The word on everybody’s mouth this

fashion week was the fight of titans: Dior

vs. YSL, Raf Simons vs Heidi Slimane.

The final verdict is that both played safe,

and went old school into the archives of

the legendary brands they now repre-

sent.

And what did they find you might ask?

The same thing everybody else it

seems: The tailored jacket. This little

empowering piece was all over the

runways; big shouldered at Balmain,

flowery prints at Etro, and with his

signature deconstructed style at Yohji

Yamamoto.Yamamoto. Even the young designers

like David Longshaw, Zero + Maria

Cornejo, and the very colorful Libertine,

have adopted the trend.

We are addicted to the tailored jacket,

and that’s all the truth. From Prada to

Primark they are everywhere, simply

because they still have the power to say

smart, confident, businesswoman.

With a very masculine attitude, and

larger than life shoulder pads in the 80s,

our jacket was the key piece in the

“dress for success” look. Thierry Mugler

and Claude Montana were incorpora-

ting the shoulder pads trend by the end

of the 70s, but it wasn’t until the next

couplecouple of years that this particular sil-

houette was everywhere. The coolest

was to wear extra-long jackets, with

men shirts to look like a tough, imposing

woman. Who can forget Madonna with

her extra large leather jacket in her

“virgin tour” or Molly Ringwald the ulti

mate 80s teen idol, in her big pretty in

pink jacket, even the most stylish

models like Christy Turlington, and

Grace Jones were using suit jackets to

declare her power to the world. The

curvy, feminine figure was being repla-

ced by androgynous, masculine

shapes; adorned in striped suits women

reached the highest positions in all the

major corporations.

Power Dressing Again?

Dior S

/S 2013

YSL S/S 2013

Thierry Mugler

Zero + Maria Cornejo S/S 2013

Years before that around the 1920s, the

jacket was interpreted A la Garçon in the

boyish, unpretentious style of Coco

Chanel. She was the first designer that

took inspiration in the masculine attire

and translated it in to pieces for the

woman wardrobe; she created clothes

thatthat were comfortable, wearable, and

simple but without making them in any

way ugly, she just brought her “less is

more” flair to everything she created.

The radical changes she proposed in

fashion were so powerful, that even

today most garments are inspired by her

work. work.

Nevertheless the mother of the

legendary jacket is the Edwardian jacket

that young, free spirited young woman

used, way before Chanel, in the Belle

Époque era.

The Edwardian jacket was the must

have piece in the masculine wardrobe

during the Belle Époque; it was a little

longer than the modern day suit jackets,

very fitted, with some flare at the back

and at the sides. Fashionable gentlemen

went shopping for it to Savile Road,

wherewhere the respected tailors were.

Women were struggling to be accepted

in the world of business, so they started

wearing the Edwardian jacket too, to

blend in more with the businessmen.

The curious thing is that this was also the

time of the flower girls, with the S-shaped,

corseted, dresses. So in the end women

first suits had a very feminine, flowery, frou

frou air; it came in many colours, full of

pretty details, with gigantic gigot sleeves,

and combined with a long matching skirt

andand a big hat. But it was wearing this jacket

that the first entrepreneurs, designers,

suffragettes, scientists and writers

conquered the first rights for women. Very

soon the jacket began to be very

fashionable amongst the woman of both

aristocracy and bourgeoisie.

Constantly evolving and adapting to

trends, over the last hundred years the

garment has gone from a rebellious look to

a stylish must have, and even a red carpet

look. From Marlene Dietrich to Tilda

Swinton, androgynous stars favor the suit

look, but even more feminine style icons

likelike Blake Lively and Olivia Wilde have

used a tailored jacket inspired outfit to rock

the carpet.

We have seen the tailored jacket invented

and reinvented, in every decade and every

fashion since the beginning of the 20th

century. All the famous designers created

a version of it, politicians and pop idols

have been seen wearing it. Adapted to

every style and with so many individual

possibilities,possibilities, there is a tailored jacket for

every woman. So, power dress again?

Yes, but this time you know you want it too.

Tilda Swinton / Haider Ackerman

Christian Dior

Coco Chanel

Edwardian Dress

Blake Lively / Gucci

When a person doesn’t go to work money is lost; the company looses, the restaurant that sells the sandwich for lunch looses, the cupcake store that sells the mid afternoon treat looses, the shop that sells the “reward for a long day at work” shoes looses; but when thousands of people don’t go to work the money that is lost is abysmal.

