Archive for the ‘fashion’ Category
The Time to Toss Skinny Jeans Has Come!!
June 1, 2007
Ah, the joys of summer. The sand, the sun and the water are definitely calling your name. But there’s also all those hot new trends in fashion you’ll want an in on, too. For a wardrobe jumpstart, tune in to the tastes of BRITNEY SPEARS, LINDSAY LOHAN and HALLE BERRY.
They’ve all been caught wearing a look that’s going to be big, according to our latest fashion expert.
“I like to call them ‘Hollywood bells,’” says ABS by Allen B. Schwartz’s Design Director ALLEN SCHWARTZ, who loves to incorporate the looks of SIENNA MILLER, KATE MOSS, UMA THURMAN and CINDY CRAWFORD into his lines. “They’re the new high-rise waistband [pants], which is very fitted in the seat and goes all the way down to the leg.”
Translation? Goodbye skinnies, high-waisted bell-bottoms are back! The trend has already been test-driven by stars such as JESSICA SIMPSON and CIARA.
As a result, Schwartz has recently been stocking his stores with the trouser-style, flared-legged pant in a variety colors (take your pick of rinsed denim, yellow, red, blue, black and white), and fabrics (denim, linen and stretch twill). And demand seems to be heating up.
“It’s blowing the doors off, the stores can’t keep it in stock,” says Schwartz of a white, poplin pair that works as a nice alternative to classic denim ($174-$220). “[They're] what I call 9 to 9. You can where this to the office, on a summer day, and then go right out for cocktails.”
If you want to keep things more casual, Schwartz suggests a “casual chic” look achieved by pairing his denim bell-bottoms with a simple T-shirt and leather jacket. Britney was recently spotted wearing ABS’ logo tank top.
But bell-bottoms aside, the most important thing to keep in mind for summer fashion is color, since no one wants to start summertime off with a dull palette. The trends are moving toward mix-and-match, so anything goes.
“Color is going to be huge,” predicts Schwartz. “Yellows, greens, purples. Mix a yellow jacket with a purple T-shirt and a blue pant. It’s very cool.”
Be on the lookout for a new ABS shoe and jewelry line, too, which reminds us that metallics and beading are still perfectly appropriate to toss in while you’re at it. For more styles, check out ABS’ Web site.
Scarlett Johansson the Face of Vuitton Fall/Winter
May 27, 2007
SCARLETT MARK TWO: For her sequel as the face of another Louis Vuitton campaign, Scarlett Johansson played a role with which she’s extremely familiar: movie star. Evoking at turns Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly, Johansson displays voluptuous glamour in the color-drenched fall spots, slated to break in August fashion magazines.
“In this one, she’s much more recognizable,” said Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s communications director, who allowed that the actress is not always immediately identifiable in the current spring ads in her role as the French-coquette-on-a-swing.
Nevertheless, Arnault dubbed the current campaign a success. He noted that Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs “adores” Johansson and based his fall-winter collection for the house around her character in “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” the 2003 feature film about a peasant girl who becomes the model for 17th-century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer’s most famous work.
The fall campaign, lensed by Vuitton regulars Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, plays up the painterly colors of the ready-to-wear. “It’s probably one of the most beautiful campaigns Mert and Marcus have ever shot,” Arnault said. “It’s a very iconic campaign.”
Arnault, son of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault and a member of LVMH’s board, said Johansson was at ease during the shoot, held in a studio in her hometown of Los Angeles in late March. In fact, during a lunch break, the photographers were so struck by the combination of light and Johansson that they snapped some impromptu black-and-white portraits that will be featured in a future issue of Pop magazine.
Jacobs, who had been undergoing rehabilitation treatment in Arizona, was not present at the shoot, but had given the impetus and direction for the campaign, in sync with a collection based on a rich, earthy palette and feminine glamour, Arnault noted.
Each image highlights Vuitton’s leather goods — entry-priced totes one month, degradé or shearling monogram handbags the next — with Johansson reclining against a simple backdrop of curtains and divans.
Arnault declined to pinpoint budgets, but said investments would be higher for the crucial fall-winter selling season. Analysts have estimated Vuitton spends more than $250 million annually on advertising, most of it print-driven.
A fan of outdoor advertising, Arnault said he would seek out premium, large-scale spaces. Vuitton also is keen to ramp up its online advertising presence, although Arnault lamented a lack of quality luxury portals.
Kirsten Dunst: Dare I Say Looking Good?
April 30, 2007
Wow, Kirsten really came through at the Spiderman 3 premiere in Paris. She did not look frumpy or homely at all and best news yet, she took my advice and wore a bra!! What a huge improvement. She looks classy and sexy, her eye makeup and hair look amazing. I don’t LOVE the dress. I think the cut is great on her, the color too but that white bow is a little corny. I guess I can’t complain about the little things when she looks 99% better than she normally does. Well done Kirsten!
