LAKELAND --
A local group is putting together Lakeland’s first ever Fashion Week.
High fashion and Haute Couture are two things most don’t normally hear mentioned with the city of Lakeland. But local designers like Jasmine Hunter are looking to change that.
“I am. One client at a time,” said Hunter, who is from Lakeland.
She debuted her fashion line Jay Hunt Designs at this year’s New York Fashion Week.
Another big name in fashion and in Lakeland is the Allusions by A-lekay swimsuit line. Designer Altricia Cook designs the high waist swimsuits.
She’s also been to fashion week and had rapper Nicki Minaj wear her swimsuit on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine’s July issue.
“It was pretty amazing. It was a wow factor for me,” Cook said.
That wow factor is exactly what the designers from Lakeland plan to bring to the first ever Lakeland Fashion week.
This weekend, designers and organizers had their open casting call for models- all of them local of course.
“It’s just that we haven’t been put on the map the way that Tampa and Orlando is so we need this,” said model Lorenzo Edwards. “We need to grow in that way because we can blow up and be just as big as Brooklyn Fashion Week where I just came from.”
And if you’re scratching your head wondering…Lakeland? Fashion Week? Lakeland Fashion Week organizer Ekho Powell said people are in for a real treat.
“I’ve actually had people call me and they asked me in a very nice way, ‘You do know what Fashion Week is right?’ And I was like we’re Polk County, we’re not the moon. We know what fashion week is and it’s a proper fashion week too,” Powell said.
So whether you want to see the some of the hottest designs of the fall or some of the area’s talented models, it’s all going to be on the runway at this year’s Lakeland Fashion Week.
The show runs September 29 through October 3rd. For more information about Lakeland Fashion Week
Wore what? Boots, £30, New Look; jeans, £30, Zara; scarf, £20, Warehouse; cardigan, £12, t-shirt, £6, hat, £8, all Primark; bag, Louis Vuitton, present.
Why? My style is quite casual, but I like to be a little bit dressed up as well. I don’t like to wear trainers or anything like that.
Who? I like Blake Lively. I think she always looks great, but I don’t like Katie Price. Her clothes are always too tight and too small — it’s not my style.
Lora Chan (46), manager, Stranraer
Wore what? Coat, £60, dress, £30, boots, £40, all from Hong Kong.
Why? My style is quite natural and I like to feel comfortable. I like to wear what I want and choose something different every day.
Who? For my age, there aren't many celebrities who I look to for style inspiration. There are, though, lots of stars who are a bit too crazy and too revealing in their dress sense. I don't like that.
Wore what? Top, £13, Quiz; jacket, £25, Vero Moda; jeans, £50, Levi; boots, £20, New Look; handbag, £250, Michael Kors.
Why? I tend to dress "smart casual", and I think you don't have to be uncovered to look good.
Who? I really like Jennifer Aniston. I think she dresses well for her age. She's smart without being over-dressed.
Ruth Bakley (20), student, Coleraine
Wore what? Shoes, £50, Moda in Pelle; trousers, £30, Zara; top, £20, New Look; bag, £125, Guess.
Why? My style varies from day to day. It can be a bit more casual than what I'm wearing today, but I like to dress up when I can.
Who? I admire Olivia Palermo. Her style is lovely and I think she is very chic.
Lydia McFarland (18), student, Ballymena
Wore what? Boots, £25, Topshop; jeans, £30, River Island; blouse, £20, Topshop; coat, £50, Miss Selfridge; bag, £30, Accessorize.
Why? I'm not too dressy, so I try to keep it casual and comfortable without being too revealing.
Who? I really like Rita Ora's style. She is not like other celebrities and makes unusual choices.
Cairrai Groogan (20), student, Ballymena
Wore what? Blazer, £30, DV8; blouse, £9, Asda; necklace, £12, Primark; shoes, £25, bag, £25 and jeans, £20, all from New Look.
Why? I don't think I really have a particular style, but I try to go for a casual look. I don't really follow celebrities or anything. I just wear what I want.
Who? I think Kim Kardashian dresses up for people she is surrounded by, and it's far too much. I'm not a fan at all.
India Hunter (21), sales assistant, Antrim
Wore what? Shoes, £30, Zara; trousers, £35, top, £45, both Topshop; jacket, £18, bag, £25, both H&M.
Why? While I prefer formal style, I sell jeans for a living, so I need to strike a balance. I love brogues and patent accessories, they're my favourite.
Who? I really like Paloma Faith because she is slightly different. I think Kim Kardashian's style at the moment is horrific - it really doesn't suit her.
