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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Angelina Jolie models for Japanese cosmetic company Shiseido


Angelina Jolie in Prague, Czech Republic. (05/06/2007). Photo Credit: Pierre Suu / Splash News

09 May 2007 (Sawf News) - Angelina Jolie is leveraging her popularity and good image in Asia to promote cosmetics in Japan. The Hollywood star is well known in the region on account of her charity work there and adoption of a child each from Cambodia (Maddox, 2002) and Vietnam (Pax Thien, 2007).

Jolie is all set to appear in campaigns for Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer Shiseido which claims to be the oldest cosmetics company in the world.

According to WWD, she recently flew to Los Angles to shoot for Shiseido's powder eye color and liquid eye color. The campaigns are exclusively for the Japanese market and will never be seen in the US.

It is unclear whether Jolie intends to give the money earned from her modeling to charity as she is so often inclined to do.

Jolie is currently in Prague, Czech Republic, along with Bard Pitt and her four children. She is shooting for the film Wanted which features her with Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy.

The couple with their four children arrived in Prague on 01 May 2007 and are expected to stay there for four weeks. They are likely to hop across to France to attend Cannes Film festival which takes place from May 16 to May 27.

Shiseido is a great great cosmetic company. She is so blessed and lucky to have been chosen as their model as i have not known anybody that is not a Japanese modelled for this giant and oldest beauty company.I am sure she is paid at least 100 million yen for her gig. Japanese are very generous and kind to their foreign contract workers(at least most of them). I worked there as a model (15yrs ago) and as part of a dance troup for a hotel and the money is just too much.

Shiseido and Jolie is one great partnership of sophistication and mystery.

I love what she does with her calling and I love shiseido makeup ... I am so proud of these combination.

Chinese designer kicks off Paris fashion shows

China debuted at Paris fashion week Sunday when a Chinese designer not only became the first to take part but opened the eight-day showcase of some of the industry's top names.

PARIS (AFP) - Frankie Xie's label Jefen initiated the official ready-to-wear spring-summer 2007 season with a youthful vibe, followed by Balmain's seductive elegance and the enigmatic Martin Margiela.

Pretty hand-painted motifs of peach tree flowers hinted at the Chinese origins of the collection for Jefen, established in Beijing in 2000, but the look was largely Western-oriented.

"We use a lot of Chinese technology such as hand embroidery, Chinese fabrics or Chinese silk. The prints are Chinese designs," the 46-year-old designer said afterwards through an interpreter.

Cheeky hot pants, sometimes with braces, and baggy rolled-up dungarees were part of the Jefen look while layering over striped leggings was also key. Mannish wide trousers and flat white patent lace-ups offset girly bows and baby-doll dresses.

The wardrobe was targeted at Europeans of about 25-30 years-old, Xie said adding that he had chosen to call his collection "The Door" as a symbol of Chinese fashion opening to the world.


Frankie Xie for Jefen
© AFP/File Pierre Verdy

"Everyone now knows that China has the production but they don't know that it has the design," he said. Plans are afoot to open shops in Europe, in addition to about 20 shops he owns in China, he added.

China's Ambassador to France Zhao Jinjun attended the show, which followed the end of the Milan shows, and coincided with the start of China's week-long national day holiday.

Clinical white curtains covered the ornate Fine Arts School and staff donning their usual white coats provided the minimalist setting for Maison Martin Margiela's long slender silhouette of played-up shoulders.

Trousers were high-waisted, nipped and overly-long, the excess fabric gathered around the ankle, while the Belgian designer also left bare legs on show through slashes in long skirts and trousers.

He also toyed with asymmetry by using a single shoulder pad.

Stars were a leitmotiv while flesh-toned stretch jersey was used for leotard tops, perhaps incorporating a black bra. Starting off in silence but with a crescendo to heavy guitar, models trod the runway in plexiglass heels and transparent plastic.

Were perhaps the lightly-pleated 'angelic' wings at the back of a super-short white dress designer Christophe Decarnin's way of saying that the Balmain woman is both naughty and nice?


Frankie Xie (C)
© AFP/File Pierre Verdy

His panoply of gracefully high-thigh dresses seemed to say so.

