few. On the other hand, he says, Ronald Reagan's love affair with the colour brown was widely adopted in men's clothing.

When fashions were adopted, such as Jackie Kennedy's clothes and J.F.K's refusal to wear a hat, the fashion fads were widespread throughout the U.S., regardless of political affiliation.

Michelle Obama's wardrobe differs greatly from the "very European and Anglo Saxon" outfits worn by Cindy McCain and Laura Bush, but instead features a more globalized chic.

Barack Obama's preference for white shirts and dark suits sends a message that he's honest and straightforward. We can expect white dress shirts to get a popular surge. Everything about the new First Family will be scrutinized and copied by an adoring public. Together their White House style will fit in with the new era of austerity, but will still have sparkle and energy.

Its definitely an improvement over George W. Bush and his shoulder pads.

Fashion Riot for Comme des Garçons

2008-11-19T10:53:00.001-08:00

FASHION - Imagine if you will going to an H&M store at Toronto's Eaton Centre and standing in line for 12 hours waiting for the store to open... and then when the store does open a riot breaks out and people start fighting over the clothes.

That is what on November 13th 2008.

210 people + Limited edition designs by avant garde Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo for fashion label Comme des Garçons = RIOT.

Kawakubo, the founder of Comme des Garçons, is often credited with being one of the first to introduce a predominant use of black, asymmetrical hems and frays seams when she first launched the label in Paris in the early 1980s.

Rei Kawakubo is untrained as a fashion designer, but studied fine arts and literature at Tokyo's prestigious Keio University. After graduation, Kawakubo worked in a textile company and began working as a freelance stylist in 1967.

In 1973, Rei Kawakubo established her own company, Comme des Garçons Co. Ltd in Tokyo and opened up her first boutique in Tokyo in 1975. Starting out with women's clothes, Kawakubo added a men's line in 1978. Three years later, she started presenting her fashion lines in Paris each season, opening up a boutique in Paris in 1982.

Comme des Garçons specialises in anti-fashion, austere, sometimes deconstructed garments. During the 1980s, Rei Kawakubo's garments were primarily in black, dark grey or white. The materials were often draped around the body and featured frayed, unfinished edges along with holes and a general asymmetrical shape. Challenging the established notions of beauty she created an uproar at her debut Paris fashion show where journalists labeled her clothes 'Hiroshima chic' amongst other things. Since the late 1980s her colour palette has grown somewhat.

Rei Kawakubo likes to have input in all the various aspects of her business. Rather than just focussing on clothes and accessories. She is greatly involved in graphic design, advertising and shop interiors believing that all these things are a part of one vision and are inextricably linked. Her Aoyama, Tokyo store is known for its sloping glass facade decorated with little blue dots. This was designed in collaboration between Rei and a Japanese architect. Rei published her own bi-annual magazine, 'Six' (standing for 'sixth sense'), in the early 1990s. It featured very little text and consisted mainly for photographs and images that she deemed inspiring. In 1996 Rei was guest editor of the high art publication Visionaire.

Rei Kawakubo is known to be quite reclusive and media shy, preferring her innovative creations to speak for themselves.

How to Convert a T-shirt into a Dress

2008-11-12T12:26:00.001-08:00

FASHION - Ever wanted to turn an old t-shirt into a dress? Well, with a little help from a Fashion MacGyver (GiannyL.com) you can, and its not that hard.

OR A BIKINI

OR A BABY-DOLL SHIRT

OR A MINI-SKIRT

Chocolate Fashion

2008-11-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

CANADA - Using pounds and mounds of chocolate, 10 local designers created outfits – ranging from a hat, to a bikini, to a wedding dress to jeans – incorporating the decadent dark stuff for a runway show at the Carlu in Toronto on Wednesday night.

It was the fourth annual Cadbury Chocolate Couture Collection that sees the confectionery company invite fashion designers to each create an outfit – under the direction of a chocolate artist – comprised of 70 per cent of the sweet stuff.

This year's theme was the global passion for chocolate and each look referenced a different international culture.

Some of the designers seemed to subscribe to the true chocolate aficionado's credo: go with gusto and eat the whole bar, and choose only the really good stuff. While some creations looked merely spray- painted with Dairy Milk, others seemed gleefully and wonderfully overindulged.

Izzy Camilleri's African Queen was influenced by the continent's royal tribes, with a costume featuring a bodice made of twigs executed entirely of chocolate. Even stacks of arm bracelets were chocolate-dipped.

