HOPE for Haiti now

The terrible tragedy that has occurred in Haiti is not over. Although many, many regular civilians of this great planet have donated their money. In the cases of privileged celebrities (Travolta) they lent their private jets to charter Doctors and supplies over to help those who did survive. For those celebrities without the luxury of a 747, they lent their talents. And for a mere $7.99 (R60!!) you can buy this on iTunes to do your bit. I literally just downloaded it and it's fantastic. If you're like me, feeling helpless because you have no means to help, why not buy an album you will get to enjoy while feeling like you did something
.The #1 selling album is also available here on Amazon.1. Send Me An Angel -Alicia Keys 2. A Message 2010 - Coldplay 3. We Shall Overcome - Bruce Springsteen 4. Time To Love / Bridge Over Troubled Water - Stevie Wonder 5. I'll Stand By You (with The Roots) - Shakira 6. Motherless Child - John Legend 7. Hard Times Come Again No More (with The Roots) - Mary J. Blige 8. Breathless - Taylor Swift 9. Lift Me Up - Christina Aguilera 10. Driven To Tears - Sting 11. Halo Beyoncé - 3:31 12. Lean On Me (with Keith Urban & Kid Rock) - Sheryl Crow 13. Like A Prayer - Madonna14. Hallelujah (with Matt Morris and Charlie Sexton) - Justin Timberlake 15. Let It Be (The Roots) - Jennifer Hudson 16. Many Rivers To Cross - Emeline Michel17. Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) (with Rihanna, Bono & The Edge) (Live Version) - Jay-Z 18. Alone And Forsaken (with Dave Mathews) - Neil Young19. Rivers Of Babylon / Yele (Medley) - Wyclef Jean20. Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) (with Rihanna, Bono & The Edge)All proceeds from album sales of Hope for Haiti Now will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation.GO!

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Paul Smith | Fall 2010

Classic with a twist, that's what Paul Smith has said of his often off-centre designs. And it's just these small details that have made him so popular amongst men who want something different. In a new collection of large checks, shiny peacock coloured suiting and floral shirts. Although Paul Smith is one of my favorite designers I found myself a little underwelmed with his newest show. However the pieces individually are, as ever, gorgeous. The cape, the coats and the blazers are timeless and beautifully made. You cannot fault Paul Smith on quality.These suits are simply fantastic. The colours are in line with what we have seen this season but the structure of his mainline suiting is unparalleled. Which is why they cost R22 000. And below a couple looks that didn't quite fit in elsewhere but I liked.

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John Galliano | Fall 2010

Ever the entertainer, never the conservative, John Galliano produced a wonderful show at his Paris Fall 2010 collection showing. As GQ called it, "Sherlock Holmes meets Edwardian Dandy" Galliano's suits are perfection if not a complete throwback to the era they come from. Of course added to it, his own special touches.

As if his eccentricities of adding corsets to his male models weren't enough, Galliano pulled a 180 with his theme and moved to Japanese fashionisto-warriors. All in all, a very interesting addition to Fashion Week.

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Adam Kimmel Fall 2010

Spongebob Squarepants and the Grinch had a love child, or several in Adam Kimmels new Fall collection.

Apart from the absurd and disturbing masks (which I love) the reasonably small collection featured some amazing alternative double breasted suits in velvet and pin stripe. Love it.

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Heni menswear show at AJFW

Thursday night saw the unveiling of Heni's first ever menswear venture. And it proved a great success!

With a strong Persian influence the models came out with fierce attitude, faux-fur and of course, eyeliner.

It was a wonderful surprise to see local designs executed with international flair. A testament to the development our thriving industry. As for texture and fabric Style-guide said it best. If this is a preview of what's to come then I'm looking forward to what else our talented country comes up with.

Shot by photographer Simon Deiner

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In the Pink

The Sartorialist | Lapo Elkann

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Stiaan Louw at Design Indaba 2010

The design Indaba, now in it's thirteenth year will be showcasing an array of South Africa's diverse talent. Each year challenging to outdo themselves, offering graphic design, décor, jewelry, industrial design, furniture and of course Fashion just to name a few.

And with fashion we need look no further than Stiaan Louw who will be showcasing his 2010 Winter collection. The promo image was designed by friend and muse Morné Visagie and comes part of a series of four.

As for the fun to be had at the CTICC in Cape Town from the 26th to the 28th February, there are all day fashion shows, a short film festival and over 250 exhibitions to help empty your wallet after pay-day.

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Tom Ford wants to be naked, as if we didn't already know!

Mega-designer/director/sex icon Tom Ford is not afraid of nudity. He encourages it not only in his professional life but also in his personal life.

Quoted as saying:

“I stay this way pretty much 24 hours a day. Richard [Buckley, his long time boyfriend] is very funny.

He is usually completely dressed. He does not like to be naked. So he is in the house; we are having dinner.

I am sitting there naked; he is sitting there completely dressed.”

You can see more of images here. Some of them are NSFW though!

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Dsquared AW10 | Milan Fashion Week

With Canadians being so fan-crazy over Hockey it's no wonder that Dsquared finally got it into their heads to incorporate it into their designs. And what I know from sports is that it can get quite competitive... and messy.

And this show is no different. Featuring blood soaked models in over-confident smirks and designer duds. Sequined lapels and scarves, leather gloves and fitted blazers galore, Dean and Dan delivered once again an entertaining display of theatrics and fashion.

