Italian designers Dolce and Gabbana convicted of tax evasion
 

Archive for April, 2012

Posted in
News
Comments

2

Sonia Rykiel’s Big Reveal

By Sandiso Ngubane | 25 April 2012

French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel has revealed that she has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for the past 15-years. The 81 year-old stopped designing for her eponymous label in 1995, handing over the reigns to her daughter Nathalie and says, in a new biography titled ‘ N’oubliez pas que je joue’ (Don’t forget it’s just a game), she could no longer keep her disease a secret as it became harder to hide the symptoms. WWD quotes Rykiel as saying ‘I don’t want to show my pain. I resisted, I hesitated, I tried to be invisible, to pretend that nothing was wrong. It’s impossible, it’s not like me.’

Sonia Rykiel with daughter Nathalie (AFP)

Posted in
News
shopping
Comments

1

Wolford boutique opens in Hyde Park

By Sandiso Ngubane | 23 April 2012

Austrian luxury brand Wolford has opened a boutique in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park mall. Wolford is known for hosiery, swimwear, tights, leotards and lingerie in the luxury market but also makes ready-to-wear clothing of which a small collection is also available at the Hyde Park store.

Posted in
Magazines
News
Comments

0

ELLE ventures into Facebook e-commerce

By Sandiso Ngubane | 18 April 2012
‘Love’, ‘want’ or ‘own’ it. These are the options given to you by American ELLE  Magazine’s new Facebook app, where the latest fashion trends are translated into purchasable items picked by the magazine’s editors. According to online news site Mashable, ELLE says it is not necessarily trying to push products via this new app but trying to keep the conversation going between you and your friends, which methinks is a way of adding value for the design houses who are also ELLE’s advertisers at the end of the day.
Says publisher Kevin O’Malley; ‘We have no idea how much business this will generate, how transactional will this be, whether Facebook really is the right platform or interface for transactions. We do know Facebook is the right platform for advocacy and for getting people to talk about products based on their likes. We’ve embedded gestures that get immediately posted to users’ walls and into their friends’ newsfeeds so that even if the consumer has not clicked to buy, they’re still giving some sort of endorsement, some sort of a shared gesture.’

(PIC: MASHABLE.COM)

Posted in
General
Comments

0

Meet Estee Lauder’s Glamour Girl Zimasa Qolohle

By Sandiso Ngubane | 17 April 2012
Zimasa Qolohle was voted for as the first ever Estee Lauder Glamour Girl following the cosmetics company’s digital campaign to find the perfect girl who embodies the brand and can share and interact with the public on all things Estee Lauder and beauty. The Frock Report had the wonderful opportunity to meet Miss Qolohle, who has now joined the blogosphere (click here to go to her blog) as part of her new role with Estee Lauder. Qolohle is also currently a Corporate Law student.
FR: Corporate law and beauty?
ZQ: I love beauty. I literally stare at beautiful people- girls, guys, whatever it is. I’m just generally obsessed with beauty and the whole concept. I don’t really believe there’s such a things as an ugly person. Maybe it’s got to do with the fact that I’m a Libra, because apparently it’s a sign of beauty. But anyway, I believe in making oneself beautiful, I believe in one’s personality making them beautiful. I believe how you dress makes you beautiful and even what you do. I also have that part of me that’s very corporate. I love the business side of things. It’s difficult merging it, but one of my dreams is to be a magazine editor- a lifestyle, business and beauty magazine.
FR: When did you first decide that this is what you want to do?
ZQ: This is going to sound so strange but the first time I realised this is when I was 16. This is when I finally became confident in who I am. That’s when I first started acknowledging my own beauty. There’s also my mother who has always been into cosmetics. After high school, I worked at a beauty counter and basically, that’s how I knew that this is what I want for myself.
FR:You mentioned that one’s personality makes them beautiful and now you are Estee Lauder’s Beauty Glamour Girl. So, how do you reconcile that statement with the idea of using cosmetics to look beautiful?
ZQ: Beauty is about how you carry yourself. Don’t use make-up because you think of it as the only factor to beauty. You wear the make-up because it is going to enhance beauty that already exists. You should know inside of you that you are beautiful. I love make-up, I wear make-up everyday, I feel naked without my eyeliner. This doesn’t take away from the fact that when I wake up in the morning I know that I am beautiful even though I’m not wearing eyeliner. Make-up does give you that extra bit of confidence.
FR: You’ll be Estee Lauder’s Glamour Girl for the next year or so, after that what do you hope to get into?
ZQ: I’d love to carry on working for Estee Lauder. Maybe get to CEO some day? (laughs) If not I would really love to push my dreams of getting into beauty, lifestyle and business journalism.
Posted in
News
Comments

0

Feiyue now available at Mememe

By Sandiso Ngubane | 16 April 2012

French sneaker brand Feiyue is now available at Mememe Johannesburg and Mememe Cape Town, where the brand’s ‘Saddie’ model is on sale. As pictured below, it is available in three colours. The range is also available at Burgundy Fly in Maponya Mall and The Zone@Rosebank.

