San Diego Fashion Calendar

Designers need you (really, they do!)

By: Anne Robinson

Follow me on twitter- amr8798

email me at amr8798@gmail.com

check out my blog http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

The fashion industry has one main goal: "to provide a desirable and appealing product to satisfy customer needs, demands, or aspire to have."

You might ask yourself then, why is it harder to buy a designer item than it is to go to the mall and find a new outfit. Designer items can be hard to find at stores and may require months of saving up for the big buy.

Coco Chanel once said, "I like fashion to go down to the street, but I can't accept that it should originate there." High end designers don't want their collections to be easily accessible to every person on the street. An extremely high level of craftsmanship goes into the creation of every product.

Designers do need consumers though. They need us to be interested in them and their collections. Chanel also said, "Those who create are rare; those who cannot are numerous. Therefore, the latter are stronger." Without any interest from consumers, designers would be out of luck (and work).

I have to insist that you follow this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGm8egzGiPY). It will bring you to a clip showing how Louis Vuitton shoes are made. It's really amazing, so go watch it...now!

 

Buying designer labels gives you the satisfaction of knowing how and where your clothes and accessories were made. These items are created through hours of human labor. Everytime you pick up a piece of clothing from the shelf of a retail shelf, you should wonder if it was made by a machine, operated by some poor child in China.

 

Buy from a designer and you will know, without a doubt, that the item was created by a skilled professional in excellent working conditions.

So, whether you are the type to run out and buy new collections as soon as they are available, or you just keep up to date on the new season's styles, you are doing your part to keep high end designers in business.

It's almost like designers work for us. (Well not really, but it's a nice thought.)

Fake Louis Vuitton handbags

By: Anne Robinson

Follow me on twitter amr8798

As you know, I am about quality. So, naturally, I want you to have an authentic Louis Vuitton handbag.

There are only three ways to buy an authentic Louis Vuitton handbag and have a sale that is approved by Louis Vuitton representatives. They are: online at http://www.eluxury.com/, at Louis Vuitton stores, or by calling 866-VUITTON. If you buy from another source, the sale is not authorized by Louis Vuitton and may be a fake or counterfeit product.

If you are buying from an unauthorized site, consider these tips that may help you spot the knock-offs.

Louis Vuitton uses brass and gold metal hardware, so any painted plastic buttons or zippers are not real LV.

The number of stitches is the same on each side, find the bag on the LV website, count the number of stitches and compare it to the one you are buying.

Authentic LV bags have symmetrical seams with no tilted material, this is true for the logo too.
Monograms that are cut-out, solid colored, or any color but gold are not authentic.

Louis Vuitton items are never sold at discounted prices.

So, how do vendors get counterfeit items into the United States? Without labels. Labels and tags are added to items after they are smuggled into the country. Therefore, officials have no proof that they are counterfeit when they pass through customs. Even if officials notice the strong resemblence between a bag and that of a designer's, that isn't enough proof without a label. Personally, I think this is crazy.

It is not uncommon for the Louis Vuitton company to take vendors to court. In 2008, Celine Dion bought counterfeit Louis Vuitton items at a store in China. The items showed up at one of her concerts, gaining the attention of Louis Vuitton. The store owners were sued and arrested.

A New York court in Manhattan rewarded Louis Vuitton Malletier SA $3.5 million in damages after the company sued LY USA Inc., Coco USA Inc., and Marco Leather Goods LTD, for selling counterfeit items.

In 2008, a French court ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton, making ebay pay $61 million to LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton for the sale of counterfeit items.

Hopefully quality is as important to you as it is to me. So, do your research and make a smart LV purchase.

http://designerlanddetector.blospot.com

Great labels with great discounts

By: Anne Robinson

Follow me on twitter: amr8798

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

Believe it or not, there are legal ways to buy authentic designer items for less than their original retail value. The key is knowing which designers allow their collections to be sold at discounted prices.

It would be impossible to go through the policies for every designer. So, instead I'll highlight a few.

Outlet malls are a great place to do some bargain designer label shopping. Designers such as Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Calvin Klein have stores in many outlet mall shopping centers. This selling technique allows designers to interact with a new level of consumers. The products are usually from a previous season's collection and are sold at discounted prices. In general, consumers save an average of 20% off the original retail price. Although savings can be less, or much greater.

An alternative to buying a designer item is to borrow one. Websites such as Wear Today Gone Tomorrow, have members who borrow clothes. The average savings is about 90%. So, you don't get to keep the borrowed items, but you have them to wear a few times.

