HAPPY NEW YEAR

May 2012 be filled with many blessings for you, may you enjoy good health and prosper.  May you love life, and the life you live.

This year for many of us was hard; some of you lost loved ones or have had to deal with the illness of loved ones.  May this year be one of strength and fortitude, may blessing reign in your year.

I would like to thank you all who have stuck by me this year and I would like to thank those who have just joined.

For my personal friends, you have stuck by me through the good and the bad, and your strength gave me hope and I am forever grateful, you do not know how frustrating this little adventure as a Blogger can be!  Am I writing post that are being read…apparently and my hits continue to come in on a daily basis.  If you would, please take time to join the page, I would like to reach 150 followers by year’s end.

Well, as I have stated…be blessed, be fabulous, and let’s rock this New Year!

WORLD AIDS DAY

Some might know no one who has died from complications due to AIDS, while others have attended enough funerals to last a lifetime.  Where ever you are in this spectrum the facts remain, people are still dying and still (unbelievably) being infected with HIV.  Education is still needed apparently, because our youth are still getting infected by an alarming rate as are women of color and Latinos.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) raises huge amounts of money for local AIDS programs throughout New York and hosts A Night of Fashion in collaboration with Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) to raise money for research and advocacy for AIDS education at social services in and around New York City.

Times are pretty rough to say the least, if you cannot donate to your local AIDS organization, offer a prayer that a cure can be found.

LET'S NOT FORGET & PRAY FOR A CURE

MARISA BERENSON

Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson (born February 15, 1947, New York City) is an American actress and model.

A fashion model who came to prominence in the early 1960s  "I once was one of the highest paid models in the world", she told The New York Times  Berenson appeared on the cover of the July 1970 issue of Vogue as well as the cover of Time on 15 December 1975. She appeared in numerous fashion layouts in Vogue in the early 1970s and her sister Berry was a photographer for the magazine as well. She was known as "The Queen of the Scene" for her frequent appearances at nightclubs and other social venues in her youth, and Yves Saint Laurent dubbed her "the girl of the Seventies".

TAVI GEVINSON

Tavi Gevinson (born April 21, 1996) is an American fashion blogger. She began her blog, "Style Rookie" on March 31, 2008 at age 11. Initially, her parents did not completely know what Tavi was doing until she asked for their permission to appear in a New York Times magazine story. Since then, she has had as many as 50,000 readers.

While Gevinson describes herself as a "tiny 13 year old dork that sits inside all day wearing awkward jackets and pretty hats", many look to her for style inspiration. In mid-2009, Gevinson partnered with the London-based Borders&Frontiers to design and sell her own t-shirt.

In August 2009, she appeared on the cover of Pop magazine, which feature photographs by Jamie Morgan and was designed by artist Damien Hirst. Since then, Tavi has been featured in the View section of the December/January 2010 issue of Teen Vogue magazine and February 2010 issue of the French Vogue. Bloggers like Tavi have been referred to as the "frontline of fashion" She has also become a regular guest at fashion shows and a muse for designers in Tokyo. She is also partly inspiration for Rodarte's line at Target. Most recently, Gevinson was named a "Vogueista" by Vogue Italia with friend, Kristin Prim.

In October 2011, she appeared on the cover of Paris-based fashion magazine L'Officiel's 90th anniversary issue.

GUCCI HORSEBIT LOAFER

 

Manufactured in a facility on the outskirts of Florence, each hand-sewn loafer passes through the delicate hands of a team of highly-skilled artisans who are involved in perfecting each and every shoe. After being sewn together and lasted, the shoes are then hand-stained and welted before going through a finishing process that includes polishing, drying, and the addition of the signature horsebit.  For decades the Iconic horsebit loafer has stood for elegance, a status symbol for many, a collector item.

Recently Gucci turned 90 years old and for their Anniversary month they came out with a Blue Suede horsebit loafer, which is no longer available.  I am a happy owner of the Gucci Blue Suede loafer. Surprisingly all three pair of my Gucci loafers are in suede, odd.  

