The often-catty world of fashion put its claws away

The often-catty world of fashion put its claws away for an evening and raised more than €752,000 ($1.03 million) for a good cause.

Fashion luminaries including Jean Paul Gaultier and Pucci designer Peter Dundas and fashionable people like actresses Diane Kruger and France's Melanie Thierry were among 720 well-heeled guests at Thursday's "Diner de la Mode" benefit dinner in support of AIDS charity Sidaction.

Luxury labels from Louis Vuitton to Christian Dior bought 10-person tables for €9,000 ($12,000) a pop, and their guests dined on lobster souffle and sea bass with morel mushrooms.

"I come every year because this is something that really makes a difference in people's lives, in treating people who hare ill and in trying to stop it (AIDS) from spreading," said Gaultier. "All of us here make clothing, but the most important item of clothing is the one that saves lives — the condom."

Rising French designer Vanessa Bruno concurred.

"A lot of times, the fashion world is about frivolity and lightness," said Bruno, who just opened her first U.S. boutique in Los Angeles. "This is a chance to do something much more serious that has a real impact."
For Dior Homme's Kris Van Assche, the fight against AIDS is something personal.

"I think everyone in the fashion business knows people who are living with HIV, so this evening really hits home," said the 34-year-old menswear designer, who also has a women's line under his own name.

After the dessert — meringue-covered chestnut ice cream — guests drew for almost 200 lots donated by luxury labels and other high-end Paris businesses. Prizes ran the gamut from a selection of crocodile-emblazoned polo shirts by Lacoste to a cooking class by three Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse to a collection of what was billed as never-before-seen photos of Michael Jackson.

Plus handbags. Lots and lots of handbags.

The male model-of-the-moment, 19-year-old Andrej Pejic, said he won a red travel tote from the storied French bag-maker Goyard — and then went on to win a series of three oxygenating facials from a Paris spa.
"I'm a lucky boy," said Pejic, an ethereal blond whose appearance a day earlier in Gaultier's women's haute couture runway show — where he modeled the bridal gown — made him the sensation of the season.

Sidaction president Pierre Berge — the longtime partner of the late, great designer Yves Saint Laurent — opened the evening with a speech outlining where the money raised goes: Less than a quarter of Sidaction's funds go organizational overhead, with half of the rest going to research and the other half to prevention and patient care. The total raised at Thursday's ninth annual dinner — €752,160 — was up from €728,000 in 2010.

The ninth annual dinner ended with a no-holds-barred dance party where star DJ Bob Sinclar spun and dancers in bustiers and teeny bikini bottoms undulated on raised podiums. Seven-foot-tall drag queens shared the dance floor with men in red Swarovski-crystal-encrusted masks that morphed into deer antlers and a women in a tuxedo where the entire back half had been replaced by black satin laces.

The "Diner de la Mode" marked the official end of Paris' haute couture displays, where designers showcase inventive and elaborate made-to-measure garments with price tags that start at the cost of a new car.

Earlier Thursday, 26-year-old Indonesian designer Didit Hediprasetyo delivered a spring-summer 2011 collection of elegant bustier dresses with elaborate origami folds. The show, held off the official couture calendar at the tony Crillon Hotel, was a promising start for the Paris-trained designer.

While the featherweight models could barely lug the elaborately draped dresses in heavy tweed down the catwalk, the high-rise skirts and short, strapless dresses in lighter materials — like a pretty Indonesian fabric shot with metallic threads — were simply beautiful.

romantic attire of Shakespeare's era

Nicki Minaj has worked it as an anime-inspired siren ("Check It Out"), taken no prisoners as the leader of a no-nonsense army of vixens ("Massive Attack") and fought to the death as a love-struck martial artist ("Your Love") in her videos. However, for her latest visual, "Moment 4 Life," Minaj said she was inspired by the regal, romantic attire of Shakespeare's era.

In the video, Minaj strolls around a palatial mansion in a voluminous blue gown — where she's spotted by her "Moment" leading man and collaborator Drake — and vamps it up in a beaded corseted getup with a tulle train. Minaj also opens the video as her British alter ego Martha — who appears as a sage-yet-saucy fairy godmother in a frilly pink dress with a scepter and wings — and closes the video in a full-skirted bridal gown as she and Drake go in for a kiss.

Directly after the premiere of the Pink Friday cut's clip on MTV on Thursday (January 27), MTV News' Sway caught up with the megastar MC in Brooklyn for a live Q&A session, and Minaj broke down the theme of the fashion in "Moment" and explained that she took cues from iconic historical periods.

Check out the fashions from Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life" video.

"I wanted to take a step away from, like, high fashion or, like, [a] hip-hop, sporty type of look and into just, like, real flowy and just to play dress-up," she said. "I was envisioning a Shakespeare time, and I figured, 'What would they wear?' I felt like the first outfit kinda looked like, almost like you're in Egypt somewhere back in the day, like a long time ago," she added of the bejeweled draped blue dress.

The visual also marked the onscreen debut of her theatrical alter ego Martha, who counsels a wide-eyed Minaj about her forthcoming fortune at the start of the clip. Minaj explained that it's Martha's signature milky-hued locks — which were teased up into a bouffant — that make the character.

"Of course, you know, Martha she has the wings, and I saw her with white hair. To me she just seemed like she would be an old little English lady, probably with a cane, and so we just needed to give her white hair," she said. "But she's super, like, posh."

 

US retailer Walmart will release an all-natural

US retailer Walmart will release an all-natural, partially "anti-aging" beauty line for tweens, called GeoGirl.

Targeting 8- to 12-year-olds, the retail giant says the around 70 new GeoGirl products are eco-friendly and therefore "mother approved," adding that the palette is for those girls who want "real cosmetics, but with natural ingredients."

The products not only are natural, but - quite unbelievably considering the target group - also have an anti-aging effect thanks to their antioxidants. For all those above twelve, prepare to feel old when looking at GeoGirl's product names, whose texting slang ranges from J4G ('Just For Grins') and QTPi ('Cutie Pie') to FYEO ('For Your Eyes Only') and URA* ('You Are A Star').

GeoGirl will include blushes, mascaras, face shimmers, body mists, and cleansers, and will become available in late February. Prices are all under $5.99.

68th Golden Globe Awards revealed a number of key trends

From gowns in a rainbow of pinks to emerald green, one-shoulder sheaths to full-length sleeves, the fashions on display at Sunday night's 68th Golden Globe Awards revealed a number of key trends. For jewelry, it seemed that most stylists and their stars received a similar style memo: choose either simple earlobe-hugging earrings or large, nearly shoulder-grazing pairs, matched with a bracelet or two.

Golden Globes winner Claire Danes, recognized for her role in the HBO miniseries Temple Grandin, went this route, pairing a yellow gold and diamond cuff with small diamond and platinum drop earrings, all from Fred Leighton. Black Swan actress Mila Kunis, one of a handful of stars to wear emerald green to the Globes, went with a bracelet and earring combo, too, selecting a yellow gold and diamond cuff and diamond stud earrings from Lorraine Schwartz. And Mad Men's January Jones, who wowed in a barely there Versace, was another actress to go the popular jewelry silhouette, selecting diamond and platinum column earrings and a trio of diamond and platinum bangle bracelets from Neil Lane.