These are some of the beautiful pieces included in the show... I covet them ALL!:

Opening the show was Tokyo Hotel front-man Bill Kaulitz, who brought along his twin brother in theme with, you know, Dsquared. The duo will be designing for the Tokyo Hotel Tour this year.

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Heni at Audi Joburg Fashion Week

Heni Este-Hijzen whose been penned as the 'South Africa's most promising designer' is coming out with a newly concentrated hold on his menswear. A showing of the collection will be taking place during Audi Joburg Fashion Week on January 21st.

I got the opportunity to ask him a few questions,

1) Where did you get the inspiration for your new menswear collection?

It’s a triumphant celebration of victory: the battle has been won! Channeling the brilliance of old Persia in all its splendor, reminiscing about long gone era’s, the 40’s and most recently a nod to the 80’s for its extravagance and opulence.

We marvel at Grecian war heroes such as Alexander the Great and the proud kings and queens for conquering all!

If there is going to be a new world order; we will be creating it for ourselves.

Heni Automne/Hiver 2010 collection will weave this colourful tapestry of ideas into a glorious, romantic and exceptionally wearable collection.

2) Where can we find Heni clothing?

I sell exclusively from my studio in JHB and will be opening my flagship store in late March 2010 in Sandton.

3) And where do you see Heni the brand in 5 years?I see the Heni brand firmly established as a leading, exclusive clothing brand in South Africa with stores in all major centres and hopefully a few abroad..

And here is a preview of his newest campaign:

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Catwalks on the way out?

A new trend to emerge in Milan this week was the replacement of catwalks with showrooms for some menswear labels, as key item focus became paramount. Presentations where buyers can see the clothes up close could be the way forward, while total looks are taking a back seat to powerful investment-piece key items.

Milan Vukmirovic, creative director of Trussardi, said: “They asked me if I wanted to do the show and I actually said no.” He told WGSN: “I didn’t want to make showpieces that would make a show worthwhile and exciting, but would never actually get made.” In the weak economic climate, high-end menswear has been even harder hit than the womenswear market. So labels are ensuring that they offer what both the stores and the consumers really want.

Christopher Bailey, creative director of Burberry, told us: “Men don’t want frivolous fashion. Each item has to be unique and have its own point of view and work on its own. Men today are looking for handmade, beautiful clothes that are authentic and have a point of view, pieces that have individuality.” Andreas Kronthaler, menswear designer for Vivienne Westwood, agreed with this. “This season it was all about encouraging people to buy individual pieces that they will keep for ever.” Both Burberry Prorsum menswear and Vivienne Westwood showed on the catwalks, but Missoni and Moschino opted for presentations. Missoni’s presentation was reinforced by showroom appointments. Angela Missoni told us: “Doing a show or a presentation has always been a question we have asked ourselves every season and this season we decided to do a presentation.”

So how does this affect buyers? Maria Kerner from Moscow’s Tsum feels the catwalks are generally important, although perhaps not for menswear: “Men do not really buy full outfits, they just buy quality pieces that they will use for a long time – they think logically about what they are buying, they look at each piece individually – so shows are less important.” Tiziana Cardini, creative director of La Rinascente, agreed that shows are a very powerful brand tool. But that looking at pieces individually has become a much bigger market for menswear.

{WGSN}

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Ermenegildo Zegna aw10 | Milan Fashion week

Zegna delivers a collection of dark knit shirts, stunning cashmere ties and polo-necks. A lovely if not safe collection on the part of Gildo Zegna. The sort of collection that although aesthetically pleasing can leave you wanting a little more in terms of it's pallet.

He did however design a beautiful version of a modern tux. I imagine this is the sort of tux one should be wearing at the Golden Globes! Alternatively they also made some flannel suits and double breasted blazers. Either would work in this case.

A favorite look of mine from this collection is the Indiana Jones look. The leather pieces are stunning and of the timeless structure that has me wanting one in every colour.

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Versace AW10 | Milan fashion week

It seems that Versace's Autumn/Winter collection derived from two inspirations, The futuristic Biker and an army of suave, stylish Neo's from The Matrix wearing wrap around shades.

The collection included a few colour blocks of Blue and deep Purple pieces:

Skin tight leather pants in various shades. A must-have first for me! But in black!

The styling of this outfit is utter perfection.

And lastly the colourful tops with tie-dye adjacent mac inspired prints!

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Gucci AW10 | Milan Fashion Week

When Fashion week approached, Frida Giannini's latest collection wasn't the first on my list to watch out for. Not that Gucci has disappointed in prior seasons but nothing really stood out. However for AW2010 I was pleasantly surprised by some of the looks.

Including an array of tan garments, suede trousers and leather shirts,

velvet and possibly suede blazers in season favorites Blue, Purple and a burnt Orange,

Leopard prints and Fur,

Suiting and some of my personal favorites.

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ETRO AW2010 | Milan Fashion Week

A definite standout collection in the Milan review, Etro got their models to strut down the catwalk in burnt oranges, apple greens and deep purple masterpieces. If you're a fan of dyed leather there is plenty of that, too.

A lot of the garments were what you would expect with a few surprises. Fashion week pieces, of course. But more importantly wearable styling! Here are just some of the key pieces.

Fantastic Coats

Alternative Colours

And then some of my personal favorites

With fashion week in their home town, Etro released yet another sensational showing of their newest collection. A look that GQ calls "Tasteful plumage for the modern peacock" and it was certainly just that.

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