H&M sees net profit slip in 2011, upbeat on 2012
For the full-year 2011, H&M posted a net profit of 15.82 billion kronor (1.79 billion euros, $2.33 billion), down from 18.68 billion kronor in 2010, largely owing to soaring prices for materials, especially cotton, which significantly hiked its purchasing costs, the company said in its earnings statement.
Sales meanwhile swelled 1.5 percent to 128.8 billion kronor.
"H&M stands strong in a challenging market," chief executive Karl-Johan Persson insisted in the statement.
more: Fashion News Headlines – Yahoo! News
The Row Taps François Kress as President, COO
Last night's announcement — that they'd tapped Prada's current president and CEO, François Kress, to be their new president and COO — only further confirms their status as a burgeoning major fashion house. This is also a clear signal of the label's plans to expand, which were already obvious (they recently added handbag and sunglasses lines).
Kress's start date has yet to be determined; prior to working at Prada, he was the CEO of Bulgari North America and also worked at LVMH. He'll report to the Olsens and to Jill Collage, president of Dualstar Entertainment Group, which owns The Row.(WWD)
Cameron Diaz in Valentino - Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012 Fashion show Paris
Clad in a short-sleeved white laser-cut lace inset dress from the Spring/Summer 2012 collection, the “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” actress looked beautiful when she arrived at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild today for the Valentino fashion show as part of Paris Haute-Couture Fashion Week.
I loved this dress on the catwalk and now I love it more on Cameron… although I’m not sure why she didn’t just leave the neckline closed up. A few of the circular closure pulls were sadly undone, once I noticed it I became distracted by it.
With that bit said, I loved everything else. Her make-up was refreshing, her hair had a little body to it — which was good — and her nude Christian Louboutin “Pigalle” stiletto pumps were a great fit for this look!
Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012 Fashion show Paris
Models’ arms were sheathed in sheer fabric, their hands gently wrapped in lace gloves, both so fine as to be barely visible. Some gowns were intricately hand-embelished clocking up timesheets of hundreds of hours apiece.On the notes to the show, designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli described the spirit of their spring-summer collection as "intimate", "shy", "evanescent", "virginal".
Delicate, high embroidered collars flattered the face and neck, sleeves were long and fluid, waistlines gently cinched.
Little riding jackets and coats in creamy ivory -- the dominant colour throughout -- or archive-patterned silk fastened at the neck with a wide bow, over full ball gown skirts, or flattering A-lines that stopped at the knee.
The designers also noted the time spent on each virtuoso creation, providing, for the uninitiated, an eye-opening lesson in couture.
For the first dress, a full-length gown with smock details on its tall collar and puffed long sleeves, a thousand hours were spent hand-applying spirals of organza.
To create the outfits that followed -- a bouffant blouse and floor-length skirt, and a string of knee-length dresses, in silk taffetas with 18th-century archive prints in pale blues and pinks -- took up to 800 hours apiece.
Followed diaphanous blouses in organza and lace, over knee-length skirts, or a suit cut from lustrous ivory gazar with delicate dotted cut-outs running down the hems and seams, a bow at the neck of its jacket.
For evening, Valentino's belles slipped into ball gowns with sleeveless bodices or deeper necklines, in archive patterns or intricate floral patchwork.
And for the finale, crystal, gold thread, silver and pearls - or in one case 10,000 tiny tubes of silver-tinted glass - were embroidered onto high-collared long gowns, or blouses worn over tapered cream cigarette pants.
more :Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012 Fashion show Paris
Michelle Obama Wears Barbara Tfank for State of the Union
The first lady’s press office, however is mum on dress, telling The Daily Caller that they will not offer comment “as of right now.”
Tfanks, a West Coast designer, recently described the dress as “a criss cross bodice cap-sleeved slim dress in silk twill,” to The Hollywood Reporter.
The first lady also wore a Tfanks in 2010 to meet Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace for a Medal of Honor ceremony.
Chest Tattoo Placements Suggestions
One of the most talked about tattoo placements is the chest tattoo. Forums throughout the World Wide Web show people debating about the aesthetic value and even the safety of chest tattoos.Design Suggestions
Most of the tattoo designs for chest tattoos have a feminine. Floral motifs, vines, and delicate spider webs are elements that you may want to consider for a nature-themed tattoo. Unicorns, stars, moons, flowers and fairies are some of the fantasy themes for these types of tattoos.
Take your time making your design selection; talk with your artist for input and suggestions about your chest tattoo. Be sure that he is comfortable working on this part of your body, and that you are going to be at ease with him touching you in a personal way.
Paris Fashion Week – Jean Paul Gaultier S/S’12 Couture
"No, no, no," sang the four male Afro-American acapella singers who kicked off the show, using Winehouse's husky battle cry "Rehab" as a backdrop to 1950s and 60s-inspired looks.
Sporting pink, red, blonde and black beehives, the leggy models with thick cat-eye eyeliner sported lots of lace, sequins, peek-a-boo skin -- and even cigarettes.
