Fashion Pulse Daily - Part 531

December 16, 2011

GOOD Gifts for the Holidays: Fashion Gives Back

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Clarins Feed 25 Bag, $90

Fashion gives back in each and every one of the following charitable design initiatives. Take a second to reflect and be grateful, and disseminate good. Join in the spirit of giving and add one of these to your gift list this holiday season!

Clarins and FEED

In collaboration with Lauren Bush, the co-founder of FEED Projects, Clarins has created the Feed 25 Bag aiming to provide 1 million meals to underprivileged children through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The bag’s stenciled number 25 represents that the sale of one bag brings 25 nutritious meals.

The Clarins Feed 25 Bag ($90, but a value of $150+) includes four full-sized versions of Beauty Flash Balm, One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, Moisture Rich Body Lotion and Smoothing Body Scrub for a New Skin, four of Clarins’ most loved products. Not to mention, you’re getting a fantastic, functional tote.

The bag is available at Bloomingdale’s. Clarins has always aimed to create a more beautiful future, and to destroy the struggle of daily hunger may create the most beautiful future of all.

[picture via the Talenthouse Art&Sole Facebook tab]

UGG Australia Art & Sole

Who doesn’t love a little DIY? UGG Australia is hosting a DIY contest allowing users to virtually design their own UGG Australia boots. The winning design will be produced and sold online and in stores across America and a portion of proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.  The winner of course gets recognition too! He/She will receive $5,000, a complimentary pair of their boots and a bag, not to mention global exposure!

The interactive application is available on the Talenthouse.com website, and the Art & Sole Facebook tab. Submit creations now through Dec. 26th and/or vote for your favorite Dec. 27-Jan. 5. Simply download the template, design boots and upload!

Nicole Miller

Hand crafted, brightly colored accessories make up the fantastic Indego Africa line to empower women in Rwanda. The enticing color-popping bangles have already made headway, but the wrap skirts and shorts (both $65) are new, fun tributes to this global friendly initative. Nicole Miller visited Rwanda herself to teach sewing, draping and tailoring techniques. While Rwandan women gain confidence, power and skills, let’s work to multiply the impact.

[image via Vogue.co.uk]

Isabel Marant for Gap

French designer Isabel Marant and Gap have used fashion to make the world a better place in their recent t-shirt design collaboration. Gap’s classic boyish heather grey tee (£24.50, $38.50) is printed with a splotched paint pattern, available online at gap.eu, to help support World Aids Day. 50% of the proceeds go to the Global Fund to help eliminate Aids in Africa.

Large Fabric Bag, $75

M. Missoni for Orphanaid Africa

Margherita Missoni’s capsule collection for M. Missoni was created specifically to benefit the vulnerable children and their families of Ghana, West Africa. The cheerful collection of dresses ($165), t-shirts ($125), a skirt ($105), belted coat ($255) ballerinas ($195), pouch ($80) and a hobo bag ($75) in the signature zig-zag pattern are trendy and fun in red and pink. Proceeds from each purchase go to Orphanaid Africa as they fight poverty, hunger and disease.

Let’s follow the company ambassador and become global ambassadors ourselves by helping a country in need! Shop now at yoox.com.

U.S. Fund for Unicef

With one of the worst humanitarian crises occurring at present in the Horn of Africa, Threadless, BBH New York and the U.S. Fund for Unicef have united in their efforts to launch GOOD SHIRTS, a unique clothing line to support the drought and famine in Africa. 100% of the donations will go to the U.S. Fund for Unicef holiday initiative. Each t-shirt design, shown here, pictures a much-needed aid item.

Depending on donation amount, each design mirrors the product those in the Horn of Africa will benefit from. For example, for a donation of $18.57, the cost of three insecticide treated mosquito nets, supporters receive a t-shirt featuring a mosquito. For a donation of $500, the cost of a community water pump, supporters receive a t-shirt featuring a water pump.

Schick Quattro for Women

Help Schick Quattro for Women in their partnership with Feeding America, the #1 hunger-relief charity! Give a loved one, or pamper yourself, with this high-performance razor. Visit www.facebook.com/schickquattroforwomen to download a $2.00-off coupon for any of the brand’s razors or refills. In return, they’ll donate 50 cents per coupon download to Feeding America. A coupon that gives thanks – two in one goodness!

