Naomi Sims on the cover of Cosmopolitan

NEW YORK, Aug 5, 2009 / FW/ — Considered the first black supermodel, Naomi Sims passed away at the age of 61 after battling with breast cancer, reported CNN.

The face that became associated with the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, Naomi Sims gained worldwide fame when she became the first black woman to grace the cover of The Ladies Home Journal.

Born in Oxford, Mississippi, the youngest of three daughters born to John and Elizabeth Sims, Naomi moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while in her teens, where she attended Westinghouse High School. Later on, she moved to New York to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology where while still a student, she started working as a model and illustrator.

From those humble beginnings, Sims went on to earn as much as $1,000 a week - a princely sum in the 1960s - walking for high profile designers like Halston and even landing a TV campaign with AT&T. In 1968 she was the first black model to appear on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal. She also appeared on the cover of the October 17, 1969 issue of Life magazine.

When she retired from modeling in 1973, she decided to go into the beauty business and created a successful wig collection fashioned after the texture of relaxed black hair.

She authored several books on modeling, health, and beauty, including All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman, How to Be a Top Model and All About Success for the Black Woman, as well as an advice column for teenage girls in Right On! magazine.

She died of breast cancer on August 1, 2009, aged 61, in Newark, New Jersey. Her 1973 marriage to Michael Findlay ended in divorce in 1991. She is survived by her son, Bob Findlay, a granddaughter, and her elder sister, Betty Sims. Her eldest sister, Doris, died in 2008.

According to www.naomisims.com, funeral Services will be held Thursday August 6th, 2009 at 11am St. Ignatius Loyola Parish 980 Park Avenue at 84th St New York, NY 10028

Lacoste

DALLAS, Aug 1, 2009 / FW/ — The 1960s, also known as the pop decade of fashion icon Jackie Kennedy, brought the pantsuit into existence.

It is something easy and carefree, yet it has the ability to portray a tailored appearance.

 We see the latter is possible through the designs of Brian Reyes, Andy and Debb, and DNKY to name a few.

This trend must be taken with much caution, though, as certain cuts can create awkward proportions. Be careful to find the right fit for your body!

[LAUREN SCRUGGS]
Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

This year Britney showed up in style wearing two different Versace dresses.  To receive some of her awards Britney chose a Versace shimmering lilac embroidered halter-neck cocktail dress with fringes at the hem.  She also wore an Atelier Versace one-shoulder silver embroidered cocktail dress, paired with metallic Versace sandals.

Not only did she win ‘Video of the Year’, ‘Best Pop Video’ and ‘Best Female Video’, but she also looked great winning them.

Look out Christina, Britney is back in the game!

(Photo courtesy of Versace, click on image to see bigger photo.)

BARCELONA, September 6, 2009 /FW/ - After three days of intense fashion discoveries here at 080 Barcelona Fashion, which has put on the runway and in the spotlight many regional, national and even international fashion designers, what strikes me is the persistance in the collections of some Gothic elements.  Is it an upcoming trend for Spring and Summer 2009, or just a local obsession in the City which has a very famous “Bario Gotico” (Gothic Quarter)?

The most brilliant expresion on this note was sent on the runway by Manuel Bolaño, a fabulous new designer from Galicia, a region in Northern Spain, who chose widows for the theme of his debut collection. Black, black and black, with here and there a touch of grey, to express the new unexpected turn in these widows’ lives, far from deprived of sensual appeal, where black can be interpreted in sheer fabrics, lace socks, or the sparkle of black crystal and crucifix-shaped pins over the heart. Manuel Bolaño is certainly the biggest revelation at 080 Barcelona Fashion.

Of course, you can count on fashion designers to give any inspiration a very personal twist and particularly on Catalan Designer Gori de Palma who resolutely declined Gothic on a very elegant note for the collection he has shown here yesterday. Beige or flesh tones were  paired to black or shades of grey, and the Gothic touches were to be seen above all in the chain accessories, necklace, bracelets, or even cuffs attaching both hands in the back. Not deprived of humour, one shirt displayed  a famous double ”C”  logo (usually by another brand) with a motto printed below “CHAINED’. Indeed, this designer’s collection was truly chained to elegance, and in a new way, with Gori’s very own vision of sensuality, not deprived of a luxurious  and reasonably innovative touch.

Txell Miras presented just before on the same day what can be considered more like an Art happening than a proper runway show… Only four models and one performer, for this designer who had announced last eason that she was concentrating for the moment on her Fall-Winter collections. As the models and the artistically bouncing performers were undressing, they revealed a collection of black and white tee-shirts under layers of more intricately built pieces. The tee-shirts all displayed a printed illustration of a girl with a big head and wide eyes, in a clearly modern Gothic expression. Interesting , simple and full of emotional potential, these tee-shirts could sell well, including outside of the Gothic niche market, as they could be worn also only for their artistic qualities by discerning fashionistas.

