Hair New Era

Now I know the saying, if you don't hve anything nice to say... wap wap wap but I am oh so sorry. This mkes no sense. A VERY large part of me thinks Jason's intern made these designs and got them crafted somewhere in a 8th world. "mischief is in the details" YEA RIGHT.

For all the hype over this line, the lack of any form shaping of the dresses, the boring fabrics, uninspired color selection and drab presentation online has just got me in a world wind. I was expecting  A LOT more from this unveiling. Now, I'm not a big fan of Missoni but even THEY came with the heat even though it i for Target. The days of buying something JUST BECAUSE somebody's name is on it are OVER!!!!!! The cutest part of the collection was a satchel BAG! really? a bag? T-shirts and what nots are not the juice when "fans" have been waiting and waiting for this lunch for months on end.

If you haven't seen what I'm talking about, take a look-see here and tell me if I'm buggin'! Thanks

Today we glimpsed pictures of Halle Berry shooting a shoe commercial... in Germany. The Hollywood star was on a set in Berlin, promoting her new line for German shoe chain Deichmann to be called 5th Avenue by Halle Berry.


Read More here

*From the looks of it, the shoes seem pretty functional. Majority flirty sandal and wedge design, these shoes may be a hit and a breath of fresh air as consumers get a break from having to buy back breaking high heel pumps just to have a celebs "name" on their feet.

I'm all over this... I'm actually considering an early wake-up to stand outside my local store...

...yea, I think that's the plan! Will you be purchasing?

NEW SITE ALERT!! Click here to check out BIGGER THAN HAIR. My new site dedicated to all things natural, especially hair.

What you can expect: web interviews, photos, videos, reviews, and more.

If you like what you see, please follow the blog in the right margin and tell 3 people to check it out.

Thanks much!!!

"We are both [Kim & Andrea] in charge of searching for the clothes, the styling, finding appropriate models, make up and even photography (one can have the impression we are staying both behind the cam ;). The only slight difference is that Kim has worked as a stylist in Stockholm for the Stockholm fashion center so she is more professional in that matter and I have been working within photography for a few years (more art and "portraits" and not really in a professional way... it has been more experimental). The picking of the outfit... is hard to say. For that blazer... we fell in love with it because it fits so nicely (it's tailor made in Italy) so it was really a key piece... and then [we] just matched something to it... most of the time we figure out what style we want for a shooting first and then choose a few key items to start combining outfits. Where the pose came from... mhmm in that shooting, it was our first, Kim was our model. She has a very particular way of posing.. sometimes it is like a doll... but very natural and unique. So she just does what she feels fits within the concept of the shooting or outfit... comes very natural. But we are very lucky there because she has a lot of experience as she used to be a model. In that shooting there were no complications... i think it was the easiest of all of them :) as it was our first ... it was more of an experiment and we had a very free and intuitive approach to it. We just wanted to be creative and try things out. We were really surprised by the outcome :D.... I think that was what motivated us to start the whole thing. We saw there was potential, a lot of fun to do and that we complemented each other perfectly."

Interested in KIMANDRA please visit please click "KIMANDRA" to check out their blog.

Thanks Kim & Andrea!

(Oldie but Goodie)

Rarely do you see a group of young men working together to create something to share with the world. Young men ironically so un-inspired by what is being produced and the lack of what is not, frequently visiting stores leaving empty handed and disgusted. Well, today that group of young men has arrived in full force and they are ready to take on the fashion world head on. DOPAMIN is a clothing line all its own with individuality as its claim to fame or simply claim to self.
In charge of designing, creating, styling, promoting, directing and managing are six young men, residing in six different cities, ages ranging from teens to twenties who make up what has been introduced to the world as, DOPAMIN Clothing. Germany, serving as the base country for four of the six young men with Tim living in Berlin, Thomas in Osnabrück, Laurids in Neuss and Carsten in Cologne while their counterparts Lari dwells in Helsinki, England and James in Norwich, England. Divinely enough, all six share the same point of view, which they like to refer to as “wavelength” regarding their vision and the creations approved that make up DOPAMIN. “DOPAMIN. Its your style. Not theirs.” is the tag line that can be found on their website, www.dopamin.eu and explains much of what it is these fellas stand for and why they create.

While many designers strive very hard to get their work discovered and become a household name, the men of DOPAMIN explain their line is more of a self-fulfilling venture and form of self expressive art that seems to be getting them a lot of exposure and opportunities that seem to present themselves everyday. Of course with the level of passion and commitment given to their line, such exposure and opportunities seem to be inevitable and almost expected for something so uniquely cool. I recently contacted the men behind DOPAMIN Clothing and got to know and understand what DOPAMIN really is and all that it stands for through the words of those who created and continue to expand it.

