Eight-year old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, is launching her own line of children’s clothing, according to WWD.  Bindi Wear International, which features safari-style separates, was originally designed for the Australia Zoo seven years by a family friend.  But now that Bindi is older and has her own television show, she’s offering more input into the collection, including artwork and personal designs.

“My Daddy was working to change the world, so everyone would love wildlife the way he did,” Bindi told WWD this week.  “Now it’s our turn to help.”  One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards supporting Australia’s conservation programs.

Wow.  Don’t you wish you were that pulled together at 8?

 

celebrity fashion, childrens clothing

Popularity: 6% [?]

Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has just inked a deal to become the first-ever Avon Global Ambassador, proving once again that how you dress can have a big influence on the opportunities that come your way.

The 31-year old mother of two will serve as the honorary chairman of the Avon Foundation, which focuses on lending a hand to women who are struggling with breast cancer, domestic violence, and other such projects.  She’ll also be a spokesman for Avon beauty brands, joining other celebrities including Venus and Serena Williams and Salma Hayek.

 

beauty, celebrity fashion, cosmetics, makeup

Popularity: 7% [?]

Fashion designer Kate Spade and husband Andy Spade announced last week that they will step down from their positions as head designer and chief executive officer, respectively, of the company they founded in 1993, Kate Spade.  The Spades sold the company to Liz Claiborne, Inc., in November 2006 for $124 million and agreed to stay on during the transition period.  They will exit their posts this week, but will remain on the company’s board of directors.

Kate Brosnahan grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended the University of Arizona where she met Andy Spade, brother of comedian David Spade.  After graduating in 1986, Kate ended up in New York City where she landed a temp job at Mademoiselle magazine.  The “temp” job lasted for six years, during which time she began to see a need for classic, simple handbags.  Working nights and weekends, she launched her company in January 1993, combining her first name and boyfriend Andy’s last name, Kate Spade.  They later married.

The Kate Spade company evolved to include shoes, apparel, luggage, baby items, paper, and home accessories, and Kate picked up several “Designer of the Year” awards along the way.  Seeing a need for stylish men’s accessories as well, the duo launched the Jack Spade brand in 1997.

So what’s next for this creative team?  Travel and time with their two year-old-daughter.  They also plan to explore some “other areas of interest.”

So what does that mean?

It means that we probably haven’t heard the last from them…

fashion designer, handbags, Kate Spade

Popularity: 11% [?]

Where can you go to learn about the latest trends?  The history of fashion?  Clothing care and maintenance?

Online, of course!  There are lots of great sites out there that you can get lost in, reading about everything from celebrity fashion to haute couture. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Style.com
http://www.style.com

The home of W and Vogue on the web, Style.com has made many of my fashion magazines subscriptions obsolete.  You can learn about trends, runway reports, fashion icons, fashion designers and more just by perusing this site.  Take a look.

First View
http://www.firstview.com

Wish you could have a front row seat to all the best fashion shows in the world?  Well, here’s the next best thing.  Look at the current and past collections from famous designers from all over the world, and see the “who, what, where, when” of upcoming fashion shows.

Mode à Paris
http://www.modeaparis.com

Want to “dive right in” to the world of French fashion to learn about fashion history, designers, and upcoming shows?  Then this site is for you!  Find out which fashion houses meet the rigorous standards of the Chambre Syndical de la Haute Couture, and learn where you can study for a career in French fashion.

The Sartorialist
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Scott Schuman is a former fashion marketer and retail store owner who combined his love of great tailoring with fashion photography to create “The Sartorialist” blog.  Sartorial, which is a term used to describe tailoring and the tailoring trade, is the main focus of Scott’s quest as he seeks to photograph well-dressed people on the street.  What began as a fun way to share his photos just two years ago has turned into a fast-paced fashion career that sends him all over the globe as a reporter for Style.com and as a speaker to fashion and tailoring groups.

MSN Beauty and Fashion
http://lifestyle.msn.com/BeautyandFashion

MSN has lots of in-depth channels, like finance, food, gardening, and health.  Their fashion channel is excellent, offering behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and articles that you don’t see anywhere else.

If you like snarky celebrity fashion reviews, then MSN entertainment writer/fashion critic Kat Giantis will have you laughing out loud.  Her reports are not kind, but they do show how celebrities can still stumble fashion-wise even when they have an army of stylists at their disposal.  Check out her “Undressed” reports here:

http://entertainment.msn.com/

Instyle
http://www.instyle.com

INSTYLE Magazine’s website has come a long way from the days when you could just go there to subscribe to their magazine.  You can still do that, but you can also look at trends, get ideas for entertaining, vote on you favorite celebrity looks, and even learn where to copy those looks for less.  It’s a fun site, especially if you’re into celebrity fashion.

