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Christopher Hersey, Margaret Anne Hines, Nicholas Bruce Hinkle, Nicholas James Hogg, Jessica Lindsey Holt, Matthew Soong-Ang Hsieh, Ricki Michael Haley Huff, John Matthew Hughes, Bria Monique Hunter, Carolyn Teresa Hupfeld, Kathleen Elizabeth Hupfeld, Mahum Yasin HussainChristine Louise Iglehart, Naureen Suhrat IslamSydney Alexandra Jackson, Emily Marie Janczur, Jonathan Asher Janis, Elizabeth Jaramillo Hurtado, Diona Shanice Jerman, Bryce Oren Johnson, Evan Scott Johnson, Kayla Elizabeth Johnson, Shelby Lyn Johnson, Blake Marie Jones,Julian Otha Jones, Scott Hunter Jones, Gabrielle , Brian Edward Joseph Jr., Vivian Sue Jung, Yoon Chan JungSrihari Kankanahalli, Ean Zacary Katz, Brett Michael Kaufman, Navneet Kaur, Rachel Elizabeth Keating, Raheed Nasif Khan, Tahsin Murshed Khan, Matthew David Kim, Won Yeob Kim, Zachary KwongJo Kim, Caitlin Marie Kimball, Jenna Grace Kingsbury, Julie Eunbee Ko, Samuel Alvin Kobren, William Edmund Kohl IIIDanielle Nicole Laboskie, Jordan Louis Lagana, Nicole Brittany Lake, Brianna Nicole Lambert, Rosalind Kathleen Landeros, Richard Thomas Larity Jr., Benjamin Levi Lasher, Eric Marshall Lasser, Wade Mitchelle Lee, Young-In Lee,Rachel Echelle Fireman Livengood, Eric LuBrian Theodore Ghar-Yee Ma, Melanie Anne MacDonald, Joseph Vincent Major, Charles Mao, Angelo Christopher Marano, Kyle Thomas Marano, Megan Rebecca Marano, Thomas Layton Markwood, Joshua Michael Martin, Jorry Marquise Matherson, Luke Randolph Mbongo, Abel Micah Brunson McCort, Kyle Kent McDaniel, Andrew Louis McLellan, Brian Creighton McMahon, Samuel Jacob McMichael, Kara Renee McNaney, Connor Robert Meehan, Kaylin Meradith Meier, William Alec Mekelburg, Jessy Manuel Mendoza, Alec Benjamin Mercilliott, Susan Marie Michels, Zachary James Michels, Carley Joy Milligan, Stefanni Antoinette Mills, Danishia Yeamusu Moijueh, Maureen Holly Monk, Benjamin Jack Morgan, Charidan JuRae Morris, Dylan Patrick Moss, Maria Yanella Muchaypia Bendezu, Hannaa Maarya MustaphaJamie Shannon Nagel, Albert Jeesung Nam, Erum Naz Nasir, Alexandra Rosseter Naylor, Leah Kristina Ndenecho, Kendall Allen Newsome, Brigitte Nicole Newton, Grace Ann Carlson Nicholson, Shannon Marie Nolte, Gabriella Grace Nowicki, Enobong Mfon Nta, Melissa Taylor NunnColleen Marie Ochs, Simyon Yevgenievich OstapenkoJacqueline Arlene Palmer, Asmi Panigrahi, Alexis Emeline Pappadeas, Anna Marisa Parsons, Chirag Hemant Patel, Erin Nicole Patterson, Emily Sarah Pattillo, Matthew Jonathan Peart, Alyssa Marie Peddicord, Joshua Dixon Perdue, Zachary Joseph Peretti, Thomas Henry Peters, Donovan Zell-Eugene Peterson, Daniel Hoang-Vu Pham, Zachary Curtis Pierce, Juan Jared Pinargote, Clara Coleen , Jeffrey Mitchell Pomeroy, Brandon Eric Potter, Morgan Douglas Powell, Gregory Tilghman Prahl, Michael Joseph PruszBrian James Qualls, Amanda Taylor QuinnMatthew Blair Rados, Sumit Kishor Rajpara, Redington, Sarah Marie Renehan, Valerie Susan Resch, Gabriella Alejandra Rey, Jacob Andrew Rhody, Jonathan Lee Riseberg, Emma Hannah Robbins, Jessica Rodriguez,Caitlin Nicole Rogers, Matthew Dominick Romeo, Brett Esteban Rossiter, Rachel Lindsey Rowe, Kyle Montemayor Royalty, RyanHamza Saeed, Tanveer Kaur Saini, Margaret Kayhan Saki, Carlos Joseph Sanchez-Lopresti, Abimbola Benedicta Sanusi, Danica Hope Scheckelhoff, Timothy Michael Schroeder, Javir Lamar Scott, Maranda , Karter David Seamonson, Dillon Katherine Shearer, Shane Avery Shepherd, Duk Yong Shin, Ahmed Nayab Siddiqui, Stacy Cheryl Siegel, Deborah Jessica Silver, Ethan Isaac Simon, Anmol Singh, Gursahib Singh, Nupur Singh, Michael Benjamin Sklar, Brooke Alexandra Smith, Jacob Benjamin Watson Smith, Payam Gerald Sojdehei, Jason Robert Song, Staggers, Kevin Lowell Stanley, Ashton Arkele' Stennett, Gavin Ernest Kennedy Stephenson, Sara Catherine-Loraine Strutz, Eva Su, Michael Brandon White Suber, Arjun Terence SuthaHoJung Tae, Frances Fumi Takemoto, Eliot Michael Tarash, James Edward Tatum III, Austin Nicholas Taylor, Keith Austin Scott Tennessee, Kenneth Larry Thomas Jr., Jacob Randall Thompson, Brianna Rae Tinkle, Julia Rose Tolson, Catarina Clare Neto Torres, Janaye Elise Tunstel, Shawn Clyde Turpin Jr.Viktor Blaise Villanueva, Morgan Hilary Viscarra, Adriana Thais VitaglianoRobert Ian Waddell, Sara Waheed, Jordan Errin Walker, Hao Wang, Jayson Zhongyi Wang, Allen Magel Warthen, Amy Elaine Weinberg, Damon Antar Wells Jr., Branden Philip White, Steven Paul Whiting, Kevin Frederick Wiechelt II, Monica Wessam William-Henein, Xanthe Janae Williams, Amber Victoria Williamson, Edward Alexander Wollack, Noah Daniel Wood, Bailey Elizabeth WoodfolkThomas Junmo Yang, Andrew Yu, Young Ji YuQingcong Zeng, Courtney Ann Zernick, Fan Zhang, Eric Zhou, Iowis ZhuAll information in this section appears as provided by the schools indicated. Because of publication deadlines, in some instances students' names might have been provided prior to final review of requirements. Some students listed might not have completed all requirements to graduate.Alexa Courtney Abee, Erin Elizabeth Adams, Ethan Mikhail Adams, Frederik William-Baden Agvald, Taha Etezaz Ahmed, Eray Kadir Akbas, Sandia Yun Akhtar, Edidiong Nathan Akpan, Giancarlo Michael Albano, Nadah A. Ali, Jason , Guru Ram Ambalavanar, Rebekah Grace Anderson, Kara Louise Arnold, Joseph Jean AyoubIn (Bryan) Hyuk Baek, Caroline Michelle Baker, Poulomi Banerjee, Arjun Janardhanan Baradwaj, Daniel Valderrama Barnard, Jared Samuel Beck, Preston Halbach Bencivenga, Milena Valencia Benitez, Rachel Lauren Benzing, Adip G. Bhargav, Alexandra Blyukher, Rebecca Lynn Boettcher, Victoria Grace Bogdan, Kenneth Mutsuo Bohr, Jeremy Ryan Brown, John Hynes Brown, Andrei Budimirovich, Jerome Michael Burgo, Satirah Tinia Byrd, John Luke ByrneTaylor Danielle Caldwell, Sarah Anne Calvert, Hayley Deborah Campbell, Francis Trevor Cangialosi, Tia Elizabeth Carroll, Haneet Singh Chadha, Grace Lian Chao, Hua-Ren Ryan Cherng, Sarah Chiang, Patrick Peir-Ji Chin, Jae Woo Choi, John Kun Choi, Benjamin Michael Ciraolo, Caitlin Cole Cleveland, Jordan Abigail Coburn, Harrison Scott Colby, Melissa Kaye Collins, Anna Noel Cooke, Laura Nicole Couch Henry Graeme Danchi, Elvin Brooks Danos, Dominic Cole Davis, Eryn Caitlin Davis, Caitlin Marie DeLatte, Ryan Michael Decker, Natalie Terese Del Rosso, McKenzie Blair Delaney, Ozgun Caglar Deniz, Emma Alice Derro, Diogenes Andrew Dichoso, Arlynnell Ann Dickson, Kathleen Mary Donegan, Ellese Victoria DuClos, Zachary Allen Dubbs, Benjamin Michael Dugan, Katherine Ann Dugan, Rachel Lauren Dvornicky Christopher Ryan Ek, Khaled Saad ElGendy, Omar Khaled Eloseily, Erdene-Ochir Enkhbat, James Michael EtheridgeJaimie Joy Fabling, Amy Lauren Farb, Jacqueline Marie Fasulo, Jeremy Michael Fedors, Mary Frances Fleming, Claudia Petra Fochios, Lucy Maria Font, Andrew James Francis, Alexander Derek Franklin, Megan Dorothy FullartonLemea Gabralla, Christina Han Ning Gai, Haley Nicole Gallina, Daksh Garg, Todd Emanuel Givens Jr., Benjamin Demaree Goldsmith, Christopher Ricky Gonzales, Jacob William Gordon, Brandon Marcus Grooms, Jinzhen GuLaura Michelle Haines, Zarif Hakim, Emily Kara Hall, Shawna Taylor Hammers, Ian Charles Harrison, Kevin Patrick Hartka, Marcus James Hawks, Nicholas Eric Hawthorne, Erica Ashley Heaphy, Rachel Lindsay Hein, Amanda Morgan Hendrix, Andrianna Laurel Henneberg, Mikhail David Hershfeld, Matthew Reuben Hilbert, Brian Russell Hillsley, John Jeahyun Ho, Russell Baugher Hobson, Sarah Kendall Horstkamp, Elizabeth Mary Horti, Yibing Hu, Kevin Christopher Hulvey, Joseph William HunterSowa Yimaseni Imoisili, Jamie Guinevieve ImperialJoshua , Simone Lynelle Jackson, Joseph Paul Jenkins, Rikke Dystrup Jepsen, Connor Morgan Jett, Ian Jordan Jett, Sung Koo (Brian) Ji, Robert Andrew JonesSrikar Venkata Kalvakolanu, Kaminsky, Clara Kang, Veronica Kapoor, Robert Keith Kartak, Kavi Katyal, Yaten Katyal, Anna Siobhan Kearns, Anna Margaret Kelly, Christopher , Bhumibhat Kerdsuwan, Usama Khalid, Courtney Christie Kim, Eugene Hyunwoo Kim, Gina Kim, Hee Lag Kim, Ja On Kim, Lindsey Yailin Kim, So Jung Kim, Sue Jin Kim, Yeieun (Grace) Kim, Jennifer Robin Kimberl, Steven Patrick Klima, Hyun Myung Ko, Okan Koc, Chun Beom Koh, Michelle Elizabeth , Nathan Joseph Kraisser, Michelle Kuan, Garrett Evan Kurtz, Se Yun KwonJared Lee Lacey, Ryan Matthew Lafferty, Pok Doo Lai, Anshika Vidya Lal, Brandon , Ha-Neul Lee, Jae Won Lee, Jiyun Li, Mariana Lins De Matos Medeiros, Joseph Thomas Lisi, Alice Ziyue Liu, Chengwang Liu, Sierra Marie Longerbeam, Katya Cassandra Lopez, Weiyue Lu, Eleni Alexandra Lukaszczyk, Emily June LukingRachael Patricia Mady, Sharish Saeed Malik, Sidra Zia Malik, Sundiata Keita Mansell, Sam Saju Markose, Charles Raymond McClellan, Patrick Ryan McManus, Alexandra Madison McShane, Daniel Eliseo , Julian Eliseo Medina, Nicholas Lee Mercer, Emily Taylor Merkel, Ron Alexander Merkel, Mark Timothy Millhollon, Laura Kelly Mincey, Jacqueline Anne Minehart, Alissa Jeannine Mitchell, Nicole Lauren Mize, Alyssa Kaitlie Molina, Ji Y. Moon, Kanami Mori, Ammar Mushtaq, Lemella Annette MylesJames Anthony Nardei, Kerrie Leigh Neal, Harsha Kashiuiswanath Neerchal, Weronika Nepali, Dylan Scott NeuworthDevin William O'Hanlon, Nicholas Clay Obrigewitch, Jin Ho Oh, Mary Christine Ortman, Nelle Hannah OuelletteSarah Rose Painter, Hayla Pakala, Tyler Hardy Palm, Jay Bhavin Patel, Pranay Vishrut Patel, Andrey Dimitriy Pavlov, Eric Jordan Payne, Stephanie Erin Pekala, Yuqing Peng, Christopher Boyd Peterson II, Grace Alexandra Peterson, Keonte Damon Potts, Bradley Parker Poulin, Trevor Martin Pozoulakis, Naomi Katharine Prechtl, Alexandra Louise Press, Sarah Jane PrzybylaDhrisya K. Raman, Xin Ren, Robert Warren Richardson, Vincent Douglas Rider, Bethany Danielle Roberts, Sadie Joy Rockefeller, Ildiko Michelle Rogers, Dohyun Roh, Lauren Cook Rosenberg, Hannah Michelle Roth, Clarissa Jun-Ying Rous, Karon Gilbert Rouse-Hickman, Bidisha RoySarallah David Salehi, Alison Michelle Santori, Austin Michael Savage, Amberlie Lynn Scheufele, Michael Benjamin Schwartz, Karly Anne Schwarz, Erik Alexander Schwarzenberg, Katelyn Nazaneen Seale, Tessa Samira Seale, Micah Reuven Segal, Selin Senveli, Siwon Seo, Himja V. Shah, Ali Pasha Shahegh, Bo Young Shim, Ho Seok Shin, Jae Chul Shin, YeWon Shin, Ian M. Shure, Sadjo Sidikou, Stephen Edward Sieron, Ryan Edward Simpkins, Mary Marcella Simpson, Taylor Madison Simpson, Singh, Linnea Siperko, Daivamani Venkatesh Sivasailam, Michael Flint Smith, Chandler Michael Snyder, Hee Seung Song, Jin Hyung Song, Michael William Stein, Aaron , Collin Austin Stone, Alexandra Lauren Stroud, Ryan Joseph Suess, Kavya Gnana Sundar, Reecha Suri, Jennifer Leigh Swiger, Adele Rosalie SwitzerPingfan Tang, Sunnan Ahmed Tariq, David Patrick Tessier, Anna Elizabeth Thomas, Daniel William , Patrick Neill Thoreson, Margaret Anne Todorovich, Peter Daniel Traunfeld, Maryssa Anne-Marie Trent, Ann Nguyen Quy Truong, Benjamin Owen TuckerAndrew Joseph Vall, Michael John Vallerie Jr., Ajith Varghese, Areian Parviz Vedadi, Elmer Saul Villatoro Amaya, Marie Elizabeth Visconage, Leila Von Blon, Valerie Teresa Vook, Dharav Mayankkumar VyasMatthew Vincent Walker, Rose Rhiannon Wallace, Megan Alyce Wallenhorst, Cheri Lee Wang, Derek Yi Wang, Julius Rufus Warren, Stephen McKay Watson, Anastasia Candida White-Torruellas, Caroline Claire Whittenberger, Hannah Catherine Wikner, Amy Nicole Williamson, Jae Whan Woo, Jiening Wu, Joseph John WysockiZifan XiaoWilliam Wu Yang, Anton Matthew Yanker, Vyomahardath Yarlagadda, Dawit Mulugeta Yilma, Meskerm Mulugeta Yilma, Samuel Seung Hyuk Yim, Hye Seung Yoo, Yeji Yoon, Miles Martin Young, Isabel YuLaura Thompson Zabriskie, Devin Joseph Zahor, Patrick Nolan Zarek, Colleen Lynn Zentz, Jennifer Y. Zhang, Yuqun Zhang, Elizabeth Marie ZornAll information in this section appears as provided by the schools indicated. Because of publication deadlines, in some instances students' names might have been provided prior to final review of requirements. Some students listed might not have completed all requirements to graduate.Dulaney High School held its 2012 commencement on May 31 at the Towson Center at . The following are members of the Class of 2012:Rami Abdulrahman Abou-Seif, Oluwamayowa Oluwabunmi Adetula, Chloe Radcliffe Adler, Nima Aghdami-Karkan, Amekka Emanuel Akudinobi, Nagella Yahya Ramadan Al-Balushi, Dana Kathleen Albornoz, Euji An, Jessica , Namratha Reddy Annapareddy, Nicholas Alexander Anthony, David Paul Appel, Devin Marie ArringtonAusten Connor Babcock, Edward Louis Bafford, Ryan Wayne Baldock, Prabhani Sulochana Bandara, Ernest John Baracco, Karina Rose Barbosa, Andreanna Jo Barone, Nicolas Barragan Pabon, Ashley Renee Barrett, Ryan Garrett Bartenfelder, Sumedh Basani, Jimar Bazemore, Katherine Elizabeth Beard, Chelsea Beverly Beasley, Danielle , Nicholas Mark Benhoff, Lauren Michel Bernstein, Bhoomika Bhatia, Shanna Bhola, McKenna Lynn Bolonda, Paul Vincent Louis Bonolis, Parmida Borhani, Amy Gayle Bowden, Joseph Merrill Bowers, Leah Nicole Brave, Lauren Michele Breidigam, Briana Mona Broaddus, Erin Taylor Brock, Sean Patrick Brookhart, Dominique Caprice Lester Brooks, Sean Matthew Brower, Grace Mackenzie Brown, Sean Alexander Brown, Nicole Anne Bruneau, Christina Marie Buchanan, Emily Marie Buonsignore, Alexandra Christine Burleson Kristen Alexandra Cabrera, Alexandra Corey Calder, James Corey Calder, Desmond Donnell Campbell, Kayla Nadyne Campbell, Gabriel Campoverde, Michael Lyle Carpenter, Seamus McGuire Cashen, Ivy Amanda Caudle, Rebecca Anne Cavanaugh, Andrew Richard Centolella, Brandon David Chambers, William Chen, Devin Bryan Cherry, Kevin Ryan Cherry, Amanda Elizabeth Chesser, Elizabeth Sui-Tung Cheung, Nathan Dongill Cheung, Sylvia Ndirika Chigbo Jungbin Choi, Caroline Anne Christofferson, Kun-Ho James Chu, Jihae Chun, Christiana Marina Ciociola, Eladji Modou Cisse, Jeremiah Aaron Clements, Charaybian Champayne Coles, Grace Kenneth Collins, Andrew Joseph Compton, Christopher Steven Aaron Conway, Cydney Elizabeth Cook, Eleanor Rae Cook, Carus Lee Cookman, Cameron Joseph Cooper, Avery Brandon Corbin, Anjali Shauna Cornish, Klarenz Malabanan Cortez, Ethan Zachary Cote-Rumsey, Allison Rebecca Coulson, Natalie Rose Crawford, Hallie Madell Criste Michael Edward Cummings, Keirah Mona Curry John Anthony Daniello, William Francis Darley, Lauren Nicole Daugherty, Alysha Danniel Davila, Caroline Westcott Davis, Rhianna Katherine Davis, Mary Hannah Elaine Cos De Leon, Sergio Andres Del Barco, Sarah Elizabeth Del Bene, Christian Bradley Del Bianco, Nicole Catherine Demetrides, Nicholas Panayotis Demetrios, Jean Demitri Abelle Denis, Jenna Lynn DePasquale, Danielle Erica Deros, Jacqueline Anne Devine, Gregory Digalbo, Daniela Theresa Di Giacomo, Nicholas Dallin DiNucci, Sheridan McLeary Doan, Brianna Leigh Donadio, Shannen Nicole Driscoll, Emily Rose Dufrane, Carleigh Marie Duncan, Heather Lynn Dundas, Kelly Parsons DuttonAnice Marie Edwards, Youssef Mohamed Elalamy, Kevin Lamont Ellsworth, Juliann Barthel Elmer, Kaveh John Emdad, Rashad Jamal Epps, Tyler Rose Erickson, Tina Esnaashari, Katharine Diana EvansHiba Faridi, Caitlin Patricia Farrell, Nicole Marie Feglar, Samuel Bennett Fishman, Allyson Rae Fitzpatrick, Angelica Lyn Fleming, Jacob Zackri Fleming, Christopher James Flower, Wendell Elbert Foster, Alexandra Elizabeth Freas, Amanda Elizabeth Lynn FriedelDiamond Anjanique Gaines, Emiley Marie Gallagher, Christopher Brandon Garrett, Lacie Gwendolyn Garrett, Kevin Thomas Gay, Chase Adam Geddis, Ben Uri Gelman, Maria Elizabeth German, Gibson, Andrew Gillen, Jazmin Simone Givens, Eboni Qiana Glenn, Sydney Michele Glenn, Daniel Stuart Golden, Xiomara Del Carmen Gonzalez Sisterra, Gwendolyn CeCelia Goodman, Abigail Marie Gorman, Simona Grozdanova Gospodinova, Hannah Leslie Grauel, Rebecca Ann Greene, Rahul Grover, Alyson Rose Grygiel, Zachary William Gude, Brittany Nicole Guillott, Taylor Ashley Guntner, Gino William Gussio, Michael Benjamin GussioMackenzie Lynn Haass, Thomas Brien Haigley, Amanda Maude Hall, Millicent Grace Hambor, Sarah Ashley Hammond, Haewon Han, Christian Hurst Hanson, Michael Boyd Harman, Cole Aubrey Housten, Harris, Kevin Pickett Harris, Abbey Gilmore Harriss, Shuichiro Hayashi, Mckenzie Alton Hearn, Anastasia Renee Hedrick, Patrick Neil Heinecke, Marshay Henderson, Cara Melissa Henning, Keishia Nicole Hill, Nicholas Alexander Hogan, Yasmine Zhane Hopkins, Simin Hossain, Sherard Saidi Donyasha Houston, Andrew Thomas Huber, Amy Hung, Heather Ann Hurd, Samantha Leslie Hyde, Robert Jermaine HyltonDaniel Royer Iachan, Amali Alicia Ifill-Knobloch, Micaela Renee ItterAndre Dilshawn Jackson, Tyler Robert James, Jun Seong Jang, Miree Jang, Courtney Anne Jantzen, Douglas Da Jiang, Tarsha Kocina Johnson, Brandon DeSean Jones, Emily Catherine Jones, Jazmin JaCoya Jones, Nia Elyse Jones, Shard Kashera JoynerKevin Daniel Kahn, Melissa Chloe Karayinopulos, Ammanuel Leiykun Kassahun, Oren Benjamin Katz, Elizabeth Ashley Kauffman, Fallon Eileen Keavney, Julia Aileen Kern, George Edward Kerr, Kristen Marie Kilburn, Bryan Dea Hee Kim, Han Kyul Kim, Ju Won Kim, Lisa Yery Kim, Min Kyun Kim, Peter Jun Kim, Yon Je Kim, Jennifer Ann Kinnear, Victoria Katherine Knapick, Tomohiro Michael Ko, Brent Austin Koenig, Vernon Lawrence Koger, Alyssa Mei Kornick, Megan Grace Kraus, Dana Margaret Kresslein, Sanil Kumar, Phyo Razar KyawKatelyn Rose Lapenna, Briana Jordan Larrabee, Audrey Claire Lastner, Kayla Lynne Latshaw, Emily Maria Laubach, Samantha Anne Laubach, Shawn Christopher Laughinghouse, Eamilia Winn Laughton, Christopher Geun Lee, Diana Ives Lee, Josephine Ki Yeon Lee, Jung Hyub Lee, Jung Min Lee, Ethan Sanford Levy, Larissa Li, Vel Lian, Cheyenne Michelle Lide, Lei Lin, Roger Mark Lin, Alexandra Allyse Little, He Liu, Harrison Ross Lockhart, Derek Alexander LoGrande, Anea Michelle Lomax, Alexandra Lombardini, Jonathan Noel Lovo, Alexandra Lauren Lowry, Britney Kiara Lunn, Courtney Ellen Luzarraga, Fiona Zel LyonsKenneth Parsons MacDonald, Mary Caroline Quigg Mades, Gage Robert Magersupp, D'asia Ramone Magginson, Sara Mariam Mahmood, Huda Binte Majid, Nicole Elizabeth Malstrom, Sarah Catherine Mardiney, Nina Elizabeth Marks, Quinn McCabe Marvel, Tyler Mathew Marvel, Mohammad Marzooghian, Daycheara Diamond Matthews, Dewey McKinley Matthews, Jessica Ryan Mattson, Hunter Samuel Mazza, Allison Nicole McClelland, Margaret Carey McCormick, Madeleine Michele McDonald, Shannon Lynne McKew, Bridget Marie McManus, Erin Kathryn McNally, Alejandra Carolina Mejia, Allie Elizabeth Menzel, Chelcie Leigh Miller, Jonathan Joseph Miller, Nia Denise Miller, Keaton Mock Myers, Oneall Isaac Mogliazzi, Peter Dennis Guy Morey, Hannah Alexandra Mueller, Shoutik Mukherjee, Matthew Webster Murray, Madeline Celeste MuthAdnan Haider Naqvi, Cooper Jack Burfield Nash, Ahmed Mohamed Nassar, Shannon Marie Newcomer, Stefany Sommer Nicholls, Michael William Nolan, Parker Alan Norwood, Virginia Rose NuckolsErin Delaney O'Brien, Oladele Temitope O jo, Christopher Warren Oler, Emily Kathryn Oliver, Clinton Omesa Ondieki, Glenisha Rene OwensJacob Ryan Pahl, Esther Park, Jenny , Samantha Marie Parker, Keval Patel, Morganne Christina Corin Payne, Malcolm Marcus Peacock, Cheng Peng, Angel Perez, Christopher Vaughn Phillips, Nicholas Michael Piampi, Corey James Polston, William Michael Porter, Holly Claire Potis, Shelia Shanice Potts, Matthew Shea Powderly, Aleysha Marie Powell, Zachary David Prugh, Douglas Achilles PuryearSiyu Qian, Jessica Ofelia QuispeIsrael Ramirez, Faghia Telat Rana, Arjun Mahendra Rao, Simon-Pierre Rawlins, Logan August Reed, Shirley Marilyn Reyes, Jacob Alexander Reynolds, Kayla Serene Riley, William Alexander Rivas, Taylor Nicole Roberts, Nasi Robinson, Rayna Chavonne Robinson, Megan Katherine Robson, Chloe Emilie Rock, Marcellus James Rodgers, Ryan Scott Ronnenburg, Hannah Stine Rothschild, Michael David Roy, Tevin Shawdis Rucker, Stefan Hart Russell, Katlyn Elizabeth RussoJon Shelby Sachs, Colleen Ann Sack, Renee Danielle Sander, Lalitto Sanjibon Sarker, Jordan Delaney Sarnovsky, Samantha Aristan Sauter, Elizabeth Anne Schaeffler, Alex Michael Schech, Joshua Alan Lee Scheffsky, Joshua Philip Schindler, Jennifer Schmalzer, Jessica Mon Scott, Jordan Amber Seibert, Sai Khun Merng Seng, Jade Alexandra Shapiro, Abigail Elora Sharpe, Leroy Derek Sharpe, Saif Bahu Sheikh, Vladislav Yuriyevich Shevchenko, Cynthia Ming Shi, Kathryn Macgill Shipley, Pavli Franz Shkurti, Jesse Edward Siegel, William Connor Simke, Lorrie Frances Sinibaldi, Kendrick J Smith, Russell Rueben Solt, You Lim Son, Russell Louis Souder, Mercedes Ann Stahl, Alexander Haviland Stansbury, Starling, Nikhil Stephen, Michelle Christine Stewart, Taylor Ashmore Still, Daniel Suh, Lulu Sun, Marc-Thomas Woodward SundstromAndrew Tajfar, Jamie Elizabeth Tambor, Liangcheng Tao, Stephen Mark Tasselmyer, Lindsay Paige Taylor, Heidi L. Telles-Sorto, Samantha Marie Thibeault, Tearra Lindsay Thomas, Jeanine Anne Thommen, Destiny Linda Thompson, Weylan Rennolds Thompson, David M Tian, Luke Tomas Tignall, Megan Kotryna Tolson, Erin Michelle Tracey Natalie Jane Tsottles, Jonathan Adam Tucker, Kortney Patrice Tunstall, Kevin Thomas TurnerRaven Ona Vaughn, Gaetano Raul Vinas, Cole Daniel Vogelberger, Ariana Kai Li VongGrace Ledyard Walker, Logan Matthew Walker, Natalie Nicole Walker, Summer Lee Wall, Akeem Charon Wallace, Caitlin Eileen Ying Walther, Alexander Thomas Walz, Lucy Li Wang, Summer Michele Wassel, Brendan Robert Watson, Melissa Hamersly Webster, Ryan Patrick Weinberger, Wesley Alan Weitzel, Shaquille Malik Welch, Jillian Paige Wengler, Madison Paige Whalen, White, Kevin Richard White, Tyrese Trvon Williams, Samantha Lee Wills, Kenneth Diquan Wilson, Kristen Emily Wolfe, Andrew Arthur Woodard, Lillian Taylor Woodward, David Chen Wu, Abigail WunderlichYujia XieBrandon Michael Yeung, Natalie Kei Yoshioka, Erik Joseph YuillEllis John Zapas, Bahareh Zareei, Amna Zehra, Lareb Zehra and Alexandra Nicole ZeraAll information in this section appears as provided by the schools indicated. Because of publication deadlines, in some instances students' names might have been provided prior to final review of requirements. Some students listed might not have completed all requirements to graduate.The fifth annual Whipps Daffodil Day takes place March 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 's only public historic garden-park at 3651 St. John's Lane. Sponsored by the nonprofit group The Friends of Whipps Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, the event will feature horticultural presentations by Master Gardeners in the Park's Woodland Theatre, a native plant raffle and a potted daffodils, hyacinths and tulips sale. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.According to Aleta Gravelle, The Friends of Whipps Cemetery and Memorial Gardens director, the one-acre site garden-park began as a family burial ground in 1855 for the Whipps family early settlers of the Howard County whose family were farmers and merchants.No longer an active cemetery the last burial was in 1915 the park is today maintained by the Howard County's Master Gardeners and is open to the public daily. Proceeds from the potted plant sale will help to keep up the park that is solely reliant on volunteers and donations to operate. For more information, call Gravelle at 410-274-7795 or email her at . Centennial High School Band Backers invites the community to attend their Bingo Night March 30 from 7to 9:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. It's a great night of family fun that costs only $8 which includes bingo, a slice of pizza and a drink. Proceeds support the high school band programs.Three James Madison University students from Ellicott City Jami Limon, Lauren Tessier and James Caffes have just returned from the University's Alternative , a program that sends student teams to locations in the United States and abroad to experience different cultures and to perform needed community service.According to the school, Jami traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., to participate in The Lost Boys of Sudan, a class-based trip focusing on refuges and genocide. While Lauren immersed herself in Louisville, Ky., culture by participating in the Refugee Resettlement trip and mentored young refugees on their school campus.James, an Ellicott City resident, traveled to Natchez, Miss., to volunteer at the Sunshine Children's Center, a safe haven for abused and neglected children recently taken into protective custody.For more information on James Madison University's Alternative Break Program go to info.jmu.edu/csl/abp/index.php.Congratulations to the following Centennial Lane Elementary School Concert Band students for being accepted into the Howard County Gifted and Talented Elementary Band and the Howard County Elementary Honors Band:GT Band Carolyn Frommer (flute), Valerie Hsieh and Fjiordia Akhtar (clarinets), Thomas Arbaugh (alto saxophone), Robert Gao (bassoon), Eric Ko and Jordan Carton (trumpets), Noah Katz (French horn), Robert Silverstein and Nikhil Santhanam (trombones), David Riina (euphonium), Alexander Wu and Alang Wang (tubas);Honors Band Malika Shah (percussion).The Howard County Arts Council's 15th annual Celebration of the Arts Gala will be held Saturday, March 24 at 's Visual and Performing Arts Center. The Gala will begin with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring a silent auction of local artists, culinary delights from area restaurants and caterers, and a variety of live performances. At 8 p.m., guests will be treated to a presentation that includes the Rising Star Competition and the 2011 Howie Awards.There are two ticket categories to choose from $100 tickets include the reception, silent auction and reserved seats in the Smith Theatre; $50 tickets include the reception, silent auction and general seating in the Studio Theatre for the simulcast. To purchase tickets, go to the Council's website at or by phone at 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit their offices at 8510 High Ridge Road.Howard County Drug Free is sponsoring "Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City," Wednesday, March 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Mt. Hebron High School auditorium. Guest speaker Howard Caplan, Ocean City Police Officer, will offer advice about keeping your child safe during this annual teen beach trip. Parents are encouraged to bring their high school seniors to the program. The event is co-hosted by the Mt. Hebron School PTSA.As the fashion industry looks for an alternate universe -- one that has consumers flocking to stores -- it seems intrigued by the ideas of exploration and space. The designer collections and all the trickle-down clothes that come after them are heavy on a tough look, with strong , stiff fabrics and tarnished metallic details. Sculpted, monochromatic outfits of black, gray and copper provide the night-sky backdrop to the flashes of neon that are the equivalent of shooting stars. There were even a few Stormtrooper helmets on the runways for fall collections. Clearly, the intention was to send a focused, futuristic warrior to do battle with the economy. "This isn't the naive kind of '60s futuristic stuff you might think of," said Susan Cernek, senior fashion editor of Glamour.com. "This is more robotic. It's tougher. It's an android crossed with a biker." Francisco Costa, creative director for Calvin Klein's womenswear collection, prefers to call the vibe "modernist," but he says he sees the space-age connection. "The house gives a sense of strength from structure, and that is actually nature-driven, and space is definitely a part of nature." For the fall collection, Costa used an asymmetrical crescent hemline to soften aggressive laser cuts, and he played with fashion's equivalent of puzzle pieces that had the effect of mimicking the plates of Earth. Cernek noted a toggling between the vast galaxy and the core of this planet as inspiration in many collections. They're opposite in some ways, she says, but similar in others: "We're looking for the light at the end of the tunnel." The notion of exploration started a few seasons ago when designers found themselves interested in adventure travel, and fashioned that into garments made of indigenous fabrics from Asia and African kangas, says Jamie Thomas, women's editor for trend analysis firm StyleSight. Space just pushes that a little farther, she says. "We're looking for a fresh start. Spending patterns have changed with the economy and this is a fresh start of an uncharted territory," Thomas says. And retailers do need to turn the page: A monthly compilation of more than 50 retailers' results by The International Council of Shopping Centers and indicated same-store sales fell 5.0 percent last month compared to a year ago. Pop culture fans those flames with the countless tributes this year to the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's moonwalk, and the alien flick is tops at the box office. Technology also has caught up with some of the vision. Italo Zucchelli, the menswear designer at Calvin Klein, says that much of the modernity of his fall collection came from a new stiff, repellent fabric that bonded foam with traditional textiles. It probably wasn't possible to do five years ago, and, even if it was, it wouldn't have been right for the times, he says. "We're at a point in the collective mindset -- for men, women -- all human beings -- that we're moving on, that we're at the beginning of a new era in fashion, health, spirituality -- everything," Zucchelli says. For Los Angeles-based designer Rory Beca, space represents practically a rainbow of colors. Lately, she has been interested in the work of artist Jacques Monory, who incorporates galactic hues into his work. "I have always been infatuated with space, even as a kid, because it is beyond anything we really know and understand," Beca says. That's not to say fashion's future can't borrow from the past. Designer Rachel Roy infused her sleek collection with hints of the 1940s -- a time that she says represents "a world where women were making their own decisions and being independent." Still, the clothes she presented at Fashion Week -- such as a gray flannel coat with a stiff collar and a black bustier dress adorned with a necklace made of square-cut mirrors -- had some space-age trimmings. And, yes, she acknowledges with a giggle, the shoulder pads are a little " Star Trek." Don't laugh too hard. Some fashion insiders say the exaggerated shoulder will be among the most wearable trends of the season. A bold shoulder, with or without actual shoulder pads, is a distinctive silhouette that whittles the waist and balances the hips, explains Cernek. "It's very stable." Cernek said her readers also loved a slightly robotic Rodarte frock that wore for a red carpet appearance. Other wearable interpretations of the galactic look are the liquidlike metallic leggings shown by BCBG Max Azria and Alexander Wang's crystal-studded leggings. "This becomes an easy way to tap into a trend without revamping your entire wardrobe and without putting on a helmet," Cernek says. StyleSight's Thomas, though, wouldn't be surprised if some fashion-forward types snapped up 's helmets that had attachments and matching fingerless gloves with a spot for a phone. It would give them something to wear on their Vespas. "He really thought about how this trend will translate into real life," she says. Moderation is Cernek's mantra here. "You don't want tinfoil from head to toe." Calvin Klein's Costa says he's already looking farther into the future, not just at the next big trend but also at the relevancy of today's fashion for the next generations. "Children are going to experience things we can't imagine. The clothes we're offering is a little bit of that dream."A lot has been made of organic cotton and other eco-friendly fabrics made from Tencel, hemp and bamboo as fashion rides the mega-trend of environmentalism. But recycled clothes purchased at thrift and consignment stores, as well as upcycled items reworked from out-of-date castoffs, may be an even greener choice. Almost half of the climate impact of clothing occurs before it reaches consumers.It was this idea I embraced when I hired a wardrobe consultant for a desperately needed eco fashion makeover.For years, I spent most mornings dreading getting dressed. My closet was stuffed, yet I found myself pulling the same five outfits every week, most of which looked exactly as I felt: dumpy. I'm not one of these women who intrinsically understands how to put together an outfit. In fact, since becoming a mother, one of the biggest factors in my wardrobe selection has involved the answer to this question: Is it clean? I was so far down the rabbit hole of middle-aged frump that I needed a fashion overhaul, so, with on my mind, I called Meg Gallagher, a personal stylist who, in 2009, started a bicoastal fashion consulting business and runs a blog called Madison to Melrose.I heard about Gallagher from a friend of a friend who'd dropped $1,000 and had a transformative experience. I was hoping for similar results at about the same price point. I just wanted to do it in a way that was less wasteful than buying clothes new since manufacturing is so resource-intensive.Gallagher, 40, is a fashion industry veteran who worked as a design director for a New York knitwear company for several years before moving to the L.A. area. Part of a growing legion of personal stylists, Gallagher does not specialize in eco fashion, though she does have some clients who prefer vintage. She thought my idea was "a super fun challenge," she said, and took it on because, at 5 feet 8 and 135 pounds, I'm an "easy fit."A few days after an email exchange and a phone call, she was standing in my living room in a fetching peplum jacket, white skinny jeans and strappy black stilettos a notepad in one hand and an empty clothing rack in the other ready to take notes about my coloring, body type, color preferences, personality and lifestyle before tackling my closet for a thorough edit."For most people, the biggest frustration is that their closet doesn't represent their lifestyle," said Gallagher, who noted an abundance of jackets and an absence of pants, skirts, dresses and feminine shoes in a wardrobe that was a mishmash of motorcycling and mothering. For two hours I tried everything on while she assessed the condition and workability of each piece, created a pile of giveaways and came up with a shopping list.The shopping list is critical, Gallagher said. Most people buy clothes impulsively: "They keep buying and buying and they wind up with all these clothes they don't know how to put together."Part of my makeover goal was to dress with more femininity while maintaining some edge. Gallagher suggested several types of shoes to complement my half-dozen pairs of motorcycle boots and a few skirts that could sub in for the denim I wear almost daily.My appearance already shouted it loud and clear I've been thrifting most of my clothes for a couple of years now, my usual go-tos being Trading Co. and my local Goodwill. But Gallagher had some additional ideas that incorporated the many fashion-forward thrift and consignment shops that have opened in L.A. recently, including Ampersand on Larchmont and Buttons and Bows downtown, along with the better-known, curated-thrift venues Wasteland and Crossroads, both with branches on Melrose Avenue.Thrift often takes longer to shop than first-run because everything is one of a kind, so for our first shopping excursion, Gallagher went to Wasteland 90 minutes ahead of me to pull items. The next two hours included the usual series of dressing room hits and misses. In the end I walked out with nine items totaling $411, including a pair of black skinny jeans, a lace-trimmed Ella Moss sweater, a pair of fringe-y flats and two feminine leather jackets all of them in excellent condition. We picked up a pair of Camilla Skovgaard slip-on heels across the street for $71 more.Still, I was missing certain things, according to the shopping list Gallagher had created, including some neutral sandals and a taupe handbag. Because I don't trust my eye and was so pleased with what Gallagher was able to find, I hired her for a second round of shopping, which she bills at $75 per hour. (The cost for my first four hours was $300.) We hit up Reformation on Melrose, which deconstructs and reworks used clothes and over-runs of textiles into chic pieces such as leather shorts and slouchy sweaters. I purchased two drapey tank tops made from fabric overruns for $75 apiece from the shop I consider my new favorite.Finally, we were off to Ampersand, where I made my biggest splurges, including two pairs of heels, a Chlo handbag and an leather vest that represented, to me at least, a shift in my thinking toward quality and longevity rather than easy and cheap.I ended up giving 57 clothing items, or about two-thirds of what was in my closet (most of which I didn't wear anyway) to my local Goodwill. I spent $710 purchasing six tops, four pairs of shoes, three leather jackets, two fabric jackets, two sweaters, one skirt and one dress, which are now in heavy rotation. I spent an additional $1,240 on two of the most expensive clothing items I've ever purchased in my life the designer handbag and leather vest and $40 more on a pair of white skinny jeans from Zara since I couldn't find them used.In total, Gallagher's services cost me $875, including the last hour she spent with me at my house, assembling 30 outfits from the items she'd found for me, so I'd understand how to put them together, and taking pictures of them so I could use them for future reference. Gallagher warned that I might be tempted to go back to my old ways of doing things and counseled me to resist that temptation and "own" my new look.I spent far more than I anticipated, but I justify it as "pent-up demand." I'm feeling a lot more attractive and confident than I have in years. And it's enormously satisfying to accomplish so much in a way that didn't compromise my environmental values. As a whole, that's priceless.In Baltimore, the best way to capture the vibe spotted at is with a quick trip to a department store or high-end boutique. Both are generally stocked with a slew of garments from designers whose creations regularly appear on the runway and in the glossy magazines.This week, expect to see plenty of bold colors, feminine details such as playful necklines, and lighter pieces that are perfect for the warmer months as the annual fashion extravaganza, which runs through Thursday in , showcases designers' spring 2012 collections. You can see live streams of some of the designers' work on the Fashion Week website (mbfashionweek.com), and if you like their aesthetic, head to these local boutiques and major department stores for their current offerings. (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 9): The inspiration for the Australian designer's line is "contemporary, fresh, and ethereal," she says. "The collection emphasizes cut and color with unexpected cutouts in silhouettes. Shades of oyster are highlighted by bold citrus colors of lemon, lime and tangerine. Cropped slouchy embellished sweaters, long skirts and voluminous outerwear in technical fabrics add edge while apron-back dresses mixed with bone-colored snake leather bibs inject a pared-down cool attitude which sets the tone for the Spring 2012 collection." Find Rebecca Taylor at Urban Chic, 801 Aliceanna St. (410-685-1601) and at Essentials by Panache, 10751 Falls Road No. 103, Lutherville (410-321-5818). Rebecca Taylor is also sold at , Saks Fifth Avenue and . (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 9): With , and Gabrielle Union regularly rocking her looks, Nicole Miller is a favorite of the famous and fashion critics. Miller's designs are available at Green Spring Station's Essentials by Panache, which has one of the largest collections of Miller's designs in the state. Cupcake in also has a number of pieces, including a killer stretch metallic taffeta cocktail dress for $430. "Her dresses are flattering on people's bodies," says Cupcake owner Lisa Schatz. "She knows how to cut a dress so that it looks good on your body." (Cupcake also carries , Yoana Baraschi and Black Halo; all are New York Fashion Week regulars.)Find Nicole Miller at Essentials by Panache, 10751 Falls Road, No. 103, Lutherville (410-321-5818) and Cupcake, 813 S. Broadway (410-522-0941). You can also find Nicole Miller at Nordstrom. (showcasing Sept. 10): After a successful showing in the spring, "Project Runway" wunderkind Christian Siriano will be showcasing a collection of shoes and handbags for Payless ShoeSource during Fashion Week. (His couture, however, is not sold in his home state of Maryland.) In addition to his collaboration with Payless, he has projects with and and showcases his work on his website, christianvsiriano.com. For local customers, Siriano will present his spring 2012 collection Oct. 21 at Pink Rocks The Runway, a Washington charity fashion show that benefits research. (Find out more at pinkjams.org.) (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 11): Tracy Reese says her collection is inspired by a land of pure delight. "A feminine yet relaxed mood is achieved through the juxtaposition of romance and sport, comfort and flattery," Reese says. "Subtle hues of khaki and blush mixed with pastel shades of waterfall, misty blue and aqua tears gradually intensify to deep saturated tones and neon brights, making a bold splash for the transition into summer. A drapey culotte jumpsuit in waterfall, complemented with drawstring waist and seductive neckline details, pairs with a lemon zest hat and printed platform sandals to embody the relaxed mood of the season."Find Tracy Reese at Jones Jones, 84 Village Square in the Village of Cross Keys (410-532-9645) and at Nordstrom. (showcasing and live streaming Sept 13): From high-end wedding dresses to her fashion and home collection at , Wang offers fashions in a variety of prices. Check out Saks Jandel in Chevy Chase for Vera Wang Ready to Wear and Vera Wang Bridal. White by Vera Wang is being sold at David's Bridal locations throughout the country.Find Vera Wang Ready to Wear and Vera Wang Bridal at Saks Jandel, 5510 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase. Call 301-652-2250. Find Simply Vera Vera Wang at Kohl's and kohls.com. Find White by Vera Wang at David's Bridal.Tibi (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 13): Designer Amy Smilovic has made Tibi one of America's premiere contemporary fashion lines. Celebs such as Shenae Grimes, and give the brand star power. "It's a very strong line," says Nancy Lattmann, owner of L'Apparenza. "The fit is excellent. You can go from daytime to evening. I also love Tibi coats."Find Tibi at L'Apparenza, 6080 Falls Road (410-372-0350), Essentials by Panache, 10751 Falls Road, No. 103, Lutherville (410-321-5818), Urban Chic, 8180 Maple Lawn Blvd., Fulton (301-490-9952) and Horse Boutique, 158 Main St., (410-626-9726). (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 13): , and are all loyal wearers of Tory Burch. "She has such a following," says Lattmann. "It's almost like a cult-like following. People love to be seen in Tory Burch. I really like her fit, and she's classic."Find Tory Burch at L'Apparenza, 6080 Falls Road (410-372-0350), Tory Burch shoes at Sassanova, 805 Aliceanna St. (410-244-1114). Also at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. (showcasing Sept. 14): In addition to Micahel Kors' store in the Luxury Wing of Towson Town Mall, designs from the "Project Runway" judge can be found at a variety of stores, including TJ Maxx, Macy's, the Queenstown Premium Outlets and Couture Closet in . (Couture Closet also features , and .)Find Michael Kors in the Luxury Wing of Towson Town Mall, and at Couture Closet, 1003 Light St. Call 410-528-2999 or go to coutureclosetshop.com (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 14): Michelle Smith, designer and creative director of Milly, says her collection is "modern and geometric in cut and print, softened by earthy materials like wood and tortoise resin." She adds: "Colors are vibrant and exciting- vermilion, tangerine, jade and azure are grounded by chocolate brown and indigo."Find Milly at Jones Jones, 84 Village Square in the Village of Cross Keys (410-532-9645) and at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.Department stores will offer the largest offering of household-name designers and labels.Nordstrom has one of the most extensive collection of popular designers, with shoes from Tory Burch, Vera Wang and ; handbags from (showcasing Sept. 11) and (showcasing and live streaming Sept 12); and garments by Tracy Reese, , (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 11), , BCBGMAXAZRIA, , Rebecca Taylor, , Calvin Klein, Monique Lhuillier (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 10), Tadashi Shoji (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 8), Nicole Miller, (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 11) and Michael Kors.Macy's carries (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 10), Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Lauren by (showcasing Sept. 15), (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 11), BCBGMAXAZRIA (showcasing Sept. 8) and . launched a limited edition women's line "Impulse" for Macy's, which launched Aug. 31 at 235 Macy's stores nationwide and at macys.com.Kohl's offers the Simply Vera Vera Wang line, and TJ Maxx regularly carries items from DKNY, Michael Kors and BCBGMAXAZRIA.Ruth Shaw Inc., one of the area's premier women's boutiques, also features a number of top designers: Narcisco Rodriguez (showcasing and live streaming Sept. 13), DKNY, , , Jason Wu, Rag and Bone, , and Philip Lim.GENERAL FIELDRecord of the Year"Rolling In The Deep" - Adele"Holocene" - Bon Iver"Grenade" - Bruno Mars"The Cave" - Mumford & Sons"Firework" - Katy PerryAlbum of the Year"21" - Adele"Wasting Light" - Foo Fighters"Born This Way" - Lady Gaga"Doo-Wops Hooligans" - Bruno Mars"Loud" - RihannaSong of the Year"All Of The Lights" - Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi Fergie)"The Cave" - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford Sons)"Grenade" - Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Bruno Mars)"Holocene" - Justin Vernon, songwriter (Bon Iver)"Rolling In The Deep" - Adele Adkins Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)Best New ArtistThe Band PerryBon IverJ. ColeNicki MinajSkrillexPOP FIELDBest Pop Solo Performance"Someone Like You" - Adele"Yoü And I" - Lady Gaga"Grenade" - Bruno Bars"Firework" - Katy Perry"... Perfect" - PinkBest Pop Duo/Group Performance"Body And Soul" - Tony Bennett Amy Winehouse"Dearest" - The Black Keys"Paradise" - Coldplay"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People"Moves Like Jagger" - Maroon 5 Christina AguileraBest Pop Instrumental Album"Wish Upon A Star" - Jenny Oaks Baker"E Kahe Malie" - Daniel Ho"The Road From Memphis" - Booker T. Jones"Hello Tomorrow" - Dave Koz"Setzer Goes Instru-Mental!" - Brian SetzerBest Pop Vocal Album"21" - Adele"The Lady Killer" - Cee Lo Green"Born This Way" - Lady Gaga"Doo-Wops Hooligans" - Bruno Mars"Loud" - RihannaDANCE/ELECTRONICA FIELDBest Dance Recording"Raise Your Weapon" - Deadmau5 Greta Svabo Bech"Barbra Streisand" - Duck Sauce"Sunshine" - David Guetta Avicii"Call Your Girlfriend" - Robyn"Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites" - Skrillex"Save The World" - Swedish House MafiaBest Dance/Electronica Album"Zonoscope" - Cut/Copy"4x4=12" - Deadmau5"Nothing But The Beat" - David Guetta"Body Talk, Pt. 3" - Robyn"Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites" - SkrillexTRADITIONAL POP FIELDBest Traditional Pop Vocal Album"Duets II" - Tony Bennett Various Artists"The Gift" - Susan Boyle"In Concert On Broadway" - Harry Connick Jr."Music Is Better Than Words" - Seth MacFarlane"What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics Of Alan And Marilyn Bergman" - Barbra StreisandROCK FIELDBest Rock Performance"Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" - Coldplay"Down By The Water" - The Decemberists"Walk" - Foo Fighters"The Cave" - Mumford Sons"Lotus Flower" - RadioheadBest Hard Rock/Metal Performance"On The Backs Of Angels" - Dream Theater"White Limo" - Foo Fighters"Curl Of The Burl" - Mastodon"Public Enemy No. 1" - Megadeth"Blood In My Eyes" - Sum 41Best Rock Song"The Cave" - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford Sons)"Down By The Water" - Colin Meloy, songwriter (The Decemberists)"Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" - Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)"Lotus Flower" - Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway Thom Yorke, songwriters (Radiohead)"Walk" - Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)Best Rock Album"Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul" - Jeff Beck"Wasting Light" - Foo Fighters"Come Around Sundown" - Kings of Leon"I'm With You" - Red Hot Chili Peppers"The Whole Love" - WilcoALTERNATIVE FIELDBest Alternative Music Album"Bon Iver" - Bon Iver"Codes And Keys" - Death Cab For Cutie"Torches" - Foster The People"Circuital" - My Morning Jacket"The King of Limbs" - RadioheadRB FIELDBest RB Performance"Far Away" - Marsha Ambrosius"Pieces Of Me" - Ledisi"Not My Daddy" - Kelly Price Stokley"Is This Love" - Corinne Bailey Rae"You Are" - Charlie WilsonBest Traditional RB Performance"Sometimes I Cry" - Eric Benét"Fool For You" - Cee Lo Green Melanie Fiona"Radio Message" - R. Kelly"Good Man" - Raphael Saadiq"Surrender" - Betty Wright The RootsBest RB Song"Far Away" - Marsha Ambrosius, Sterling Simms Justin Smith, songwriters (Marsha Ambrosius)"Fool For You" - Cee Lo Green Jack Splash, songwriters (Cee Lo Green Melanie Fiona)"Not My Daddy" - Kelly Price, songwriter (Kelly Price Stokley)"Pieces Of Me" - Charles Harmon, Claude Kelly Ledisi Young, songwriters (Ledisi)"You Are" - Dennis Bettis, Carl M. Days, Jr., Wirlie Morris, Charlie Wilson Mahin Wilson, songwriters (Charlie Wilson)Best RB Album"F.A.M.E." - Chris Brown"Second Chance" - El DeBarge"Love Letter" - R. Kelly"Pieces Of Me" - Ledisi"Kelly" - Kelly PriceRAP FIELDBest Rap Performance"Look At Me Now" - Chris Brown, Lil Wayne Busta Rhymes"Otis" - Jay-Z Kanye West"The Show Goes On" - Lupe Fiasco"Moment 4 Life" - Nicki Minaj Drake"Black And Yellow" - Wiz KhalifaBest Rap/Sung Collaboration"Party" - Beyoncé & André 3000"I'm On One" - DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross Lil Wayne"I Need A Doctor" - Dr. Dre, Eminem Skylar Grey"What's My Name?" - Rihanna Drake"Motivation" - Kelly Rowland Lil Wayne"All Of The Lights" - Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi FergieBest Rap Song"All Of The Lights" - Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi Fergie)"Black And Yellow" - Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa)"I Need A Doctor" - Andre Young, Marshall Mathers III, Alexander Grant Skylar Grey, songwriters (Dr. Dre, Eminem Skylar Grey)"Look At Me Now" - Jean Baptiste, Chris Brown, Ryan Buendia, Trevor Smith, Dwayne Carter, Jr. Wesley Pentz, songwriters (Chris Brown, Lil Wayne Busta Rhymes)"Otis" - Shawn Carter Kanye West, songwriters (James Brown, Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Roy Hammond, J. Roach, Kirk Robinson Harry Woods, songwriters) (Jay-Z Kanye West)"The Show Goes On" - Dustin William Brower, Jonathon Keith Brown, Daniel Johnson, Kane Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, songwriters (Isaac Brock, Dann Gallucci Eric Judy, songwriters) (Lupe Fiasco) Best Rap Album"Watch The Throne" - Jay-Z Kanye West"Tha Carter IV" - Lil Wayne"Lasers" - Lupe Fiasco"Pink Friday" - Nicki Minaj"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" - Kanye WestCOUNTRY FIELDBest Country Solo Performance"Dirt Road Anthem" - Jason Aldean"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" - Martina McBride"Honey Bee" - Blake Shelton"Mean" - Taylor Swift"Mama's Song" - Carrie UnderwoodBest Country Duo/Group Performance"Don't You Wanna Stay" - Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson"You And Tequila" - Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter"Barton Hollow" - The Civil Wars"Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" - Thompson SquareBest Country Song"Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" - Jim Collins David Lee Murphy, songwriters (Thompson Square)"God Gave Me You" - Dave Barnes, songwriter (Blake Shelton)"Just Fishin'" - Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)"Mean" - Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)"Threaten Me With Heaven" - Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley Dillon O'Brian, songwriters (Vince Gill)"You And Tequila" - Matraca Berg Deana Carter, songwriters (Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter)Best Country Album"My Kinda Party" - Jason Aldean"Chief" - Eric Church"Own The Night" - Lady Antebellum"Red River Blue" - Blake Shelton"Here For A Good Time" - George Strait"Speak Now" - Taylor SwiftNEW AGE FIELDBest New Age Album"Northern Seas" - Al Conti"Gaia" - Michael Brant DeMaria"Wind, Rock, Sea Flame" - Peter Kater"What's It All About" - Pat Metheny"Instrumental Oasis, Vol. 6" - ZamoraJAZZ FIELDBest Improvised Jazz Solo"All Or Nothing At All" - Randy Brecker, soloist"You Are My Sunshine" - Ron Carter, soloist"500 Miles High" - Chick Corea, soloist"Work" - Fred Hersch, soloist"Sonnymoon For Two" - Sonny Rollins, soloistBest Jazz Vocal Album"'Round Midnight" - Karrin Allyson"The Mosaic Project" - Terry Lyne Carrington Various Artists"The Gate" - Kurt Elling"American Road" - Tierney Sutton (Band)"The Music of Randy Newman" - Roseanna VitroBest Jazz Instrumental Album"Bond: The Paris Sessions" - Gerald Clayton"Forever" - Corea, Clarke White"Alone At The Vanguard" - Fred Hersch"Bird Songs" - Joe Lovano/Us Five"Road Shows Vol. 2" - Sonny Rollins"Timeline" - YellowjacketsBest Large Jazz Ensemble Album"The Jazz Ballad Song Book" - Randy Brecker With DR Big Band"The Good Feeling" - Christian McBride Big Band"40 Acres And A Burro" - Arturo O'Farrill The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra"Legacy" - Gerald Wilson Orchestra"Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook" - Miguel ZenónGOSPEL FIELDBest Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance"Do Everything" - Steven Curtis Chapman"Alive (Mary Magdalene)" - Natalie Grant"Your Love" - Brandon Heath"Jesus" - Le'Andria Johnson"I Lift My Hands" - Chris TomlinBest Gospel Song"Hello Fear" - Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)"Sitting With Me" - Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell, Gerald Haddon Tammi Haddon, songwriters (Mary Mary)"Spiritual" - Donald Lawrence, songwriter (Donald Lawrence Co. Featuring Blanche McAllister-Dykes)"Trust Me" - Richard Smallwood, songwriter (Richard Smallwood Vision)"Window" - Canton Jones, songwriter (Canton Jones)Best Contemporary Christian Music Song"Blessings" - Laura Story, songwriter (Laura Story)"Hold Me" - Jamie Grace Harper, Toby McKeehan Christopher Stevens, songwriters (Jamie Grace Featuring Tobymac)"I Lift My Hands" - Louie Giglio, Matt Maher Chris Tomlin, songwriters (Chris Tomlin)"Strong Enough" - Matthew West, songwriter (Matthew West)"Your Love" - Brandon Heath Jason Ingram, songwriters (Brandon Heath)Best Gospel Album"The Love Album" - Kim Burrell"The Journey" - Andraé Crouch"Hello Fear" - Kirk Franklin"Something Big" - Mary Mary"Angel Chanelle Deluxe Edition" - Trin-I-Tee 5:7Best Contemporary Christian Music Album"Ghosts Upon The Earth" - Gungor"Leaving Eden" - Brandon Heath"The Great Awakening" - Leeland"What If We Were Real" - Mandisa"Black White" - Royal Tailor"And If Our God Is For Us..." - Chris TomlinLATIN FIELDBest Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album"Entren Los Que Quieran" - Calle 13"Entre La Ciudad Y El Mar" - Gustavo Galindo"Nuestra" - La Vida Bohème"Not So Commercial" - Los Amigos Invisibles"Drama Y Luz" - ManáBest Regional Mexican or Tejano Album"Bicentenario" - Pepe Aguilar"Orale" - Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea"Amor A La Musica" - Mariachi Los Arrieros Del Valle"Eres Un Farsante" - Paquita La Del Barrio"Huevos Rancheros" - Joan SebastianBest Banda or Norteño Album"Estare Mejor" - El Güero Y Su Banda Centenario"Intocable 2011" - Intocable"Los Tigres Del Norte And Friends" - Los Tigres Del Norte"El Árbol" - Los Tucanes De Tijuana"No Vengo A Ver Si Puedo... Si Por Que Puedo Vengo" - Michael SalgadoBest Tropical Latin Album"Homenaje A Los Rumberos" - Edwin Bonilla"The Last Mambo" - Cachao"Mongorama" - José Rizo's MongoramaAMERICAN ROOTS FIELDBest Americana Album"Emotional Jukebox" - Linda Chorney"Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down" - Ry Cooder"Hard Bargain" - Emmylou Harris"Ramble At The Ryman" - Levon Helm"Blessed" - Lucinda WilliamsBest Bluegrass Album"Paper Airplane" - Alison Krauss Union Station"Reason And Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs By Robert Hunter Jim Lauderdale" - Jim Lauderdale"Rare Bird Alert" - Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers"Old Memories: The Songs Of Bill Monroe" - The Del McCoury Band"A Mother's Prayer" - Ralph Stanley"Sleep With One Eye Open" - Chris Thile Michael DavesBest Blues Album"Low Country Blues" - Gregg Allman"Roadside Attractions" - Marcia Ball"Man In Motion" - Warren Haynes"The Reflection" - Keb Mo"Revelator" - Tedeschi Trucks BandBest Folk Album"Barton Hollow" - The Civil Wars"I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" - Steve Earle"Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes"Ukulele Songs" - Eddie Vedder"The Harrow The Harvest" - Gillian WelchBest Regional Roots Music Album"Can't Sit Down" - C.J. Chenier"Wao Akua" - The Forest Of The Gods"Rebirth Of New Orleans" - Rebirth Brass Band"Grand Isle" - Steve Riley The Mamou Playboys"Not Just Another Polka" - Jimmy Sturr His OrchestraREGGAE FIELDBest Reggae Album"Harlem-Kingston Express Live!" - Monty Alexander"Reggae Knights" - Israel Vibration"Revelation Pt 1: The Root Of Life" - Stephen Marley"Wild And Free" - Ziggy Marley"Summer In Kingston" - ShaggyWORLD MUSIC FIELDBest World Music Album"AfroCubism" - AfroCubism"Africa For Africa" - Femi Kuti"Songs From A Zulu Farm" - Ladysmith Black Mambazo"Tassili" - TinariwenCHILDREN'S FIELDBest Children's Album"All About Bullies... Big And Small" - (Various Artists) James Cravero, Gloria Domina, Kevin Mackie, Steve Pullara Patrick Robinson, producers"Are We There Yet?" - The Papa Hugs Band"Fitness Rock Roll" - Miss Amy"GulfAlive" - The Banana Plant"I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs Of Fox Hollow" - (Various Artists) Eric Brace Peter Cooper, producersSPOKEN WORD FIELDBest Spoken Word Album"Bossypants" - Tina Fey"Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond" - (Various Artists) - Nathan Burbank, Bryan Cumming, Dennis Scott David Toledo, producers"Hamlet (William Shakespeare)" - Dan Donohue Various Artists - Orgeon Shakespeare Festival"If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)" - Betty White"The Mark Of Zorro" - Val Kilmer CastCOMEDY FIELDBest Comedy Album"Alpocalypse" - "Weird Al" Yankovic"Finest Hour" - Patton Oswalt"Hilarious" - Louis C.K."Kathy Griffin: 50 Not Pregnant" - Kathy Griffin"Turtleneck Chain" - The Lonely IslandMUSICAL THEATER FIELDBest Musical Theater Album"Anything Goes" - Sutton Foster Joel Grey, principal soloists; Rob Fisher, James Lowe Joel Moss, producers (Cole Porter, composer/lyricist) (New Broadway Cast Recording)"The Book Of Mormon" - Josh Gad Andrew Rannells, principal soloists; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez, Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin Matt Stone, producers; Robert Lopez, Trey Parker Matt Stone, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)"How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" - John Larroquette Daniel Radcliffe, principal soloists; Robert Sher, producer (Frank Loesser, composer/lyricist) (The 2011 Broadway Cast Recording)MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA FIELDBest Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media"Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1" - (Various Artists)"Burlesque" - Christina Aguilera"Glee: The Music, Volume 4" - (Glee Cast)"Tangled" - (Various Artists)"True Blood: Volume 3" - (Various Artists)Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media"Black Swan" - Clint Mansell, composer"Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2" - Alexandre Desplat, composer"The King's Speech" - Alexandre Desplat, composer"The Shrine" - Ryan Shore, composer"Tron Legacy" - Daft Punk, composersBest Song Written For Visual Media"Born To Be Somebody" (From "Never Say Never") - Diane Warren, songwriter (Justin Bieber)"Christmastime Is Killing Us" (From "Family Guy") - Ron Jones, Seth MacFarlane Danny Smith, songwriters (Danny Smith, Ron Jones Seth MacFarlane)"I See The Light" (From "Tangled") - Alan Menken Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore Zachary Levi)"So Long" (From "Winnie The Pooh") - Zooey Deschanel, songwriter (Zooey Deschanel M. Ward)"Where The River Goes" (From "Footloose") - Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Drew Pearson Anne Preven, songwriters (Zac Brown)"You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" (From "Burlesque") - Diane Warren, songwriter (Cher)COMPOSING/ARRANGING FIELDBest Instrumental Composition"Falling Men" - John Hollenbeck, composer (John Hollenbeck, Daniel Yvinec Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ))"Hunting Wabbits 3 (Get Off My Lawn)" - Gordon Goodwin, composer (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)"I Talk To The Trees" - Randy Brecker, composer (Randy Brecker With DR Big Band)"Life In Eleven" - Béla Fleck Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck The Flecktones)"Timeline" - Russell Ferrante, composer (Yellowjackets)Best Instrumental Arrangement"All Or Nothing At All" - Peter Jensen, arranger (Randy Brecker With DR Big Band)"In The Beginning" - Clare Fischer, arranger (The Clare Fischer Big Band)"Nasty Dance" - Bob Brookmeyer, arranger (The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra)"Rhapsody In Blue" - Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)"Song Without Words" - Carlos Franzetti, arranger (Carlos Franzetti Allison Brewster Franzetti)Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)"Ao Mar" - Vince Mendoza, arranger (Vince Mendoza)"Moon Over Bourbon Street" - Rob Mathes, arranger (Sting The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra)"On Broadway" - Kevin Axt, Ray Brinker, Trey Henry, Christian Jacob Tierney Sutton, arrangers (The Tierney Sutton Band)"Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" - Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)"The Windmills Of Your Mind" - William A. Ross, arranger (Barbra Streisand)PACKAGE FIELDBest Recording Package"Chickenfoot III" - Todd Gallopo, art director (Chickenfoot)"Good Luck True Love" - Sarah Dodds Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)"Rivers And Homes" - Jonathan Dagan, art director (J.Viewz)"Scenes From The Suburbs" - Vincent Morisset, art director (Arcade Fire)"Watch The Throne" - Virgil Abloh, art director (Jay-Z & Kanye West)Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package"The King Of Limbs" - Donald Twain Zachariah Wildwood, art directors (Radiohead)"The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story" - Dave Bett Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen)"25th Anniversary Music Box" - Matt Taylor Ellen Wakayama, art directors (Danny Elfman Tim Burton)"25 Years" - James Spindler, art director (Sting)"Wingless Angels - Deluxe Edition" - David Gorman, art director (Wingless Angels)ALBUM NOTESBest Album Notes"The Bang Years 1966-1968" - Neil Diamond, album notes writer (Neil Diamond)"The Bristol Sessions, 1927-1928: The Big Bang Of Country Music" - Ted Olson Tony Russell, album notes writers (Various Artists)"Complete Mythology" - Ken Shipley, album notes writer (Syl Johnson)"Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s" - Adam Machado, album notes writer (Various Artists)"The Music City Story: Street Corner Doo Wop, Raw R&B And Soulful Sounds From Berkeley, California 1950-75" - Alec Palao, album notes writer (Various Artists)HISTORICAL FIELDBest Historical Album"Band On The Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection - Deluxe Edition)" - Paul McCartney, compilation producer; Sam Okell Steve Rooke, mastering engineers (Paul McCartney Wings)"The Bristol Sessions, 1927-1928: The Big Bang Of Country Music" - Christopher C. King Ted Olson, compilation producers; Christopher C. King Chris Zwarg, mastering engineers (Various Artists)"Complete Mythology" - Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton, mastering engineer (Syl Johnson)"Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s" - Chris Strachwitz, compilation producer; Mike Cogan, mastering engineer (Various Artists)"Young Man With The Big Beat: The Complete '56 Elvis Presley Masters" - Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, compilation producer; Vic Anesini, mastering engineer (Elvis Presley)PRODUCTION, NON CLASSICAL FIELDBest Engineered Album, Non-Classical"Follow Me Down" - Brandon Bell Gary Paczosa, engineers; Sangwook "Sunny" Nam Doug Sax, mastering engineers (Sarah Jarosz)"The Harrow The Harvest" - Matt Andrews, engineer; Stephen Marcussen, mastering engineer (Gillian Welch)"Music Is Better Than Words" - Rich Breen Frank Filipetti, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Seth MacFarlane)"The Next Right Thing" - Kevin Killen, Brendan Muldowney John Shyloski, engineers; John Shyloski, mastering engineer (Seth Glier)"Paper Airplane" - Mike Shipley, engineer; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss Union Station)Producer Of The Year, Non-ClassicalDanger Mouse - "Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi Present Rome" (Gilda Buttá, Luciano Ciccaglioni, Gegé Munari, Dario Rosciglione, Antonello Vannucchi et al) (A); "Meyrin Fields EP" (Broken Bells) (S)Paul Epworth - "Call It What You Want" (Foster The People) (T); "I Would Do Anything For You" (Foster The People) (T); "I'll Be Waiting" (Adele) (T); "Life On The Nickel" (Foster The People) (T); "No One's Gonna Love You" (Cee-Lo Green) (S); "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele) (T)The Smeezingtons - "Doo-Wops Hooligans" (Bruno Mars) (A); "If I Was You (OMG)" (Far East Movement Featuring Snoop Dogg) (T); "Lighters" (Bad Meets Evil Featuring Bruno Mars) (T); "Mirror" (Lil Wayne Featuring Bruno Mars) (T); "Rocketeer" (Far East Movement Featuring Ryan Tedder of One Republic) (T)Ryan Tedder - "Brighter Than The Sun" (Colbie Caillat) (T); "Favorite Song" (Colbie Caillat Featuring Common) (T); "I Remember Me" (Jennifer Hudson) (T); "I Was Here" (Beyoncé) (T); "Not Over You" (Gavin DeGraw) (S); "#1Nite" (One Night) (Cobra Starship) (S); "Rumour Has It" (Adele) (T); "Sweeter" (Gavin DeGraw) (T); "Who's That Boy" (Demi Lovato Featuring Dev) (T)Butch Vig - "Wasting Light" (Foo Fighters) (A)Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical"Cinema" (Skrillex Remix) - Sonny Moore, remixer (Benny Benassi)"Collide" (Afrojack Remix) - Afrojack, remixer (Leona Lewis)"End Of Line" (Photek Remix) - Photek, remixer (Daft Punk)"Only Girl (In The World)" (Rosabel Club Mix) - Abel Aguilera & Ralphi Rosario, remixers (Rihanna)"Rope" (Deadmau5 Mix) - Deadmau5, remixer (Foo Fighters)SURROUND SOUND FIELDBest Surround Sound Album"An Evening With Dave Grusin" - Frank Filipetti Eric Schilling, surround mix engineers; Frank Filipetti, surround mastering engineer; Phil Ramone, surround producer (Various Artists)"Grace For Drowning" - Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Paschal Byrne, surround mastering engineer; Steven Wilson, surround producer (Steven Wilson)"Kind" - Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Kjetil Almenning, Ensemble 96 Nidaros String Quartet)"Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition)" - Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Bill Levenson Elliot Scheiner, surround producers (Derek The Dominos)"Spohr: String Sextet In C Major, Op. 140 & Nonet In F Major, Op. 31" - Andreas Spreer, surround mix engineer; Andreas Spreer, surround mastering engineer; Andreas Spreer, surround producer (Camerata Freden)PRODUCTION, CLASSICAL FIELDBest Engineered Album, Classical"Aldridge: Elmer Gantry" - Byeong-Joon Hwang John Newton, engineers; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)"Glazunov: Complete Concertos" - Richard King, engineer (José Serebrier, Alexey Serov, Wen-Sinn Yang, Alexander Romanovsky, Rachel Barton Pine, Marc Chisson & Russian National Orchestra)"Mackey: Lonely Motel - Music From Slide" - Tom Lazarus Bill Maylone, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Rinde Eckert, Steven Mackey Eighth Blackbird)"Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 4" - Arne Akselberg, engineer (Leif Ove Andsnes, Antonio Pappano London Symphony Orchestra)"Weinberg: Symphony No. 3 Suite No. 4 From 'The Golden Key'" - Torbjörn Samuelsson, engineer (Thord Svedlund & Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra)Producer Of The Year, ClassicalBlanton Alspaugh - "Aldridge: Elmer Gantry" (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra); "Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas" (Peter Takács); "Osterfield: Rocky Streams" (Paul Osterfield, Todd Waldecker Various Artists)Manfred Eicher - "Bach: Concertos Sinfonias For Oboe; Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis" (Heinz Holliger, Eric Höbarth & Camerata Bern); "Hymns Prayers" (Gidon Kremer Kremerata Baltica); "Manto Madrigals" (Thomas Zehetmair Ruth Killius); "Songs Of Ascension" (Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble, Todd Reynolds Quartet, The M6 & Montclair State University Singers); "Tchaikovsky/Kissine: Piano Trios" (Gidon Kremer, Giedre Dirvanauskaite Khatia Buniatishvili); "A Worcester Ladymass" (Trio Mediaeval)David Frost - "Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Live" (Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass); "Mackey: Lonely Motel - Music From Slide" (Rinde Eckert, Steven Mackey Eighth Blackbird); "Prayers Alleluias" (Kenneth Dake); "Sharon Isbin Friends" - Guitar Passions (Sharon Isbin Various Artists)Peter Rutenberg - "Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45" (Patrick Dupré Quigley, James K. Bass, Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute); "The Vanishing Nordic Chorale" (Philip Spray & Musik Ekklesia)Judith Sherman - "Adams: Son Of Chamber Symphony; String Quartet" (John Adams, St. Lawrence String Quartet & International Contemporary Ensemble); "Capricho Latino" (Rachel Barton Pine); "85th Birthday Celebration" (Claude Frank); "Insects Paper Airplanes - Chamber Music Of Lawrence Dillon" (Daedalus Quartet Benjamin Hochman); "Midnight Frolic - The Broadway Theater Music Of Louis A. Hirsch" (Rick Benjamin Paragon Ragtime Orchestra); "Notable Women - Trios By Today's Female Composers" (Lincoln Trio); "The Soviet Experience, Vol. 1 - String Quartets By Dmitri Shostakovich His Contemporaries" (Pacifica Quartet); "Speak!" (Anthony De Mare); "State Of The Art" - The American Brass Quintet At 50 (The American Brass Quintet); "Steve Reich: WTC 9/11; Mallet Quartet; Dance Patterns (Kronos Quartet, Steve Reich Musicians So Percussion); "Winging It - Piano Music Of John Corigliano" (Ursula Oppens)CLASSICAL FIELDBest Orchestral Performance"Bowen: Symphonies Nos. 1 2" - Andrew Davis, conductor (BBC Philharmonic)"Brahms: Symphony No. 4" - Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)"Haydn: Symphonies 104, 88 101" - Nicholas McGegan, conductor (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra)"Henze: Symphonies Nos. 3-5" - Marek Janowski, conductor (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin)"Martinu: The 6 Symphonies" - Jirí Belohlávek, conductor (BBC Symphony Orchestra)Best Opera Recording"Adams: Doctor Atomic" - Alan Gilbert, conductor; Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn Eric Owens; Jay David Saks, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)"Britten: Billy Budd" - Mark Elder, conductor; John Mark Ainsley, Phillip Ens, Jacques Imbrailo, Darren Jeffery, Iain Paterson Matthew Rose; James Whitbourn, producer (London Philharmonic Orchestra; Glyndebourne Chorus)"Rautavaara: Kaivos" - Hannu Lintu, conductor; Jaakko Kortekangas, Hannu Niemelä, Johanna Rusanen-Kartano Mati Turi; Seppo Siirala, producer (Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra; Kaivos Chorus)"Verdi: La Traviata" - Antonio Pappano, conductor; Joseph Calleja, Renée Fleming Thomas Hampson; James Whitbourn, producer (Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus)"Vivaldi: Ercole Sul Termodonte" - Fabio Biondi, conductor; Romina Basso, Patrizia Ciofi, Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Vivica Genaux, Philippe Jaroussky, Topi Lehtipuu Rolando Villazón; Daniel Zalay, producer (Europa Galante; Coro Da Camera Santa Cecilia Di Borgo San Lorenzo)Best Choral Performance"Beyond All Mortal Dreams - American A Cappella" - Stephen Layton, conductor (Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge)"Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45" - Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor; James K. Bass, chorus master (Justin Blackwell, Scott Allen Jarrett, Paul Max Tipton Teresa Wakim; Professional Choral Institute Seraphic Fire)"Kind" - Kjetil Almenning, conductor (Nidaros String Quartet; Ensemble 96)"Light Gold" - Eric Whitacre, conductor (Christopher Glynn Hila Plitmann; The King's Singers, Laudibus, Pavão Quartet The Eric Whitacre Singers)"The Natural World Of Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen" - Paul Hillier, conductor (Ars Nova Copenhagen)Best Small Ensemble Performance"Frank: Hilos" - Gabriela Lena Frank; ALIAS Chamber Ensemble"The Kingdoms Of Castille" - Richard Savino, conductor; El Mundo"Mackey: Lonely Motel - Music From Slide" - Rinde Eckert Steven Mackey; Eighth Blackbird"A Seraphic Fire Christmas" - Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor; Seraphic Fire"Sound The Bells!" - The Bay BrassBest Classical Instrumental Solo"Chinese Recorder Concertos - East Meets West" - Lan Shui, conductor; Michala Petri (Copenhagen Philharmonic)"Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18; Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini" - Yuja Wang (Claudio Abbado; Mahler Chamber Orchestra)"Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 4" - Leif Ove Andsnes (Antonio Pappano; London Symphony Orchestra)"Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion Orchestra" - Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Christopher Lamb (Nashville Symphony); Track from: "Schwantner: Chasing Light...""Winging It - Piano Music Of John Corigliano" - Ursula OppensBest Classical Vocal Solo"Diva Divo" - Joyce DiDonato (Kazushi Ono; Orchestre De L'Opéra National De Lyon; Choeur De L'Opéra National De Lyon)"Grieg/Thommessen: Veslemøy Synsk" - Marianne Beate Kielland (Nils Anders Mortensen)"Handel: Cleopatra" - Natalie Dessay (Emmanuelle Haïm; Le Concert D'Astrée)"Purcell: O Solitude" - Andreas Scholl (Stefano Montanari; Christophe Dumaux; Accademia Bizantina)"Three Baroque Tenors" - Ian Bostridge (Bernard Labadie; Mark Bennett, Andrew Clarke, Sophie Daneman, Alberto Grazzi, Jonathan Gunthorpe, Benjamin Hulett & Madeline Shaw; The English Concert)Best Contemporary Classical Composition"Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry" - Robert Aldridge Herschel Garfein"Crumb, George: The Ghosts Of Alhambra" - George Crumb; Track from: "Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 15""Friedman, Jefferson: String Quartet No. 3" - Jefferson Friedman; Track from: "Jefferson Friedman: Quartets""Mackey, Steven: Lonely Motel - Music From Slide" - Steven Mackey"Ruders, Poul: Piano Concerto No. 2" - Poul Ruders; Track from: "Music Of Poul Ruders, Vol. 6"MUSIC VIDEO FIELDBest Short Form Music Video"Rolling In The Deep" - Adele; Sam Brown, video director; Hannah Chandler, video producer"Yes I Know" - Memory Tapes; Eric Epstein, video director; Eric Epstein, video producer"All Is Not Lost" - OK Go; Itamar Kubovy, Damian Kulash Jr Trish Sie, video directors; Shirley Moyers, video producer"Lotus Flower" - Radiohead; Garth Jennings, video director; Garth Jennings, video producer"First Of The Year (Equinox)" - Skrillex; Tony Truand, video director; Noah Klein, video producer"Perform This Way" - "Weird Al" Yankovic; "Weird Al" Yankovic, video director; Cisco Newman, video producerBest Long Form Music Video"I Am...World Tour" - Beyoncé; Ed Burke, Frank Gatson Jr. & Beyoncé Knowles, video directors; Beyoncé Knowles Camille Yorrick, video producers"Foo Fighters: Back And Forth" - Foo Fighters; James Moll, video director; James Moll Nigel Sinclair, video producers"Talihina Sky: The Story Of Kings Of Leon" - Kings Of Leon; Stephen C. Mitchell, video director; Casey McGrath, video producer"Beats, Rhymes Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest" - A Tribe Called Quest; Michael Rapaport, video director; Robert Benavides, Debra Koffler, Eric Matthies, Frank Mele, Edward Parks & A Tribe Called Quest, video producers"Nine Types Of Light" - TV On The Radio; Tunde Adebimpe, video director; Michelle An Braj, video producersCaroline A. G. Pierson, of , recently received faculty honors for academic achievement at in , Conn.The following students were recently named to the dean's list at Johns Hopkins University.Azam Qureshi, of , son of Bilal and Parveen Qureshi, and a graduate of the McDonogh School. Elizabeth Aucott, of Lutherville, daughter of John and Susan Aucott, and a graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School. Hannah Bergman, of Lutherville, daughter of and Maura McGuire, and a graduate of Dulaney High School.Melinda Chen, of Lutherville, daughter of Zhibing Chen and Jianhua Feng, and a graduate of Towson High School.Alison Ignatowski, of Lutherville, daughter of Gary and Deborah Ignatowski, and a graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School.Abigail Sussman, of Lutherville, daughter of Marc and Michele Sussman, and a graduate of Park School.Stephanie Yoshioka, of Lutherville, daughter of Takashi and Julie Yoshioka, and a graduate of Loch Raven High School.Bo Tao, of , son of Yuanxiang Tao and Fengying Wang, and a graduate of Dulaney High SchoolCaitlin Choi, of Timonium, daughter of Steven and Hyung Choi, and a graduate of Dulaney High School.Nicholas Flower, of Timonium, son of Kenneth and Karen Flower, and a graduate of Dulaney High School.Vasilios Mavrophilipos, of Timonium, son of Dimitrios and Stella Mavrophilipos, and a graduate of Dulaney High School.The following students from Towson were recently named to the dean's list at their respective schools:James Toshio Whedbee, Washington University in St. Louis.Michele Mary Myers, , Pa.Jonathon Paterakis, Connecticut College.Alexander Evans, University of the Sciences, in Philadelphia.Caroline Conover, Mount St. Mary's University.Lauren Schumacher, Delaware Valley College.The days when taking home a souvenir from your favorite hotel meant a bad logo T-shirt or golf visor are long gone.How about a Rebecca Minkoff bag? The W Hotel's stores have one in an exclusive shade of turquoise. A pair of Band of Outsiders pajamas? They were made specially for the Ace Hotel in New York. A pink Stephen Jones trilby hat? You have to hit the gift shop at the Beverly Hills Hotel to buy one.Luxury hotel chains are upping the ante on their retail offerings by bringing in exclusive items and, in some cases, designing their own. In an era of global sameness, they have opted to offer unique, localized experiences. FOR THE RECORD: Hotel gift shops: An article in Sunday's Image section about hotel gift shops going glam referred to Ace Hotel founder Alex Calderwood as Calderwell. Also, a retailer that opened a branch at the Ace in New York was referred to as No. 8. The correct name is Project No. 8. The Standard hotels (including the property in downtown Los Angeles) are collaborating for the second year with surf lifestyle brand , selling board shorts ($75), bikinis and sunglasses (both $88) in poolside vending machines. The Morgans Hotel Group has hosted a series of curated retail stores, the newest in at the Mondrian, where Los Angeles-based retailer Ron Robinson has opened a pop-up shop with handpicked merchandise such as exclusive Pamela Love T-shirts ($25), as well as Stephen Webster jewelry and Apothia beauty products."As we get more design-oriented hotels, the idea will continue to percolate," said Bruce Baltin, a hotel industry analyst and senior vice president of Colliers PKF Consulting USA, a management consulting firm in Los Angeles that covers the hospitality industry. "It's a point of differentiation. And now that you have designers like and getting into the hotel business [see accompanying story], they will pair that with retail opportunities as well."For the record: An article in Sunday's Image section about hotel gift shops going glam incorrectly referred to ACE Hotel founder Alex Calderwood as Calderwell. Also, the edgy store in downtown Manhattan that opened a branch at the ACE in New York was referred to as No. 8. The correct name is Project No. 8.Historically, W Hotels have been innovators in hotel gift shops, with the first W store opening at the W in 2001. "From the beginning, the concept was designed to go beyond the basic idea of providing the same 400-thread-count sheets that are in the rooms," said Eva Ziegler, W's global brand leader (yes, that's her title; she's in charge of the chain's growth strategy).In the past, the resort chain has targeted Diane von Furstenberg to create a Fashion Emergency Kit (a black wrap dress and thong underwear) for its stores, and to design staff uniforms. But in February, Ziegler hired an expert, naming Amanda Ross, a stylist and designer consultant, to the newly created post of fashion director.So far, Ross has attended fashion weeks on the hotel's behalf, consulted on uniforms for new properties and helped select designers for the Global Glam collection of apparel created especially for the chain and sold in all 17 W Hotel stores.The store at the W Times Square feels like a trendy Robertson Boulevard boutique, with $80 Melissa brand jelly shoes, $275 jeweled caftans and gift books with such cheeky titles as "Is Your Dog Gay?" If there were exclusive products, they weren't obvious, but the merchandise is a far cry from garish costume jewelry and packages of dried fruit and nuts that one might associate with a hotel gift shop.(Ross' appointment comes on the heels of another resident expert hired by the W music director Michaelangelo L'Acqua, a former music producer for and a fashion show director who has been charged with elevating the hotel's presence in the music community by coordinating special performances and producing compilation W Hotels CDs.)The quirky Ace Hotel chain (including properties in Palm Springs, Portland, Ore. and Seattle) was looking for a curator of a different sort for its newest property in the gritty NoMad neighborhood of , just north of ."Before we opened, there weren't a lot of [retailers] who wanted to be on 29th and Broadway," said Ace Hotel founder Alex Calderwell. "So we approached retailers who we thought would fit with our brand and would consider a location that was not an A location." They chose No. 8 and Opening Ceremony, which operate edgy stores in downtown Manhattan.No. 8a, as the store at the Ace is called, is a showcase for hipster ephemera, from $169 bags made out of soccer balls to $6 Wooly Willy magnetic faces.Opening Ceremony is dedicated to apparel (and accessories), featuring the Rodarte sweaters and $365 Alexander Wang zipper-edged sunglasses you find at all Opening Ceremony stores, along with a few necessities for travelers, such as brightly colored $55 Tumi outlet adaptors exclusive to the Ace store and British snack food Walkers Prawn Cocktail flavored crisps. Both No. 8a and Opening Ceremony are open to the street and the Ace Hotel lobby."We could have done a store ourselves, but they are so much better at what they do. And part of the philosophy of our brand is not only to appeal to travelers but to locals too," Calderwell said."Designers want to be positioned in the Ace Hotel because they want to get their things in front of the consumer who stays and hangs out there photographers and fashion directors. They want to be in that environment," said Zach Augustine, chief creative officer of Winston Retail, a retail consulting firm based in and New York.Generating revenueThe Dorchester Collection, which operates the Beverly Hills Hotel and Paris' Le Meurice among others, tapped milliner Stephen Jones and handbag designer Louise Hempleman to create summer hats and travel bags for all seven of its stores. The hotel chain is also sponsoring a fashion prize for up-and-coming designers. The contest is being judged by a team of fashion insiders, including designers Manolo Blahnik and Giles Deacon and style icon Daphne Guinness."Fashion is playing an increasingly prevalent part in the luxury hotel industry as hotels become an essential lifestyle component and design becomes more integrated into everyday life," Helen Smith, Dorchester Collection's vice president of sales and marketing, wrote in an e-mail.For high-end resorts seeking a total fashion overhaul, Seaside Luxe, based in Santa Monica, is a new retail consulting firm that develops, builds, merchandises and manages luxury boutiques from the ground up, in such far-flung places as Bermuda and Maui. Each boutique is unique in design and product assortment.Many people in the resort industry "push retail aside. The gift shops actually lose money," said Lee Ann Sauter, who founded Seaside Luxe last year after more than 20 years of retail experience at Gap, Guess and . "There is an opportunity to totally transform the landscape."At the Four Seasons Hualalai resort in Hawaii, she turned administrative offices into 7,000 square feet of Seaside Luxe retail space (selling items including beachwear, casual sportswear and kids clothing) that generated $6 million in revenue in 2009, its first year, $750,000 of that in its first month. (The resort's retail stores generated $4 million in revenue in 2008.)Guests snapped up one-of-a-kind Prova necklaces for $550, decorative bottles with shell stoppers for $55 to $115, colorful Dezso woven bracelets decorated with shark teeth and shells, and Gregory Parkinson swim cover-ups."When you do research on what guests want to do on their vacations, it's amazing how over the last 10 years, it has gone from visiting the spa or playing golf to shopping," said Patrick Fitzgerald, chief executive of Hualalai resort. "We saw we were missing a real opportunity." Seaside Luxe buyers travel the globe, visiting places such as the Gem Palace in Jaipur, India, and the Paris runways to find exclusive jewelry designs, beach bags, bikinis, surfboards and more.This refashioning of resort retail mirrors what happened in the resort food and beverage industry, Fitzgerald said. "Several years ago, we started seeing hotels bringing in chefs such as Michael Mina, and Thomas Keller to develop restaurants not only for hotel guests, but for locals. Now we're starting to see the same targeted approach in resort retail."Plus, when someone asks, "Where did you get that?" you don't have to say Nordstrom. You can say you got it on vacation in Hawaii. The story is so much better.The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email ([email protected]). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578.GymnasticsDocksiders Gymnastics Docksiders Level 8 gymnast Maria Ramsey, of Columbia, competed at the 2012 Parkettes Invitational Junior 12-13 meet Jan. 29, in Allentown, Pa., with the following results: 1. all-around (35.5); 2. floor (9.15); 5. vault (8.9); 5. uneven bars (8.95); beam (8.5).SoccerColumbia Soccer ClubThe CSC Storm Runners (U-16 girls) avenged an early season defeat by shutting out the Misfits Gold, 2-0, in a tightly played futsal match Jan. 29. Goalkeeper Carley Noppinger notched the shutout by making several key saves in the second half.Maddie Jones scored first on a free kick in the first half as forward Christina Kochanski shielded the Misfits' goalkeeper. In the second half, defensive pressure caused a Misfits' turnover that landed at the feet of Harkleroad who turned and hit a high curving shot into the upper left corner for the game's other goal.Strong play by Lauren Marshall, Katherine MacKie, Erica Noppinger and Mackenzie Rynn stifled the Misfits throughout the match.SwimmingColumbia ClippersThe Columbia Clippers participated in the CBAC's Winter Wakeup meet in at St. Mary's College of Maryland, Jan. 20-22.Clipper girls placing in the top 8:9-10G: Makena Trout: 3. 50 backstroke. Bridgette Kim: 8. 100 breaststroke.11-12G: Taylor Spillman: 5. 200 IM; 6. 50 free; 7. 50 breaststroke.13-14G: Isabella Lennon: 6. 200 butterfly. Lydia Angel: 7. 500 free.15+G: Ila Jackson: 6. 200 backstroke. Marlee Thorogood: 8. 200 backstroke.Clipper boys placing in the top 10:9-10B: Cameron Adams: 5. 200 IM; 7. 100 IM; 3. 100 backstroke. Jackson Wang: 7. 100 backstroke; 8. 100 butterfly; 6. 50 butterfly; 6. 200 free. Adam Loudin: 6. 100 breaststroke; 8. 200 free.11-12B: Adam Elshafei: 2. 200 IM; 1. 50 free; 1. 500 free; 3. 100 free; 2. 100 breaststroke. Tony Li: 8. 200 free; 3. 100 backstroke; 1. 50 breaststroke.13-14 boys: Alexander Gliese: 6. 200 IM; 1. 200 backstroke. Cole May: 8. 