fashionblog

Retailer J.C. Penney is reportedly launching an edgier junior’s fashion brand this week. This line came from celebrity designers Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, currently based in Manhattan, New York.

Penney recently opened a store in Manhattan and is attempting to attract the teenage market by coming up with trendy lines for the past couple of years. Officials from the retail store are optimistic that the teenagers who grew up following the career of the 23-year old twins will patronize the product. The Olsen twins have made a mark on television as former child movie and television stars.

The twins currently have apparel lines that are doing well in the market, Elizabeth and James and The Row. These products are mostly sold in high-end stores. The apparel deal the twins signed with retail giant WalMart ended in 2006.

The soft launch of the products will take place on November 6 but will make a full launch blast by February next year.

Singer Beyonce Knowles’ preference for high couture fashion seemed to not fit Malaysian standards as the multiplatinum artist has decided to cancel her planned concert in the Asian country for the second time. The singer has been criticized by conservative Muslims for her raunchy concert clothes.

A representative from organizer Marctensia Entertainment Sdn revealed that the decision came solely on the artist’s end and had nothing to do with “external reasons,” which he failed to explain further.

Last month, Malaysia’s opposition group Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) complained that the scheduled Beyonce “I am” World tour concert in the country should not push through due to Knowles’ “inappropriate style of dressing.”

PAS official Nasrudin Tantawi was quoted as saying that these kinds of performances with raunchy attires can “lead to unclean behavior.”

In 2007, Beyonce cancelled a scheduled appearance in Malaysia and instead opted to do the concert in neighboring Indonesia.

At five feet ten inches and weighing 120 pounds, fashion model Filippa Hamilton can be considered perfect for her job. However, the model alleged that she got fired from fashion house Ralph Lauren earlier this year because she was considered “overweight.” This issue came out after the model revealed the allegations to the media.

In an interview, Hamilton said that she could no longer fit in the designer clothes being sent to her which prompted the executives to give her the boot.

Fuelling this issue was the emergence of a Ralph Lauren Blue Label advertisement in which she appeared to recently. The photo, which circulated online and was released in Japan, featured Hamilton in what is perceived to be heavily edited photograph.

The photo showed a really thin Hamilton wearing the designer clothes and lingerie.

Ralph Lauren maintained that they don’t have anything to do with the alteration but eventually admitted the allegations and released a statement of apology.

World-renowned celebrity fashion photographer Irving Penn has died late last week at the age of 92. This was announced by Roger Krueger, his photo assistant.

Penn is known for celebrity fashion portraits which are considered classic in the world of fashion. According to longtime friend Peter MacGill, Penn has never stopped working through the years because he’s passionate about his work.

One distinct feature of Penn’s work is the preference in taking photos outside the studio, where nature captures life rather than in a closed space. He had completed seven major projects from 1964 to 1971, all critically acclaimed.

About thirteen of Penn’s works have been auctioned on Thursday at Christie’s with prizes ranging from $40,000 to $530,000.

Penn started his work in the 1940s as the fashion photographer for popular magazine Vogue. He continued to contribute for the said publication through the decades despite pursuing his own passion.

Fashion designers these days are capitalizing on the popularity of plus size dresses since there’s a growing demand for these products. For plus size women, this is simply great news!

Here are some fashion tips provided by experts to plus size women when it comes to wearing the appropriate clothes:

- Start with the right undergarments. Make sure that the undergarments are not tight enough to leave marks on the body. Having comfortable lingerie underneath the clothes do wonders.

- Wear the right plus size clothes. More women are attempting to wear dresses that are several sizes smaller than their actual size. Experts said that this is not recommended. Stick to your current size and be proud with what you have.

- Try out different colors. Go beyond the traditional black. There are simply a lot of great clothes with different colors out there. Shop with friends to get their insights on what colors fit you.

The London Fashion Week that took place recently got a surprising twist when one of the fashion designers decided to feature plus size women to strut on the catwalk.

According to reports, designer Mark Fast decided a few days before the show to get British models with size 14 to wear his creations and present it on the runway. This means that the traditional models with sizes 8 to 10 were replaced.

This controversial decision prompted his staff to protest and eventually resign after knowing that Fast will stick to his decision.

The walkout could have affected Fast’s feature but there were a couple of freelance designers who helped him make sure that everything will proceed as planned.

Amanda May, Fast’s creative director, revealed that they were happy with the decision considering that their show was well-received by the audience.