The Opening Ceremony label are channelling the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, while his daughter inspired a catwalk filled with undercover ballet dancers
Models on the catwalk at the Opening Ceremony show.
Models on the catwalk at the Opening Ceremony show. Photograph: WWD/REX
An Opening Ceremony show is never a straightforward, models-walking-up-and-down-a-catwalk affair. They have staged a play in the past, and made awesome sweatshirts with Kodak last season. Here are five things to know about their SS16 show.
Model at the Opening Ceremony: Ready to Wear New York show. Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Model at the Opening Ceremony: Ready to Wear New York show. Photograph: REX Shutterstock
The look is inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright
The architect’s graphic work on stained glass inspired the patterns on the lampshades dotted around the venue, and the lattice work on the clothes, including some very nice fringed skirts.
But it’s actually his daughter Iovanna who was the main event
She produced costumes for dance dramas in the late 60s and – surprise! – dancers were dotted among the models here. They were announced with a falling move (possibly in a nod to Frank’s famous Fallingwater building?) that looked like a regular catwalk stumble. When that turned into some Fame-worthy dance moves, the New York City Ballet dancers’ real identities were revealed.
Background scenery at the Opening Ceremony New York show. Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Background scenery at the Opening Ceremony New York show. Photograph: WWD/REX Shutterstock
Flowers cheer up any venue
Opening Ceremony turned their gritty Wall Street venue into a veritable green-fingered paradise with plants everywhere. For a set of harried editors at the end of a long day, it had a calming effect. The good work will continue long after the fashion crowd have left the building: the plants will be donated to nonprofit organisation Edible Schoolyard, to place in public schools around New York.
Laverne Cox at the Opening Ceremony show. Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Laverne Cox at the Opening Ceremony show. Photograph: WWD/REX Shutterstock
Laverne Cox is the best addition to the frow we can think of
She was at the Opening Ceremony show, and has long worked with the brand. This time, she appeared a vision in caramel and made the other frow highlight of the day – Beckham senior and junior at Victoria Beckham – seem almost secondary. Almost.
Look 23 in the Opening Ceremony show. Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Look 23 in the Opening Ceremony show. Photograph: WWD/REX Shutterstock
Look 23 was the SS16 winner
A short mac with smart gold buttons and a pair of flared mid-blue jeans is all you need next season. Refer to Grace in Look 23 and study closely. These two items – the rust mac in particular, something that Opening Ceremony call the Miller Barn jacket – are a little bit mid-century, but a lot modern. They’re very good indeed.
Seoul -- Move over Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.
Seoul is emerging as Asia's new fashion showcase, with the world's top luxury firms seeking to cash in on the regional trend-setting popularity of South Korean pop culture.
Fast-growing Asia is a key market driving the global luxury industry, with purchases by Chinese consumers accounting for one third of global sales, according to market researcher Bain & Company.
And those consumers often take their style pointers from elsewhere, which is why many brand companies are increasingly focusing on the country described by Bain as Asia's "trendsetter and influencer for fashion and luxury".
Over the past year, leading global fashion houses have upped their game in South Korea in a bid to reach those well-heeled Asians who take their fashion cues from popular Korean TV and pop stars.
French powerhouse Chanel held its 2015/16 Cruise Collection in Seoul in May -- its first show in South Korea.
And in June, Christian Dior opened a six-storey flagship store -- the largest in Asia -- in the upscale district of Gangnam, made famous by the eponymous hit by South Korean rapper Psy.
The world's top luxury group LVMH, which owns Dior and Louis Vuitton, has gone a step further by directly investing in Seoul's thriving K-pop industry.
Last August, L Capital Asia -- the investment fund arm of LVMH -- bought shares worth about $80 million in YG Entertainment, a major K-pop agency.
The deal made the French luxury empire the second-largest shareholder of YG, whose roster of K-pop acts includes Psy, G-Dragon and the boyband BigBang.
"Global luxury firms have begun to realise that what's popular in South Korea soon becomes popular across Asia," said Lie Sang-Bong, a prominent fashion designer and head of the Council of Fashion Designers of Korea.
Lie said luxury brands that had previously favoured Hong Kong or Singapore as the centre of their Asia business started to turn to Seoul about three years ago.
China's influence as a trendsetter will eventually catch-up with its importance as a market, but for now "Seoul is where they look to see the next big trend," Lie said.
Famed fashion critic Suzy Menkes picked Seoul as next year's host for what will be only the second edition of the annual Conde Nast International Luxury Conference.
"I think that (luxury brands) are thinking of this country as a hub, this city in particular as a hub, where people will go and buy things," Menkes, the international fashion editor for Vogue, said during a visit to Seoul in July.
