Azani Fashion

Men's suits: tailored trends in 2009 and 2010

2009-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Suit Trends

While suiting and formal-wear trends for men aren't seasonal and play out over several years, 2009 shall mark a distinct change in the direction of men's suiting. It comes down to a combination of factors but the likes of the economic downturn, the end of the 'manorexic' era, and women's 1920's and 1930's revivals will all play a big part. But make no mistake: it's the first and last that will be the biggest influence, as well-groomed men look for investment fashion pieces and turn to the classics for inspiration.

So what elements should you look for?
The Cut

Just because there's a move away from the 'skinny boy' suit isn't to say that the slim look is also out. Suits which seem like they barely leave you room to breath mightn't be the look going forwards but as we return to classic suiting let's not forget that the most classic suit is the English one, and that the best English suits have always had a slim, military cut to them.

Consider suits in 2009, 2010 and beyond the perfect fusion between classic tailoring, classic looks, and the modern masculine silhouette;

* broad shoulders
* a slim waist
* slim trousers

Double Breasted Suits

If there's one thing I'm excited about buying in 2009 it's a modern, double-breasted suit. I only have one amongst my suit collection, and it's a Tom Ford for Gucci piece. It's adorable, but only because of the tailoring work done on it last year that took it from an American box-cut to a slim piece of perfection.

And that slim cut is precisely what you should be looking for in a double-breasted suit in 2009. Broad shouldered with a slim waist, 2009's double-breasted suits trump most that current generations will be familiar with; they're no longer about hiding a plump figure but are now tailored to highlight the perfect masculine shape: the V-shaped, well worked body.

When selecting a double-breasted suit look for the "Kent" cut, named after a style popularised by the The Prince George, Duke of Kent, where a longer lapel line extends into the waist. This will convey height and, if cut correctly, a slimmer waist.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb241/fashionising/celebrity/chanelmens50px.jpgDouble-breasted inspiration from Chanel

Three-Piece Suits

Let's face it: the waistcoat has long been a dead item for most men, but thanks to a resurgence in its popularity in men's street wear the suits' waistcoat is back with vengeance. Well, not quite vengeance but it's back, it's subtle and it's classic. And that means that in 2009 we'll witness the return of the three-piece suit, and I couldn't be more happy. That's because the three-piece suit has been one of the most under-utilised parts of a man's wardrobe over the last forty years.

The three-piece in 2009 is all about cohesion; forget the mismatching style prevalent in the early parts of the 20th Century and in the 1980s. The return of the three-piece means that the waistcoat has to be conservative and, thus, in the same fabric as the suit's other two pieces. If you do want to venture outside the realm of three matching pieces, stick to a similar colour palette and avoid any pattern except for stripes; you may want to pair a pinstripe black suit with a pinstripe charcoal waistcoat.

On selecting the perfect three-piece suit I'd recommend looking for a waistcoat whose V shape breaks somewhere between the sternum and the base of the rib cage. I've seen three pieces from the likes of Giorgio Armani which don't sport the V shape and finish just under the collar, these are going to be a lot harder to wear and ignore the conservative subtlety this revival depends upon. Moreover, such a large waistcoat won't convey a slim waist as effectively as one with a deeper neck.

Hope that was helpful catch ya next time

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Camilla and Marc Kick Off Sydney Fashion Week

2009-05-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

Sydney – They love a double act in Australia, where the sister and brother combo of Camilla & Marc kicked off Sydney Fashion Week

These talented siblings were followed by two more twosomes - Bec & Bridge and Ginger & Smart - but of the three, Camilla & Marc were the most accomplished, and most in synch with contemporary global trends.

Staged before a great looking trompe l'oeil couture house backdrop on a hipster casting of young and veteran models, this collection had plenty of easy to understand clothes, whether artfully ripped white jeans, semi-abstract animal prints singlet tops and gold chain belts.

Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman went for a layered look in this spring 2010 show, but since their fabrics were so floaty and craftily aged the effect was light and comprehensible. At least one member of the family is no slouch at tailoring; some deftly made glove leather mini bomber jackets were the very epitome of beautifully hung fashion.

They also showed natty knobby toed and spike-heeled platforms, and some great mesh tops, although their micro striped dresses and trousers suits were in a formulaic beach wind-breaker stripe, they were still flattering.

The collection was ultimately a bit too derivative, and looked familiar to anyone familiar with recent collections by the Paris house of Balmain, the single most influential label in high fashion this past season. Designs included 80's broad and peaked shoulders, glitzy use of sequins, angle zips and one shoulder dresses.

Moreover, while the clothes did seem ultimately finely adapted to an insouciant moment on a balmy summer's day, they did not seem terribly Australian. However, the bedraggled, bedroom hair, scant use of make-up and high dress length is something of a compliment, and will find an international audience for Camilla & Marc.

CYA Next time CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

For global India designer, home is where the money is

2009-04-05T04:45:00.000-07:00

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, one of India's best-known fashion designers at home and abroad, has a few words of advice for others seeking to make their name internationally: forget global, stay local.

Mukherjee, who has shown collections at several fashion events in Europe and the United States, dresses top Bollywood actors and the elite of Indian society.

He is due to display his latest fall/winter collection on Friday, the opening day of one of Mumbai's biggest fashion event, the Lakme Fashion Week, which features 73 designers and over a hundred buyers.

Fashion experts and buyers peg Mukherjee as one of the few Indian designers who can make it big abroad, but he told Reuters he's happier sticking to expanding his business at home.

Q: How important is the international market for you?
A: "With the way the world economy is going right now, this is not the time for Indian designers to step out. It is more the time to step it up within their country. International brands are going to swoop down on slightly secure economies and because they are suffering to a large extent in the West.

Somewhere down the line there will be a lot of internal thinking and people will realize they are better off at home. India is internalizing, and I think people are going to start upholding the Indian tradition very strongly. That's why my plan for the next few years is to concentrate and extend my business within this country."

Q: If that is the case what kind of importance would you give any international business that came your way?

A: "For me, international business is not about getting a good store. If you are serious about it, you need to have serious commitment as well. Right now, rather than doing a little bit of India and a little bit of international, I'd rather do a whole lot in India. Start very strong in this country and build a brand that becomes so irresistible to Westerners that they come and take a bite out of it."

Myer dumps Aussie fashion designer

2009-03-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

HIS designs have just featured at London Fashion Week but high-flying designer Josh Goot has been dropped by Myer.
The 28-year-old Sydney stylist learned yesterday that his two-year run as one of the designer names at the department store was over.

It's understood that Goot's refusal to budge on the price of his clothes, which include a $900 pricetag on cotton and wool jersey dresses, wasn't well received. Myer had backed the hip young Goot heavily after putting him on as one of their designer names.

Department store face Jennifer Hawkins was often featured wearing his label both on and off the catwalk. However, sources said that even when Hawkins was shown in a Goot dress in Myer's 2008 campaign, the label failed to sell well. "Four of the dresses were bought and two of those were returned," said one insider. Yesterday Myer said the designer and department store had parted on good terms.

"Josh Goot is such a talented designer and a great friend of Myer" said Myer director of apparel Judy Coomber. "However, both of us are heading in different directions in 2009." The store did admit that price was an issue in the decision.

"It's increasingly important in a tough economic climate to offer the right product at the right price," Coomber said. Goot, who received the news in London, admitted that price had been a contentious issue. "I was probably pushing into a price bracket that the Myer customer was not comfortable with," Goot said yesterday.

"When conversations came up about prices (with the store) I said that this is the price for the quality of the product. And the quality of the product is something that I want to hold on to."

We wish him the best, and will keep you posted on his success.

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

A Few Of Our Picks For Best Dressed At The Oscars For 2008

2009-02-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well it's over for another year, the parties are all over and many celebs are waking up to a nice hang over. Yes this means it was Oscar Night once again! Some of our choices did not get a mention of best or worst dressed, yet some did. Like who could every say the Beyonce looks bad in anything. This woman could wear a napkin and drive men crazy. Jay Z is a lucky brother and we wish him and her the best.

Penelope Cruz looked stunning, like a princes I was really impressed and very happy for her on the night. Queen Latifa did not look her best this year - Singer John Legend and his lady looked stunning as did Meryl Streep and Alicia Keys. My heart goes out to Taraji P Henson who looked stunning and was up against some stiff competition. Well if she wasn't it would not be the Oscars,

Until next time have a great day

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hits runway at Bryant Park

2009-02-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Mercedes-Benz returns to Bryant Park as the title sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York providing a backdrop for more than sixty runway shows and backstage events from February 13 - 20, 2009. Leading fashion designers who will be showcasing their Fall 2009

Collections include BCBG, Badgley Mischka, Chado Ralph Rucci, Diane Von Furstenberg, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Zac Posen and this season's Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer, Yigal Azrouel. As the world of fashion and automobiles come together.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York will play host to over 100,000 guests who are invited to view cutting-edge designs from both the auto and fashion industries. A favored destination in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents is the backstage Mercedes-Benz Star

Lounge where designer receptions and celebrity sightings happen daily including this season's celebration for Yigal Azrouel, Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer, hosted by Julia Stegner, Global Fashion Brand Ambassador.

This season the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge is designed by Eric Villency, president of Maurice Villency."Each season is a new opportunity for us to connect the world of fashion with the unique designs and quality craftsmanship of Mercedes-Benz vehicles," said Lisa Holladay, Manager Brand Experience Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.

"From the exclusivity of the SL63 AMG Edition IWC to the edgy style of the all new compact GLK, our customer guests can see our latest car designs at Fashion Week and enjoy the backstage luxury experience we've created in the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge." The country's premier fashion venue in New York, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, will feature cutting-edge design and fashion from February 13-20, 2009:Mercedes-Benz Vehicle DisplayThe lobby in the Bryant Park

tents will showcase the newest GLK350 compact sport SUV and the high performance, limited production matte white SL63 AMG Edition IWC. The 2010 GLK350 offers affordable luxury in a small package. At a starting price of $33,900, the five-passenger GLK features a V-6 engine with 268-horsepower and an edgy design that reflects a modern interpretation of the iconic G-Class.

The sporty lines of the new GLK suggest power and agility creating the perfect balance of style, versatility and performance. The SL63 AMG Edition IWC is a design statement worthy of the best runway shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The limited edition roadster's interior is finished with luxurious Tobago Brown Nappa leather with contrast stitching and carbon fiber inserts on both the door panels and center console.

The SL63 AMG Edition IWC exterior is an eye-catching Magno Cashmere White paint with matte finish -- the first of its kind on a production Mercedes-Benz vehicle. A limited edition "Grosser Ingenieur" watch from the renowned Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen will be featured. Only 200 SL63 AMG Edition IWC roadsters will be made and only 63 will be available to US customers.

