Daniel Craig is best-dressed male Brit

Daniel Craig, the latest actor to play James Bond in the super-spy series of movies, was named the best-dressed man in Britain by men's style magazine GQ on Monday.

In an article in GQ's May issue, due out on Thursday, the magazine listed the 10 best-dressed and worst-dressed men in the country.

Craig was followed in the best-dressed list by David Cameron, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, who placed second, and film star Clive Owen, who was third.

Gordon Brown — the finance minister and likely future prime minister — conversely came second in the list for Britain's worst-dressed men, beaten only by TV host and comedian Russell Brand.

Craig's slick, suit-wearing character in 'Casino Royale' — the latest iteration in the James Bond series — was credited with his topping the list.

"No Bond since Sean Connery has worn it better," GQ said.

"It works because the 007 uniform seems like an upgrade of what Craig would naturally wear."

GQ said that Cameron, meanwhile, was "a politician who understands the news agenda is set as much by appearance as it is by words."

Acknowledging that some celebrities polarised the fashion world with their dress sense, GQ placed some men on both lists.

Pete Doherty, the frontman for Babyshambles, perhaps best known for his relationship with supermodel Kate Moss, placed seventh on the best-dressed list, while also placing fifth in the worst-dressed list.

Cameron also made it to sixth on the worst-dressed list, along with his second-place finish in the best-dressed list.

Prince Harry also made it on the list — the first royal to be included in the poll — placing 10th, with GQ describing him as "the sartorial world's favourite Army recruit."

AFP

Is the tie dead or alive?

The tie, that onetime symbol of manhood and social supremacy, is in trouble, creased and crumpled by lifestyle change.

Step into a trendy Paris restaurant or classy dinner party, and is any man in tune with the times turned out in neckwear, aside from the occasional diehard tie aficionado?

Take 27-year-old Mathieu Duballet, financial consultant and fashion dandy.

Every morning Duballet picks through his favourite 20 to 30 ties for the perfect match to his suit and shirt. Once found, he deftly flips the long end round the short end three times left and right and through the knot, to produce that "don" of necktie knots — the Windsor — in less than a minute.

"I love ties and hate anyone buying me one as a present," said the always impeccably-dressed banker, who likes his ties in extremely thick spun silks to finish up with an impressive knot and firm tie that will look good and stand up all day.

"And they have to match the clothes," added Duballet, whose father taught him to tie a Windsor when he was only 14, a feat he can accomplish even without a mirror.

But after work, Duballet slips his favourite accessory off and almost never wears one partying or for a meal with friends.

Will the tie make a comeback?
Yet according to Paris couture circles and watchers of emerging trends among the very young, the tie may be poised for a comeback.

"The tie is doing better, it was ill, on the brink of death, it is convalescing," said Franck Nauerz, purchaser of men's accessories nationwide for France's Printemps department stores.

"It isn't dead but there was a real drop in sales, it was sick," agreed the buyer for men's goods at the rival Galeries Lafayette stores, Helene Pasteur.

Neckties in their current form surfaced in the mid 19th century, immediately influenced by the elaborately-tied hit cravats and scarves of "Beau" Brummell, the obsessive English dandy who spent six hours a day dressing but died in rags.

Strips of grunge-style cloth tied around the neck to soak up sweat, protect infantry against the chafing of armour or clothing that was rarely washed, can be traced back to ancient Chinese warriors in 300 BC, to Rome, and more recently to the picturesque scarves knotted around the necks of Croatian mercenaries who fought in 17th-century France.

Historians say French mispronunciation of the word "Croat", or "Hrvat" in the original, produced the sartorial word "cravate" or cravat.

Others say the mannish qualities of the tie derive not only from its military origins, like most men's fashion, but from its protection of man's perhaps least attractive iconic attribute, the Adam's apple.

And why do doctors often wear bow-ties? So their ties won't pick up germs.

A must for appropriately named white-collar workers through the 20th century as well as for special occasions such as marriages and deaths, the tie's fortunes floundered significantly after tbe introduction of casual Fridays and dressed-down office wear in the 1990s.

"Because of the new casual dress work ethic, nowadays men who buy suits and shirts no longer necessarily buy a tie to match," said Pasteur, the buyer at Galeries Lafayette.

"I don't think the tie will return as routine office wear," opined Nauerz of the Printemps stores. "But it is making a comeback as a fashion accessory."

In the last three seasons, top fashion gurus such as Hedi Slimane who has just left Dior, dazzled the catwalks with an array of skinny -- often loosely-knotted -- ties, inspired by rock stars such as Franz Ferdinand or The Hives, a throwback to the Mods of the 60s and 70s when even the Beatles did their thing in ties.

Often plain-coloured, the new look ties are four or six centimetres wide, against the traditional nine.

"Young people are buying these ties now, and the designers are offering new colours, new fabrics, new collections, they're making ties un-stodgy," said Nauerz, a reference to Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Dior, Calvin Klein and Paul Smith.

"You can tell the fashion houses are not going to drop the tie."

