British fashion designer Alexander McQueen dead
Posted: 12 February 2010 0104 hrs
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1037002/1/.html
PARIS : British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has died in London, his press office in Paris said Thursday, after media reports said he had apparently committed suicide aged 40.
Emergency services were called to his home in central London but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the reports said, and a British police spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
A spokeswoman for the bad boy designer, who rapidly built an international reputation for his outrageous creations, said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home.
"We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement," she added.
The death was reported shortly after 10:00 am. Seven hours later, the body was brought out of his home on a stretcher, covered in a red blanket, and loaded into a private ambulance.
McQueen, a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award, was creative director of his own label which was bought out by Gucci and was one of Britain's most lauded fashion designers.
His close friend and fashion icon Isabella Blow killed herself three years ago at the age of 48. She died after telling friends she was going out shopping.
Tributes poured straight away after the death was announced.
Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, said: "Lee McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs.
"His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."
Designer Katherine Hamnett said: "He was a genius. What a terrible, tragic waste."
German couture legend Karl Lagerfeld told AFP: "I knew him very little but knew his work, which brought him a lot of success."
"I found his work very interesting and never banal," he added.
"There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanised," Lagerfeld said.
"Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you."
Louise Wilson, one of his teachers at London's St Martin's College of Art and Design, told the BBC: "He was a joy to work with. He was a self-motivated individual. He was a superb cutter.
"In education you open the door, you hope they walk through. He walked through it."
She noted that he designed for all tastes and price levels, including for luggage manufacturer Samsonite and sportswear label Puma. "That's the beauty of his genius, is that he related to everybody," she added.
Born in London's East End into a working-class family -- his father was a taxi driver -- McQueen rose to fame after graduating from St Martin's in 1991.
McQueen cut his teeth as a tailor in Savile Row, where legend has it that he left his distinctive mark -- in the form of hand-written obscenities -- in the lining of a jacket for Prince Charles, heir to the British throne.
After spells with designers Romeo Gigli and Koji Tatsuno, he started his own label and quickly became a controversial figure.
He designed the famous "bumster" trousers, which displayed the cleavage between model's buttocks in a parody of the low-slung trousers worn by workers on London building sites.
He even survived general condemnation over a collection featuring ripped clothing, entitled "Highland Rape", which was the first time anyone had chosen to send supposed rape victims down the catwalk.
After earning the title of best British designer of the Year in 1996, he moved to France, following another Londoner, John Galliano, as chief designer at Givenchy, where he continued to shock.
He toned down his tactics for Paris but enjoyed a further brush with notoriety when he included a disabled amputee model walking on carved wooden legs in a London show.
McQueen's position in the mainstream was assured in 2000, however, when the Gucci Group bought out 51 percent of his label, and the past decade has seen him launch flagship stores in New York, London and Milan.
He had a perfume line, launched his first menswear collection in 2004 and most recently launching a denim-based collection entitled McQ.
His death came days before London fashion week, and ahead of Paris fashion week next month.
- AFP /ls
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Kate Moss Getting Married
Kate Moss is finally going to have her family full. Her boyfriend of two years, Jamie Hince, proposed her on Saturday, which was her 36th birthday.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Finally Somenthing Positive for The Pear Shape
Carrying extra weight on your hips, bum and thighs is good for your health, protecting against heart and metabolic problems, UK experts have said.
Hip fat mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries clogging, they say.
Big behinds are preferable to extra fat around the waistline, which gives no such protection, the Oxford team said.
Science could look to deliberately increase hip fat, they told the International Journal of Obesity.
And in the future, doctors might prescribe ways to redistribute body fat to the hips to protect against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
The researchers said having too little fat around the hips can lead to serious metabolic problems, as occurs in Cushing's syndrome
Evidence shows that fat around the thighs and backside is harder to shift than fat around the waist.
Although this may sound undesirable, it is actually beneficial because when fat is broken down quickly it releases a lot of cytokines which trigger inflammation in the body, say experts.
