Fashion and "4-D" technology?

Did you ever imagine to relate high fashion with savy techs from the production of the "Harry Potter" films? 

Yeah, I did not think so either.

Well it seems like fashion is taking the extra step to be totally innovative and designer Ralph Lauren is taking the lead. Despite the designer's inclination for classic and traditional, he is not afraid to mix technology, art, innovation and fashion. 

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the brand's online shop and the introduction of e-commerce operations in Britain,  Ralph Lauren will project what they call a  "4-D" experience. A 10-minute spectacular presentation will be projected onto the facade of the brand-new ultrafancy Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue tonight. 

The presentation will include a series of images of both stores being constructed brick-by-brick. Once completed, the doors open,  four-story-high models stride powerfully through, then give way to such iconic visuals as polo players and the accessory that started it all – the necktie.

Preview of the presentation
Courtesy of Ralph Lauren 

The innovative presentation was possible with "architectural mapping" technology and a team of 100 techs who worked on the "Harry Potter" flicks. 

The presentation will be a complete sensory experience as sound effects will be included along with a mist of Lauren's signature fragrance. 

As vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications for the brand, David Lauren, son of the designer, was highly involved in the planning and creation of this new innovative development which the company calls "merchan-tainment"-concept of commerce and entertainment. 

“We put our hearts and souls into this,” said Mr. Lauren in the Nov. 9 New York Times issue, when referring to the eye-popping show. “We were the first brand to blend ‘merchan-tainment’ so seamlessly.”

When you think of Ralph Lauren, you may have an image of classy and vintage not so much of digital innovation, but this is not really the case. The brand has had a stream of innovative developments throughout the last decade and the changes keep coming. 

Mr. Lauren is passionate about pushing ahead in cyberspace and is the instigator of most of the brand’s new developments. 

David Lauren
Courtesy of the New York Times 

The latest innovation along with the groundbreaking visual feast that will take place tonight, is the iPhone application, offering instant viewing of the runway shows; and the embrace of social networking and customer involvement.

It is exciting to see fashion designers embracing the new technological advancements the world is going through. With technology advancing so fast and changing every day, industries, including fashion need to come up with methods to retain and attract customers through interactive and innovative means. 


Ralph Lauren now takes the lead among designers coming up with innovative developments, but we will have to be closely watching to see who is next in line to come up with such innovative tactics. 

Classic or Outrageous?

I am sure most of you took part in this year’s Halloween festivities. With Austin being such a big enthusiast about this holiday, it is impossible not to participate in the craziness. And dressing up for any type of event concerning the spooky holiday is an absolute must.

The different and outrageous costumes is what makes Halloween fun and enjoyable. Every year at Sixth Street a wide variety of costumes can be seen, from a classic pirate costume to an original and creative creature.

This year it was no different, the popular street was taken over by pirates, fairies, Cleopatras, skimpy policewomen and firewomen, scary masks, among other classics. Like every year, new characters or public figures that were popular during the year are seen as somebody’s costume. This Halloween there were plenty of Lady Gagas as well as “Snookies” from the popular show “The Jersey Shore”.  Characters from movies were also popular such as “Avatar” and “Alan” from “The Hangover”.   

I did notice that this year, people opted for more creative, original and funny costumes. Girls usually wear either something “cute” or they take the special day as an opportunity to dress in skimpy and tight outfits, but this year, many took a different route.

I saw girls dressed as men, some wore a big animal outfit, and others including me decided to be a funny character. I dressed up as Marge Simpson from the well-known animated show “The Simpson”. I love funny costumes, so I thought this was the perfect fit for me with the outrageous big blue wig.

Not only our locals in Austin wanted to be funnier and more creative in their outfit choices, but it also seems to be the trend in the celebrity and fashion world.

“Making the Most of a Pagan Holiday”, a recent article in The New York Times, gave a rundown of Visionaire Magazine’s Halloween party at MoMA P.S.1 in Long Island City, Queens. Unlike Austin’s Sixth Street, the event was filled with original costumes that were anything but pop culture. Which makes sense because when it comes to Halloween dress-up, nobody over thinks their costumes as much as fashion designers and artists do.

As you would expect from an artist, guests who attended the event wore very creative pieces.

The designer Richard Chai opted for a dramatic look, sporting a spray-painted muscle T-shirt and motorbike gloves, with a black raven lodged in his shattered visor. He described it as “a motocross rider who got too ambitious.”

