Fashion is a blend of culture and diversity that form together to make a piece of clothing. Fashion is obviously not just a piece of clothing but a statement. Most of today's trends, colors, accessories, and basic style gracing cat walks and fashion magazines represent a combination of all ethnicities. Countries such as India, Egypt, and Africa greatly influence fashion trends today.
India's culture is a major trend right now. Bangle jewelry and chandelier earrings is a good example of a trend with ethnic influence, they have both been worn by women of India for centuries. Egypt however is a very surprising ethnic influence on fashion. Africa has quite a large influence on today's fashion world with influences of animal prints and beaded bone-like jewelry. The colors turquoise, gold, and lapis, which are all very popular today, were first used by Egyptians.
Part of the reason I chose to do fashion as a major is for the great collision of ethnicities it entails. Not only is it art, but it is speakable art to not one culture but every culture. When art can speak to more than one ethnicity it is truly beautiful.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Organic Clothing
"Going Green"
With the world becoming more and more "green,"
going "eco-fashionable" is on the fast track to popularity. Organic cotton is the version of its conventional counterpart grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals, and that makes it hugely different, especially considering that cotton (organic or otherwise) provides about half of all the world's fiber needs. Organically raised cotton is gradually winning over new ground both in the marketplace and on the farm.
Chemicals are taking a toll on our environment and human health as a whole. EVERY t-shirt made of conventional cotton requires 1/4 pound of harmful chemicals!! Recently, in the cotton field, growers are encouraged to implement soil conservation techniques such as no-till farming and improved irrigation to reduce soil erosion. Most of these techniques are practiced by organic cogtton farmer who are promising to lower levels of costly and environmentally harmful insecticides.
Soft and comfy, it's used for almost every type of clothing. Socks, shirts, sweaters, dresses, jackets, sportswear, and sleepwear and more are all made of cotton. Cotton farming, however is hard on the environment. Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up ten percent of all agricultural chemicals and twenty-five percent of insecticides on three percent of our arable land. Twenty thousand deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization. Lets all go as organic as we can to not only help save the world, but ourselves :).
Friday, September 5, 2008
Valentino
"Valentino"
For years I have been following the careers of Christian Lacroix, Chanel, Givenchy, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and countless others whom have truly inspired me. However one brand stands out amongst the rest, the undeniably incredible Valentino. Valentino embraces fashion as wearable art, the way it should be.
Valentino stands for grace, femininity, elegance, and sophistication, all of which are becoming rare in a new era of visual overload. The brand incorporates bows, ruffles, and polka dots as symbols of playful lightness. Valentino's cocktail dresses are made to perfection as they flatter the female form in every which way possible. The brand's latest collection has been able to mix patterns, bold colors, and larger than life accessories to match the evolving trends of the classy woman.
Without designers such as Valentino students such as myself would be left with little to no imagination. Not only does the brand combine imagination with meticulous detailing and magnificent embroidery, it is wearable. Unlike other designers who simply design art not necessarily made for the public, Valentino designs everyday pieces for every occassion.
The link below is a video of Valentino's best runway cuts from 2007-2008
Also, the next link below provides pictures from Valentino's ready-to-wear collection Spring/Summer 2008 (one of my favorite collections)
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