Fashion is On

Moving on from the sombre and dramatic runway looks of last year, designers are opting for a more innovative, daring and colourful palette this season. It should come as no surprise therefore, given the “dare to wear” nature of the season, that the 1980’s is yet again ripe for revival. Designers such as Danielle Scutt went for a trashy and flashy 80s look, and Topshop Unique’s collection looks like it has jumped straight from the set of a Bananarama video with its shoulder pads, boxy tailoring, denim jumpsuits, and candy-coloured motifs.

The hairstyle for Doo.Ri’s spring 2009 runway show was straight and edgy

“The clothes have a flowing movement, and Doo.Ri wanted the hair to move as well,” says Orlando Pita, who styled the sexy tresses for Doo.Ri’s spring 2009 show.

“But I thought the hair should have toughness to it too. Since the fabrics in the collection are so soft, I wanted a contrast.” To create the toughness he describes, Pita chose a straight, voluminous, slightly mussed look. “It’s straight because straight hair always tends to look more hard-edge; wavy hair is more romantic and soft,” explains Pita, who purposely coiffed hair so that it hung in the face and wasn’t “beautifully placed and perfect.”

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Nubar’s new Parisian collection is a set of sheers, pinks and french manicure shades.

Notre Dame Nude. Milky nude-pink creme. This one is similar to Hôtel Baby Pink in finish but it’s a slightly cooler shade of pink. Very hard to describe. It also has that 60′s-retro look to it. Three coats.

La Seine Shimmer (one coat) over a french manicure.

Eiffel Tower Sparkle (one coat) over a french manicure.

As you can see, these are all very soft, natural, feminine shades of pink and peach. They would make great colors for the traditional french manicure, or they can be worn alone either as sheers or with more coats for full coverage.

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I’m a mascara addict and I’m always happy to try out new products, and I have one to share with you today: Lumene’s Blueberry Curl Mascara.

According to their online description, Lumene’s Blueberry Curl Mascara will give you “perfectly voluminous lashes with the power of Nordic nature! A mascara which combines unique Finnish blueberry seed oil with the exceptional characteristics of an innovative plastic mascara brush.” Available at Ulta or Ulta online for $9.99.

Blueberry Curl contains blueberry seed oil which is rich in Vitamins A and E plus fatty acids that nourish and protect lashes from environmental pollution and UV radiation. This mascara makes your lashes look pretty while adding strength and maintaining health.

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Though I generally use powder eye shadow, I love experimenting with other formulas too. There are a lot of wonderful gels, wands, creams and creamy pencils that produce amazing eye color too. Here are a couple of these products that I use from time to time.

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Eye Shadow:
Ultra-convenient, this wand is perfect for on-the-go makeup. I have used this Clinique product on and off for years. It glides on smooth and lasts all day. Be careful not to get it on your eyelashes during application, or you’ll have to start all over again. I love the pink for summertime and at $15, it’s a fabulous buy.

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L’Oreal and eBay have agreed to settle a dispute in France over counterfeit cosmetics through mediation instead of going to court.

A top Paris court earlier this month gave both companies until this Monday to consider a proposal of mediation. At a hearing Monday, the companies accepted, L’Oreal said.

The judge set another hearing June 15 to name a mediator.

L’Oreal sued eBay in courts in France, Spain, Belgium and Britain in 2007 for millions of euros because counterfeit perfumes are sold on the online auction site.

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Versace Chief Executive Giancarlo Di Risio is to leave the celebrity-favorite fashion house and the move could be announced late next week, a source close to the situation said.

Newspapers have recently speculated about Di Risio leaving the company. Daily Il Sole 24 Ore last week said he and design head Donatella Versace were “close to a divorce” because of disagreement over strategy.

“It is all confirmed, the story between him and the company is finished,” the source said, adding that the move could be made late next week after a long holiday weekend in Italy.

“They are agreeing it all.”

Versace said there was no comment to add to a statement it released on Monday, in which its board denied “the existence of friction between the CEO and the Creative Director Donatella Versace regarding the necessary policy of cutting costs.

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Sharon Dorram-Krause, Color Director for Nexxus, recently gave me the inside scoop for what is hot in hair color this summer. So what are this summer’s hottest hues for blondes, brunettes and reds?

Summer 2009 is all about low maintenance natural looking hair color. This year’s look focuses less on highlights and more on rich, solid colors that complement your face shape and coloring.

Blonde: Natural blonde is one of the hottest trends of this summer, golden and butterscotch. You can add rich highlights and lowlights to play with the contrast and shades of color.

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I absolutely love tanned toes painted in funky colors for the summer! That’s why I love the Splendid Glam Mini Nail Enamel Collection from Calvin Klein, available exclusively at Sephora.

Four bottles of .6 oz of polish in Indigo Blue, Aqua Splash (a sassy teal blue), Heartbreaker (bubble gum pink) and Hint of Pink (a super sheer pink).

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Naeem Khan has spent his life surrounded by embroidery and embellishment – his grandfather created elaborate clothing and palace decor for maharajas, even outfitting the elephants in enormously elegant headpieces. His father created elaborate fashions for Bombay’s social set, and Kahn was always at his side.

“Fashion to me is second nature,” he said during a recent fashion show and luncheon in his honor at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. “It’s not just about making clothes, it’s about connecting with people, with food, with decorating.”

Khan came to the United States at 17 to enroll at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but luck intervened before he took a single class. His father was meeting with womenswear designer Halston, who was looking to hire him for some beadwork. Naeem tagged along and so impressed the designer that he was hired to work for the label at the peak of its popularity.

“He was Mr. Clean and I was Mr. Chaos,” Khan said, which made for a creative collaboration, but soon he was itching to go out on his own. His evening gowns, which can cost as much as $5,000, feature embroidery so detailed it looks like lace, luminous beadwork and crystal detailing that obviates the need to wear jewelry.

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I love cat eyes! Cool (at least the kind achieved via liner, not plastic surgery a la Jocelyn Wildenstein).

Taylor Swift has the perfect eyes to pull-off this look since her eyes are so narrow, though I think Jordana Brewster’s cat liner is executed the best. A girl I went to High School with actually works with Lancome now so I asked her if she could get us the scoop on how to achieve this look. She delivered and I was able to get some tips from Lancome Makeup Artist Andrew Sotomayor!

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Oh, how I long for a collection like this. Bobbi Brown knows how we love to look illuminated and bronzed and does it in a way like no one else can. With her exclusive formulas and micro pearls, these are the best.

The Illuminating Bronze Collection from Bobbi contains a must-have Shimmer Brick for Body and a new Illuminating Bronzing Powder in six shimmering shades.

Shimmer Brick for Body can be used anywhere you want a bit of color and subtle glow. Sweep it over shoulders, chest, even arms and legs.

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