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Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category

The winter is just around the corner and the latest trends on high heels are certainly a great match for upcoming parties! These glittery high heels could sparkle up your wardrobe and could be worn when going out or to special occasions.

Glittery High Heels

These Miss KG dancer glitter court shoes would look great underneath a black dress and in combination with some silver jewellery accessories.

silver jewellery accessories

When looking for more colours, have a look at the platform court shoe. Again, you can wear this with a black basis, whether this is a dress, skirt or a pair of trousers. When you purchase your glitter heels and want to wear them on a night out it is recommended to stay away from water. So if it is raining, protect your shoes! One way to avoid the glitter from falling off is to spray them with hairspray. I know this may sound silly, but it certainly helps! The hairspray-coat will prevent the water from damaging the shoe and the glitter from falling off. Spray at least two times, before wearing them outside.

Fashion is a concept that is loved, admired, disparaged, and trashed by people of every age, occupation, and income range. Why do the clothes we put on our backs have such a strong influence on us? The right suit makes us invincible in the boardroom, while that lucky pair of jeans can make or break a weekend. Perhaps it is because fashion takes us out of the practical matters of everyday life: the grocery lists, car insurance quotes, piles of laundry, and yardwork that demand our attention. Here are 10 great quotes about fashion that are good for the ages.

“Fashion anticipates, and elegance is a state of mind … a mirror of the time in which we live, a translation of the future, and should never be static.”

Oleg Cassini

“While clothes may not make the woman, they certainly have a strong effect on her self-confidence — which, I believe, does make the woman.”
Mary Kay Ashe

“The goal I seek is to have people refine their style through my clothing without having them become victims of fashion.”
Giorgio Armani

“I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.”
Ralph Lauren

“They think him the best dressed man, whose dress is so fit for his use that you cannot notice or remember to describe it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions.”
Coco Chanel

“Elegance is a question of personality, more than one’s clothing.”
Jean-Paul Gaultier

“Fashion is as profound and critical a part of the social life of man as sex, and is made up of the same ambivalent mixture of irresistible urges and inevitable taboos.”
Rene Konig

“Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.”
Henry David Thoreau

“You can do anything; you just have to dress for it.”
Edith Head

We’ve all done it: we’re online searching for a recipe or online insurance quotes when our attention is captured by a famous person looking fabulous. With a constant news cycle, ubiquitous internet access, and cameras everywhere, celebrities have to look their best whenever they’re out in public or risk having unflattering pictures seen by millions of people instantly. It can’t be easy, but some celebs are put together enough to make it seem so. Here are five celebrities you can count on to dress the part no matter the setting.

Johnny Depp. The king of jackets: whether a dressy suit jacket or a casual leather jacket, he makes it his own. Depp looks the part of the European ex-pat artist, whether in dark jeans and a white t-shirt or in an impeccably cut suit on the red carpet.

Kylie Minogue. Australia’s consummate pop princess nails the trendy, sexy, slightly sparkly look. She’s not afraid to experiment, mixing vintage with couture to create a look that suits her perfectly. Flirty and glamorous, no wonder she sets so many hearts aflutter.

Rihanna. She goes for the sexy look with an edge of toughness. From her perfectly cut hair to her glamorous shoes, she has a look that says, “I might be young, but I have the world by its tail.”

Emma Watson. We’ve watched her grow up ever since the first Harry Potter movie, and now she’s a style icon. Whether wearing a camo corset at a music festival or a gorgeous Burberry gown to a formal event, Emma’s style stands out for the right reasons.

Kanye West. He has just the right mix of preppy, hip-hop, and retro, for a look that is unmistakable. His fashion advice? “Dress like you’re coming from somewhere and you got someplace to go.” It certainly works for him!

Do you think how you dress for work doesn’t matter because you work for a new startup in a building with used cubicles and no one else makes an effort? Wrong! Looking great at work benefits you and everyone you come into contact with. When it comes to productivity, attitude counts way more than having a corner office and a view of the city. And your attitude will soar if you make the effort to dress properly for work. Here are three ways to look fabulous at work.

1. Dress appropriately for your work environment. If the boss wears tailored clothes and well-polished shoes, try to adapt that to your own wardrobe. Properly fitted clothing that is kept clean and in good repair is great whether you work in a “jeans and t-shirts” office or a more sedate workplace where suits are required.