Designer Richard Chai
Courtesy of The New York Times 

Cecilia Dean, a founder of Visionaire, was not a big supporter of outrageous costumes. She opted for a ballerina-esque outfit that was assembled largely from her own wardrobe, including a Gigi Burris feather headpiece and vintage Giorgio di Sant’Angelo black feather bodice. “There’s already a lot of dressing up in the fashion world,” said Ms. Dean in the article. “People act weird and dress really slutty.”

The article stated that the most clever art reference might have been made by Faris Al-Shathir, an architect who wore Keith Haring-like eyeglasses and whose entire body was painted black and white like one of the artist’s drawings. 

Whether you decide to wear an original outrageous costume or a classic one, make sure you dress up as something every year, if you don’t want to feel like an oddball. Now that the festivities are over and that we have seen an array of different costumes, we can start getting costume ideas for next year’s Halloween. It is never too early to start planning the perfect costume for the crazy celebration.

Fashion Police

Last night I watched a rerun of E!’s "Fashion Police". If you are wondering what this is and you are a fashion lover, it definitely needs to be on your list of shows to watch.

The show is hosted by the outspoken and unpredictable Joan Rivers accompanied by the anchor of E! News, Giuliana Ransic, fashion expert George Kotsiopoulos and Kelly Osbourne.  In the weekly program, the hosts comment and critique celebrity fashion. And by critique I don’t necessarily mean constructive criticism. The group of critics is not afraid to speak up and say what they really think about celebrities’ fashion choices.

The program includes different segments such as "Bitch Stole My Look", where two celebrities are spotted wearing the same outfit at different events, "What Were You Thinking?", where celebrities are criticized for their outrageous fashion choices, among other different segments. In every episode they also elect the best and worst dressed celebrity of the week. 

Here are some of the highlights from last week's episode, which I found the most interesting.

It is no news that the cast of MTV's "The Jersey Shore" has been all over the news, but what it is new is Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and  Jenni "JWoww" Farley trying to change their style to a more "classy and conservative" look. JWoww was spotted in a black fitted Bebe dress with a black blazer over it. 


The commentators did not provide positive feedback to her attempt to change her style. Kotsiopoulos said that when you have obvious fake boobs like JWoww's, you need to hide them very well to achieve a classy look. I do agree with Kotsiopoulos, but I think JWoww's attempt was better than Snooki's.


The short guidette was seen in a mini Guess by Marciano dress. "Somebody needs to send her a note letting her know size 16 does exist," commented Rivers about Snooki. As usual, the dress was short and VERY fitted. I agree with Rivers, if Snooki wants to achieve the classy and conservative look, she will not be able to do it with this kind of skimpy choices. 


In the "Bitch Stole My Look" segment, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Cheryl Hines battled it out. The three blondes wore a sparkly BCBG gown. My vote for who wore it best is between Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. I am not a huge fan of the dress, but I do like how it fits Carrie. Even though it shows off her pretty curves, I believe the dress is most appropriate for Taylor.

Cheryl Hines, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood in BCBG dress.
Courtesy of eonline.com

Carey Mulligan
Courtesy of eonline.com

 After critiquing several celebrities and their attires, the hosts voted the best and worst. As the best, they chose Halle Berry, she wore a bronze sequenced short dress. I liked  Halle's dress, but I did not consider it the best. I loved Keira  Knightley's Chanel couture dress. She wore the shimmery elegant dress to the premiere of "Never Let Me Go" in London. 

Keira Knightley
Courtesy of eonline.com

For worst, the vote went to Carey Mulligan who wore a pleated Vionnet dress. I totally agree with the critics on this one. The dress has no shape and does not accentuate her beauty at all, the colors are not my favorite and they make the dress very dull. 


To follow celebrities and their fabulous or horrible fashion choices, tune to E! to watch "Fashion Police" every friday at 10:30/9:30 Central Standard Time. 

In with the old

Hairless and bony is a thing of the past.

Until recently, the prevalent male image on catwalks and in advertising campaigns has been that of bony, hairless young men, if you can even call them men.

Designer's demand for bony and boyish looking models seems to be disappearing. If you followed the recent runway season, you might have noticed that labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton used older masculine models to show off their fall/winter collections.

The New York Times recently published an article, "From Boys to Men" , which discussed how the boyish image is being overtaken by a mature weathered look.

“Maybe it’s that as consumers are getting older, they want to see something that reflects what they look like in the mirror,” said Jason Kaner, the president of the men's division of Major Model Management, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue. 