Meanwhile, right-hand rings don't show any sign of going out of fashion, as quite a few stars topped off their earrings and bracelet combinations with a ring—or a few. Annette Bening, one of the evening's big winners for her role in The Kids Are All Right, wore a diamond and black onyx cuff bangle, diamond cluster earrings and two diamond cocktail rings. Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose husband Michael Douglas presented the final award of the night, looked to Van Cleef & Arpels for her "Crescendo" diamond bracelet, "Laureen" diamond ring and "Eliza" earrings, the latter featuring 26.8 carats total weight of round-, pear- and marquis-shaped diamonds. Presenter Jennifer Lopez went with a jewelry trio, too: a diamond cuff with over 600 diamonds, plus cluster earrings and a diamond suspension ring, all in platinum from Harry Winston.

Necklaces were fewer on the evening's stage, but they did get some very high-profile exposure. Natalie Portman, Golden Globe winner for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, accessorized her strapless Viktor & Rolf gown with a multi-row diamond necklace set in platinum, topped off with oval diamond stud earrings in platinum and a diamond ring in 18-karat white gold, all from Tiffany & Co. Presenters Helen Mirren and Kaley Cuoco hit the stage in necklaces, too, with Mirren wearing a platinum and cascading diamond necklace from Cartier, and Cuoco donning a 29-carat oval-shape diamond necklace in platinum from Chopard.

Brand exclusivity is crucial

THE official launch of the autumn fashion range is two months away for Myer and David Jones but they have already kicked off a fight over brands and the battle for exclusive rights to top designers.

Myer was first to claim bragging rights this month after poaching womenswear and menswear designer Arthur Galan and Australian fashion label Simona from David Jones.

David Jones announced yesterday that it had secured exclusive rights to 12 Australian and international designers and 18 fashion and beauty brands, including Italian fashion house Pucci, French luxury brand Balmain, the Versace collection, MinkPink and Witchery Man.

Brand exclusivity is crucial to Myer and David Jones because having sole access to branded clothes, footwear and cosmetic labels in their stores prevents them being undercut on price. The two department store chains often sit side by side in shopping centres and, though they often match prices offered on similar products, their margins on exclusive brands can remain intact.

Nearly 60 per cent of David Jones's brand portfolio consists of exclusive labels while Myer has been reworking its flagship store in the Bourke Street Mall where it can show off its exclusive labels.

David Jones's general manager of fashion and beauty, Sacha Laing, said yesterday that winning the new 30 exclusive brands had taken months.

He denied that David Jones had ''lost'' Arthur Galan, and while not commenting on that label, said brands would often leave David Jones as they did not meet sales performance benchmarks. David Jones insists it ''let go'' of Simona.

Myer is claiming the move by Arthur Galan as a big coup.

A Myer spokeswoman said Arthur Galan's womenswear business in David Jones was up 22.7 per cent in the year to date, and menswear was up 7 per cent in a tough period.

For the first quarter of 2010-11, David Jones reported total and like-for-like sales of $466.6 million, up 3.2 per cent. For the same period, Myer had sales of $706 million, down 1.53 per cent, or 1.76 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

The Chanel small classic flap which Vanessa Paradis

Celebrity Vanessa Paradis attended the Chanel Haute Couture show today during Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture spring/summer 2011. While many attendees wore dresses and semi-formal attire, Vanessa Paradis wore a daring pair of jeans which she cuffed a few inches above her ankle in order to show off her black boots. Paradis paired her jeans with a cotton tee-shirt and black pony hair tuxedo jacket. To top off the look, Vanessa Paradis wore a small Chanel classic flap, also known as the “east/west” style.

The Chanel small classic flap which Vanessa Paradis wore was in red; which happens to be a popular spring color and may even be more important for fall 2011 as evidenced from the few fall 2011 runway shows which have already occurred.

The small Chanel classic flap features a single chain strap with interwoven leather. Vanessa Paradis’s Chanel handbag was done in caviar leather. Chanel also sells the small classic flap in soft lambskin, patent leather and in seasonal tweed. The small classic flap by Chanel can fit a small wallet, keys, small smart phone and glasses without the case.

 

Fashion Week Swimwear 2011 has introduced the colorful swimwear fashion

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swimwear 2011 has introduced the colorful swimwear fashion of the 2011 season - and the styles are a much-needed revival of vivid colors and bold patterns.

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for swimwear 2011 ended last weekend, and while many of you likely did not follow the actual fashion show, you are probably dying to know what to expect for the spring and summer of 2011. Top swimwear designers have stretched the limits of 2010 - and have entered into a season of bold colors, styles and patterns.

The Plush Swimwear blog writes: The top colors in swimwear designers' mind for next year were in the blue-green, orange and brown families. Blue hues came in many shades, but primarily in turquoise and light sky colors, mixed with greens from the seafoam to the olive hues. Deep, burnt orange in rusty shades were also seen in many collections, as well as hot, raspberry pinks. Less so than the blue-green and orange-pink combinations, but still very much present were deep earthy browns all the way to nude and off-white tones. In sum, the bright neons from the 80's have been toned down, muted, washed out and gave way to classier, more sophisticated hues - thank goodness for that! Oh yeah - not to worry, black, white and grays are always a must!Fashion Week Swimwear 2011 has introduced the colorful swimwear fashion

Extravagant tutus created for the ballet film have caught the eye of Oscar judges

The exquisitely crafted tutus in the much praised Black Swan rival actress Natalie Portman's honed physique as a reason to watch the hit film. But unlike Portman, the fashion house Rodarte, which was responsible for the feathered creations, will not be lapping up the acclaim this awards season.

The sisters behind the ballet costumes will miss out on the glory of an all but guaranteed Academy Award nomination for best costume design on Tuesday, because they are not the film's official costumiers. Instead, Amy Westcott will accept the plaudits if the movie wins an Oscar on 27 February: her name is on the credits, even though the black, sequinned tutu that features in the film's promotional shots is not designed by her.

Black Swan has already picked up best costume nominations from Bafta, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and the Costume Designers' Guild, as well as scores of others for categories ranging from best movie and best director to best screenplay and best actress: Portman walked off with that accolade at last week's Golden Globes.

Westcott said that Rodarte's Black Swan designs echoed its "vulture-inspired" collection for autumn/winter 2010. Rodarte – otherwise known as Kate and Laura Mulleavy – created 40 costumes for the thriller, dressing the entire corps de ballet as well as Portman and her co-star, Mila Kunis.

It was the Mulleavy sisters' connections with Portman that landed them the Black Swan job: the actress is one of their biggest fans and regularly wears their creations on the red carpet. The pair are highly revered in the fashion industry, with Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Louboutin among their supporters. Other movie star clients include Keira Knightley, Cate Blanchett and Kirsten Dunst. Michelle Obama is another fan.