These cytokines have been linked to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes.
Who knew that stubborn weight that wouldnt shift is actually good for you even if you don't think it looks that good . I may well have to change my out look on it :)
Hip fat mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries clogging, they say.
Big behinds are preferable to extra fat around the waistline, which gives no such protection, the Oxford team said.
Science could look to deliberately increase hip fat, they told the International Journal of Obesity.
And in the future, doctors might prescribe ways to redistribute body fat to the hips to protect against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
The researchers said having too little fat around the hips can lead to serious metabolic problems, as occurs in Cushing's syndrome
Evidence shows that fat around the thighs and backside is harder to shift than fat around the waist.
Although this may sound undesirable, it is actually beneficial because when fat is broken down quickly it releases a lot of cytokines which trigger inflammation in the body, say experts.
These cytokines have been linked to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes.
Who knew that stubborn weight that wouldnt shift is actually good for you even if you don't think it looks that good . I may well have to change my out look on it :)
2010 Faces to Watch
Are these really going to be the up and coming faces of 2010
http://www.vogue.co.uk/celebrity-photos/091222-model-faces-to-watch-for-2010/gallery.aspx?Page=1
http://www.vogue.co.uk/celebrity-photos/091222-model-faces-to-watch-for-2010/gallery.aspx?Page=1
Memories and Moments of 2009
Here are some moments as remebered by vogue which I thought caught the memories of 2009 perfectly
-Marc Jacobs’ muses have included Victoria Beckham, Sofia Coppola and Kate Moss but, in August this year, his head was turned by arguably the greatest diva of them all – Miss Piggy. The temperamental – but ever-glamorous – sow was treated to a couture gown designed by Jacobs for the Macy’s Glamorama party in New York
2009 was the year when fashion opened its doors and invited the world in for an inspection. From the fly-on-the-wall look at the inner workings of Vogue in The September Issue, to Valentino’s needling of his partner - Giancarlo Giametti - in The Last Emperor, and from Audrey Tautou as a wide-eyed Coco in Coco Before Chanel to Tom Ford’s directorial debut in A Single Man, this was the year when fashion went celluloid.
-Daphne Guinness earned a well-deserved nod of approval from fashion critics for being the first celebrity to wear Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoes on the red carpet, at the party that she hosted with Francois Nars, in New York. We could barely walk in them, so kudos to Daphne for braving the paparazzi in them.
-Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Karolina Kurkova and Jourdan Dunn. What do they have in common? They all contributed to the gene pool by producing genetically-blessed progeny. A year of model pregnancies and births was summed up when a seven-month-pregnant Dunn boldly walked the Gaultier catwalk in Paris – resplendent in a tortoise-like bump-shell and conical bra
-We all went mad for bunny ears following their appearance in Marc Jacobs' autumn/winter 2009-10 Louis Vuitton show. The designer even sported a pair himself for his CFDA portrait, as did Madonna – who wore hers to the Costume Institute Gala.
-The 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week saw the capital celebrating its unique sense of style, with more shows on the schedule, more big name designers, more parties, more stars on the front row, more gravitas and a new move to the stately Somerset House. Even Anna Wintour was in attendance.
-With bankruptcy and credit crunch headlines taking overriding precedence in the world’s press and a feeling of uncertainty dampening spirits, Vogue decided to host a global event to bring retailers and shoppers together in a bid to boost the economy and remind the world that fashion is fun. In London, shoppers were entertained with instore activities such as Chanel's live photoshoot where Erin O'Connor (left), Laura Bailey and Daisy Lowe worked their modelling magic.
-Graff Jewellry store robbery - On an August afternoon, two smartly dressed men with handguns held up staff and made off with £40 million worth of diamonds, firing shots and taking a Graff staff member hostage to ensure their getaway. Two weeks later, two men were charged with the robbery
-Since First Lady of the United States (or FLOTUS, as she is now known) moved into the White House, she has become one of the most watched fashion figures in the world. With blogs – and now a book – based on her realistic high-meets-low sense of style, Obama has introduced legions of women to the likes of Peter Pilotto, Basso & Brooke (left), Thakoon, Jason Wu, Isabel Toledo - and taught them how to mix them up with high street brands like J.Crew.
