WILL DESIGNERS KISS THE RUNWAY GOODBYE?

Soon you may not have to be an A-list celeb, department-store buyer or magazine editor to get a front-row seat at a fashion show. As the luxury and fashion industries continue to struggle with sagging retail sales and consumers' diminishing interest in $2,000 It bags, designers are looking for alternative ways to show their wares. And more and more of them are turning to the Internet for a bigger audience and to shrink their overhead.
"The cost of a fashion show has become prohibitive," says David Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren's marketing chief. "And because of the economy, fewer members of the press and buyers are making the trip to New York to see the show." The result is that many designer-initiated brands — including the less-expensive lines, like Donna Karan's DKNY, that are presented during New York Fashion Week — are rethinking the traditional fashion show. This fall the British designer Alexander McQueen made a splash by live-streaming his Paris show on his website. The season before, Louis Vuitton live-streamed its show on Facebook. And Lauren is the mastermind behind a new initiative to present his company's brands in virtual fashion shows as opposed to have-to-be-there runway extravaganzas.

On Dec. 11, Rugby, Ralph Lauren's collegiate brand, will show its holiday collection in an online fashion show that Lauren calls a mix between Harry Potter and Rock Band. Instead of walking down a real runway, the models will be walking on a treadmill in an office with a green screen behind them. Once the clip is produced, a virtual backdrop will be superimposed so that it will look as though the models are walking through New York City or a college campus, or jumping off flying books. The idea, says Lauren, is to bring a cinematic feeling to the brand's advertising images. And instead of the company's spending $1.5 million on an audience of approximately 700 members of the fashion press and department-store buyers, the virtual show will cost less than $50,000 to produce and is expected to attract more than 40 million page views.
One advantage to replacing the traditional biannual runway show — which features clothing that won't be available in stores for another six months — is that designers can close the six-month gap between the show and the products' availability. Ideally, consumers who watch a show online would then be able to click on a product they see and buy it immediately. "Now we can serve the industry and our customer simultaneously," says Lauren, "which is critical to the survival of this industry."
Historically, high-end fashion brands have not fared well when they've relied solely on virtual fashion shows. In 1998, Helmut Lang made a statement when he replaced one season's runway showing with a video recording of a show that went up on his website and was distributed to editors on discs. But the reaction was lukewarm, and the following season Lang returned to the runway. More recently, brands like Viktor & Rolf and Yves Saint Laurent have experimented with online shows.
Next spring Polo Ralph Lauren is planning virtual shows for its less-expensive Lauren line as well as its children's line. But the company isn't ready to present its most prestigious line, the Ralph Lauren collection, online. "It's certainly up for debate," says Lauren. "It's making us think differently about how we show our product and how we can show the Ralph Lauren collection."

Source: Time magazine

THE HEALTHY SUPERMODEL

Cindy Crawford, one of the pioneers of the term “supermodel”, has admitted that with her celebrated curvy figure, she’d have virtually no chance of making it big as a model in the fashion industry today.

The former covergirl is the latest fashion figure to express concern over "size zero" models.
Earlier this month, Germany's most popular women's magazine stopped using professional models completely, saying it was fed up with having to digitally erase their protruding bones.

However, Karl Lagerfeld, the fashion designer, has accused critics of thin models of being "fat mummies who sit with bags of potato chips".

Ralph Lauren has twice recently been found to have altered photographs of models to make their waists smaller. In once case, the model's waist ended up smaller than her head.
Miss Crawford said changing perceptions in the industry would have stopped her making it.
She was one of the highest-paid models in the 80s and 90s, and her trademark beauty spot above her lip got her booked for some of the most prestigious advertising campaigns in the world.
But she believes the fashion industry would have no room for her today.

“I would not have become a supermodel in 2009,” Crawford, 43, told German magazine Bunte.
“I look too healthy.”

The industry is not looking for “a body like mine, with big breasts, normal thighs and toned upper arms”, she added. The mom-of-two said she was happy with her physique, but revealed that she does occasionally worry about ageing and the changes it brings about – like wrinkles and bulges.

“I like being in my 40s so much,” she said.
“[It's about] being at peace with yourself, knowing about your strengths beyond being pretty.”

 (Source: AP)

FALL 2009 TREND REPORT: MEN

Ok, men take notes & grab your favorite fashion friend, it's time to stop crunching numbers or checking your stock portfolio-- it's time to update your wardrobe. Whether you are a ROLLING STONE, a SOUL PROTECTOR, or a MAD MAN, clothes always determine the man. Gear up for a fantastic fall/winter without the stress of this past year! Fall head over heels in love with these 3 key trends for men:

1. ROLLING STONE. Has the economy got you waivering on fall holiday plans? Cheer up, chum, this winter grab your skiis, hiking boots, and camping grear. Make the outdoors your winter wonderland. Native american prints, bold plaids, and cozy thermals inspire tales of rails and trails. Turn up the heat with layers of plaid, thermal, and cargos. From DSquared to Ralph Lauren, these designers are ready to get out from behind the desk and create their own adventure!

2. SOUL PROTECTOR. Still not sure if you can embrace these trends? Then stay heavily guarded in your best suit of armour. Sometimes the best weapon is looking stealth in your threads. Alexander McQueen and Calvin Klein take inspiration from G.I. Joe's closet. Look for bullet-proof faux details, such as quilting jackets, sleek tailored coats, and molded foam vests, so that you can be an American hero. Try pairing high neck turtlenecks with a velvet blazer and a pinstripe scarf. Make it street savvy by adding a badass pair of leather cut-off gloves that pack a Kung-fu grip. No need for the Brinks truck now.

3. MAD MAN. Eager to make waves in the boardroom and in the bedroom? Leave the skinny jeans for the emo kids on Sunset and take a trip back in time to the sexy 60's. Confidence is the best accessory when reminiscing on these good ole days. There is nothing sexier than a man in tailored suit, can we say Don Draper? The runway competition was fierce this fall. Ralph Lauren kept it classic with his ruthless silhouette that only he can perfect. Louis Vuitton knows the best things in life come in 3's- blazer, vest, and slacks. For the men who are looking for a statement without saying a word, try Ermenegildo Zegna's tweed trench pair a Brooke Brothers white dress shirt, with a Hugo Boss charcoal scarf, and your favorite jeans. (Men, stay smart with a bootcut jean- favorites are William Rast, Joe's jeans, and Hudsons.)