I recently attended the launch of Levi Strauss’ Modern Frontier Collection with guests including television personalities Ewan Strydom, Graeme Richards and Katlego Maboe. Showcasing their new collection designed with a focus on performance, innovation and working with modern lifestyles. With the backdrop of Truth Coffee in Cape Town, guests were treated to innovative and interesting cocktails and snacks as they navigated a unique fashion event experience. The Modern Frontier Collection is available in Levi’s stores, see www.levis.co.za for more information.

Thank you Levi Strauss for dressing to at this event!

Models display Chinese-style clothes at a show during this year’s China Fashion Week.

Fashion weeks are being staged everywhere, and there’s practically a host city for every letter of the alphabet. But only four cities occupy the top spot, attracting the biggest fashion houses and designers, buyers, stylists, fashion journalists and, of course, celebrities. They are New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Beijing recently hosted China Fashion Week, which got some media mileage overseas, but it’s just not on the agenda of the global fashion industry’s movers and shakers. Even Chinese celebrities, who show up at fashion shows on the other side of the world, were few and far between in Beijing last week.

The Shanghai stylist Clement Buyi Z, who styles fashion shows and magazine shoots under his Clement and Clement Production, began attending the “big four” fashion weeks three years ago. Despite his hectic schedule, he says he makes time to attend at least the Paris and New York fashion weeks every year. But a trip to Beijing to attend China Fashion Week is apparently too much trouble.

“The shows are boring,” he says. “They’re not well organized. They’re all kind of the same. The time I spend at China Fashion Week is just not worth it.”

• The crucial thing China Fashion Week needs to do, experts say, is find a niche.

“It’s deciding who it’s for, why you’re doing it – whether you’re doing it for prestige or whether you’re doing it for business,” Jane Rapley, head of London’s Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, tells China Daily during a Beijing trip to attend the China Fashion Forum.

“If you’re then trying to position it as a prestige event on the world stage, you’ve got to have something that buyers are never going to find anywhere else.” Amanda Kaiser, Asian editor of the trade publication Women’s Wear Daily, says it’s wiser for China Fashion Week to build up its name in the region rather than to compete with the international fashion capitals, where the fashion world seeks direction.

“I think that, in the interim, it makes sense for regional fashion weeks to try to become big regional players, and then perhaps more international interest from the mature markets will come,” she says.

“Just about every city on the planet has a fashion week at this point and all of them are trying to attract international attention. It’s just really tough because the top-tier international media, the top-tier international buyers have already been on the road for the better part of a month going to all the big collections in Milan, in Paris and in New York.

“So it’s going to be very difficult to get some of these people to travel to China or to Japan or to Brazil for another fashion week.”

Fashion weeks are semiannual, so host cities scattered all over the globe are competing for the attention of fashion VIPs twice a year.

Rapley advises patience and uses her home city’s 28-year-old fashion week as an example. (New York, the first fashion week, has been around for 69 years.) China Fashion Week, in comparison, is 15 years old.

“London Fashion Week has had a roller coaster ride,” she says. “It probably took some 20 years to get some recognition that this was something buyers needed to come to. Because that’s what it’s about, it’s getting buyers to come. And if you get some A-listers, that brings the buyers like bees to the honey pot. But it is very hard work.”

• What do you know about China Fashion Week?
• As a PR professional who is interested in fashion, what can you do to help promote China Fashion Week?

Download Pictures

31st March – 6 April 2013

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Credits at Avenue FW ONLY:

~Shirt: Miamai_Mita Clarity & Mirella Purple

~Pants: Miamai_Mita Beloved & Sarine White

~Tiara: *SoliDea FoliEs* Color my Name Headpiece

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Credits:

~Hair: >TRUTH< Mischa -  fairyfloss

~Jewelry: FINESMITH SAINT *NEW*

~Shoes: *GaeLine* Bare Feet in Tip Toe

~Wings: Sale! Tendril Wings in Pale

~MakeUp: Madrid Solo -Eyeshadow Design- Flirt

Pose by DARE

Sim: Venenos

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Infos for the Shows click here!

Today our Designer of the Day is Firebird Designs, and I cannot say enough about the outfits created for this Designers Choice session! You’ll just adore the School Girl Outfits created by Firebird Designs. The School Girl outfit comes w/ Mesh Top, Mesh Skirt, & Stockings. There is a black and a white version to choose from {Shown in Black} and the mesh skirt & top fits like a dream. It’s short, sassy, and just really, wow! Sizes are {XXS, XS, S, M, L}. And there is of course a DEMO at Pre-Release so you can try before you buy!

Mr Xi, with his wife Peng Liyuan, will head to South Africa after Russia

The moment when China’s first lady Peng Liyuan made her diplomatic debut upon her arrival at Moscow, wearing a dark navy overcoat, a light turquoise silk scarf with a matching handbag, the Chinese fashion industry got a boost.