Nice See Ya Nest Week, CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

All Good Things Come To An End NYC Fashion Week

2009-02-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

Every year during New York Fashion Week, designers can be seen wheeling racks of clothes in their new collections to the tents at Bryant Park, just blocks from their studios in the garment district.

That is all going to change next year, when the twice-annual event moves from its original home at the park on 42nd Street to a plaza within Lincoln Center further uptown.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG Fashion, which runs the shows, announced Tuesday that they had settled on the new location after more than two years of searching and negotiating.

"It has not been easy to find a place for us, a place that was big enough, that was centralized enough, that was right enough," said designer Diane von Furstenberg, CFDA President. "Since we're starting fresh we will try to make them better than the previous one."

Designer Nanette Lepore, a regular at the Bryant Park tents, told The Associated Press that she was saddened by the move because of the history at Bryant Park and its proximity to the historic fashion center. But she added that she liked the idea of a space that won't require a constant struggle.

The mayor has maintained for some time that Fashion Week was outgrowing Bryant Park. The event, which lets designers from all over the world show their collections, began in 1993 with about 35 shows and has grown to some 70 per season.

It takes some three weeks to set up, stage and clean up after the star-studded invitation-only shows at the park behind the New York Public Library. Last year, according to the city, the two events drew 232,000 attendees and generated $466 million in visitor spending.

Bloomberg said Tuesday that his administration worked hard to find a new location because there had been increasing pressure for the events to move to Los Angeles. "That would be a real hit to our economy," he said.
The new space at Lincoln Center is about half a mile to the west and another mile uptown from Bryant Park.

Lincoln Center may be further away from many designers' offices and studios, but they will have more space to present their collections in the new location — about 87,000 square feet, compared to the 70,000 square feet available at Bryant Park, the city said. Lincoln Center also has one of the largest underground parking garages in the city.

Have a Great Day! CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Jean-Paul Gaultier: Calligraphy Cool

2009-01-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

Paris – The world's best catwalk mover - Ines de la Fressange - made a mini comeback Wednesday evening, staring in the spring 2009 haute couture collection of Jean-Paul Gaultier.

De la Fressange, the former muse of Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel supermodel, may be 51-year-old mother of two but she can still out sashay any current runway model, as she proved in this show, winning a standing ovation from an audience that included actress Olga Kurylenko, French star Catherine Deneuve, Australian singer Kylie Minogue and actress Emily Blunt.

In a coolly elegant collection inspired by calligraphy, half the looks were intersected or wrapped in mesh and lace, their patterns mimicking scripts and texts.

But the key letter was a futurist V, used to accentuate bolero shoulders or see-through cocktail collars and a striking black cocktail, or a stunning black-and-white body cape. It created a power-woman silhouette, though one with literary sensibilities, highlighted by the swirling ink text that was the show's backdrop.

Where before, Gaultier always injected a dose of tough street taste for humor and to tease bourgeois sensibilities, this season he kept things chicly sober. There were plenty of Gaultier's signature flourishes - a flesh colored corset, this time with in metal and fringed lace, the high-waist femme fatale pants and the trench-coat, though this latest take has an entirely open, and racy, mesh back. A favorite was a chain mail perfecto, a head-turning piece of truly French chic.

The star of this event, however, was a little less the clothes than Ines, who emoted in a one-shouldered tuxedo dress, and then drew a burst of applause in her second look, by gracefully peeling off a striking leather Spencer jacket, with "diamond elbows" as she pirouetted before her fans.

Have a great week, CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Tom Ford's James Bond Sunglasses

2008-12-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Designed specifically for the new James Bond “Quantom of Solice” flick, fashion guru Tom Ford cranks out a beautiful new set of shades with the fitting name of “James Bond 007″ sunglasses. These are available in two colorways.

If you don’t identify them from the film, you’ll still recognize them for their iconic style. Either way, it’ll be immediate. That’s because Tom Ford’s James Bond 007 Sunglasses provide that rare mixture of modern-day suave and legendary class. Yes, of all the sunglasses that could have been assigned to the swaggering spy, Tom Ford chose aviators. It’s a brilliant move that masterminds just how fitting -- and relevant -- traditional style elements can be.

With their chrome frames and gray-tinted lenses, the 007 Sunglasses successfully capture the sophisticated reserve always ascribed to the super-agent. They’re shades that, like James Bond himself, need no introduction.

Great Job Tom, glad we got ours before the movie came out!!

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Neways Investment Ad

2008-11-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

Michelle Obama: the First-Ladies firework fashion

2008-11-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

You have to feel a twinge of sympathy for Michelle Obama. Barely has her husband made history as the soon-to-be first Black president of the United States than the fashion pundits are weighing-in with criticism of her wardrobe.

Why? After years of lacklustre fashion leadership from the White House, America has finally got a First Lady-elect with a strong and powerful sense of individual style. AND she dresses American.

Her red and black “victory” dress by Narciso Rodriguez was vibrant and exciting, yet, according to a poll, 65% of voters said they “hated it”. Some observers have even dismissed it as resembling a “lava lamp”.

Would they have preferred to see her in a badly-tailored orange trouser suit?
Narciso Rodriguez, 47, is one of America’s best-known designers. The son of Cuban immigrants, he launched his own label in 1998 and sprang to fame when he designed the wedding dress for Carolyne Bessette for her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr.

His modernist, streamlined signature has attracted customers such as Salma Hayek, Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rachel Weisz.
The red-and-black number was a customised version of one of the styles he showed a few weeks ago in his spring/summer 2009 collection at New York Fashion Week. And I have to say Michelle Obama carried it off far better than the spindly-legged model who wore it on the catwalk.

Rodriguez is just one of a slew of eclectic American designers and mainstream brands she has championed since her husband began his race to the White House. On the campaign trail she has mixed labels such as Isabel Toledo and Mario Pinto with H&M and J.Crew. She is also a fan of the young Thakoon Panichgul, the 31-year-old Thailand-born, Omaha-raised designer who launched his own label in 2004 at the age of 29.

She loves what the American press have dubbed her “gobstopper pearls”, but is not afraid to toss an Azzedine Alaia belt into the mix.
Designers all over New York must now be in a fever of anticipation, hoping they will be the one selected to dress her for the Inauguration Ball in January.

Her choice of Rodriguez’s so-called “lava lamp dress” may have been surprising; that was half its charm. What it most certainly was NOT was dull.
Michelle Obama has signified a new order of fashion fireworks.

Yo Go First Lady... Do your own thing and own it!

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

London Rocks to feature most exciting design talents in Paris

2008-10-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

London Rocks showroom in Paris, featuring many of London's most exciting design talents, kicks off with an Opening Brunch on Thursday the 2nd of October - 11am to 2pm.See many of London’s most exciting design talents at the British Fashion Council’s London Rock’s showroom in Paris this October.

Located at 40 Rue Richelieu in the 1er Arrondisement, it is within walking distance to Paris’s catwalk venues, the “Louvre”, the Trade Show venue “Les Tulleries” and the city’s luxury retail scene. This unique design collective includes representatives from British Fashion Council emerging design talent support scheme New Generation and Fashion Forward emerging talent incubator Fashion East, plus guest designers Linda Farrow and Les Chiffoniers.

This pop-up showroom is a core element of the British Fashion Council’s support and mentoring scheme for rising London-based designer businesses. It aims to brand and promote London design internationally and to generate new export business contacts for London designers in Paris.

It is an essential part of the British Fashion Council’s strategy to foster the business growth of London based designers through providing knowledge, logistical and financial support in sales, marketing, production and distribution.

London’s Rocks headliners include:• From Fashion Forward- ERDEM• From NewGen – Catwalk- DANIELLE SCUTT- HOUSE OF HOLLAND- MEADHAME KIRCHHOFF• From NewGen - Exhibition- COOPERATIVE DESIGNS- EMILIO DE LA MORENA- MARY KATRANTZOU• From FashionEast- DAVID DAVID- LOUISE GRAY- NATASCHA STOLLE• And Special Guests- TODD LYNN- LINDA FARROW- LES CHIFFONIERSThe showroom will kick off with an invitation only opening brunch on Thursday 2nd October between 11am and 2pm. The showroom will then be open daily until 7th October from ? to ?.

Hope to see ya there .. Have a great week CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Menswear sales outpace women's business

2008-08-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Steve Hale has discovered a reason to splurge on clothing again: the slim silhouette in suits to shirts that's replacing the baggier fits of past years. But his wife, Cathy, has slashed her monthly apparel spending, saying she's "bored" by what's out there.

In tough economic times, men are traditionally the first to cut back — but the Hales represent a new phenomenon in retailing: Over the past year, men have been on a clothes-buying spree, while women have pulled back even more.

"I did feel for a long period that there wasn't anything new to buy," said Steve Hale, a 37-year-old financial consultant who had stuck with the business casual uniform of khakis and dress shirts since the late 1990s. "But I really like the slim fit. It's not so roomy, not so bulky, and it's a lot cleaner."
The lopsided fortunes — solid sales gains in menswear and a deepening funk in the far larger women's clothing business — is creating a rare sales disparity that hasn't been seen in years, according to David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group, a buying office.

Fashion observers say the main catalyst fueling menswear buying is the slimmed-down styles shown on the runways a few years ago by designer Thom Browne that have recently garnered mass appeal. The look is being popularized by AMC's award-winning series "Mad Men" about ad executives in the 1960s.
Over the past year, the fashions, from body-conscious suits to leaner khakis, have been heavily promoted by an array of stores from conservative haberdashery Brooks Brothers to department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

Executives from those stores said menswear sales began outpacing women's wear last year. They wouldn't give exact figures because of competitive reasons. But the disparity has been widening, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for research company NPD Group Inc. According to NPD's most recent data, menswear sales rose 0.8 percent in the year ended in May, while women's wear sales fell 3.5 percent. In the three months ended in May, women's wear sales dropped 3 percent, while menswear sales rose 2.3 percent.

With women's fashions accounting for 65 percent of the $155 billion adult apparel market, the rising fortunes of menswear — accounting for just half the size of women's wear — hasn't significantly helped lift overall sales. For the year ended May, adult clothing sales fell 2 percent.
Still, fashion pundits like Wolfe hail the trend as the biggest change in men's fashion in more than a decade, since the relaxation in business dress codes enticed men to fill up their wardrobes with everything khaki.

Major menswear brands like VF Corp.'s Nautica and Levi Strauss and Co.'s Dockers have reworked their fits. Pants, for example, have less material in the seat and thigh and have no pleats; suit jackets have higher armholes with narrower and shorter sleeves.
"You can throw out all the rules," said Cohen. Even in tough economic times, "this is a trend that you have to buy, otherwise you look outdated."

"Suddenly, a pair of cargo pants and a polo shirt doesn't look good anymore," said Wolfe, who sees the change being embraced by men in their 20s to men over 50 who don't want to look past their prime.
"Women's wear has painted themselves in a corner. By offering too many options and with everything a trend, it is very easy not to buy anything," Wolfe said.
Designers of women's wear may have seen the new trend in the men's market and taken inspiration for a slim, sophisticated '60s shape for fall — Michael Kors and Peter Som have both cited "Mad Men" as inspiration for their women's clothes.

