Tommy Hilfiger closes out London Fashion Week with ‘rock circus’ show

LONDON (Reuters)—U.S. designer Tommy Hilfiger closed out London Fashion Week with a rock-themed show held at a venue famous for classic rock concerts, featuring model and social media star Gigi Hadid as the centerpiece of the event.

The show – dubbed “TommyNow” – represented Hilfiger’s third collaboration with Hadid, with whom he designed the “TommyxGigi” collection that was on display at Tuesday’s event, in addition to the Hilfiger label’s spring/summer 2018 styles.

The collection was a rock and grunge-infused take on the traditional “preppy” styles – clothing associated with upmarket U.S. schools and universities – that have come to be associated with Hilfiger.

These included cheerleader skirts and letterman jackets, offset with studded leather shoes and thigh-high socks, as well as T-shirts and woolly hats reminiscent of 1980s rock band tour merchandise.

”TommyNow continues to put the consumer at the heart of the event, fusing fashion, pop culture and entertainment, and connecting with our global fans in an authentic way,” Hilfiger told Vogue magazine before the show.

Hadid, who has over 35 million Instagram followers, was one of the highest-profile models to grace the London Fashion Week catwalks this season.

She was joined by her sister Bella and brother Anwar, in a show that saw models walk through the audience as well as on the runway which ran through the center of the venue’s ‘in the round’ stage.

Hilfiger’s show was a “see now, buy now” event – a recent trend in the fashion industry that sees labels make outfits displayed in catwalk shows available to consumers to purchase immediately.

Viewers watching the event live online were able to click on any outfit they chose and purchase the items right away.

Held in London’s Roundhouse concert venue, which over the years has played host to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, the show was the latest incarnation of the pop-up carnivals Hilfiger has staged during the last two seasons.

Hilfiger’s autumn 2016 “Tommy Pier” show in New York featured a Ferris wheel and a range of fun-park amusements, while “TommyLand,” the spring show held in Los Angeles this year featured roller skaters, skate boarders, acoustic musicians and fire-breathing performers.

Hilfiger is one of the best-known names in the U.S. apparel business, with over 1,600 retail outlets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The company, which is now owned by clothing giant PVH, reported global retail sales of $6.6 billion in 2016.

Hilfiger, along with Italian label Emporio Armani, were the most prominent international brands that chose to forego showing collections at other fashion weeks – New York and Milan respectively – to participate in the London event this season.

Their participation gave the event a boost, as Britain’s fashion industry – which experts say contributes £28 billion ($37 billion) to the country’s economy – faces uncertainty as the UK negotiates its exit from the European Union.

source: interaksyon.com

Paris menswear makes way for couture

PARIS - Lanvin headlined the last day of the Paris menswear shows on Sunday with a rock-and-roll inspired collection billed as anti-uniform, before Versace kicks off six days of haute couture.

"Freedom to choose" was the byword for menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, with pants both slim and wide, waistlines high and low, and classic tailoring and streetwear paired with coloured sneakers and chunky-knit scarves.

"It's not about a single look, or a single man. It's about individuality," said Lanvin's creative director Alber Elbaz after the show, where the actor Will Smith sat front row.

Elbaz took the uniform as starting point for the line.

"It's the opposite of what makes people happy," he said. "You have to be yourself."

Shows by Paul Smith and Saint Laurent were to wrap up the Paris men's fashion, before a late evening show by Versace which opens six days of haute couture collections -- showcasing jaw-dropping creations aimed at A-list stars and the world's richest women.

More than 40 years after the death of its founder, Italy's legendary house Schiaparelli makes a much-anticipated comeback to haute couture Monday, under the Italian designer Marco Zanini.

Elsa Schiaparelli, who died in 1973, was among fashion's most prominent figures between the two world wars and became Coco Chanel's biggest rival.

Haute couture is a legally protected appellation in France subject to strict criteria such as the amount of work carried out by hand, and the size of a house's workforce.

