Fashion Industry discussion, review, analysis, news, and information

There's an interesting conversation going on about the influence that the fashion press has on people's perceptions of the industry.  It started with Lesley of Fashion Tribes and has continued on Manolo's Shoe Blog.

I don't believe that designers are out of touch because some of their clothes can't be worn by "ordinary" women.  I come from a philosophy that thinks fashion is indeed art.  Yes, I've been known to critique some runway shows and have said that some collections are "unwearable", but that doesn't mean that the fashion isn't nice to look at.  If anything these collections provide the inspiration to think outside of the box and be more innovative with our creativity. 

Any thoughts?

Everyone's talking about Mariah Carey's gargantuan engagement ring, but I'm going to go in another direction and talk about these Singelringen rings that are popping up on other celebrities' fingers.  We're all familiar with engagement and wedding rings, but Singelringen is a company that saw the opportunity to create rings for single people. 

Now many of you long-time readers know that I normally don't promote fashion just because it's being worn by celebrities, but since we're in superhero mode this week and Terrence Howard's face isn't plastered all over the place (However, he should be!), I thought I'd share this serene picture of him wearing a Singelringen ring..

There has been so much talk about superheroes lately...First with the opening of the movie, Iron Man, which is getting quite a bit of buzz from super hero fans; then there's the Met's Superheroes:  Fashion and Fantasy exhibition which will be open to the public on May 7th. 

Coutorture was in the house to get up close and personal with the ensembles.  Read the review and check out the gallery.  It is interesting to see how superheroes have influenced big-name fashion designers.  I immediately got the R2D2/"Star Wars" vibe when Nicolas Ghesquiere presented this from the Spring 2007 Balenciaga collection...

That runway show was the most memorable for me last year.  An outfit like that makes me feel like I could conquer the world! 

Photo Credit:  Style.com

Sometimes designers fall into a creative rut - something that I've been experiencing lately.  As far as writing about fashion, well, the ball is rolling again for me and I'm excited and inspired, but those creative juices haven't aligned with the jewelry designer in me.  However, that all changed when I visited Michaels yesterday...

I went in just to get some scrapbook paper, but walked out with that and then some - as is always the case when I enter any craft store!  I came away with these "Heart & Soul" metal charms by Blue Moon Beads that have inspired me to take out the jewelry kit again....New collection coming soon!  

I was also inspired today by a fashion magazine's photo shoot to create my own feature using my art and jewelry pieces.  Check out the rest of the jewelry collection over at my Etsy shop.

Today we have a guest post by Jamie Sanders who blogs over at The Beauty of Life. She also works at RalphLauren.com, so I asked her to share her experiences with us...

The life of a beauty blogger can be somewhat hectic! While I absolutely love writing about beauty products and spa treatments, I also work full-time as the Copywriter for RalphLauren.com to pay the bills … and continue to fuel my beauty obsession, of course! Writing for Ralph Lauren has taught me a lot about how to look for the details. And whether I'm writing about a polo shirt or about the latest Clinique lipgloss, this comes in handy!

On any given day, I could be submerged under 100 kids items (the little baby onesies are just too adorable), 20 pairs of high-end boots that I wish I could afford, and tons of amazing tops and dresses. But one of my favorite experiences was at our Black Label showroom when they had the Summer '08 collection rigged. It was an absolute sea of pink and white … and at first, all I could think was, "Wow, this is jarring." But the longer I stared at the pieces, the more I actually started to like them all – especially the pink-and-white striped blouse with Victorian-inspired batwing sleeves and the absolutely gorgeous pink-and-white polka-dot dress. And yes, I'm saving my pennies to be able to afford them both!

Forbes published their list of World's Top-Earning Models with Gisele Bundchen still holding strong to her position at #1 banking a $35 million while Heidi Klum coming in second with $14 million.  Tagging on their heels is Kate Moss with her $7.5 million earnings. 

The lesson that models are learning is that in order to make money in the fashion industry these days is with partnerships, clothing licenses, and advertising sponsorships.  In other words, a pretty face and a knock-out body aren't enough anymore.  With models losing their spots on magazine covers, models need to have a strong sense of business as well. 

Check out the full list of top earning models...

Nina Garcia's name has been hitting the fashion radar the past few days.  Maybe it's because of her cameo appearance in an episode of Ugly Betty.  Looks like she has some pretty decent acting skills...or is that the real her? 
 

Everyone wants to know what's up with Nina...

Fashionista has dropped a little bit of juicy gossip that's making people wonder if Harper's Bazaar is trying to recruit Nina...For all we know she just dropped by to see a friend who works there, perhaps?

Tim Gunn is just hoping that she makes it back for another season of Project Runway...

However, we find it interesting that she's going to be a judge in a contest to design birth control packaging...

Some Australian fashion designers are proving that "fierce" and innovative fashion are not exclusive to Christian Siriano and Nicolas Ghesquiere.  Take Konstantina Mittas, for example.  I was pretty blown away by some of the pieces in her spring/summer 08/09 collection.  Her inspiration: crows.  The pieces are part gothic, edgy, full of volume, but dare I say, almost completely unwearable.  I'm curious as to how the collection will translate into pieces that could be sold in boutiques. 

Read more about Australian Fashion Week over at Patty Huntington's blog...

Nancy MacDonell of Style.com is also reporting from Australia...

If you're in the jewelry business, this may be the year for you.  According to the L.A. Times (via Style Dash), these days men are becoming comfortable with the idea of wearing more jewelry.  Bling is no longer reserved for rap stars and sports players with enough money to feed Africa :)

Browsing through some of my favorite shopping sites on the web, here are my top 5 picks for men's jewelry:

There's something about a Fleur de Lys that captures my attention.  This necklace is made with sterling silver and hematite stingray leather. (Available at Shop.com )

This Edward Mirell Gray & Black Titanium Ring is very chic...

For casual wear, I think a beaded bracelet is fun. This is a Lotus Dzi Bead Bracelet (with Amazonite Beads) for Men...

This GUESS Men's Rose-Goldtone Resin-Strap Chronograph Watch is definitely an eye-catcher...

And of course, a pair of white gold diamond stud earrings will always turn heads...

The other day I browsed through Teen Vogue because I was curious as to what kind of ads are being printed these days.  Basically what I saw were the same ads as the regular Vogue.  In a nutshell: forgettable.  No, this is isn’t going to be one of those what-happened-to-creativity rants that many of you long-time readers are accustomed to.  No, this time I have a tip on how companies can make the most of their advertising money.  So if you’re a marketing executive, read on…

With so many people online nowadays, I believe that the future for marketing and advertising is going to be on the internet.  We’re already seeing this with bloggers already claiming some share of the advertising budgets of companies such as Levi’s who advertised here at The Runway Scoop not too long ago.  Then Chanel caused a stir when it invited some of the top beauty bloggers to Paris.