It is nothing new for fashion houses to miss out on award glory. Merle Ginsberg, of The Hollywood Reporter, said there was a "long history of fashion designers creating costumes for stars above and beyond what a film's costume designer does – and not getting the credit".

Helen O'Hara, deputy online editor at the film title Empire, called the omission part of a "fine old tradition". She added: "There's a bit of clannishness that goes on. The professional stage and screen designers don't particularly warm to fashion designers coming in and expecting a nomination."

In 1954, Edith Head accepted the best costume Oscar for Audrey Hepburn's outfits in Sabrina; controversially because it was Hubert de Givenchy who dressed the style icon. Other designers have been similarly overlooked when it comes to nominations, including Jean-Paul Gaultier for The Fifth Element; Ralph Lauren for Annie Hall; and Giorgio Armani for American Gigolo. Similarly, Manolo Blahnik created the shoes for Marie Antoinette, which took the 2006 Oscar for costume design, yet is barely credited.

Ms O'Hara added: "The fashion industry doesn't lack for opportunities to congratulate itself, but if they've done a lot of work I'd like to see them acknowledged."

Other films tipped for Oscar costume glory include The King's Speech, Burlesque, Inception and Alice in Wonderland, but Black Swan is the industry favourite.

The costume controversy is far from the only storm to have surrounded Black Swan. Dancers including Deborah Bull and Tamara Rojo have criticised the film's depiction of the ballet world as a place where bulimia, self-harm, lesbianism, and psychological and sexual abuse are rife. Bull, who danced with the Royal Ballet, claimed the movie had set the public's perception of ballet back by 50 years and was riddled with clichés.

Angeloni is best known in the menswear business

On Friday evening, the night before the official start of the fall-winter 2011 menswear shows in Milan, the mood in a showroom on Via Gesu was decidedly blue -- as in neon blue cocktails, dishes of blue candy and white walls smeared with blue paint.

"Blue is modern and fluid," Umberto Angeloni told me as he brandished a 12-page booklet extolling the virtues of the color, which included quotes from Baudelaire and Bukowski and references to Pablo Picasso and Yves Klein.

Angeloni is best known in the menswear business as the longtime chief executive at Italian suiting label Brioni, and he is the creative force behind Uman.

"I left Brioni in 2007 and cashed in my shares and watched as the whole world started to crumble," he told me, referring to the toll the global economic crisis took on the world.

"Then I decide to start something that questioned all the basic tenets of menswear that have been in place since World War II. Really ask, 'What's behind a piece of clothing?' "

And when Angeloni says basic tenets, he means it -- right down to the traditional shape, sizing and silhouette of the men's suit, the proportions of which were based on the soldiers of the day. "The right arm was a slightly different size because of all the lifting of the rifles," Angeloni offered by way of example. "It hasn't changed at all since then."

Angeloni pointed out the mannequin built to Uman specifications. "He doesn't have a low shoulder, but it's not a square one either, and he's a bit more muscular."

After extensive research taking measurements of what Angeloni calls "the modern man," Uman (referring both to "human" as well as the first to letters of Umberto Angeloni's first and last name) was launched in 2009. It's been in the U.S. just since last season, where it is sold exclusively through Barneys New York (including the Beverly Hills store).

The core of the collection is the Uman take on the basic blue suit (which retails for about $2,500), and each season will see the addition of three more jackets (each of which retails from $1,00 to $1,500).

The three pieces added for fall-winter 2011 are the Corsa (Angeloni's take on the car coat), the Canada Mack (think luxe lumberjack) and the Knitta (a knitted jacket inspired by the knitted outerwear pieces worn by sailors). And they're available in any color you'd like -- as long as it's blue.

Each jacket is sold with a companion essay book published by Skira that discusses the style ("Telemark" holds forth on ski-influenced menswear, for example, and "After Dark" discusses the history of the tuxedo) as well as a wardrobe book that describes the specific details of each garment (pleats, patterns and such).

It's a clever addition, and it gives men a sense of ownership and knowledge most wouldn't otherwise have. Sure it's a stereotype, but if a guy won't stop and ask directions, what are the chances he'll take the time to learn about the garments he's wearing unless you put the book in his hand?

The fall-winter collection might be a bit heavy for the average Southern California consumer, but keep an eye on Uman moving forward; Angeloni's blue period is just beginning.

Scarves made of Thai silk, the best silk in the world

I live in Bangkok, Thailand, home of the silk scarf. Scarves made of Thai silk, the best silk in the world, are sold in millions of shops all over Thailand, with Thai women wearing them as fashion accessories with just  about every outfit. Since I moved to Thailand, I've become obsessed with scarves, own more than 200 of them, and wear them with everything from business suits to evening wear. If you own a silk scarf and don't know what to do with it, here are four quick ways to wear a silk scarf just like a Thai girl does, making you immediately look elegant and chic.

The Casual Scarf Knotted Around The Neck - One of the fastest ways to wear a silk scarf is to knot it around your neck in a simple 'kerchief' style. If it's a regular square-shaped scarf, I twist it several times, like Thai women do, before I wrap it around my neck, then tie one quick knot, move the knot to the side of my neck and I'm ready to go.

If the scarf is a longer oblong-shaped scarf, which many silk scarves in Thailand are,Thai girls will wrap the scarf loosely around their necks twice, then wrap the two ends over and pull until it's secure around their neck. They don't knot it though. Just leave it to work its way lose. Chic, easy and lovely with an open-necked shirt or strapless t shirt.

The Scarf as Shawl - One of my biggest uses for scarves is to wear them as a small shawl, which is what most Thai girls do. Scarves in Thailand are usually quite large, sort of in between a scarf and a shawl, and are perfect for wearing around your shoulders on a hot afternoon to protect you from the sun, or a cool evening to avoid the chill.

You can either just drape one around your shoulders and let it hang loose or, fasten it the Thai way, which is drape around your shoulders and then throw one of the ends back over your shoulder to tighten the scarf around your neck. Wonderful in a hot climate like Thailand, particularly if you're in an air-conditioned restaurant on a hot night.

2011's spring is going to be all about simple pretty

Although it‚Äôs the middle of winter, below freezing temps, and most areas find snow covered grounds, fashion connoisseurs can‚Äôt help from imagine what this spring's trends will roll in. A few ideas on the forecast of the future season's styles to come  are small floral prints, more ruffles, and nude, nude, nude!

Whether your shade of choice is taupe, gray, cream, blush, ivory, tan, or another, it’s the tone to have this upcoming season and don’t be afraid to stock up in this shade in all items: dresses, pants, pumps, and tops. With metallics of all back in as well, what better way to accessorize than flash up your nudes with some silver, bronzed, or especially gold jewelry. This includes (if you haven’t already) purchasing that gold boyfriend style watch you have been eyeballing. It’s a must have and can be worn with everything from casual to formal attire.

