Emporio Armani launches S/S watch collection

Emporio Armani, the undisputed king of fashion and a name synonymous with luxury has launched their Spring Summer 2008 watch collection in India.

An effervescence mix of elegance, style and sophistication blended in rich colours and caressed by mother of pearls, this collection is meant for the urban sophistique.

Men’s collection:
The collection is inspired by futuristic design, technological themes and an underlying edginess. The watch designs blend classic styling with a sporty, casual twist.

Oversized stainless steel cases, black enamel top-ring with minute markers, coin-ridged bezel and black leather straps embossed to resemble crocodile skin form the hallmark of the collection.

For the bling lovers there are rose coloured gold watches featuring the simple rose gold hour markers to create a strikingly rich and sophisticated contrast against a black dial.

Also available is the silver dial featuring two black chronograph counters and a red coloured seconds’ hand. To round off, watches for men on the move coated entirely in black ion plating and topped with a silver coloured world time zone bezel representative of the world’s 24 different time zones helps you stay on time anywhere anytime.

Women’s collection:
The women’s collection is elegant, sophisticated and feminine but at the same time delves on perennial classical designs that are smart, mature and glamorous.

Elongated rectangular cases in yellow gold plated stainless steel on a 3-link bracelet with a white mother-of-pearl dial, a sub-second counter and Roman numeral indexes is regularly featured in this collection.

With a distinct personality of its own, the watches are naïvely elegant, fresh, playful yet stands sophisticated in their looks with the stainless steel chain link bracelet, multiple chronograph counters, pearl coloured leather straps and removable crystal pavé charms.

Creme de-la resistance for all those ladies who love glitter and glamour is expressed through these watches with a striking combination of materials.

Large stainless steel cases with four concentric rows of clear Swarovski crystals set against black rubber straps embossed with the Emporio Armani logo is designed to give you the ultimate high.

Also available is the Meccanico range in this collection for the gadget lovers with rose gold featuring prominently. Classically inspired and extremely refined in its simplicity, the meccanico range has richly detailed dials layered with black mother of pearls.

Fossil India Pvt Ltd

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Fashion Week opens with more than 1,100 exhibitors

Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2009 has attracted a record 1,153 exhibitors from 21 countries and regions, as well as buyers and industry players from around the world keen on checking out the latest clothing products and fashion trends.

The show, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), is being held from 8 to 11 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

Seven group pavilions, from the Chinese mainland, .

The four-day fair showcases a broad array of fashion, accessories and garment-related products, including apparel and handbags, shoes, fashion jewellery and fabrics.

They are displayed in nine theme zones: Fabrics and Yarn Zone (new), Emporium de Mode, Infant and Children’s Wear Zone, Spice Arena, Body and Intimate Wear Zone, Bridal and Evening Wear Zone, Fashion Gallery, Garment and Accessories Mart and International Fashion Designers’ Showcase.

Speaking at opening ceremony, Vincent Fang, Chairman of the HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee, said that the exports of clothing and clothing accessories last year rose by a moderate 1.8 per cent, to US$28.77 billion (HK$224.4 billion).

“The sluggish US economy has inevitably affected our industry,” he said. “But Hong Kong garment companies are experienced, resilient and blessed with the flexibility to respond to changing market conditions.”

The challenging outlook of the US market is, however, compensated by the growth from emerging markets. Mr Fang said: “Growth in Hong Kong exports to the emerging markets is encouraging, with Argentina, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and Turkey all recording more than 20 per cent growth from last year.”

During the fair period, seven fashion shows and eight special-topic seminars will be staged. One of the highlighted shows is the Hong Kong New Fashion Collection Award, which encourages Hong Kong companies to work with designers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland in building brand collections.

Held for the eighth time, it features nine contestants competing for three awards: the Casual and Jeans-wear Category Winner, the Party and Evening-wear Category Winner and the Overall Winner.

“Diversity in Action” by Hong Kong New Design Force Under the theme of “Diversity in Action”, a group of young Hong Kong designers and artists will celebrate the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games with a fashion show (10 July) and an art and graphics exhibition (8-11 July). The creative promotion is being held during Fashion Week to grab the attention of global buyers.

In all, 16 Hong Kong fashion designers will showcase more than 100 new outfits in three styles: Super Sport, Dynamic City and Sports Go Arty on 10 July. The collections include sportswear and stylish outfits infused with modern and artistic elements.

Thanks to fashiongear.fibre2fashion.com

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Britain's Missing Top Model: Shining a spotlight on disability in the fashion industry

With a plethora of modelling reality shows out there, the BBC's Britain's Missing Top Model, which starts on Tuesday, provides a welcomed insight into the lives of eight disabled models. Set to a similar structure of Britain's Next Top Model, they compete to win a modelling contract and a photo-shoot in at top glossy, not Vogue but British Marie Claire. Contestants include a woman with one arm, another who is deaf, and a model who is wheel-chair bound due to a degenerative neuro-muscular disorder.


Just as the NY Mag points out, the series is an opportunity not only to witness the inequality models (both disabled and able-bodied) face on a daily basis, but it also paints a picture of how industry folks, such as editors, photographers, and agents, really feel about models with disabilities.

Take for instance, Marie Claire editor Marie O'Riordan, who also doubles as a judge on the show. She says: "When I first heard about the programme, my immediate thought was would it all be women in wheelchairs and I knew that if it was going to be some sort of freak show, I didn't want to be involved. But I very quickly realised there are many disabled people who are not in wheelchairs, and that is just one of the many preconceptions we all hold about disability."

Blindly ignorant, or refreshingly honest? I am inclined to think the latter. As the Daily Mail, highlights, 'whether the winner will go on to have a career when the cameras stop rolling remains to be seen'. That is true, but regardless of this fact, it is the recognition of the struggle alone, in an industry so rooted in the notion of appearance, that is the real winner.

Britain's Missing Top Model, part of BBC 3's Beauty Season, starts on Tuesday, July 1 at 9pm.
Thanks to www.catwalkqueen.tv

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