Teresa Helbig had the privilege of opening the runway show on September 3. She has entitled her collection ”Punky Dolls” and tried to mix in there various inspirations from the 1980s, combining punk and romantic. But this designer, usually specialized in more classic cocktail and eveningwear, seems to have missed her point this season and punk was maybe seen only in the shoes or the hairstyles but certainly not in the garments and her dolls were duller than if she had taken the Barbie for a theme.

Most interesting was the exhibition organized in the City centre, at Palau Dalmases, just across the road from the Picasso Museum, around the work of the designer Miriam Ocariz. Exploring in many ways the inspiration of a fashion designer, from illustrations, to mood boards, to prints, fabrics selection and garment architecture, the exhibition entitled “Miriam Ocariz, from the Concept to the Catwalk” is open to the public until September 21 and is really worth a visit, if you happen to be in Barcelona. Particularly her illustrations, sometimes rendered on the original paper they were sketched on, sometimes printed on textiles of girls with big head and wide eyes could be called Gothic, but in the way that some female cartoon sketchers see it in the contemporary world. They looked to me as a new expression of European manga for the 21st century with a specifically “girly” touch about them. Fascinating!

JEAN PAUL CAUVIN

Photos Courtesy of 080 Barcelona Fashion

As Fern Mallis of IMG said, “Being fashionable and environmentally-friendly are no longer mutually exclusive.” Eco-fashion is no longer a trend, as proven by ‘Mad Men’ eco-fatigue alert. Eco-fashion is now a new category; hence anticipate seeing more of it on the runway.

Fashion luminaries like Carmen Marc Valvo, Chado Ralph Rucci, Christian Cota, Del Forte, Donna Karan (DKNY), FORM, Red Carter, Vena Cava, former-Miss USA and model-actress Susie Castillo, environmentalist Jayni Chase, Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin, performer Coltrane Curtis, Gossip Girl’s Tamara Feldman, supermodel Patti Hansen, actress Lauren Hutton, Ugly Betty’s Mark Indelicato, environmentalist Mary Richardson Kennedy, author Tom Kostigen, Desperate Housewives’ Joy Lauren, LipStick Jungle’s James Lesure, Red Hot & Green’s Carter Oosterhouse, This Might Hurt’s Alex Menenses, models (and daughters of Keith Richards) Alexandra & Theodora Richards, High School Musical’s Olesya Rulin, environmentalist Laura Turner Seydel, actress Dominique Swain, Law & Order: SVU’s Tamara Tunie, supermodel Alek Wek have joined the cause.

With The Sierra Club at the spearhead and supermodel Angela Lindvall as host, Be EcoChic kicks off New York Fashion Week on Thursday, Sep 4, 2008 at the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History.

With the goal of redefining the runway in a universe that is going ‘green’, the EcoChic campaign brings eco-lifestyle mainstream by raising awareness of how making small, meaningful changes can have a positive impact on the environment. Being eco chic is not just about your wardrobe; it is also your state of mind.

The Be EcoChic campaign will employ a number of practices to ensure that the fashion show is eco-friendly, including neutralizing its carbon footprint through donations to CarbonFund.org.

The Be EcoChic(TM) campaign is sponsored by AVEENO(R), Continental, the LYCRA(R) fiber brand, Mercedes-Benz USA and Neutrogena(R).

Known for her feminine and dreamy silhouettes, Rebecca Taylor brings on the Spring 2009 runway the bohemian world traveler. Mixing elements from couture pieces that she inherited from her French actress mother with great finds gathered from exotic locations around the globe, Rebecca Taylor creates unique and covetable fashion based on their morphology.

The dresses are ladylike and charming, with intimate detailing and ethereal layers of florals, chiffons and lace.  A wistful neutral palette paired with rich jewel tones and watercolor designs evokes a sense of modernity and opulence.

REBECCA TAYLOR Spring 2009
Thursday, Sep 11, 2008, 1:00 PM
The Salon, Bryant Park
New York, NY

Brought to you by the contemporary fashion designers show RENDEZ VOUS, ‘Vintage & Contemporary Fashion from the 1960’s to Today’ will display then auction about 400 pieces that is representative of fashion creations for the last fifty years.

Haute couture to ready-to-wear and accessories from Yves Saint Laurent, Céline, Christian Dior, Helmut Lang, Emilio Pucci, Claude Montana, Courrèges, Thierry Mugler, Alaïa, Kenzo, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Guy Laroche, Marc Jacobs, Jean Colonna, Maison Martin Margiela, Hermès, Paco Rabanne and Louis Vuitton that have been authenticated by fashion expert Pénélope Blanckaert will be auctioned by Rémy Le Fur at the Espace Pierre Cardin.