Besides the usual frilly spring dresses, rompers will be shining as well. Though there was a peek at them the last few seasons, this spring they will be hot, hot, hot! As we all know every new season brings new color combos that fall in love all over again and prints that show up everywhere. This April's showers will bring blues and blushes, whites and golds, camel with everything, and flowers,flowers,flowers! Some other trends to look for will be lace, wide leg pants, clogs, and stripes (just don’t overdo them). 2011's spring is going to be all about simple pretty, subtle glamour, and 70's inspired edge.

For some suggestions on places to shop for these spring trends that are easy on the budget I suggest Express, Target, Lulu's Boutique (online only), Aldo Shoes, and H&M. All these stores have spring lines coming out that offer many versatile and cute options for this spring's latest fashions. 

Fashion Risk Takers Dominate Red Carpet at Golden Globe Awards

Fashion risk-takers helped the red carpet at Sunday's Golden Globes live up to its reputation as the liveliest of the awards season, with Helena Bonham Carter leading the way in mismatched -- one red, one green -- shoes.

She topped her multicolored, printed cocktail frock with a wacky hairdo woven with black netting.

Olivia Wilde cleared her own path in an oversized chocolate-brown ballgown by Marchesa with beading that mimicked a starry night. "I'm a wide load -- give me 20 feet," Wilde joked.

"I like wearing big dresses, it's fun. We go to so many parties in this town, the Globes are something to play with in terms of fashion," she added.

Still, there was room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., for waves of gowns in green, red, black and blush tones.

Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elisabeth Moss in Donna Karan and Mila Kunis all did green justice, and the red looks on Sofia Vergara and January Jones were impossible to ignore. Jones actually requested this dress -- originally on the Versace runway in blue -- to be made in the bright lipstick hue.

Black wasn't boring on a super-sexy Halle Berry, a voluptuous Eva Longoria and a sleek Piper Perabo.

Sandra Bullock wore a powder shade and so did Scarlett Johansson, while Claire Danes, Lea Michele and Julianna Margulies picked pink.
Natalie Portman covered her growing baby bump with a delicate, lengthwise flounce on her pink Viktor & Rolf that was adorned with a bright red flower at the bustline. "It was very suited for my body at the moment," Portman said. "I'm feeling good. It's kind of a disguise."

why Coach Bags are popula

One of the reasons why Coach Bags are popular is because of their affordable price. Unlike other branded bags you need not to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for a single bag, in fact you can easily obtain your desired bag with every style you need in it, in an affordable price.

Coach handbags has always kept the excellentquality, durable, strong well enough to become a luxury brand conditions, but compared with the traditional European luxury brand, and handbags the average price of less than half of them. With unique consumer insight, Coach outlet cut suffered consumption upgrade is in vogue of emerging consumer trend.

Coach in consumer survey found that women willing to spend more money to buy high-grade leather bag, this means that Coach Bags and extended upward price space.Because of their many unique designs and high quality materials, it is no surprise that Gucci handbags have been one of the top designers for some time. Authentic Coach Handbags Wholesale are given the highest credit for always having the most style and elegance Coach Handbags Wholesale, making them a high demand fashion accessory.

Coach outlet store not only in popular speed dared to challenge the industry rules, define a closer to the consumer habits delivery speed, in the channel strategy that Coach outlet also challenge the industry the most sensitive nerve, also have formed the unique channel structure.For this year’s resort collection, Coach Handbags has created simple, functional Coach

Handbags that can easily fit into the current vintage trends while playing into the classic, lady bag trend from Fall.

this fabled fashion show

IN the annals of fashion smackdowns, few events have attained anything resembling the legendary status of the 1973 Grand Divertissement à Versailles. A stunt benefit ginned up by Eleanor Lambert, the publicist who invented the Best Dressed List, this fabled fashion show, promoted as a Franco-American collaboration, was always destined to be seen as a battle for dominance: the Old World slugging it out with the New, a muscular group of comers with Studio 54 as their shared point of reference taking on the fusty world of the haute couture.

Liza Minnelli and American runway models belt out “Bonjour, Paris!” at the Grand Divertissement à Versailles in 1973. The event put American fashion on the international map.
To raise money for the restoration of Versailles, five American upstarts were invited to show their clothes alongside an equal number of what some journalists termed the “lions” of French fashion. The New York contenders were a decidedly motley lot: the gifted and imperious Halston; the industry stalwarts Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass; Anne Klein, the sportswear pioneer; Stephen Burrows, a relative unknown then being touted as the future of American design. The French team, if that is the word for a collection of arch-rivals, comprised Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior (the label was designed at the time by Marc Bohan), Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin.

Headlines of the day reported on the gala — which drew 800 guests, including erstwhile nobilities as well as Princess Grace of Monaco wearing a jeweled tiara — as if it had been a prize fight. The Americans, representing what must have been clear even then was the wave of the fashion future, delivered a knockout. The French, representing a dwindling world of stratospherically expensive one-offs made for millionaires, were on the mat.

Whether or not, as some have suggested, American fashion came of age at that moment, it was clear that the future of the business lay not in the cloistered sanctums of some rarefied Gallic dressmakers but in an increasingly expansive sense of what fashion meant. Fashion as the all-encompassing cultural phenomenon it is now did not come into being on one night outside Paris, but things occurred then that changed the game.

Casting was one. Hard as it may be to credit in an age of inclusion, the Grand Divertissement à Versailles was very nearly the first time that anyone in Paris had seen an African-American woman on a catwalk. Back in those early days, said Harold Koda, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “an ethnic woman was someone who was southern European.”

After the success of the Grand Divertissement, Mr. Koda added, it was not just American fashion that was on the ascendant but some starkly democratic New World beauty ideals.

“What made our show different was that in Paris no one had ever seen a black model on a runway,” Oscar de la Renta said last week by telephone. And while there are those who might dispute the assertion (the designer Paco Rabanne, for one, employed black models in the 1960s), there is no arguing with contemporary reports that described the presence of black models as a major factor in the transformation of American fashion, which the French had derided as mass-produced goods, into a global force.

To commemorate the moment, the Costume Institute this month is staging a rare gathering — a kind of Oprah moment — a luncheon to honor as many of the “ethnic” models from that fabled event as can be gathered in one room. There are names on the roster that many both inside the business and outside it will still recognize, like that of the perennial wild-child Pat Cleveland and also Bethann Hardison, an agent and industry gadfly in her post-modeling career.

And there are others whose mayfly fame barely survived the moment, women like Billie Blair, at one time a kind of cult idol and now so obscure that one has to search for clues to her existence in the outer reaches of the blogosphere.

“From that one moment on, there was a kind of interest on the part of fashion designers in representing the excitement and diversity of the street,” Mr. Koda said. “Part of that excitement came from the African-American community and the music scene, and part of it was a sort of animated desire for a range of looks,” he added and that range promoted a diverse “range of ideal imagery that all of us are still absorbing in one way or another.”

Black models, claimed the model Bethann Hardison, “were not the norm then and are hardly the norm now. But we were part of a time period where being a runway model meant something, a time before runway models were given up for print girls, and it was the runway girl who sold your merchandise. That really started changing people’s minds about us and what we could do."