ManyMany retailers launched special online sales, probably trying to make up for the gigantic economical blow suffered. Citizens expressed their outrage with the incitation to shop online during the storm to pass the time that stores like Gap, Anthropology and Barneys were instigating to increase the sales. Yet the store that really got the anger of the people was American Apparel that offeredoffered a Sandy Sale especially for the people in the affected states. It was considered very insensible to the people who were actually suffering all the rage of the hurricane.

But as New Yorkers were desperate to go back to shopping, to reward themselves probably for surviving a natural disaster, lines in the first stores opening around in Manhattan were increasingly large, so we can forecast a shiny future, for the fashion losses at least, to get recovered during the next days and trough the holiday season.

Every girl dream come truth is not marrying the perfect millionaire guy, or living in a fairy tale castle, is actually to eat without getting fat. And sure enough there are scientists working on the cure for chubbiness but until they do, the only answer for the less fortunate is to work out.

Running,Running, cycling, push-ups, lifting weight, the usual options, can be very boring, and soon you start making up excuses not to do them like, I’m kinda sick, or I ate too much at lunch, totally comprehensible, exercises are hard and dull and you lose so little weight, after a lot of effort; luckily there are many new options every day to burn calories, and still have some fun.

SlackliningIsIs walking, balancing and making some tricks (when you are very good) on a line. It requires a lot of concentration to keep your body stable, so you won’t fall of the line; you need to be very firm and focused on what you’re doing, exercisingexercising your core muscles and your mind at the same time. You need to be very perseverant because it may take a few tries to get the trick, but once you do, you ll feel like you can do anything. Some of the poses that you get to do are veryvery similar to yoga positions, so you ll be getting the same benefits, like hard and toned muscles, flexibility, core strength and inner peace.

TRXOrOr Tension Resistance Exercise, is basically a flexible

nylon strap with a handle at the end, that you have to

pull with a certain force to work the muscles. It looks

very simple but you can move in many different ways

while pulling the strap, so you will be training many parts

of your body at the same time. It strengthens the

muscles enormously making them firm and toned but

withoutwithout making you look like a bulky man. This tool

would make you work your entire body, all the core

muscles are engaged in the activity summing up power

from the weirdest places. The activity helps you build

stamina and gain balance and agility, its perfect to lose

weight, but also to strengthen the flabby parts of the

body, TRX allows you to create a lot of positions

dependingdepending on your ability, and the areas you want to

work and since you have to be very stable and firm

during the practice, it will require a lot of concentration

so you ll forget about your problems for the whole time

you’re training.

Antigravity yogaThisThis exercise is a great fusion of yoga, gymnastics, dance and aerial disciplines. The basic difference with traditional Yoga is that you get to do all positions inside an antigravity hammock, which is a mix of swing and a trapeze. This new twist allows the participants to feel like their floating, but at the same time gives them a much better understanding ofof their body, and the way it works. The hammock allows people to get the more difficult positions easier and better, with a much more precise alignment of the vertebrae, and the hanging upside positions you get to do, are great for refreshing your body, regulating your metabolism, improving blood flow and of course strengthening the abdominal area. area.

Dragon FightThisThis is a much more energetic discipline than the others. If you don t like calm, quiet activities this one is for you. Dragon Fight is a very fast paced, choreographed fight; you will be doing series of punch and kicks in a determinate order. It is a very demanding activity because you will have to be very concentrated on every movement, and then rememberremember the exact order of them, while using all your strength in the fight. Yes, is all about coordination and power. In reward you will be burning calories like crazy, eliminating cellulitis, building up muscles, acquiring fighting skills (quite useful to be able to defend yourself in case of an attack), helping your cardiovascular system and releasing a lot of accumulated tension.accumulated tension.Being fit is never easy; it requires a lot of effort and determination, but don’t give up the first time you feel exhausted, sweaty, and still chubby, because working out gives you a great a body, makes you feel good about yourself, and as Elle Woods reminds us generates endorphins, and endorphins makes us happy. There are tons of other fun disciplines that you can try for losing weight and not die trying.

He enrolled in the prestigious Parsons

the New School of design, in New York,

he decided to leave in his sophomore

year and launch his own ready to wear

line. With a characteristic deconstructed

silhouette, and a casual downbeat vibe

using structured lines and a colour-­less

palettepalette he quickly created a unique style

that distinguished him from the

thousands of other aspiring designers.