Talbots Quotable Tote

Tote around your support or give as a gift the Talbots Quotable Tote, $20, with 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this tote benefit the Talbots Scholarship Program, which gives assistance to women pursuing a college education later in life. The tote features inspirational words by women who have challenged themselves by heading back to school. The totes are available in-store, at Talbots.

Each gift mentioned above is guaranteed to put a smile on more than the face of the receiver.

-Alana Quagliariello

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December 15, 2011

SS12 Previews: tuleste market, Azature, milk&honey, United Nude, Hyden Yoo and Mavi

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As we continue to preview Spring/Summer 2012 collections, we’ll pick and choose what we believe you will love as much as we do! Enjoy!

tuleste market

California Natives Satu and Celeste Greenberg grew up traveling and compiling thrift store finds to create novel, modern jewelry; hence their own line dubbed tuleste market. With their love of taking something from old to new again, they have created pieces “meant to be linked together, layered, and worn numerous ways.” Versatile handbags (LOVE the Treena wristlets in red and grey above for $275) and  footwear (diamond and draped heel shapes) followed suit in the second and third seasons respectively. Female super heroes inspired this SS12 collection, but I say power to these designers in their futuristic vision with its classic vintage feel.

Azature

Unique fine jewelry and black diamond specialists, Azature, take a sophisticated approach to jewelry with black pearls, platinum metal, and blue topaz in the SS12 Adamande Collection ($5,000 and up). After great success, designer Azature launched a 2011 diffusion line AZ by Azature (already worn by Rihanna), which uses semi-precious metals and stones and pure foils ($100-$500). Nothing short of exciting, the designer himself told me, “The sky is the limit.”

milk & honey

Design your own shoes! That’s the ingenious premise behind milk&honey; choose the toe, strap, heel height, color and material (they even do vegan shoes) to customize your own perfect shoe. Sounds like every girl’s dream, right?! Peeking at the swatches, I could already envision about ten pairs of shoes as I mentally tossed around silhouettes and color combos. The shoes take about 6-8 weeks, but the DIY feature is worth the wait.

United Nude

United Nude launched in 2003 with the “Mobius” shoe, but since then has played around with the intersection between sculptural design, fashion, and technology to establish its brand in over 40 countries worldwide. Architectural and artistic, yet elegant and cutting edge, the United Nude shoes for spring boast crazy bright laces, abstract clog-heels and more! I haven’t stopped thinking about the Eamz pump with it’s golden heel parallel to the floor or the Abstract Rome Wedges, ideal for any spring ensemble.

Hyden Yoo

For SS12, light fabrics helped play up the duality between youth and maturity, while longer maxi skirts and dresses kept the edgy downtown vibe of Hyden Yoo’s collection. Inspired by Romantic Neocolonialism, Yoo linked notions of taboo and subtle eroticism to explore nostalgic beauty. Cropped capes played with the idea of 1920’s societal angst, but for me, the true beauty revolved around the delicate maxis (pictured above).

Mavi

The fashion philosophy behind Mavi is simple: to build a brand around perfect fitting jeans that convey an exotic feel in terms of fashion and detail. Mavi means “blue” in Turkish, and Mavi was the first Turkish brand to go global. Mavi Denim, retailing at around $98 and Mavi Gold Premium Denim, retailing at around $138, continue to provide fashion-forward denim, both traditional and the more standout, the colored collection, for an eccentric global clientele.

-Alana Quagliariello

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December 14, 2011

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Not-So-Easy-To-Shop-For Boyfriend

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They continually stump us, and not only when it comes to mere communication. Men are notoriously difficult to shop for! Are you tirelessly seeking hints as to what your boyfriend wants this holiday? Or are you like me, and still haven’t honed in on what his sense of style could possibly be – if he has one at all? Perhaps you’ve already emailed every one of his buddies racking their brains for suggestions. Regardless, we’ve attempted to relieve some of the immense pressure associated with buying gifts for that special someone by suggesting 10 holiday gift options for any man.

1. J.Crew Flannel Lounge Pant in Black Watch Tartan ($45)– Perhaps not the most original gift, but if you’re forced to watch football tirelessly Sunday after endless Sunday, at least he’ll look irresistibly cute in these PJ pants, so much so that you may even feel (gasp!) compelled to cheer on his team.