After visiting your website I noticed one of the reasons DOPAMIN was created was because the clothes that are being produced today are not satisfying to you and your team. Are there any designers who stand as exceptions to this rule?

Having a look at famous designer brands you will realize that in many cases one head designer is responsible for the entire collection, supported by designer teams. Many of those brands are already owned by multinational companies or have been taken over by financial investors. Huge retailers and vertically integrated chains who produce clothes in huge quantities for young target groups and for the mainstream usually do market research or have their trend scouts all over the world.

Uniqueness is one of DOPAMIN’s core values, so well-expressed by our designers. They are unique personalities and we are proud to show the world their faces. Furthermore, every single piece of our collection is strictly limited and labeled with a unique identification number. For individualism is what it’s all about.

Whose idea was it to put a number on each garment to make it a one of a kind piece similar to artwork?

It was Carsten who came out with this idea and we decided unanimously to embroider those numbers because it underlines our core value, Uniqueness.

Where or who do you draw your inspirations from?

We draw our inspiration from our young designers who are all creative in their own way and have their own personality glowing through the clothes, so that customers can relate to the young designers with their very different unique personalities they all have. And of course we get inspiration from impressions and feelings we experience in our lives, also when listening to music, walking in the streets and talking with our friends and customers. As we are an international team from all over Europe we can also combine inspiration and creativity from different countries.



How does a group of young men fund an entire clothing line, website, events, advertising, etc?

As we want to be independent we just invest our own time and our own money, focused on the important tasks. No money goes into advertising though. DOPAMIN is spread by word-of-mouth, social networks and by media who like our attitude towards fashion and publish our story.

How or who decides which designs will make it to the next level past design, usually onto the manufacturing stage in production?

We are always in touch with each other and discuss new ideas and designs. Only those designs who meet the full approval of all team members make it to the next level. We never had huge discussions because we have same wavelength.

Are you looking to branch out internationally and become an international line?

We think that we are already quite international, as our team members live in England, Finland and Germany. But yes, we are aiming to become even more international, for example by our "DOPAMIN-fashionstas" network. The fashionistas are our brand ambassadors in other countries, e.g. Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden and so on.

Do you make clothing for women?
If not, do you plan on incorporating those items in your line?

This is an interesting idea. According to our philosophy that DOPAMIN is fashion designed by those who actually wear it, we would need some female team members then :) We agreed to focus on male fashion first but we do like this as a future idea very much.

Where do you see DOPAMIN within 5 years?

There is no time schedule and no pressure at all. We can take all the time we need to turn our ideas into reality. Right now we are designing some amazing new items and also some accessories. Our actual designers are also the models who showcase the DOPAMIN fashion. We are receiving inquires from companies and model agencies who want to book our models and we are establishing our own model agency “DOPAMIN-models” now. Thomas is already designing and coding the website.

The friend you speak of whose name is in DOPAMIN, what was his vision exactly? Do you think you have fulfilled his vision or do you still have a ways to go to fulfill it completely?

First, the idea of fashion [of DOPAMIN] is made by those who wear it. Genuine “real wear”. No middle-aged corporate types. No market research. No trend scouts. The people for who the clothes are made are designed by themselves, because nobody knows better than they do themselves.

There is still a ways to go, but we are enjoying it very much and it makes for really huge fun. ■


If you would like to contact DOPAMIN Clothing, please visit their website www.dopamin.eu

DOPAMIN can also be reached via their myspace page, www.myspace.com/dopaminclothing

~Written for Chaos Magazine, (oldie but goodie)

Donatella confirmed the line will drop November 17th online and in-stores, Versace for H&M.


Click here for more.

Beyond Excited!!!!

It's old but who cares, this dude is the truth!!! LOVE LOVE!!!

During the lengthy and heavy-hitting AD campaign for Missoni coming to Target I felt no elation what-so-ever. I was actually quite bored. I've never been a fan of Missoni, I feel its way too much going on. Yesterday I heard about target.com CRASHING due to all the ladies, young and old, waiting to get a piece of the usually expensive brand.

This morning, I knew I had to run to target to get bread, eggs, and milk (true life food staples) and couldn't help but to see the almost BARE racks of the Missoni displays at the local Target here in Charlotte. To be honest, I was very surprised, I really didn't think too many people out here knew what Missoni was but I'll admit that's just my "I'm from L.A." high-horse ignorance - but don't trip, it doesn't happen that often.


