Nature Inspired Shoes

Spring 2008, Prada came out with what I think is very original; flower heels. They have a couple types and come in many colours.

For Fall 2008, Chloe showed off their take on nature inspired shoes; this time it's leaves.

Different veiw:

There are more like this Chloe shoe and in other colours.

With one do you like better? I kind of think the first two Prada shoes are quite ugly but the last two are better. Chloe's shoes seem interesting and kind of pretty.

Mischa Barton's Bag Line

The 22-year-old former O.C. star has a fourteen bag collection with prices ranging from $43 for a clutch to $323 for a leather satchel. Mischa’s signature emblem is a a clover with cut-out heart designs.

http://www.asos.com/Women/Brands-At-Asos/Mischa-Barton/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=5153

Rachel Bilson's Edie Rose

Rachel Bilson has teamed up with DKNY Jeans to create her very own clothing line.

What is interesting is that Bilson contacted DKNY Jeans, and not the other way around. “Fans of ‘The O.C.’ really like DKNY Jeans, and I know they make great stuff, so I thought it could be good,” she explained.

Set to be called Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans (named after her grandmother and a family friend) the collection will be a fashion forward junior sportswear line set to hit stores this September. Consisting of 15 sportswear pieces, it will include button-down tops, sweaters, jackets, T-shirts, dresses and straight leg and skinny leg dark denim jeans. The mostly black and white colour palette will be offset by pops of yellow, said to be inspired by a yellow scarf Bilson owns.
“I have a yellow scarf that I love and I was really inspired by it,” Bilson said. “This line is my main focus right now,” she said. “I can’t draw at all, so I won’t be doing any sketches, but I am learning to sew. I think it’s important to know more about the whole process of making clothes.”
The Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans collection will be between $19.50 and $49.50 per piece.

Joined by models, Fabienne Vanderhaeghen, Regina Feoktistova and Giedre Dukaskaite, Bilson was photographed by Mikael Jansson modeling a chic black dress belted down with a red belt with a funky vest. At first glance, the line is edgy with Bilson’s relaxed style showing through in each of the pieces.

The collection will launch in the beginning of September in stores like Macy’s, Dillard’s and Nordstrom.
“I want people to see these clothes for what they are, not just another line designed by another celebrity,” she said. “I want the line to be taken seriously.”
“I am just amazed at how the team at DKNY Jeans were able to listen to my ideas and come out with exactly what I was talking about. They literally brought my ideas to life,” Rachel added. “I also want to show people that you don’t have to pay a million dollars for clothes that look good. For me, I love vintage clothes and I shop vintage all the time. It’s fun to play and put things together. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a great look.”

Grace Kelly

Born (November 12, 1929) and raised in Philadelphia, Grace Patricia Kelly grew up in a wealthy family. Growing up her father considered the runt of his off springs because she was shy, delicate and had asthma. Her siblings were very much unlike Grace so she often felt excluded. Grace began to blossom as attended Raven Hill Elementary school. Grace ended up be very rebellious growing up. She graduated Steven School, a high school, in 1947.
Not long after her graduation, Grace went to New York City for an acting audition, but they told her to get rid of her twang. Grace ended up mocking an English accent to do this and ended up with an accent that was pretty much considered her signature.
At the age of 20, Grace stumbled into modeling while pursuing her acting career in New York. She made her Broadway debut in 1949 and soon began to make appearances on television dramas. In the summer of 1951, Grace moved to Hollywood and joined the MGM family. She had a small, but breakthrough role in ‘High Noon’. She went on to work with Alfred Hitchcock in ‘Dial “M” for Murder’ and ‘Rear Window’.
After a few films Grace came across Country Girl’s script. She wanted it because it portrayed an amazing, but unglamorous lead character. MGM did not want Grace to play the part but Grace convinced them. She ended up winning an Academy Award in 1955 for the film.
While at the Caned Film Festival in 1955, Grace was invited and reluctantly agreed to meet the Prince of Monaco. They had a photo session as the Prince gave her a tour of his home. There seemed to be a spark between them and once Grace returned back to the States they kept in contact. For Christmas Grace invited him to her family home. After 24 hours they decided to marry. Not long after Grace had a physical to make sure she would be able to produce an heir.
High Society was Grace’s first musical and the Prince said it would be her last film. Years later she would be asked by Alfred Hitchcock to make a fourth film with him but she had to decline because the people of Monaco did not approve.
On April 4th 1956, Grace took a boat over to Monaco and was bombarded by press. The Prince and Grace were married on April 19 1956. They experienced a massive media assault and Grace hated her wedding because of it. Grace became HSH Princess Grace of Monaco. The Prince’s family snubbed her and Grace had a tough time adapting to Monaco. Nine months after the wedding, Grace gave birth to daughter Caroline and a son later on. After that she has a few miscarriages but in 1965 she gave birth to another girl, Stephanie.
Grace missed acting and she would often read poetry. She even narrated a film in the 70s.
Grace began complaining of frequent headaches. On the morning of September 13, 1982, she drove herself and Stephanie from their country home to the palace. Unfortunately, the road was a very bad and full of sharp turns. They went over a cliff. Stephanie survived but Grace was put into a coma. After taking x-rays, the doctors found she had two brain injuries. One was the cause of a stroke and the other was because of the crash. Grace stayed in a coma for 24 hours before the family said their goodbyes and she was taken off life support.