The sluggish economy is playing a role too. Higher gas and food costs and fiscal uncertainties have clearly made both men and women cut back on in-today, out-tomorrow trends like wild printed tops. But the threat of layoffs has also forced many employees to dress more formally as a way to hold on to their jobs and look more serious, Cohen said. Women can go back to their closets to find dressier and classic alternatives, but men now have a reason to buy.

"I am dressing up a bit more," said Steve Hale. "If you are keeping up with fashion, people notice and it gives them more confidence" that the financial industry is going to turn around. He said he now spends about $500 a month on clothes, more than twice as much as he spent previously.
Jonathan Singer, 26, who works in high-tech marketing, credits his new wardrobe to helping him land a better-paying job. The Boston resident spent about $2,000 over the past six months on a slimmer-fit suit from Benetton as well as slender shirts from Diesel and French Connection. In the past, he had spent about $300 every six months.

"It always pays to look good," he said. "I had looked in the mirror and never was impressed. I looked like a little kid who was waiting to grow into his clothes."
Now, he says, "I feel extremely confident in the way I look. Everyone has noticed."
Men's interest in updating their wardrobes is forcing merchants to rethink how to market to them. They're seeing a growing number of men shopping for themselves, instead of relying on their wives and girlfriends to buy for them.

Bloomingdale's is rolling out separate areas in the men's department that incorporate tailored clothing with other accessories like ice buckets and gadgets like GPS systems and high-end shaving tools. Meanwhile, Macy's has adding more exclusive lines like tight-fitting Emporio Armani underwear.

Alex Guerrero, vice president of men's merchandising at Dockers, said the company is heavily featuring the new fits — a slim-cut khaki pant, tested last summer, as well as a newly unveiled straight cut, which was introduced in May and has broader appeal, at department stores this fall alongside its usual fits — relaxed and classic. About 70 percent of the business is still in the classic and relaxed fits, which is its most generous cut.

The slim and straight styles fit like jeans, while the relaxed and classic fits are more like trousers. For fall, Dockers has also trimmed down its classic shirts and suit separates.
And what about those men who aren't, well, slim? Retail executives insist the new silhouettes aren't just for the skinny.

"It still fits guys who eat meatballs," said Stuart Goldblatt, Macy's senior vice president of merchandising for men's and children's clothes.

Well there is still hope for me! Have a great week See ya then...

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Betsey Johnson's 30th Anniversary New York

2008-08-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Betsey Johnson, left, and business partner and CEO Chantal Bacon attend a party celebrating Betsey Johnson's 30th anniversary at the Betsey Johnson store in the Soho district of New York

Betsey Johnson's Soho store in New York pulsed with pretty young things in pretty party frocks Thursday, July 31, for a very special birthday party. As guests tried to stave off sweat with glasses of chilled pink champagne, Betsey Johnson and her business partner and CEO Chantal Bacon celebrated the 30th anniversary of their business surrounded by their friends, family and fans.
Johnson and Bacon met in 1975 after Bacon moved to New York from London - Bacon was selling Johnson's children's wear line at the time - and they instantly clicked, both sharing a mutual glam rock style sensibility and unbridled energy to make clothes.
"We had even dated some of the same men!" said Bacon.

Johnson and Bacon officially launched Betsey Johnson the brand in 1978, on Johnson's birthday, Aug. 10. "We were very much in the moment every day," said Bacon. "There was never a big grand plan, we just wanted to have a nice time, make good clothes and have a successful business."

"When we started, we were doing everything. It was crazy!" chimed Johnson.
"The first show, I sat everyone, and then I modeled, and the next day I went to the showroom and sold it, and then I paid the bills, and Betsey did the patterns," continued Bacon.

Johnson's fashion shows have had a signature Betsey stamp on them from day one. From her famous cartwheel at the end of each show, to performances by the likes of Bjork, to models who actually look like they're enjoying themselves, she knows how to convey wit and sass.
"Every show that Betsey does is my favorite show," said Fern Mallis, senior vice president of IMG Fashion, the company that produces Olympus Fashion Week in Bryant Park twice a year. "She's the best, and I look forward to it every season."

Johnson's collection, known for equal parts edginess and girlishness, hit all the right notes when she was just getting started in the Madonna-crazed 80s, with tulle tufted tutu dresses, wildly printed bodysuits and ruffled miniskirts.
"We were on the planet equal to Fiorucci," said Johnson. The popularity of Johnson's archive is one reason why she's launching the Betsey Johnson Vintage Collection this fall, to revive some of her best loved styles. A lot of the pieces, she says, they didn't hold on to so she's been spending a lot of time in flea markets and calling up friends to find some of her long-lost designs. Though, sometimes, Betsey Johnson fanatics beat her to the chase, she said.

"I was at a vintage show and I saw something of mine that I really wanted, but a girl picked it up right before me! I was like, But that's mine!'" laughed Johnson. "I should have gotten her phone number."

That's it from us See ya next time CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Fashion Nurse

2008-07-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Here's your chance to see the inspiration behind the nurses featured in Marc Jacobs' spring/summer 2008 catwalk collection for Louis Vuitton. Richard Prince, the American artist whose sexy pulp fiction nurses wearing medical masks were appropriated by Jacobs in an all-supermodel line-up last year, has curated an exhibition, Richard Prince:

Continuation, at London's Serpentine Gallery. His first major exhibition in a UK gallery, the artist's selection features highlights from his 30-year career, including the photo of the Marlboro-esque cowboy riding through the desert (Untitled (Cowboy), 1989), a 1987 Buick Grand National car decorated with a photo of a topless biker girl (Covering Hannah, 1987), along with the paintings of the famous nurses.

A programme of classic films, ranging from drama to cult shorts, has also been selected by the artist for open-air 50-foot screenings by the Serpentine. Marc Jacobs, whose next artistic collaboration is with New York-based artist KAWS on a pair of shoes due out next September, was at the opening party, as were Claudia Schiffer, Lily Cole, and Charlotte Casiraghi.
Richard Prince: Continuation, until 7 September 2008

Sounds Hot! Catch Ya Next Time CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Vera Wang: "Tristesse" Translated

2008-06-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

The sources for Vera Wang's inspiration are never merely passing, superficial references. Whether it's a painting, a novel or an intangible memory, they form an integral part of the design. Wang distills their key elements, whether a color palette or a narrative theme, into clothing that quietly evokes the artistic core of the original work.

Thankfully, this process of translation never feels forced and the delicate balance between high-minded concept and actual design remains spot-on. In other words, you don't need to know the reference to appreciate the clothes. Wang's designs aren't fussy or precious, rigidly following their muses so as to be unwearable.

Though couture-like in their construction, with complicated draping and pleating, ultimately the collections feel effortless. In Wang's universe, you don't want to look as though you're trying too hard. Wang's 2009 Resort collection, shown on Thursday, June 12, in New York, took inspiration from Francoise Sagan's 1954 novel "Bonjour Tristesse," a coming of age tale about a French teenager in the south of France, on the Cote d'Azur.

Taking the book's motifs of the sun and the sea, "the former representing a paternal sign of power with the latter representing a daughter's poignant longing for her deceased mother," according to Wang's program notes. Wang focused on two-tone pieces throughout most of the collection, with bright yellow symbolizing the sun and shades of blue for the sea, contrasted with grays, plums, greens and corals.

A textured organza dress, for example, with grosgrain ribbon straps, featured a navy top half and a deep green lower half, while in other instances a top or a skirt were literally split down the middle, one side gray and the other side black. It's as though the pieces were a representation of the split between adolescence and adulthood - two distinct, but connected modes. A vintage-inspired floral brocade used in several pieces, updated for resortwear as a lighter, more modern fabric, added a jolt of pattern to the modernist color blocking.

As is Wang's signature, her loose silhouettes here exhibited a sensuousness that is not overtly sexual, understanding how captivating it can be when not everything is revealed all at once. A straightforward, oversized "boyfriend" sweater revealed detailing in the back, or a lingerie-like sheer camisole would be paired with an opaque knit. The oversized quality of most of the collection looked at once innocent, as though she's inhabiting her mother, or father's clothes, but also sexy in a borrowed-your-boyfriend's-shirt kind of way.

Satin and leather half thong, half slipper shoes and cut-crystal jewelry in greens and blues completed the casual glamour of each look, a final mark of punctuation in Vera Wang's narrative of 1950's French Riviera mystique.

Vera Wang Lavender Label Resort 2009, a lower-priced but still in-house designed collection from Wang, also played with the idea of color-blocking combined with exuberant, artfully mismatched Liberty of London-style prints, as well as elements of sheer lingerie layered over or under solid knits, being revealing without actually revealing. With the breadth of a cool friend's closet you wish you could raid and prices ranging from $150-$800, it's also definitely worth a look if you're a fan of Vera Wang.

Go Vera! Catch Ya Next Time, CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Yves Saint Laurent Dies At 71

2008-06-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yves Saint Laurent, the designer who revolutionized fashion by first putting women in pantsuits, died Sunday in Paris of cancer after a long illness at the age of 71.
In a remarkable five-decade career, Saint Laurent empowered a generation of women; his ground-breaking brainwave of putting women in masculine yet chic tuxedoes was a defining moment in fashion.

Reacting to the news, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called him, "the first designer to raise haute couture to the level of art," while Prime Minister Francois Fillon commented that "Saint Laurent profoundly marked the history of haute couture."

Saint Laurent's designs celebrated the growing empowerment of women and their increasing sexual liberation, dressing them in thigh-high leather boots, see-through blouses and his legendary black tuxedos, or "le smoking" as the French referred to them.
Pierre Berge, the designer's longtime partner, announced Saint Laurent's death on French radio Sunday night.

"There are not that many people in the pantheon of fashion," Berge told France Info Radio.
"There will be two who will undeniably remain - one who symbolized the first part of the 20th century, and that's Chanel, and the other one who will symbolize the second part of the 20th century, and that's Yves Saint Laurent," added Berge, for four decades the chief executive of the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house.

Paris daily Le Figaro headlined its Monday morning edition with; "Death of Yves Saint Laurent, the world's greatest fashion couturier" showing a black and white portrait of the designer in his dashing youth and a color image of Saint Laurent and his great friend Catherine Deneuve taking his bow at his final runway show in January 2002. While cable news channel iTele led its report with the phrase, "Le Roi des Smoking est mort."

Saint Laurent was also the first designer to use black models, in another example of his path-breaking role in fashion. He was the first designer to put women in safari jackets and Beatnik looks, items that seem so familiar now, but when first displayed on his catwalks scandalized the general public.

