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The Birth of a Trend

March 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

All clothes a person sees on the rack started as an idea in a fashion designer’s head. Clothes begin as an artistic sketch. Fashion designers are artists and creators. The ideas for clothes can come from about anything. Designers build collages, find fabric samples, or find inspiration from music or movies.

Once a fashion designer settles on an idea, the designer makes a pattern and clothes sample. They often begin with muslin fabric to see what the piece will look like on a person. Designers adjust their creation, and begin the process of finding fabrics suitable for the project. Then the designer or the designer’s team try to find a show, division, or line of clothing the creation’s theme will match. If the designer is part of a large company, the creation will naturally become part of the clothing line. First, the creation must survive a review process. A team looks at the piece and decides if it fits the planned theme of the company. If it does then it goes to the production floor.

On the production floor, a test pattern is made. The test pattern is taken and graded. Grading involves making different sizes of the piece. At the same time, marketing experts are targeting where best to present the fashion in the clothing business. Once the decision is made whether it is an haute courtier line or mass-market product the piece is presented to the buyers. Here is where fashion designers reputations are made or broken. Clothes bought are clothes on the rack. Ultimately, the consumer has the final say by their purchase of the product. Many purchases confirm that a new clothes trend has begun.

Filed Under: Current Trends Tagged With: Clothing, Fashion, Fashion design

Spring 2011 Noted Designers

March 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Spring is the height of the fashion season in cities such as New York, Milan, and Paris. The designers houses that have dominated are around, but challengers have appeared and have slowly begun to direct fashion to a different path.

This spring the Givenchy collections were successful. Givenchy design house has been around since the 1950’s. He was widely known as Audrey Hepburn’s dress designer. Clothes were simple, light, and separate. By the 1970’s, Givenchy had built a fashion empire that included shoes, furniture, and jewelry. Givenchy retired in the 1990’s, and the design house went through a quieter period. It is known as a place to incubate designer talent. In 2005, Ricardo Tisci became the director and slowly redefined the house of Givenchy. This year it paid off with its more whimsical high fashion emphasis.

Victor & Rolf are a relatively new design house formed in the 1990’s. Their medieval themed clothes caught the eye of the fashion world. The buzz was both positive and negative. Looks can be deceiving and though not biological twins, Victor & Rolf, are known for dressing and acting alike. This house loves collaboration with international brands and is somewhat unpredictable in what it will bring to a fashion event.

Haider Ackerman’s design started in 2001. He is known for his interesting use of the draping technique, and for his leather work. In the past year, he has been courted by the larger design houses for possible jobs. His designs are fresh, fluid, and elegant. He is an up and coming designer that is most likely going to be around for years to come.

Filed Under: Designer Fashions Tagged With: Design, Fashion, Givenchy

Bloomingdale’s Denim Seeker

March 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Any woman who has went out to buy fashionable jeans knows fit is important. A woman has to find a designer that creates jeans that fit her type of body. Trends constantly shift so even if one year a particular set of designer jeans worked, it does not mean it will the next year. Even if they fit do they give you the best look. What is a modern girl suppose to do? Managing a career, and children leaves little time for hours of fitting.

Bloomingdale has come up with an answer with its Denim Seeker information. on its website They took real women’s opinions on different designer jeans sizing. Bloomingdale then added information on designers and terms. Now when you go to find jeans on their website they are classified by real women’s body traits. There is a list with links such as a little tummy, no booty, curvy, or can wear anything. If you click on the link, it gives you a little blurb about what jean would provide the best fit and below the blurb are jeans to buy. Bloomingdale also took the information and found five types of jeans that look good on any body type. They called them universal jeans.

Bloomingdale did not stop there. They also classified the jeans by style and by trend. The style list is skinny, cropped, boot leg, straight legged, shorts, flared and wide leg. The trend list is white, 70’s Inspired, denim alternatives, cropped and rolled. Clicking on these links gives a person the inventory of those jeans. A person can, also, find a pair a jeans by designer name as well.

Shopping for jeans now is only a couple of clicks. A person can find the perfect set of jeans with the most perfect fit and have them delivered.

Filed Under: Designer Fashions Tagged With: Denim, Designer jeans, Jeans

There is Such a Thing as Fashion Law

March 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are sets of rules about what clothes you wear when, and how in certain social circles. Fashion houses and fashion designers spend and make great amounts of money. Anything that involves money will need protection, laws, and lawyers. Fashion designs are considered intellectual property and are protected by copyright and trademark laws.

