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By Alan, on January 19th, 2012
 One of the premier fashion companies in the UK is Harvey Nichols and they have chosen to launch a new store in Liverpool which has a smaller format than the traditional locations. The story is going to be located where Habitat previously was in Peters Lane. This is in the fashion hub of Liverpool, Liverpool ONE. Further details about this new store are going to be released in the spring and it is set to open in autumn this year.
Miles Dunnet is from Grosvenor Liverpool Fund and here stated, “The fact that Harvey Nichols have decided to open a store in Liverpool ONE is a great testament to the success of the area. Last year more people came to the shopping location then in 2010 and there has been a great increase in the number of sales occurring. More people are deciding to shop in the location than ever before.”
The chief executive of Harvey Nichols is Joseph Wan who said, “Liverpool ONE is a great shopping centre and the catchment area is very large. We expect there are many discerning loyal customers in the surrounding area and therefore we see no better place to launch our new store.”
Previously, Harvey Nichols established a pop-up shop in the area and this was a great success. The expectations that the company had of the pop-up store were greatly exceeded and many people expect this is why they decided to install permanent location.
The visitor numbers for the shopping area are very impressive. In the week before Christmas nearly 1,000,000 people visited Liverpool ONE which is an increase in the number of people by over 30 percent on the previous year.
By Alan, on January 19th, 2012
 It’s common to for people to make the New Year’s resolution that they will spend more time at the gym. If you are looking for a bit of motivation then the spring and summer collection from Chanel is definitely going to be able to do just that. The models wearing the latest clothes from Chanel are seen posing with exercise equipment but wearing very elegant clothing and they are certainly not sweating.
The black-and-white photos have been captured in order to promote the new range by the company. The models featured in the photograph are Saskia de Brauw and Joan Smalls, who several people were surprised to see because they are not the usual choice of model by Chanel; Freja Beha Erichsen. This is the first time in five years that the company have not used their normal model.
Tom Ford has created a very different collection to Chanel for his range this spring and summer. Chanel’s clothes are composed and calm but Tom Ford is a much more upbeat. The clothes have been seen being worn by the Dutch model, Mirte Maas. Mathias Bergh is also featured in the promotional pictures for the clothing.
The pictures were taken by Mr Ford himself in Palm Springs in California. He has become well known for being a designer who takes pictures that tend to be a bit more mischievous when he does them himself.
In the photographs Bergh is nibbling on the ear of Maas. The photographs show her wearing some great pieces from Mr Fords new collection including a second skin skirt which has been matched up with a scarlet red blouse. Both of these items look fantastic on her and they are complemented by a satin suit which has been designed in the stunning colour of cobalt violet.
By Alan, on January 10th, 2012
 Hot on the heels of Kristen Stewart’s fashion slam dunk on the promotional tour for the latest in the Twilight saga ‘Breaking Dawn Part 1, which saw her upgraded from a moody teenager into a fully fledged starlet thanks to her j Mendel sequins, the creative director of Balenciaga, Nicholas Ghesquière has now announced that Kristen is to be his new muse.
Ghesquière has said that Kristen in the embodiment of Balenciaga’s new fragrance due to her unique intelligence and sensibility. He says that he has sensed her progressive character from her early appearance in ‘Panic Room’ through to the independent ‘Welcome to the Riley’s’. The pair first worked together in 2006 on a shoot by Bruce Weber, and Ghesquière says he has always wanted to work with her again.
Until recently, Kristen has eschewed the glamour of the red carpet, rejecting sky high heels for Converse plimsolls, but it now transpires that she has always has a penchant for Balenciaga. She told WWS that Balenciaga has always stood out to her, and even when she first started exploring fashion and rarely knew the name of the brand she was wearing, she always recognised and loved anything by Balenciaga.
She also said that she felt that she had now come in a full circle to be working with a brand that spoke to her back then and continued to excite her today. Kristen added that she thought the brand was just so cool, and she felt drawn to it, and it was a brand that provoked reactions on all levels, it wasn’t contrived or afraid and found an undeniably cool balance, and she was delighted to be representing them at this level.
By Alan, on January 10th, 2012
 A magazine which specialises in plus sized fashion and models has sparked controversy by claiming in a feature that most models who appear on the runway meet the Body Mass Index criteria that indicated Anorexia.
The feature is PLUS Model Magazine is accompanied by a bold photo which features a plus sized model alongside a typically sized model. The magazine claims that this is to encourage plus sized consumers to put further pressure on retailers to cater for them better, and to stop promoting skinny as the ideal. The US size 12 model, 28 yr old Katya Zharkova stars in this shoot, where each image is accompanied by a powerful statistic.