Some designers have special collections that are priced lower than their regular lines. Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange, designed for younger buyers, are less expensive than the exclusive Giorgio Armani collection. A pair of jeans averages around $130 and a shirt around $80.

Marc Jacobs started his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection which is less expensive and more accessible to the average consumer.

Some high-end department stores, such as Saks Fifth Ave and Neiman Marcus, sell designer collections. It's possible to catch some good sales toward the end of the season. The stores will be clearing out left-over stock to make room for the new season's items.

Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Dior, and Caroline Herrara are some of the many designers who have collections at Neiman Marcus. Saks boasts an impressive list as well with Gucci, Prada, Jimmy Choo, and Oscar de la Renta.

Stores that sell things at only discounted prices, like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, can be a gold mine. It may take patience, shuffling through multiple racks of clothes, purses, and shoes, until you find something with a designer label. Everything is discounted to begin with, but because they are constantly bringing in new items, additional sales are common.

See? I told you it was possible to buy items from certain designers that are priced below the original price. It just takes some investigation...which is, afterall, why I am here for you.

Differences between organic and conventional cotton

By: Anne Robinson

follow me on twitter: amr8798

We are currently in a "go-green" phase. We are being pushed to make everything from our houses to our cars to our clothes and make-up green. Unless you actually understand the benefits of "green" it's hard to jump on the band wagon.

I found a spectacularly great chart that highlights how conventional cotton is different from organic cotton. It came from an amazing site (http://www.aboutorganiccotton.org/OCdiff.html). The site has tons of other information so look it over...you may consider buying clothes made from organic cotton!

Click to discover the secrets of cotton!!! http://www.aboutorganiccotton.org/OCdiff.html

 

 

 

Come to my blog- http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

Fashion cycles

By: Anne Robinson

Amr8798@gmail.com

www.twitter.com/amr8798

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

High heels...flats. Skinny jeans...wide-leg pants. A-line...pencil. Keeping up with trends is exhausting!

Once again, my mom was right. How does she do it? She always told me, "keep your old clothes because if you wait long enough they'll be back in style." I'm more of the throw it out after the season is over and make room to buy new clothes type. She took her own advice and saved many of her things growing up. This came in handy for me: when tall leather boots became the new must-have, I fell in love with an old pair of hers, same with an old pair of bell-bottom jeans...although I'm glad that style didn't last long this last time around.

So, why is it that fashion trends repeat themselves? Well simply put, the answer is money. Trends must change or else no one would have a reason to continually shop. Every season, consumers go out and update their wardrobes, based on the new styles.

Fashion plays hard on our emotions. Designers know that making someone feel that their outfit is uncool and out dated will force them to the store. Scientists are continually doing research about how our senses react to colors, shapes, patterns, etc...don't be fooled into thinking that the interior design of a store and the appearance of a website are randomly selected.

Fashion trends are repeated because designers work off what has worked in the past, often fusing together two or more previous trends to make a new one.

Here's a look at the stages of a fashion cycle:

First stage:

A new trend or style is introduced, consumers begin to notice the trend in many different stores and see it repeatedly.

Second stage:
The trend is seen with designer labels attached to it, and in bigger well-known department stores.

Third stage:

The trend is in full-blown style with more availability.

Fourth stage:

Trend starts losing steam, hits clearance racks, everyone has caught on and many are losing interest.

Fifth stage:

No longer a trend, now a fad.

We really should be thankful for fashion cycles. If not for them, it would be hard to continually come up with one excuse after another to justify our frequent trips to the mall.

Beware: counterfeit sales common online

By: Anne Robinson

Amr8798@gmail.com

www.twitter.com/amr8798

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

The internet is a great thing, a couple of quick key strokes and the world is at our fingertips. We can look up directions, great restaurants, movies, news, and perhaps most convenient...we can shop...in our pajamas...while watching Conan.

But, of course, there is a downside to this convenience. The internet is also a convenient place for sellers to sell counterfeit items. Which means, especially when buying designer items online, you need to beware of the fakes.

Take ebay for example, a great place to buy a designer item for less, right? Someone else bought it, used it, and now wants to make some money off it. Well, don't count on it being as authentic as it might say in the listing. An estimated 4 million counterfeit items are listed on ebay each year! Ebay is not held responsible for the sale of counterfeit items, and as it becomes more common, it is also becoming harder to stop and prosecute those involved in these illegal sales.

Business to business websites have proven to be an easy way for sellers to buy illegal items from illegal Chinese vendors. The knock-offs are cheap, so they arrive here and can be sold for quite a profit.

Counterfeit sales online are so prevalent because they ensure that the buyer pays for the item before being able to inspect it. Since you can't inspect the item before purchasing it online, there are some other things to be aware off to help you spot the fakes right off the bat.

