BFC/c Fashion Fund 2010 shortlist - revealed!

The shortlist for this year's BFC/Vogue Fund has been announced. The nominees include Charlotte Olympia, Christopher Kane, E. Tautz, Jonathan Saunders, Nicholas Kirkwood, Osman, Peter Pilotto and Richard Nicoll.



They are all in the running for taking away a prize of £200,000 and a bespoke mentoring programme. The seven runners-up will also each receive mentoring through the Fund.


"The high level of financial support and the mentoring package will play a pivotal role in developing the winning designer business on an international platform. We're very proud to be able to offer our promising designers this support and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our funders," said Harold Tillman.


"It is very exciting to be in our second year of the Fashion Fund and to be providing such tangible help to this extremely impressive shortlist of British designers," Vogue's Alexandra Shulman said today. Last year's Fashion Fund was awarded to Erdem.

Justin Timberlake's William Rast to hit Bryant Park

While others appear to be fleeing the tents at Bryant Park under the strain of the economic crisis, Justin Timberlake's label William Rast is about to make its debut. Although he has been showing at New York Fashion Week for a couple of seasons now, next month will mark JT's first Bryant Park show. It is scheduled for February 16th at 7pm, but will be sans a concert a spokesperson has confirmed. Drats, and I had been missing a bit of JT-shakin' booty for a while now too.

Click here to check out coverage from William Rast's S/S '09 show.

Gallery: Golden Globe predictions and favourites

Shiny Style has news of the celebs who'll be attending Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, and with a red carpet line-up that includes the likes of Brad and Angelina, Drew Barrymore, Blake Lively, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek, we can expect some memorable moments. So now we can move onto important things...like predicting what they'll wear (and more importantly, what we wish they'd wear).

Armani couture is always a favourite at award shows (especially if Beyonce, Cate or Katie are in attendance) so no doubt someone will turn up in one of Georgio's understatedly glam frocks. This black one with silver trim is a good bet.

The Globes are one of the only award shows where it's (just about) acceptable to wear a shorter dress. Balmain is the name on everyone's lips - perhaps Kate Winslet will follow on the success of her Revolutionary Road premiere outfit and wear another risky LBD to show off her enviable figure? Or perhaps someone else will have the guts to go where Gemma Arterton lead the way in one of the chiffon micro-mini dresses with long trains in the back?

No doubt there'll be plenty of black on the red carpet, but just because it's classic, it doesn't have to be boring. British designers Basso and Brooke modernise a black satin dress with a signature print across the hem. This would be perfect for a young, fashion-forward attendee, though I doubt anyone will have the guts to go for it!

Speaking of edgy black dresses, no doubt some Carolina Herrera will crop up on Sunday night. Hopefully, it'll be this strapless fishtail number with an almost wet-look top.

Roberto Cavalli knows how to do over the top glamour, and this dress, with its sea anemone-like frills down the skirt, is just that. I would love to see this on someone who normally wears plain, classic clothes, just to spice things up a bit!

Though it may be just a bit too ostentatious in its catwalk form, I think this Dior couture dress would be brilliant with a few modifications. Either changing it to a block colour or removing the fur trim, it suddenly becomes a wearable - if very dramatic - cocktail frock that'll definitely command attention!

Romantic, feminine and flattering, this lilac Elie Saab dress is bound to appear on the Red Carpet at some point. I can see Blake Lively in this, softening her Amazonian figure with the gentle drapes.

Another romantic, feminine option, this time from Jenny Packham, who's been cropping up on the red carpet loads recently, especially on younger celebs. Will Hayden Panettiere forego the usual fitted mini dresses in favour of something more girly?

Jonathan Saunders' move to New York put him up there with the big players, and this dress from his Spring / Summer 2009 show screams red carpet glam. Anne Hathaway, I hope you're listening!

Golden Globes, golden dress. Why not? Marchesa and the red carpet are synonymous now, and this is one of the few dresses that we haven't already seen more than once at big events. Who'll wear it? We'll have to wait and see...

Colour has been sadly lacking recently - are people dressing down because of the recession? Whatever the reason, big events like the Golden Globes are the perfect excuse to go bold. I love the soft ombre fading of this Naeem Khan dress, and the embellished bust tops it off perfectly. Perhaps one for bohemian attendee Cameron Diaz?

The Nina Ricci collection was one of many that featured the new gown silhouette that's short at the front and long in the back (Balmain, Elie Saab and others also used this shape). Will Nina Ricci devotee Reese Witherspoon be there to give this frock an airing (sans coat?) Or will someone else give the look a go? Here's hoping someone is leggy enough to pull it off!

Rodarte are amongst the crop of current fashion darlings, so their delicate, beautifully constructed dresses are everywhere...who'll be wearing this number on the night? We shall see!

If I don't see something from Versace's heart-covered range at the Globes, I'll be very surprised. This white frock is probably the biggest show-stopper, so here's hoping it's picked by a savvy stylist.

[Source]

Victoria's Secret fashion show 2007 - watch it here!

Unlike some of our readers, I thought I had to wait a few more days to watch the Victoria’s Secret fashion show 2007 on TV. But like a lot of other things these days, I can get now catch it on YouTube before all my friends do. And boy was it worth it - the costumes were just amazing. Watch the likes of Heidi Klum and the Spice Girls sing (yes, Heidi sings a duet with husband Seal), as well as Karolina Kurkova, Alessandra Ambrossio and Miranda Kerr who strut their stuff on the VS runway.

It's a 5 part show as YouTube has a limit on how long videos can be, so see below for the rest of the videos!

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Battle of the bombshells

Two rare beauties lead the big stores' fight for your fashion dollar, writes fashion editor Janice Breen Burns.