Riding the Korean Wave
The real attraction for the brand names is the promotional reach into the rest of Asia and beyond provided by the so-called Hallyu (Korean Wave) of Korean TV shows and pop music.
The power of the Hallyu phenomenon was most recently demonstrated by the 2014 hit TV drama "My Love from Another Star" which was enormously popular in China.
A pair of $625 Jimmy Choo shoes worn by the show's heroine, Jun Ji-Hyun, sold out in shoe stores across Asia, while an Yves Saint Laurent lipstick she was rumoured to be wearing experienced a similar run in China.
Rapper G-Dragon -- a style icon followed by millions of fans across Asia and beyond on social media -- is considered a poster child of the Hallyu boom.
His favourite items, from Yves Saint Laurent jackets to Christian Louboutin sneakers, earn instant recognition among his followers and are discussed on dozens of websites dedicated to the styles of K-pop artists.
Now the 27-year-old has become a front-row fashion show fixture, not just in Asian cities, but also Paris and London.
Korean TV dramas have also proved to be a striking marketing device for the cosmetics industry, according to a May report by market researcher Euromonitor.
Selling beauty
Beauty products featured in top-rated shows or favoured by their stars fuel "rocketing demand for the relevant colour cosmetics and skin care products" in other Asian countries, especially China, the report said.
And it isn't only foreign brands that are benefiting from exposure in the South Korean shop window.
A "cushion-compact" -- a sponge soaked with liquid foundation -- developed by AmorePacific has proved a major hit in Asia, prompting Dior to form a strategic partnership with the Korean cosmetics giant to use the "cushion" technology.
Kate Ahn, Seoul representative of the British consumer research firm Stylus, said South Korea had effectively become a "springboard" for luxury brands to test consumer sentiment in the Asian market.
"It's a small country but a perfect starting point to tap into the Chinese market and beyond," Ahn said, adding she had been bombarded with proposals from European and US firms hoping to invest in Seoul cosmetics makers in recent years.
"They even want to invest in relatively small, little-known cosmetics firms ... because they know many Asian women, especially Chinese, are closely watching beauty trends in Seoul," she said.
Gracie Otto and Lara Bingle on set for Westfield's upcoming short fashion film Today, I Am. Photo: Instagram
Westfield has coaxed Lara Bingle to step back in front of the camera for its Today, I Am short fashion film series.
Acclaimed filmmaker Gracie Otto has shot, directed and edited two films for the retailer. The first was filmed against the Sydney skyline and features model/actors Thomas Cocquerel, who will appear alongside Anna Kendrick in Table 19, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend star Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
The second project with Bingle as the star will be released soon and was filmed on location in New York. Famed Victoria's Secret photographer Russell James is also rumoured to have been involved in Bingle's modelling comeback.
A photo posted by Lara Worthington (@laraworthington) on
"Lara is looking the best she's ever looked. She's just got these Marilyn Monroe features on screen, I keep telling her to try acting but she just laughs," Otto told The Sun Herald. "Like the Sydney one, we shot some of it on a rooftop in New York, we cranked the music and she was dancing around having a ball."
Today, I Am will mark Bingle's return to the spotlight since giving birth to her son Rocket Zot in March.
"People always want to know what Lara is wearing so this project allows us to hear her thoughts on fashion and how fashion makes her feel," Otto said.
"It was so great to see her and work with her again. Especially now she's a mum, we're the same age so I'm like 'wow', she says it's the hardest thing she's ever done but she's doing really well."
Former Fashion Police panelist Kelly Osbourne stars in the first of the Today, I Am series.
"While Kelly encourages you to use fashion to be whoever you want to be, Lara's film is about what Lara wears and how she wears it."
It's no secret Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is a sucker for an Armani blazer and brooch ensemble, but when she's out in the field, like she was this week encouraging big business to bankroll foreign aid, she dons Australian designs.
First there was a Camilla & Marc number for an appearance on Sky News' Viewpoint.
A photo posted by Australian Fashion Chamber (@afashionchamber) on
Then Dion Lee designed her digs for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Fashion Chamber, a pact which will see the federal government working with the local industry to enhance our presence in foreign stores and on their runways.
"I've already charged our overseas embassies and high commissions and posts to host events for our fashion designers during the major fashion shows and already we've held fashion events in our posts in New York, London, Paris, Islamabad, New Delhi and Jakarta," she said.
A photo posted by Julie Bishop (@juliebishopmp) on
"I first fell in love with Collette Dinnigan's glorious clothes many years ago and I have my own classic collection of sequined cardis and gorgeous frocks. Indeed, I was attending a dinner in New York for G'Day USA in January of last year and I bought this and the label says only seven were made worldwide. Well, imagine my delight when I found one of the seven upstairs in the exhibition. We've only got five to locate, Collette," she said.
It's not hard to see why Bishop, not our Country Road sweater-loving Arts Minister George Brandis, was invited. The well-read Attorney-General may have struggled for a conversation with the fashion crowd who are more into Paleo than Plato.
Richard Branson: The flexible parent's champion
Richard Branson with his children Holly and Sam.
For Richard Branson there is only one thing that trumps being a father, and that's becoming a grandfather.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun-Herald ahead of his Australian visit this week, the Virgin tycoon was practically giddy when pressed about the newest additions to his family.
"Fatherhood comes with so many rewards, but the best thing about being a dad is watching your children grow into capable and independent adults," he said. "This year has been extra special, as both my children, Holly and Sam, have had children of their own. They're extraordinary parents and being a grandfather is fast becoming my favourite thing about being a father."
Branson, who regularly took meetings and interviews while his children played in his office, said he has no regrets for routinely pulling them out of school for airline route launches all around the world, "I dreaded the conversation with their headmaster, justifying why taking them out of school was good for them."
The 65-year-old credits fatherhood to his professional success and encourages both men and women to push for flexible working conditions.
"Being so focused on being a father has helped to provide balance and act as a constant reminder that business isn't the be-all and end-all of life."
Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore join forces with National Breast Cancer Foundation
Actors Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette will help raise funds for the NBCF.
Julia Baird's moving op-ed about her cancer struggle last week put a lot of things into perspective – cherish your loved ones and don't sweat the small stuff. It's perhaps rather serendipitous then that in the coming weeks Hollywood will be focused on the illness thanks to the release of Toni Collette's new film, Miss You Already.
The film, which also stars Drew Barrymore, is a new age version of Thelma & Louise (minus the road trip). It charts the story of lifelong friends, one who is struggling with infertility and the other with breast cancer. Both Collette and Barrymore will attend the Australian premiere at the State Theatre this month. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for research.
Meanwhile, Margie Abbott will make a rare public appearance this week all in the name of women's cancer prevention for the launch of Pink Hope's second annual Bright Pink Lipstick Day. Abbott, together with the founder of the breast and ovarian cancer prevention charity Krystal Barter, will host a brunch at Kirribilli House. Model Jess Hart has once again created a bespoke pink lipstick for the social media movement which encourages women to talk about their family health history.
Rebecca Vallance eyes Manhattan
Bambi Northwood-Blyth and designer Rebecca Vallance.
New York Fashion Week is almost upon us and you can practically smell the champagne and expensive perfume from here. While all the usual international suspects will be showing their spring-summer 2016 collections all over the Big Apple starting this week, a strong contingent of Aussie talent will be storming the official schedule, including Rebecca Vallance.
Vallance, a darling of David Jones back home, will make her second NYFW appearance after experiencing a 270 per cent growth in sales this year alone. Her collection, Pop Noir, will be shown to key buyers, celebrities and media just after she takes her first international sales meeting with Barneys – more commonly known as Fashion Nirvana. The Zimmermann sisters will also show as will Dion Lee later in the week.
Meanwhile across the pond, after several seasons showing in Paris, Kym Ellery has finally been invited to participate on the official schedule in the fashion capital. Her show will take place on October 6 during Paris Fashion Week.
The man behind Lorde, gets behind the lens for Karen Walker
James Lowe's Poolside campaign for Karen Walker Sunglasses.
Rachel Zoe, super stylist and sunglasses aficionado, once said, "Sunglasses are the ultimate do not disturb sign" which is why Kiwi designer Karen Walker's range is a cult favourite for the celebrity types like Beyonce, Lena Dunham and Rihanna. For her upcoming spring campaign Walker has recruited her countryman, famed photographer and Lorde's other half James Lowe to capture the collection.
Lowe, who studied at art school and has a fine arts background, keeps a low public profile even in his native Auckland. He is renowned for his intimate yet playful portraiture and has previously shot his longtime love Lorde for a spread in music publication NME and for fashion house Chloe.
His work and fashion features also regularly appear in Nylon and Oyster magazines. Karen Walker's Poolside campaign is one of his first major international commercial jobs.
Party of the Week: David Jones launch JT One at Vogue Fashion's Night Out
Alli Simpson with the models at the JT One launch.
The streets were alive with the sound of cash registers and "can I get a selfie?" on Thursday for Vogue Fashion's Night Out, with fashion editors, celebrities and those who treat shopping as cardio flooding the CBD for the sixth annual shopping festival. David Jones took the opportunity to launch its third Woolworths brand JT One with social media star Alli Simpson, sister of singer Cody. JT One is the department store's new lingerie and loungewear range from South Africa which boasts more bright colours and loud leopard prints than TheReal Housewives of Melbourne.
FaithfulProject Runwaywatchers who have seen every season recognized the recurring Mary Kay challenge in Thursday night’s episode, though it caused the designers to crack.
This challenge allows the designers to take the inspiration from the classic and iconic fashion staple and give it their own modern twist. The winner receives a $5,000 prize and will have the look featured in an ad campaign.
The designers finally make their first trip to Mood, and immediately I’m at peace. All is right in the world. And check out those hot, new see-through Mood bags!
The nine-hour challenge gives the designers a lot to contemplate. It’s the New York woman — the ideal woman that the fashion industry created. She is successful, playful and feminine. The designers went in all kinds of directions — most in bad taste — of who they believed the New York woman was.
It was difficult to understand the thought process of anyone this week. For the first 40 minutes, there weren’t any signs that these looks had a prayer of being complete within the deadline. All we could see were unfinished looks, until what seemed like hair and makeup time (cue Mary Kay makeup product placement).
No one could make a decision. The ones who were confident, such as Ashley and Laurie, weren’t even featured as much this episode. There were more tears in the design room than sewing machines (looking at you, Amanda).
Tim Gunn comes in for critique and gives Candice the stamp of approval for her leather dress, while Amanda calls Candice’s skills “mediocre.” OK, you haven’t won a challenge yet, so stop. (Just kidding, we like drama.)
Amanda is in mental breakdown mode, and instead of hyping herself up, her jealousy of Candice is blocking her ability to focus. She sounds whiney and she’s already been in the bottom twice in a row, so it’s time to rally.
Gabrielle decided to just not even make an outfit until Tim would OK her sketch. Again, it’s hard to level with the thought processes this week.
Lindsey compared New York to a person you hadn’t seen in three years and based her design on what you would wear at that reunion. Tim Gunn admired her cute story, but it’s just too bad it wasn’t a creative writing challenge.
Blake plays the ditz, which is causing everyone to underestimate him. Tim is “baffled” by Blake’s materials and how difficult they will be to sew together. We need to keep the camera off of Blake for more than seven seconds because his procrastination is so contagious I might not ever get anything done ever again.
Swapnil’s little black dress was one stitch away from being a eitherBreakfast at Tiffany’sbeauty or a cheap dress for Atlantic City.
Thankfully, it came out as the former and placed him in the top three.
It’s just not Gabrielle’s day — her fabrics are all wrong; the sewing machine can’t make the stitch she wants; and on the runway, the dress collapsed into a badly sewn, dying star.
Jake’s pink sequin dress was cheap-looking, and it was safe. It wasn’t Mary Kay at all. It was an underage girl trying to unsuccessfully dress older, but he squeaked by. Moving on.
Sorry, but why does Blake keep receiving high scores?! Like he got blood on his dress, granted he covered it up, but blood. The only thing I liked was the necklace, and he didn’t make that.
The judges liked his innovation and ability to work under pressure, but is it seriously that bad in this season that we are applauding the two basic skills that are required to be on this show in the first place? He did take a risk. I’ll give him that.
Regardless, Candice rocked the top again with her reverse leather-seamed dress and the judges loved everything about her design. They complimented her for having a voice through her designs. Shout out to her model’s boobs — they were immaculate.
Lindsey’s imaginary date with New York ended in a mistake. The design was exactly what guest judge, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), described it as: “heavy.” The model was “swallowed” by the three-piece outfit and it just missed its focus.
Amanda ended up on the bottom for the third time. Her fear came true, which is sad because the wrap dress had the potential but her mind was elsewhere. Judge Zac Posen called it “half a ‘50s toga.”
Gabrielle got chewed out for her chewed up hem that she said happened because of her scissors, which she said she dropped six times and wouldn’t cut anymore.
I demand a recount. I just don’t understand. The judges even said Blake’s design was “not well made.” I could’ve sewn that, and for me, re-sewing buttons requires hard concentration.
Amanda was saved, leaving Heidi to say “auf wiedersehen” to Gabrielle.
Tim Gunn was unnerved by Gabrielle leaving, causing me to pray he doesn’t use his Tim Gunn-save on her as he has the power to bring back one eliminated designer all season. But, by the end we saw her pack up her jenky scissors and leave.
Candice got jipped. She accessorized and nailed the hair and makeup. The judges went as far to say the look was “very Mary Kay.” I see Mary Kay with Candice’s design, not Blake’s.
We now have to wait two more episodes for the chance for Blake to be out.