100 butterfly.Loch Raven High School held its 2012 commencement on June 5 at 's Towson Center. The following are members of the Class of 2012:Davon Eric Agnew, A'lesia Marie Anderson, A'lise Maria Anderson, Tori E. Arbaugh Bettina Luciana Arrunategui, Damien David AtwoodJi Han Bae, Roderick Darryl Barber, Babak Barfar, Andre' Derrell Battle, Terez Cordell Beauford, Nicholas Stephen Belkoff, Acira Lachelle Belle, Samuel Sean Bentz, Megan Elizabeth Berk, Shannon Joanna Bien, Kelly Amelia Bilz, Cassandra Nichole Bosley, Ashley Boteler, Shaquera Latonia Brown, Devon Tyrell Burnett, Rachel Dawn Butcher Timothy Patrick Callanan, William Leon Callow, Rachel Autumn Cameron, Carly Nichole Cannon, Krizian Dean Valdez Carino, Jasmine Sierra Carr, Barrington Carrington, Jessica Hannah Christian, Cherise Stephenee Church, Michael Alan Cofiell, Nathaniel Jude Cohen, William Comotto III, Michael Darrell Conner, Tiffani Lynn Creutzer, Olivia Anne Cypull Cara Christine D'Amico, Savannah Brooke Davidson, Destiny Davis, Kenneth Ryan Davis, Monet Anita Davis, Daniel Brooks Del Gavio, Davon Terrell Dezurn, Brea Tishel DupyeAbigail Lee Edmunds, Amber Lynn EppsKathleen Ann Ferguson, Kent C. Ferree, Jillian Elizabeth Fiedler, Kaitlyn Anne Fields, Ryan Howland Flanigan, Brittany Lynn Flint, Jesse James Foley, Bradley Sanders Franke, Nicole Nadine Franklin, Kevin Matthew Friant, Kenneth Michael Andrew Friedel, Laron Fitzgerald Fryar, Gregory Xavier FuchslugerLynette Monet Garner, Melissa Jayne Gibbins, Taylor Breona Gibson, India Brianna Gillis, Margaret Mckenna Glassman, David Clay Gottlieb, Aisha Grandison, Jada Danielle Grant, Jawan Xavier Lee Gray, Daniel Brandon Gregory, Alex John GrueningerGregory Allen Harper, Breyawna Francis Harris, Oriell Tiffany LaShay Harris, Khirhy Marcus Hayes, Kwanta' Dupree Hayes, Tessa Charlotte Haynes, Yicheng He, Courtney D. Henry, Devin D. Herlihy, Jacob Wayne Hess Jr., Sarah Jane Worthington Hewitt, Zani Nghishi-A Holiday, Emma Hom, Andrew John Howell, Salih Hutchins, G. Hutchinson, Lamont Pierre HymanBoma Caroline Jack, Kara Denise Jackson, Joshua N. James, Hannah Maria Jenkins, Joseph Daniel Johnson, Tyrron Terrell Johnson, Bailyn-Marie Jones, Benjamin Taylor Jones, Terry Lee Jones IIIHashem Kanfash, Katherine Rose Keefe, Ivey Stacie Kelley, Kimberly Nicole Kern, Dong Hwi Kim, Dongsun Jason Kim, Jim Kim, Yong Chul Kim, Thomson Kirsch, Timofey Klubov, Nicholas A. KonialianPeter Joseph Lang, Evan Paul Lehman, Sumer L. Lessner, Aaron Maurice Lewis, Zuyin Li , Caitlyn Marie Little, Nichelle Monae Little, Laura Nicole Livengood, Shaylyn Erin Lucy, Joseph James Lunczynski Jr., Taylor May Lurz , Hailey Ilene LynchDaniel B. MacIver, Mark Alexander Magtanong, Shaour Majid, Dashawn Nathaniel Marshall, Troy Nathaniel Marshall Jr., James Michael Mast, Martha Alice May, Rachel Sydney Mayhew, Milton Mbichoo, David Edward McDavid, Amber Nicole McFarland, Rachel McGraw, Mathew Williams McLaren, Eric Antoine McMickens Jr., Trisha Christine Menefee, Byeong Min, Andrew Byrd Mitchell, Visharad Moktan, Destiny Dayshawn Maleek Morning, Thomas F. Mostyn III, Mark Ryan Moxey, Christie Nicole Moyer, Gloria Wangechi Muchina, Abigail Elizabeth Mudd, Gabriella Teresa Mundy, Tanner Richard Muonio, Tyler Joseph Murphy, Colin Alexander MussmanNatasha Najmi, Mark Kent Navarro, Michel Antony Navarro-Bonifaz, Philip Michael Neary, John Ngo, Tomas Salvador Norman, Jaoko NyambokConor Vincent O'Donnell, Michael Patrick O'Mailey, Nkemakonam Afamefuna Christian ObinemeMichael Bryan Pasion, Benjamin Edward Patrick, Adam Michael Peer, Austin Charles Perry, Christopher William Pfeifer, Alex Tyler PuklUsman QasimAshen Rana, Jacob Clayton Ranniger, Kahrl Leslie Retti Jr., Victoria Ann Rezac, Macy Brooke Rhodes, Janice Sabrina Richards, Brittany Nicole Roberts, Marquise Sade' Roberts-Gunn, LaShae Lynette Robinson, Nefertiti Marie Robinson, Austin Bradley Roden, Sarah Marie Rohrs, Shawnna Elizabeth Rosemeier, Eric Ryan Rosenfeld , Colin Joseph Ruby, Abigail Louise Ruppel, Emily Kathryn Ruppel, Bridget Colleen RyanMaria Abigael M. Salazar, Taylor Sartor, Caitlin Marie Sas, Abigail Marie Schaaf, Ryne Taylor Stevens Schanberger, Daniel Edward Schofield, Brooke Ashley Schulze, Christine Elizabeth Serra, Hye-Geum Heather Shin, Hye-Rin Shin, Nasif Farhan Sikder , Branden Lamar Smith, David Charles Smith, Deontae L. Smith, Rachel , Shannon Genelle Spence, Kyle Vale Stadler, Caroline Stanka, Kiara Michelle Stanton, Eric Robert Stevens, Caroline Hope Stith, Antoine Kwante Stokes, Eric Vaughn Streckfus II, Abigail Victoria StreetAisha Paprice Taylor, Scott Daniel Thompson, Megan Christina Timchula, Kayla Kennedy Toole, Anna Elizabeth Trageser, Bria Lashay TysonMichael James ValerinoMargaret McKenzie Wagner, Michelle Lynn Wallis, Meng Ting Wang, Jessica Lynn Waugh, Kelly Nichole Weaver, Benjamin Paul Webster, Emily Margaret Westervelt, Charles Bernard Whitaker Jr., Alexandra Lynn White, Monica Lynn White, Reagin C. Wiklund, Shayona Aleta Ann Williams, Alexandra Elizabeth Wilmot, Curtis Brian Gabriel Wilson Jr., Richard Miles WoodhouseCory Benjamin Yeboah, Savannah Lee YostJimmy ZhengAll information in this section appears as provided by the schools indicated. Because of publication deadlines, in some instances students' names might have been provided prior to final review of requirements. Some students listed might not have completed all requirements to graduate.LONDON You rarely ever see it, but you did on Saturday, the first full day of competition at the Olympics. But there atop the swimming medal stand, was no . In the first shocking result of the Games, Phelps finished fourth in the 400 individual medley. It was the first time since 2000 that he hasn't medaled in an Olympic race.Not surprising was the winner, , who crushed the field to win the U.S.'s first swimming medal . His time of 4:05.18 was more than three second faster than Brazil's Thiago Pereira. Kosuke Hagino finished third. Phelps will be part of Sunday 4 x 100 freestyle relay team to try to win his 17th overall medal.In other finals, American had to settle for silver as Ye Shiwen of China won the women's 400 IM. Li Xuanxu, also from China, finished third. Caitlin Leverenz of the U.S. was tied for sixth.The men's 400 freestyle was won by Sun Yang of China, followed by Park Tae-hwan of South Korea and of the U.S. The other American, Loyola Academy graduate Conor Dwyer, was fifth.Australia won the women's 400 free relay with Netherlands second and the U.S. third.Archery: The first U.S. medal of the Games belonged to the men's team, which after shocking world champion South Korea in the semifinals, lost to Italy in the gold medal match 219-218. The U.S. team was made up of No. 1 ranked individual player Brady Ellison, Jake Kaminski and Jacob Wukie. South Korea, the defnding world champion, picked up the bronze.Badminton: A rough start for the U.S. badminton doubles team of Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan, who lost to the South Korean team of Jae Sung Chung and Yong Dae Lee 21-14, 21-19. Next up they play the tough Malaysain team of Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan on Sunday. What likely will be their final match will come Monday against a Japanese team. The tournament is in pool play.Basketball: The U.S. women's team looked a little rusty but used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to get an 81-56 win over Croatia. The U.S. must next play Angola on Monday. The U.S. had four players in double figures: (14), (13), (11) and (10). In other games, it was Turkey over Angola 72-50; France over Brazil 73-58 and Australia over Britain 74-58.Beach Volleyball: In the last match of the night, and Karri Walsh Jennings had to battle a tough Australian team of Tasmin Hinchley and Natalie Cook but took a 21-18, 21-19 victory at perhaps the best venue, a sand pit built at Buckingham Palace. The U.S. No. 2 men's team of Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb won fast and decisvely over Freedom Chiya and Grant Goldschmit of South Africa 21-10, 21-11.Boxing: The revitalized U.S. team went 2-for-2 on the first day. , got an easy 19-9 win over Pavlo Ischchenko of Ukraine in the bantamweight division. His next fight is Wednesday against Alvarez Estrada of Cuba. was even more devastating in his fight when the referee stopped it against Andranik Hakobyan of Armenia with seconds left in the match. His next bout will be Thursday against Danabek Suzhanov of Kazahstan.Cycling: It was supposed to be Britain's first medal of the Games but instead turned into a disaster for the home country as no one hit the medal stand. Instead, Alexandr Vinokurov of Kazakhstan won the gold, followed by Rigoberto Uran of Columbia and Norway's Alexander Kristoff. The British were pinning their hopes on Mark Cavendish, who finished 29th.The U.S. almost made the medal stand with Taylor Phinney, who finished fourth. Other U.S. finishers were (33), (88), (93) and (104).Equestrian: Halfway through the dressage portion of the eventing competition, Australia, Germany and the U.S. were at the top of the leaderboard. However, two medal favorites, Britain and New Zealand had yet to compete. The U.S. team is made up of , Otis Barbotiere, and Tiana Coudray.In individual part of the competition, Ingrid Klimke of Germany was leading followed by Dirk Schrade, also from Germany and Britain's Mary King.Fencing: The women's foil gold went to Elisa Di Francisca of Italy, who needed extra time to beat teammate Arianna Errigo 12-11. Italian Valentina Vezzali got the bronze, beating Nam Hyun-Hee of South Korea. American Lee Kiefer was able to make it to the quarterfinals before losing to Errigo 15-10. Other U.S. competitors Nzingha Prescod and Nicole Ross were eliminated in the round of 32.Gymnastics: The U.S. men's team had a good day earning the top score in the qualifying round over Russia and Britain. They will be ranked first in the final round but none of the scores carry over, so it really doesn't mean a lot. In individual apparatus, and qualified in the all-around; in the floor exercise; Sam Mikulak in the vault and Leyva and in the horizontal bar.Team Handball: The winners on the men's side were South Korea over Spain, Denmark over Sweden and France over Norway. On the women's side it was Russia over Angola, Brazil beating Croatia and Momntenegro over Britain.Judo: In a bit of an upset, Russian Arsen Galstyan won the gold beating Hiroaki Hiroaka of Japan in the 132-pound class. Galstyan beat top-ranked Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan in the semifinal. Sobirov and Felipe Kitadai of Brazil were awarded bronze medals. There is no bronze medal match for the semifinal losers. In the women's 106-pound classification, Sarah Menezes of Brazil beat the defending Olympic champion Alina Dumitru of Romania to get the gold. The bronze medals went to Eva Csernoviczki of Hungary and Charline van Snick of Belgium. No Americans were in either competition.Rowing: The U.S. pushed two crews into the finals on the first day of heats. The men's eight moved forward to Wednesday's final by winning its heat. And Sara Hendershot and Sarah Zelenka advanced to the A final in pairs. They finished second in their heat.Shooting: The first medal of the Games went to Yi Siling of China in the women's 10-meter air rifle. She had to rally to beat Sylwia Bogacka of Poland for the gold. Yu Dan, also of China, finished third. But the U.S. advanced two shooters to the final for the first time since 2000. Jamie Gray finished fith and Sarah Scherer was seventh.In the men's 10-meter air rifle, Jin Jongoh of South Kora picked up the gold, followed on the medal stand by Luca Tesconi of Italy and Andrija Zlatic of Serbia. U.S. shooters Daryl Szarenski and Jason Turner finished 23rd and 34th.Table Tennis: Any time the U.S. wins a match, it's a time to celebrate. So, get at it. Ariel Hsing dominated with a four game victory over Yadira Silva of Mexico. She plays Xia Lian Ni of Luxembourg on Sunday. The other Americans, Lily Zhang lost in straight games to Cornelia Molnar of Croatia and lost in straight games to Song Nam King of North Korea.Soccer: The U.S. women qualified for the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Colombia. scored the first goal 33 minutes into the game. After the Colombians appeared tired late in the game the U.S scored followup goals by and . The U.S. next plays Tuesday against North Korea, a 5-0 loser to France on Saturday. In other play, Japan and Sweden played to a 0-0 tie; Brazil beat New Zealand 1-0; Canada topped South Africa 3-0 and Britain beat Cameroon 3-0.Tennis: Serena Weilliams, in her first return to since winning two weeks ago, easily beat of Serbia in the first round 6-3, 6-1. advanced on the men's side 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 over Belgium's Olivier Rochus, while was eliminated by of Itlaly. Ryan Harrisonof the U.S. lost to of Colombia. did not play on the first day of competition. In a bit of a surprise, men's Wimbledon champion needed three sets to beat Colombia's Alejamdro Falla.Volleyball: The U.S. women's team got off to a decent start with a four-set victory over South Korea 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21. The next game for the U.S. is against Brazil on Monday. In other matches, Japan beat Algeria 3 games to 0, Russia over Britain, 3-0, Italy over the Dominican Republic, 3-1 and China beat Serbia, 3-1.Weightlifting: Wang Mingjuan of China won the gold in the women's 105-pound class with a total weight lift of 451 pounds. She is the four-time world champion. Hiromi Miyake of Japan got the silver and Ryang Chun Hwa of North Korea took home th bronze. There were no Americans in the competition.LONDON -- After the final dive, smiled a perfunctory smile for the cameras and then, a few steps later along the pool deck, dropped her arms and buried her head into her coach's shoulder.On Sunday morning, Kenny Armstrong fortified his pupil with perspective: We've come a long way just to get here, he told Loukas. She'd gone from high school and college star to the Olympics to a mental wreck who couldn't manage the simplest dive to quitting the sport. And she returned to it, and it took her here. The eighth place finish in the women's 3-meter springboard event was a disappointment. But only when Loukas began talking about how much she battled did she remember where she was going, and then a bubble of emotion choked the words and triggered the tears."The plan was to be done after this, which is where the tears are coming from, to know it's all over," a red-eyed Loukas said, with one droplet of saline lingering on her cheek. "Diving has been my life. So we'll see."Winning the competition was Wu Minxia of China with countryman He Zi finishing second. Laura Sanchez Soto of Mexico was third.Badminton: China went five for five in gold medals in this sport that found itself a flashpoint for controversy. Earlier, four teams were excluded from the tournament because they intentionally tried to lose a game for better positioning in later rounds. The mens title was won by Lin Dan, who beat Lee Chong Wei of , 15-21, 21-10, 21-19. Chen Long of China won the bronze when he beat Lee Hyun-il of South Korea.Cycling: Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark won the gold in the mens omnium, which is a combination of six events. Bryan Coquard of France won the silver and Edward Clancy got the bronze. of the U.S. did not make the final round and finished 12th.Equestrian: A lot of teams are still in medal contention after the first day of show jumping. The U.S. sits in seventh, tied with Brazil. The leader is Saudi Arabia followed by Netherlands, Britain and Sweden. After the first day the field is cut to 15. The next round is Monday.Fencing: The U.S. mens foil team of Race Imboden, Alexander Massialas and Gerek Meinhardt made it to the bronze medal match but was crushed by Germany, 45-27. The gold was won by Italy, which defeated Japan, 45-39.Field hockey: In mens play, beat South Africa, 5-4, South Korea easily handled India, 4-1, Netherlands over German, 3-1 and Spain beat Argentina, 3-1. There were two ties, Britain-Australia (3-3) and New Zealand-Belgium (1-1).Sailing: The first two sets of medals were awarded in this sport. In the mens Star, the gold went to Sweden followed by Britain and Brazil. The U.S. team of Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih finished seventh. This class will be eliminated for 2016 in Brazil. Zach Railey was well out of medal contention in the mens Finn finishing 12th. The gold went to Ben Ainslie of Britain while Jonas Hogh-Christensen of Denmark got the silver and Jonathan Lobert of France the bronze. Bob Willis finished his 10 races in mens windsurfing in 22nd position eliminating him from compettion. Only the top 10 boats continue. In the womens windsurfing, Farrah Hall finished 20th overall and also did not advance to the medal race. In the 49ers class, Erik Storck and Trevor Moore are in 15th place with two races to go before the medal race. Only the top 10 advance. In the womens 470, the U.S. team of Sarah Lihan and Amanda Clark are in eighth after six races.Shooting: South Korea went 1-2 in the mens 50-meter pistol competition. Jin Jongoh collected the gold with teammate Choi Young Rae got the silver. Wang Zhiwei was awarded the bronze. Nick Mowrer of the U.S. finished 15th and Daryl Szarenski was 28th.Synchronized swimming: After the first of three days of duet competition, the U.S. team of Mary Killman and Mariya Koroleva are 10th of 24 teams. It will be difficult for them to move into medal contention as they are almost 10 points behind first place Russia. China and Spain round out the top three.Table tennis: Japans womens team moves to the gold medal match after beating Singapore, 3-0. It will play the winner of Mondays match between China and South Korea. Regardless of the outcome it will be Japans first ever medal in this sport.Team handball: In womens play it was Brazil over Angola, Croatia beat Britain, South Korea topping Sweden, Spain over Norway, France beat Denmark and Montenegro and Russia playedto a tie.Wrestling: As expected, the U.S. didnt make much of an impact in the 121- and 163-pound Greco-Roman competition. Spenser Mango lost in the first round of the repechage of the 121-pound class to finish eighth. Ben Provisor didnt make the repechage and finished 11th in the 163-pound class. Hamid Soryan of Iran was the gold medalist at 121 pounds. He beat Rovshan Bayramov of Azerbaijan in the final. Bronzes were awarded to Peter Modos of Hungary and Mingiyan Semenov of Russia. The 163 class was won by Roman Vlasov of Russia, who beat Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia. Aleksandr Kazakevic of Lithuania and Emin Ahmadov of Azerbaijan won the bronze medals.COMMENTING POLICY: Readers are encouraged to post comments that are germane to the article. We reserve the right to remove any user, and to delete comments that contain abusive language or personal threats, as well as those that are racist or demeaning. Readers may report comments by clicking "Report Abuse." Once a comment has been flagged, a Baltimore Sun staffer will investigate. for more information on commenting.You've seen them at the mall, on the red carpet and maybe even in your own closet: booties and boots that hug the foot, are snug against the ankle, maybe encase the leg to the knee or above but leave the toes peeking out from a small opening, exposed to the elements. What was once a demure peek-a-boo detail on pumps worn by boundary-pushing 1940s pinup girls has evolved into what often looks like the foot and ankle have been mummified, with the toes forgotten.What gives? It's partly sex, partly status and partly runway style pushing into the mass market.Like the bust area, toes are generally seen as an erotic zone (toe cleavage anyone?), and the peep toe on a shoe is like a low-cut blouse that exposes cleavage. "There seems to be a lot of circumstantial evidence that people think of feet as a smaller version of the body," says Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. "The term 'toe cleavage' is related to breasts, and peep toe, as its name indicates, is like a type of peep show a way of exposing part of yourself."But the exposed toe had less risqu beginnings in modern Western civilization, according to Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. The first time modern European women dared to show their toes was after the French Revolution, when the Neoclassical style influenced women to wear sandals to look like Grecian goddesses, she says.Open-toe shoes made their way back into style after the Depression with a rise in the influence of beach culture. Sandals evolved into peep-toe evening shoes, a style that stayed strong through the 1940s. They resurfaced in fashion during the 1970s and more recently as tough, Frankenstein-goes-on-holiday, platform booties on the Alexander Wang spring 2009 runway. Since then, the style has been ubiquitous on runways and in shoe aisles alike.Now it's fall and the footwear sitting in stores should be more suede and shearling than stiletto and open toe. But peep-toe boots still dominate sales floors, and toes will still be out in full force regardless of wind, rain or cooler weather.The Kardashians could be partly to blame for perpetuating this peep-toe boot trend in a season when it doesn't seem to make sense. The reality-star sisters are seen in paparazzi pictures and on magazine covers wearing chunky peep-toe booties with second-skin skirts and ruffled blouses or strong-shouldered blazers. Sure, the juxtaposition of a shoe-boot against a thin ankle elongates and slims the whole leg, but such extravagant and impractical footwear also indicates that the wearer doesn't walk much farther than from her chauffeured car to dinner."We're seeing a lot of winter boots with an open toe and towering high heels," Steele says. "This has status implications, implying the message that you get out of the car and get onto the red carpet. You're not trudging through mud and snow. There is a definite combination of sex and status. These boots have a look of power."For some, there is a simpler explanation for the peep toe's appeal. "It's a sandal and pump wrapped into one. That's what makes it so popular," says Steve Madden, whose footwear company is quick to jump on and reinterpret the shoe style du jour. The "two-fer" shoe gives a customer a little more bang for her buck in addition to the sex appeal of exposed toes.A peep toe can be hard to wear. Sometimes the foot slides down and the toes stick out of the shoe, creating an unsightly "eagle talon" effect. A foot pad insert under the ball of the foot or a foam insert installed by a cobbler can help. Of course, attractive, pedicured toes are a must too.Whether or not their feet were made for a peep toe, women are continuing to buy and wear these shoes even as they become an almost cartoonish form of footwear with over-the-knee lengths, Timberland-style uppers and combat boot details. Online retailer Endless.com has seen a large bump in sales of peep-toe boots over the last four years. This season a big seller for them is an olive green suede, military-inspired lace-up boot by Giuseppe Zanotti that can go "Jenny From the Block" as easily as it can be sleek and sophisticated."Boots are the part of clothing that we seem to be playing with the most," Steele says. "Most clothes now are quite bourgeois, but shoes can be quite out there. Just think of all those photographers at fashion week scrambling on the ground for shoe shots!" The toes are clearly the current erotic zone in fashion, even if that means that there will be a lot of cold feet out there this fall.Each week in Readers Recommend, the Travel section shares tips on hidden gems in the U.S. and abroad. Here is a roundup of the recommendations published in the last year. Although the information here was correct when it was published, some details may have changed, especially room rates abroad because of the dollar's fluctuations. Please contact the source to confirm prices and other information.United States AlaskaTimberline Bed Breakfast, P.O. Box 126, Girdwood AK 99587; (907) 783-2404, . "In August, my husband and I spent a week at this wonderful BB. Unlike the BBs we have in California, you have the 'apartment' to yourself. It has a full kitchen, bath and upstairs bedroom. The hosts, Gail and John, stock it with breakfast foods and beverages, so you fix it yourself when you are hungry. The scenery is beautiful, and the hot tub and balcony are the best." Double rooms from $125. Carol and Al Coppock DowneyGrace and Bill's Freedom Hills BB, P.O. Box 502, Freedom Hills, Talkeetna AK 99676; (907) 733-2455, . "This bed and breakfast in the hills overlooking the Alaska Range, including Mt. McKinley, is absolutely wonderful. The rooms are spotless and newly constructed. Bill Germain, one of the owners, is a fantastic cook and a knowledgeable and charming host. On a clear day, there is no better view of the mountains. This stop was the highlight of staying in inns and other properties for two weeks throughout Alaska." Doubles from $99. Karen ShareLos AngelesA Memorable Experience BB, Rosewood Court, Homer AK 99603; (800) 720-9275, Ext. 7374, . "We stayed at this wonderful bed and breakfast on the Kenai Peninsula. It overlooks Homer, with spectacular views of Kachemak Bay and the mountains and glaciers beyond. The two bedrooms are spacious, and there is a shared living area with cable TV and kitchen. Hosts Donna and Kevin Maltz made us feel right at home. Not only did they share their expertise on all the activities in Homer, but they also served an exceptional continental breakfast." Doubles from $125 per night (two-night minimum). Linda and Bob FleischmanLos AngelesChena Ridge Rental, 2872 Rangifer Road, Fairbanks AK 99709; (907) 455-6687, . "This vacation rental house is like a home away from home, without the traffic, noise and police helicopters. This secluded, serene and comfortable cabin-style house is only a few minutes from the University of Alaska and downtown Fairbanks. The hosts, Duncan and Kristin, are friendly, charming and live close enough to be helpful when needed but far enough away to respect guests' privacy." House rental $99 a night with a two-night minimum, $600 per week. Don MankinVenice California, 2301 5th Ave., Suite 401, Seattle, WA 98121; (888) 851-8133, . "Just wanted to recommend a cruise to the wine country. We sailed around San Francisco Bay, and when we woke up in the morning, we were docked on the Napa River. Tour buses picked us up, and we were off to the wine country. Three wineries and a lovely lunch in a cavern of one of the wineries, then back to the ship. We awoke at Mare Island and did three more wineries in Sonoma. This was one of the most relaxing cruises because it was small and intimate." Prices from $1,149. Carmen PriceArjun Rohit Adapa, Zachary Ryan Allentuck, Schuyler Olivia Ames, Kathryn Marie Andersen, Jenelle Flora Anderson, Kurtis LeRoy Anderson, Anthony Hagop Andonian, Austin Benjamin Arnold, Caitlin Brooke AsherMarissa Leah Babazadeh, Danielle Ilana Lynn Bacharach, Rachel Sierra Bade, Soheil Bagheri, Zachary Alan Bailey, Brandon Ashkan Bakhshai, Elizabeth Anne Bamber, Rachel Elizabeth Beck, Jacob Douglas Benedict, Auctavius Devalle' Bennett, Julian James Berry, Kinjal Anand Bhatt, Anna-Teresia Ngobae Bibum, Ferdinand Junior Bikoi, Natalie Lynn Bird, Michael Scott Bishoff, Lauren Elyse Black, Kayla Michelle Blasher, Kara Nicole Boering, Sarah Marie Boies, Ryan Reise Brainard, Emmett Alan Brew, Carly Jacqueline Brunett, Nicholas John Bucci, Haley Elisabeth Butrum, Matthew Richard BylisCamille Lynnae' Calvin, Edward Charles Case, Sabrina Chakrabarti, Anupama Padmavathi Challa, Taylor Ann Chamberlain, Alissa Heidi Chapman, Connie Sarah-Zhang Chen, Stacie Jerxi Chiang, Elizabeth Yeaji Cho, MinHo Soo Cho, Nathan Heewon Choe, Luke McKay Chopper, Tayler Jillian Cinotti, Hailey Lynne Cirovski, Alexandra Grace Citara Manis, Bradley Robert Clark, Alexa Leigh Cohen, Morgan Taylor Cohen, Nina Marie Collins, Lucy Carol Connelly, Colleen Anne Connors, Kasenia Leigh Coulson, Allie Marie Coyle, Jordan Crawford, Hailey Rae Crouse, Paris Desirae Cummings, Michael Joseph Cusack Deena Jan Damschroder, Anthony Vincent Dancel, Nicholas Bijan Darvish, Shashwati Das, Brigid Ann Dass, Caitlin Aileen Davis, Conor Paul Davis, Kelly Michelle Davis, Madison Elizabeth Davis, Riley Frederick Davis, Brandon Michael DeLauney, Morgan Kendall DePauw, Paul Owen Del Riego, Devon Daniel Delbrugge, Lauren Rose Delmont, Ariana Estelle Hughes Dial, Eric Daniel Dietrich, Kelsey Lyn Dillman, Aryo Donboli, Kelsey Elizabeth Dunbar Troy Andrew Edleman, Yasmine Mohamed Eshera, Jennifer Elizabeth EvansCecilia Ann Farley, Kirsten Renee Farley, Stephanie Renee Feldblum, Jackson Royce Feroe, Timothy Scott Fisher, Kristi Alyssa Fiste, William Jack Fitzpatrick, Tamra Louise Flowers, Christopher Jeremy Fox, Thomas Robert Fox, Tara Siobhan Frankhauser, Gary Alvin Franks, Constance Betsy FuKendal Lorraine Naomi Virginia Galloway, Tess Patricia Gavagan, Christopher Dale Geaney, Daniel Louis Geldof, Jonathan Ari Geldof, Denise Elizabeth George, Emily Dell Glass, Elise Marie Gluck, Matthew Orion Gray, Matthew Patrick Greben, Kelly Ann Gregory, Hamraj Singh Grewal, Caroline Stabler Griffith, Jacob Matthew Grimes, Davis Michael Grove, Nikhil Aryaman Gulati, Dominique Bridgette GunterSana Haider, Victoria Lea Handler, Sarah Grace Hansen, Molly Ellen Harding, Michael John Harrington, Delaney Amara Hartson, Kathleen Adelle Hawkins, Megan Nicole Healey, Shane Thomas Henderson, Ryan Michael Higgins, Higgs, Logan Thomas Melton Hill, Tatiana Yasmeen Hill, Juliane Sherman Hlibok, Julian Amil Hoffman-Mateya, Kelly Michelle Hogenson, Jonathan Spencer Hogue, Matthew John Hoshko, Crisanta Elena Hovet, Terrance Ronald Howell, Morgan Walter Hrab, Hashem Hraky, Lu-Hua HungNathan James Ingley, Varsha Grama IyengarAlauna Kale Jackson, Allyson Elise Jayne, Samantha Courtney Jeffers, Sarah Pai-Shian Jin, Christina Nicole Johnson, Johnson, Karrs Devin Johnson, Seung Yun JungDavid Michael Kaiser, Samuel Louis Kane, Alicia Asol Kang, Yoo-Mi Kang, Pavaris Kaotira, Gregory Robert Karas, Saiprashanth Naidu Karri, Joshua Dakota Kashkett, Sophie Marguerite Keane, Morgayne Adriana Keyser, Sarah Alexandra Khademi, Anthony Robert Kiatta, Joshua M. Kil, Jonathan Kim, Kyle Suyoung Kim, Michael Soon Kim, Wendy Kim, Paul James Kinkead, Jeffrey Austin Kipke, Sylvia Joy Kitterman, Henry Ko, Cynthia Rianna Koster, Timothy Nickolay Krotkov, Pari Kumar, Eunice Yoomi KwonMark Nay-Sing LaPointe, Randall Kenneth Whitehead Lawson, Brandon Sang-Houn Lee, Christian Lee, Felix Adam Lee, Kristin Kim Lee, Michael Won Lee, Andrew Ryan Levy, Claire Li, David Joaquin Llanso, Brian Max London, Taylor Aaron London, Margaret Emily Long, Nicholas Fernando Lopez, Emily Katherine Love, Dillon James Lunder, Zachary Donald LynesElizabeth Ann MacNaught, Zachary Ben Madden, Pegah Maleki, Reinner Pineda Malenab, Samantha Cristina Mancuso, Yacine Manseur, Erica Joyuan Mao, John Rommel Marcelino, Katherine Taylor Marlatt, Sean Matthew Mason, Mitchell Patrick Mawhinney, Devin Michael Mayhew, Colin Matthew McCleaf, Mark Alexander McCombs, Kelsey Anne Dobal McEneaney, Shannon Marie McLaughlin, Maggie Elisabeth McNeill, Unnati Vikram Mehta, Ria Manoj Melhotra, Desiree Hoyling Mercure, Omar Abdallah Messallam, Evan Santos Mikolasko, Joseph Kyle Milici, Andrew Philip Montag, Michelle Alexandra Morice, Matthew Shinsato MortonKatie Anne Nicole Neaves, Kelly Nguyen, Jack Dalton Noonan, Mary Jordan NowaskeyRebekah Grace O'Keefe, Daniel James O'Mara, Valerie Olufunmilola Obisesan, Matthew Curtis Oldhouser, Ifeoluwa Oluwatomi Olujobi, Dominic Joseph Ong, Lindsey Elizabeth OrcuttAlexandra Marielle Parisien, Timothy Jeongho Park, Troy Youngjin Park, Alyssa Helen Parr, Rebecca Lee Paugh, James Slade Pearre, Sophea Pheav, Toula Pheav, Kevin James Phillips, Alexa Samantha Piper, Allison Renee Porter, Joshua Tyler Post, Pratik PrakashEric Huw QiuAlec Joseph Rau, Ashwin N. Reddi, Marisa Esther Renehan, Matthew Glen Renehan, Brian Patrick Reynolds, Leila Elliott Rezvani, Taylor Lynne Rhodes, Evan Daniel Richardson, James Andrew Riffle, Julia Selby Ripple, Nicholas Mark Riso, Jared James Robinson, Jason Tyler Rodriguez, Austin Richard Roe, Marta Maria Roman, Christina Lauren Romano, Juliette Corinne Rose, Justin Lee Rosenstein, Seth Ryan Rosenstein, Corinne Michelle Roth, Corey Ian RubenAnna Lauren Sachs, Ryan Travis Sale, Joel Yong-En Samelson, April Sabine Sanco, Holly Gagnon Sandler, Andrew John Schmit, Jodie Marissa Schumacher, Ashley Marie Selby, Alicia Marie Settle, Michelle Younghwa Seu, Omar Ahmed Shahab, Pauline Allyson Shih, Kyeong Taek (Justin) Shin, Daniel Jinsup Shinn, Lyle , Michael Abraham Silber, Jesse Russell Simpson, Aseem Veer Singh, Cierra Tianna Smith, Toby Keith Smith, Maxwell Jacob Sollod, Aaron Jesus Spain Bey, Nicholas Masaru , Reed Paul Stadler, Isabelle Susanne Staines, Sylvienne Della Staines, Jacob Aaron Stidham, Stuppard, Andrew Linwood Stutz, Harriyson Yilun Suh, Hwakyung Suh, Aline Danielle-Kim SwiecLayla Yazmine Tajalli, Cody Austin Taylor, Thomas Tyler Testoff, Zain Imtiaz Thaver, Brian Gordon TyrrellAnne Marie Patricia Vaillancourt, Raamah Cinque Vaughn, Isabel Carmen Vera, Alexander Patrick Verschoore, Nicholas Mark Voyton, Nicholas Sydney VukmerGraham David Walters, Alexander Lee Wang, Yu-Dean Daniel Wang, Jennifer Kate Warner, Katie Lynn Warren, Tyler Patrick Watzin, Aaron Luther Wells, Anna Lynn Whipple, Matthew Stephen White, Nickolaus Brandon Whittaker, Nostalgia Cherokee Autumn Whittaker, Claire Elizabeth Williams, Jamie Annette Williams, Oluwatomi Oluwadurotimi Akinwande Williams, Amber Nicole Wiswell, Emily Anne Wong, Allison Elizabeth Woodhouse, Katherine Margaret WoollsBenjamin XuAmanda Belle Yard, Jasmine Jeesook Yom, Jason Seungnoh Yoon, LeAnne Hannah Young, Aleshba Anwar YousufJames Jie Zhan, Vivian Mei Zhang, Oliver Kai Zhao, Joseph Kai ZiaAll information in this section appears as provided by the schools indicated. Because of publication deadlines, in some instances students' names might have been provided prior to final review of requirements. Some students listed might not have completed all requirements to graduate.The Weinstein Co.'s music-based dramedy A Song for Marion will world preem in the Film Festival's closing night Gala slot, it was announced Tuesday along with 146 titles, including 35 world preems, in the Gala, Special Presentations, Contemporary World Cinema and Wavelengths program. Helmed by Paul and produced by Ken Marshall and Cutting Edge Group CEO Philip Moross, U.K.-lensed Song stars as a curmudgeon whose wife persuades him to join an unconventional local choir. World preeming as Galas are Peter Webber's -set, aftermath , Emperor, starring and plus What Maisie Knew, and 's modern take on a Henry James novella starring and . ' Yellow, a hallucinatory ensemble spin on modern society starring , and , will world preem in Special Presentations, as will Dante Ariola's offbeat romance Arthur Newman, with as a retired golf pro and co-starring; and Dan Algrant's Greetings from Tim Buckley (dramatizing the late singer 's brief career). 's sex-fueled buddy comedy Do Not Disturb (starring and Francois Cluzet) and 's Rhino Season (a Kurdish-Iranian poet seeks his wife after 20 years in prison) also world preem in the program. U.S. pics receiving their North American preem in Special Presentations include 's Bad 25, ' On The Road, 's Passion, 's The Master, ' The Paperboy, 's Spring Breakers and Henry Alex Rubin's Disconnect. 's romance Love is All You Need, starring , receives its North American preem in Special Presentations. Contemporary World Cinema (CWC) includes the world preem of ' fractured family ensemble piece The Fitzgerald Family Christmas in its 62-pic slate. U.S. pics in CWC include international preems of -winning director Ava DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere and James Ponsoldt's Smashed, and the North American preem of Jem Cohen's Museum Hours. World-preeming titles in CWC include Robert Connolly's take on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's early years Underground, Sara Johnsen's haunting romance All That Matters Is Past, Kasia Roslaniec's teen pregnancy story Baby Blues, Dror Sabo's vigilante odyssey Eagles, Jorge Torregrossa's mountain-set intrigue Fin (The End), Iannis Smaragdis' 18th-century pirate epic God Loves Caviar, Carols Sorin's recovery journey Gone Fishing, Zeze Gamboa's historical drama The Great Kilapy and Jan Hrebejk's middle-aged pot-boiler The Holy Quarternity. Andrzej Jakimowski's teacher tale Imagine, Marcelo Gomes' modern life meditation Once Upon A Time, I Was, Atiq Rahimi's bedside vigil The Patience Stone, John Akomfrah's Durer-inspired Peripeteia, Jonas d'Adesky's Haiti-set crime drama Three Kids, Licinio Azevedo's elegy to women who endured re-education camps Virgin Margarida, Perlin Esmer's wilderness-set Watchtower, Lenny Abrahamson's tragedy-fuelled coming-of-ager What Richard Did and Annemarie Jacir's mother-son refugee camp story When I Saw You also world preem in CWC. Asian titles world-preeming in CWC include Jo Sung-hee's village chiller A Werewolf Boy, co-helmers Anja Daelemans, Nicholas Bonner and Gwang Hun Kim's Comrade Kim Goes Flying about a coalminer's trapeze dreams, Yuki Tanada's erotic drama The Cowards Who Looked to the Sky, Peng Tao's lovelorn drama The Cremator, Luu Huynh's jealousy-fuelled In the Name of Love, Yikwan Kang's family drama Juvenile Offender and Sion Sono's aftermath tale The Land of Hope. This year Wavelengths, a curated program of 47 avant-garde film and video titles of various lengths, widens its scope to include narrative and docu features that would have been seen in the now defunct Visions. Feature highlights include the world preem of docu The Lebanese Rocket Society, about the nation's 1960s flirtation with space travel, the North American preem of Miguel Gomes' Tabu and Ying Liang's Locarno-winning When Night Falls and new work from Joao Pedro Rodrigues, Carlos Reygadas, Denis Cote and Heinz Emigholz. Future Projections, the fest's showcase of moving-image art installed in various downtown venues also announced Tuesday, include new works from Callum Cooper, Jeroen Eisinga, Sook-Yin Lee, Peaches, Luther Price, Kelly Richardson, Ming Wong and Liang Yue. Highlights of the fest's extensive industry programming include a master class with Olivier Assayas, Mogul sessions with Film4's Tessa Ross, FilmNation's Glen Basner and producer Jeremy Thomas, and a keynote on digital cinema from film scholar David Bordwell. Dialogue topics include green filmmaking, transmedia storytelling, indie filmmaking in and Africa, advances in exhibition technology and growth areas in distribution and marketing. The Toronto Film Festival runs Sept. 6 to 16.GALAS Song for Marion, Paul Andrew Williams, UK (World Premiere) (closing night film) Emperor, Peter Webber, Japan/USA (World Premiere) What Maisie Knew, Scott McGehee, David Siegel, USA (World Premiere) SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Arthur Newman, Dante Ariola, USA (World Premiere) Bad 25, Spike Lee, USA (North American Premiere) Disconnect, Henry Alex Rubin, USA (North American Premiere) Do Not Disturb, Yvan Attal, (World Premiere) Greetings from Tim Buckley, Dan Algrant, USA (World Premiere) Love is All You Need, Susanne Bier, (North American Premiere) On The Road, Walter Salles, France/Brazil (North American Premiere) Passion, Brian De Palma, France/Germany (North American Premiere) Rhino Season, Bahman Ghobadi, Iraqi Kurdistan/Turkey (World Premiere) Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine, USA (North American Premiere) The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson, USA (North American Premiere) The Paperboy, Lee Daniels, USA (North American Premiere) The Son Did It, Daniele Cipr, Italy/France (North American Premiere) The Suicide Shop, , France/Belgium/Canada (International Premiere) Thrse Desqueyroux, Claude Miller, France (International Premiere) White Elephant, Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain (North American Premiere) Yellow, Nick Cassavetes, USA (World Premiere)CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA 3, Pablo Stoll Ward, Uruguay/Germany/Argentina (North American Premiere) A Hijacking, Tobias Lindholm, Denmark (North American Premiere) A Werewolf Boy, Jo Sung-hee, (World Premiere) After the Battle, Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt/France (North American Premiere) All That Matters is Past, Sara Johnsen, Norway (World Premiere) Baby Blues, Kasia Roslaniec, Poland (World Premiere) Barbara, Christian Petzold, (North American Premiere) Bwakaw, Jun Robles Lana, (International Premiere) Children of Sarajevo, Aida Begic, Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/France/Turkey (North American Premiere) Clandestine Childhood, Benjamn vila, Argentina/Spain/Brazil (North American Premiere) Comrade Kim Goes Flying, Anja Daelemans, Nicholas Bonner and Gwang Hun Kim, Belgium/North Korea/UK (World Premiere) The Cowards Who Looked to the Sky, Yuki Tanada, Japan (World Premiere) The Cremator, Peng Tao, (World Premiere) Dead Europe, Tony Krawitz, (International Premiere) Dust, Julio Hernndez Cordn, Guatemala/Spain/Chile/Germany (North American Premiere) Eagles, Dror Sabo, Israel (World Premiere) Fin (The End), Jorge Torregrossa, Spain (World Premiere) The Fitzgerald Family, Christmas Edward Burns, USA (World Premiere) Fly With the Crane, Li Ruijun, China (North American Premiere) Ghost Graduation, Javier Ruiz Caldera, Spain (International Premiere) God Loves Caviar, Iannis Smaragdis, Greece/Russia (World Premiere) Gone Fishing, Carlos Sorin, Argentina (World Premiere) The Great Kilapy, Zz Gamboa, Angola/ Brazil/Portugal (World Premiere) Him, Here, After, Asoka Handagama, Sri Lanka (North American Premiere) Imagine, Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland/France/Portugal (World Premiere) In The Fog, Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Russia/Belarus/The Netherlands/Latvia (North American Premiere) In the Name of Love, Luu Huynh, Vietnam (World Premiere) Jackie, Antoinette Beumer, The Netherlands (International Premiere) Jump, Kieron J. Walsh, Ireland/United Kingdom (International Premiere) Just the Wind, Bence Fliegauf, Hungary/Germany/France (North American Premiere) Juvenile Offender, Yikwan Kang, South Korea (World Premiere) Key of Life, Kenji Uchida, Japan (North American Premiere) Kinshasa Kids, Marc-Henri Wajnberg, (North American Premiere) The Land of Hope, Sion Sono, Japan (World Premiere) Middle of Nowhere, Ava DuVernay, USA (International Premiere) Museum Hours, Jem Cohen, Austria/USA (North American Premiere) Once Upon a Time Was I, Vernica Marcelo Gomes, Brazil/France (World Premiere) Paradise: Love, Ulrich Seidl, Austria/Germany/France (North American Premiere) The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi Afghanistan/France (World Premiere) Penance, Kioshi Kurosawa, Japan (North American Premiere) Peripeteia, John Akomfrah, United Kingdom/Holland (World Premiere) Road North, Mika Kaurismki, Finland (International Premiere) Shores of Hope, Toke Constantin Hebbeln, Germany (International Premiere) Sleeper's Wake, Barry Berk, South Africa (International Premiere) Smashed, James Ponsoldt, USA (International Premiere) The Thieves, Choi Dong-hoon, South Korea (North American Premiere) The , An Incarnation, Girish Kasaravalli, India (International Premiere) Three Kids, Jonas d'Adesky, Belgium (World Premiere) Three Worlds, Catherine Corsini, France (North American Premiere) Thy Womb, Brillante Mendoza, The Philippines (North American Premiere) Underground, Robert Connolly, Australia (World Premiere) Virgin, Margarida Licinio Azevedo, Mozambique (World Premiere) Watchtower, Pelin Esmer, Turkey/Germany/France (World Premiere) What Richard Did, Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland (World Premiere) When I Saw You, Annemarie Jacir, Palestine/Jordan/Greece (World Premiere) Zabana!, Sad Ould-Khelifa, (World Premiere)WAVELENGTHS - Features The Last Time I Saw (A ltima Vez Que Vi Macau), (North American Premiere) Joo, Pedro Rodrigues, Joo Rul Guerra da Mata, Portugal/France, 85' differently, Molussia (autrement, la Molussie), Nicolas Rey, France, 81' (Canadian Premiere) Bestiaire, Denis Ct, Canada/France, 72' (Canadian Premiere) Far From Afghanistan, John Gianvito, Jon Jost, Minda Martin, Soon-Mi Yoo, Travis Wilkerson, USA, 129' (North American Premiere) The Fifth Season, Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth, Belgium/The Netherlands/France, 94' (North American Premiere) The Lebanese Rocket Society, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Qatar, 93' (World Premiere) Leviathan Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Vrna Paravel, France/United Kingdom/USA, 87' (North American Premiere) Perret in France and Algeria, Heinz Emigholz, Germany, 110' (North American Premiere) Post Tenebras Lux, Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/The Netherlands/Germany, 120' (North American Premiere) Tabu, Miguel Gomes, Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France, 110' (North American Premiere) Three Sisters, Wang Bing, China, 153' (North American Premiere) When Night Falls (Wo hai you hua yao shuo), Ying Liang, South Korea/China, 70' (North American Premiere)Click for more international news on Variety.com.On a mission from their leader, five young men arrived in Chicago to open a little fish shop on Elston Avenue. Back then, in 1980, people of their faith were castigated as "Moonies" and called cult members. Yet the Japanese and American friends worked grueling hours and slept in a communal apartment as they slowly built the foundation of a commercial empire.They were led by the vision of Rev. , the self-proclaimed messiah who sustained their spirits as they played their part in fulfilling the global business plan he had devised. Moon founded his controversial Unification Church six decades ago with the proclamation that he was asked by Jesus to save humanity. But he also built the empire blending his conservative politics, savvy capitalism and flair for spectacles such as mass weddings in .In a remarkable story that has gone largely untold, Moon and his followers created an enterprise that reaped millions of dollars by dominating one of America's trendiest indulgences: sushi.Today, one of those five Elston Avenue pioneers, Takeshi Yashiro, serves as a top executive of a sprawling conglomerate that supplies much of the raw fish Americans eat.Adhering to a plan Moon spelled out more than three decades ago in a series of sermons, members of his movement managed to integrate virtually every facet of the highly competitive seafood industry. The Moon followers' seafood operation is driven by a commercial powerhouse, known as True World Group. It builds fleets of boats, runs dozens of distribution centers and, each day, supplies most of the nation's estimated 9,000 sushi restaurants.Although few seafood lovers may consider they're indirectly supporting Moon's religious movement, they do just that when they eat a buttery slice of tuna or munch on a morsel of eel in many restaurants. True World is so ubiquitous that 14 of 17 prominent Chicago sushi restaurants surveyed by the Tribune said they were supplied by the company.Over the last three decades, as Moon has faced down accusations of brainwashing followers and personally profiting from the church, he and sushi have made similar if unlikely journeys from the fringes of American society to the mainstream.These parallel paths are not coincidence. They reflect Moon's dream of revitalizing and dominating the American fishing industry while helping to fund his church's activities."I have the entire system worked out, starting with boat building," Moon said in "The Way of Tuna," a speech given in 1980. "After we build the boats, we catch the fish and process them for the market, and then have a distribution network. This is not just on the drawing board; I have already done it."In the same speech, he called himself "king of the ocean." It proved not to be an idle boast. The businesses now employ hundreds, including non-church members, from the frigid waters of the Alaskan coast to the iconic American fishing town of , Mass.Records and interviews with church insiders and competitors trace how Moon and members of his movement carried out his vision.In a recent interview Rev. Phillip Schanker, a Unification Church spokesman, said the seafood businesses were "not organizationally or legally connected" to Moon's church, but were simply "businesses founded by members of the Unification Church."Schanker compared the relationship to successful business owners-such as J. Willard "Bill" Marriott, a prominent Mormon who founded the hotel chain that bears his name-who donate money to their church."Marriott supports the Mormon Church but no one who checks into a Marriott Hotel thinks they are dealing with Mormonism," he said. "In the same way I would hope that every business founded by a member based on inspiration from Rev. Moon's vision also would be in a position to support the church."LEADER'S SEAFOOD STRATEGYBut links between Moon's religious organization and the fish businesses are spelled out in court and government records as well as in statements by Moon and his top church officials. For one thing, Moon personally devised the seafood strategy, helped fund it at its outset and served as a director of one of its earliest companies.Moon's Unification Church is organized under a tax-exempt non-profit entity called The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. The businesses are controlled by a separate non-profit company called Unification Church International Inc., or UCI.Howard held off defending champion Centennial at the 35th annual Howard County Championship meet, April 22 at the pool.Because swimming is not a sport that is sanctioned by the county's high school athletic program, the event is sponsored by the Columbia Clippers club team.Each school had a captain that recruited his or her classmates to form a team. Although Howard County public school swimmers get only one chance a year to represent their high school in the pool, many local swimmers will be continuing in college next year. They include Centennial's Jennifer Zhang (Cornell) and William Yang (Yale), Howard's Catherine Frediani (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Kelly Yang (Richmond), Long Reach's Stephanie Foster (Washington and Lee), Marriotts Ridge's Taylor Hollingsworth (College of Charleston), Reservoir's Diane Brown (Vermont) and Wilde Lake's Alicia Frey (Bloomsburg). Combined team scores: 1. Howard, 794.5; 2. Centennial, 772; 3. Mt. Hebron, 622; 4. Reservoir, 604; 5. River Hill, 484; 6. Wilde Lake, 426; 7. Atholton, 396.5; 8. Long Reach, 233; 9. Marriotts Ridge, 231; 10. Oakland Mills, 69; 11. Hammond, 28; 12. Glenelg, 17.Top 10 individuals (events are in yards):Boys 50 freestyle: 1. William Yang, C, 23.11; 2. Drew Wolter, A, 23.69; 3. Kevin Hu, C, 24.01; 4. Jake Lamparella, MH, 24.40; 5. Kyle Courtney, A, 25.09; 5. Zachary Grissom, Ho, 25.09; 7. Mat Grinnell, RH, 25.11; 8. Lance Taweel, Re, 25.20; 9. Michael Shaham, WL, 25.38; 10. Carl Vanasse, RH, 25.55.Girls 50 freestyle: 1. Porshe Brown, OM, 25.27; 2. Diane Brown, Re, 25.32; 3. Casey West, Ho, 25.57; 4. Melanie Watt, LR, 26.33; 5. Rachel Latzko, RH, 27.34; 6. Rachel Banilower, RH, 28.22; 7. Kayla Hess, A, 28.41; 8. Audrey Zohorsky, MH, 28.72; 9. Sam Solomotis, A, 29.99; 10. Hannah Green, MH, 30.01.Boys 100 butterfly: 1. Noah Pritchard, WL, 54.28; 2. Philip Adejumo, Ho, 54.67; 3. Alex Ewart, C, 55.97; 4. Andrew Coe, C, 56.61; 5. Jack Saunderson, Re, 56.71; 6. Ryan Webb, Re, 58.27; 7. Yacine Manseur, RH, 1:02.09; 8. Wynne Kirchner, Ho, 1:03.86; 9. Zach Burnett, WL, 1:04.36; 10. John Parsons, OM, 1:13.24.Girls 100 butterfly: 1. Kelley Yang, Ho, 58.91; 2. Alicia Frey, WL, 1:02.02; 3. Bizu Baldinazzo, WL, 1:04.18; 4. Anne Warren, MH, 1:05.37; 5. Audrey Zohorsky, MH, 1:05.54; 6. Melanie Watt, LR, 1:06.32; 7. Eileen Zohorsky, MH, 1:08.82; 8. Taylor Hollingsworth, MR, 1:08.92; 9. Neha Amin, RH, 1:10.57; 10. Monica Koh, OM, 1:21.41.Boys 50 breaststroke: 1. Austin Taylor, A, 29.79; 2. Joe Kogan, A, 30.07; 3. Jeffrey Tse, C, 30.62; 4. Ivan Lee, MH, 31.98; 5. Lance Taweel, Re, 32.40; 6. Jeffrey Sham, C, 34.68; 7. Tim Virostek, WL, 35.11; 8. Mat Grinnell, RH, 35.26; 9. Tajuddin Ingram, Re, 35.78; 10. Deep Sinha, C, 36.51.Girls 50 breakstroke: 1. Victoria Radcliffe, Ho, 33.80; 2. Maddie Weinberg, MH, 34.11; 3. Rachel Latzko, RH, 34.17; 4. Sarah Hurly, MR, 35.96; 5. Amanda Tun, Re, 37.29; 6. Natasha Lobo, MR, 37.45; 7. Sydnee Shannon, Ho, 37.59; 8. Jena Rutten, Re, 39.75; 9. Juliana Kaiser, WL, 40.06; 10. Kayla Hess, A, 41.15.Boys 100 backstroke: 1. Austin Gabel, RH, 55.63; 2. David Lazris, WL, 56.66; 3. Alexander Gliese, LR, 57.85; 4. Alex Ewart, C, 58.74; 5. Adam Sachs, C, 1:04.23; 6. Michael Smith, MH, 1:04.57; 7. Kyle Courtney, A, 1:09.18; 8. John Parsons, OM, 1:09.68; 9. Connor Lineberry, Re, 1:10.42; 10. Ben Ailinger, Re, 1:14.23.Girls 100 backstroke: 1. Catherine Frediani, Ho, 1:02.17; 2. Stephanie Foster, LR, 1:03.51; 3. Paige Lorton, RH, 1:05.79; 4. Meghan Lanchart, C, 1:07.38; 5. Anita Amin, RH, 1:07.82; 6. Tasha Powers, A, 1:07.88; 7. Victoria Radcliffe, Ho, 1:08.02; 8. Anastasiya Volkova, Ho, 1:08.69; 9. Kaitlyn Warner, MH, 1:11.12; 10. Hollie Adejumo, Ho, 1:16.90.Boys 200 medley relay: 1. Centennial A (Chin, Tse, Arbaugh, Hu), 1:46.87; 2. Atholton A, 1:49.77; 3. Reservoir A, 1:53.32; 4. Howard A, 1:54.71; 5. Mt. Hebron A, 1:55.04; 6. Centennial B, 2:03.75; 7. Howard B, 2:05.49; 8. Reservoir B, 2:15.01.Girls 200 medley relay: 1. Howard A (Frediani, Radcliffe, West, Yang), 1:56.38; 2. Howard B, 2:03.43; 3. Centennial A, 2:04.74; 4. Mt. Hebron A, 2:07.22; 5. Mt. Hebron B, 2:07.76; 6. Long Reach A, 2:10.16; 7. Reservoir A, 2:10.51; 8. River Hill A, 2:16.17; 9. Wilde Lake A, 2:17.12.Mixed 250 free relay: 1. Wilde Lake A (Allera, Baldinazzo, Lazris, Pritchard), 2:13.21; 2. Centennial A, 2:13.70; 3. Howard A, 2:25.36; 4. Reservoir A, 2:28.23; 5. River Hill A, 2:31.26; 6. Long Reach A, 2:31.29; 7. Atholton A, 2:31.43; 8. Reservoir B, 2:34.59; 9. Mt. Hebron A, 2:44.42.Boys 50 butterfly: 1. Philip Adejumo, Ho, 25.30; 2. Jon Arbaugh, C, 25:39; 3. Yacine Manseur, RH, 26.98; 4. Jordan Lee, MR, 28.75; 5. TJ Mallo, WL, 28.84; 6. Carl Vanasse, RH, 29.11; 7. Bobby Mitchell, Ha, 30.74; 8. Zachary Miller, A, 30.80; 9. Alexander Kozlowski, Ho, 31.51; 10. Jonathan Haoo, Ho, 31.52.Girls 50 butterfly: 1. Kelley Yang, Ho, 26.27; 2. Casey West, Ho, 26.66; 3. Diane Brown, Re, 29.19; 4. Meghan Patton, Ho, 29.53; 5. Tasha Powers, A, 30.88; 6. Sam Solomotis, A, 31.91; 7. Maria Allera, WL, 33.16; 8. Cassidy Delaney, MR, 34.05; 9. Jena Rutten, Re, 36.51; 10. Kelsey Roher, Ha, 36.78.Boys 100 freestyle: 1. Drew Wolter, A, 52.03; 2. Patrick Chin, C, 52.44; 3. Andrew Coe, C, 52.65; 4. Kevin Hu, C, 53.38; 5. Ryan Webb, Re, 54.22; 6. Alex Symmes, G, 55.27; 7. Parker Meek, Ho, 56.89; 8. Adam Sachs, C, 57.28; 9. Ryan Smith, MH, 57.78; 10. Tim Johnson, MH, 57.93.Say "so long" to short skirts and hello (again) to the 1970s. Get ready to banish black from your wardrobe and get creative with color.Now that the spring runway shows are over in New York, Milan and Paris, it's up to department store fashion directors and boutique owners to package the big ideas. Chanel's garden party, Balenciaga's punk brigade and Marc Jacobs' 1970s show were all memorable on the runways, but will they make it to store racks? Here, retailers offer their takeaways from the season, and ideas about how the trends might trickle down to you.Ken Downing, senior vice president and fashion director, Big idea: The vintage effect, fueled by the major YSL retrospective exhibition that just closed in August in Paris. On the runway, designers nodded to Saint Laurent's rich peasant look, Orientalism and "le smoking" [his signature tuxedo].Must haves: Fluid, sheer fabrics and longer hemlines (just above the ankle or to the floor) as we saw at Lanvin, and wide-leg trousers and a white pantsuit with Bianca Jagger swagger. The tuxedo jacket, it's not just evening wear anymore. For accessories, it's all about flat sandals because as a woman begins to add longer hemlines to her wardrobe, flat sandals work best with the new proportion.I'm also loving what I'm calling the "Helmut language" [a reference to Helmut Lang's utilitarian designs from the early 1990s], and the idea of adding a sporty attitude to dressed-up clothing using color-blocking, buckles, straps or parachute fabrics.Will punk take to the streets? Not now. We just cycled through a moment when the 1980s were really influential, along with strong shoulders, so punk doesn't look new to me. But where it ends up, we'll have to watch the runways to find out.Colleen Sherin, fashion market director, Saks Fifth AvenueBig idea: The color story. Bold, bright, vibrant color worked into color-blocked effects and combining colors in unexpected ways.Must haves: A longer-length skirt or dress as seen at and Proenza Schouler in New York, DG and Fendi in Milan and Chanel in Paris. Open-weave knitwear in natural white, ivory or beige crochet, macram, mesh or fishnet, as seen at Rag Bone, Alexander Wang, for Tse, Alberta Ferretti and Celine. And a crisp poplin shirt. We saw it with slouchy wide-leg trousers and skirts for a pared-down look. We also saw it as a play on masculine and feminine at Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Celine. A trench coat looks great with a longer hemline peeking out. I love the sheer organza ones at Phillip Lim and Christian Cota, and the matte python trench at Emilio Pucci.In terms of accessories, fringe is everywhere on handbags, jewelry and scarves. A shoulder or flap bag is key because it fits into the 1970s trend, as does a pair of platform wedges.Will punk take to the streets? Not in a big way. We've done that trend recently with leathers and studs and grommets, and not enough time has passed to go back. But it may be something we will touch on in our contemporary department.Stephanie Solomon, fashion director, Big idea: Color and print. And this is a serious shift because we've been in love with black for so long.Must haves: A dress or skirt with a hemline hovering around the knees or below. In New York, Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, Derek Lam, Marc Jacobs, and Rebecca Taylor all had great longer lengths. In Milan, we saw it at Versace, Dolce Gabbana, Jil Sander and Roberto Cavalli. Sometimes these longer skirts have asymmetrical hems or slits, which we saw at Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Stella McCartney.It sounds like a myth that hemlines matter, but they do because when you go longer, you have to change your shoes and you have to change your coat. You need flat, wedge or platform sandals. And the long trench coat is chicest with this length. I'm also liking boyfriend jackets over longer skirts.Will punk take to the streets? In a way. You have to have the rock 'n' roll element, otherwise it would get too boring. I would take a studded leather jacket, something that looks worn and torn and ragged from Burberry Prorsum or Givenchy, and put it over a really frothy feminine dress like we saw at Dior. That dichotomy looks right. Or you can be a punk one day and a virgin the next! Alexandra Plant of Wyoming Valley West won the girls Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 19:29 at McDade Park.Catherine Lombardo placed second overall (19:37) and led her Pittston Area squad to the girls team championship by 34 points over Pleasant Valley.Tara Johnson (19:46) placed second for Pittston Area and third overall. Emily Seaman was 13th in 21:36. The Spartans finished fourth as a team with 123 points and Dallas was seventh with 215.Julia Mericle of Wyoming Valley West was 12th overall in a time of 21:28.Top Teams1. Pittston Area 74; 2. Pleasant Valley 108; 3. North Pocono 120; 4. Wyoming Valley West 123; 5. Holy Cross 133; 6. Prep 156; 7. Dallas 215; 8. Sullivan West 220; 9. Mid Valley 236; 9. Susquehanna 236Local TeamsPittston Area2. Catherine Lombardo 19:37; 3. Tara Johnson 19:46; 13. Emily Seaman 21:36; 22. Abby Sheerer 21:56; 34. Kaitlynn Kuchta 22:58; 40. Olivia Lanza 23:17; 50. Kristen Lombardo 23:47Wyoming Valley West1. Alexandra Plant 19:29; 12. Julia Mericle 21:28; 27. Amy Paddock 22:26; 36. Onyoo Park, 22:59; 47. Elizabeth Wood 23:29; 54. Sophie Rittenhouse 24:07; 60. Lydia Ellsworth 24:38Dallas21. Katie Gross 21:51; 31. Megan Ostrum 22:50; 42. Allison Amos 23:18; 55. Madison Gilhooley 24:17; 66. Christina Valenti 25:14; 74. Krista Vivian 25:56; 84. Kaylin Augustine 27:17Wyoming Seminary30. Alannah Trombetta 22:48; 73. Drishti Maniar 25:54; 81. Katherine Maximov 26:34; 85. Kat Rogers 27:53; 92. Ava Alexander 29:55; 93. Emily Gabriel 31:41Other Top Finishers4. Kait Lewis, North Pocono, 20:09; 5. Ivy Christensen, Susquehanna Comm., 21:03; 6. Samantha Young, Pleasant Valley, 21:06; 7. Nicole Kobylanski, Mid Valley, 21:17; 8. Erin Feeney, Scranton Prep, 21:21; 9. Mackenzie Greenfield, Holy Cross, 21:22; 10. Tess Kearns, Holy Cross, 21:24BoysDominic Hockenbury placed second overall in 16:45 and Kieran Sutton (16:53) took third overall for Lake-Lehman.World Trade Center:Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr.Edelmiro AbadMaria Rose AbadAndrew Anthony AbateVincent AbateLaurence Christopher AbelWilliam F. AbrahamsonRichard Anthony AcetoJesus Acevedo RescandHeinrich Bernhard AckermannPaul AcquavivaDonald LaRoy AdamsPatrick AdamsShannon Lewis AdamsStephen George AdamsIgnatius Udo AdangaChristy A. AddamoTerence E. Adderley, Jr.Sophia Buruwad AddoLee Allan AdlerDaniel Thomas AfflittoEmmanuel Akwasi AfuakwahAlok AgarwalMukul Kumar AgarwalaJoseph AgnelloDavid Scott AgnesBrian G. AhearnJeremiah Joseph AhernJoanne Marie AhladiotisShabbir AhmedTerrance Andre AikenGodwin AjalaGertrude M. AlageroAndrew Alameno Margaret Ann AlarioGary M. AlberoJon Leslie AlbertPeter AldermanJacquelyn Delaine AldridgeDavid D. AlgerSarah Ali-EscarcegaErnest AlikakosEdward L. AllegrettoEric AllenJoseph Ryan AllenRichard Dennis AllenRichard Lanard AllenChristopher E. AllinghamJanet M. AlonsoArturo Alva-MorenoAnthony AlvaradoAntonio Javier AlvarezVictoria Alvarez-BritoTelmo E. AlvearCesar Amoranto AlviarTariq AmanullahAngelo AmarantoJames M. Amato Joseph AmatuccioChristopher Charles AmorosoKazuhiro AnaiCalixto Anaya, Jr.Joseph AnchundiaKermit Charles AndersonYvette Constance AndersonJohn AndreacchioMichael Rourke AndrewsJean Ann AndruckiSiew-Nya AngJoseph Angelini, Jr.Joseph Angelini, Sr.Laura AngillettaDoreen J. AngrisaniLorraine AntiguaPeter Paul ApolloFaustino Apostol, Jr.Frank Thomas AquilinoPatrick Michael AranyosDavid ArceMichael George Arczynski Louis ArenaAdam P. AriasMichael ArmstrongJack Charles AronJoshua AronRichard Avery AronowJaphet Jesse AryeePatrick AsanteCarl AsaroMichael AsciakMichael Edward AsherJanice Marie AshleyThomas J. AshtonManuel O. AsitimbayGregg Arthur AtlasGerald T. AtwoodJames AudiffredLouis Frank Aversano, Jr.Ezra AvilesSandy AyalaArlene T. BabakitisEustace P. BacchusJohn J. BadagliaccaJane Ellen BaeszlerRobert J. BaierwalterAndrew J. BaileyBrett T. BaileyTatyana BakalinskayaMichael S. BakshSharon M. BalkcomMichael Andrew BaneKatherine BantisGerard BaptisteWalter BaranGerard A. BarbaraPaul Vincent BarbaroJames William BarbellaIvan Kyrillos F. BarbosaVictor Daniel BarbosaColleen Ann BarkowDavid Michael BarkwayMatthew BarnesSheila Patricia BarnesEvan J. BaronRenee Barrett-ArjuneNathaly Barrios La CruzArthur Thaddeus BarryDiane G. BarryMaurice Vincent BarryScott D. BartCarlton W. BartelsGuy BarzviInna B. BasinaAlysia Basmajian Kenneth William BasnickiSteven BatesPaul James BattagliaWalter David Bauer, Jr.Marlyn Capito BautistaJasper BaxterMichele BealePaul Frederick BeatiniJane S. BeattyLawrence Ira BeckManette Marie BecklesCarl John BedigianMichael Earnest BeekmanMaria A. BehrYelena Belilovsky Nina Patrice BellDebbie BellowsStephen Elliot BelsonPaul M. BenedettiDenise Lenore Benedetto Maria BengocheaBryan Craig BennettEric L. BennettOliver Duncan BennettMargaret L. BensonDominick J. BerardiJames Patrick BergerSteven Howard BergerJohn P. BerginAlvin BergsohnDaniel BergsteinMichael J. BerkeleyDonna M. BernaertsDavid W. BernardWilliam BernsteinDavid M. BerrayDavid S. BerryJoseph J. BerryWilliam Reed BethkeTimothy BetterlyEdward Frank BeyeaPaul BeyerAnil Tahilram BharvaneyBella J. BhukhanShimmy D. BiegeleisenPeter Alexander BielfeldWilliam G. BiggartBrian BilcherCarl Vincent BiniGary Eugene BirdJoshua David BirnbaumGeorge John BishopJeffrey Donald BittnerAlbert Balewa Blackman, Jr.Christopher Joseph BlackwellSusan Leigh BlairHarry Blanding, Jr.Janice Lee BlaneyCraig Michael BlassRita BlauRichard Middleton Blood, Jr.Michael Andrew Boccardi John P. BocchiMichael Leopoldo BocchinoSusan M. BochinoBruce D. BoehmMary Catherine BoffaNicholas Andrew BogdanDarren Christopher BohanLawrence Francis BoisseauVincent M. Boland, Jr.Alan Bondarenko Andre Bonheur, Jr.Colin Arthur BonnettFrank BonomoYvonne Lucia BonomoGenieve Bonsignore, 3 Seaon BookerSherry Ann BordeauxKrystine BordenabeMartin BoryczewskiRichard Edward BoscoJohn H. BoultonFrancisco Eligio BourdierThomas Harold Bowden, Jr.Kimberly S. BowersVeronique Nicole BowersLarry BowmanShawn Edward Bowman, Jr.Kevin L. BowserGary R. BoxGennady BoyarskyPamela BoyceMichael BoyleAlfred BracaKevin BrackenDavid Brian BradyAlexander BraginskyNicholas W. BrandemartiMichelle Renee BrattonPatrice BrautLydia E. BravoRonald Michael BreitweiserEdward A. Brennan IIIFrancis Henry BrennanMichael E. BrennanPeter BrennanThomas M. BrennanDaniel J. BrethelGary Lee BrightJonathan BrileyMark A. BrismanPaul Gary BristowMark Francis BroderickHerman Charles BroghammerKeith A. BroomfieldEthel Brown Janice Juloise BrownLloyd Stanford BrownPatrick J. BrownBettina BrowneMark BruceRichard George BruehertAndrew BrunnVincent BruntonRonald Paul BuccaBrandon J. BuchananGregory Joseph BuckDennis BuckleyNancy Clare BuechePatrick Joseph BuhseJohn Edwards Bulaga, Jr.Stephen BuninMatthew J. Burke Thomas Daniel BurkeWilliam Francis Burke, Jr.Donald J. BurnsKathleen Anne BurnsKeith James BurnsJohn Patrick BurnsideIrina BusloMilton G. BustilloThomas M. ButlerPatrick ByrneTimothy G. Byrne Jesus Neptali CabezasLillian CaceresBrian Joseph CachiaSteven Dennis Cafiero, Jr.Richard M. 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FalkenbergDana FalkenbergZoe FalkenbergJ. Joseph FergusonDarlene E. FlaggRADM Wilson F. Flagg, USNR, Retired1stLt Richard P. Gabriel, USMC, RetiredIan J. GrayStanley R. HallMichele M. HeidenbergerBryan C. JackSteven D. JacobyAnn C. JudgeChandler R. KellerYvonne E. KennedyNorma Cruz KhanKaren Ann KincaidDong Chul LeeJennifer LewisKenneth E. LewisRenee A. MayDora Marie MenchacaChristopher C. NewtonBarbara K. OlsonRuben S. OrnedoRobert PenningerRobert R. Ploger IIIZandra F. Ploger Lisa J. RainesTodd H. ReubenJohn P. SammartinoGeorge W. SimmonsDonald D. SimmonsMari-Rae SopperRobert SpeismanNorma Lang SteuerleHilda E. TaylorLeonard E. TaylorSandra D. TeagueLeslie A. WhittingtonCAPT John D. Yamnicky, Sr., USN, RetiredVicki YanceyShuyin YangYuguag ZhengUnited Airlines Flight 93Christian AdamsLorraine G. BayTodd BeamerAlan BeavenMark K. BinghamDeora Frances BodleySandra W. BradshawMarion BrittonThomas E. Burnett Jr.William CashmanGeorgine Rose CorriganPatricia CushingJason DahlJoseph DelucaPatrick DriscollEdward Porter FeltJane C. FolgerColleen FraserAndrew GarciaJeremy GlickLauren GrandcolasWanda A. GreenDonald F. GreeneLinda GronlundRichard GuadagnoLeroy Homer, Jr.Toshiya KugeCeeCee LylesHilda MarcinWaleska Martinez Nicole MillerLouis J. Nacke, IIDonald Arthur PetersonJean Hoadley PetersonMark RothenbergChristine SnyderJohn TalignaniHonor Elizabeth WainioDeborah Ann Jacobs WelshKristin Gould White(Names )Jennifer Bryan has been working in TV and Film for over 20 years, beginning as a wardrobe assistant and supervisor on films such as Manhunter, Married to the Mob, Goodfellas and Jungle Fever. She then moved on to costume designer, working on films such as Barbershop II and TV shows, including Dark Angel, Las Vegas, Knight Rider, and currently, Vampire Diaries.Jennifer was kind enough to do a QA with The Pursuitist, talking about her background and the role of the costume designer on a Hollywood set.Q. Tell us about yourself.J.B. I am currently the head costume designer for “Vampire Diaries” on the CW. I studied fashion design at Pratt Institute, and a few years after I stumbled into the entertainment side of fashion and began working on Broadway shows, commercials and TV shows. When I was younger I never really gave much thought into working with celebrities. I just thought they had an unending closet!Q. Describe the role of the costume designer on a TV show or film.J.B. After the scripts are written, I have to study them and dissect them for wardrobe changes and stunts that need to be taken into consideration when designing costumes. Next I begin finding the clothes I need for that episode. Ill go wherever I need to get the right things, from malls to thrift stores, to the big costume rental houses in Los Angeles. In addition I have a lot of meetings with the creative departments in order to ensure that everything looks seamless and collaborative when the show airs.Q. Where do you draw your inspiration as a designer?J.B. My inspiration as a designer comes from the ideas behind the writers vision. Ill do research for thematic episodes, and I pay attention to what young people are wearing. I love to people watch. Sometimes I see outfits on the street and I think to myself, How did she figure to put that together?Q. Who are some of your favorite designers?J.B. Two of my favorite designers are Alexander Wang and Vivienne Westwood. They both push the envelope and take street fashion to a design level. I love Vivienne Westwoods unexpected construction and Alexander Wangs mastery in draping modern knits.Q. How did you become a costume designer?J.B. After graduating from college I was working as a buyer for a major department store on Seventh Ave. A friend told me about an internship on a movie that was filming in the city. I was intrigued. They hired me as the wardrobe department intern. My friends thought I was crazy to leave a secure job to work as an intern for next to nothing. But I had to take a gamble and it paid off. I was never one for sitting behind a desk all day and staring at numbers on a computer anyway. I really worked my way up from the bottom, polishing a pile of shoes, to doing mountains of laundry for Broadway shows, you name it, I did it!Q. If someone is interested in getting into the industry, what advice would you offer?J.B. If you get an opportunity to intern or assist it could be a good way to enter styling or design. It is important to be open to learning and be patient. The world will conspire to get it for you, if you want it bad enough.Q. What are some your favorite designs that we can see the TV shows and films youve worked on?J.B. I have designed for different types of TV shows, movies and Commercials. I had fashion fun on Las Vegas,” hip hop fun on Barbershop 2 and futuristic fun on Dark Angel. Now I am having vampire fun on “Vampire Diaries”!Q. What are your future plans in Hollywood and outside of Hollywood?J.B. For now, “Vampire Diaries” keeps me very busy! Im working on developing a line of sexy sandals and accessories that I hope to launch next year. It looks like I will come full circle and have my line on Seventh Ave again!Below are some exclusive photos showcasing Jennifers work on CWs Vampire Diaries.Photos courtesy and copyright of Warner Bros. Television Entertainment.Read more posts on Ever opened a fashion magazine likeorGQ, and wonder, "who can afford to buy this stuff?" For example, here's a shot ofabout linen suits. And here's aVoguepiece aboutlike a black Victor Rolf dress for $970, or a $495 leather bag by Alexander Wang.Most people use these spreads as inspiration, then turn to affordable stores likefor items that can pass for being straight off the runway. Others find designer items at outlets or discount stores like."I think there are a lot of fast fashion brands like,and Forever 21 that are so quick to copy what's on the runway and into their stores," says Nikki Martinez, an assistant buyer for the cosmetics chain. "As soon as I see a magazine spread, I can buy an iteration of that trend at Zara for a tenth of the price."And then there are people who walk straight into a designer's store and buy garments with jaw-dropping price tags at full price. They are the ones who can afford "this stuff", and shop at the most expensive shops in America with famous names: Chanel, Dolce Gabbana and Oscar de la Renta the latter of which just so happens to be the most expensive clothing shop in the U.S.To come up with our list of the most expensive shops in America, we looked at proprietary data from 20 million and Mastercard holders, and looked at average receipt amounts based on millions of transactions done in clothing stores across the U.S from April 2010 to May 2011. We filtered out places like wholesalers, manufacturers and big department stores, and then ranked the most expensive shops by average receipt sizes.De la Renta's eponymous store on New York City's Madison Avenue had well-to-do shoppers spending $3,217 on average during each shopping trip to the high end store. This isn't atypical consideringhave price tags from $1,890 to $4,790 (his cocktail dresses can go as high as $10,690).The other stores in the top 5 most expensive shops:, located just half a block from Oscar de la Renta, ranked second with an average receipt of $2,881;in Boston ranked third with $2,818, the very high end womenswear shopalso found on Madison Ave ranked fourth with $2,818; West Hollywood's, which sells clothing from designers like Chanel and Balmain, rounded the top 5 with an average receipt of $2,258.About half of the shops on our list are from New York City, with Los Angeles coming in a distant second and cities like Naples, Fla., Chevy Chase, Md. and Chicago making appearances. Though most stores were from well known designers like(ranked 10th),(ranked 11th) and(ranked 16th), prominent bridal shops like the, and the famed, the setting for the TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress" made the list and ranked 22nd and 19th respectively."A very small population of the community even fashion community are able to wear head to toe designer on a regular basis," Martinez says. "Fashion spreads are meant to be aspirational, fantasy, even escapist if they're done well."But some pieces of clothing can be worth the cost."I personally shop less frequently than I used to because I'd rather invest in better quality, longer lasting pieces," Martinez says. "The older I've gotten, the more I value things like fabric, well constructed pieces, and investing in designers. These clothes just look and feel better."This originally appeared on.APThe talk of the tents yesterday was of , the 30-something, Nepalese-born next big thing.He only launched his eponymous line at last February's Fashion Week, but what a difference a year makes. Anna Wintour sat front row, and we saw piles of her underling editors and Bergdorf buyer Linda Fargo take the carpeted steps to Garung's Saturday evening show.But while Hollywood and 7th Avenue already love him, we bet you would be the first one to barely beat your midnight e-filing deadline wearing Garung.Our pick of the day: , paired with .Wintour is pictured at the Alexander Wang show, which featured some trousers that would be work-wearable but was mostly just a little too rock-n-roll for the corporate world. That said, looks like it would be really comfortable on a more casual Friday.Leigh Vogel/Getty ImagesKen Downing was at the airport late Friday, waiting for his flight to London to depart.Downing, the head of womenswear at Neiman Marcus, had only just completed the first leg of a month of fashion shows that span New York, London, Milan and Paris.For him, the week that had just ended meant a series of conversations with buyers who will ultimately pick through the more than 300 collections shown, including big names like Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg, and smaller ones like Peter Som and Joseph Altuzarra.But for some traders, economists, and pundits, the month now proves one more thing beyond fashion: an indicator of how the economy will perform over the coming year."Like the stock markets, hemlines are going up and down daily and seasonally," Mr. Downing says.The Hemline IndicatorThe was reportedly first introduced by School professor George Taylor, an idea that women's hemlines fluctuate and can even indicate macroeconomic performance. The higher the hemline, the better the economy looks.From afar, bloggers and editors have offered .But for the first time, conducted a full analysis of hemlines at New York fashion week, measuring some 2,092 images from 25 designers, comparing year-on-year changes in the length of skirts and dresses.The findings were pretty clear: hemlines are getting shorter.The ResultsThe BI Hemline Index is calculated by measuring hem length as a percentage of the length from floor to waistline. The shorter the hemline, the higher the index.Overall, average hemlines in 2012 registered a 44.38 on the index, up from 35.04 for the Fall/Winter 2011 collections.Complete looks from each designer were measured, however skirts and dresses were the only data points fed into the data set. Measurements were taken from images provided post-show.On first glance, hemlines appeared to fall, with designers like Marc Jacobs showing little skin.However, when deconstructing outfits and measuring the skirts shown over pants, hemlines jumped. At Mr. Jacobs show for instance, the Hemline Index read at 45.6, compared to 41.1 last year.Eighty percent of the designers included in the analysis registered shorter skirts and dresses. Rodarte, the quirky womenswear label designed byKate and LauraMulleavy, eschewed the floor grazing gowns of 2011, showing half as many. Rodarte jumped 17 points on the Index, to 37.0.Amanda Brooks, fashion director at Barney's, said hemlines had moved both higher and lower on the runway this season."I would say in terms of the dress or skirt silhouette, it's kind of anything goes right now," Ms. Brooks says. "I wouldn't say we're seeing super short, to me what's looking the most fresh personally is this mid-calf with a big slit up the front or an open vent. We've seen that on a lot of runways the last few seasons, and I think it's addressing the same moment as the idea of the gaucho."Assembling the ListBusiness Insider chose 25 of the most influential designers that show at New York fashion week, clothes that will end up on hangers during the second half of 2012.Beyond Marc Jacobs and DVF, the list includes 3.1PhilipLim,Alexander Wang, Bill Blass,Calvin Klein,Carolina Herrera,Christian Siriano,Donna Karan Collection,,Jason Wu,Jill Stuart,L.A.M.B.,Michael Kors,Nanette Lepore,Oscar de la Renta,Prabal Gurung,Proenza Schouler,Ralph Lauren,Rodarte,Thakoon,Theysken's Theory,Tommy Hilfiger Women's andVera Wang.The names were chosen based on two key factors. The first, the designer have strong artistic relevance. Marc Jacobs collection, which will sell vastly fewer pieces than the offshoot Marc by Marc Jacobs brand, was used for the official index because the impact from his mainline will be far greater., Nicole Phelps, Executive Editor of Style.com, noted that one retailer remarked that,"We have to come [to Marc Jacobs] in order to find out what we'll be seeing next season."The second component: the brand be commercially viable, weather through wholesale, partnerships with broadline retailers like , or through their own sales channels.Jason Wu, Rodarte and Proenza Schoulerhave all had surprising success with capsule collections at mass retailers, while Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren have an ever expanding retail network.A Contrarian ViewNot everyone is convinced that hemlines hold much weight when predicting economic performance."It's interesting, as a fashion director I no longer believe hemlines are a conversation on trend because its so particular to a designer and their point of view," Mr. Downing says. "We are seeing hemlines below the knee, at the knee, and some that are still quite short."I caught up with JeffreyMonteiro, the creative director of Bill Blass, after his show on Thursday evening, the last collection at New York fashion week."For me it's just proportion," he says. "Let's make it longer, let's make it shorter, and once we find a proportion we like we just keep going with it."Most designers mirror that viewpoint, that the economy has little effect on what they present. But that is hard to argue, when designers almost unanimously moved to a black and neutral color palette as failed."The customer is definitely looking for something that will give her fashion credit in her wardrobe. This whole idea of when the economy went upside down that all that she would buy would be basics and there would be the return of the black turtleneck, was not what we saw in the luxury market," Mr. Downing says."She didn't stop shopping, she just was not shopping as robust as she was before."Hemline Index aside, one of the best predictors of economic growth is consumer spending, and so far Mr. Downing is happy with what he sees."We feel very positive about the spring trends in stores now and customers are responding very favorably."Just in case you werent jealous enough of supermodels for their perfect figures, endless supply of couture and equally hot boyfriends, we bring you another reason: the . Every year, Forbes reports on the worlds most wealthy residents, and while tends to be a barrage of tech nerds and ugly investment bankers, we can assure you this list is not.For the past few years, Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bundchen has held court at the top spot, raking in well over $40 million thanks to a ton of endorsement deals and campaigns. Oh, and every once in awhile, she actually walks on a runway. This past year, she closed out shows for Alexander Wang and Givenchy.While its no surprise that Gisele leads this glamorous pack, there are some shockers on this years list. Click through the gallery above to find out who made the cut and more importantly, how much they made.This story was originally published by.MEET THE MAN REPELLERThree different boys were taking Upper East Sider Leandra Medine out on dates. They all seemed to like her, and enjoyed spending time with her -- but none wanted to be her boyfriend.When Medine complained to a friend about her predicament, her friend responded, "maybe it's because you dress funny boys don't want to take you around."What?! Medine, who is typically draped in Alexander Wang and Philip Lim, was floored."If I have to give up good fashion for a relationship, I don't want a relationship," she declared.In response to her relationship troubles, Medine created the blog in April 2010.Man-repelling is a style choice, Medine says. And to her, it's always more important to have good style than to be fashionable.Medine, who graduated from The New School in May with a degree in journalism, defines "man-repelling" as "outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls, shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.""My blog is not about repelling men, it's about good fashion," Medine said. "Being a man repeller becomes a process of elimination. If a guy is only really into your outfit and won't date you because of what you're wearing, they are too driven by the female exterior and don't care about your intellect."Within days, The Man Repeller became an internet hit. Style.com, Gawker, The Cut, and Fashionista all covered Leandra's innovative approach."The name definitely drew people to my blog originally, but the content kept them coming back," Medine says. "I knew I wanted to be a fashion writer, but didn't want to contribute to the over-saturated market unless I could contribute in a meaningful way."Before she knew it, Medine was front-row at fashion week, being photographed and interviewed."Designers want me in the front-row because of the real time updates I provide," Medine said. "I'm , , from that seat photos of what I'm seeing. And it's all going to my 40,000 twitter followers and my 10,000 followers. The instant access is what it's all about."THE CLOTHESHer father thought it was an addiction.Three closets and a garment rack fill Leandra Medine's room on the Upper East Side. One closet holds 102 pairs of shoes. Another has long dresses, and the third has blouses and pants. The garment rack holds all her coats.While she has plenty of options, Medine's favorite piece of clothing is a Philip Lim leopard coat with black leather sleeves. Something she says adds "instant cool" to any outfit.Medine lives at home, but supports herself through ads on the blog and promotional appearances."I use to only be a sales shopper before I started the blog," Medine said. "But I definitely feel a little more pressure now to wear clothes that are new and current. I want girls to come to my blog for inspiration and for it to be new and contemporary."FASHION WEEKMedine has interned at Valentino, and has partnered with brands such as Griffin to design a trench coat.She knew designer Rebecca Minkoff --or as Medine calls her "Becky" -- because Minkoff has always supported young entrepreneurs trying to make a name for themselves.A few months ago, Medine was out for drinks with Minkoff's public relations woman and Medine, who admits she was a little buzzed, blurted out "Becky should have me walk in her show.""That's a great idea, show me your walk."Medine strutted her stuff there at Tiny's in TriBeca and the deal was set. The public relations woman texted Minkoff on the spot and she agreed instantly.Flabbergasted this drunken-idea worked, Medine tried on a few outfits, was fitted and chose leather shorts and a green trench shirt."I know my place I'm a writer, not a model," Medine said. "But I didn't want people to think I thought I was a model. I guess I'm a little self-conscious in that respect."As Medine cat-walked Sept. 12 in Minkoff's show, she pulled out her phone to record the event. As the public realized it was The Man Repeller on the runway, cheers and applause erupted."One Tree Hill" Star Sophia Bush () even tweeted, "When @ManRepeller walked in the @RebeccaMinkoff show I screamed my head off. #DieOnTheFloor #GirlCrush #LOVE #nyfw"WHAT'S NEXT?The Man Repeller is now its own brand. Some don't even know Medine's real name, yet can recognize her on the street. She's more than happy to stop and say hello to anyone.It's still very weird to her she is recognizable and if you say hello she'll probably ask you what you're up to later, because she's free and would love to hang out.In addition to aligning herself with brands, and jetting off to Paris for Fashion Week, Medine is currently writing a book of short, fun essays that she describes as "not unlike her blog, but not her blog.""Over the next year, the big goal is definitely to stay grounded," Medine said. "Yes, to stay grounded and realize how lucky I am."This year, the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards is being held on June 4 at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. The event seeks to ""Past winners have includedAlexander Wang, Eddie Borgo, and Prabal Gurung.In anticipation for next week's event, the CFDA partnered with Polyvore""to host a judged by the CEO of CFDA, Steven Kolb.The two categories up for debate were "Women's Designer of the Year" and "Accessory Designer of the Year."In the running for "Designer of the Year" were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for the Row, Jack McColloughand Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs, while Alexander Wang,Jack McCollough and Lazaro HernandezforProenza Schouler, and were the nominees for best "Accessory Designer." After 1,525 votes, members awarded Marc Jacobs with the prestigious "Designer of the Year" award, while Proenza Schouler won "Accessory Designer of the Year."The fans have spoken! SEE ALSO:Screen shot of the Louis Vuitton condom from the original article on Huffington Post Today everyone was .If you're willing to spend $68 for a twelve pack, you might be disappointed, as they are not actually associated with the company but have been designed by , according to a piece by.This is not the only brand name condom rumor to make it online.A year ago,.Those wanting to "keep it classy," as the Coco Chanel wrapping advised, still can do so with condoms from . According to , Proper Attire condoms have been designed by the likes of Alexander Wang and Charlotte Ronson. And probably the most affordable brand name condoms are those by , which only cost $1.50 a pop.Steve Blank is the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a guru.The has a big theory: entrepreneurship is a skill that can be taught.At Stanford and Berkeley, Blank teaches scientists to get out of their labs and find real customers for their ideas -- without getting bogged down in the traditional MBA weeds of spreadsheets and revenue models.Blank and a few other like minds traveled a lonesome road earlier this decade, but now their ideas are broadly admired, and they help inspire the current crop of startups coming out of the Valley -- and the angel investors and VCs who fund them.We caught up with the outspoken professor to talk about the state of the tech business today.Highlights from our conversation:Here's a lightly edited transcript of the full interview.Business Insider: Let's start with the big LinkedIn IPO this week. Do you think we're at the beginning of another big tech boom like the 90s?Steve Blank. Absolutely. Tech boom and bubble. Away we go. I think it's going to be great.BI: So you'd call it a bubble?SB: Oh absolutely. There's no rational basis for the valuations. It doesn't mean it's a bad company, it just means that we're now into buying things because we think the sector's going to be hot and there's going to be more to follow.I also think we're much smarter this time. Last bubble, we didn't say it was a bubble. We said it was the new normal. Now at least journalists and financial analysts are being smart and asking "what does this mean and when does it end?" I think it's not March 2000, I think it's August 1995 -- Netscape's IPO. It'll bring a lot of cash and innovation into technology clusters.BI: Other than the fact that people recognize it as a bubble, do you see any other differences between what's happening today and what was happening in the late '90s?SB: It may be instructive to remember what happened before the late '90s. VCs tutored their companies on how to grow revenues and how to get customers. Up to August '95, you couldn't take a company public through any of the boutique technology players, the Hambrechts, the Robertsons, the Montgomerys, without having five quarters of increasing profitability and revenue.August '95 through March 2000, the rules changed because there was an unending appetite in the financial markets -- VCs didn't have anything to do with it, it was the investment banks and the public. So venture capitalists -- because they're smart and organized to optimize profits for their limited partners -- stopped being company builders and started becoming financial engineers. Startups and Silicon Valley companies were no longer building revenue or profits, they were building slideware and concept and hype. If it had the letter "e" or "Internet" it was a concept IPO.Post-crash, VCs picked through the rubble and spent the last decade building companies. This bubble is beginning not with hype, but built on the rubble on the last one. These first 10, 20, 50 companies coming out that have filed have real revenue, real profits, real customers. I think that's dramatically different between this bubble and the last. I'm not concerned about the first wave of companies.We also know now, which we didn't 10 years ago, how to eliminate the egregious infant mortality risks. It used to be war stories. Now I can probably say "talk to me about your customers" after 6 months. If you can't do that, I can't guarantee you're going to fail but you're sure not on a high probability trajectory."Tell me what you found outside the building." "Oh, we're still working on the spec." Not a good sign.BI: So explain your concept of , what that is and why it works.SB: Venture capital and technology entrepreneurship is at best 50 years old in its modern form. What we did for the first 50 years of startups was get it wrong. We treated startups as smaller versions of large companies. We said "everything you do for these large companies -- business plans, you need to write one. VPs of sales -- you need to have one. Revenue plans -- you need to execute that. Everything they do at IBM, you need to do in your startup, just a smaller version."It took 50 years to realize why that's wrong. Large companies execute known business models, while startups search for a business model. The distinction between execution and search is huge. People who execute are incredibly uncomfortable in a chaotic environment, and people who are wonderfully comfortable in chaos go crazy in an execute environment. Business plans, which are great for your second and third product in a large company, are a joke in a startup when it's all a series of unknowns.My work, , , and others are now creating the equivalent of a parallel stack -- what you learned in business school for execution, we're now teaching what you learn for search.BI: I've heard some people criticize the angel model in that it encourages small ideas and small exits. Would you like to see more startups going for big, groundbreaking, home run ideas?SB: I think that's people looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Those observations are wrong. Big ideas haven't gone away -- VCs writing $10 million checks haven't gone away. Even clean tech hasn't gone away. Adam Grosser raising $2 billion for a clean tech fund out of Silverlake. Elon Musk isn't putting rockets into space for 100 grand or doing Tesla [for cheap]. These are big money ideas.We now have a methodology, we know how to time the money, so there's very few business cases where you should be taking tens of millions of dollars on day one, even for big ideas.For example Facebook -- they could have raised a ton of money up front, but you don't need it up front, you need it in the back.BI: What about big established companies like Google and Microsoft? How can they overcome the innovator's dilemma and recapture some of the energy of the startup world?Next Page: High-end designer Alexander Wang is fighting back against allegations he forced employees to work in less-than-admirable conditions.In a motion filed Friday, the who filed a wide-ranging class action against the designer.Wang claims ex-workers are trying to extort money from him and embarrass him in the processHe took particular issue with allegations that the space where employees worked was anything but a "bright" and "professional" studio space.Those workers made baseless allegations, likening Wang's studio to "a windowless, third-world sweatshop," Wang claimed.In reality, the workers were just trying to "embarrass these high-profile, highly successful defendants and tarnish their professional reputations, in a shameless bid to extort a substantial monetary settlement," according to the motion.The former employees, who assembled sample garments, claimed they had to work 15 hours a day during Fashion Week and that managers abused and berated them, Wang's motion stated.DON'T MISS:Marc Jacobs & Diane Von Furstenberg Kate Bostock, head of design at MS, agreed. 'We could have gone safe and classic for next season, but that would have been a mistake,' she said. 'Women want a diversion; to feel good about something.'Glenda Bailey, editor-in- chief of U.S. Harper's Bazaar, who, like many big cheeses of U.S. fashion, will not be attending London Fashion Week, is upbeat. 'I think the good thing about the recession is that it has focused people. Am I doing what is right for my customer? It makes designers more creative.' Kate Betts of Time magazine agrees. She thinks designers have to be surprising, rather than safe, to keep us shopping. 'The Marc Jacobs show was the perfect example of a designer responding [to the financial situation]. It was OTT, surprising, unique. If you wear MJ, you feel part of something bigger, you feel plugged in. We need fantasy to make us feel vital.' But do we? Aren't we smarter than that? The signs in the U.S. are that women are pulling in their patent belts. The sales of the all-powerful U.S. glossies, including American Vogue, are down. The Bill Blass ready-to-wear line, designed by Peter Som, is in danger of closing. 'The top end of the luxury market has not been affected,' says Johann Rupert of Richemont, which owns Cartier and Chloe. But you wonder how long it will be before the high-end brands start feeling the pinch. It seemed designers were too dismissive last week of the 'real' women who might want to buy their clothes. While the Diane von Furstenberg show for 'power bohemians' was intricate and colourful, it made me wonder: 'Why has she abandoned what she does best: simple shirt dresses for the working woman?' Far from being more inclusive, the off-putting snootiness that shrouds the business like smog continued unabated. At Proenza Schouler and Narciso Rodriguez, this publication was not deemed edgy enough and I was deemed worthy of only half a seat (I got 83b and 28b respectively). I was expressly not invited to shows by British designers Matthew Williamson and Jonathan Saunders. Let's hope both brands' backers are happy with this strategy. It's as if the designers inhabit a gorgeous bubble they believe is impervious to being pricked. This is no more evident than in the refusal of most of those who work in fashion to lift a Swarovski-ringed finger to help the environment. Fashionistas in New York still insist on taking town cars to each and every show: platform shoes, surely, are as unenvironmentally friendly as an unlagged loft. We need designers to do more than just align themselves to a cause as a clever marketing wheeze, viz Calvin Klein's extravagant party in the environmentally cutting edge High Line, the garden in the sky created out of a disused railway line. No expense was spared: a walkway was constructed by none other than John Pawson, whose budgets, unlike his architecture, are far from minimalist. I thought the all-white Calvin collection on Thursday was dreamy, but has designer Francisco Costa never thought about the dry-cleaning bills? And while Marc Jacobs is, routinely, hailed as a genius (I don't know about you, but I have no desire to look like Mary Poppins), rather than list the names of the 300-plus people he wanted to thank in the programme, how about listing where his fabric came from and where his designs are manufactured instead? There were two (low-energy) lights at the end of this tunnel. First was the new, more feminine collection from Edun. I chatted to Ali Hewson, the founder of the Fair Trade, largely organic fashion label (and wife of Bono), at the launch. I asked if she ever feels like giving up, given the vacuous mwah-mwahing and the edicts to consume more and more. 'I'm optimistic,' she said. 'I do think the high-end designers are changing. The customer is forcing these brands to be more careful.' With the Wildlife Conservation Society, she is working with farmers to help them in the transition to organic cotton. 'We want to go 100 per cent organic,' she said. 'We are a small company, but we have a big voice.' Plaudits, too, to a new label called, simply, Organic by John Patrick. Seventy per cent of his collection - inspired by the last great recession in the Thirties - is made in the U.S. from sustainable fabrics at a time when the famous Garment District is threatened with closure. I particularly loved Patrick's organic, Fair Trade sweaters knitted in villages in Peru. But these two designers are exceptions in a business not renowned for being responsible. Simon Doonan, window dresser-turned-fashion-commentator, said last week that the problem of not enough ethnic diversity on the catwalk is more important than that of too many skinny girls, but I think the issue is one and the same: normal women are being ignored. While the ethnic diversity on the catwalk has improved from the laughable 6 per cent of runway slots last season (French designer Sophie Theallet used all black models at her show), my bone of contention is that the black and Asian girls cast in the shows are not remotely representative. Take new British star Jourdan Dunn, who is getting thinner by the second. Have you seen those limbs? Her head is way too big for her teeny tiny body. And after all the hoo-hah and the Press conferences held by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), let me point out that, flying in the face of a directive not to hire girls under 16, last season the 15-year-old Karlie (she turned 16 in August) did 30 runway shows in New York. So much, too, for the directive that any girl under 18 should not work over-long hours. Karlie also did shows last season at Alberta Ferretti, Jil Sander, Max Mara, Pringle et al in Milan; so much, too, for the Italian 16-and-over directive. But, I hear you wail, what of the clothes? Well, there was a smattering of brilliance to tempt even the most poverty stricken. At Marc by Marc Jacobs, I loved the bright, chunky necklaces worn as a belt or like a string of bullets across one shoulder. All the bags were intentionally cheap looking - like something a student might draw peace signs on with a Biro. The mainline Marc Jacobs show was the usual hysterical bun fight, the only shock being it started only 12 minutes late: times must be hard. While I was underwhelmed, many in the business almost fainted at the spectacle. Rachel Zoe, the stylist credited with giving us size zero celebrities in tight white pants, sheer floaty tops and a tan, could only mutter, 'I'm sorry, I'm just so overwhelmed' after the show, which featured 53 looks. Phillip Lim and Carlos Miele produced wearable, sexy shows. Great, too, was Derek Lam, who sent out neutral, sporty clothes that were eminently wearable. Another lauded newcomer was Alexander Wang, but I thought his collection was too reminiscent of Eighties' Katharine Hamnett, as was the collection at Preen, which featured big, floaty shirts in parachute silk. I liked the DKNY parka dresses, denim jumpsuits and boyfriend jackets, but the overall effect reminded me a little of an MC Hammer video. But while few designers could come up with anything new, a handful took their designs up a notch. Victoria Beckham, Marc Jacobs, and Jennifer Lopez Vera Wang was exquisite: ultra-light, sheer gazar and taffeta confections that were feminine and dynamic. I loved the skinny bottle green satin trousers worn under floaty tops. Like most designers, she showed simply tons of jewels at waist and neck. Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti was very pretty, with beaded dresses cinched at the waist with Sam Brown belts - a sort of high-end hippie look for the incredibly young and the incredibly well-off. Oscar de la Renta's show on Park Avenue was so classy and timeless - wide, Kate Hepburn trousers, lashings of costume jewellery, beautifully crafted day dresses and drop-dead gorgeous evening wear - that you could almost forget that the biggest seller in the U.S. is a pair of Sarah Palin spectacles. After all that money and effort, after so many flutes of champagne poured down scrawny throats, come next spring you will be wearing shoulder pads, all-in-ones, clown suits, shorts, racer-back T-shirts, clumpy shoes (still!), combat pants, leggings, one-shouldered jersey dresses, bucket-loads of gaudy costume jewellery and the tightest white jeans I have ever seen, courtesy of Rock Republic. Hollywood stars were out in force last week, shipped in to add moral support and boost column inches. There was Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder and Uma Thurman at almost every show I went to, but by far the most ubiquitous celebrity was Jennifer Lopez. Which prompted me to think: God, this woman has twins. Why is she not at home covered in pureed banana? But therein lies the essence of New York fashion week. These people are superhuman, not like you and me at all. Maybe at London Fashion Week, which continues all week and which has already seen Allegra Hicks cancel her show due to lack of sponsorship, we will be brought back down to earth with a bump. She's red hot! Alessandra Ambrosio looks sensational in futuristic Fire and Ice shoot for Muse By UPDATED:07:57 GMT, 28 November 2011Her legion of male fans are used to seeing Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio looking feminine.But the gorgeous Brazilian still managed to look sensational in an androgynous shoot titled Fire and Ice for Muse magazine.The 30-year-old looked stunning in the sci-fi themed pictures for the winter edition of the popular fashion periodical.Fans of the supermodel will be shocked to see how different she looks in the two different covers produced from the spectacular collection of photographs.She sported a sleek bob in two different colours for the Italian fashion publication's latest offering.Top photographer Chad Pitman was behind the camera for the uniquely styled shoot, which featured plenty of interesting colour contrasts. Those shoes were made for walking! Alex Gerrard explores her girly side as she steps out in matching pastel accessories By PUBLISHED:17:42 GMT, 28 August 2012 UPDATED:17:42 GMT, 28 August 2012A well-rested Alex Gerrard might have swapped the sun soaked beaches of Portugal for the streets of Liverpool, but the 29-year-old WAG is clearly still in the holiday spirit.Making the most of her holiday tan, after spending last week frolicking on the beach with her children and friends, the wife of England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has returned to England to finish off the summer in her home town.Despite the changing weather, the blonde mother of three clearly wanted to catch the last days of the season. And she ensured she did exactly that by matching a pastel pink Alexander Wang studded bag with a pair of co-ordinating studded pink trainers.The look is a welcome change from her usual skyscraper heels.The fashion enthusiast was certainly out to prove her style credentials by pairing her summery accessories with a snakeskin jacket and jeans, a far more casual look than her usual glam ensembles.After showing off her amazing bikini body on holiday last week, spending all of her days in a number of skimpy bikinis, Alex seemed more than happy to cover herself up with a baggy white t-shirt covering her toned body today (Tuesday).All smiles! Alex Gerrard hits the streets of her hometown of Liverpool after holidaying in sunny PortugalAlthough the sun might have disappeared, she kept her favourite Aviators firmly over her eyes as she hit the streets, her long blonde hair complimenting her deep tan.After spending the last few months partying hard with her husband and a host of famous friends at exotic locations around the world, including Las Vegas, the fashion columnist seemed happy to be back on home turf.She couldnt keep the smile off her face as she wandered through the city that she knows so well, probably ready to spend a little time at home as her husband buckles down to a busy football season.After Liverpools disappointing defeat to West Brom last week, his mind will most definitely have to be on footballing, rather than partying in the sun. Tight enough for you? Amber Rose arrives at London Fashion Week in an eye-watering Lycra dressBy UPDATED:12:52 GMT, 23 February 2011Kanye West's ex-girlfriend Amber Rose made sure she was centre of attention at a London Fashion Week bash yesterday in a skintight dress that left little to the imagination. The 27-year-old flamboyant fashionista was sporting the black outfit with a zip up the back and skyscraper white platforms to the Bodyamr catwalk show at TheVauxhall Fashion Scout event in Freemasons Hall, London.The shaven-headed star's outfit was certainly more extreme than the orange concoction she sported the previous day for the Love magazine party held in honour for Alexander Wang at Liberty.Also at the bash were Louise Redknapp in a fluffy cream coat, skin tight black trousers and black stilettos, and Tamara Ecclestone, who was wearing a silver top with mushroom-coloured jeans.The London-based label, which was created by Amr Ali, is clearly a celebrity favourite with its mix of rather rockstar-ish metallics, sky-scraper heels, furs and silks. Amber meanwhile has taken up with another rap star, albeit a much less famous one. The wannabe fashion designer and model is now stepping out with Pittsburg hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa, 23.Better known to his mother as Cameron Thomaz, Wiz confirmed earlier this month that he had got together with Rose and that their relationship status was 'currently cool.'Amber meanwhile Tweeted back: 'I need my baby, I'm so in LOVE I don't care what anyone saysmy heart is with Cam.'Meanwhile, Kanye appeared to be referring to his somewhat exhibitionist former girlfriend's choice of attire yesterday - or maybe her choice of new boyfriend - when he tweeted on Sunday night: 'Exes never change.' American model Ashley Smith makes a splash in Cannes in a stylish swimsuitBy UPDATED:22:57 GMT, 19 May 2011Rising model Ashley Smith found a way to get noticed amid the galaxy of stars holidaying in Cannes this week. The 20-year-old, who was recently named the face of designer Alexander Wang's T collection, put her figure on show in a black one piece. Her Norma Kamali swimsuit is a favourite among curvy women - Modern Family's Sofia Vergara wore a blue version for her recent Pepsi advertisement. American actress Rosario Dawson, 32, also joined the model and friends on the high seas. Smith was first discovered as a young teen at the the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.She has appeared in editorial campaigns for Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and has also starred in runway shows for Jen Kao and Prada. The 5ft 8in gapped teeth, she has a similar look to British models Lara Stone and Georgia Jagger. She recently said she is flattered by comparisons to Stone, who is married to comedian David Walliams. 