Fashion

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The Benetton Family

The Benetton family came from very humble origins, that being Treviso, in northeast Italy. They grew up poor with virtually little support because their father died while they were children. They are known by many as the "Benetton Four" and their story is truly an inspiring one.

Their success story begins in 1955 with a teenage Luciano Benetton and his sister Giuliana. At the age of five, Giuliana developed a passion for knitting and most certainly a skill that would someday make her family rich. As her teen age years approached, Giuliana continued knitting day in and day out for a tiny knitting business. Luciano would hop on his bicycle making deliveries of his sister Giuliana's handknit sweaters. Luciano, who was then 20 and had worked as a salesman in Treviso, realized his sister's talent and the two pooled their resources and skills. They sold a younger brother's bicycle along with Luciano's accordion in order to buy their first second-hand knitting machine. Then Luciano began to market a small collection of sweaters to local Veneto area stores. The positive reaction to her designs was only the beginning of a solid start. Soon after they were in business and were joined by their two younger brothers, Giberto and Carlo. In 1965, the Benetton's opened their first store in Belluno and the year after in Paris, with Luciano as chairman, his brother Giberto in charge of administration, their younger brother Carlo running production, and Giuliana as a chief designer - and the rest is history.

Although this fashion empire had grown out of a tightly-controlled Italian family, it is first-born Luciano, who is the marketing genius behind the most widespread apparel network in the world. Luciano is described as a charismatic, down-home, nice guy. Now 60, Luciano is a classic child of the Veneto region, where he still resides today. His single mindedness and rational approach to business can be attributed to his grass roots. There has been a long line of local tradition of successful family firms. The Benettons' come from one ambitious family. Their father owned a car and bicycle rental business, therefore bicycles are important to the Benettons. The Benettons' are a self-made, self-motivated family. None of the first-generation Benettons attended college, yet they still converse with older employees in the local dialect instead of classic Italian.

Despite the ad controversy, Benetton managed to maintain an admirable corporate image during Italian government payoff investigations conducted in 1993 that involved more than 5,000 of the country's political and business elite. Luciano had gotten involved in national politics as part of a movement to overthrow the old system, and in 1992 was elected to the Italian Senate as a member of the Republican party. However, Luciano withdrew from politics, claiming that the Italian government had met its objective, to pursue his talent for minding the family business.

The "Benetton Four" have successfully grown from a home based business to a multinational corporation while at the same time maintaining family unity. The Benettons have always had a sense for business and will continue to take interest in their family legacy.

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Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani was born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, Italy. One of three children, Armani had his heart set on becoming a doctor. After graduating high school, a young Armani headed to medical school at the University of Bologna, but after 2 years he realized that medicine -- specifically the sight of blood -- was not for him.

With some previous experience in photography and a brief time in the military, Armani was hired as a window-dresser and then a buyer for La Rinescente; Milan's largest department store. Armed with merchandising experience and a desire to design, Armani was then hired as an assistant designer for Nino Cerruti's men's clothing company, Hitman, for 6 years.

fly like an eagle

It was then time to take his work to a more independent level. Before the Armani line, as we know it today, was established, the man behind the eagle label worked as a freelance designer after having gained experience at Ungaro and Zegna.

In 1975, along with partner Sergio Galeotti, Armani founded his own men's ready-to-wear line, while the women's wear followed a year later. It took selling a Volkswagen to help finance the label, which has grown into the billion-dollar industry it is today.

By combining elegance with a sophisticated style, Armani succeeded by giving sports jackets a sportswear feel and making the tailoring less severe.