Design duo Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, of red-hot label Greta Constantine, took the silk route with their Thai Temptress, which incorporated six metres of stringed, solid-chocolate beadwork.

Milliner Karyn Gingras of Lilliput Hats fashioned a towering chapeau in the shape of the famed Sydney Opera House.

At the reception that followed chocolate fountains and chocolate martinis helped soothe chocolate cravings.

Spa and Masseuse Do's and Don'ts

2008-11-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

When visiting a spa to get a massage here are some helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to spa etiquette.

HEALTH/FASHION - Arrive at least fifteen minutes early for your appointment, to give yourself time to check in and get into your robe. If the spa has special facilities like steam or sauna or whirlpool baths, you should arrive even earlier to enjoy them.

You will usually undress completely for massage and body treatments, but your therapist will keep your body draped in dry services and only expose area to be worked upon. Some spas use draping in wet treatments like body scrubs, while others do not.

Give the therapist feedback as to your comfort and special troubled areas. You can talk or be quiet, and he she should follow your lead

Relax, enjoy and allow others to care for you.

Understand that you are getting therapeutic massage, which is not a sensual experience.

Don't talk loudly in the public areas.

Do not bring children and leave them unattended.

Gratuities of 15-20% are typical.

If the therapist says, "take your time getting up," it means not to get up so fast that you get woozy. You generally have five or so minutes. The room must be prepared for the next client unless she or he says otherwise.

Give honest feedback to the therapist, owner, receptionist, etc., as operation personnel cares to know if your spa experiences was as expected.

Finally, and this is a big must, avoid eating gassy foods before getting your massage! The last thing the masseuse wants is for you to break wind in their face.

United States Election T-Shirts

2008-11-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

These shirts must have been designed by a man, but whatever. I like them.

Palin's Shopping Frenzy worse

2008-11-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin Fashion - Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported.

While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost.

An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

Election Map looks like Red High Heels

2008-11-05T10:08:00.001-08:00

Is it just me or does the election map of the United States look like red high heels?

Obama Wins US Presidency

2008-11-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the US Presidency!

He was always well-dressed, as opposed to McCain who frequently sported some fashion don'ts and Sarah Palin who just plain dressed like trailer trash.

Voter turnout has been very low in recent years, but this year has seen a huge boost to voter turnout. Left is a dress made by a Japanese designer out of voter cards.

US Voter Turnout by Year

1980: 52.56%
1984: 53.11%
1988: 50.15%
1992: 55.23%
1996: 49.08%
2000: 51.30%
2004: 55.27%

I think the dress is pretty kewl and it stresses the importance that EVERYONE should vote. I know people think we fashionistas are a bunch of dumb blondes/etc, but its not about intelligence. Its about loving your country and wanting to make a difference. Sometimes only 1 vote can make a difference.

My dress is Ringing

2008-11-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

TECHNOLOGY - The '60s TV sitcom Get Smart brought us the shoe phone, but what about a dress phone?

It's the M-Dress – a silk garment that doubles as a mobile phone. Produced by UK firm CuteCircuit, the M-Dress works with a standard SIM card. When the dress rings, you raise your hand to your head to answer the call.

This futuristic fusion of fashion and technology is becoming more common as clothing designers are increasingly incorporating electronics into their garments.

Jane McCann, director of Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology at the University of Wales, says the clothing and electronics industries are collaborating in an unprecedented way – what she describes as "a new industrial revolution."

McCann predicts that, in the next 10 years, clothes will have all kinds of functionality. "A garment might have devices on it to help you find your way somewhere, or to tell you how fit you are. It could tell you where someone is to help you meet them, or tell you what's on at a museum or club."

She notes the sports and fitness industries have led the way in wearable technology, producing shoes with built-in pedometers and active wear with iPod controls.

"Wearable technology is coming through into useful everyday clothing more than it is on the catwalk. The catwalk still treats wearable tech as flashing earrings or sensational things," McCann says.

While high fashion may be slow to adopt practical technology, designers have been quick to embrace technology in order to create dazzling new styles. Hussein Chalayan, twice selected as British Designer of the Year, has used his shows to experiment with dresses that glow with built-in LEDs or emit spectacular red lasers.

Others, like Angel Chang, have produced beautiful designs using thermochromic inks that change colour when you touch or breathe on them, while Montreal's XS Labs has used a shape-memory alloy called Nitinol to produce extraordinary dresses that change shape while you wear them.

