Fashion News

October 20, 2010, 7:47 AM CT

Consumer sentiment shaped by differing cultural attitudes

In the battle of egos, Donald Trump vs. Hugo Chavez might be a draw. But as symbols of power, each resonates differently with different cultures, as cultures nurture different views of what is desirable and meaningful to do with power, as per new research by a University of Illinois marketing expert.

Sharon Shavitt says the relation between culture and one's concepts of power emerge from one's cultural orientation, and how that culture shapes one's beliefs, attitudes and goals.

"People's views of powerful people and what powerful people are supposed to do, as well as what legitimizes power, differs by society and by cultural values," said Shavitt, a professor of business administration.

The study, co-written by Carlos J. Torelli, of the University of Minnesota, examined the role of culture in the meaning and purpose of power by examining the way people perceived, reviewed and responded to power-related stimuli.

The scientists categorized the reactions as per a four-category typology: horizontal versus vertical, and collective versus individual. Their findings highlight the value of advancing existing models of power relations by identifying a key role for cultural variables.

As per the research, the two most contrasting power relations were vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism......... Posted by: Diana      Read more         Source

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:57:19 GMT

Carousel: Week Ending 15th January 2010

My favourite things on the internet… this week, anyway!

WOW — Fashionista University! Okay, I am going to paste the whole press release because it is fab.

Starting January 23rd, students will have the opportunity to take a variety of "Saturday-only"-seven week, hands on courses where they will learn the ins and outs of the fashion business including design, publicity, wardrobe styling/costume design, event planning, jewelry/accessory design and more. Run by fashion designers Kathlin Argiro and Courtney Zellmer and publicity guru Gwen Wunderlich-Smith, Fashionista University gives students a Project Runway meets Gossip Girl real world approach, with celebrity, editor and guest designer appearances as well as access to fashion shows, showroom events, publishing houses, TV stations and more! Fashionista University provides tools teens need to turn their dreams into a reality and break in to the world of fashion with opportunities and experiences beyond anything they ever imagined. Dear teenagers, you should take this opportunity, for REAL. You will learn sooooooooo much. Additionally (bonus, ding ding ding!), nonpareils can get $100 OFF registration if you mention the code FU011110!

Astronomers: We could find Earth-like planets soon. “Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful, despite a violent universe of exploding stars, crushing black holes and colliding galaxies.”

The Rise of the Hot Jewish Girl! Word up!

As Elvis Turns 75, Celebrity Worship Alive and Well — this is super-interesting, all about the role celebrities play.

College in America. Um, gosh.

Ten Psychology Studies from 2009 Worth Knowing About — read this! It’s fab. As you can tell, I find psychology really fascinating. It was what I went to university to study, in fact.

This may come as sweet relief to many of us! New Health Rule: Quit Worrying About Your Health.

Michael Pollan Offers 64 Ways to Eat Food from the New York Times. I think Michael Pollan is fantastic.

Famous Buddhist Quotes & Sayings = nice.

American Mustache Institute: “AMI continues to battle negative stereotyping that has accompanied the mustache since those glory years of the 1970s – the peak of mustache acceptance – fighting to create a climate of acceptance, understanding, flavor saving, and upper lip warmth for all mustached Americans alike.” !!!

Carnal Nation is excellent! Sri linked me to The Kinky Shopaholic’s Guide to Japan & Sex Magic Readings (which is like a kinky horoscope!), & I think you will like ‘em too.

Are you in Minneapolis? Do you want to meet some rad new people? (I know so many good people in Minneapolis but that is beside the point!) Nonpareil Coco is in a band called Courtney McClean & the Dirty Curls & she describes it as “naughty hillbilly” music! You can read all about it here & find out about her shows. You should go along! & become friends with her! & tell her I sent you!

New year’s resolution: have more sex from CNN.

Sadie Nardini and her husband decided to have sex every day in December to help them resist the twin temptations of cigarettes and chocolate. It worked. The unexpected fringe benefit of all that sex: they felt and slept better, too. A Chat With Tarina Tarantino about her upcoming make-up line! I am so excited! You cannot belieeeeeve!

Create Our World. Who? What? Why? “I’m Benjamin Jenks and I am Hitchhiking around the USA, sharing stories of the Goodness of People.” WORD UP! Also, he is way cool, & sent me an email which said, “My weekend was rad. Met one of my female soulmates & slept on the floor of a man who lost part of his lower leg in Afghanistan. San Diego weather is the bomb!”

My friend Bianca Alexis has a new photography site up. Have a geeze. She is really good at what she does, & you should hire her to make you look beautiful. Remember these photos?! Blast from the past for reals!

Collective 5: A new idea. I am totally going to do this, you should too.

NOWNESS is amazing. Thanks, Sarah!

Top 9 Easy Ways to Personal Reinvention!