“For a long time it was just those skinny guys, those boyish Prada types,” he said, referring to men like Cole Mohr — a model with jug ears and the body of a teenager — long a favorite at labels like Prada and Louis Vuitton.

Cole Mohr 

Courtesy of models.com

The article argues that part of this transformation of models from boys to men has to do with the current economic situation. With the economic struggle the nation faces, many men are unemployed, which means their image as strong men vanishes.

“Men have always been defined by their jobs — always,” said Joe Levy, the editor in chief of Maxim, in the Oct. 15 New York Times issue.“Suddenly the notion of having a job or a career is in doubt, so you fall back on old notions of what it meant to be a man or to look like one.”

People wanna be reassured that strong reliable men still exist. 

"In tough times, people want a strong man,” said Sam Shahid, director of Shahid & Company, in the Oct.15 New York Times issue. 


He also said that this trend is not only happening in the fashion world with models, but also with actors and advertising. More designers, editors and photographers are  now embracing this trend of featuring "masculine, manly men" in their work. 


V man, a men's-wear magazine, had an issue titled "The Coming of Age" where its cover featured Josh Brolin, not a skinny teenage-looking model, but a 44-year-old man. The latest Vogue French men’s-wear issue, "The Prime Life", features a star model of the '80s on the cover. 

V Man- "The Coming of Age" issue
On cover: Josh Brolin
www.ftape.com

The editor of  the recognized magazine for men GQ says in the article that when they are casting for models, they want someone with some heft to him and a few years on him, someone who has aged a little bit and who feels like he's a man. 


The recent runway season was a perfect example of  how designers are adopting this new generation of handsome and mature models, but we will have to be on the lookout to see if this continues or the waxed boyish look returns. 

House of Gasoline Glamour-Out of the Ordinary

Everything but ordinary is the label House of Gasoline Glamour. The unusual brand offers eccentric and striking accessories from glamourized aviators to crazy jewelry and funky shoes.

The line is definitely not for those with a conservative style, it is more for the wild and liberal fashionistas who like Lady Gaga's style.

The overly adorned shoe collection is probably the most popular collection from the line. The shoes are made of chains, studs, glitter, jewelry and much more. It is more than just pair of shoes, it is a piece of art.

The line has been a big hit for celebrities and models. Celebrities have been spotted at red carpets and other events wearing Gasoline Glamour's killer heels or jewelry. Adam Lambert , Katy Perry and Pink are among the celebrities who enjoy wearing items from the outrageous line.

Eva Marcille was spotted at the 2010 BET awards wearing a pair of Gasoline's embellished platform heels.

http://www.gasolineglamour.com/photogallery.html 

Gasoline Glamour's accessories and shoes can also be seen in magazines, videos and concerts. America's Next Top Model photo shoots featured pieces by Gasoline Glamour. Cosmo Germany, Italia Vogue and Rouge are some of the magazines who have also had photo shoots including the striking accessories.

Italia Vogue
Gasoline Glamour shoes
http://www.gasolineglamour.com/ivogue.html

The accessories are not only available to celebrities and models, the line is also available for the general public. Fans of the brand are able to purchase through the website.

If you liked some of the pieces from this brand, don't get too excited. You may want to be warned before falling in love with a pair of the extravagant heels as each pair can range from $3,000 to $8,000 or more.

The good news are that some items from the line, such as jewelery, are more reasonable and affordable. The prices of many items are listed on the website.

Gasoline Glamour can ship anywhere in the United States as well as internationally.
The line has many retailers all over the country as well as a couple out of the country including Canada, United Kingdom, Scotland, China and Australia.

The biggest concentration of retailers is in California, where more than 40 stores and boutiques offer Gasoline Glamour accessories.

Luckily for us intrigued by the unique brand, there are three boutiques in Austin, Texas that retail Gasoline Glamour accessories. Atomic Cherry Boutique on Burnet Road, Storyville on Duval and Bombs Away on West North Loop 1 carry some of the funky items from the line.

With Halloween being just around the corner, you might want to visit these retailers to find the perfect complement from Gasoline Glamour to complete your costume.

Vanity Mirror Shoes 

Chiquita Spike Shoes 

Gutterstud

Gasoline Glamour Necklace 

                                                                              Pussy Kat Kitll Thigh High Boots                                                                                           

http://www.gasolineglamour.com/deluxe_store.html