Fashion law and fashion lawyers have been around for a while, but the field was not considered a specialty until the year 2000. The rise of the Internet heightened sensitivities to intellectual property. Laws that were on the books had to be extended to the new technology.Then there was an upswing in Supreme Court cases about branding, licensing, and trademark. As recently as February 2011 Levi Strauss, the blue jean company, and Abercrombie & Fitch were in a battle about having similar pocket designs. Court cases such as these are occurring all the time. They do not make front-page news or Internet news headlines very often. Fortunes of designers and the fashion houses are effected or lost according to these court decisions. Last year Fordham Law School founded the first Fashion Law Institute. Fashion law has become serious business.

People like fashion and keeping up with the latest trends, but equally most people do not like paying fashion designer price for items. One of the main driving forces that made fashion law and fashion lawyers abound is consumers seeking and purchasing counterfeit items. Even other clothing corporations think little of making a few adjustments and copying designer clothes. Now there is this constant balancing act of protecting new designs and allowing copying. Trends begin when the public buys a large amount of an item, so in some ways you want copying. It turns a little know designer into a brand name.

Filed Under: Current Trends, Designer Fashions Tagged With: Fashion, Fashion design, Levi Strauss

Girls, Gadgets, and Gizmos Where to Put Them

March 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Tech-savvy girls love their tech toys. To accommodate the modern woman’s lifestyle, their needs to be a better place to put that tech stuff. Briefcases are large, awkward, boring, and do not express a girl’s femininity. Most purses even if they hve plenty of compartments, are not sized in a way that accommodates the IPod, laptop, and smart phone, NOOK or Kindle in a stylish way. How is a girl supposed to compete in a man’s tech world, stay organized, and take care of her technology stylishly?

Companies are finally beginning to realize that tech women exist, and have begun to make purses and bags that take care of tech toys and the woman. Totes are no longer for the beach. Computer totes come jazzed up and even in Barbie Pink with spaghetti straps! There are messenger bags that place pockets and compartments on the outside to give easy access to smart phones and keys in leopard print. Some even come with diaper compartments in case tech girl is a mom, too. If putting all the tech toys in one purse is too much to handle. A girl can add a digital accessory bag to the other shoulder. This bag holds only your most favorite tech toys all in one convenient pouch. For techwomen on the go there are combination backpacks and computer totes in leather. Prices and styles are affordable and such that a girl can match or mix and match the lot. Most of the companies are small and start ups. Once tech girls find these items it will not take long to revolutionize the bag world. It is long overdue.

At last, the tech world is not exclusively driven by male ideas and product. It means tech women have broken down that wall, and will have a visible symbol of that accomplishment in her big pink Barbie computer tote. The tech world will never be the same again.

Filed Under: Current Trends Tagged With: Amazon Kindle, Messenger bag, Tote bag

Purchasing Engagement Rings: How Much Should Be Spent?

March 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on the perfect engagement ring. If you can afford to do so, that’s fine. But, if you can’t, think about this: You don’t want to enter into your marriage with a large debt already hanging over your head. If you can’t afford an expensive ring, don’t risk financial problems right off the bat by going into debt to buy one.

Tradition holds that the equivalent of two months of the groom’s salary is the least that should be spent. However, as with other things, the traditional way is not always the best way. If you want to pay this much, though, now that you know this is the “expected” amount, you can start setting money aside until that amount has been reached.

What Determines the Price of Engagement Rings?

A lot of different factors determine how much can be paid for engagement rings. The size and type of stone is usually the primary deciding factor, as the majority of the price will depend on the number of carats in a stone as well as the size of the stone. The smaller the carat and size, the less expensive the rings will be.

The design of engagement rings can also play a part in price determination. Plain gold or silver bands with little or no decoration, holding a single stone, are usually the most reasonably priced. Engagement rings that include other stones or have elaborate settings or designs will cost more.

Filed Under: Current Trends, Shopping Tips Tagged With: Brass band (British style), Engagement ring, Pricing

Year of the Royal Fashions

March 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

In April, the British will have a major royal wedding. The caterers, the crowds, the businesses, and the royal family’s choices in the next couple of months will have a major effect on British and American fashion. The trends the royal wedding sets often lasts for years to come. People are mimicking Kate Middleton and Prince Williams fashion style, but the fashion effect from their wedding is much larger than that. What people choose to wear to the wedding will be noticed and create additional trends.Designer houses styles chosen for the event will influence fashion runways for several years.

This time the hysteria and frenzy on what will be chosen and what will not be chosen is almost immediate. Social media passes the information or misinformation across the world. The members of the British royal family use this media as well to give little tidbits of what is to come. The most effect will still come from the royal wedding day. The countless photos and comments of those attending will create a visual icon for the public show that design houses cannot compete with.

For a time the media and fashion, houses will follow the royal couple’s style after the wedding. Princesses are natural icons for the fashion world. What Kate Middleton chooses to wear at her many functions will decide how long the trend will last. How well the merchandisers package and price the items determines if the trend infiltrates the masses.Items from past royal weddings have become collectibles.