A Year Without Sugar sounds impossible but obviously can be done!

A “rambling tirade from a 37 year old technophobe”, aka DJ Shadow, on the state of the music industry.

I am so delighted to be included in A Book of Blog Stars by Emily Mews. It is obscenely adorable, you should download the pictures & print it out!

I love Dirty Projectors. You can download their digital 7” free.

Come into my boudoir is a sweet little piece about the idea of a bedroom gallery.

I suppose chicken clothing was a logical next step, but it sure looks silly…

This wedding is beautiful, though the comments gave me a headache. & reading this brought tears to my eyes. What a GIRL! Also: vintage stamps = yummy.

Men More Keen To Start A Relationship Than Women! & Are You A Fool For Love? from the Telegraph.

A survey in 2008 carried out by the National Year of Reading revealed that 26 per cent of men would try to entice a woman into bed by leaving a copy of a highbrow book by the bed. Great Grandmother Gets Plastic Surgery to Look Like Jessica Rabbit.... WHOAH.

Victoria’s Secret? 20 Layers Of Butt Makeup! Alright then!

Top 10 Places YOU Can’t Go In The World. Secret clubs, hidden subway systems & ancient shrines… Awesome.

& on that note, have a look at 100 Incredible & Educational Virtual Tours You Don"t Want to Miss. But don’t come crying to me if you never get any work done ever again!

If you’re sick of romantic comedies (though honestly, they are pretty much my favourite kind of movie to watch, shh, don’t tell anyone), check out THE WORLDWIDE CELLULOID MASSACRE — “an encyclopedia of extreme, surreal, twisted & bizarre movies” — & spice up your Netflix queue.

Then & Now. People recreate their childhood photos. It sounds creepy, I know, but is so cute!

Writing Good English: A talk to the incoming international students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, August 11, 2009. I love this!

How Google Tells You What Men & Women Want. Oh lawd.

New research: Sticking to diets is about more than willpower — complexity matters.

“Many people think the success of dieting, seemingly a national obsession following the excesses and resolutions of the holiday season, depends mostly on how hard one tries — on willpower and dedication. While this does matter, new research has found that a much more subtle aspect of the diets themselves can also have a big influence on the pounds shed — namely, the perceived complexity of a diet plan’s rules and requirements. Shady Lady seeks male escorts with staying power. “A Nevada brothel is recruiting to take advantage of a law change and offer services to women clients.” Wooooooooow.

10 Dead-of-Winter Fitness Motivators.

The New Age Cavemen and the City. I admit, I made a face when I read this.

Photo yums: Catrinel Menghia for Unica Romania (beware, boobs); Yana Pova for Archetype X (3D & bunny ears!); Christina Ricci for Pop (2004); Mila Kunis is really hot; Runway by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia (eyeball symphony); Toni Garrn & Baptiste Giabiconi by Karl Lagerfeld for Vogue Germany (hello, Metropolis)!

Ooooooof, cute.

On The Corner is an excellent street style blog from Buenos Aires.

My lovely friend Zoetica is in a self-portrait competition. Have a look — the girl is good! — & vote!

Tent! Yes please!

Seven steps to evaluate energy-vampires & eliminate bad relationships from Glass Of Win!

Amazing India gallery & India Tumblr. Sri is the best!

I am loving Handbook 2010 too.


“I was saying boo-urns!” Enjoy your weekend, bunny! Posted by: Gala      Read more     Source

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:41:20 GMT

The Costume Insitute Gala 2009

Sadly, there was no Naomi this year because of the Azzedine Alaïa boycott but there were still plenty of pretty brown folk in attendance.

Alek Wek was a stunner in her brightly colored cocktail dress and Iman was glamourous as usual (even though I feel like I"ve seen this style of dress on her a hundred times before.) Ciara went the demure route which was fine (but a bit dull in my opinion.) Tyra"s hair reminds me of a cinnamon roll, Kanye and Amber were all smiles and while I generally love her look, I think her dress looks a little too snug. Meanwhile post-Chris Rihanna bit Janelle Monae"s look hard. Andre Leon Talley? Well he and his massive tunic were there too.

I"m still looking for pics of Joy Bryant, Kerry Washington, Liya Kebede, Arlenis Sosa, and Halle Berry.

ETA: Joy, Rachel Roy, Kerry Washington, Karen Alexander, Liya, Sessilee Lopez, and Arlenis added!

ETA2: Jourdan Dunn

s: Lipstick Alley, TFS, Filmmagic, Getty Posted by: Brigitte      Read more     Source

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:31:57 GMT

Lulu and Red Bubble Jacket

While others are drooling over capes, military style jackets and duvet coats, we’re secretly lusting after this bubble jacket by Lulu and Red. Isn’t it just gorgeous? The ribbon detail adds a cute touch to what has got to be one of the finer jackets around at the moment. Granted it’s unlikely to keep us warm and cozy, especially with these ruthless winds. But it is a keeper for spring. £55 available at Lulu and Red Posted by: Michele Obi      Read more     Source

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:57:20 GMT

Let's Get Crafty!