'I think she has cleared an amazing path for me!' Smith says. 'But I am my own person and have many different things to bring to this industry.'She also in a interview with Fashionista.com last year that she had considered getting braces before her modelling career. She said: 'Yeah I thought about it a lot when I was little, I even went to the dentist to get it fixed, but Ive never actually had all the money in one place to be able to do it. Now it makes me money!'She also says her buxom figure - she is a 32D - is both a blessing and a curse. 'I believe its a deciding factor for a lot of jobs, because it effects the clothes so much.'But its part of me! So one day theywill just adjust all the clothes to my bust, rather than me having to adjust my breasts for their clothes.'Smith also has aspirations beyond modelling. 'Ive always wanted to be a Broadway actress,' she has said. 'You know Little Shop of Horrors? Im gonna playAudrey one day! Just you wait.' Who's that girl? Tyra Banks mocks her new model recruits in promo videoBy UPDATED:13:36 GMT, 24 February 2011As an experienced supermodel who has reached the dizzying heights of catwalk and cover girl fame you would think she would be more sympathetic to aspiring wannabes.But instead of welcoming her new recruits with open arms, Tyra Banks has mocked the models-in-the-making in a film clip for her new series of Americas Next Top Model.Portraying three very different girls the 37-year-old model made fun of the young girls hoping to recreate her success. In the video, broadcast just before the first show, Tyra interprets three very different girls, a sweet and innocent 19-year-old, a fierce and determined young lady , and an edgier rocker type.Dressed in a long blonde wig as the clueless and overexcited caricature, Tyra proclaimed she really wanted to be Americas next big thing, her favourite designer was Hello Kitty - and she would do anything but cut her hair.Next came the aggressive type who declared she wasnt taking part to make friends as Tyra portrayed an ambitious and feisty recruit. Finally Tyra donned a short jet black wig, dark make-up and a floor-length black gown for her final impression of the girl who just doesnt care. Gothic Tyra declared that she didnt want to be there and said that she didnt know the first thing about what she was doing.The promo video came ahead of the first show of the series, which has enjoyed considerable success in the U.S. and around the globe in spin-off shows. Tyra, who has enjoyed a lengthy and successful modelling career, has managed to cultivate a TV brand from her model series as well as her own self-titled show.The video cameo was aired ahead of the introduction of her newest batch of rookies, with the first show in the series broadcast in America last night. Tyra has taken to Twitter to promote her show and posted a photo of herself along with the caption: You think we're PLAYIN'?! Watch Top Model's premiere TONIGHT! And the first show certainly didnt disappoint with plenty of cringe-worthy moments to enjoy, including the girls having to walk in Alexander Wang on a water runway inside a plastic bubble.But while Tyras professional life is going from strength to strength her personal life was troublesome towards the end of last year.In October she was granted a temporary restraining order against her 'mentally unstable stalker' Marten Williams Jr.In documents filed at LA County Superior Court by her attorney, Evan Spiegel, the supermodel-turned-talk show host states: 'I am in fear from Mr Williams for my personal safety, and that of those around me, including my family and employees.'The model also claimed the man had a history of mental illness - and that he believes 'he killed George Bush Jr. and that Michael Jackson is alive and well and living in Long Beach'.In addition, she claimed 39-year-old - who is 6'2" and 220lb - left several 'ominous frightening letters and items' at her home, including his prescription medication, L.A. County jail wristbands and a note referencing a wedding ceremony set for 1/08/11 - the day he believes he and Tyra are set to marry.She alleged that Williams has 'targeted and harassed and stalked' her and her family for the past four years.U.S. website TMZ reports that Williams had been arrested just earlier this month for trespassing on Tyra's Beverly Hills property. At the time Williams told police he was bringing Tyra 'offerings.'He was later placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold, but Tyra's people believe he may have already been released. In the documents Tyra requested that Williams stayed at least 100 yards away from her and her family.Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.Chic clique crib sheet: An insider's guide to London Fashion WeekBy UPDATED:11:30 GMT, 7 September 2009Want to get with the London Fashion Week gang? Then learn whos who and strut your stuff in six-inch heels, says Jo Blythe KNOW THE UNIFORMSOoh, we do love a fashion tribe. The most contentious being the RSIs (rich socialite interns), marked out for their precocious fashion sense (see Gossip Girl), powerful connections and limitless funds to splash on new designer garb Alexander Wang and Luella are favourites. The RSIs are slowly but surely taking over, says one fashion PR. I remember when I was a teenage intern, being so envious of my bosss designer clothes. Now its the other way round! Note: they are not necessarily the coolest girls on the block, but they are ambitious and therefore worth knowing you never can tell whose shoes theyll be slipping into in ten years time. Next come the FASHION BUYERS. I call them the fashion witches, jokes Brix Smith-Start, owner of Shoreditchs Start boutique and star of Goks Fashion Fix, because they always wear all black. Its very severe and purposeful they want to look like they mean business. The buyers can make or break a designer commercially by giving them their first sales outlet. After all, theres no point being splashed across fashion pages if no one is stocking your clothes. You cant live on PR.Then theres the MOD (model off duty) look black tuxedo jacket, elegantly distressed Alexander Wang T-shirt (retail: £165) and tight ripped jeans. Youll know theyre important if theyre in a rush only new girls have time to loiter at limitless castings. The top names have private fittings and wear the hottest bags and shoes samples left over from shooting next seasons big-label campaigns.Finally you have THE HANGERS-ON: friends of friends, fashion students and assistants who have managed to blag standing tickets. Desperate to prove their fashion credentials, they make too much of an effort and look completely out of place for being so utterly bang on trend either with head-to-toe current-season branded designer garb or (particularly if theyre students) wildly creative, ironic concoctions of vintage and high street. DONT BE FOOLED THE IT-BAG WAS NEVER OUT OF FASHIONThe style press would have us believe that, in these penny-pinching times, the £800-plus It-bag phenomenon is over, but take a look at any fashion show front row and next to the designer-clad feet youll see a row of the very latest bags by Gucci, Mulberry and Yves Saint Laurent. Why? Because everyone loves a free bag. Leading brands regularly gift the latest design to an elite of editors prior to each season in the hope of currying favour, and, better still, the editors being photographed toting them. Editors frequently oblige. THINK VINTAGEYou cant beat the kudos of wearing a designer vintage original, a YSL tuxedo jacket or original Halston, particularly if the look is being reinvented in current collections. But savvy fashion lovers are taking it one step further by investing in pieces with the intention of wearing them as vintage five years from now. The most fashion-forward, explains Kristian Laliberte, New York fashion publicist and consultant, will buy pieces by an iconic designer rumoured to be leaving a particular fashion house, knowing they will be red-hot just a year or so down the line. For example, Tom Ford leaving Gucci in 2004, or Hedi Slimane leaving Dior in 2007. The equivalent today would be people buying Alber Elbaz, rumoured to be leaving Lanvin to take over from Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel (or for that matter, buying Lagerfeld, for the same reason). Galliano designs from his period at Givenchy are now traded like fine art. THE HIGHER THE HEEL, THE MORE POWERFUL THE FOOTThe uber-heel says: I have not had to run for a bus, stand in a queue or walk in the rain to reach this show. Six-inchers are now de rigueur for those who lap up the latest designs. (This season the must-haves are YSL leopard Tribute sandals that measure 512 inches high and retail for a staggering £735.) At work, insiders may have flats under their desks, but for fashion weeks its stilettos at dawn and dusk.LOGOS ARE NO-GOExcept for the requisite (free) It-bag, dont expect to see logos on display. The fashion crowd relish wearing pieces by subtle stealth brands that can only be identified by a knowledgeable few. Christian Louboutin, with his trademark red soles, used to be a great example of this before WAGs discovered him too. For many, the apex of stealth is Belgian label Maison Martin Margiela. Margiela pieces have no labels and are identified only by four tiny external white stitches. SPEAK FASHIONESEYoull need to swot up on your vocab if you want to blend in. Blag it as an editor by referring to your next issue as the book (I can soo see the Day-Glo shirt in our February book); to parts of a show you particularly liked as stories (I just loved the Christopher Kane knitwear story, didnt you?), and to good pieces as strong (I thought his collection was very strong). Fashion has also fallen in love with odd-looking or interesting models in recent years. To sound really in the know, refer to them by their insider name of jolies-laides. Literal translation: pretty-ugly. Fashionese definition: unconventionally beautiful. Not pretty, then, but distinctive.GET YOURSELF PAPPEDNonchalant they may appear, but fashionistas are acutely aware of the need to be photographed, particularly for prolific style bloggers such as the Sartorialist, who snap the best outfits coming out of the shows People will work their outfit, and time their departure from a show, with a view to getting stopped, says Kristian Laliberte. Most likely to be photographed is a look that mixes high street and designer names, preferably with one hot item that no one else has been able to get their hands on. Aim for indefinable chic, but crucially not over-styled. It should look like youve just thrown it on. The Olsen twins join fashion's hottest names as they make list of top 30 designers and artists under 30 By UPDATED:10:30 GMT, 22 December 2011Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen have been included in a list of fashion's top 30 names under 30-years-old.The former child stars, both 25, who shot to fame on Full House, made the list thanks to a multi-million-dollar clothing empire.Their labels include the high-end The Row, which has been worn by Michelle Obama, mid-priced Elizabeth James, ant the cheaper teen line Olsenboye, which is sold exclusively at JC Penney.They are also behind fashion website StyleMint, which recently collaborated with Rachel Bilson.The high-achieving twins were joined in the round-up by rising industry stars such as Joseph Altuzarra, 28, tipped by the title to be the next Marc Jacobs.Mr Altuzarra worked at Marc Jacobs and Givenchy before starting his own line Altuzarra in 2008.The designer told the title that he aims to 'create clothes for women in their 40s and 50s and 60s who have careers and are sexy and don't want to looklike grandmothers.Another Marc Jacobs alumni, Chris Benz, also won a deserved position on the list.The 29-year-old, who also designed for J Crew before starting his own line in 2007, is known for his trademark use of texture, as flamboyantas his signature pink hair colour.Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, 27, the son offormer French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld was given a nod for his successful pop-up galleries in New York, Paris and London and private art dealer business.And fashion industry favourite Alexander Wang was included for his label which has already become a 'full-blown lifestyle brand' despite the designer still being two years shy of his 30th birthday.Other notable names that featured were accessories designer Pamela Love, 29, and Zana Bayne, 23, whose detailed leather harnesses are a favourite with Lady Gaga.Conceptual artist JR, painter Jacob Kassay and artist Aaron Koblin were those chosen from the art world by an esteemed panel of judges including Chuck Close, Jeffery Deitch and Simon Doonan.Battle of the supermodels! Bar Rafaeli is all legs in white lace... as buxom Kate Upton takes the plunge in a low-cut black gown By PUBLISHED:23:34 GMT, 9 September 2012 UPDATED:06:56 GMT, 10 September 2012As cover girl for the much anticipated first issue of CR Fashion Book, Kate Upton appears clutching five fluffy chicks above her ample cleavage.And at the launch of former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld's new magazine last night, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model again chose to highlight her buxom figure in a tight-fitting gown with plenty of cleavage.The magazine's first cover girl looked sultry and glamorous at The Frick Collection museum in New York, with tousled hair, smokey eye make-up and an eye-catching silver and amber necklace. The 20-year-old beauty had plenty of competition at the supermodel-heavy event, however, not least of all from Bar Rafaeli.The Israeli model defied the event's long gown-only dress code, turning up in a very short white lace number which showcased her fabulous pins.Alessandra Ambrosio also dazzled in the leg department while managing to adhere to the dress code, wearing a long black gown with a daring split up the side.Karlie Kloss also graced the event with her presence in a black evening gown. The 20-year-old American has been ranked 2nd on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com, and declared one of the top 30 models of the decade by Vogue Paris.Other fashion luminaries in attendance included American fashion designer Alexander Wang, dressed head-to-toe in black, and Victoria's Secret Angel Doutzen Kroes.The 27-year-old Dutch model also stuck to the international language of fashion, wearing a stunning black backless gown, her blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Kate Upton was an interesting choicefor the first issue of CR Fashion Book, given that she straddles the worlds of high fashion and male fantasy.She first shot to notice in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011, when she was named Rookie of the Year, and appeared again this year, when she was announced as the cover model.Editor Carine Roitfeld, who edited French Vogue for a decade, became known for her controversial layouts populated by exposed breasts and cigarettes.But the French native says her new magazine will head in a different direction. Bare your sole: How to pull off 'flatforms' - the season's strangest footwear trendBy UPDATED:13:26 GMT, 18 March 2011Anyone who remembers wearing Buffalo shoes in the Nineties will understand the concept of 'flatforms'.Marrying the comfort of flat shoes with the height of heels, the heavy-soled footwear was a hit with vertically-challenged teenagers - despite the fact that they looked vaguely geriatric.Now the style is back, and it's been given a designer makeover. Chanel, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors all featured flatforms on their spring runways. Setting a trend: 'Flatform' wedge shoes appeared in several designers' spring collections, including Chanel (left) Derek Lam for eBay (centre) and Michael Kors (right)Prada's $795 foam-soled Brothel Creeper has already sold out, and imitations are selling like hotcakes.Holly Shoes' version is uncannily similar, and at just $92, costs a fraction of the price.But as the days get hotter, open-toed sandal versions will also come into their own. Topshop and Tory Burch both have myriad options, while Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren both do a nice line in espadrille soles.They aren't just for dressing down either - Lanvin's snake-print sole with slinky ribbon straps oozes glamour, and we love the punchy hue of Sergio Rossi's satin wedges.In fact we rate them more than Prada's loafer style, which might prove difficult to wear - unless, of course, you are one of the label's catwalk models and have legs like pipe-cleaners.We reckon flatform sandals will look fantastic in summer with boyish tailored shorts. But if you aren't confident about your legs, try using them to give height to wide-legged trousers or flares for an equally-on-trend Seventies look.SIX OF THE BEST FLATFORMS FOR SUMMER Whoops! Former Disney princess Brenda Song is left red-faced after flashing a little too much flesh in a transparent dressBy UPDATED:16:38 GMT, 25 March 2011She's been on screen since the tender age of six, appearing in her first television series in 1994.So you would think that actress Brenda Song, now 22, would know better.But the former Disney princess and star of Oscar-nominated The Social Network made a rookie error yesterday when she visited a Beverly Hills hair salon wearing a tight black maxi dress which turned transparent under the harsh flash of paparazzi cameras.The actress, who starred in children's television series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and spin-off The Suite Life On Deck from 2005 to 2010, seemed unaware of her slip-up as she smiled for the cameras.Brenda was keen to keep her freshly styled hair away from the Los Angeles downpour with a large umbrella held by a friend.But even that couldn't hide her exposed derrière and underwear as she climbed the steps outside the salon. Brenda wore her cotton dress which had a leotard-style top with a low-slung silver belt and leopard print ballet flats.She added a studded satchel bag by designer Alexander Wang and large heart-sunglasses.Miss Song, who also appeared in other television shows Hannah Montana and The Wizards of Waverly Place, recently graduated from Disney to more grown-up roles.She played Mark Zuckerberg's sidekick Eduardo Saverin's girlfriend Christy in The Social Network.She put in a comedic performance as the Facebook co-founder's (played by Andrew Garfield) unbalanced love interest.She will next be seen in Boogie Town, a modern hip-hop version of classic musical West Side Story.Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.Celebrity dresserby EMILY SHEFFIELD, Evening StandardVera Wang doesn't enjoy the Academy Awards. 'Oh God!' she moans,when I mention the impending ceremony, rolling her eyesheavenwards, exhausted at the thought. 'It's a nightmare - thefashion Olympics,' she groans.'Every time it comes I'm like f**k, f**k! The pressure isenormous. At Christmas I'm breaking out in hives and by New Year'sEve, I'm saying, 'Here it comes, here it all comes.'The American designer's reaction is surprising. After all, theerudite 53-year-old (she looks closer to 40) has fashioned a600 million empire out of dressing women for big events.Her customers include Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and UmaThurman. You'd think she would be as cool as a cucumber. But thenormally upbeat designer has a right to feel apprehensive: "I had arotten time last year; I lost everyone,' she says.'Eight dresses discarded at the last moment by eight stars. I'dbetter not lose the two I'm planning to dress this time - twounbelievable women,' she frets. And, no, she can't leton who they are.With millions of television viewers worldwide, the Oscars are adesigner's dream. And the stars manipulate this to their advantage,forcing the likes of Emanuel Ungaro and Calvin Klein to run aroundthem like lackeys.'Big stars always change their minds at the last minute. Youdon't know if they're wearing your design until you see them on thetelly.'We meet at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. Wang's loud NewYork drawl more than makes up for her diminutive frame and itcontinues to rise as she considers the countdown to 23 March.This year she is taking no chances and is travelling to LA toattend personally to her flighty clients' needs.'I try not to go because it's exhausting. In 1996, I took thered-eye from New York and landed at 8.30am the day of the Oscars,went straight to meet Alicia Silverstone for a lastminute fitting,then on to Barneys to dress Sharon Stone, then was back at theairport by 4.30pm for my flightOn the odd occasion, however, Wang has refused to enter theOscars race. 'A few years ago, there was this major star up for anOscar and everyone made dresses for her; I think Armani made sevenand Calvin Klein told me he was sending over a couple of gowns.'She shrugs.'But I just refused to be in the sweepstakes, even though I gota personal call from that person.'If celebrities get this much expert advice, how can they stillget it so wrong? Jennifer Connelly resembled a limp lettuce inbeige Balenciaga last year, while Gwyneth Paltrow was a disaster insee-through black Alexander McQueen. Wang nods in agreement.'It goes wrong when they try to be too clever; the designer mustsuit the person's character. And hair and make-up are vital.Evening wear can easily step into the realm of the absurd, and lookoverwrought.'Wang has that problem solved. She is great at creating fluid,sensual pieces, with intricate details and soft, flatteringsilhouettes. As she says: 'My clothes don't scream titsandass.'Exactly what you want from a wedding dress, which is why shesells more than 10,000 a year, in London (from Liberty and TheWedding Shop) and in America. They start at 3,000 foroff-the-peg, with sky-is-the-limit for couture. .Naturally, Wang has netted her fair share of celebritybrides.Sharon Stone chose body-hugging mauve chiffon; Uma Thurman waseight months pregnant, so had "a sort of Grecian-look', and KateHudson wore Wang as, 'I'm friends with all the family'.Her best-known British client was Victoria Beckham, who paid45,000 for the cream-silk wedding gown she wore in 1999.'Victoria's was the most elaborate dress,' says Wang, proudly.'We called it the Transatlantic because it kept being jettedfrom one country to another to have things added. But she was theperfect client, a true fashionista with an incredible body. Davidis the most romantic guy,' she gushes.'He walked her up in the elevator to meet me. I don't know manymen who would do that. I wish I could have dressed him.'Not surprisingly, wedding wear for the groom is her nextproject.Victoria had first approached Wang in 1997. 'Then she rang a fewmonths later to say she was pregnant. I didn't know if I'd lost herbut she called a year later and said, 'Now, we're ready to go.'Like many brides, Posh got thinner as the big day loomed. 'Ithink about 5lb in the last weeks,' recalls Wang. 'I don't normallykeep adjusting dresses up to the last minute but this was a labourof love.'It was Wang's dissatisfaction with her own wedding dress thatcaused her to quit Ralph Lauren in 1990 to launch Bridal House, aone-stop wedding shop.She married late - at 40 - to businessman Arthur Becker, andsaid searching for her own dress was 'horrifying'.'I didn't know what I was looking for. I didn't want to wearwhite but Arthur insisted. In the end I designed my own lace bodiceand an A-line full skirt, but I took it off after the service.'Bridal House has long been replaced by her increasinglyubiquitous label and she is currently in London to launch hersignature scent, already a best seller in the US.I imagine that Wang is the type who doesn't drink, eats onlylettuce leaves, and is at her desk by 6am. 'Oh, no,' she laughs. 'Idrink a lot, don't exercise, I just play golf. I get into theoffice for 10 but I work late.'Like many women, she has to balance career with family. She hastwo daughters: nine-year-old Josephine and Cecilia, 12. 'I domanage to spend time with them - we have wonderful holidays.' Holidays are not an option for now. Wang won't be resting untilshe sees her dresses float up that Hollywood aisle later thismonth.Share this article: CFDA Awards 2012: Kate Bosworth and Dakota Fanning join the models and moguls at 'fashion's Oscars' By PUBLISHED:00:27 GMT, 5 June 2012 UPDATED:20:30 GMT, 5 June 2012The style set turned out in force last night for the CFDA Awards in New York, and made sure to dress for the occasion.Industry greats, including Anna Wintour, Diane Von Fursteberg and Michael Kors, rubbed shoulders with Victoria's Secret supermodels and A-list actresses, all present to pay tribute to their favourite labels.Kate Bosworth, Zoe Saldana and Dakota Fanning were among those to attend. Mad Men's Jessica Pare looked striking in Jason Wu and The Help actress Jessica Chastain looked ethereal in Prabal Gurung. The Olsen twins, though, were unarguably the stars of the night. From their arrival at Lincoln Center on the arm of Lauren Hutton, debuting Mary-Kate's new dark locks, to their taking homethe Womenswear Designer of the Year title, they stole the show.The glamorous attendees piled into the venue to witness America's greatest design talents receive awards in categories that ranged from Accessory Designer Of The Year (Reed Krakoff) to the Fashion Icon Award, which belonged to actor Johnny Depp, though he was unable to attend.Ms Hutton, 68, stood out from the crowd in simplecream, opting for a suit designed by The Row, the Olsen twins' label, paired with a white T-shirt. Her designer friends made for a dramatic contrast as they posed beside her for photographs - Mary-Kate arrived in floor-length black while her sister popped in an equally-long magenta creation.Miss Saldana also turned heads in a black floor-length Prabal Gurung gown that featured sheer panels at the waist and sleeves as well as a sheer skirt that trailed behind her.Dakota Fanning also made a statement in a short Asian-inspired Proenza Schouler gown paired with black booties. Pulling out all the stops: Heather Graham (left) wearing Nicole Miller, Sophia Bush in a David Meister gown (centre) and Mandy Moore (right) dressed in a Lela Rose gown Jessica Chastain, who served as one of the night's presenters, arrived in an ultra feminine, shimmering knee-length Prabal Gurung design.And the other Jessica, Pare who plays Megan Draper in the AMC series Mad Men, also played presenter during the evening in an elegant black and bright pink Jason Wu design.Of course, models dressed to impress at the CFDA Awards also. Candice Swanepoel's pale blue Valentino lace worn with a braided hairdo was a sure winner, as was Joan Smalls' white mullet-hem Michael Kors gown that she teamed with gold accessories and a pink lip. Dazzling designers: Cynthia Rowley (left), Tory Burch (middle) and Tabitha Simmons (right) Designs on life: Alice Olivia designer Stacey Bendet (left), CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg (centre) and hat designer Eugenia Kim in one of her own headpieces (right), also attended the event Karen Elson wore a Proenza Schouler two-piece that bared her slim midriff, Devon Aoki wore a strapless peplum Alice + Olivia gown that fell to the ground and flared out into a trail.Hilary Rhoda arrived in an all-blue Rebecca Minkoff cutout design that featured a split at one side.CFDA Fashion Awards 2010: Super sleek Gwyneth Paltrow goes head to head with Sarah Jessica ParkerBy UPDATED:11:32 GMT, 8 June 2010There was a lot of competition, but Gwyneth Paltrow stole the show as she arrived for the star-studded CFDA Fashion Awards last night.The actress was dressed in a sleek fitted glimmering black Michael Kors gown, which clung to her toned figure. With her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her asymmetrical dress flattered her statuesque shape.But the 37-year-old had plenty of challengers for the best-dressed crown at the Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City on Monday. Amongst the other guests were Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore a brightly patterned fairytale gown from late friend Alexander McQueen's pre-autumn 2010 collection and posed with designer Diane Von Furstenberg.Paltrow and Parker couldn't have looked more different, but their stunning outfits were equally eye-catching.The Sex And The City star, 45, paid tribute to McQueen, who committed suicide in February, before a string of models presented his final collection in a catwalk show.She said it was 'with honour andgreat regret' that she was helping marking his contribution to thefashion world and passing, adding: 'I would have loved to see what he would do next.'Joining Gwyneth in black was supermodel Iman, in a fishtailed strapless Giambattista Valli gown, and Canadian model Jessica Stam.Somaliansupermodel Iman, who attended with her rock star husband David Bowie,received the Fashion Icon accolade from her friend, actress Isabella Rossellini.During the 54-year-old's acceptance speech, Iman joked to her famous spouse: 'Move over, you're not the only icon in the house.' All white: (L-R) Teen actress Dakota Fanning in a Marchesa mini, American model Hilary Rhoda and American actress Dree Hemingway Flesh tones: (L-R) Estonian model Carmen Kass, British TV presenter Alexa Chung in Marc Jacobs, and Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel Should Jessica Alba REALLY be taking style tips from Cheryl Cole? Actress's take on singer's X Factor fashion disaster By UPDATED:10:16 GMT, 7 June 2011It seems that Jessica Alba has taken a leaf out of Cheryl Cole's style book for her red-carpet appearance at the CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, last night. But perhaps she should have read the reviews first. The 30-year-old pregnant actress stepped out in an orange and purple gown reminiscent of the outfit Cheryl wore for the very first US X Factor auditions last month.Even though she looked pretty in the gown, the flowing Diane Von Furtstenberg frock featuring a coral top with lilac billowing skirt, evoked memories of Cheryl's now infamous colour-blocking faux pas.And rather than offend with a back-combed bouffant, Jessica wore her hair slicked back in a simple chignon up-do exposing some oversized earrings. She accessorised the look with some sparkly stilettos, bejewelled cuffs and a simple clutch. Cheryl turned heads for the wrong reasons when she slipped into a pair of figure-hugging purple Diane Von Furstenburg flares, paired with an orange Oscar De La Renta top and pale blue Burberry belt. Immediately there were mixed reviews over the bold outfit, and they weren't fabulous.The ensemble was as bright as the one she wore to kick-start her US career, but it was met with some scathing criticism.A source within the production team told The Mail on Sunday: Obviously Cheryl is a gorgeous woman, but she turned up to the first days filming of The X Factor looking a bit weird in purple flares. Everyone was talking about how she looked - but for all the wrong reasons.'Cheryl has since been sacked from the talent show and replaced by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger in one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the talent show to date. The ongoing saga of the U.S. X Factor judging panel was confirmed last week as show bosses announced Nicole would indeed be replacing Cheryl.It emerged over the weekend that Cheryl had been invited to return to her role after being fired a fortnight ago, but she snubbed the offer, leaving the Nicole free to take her place.Fox, FremantleMedia North America and Syco TV released a statement this afternoon announcing the news.It read: 'Nicole Scherzinger will be replacing Cheryl Cole on the judging panel of The X Factor.'Nicole will join Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and Paula Abdul on their search across America to find the next global superstar or group to win the life-changing $5million dollar recording deal.'Nicole has previously joined Simon Cowell as a guest judge on The X Factor for the UK version of the show in 2010. Steve Jones will act as sole host of The X Factor.'Show bosses did an unexpected U-turn when they offered Cheryl her job back on Saturday. She was given 24 hours to decide, but after previously knocking back a consolation-style offer of returning to her old post on the UK version, Cheryl now appears to be severing ties with the franchise.Show sources were quick to point out that an official comment had never been released confirming Mrs Coles axing and that her picture and biography had been kept up on the Fox X Factor website.But friends of the Girls Aloud star believe their silence is part of Fox executives' plan to wriggle out of paying Cheryl out - as they were banking on her not turning up to the next auditions on Wednesday, making her in breach of contract.But the singer is thought to have threatened to make public emails and text messages that prove she was indeed fired, the Daily Mirror claim. Now we've really seen it ALL: Lady Gaga leaves nothing to the imagination as she hits the dancefloor in a sheer body suit By Created 3:20 AM on 7th June 2011After accidentally exposing her nipples as she arrived at the CFDA Fashion Awards, Lady Gaga decided she may as well go the whole hog at the after-party.The flamboyant singer ended up removing her custom-made Mugler gown to just the sheer bodysuit underneath, leaving nothing to the imagination.The 25-year-old had just nipple covers and a G-string protecting what little modesty she had left as she danced at the bash at The Standard hotel in New York.The singer was clearly in high spirits after being named Fashion Icon at the CFDA Fashion Awards hours earlier.Her revealing after-party outfit came hours after Gaga's wardrobe malfunction on the purple carpet at the awards at the Lincoln Center.Posing with her left arm clutching her turquoise wig, it was hardly surprising that the precarious outfit gave way.Gaga was assisted by a minder as she arrived at Alice Tully Hall, staggering around in a staggering pair of 24in vertiginous platform heels. Designer Marc Jacobs received one of the biggest honours of the night from the Council of Fashion Designers of America - the Lifetime Achievement Award.The 48-year-old said: 'This achievement is born of love, passion, creativity and a hell of a lot of hard work.'I believe we all know and feel the greatest reward is the process itself.'Let's hear it for the boys! Marc Jacobs is man of the moment as fashion's hottest young talents sweep the board at CFDAsBy UPDATED:05:22 GMT, 7 June 2011It's the fashion industry's answer to the Oscars, and the night, for once, when the glory goes to the designers and not the stars they dress.And while there were plenty of celebrity friends present at the CFDAs in New York last night, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Marc Jacobs was undoubtedly the man of the moment.The designer, 48, who was given his 'half-lifetime' gong by close friend Sofia Coppola said in his speech: 'This achievement is born of love, passion, creativity... and a hell of a lot of hard work. I believe we all know and feel the greatest reward is the process itself.'But if he needed any reminding of the young talent snapping at his heels, it was the night's other honorees, which were in large part, new names.Lifetime Achievements aside, the big award of the evening - Womenswear Designer of the Year - went to Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler.The pair, whose company name comes from their mothers' maiden names, only founded their business in 2002, but have since won an army of fans including Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny.Naomi Watts presented the award in a metallic dress by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein, joking about the long walk across the stage in teetering heels. 'That was easy,' she said as she reached the podium. 'Fun doing it in a room full of supermodels.' Rising stars: Prabal Gurung (left), who won the Swarovski Womenswear Award for new talent; Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler who won the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award (centre) and Alexander Wang, who was given his Accessory Designer of the Year gong by Iris Apfel (right)Alexander Wang, who is just 27, beat veteran designer Reed Krakoff to take home the Accessory Designer of theYear Award, while Michelle Obama favourite Prabal Gurung beat the Olsentwins to win the Swarovski Womenswear Award for up-and-coming talent.And few could fail to notice a blue-haired Lady Gaga, who was present to collect her Fashion Icon Award - and true to form, she made an impression in a Thierry Mugler design by her friend and stylist Nicola Formichetti.The singer was teary-eyed as she made her speech that paid tribute to her supporters in the fashion industry.'All of you made me feel like a star before I was,' she said. Traditionalists would have been pleased to see that there were at least some well-established designers among the winners.Michael Bastian was named Menswear Designer of the Year, and Céline's PhoebePhilo was given the International Award, while the CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute Award was given to photographer Arthur Elgort.But not all will beimpressed with this year's roll-call of winners. When the CFDA nominations were first announced earlier this year, there was some controversy over the lack of well-established designer names.There were no nominations for Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Michael Kors and Calvin Kleins Francisco Costa - despite consistent industry acclaim.And while last year's Fashion Icon award was given to a 55-year-old Iman, this year's went to 24-year-old Gaga.EvenMr Jacobs was startled when it was announced that he was worthy of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The designer himself joked that it should just be a 'half-lifetime achievement award'.But Styleite writer Justin Fenner defended the organisation's choices: 'The CFDAs mission isnt to honour young designers, its to honour talented ones.'Either the people who run it think these young bucks are more talented than the old masters, or theyre changing course.'Nominations for each award category are submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Selection Committee, which is made up of around 300 members and over 500 fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists.Now THAT'S how you wear black! Miranda Kerr outshines the colourful A-listers at CFDA gala By UPDATED:14:18 GMT, 7 June 2011There may have been a kaleidoscope of colours at the CFDA Fashion Awards in New York last night, but all eyes were firmly fixed on Miranda Kerr. The stunning 28-year-old model managed to outshine a slew of A-listers in a stunning black Michael Kors skirt and top, sexily slashed at the thigh. She teamed the outfit, which came complete with cut out side panels, with a gold belt and gladiator-style gold cuffs, looking the epitome of high fashion.The 25-year-old singer, who wore Thierry Mugler, channelled a punk rock prom queen with a spiked corset style upper half, complete with sheer material across her décolletage, proving that the colour black could be just as eye-catching as they stolethe limelight from the ladies in brighter colours. The outfit, designed by her best friend and stylist, who works for the label, was unsurprisingly, short. The design flowed into a dramatic ruffled train, which the Born ThisWay singer teamed with a pair of 12inch platform heels.With a turquoise wig, the fashion icon added a splash of colour to her otherwise monochrome look. Standing out: Canadian actress and Entourage star Emmanuelle Chriqui, Australian actress Naomi Watts in Calvin Klein and British singer Estelle Classic black: (L-R) Designers Vera Wang and Nicole Miller and Real Housewives Of New York star Kelly BensimonCheryl Cole flies by the seat of her pants... in zip-up leather trousersBy UPDATED:08:53 GMT, 16 April 2009She was voted Best Dressed Women of 2009 in a magazine poll earlier this month, and last night Cheryl Cole did her best to live up to the title.The Girls Aloud singer stepped out in a stylish pair of skinny leather trousers with an unusual feature - a zip that travelled from the front to the back.Cheryl, 25, looked as a chic as ever in the £1,200 uber-tight pants bydesigner Alexander Wang which she teamed with a £6 purple vest fromTopShop and a lilac coloured leather jacket from Doma.Zipped up: Cheryl Cole donned a stylish pair of PVC trousers with a zip that travelled from the front to the back for a night at the Soho hotelShe jazzed up her ensemble with Jimmy Choo's Zebra Maia bag, which costs a rock-star-ish £1,561, a gold necklace and pair of Rupert Sanderson red stilettos.Cheryl spent the evening with her bandmates after turning down the chance to share the Chelsea players lounge with the WAGs she claims to detest while husband Ashley played Liverpool F.C. atStamford Bridge just four miles away.The group met up at the Soho hotel yesterday afternoon for aphotoshoot to promote their new single Untouchable, which is releasedon April 27. While Northern Irish bandmember Nadine Coyle swiftly left the hotelafter the shoot, the rest of the bandmates stayed behind to catch upand have dinner at the hotel's Refuel restaurant.Cheryl has been rarely seen at Chelsea games since she first started dating her now-husband Ashley in 2004.She has publicly denounced footballers' WAGS as 'bad as benefit scroungers, just a higher class of sponger'.In an interview with Vogue this year, Cheryl said WAGs had heads 'like wooden blocks, I am telling you'.Meanwhile, Cheryl's bandmate Sarah Harding was showing off her new tattoo in her sleeveless top.Girls night: Kimberley Walsh and Sarah Harding leave the hotel after a band meeting before their tour later this monthIn contrast to her glamorous bandmates, the feisty blonde wasdressed casually in an all-black outfit of cropped trousers, a t-shirtand a 'keffiyeh' Arabic scarf.Two weeks ago Sarah got a new tattoo on the inside of her left arm. The black etching is a Tibetan symbol for 'inner strength'.Kimberley opted for a hot pink dress with black opaque tights whileNicola teamed her pale complexion with a pink, orange, yellow and greenbandeau dress with gold strappy heels.The group are currently hard at work rehearsing for their upcoming tour.The Out of Control tour will kick off in Sarah's native Manchester on April 24.The 32-date will travel all over the British Isles, including Ireland and will end in Cheryl's hometown of Newcastle on June 6. Michelle in McQueen: First Lady's daring British choice as she represents America at China state dinner (and that's not the only controversial item on the menu)By UPDATED:14:26 GMT, 20 January 2011She was representing America at a state dinner hosting the man who is one of her husband's biggest rivals on the world stage - so you could be forgiven for expecting Michelle Obama to choose an American designer. But the First Lady has once again made a daring fashion choice, appearing instead last night in a fiery red gown by British designer Alexander McQueen.The Obamas were hosting Chinese president Hu Jintao at an elaborate state dinner in Washington last night- and Mrs Obama's fashion choice was not the only controversial thing on the menu.See video below Also on the star-studded list of the rich, powerful and glamourous attendees was Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth.China's human rights records was thrown into the spotlight again yesterday after a tense press conference in which Mr Hu and Mr Obama revealed the two countries do have 'some disagreements' - over human rights in particular. Mr Roth looked grim as he arrived in a tuxedo, with fellow human rights advocate Dr Annie Sparrow, clad in green. Hispresence was a reminder that even as Mr Obama pulled out all the stops to give Mr Hu the red carpet treatment on his trip - with billions of dollars in trade agreements at stake - China's human rights record will not go unnoticed. With all the possible tensions that could spill over at the dinner, Mrs Obama needed to dazzle. Her flame-coloured silk organza with an asymentrical neckline and black detail is 'very glamourous', said Kate Betts, author of the new book 'Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style'.'Red is an obvious colour because in the Chinese color it means good luck, but you expect an American or an American-based designer for an occasion like this,' Ms Betts,who is also a contributing editor at Time magazine, said. 'But she's always surprising, and that's why we're all rivetedby her.'The Alexander McQueen label is one of the most respected in style circles. The much-loved British designer committed suicide a year ago.But the brand has continued under the stewardship of his former assistant Sarah Burton, who, like Mr McQueen, is a Londoner who shows her collections in Paris.The choice of McQueen further adds to Mrs. Obama's fashion credibility, said Ms Betts. She's known as a champion of up-and-coming talent, but also mixes and matches top designers with mass retail brands.Fashion was further represented at the evening's A-list event with designer Vera Wang and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour both on the guest list. And in a nod to the trade deals, America's most powerful businessman were there, turned out in their best: Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein, Microsoft's Steven Ballmer and JP Morgan Chase head Jamie Dimon among them. Celebrity star power arrived in the form of singer Barbra Streisand, her husband actor James Brolin and action film star Jackie Chan. Prominent Chinese-Americans such as artist Maya Lin and Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan attended. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer added some gravitas. Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter made the cut, too. Vera Wang wore a floor-length, sleeveless design of her own. Anna Wintour opted for a white, patterned Chanel skirt suit.The dinner's all-star jazz lineup included trumpeter Chris Botti, two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz icon Herbie Hancock, rising pianist Lang Lang and four-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves.Jazz pianist Peter Martin, part of the entertainment lineup, prepped for his appearance by springing for a tux.'I'm finally a grown-up, graduated from renting to owning,' Mr Martin tweeted, adding that he was 'super-excited' about the White House gig. Regular folks who find themselves in alast-minute frenzy before guests arrive can take comfort in knowing that it's the same at the White House: Hours before the dinner, chair cushions were stacked in the front foyer and harried staff shuttled flower arrangements to and fro.The 225 guests were spread out among three rooms: the State Dining Room, Blue Room and Red Room, then all shuttled to the East Room for the entertainment. Big video monitors were set up in the Blue and Red rooms for the outcasts to catch the dinner toasts.The two presidents' toasts featured the usual promises of better relations all around. Mr Obama used the moment to highlight an agreement that will ensure the beloved giant pandas from China remain at the Smithsonian National Zoo for another five years. Breaking with tradition, the Obamas opted against bringing in a high-profile guest chef. Instead they put White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford in charge of preparing an all-American themed dinner at the request of the Chinese delegation, theWhite House said.On the menu: d'anjou pear salad with farmstead goat cheese, poached Maine lobster, orange glazed carrots and black trumpet mushrooms, dry aged rib eye with buttermilk crisp onions, double-stuffed potatoes and creamed spinach. Dessert was to be old-fashioned applepie with vanilla ice cream. Mr Obama is known to be an avid eater of pastry chef Bill Yosses' pies.Barbara Streisand, who also made the guest list for an afternoon luncheon at the State Department, said she was making her first appearance at a state dinner since the Clinton years. The singer, who helped raise money for Obama during the presidential campaign, said she had 'a lot of friends here'. Asked for a thought on why she was invited, she quipped: 'I worked in a Chinese restaurant.'Miss Wintour said she hoped to talk to Mr Hu about - what else? - fashion, specifically investing in Chinese fashion.There were some high-profile no-shows, including three of the top four leaders of Congress: House Speaker John Boehner, who declined Mr Obama's past state dinner invitations; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.With the Senate out of session, Mr Reid was home in Nevada and Mr McConnell just wrapped up a congressionaltrip to Afghanistan and Pakistan and had not planned to be in Washington this week, aides said.House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi was the only top congressional leader to accept an invitation. Many in Congress see China as an economic threat to the U.S. Mrs Pelosi also has been a longtime and outspoken critic of China's human rights record.At a White House news conference with Mr Obama, Mr Hu punted when asked to comment on the congressional leaders' absence.'I think President Obama is certainlyin a better position to answer that question,' he said, drawing laughter from journalists and the U.S. and China officials seated in theEast Room.Mr Obama punted, too.Earlier, Mrs Obama wore a fairly dressy look for her daytime schedule, which included the official welcome to President Hu to Washington.Her navy ensemble, which included a wool coat and wool-and-duchesse-satin dress, were embellished with silver beads. The outfit also had a British edge: it was designed by London-based designer Roksanda Ilincic.'She likes glamour on these very public days,' says Ms Betts. 'That's a strong, optimistic message, and she helps set the tone. 'We don't want her to show up in a dowdy, old dress.'The long and shorts of festival fashion: How YOU kept up with the A-list at Coachella By and UPDATED:10:00 GMT, 20 April 2011It may be a music festival, but Coachella, for many, is all about the fashion. And that appeared to be more true than ever for the stylish crowd at this year's event.The California Desert was the perfect location to showcase new season trends, and headline acts and their famous fans had some serious competition in the style stakes.If keeping cool in the searing heat was a fashion challenge, there was little evidence, with floaty maxidresses and denim shorts the order of the day. Taking it to the maxi: Festival-goers kept their cool in the heat in long dresses at Coachella this year Retro-inspired looks like floppy Seventies-style sunhats and Sixties-inspired mini shifts referenced Woodstock, while bleached denim and dungaree-style skirts and dresses played on Eighties trends.Carryingaround all those festival essentials was a breeze this year, as satchel-style bags are all the rage, and that cross-body strap could be seen slung across tees and frocks throughout.And while Hunter wellies may reign supreme at Glastonbury, ankle boots and embellished sandals were de rigueur at Coachella. Retro revival: People could be seen working trends from every decade, including Forties-style red lips, Eighties-inspired dungaree dresses and lace Sixties shifts reporter Hayley Phelan said that the Seventies look is key this year, while clashing prints and crochet were the biggest emerging trends.She told MailOnline: 'I definitely see a Seventies influence at the festival - a lot of crochet (and I mean LOTS), floppy hats, peasant tops and flowy dresses. 'I also see that people are opting for ankle booties in lieu of sandals - I call it the Isabel Marant effect.'Cutoff shorts are still big, as are oversized shades, though this year they're rounderor cat-eyed. 'People are also experimenting with prints, mixing tie-dye with florals and a bold tribal-printed purse with stripes.' Shorts story: Denim cutoffs of every variety were a popular choice this weekend, while others played on the theme with super-tight white shorts and tailored rompers Bright ideas: Shorts may have been a uniform trend, but festival-goers set themselves apart with bold prints, from tribal-style cross-body bags and zebra stripes to ditzy floralsMulberry's creative director Emma Hill, who hosted a star-studded party at Coachella for the likes of Nicole Richie, Camilla Belle and Alexa Chung, also had her eye on the different looks festival-goers were channelling.She told MailOnline how trends included 'little booties with shorts or a little dress and cross body bags', chambray, platform shoes and Converse trainers.One of the main themes she noticed among the girls was the Pocahontas look, while men, she added, were going for 'metallic all-in-one suits and rocking dungarees'.She added that few had let their grooming standards slip though, with many sporting spray tans and immaculate glossy blow-dried hair. Frock tactics: The lightest sundresses, worn with leather accessories (note the Alexander Wang bag, left) and bare feet (centre and right) were a fashion favouriteShe admitted she had spotted plenty of her own designs at the event too, proving the British label is as popular in the U.S. as its native UK.'[There were] lots of Mulberry Lilys, Taylors, Anthonys, and Carters and also Bayswater twist lock bags,' she revealed.Approximately 50,000 people attended the Coachella festival, this weekend, which is in its 11th year. The line-up included Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon and The Strokes. It is a magnet for celebrities, with Katy Perry, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Diane Kruger and Kelly Osbourne among the stars spotted in the VIP section on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.It is held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California in the Coachella Valley.Computer tycoon Sir Clive Sinclair, 69, weds his 33-year-old lap dancer By UPDATED:13:17 GMT, 27 April 2010It was the unlikely relationship that many thought could never last. But the Daily Mail can reveal that computer tycoon Sir Clive Sinclair, 69, has secretly married his lap dancer fiancee Angie Bowness, who is 36 years his junior. They have been engaged a year but have been seeing each other, on and off, for more than a decade.The pair wed at the Civil Court in Las Vegas on April 16. The single witness is believed to have been a passer-by. The inventor and Miss Bowness, 33, a former Miss England, had flown to the U.S. two days before and were staying at the luxurious Bellagio Hotel. Before heading for the U.S., Sir Clive had bought a platinum wedding ring from jeweller Asprey. Last night, Miss Bowness told the Mail: 'We're over the moon. We're very happy.' Sir Clive said: 'I suggested on the plane that we get married. It was a spur of the moment thing.' When asked what qualities attracted him to his future bride he replied: 'Well she is a former Miss England, isn't she.' He added: 'We don't know where we will honeymoon yet - it's all been rather quick.' On marrying at the age of 69, he said: 'I hadn't thought I'd get married at this stage'. And, asked about the age gap between the pair, he replied: 'It's just an age gap. Our relationship works extremely well.' According to sources, the vows were kept very simple because 'they just wanted to legally formalise their relationship'. Last night, a friend of Miss Bowness said: 'Angie is absolutely over the moon to have married Sir Clive. And he's thrilled - he can't stop calling her My Lady.' Indeed, Miss Bowness now takes the title of Lady Sinclair. She apparently wore a 'cute' short blue Alexander Wang dress for the ceremony and Christian Louboutin shoes. Sinclair, meanwhile, chose a suit. Miss Bowness was working as a stripper in Stringfellows' club in Central London when Sir Clive, inventor of the pocket calculator and the ill-fated C5 electric car, first got to know her in 1996. However, shortly after that first encounter privately-educated Miss Bowness fell in love with businessman Mark Thornton. Miss Bowness and Mr Thornton's son Marcus was born in April 1998. But they broke up two months after the child's birth and Sir Clive and Miss Bowness started dating again. In October 1998, Miss Bowness again left Sir Clive. Even so, she and the inventor remained friends. In 2003, he proposed, despite the fact that they were not even dating at the time. She turned him down, saying that she was too young. But in February last year, Miss Bowness finally agreed to marry the former Mensa chairman. She owns two homes but moved into Sir Clive's £5million flat overlooking Trafalgar Square following their engagement. He is said to be close to her son Marcus, now 12. Cruise control: Invest in mid-season collections for fashion statements with staying power By UPDATED:09:34 GMT, 26 January 2009 It's too early for spring, but we're beyond bored of winter. The answer? Cruise collections. Slotting neatly between seasons, these transitional pieces make for the perfect wardrobe foundations. Dropping into store ahead of the main designer lines, these mid-season pieces are a nod to spring trends without taking them wholesale.This makes them wearable, versatile, and designer investments that will see you through 2009 and beyond.From Yves Saint Laurent's jersey jumpsuit to DG's leopard-print dress, step ahead of the fashion pack with our pick of the pre-season lines. Coral jacket, £485, and denim flares, £180, both Marc by Marc Jacobs at Harvey Nichols, 020 7259 6638. White trainer shoe, £375, Puma for Sergio Rossi, 020 7811 5950; Ochre trench coat £1,195, skirt £795, black laquer print top, £595, shoes, £350, chain necklace, £250, and rivet bracelet, £395, all Burberry, 07000 785 676; Patterned dress, £332, Matthew Williamson, 020 7629 6200. Turquoise necklace, £300, Pebble London, 020 7262 1775. Blue shoes, £560, Gina, 020 7409 7090 Print ruffle top, £265, and black riding trousers, £220, both Phillip Lim 3.1 at Club, 01372 46262. Purple patent shoes, £275 and purple clutch bag, £295, both Mulberry, 020 7491 3900. Brass coil arm cuff, £220, Pebble London 020 7262 1775; Leopard print dress, £785, DG at Harvey Nichols, 020 7259 6638. Black shoes, £295, Jonathan Kelsey for Mulberry, 020 7491 3900; Yellow and white coat, £1,054, and black and yellow dress, £276, both Diane Von Furstenberg, 020 7499 0886. Black shoes, £420, Gina, 020 7409 7090. Jumpsuit, £905, link metal necklace £480, gold bracelet, £245, all Yves Saint Laurent, 020 7493 1800. Silver shoes, £725, Jimmy Choo, 020 7493 5858; Coral coat, £1,714, brown shoes, £385, brown patent bag, £763, all Alberta Ferretti, 020 7235 2349; Keyhole dress, £495, Alexander Wang at Club, as before. Pale grey shoes, £450, Sergio Rossi, 020 7811 5950. Beetle necklace, £165, Pebble London, as before. Atten-tion! Sarah Jessica Parker and Portia de Rossi go for military chic in New York in celebrity favourite denim label Current/Elliot By PUBLISHED:11:42 GMT, 27 September 2012 UPDATED:11:43 GMT, 27 September 2012From leopard-print to fishnet, the creative brains behind ultra-hip New York denim label Current/Elliot aren't shy of using a statement print or two.And with the military trend hitting the headlines this season, it's no surprise the brand's latest offering features a chic camouflage print.Long time Current/Elliott fan Sarah Jessica Parker has already been spotted out and about in the grey and khaki print jeans, while actress Portia de Rossi also has a pair.Military madams: Actress Portia de Rossi, left, and singer Rihanna, right, both love Current/Elliot's camouflage prints.Parker, seen wearing hers on a relaxing September stroll in New York with her son James Wilkie Broderick, 10, teamed the jeans with a casual pale green striped T-shirt, comfy ballet flats and a large leather satchel. De Rossi chose to wear hers with a simple black vest, black flip-flops and dark glasses.Other celebrities spotted getting to grips with the camouflage trend include singers Rihanna - regularly seen in her beloved khaki camo shirt - Rita Ora, Mary J Blige and Miley Cyrus, all of whom have been snapped in camouflage jackets.Splatter chic: Olivia Palermo, left, and Pink, right with baby Willow, have proved themselves fans of colourful splatter-print and patterned denim.But camouflage isn't the only print to adorn this season's jeans. While summer saw floral prints and coloured denim take centre stage, this autumn it's all about animal, graphic and digital prints.Never one to be left behind, the ever-stylish Miranda Kerr was seen out in subtle dark blue cheetah print.Fashionista Olivia Palermo teamed a pair of bright pink and purple splatter print jeans with a pair of chic silver flats.Even singer Pink has been getting in on the act and was seen out playing with her daughter Willow while sporting a pair of garish Balmain baroque print jeans.One of autumn's hottest trends, camouflage print and military influences were seen all over the catwalks. The look reigned at Burberry and Jason Wu, and popped up at Belstaff, Alexander Wang and Victoria Beckham among others. On the high street, Michelle Obama's favourite J Crew has a pared-down khaki watch for £150 (jcrew.com), while Topshop has an entire collection dedicated to the trend.Elsewhere, online retailer ASOS has a brilliant belted military coat in khaki for £110 (asos.com), which would work beautifully with River Island's practical black leather boots, £75 (riverisland.com).Easier still, go vintage and head toa military surplus store, where you can snap up the look for a fractionof the designer price.Also worth checking out is East London vintage emporium Rokit (rokit.co.uk), which boasts rail after rail crammed with military pieces sourced from army outfitters. Current/Elliott Multi Zip Stiletto Skinny jeans, £220, are available from .'I had meltdowns': Daisy Lowe says it's taken years to accept she'll never be 'beanpole' thin and embrace her curvy figure By UPDATED:12:58 GMT, 8 June 2011Daisy Lowe has revealed it has taken her years to come to terms with the fact that she'll never be as a tiny as some of her fellow models.The curvy brunette beauty says she now accepts her shape, but used to suffer 'meltdowns' because she wasn't skinny.Talking in the July issue of InStyle, the 22-year-old Agent Provocateur model confesses: 'Its taken me seven years to get to the point where I can be comfortable with not being as thin as the rest of them.'Scroll down to watch Daisy behind the scenes on the shoot...She continued: 'The public can say, "Its really cool that youre not conforming to this anorexic ideal", but then I still have to go and stand next to all of the other girls. 'Im not saying that I am big, but when you stand next to a beanpole, youre going to look like a massive tree trunk. 'Literally, its only in the past six months that Ive come to terms with it. Before thenit was hard. I used to have private meltdowns all the time.'The star, who's previously modelled for the likes of Chanel, Burberry and Vivienne Westwood, has also revealed that when not in couture, she likes dressing up in her actor boyfriend Matt Smith's clothes when he's off battling the likes of The Silence as Dr Who.The daughter of fashion designer Pearl Lowe and Bush frontman Gavin Rossdalesaid she's never happier than wearing her 28-year-old beau's T-shirts when he's away to make her feel closer to him. She gushes: 'He dresses really well. I love his style.'Daisy also recently admitted she felt so guilty for buying a Gareth Pugh dress for £2,200, she wore it every day for six months.Daisy wore a number of killer outfits in the shoot to go with the interview, which was taken in the Victoria And Albert Museum.The star sported a series of figure-hugging frocks by the likes of Alexander Wang and Versace while simultaneously crafting a playlist for the party she was DJing later that evening as she posed against the gilded mirrors of the London institution. The full interview with Daisy in the July edition of In Style magazine, out on Thursday.Dannii Minogue's bump-friendly trousers and new shades of vintage at Alexander WangBy UPDATED:08:59 GMT, 15 February 2010SHADES OF VINTAGEU.S. designer Alexander Wang, who created last year's It bag, thestudded 'Coco', has turned his hand to sunglasses, in collaborationwith the legendary Seventies sunglasses label Linda Farrow Vintage. Theglasses are adorned with zips and Fifties-style wings as well astraditional varieties.From £180, brownsfashion.com STYLISH BUMPS A pregnancy pandemic has swept the world of showbiz, with everyone fromDannii Minogue to Denise Van Outen sporting baby bumps in thecelebrity's favourite maternity range, Slacks Co. The ethosbehind the brand is that baby bump aside you can look as stylish asever, with a tailored collection of basics to flatter your shape. Thetrousers in particular are worth a look.From £139, available at Harrods, 020 7730 1234.HOLLYWOOD BOHO Following the success of her jewellery range House of Harlow, NicoleRichie has created a ready-to-wear collection, Winter Kate. The rangefeatures plenty of Nicole's signature bohemian style, from femininemaxi-dresses to tunic tops with ethnic-style prints.From £135, at my-wardrobe.com GRAFFITI FEET TOMS Shoes - the ethical company that gives a pair of new shoes to achild in need in developing countries, for every pair they sell(400,000 pairs and counting so far) - has teamed up with supermodelErin Wasson for a visit to London for the first UK Style Your Soleworkshop in Topshop Oxford Street on February 21 and 22. Customers can ask an all-female team of graffiti artists, TOMSfounder Blake Mykosie or Erin to customise their shoes for them.From £29.99. CHANNEL CHANEL When Chanel launched its latest nail polish collection last month, fansqueued around the corner of Harvey Nichols to get their hands on it.But if you missed the boat, or don't want to spend £16 on a bottle,fret not. Orly has two shades Prince Charming and Ballerina, which aresimilar to Chanel's Particuliere and Tendresse at a snip of the price.Priced £8, orlybeauty.com Why the low-profile? David and Victoria Beckham sneak out of Liberty after private tourBy UPDATED:10:27 GMT, 23 February 2011In their stylish outfits, David and Victoria Beckham looked more than suitable for the paparazzi.But the couple were unusually shy on Monday night when they attempted to sneak out of a fashion party from a side entrance.The couple, who are expecting their fourth child together, were in no mood to be photographed as they attended the Love and Alexander Wang party at the Liberty store.Prior to the bash - which was attended by the likes of Daisy Lowe and Jaime Winstone - the couple enjoyed a private tour of the historic Regent Street department store.After checking out the latest products on sale, the pair headed upstairs to greet host Katie Grand.But perhaps feeling a bit tired due to her pregnancy, the couple only spent 45 minutes at the party before making a swift exit into a waiting car, with David explaining to the crowd outside they were on a 'private visit'.Although announcing she was pregnant seven weeks ago, there was no apparent sign of Posh's baby bump in her little black dress.Her husband, who looked dapper in a blue pinstripe suit, was incredibly protective of his wife as they were surrounded by photographers outside the store.The couple's spokeswoman confirmed the couple 'perused the store on the way to the Love party'.The Beckhams arrived in London last week after Victoria showcased her latest collection at New York Fashion Week.During promotional interviews, she insisted she didn't know the sex of her unborn child, which is due in July.She told CNN last week: ''If I don't have a girl this time, then maybe I'll be lucky enough and have a girl the next time.'When presenter Alina Cho questioned the possibility of having a fifth child, Mrs Beckham responded: 'We'd like to have a big family. There could be. Who knows?'But when Miss Cho suggested having six children, Beckham laughed: 'Well, I'm not Angelina. I don't know. I mean, come on.'Dawn Steele: I like to give any new look my personal twistBy UPDATED:10:05 GMT, 10 February 2011Glaswegian Dawn, 35, is best known for two TV roles: as Lexie in Monarch Of The Glen and now as Alice in Wild At Heart. She's currently touring the UK in a new production of the Agatha Christie play Verdict. When not filming in South Africa for Wild At Heart, Dawn lives in West London with her actor boyfriend Paul Blair.Ive always been interested in fashion and keen to follow the latest trend. But from an early age, I liked to give any new look my personal twist.As a teenager, I was into rave culture rather a manly look, with Nike trainers, shorts, waistcoats and caps on backwards that Id wear to clubs. At drama school, I lived in trackie bottoms and vests because we always seemed to be in movement classes. I had next to no money, so Id shop for clothes in the High Street; always Topshop. For my 21st birthday, I asked Mum and Dad for a beautiful, floor-length, cream dress-coat from Karen Millen. Ive still got it, although it got ruined at my party because the hem got ­permanently stained from all the alcohol on the carpet. Now, I spend the majority of my money on clothes. As I always say, Im very good to myself! When I open my wardrobe, its like a rainbow of colours. I love blue because it matches my eyes. And now Ive discovered green after wearing green scrubs, which is my uniform as a vet in Wild At Heart. DAWN'S WARDROBE FAVOURITESTIFFANY JEWELLERYWhen I finally left Monarch Of The Glen, the cast clubbed together and bought me a Tiffany bracelet and pen. Susan Hampshire [Dawns co-star] said to me if I didnt like them, I could swap them for something else. So when back in London, we went to the shop and I fell in love with a silver bracelet. The dragonfly on it reminds me of all the midges in Scotland! My pride and joy is my gold Tiffany necklace. I bought the larger key on it; Mum and Dad bought me the smaller one for Christmas. MIU MIU BAGEvery time I get a new job, I buy a big new bag to ­celebrate. This Miu Miu one is my set bag. I carry it around with me when filming because its got my whole life in it. Its so heavy, its a wonder I havent put my back out. But Im muchtoo casual with it Hayley Mills [Dawns co-star in Wild At Heart] is always chastising me for leaving it lying around in the dust. The smaller clutch bag I use in the evening is from Mulberry. I bought it when Wild At Heart was recommissioned for a fifth series.JERSEY DRESS Ibought this Alexander Wang drapey dress via the online designer outlet net-a-porter, that meant it could be sent to me in South Africa. I was looking for something to wear for the wrap party at the end of the sixthseries of Wild At Heart. Its quite lush-looking and I like the way it hangs on my body. Its easy to wear, but its stylish and sophisticated,too. I always get compliments when I wear it. I dont resent paying more for something classy. As Mum is fond of saying: buy cheap, buy twice.DESIGNER SHOESMy black stilettos are the only pair of Christian Louboutins I own and were expensive. But theyre comfortable. Ive had so much wear out of them that the red soles are practically worn out. The lace-up brogues are from a gorgeous shoe shop called Folk, in London, run by my friend Maggie McAteer and her designer brother, Cathal.I have some gold Come Dancing shoes also by Folk. Mum fell in love with them when she came out to South Africa, so I bought her an identical pair for Christmas. Then theres my grey leather ankle boots are from Mulberry. I saw them in a magazine and asked Maggie to buy them for me in my absence.BELSTAFF JACKETIwear this leather jacket more than any other item because I put it on every time I take my Welsh terrier Murphy for a walk. I bought it three years ago, just before I joined Wild At Heart. I team it with jeans and apair of Belstaff boots. Again, theyre expensive, but I get a lot of use out of them. The whole biker jacket look seems to be coming back.From left: Leather look trousers, Trish Wescoat-Pound dress and Belstaff jacket SPARKLY OUTFITSIlove a bit of sparkle. This blue sparkly dress (right) is by U.S. designer Trish Wescoat-Pound who launched the clothing line Haute Hippiein 2008. It was a gift to myself again from net-a-porter to wear onNew Years Eve. I also have a black sparkly jacket from a shopping centre in Johannesburg called Hyde Park. I dress it downwith a crop top, jeans and heels.LEATHER-LOOK TROUSERSIjust love these (right). They are by Sass Bide, a label that began as a stall on Portobello Market, West London, near where I live. They fit like a glove and I love the webbing down the sides and the ruched effect at the bottom of each leg. Theyre basically fancy leggings so I wear quite a long top for modestys sake!Wild At Heart is on ITV1 on Sundays at 8.30pm. Details on the Verdict theatre tour are at kenwright.com Debenhams shows its cutting edge: Department store to launch collection designed by fashion graduate By UPDATED:15:45 GMT, 6 July 2011Debenhams has always been the sort of store you return to for wardrobe staples rather than high end fashion.But it is now carving its way as a place to buy cutting edge clothes too.The department store will be launching a capsule collection by one of the UK's most promising young designers this autumn. Fashion forward: Designs by Maria Hawkins who beat 29 other Manchester Metropolitan University hopefuls to win Debenhams' competition to find the next big name in fashionMaria Hawkins, 22, beat 29 other Manchester Metropolitan University hopefuls to win Debenhams' competition to find the next big name in fashion.Three finalists were chosen, and shoppers were invited to vote for their favourite clothes. Maria came out on top, but she also impressed judges including Ben de Lisi, Deborah Linton and Debenhams' design director Karen Peacock with her bright colours and simple, elegant designs.As part of her prize, Maria will be trained with industry experts for a month while she develops her collection.It will then go on sale in Debenhams' Manchester city centre store.Judge's favourite: Fellow designer, Ben de Lisi, loved Maria's sense of colourFellow designer, Ben de Lisi, loved the winner's sense of colour.He told Manchester Evening News: 'Marias collection was pure effortless and lux. The collection is commercial without being boring. It is considered, chic and ready for sale now.'This is a designer who knows her customer and market and is not frightened to create for it. 'Look at Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Bende Lisi theyre not groundbreaking designers but theyre good businesses and respected brands and she has that in front of her.'Maria's inspiration comes from Alexander Wang, Celine and Alexander McQueen's designs and she was told she had won the competition within hours of graduating with a 2.1 in BA Hons Fashion. She said: 'Im over the moon. I didnt expect it because we all really deserved it. Im really excited about the whole thing. I just think its an amazing opportunity for me and I want to make the most of it.'Winning has given me the confidence to put myself out there. Its going to give me access to people I would never have met at such an early stage in my career.'Debenhams design director, Karen Peacock, added: 'Maria showed great confidence in producing such a simple collection. Simple, but well considered, wearable and flattering shapes with colours that were striking yet soft at the same time. 'She ensured that special attention was paid to the quality and that is incredibly important for simple clothes. I think theres been a lot of very strong work in the competition it took me a lot longer than anticipated to go through them. 'It was very diverse no student was the same or similar.'The clothes will go on sale in Debenhams, Manchester, in the autumn.Department chains are old hat...try shopping in a concept storeBy JO BLYTHELast updated at 15:53 17 March 2008Forget sprawling department stores packed with endless brands,concept stores - ruthlessly focused on one key style - arewhats hot, says JO BLYTHE...POTRERO HILLDublin got its own concept boutique in September, in the form ofPotrero Hill, just off the shopping hub of Grafton Street. Thestore was founded by Canadian architect Robynn Clarke.We tried to create a welcoming, edgy space that aspires toa creative but sophisticated look, as though you got to shop in avery cool girls apartment, says Clarke.Its not only great products, but the ideology: wenaturally gravitate to things we are inspired by, or enjoy.Its about the experience of shopping.THE VIBE: Girly, but with cutting-edge cool.THE PRODUCTS: International stationary, clothing, furniture andaccessories brands. We source design-inspired items fromSweden, Italy, Japan, France, New York, Brussels and Sydney,says Clarke. Beautiful, modern, classic items that you canhave in your closet or on your shelf for ever.MUST BUYS: Les Prairies de Paris, Travota, Bash, AlexanderWang, American Vintage.HOT ITEM: We just started selling Danish carpets from acompany called hay. They are the most amazing colours and textures- heavenly.Potrero Hill, Royal Hibernian Way, Dawson Street, Dublin,www.potrerohill-shop.com.THE SHOP AT BLUEBIRDThe Shop at Bluebird is nestled in an unlikely Chelsea enclave.Stumble along Kings Road, past Cath Kidston and the Designers Guildflagship, and you are treated to a destination store packed withnew, edgy British designers, accessories by Luella and AnyaHindmarch and jewellery by Tom Binns, as well as the newly openedspa.The store was launched by Jigsaw owners Belle and John Robinsonin 2005 and is housed in the former racing garage of DonaldCampbell.Department stores are exhausting and intimidating,says Robinson. If you find the right concept store, all theediting is done for you.VIBE: Art-house hip meets wearble style.THE CLOTHES: Like the vibe, the clothing includes accessiblewearable pieces, interspersed with key directional items by hipBritish designers.Jasmine di Milo, Erdem and Rupert Sanderson are flanked by amagazine lounge and the spa.WHATS HOT: The Shop At Bluebird is the exclusive UKstockist for a range of luxury beauty ranges. It also hosted anexhibition of Alistair Morrison photographs, curated by KateMiddleton.MUST BUYS: Erdem dresses for spring. Plus, we have somegorgeous Aquascutum pieces and lots of great Luella shiftdresses, says Robinson.The Shop At Bluebird, 350 Kings Road, London SW3;www.theshopatbluebird.com.MICROZINEMicrozine started life five years ago as the brainchild offounder Chris Lee. The former creative director at Reebok wanted tocreate a store which had everything from the best designer chair tothe hottest limited edition trainers, denim and even toys.I loved lads magazines in the 1990s. They introducedmen to the hottest products, from fashion to gadgets and music. Iwanted to create a store which did the same thing, saysLee.Two years later, he moved to Liverpool and created Microzine, an8,000 sq ft store in a stunning Art Deco building. In April itgained a London sister store off Carnaby Street.VIBE: Streetwise cool with a great cafe.THE CLOTHES: Hard-to-find streetwear, limited editionsportswear.WHATS HOT: Stella McCartney for Adidas, Hudson Jeans.MUST BUYS: Canada Goose parkas.Microzine, 65-67 Bold St, Liverpool, 0151 709 7282; 2 KinglyCourt, Carnaby Street, London W1, www.microzine.co.uk.PETIT AIMTen years ago, sisters Val and Vanda Heng-Vong (half-French,half-Cambodian) found themselves in London with none of theirfavourite French labels available.Their solution? Cult Notting Hill concept store Aim, aParisian-style West London destination boutique packed withhard-to-find French labels, furniture and homewares.A decade later the store is still going strong, but the sisters- now parents - found it difficult to track down the childrenswear they liked. Step forward Petit Aim, which launchedlast week.The boutique is set over two floors selling childrens toys,furnishings, fashion and accessories. It caters to children up toten years old and is drawing a huge fan base, including NottingHill local Claudia Schiffer.VIBE: Parisian chic, in an easy-going hip way. Itssmart, but relaxed. We wanted to create somewhere children feltcomfortable, says Val Heng-Vong of the store which has greywood floors and vintage furniture.THE CLOTHES: Bon-Ton, Oona lOurse, Luco, Isabel Marant andNoro among many others. The store also stocks a complete lifestylerange from toys to furniture.WHATS HOT: Accessories and dolls by artist Apolline.MUST BUYS: Left-bank inspired hippy chic from French label Luco,and exclusive pieces by Isabel Marant.Petit Aim, 34 Ledbury Road, London W11, 020 72217070.DOVER STREETThe Dover Street Market in London was launched in 2004 by ReiKawakubo (of Japanese fashion label Comme des Garcons) and herhusband Adrian Joffe. The market, a five-storey centre for art,jewellery, fashion and design, has become a destination for hipfashion lovers, and is a rugged loft-style fixture amidMayfairs fusty galleries.I wanted to come up with a kind of market where creatorsfrom various fields gather together and encounter each other in anongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos, says Kawakubo, who isalso creative director.VIBE: Car park chic, literally. Unfinished sparse concreteinteriors, blinding industrial lighting, angular chipboard benchesand stainless steel lifts.THE CLOTHES: Pared down, quirky. Independent designers, mixedwith major labels.WHATS HOT: Comme des Garcons along with exclusive pieces byRaf Simons, Jan de Cock, Judy Blame, Hiroshi Fujiwara andUndercover.The store is home to LA vintage concession Decades, selling keyarchive pieces by Herve Leger, Chanel and Ossie Clark. (ReneeZellweger is a fan of Decades LA flagship.)MUST BUYS: Jewellery by Judy Blame.Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover Street, London W1,www.doverstreetmarket.com.AUGUSTINACanadian-born Cristina Burgess has an international vision forher cult concept boutique Augustina.Londons Knightsbridge store opened a year ago, as thesister to the Augustina flagship in Toronto.It houses up-and-coming designers, hip accessories brands,small-run perfumes and jewellery boxes, with an emphasis onU.S.-based labels not available in Britain.Augustina Toronto was launched in 2002, and today the storecounts Kate Hudson, the Olsen twins and Liv Tyler among itsfans.Its for women who know their own style, have aknowledge of trends and luxury, but dont need to have awell-known label. The design and quality speaks for itself,says Burgess, who ensures Augustina is an It-bag-free zone.THE VIBE: Polished A-list style from up-and-coming labels.THE CLOTHES: Accessories by Gryson (former Marc Jacobsaccessories designer Joy Gryson), B. Romanek (Demi Moore andCourteney Cox are fans) and hotly tipped Devi Kroell.Jewellery ranges include Me Ro and Becky Kelso. Burgess hasalso created a line of jewellery boxes, scents and candles.Its much more fun to shop in concept stores, shesays. You have a certain freedom buying for a concept store,too. I found these awesome over-sized towels which I bought becausethey totally spoke to our consumer.WHATS HOT: Soon-to-land Devi Kroell python bags.MUST BUYS: Augustina is expanding its fragrance range to bodyoil, shower gel and perfume oil rollers.Augustina, 11 West Halkin Street, London SW1,www.augustinaboutiques.com.Share this article: Did you put that dress on back to front, Amanda Seyfried? By UPDATED:11:20 GMT, 21 April 2010At first glance, it looked like Amanda Seyfried had accidentally committed a rather regrettable fashion blunder.But as the actress sashayed down a Hollywood red carpet in a dress featured a forward-facing zip, it became clear that her back-to-front look was a very deliberate style statement. The 24-year-old looked rather pleased with her choice of confection as she posed for photographers at the premiere of Mother and Child at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre.The actress wore the unusual number by BodyAmr back-to-front, with the purple satin trimmed back and exposed seam on one side.She wore the photo-print design front on the wrong side.Of course, in the sometimes topsy-turvy world of high fashion, frontfacing zips are a popular design feature among the likes ofAlexander Wang, Narciso Rodriguez and Victoria Beckham.But if Amanda had just decided to experiment by putting the dress on backwards she wouldn't be the first celebrity to do so. Angelina Jolie purposefully turned around her Max Azria dress forthe Screen Actors Guild Awards last year to expose her tattooed back rather than herchest with its plunging neckline.Whatever the case last night, Amanda certainly seemed pleased with the results.The Mamma Mia star was at the Mother and Child screening to supportthe film's writer Rodrigo Garcia, whom she describes as 'just amazing'.They worked together on the pilot of her U.S. TV show Big Love andwill team up again when he directs her next movie, Albert Nobbs, whichis about a woman who spends 20 years disguised as a man in order tomake a living.Samuel L. Jackson and Annette Bening, who both star in the adoption drama, were also at last night's premiere. Drew Barrymore shimmies into a wet-look dress as she makes her directorial debutBy UPDATED:15:05 GMT, 30 September 2009For her directorial debut, Drew Barrymore clearly wanted to make an impact.And if the movie doesn't do it - this skin-tight, wet-look dress should do the trick.Her slinky black number looked rather more suited to a lapdancing club than a premiere Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles last night.Skin tight: Drew Barrymore brings a lapdancing leather-look to the red carpet at the premiere of her new film Whip It in Los Angeles last nightThe 34-year-old chose for the occasion a LWren Scott lacquered tweed dress from the Autumn 2009 collection, which looks similar to the wet-look leggings that have been adopted by so many women on the High Street.She teamed it with red satin heels and statement earrings for the Whip It launch.But gone was the long-bob with the ends dip-dyed black, which she sported at the Toronto Film Festival two weeks ago. Instead, her shorter style was all blonde, wavy and slicked back.The comedy is based on the novel Derby Girl, about an indie-rock-lovingmisfit living in Texas who joins a roller derby team. It stars Juno'sEllen Page and Juliette Lewis, who wore an eccentric outfit to theevent.Wearing tights patterned with circles, red gloves and a shapless,shiny tunic, the Natural Born Killers star was almost overshadowed byco-star Landon Pigg.The American actor and singer wore amismatch outfit of pink satin bow tie, a spotty shirt, pinstripetrousers and orangey-brown suede shoes.Ellen Page played it safe in black, wearing an Alexander Wang Slim Grommet dress and boots by Rachel Comey.Actress and singer Eve, who is also in Whip It, broke up the very black red carpet, by wearing a burgundy Dolce Gabbana Autumn 2009 bustier fitted dress with black peep-toes. The film, about a young woman defying her mothers wish ofbeauty pageant stardom for the rough-and-tumble sport of roller derby, has already won good reviews. It was hailed as 'remarkable debut' by show business newspaper TheHollywood Reporter.Juliette Lewis, who plays hard-charging skater on the Holy Rollers team, said: 'I was so impressed with her as a director because she knew whatshe wanted to see. She really had a strong visual sense of the movie.'Barrymore has said: 'What was so exciting was to finally get to make a film that I could make an ultimate mixtape for and put the two together.' Actress Emma Roberts on stepping out of her famous aunt Julia's shadow By UPDATED:18:40 GMT, 2 September 2011Yes, she totally understands the fascination with her famous aunt, but actress Emma Roberts, 20, is fast becoming a star in her own right and has the looks, talent and tenacity to back it up Having a famous surname isnt always a blessing. Of course, being a Redgrave, a Fonda or a Fox probably helps in securing that first foot in the showbiz door. But well-connected ingénues are also destined to spend at least the early years of their career constantly referred to in relation to their renowned father, mother, sibling or aunt. And sure enough, as I perch in the plush anteroom of a hotel suite in New Yorks SoHo, awaiting my appointment with Emma Roberts, I cant help but recall a scene from Notting Hill (one of her favourite films, she later tells me), starring her Oscar-winning aunt Julia. Hugh Grant hovers in a London hotel, masquerading as a journalist from Horse Hound in order to secure a brief audience with Julia, who plays mega-star actress Anna Scott. Unlike Grant, I have a legitimate reason for meeting the younger Roberts today. Her new film, The Art of Getting By, in which she stars alongside 19-year-old British actor Freddie Highmore (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), will be out in the UK later this week.At 20, Emma (daughter of Julias brother Eric) could easily swing a half-fare on the bus, if Hollywood starlets could use public transport without being mobbed. She is petite, Five feet two, on a good day, she tells me, and pretty, with huge bushbaby brown eyes, honey-blonde hair and slender legs. Dont think shes one of those actresses who doesnt eat, though. Disappointed with the hotels biscuit selection, she sends out for a chocolate croissant (her favourite food) from the nearby French restaurant Balthazar, and endearingly ends up with chocolate smeared across her cheek as we chat.Curledup in a large armchair, she is crackling with excitement about this evenings US premiere, which her family will be attending with her, and to which she will be wearing Temperley. Its going to be a total princess moment, she enthuses.Thefilm, set on New Yorks Upper East Side, is a coming-of-age tale about Sally (Roberts) and George (Highmore), high-school seniors and, it turnsout, kindred spirits. Sally is pretty, popular and bright, given a longleash by her hedonistic mother; George is a talented artist, but also disenchanted, fatalistic and a loner. The two 18-year-olds, both of whomhave erratic home lives, become friends and, eventually, more. Emma sees a lot of her own cusp-of-adulthood experience mirrored in the film. The way Sally and George are, I think its how young people at least my friends and I are, she nods. Sometimes we are mature, and sometimes we act childishly. Sometimes we need some parenting, and sometimes we end up acting like the parent ourselves. Some days I wake up and I feel 12; other days I wake up and feel, like, 37!Freddie, she adds, is lovely. We had a really good time working together, hanging out in New York and enjoying the city. Hes adorable, and so cute! My friends are all, like, Emma, Emma, wheres Freddie Highmore? Im, like, You guys, calm down! Hes still about nine years old. Seriously, my friends are 25 and they are all in love with him.Los Angeles-based Emmas conversation is littered with the kind-ofs and likes of most 20-year-olds, and she is constantly checking messages on her mobile phone. But unlike most 20-year-olds, she already has more than a decade of acting experience. Emma made her film debut, aged just nine, playing the daughter of Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz in Blow. After parts in family films including Grand Champion and Spymate, at 13 she won the lead role of Addie Singer, a teen who writes songs about adolescence, in the Nickelodeon childrens series Unfabulous. The show, which ran for three years, made Emma a teen star Stateside. She has since racked up an impressive list of film credits including Nancy Drew, Valentines Day and The Winning Season, and earlier this year almost unrecognisable with black hair she starred alongside Neve Campbell in Wes Cravens slasher flick Scream 4.Ironically, given the high-school setting of her new film, Emma herself opted out of mainstream education at 13 to concentrate on acting. She was home-schooled, but insists that she doesnt feel she missed out. I just think there are two different roads, and I chose the less conventional one, she says. All my friendswent to school, so I would go to their football games, proms and parties. I missed the day-to-day classroom stuff, but I learned a lot that I would never have learnt in school. I travelled and worked in different places. I learned how to behave in meetings and interviews.Shealso learned to conduct herself as befits a young star, and admits there was an obligation to be a role model to other teens. Definitely,she says, through pastry crumbs. My friends would make mistakes or do something stupid, and they would get grounded for it. If I made a mistake, everyone would know. But she says it without self-pity, adding, But I think I did a good job of staying on the right path.Infact, she has managed to avoid the tabloid car crashes of many of her peers. Im not a big party animal I like to hang out with my friends and have fun, but we do it in a way thats not public or dangerous, shesays, with her eyes firmly on the prize. Besides, my mum would kill me!I dont think Hollywood makes young people behave in a certain way it depends on the sort of person you are anyway, she continues. You could get into trouble wherever you live. Still, being young and recognisable in Tinseltown has not always been a breeze. I love living in LA, but it gets overwhelming it is a goldfish bowl, she admits. In London and New York, you get more privacy.While she may look younger than her 20 years, Emmas observations can often sound like the words of someone much older. Because I was working, I do think I matured a lot faster, she says. I could keep conversation with adults at a young age and I developed a thick skin very quickly. I have a ten-year-old sister, and I see the difference with her. Shes had a normal childhood and shes such a kid. When I was her age, I was a little adult.I was also a determined child, Emma recalls. From the age of four, I told my mum I wanted to act. She always said no, but I just kept asking. Then, when I was nine, I told her she needed to be supportive of what I wanted to do, and she finally agreed to let me go to an audition it was for Blow. When I got the part, no one quite knew what to say.Her preciousness is perhaps not surprising given her background. Her father Eric Roberts, whose early career included films such as King of the Gypsies and Runaway Train, separated from Emmas mother Kelly when she was seven months old. Emma says she and Kelly, who raised her alone, are pretty much best friends, but she is not close to her father, who struggled with cocaine addiction in the 1990s, before getting clean and going on to star in the television series Heroes. Her mother remarried Kelly Nickels, former bassist with the band LA Guns, and their daughter Grace is Emmas half-sister. She calls her stepfather awesome, and describes Grace as way cooler than her. My friends come over just to hang out with her, she says, mock exasperated.If anyone was to blame for Emmas early ambition, it was Aunt Julia, with whom she spent weeks on set as a child Emma even has Polaroid pictures from the Erin Brockovich era of herself trying on Julias padded bras and to whom she is still close. To her credit, she doesnt even slightly roll her eyes when the subject of her famous relative comes up. I totally see the fascination, becauseI wonder the same things about celebrities who are related to other celebrities, she admits. Im a huge Kate Hudson fan and I think its totally cool that Goldie Hawn is her mum!I feel lame because I dont have any interesting stories, she continues. I dont talk to her about the business. I was at her house a few weeks ago hanging out with her and the twins (Julias six-year-olds, Hazel and Phinnaeus). To me, shes just Aunt Julia. Emma doesnt even believe they look alike. I really dont, she insists. Do you? I point out the famous, mobile Roberts mouth. Well, yeah, I guess my mouth is similar, she concedes. And I have huge teeth and too many of them. When I was younger, I wanted to get them filed down. Her teeth, for the record, are fantastic. The Art of Getting By is likely to make anyone over the age of 18 nostalgic for their own teenage trysts and the heart-wrenching crushes impossible (thankfully) to replicate in adulthood. In the film, Sally is the more worldly character, not unromantic but more realistic, while George is a dreamer, infatuated with her but unable to express it. I am more of a Sally than a George, Emma reveals. But Im not a cynic; Im a romantic. Im, like, Wheres the grand gesture? Open the door for me!She expects boys to be chivalrous, then?Its hard to come by these days, she says, sounding more 40 than 20. I confess that, in my own experience, American boys are generally better at putting in the effort than British ones (sorry, boys). Do you? she asks, bushbaby eyes widening. I dont! She ruminates for a moment. Well, maybe they are a little more old-fashioned in the US, at least at first. Less crass.Emma is qualified to make such comparisons, as she has first-hand experience of British boys. She dated actor Alex Pettyfer after they co-starred in the film Wild Child three years ago. He was clearly smitten and had her initials tattooed on his wrist, but she wont discuss him. She will, however, happily give her opinion on the general conduct of boys on both sides of the Atlantic. I think all boys need to start stepping up to the plate. I have so many friends who have been asked out via text message and its happened to me too. She looks horrified. You have to call someone to ask them on a date.Emma evades defining her current relationship status, other than to say, I am totally happy right now. Like, totally happy. Little wonder since, a few weeks after we meet, she is photographed at the Harry Potter premiere in London with the 22-year-old (now former) Glee star Chord Overstreet, who she apparently met at the Coachella music festival in the US in April. They have not confirmed they are a couple, but the paparazzi shots of them sharing fairground rides, ice creams and adoring looks in the Hamptons last month would strongly suggest so. She bemoans only the lack of routine in her busy life. I dont get time to go to the gym, she says, and has had to abandon the pole-dancing classes she attended. She does manage, however, to do yoga, which is practically compulsory in California.Her next film project will be Celeste and Jesse Forever, a romcom with Rashida Jones and Elijah Wood, in which Emma plays a pop star. I get to be totally ridiculous in it its great fun, she fizzes. However, her own music career she released an album called Unfabulous and More in 2005 when she was just 14, which reached number 46 in the U.S. charts is not something shes keen to revisit soon. I dont think anyone can be 100 per cent both an actor and a singer, and I want to focus on acting, she says. Shes not against exploring some literary sidelines, though. Im a huge reader and I write a lot, and would love to put together a collection of short stories, she says. A fashion fan she is hotly tipped to appear in a Sex and the City prequel she also fancies trying her hand at designing. I adore Alexander Wang and Rodarte, and Im obsessed with Barneys, Topshop and Selfridges. Id love to do some sort of collaboration with a brand. In fact, with or without the famous surname, the multiskilled and level-headed Emma is rapidly establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with, leaving a trail of grand gestures and chocolate croissant crumbs in her wake.The Art of Getting By will be released on FridayEMMA'S ESSENTIALSFavourite book Breakfast at Tiffanys by Truman Capote. Its so different to the movie, and really sad. Listening Foster the People I saw them at Coachella. Bon Ivers new album is breathtaking. Most like to be stuck in a lift with Sienna Miller. I think shes really funny, and Im sure shed give great advice.Saving up for Im always coveting bags. My current love is Balenciaga.Splurging on Vintage and costume jewellery. I like wearing lots of diamanté bracelets and layering them.Style icon Kate Moss always looks rad, whether shes in couture or a T-shirt.Where Id most like to live London. Ive made movies there and Id love to live there. Fashion extra: The top 10 new models to look out for in 2012 By UPDATED:11:34 GMT, 11 January 2012Always keen to boost your fashion knowledge, the YOU fashion teams bookings editor Megan McCluskie has created a who's who of the new faces for 2012. The old guard may have made a strong showing in SS12 with seasoned pros Carmen Kass, Jessica Stam and even Kate Moss walking the runways. But ask any casting director or model agent, and they'll tell you it was the fresh faces who stole the spotlight this season. With so many new girls, it was a challenge narrowing down the list. Here are the 10 to watch ...LARA MULLENHails from Northamptonshire, EnglandAge: 17Agency: Premier Model ManagementOnly a month after being scouted by Premier Model Management, Lara Mullen went straight from the street to the runway with her catwalk debut at Alexander Wang in New York. Mullen then went on to secure the holy grail of catwalk bookings: the Prada exclusive. Her final leg in Paris cemented her status as this season's model of the moment when she walked for top fashion houses Givenchy, Chloé, Céline and Dries Van Noten. With her elegant, aristocratic features and statuesque figure, this British newcomer beams a kind of beauty that spells longevity.CORA KEEGANHails from Las Vegas, United StatesAge: 20Agency: Next Model ManagementWith her full lips, wide-set eyes and golden locks, baby-faced Cora Keegan reminds us of successful models Arizona Muse and Gemma Ward. Seen on the runways at Jason Wu, Narciso Rodriguez, Mulberry and Peter Jensen, the Las Vegas natives a guaranteed-fashion-week staple in seasons to come. With a Gap campaign already in the bag and upcoming shoots for V Magazine, ELLE US, Interview and i-D lined up, its unlikely well be forgetting this face any time soon.ERJONA ALAHails from Kristiansand, NorwayAge: 16Agency: Ford Models This Norwegian newcomer has built up an impressive catwalk portfolio (fashion power houses Balenciaga, Missoni, Chanel and Michael Kors all looked to the Norwegian's dark, haunting features for their SS12 shows). Walking a total of 64 shows across the fashion capitals, the former Elite Model Look contest runner-up has certainly secured her status as one of this seasons breakout stars. And with shoots for W Magazine and V Magazine in her portfolio, major campaigns are sure to follow.JASMINE TOOKESHails from California, United StatesAge: 20Agency: IMGStunning Jasmine Tookes proved herself to be a supermodel-in-the-making on the SS12 runways. The California native walked an impressive 23 shows and has shot with iconic photographers Ellen von Unwerth, Bruce Weber and Giampaolo Sgura for the likes of French Vogue. With the perfect 34-24-34 model figure and Angel aspirations (Jasmine is rumoured to be shooting Victorias Secret), this newcomer looks set for a promising commercial and editorial career. JULIA FRAUCHEHails from Cannes, FranceAge: 23Agency: Next Model ManagementWith her resemblance to supermodel Raquel Zimmermann, this French native has every editor, stylist and designer standing to attention. Julia walked a total of 40 stellar shows this season (for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Chanel and Stella McCartney to name but a few) and solidified her position as one of the top new faces to watch. With spreads for Numero, French Vogue, and American Vogue already in the bag, this newcomer is a chameleon with staying power. KATE KINGHails from Mississauga, CanadaAge: 17Agency: Models 1This Toronto teen has been taking over the runways: Kate was a must-have for every big designer, including Prada, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, and Versace during the SS12 season. She has simultaneously built a stellar editorial track record, including spreads in Russsh, Wonderland, i-D Magazine and LOVE. From her heavy rotation in international style magazines to her runway traction and her Topshop and Dolce Gabbana campaign spots, Kate is emerging as one of the most exciting new girls to look out for.KELLY MITTENDORFHails from Arizona, United StatesAge: 17Agency: Marilyn New YorkWithout even stepping foot on a catwalk, the previously unknown Arizona native signed to an agency last year and secured modelling's equivalent of Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket: the Prada campaign. Her mesmerising cat-like features instantly caught the attention of the worlds press with her spot in the Prada campaign and video shot by Steven Meisel. As a 17 year old from Arizona who just experienced her first high school prom, Kelly is at the very beginning of whats sure to be a monumental career. MARTE MEI VAN HAASTERHails from Amsterdam, the Netherlands Age: 19Agency: Models 1 After being scouted on the streets of Amsterdam last year, this androgynous Dutch native enjoyed an exceptional debut. She has continued to rise through the catwalk ranks, making appearances for the likes of Prada, Valentino, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. Following her sensational SS12 season, Marte has worked on campaigns for HM as well as blue chip editorials for style rags such as Vogue Brazil and Teen Vogue. Her rising industry buzz is set to prove that this fresh face is no one-season-wonder.VALERIJA SESTICHails from Bern, SwitzerlandAge: 16Agency: Select Model Management Long, tall teen Valerija Sestic is surrounded with industry buzz and seemingly has the talent, face, and that ever-elusive je ne sais quoi to ensure a stellar career. New to modelling, the Swiss native of Croatian descent dominated the SS12 shows, walking for the likes of DKNY, Dolce Gabbana, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Moschino. With Style.com declaring her the best new face of New York Fashion Week SS12, its unlikely well be forgetting this Slavic beauty any time soon.WANG XIAOHails from Beijing, ChinaAge: 20Agency: Premier Model Management Huge in the Chinese market and having made prominent appearances in magazines such as i-D, LOVE and V Magazine, Wang Xiao made an impressive SS12 runway debut. With her Louise Brooks-bob and eccentric off-duty style, this fresh face has got the makings to be the latest catwalk and street-style star. And we have a feeling this girl's strong editorial looks are going to champion diversity across the international catwalks next season. Fashion flow: How styles are set in the north and followed in the southBy UPDATED:11:55 GMT, 24 September 2009Northern lads and lasses set fashion trends while those in the south prefer to follow, a new survey shows.People in the north like to customise their clothes and experiment with accessories in an effort to stand out.But southerners are more likely to copy models they see on television, in magazines and in shop windows, the Vauxhall Motors poll found.Fashion-conscious youngsters are more inspired by styles emerging from Leeds than any other city.London came second in the poll and is the only southern city to feature in the top five.Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle make up the other It is thought that style icons such as Cheryl Cole and Agyness Deyn have helped put the northern cities back on the fashion map.Vauxhall Fashion Scout, the UKs largest catwalk event for emerging designers, is broadcasting London Fashion Week in Leeds out of the back of a Vauxhall Agila.Martyn Roberts, director of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, said: 'It's well known that Leeds is a hot fashion hub.'In fact some of the designers we work with, such as Andrew Bannister from studio-805, get their inspiration from its streets.'People in Leeds 'get' fashion. It is a young, energetic city and fashion is very important to its people.'Walking around Leeds you see a kind of style-conscious competitiveness in the way people dress and that is inspiring and exciting for trend-spotters.'Simon Ewart, from Vauxhall Motors, said the mobile catwalk - dubbed Car'Walk - is a great way to take London fashion week to those in the north.He said: 'The Car'Walk is our way of raising awareness about fashion week outside of London.'It also gives people in Leeds a front row taste of what they are so passionate about.' Fashion for less: Discount us in!Paying full price is so last year. 2009 is all about the steal, so we could barely contain our excitement when we heard that the geniuses behind top designer website net-a-porter.com had launched theoutnet.com, offering uber fashion brands with huge discounts. Then came the news that TK Maxx, high-street mecca of cut-price designer labels, is now Britains fourth most popular store. Bagging a designer bargain has never been so easy, but can discounted fashion deliver in the style stakes? We sent the YOU fashion team to find out.UPDATED:19:00 GMT, 18 April 2009The See by Chloé trench is such a strong retro look Fashion Director Caroline BakerTK Maxx (left): Trench, £199.99, See by Chloé (down from £427.88; 53 per cent off); T-Shirt (just seen), £9.99, Baby Phat; jeans, £39.99, Earnest Sewn (down from £230; 80 per cent off), and shoes, £69.99, Pedro Garcia (down from £265; 75 per cent off)This softest suede Rick Owens jacket will never dateFashion Editor Katie Lestertheoutnet.com (right): Suedejacket, £413, Rick Owens (down from £1,033; 60 per cent off); top, £70,Vanessa Bruno (down from £176; 60 per cent off); jeans, £36, KarlLagerfeld (down from £122; 70 per cent off), and shoes, £58, MarcJacobs (down from £220; 75 per cent off)I was so excited to find this dress Alexander Wang is one of the hottest designers of the moment Katie Lestertheoutnet.com (left): Dress, £172, Alexander Wang (down from £440; 60 per cent off); jacket, £217, Narciso Rodriguez (down from £773; 70 per cent off); clutch, £224, Devi Kroell (down from £740; 70 per cent off), and sandals, £88, Rupert Sanderson (down from £352; 75 per cent off)This cute shift is so Chloé Caroline BakerTK Maxx (right): Dress, £79.99, See by Chloé (down from £212.50; 60 per cent off); sunglasses, £49.99, Chloé (down from £160; 70 per cent off); sandals, £29.99, Steve Madden, (down from £65; 55 per cent off), and bag, £79.99, Modalu (down from £199; 60 per cent off)Caroline Baker visited TK Maxxs newest store on Kensington High Street in West London, one of 212 in the UKThe clothes Who wouldnt be tempted by the opportunity to own some Chloé? Older women can wear this shift (above) as a tunic with a long-sleeved T-shirt and tights. And the pink coat (above right) is much more cheerful for spring than black.The experienceIt was all a bit overwhelming when I first walked in, but once Id started searching there were plenty of temptations. There is so much stock I spotted Ralph Lauren, Betty Jackson, Paul Costelloe that youve got a great chance of picking out a fantastic bargain. I even spotted Prada handbags in the Kensington store. Its easy to see how, in these pared-down times, this store could become a high-street favourite. This is a brilliant place to perfect that covetable mix of high-street and designer fashion. Great forThis is a brilliant hunting ground for jeans. I found hot designer denims from the likes of Earnest Sewn (above) for at least half the price. The downsideNot much time or money is spent on displaying the clothes, so you have to rummage. It took me about 40 minutes to put these looks together. Hot buy This 1980s-style metallic blouson jacket by Moschino is bang on trend (£299.99, down from £738.46; 60 per cent off)Katie Lester had a preview of theoutnet.com, the new venture from Natalie Massenet, founder of net-a-porter.comThe clothes This Alexander Wang shift (above) is wonderfully versatile; itll take you from business meetings to drinks after work. The Rick Owens jacket (above right) has the same appeal, and the Karl Lagerfeld jeans are perfect for anyone who is over skinnies. Theyre cheaper than many high-street versions, too. The experienceThe website was under construction when I was granted a glimpse at some of the clothes, but as its part of the net-a-porter camp, its sure to be a breeze to use. And theyll ship to more than 170 countries impressive stuff. What I love about online shopping is that I can sit in bed with my laptop shopping for a dress to wear for that last-minute invite. And now, thanks to theoutnet.com, at fab discounts, too. The prices compare with the top end of the high street, so it makes designer fashion obtainable for everyone.Great for Its the perfect site for a wedding outfit, or if you have a job interview and need to impress. The downside Its almost too easy! A 3.1 Phillip Lim dress with a Reiss price tag? Ill have three. Dangerous Hot buy This quilted Marc Jacobs tote is a true classic. It doubles as a great travel bag, too. (£277, down from £925; 70 per cent off)More ways to bag a designer bargainGet in the know Keep up with the fash pack by subscribing to secret online sales sites which offer exclusive bargains on top designer brands. Permanent sales Seasonal salesFashion for life: A balancing act with no thrill factorBy UPDATED:19:00 GMT, 24 April 2010I came across a great phrase the other day: fashion-life balance, meaning when your clothes fit your life, but are bang on trend. Dont you love that? It is being heralded as a new way to dress, as if the rest of the time were all out of kilter, wearing rubber waders for cocktail parties and diamanté tiaras to mulch the garden. These days, I find that my own fashion-life balance is generally spirit-level straight. I very rarely wear anything thats not suitable for the job upmarket jeans, mostly, with Converse for everyday purposes; slithery dresses for parties, with bare legs and amusing heels. It wasnt always thus. Back in the ancient mists of time, I tended to wear the polar opposite of what was expected, chuckling to myself that I was anarchic, breaking the dress code and kicking up dust. My zenith came at a student party at Cambridge in 1987, when I wore a pair of vintage YSL sandals and a fake-fur coat. Nothing else, not a stitch. Boy, I thought I was hot and, in truth, the outfit was bang-on for my fashion-life balance of the time.As you get older everything changes, and the demands placed on your wardrobe mean that, necessarily, everything calms downSuch days are long gone of course. As you get older as you stop listening to Hendrix at full blast and start to worry about getting your roots tinted everything changes, and the demands placed on your wardrobe mean that, necessarily, everything calms down. The ridiculous parps of style make way for practicality, purpose and a pair of sandals that can actually negotiate the cobblestones on holiday in Tuscany. Its not just an age thing, though. This season, there has been a steady stream of practical, FLB-friendly options sneaking into proceedings. High-tops (so very comfy, and wildly fashionable to boot). Mid-heeled shoes (so very comfy, and wildly fashionable to boot). Cross-body bags (do I need to say it again?). Sure, we also have the crazy contenders the wooden clogs, the bum bags and bra straps a-go-go. But there are so many everyday, every-way elements to spring/summer 2010 that you could easily argue its the most reasonable season in years. Look, for instance, at the abundance of denim. The neutral colours. The easy-street sportiness. All precisely the kind of clothes that we can sling on to drive the kids to karate, catch a movie, hoover the stairs, rescue a Frisbee from a tree, motor around the officeIt all makes perfect sense to me, given that Ive been dressing in high-tops and jeans for what feels like centuries, with only the occasional explosion of idiocy (a backless dress, a thigh-high boot, an enormous gobstopper of a ring). The rest of the time, Im Captain Sensible. And now that the look is bang-on-trend, Im not so sure I like it. It all seems a bit dull. Theres nothing less interesting, to my eye at least, than a mid-heel shoe. The very description is too humdrum to contemplate. It hasnt even got a jaunty name. Its vanilla. MOR. White bread. The whole idea makes me want to run away and join the circus. There, of course, my FLB would demand a rhinestone leotard and a vast leopard-print cape. Ah, those were the days.TRES BON!After the success of her debut range for Wallis last September, Yasmin Le Bons second collection is set to make even bigger waves. Her maxi dresses are perfect for summer our money is on this elegant mauve number.DRESS £70, YLB for Wallis, ylb4wallis.comFLASH OF INSPIRATIONNot sure how to work summers underwear as outerwear trend? Then get your mitts on Collette Dinnigans new lingerie range for Marks Spencer. Her vintage-inspired underwear in ditsy, feminine prints are far too pretty to keep under wraps. BRA, £19.50, and KNICKERS, £12, Collette by Collette Dinnigan for Marks Spencer, tel: 0845 302 1234Theyre darling!FORTITIA SANDALS, £565, Christian Louboutin, tel: 020 7491 0033, christianlouboutin.comFashion for life: Give in to the slum and slouchBy UPDATED:11:15 GMT, 22 February 2010 I have a sinking feeling that Ive been wearing the same trousers now for six days on the trot. Its possible that it is, in fact, two pairs of trousers worn in strict rotation I do have these skinny needle-cords in midnight grey and charcoal blue, but in the ineffective light of winter, they pass for each other. Sigh. These cords seem to be on a constant preset route though my house: wardrobe, office, kitchen, washing machine, wardrobe, office, kitchen, washing machineas if on a groundhog loop. If I ever go missing, the police will issue a statement: last seen wearing grey cords and an expression of sheer, styleless ennuiStill, I have an excuse. We all do. Its the dreg-end of February, the days that fashion forgot. Not a lot happens in February. Everyone is hibernating with HBO box sets and heavy colds. As a result, life (and style) tend to collapse in on themselves, leaving our daily coordinates triangulated between desk, kitchen sink and school gate. This time of year doesnt call for much in the way of clothes, let alone proper bells-and-whistles fashion. Thank heavens, then, for London Fashion Week, which has arrived to redeem us this weekend. We may be loafing about in our dressing-gowns, but at least we can gaze at what will be on the fashion menu come next winter. Not that most of us will wear any of it, mind, particularly if youre one of the UKs ever-growing band of homeworkers.At least Im now fashionable as I sit here in my trackie bottoms, hair squidged into a scrunchie (very 2010, the scrunchie)Anyone who works from the house knows that you can, should you so desire, wear your husbands socks and a flowerpot on your head for a day at the office. According to a survey by BT, 68 per cent of conference-callers have done it in their pyjamas; half have worn only their undies, while 20 per cent did it in the nude, which makes my cords seem positively dressy.In some ways, its an issue of age and time of life. If you are babysitting the kids six nights out of seven, theres not much call for a Marc Jacobs dolly dress. Freelancers with an office at home need one even less. Whenever I go to lunch with my office-dwelling girlfriends, Im always overwhelmed by their smarts, their shiny high heels, their glossy, blow-dried hair. Personally, Ive taken to buying my entire seasons working wardrobe in the sleepwear department of the White Company. These days (please dont tell Manolo) I buy pillows as often as I buy stilettos. Its a slouch-wear revolution, people! Follow the trajectory and very soon mothers who work from home will be wearing romper suits. Romper suits with little sock attachments and a fleece-lined pocket for the BlackBerry.In fact aha! were already there. This springs hot trouser shape is the sweat-pant, all comfy jersey and elastic waist, all ankle cuff and lazy arse. Thank heavens for that. Thank you to Vanessa Bruno, Alexander Wang, Marni and Missoni, all of whom had the grace and foresight to show them on the catwalk. At least Im now fashionable as I sit here in my trackie bottoms, hair squidged into a scrunchie (very 2010, the scrunchie). London Fashion Week, eat your heart out.Theyre darling!SHOES, £350, Amanda Wakeley, tel: 020 7590 9105, amandawakeley.comCREATIVE OUTLETAs a new designer, its difficult to secure affordable and prominent retail space. Until now. A new concept store split into rentable units, in Londons Notting Hill, has become home to some of Britains hottest emerging design talent. Find Wolf Badger at 46 Ledbury Road, London W11.JACKET, £1,500, Tosha, from Wolf Badger, tel: 020 7229 5698, wolfandbadger.comLYONS ROARS BACKYouve probably seen and even worn Suzanne Lyonss fab accessories;shes designed for some of our high street favourites, including Reissand Accessorize. Back in the UK after a stint in Hong Kong, Suzanne hasjust launched her own jewellery range, which combines luxury materialssuch as Swarovski crystals, pearls and Petersham ribbon with on-trenddesigns. Were lusting after these statement necklaces Fashion for life: Pleats please, but slimming they're notBy UPDATED:19:01 GMT, 14 May 2011There is, I have to admit, a hint of the loo-roll holder about my dear friend Majolica today. She sails into Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Bar, without a care in the world, wearing what she knows darn well is the Look of the Moment. This, for readers who havent yet cottoned on, takes in a pair of clunking great sandals by Alexander Wang, buttercup-coloured ankle socks, a segment of bare leg, leading on to the skirt of the season. Quick breather here for a slurp of coffee before I resume Right. The skirt is a concertina-pleated affair in the pink of a sugar mouse (Ill come back to this), and Majolica has added a skinny belt and a blush-coloured leotard that puts her nipples on awfully conversational terms with the wait staff. From afar, I shudder to say, she looks naked from the waist up. But her wrists jangle with golden bangles and her eyes sparkle with achievement. Look! she says, before we even get to the hellos, My Miu Miu clutch! Isnt it adorable?Indeed it is. Majolica is without doubt my most trend-sational mate. I have other friends who are more guarded in their embrace of fashion fads women who have found their style and stick with it, tinkering around at the edges to give their look a seasonal uplift. But Majolica eats fashion for breakfast, lunch and tea. She scans the mags and puts her name on waiting lists. She blogs and tweets and knows the designer collections floor at Selfridges like the back of her hand. Glancing at the back of her hand right now, I can see that she has painted her nails yellow. Chanels Mimosa, she whispers. Dont you love it?The 360-degree knife pleats accentuate every bun and butty youve ever eaten but Im going to give them a whirlNow, Ive got to be honest here. Her nails are the colour of egg yolk. They look as if she shut her fingers in a heavy door about a week ago and the bruises are only just healing. Gorgeous, I say, knowing full well that Ill want yellow Mimosa nails come Thursday.Such is the nature of fashion its catching, like a summer sneeze. Which brings me back to that skirt. At first glance, I hate it with all my might. The 360-degree knife pleats are clearly thickening to the waist, splaying out over the rump to accentuate every bun and butty youve ever eaten. Imagine, I think to myself, wearing an inverted cupcake case! Flattering it is not. Fashionable? I have to concede that it is.So here I am contemplating the purchase (the skirt, should you wish to join in, is called Carrie and comes from Whistles). It reminds me, now I come to dwell upon it, of several key elements from the past: my grandma, going dancing in pleat-chiffon dresses and clip-on earrings; Issey Miyakes beloved plissé collections; Fortunys art nouveau pleats worn by Isadora Duncan and Sarah Bernhardt; Marilyns white dress blown skywards by a subway vent in The Seven Year Itch It also perfectly encapsulates summers frivolous and girlie mood so Im going to give it a whirl. But not with Wang clodhoppers and yolk-yellow nails. Ill leave the daffy trends to fad fanatics like Majolica. Mercifully, dear hearts, you wont catch me in a leotard just yet.TOP DRAWThe Topshop Secret Store is a little emporium hidden away inside its flagship Oxford Circus shop. For two weeks only this pop-up space will sell a selection of specially designed jewellery and scarves, plus limited-edition pieces from Topshops eclectic Boutique range. The Secret Store opens this Friday who will find it first?GRAB YOUR GRAD RAGSStella McCartney and Burberrys Christopher Bailey both launched their careers after showing at Graduate Fashion Week. Now in its 20th year, it continues to burst at the seams with names to watch and its front row often attracts fashion-forward A-listers.It runs from 5-8 June, at Londons Earls Court Two, tickets cost £10; to book, visit gfw.org.ukIts darling!DRESS, £135, French Connection, tel: 020 7036 7200; frenchconnection.comFashion for life: Your five-star updateUPDATED:20:00 GMT, 21 March 2009Each season, there is a short, sharp line-up of must-havesthat will mark you out as a woman of substance, style and savoir-faire. Thesepieces will gather you up, escort you to the next stop on the fashion underground,and allow you to come up for air looking delightfully on the money. People willnudge other people and say, Goodness, isnt Jane looking divine? Where did sheget that hat?, etc.Now that spring has properly sprung and we are no longertobogganing down the nearest hill, its time to take stock of whats what. Forease of reference, I offer five snappy dressing solutions for spring 2009. Dont feel you have to wear them all at once, unless you are Peaches Geldof.Dont think that you need to buy everything, unless you are Paris Hilton. Anddont feel that you have to go all-out on all five. A hint, I have found, isoften far more effective than a hit.The colours: this seasons palette runs the gamut fromyellow, all the way through the orange family, popping out at pink in a rash ofblush and coral. While youre at it, you might like to sling in a clashy neon highlight to bring on migraines in yourco-workers. None of these colours is what we fashion folk call easy. In fact,they are difficult, challenging and, occasionally, a big mistake. It isup to you to play about until you arrive at a colour that doesnt eat yourcomplexion for breakfast and then spit it out on the carpet. Personally, Ithink peach stinks. Your call.The shapes: you will by now have discerned whether thissprings harem pant is built for you. I tried way back in December and thelook was all wrong, as if I was smuggling pigeons in my pants. Thisweek, with renewed vigour, I set about trying harems again. I went for chic,slippy jersey ones, which draped about the body like the eighth wife of asultan. Good. Try.The other trouser: this is, in fact, a jumpsuit. Again,tricky. The key here is to lose weight, fast. Anyone whose body mass indexresides within the bell-curve of normal will look like a jelly belly in a jumpsuit. If you are willowy and tall, be my guest.The skirt: a surprise, this, but the pencil skirt is veryhot right now. Its ladylike, of course, and mildly raunchy, a bit Mad Men. Youmay Im hazarding a guess here already own one. Win win! The accessories: by now you will have more than enoughidiotic but divine shoes in your closet. Youll know that bags yes, eventhose darling square clutches are a bit passé. What you want are earrings. Myfashion cover line of the season goes to Vogue, with Bigger, bolder, better:the earring makes a comeback, as if the earring has been training with theSAS in the wilds of Scotland in readiness for the day it will rise once again,sweeping all other accessories aside in a hail of sequins and rickrack braid.Vogue suggests youll need a long neck to pull off some of the freakishlyelongated earrings doing the rounds. I agree. Youll also need fearfully strongear lobes. Perhaps the SAS could come up with a fitness programmeFlash a little fleshEvery season designers shift the focus from one erogenouszone to another. Last seasons longer skirt made our calves all come hither.And this spring were travelling north, to that area just above the midriff. Championed on the catwalkby Prada, Chloé and Alexander Wang and a favourite of Cheryl Cole this lookis all about subtlety. We love this cropped top and high-waisted skirt bySwedish label Dagmar. Were not talking about exposing a vast expanse of torsohere, just a hint of skin.Its darlingCOAT, £348, Designer Remix, from my-wardrobe.com Fashion forward: Future couture stars By UPDATED:23:01 GMT, 26 May 2012Introducing the stellar talents whose designs will be wowing the crowds at next months Graduate Fashion Week and rocking our closets before too long Katie Tomlison My passion for Yorkshire and Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore sculptures influences my silhouettes, and I used soft wools from Yorkshire mills mixed with silk. Meet our modelIntroducing British model of the moment Lara Mullen. Since she was discovered at a festival by top agency Premier she has walked for Marc Jacobs, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Alexander Wang, and has been shot by top fashion photographers David Sims and Alasdair McLellan.Hannah Duckworth I played with the idea of combining three-dimensional clothes and austere graphic shapes using bonded neoprene, acrylic and lenticular plastic. Aimee Ward I design for someone who is confident, edgy and has their own individual style. I would love to dress Florence Welch, Rooney Mara and Lana Del Rey. Rebecca Stant My collection has a very eccentric British feel to it. It would be good to see Grayson Perry in my pieces!Get your hot ticketGraduate Fashion Week features the work of more than 1,000 of the years best BA fashion degree talent, from 40 universities. The event, sponsored by George at Asda, runs from 10-13 June at Londons Earls Court. For tickets, visit gfw.org.uk. Didn't they do well!Christopher Bailey Since he graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1994, Christopher has been best known as the chief creative officer of Burberry, which he joined in 2001. His revamping of the traditional British brand has helped to make it one of the UKs most successful fashion houses.Emma Hill A graduate of Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication in 1992, Emma designed accessories for Marc Jacobs, Burberry and Chloé, before becoming creative director of British label Mulberry in 2008. Shes the reason why we all fell in love with the Alexa bag!Giles Deacon After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 1992, Giles became chief designer at the Italian fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before starting his own successful label, Giles, in 2003.Phoebe Philo She started working at French label Chloé with Stella McCartney less than a year after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 1996, helping to rejuvenate the brand. Now shes working the same magic at Céline.Get it! We love this swimsuit by Kirenjit Sogi, who graduated from Wiltshire College, Salisbury, last year. Its available exclusively at George at Asda from 10 June, for a snip at £12. Preorder it now before it goes! asda.comFashion:Top new models for A/W 12 By UPDATED:23:13 GMT, 31 March 2012We're happy to report that A/W 12 was one of thehealthiest newcomer seasons in recent memory, with the door wide open for somerunway rookies to make their mark. Despite this being their debut show season,itsthe new faces that are causing a stir - booking coveted runway exclusives atPrada, Calvin Klein and Givenchy, landing major campaigns, and making top photographersand stylists shortlists. Discover our fashion bookings editor Megan McCluskiespicks for the top ten breakout stars from the A/W 12 runways.AVA SMITH, Models 1 Nationality: AmericanAge: 23Height: 59Show list: Alexander Wang, Altuzarra, Antonio Berardi, Aquilando Rimondi, Balmain, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Cacharel, Calvin Klein, Céline, Chanel, Dolce Gabbana, Dries VanNoten, Elie Saab, Emilio Pucci, Etro, Fendi, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy,Gucci, Hèrmes, Hussein Chalayan, Iceberg, Isabel Marant, Loewe, Marchesa, McQ, Missoni, Moschino Cheap Chic, Moschino, Mugler, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, Philosophy diAlberta Ferretti, Preen, Rochas, Salvatore Ferragamo, Thakoon, Trussardi,Valentino, Yves Saint LaurentProof it isn't always about the bigdebut: Ava spent several years as a catalogue model before being repackaged byher agency and subsequently catching the eye of virtually every major castingdirector this season. Her appearance at a total of 51 veteran-heavy shows likeCalvin Klein and Gucci proves this stunning beauty has staying power. With herstriking presence, piercing eyes and cheekbones you could slice a baguettewith, the question is, what took everybody so long?FRANZIMUELLER, IMG Nationality: GermanAge: 20 Height: 511Show list: Acne, Antonio Berardi, Aquilando Rimondi, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Céline, Christopher Kane, DriesVan Noten, Erdem, Givenchy, Haider Ackermann, Hèrmes, Iceberg, JonathanSaunders, J.W. Anderson, Loewe, LouisVuitton, Marni, Maxmara, McQ, Missoni, NinaRicci, Prada, Rochas, Roland Mouret, Valentino, Versus, Yves Saint Laurent If you want tobecome the model of the moment, you need a Calvin Klein exclusive. And thatsexactly what newcomer Franzi Mueller achieved in her catwalk debut. Sinceopening New Yorks most desirable catwalk slot, the 20-year-old German nativewent on to walk for all the major shows across the four fashion capitals. Witheditorial bookings pouring in and an instantly recognisable gaze, she'scertainly got the makings of the next big thing.KOLFINNAKRISTOFERSDOTTIR, NextNationality: IcelandicAge: 19Height: 511Show list:Acne, Bottega Veneta, Christopher Kane, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Giles, JonathanSaunders, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marni, Maxmara, Missoni, Moschino, Prada, Topshop, Versace, Versus19-year-oldIcelandic newcomer Kolfinna Kristófersdóttir ischarming the fashion circuit with her hypnotic gaze, pixie crop and androgynousstyle. She opened and closed Christopher Kane's dramatic show in London,and took the major international catwalks by storm with the added bonus oflanding a coveted Marc Jacobs exclusive, a sure sign she has the makings of the next big thing.NADJABENDER, New York ModelsNationality: DanishAge: 21Height: 511Show list: AlexanderMcqueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Céline, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce Gabbana, Elie Saab, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Giambattista Valli, Gucci, Iceberg,Isabel Marant, Jean Paul Gaultier, JohnGalliano, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Maxmara, McQ, Missoni, Nina Ricci, RolandMouret, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sportmax, Stella Mccartney, Theykens Theory, Tom Ford,Trussardi, Versace, Yves Saint LaurentAfter bookingsought-after opening slots at Alexander Wang and Rodarte, its no surprise thatDanish native Nadja Bender has the worlds editors, designers and photographersstanding to attention. With a slenderframe and striking features prime for editorial work, she will undeniablybe a face to recognise for seasons to come. KATRYNKRUGER, IMGNationality: South AfricanAge: 17Height: 511Show list: Acne,BCBG Max Azria Chloe, Christopher Kane, Derek Lam, Diane Von Furstenberg, Dolce Gabbana, Donna Karan, Etro, Giambattista Valli, Giles, Givenchy, Hervé Léger,Jason Wu, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Marc By Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Marni, Missoni,Narciso Rodriguez, Prabal Gurung, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Rag Bone, Rochas,Roland Mouret, Sonia Rykiel, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria BeckhamShe might be a newcomer but with herraven hair, dazzling green eyes, strong brows and a debut as a Givenchyexclusive under her belt, Katryn Kruger has everything she needs to launch astellar career. The Cape Town native hashad nothing short of a break-out season. And proof is in the Prada campaignpudding, where shes the only newcomer starring alongside Natasha Poly and MeghanCollison. One to watch indeed. MARIEPIOVESAN, StormNationality: FrenchAge: 26Height: 510Show list:Acne, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Céline,Christopher Kane, Emilio Pucci, Giambattista Valli, Haider Ackermann, Hèrmes, Fendi,Gareth Pugh, Giles, Helmut Lang, Jason Wu, Jonathan Saunders, Lanvin, Loewe, LouisVuitton, Marc Jacobs, Marc By Marc Jacobs, Marni, Maxmara, Missoni, NarcisoRodriguez, Paco Rabanne, Ports 1961, Prabal Gurung, Preen, Proenza Schouler,Reed Krakoff, Rick Owens, RobertoCavalli, Thakoon, Valentino, Viktor Rolf, Versace, Victoria Beckham, Yves Saint Laurent At 25, this French beauty has a few years onmost newcomers, but her mature poise, inimitable bone structure and cool,captivating look, has bagged a well-deserved spot on our ones-to-watch list. Piovesandazzled on the runway of no less than 47 shows (landing the coveted closingslot for the A/W 12 Louis Vuitton show), stars in the S/S 12 Céline ad campaign,and has just shot editorials for style bibles Vogue Italia, Interview, and Pop- no mean feat for a new face. VANESSAAXENTE, Viva LondonNationality: HungarianAge: 16Height: 511Show list: AlexanderMcqueen, Céline, Christian Dior, Dries Van Noten, Givenchy, Loewe, LouisVuitton, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Prada Valentino, Yves Saint LaurentThe opening slot atPrada, so coveted and precious, is a sure sign that the girl will have stayingpower. And this seasons first exit went to Hungarian native Vanessa Axente,making her runway debut. With her classically beautiful face and slightlyquirky features, she's in an enviableposition for the upcoming campaign season. CORAEMMANUEL, PremierNationality: FrenchAge: 20Height: 511Show list: 3.1Phillip Lim, Acne, Antonio Berardi, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Dolce Gabbana, Ellie Saab, Emilio Pucci, Giles, Givenchy, Jason Wu, Jean PaulGaultier, Jonathan Saunders, Just Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Marni, Maxmara, MichaelKors, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Ports 1961, Prada, Rochas, Stella Mccartney, TommyHilfiger, Topshop Unique, ValentinoCora Emmanuel has won over the fashion circuit with her wide eyes,unmistakable cheekbones and endless legs. And after racking up an impressive54 shows in the A/W 12 season, were certain this newcomer is set to follow inthe footsteps of fellow successful Martinique born models Sigrid Agren andMelodie Monrose. Watch this space. TIAN YI,StormNationality: ChineseAge: 18Height: 510Show list: Acne,Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten, Jonathan Saunders, Kenzo,Louis Vuitton, Marni, Miu Miu, Prada, Rochas, Roland Mouret, Thakoon, Valentino,Yves Saint LaurentWith less than a year in the game,Tian Yi has already worked with some of the best designers andphotographers in the industry, racking up an impressivecollection of editorial appearances in thelikes of 10 Magazine, i-D Magazine, and Vogue China. And after booking several coveted show slots, includingPrada and Alexander McQueen, she's in an enviable position for the upcomingcampaign season.OPHELIERUPP, StormNationality: FrenchAge: 21Height: 59.5Show list: 3.1Phillip Lim, Acne, Balenciaga, Burberry Prorsum, Chloé, Diane Von Furstenberg,DKNY, Dolce Gabbana, Fendi, EmilioPucci, Helmut Lang, Jean Paul Gaultier, Just Cavalli, Marchesa, Missoni,Moschino, Narciso Rodriguez, Paco Rabanne, Peter Pilotto, PPQ, Rodarte, Valentino,Vanessa Bruno, Sonia Rykiel, Thakoon, Topshop Unique AnotherGallic girl, Ophelie Rupp, is being whispered about as one of the mostprominent faces of the season. The beauty has had significant face time with some of fashion's leading editorsand photographers, who rave about Rupp's catwalk and editorial potential. Herhypnotic gaze has many, well, hypnotised. With an Etro campaign shot by MarioTestino in the bag, a Thierry Mugler fragrance campaign and a Prada exclusive,we think she has miles ahead of her on the runway.Cyndi Lauper at Manolo Blahnik and karaoke at Michael Kors... The stellar line-up of U.S. events for Fashion's Night Out 2012 By PUBLISHED:21:11 GMT, 3 September 2012 UPDATED:21:11 GMT, 3 September 2012Now in its fourth year Fashion's Night Out promises to be bigger than ever with more than 4,500 outlets in 20 different countries hosting events simultaneously on Thursday September 6. New York, of course, is where it all started, and the city doesn't disappoint, with an array of events to coincide with the start of fashion week.From a performance from Cyndi Lauper at Manolo Blahnik, to karaoke sessions at Michael Kors, this year's FNO will see the industry's power players let their hair down.Vogue Fashion Director Grace Coddington has created an exclusive line for Balenciaga in honor of the event - and Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette should watch out because its theme puts her own moggy, Pumpkin, in the spotlight.Macy's will become a reality TV Mecca with appearances from Kourtney Kardashian's long-term beau Scott Disick, and Barneys will become a buzzing street fair with salsa lessons for all.The fun is not limited to the East Coast either. Over in LA KendallJenner will be kicking off proceedings at the Berverly Center while thePorsche store on Wilshire Boulevard will be serving up free glasses of bubbly all evening.Launched by Anna Wintour in New York in 2009, the global initiative sponsored by Vogue and the CFDA was aimed at giving the fashion industry a boost during tough economic times and this year a special T-shirt will be on sale to help raise funds for the New York City AIDS fund.Todayit's tipped as one of the hottest shopping events on the retail calendar, with a plethora of stores staying open after hours with tipples, nibbles and entertainment provided free of charge. Here's our roundup of some of the must-visit FNO locations across the US...NEW YORKBARNEYS The department store will be transformed into a buzzing street fair, with everything from knitting tips to salsa lessons open to all. Designers such as Thom Browne, Narciso Rodriguez and the Row's Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will be on hand while it's rumoured that Alexander Wang will be giving catwalk lessons. At Barneys, 660 Madison AvenueMACY'SThe worlds largest Macys store will be a hotspot for reality TV fans. Kourtney Kardashian's long-term boyfriend Scott Disick, will be hosting cigar rolling classes while Project Runways Michael Kors will be testing shoppers with a fashion trivia quiz. Other special guests include Fashion Stars Caprice Willard and Kara Laricks, Bethenny Frankel and What Not To Wears ClintonKelly.At Macys Herald Square 151 West 34th StreetMANOLO BLAHNIK If you're a girl who just wants to have fun, get yourself to Manolo Blahniks 54th St boutique where Cyndi Lauper will be performing at 9pm to promote her new musical, Kinky Boots.At Manolo Blahnik, 31 W. 54th StLORD TAYLORGethere early as this venue promises to be packed as Kim Kardashian steps into the spotlight to promote her new fragrance line. Members of the BCBG team will also be stopping by including Lubov and Max while FIT studentswill provide free illustrations with every purchase.At Lord Taylor 424 Fifth AvenueJEFFERY NEW YORKMovie star Jessica Chastain, who is currently starring in the new Broadway musical Heiress! will be stopping by for an evening of shopping, music and other 'surprises'.At Jeffery New York, 449 West, 14th StreetSALVATORE FERRAGAMO Ferragamowill be hosting a Russian-inspired event with appearances from street-style stars Miroslava Duma, Elena Perminova, and Anya Ziourova. Strike up conversation with an It girl while dancing to Russian beats courtesy of pop trio Tesla Boy.At Salvatore Ferragamo, 655 Fifth AvenueBALENCIAGABalenciagas FNO party focuses on the launch of an accessories collaboration between designer Nicolas Ghesquière and American Vogue's creative director Grace Coddington. The line is apparently covered in Graces drawings of her cat, Pumpkin, modeling Balenciaga looks. At Balenciaga, 542 West 22nd StreetVICTORIA'S SECRETGetyour picture taken with Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio at the store in SoHo and if you spend $65, you'll receive a free t-shirt. Eye and lip makeovers will also be on offer throughout the stor from 6pmto 9pm.At Victoria's Secret 591-593 BroadwayDVFAs a woman who knows how to throw a top party Diane von Furstenberg has ensured her Meatpacking flagship is filled with top industry folk. MAC make-up artists will be on hand, Vogue editors offering style advice, while Solange Knowles will be manning the decks.At DvF, 874 Washington StreetMICHAEL KORSMake sure your vocals are up to scratch as Mr Kors hosts an evening of YouTube star karaoke. Portraits by celeb photographer Victor Demarchelier and an A-list guest list also promise to make his store a main attraction.At Michael Kors, 667 Madison AvenueSAKS FIFTH AVENUEGet to Saks where a range of exclusive offers will keep you occupied. Customers can get their Doc Martens customized, free engraving on their Stella McCartney perfume bottles and Instagrams printed for free. Haircuts, printed manicures and make-up from Tom Pecheux will get you in the party spirit and if you're feeling daring Rihannas tattoo artist will be in store.At Saks Firth Avenue, 611 Fifth AvenueLOS ANGELES BEVERLY CENTER More than 100 stores throughout the shopping complex will be opening late withPretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale kicking things off. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will also make a video appearance introducingVogue's West Coast fashion editor, Lisa Love. Fashion shows will showcase fall collections and Kendall Jenner - who is the face of the Beverly Center's FNO campaign - is expected to attend, along with sisterKylie, Jaimie Hilfiger, Francesca Eastwood and Peta Murgatroyd. At the Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Boulevard ROBERTSON BOULEVARD Around 2,000 guests will be treated to live music, art-inspired activities, celebrity guest appearances and fall's latest trends as they stroll through the stores.SANTA MONICA PLACE Gethere for a range of in-store events, including treatments from two beauty lounges. Entertainment starts at 7pm, featuring a performance by American Idol contestant Stefano Langone and a fashion show hosted by Linda Immediato, style editor of Los Angeles magazine.RODEO DRIVE Indulgein a chocolate or two while admiring jewellery at Harry Winston, or visit the Porsche store on Wilshire Boulevard for a live DJ, runway showand an open bar. Stuart Weitzman and Neiman Marcus will also be servingup glasses of bubbly while Bottega Veneta is set to introduce a new line of eco-friendly handbags. Prada and Miu Miu will be giving a cut ofthe nights proceeds to P.S. Arts, a non-profit organisation that promotes arts education.ROBERTSON BOULEVARD Food vans will be on hand to satisfy hungry shoppers and Starline Tours will be giving mini bus tours up and down the road, stopping at shops while giving riders a brief overview of the area. Head to Alice + Olivia for an evening of all things girlie, including screenings of classic slumber party movies and as well as manicure and charm bracelet sessions. BCBG Max Azria will have guests compete in a style contest via Instagram with the winner handed a $1,000 BCBG wardrobe and make sure you listen out for Mayer Hawthorne who is scheduled to perform.Fashions Night Out will be held on September 6, 2012. For more information visit: How to wear velvet... and NOT look like Fearne CottonBy UPDATED:11:03 GMT, 13 January 2011It might boast a legacy that reeks of Eighties Sloane Rangers and foppish thespian types, but velvet is having a renaissance. From full-length gowns at Armani, to jackets at DG, and mini-dresses at Alexander Wang, the catwalks were draped in the stuff.Theres something regal about velvet, it imbues an outfit with a touch of luxury, and hints at indulgence. And lets not forget practicality velvet has a real weight to it, so it tends to hang well and its warm.But if you dont want to look like youre off to attend the Sunday morning service at Westminster Cathedral, its probably best not to wear long, flowing, floor-length velvet take note Fearne Cotton. Instead, look for structured shapes that give definition with belts in contrasting fabrics, or opt for separates.A velvet skirt in a modern shape looks great with a top in a lighter weight fabric, or team a fitted velvet jacket with a pair of jeans. Velvets no longer underground. Pictures: Mark Bond Stylist: Maya OakleyFiona Phillips: I buy carefully and seldom. Id rather buy one expensive piece than eight shoddy items By UPDATED:15:44 GMT, 3 March 2011Television presenter Fiona Phillips a 50-year-old mother-of-two believes less is more in her utilitarian yetchic wardrobe. Fionas big break into TV was as CNN News entertainmentreporter, before joining GMTV in 1997, where she fronted the programme for 11 years. She lives in London with her husband, former GMTV producerMartin Frizell, and their sons Nathaniel, 11, and Mackenzie, eight.I love winter because I can wear skirts, thick tights and jumpers, so Im chic and cosy. When it gets warmer, I like a classic black blazer with jeans and a stripe T-shirt. I go for a pared-down, fairly boyish look, with lots of military-inspired items from Belstaff and Balenciaga. Its probably because I was brought up in a household full of boys, but I have a tomboy sense of style. I like very neutral colours black, dark brown, navy and taupe and I cant stand pink! I need to feel at my best to pull off red, because it can either light up my face or drown it.Sexy, fitted white shirts are some of the staples in my wardrobe. Ive spent years searching for the perfect one.Ive finally hit upon Uniqlo: the fit is brilliant and they cost only £19.99, so Ive got three of them. And I recently saw someone wearing a Prada-esque smartly cut, figure-hugging hooded coat and it turned out it was Jil Sander for Uniqlo so thats now next on my list. I like Calvin Klein for its casual classic clothing. I buy carefully and seldom. Id rather buy one expensive piece than eight shoddy items. One of my biggest regrets is not buying a brilliant Jonathan Saunders long, bright red, fine jersey dress a few years ago. It had long sleeves and a crew neck, and the train flared out as it hit the ground. It was so sophisticated. It was £1,200 and Id have felt guilty spending that much but in retrospect there are so many occasions when I would have worn it. It still haunts me.FIONA'S WARDROBE FAVOURITESBIKER BOOTSThere are certain things in my wardrobe that I keep coming back to...and Ive had these black Jonesthe Bootmaker boots for at least 15 years. Theyre obviously supposed to be country hunting boots, given the detailing. I dont know what Ill do ifthere comes a day when they cant be repaired, but I would certainly never throw them out.TIBI DAY DRESSI bought this dress from a shop in New York. Its a really gorgeous simple, black, crew-neck, long-sleeved dress that sits just above the knee. When Ive spent too long doing my face up and Im in a rush, thinking Oh my god, what am I going to wear?, I feel confident knowing it always looks good and it can be easily dressed up for going out in the evening with high heels and jewellery.CITIZENS OF HUMANITY JEANSI got these dark blue skinny jeans on a photoshoot and never thought Id fit into them, but theyreamazing. Ive only just recently taken them off for long enough to put them in the wash. I also love my J Brand Houlihan jeans, in khaki and dark grey.BELSTAFF JACKETI love the military look I dont thinkit ever goes out of fashion. My Belstaff jacket is a great find. Its a browny khaki colour and tight fitting. I practically live in it. I look smart straight away whether Im wearing it with jeans or heels.BURBERRY DRESSI Have a simple Burberry dress in navy with a slight sheen to it. Navy is a really classy colour its not as harsh as black but I always have a dilemma about what colour shoes to wear with it.From left: A Tibi dress, Citizen of Humanity jeans and a Belstaff jacketPRADA TOTE BAGThis Messenger bag fits in perfectly with my boyish military look. Its got a lovely postbag detailing on the clasp, and I just sling it across me with everything, including my laptop, stuffed in. WOLFORD SATIN TIGHTSIve been buying Wolford tights for years. Theyre amazing. People always ask me where I got them. They do cost £30, so theyre not cheap, but Ive got a pair that Ive had no word of a lie for 20 years. They just last and last.First Lady of glamour: Fashion industry pays tribute to Michelle Obama with top style awardBy UPDATED:17:47 GMT, 16 June 2009It's official: Michelle Obama really is the First Lady of fashion - and now she has the award to prove it.The 45-year-old received the honour gong last night over top industry favourites at The Council of Fashion Designers of America's annual awards.Noting her 'meteoric rise as a fashion icon,' CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg said Obama had 'a unique look that balances the duality of her lives' in her roles as adviser to her husband, President Barack Obama, and mother to their two daughters.Although she was missing from the crowd at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Obama's presence was felt throughout the star-studded ceremony.And despite many industry favourites and models sitting before her, it took host Tracey Ullman less than two minutes in her opening monologue to mention the new first lady of fashion.But as complimentary as she was, British-born Ullman, did admit Mrs Obama was not perfect and guffed by wearing a cardigan to meet Queen Elizabeth II.Obama accepted her award via a pre-taped video speech and said she honoured fashion as an American 'art form' with 'ingenuity and craftsmanship that contribute so much to our economy and culture.'But it wasn't only Mrs Obama who won top accolades at one of the world's biggest fashion awards which was attended by stars including Heidi Klum.Laura and Kate Mulleavy, the California-based sisters behind Rodarte, were surprised when Diane Kruger announced that they had won the big prize of the night as the nation's top womenswear designers. It was only last year that they won the award for emerging talent.'I'm just so shocked,'Mulleavy said. 'It's so hard to be up here when we think where we started, making clothes in our house three years ago. 'We never thought we'd be a part of this world.'London calling: Mrs Obama looks the part of leading lady during two separate visits to the UK this month, and in AprilRodarte beat out industry veterans Narciso Rodriguez and MarcJacobs, while Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandeztopped Jacobs and Vera Wang in the accessories category.But Jacobs didn't go home empty-handed and was named the top international designer for Louis Vuitton.Comedianand talk show host Jimmy Fallon read the names of both Italo Zucchellifor Calvin Klein and Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders in a tie inthe menswear category.Alexander Wang and his rocker lookbeat Jason Wu and Thakoon Panichgul, both favourites of Obama, for theSwarovski Award as the up-and-coming womenswear designer, while JustinGiunta for Subversive Jewelry won for accessories and Tim Hamilton wonfor menswear. Industry icon Ralph Lauren won the first popular award after being chosen by 16,000 online voters as their favorite designer.'What an honour to win this award,' Lauren said. 'After 42 years, it is nice to be recognised this way.'TheWhite Stripes' Jack White put on a sparkly brown suit to hand Anna Suiher lifetime achievement award, saying he especially admired her stylefor being timely instead of trendy. Flesh-baring! Alexander Wang impresses at New York Fashion Week with sexy strategic cutouts By PUBLISHED:18:23 GMT, 9 September 2012 UPDATED:19:48 GMT, 10 September 2012With Liberty Ross on the catwalk and Justin Theroux in the front row, Alexander Wang's show at New York Fashion Week yesterday generated a frenzy of attention.But the designer ensured there was as much reason to talk about the clothes as the celebrity attendees.The collection, which was almost exclusively monochrome, seemed made of geometric leather shapes, strung together by barely-there strands of thread.Scroll down for video One dress, worn by Erin Wasson, bore slits that ran from the ribs to the knee, daringly exposing the supermodel's hips and thighs in the style of Anthony Vaccarello.The theme continued in the footwear, in a reversed kind of way with slender straps below the knee on one strappy sandal, and wider straps wrapping the leg on a boot.Laura Brown, Harper's Bazaar features andspecial projects director, who picked a cut-out silver dress as her favorite, told Associted Press: 'In such a short time, Alex has redefined urban utility. There's always a sexiness to his clothes, but this season he brought a glamour, too.'There was a sporty clubwear feel throughout, something Mr Wang has made part of his signature aesthetic.He played on this with hoods and zipper necks, a glossy cap and a flash of metallic in a voluminous silver jacket. Summer sandals featured slender straps below the knee, while boots were fashioned from wider straps And if the audience was in any doubt of the clubby idea, the room fell dark at the very end, and a blacklight shone on the models by way of a rave-like finale.Mr Wang explained in his show notes that he had been aiming for 'a linear quality' in the collection, which will go into stores for spring 2013.'The juxtaposition of tension and suspension are captured between structure and fluidity while dissected pieces build on a new silhouette,which embodies lightness and delicacy,' he said.It was a concept that won critical acclaim from the style set. WWD called it 'sophisticated and very smart.' The review read: 'While Wang holds fast to something quite specific - stripped-down street with an urgent attitude - he does not lack for inventive ways to handle it.''Then I wanted to start dissecting the pieces,' he said. 'So we played with the idea of suspension and tension through embroidery techniques.' Leather tunics and tank dresses that appeared to be made of panels of leather or fabric, somehow suspended in air as they floated over the body. He made the look seem quite appealing, as if he had sat down to sketch his collection and then took out an eraser to eliminate geometric stripes from each piece.Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week continues through Thursday before the fashion crowd heads to London, Milan and Paris.VIDEO: Alezander Wang brings a sexy flare to the runwayREVEALED: Forever 21 unveils new collection for autumn/winter modelled by Texas It girl Ashley Smith By PUBLISHED:09:52 GMT, 4 September 2012 UPDATED:10:31 GMT, 4 September 2012It's the American high street chain that has had women pulling out their purses time and time again since it landed in the UK this time last year. Forever 21, which launched with a store in Birmingham last year, has gone from strength to strength in the UK ever since. This year it doubled the size of its Oxford Street store and has seen its profile soar since a store opened in Westfield Stratford in time for the Olympic Games.And now the popular brand has released tantalising campaign images of their AW12 shoot, modelled by Texan it-girl Ashley Smith, that will have savvy shoppers rushing out to their nearest store when the collection hits the shelves this week. The 20-year-old is one of the U.S. models of the moment, known for her unconventional smile and sexy silhouette and adds her charm to the new campaign for the fashion-forward yet affordable brand. The edgy campaign was shot by photographers Santiago and Mauricio Sierra and shows Ashley in a series of poses debuting the brand's latest offerings.Famousfor their stylish but affordable high-street staples, Forever 21's new range features playful pops of leopard print and a micro-collection of cute clutch bags. Although she may be a new face to land on British soil, Smith has a solid modelling career and has recently been spotted gracing the runways of Balenciaga and Prada.She was also named the face of designer Alexander Wang's T collection last year. Smith was first discovered as a young teen at the the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas.Shehas appeared in editorial campaigns for Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar and has also starred in runway shows for Jen Kao and Prada. The 5ft 8in model has gapped teeth, a look that has drawn countless comparisons to British models Lara Stone and Georgia Jagger. She said in an interview last year that she is flattered by comparisons to Stone, who is married to comedian David Walliams. 'I think she has cleared an amazing path for me!' Smith says. 'But I am my own person and have many different things to bring to this industry.' She also, in a interview with Fashionista.com last year, said that she had considered getting braces before her modelling career. She said: 'Yeah I thought about it a lot when I was little, I even went to the dentist to get it fixed, but Ive never actually had all the money in one place to be able to do it. Now it makes me money!'She also says her buxom figure - she is a 32D - is both a blessing and a curse. 'I believe its a deciding factor for a lot of jobs, because it effects the clothes so much.'But its part of me! So one day theywill just adjust all the clothes to my bust, rather than me having to adjust my breasts for their clothes.'Smith also has aspirations beyond modelling. 'Ive always wanted to be a Broadway actress,' she has said. 'You know Little Shop of Horrors? Im gonna playAudrey one day! Just you wait.' From chaos to couture: New York's Met museum to pay tribute to punk in next Costume Institute exhibit By PUBLISHED:13:43 GMT, 13 September 2012 UPDATED:13:44 GMT, 13 September 2012New York's Met museum has revealed that punk will be the theme of its annual Costume Institute exhibit and its much-anticipated gala.For the past two years the gala, often referred to as the Oscars of the fashion world, has drawn inspiration from a particular designer's retrospective, but next year red carpet attendees will be left to interpret a more general dress code.The Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit which is set to open in May 2013, seeks to highlight the origins of the punk movement and will include around 100 haute couture and ready-to-wear creations from the likes of Dolce Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang and Rodarte.Unlike the Mets 2006 AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion exhibition, which also featured elements of punk, the 2013 show will look at the transatlantic origins of the movement from the mid-1970s, joining the dots between the punk scenes of London and New York.Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton told : 'The show will start off primarily with the origins of punk and the tale of two cities. 'Punk broke all rules when it came to fashion, and everything became possible after punk. Its impact on high fashion became so enormous, and continues at the same time.'Photographer Nick Knight, will serve as the creative consultant creating the galas look with event designer Raul Avila.Funded by Moda Operandi andConde Nast co-chairs of the Met ball include Rooney Mara, Givenchys Riccardo Tisci, Lauren Santo Domingoand Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.Tickets for the New York staged event are said to sell from $25,000 upwards, while tables are priced at around $150,000.In 2011 the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit was one of the most successful shows, attracting over 650,000 visitors and netting 23,000 more memberships for the museum.Past themes include Schiaparelliand Prada: Impossible Conversations (2012), American Women: Fashioning aNational Identity (2010), The Model As Muse (2009) and Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy (2008). Asked what kind of looks he is expecting on the red carpet next year, Mr Bolton added: 'I think we will be seeing dresses with a slight tear or gaps, which is so punk but very subtle.'Punk: From Chaos to Couture will kickoff with the annual Met Gala on May 6 and will be on public display from May 9 to August 11, 2013.Gemma Arterton shows the style set how it's done at New York Fashion Week By UPDATED:10:12 GMT, 14 February 2011Given that the Grammys are tonight, you'd be forgiven for thinking there wouldn't be many stars at New York Fashion Week. But the A-list were out in force to support the best in American design as favourites including G Star Raw and Mark Ronson's designer sister Charlotte showed in the city this weekend.Gemma Arterton was among the celebrities at the shows last night, looking every inch the Bond Girl in a leather dress at G-Star, while Kim Kardashian was among the guests at Charlotte Ronson. The reality television star joined DJ and actress LaLa Vazquez to pose with the designer backstage after the show.One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush was also in the front row of the show, along with Mena Suvari.But it was the G-Star show that won the prize for the most A-List front row, with Elsa Pataky and Rosario Dawson, as will as Yaya DaCosta and James Newman.Spanish actress Elsa was also joined by her fiancé, Australian actor Chris Hewsworth, and 30 Seconds To Mars front man, Jared Leto. Model Petra Nemcova was the biggest name at Vivienne Tam on Friday night, looking stunning in a red dress with roses embellished at the neckline.Fashion Happy: One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush enjoyed the Charlotte Ronson show with Hollywood pal Mena SuvariAnd Sean Lennon and girlfriend Charlotte Kemp went for a vintage look at Rebecca Minkoff, which showed that night as well.The same evening saw the Kardashian sisters launch a line for QVC. Kim and Kourtney modelled pieces from thecollection at the Vogue-sponsored event, while guests including Camila Alves and Tinsley Mortimer made a statement in sequins and leather respectively.Yesterday's shows included Alberta Ferretti's Philosophy diffusion line and Prabal Gurung - a fairytale gone awry theme - while Jason Wu, who shot to fame after his dress was worn by Michelle Obama at the Presidential Inauguration, showed plenty of dresses likely to catch the First Lady's eye.The young designer featured over 15 types of lace, proving that the trend is here to stay, and it seemed everything was dipped in gold-leaf embroidery, including the models' hair.And Alexander Wang, whose show was attended by new mother Alicia Keys, won high praise for his luxury sportswear which included polar fleece vests and sequinned trousers.Tomorrow is set to be one of the mostimportant days at New York Fashion week, with shows from Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson and Carolina Herrera. Famous friends: Tinsley Mortimer and Matthew McConaughy's wife Camila Alves lent their support to Kim Kardashian who launched a QVC line with her sisters on FridayToday's shows saw even more of the glamorous Hollywood set in attendance.Actresses Rose McGowan and Sophia Bush caught up front row at Max Azria's Fall 2011 show looking fresh-faced and fashion happy. They were joined by Jennifer Love Hewitt who looked chic in a bold red wrap-around dress paired with gold strappy platforms.Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie who had managed to escape the Grammy's madness back in the US this weekend, arrived at one showin fashion forward mix of bold patterns and a pea green coat. Hollywood star power: Black Eyed Peas front-woman Fergie (left) arrived for a show in bold patterns as Sophia Bush (centre) andJennifer Love Hewitt (right) arrived for the Max Azria show in winning in block colours And it wasn't just the women that dressed to impress at today's shows. Hollywood's finest young male stars banded together in their Sunday best for the Calvin Klein show. Singer Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers, Twilight star Kellan Lutz, Zac Efron and Boardwalk Empire star, Jack Huston all looked handsome and dapper in their chic suits.The boys later hit the front row of the designer's show to view the latest designs. Over at the Tommy Hilfiger show, Rosario Dawson simply sparkled in a stunning navy sequinned dress.She was joined by Haitian musician and politician Wyclef Jean of The Fugees fame and Hilfiger's daughter Ali Hilfiger, who looked bohemian chic in one of her dad's designs.After his show, the American designer took a bow and waved to his fashionable crowd. Ready for action: Actress Rosario Dawson (left), musician Wyclef Jean (centre) and Ali Hilfiger (right) all turned up for Tommy Hilfiger's showAnd New York fashion week would not be complete without an appearance from Vogue Editor-In-Chief, Anna Wintour. The esteemed fashionista was joined by her daughter, Bee Shaffer over at the Diane Von Furstenburg show.Looking as chic as ever, the 61-year-old mother slipped into a leopard print frock, a camel coloured wool coat with fur collar and oversized candy-coloured jewels. How to... get perfect plaits, this year's hottest hair trendBy UPDATED:11:11 GMT, 21 February 2011Plaits are this years hottest hair trend. The humble braid has weaved its way on to the red carpet, with stylish stars such as Diane Kruger, Emily Blunt, Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba and Sienna Miller all sporting one variety or another. In short, the plait has become less Heidi and more haute couture. The trend originated on the catwalk there were fat, messy side plaits at Alexander Wang, multiple fishtails (a sort-of inside-out plait) at Jean Paul Gaultier, and at last weeks New York Fashion Week messy milkmaid braids and multiple loose weaves abounded.Braids on the red carpet: From left, Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller and Kate Hudson sporting plaitsBut can normal women recreate these catwalk looks without an army of hair stylists and a battery of products on hand? Plaiting expert Stevie Tungate, stylist at John Friedas London salon, thinks so and has launched a service that aims to help clueless clients become plaiting experts in a matter of minutes. At the 45-minute tutorial, clients can choose from three techniques: the side-swept fishtail, the messed-up braided Heidi bun or the more sophisticated French plait with step-by-step instructions in how to recreate these looks when youre home alone. Combs at the ready...PREPARE YOUR HAIRDont worry if your hair is in bad condition the more textured (hairdresser-speak for over-dyed and dry) it is, the easier it will be to work with.These plaits arent supposed to look lacquered or fresh from the salon its a bed-heady, flyaway mussed-up look that youre creating. These braids work best on long hair but, as Carey Mulligan demonstrated recently, sporting a tiny plait in her fringe, you can still have braids in short hair the techniques are the same.If your hair is short, or very fine, and youd like a big statement plait for a special event, adding some temporary clip-in hair extensions (available from some salons and from the beauty section of asos.com) to the hair at the nape of the neck means you have more to play with and more to feed into your plait.Braiding is perfect for hair thats a bit dirty so if you havent time to wash your tresses before work but still want to look fashionably pulled-together, this is the style for you. PRODUCTSNo matter what plait style youre going for, the initial stages are the same for each: wash your hair and, while drying, load the hair with styling products designed to boost volume and stickiness, such as sea-salt spray or a volumising mousse. If your hair is very silky, it will be difficult to work with, which means the plaits are likely to slip out. If you dont want to spend a lot of money on a sea-salt spray, simply make your own with salt and water, mixed and decanted into a spritz bottle. Blow-dry your hair until there are no traces of moisture at all turn your head upside down and use your fingers to work in a bit more volume. Warning: you will look scary at this stage, but its all part of the masterplan.THE FRENCH PLAITThisschoolgirl staple must be mastered before you move on to more complicated styles. Begin at the top front section of the hair where your fringe might be and separate into three small sections. Asyou work towards the back of your head, draw in the rest of your hair. Dont worry about being too neat as you pull the sections in towards theplait itself.Once the plait is completed, go back over it and insert your fingers into the twist to loosen it up. If youre in need of extra guidance, there are lots of helpful view-torials on YouTube. THE SIDE-TO-SIDE PLAITThis plait curves and winds from ear to ear around the back of your head. To begin, start just above one ear using the French braid technique (start with a small section, then work in more hair as you fold it). With this style, you need to take bigger sections from the bottom half of the head than the top. Once you reach the opposite ear, there will be hair left depending on the length of your locks. Carry on the plait until you reach the end of your hair before winding the excess plait around into a bun, securing with pins. The end result is a kind of French plait around the back of your head, finished with a Princess Leia-style bun. Again, loosen the whole thing up once its secured.THE FISHTAILBring all your hair round to one side of your head and divide it into two sections like pigtails, on the one side.Take fine sections of hair from underneath the head (near the nape of the neck), and fold these through the parting between the pigtails and loop over the pigtail from the outer edge into the parting. Add that strand of hair back into the pigtail, keeping it in place with your fingers. This is the bit that needs practice. Carry on weaving the underneath hair over until you reach the end of your hair. The Plait masterclass service starts at £55, for a one-hour appointment, and is available at: John Frieda, 75 New Cavendish Street Salon, London, 020 7636 1401, and John Frieda, 4 Aldford Street Salon, London, 020 7491 0840.Styling: BARBARA McMILLAN. Pictures: Ben Lister Gisele Bundchen, Shalom Harlow and Karolina Kurkova make triumphant return to New York Fashion Week at Alexander Wang By UPDATED:16:02 GMT, 12 February 2012There they were: Gisele Bundchen, Shalom Harlow and Karolina Kurkova, along with Alexander Wang's slick, glossy fall collection, all on the catwalk Saturday evening at New York Fashion Week.Mr Wang assembled a most impressive group of top models for his front row crowd, which was pretty star-studded itself including Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld and her glowing pregnant daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld.The designer's runway always has a good turnout of big names, but most of these top models don't work the seasonal previews any longer. The all-star cast, which also included Carmen Kass, modelled a test spin of his newest looks boasting leather, shine and chiffon in black, oxblood red and an optic white he called 'peroxide.'He gave them a grand stage with a complicated layout of mirrors and narrow pathways. Mature offering: This time, Mr Wang promises to appeal to a wider audience than his usual Downtown modelThe clothes, however, were more straightforward than Mr Wang has offered recently. The vibe he embraces often limits his appeal to the cool-girl, Downtown model types. This time, the military-inspired trenchcoats (including one worn by Ms Bundchen), wool sweaters and tweed jackets - waxed and with vinyl visors for effect - potentially work for anyone who needs an outfit for a dressy event or even for the office. That's not to say the looks were dowdy or boring; in fact, they showed that Mr Wang is maturing into a more sophisticated designer.Model Liya Kebede didn't walk the show, but she sat in the front row. She said she enjoys the view from there. 'I really enjoying seeing the full collection. I love to see the designer's real vision. Back there, you see bits and pieces,' she said.Still, she had her Wang on, including her shirt and shoes. 'I like that it's hip and young,' she added.Mr Wang came out with his usual bouncy step and big smile for his bow.In his notes, he said: 'Big hugs to my family and everyone else who has made this dream come true.Working out: Hilary Duff, left, and Dakota Fanning after their gym sessions in LAFanning, 16, even showed off the ultimate high-end gym accessory, an Alexander Wang Coco Duffel Bag which retails at more than $1,000. Hilary's workout partner and sister, Haylie, 25, carried a white version of the same bag in their gym excursion.Dakota talked about her recent onscreen kiss with Runaways co-star Kristen Stewart in the August issue of Marie Claire saying: 'It was withmy friend and a girl - no pressure.'She'll be hitting the big screen again with Stewart in Breaking Dawn, the final chapter in the Twilight saga, which will begin shooting in November. How to wear cool blues at any ageWhether youre looking to add a splash of colour to an everyday outfit or colour-blocking top to toe, the shade to try this summer is blue.From classic navy to cobalt, this casual hue can be dressed up or down... By PUBLISHED:22:48 GMT, 22 August 2012 UPDATED:22:48 GMT, 22 August 2012 How to... steal Christie Brinkley's fluorescent style, without looking like a lollipop lady By PUBLISHED:21:12 GMT, 30 May 2012 UPDATED:21:12 GMT, 30 May 2012Model and actress Christie Brinkley, 58, should have come with a warning when she stepped out in New York wearing an explosive mix of fluorescent pink and yellow. She is far from the only one bringing a bit of Eighties Day-Glo back to the streets. Versace, in its first couture collection for eight years, showed full-length evening gowns and minis in shots of vivid orange and acid green. BCBGMaxAzria had flashes of fluoro across tribal prints, while Marc by Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang were aglow with neon splashes in sporty summer collections. But how to put together an ensemble that doesn't feel like a poke in the eye? If you're colour shy, start small with accessories such as glasses, jewellery, shoes or a lick of neon nail polish. If you do plump for a statement dress or jeans, make sure you team it with neutral tones. Don't be tempted to colour clash or you'll risk looking like a lollipop lady. Styling: ELIZA SCARBOROUGHLIZ JONESFASHION THERAPYIf you want vintage designer style for a snip, try these two brilliant new websites By UPDATED:06:43 GMT, 5 September 2011Over the past few years, vintage has been the cool way to shop: its eco-friendly, means you wont end up wearing the same dress as your best friend and shows you have style and dont blindly follow every new trend.But the problem with vintage is that, as its popularity has soared, so have prices. The possibility of finding something wonderful and rare for a snip has vanished as the number of sites offering vintage has gone through the roof.And, to be honest, a very antiquated garment can often disappoint now we are all so accustomed to super-soft wool and a hint of stretch. Vintage clothes can feel rigid and itchy and can be off-puttingly fragile. Getting the right fit can be awkward, too, as modern women have thicker waists and bigger busts than our predecessors.But what if you need something really special to get married in or for that Christmas party or nerve-racking date? There are two brilliant new wheezes to get that designer outfit on your back, without having to remortgage your home.The first is a fabulous new website called hardlyeverwornit.com. This site is the brainchild of Sharon Wolter-Ferguson, a single mum and divorcee from West London. A self-confessed shopaholic, she wanted to set up a business that not only emptied her groaning wardrobe and made the most of her packed address book, but also gave her daughters, Natalia, 21, and Tatiana, 19, careers in a family firm. Her idea was to set up a site that only sells barely worn, high-end designer clothing, for men and women. The idea is simple. If, like me, you have bought a Bottega Veneta black strapless column dress with interior corset for an awards ceremony, but find you can never wear it again because its just so fabulous that everyone will remember it, you can post it on this site and sell it for about half what you paid. Whats even better is that you can buy something that feels new, not second hand, with quality guaranteed. All items are vetted by Sharon and her daughters to ensure high quality. Sharon takes a 15 per cent commission.And the best news about this site is that it has attracted famous vendors including Kate Moss and Sadie Frost and virtually every glossy magazine and fashion editor I can think of. The reason? Hardly Ever Worn It offers an anonymous VIP section that will sell your designer freebies for you. All VIP items have a gold star, which gave me a bit of a nosey parker thrill as I scrolled the womenswear. The garments and shoes pictured below the McQueen ankle boots, available in khaki and black (summer 2010, original price £550, start price £190, buy now £245) and Chanel coat (original price £2,500, start price £795, buy now £1,495, in the end sold for £1,000) have been posted by Chloe Green (daughter of Topshop owner Philip), a friend of Sharons daughters. Second-hand chic: This Chanel coat and Alexander McQueen ankle boots have been put on sale by Chloe GreenThis week, lots of Tom Ford menswear will be put up for sale, followed by a big consignment of Issa (I wonder if the Duchess of Cambridge is another frugal VIP?) and Gucci, whose owner is super famous, but sadly Im not allowed to reveal her identity. Most exciting for any brides-to-be is a new, Elie Saab couture wedding gown that cost £9,000. The sellers wedding is on September 11, but the gown will be for sale from the next day! The women posting these garments are clearly not hard up: they merely want more space. But one fashionistas cast-offs are another womans dream.Any drawbacks? Well, most items are on the small side, given the original clientele: all the jeans seem to have a 25in waist. But remember, if you buy something you only wear once or twice, you can always resell it on the site. Ive just posted my worn-once Alberta Ferretti soft tweed and sequin dress, which was £1,000 new and has a minimum price tag now of £500. If you want to bid, be assured all proceeds will go to Equine Market Watch, a charity that rescues ponies from slaughter, of which Im patron. Ill let you know in my Mail Online blog just how much has been raised.Another brilliant way to wear designer is to rent that statement dress, thinking of your wardrobe as a closet in the clouds you dip into as and when invitations land on your doormat. Launching today is WishWantWear.com. This designer rental site is the brainchild of three London Business School graduates who have worked in investment banking, IT and marketing. Created by Uttara Parikh, Suruchi Bhargava and Suruchi Saxena, the concept was born out of a need for these friends to always have something new while staying within a strict budget. All the clothes on the site are this season (autumn/winter), and from designers including Temperley, Halston Heritage, Sass and Bide and Catherine Malandrino. The site stocks mainly statement dresses for the big occasion, with accessories coming soon. The Temperley dress from the autumn/winter collection and retails at £2,752, but you can rent it for £307 for four days, including all dry cleaning costs, shipping and insurance. And they send you two sizes to choose from.Well established is GirlMeetsDress.com. This site acquires hot, edgy dresses by Phillip Lim, Herve Leger, Alexander Wang and YSL rather than formal, statement frocks. You can try three dresses at once, and dry cleaning and postage are included. The key is not to choose something anonymous, but a bit showy so that people notice you wore it only once. A Christopher Kane geometric applique dress from autumn/winter 2011 is £1,475 in the shops, but you can rent it for £289. Im sorely tempted to hire this for the launch of Naked Fashion on Wednesday, a book about fair trade fashion of which Im co-author, along with Emma Watson and Livia Firth. Ownership of a garment, after all, is so last season, and so bad for the planet, let alone my Gucci wallet. Is Starbucks about to have more fun? Chain launches milder 'blonde' coffee By UPDATED:19:50 GMT, 19 October 2011Starbucks will launch a milder tasting 'blonde' coffee in January.The chain, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, is often criticised for selling burnt-tasting coffee - and an injection of 'blonde', the company hopes, might help to counter this negativity.Starbucks global chief marketing officer Annie Young-Scrivner said today: 'We have a lot of customers who love our lattes and cappuccinos, but they don't prefer our coffee,' the Chicago Tribune reports. 'If we do it right, there's a lot of upside for us,' she said.Indeed, the café behemoth hopes the move will help temptthe 40 per cent of 130 million American coffee drinkers who do not enjoy drinking heavier European-style coffee roasts.Celebrity-wise, blondes, brunettes and everyone in between seem to lap up the chain's lattes, cappuccinos and frappuccinos.According to the paper, the move is the latest in a drive to transform the international chain into a 'lifestyle brand' that will see Starbucks products on offer in grocery stores and more foods for sale in the its locations. Blonde coffee, the blend of which was chosen from 80 options, will be even lighter than the medium Pike Place Roast that was introduced as the chain's default coffee in 2008.But will the blonde moniker attract a different type of customer to the chain?Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a New York-based consulting firm told the Tribune: 'It'sjust good marketing... If virtually half the people say that the more European, heavier-tasting coffee is not to their liking, why not [do it]?'Earlier this year, Starbucks launched a line of specially designed T-shirts to celebrate its landmark year. Top fashion names Alexander Wang, Billy Reid and Sophie Theallet have collaborated to create the tees, Wang's take on the theme a coffee-stained creation that sets customers back $85.The global coffee chain's CEO, Howard Schultz, recently revealed a $5m U.S. jobs fund, saying that he is 'just a citizen trying to make a difference.'The 'Create Jobs for USA' initiative came after Mr Schultz berated a 'lack of leadership in Washington'.Is this Hollywood's hot new trend? Diane Kruger and Karolina Kurkova wear skirts OVER their dresses By UPDATED:12:46 GMT, 10 February 2012Wearing a skirt over a pair of trousers was a popular fashion trend in the late 90's.But it seems Hollywood's stars have reworked the dated look - wearing it over a dress instead.Karoline Kurkova was spotted sporting the layered style at a fund raiser for President Obama in New York earlier this week.The model wore an Alexander Wang outfit featuring a crocodile skin-effect skirt over a red sheer dress.She kept her hair and jewelery simple, wearing only a silver bangle.Today, actress Diane Kruger opted for the same effect at the Berlin film festival. Diane wore a 10 Crosby by Derek Lam floral chiffon dress with striped monochrome skirt.She matched the outfit with yellow embellished high heels.It is hard to tell if the look will catch on - but given that Kruger has always been praised for her original sense of style and Kurkova is a supermodel, it is safe to say it is very fashion-forward.Thankfully the new look is slightly more sophisticated than 'skirt-over-trousers', prolific in the late 90s'.Despite the decade making a comeback, the unflattering and bizarre combination has not.Stars from Gwen Stefani to Steps were all sporting the get-up - which died out after a few years.Wearing a dress over trousers, or leggings however is a classic match that has never gone out of style.Today's take forms part of the new trend for bold colours and clashing prints.And more is most definitely more with no clear rules on how to wear - other than with confidence.It's your party! Real women show us what they'll wear By UPDATED:21:51 GMT, 12 November 2011ericaAs the social season starts to fizz, whats the best way to mark yourself out from the crowd? We invite five dedicated revellers to share their sassy takes on partywearFlirty somethingAlannah, 27, freelance journalistDescribe your party look Coquettish high heels, red lips and a flash of skin. I like to vamp it up in a fanciful way. Who is your party style icon? For fashion Chloë Sevigny; for attitude Debbie Harry.Whats your going-out must-have? A cross-body bag to keep my hands free for dancing.What makes a great night out? I like to go to warehouse parties or anywhere I can dance all night. But I always start an evening in a civilised way with the girls for cocktails at mine.Describe your dream wardrobeAcne, Alaïa, Carven, Agent Provocateur, Camilla Skovgaard, Made in Heaven for jeans and a nice little pair of Lanvin flats that would fit in my bag for when my feet get tired from dancing! Secret addresses for favourite finds? Theres a boutique called Shop172 in Brick Lane [East London] that stocks labels such as Borne and also some cool Japanese brands. Its not a secret but The Kooples is great if you get stuff in the sale. For shoes I love Poste Mistress in Covent Garden, which stocks Sam Edelman and Vivienne Westwood.Sixties superstarCamilla, 24, account managerDescribe your party look 1960s with a modern twist. I like to wear things that stand out leather and statement accessories. My platform shoes by Jeffrey Campbell are my showstoppers. Who is your party style icon? Edie Sedgwick meets Daisy Lowe.Do you have a going-out must-have? Mascara.On a Friday night wed find you Getting ready and having drinks at home with the girls, then off for cocktails at a favourite bar, followed by a club playing 90s hip-hop. Who are your favourite designers? I like old-school names such as Chanel, Pucci and Missoni. If I was to go more contemporary, Id say Erdem, Emma Cook and Ashish. Opening Ceremony and Moschino Cheap and Chic are great too. Any high-street favourites? Urban Outfitters, River Island and Zara are great. I like Fred Perry for mod-style items, and I get a lot of bargains in New Look. I also like to shop in less obvious places such as Jane Norman its my secret weapon! Never be afraid to look in places you wouldnt usually shop, I say. Vintage vampLaura, 25, city analystDescribe your party look I like to dress differently from my work look, which is usually a suit and flat shoes. So at night I have a vintage, rocky vibe that often involves some fur.Who is your party style icon? Sienna Miller she always manages to look glamorous yet understated, and thats a look I go for too. I think her choice of colours really suits her skin tone.Party essential? Black eyeliner and a fully charged iPhone.On a Friday night wed find you... Out in East London having dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, followed by a club or gig, then on to an afterparty.Who are your favourite designers? I really love Chanel.Party trick? I shop in mens departments for slouchy cardigans and mix and match them with party wear. I also love second-hand rock band T-shirts and mens vintage checked shirts, which I team with cut-off denim shorts for relaxed drinks at my local pub.Gamine grungeMaya, 25, junior TV producerDescribe your party look Grungy luxe and boyish youll never find me in anything pink or frilly! I like dark colours, anything with a bit of edge.Who is your party style icon? Chloë Sevigny or a young Anjelica Huston.Your party fail-safe? Head-to-toe black you cant go wrong with that. On a Friday night wed find you At Shoreditch House [a private members club in East London] youre guaranteed a great time. I go to a lot of production parties there through work. In fact, some of my best nights out have been with my workmates!And for Saturday shopping? I pop into Urban Outfitters on a weekly basis for quick fashion fixes. I have just invested in a pair of leather trousers and a leather mini. They also do great jewellery Im not adverse to some sparkly accessories. Edgy bohoKimi, 26, photographerDescribe your party look I like to dress with confidence, but I wont suffer for fashion! Youll feel far more irresistible on a night out if you are just being yourself.Your party style icons? Bianca Jagger and Jane Birkin.Party fail-safe? Mac red lipstick. On a Friday night wed find you I stay around Notting Hill [West London] most of the time, but every now and then, after the pubs shut, I find myself in a cab on my way to The Box in Soho.Who are your favourite designers? Felder Felder which I get from Village Bicycle in Notting Hill Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang. Im lucky because my mum runs a designer store!Any high-street faves? I really like the Topshop inside Selfridges on Oxford Street it has a great edit of the collections from the bigger stores. I've dated men like Robbie Williams and Prince Albert. Clive Sinclair might be twice my age but beats them all hands downBy UPDATED:00:27 GMT, 1 May 2010Are you sure you want to do this? That was the question the passer-by asked as she suspiciously surveyed the tall, leggy, young blonde bride who'd literally dragged her off the street to witness her spur-of-the-moment, Las Vegas wedding. This question was swiftly followed by 'you do know marriage is for life?' as the reluctant witness then spotted the balding, bespectacled, grinning groom - clearly old enough to be the bride's father - anxiously awaiting them inside the Civic Court. Mistaking the couple for tourists marrying on a whim - a rich old fool bedazzled by a young woman with dollar signs in her eyes - the witness clearly had her doubts about whether this marriage should go ahead, let alone last. But as the bride insisted 'we want to do this' and 'we've known each other for 14 years!' the witness, an American woman in her 30s who'd just happened to be walking past, relented. As she witnessed the five-minute ceremony (from which an Elvis impersonator was thankfully absent), little did she know that this was an event glossy celebrity magazines would have happily opened their cheque books to cover. For it was on Friday, April 16, that Sir Clive Sinclair, 69-year-old computer tycoon - former chairman of Mensa, inventor of the world's first pocket calculator and the C5 electric car - married 33-year- old Angie Bowness, a former beauty queen, model and lap dancer. None of it was planned and it was all arranged less than 48 hours after they touched down in America for a two-week holiday staying at the luxurious Bellagio hotel. Unable to find a suitable wedding gown in Vegas, Angie wore a 'cute' blue summer dress by Alexander Wang, which she'd packed. Today, both of them insist their wedding was all the better for being unplanned and simple. Sir Clive says: 'We were on the flight to Las Vegas when I noticed the couple sitting across the aisle from us had a free bottle of champagne, so I said to Angie "How did they get that?" 'Angie replied: "Perhaps they've just got married", so I said "I suppose we'd better get married then". We'd been engaged for a year, but hadn't made any firm plans.' Angie's response was 'let me sleep on it', followed quickly by 'yes, let's do it'. 'It's really not me to have the big white wedding,' she says. 'We could have gone down that route, but I don't like a lot of fuss. This way was actually much better.' Apart from a quick phone call to Angie's 12-year-old son Marcus - from a former relationship - to ask his permission to get married (to which he replied 'of course') not another soul knew, including Sir Clive's three adult children from his first marriage. No doubt, they will be thrilled - if they can set aside the fact that they're all older than their new stepmother. 'The wedding was lovely, really quite emotional,' says Angie. 'We were both teary. I can't believe I'm now a married woman. But the most important thing is that we both love each other.' Being Lady Sinclair must feel even nicer, although Angie is rather used to titles. She's been 'Miss Nottingham', 'Miss Sheffield' and 'Miss England' inthe past and, aged seven, she was 'The Face Of Tammy Girl'. But thisnew title commands a bit more respect. Meeting Sir Clive and the new Lady Sinclair for the first timesince their spur- of-the-moment nuptials, one can't help but echo thequestion the witness asked before their wedding: 'Are you sure aboutthis?' Because there is no doubting that they make the unlikeliest ofcouples. He sits at the table in their flat overlooking TrafalgarSquare, wearing an immaculate suit and shirt, while Lady Sinclair'sthong peeks out cheekily from the low slung waistband of her spray-onblack jeans. It's clear what he sees in her, but can she really, truly fancy him? 'Of course I do!' she says with such utter conviction that even I start to look at Sir Clive with fresh eyes. And yes, they both nod enthusiastically, their relationship is more than just a meeting of minds. That said, they do admit that on the night of their Vegaswedding they were so tired and jet-lagged they were virtually fallingasleep during dinner and were out for the count by 9pm. 'It's really weird because we don't even think about the agedifference between us. When people mention it, I think "oh yes". Itdoesn't matter to us at all,' says Angie, who met Sir Clive 14 yearsago, aged 19, when they were both invited to a dinner function atStringfellow's nightclub. Sir Clive, an old friend of Peter Stringfellow, was guest ofhonour, while Angie, a lap dancer at the club, was invited along withtwo of Peter's other 'favourite girls'. Some people might question what a respected scientist, inventor and knight of the realm was doing having dinner with lap dancers, but he was smitten and took Angie out on a few dates. They have been friends ever since and in recent years their relationship became more serious. 'Clive never had a table dance, hates that kind of thing and I've never danced for him,' says Angie. Sir Clive says: 'Oh dear me no, it was a function and Peter is a very good host. I was very struck by Angie at the dinner - who wouldn't be? 'I thought she was a lovely young woman,' he adds, sounding like her grandfather. 'I never dreamed she would marry me.'Almost as disconcerting was Angie's attraction to him, given that she had a score of young admirers chasing her. And let's just say that Angie had plenty of opportunity tochoose from a massive pool of younger male admirers before she realisedthat Sir Clive really was 'The One'. 'I've had plenty of offers of marriage from younger men, butonly Clive has been able to offer the qualities important to me, if youare going to marry someone,' she says. 