JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI

A massive 8.9/9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby Northeastern Japan at around 2:46pm on March 11 (JST) causing damage with blackouts, fire and tsunami. 


The large earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for countries all around the Pacific ocean.

Local Japan Emergency dials:

171 + 1 + line phone number to leave a message

171 + 2 + line phone number to listen to the message

Phone numbers to consult about missing persons: (Japanese language)

Iwate: 0120-801-471

Miyagi: 022-221-2000

Fukushima: 0120-510-186 / 090-8424-4207 / 090-8424-4208

The Fashion Industry is doing all it can to bring relief to the people of Japan.  One may text the REDCROSS at 90999 for a ten dollar donation that will simply be added to your cell phone bill...UNICEF is taking donations to help the misplaced children of this disaster as well.

As far as Fashion goes; Lady Gaga has made Bracelets that say  WE PRAY FOR JAPAN in both English and Japanese, for Five dollars, the entertainer has reportedly raised 2.5 million in the first 48 hours of distribution on the Bracelet...say what you will about Gaga, but I give it to her for this one...I am not a Gaga fan, but will buy the Bracelet purely for the statement, and the whole five dollars goes to relief efforts.

Text...buy the Bracelet...call UNICEF do what you can...if finances are difficult...PLEASE...offer a prayer, this always works.

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THE NEW NAVAJO

Paris-Maybe Isabel Marant was inspired by the Pendleton-clad, 80s-cropped-leather-jacket-wearing Brooklyn girls who lust over her clothes this season. Because for fall 2011, Marant is all about the American Southwest.


She sent out distressed Navajo print sweaters, patchwork denim work shirts with shearling-lined collars, fringed white leather tunic-style mini dresses and short-sleeved cuffed sweatshirt tops done in a brown feather print. And all of it was paired with thigh-high fringed white leather boots. There were uber-mini sparkly dresses, carried over from last season (which is good because I still want one) and loads of luxe white shearling and thick knits to close the show.

So will Isabel Marant keep Brooklyn girls in feathers and fringe, in Navajo prints and oversized cropped jackets? Probably. And we make this prediction with a degree of certainty considering Bird’s Jen Mankins told us following the show that she thought it was one of Marant’s “strongest collection in years” and she plans to stock up on the distressed Navajo print sweaters, all of the feather-camo printed pieces, and all of the white shearling looks.

Source FASHIONISTA

I personally love the collection, mainly because I spent many years in Albuquerque, New Mexico amongst the Navajo as a child.  I love their clothes, their Art, their food and their spirituality.   My sister still lives in New Mexico and I am fortunate to be able to visit and get my Southwest fix.  I love the high desert of New Mexico,the mountain peaks of the Sandias of Albuquerque and the Sangre de Cristo’s of Santa Fe (the best skiing!)

CHRISTOPHE DECARNIN

News: Insiders at Balmain are not sure when Monsieur Christophe Decarnin will return as he has been admitted into a Psychiatric Hospital for Depression. Paris Fashion is indeed suffering this season…but…this is not the first time a designer has been hospitalized…this also happened to Monsieur Saint Laurent.


Yes times in Paris are very sad indeed I just hope the silver lining will reveal itself. The Saint Laurent breakdown was indeed sad…oh but how empowering and the remarkable strength shown by Monsieur Saint Laurent…coming back and then starting his own House YSL.

Working in the Mental Health field for over a decade has brought me both tears and joy…joy…watching those small and big triumphs gives me hope that there is goodness in the world and that God or the universe does care.

I do hope Monsieur Decarnin comes through and gets better. Who knows maybe he could start his own line. The fashion industry can be very hard on a designer…having to outdo each and every season…selling your work…etc. This must be very taxing on one.

We are not created to be superstars, we are human, but there are those who attain superstardom. How does one cope with all the adulation…with living one’s life under the microscope…this has to run a poor soul down.