(Audrey Hepburn is the woman in the background)

Cyd Charisse

Charisse was born on March 8th 1922 as Tula Ellice Finklea in Amarillo, Texas. Her nickname "Sid" was taken from a sibling trying to say "Sis"; was later spelled "Cyd" at MGM to supposedly give her an air of mystery. She was a sickly girl who started dancing lessons at six to build up her strength after a bout with polio.

She joined a dance company and soon travelled all over performing. At one point during a European tour, she met up with Nico Charisse, a handsome young dancer she had studied with for a time in Los Angeles. They married in Paris in 1939 and Cyd gave birth to their son in 1942. Nico and Cyd divorced a few years later in 1947 and Cyd remarried singer Tony Martin in 1948. Tony and Cyd were married almost 60 years when Cyd died. (Picture of Tony and Cyd below)

She starred many films including The Band Wagon (1953), Silk Stockings (1957) and Brigadoon (1954).After the decline of the Hollywood musical in the late 1950s, Charisse retired from dancing but continued to appear in film and TV productions from the 1960s through the 1990s.

In her eighties, Charisse made occasional public appearances and appeared frequently in documentaries spotlighting the golden age of Hollywood. Publicist Gene Schwam said Charisse was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on June 16, 2008 after suffering an apparent heart attack. She died the following day,June 17, aged 86.

Scene from The Band Wagon.

Cyd made a brief appearance (just this scene) in Singing in the Rain.

What is Haute Couture?

Haute couture (French translation means "high dressmaking") refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. The term haute couture is a protected name by law that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Rome, New York and Tokyo.

The Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de states that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture. The criteria for haute couture were established in 1945 and updated in 1992.

To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture must follow these rules:
~Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.
~Have a workshop in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.
~Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

The term haute couture has been misused by successive ready-to-wear brands and high street labels since the late 1980s so that its true meaning has become blurred with that of ready-to-wear fashion in the public perception. Every haute couture house also markets ready-to-wear collections, which typically deliver a higher return on investment than their custom clothing. In fact, much of the haute couture displayed at fashion shows today is rarely sold; it is created to enhance the prestige of the house. Falling revenues have forced a few couture houses to abandon their less profitable couture division and concentrate solely on the less prestigious ready-to-wear.

In the 1960s a group of young designers who had trained under men like Dior and Balenciaga left these established couture houses and opened their own establishments. One of the most successful of these young designers was Yves Saint Laurent.

Thanks Wikipedia for the information.

R.I.P YSL

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008) was a French fashion designer who was considered as one of the greatest designers to date.

Saint Laurent left home at the age of 17 for Paris to work for the French designer Christian Dior. Following Dior's death in 1957, Yves, at the age of 21, was put in charge of the effort of saving the Dior house from financial ruin.

Hard Times
Shortly after this success, he was conscripted to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War of Independence. After 20 days, the stress of being hazed by fellow soldiers led the fragile Saint Laurent to be institutionalized in a French mental hospital, where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy, for a nervous breakdown.

The Beginning of Something Great
In 1962, in the wake of his nervous breakdown, Saint Laurent was released from Dior and he and his lover, Pierre Bergé, started their own fashion house with funding from millionaire J. Mack Robinson. The couple split romantically in 1976 but remained business partners.

Many Firsts

Through Yves career he set many trends.

~He was the first to take works of art and interperate them in fashion.

~He inspiration from other cultures (Russia, China, Africa are just a few examples)

~His recreation of silhouettes from the 1920s, '30s and '40s were the first 'retro' looks.

~In 1966 he was yet again the first to popularize ready-to-wear fashion.

~He was also the first to create a classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, the line being called Le Smoking.

~Yves was also the first designer to use black models in his runway shows.

~In 1983, Saint Laurent became the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition.

His Honour and Retirement
In 2001, he was awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d'Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac. He retired in 2002 after about 40 years in the business and became increasingly reclusive. He created a foundation with Pierre Bergé in Paris to trace the history of the house of YSL, complete with 15,000 objects and 5,000 pieces of clothing.

A Legend Has Died
He died on June 1, 2008 from the effects of brain cancer, at his residence in Paris. YSL is buried in Marrakech Morocco.