What the new crop of talent brought to Versailles and the business at large, she added: “was character and the strength of defiance. The only thing I had was my fierceness in my eyes and in my body. I defied the French when I walked down the catwalk, and that’s when people started screaming and the programs went flying in the air.”

This did occur. Following that night at Versailles, Emanuel Ungaro declared the American show “genius.” The Duchess de la Rochefoucauld remarked that the “French were good but the Americans were sensational.”‘ The Countess Jacqueline de Ribes was more pointed in her appraisal. “The French were pompous and pretentious,” she said in the press of the day, referring to presentations that included showgirls, space ships and a pumpkin coach. “The American show was so full of life, of color,” the countess added. “Not since Eisenhower,” C. Z. Guest, the American chairwoman of the show, said with typical hyperbole, “have the Americans had such a triumph in France.”

fashionistas to try on new buzzwords

Leave it to fashionistas to try on new buzzwords like they're going out of style. Whether it was our bromance with heritage brands or the shellacking that some collaborations took, 2010 saw no shortage of P.R.-driven catchphrases and trendy terms. As with all fads, it's time to put some to rest.

Couture: Calling something "couture" doesn't make it hand-sewn or high class. Yet the word popped up everywhere last year, from discount websites to New York City pushcarts. It's even uttered repeatedly on HSN and QVC to describe handbags, dresses and almost anything else. You can trust that the rayon and polyester cape selling for $49.95 was not hand-stitched by petite seamstresses in a Parisian atelier.

Bespoke: A close runner-up to "couture." Used by retailers to make their merchandise seem classier, although the items in question are not literally made to order.

Statement outfits: Does your clothing speak louder than words? That seemed to be the mantra chanted by fashion lemmings, who kept referring to attention-grabbing pieces as "statements."

Smoldering: OK, your makeup is hot. Your outfit is hotter. You are about to combust. We get it.

Pop-up: It was the year of the pop-up store - Shiseido and AllSaints had them, as did Zimmermann swimwear in SoHo and Liberty of London for Target. Blame it on empty storefronts and skittish retailers, but the hit-and-run retail concept swept the world's fashion capitals, to the point of losing its novelty.

Fashionista: The word has gone from describing a class of urban style-conscientious sophisticates to becoming a lazy and cheap byword for anyone with a modicum of taste.

Collaborations: H&M and Alber Elbaz; Gap and Stella McCartney; Jason Wu and Tse. Collaborations went gaga in 2010, making it seem as if solo designing were a thing of the past.

Concept store: Used to describe any store that deviated in the slightest from the norm, whether it was Ann Taylor's "concept store" in the Flatiron district that featured 10 design finalists or the OC Concept Store on Madison Avenue that sells watches and yachts. But aren't all stores supposed to have a concept? Just checking.

Geek-chic: If geeks rule the world, it was only a matter of time before they conquered fashion. In 2010, anyone who sported thick-framed glasses, cardigans and T-shirts with nerdy references was instantly labeled "geek-chic." The hip-to-be-square term has also become a popular Twitter hashtag.

Eco-fashion: Stella McCartney made vegan platform shoes out of faux leather and cork; Michael Kors used organic cashmeres and cottons in his resort collection. Responsible design never gets old, but this term has.

DIY fashion: It's not always necessary to knit your own mittens. And not everyone becomes a best-seller on Etsy.com.Save your sanity by going to Urban Outfitters and spending the $8.

Heritage: Waxed Barbour jackets. Red Wing boots. Woolrich sweaters. Classic Americana ruled men's runways in 2010 - and the cash registers at retail behemoths like J. Crew. But perhaps the only thing more played out than another lumberjack-chic man with a candy-colored ax was this word, trotted out to label the retro-trend.

Well-edited: This replaced "curated" to describe any collection chosen with a sharp eye. Stay tuned for this year's word: culled.

Mash-up: Used to describe looks that blend multiple influences, as in, "The designer's spring collection is a mash-up of Upper East Side girl and Harajuku girl on Valium." or "Her aesthetic is a mash-up of East meets West." Designers have always drawn upon their imagination and varied cultural references, so the term is superfluous.

To Some Dancers, Black Swan' Is a Cautionary Tale

CARMELLA IMRIE spent six grueling hours last Wednesday mastering steps like the brisé and jeté battu for Keith Michael’s ballet “The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies.” But instead of going home to nurse her toes afterward, she and five other dancers with the New York Theater Ballet headed out to see “Black Swan.”

After sitting through the nearly two-hour-long thriller, Ms. Imrie, 27, left the AMC Loews theater in Kips Bay wanting to shake her arms, as if her skin were crawling. It wasn’t the gore of the bloodied tutus, but the psychological subtext. “It’s the destructive personality that makes it really creepy,” she said. “You don’t ever want to have that to become you.”

“Black Swan,” which stars Natalie Portman as a ballerina whose rise to the top comes at the price of her sanity, has become something of a must-see movie for young ballerinas, not just because it is the rare Hollywood film that uses ballet as its central universe. Some dancers say that the film holds up a mirror to a darker side of ballet.

The film’s director, Darren Aronofsky, might have set out to make a thriller, but for dancers, the chills come from the unsettling topics he laid bare: the blind pursuit of perfection, the anorexia and bulimia to achieve a fat-free swanlike figure, the sexual abuse of fragile ingénues.

Those tensions are embodied in Nina Sayers, a young ballerina played by Ms. Portman. The movie begins with Nina choking down an ascetic breakfast: one grapefruit. Later, she heaves her bony shoulders to retch in the ballet company’s bathroom, and refuses even a taste of a pink-frosted celebration cake her mother has bought her.

The scene may be played with melodramatic effect, but its underlying pathos is familiar to ballet dancers. Tara Hutton, 21, a senior at Butler University in Indianapolis who is studying dance, said the specter of eating disorders haunted many of her classmates. Ballet, she said, can be a “sick and twisted art form” that puts an unrealistic value on “achieving this beautiful thin body.”

At dance camps she attended growing up, drinking quarts of Crystal Light and cup after cup of coffee to tame hunger pangs was a common practice. Dancers who starve themselves also increase the likelihood of stress fractures and other injuries, she said. In one scene from the film, Nina’s toenails crack off in her toe shoes.

“You see a dancer who is injured, and you can’t help but think twice about the fact that it could” be from eating disorders, said Ms. Hutton, who is preparing to audition for ballet companies in the Midwest this spring. “You’re working every day to achieve something that is physically impossible.”

For Nina, the impossible reflects the demands of her smothering mother, a failed dancer herself who seeks vicarious fulfillment through her daughter.

Cheryl Kaeser hesitated to let her daughter Emma, 15, a ballet student in Manhattan, see the movie. “I was concerned that it may show a particularly ugly side of ballet,” she said. Only recently has she decided to take Emma to the film, after serious consideration.