For instance, some sites advertise selling designer bags at huge discounts. So, do a little research...(Ok, I'll help you get started) designers like Hermes and Louis Vuitton have corporate policies to never sell bags at discounted prices. Which means, the bags would either be fake or the sale illegal...neither option sounds very promising.

Watch out for clothes that say are "inspired by" another collection. In some cases, the "inspiration" is almost identical to the original. Forever 21 ran into this problem when they were sued by Design House Trovata because their shirts, which they claimed to be inspired by Trovata designs, looked identical to the originals. Check out the picture. The top shirts were found at Forever 21 and the bottom are the originals. I'm thinking that's a little more than inspiration.

Even though we love to pull out those credit cards and make instant transactions, it's important to be aware that the internet is fueling counterfeit sales. To be sure you don't get a fake, or scam your favorite designer out of their money, just keep to doing your online shopping directly on designer websites. There you are guaranteed an authentic item, great customer service, and a legal transaction.

Creative or crazy?

By: Anne Robinson

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

Amr8798@gmail.com

twitter.com/amr8798

Recently, I've been branching out on my spectrum of designers I like to follow. It's a fact that my days are better when I'm wearing my Marc Jacob's Daisy perfume, but I realize it's time to explore new collections. So, in my attempt to learn more about unfamiliar fashion styles, I've come across some creative (or crazy, I haven't quite decided) designs.

Many designers have proven that you don't need a lot of fabric to create something fabulous. The WLIFW- Wills Lifestlye India Fashion Week- which highlighted upcoming Indian designer, Neeta Bhargava, showed a "botanic doodles" collection (shown here) that involved a lot of paint and artistry, but not much fabric.

If you are feeling really daring, give up your Jimmy Choo shoes and try a pair from German designer, Annejet Koster's artistic shoe collection. They are certainly one of a kind. And to give you a little insight into the mindset of her designs...her website is called 'Experiment' which explains..alot! I can't help but think that she got sidtracked and forgot to finish these shoes.

Now, here is one I like. Jeremy Scott (who joined the fashion world in 1997) works on collections that are said to be "more conceptual than wearable". He is best known for his clam-shaped dresses and one legged pants...so I guess that phrase about how everyone puts their pants on, one leg at a time, doesn't really apply here. If nothing else, he has shown the world that anyone with an old trash can in their yard can be a fashion designer.

And let's be honest, what woman would ever wear a skirt resembling a tape measure with the number 50 on it?

Facts about fabric

By: Anne Robinson

Amr8798@gmail.com

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

Fabric is one of the most important aspects of a design. It determines how the garment will feel, look, and withstand it's environment. Knowing about the different classifications and types of fabric can help you in your shopping. It also partly explains the costly price tags on many high end designer collections.

Fabric is made up of many interconnected fibers. This interconnection can occur from many processes, such as: knitting, weaving, chemical bonding, and felting.

Manufactured fibers have helped fashion come along way by expanding the possibilities of fabric. Before manufactured fibers were available, people found certain fabrics hard to work with: wool shrunk, silk was delicate, linen wrinkled and was hard to wash.

In 1910, the United States began manufacturing rayon which was referred to as an "artificial silk". Nylon was invented in 1931 by American chemists and was known as the "miracle fiber". And to throw in one more date for you history-interested readers, polyester hit the market in 1953.

There are five different types of natural fabrics: wool, cotton, silk, linen, and hemp, ramie, and jute. All of these are made from fibers taken from plants, animal coats, and silkworm cocoons. Here is a quick breakdown:

Wool-from animal coats

Cotton-from a cotton plant's seed pod

Silk-from a silkworm's cocoon

Linen-from the stalk of a plant

Remp, ramie, jute-same as linen but processed a little differently

There are many more categories for manufactured or man-made fabrics. These fabrics start out as filaments that are made into fibers. Acrylic, lastex, nylon, rayon, polyester, and spandex are all examples of man-made fabrics.

The infamous 'Burn Test' can be done to determine if a fabric is natural, man-made, or a mix of the two. This test is common among fashion designers and fabric stores. During this test, a small piece of fabric is burned, depending on the way it burns, you can determine the probable make-up of the fabric. The burn test should be done carefully, realizing that all fabrics will catch fire.

Natural fibers are more expensive than manufactured or man-made fabrics because they are harded to come by, and can't be produced by a machine. High end designers gravitate toward using natural fabrics. After all, you pay for quality, so a sweater made from silk that someone hand-picked off a silkworm cocoon will undoubtedly be more expensive than one produced by a machine and manufactured fibers.