Historian Farid Chenoune, author of a book on men's fashion through the ages, sees renewed designer interest in the tie as part of the struggle between the ethics of suburban rap and hip-hop, and inner-city life.

"There's currently a reassertion of central city elegance, based on the jacket, shirt and tie," he said in an interview. "There's a kind of struggle going on, which even has a slight political undertone, between suburban fashion and inner-city fashion, even though there're links between the two."

"The return of the tie via young rock groups is part of inner-city fashion, inner-city youth."
Chenoun said the comeback of the tie followed the return of the jacket and shirt five or six years ago by the under-35s, breaking with the T-shirts favoured by the previous generation.

Like today's loosely knotted, unkempt and worn ties, shirts since 2000 are cool if worn unbuttoned, loose, or straying from under a sweater or out of a pair of pants.

"It's a statement by a generation, and the tie is part of it," he said.

But in one of Paris' top luxury goods stores, the vagaries of mass market buying have gone un-noticed.

At Charvet, the temple of the tie with an eye-boggling 8000 on sale and a bespoke service of collars, shirts and suits to match, manager Anne-Marie Colban said of the fall in tie sales:

"We have heard of it, but have never seen it."

AFP

Men's fashion tips from the top

The Milan Menswear Collections is certainly the most esteemed men's fashion show in the world. We spoke to an inspired Neil Doveton, Fashion Director of Men’s Health and Best Life magazine, live from Milano...

iafrica.com: What’s the hot gossip? Tell us what the fashionistas are talking about this year at the Milan Menswear Collections…
Neil: Apparently — and it's eavesdropped gossip — King Giorgio is tad upset with the American Vogue... but I am certainly not going into details!

iafrica.com: Apparently accessories for men featured quite strongly at the Menswear Collections in Milan this year. What kind of accessories are in vogue?

Neil: You have to carry a bag — or don't bother hoping to be noticed. Leather carryalls in every possible size and shape and finish — leather, patent leather, nylon, as long as its big and obvious.

Hats too are another way to finish your look in style, everything from straw hats to caps, poorboys and trilby's.

iafrica.com: Describe the most fantastic outfit of the week…

Neil: Aw come on that's not fair! Only one? Well seeing as it the year of the Golden Boys with gold being the new black, the old black, the every black I would say it has to be Burberry Prorsum's gleaming Gold Alligator trench coat belted in the waist and worn over deeply scooped black summer knit slim silhouette trousers and neoprene boots — Christopher Bailey's brilliant fusion of technical sport and glitzy glamour.

iafrica.com: What are the new key fashion items and colours for next summer…

Neil: Its a mixture of glamour and sport. The tuxedo features strongly in many variations from sophisticated and traditional to worn casually over a Henley T-shirt... the other total must-have is the waistcoat, layered, worn under jackets or simply as a shirt... it's great to see this classic piece make such a strong comeback. Colours... everything and anything that shimmers or shines.. every possible metallic, gold being supreme and contrasted against either an icy palette of summer whites, sandy desert hues or the deepest ebonies and charcoals.

iafrica.com: What are you specifically looking forward to wearing next season?

Neil: My waistcoat and mandarin collared shirt I bought in Milan! Oh and sneakers in patent shimmering metallic silver. And of course a Henley T-shirt under a satin lapelled Tuxedo jacket, skinny fit black jeans and sandals.

iafrica.com: Which male model is the most sought after right now?

Neil: It must be Marlon Brando's grandson, Tuki Brando, the new face of Versace... not only famous but gorgeous too.

iafrica.com: Did you get to meet any interesting fashionistas or celebrities?

Neil: To be honest I really keep my focus on the trends but did hobnob a bit with the fashionistas and fashion directors of UK GQ, Vogue and Italian Homme and Arena.

iafrica.com: Which show was your favourite and why…

Neil: You cant ask me that — they are all so brilliant and each so different, It's an enchanting experience that whisks one away to different places and sensations.

I mean D&G is always so sexy, DSQAURED2 real man, Burberry Prorsum stylish and British , Valentino put on such an unusual show with no runway, merely a raised semi-circular stage where models posed in amused manner as fashionista and photographer could gather up close for an extraordinarily tangible experience and even entice a glimpse of a smile from the models... a great new concept.

However it's Miss Vivienne Westwood who never fails to steal my heart, make me go all goose-bumpy and to be honest a little tearful as she brings such delight to the world of fashion, but we also love King Giorgio and the ever young Donatella (however does she do it?).

iafrica.com: Did you go shopping in Milan? What did you buy?

Neil: Well a can of coke is about 30 bucks if you know what I mean — nonetheless I always invest in classic white shirts in Milan, lets face it the Italians know how to make a good shirt, and the collars, mmm the collars are always just right!

iafrica.com: Drawing from your international fashion experience, is there any advice that you can give the local fashion industry?

Neil: I never like to give advice to our local industry — we have enormous talent back home and most of the outfits I wore to the collections are from our very own designers and retailers and guess what had my picture taken almost every day. I say only "keep it up, go for the glimmer and shine and most importantly — just love what you do, don't take it too seriously — fashion should be enjoyed and never a burden."

