Salon.com > Fashion http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 21:58:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 “Downton Abbey” inspires retail line http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/downton_abbey_inspires_retail_line/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/downton_abbey_inspires_retail_line/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:57:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286107 ITV's surpise hit "Downton Abbey" is expanding its global empire with a "range of products," turning itself into a brand. According to a CNBC interview with Gareth Neame, the show's executive producer and production company Carnival Films' managing director, you'll soon be able to wear "Downtown Abbey", cook like "Downtown Abbey," smell like "Downton Abbey," look like "Downton Abbey," write like "Downton Abbey" and sit in rooms like "Downton Abbey":

"We'll be working across an entire range of products coming out this year. From fashion, apparel and homeware and furniture to wallpapers, beauty products and stationary," Neame, who is also the show's executive producer, told CNBC.

"Some of these things have been available since 2012 and we publish books and have made a music album, but the more complex products take time," he said, adding that there would be even more scope for merchandizing in the future.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/downton_abbey_inspires_retail_line/feed/ 5 Fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer dies at 81 http://www.salon.com/2013/04/07/fashion_designer_lilly_pulitzer_dies_at_81_2/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/07/fashion_designer_lilly_pulitzer_dies_at_81_2/#comments Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13264167 MIAMI (AP) -- Lilly Pulitzer, a Palm Beach socialite turned designer whose tropical print dresses became a sensation in the 1960s and later a fashion classic, died Sunday. She was 81.

Pulitzer, who married into the famous newspaper family, got her start in fashion by spilling orange juice on her clothes. A rich housewife with time to spare and a husband who owned orange groves, she opened a juice stand in 1959, and asked her seamstress to make dresses in colorful prints that would camouflage fruit stains.

The dresses hung on a pipe behind her juice stand and soon outsold her drinks. The company's dresses, developed with the help of partner Laura Robbins, a former fashion editor, soon caught on.

"Lilly has been a true inspiration to us and we will miss her," according to a statement on the Lilly Pulitzer brand Facebook page. "In the days and weeks ahead we will celebrate all that Lilly meant to us. Lilly was a true original who has brought together generations through her bright and happy mark on the world."

Her death was confirmed by Gale Schiffman of Quattlebaum Funeral and Cremation Services in West Palm Beach. She did not know Pulitzer's cause of death.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/07/fashion_designer_lilly_pulitzer_dies_at_81_2/feed/ 0 Mini golf for freedom! http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/minigolf_for_freedom/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/minigolf_for_freedom/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:51:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13228934 Sure, CPAC is a place for conservative leaders to share big ideas about rebuilding the movement, and for ambitious politicians to cut their teeth and earn the loyalty of committed conservative activists. But it is also basically one big carnival where, for example, you can play basketball for freedom.

And that doesn't even start to describe the merchandise that's available here: T-shirts, beer cozies, aprons, bumper stickers, and pins emblazoned with images of Ronald Reagan or messages like "I <3 Hyek." Even Optimus Prime makes a cameo.

Here's your guide to the best of the best CPAC weirdness (click on pictures for bigger images):

Apparel for freedom: Eberle & Associates, a GOP-affiliated direct mail firm, is handing out free tees with messages like, “Keep Calm and Fight Socialsim” in the style of the British WWII poster, and “Viva la Reagan Revolution” in the style of Che Guevara. All you have to do is tweet the hashtag “#fightsocialism” or like them on Facebook. Another booth offers “customized apparel for fraternities, sororities, and honor groups” (groups that tend to lean right), while another offers patriotic-themed clothing — all made in America, of course. And Marco Rubio’s PAC is selling $25 water bottles (get it?).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/minigolf_for_freedom/feed/ 3 What to wear (and not to wear) to CPAC http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/what_to_wear_and_not_to_wear_to_cpac/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/what_to_wear_and_not_to_wear_to_cpac/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13226588 This week, a large group of people will converge at a single location and make small talk about things like undermining a woman's right to an abortion and why there should be prayer in public schools. No, it's not the papal conclave; it's the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference!

And, like most other professional gatherings, there is a dress code. As a helpful reminder, there is a Pinterest board to advise you on what will -- and won't -- fly while you're taking in panels like "Are You Sick and Tired of Being Called a Racist and You Know You're Not One?"

Let's discuss.

DO's

Go ahead and channel your inner Tracy Flick: Cardigans, tweed skirts -- the whole nine yards. And feel free to add a little flair to your attire. Nothing says "I might think the United Nations is an anti-American conspiracy, but I still know how to have fun" like a little ruffle around your collar.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/what_to_wear_and_not_to_wear_to_cpac/feed/ 5 Humane Society reports that Marc Jacobs faux fur coats have dog hair in them http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/humane_society_reports_that_marc_jacobs_faux_fur_coats_have_dog_hair_in_them/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/humane_society_reports_that_marc_jacobs_faux_fur_coats_have_dog_hair_in_them/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13223049 The Humane Society is reporting that several faux fur Marc Jacobs coats sold at designer discount retailer Century 21 and online were found to contain real fur.