RUMI NEELY

Rumi Neely is a fashion blogger popular for her style and photography and is of Japanese, Dutch, and Scottish descent. Neely began her site Fashiontoast.com in 2008 and combined it with an eBay vintage store called "Treasure Chest Vintage". By 2009, it was receiving over 35,000 hits per day.  She is represented by NEXT modeling agency's Los Angeles branch and Les Pros Entertainment in Japan. Rumi designed two pieces for RVCA and has also modeled for the company.  In late April 2010, she modeled for a Forever 21 campaign and attended Forever 21's opening event at New York's Times Square in June. On September 12, 2010, she modeled for Rebecca Minkoff's Spring/Summer 2011 Presentation at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She is featured in the October 2010 catalog for Free People. In November 2010, she had partnered up with Dannijo for a six-piece jewelry collection exclusive available on Tobi.com. Rumi also collaborated with REVOLVE clothing.com by creating her own online boutique via their new my REVOLVE feature. In December 2010, she collaborated with Shopbop to create her Christmas Wishlist now available to view to the public.  In February 2011, she won both Best Personal Style Blog and Blogger of the Year at the Bloglovin' Awards.   In May 2011, Neely participated in Bulgari's Save the Children campaign with Kristin Prim, which supported the fashion house's philanthropic efforts in conjunction with the charitable organization.

NATASHA POLY

Poly was born on July 12, 1985 in Perm, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union and began modeling locally in 2000. After winning a model search competition in Moscow, she made her runway debut, walking for Emanue Ungaro in 2004. The year would prove to be her breakout year; she walked in 54 fashion shows in cities like Milan, Paris, and New York City, and graced the cover of French Vogue twice consecutively.  Natasha is among the top 30 models for the 2000’s!

SUNDAY BRUNCH

I Love Brunch at The Riviera Café, honestly Brunch and Lunch are all they do well.  Dinners at The Riv are not so good.  But Champagne Brunch at 9.95 you cannot beat that, after all one cannot mess up Breakfast fare.  It is funny I always have the Breakfast Burrito, Habibi always tries something different on the menu.   I eat more Mexican food now that I have left Los Angeles than I did while I lived there…  

THE GAP

The GAP was founded in 1969, in San Francisco; I was merely eight years old and did not know how later on they would have impacted my life. But as it stands now, I love the GAP, and all they sell. Fragrances, bath products, and say nothing of the well made casual clothing. I love mixing high end with lower end styles, I Love to wear GAP jeans or Khakis with my Brown Suede Gucci Loafers or for that fact any of my Gucci Loafers. Better yet, a crisp buttoned down Oxford shirt from The GAP with my Brooks Brothers suits. The one thing I am sad about is they no longer make Grass fragrance that was my favorite, clean natural scent. Clothes from the Gap can take you from Casual Friday’s in the office to a fabulous night on the town.


Now that autumn is upon us, need I speak about their sturdy Lamb’s Wool Sweaters! My favorite is my Beige Lamb’s wool cable Knit which I have had now for six years, the sleeves have frayed, but I have paid that no mind and still continue to wear it on those blustery New York Winter days. Also, I love their all Cotton Sweaters. There is not a sweater from the GAP that I do not like. Have I mentioned their Lamb’s Wool Scarf’s? Well, they come in a myriad of colors and styles, I am sure there is one for every taste.

One would think that GAP was paying for me to write this, SOO not the case, I just love them and want to share my love of the GAP with you…check them out, I promise you will not be disappointed. If you are like me and have been away from The GAP, it is never too late to return. Do not get me wrong, I truly love the GAP the one thing you do have to look out for is some of the snooty staff. Not all, but there is always that one that just makes you cringe who acts like they own the GAP…LOL.

IN ONE SERIOUS FUNK

Sorry I have neglected you all for so long but have been in one serious funk, and I am completely Fashed out. I am not depressed, just have lost interest for some reason, I even missed doing a college paper due to this funk, which I am coming out of slowly but surely.