A shocking canary-yellow sequined blouson was paired with an equally bright turquoise slim sequined skirt in a sexy look worthy of 50s pin-up girl Betty Page.
Another seemed tailor-made for a gal with a hangover who doesn't want to get out of bed: a satin peignoir in a printed marquetry fabric worn over a jewel-encrusted bustier.
The singer's voice on her best-selling hit "Back to Black" filled the vast room at the end of the show as models with veils covering their faces filed past guests such as Catherine Deneuve and burlesque star Dita Von Teese.
At Givenchy, tough was also on the menu, but designer Riccardo Tisci used beading, heavy embroidery, and animal skins to create armor-like dresses and jackets.
The atelier showed 10 looks on Tuesday inspired by Fritz Lang's 1927 film "Metropolis." Hints of Art Deco design on collars and sleeves gave way to a hard-edged, futuristic sensibility.
A black jacket, like a suit of armor, was stitched from thousands of tiny black beads with a black crocodile overlay.
Stars adorned the back of the jacket, while swirls of flowers at the cuffs were sewn from individual scales. The overall effect was a Gothic armadillo meets Mad Max.In another look, the skin of a crocodile was literally recreated, scale by scale, on a woman's body, held in place by invisible tulle. Wrapped around the waist, resembling a Japanese obi, was the animal's spine, with two tails creating the belt.
Even the design on a flowing white skirt resembled scales, sewn via tiny transparent sequins and set off with a bold, silver chain connecting the skirt to the shoulder.
For the top, Tisci played it simple, choosing a classic white t-shirt -- a look, in fact, that Winehouse may have approved of.
(Reporting By Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)
Inside Prada’s 24 H Museum
Style.com’s Nicole Phelps recently spoke with Vezzoli about the project and his relationship with Miuccia Prada (”I think she has the copyright on irony for fashion,” he said). And Tim Blanks visited the vernissage dinner—alongside the likes of Salma Hayek, Catherine Deneuve, Diane Kruger, and Riccardo Tisci—last night, where a feast was served on Miuccia’s own china. Read more about that here. And keep reading below for more shots from inside the museum installation.
Fall 2012 Menswear Trend: Statement Shoes
This season's men's shows turned out lots of innovative shoe details, like laces knotted into tiny rock-climbing courses at Pringle of Scotland, holographic materials at Kenzo, and armored heels at Louis Vuitton. Meanwhile, Mugler showed glittery brogues in a nice understated slate gray, and Moschino aired rubber soles in bright shades of lime and red.
Goodbye To "Twenty8Twelve London" - Sienna and Savannah Miller
The sisters gave no reason for their departure other than the desire to explore “new pastures,” whatever that means. Women’s Wear Daily reports that the brand will continue under the leadership of its current creative team. When that team presents its fall collection at the end of February, the line will be called Twenty8Twelve London instead of Twenty8Twelve by s. miller.
As far as we can tell it’s an amicable split — and one the creative team notes won’t really change that much on the design front. Nish Soneji, the brand’s managing director, told WWD that the sister’s involvement in the brand “came much more from the product perspective” than anything else. Not that that wasn’t valuable.
“We’ve had a great partnership with the Miller sisters. From the beginning, our mission was to create a contemporary label with its own identity and strong directional design, as well as an emphasis on quality, cut and finishing. That vision, along with the uniquely British style the collection has become known for, will continue under the direction of the Twenty8Twelve design team,” Soneji said.
So what can you expect from the brand without the Miller sisters? Soneji says he wants to open up a store in New York City and fold e-commerce into the mix by the end of the year. Whether he’ll be able to do that without the help of a pair of celebrity sisters, remains to be seen.
Oscars 2012 - Latest news
The 62-year-old actress is in the running for the film The Iron Lady in which she plays Maggie as a befuddled old lady looking back over highlights of her career. Streep has won two Oscars but the last time she took a golden statuette home was for Sophie’s Choice 29 years ago. more:It's Maggie vs. Marilyn! Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams lead contenders for this year's Oscars
more see:
How will 'Tree of Life' be represented?
Oscars: Reactions
Hugo, the 3D epic adventure film directed by Martin Scorsese, leads the charge at 2012 Academy Awards with 11 nominations, including best film and director.
Best Actress
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Best Actor
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Costume Design
Anonymous - Lisy Christl
The Artist - Mark Bridges
Hugo - Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre - Michael O'Connor
W.E. - Arianne Phillips
Giorgio Armani Prive Haute-Couture: Front Row - Jessica Chastain and Cameron Diaz
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Jessica Chastain and Cameron Diaz attend the Giorgio Armani Prive Haute-Couture Spring / Summer 2012 show |
A shout went up from the room’s mid-section, where Chastain and Diaz were seated. As word spread throughout the grandstands at the Grand Palais, there were more shouts and cheers.
What a way to begin a fashion show. And what better place could there be for Chastain to start thinking about her red carpet gown.