The tests were part of an undercover probe organized by the Society and state Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, and identified fur lining the “Marc by Marc Jacobs” coats as hair from the Chinese raccoon dog. According to investigators, hair from raccoon dogs is cheaper than the synthetic fur.

“Anybody who doesn’t want to buy animal fur should be very angry that a product that they’re trying to avoid is being misrepresented as a product they may want to buy,” said Humane Society representative Pierre Grzybowski.

Watch the Humane Society's investigation, below:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/humane_society_reports_that_marc_jacobs_faux_fur_coats_have_dog_hair_in_them/feed/ 7 Fighting drones with fashion http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/drone_proof_burqas_the_latest_fashion_trend_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/drone_proof_burqas_the_latest_fashion_trend_partner/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:55:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13221883 As the U.S. government draws up plans to use surveillance drones in domestic airspace, opposition to what many consider an unwarranted and significant invasion of privacy is mounting across the country, from rural Virginia to techopolis Seattle. Although officials debate anti-drone legislation at federal, state and local levels, one man is fighting back with high-tech apparel.
Scientific American

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/drone_proof_burqas_the_latest_fashion_trend_partner/feed/ 3 What should Steve Kornacki wear? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/what_should_steve_kornacki_wear/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/what_should_steve_kornacki_wear/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:50:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13218496 Our magnificent Steve Kornacki was recently busted for wearing the same sweater on "The Cycle," the MSNBC show he co-hosts, by BuzzFeed's Dorsey Shaw.  The Huffington Post then piled on. Steve protested -- they're actually two different sweaters, he claims -- but still. We thought he'd appreciate some outside advice here, and asked our favorite fashion experts to pluck from the recent fall 2013 fashion shows for looks that match Steve's stellar, sparkling intellect.

Here are their choices, below. Vote your favorite in the poll that follows:

1. Clinton Kelly, host of TLC's "What Not to Wear," recommends Dries van Noten:

"It's got a deep V to elongate his face a little. Good for layering other shirts underneath. He seems to like gray but at least this one has some texture. It's classic, comfortable and upscale."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/what_should_steve_kornacki_wear/feed/ 7 Red carpet fashion at the Oscars http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/red_carpet_fashion_at_the_oscars/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/red_carpet_fashion_at_the_oscars/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13210603 As design expert Jeffrey Monteiro explained to Salon, Oscars red carpet fashion sets the stage for future Hollywood styles while drawing upon fashion from years past. This year's trendsetters include "Zero Dark Thirty's" Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon and 9-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis, who brought a "puppy purse" to the ceremony.

Take a look at the styles designers are buzzing about at the 85th Annual Academy Awards:

[slide_show id="13210616"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/red_carpet_fashion_at_the_oscars/feed/ 2 The brief, wondrous life of an Oscar gown http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_brief_wondrous_life_of_an_oscar_gown/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_brief_wondrous_life_of_an_oscar_gown/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13208812 So maybe you spent the better part of last year eating oatmeal paste (or practicing the world's best-ever dance sequence), and your efforts paid off. You've been showered with trophies since awards season started back in January, and now it's time for the big finale.

The Oscars.

The impression you make at the Academy Awards is going to matter. And while you've worked hard to advance your career, been selective with roles and have only done nudity when it "made sense for the character," a spot on the best-dressed list never hurts, either.

An iconic gown on the big night can separate the Meryl Streeps from, well, the not-Meryl Streeps.

So you employ a stylist, and he or she enlists a team. And there begins a dizzying constellation of designers, ateliers, tailors, assistants, hair and makeup artists and messengers, all working in service of something bigger than themselves: You.

Time to get ready.

* * *

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_brief_wondrous_life_of_an_oscar_gown/feed/ 0 A peek under Oscar’s skirt http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/a_peek_under_oscars_skirt/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/a_peek_under_oscars_skirt/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13207893 The red carpet event at the Oscars, Hollywood's preeminent see-and-be-seen affair, is as much about celebrity pageantry as it is a chance for stylists to make their mark. Each year, designers prepare by studying successful looks from seasons past, searching for a gown that will inspire other designers for years to come.

Though similarities between classic looks are often coincidential, the references can be strategic, too. Jeffrey Monteiro, a fashion expert and former design director at such houses as Derek Lam and Bill Blass, explains that celebrity stylists and handlers borrow from one another "to place themselves [and actresses] in the Hollywood hierarchy," choosing particular dresses to announce a transformation in a star's career, or even to set the tone for an era of fashion.