2. Invest in wardrobe staples. Don’t be afraid to sink some money into a great overcoat or trench coat, high quality shoes, and well-fitting shirts or blouses. If you have the basics down, it’s far easier to accessorize and mix and match to suit the season, the tasks, and the colleagues with whom you interact.

3. Keep it toned down. Remember that you wear your clothes. Don’t let them wear you. If you go overboard with garish accessories, or stand out excessively from your colleagues, people will to remember you as “the woman that wore too much jewelry” rather than “the director of acquisitions.”

Just because you work in a huge space in the midst of dozens of office cubicles doesn’t mean you’re invisible. Show that you care about your job by dressing appropriately for your workplace. You want to look as if you belong there, you know what you’re doing, and you are worthy of respect.

Fashion shows during the “Fashion Weeks” extravaganzas in world capitals like New York, Milan, or Paris, do not charge admission. However, they do have invitations and guest lists, and getting into one of them can be a real challenge for someone who isn’t well-connected in the fashion industry.

Big designers either get sponsorships or drop hundreds of thousands of their own dollars putting on a fashion show. Many are held in big tents, though some designers prefer the gravitas that comes with using a permanent building – one that has locking doors, climate control, a rain-proof roof, and gutter guards to prevent weather from ruining the models’ elaborate hairstyles that may take hours to create.

Wherever you decide you want to attend a fashion show, if you don’t have an invitation, there’s still a chance you’ll get in if you’re in the right place at the right time. Many shows have standing room access in the back, but you’ll have to wait for all the invitees to be seated and hope there’s some room left over. So showing up is half the battle.

If you live in the city where the fashion show is being held, becoming a Fashion Week volunteer is another way to up your chances of seeing the runway in person. Whether you help with lighting and sound, construction, or other manual labor, you’ll have an edge over those who have no connection to the festivities.

If you have around $450 to spend, consider subscribing to FashionCalendar.com, the “bible” of the fashion world, which lists all the major fashion events, along with contact information for their respective movers and shakers. Getting into major fashion shows is more a matter of determination than of money, but if you start early and persevere, you’ll succeed.

For the traveler who is all about style, there’s nothing like a trip to one of the world’s fashion capitals. And today, the savvy traveler knows how to use online tools to score cheap tickets to destinations the world over. If you’re a fashion fanatic, here are three cities you don’t want to miss.

1. London. This city is a great place to visit regardless, but in recent years, London has become one of the top (if not the top) cities in the world of fashion. Fashion shows in London are sure to provide the spectacle of amazing design, blended with a healthy dose of individuality. And London also has its share of fun, world-class shopping districts.

2. New York City. While New York City is no slouch when it comes to excellence in design, a certain amount of Yankee practicality makes The Big Apple the world’s foremost location for ready-to-wear design shows. Add in the excitement of the media coverage of New York Fashion Week, and you have one of the most exciting destinations in the world for the fashion enthusiast.

3. Paris. The world of design is nowhere more refined than in The City of Lights. Known for elegance and pedigree of designers, Paris knows how to take timeless design and infuse it with enough chic to show that it’s completely on top of the fashion world. For those lucky enough to be able to choose couture, nowhere in the world will you find such a range of offerings as in Paris.

Other important cities in the fashion universe include Milan, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Barcelona. Fashion capitals form a backdrop of inspiration to designers, provide an active and dynamic cultural scene, and act as real-life stages, where the street becomes a year-round runway for residents and visitors alike.

There’s no question that fashion designers take their work very seriously, as can be seen from the effort that goes into the various “Fashion Weeks” in world capitals. But fashion also makes a great subject for movies, and some of them are very funny. Here are three of the funniest fashion movies.

1. Zoolander. This 2001 comedy stars Ben Stiller as a top fashion model who is eclipsed by an up-and-comer played by Owen Wilson. Derek, Stiller’s character, announces his retirement from modeling and chooses to work in a coalmine like his father and brothers.  But it turns out he’s not exactly a good fit for that job and gets caught up in a plot to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia.

2. Clueless. This 1995 movie is a modern take on the Jane Austen novel Emma. It stars Alicia Silverstone, Stacy Dash, the late Brittany Murphy, and lots and lots of outfits. Cher, played by Silverstone, is a ditzy girl who loves shopping with Dad’s credit cards. But she’s a good-hearted person who tries to set up two lonely teachers with each other while coping with criticism from her step-brother.