Royal weddings and royal couples give the public a chance to experience what fashion industry lives and breathes daily. The spectacle makes the public feel it is part of that exclusive group and harkens back to either fairy tales or intriguing stories of the rich and famous. Owning an outfit of the style or a replica of an item gives a person a connection to a life few ever experience.

Filed Under: Current Trends, Designer Fashions Tagged With: British Royal Family, Fashion, Kate Middleton

Gearing Up to Pop the Question – Learning What to Pick for an Engagement Ring

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Engagement ring trends are always changing. That is why it is important that you stay on top of the popular trends if you are considering purchasing an engagement ring for your girlfriend and future wife. If you are unsure of what is considered popular, here is a look at three of the most popular engagement ring trends.

A Trip Back to the Past

Vintage style rings are very popular choices for engagement rings. Many women believe the vintage design gives the ring a timeless quality to it that allows it be considered fashionable for years to come.

Colors, Colors, and More Colors

Engagement ring designers are starting to stray from the use of bright white diamonds and are starting to incorporate gemstones that bring bright, vibrant colors to the ring’s design.

A Raised Ring Setting

These ring designs allow the main diamond or gemstone to be the center of the ring by raising it above the rest of the ring in a prong setting. This style is a popular choice because it showcases the beautiful diamond or gemstone that came with the ring.

Even with brushing up on these latest trends for engagement rings, it is important to make sure that your girlfriend will really like the ring that she is wearing. While some men have an idea, others do not. If you do not have an idea of what she may or may not like for an engagement ring, consider taking her shopping with you to ensure that she gets the engagement ring style and design that she really wants.

Filed Under: Current Trends, Shopping Tips Tagged With: Diamond, Engagement ring, Prong setting

Psyche of the Shopper

February 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Ever wonder why designer labels come up with a new line every six months? It’s all psychological, based on the fact that humans crave change after a cycle of a stagnancy. And the easiest thing to change is one’s wardrobe! Naturally, the fashion companies exploit on this. But other than the manipulation, are there psychological benefits to shopping?

Technically, the answer is yes! As mentioned earlier, shopping satisfies the need for change in one’s life – in an instant gratification sort of way. Rather than changing careers or homes, people can satisfy the need for something different simply by getting a new wardrobe. An easy way to ease the mind!

Further, shopping is a social experience. Shopping with friends or loved ones can help with bonding time. Great conversations can occur over working actively together. It’s a great way to spend time with someone while still accomplishing shopping goals. What’s more, a second opinion never hurts.

While it’s fun to shop with others, sometimes shopping is a solitary activity as well. It’s a good way to spend time thinking and letting out steam – pent up energy can be diffused by means of buying things. Plus, being alone allows one to reflect while they actively let loose pent up emotions with shopping.

However, it should be kept in mind that these feelings of satisfaction are fleeting. The fact of the matter is, our desires can only be curbed for so long – soon there will be a new cycle of stagnancy, a new desire for change for better and nicer things; a vicious cycle of consumption and transient contentment.

Filed Under: General, Shopping Tips Tagged With: Designer label, Psychology, Shopping

Fashion in the World

February 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

What do the Europeans have when it comes to fashion over the Americans? Turns out – plenty, depending on how you look at it. Sure, America has New York City as one of the fashion capitals of world – but can it compete with Paris and Milan of Europe?

The fact of the matter is, they are two very different senses of style, and whether one prefers American of European depends on their desire for either sophistication or self-expression.

For starters, the sneakers. Sneakers are comfortable to walk in, and are seen shamelessly on the feet of many proud Americans. In Europe, however, sneakers mean marking oneself as American. European trends have a more refined and posh affiliation to footwear, and thus sneakers are a strict no-no in these countries; instead, heels are the preferred means of travel – more of a looks over comfort thing (though, New York isn’t far behind when it comes to myriads of people solely wearing heels).

Another issue – the denim. Jeans are an accepted means of lifestyle in America, they’re casual and easy to wear – a staple diet of the youth of the country. In Europe, however, jeans are rarely ever seen on the streets. Once again, this goes back to the comfort versus posh debate. Jeans are considered “tacky” in Europe, and instead, pants or skirts are encouraged. Which gives rise to the question – what DO Europeans wear for comfort?

Dressing in decorum is dressing in comfort for the Europeans. Not being refined in clothing can lead to a great deal of discomfort for them. Whereas here in America, the idea of comfort relies on casual clothing. Which side is correct? Now there’s a debate that’s been going on for ages.

Filed Under: Current Trends, Designer Fashions Tagged With: Jeans, New York, New York City