In the early '80s, Armani saw the potential of getting his designs into movies, when he provided Richard Gere's wardrobe in 1980's American Gigolo. Since then, his creations have been seen on the Oscar red carpet and at Hollywood affairs, on celebrities like Jodie Foster, Michelle Pfeiffer, Russell Crowe, Benjamin Bratt, Robert De Niro, and Benicio Del Toro.

an empire is established

Giorgio Armani launched Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans in 1981; Armani women's perfume in 1982; Armani men's fragrance in 1984; Notturno telephone (manufactured by Italtel) in 1986; Giorgio Armani Occhiali and Giorgio Armani Calze in 1987; A/X Armani Exchange in 1991; Acqua di Gio women's perfume, Giorgio Armani Neve (Snow), and Giorgio Armani Golf, all in 1995; and Acqua di Gio men's fragrance and Giorgio Armani Classico for men and women, in 1996.

Armani's empire also includes swimwear, underwear and accessories, for both men and women.

Even at the very start of his career in fashion design, Armani's power and talent were evident. In 1982, he was the first fashion designer to appear on the cover of Time magazine since Christian Dior.

His list of awards and honors include:


the Neiman Marcus Award in 1979
CUTTY SARK Award for International Top Men's Fashion Designer in 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, and 1987
GQ magazine's Men's Style Award for best fashion designer in 1981
Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1983
Commendatore Dell'Ordine Al Merito Della Repubblica (Italian Government Award) in 1985
Occhio D'Oro as Best Designer for Spring/Summer Collections in 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1988
Gran Caveliere Della Repubblica (Italian Government Award) and the Lifetime Achievement Award for men's wear by the CFDA in 1987
the PETA Award in 1990
the Fiorino D'Oro Award for promoting Made in Italy image in 1992
Aguja De Oro Award for Best Designer of the Year in 1993
GQ's Man of the Year Award in 1996

This is but a few of Armani's awards.

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Cartier

Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier. In 1874 Louis-Francois' son, Alfred Cartier took over the running of the company, but it was his sons, Louis, Pierre and Jaques, who were responsible for establishing the famous world-wide brand name of Cartier. Louis retained responsibility for the Paris branch, moving to Rue de la Paix, in 1899. He instigated some of the company's most celebrated design innovations, like the legendary mystery clocks, high fashion wristwatches, exotic orientalist Art Deco designs including the daringly colourful "Tutti Frutti" jewels. Jaques took charge of the London operation and eventually moved to the current location at New Bond Street. Pierre Cartier established the New York Branch in 1909, moving in 1917 to the current location of 653 Fifth Avenue, the Neo-Renaissance mansion of banker Morton Plant. Amoung the Cartier team was Charles Jacqueau who joined Louis Cartier in 1909 for his entire life and Jeanne Toussaint who was appointed Director of Fine Jewelry from 1933 on. In the 1960s Cartier New York and Cartier Paris passed to outside hands. In 1972 a group of investors led by Joseph Kanoui bought Cartier Paris whose President became Robert Hocq the creator of the concept of "Les Must de Cartier" in collaboration with Alain Dominique Perrin General Director of "Les Must de Cartier". In 1974 and 1976 respectively, Cartier London and Cartier New York was bought back. In 1979 the Cartier interests were combined together creating "Cartier Monde" uniting and controlling Cartier Paris, London and New York.

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Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace, the Prince of Fashion, his life was cut short during his prime. His designs are innovative, almost risque, the genius behind them apparent.




GIANNI VERSACE - A SHORT BIOGRAPHY .

First Part

1946 Gianni Versace was born in Reggio Calabria on December 2.

1972 At the age of 25 he decides to move to Milan and works as a fashion designer, drawing his first pret-a-porter collections for Genny, Complice and Callaghan.

1975 He presents his first leather collection, created for Complice.
1978 On March 28 he presensts his first collection for Women signed with his own name in a fashion show at the Palazzo della Permanente, in Milan.

1979 Versace, who has always paid great attention to his image, starts a fortunate collaboration with the American photographer Richard Avedon.

1982 Versace wins the first of a series of awards that will crown his career: "L'Occhio d'Oro" for the best fashion designer of the 1982/83 Fall/Winter collection for women; in this collection he displays the famous metal garments, now a classic feature of his fashion. The same year, he begins a collaboration with the Teatro alla Scala and designs costumes for the Richard Strauss' ballet "Josephlegende"; the stage design is by the painter Luigi Veronesi.