'So many young men have problems. I don't drink, smoke, dodrugs or go partying, it's just not my thing. I want someone who knowsme and who I know. Friendship is very important to me, I want someone Ican rely on.' But would she still love him, or have married him, if he was a car mechanic or supermarket shelf stacker? 'Let me just turn that around,' she says, quick as a flash. 'If I were 25 stone would he still be interested in me? No. It's how the world works, isn't it? 'I wouldn't be with someone just because he was a Sir, but I wouldn't hang around with someone if he didn't have something special. Clive's kind, a gentleman and he loves me.' Sir Clive, whose weakness for attractive young women has in the past turned him into red-top tabloid fodder, doesn't really care what people think of him, nor does he think it detracts from his reputation as an innovative inventor. 'What is it about younger women that I like?' he asks. 'That's a bit like asking a bank robber why he robs banks. That's where the money is. 'Why do I like young women ... because they are pretty. It's as simple as that. I've dated other women, oh yes, but none of them have been as nice as Angie. 'I've loved Angie for years. She's beautiful, of course, but she also has a lovely personality. She's very easy to be with. It doesn't even cross my mind that she might find another man attractive or be tempted elsewhere.' No, Angie is through with younger men and as she reels off a list of famous men she's dated - it's quite some roll call - she insists Sir Clive beats them all hands down. Her first celebrity boyfriend, aged 17, was snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan, whom she met after shooting a calendar for the World Snooker organisation at the Dorchester hotel. 'He was 18 and kept trying to press his number in my hand as I left,' says Angie. 'We had a few dates. It was a disaster to be honest. Why? Drugs.' In 1999, she had a few dates with Prince Albert of Monaco, whom she met on a modelling assignment, and in 2004 she dated pop star Robbie Williams - having met him at a birthday party held by Little Britain star Matt Lucas.Did she fall for Robbie? 'No.' Why? 'Best not to say ... he wasn'ttaking drugs at that point, but there were problems.' Intriguing. Angie was also the last girl to date TV presenter Vernon Kaybefore he met and married Tess Daly. Their relationship lasted sixmonths. Was she surprised by the 'sexting scandal' which engulfedfather-of-two Vernon after he was caught sending racy messages to aglamour model behind his wife's back? No, she says. But can Angie really trust Sir Clive, whose own roll call of glamorous dates is equally impressive? Following his divorce in 1985 from his wife of 23 years, Ann, he developed an eye for the ladies, dating actress Sally Farmiloe, Ruth Kensit - the 21-year-old cousin of Patsy Kensit - actress Tricia Walsh and the doyenne of plastic surgery, Cindy Jackson. 'I wouldn't have married him if I thought he'd be attracted to someone else,' she says. 'I was very young when I first met Clive, marriage didn't even enter my head.' Clive, she says, was a good friend to her after the birth of her son, when her relationship with Marcus's father, Mark Thornton, collapsed. Today, Sir Clive and Marcus clearly adore each other. He says: 'I've known Marcus since he was tiny and he is an enchanting child. We are incredibly fond of each other. That was another reason why I wanted to marry Angie. We wanted Marcus to feel secure, to feel that he would always have someone to turn to. Of course, he has his own father, but he now has a stepfather, too.' Marcus goes to grammar school in Lincolnshire, where Angie owns her own property. She divides her time between London and the countryside and her mother, Shirley, looks after Marcus when she is working. These days, intriguingly, Angie runs Sir Clive's company, while he busies himself with the inventions and product development side. He is currently refining his revolutionary folding A-bike and expects to produce a prototype of a successor to the much maligned C5 electric three-wheeler later this year. They both say they are extremely hurt by the false assumption that Angie is some kind of gold-digger. Sir Clive says she is a talented businesswoman, with two properties of her own, who has done 'fantastically well' since she took over the running of his company. To give her some credit, Angie is a bright, privately-educated girl who planned to study business and languages at university before winning Miss Nottingham at 17 and developing ambitions to become a model. When she was 18 years old, Angie took the Miss England title, but was disappointed to be runner-up in the Miss United Kingdom contest. She then worked for the Miss Universe Corporation, organising the Miss London and Miss Nottinghamshire contests. 'People always go on about how I was a lap dancer, but it was something that I did for three months in my life 14 years ago,' says Angie. 'I didn't particularly enjoy it, I found it quite hard, but I'm not ashamed of it. In those days it was topless, not nude dancing. No one could touch you. 'I'd come from Nottingham with £1,000 in my pocket, a one-way ticket and all these dreamy ideas. 'I didn't realise how expensive it was living in London. In the modelling-world you do a job and don't get paid for four months and I had rent to pay,' she says. Today, running a renowned firm, with a title to boot - all that must seem a world away. Now they are married, will there be more children? Both say no. They are too busy and like their lives the way they are. Besides, they have Marcus and Sir Clive has his three children, Belinda, 45, an art historian, Crispin, 42, a property developer and Barto, 39, an inventor, plus three grandchildren aged 23, 20, and 15. One dreads to think what Sir Clive's adult children make of their young stepmother. Might they now be worried about their inheritance? 'When Ann and I divorced, I gave her all my money as I didn't want any unpleasantness,' he says. 'My divorce lawyer was very cross with me, because it was the largest settlement he'd ever seen, but I wanted her to have the money and we remained good friends until he rdeath in 2003,' says Sir Clive. 'When Ann died, that money was divided among the three children so they have been well provided for. I am very close to my children, but they don't know Angie very well. 'When we returned from Las Vegas, I phoned my daughter, but she wasn't in, so I left a message. Crispin is living and working in Shanghai at the moment so I couldn't speak to him. I am sure they will all be pleased for me.' The words seem to hang in the air between us. But for all this unlikely couple's happiness, the fact remains that he is 36 years her senior. In ten years' time he will be 79 and she will only be 43. By then, she might be less of a wife than a carer. Angie says: 'He's as fit as a fiddle. He's fitter than many 21-year-olds I know. He is up and running at 8am every morning. I don't worry about the future, because the future might not come. I live for the day.' Sir Clive adds, smiling: 'My mother's uncle got married when he was 92 and lived to be over 100. 'I don't have any health problems and I would be very surprised if I didn't live to be 110.' Glowing January Jones shows off her growing baby bump in glamorous pregnancy dress By UPDATED:14:03 GMT, 26 May 2011January Jones is over half way through her surprise pregnancy but it isn't stopping the actress from continuing her work commitments. The stunning Mad Men star was glowing last night as she walked the red carpet at the New York première of her most recent film X-Men: First Class. The 32-year-old star looked radiant in a striking purple and black boat-necked Preen dress which showed off her growing baby bump.Scroll down for footage of January in the film:She paired the chic cocktail dress with black patent Prada stilettos and simple hair and make-up. The actress was publicly slammed this week by Hangover star Zach Galifiniakis, who revealed his dislike for her in a magazine interview. When told by Shortlist that January had referred to him as one of the funniest guys she had ever met, Zach had a surprising response. 'That's really funny because, if I remember correctly, she and I were very rude to each other. It was crazy,' he said before explaining exactly what happened.'I was at a party I'd never met her and she was like, 'Come sit down.' So I sit at her table and talk for 10 minutes, and she goes, 'I think it's time for you to leave now.'Galifiniakis certainly wasn't going to let her rudeness go unmentioned and told January exactly what her thought of her behaviour.'So I say, 'January, you are an actress in a show and everybody's going to forget about you in a few years, so f***ing be nice,' and I gotup and left. And she thinks that's funny?'When asked by the magazine if that means he wouldn't be interested indoing a love scene with the model turned actress he responded: 'I wouldn't want to. I'd hate it.'In spite of the bashing in the media, January appeared to be enjoying the evening and posed smiling along side her co-stars. The film's lead actor, James McAvoy, arrived to the event in style, in an open top red sports car whilst the other leading ladies, Zoe Kravitz, in Alexander Wang, and Rose Byrne, in Brian Atwood, both upped the glam factor in chic colour appropriate dresses.X-Men: First Class is actually a prequel to the original X-Men movie from 2000. The film chronicles the start of the mutant school by Charles Xavier and the beginning of the superhero group. Fashion for Japan: How tsunami and earthquake relief efforts are so in VogueAnna Sui, Tory Burch and Opening Ceremony are among the labels to have designed fund-raising products for the cause...By UPDATED:01:31 GMT, 29 March 2011Relief efforts have been in overdrive since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the north-east coast of Japan two weeks ago.And in that short time, countless fashion labels have put their talents to good use, designing products and launching charity initiatives in aid of the cause.From T-shirts to tote bags, a range of affordable and stylish items have been created to help benefit the victims of the Japanese disaster. Designer T-shirts for charity have always been in Vogue so it comes as no surprise that a string of labels have released Japan inspired designs.American designer Anna Sui hascreated tops in lavender and black, for men and women bearing the words: 'Japan, We're All in This Together'.And Tory Burch and designer boutique Opening Ceremony have both produced shirts inspired by the Japanese flag. Sales of Lady Gaga's $5 red-and-white 'We Pray For Japan' wristband reached $250,000 in 48 hours and now total $1.5 million. She tweeted: 'I Designed a Japan Prayer Bracelet. Buy It/Donate here and ALL proceedswill go to Tsunami Relief Efforts. Go Monsters.'Independent jewellery companies have also been launching exclusive pieces online.Jewelry for a Cause's Blue Wave Talismans necklace, which donates a percentage from each sale towards the relief effort, was even worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver when she met Michelle Obama. New England leather company Corter, has raised over $20,000 for Red Cross Japan with their leather bracelet.OwnerEric Heins said: 'I wanted to help, wanted to give back more than a reblog or retweet. So for the next week or two, I'll be offering a special "For Japan" edition bracelet.'Out of respect, there is no branding, no fancy packaging- just a reminder to help and remember.' On the bag front New York designer, Kate Spade offers a Support Japan Tote for $18 featuring her signature spade logo and bold colours.While handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff has created six red bags, ranging from $295-$495, for her Japan Relief collection, with $100 from each sale going to the American Red Cross.Other fashion houses including Alexander Wang, Theory, Tod's, Brooks Brothers, Rag Bone, Coach and Alexis Bittar have also made considerable donations from their in-store and online sales.And Japanese clothing company Uniqlo is sending $8.6million worth of clothing to the disaster victims, including 300,000 pieces of their Heattech items.Easy rider: Justin Theroux channels James Dean as he takes his motorbike out for a spin By PUBLISHED:11:36 GMT, 11 September 2012 UPDATED:07:02 GMT, 12 September 2012While most celebrities travel around New York in chauffeur-driven cars, Justin Theroux prefers a much cooler mode of transport.The 41-year-old actor looked ever so trendy and appeared to be channelling James Dean as he took his motorbike out for a spin in New York on Monday.Justin kept his outfit simple in a white T-shirt, black jeans and a leather jacket as he headed out, topping his ensemble off with a pair of aviator sunglasses.The actor has been spotted enjoying New York Fashion Week in Manhattan over the past few days.Over the weekend, Justin was seen in the front row of the Alexander Wang show - his first official event since announcing his engagement to Jennifer Aniston.The pair went public with their happynews in August, with fans now speculating as to what bride Jennifer will wear for the big day. It was reported recently that Jennifer, 43, is trying to decide whether to wear Valentino, Carolina Herrera or a dress designed by Victoria Beckham.A source said that Victoria is a strong contender to design the gown, saying: 'Jen wants a dress that's simple and classy, which is what Victoria's known for.'Evenby Victoria's standards, it would be a huge coup as Jen's wedding will be Hollywood's biggest event in years. 'It would cement Victoria's place at the very top of the fashion elite.' Kreative licence? Kardashian Kollection bags pay a little too much tribute to top designers' most famous it bags By UPDATED:12:35 GMT, 4 November 2011Thanks to the success of their reality show, the Kardashian sisters have no shortage of designer 'it' bags.And it appears it was exactly these that has inspired a new limited-edition line of Kardashian Kollection bags to be sold exclusively in Australia.But keen-eyed fashion bloggers have pointed out that the Kim, Kourtney and Khloe seem to have been exercising a little too much creative licence. Writers at today pointed out that no less than eight designer bags appear to have cut-price 'tributes' in the Kardashian Kollection, which is sold exclusively at Sears in the U.S.Must-haves from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Alexander Wang all seem to have been part of the girls' inspiration.ABalenciaga-style bag pays the most faithful 'homage' - the shape, zips and hardware of the Kardashian Kollection bag are all uncannily similar to the much-loved designer original.A cream top handle bag,too looks familiar. That is because it bears many of the same hallmarks as one of Chloe's most famous designs. Even a black-and-white woven satchelechoes the style of Proenza Schouler's much-imitated PS1 - a risk given that the designer duo very publicly accused Target of copying it earlier this year.Perhaps the sisters' inexperience in design means they cannot define between inspiration and copying. Indeed, they claim all the designs were their own, and not those of ghost designers.Khloe told PopSugar Australia: 'It's our collection. Me, Kourtney and Kim design the entire thing ourselves,' she said. Her sister, Kim, who announced that she was divorcing husband Kris Humphries this week after just 72 days ofmarriage, added: 'We're really heavily involved in the design process from start to finish.'But this is not the first time the Kardashian Kollection has been accused of taking too much inspiration from other designers. She says that the Clyde has been a stalwart of her product line since she founded it in 2003, and fans of her brand recognise it on sight.Ina post on her blog, written shortly after seeing the Kardashian sisters' line, she said: 'Ironically we just discovered below how our Botkier Clyde was simply copied by Kardashian Kollection for Sears.''They say imitation is the highest form of flattery but we don't think so...'She told WWD at the time: 'In a case like this, its upsetting because its a trademarked shape for us... Its a lot more complicated because its hard for independent designers to do anything against mass retailers or megabrands.'Sears Holdings Corp, which is the exclusive retailer of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashians designs, declined to comment on the issue, though the bag was not for sale on itswebsite after Ms Botkier's complaint.Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA said: 'All designers deserve the right to design protection and only the creator of an original design should profit from that design.'Taking someones work and calling it your own is wrong and robs the designer of a rightful return of their investment.'Is hip-hop Jay Electronica about to hop it with stunning Cara Delvingne? By PUBLISHED:01:12 GMT, 16 September 2012 UPDATED:06:56 GMT, 17 September 2012Trouble appears to be brewing between Kate Goldsmith and her hip-hop beau Jay Electronica.Jay has been spending time with stunning Burberry model Cara Delevingne and Kate who split from her husband, millionaire financier Ben Goldsmith, in June is not impressed by their blossoming friendship. A source says: Kate and Jay are having fearful rows as hes getting too close to Cara for her liking.Record company boss Kate, 30, is still living in her marital home in Kensington, West London, with her three young children just a stones-throw away from her New Orleans-born boyfriend, who moved from Belgravia to be near her. Cara doesnt live far away, either her family home is in neighbouring Chelsea.The Bedales-educated catwalk star, who celebrated her 20th birthday in August, has been dividing her time between Sao Paulo, Ibiza and St Tropez over the summer and recently she was reported to be dating One Direction heart-throb Harry Styles.However, friends say she has been spending time with 35-year-old Jay, left, when back in London.Liberty's out ... then downLiberty Ross made a triumphant return to the catwalk for Alexander Wang in New York last week then admitted it was the first time shed left home in seven weeks.It follows the news that her film director husband Rupert Sanders cheated on her with Twilight star Kristen Stewart.But the English model, 33, no doubt regretted attending the after-show party where pictures of her love rival were projected on to the walls. When Liberty made her way through the crowd, images of Kristen and her former boyfriend Robert Pattinson flashed up, says a source.Sanders, 41, is desperate to be reunited with Ross seen modelling for Wang last week, right who played Kristens mother in Snow White And The Huntsman.Having finished writing the Spice Girls musical Viva Forever, comedienne Jennifer Saunders is now turning her thoughts to creating an Absolutely Fabulous stage show.An Ab Fab film is already in the pipeline and Jennifer, 54, who plays Eddie in the hit comedy, is also toying with the idea of a spin-off musical. I think we are doing the film but as for a musical? It could be funny, but it would mean wed have to do it every night, which isnt such an appealing prospect, she joked at the Mamma Mia! musical last week.Jennifer added that Kate Moss, 38, who appeared in the Sports Relief Ab Fab TV special, could make an appearance in the film. Theres a possibility, shes great. Kates very professional.And the bride wore... From Middleton to Moss, we look back at 2011's finest wedding dresses By UPDATED:00:20 GMT, 2 January 2012This time last year there was only one wedding dress we were looking forward to seeing... Kate Middleton's. But while Sarah Burton's universally applauded design satisfied every fashionista's craving for a royal wedding gown, the Duchess was far from the only bride who impressed.Lace was a strong theme, with everyone from Lily Allen and Reese Witherspoon choosing to embellish their dresses with different styles of the sophisticated material. Meanwhile, this year's other royal brides, Zara Phillips and Charlene of Monaco, went for more simple ivory silk dresses.Silhouettes ranged from Kim Kardashian's wide-skirted Vera Wang number to Kate Moss' slinky Galliano gown - with everything inbetween. Bride-to-bes getting married in 2012 and in search of inspiration need look no further... Kate Upton joins the supers at Cannes fashion show - but can the Sports Illustrated cover girl hold her own? By PUBLISHED:22:58 GMT, 25 May 2012 UPDATED:13:54 GMT, 28 May 2012 It's no secret that she is dying to forge a career in fashion and it seems that Kate Upton may have finally made it.The Sports Illustrated cover girl, 19, was one of 20 models that took part in a completely monochrome fashion show staged at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS event in Cannes last night. To add further credibility, the runway show, which was staged at the Hotel du Cap, was styled by ex-French Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld.The New York-based swimsuit model joined established models including Karolina Kurkova, Kate Upton, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Donaldson and Lindsay Wixson.The starlets walked the catwalk dressed in all-black designer clothing.Unfortunately, Miss Upton's dress paled in comparison to many of the other designs that were modeled.The dress hugged her body in some place but not others, appearing as though it was incorrectly fitted to the model's figure.Although it is not clear which designer created the dress, it was most certainly a well-crafted garment.Designer labels that featured in the show included Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Roberto Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christopher Kane, Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy and Versace.Other models included Victoria's Secret's Toni Garrn and French beauty Aymeline Valade, who was a runway fixture during the recent fall/winter 2012 Fashion Week season.Brazilian stunner Ana Beatriz Barros, who has also modeled for Victoria's Secret, also took part as did fellow Brazilian beauty Isabeli Fontana.The clothing, which spanned from red carpet gowns to bath robes, were chosen by Ms Roitfeld based around 'her idea of the perfect black wardrobe', according to .It was the first-ever fashion show to be staged at the prestigious annual fundraiser, which is considered to be the Cannes International Film festival's hottest ticket.Chanel's chief designer Karl Lagerfeld was also at the event and posed for photographs with Ms Roitfeld.The French editor, who is now working on a New York-based magazine called CR Fashion Book, was dressed in a skin-tight floor-length black Givenchy gown herself.She added volume to the streamlined look by wearing large silver drop earrings.The fashion maven rose out of her seat to give her models a standing ovation once the show had wrapped. Did you feel Fireworks? Katy Perry emerges from John Mayer's car the day AFTER their Chateau Marmont date By PUBLISHED:12:21 GMT, 4 August 2012 UPDATED:07:18 GMT, 6 August 2012He is a serial womaniser and she's a clean-living pop star who's just getting over a divorce. But it would seem things are certainly hotting up for Katy Perry and John Mayer. After enjoying their first public date at Chateau Marmont on Wednesday night, it looks as though the 27-year-old singer enjoyed a sleepover of sorts at her new beau's house. On Thursday morning, a sheepish-looking Katy was dropped off at her apartment in Los Angeles in the singer's black Ferrari after reportedly spending the night with the star. Attempting to disguise herself from photographers, the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker wore a black wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses as she emerged from the vehicle smiling before Mayer sped off down the street.Katy made sure to take a change of clothes with her, with the raven-haired beauty having ditched the white lace dress she was wearing the previous evening in favour of a simple black T-shirt and patterned camel-coloured jeans, which she paired with a studded Alexander Wang bag. The rumoured couple were first seen grabbing pizza together last month, before stepping out in public to Los Angeles' Pace restaurant and the Chateau Marmont Hotel earlier this week. Katy's divorce from Russell Brand - who bears more than a passing resemblance to John Mayer - was made official last month, but the star recently explained she still believes in love, despite the breakdown of her 14-month marriage. Asked what she wants from her love life, Katy told Elle magazine: 'I'm a woman who likes to be courted, strongly. Never say never, I guess you'd say. I'll let love take the lead on thatSince splitting from Russell in December 2011, the star has been linked to male model Baptiste Giabiconi and Florence And The Machine guitarist Rob Ackroyd, while the comedian has moved on with actress Isabella Brewster. Meanwhile, John is no stranger to being in the limelight thanks to his string of celebrity relationships.As well as enjoying long-term relationships with Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, John has also dated Jennifer Love Hewitt and Taylor Swift.However, his romance with Taylor didn't end too well as the teenager later penned a song about their brief romance, entitled Dear John.And John later said he was 'humiliated' by the song, telling Rolling Stone magazine: 'It made me feel terrible. Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that.'It was a really lousy thing for her to do.' Calling all curves! Kim and Kourtney Kardashian sell their designer castoffs on eBay... but only TEN per cent of profits will go to charity By PUBLISHED:17:14 GMT, 18 May 2012 UPDATED:18:39 GMT, 18 May 2012 Kim Kardashian and her sister Kourtney, are selling their old designer wares on eBay.In a big spring clean sweep, the curvaceous sisters have gathered up 84 of their unwanted platform heels, form-fitting dresses, and animal prints for a flash sale.Called Kardashians' Closet, the sale is filled with Kim and Kourtney's pricey castoffs from labels such as Christian Louboutin, Fendi, Burberry, Gucci and Alexander Wang. While many items are steadily climbing in price to reach thousand's of dollars, only ten per cent of the profits will go to charity.Kim's proceeds will be donated to Life Change Community Church, while Kourtney's charity of choice is the Dream Foundation, which grants wishes for terminally ill adults.It is unclear, however, where the rest of the proceeds will go.The items are both new and used, and vary in size from U.S. 2 - 8, while the shoes range from 36.5 to 37.Many of the pieces up for sale have been worn on television appearances and at press events by the sisters. Kim's Dolce and Gabanna red silk gown, currently selling for $405, was worn by the reality TV star during an episode of The Rachel Zoe Project last year.Surprisingly, hidden amongst the animal print slinky dresses and vertigo-inducing heels, there are some classic gems. While they are slowly creeping up in price, most are still a fraction of the original retail cost. A Victoria Beckham little black dress is selling for $575, a Chanel floor-length column dress currently sits at $459, and a pair of Azzedine Alaia ankle boots are $154. This isn't the first time the Kardashian sister's have sold their designer goods on eBay however. The reality TV stars have been selling items from their personal collection for some years through the charity auction site on eBay.And while they make a big play of her philanthropy under the banner 'Charity Auction Supporting the Dream Foundation', they have always donated just ten per cent to the cause.In contrast, Carey Mulligan's custom-made Prada dress she wore to the Met Ball is also still up for sale on , and 100per cent of the proceeds will go to Oxfam America. The highest bid for Ms Mulligan's dress currently sits at $2,551, with only one day to go.The Kardashians' Closet auction runs until May 21 on .Love IS blind! Kim Kardashian ruins her sleek outfit with horrendous pair of Kanye West designed shoes By PUBLISHED:23:53 GMT, 8 August 2012 UPDATED:13:54 GMT, 9 August 2012If proof were needed that the old adage of love being blind is absolutely on the money, Kim Kardashian has stepped up to the plate, quite literally.Because the 31-year-old has given us 6000 reasons to agree by wearing a costly pair of shoes that clash with her outfit... just because her boyfriend designed them. Kim donned a pair of Kanye West for Giuseppe Zanotti heels, which are made of calf leather and embroidered pearls and cost around $6,000. She first wore them back in March, before the couple had admitted to being The Greatest Love of All Time(TM).Kim tweeted before Kanye's show in Paris: 'I j'adore my shoes tonight!' and slapped a picture of the monstrosities next to her franco-english verbiage. But that night her outfit at least worked with the crazy legwarmer shoe hybrid as she stuck to cosy cream from head-to-toe. Today, the reality show's gorgeous black minidress would've worked well with a classic point-toe pump or ankle boot, and if she really wanted to look street, an Ash high-top wedge would do the trick. But Kim and Kanye have become quite the unit over the past few months, so she understandably (and rather sweetly) wanted to show support for her man. He recently gave her the ultimate accolade by writing a new song, Perfect B**** in tribute to her. The song references the reality star's famous curves, talking about how the 35-year-old has found his perfect woman.The 31-year-old in turn tweeted about missing her 'Prince' while she was in LA. Kanye debuted his new song over the weekend, along with others from his upcoming album Cruel Summer.According to the New York Daily News the rapper and actor Leonardo DiCaprio joined a table full of models after arriving at the PH-D Rooftop Lounge in New York's Meatpacking District early Saturday morning. He took over the DJ booth for 45 minutes, playing a number of new tracks that sampled other music and included 'a similar production style' to the one he used on his Watch The Throne album with Jay-Z last summer.But a source told the paper the standout track of the night was a song that included the chorus My Perfect B****.'[Heraps] verses about his search for the perfect woman and how he has now found the "perfect bitch",' the source told the paper, adding that therewere a number of references to Kim's curves.Kimand Kanye have proved inseparable since they started dating earlier this year, shortly after the end of her disastrous marriage to sport star Kris Humphries.Showbiz Roundup! Fox's undies, Rivers louder than ever, and Russians 'exorcise' Madge... Not only does the Twilight star strip down for the role of a 16-year-old bride, she simulates a certain sexual act with the two men with her hands in the car.But the star says the racy scenes came quite naturally.Stewart told at the Toronto International Film Festival: 'It didn't bother me.'The entire cast reportedly underwent a three-week 'beatnik boot camp' for the film, led by Kerouac biographer Gerald Nicosia, in which they read literature pertaining to the Beat Generation.She added: 'You can do no wrong with [director Walter Salles]. He puts so much inside of you. In the four-week rehearsal process, it was okay to ask any question, to bring up any story, to really over-analyze everything and intellectualize everything.'Stewart continued: 'Once we got on set, it was so about just breathing and letting it happen. He put so much trust in us, so it was like, "Okay, so I have to take my clothes off?" It's so not a big [deal].'The Adventureland actress was only 17-years-old when she accepted the role, but thanks to delays she got a chance to mature a bit first.'I should have definitely been older than 17 while playing this part, absolutely,' she said.'[My performance] would have been done very differently if I was younger. I wouldn't have played the part, obviously.'The story is based on the years Kerouac spent traveling the United States in the 1940s with his friend Neal Cassady and several other figures who would go on to fame in their own right, including William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Getting handsy: Not only does the Twilight star strip down for the role of a 16-year-old bride, she simulates a certain sexual act with the two men with her hands in the carThe film, scheduled for release of December 22, boastsan outstanding ensemble including Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Steve Buscemi, Terrence Howard and Elisabeth Moss.While many feared that Stewart's affair with married director Rupert Sanders last July could spell the end of her career, Stewart has seemed to brush those concerns aside as well. Moving on: Many feared that her affair with married director Rupert Sanders last July could spell the end of Stewart's careerAfter a six-week absence from thepublic, the Runaways star emerged last week to promote On the Road at the Toronto Film Festival and a New York screening at Disney Park Avenue.While posing with Hedlund and Salles,Kristen looked fierce in her black ALC trousers, androgynous and unbuttoned white Balenciaga shirt, and Jimmy Choo heels.Stewart will next be seen in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, set for release November 16. reportedthat she is already back together with her costar and ex-boyfriend Robert Pattinson,'But they [Robert and Kirsten] are worried about how it might affect his career, like whether or not there will be some kind of crazy backlash,' according to the website. Hitting the road: While posing with Hedlund and director Walter Salles, Kristen looked fierce in her black ALC trousers and an androgynous, unbuttoned white Balenciaga shirtShe's won us over again! Kristen Stewart is the queen of cool with smokey eyes and backcombed quiff for On The Road event By PUBLISHED:03:40 GMT, 11 September 2012 UPDATED:06:56 GMT, 11 September 2012Many feared that her affair with married director Rupert Sanders could spell the end of her career.But Kristen Stewart is fighting back, having spent six absent weeks from the showbiz circuit.Tonight, the Twilight star continued promoting new film On The Road, this time in New York having made her first red carpet appearance since the scandal last Thursday at the Toronto Film Festival. Embracing her inner tomboy, the 22-year-old rocked a pair of black ALC pants, an androgynous and unbuttoned white Balenciaga shirt, together with a pair of Jimmy Choo heels.Posing with a hint of a smile, Kristen's make-up looked catwalk ready with dramatic smokey eyes and heavy eyeliner, together with a theatrical backcombed quiff.Kristen was joined by co-star GarrettHedlund, who takes centre stage with the Californian native and Sam Riley, in the film version of the Jack Kerouac classic novel of the samename.One gentleman that was noticeably missing, was estranged lover Robert Pattinson, despite reports emerging that the pair are actually back together. According to : 'It was communicated to people during TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) that they are [back together]...'But they [Robert and Kirsten] are worried about how it might affect his career, like whether or not there will be some kind of crazy backlash.'She also alluded to the fact that they are 'totally fine' when quizzed during a press conference about howthey would handle co-promoting Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 together in November. Meanwhile, Rupert's wife Liberty Ross took to the runway this weekend to walk for Alexander Wang at New York Fashion Week. 'I was totally terrified!' Liberty Ross didn't leave the house for seven weeks before storming the catwalk at New York Fashion Week By PUBLISHED:01:28 GMT, 10 September 2012 UPDATED:06:45 GMT, 11 September 2012With her confident stride and the look that said 'I'm back', Liberty Ross looked nothing short of striking as she sashayed down the catwalk yesterday at New York Fashion Week.However, beneath the supermodel antics and bold swagger lurked a 'terrified' girl - in fact she had spent seven weeks hiding out at home ahead of the fashion event. Liberty's return to the spotlight marked her first modelling job following the Kristen Stewart scandal that has threatened to rock her marriage with director Rupert Sanders. The brunette model was seen strutting down the runway, just 48 hours after the Twilight actress made her first red carpet appearance on Thursday, since news of the affair broke six weeks ago.Liberty, 33, revealed: 'I was totally terrified.'Speaking to The Cut at the show's after party, she said: 'I hadn't actually been out of my house for sevenweeks so I was really anxious. But it felt amazing.'The British beauty looked almost extraterrestrial with her razor sharp cheekbones and quirky white windbreaker-meets-pencil skirt creation for the Alexander Wang Spring 2013 collection. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old fashion designer gushed about his decision to use Ross in his show, saying he invited her to walk for him 'because I love her and I support her'.The mother-of-two wore plastic buckles wrapped around each leg just below the knee and fortunately was given chunky heels to sashay down the runway in rather than skinny sky-high stilettos.Liberty also had an unusual headdress from the tip of her forehead running down her centre-parting.Highlighting her natural beauty, Ross seemed to go relatively make-up, with just a ghostly foundation.Earlier this week, Kristen was seen gracing the Toronto Film Festival in Canada to promote her new film On The Road. Showbiz roundup. SPOTTED! Liberty Ross back at work Twilight extended trailerLIZ JONESFASHION THERAPYBy UPDATED:21:20 GMT, 17 January 2010Bring your wardrobe bang up to date - without breaking the bank!This time of year is always mildly depressing. Summer is over, the shops are full of terribly tempting winter clothes and the next round of catwalk shows loom ominously on the horizon, meaning I have to stop slobbing around and look fashionable, ready for the front row. As September approaches, I always get those back-to-school butterflies that mean I panic buy, and give my personal banking manager a stress-related heart attack. But there was very little that was totally new on the autumn/winter catwalks, meaning that with a little careful thought, and the occasional wielding of a pair of scissors, you can bring what is already in your wardrobe bang up-to-date. So here's my guide on how to make something old look like new and how to bag a bargain: CLASSY TAILORING Cocoon coats, tweed jackets, pea coats and trenches were everywhere on the catwalk for winter - at DKNY, Liz Claiborne, Margaret Howell, Burberry - a sign that designers realise that some of us have to go to work in something vaguely sensible. BRING IT UP-TO-DATE: A new way to wear your old black suit is to shorten the pants, making them cropped, ensure the shirt is big and slouchy (don't tuck it in) and wear pointy cowboy boots (Zara has some great ones). Layering is new, too: a shirt under a waistcoat under a jacket under a coat slung over your shoulders: all very Krystle Carrington, but I fear a bit hot. BAG A BARGAIN: For tailoring, please don't go totally bargain basement. The best reasonably priced suits, coats and jackets are at Banana Republic. Zara is on a bit of a roll this autumn: I love the black suits, chunky wool pea coats and the white feathery shirts. BODY ICONWhen body-con dresses - made of Lycra and clinging to every curve - made a comeback three years ago, young women everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. Here was something sexy, curvy and colourful, but not pretty or girly. Young women who love to flaunt their legs were not about to let this particular fashion be displaced. Consequently, body con was seen on the winter catwalks everywhere, from Alexander Wang to Versace, so your old body con dress will still do good service this winter. I still have a Helmut Lang body con dress from 2004 that still looks incredibly fresh - more than you can say for me. BRING IT UP-TO-DATE: If you do dig out your old body con, the only way to update it is by teaming it with a pair of spike-heeled shoe boots. BAG A BARGAIN: Lemon mesh body con dress by Christopher Kane for Topshop, £130, or a black leather bondage dress with elastic, £149, in MS stores in October. EIGHTIESAnything vaguely Eighties will still look fresh this winter, especially party wear. On the catwalk, Twenty8Twelve had shoulder pads, sequins, Lurex, mini skirts; Anna Sui showed ra-ra skirts; while Stella McCartney sent out mannish jackets over mini skirts. BRING IT UP-TO-DATE: Lose the opaque black tights or the cut-off tights of last winter, and team this look instead with sheer, 10 denier black stockings. Avoid colours that are too Eighties, such as pillar-box red, Maggie Thatcher blue or gold, and opt for metallics, as seen on the catwalk at Versace. BAG A BARGAIN: HM has some incredibly Eighties pumps with a crystal studded heel, £25, while MS has a fabulous silver sequin skirt, £39.50, in store in two weeks' time. BIKERVery skinny jeans - on the catwalk at William Rast et al - along with biker and denim jackets are all in, again. BRING IT UP-TO-DATE: Take your old denim jacket and simply chop off the sleeves, making it into a waistcoat, and wear a skinny ribbed grey sweater underneath. BAG A BARGAIN: The studded denim jacket by Mango, about £50, is fabulous, as are the studded shoe boots with spike heel and zip by Topshop, £150. LIZ IS LOGGED ONTO...www.tavi-thenewgirlintown. blogspot.com This is a style blog from a 13-year-old American called Tavi Williams, who has been interviewed by Teen Vogue and Grazia, and appears on the cover of the new issue of Pop. Rather than posting in Comme des Garcons, she should be reading pony books. LIZ'S BARGAIN OF THE WEEKSequins are having a fashion moment this autumn, so I've bought this pair of sequin leggings, £12.99 from HM. If you do opt for sparkly, remember to tone down the rest of your outfit. These look great with a big white shirt or oversizes man's T-shirt (Cos do the best), a man's blazer and spiky shoe boots. LIZ CAN'T RESISTHaving loved the movie Coco Before Chanel, I can't wait to read the new biography of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel by former Vogue writer Justine Picardie. Coco Chanel by Justine Picardie (Harper Collins, £20). FASHION THERAPYMy essential guide to what to look out for in the summer sales (and I'm an expert!)By UPDATED:08:03 GMT, 12 July 2010Are the summer sales worth the bother, now that they seem to take place all year round? Do you want to spend a hot day rummaging through rail upon rail of floral print dresses, boxy linen jackets and mismatched shoes? And doesn't the mere fact something is in the sale mean it wasn't that much of a must-have in the first place? Here is my unmissable, money-saving guide on how to shop the sales for classic clothes that will see you through to next year... HOW TO SHOP THE SALESThe worst thing you can do is to go armed with a wallet full of credit cards, and no clear idea of what you want. Don't leave home without first taking a long, hard look at what is in your wardrobe. What do you wear all the time that needs updating? Do you have a special occasion looming? Then, look at the autumn trends, and cherrypick what looks suit you andyour life. A big mistake would be to buy something that screams Summer2010, ie, a green floral jump suit, a floaty floral maxi with sequinsat the bust, impossibly high, clumpy platforms. These will inevitablylook boring come September.Try everything on, even if the changing rooms are packed. And why not use the sales as an opportunity to upgrade, ie to shop somewhere you normally deem too expensive? Finally, draw up a budget of what you want to spend, and take with you that amount in cash, leaving all your plastic cards at home.DON'T BELIEVE SALES WILL SAVE YOU MONEYI once went to the Harrods sale and bought a Prada tote, silk Gucci skirt and a pink cashmere sweater for my husband, and thought I had saved £1,500, when I had in fact blown a grand on stuff I didn't even like that much (I never wear the skirt, because I didn't try it on, and later discovered the split shows off my fat knees; the leather bag is way too heavy even when empty; I divorced the husband).WHAT TO AVOID IN THE SALESWHAT WILL SEE YOU INTO NEXT YEARThe most useful item you can snap up in the sales, and that will still look fresh into next year, is a curvy jacket with a bit of a pointy shoulder. A jacket should never be bought dirt cheap; an expensive one can be slung over a dress or jeans, and will lift an entire outfit. I bought a £1,000 Helmut Lang blazer in 1996 and still wear it today, meaning it's one of the cheapest garments I've ever purchased.Great for autumn, too, is anything in white: a cotton shirt dress bought now (Cacharel, down from £230 to £138, at feathersfashion.com) will look fabulous in the autumn under a camel coat (the best in the new autumn collections costs just £85, at Oasis), cinched with a brown, narrow belt. Boots will be still be big this autumn. I've found a fabulous pair: brown suede flats with fringing, by Alberto Fasciani, down from £725 to £362, at feathersfashion.com.MY TOP SALE BUYSDRESS: This navy dress has amilitary feel, is 100 per cent silk and can be dressed up for a weddingand down for work. Was £250, now £99, at Jaeger.JACKET: Pointyshoulders, neat, curvaceous and tailored. When else could you affordAlexander Wang? Was £850, now £425, from feathersfashion.com BAG: Not too big, and definitely classy, and fashionably beige! Picton weave bag at Reiss branches, down from £195 to £98. SHOES: Louboutin's classicpumps (left) are feminine, with a mid-heel and pointy toe, and will addzing to all those beige autumn outfits. Down from £375 to £265, matchesfashion.com TRENCH COAT: Autumn'skey colour is camel so a trench in this shade and in a great curvyshape is a good buy. I dislike trenches with a long, full skirt. FromWhistles, down from £195 to £100. Add askinny brown belt to make it current. LIVE: Olympics - follow all the action unfolding on day one By PUBLISHED:03:00 GMT, 28 July 2012 UPDATED:23:07 GMT, 28 July 2012You can keep track of all the latest news, views and pictures from the Olympic Park and beyond with our live coverage. This is your ultimate guide to all the action as it unfolds during London 2012...00.07: That's it then. The first day of the London 2012 Olympics is over. We barely seem to have had time to draw breath, but why should we?! We'll plough straight into the live action again tomorrow from 8am, when you can join Dan Ripley. Thanks for reading. 00.06: The match finishes 74-58 to Australia and with that our coverage comes to an end. Great Britain put up a good fight though and should be proud. 00.00: The points difference is 13 here with two minutes left on the clock. These British girls have really done themselves proud against the much-fancied Aussies. 23.48: All eyes are now on the women's basketball then with every other sport having packed up for the night. It's now 62-47 to Australia with just over seven minutes on the clock. 23.45: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have turned around that second set at against the Australian pair at Horse Guards Parade to make a winning start in their attempt to win a third successive beach volleyball gold. 23.42: At the end of the third quarter Australia are leading 57-42. Great Britain have fought valiantly all match long and have contributed to what has been a below-par performance by the Australians. This team have a long way to go but they're clearly making steps in the right direction. Vital they don't let up in the final quarter though and try and narrow that lead. 23.37: The American pair of May-Treanor and Walsh have levelled things up at 18-18 in the second set. 23.30: Over at Horse Guards Parade the Australians are 12-9 up against the US in the second set and could take that one into a decider. 23.27: Australia call the timeout as Great Britain pull it back to 34-45. The Aussies have been off colour tonight, and with some better finishing by the Brits this one might be even closer. 23.20: The US have won that first set 21-18. Meanwhile, the basketball has restarted... 23.16: The American duo of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are going for their third straight Olympic gold up against the Australians Nat Cook and Tamsin Hinchley. It's neck and neck in the first set... 23.10: The atmosphere is electric over at Horse Guards Parade, where the beach volleyball continues with Australia's women taking on the US - the defending champions. 23.03: Australia lead 39-26 at half-time. 23.00: Australia have called a timeout with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter. Britain have fought back well to narrow the deficit to 35-23. 22.52: Team GB finally have their first points of the quarter, but they trail 13-31. 22.49: There's been a shock result in the women's handball competition with France beating reigning champions Norway 24-23 in the Copper Box. 22.46: It's all gone a bit pear-shaped for GB in the second quarter here and they now trail 25-11 - that's nine points without reply in this quarter. 22.41: Great Britain women's handball coach Jesper Holmris has spoken after his team's 31-19 defeat to Montenegro at the Copper Box:'Ten minutes before the end I was really pleased with our performance but then they scored lots of fast breaks. I think it was possible to lose by only seven or eight goals, but we let it slip away in the end.'We have played some of the best teams in the world over the last couple of years and it was a good performance. But it's obvious for everyone that we don't have the same physique as them and we ran out of steam.'22.39: After a promising start, Great Britain are trailing Australia 16-11 after the first quarter. Australia regrouped well during a timeout, but Britain won't be too disheartened considering they are strong underdogs. 22.34: After the flag fiasco in their opening game, North Korea's women's football team have just lost 5-0 to France: no excuses for that one. 22.27: Here's what Ellen Gandy had to say earlier after qualifying for the women's 100m butterfly final: 'To be honest I wasn't too happy with the time (57.66 seconds, to qualify seventh fastest for Sunday evening's final). I feel like a couple of things skill-wise went wrong. But I'm so happy to have made the final. It's my first Olympic final so I am over the moon.'22.24: With Great Britain 7-6 up half way through the first quarter, I think it's time for a recap on today's main stories (click on a headline to read more):22.13: The big news tonight is that Paula Radcliffe is set to pull out of the marathon with a foot injury. . 22.11: It's well past dark now but there's still live sport for us to enjoy. Great Britain are about to take on Australia in women's basketball, while there are still handball, volleyball, beach volleyball and boxing events taking place - though no Brits are still in action in those sports. 21.59: Great Britain have qualified third for the men's team gymnastics final, with Russia pulling out a late second place. 21.53: Fran Halsall has spoken after she helped Great Britain to a fifth-placed finish in the 4x100m freestyle relay:'I think that was pretty good. Last year (at the world championships in Shanghai) we were 9th.'To come back from 9th and go (to) 5th shows we're improving.'Everyone did their best. We just missed out on a British record. It's all we can ask but we're still a little bit gutted.'But as a team we're pretty positive.'21.48: Great Britain's Michael Jamieson has spoken after narrowly missing out on the 100m breaststroke final: 'I'm pretty happy with my performance as I swam under 60 (seconds) twice today (Saturday).'The guys in the top eight are all natural sprinters and the margin for error is so small. I always struggle in the first 50 (metres), but I come strong at the end.'The heats this morning (Saturday) obviously took it out of me, but now I'm obviously going to get fired up for the 200m (breaststroke), which is my best event.'21.43: A reminder from earlier that the men's gymnastics team have qualified for the final with the second best performance of any team so far. That is quite an achievement considering no British men's team has ever qualified for an Olympic final. The qualifying is still going on but rest assured, Britain's place in the final is guaranteed. 21.37: Bantamweight Luke Campbell, who received a bye in the first round, will face Jahyn Vittorio Parrinello of Italy in the second round. 21.29: And if any of you think it's ominous that Great Britain haven't won a medal yet, Miley has some words of optimism: 'It's a shame quite a lot of people think these guys aren't getting medals is not good enough. For us as athletes we are always expecting more. Nobody should think Team GB are disappointing. There's still another 14 more days to go. There are lots of other events and races. There's a lot more things to look forward to. Day one is always the hardest to step up to. We stepped up to the mark and everyone else did as well.'21.24: Great Britain's Hannah Miley has spoken after finishing fifth in the women's 400m individual medley: 'It was an immense effort and the crowd were awesome.''Most of the media are expecting me to be depressed and down and in tears. I know it wasn't the result the public wanted, which was a medal, but that was something they decided to put on themselves to have that expectation of me. My target was to try and give the best performance I could. I gave it 100 per cent.''This morning was the fastest heat swim I had ever done. It was the same for a lot of the other girls. It was just a matter who could recover the quickest and it was the young ones who won.'21.21: In the women's handball competition Great Britain have lost out 31-19 to Montenegro. This is the first time we have ever had a handball team at a Games. 21.18: We have a mouthwatering basketball clash coming up in just under an hour, as Great Britain's women take on Australia. There's middleweight boxing action taking place from 10pm as well. 21.08: China' Ye Shiwen has spoken after her incredible 400m individual medley gold medal min and world record: 'I didn't think about it too much. The moment I jump in the water my mind goes blank.' 'In the last 100m I thought I was behind so I tried as hard as I could to catch up. Then I found out it was only me (in front).'21.01: Britain's David Carry after finishing seventh in men's 400m freestyle final: 'I had a real dream and ambition to do that final. To come here and achieve that dream is pretty special.'21.00: That was an Olympic Record by the Aussies, who have their first gold medal. The wait goes on for a British medal... 20.55: They were neck-and-neck the whole way with the States, but pulled away in the final leg. Great Britain were in third for a while thanks to a brilliant second leg from Fran Halsall but the Netherlands came back to beat the US to silver. 20.54: AUSTRALIA WIN GOLD IN THE WOMEN'S 4x100M FREESTYLE RELAY20.48: Right, the last even in the pool tonight is the women's 4x100m freestyle final. Great Britain are in lane eight. 20.45: Christian Sprenger of Australia has won that one. Jamieson finished third misses out on the final as that heat was much slower than the first. 20.41: In the next heat we've got two Brits: Craig Benson, who is just 18, and Michael Jamieson. 20.40: Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa has just won the men's 100m breaststroke heat with an Olympic Record, with double Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima down in fourth and in danger of missing out on the final. 20.35: Ye Shiwen has broken the 400m individual medley world record by an incredible 1.02 seconds with that swim... and she's only 16! I can't quite believe that. 20.31: Here's what Andy Murray had to say after he and his brother's doubles defeat earlier: 'It was tough, we played well. We were a break up twice in the third set. We had enough chances to win the match, each time we got the break we got broken straight back so it was tough,' he said.'I will try and get prepared and try and do all of the recovery stuff. I will get an early night and get myself ready for tomorrow.'20.28: Four gold medals now then for China, who are well clear in the medal table now. 20.23: An incredible performance from the 16-year-old Chinese to storm past Beisel - who takes silver - in the last 100m and set a NEW WORLD RECORD. Li Xuanxu, also of China, takes bronze. Miley finishes fifth and will be disappointed. 20.22: YE SHIWEN HAS WON GOLD IN THE WOMEN'S 400M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY20.20: Beisel is clear at 300m... Miley in fourth. 20.15: Out they come then... 19-year-old American Elizabeth Beisel is the favoutite for this one, but Miley has a real chance of a medal. 20.08: As Ryan Lochte receives his gold medal, we gear up for the women's 400m individual medley final, where Hannah Miley goes in search of Great Britain's first medal. 20.05: Sun set a new Olympic Record in that race, and he would have had a World Record had he not glided the last couple of metres. 20.00: Park Taehwan of South Korea takes silver and Peter Vanderkaay of the US bronze. Britain's David Carry finishes a commendable seventh.19.58: SUN YANG WINS GOLD IN THE 400M FREESTYLE: He just misses out on the world record, but he doesn't care. China have their third gold medal. 19.56: South Korea's Park and China's Sun are neck and neck here, with a world record on the cards... 19.53: Next up it's the men's 400m freestyle final. David Carry of Great Britain is in this one. 19.49: Dana Vollmer of the US has won that heat, just missing out on the world record. Gandy finishes fifth and qualifies for the final! 19.45: Ellen Gandy of Great Britain is in lane 2 for the next heat. 19.44: Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden wins that heat/ Unfortunately Fran has finished down in seventh in that one and is almost certainly not in the final. 19.43: Sensational stuff that from Lochte... next up it's Britain's Fran Halsall in the women's 100m butterfly heats. 19.40: Thiago Pereira of Brazil takes silver and Japan's Kosuke Hagino bronze.19.37: RYAN LOCHTE WINS GOLD IN THE 400M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: He's won that by a country mile! Phelps is out of the medals in fourth place. 19.35: Lochte is well clear after 200m as they move into the breaststroke. 19.34: Lochte has the lead after the 100m. 19.29: While Phelps is the bigger name of the two, Lochte is the favourite going in to this one. This is Phelps' least favourite event and he just scraped into the final: you'd be a fool to right him off though. 19.26: Excitement building now in the aquatic centre with six finals coming up. Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are up first in the men's 400m individual medley. 19:18: Great Britain's 3-0 victory over Cameroon sees the Olympic hosts qualify for the next round.19:16: And there it is, Keothavong is out at the expense of Wozniacki. Brit tennis dreams smashed in a matter of minutes. She lost 6-4, 3-6, 2-6.19:13: Wozniacki has broken Keothavong and is 5-2 up. She is serving to win the tie.19:10: Earlier this afternoon the Italian's took gold in the men's team archery. A dramatic conclusion saw them shock the USA with a final arrow victory.19:08: Keothavong is 4-2 down in her deciding set and is about to serve.19:06: It's all over for the brothers as they lose the third set 7-5. The Murrays are out.19:04: The Murray's are serving to stay in the match at 6-5 down in the third set.18.58: Meanwhile, Keothavong has been broken in the third set of her first round tennis match against Wozniacki. 18.56: Team GB are now 3-0 up in the women's football against Cameroon thanks to Steph Houghton's second goal of the Games. 18.54: The Murrays have been broken back! What a topsy-turvy match that one is turning out to be. 18.51: The Murrays have broken back and are now just one game away from winning. 18.45: The Murray brothers have been broken back in their deciding set against the Austrian pair of Melzer and Peya. Judy Murray, incidentally, has chosen to watch Keothavong over her sons... 18.42: Keothavong and Wozniacki are into a deciding set at Wimbledon. 18.32: Team GB are still 2-0 in their women's football match against Cameroon, with an hour gone in that one. Meanwhile, Wozniacki is a break up against Keothavong in their second set, after the Brit won the first. 18.24: The Murray brothers are in a deciding set, after losing a second-set tie-break. They are a break up in the third though against Melzer and Peya. 18.22: Italy have won team gold in the men's archery after a quite brilliant final against the US. Michele Frangilli needed a 10 off the last arrow to win it, and he delivered. 18.16: Mark Cavendish has tweeted: '4 heroes in @bradwiggins, @millarmind, @chrisfroome @IStannard. Rode, with the weight of a nation, until exhaustion. So proud.'18.13: Canada's Joshua Binstock had kind words for British pair John Garcia-Thompson and Steve Grotowski after he and Martin Reader won their beach volleyball match: 'It's hard because they are great people and we like them as friends. It can help to create motivation when you don't like your opponents, but that was not the case. They are stand-up class acts.'18.05: Anne Keothavong has won the first set against Caroline Wozniacki! A shock could be on the cards at Wimbledon for the Brit, who is facing the Danish former world No 1. 18.01: David Millar has echoed Mark Cavendish's sentiments after the men's cycling road race: 'We lost out, but a lot of teams lost out by planning the race against us. But we expected that. We can't complain because everyone knew what we were going to try and do so it was their job to try and derail us. Which they did.'17.57: More medal news as South Korea beat Mexico to win men's team archery bronze. The Asian countries are dominating the medal table at the moment. 17.55: Elsewhere in the women's 48kg weightlifting, Japan's Hiromi Miyake has won silver, and North Korea's Chun Hwa Ryang bronze. 17.50: China move into a clear lead in the medal table as Wang Mingjuan wins gold in the women's 48kg weightlifting. 17.41: More good news for Great Britain as our men's gymnastics team are guaranteed a place in Monday's final. 17.39: 2-0 to Team GB in the women's football! Jill Scott has scored the second goal in a matter of minutes in Cardiff. 17.35: Team GB have taken the lead in their women's football match against Cameroon, with Casey Stoney netting. 17.33: Andy and Jamie Murray have taken the first set against the Austrian duo 7-5. 17.30: The Canadian's have won that beach volleyball match against the British duo, who put up a valiant fight. They have two more group matches to come though, so it's not curtains yet. 17.29: Italy have beaten Mexico in the team archery event and will face the US in the final. 17.27: Britain's men's beach volleyball team of John Garcia Thompson and Steve Grotowski are currently a set down Canada's Josh Binstock and Martin Reader and are heading for defeat. 17.22: 17.21: Here's what Elena Baltacha had to say after winning her first round tennis match: 'It feels amazing. I was a little bit nervous obviously in the changing room, the two matches went so quick before mine.But once I put my gear on and I looked in the mirror, I thought, 'God, I'm so privileged to be playing for my country'. It was such a dream of mine and the fact that I'm an Olympian, I still have to pinch myself to be honest. It's such an amazing feeling.'17.17: The women's football is under way in Cardiff, with Team GB looking to build on their opening win against New Zealand as they face Cameroon. 17.06: There's a surprise result coming from the team archery event, where defending champions South Korea have been beaten by the US - who will face either Mexico or Italy in the gold medal match. 17.02: Federer has survived that scare against Falla to win their first round match. 16.57: Andy and Jamie Murray are under way in their men's doubles match against Austrian duo Jurgen Melzer and Alexander Peya. 16.52: Felipe Kitadai of Brazil has also won a bronze medal in the men's -60kg Judo.16.49: Here are those quotes from a disappointed Mark Cavendish, whose had a bit of a dig at the Australians: 'The guys all sat there in the tent absolutely spent. We did everything we could. The crowd was tremendous the whole way around, but the Aussies just raced negatively. The team were incredible. They left everything out on the road. I am so proud of them. We didn't expect any help. We rode the race we wanted to ride. We couldn't pull the group back on Box Hill. Other teams were content that if they didn't win, we wouldn't win. We expected it. If you want to win, you've to take it to them.'16.39: The Judo goldrush continues... Russia's Arsen Galstyan has won the men's -60kg category, beating Japan's Hiroaki Hiraoka, who takes silver. 16.35: Roger Federer has lost the second set of match against Colombia's Alejandro Falla, so that one is into a deciding set. Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish had some frank and interesting things to say to the BBC - I'll have those quotes with you just as soon as I get them. 16.32: Brazil's Sarah Menezes has won gold in the women's Judo -48kg. 16.28: Uzbekistan's Rishod Sobirov has won bronze in the men's Judo -60kg category. 16.20: Three-time gold medallist sailor Ben Ainslie has been talking after practicing at Weymouth ahead of his race tomorrow... 'It was good to get out there. There were fantastic conditions and it was on the medal race course and also the one we start on tomorrow. It's pretty tricky. It will be a tricky race tomorrow,' he said.16.15: Brit Elena Baltacha is through to the second round of the women's tennis tournament, beating Hungarian Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-3. 16.01: Well that's it from me today. I'll see you tomorrow morning for more live coverage on day two of the Olympics, but for now I will pass you over to Joe Ridge who will see you through the evening...15.56: Meanwhile there has been another gold medal elsewhere as Korea's Jin Jongoh takes top spot on the podium in the Men's 10 Air Pistol.15.52: Joy for Vinokurov but what went wrong for Britain? They were nowhere near at the end.The problem was they did all the donkey work in the peloton and there was simply no gas left in the tank come the final push.15.47: Madness! Uran looks behind him on the home straight only to see Alexandr Vinokurov skip around him on the outside unsighted to take gold for Kazakhstan in the Men's Cycling Road Race.15.45: We are into the final kilometer as Uran and Vinokurov leading a two-horse race.15.42: So with the Brit charge collapsing in the cycling. a quick check at the tennis where Britain's Elena Baltacha has won the first set 6-3 against Hungary's Agnes Szavay.15.39: And now there is a breakaway in the breakaway. Rigoberto Uran and Alexandr Vinokurov are fighting for the lead with 7km to go. Heartbreak this for Cavendish - there will be no bunch and therefore no sprint finish.15.36: Horror. The gap hasn't closed at all. It's still around 50 seconds back to Cavendish and that is just about curtains for his medal hopes - let alone gold.15.34: There is 10km to go and it's very difficult to tell the time gap now. It's must have closed after that crash.15.29: Drama! Fabian Cancellara has crashed at the front of the group going around a corner in a very odd looking incident.The back wheel seemed to lock and that caused the chasing pack to hesitate a bit.You have to feel for the Swiss rider but that is a boost for Team GB.15.24: The gap down to 51 seconds with 20km left. Still too slow but not impossible for Cavendish to still win this.15.19: As they go past Hampton Court Palace, the Spanish still lead with the gap now down to 53 seconds I still don't think that is being closed down quick enough by the Brits though.15.16: Chris Froom has dropped out for Britain, giving Cavendish just three team-mates to help him. The gap up to 63 seconds.15.12: Gold is slipping away from Britain who are not closing the gap. The trouble is they need some help in the work load. The Germans are trying but it may not be enough.15.07: Nail-biting stuff this. The gap remains one minute back to Cavendish who still remains calm - you really feel Britain are going to have to move soon.15.02: Turns out it has fallen flat on its face! I thought Gilbert was on his own up field but the chasing pack have quickly swallowed him up in no time at all.The gap to the pelaton is now a minute. I hope Cavendish and Britain are remaining more clam than I am right now.15.00: Gilbert's gamble hasn't fallen flat on its face yet but his lead doesn't look big enough to me to see him to the end.The Pelaton is around 50 seconds behind the breakaway group but Britain are going to have to get a move on with around an hour to go.14.55: Nicola Wilson has fallen to 11th with Opposition Buzz in the dressage phase of the eventing, but veteran Mary King has moved into second place of 25 with a score of 40.90 on Imperial Cavalier. Britain as a team are ranked second overall.14.52: I must point out though that Cavendish and his team have not reacted to this. They have a plan and they are sticking to it.I wonder how long Gilbert can carry on for up front - I think he has gone too early.14.49: You can feel the road race starting to come to the boil. Gilbert still impressively leads by 45 seconds while another clique of riders have decided to break away from the pelaton.14.44: Table tennis is another event starting today and Britain's Joanna Parker is up soon when she takes on Brazil's Caroline Kumahara for a place in the second round. Germany's Kristin Silbereisen awaits the winner.14.39: More events starting up as women's football resumes with Brazil taking on New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium.In the same group, Team GB take on Cameroon later knowing a win could see them into the quarter-finals.14.36: Big, big call from Belgium's Philippe Gilbert who has ditched the lead pack and gone on his own. He has opened up quite a gap of around 20 seconds, with the pelaton (and Britain) still around 45 seconds behind what was the leaders.14.31: Britain's William Snatch won his heat in the rowing pairs with George Nash earlier, and he has commented on how the duo work:He said: 'We've changed the way we row slightly and almost gone back to what we did originally - kept it raw and basic. And the crowd cheering you on gives you a bit of a pump.'We don't actually say that much. George has a few basic calls but if it's going well you can feel it. We try to listen to the boat rather than chatting over it.'At a world cup you race every day so it's going to be a bit different and we have to make sure we don't take the foot off the gas, but to recover you have to rest. We're both quite young and we haven't done a full Olympic training programme, but we know how to race side by side. I have loads of confidence in Georgeand I hope he has some in me.'14.28: The gap down to 45 seconds as we start the final lap of Box Hill. Britain are getting attacked leading the pelotan but Cavendish will be more focused on continuing to chase down the leading pack of 11 riders.14.24: Some news on the boxing at the ExCeL Arena where despite there being no Brit in action today is packed out with fans.Right now it's the last 32 of the Men's Bantam weight taking place with Britain's Luke Campbell already through to the last 16 with a bye - he will get his gloves on in four days' time.14.20: This is falling nicely for Cavendish who looks to be in the pound seat at this point. With just under 70km to go we are edging closer towards a bunch sprint.14.15: More from Louis Smith who commented on his pommel horse routine, compatriot Kristian Thomas (who leads at this stage) and the team's expectations:'It's been an emotional four years. There's been a lot of pressure on my shoulders, a lot of people have put a lot of hours into supporting me.'Kristian was a hero. Every single one of the guys was a hero. They're just absolutely fantastic. The guys are amazing and hopefully they'll take a bit of the pressure off me.'We're on new ground. We've not qualified a team before so I think we've already exceeded expectations and we're just going to enjoy it.'14.10: Two more laps of Box Hill and pelaton leaders Britain remains a minute behind the front runners.But the chasing pack have now been swallowed up by Cavendish and Co.14.05: Just to confirm from earlier that Olympic champion Park was disqualified for making a false start in the 400m freestyle.The Korean has appealed but they haven't got long to make a decision, the final is later this evening.14.00: Louis Smith and his team have had a strong morning in the gymnastics, with the captain through to the pommel horse final.He said on Twitter: 'A brief moment back on twitter to say a massive thank you to every1 who's has helped me and my team get through this day love your support x'13.55: The gap is really closing. Britain have led the pelotan most of this race and they are just 20 seconds behind the second breakaway pack and a minute behind the leaders.13.50: Back to the road race road race...and the chase is on! Cavendish has closed the gap to the breakaway bunch to just two minutes.13.45: Well that's one opponent for Andy Murray out of the way (who is in double's action at 17.30) as Berdych has succumbed 6-4 6-4 to Steve Darcis. The Scot would have been due to face the sixth seed in the quarter-finals.13.40: Frances Houghton spoke about the home support after her GB team finished fourth in the women's Quadrupple Sculls:She said: 'The physical hard work is done but this is where the mental work comes in during the next few days.'At least we're underway now, Monday (the repechage) is going to be the biggest race.''Yes, I mean of course, with all these people willing us on you do sort of go 'aargghh'.'13.35: Britain still haven't blinked in the Road Race. With two groups of 11 in front of them the gap is around four minutes but there is only around 100km to go as the pace increases.13.30: Out you go sunshine. The IOC have confirmed that 20-year-old Hysen Pulaku has been excluded from the 2012 Games.The Albanian weightlifter tested positive on 23 July for stanozolol.13.25: Britain's Alan Campbell eased his way into this Olympic rowing regatta with a comfortable victory in the men's single sculls heats - a strong start enabling the Northern Irishman to control the race all the way.13.20: Time for a drastic change in focus and to the Equestrian as Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz score of 51.70 penalties puts them in fourth place of 10 starters.13.15: Britain got off to a bad start in the badminton with a mixed double's defeat but Susan Egelstaff has brought some joy by beating Slovakia's Maja Tvrdy 21-15 21-10. The British No. 1 is up against Sayaka Sato of Japan next in Group H...not immediately of course.13.12: A very tactical battle this Road Race. The good news for Cavendish and friends is they have started to marginally close the gap to the 11 riders out in front.But there has been a second breakaway group containing Vincenzo Nibali and Philippe Gilbert to keep Britain on their toes.13.07: In the Cycling Road Race, the breakaway 11 up front still lead Britain and the main pack by around six minutes as they go into the fourth lap of nine at Box Hill. Still no need to panic for Cavendish just yet.13.03: Britain's Michael Jamieson reacted after qualifying for the Men's 100m Breaststroke semi-final:Jamieson said: 'I had a good swim, no problems at all. I have a sense of responsibility so need to raise my game and get to the final. I am as strong as I have ever been, so now it's time to do it.'It's an amazing crowd, I am so grateful for all the messages of support and all the encouragement we are getting.'13.00: It feels like I'm back at Wimbledon trying this, but at Centre Court sixth seed Thomas Berdych has lost the first set 6-4 to Belgium's Steve Darcis - the Czech star is a potential opponent for Britain's Andy Murray later on in this tournament.12.55: Australia ease to victory in the second heat with Netherlands and Denmark also in the final. The times are in.. and Great Britain do indeed make it through to tonight's medal race.12.50: The first relay event in the pool is the women's 4x100m and the United States come home first ahead of China and Japan with Great Britain joint fourth with Sweden. It will be down to the times in the other heat to determine if they go through.12.40: The first medalist of the Games, Yi, has been speaking about her success: 'I'm very happy. I want to say thanks to China, to my mother and father.'I'm very excited and happy. I have been shooting since I was 13-years-old.'I've been up since 5am this morning. There was a lot of pressure on me.'12.30: George Nash and Will Satch have won their heat in men's pair art Eton Dorney. They are a relatively new team but could be medal contenders on this performance. New Zealand look ominous though, they've broken the world record by an impressive six seconds. They crossed the line in a time of 6 minutes, 8.50 seconds at Dorney Lake - easily surpassing the previous best time of 6:14.27 minutes posted by Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell of Britain in Seville in 2002.12.25: We are looking at a lead of just over five minutes in the road race with the Brits leading the chase at the front of the pelaton. Germany's Tony Martin is helping out and he'll be hoping his countryman Andre Griepel can fight Mark Cavendish for the sprint finish.12.20: Over to the badminton which started this morning and sadly Britain's Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier have lost their opening mixed doubles group match to Russia 14-21 21-9 21-18.It's a must-win clash against Germany next for the Anglo-Scottish pair.12.15: But it's not all bad news, with creator of the Olympic cauldron Thomas Heatherwick claiming that all 204 nations will take home a piece of the copper petals at the end of the Games.'We were aware cauldrons had been getting bigger, higher, fatter as each Olympics happened,' Heatherwick said, 'we felt we shouldn't try to be even bigger than the last ones.'This incredible event has 204 nations coming together, so we had a child from each country bringing these copper polished objects in.'At the end of the Games this cauldron will dismantle itself and radiate back down to the ground and each of those copper pieces taken away by each nation and put in a national Olympic cabinet somewhere.'12.12: Sadly there is more controversy surrounding the organisation with many seats empty at the 'sell-out' Aquatic Centre.London 2012 communications director Jackie Brock-Doyle said: 'The public have turned up, it looks like they were accredited seating [for officials or media].'We are looking into who should have been sitting there and why they were not.'12.09: And both are through to the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke - very strong stuff from the Brits in the pool this morning.12.06: Wow, Michael Jamieson has also produced an outstanding swim to record a time of 59.89 - that will almost certainly put him in the semi-finals.12.02: And boy does he deliver, Benson recorded a time of 60.04 to finish fourth and that should be good enough to reach the semis.11.59: It's a busy morning in the pool as Britain's Craig Benson aims to reach the semi-finals of the men's 100m breaststroke. The 18-year-old will need to be at his best though.11.54: Michael Phelps only just squeezed into the 400m medley final and the American admits the heat times took him by surprise:'I didn't expect those guys to go that fast in the heats. I just wanted to get some good turns, carry my speed in and out of the walls. A final spot is a final spot.''I think the only thing that matters is getting a spot. You can't get the gold medal from the morning.'11.51: So Siling takes the first gold medal but sadly for Britain, McIntosh failed to make the final. She remains upbeat though and sees her first Olympics as a positive experience.McIntosh said: 'We're not exactly used to that but it was phenomenal. I just want to thank everybody that came along and showed their support today. That was absolutely fantastic.'It took a wee bit to get used to, but actually I found it really helped. It gave me something to laugh about, which helps deal with the nerves.'It was my first Olympics, the score wasn't great. I'd have liked to be in the final but performance-wise I felt like I handled it really well. You live and learn.I'm going back to bed. I'm so tired from getting up so early. I've got another event in a week's time (the 50m rifle 3 position) so I guess I just go away and think about that and come down from this high I'm on right now and get ready for my next match.'11.48: Sadly for Wilmott she fails to make the cut, but Miley has indeed made the final of the 400m medley which will take place tonight.She is up against it though, she was five seconds off the fastest time in those heats despite winning her race.11.44: So over to the final heat where Aimee Wilmott hopes to join her British compatriot in the final.11.43: Top swim from Miley, who is given a huge cheer by the home crowd after winning her heat with a time of 4:34.98 - that should take her to the final.11.40: Over to the gymnastics at the O2 Arena, Britain have made a solid start with a score of 44.199 on the rings.It's considered their weakest of the six-set apparatus but that is a positive start.11.37: The Queen is in attendance at the Aquatic Centre this morning, which is where Britain's Hannah Miley is about to start her 400m medley heat.11.32: There is still a pack of 12 that have broken away in the Road race with the gap back to the Brits now up to five minutes. Nothing to panic about just yet though.11.28: Rowing has been strong for the Brits this morning with the Men's Lightweight Four dominating the heats to reach the semi-final.Plenty of the British rowers have spoken of the huge buzz they get in the final 200 meters when they can hear the home crowd's cheer.11.24: CHINA TAKE THE FIRST GOLD MEDAL OF LONDON 2012Sylvia Bogacka let nerves get the better of her as Yi Siling takes gold in the women's 10m Air Rifle in her first Olympic Games.11.20: From Sportsmail's Alex Kay:Looks like the first gold medal of the Games is going to Poland... three round to go.11.16: There was nearly more drama in the swimming with Michael Phelps only just squeezing into the final of the 400m medley.Rival Ryan Lochte will also join him in the final.11.12: Drama in the third heat...big drama! Olympic champion Park Taehwan won the race but has been disqualified.What for we are not too sure, but it's likely to be for a false start.It can't be for anything else but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the Korean's start. All will be revealed I hope.Britain's David Carry finished third with a time of 3:47.25 - that will put him through to the final.11.08: From Sportsmail's Alex Kay:Shooting surprisingly good to watch. Very tense final, this. Barely anything separating the eight.11.06: There has been a breakaway bunch in the Cycling Road Race, but the British riders are at the front of the pelotan as the race edges towards Box Hill. There is 205km of the 250km race to go with the Brit's just over four minutes behind.11.02: A decent swim form Renwick but his second place might not be enough, with a slower than average heat. 3:47.44 the Brit's time.10.59: Back to the Aquatic Centre for Brit watch, with Robbie Renwick about to start his heat for the 400m freestyle.10.57: Argentina eventually fell away but despite Britain overtaking them, it's New Zealand that win the heat by ending the strongest. All three go to the semi-finals - with the world champions setting a new Olympic record at 6:11.30.10.53: A good start from Britain but at the half-way point it's Argentina who lead narrowly from Lucas and Townsend with New Zealand a close third.10.50: Sticking with water but back to rowing as Britain's Bill Lucas and Sam Townsend take on Estonia, New Zealand and Argentina in the Men's Double Sculls. 10.47: Likewise from Britain's Ellen Gandy who also ended strongly to record a time of 58.25 in her heat - again that should see her through with one to go.10.44: A reasonably good start from Britain's Fran Halsall who finishes second in her 100m Butterfly heat with a time of 58.23 - that should be enough to take her into the semi-finals.10.40: From Infostrada 2012:Katerina Emmons (W 10m air rifle) won the very 1st gold medal in Beijing. She can also become 1st gold medallist.The Czech star only just made the final though with Pole Sylvia Bogacka and Chinese Siling Yi recording scores of 399 out of 400.10.36: As we saw earlier, Britain crashed out of the men's team archery competition to a very impressive Ukraine side at Lord's, and team member Larry Godfrey touched on went wrong:Godfrey said: I'm not really sure. We all went high and whether that was the adrenaline pumping or what I don't know. 'We were slow to adjust and they came out and smashed it straight away. 223 is a good score and 212 is way below our usual standard, we'll have to have a chat to see what went wrong.'10.32: Michael Phelps has made his mark at the London 2012 Games, winning his Swimming 400m medley heat looking like he had more left in reserve.That should see him through to the final providing six more swimmers don't better his four minutes 13.33 seconds time in the final heat (highly unlikely.)10.28: Just to highlight how up-and-down it's been for the Brits this morning, Ashley Mckenzie has crashed out of the Men's -60kg judo, losing to Hiroaki Hiraoka.10.24: A cracking race sees Germany win and qualify for the final, but Britain ran them close in second place and they go into the repechages along with the Netherlands and Canada. On this evidence I fancy them to reach the final too.10.19: More rowing action now with the Men's Eight. Britain are up against Canada, Germany and the Netherlands in a high quality opening heat.10.14: It was the Women's 10m shooting that started things off this morning, but in a very close qualifying section, Britain's Jennifer McIntosh has missed out on a place in the final with a score of 392 out of 400.The top eight go through and the 20-year-old finished 36th - highlighting just how much of a perfectionist you need to be to progress in that event.10.09: After the success of the women's pairs earlier, sadly it's bad news from Eton Dornery as Great Britain's women are out of the Quadruple Sculls.Ukraine cruised to an easy win with Australia and New Zealand pipping the team of Melanie Wilson, Beth Rodford, Frances Houghton and Debbie Flood at the line.10.05: Some interesting comments from Great Britain cycling manager Dave Brailsford before the event, who admits all of Britain's hopes on Cavendish:Brailsford said: 'There's no doubt they (the team) are riding for one rider. They've got no aspirations for themselves. It's all for Cav. We have all our eggs in one basket.'There are certain teams who want a bunch sprint, and it's up to the other teams to stop us having a bunch sprint. That's the intrigue. It's a very, very long race. They'll be attacking early but that doesn't always work either so it will be a game of intrigue this one, for sure.'There is confidence, bit of nervousness, excitement, expectation, it's all of those things that make you think, well, we're ready to go.'10.00: We are underway in the men's Road Race, in just over six hours time hopefully we will see Cavendish ride home to claim gold. Very sunny conditions down at The Mall and I'm pleased to say there is a large crowd too.9.55: Concerning Cavendish's road race, the big talking point on a relativley flat course is Box Hill.It could be where the race is won and lost with many riders aiming to get in front of the Brit on the high terrain section, knowing the Manx Missile will probably blow everyone away in the sprint down to The Mall at the end of the race.9.50: Just 10 minutes to go until Mark Cavendish begins his quest for Olympic gold in the Cycling road race.While there is more Brits on show in the Men's -60kg Judo.Ashley McKenzie takes on Hiroaki Hiraoka in eight minute's time, with the Japanese last year's World Championship runner-up.9.45: Don't forget folks if you want to check out live results, a guide to the sports or even look at the schedule just click on the links in the green box to the right.9.41: From InfostradaLive:Great Britain's Glover/Stanning set a new #Olympic record in heats of women's pairs #rowing, breaking Australia's record set in 1996.9.38: Excellent stuff from the Brits who set an Olympic record of 6 minutes and 57 seconds to move into the final.The American's finish a boat length behind to also seal a final spot, with Romania in third.9.35: And an excellent start for the British pair who stretch into nearly a boat length's lead at the halfway point.The big surprise sees Olympic champions Romania struggling in fourth.9.30: Over to the rowing at Eton Dorney, where British pair Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will attempt to come through their first heat against Romania, Argentina, Germany and the USA. Very nice and sunny in that part of the world.9.24: Back to that mixed badminton doubles match this morning involving Poland and Japan, it's actually part of a reschedule following a complaint from the Poles. The pair successfully challenged a change to the London 2012 programme that left them playing twice in one day.Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba complained after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced dramatic revisions to the playing schedule on the eve of the competition.The changes would have meant Mateusiak and Zieba playing both the Danish pair of Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen and Canadians Toby Ng and Grace Gao on Monday.Zieba said: 'We are so angry because it is only one day before competition. For us, it's worse because the Japanese is a big, important match.'The BWF made the alterations after realising they had not followed their own regulations concerning group matches when drawing up the schedule.The rules stipulate that when using a round-robin stage, as they are for the first round in London, the highest-ranked participants in each group must play the lowest first.9.21: Two scores of 10 from Wills and Terry ensure Britain end on a high but Ukraine hold their nerve to clinch a 223-212 victory. They will face South Korea in the last eight but sadly for GB they are the first team out.9.18: Final round and with the lead still at 11 - only a very, very poor round from Ukraine can deny them a quarter-final spot now.9.16: Nines are not a bad score but another three of them from GB are heavily punished as Ukraine increase their lead to 12.Six arrows to go for each side and Ukraine effectively have one foot in the quarter-finals.9.14: The lead down to nine with GB even hitting a 10 score dead centre of the target - Robin Hood stuff that.9.11: At the half-way point GB are in huge trouble. They are a full 10 points behind Ukraine now with Simon Terry, Larry Godfrey and Alan Wills struggling with the range and possible wind. many of the arrows simply too far up the target.9.08: The lead up to six now with a score of 84, with Ukraine even able to afford hitting a seven.9.06: From InfostradaLive:China has won the table tennis women's singles event at last 6 #Olympics, one behind the active record streak by any NOC in any event.9.05: And that lead increases to four as Ukraine stay ahead on 57 points - a poor seven score letting the hosts down in that previous round.9.02: Not a good start either. GB fire a respectable 27 in the opening round but Ukraine hit 29.8.59: And the bad news is GB have never beaten the eastern Europeans in four previous matches...8.54: All women's events those...except for the Archery at Lords where Ukraine are about to take on Great Britain in an elimination match at Lord's cricket ground.8.52: More events about to get underway with Archery, Basketball, Beach Volleyball and Table Tennis set to get underway at nine o'clock.8.47: The mixed doubles in badminton is scheduled to feature Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier for Britain in around an hour's time when they take on Russia in Group A.The pair are a good shout to claim a medal but there is already a minor shock on the cards with Poland a game up against Japan in Group B.8.42: Regarding Cavendish later this morning, there shouldn't be too much concern he has just come off the back of Toure de France.The Manx Missle has already commented that his training recently was to build his overall strength at the expense of explosive power - but we will find out later on today if that will be to his benefit.8.35: And it's the shooting where we will get our first gold medal later this morning.It's qualifying for the final that is taking place now and the good news is McIntosh is off to a decent start, firing a 99 score. Still early days though.8.30: From Sportsmail's :Right! Off to the royal artillery for the first medal of the games. Worried athletes won't be able to get their guns through security checks.8.25: Susan Egelstaff is Britain's hope for the women's singles in badminton.But it seems the smart money is with the Chinese...:Since 2000, Chinese #badminton players have lost 9 #Olympic women's singles matches but 6 of them were against fellow Chinese players.8.20: Gold medal hopeful, on Twitter:En-route to The Mall... In less than 2hours we'll be riding the Olympic Road Race.8.15: While they load up their bullets at The Royal Artillery Barracks, the Badminton is set to get underway at 8.30am at Wembley Arena.The Women's Singles and Mixed Doubles are first to serve.8.10: First up though is the Women's 10m Air Rifle where Jennifer McIntosh features for Britain - that starts in just five minutes time.8.05: Right, there are LOADS of events happening today but the main one this morning will be the Men's Road Race at 10am where Britain's Mark Cavendish will be going for gold..8.00: Let the Games begin! Footballers and archers may have already made their own Olympic headlines, but after last night's entertaining opening ceremony, London 2012 is fully up and running.Good morning and welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage of the Olympic Games.LIVE: Olympics - follow all the latest action unfolding on day seven By PUBLISHED:03:00 GMT, 3 August 2012 UPDATED:21:21 GMT, 3 August 2012You can keep track of all the latest news, views and pictures from the Olympic Park and beyond with our live coverage. This is your ultimate guide to all the action as it unfolds during London 2012...If you want to get in touch, contact me on or Twitter 22.20: I seem to be saying this every evening but what a day that was... I don't know where to begin, but I suppose the logical place to start is with Great Britain's first gold medal of the day, which came at Eton Dorney where Katherine Grainger ended her Olympic hoodoo to win gold in the double sculls alongside Anna Watkins. Also in the rowing, Alan Campbell in the men's single sculls, and George Nash and William Satch in the men's pair all won bronze. Just a day after Gemma Gibbons' silver - Britain's first judo medal in 12 years - Karina Bryant won bronze in the +78kg category. Then, at the Velodrome, the men's team pursuiters won gold and were quickly followed by Vicoria Pendleton topping the podium in the keirin. There was another bronze medal for a tearful Rebecca Adlington in the 800m freestyle at the Aquatic Centre. And finally, Jessica Ennis has a comfortable lead heading into the second and final day of the heptathlon tomorrow after two brilliant runs in the 100m hurdles and the 200m, while Andy Murray is through to the final of the tennis after beating Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at WImbledon... Phew! Join Rik Sharma for more live coverage from 8am tomorrow. Adios. 22.09: Sally Kipyego and Vivian Cheruiyot won silver and bronze respectively in the 10,000 metres, but that race was all about Dibaba, who streaked clear with a 62-second final lap. 22.02: Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba wins the women's 10,000 metres to take her third Olympic gold... 21.59: Here's what Jessica Ennis has had to say after taking a lead into the final day of the heptathlon tomorrow: 'I'm knackered, I'm so tired. It's a great way to end the first day. To lead after the first day makes me really happy. I never knew I was going to run as fast but to get a personal best on day one is amazing. I am going to go back and look at what I have to do tomorrow. I have to make sure everything is really solid for tomorrow. I know it sounds really cheesy but running round the bend, you really hear the crowd and it just lifts you.'21.57: We've got two Ethiopians and two Kenyans now battling it out in the 10,000 metres with two laps to go. 21.53: Team GB have lost that thriller against France in overtime, but what a fight they put up. Valiant defeat, sadly, is becoming a recurring theme for both the men's and women's basketball teams this Olympics. 21.47: Team GB's women may be already out of the basketball tournament but their determined to go down fighting. They've taken France into overtime after the fourth quarter ended at 67-67. 21.42: Tomasz Majewski of Poland has won the first gold medal inside the Olympic Stadium, retaining his shot put title from four years ago. David Strol of Germany takes the silver. Reese Hoffa of the US takes bronze. 21.37: Selby wins it 19-15 despite a two-point penalty in the last round. That puts him into the last eight of the flyweight competition. 21.31: Selby now leads 12-8 after the second round over at the ExCeL... 21.30: The women's 10,000m final is under way in the Olympic Stadium, where Britain's Jo Pavey and Julia Bleasdale are running. 21.28: British flyweight Andrew Selby has taken the first round of his bout with Ilyas Suleimenov of Kazakhstan 6-5.21.20: It's full-time in the women's football and Team GB have been beaten 2-0 by Canada and are out of the tournament. A disappointing end to a promising campaign from Hope Powell's team. 21.19: More great news from the Olympic Park is that both Greg Rutherford and Chris Tomlinson are both into long jump final... and the reigning champion Irving Saladino is out, meaning there is a real medal chance for both Brits. 21.15: Ennis takes the lead in the heptathlon! She collects 1,096 points with that time of 22.83 seconds. 21.13: It's a photo finish between Ennis and Schippers... 21.11: It's time for Jessica Ennis' 200m heat... 21.09: Boos ring around the stadium as Team GB see one of the most blatant penalties you'll ever see completely ignore by the referee. It looked stone-wall in real time, and even more so on the slow-mo as the Canadian defender slid straight through the back of Aluko without getting anywhere near the ball. Let's hope they won't be made to rue that decision. Six minutes left... 21.02: Meanwhile, Team GB still trail Canada 2-0 in Coventry. There's under 15 minutes left and they're throwing everyone forward - can they turn it around? 