As well as functionality, McCann believes mass customization will emerge as a major trend in clothing. "You can already go into a sizing booth and get measurements of your size and shape."

Perhaps you could store that information on a card and that could be used to customize clothing.

"In theory, if you've got technology that's cutting out garments one at a time it could produce clothes informed by your own size requirements," she says.

But mass customization could extend beyond getting the perfect fit – you might also be able to customize the technology in your clothes.

Says McCann: "You might want built-in controls for an MP3 player but I might like heartbeat monitoring."

"I'd like mine to have a digital print of the (album) sleeve but my friend wants a picture of her boyfriend on the back."

"Some of that could happen in the next 10 years."

Fashion for Neglectful Fathers

2008-11-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

CANADA - Check out the shirt of the guy to the right who is currently pleading guilty to criminal negligence in the deaths of his two daughters. Christopher Pauchay, 24, is being charged in deaths of daughters Kaydance Pauchay, 3, and her 1-year-old sister, Santana, who became separated from their father after they left their house on the Yellow Quill First Nation reserve in the early morning of January 29 2008. The temperature would have felt like -50 C because of the wind. They froze to death.

The single charge of criminal negligence causing the deaths of both children was laid to address a failure "to provide protection from exposure to the elements."

And here he is, the "grieving father", dressed like he's going to a rock and roll concert. You'd think he would at least find a suit and tie to wear. Its believed he was drinking the night his daughters wandered out into the cold and died.

Granted, the Yellow Quill First Nation has been plagued for decades by alcohol abuse, high unemployment, a lack of suitable housing and almost no government programs to promote employment or treat addiction problems. The closest addiction centre was a 5 hour drive away.

FASHION NOTES:

WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN THE COLD CANADIAN WINTER AND MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDREN WEAR IT TOO.

WHEN YOU'RE BEING CHARGED WITH MURDER OR CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE, AT LEAST WEAR SOMETHING PRESENTABLE.

Too Many Supermodels

2008-11-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this post about whether we have too many supermodels in the media.

Fashion industry being hit hard by economy

2008-10-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

FASHION/POLITICS - The recession in the United States is affecting the fashion industry and results are dire for some of the big fashion brands and for new designers alike.

In Canada retailers and consumers are pondering one big question: Will Canadian fashion designers survive today's tough economy? And if some fail, who will survive?

Arthur Mendonça, one of Canada's most promising designers, is closing business. A casualty of today's uncertain economy and "big brand" era, Mendonça's luxurious clothes once made him a stylish find at Holt Renfrew and other select Canadian boutiques. His sexy designs were often worn by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado.

"What happened with Arthur is not uncommon for young start-up designers," says Barbara Atkin, Holt Renfrew's Vice President of Fashion Direction. "Arthur's announcement came out, unfortunately, at the same time that the economy started to make a downturn. But the problems started long before that."

Those difficulties, says Atkin, mimic the age-old David and Goliath story. Huge monopolies now run the world's major design houses. Smaller designers simply cannot compete with the resources, marketing campaigns and brand awareness these giants generate around the world.

Carried in Holt Renfrew's World Design Lab, which is devoted to small, innovative collections that lack "big brand" financial backing, Mendonça earned a strong Toronto following after he launched his label in the fall of 2003.

Outside of the Toronto market, however, Mendonça's success was modest.

"You need a big company and a marketing machine behind you that can tell the world who you are," says Atkin.

Inevitably every designer's career will be tested. When that happens, "you go away and refine who you are and what you're doing," says Atkin.

"Look at Marc Jacobs. He opened and closed his business several times before he became the Marc Jacobs we know today. The same can be said of Izaac Mizrahi," she says.

"I'd like to say that talent always wins out. But that's not so today," says Atkin. "Until we get out of this grand brand era the problems will continue for small designers with little financing."

Start-up designers battle big challenges around the world.

Whether other Canadian designers follow Mendonça remains to be seen. It's something that Sandra Pupatello, Ontario's Minister of International Trade and Investment, hopes won't happen.

"Half a billion dollars of Ontario's GDP comes from the fashion industry," says Pupatello.

"That may not compare to manufacturing but it is significant in terms of what it represents," says Pupatello. "Ontario is known for the level of innovation it brings to design in all areas. Fashion design plays a huge role in how people think of Ontario."

Attending the L'Oréal Fashion Week - the third largest show in North America - for the first time last week, Pupatello says, "The fashion industry faces the same challenges all over the world in this economic climate. I don't think Ontario is any different than what designers are facing elsewhere."