Labeled by Internet fans as the real Liyuan style, China’s first lady Peng Liyuan’s fashion acumen won considerable praise from her followers when she made her diplomatic debut during her arrival in Moscow on March 22.

Images of Peng stepping off a plane arm-in-arm with her husband, President Xi Jinping, have circulated widely on the Internet, prompting praise for her style, which Web users described as understated and sophisticated.

Fashion critic Yue-Sai Kan spoke highly of Peng Liyuan’s wardrobe and fashion sense at a press conference for the launch for her new book “Life is a competition” on March 26 in Beijing.

It’s not clear which company or companies designed the clothes worn by Peng in Moscow. But people get the information that these clothes are local style. A newspaper said that Peng was wearing a jacket and purse made by Exception de Mixmind – a top-end Guangzhou-based brand – while another report on news portal Sohu.com said the Guangzhou Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision confirmed that Peng’s clothes were custom-made by Ma Ke, the chief designer for the WuYong brand.

However, regardless of the brand, Peng’s endorsement of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.

A number of Taobao sellers have begun offering garments based on styles worn by China’s first lady Peng Liyuan.

The first lady’s style was dubbed by netizens as Liyuan style. The exact purse and coat she donned have become top search items on taobao.com, a major shopping website in China. Also, Exception’s physical stores have seen a rising number of visitors.

US First Lady Michelle Obama also serves as fashion icon. She wore a custom-made Jason Wu gown for her two inaugural balls, bringing sudden fame to the 26-year-old designer. Obama’s colorful selections – ranging from J. Crew to Jason Wu – have boosted the American fashion industry, said fashion critic Jiang Xingyi.

Domestic fashion brands’ stock prices were also boosted on Monday by the first lady’s choice. Local designers and fashion brands always get a boost when the wives of State leaders choose domestic brands for important occasions. For local fashion brand and designers, it is another fantastic fashion PR strategy.

Do you think the first lady would be the label of domestic fashion? And should it be another spark idea that a fashion PR should take advantage of?

With the gorgeous fashion bloggers & editors!!

Last Friday, I attended the Superdry opening at Beirut Souks along with a host of fashion bloggers, editors and stylists! The event was hosted by Gavin Ford of Radio One; and included a casual fashion show featuring the spring-summer collection, games and quizzes, great music and prizes for everyone!! 

The collection presented is exactly what I need for my country club long afternoon stays; casual, comfy, colorful, and conveys a lot of summer energy!! The mood was informal and light; everyone was socializing and having a great time; and the cupcakes looked so good that I never hated my diet more!!

I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking!

Gavin Ford

My favorite part

With Gavin Ford!!

Perfect bow with the shopping bag!

Thank you!

Glamorously Yours;
Patricia I. Issa

source: dsquared2.com

The runway to end all great runways at LMFF, was the Independent Runway supported by Yen Magazine and Three Thousand, on Sunday evening at Docklands, Melbourne. A runway show that was absolutely packed to the brim of fashionistas from across the country, all aching to see what new talent there was lying amongst us in Australia. As the room filled with men and women who displayed some incredible style, a certain hype also filled the room. As I heard someone near me whisper “I cant wait to see Zhivago”, it was then that I knew that our Western Australian Designers would be getting the recognition that they deserve. And whilst I was extremely fortunate to land a seat in the second row, unfortunately my trusty i-phone was not so trusty on the night and I ended up with a whole lot of unusable images! Cue Instagram and regramming some pretty awesome shots from other fashion lovers!

With the lights dim and the beat thumping, the chatter in the room fell silent as everyone focused their attention on the first model to take to the runway…. wearing WA Label GARTH COOK. I had a quick chat to Garth before the show and he (like the rest of us) was quietly excited to see his Autumn/Winter collection on the LMFF runway. With his name splashed across the big screens, Garth’s collection of sheer fabrics and metallics certainly had people looking twice. A perfectly tailored collection of metallic emerald-green and sapphire blue knitted tops and dresses, structured skirts with hints of sheer black fabric and sexy dresses designed to flatter a womans body, every piece looked incredible on the runway. Garth has definitely established himself as a designer of the future with his ability to incorporate new techniques in structuring his pieces whilst still maintaining ‘wearability’ in his designs. Favourite piece of the collection? I’m utterly smitten with the Reflector Knit Dress in emerald green.