An example of this is a photo of the Russian model holding a tape measure across her bottom, with the words 20 years ago, an average model weighed 8% less than an average woman, today that figure is 23%. Another stated that 10 years ago plus sized models were, on average, size 12-18, but today the need for diversity in size within the plus sized model industry continues to be questioned.
Most plus sized models on the books of agencies are between a (US) size 6-14, whilst the customers express their disappointment with this. The final statistic, which also highlights how badly plus sized women are catered for by the fashion world, tells us that 50% of women now wear a size 14 or larger, but most retail outlets cater to those who are a size 14 or smaller.
Madeleine Figueroa-Jones, the editor in chief for the magazine, says in the accompanying editorial that this feature is a response to a beauty and fashion industry that continues to endorse skinny as the ideal body shape, despite this not only being unhealthy most of the time, but which also alienates a massive percentage of the public.
By Alan, on January 10th, 2012
 Punk music and fashion is usually associated with the late-70s, when The Sex Pistols topped the charts and Mohawk hairstyles were a common sight on British streets. Yet a number of modern fashion designers are embracing the punk ethos in their new collections, as today’s young people reject the establishment, just like their counterparts did 30 years ago.
Fashion icons such as Balenciaga, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Burberry have all been using the punk look on the catwalk in recent weeks; an ironic turn-around for a style which began life as an anti-fashion statement.
Although the punks of the 1970s would barely recognise what these designers have done with their beloved skinny jeans and black leather jackets, the influence is obvious in some of the 2012 autumn collections which will hit the catwalk during London Fashion Week in February. And it’s not just the clothes that are reminiscent of times gone by, but the hairstyles, make-up and piercings too.
One of the leading ladies of punk first time around, designer Vivienne Westwood, knows better than most how to create the perfect punk-rock look and her upcoming collection is expected to recall some of her earliest successes on the catwalk. Even young designers who were in short trousers during punk’s first outing are getting in on the act, including the team at Alexander McQueen’s McQ label.
Alice Dellal, the queen of the new “posh punk” style, is the living embodiment of everything that designers are aiming for in their new collections. The handbag heiress who is famous for her unapologetic style off the catwalk has totally embraced the punk ethos, and has even gone as far as shaving half her head.
In the past, a look like that would have killed off the career of any young model, Dellal however is not only in demand for catwalk shows, but has been signed up as the figurehead for a campaign advertising Karl Lagerfeld’s new Chanel handbag.
Dellal is not everyone’s cup of tea, cultivating a rebellious image that has seen her take part in some ill-advised photo shoots, including some featuring drug-taking. The modelling industry has worked hard to distance itself from drugs in recent years and many insiders are unhappy that Dellal has undone all their hard work.
The punk look isn’t just making an appearance on the catwalk, however; the success of the recent film adaptation of Steig Larsson’s novel “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” has made a star of its spiky-haired star Rooney Mara. Her character, the magnificent Lisbeth Salander, is the very definition of everything that modern punks want to be; rejecting society’s norms and embracing rebellion and independence.
Perhaps the best thing about the return of the punk look is that it is so easy for ordinary women to recreate without spending a fortune in designer stores. First time around, the punk look was all about individuality, raiding jumble sales and charity shops for items that can be ripped apart and fixed back together with safety pins. With charity shops more numerous now than they were in the 1970s, there should be plenty of choice to help fashion followers to create their own punk look this autumn.
By Alan, on January 7th, 2012
 Alexa Chung has revealed that she felt like a punk whilst telling the contestants what to do on her new fashion reality show. The model and TV presenter is hosting the the upcoming TV series ’24 Hour Catwalk’, which will follow a group of budding designers in their quest to make a name for themselves in the fashion world. The contestants will be pitted against each other and have to create a fashion collection with 24 hours.
Alexa admits to feeling harsh while assigning them their tasks. She says in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on the Late Night show that they got very emotional, and also said that something else she didn’t take into consideration when accepting the offer to host he show was tiredness.
She laughed when telling the story of when she first find out the remit for the show, and how amazing yet mean it all sounded and how tired the contestants would be. She failed to realise, however, that she had to stay awake for 24 hours at a time with them, and by episode 6 she felt as if she was losing her mind due to her extreme tiredness.
As if being a successful model and presenter wasn’t enough, the stunning Alexa is also an accomplished DJ, but modestly played down her musical talents when Fallon asked her about them. She said that yes she was a DJ on the side, but she used the term loosely and that she didn’t really mix tracks, just made 2 CD’s and pressed play, while trying to look busy.
By Alan, on January 6th, 2012
 As if being an award winning actress with a blooming film career wasn’t enough, Ukraine born Mila Kunis has firmly cemented her status as darling of the fashion world by capturing the latest campaign for Christian Dior. The star of the Black Swan has been named as the luxury French labels face for their spring/summer 2012 campaign, and will appear in the upcoming ads for Miss Dior handbags.
