Fashion Salad

You’ve got the outfit to die for and the shoes to match, all you need now is a stylish handbag to complete the look. But you want something unusual to individualize your outfit and you most definitely don’t want to clash with a friend with the same bag. You have hunted the high street for handbags and they are nice and cheap enough, but they are all very similar in style and everyone and their grandmother has one.

Designer handbags have fast become the must have fashion accessory, from clutch bags, to oversized bags. although to have the privilege of possessing one of these status symbol bags, be prepared to re mortgage your house, as these bags come with a larger than life price tag.

So why select a handmade handbag: they are mostly exclusive so you won’t see anyone with the same bag making them truly individual; they are made to a high standard and won’t go out of fashion as they tend to be inspired by the designers ideas rather than directly from the latest trend; they are available in many varied styles, shapes and colours from clutch bags to large shoulder bags and your friends will notice them for there originality.

Check out W magazine’s Oscar Red Carpet TOP TEN list, naming the top ten best fashion looks from Sunday’s glamorous red carpet.

Top three best dressed include:

1.)    Heidi Klum in John Galliano Haute Couture

2.)   Cameron Diaz

3.)   Cate Blanchett

You can vote for your favorite look. And the other thing I like is the insider dish at Fashion Market Director Treena Lombardo’s Blog Entry on “The Good, The Bad and The…” naming the best and worst dressed from last night’s Oscars - http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog

Image: Source

If you don’t want to wear bright colors this spring, that’s fine. You can do what many of the designers are doing and add a splash of something different to the rest of your fashionable look.

If you are wearing Spring 2008’s shining blues, you may want to add the contrast of a deep red garnet pendant. It will jump out from the blue, but still go well as a completing piece of your outfit.

If you want to be in the season, but not necessarily wearing trendy colors of the season, maybe something a little more whimsical like a diamond flip-flop mini pendant. Unlike other colored pendants that may change by the season, this pendant will be perfect anytime you are ready to show off that you’re hitting the beach, or at least thinking about it. You also don’t have to worry about what you wear it with because diamonds match anything.

Just as the spring is a time to do a little spring-cleaning, this year it’s also a time to brighten your wardrobe and your jewelry box with a little splash of color that will help you forget about the cold days of winter.

Prepare yourself for Clash of the artists 2008 art competition!!

Art for Progress, a non-profit arts education organization, announces a call to all artists for the second annual multi-disciplinary art competition “Clash of the Artists”.

The international online competition invites DJs, musicians, visual artists , fashion designers, filmmaker, and all who are creative!

Gain global exposure of your work online as well as supporting arts education in New York City. An event will be held in New York City in mid-March, 2008 to showcase top three finalists from each category!

Submissions begin: November 15, 2007 online
Public Voting begins: January 8, 2008.
Visit us at http://www.artforprogress.org to learn more.
or watch the video

Read more for a list of first place prizes for this year.

At the recent BC Fashion Week (Canada), selected media and designers were invited to attend fashion shows spotlighting local designers, retreat in the EFFEN Vodka Style Lounge and kick up their heels at the Sound of Fashion Launch Party, and also receive a special gift bag.

The bag included Pout Plump lip gloss, a sampling of Frédéric Fekkai’s new Coiff line, Goody Styling Therapy hair brush, Love is Heaven underwear (very Ed Hardy), Nettwerk Records’ new Um Huh Her disc (Camila Grey and also Leisha Hailey from the L-Word), Linden Leave’s Gold Mist, and many other fun bits.

