With the countdown on to July 4, ever-popular, flag-waving nautical looks are sure to be played up as big as Old Glory. And as summer sets in, they’ll be replayed because wearing red, white and blue isn’t just patriotic, it’s also fashionable.
"We are seeing a trend where people are refocusing on the important things in life — family, friends, well-being and health, and I think red, white and blue is an expression of that," says designer Tommy Hilfiger, a fan of American style from preppy to equestrian — and nautical, a classic summer style that he and other designers have loaded with patriotic references. His summer style salute is called West Coast Cool and features lobster and sailboat prints, plaids and stripes that could be sent up a flagpole this weekend.
The nautical look’s popularity, also called "spectator," is a part of the resurgence of faith in America and people craving familiar things that will make them feel good, perhaps a reaction to the economic meltdown. And proudly wearing red, white and blue is something that We The People can count on — a sense of security.
Certainly, the red, white and blue trifecta recalls a common nautical motif that designers, including Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and others, jump on season after season. They offer fresh but familiar looks in knits, cotton and denim, which Hilfiger calls "the DNA of all-American style" in his sixth and latest book, Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride Through the Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture (Universe Publishing, $60, 350 pp.)

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Getting a professional facial can get expensive, especially in this economy, but you don’t always have to rely on other people to make you look beautiful; you can do it yourself in the comfort of your own home! Maintain your skin’s health by doing this at-home facial once a week that’s great for oily, dry, and/or combination skin.Step 1: Cleanse

Before beginning your facial, make sure you cleane your face thoroughly. Choose a cleanser that matches your skin type and make sure you remove all makeup as well. Getting the dirt out is very important when it comes to keeping healthy and clear skin since dirty skin causes bacteria.

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Top models walked down the ramp for INIFD’s annual fashion show at Mumbai on 24th June 2009. The models rocked the ramp wearing exquisite collections designed by students of a fashion institute. Organised by International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), the fashion show titled ''Vibrance 2009'' had a 'Moods and Colours 2020’ as its theme. Models walked down the ramp in colourful and fascinating costumes designed by budding designers of the institute. Femina Miss India World 2009 Pooja Chopra also walked the ramp as the showstopper and wooed the audience with her walk. She appreciated the creativity and originality of students’ creations.Choreographer of the show Rohit Verma said that the best part of the show was that it was not too much expanded in all aspects. The show offered a big platform to promote budding and future designers from this fashion-designing institute.

Filed Under: Arts (general), Entertainment (general), Music, Fashion, Lifestyle (House & Home), Arts and Culture and Entertainment
MANILA, Philippines—“Aliw!” What fun!

“The Eraserheads by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra! I really believe the Eraserheads should be National Artists,” said a gleeful and amused Jed Segovia.

The 24-year-old artist was in serious-chic suit, his first, bought only a week before to wear to this fashion show at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) that would marry high fashion and the arts.

It was the young man’s first fashion show. To him, the novel experience would be a mating of fashion, the arts—and Pinoy pop rock.

Segovia was one of the more than 700 guests who trooped to the CCP on Tuesday to watch “Face Off,” a fashion show featuring the collections of three contemporaries—Randy Ortiz, Rhett Eala and Rajo Laurel.The designs were paraded to live music by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), the first time in recent years for the orchestra to perform in a fashion show.

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The Eastern vibe that began in Milan has made its way here. Dries van Noten, who is known for his deft handling of print and color, mixed craft and technology, describing his collection as “Tokyo meets Calcutta.” This meant that photos of old batik art were printed on ultramodern fabrics; ikat, madras and checks looked unpretentiously cool togetherPrints were also key at Junya Watanabe. His paisley shorts, striped shirts and plaid jackets were trimly cut and artfully mismatched; the flat caps, patterned foulards and pocket squares gave the looks a Riviera touch. Watanabe continued his collaborations with Levi’s for jeans and Trickers for shoes; there were also some great raincoats, done in conjunction with Macintosh.

Even Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons was on board with the trend. Her drop-crotch trousers and pieced blazers were decorated with ragtag patches of assorted fabrics and vintage ties. And at Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci, who had been working on the costumes for Michael Jackson’s English tour, used that inspiration for the runway. (A few of the pieces, including a gold medieval number worn over a hooded top with a back-to-front baseball cap attached, were actually designed for the tour.) The emphasis, true to the moment, was on street-inspired multiculturalism. Michael would have been proud.