Ralph Lauren
http://www.ralphlauren.com

One of the things I like about the Ralph Lauren site is that it understands what people are looking for online.  While many other designer sites take a long to time to load, are bloated with graphics, and don’t sell directly from their site, RalphLauren.com loads relatively quickly and is easy to navigate.  You can buy clothes, subscribe to the ezine, and get TONS of styling ideas from the gorgeous pictures.  They also have a style section to show you how to put things together.  Awesome!  Would that other designers would take some notes from Ralph . . .

Fashion Era
http://www.fashion-era.com

Love fashion history?  Want to see which trend-setters have influenced fashion over the centuries?  Need to do research on what people wore in 1800?  1900?  2000?  Then this is THE place to find out.  This comprehensive site is one of the most popular on the web, with good reason:  it has TONS of information!

Fabric Link
http://www.fabriclink.com

Want to learn more about different types of fabrics?  Need to know how to maintain the fabrics you have?  Fabric Link can help.  Take a good look around their “Fabric University,” and you’ll learn everything you need to know about taking care of most fabrics.

Biz Rate
http://www.bizrate.com

Looking for something in particular, like a black cocktail dress or sweet deals on Christian Louboutin shoes?  Just go to Bizrate.com, type in your item, and it will find places on the web that are selling what you seek.  It also lists price and costumer reviews.  What a time saver!

So there you have it.  Take some time to click around to these sites when you have some time, and either bookmark them or keep this list handy for future reference.  You never know when these sites will come in handy.

 

fashion, fashion history, fashion trend

Popularity: 16% [?]

Trendy discount retailer Forever 21 is facing a slew of copyright infringement lawsuits, according to Women’s Wear Daily.  Gwen Stefani, Diane Von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, Bebe, and Anthropologie, among others, have accused the retailer of selling clothing and accessories that infringe on their copyrights.

“I believe the Forever 21’s business model is to copy the designs of other well-known designers,” said Marya Lenn Yee, a partner at law firm Donovan and Yee.  She’s representing Anna Sui and Toronto-based jewelry designer Foxy Originals, both of whom claim copyright infringement by the retailer.

Many of the designers claim the retailer has infringed by copying fabric prints distinct to their design houses, which can create confusion in the minds of the consumers.  That’s how Von Furstenberg’s claim began last March, when she charged the retailer with copying prints from two of her dress designs.  Later, they discovered several other items that they feel have been copied.  Anna Sui’s lawsuit claims the chain has copied some of her items dating back to 2005.

Forever 21 had no comment on any of the charges or pending litigation.

copyright infringement, fashion accessory, fashion designer

Popularity: 9% [?]

Whenever there’s a fashion week, you see scores of celebrities in the front row.  But why are they there?  Do they go because they like the designer’s clothes?  Are they invited?  Are there any celebrities designers DON’T want in their front rows?

Yes, yes, and yes!

None of it’s by chance.  This celebrity fashion article from MSN lifestyle gives you the lowdown on front row favorites:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/beautyandfashion/fashionweekdaily/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2949107

 

celebrity fashion, fashion designer, runway show

Popularity: 7% [?]

British actress Kate (”The Titanic”) Winslet has been tapped as the new face of Lancome’s Tresor fragrance, the company announced announced Monday.  The announcement was made during a dinner at the Musee Rodin, where Ms. Winslet was given a standing ovation.

She’s the latest in a line of beautiful women to endorse the fragrance, including the original spokesperson, Isabella Rosselini, and she joins fellow Brit Clive Owen, who signed to endorse Lancome’s Men earlier this year.

Print and TV advertising featuring Winslet will debut in September.

celebrity fashion, Kate Winslet, Lancome, perfume

Popularity: 6% [?]

Ever wish you could jet off to the South of France for a little R&R with all the pretty people?  Well let me offer a pathetically pale substitute: pictures from the Cannes Film Festival.  Some of these clothes are truly stunning:

Red Carpet Fashion
http://movies.msn.com/movies/cannes07/photos/redcarpet/

The Official Cannes Website
http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index.php/en

For all of you who enjoy celebrity fashion (and you know who you are), the sight of Brad Pitt in a tux with slicked back hair will make you smile. He reminds me a bit of Robert Redford in “The Great Gatsby.”  Go see for yourself.

 

celebrity fashion, fashion

Popularity: 9% [?]