This gift bag is a virtual “it list” in itself, representing some of the trendiest finds to covet:
   
Eminence Organics - Herbal Eye Make-up Remover  eminenceorganics.com
Frédéric Fekkai – Coiff Line   holtrenfrew.com
Flops   dreambigdesignco.com
Goody - Styling Therapy goody.com
The Goddess Guide by Giséle Scanlon (Harper Collins)  harpercollins.com
Hip Baby  hipbaby.com
Love is Heaven   loveisheaven.net
Linden Leaves - Gold Mist  qualityfromnature.com
Lit Cosmetics  litcosmetics.com
M-13 Functional Juice   m13.ca   
Moral Fibres   moralfibres.com
The Block Magazine - Vancouver’s Guide to Modern Living  theblockmagazine.com
Nokia 6300  Fido.ca
Uh Huh Her (Nettwerk Records)   uhhuhher.com
Pout Plump lip gloss    holtrenfrew.com
 
Source: The It Lists

Here are some fashion highlights from the fashion blogosphere…

My Fashion Life let you win some sparkle - a pair of diamond earrings!

The It Lists says "paprika" is the new buzz word for controlling zits.

Glitterati: Erika Peña show Fab Sugar fans her new jewelry line.

How to Match Your Shirt and Tie with Omiru.

Couture in the City still defends this season’s big color is still yellow.

A new Sims 2 expansion pack is now available as a pre-order (Amazon with a release date of June 5th).

It features clothing inspired by real H&M designs from dresses to casual outfits (even for men) as well as the ability to design your own H&M store. There’s a catwalk build too, but if I know H&M, by the time you finish your fashion designs and put them down a runway, it will already be time to buy a whole new season’s worth of H&M Sims clothing over again.

Unfortunately, there was no mention on whether or not it would include the highly covetted Madonna H&M line in it.

Source [Kotaku] 

Here are some fashion highlights from the blogosphere…

FabSugar finds two Looks for Less - Madden VS Lam

Head Shaker - Don’t Wash “it” help for your tresses from  The It Lists

Omiru’s Friday Fashion Hotlist: shoes

Couture in the City  sneak peak’s Sarah Jessica Parker new line: Bitten

Moe Click Bag from  Style It

Bacardi Limon and The Daily announced the five finalists for the Bacardi Limon Express Your Style Design Competition. 

The five talented and creative finalists are Aeran Park from Mequon, WI with her Bacardi Limon inspired silk gazar and chiffon ensemble, based on a tunic in the Marc Bohan for Christian Dior Paris collection; Carly J. Cais from Honolulu, HI with her Bacardi Limon inspired "Lemon Jewels Dress;" Kurt Smith from Brooklyn, NY with his Bacardi Limon inspired "Oshun-Bacardi Dress" made of diaphanous yellow and black chiffon with beading and embroidery at the waist; Patricia Samaniego of Las Vegas, NV with her Bacardi Limon inspired "Retro Cocktail Dress," made of silk chiffon and satin for the woman ready to go dancing and Steven Hoffman from New York, NY with his Bacardi Limon "Lemon Twist Dress," inspired by thoughts of a sexy, flirty young starlet wearing it for a night on the town.

Aeran Park

Kurt Smith

Carly J. Cais

The designs that will compete for the top prize in March can be viewed at www.fashionweekdaily.com and for a good cause too. Bacardi Limon will make a donation to The Women’s Alliance (www.thewomensalliance.org) and Career Gear (www.careergear.org) for each click to view the designs. Both the Women’s Alliance and Career Gear make it possible for people re-entering the workforce to be dressed appropriately for job interviews.

The five finalists will compete in New York on March 22nd in a live "Cut and Sew," which will be open to the public. A private reception will follow to fete all the finalists and announce the winner who will receive a $5,000 cash prize and an internship with Holly Dunlop creator of the label Hollywould.

Source [BusinessWire EON/PRWeb]

Zac PosenIn last seasons Fashion Wars Michael Kors was victorious but there were plenty of surprises. As the New York Times noted, Patrik Rzepski, a relative newcomer to the New York fashion scene, came third overall. Publisher David McIntyre declared that Fashion Wars is bringing a new democracy to fashion, joking that it’s the American dream all dressed up, where any designer, young or old, established or freshman, can be crowned Queen for a season.

Sadly not everyone wants to play.