Altogether, 15 French houses including Dior and Chanel will be showing couture collections, along with six foreign labels and 10 guests including Britain's Ralph & Russo and Belgian designer Serkan Cura.

source: interaksyon.com

Makeup for menswear-inspired outfit: Be a girlie girl or a tomboy

If you're slipping into a tweed blazer, an oversized cardigan or a sleek women's tux this fall, the right beauty look is the perfect accessory to complete your menswear-inspired outfit. The choice is yours to do a 180-degree turn and go with hyper-girlie, or stay strictly tomboy: Either can complement the more masculine clothing silhouettes.

Makeup with menswear is a little more important than other styles because with a neutral, muted palette of grays, blacks and browns, "you want to have a little life to your face, a little health and vigor," says Linda Wells, Allure magazine's editor-in-chief.

When suiting up in this fall trend, women have choices for their beauty look, she says. "Are you going to exaggerate the menswear look and play it up fully, or are you going to offset it with something feminine?" Wells says.

To soften menswear staples like gray flannel and houndstooth, which are so often fashioned into tailored items, add femininity by playing up the eyes or lips, experts advise, but not both at the same time so your features don't compete.

"You want to add feminine flair throughout the face if you can't have it on the body through the clothing," says Myiesha Sewell, a Sephora Pro makeup artist.

For a ladylike touch, Wells envisions soft hair with a little wave to it falling over the forehead along with a rich burgundy lipstick, or dark, smoky eyes featuring gray eye shadow, eyeliner and lots of mascara. "Who doesn't want to be a femme fatale?" she says of the "sexy androgyny" combination of feminine makeup and menswear.




If you want to keep the menswear feeling consistent from head to toe, Wells recommends a simpler style that doesn't draw attention to the face: Hair is slick to the head and parted on the side "so it looks boyish," and styled in a low ponytail or bun. Keep makeup natural looking, with clear or pale lip gloss, taupe eye shadow, mascara and a darkened brow to give strength and definition to the face.

However, Wells prefers the feminine face: "It's taking men's style and making it feminine. It's the masculine-feminine — that conflict is always interesting. That tension is what makes it exciting."

Sewell likes to add a shot of bold color while keeping the rest of it neutral to help soften the straight lines and sometimes boxy shapes of the clothing. For the eyes, try a bold blue liner along with a neutral brown or peach eye shadow. After mastering blue, Sewell says move on to experimenting with emerald or eggplant liner. "One of the easiest looks and colors to wear with a neutral eye is navy blue or a cobalt eye liner," Sewell says. "It really pops the whites of your eyes."

On the runway, man-tailored suits often are paired with classic red lipstick, but Sewell likes purples and magentas and berry shades, largely because she thinks they're an easier color range to pull off. "It's very feminine and it's going to make the lips look shapely and the eyes will gravitate toward them. It's a modern Technicolor, Marilyn Monroe."

With so much power to the menswear-inspired clothing, why not bring that strength up to the face as well? Says MAC senior artist John Stapleton, who helped bring to life the Victoria Beckham fall catwalk that turned tuxedos and trenchcoats into seductive silhouettes.

He favors a minimalist tomboy makeup look featuring strong eyebrows and cheekbones, which is what he did on the Beckham models.

"If you're going to go for it, you might as well go all the way," Stapleton says. Adding color to the faces would have distracted from the fashion. (If you really want that girlie contrast, do it through accessories, he suggests.)

This more masculine face features eyebrows that are brushed up and over and set with gel; natural-looking, contoured cheeks with an ashy or taupe blush; and muted, nude lips in a shade close to your own lip color or created through concealer and lip balm. Mascara darkens the root of the lash line but does not get applied to the ends to lengthen them.

"It's very chic looking," he says. "It's strong. It's commanding. Showing up to a meeting like that, it looks like someone who is going to take over the room and be in control and garner a lot of respect. You don't want to mess with her."

source: philstar.com

Thai movie stars Mario Maurer, Baifern Pimchanok arrive for promo event

Thai models and movie stars Mario Maurer and Baifern Pimchanok arrived on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on board Thai Airways from Bangkok.

Fans gathered at the airport’s arrival ramp as early as 9AM to catch a glimpse of Maurer and Pimchanok, who became known to Fiipinos with their 2010 movie “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”.