Masterfully draping fabrics into a billowy back or soft pleating for the front, the ex-Paco Rabanne designer displayed a lightness of touch for his second season at the French fashion house.

He threw in thick silver embroidery for straps that snaked around the neck or shoulders. Fine gold chains and a thick smattering of studs covered a khaki dress while gold leafing glammed up a ripped T-shirt.

Added to that was lots of flesh with low scooped backs or slits, and miles of bare legs -- elongated by high, molded platform sandals -- for subtle seduction that was never vulgar.

Interestingly, Decarnin shod his models in chunky solid heels with three ankle straps for good measure. But the contrast with the glamorous and predominantly evening wear worked well.

Dresses were also the staple at Dice Kayek.

The length was similarly short but while Balmain's frocks were supple, Dice Kayek's were in stiff fabrics such as duchesse satin and defined cuts that often stood off the body.

Veteran Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto and Dutch design duo Viktor and Rolf are on Monday's line-up. Paris fashion week runs until October 8.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

A Wrap-Up of Fall: Reasons to Rejoice

WHEN the fall runway season ended, a week ago Sunday, there seemed more to consider than to sweep aside. Rare was the first-tier show that clanged like an empty pot — and you wouldn't have said that six months ago, when designers conjured up a cross between a Star Trek groupie and an Elvis impersonator. (See Steven Meisel's spread in February Italian Vogue for details.)

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Alberto Pellaschiar/Associated Press

The silhouette for fall, as fielded by Jil Sander, More Photos »

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It's hard to say what brought designers back to earth, but there's a good chance it was the bottom line. Clothes cost lots of money, a single garment the equivalent of a mortgage payment. There is only so much rationalizing available to a black wool jacket, however good the fit and self-esteeming the label, before a little voice cries "Zara!" and you're out the door.

Jennifer Wheeler, the vice president for designer apparel at Nordstrom, suggests that women have learned to think of clothes in much the same way they do jewelry or fine art. "They have to have an emotional reaction," she said. That sounds reasonable, or reasonable enough, but after hundreds of collections sprawled over four cities, how do you determine the real thing?

If a woman walking past Bergdorf Goodman's windows last week felt cold-shouldered by the minidresses on display, she will certainly not want for ways in September to cover her behind. This is the biggest change. Fall clothes are longer and roomier if not always ageconsiderate.

Marc Jacobs's tall-drink-ofwater silhouette may recall Paris Vogue of the 1970s, when nearly every foot forward was a Maud Frizon, but the easy polish and hopeful palette of bright accents against gray and navy blue ought to strike a chord with women who always carry in their minds the figure they want to become. It's a romantic sensibility, to be sure, but Mr. Jacobs keeps it as cold and sparsely furnished as the classical villa that served as the backdrop for his show. If the collections of Jil Sander, Lanvin, Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriguez seem just as self-assured and individualistic, it may be because these designers have developed a strong point of view that Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York, said, "We buy designers, not trends."

In addition to making some exceptional dresses — plain, sensual, with a single pressed-down pleat as the only detail — Raf Simons, the designer at Jil Sander, offered capes that just graze the body and incorporate the details of a jacket. Other collections had capes and trapeze coats, but the difference is that Mr. Simons uses his to convey the message of a leaner, smartly polished look.

"The strength comes from being exact," Ms. Gilhart said. "If you're going to buy a cape, you're going to buy it from Jil Sander." At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci's neat jackets and wool sailor pants play the same mental game. Tailored trousers aren't a lingering thought of the collections, in part, Ms. Wheeler says, because "leggings and skinny pants are still out there." (And, to reinforce that impression, Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga has added a new, slouchy variation on the khaki jodhpur.)

London Fashion Week FW07 Wrapup II

Sorry this post is so late people. I just got back from Barcelona and my first priority was to watch the new episode of Grey's Anatomy (SO touching -Derek was amazing; Cristina too. Who can't wait for next week?). So ya, I haven't really had a chance to look through all the collections, but I did look at Marc by Marc Jacobs, afterall how could I not?