Monteiro has hand-picked some of the most iconic dresses in Oscar history  — e.g.,  Grace Kelly's classic green gown, Lauren Hutton's 1975 Halston — and the frocks they would inspire years later. But a gown doesn't make the complete look: Though the differences between these styles may be subtle, one celebrity truly owns the look.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/a_peek_under_oscars_skirt/feed/ 5 Fashion at the Grammy Awards http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/fashion_at_the_grammy_awards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/fashion_at_the_grammy_awards/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13196943 As celebs begin to arrive on the red carpet for the 55th Grammy Awards, audiences from home are waiting to see which celeb will inevitably break CBS' guidelines and sneak in some "under curvature of the breasts" and how controversial rapper Chris Brown will interact with on-again-off-again girlfriend Rihanna. And, of course, everyone is on the lookout for the night's best and worst dressed an event known for attracting some of Hollywood's most bizarre entrances.

View the most-talked about red carpet looks at Sunday night's Grammy Awards, below:

[slide_show id="13196952"]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/fashion_at_the_grammy_awards/feed/ 0 Welcome to Christian Fashion Week http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/welcome_to_christian_fashion_week/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/welcome_to_christian_fashion_week/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13193625 It's Fashion Week in New York City. The time of year when champagne flows like tap water, slapping fights break out over front row seats and sartorial types smoke cigarettes and hang around looking — let's face it — cooler than the rest of us.

But while the men and women of the industry peacock around Lincoln Center, there is a parallel event happening in Tampa, Fla., with a decidedly less hedonistic flair.

Welcome to Christian Fashion Week.

Backstage, separate changing areas divide the male and female models. And while, sure, there is a swimwear show, only women are allowed in the audience. Gender segregation is an event choice designed to avoid any "awkward" feelings for audience members or models, according to Jose Gomez, co-organizer of the event.

"We are trying to be sensitive to the fact that our audience may be in different places about how they feel about it," Gomez told the Associated Press.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/welcome_to_christian_fashion_week/feed/ 51 Michelle Obama’s bangs ruled the inauguration http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/michelle_obamas_bangs_ruled_the_inauguration/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/michelle_obamas_bangs_ruled_the_inauguration/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13178391 There were many highlights from yesterday's inauguration: The event hosted its first Latino and openly gay poet, Richard Blanco; the nation's first black president was sworn in again; and Beyoncé sang the national anthem. But none of those events compared to the real headline news of the day: Michelle Obama's bangs.

The president joked about the first lady's chic haircut, saying, "And to address the most significant event of this weekend, I love her bangs," and the media went wild:

[embedtweet id="293631405915783168"]

[embedtweet id="293387617058308096"]

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In case you are worried that her hair got too much attention, don't worry -- her eyes made headlines too.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/michelle_obamas_bangs_ruled_the_inauguration/feed/ 4 Can Galliano be forgiven? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/18/can_galliano_be_forgiven/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/18/can_galliano_be_forgiven/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:51:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13175839 Gosh, it seems like only yesterday John Galliano was swanning around Paris, arguing with restaurant patrons about their "dirty Jew faces" and announcing, "I love Hitler." But it's been almost two full years since the flamboyant British clothing designer had a meltdown of such epic proportions that cost him his job at Dior, and got him publicly slammed by his house's then-muse Natalie Portman, and then found guilty of anti-Semitic behavior in a French court and fined for it. Now, he's returning to fashion with a new temporary residency with Oscar de la Renta – and a blessing from a surprising source.

Galliano has a kept a low profile since his March 2011 fall from grace. For his return engagement, he will be assisting in de la Renta's New York offices over the next few weeks, helping the house prepare for Fashion Week. It's an apprentice-like comedown from his days as a top dog designer, but a major step toward a career reboot. "He has worked long and hard on his recovery," says de la Renta, "and I am happy to give him the opportunity to reimmerse himself in the world of fashion and reacclimate in an environment where he has been so creative."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/18/can_galliano_be_forgiven/feed/ 2 Drone-proof clothing shelters from surveillance http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/drone_proof_clothing_shelters_from_surveillance/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/drone_proof_clothing_shelters_from_surveillance/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13167126 Technological innovations tend to solidify our current surveillance society, but a new development in high-tech fashion seems like a rare example of resistance. New York artist Adam Harvey has developed a prototype line of "stealth wear," clothing that employs both design and materials to shield the wearer from detection and recognition by surveillance technologies.

"The anti-drone hoodie and scarf hide you from thermal imaging, the XX-shirt protects your heart from x-ray radiation, and an accessory called Off Pocket can instantly black out your phone signal," noted a release about the four-piece clothing line, which will be showcased in a London exhibition this month.