The two are in Manila to headline a mall tour for local clothing brand Penshoppe on Sunday. The Penshoppe Fan Conference 2013 will bring Maurer and Pimchanok to SM City North Edsa at 2PM and the SM Mall of Asia Atrium at 5:30PM.

source: interaksyon.com

Men dare to bare at Paris fashion week

PARIS—Belgian designer Raf Simons on Wednesday got Paris fashion week off to an unconventional start, bussing hundreds of people out to the distinctly less than fashionable Paris suburb of Le Bourget.

But the designer, who as well as his having his own label is also artistic director at Christian Dior, made up for the hour-long trek on the Paris ring road and A1 motorway with a highly experimental collection with some pieces creating the impression the models were wearing mini-dresses.

In one look, a bare legged male model sported what appeared to the uninitiated to be a short-sleeved button-up black mini-dress teamed with black shoes and calf length socks.

Fashion website fashion.com, however, praised the outfit as “unquestionably the drop crotch short-short onesie of the season”.

Other ensembles had a similarly feminine feel including black shorts that looked like a miniskirt worn with a black and white striped belt and long-sleeved pink shirt.

Motifs were embroidered with sequins and tunic tops came in pink and purple stripes.

Unusually, the event was held outside Paris at US art mogul Larry Gagosian’s cavernous art venue, northeast of the city.

Opened in 2012, it is the first major gallery to be set up inside airport grounds, aiming to showcase works too big to be accommodated by inner city Paris or London locations.

Simons’ label said the Gagosian Gallery was chosen so the collection could be unveiled alongside the work of artists he “intensely relates to”, adding that it would continue his “ongoing exploration of a young man in the city”.

Earlier, on the first of five days of menswear collections, young designers Julien David and Guillaume Henry gave the fashion world a taste of what’s in store for spring/summer 2014, from socks with sandals to bow ties with boiler suits.

Tokyo-based Frenchman David presented a reggae-inspired mix of casual and formal.

Long “stadium” and military-style jackets were worn over shorts, again creating a skirt-like look, while flamboyant neckwear was teamed with one-piece suits.

Elsewhere shirts and t-shirts were emblazoned with tropical motifs or the words “madness”, “peace” and “war” and combined with low rise, jacquard or chino trousers.

At Carven, creative director Henry, who like David is in his mid-thirties, opted for short cut jackets and cropped trousers in dusty green, mustard, orange or grey, with models sporting floppy hats and an androgynous look.

It was the French designer’s footwear, however, that stood out — strappy blue and beige leather sandals worn with socks.

One Twitter user commented: “Anyone else feeling conflicted about the sandals and socks styling?”

The men’s collections wind up on Sunday with Saint Laurent designer and champion of the pencil-thin skinny suit Hedi Slimane’s second menswear collection for the label following a grunge dominated debut.

The intense interest in the French designer’s work comes as men’s collections become ever more important commercially.

Indeed, until last year, menswear at London fashion week was restricted to a single day at the end. It has now been allocated four.

Then, on Monday, the highlight of the season — Christian Lacroix’s return to Paris fashion for the first time in four years — will mark the start of four days of autumn/winter 2013/2014 haute couture.

The darling of 1990s fashion editors will present 18 pieces paying tribute to Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian designer who died in 1973 and who was famed for her collaborations with Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau.

The label, which closed in 1954 after failing to adapt to post-war austerity, was officially reopened in July 2012 having been purchased in 2006 by Diego Della Valle, head of the Italian leather goods company Tod’s.

Lacroix lost his his fashion house in December 2009 when a Paris bankruptcy court approved a plan to end production of the classic label’s haute couture and ready-to-wear lines.

The house had run up losses of 10 million euros in 2008 after being hit by the sharp downturn of the luxury market.

source: interaksyon.com

Indonesian retailer to adopt more Filipino fashion brands

MANILA - The retailer behind the Indonesian foray of Penshoppe is also eyeing to franchise Filipino clothing brands Bayo, Bench, and Plains and Prints, the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc (PhilExport) said in a statement over the weekend.

PhilExport quoted Alma F. Argayoso, commercial attaché at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Jakarta, as saying that Indonesia’s leading lifestyle retail group PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk (MAP) has expressed interest to introduce more Filipino brands after launching Penshoppe last year. MAP operates almost 1,400 stores, mostly upscale American and European concepts, across the Indonesian archipelago.