Those challenges are impossible to avoid even for industry giants, says Dana Thomas, author of "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster."

"The bankers running today's luxury design houses want a fast return on their investments. That mentality is having devastating long-term effects," Thomas said from her home in Paris, France. "Look at Bill Blass in the United States. He went under. Halston is barely hanging on. Valentino will likely take a hit. These are big companies we're talking about. Even they're feeling the impact of today's economy."

Some luxury brands continue to do well, however, by selling middle-market goods to the emerging rich in China, India and Russia. "These virgin markets are filled with people who want all the trappings of luxury. It's helping to make up for losses companies are experiencing in the United States and Europe," says Thomas.

Yet as plunging markets continue to evaporate retirement accounts around the world, funds, not fashion, will concern people more, says Thomas.

"Clothes are necessary. Fashion is not," says Thomas, who predicts that consumers will dial back on unnecessary spending for the foreseeable future.

Real solutions for today's fashion industry?

For Calgary-based designer Paul Hardy, one of Canada's success stories, tough times mean greater opportunities.

"It is possible to be creative within challenging financial times. But you need to think outside the box and turn obstacles into possibilities," says Hardy.

Coming from four generations of bankers, Hardy and his advisers foresaw the economic depression on the horizon. They implemented strategic plans to withstand it, beginning with restructuring Hardy's knitwear, a collection staple.

"In lean times consumers tend to purchase more 'investment upgrades' versus 'fashion updates' says Hardy, who operates in the heart of Canada's gas and oil industry - a plus, he says, for sustaining his business.

"The reality is that Canada is not widely known for fashion," says Hardy, who would like to see government-subsidized agencies support a collective of Canadian fashion designers showing in Paris and New York rather than in separate shows in various provinces.

"It would be good for the country...It might expand the designers' brands internationally and make them more financially feasible," he says.

Any measures that help recapture the strength of Canada's fashion industry from the 1950s through the 1970s would be welcome.

FRUGAL FASHION TIPS

1) Don't limit yourself to second hand stores and garage sales only. You can find sales and good deals anywhere and everywhere. The trick is having a budget and knowing what you need. You still want quality after all.

2) Stay away from private labels at department stores. It may be brand name, but its not necessarily discount or a fair price.

3) Keep abreast of things at least 1 season ahead. That way when you spot something on sale that you'll need for next winter or summer you'll be ready to snap it up.

4) Take your Tween and Teen Fashionistas with you when you shop. Buying something they won't wear because their "mom bought it for them" isn't kewl. Take them with you and buy what they will wear.

5) Know when to buy. Pick a good time to buy, like during Back to School or Boxing Day Sales.

6) Know when to stop. Don't go overboard when you know you can't afford it.

7) Do It Yourself. Do your own manicure and pedicure. Color your own hair. Cut your childrens' hair. Maybe even make your own clothes. You'd be amazed at how much savings you can pocket.

Sarah Palin Fashion

2008-10-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

UNITED STATES - Sarah Palin spent more than $150,000 on a fashion makeover in preparation for her vice-presidential campaign.

So what?

Critics have been down on Palin for a September spending spree, paid for by the Republican National Committee, which provided her with a complete wardrobe for the campaign, plus hair and makeup consultants, and a few extras for her kids and husband.

The governor of Alaska, who used to campaign wearing fleece, is now apparently donning designer duds, purchased at retail prices from high-end department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, according to financial disclosure reports.

While a wardrobe costing $150,000 may seem over the top at first glance, style insiders say the fashion math makes perfect sense when you consider Palin's previous small-town lifestyle and wardrobe, the media glare that is focused so intensely on her appearance, and the high-powered global role she's going after.

"We hear the number and we say, `Wow, that's a lot of money.' And it is a lot," says image consultant Diane Craig, who as president of Corporate Class Inc. has helped political leaders style themselves for the campaign trail.

"But in the end, with the work she has to do, the people she has to see, the places she has to go, it's not unreasonable.

Even considering the hefty $150,000 budget, Palin is probably not buying at the high end of the designer scale, says Suzanne Timmins, fashion director for HBC.

Speculating that the vice-presidential hopeful might need 10 gowns, 40 suits, and 20 pairs of shoes for the arduous campaign, Timmins estimates Palin would have spent about $3,000 on each gown, $2,100 for each suit, and up to $500 on each pair of shoes.