Exhibition:
October 2 – 4, 2008
1000 - 1900

Auction: Sunday October 5, 2008
Auctioneer: Rémy Le Fur
Expert: Pénélope Blanckaert

Address:
Espace Pierre Cardin :
1, avenue Gabriel
PARIS 8ème.

For more information:
Pierre cardin AuctionArt rémy le fur & associés
82, rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré
Paris 8ème
Tel : +33 1 40 06 06 08

Ten names chosen to represent the modern face of Indonesia. The Dewi Knights of Fashion, singled out by Dewi magazine, comprises of a diverse range of designers from Oscar Lawalata’s Bodo collection of South Sulawesi to Deden Siswanto’s feminine glamour. Bali native Ali Charisma joins Paris-primed Priyo Oktaviano on the catwalk, Barli Asmara mingles with the aesthetic romanticism of Sally Koeswanto and Sebastian Gunawan while Denny Wirawan works the consistency of his pieces with the master of pleats, Stephanus Hammy and layered shibori techniques utilized by the ever-innovative Carmanita.

In an interview, Ni Luh Sekar, Editor-in-Chief of Dewi Magazine explained why she singled out these designers.

Why “Today and Tomorrow”?

Fashion is inherently always about the zeitgeist. So we must always embrace the current spirit but also anticipate the future. It is always about change…and these designers are those whom we believe strongly represent what it is all about now. At the same time, we think their vision will also shape the future of Indonesia’s fashion.

Why did you choose these ten designers?

We chose these ten designers because each and every one of them meets our criteria; each has a distinct character. Each is a proven craftsman, and all of them have commitments to innovation. None of them stands still, creatively speaking.

What do these “Ten Knights of Fashion” have in common?

The ten designers also share the common trait that their creation is borderless and it is not confined to Indonesia only. It is not geared towards a specific class or type of woman, instead the collections have a global touch that every woman can relate to. A majority of the designers are partial to using traditional garments such as woven cloths from Bali and Sumba, which produce creations that differentiate them from the international fashio crowd due to the originality of their design – a melange of the contemporary and the traditional that can only be “Indonesian”.

What made you believe they are the right example of the Indonesian current face of fashion?

They are rooted in Indonesia’s rich heritage but they are not prisoners of history. They do not fall into the trap of exoticism or clichéd representation of what is “Indonesia”. They use our culture as a reference only.

If you were asked to describe this even in one word, what would it be?
How to describe this event in one word? It is perhaps unfair to reduce it to just one word, but if we must, then let it be: “courage”, because that is what drove this event, enabling all these different parties to work together, despite all the challenges. It all happened because of courage.

What is your perception of current Indonesian fashion?

In my view, we are a progressive creative industry steeped in culture and tradition, drawing inspiration from the diversity of tribes for our motifs, patterns and fabrics while applying our own distinctive characteristics with a modern twist that make our pieces wearable for the mass.

Where do you see Indonesian fashion in the future?

I see Indonesian fashion as coming more into its own over the course of the next few years, with designers making a name for themselves not only within the local markets but in regional Asia as well.

Where do you see the current Indonesian fashion within the Asian region?
I consider us, perhaps, as one of the most culturally affluent countries because of our diversity and bountiful history. Our designers coming from the far reaches of the archipelago have proven to be some of the most innovative within the regional market.

How deep are the reaches of foreign influences for the local designers?

Local designers look to foreign designers for their forward-thinking flair for fashion and their commitment to the industry, which can only be a positive thing to emulate.

Do you think fashion in Indonesia has become an industry of its own, like it is in France and Italy?

We are still a growing industry whereas Europe has been established for an extended period of time. As a creative community, we are taking pivotal steps towards the development of the Indonesian fashion industry to ensure our place in the international fashion world such as holding the Festival Mode Indonesia – Jakarta Fashion Week 2008.

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/image.net

On the ‘Modern’ catwalk at Jakarta Fashion Week, Malik Moestaram, Ninik Darmawan, Putu Aliki and Taruna K Kusmayadi shared the runway to present their proposal for the modern Indonesian woman.

From daywear to eveningwear to high concept wherein the materials used ranged from solids to ethnic including the world famous Indonesian batik, designers ‘dressed’ a wide variety of women.

The Festival Mode Indonesia - Jakarta Fashion Week 2008 (FMI - JFW 2008) is being held at the Pacific Palace in Indonesia from Aug 20 – 23, 2008.

Photos by Lisa Maree Williams/image.net