fashion life

In her 15-year-long career, Mayte Allende has accumulated what you might call a Jedi Master level of fashion wisdom. “There really wasn’t a label I didn’t know about or a collection I didn’t see. I literally looked at everything!” says the former WWD fashion market director with a laugh. She’s putting that fastidious research to good use in her new role as creative director of Bande Noir, a line of elevated basics launching this season at New York Fashion Week. Originally enlisted as a creative consultant after she left her position at WWD in November, Allende quickly used her know-how to build out a vision for the fledgling New York brand, one that toes a delicate line between desirability and affordability. “As a fashion editor, I was a very savvy shopper. Right now I think a lot of people aren’t shopping for designer clothes until they hit the sale rack,” she says. “Outside of that, you’re left with Zara or H&M. I really wanted to explore the middle ground.”

image: Short Prom Gowns

She used the sophisticated minimalism of Romeo Gigli as an inspirational road map

specifically the feminine reworkings of T-shirts and classic shirting that propelled him fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s. In Allende’s hands, those ideas take on a modern, athletic attitude: Think a striped rugby shirt cinched at the waist with a hook-and-eye closure, or a pristine white tee wrapped up in a snug bustier. The label takes its name from an unusual species of butterfly that thrives particularly well in urban areas—fitting when you consider just how well suited these pieces are to city dwellers with an eye for style at an appealing price (much of the collection hovers around the 0 mark). Unpin the eye-catching floral corsages, and even the languid, long-sleeved cocktail dress in the lineup could pull double duty in the boardroom. And if the going-out top is truly the holy grail of a ....... and the City-ready wardrobe, then Allende’s new collection has something for every leading lady, be you a Carrie (flirty, puff-sleeved, and polka-dot) or a Miranda (pleated, peasant-style, and functional). “I road tested one of the off-the-shoulder tops [at] a holiday party and everyone was asking me where I’d found it,” says Allende. “I knew right then that I was on the right track.”

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Lady Gaga put on a powerful performance at the Sunday's 60th annual Grammys, but she also wowed with not one, but two gorgeous looks Sunday night.
The "Joanne" singer may have looked like she arrived to the Grammys in a gown, but it actually wasn't a dress. Gaga wore a show-stopping Armani Privé jumpsuit with a black skirt attached.

image: Long Prom Dresses

It may not have looked like much from up close. But once you see the dress from a few steps back, you'll understand why it turned heads. The train of the dress is enormous.
But it doesn't stop there. The dress also had a giant slit up the middle.
It wasn't just the dress that caught attention. The singer wore a white rose with a pin in support of the Time's Up movement.
She also wore her hair in intricate fishtail braids held together by black string.
The 31-year-old singer also sparked engagement rumors with a diamond ring visible on her hand.
Once inside, she quickly changed for one of the night's first performaces. Gaga stepped out on the Grammys' stage in an angelic pale pink gown to perform powerful renditions of "Joanne" and "Million Reasons."
"This is for my father's sister, Joanne," Gaga said as she started singing the titular track off her latest album on a feathered piano at New York City's Madison Square Garden. "This is for love and compassion, even when you can't understand."

See Motre: Mother of The Bride Dresses 2018

Fashion books usually appeal to the eye with zippy photographs, playful illustrations, arresting typefaces. But the best of them will offer something for the head and heart — a surprising point of view, thoughtful essays, a distinctive style — that makes the experience memorable. Consider these three new books: "John Galliano Unseen" (Yale University Press, ) by Robert Fairer; "Food in Vogue" (Abrams, ), edited by Taylor Antrim; and "Items: IsFashion Modern?" (The Museum of Modern Art, ) by Paola Antonelli and Michelle Millar Fisher.

image: Long Prom Dresses

Visuals — big, bold, almost impossibly saturated with color and often witty as hell — bring a delicious bite to "Food in Vogue," a look at the fashion magazine's approach to food over the decades. It's an attitude best described as totemic rather than home ec/useful — and that's the fun of it. I mean, who knew frozen vegetables could look so good? Well, Irving Penn did — and the proof is the very first photo, his, in the book.
Whether it's "Chicken in Heels" from Helmut Newton in 2003 or a Eric Boman's plush toy bunny climbing into a stewpot for 2014's "Hop to It," these images speak to something more elegant, exotic, urgently elemental than the usual what's-for-dinner ho-hum. The photos are arranged in an order clearly meant to surprise and, perhaps, shock. The emotional zing is compounded by the oversized (10-by-13.4-inch) format that allows the images to practically leap from the page.

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At just 27-years-old, Karina Irby has reached the type of success some can only dream of. She's already amassed a huge following from her swimwear label, Moana Bikini and continues to expand her offering (including a sister business - Bikini Body Burn). Her vivid prints and cheeky cut bikini bottoms have become a staple for the brand, so much so that girls all over the world are flaunting and LOVING her designs. 
Oh gosh, designing bikinis… even designing other products or clothing… was never really a locked in plan for me… it just, kind of, happened! First and foremost, I just love bikinis. I have always lived, travelled to and wanted to be, at the beach. Bikinis are my favourite item of clothing.  

image: Semi Formal Dress

Armed with an $800 loan from Dad, I entered the swimwear industry with 20 pairs of bikinis I sourced from overseas in a wholesaling arrangement. That agreement didn’t last long as I wanted to create my own designs and leave my own mark on the swimwear world. And now, seven years on, I guess it wasn’t a one-off thing! Dad has only just let me pay him back three months ago.
While we admire that they’re having a go and following their dreams, the majority of them are doing the exact same thing. It’s very easy these days to find a manufacturer, or purchase bulk, wholesale product online and sell under a new brand you have created.
Plain, neutral colours and simple, skimpy cuts are all the rage and are what the majority of the newer brands sell. This is because it’s easy and without much challenge or riskassociated to it. It also doesn’t take a great deal of talent, to be honest.

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Tinting film, fish leather, aluminum cans, wooden frames and palm tree leaves are only some of the innovative materials South Metro TAFE fashion and floristry students used in their new exhibition at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (MPAC).

image: Long Formal Dresses

The exhibition features 18 visionary student wearable art and floristry designs selected for their exploration of fabrications, silhouette and form using innovative materials.
The initiative is part of the City of Mandurah Wearable Art competition, which attracts state, national and international entries every year.
This year, seven South Metro TAFE fashion students will be taking part in the Wearable Art showcase, competing against 200 entries. 
Fashion student Pam Prince’s wearable art creation is one of the 18 garments selected for the exhibition. 
Her piece represents coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef and the danger of marine wildlife ingesting plastic bags.
The dress has been created only with recycled materials, using crocheted plastic bags to make the body of the garment and melted plastic bottles to make the colourful beads and headpiece.
“There’s not one product that I actually bought, everything was made,” Ms Prince said. 
Ms Prince said she was blown away to be part of the exhibition, since it was her first attempt at creating a wearable art piece.

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