1983 He creates the costumes for Gustav Mahler's ballet "Lieb und Leid" and on October 21, with the Comune di Milano's patronage, the show. "E' Design" opens its doors at the Padiglione di Arte Contemporanea where Gianni Versace displays a synthesis of his technological research.

1984 Versace creates the costumes for Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and for the ballet "Dyonisos" directed by Maurice Bejart, both held at the Teatro alla Scala. In October, at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, the Belgian choreographer creates a triptych danse in honour of the launch of the fragrance for men "Versace l'Homme".

1985 In Paris, on the occasion of the European presentation of the same fragrance, a contemporary art show is organized, bringing together the works of internationally renowned artists concerning Versace's fashion. Young people have always been a major source of inspiration for Versace and on October 2, the fashion designer is at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to give a talk on his fashion for a large group of students, and to illustrate the show "Arte e moda".

1986 A year in which awards and shows intertwine. On January 24, the President of the Italian Republic Francesco Cossiga confers the decoration of "Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana" on him; the National Field Museum in Chicago presents a major retrospective show on the work of Versace in the last ten years. On October 22, in Paris, during the show "Gianni Versace: Obiettivo Moda", illustrating the professional collaboration between Versace and internationally renowned photographers (Avedon, Newton, Penn, Weber, Barbieri, Gastel, etc.), Jacques Chirac assigns the "Grande Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris" to Versace. On November 14, the premiere of the ballet "La metamorphose des dieux" by Malraux is presented in Brussels. The costumes are designed by Gianni Versace and the choreography is by Maurice Bejart.

1987 In January Bob Wilson stages Richard Strauss "Salome" for the Scala and asks Versace to design the costumes; on March 31, Bejart presents "Leda and the Swan" at the Scala, with costumes by Versace; on April 7, the book "Versace Teatro" published by Franco Maria Ricci.is presented. In June, Gianni Versace goes to Russia in the retinue of Bejart, for whom he designs the costumes of the "Ballet du XX Siecle" broadcasted throughout the world from Leningrad within the programm "The white nights of dance". In September Versace's huge professional contribution to the theatre is rewarded with the "Maschera D'Argento" prize. On September 21, "Souvenir de Leningrad", a ballet by Bejart's new dance company, makes its debut in Lausanne, and even on this occasion Versace's contribution is crucial.

1988 Versace goes to Paris to design the stage costumes for Zizi Jeanmaire's last recital at the Bouffes du Nord; on March 30, in Brussels, alongside Maurice Bejart, he presents the costumes for the ballet inspired by Evita Peron in an absolute premiere at the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie. On June 8, the jury of the "Cutty Sark" nominates him the most creative and innovative fashion designer for men; in September Versace opens a 600 sqm. showroom in Madrid, his first boutique in Spain. On December 20 he is once again in Paris to design the costumes for the ballet "Java Forever", with Zizi Jenamaire, presented at the Opera Comique to celebrate the Bicentenary of the French Revolution.

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Gianni Versace

II Part

1989 On January 25, the opening of the "Atelier Versace" - a workshop where high fashion models are created - is announced at a soiree held at the Gare d'Orsay, attended by Madame Mitterand, where also the film "The fortune of friendship" recounting the relationship between Versace and Maurice Bejart, is presented. On April 13, the exhibition "L'abito per pensare", is inaugurated at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, through historical and social interpretations, it displays 25 years of activity in fashion and in the theatre, a crucial stage in the evolution of the history of costume. On May 16, on the occasion of the celebration for the Bicentenary of the French Revolution, Bejart invites him to Paris to design the costumes of the ballet "Chaka Zulu", inspired by L. Senghor's poem. On July 6, in Milan, Versace presents "Versus", a new line for young people - manufactured by the Manifatture Itierre of the Gruppo Pantrem, - which explores informal themes and puts itself forward as an alternative to so-called conventional ways of dressing. On November 14 there is yet another ballet: Bejart stages:"Elegie pour Elle" at the Cirque Royal in Brussels, and the Costumes are designed by Versace once again.