There are a number of designers Fashion Wars would like to feature but who don’t want to play. Designers have nothing to fear: last season Michael Kors proved that the big brands have more than just name recognition. He stood strong and won with good design in a fair fight. Today’s consumers want to interact with their brands and Fashion Wars provides a protected environment for this to take place. Guy Trebay of the New York Times asked recently "Whatever Happened To Now?" It’s here; it’s called interaction between brand and consumer.

Fashion Wars is fun and educational, innovative and disruptive, with enormous potential to affect the world of fashion. It’s what the editors and buyers see each season but this time YOU choose. For instance, store buyers looking to see what outfits are getting traction may make more considered purchases; designers checking out the hits and misses from their collection can make changes. It’s democracy in accordance with ZOOZOOM’s philosophy of tools not rules. Of course for us as a fashion magazine it helps us plan our editorial features for fall.

Highly addictive, the more you play the more you learn.

Source: PRWeb

DC Fashion Week, a partnership of independent fashion designers, producers and models, continues its explosive growth as Washington ’s premier apparel exhibition. The weeklong event begins February 28 at multiple venues throughout the nation’s capital.

Washington, DC (PRWEB)  — DC Fashion Week, a partnership of independent fashion designers, producers and models, continues its explosive growth as Washington ’s premier apparel exhibition. The weeklong event begins February 28 at multiple venues throughout the nation’s capital.

Attractions newly added this year include a Menswear Collection Show and a special emphasis on up-and-coming designers from around the world, which will have the opportunity to showcase their styles alongside established names such as Bachrach, Sean John and Betsey-Johnson. "It is especially exciting to introduce the world to new designers from Ghana and other countries," says Ean Williams, executive director of DC Fashion Week. "Visitors to this year’s show will have a chance to view clothing and designs that have never been seen by American audiences before. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event." The Menswear Collection Show was added this year because DCFW continues its explosive growth as the nation’s capitol’s premier apparel trade exhibitor.

A partnership of independent fashion designers, producers and models, DCFASHIONWEEK creates increased economic development in the area of fashion design, clothing merchandising and modeling as well as enhances the visibility of the nation’s capital as a center of international fashion. DC Fashion Week is held twice a year (February/September) and draws thousand of patrons to its shows. The complete show schedule is available on the company’s website www.dcfashionweek.org.

We’ve found some videos of buyer Rich Morris as he takes you to NYC & talks with representatives from different designer lines carried at his store.

Get tips from Frankeys.com on what to wear and how to dress yourself in today’s hottest trends!  To learn how to  brush up on your style with the lastest fashions they have a Denim 101 section on skinny leg jeans & information on popular denim lines like Diesel, 7 for all mankind, Earnest Sewn, etc.

Fashion Salad is proud to be associated with Apparel Search – only the fashion bible to anything and everything to do with the fashion industry (from models to textiles suppliers).

And now Apparel Search has launched three online job sites that are free to the apparel marketplace. Both www.ClothingIndustryJobs.com and www.fashionjobsearch.com offers descriptions and links to a diverse range of open positions, from executive sales roles to manufacturing and design jobs.

The third site, www.DesignerSearch.com facilitates connections between fashion and textile industry artists, designers, and design studios. Designers can post their portfolios and employers can use search tools to find artists and designers. Freelance bonus! potential employers can contact project seekers without seeing the artist’s full contact information.

In Style magazine featured a hip new fashion accessory – Pepperface.com’s Swarovski crystal sparked up pepper spray. It’s just a new way to spice up (no pun intended) your self defence.

What In Style didn’t mention is the celebrity auction of celeb styled one of a kind Pepperface’s to raise awareness for domestic violence protection. Bling and sting for a good cause!

Here are some fashion highlights from the blogosphere…

An interview with the namesake behind Lisa Klein boutiques (Omiru)

Ruffling up - the fine line with bows and ruffles for Christmas  (The It Lists)

Hats off - to winter beanies (I Am Fashion)

Fashion Advice: How to get designer boots online (Budget Fashionista)

Merry Monochrome Holidays, what to wear to your office party (Style Bites)