-There was a mass homecoming among some of British fashion’s biggest names to mark the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week. Matthew Williamson, Pringle, Antonio Berardi, Jonathan Saunders and Burberry (left) all returned to London’s catwalks for the spring/summer 2010 shows.
-High street/high end collaborations are nothing new but with Yasmin Le Bon for Wallis, Beth Ditto for Evans, Sonia Rykiel and Jimmy Choo for H&M, Roksanda for Whistles, Jil Sander at Uniqlo and a return to Topshop for both Kate Moss and Christopher Kane, 2009 was the year for designers on the high street.
-The world of fashion has not been immune to the trials of the global recession. Gianfranco Ferré and Yohji Yamamoto filed for bankruptcy protection, while Luella Bartley’s Italian production company closed its doors, leading to her distributor withdrawing its backing and the close of one of the UK’s most loved brands. And Christian Lacroix’s ready-to-wear and haute couture businesses were finally shut down after he failed to find a buyer in time for a November deadline. On a brighter note, Escada finally found a buyer in November
-It was a shrewd move when Central Saint Martins graduate Mark Fast showed his designs could fit into the wardrobes of many a woman at September's London Fashion Week. The designer chose to include size 12 models within his model line-up, demonstrating his work's wearability and popularity with shoppers.
-Marc Jacobs’ muses have included Victoria Beckham, Sofia Coppola and Kate Moss but, in August this year, his head was turned by arguably the greatest diva of them all – Miss Piggy. The temperamental – but ever-glamorous – sow was treated to a couture gown designed by Jacobs for the Macy’s Glamorama party in New York
2009 was the year when fashion opened its doors and invited the world in for an inspection. From the fly-on-the-wall look at the inner workings of Vogue in The September Issue, to Valentino’s needling of his partner - Giancarlo Giametti - in The Last Emperor, and from Audrey Tautou as a wide-eyed Coco in Coco Before Chanel to Tom Ford’s directorial debut in A Single Man, this was the year when fashion went celluloid.
-Daphne Guinness earned a well-deserved nod of approval from fashion critics for being the first celebrity to wear Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoes on the red carpet, at the party that she hosted with Francois Nars, in New York. We could barely walk in them, so kudos to Daphne for braving the paparazzi in them.
-Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Karolina Kurkova and Jourdan Dunn. What do they have in common? They all contributed to the gene pool by producing genetically-blessed progeny. A year of model pregnancies and births was summed up when a seven-month-pregnant Dunn boldly walked the Gaultier catwalk in Paris – resplendent in a tortoise-like bump-shell and conical bra
-We all went mad for bunny ears following their appearance in Marc Jacobs' autumn/winter 2009-10 Louis Vuitton show. The designer even sported a pair himself for his CFDA portrait, as did Madonna – who wore hers to the Costume Institute Gala.
-The 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week saw the capital celebrating its unique sense of style, with more shows on the schedule, more big name designers, more parties, more stars on the front row, more gravitas and a new move to the stately Somerset House. Even Anna Wintour was in attendance.
-With bankruptcy and credit crunch headlines taking overriding precedence in the world’s press and a feeling of uncertainty dampening spirits, Vogue decided to host a global event to bring retailers and shoppers together in a bid to boost the economy and remind the world that fashion is fun. In London, shoppers were entertained with instore activities such as Chanel's live photoshoot where Erin O'Connor (left), Laura Bailey and Daisy Lowe worked their modelling magic.