1990 The "Atelier" collection is presented in a fashion show at the Hotel Ritz, Paris, in the early part of the year; in April Versace opens his second boutique in New York, and the eleventh in the United States, in the prestigious Madison Avenue. On October 21 John Cox i naugurates the theatri ca. l s eas on of the Opera, San Francisco, with Richard Strauss "Capriccio" and the costumes are designed By Versace.

l991 On January 7, the show "Versace Teatro" is inaugurated at the Royal Royal College of Art in London; in March the fragrance "Versus" is launched and on May 14, in collaboration with Omar Calabrese, Versace attends the presentation of the book "Vanitas, lo stile dei sensi" in Milan. In June, a new Versace boutique is opened in Paris, in the famous Fbg. St. Honore. In June, Istante and Versus open their first two Italian stores in via San Pietro all 'Orto, in Milan; "Signature" , Versace's classic line, is launched. In October, the up-dated version of the show "L'abito per pensare" arrives in Japan, at the Kobe City Museum; on October 26, William Forsythe stages his ballets at the Statische Buhnen, Frankfurt, and Versace designs the costumes. In December, Versace is awarded the "L'Occhio d'Oro" prize for the fourth time, proclaiming him the most inventive creator of the year.

1992 January, Paris: the second volume of "Versace Teatro" comes out, published by Franco Maria Ricci: on February 27, the fragrance "Versus Donna" is presented at the Versus boutique in Milan; in Munich, the itinerant show "Theater der Mode" celebrates Versace's latest stylistic and theatrical creations. On May 28 a new Versace showroom opens its doors: here, in a five-storey bulding situated in the prestigious Old Bond Street, the creative universe of the fashion designer is displayed in all its modernity. At the end of May, Elton John's world tour make its debut; the singer is an ardent admirer of Versace, whom he asks to design his stage costumes. New York, 14 September: as testimonial for the Italian Trade Commission, Gianni Versace inaugurates the charity Gala "Rock'N Rule", the profits of which are given to the Amfar anti-AIDS Association; Versace opens a new boutique at Bergdorf Goodman. In October, a new watch was born: "La Meduse" from the Signature line, added to the Premiere watch collection. New York decides to organise an important retrospective show at the Fashion Institute of Technology on the Italian designer's work: "Versace: Signatures". (6 Nov - 9 Jan)

1993 On 1 February the "Council of Fashion Designers of America" assigns the much coveted American Fashion Oscar award to Versace. The book "South Beach Stories" comes out in New York, published by Leonardo Arte. On March 25, Maurice Bejart stages the ballet "Sissi, the Anarchic Empress" at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, with Gianni Versace's irreplaceable costumes. In May "Home Signature" is launched, a line of products for the home: table porcelain manufactured by Rosenthal, carpets, quilts and cushions. Milan, 10 November; the book "Vanitas, Ricami e Decori - Decori e Ricami" - published by Leonardo Arte- is officially presented at the Versus boutique.

1994 Versace is in Berlin where he opens a 600 sqm. showroom on the famous Kurfurstendamm. New York, 30 March: Gianni Versace presents the book "Designs", an abridged English edition of " Vanitas, Ricami e Decori Decori e Ricami", at Bergdorf Goodman's. Worldwide launch of the 2 new Versace fragrances: RED & JEANS. Berlin, 15 September: Opening of the of travelling exhibition "VERSACE SIGNATURES" at the Kunstgewerbemuseum that will be held till November 25, 1994. This year the exhibition includes a new section dedicated to the "Home" line, in addition to those regarding embroideries, timeless fashion, prints, leather, and the theater costumes. October 1994 - the book "L'UOMO SENZA CRAVATTA"(the man without tie) by Gianni Versace comes out. It's the fourth volume of the Vanitas series , published by Leonardo Arte.