Penshoppe is being managed in Indonesia by PT Prima Mode Indonesia, a subsidiary of MAP. Two Penshoppe stores were opened in Indonesia last year, with 10 more slated for opening this year, according to Indonesian media reports.

“PT Prima Mode Indonesia president and director Agus Gozali plans to open at least 150 Penshoppe stores all over Indonesia within the next 10 years,” Argayoso said.

Penshoppe is geared towards Indonesia’s young, middle-class market, which may also be served by fashion-wear brands such as Bayo, Bench, and Plains and Prints.

“We are arranging a meeting between Bench and Mr. Gozali sometime in March or April 2013,” Argayoso said.

Gozali was also interested in other Filipino lifestyle concepts such as fashion designer Rajo Laurel’s kiddie couture line Rajito, Carolina’s Lace Shoppe bridal accessories, and Regalong Pambahay home handicrafts, Argayoso said.

Since MAP is also engaged in the food and beverage business—it operates Burger King, Domino’s Pizza and Starbucks in Indonesia—Filipino food exporters may soon also tap the huge Indonesian population.

“Gozali promised to link Philippine exporters and franchisors to the manager of The FoodHall, one of Indonesia’s leading gourmet supermarkets,” Argayoso said. The FoodHall is MAP’s supermarket arm.

“Interested retailers, franchisors and exporters in the Philippines are advised to coordinate with us to propose/offer business opportunities to the MAP group,” she said.

Penshoppe was MAP's first Asian fashion-wear brand. MAP holds licenses to about 115 fashion and food and beverage brands, according to reports.

source: interaksyon.com

Jennifer Lawrence’s clothes from ‘Silver Linings’ up for auction

LOS ANGELES – Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in comedy “Silver Linings Playbook” went up for auction on Tuesday, just two days after the Academy Awards ceremony.

Memorabilia dealer Nate D. Sanders put the skin-tight white dance pants, winter coat and sports bra Lawrence wore in the film up for sale in the online auction that will end on Thursday.

The items are expected to fetch between $500 and $1,500 following the 22-year-old’s Best Actress win on Sunday.

“She’s now on the record for having an Academy Award, which definitely gives it (the items) status now,” said Laura Yntema, spokeswoman for auction house Nate D. Sanders.

“The Hunger Games” star also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her “Silver Linings Playbook” performance.

Five items, either worn by Lawrence or from her wardrobe on the film, are up for auction with starting bids at $100.

They include the custom-tailored skin-tight white pants Lawrence wore during the film’s climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper.

The black, full-length double-breasted Moda International wool coat is a size six. The teal sports bra by Gap Body will be sold together with an extra-small blue Threads 4 Thought long-sleeved shirt.

The auction also has nine clothing items either worn or from the wardrobe of Cooper, and two items from the wardrobe of supporting actor Chris Tucker.

Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can fetch high prices from fans and collectors.

source: interaksyon.com

Spanish retailer of Zara says profit surged after expanding globally, launch of China online sales

MADRID—The world's biggest clothing group, Spain's Inditex which controls the Zara brand, reported Wednesday a surge in profit in the first three quarters as it expanded globally and launched online sales in China.

Inditex said net profit leapt 27 percent from a year earlier to 1.655 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in the nine months to October 31.

Sales climbed 25 percent to 11.36 billion euros, said the group, founded 40 years ago in Arteixo, Galicia, by billionaire Amancio Ortega, the son of a railwayman.

Inditex opened 360 new stores in 54 markets in the period, notably under its brands of Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull and Bear, to bring the total to 5,887 stores in 86 countries.

Zara opened its first on-line store in China on September 5 and it plans to open another on-line store in Canada in early-to-mid 2013, Inditex said in a statement.

"The results for the first nine months of 2012 (business year) show that Inditex is continuing its global, multi-concept and multi-channel expansion," the group said.