2. Dart Coat Hooks -The obsession with weapons makes little sense to us, but why not let him indulge in his archery fantasy in the most unviolent of ways with these fantastic coat hooks from GentSupply.com ($29.50)? They won’t even realize how sly we are in promoting a little organization…

3. A Hot Shave (ranging from $15-$55) – Depending on how groomed you prefer your man, you may want to buy him a hot shave. Our men deserve a little pampering too. Check out this “Time Out New York” article listing some of the best shave shops for men!

4. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones ($299.95) – Not that he’ll ever be looking to drown you out, but these headphones are simply the best of the best. Great for work, travel and play!

5. Sharper Image Beer Making Kit ($59.99) – Home-brewed beer, what’s not to love? Here’s to an activity you can enjoy doing together over and over again. He’ll never stop bragging to his bros about this one!

6. InCase Skate Pack Lite ($69.95)- Is he sporting the same Jansport from when you first met, a decade ago? It’s time to revamp his image with this backpack that’s as durable as it is cool.

7. “50 More Places to Fly Fish Before You Die” – Adventure in a man is rather sexy. Let him experience the thrill of fly fishing while exploring the natural sublime of earth with this curiously fascinating book, by Chris Santella. $16 at Amazon.com.

8. Eddie Bauer’s Yukon Classic Down Bomber Hat ($39.95) – He may never admit to being cold, but this hat will keep your pioneer feeling rugged and masculine. Can’t you just see him shoveling the snow in this water repellent bomber? Heck, you may even want to borrow it!

9. J.Crew Cotton Cashmere V-Neck Sweater ($59.50) – If he loathes the mere mention of shopping, do it for him.  Available in a plethora of colors, these can’t-take-your-hands-off-me cashmere sweaters will look great alone or over a button down. Casually suggest how to wear it, but let him think it was all his idea.

10. Personalized Watch Box ($39.99)– It’s a fact: men love watches. It’s the one power accessory they can really obsess over and collect. It’s like having a fancy car, but on the wrist. This leather watch box from Gifts.com holds up to 10 watches, and you won’t mind having it on your dresser.

-Alana Quagliariello

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December 13, 2011

Jeans for Winter 2011/12

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It feels strange to write about jeans as a seasonal trend, as when are jeans not in fashion! However, like other wardrobe staples out there – the LBD is a good example – trends do vary around the theme of ‘jeans’. Who would have thought tight fitting ‘drain pipes’ would ever make their way back into the mainstream after they died out in the eighties? But they did and they are now one of the most popular jean styles out there. These and other reworked jeans are available from a huge collection at New Look.

There are ‘classic’ shapes such as straight leg and bootcut styles which never go out of fashion, however, they may not always be on top of a fashionista’s must-have list. So, what are those ‘must-have’ styles this season?

Coloured skinny jeans

Skinnies get a bit of a sprucing up in time for winter. The shape remains unchanged, but rather than various denim washes, skinnies now come in every colour of the rainbow, well, shall we say, the autumn rainbow. Emerald greens, mustards, burnt orange and burgundy are the key colours to look for. Add some rock chick detailing with studding and zips. Check out Jessica Alba in her bright red skinnies on Glamour Magazine.

Animal print skinny jeans

If you really want to be a rock chick, you need to get yourself a pair of animal print jeans. Mix in a healthy dose of colour too; don’t just stick with the regular mustard, black and black and white. Metallic snake print is also on trend, so add some killer heels and a band tee and start rocking out.


Metallic animal skinny jeans

Flared jeans

Seventies inspired trends have been resurfacing all year, but this season they have really come to a head both with disco inspired one-shoulder dresses and high-waist flared jeans. Flares are incredibly flattering and although the high waist styling is difficult to get used to at first after years of low-waists, together with the wide flare it greatly exaggerates leg length. Go for bright blue, mid-wash denim shades and pair with brown shoes and belts.

Boyfriend jeans

Relax and take it easy in boyfriend fit denim this season. Loose styles, either with turn-ups or cuffed hems are perfect for winter weekends relaxing with friends or walking in the countryside. The more worn out and ‘distressed’ these jeans are the better. They look perfect with pumps and the season’s must have, a knitted jumper with a Fair Isle print.

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