I practically missed Paris Fashion Week and when I did watch shows, I was soo not there and could not wait for them to be over. Even Habibi has noticed that I have not been Blogging and asked am I alright. I am not depressed, I think it was just the Weather; it was cloudy and raining for two weeks at least. I do not know how those who live in cloudy rainy cities do it, Like Seattle and even London in the summertime. All the rain really get to me I guess. But baby is getting better and will be back on shortly, I feel it.

Cheers to feeling better.

KANYE WEST

I had such high hopes for Kanye, I really did.  His collection was a mix of Spring/Summer and Hiver I did not know what season I was looking at.  As Cathy Horyn of The New York Times said…he needs to employ tailors as the clothes to do not fit properly, in so many words.  The clothes that did fit indeed fit, but the loose clothes OMG and the pants.  Just goes to show, just because you are front row for all the shows do not make you a designer.

KARLIE KLOSS

 Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American model and ballet dancer.


Kloss is ranked 4th on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com. Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.

Kloss was born in Chicago, Illinois, and her family moved to suburban St. Louis, Missouri in 1995. Before making it as a model, Kloss studied at Caston's Ballet Academy in 2002, a prestigious dance school in St. Louis. She soon became very talented at dance, and was in a number of performances such as the Nutcracker. Kloss has called her classical ballet training "a beautiful thing" that taught her how to move in the modeling world and was a great training ground for her runway walk.

When Kloss was 13, she was discovered at a charity fashion show in St. Louis. She was encouraged and inspired to model by one of her teachers in Webster Groves High School. In 2007, she signed with Elite Model Management.

I have not personally met Karlie yet, but from what I hear, she is one of the nicest down to earth models on the scene.

BOTTEGA ME

Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury goods house best known for its leather goods. Founded in 1966, it was purchased in 2001 by Gucci Group, now a part of the French multinational group PPR. Bottega Veneta is headquartered in Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.

Bottega Veneta was established in 1966 by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. The name Bottega Veneta means “Venetian atelier” and the company was begun to produce artisanal leather goods. The company’s artisans developed a leather-weaving technique, called intrecciato that remains a signature of the brand.

Pictured below are some must haves for me, I would match this blue wool coat with a pair of leather jeans and the glove with intrecciato weave would just be the top of the look for me. I have never owned any Bottega Veneta save an old intrecciato weave wallet from years ago, so I think it is about time to re invest in some Bottega. Bottega will be a Christmas present for me.

GUCCI S/S 2012

I Loved Gucci 1920’s inspired theme and the return of the Flapper, Frida Giannini the Creative Director of Gucci said after the show, that her inspiration were not only the skyscrapers of New York but also on the 90th anniversary of Gucci which was founded in 1921.


Expect to see these beaded creations blocked in black, gold, and bronze on the Red Carpet next year.

BURBERRY PRORSUM S/S 2012

With London Fashion Week closing today, I wanted to bring you my Fave,Burberry Prorsum. I LOVE Vivienne Westwood and House of Holland, Mulberry, Erdem, and Mary Katranzou. But I live for the Burberry Show, every year they sport the longest runway in London, I just love a long runway, and the soundtrack for their show is always AWESOME! Yesterday they opened their show with Nina Simone singing You Put A Spell On Me, then Ever Lasting Love by U2 and ended their show with George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord.

This season Burberry showed a most feminine ready-to-wear collection for the ladies, it was refreshing from the Motorcycle Chic of last year. I particularly like the light weight *Parka’s*. Texture and color also played a major role this time around, both echoing a tribal vibe. Expect raffia and basket-weave-inspired knits to replace Fall 2011's fur fest, accompanied by a rich palette of dark peacock, hawthorne red, turmeric yellow, beetroot, and indigo green. And while the Classic Check made its usual appearance, with a colorful twist, the prints of the day were stripes, which graced raffia caps, form-fitting pencil skirts, and parkas in a way that would make Missoni envious, and a leafy, geometric print that was splashed across dresses with cheeky cutout bodices.

It was like Burberry went on Safari.