I know Paris Fashion will reinvent herself and one day we will again rejoice in her creations and those creative artists that are the engine of Paris Fashion Week.

JOHN GALLIANO

John Galliano, the talented and troubled designer who was fired by the fashion house Christian Dior for making anti-Semitic remarks in a drunken rant at a bar, will be put on trial for the offenses, the Paris prosecutors office said Wednesday.


Mr. Galliano, who friends said has left France to enter a rehabilitation program, also issued an apology through his London lawyer’s office on Wednesday: ‘‘Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologize for my behavior in causing any offense.’’ The designer’s statement said he was ‘‘subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing’’ during the altercation at a Paris cafe last week. He also has started legal action for defamation, his statement said.

Mr. Galliano was persuaded to accept treatment for his alcohol problems by close colleagues and friends like the supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, the sources said, asking to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the situation. While the treatment center is not known, it is likely that his destination is the Meadows, a facility in Wickenberg, Ariz., where Elton John and Donatella Versace were treated in the past.

For Christian Dior, the billion-dollar company, the problems are only multiplying. The Dior autumn 2011 women’s wear show will go ahead here on Friday, according to a person at Dior who asked not to be identified.

This is so unfortunate...some fashion insiders compare this tragedy to the death of Alexander McQueen.  I for one hope he does in fact get the help he needs.

Source:
New York Time Style

YOHJI YAMAMOTO'S Y-3 IN THE VILLAGE NYC

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adidas.com%2Fus%2Fy-3%2F&ei=UAJdTfbuKcT2gAe-7bDLDA&usg=AFQjCNFqqU1DpbcUWOxe1HnK8-MrLESucQ


Went to Y-3 yesterday to have a gander…gave the Associate my card as an introduction. I mainly looked at their Y-3 ADIDAS Sneakers…found some cuties…only at $220 I was actually expecting them to be more.

I had not been in Y-3 since the Fashion’s Night Out Party they gave last September. Looking a Hot ass mess I dare not even look at clothes as I was not fashionably DONE…went in with a pair of regular Adidas, Gap Jeans and a Grey sweat shirt…never mind I was dripping Tiffany’s off my neck and finger and had a Gucci belt…but over all that was easily overlooked.

I hope management gets back to me as I would love an exclusive…maybe actually cover FNO at Y-3 or a private showing of what they would like to have looked at.

HAUTE COUTURE WEEK

In France, the term haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture. The criteria for haute couture were established in 1945 and updated in 1992.

To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and any other way, members of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture must follow these rules:
Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.

Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.

Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs/exits with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

However, the term haute couture may have been misused by ready-to-wear brands since the late 1980s, so that its true meaning may have become blurred with that of prêt-à-porter (the French term for ready-to-wear fashion) in the public perception. Every haute couture house also markets prêt-à-porter collections, which typically deliver a higher return on investment than their custom clothing[citation needed]. Falling revenues have forced a few couture houses to abandon their less profitable couture division and concentrate solely on the less prestigious prêt-à-porter. These houses, such as Italian designer Roberto Capucci, all of whom have their workshops in Italy, are no longer considered haute couture.

YOHJI YAMAMOTO

Yamamoto became an influential fashion designer after making his Paris debut in 1981. His commercially successful main lines, Yohji Yamamoto (women/men) and Y's, are especially popular in Tokyo. These two lines are also available at his flagship stores in New York, Paris, and Antwerp, and at high-end department stores worldwide. Yohji Yamamoto Inc. reported in 2007 that the sales of Yamamoto's two main lines average above $100 million annually.

Yamamoto is known for an avant-garde spirit in his clothing, frequently creating designs far removed from current trends. His signature oversized silhouettes in black often feature drapery in varying textures.
Yohji is by far my favorite designer...the king of layers...when Yohji hit Paris in 1981 I had just stopped modeling but as one can tell have never given up on Fashion...my closet in the 80's was mostly Yohji and Kansai Yamamoto with  some Matsuda and Issey thrown in for good measure.