Yves Henri Mathieu Saint Laurent was born into a French colonial family on Aug. 1, 1936, in Oran, Algeria, and first began designing by making clothes for his sisters' dolls. He staged his first "show" aged 12, when his sisters Brigitte and Michele were the key "clients."

He burst onto the fashion scene in 1954 when in a celebrated moment he and Karl Lagerfeld shared top prizes in an International Wool Secretariat competition. Christian Dior, a judge in that competition, immediately hired the fledgling talent, and was later to be succeeded by Saint Laurent at the age of 21.

He debuted at Dior with his "Ligne Trapeze," but though initially heralded, his subsequent collections for Dior were less well received. He left Dior in 1961 and opened his own couture house, in partnership with Berge, in 1962.
It marked the launch of a remarkable 20-year streak, when Saint Laurent's name became synonymous with Paris catwalk glamour and elegance, and he was the unquestioned leader in international fashion.

In a series of brilliant collections, he turned tight pants, the trapeze dress and smocks into high fashion must-haves. Saint Laurent use of ethnic and artistic themes - such as his legendary Ballet Russes collection - in his designs was also insurrectionary. Plus his ability to use and combine bright colors like fuchsia, crimson, burnt yellow and gold, earned him the reputation as the greatest colorist in the history of fashion.

Legendarily sensitive, Saint Laurent suffered a nervous breakdown in the Sixties when forced to do his military service. Permanently hidden behind huge spectacles, shy, quiet spoken, Saint Laurent, after a wild and indulgent youth, led a restrained middle age, commuting with his beloved French bulldog Moujik between his apartment on rue de Babylone, in the 7th arrondissement, and his atelier on ave Marceau, in the 8th.

"Going out is my idea of torture. I want to stay at home. When I'm in my bed with a great book, I feel as if nothing else matters," explained the increasingly reclusive Saint Laurent.
"He was born with a nervous breakdown," said Berge in a celebrated remark about a designer whose life was a long cocktail of illness, drug intoxication, tranquilizers and bouts of heavy drinking.

He made his last public appearances at the Foundation Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Berge, most recently at exhibitions, such as one devoted to American socialite Nan Kempner. Unsteady on his feet, but always impeccably dressed, he was a living symbol of his own famous dictum; "Fashions fade. Style is eternal."

Credited by many with inventing ready-to-wear, Saint Laurent opened his first boutique in 1966 in the heart of Saint German, at 21 rue de Tournon, the first of what would grow into a 160-store chain.
In 1989, YSL became the first fashion designer to be quoted on the stock market, when Berge floated 10.8 percent of the business, which was over-subscribed several hundred times in crazed opening bidding.

Already in 1983, Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland had mounted a retrospective of Saint Laurent's work in the Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York, the first ever by a living fashion designer.
But after 40 years in the business, Saint Laurent, retired in 2002, with a huge gala show in the Pompidou Center, shortly after announcing his retirement in a tearful press conference.

The designer and Berge had already sold control of their company two years before, when Gucci Group, the luxury conglomerate owned by French billionaire Francois Pinault, bought the rights to the label in a deal that netted Berge and Saint Laurent over a quarter of a billion dollars.
"Like all creators, he had two faces - a public face and a private face. The public face, everyone knows about it. And the private face, people know it less," Berge told the radio station.
"He was shy, introverted ... had very few friends. He was hiding from the world, and was seeing very few people."

His famous YSL logo, a brilliant design by the French graphic artist Cassandre, was ubiquitous on French TV Monday morning.
The designer may have departed but, as the French like to say, YSL remains the most famous initials in the world.

He will be missed... Have a great week CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

New York Designer hits Australia in Style

2008-05-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

CELEBRITY New York designer Zac Posen

revealed his new collection for Target on Sunday for the final day of the Melbourne Fashion Festival.Unlike Stella McCartney, Posen is not a household name in Australia, but his designs have been worn by some of the world's most beautiful and famous women, including Aussies Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.

Undoubtedly, his most famous dress was a white off-the-shoulder fishtail gown worn by Katherine Heigl, from Grey's Anatomy, at the Emmys last year. A similar dress is included in the Target collection. Posen, who is known in international fashion circles for his dedication to making clothes inspired by the female form, said the Target collection is for every woman.

"It's about women's personality, that's inspiration, and how clothing can elevate that and give her confidence and seduce her,'' Posen said. Posen said he was amazed by the quality of the collection because he was working with a smaller budget than he was used to.

Channelling Studio 54 with a Roman twist, the tuxedos and dresses may cause mass hysteria , as McCartney's did last year, when released in stores next month. But Posen did not expect this to happen, explaining his dad was not a famous rock star, unlike McCartney.

Ok What a week.. Catch ya next Year CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Australian Fashion Week Day 1

2008-04-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

While Chcago Fashion Week almost did not happen, due to a major sponsor pulling out! We have it on good authority that the event was a success. Our close friend Bea Davis of Sassy B Worldwide Producions inc, received notice of what happened and took it upon herself to keep the promotion alive. The event was held on time and on the Navy Peir in Chicago. Go Bea!

Now it's Aistralia's turn and Designer Daniel Avakian wowed the crowd on the opening night of the RoseMount Australian Fashion Week. As strange as it may sound Daniel Avakian was a tow truck driver before deciding to pursue a career in fashion. After watching an Italian film about an orphaned tailor, Daniel enrolled into the fashion design program at the Whitehouse Institute of design in Sydney, Australia.

Graduating in 2003, and awarded with a 1st prize scholarship to complete his Masters in Design at Accademia Italiana Arte Moda in Florence Italy, where he refined his skills in tailoring and couture, graduating with 1st class honours in 2005.
Daniel then moved to east-London where he worked as a freelance designer and pattern-cutter for various brands.

2007 saw the launch of his self-titled label ‘Daniel Avakian’, evolve from a desire to branch out and be experimental.
Autumn Winter 2008 inspired by the recently revamped Willy Wonka film and a fascination with lollypops and candy. By marrying crispy satins, stiff organzas and jacquards, with futuristic style lurex and super slinky jerseys, he has experimented with all fabrics that sound, act or look like lolly wrappers to evoke a sense of wit within classic styles.

Influenced in equal measures by mood, materials and the people he is spending time with.
Combining modern lines with razor sharp tailoring and couture dressmaking techniques, AW08 features tailored jackets, slinky dresses, cigarette pants and voluminous blouses. By testing classical tailoring with creative cutting, innovative new shapes and silhouettes are formed for the season. Cool blacks and greys are utilised with shocking pink contrasts and optical prints to evoke a sense of drama.

More later in the week have a great day CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Puja Arya's fall 2008 collection at India Fashion Week

2008-03-27T02:19:00.000-07:00

New Delhi - Guzel, the Turkish word for "beautiful" was the name of Puja Arya's fall 2008 collection at India Fashion Week on Sunday. An appropriate name for the collection, as it took its main inspirations from Turkish patterns, fabrics and design. Models swished down the runway in an array of light chiffons and cottons. Though the collection was for fall and winter, the outfits were obviously meant for Mediterranean wear.

Short dresses with large yoked necks were one theme of the show. Cotton off-white fabrics embroidered or printed with large, black flowers were predominant. Babydoll dresses with flounced skirts were also a favorite on the runway. The color palette for these was turquoise blues mixed with creams and blacks.

A few long, chiffon dresses were also in vogue, a particular favorite being an airy green dress with a wide black belt. Another range of items came in a burnt orange color with all-over gold printing or embroidery. Once again, predominantly dresses, though these were also mixed with pant suits. Of her clothes, Arya said "The collection is inspired by the Turkish embroidery which is very rich. It is done on a wall hanging kind of floor covering. The block printing is taken from there."

Arya's gorgeous collection made everyone in the audience want to take a trip to Turkey during the early autumn months. The abstract motifs set against contrasting rich tones and hues in a variety of fabrics were reminiscent of a Turkish sunset.

Have a great weekend

Chris Henderson Azani Fashion

From Rags To We Will See!

2008-03-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

MANILA Filipino rag pickers are turning trash into high fashion after joining forces with a designer to produce upmarket bags and rugs from scraps of cloth collected at a garbage dump.

Women from the community of Payatas, Manila's main garbage dump, for years eked out a living by weaving bits of cloth dumped by textile companies into multi-colored rugs.
Last year, their lives took an unexpected turn after a group of young professionals formed Rags2Riches, an enterprise designed to help the women by training them to become entrepreneurs.

In October, the organization partnered with local fashion designer Rajo Laurel.
"What I give them is not only the opportunity to improve their lives, but the opportunity to change the way they see themselves," said Laurel. "A lot of these women consider themselves as victims -- and I think it's about time we change that."

Laurel produced 11 designs for products made from the rugs including bags, clutches, a beach tote and a yoga mat case, for the first limited-edition collection under the label RIIR.
The women used to earn 1 peso ($0.02 U.S. dollars) for each rug sold to middlemen who would in turn rake in 25 times that amount. They now sell each rug for about 50 pesos, after Rags2Riches cut out the middlemen and taught the women to improve their design and produce high-quality rugs.

Ana Alipaw, a mother of four, appreciates that she can make a living while still taking care of her children. "We're not only homemakers who wash clothes, clean and cook, right? We may be simple mothers, but we have a source of livelihood and we are talented," said Alipaw.

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, a socio-political organization that has been working with the Payatas community for years, linked the women with Rags2Riches. The women now directly supply a number of upmarket boutiques in Manila instead of marketing their products through middlemen.

"Our main concern has always been the customers, the clients; but now, it's certain. We don't need to look anymore, we don't need to try and sell on the streets," said Cynthia Cabrera, one of the women of Payatas.

Cabrera is also a member of the Rags2Riches management committee. Their aim is to train the women to run the enterprise on their own, with hopes of exporting the bags and rugs in the future. Laurel will be working with the women of Payatas on a new RIIR collection for 2008.

We will keep you posted on this one.. So far sounds like a good thing.

CJ Henderson AZANI FASHION

Valentino Retires after 45 years

2008-01-24T13:14:00.001-08:00

After 45 years at the top, Italian fashion icon Valentino has decided to call it quits after presenting his last collections in Paris, a statement from his fashion house said on Tuesday.

Valentino's last pret-a-porter collection will be staged in October while his final haute couture collection is scheduled for January.

The announcement was expected after last July's three-day extravaganza marking his extraordinary career dressing the world's most beautiful and famous women.

In a letter announcing His retirement, Valentino said the Rome celebration "was a magic moment, one which certainly can never be repeated. It would be impossible to equal the emotions and joy I felt for the friendship and consideration that was shown to me on that occasion".

"Thus I believe the time is right to say good bye to the world of fashion. As the English say: I'd like to leave the party when it's in full swing," he added.

"My future now will be full of new activities and interests. Some of these will be tied to the world of fashion. I intend to create and support institutions which promote the study of design and conserve the art of fashion. I believe this would be the best way to continue the marvellous
adventure I have had the privilege to experience," Valentino said.