21.01: Adrian Zielinski of Poland has won the men's 85kg weightlifting.20.59: A result I didn't bring you from earlier - although I think I can be excused given all the drama in the Velodrome, the Aquatic Centre and at Wimbledon - was that Great Britain's women's volleyball team have lost to the Dominican Republic in straight sets. 20.55: Great Britain's Louise Hazel has just won her heat in the heptathlon 200m. Jessica Ennis' heat is coming up soon as she will be buoyed by the news that current leader Austra Skujyte of Lithuania finished down in seventh in that race. 20.52: Back over to the Olympic Stadium now and Ross Murray and Andrew Baddeley have just qualified for the semi-finals of the 1500m.20.48: A tearful Rebecca Adlington has just collected her bronze medal to a standing ovation in the Aquatic Centre. Here is what she had to say after the race: 'I am not disappointed I have got a bronze medal so there is nothing to be ashamed of, what I am disappointed more in is the time. I do not know whether the expectations and environment got the better of me. I gave it all and I hope that people at home see that. I am proud to be on the podium,' she added. 'The pressure has been hard to deal with over the past four years, no other Brit has ever won two gold medals.'20.43: Meanwhile, Fran Halsall is into the women's 50m freestyle final. 20.36: This night just gets better and better, let's hope Hope can inspire Team GB to turn around their 2-0 deficit against Canada in Coventry - the second half has just got under way. 20.31: HE'S DONE IT! Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-5. He will play Roger Federer in the final on Sunday, just a month after the two faced each other in the Wimbledon final. Will it be a different outcome this time? Let's hope so! Just a point about the final, it will be played over five sets. 20.30: Match point Murray.20.26: Back in the pool and a bit of a shock in the men's 50m freestyle, France's Florent Manaudou wins ahead of Cullen Jones into silver.20.21: Up in Coventry it is half time and Canada lead Team GB 2-0. Work to do for Powell's girls.20.18: Mixed night for Britain's female sprinters as Abi Oyepitan makes it through the 100m heats but Anyika Onoura has failed.20.13: Back in the stadium and British long jumper Greg Rutherford has jumped 8.08m with his first jump, which is 2cm of automatic qualification. Good start.20.08: Over at Wimbledon it is going with serve in the second set between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, it is 4-4, Murray leads 1-0 in sets.20.03: GOAL! It's all going Pete Tong up in Coventry as Canada take a 2-0 lead over Team GB through Christine Sinclair. Hope Powell's girls have it all to do now. 20.01: Jessica Ennis has dropped to second in the heptathlon after finishing ninth in the shot put. There's still the 200m to come later though and she is ahead of her main rivals Natallia Dobrynska and Tatyana Chernova.19.56: Katie Ledecky of the US wins gold! What a remarkable race that was - no-one saw that coming... Adlington will have to settle for another bronze as Belmonte-Garcia takes silver. 19.55: Belmonte Garcia has come out of nowhere to move into second. Ledecky still leads with Adlington in third at 700m... 19.53: Ledecky from Adlington from Friis at 500m. Ledecky is well ahead of World record time here... 19.52: Adlington is up to second at 300m. This is a very, very fast race... 19.51: Ledecky of the US has gone off like a shot and leads after 200m, but Adlington isn't far behind... 19.50: GOAL! Canada lead Team GB in the women's football through Jonelle Filigno.19.49: Adlington is third at 100m... 19.46: What a roar for Adlington! Can she win our fourth gold medal of the day? 19.45: Italy have won bronze in the men's team sabre fencing.19.42: Michael Phelps wins it! He was down in seventh at the turn but he stormed back to pip a mightily close race... Le Clos - eighth at the turn - takes silver, tied with Evgeny Korotyshkin of Russia. 19.40: It's Phelps v Le Clos Round II in the 100m butterfly... 19.38: Murray saves a break point to hold in the opening game of the second set. 19.36: Missy Franklin wins gold with a new World Record! Simmonds swam brilliantly to finish fourth - considering she qualified eighth. Anastasia Zueva of Russia takes the silver and Elizabeth Beisel of the US bronze. 19.34: Franklin leads on World Record pace at 100m... 19.32: First up in the pool tonight it's the women's 200m backstroke final. The favourites for this one are the Americans Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Franklin, while Lizzie Simmonds of Great Britain also swims. 19.30: I've got one eye on the swimming and one on the tennis for you, but fear not, I'll bring you goal updates from the women's football too where Team GB are taking Canada for a place in the semi-finals... What a night!19.25: Andy Murray wins the first set against Novak Djokovic 7-5! The Scot is on fire out on Centre Court and seals the set with a beautiful forehand passing shot. 19.23: What a day it's been so far, and there's plenty more in store... Michael Phelps goes for yet another gold in the pool, Team GB start their women's football quarter-final against Canada very soon, there's latest leg of Jessica Ennis' bid for heptathlon gold in the 200m, and there's the small matter of Rebecca Adlington going for a second consecutive Olympic gold in the 800m freestyle in around half an hour's time... Oh, and Andy Murray is taking on Novak Djokovic in the tennis semi-finals. 19.16: Make that 5-5 in the first set... 19.14: Still no breaks at Wimbledon with Djokovic serving at 4-5 in the first set. Both he and Murray look on top form. 19.09: A great ride from Vicky who countered Meares' early move to take the lead on the penultimate lap and pip Guo Shuang of China to the line. Meares was well down in fifth as Wai Sze Lee of Hong Kong took a shock bronze. 19.06: VICTORIA PENDLETON WINS GOLD IN THE WOMEN'S KEIRIN! 19.05: One lap before they're released... 19.02: Here we go then. Will it be Pendleton or Meares? Or will we see an upset? We'll find out in a couple of minutes time... 19.00: Here's what Geraint Thomas had to say after he and the rest of the Great Britain men's pursuit team won gold with a new World Record: 'The amount work we had to put in since November in Manchester was full-on. I was ill last week so it has been hard mentally.'18.56: A shock result in the women's football: Brazil are out after losing 2-0 to Japan. Great Britain take on Canada at 7.30pm for a place in the semi-finals - I'll keep you posted on that one. 18.50: Great scenes inside the Velodrome as the crowd stand to applaud Clancy, Thomas, Kennaugh and Burke as they receive their gold medals. Pendleton is up next in the keirin final. Can she make it three golds already on the track for Great Britain? 18.44: Murray and Djokovic are going with serve in their opening set - it's 2-2 at Wimbledon. 18.36: I forgot to mention that before that race, New Zealand won the bronze... Great Britain move back above France in the medal table with that gold. 18.35: What a ride that was. We were expecting gold, by not by such a comfortable margin. Hats off to Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh and Steven Burke.18.32: GREAT BRITAIN HAVE WON GOLD WITH A NEW WORLD RECORD!!! Australia take silver finishing 2.9 seconds back... Incredible!18.30: Great Britain lead by 0.3 seconds after 1750 metres... 18.28: The team pursuit final is about to get under way. Great Britain vs Australia. Here we go... 18.27: Here's what an exhausted Juan Martin Del Potro had to say after he lost 19-17 in the deciding set to Roger Federer in their semi-final earlier: 'It is tough to speak now, I feel sad, but Roger made a fantastic match, he is a good winner. When you lose you can't see the good things. I'm very sad at the moment. I just hope I will be better before my mixed doubles match. It's not an easy situation, someone always has to win these matches and today it was him. In other big matches it has been my turn, such as the US Open (2009), but this time it was his.'18.22: So we're just waiting for the men's team pursuit final to get under way, as well as Andy Murray's semi-final against Novak Djokovic. We've also got the women's keirin final coming up when Victoria Pendleton will go head-to-head with Anna Meares, women's football as Team GB take on Canada, more action from the Olympic Stadium as Jessica Ennis continues her heptathlon campaign, and we've also got Rebecca Adlington's 880m freestyle final coming up at 7.43pm... That should be enough to whet the appetite! 18.14: Serena Williams has thrashed Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour to set up a gold medal clash with Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. Andy Murray is next on Centre Court...18.13: Here's what Ben Ainslie had to say after finishing sixth and first in today's Finn class races, putting himself in a strong position to challenge for gold on Sunday: 'The last two days have been huge, to draw back those points. It's going to be a very important race. It's a huge opportunity to race in front of a home crowd. Obviously there's a lot at stake but it is going to be fantastic.'18.05: Pendleton wins it! We're all set up for a ding-dong battle between her and Meares in the final later on... 18.01: Anna Meares wins the first heat, Pendleton goes now in the second... 17.56: Sensational stuff there from the British women, who look a dead-cert for a gold tomorrow. Next up it's Pendleton in the second round of the keirin. 17.52: What a ride! It's a new World Record for the women's team pursuiters in their qualifier and they're nearly four seconds clear of the rest of the field!17.48: Great Britain are half a second up already on the first lap of their team pursuit qualifier... 17.41: Williams has won the first set against Azarenka 6-1 and is a break up in the second with just 31 minutes gone in the match, Murray could be on sooner than we thought... 17.37: Canada have set the pace so far in the women's team pursuit. Great Britain will go last with Australia and New Zealand still to go. 17.33: Serena Williams is leading Victoria Azarenka 4-1 in a repeat of the Wimbledon semi-final in the women's tennis tournament. Andy Murray is due on Centre Court after the completion of that match, and as a result of the length of Federer and Del Potro's semi-final, his mixed doubles match with Laura Robson will be put back to tomorrow. 17.28: Here's what Mark Cavendish had to say to the BBC on hearing the news of Baranova's failed drugs test: 'It is frustrating. Our sport has been dragged through a lot, really dragged through the mud. It is always in the spotlight. Our sport has put in so much money and effort, and a few individuals just don't care and it's not fair on the rest of us. It really winds me up. It's really disappointing.'17.26: It's full time over at the Riverbank Arena and Great Britain's men have beaten Pakistan 4-0. 17.18: Next up at the Velodrome we have the women's team pursuit qualifying, where world champions and world record holders Great Britain are the favourites. 17.09: Mark Cavendish is feeling the heat in the Velodrome. He has just tweeted: 'The temperature is increasing to "cooking" here in the Velodrome. If anybody is watching on BBC, I apologise for my shiny, sweaty head!'17.06: Goal! Great Britain go 3-0 up against Pakistan courtesy of Ashley Jackson. 17.04: BREAKING NEWS - Russian track cyclist Victoria Baranova has failed a drugs test, and has been sent home from the Olympics.17.01: That Judo gold for Teddy Riner of France has pushed Great Britain down to fifth in the medal table. A couple of golds tonight though will see that change, and we have plenty of opportunities in store: the men's team pursuit's gold medal race-off is at around 6pm, Victoria Pendleton should be in the keirin final at 6.40pm, and Rebecca Adlington swims in the 800m freestyle final. at 7.43pm.16.52: Roger Federer has beaten Juan Martin Del Potro 3-6, 7-6, 19-17. What a match! Federer will face either Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray in the final. 16.46: The British men's team pursuiters have beaten Denmark with consummate ease and will face Australia in the gold medal race, which is scheduled for 6pm. New Zealand and Russia will ride-off for bronze at 5.55pm. 16.44: Federer has broken Del Potro and will serve for the match at 18-17... what a thriller that one has been. Does Del Potro have anything left in the tank? 16.40: Next up in Round 1 of the men's team pursuit are Great Britain up against Denmark. They set a new World Record last night... 16.36: Teddy Riner of France has won gold in the men's +100kg Judo, with Russia's Alexander Mikhaylin winning silver.16.33: Great Britian's men's hockey team are currently 2-0 up against Pakistan over at the Riverbank Arena. 16.25: Over at Wimbledon - where Del Potro has managed to save three break points at 14-14 against Federer - Maria Sharapova is into the women's final after beating Russian compatriot Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-3. 16.23: In the women's +78kg Judo event that saw Karina Bryant win bronze, Idalys Ortiz of Cuba has won gold, beating Japan's Mika Sugimoto into silver medal position.16.20: The medal news continues to fly in as Oh Jin Hyek of South Korea wins individual gold in the archery ove at Lord's, beating Takahuru Furukawa of Japan to silver.16.18: It's gone from Bad-minton to Good-minton for the Chinese, whose pair of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei have won gold in the mixed doubles event.16.16: Rafael Silva of Brazil has also won bronze in the men's +100kg Judo.16.15: Xiaoxiang Dai of China has won bronze in the men's individual archery over at Lord's16.13: Andreas Toelzer of Germany has won bronze in the men's +100kg Judo.16.12: A brilliant ride from Pendleton sees her just snatch it on the line from world champion Anna Meares. Those two both go straight into the next round. 16.09: Del Potro now leads Federer 14-13 at Wimbledon, surely that one can't out-do Tsonga and Raonic's record-breaking 25-23 marathon final set earlier this week? 16.06: Kristina Vogel of Germany has won that first heat from Ekaterina Gnidenko of Russia - they automatically qualify for Round 2. Pendleton goes in the next heat. 16.04: Round 1 of the women's keirin is under way and kicks off the second evening of action in the Velodrome... 16.01: But as Victoria Pendleton prepares to return to the Velodrome I now must hand you over to Joe Ridge, who is still buzzing after seeing Chris Hoy take a historic fifth gold medal last night.Ridge can keep that one but nothing is taking away the special moment from earlier today when I saw Grainger finally take gold in the rowing!Before my tears start rolling again, I will sign off. Over to you Joe...15.56: Federer looks in deep trouble on Centre Court as he falls to 0-30. But the Swiss star isn't world No. 1 for nothing and quickly rallies four consecutive points to level up again at 12-12.15.51: And still the madness continues on Centre Court as Del Potro leads 12-11 against Federer. This final set has been going on for nearly two hours.15.46: We are literally fighting our way into medal contention a the ExCeL. Fred Evans has beaten Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the last 16 of the boxing men's welterweight - upping his tempo in the final round.15.42: My word, what drama! Del Potro breaks straight back and he does it to love! It's now 10-10 at Centre Court for the tennis - breathtaking stuff.15.39: Federer breaks! The Swiss now leads 10-9 over Del Potro as he prepares to serve for the match...surely he can hold.15.34: Fabulous stuff from Bryant who comes from behind to win with two Waza-aris!Typical, you wait 12 years for one judo medal and two come along in successive days!15.29: KARINA BRYANT WINS BRONZE IN THE WOMEN'S JUDO +78KG15.24: The drama goes on at Centre Court - it's now 8-8 between Federer and Del Potro in the final set of their semi-final.15.19: Bryant is back on at the ExCeL as she takes on Iryna Kindzerska of Ukraine. This is the start of the bronze medal repechage for the Brit.15.14: It's not Wimbledon as we know it but it has all the tension of a grand slam semi-final on Centre Court.It's now 7-7 between Federer and Del Potro.15.09: Good news for Ainslie as his chess-like tactics have come off perfectly.He wins the penultimate race in the Finn ahead of Postma and Christensen to cut the latter's lead to just two points.A repeat result in the final race on Sunday I believe will hand the Brit his fourth gold medal.15.04: Leuris Pupo wins gold for Cuba in the Men's 25m Rapid-fire Pistol.14.59: Into extra-time in the tennis (not a technical term) as Federer and Del Potro are level at 6-6 in the final set.No tie-breaks here folks - this has to end by two clear games.14.54: Ainslie comfortably leads Christensen in the Finn, but that isn't good news.The Brit needs the Dane to be further back in the order, so takes the bold move to slow down and allow the Dutch to catch up.It works as Pieter-Jan Postma moves into second and Ainslie sails clear in the lead.14.49: We are about to get underway again in the Equestrian following a break, where Charlotte Dujardin of Britain leads on Valergo with an Olympic record of 83.663 in the dressage.Britain also lead the team event ahead of Denmark and the United States. Germany have yet to complete their runs though and will feature in the top three at least.Remember though, no medals are awarded today.14.44: I started the day by saying Murray would be up at 3pm...no chance of that folks.Del Potro and Federer are still going hammer and tongs on Centre Court and after them Victoria Azarenka takes on Serena Williams....then it's Murray's semi-final with Novak Djokovic.14.41: Two penalties are the undoing of Bryant who loses by the slim scoreline of 1-0. She now go into a bronze medal repechage.It doesn't get easier - she is the defending champion.14.38: Sugimoto looks the more likely to score here but Bryant is defending well. One minute left.14.36: Ainslie leads the tenth Finn race at Weymouth with Christensen down in fourth. Should the result stay like that the Brit would lead going into the final race on Sunday.14.33: Over to the ExCeL now where Karina Bryant takes on world champion Sugimoto.Bryant's best performance of the games is the quarter-finals at Athens in 2004 so she is up against it.14.28: The second concerns the COMPLETED standings after round two of the heptathlon.Ennis leads Fountain of the USA but our own whipper-snapper Johnson-Thompson is in third. That's a triple dose isn't it?14.25: Double dose of Brit good news coming up. The first concerns Alex Smith, remember him?He was the British hammer thrower whose chances I wrote off of making the finals. Guess what he's just done by finishing 11th?I'll give you a clue, there are 12 competitors in the final.14.20: Coming up shortly is Karina Bryant's +78kg judo bout with Mika Sugimoto of Japan.A win would guarantee a medal for the Brit but defeat would still give her an opportunity at bronze later....let's aim high though.14.15: There is a tight men's semi-final at Wimbledon with Juan Martin del Potro just three points off sealing a 2-0 victory over Roger Federer at one point.But the only problem was it came at tie-break with Federer on set-point, and the Swiss star slammed home an ace to move the match into a decider.14.10: One final report from the Olympic Stadium from me. The men's 3000m steeple chase has been completed with Stuart Stokes of Britain finishing 12th in his heat, therefore he wont make the final.He won't qualify but at 35-years-old the Olympic Games in London is how he will end his career.14.05: Ben Ainslie has already lost one race narrowly this morning but he has just gone off in the Finn at Weymouth for the tenth and final regatta before the medal event.The Brit is currently second overall - four points behind the Dane Jonas High-Christensen.14.00: Third time unlucky from Johnson-Thompson who fails to clear 1.92. She comes joint second in the event though so a great effort from her.Overall, Hyleas Fountain of the United States leads Ennis, with France's Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida in third.13.57: More convincing from Johnson-Thompson as she goes again at 1.92m but again the bar comes clean off. One go left but her job is already done here I think with the PB.13.54: Johnson-Thompson has already set one personal best but her attempt at 1.92 ends with her jumping through the bar. She may have found her limit here.Only Austra Skujyte of Lithuania has jumped the height so far.13.49: Sadly Ennis's high jump is over as fails three times at 1.89 - which is an average performance from her,But Jonson-Thompson continues her fine start to clear the very same height - the 19-year-old is flying.13.44: Can you tell us whats happening with the dressage. Cheers.Dawn Bowdidge, email.Of course Dawn. It's day two of the individual and team Grand Prix event at Greenwich Park.German Kristian Spehe leads the way on Desperados with 79.119. But following behind is British pair Carl Hester and Laura Bechtolsheimer on 77.720 and 76.839 respectively.Denmark, Australia and Germany are the top three teams with GB in fourth with nine riders to come.13.39: Ennis makes her first attempt at 1.89 but she will need to do much better to clear this height after clattering into it - two more attempts to come.13.36: We've had mixed conditions at the Olympic Stadium today. It's gone overcast again but there was a torrential downpour earlier on that caught one or two athletes out.13.33: Also time to tell you Amy Smith won her three-race swim off and will be in the 50m freestyle semi-final along with Fran Halsall.13.30: Double cheer for Britain. Both Johnson-Thompson AND Ennis clear 1.86m. A few athletes are starting to drop now in this event.13.25: Worries for Ennis as she fails twice at the height of 1.86m - she needs to capitalise on Chernova's failings as she has failed to clear 1.80m.13.20: And their male compatriots will join them...not in the same race obviously.They qualified second fastest behind the USA, but it's the Americans and Australia that are hotly tipped for gold tomorrow.13.15: Back to the Aquatics Centre. Britain's women in the 4x100m have reached the final despite coming fifth in their heat.Only Holland were quicker than them in the first heat so they go through sixth fastest.13.10: Katarina Johnson-Thompson is playing a good understudy to Ennis in the high jump as she also clears 1.83m.World champion Tatyana Chernova is struggling though as she fails in her second attempt at the height of 1.80m - this not the Russian's strongest event though.13.05: Alex Smith looks very unlikely to reach the men's hammer throw final having thrown 74.71 giving him 10th spot - there is more competitors to come though. 13.00: From Infostrada 2012: Katherine Grainger won gold in W double sculls and at 4 total medals, she became the equal most decorated GBR woman in #Olympics.12.55: Sergei Martynov of Belarus claims gold in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone in his sixth Olympics with a score of 705.5 points.12.50: Ennis did indeed pass 1.80 on the high jump and has just gone one better to clear 1.83 at the first attempt - the joint highest of anyone so far. 12.45: No tears on the podium from Grainger this time as she is presented with her gold medal, just beaming smiles.The lip's wobbling though as 'God Save The Queen' is played but Grainger holds the tears back...for now!12.40: Mahe Drysdale finally delivers on his potential to claim a gold medal for New Zealand in the Men's Single Sculls ahead of Synek for the Czechs.Campbell came back in the 500 meters to pip the Swede of Karonen and seal a well deserved bronze.12.37: ALAN CAMPBELL WINS BRONZE IN THE MEN'S SINGLE SCULLS12.36: Into the last quarter Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand leads ahead of Ondrej Synek.Campbell slips to fourth just behind Sweden's Lassi Karonen.12.32: Alan Campbell now competes in the final of the men's single sculls - where he will hope to pick up a medal.As usual he makes a strong start but it's still a tight field as he crosses the 500m mark in third.12.27: The judo bug is really catching on in Britain! Karina Bryant has come back from a losing position in the last 20 seconds of her +78kg bout with Gulzhan Issanova to win and progress into semi-finals. She faces Mika Sugimoto of Japan where victory will hand her a guaranteed medal.12.24: Into the high jump in the heptathlon, where Ennis has jumped 1.77 but not 1.80 as she clips the bar.No worries yet though as she has another two attempts at it.Johnson-Thompson has also cleared 1.77m.12.21: It hardly ever looked in doubt! One of the loudest cheers I've heard at Eton Dorney greet Grainger and Watkins over the line as they maintained their two-three second gap over Australia with Poland third. Magnificent!12.18: KATHERINE GRAINGER AND ANNA WATKINS WIN GOLD IN THE WOMEN'S DOUBLE SCULLS12.16: The gap now 2.6 seconds to Australia! Not over yet but Britain are being roared home by the crowd.12.14: At the halfway point the lead has doubled over Australia, with Poland still in third over four seconds back.12.12: Britain lead by 0.7 seconds after the first 500 meteres from nearest challengers in this final, Australia. Poland are a distant third.12.10: An almighty roar from the home crowd as Grainger and Watkins are introduced. Here we go, nervous doesn't begin to describe it...12.07: HUGE race coming up now. Katherine Grainger will go fourth time lucky in the women's double sculls as she teams up with Anna Watkins to try and claim gold.After three previous silvers, nothing less than top step on the podium will do for Grainger in what is her Olympic send-off.There will be tears and lots of them whether she wins or loses.12.03: One person joining Greene in the 400m semi-finals is Jack Green who finishes second in his heat with a 49.49.But so does Williams, who qualifies as a fastest loser. Three out of three through there for the Brits.11.58: No surprises as New Zealand pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray rip apart the field to take gold in the Men's Pair. But despite being pipped by France to silver, there is cheer for Britain as Nash and Satch take our first medal of the day. Top effort from the 23-and-22-year-olds - what potential they have shown.11.57: GEORGE NASH AND WILLIAM SATCH WINS BRONZE MEDAL IN THE MEN'S PAIR (ROWING)11.53: New Zealand and France open up a comfortable lead at the halfway mark. Britain are third, four seconds back, but there is a mighty scrap with the other boats for a bronze medal.11.50: It's final time again at Eton Dorney as Brits George Nash and William Satch attempt to upset the odds again by going for a medal in the men's pair.11.45: Britain's Rhys Williams finishes fifth in his heat of the 400m hurdles, but does not look like he will make the semi-final with Greene. He does though set a season best of 49.17 - so it's not all bad news on a personal level.11.41: From Infostrada 2012:For the first time in Olympic, Japan will not win a gold medal in men's judo in an Olympic Games it is participating in #London2012.11.38: Mixed news for the Brits in the Judo. Chris Sherrington is out but Karina Bryant is through to the last eight of the +78kg, beating Lucija Polavder of Slovakia with a yuko.11.35: Britain falter after rising to third and they finish fifth. Germany take a dominant win to claim the gold medal in the Men's Quadruple Sculls. Croatia finish second with Australia third.11.32: Dai Greene wins his heat at a canter to qualify for the semi-finals with a 48.98. Easy as that.11.29: But it's over to Eton Dorney where it's the final of the Quadruple Sculls. Britain feature but Croatia and Germany are the favourites.11.24: Coming up on the track is world champion Dai Green who starts his Olympic assault for Britain in the 400m hurdles.11.19: Davies has finished seventh in his 1500m freestyle heat and that means he will miss out on the final. The swimmer has claimed it will probably be his last race.11.14: We will be off to Eton Dorney soon where tricky wind conditions have seen lanes redrawn.A big victim is Britain's Alan Campbell who has moved from lane five to three ahead of the single sculls final - he will now be more affected by the winds hindering his medal hopes.11.09: From Sportsmail's :My Olympic spirit being tested a bit by some of these 100m runners. I've seen pensioners run faster for a bus.11.04: At the Aquatics Centre, Daniel Fogg of Great Britain has set the second fastest time in the heats of the 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:56.12. Dave Davies is up next for the hosts with the fastest eight qualifiers going to the final.10.59: More bad news in the shot put too as Carl Myerscough misses out on the shot put final for Britain by quite a distance.10.54: Disappointing for Britain in the handball as their women's team have lost 31-25 to Angola.10.49: Good news for Britain's Yamile Aldama who has already qualified for Sunday's triple jump final. Finishing second in qualifying with a 14.45.10.44: Ennis will be back again at 11.15 when the heptathlon moves onto the high jump.Ennis equalled the time Dawn Harper clocked when winning individual 100m hurdles Gold in Beijing.10.39: Ennis naturally leads the heptathlon after that with 1195 points ahead of Jessica Zelinka of Canada and Hyleas Fountain of the USA. 10.36: Marker...marker! She's only just gone and set the world's best time at 12.54 seconds! What a start from our golden girl in the heptathlon.10.33: Wow, what a cheer for Ennis who now goes in the 100m hurdles. This is one her favoured events so we need a very strong marker laid down here.10.29: Another Brit on show in the heptathlon, with 19-year-old Katarina Johnson-Thompson equalling her personal best of 13.48 . One for the future.10.26: Gemma Gibbons seems to have inspired her peers. Britain' Karina Bryant as defeated Algeria's Sonia Asselah by ippon in the +78kg - she moves into the last 16.10.23: Louise Hazel has the honour of being the first Brit to compete inside the stadium and as her name is read out in the heptathlon she is given an almighty cheer - just imagine the reception Ennis is going to get.Hazel finishes fourth with a 13.48.10.20: Halsall holds it together to win her heat and reach the semi-finals. Amy Smith finished seventh on a 25.28 but her story doesn't end there.She is tied in 16th with two other swimmers with a swim-off deciding who progresses to the semi-finals.10.17: Two Brits in action inside the Aquatics Centre. Fran Halsall and Amy Smith will battle to reach the semi-finals of the 50m freestyle. Halsall has had a fairly poor Games so far.10.13: And the Ukrainian wins in 13.58 - four tenths faster than she has run all season. A strong result for Dobrynska in one her least favoured events.10.11: Cloud cover is starting to take over the stadium as one of Ennis's main rivals in Olympic champion Natallia Dobrynska goes in heat two of the 100m hurdles.10.06: The first heat of the women's 100m hurdles in the heptathlon will get us going though - no Ennis in this race folks. 10.04: Stunning pictures are on the way to you showing the Olympic Stadium. There are a few gaps in it but I can assure you it's packed to the rafters with spectatotors.10.01: The sun's out at the Olympic Stadium as the men's shot put qualification is about to get underway. 9.56: From :World record holder Im from Korea eliminated in men's individual archery, the only event that Korea has never won at the Olympic Games.9.51: Britain's Larry Godfrey on his last 16 elimination in the archery:'I'm holding it together at the moment. When it sinks in a bit later today there will be a few tears I expect.'It's archery. I went out there to give it my best and I think I did give it my best. I got beaten by a better archer on the day. You just have to shoot it the way you see it.'You only have to be half a degree out and you miss the target. To get that far out is nothing.'This is my third Olympic Games and this is the best atmosphere I have felt. I've still not got a medal.'I'm only 36 and there are still some big events to try to win this year. The future depends on Rolls Royce (his employer).'9.46: It's not close anymore as Angola stretch their lead to 10-5. Timeout called by the GB team - they need it.9.41: An entertaining game at the Copper Box where Angola lead 6-4, the hosts ever so slightly on the back foot though.9.36: Just half-an-hour until the track and field begins and despite the tube problems, the stadium is filling up nicely. It better be tickets have been like gold dust.9.31: We are underway at the Copper Box, with Britain already a goal down. Plenty of support for the home side though.9.26: Great Britain's women's handball team are effectively out of a chance of winning a medal, but bottom of their group they are playing for pride as they take on Angola inside the Copper Box in five minutes.9.21: Another star from the Games has been Michael Phelps who has become the most decorated Olympian of all time at London 2012.The American had a slow start but he has recovered, .9.16: True to form, the Brits lose the shootout (shoot-off). Godfrey hits a poor nine and Mohamed keeps his composure to hit 10 - the fifth seed progresses but it's been a solid Olympics from Godfrey.9.13: A stronger round from Mohamed sees him take the set 28-26 so it's 5-5. We will now have a shoot-off - the archery equivalent of a penalty shootout.It's just one arrow each,whoever is closest to the centre wins - brutal.9.10: And it's advantage Godfrey who takes the fourth set 28-26 to move within a point of victory. He only has to draw the fourth set to win.9.07: Right now though it's neck-and-neck at 3-3. Godfrey lost the first set and drew the second before taking the third.A quick recap on the match system it's the first to six set points, where you pick up two points for winning a round of three arrows and one point for a draw.9.02: As more events get going, attention switches to Lord's as Larry Godfrey takes on Khairul Anuar Mohamad of Malaysia.The Brit will be attempting to reach the quarter-finals which take place at 2.15pm today.8.57: But not everything went to plan. , but she will be back in action at 4pm today for the keirin.The same cannot be said for her team-mate Jess Varnish, whose Games are sadly over.8.52: But a close second would be . Considered an also-ran, the Brit defeated the world champion to reach the final of the -78kg before sealing silver and Britain's first medal in the sport in 12 years.8.47: My personal favorite story yesterday came from the Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham Abbey, where the Brits shocked the Hochschorner brothers of Slovakia to take gold and silver in the canoe doubles.ahead of a rejuvenated David Florence (following his poor singles performance) and Richard Hounslow. Fantastic scenes.8.42: If you want to build a dam, don't take tips from the Argentines. They are 1-0 down in the hockey thanks to Matthew Butturini's penalty corner.8.37: Loads of success stories yesterday,.The Scot cycled his way into British Olympic history by claiming a joint record fifth gold medal - but it wasn't without controversy. and it is sure to lead to a rule change in the sport.8.32: I fear for Argentina here. Just two minutes have gone and Australia are all over them.They are going to have to do the hockey equivalent of 'parking the bus' here which I guess is to build a dam with the sticks.8.27: Apart from the fact that London transport has done what it does best this morning (come to a standstill) the weather is holding up nicely so far. A bright start will add to the atmosphere inside the stadium as the track and field gets going in 90 minutes.8.23: First up this morning as usual is the hockey when Group A leaders, Australia take on Group A basement boys, Argentina.The Argentines need a win to keep up their hopes of progressing from the group when they get started at the Riverbank Arena in a few minutes.8.18: Andy Murray is back at Wimbledon today, but we are heading towards the business end of the Olympic tournament at SW19.After defeating Nicolas Almagro yesterday, the Brit takes on Novak Djokovic today on Centre Court at around 3pm in his semi-final. If he wins he is guaranteed a gold or silver medal.8.13: Quick word of warning folks, there has been a signal failure at Woodford on the Central Line (the main London Underground line to the stadium) causing severe delays. Expect carnage on the platforms.8.10: Our best shot of gold this morning comes at Eton Dorney again where Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins compete in the women's double sculls final at 12.10pmIt could be a fairytale ending for Grainger who at 36 is set to compete in her final Games. She has three silver medals from Sydney, Athens and Beijing - so it's set to be an emotional occasion either way in the rowing.8.05: Britain's Rebecca Adlington will attempt to defend her 800m freestyle title in the Aquatics Centre tonight, but for now our focus is on this mornings/early afternoon's events.Today we see the first London 2012 appearance from Jessica Ennis as the Brit starts her assault for a medal in the heptathlon at 10.05 - roughly the same time as the action starts inside the Olympic Stadium.8.00: Well what a fine day yesterday it was to be British.It's been a slow start to London 2012 for Team GB but five golds in two days has seen Olympic fever seep the country.And it could be more today. There are some more British stars going for the top prize as well as the start of the bread and butter of the Games - the athletics. Another cracking day awaits.Burberry is officially top fashion brand on Twitter with 21,000 Fashion Week tweets trumping Victoria Beckham's 17,000 (thanks to a little help from Harry Styles) By PUBLISHED:10:41 GMT, 27 September 2012 UPDATED:12:23 GMT, 27 September 2012Burberry won the social media battle at London Fashion Week this month, generating over 21,000 mentions on Facebook, Twitter and other blogs.But while two thirds of the comments were about the label's clothes, 25 per cent focused on One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, who took pride of place on the front row beside burlesque star Dita von Teese.Burberry's stellar guest list - including TV presenter and model, Alexa Chung, and Paralympic champion Johnnie Peacock - was a major part of the appeal, according to business information group Precise.The brand enjoyed double the exposure of its nearest rival, Topshop, whose Unique show attracted around 10,000 mentions.Unlike Burberry, however, most of the conversations about Philip Green's label were fashion-focused.In terms of social networks, Twitter was the most popular site for fashion commentators, followed by blogs and Facebook.Burberry and Topshop racked up the largest number of tweets - with 20,924 and 9,161 respectively - VivienneWestwood came next with 3,031, followed by Matthew Williamson in fourthwith 2,228, and Erdem in fifth with 1,402. Burberry and Topshop also came first and second when comments on all blogs were taken into account, while third place was taken by Philip Treacy and Lady Gaga, with 8,000 betweenthem. Fourth and fifth places went to Greek-born designer Mary Katrantzou, who accrued 2,700 comments, and Henry Holland's House of Holland, which racked up 2,500.Singer Lady Gaga attracted over 5,000 mentions on social networking sites in the wake of her appearance on thecatwalk at Philip Treacy, although the designer himself only received 3,000.James Withey, Head of Brand Insight at Precise said: 'The massive growth in social media buzz around this year' event shows how importantsocial media now is to the fashion world. Runners-up: Model Cara Delevigne takes to the catwalk for Mary Katranzou, left, while House Of Holland's show, right, racked up 2,500 comments on social networking sites.'Where once a brand could rely on having a few key editors on-side, today's arbiters of a brand's success or failure are the thousands of enthusiasts who follow them closely. 'This year's exhibitors will doubtless be pleased to know that over 95 percent of the posts we have tracked over the past week were positive.'He continued: 'What also stood out about this year's event was the extent to which the 'front row celebrities' have shaped these conversations even overtaking the brand completely at times. 'Will such big spikes help these brands cement their reputations with target consumers? Only time will tell.'Meanwhile, it has been encouraging to see many up-and-coming designers harnessing social media with a different rule book using their events to widen the awareness and appeal of their work.' Burberry's social media success comes in the wake of Victoria Beckham's triumph at New York Fashion Week. Beckham racked up a whopping 57,000 new Twitter followers over the five-day event, and was mentioned 17,173 times on social networking sites.Also popular in New York was Louis Vuitton supremo Marc Jacobs, whose show for his eponymous line resulted in 8,813 mentions.Veteran designer Diane von Furstenburg came in third place with 8,608 tweets, followed by Alexander Wang with 6,767. Daisy Lowe plays peekaboo in a very racy outfit at Fashion Week partyBy UPDATED:09:16 GMT, 23 February 2011The stand-out trend for the A-listers during London Fashion Week has undoubtedly been colour - and lots of it - with Nicola Roberts, Jaime Winstone and Peaches Geldof all standing out in the bright ensembles.Model Daisy shunned colour for the fashionista's favourite black last night, but still managed to turn heads.The 22-year-old wore a crochet-style Mark Fast top to the combined LOVE magazine, Alexander Wang and Liberty party last night, and the racy outfit put her bust on very prominent display.Revellers at the party, held at Liberty's Regent Street store, didn't know where to look as the brunette beauty played peekaboo in the risqué outfit.It was not just her chest, but her midriff on show as she left the stylish soiree with a friend and jumped into a cab.Earlier the model wrapped up sensibly in a black shearling coat and purple scarf as she arrived. The model has been working throughout Fashion Week, walking for Pam Hogg and Vivienne Westwood on Sunday.It hasn't been all work though, Daisy - daughter of Pearl Lowe and Gavin Rossdale - was front row yesterday as she took in the Burberry Prorsum and Christopher Kane shows.And last night the model was kicking up her heels as she rubbed shoulders with David Beckham and Amber Rose and grooved to Beth Ditto, who performed at the party. Jaime Winstone was equally eye-catching in a fuchsia pink dress with a fringe hem, and black and white cropped blazer.Beth - who belted out I Will Always Love You inside the party, according to LOVE magazine's Twitter page - wore a sheer white dress and her trademark heavy make-up.London Fashion Week will come to a close tomorrow.Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317. Hair heroine: The sharp bob is the latest trend fresh from London Fashion Week By PUBLISHED:14:38 GMT, 20 September 2012 UPDATED:16:17 GMT, 20 September 2012Celebrity hairdresser Paul Edmonds gives his verdict on the supermodel Karen Elsons new style the sharp bob.British-born Karen Elson has been sporting a show-stopping new do at London Fashion Week. This razor-sharp, chin-length bob is the haircut of the moment perhaps because its practical and easy to style, yet still chic. All of the models are having it done, but it looks particularly great on this fiery redhead, as it accentuates her sharp cheekbones and shows off her beautiful long neck. As well as looking gorgeous, this cut is practical for autumn and winter, as it will help you avoid the dreaded scarf hair haystack. Like mother, like daughter! Lourdes, 15, poses in Madonna's famous cone bra backstage at MDNA tour By PUBLISHED:22:33 GMT, 27 June 2012 UPDATED:12:46 GMT, 28 June 2012She's only 15 but Lourdes Leon already seems to share her mother's exhibitionist gene.Madonna's teenage daughter was pictured playing dress-up backstage at her mother's MDNA tour - in the pop star's famous cone bra.A tweet from their joint clothing line venture, Material Girl, showed the cheeky teen sticking her tongue out and grabbing the bra for the camera.'Lola backstage at MDNA!' read the tweet, posted on Wednesday.Moments later, Madonna would have taken the stage in the very same corset - a recreation of the iconic Jean Paul Gaultier bustier that she wore while performing Vogue during her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990. The pop star is currently on the European leg of her 80 nation MDNA tour, which kicked off last month in Tel Aviv.The epic show marks the start of her ninth world tour and her first since her Sticky And Sweet set in 2008.The singer changes outfits eight times, but the conical confection is the highlight of the collection. This time around Gaultier reinvented the bra and corset, layering it over a suit just as he did 22 years ago albeit with a few key alterations.He told WWD earlier this year: 'We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now likea cage. What I have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It's all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012.' The MDNA tour wardrobe, including costumes for Madonna, her 22 dancers, backing singers and band, was overseen by long-time stylist and costume designer Arianne Phillips, whohas styled her last four world tours.Other designers lucky enough to dress the Material Girl and her troupe were Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Dolce Gabbana, Fausto Puglisi and J Brand.MDNA is scheduled to travel from Europe to the Americas before finishing in Australia in early 2013, where she has not performed in more than 20 years. But while she's busy perfecting her show, the Queen of Pop may also be cracking down on her daughter's sassy behaviour.Madonna seemed to reveal concerns Lourdes may be growing up too fast earlier this year, after the teen wascaught smoking a cigarette in New York City.The Sorry singer told NBC's Brian Williams: 'Cigarette smoking I'm not very fond of, for anyone. I don't approve of anyone smoking cigarettes, most of all my daughter.Showbiz roundup: Jackson's return! Pettyfer 'too ripped' and what will Ke$ha do next?... All guns blazing! Madonna comes under fire for brandishing AK-47 as she kicks off MDNA tour in Israel calling for 'world peace' By and PUBLISHED:10:14 GMT, 2 June 2012 UPDATED:16:02 GMT, 2 June 2012Madonna has been criticised for glamourising guns as she kicked off her MDNA world tour in Israel.The singer performed characteristically controversial dance routines during which she brandished a machine gun and handgun, and as she sang her hit Revolver she wielded an AK-47.Bizarrely, the superstar explained that she deliberately chose Israel as the starting point for her tour to send a message about 'world peace' just minutes beforehand. She said: 'If there is peace here in the Middle East, there can be peace in the whole world.'Scroll down to get a first look at the tourMadonna then launched into a series of dance routines holding the firearms.The move has naturally been judged inappropriate considering that violence between the Jewish state and Palestinians is an immediate concern.During her song Gang Bang Madonna wrestled a group of armed men before 'shooting' them.Audience members and anti-gun groups have spoken out against the star.A spokeswoman for Mothers Against Guns told the Daily Star: 'There will be parents taking their kids along to her concerts who won't feel comfortable with the fact that she's desensitising them to deadly weapons.'Chrissie Hall of the gun crime victims group Infer Trust told the paper: 'People who have been injured or bereved would find that extremely distasteful and distressing.'According to the Mirror, one fan said: 'Given the problems this seemed tasteless and designed to create controversy.''It was pretty sick and plenty of the audience were not impressed with the guns.'The 35,000-seat Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv was sold out as Madonna commenced her her 80 nation MDNA world tour on Thursday.Showing off her super toned arms in black rock chick attire, and her cheeky side in a red and white cheerleader ensemble, the Queen of Pop certainly put on a show. The mother-of-four spoke to the audiencebetween sets and revealed why she chose the Israeli city to launch her tour.She said: 'I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason.'Youcan't be a fan of mine and not want peace in the world, we all bleed the same colour,' she said as the crowd cheered wildly.'Ifwe can all rise above our egos and our titles and the names of our countries and our religions, and treat everyone around us with dignity and respect, then we are on the road to peace. Madonna, who is dedicated to Kabbalah, put on a show that the large majority of her fans seemed to be ecstatic about.Israelifan Carmit Zindani, 32, beamed: 'There is simply nothing bigger than Madonna starting her world tour here in the Holy Land. She is one of us.'Another follower said on Twitter: 'The true and only Queen Madonna ruled Tel Aviv, amazing show!' The church of Madge: Madonna kicked off her show with the backdrop of a red cross From Israel, she will head to Abu Dhabi and then to Europe and the Americas before finishing in Australia in early 2013, where she has not performed in more than 20 years.'Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer,' stylist Arianne Phillips told the WWD website.She has signed up a list of designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Dolce Gabbana, Fausto Puglisi and J Brand.She has also planned to wear Prada and Miu Miu shoes, as well as footwear and lingerie from her own Truth or Dare line.Bulging biceps and cheerleader outfits! Madonna kicks off her MDNA world tour in Israel and son Rocco joins her onstage too By and PUBLISHED:22:25 GMT, 31 May 2012 UPDATED:08:58 GMT, 2 June 2012Tel Aviv was transformed into a land of razzamatazz tonight when Madonna took to the stage to kick off her 80 nation MDNA world tour.The 53-year-old wore a variety of outfits as she appealed for world peace and calm in the Middle East as fans went wild in the sold out 35,000-seat Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel.Showing off her super toned arms in black rock chick attire, and her cheeky side in a red and white cheerleader ensmeble, the Queen of Pop certainly put on a show.Scroll down to get a first look at the tour The mother-of-four spoke to the audiencebetween sets and revealed why she chose the Israeli city to launch her tour at 9.45pm tonight.She said: 'I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason.'Youcan't be a fan of mine and not want peace in the world, we all bleed the same colour,' she said as the crowd cheered wildly.'Ifwe can all rise above our egos and our titles and the names of our countries and our religions, and treat everyone around us with dignity and respect, then we are on the road to peace. Madonna, who is dedicated to Kabbalah, put on a show that the large majority of her fans seemed to be ecstatic about.Israelifan Carmit Zindani, 32, beamed: 'There is simply nothing bigger than Madonna starting her world tour here in the Holy Land. She is one of us.'Another follower said on Twitter: 'The true and only Queen Madonna ruled Tel Aviv, amazing show!' The church of Madge: Madonna kicked off her show with the backdrop of a red cross From Israel, she will head to Abu Dhabi and then to Europe and the Americas before finishing in Australia in early 2013, where she has not performed in more than 20 years.'Madonna changes outfits seven or eight times and the dancers change 10 to 15 times, depending on the dancer,' stylist Arianne Phillips told the WWD website.She has signed up a list of designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Dolce Gabbana, Fausto Puglisi and J Brand.She has also planned to wear Prada and Miu Miu shoes, as well as footwear and lingerie from her own Truth or Dare line.Don't strain your voice too much! Madonna reveals massive bulging neck veins as she belts out a tune during MDNA concert By PUBLISHED:02:02 GMT, 29 June 2012 UPDATED:10:54 GMT, 29 June 2012She is often lambasted for lip-syncing in her performances. And while Madonna has been dancing up a storm on stage during her MDNA tour, it appears that she has also been strenuously straining her vocal chords. So much so that the 53-year-old singer revealed some massive bulging veins around her neck as she took to the stage in Berlin this evening. Scroll down for videoThe Like A Prayer star over-exerted herself so much that they began to pop as she belted out a tune. The blonde star was also sweating profusely as she strummed away on her guitar. And it's no wonder why, as she had slipped into a very tight black costume featuring vinyl and Lycra. Underneath the ensemble she wore a leopard print bra and her look was finished off by some fingerless leather gloves and a coat of black polish on her nails. During the performance, Madonna stretched out on a raised platform where she showed off her ample cleavage in the outfit. Throughout the show she displayed her usual antics featuring her signature sexy moves. The pop star is currently on the European leg of her 80 nation MDNA tour, which kicked off last month in Tel Aviv.The epic show marks the start of her ninth world tour and her first since her Sticky And Sweet set in 2008.The singer changes outfits eight times, but her famous conical bra is the highlight of the collection. And last night her daughter Lourdes Leon posed in her mother's famous attire and posted a cheeky snap of herself on her Twitter account. This time around the designer Jean Paul Gaultier reinvented the bra and corset, layering it over a suit just as he did 22 years ago albeit with a few key alterations.Hetold WWD earlier this year: 'We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage. What I have done this time isa nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outside with metallic leather on the inside. It's all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012.'TheMDNA tour wardrobe, including costumes for Madonna, her 22 dancers, backing singers and band, was overseen by long-time stylist and costume designer Arianne Phillips, who has styled her last four world tours.Other designers lucky enough to dress the Material Girl and her troupe were Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Dolce Gabbana, Fausto Puglisi and J Brand.MDNA is scheduled to travel from Europe to the Americas before finishing in Australia in early 2013, where she has not performed in more than 20 years. on .Madonna's cone bustier is BACK after 22 years as Jean Paul Gaultier reinvents iconic design for MDNA tour By PUBLISHED:22:26 GMT, 31 May 2012 UPDATED:06:31 GMT, 1 June 2012Kicking off her much anticipated MDNA tour, Madonna stepped onto stage tonight in Tel Aviv to sing Vogue wearing a recreation of her iconic Jean Paul Gaultier conical corset. Worn by the pop queen in 1990 during her Blonde Ambition tour, the racy design cemented her reputation as the edgiest diva in pop and took Gaultier's career to new heights.This time around the eccentric French designer transformed the look by emphasizing the rigidity of the corset even further and playing with the contrast of masculinity and femininity.The star, now 53, who is best known for her ability to reinvent herself, sported the famous soft pink cone-cupped bustier over pinstripe suit trousers for her performance of Vogue during the controversial 1990 tour.Tonight'sensemble brought together a white shirt, long, black opera gloves and askeletal-shaped corset over a similar trouser suit.The eccentric designer told about the recreation: 'We played with the ideas of a suit and a corset. But the corset is now like a cage. 'WhatI have done this time is a nod to the conical bra corset of the Blond Ambition tour but reinterpreted in 3-D, in patent leather on the outsidewith metallic leather on the inside. It's all about masculine and feminine, Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier classics reinterpreted for 2012.'Mr Gaultieralso lent his talent to the creation of costumes for Madonna's 22 dancers', working closely with the star's main stylist and costumier Arianne Phillips.MsPhillips, who has overseen wardrobe design for the singer's last four tours and won an Oscar nod for her costumes in the film W.E., spoke excitedly about the vision for this latest show.'It's a real journey from the first act to the fourth, and the way she constructs her shows is like a theater piece,' she said of the four part 'epic' spectacle.Madonna, along with her backing vocalists, dancers, band members and even children Lourdes and Rocco, who appear various times throughout the show, also sported outfits and pieces by Jeremy Scott, Dolce Gabbana, Alexander Wang and J Brand.Ms Phillips is also responsible for many of the original creations such as a Joan of Arc ensemble that featured a metal mesh tunic, Swarovski Elements and a sword. Of the 1940's majorette costume she dreamed up for Madonna' Girls Gone Wild number, she said: 'I was looking for something playful and fun.'In a shift towards a moodier atmosphere, guns and other dangerous weaponry were brandished by both the star and her back up troupe while menacing masks designed by Fausto Puglisi disguised the faces of the leaping, dancing bodies. Explained Ms Phillips: 'The show explores the idea of stripping away layers of identity and discovering the layers of who you are.'Crediting her famous boss with the direction they took she added: 'This is her brainchild and her concept. We have a 15-year relationship and theres a rhythm to how we collaborate. Shes very open-minded but she expects a lot.She's always challenging herself and pushing herself constantly to learn new things and she pushes me further than I would myself. When youre on the world stage with her, you really have to bring your A game.'Never one for shyness of course, Madonna's own designs also featured in the costume line-up that saw her changing eight to nine times while her dancers race to switch outfits over ten times. Pieces from her Truth or Dare intimates collection as well as lingerie from Agent Provocateur were debuted and the team's 700 strong shoe collection included her own designs next to those of Prada and Miu Miu.Referring to the towering Prada heels to be sported by the singer's male dancers during Vogue, Ms Phillips explained: '[Prada] have been generous for so many years. Her relationship with them is really special.'For his part, Jean Paul Gaultier was equally willing. He told WWD: 'I love Madonna. She is the only woman I have asked to marry me. She refused, of course. But when she asked me to do a costume for her for this tour, I couldn't refuse.'Tamara Ecclestone: I keep my hundred-strong shoe collection in a specially designed wardrobeBy UPDATED:23:46 GMT, 17 September 2009Model, socialite and TV presenter Tamara Ecclestone, 25, is the eldest daughter of billionaire Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. Tamara, who presents Sky Sports Italia Grand Prix coverage, lives in Chelsea, London. She says: I know I am a very lucky girl, and clothes, handbags and shoes are incredibly important to me. I have inherited many classic designer pieces from Chanel and Louis Vuitton from my mother Slavica, who is Croatian and was a model, and I keep all my beautiful clothes in a specially designed dressing room at my home in Chelsea. It has lovely backlighting and mirrors all the way around. I am very precise about my clothes. My dressing room is my favourite place in the house - it's my little hideaway. I have my own steamer, and steam every outfit before I attend a red carpet event. All my most expensive evenings dresses are hung together and themed, all my jumpers colour-coordinated and my jeans hang neatly in a row. I keep all of my designer shoes in their original boxes, with a Polaroid stuck to the front, and my handbags are displayed so I can pick out the one I want immediately. I buy from the catwalk, designers send me pieces and I adore shopping with my mum and my sister Petra. I also buy online if I am in a rush. I attend a lot of functions - this week, for example, I have been out every night to a party or event, and tomorrow I am flying to Milan for my sports show. If it's a big event, I have a make-up artist who comes to me, and I am constantly visiting the Real Hair salon near my home to have a wash and blow-dry. I love structured clothes, and one of my favourite items is the Herve Leger bandage dress, which keeps everything in place. I am 5ft 8in and a size ten, and I share a lot of clothes with my mum and my sister. My favourite designers are Alexander Wang, Matthew Williamson and Issa, and for shoes I love Louboutin and Jimmy Choo. I do buy from the High Street, too, - just this week I bought a jacket from Zara for under £100. WARDROBE CHECKLISTDRESSES: Ninety to 100, from short mini skirt dresses to long Roberto Cavalli evening gowns. JUMPERS: Fifty to 60 , either big slouchy ones from Topshop or ultra-soft cashmere from Autumn Cashmere. JEANS: Ten pairs of designer jeans, from Current Elliott or from J Brand. SHOES: Eighty to 100 pairs of designer shoes and boots, many from Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo. T-SHIRTS: About 30, often High Street buys from Zara or Topshop. JACKETS: About 20, some designer such as Matthew Williamson, but also from stores such as Zara. HANDBAGS: Around 30 - some Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Anya Hindmarch and Alice Temperley. PIX OF TAMARA ECCLESTONE AND WARDROBE.RED CAMILLA AND MARC DRESSI love this dress. I bought it from net-a-porter for £400. It's so vibrant. I've been working out and I'm feeling toned, so a figure-hugging dress like this goes in and out in all the right places. I could not guess how much my wardrobe is worth - I hate to think. But every item is loved, and the classics I am buying now will be carefully stored and handed down to my children. Glamorous family: Tamara Ecclestone with her father Bernie (left) and sister Petra (right)CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SHOESI Adore Louboutins - they make an outfit - andJimmy Choo. I have between 50 to 100 pairs of shoe.ROBERTO CAVALLI DRESSThe most expensive item in my wardrobe is probably this Roberto Cavalli gold dress. I adore Matthew Williamson. For casual dresses I love American designer Rebecca Taylor. And, I love the simplicity of Issa fashion. I have about 90 to 100 dresses. It cost about £3,500, and I will keep it for my children. I also love a black Alexander Wang dress which I wore this week - it's simple, but lots of people commented on how well it suited me. For evening dresses, I adore Matthew Williamson. For casual dresses I love American designer Rebecca Taylor. And, I love the simplicity of Issa fashion. I have about 90 to 100 dresses. CURRENT ELLIOTT JEANSDay to day, I live in jeans. I'll wear flats during the day and then heels for night-time. I have about ten pairs of designer jeans in my wardrobe - I think it is important to buy quality ones as the fit is so much better.I love the J Brand and also Current Elliott. It's lovely to have casual days when you are not on show, and I wear leggings a lot, which I buy from Topshop. AUTUMN CASHMERE JUMPERSIn the winter I live in cashmere jumpers. I love this time of year when I can shop at Autumn Cashmere. I also shop at Mimi on the King's Road. I have about 50 jumpers in many colours. ANYA HINDMARCH HANDBAGAnya makes classic bags, and I adore my most recent additions. I have a lot of handbags, many of which I inherited from my mother. Some of my most treasured ones are Louis Vuitton cases from 25 years ago, handed down to me. They get better-looking with age. I have around 30 designer bags. Tamarahas donated a Temperley clutch bag to the Handbag Amnesty 2009, run byhandbag.com and Cancer Research UK. See handbag.com/amnesty The Tennessee-born star graciously thanked fans for voting for her, despite previously claiming she didn't think much of her acting in the Transformers movies.Earlier this year, she said: 'Unless you're a seasoned veteran, working with (director) Michael Bay is not about an acting experience.'I can't s**t on this movie because it did give mea career and open allthese doors for me. But I don't want to blow smoke up people's a*s.People are well aware that this is not a movie about acting.'While Megan looked colourful in her red Martin Grant halterneck and high-heels, Liv and Jessica looked drab in their dark ensembles.Liv went for a formal look in a black jacket, leggings and shoe boots as she presented Best Horror Actor to English star Stephen Moyer for True Blood. Jessica covered up her curves in a shapeless belted Lanvin jersey dress and leggings as she gave Johnny Depp with the Most Anticipated Movie award for Alice In Wonderland, which is due for release next year. As well as picking up an award, Johnny also presented the Rock Immortal accolade to Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.The crowds gave Keith - who Johnny based his Captain Jack character from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on - as standing ovation as he walked on stage.Another big honour of the night was the Scream Mastermind award for horror director George A Romero, which he accepted from Quentin Tarantino.The big surprise of the night was William Shatner coming on stage to accept the Best Sci-Fi Film for Star Trek - despite being snubbed for a role in the blockbuster.Addressing the film's director JJ Abrams - who also won Best Director - he said: 'J.J., I'll handle this.'This movie was big. Imagine how big it could have been with me in it? ... I'll be waiting for your call.'McQueens for a night: Fashion's finest pay tribute to late designer in ravishing array of gowns at Met BallGisele Bundchen, Salma Hayek and Daphne Guinness were among the stars to choose Alexander McQueen designs, though British labels Burberry and Stella McCartney were also red carpet favourites...By Created 12:04 AM on 3rd May 2011It is the biggest night of the fashion calendar, and with the late, great fashion designer Alexander McQueen as a theme for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gala ball last night, red carpet expectations were very high.And the A-listers didn't disappoint. Countless stars including Sarah Jessica Parker and Salma Hayek wore the British designer's creations, proving, with every arrival, that he was not known as a genius for nothing.The supermodels, naturally, looked superb. Gisele Bundchen wore a showstopping scarlet number from autumn 2005, while Crystal Renn, who sported an impressive geisha-inspired hairdo, wore a black ruffled gown. Works of genius, from left: Salma Hayek, Gisele Bundchen and Daphne Guinness all wore Alexander McQueen to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's gala ball last nightSarah Jessica Parker wore a figure-hugging gold embellished sheath from the same collection as Gisele's, while Daphne Guinness wore a creation made entirely of feathers that was the finale of Sarah Burton's second solo collection for the fashion house earlier this year.Salma Hayek also wore a current creation, a gold chiffon gown with rose detail from the spring 2011 offering by Sarah Burton.And if McQueen couture is good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it's good enough for Naomi Campbell, it seems, as the model wore a bespoke number by Sarah Burton. The designer herself wore a similar, albeit less fussy floaty white gown with an empire waistline and gold embellishment.But many other designers had a chance to shine too - particularly Stella McCartney, who created a number of dazzling pieces for the night. Madonna's slinky blue gown with stars cascading down the back was probably the prettiest thing she's worn in years, while Iman wore a bright gold pantsuit from the same label. Embellished: Gold on black was a key theme of the night, seen, from left, on Mick Jagger's designer partner L'Wren Scott, Beyonce, who dazzled in Emilio Pucci, Diane Kruger in split-to-the-thigh Jason Wu and Michelle Williams in a custom-made Miu Miu gown Golden girls, from left: Sarah Jessica Parker would have made Carrie proud in Alexander McQueen, a pregnant Jessica Alba shimmered in Ralph Lauren, Kristen Bell in Tory Burch, and Iman in a sequinned Stella McCartney pantsuitAlso in McCartney was and Eva Mendes, who channelled the Seventies in asymmetric royal blue dress with knife pleats, and Gwyneth Paltrow who wore a sparkling taupe column with a high neckline and long sleeves.Ms McCartney, who was co-hosting the event with Anna Wintour, wore a design from her own collection of course, the asymmetric 'mullet' skirt proving a hit with fashion bloggers.Among the other stars she dressed for the night were 14-year-old True Grit star HaileeSteinfeld, who wore a brown lace number with the same hemline as Ms McCartney, and Rihanna, whose flawless body did the figure-hugging lace gown justice. Boldly go: Madonna in Stella McCartney (left), Blake Lively in Chanel Couture (centre) and Liv Tyler in Givenchy (right) took fashion risks - and they all paid off Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, who traditionally wears Chanel couture for the event, posed for photographers with her daughter, Bee Shaffer, who wore burgundy Balenciaga. But it was Blake Lively who arrived with designer Karl Lagergfeld, who had dressed the Gossip Girl beauty in a Chanel Couture creation from fall 2009.Burberry's Christopher Bailey was no doubt proud of Transformers star Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in his pink satin number, while Miranda Kerr and Shalom Harlow braved the infamous Marchesa collection that had models fainting during the New York FashionWeek showcase in February.Jessica Alba may be pregnant, but that didn't stop her wearing one of the most elegant gowns of the night - gold strapless Ralph Lauren styled by Rachel Zoe's former assistant Brad Goreski. Colour me beautiful, from left: Eva Mendes in Stella McCartney, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Burberry, Zoe Saldana in Calvin Klein and Ginnifer Goodwin in Topshop Kristen Bell, who wore Tory Burch, wore the same hue. She arrived with the designer and Kanye West who she also dressed - her way of announcing the launch of her first men's collection.Ashley Greene also surpassed herself in aprincess-like Donna Karan, while Taylor Swift impressed the fashion pack by choosing a sophisticated J Mendel number.But while most stars wore couture, actress Ginnifer Goodwin did the unexpected, opting for an emerald green Topshop Unique gown with long sleeves and sexy splits at the midriff and leg. I'm wearing... myself! Alexander McQueen head designer Sarah Burton in one of her own creations (left), Stella McCartney in Stella McCartney (centre) and Designer Vera Wang in chartreuse Vera Wang (right) Time to shine: Karen Elson in a gold Alexander McQueen gown she last wore on the catwalk (left), Gwyneth Paltrow (centre left) and Haileee Steinfeld (centre right), both in Stella McCartney and newly-single actress Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera (far right)Her choice on her high praise from fashion fans following red carpet arrivals on social networking sites. Twitter user mariarahajeng wrote: 'Ginnifer Goodwin wore a Topshop green silk twist front gown to the MET?? Kudos to you, totally made it look couture.'Thegala event marked the launch of the Met's much-anticipated Savage Beauty exhibition, which charts McQueen's career. Double acts: Anna Wintour in Chanel Couture with her daughter Bee Shaffer in Balenciaga (left), co-host Colin Firth in Tom Ford with his wife Livia in Stella McCartney with Roger Vivier shoes (centre)and Tory Burch with Kanye West, both in Tory Burch (right) - the designer's way of announcing the launch of her first men's collection According to the museum, 'his iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. 'Approximatelyone hundred examples will be on view, including signature designs such as the bumster trouser, the kimono jacket, and the Origami frock coat, as well as pieces reflecting the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s that he crafted into contemporary silhouettes transmitting romantic narratives. 'Technical ingenuity imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at fashions vanguard.'The exhibition will be open to the public from May 4, and will run until July 31. For more details, visit metmuseum.orgGlow in the dark: Katy lights up the gala, as she arrives with the designerConcealed rows of fairy lights gave the CuteCircuit design a fluorescent aura at the star-studded event, which attracts the toast of New York society.It was the best possible advert for CuteCircuit, a fashion company based in London that designs wearable technology. As Katy walked down the red carpetall eyes were on the glowing singer, who accessorised with ChristianLouboutin shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewels.She was attending the CostumeInstitute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the American Woman:Fashioning a National Identity exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum ofArt.CuteCircuit are no strangers to hi-techfashion. In 2006 their Hug Shirt was named one of the Best Inventionsof the Year by Time Magazine. Katy's dress is a more wearable version of the design duo Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz's stunning Galaxy dress - a hi-tech gown embroidered with 24,000 tiny LED bulbs now on display in an American museum.Francesca is an architect andgraphic designer, while artist and anthropologist Ryan has worked asart director for Signal Interactive and ASAP Media Services in the U.S.States.In 2006 their Hug Shirt was named one of the Best Inventionsof the Year by Time Magazine. Katy said: 'I feel like I really have torepresent those girls that just go for it and do their own thing and,you know, have their own bit of spontaneity and self confidence,' shesaid. 'I think sometimes in fashion it can get a little stuffy so Iwanted to lighten up!'And she told Us magazine she controlled the lights with a switch inside her bra.'I love it, it's so much fun,' she said. 'I have this thing in my bra. I don't know if that's a good place for it or not.' Light it up: Katy's eye-catching flashing gown stole the show on the red carpetAny colour as long as it's pink: The dresses do the talking for Karlie Kloss, Emily Blunt and Emma Stone as the style set pays tribute to Elsa Schiaparelli at the Met Ball By PUBLISHED:04:10 GMT, 8 May 2012 UPDATED:20:26 GMT, 8 May 2012Celebrities were pretty in shocking pink at tonight's Met Ball Gala, paying tribute to Elsa Schiaparellis signature colour.Karlie Kloss, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone and the host Eletrra Weiderman were among many fashion stars who donned the colour on the world's most formidable red carpet, which also paid tribute to Miuccia Prada for the launch of Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.Whether it was worn head-to-toe, or in small bursts, touches of Schiaparelli pink were scattered throughout an otherwise sea of gold, citrus and black.Scroll down for video Pretty in pink: Karlie Kloss (left) wears Jason Wu, Emily Blunt (middle) in cut-out Calvin Klein, and Emma Stone (right) turned heads in LanvinSchiaparelli pink: Wendi Deng (left) wore a bright coral gown by Vera Wang, who was also her date, Julianne Hough (middle) wore fuchsia and Chelsea Clinton wore coral Pink pops: Amber Heard (far left) wore a dusty pink Zac Posen gown, Sarah Jessica Parker (left) donned pink flowers on her Valentino dress, actress Paula Patton (middle) opted for pale Vera Wang, while Girls star Allison Williams (right) decided on magenta in Ralph Lauren Pale pink: Hailee Steinfeld (left) wore an embellished Prada dress, Jessica Biel (middle) chose a low-plunging Prada dress and Leslie Mann (right) wore Nina RicciEarlier it was rumoured that Anna Wintour asked Vogue editors to wear pink in a nod to the late Italian designer, but the magazine staffers weren't the only ones to heed the editor's advice.From the hot pink top peeking out of Coco Rocha's canary yellow Givenchy pant suit, to Karlie Kloss's Jason Wu-designed fuchsia dress, the flowers on Sarah Jessica Parker's Valentino number, and the Stella McCartney heels worn by Girls creator Lena Dunham, hues of pink highlighted the red carpet arrivals.Amanda Heard wore a strapless, dusty pink Zac Posen gown, Julianne Hough turned heads in Carolina Herrera and Allison Williams, also from the hit show Girls, wore a magenta Ralph Lauren silk strapless column dress.Goldengilrs: Anna Wintour (far left) wore a custom Prada gown made to represent Schiaparelli's famous Lobster Dress, Karolina Kurkova (left) shone bright in Rachel Zoe, Scarlett Johansson (middle) looked radiant in Dolce and Gabbana and Cameron Diaz (right) opted for Stella McCartney Glitz and gold: Paying homage to Miuccia Prada, Mad Men's Jessica Pare (far left) wore L'Wren Scott, Cery Mulligan (left) wore Prada, Lana De Rey (middle) was dressed in custom Altuzarra and Jessica Alba (right) sparkled in Michael KorsPaula Patton also opted for a dusty pink, while Dee Ocleppo, Tommy Hilfiger's wife, wore a long-sleeve fuchsia design by her husband and Chelsea Clinton wowed in bright coral.MsSchiaparelli, who passed away in 1973, once famously said: 'I gave to pink, the nerve of the red, a neon pink, an unreal pink'. Sheused the colour in her famous Tears Dress, a slender evening gown printed with a Dali design of trompe l'oeil rips and tears, lined in pink and magenta, and her perfume bottle, called Shocking!, was alsocreated out of her signature bright pink. Silver sirens: Sofia Vergara in Marchesa, Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren and Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada Striking black: Rooney Mara (far left) was dressed in custom Givenchy, Gisele Bundchen (left) also wore a Givenchy gown, Mary-Kate Olsen (middle) chose one of her own high-neck The Row gowns and Chloe Sevigny (right) wore a black geometric cut-out Miu Miu dress which shimmered under the red carpet's lightsBut if not wearing pops of pink, attendees played it safe in black, paid homage to Miuccia Prada in metallic or chose vibrant yellow or cool persimmon to break away from the pack.There were a great deal of sequins, beads, embroidery, feathers and shapes verging on sculpture - finally, unbridled dress choices, and a few pant looks, that all altogether were a carnival for the eyes.Manyturned out in Prada, including the evening's co-chairwoman Carey Mulligan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth and of course, Anna Wintour, who wore a custom Prada gown made to reflect the 1937 Lobster Dress by Schiaparelli- a simple white silk evening dress which featured a large lobster painted by Salvador Dali onto the skirt. Classic selection: Cate Blanchett (far left) wore an Alexander McQueen gown, Rihanna (left) wore a Tom Ford design, Beyonce (middle) chose a Givenchy haute couture gown and Linda Evangelista went the extremely safe route by wearing a Prada dress in the classic colour Black and white: Classic tones were blended by Stella McCartney (left) who wore her own label's pants and top ensemble, Doutzen Kroes (middle) wore a Roland Mouret gown and Chanel Iman (right) wore a Tom Ford dress. The designer was also her date for the eveningPlentyothers were dressed by their designer dates - Emma Stone looked pictureperfect in Lanvin accompanied by Alber Elbaz, Tom Ford and Chanel Iman were a polished pair and old friends Olivier Theyskens and Caroline Trentini came together.So did Alexander Wang and Azealia Banks, Joseph Altuzarra and Lana Del Rey, and Greta Gerwig with Parabal Gurung. Citrus stars: New mother January Jones (far left) wore a strapless Versace gown, Emma Roberts (left) chose an Escada dress, Coco Rocha (middle) wore a vintage Givenchy pant suit that was once worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Solange Knowles (right) wore a strapless Rachel Roy gown Pretty in persimmon: Katharine McPhee (far left)shone in Elie Saab, Kirsten Dunst (left) chose old world glamour from Rodarte, Eva Mendez (middle) supported in Prada and Ginnifer Goodwin (right) chose Monique Lhuillier Mix and match: Some celebrities broke all the rules entirely such as M.I.A. (far left) who wore Stella McCartney, Kristen Stewart (left) who chose a Balenciaga design, Elizabeth Banks (middle) who wore a multi-layered Mary Katrantzou dress and Shailene Woodley (right) who wore a Christopher Kane gownApproximately 800 guests attended theGala this year, and Ms Wintour announced that over $11million had been raised for the Costume Institute, its biggest sum yet. Elettra Wiedemann co-hosted the red-carpet arrivals with Vogue's Billy Norwich, who at the end of the evening, after hundreds of vibrant, sparkly and jaw dropping creative dresses had walked past him, said: 'There's a real feeling of surrealism. I feel a little bit trippy'.It perfectly sums up the exhibition, and the two iconic Italian designers it honors - Schiaparelliwho broke the rules of fashion through her continual collaborations with surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and Prada, who remains at the forefront of fashion through her eclectic visions and quirky style. Legs forever! Miranda Kerr steps out in hotpants and skyscraper heels By PUBLISHED:19:55 GMT, 30 June 2012 UPDATED:06:58 GMT, 2 July 2012Her off-duty attire may be miles away from the bizarre ensemble she wore to work hours before before, but Miranda Kerr still looked as though she'd just stepped off the catwalk yesterday.The 29-year-old beauty showed off her enviable legs in tiny denim shorts as she walked through the West Village yesterday following a photoshoot.Miranda teamed her hotpants with towering colourful heels. Her eye-catching outfit consisted of a silver sequinned T-shirt with hot pink writing, paired with metallic blue snakeskin trousers.Iridescent boots, similar to ones spotted on Rita Ora last week, completed the look.Miranda's usual fresh-faced look was ditched for heavy black eye make-up.Miss Piggy shoes for $595 and $180 Animal shirts: How designer labels are taking their style lead from the new Muppets movie By UPDATED:20:07 GMT, 18 November 2011The new Muppets movie doesn't hit cinemas for another week, but it seems the fashion pack has already fallen head over heels for Jim Henson's classic characters.A number of designer brands have created limited-edition products to tie in with the film. And, a far cry from typical novelty merchandise, the latest offering has serious style cred.Hip New York boutique Opening Ceremony is stocking a Muppets X Opening Ceremony capsule line alongside creations by Chloe Sevigny and Alexander Wang. And Jerome C Rousseau has designed the $595 Diva Glitter pump, to go on sale in January, that was inspired by Miss Piggy. She even appears in an ad for it, gazing at the sparkly shoe in wonder. Also on the footwear front is a series of Adidas Originals trainers, which launched today, each inspired by a different Muppet - a favourite is the Kermit-inspired design complete with green felt collar tongue. And nOir jewellery, a brand beloved of Rihanna, Gwen Stefani and Katy Perry, has also created a line based on the movie.Thebeauty world too, is cashing in on the Muppets' popularity. Those who want lashes like Miss Piggy for their Christmas bash can fond falsies atMAC, while OPI's 'Simply Moi' nail polish collection also takes its lead from the porcine primadonna.Cheryl Wischhover of , whooriginally reported on the volume of Muppets merchandise, believes nostalgia is one of several reasons designers are so inspired by the characters. 'So many peoplewho are designing now grew up with the Muppets and probably have fond memories,' she told MailOnline. 'Second, they're (or rather their creators are) smart. Despite the fact that they're puppets, the show in the Seventies and Eighties and subsequent movies had plenty of witty, edgy adult humour.'She added that their popularity is also down to the fact that they are easy to identify with. Not only are they portrayed interacting with humans, but because each character is flawed in some way, or has a unique neurosis, like Miss Piggy's temper and Gonzo with his chicken fetish, they seem more human themselves.But most of all, any collaboration presents a lucrative business opportunity.'The reality is that nowmovie tie-ins are really lucrative and this one is a no-brainer,' she explained. 'Unlikeother more kid-focused Disney properties, the Muppets are perceived to be "cool" and there's a lot of cross-over opportunity.'Naomi Campbell the dancing diva: Model throws some moves in the street clad in leather hot pants and fishnet tights during Fashion's Night Out celebrationsBy UPDATED:13:40 GMT, 11 September 2010She has something of a reputation for being a diva.But last night it wasn't a temper tantrum that was giving Naomi Campbell that reputation.Instead the 40-year-old model became a dancing diva, performing an energetic routine in the street outside the Dolce Gabbana store in New York's Madison Avenue.Naomi was accompanied by an army of models, who all joined her in wearing leather hot pants, fishnet tights and charity print T-shirts for a truly traffic-stopping display.It was all part of Friday's Fashion's Night Out, a global one-night-only retail event - and brainchild ofVogue editor Anna Wintour - aimed to spark sales in the sluggish economy.Campbell was also celebrating the 25th anniversary of her modelling career.She used the Dolce Gabbana store as her home base, getting unexpected visits from Tyson Beckford and photographer Patrick Demarchelier. Fans packed the store for Campbell's signature on T-shirts that show her at various times in her now 25-year career in modeling.'I can't thank Domenico (Dolce) and Stefano (Gabbana) enough to do this for my 25th anniversary in modeling,' Campbell said.While she's had a rough ride in the press lately with her appearance at the Hague in Charles Taylor's war-crimes trial, Campbell has a close relationship with many fashion insiders, ticking off the names Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Stefano Pilati, John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen as dear friends.'I've had a great ride so far these 25 years, and I'm grateful. I have bonded with some designers. I vacation with Stefano and Domenico. I see them in the off-work time, I see them at a relaxing time,' she said. 'My friendships aren't based on if someone is giving me work, it's if we like each other.'Campbell, 40, said she does, in fact,sometimes go dancing in on her nights off, leaving her with the feelingthat her performance for the crowd was somewhat natural. She even counted down the 'five, six, seven, eight' that starts many professional numbers.'I studied dance way back when, but Igave it up when I became a model. Sometimes I'm just a frustrated olderwoman who gets these moments when she can get her dance on.'Clothing retailers and big-name fashion designers in the United States and around the world joined together on Friday in festive promotional events aimed at enticing recession-weary shoppers to go on a spending spree.The event is now in its second year, with promotional parties thrown across 100 U.S. cities from New York to Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.Joining in are shops in, Australia, Portugal, South Korea and Turkey, along with those in fashion centres who held events last year such as Britain, Italy, France, Greece, Russia, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany, Japan and Taiwan.In Milan, tens of thousands of fashion-hungry shoppers and party-goers thronged the Italian fashion capital's small streets for a party on Thursday, hoping to rub elbows with big-name designers at Valentino and Prada who offered champagne and artistic performances.'This city, usually, is dead at night, and that's not because of the downturn,' said fashion supremo Giorgio Armani, who offered a live performance of British pop band Hurts.London events featured actress Gwyneth Paltrow and model Claudia Schiffer helping to draw big crowds. In New York, more than 1,000 retailers and brands including designers Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang and Donna Karan were set to minglewith shoppers at in-store parties.Wintour made an early stop at Ralph Lauren, where she posed with actress Halle Berry, who wowed in a sheer, bejewelled back top which left little to the imagination. Wintour said the event had grown in a year 'by slightly epic proportions.' Hundreds of people lined up outside Bergdorf Goodman, where huge crowds flocked to see Victoria Beckham and Mary J. Blige, who came out to promote her eyewear line.'We love you Mary!' shouted fans.Designers including Mark Badgley and James Mischka, Lela Rose and Thakoon Panichgul trotted out their dogs for a modeling contest, dressed in duds from top hats to wedding gowns to boas. Crowds grew so big it was hard to use the escalators or leave the store. 'You don't see this much excitement at stores,' said Badgley as he surveyed the crowd while holding his beagle Ramel, dressed in a top hat and tuxedo. The design team's beagles were dressed as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.An ice rink in Houston was transformed into a fashion runway, Cirque du Soleil performers were playing in Washington's streets, Miami was hosting a shoppers' block party and shoppers on Rodeo Drive could get free rides on a Ferris wheel in Los Angeles.But while the night was aimed at turning around shoppers worn down by economic hard times, many retailers do not measure the precise economic impact of the event and some concede it was more of a social event than sales boost.Foot traffic jumped in New York stores after last year's event by 50 percent, according to research firm ShopperTrak. NYC Company, which promotes marketing and tourism in the city, found 75 percent of shoppers bought something in a survey of 1,300 consumers. Saks Fifth Avenue, which is hosting dance lessons with designers such asZac Posen, has expanded the event to 34 of its U.S. stores.'We were impressed by the response from customers,' said Saks' chief executive Steve Sadove, calling it 'a perfect way to kick off the fall season.'Designers can use 'Fashion's Night Out' to help make fashion feel more accessible, Kolb added.Jessica Alba, at Polo Ralph Lauren in SoHo, said she came to New York just for the event.'It's a perfect way to boost the economy and hang out with some friends, have a little champagne and shop all night,' she said. Strutting their stuff: Entourage actress Perrey Reeves, Singer Cassie, and actress Keisha Whitaker, wife of Forest Whitaker LIZ JONES MOANSNew York Fashion Week: Bono, nuns and why I don't worship his wife's fashion By UPDATED:00:04 GMT, 15 September 2011Funny, outrageous and downright rude. Whos in Liz Jones firing line this week?MOST OFFENSIVE GARMENTSForever 21, the Bible bashing U.S. bargain basement store that is opening its doors this week at Westfield Stratford, is stocking in New York with a T-shirt for girls that reads, Allergic to Algebra. There has already been a backlash, with women sticking post-it notes over the top of the shirt, which costs around £8. One read: Smart girls are cool. Another, though, read: Girls who do maths are smart. Their way coolerBEST PROGRAMME NOTESAt Eduns show (attended by Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Sting) the ethical label owned by Ali Hewson and husband Bono, we were told that the black hand-knitted skirt and fitted dress were made by artisan nuns in Kenya. Gives a whole new meaning to worshipping fashion.UNNECESSARY CLEAVAGELinda Evangelista at the Alexander Wang show looked stunning in head-to-toe black with slicked back hair, but why show off her breasts like that? Yuk!MOST ANNOYING PR GIRLThewoman guarding Rachel Zoe at her Seventies-influenced fashion show on Monday afternoon. Me: Can I talk to Rachel for a few minutes? PR girl:You have two questions. This woman is a stylist, not the President ofthe U.S!MOST DRAMATIC WEIGHT LOSSLea Michele, wearing a nude dress at Alexander Wang. Have you been on a diet? I yelled from my press compound (cage). Um, this dress is cut on the bias. Ah, right. Her future ambition must be to get those hands to meet in the middle.BEST GRAFFITIOn a poster for I Dont Know How She Does It someone has scrawled: She hires a Latina nanny!THE MOST HYPERBOLIC SHOW REVIEWThiswas cool warrior gal chic at its best, infused with a courtly sensibility militant yet feminine at the same time. [Fashion Wire Daily, about Alexander Wang]NEW WORDS...for words that were perfectly OK to begin withMerch: short for merchandiseVacay: short for vacationGRAVITY DEFYING MOMENTWhats holding up this frock (top picture) at Zac Posen? Blu tac?Kelly Osbourne, Peaches Geldof and Ellie Goulding make for an all-star front row at Charlotte Ronson's vintage-inspired show By UPDATED:08:16 GMT, 12 September 2011Charlotte Ronson's show was the big celebrity draw last night, with guests including Kelly Osbourne, Mandy Moore, Ellie Goulding, Rose McGowan, Peaches Geldof and LeAnn Rimes lining the front row.The designer sister of Mark and Sam stayed true to form with a vintage-inspired collection that paid homage to the Twenties, Thirties and Forties.Loose drop-waist dresses, which are proving to be a Fashion Week theme already, came in sunset hues, while delicate pastel floral prints adorned slinky slips and midi skirts. Dressed to impress: Rose McGowan (left), Mandy Moore and LeAnn Rimes (right) made for a polished front rowSummer knits had shirt-style collars and colourful zig-zag stripes, lending a grungy look when layered with chiffon slips and tailored shorts.It was the star-studded front row that gave this show the X-factor though - probably one of the most celebrity-heavy at New York Fashion Week so far.The designer's twin sister Sam was DJ for the event, while Peaches Geldof, who was seen with arms slung around boyfriend Thomas Cohen throughout, and Kelly Osbourne, who wore curious white gloves with her grey frock, rallied in support. Highlighter chic: There was far more colour than in recent collections, adding energy to sheer laser-cut tunicsBut things look set to get only busier over the next few days, with big hitters Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera still to come.New York Fashion Week wraps up on Thursday when the biannual fashion tour moves on to London.Whatever she can do, I can! Liberty Ross hits catwalk at NY Fashion Week - 48 hours after Kristen Stewart returns to the spotlight By PUBLISHED:03:08 GMT, 9 September 2012 UPDATED:03:17 GMT, 9 September 2012Liberty Ross has returned to the spotlight following the Kristen Stewart scandal that has threatened to rock her marriage with director Rupert Sanders.The brunette model was seen striding down the catwalk at New York Fashion Week tonight, just 48 hours after the Twilight actress made her first red carpet appearance since news of the affair broke.British beauty Liberty, 33, looked almost extraterrestrial with her razor sharp cheekbones and quirky white windbreaker-meets-pencil skirt creation for the Alexander Wang Spring 2013 collection. The mother-of-two had plastic buckles wrapped around each leg just below the knee and fortunately was given chunky heels to sashay down the runway in rather than skinny sky-high stilettos.Liberty also had an unusual headdress from the tip of her forehead running down her centre-parting.Highlighting her natural beauty, Ross seemed to go relatively make-up, with just a ghostly foundation. On Thursday night, Kristen was seen gracing the Toronto Film Festival in Canada to promote her new film On The Road.She followed up the appearance with aphotocall today, candidly answering a question about her and estranged boyfriend Robert Pattinson, saying: 'We're going to be fine'.The actual question was in reference to the twosome promoting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 side-by-side in November, rather than the current status of their romance. Nominations are in for 'fashion Oscars' - but with most CFDA award hopefuls under 26, why have big names been ignored?By UPDATED:19:59 GMT, 17 March 2011It is known as the 'fashion Oscars', and last night the nominations were announced for the 2011 Council of Fashion Designers of America award.Rising talents including Alexander Wang, 26, Jason Wu, 28, and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are among the hopefuls - but there is a startling lack of more well-established names.There were no nominations for Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Michael Kors and Calvin Kleins Francisco Costa - despite consistent industry acclaim.And while last year's Fashion Icon award was given to a 55-year-old Iman, this year's is set to go to Lady Gaga, 24.Even Marc Jacobs was startled when it was announced that at 47, he was worthy of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The designer himself joked that it should just be a 'half-lifetime achievement award'. The Olsen twins, Mary Kate and Ashley, both 24, were listed alongside Prabal Gurung and Joseph Altuzarra in the womenswear up-and-coming talent hopefuls.The only well-established names among the nominees aside from Mr Jacobs were Reed Krakoff and Michael Bastian, both 46.But Styleite writer Justin Fenner defended the CFDA's choices: 'The CFDAs mission isnt to honour young designers, its to honour talented ones. 'Either the people who run it think these young bucks are more talented than the old masters, or theyre changing course.'The nominations were announced last night at the studio of CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg.Othersto be honoured at the ceremony on June 6 include Celine's British designer Phoebe Philo, who will be given the International Award, while the CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute Award will be given to photographer Arthur Elgort.Nominations for each award category are submitted by the CFDA Fashion Awards Selection Committee, which is made up of around 300 members and over 500 fashion retailers, journalists, and stylists. Now Alexander Wang is latest designer to join forces with eBay as purses from NEXT SEASON collection go on sale By UPDATED:21:09 GMT, 14 June 2011Alexander Wang's grungy look and rock-chic accessories have made him a a favourite with stars including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rihanna and Miranda Kerr.Now the CFDA's Accessories Designer of the Year is giving his fans a jump start on next season's offering by launching his fall/winter purses exclusively on eBay.And you won't have to wait till the weather turns to get your hands on them. The line of wallets, which are designed to be carried alone, like a clutch bag, hits the site on Friday. The pieces are the same ones that appeared in his runway show in February and include a bright red circular ponyskin number with fur tassels on the zips, and neat leather squares in mirror-shiny metallics.Describing his inspiration behind his latest accessory collection, Mr Wang, 27, said: 'I've always loved when girls carry their wallets as a clutch instead of a bag. Its inspired the look of the show and the collection itself.'Of course such effortless chic does not come cheap. Prices start at $235 for the compact Quillon, soaring up to $525 for the ponyskin Zelmira design.But at least there's no chance of the price soaring any higher, as they won't be sold at auction, like so many of the products on eBay.Instead they will be sold at fixed 'Buy It Now' prices on eBay's new Fashion Vault section.Mr Wang follows in the footsteps of Narciso Rodriguez and Derek Lam, whose cut-price Derek Lam + eBay collection was a huge hit after actresses Rachel Bilson and Rose Byrne were spotted in dresses from the line.They represent the huge changes the online shopping site has made to its fashion offering in the past year.It now has a Fashion Outlet section, offering fixed-price discounts on items from a range of major retailers, while the eBay Fashion app allows shoppers to browse, buy and virtually 'try on' items.Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile at eBay told WWD: 'eBay did £2billion in mobile sales last year. This year it will be more than $4billion.'EBay's made it easier to list sales on its mobile app, so you can buy something and flip something else.'Available to buy from Friday, exclusively at Web exclusive: The top 10 new models to watch By UPDATED:08:59 GMT, 11 July 2011Each season a slew of new models enter the international scene eager tobecome the next Stella Tennant, Agyness Deyn, Liu Wen or (dare we say?)Kate Moss. Of course there are telltale signs (opened the Prada show,shot by Steven Miesel for Vogue Italia, enlisted by Christopher Baileyfor the Burberry campaign), but there are also fresh faces who justhave that special something that makes it obvious theyll have stayingpower. So after meeting a handful of catwalk hopefuls, chatting withmodel agents, and scouring the shows, weve compiled a new must-watchlist - the future girls who could well give Ms Moss a run for hermoney, if you will. Hedge your bets now.Nyasha Matonhodze Chosen as one of the new fresh faces for Louis Vuittons autumn/winter campaign, 16-year-old Nyasha Matonhodze has caused a sensational stir among blue chip designers and casting directors. Hailing from Northampton, Zimbabwean born Matonhodze was discovered in her school uniform at Elite model agency in 2009 and went on to win the prestigious Elite Model Look UK competition later that year (accompanied by none other us at YOU!) In addition to the Vuitton campaign, this future face has also been photographed for top fashion bibles Love, i-D, Harper's Bazaar, and Teen Vogue. One to watch indeed.Saskia de BrauwNumerous model predictors are saying 2011 will be all about the Dutch girl - and Saskia de Brauw - born and raised in a village just outside of Amsterdam, is well on her way to ensuring this prediction comes true. In addition to starring in campaigns for Chanel and Givenchy this season, de Brauw was also featured on the cover of Vogue Italia and was chosen to star on French editor Carine Roitfields last Vogue Paris cover. Indications are clear that Ms de Brauw is a girl with staying power. Julia SanerOne of this seasons most talked-about fresh faces is Swiss Miss Julia Saner. Perhaps it was inevitable that the Berne-born beauty, having won the international Elite Model Look content in 2009, would book a show run spanning Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Lanvin, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. Now that the booking sweepstakes have turned from shows to stellar editorials and campaigns expect Julia to be one of those must-book girls for seasons to come. Hailey ClausonDespite being a young sophomore in high school, California-born Hailey Clauson's poise, maturity and innate elegance made her a must-book in her debut season earning comparisons to fellow American teen model Karlie Kloss. After walking the walk for the highly selective likes of Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Versace and Miu Miu and scoring numerous blue chip editorials, Clauson looms large as a girl with the possibility for longevity.Emily BakerWith razor-sharp cheekbones, personality and a runway strut that evokes the glory years of the nineties supermodel, 17-year-old Emily Baker is poised to become this year's most striking new face. Courted by influential casting director Russell Marsh, the New Zealand native debuted on the autumn/winter 11 catwalks for Prada, Miu Miu, Balenciaga, and Proenza Schouler. Attention now turns from the runways to magazines and campaigns, and Emilys unique beauty is sure to deliver a distinctive image. Josephine SkriverFrom Calvin Klein to Preen, to Gucci, Max Mara and Alexander Wang, 17-year-old Josephine Skriver has made a huge impact on the catwalk, the kind that has put this Danish native on the watch list of every top photographer, fashion editor and casting director in town. With a cover for Vogue Germany and a slew of top runway bookings in the bag, its clear fashions finest cant seem to resist the lure of this fresh faced newcomer, signalling there is much more to come.Cailin HillCanadian native and Ford Model Cailin Hill has won us over with her witty, fun, and ever so slightly sarcastic Tumblr blog, Model Burnbook. With model watchers opting for models with personality, Hill has enjoyed face time with some of the industry's top photographers and casting agents, shooting for the likes of Marie Claire, Flare and starring in this seasons Calvin Klein denim campaign. A girl with distinctive personal style, look for Hill on both major runways and countless street style blogs in the seasons to come. Colinne MichaelisIt goes without saying that two of the most important positions on the runway are the opening and closing slots. This has become even more apparent when it comes to Prada. And this seasons coveted Prada opening slot went to French newcomer Colinne Michaelis, the great granddaughter of Vogue's legendary art director Alexander Liberman. Catching the eye of casting director Russell Marsh, Michaelis also walked for fashion power houses Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and Lanvin. With campaigns in the pipeline and editorial high summon from the likes of ACNE Paper and Interview, Colinne proves herself be a rising star indeed. Molly Smith 16-year-old British newcomer Molly Smith is the latest Burberry girl to be shot by Mario Testino starring in the autumn/winter 11 campaign. Discovered while shopping in Covent Garden two years ago, Smith has gone on to shoot editorials for top titles Teen Vogue and Vogue Italia - coups for any new model. We predict a further slew of enviable assignments guaranteed to keep her front and centre in the booking sweepstakes. Sui HeWith models Fei Fei Sun and Liu Wen appearing front and centre in major ad campaigns, runway shows, and magazine editorials, model watchers are predicting that Asian models are on the rise in 2011. And newcomer Sui He suggests this prediction may well come true: opening the autumn/winter 11 Ralph Lauren show in New York, Sui marked the first time in recent history that an Asian model has opened for the revered American brand and followed with appearances at fashion power houses Dries Van Noten, Jill Stuart and Dolce Gabbana. With editorials in Harpers Bazaar China and V, Sui has indeed justified her status as a breakthrough star. It's perhaps premature to hope that 2011 will be the year of the Asian model, but any increase in diversity in the fashion industry is certainly worth noticing. Watch this space.Olivia Palermo and her model beau prove Fashion Week is just as glamorous behind-the-scenes in tour of their Paris suite By PUBLISHED:21:20 GMT, 20 March 2012 UPDATED:21:20 GMT, 20 March 2012If Olivia Palermo and her boyfriend Johannes Huebl's life is anything to go by, Paris Fashion Week is just as glamorous behind the scenes as it is front row.The gorgeous couple were seen smooching and dancing in in the city's romantic Tuileries Gardens for a recent shoot but that was only a taster.Now a new shoot offers a glimpse into their private sanctuary at the luxurious Le Meurice Hotel and delves into Miss Palermo's enviable travel wardrobe at the same time.Scroll down for video Designer downtime: Dressed in an Ermanno Scervino dress with leopard print ballet pumps, Palermo takes some time out from Paris Fashion Week with her beau, who is in a perfectly-pressed Neil Barrett linen suitIn a feature for Lifestyle Mirror, the couple - who have been dating since 2008 - enjoy a break from the paparazzi and catch up on phone calls at the same time, while lying on crisp white luxury sheets.Miss Palermo wears an Ermanno Scervino dress with cute leopard print ballet pumps while her beau is dressed in a perfectly-pressed linen suit by NeilBarrett and suede loafers by Alberto Guardiani.Another frame shows her, in leather trousers by The Row, laughing, presumably at Mr Huebl who is standing in an empty bath that also doubles as a space for their expansive luggage - even if he manages to carry off the odd pose in style with a Band of Outsiders shirt.Miss Palermo is also seen relaxing on acream French parlour chair, dressed in a red Carven floral dress, surrounded by designer shoes from Dolce and Gabbana and Casadei, as wellas bags by Nina Ricci and Vionnet.The City star also sorts through her 'eclectic' wardrobe and reveals her fashion tips.Browsing through her clothes she divulges the secret to her consistently perfect style.'When I'm picking out a top, dress or even a full look, the tailoring is the most important thing,' she says.'You can find a great piece but you have to find a wonderful tailor at the end of the day.'Pointing to her favourite Dior bag, a pair of green trousers from Topshop and pile of costume jewellery, Miss Palermo says that she loves 'a pop of colour, even when you're wearing all black', and that choosing an outfit that fits well should a priorityover trends.'It's really important when you have a dress that you're able to have that movement and easiness and that you feel comfortable,' she says.And, then, despite the opulent A-list lifestyle she leads, Miss Palermo reveals an egalitarian side. 'I always say that it's not how much a piece of jewellery costs. So if it's $2, well, that's even more exciting,' she admits.VIDEO: WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH OLIVIA PALERMO HEREHer cup runneth over: Oprah Winfrey reveals a little too much in her plunging red neckline as she parties at Versace for HM By UPDATED:13:35 GMT, 9 November 2011It was meant to be a party to celebrate the launch of Versace's one-off collaboration with high street chain HM.But Oprah Winfrey, 57, managed to attract attention away from the clothes with her very low-cut neckline.The TV titan's ample cleavage came dangerously close to spilling out of her plunging red satin dress as she cosied up to actress friend Uma Thurman at the fashion event in New York last night. Scroll down to watch a video of the collectionWhile Winfrey wasn't wearing a Versace creation, it was fair to say her dress was just as eye-catching as some of the designs.And it wasn't just Winfrey with plenty of cleavage on show.Gossip Girl star Blake Lively stepped into the spotlight at Manhattan's Pier 57 in a rather revealing Versace dress. The Gossip Girl star, who is now dating Ryan Reynolds after a brief fling with Leonardo DiCaprio, poured her curves into a low-cut black and white number.The daring neckline, or lack thereof, did little to offer the Blake the support she might have required if shehad wanted to put in a more demure turn.But of course, demure was not the aim of the game. Lively showed off her figure to full effect as she stood confidently in front of the army of flashbulbs, withhand on hip and chest pushed out.The fashion night featured an array ofglitzy celebs, dressed in their best for as the high street collided with high end fashion for the launch of HM and Versace's joint venture.Other VIPs putting in an appearance included Emma Roberts, who slipped into one of the new line's patterned black trouser and corset ensemble, teamed with killer blue heels. New mothers Selma Blair and Jessica Alba, who gave birth in July and August respectively, were also on hand to add a splash of movie star scenery.Selma stood out in a pink dress while, while Jessica wore a glittering black and gold number.Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman went glamorous in a black pencil-skirted dress teamed with tuxedo jacket, while singer Ke$ha took a walk on the wild side in an animal print jumpsuit. Ready for their close-ups: Sofia Coppola wore a classic LBD with slits in the arms, Abbie Cornish donned a blouse and knee-high boots while Chloe Moretz looked pretty in a yellow frock The new collections is dominated by dresses featuring studded leather, silk and colourful print.Accessories including high heels and costume jewellery.Speaking of the collection, Donatella Versace told Style.com: 'All these people reacting to what was in the archives - Gaga, the people in London, the young kids in the office - they're 25 years old, they're obsessed... Takinga turn: Uma Thurman wore a black pencil-skirted dress for the occasion,completing the look with a tuxedo jacket and heels 'But they don't know the whole story. So we did a best of Versace for HM, a greatest hits, from the beginning until now.'The night feature a runway show where the new designs were showcased.Meanwhile, none other than Prince and RB star Nicki Minaj provided the entertainment. Dapper: Zachary Quinto, Chace Crawford and Stephen Dorff all cut a dash in their outfits Standing out: But other guests were in the mood to push the fashion boundaries a little further, from left AlanCumming, music producer Mark Ronson and another guest The award for most expensive fashion store goes to... Oscar de la Renta (where the average customer spends $3,217) By UPDATED:21:45 GMT, 25 August 2011Oscar de la Renta on New York's Madison Avenue is America's most expensive fashion store.According to data compiled by Bundle, the high-end retail space attracts an average spend of $3,217 per well-heeled customer.The designer label, known for the crisp, romantic style of its namesake founder, occupies the high-end space on the exclusive shopping strip. Given that immaculately tailored dresses by the Dominican designer start at around $1,890 and run to a massive $10,690, says Racked.com, the average spend may not be unfathomable.According to the research, three of the five most expensive fashion stores and in the U.S. are in New York City.Runner up to Oscar de la Renta is Giorgio Armani, also on Madison Avenue and just moments from the title holder. Customers at the Italian design house spent an average of $2,881.Third is exclusive retailer Loro Plana in Boston, where a standard shopping spree came to $2,818 and fourth is Swiss design house Akris, where shoppers spent an average of $2,649.Trailing in fifth place - and with a lowly spend of just $2,258 - is Maxfield in West Hollywood, where the glamorous set indulge in the likes of Chanel and Balmain.The data goes some way to clarify what has been a relatively unknown side of fashion retail.In a world where items with vast price-tags have traditionally grabbed headlines, this data gives a more rounded impression of real expenditure.Bundle said: 'We looked at proprietary data provided to us by Citi, and looked at average receipt amounts based on millions of transactions done in clothing stores across the U.S from April 2010 to May 2011. 'We filtered out places like wholesalers, manufacturers and big department stores, and then ranked the most expensive shops by average receipt sizes.'Other names in the top 25 - of which half are located in New York City - include Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Dolce Gabbana, Prada and Alexander McQueen.Working her magic: The actress cut a poised figure as she stood and smiled for the camera Stealing the show: Angelina knew exactly how to stand in her dress and stuck her leg out of the split to emphasis the bold dress Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz were just two stars to take on the trend, with the Contagion star showing off simple lines in Tom Ford. Paltrow's dress boasted capped sleeves and an elegant cape detail which hung off her shoulders for a statement look. Diaz stepped out the strapless Gucci gown which displayed a simple body but offered drama in the train with a tiered ruffled hemline and flashes of sequin embellishment. Jennifer Lopez, who graced the red carpet without her toyboy boyfriend Casper Smart, showed off her curves in a plunging cream dress byZuhair Murad.The American Idol judge teamed the gown, which also boasted a dipped back neckline, with a large bun piled on top of her head. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo actress Rooney Mara also stuck to the dazzling white trend and stepped out in a flowing white gown by Givenchy which boasted a plunging neckline as well as dipped back detail. Simply Stunning: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara looked incredible in a flowing white gown by GivenchyBridesmaid actress Rose Byrne stuck to black, donning a glittering Vivienne Westwood gown and Anna Faris also opted for a similar look. SandraBullock teamed both the dark and light trends by wearing a stunning monochrome dress by Marchesa, adding extra glamour with gold detailing around the waist and sleeves. Of course not everyone kept to black and white and there were plenty of flashes of colour with many stars opting for bold and bright looks. Nude, bold and simple shapes: Kristen Wiig, Penelope Ann Miller and Shailene Woodley showed off different styles on the red carpet Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain and Berenice Bejo all showed off fire-red hues which certainly heated up the red carpet. The23-year-old Help star looked stunning in a deep pink Giambattista ValliHaute Couture gown which boasted a large bow around the neck. Her co-star and Best Actress in A Supporting Role nominee Jessica Chastain looked incrediblein a flowing black gown with intricate gold detail by Alexander McQueenwhich she teamed with $2million worth of Harry Winston jewels. Fire red hues: There was no shortage of red-headed stars on the carpet at the Academy Awards with Emma Stone, Jessica Castain and Berenice Bejo Red carpet glamour: Melissa McCarthy opted for powder pink, Missi Pyle stepped out in light aqua while Ellie Kemper stepped out glittering in sequinsKenneth Branagh who walked the red carpet with wife Lindsay in Caroline Herrera, said he spent the day doing 'nice things' before attending the Oscar ceremony in Hollywood.He told MailOnline: 'I took a nice walk on the beach, did a work out and had two cups of English breakfast tea'.Branagh is in the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn.Did she nearly fall out of her dress? Jennifer Lopez wears not one but two VERY revealing gowns at the Oscars By UPDATED:18:23 GMT, 27 February 2012She may not have featured in a film this year but that didnt stop Jennifer Lopez from making an enormous impact at the Oscars. Jennifer stepped out in her trademark plunging gown in a Zuhair Murad dress which hugged her curvy figure to perfection. But as the singer took to the stage alongside Cameron Diaz to present an award she appeared in danger of falling out of her shimmering gown.SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO...A slither of wardrobe tape was seen straining between her bosom and her low-cut gown as she spoke on stage. So near the knuckle was the dress in fact that some television stations this morning actually felt the need to blur the 'offending area' during their reports of the night.However, the star's stylist Mariel Haenn has defended the gown and has insisted that she didn't have a wardrobe malfunction.'The dress fit perfectly to every inch,' she told People magazine. 'While the dress did give the illusion of sheer-ness, joke's on everyone who wishes they saw something!' Breast-dressed: Jennifer showed a bit more of her chest than necessary as she and Cameron announced the winner of the Oscar The American Idol judge stepped out solo, without her toyboy boyfriend Casper Smart. While the dress not only displayed plenty of cleavage Jennifer ensured that everyone saw the back view too. Jennifer and Cameron turned around and displayed their derrieres to the audience as they presented the Oscar for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.The singer later changed into another low cut dress to attend the Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood.Paris match! Paris Hilton and Rihanna in same dress shocker... But at least they're not at the same bashBy UPDATED:14:15 GMT, 3 June 2009So who wore this Alexander Wang dress best? Vote in our poll below...It's every girl's nightmare. You spend all day getting ready - choosing the perfect dress, picking the shoes to match, perfecting hair and make up for the occasion. Then, as you waltz into the party feeling a million dollars, you bump straight into a rival- wearing the same dress. Suddenly a million dollars feels like a million lira - especially if said rival looks better in the dress than you do.So while Paris and Rihanna, both in their own individual way a darling of the social circuit (and the fashion world), weren't spotted at the same party in the matching dresses, they were both pictured out in the same city wearing the same dress. Paris Hilton, 28, last night out with current beau Doug Reinhardt chose the £480 strapless Alexander Wang corset dress to watch the Rock of Ages musical on New York's Broadway after appearing on the David Letterman show. But she'd been pipped to the fashion post. If she'd been checking the news, she might have seen 19-year-old Rihanna stepping out in Manhattan, New York, two weeks ago, dressing to the nines to visit the apartment of rapperand producer Kanye West, with whom she is rumoured to be romantically linked.For a mere mortal, a contemporary rocking the same dress as us in a city the size of New York zone wouldn't be a problem. But for international stars like these girls, all the world's a stage - and as far as media coverage is concerned, it's the same stage. Fortunately for Paris and Rihanna, both are, as Paris would say, hot, and both wore the dress well. But who wore it best?Paris went for a statement yoke necklace, round-toed platforms and matching half-moon clutch. Her hair was left loose, but the bouncy, glossy lengthy bob in high-maintenance blonde speaks of plenty of time spent in the hairdresser's chair. Rihanna let the dress speak for itself, eschewing jewellery, simply quiffing her hair into an enormous bouffant bun on top of her head, and throwing a low-slung silver bag over her shoulder. So which of the girls do YOU think made the dress their own? You decide - vote now in our poll.  Clockwise from top left:Hot pink dress, £320, Alexander Wang at Club, 01372 469 262. Leather peep-toe slingbacks, £545, diamante clutch, £645, both Gina Couture, 020 7409 7090 Deep pink dress, £995, Mulberry, 020 7491 3900. Sunglasses, £150, Linda Farrow, 020 7518 1830. Suede shoes, £49.99, Schuh, 0845 307 2484 Bright pink cardigan, £93, pink trimmed tank top, £300, and shoes, £102, all Matthew Willamson, 020 7629 6200. Pink satin platform shoes, £42 Marni, 020 7245 9520 Pink coat with black netting, £80, TopShop, 0845 121 4519 Fishnet tights, £5, Jonathon Aston, mytights.com. Pink and black leather shoes, £410, Gina, 020 7409 7090Candy pink dress, £195, Pringle 1815, 0800 360 200. Shoes, £537, diamante clutch, £495, Gina, as beforeDark pink dress, £352, Issa, 020 7584 0011. Neon pink shoes, £285, Stella McCartney, 020 7518 3100Rose pink silk blouse, £505, silk wide-leg trousers and belt, from a selection, both Moschino, 020 7318 0555 STYLIST: KAREN CLARKSON PHOTOGRAPHER: JOHN JAY HAIR MAKE-UP: CHRISTIAN WOOD USING L'OREAL and KARINA WOODRUFF USING CLINIQUE.Prime spot: Dr Who star Karen Gillian strikes a pose with a policeman outside 10 Downing St - the first time a fashion shoot has taken place hereJoanne Froggatt, the mousy maid in Downton Abbey, showed how glam she really is when she's out of costume as she posed in a mini dress at the Foreign Office, tipping an AlexanderWang hat (the most glamorous happening at the building to date?).The girls' shoots come as part of a partnership Marie Claire has struck up with the Government's GREAT campaign, an initiative they hope will invite the world to take a fresh look at everything Britain has to offer - with a focus on encouraging investment and tourism. The full shoot, whose roll call of homegrown talent is completed by actresses Helen McCrory, Ophelia Lovibond, Eleanor Tomlinson, Antonia Thomas, Oona Chaplin, and Lily James, appears in this month's issue of Marie Claire, out this Thursday. Trish Halpin Editor-in-Chief says 'To be the first fashion magazine granted access to these amazing London landmarks is a real honour. Along with the fabulous line up of acting talent the shoot shows just how much Great Britain has to be proud of.'Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of VisitBritain said: 'As the UK celebrates its successful hosting of the London 2012 Games and the Queens Diamond Jubilee, theres no better time to showcase the very best of what Britain has to offer. 'Women around the world will see stunning British design set against some of our most spectacular heritage sites. The Marie Claire feature will remind people that London is a great city for fashion and shopping.'Ethereal couture: Models display creations from the Blumarine spring/summer 2013 collection at Milan Fashion Week Fashion parade: Models strut in a colourful array of Blumarine designs 'And I had an amazing rental house inthe French Quarter with all the ivy and the Spanish moss hanging all around, so that added to the atmosphere.'The thriller, based on the Edgar Allen Poe story, is a haunting account of a tormented man who continually re-admits himself into a halfway house, in a futile attempt to escape a spiral into madness.Not seen today was her boyfriend since April, Davey Detail; Rose, however, was seen kissing a mystery man last week.Stylish Sarah Harding looks effortlessly chic as she runs errands in fur vest and designer handbag By UPDATED:22:25 GMT, 5 March 2012Last week she caught the attention of onlookers with a pair of knee-high boots, but today Sarah Harding modelled some more footwear from her extensive collection.The 30-year-old singer looked effortlessly stylish as she ran some errands in London and picked up some food essentials.Despite looking rather miserable as she strolled down the street, the blonde star had nothing to worry about when it came to her appearance.Harding teamed her flat grey buckled boots with a pair of blue skinny jeans and a long sleeved grey top.On top she wore her much-loved black fur gilet that no doubt kept her very warm in the chilly weather.Sticking to her trademark look, the Girls Aloud star wore a pair of aviator sunglasses to keep the sun out her eyes and pulled her blonde hair back with a black headband.On one arm, Sarah carried a blue plastic carrier bag that contained essentials such as a tin of soup, but on the other side she held a much more interesting piece of arm candy.Her studded Alexander Wang shoulder bag certainly completed her outfit but obviously wasn't big enough to carry her shopping.Despite looking glum on her day out Sarah does have one thing to smile about.She will appear on Sky1 programme Don't Stop Me Now as a celebrity commentator alongside other stars including Louie Spence, Chris Moyles and Freddie Flintoff, who will all help judge a number of acts.The show will see comedians, singers and variety stars competing to win £25,000.But unlike kinder talent shows, audience members can vote off the losers by dropping them through a trap door or shooting them offstage in a bungee rope via their personal keypads.Sarah told The Mirror: 'I'm so thrilled to be a part of such a fun, exciting, new talent show.'We're hoping to find some serious talent along the way, but contestants be warned.'One bum note or bad joke and your hopes and dreams of success will be literally swept away from you, with a dramatic departure from the show.'It was also revealed yesterday that Sarah's band mate Nadine Coyle would like Girls Aloud to reunite next year to celebrate their tenth anniversary.'It's time to come back,' Nadine told the Sunday Mirror. 'At the end of the year it would have been ten years and it feels like the right time to regroup.'I know everyone's been speculating about what we will do. It will be arena dates at the start of next year and we will have new music to go with it.'Quick change Sarah Harding goes from 'naughtiest' schoolgirl in slinky black dress to a hot pink mini at St Trinian's premiereBy UPDATED:13:55 GMT, 16 December 2009After landing a leading role in the new St Trinian's movie, Sarah Harding is making the progression from pop star to actress.Arriving on the pink carpet at the premiere of St Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's Gold last night, the Girls Aloud singer looked every inch the Hollywood star as she shimmered in a revealing floor-length black dress.But after making a statement in her figure-hugging Georges Chakra dress, Sarah then changed into a flirty fuchsia Atelier Versace mini dress for the after-party at Quaglino's restaurant in Piccadilly.Joining Sarah at the Leicester Square premiere were her glamorous co-stars Gemma Arterton and Tamsin Egerton and her Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. My big night: Sarah looked stunning as she shimmied up the pinkcarpet in a revealing black Georges Chakra gown with train at the London premiere ofSt Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's GoldGirls on film: Sarah cosies up to her glamorous co-star Tamsin Egerton as they catch up on the red carpet Keen not to outdo their bandmate on her big night, Nicola, 24, looked girlie in a cream asymmetrical prom dress, while Kimberley, 28, went for traditional glamour in a black bandeau dress.Following a small cameo in the first St Trinian's movie two years ago,Sarah, 28, returned to the sequel for a much bigger role, playingnaughty schoolgirl Roxy.As well as acting in the film, Sarah has also recorded three songs for the soundtrack.Sarah teamed up with Xenomania - the production team behind a majority of Girls Aloud's biggest hits - to record three tracks: Too Bad, Make It Easy and a cover of David Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging.Ying and yang: Sarah was supported by her Girls Aloud bandmates NicolaRoberts (left), in a cream prom dress, and Kimberley Walsh in a blackbandeau dress Speaking on the red carpet, Sarah admitted she was terrified about watching herself on the big screen.She said: 'I'm nervous about everyone out there and the criticsseeing it, more than anything. It's a really, really great amount ofpressure.'I think because people, in this day and age, in Britain don't expect you to cross over into acting... there's a bit of a stigma to that. 'What people don't realise is that I did actually train for actingwhen I was younger as well, so it's kind of relighting a little firethere. 'I've got a ball of emotions in my stomach right now.'Describing her character, she said: 'She is probably a more laid back version of myself. Shes too cool for school and shes not a team player to start with.Celebrating: (L-R) Gemma and Sarah joined co-stars Rupert Everett, Talulah and Tamsin'But then she gets involved with some of the things that are going on andstarts getting more excitable and losing her cool slightly towards theend and starts to get really close to the girls.'St Trinian's 2 sees the naughty schoolgirls from the infamous boarding school go on a hunt for Fritton's gold.Returning from the first film is Gemma (Kelly Jones), Tamsin(Chelsea Parker), Rupert Everett (headmistress Camilla Fritton/CarnabyFritton) and Talulah Riley (Annabelle Fritton).Joining thecast for the sequel is outgoing Doctor Who David Tennant, who plays theevil female-hating Pomfrey, who tries to reach the treasure before the girls.Glamour: The film's stars Jodie Whittaker (L), Zawe Ashton (C) in a Moschino Cheap Chic halterneck and Celia Imrie all wore black dresses Musical guests: Paloma Faith (L) and The Noisettes frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa (C), wearing Jean Pierre Braganza, both went for vertical hairstyles and colourful outfits, while Amy Winehouse's god-daughter Dionne Bromfield wore a black studded shift dressBlack was the dominant colour on the pink carpet, with most of the film's female stars opting for the shade.Bond girl Gemma, 23, wore a £650 black Alexander Wang satin jersey dress with platform sandals and carried a sparkly clutch.Statuesque blonde Tamsin, 21, wore a low-cut cream gown, while co-star Talulah Riley, 24, showed off her curves in an asymmetrical black gown.The film's other stars Montserrat Lombard, Zawe Ashton, Jodie Whittaker and Celia Imrie also got dressed up for the occasion. Night out: Ashes To Ashes actress Montserrat Lombard (L) looked chic in cream, EastEnders teen Madaleine Dunn (C) wore a black mini while ex-Strictly contestant Ricky Groves looked dapper in his suit Injecting some much needed colour onthe red carpet was flamboyant singer/songwriter Paloma Faith, wholooked futuristic in her orange jumpsuit and bolero and a red beehive.Also going for a vertical hairstyle was The Noisettes frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa, who wore a fuchsia mini-dress with plunging neckline.Others in attendance were Amy Winehouse's protegee and god-daughter Dionne Bromfield,EastEnders teenage star Madaleine Dunn and ex-Strictly Come Dancingcontestant Ricky Groves.Later the celebrities moved onto the premiere after-party which was held at London restaurant Quaglinos. St Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's Gold is due for release in the UK on December 18.Here comes trouble: Sarah (L), Talulah (C) and Zawe in a scene from St Trinian's 2: The Legend Of Fritton's Gold It takes two: Scarlett Johansson is accompanied by twin brother Hunter for fashion fundraising event By UPDATED:12:02 GMT, 8 February 2012A host of stylish names were out in force tonight to show that fashion is far from frivolous.Some of the industrys biggest movers and shakers attended an event for Runway to Win, an organisation set up to garner funds and attention in support of the re-election of President Barack Obama.Actress Scarlett Johansson joined forces with US Vogue editor Anna Wintour to host the event, which took place at a Theory store in New York.27-year-old Scarlett arrived on the arm of her twin brother Hunter, who works for Obama, and appeared alongside his sister in the movie Manny Lo.The hunk, who was seen escorting his sister to the White House Correspondents Dinner last year, looked dapper in a classic black suit.Meanwhile Scarlett looked stunning in a black Stella McCartney frock that boasted a peplum skirt and sheer sleeves, with her blonde tresses styled elegantly into an updo. And she was beaming from ear to ear as she gave a speech to the events attendees about the importance of supporting their President, and the way in which the fundraising fashion can help to achieve that.The initiative has seen the release of a range of Obama-themed T-shirts and accessories designed by some of fashions finest, with the proceeds gathered from sales of the products going to the Obama for America organisation. Also designing an item in aid of the Presidents re-election was Beyonce Knowles, whoseline House of Deréon, which she founded with her stylist mother Tina, created a T-shirt emblazoned with some of Obamas best-known quotes.Andshowing up in support was Beyonces 25-year-old sister Solange, who appeared to regret her floating patterned dress on a windy day, as she was forced to carefully protect her modesty with a clutch bag as she arrived at the event. Also in attendance was a host of stunning models including Chanel Iman, Karlie Kloss, Karolina Kurkova and Joan Smalls.The store was full to the brim with fashions elite including a collection of the worlds most famous designers.Diane von Furstenburg, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Oliver Theyskens, Kenneth Cole, Alexander Wang and Rachel Roy were all out in force at the fundraiser.Business magnate Russell Simmons was also on hand to show his support for the President, while Talking Heads front man David Byrne was seen happily speeding home on his bicycle after leaving the stylish bash.Scarlett is rumoured to have teamed up with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to star in his directorial review.Accordingto The Hollywood reporter, a plotline is yet to be revealed for the story, other than it will centre on that of Don Juan, and Scarlett will star in one of two lead female roles. Second Alexander Wang worker sues designer for conditions in Chinatown 'sweatshop' By UPDATED:22:15 GMT, 12 March 2012A second worker from Alexander Wang has come forward claiming that conditions at the design label's Chinatown factory are 'inhumane'.Flor Duante, 48, says she was forced to work 90 hours a week in the 'sweatshop' on Manhattan's Broadway.The single mother-of-three today added her name to a Queens Supreme Court lawsuit that was last week filed by Wenyu Lu.The New York Post reports that the former employees were both fired after attempting to claim for worker's compensation.The label, known for its laid-back, chic aesthetic, was forced to defend itself against Mr Lu's initial explosive claims.Though representatives today could not be reached for comment, the high-end design house last week vowed to fight the $450million lawsuit filed against the company by the ex-factory worker.Mr Lu, 56, claims to have been fired on February 16 after complaining about the conditions and asking for workers' compensation following a stay in hospital brought on by a 25-hour shift with no break.The brand - favoured by celebrities and hankered after by fashionistas who flock to Mr Wang's showy 4,000-square-foot flagship store in SoHo - said that it will challenge the claims that it flaunted a host of New York State labour laws and forced workers to operate in 'unfair conditions'.A company spokesman told the fashion newspaper: 'The company takes its obligations to comply with the law very seriously, including the relevant wage and hour regulations, the payment of overtime to eligible employees and having a safe working environment for all of our employees. We will vehemently defend any allegations to the contrary.'The fashion newspaper reports that the suit included nine charges, each totalling claims of $50million.The successful designer, 28, who last year netted a staggering $25million for his tomboyish handbag and casual clothing designs, has been accused of running a sweatshop and violating labour laws.Popular: Some designs, modelled by names including Gisele Bundchen (right), are made in Chinatown where labourersclaim they are not paid overtimeAccording to the New York Post, the design mogul and his brother Dennis have allegedly been operating a factory under shocking conditions.The suit claims that the designer flaunted a host of New York state labour laws.Workers in the tiny 200-square-foot space on Broadway say they were forced to work for stints of up to 25 hours at a time, while conditions were unsafe.Not only do the high-end garment makers - whose work has been spotted on the arms of a host of A-listers, including Jessica Gomes, and has wowed Anna Wintour on the front row at New York Fashion Week - claim to have not been paid overtime, but they say they were threatened with losing their jobs if work in the 'windowless' room was not completed.The group report a lack of sleep, illnesses, injuries and missed days were brought on by the hard labour making the expensive clothes - a utility coat on the Alexander Wang website is currently listed as costing $1,175.Mr Lu and the aggrieved labourers say 16-hour shifts and abuse are the norm, despite plans in place for the luxury label to open a further 15 stores this year.Mr Lu's lawyer, Ming Hai, has seen many such trials before and told WWD than most factory owners would rather settles than be dragged through the negativity of a full legal battle.He told the newspaper that there are around 20 garment factories in Chinatown - and that the conditions reported at Alexander Wang are far from unique: 'Bad labor conditions are everywhere in the Asian garment community. Its horrible.'He said that 'a new kind of slavery' exists whereby the area's workers are made to work long hours because they 'are new immigrants and they dont speak English.'It is, of course, not the first fashion brand to have been tainted by an eye-wateringly large legal challenge.The Kardashians' range for QVC, Forever 21 and American Apparel have all been under legal scrutiny in recent months.Designer Marc Jacobs has in the last few days been accused of not paying the models he employed to walk his New York Fashion Week runways, and tweeted in reaction: 'If they don't want to work w/us, they don't have to.'Sharon Stone breaks down in tears as she recalls meeting child AIDS victim By UPDATED:09:51 GMT, 20 February 2012She's used to tapping into her emotions for the various roles she plays, but Sharon Stone's tears had nothing to do with playing a part. The 53-year-old actress broke down while recalling having met a child with AIDS last night in Milan.She remembered having met a young girl affected with the virus while travelling through Africa with the Damiani diamond company a few years ago. The Mighty star said that the youth was the catalyst behind her hands-on charity involvement in Uganda at the flagship Damiani store relaunch last night in Italy. She has been working with the companysince 2009, when she launched the jewellery line Maji, which is the Swahili word for water. Her line supports Drop in The Bucket,a nonprofit organisation that builds wells in Africa in order to provide clean water to African residents in remote villages. Despite her red eyes, the actress looked stunning in a black Dior top and black HM skirt. She was, of course, dripping in Damiani diamonds,including a necklace, ring, cuff and earrings. At the launch, she discussed her heavy 2012 work schedule. She said: 'Ihave three movies coming out and now Im going to do Fading Gigolo with John Turturro and Woody Allen and then Im going to do Attachment directed by Tony Kaye'.Stone can also be seen on the big screen this year in Gods Behaving Badly, The Mule and Lovelace. Prior to the store's open, the actress has been enjoying all Italy has to offer. And although Sharon Stone was a few hours north of Italys capital in Milan, she was still keen to stick to tradition.The 53-year-old actress made the most of her trip to the fashionable city and tucked into some delicious gelato as she roamed around the town.She picked up a cup of chocolate ice cream from a gelato shop and couldnt wait until she was out of the door to tuck into the tasty dessert.The blonde devoured the frozen treat as she stood outside the store and indulged in a spot of people watching.And the Basic Instinct star made sure to eat carefully so as not to smudge her deep red lipstick. She certainly looked at home in one of the worlds fashion capitals as she sported a stylish outfit in head-to-toe Roberto Cavalli to enjoy her day of sightseeing.She wore an elegant fitted black skirt that fell just above her knees with a black T-shirt tucked in.Sharon teamed her outfit with black tights to keep her warm and matching cut-out peep toe heels, also by Cavalli.She also wore a cosy-looking black Roberto Cavalli coat with fluffy lining and gold embroidery, and carried a black leather Alexander Wang bag over her shoulder which boasted a gold-studded bottom.Sharons glamorous outfit and make-up were only heightened by the elegant ponytail she had swept her blonde locks into.The actresss outfit looked stylish and demure but it had proved to be rather revealing when she was spotted without the coat covering her up earlier in the day.She headed to the Damiani store showing off the T-shirt which was in fact a little too transparent and clearly displayed the black bra she was wearing underneath.The star is the face of the Italian jewellery brand and had the opportunity to enjoy a private VIP shopping experience at its flagship store.Later on the veteran actress returned to the shop to attend its grand opening, dripping with purple and silver matching accessories in the form of a heavy necklace, bracelet and earrings.The star further enhanced her glamorous look for the evening in a ruched plum-coloured dress and a floor-length brown wool coat with a fur trim, worn with green velvet sandals.A sweet treat: Sharon Stone indulges in ice cream as she makes the most of a trip to Milan By UPDATED:11:53 GMT, 17 February 2012As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.And although Sharon Stone was a few hours north of Italys capital in Milan, she was still keen to stick to tradition.The 53-year-old actress made the most of her trip to the fashionable city and tucked into some delicious gelato as she roamed around the town.She picked up a cup of chocolate ice cream from a gelato shop and couldnt wait until she was out of the door to tuck into the tasty dessert.The blonde devoured the frozen treat as she stood outside the store and indulged in a spot of people watching.And the Basic Instinct star made sure to eat carefully so as not to smudge her deep red lipstick. She certainly looked at home in one of the worlds fashion capitals as she sported a stylish outfit in head-to-toe Roberto Cavalli to enjoy her day of sightseeing.She wore an elegant fitted black skirt that fell just above her knees with a black T-shirt tucked in.Sharon teamed her outfit with black tights to keep her warm and matching cut-out peep toe heels, also by Cavalli.She also wore a cosy-looking black Roberto Cavalli coat with fluffy lining and gold embroidery, and carried a black leather Alexander Wang bag over her shoulder which boasted a gold-studded bottom.Sharons glamorous outfit and make-up were only heightened by the elegant ponytail she had swept her blonde locks into.The actresss outfit looked stylish and demure but it had proved to be rather revealing when she was spotted without the coat covering her up earlier in the day.She headed to the Damiani store showing off the T-shirt which was in fact a little too transparent and clearly displayed the black bra she was wearing underneath.The star is the face of the Italian jewellery brand and had the opportunity to enjoy a private VIP shopping experience at its flagship store.Later on the veteran actress returned to the shop to attend its grand opening, dripping with purple and silver matching accessories in the form of a heavy necklace, bracelet and earrings.The star further enhanced her glamorous look for the evening in a ruched plum-coloured dress and a floor-length brown wool coat with a fur trim, worn with green velvet sandals.Sneak peek into Gwyneth Paltrow's spring wardrobe: The actress reveals how to get her look this season By UPDATED:18:00 GMT, 2 March 2012From the school run to the office, after work drinks or a cocktail party, Gwyneth Paltrow has her spring look sewn up.The actress is ready for any occasion with her key investment pieces for the season - cropped jackets and bodycon dresses.And now the mother-of-two has revealed how you can get her look via her website Goop.She models clothes from designers, as well as items which she believes will be affordable for readers of her fashion newsletter. 'The idea is to mix and match high and low with your own personal style,' she advises.Gwyneth, 39, cites cropped jackets as a key piece for the season and shows how they can be teamed with boyfriend jeans or shorts for a casual, weekend style. The fashion guru, who has two children with Coldplay's Chris Martin, also illustrates how a cropped jacket can create a look to take you from the school run to the office simply by swapping flats for heels. The bodycon dress is also a wardrobe staple for Gwyneth this spring. She models a blue striped Alexander Wang number and suggests how you can make it work for dinner and drinks or as a good work outfit depending on your accompanying footwear and jewellery.For a cocktail party, she recommends an orange dress as the "perfect alternative" to the LBD. Orange, she says, is one of the colours of the season, along with cobalt blue.She adds that pencil skirts, jumpsuits and cuffs will be on trend this spring.Throughout the newsletter, Gwyneth shows how to mix and match items with different shoes and accessories to make the most of your wardrobe.As as well style advice, Gwyneth has recently imparted tips on diet, sex and relationships through her website. But it seems she's now found her niche as she states, in response to demand, "because you asked for it, over the coming weeks and months we'll be featuring more fashion."The Oscar winner certainly proved her style credentials at this year's Academy Awards ceremony. She looked the epitome of Hollywood glamour in her white Tom Ford designed dress, which she teamed with a cape on the red carpet. $85 for a coffee-stained T-shirt? Starbucks collaboration with top fashion designers has some odd results By UPDATED:06:51 GMT, 21 September 2011There's nothing new about a designer rip in a pair of jeans, or a 'distressed' shirt complete with dubiously decorative bleach drips.But would you fork out $85 for a T-shirt that has a coffee stains down its front?Top New York Fashion Week designer, Alexander Wang, has designed a special tee for Starbucks that elevates hapless morning accident to an art-form. Featuring none other than the image of spilt black coffee, the white T-shirt is splattered with coffee brown, the chain's logo faintly discernible among the stain's splashes.The designer spill is part of a collaboration between the Council of Fashion Designers America and the global café megalith to help celebrate '40 years of coffee, culture and the continued evolution' by the Seattle-based brand.Billy Reid and Sophie Theallet have also joined forces with Starbucks for the collaboration - their tees rather more clean-looking, if not so eccentric.Taking inspiration from the coffee houses, the designers were asked to make their own interpretations of the brand and translate them into clothing designs. Theallet channels the company's proudly global vision - and far-reaching business ventures - by featuring a jigsaw-like map of the world on her T-shirt, while Reid takes the Starbucks logo and spatters it, paint gun and stencil-like, onto the shoulder of a brown shirt.Alexander Wang is more widely known for his highly covetable li

[投稿情報: moncler jackets]

Luxury retailer has transformed its 84-year-old Christmas catalog into an application for what's anticipated to be this year's hot electronics gift: Apple's .By putting the 2010 Christmas Book into an iPad app, Neiman Marcus is keeping up with its customers, said Gerald Barnes, president of the Dallas-based company's catalog and online division. That doesn't mean the printed catalog is dead. Neiman Marcus still plans to mail more than 1 million copies to customers, and the entire catalog is viewable on its website.The Christmas Book has been online since 2006 and now almost all of the company's direct sales are made on its websites. Its Internet revenue increased 10.7 percent last year, while catalog sales fell 19.2 percent.Last year, about 85 percent of Neiman's direct sales were online, up from 80 percent last year and 75 percent in 2008, according to the company's annual financial report.Going mobileOne advantage of an iPad app is customers can browse the catalog from anywhere without an Internet connection once they download it, Barnes said.Imbedded in the iPad app and the online catalog are videos showing fantasy gifts, such as this year's his-and-hers gift: a 48-by-12 houseboat with 7-foot ceilings and $250,000 price tag.There's also video of this year's car ? a 2011 Neiman Marcus Edition Camaro convertible with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that sells for $75,000.Other catalogs also soon will be accessible from the iPad app, Barnes said. "Catalogs continue to be a very important part of our advertising. This is how we get into our households."Mailed catalogs are up slightly this year from just less than a million last year, Barnes said. Before the recession, the company mailed 2 million Christmas Books.Price rangesAbout half of the 450 items in this year's 163-page catalog are again priced below $250 ? showing the retailer's sensitivity to cost-conscious buyers.After skipping the $1 million and up price tag last year, this year the famed book contains a gift costing $1.5 million: International artist Dale Chihuly will transform a swimming pool into an original, private work of art.The least expensive item is a $15 silver-plated candlewick trimmer.Neiman Marcus extends its reach with catalogs. About 40 percent of its online and catalog customers in the last two years have been from cities where it doesn't operate a store. And customers who shop both stores and online spend about four times more than single-channel customers.Last year, Neiman Marcus circulated about 48 million catalogs, down 25 percent from the prior year, as shoppers shifted to the Internet. It also sends out daily e-mails to about 4.7 million customers, alerting them to new merchandise and special offers.Even before online shopping took over, catalog represented only about 10 percent of annual catalog sales.His and hersBritish success story Burberry revealed today that it had hit a stumbling block as the luxury brand issued a profits warning.In a surprise update, the group said it had been hit by a slowdown in spending across the world.The darling of the fashion scene had once enjoyed sales growth in double digits, but today it reported that like-for-like sales ground to a halt in the 10 weeks to 8 September. Chief financial officer Stacey Cartwright said: "In the last two weeks there has been a global slowdown. We have seen this across the board in Asia, the US, Europe and the UK."Despite its issues, the brand is gearing up for where it will present its womenswear spring/summer show on Monday.Cartwright said: "We have Fashion Week, and the tremendous new flagship on Regent Street that has just opened -- our largest in the world -- while our menswear-only Knightsbridge store will open in a few weeks. Traffic has been down globally but we will not change tack."Burberry warned that profits for the full year of 2013 would be at the bottom end of market expectations at about pounds sterling 407 million. Retail sales, including from new stores, were up 6 percent.The slowdown compares with strong first quarter trading where retail sales had grown by 14 percent.Luca Solca, luxury brands expert at CA Chevreux, blamed Burberry's reliance on very high-end clothing rather than accessories such as handbags. He said: "Apparel -- on which Burberry is more dependent than other mega-brands -- is softer. In difficult times consumers prefer leather goods and hard luxury accessories as they are more visible and work better as status symbols."Analyst Kate Calvert at Seymour Pierce downgraded the stock to hold and said: "This news will obviously hit sentiment towards Burberry. However, we still consider Burberry a strong long-term growth story."The company has enjoyed a remarkable decade with its shares rising fivefold. Today the stock slid more than 18 percent, down 249p to 1125.5p, on the news.However, Mike van Dulken at Accendo Markets said: "This morning's selling may be overdone, providing a short-term trading opportunity."___(c)2012 London Evening StandardVisit the London Evening Standard at Distributed by MCT Information ServicesDiamond baubles from Cartier glittering in one window, Louis Vuitton's signature leather bags beckoning from across the street and another storefront displaying ' silk scarves.Within months this is the scene that will greet visitors to Miami's Design District, as the neighborhood begins its dramatic metamorphosis into the new hot spot for luxury shopping.Cartier and have just opened their doors. Louis Vuitton will do so on Oct. 19. Hermes and Men are under construction. Right behind that will be Pucci. By the time and the holiday shopping season arrive, there should be 8 to 10 luxury brands lining the Design District's Northeast 40th Street corridor. These openings are a sign of Miami's ascent as a fashion destination."For most luxury brands Miami is one of the top three markets in , along with New York and Los Angeles," said Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet, president and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton North America. "The Miami market has grown quicker than the rest of North America."For decades the Bal Harbour Shops offered the only option for luxury in Miami-Dade County. But no longer is having one store in the market enough for these luxury brands."Miami has been under retailed for luxury because of the strength of the local market and the strong growth of tourists coming to Miami," said Emmanuel Perrin, president and chief executive officer of Cartier North America. "This market can support several Cartier boutiques. It was just a question of time before the luxury market evolved. Everyone has been waiting for the right project to come along."Louis Vuitton and Cartier both left Bal Harbour Shops last summer because the mall didn't have the space for them to expand. The retailers were also prohibited from opening a second store within 20 miles unless Bal Harbour's owners got a piece of the new store's revenue.Now, Louis Vuitton already has opened another store at Mall and Cartier is assessing the market. It's all part of an unfolding game of musical chairs that ends the monopoly of Bal Harbour, which has controlled the luxury retail market since 1965.By 2014, developer Craig Robins expects to have 40 to 50 luxury brands spread throughout the Design District, creating a new urban destination for fashionistas. Already committed to the area are about 30 tenants, including , Bulgari, Pucci, De Beers, Zegna, Tom Ford, Burberry and Marc by . They will join the district's original fashion tenants Christian Louboutin, and Martin Margiela."We're starting to build critical mass," Robins said. "We continue to find that more and more brands are interested in coming. This is an exciting moment for the Design District. People are going to feel the transition and the power of integrating fashion with art, design and food."Many of the brands are giving up space at Bal Harbour, which the International Council of Shopping Center recently designated the top producing mall in the world. But they say they don't believe the move will have any negative impact on their business."We have made a seamless transition," said Vira V. Capeci, president of Celine. "Our clients have followed us to this exciting location."Right now, Cartier's name sparkling against the backdrop of a bronze storefront may look a little out of place as the area undergoes a transition. But soon Louis Vuitton will make a dramatic statement across the street with a storefront covered by an original work of art from graffiti artist Marquis Lewis, known as RETNA.There may be growing pains in this gentrifying neighborhood. Will consumers be willing to spend thousands of dollars on jewelry, handbags and clothes just a few blocks away from some of Miami's more impoverished neighborhoods?At Cartier a security guard stands close by watching over an offering that includes a rare yellow diamond and a $310,000, diamond-encrusted panther pendant and necklace."I like the idea of an urban neighborhood where you have crackheads here and Cartier over there," said Denia Roth, a Miami resident who was lunching this week at Michael's Genuine in the Design District. "The diversity brings everyone together."The retailers have more freedom to design the look of their stores and open bigger showrooms featuring a wider variety of offerings. Cartier's new store is three times larger than what it had at Bal Harbour.And these stores are only the beginning. Cartier and Louis Vuitton are among several brands opening temporary locations, until they can design and build flagship stores. When these stores open in 2014, they're expected to be among the brands' largest stores in the U.S. outside of ."We want to take our client experience to the next level and serve our clients in comfort," Perrin said.Louis Vuitton felt it was important to get into the Design District early."We like to be part of building a story, it's part of our pioneering spirit," Chapoulaud-Floquet said. "We think we're going to be able to communicate with a very different clientele that is younger, more trendy and much more open to art and culture."Although it's been a year since Louis Vuitton and others started leaving Bal Harbour, operating partner Matthew Whitman Lazenby says same store sales continue to grow -- up 16 percent for the first six months of the year compared to last year.But Lazenby says his family has had a change of heart about allowing tenants to remain at Bal Harbour and still open a second location in Miami-Dade County."You can't deny there has been demand expressed by more than one tenant," Lazenby said. "Miami has reached the point in its evolution where more than one store can be sustained. We are adapting to the marketplace and trying to accommodate the needs of our tenants." ___(c)2012 Visit The Miami Herald at Distributed by MCT Information Servicesdesigner Monica Pedersen can be seen regularly on programs such as "Bang for Your Buck," where she shows homeowners how to maximize their living space and beautify their homes. A well-seasoned traveler, Pedersen who lives in the Midwest sees the potential in taking trips to Wisconsin, as well as heading overseas for a longer vacation.Q: What is your favorite vacation destination? A: , Fla. It's a low-key town right next to and about 45 minutes from . It is my go-to spot when I really want to relax. Working on TV for me means being constantly surrounded by the noise of saws and drills. So a vacation with good weather, the comfort of a private home, a charged golf cart in the driveway and no pressure to look presentable is heaven!Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?A: Kohler, Wis., is definitely at the top of my list and is a place my husband and I go at least twice a year. The American Club (destinationkohler.com) is charming, the golf is spectacular and the food is mouthwatering. Another fun place to go in Wisconsin is the Osthoff Lake Resort (osthoff.com).Q: What are your favorite hotels?A: The Pelham Hotel (pelhamhotel.co.uk) in London has beautifully decorated rooms. The Ritz-Carlton (ritzcarlton.com/neworleans) in New Orleans is comfortable and in a great location. The Four Seasons (fourseasons.com/dublin) in Ireland treated my mom, who was very sick while we were there, like a queen. The Soho Grand Hotel (sohogrand.com) in New York for its location. The bar can be pretty fun as well.Q: What are your favorite restaurants?A: Il Cantinori (ilcantinori.com) is my favorite restaurant in New York. I love great Italian food! In Las Vegas, definitely the Wynn Hotel and the Bartolotta Ristorante (wynnlasvegas.com/#dining/bartolotta), which is incredible.Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?A: Comfortable shoes, a variety of outerwear like scarves, sweaters and my plaid Burberry rain poncho BlackBerry, cheap pair of backup sunglasses, a good book and a small container of moisturizer.Q: What are your five favorite cities?A: San Francisco is so romantic. It's where my husband proposed to me. New York for its great energy. Napa Valley is sophisticated yet friendly and has great food and wine. I love the details in New Orleans' architecture. Charleston, S.C., is elegant and loaded with Southern charm.Q: What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?A: I talk to friends and do a ton of research online. A Web site I am working with, mastercardmarketplace.com, is a great resource for vacations.Q: Where would you like to go that you've never visited before?A: Buenos Aires, . I am heading there soon to shoot an episode of a show I work on called "Bang for Your Buck," and I cannot wait. I am also going to track down the balcony where Eva Peron sang "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and do my own version. I'm kidding!For more from the reporter, visit .I'M NOT saying I'll never be with a prostitute again. But it's hard. Parts of it are soulless and parts of it are nourishing. It's always a roll of the dice.That's our always candid friend, , talking to Playboy magazine for July/August (Massive Summer Double Issue it says, directly above cover girl .) Charlie is Charlie. Don't try to make sense of anything he says, because mostly it doesn't. And he knows it. Is it malarkey or the real deal or some wild combination of the two, which seems to be working for him. (His new show, Anger Management is doing well.)Yet at least he admits to being unfair to his longtime co-star , in the heat of Sheen's firing. I whaled on him unnecessarily ... he's a beautiful man and a fabulous dude and I miss him. I need to repair that relationship, and I will. I will reach out to do whatever is necessary.As for the now-legendary tale of a suitcase full of cocaine being delivered to his house, in the midst of a wild party, Sheen insists it never happened. Nope. He was watching a Dave Chappell sketch on TV and laughed so hard it gave him a hernia. The hernia did not occur because of too much partying and illegal substances.Look, that's his story and he's sticking to it. And even if he doesn't, it apparently won't make one bit of difference to the fans who support him.WHICH LEADS us to the conundrum of . Tom doesn't smoke (anything) drink, or carouse with hookers. He has never assaulted a woman or been accused of such a thing. He takes care of himself, his popularity has not waned. He is still, according to Forbes magazine, the highest paid actor in the world. And yet, on the front pages of the newspapers, Tom is the devil, scaring poor so much that she has to have a ring of bodyguards surrounding her when she ventures out. What's Tom crime? He's a control freak who belongs to the mysterious and controversial Church of Scientology. OK, maybe that's not pleasant to live with, but the public seems to find his driven personality and religious/spiritual beliefs more unsavory than anything Charlie Sheen does.I guess bad boys do, somehow, get more breaks.As for Miss Holmes, she will be fine. She's made her point, with her bodyguard photos, and the bits of business that have slipped out; her fears for Suri, etc. Nobody is going to be kidnapped or forced to do anything they don't want to do. She's been clever. I suppose she's had to be.Let's not forget, she knew exactly what she was getting into. It's not like Tom became a Scientologist during their marriage. There were plenty of warning signs. But Miss Holmes, apparently, was in love or lust or infatuated with his image and the attention he showered on her. And so it has come to this sorry state of affairs.Tom? Another hit movie and people will probably go back to shrugging off his beliefs. Next time (if there is a next time) Tom should marry a nice, docile Scientology girl with whom he can share his religion.I WAS chatting with a friend last week about how much Internet technology and computers, cellphones, iPads, etc., have taken over every part of our lives. Everything is controlled and connected it seems to one huge grid. What if everything blanked out one day, even for 24 hours? We've all become so dependant.Well, just a day or two later, the had a story about a summer storm in Virginia that took out part of Amazon's cloud computing service, in which hundreds of companies store data. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, and Amazon responded pretty well, but this story gave me pause. The Times reported: The ability to deal with failures has long been a feature of any computing system, but like much else in the cloud, there are no common standards to guide how much protection against disaster is enough.We are so concerned about our borders on the ground. Perhaps we should spend more time with our heads in the clouds. That's where I think the real storm of apocalyptic nightmares stores its data.WELL, IT's beginning to look like all the fan-whining over is evaporating as continues to break records even before this all-important weekend. (But then these days, every weekend is all important.) The film, which co-stars , has, as of yesterday, made more than $35 million in the United States. In Asia, the take was more than $50 million and climbing.So he was too tall, too gawky, too British, not ? Well, whatever he is or isn't, Mr. Garfield is probably set for two more installments, and set for life financially, as well. That skin-tight Spidey suit is no fun to get into for hours on end. (And it's impossible to wear anything under it.) But in-between films, he'll be able to devote himself to more comfortable Prada, Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein or Burberry. (He wears Burberry in a deep blue shade on the cover of Teen Vogue. He's paired with Miss Stone, who is supposed to be his real-life girlfriend. Well, at least until the film hits the $500 million mark.)NOW THAT has come out, will on be as much smirky, giggling fun as it has been? Oh, you know -- Anderson's friend, comedienne , would come on and tease him relentlessly, implying, but never saying, what everybody knew.They've got to cook up a new act.(E-mail at .)Shortly before Daniel Hernandez moved from L.A. to Mexico to write a book about its roiling capital, a friend gave him an order. "I don't want to see you back from Mexico City until it's physically altered you, until you are different," Hernandez was told. The Western Hemisphere's largest metropolitan area, with about 22 million people, has its existential challenges: toxic air, epic traffic jams, "express" kidnappings. But it also can bestow transformative benefits on those willing to dive headfirst into its urban mosh pit. FOR THE RECORD: Daniel Hernandez: An article in the April 28 Calendar section about author-journalist Daniel Hernandez identified Hernandez as a former Los Angeles Times staff writer. Hernandez is a former Los Angeles Times staff writer and a current staff blogger and news assistant in the Times' Mexico City bureau. During a recent L.A. visit, Hernandez spoke about how his adopted hometown since 2007 has altered him and how he hopes to alter others' perceptions of it with his just-published book, "Down Delirious in Mexico City: The Aztec Metropolis in the Twenty-First Century" (Scribner). "I think as a journalist Mexico City pushed my barometer of crazy in my life," said Hernandez, 30, a former Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly staff writer. "But of course sometimes it's overwhelming and you think you're going to pass out, you need a limonada. You need a run out of town." Hernandez strives to capture that craziness with a combination of memoir, bildungsroman and an impressionistic essay-album of edgy young lives in a city that often feels perched on the precipice of chaos. Some reviewers have invoked Jack Kerouac and Bret Easton Ellis in characterizing Hernandez's first-person immersion in Mexico City's louche atmospherics. Matt Sledge of the Huffington Post wrote that "Hernandez's book tells the stories that we should know, if for no other reason than American culture is increasingly Mexican culture, as his journey makes clear." That journey, of course, is the reverse of one that thousands of Mexicans attempt every year. "The irony is not lost on me," writes Hernandez, who'll be appearing at this weekend's L.A. Times Festival of Books. "While millions of Mexicans are migrating northward, I go south. It is an act of rebellion. My parents, who left Tijuana and settled in San Diego in 1976, shake their heads in disapproval." Growing up as a bilingual, bicultural U.S. citizen, Hernandez often heard horror stories about Mexico City's crime, smog and corruption. But rather than dissuade him, they aroused a desire to get to know this off-limits part of his cultural heritage. What he found, upon arriving, was a cosmopolitan, multilayered city (pre-Columbian, colonial and modern) with a complex web of youth subcultures: emos, "anarco-punks," Condesa scenesters, rich trendy fresas from Polanco. "I just kind of went deeper and deeper," Hernandez said. "I was adopting certain aspects of the subcultures. I realized I had to not judge anyone's music or their style or their fashions but [ask] why had they adopted it, and to pinpoint what I see as the contradictions.", an English professor at Loyola Marymount University, said that countless young Mexican Americans have made the reverse-odyssey to their ancestral homeland over the decades, but few have written about it in long form with Hernandez's insightfulness. "Daniel is saying that the borders have to be crossed on all levels, including the self," said Martnez, author of "The Other Side: Notes From the New L.A., Mexico City, and Beyond." The haunts Hernandez describes in "Down Delirious" are far from the places most tourists see. He hangs out with graying Marxists at the weekly El Chopo open-air swap meet and parties till sunrise with coked-up chilango teens and twentysomethings in the bohemian Roma neighborhood. He canvases fashion shows, gets swept up in a surging mob at a soccer match and flees an Aztec temazcal (sweat lodge), "gasping for oxygen" and deeply skeptical of whether ancient rituals can act as curatives for the ills of modern life. In surreal detail, he recounts pilgrimages to the worship halls of Mexico City's dueling spiritual icons: the beloved Virgin of Guadalupe, the country's church-sanctioned protector since she allegedly appeared to the peasant Juan Diego in 1531, and the fearsome, skeletal Santa Muerte, "Saint Death," the unofficial patron of prostitutes, crime lords and cab drivers working the graveyard shift. Some episodes in "Down Delirious" will ring familiar to readers of Hernandez's blog, , which has a following on both sides of the border, particularly among readers 30 and younger. (Disclosure: Hernandez and I have been casual acquaintances for many years.) Just out of UC Berkeley, where he studied English literature, Hernandez first visited Mexico City in 2002 and stayed 10 weeks with relatives, an experience that "recalibrated" his life. Then in 2006, he was assigned by the L.A. Weekly to write a piece about Mexico's upcoming presidential election, which led to the contract for "Down Delirious." Laurie Ochoa, the former L.A. Weekly editor who , said that while "Down Delirious" touches on Mexican politics and hot-button issues like immigration, its greater achievement is to personalize the phenomenon of second- and third-generation Mexican Americans reconnecting with their cultural roots. "Through his individual story, he's telling the stories of a lot of people," Ochoa said. Although his book doesn't dwell on it, Hernandez writes with an awareness of the drug-war mayhem that has swept Mexico since late 2006 and of the toll that the country's economic and social afflictions have taken on its youth. One section deals with the curious persecution of Mexico's ambisexual "emo" youth, whose ambiguous identity aroused the wrath of other urban tribes. Perhaps the book's most affecting chapter, "A Feathered Serpent in Burberry Shades," recounts Hernandez's adventures with his late friend, the designer and "semi-androgynous party boy" Quetzalcoatl Rangel Sanchez. "You're dealing with real histories here and real traumas and real violence and real loss," Hernandez said. So how has his Mexico City sojourn physically changed him? Hernandez pointed to a pair of tattoos that he's acquired since living in Mexico: "La Libertad" (Spanish for "liberty") and another depicting a symbol for "speak," derived from a . "I'm a nerd, I'm a bookish Berkeley nerd," he said, "but living here has just flipped everything upside down for me." For now, Hernandez's plan is to keep getting flipped in Mexico City and maybe inspire other young searchers his target audience, he hopes to do the same. "I think it would make me most happy if it were a younger reader like that, a young reader interested in learning something about Mexico."Dear Answer Angel: I'm a little embarrassed to ask this question. I've been using the same deodorant since I was in high school, and it has always "done the job." Now, many decades later, it isn't working. I was in a crowd the other day, and I started thinking someone near me had not taken a shower after a workout or something. And then I realized that I was the guilty party. The product I'm talking about is the "regular" red label Ban roll-on. When that changed to a green container, I stuck with the roll-on "regular" with a red label. But lately, I've been having not-so-good results. Did I change, or did the deodorant? Not So Fresh AnymoreDear Not So Fresh: Your favorite Ban roll-on has changed. I asked the company and learned that it did make "relatively minor" changes in the formula. But that might not be the cause of your problem. It could be you. Ban research leader Erica Palmer says, "We are learning that as people age, they may need to switch products to compensate for physical changes in body chemistry." Palmer suggests you switch from roll-on to solid. Roll-on is gentler but "not as effective in controlling odor and wetness" as the solid, she says.You didn't ask, but others have inquired how to remove the inevitable white deodorant streaks on your sweaters and shirts that you notice just as you're racing out the door. Easy and cheap: Rub the area with dry pantyhose (or knee-highs) or a dry Mr. Clean Eraser household cleaning pad.Dear Angel: I have been struggling for years on my quest for a raincoat that's stylish and has a hood. All the stylish raincoats/trench coats I find lack a hood. I carry an umbrella with me on rainy days, but I would still like a hood to protect me from the humidity, not just the water. Are there any affordable waterproof, stylish raincoats/trench coats out there with a hood, or am I asking for too much? Mary B.Dear Mary: In fashion (as in life), you can never ask for too much! The perfect coat with a hood is out there. But it will require some searching. I like to touch, feel and try on, so online shopping isn't my favorite. But it's the way to go when you're looking for something really specific, such as your perfect coat. An online search for "hooded trench coat" (or leopard rain boot or whatever esoterica is on your wish list) will turn up a ton of options. In your case, I found a high-end lemon sorbet-colored taffeta Burberry for (gulp) $1,295 () and a cute Marc New York in black jersey knit with a hidden hood, $255 at ). Also: Gallery makes cute, colorful coats with detachable hoods, including one in bright spring green for $118 at . Happy hunting.Dear Answer Angel: Can you settle this dispute with my wife? We were in a restaurant, and the people at the next table were having a lively discussion about a movie we were about to see. We actually had just purchased the tickets for a ridiculous $11 apiece, I might add. I asked them in a pleasant way if they'd change the subject because we were about to see the film and wanted to be surprised. They seemed OK with that. But my wife wasn't. She was mortified and says I was out of line. I say I was just protecting my investment. Spoiler AlertDear S.A.: I'm on your side. As long as you were nice about it, you're fine. And, because your dining neighbors did stop talking about the movie, they, too, must have been OK with your request. Whether the issue is free upgrades on your cell-phone contract, honoring an expired discount coupon or a change of topic at the adjacent table, I say it never hurts to ask politely.Dear Answer Angel: I found the perfect jacket at a consignment store. The sleeves had been altered by the previous owner and it fit me perfectly. It's clear that whoever consigned it is exactly my size. Is it possible to find more clothes from whoever my body double is? How? No more tailoring billsDear No More: Yes! Many consignment stores such as the national chain Second Time Around () have computer software that can track all the clothes in the store from that same seller. Even without a computer program, managers of consignment stores often know their sellers so well that if you ask (preferably keep tags and receipts with identifying numbers), they can locate all the clothes in their shop from that person.Woof. Reacting to my advice to people complaining that their best friends' dogs leave them covered with hair, several e-mailers raved thusly: "Buy your friends a Furminator. Best dog comb ever. It is amazing." (furminator.com)Shop, drop, ask for helpYearning for a friend (only better) to tell you what to choose, where to look, how to get good value? Relax, now you've got an angel on your shoulder. Send questions large and small to Tattered, precious clothes: Can't bear to throw out your beat-up, beloved favorites? Those jeans? A baseball cap? A shredded sweater? Tell me your stories. Even send a photo! E-mail me atThe proprietor of Handbags in the City has a fashion sense that favors the classical, whether he's wearing a belted Burberry trench coat with a standup collar, lounging in a cashmere sweater or modeling a jacket lined with shearling.And Sparky's owner, George Sakellaris, also in Burberry, doesn't look too shabby, either. "He's a little old man, and he loves dressing up," says Sakellaris, co-owner of the store at 840 Aliceanna St., the shop where Sparky, a 13-year-old Brussels Griffon, can be found most days."Sparky has worn clothes ever since he was a baby; now he has two coats and about a dozen sweaters. Mostly, we dress him because he's short-haired and he gets really cold when he goes outside. If it's raining, he doesn't like to go out at all, but he minds it less if he's wearing a raincoat."Despite the recession, Baltimore dog owners have been snatching up sweaters, coats, raingear and, yes, even booties this winter to help keep Fifi and Fido toasty and dry."You're talking about a passionate product for a passionate consumer, and passion overrides any economic downturn," says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at the NPD Group, the New York-based market research organization."Even during the recession, where the consumer was cutting back, certain items became identified as necessary luxuries. Pet owners wanted to insulate their and cats against the recession in the same way that they wanted to isolate and protect their children."For instance, Beth Crisman, who lives in Northwest Baltimore, can't afford designer duds for herself or her dog on what she earns as a practicing artist and part-time professor. (She teaches photography and art history at several area community colleges.)But Crisman would no more go without sweaters in winter for Cody, her 3-year-old Boston terrier, than she would go without a coat for herself."Bostons don't do well with either extreme temperatures of hot or cold," she says, adding that she orders Cody's clothes either through online sites or catalogues, spending about $10 on average for a sweater."But he looks really cute, and he loves the attention he gets when we go for a walk. What dog wouldn't?"Virginia Byrnes, co-owner of Dogma in Canton estimates that about 30 percent of her canine customers come into her shop wearing attire of some sort. Across town, Chris , co-owner of Pretentious Pooch in , estimates that canine apparel makes up between one-fifth and one-quarter of his winter sales.Cohen said that boutique-style stores peaked in popularity about five years ago or about the same time that such top labels as , and Coach decided to expand into the pet market.Once the recession hit, many boutiques had to branch out into other dog and cat products, such as food and bowls, to remain in the black.Baltimore is a city that places a high value on being down to earth, Woodside said, so frou-frou products that sell strongly in such cities as New York, Los Angeles or even Washington do less well here."People in Baltimore are definitely more practical," he says. "It became clear a year or so ago that we were either going to have to morph into selling other products or close the front door."Still, there's practical, and then there's "practical." A sweater or coat may be a necessity for short-haired dogs such as chihauhaus, terriers or even Dobermans who walk outside when temperatures are in single digits.And if that coat happens to be quilted, beige and made by Gucci (retail value, $280) or a striped Coach cashmere sweater ($148 and up), that doesn't make it less functional.For instance, Cathy Brennan, an attorney who lives in Rodgers Forge in , enjoys dressing Dante, the surviving member of a pair of Boston terriers, in sweaters, a cape and bow ties.After their two sons headed off to college, Bill and Carolyn Walter thought the time might be right to downsize. Coming from a large, single-family home in , they wanted something smaller with a strong community association to handle outdoor maintenance, and also in the same area of northern Baltimore County.The house-hunting ended when the two came across a lovely villa for sale in the nearby community of Pebble Creek. Carolyn Walter knew instantly she wanted to move into the traditional home that connected to four others on the street, resembling a row of cottages with deeply pitched roofs and front dormers. The interior design, with meticulous attention paid to details such as two wood-burning fireplaces, wide molding and oak flooring, appealed to her taste for traditional furnishings.In spite of herself, Carolyn Walter gushed over the great find. "I told her, 'Don't say you love it so much when I'm trying to negotiate price,'" Bill Walter said, decidedly, but with a smile that indicated the outcome was inevitable.The Walters, who would be the second owners of the house, paid $410,000 for a two-level, plus finished lower level, 4,000-square-foot home on approximately one-tenth of an acre. While the home, built in 1994, was in very good condition, the Walters have made several improvements and upgrades since they moved in in 1998. During the past twelve years, the couple added new kitchen appliances, cabinets and granite countertops, hardwood flooring on the home's second level, and a deck. They had the master bathroom renovated.The couple also added a decorator wall from the entrance to the kitchen. In keeping with the traditional aspects of the interior architecture, Carolyn Walter called upon a construction design company noted for its exquisite restoration, renovation and millwork, SouthFen Inc. to create the paneled wall over the original plain one. The raised panels, Colonial in style, are painted the same shade of eggshell found in the living and dining rooms, with the trim painted a deep shade of wheat. The sight of this angled wall, embellished with three brass sconces, upon entering the hall sets the formal tone for the rest of the home."We live in the kitchen and the family room that has two doors out to the deck," said Carolyn Walter. These rooms, with walls painted a deep shade of Duron's Burberry Red, contrast in a casually elegant style with her vast collection of Delft pottery and porcelain prominently displayed in every room, on every shelf and wall and in every cabinet. From platters to large bowls, houses, urns, plates and even an umbrella stand, the delicately painted blue and white pieces perfectly accent every room's decor and wall color.The formal elegance of the dining room is enhanced by a crystal chandelier that drops from the 23-foot ceiling. A mahogany suite of Chippendale-style furniture features a double pedestal table that will seat 12 and a china closet filled with a Royal Copenhagen service for eight.The living room boasts one of the home's two wood-burning fireplaces, while cherry furniture and an entire wall of framed prints depicting various scenes of horse and hound hunts give the room a decidedly English country feel. The look is carried out in the second-floor hallway, where several services of silver sit atop mahogany side tables.The second-floor bedrooms, especially the master, which is painted soft yellow, have a distinct, manor style achieved with artwork, artfully placed armchairs and benches, needlepoint pillows and rich fabrics on furniture and beds.The finished lower level follows the same circular flow as the two above it. A library filled with hundreds of books segues to a sitting area before moving to a craft studio and finally, a separate office for Bill Walter.The couple shares a laugh over the mention of their new home being almost as large as the one they left."Yes, but we're close to everything, and the community has strict covenants when it comes to exterior work," Carolyn Walter said."And it's maintenance-free. We lock the door and go!" her husband added.Have you found your dream home? Tell us about it! Send an e-mail to .Making the dreamDream location: Bill and Carolyn Walter's villa home is located in Pebble Creek, a neighborhood development in Timonium. Though nestled in a wooden area, they are close to the amenities on the York Road corridor.Dream design: The homes are painted a light khaki and cream color with wooden trim at windows and doors that feature arched transoms. Chunky stone chimneys, stone half-walls, double-car garages and sloping roofs with prominent gables contribute to the traditional design of each house in the row.Dream element: A large, angular entrance hall presents onto a winding oak staircase that sweeps to the open hallway of the second level. The circular flow of the first floor leads to a rear kitchen and breakfast room. The layout is, Carolyn Walter says, "great for parties. Everyone is comfortable, [and] every room is used." What is it about the British and great fashion?Even in his death, 's exhibit drew thousands upon thousands to this year. Effects of the royal wedding are dominating a number of fashion trends for women this season. Lace, fancy hats are still huge. Tartan patterns, tweed, fur accents are a must. Peter-pan collars are regularly sported by personality and British import Alexa Chung, And British songstresses such as Adele, Duffy, and Estelle are red carpet regulars. And let us not forget style icon . The British are here to stay. And so are browns, grays, and nudes, which will all be big colors this season. Pop colors such as red and blue will also be everywhere.Many of these trends don't come cheap. Yes, you could head to Burberry and dress like one of their mannequins, but what is the fun in that? Be authentic and go vintage for some of those classic looks that top designers are recreating right now. Plus, doesn't it sounds so much better when you can say that a piece of clothing is vintage?About the shootb teamed with CoverGirl and Towson Town Center to conduct a regional model search for this Fall fashion spread. The models: Christie Beran, Natalie Hessler, Farrah Palmer, Michael McVearry and Ramar Robinson, were chosen from more than 100 hopefuls. CoverGirl makeup products were used exclusively for the shoot.Styling: John-John Williams IVAssistant styling: Adee Lawal and Toria TurnerHair and Makeup: Leah Sarah Bassett, T.H.E. Artist AgencyPunters have donned their tin hats and are feeling defensive today.Riskier stocks -- including most of the mining sector -- dived to the bottom of the index with Vedanta Resources and Anglo American falling hard.Revelations of a mining scam in India pushed Goa to place a temporary ban on mining. The state is the country's second-biggest iron ore producer and the news has hit Vedanta Resources. Vedanta's Indian arm Sesa Goa is currently merging with Sterlite Industries and both have been hit by the ban. Vedanta lost 45p to 957.75p but experts expect the ban to not impact the business in the long term.Anglo American, down 83.5p to 1918.25p, which is facing legal action in the High Court from African gold miners who claim that health and safety conditions have caused their lung diseases, received a downgrade today. It denies liability. Analysts at cut its price target to 1750p from 1900p.A cautious feeling swept the City ahead of a German court's ruling on its participation in the planned European bailout.Defensive stocks were in favour with British American Tobacco leading the FTSE 100, up 47.5p to 3171.5p.Hopes of progress in the eurozone were crushed as a hurdle emerged in the process to sign off the 's bond-buying scheme, causing European markets to stutter.The FTSE 100 lost 19.63 points to 5773.57.Software giant Sage fell 1.9p to 302.45p despite being given a buy rating yesterday by Galvan Research on rumours of MA activity. Analysts said there was "the distinct possibility that Sage could be a target of German sector peer SAP".At the bottom of the FTSE 100, luxury fashion group Burberry found itself down 249p to 1125.5p, after a profits warning. The 18 percent fall saw this year's share price rise disappear. Its highest point this year came in April when it hit 1586p. But the fall today prompted some traders to start bottom-fishing and buy the shares.On Aim, drug discovery company Summit has signed a technology license agreement with US based and its shares gained 0.88p to a healthy 3.38p.Sefton Resources, the US focused oil and gas group, reported that oil production increased in the first half but it recorded a loss for the period as costs increased. The California and Kansas-focused explorer saw its shares tumble 0.24p to 1.58p. Unlike many other oil and gas explorers, Kazakhstan-focused Zhaikmunai Group has announced it will pay a dividend but its shares lost 0.46p to 9.14p.There was a bad smell in the air for environmental technology group Aerte. It needs more cash after an order of air disinfection products, that it manufactured and delivered in May, were cancelled by the Chinese buyer.It found itself at the bottom of the AIM index, losing more than 41 percent, down 0.24p to 0.34p.The board said it will be "difficult to recover payment for these devices in the medium term and it is no longer expecting to receive further orders from this distributor".___(c)2012 London Evening StandardVisit the London Evening Standard at Distributed by MCT Information ServicesHE'S QUITE ... blessed! says Calamity Chang, a British burlesque star who appeared with actor/leading man/hunk in some of the many nude scenes in the movie Shame.Fassbender is the one made a sexy reference to at the -- in case you've been under a rock. But the actor, of German and Irish extraction, has a real claim to fame. It is in being one of the hardest-working men in international films. He has completed a 20-month spell of work where he shot six movies.I just saw him onscreen being kicked through a door by martial arts expert Gina Carano in the perfectly silly movie Haywire. (This is the one your teenage male offspring are so crazy about.)WAIT FOR it! The'70s super band is about to release its first new song in 20 years. In April, their first album since 1994 will be out. It's titled A Twinkling Star to a Passing Angel. -- the hit musical based on ABBA songs -- is still seen worldwide, still making money since it opened in 1999 in London's West End.UGGIE, the dog from the award-winning silent film The Artist, is being retired by its trainer, Omar Von Muller. He doesn't want to put 'Uggie' through anymore long hours. Von Muller says, He's getting tired. But does this mean the adorable Uggie won't turn up at the ? Say it isn't so.THEY SAY only seven people turned up for actor Nicol Williamson's burial the other day. The bad boy of English theater had not worked since 1997 and had turned down some great offers in his time.His obit describes him as a hell-raiser; one of the patron saints of bad behavior, almost deliberately badly behaved, prone to walking offstage in mid-performance, throwing things, an exhibitionist and the last of a breed.One of Williamson's obits by Roger Lewis refers to the actor as being possibly influenced by and method acting. This led to the story of and in Marathon Man. To look sweaty, Hoffman ran around a football field. He was panting when Oliver remarked, Why don't you try acting, dear boy? It's far easier.I SEE why movie stars like don't like to give interviews. He gave one to the recently in which he cited his depression in the 1990s when he was coping with 'the celebrity thing.'Depression is serious stuff. But almost everybody suffers from it occasionally. Headlines reporting his remarks make it seem he is seriously down. But Pitt seems very happy these days. He has Oscar nods, a stimulating relationship, lots of good charity efforts and six children.IN THESE days when the 1 percent is being excoriated, guess what? Even though the global market is shaky and buying of luxury goods is a bit shaky, LVMH is still going strong. Sales of Louis Vuitton and Loewe handbags, Krug champagne and Hennessy cognac, Tag Heuer watches, and other spirits, leather, feather and fashionable goods, including Burberry, seem to be soaring.MICHAEL JACKSON began his showbiz career as an adorable, phenomenally gifted child. He didn't need a lot of razzmatazz to showcase his pure voice and amazing dance technique, a technique that even the great would come to admire.But as the years rolled on, Michael ramped up the sets, the style and the strangeness. Sometimes he appeared to get lost under the stuff, when all he really needed was to sing and dance, period. But when people pay hundreds of dollars for concert tickets, they want spectacle as well as talent. Perhaps more of the former than the latter.And spectacle is certainly the attraction of tribute show, titled -- with typical understatement -- Immortal. The show features all the usual Cirque bells and whistles: acrobatics, LED screens, huge balloons, animatronic recreations of Michael, and, but of course, his real image and voice, as compelling as ever.Apparently, although the show was a huge hit in Montreal and Las Vegas, raking in more than $100 million, some consider it tasteless, overblown, exploitive, especially as the Jackson family is involved. Well, they have to be involved. The Jacksons, in tandem with , control Michael's music and likeness. While Michael was alive, the Jackson family didn't seem to be thriving, nor did their golden goose.But now Michael is the most successful dead celebrity ever. His estate has garnered a whopping $450 million since the pop icon's tragic death almost three years ago. Michael, who loved to break records and boast of his accomplishments, would be so happy to know he's still the King of Pop, so crowned by his friend . Michael's children, Prince, Paris and will never know a day of financial need. Nor will anybody else in the family.Immortal has plans to move on to London and other spots in Europe. As one newspaper review stated, It's like a Michael Jackson tour, without Michael. But that seems to be good enough for Michael's fans.Oh, and these fans don't care if some condemn the show as tacky, sentimental and visually overloaded.It's as close to the old Michael Jackson experience as those who adored him can get. They love it.