The film also portrays ballet as a quixotic art form that demands nothing less than total submission to the craft. Nina pirouettes until her feet are bloodied, twirling before the barre so long into the night that the theater lights go out on her, and still she wants more. Hidden under her fashionable shrugs are angry red lines that she clawed into her skin, and her fingers are bandaged to hide the raw patches of skin she casually peels. The pressures dancers face rang true for Ellen Bar, a soloist with the New York City Ballet, who attended the film’s New York premiere with 30 dancers. “The psychological torture of being an artist” felt real, she said. “The way it shows an artist being her own worst enemy.”

Jennifer Homans, a dance critic whose new history of ballet, “Apollo’s Angels,” has drawn critical applause, said that dance tends to draw people who have a kind of discipline and dedication that can flip into obsession. “They are obsessed with trying to make their bodies into something beautiful and special and otherworldly,” Ms. Homans said. “There is an enormous psychological pressure cooker there at a very young age.”

Torture for Nina came also in the form of the sexual advances of her director, Thomas Leroy, played by Vincent Cassel. He slides a wanton hand down her leotard when teaching her a turn, and shoves his tongue into her mouth when she dares to slip into his office and ask for a better part.

The dynamic has a historical precedent: the charismatic choreographer George Balanchine had a well-known weakness for his own dancers, reported in newspapers and tabloids during his time, and in books including “All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine,” by Terry Teachout.

“Is there a problem with a sort of dominant male figure and a woman under his power? Yes, that happens,” Ms. Homans said. But the problem, she added, might be exaggerated in cases of ballet companies filled with young female dancers and directed by men. “The outside world may glom on to this more in the dance world because it’s a physical art form, so the power relationships seem physical. They exist in all worlds, but they may seem to people more intense here.”

Not everyone agrees with the gloomy picture of ballet that Mr. Aronofsky paints. They argue that the eating disorders and sexual exploits are stereotypes, and that the issues dancers face are over-dramatized to the point where the film borders on farce.

Diana Byer, the artistic director of the New York Theater Ballet, said that movies that try to dramatize ballet usually miss the mark by turning actors into caricatures of tortured artists, obsessed and tormented by their craft. “Dancers are people, they have a job like everybody else,” she said during a break in rehearsal last week. “A person who doesn’t live life can’t bring anything to a ballet. You have to live life to create an art form.”

Still, she made a point of seeing the movie soon after it came out, along with nearly everyone in her 14-member company. They debated Ms. Portman’s ballet techniques during breaks in practice, critiqued some of the dance performances and gushed over a few of the costumes. The fact is, it’s not every day that Hollywood portrays their art.

Their biggest complaint about the film, she said, wasn’t the melodramatic portrayal, the inaccuracies or the ugly stereotypes. It was that there was not enough dancing in it.

One Style Mile Mehrauli for a brunch recently

The fashionable ladies of the capital met up at the Olive Bar and Kitchen, One Style Mile Mehrauli for a brunch recently. Hosted by fashion magazine Cosmopolitan, and co-hosted by jewellery brand Ozel, the event brought down London-based jewellery designer Mawi Keivom with her latest collections. The designer told us, “The jewellery pieces that we have launched in India are part of my S\S 11 and A\W 10 collection. There is also a series of jewels called ‘dynamite’, which is also worn by the wife of England’s Prime Minister back home.”

The hottest topic of discussion at the brunch was how much did each splurge at the New Year celebrations. Since expenditures was the subject, we heard some really fancy stories from women bonding over food and drinks.We also overheard designer Harmeet Bajaj telling a friend about how she can’t afford to lose another BB because she has already lost three in the past few months. Some women were discussing how they plan to buy the stylish jewellery pieces on display and would love to wear them in the next get-together.

 

Spring has a new fashion staple — the headscarf

Spotted first on the catwalks at Armani, Vivienne Westwood and Salvatore Ferragamo, it’s a key accessory of the season and is destined to be the most wearable thing in your wardrobe.

For a start, you can style it myriad ways: scarves were worn over the head and knotted at the nape of the neck at D&G, wrapped round the head and neck desert-style at Armani, tied under the chin on the runways of Missoni, as a turban at Jason Wu and, for the scarf-shy, knotted neckerchief-style at DKNY.

On top of this, they add an instant colour fix to a neutral closet.

Headscarves aren’t just for women with a supermodel body and you don’t need a six-figure bank balance either — the High Street is overflowing with options, or try eBay for vintage silk scarves.
This trend will carry on through summer — they have already been embraced by Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen and Katie Holmes. So what are you waiting for?

the fashion world begun to accept women with more to love

There remain few niche markets in the fashion world today. Of those few, the one that is fast expanding—with no pun intended—is plus-sized apparel. The long, overlooked knot of women have been quietly biding their time, making do with the oversized tent dresses and matronly button-down blouses that were relegated to them, enduring their painful fashion faux pas in silence. However, the boundaries of the fashion world have slowly begun to shift, moving to encompass those who it once shunned.  Answering the call of bigger women, brands have begun to branch out size-wise. Moving away from the waifish runway trend and the cultural backlash that it came with, designers are now embracing curves with gusto, as seen by the wholly plus sized fashion show that ran in New York last September.

Yet the question on everyone’s lips is “why?” While previously the longer question was “why bother?” people, plus-sized or not, are now asking the fashion gods “why did it take so long?” “The biggest misconception that people have about plus-size models is that we are overweight and that we are unhealthy,” model Lizzie Miller shared with CBS News after strutting down the catwalk for the plus-sized show. Withholding clothing options served as a punishment for bad behavior, like when you take away a child’s toy for hitting his friend. Thus, the plus-sized around the world walked around in shame, head bent, quietly bearing the weight of ugly clothes to cover their ugly bodies. However, in the more and more politically correct world, walls are being broken down to reveal that big men and women are not the slovenly and unfit miscreants that the general public believed them to be and feared condoning through access to the luxury of style and fashion.

 But beyond the cultural taboo, there is also the technical difficulty that faced designers. While shapes and silhouettes hardly change from sizes 0 to 10, once you breach the double digits, body shapes are harder to pin down. In a story for the LA Times, Rosemary Brantley, chairwoman of fashion design at the Otis College of Art and Design, discussed the human form. “[It’s] nothing but a bunch of curves. Those curves get very exaggerated as one gets bigger. The more exaggerated the curve, the more seaming, the more shaping, more darting, more fitting and more expense.” As Brantley explains, “There are a lot of styles that won’t size up.” This is the heart of those boxy blouses and muumuu-esque dresses that camouflaged instead of contoured.

Yet despite everything, designers have joined the push for plus-sizes. Among the leaders are Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan, who both have plus-sized collections at selected Saks stores. Marc Jacobs created a stir when he announced in August his plans for a clothing line that would cater to women size 14 and up. Retail groups such as H&M and Evans in the UK have created lines for larger women with great success. Evans’s collaboration with singer and fatshion (‘fat fashion’) icon Beth Ditto had women all over Europe eagerly awaiting its release. It helps that young and stylish bloggers such as Gabi Gregg of youngfatandfabulous.com and Lesley Kinzel of fatshionista.com have given a venue and voice for women of all shapes to be seen and heard.

