What is Haute Couture?

Costume and Fashion history would not be the same without Haute couture.

Haute Couture is a French phrase for high fashion.  Couture means dressmaking, sewing, or needlework and haute means elegant or high, so the two combined imply excellent artistry with the fashioning of garments.  The purchase of a haute couture model garment is at the top level of hand customised fashion design and clothing construction made by a couture design house.  A model haute couture garment is made specifically for the wearer's measurements and body stance.  The made to measure exclusive clothes are virtually made by hand, carefully interlined, stay taped and fitted to perfection for each client. 

High Fashion - High Cost of Haute Couture

Dependant on the Haute Couture design house and the garment, the cost of a couture item runs from about £10,000 for a simple blouse to £40,000 and often beyond that figure.  A Chanel couture suit for example in 2002 might have cost £20,000.  By mid 2004 an evening frock cost £50,000.  If you are not rich it's hard for an individual to understand why the price is so high, but it's for service, workmanship, originality of a unique design and superb materials of the finest quality. 

In addition the client would get a perfection of fit only achieved by painstaking methods of cutting and fitting to the client's body.  The manual labour needed to produce a garment this way takes between 100-150 hours for a suit and up to 1000 hours for an embellished evening dress.  The evening dress might have thousands of hand sewn beads probably done by the expert and famous Parisian embroidery and beading firm of Lesage, founded in 1922 by Albert Lesage.

A couture house like Chanel for example will have about 150 regular clients who buy couture and a house like Dior will make about 20 couture bridal gowns a year.

Exclusive Expensive Haute Couture Fabrics 

The fabrics available to the couture house would be very luxurious and include the latest novelty fabrics and expensive silks, fine wools, cashmeres, cottons, linens, leather, suede, other skins or furs.  In the case of a famous design house the design and colour of a cloth, may be exclusively reserved for that couture house. 

Outside specialists make accessories either by design or inspiration.  Hats, trimmings, buttons, belts, costume jewellery, shoes and innovative pieces are finely crafted to complement the fabrics and fashion ideas being created.  Superb craftsmanship, a fresh idea and publicized internationally renowned names all command a price to match. Those able to afford couture are happy to pay for exclusivity and the privacy afforded by the system. 

Source :www.fashion-era.com/haute_couture.htm#High Fashion - High Cost Of Haute Couture

Old Hairstyles are Making a Comeback

It seems that today's celebrities are now starting to bring hairstyles from the past and turning them into stunning fresh looks. Just be careful because with any hairstyle having the right clothing decor can make or break your hairstyle.
Old hairstyles from the golden days of Hollywood have become popular unique looks for those woman who can pull them off. The retro looks give a very different look but not everyone is going to be able to pull these hairstyles off. These old Hollywood glam hairstyles are more for those already in the limelight and for special events like costume parties and other activities where bringing back a beautiful part of history is just right. Most of the hairstyles from past days of Hollywood glory have unique features that are set in place. Stars like Audrey Hepburn, Betty Grable, and Ingrid Bergman all featured unique hairstyles from their days. There are still some stars today who have captured these hairstyles.

Gwen Stefani's Hairstyle

Gwen Stefani started with punk hairstyles and has been able to capture some of the old Hollywood looks. She tends to combine various looks to create personal ones to meet her own style. Here, Gwen creates a beautiful look by pushing the front up which makes it the centerpiece and combs the rest back. The locks are curled and allow to fall from the back which does not take away from the front wave. This is a unique hairstyle that also captures some essence from the older Hollywood days.

Christina Aguilera's Hairstyle

Christina Aguilera has shown a lot of versatility by starting off with the cute pop girl look, transforming into the wild and sexy diva, and then to the old Hollywood glam style. She has looked beautiful through each transformation and in this picture shows a little twist of the look. She can be seen with better hairstyles that fit the Hollywood glam looks of past actresses but this one adds her own flair. The swept and curled front locks combine well with the extreme curls in the back that are arranged on both sides. This hairstyle is another combination creation.

Scarlett Johansson's Hairstyles

Scarlett Johansson has shown many different hairstyles and has looked ravishing in almost every single one. She shows that her facial features fit well with many different looks by donning this old Hollywood hairstyle. The hairstyle features a sweep and curl to one side with the longer locks curled up to just above the shoulders. The hairstyle opens up the facial area and many people can actually pull this look off but take a tip from Scarlett and match with a classy dress like the one she has on.