BREAKING RECORDS

In the very beginning, I knew absolutely nothing about Blogging, I just knew I should be doing it, and here I am. I mean I am no Rumi Neely or Bryan Boy, but I am doing my own thing, I only have 66 followers, which if I know me by year’s end, well.

In the beginning, I did not know what Stat’s were, and never looked at them. So I never knew how many hits I received. The first day I started HAMILTONMODE I got 1,500 hits but after that is was certainly downhill for a year. I would get 16-22 hits here and there. Then suddenly I learned what Stats were and well now I check my Stats every hour, almost obsessed with how many hits I have gotten. When I saw I had 1,500 hits that first day back in July 2009 I said I want to reach 1,000. Now how I was going to do that I had absolutely no idea, so I left it to the universe. It took absolutely two years to the month that I received 1,613 for the month of July 2011, so I set my eyes on two, then three, four and said I will have done it if I reach five thousand, well as of September 20, 2011 I have 5,555 for the month, so far, so now my eyes are on six thousand.

To the likes of BB and Rumi, this is nothing, they get this daily, I read Bryan Boy gets one million hits a month.

But I have said all this to say…THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT MY LITTLE BLOG.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

 Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows. He is also known for having worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and for founding his own label under the name Alexander McQueen His achievements in fashion earned him four British Designer of the Year awards (1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003), as well as the CFDA's International Designer of the Year award in 2003.


McQueen's death was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010. He was found that morning by his housekeeper at his home on Green Street, London W1, hanged. Paramedics were called and they pronounced him dead at the scene.

Lee’s accomplishments are far too many to list, suffice it to say, his is a talent that shall be missed, and in fact is. I blogged on his Savage Beauty exhibit at The Met, which I saw twice, an awesome exhibit. Showing now is the Daphne Guinness exhibit at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) which showcase many pieces from McQueen, running September 16, 20011 – January 7, 2012.

MARK SCHWARTZ

Mark Schwartz began his career in New York City in the early 1980's where he was hand picked by legendary French shoe designer Roger Vivier to assist him in shoe design. Vivier was so impressed with Mark's ability to design and sketch that he called his friend Andy Warhol to visit Schwartz one day and soon Warhol took to Schwartz's whimsical approach to shoes and for the last 3 years of his life he tutored Schwartz and mentored him , both Schwartz and Warhol painted shoes on a monthly basis exchanging ideas which eventually became the style that you see today in Mark's work. After Warhol's death Schwartz went on to live and work in Paris and Milan , designing for such houses as Chanel, Lacroix, Hermes, Balenciaga, Gucci and Prada to name a few.


Upon his return to New York ( 1995 ) Schwartz opened his own boutique debuting his own shoe line Mark Schwartz in the SOHO district of NYC. Schwartz then displayed the paintings he did with Warhol on the walls of his shop and found out that they soon started to sell as well if not more than his physical shoes . ( Thank you Andy! ) Schwartz has gone on to define the shoe as an art form ( High Heeled Art- Artistic Renderings of Shoes )

I think I will have to give the visionary a visit to bring you more on this incredible art form.

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI (born Vivienne Isabel Swire on 8 April 1941) is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. When she met Malcolm McLaren, it signified the end of Westwood's marriage to Derek. Westwood and McLaren moved to a council flat in Clapham. Westwood continued to teach until 1971 when Malcolm decided to open a boutique at 430 King's Road called "Let It Rock" (later known variously as "Sex", "Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die", and "Seditionaries"). Westwood created clothes which McLaren conceived, drawing inspiration from bikers, fetishists and prostitutes. During this period, McLaren became manager of the punk band Sex Pistols and subsequently the two garnered attention as the band wore Westwood and McLaren's designs. Whilst living in their flat in Clapham, Westwood and McLaren had a child, another son named Joseph.


Westwood has five exclusively-owned shops; three in London, one in Leeds, and one in Milan. Franchise stores are located in Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, three in Manchester and most recently, in FH Mall, Nottingham (20 March 2008), and in Blake Street, York (11 September 2008). She also has showrooms in Milan, Paris and Los Angeles.

I have dubbed Dame Westwood as the Queen of British Fashion.