Locally, the fashion world has slowly begun to accept women with more to love. While high fashion still remains aloof and elusive, the arrival of retail giant Forever 21 has noticeably altered the style scene. With its extended sizes line Faith 21 offering more than just an oversized T-shirt, women are now readjusting to life with options. “I used to buy whatever would fit me, it didn’t matter if I really liked it or not. Sometimes, even if I didn’t like it, I’d get it in all colors available just to have something to wear that wasn’t too tight,” shares one shapely shopper. The assurance that even meatier women can wear PVC leggings is life-altering to those who once thought that baggy jeans were as good as it would get.

Local design duo Erzullie are bringing their plus-sized designs to the people through bazaars and online shopping (find them on Facebook) as well as through the SoFA Retail Lab in Rockwell mall. Raisa de Guzman, one half of the team, pushes plus-sized women to break free of their self-confined thinking, saying, “We are really plus sized activists. Your body is your body and as such it’s a gift. No one is really thinking you are ugly. It’s just insecurities. You are only as beautiful as you think you are. No one is really looking at you.”

But designing larger is not a novel idea, at least in Manila. Boyet Fajardo, one of the first to bring the concept of plus-sized clothing over, has been silently dressing women for over 15 years. “I thought to myself, these women were really being neglected by the fashion industry, especially in the department stores,” said Fajardo, in a 2008 interview with the Manila Bulletin. “It was almost shameful to go shopping for these big women, which is how they were referred to during those times. It’s good that things have changed.”

Having been starved of style for so long, plus-sized women are now letting nothing stand in their way. As the fashion world evolves yet again, the women who were relegated to the sidelines are now making sure that there is a space reserved for them in the front seat.

Dolce & Gabbana Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag

Love the look of lace but find that wearing a lace top feels too trendy or revealing? Experiment with the trendy material with an accessory instead.

Dolce & Gabbana's Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag ($2331) is feminine with a touch of sexy and romance. It captures the sophisticated sexiness of the 50's and 60's with a modern update. Styled in buttery soft jet black lambskin with black lace throughout, the lace adds texture and interest. There is a roomy interior with a zippered front flap pocket accented with two silver and gold medallion pulls.

Measurements: 24cm H x 32 cm W x 16 cm D. Dolce & Gabbana's Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag is not available untill 3.15.10 but you can pre-order now.

New Year’s fashion resolutions 2011

What better way to start a new year than to set your own fashion resolutions, or better yet apply your resolutions to your fashion. So this year bring that ambitious attitude to one thing that can easily be changed and dramatically change you in many ways, your fashion. Tired of the same old things in life, longing to take risks and be more adventurous? What better way to reinvent yourself than with a reinvented image. Are you up to the challenge? Reinvent yourself, and don’t let yourself be swept up with last year’s confetti!

Be more adventurous with your fashion, take risks!! Here are some resolutions I suggest… that will aim at the fashion but hopefully hit the heart. (Feel free to add to them or make your own fashion resolutions.)

Out with the old, in with the new! Clean out your closet, drawers, and jewelry box. Look for clothes that don’t fit anymore. An overcrowded closet does not help you get ready in the morning. A closet is not meant for pieces that don’t fit or remind you of good times in the past, it’s meant for clothes that represent the present and herald a promising future. A closet represents a woman; don’t be overcrowded and disorganized! Donate unwanted clothing to make room. This way you will not only feel good about a fresh start, but also help those who need it. Meanwhile there will be more room for your closet’s new arrivals.

Accessorize! Start small; invest in a cute pendant necklace that makes a statement or earrings that sparkle like the New Year. (One often forgotten staple is a pair of “diamond” earrings, not the real ones of course. Finding a cheap pair of cubic zirconia squares or circles is easy and will sophisticate any look. They are a great detail, yet are small enough to look like you aren’t trying too hard.) It is great to give jewelry meaning, like saying: this represents a new me. Buy yourself something that has a positive attitude behind it and reminds you of your positive goals for the future.

Stay polished! A little bit of nail polish goes a long way. It’s all about setting aside a little more time to a new image through attention to detail. Again, start small, if you don’t normally do your nails, begin by cleaning them, filing them evenly, and putting a clear coat on a little before going out. Shine never hurts, and a clear coat is hard to mess up. If you do your nails often, do something different and unexpected with your color! If you always wear the same shade of pink, try a bold red or a purple, or darker color, if you always go dark, go lighter.
Take a risk, and try something new by adding sparkle to an old color. A metallic can be a fun change. Trying a new color does not have to cost a lot, since many good colors can be found for five dollars or less. Try Revlon for around three dollars at Target.

Stay on a budget! It is easy to get excited while shopping in a store but don’t forget that the price is just as important as the piece. It is possible to still get the latest trends on a budget. The key to success is planning ahead. Before leaving the house, make a list of what you need, staple items to start the New Year right. Make a list of what you need, and how much you can spend. Plan ahead: bring a list, look online and in magazines to figure out where to get a specific item at the best price. Look for coupons and sales and then, after shopping around, the item will be even more worthwhile, knowing that you saved money!

Color signifies life. In the gloomy winter, when trees are bare and there are more hours of dark than light, we often emulate the season through what we wear. Fight off the winter blacks and grays and reintroduce color into your life. Be adventurous, try a new color. Try purple or emerald green. Even just a pop of red layered under a dark cardigan or jacket or a colorful scarf can raise us out of the winter blues.

Make your own fashion resolutions! Resolutions should be realistic and well thought out. Some often make a resolution to exercise more, but do not forget to make realistic goals and ways to achieve them. If you can’t remember the last time you went to the gym, start small, plan on a weekly yoga class, or a day to meet with a friend for a jog in the park. Setting a specific time and place will be harder to break. If you invite a friend you can both help each other keep to a schedule. For your fashion resolutions and reinventing yourself ideas, cut out pictures and quotes that will inspire you to look and feel better for the New Year.

New style can create a new you; how you look can improve how you feel. Put more time into the presentation and you will reap the rewards. Accessorize with simple extras like earrings or a new necklace. Keep nails clean and polished. All of this is possible on a budget, just plan ahead and look for sales and coupons.

This year challenge yourself to reinvent your own style. My challenge to you is to be more adventurous in 2011 and with a new image bring on a new year worth celebrating.

Rachel Wells picks some of the hottest trends for 2011

From Studio 54-inspired jumpsuits to Joni Mitchell-style maxi dresses, 2011 promises to deliver its fair share of 1970s fashion references.

Marc Jacobs led the charge for 1970s styles when he showed his Marc by Marc Jacobs spring 2011 collection in New York in September.

Take your inspiration from Mitchell, Lauren Hutton and Charlotte Rampling circa 1970 and you'll be on the money.

MINIMALISM

The trend for pared-back, minimalist looks pioneered by the British fashion pack during their spring-summer 2011 collections last October will continue to be a fashion favourite in 2011.