Marilyn Monroe's Hairstyle

One of the most mimicked hairstyle from the past has to be Marilyn Monroe's short, curly hairstyle which many people have copied for many events. Her hairstyle will always be a part of history and will continually be remembered as a part of the era. Many stars have used the hairstyles in their own photoshoots and the following 2 are great examples. Here Jennie Garth and Charlize Theron both feature the classic hairstyle in their own way and all three have created a beautiful look.

Do you have a sister?

For those ladies with younger or older sisters not too many years apart and would like to be featured in a future article or our gallery of sisters and their haircuts. Please feel free to email us a high quality picture of the hairstyles. Your hairstyles will be included in a future article or gallery if the hairstyles look great.

Source :http://www.latest-hairstyles.com/articles/old-hollywood-glam.html

Eco Fashion: HUGO Fragrances Initiative

HUGO Fragrances is delighted to announce the launch of ‘One Fragrance, One Tree’, a new sustainability initiative inspired by the increasingly eco-conscious outlook of HUGO Fragrances consumers. For each special edition pack of HUGO Element and HUGO Man fragrance produced, one tree will be planted in the Amazon rain forest in Peru .

To help raise awareness of this cause in the UK , Hugo Fragrances has commissioned 5 artists to create their own eco-friendly interpretation of an urban jungle. Designs will be painted on 100% recyclable card in the form of large pop up trees. With creative support from the artists, people will be encouraged to make their own mark by painting blank trees that will be on display in 5 cities throughout the country.

The tour launched in London’s Covent Garden on Wednesday 17th March and travels to Bluewater in Kent (19th – 21st March); Bullring in Birmingham (26th – 28th March) Meadow Hall in Sheffield (2nd, 3rd and 5th April) and Centre MK in Milton Keynes (9th – 11th April) before returning back to Covent Garden on 15th April for a grand finale, where the pop up trees will turn the cobbled pavements of Covent Garden into an urban jungle for the day.

Source :http://a-man-fashion.blogspot.com/2010/03/eco-fashion-hugo-fragrances-initiative.html

Sneaker of the day: Lanvin Embroidery High Trainer Sneakers

This pair of kicks is one of the item in my this year wish list. This expensive, Italian-made embroidered high trainer sneakers has round toe with rubber toe cap and serrated edging, reinforced metal eyelets and come with multi color beading and sequins on sides. Also come with quilted ribbing with beige suede edging along back of heel at top line. The upper is made up of calf skin leather. The insole is also leather with embossed logo of Lanvin. Source: http://a-man-fashion.blogspot.com/2010/02/sneaker-of-day-lanvin-embroidery-high.html

Man Fashion: 100 Years Vintage Levi's Jeans

Are you willing to pay $36,099 for a pair of Levi's jean? The story came from California, where an old pair of vintage Levi’s was found in a mine in the Rand Mining District, on the Mojave Desert. Surprisingly, the jeans were covered in wax and with an old paper bag and the name of a mercantile store which operated between 1895 and 1898.
Then eBay came into the picture.The bid for the old Levi’s went up to $36,099, and it’s still going!
What we learn from this? Save a pair of vintage jeans to our kids, who know it may worth thousand dollars in 100 years time!! :)
Source : http://a-man-fashion.blogspot.com/2010/04/man-fashion-100-years-vintage-levis.html

Men's Paris fashions blur gender boundaries

The French menswear collection featured sequins, silk and all things pink

updated 9:28 a.m. ET June 30, 2008

The French menswear collections ended on Sunday in a sea of sequins, silk and all things pink, challenging the adage that boys will be boys.

Fine fabrics like silk, gazar and crepe de Chine crept into the male wardrobe for spring-summer 2009 as Paris designers increasingly blurred gender boundaries.

“The most striking thing is the amount of crossover from women's collections that seems to be happening,” Michael Roberts, fashion director of Vanity Fair magazine, told The Associated Press.

“A little bit of that goes a long way as far as I'm concerned. I just find it a little bit annoying that I'm supposed to be here for a week watching men's shows, and I keep having to pinch myself to remind myself that I'm not in the women's pret-a-porter,” he added.

Case in point: the Dior Homme show, where models paraded in gold-sequined pants with bright jewel appliques, or a metallic bomber jacket in this season's ubiquitous fuchsia pink.

Admittedly, these were merely footnotes to a collection based on intricately constructed jackets, some featuring slits that allowed a glimpse of white shirt, others with pleats in the back that caught the wind like a sail.