1995 January 17 - Inauguration of the Richard Avedon's exhibition: "Richard Avedon 1944-1994" sponsorised by Versace and officially hosted by the Milan City Council in the Palazzo reale - Sala delle Cariatidi ( from January 18 to March 5). March 3 - "How Near Heaven", new performance of the American Ballet Theatre receives its World Premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Coreography by Twyla Tharp, for whom Gianni Versace designes the marvellous costumes. May 1st, premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York June 14. London: Gianni Versace boutique in Old Bond Street. Gianni Versace and Elton John party for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Unique and signed copies of Gianni Versace's new book "Men without ties" will be on sale during the party. The book doesn't go on national release until the following morning. June 15. Booksigning of "Men without ties" at Harrod's. End of October - the book "DO NOT DISTURB) by Gianni Versace comes out. It's the fifth volume of the Vanitas series, published by Leonardo Arte.

1997 On July, Gianni Versace was gunned down in his South Beach home in Miami, Florida. On July 23, 1997, the prime suspect for Gianni Versace's killing was found dead in a Miami Beach boathouse.

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How to Build a Spring Wardrobe - Women

Spring is a transitional period when you're dying to shed your winter coat but the weather just isn't cooperating yet. While the sun may be out, it's still not warm enough to throw on the tanktop and sandals, but these transitional pieces can make spring dressing a bit less frustrating.


Steps:

1. Investigate your closet for essential spring clothing you may already own, such as colorful silk scarves to pair with suits and dresses. Check for clothing in pastel colors or light-colored woolens to wear while the weather is still cool.

2. Consider switching over from wool to wool blends, and from silk to cotton or linen, when adding pieces to your spring wardrobe.

3. Identify five warmer-weather outfits already in your closet, since spring tends to come on very suddenly.

4. Start building your spring wardrobe with a crisp white cotton shirt. It can easily be dressed up with slacks, or dressed down when you tuck it into jeans or khakis.

5. Find a silk knit twinset. This can be dressed up by pairing it with a s***t or by using just the cardigan over a dress. Wear it with jeans or khakis when you want to dress down.

6. Select dark stretch cotton pants to add versatility to your wardrobe.

7. Pull together any outfit with a sharp blazer.

8. Acquire a spring suit in a neutral color such as taupe, cream, navy or beige. This will take you from business to cocktails by adding a few accessories, changing your shoes or removing the jacket.

9. Include hats as part of your spring wardrobe. Consider a straw hat or one adorned with springtime silk flowers.

10. Dress up for evening with a short slip or sheath dress in a pastel color and strappy sandals.

11. Complete your wardrobe with a microfiber raincoat for the rainy days still on the horizon.


Tips:

Spring is all about wearing color. If you hate bright and pastel colors or shy away from them, consider navy. It's a timeless classic and goes well with almost any neutral color. Adding one colorful item to every outfit you wear will also help ease color phobia.

Make a pair of sunglasses a staple in your wardrobe.

Feel free to add an "item of the moment" to your look for variety. Accessorize, accessorize!


Warnings:

Avoid wearing white shoes before Memorial Day on the East Coast, or before Easter in the South.

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How to Buy Clothes Online

Although you can't finger the fabric or try on the item, the payoff in convenience and an almost unlimited selection may make you a convert once you master the basics of buying clothes online.

Steps:

1. Ask a friend, a tailor or a clothing store salesperson to help you measure your chest, waist, hips, arm length and inseam (the distance from your crotch to where you want the hem of your pants to fall). Another way to get your inseam is to measure a pair of pants that fit perfectly.

2. Look for sites that provide you with lots of information about their clothes via high-quality photos and detailed descriptions, dimensions and sizing information.

3. Check out one of the coolest aspects of buying online: virtual model technology at sites like MyVirtualModel.com. You can see clothes you're interested in on a generic model or on one that you customize with your weight, height and body shape, so you can virtually try before you buy.

