Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Denim Therapy

In a distressed economy, how ironic is it that distressed jeans are a fall fashion must-have?
While distressed denim is all the rage right now, they can reach a point of no return when it comes to rips and holes in your favorite jeans. Those worn-in, ripped-up jeans you'd usually wear to wash your car are being pegged for casual evenings as well as for weekend affairs.
Take your pick from the super-skinny, classically straight, boyfriend, boot-cut, dark-wash and acid-wash styles.

Denim is the fashion industry's shining star right now. Though clothing sales overall have dropped, denim sales have increased about 4% this year over last. Women's jeans have had the most significant increase, with sales up 5% over last year.

Jean makers worlwide have to constantly innovate and invest to offer premium details for less than $100 a pair.
Its same old style with a new name like Gap, which recently redesigned every jean style in its inventory and re-introduced them under the 1969 Premium Jeans collection, named for the year in which the retail chain was started. Calvin Klein is launching its BODY jeans this fall with the sizzling Eva.
The biggest insight to buying denim is:
“People want denim to fit them like a dream” dont they? “Women walk into the stores, try on a pair of jeans, and the first thing they do is turn around and look at their butts. They have to have a rock-star butt or they aren't going to wear those jeans. That's what all denim brands need to focus on to get it right. Answer this insight and you have the customer forever.

Our fave celebs are tearing it up in distressed denim...

We've noticed recently that our favourite celebs have been stepping out in battered, ripped jeans - so much so that they've taken over from big shoulders as the hottest celeb trend of the season! From washed out, baggy boyfriend jeans with rips in the knees, to super-skinny styles with slashes across the top, torn denim is the A-list look du jour. Check out our pick of the hottest styles - from Cameron Diaz's casual traveller look to Rihanna's fierce nightime outfit, to Kareenas casually formal denims. Of course, the celebs are probably rocking pricey designer denims, but luckily this is a look that you can easily recreate. Just get your scissors out, snip a few holes in an old pair of jeans, fray the edges a little bit and voila - you're bang on trend!







Everybody loves a pair of impressive Jeans. Though the ripped denim jeans didn't play a huge part of fashion scene, this spring the 90s are ruling the streets and cities with the return of ripped denim jeans. Ripped denim in 2009 is certainly sexy than dirty and revealing - possibly more than ever. We have seen celebrities who's rocking on this trend and spending hundreds of dollars on designer denim jeans. One of the few celebrities are Lindsay Lohan, Katie Holmes, Rihanna, Kate Beckinsale and many more celebrities are sporting a ripped denim jeans that gave the denim a distressed, vintage feel. Have you got your pair yet?

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Style vs. Fashion



The debate on what it means to be stylish goes on in many fashion blogs. I must admit I don’t consider that many people stylish in the actual meaning of the word (i.e., having elegance or taste or refinement in manners or dress). Don’t get me wrong here, many fashion bloggers are very trendy and fashionable indeed. But stylish? Maybe not that much. Let me explain.

Fashion fades, style is forever?
Having read dozens and dozens of fashion and style blogs I’ve been puzzling – once again – about the question as to what it really means to have a great sense of style. Does it mean keeping up with the latest trends? Does it mean making sure you’re always wearing the latest “It” items? Or does it, in fact, mean dressing in an original way that suits your own personality and body type?

I have to say I believe in the second definition more than the first. Yet, when I read all those fashion blogs or fashion mags, there seems to be a very strong pull to the first one, which is, of course, understandable from the industry’s point of view. But it’s pretty clear that fashion fads are a blip on the fashion timeline. For example, one season everyone is sporting leggings under minidresses, the next they are wearing skinny jeans. In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with dabbling in must-haves: each to their own, right!? However, all those “It” items will only be hot for a short period of time.

Fashion trends are notoriously quirky. The fashion industry is always on the hunt for what’s new. For every new, must-have item, there’s another that gets tossed aside like yesterday’s trend. Affordable trendy clothing, which is sometimes called “fast fashion”, is like a double-edged sword. Fast fashion makes fashionable looks accessible to everyone, but when the market is totally saturated with a look a trend loses its appeal.

Style, however, is never out of fashion! I’ll stay in the camp of creativity and flair rather than this season’s perfect outfit. I believe people should get to know themselves and their own body type and wear the shapes and styles of clothing that flatter them – whether those are in or out at the moment. Fashion is in the clothes. Style is in the wearer.

There’s dressing differently because you don’t care, and there’s dressing differently to express yourself. If you care at all about your place in society as a whole, then it’s important to understand the difference.

A cool representation of this was in a campaign done by French Connection a few seasons back and I think its so true.

Another innteresting read that I stumbled upon is Greg’s Three Rules For Clothes:

Rule #1. Clothes are seldom worn in isolation – it’s not about the individual shirt you like, but how you wear it WITH something else.

Rule #2. Most designer brands REALLY ARE worth the higher price tag. The reason why you pay more for designer brands isn’t so much the vain sense of status and recognition (although those do play a role) as it is more about the particular FIT, QUALITY of materials, CUT of the fabric and overall STYLE of the piece.

Rule #3. There’s no excuse for a bad body. Let’s face it – when you’re fat, you get all the worst choices of clothes.

Part of style is personal identity: self-awareness and self-knowledge. You can’t have style until you have articulated a “self.”

Style is also part personality: spirit, verve, attitude, wit, inventiveness. Style announces to the world that you have taken command of yourself.
I think the battle will continue until you decide what you wish to follow is it style or fashion.

Its raining celebs for fashion



Using celebs tp promote fdashion is all thats coming through with most brands this season. Be it the sizzling Eva in the Calvin Klein Jeans & underwear ad or Penelope Cruz for Mango.

Eva has made it big through the sexy commercials of Calvin Klein rather than any of her movies. Brands create a lot of hype around these campaigns but am noot sure if i have seen the same product in their stores especially in India. Do we have any?
The brand show cases true minimalism.