So after walking over and perusing the scene, I came across a beautiful brown, black and creme zig-zag sweater that was surprisingly thick and made of nicely combined fabrics. I put it in the basket along with a purple-based chiffon type top and the too-fly brown felt hat. After trying on the sweater, I was in LOVE. I loved how the sweater fit me, it was actually tailored and contoured to the body a bit which has been my issue with Target brands since their creation. I was so elated I kept that mug in the basket, putting back everything else. I do plan on getting the hat at a later date.



Overall, the name "Missoni" really leads to all of the hype because some of the knits, tops and such are nothing in comparison to the real thing and if they were a Merona, etc. they would have never gone as fast. I am pleased with my piece of Missoni and am satisfied with it probably for the rest of my life.

 Sporting a dress/skirt from a curvy girl line called, Jibri.

http://photos.essence.com/galleries/top_twenty_brands_for_curvy_girls#875493

Pay close attention to the message between 1:00 - 1:20, they speak about confidence and where it comes from when a woman get dressed which is what it's all about!

Mrs. McEvoy was really onto something when she created her patented line of travel-friendly make-up planners. On my visit to Nordstroms yesterday, I had a wonderful experience with one of Trish's artists, Rachel at the Grove. She taught me at least 4 tricks to make your DIY attempts look the same as spreads and shoots. As we were talking, she showed me the make-up planner and how it is customizable to every woman. As soon as she pulled out this-and-that colors and swapped in new ones of all different shapes and sizes, I was sold. The colors - no matter if blush, bronzer, eyeshadow - are all magnetic so it's super easy to switch and go. Why I like it so much is because most women now-a-days are constantly on the go. The amount of time we have to get a sufficient amount of sleep, eat, get dressed and then have the audacity to try and primp ourselves in the mirror can really be a joke. If you're like me, you're in the bed up to an HOUR before you have to be at work and the thought of putting on anything that evens, tones or illuminates is impossible. Having to lug around a suitcase full of make-up is also a joke and quite frankly, a lost cause. This planner would let me plan the night before or even the Sunday night before my week and would allow me to take 5 to 10 minutes in the bathroom at work and bust out a whole new face without jeopardizing my precious snooze hits. GENIUS! Or if I get an impromptu invite for drinks, etc. I can refresh and go either in the bathroom or in my car. It's like having a full-equipped portable bathroom vanity with you at all times! No this is not a plug nor am I getting paid to say this (although I wouldn't be mad at the offer ;)D I just really liked this idea and product and think it would serve a lot of women who value upkeep but don't have enough hours in the day to do full-out sit-downs and set-ups.



I hope this really helps some woman or women out there who's been having this issue for a while... Good Luck!

photos courtesy of the-coveted

As many true Fashionistas know, off season is the best time to get the best buys. As we approach the Spring months this is the best time to purchase your staple Coats, Leather Jackets, Blazers, etc. and men are no exception. All Saints has beautiful coats and jackets for not only women but men as well. As I look for gifts for the boyfriends birthday, I'm looking into some savvy pieces for Fall 2011. There are some great finds via the All Saints website, for both me AND him. (Of course I had to throw myself in there as well :)

Now we've covered the consumer portion of a line but as I was browsing through the All Saints Spitalfields site, I noticed "scholarship opportunities" which I found to be very odd to see on a high-end fashion website. Intrigued by this placement I clicked to find All Saints helps to fund schooling for six fashionistas/os studying in fashion marketing. This is a great privilege and not to mention, just plain ol' cool. Read below for more info.:

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GCU LONDON 

The MSc International Fashion Marketing is designed to equip you with the essential fashion marketing expertise, business knowledge and personal skills demanded by business operating in today’s increasingly global and competitive environment.

Thanks to the support of leading fashion retailer AllSaints, six scholarships are available for students studying for the MSc International Fashion Marketing. AllSaints is at the forefront of the British fashion industry and this partnership is an innovative example of how GCU London works with international companies to equip students with creative and practical skills. Please contact enquiries@gculondon.ac.uk for more information.
www.gculondon.ac.uk


All in all, All Saints gets a huge thumbs up from me. I'd check them out for womens jackets, mens jackets, style, and school scholarships. A pretty much one-stop-shop for Style & Philanthropic efforts.

Is it just me, or do you too ask yourself... "is American Apparel a clothing line or an adult website publication?"





Like really? Is nobody else having a problem with this... this is ridiculous. Are they selling clothes or selling a__? *eye roll*