3. The Devil Wears Prada. Based on a novel with the same title, this 2006 film stars Anne Hathaway and the incomparable Meryl Streep. Hathaway plays Andrea Sachs, a college grad who goes to work as the hapless assistant to the dragon-like Miranda Priestly, played by Streep (who was nominated for an Oscar).

Fashion may be a multi-billion dollar business sector, but fashion is also a lot of fun, and this makes for great movies. Even in movies that aren’t specifically about the industry, many times fashion functions almost as an extra character, adding style, visual interest, and historical reference to the storylines.

Fashion design seems so far removed from “real life” that many people don’t realize just how enormous and profitable fashion empires can become. With many designers worth hundreds of millions and a few worth billions of dollars, it isn’t just their vocation that separates designers from more pedestrian businesses. Here’s a peek into the rarified world of the super rich in the world of fashion design.

1. Ralph Lauren. With a net worth of around $5.8 billion, this 72-year-old from the Bronx sits at the top of the fashion world. But it isn’t just beautiful clothing that revs Lauren’s engine. He has one of the most impressive car collections in the world, including three McLaren F1s, two Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, and a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Imagine insuring that lot next time you shop for car insurance for your Camry!

2. Miuccia Prada. The youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, Miuccia has brains as well as taste, holding a PhD in political science. In addition to the Prada brand, her company owns the brands Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, and shoe label Church & Co. Ms. Prada is also a world-renowned patron of the arts. She is worth approximately $1.4 billion.

3. Max Azria. This Tunisian-born French fashion designer is worth around $1.2 billion. Perhaps most widely associated with the brand BCBGMaxAzria, he is known and loved for offering great fashion at less stratospheric prices than some of his contemporaries. But he also offers the couture line Max Azria Atelier and the high-end ready-to-wear line simply known as Max Azria.

The winds of fashion are always changing, but the designers who manage to remain most relevant and influential are the ones who either have the business smarts to maximize their profitability or know how to hire the people who do.

Today’s fashion “rules” are nowhere near as strict as they were a few decades ago, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a few classics in your closet. Here are three wardrobe basics that will never go out of style, particularly for professionals working in office environments.

1. The white blouse that fits perfectly. It can go with your most beloved faded jeans on weekends or your most tailored and office-appropriate pencil skirt during the work week. Make sure the sleeves are the correct length and the collar is sized properly.

2. A pair of classic black pumps. You may want to spend more to get the best possible fit and longevity. Wearing heels can be a real confidence booster out on the town or at the office. If you don’t always wear heels to work, be sure to adjust the height of your ergonomic chair to accommodate your increased height to avoid back and knee strain.

3. A classy and classic trench coat. A great trench coat is at home over very casual looks when you’re not at work, and over your best professional outfit. Have it cleaned regularly and keep buttons sewn on securely, and it can easily last a decade or more.

Naturally, every woman wants to round out her wardrobe with pieces that show personal style and nod to current trends. But some basics will never be out of style because of their versatility and classic styling. With these three basics, you can branch out with other wardrobe items, and stay up-to-date by incorporating trendy items into the mix. Don’t be afraid to invest more money in wardrobe staples. You can easily get several years’ wear out of them, making the cost per wearing lower than a lot of items you buy and only wear for a season.

All garment retailers are different. It makes sense therefore that they employ methods of displaying or storing clothes that are appropriate for their shop. In one way, this means choosing mannequins that correspond with your store. Luckily, there are lots of options available.

The mannequin has been around for years; however its use in the retail industry is still prolific. It remains the best way to display clothes, and for those who wish to exhibit their stock in a natural, stylized fashion, the mannequin is the only way to go.

Whilst the mannequin has been around for decades, it has gone through a lot of changes. A mannequin can look extremely contemporary, and is well used in minimalist stores, who wish to avoid overcrowding the shop floor with too many rails.

The right mannequin can look amazing as the centrepiece in a smaller shop. In particular vintage mannequins can look very stylish in vintage shops, depending on how you dress them. Remember, a mannequin is only as good as the clothes its wearing, and can really come alive when its dressed right.

At Morplan we have a mannequin for every store. We have vintage, child, partial and male mannequins. We know that a mannequin can work wonders for your stop, and in lots of cases they are essential.

Perhaps you have never considered of implementing a mannequin into your retail environment before, maybe because you were unaware of the choice of models on offer. At Morplan the chances are you’ll find the perfect mannequin for your store, as we have loads of choice.