-Graff Jewellry store robbery - On an August afternoon, two smartly dressed men with handguns held up staff and made off with £40 million worth of diamonds, firing shots and taking a Graff staff member hostage to ensure their getaway. Two weeks later, two men were charged with the robbery
-Since First Lady of the United States (or FLOTUS, as she is now known) moved into the White House, she has become one of the most watched fashion figures in the world. With blogs – and now a book – based on her realistic high-meets-low sense of style, Obama has introduced legions of women to the likes of Peter Pilotto, Basso & Brooke (left), Thakoon, Jason Wu, Isabel Toledo - and taught them how to mix them up with high street brands like J.Crew.
-There was a mass homecoming among some of British fashion’s biggest names to mark the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week. Matthew Williamson, Pringle, Antonio Berardi, Jonathan Saunders and Burberry (left) all returned to London’s catwalks for the spring/summer 2010 shows.
-High street/high end collaborations are nothing new but with Yasmin Le Bon for Wallis, Beth Ditto for Evans, Sonia Rykiel and Jimmy Choo for H&M, Roksanda for Whistles, Jil Sander at Uniqlo and a return to Topshop for both Kate Moss and Christopher Kane, 2009 was the year for designers on the high street.
-The world of fashion has not been immune to the trials of the global recession. Gianfranco Ferré and Yohji Yamamoto filed for bankruptcy protection, while Luella Bartley’s Italian production company closed its doors, leading to her distributor withdrawing its backing and the close of one of the UK’s most loved brands. And Christian Lacroix’s ready-to-wear and haute couture businesses were finally shut down after he failed to find a buyer in time for a November deadline. On a brighter note, Escada finally found a buyer in November
-It was a shrewd move when Central Saint Martins graduate Mark Fast showed his designs could fit into the wardrobes of many a woman at September's London Fashion Week. The designer chose to include size 12 models within his model line-up, demonstrating his work's wearability and popularity with shoppers.
Megan Fox does underwear range for Armarni
I love Megan Fox for a start so to see the outcome of this campaign is something im really looking forward to.
Fox will replace current Face Victoria Beckham as will Ronaldo replace David Beckham , however Cristiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox wont appear together in the campaign...quite lucky really
Fox will replace current Face Victoria Beckham as will Ronaldo replace David Beckham , however Cristiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox wont appear together in the campaign...quite lucky really
Georgia Jagger Last shoot until 2010
"Georgia won't be shooting anything else for the rest of the year," her agent Tori Edwards of TESS Management told VOGUE.COM today. "I've known her since she was a little girl and school has always been her number one priority. She is studying for her A Levels just now, so she has a lot of coursework, and until she is 18 she will just be focusing on that."
Despite Jagger's attention to her studies, Edwards confirmed that she is "really excited" to be this season's Versace girl and loved the shoot, which took place last week in an apartment over the Dorchester with Mario Testino - who over the years has photographed all the Jagger women.
"Georgia absolutely loves working with Donatella. She has given her a few pieces from the new collection and Georgia is crazy about it," Edwards revealed. "We have an archive of Georgia's mother Jerry Hall's work, including the shots she did for Versace with Richard Avedon in the Seventies, and we showed them to Georgia before the shoot. She loves them."
Despite Jagger's attention to her studies, Edwards confirmed that she is "really excited" to be this season's Versace girl and loved the shoot, which took place last week in an apartment over the Dorchester with Mario Testino - who over the years has photographed all the Jagger women.
"Georgia absolutely loves working with Donatella. She has given her a few pieces from the new collection and Georgia is crazy about it," Edwards revealed. "We have an archive of Georgia's mother Jerry Hall's work, including the shots she did for Versace with Richard Avedon in the Seventies, and we showed them to Georgia before the shoot. She loves them."
Jagger and Lowe set to be new faces if Versace and Louis Vitton
Its all about the brits this year with two of the british new and upcoming supermodels being the faces of two major designers.
Starring on the vogue cover nov 2009 Georgina Jagger is now doing her first luxury campaign
"She's smart, a strong personality, beautiful, full of energy... and with that natural high star quality, I adore her," Donatella Versace enthused. "She's perfect for this collection - a real Versace girl.