HOUSE OF HOLLAND

Henry Holland (born 26 May 1983) is a fashion designer from Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England. He hasattracted notice with his bold, '80s-inspired T-shirts with catchphrases such as "I'll tell you who's boss,Kate Moss". He is well known for his work with model Agynes Deyn. His latest collection features a number of tees with acronyms such as 'waysb', meaning 'what are you sayin babes'.

In spring 2009, Levi Strauss & Co debuted a denim collaboration with Holland.

He formerly worked for the fashion section of teenage magazine Sneak.

In Autumn 2008 and Spring 2010 he co-presented T4's flagship fashion and music series Frock Me alongside Alexa Chung and Gemma Cairney.

In September 2009 he agreed a deal with the British retailer Debenhams to create a fashion line, H! by Henry Holland, which went on sale in their stores from spring 2010.

For Spring/Summer 2010 he designed a pink wedding dress exclusive to LA-based boutique REVOLVE Clothing under his House of Holland line.

He states that Nicola Roberts, of Girls Aloud fame, is his muse and hero.

My most fave collection is his Granny Square crocheted jackets, scarves, and Granny Square print dresses and silk pants.



OSCAR DE LA RENTA

 Mr. De la Renta whom I have dubbed America’s couturier, Mr. De la Renta this season at New York Fashion Week left his East Side Park Avenue digs opting for an industrial space on West 42nd Street, with a runway that would put any French runway to shame, well maybe not to shame, but I have always maintained that Paris runways are in fact the longest.


The star studded show played host to Justin Timberlake who chatted with Anna Wintour, Ashley Olsen, Valentino, and embarrassingly Nicki Minaj in a get up more Betsey Johnson than Oscar de la Renta, but then again that would not be fair to Betsey.

Below are my faves from the collection, the whole collection I absolutely loved, but give me a Ball Gown and I am in heaven. De la Renta’s day looks were very Coco Chanel

PRABAL GURUNG

 Prabal Gurung launched his first collection under his own name during New York Fashion Week in February 2009 at the FLAG Art Foundation in Chelsea. For Fall 2010, he staged his first runway show in the Tents at Bryant Park. Gurung's designs have been worn by Michelle Obama, Demi Moore, Zoe Saldana and Oprah Winfrey. Gurung resides in New York City.

After Parsons, Gurung spent two years with Cynthia Rowley’s design team. Soon after, he became the design director at Bill Blass. Following five successful years at Blass, Gurung launched his own collection PRABAL GURUNG. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and received a nomination for the 2010 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Award. He was also chosen by prominent fashion editors, retailers, designers and business people for the {CFDA Fashion Incubator} for 2010-2012. In November 2010, Prabal was awarded runner up for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

PHILLIP LIM

 Phillip Lim (born 1973 in Thailand) is a Cambodian-American fashion designer of Chinese ancestry. He was awarded the 2007 Council of Fashion Designers of America Emerging Talent in Womenswear award for his work as creative director of 3.1 Phillip Lim. He worked at the label Development from 2000 to 2004, and has been the head of 3.1 Phillip Lim which launched in the fall of 2005 to present.

ALEXANDER WANG

 Alexander Wang (born 1984) is a Taiwanese-American fashion designer.
At age 18, he moved to New York to attend Parsons The New School for Design to study fashion design. After dropping out in his sophomore year, he launched his first women's ready-to-wear collection in 2007. The label embodies casually cool downtown style, drawing inspiration from the nineties, French chic, and rock grunge—always finished off with a slouchy, rolled-out-of-bed edge. Wang launched a diffusion line of pre-weathered cotton tees, tanks, and T-shirt dresses in spring 2009, T by Alexander Wang, as well as a footwear collection of towering platform sandals. He won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2008, an honor accompanied by a $200,000 award to expand one's business. His lines are now stocked globally by more than 30 of the world’s premiere retailers including Barneys NYC, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Dover Street Market, Browns, Otte and Selfridges.