The next Western Australian label to take to the runway is by design duo Lydia Tsvetnenko and Lara Kovacevich. ZHIVAGO. These ladies are so incredibly talented that I can honestly say that they have never once failed to impress me with their collections. So much so that they are one of only a few designers that I sit on the edge of my chair waiting for them to release images of their next collection so I can swoon over the garments. Obsessed you ask? Only slightly… ok a little more than that… Well I have previously declared that it’s on my bucket list to one day wear a Zhivago gown! A few weeks ago, the lovely Amy Zemplis from lifestyle blog Absolute Amy released some images of Zhivagos Autumn/Winter collection ‘Ready For Battle’ HERE and I almost died in fashion admiration. The hints of metallic, the Jacquard, the leather… heaven! Titanium Jacket… come to me! So to then see this collection on such a high-profile runway, I was in my element. A quick introduction and chat to Lydia after the runway show purely confirmed for me why this label is soaring to new heights - it is driven by an unbelievable amount of passion and backed by excitement, taking their committment of designing to another level.

What better way to finish showcasing what Western Australia has to offer in the way of design than with One ONE FELL SWOOP being the last WA Label to walk down the Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival runway. Design duo behind One Fell Swoop, Daniel Romanin and Nikolina Ergic, certainly brought another impeccable collection to the table. I was silently thrilled that One Fell Swoop were part of this show as it was my first opportunity to witness their garments walking down a runway. Through my journey blogging about Western Australian designers, I had seen so many images and read so much about this label and the design aesthetics of the label, that I was pining to see just how effortlessly their garments fell on a womans body. And that they did! As the statuesque models walked down that pure white runway, One Fell Swoop pieces literally hung from their frames, giving them the most stunning silhouettes through the sheer fabrics. A collection of the most softest and silkiest textiles in a range of the most natural hues of white, grey, black and earthy tones…. a collection that was truly breathtaking.

Whats even more fabulous about this whole showing is that the collections that walked the runway are currently hitting stores! To find out where you can get your hands on something tailored from GARTH COOK, something uber-chic from ZHIVAGO or something sophisticated from ONE FELL SWOOP, visit their Facebook pages for stockiskts.

To see more images from Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, head over to Instagram and check out the other images posted by the users above. Western Australian photographer Jo Bevis has also uploaded some pretty fabulous images of our Western Australian Designers on the LMFF runway on her Facebook page HERE

x x

photos: hautefashionafrica.com

What I thought would be another runway show where I would sit and marvel at the gorgeous creations before me turned into something so much more.

Tonight I attended the Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Red Carpet Runway hosted by Harpers Bazaar. A runway show that was full of the most sensational wedding and red carpet gowns that not only had me swooning but also made me wish that I could relive that special day, my wedding day, all over again.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…. If I could marry the love of my life again, there is no doubt in my mind that I would be wearing a creation from Aurelio Costarella. There are no words to describe how incredibly talented this designer is and how much I adore the collections that he creates. Tonight my feelings were no different. Whilst all to often I’m found sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting and wanting to see so much more, tonight I found myself holding my breath between gowns because nothing mattered more in that room than what was before me. Costarella’s collection literally took my breath away.

It was a collection full of the most exquisite detail including feather shawls, sequin accents and a hint of corsetry. With most gowns gliding down the runway in beautiful soft flowing silks, his opening gown was a little more spectacular with layers of fabric teamed with sequins and feather detailing and finished off with a Reny Kestel headpiece.

Opening of Red Carpet runway performed by Ella Hooper wearing Aurelio Costarella

Another collection by Aurelio Costarella, that like the garment worn by Ella Hooper, withholds his signature detailing and design that allow any fashion lover to identify his creation by just a glance. Something that to me sets this designer above the rest, through his consistency to maintain his signature style from one collection to the next.

And whilst at this runway show I was fortunate enough to be in the perfect position to capture Costarella’s creations on the runway, Perth Stylist Angie McGivern, was upclose and personal backstage with the models and was able to bring to you this image of Costarella and Kestel ….

To read more about Aurelio Costarella visit my previous posts HERE and HERE. To see more designs from Aurelio Costarella or to shop his collection, visit his website HERE.

x x

photos: vogue.co.uk

Attending the event with the ever so lovely Belinda Cipriano from WA’s Community Newspaper Group and writer of Cooking in Choo’s, my mind was definitely on fashion sensory overload. As we approached the event, all I could see was a sea of women wearing the most amazing garments and accessories…. I was in total awe of the style that was set before me. Once ushered into the event, it was time to sit and take in more style, more glamour and more fashion love than I have ever seen in one place at one time.

There are no words to describe that inner excitement that one fashion follower gets when the lights are dimmed and the beat is turned up as the first model hits the stark white runway. With tonights models sporting neautral makeup (with a little smokey eye) and casual hair styled down, they were all as gorgeous as the next.

When ELLERY hit the runway, I scurried to get my camera ready. Trying to capture an image of every ensemble teamed with taking note of the finer details plus taking it all in, is multi-tasking at its best! However that multi-tasking is well worth it to be able to bring you these pics of ELLERY on the runway at the Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2013.

The collection on display for ELLERY ranged from beautiful tailored suit pieces  to metallic dresses to leather jackets and winter ensembles. With the last two pieces of the range being a striking gold metallic dress and the most stunning silk gorgette gown in a red wine hue (worn by Perth model Sarah Pauley), I was definitely sold on Ellerys collection. Looking back through the images now I actually cant choose one favourite piece! I’m completely torn between the tailored suit (Utah Jazz Double Breasted Boxy) and the metallic gold dress (Sacramento Bib Dress)… so many pieces to love!

As most will know who attend these shows, unless you have the latest technology in cameras or you are fortunate enough to be sitting front row (want to trade seats?) then its is pretty hard to capture fantastic images on your i-phone. So, as soon as the runway show was over, I headed back to my room to start searching Instagram for some other fabulous shots! I came across these two from Instagram users @gennacalder and @whatwouldkarldo…..

To shop ELLERY’s Fall 2013 collection, head to their website HERE and get the latest threads for your winter wardrobe. Stay connected with Designed by WA for more Western Australian Designers on the LMFF runway.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of one of the biggest and most notable fashion houses in the world, Chanel, a film documenting the life Coco Chanel will be produced. Keira Knightley will be playing Chanel’s matriarch Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. The film will be directed by Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld is the head designer of Chanel among many other prominent fashion houses. He is also an artist, photographer and he has also acted in a few films. The film will be released at the Chanel Cruise Show in Singapore in early May later this year.

Keira Knightley and Karl Lagerfeld. Photo by: Gamma 40

Lagerfeld, the director, is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer. Not only the creative director of Chanel he also heads Fendi a brand he joined in 1967 and his own label, Karl Lagerfeld launched in 1984 and sold to Tommy Hilfiger. Despite the sale he maintained the head creative director position. He once designed an H&M range for Chloe, as well as being head creative director for the fashion house in the 70s. He joined Chanel, for the first time, as head creative director-the position he still holds today- in 1993.

The film will be mostly based and filmed in Deauville, a seaside town in the North of France. The small town is home to the first Chanel boutique, opened in 1913 and financed by Coco’s lover Captain Arthur “Boy” Capel, a wealthy British aristocrat. Deauville’s former quaint beauty will be recreated through retro sets, Lagerfeld says. The town is also the town where Coco used to send her sister Antoinette and aunt Adrienne out in the streets to show off her designers and attract customers before she was famous.

Coco Chanel

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel is known as one of the most important women in fashion even today, 42 years after her death. Born in 1883, the fashion mogul, recreated her childhood, to hide from the public, the poverty she went through in the early years of her life. She also changed her birth date so that when she died she was 78 and not 88. The building that houses Coco Chanel’s apartment (although she lived at The Ritz Hotel in Paris for almost 30 years) was bought by Chanel in 1920. The building still has the ground floor shop, haute couture workrooms in the attic where 100 seamstresses still sew by hand. The building also includes Miss Chanel’s former study, now Lagerfeld’s. Chanel, the fashion house has the best-selling fragrance for women in the world, Chanel No.5.

The upcoming film will not be the first to be made about the mother of the modern woman’s fashion. Other films include the 2009 film, Coco Before Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel. The film was directed by Anne Fontaine.

Keira Knightley as the Face of Coco Mademoiselle

Keira Knightley, the British actress playing the role of the famed fashion designer is also the face of Coco Mademoiselle, a Chanel fragrance. She replaced Kate Moss in 2007. Lagerfeld handpicked her himself and has said on numerous occasions that the 27-year-old is his muse. He is currently working on Knightley’s dress for her upcoming marriage to James Righton a British musician. The 27 year old’s most notable works include the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Pride and Prejudice (for which she received an Oscar nomination) and the recent film Anna Karenina based on a novel (of the same name) by Russian author Leo Tolstoy published in 1877.

source: marieclaire.gr

last friday my gal pal CK & I went down to Howell Mill to sip on some American Spirit drinks, listen to music by Tedo Stone, and check out the awesome Spring collection from Billy Reid.  southern boy Billy Reid is known for his southern prep inspired clothing made with the highest quality of fabrics with a little bit of an edge. i am never committed to a full on preppy look but billy reid is the perfect combination of rustic prep with cool. i honestly have to say the store’s visual lay out was amazing with dark hard wood floors, white brick walls, with touches of the south mixed in with the merchandise. all and in all made  for a great spring evening.

i am wearing:

//a stem long sleeve white tee from Nordstrom (try this)//

//truth & pride jacket from Nordstrom (try this on sale!)//

//zara boyfriend jean (try these)//

//steve madden wedges (try these)//

billy reid atl

1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318