4. Find jeans that were literally made for you. Sites like IC3D.com, LandsEnd.com and AmericanFitClothing.com give you options to design your own pants, from $54 to $125. Customize lengths, colors, waistlines, leg styles and more.

5. Contact customer service by phone or e-mail with any questions not addressed by the site's frequently asked questions (FAQ) area. Representatives often have additional notes about the fit or care of items. Some sites let you converse with customer service reps by typing in questions and receiving instant answers.

6. Buy several items at the same time to avoid paying individual shipping charges. Look for retailers that offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount.

7. Understand the return policy. Some online retailers let you return clothes to their local store, which saves you shipping charges. Be sure to bring your shipping invoice. Some stores provide a prepaid shipping label for returns, which reduces the hassle of returns. Many stores don't charge additional shipping when exchanging an item for a different size. See How to Make Returns.

8. Read the fine print before you click the button to finalize your order. Reputable retailers have secure sites to keep your credit card and personal information safe and private, but you may have to check a specific box to prevent your name from being sold to other mailing lists or to avoid receiving additional catalogs.


Overall Tips:

If you have a favorite Web retailer, sign up to be notified about upcoming sales via e-mail.

Online clothing sites are often packed with images, which can make Web pages load slowly. Save time and frustration by browsing through a retailer's catalog before you go online.

Check out sites such as DealCatcher.com that gather discounts. Or search the Web for the retailer's name plus "coupon" or "discount." Web sites that aggregate retailers such as Yahoo Shopping and credit card company Web sites sometimes feature exclusive merchant discounts.

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How to Buy Ways to Counter Hair Loss

The loss of one's hair can be a grievous blow to self-image and confidence. Medications, illness, heredity, pregnancy, menopause, changing hormone levels and stress can all contribute to hair loss. Other culprits are chemotherapy, hereditary baldness or alopecia.


Steps:
1. Consult your doctor, dermatologist or an endocrinologist to eliminate medical causes such as thyroid issues or alopecia. Rule out any dietary contributors by making sure you're getting all the vitamins, protein and calories you need.

2. Apply over-the-counter minoxidil (Rogaine) to thinning or balding patches twice a day. The exact way this medicine works is not known, but it is thought to cause dilation of the blood vessels in the scalp. If you stop treatment once you've started, hair loss will resume within a few months.

3. Try prescription-only Propecia or Proscar, which have been found to work rather well for women. The active ingredient finasteride blocks the formation of active testosterone and allows those hairs predisposed to inactivity to become active again and make new hairs. The two brands have different dosages of finasteride.

4. Explore hair-replacement surgery options. Mini- or micrografting may offer the most natural results. A strip of scalp with hair is divided into a few hundred tiny grafts with just a few strands apiece, then inserted into minuscule slits in the scalp. Skilled surgeons ensure all hair is growing in the same direction. Make sure to see live examples of the surgeon's work before proceeding.

5. Discuss treatment options with your doctor for alopecia. While very little is known about the disorder, there is evidence of a genetic component as well as a link to autoimmune problems. Depending on the variety (areata: spots on the head; totalis: the entire head; or universalis: all body hair), there's a good chance that cortisone injections on the head and eyebrows will spur hair growth. Injections can be painful but may offer a huge morale boost for people who would do just about anything to look the way they used to.


Overall Tips:
Talking to other people who've lost their hair can be enormously helpful, as are supportive friends and family. Contact the National Alopecia Areata Foundation at alopeciaareata.com for information and to subscribe to their newsletter.


Overall Warnings:
Be aware that 5 percent minoxidil is not recommended for use by women, due to the potential for greater drug penetration. Women using this percentage in clinical trials were inclined to grow hair in areas where minoxidil was not applied.