JASON WU

 Jason Wu ( born September 27, 1982) is a Manhattan-based Taiwanese American fashion designer


Wu launched his ready-to-wear line of clothes with earnings from his years of doll designs, His first full collection debuted in 2006 and won the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2008. Jason Wu's dresses were photographed underwater by Howard Schatz for Delta Faucet Company's Brizo branded faucet campaign in 2006. In 2008 he was nominated for the Vogue Fashion Fund award. Bruce Weber shot the designer for W magazine's "Summer Camp" portfolio last July.

Michelle Obama was introduced to Wu by André Leon Talley, Vogue Magazine's editor-at-large, who had been advising the future First Family on their appearance. She bought four dresses from Wu early in the year, wearing one of them for a segment on Barbara Walters Special shortly before the November 2008 election, prompting many in the media to consider her his "career-launcher".

STEPHANIE BURKHALTER

 Stéphanie Burkhalter, unique child, was born in Geneva, Switzerland.
Already, in her softest childhood, she developed a special interest for the classic drawing and the oil painting.
Being a very reserved and solitary child, she spent whole days in her room to draw, contained in her world of fantasy.
At the age of 16, she began an international models career which made her travel in every corner of the world and discovered a universe made by glitter which fascinated her.
With this experience, she decided to unite the fashion with the drawing, and began a prestigious fashion school " Marangoni " in Milan.
She obtained her diploma in 2005 and worked with many Italian fashion companies, then started to draw her own collection under the name of BURKHALTER couture.
Stéphanie Burkhalter returned then in Geneva, where, in her studio, she gave life to her personal creations and began to obtain success through a customers' small circle in Europe as well as on the other continents.

In 2008 was born BURKHALTER couture.




Collection A/W 2011-12 “The Prettiest Dresses Are Worn To Be Taken Off” is a collection inspired from the decade of the Art deco, which is my favorite fashion decade. Why this title? because this collection is made for evening parties, cocktails, romantic dinners, so I created those dresses with one objective : all women wearing my dresses are becoming irresistible nights princesses.
This collection is a full immersion in the attention turned to the new juvenile tendencies, combined to an inclined search through volumes and lines that reminds the decade of Art deco's linear symmetry, maintaining nevertheless some classical and luxurious style.
It allows the mind to escape through the rays of sun that it transmits the art deco, in an explosion of variegated forms between them. Vivacious and original movements give life to a notable effect that rises from a meeting and clash of jagged lines.
Same use of precious materials that characterize the period. Use of neutral colors to mark the difference among the fashion of those years and the contemporary one. A mix among futuristic elements and simple materials. Specific sewing, use of puffy lines or elements for a delicate and feminine effect, such as specific roses, bow and pearls that are giving the “stars in the sky” touch.
A collection made of sensual timeless lines thought for a transgressive, sensual and sure of herself woman, created with the irony of a contemporary style in a Wonderland where all the dresses I am creating are done for all the Princesses in the world, as I consider all women being “Princesses”.

PROENZA SCHOULER

 Proenza Schouler is a New York based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The duo met while studying at Parson’s School of Design, collaborating on their senior thesis, which would eventually become their first collection as Proenza Schouler. Named after the designers’ mothers’ maiden names, the collection was bought in its entirety by Barneys New York.


Proenza Schouler is defined by its fusion of craftsmanship and attention to detail with a sense of refined ease. Inspiration drawn from contemporary art and youth culture is combined with an emphasis on tailoring and the use of custom developed fabrics.

Proenza Schouler has played an important role in reinvigorating American fashion. Awarded with the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004, the emerging brand was established as a leading talent in the industry. Three years later, Proenza Schouler was honored with the 2007 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. In June 2011, the designers were awarded their second CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award.

YIGAL AZROUEL

Yigal Azrouël is an Israeli American New York based fashion designer. He was born in Israek of French-Moroccan descent and currently lives in the United States.  In 1998, Yigal Azrouël launched his first collection in New York. The following year, he began his participation with 7th on 6th/NY Fashion Week. In August 2000, Yigal Azrouël opened a full service showroom and production facility. As of 2007, this Garment District location produces 90% of Yigal Azrouël products.
In February 2003, Azrouël opened his first freestanding boutique in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, located on West 14th Street, designed by Dror Benshetrit. His boutique was among the first of the neighborhood's retail ventures. The aesthetic and architecture of his boutique have been featured in many publications, and his boutique has been the location for two of Azrouël's Spring fashion shows.
I actually got an invite to his show which arrived a day after the show alas...LOL  my luck.