This is not Harvey's first foray into counter-surveillance camouflage. For his masters' thesis at NYU he developed "CV Dazzle," a form of "expressive interference that takes the form of makeup and hair styling (or other modifications)" which functions to deflect facial recognition systems. He explains on his website:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/drone_proof_clothing_shelters_from_surveillance/feed/ 8 My year without makeup http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/my_year_without_makeup/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/my_year_without_makeup/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13165881 This is who I am: a woman. I’m a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, and a mother. At age seven, I was a girl with braids and rainbow hair clips, and at thirteen, I became a teenager with acne, orthodontics, and teased bangs. At nineteen, I was a college student battling her freshman twenty-five, then a new graduate with a discount poly-blend office wardrobe. For nearly a decade after that, I was an independent young woman in confusing relationships who paired thrift-store finds with designer shoes. At twenty-eight, I became an overjoyed fiancée with a shiny new ring, then an anxious newlywed with a new mortgage. When I was thirty-one, I swelled up into a pregnant goddess with superlative melons, then collapsed, nine months later, into a zombie with magenta undereye bags. Then that happened again. Today, at thirty-seven, I am a busy work-at-home parent and spouse. On most days, I wear jeans, and shoes with traction. I have a yoga membership I probably won’t use up. On Fridays, I drink a beer in front of the television and fall asleep before ten.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/my_year_without_makeup/feed/ 58 Missoni company confirms that Italian fashion icon and wife are missing http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/missoni_company_confirms_that_italian_fashion_icon_and_wife_are_missing/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/missoni_company_confirms_that_italian_fashion_icon_and_wife_are_missing/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:02:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13163024 A small plane carrying Missoni Italian fashion house head Vittorio Missoni, along with his wife, friends and a small crew, has gone missing in Venezuela. The Missoni company has confirmed that the fashion scion and his wife are missing, releasing the following statement today:

"The Missoni company today confirms that Vittorio Missoni and his wife are missing in Venezuela. The small plane they were travelling on has disappeared. This is all the information currently available. We are relying on the work of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all the institutions involved, to whom we are gratetful for the prompt activities in the research. As more information becomes available the company will issue further statements. The company asks the press to kindly respect the family's privacy at this time."

The AP reports that the plane, only chartered for a 95-mile flight, went missing not long after takeoff. No wreckage has been found.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/missoni_company_confirms_that_italian_fashion_icon_and_wife_are_missing/feed/ 1 Asian teenagers flock to get “fashion” braces http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/asian_teenagers_flock_to_get_fashion_braces/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/asian_teenagers_flock_to_get_fashion_braces/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:46:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159819 Braces, long the symbol of nerds, geeks, mouth-breathers and others who dwell at the bottom of the high school food chain, have suddenly become très chic. Well, at least in certain parts of Thailand, Indonesia and Malayasia.

Many teens in Southeast Asia have been shelling out more than $100 for so-called black market braces, mouth gear that doesn't serve any function other than fashion -- and status. While being a brace-face stateside might be a drag, real braces cost close to $1,200 in places like Bangkok, putting dental care far out of reach for the average family. As a result, braces have become a surprising status symbol.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/asian_teenagers_flock_to_get_fashion_braces/feed/ 1 Rape is not a “fashion violation” http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/rape_is_not_a_fashion_violation/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/rape_is_not_a_fashion_violation/#comments Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:36:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13100583 Tucked in the left column of Page 238 in the November 2012 issue of W Magazine (Collectors’ Edition) is a picture of fashion designer Anand Jon bookended by models scarcely clad in boas and sequins. The picture accompanies a blurb titled “Fashion Violations,” though the violations to which the blurb refers do not pertain to lipstick-stained teeth or the kind of clashing ensemble Joan Rivers prays for. Rather, it refers to the one count of rape, and 15 counts of sexual assault on girls as young as 14 that landed Jon a 59-year-to-life sentence in jail. And that’s just his punishment thus far. Jon has yet to stand trial in New York and Texas to face similar allegations.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/16/rape_is_not_a_fashion_violation/feed/ 9 Lena Dunham wears shirt, forgets pants http://www.salon.com/2012/10/01/lena_dunham_wears_shirt_forgets_pants/ http://www.salon.com/2012/10/01/lena_dunham_wears_shirt_forgets_pants/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:24:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13026773 As long as you're not Kate Middleton, being photographed without any pants on is not scandalous. This weekend, Lena Dunham, the confident, quirky star and writer of HBO's "Girls," set out to prove the point when she showed up at the L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade event this weekend, wearing nothing but a flowy blouse and contrasting polka-dot slippers. OK, Lena Dunham, you resent the constraints clothing imposes. We get it! We applaud you. Now please, put some pants on.

LenaDunham

Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/10/01/lena_dunham_wears_shirt_forgets_pants/feed/ 9