In no time the fashion crowd started to

notice him, his fresh approach to

fashion was exactly what people was

looking for. He won the CFDA/Vogue

FashionFashion fund in 2007, the Swarovski

womenswear designer of the year in

2009 and 2010, and the title “The

Aluminati” from Vogue.

But who is Alexander Wang and why they

choose him?

But fashion is full of this marvelous

stories of success, so why him?

According to Francois-­Henri Pinault,

chairman of PPR “Alexander Wang

will use his creativity and his own

research to reinterpret and

immortalize the distinctive, modern

andand extremely innovative style

imposed by Cristobal Balenciaga,”

and Isabelle Guichot, president and

chief executive of Balenciaga,

commented on Wang’s “modernity

and his individual and cosmopolitan

vision of design” But there may be

otherother reasons for this shocking

appointment.

First he is clearly a great

businessman, both of the lines he

personally runs Alexander Wang, the

ready to wear womenswear line and

T by Alexander Wang a diffusion line

of pre-­weathered cotton tees, tanks,

and T-­shirt dresses, have great sale

numbersnumbers even in the current

economic recession, and great

international reception, with stores

in America, Europe and Asia and

shipping to over 50 countries all

around the world. Also the 3 major

collaborations he has done so far,

withwith Uniqlo, Keds, and most recently

with Sally Hansen have been

complete sell outs.

Spring Summer 2009

Autumm Winter Spring Summer Autumm Winter

2009/10 2010 2010/11

It´s also probable that his Chinese

roots influenced the decision;; he

speaks perfect mandarin and fully

understands the culture, giving him a

unique competitive advantage when

approaching the growing Asiatic

market, Balenciaga already has 10

storesstores in China and it will be a great

image to have Wang as a leading

designer to push forward the brand.

His age can also be a determinant

factor for choosing him;; the most

recent high profile designer

recruitments, Saint Laurent and Dior,

were exactly what you could expect,

French, respected, experienced and

in their mid-­forties (The age of

reason)reason) but the reviews were hardly

merciful and both Spring-­Summer

collections were not received well by

the critics.

Maybe RRP is looking for a reaction more like when John Galliano was first appointed for

Givenchy or Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, both designers were young, daring and

foreigners, all these components were the recipe for success in the firms they were

representing, the risqué factor of choosing someone nobody is expecting, creates

excitement and expectation like nothing else, everybody is already looking forward for

Wang´s debut collection.

The obsession the fashion world’s

been having with the 50s decades

was a clear inspiration for Stacie

Bendet when designing her

Spring/Summer collection; the idea

of the perfect woman, the American

dream, and the optimism of the late

1950´s1950´s are reflected on every look.

From the upbeat, fun music mixed

by the DJs Caitlin Moran and Mia

Moretti, to the dreamy backgrounds

and the cat’s-eye sunglasses worn

by the models, the ambient was in

perfect harmony with the happy

vibe of the era.vibe of the era.

It’s ever so refreshing to have something completely

different than the standard catwalk show in the fashion

week circuit, and with Alice + Olivia you feel like you just

walked into the set of a movie where the collection plays

the leading role.

Cinched waists, A-Line skirts, cigarette trousers, pastel colors and flirty bustiers dominated the show. The designer kept the most iconic silhouettes of the decade, and brought them to life with a modern interpretation, thinking of a more youthful dynamic woman.

ThereThere were many different prints and patterns; big flowers, little flowers, leopard, stripes, dots, geometrical patterns, birds and even a pop-art inspired face.

KeyKey pieces of the collection are the divine tulip skirt gown; its unique shape and the spattered paint print, made this dress one of a kind. The Bustier with the matching skirt in primary colored stripes, this look screams Lolita in the most stylish way possible.

Another look that got a lot of attention, was the orange biker jacket paired with the white gaucho trousers; this was probably the most relaxed outfit of the whole.

AndAnd for this season the brand decided to expand a little bit more the accessories line, with a new line of bags; everyday totes, swagger pouches, and Lucile clutches filled with outfit matching candies were the pioneers in this incursion.

"As a designer today, part of my job is to pick a trend and to design the clothes, but I also need to create a way for my customers to be individuals." Bendet com-mented to Jessica Minkoff, journalist for Style.com, but it seems that she tried to pick too many trends, mixing a variety of fabrics and silhouettes she created a collection that overall turned out in cohesive.

It was only glued by the combination of pastel and pri-mary colours inspired by the work of the Russian-American artist Ilya Bolotowski.