THEY scoff at the idea of rivalry, but mega-models Jennifer Hawkins and Megan Gale are as different as the warring department stores they portray.

Blonde Hawkins is a sparkling, borderline bombshell, less sexy than pretty, who fits Myer's "every woman and girl" criteria like a chic white glove. The smouldering Gale is bombshell to the bone, and elegant with it: the embodiment of David Jones' sophisticated high fashion pitch but with a very sexy twist.

In this week's back-to-back spring fashion launch shows staged in Sydney, the two beauties led 80-odd pony-stepping model troops - in spring outfits by designers exclusive to each store - into a catwalk battle for headlines. Who won? They're neck 'o neck until the cash registers ring. Like Howard and Rudd, everybody has an opinion, but when the time comes to vote - or buy - heads will rule hearts.

"It's all about the clothes," says Myer's director of merchandise-apparel, Judy Coomber. "That's why we kept it simple." She means the Myer show's staging: a dramatic arrangement of Escher-like ascending and descending stairs. It's a far cry from the store's history of catwalk antics: fire pits, casts of a hundred models, giant mirror balls, a beach recreated in the CBD, Hawkins emerging from a jet plane on stage. Perhaps the $4 million Hawkins was reportedly paid to sign up as the "face" of Myer for four years might explain why, suddenly, it's all about the clothes.

Then again. "It's all about the clothes," says David Jones' group general manager of merchandise, Colette Garnsey, following her show at Sydney's Moore Park on Tuesday. For Garnsey, recognised as the canniest of her kind in Australia, it has always been about the clothes. And about Gale. Although the 32-year-old is technically "long in the tooth" in model years, Garnsey and David Jones' CEO Mark McInnes have carefully managed her image into one of celebrity, which is virtually ageless.

Presumably, there would be an outcry if Gale were dumped, but there appears to be genuine affection and loyalty between her and David Jones' management team. Gale has been contracted until 2009 so far and has confided a stint beyond that wouldn't be out of the question if her circumstances at the time allowed it. David Jones customers have rewarded the store for its loyalty to the engaging and gracefully ageing Gale, by returning buoyant and record sales figures every quarter since her introduction five years ago. But Garnsey and McInnes have also regularly infused their shows with youthful "ambassadors", including, this week, 22-year-old international success Elyse Taylor and last season, Hollywood "It" girl Mischa Barton.

Rome Fashion Show bars 15 'too skinny' models

FIFTEEN models were kicked out of a Rome fashion show today for being too thin, sparking new debate on anorexia in the fashion industry.

"I asked that girls with abnormal measurements shouldn't work ... (and) had to fire 15 who were under (French) size 36 (US size eight)," Raffaella Curiel told reporters.

"One girl fainted during the trials," he said, adding, "I had to give her a ham sandwich."

Curiel said his fashion house wanted to respect rules developed in December to combat anorexia among fashion models, but added: "It's not our fault if (agencies) send us girls who are too skinny."

Under the new rules, girls under 16 cannot take to the catwalk, and models must produce a certificate proving that they have no eating disorders.

Meanwhile, models under 16 will be banned from London Fashion Week catwalks under new rules proposed today.

A panel of experts set up to investigate health problems among models also called for greater protection for 17 and 18 year-olds, including chaperoning at shows.

But the independent Model Health Inquiry set up in the wake of the size zero debate ruled out weighing all models because it had been ineffective in other countries.

Panel members called for a rigorous scientific study into the prevalence of eating disorders among fashion models.

During the inquiry, they heard from many models who told of the fear of not being selected for
work because they were not thin enough, according to Panel chairwoman Baroness Kingsmill.
In particular, they want more information on whether a minimum body mass index (BMI) requirement of 18.5 should be introduced for London Fashion Week models.

This approach has already been adopted by Madrid fashion week.

In its interim report published today, the panel called for a detailed investigation into models working conditions and outlined a positive case for setting up a union for the modelling profession.

The panel said models under 16 were particularly vulnerable. It mentioned the risk of children being sexually exploited when they were made to represent adult women.

Launching the interim report today, Kingsmill said: "The panel has set out an approach designed to protect vulnerable young workers in an industry which appears to be glamorous but which has hidden risks and that for all practical purposes is largely unregulated and unmonitored."

She added: "... members of the panel became increasingly concerned as we heard more details about the working conditions faced by many models and the vulnerability of young women working in an unregulated and scarcely-monitored work environment.

"We have been given startling medical evidence about the prevalence and impact of eating disorders in certain high-risk industries.

"Working conditions for models are far from transparent and there is a worrying lack of information about the overall profession.

The College of Psychiatrists told the panel that models with a BMI of below 18.5 which means they are underweight - should be banned from the catwalk.

But other respondents said BMI did not help identify the eating disorder bulimia nervosa.

Kingsmill added: "There was also strongly expressed concern that it is profoundly inappropriate that girls under 16, under the age of consent, should be portrayed as adult women. The risk of sexualising these children was high and designers could risk charges of sexual exploitation."

The inquiry is requesting responses to its interim report. Its final report, along with a final set of recommendations is due to be published in September, when the next London Fashion Week takes place.

Recent controversy over skinny models was sparked in August 2006, when Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos, 22, died of heart failure after not eating for several days.

Her death was followed in November by that of Ana Carolina Reston, a Brazilian model who suffered from anorexia.

Madrid Fashion Week last year banned models with a BMI of less than 18 from taking part.
Doctors use the index, which is a ratio of height to weight, to calculate the healthy size for an individual.

The debate about the US size zero - the equivalent of a UK size four - was caused by celebrities dieting down to the super-thin size.

- with Press Association