The label's designer, Kris Van Assche, bristled at the suggestion that he was bringing feminine elements to Dior's sober aesthetic.

“For me, it's not at all about making menswear more feminine,“ he told the AP. “The whole job is to use these traditions like embroidery and all that, but to make it in a very masculine way.”

However, Van Assche, who is known for his romantic sense of elegance, veered from his signature path with the presence of club-kid gear, coupled with a thumping soundtrack by hip French electronic duo Justice.

The danger is that it may confuse editors and buyers, who still have no clear idea of the Belgian designer's overall vision for the label he overtook three seasons ago.

If anyone can be credited with kickstarting the feminine trend in menswear, it is French label Lanvin, which created a minor sensation last year with its jogging suit made from purple duchess satin.

Lucas Ossendrijver, who designs the menswear line under artistic director Alber Elbaz, reverted to technical fabrics with a crisper feel this season, but kept the foppish details like ruched seams on trousers and jacket backs.

A black silk puff-sleeved blouse was worn over a T-shirt encrusted with black beads, while accessories included lace-up sandals and crinkly straw hats laden with thick ribbons.

“It's clothes you want to have, clothes you want to keep,” Ossendrijver told the AP.

Even at Paul Smith, the British label famed for providing classics-with-a-twist, the model who opened the show was strikingly androgynous, his silky hair flowing well past shoulder length.

Highlights of the show included striped suits whose lapels were spliced to create a herringbone effect, but a seemingly endless sequence of baggy, faded jeans rolled above the ankle looked curiously out of touch.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25454517/#storyContinued

Man Fashion Week: Z Zegna Spring 2010 Collection

Body conscious strokes on old school cuts turn up in Z Zegna, Alessandro Sartori of Z Zegna mixes dandy-ism with street cred, pairing svelte blazers and waistcoats that are nipped at the waist and worn with sheer T-shirts, as well as single- and double-breasted suits snug, nearly as tight as his head-to-toe ensembles in oxblood-colored leather. Launched in 2004 as Ermenegildo Zegna's younger, more fashion-forward collection, the Z Zegna line now accounts for about 15 percent of its parent company's bottom line. Design head Alessandro Sartori grew up in a small mountain town renowned for the wool it produced for Zegna, and Sartori—his surname is Italian for "tailor"—has spent virtually his entire career with the company.
SOURCE :http://a-man-fashion.blogspot.com/2010/04/man-fashion-week-z-zegna-spring-2010.html

Fortune 500 Fashion

The Phineas Cole Spring 2010 Collection Will Merge and Acquire Your Wardrobe

The pinstripe power suit of yesteryear is back with a vengeance, thanks to the Phineas Cole Spring 2010 Collection. Pinstripe getups can go either way, often looking pretty cheesy if they’re not tailored right. However, these pieces feature such nice cuts and stitching that they are bound to turn heads at the next board meeting.

The suits from the Phineas Cole Spring 2010 Collection are reminiscent of what you would find on Wall Street in the late 80s, early 90s. The broad shoulders and slimming waste give the suit a retro feel while the patterning suggests a classic, timeless quality.

SOURCE :http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/phineas-cole-spring-2010-collection

Stretch skinny jeans

SOURCE :http://www.topman.com

TOP JEANS

You've found it...the ultimate denim destination online, talking about what's hot in the land of men's jeans.Know your fit? Topman.com is stacked with the latest fashion fits so there is sure to be something for everyone. For the rest of us who need a little inspiration, we've explained the benefits of each and what to wear them with.
SOURCE :http://www.topman.com

Socks and sandals, the hot new look

• The socks-and-sandals combo is trendy
• Stars, fashion houses like the style
• Expert warns shoes must 'have weight to them'

IT'S been a fashion faux pas for decades but the socks-and-sandals combo is now hot on the catwalk.

Elite fashion houses Burberry, Dior, Prada and Armani have adopted the trend - more commonly associated with elderly men - in their autumn- winter 2010 runway shows.

And Chloe Sevigny, British TV presenter Alexa Chung and model Agyness Deyn have been photographed sporting the style.

Marisa Fontana, the editor of fashion website Fab Sugar, said socks with sandals were a hit this winter and would trickle down to chain stores.

"[But] they have to have a bit of weight to them," she said.

"You wouldn't go teaming [socks] with a stiletto or evening shoe.

"Any of the wooden-heeled shoes out at the moment, definitely - ankle boots, too. I'd probably avoid white socks and go for grey or neutral
source :http://www.news.com.au