HauteLook is an incredible website that offers top-line fashion items by famous makers at bid prices. Each item is new, stylishly chic, and very inexpensive. It’s also a fun site, where you can watch the bidding and keep raising your bid if you wish.
Among the great items currently available at HauteLook are Creative messenger bags, Immagini lap top bags, Amica large totes, Abbraccio backpacks, Marine mini messenger bags, Sorriso hobo bags, Serena handbags, Regazza small handbags, Bacio mini handbags, Magie Bell sling bags, and Melodia PDA cases.
HauteLook also has women’s Courchevel stainless steel diamond watches, women’s
Lucerne stainless steel watches, women’s Lucerne stainless steel diamond watches, women’s Lucerne two-tone watches, women’s Lucerne two-tone yellow women’s Barcelona diamond two-tone stainless watches, old diamond watches, women’s Massela diamond stainless steel watches, women’s Barcelona yellow gold-tone watches, women’s Winter Park pink leather diamond watches, women’s Swiss quartz watches, women’s Innsbruck diamond black leather watches, and women’s diamond moon phase watches are also available.
 
They also have a nice selection of Elektra dresses, Moon dresses, Hyphus dresses, Jelly dresses, Drifter dresses, Taranus dresses, Demeier dresses, Ladyland dresses (pictured), Lyssa jumpers, Saturn tanks, Ladyland tanks, Ivey tanks, Jimi tanks, Chile tanks, Sam tanks, Axis tanks, Calliope tops, Harmonia tops, Dagger tanks, Athena blouses, Here tops, Kylene tops, Isabella tops, Foxy shorts, Kronos tops, Alexi mini-skirts, Triton shorts and Teddy K. shorts.

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The poster uses a striking image which is ideal for both decorative and functional purpose. The booklet, on the other hand, has been designed to provide customers with additional illustrative information which attempts to suggest how and where the colors may be used thus creating a clearer understand of the background thinking behind its design. The aim is to bring into focus a closer relationship between fashion effects and colors and ways in which leather will support these.

The booklet presents two themes, "Bringing the unexpected to everyday!" and "creating a sense of individuality!" With fashion trends changing so quickly in today's world, the booklet presents designers and consumers with a creative vista of appealing "appetizers" divided into six groups of color, each with an individual feel.

The first, For your eyes only, is partly inspired by the anticipated launch of a new Bond film. The exciting world of the modern young woman, a hint of exotic chic, Mexican sun, Acapulco and luxury hacienda living are reflected in exotic colors from dreamy sunsets, desert dust and the warmth glow of hacienda terracottas.

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Casual Fridays aren't just reserved for the modern workplace, today the final day of Milano Uomo erupted in a sea of denim, tee shirts and Chucks.

Gone were the suits, the ties and the fresh, chipper faces of days one, two and three, out came the jaded, wincing, hungover scowls.

Though four days doesn't sound like a lot, when you're going to 12 hours worth of shows every day, each one a spectacle of blinding lights and deafening music - then going home and sorting it out in your mind so you can make some sort of sense of it all, four days can seem like a millennium.

I'd eaten my fair share of humble pie yesterday so I was eager to make up for missed opportunities. And here's how it went down.

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Even though editors finished their July issues months ago, this month feels like the lady mags are already enjoying their Summer Fridays by stickin’ with the usual tricks. This month features recession fashion (again) and a few celebs you haven’t thought about too much in the past year. Still, July and August are the months magazines were made for, so would you really want anything too serious?
Lucky
Becki Newton is on the cover of this “Everything under $100!” issue, which is filled with the normal mix of editors’ picks, 50 percent of which are rad, while the other half is eh. (A page on “fairy clothing,” however, is horrific.) Surprisingly good articles: “Blazers and Shorts” gives quick tips for rocking a great summer office look; and pp. 32-34, “The Webpages,” is a huge list of affordable online stores that I actually ripped out of the magazine to pin on my bulletin board full of passwords, reminders, and references. Grade: A-Vogue Dear Vogue: Why are your celeb profiles as painful to read as getting through part eight of Anna Karenina? July features Sienna Miller, who you momentarily consider becoming interested in again, until you realize you have four pages left and already you’ve learned nothing (she ate a pizza, she had a smoke). Apparently, Miller is starring in some G.I. Joe movie (oh God). Wintour’s attempt to battle the recession ("Steal of the Month!” coverline) comes in the form of a two-page spread of items under $400. Otherwise, worth a purchase to check out excellent cultural news stories on Katharine Weymouth, publisher of the Washington Post and review of Venice’s new modern museum (I wanna go!).

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Despite a crippling economy, fashion designer Michael Kors trumpeted "powerful, confident urban dressing for modern times" with his "tough luxe" fall collection fashion show at Nordstrom in Northern Virginia on Thursday night, his first major event in the Washington area in years.

"These are definitely not the most romantic of times between the economy and everything else that is going on in the world," Mr. Kors, well known as the co-host of the hit show "Project Runway" on Bravo, told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview. "My clothes are very investment oriented. People are looking for a sure bet in uncertain times. Washington is very energized, and women here want to get dressed for work and look powerful."

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