posted by Savanah on Mar 20
People love to show off. They’ll show off their new car, new dress, new house, just about anything they can. And while you might say these are all items that people should be proud of, you can be sure there’s a bit of showing off involved. And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. In fact, it should be celebrated, along with all of the fabulous new purchases. But then some things definitely should be shown off and worn with pride. And one of these, off course, is great shoes, boots and other footwear.
Every once in a while there is a shoemaker that has the prefect blend of style, class, quality of product, and last but not least, price range. Designers like Gianni Bini shoes have incredible dress shoes, casual shoes and everything in between. They have spectacular high heeled open toe strap designs as well as some pretty funky and cool shoes. And they have some amazing boots. In addition, their prices are reasonable and while you can spend a lot of money on a pair, you can also get a great pair of shoes or boots, or both, at a reasonable price. And without too much argument one would have to agree that these are all great things to show off.
posted by Savanah on Sep 21
For a costume designer working in the contemporary theatre, one of the biggest challenges comes from work with a dramaturg . The dramaturg is the one whose job it is to assist the director in making a number of choices about the unity of the production. The unities in consideration can be in terms of the overall flow of the play, but more often than not are focused on the historical accuracy of the presentation. This doesn’t apply when looking at a play that does not engage with history, but it’s rather difficult to argue that any play can exist outside of a historical perspective.
In this regard, then, the dramaturg’s function is to locate the production in a specific time, and to apply criteria for judging how effective the elements are in serving the time depicted. For the designers, theatre costumes need to be useful above anything else. Historical accuracy is sometimes set aside simply in order that the actors are able to move in the costumes without tripping. But there are plenty of ways to still serve the historical accuracy while also making useful costumes. This is where the designer’s art really comes into play, because in theatre, it is about facade as much as anything else. Part of the challenge, and also the fun, is to make a costume that bears the external appearance of historical accuracy, while remaining flexible and easy to wear.
posted by Savanah on Apr 4
A dress worth almost five times the top bonus paid to AIG executives is creating buzz at the STYLO Fashion Festival in Kuala Lumpur. The festival, which began on March 28th and wraps up tomorrow (April 5th) is being held at four sites across the capital city of Malaysia.
Faisol Abdullah, designer of the dress, believes the gown demonstrates that no matter what happens in the economy, “diamonds are forever.” The dress features 751 diamonds which are worth $30 million (US). The evening gown includes a 80 carat pearl-shaped diamond at the bodice. The gown also has a train that sparkles with diamonds.
Many are questioning the extravagance of such a gown during the worst economic slowdown in the world in decades.
The dress, which is known as the “Nightengale of Kuala Lumpur,” was made possible by the ample supply of Bengium-cut diamonds available in Kuala Lumpur. The sourcing of over 700 diamonds would usually take months.
The STYLO Fashion Festival is one of Asia’s premiere fashion events. Designers, models, buyers, and media as well as celebrities fill the luxury hotels Kuala Lumpur during the event. Abdullah hopes to find a buyer for the dress at this event.
The dress will then be presented to royal courts, starting in the middle east, until a buyer can be found. If a buyer can be found, 5 percent of the sale funds will go to the Gaza Humanitarian Fund.