The valentino creed

Valentino claims that the secret to his success is the fact he has never followed fashion trends.
"I never offended a woman nor made her look ridiculous.I have always gone my own way and the result of this is that everyone else copies me," he said.

"What really disturbs me about some women today is that they have so much to choose from they don't know what to do any more. Brunettes go blonde and their hair colour comes out looking like clay. They walk on these ridiculously high heels and carry those dreadful embroidered bags.
"I can't stand it! Long live the simplicity of a white top and a pair of blue trousers!".

Well we wish him the best... See ya Next time
CJ Henderson AZANI Fashion

Chanel across the Channel

2007-12-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

Was a rainy night in London and the Christmas lights were shimmering in Sloane Square through the fogged-up windows of my cab before I arrived at a whitewashed warehouse to enter Chanel's parallel universe.

Here, in this pristine world, handsome men greeted me with big, black umbrellas emblazoned with white interlocking CC logos.

A bevy of beautiful black-clad girls handed out handwritten seating tickets to actors Emma Thompson and Rupert Everett, singers Lily Allen and Natalie Imbruglia, models Claudia Schiffer and Yasmin Le Bon, and the beautiful woman favoured by US Vogue, Natalia Vodianova, and her English aristocrat husband, Justin Portman.

The rollcall went on; hand-picked attendees included US Vogue's editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, society girls Daphne and Jasmine Guinness, Charlotte Casiraghi (Princess Caroline of Monaco's daughter) and milliners Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy.

It was Karl Lagerfeld's Paris-London 2007-08 collection show that lured the world's fashion press to London last week.
The designer's vision was a melange of French chic and le style Anglaise, much loved for its quirkiness and eccentricity by Lagerfeld's predecessor Coco Chanel.

It's a style Coco learned from her English lovers, Boy Capel and the Duke ofWestminster.
So, just as in Coco's days, there we all were, French and English intermingling, heady with cocktails and being ushered into a vast space arranged in table settings like some Cote d'Azur drinks party. Our chairs, rather than elaborate salon numbers, were backed with English gentlemen's jacket hangers topped with gilded CCs.

Expectations were high, for this was the first of Chanel's unique Metiers d'Art collections to be held on English soil.
The series celebrates the breathtaking craftsmanship of Chanel's specialist ateliers, acquired by the house in 2002.

They include Desrues (costume jewellery), Michel (millinery), Lemarie (feather artisans), Massaro (a bootmaker), Lesage (embroidery) Goossens (silversmithery) and Guillet (floral design).
Special shows recognising their skills have taken place in Paris, Tokyo, New York, Monte Carlo and Sydney.

In a world where mass fashion and mass production are the norm - even in the luxury goods business - few houses such as Chanel and Hermes can make claim to continuing their fine craftsmanship heritage.

With his usual inventive and encyclopedic knowledge, for the London show Lagerfeld played with the high and the low, with popular culture and couture, and with grand historical and contemporary street looks. It began with a rock band fronted by Chanel model and muse Irina Lazareanu, who sang accompanied by musicians including Sean Lennon.

The music was rocky and charming by turns, and Lazareanu looked the part in a long black gown. As for her singing, let's just say maybe she shouldn't give up her day job.
Then out came Chanel's gorgeous girls sporting fabulous tousled beehives and black eyeliner a la Amy Winehouse with pale pouty Brigitte Bardot lips.

The references bounced about in a typically eclectic Lagerfeld way: gorgeous black organza dresses that were a touch Edwardian, puffed, ruffled beribboned and pintucked, with flashes of Tudor doublets and shoulder rolls, silvered shearling jerkins, purple and silver satin coats with full sleeves, tartans, chiffons and distressed English tweeds in a floor-length greatcoat.
Boys and girls walked out in a series of embroidered coats and tunics, encrusted with chunky stones and with punk safety pins and chains thrown into the mix.

English model of the moment Agyness Deyn was perfect for the neo-punk mood, striding out with her tough-chick peroxided hair and wearing a jewelled nipped-in overcoat and skinny satin trousers.
Even in the accessories the inventive references abounded: Union Jack quilted handbags, chain-detailed evening reticules, fingerless gauntlets, brooches, ropes of beads, even a pair of light-bulb art deco platforms.

All in all it was a glorious roller-coaster ride that took us from Coco to Karl and from Paris to London and back again.
Afterwards the rooms were abuzz with chatter and flashbulbs as Lagerfeld made his appearance, his big leonine head topped with the signature silver ponytail and his svelte form clad in a skinny black tux, high stiff collar, bow tie with fleur-de-lis brooch and those cut-off gloves with rings around his fingers.
It was time for the fashion kissy-kissy, and so it went: King Karl and celeb kiss, pose, pause, next celeb kiss, pose, pause.

All the while an elderly white-coated waiter stood nearby with a single crystal goblet on a silver salver, filled with a diet soft drink, patiently waiting for Lagerfeld to take a sip.
The fashion pantomime was transfixing.
There was Le Bon, in a skinny double-breasted couture jacket and equally skinny pants, a Heidi plait curving across her head topped with flowers, Chanel diamonds and black pearls in her ears and on her hands.

"I really loved it," she said to me. "Karl really gets it. Funky, totally smart and a little bit edgy, but not too scary."
Heiress Daphne Guinness said: "It was incredible. He really captured something of London."
She was wearing a black coat encrusted on the shoulders and sides with gold studs: "Chanel, of course. I virtually always wear Chanel. Is that a bit sad?"

Well that's a Rapppppp See ya soon with More news from the world of Fashion

CJ Henderson http://www.azanifashion.com/

Victoria's Secret Competing with the Super Bowl!

2007-12-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - It might be too much to devote an hour of prime-time television to long legs, taut tummies and half-bare bottoms and bosoms. So the Victoria's Secret fashion show incorporates elaborate staging and musical performances.

The annual hourlong fleshfest, featuring songs by will.i.am, Seal and the Spice Girls, airs Tuesday at 10 on CBS/2. "This is really an event that's anchored in a fashion show," said CBS executive Jack Sussman.But isn't it essentially an hourlong commercial? "To a degree," he said.

Still, with top talent and a $10-million budget, the Victoria's Secret fashion show is more interesting than most advertisements. This year's show spotlights 61 skimpy outfits worn by more than two dozen beautiful women. Sixteen cameras stationed throughout the Kodak Theatre capture the catwalk action from every angle.

"A normal fashion show has two," said executive producer Ed Razek. "We have almost as many as the Super Bowl."That means each fetching curve is filmed multiple times. The fashion show is performed and taped twice, with the best moments blended into the special.

That means each fetching curve is filmed multiple times. The fashion show is performed and taped twice, with the best moments blended into the special.

That's it for this week... See ya next time with more Fashion News

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Aussie Models Got Mo Back

2007-10-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN fashion models generally have more "meat on their bones" and look healthier than those in Europe and the US, says top designer Wayne Cooper.

The international fashion industry's recent backlash against super-skinny models – following the death last year of Ana Carolina Reston – has turned the spotlight on the sometimes unhealthy-looking women who parade the catwalks.

The 21-year-old Brazilian starved herself to under 40kg before she died of an infection exacerbated by her anorexia.
Soon afterward, Madrid Fashion Week rejected girls with unhealthy Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) while Milan, New York and London have introduced catwalk codes.
But Cooper said at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney tonight that, in the main, models in this country did not have a problem with being too thin.

Australian girls tended to look more healthy, he said.
"All I know is that when you go to Europe and New York and see the castings, generally the girls are skinny as," Cooper said.
"And I wouldn't say that's the representation of girls in Australia.
"I think, in a way, they've got more meat on their bones here.

"I mean, that's a general rule, not every single girl, but I believe most girls are definitely healthy here, and I don't think they've got a problem.
"They just have to look out for the odd one (who is too thin)."

Celeberties keep their cool on red carpet at the Emmy Awards

2007-09-18T15:15:00.001-07:00

Celebrities did their best to keep their cool on a sweltering red carpet at the Emmy Awards by wearing a variety of sorbet colors and stars such as Heidi Klum, America Ferrera, Debra Messing, Sandra Oh and Ellen Pompeo showed a bit of skin in strapless dresses.

Kate Walsh, Jennifer Morrison, Rebecca Romijn and Katherine Heigl channeled screen sirens of yesteryear with their retro looks.
Heigl was in a white, off-the-shoulder Zac Posen gown that was punched up with red lips — also seen on Klum and Christina Aguilera.

"Red is a really hot color for fall," said Monika Blunder, the Chanel makeup artist who worked with Heigl. "She had an old Hollywood feel with a modern twist."
Walsh's red satin dress was by Pamela Dennis, who also designed Michelle Pfieffer's fitted knee-length black dress with sequins on the front.

Morrison wore a beaded gown by Elie Saab. "We had to take it apart to fit me, but look at it now. It has a total classical feel to it," she said. Romijn's vintage Guy Laroche gown was decorated with flapper fringe. She wore her hair in a soft, wavy updo that showed off her diamond, ruby and white-enamel earrings by Neil Lane.
Eva Longoria literally sparkled in a gold cocktail dress with an open back by Kaufman Franco. "He designed my wedding dress and I just thought this was perfect," she said, particularly thankful for the low-cut back because of the heat.

Teri Hatcher wore a blush-colored silk chiffon gown with a crystal beaded bodice by Badgley Mischka Couture. She stars in the label's current ad campaign.
Felicity Huffman's asymmetrical draped gown by David Meister in a bright magenta color balanced sexy and elegant. She joked on E!'s preshow that she had to sew it to her skin. Marcia Cross wore a silver diamante pleated gown by Georges Chakra that was accessorized with a Lorraine Schwartz snake bracelet and triple-teardrop earrings.

Dangling earrings were a major trend of the night, with Patricia Heaton pairing oversized gold earrings with her sparkling gold gown.
Sally Field's strapless Valentino gown was simple except for its bright magenta color. She wore dangling diamond earrings by Cathy Waterman, but unlike most of the stars she won't be returning them — she owns them.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus wore one of the top colors for this fall — purple. Her dress was a deep jewel color by Narciso Rodriguez with a scoop neck and pintucks on the bust. Minnie Driver's draped chartreuse gown was by Donna Karan, and Vanessa Williams' seafoam green gown with feather embellishment was by Kevan Hall.

Ferrera's strapless gown with a jeweled waist was electric blue.
Joely Fisher wore a lemon yellow, plunging V-neck gown with beaded mesh insets by Pamella Roland, and Hayden Panettiere's empire-waist, blush-colored gown was by Marc Bouwer.
There always are actresses who go with classic black — a safe choice that can also prove stunning: Mariska Hargitay wore a Zac Posen with architectural lines, Rachel Griffiths was in a strapless Chanel and Kyra Sedgwick wore a two-piece outfit by Oscar de la Renta with a subtle touch of feathers at the peplum and on the tiers of the skirt.

Jaime Pressly's beaded scoop-neck gown by St. John Couture had a '40s feel. She chose it, she said, because it was a bit unusual. "I knew nobody would be wearing this," she said.
Oh's black dress by Bottega Veneta had a touch of white tulle on top.
Pompeo added a gold tassel necklace and lots of bracelets by Fred Leighton to her navy dress by Michael Kors, whom she joked was her boyfriend because she so often wears his designs to big events. Her hair was big in a 1950s style.

Wanda Sykes was in a black Gucci pantsuit. She said she looked good in Gucci suits. "I just love the way it feels," she said of her outfit. "Except for right now, it's hot."
Glenn Close selected a Giorgio Armani midnight navy silk halter gown with satin lapel detailing, front slit and delicate train, and Tina Fey wore a Carolina Herrera navy chiffon gown with a polka-dot underlay.

Elizabeth Perkins' Carolina Herrera sleeveless white dress with bits of black and yellow was from the designer's resort collection. Perkins, who also wore champagne-colored cushion-cut diamond earrings on a French wire set by Chopard, said the dress was right for the night because it was light. "It's not necessarily couture but it's comfortable."

There also was a red-dress camp that included Mary Louise Parker, who wore a Marquesa diamond bracelet totaling almost 30 carats from Harry Winston, and Ali Larter, who called her strapless goddess gown by Reem Acra "a little sliver of nothing."
Klum wore a wine-colored gown with an up-to-there slit by Christian Dior Couture. She wore diamond jewelry from her own collection.
And veteran star Leslie Caron wore a gown she designed herself with fabric she bought in India

Well lets do it all again next year! CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Valentino Hires New Creative Director For Womenswear

2007-09-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

ROME - Valentino Fashion Group said Wednesday it has appointed a 35-year-old Italian as the fashion house's creative director for womenswear, a day after Valentino announced his resignation as head designer.

Alessandra Facchinetti has been seen for years as a rising star of Italian couture and one of its most promising talents. She previously worked at Gucci, where she took over from Tom Ford.

"Facchinetti is the designer who can provide the best interpretation and continuity to the image that characterizes the Valentino label across the world," the group's chief executive officer, Stefano Sassi, said in a statement.

Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli keep their jobs as accessories designers, the statement said.

Facchinetti said she aims to present her first Valentino collection in March.

"I am honored to be part of this new project," she said, calling Valentino an "icon of style and elegance."

Valentino Garavani, 75, said Tuesday he was stepping down as head designer of the fashion house after 45 years in the business. Over the course of his career, his trademark red gowns have graced the world's royals, Hollywood stars and international jet setters.

Valentino said he would show his last ready-to-wear collection in Paris in October and his couture collection there in January.

Facchinetti began her fashion career at Prada's second line Miu Miu, where she stayed for seven years, eventually rising to become design brand coordinator for both the men's and women's collections.

In 2000, she became design director next to Ford at Gucci; four years later she was named creative director for womenswear when Ford resigned. But Facchinetti resigned a year later in a disagreement with management, and in 2006 joined Italian sportswear maker Moncler.

Good Luck Alessandra!

Catch ya next month CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Paris Hilton Fashion News

2007-08-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Police and city workers were called in to handle the crowd and a lane of traffic was closed as Paris Hilton unveiled her clothing line at a trendy boutique.

The heiress, author, singer, perfume designer and reality-TV star unveiled the line at Kitson, a boutique known for its celebrity clientele. The traffic lane was closed for pedestrians' safety, a city spokesman said.

Clad in a gold sequin minidress, Hilton, 26, emerged from a black sport utility vehicle to a throng of fans who spilled into the street Thursday. Inside the store, Hilton was all smiles.
"It's a dream come true to have my own clothing line," she said. "It's just Paris style: fun, bright and flashy."

The collection, which Hilton described as "really comfortable" and "really affordable," includes shoes, T-shirts and jeans. Hilton said she spent a year submitting and approving designs.
"It's just from my closet to their closets," she said. Additional pieces will be released next month, she said.

She also discussed other newsy matters in her life: her pregnant pal, Nicole Richie ("She's going to be a great mom," Hilton said), and the pending sale of her Hollywood Hills home.
"I'm going to miss my house because I love it. I really designed it to be my perfect taste," she said. "But too many people know where I live and I'd rather be in a gated community

Have a great week

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

In memory of Gianni Versace

2007-07-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

MILAN, Italy - Naomi Campbell, Jessica Alba and Claudia Schiffer were among the celebrities who attended a ballet at La Scala in memory of Gianni Versace, who was murdered 10 years ago.
"Thank you, Gianni, With Love," performed Sunday night, was the highlight of a series of events marking the anniversary of the Italian designer's death. He was gunned down outside his Miami Beach, Fla., mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, who killed himself a few days later.
Versace's sexy and daring clothes made him a favorite among rockers, Hollywood stars and other celebrities.

Maurice Bejart, who enjoyed a long professional collaboration and close friendship with Versace, wrote the ballet. It featured stage costumes designed by Versace over the years, as well as those created for the performance by his sister, Donatella Versace.
Donatella Versace, who attended the ballet with her daughter, Allegra Beck Versace, took over design at the fashion house after her brother's death.

Celebrities attending the red-carpet event also included Rupert Everett, Karl Lagerfeld and Claude Lelouch. Other events commemorating Versace's death include an exhibit of his sketches and theater costumes installed on Milan streets and the establishment of a scholarship in his honor at the European Institute of Design in Milan.
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Have a great Day CJ Henderson Azani Fashion
On the Net:
Versace:
http://www.versace.com/

Gisele Causes a stir in RIO

2007-06-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Gisele Bundchen is the biggest international star on the runway during Rio's Fashion Week, but she's also making headlines for criticizing the Roman Catholic church's opposition to condom use and abortion.

Bundchen, who paraded Tuesday night for the Colcci label, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that the church's take on contraception is hopelessly outdated because it was adopted when "the women were virgins, the guys were virgins."

"Today, no one is a virgin when they get married," Bundchen said.
She made the comments less than a month after Pope Benedict XVI criticized government-sanctioned abortion laws and birth control during a five-day visit to Brazil, the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation.

While most abortions are banned in Brazil, the government hands out more than 300 million free condoms each year to prevent AIDS and unwanted pregnancies.
"To prohibit condoms is ridiculous, just think of all the diseases transmitted without them," the 26-year-old supermodel told the newspaper.

She added: "How is it possible to not want people to use condoms and also not have abortions? It's impossible, I'm sorry."
Bundchen isn't the first Brazilian celebrity to clash with the Roman Catholic church over contraception.

You go Girl!!!

Catch ya Next Time CJ Henderson

www.azanifashion.com

Quincy Jones in Fashion News & Valentino for Sale?

2007-05-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger are among those spearheading a concert to raise money to build a memorial to The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall.

The Dream Concert will be held Sept. 18 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the memorial fund announced Tuesday. Performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
The group working to build the King memorial has raised $79 million of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the memorial.

"I'm honored that such a diverse and committed group of leaders have come together for a concert to help raise the remaining funds," said Harry Johnson, president and chief executive of the memorial fund.
The memorial is slated for a space on the Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. It will include a sculpture of King and 14 quotations from the slain civil rights leader. The memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

Also this Week:

MILAN/LONDON Private equity firm Permira (PERM.UL) is in exclusive talks to buy more than half of famed Italian fashion house Valentino (V.MI), it said on Friday, dimming the chances of a bid battle with U.S. rival Carlyle.
Sources close to negotiations said the move by London-based Permira had almost certainly shut out the prospect of Carlyle launching a counter bid for Valentino, whose wardrobe of brands also includes Hugo Boss (BOSG_p.DE) and Marlboro Classics.
Permira said it was negotiating with majority shareholders the Marzotto family to pay 35 euros a share excluding a dividend for 24 percent of Valentino, valuing the company at 2.6 billion euros ($3.5 billion). It already owns 29.6 percent.

Should it succeed, Permira would be forced under Italian law to launch a full takeover of the fashion house famous for dressing stars such as Julia Roberts, Sophia Loren and Jackie Kennedy Onassis in its floor-sweeping gowns.
Valentino stock fell more than 4 percent to 35.2 euros as investors saw the prospect of a bid war ebb. It hit a record on Thursday on expectations Permira and Carlyle would compete for the house founded by Valentino Garavani 45 years ago.

"The game is more or less over," one of the sources close to the negotiations said.
Private equity firms are showing increased interest in the fashion world with no sign of a let-up in booming sales of luxury goods in emerging economies like China, India and Russia.
Shares in Hugo Boss rose nearly 3 percent on Friday amid expectations Permira will be forced to buy the company if it succeeds in its takeover of Valentino Fashion.

FROCK FINANCE
Permira's move follows Change Capital's purchase of Jil Sander from Prada last year while TowerBrook Capital Partners bought out shoemaker Jimmy Choo in February.
Valentino is one of the world's most recognized fashion brands and analysts said private equity had plenty of potential to expand it internationally and into younger, cheaper ranges.
Italian designers Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana have created money-spinners by launching junior ranges Emporio Armani and D&G which sell skinny jeans for $200.
A Valentino signature red gown can cost $10,000.

Valentino trades at 25.5 times estimated earning for this year compared with 19 times for France's LVMH (LVMH.PA), the world's largest luxury goods group, providing an indication of the potential investors see for the Italian house's growth.

Well that's it for now Hope you enjoyed this one

CJ Henderson www.azanimodels.com

Vogue Vs. Harper’s Bazaar: Battle Of The Fashion Icons

2007-04-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Vogue Vs. Harper’s Bazaar: Battle Of The Fashion Icons

Gloves off, ladies! The two oldest names in women’s fashion magazines are also long-term rivals — but how much do they really have in common in 2007?

Certainly not their size. Each month’s issue of Vogue significantly beats Harper’s Bazaar on the when-dropped-by-a-6-foot-model-onto-one’s-head injury meter — Vogue merits a concussion versus Bazaar’s “ouch!” Which means Vogue wins the ad-page contest, too.

While the two mags have similar demographics, with a $10,000 difference in median household income (Bazaar’s, at $68,807, is higher), they diverge in ad targets. With Kohl’s and J.C. Penney’s spreads in its April issue, Vogue is now reaching for the mass consumer. But wouldn’t an ad for a $19.99 “smart pencil skirt” induce white-faced horror in the fashionista-socialite reader?

Here’s how the two compare in other ways.

The editor’s letter, or Anna vs. Glenda: Bazaar, C-; Vogue, B. Since all I knew of Vogue’s Anna Wintour was as the model for the fictional hellhound in The Devil Wears Prada, I was mighty curious to see how she expressed herself on the page. (Actually, she gets two pages — the only editor I’ve seen rate so much space.) Her April letter is a nicely crafted but less-than-scintillating essay on women’s body image and eating disorders, with many multi-claused yet perfectly punctuated sentences. It’s like a well-accessorized, but perhaps too ladylike suit. Wintour sounds smart and writes long — two characteristics echoed throughout Vogue, the only fashion mag so dense with text.

Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey, meanwhile, sounds more personal and lively, but not as brainy. She starts her name-dropping in the second sentence (”by the time I knew her, Diana was already a fashion virtuoso”) — and doesn’t let up until this nonsensical bit: “What better way to express your love than by making someone look and feel beautiful? Fashion designer Kai Milla and her husband, Stevie Wonder, spend their lives doing just that.”(Huh? A blind man as beauty guru?) Bailey ends her letter with the cliché used by editors from Mortuary Today on up: “Enjoy the issue.”

Fashion coverage: Bazaar, B; Vogue, A. Bazaar exemplifies its name by showcasing some bizarre fashion suitable only for gaping at: crystal-studded leggings; a short dress made entirely of feathers. One could argue that these are fashion-forward items showcasing ideas to be developed into more user-friendly versions. Still, for the Alexander McQueen dresses with padded hips to be wearable, society would have to completely revolutionize its beauty standards.

Vogue avoids the weirdest heights of fashion and does a better job at providing advice. Its “Shop By Shape” feature, in which women of varying body types (including, in what may be a historical moment, a size 16!) explain how they dress for utmost flattery, was more helpful than Bazaar’s “Fabulous At Any Age” section. Vogue also brings beauty and fashion trends to life with some first-person accounts; in one, a woman tests out the theory that shoulder pads are coming back.

Features: Bazaar, C-; Vogue, B+. Bazaar’s non-fashion pieces are mostly watered-down celeb profiles. The requisite major star profile, of Reese Witherspoon, isn’t bad, but two other subjects (Lindsay Lohan’s mom, and Princess Di’s fashion sense) bring up just one question: who cares?

With its stylish writing and topics that move beyond fashion and Hollywood, the Vogue feature far surpasses Bazaar’s. In keeping with the issue theme, there is exhaustive coverage of body image topics — everything from the omnipresence of breast implants in certain surprising circles to how “7 Women Obsess Over Their Body Flaws.”

Culture — beyond movie stars — is covered nicely, with features on theater, TV and books. A review of an Edith Wharton biography actually provides a good mini-bio of the esteemed novelist. The only fault in all this high-toned writing is the way some articles seem padded. I’ve enjoyed food writer Jeffrey Steingarten’s thoughtful musings before — but after five pages on how he hates the New York City ban on trans fats, I felt as if I were with a dinner party companion who wouldn’t shut up.

Look of the book: Vogue, A; Bazaar, B+. Unlike with their words, the two mags don’t differ much in the pictures category. Both feature gorgeous, artistic photos (like Vogue’s moody, painting-like shot of model Paulina Porizkova and her sons), and use many different fonts and well-balanced layouts. I’d rate Bazaar a little lower for some questionable art direction. For example, full-bleed, facing photos have no visual relationship to each other.

Bottom line: Vogue outclasses Bazaar editorially but not graphically.

I guess it depends on where you live and what your into! God we love this Industry!

See ya next time

CJ Henderson

www.azanifashion.com

Gucci's 40s glamour evokes adventurous spirit

2007-02-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

MILAN

She introduced an aviator theme here Wednesday with gender-blurring tweed coats, a bottle green flying jacket and knee-length pants over long boots that seemed straight off a black and white movie set.
But the look was not so much dashing aviator masculinity, as a sultry, sexy heroine, with models' glossy hair worn long and wavy, their pale complexions marked by dramatic deep red lips.

Her inspiration, the Italian designer said in the show's style note, had been Lee Miller, the "trailblazing" model and photographer including for Vogue during World War II.
"She was a pioneer -- talented, passionate and fashionable, just like strong women of today."
For day time, Giannini offered mini dresses in filmy fabrics, skinny pants that wrinkled at the ankles, jackets and coats, and often a high waistline for a lean silhouette.
Dramatic eveningwear was a choice of sweeping 1940s black gowns punctuated by stunning details, such as a copper-coloured belt, sweetheart neckline or glittering shoulder embellishment.

Colours ranged from dark and dusky, in rose pink, plum and violet, to bright flashes of shocking pink and marine blue.
Models stepped out in ankle-strap wedgies, in patent or satin, to echo the clothes, carrying slouchy bags or a rounded tote. Other accessories included long mittens or two-tone gloves and marmot hats fastened under the chin.

The whole look was wrapped up in casual style with cotton canvas belts.
When the decor opened up concertina-like on Antonio Marras' catwalk to reveal the black and white facade of an Italian villa, it set the scene for his delicate, but not fragile, approach to dressing.

Well that a wrap....

Catch ya next time

CJ Henderson www.azanifashion.com

Milan Bans Ultra Skinny Models from the Catwalk

2007-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

MILAN Bans Ultra Skinny Models from the Catwalk

The Italian fashion capital Milan has formally barred ultra-skinny and under-age models ahead of its February catwalk shows, as the fashion world comes under pressure to promote a healthier image.

The agreement signed on Monday between the city and its powerful fashion industry bans models under 16 and those with a body mass index of less than 18.5 from Milan's shows.
The accord also includes courses on healthy eating and exercise and calls for a variety of clothing sizes in shows.

"The agreement is the result of a common effort ... to share and to communicate to our young people the importance of positive models of living," Milan mayor Letizia Moratti said in a statement.
Body mass index is the ratio of weight to the square of height -- so that a 1.73 m (5 foot 8 inch) model who weighed less than 55.4 kg (122 lb) would be barred.
The accord is broadly in line with a manifesto issued by the national government and Italy's fashion chiefs on Saturday, and due to be signed this week.

Spain barred models below a certain weight from Madrid's shows in September. This month Brazil launched a campaign to ban under-age, underweight models from shows in response to the death of a Brazilian model from complications due to anorexia.

Milan's fashion houses at first resisted calls to follow the Spanish example. Mario Boselli, the head of Italy's National Fashion Chamber, said in September that only "maybe one girl in a hundred" of the models on show could be defined as too skinny.

But Boselli, whose lobby group represents such big names as Armani, Versace and Prada, agreed to work with the government on a self-regulatory code of good practice.

Wow! About time. . .

See ya next time CJ Henderson

www.azanifashion.com

Hepburn's magic gown builds schools

2006-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Never has a little black dress gained a more iconic status than the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Yesterday it sold at auction at Christie's for £467,200 more than six times the estimate.

The sleeveless dress, with a tiny 61-centimetre waist, slit to the thigh, is now thought to be the world's most expensive dress made for a film.
Designed by Hubert de Givenchy, the black satin gown was designed for the 1961 film in which Hepburn, as Holly Golightly, emerges from a taxi on to a deserted early-morning Fifth Avenue in New York, eating a croissant and looking into the window of Tiffany's.

Proceeds from the sale will go to City of Joy Aid, based in Calcutta, a charity set up 25 years ago. French author Dominique Lapierre, who sold the dress on behalf of the charity, said: "I am dumbfounded that a piece of cloth which belonged to such a magical actress will now enable me to buy bricks to put the most destitute children in the world into schools."

I wonder who we can get to wear our product in a famous movie????

Have a great day

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

www.azanifashion.com

www.azanimodels.com

Janet Jackson News!

2006-11-27T02:32:00.000-08:00

JACKSON SLAMS PREGNANCY REPORTS

Pop star JANET JACKSON has slammed reports she is expecting a baby with her longtime love JERMAINE DUPRI. Recent online media reports claimed the 40-year-old star was pregnant with her first child and had decided to cancel her tour next year (07) to support her latest release, 20 YO.

Azani Reporter Sabrina D. spoke to a representative for the singer tells American publication Us Weekly, "No, she is not pregnant and she is not canceling her tour." Jackson is expected to hit the road at the beginning of next year (07), though tour dates have yet to be announced.

The CONTROL star has made no secret of her desire to start a family, telling the magazine in October (06), "I'd love to have children. It's just up to Jermaine, what he wants to do.

There ya go, well I guess we will just have to keep waiting! Come on Jermaine Make that move!

That's it from us until later

CJ Henderson

www.azanimodels.com

www.azanifashion.com

Azani Congrats go out to Heidi & Seal

2006-11-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

Supermodel Heidi Klum has third baby
German supermodel Heidi Klum has given birth to a baby boy, her husband, British pop singer Seal, said on his website.
Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel was born on Wednesday, weighing 3.9 kilograms.
"To our children, a brother. To our parents, a grandson. To my wife and I, a son. To our family, a blessing," Seal wrote on the site.

"He is healthy, beautiful and looks just like his mother."
The message did not say where Klum gave birth.
Klum, 33, and Seal, 43, were married in May 2005.
They have a one-year-old son, Henry.

Klum's two-year-old daughter Leni is from a previous relationship with Formula One race car manager Flavio Briatore.
Klum hosts the Bravo reality cable television show Project Runway, which features aspiring designers vying for a chance to get a start in the fashion world.

She gained fame in the late 1990s modelling lingerie for retailer Victoria's Secret and swimsuits, notably on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine's popular swimsuit edition.

We wish them the best from the Azani Fashion Crew

By CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Azani Fashion Presents Armani

2006-10-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

A MIDST the controversy on skinny models being turned away at the recent Madrid Fashion Week, Giorgio Armani hired 75 models including lean supermodel Lily Cole to showcase four of his fashion lines in London recently.

“I was one of the first designers to use very slim models. My objective is to show ethereal, flowy clothes that move and 'drift' with the body, and in order to create this effect I look for models with a slimmer physique. However, having said that, there’s a big difference between a thin model and one who can’t even stand up on the runway,” he explains at the newly-refurbished Emporio Armani boutique at Brompton Road.
Speaking through an interpreter, he adds that it is unfortunate that stylists and the media seem to want models that are incredibly thin. It implies that for a woman to be fashionable, she has to be anorexic, he stresses.

The Italian fashion maestro has come up with a special Emporio Armani capsule collection comprising clothing, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewellery and fragrances in support of the product RED. The latter is a global business initiative launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver for the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa.
You can buy style and save lives. “It makes you feel less guilty when shopping,” quips Armani-devotee singer Alicia Keys.

“I’ve always considered myself to be a democratic designer and I will now dedicate myself to work on this initiative in the way I have always done, involving all those people around the world who enjoy my designs,” says Armani.
Smart, sharp and physically fit at 72 years old, the Italian couturier played host to an Armani extravaganza entitled One Night Only. Dubbed London’s biggest party this year at Earl’s Court in conjunction with the charity collaboration, traffic came to a standstill as too many A-list celebrities being dropped off in their sleek cars attracted passers-by and the obligatory paparazzi.