Borrowing designer clothes

By: Anne Robinson
amr8798@gmail.com   http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com

Celebrities have it made for them. I would love to have a red carpet event coming up and have designers calling me asking if I would like to borrow and wear one of their designs. Anyone who has seen any red carpet event knows that it's all about the names and labels. The first question any reporter asks is, "Who are you wearing?", and then the celebrity goes through their outfit, listing off all of the designers who have loaned them things for the night.

It can be a hard job for designers, making it nearly impossible for an unknown designer to win over a celebrity client. At a moment's notice, the designer must come up with different dresses for the celebrity to choose from. Many times it is the designer who has to fly across the country for fittings, etc. But, designers make out well too, gaining a lot of attention for their designs. Curious as to how much a trip down the red carpet can be worth for a designer? Well, Julia Roberts wore a vintage Valentino gown when she won her Academy Award in 2001, and it was estimated to be worth 10 million in publicity for Valentino!!

Don't think this is a relaxed stress-free situation. Early the next morning, personal assistants are usually rushing to get everything returned to the designers on time. However, occasionally celebrities ask to keep the clothes, in which case agents work out deals with designers. Usually, the celebrity would have to mention the designer's name a certain number of times on camera and then pay a huge amount (probably in the six figures) for the item.

This whole lending for red carpet business was started in 1944 when Harry Winston lent his friend, Jennifer Jones, jewels to wear to the Oscars. In the 1980s it became a more standard practice. It has proven to be a good way for designers to meet consumers in the "middle market".

There is always that special occasion that we wish we could be like a celebrity. You want a designer dress to wear to an event, but don't want to pay the high price and only wear it once, right? If only Caroline Herrara would call you to ask if you'd like to wear one of her designs. As it turns out, people thinking this way actually led to the creation of a website that enables people to "borrow" designer clothes, through the mail, wear and return them. It's called 'Wear Today Gone Tomorrow' (check it out at www.weartodaygonetomorrow.com). The program was founded by Madeline Muney Passarelli, the previous fashion editor of Lucky Magazine and daughter of a high end fashion designer. It is described as being like a Netflix program for clothes. You sign up online, pick out the clothes you want (you do have to pay a small amount, usually 90% off the regular price). The item is then mailed to you, you wear it, and then return it. Just don't expect everyone to be calling out to you saying, "who are you wearing, who are you wearing?"

Of course, there is always a little controversy. There is a continual debate about whether or not celebrities should be allowed to simply borrow these clothes. Some feel, in these harsh economic times, that designers would benefit more if celebrities were buying not borrowing. The other question that remains, in regards to the Wear Today Gone Tomorrow site, do designers mind that their clothes are on sites being borrowed by women across the globe? What do you think?

Department store faux-fur fraud

By: Anne Robinson

amr8798@gmail.com

http://designerlanddetector.blogspot.com
Can you always trust a label? I'm sure we would all love to think we can but the truth is, sometimes labels lie.

Department stores in the U.S. have sold jackets advertised as 'faux-fur', when actually the jackets were made from domesticated raccoon dog fur. Macy's, Nordstrom, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger were all on the list. In one investigation, the Humane Society found that 24 out of 25 jackets that were advertised as 'faux-fur' contained some degree of real animal hair.

In case you are a little "out of the loop" when it comes to fur, here are some important details. Faux-fur is a fake fur fabric and is the popular alternative for designers who don't want real animal fur in their collections. Faux-fur is a textile fabric that is processed and dyed to resemble real animal fur. There are some advantages to using faux-fur. For starters, it is much cheaper than real animal fur. It is also easy to dye faux-fur; therefore, there is a wider variation of colors available. It is also more durable than animal fur, some products are even hand-washable.

Most real fur comes from China, where an estimated 2 million animals are killed f.y.i skinned alive) each year by fur traders.
An unbelievable amount of fur is needed to make one coat. For one coat using raccoon dog fur, 12 to 15 dogs are needed. To make a coat using cat fur, up to 24 cats are needed.

So, were these department stores knowingly advertising faux-fur jackets that were actually made with real fur? It turns out there was a loophole in the law. Importing, exporting, and selling dog and cat fur in the United States is illegal; however, the law stated that if the fur on a product was valued at less than $150.00 no label was required. Crazy, right? My guess is that if someone is against buying clothes with real animal fur, they aren't going to care whether the amount of fur is valued at $5 or $500.

In 2007, the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act was introduced into Congress, the bill would require labels be put on everything, regardless of the value of the animal fur, and would therefore, end the import, export, and sale of dog and cat fur in the United States. The bill has yet to pass.