Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That’s Right for Your Body: The sweet yet knowledgeable and even assertive fashionistas who are the hosts of the hit cable TV show What Not to Wear set their precepts down in print in this delightfully upbeat and decidedly informative primer for both men and women. Their firm, understandable, and workable advice is underscored by their desire not to change anyone’s body type–no preaching about dieting here–but simply to get people to understand their own body types and dress appropriately for the best effect. Kelly and London take 15 real women and 8 real men as “subjects,” representing all types of bodies, from “bigger on top” to “barrel-chested,” and with both illustrations and text, they suggest, for each subject, three outfits to wear for work, weekend, and evening. This book should be regarded as fun reading, not as a chore; the authors’ approach to fashion is not as an arcane code capable of being grasped only by certain enlightened people. In their hands, fashion is not only about looking good but also about having a good time while doing so.

This new detailed guide to learning the skills and techniques of drawing modern fashion and figure is also a rich reference source for a broad range of modern garments and accessories. Extensively illustrated, this introduction teaches by example, the power of drawing as a means of communication and expression and strives to show students how to perceive things in order to be able to draw them correctly. The first section is dedicated to drawing the human figure, while the second portion deals with how to draw a wide range of modern garments and accessories and the types of techniques used to render them convincingly and elegantly in different fabric designs and textures. This volume offers a complete presentation of proportions of the croquis, draping the figure, accessories, flats, and features an encyclopedia of details, how to draw textiles and real clothes, the art of illustration, and computers and fashion drawing. For designers, fashion professionals, teachers and students of fashion.

Fashion Sketchbook - This is an excellent and comprehensive book for all fashion design students who wish to learn the art of fashion illustration or for anyone who desires to perfect their skills.
As a fashion figure drawing instructor I suggest that if one’s budget only allows them to purchase a single book I would highly recommend this one. In addittion to the female croquis, it touches on the male and juevenile croquis as well as illustration techiques, flats and portfolio presentation.

Ancient Indian art of Eyebrow threading. She’s like a surgeon. Watch and enjoy the incredible craftwork (more)

Luxury Fashion Branding: Trends, Tactics, Techniques - Book Description

“Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends.” These words, spoken by Gabrielle Coco Chanel in the early twentieth century, remain as true as ever in our current society. Luxury fashion has seeped into every sphere of our consumer society. It has become the norm to aspire towards attaining the delectable goods of brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior. This desire is further heightened by the fact that fashion has been made more available to the masses by brands like H&M and Zara who continuously offer luxury-style goods at lower prices. Also, globalization and technological and communications advancement have made fashion even more accessible. Consumers can now shop at will on the Internet, access a wide variety of goods and exchange instant brand experiences. These have made the average fashion consumer savvy, demanding and restless. To put it mildly, the luxury consumer and the luxury landscape have changed!

What do these imply for luxury fashion brands? A changing sector currently undergoing an important market evolution, internal management shifts and rapid expansion, in dire need of strategic business direction.

Luxury Fashion Branding is the groundbreaking first book of its kind that addresses the business of luxury fashion from a strategic viewpoint. It critically analyses the essential aspects of the luxury fashion sector from tracing the origins of luxury fashion to assessing its consumers, retailing tactics, branding and marketing strategy, business modelling and e-retail.

Presented in a clear language with pictorial illustrations, Luxury Fashion Branding will make an engaging reading for anyone who wishes to learn about the captivating business of turning functional products into objects of desire.

The following is a paid review:

It’s never too early to begin thinking about the perfect costume for Halloween, is it? Halloween Express has every possible Halloween costume under the sun … or moon, as it were.

From Biblical to Midieval and Childrens to Adults - they have all bases covered when it comes to finding the perfect Halloween costume for October.. or whenever else you find the need for a costume.

From the Halloween Express site:

Halloween Express is one of the most aggressive and dynamic Halloween costume and costume accessory chains in the United States. By leveraging the huge buying power of over 150 seasonal retail halloween costume and costume accessory store locations we’re able to offer the absolute largest selection of costumes and related costume accessories you’ll find online anywhere.

We carry an extensive line of adult costumes, kids costumes, plus size costumes, sexy costumes, pirate costumes, group costumes, holiday costumes, humorous costumes, renaissance costumes, super hero costumes, hats for costumes, wigs, masks, costume makeup kits, costume decorations, medieval costumes, haunted house props, religious costumes and even pet costumes! If you’re looking for Holiday Costumes or costumes for special occassions, we have them too: Easter, St Patrick’s Day, School Plays and Renaissance Festivals just to name a few. Plus, with over 15 years of experience being one of the largest and most respected costume and costume accessory suppliers, you can make your purchase with confidence knowing our costume and costume accessory website is open year round.

They have everything from the costume, itself, to the make up, props, decorations, hats, wigs, masks, and other accessories to make your costume the best one of the night! I went through their costume collection and already chose mine for the next time I may need one (which hasn’t been for a LONG while, but ya never know!):

That’s right! I would go as one of my favorite childhood group games.. Twister. How great are those boots?

Check out their: Adult Costumes, Kids Costumes, Accessories and Make Up, Hats, Wigs and Masks, Decorations and Props and Pet Costumes… Yep! A Costume for your PET!

They also have a very sexy, very exclusive Leg Avenue Collection - that have a … well, very sexy flair!

One really nice feature of their website is when you click on a costume to look at it - - they also give you some great recommendations on what accessories, props, decorations and make up pieces would go really great with that costume — which helps you create a great look, in the end. Overall, very fun stuff!

With Oscar night just around the corner, there’s only one other thing on the minds of nominees — the swanky swag they’re gonna nab on awards night! Win or lose, the evening will be sweetened by a plush one of a kind leather duffel bag from designer Gina Alexander.

Alexander, famous for putting the stars’ faces on the bags they carry, was commisioned to create the swanky bag for the nominees — and it’s emblazoned with images from the most memorable movies of the year.

The sack retails for a colossal $2500! Whatever the Oscar outcome, this is still a nice prize.

Giorgio Armani, the Italian fashion designer, has said in a newspaper interview that he was prepared to sell his fashion empire.

“I’m prepared to sell to the highest bidder,” Armani told the business daily Handelsblatt at the opening of an Armani exhibition in Milan on Tuesday.

French group L’Oreal, which already cooperates with Armani in perfumes and cosmetics, has frequently been mooted as a possible buyer.

“L’Oreal could be a partner. But if somebody else offers more, they could also be a partner,” said the 72-year-old designer, who has no children.

Experts estimate that Armani is worth about five billion euros (6.6 billion dollars).

- YahooNews

Beauty has no age limit, indeed!

This ad is part of Dove’s revolutionary “Pro-age” campaign, and it was banned for showing too much skin

How is the concept of beauty packaged and marketed to the mass public? Have a look at this video - its pretty eye opening: