The Alexander Report / Trends in Fashion and Beauty!

2010 has been an interesting year for fashion. This is the year where the press criticized celebrity baby Suri Cruise for wearing expensive designer kid’s clothing. This is the year where designer brands began to actively produce clothes for children-as there seems to be a market for expensive kid’s clothing. This is the year where children and adults alike explored the potentials of fashion from another culture-with Japanese and Korean fashion being in the forefront of the kid’s clothing and adult clothing fashion trends. And the year has not even ended!

So what can people expect for the year 2011? It’s not too early to tell: after all, designers and clothing companies release their clothing lines early. The likes of Ducci and even lesser known brands such as Ouef Eco have already shown their 2011 designs, among many others. What prominent trends can be seen from these early kid’s clothing releases?

Perhaps the most prominent trend to surge for the year 2011 is the theme of practical luxury or elegance for kid’s clothing. Again, this is a trend that probably stemmed from the “Suri Cruise effect,” wherein children want to wear designer clothes and parents want to dress their children in design brands. However, the clothing companies are gunning for something appropriate for kids despite its designer-luxury trappings. These designer kid’s clothing items will be comfortable and will steer away from styles that are inappropriate for the toddler and pre-teen set.

Of course, don’t expect these “practical luxuries” to be practically priced.

The eco-conscious theme will also become prominent in 2011, sipping its way from the adult runway to the kid’s clothing industry. Expect kid’s clothing pieces made from highly sustainable materials such as bamboo, organic cotton, and other similar fabrics. In short: frivolous is out, environmental trends are in.

Fashion pundits are already proclaiming the year 2011 as the year when the 80s rocker look returns. Expect this influence to become apparent in kid’s clothing-or at least in teen and pre-teen clothing. Don’t expect kid’s clothing to incorporate the leather and the highly sexualized look of 80s rock, although many will see the disgruntled, mixed and matched styles that the 80s made popular.

Because of this, Japanese-inspired kid’s clothing will become a bigger hit in 2011. This fashion aesthetic somewhat adheres to the concept of 80s fashion-clothes and accessories that shouldn’t match but go well together anyway, the somewhat mature Victorian-inspired dresses, the exotic Lolita-styled dresses made innocent and child-like (and therefore safe yet cute).

For girl’s fashion, expect dresses with flowing fabrics. This trend, which is more apparent in countries such as Australia and United Kingdom, is likely to be incorporated in kid’s clothing-a far cry from the current trend of flesh showing for women’s fashion. What not to expect in kid’s clothing in 2011: velvet. Many fashion journalists are already seeing velvet as a major material in some of the biggest designs for next year-but it’s unlikely that this material will enter the kid’s clothing scene.

It goes without saying that the year 2011 is still several months away-anything can happen in the world of kid’s clothing.

Get more great kids clothing ideas by visiting http://www.sohaworld.com.

Author: Beverly Maniago
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Wordpress plugin Guest Blogger

It seems like everyone is jumping on the designer bandwagon these days. And why not? The fashion industry is sexy – fashion shows, parties, celebrities, recognition, and even fame go along with a career in fashion.

Now herein lies the question: do you go to design school or go straight to starting a business? Not all fashion designers go the traditional route to design school, instead drawing on an entrepreneurial spirit, some “designers” turn their head for business into a thriving fashion enterprise.

Ralph Lauren is an example of a fashion designer who bypassed the sewing machine and headed straight for the marketplace. Which path you take depends on your personal motivation. If you love sewing and pattern making, the traditional route is going to bring the most satisfaction. If you love the fashion world but don’t have the patience for needle and thread, a career in the fast-paced and exciting fashion biz is still possible … read on.

So you want to go out on your own, what’s first?

You’ve always admired fashion designers and their ability to design trendy, unique and wearable fashions season after season, as if by magic. But it’s not magic; it’s a business. And to succeed in business, nobody is an island (meaning that everyone needs a little help to accomplish his or her dreams). And it’s not all glitz and glamour. Being a fashion designer means you have to actually run a business.

Before you print up those business cards, ask yourself if you’re prepared to roll up your sleeves and tackle the not-so fun aspects of fashion.

At first, running a fashion business could mean fulfilling orders yourself (i.e., packing boxes until the wee hours of the morning), steaming clothes repeatedly during fashion shows, and bookkeeping. You could spend only a small percentage of your time actually designing; instead you’re networking, schmoozing and negotiating with suppliers and vendors.

If you’re planning to take the direct-to-consumer path, you’ll have to create a website and maintain it (and most likely have to pay someone to handle these tasks), get a merchant account to process credit card transactions and manage charge back cycles. If you’re not interested in learning what these things mean, then you may decide to work for a large fashion house to learn the ropes.

But if you have the endurance and enough friends with skills or services you can trade for, you could go out on your own and succeed. Today is the age of entrepreneurship, why shouldn’t you get a piece of the pie?

The fashion biz: a reality check

Exciting industries are rife with competition-some that will fade away and others that will give you a run for your money. You have to compete against the big names out there and trendy emerging designers fresh out of the best design schools or veterans of big fashion houses-not to mention all the celebrities popping up with their own labels.

Running your own fashion biz may require you to reach out to suppliers and potential customers all over the world, which means you better be organized. Are you prepared to coordinate the procurement of raw materials like fabric, trim and hardware, so that your manufacturer gets what they need at the right time to deliver a finished product on deadline?

Think of yourself as a business person first and a fashion designer second. If your fashion business fails, you’re the one that suffers. Always keep the business aspect in the forefront of your mind. Some people find this prospect exhilarating, while others can’t think of anything more horrifying. Still interested in starting your own fashion business?

I’m not a designer, can I still work in the fashion industry?

Yes … and no. If you have the design vision, you can pay people to take your idea and turn it into a tangible pattern or design. This is sort of like what a creative director does. If this fits your situation, then you’d better have the business chops to get your business off the ground and you’d better have a solid Core Value Proposition.

What this means is that you must have a strong business proposal and offer a product that’s valuable and in demand. That doesn’t mean you have to sell high-end couture clothing to rich people. Clothiers H&M and Zara focus on fast ready-to-wear fashion at affordable pricepoints.

There is more than one path to becoming a fashion designer. You can learn to sew and go to design school to learn the ins-and-outs of the business. But not everyone learns to draw patterns and stitch together garments. The keys to succeeding in the fashion business are creativity, a good business sense and determination.

Stay tuned for more advice on becoming a fashion designer.

A. Covington is a fashion writer with a sharp eye for men’s designer fashion. Her men’s fashion blog covers the essentials on how to dress well, from pocket squares and designer cufflinks, to work attire for men. Amy maintains three blogs for Belisi Fashions, a luxury accessories brand based in Palm Beach.

Author: A. Covington
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

photo credit: jorgemejia

t’s face it, the sun hurts our eyes. Most folks solve this problem by perching a dark-plastic contraption at the nose bridge. It’s one of the amazing curiosities of chic living, though, that this device, known simply and accurately as sunglasses, has somehow been upgraded in fashion-wear terms and now count as a designer item. This exalted status makes these sunglasses very expensive. Fancy brands get fancy prices and we are often convinced that the more we pay for sunglasses, the higher its value as status symbol. The question is: are retailers taking us for a ride? And what can we do to find out? Read on to decide for yourself.

• There’s no doubt that sunglasses are part of one’s haute couture. It is like an adornment to your face and adds value to any fashion statement you desire to announce to the world at large. It makes sense, therefore, to pay money for an item that attracts others’ appreciative glances. Weiterlesen »

photo credit: helenadagmar

Giorgio Armani, the famous personality in the fashion industry, was born in the year 1934 in Piacenza, a small countryside in Milan. He studied in a public school where he got fascinated towards cinema and photography. After serving in Italian army for three years he finally began his profession in the fashion industry. Initially he joined the Nino Cerrati, a popular fashion house in Italy. After learning the concepts of designing for nine years with Nino, he stepped in to the fashion world as a designer in 1970 and soon in 1974 he started with the Armani Brand clothing and now there are variety of products offered under Armani brand.

Armani Exchange, the brand that gave a variety of clothing for affordable prices soon became popular amongst people due to its low-priced products. It was created in 1991 and amazingly now there are around 63 well-known boutiques in USA and more than 47 are there in the international market. Over the period of time the prices for Armani Exchange gradually grew and hence lost the popularity amongst the masses. Weiterlesen »