Steady Business at Texworld, Attendance Up 22 Percent
NEW YORK—Steady signs of the recovery were evident at the Jan. 16–18 run of Texworld USA, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in midtown Manhattan.
Upbeat Mood at Première Vision Preview New York
NEW YORK—The aisles were crowded and the mood was upbeat at the Jan. 10–11 run of Première Vision Preview at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building in New York’s C...
Surf's Up on Fifth Avenue
I’m in New York this week and spotted a little window to Southern California on a rainy day. The entire front facade of the Hollister store on Fifth Avenue features a live video feed from Huntington Beach, Calif. I bet it’s great on a...
Dressed by the Dr
Photo from the Dr Pepper MuseumDr Pepper has a new ad campaign that comes with a customizable tee. According to MediaBistro’s Agency Spy blog, the soda company kicked off its “One of a Kind” campaign with a TV commercial that aired last night during the national championship game....
Snark With Style
Oh, wow. How have I missed this? In the spirit of
You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
Tilda Swinton is so fresh!Gen Art is teaming up with toothpaste brand Crest for a design competition inspired by Crest’s new product: 3D White. The “Little White Wardrobe” design competition to decide who gets to showcase their capsule...
Calling all Factory Girls and Boys!
The Factory is now open--for designers and retailers, that is. The Factory is the e-commerce platform and fashion network created by Ronda Walker, the woman who launched the Pooltradeshow. For now it’s open to designers and retailer only. Come...
Timberlake, Renaissance Man
Justin Timberlake (riiiight) with Jimmy Fallon in GQ Pop star, actor, golfer, designer, Mouseketeer. Justin Timberlake can now add creative director to his list of titles. Callaway Golf Co.—based in Carlsbad, Calif., you know, named...
The World According to Patsy and Edina.
Patsy and Edina are ba-aack--and they're addressing fashion's most pressing news. Already airing in Great Britain, the “Absolutely Fabulous 20th Anniversary...
I Know What Girls Like
Unicorns and rainbows. And you know what? Maggie Berry knows it, too. The Los Angeles designer created this AWESOME ensemble, shown on the runway at the recent Style for Haiti Benefit Show at La Maison De Fashion in...
Unless You're on a Bike, Keep Off the Green!
Bicycle! Bicycle! I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike! There’s a new bright green line running through downtown Los Angeles—and this week it reached the L.A. Fashion District. The bright new bike lane on Spring treet starts at Cesar...
Put the Pepper Spray Down, People
There’s been another pepper-spray shopping incident, 10 days after Walmart shoppers in Porter Ranch, Calif., were attacked in what was described as a case of Black Friday “shopper’s rage.” Now, we’re hearing about a new incident,...
All the News That's Fit to Knit
You know what’s been missing from Christmas sweaters? The news.Abbie Heppe (pictured above via Reddit) knit this brilliant sweater which combines the nativityscene with the recent UC Davis pepper spray incident. (Hat tip to....
Come on and Zumba, Zumba, Zoom!
Zumba is actually nothing like ’70s PBS kids’ show “Zoom” (pictured above). Instead, it’s Latin dance-inspired fitness—and it’s coming to the LA Fashion District. Energystas will host a free introductory event for its Zumba classes on Dec. 5...
Splash of Inspiration
Michele Collet has a piece about Heinz Maier’s water-splash images on Environmental GraffitiInspiration can be found in a bottle, apparently. Crowd-sourced online magazine Environmental Graffiti has beautiful collection of images by Heinz Maier of water droplets...
Have You Had Work Done?
Girl, you look hot. Wired’s story includes images of popstar Fergie retouched to various degrees. The colors indicate “intensity of alteration.”In the future, you can request your fashion magazines sans Photoshop....
Wek Words
Alek Wek in Newsweek/The Daily BeastSupermodel Alek Wek has a fantastic essay on her journey from South Sudan to the international catwalk in Newsweek (via The Daily Beast). The essay is about the cultural attitudes towards...
