Latest Fashion News

According to Coco Chanel, a girl should be two things – classy and fabulous. Classiness is innate and impossible to fake but fabulousness, however, is seasonal and entirely dependent on your ability to rock the latest fashion trends. Understanding what`s hot and what`s not can be very difficult given that there are a multitude of media outlets offering all sorts of advice regarding this very topic. So, in order to combat this difficulty, we have put together a handy little list outlining the hottest trends of summer.

Electric `brights` are key to this season`s wardrobe. Teamed up with beige basics or even bolder contrasting pieces, these will see you easily from the office to the dance floor and ensure you make an impact wherever you go.

For those who want to make a statement without standing out quite so much from the crowd, a top trend is a retro throwback to the fifties. Cinched waste lines and perfect silhouettes are where it`s at a la Grace Kelly and perfect little day dresses are the perfect way to flaunt the fifties look. For those on a bit of a budget, the must have accessories are bright, tight belts and gloves that can help transform wardrobe favourites into body hugging, fifties glamour pieces.

The fifties are not the only revival seen on the catwalks this year as design turns back time and looks to the seventies for inspiration. Cast your mind`s-eye away from grubby bell-bottoms, however, as this year, it`s all about the `Haute Hippy`. Chic little flowy tops and skirts allow for femininity while chunky platform shoes and sandals ensure your feet are firmly on the ground as you rock the chic hippy look.

In direct contrast to the girliness of the fifties and seventies looks this summer, androgyny is back and manly outfits are once again all the rage. Pairing a very masculine piece with more feminine pieces will cement both looks and is easily achieved with a tailored waistcoat atop a skirt and blouse. Equally, all of these looks can be `toughened up` with the addition of well-fitting biker or military-type jackets from seasons past that will make the transition from day to night, seamless.

No matter which look you`re going for, with this Groupon deal, it is even easier to get your hands on all of this summer`s hot trends. Come on, get creative and let your fabulousness shine forth.

Home decor is the new fashion

The tremendous partnership existing between fashion and home decor is going to be at the forefront of the Interior Design Show this year in Toronto. Deirdre Kelly has her own take on this wonderful association that is about to unfold.
It is now formal and can be announced. The lengthy period of courtship has culminated in wedlock and the couple – Canadian fashion and house design establishments have collaborated and become one.
For a long time now, they have threatened to set a new trend and revolutionize the fashion world through their partnership, following in the footsteps of Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani. They were perhaps encouraged by the success the deceased Dorothy Draper enjoyed when she collaborated with John Galliano to launch the spring 2009 collection. This was for Dior for their ready-to-wear ensemble.
Wayne Clark had a point, when he declared that home décor is going to lead the way in fashion and people will now graduate from purchasing classy suits to purchasing tailor made furniture centerpieces which would reflect their thoughts and identities.
This fashion designer himself will be a major participant in this year’s IDS which will be the 11th such year and will witness The Runway, a fantastic piece of high home collaboration between Dee Dee Taylor Hannah and Clark, ably assisted by designer Kimberley Newport and luxury jeweler Myles Mindham.
This event will also showcase the most recent Missoni Home and Fendi Casa exhibits and will welcome the creation of lighting fittings conceptualized by Canadian teams in partnership with Swarovski.
Swarovski which was once associated with Coco Chanel has undergone a revival of sorts by its association with fresh talent and will make its debut at the IDS through this tie up with Canadian studios.
It is not as if only the top end outfits are combining fashion with innovative designs. Other examples include the collections by Zellers in partnership with Alfred Sung Home and US color major Pantone joined hands with Gap to roll out a line of T-shirts. Inspiration for paint companies has always been provided by Runway with companies like Sherwin-Williams going the extra mile by sponsoring Fashion Weeks in many cities.
To quote the fashion designer Taylor Hannah, “The runway showcases what will be trendy in one, two, three years’ time.” She is also of the firm resolve that she would like to imbibe the fresh colors being displayed at such events for her output in future.
Her latest home décor creation will consist of a catwalk surrounded by rows of elevated seating spaces and also includes a VIP relaxing area where the sculpture creations of Sophie DeFrancesca will be hung. To lend luxury and exotica aspect to this décor, the most recent Hugo Boss creations will be exhibited by models behind a succession of secret doors. The picture is complete with a conceptual wall creation by Andrea Marcus, the painter from Toronto.
Taylor Hannah abhors a dull interior and prefers feminity which she finds in flowers and fashion. It is this thought process to interior designing that she seeks to demonstrate through her out of the ordinary exhibit. This lady is the proud owner of a work shop and an equal partner in a house building firm and often finds refreshing ideas in the works of fashion designers, painters and even photographers. She genuinely feels that everybody can learn a lot from each other during such events.
In keeping with the above sentiment, Taylor Hannah permitted total freedom and liberty to the designers and they responded with wonderful creations. So you had a chair with zebra like stripes of grosgrain ribbon and upholstery with a matte finish. Yet another chair designed by Mindham studded with valuable stones made its presence felt.
He reveals that he used something with the feel of metal and coated the chair with silver leaves to give it the look of a jewelry item. The back of the chair was embedded with a medallion studded with real diamonds.
This architect compares the design of a room to dressing and he feels that one must adopt an approach that has to be sharp and have an eye for detail. That he feels represents ideal fashion.