Free People is having another

Anyway, the point is that the swap should make for a good time, and you should sign up for it! We might even end up being swap partners! Posted by: Kori      Read more     Source

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 03:48:41 GMT

Kiera Strolls with Beau on 22nd Birthday

At a very young age, Kiera Knightley already had a very successful Hollywood career to her credit. It was refreshing to see the young Hollywood starlet celebrating her 22nd birthday with beau Rupert Friend, strolling through Hyde Park.

After meeting on the sets of Pride and Prejudice, the two have been inseparable. The close company has sparked the rumors of an altar.

If the actress will have time for a long lasting relationship or wedding is not clear as she has several films in her kitty including Silk, Atonement and the third Pirates film, At World’s End. She is also due to start work on a film scripted by her mother Sharman Macdonald, The Best Time of Our Lives, which is based on the complex relationships of Dylan Thomas.

On the other hand, Friend can is currently busy shooting British director Nick Loves ultra-violent anti-crime movie Outlaw, with Sean Bean and Bob Hoskins.

Source Posted by: Nishtha      Read more     Source

March 22, 2007, 7:16 PM CT

Fake Gucci Ad

few years back, I bought ad space in magazines for Matador. To place an ad, I'd call an ad rep, reserve the space, and send them artwork. Shortly after the ad came out, they'd send me a copy of the ad along with a bill.

So I was psyched to see someone making creative use of this system: A guy in Switzerland, pretending to be a representative from Gucci, called up a weekly paper and reserved a two-page spread. He then sent in a fake ad of himself naked from the waist up, flanked by a bottle of Gucci fragrance. When the bill went to Gucci as he requested, hilarity ensued.

Now if only we could get away with that to advertise iDump......... Posted by: Carrie McLaren       Read more         Source

February 1, 2007, 8:06 PM CT

Virtual Makeup

The video screen shown in the picture above surely can't answer the question, ". who's the fairest of them all?" However, if you need to know what kind of makeup you would require to give that title a shot, without actually applying any of it, the "Virtual Realtime Makeup System" is for you. All you need to do first is to stand in front of the screen that takes a snap of your face. Then just pick up the cosmetics that you think will work for you, and as and when you scan their electronic tags, you can see their results on your face instantly in the video screen. To get a better perspective, both the "before" and "after" pictures are displayed side by side.

While the idea as such is innovative, I see quite a few problems with the system. Firstly, the system is based on image processing algorithms that try to guess how a particular makeup would look on your face. Since there are so a number of unpredictable factors that will have to be taken into consideration for these to work really well (such as lighting, face texture etc.) , the results can at best be approximate. Moreover, I would surely miss the personal touch of an in-store professional who could recommend the ideal combination for my face. However, any system does have its place, and I can see shy ladies who want to keep things personal giving this a try. Also, stores should be happy with this concept since they no longer have to dole out extra samples and can axe some more human jobs. For me, though, the minuses beat the pluses squarely.........

Posted by: Diana      Read more         Source

December 13, 2006, 8:23 PM CT

America's Next Top Model

It's not a big surprise that Caridee has won America's Next Top Model. But it was still a tight final.

The girls of ANTM were judged on how well they strutted on the runway, how well they wore makeup, and how well they composed themselves in various photo shoots.

Eugenia is gorgeous but she barely took a great photo. Bah-bye. That left Caridee & Melrose to hash it out. No one can stand Melrose, but she's obviously done her modeling 101 homework and rarely takes a professional misstep. She rocked the final catwalk! But Caridee aced the final photo shoot and commercial.

So in the end it was the loopy, but gorgeous Caridee.

Viabuddytv........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

December 13, 2006, 8:17 PM CT

Are You a Stella Lover?

Stella McCartney is a fashion designer who launched her own fashion house under her name in a joint venture with Gucci Group. As well as the women's ready-to-wear range, the label now includes accessories, eyewear and the 'Stella' fragrance.

If you're a Stella lover then you'll enjoy today's Handbag.com Christmas gift giveaway. Today you have the chance to win the Stella Fragrance gift set shown here and valued at pounds 44.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

December 6, 2006, 9:00 PM CT

Grow Your Own Furniture

grown furniture how why history home You can grow a stool or a table frame like these.

Fruit growers have been training trees to shape since we don't know when, and furniture has been made of wood for thousands of years, so why not train trees to make furniture? I've proved that it can be done. All you need are three saplings, a plywood jig, instructions and a little patience.