Inditex chairman and chief executive Pablo Isla took over in July from Ortega, who remains the main shareholder.

source: interaksyon.com

Cross-dressing Chinese grandfather finds fame

BEIJING--A 72-year-old Chinese man who became an Internet sensation after his granddaughter used him as a cross-dressing model to promote her clothing store was delighted at his new-found fame, she said.

Lu Qing, who lives in southern China's Guangdong province, posted pictures of her grandfather dressed in an array of pink skirts, red tights and fur-lined women's jackets to promote her online fashion outlet Yuekou.

The images of Liu Xianping have since gone viral and seen him branded the "world's coolest" grandfather by Internet users for his slender legs and modelling poise. They have also boosted his granddaughter's bottom line.

"Since the pictures came out, we've had a huge number of website visitors, and are selling five times as many clothes as before," Lu told AFP. "Previously, we sometimes sold less than 10 items a day, and were feeling depressed about the business."

Lu said her grandfather was "surprised" by the reaction to the photos and at least three other stores had asked him to pose for them, but he was unlikely to accept.

"He doesn't see modelling as a way of making money, its just about having fun with his relatives," she said, adding she hopes to use his services again.

Liu "had a young heart", she said, and enjoys visits to parks and zoos, as well as playing games on his mobile phone. "He thinks bringing people's attention to the elderly is great, so he's been very happy recently."

The Offbeat China website, which tracks Internet developments in the country, said Liu's modelling illustrates the transformation it has undergone.

"It is stories like this when one can get a sense of what a diversified society China has changed into in the past 40 years, especially for someone like Liu who has lived through one of the most rigid times in China's history," said a post on the site.

Liu, who has worked as a teacher and a farmer, did not need prompting to take up modelling, Lu said.

"My grandfather saw some new stock one day and thought some of the colours were pretty... he wasn't embarrassed to model because we're all very close to him," she said, adding that his favourite item was a red women's coat.

source: interaksyon.com

Deodorizing Underwear: Why Does Japan Get All the Cool Stuff?

Soon, silent but deadly will just be … silent. At least, that’s the promise a Japanese company is making about its line of deodorizing underwear, which has reportedly become a hit among Japanese businessmen.

Seiren, the company behind the Deoest underwear line, says it has been working on the garments for a few years. The deodorizing power comes from odor-absorbing ceramic particles that are incorporated into the fibers of the underwear. Though Sieren says the garments were originally developed for those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, Deoest has quickly gained popularity among Japanese businessmen.

Following the success of the underwear, the company added an array of other odor-eliminating undergarments for other oft-smelly body parts, including socks and undershirts.

source: wired.com

Zac Efron arrives in Manila ahead of fashion event

Hollywood actor Zachary “Zac” David Efron arrived at the NAIA terminal 1 at 10:17AM on Wednesday ahead of a promotional event for local clothing line Penshoppe.

The star of the Disney Channel original movie “High School Musical” was accompanied by his father David Efron and two others who arrived on board Cathay Pacific flight CX907 from Hong Kong.




“Nice to be here. I love the Philippines. This is so awesome,” Zac Efron sai told the media at the arrival immigration hall.

Security was tight as six airport policemen escorted the actor to his car waiting curbside at the arrival area.

The office of Sen. Edgardo Angara requested on Tuesday that special treatment be accorded Efron’s party of four and that an officer be assigned to attend to their immigration formalities and allow them to exit through the airport’s backdoor.

However, airport immigration personnel said that only the top five Philippine government officials are allowed such privileges, including ramp access in going in and out of the terminal.

Efron was seen presenting his passport at the immigration counter of the airport arrival area.

Immigration said that, per protocol, the top five government officials are the President of the Republic, Vice President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Efron was fetched at the NAIA customs area by Joyce Ramirez of Publicity firm PR Asia Worldwide, publicist for Penshoppe, who then led police and security escorts in whisking Efron away to a waiting SUV convoy.




Efron will spend the next two days on a sightseeing tour with his father, who had visited the country several times before.

Sources said the actor will visit Misibis Bay in Albay to experience wildlife interaction with whale sharks. He will also view the famous Mount Mayon in Legaspi.

On Saturday, September 29, he is scheduled to appear at the Penshoppe fan conference at the Mall of Asia Arena.

source: interaksyon.com