"It's the starting point for designer labels," notes Timmins. "It's not design-design, like Chanel ... She's not buying Louis Vuitton."

Forty suits might seem like a lot, but Craig notes that repeats aren't necessarily practical on the campaign trail.

"It's not like you can send it to the cleaner. You've gotta have it the next day and you're in another town."

While agreeing it wouldn't be hard to spend $150,000 on spotlight-worthy clothes, Fashion magazine editor-in-chief Ceri Marsh says the amount Palin dropped on designer duds runs counter to the image she's trying to create.

"When you look at how she's trying to sell herself, there's a bit of a disconnect," explains Marsh. "When you are a conservative Republican, who has criticized (her opponents) for reckless spending, when you're painting yourself as queen of the hockey moms, you're opening yourself up to attack."

Whatever she spent, female politicos agree it's unfair to focus too much attention on Palin's wardrobe.

"Women are really judged much more on their looks than men are," notes Marsh, who admits she's a political junkie and has been following the U.S. campaign closely.

But whether Palin's high-priced makeover created a style that will go down in the history books is up for debate.

Craig calls her look "fabulous" and "appropriate for her." But others beg to differ. For example, Marsh's biggest compliment is that Palin hasn't made any major fashion errors.

"I don't love her new look," says Timmins. "She looks like she's trying to achieve a midwestern lady going to the PTA.

"I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said in an interview.

"Do you remember the conversations that took place about her, say superficial things that they don't talk about with men, her wardrobe and her hairstyles, all of that? That's a bit of that double standard."

"It's kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported," Palin said.

"That whole thing is just, bad!" she said. "Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are."

Frankly, to be brutally honest... I think Sarah Palin looks really badly dressed. She dresses like my mom and its embarrassing to think about how my mom dresses. Socks and sandals, that sort of thing. She looks like her fashion consultant is a redneck.

How she managed to blow $150,000 on clothes and still look like a redneck is amazing.

The Hemline Effect

2008-10-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Spring-summer 2009 collections – the current season in the always mad, seasonally dyslexic world of fashion – are showing short skirts and dresses that scarcely cover the important bits. The mini skirt is the message.

Traditionally there's been the belief in the "hemline effect", which is reputed to be an economic indicator created by U.S. economist George Taylor in the 1920s, suggesting that when hemlines go up, the economy is likely to improve. Meanwhile the United States one of the worst economic climates since September 11th, and its in a credit crisis.

But will women spend their hard-earned money on mini-skirts just because the fashion designers think the economy will improve? Or is this just fashion designers trying to cash in on the philosophy of showing lots of leg?

Designer and bespoke dressmaker Rosemarie Umetsu of R.U. boutique in Toronto agrees that there is always a market for short-short-short.

"I always have short in my collections and, for spring, it is the really big news. Knee-grazing or thigh-grazing, the skirt is the focus for next season."

For her, it's the shape that takes short from Bada-Bing to boardroom.

"Next season, the shape is strong without being girlie," says Umetsu, and it may be true. As she sees it, the new mini isn't tight and tarty, it is either a sort of shortened '50s or '60s wide or in such wonderful fabrics and treatments that less is more.

Still, if we are in a recession time, then short and sweet is a good sign right?

Not so, because this is a classic conservative look at short skirts... so its more about being conservative and yet trying to be optimistic. Wow. The psychology of fashion is kind of deep when you think about it.

Socks and Sandals?

2008-10-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

FASHION - Long derided as the ultimate menswear misstep, wearing socks with sandals is being elevated to the status of fashion trend.

The S&S look, commonly worn by nerdy tourists, aging hippies, grunge musicians and outdoorsy types, was trotted out unabashedly during the spring menswear collections of designers like Miuccia Prada, Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent and Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga.

For fashionistas, this odd coupling of socks and sandals constitutes a particularly egregious type of male fashion crime and belongs in a category that includes flood pants, too-tight clothing, pinkie rings and fanny packs.

Nevertheless, a handful of truly directional fashion designers feels they have the clout to turn what's considered by many to be a lapse in judgment into something that approaches avant garde.

The look is loathed, particularly by women.

Check sandalandsoxer.co.uk for examples of men who have been captured on film in heavy work socks with Birkenstocks or black dress socks with Tevas.

Look up "socks and sandals" in the Urban Dictionary for a definition that's blunt.

"A footwear combination worn only by the fashion-challenged."