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Top Iranian Fashion Models

Although the age of Supermodels is long gone, Iranian women are still playing a big role in the world of fashion and modelling. Persian women all over the world have been competing in Miss World contests and many have won over the last few years. From TV shows to realty series, we are seeing more and more Iranian women using the classic Persian features to win the hearts of judges and audiences all over the world. One of the innovators in modelling still remains Yasmin Le Bon. Leading the way is also male supermodel Cameron Alborzian. Other new comers include Shermine Sharivar (Miss Germany 2004), Nadia Bjorlin (Days of Our Lives on left), Sarah Racey-Tabrizi (America's Top Model Reality show), and Nazanin Afshin-Jam (Miss World Canada 2003).

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How to Accessorize Formal Evening Wear

Accessories embellish any outfit, and a formal evening is the perfect occasion to go to town. From amber to zircon, hats to hose, scarves and shawls to shoes and slip-ons, consider the occasion and the season.


Overview

Steps:

1. Accessorize one (or all) of your most visible areas: neck, wrists and shoulders.

2. Think seriously about costume jewelry and faux gems; they are relatively inexpensive and readily accessible at department stores and secondhand boutiques.

3. Evaluate your formal outfit carefully: Is it simple and elegant or fancy and froufrou? (Remember that a hot pink feather boa will be a showstopper at a ball but will merely attract stares at a college graduation.)

4. Ponder the notion that less is usually more ... and almost always suffices.


Tips:

Analyze your bracelet, earrings, necklace, scarf, shoes, stockings and evening bag. Does everything work together?

Consider wearing a limited number of fine (or glamorous) items, not everything you own.


Jewelry

Steps:

1. Choose a matching bracelet and necklace.

2. Get real, cultured or faux pearls and wear them anywhere.

3. Wear a tennis bracelet - such as a single strand of diamonds - for a dramatic look. Or consider an evening watch instead of a bracelet.

4. Try elegant pearl or diamond studs for your ears. Vintage clip-ons or exotic dangling earrings could also work.

5. Adorn your hair with sparkling clips, tortoiseshell barrettes, a diamond tiara or even a fresh gardenia.

6. Find a ring that complements your other jewelry.


Tips:

Be sure a matching set is all real or all faux, not some of each.

Consider the company if you want to wear an ankle bracelet.

Treat yourself to a manicure, especially if you're sporting a ring.


Shoes, Shawls and Silk Purses

Steps:

1. Put on your fancy shoes, no matter how elegant or frivolous, but be sure they are comfortable enough to dance the night away.

2. Choose stockings in a neutral palette. If you want hose with a design, make it subtle.

3. Go with gloves to the opera, a debutante ball or the Ascot races.

4. Toss a shawl around your shoulders; make sure it goes with your outfit in terms of color and texture.

5. Try a lace mantilla or a vintage smoking jacket for "a look" or for warmth.

6. Carry an evening purse or a beaded bag large enough to hold business cards, keys, cash and lip gloss.

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An exhibition of 1,500 selected photographs from Fashion Planet's visit to Bangkok Fashion City.

THAILAND


OK, so what's all the noise about Bangkok? As we settle into our flight across the Pacific, I start flipping through the latest copy of The Economist and happen on the last page: Emerging-market indicators. It doesn't take an economist to see that Thailand has half the foreign reserves of Russia. You can also see that Thailand is the number two country in the world for the percentage change up on their leading indicators for financial markets. At least this was the case February 14th. Maybe this Bangkok Fashion City has potential.

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Donna Karan

Donna Faske (born October 2, 1948 in Forest Hills, New York), better known as Donna Karan, is an American fashion designer.

Karan, nicknamed The Queen Of Seventh Avenue, began working for Liz Claiborne at a very young age. In 1974, she began working with Anne Klein, with whom she lasted as one of her top designers for ten years. In 1984, she first showed her own collection. She had her first baby that year, but she kept on working as a designer throughout her maternity leave period. Karan won the Coty Award in 1977 and once again in 1981. She was inducted into the Coty Hall Of Fame in 1984.

She currently owns a company named Donna Karan New York , which is involved in the marketing, production and design of clothes.

As the British writer Tony Barrell has pointed out (London Sunday Times, October 9, 2005), Karan was born on exactly the same day as the former British football star Trevor Brooking.