A WARM THANK YOU

To you my readers, we made it to 3,567 hits last month, let us make it 4,000 for this month.  This month I will feature new Fashion Designers, from the four capitals of Fashion, New York, Paris, Milan, and London.  I will also keep you up to date on Fashion Month starting on the 8^th of this month in New York.  Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the shows I had hoped to due to commitments out of town, but there is always Fashion Now to keep me updated for you.

This month also, I will focus on your not so high end Fashions but bring you Fashion styles and trends that we all can partake in.  It is nice to live in the fantasy world of high end Fashion, but in reality that is exactly what it is for most of us, a fantasy, I think it nice to keep up with what is going on in Couture but who really has the money for Couture but your millionaires which we are not, I do not think, I might be wrong, as I am not really sure who is reading my Blog.  Anyway, I will focus on H&M, ZARA, UniQlo, and the GAP, stores we can relate to, whose prices are low enough that we can look good and not break the bank.  So kick back and stay tuned.

All the best,

HAMILTONMODE

CHANEL

Chanel S.A., commonly known as Chanel, is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods (haute couture, ready-to-wear, handbags, perfumery, and cosmetics among others). She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France. Chanel has catered to tastes in items such as simple suits, dresses, women's pants, and costume jewelry. Coco Chanel's vision was to replace such opulent, 'sexy' pieces with items which conveyed casual elegance. Today, Chanel is most famous for the "little black dress". According to Forbes, the privately owned House of Chanel is jointly owned by Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer who are the great-grandsons of the early (1924) Chanel partner Pierre Wertheimer.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883. She established new designs and revolutionized the fashion industry through the application of Jersy to womenswear and incorporating elegance, class, and originality to practical designs. Under her tight reign from 1909–1971, Coco Chanel held the title of 'Chief Designer' until her death on 10 January 1971.

Karl Lagerfeld, photo below, took over as Creative Director of Chanel in 1983.

GIORGIO ARMANI

Giorgio Armani ( born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a personal fortune of $7 billion as of 2011.

In 1983 the designer modified his agreement with GFT. They began to produce both the Mani line for the United States and his high-end ready-to-wear line, rechristened Borgonuovo 21, after the address of the company's headquarters. During the late 1980s, despite Galeotti's death (1985), Armani continued to expand commercial horizons and licensing agreements. He opened Armani Japan and introduced a line of eyeglasses (1988), socks (1987), a gift collection (1989), and a new "basic" men's and women's line for America known as A/X Armani Exchange (1991).

GIANNI VERSACE

Gianni Versace (December 2, 1946 - July 15, 1997) was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni  Versace  S.p.A, an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Madonna, Elton John, Cher, Sting, and Diana, Princess of Wales among many others. Openly gay, Versace and his partner Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international party scene. Versace was murdered outside his Miami Beach home, the former Casa Casuarina now known as The Villa By Barton G, at the age of 50 by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.

In the mid-1970s, his knits drew the attention of headhunter at Genny and Callaghan. Complice hired him to design their leather and suede collections, and a few years later, encouraged by his success, Versace presented his first signature collection for women at the Palazzo della Permanente Art Museum of Milan. His first menswear collection followed in September of the same year. After presenting his menswear collection he joined Jorge Saud, who would later also become a partner with Giorgio Armani. The first boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978. He was influenced by Andy Warhol, Ancient Roman and Greek art as well as modern abstract art.

Since his death sister Donatella has been designing for the House of Versace.

When I heard of the death of Gianni I actually broke down and cried, something I do not generally do, I immediately went out and bought flowers and laid them at the Versace boutique in Beverly Hills.

Donatella Versace, creative director of Versace.