"If it's hot enough for sandals, it's too hot to wear socks. If it's cold enough to wear socks, it's too cold for sandals."

The socks-and-sandals trend is part of the larger nerd movement that may go back as early as the 1950s, when teens wore jeans with turned-up hems and horn-rimmed glasses.

In the decades since, the dork-as-fashion icon has surfaced periodically in men's and women's attire.

According to the experts, the movement reached its geeky zenith in the '90s when members of the burgeoning computer-savvy generation soared to financial success – creatively turning geek into chic.

Its sex appeal would come later. Remember the bumper sticker "Talk Nerdy to Me"?

In his new book American Nerd: The Story of My People, Benjamin Nugent suggests the Saturday Night Live characters Lisa Loopner (Gilda Radner) and boyfriend Todd (Bill Murray) may have parented subsequent generations of nerds, including such famous dorks as the characters in Revenge of the Nerds and the socially awkward Napoleon Dynamite.

Today, the TV show Beauty and the Geek keeps the spirit alive that being tragically un-hip is decidedly cool.

Consider the cool and un-cool boyfriend of Juno in the film of the same name. The character played by Brampton's Michael Cera walks a fine line. At one point, Juno tells the young father of her yet-unborn child that she loves him because he's so effortlessly cool. He responds by admitting that he works really hard at looking effortless.

Though he doesn't wear socks and sandals in the film, he represents the cool power of not chasing cool.

To pull the look off with panache, there has to be irony. David Beckham and Jake Gyllenhaal have been photographed in sandals and socks. And while they have retained their sex symbol status, they have been judged harshly by style watchers.

So, be warned, this sudden burst of interest in socks and sandals on the runways of Europe does not give regular Joes permission to engage with the look. Anyone considering it should approach with extreme caution.

Wearing socks and sandals is still the sartorial equivalent of pulling the waistband of your pants up to your armpits Urkel-style. Put a foot wrong in these new designer versions and you could be mistaken for a backpacking tourist from Dusseldorf.

That's the challenge associated with all geek-chic trends – making sure the viewer knows you know better, but you're doing it anyway.

Male Speedo

2008-10-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

FASHION - When Daniel Craig emerged from the Caribbean sea in Casino Royale, his brief trunks not only recalled another iconic James Bond swimsuit scene stealer – Ursula Andress emerging from the surf in her flesh coloured bikini in Dr. No – but it ignited a trend.

What started as a ripple when the movie was released two years ago, has now become a full blown tidal wave trend.

Men's swimsuits have gone short, snug and sleek as the Speedo-style suit makes a comeback.

But the skimpy men's bathing suit has been the object of much derision in popular culture thanks to Borat and Will Ferrell, so why is it suddenly anointed cool status?

A recent ad for a Dolce & Gabbana men's fragrance features British supermodel David Gandy, reclining on a yacht, splayed out in a tight white swimsuit, and two of the fashion world's hippest photographers – Matthias Vriens and Terry Richardson – have been pushing a '70s porn aesthetic in their work, Freeman says.

And now Bond is going back to briefs.

Men look at the gadgets and the cars in that movie and then they see Daniel Craig in those snug trunks and it gives them permission – they think, if it's okay for James Bond its okay for me...

But their body better be licensed to thrill.

Fashion Salon

2008-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

FASHION - This blog will be dedicated to the history of fashion, fashion news, celebrity fashion, fashion and beauty tips, the interplay between sexuality, feminism and fashion, health issues like anorexia, bulimia and obesity and of course... the fashion police.

Black Supermodels Blabble

2008-09-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of Facebook you'll probably like this new Facebook application called Blabble. Loads of fun for you and your friends.

Biographies of Supermodels

2008-02-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Biography and Photos of Ajuma Nasenyana

Biography and Photos of Naomi Campbell

Biography and Photos of Selita Ebanks

Biography and Photos of Tyra Banks

Ajuma Nasenyana 07

2007-04-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 06

2007-04-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 05

2007-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 04

2007-04-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 03

2007-04-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 02

2007-04-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ajuma Nasenyana 01

2007-04-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tyson Beckford 04

2007-04-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tyson Beckford 03

2007-04-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Tyson Beckford 02

2007-04-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Tyson Beckford 01

2007-04-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 07

2007-04-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 06

2007-04-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 05

2007-04-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 04

2007-04-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 03

2007-04-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 02

2007-04-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell 01

2007-04-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tyra Banks 14

2007-04-02T14:33:00.000-07:00