Hannah MacGibbon for Chloe, Phoebe Philo for Celine and Stella McCartney opted to show clean, restrained clothing in plains, with few prints and little embellishment - a look that will dominate 2011 wardrobes.

Minimalist favourites will include neat swing coats, tailored pleat-front trousers, cigarette pants, unfussy A-line skirts, cotton wrap dresses, crisp cotton shirts, neat tunics, slim-fitting pencil skirts and man-style jackets and vests.

LEATHER

While leather jackets have been a wardrobe staple for men and women for decades, in 2011 our love affair with leather will reach a whole new level.

This year, we saw leather rise in popularity and in 2011 it is set to hit fever pitch with soft leathers being fashioned into all kinds of garments, from skirts and shorts to tops and dresses.

THE RETRO LADY

In 2011, vintage, ladylike looks take their inspiration mostly from the 1940s and '50s. Channel the secretaries and housewives of Mad Men - think wiggle dresses, tight-fitting pencil skirts, sweaters, circle skirts and the women of Coney Island circa 1950, all neat sundresses, buttoned-up shirts and capri pants. It's a fun mix of housewife chic and ladylike glamour.

PRE-LOVED-LOOK KNITS

One of my favourite trends for winter 2011 is knits that look pre-loved.

That is, woollen jumpers or cardigans that look as if they have been passed down from older brother or father to daughter or picked up at the local op shop.

Such knits can be worn with a simple pair of skinny jeans or leggings or dressed up and worn over a ladylike sundress or tucked into a prim circle skirt.

OTHER TRENDS

Texture - including fringing, feathers and faux fur - military looks, plaid, the trench, lace, pussy bows, jumpsuits, blazers and tailored jackets, suede, slouch trousers, animal prints, ankle boots, flares, clashing prints, jumper dresses, brights, circle skirts, winter shorts, pencil skirts and folksy maxi skirts and dresses.

Opening Night patrons welcome 2011 in grand fashion

So he dressed like a yellow Teletubby and drove approximately 160 miles from Wichita, Kan., to Oklahoma City for the Flaming Lips concert Friday night.

Wohlford was among tens of thousands of people who flocked to downtown Oklahoma City to celebrate the start of 2011.

Organizers were hoping for a record 80,000 people at Opening Night, an annual New Year's celebration produced by the Arts Council of Oklahoma City. The Flaming Lips concert and Oklahoma City Thunder game also attracted crowds.

Opening Night activities, including live music, comedy performances and magic, were scattered throughout nine downtown venues.

Participants, some of whom wore party hats, glow sticks and costumes, were excited to usher in 2011.

They enjoyed mariachi music at Chase Tower and jazz music in Leadership Square. Inside the Cox Convention Center, guitar music drifted through the lobby and crowds cheered as roller derby teams from Oklahoma City and Tulsa jockeyed for position and knocked each other around inside one of the arenas.

Festivities culminated in Kerr Park, where a 10-foot mirrored ball was set to rise 15 stories above the crowd during a grand finale event featuring a fireworks.

People had a variety of expectations and wishes for the New Year.

Toni Newton, a mother of three from Mountain View, hopes her family will grow closer and spend more time together. They got a jump start Friday by attending Opening Night together.

Michael King, a magician from Oklahoma City, hoped for an end to hunger, peace in the Middle East and that his audience would be amused. King juggled, rode a 6-foot unicycle and performed tricks at the Cox Convention Center.

Catherine Pernell hoped to be happy as she can. She and her husband, Brandon, drove 11 hours from Nashville for the Flaming Lips concert. This is the second consecutive year they've done that.

“I couldn't imagine being anywhere else,” said Pernell, who dressed as an alien.

This is the third straight year Wohlford has made the trek to Oklahoma City for New Year's. This year, he was accompanied by his girlfriend and friends, who dressed as a bunny, gorilla and cow.

“There's no better way to spend New Year's,” Wohlford said.

Key wardrobe items for women this spring 2011

A November 2010 trend forecast by Trendstop.com brings you an early prediction of the key pieces expected to influence women's wardrobes come spring 2011. From extreme footwear to novelty biker jackets, here are the top pieces you should snap up now to ensure you'll be fashionista-worthy in the new year.

Novelty Biker Jackets:  Classic biker jackets will be huge come spring, replacing the bevy of shearling aviator bombers  that were everywhere this past A/W 2010 season. While Moschino and Balmain stuck with conventional leather styles, updating them with a few modern details like zippers, studs, and safety pins, Burberry Prorsum presented a stylish snakeskin number while John Richmond threw convention out the window and showed a sleeveless number in a surprising shade of bold forest green.

Superfine Knits: Knits have always served as a practical seasonal transition piece and next season, you can expect to see tons of super-fine knits in sensual silhouettes. Preppy styles were abound at Clements Riberio while Jil Sander juxtaposed sheer and knit, simultaneously concealing and revealing models' torsos.

Minimalist Tanks: Minimalism has been a key trend in fashion ever since the start of the global recession. The aesthetic won't be going anywhere next spring, as designers continue to put out pieces with clean lines. Expect to see form-fitting tanks in soft leathers and buttery shades with simple necklines and little embellishment that will serve as easy yet stylish separates.

Minimalist Maxis: The maxi dress will be a huge fashion piece next season given both its versatility and comfort factor. Jil Sander and Sonia Rykiel showed maxi dresses that functioned as both day and evening-wear in bright sherbet hues while CNC Costume National showed an anonymous, voluminous shirt dress.

Bloomer Shorts:  Expect to see these retro babies in stores everywhere for spring. Bloomers, with their loose fit and exaggerated hips, convey a youthful non-chalance and will be the silhouette of the season. Shorts were shown in gingham, stripes, and white crochet. At Thakoon, they were paired with chic linen blazers.

Striped Bags: Contrasting loud wide stripes, both kitschy and nautical, will be found on a number of accessories for spring from clutches to over-sized totes. These statement pieces were shown on the runways for Moschino Cheap and Chic, Prada, Jil Sander, Proenza Schouler, Sonia Rykiel and Fendi.

Extreme Wedges: Summer sandals will be fashioned with extreme wedge heels next season. Fendi channeled the Seventies with their wood veneer and satin combinations, while Anne Valerie Hash and Barbara Bui showed elegant, neutral numbers, and Charles Anastase revealed a bold pair with exotic ostrich-skin detailing.

Wooden Heels: Like extreme wedges and minimalist maxis, wooden heels constitute another key trend for spring that gives a nod to the Seventies. Chunky wooden heels offset by neutral leather uppers or natural canvas uppers can be expected among the shoe offerings. Everyone from Donna Karan to Marni to Matthew Williamson showed variations of the 70s-era strappy wooden heeled shoes.

Source: Trendstop.com

(Launched in 2001, the London-based Trendstop.com is a leading online trend forecasting and analysis service with a focus on color trends, fabric trends, street fashion trends, runway trends, and fast fashion trends.)