Christopher Kane
His SS07 collection was amazing, esp since it was his debut show, so it was no surprise the buzz around this show was larger than the Marc by Marc Jacobs show. I remember when I first saw the SS07 clothes, I was like err, colourful and pretty, but how is anyone going to wear it in real life? But that collection has slowly grown on me in the past few months and I think it's mega-pretty. Now onto Kane's new FW07 collection: It was good, yes, but frankly, I was a bit disappointed. Maybe because this collection was less colourful (which I have come to associate with Kane), and I just didn't like the combination of some of the fabrics, colours and design. But anyways, here are some that I liked:
The dress on the left is fantastic in a catwalk sense, but that orangey jacket on the right? Seriously?
There were more styles in this collection than the last one.
And more dresses.
Marc by Marc Jacobs
One of the shows I most look out for each season (mainly becaues it's relatively affordable). This collection was typical Marc by Marc Jacobs -cute and youthfully styled, which is why even though it wasn't a directional collection, I still liked it, most of it. Sometimes, I think observing and learning styling techniques in Marc's shows is even more fascinating than the clothes.

Oscar's 2007 Fashion

This year's Oscars fashion was, well, not particularly disastorous nor inspiring. Obviously everyone was on their top form, but the dresses were just... okay. Maybe there has been too many award shows recently that I've gotten a bit jaded. So anyways, here are the top fabulous outfits from last night:

Queen of the night, Helen Mirren looked amazing in Christian Lacroix. If it's a body shot (as opposed to closeup shot,) it's hard to remember she's alreayd 61 years old!

Cate Blanchett looked elegant in Armani Prive, and right on the whole metallic, futuristic trend. Makeup, jewelery, everything was simple impecable.

Rachel Weisz wore a seemingly simple Vera Wang gown. I love that long cluster of diamonds (and the diamond ribbon) at the top of her dress. The dress is so perfectly tailored- it's like the dress is softly wrapped around her, and the diamonds solidified the whole vision.

After the brilliant yellow dress she wore to the Golden Globes, Reese Witherspoon's Nina Ricci by Olivier Theysken dress here just didn't seem as striking. I'm sure this gown floated around Reese beautifully, but it just isn't the most photogenic dress.

Like Blanchett, Nicole Kidman can do (almost) no wrong on the red carpet. She looked elegant, as usual, in a Balenciega dress.

Nicole Kidman's BBF, Naomi Watts looked really pretty last night, although for some reason, she landed on a worst dress list.

Paris Fashion Week FW07 Wrap Up IV

Paris Fashion Week FW07 Wrap Up IV

Paris Fashion Week just doesn't seem complete without me rambling on and on about Chloe. So here I go. . .

Chloe
The much anticipated first collection by their new designer Paulo Melim Andersson, this collection was exciting and definitely different from what we have come to expect from Chloe. Gone was the effortlessly cool girly girl and in stomps the angry girl in her fiery red doc marten platforms. Personally I am not sure I relate to this new angry girl persona, but it is definitely refreshing and not boring!

I love the length of the skirts, showing just the right amount of leg, and silhouette here. But I'm not too hot about these orangey splashes of red. . although to be fair, I'm not too hot about anything orangey.
And I thought that these prints and patterns were very refreshing, combined with Chloe's typical designs. And I'm loving the use of the thin gray belts here, it adds just the right amount of detail to the outfits!
The first two looks here are reminiscent of the old Chloe, which I still adore. But I am also loving Paulo's new interpretation of the shift dress here (right) with the open neckline and vertical stripes of silver and glam.

Paris Digest's fashion selection in Paris

Paris is a world mecca of fashion. With the likes of Cardin, Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix (right on the picture, his store on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor), French "grands couturiers"are setting the trend. Most of these firms are located Avenue Montaigne near the Champs-Elyses or rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor near the Elyses presidential palace.

Paris has also attracted fashion firms from all over the world opening stores in town. The list includes Kenzo from Japan, Versace (below on the picture, his store on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor) and Armani from Italy. Altogether, you can really buy the most extraordinary clothes in Paris if you have a deep purse. And, to match a beautiful dress, what's better than a jewel from rue de la Paix.

One can also find lots of more affordable fashionable clothes from famous brands at the Boulevard Haussman department stores. The Saint-Germain des Prs district on the left bank has many fashionable clothes stores in streets like the rue de Svres which hosts the Bon March department store.