Meanwhile Lowe will follow in the footsteps of stars including Madonna, Scarlet Johansson and Uma Thurman, who have previously fronted the luxury label's womenswear and accessories collections, although the pictures will appear in the brand's press kit, not the advertising campaign. The images, which were shot this weekend in Miami, will be for a new Louis Vuitton beachwear collection comprising ready-to-wear, shoes, bags and accessories
both of which i am looking forward to seeing
Top Twenty Models of the 90s
This was interesting to watch and look at .The ranking was done in june 2009 done by models.com
Here is the ranking :
1. Toni Garrn
2. Anna Selezneva
3. Karlie Koss
4. Ymre Stiekema
5. Sigrid Agren
6. Ali Stephens
7. Jourdan Dunn
8. Jac Jagaciak
9. Karolin Wolter
10. Tanya Dziahileva
11. Amanda Laine
12. Irina Kulikova
13. Constance Jablonski
14. Karmen Pedaru
15. Anya Kazakova
16. Ranya Mordanova
17. Anabela Belikova
18. Myf Sheperd
19. Nimue Smit
20. Katie Fogarty
Heidi Klum designs Maternity Wear
Maternity is a time people think they should dress frumpy and in baggy clothes when the bum starts to appear and is a common problem in women and i personally think is a trigger to of post natal depression
So the news that Heidi Klum, the glamorous super model was designing a range i though it would make a breath of fresh air as she will know how it feels ,after recently having a baby of her own.
"Her foray into pregnancy fashion is well-timed since designers including Jean Paul Gaultier recently made a point of emphasizing the baby bump (pregnant top model Jourdan Dunn walked his runway last fall) and celebrities such as singers M.I.A and Roisin Murphy turned theirs into fashion statements during performances and red carpet appearances.
Klum's collections will consist of a more sophisticated line called 'Lavish' for A Pea in the Pod - this range will also feature elegant evening styles - and a more casual and comfortable collection for the brand's partner label Motherhood Maternity called 'Loved.'"
Principles Make Come Back With Help of Lisi
I liked this article as I think its brilliant that the company is set to make a comeback as mosaic fashions Has many brands such as warehouse and coast which has specific markets but not really for the 40+ so that is why it is important for the stock to be revamped and relaunched as fashion isnt clearly just for the young people seem to forget:
Principles, one of Britain’s best-known high street brands, will make its fashion comeback in early February, at Debenhams, with the internationally-renowned designer, Ben de Lisi at the helm.
Principles+Ben de Lisi is set to go on sale on February 8th, with an online preview a few days earlier.
De-Lisi has created a 106-piece collection for Principles specifically targeted at the 40+ woman.In addition, a 46-piece companion range will focus on ‘petite’ sizes. The collection focuses on well-tailored cuts, beautiful fabrics and flattering shapes and includes designs for weekend, smart day, occasion and evening wear, together with handbags and accessories.
The Principles brand disappeared from the high street in March last year, when its parent company, Mosaic Fashions was placed into administration. Debenhams, which had long sold a significant proportion of the Principles label in its chain of stores, later bought the worldwide rights to the brand name.
full article on http://ow.ly/VznF
Principles, one of Britain’s best-known high street brands, will make its fashion comeback in early February, at Debenhams, with the internationally-renowned designer, Ben de Lisi at the helm.
Principles+Ben de Lisi is set to go on sale on February 8th, with an online preview a few days earlier.
De-Lisi has created a 106-piece collection for Principles specifically targeted at the 40+ woman.In addition, a 46-piece companion range will focus on ‘petite’ sizes. The collection focuses on well-tailored cuts, beautiful fabrics and flattering shapes and includes designs for weekend, smart day, occasion and evening wear, together with handbags and accessories.
The Principles brand disappeared from the high street in March last year, when its parent company, Mosaic Fashions was placed into administration. Debenhams, which had long sold a significant proportion of the Principles label in its chain of stores, later bought the worldwide rights to the brand name.
full article on http://ow.ly/VznF
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