Posted in
News
Comments

0

South African couture to go on tour with Lindiwe Suttle

By Sandiso Ngubane | 16 April 2012

Lindiwe Suttle is planning to dress proudly South African on stage when she embarks on a tour to promote her upcoming album Kamikaze Art. The singer has already shot a music video titled ‘Man Made Moon’ in which she can be seen dressed in couture by young, up-and-coming South African designers as well as the likes of Suzaan Heyns and accessories by Ida Elsje. Interviewing herself on Skattie TV(the online fashion video show on the ‘Skattie What Are You Wearing’ blog) Suttle says “I’m looking forward to working with a lot more South African designers and what I’m hoping for is that I want them to create beautiful constumes for my tour.”

(PIC: LINDIWESUTTLE.COM)

View Lindiwe Suttle’s self-interview on Skattie TV here.

 

 

Posted in
Celebrities
News
Photography
Comments

0

Beyonce launches Tumblr

By Sarah Badat | 14 April 2012

Fashion icon and music sensation Beyonce has recently launched a Tumblr account, offering fans an intimate glimpse into her everyday life. Featuring images of herself, her sister Solange – a trendsetter in her own right – and her husband Jay-Z, the blog has a very personal feel, showcasing Beyonce’s jet setting lifestyle in all its glory. “This is my life, today, over the years – through my eyes. My family, my travels, my love.” reads the description. Click here for more.


 

Posted in
General
Comments

0

Jessica Chastain covers New York Times’ T-Magazine

By Sandiso Ngubane | 14 April 2012

I first saw actress Jessica Chastain in ‘The Tree of Life’ where she starred as the wife of the character played by Brad Pitt. I was stunned by the redhead’s stark beauty. The starlet also appeared in ‘The Help’ and has been nominated for both an Academy Awards and a BAFTA for her performances. Just look at how gorgeous she looks on the cover of the latest T-Magazine, the New York Times supplement.

(PIC: NYTIMES.COM

 

IN A SCENE FROM 'THE TREE OF LIFE'.

 

Posted in
General
News
Comments

0

A storm in a sea of shoes!

By Sandiso Ngubane | 11 April 2012
Meet Miss Jane Aldridge…

Jane Aldridge (AP)

This is the Texas fashion blogger (20) who has created a media storm, after she was criticised by, among others, the New York Mag’s fashion blog The Cut. Why? Well, a story that ran in the Texas Monthly magazine profiling Aldridge seems to have upset the Sea-of-Shoes blogger, apparently because she feels misrepresented. Among other things other blogs, like The Cut, picked up on what is the blogger’s apparent snobbery. She blogs things like ‘Why should I go to college, I’m already doing what I want’ and goes on about how inundated she is with invitations to major fashion shows, something she can’t be bothered about because they are ‘boring’. Oh, and check this out! It is reported that the start-up cost for her blog was a staggering R 400 000. Never mind the expensive shoes that she blogs about. Wow!
Aldridge posted a response on her blog called ‘A Rebuttal’, saying the stories are in no way indicative of her lifestyle. She wrote:
Hmmmmm…. I so wish the South African blogosphere could be this dramatic! *evil laugh*
Fun times!
Posted in
General
Comments

0

Dior through the years

By Sandiso Ngubane | 10 April 2012

As Raf Simons takes over the reigns at Dior The Frock Report takes a look at the fashion house and the designers who have led it over the years.

1946: Christian Dior founds his eponymous label in Paris, France

The 'Bar' suit from Dior's New Look

1947: Dior presents his first collection and, with it, the famed ‘New Look’
1952: Marlene Dietrich wears Dior in the Alfred Hitchcock film ‘Stage Fright’
1955: Christian Dior appears on the cover of TIME Magazine
1957: Christian Dior dies of heart attack, leaving his first assistant Yves Saint Laurent to take over the reigns. Saint Laurent is credited with making the
label more accessible.
1960: Yves Saint Laurent presents the Beat Look- presenting an edgier Dior collection that his bosses were not happy about- before leaving the house to join the French army. Marc Bohan takes over.
1988: Gianfracco Ferre named head designer
1996: John Galliano appointed as artistic director. Princess Diana becomes first person to wear Dior dress designed by Galliano.

John Galliano (C) and his lawyer Stephane Zerbib (L) arrive for a hearing at a police station in Paris February 28, 2011. REUTERS

2011: John Galliano fired from the house after making anti-Semmitic remarks. Studio assistant Bill Gaytten steps in.
The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn slates Gaytten’s couture collection for Dior. Writes: ‘He is a sweetheart, but not a designer’.
She didn’t stop there: ‘All sorts of weird vibes, along with a lack of design leadership, have a way of surfacing in clothes. A runway is like a shrink’s couch; stuff just comes out.’

A look from the couture collection presented under Bill Gayten's creative direction in July 2011

2012: Raf Simoms named artistic director
(SOURCES: The New York Times, Style.com, designmuseum.org, Reuters, AP)
Page 1 of 212