While his latest Spring/Summer 07 collections consisting of Giorgio Armani Prive, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Emporio Armani RED were typically Armani – refined and understated – hardly the same could be said for the guests.
Who could blame them? True to a “frock and roll” gala, the 1,300 guests including actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Cattrall, Ashley Judd, Olivier Martinez and James Franco, supermodels Elle MacPherson and Jacquetta Wheeler, dancer Darcey Bussell and singer Natalie Imbruglia, were treated to an electrifying performance by Beyonce.

In a short beaded black-and-white Armani dress and four-inch sequinned heels, Beyonce shook her booty to her current hit songs Deja Vu and B’Day. “Are you ready to dance?” she yelled after the two songs and in that instance, the band played the familiar strains of Crazy In Love, prompting even Armani-clad English footballers to stand up and shake their thang.

Well that's it from us this week!

Catch ya next time....

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion
www.azanifashion.com

Azani Fashion Presents LA Fashion Week

2006-10-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

Verdad, Eviso Kick Off L.A. Fashion Week

By SOLVEJ SCHOU
CULVER CITY, Calif. Oct 16, 2006 Los Angeles Fashion Week opened in true L.A. fashion with celebrities, diversity, rock 'n' roll and irreverence.
Sunday night's debut at Smashbox Studios covered the design spectrum, from local-favorite Louis Verdad's fresh, sassy cuts, to Sue Wong's ornate dresses, and Japanese denim-maker Evisu's funky fits.
Featuring the designers' 2007 spring collections, the showings set the tone of Mercedes-Benz L.A. Fashion Week, a series of 32 shows over five days that continues to gain respect in the fashion world in recent years.
For Verdad, raised in Mexico and based in Los Angeles, inspiration for his cleanly tailored but flirty collection came from actress Natalie Portman and her Golden Globe-winning stint as a wig-wearing sex kitten in the 2004 film "Closer."

"I thought, this is a theme I should get inspired by. I love her beauty. Her aesthetic is gorgeous," Verdad told The Associated Press backstage before his show.
Models sashaying down the runway to the tune of "Hello, I Love You" by another L.A. export, The Doors, wore an array of short, cinched dresses, thigh-skimming shorts and cropped jackets all in a cream-colored palette with ankle boots and sleekly bobbed blonde and black wigs, similar to Portman's in the film.

"We're doing a younger silhouette. … The hemline is higher, much higher," Verdad said. "This collection is more a modern approach. I like it because it's sort of fun, playful."
Looks rooted in the 1980s are already on the street this fall, and Verdad plans for them to be around this spring too, as he offered straight, narrow pants, wide belts and gold metallic prints. Gold is better suited for spring than silver, the designer said.
"But still, there are a couple of my beautiful fitted dresses in there," noted Verdad, who is known for gowns and expert construction. Past collections of his have been influenced by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and curvaceous '50s starlets.
This go-around he featured a one-shoulder gold knit and linen bubble dress and an ivory mini-dress with sweeping bell sleeves and a plunging back.

Stay tuned for more Photos.

That's it from us this month. Be sure to check out our Fashion Store www.azanifashion.com FREE Delivery for most states in the USA..

Ciao

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

Azani Fashion Movie Review The Devil Wears Prada

2006-09-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Common Sense Note
Parents should know that the movie features cruel judgments about body size and fashion. Characters are materialistic and catty (usually as comedy, though some hurtful comments are also made). Characters use mild language (s--t) and drink alcohol. Lots of mentions of high-end fashion brands. Younger kids won't be interested, since the subject matter won't mean anything to them.
Families can discuss Andy's plan to use her assistant job as a route to becoming a journalist: How does she rationalize this choice? How does Andy learn to fit into the world of high fashion by wearing the the right clothes, dieting, and becoming increasingly judgmental of others? What messages does the movie send about the importance of physical appearances?

To us it's cool that this movie will have some impact on fashion. However we applauded The Australian Designer at Melbourne Fashion Week that used Real Girls not The Typical Models for her show! Lets hope this is a trend we will see more of, enjoy the movie it's real predictable. Tell us what you think..

That's it for this week!
CJ Henderson
www.azanimodels.com
Visit our fashion store
www.azanifashion.com

Azani Fashion - Fashion Week NYC 2006

2006-09-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK A record 80 runway shows are on the official programme at the marquee city that springs up in Bryant Park off Fifth Avenue every year, in a testimony to the health of the sector and America's seemingly unbridled passion for fashion.
Designers will be vying for the attention of hundreds of fashion editors and buyers on the look out for the next Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.
One of the most sought-after runway invitations of the week will be for the new collection by Marc Jacobs, whose signature pieces such as ballet-inspired skimmers have long set the tone on the streets.
But besides being a showcase for established industry heavyweights like Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors, fashion week is increasingly a battle ground for young designers.

Fledgling couturiers from around the world see the week as an unrivalled opportunity to access the massive US market and capture some of the insatiable media attention that comes with one of the world's leading fashion events.

Among the up-and-coming talents showing this year are Russian Alexander Terekhov, Australia's Toni Maticevski, Paris-based Californian Erin Fetherston and US designers from young label Vena Cava.

Others, despite their youth, already seem like veterans, including 25-year-old New Yorker Zac Posen, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler, both 28, and Californian design collective Trovata, a foursome in their 20s.

Much of the interest will be focused on the newcomer American talent.
"There is a lot of originality and creativity that is coming from the States," says Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
American fashion has in recent years evolved from the ready-to-wear collections, which while still the cornerstone of US output is giving way to a more ambitious approach, he says.

That's it from us this Month... OH here is a new segment we are doing!

We have had Fashion people around the world send us Fashion Show Snaps Here is one

From Nokia Fashion Show 2005

CLICK HERE

Have a Great Fashion Month

CJ Henderson Azani Fashion

www.azanimodels.com www.azanifashion.com

Azani Fashion

2006-08-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton tells British GQ she loves money more than men

LONDON (AP) - Paris Hilton said she is sick of boyfriends and is celibate.
The 25 year old celebrity who gained international fame when a former boyfriend posted a videotape of the couple having sex on the Internet denied leading a promiscuous lifestyle in an interview with the British edition of GQ magazine.
"I'm not having sex for a year...I'll kiss but nothing else," said Hilton, who told the magazine she has had sex with only two men during her lifetime.
Of the videotape with Rick Solomon that became one of the most searched-for items on the Internet in 2003, she said: "I never received a dime from it. It's just dirty money and he should give it all to some charity for the sexually abused or something."
The Hilton Hotels heir and socialite told the magazine she is "very shy" and relates to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who was hounded by photographers.
"I've been in cars trying to get away from speeding paparazzi before and it's horrible, so I can relate to Diana and the problems she had," Hilton is quoted saying.

During the interview, Hilton also displayed some political illiteracy.
When asked about British Prime Minister Tony Blair, her response was: "Who?...Oh, yeah, he's like your president. I don't know what he looks like."
Hilton also told the magazine she collects $500,000 in fees just to show up at parties and other events from Las Vegas to Tokyo. Her best-paying gig, she said, was a recent Austrian appearance.

"I had to say 'hi' and tell them why I loved Austria so much," she is quoted saying.
And why does she like Austria?
"Because they pay me $1 million to wave at crowds!"

Ok Get on Down Paris: Well guys that's it from us this month... Be sure to check out our Fashion Store at www.azanifashion.com If your into Gucci - Prada - Bvlgari - Baby Phat - Timberland and many others you need to drop in!

Azani Fashion: Sydney Wedding of the Year

2006-06-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sydney wedding of the Year Best wishes to Nicole & Keith.

The guest list included Australian movie stars Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Some onlookers climbed trees and the stone wall outside the compound trying to glimpse the activity inside.

"Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann was expected to be in charge of the wedding video. A quartet from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was expected to perform, as was Jackman, who sprang to fame in the "X-Men" movies.

Kidman's sister, Antonia, and daughter, Isabella, 13, arrived dressed as bridesmaids in a separate limousine. Her son, Connor, 11, also was expected to participate in the ceremony.

The Kidman family priest who conducted the ceremony, the Rev. Paul Coleman, said earlier that Kidman and Urban were "totally focused on their commitment."
"It's the priority in their lives," The Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted him as saying.
Kidman, 39, won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for "The Hours."

Kidman has said she and Urban will set up home in Nashville when they return to the United States.
"I've moved to Tennessee for my personal life," she told reporters in Shanghai last week. "It's nice."

Kidman is a hometown heroine in Sydney, where her Australian parents raised her. She was born in Hawaii.
Urban, 38, was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, and raised in Queensland state. He moved to Nashville in 1992 and has acknowledged struggling with cocaine abuse.

Urban was expected to serenade his bride. He won a Grammy this year for best male country vocalist and was named top male vocalist for the second year in a row by the Academy of Country Music.

CJ Henderson

Azani Fashion

www.azanifashion.com

History of the Runway....by Azani Fashion

2006-03-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

Presented By Azani Fashion

How the Runway Took Off
A brief history of the fashion show.

Fashion scholars have penned histories of the high heel, the corset, and the little black dress, but no one has yet written a definitive history of the fashion show. The omission is curious: The fashion show is not only the promotional linchpin of a multibillion-dollar industry, it was also central to the development of the American department store—and thus to the rise of American consumer culture. The problem may be that the fashion show, like any performative enterprise, is by nature ephemeral. Or perhaps it's that the fashion crowd, always in pursuit of the next thing, lacks the archival impulse: Why hash over yesterday's clothes? Whatever the reason, as Valerie Steele, chief curator and director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told me: "The topic of fashion shows remains to find its historian."

It is, however, possible to stitch together the tale of New York's semiannual Fashion Week, which commenced once again last Friday in the tents at Manhattan's Bryant Park. Fashion Week in its earliest incarnation was, in some sense, a bid to overthrow the sartorial tyranny of the French. According to Steele, the event got its start in 1943, when a well-known fashion publicist named Eleanor Lambert organized something called "Press Week." Lambert was a canny PR maven who recognized that it was a propitious moment for American fashion. Before World War II, American designers were thought to be reliant on French couture for inspiration. When the Germans occupied France in 1940, one of the ensuing calamities was that buyers, editors, and designers were unable to travel to Paris to see the few remaining shows, and the fashion world fretted—would American fashion founder without the influence of French couture?

With Press Week, Lambert hoped to give editors a chance to see—and more important, write about—the work of American designers, who, freed up to create without the anxiety of French influence, were quietly making innovative strides with indigenous materials and techniques, writes Caroline Rennolds Milbank in New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style. Ruth Finley, publisher of the Fashion Calendar (a pink-and-red schedule that the industry finds indispensable) was present at those early shows. As she tells it, Press Week was held alternately at the Pierre and Plaza Hotels. Journalists and editors stayed on-site, which meant there was none of the modern dashing between tents and taxiing around. (Buyers, a key constituent at today's shows, were in those days forced to visit the designers' showrooms for a look, Finley says.)

CJ Henderson

www.azanifashion.com

2006-01-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

Azani Fashion Forum
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