LA Designers Returning for 'Project Runway All Stars'
Five of the 13 designers returning to compete in “Project Runway All Stars” in January are from California. I’d prefer 13 of 13, sure, but it’s a better West Coast showing than we’ve seen in recent seasons of the reality show, youknowwhatI’msaying? The California...
Unique LA Returns to CMC
I’m calling it Indie Sunday and Made in USA Monday. Unique LA returns to the California MarketCenter for the 4th annual holiday sale on Dec. 3 and 4. The marketplace for hand-crafted and locally made apparel, accessories, home décor, art, food...
Zero the Hero
“Each [online] transaction is a potential mine of valuable personal and financial information for the cybercriminal.” Yikes! (Image of X-Men character Storm courtesy of the Marvel Universe Wiki)It’s not often I hear a call for a “global cyber nation,” much less one that comes from...
The First Day of Christmas Lasts All Week!
First there was Black Friday, then came Cyber Monday. This year, several retailers kicked the Holiday shopping off on Thanksgiving night, although there’s no consensus on a catchy name for it (may I...
Call Your Textiles
I got a heads up on this one from John Marshall, owner of JM International Group Inc.The lovely black lace featured in the lovely Dolce Gabbana dress, worn by the lovely Scarlett Johansson, above, is by French lace mill Darquer, which is...
Stop Staring! Wins Trade-Dress Suit
A jury awarded apparel brand Stop Staring! $500,000 in a trade-dress dispute with Bettie Page Clothing. ...
Beware of the Grinch who Stole Cyber Monday
Watch where you surf, employees! A new survey, released just in time for the holidays, found 60 percent of companies plan to squelch online shopping during work hours by blocking employees’ access to e-tail sites. The survey, conducted by Robert Half Technology, an IT placement agency,...
Dressed to Dance
Trade Talk’s Jeffrey Younger has been following “Dancing With the Stars” all season giving us the dancer’s take on the show. This week, we look at the fashion on the show when Trade Talk’s Deidre Crawford goes...
Take a Load Off Metal
Photo by Dan Little, HRL Laboratories LLCResearchers at UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology have introduced a new metal material that is “about one hundred times lighter than Styrofoam,” thanks...
Hunger For More?
I think Harry, Hermione and Ron are collecting Social Security by now. And Bella and Edward? Please, they’re procreating. Eww. It’s time for the next hit teen book to hit the silver screen—and in this one, fashion plays a central (albeit supporting) role. Today, Lionsgate released a...
Makeup That Makes You Say 'Whoa.'
Rick Genest (a.k.a. Rico the Zombie), Canadian artist, model, friend of Gaga and, apparently, pitchman for DermaBlend makeup. Go behind the tattoos in this brilliantly cast video. (Shout out to The Daily Beast for this...
Lectra: Color From Forecast to Finished Product
NEW YORK—Pantone set the color forecast for Winter 2012/2013, and Lectra brought it into the supply chain. ...
Technology in Application: Lessons Learned Along the Supply Chain
NEW YORK—The phrase “slow and lumpy” may be anathema in the bridal business, and yet, the supply-chain executives at David’s Bridal are perpetually challenged with squeezing effic...
A Taste of Trade Show from Kingpins--With Love
Ever been to a Kingpins show? Now you can get a sampling of the boutique denim sourcing show, which hosts editions in New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Delhi and Bangalore, through its newly launched “67 Second Sell” video series. Shot at the recent Los Angeles show,...
Don't It Make my Brown Eyes Blue
It’s not a recessive genetic trait, it’s a trend. An entertainment lawyer-turned-doctor has developed and patented a procedure to turn brown eyes blue—and unlike the colored contacts pictured above, the change is permanent. Apparently the 20-second...
Legends on Rodeo
Iman (photo by Felix Salzman)Iman—the single-named supermodel, beauty executive, philanthropist and fashion icon—was honored on Oct. 23 with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. She shared the honor with Missoni, the Italian fashion house with a style so...
Getting Down With Eddie
Eddie Bauer has reinvented the down jacket, which is only fitting, since the man who founded the Seattle-based company invented it in the first place. Or, at least, he--the Eddie Bauer--landed the first American patent for the down jacket, called the Skyliner. To...