In the ten years the young label has in the market they have created a very singular A+0 girl. With a quirk sense of style, and a playful creativity, Stacie Bendet has become the master of the cocktail dress for the young, elegant yet eclectic girl, the casual sophistication she brings to the pieces makes them a very clever option to keep a cool attitude while lookinglooking good and polished, no wonder the brand is becoming a favorite of the young A-listers like Lauren Conrad, Abigail Breslin, Dakota Fanning and Taylor Swift.

Tired of buying the

same things in the

same stores all the

time? Maybe is time

to hit one of the most

visited markets in

East London and get

somethingsomething really

unique. The Old

Spitalfields market is

famous for having an

important collection

of vintage pieces

owners, alongside

youngyoung designers, cute

accessories dealers

and artists. With live

music almost every

day, international

food kiosks, and some

pretty interesting

characters,characters, the

market has a great

ambiance and a really

cool vibe to look

around the stores for

that perfect thing you

were looking for (or

not).not).

What started last summer as a way to help the students of Winchester School of Art, where the founder is a Fashion & Textile Design teacher, has become one of the most popular twitter account amongst the fashion students.students. Sharon Williams was looking for an idea to use the social network in a meaningful, useful way, and she definitely found it.

Constantly promoting internships and graduate jobs, in the most professional and socially responsible way the site has built an amazing reputation amongst high profile fashion recruiters. With everyday more offers and followersfollowers @Ukfashionintern is going .com launching a brand new website offering a more organized and friendly experience for the job seekers.

At the end of the interview they

offered her the internship but for

the full term only. She told them

that she would need to think

about it and get back to them the

next day if they were happy to

accept that. They did. I heard

fromfrom a third party that they were

shocked as no intern had ever

said that before. She got back to

them and apologized as she really

could only offer two thirds of the

time as first anticipated. They

accepted.

JustJust before going to work for

them she was diagnosed with a

very nasty chronic illness. As she

had such a strong work ethic she

stuck to her commitment whilst

dealing with the realization that

she needed to change her lifestyle

andand way of living due to the

illness. The internship involved far

too much responsibility, it

included running a department for

two weeks whilst the key

members travelled to the Chinese

factories, she was their only UK

cover. cover.

I tried to watch the first one with

what researchers call a 'kind

mind' and I noticed that the

interns were entertained by what

was going on about them. They

were in a farce that they could

step out of again at the end of

theirtheir internship. I know this as I

have been in the same situation...

you're not there really taking

part, it is happening around you,

it is a bit of a laugh.

Overall it is not healthy for the

industry to be seen in this way

and for interns to be stereotyped

as potential unpaid 'dogsbodies'.

But dying your hair pink is not only to show some attitude;

you could also be supporting a good cause. The non-profit

organization, SO.CAP.USA offers a range of pink hair

extensions whose earnings will go straight to Breast Cancer

research foundations. So if you´re in for the good or just for

the fun, it’s time to feel Pretty in Pink!

SureSure enough this trend has been around for a

quite a while, the mother of the style is Zandra

Rhodes, the flamboyant fashion designer, and

long lasting fashion icon has worn her hair pink

since the punk era. Later in the 80s, Cyndi

Lauper wore her true colors, with her signature

blonde and pink hair do, then the ultimate

feministfeminist heroine of the 90s, Gwen Stefani, wore

her hair shocking pink with a perfectly white

wedding dress for the very first No-Doubt video,

this look catapulted her to fame, and more

recently the controversial pop star P!NK made

the pink hair, her distinctive sign.

Evolving from neon pink, like the one rebellious,

quirky teenagers like to wear, to a more stylish

pastel shade; from shy dip-dyed ponytails to

pink washed curls, there are many options in just

one colour. Not that often you get the chance to

try such a silly thing, and still feel like an

Über-cool Daphne Guinness.

1. You need to be blonde, natural or not, the dye will only work in light blonde hair.

2. Keep in hand a mixing bowl, a colour applicator, and the pink colored dye.

3. 3. Blend the dye with any conditioner until you get a nice pastel shade mix.

4. Apply this mix all over your hair, in the most even way possible, and be careful not to leave any spot.

5. 5. Leave it for an hour if you want a strong colour, or just for half an hour if you want it lighter.

6. Rinse it with a lot of cold water, until it comes clear again.

7. Don’t wash your hair every day to make the colour last longer.

dictiona

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