The new pictures, taken by photographer Mikael Jansson in New York, features the actress in a series of dreamlike shots dressed mainly in black and with the handbags. The Arnault family, who own Christian Dior as a part of their luxury good conglomerate LVMH, are clearly a fan of Black Swan, the psychological thriller set in the ballet world, as Mila’s co-star Natalie Port,ans is the poster girl for the Miss Dior ‘Cherie’ fragrance.
Delphine Arnault is the deputy general of Dior, and she has said that Mila Kunis is a talented young actress who is the true embodiment of a moden women, Her performance in Black Swan was breathtaking and she is very gifted. Mila, in return, said that she is absolutely delighted to be working with Dior, as the brand is iconic in so many different ways; it defines elegance, fashion and sophistication.
By Alan, on January 6th, 2012
 Critics of Victoria Beckham have recently been forced to eat their words and she has moved from a small fashion brand to one of the major contenders in the fashion industry. Her success has been astounding and she has recently launched a second line of clothing in addition to her already popular Victoria Beckham clothing brand.
Victoria Beckham has no formal fashion education and before this success it seemed that this was something essential to succeed in the fashion world. Now she has proved that in order to be successful you don’t need a formal fashion education and you can find success in other ways.
When Victoria Beckham shot to fame through her presence in the Spice Girls girl band she became recognisable for the clothing that she chose to wear. Eventually she decided to make the step to designer and the fashion world was not exactly welcoming.
Jennifer Lopez was quoted as saying, “A fashion line from Victoria Beckham is something that is never going to work, celebrities have tried and failed to make it in fashion and Beckham is going to be no different.”
Those who were initially critical of Beckham have now really been shown that they were wrong. The fashion brand made its debut in 2008 and for the last three years growth has been around 120% every year, and this is despite the ongoing recession. She now has over 100 stores around the world and has recently been awarded the Designer Brand Award of the year.
By Alan, on December 30th, 2011
 London is considered to be one of the fashion capitals of the world in good company with Paris, Milan, and New York. As such, each of the large cities has its own fashion week that highlights the new fashion trends and the top fashion designers of the moment. In London Fashion Week is celebrated twice a year with one celebration of fashion in February and then another in September.
This year one highly anticipated presentation that will take place in February will be from the McQ label with an announcement from the House of Alexander McQueen that it will take part in the fashion week for the very first time. The label is known for its youth focused designs that are usually hip and cutting edge. Even more exciting is the fact that the label is run by Sarah Burton who made the press a great deal this year as the designer of Kate Middleton’s royal wedding dress.
Another presentation that fans of fashion are anxious to see are those by Stella McCartney who has been a well known name in the fashion scene in London even though she has not put together a catwalk show for London Fashion Week in quite some time.
Other fashion critics are more excited to see what Victoria Beckham has to offer this year as she is fresh off her win as the Designer Brand of the Year and is rumoured to be putting together her own collection for the catwalks at the London Fashion Week this year. For more information about what will be going on at London Fashion Week this year check out the official website at www.londonfashionweek.co.uk.
By Alan, on December 29th, 2011
 Domestic bliss was the subject of a runway show at Northumberland College as many young models headed down the runway showcasing the work of young designers at the college catwalk show. About 200 people showed up to see the event held in Ashington and were rewarded given the fact that students worked hard for weeks on the result.
Many of the styles and outfits that graced the runway followed the theme of the show and were made out of simple home items such as kitchen utensils and dishcloths adding a unique thrill to the show as viewers did not know what would show up on the runway next.
The Domestic Bliss theme was created by Rachel Burns a fashion lecturer at the college who commented that the point of the show was to take a close look at gender and domesticity. She added that the goal was to examine how the roles that people take on influence their happiness.
The students got a surprise because at the last minute two industry experts showed up to help them including the international fashion photographer Bruce Smith who offered his own tips on how to make a career out of fashion and Joey Bevan the Essex hair stylist and fashion designer.
Programme art leader for the college’s creative department, Patrick O’Doherty, stated that they were very happy that Bruce and Joey could come down for the show and that they offered the students some great inspirational tips helping them learn from people who are already working within the fashion industry. In addition, two of the students were asked to model for Joey allowing them a great opportunity.
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One of the premier fashion companies in the UK is Harvey Nichols and they have chosen to launch a new store in Liverpool which has a smaller format than the traditional locations. The story is going to be located where Habitat previously was in Peters Lane. This is in the fashion hub of Liverpool, Liverpool ONE. Further details about this new store are going to be released in the spring and it is set to open in autumn this year.