Santee on a Saturday
LA Observed has a fun video of Saturday shoppers at Santee Alley in L.A.’s fashion district. It’s always crowded during business hours, but especially so on the weekend. The video captures just a bit of the breadth—and depth—of merchandise...
Glove is All You Need
Can I get your Digits? Brrr! With temperatures PLUMMETING to a frigid 60 degrees here in L.A., I’m bundling up while I blog. And apparently, I’m not the only one. I recently received a pitch for Digits from Quirky.com, a site that promotes and sells new inventions. Digits are conductive silicone buttons that attach to the fingertips of...
Video Stars: Jeremy Scott + 2NE1
Jeremy Scott tweeted a link to this video featuring the designer with South Korean pop group 2NE1. Enjoy!
Fashion's Fighting Words
Douglas Kirland’s fantastic 1962 photo of Coco Chanel (there are more here)What does the Navajo nation have in common with Coco Chanel? An aggressive stance on trademark, apparently. Urban Outfitters recently received a cease and desist letter from the Navajo nation...
Cecilia Prado: Next Stop Macy's
Cecilia Prado having a busy season! The Brazilian designer showed for the first time at the Miami Swim Show in July, then headed to Las Vegas in August for a return showing at Project. This week, the designer is in Los Angeles, showing wiht a group...
Coeur at Cooper
There's a new trade show in L.A. Today, I dropped by Coeur, the upscale accessories trade show produced by eM Productions, which debuted at the Cooper Design Space during Los Angeles Fashion Market. The wares looked...
Marco Marco Minaj!
Nicki Minaj performed with Drake on Saturday Night Live last weekend—wearing a bodysuit by L.A. designer Marco....
Sue Wong Parties Like a Rock Star
Oh! Slow start today—late night at WestHollywood nightclub Voyeur where Sue Wong debuted her Spring collection for a jam-packed and well-dressed crowd. The gowns and cocktail dresses, were, as always, gorgeous. The sweets and bubbly were delish....
L.A. Textile Show: Good Turnout, Including Key Brands
A strong start and a steady flow of traffic marked much of the Los Angeles International Textile Show, held #8232;Oct. 10–12 at the California Market Center. ...
NOir or Knockoff? YOU decide.
Photo of Petro Zillia fashions and NOir jewelry by Orlando Vivas (more on the House of Petro Zillia blog page ) Our friends over at Petro Zillia posted this on Facebook. New York jewelry line NOir noticed some strikingly similar jewelry for sale recently at Top Shop. While you can’t copyright a...
I See Textiles...They're Everywhere!
The Crab Nebula—so pretty and packing a punch, apparently (NASA photo)Astronomers and other space junkies are all agog over the Crab Nebula’s spectacular light show this week. For those of you—like me—who did NOT major in astrophysics, the Crab Nebula has a...
Two-Faced at Fashion Week
Anabela Belikova from IMG, shot by Greg Kessler before the Gucci show at Milan Fashion Week (makeup by Pat McGrath for CoverGirl, hair by Luigi Murenu)T magazine’s website has a weirdly addictive before-and-after feature of...
Do These Shoes Make My Butt Look Big?
Thanks to the LA Times for the heads up and the pic!You can still walk your way to fitness, you just shouldn’t expect your shoes to do all the work. Footwear and fitness giant Reebok International has agreed to refund $25 million to consumers in a settlement agreement...
Petro Zillia and More Pops up at EM
Look who’s popping up next week at EM Co. on West Third. The boutique will feature designs by Petro Zillia, Lisamichelle, Tiffany Kuntz Designs, Tatiana and Black Tree Designs at the Sept. 20 event....
Dress for Good
Promotional photo from the movie “Bridesmaids” New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has a moving column today about a Kenyan single mother, Jane Ngoiri, who supports her family by making children’s clothing out of old...
OMG! Stupid is Trending!
Reddit got the conversation going...(photo courtesy of grillmeacheese)First there was Wet Seal's typo tee. Then last week, it was the JCPenney "I'm too pretty to do my homework so my brother has to do it for me" T-shirt. This week,...