Of course, in the case of Armani’s spring/summer 2012 collection, the outlook for the red carpet – and any other occasion for day or night couture – looked decidedly green, whether olive or chartreuse; whether in silks, shiny lamé or other fabrications. And for clients who prefer a greater variety of shades, several black, gray and gold fashions were included in the mix.
With their glorious textures, jewels and feathers, the fashions were decidedly elegant, too. The colors made them more of a standout.
Also among those watching the fashion parade were Olivia Palermo of “The City” and Carmen Chaplin of “All About the Benjamins.”
Giorgio Armani Prive Spring 2012 haute couture show in Paris
Think of it as Sci-Fi ecological fashion, where moss green crocodile jackets look like they have slowly enveloped the model, or olive silk jacquard skirts have grown around the waist. It could have been a mess, but Armani is such a great tailor that the horticultural construction worked.
Things proceeded to get more avant garde with a bizarre honey-combed reptile motif, eroded pathway tropical prints, used twisted one-strap columns and swirling crinolines. Things did get a little out of hand, and surprisingly for Armani - a designer noted for his discreet panache - all very attention seeking.
But his smartest trick - using mesh fabrics in stunning boleros, floor-length skirts and super-hero jackets with peak shoulders - made this an intriguing collection.
"Three dimensional, yes, but also trying to imagine a world that still does not yet exist," the designer said with a smile backstage.No one likes to admit it in Paris, but Milan-based Armani is the defining designer of our era. His entre-deux-guerres silhouette, visual authority and polished glamour have made him fashion's most influential figure.
Which is what made this show so unexpected. The clothes were pretty hit and miss - spider like tentacles on one outfit looked like they would strangle the poor model. But that's what happens when you think outside the box, which Armani has done more than any other couturier in Paris this week.
Giorgio Armani Prive Spring 2012 haute couture show in Paris
French brand Courreges takes retro fashion online
A year after the brand was sold for more than 10 million euros ($13.05 million) to two directors from advertising agency Young & Rubicam, Jacques Bungert and Frederic Torloting, Courreges is now also aiming to expand its perfume business.
The simple shapes and minimalist black and white palette of the couturier Andre Courreges -- a protege of Balenciaga -- had their heydey in the 1960s and 70s, rivaling Chanel and Dior, before being sold to Japanese investors in the 1980s.
A decade later Courreges and his wife Coqueline bought back the brand but it largely disappeared from sight before the purchase by Bungert and Torloting in January 2011.
"We're hoping that the brand returns, in five to 10 years, to its former stature as a global brand with its dimension of innovation that earlier made its success," Bungert told Reuters.
"When the feeling of a brand is respected, it can be reborn without losing its integrity," he added.
Currently, Courreges clothes and accessories are sold at its Paris boutique in the posh Eighth Arrondissement, where sales have risen 40 percent in a year, Bungert said. Total revenue for the brand is now about 20 million, the executives said.
Internet sales begin February 1, and women will be able to shop online for nearly all the clothes and accessories currently sold in the boutique.
Torloting said Courreges' design lends itself well to online sales, as the brand does not use the kind of delicate fabrics that could get damaged in transit.
As for perfume, Courreges' "Empreinte" and "Eau de Courreges," currently sold only in the boutique, will now be distributed more widely, and a publicity campaign, the first since 1996, is planned.
As Paris Fashion Week launched Monday with its bi-annual Haute Couture shows, Torloting said he has no intention of parading twice-yearly collections on the catwalk at the industry's fashion weeks.
Founder Andre Courreges refused to use celebrities to promote his swinging sixties styles, claiming designs such as his 1964 "Space Age" collection were created for the "ordinary woman."
"The idea of creating collections that push each other out is not very modern in our view," Torloting told Reuters.
"We don't want to manufacture our own obsolescence," he said.
(Writing by Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)
Karl Lagerfeld - Chanel's Plane Couture
"I didn't want to make it too literal, " said Lagerfeld backstage. "If you look at what air hostesses really wore back in the '60s, it wasn't that great".Apparently the seating for the Chanel couture show, which walked in Paris this morning, was very limited because the stage was a plane. And as all of us commercial travelers know, planes are cramped places. How Karl Lagerfeld — who so memorably flew privately in the documentary Lagerfeld Confidential — knew that is a bit of a mystery.
The seats were rumored in advance of the show to be "throne-like," or extra-wide, hence greatly limiting the number of guests who could attend, which is said to have upset many editors in the U.S. who were not awarded a seat on the Chanel plane, which was erected over the course of five days in the Grand Palais. The clothes the models wore vaguely referenced airline flight attendant uniforms.
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Joan Smalls -The hair was inspired by Alice Dellal, the girl with the partially shaven, partially long hair. Joan Smalls, a favorite of Karl's, was a rare black face in the show. |
see:Chanel Spring/Summer 2012 Haute Couture
more:
New Karl collection at its offices in London - PVC-sleeve jumpers in grey and black jersey; leather and sequinned collars; sleek wool jackets; super-skinny jeans; and even Karl's signature fingerless gloves - all adorned with the new Karl logo - make up a collection that is sure to fly off the virtual shelves.
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