Copyright © 2002-2007 iafrica.com

Nokia's 8600 Luna Fashion Phone

Earlier this week at a press event in New York, we had the chance to check out some of Nokia's latest releases, including their new flagship fashion phone, the 8600 Luna. While the Luna has reasonable specs like quad-band GSM/EDGE support, a 2 megapixel camera, and a 16 million color QVGA display, the draw for most consumers will likely be the design.


The Luna is the first device that we are aware of that uses glass as a design element for something other than covering a display. In this case, The Luna has a smoked glass sliding cover that secures the phone's keypad when it is not in use. The glass also allows the slowly pulsating keypad backlight, the 8600 Luna's "heartbeat", to be seen when the phone is idling.

For me personally, I thought the Luna looked much better in the official Nokia press photos that it did in person. The phone just came across as being so dark in general. None of the design features were easy to see in the admittedly poor lighting at the event. The design just looked far too stealthy for a fashion phone. To me, fashion phones need a bit of flash to them to be effective. They need to be noticed.

While the Nokia 8600 Luna is pretty, it just doesn't come across as super model beautiful to me. Considering its 700EUR/US$945 price tag, I think it should. It is currently available in the UK, but should be available in the USA in the next month or so.

Source: Mobileburn.com

The naked truth about Danish fashion

Discover the naked truth about Danish fashion when the Danish Design Centre tells the story behind the Danish fashion adventure in the exhibition "Naked - Danish fashion and identity". It stays open until 7 October 2007.

Fashion is one of Denmark's main export trades. But what is the story behind the Danish fashion adventure? Today, fashion is a matter of branding and careful identity management. The Danish Design Centre opens the stage to Danish fashion brands with the exhibition "NAKED - Danish fashion and identity".

From fabric to fashion
Today, fashion is about more than just the clothes or the product, it is equally about branding and careful identity management. Together with a project team of fashion experts, the Danish Design Centre has selected a number of creative and successful Danish fashion firms that stand out with a high-profile corporate identity. How did they get there, and why are they successful right now?

Danish brands on display
The exhibition features some of the stories that form the core of the fashion firms' approach to branding and identity management. These stories are told by both established brands and rising stars, including Bruuns Bazaar, Henrik Vibskov, Inwear, Kopenhagen Fur and Noir.

All-round perspective
The exhibition concept is to view the dual theme of branding and identity management from two angles: the consumer angle and the corporate angle. This means that some of the stories address the aspects of fashion that are visible to the consumer (media, shows, shops, etc), while others focus on the underlying strategies and processes that help position a brand and turn fabric to fashion.

Fashion and design as export trades
The exhibition aims to explore why fashion is one of the creative areas that Denmark needs to continue to develop in the future. The goal is to spark inspiration and innovation, not just in other Danish fashion firms but also in other industries that have design as en important parameter in relation to their export potential. The Danish fashion business is one of Denmark's main export trades, and in 2006 alone the textile and fashion business had a total turnover of just over 32 billion DKK.

The exhibition has just opened at the Danish Design Centre and stays open to the public until 7 October 2007.

Further informationPress Officer Pia Dandanell Christensen, tel.: +45 3369 3345, email: pdc@ddc.dk
Or visit www.ddc.dk

Markam fashion Hot Spot

MARKAM FASHION will present its new lines of Spring 2008 collection at the fairs in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Düsseldorf (Germany), Vienna (Austria), Salzburg (Austria), Brno (Czech Republic), Moscow (Russia), Sofia (Bulgaria).


MARKAM FASHION will show for the first time the Summer 2008 collection at the fairs in Moscow (Russa) 04.09 – 07.09.07 and Sofia (Bulgaria) 04.10 – 06.10.07.

MARKAM’s Hot Spots in contracting: indisputably superb quality for its clients and profitable relationship with its partners!

The collections are characterised by perfect clarity of the line, modern, dynamic silhouette, minimalism and exact aesthetic measure in detail! Inspired by antiquity, dresses are major accent for this season. They come with different silhouettes, strongly draped, asymmetric, in "A" and "H" lines.

Markam team advises you to be remarkable!

Sharapova, Mauresmo win at Wimbledon

Wimbledon, England -- Second-seeded Maria Sharapova and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo each notched straight-set first-round victories Tuesday at Wimbledon.

Sharapova got past Yung-Jan Chan 6-1, 7-5 in her first match of the 2007 grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Sharapova won the Wimbledon women's title in 2004.

Mauresmo, who missed much of the spring recovering from an appendectomy but still seeded fourth this year, faced just one break point and blitzing Jamea Jackson 6-1, 6-3.

Also Tuesday, third-seeded Jelena Jankovic was extremely sharp in a 6-2, 6-0 romp over Anne Keothavong while eighth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze dumped Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 and No. 10-seeded Daniela Hantuchova needed just 40 minutes to eliminate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-1.

No. 23-seeded Venus Williams rallied from a 2-6, 0-2 deficit to defeat Alla Kudryavtseva 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.