It takes about five years.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

November 6, 2006, 8:50 PM CT

Recycling The Aloha Spirit

We are kicking off a week of island style shop reviews (just try to say that fast!) to brighten your chilly fall courtesy of Leigh, the island gal behind hapa | hale, a blog devoted to modern and fresh finds from Hawaii.

Muumuu heaven is the modern island girl's secret of what to wear on aloha friday. lucky for us, designer deb mascia discovered her passion for deconstructing vintage hawaiian wear and transforming more matronly muumuus into her signature flirty skirts that are being worn from hawaii to hollywood. you never have to worry about bumping into someone else wearing the same piece since everything at muumuu heaven is one-of-a-kind. and you can feel good that you are shopping consciously since the family run business participates in 1% for the planet and donates a percentage of their sales to help preserve hawaii's coral reefs.

Leight's pick: I can't get enough of the fun, asymmetrical style of muumuu heaven's lovely lei-d skirt. it's perfect for strolling to the farmer's market or dancing with your fella under the stars. lovely lei-d skirt.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

November 6, 2006, 8:16 PM CT

Productive fun with Wacom's Cintiq

Kevin Kelley recently picked up a 21 inch Cintiq drawing display, and he's in love with it. The Wacom Cintiq is an LCD monitor with a touch screen sensor embedded over the image. Essentially it's a cross between a graphic artist's drawing tablet and an LCD monitor. Differing from standard touch screen monitors is the 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity that the input area is able to discern, and the unique "pen on paper" texture of dragging a pen across the surface. Kelly bought his $2,500 Cintiq on the recommendation of artist Scott McCloud who has said that the input method made him more productive, and completely eliminated the symptoms of his hand strain malady.

Wacom released the first Cintiq tablet seven years ago. It was a 15 inch flat panel touch screen display, and a lot of geeks discounted it as a one shot gimmick. Personally, I thought that it was a glorious evolution in computer hardware, and I remember dreaming of when the technology would be the standard for all computers. Sadly, prices of desktop tablet monitors have remained high enough that only professional interests, such as design houses and graphic artists, can justify the expense. I'd love to install one at home, but it's a hard sell when I didn't even spend $2,500 on my tricked out desktop!

We're just now sorting through the interface issues of tablet computing, but progress is being made. slowly. Some industries will have an easier time making a move to an alternative input scheme: video game controls are well suited to this type of human interface. The Nintendo DS has been an overwhelming success in part because of the novelty and utility of the touch screen, and the hands-on Starcraft video floating around is nothing short of sexy. Ben Kuchera disagrees with me, but I believe that this is the direction that all computer interfaces will move towards if the public can ever afford to adopt the hardware en mass.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

October 16, 2006, 8:24 PM CT

October "it" Girl, Kate Moss

I never used to care much for Kate Moss. Ok, maybe I was a bit fascinated by what Johnny Depp saw in her during their tumultuous relationship, but mostly I was very confused with the attention given to the waif of all waifs.

Ever since Kate's life exploded in Sept 2005, when she was caught "powdering her nose" with an illegal substance, there seems to be more depth to her. She was dumped by H&M and other major contracts, but a year later the waifish style icon's comeback has seen her profile reach new heights.

Her annual income is believed to have risen to about $45 mill USD working with Rimmel, Agent Provocateur, Virgin Mobile, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Chanel, Nikon, Versace, Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry. Now she's set to start designing a new collection for UK's TopShop (read more Couture in the City).

Here's a fashionista that doesn't need a stylist (ala Rachel Zoe) to set her look. Moss takes risks with her style, career and life and that is why she is this month's "it" girl.

Story Cont'd.

And if that isn't enough - she counts F. Scott Fitzgerald among her favorite writers although she also once admitted that her bedside reading was The Tao of Pooh Bear. Come on! that has to speak to this "it girl" and a dynamic personality behind the couture frocks.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

September 25, 2006, 7:26 PM CT

London Fashion Week 2007

The week of the London fashion has concluded and begins that from Milan one.

Not even a moment of pause for the footbridges that are ollowed phrenetic. Here the last ones paraded of London, in attended of Milan.

Important the participation of Emporio Armani, B-rude and Julien Macdonald.........

Posted by: Diana      Permalink         Source

September 24, 2006, 11:26 AM CT

Discovering A Gem Of A Deal

Prepare to spend at least an hour leisurely exploring Dandelion Vintage. It's just like discovering a secret antique boutique with room after room crammed with delicious finds. Best of all most prices are under $50 (we found plenty at $20 to $30) and the variety is endless.

Carol Baker has been running her online vintage business since 1997 and is very picky about the fashions she sells. Each item has a large photo with detailed descriptions including condition, fabric and measurements and Carol will glady answer any questions about the garments.........

Posted by: Trista      Permalink         Source