(E-mail at , or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)Historically, travel hasn't been fashion-friendly. No matter how you pack, your clothes are destined for Wrinkleville. And that expensive bottle of perfume in your checked bag is likely to arrive broken or not at all.But fret not. Designers and cosmetic companies have taken note, launching mini-sized, wrinkle-free or collapsible products that help travelers stay fashionable while jet-setting. "So many designers and companies are conscious of travel-friendly fabrics and products," said Stephanie Bradshaw, a stylist based in Cockeysville. "And cosmetics have certainly come a long way particularly in the past few years."Wrinkle-free clothing has been downright hideous in the past. Not anymore. Designers such as Jude Connally and Desiqual offer colorful, trendy clothes that will hold up to the bumps of travel. And you don't have to go far to find them local boutiques have stocked up with plenty of the fashionable threads.At Trillium, a high-end boutique in Green Spring Station, some of the best-selling items are travel-friendly, said owner Sima Blue."Most of my customers travel a lot," Blue said. "They go back and forth to their second homes. They travel abroad. They want to look good when they travel."Travel-friendly selections at Trillium include wrinkle-free raincoats by Mycra Pac, cashmere ruanas by Minnie Rose and wash-and-go T-shirts by Michael Stars."These clothes are great because they are great on the plane," Blue said. "They are easy to pack. And they don't take up a lot of room."Frances Burress, owner of the boutique Caviar and Cobwebs, carries Desiqual, a popular line of clothing based in Spain that happens to be wrinkle-free."The colors are bold and beautiful," Burress said. "They are washable, and they hold up very well."She said the line has a distinct European feel that allows wearers to stand out in a crowd."They are contemporary, and they fit people," said Burress, who added that the designer has lines for men, women and children. "Their styles are for folks from 8 to 80."Octavia II, a boutique in Cross Keys, carries Jude Connally, an American line that touts its wash-and-wear clothing."You can just throw them in your bag and go," said owner Betsy Wendell, who was wearing one of the designer's dresses. "They don't wrinkle. I've slept in this dress. It looked just the same when I got out of bed. They are perfect for travel."In the past, customers would scoff at the thought of wearing wrinkle-free clothing, Wendell said. Those times have changed."The clothes have gotten much better," she said. "These clothes work into everyone's busy lifestyle."Cosmetics companies have also made changes to their products, mostly as a result of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Since the Transportation Security Administration limits the amount of liquid passengers can take in their carry-on luggage, a number of companies including cosmetics giant MAC have launched travel-size products that meet airline regulations.Travalo is a fairly new product that allows travelers to transport smaller amounts of perfume on airplanes. Other companies are offering new features aimed at protecting a product's pricey contents. Burberry, the luxury clothing line that also has a line of cosmetics, now offers lipstick packaged in magnetized gunmetal tubes to prevent spillage during travel.Stylist Bradshaw likes the new offerings for cosmetics and clothing. She said the latest advances have left travelers with no excuses to look sloppy when they are on vacation."It's just as easy to put on a pretty dress as it is to put on your juicy sweat suits," said Bradshaw, who added that the days of T-shirts, sneakers and khaki shorts are over. "Why not chose to be pretty? Pretty is fun. It also communicates to the rest of the world how you feel about yourself."Miles of styleCockeysville stylist Stephanie Bradshaw suggests packing these fashionable and practical items for a trip:Scarf: "I always carry a scarf with me when I travel," Bradshaw says. "Sometime you get cold on the plane." When you arrive at your destination, scarves are perfect to dress up an outfit. "You can put a scarf on any outfit and look chic in two seconds," she adds.Sensible shoes: Pack the more flexible shoes, and wear the bigger shoes on the plane, Bradshaw says. She also suggests that you put any sparkly shoes in a plastic bag so that the glitter doesn't get on your clothing.Fashionable bag with a comfortable handle: "I would like to take something a little more chic," Bradshaw says. Pick a bag with a supple, durable leather handle, according to Bradshaw. "It won't dig into your skin," she says.A good cosmetics bag: 's eco-friendly cosmetics bag works because it's a good size for fitting everything for a weekend getaway, says Bradshaw. "It's not too big and not too small. The fact that it is fabric means that it can squish down in your travel bag."With the holiday shopping season already under way, many of the nation's leading retailers say they plan to avoid the kind of deep, across-the-board discounts that gave last year's season an air of desperation -- and crimped profits.Instead, many are using more subtle, under-the-radar promotions to lure shoppers this year. Several big chains, including and Limited Brands Inc.'s Express division, are cutting back on the number of blockbuster discount events that they've relied on in past years to pack their stores.Even , whose buy-one-get-one-free deal helped spark a frenzy of similar activity among rivals last year, insists it's changing course."We think that particular promotion for our store has gotten a bit stale," said , a spokesman for the New York-based chain.Wall Street likes the new discipline."The trend has been to rein in harmful promotions," said Todd Slater, an analyst with Lazard in New York. This year, he said, "retailers may be prepared to leave some pockets of business on the table, which is healthy."Better outlookRetailers can't afford to reprise last year's disappointing holiday season, when sales of apparel, toys, electronics and other gifts rose by a modest 2.2 percent, according to the National Retail Federation in Washington. Early warning signals abounded last year: Sales actually slowed heading into the holiday season, prompting many merchants to rev up the promotional machine in earnest.John Morris, an analyst at Harris Nesbitt Gerard who has been tallying holiday discounts for several years, said the number and severity of markdowns increased 10 percent in 2002, on top of a 15 percent rise in 2001.This year, thanks in part to a healthier economy, retail sales are accelerating as the holidays near. And despite the better outlook, stores generally have refused to stock up on extra inventory, which means they have the luxury of being more measured in their discounting strategies."It is going to be a less-promotional holiday selling season," Morris said.Still, even while they are avoiding undignified 50 percent-off signs, some retailers are encouraging their best customers to come in early with special, targeted discounts."I think people are tired of the all-day sale," said JoAnn Brosi, general manager for the Galleria, a mall in California. "When they're on a mailing list and they're asked to be part of a small promotion, it makes them feel special."Invitation-only salesSharon Chortek, a Dallas-based TV producer, has a stack of special pre-holiday promotions she's received in the mail over the past three weeks. Each come-on has a little different twist.One, from -- a top-tier Texas mall anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and -- offers a $25 to $50 gift check to any number of Galleria specialty stores, including , Coach and Cartier.To qualify, shoppers need to spend $200 at the mall. The promotion, which began Nov. 7, runs until supplies last -- a "big incentive to get there early," Chortek said.Last week, Chortek was invited to the special three-hour sale at called Private Night, offering 25 percent to 40 percent off on such merchandise and products as Burberry, which rarely go on sale.Things just keep getting sexier along Stevens Creek Boulevard.To the north, diamonds and pearls shimmer at the newly expanded Tiffany Co. inside a Westfield Valley Fair mall that's gone gaga for glitz.To the south, 10-year-old Santana Row is bursting with new retail, residential and office projects. There's a new lingerie line at the beefed-up HM opening this week, a hipper-than-thou Italian coffee joint coming soon, and a high-end rental complex called Misora -- which, for those of you not fluent in Japanese, means "beautiful sky." With the dawning of Valley Fair's and Santana Row's "resort-style" rental apartments packed with status-hungry scenesters, the Stevens Creek corridor near Interstate 880 may well start calling itself the South Bay's Champs-Elysees. And its denizens and visitors are both fueling and feasting upon the region's ever brightening business climate."With the Silicon Valley economy coming around, especially in tech, you've now got 20-year-old entrepreneurs in flip-flops buying Cartier watches," said Valley Fair senior general manager Gavin Farnam, standing near the high-end jeweler, just one in a cavalcade of top-drawer stores settling into the mall's luxury lane. "And it's not just luxury items, but everything. We're at our highest sales level now in the history of the mall."This bifurcated boom could cause whiplash for passing motorists. With dozens of projects under way at bothsites, a tale of two malls is unfolding to the sound of jackhammers and ringing cash registers."This retail expansion is another indicator of the jobs and wage growth helping Silicon Valley lead the rest of the nation out of the recession," said Steve Levy with the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. "And for companies like Apple (AAPL) and (GOOG), employees are seeing their stock worth more, too, so it's kind of a perfect storm, at least within the tech world. People in the valley have more to spend, and that's spilling over into retail."Santana Row seems to be firing on all pistons as it celebrates its 10-year anniversary next month. Despite initial criticism that the upscale retail-residential complex would suck the life out of downtown San Jose, and naysayers who questioned whether the European-style village concept would ever work, the project now claims design awards and traffic numbers that would makeany shopping mall green with envy."It took people a while to sort of get this place," said Collette Navarrette, spokeswoman for the mall's publicly traded owner, . "It was a whole new concept when it opened in 2002 with just 35 tenants and no office space. Ten years later, we have 100 merchants, 403 rental homes and 219 condos, as well as 115,000 square feet of office space."As Santana Row's residential occupancy rates push 100 percent, Silicon Valley's boom is reflected in real time inside the erstwhile Borders on the faux village's faux main street. This week, the popular Swedish clothing retailer HM formally moves a few hundred feet down the Row into the closed book store, tripling in size to 27,000 square feet and adding new lingerie, maternity and children's sections.Lifestyle is the Row's middle name. And with a boutique hotel, spas, wine bars and enough luxury retail to satisfy the most discerning shopaholic, its owners are planning yet another phase of the expansion: They're planning to build a 220,000-square-foot office tower, then fill it with employees who can tap into the smorgasbord that surrounds them. Federal Realty's West Coast president, Jeff Berkes, said the tower is part of the economic evolution under way in the region."San Francisco and Silicon Valley are leading the United States through its economic recovery," Berkes said. "We started to see that first in 2009 in the performance of the Hotel Valencia and our restaurants, followed by the occupancy levels and rents we've been able to get for our apartments. Then we saw it in retail. And these are all signs of the confidence people have in the local economy."While it pretties itself up with new paint, a beefed-up valet station, and even plusher seating in its common areas, Valley Fair is welcoming a roster of luxury stores to a mall that has seen double-digit sales growth every month this year. Along with Cartier, a new Burberry, TAG Heuer and Wolford are joining the family.With business booming on both sides of the boulevard, the two malls say the synergy between them serves both well."Anytime you have retail nearby, it's competition," Farnam said. "But when you have that lifestyle component like you've got at Santana Row, with residential and offices, that brings more people to the area and helps all of us."Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689. Follow him at Twitter.com/patmaymerc.A Tale of Two MallsWestfield Valley FairSpring merchandise has officially hit the stores, and one trend should be immediately noticeable: bright colors. They were everywhere on the spring-summer 2011 runways, including at the show, where candy colors managed to look minimal when shown with crisp white shirts or layered with sleek black coats, and at and Burberry, where various tones of shocking aqua and cobalt were paired for a cool (and somehow punchy) look. Color blocking, as seen on the runway, is another major trend.Other designer and contemporary brands explored the color wheel as well. "For spring we bought a lot of color, from acid pinks to orange-red to cobalt blue to tangerine," says Jeannie Lee, owner of 3rd Street's Satine Boutique, which stocks lines from designers including , , and . Retailer Hillary Rush, who owns her eponymous boutique, also on 3rd Street, has already starting seeing the color craze take effect with customers. " The oversized raglan shirt from Monrow has totally sold out in the hibiscus color," a coral-orange Rush says. "When a bright color like that sells out before the black or white, it's always a statement that people are wearing color that season."On the other end of the spectrum, shoppers are likely to encounter lots of white. The natural, yet luxe look of an all-white ensemble (which also works in winter, but is a lot more practical in the warmer months) looked fresh in the runway collections of , and . is also turning out a number of white items, from easy button-downs to wide leg trousers, all in shades of white and off-white and in stores this summer. And there's no shortage of white jeans, which are showing up in the spring and summer lines of J Brand, MIH and 7 for All Mankind.Shoppers may also notice a '60s and '70s aesthetic dictating the shape of denim this season."Denim flares are really hot," says Caprice C. Willard, vice president-regional planning manager for Macys, where brands such as and Levi's have incorporated the style. Flared and wide-leg jeans are also big sellers on the boutique level; Satine's Lee says wide-leg jeans have been flying off the shelves.On spring-summer 2011 runways such as 's, models wore wide-leg jeans with tucked-in white button-downs and chic wedge sandals. On the street we're bound to see a more relaxed version of the look, with women wearing bell bottom-style jeans with T-shirts and sandals or perhaps flared jeans with a tucked-in tank top and a blazer for evening.The other denim trend for spring is a gamine, '60s crop. The pant leg ends at least 2 inches above the ankle. The jeans look great with ballet flats or a low-mid wedge sandal.The '70s vibe also includes versions of the maxi-length skirt and dress. Floor-grazing styles were featured in the collections of and Jil Sander and are showing up in stores such as the Gap, and Club Monaco. "The maxi-dress is really important this season and we are seeing a resurgence with it," Willard says. "The maxi length actually stays important in Southern California all year long."Holiday travel is right around the corner, and you probably already dread some of the beauty pitfalls.Try to breeze through airport security with regular-size beauty products and you may find yourself pulled to the side of the line, in your stocking feet, subjected to a close, personal relationship with the worker giving you a full-body scan with a security wand. Travel by ship, train or car, and loose makeup in your purse can cause a gooey, gunky mess. A lipstick top falls off, an eye shadow shatters and you are left not only with a soiled handbag but often with ruined cosmetics too. But organization can turn holiday travel from frenzied to fabulous. A good makeup bag can help, and for everyday use, buy one that's easy to clean. During the holidays, many cosmetic companies include a makeup bag as a seasonal beauty promotion bonus, so whether you go with one of our selections below or receive one with a purchase, this is the time to find a better way to stow your toiletries.Carry onIf you're traveling by air, the first question is whether to carry on or check your cosmetics. First, get acquainted with the Transportation Security Administration's 3-1-1 : liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers no bigger than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) enclosed in a 1-quart clear plastic zip-top bag, with one bag allowed per person. (It's OK and a good idea to carry extra 1-quart plastic bags in your purse for emergencies).There are many 3-1-1 carry-on kits, but make sure yours comes with bottles that close properly and are made so that the product can be squeezed out readily. The Container Store sells a 3-1-1 Travel Pack ($7.99) that includes a clear 1-quart bag; three wide-mouth, BPA-free 3-ounce bottles, a pump, a mister, one 2-ounce jar, a pill case and labels. They also sell tiny Nalgene leak-proof jars and bottles at about $1.50 each. Bring a sleep/eye mask for beauty sleep.Check inIf you decide to check your beauty bounty in your luggage, make sure the tops on all liquid products close tightly to avoid shampoo or foundation spills all over your clothes. Squeeze out any excess air in plastic bottles. And double wrap your toiletry-makeup bag in something waterproof for extra protection. Tiny hotel toiletry amenities, perfume samples and store-bought beauty minis are terrific for short-trip travel.Packable options include the Household Essentials Nylon Hanging Cosmetics-Bag, which folds to fit in a suitcase and is made of easy-clean PVC microfiber with a waterproof vinyl lining ($22.99, ). Baggallini, founded in 1995 by two veteran flight attendants, makes a water-resistant Ripstop Nylon Cosmetic Bag with a detachable bottom pocket for everyday use ($29, Baggallini.com). The hang-able Emilie Sloan Paige Glam Roll ($35, Emiliesloan.com) is a pretty choice made of waterproof fabric in a variety of patterns. It's also a good choice for home use if you're short on space.On the caseGood train case options include Sephora Midnight or Metro Train Cases ($92, Sephora.com), Makeup Creation Pro Series Makeup Case ($99.95, Makeupcreations.com) and Bobbie Brown's ber-chic Limited Edition Deluxe Travel Kit with a detachable makeup bag ($115, Bobbibrowncosmetics.com). Flight001.com has travel-friendly makeup bags and Pacsafe.com sells the StowSafe Toiletry Bag, which has a secret pocket, tamper-proof zippers and what it says is a TSA-certified padlock to secure expensive face creams and perfume ($39.99).The bright sideA colorful makeup bag is easier to spot in the deep dark well otherwise known as the interior of your handbag, especially with today's extra-large purses. Sportsac and Stephanie Johnson bags allow you to mix and match designs and makeup bag sizes. Examples include the Stephanie Johnson Bollywood Pink Medium Flat Pouch ($26, Stephaniejohnson.com) and SJ Creations Sparkling Snakeskin Orange Pencil Case Cosmetic Bag ($11.99 Ulta.com). Marc Jacobs and Rebecca Minkoff have a few nice, bright cosmetic bags as well.ArtsyWhether your predilections lean toward watercolors, folk art or works by John Singer Sargent or Modigliani, some cosmetic cases prime the painterly mood. A few choices: Toss Designs Medallion Set of 3 Cosmetic Bags ($30, Tossdesigns.com); ProjectArt Peacocks Rounded Cosmetic Case it comes with a matching mini-mirror ($48, Endless.com); and Painterly Clutch Blue Motif by Stephanie Johnson ($32, Anthropologie.com).ClassicThe tried and true not trendy seduces you. You might go for the Haymarket Check Cosmetic Case in chocolate ($198, Us.burberry.com); Lantern Red Cole Haan Cosmetic Case ($68, Colehaan.com); or Kate Spade Foiled Again Large Black Pouch ($75, Katespade.com). MAC's signature Medium Softsac makeup bag is also a terrific, basic everyday option and is fully washable ($28, Maccosmetics.com).FestiveWhen it comes to cleaning, these may not be the most practical makeup bags, but they add holiday sparkle or can double as a festive evening clutch. Try the Tory Burch Mirrored Crinkle Small Cosmetic Case with metallic foil finish ($95, Toryburch.com), or Madrid Greta Medium Cosmetic Bag ($38, Stephaniejohnson.com). Bottega Veneta offers the stylish but pricey leather Nero Intrecciato Nappa Cosmetic Case/Clutch ($900, Bottegaveneta.com). Less expensive metallic options include Sephora Havana and Silver makeup bags ($7 and $18, Sephora.com) and Spiegel.com's Relaxed Glamour Signature Cosmetic Bags starting at $5 with a $10 purchase.It was who made me a foreign correspondent.Before she turned up, my newspaper career had consisted of listening to Baltimore policemen reminisce about great hangings and covering bush-league statesmen deploring the state of the world. I had also covered night rewrite: stickups, accidents, floods, fires, murders, from supper time to 2 in the morning. It wasn't a dead-end job, but neither was there a lot to look forward to except retirement after 40 years of good behavior.When the queen assignment came, I was 27 years old. Like all young reporters brilliant or hopelessly incompetent I dreamed of the glamorous life of the foreign correspondent: prowling Vienna in a Burberry trench coat, speaking a dozen languages to dangerous women, narrowly escaping Sardinian bandits the usual stuff that newspaper dreams are made of.For this reason I did not say "No" when one of The Sun's more godlike editors invited me to an elegant restaurant for a gin-soaked lunch late in the autumn of 1952 and asked, as the third round of drinks approached, whether I would like to be the paper's next correspondent.It was the most extraordinary question ever addressed to me, and I let it bounce round and round in my skull to make sure I had heard it correctly:Would I like to be the next London correspondent? That was what he said. He was offering me the job of London correspondent!Even under a heavy load of gin, it was possible to feel the earth move. Life was not going to be the same ever again.His conversation shifted immediately into discussion of how to cover a coronation, a subject of negligible concern to me until that instant, when it became clear that the pending coronation of an English queen was the cause of my rise to glory.The new queen was 27 years old. (I was, and still am, only eight months older.) I thought sending an innocent, ignorant youth to London suggested a management decision to match the tone of the coverage to the youthful spirit of the occasion.On the strength of this probably absurd conjecture, I guessed that that the paper wanted more impertinence than it usually got from the London bureau. From the outset, I decided to produce stories more likely to entertain Baltimoreans than the usual London bureau articles about diplomacy and decline of the pound sterling.Serious journalism need not be solemn. And so I came to London determined to keep the coverage unsolemn. It would include a look at pop-culture stars such as Danny LaRue, a female impersonator with a vast middle-class family following, and , an American pop singer who made audiences fill the London Palladium with screams of delight as he wept and wailed about a little white cloud that cried.The Sun was also present for 's first London revival and for the heroic display in Edinburgh of the largest assortment of Scotch malt whisky ever assembled. Its correspondent checked out Manx cats at a convention on the Isle of Man and traveled to a frigid Scottish town on the Irish Sea to inspect a decaying estate inherited, along with a knighthood, by a Maryland farmer.Movie stars, kings, sheiks, chiefs, war heroes, newspaper columnists and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro the Elder appeared in the cables to Baltimore, along with Prince of Japan, the queen of Tonga and an embalmed whale that was attracting a big, paying audience to a London street corner.Despite the heavy file of good-time coverage, the normal meat-and-potatoes diet of political and diplomatic stories did not much decline. There were frequent visits to the House of Commons, where was prime minister again, and I never missed one of Foreign Minister Anthony Eden's briefings for American correspondents, though everybody knew they were a waste of time.I saw a consummate piece of Churchill's theatrical oratory at a party political conference in which he succeeded in persuading Conservatives that he was still capable of serving as prime minister in spite of a stroke suffered a few months earlier.Reporting the actual ceremony of Elizabeth's coronation, which was the fundamental reason I had been sent from the rewrite desk to the north transept of , was perhaps the least interesting aspect of the assignment. Nowadays a coronation would be reported as just another television spectacle from London, where they do spectacle so well. Sending a print reporter to England would be absurd.In 1953, with no satellites to bring the show instantly into American living rooms, the TV networks could only fly their pictures across the Atlantic for showing next day. It was almost surely the last time a print correspondent would struggle with words to give the public an inadequate impression of a show too gaudy for anything but television's best high-def cameras.Russell Baker is a retired journalist whose books include "Growing Up," "The Good Times" and "Looking Back." He worked for The Sun from 1947 through 1954 as a local reporter, London correspondent and reporter.Part 2 in a series of occasional articles.In the music video for hit single " the pop diva vamps across several nightmarish tableaux wearing a variety of barely there lingerie get-ups. The flashy clip caused a sensation when it debuted in November and has racked up 85 million views on . But perhaps its most striking aspect is the unabashed product placement -- conspicuous visual shout-outs to Nemiroff vodka, , Burberry and other brands. Back in the proverbial day -- say, the era, punk rock's '70s heyday, the slacker-era '90s -- a song was a song and a jingle was a jingle and rarely the twain did meet. But now, with CD sales in free fall and opportunities for radio or television airplay increasingly rare, the rules governing the interplay between and advertising are being rewritten. It's no longer possible to "sell out" -- at least, not within a certain time-cherished understanding of the term. Rockers, rappers and up-and-coming pop titans of all stripes are licensing music and image as an integral part of brand-building, which largely has usurped selling music and concert tickets as many musicians' professional end goal.Consider 's smash hit "Forever," which cracked the Top 10 in seven countries in 2008 (before his career-derailing assault on ) and went double platinum. At the start of the song's video, Brown is shown sliding a piece of gum into his mouth before heading out for a night on the town. On "Forever's" chorus, he croons: " 'Cause we only got one night / Double your pleasure, double your fun." Turns out the song was commissioned by Wrigley to promote -- you guessed it -- Doublemint gum. Three months after releasing the single, the chewing gum conglomerate aired its "reveal": a TV commercial version of "Forever" featuring Brown singing about gum and dancing with a pack of Doublemint.The spot generated outcry among music purists, but marketers greeted the spots with awe. "When the reveal happened, some people got upset," recalled Steve Stoute, founder of the firm Translation Consultation & Brand Imaging. "But the number of spins went up and Doublemint went up in awareness."Stoute, who was behind "Forever," also is responsible for 's "I'm Lovin' It" spots for as well as Beyonc's endorsement deal for 's True Star perfume and the career game plan to treat "like a brand" in her own right. "Using entertainment assets to introduce products is a platform that needed to get exploited," said Stoute, a former executive vice president of Interscope Records. "The lines needed to be blurred. When done correctly, there's consumer acceptance."Stoute said his marketing company gets several calls a week from "major artists" in pursuit of their own "Forever." It's not selling out, he argues, if there's an authentic relationship between the music and the product being hawked. "Marketing isn't successful if the consumer feels he or she is being sold something," Stoute said.Personal favorite products 's most recent CD, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," was accompanied by a 34-page mini-magazine bearing the R&B diva's image and emblazoned with an Elle magazine logo. It's a co-production between Carey's label Island Def Jam Music Group and Elle that features such brands as Angel Champagne, Elizabeth Arden and the Bahamas Board of Tourism intermingled with lighter-than-air Mariah-based editorial featurettes: "VIP access to her sexy love life," "Fantasy: the five-time Grammy winner goes behind the scenes of her new drama."Carey pointed out she is personally or commercially invested in everything advertised."Angel Champagne, I guess I'm part owner. The Bahamas, we have a house down there," Carey explained, between bites of caviar at the Polo Lounge. "It all has to do with things that are organic to me. And honestly? I'm a big kid. I thought it would be cute."Island Def Jam is exploring similar branded CD booklet deals for artists including , Rihanna and . It all makes rollicking 1967 concept album "The Who Sell Out" -- which featured faux commercials and cover art depicting band members shilling for deodorant and baked beans -- appear prescient. (In further irony, the Who's epochal 1965 single "My Generation" is currently featured in a commercial for Flo TV.)Scott Lipps, owner and founder of the New York modeling agency One Management, recalls a time not long ago when indie rock acts would sooner pack in their skinny jeans than appear in fashion ads. But now, Lipps has augmented the success of his agency (which represents such A-list glamazons as and ) with its offshoot One (M), dedicated to help place rock and pop stars in precisely such commercial environments. Among them: Alison Mosshart of the Kills and Dave Gahan of , who were featured in ads for the fashion line J. Lindeberg, and the New York pop-rock band the Virgins, who were photographed for a Tommy Hilfiger campaign."People's views on endorsements, doing magazine stuff -- any way to reach fans -- it's all changed. It's not taboo anymore," Lipps said.Lipps, formerly drummer for '80s rock group Black Cherry, remains attentive to the alliance of brand and band. "I'm never going to ask a very cool band to do business with a brand that they would never associate with," said Lipps. "It's about finding that right fit."After the rock quartet OK Go broke into mainstream consciousness with the homemade video for its 2006 single " (featuring the band members performing a synchronized routine on exercise treadmills), they were bombarded with offers to re-create the sequence for TV commercials. The group developed what frontman Damian Kulash calls OK Go's "hell-no criterion": "If it's a product we feel is demeaning or that cannibalizes the meaning or artistry of our song," he explained.Still, the band has remained receptive to overtures from corporate America. Last year, the musicians appeared in print ads and billboards for Banana Republic -- its spring fashion line campaign that also included such artists as , Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba and Sara Bareilles -- attired in natty suits, playing their instruments. "The recording industry has so entirely bottomed out, advertising is one of the only distribution methods that still works," Kulash said after returning from Japan, where he did a photo shoot for the fashion brand Uniqlo. "The music side has a deep ambivalence. It's a pretty major paradigm shift that requires a rethinking of how we see what we do."He added: "I wish we never had to get in bed with that stuff. It doesn't feel particularly good to wear the marketing hat. But our record label isn't paying to put up billboards across the country."It's become fashionableFashion designer John Varvatos faced a similar reluctance when he approached about appearing in print ads and billboards for his streetwise clothing line in 2005. But after convincing the alt-country singer-songwriter that there would be "nothing fakey about him appearing in the clothes," Varvatos went on to land , members of Velvet Revolver and , Perry Ferrell of and 's for subsequent ads.Varvatos said attitudes toward commodifying stardom have changed."I was besieged by people wanting to hook up with us," Varvatos said. "There are a lot of people coming after us now. It's almost the opposite problem now. We have to filter out."The designer was quick to dispel the notion, however, that the performers in his ads were selling out their images in return for some hefty payday. "We don't pay the artists much of anything," Varvatos added. "They've got to really want to do this."Katie Vogel certainly has no regrets over her decision to star in Sprite's online series "Green Eyed World," a digital marketing push that aired last year. The series used YouTube clips, social networking interfaces and the promotion of soda to help the London native launch her career; she brandishes a Sprite-green guitar in the clips and at times people around her are seen quenching their thirst with a certain lemon-lime-flavored refreshment. Asked if she was concerned that the association with the brand might limit her career prospects, Vogel, who now goes by the professional moniker Katie V., insisted there were no downsides."My music, it's being heard," Vogel said. "Even if one person says, 'She's the Sprite singer,' they've heard my music. So I'm happy either way."The following is compiled from police reports from the Towson and Cockeysville precincts. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible.CockeysvilleSunnylake Place, between 9 p.m. Dec. 23 and 10 a.m. Dec. 24. Coins stolen from laundry room machines. Bridgelake Circle, unit block, between 2:30 p.m. Dec. 22 and 1 p.m. Dec. 23; and also between 7:30 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. Dec. 23. Coins stolen from two laundry room machines. Coin slots destroyed. York Road, 13800 block, at 10:33 a.m. Dec. 23. Two men entered PNC Bank branch, threatened with a gun and took cash. They left in gray Chevrolet Suburban.Northpark Drive, unit block, between 7 p.m. Dec. 21 and 8 a.m. Dec. 22. Two laptops stolen from Pollard Associates. Rear window pried open.York Road, 1600 block, between 3 p.m. Dec. 16 and 11 a.m. Dec. 19. Cookies and cheese stolen from office. Door opened by reaching through mail slot.Valley Lake Place, unit block, between 12:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Several items moved around but nothing missing.Cranbrook Hills Place, 10400 block, between 3 p.m. Dec. 13 and 3:20 p.m. Dec. 17. Coins stolen from laundry room machines.York Road, 1200 block, between 5:30 p.m. Dec. 23 and 9:20 a.m. Dec. 24, two offices broken into. Cash stolen from office of Dr. Jun Park, DDS. Front door pried open. Cash stolen from Dr. Michael Sherlock. Entry through boiler room wall.TowsonBlair Hill Lane, 6300 block, between 6 p.m. Dec. 20 and 2:15 a.m. Dec. 21. Glass in side rear door and office door destroyed in building. Unclear whether anything was stolen.Overbrook Road, 400 block, 2:54 p.m. Dec. 20. Two men stole two UPS packages containing two Playstation 3 games, two cookie presses, a camera and a camera bag. Men left in teal Dodge Intrepid with temporary tags.Hopkins Road, 400 block, between 9 a.m. Dec. 17 and 6:15 a.m. Dec 20. Two copper rain spouts stolen from house.East Joppa Road, 1400 block, between 5 p.m. Dec. 15 and 8:21 a.m. Dec. 19. Two air conditioning units stolen from behind building.Southerly Road, 900 block, between Dec. 7 and 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Cell phone, tools and loose change stolen from apartment.Southerly Road, 900 block between Nov. 23 and Dec. 8. Safe containing money, topaz earrings, a Burberry watch, Bulgari sunglasses, and Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses stolen from apartment. No sign of forced entry.Hampton Lane, 500 block, at 12:21 a.m. Dec. 17. Anonymous called said somebody was stealing rain gutters from Towson United Methodist Church. Police caught and arrested Timothy Poole, 20, from . He had ripped off 75 feet of copper downspouts.Valewood Court, 1100 block, between 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21 and noon Dec. 22. Christmas wreath stolen from front door.If you have information about any of these crimes, call the Towson Precinct at 410-887-2361.If you shop at the at , you've probably noticed the plastic hanging up in the shoe department and the smell of paint lingering in the air at times.They're all signs of major remodeling taking place at the department store.When the upgrades are completed in September the store will get an extended kids and intimates section and new brands in the shoe department, among other enhancements. The store is one of the better performing in the Macy's chain and has been identified by the corporate office as an "extreme growth" location, said Macy's divisional vice president Mike Trafford.Hence, all the extra TLC the department store is getting.The retailer is also trying to keep up with recent enhancements at Towson Town Center, including the addition of a luxury wing with stores such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Tiffany's, Trafford said.The improvements will include new carpeting in 75 percent of the store andoverhauled fitting rooms. Brighter lighting will be added to the cosmetics section, which is also the core of the store.Children's will move from the second floor to the lower level where it will have more space and more of a selection. The intimates section will also be expanded.Macy's will also offer more brands as part of the overall enhancement, although Trafford said the store is still working out the details. He'll let us know more in September, he said.So, the renovations may make shopping a little awkward for now. But be patient because Macy's promises a better shopping experience in the fall.Trafford said there are no immediate plans for upgrades at any of the others Macy's in the region.Say "so long" to short skirts and hello (again) to the 1970s. Get ready to banish black from your wardrobe and get creative with color.Now that the spring runway shows are over in New York, Milan and Paris, it's up to department store fashion directors and boutique owners to package the big ideas. Chanel's garden party, Balenciaga's punk brigade and Marc Jacobs' 1970s show were all memorable on the runways, but will they make it to store racks? Here, retailers offer their takeaways from the season, and ideas about how the trends might trickle down to you.Ken Downing, senior vice president and fashion director, Big idea: The vintage effect, fueled by the major YSL retrospective exhibition that just closed in August in Paris. On the runway, designers nodded to Saint Laurent's rich peasant look, Orientalism and "le smoking" [his signature tuxedo].Must haves: Fluid, sheer fabrics and longer hemlines (just above the ankle or to the floor) as we saw at Lanvin, and wide-leg trousers and a white pantsuit with Bianca Jagger swagger. The tuxedo jacket, it's not just evening wear anymore. For accessories, it's all about flat sandals because as a woman begins to add longer hemlines to her wardrobe, flat sandals work best with the new proportion.I'm also loving what I'm calling the "Helmut language" [a reference to Helmut Lang's utilitarian designs from the early 1990s], and the idea of adding a sporty attitude to dressed-up clothing using color-blocking, buckles, straps or parachute fabrics.Will punk take to the streets? Not now. We just cycled through a moment when the 1980s were really influential, along with strong shoulders, so punk doesn't look new to me. But where it ends up, we'll have to watch the runways to find out.Colleen Sherin, fashion market director, Saks Fifth AvenueBig idea: The color story. Bold, bright, vibrant color worked into color-blocked effects and combining colors in unexpected ways.Must haves: A longer-length skirt or dress as seen at and Proenza Schouler in New York, DG and Fendi in Milan and Chanel in Paris. Open-weave knitwear in natural white, ivory or beige crochet, macram, mesh or fishnet, as seen at Rag Bone, Alexander Wang, for Tse, Alberta Ferretti and Celine. And a crisp poplin shirt. We saw it with slouchy wide-leg trousers and skirts for a pared-down look. We also saw it as a play on masculine and feminine at Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Celine. A trench coat looks great with a longer hemline peeking out. I love the sheer organza ones at Phillip Lim and Christian Cota, and the matte python trench at Emilio Pucci.In terms of accessories, fringe is everywhere on handbags, jewelry and scarves. A shoulder or flap bag is key because it fits into the 1970s trend, as does a pair of platform wedges.Will punk take to the streets? Not in a big way. We've done that trend recently with leathers and studs and grommets, and not enough time has passed to go back. But it may be something we will touch on in our contemporary department.Stephanie Solomon, fashion director, Big idea: Color and print. And this is a serious shift because we've been in love with black for so long.Must haves: A dress or skirt with a hemline hovering around the knees or below. In New York, Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, Derek Lam, Marc Jacobs, and Rebecca Taylor all had great longer lengths. In Milan, we saw it at Versace, Dolce Gabbana, Jil Sander and Roberto Cavalli. Sometimes these longer skirts have asymmetrical hems or slits, which we saw at Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Stella McCartney.It sounds like a myth that hemlines matter, but they do because when you go longer, you have to change your shoes and you have to change your coat. You need flat, wedge or platform sandals. And the long trench coat is chicest with this length. I'm also liking boyfriend jackets over longer skirts.Will punk take to the streets? In a way. You have to have the rock 'n' roll element, otherwise it would get too boring. I would take a studded leather jacket, something that looks worn and torn and ragged from Burberry Prorsum or Givenchy, and put it over a really frothy feminine dress like we saw at Dior. That dichotomy looks right. Or you can be a punk one day and a virgin the next!Follow 10 Things Before the Opening Bell and never miss an update! Please Note: Business Insider will never share your information with any other companies. You also have the ability to unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time simply by following the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of each email Another sign of how dependent the world is on China is that nearly one third of luxury shoppers in London are Chinese tourists.Chinese tourists account for 30 percent of the luxury goods market in England, CBRE tells the . They are followed by Russians, Arabs and Japanese, with British making up only 15 percent of the market.You may noticed the same trend if you go shopping in New York.While austerity-stricken Brits can't afford Gucci and Burberry, Chinese has been flooded with money. Shopping abroad Chinese can avoid the high taxes on luxury goods imposed by Beijing.High-end stores have started hiring Mandarin speakers to handle the new market, according to the Mail.Don't Miss: If you're wondering why would pay $1 billion for (a company that has no revenue) even though Facebook already has a popular photo-sharing app, the answer is that it's all about advertising revenue.We chatted with Simon Mansell, CEO of , a company that sells and manages advertising on Facebook. He gave us these insights into how Facebook might make money from its money-losing deal:1. People can follow and Like brands on Instagram the same way they do on Facebook. Instagram is one of the few social media where people voluntarily subscribe to brands such as . Brand Pages are enormously important to Facebook, as they're the bedrock and entry-level offering for most advertisers. Adweek adds:About a dozen brands, including , are already integrating their Instagram accounts with their Facebook pages through a product released by social media marketing company Vitrue last month. The so-called "tab module" allows brands to import their stream of Instagram pictures directly into their photo-friendly Facebook Timelines.2. It allows Facebook to copy . for its promoted tweets, which appear in users' tweet streams even if they don't subscribe to those brands. Instagram will allow Facebook to insert promoted or sponsored posts into Instagram users' photo streams. "Currently, if people you follow on Instagram like stuff you are not following you would NOT see that they liked this," Mansell says. Facebook could change that so that anything you like appears to your followers that it came from the original sourcethe advertiser, in this case. If Facebook allowed promoted photos, "people wouldn't think it was weird as they would have started seeing stuff from brands they are not following already."3. It keeps people addicted to photos on Facebook, and Facebook makes money by selling ads next to users' photo albums. A huge part of Facebook's stickiness revolves around photos. Who wants to leave the site that contains years' worth of family snaps? Instagram was proving so popular that it threatened that photo storage stickiness. Mansell believes this is why Facebook paid $1 billion to acquire the company even though it has no revenue: "Even if it's just 100th of a threat, and they [Facebook] pay 100th of their value, then it kind of makes sense."4. It hurts Twitter and with a single blow. Instagram currently uses the Foursquare's APIthe sign-in thingy, in non-nerd-speakfor access and location. Mansell believes Facebook will switch that to Facebook's API. That immediately renders Foursquare less relevant. With Facebook/Instagram users continuing to post Instagram pics on Twitter, the new company will now throw off a stream of data about how far its photos reach inside the Twitter environment. That's data Facebook didn't previously have on the micro-blog company. "This gives them more info on whether they're losing market share to Twitter, that's my theory."5. It helps Facebook gain local advertisers. "The Instagram/Facebook API creates a lot of location data linked to the identity information Facebook holds, and thus creates new opportunities on the site for advertisers on Facebook to target against. This could be especially interesting for local businesses for example," Mansell says. "They can get more cupcake companies and local retailers advertising on Facebook, and that will be a huge market."See Also:Singer Adele is in talks to design a plus-sized collection for luxury brand Burberry, according to a .She was reportedly approached by creative director Christopher Bailey about designing a line for "voluptuous" customers, wrote reporter Sarah Karmali.As far as we can tell, she would be the brand's first plus-sized spokesmodel.Luxury fashion houses have notoriously eschewed plus-sized customers, even as the global population gets bigger.Burberry's past spokesmodels have included lithe actresses and models like Emma , Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Agyness Deyn.But despite the fashion world's obsession with skinny young people, the people who can afford to buy Burberry and other luxury brands are olderand probably biggerthan the women they're hiring to advertise the brand.Burberry has fallen on tough times recently, on macroeconomic uncertainty.It's possible that catering to a major segment of the population will provide Burberry with the boost it desperately needs.Will other luxury brands follow suit? Time will tell.DON'T MISS:APSlimy Slinky Winfield aka Slinky Sunbeam left Adele... for a Burberry model.After the world wondered who the wretched fellow was who broke the beloved Adele's heart so badly that she later won six Grammy awards singing about it, has uncovered the now notorious man who "could have had it all."Meet Slinky, the singer/actor who hails from a faded seaside resort town in England and is described by friends as a "popular guy, the life and soul of the party.""Hes a seriously good-looking guy. He has a great body and likes to wear vests to show it off," a source (Slinky?) close to Adele told the NYP. "And he has this crazy hair which reminds me of Jimi Hendrixits really wild and untamed."Slinky and Adele initially met through mutual art world friends in London and bonded over their shared love of music, although his "material is more underground and kind of art-school trendy.And as hard as we tried to get over the fact that Slinky apparently has a penchant for wearing vests with nothing underneath, it's this video below that has us seriously questioning Adele's taste in men.But just how serious the relationship was seems to be up for debate.They never lived together, and I cant really recall Slinky ever describing Adele as his girlfriend, admits the source.Adds a music industry insider, "Im not saying she made it up, but theres a strong suspicion that shes gilding the lily.Meanwhile, as Slinky remains under the radar, some hilarious genius has created a parody account under the name, @AdelesExBF.The @AdelesExBF handle already has over 4,000 followers and has tweeted gems such as: "One time a black pen exploded in Adele's mouth and she actively did nothing about it," "Adele would print out old transcripts of 'Caroline in the City' and make me watch as she performed every role," and "Adele used to microwave single pieces of bologna because she liked it 'dry.'"One of the most interesting parts about Raj Rajaratnam's trial at the U.S District courthouse in downtown Manhattan -- ostensibly Clusterstock's second home for the next six weeks -- are the people who won't admit why they're there.People who are attempting to go unnoticed; people who say: "I'm just an observer" or "just thought I'd take a look" or "just watching."I met my first Observer in line this morning, waiting to be escorted to the courtroom. He was a slim man wearing a felt grey coat, a checked scarf, glasses and he was reading a New Yorker. Watchless and Blackberry-less, I asked for the time and if there was a special area for press.Yes, press were already being assembled upstairs, but only those with credentials. My NYPD press credentials still en route (we applied yesterday), I was doomed to wait in the "Raj Rajartnam overflow" line.I asked the man if he was credential-less press too. He was not. "I'm just an observer," he said, and went back to reading his magazine."Just an observer?" I prodded."I'm a lawyer." Pause. "I'm part of a group of lawyers for another party... I represent another party that's in the mix."In the mix = Raj's trial obviously involves a ton of other defendants, and the wider Galleon probe, even more. This man obviously represented one such person. Or people.He went on."There are a lot of people... companies... here."Ah. Of course. Characters from companies like Intel to Google to Hilton Hotels (whose stocks were traded based on alleged insider information) to hedge funds including Galleon and Spherix (who's employees are implicated) to corporate behemoths like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey (who's current and former partners may be called to testify), all have an interest in watching this trial with a hawk-eye.Suddenly the courthouse took on a sinister spirit -- I felt like there were coated, hatted individuals roaming the halls on every floor, looking for clues and intelligence to take back to more featureless faces at corporate headquarters across Manhattan. Obviously, I've watched too many movies... Or maybe I've just seen to many commercials for the new Matt Damon movie. Either way, I told myself to start thinking about Rajartnam's cherub-like face and contented demeanor before I totally lost my cool.Later on, as I was leaving the courtroom, three men in black coats walked out ahead of me. One of the men, with blonde slicked back hair, pressed the button for the elevator, and turned around and said something along the lines of -- what a blast -- drenched of course, in sarcasm."I'm waiting for the all the questions about Wall Street," I said as we stepped into the elevator."Wall Street? Which questions?" the man said."Yeah, there's a part of the questionnaire where they ask jurors if they're biased against Wall Street, and if they think bankers are greedy, and if they think they're dishonest... I cover Wall Street, so I think that will be interesting."The man nodded slowly, and said "yeah, it should be interesting."On the ground floor, we headed toward security to collect our confiscated electronics and I asked what they were doing here. A man with black, thinning hair -- taller than the other two -- in a Burberry-like tartan scarf said, "just watching.""No you're not," I said. "No-one comes here just to watch. And there's three of you. You didn't just drop by.""If you don't mind, can I ask who you report for?""Business Insider. Now will you tell me who you work for."The man smiled and repeated his earlier refrain about just-being-here-to-take-a-look.We walked through the revolving doors out onto Pearl Street."Look," I said. "I know there are a ton of lawyers here for other defendants; people watching for companies. At least tell me which company you work for, off the record."He smiled and put on a black beanie, and said, "You'll know who we are, soon enough." And then the trio walked west, phones out and ear-poised, along Pearl Street.Skyrocketing social networking andmobile usagehas led many to speculate on the key business model for mobile-social services. The most common answer is local commerce.But, checking in is not becoming a mainstream activity (see chart) and local couponing experiments aren't working so well.In a from, we analyze how another potential solution, social discovery, could become the future for mobile social-apps.Here's how it could work:In full, our:Skyrocketing social networking andmobile usagehas led many to speculate on the key business model for mobile-social services. The most common answer is local commerce.But, checking in is not becoming a mainstream activity (see chart) and local couponing experiments aren't working so well.In a on Mobile and Social from, we analyze how another potential solution, social discovery, could become the future for mobile social-apps.Here's how it could work:In full, our:disneydreaming.comPre-social media, the biggest benefit of building online stores for large brands like Nine West, Burberry or La Perla has been the ability to listen to customers. The direct link on the home page, whether its info@, assistance@ or customerservice@, has opened an easy-to-use communications tool between brand and customer that had not existed prior to the old school suggestion box.When launching NineWest.com in 1998, we immediately started getting emails from customers when we moved sandals off the site in September. They were being moved off the selling floor in the Northeastern United States, so why not on the website, which was being managed out of New York?Well, we had customers from Texas, California and Florida who had their eyes on sandals on the site, and when we moved the inventory to make room for boots, those customers were very vocal. That was my first lesson in online merchandising- you need to keep in mind customers from varying locales.While working at Burberry in 2004, one day we had increased traffic to a trench coat on Burberry.com from a Sony URL. It turns out a rap artist under the label blogged about buying the coat for his girlfriend with a direct link to the product page. Not only did he drive traffic to the page, but we also sold out of the coat. Lesson here is never underestimate the power of influence.While managing the e-commerce of LaPerla.com, another lesson learned was to pay attention to cultural influences. In 2009, while reviewing daily analytics and seeing a spike in traffic but flat conversions, when I checked the most popular key words and site referrers on Google Analytics, I noticed traffic and words related to james bond or james bond swimsuit.It turns out that three years after the theatrical release of Casino Royale, Turner was celebrating James Bond week and was running the trailer of Daniel Craig coming out of the water, wearing his La Perla swim trunks and looking like a demigod. Unfortunately, we couldnt convert the traffic since we had sold out of the trunks three years prior, and it had also been discontinued. Our team managed to order 20 remaining swim trunks from Bologna in a different style, received the product five weeks later and put them live on the site, where they promptly sold out. It is still unknown to me how many of those swim trunks we could have sold. Lesson learned- you cannot predict demand and supply. Or can you?StyleTrek is my vision for where e-commerce is headed: very social and where the influence of many and the few matter. I wanted to utilize the power of viral marketing and social media to promote unknown designers and help them sell their products online, to provide a way for designers to get input from their customers and for customers to be involved in supporting designers, either through posting encouraging and uplifting comments or participating in the creative process. I wanted to apply all my lessons learned to support emerging designers and create a forum where style experts and novices alike can have a say in which designers we feature and what products we sell on StyleTrek.Engagement with customers is often unpredictable. For established brands that have invested 50-plus years building a customer base on carefully articulated messaging sometimes based on artful illusion, social media can be intimidating. For emerging designers, social media is an opportunity to be heard, promoted and compared along with more established brands. At StyleTrek we do not fear engagement, we relish in it.Within a short timeframe, we were able to find 25 talented designers from five continents through crowd sourcing. As StyleTrek continues to evolve, we look forward to mining data so we may determine not only which designers our customers want the most, but also which trends are passing or here to stay, which colors, patterns, skirt lengths are most desirable. The evolution of e-commerce has come a long way, and StyleTrek plans to be a large part of this movement.--CPEditors Note: StyleTrek CEO Cecilia Pagkalinawan will be a featured speaker at MESA Presents: Social Commerce on Tuesday, March 15 in NYC.iframe src=http://www.businessinsider.com/embed?id=4ea1bbb185b582f765000027amp;width=600amp;height=430 width=600 height=430 border=0 frameborder=0/iframeHeres a sneak preview of the Burberry Autumn Winter 2011 ad campaign shot by Mario Testino. The winter collection for men and women is ever so British, and ever so Burberry. We are quite in love with the military wintery looks and colours. Do you have a favorite? Share your thoughts in comments belowRead more posts on Even companies at the top of the retail food chain are suffering. Luxury brand Burberry is cutting up to 540 jobs (roughly 9% of its workforce) in Great Britain and Spain, despite a 30% rise in revenue at the end of 2008. The fashion label hopes that the cuts will save as much as $50 million a year.: Burberry's decision to cut staff reflects broader troubles among makers of luxury goods, which had hoped to be safe from the hardship elsewhere because of their affluent clientele. But while some, such as Compagnie Financire Richemont SA, owner of glamorous brands such as Cartier and Chlo, have reported sales declines or laid off temporary staff, Burberry is the first to announce cuts to its permanent workers.Analysts say they expect more cuts to come at other luxury-goods companies. "In the same way that we see a trickle-down effect, in retail, we also see a trickle-up effect," said Bryan Roberts, global research director at consultancy Planet Retail in London. "High-end players are less vulnerable to the downturn, but that doesn't mean they are not affected."See Also: Burberry just warned that its Q2 earnings would come in at the low end of analysts' expectations.The stock is getting slammed.In a , the luxury goods maker said that sales had decelerated:Against strong comparatives last year, retail sales growth at constant exchange rates was 6% in the 10 weeks to 8 September 2012. Of this, new space contributed 6% while comparable store sales were unchanged year-on-year, with a deceleration in recent weeks. Ahead of the key retail trading period in the second half, Burberry currently expects adjusted profit before tax for the twelve months to 31 March 2013 to be around the lower end of market expectations.Angela Ahrendts, Chief Executive Officer, commented:"As we stated in July, the external environment is becoming more challenging. In this context, second quarter retail sales growth has slowed against historically high comparatives. Given this background, we are tightly managing discretionary costs and taking appropriate actions to protect short term profitability, while continuing to execute on our proven five key strategies.Heres the Burberry Eyewear Summer 2012 collection for men and women. The new collection features timeless aviator eyewear styles for men and women, reflecting the effortless attitude of the English brand. Burberry Eyewear is available from , Burberry stores and selected retailers worldwide from April 2012.Also, Burberry presents British musicians One Night Only, Life in Film, The Daydream Club and Marika Hackman. Curated by Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, the campaign, shot in London, celebrates emerging British talent. The campaign features Burberrys iconic eyewear styles and encapsulates the spirit and energy of the brand, music and the British summer.Read more posts on , lead by creative director Christopher Bailey, showed its Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2013 collection in Milan earlier today. Guests included British musicians Roo Panes, George Craig and Rob Pryor and British actress Michelle Dockery as well as Nicolas Vaporidis, Giorgia Surina, Elyas M’Barek, Eros Galbiati and Alex Uhlmann. Burberry ad campaign models Seb Brice, Johnny George and Charlie France walked the runway.Read more posts on Burberry Prorsums Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2012 collection hits the runway in London today, and you can watch it live on . The Burberry show starts at 4PM London time, Monday 20 February, 2012. Once it begins, you can watch the Burberry Prorsum Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2012 live stream video directly below – . Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey is also around the collection, demonstrating (yet again) the that just won the brand International Retailer of the Year honors. embedSyndicatePlayer("syndicate-player-container", width: 560, height: 400, language: "en", country: "gb" ); Read more posts on Shot in London, heres the first look at the Burberry Spring/Summer 2012 ad campaign, featuring new British models Eddie Redmayne and Cara Delevingne. According to Burberry, The cast reflects different facets and attitudes of the Burberry guy and girl. The campaign reinforces the brand’s heritage in protection from the weather, showcasing outerwear including trench coats and parka. Photos © Copyright Burberry/TestinoRead more posts on The purveyor of overpriced plaid saw it's stock sink to lows not seen since it's IPO, as it warned of sluggish demand. Burberry's CEO, Angela Ahrendts says, "After 30 years in the industry, I have never been more concerned about the market environment." But it doesn't haver her feeling pessimistic, quite the opposite: "I have never been more optimistic about the prospects for our company."What's got her feeling so great? The new line of goods, of course, which includes a $187 denim handbag for the poors, and more stuff with the famous plaid pattern on it, as well as a new shipping method--no more through the air, it's on the sea. How luxurious!: Burberry Group Plc fell the most in London trading since going public in 2002 after predicting profit in the lower half of analysts' estimates and slower store openings as the global economic slump saps luxury-goods demand.Burberry slid as much as 18 percent, wiping about 160 million pounds ($240 million) off its market value. Pretax earnings may be at the ``mid to lower'' end of analysts' projections in the current fiscal year, and its average selling space will increase less than 10 percent next year, said the London-based company, which reported higher first-half profit as well.The clothier also said sales to department stores and other third-party distributors may drop in the current half after predicting no change previously. Demand for luxury goods is slowing as shrinking economies and market turmoil cause even the wealthiest shoppers to cut back, weighing on sales and profits at companies from Bulgari SpA to PPR SA.Bummer for some, but this doesn't affect us. The only time we wear Burberry is to swim:L2, a company that conducts research on digital business innovation, has released a study on the most web-savvy designers. Burberry, which this week reported a 30-percent revenue rise for the first half of the financial year mainly due to a boom in the Chinese market, came out on top proof that digital investments translate to shareholder value, according to L2.Judging from its analysis, it is safe to say that those brands that connected the dots between social media and e-commerce fared best in the ranking. Cultivating something extra, like Burberrys music division for instance, resulted in one of the top spots.Released this week, the reports top ten also include Kate Spade thanks to the highest social media score, Gucci with its shoppable video content and recent Tumblr launch, and Tory Burch whose Facebook store leads the fashion F-commerce (r)evolution.“From live streams to runway shows to an arms race on social media platforms,brands are seeking the halo of innovation that comes from inspired online programming. However, most fashion brands still approach digital as a series of pet projects rather than presenting a coherent multi-platform strategy. Although 94 percent of brands in the Index have a presence on Facebook, one in five still lacks e-commerce capability, said Scott Galloway of L2.Hugo Bosss interactive YouTube channel, Louis Vuittons Amble travel app (and a leading performance on Foursquare), as well as Donna Karans social media personality DKNY PR Girl (whos up for a Mashable award from the tech website) also resulted in high scores in the ranking.The full study can be found .Read more posts on Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts faces pushback from one of the UK's biggest lobbyist groups, which advised shareholders to take a hard line next week, when the luxury goods company holds its annual meeting. that last year Ahrendts took a $9.2 million share payment, about six times her base salary, which Pirc found "excessive."Granted, the company is doing well: its stock rose 237% over two years. In May, the London-based company announced plans to double spending on new stores and renovation around the world -- especially in China, where business is up 30%."The luxury market has turned around," Ahrendts in a recent interview. "It's up double digits around the world."For the first time in history, rich people are actually getting poorer, and luxury retailers are freaking out about it.The average income for the top 5 percent of people fell from $358,700 in 2006 to$313,298 in 2010,Pam Danziger, president of luxury research firm Unity Marketing said in a report. That means that swanky retailers are furiously vying for customers' discretionary income.We saw this trend , whose shares slid 20 percent after the retailer reported sales were down. CEOAngela Ahrendts blamed the trend on the "external environment."Danziger explained why declining incomes are hitting the luxury retailer especially hard:"Because these same consumers are significantly invested in their high-end lifestyle with income committed to a wide-range of fixed expenses to maintain that lifestyle, it's in discretionary spending where they are going to take their cuts. So that translates into less money to spend each month for clothes, shoes and handbags, jewelry and home decorative accessories. These folks have plenty of all that stuff already, so it is the easiest, most painless way to adjust one's budget when there is less money coming in each month."The days of "shop 'til you drop" for the wealthy are long gone, Danziger said. This means that luxury retailers are working hard to figure out how to catch consumers' attention.We checked out some luxury retailers for signs of the trend:To get the consumer's attention, even the luxury retailers are working harder than ever.DON'T MISS:If youre a big fan of China trademark squatting, or rather stories about the issue, check this out. have done a bit of digging and come up with some good examples of China trademark squatters who have registered famous UK brands:Investors in UK companies from Mulberry to Burberry owe much of their recent new found wealth to China’s love of prestige marques. But the country’s love of a name has taken a fresh twist.An investigation by the The Daily Telegraph has found that it’s not just handbags that the Chinese are snapping up. It’s the names of the brands themselves.In a revelation that will shock many UK business leaders, it has emerged that High Street names are being registered by Chinese individuals in their droves.Nice article, although if any UK business leaders are shocked at this information, they probably shouldnt be leading anyone about anything. This is a well-known story that international business types should already know about.Some nice quotes in there by China Law Blogs Dan Harris. I think some additional context might have been helpful to explain this one, however:Chinese courts look dimly on Western companies who complain their brand has been registered by another party in “bad faith”.This is one of those it depends situations. If you go to court (or, more likely, the Trademark Review and Administrative Board) with sufficient evidence, then TRAB will, eventually, be happy to rule on your trademark cancellation action. It might take a couple years, though, which might be a non-starter for a lot of folks. Thats why Dan suggests that a re-branding might be necessary. However, for brand owners like Hermes and Chivas, the problem was lack of evidence that they were well-known in China at the time the mark was registered by the squatter.Anyway, good stuff. Go read it.© Stan for , 2012. Add toPost tags: , , Read more posts on China posted yet another quarter of stellar economic growth in the first quarter of 2011, with its gross domestic product (GDP) growing 9.7%. However, analysts are worried about some of the side effects that have accompanied that growth- namely soaring inflation and the emergence of speculative bubbles.Inflation in China hit a 32-month high in March, and the country's real estate market is beyond scorching.Policymakers in Beijing insist they have the situation under control, and they've been trying to rein in liquidity and curb speculation to prove it. That's why China's economy, accustomed to double-digit growth, is only expected to grow 8% to 9% this year.Of course, while China may be experiencing some acute growing pains, its economy regressed the least in the wake of the global financial crisis - and it will continue to operate as the engine of global economic growth going forward, even if the United States relapses into recession.In fact, China's GDP will rise from $11.2 trillion in 2011 to $19 trillion in 2016, while the U.S. economy will increase from $15.2 trillion to $18.8 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). That means in five years China will have supplanted the United States as the world's No. 1 economy.China's share of the global economy will ascend from 14% to 18% in that time, while the United States' share will descend to 17.7%.A Guide to China's EconomyThe rise of China's economy - now the world's second largest - has been meteoric. But the time has come for the country to evolve from a source of cheap labor and manufacturing to a fully developed economic power with a consumer class that's capable of sustaining domestic growth.China already has made some remarkable progress in rebalancing its economy. The country's trade surplus is narrowing and wages are on the rise.The central government is targeting an increase in minimum wages of 13% a year through 2015. Additionally, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao aims to increase per capita household income by 7% a year in real terms during that period. He's also pledged to improve the social security and healthcare systems to help low-income households and to raise the personal income tax threshold - all in an effort to give the country's 1.3 billion people more spending power."We will ensure that people's income increases keep pace with economic growth and people's salary growth keeps pace with the productivity rise," Wen said last month in an online chat with the Chinese public.China's 31 provinces boosted minimum wages by an average of 24% last year, according to Yin Weimin, China's minister of human resources and social security. Meanwhile, the average monthly income for migrant workers rose 13% to $256.89 (1,690 yuan).Six provinces have already raised minimum wages this year, with labor shortages and government mandates likely to compel the remaining 25 to follow suit.Rising wages have directly translated to an increase in retail sales, which rose 16.3% to $657.29 billion (4.2922 trillion yuan) in the first quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Sales in March rose 17.4% from a year earlier, and edged up 1.34% from February."China is trying to rebalance its economy to become more consumer oriented. Wages are rising. People are earning more and will shop more, and that's good news for Chinese retailers," Andrew Sullivan, Director of Institutional Sales Trading at OSK Securities in Hong Kong, .Shockingly, the country that for so long has been infamous for its thriftiness As of December 2010, sales of luxury goods in China rose to $10.7 billion, or 30% of total global sales, up from $9.4 billion in 2009, according to the World Luxury Association (WLA).Luxury brands like Coach Inc.(NYSE: COH), LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton SA (PINK: LVMHF), Burberry Group PLC (PINK: BURBY), and Hermes International SCA (PINK: HESAF) have all benefited from China's splurging.Coach last week reported a better-than-expected 18% increase in fiscal third-quarter profit, thanks largely to China. China revenue currently totals about $185 million and continues to increase by double-digit percentages, the company said.Rolls Royce saw its China sales rise 600% last year, putting it above Britain as the company's second-biggest customer behind the United States.China's luxury car sales are expected to rise to more than 909,900 units this year, up from about 727,200 last year, according to forecasts by IHS Automotive. And that number could climb to 1.6 million by 2015.China is already the world's largest auto market, with 18 million units sold last year. That figure is expected to grow to 23 million by 2015.As further testament to China's newfound consumer wealth, the GroupM Knowledge-Hurun Wealth Report 2011 showed the number of millionaires on the mainland is up 9.7% from a year ago. And the country has 115 billionaires according to Forbes magazine's 2011 list -- second only to the United States.Indeed, China's domestic consumption has shown the rapid growth that has become the country's trademark. But more importantly, it's advanced the central government's goal of a more balanced economy by helping to reduce the nation's disproportionate trade surplus.China in March posted its first trade deficit - about $1 billion - since 2004.Strong demand for imported consumer goods and higher prices for commodities drove the value of China's imports to $152 billion in March. The value of China's imports hit a record high of more than $400 billion in the first three months of the year.Last year, China ran a trade surplus of about $15.25 billion a month. However, 2010 also was the second consecutive year in which the trade surplus shrank, falling 6.4% from 2009 to $183.1 billion.The State Information Center forecast China's imports to rise 20% in 2011, while exports will increase by 16%. That would trim the trade surplus by 13.2%.China wants to double its imports by 2015, reducing the trade surplus to zero and emancipating itself from an export-reliant economy.Potential Setbacks to China's EconomyOf course, China's rapid transformation has not gone off without a hitch. Inflation remains uncomfortably high, and there are fears of a growing bubble in the nation's red-hot property market.The most recent consumer price index showed inflation rising at 5.4% in March, the fastest pace in three years.China's inflation rate will likely rise above 5.5% in June, a team of economists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said in a report yesterday (Wednesday). However, that's likely to be the peak as Chinese policymakers are working overtime to stifle inflation at the expense of growth.The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has raised the benchmark interest rate four times- an increase of 100 basis points - and the reserve requirement seven times since October."Stabilizing prices and managing inflation expectations are critical," the PBOC said in a first-quarter monetary policy report published yesterday.Still, China's economy is overheating because capital is flowing into the mainland faster than it is flowing out. China's foreign exchange reserves, having increased by $197 billion in the first three months of the year, now exceed $3 trillion.Indeed, huge trade surpluses and the large-scale purchases of U.S. Treasuries - which China makes to suppress the yuan's value - have resulted in a 17-fold increase in the country's reserves over the past decade.For every dollar that goes into China's reserves, the country prints 6.5 yuan.Furthermore, lending and money supply in the country continue to grow faster than expected.China's top four state-owned banks dispersed $40.1 billion (260.6 billion yuan) in new loans in April, slightly higher than the $37.3 billion (242 billion yuan) issued in March, according to local financial news provider Caixin. This is despite the fact that China's biggest banks are required to keep 20% of their deposits on hand as reserves."What China calls total social financing' - conventional bank loans and most other external sources of finance - was still 38% of GDP in the first quarter of 2011, almost as high as in 2009 when China implemented a credit-centric stimulus program," UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) economist . "The credit intensity of growth, or the amount of new credit generated for each unit of GDP growth, has risen from 1-1.3 before 2009 to 4.3 in 2011."Many of the new loans are going into China's property market, which is accelerating at a dangerous pace.The value of homes sold in the first quarter increased to $132 billion (860.7 billion yuan), the Statistics Bureau said last month, driving overall property transactions 27% higher to $157 billion (1.02 trillion yuan).The total value of homes sold in March alone rose to $63.7 billion (414 billion yuan), which is close to the total of the first two months of this year combined. New home construction rose 20% in the first quarter to 310.2 million square meters (3.34 billion square feet), the statistics bureau said.Overall investment in China's real estate rose 34% to $136.4 billion (885 billion yuan) in the first quarter, according to the government data.Startlingly, these figures suggest that Beijing's attempts to cool the property market so far have been ineffective."While these growth rates are below ones seen in early 2010, they remain high relative to what developers are reporting and what the policy tightening would have suggested," Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) analysts said in a report. "We see this as a sign that the tightening probably has not yet been fully implemented at the local level."A rising number of institutions are growing concerned about China's real estate market.Even China Citic Bank Corp. Ltd. (OTC: CHCJY), the seventh-largest Chinese lender by assets, said yesterday that the country's property market has become too risky and it plans to cut lending to the sector."Citic Bank relatively clearly sees that real estate risk this year is severe," Shi Yuan, the general manager of the bank's risk management section, said on a quarterly teleconference. "We especially are paying attention to risks in the funding chain for developers. We believe as tightening continuously gets stronger, the true real estate risks will appear."Still, it's important to remember that while bubbles may be forming - especially in the property market - the overall trend of China's growth is positive."Yes there are probably pockets of bubbles in China and in the real estate market, but against that backdrop you have 500 million people expected to move into Chinese cities by 2020. That means the number of people expected to move into cities is almost double the population of the United States," said Money Morning Chief Investment Strategest Keith Fitz-Gerald. "So in the context of China's explosive growth, what we're looking at are some moderate setbacks over an extended period of high growth."China Investment PlaysIndeed, China is a growth story too compelling to pass up. However, investors should focus on parts of the Chinese economy more stable than the real estate sector.That means playing trends like consumption.The Claymore/Alpha Shares China Small Cap ETF (NYSE: HAO) has a large percentage of its holdings in consumer-focused firms. Consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors represent 9.3% and 15.8%, respectively, of the fund's holdings.You might also consider large U.S. multinationals that have a sizeable footprint in China. These companies continue to benefit from China's fast-growing consumer class and are less susceptible to potential setbacks.McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) are two food operators Additionally, the revamped General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) has a very strong presence in China. GM is expected to retake the crown for most global auto sales from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE ADR: TM), which has been devastated by the recent disasters in Japan.The company intends to introduce more than 60 new or upgraded models for the Chinese market and aims to double sales to around 5 million units by 2015.There's also China Yuchai International Ltd. (NYSE: CYD), which manufactures and sells diesel engines - most of which are distributed in China.As mentioned earlier, luxury sales in China continue to rise as well. That stands to benefit luxury brands like Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH), Burberry Group PLC (PINK: BURBY), and Compagnie Finciere Richemont (PINK: CFRUY).Finally, Money Morning's Fitz-Gerald likes the Morgan Stanley China A Shares Fund (NYSE: CAF)."I particularly like CAF because small business ventures in China have the most to gain and most of those companies are traded only in China A shares," said Fitz-Gerald. "And CAF is the only fund that gives U.S. investors direct access' to the A-shares." A recent portfolio allocation of the fund showed 28% of its holdings were in consumer goods and services, 26% were in financials and 18% were in basic materials.CAF also holds shares in companies that make auto components and beverages, among other products, and has numerous stocks in the metals and mining sectors.This originally appeared at . American magazine editors, prepare to be jealous of Angelica Cheung.The EIC of Chinese Vogue has a great problem: too much advertising."I have to sit down at a desk to flip through it," she the Guardian. "It is going to get very difficult to read. It's too heavy. Maybe it will have to be two magazines in future."China has a huge population of millionaires -- almost a million -- and their taste for expensive products is almost exponentially increasing.According to the Guardian article, Burberry is building almost 40 more stores in the next five years, and the country will become the world's biggest luxury market in four years.All this leads to massive profit for a magazine industry that has seen advertising spending jump from $166m to $450m in a decade.Publishers are taking note. Conde in 2009, GQ in October of that year. Hearst also is in China where Harper's Bazaar .Soon, Cheung might have some new colleagues with whom to "commiserate."()Follow Closing Bell and never miss an update! Please Note: Business Insider will never share your information with any other companies. You also have the ability to unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time simply by following the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of each email wallstcheatsheet.comIn a new note, explains that one of their big investing themes is hot brands in emerging markets.The company identified these 20 stocks as being best to capitalized.They're based on a an Emerging Consumer Servey. Each stock has the characteristic of becoming more popular among higher income groups, suggesting big opportunities as people get wealthier.AP/Eugene Hoshiko was quick to lower price targets today on eight luxury good conglomerates following the close of Paris fashion week., fears that a slowing Chinese consumer will cut back put pressure on the mostly French firms. AnalystFrancesca DiPasquantonio noted that markets remain focused on 2012 uncertainty as opposed to current healthy returns.PPR, the owner of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Puma saw the deepest cut. DiPasquantonio lowered the $14 billion firm's target price by 17% to120., holder of iconic brands like Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Tag Heuer, had its target price cut 8%.Smaller brands Salvatore Ferragamo and Burberry took haircuts of 12% and 14%, respectively. Deutsche Bank maintained mostly buy and hold ratings on the sector, expecting segment growth of 6% to outpace global GDP growth of 3% next year.Hermes remained the only company on the list with a sell rating, trading 40% above target.Harry Potter has been doing well for all-grown up Emma Watson.Emma, a 19-year-old college student in Rhode Island, was doled out $30 million in 2009, more than any other actress in Hollywood.She was also the youngest person on the list, which included Cameron Diaz and Sarah Jessica Parker, according to .She got $15 million paychecks for both Parts 1 and 2 of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'Watson also has lucrative advertising contracts with fashion companies like Burberry.Even though she was the top-paid actress on the list, she was No. 14 on the full list.The top ten are:1. Michael Bay, producer-director ($125 million)2. Steven Spielberg, producer-director ($85 million)3. Roland Emmerich, producer-director ($70 million)4. James Cameron, producer-director ($50 million)5. Todd Phillips, director ($44 million)6. Daniel Radcliffe, actor ($41 million)7. Ben Stiller, actor ($40 million)8. Tom Hanks, actor ($36 million)9. J. J. Abrams, producer-director ($36 million)10. Jerry Bruckheimer, producer ($35.5 million)Forexpros – European stocks closed mixed Tuesday, on slowing German and Chinese industrial output amid Greek debt talk concerns . After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 gained 0.25%, France's CAC 40 advanced 0.18%, while Germany's DAX slipped 0.16%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 dropped 0.03%. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papdemos is gathering the nation’s leaders to reach consensus on the fiscal cuts required for another European Union led bailout package. Greek policy makers have already agreed on cuts equal to 1.5% of the island nation’s gross domestic product. However, they are yet to agree on how to recapitalize banks, reduce wages and ensure the survival of pension funds. Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that the nation’s industrial output will likely slow this quarter due to the euro zone debt crisis and worldwide economic cooling. Adding to the Chinese bearish projection, the International Monetary Fund stated that China’s economic expansion may be cut in half by the euro zone’s debt crisis. This Chinese crisis would warrant significant fiscal stimulus from the nation’s government. The IMF went on to state that China’s growth would drop as much as four percentage points from the fund’s current projection for an expansion of 8.2% in 2012. German industrial output surprisingly declined the most in three years in December. Production gave back 2.9% from November where is stagnated. Carmakers fell on the negative economic forecasts with BMW slipping 2.7% and Renault giving back 1.3%. The world’s largest watch maker, Swatch fell 4.2% after missing operating profit projections. Luxury company shares followed Swatch lower with Burberry dropping 2.2%, Christian Dior fell 3.2% and Hermes gave back 3.1%. In bullish news, Banco Comercial surged 21% after stating it will sell new shares and draw state funds to boost its capital levels. This is despite the bank posting a full year loss of EUR786.2 million. In the U.S., stocks are higher with the Dow up 0.20%, the SP 500 gaining 0.17% and the Nasdaq advancing 0.14%. Investors are awaiting Australian consumer sentiment, New Zealand employment, Canadian housing starts, as well as U.S. crude oil inventories on Wednesday.&nbForexpros - Forexpros offers an extensive set of professional tools for the Forex, Commodities, Futures and the including real-time data streaming, a comprehensive economic calendar, as well as financial news and technical & fundamental analysis by in-house experts.Read more on Forexpros.com or Follow us on Twitter at @Read more posts on Remember long, long ago, when you frequently heard complaints about Europeans coming to New York, treating it as a weak-dollar playground. Right in front of our eyes, they were plundering our homegrown luxury goods, and supposedly even Europeans with a secretary's salary could afford to buy a second home in Manhattan. You might have even met some of these interlopers at cocktail parties, where they could be heard bashing US foreign policy, while bragging that they only return home when the need some free dental work. Once we heard a tale of a high-end real-estate brokerage that listed all of their properties in euros, but that could have been purely apocryphal.Here's what the New York Times wrote :Jonathan Fletcher, who works in information technology, and Aine Marshall, a dentist, came to Manhattan from London to buy a $1 million investment property. Mr. Fletcher, who is considering buying in the financial district, where he believes there is opportunity for appreciation, plans to put down his deposit money first and wait for the dollar to weaken more before paying for the entire apartment. Even if he does not buy an apartment, the savings from shopping in the United States covered the cost of the trip, he said. They spent a total of $8,000 on clothes, a camera and a $5,000 drum set that would have cost about double back home.Foreign buyers often purchase quickly because they largely view these apartments as investments like a bond or a stock. Dorothy Somekh, a Halstead broker, said that in an afternoon a Belgian couple she represented bought a $1.7 million two-bedroom condo at the Sheffield in Midtown to rent out for about $7,500 a month. After the couple signed the contract, they headed to Abercrombie Fitch to shop for clothes for their daughters.Barf, right?Anyway, er, good news(?), that's all coming to an end.: Sales of apartments by foreign investors are down by at least 50 percent year to date. Industry leaders say that a number of foreigners that bought downtown are being forced to sell residences as a result of the world financial crisis. According to Melissa Cohn, president of Manhattan Mortgage, mortgage financing for foreign investors is very difficult. Commercial banks which previously provided financing to foreign investors are pulling back. Earlier this year, she said she was able to secure financing from at least ten active lenders, but today that number is down to three or four.Technically, this doesn't mean that we'll hear fewer foreign accents the next time stop in the Apple store or the Burberry store, but... well, that's exactly what it means. When the sting of reduced commerce, lower-tax revenue and declining home values, we imagine there will be more than a few people who will regret cursing the Euro influx.But don't lose hope. The New York Times in 1984(!) offers this hopeful note: .. At such stores as Hemispheres, the chic men's and women's clothing store at 1 Boulevard Emile Augier in the fashionable 16th Arrondissement, the clothes can seem like bargains. Where else, for example, can you find four-ply cashmere sweaters for $177?Of all the stores in Paris, Hemispheres offers the most satisfyingly proper but unstuffy selection of men's clothes, such as classic English suede zip-front jackets for $330. For women, there are the tailored women's clothes of Peggy Roche, one of the best-kept secrets of Paris fashion. Her navy knit suits, spare, dry and dignified, sell for $300.Forex Pros – European stock markets were broadly higher on Thursday, as shares in the financial and raw material sectors led gains, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a higher open on Wall Street. br /br /During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.22%, Francersquo;s CAC 40 gained 0.35%, while Germany's DAX 30 edged 0.18% higher.br /nbsp; br /The Financial Times reported earlier that European Financial Stability Facility Chief Executive Officer Klaus Regling said China was ldquo;clearly interestedrdquo; in buying Portuguese bailout bonds when the EFSF sells them in June.br /br /Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said that the exposure of German banks to Greece was manageable, boosting lenders across the region.br /br /Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank saw shares jump 2.35% and 1.2% respectively. Shares in Spanish banking giant Banco Santander advanced 1.9%, while Europersquo;s largest financial group BNP Paribas added 1.4%.br /br /Shares in Swiss dental implant maker Nobel Biocare soared 7.35% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock two notches to lsquo;overweightrsquo; from lsquo;underweightrsquo;.br /br /French tire maker Michelin saw shares gain 1.3% after JP Morgan upgraded the company, saying a 20% drop in natural rubber prices makes tire producers the best medium-term prospects in the automotive sector.nbsp; br /br /In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.4% as commodity producers led gains after Deutsche Bank upgraded the raw material sector, saying it expected stocks in the sector to deliver a 20% return on equity this year. br /br /Shares in BHP Billiton climbed 1.1%, while copper producer Xstrata gained 1.3% after Deutsche Bank named them as its top choices in the sector. br /br /On the downside, luxury retailer Burberry saw shares drop 2.5% after it reported full-year earnings that were broadly in line with market expectations. br /br /The company said annual earnings rose 39% to GBP297.9 million however the company failed to upgrade its earnings outlook for the current fiscal year, disappointing investors.br /br /The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.3%, Samp;P 500 futures indicated a rise of 0.32%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.15%.nbsp; br /br /Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish revised government data on first quarter economic growth as well as a weekly report on initial jobless claims.br /br /ForexPros.com - Forex Pros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .Read more posts on Forexpros – Forexpros - European stocks retreated in Friday trade, dragged down by inflation concerns and the dimming prospects for a quantitative easing from the European Central Bank.At the end of Friday’s European session, the STOXX 50 Index lost 1.48% to 2,179.66, France’s CAC 40 fell 1.50% to 2,981.96, Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 1.32% to 5,128.48, and Germany’s DAX declined 2.44% to close at 5,502.02.In Thursday trade, U.S. and European stock markets got a lift from a German parliamentary vote approving an expansion of the USD600 billion European Financial Stability Facility.But the release Friday of an unexpected drop in German retail sales sent European shares lower late in the day’s session. Germany’s Federal Statistics Office reported that retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 2.9% in August, down from a 0.3% gain the previous month. Market forecasts for retail sales in Europe’s largest economy were for a 0.5% decline.Additionally, the European Union’s Statistics Office reported that euro-zone inflation jumped by 3% in September, up for 2.5% in August, the largest year on year increase since October of 2008.The rise in prices quashed hopes that the European Central Bank would be lowering interest rates any time soon, complicating the ECB’s options for addressing the region’s debt concerns.Among top losers in the session were banks and financial issues, as Europe’s sovereign debt crisis weighed heavy on investor sentiment. In Paris, Societe General SA slumped 5.1%, while Deutsche Bank AG sank 4.9%.The French and German indexes closed out the quarter ending September 30, down 25%.Figures showing a contraction in China’s manufacturing sector, the third monthly drop in a row, took a toll on retailers in the region, as dealers anticipated a drop in sales for luxury goods.Burberry Group PLC fell 2.2% in London, with PPR SA, parent company of Gucci, sank by 6.1%. LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton SA dropped 3.4% in Paris.Meanwhile in late afternoon trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.78% to 11,067.29, the Nasdaq Composite Index gave up 1.18% to 2,451.47 and the SP 500 was lower by 1.04% at 1,148.37.Europe’s Markit Economics was due to release its Manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index for the euro-zone on Monday.Forexpros - Forexpros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .Read more posts on Forexpros – European stock markets fell sharply on Monday, on reports Greece will not be able to meet deficit targets this year, leading the country closer to a potential default.During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 fell 2.44%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 2.55%, while Germany’s DAX 30 posted a 2.63% decline.European equities were hit after Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou announced on Sunday that the country would not meet deficit targets this year. A draft of the 2012 budget approved by the cabinet on Sunday showed a deficit of 8.5% of gross domestic product for 2011, falling short of a target of 7.6%.Inspectors from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank held discussions in Athens over the weekend and will soon decide whether the country is eligible to receive further financial assistance. Shares in the financial sector led losses, with France's BNP Paribas plummeting 5.67% and Societe Generale tumbling 5.44%, while Germany's Deutsche bank fell 2.74%.Belgium's Dexia also saw shares plunge 8.78%, amid media reports that French and Belgian officials are set to meet to discuss a rescue package for the bank, due to its heavy exposure to Greek debt.Peripheral lenders also contributed to the fall, with Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo dropping 2.80% and 3.36% respectively, while Spain's Banco Santander fell 2.47%.In London, the FTSE 100 shed 2.18% as U.K. lenders shadowed losses posted by their counterparts across the Continent. Barclays saw shares tumble 4.67% and Royal bank of Scotland posted a 4.04% drop, while shares in Lloyds Banking fell 2.94%. Copper producers Xstrata and Kazakhmys also saw shares decline 2.75% and 2.90% respectively, as copper tumbled to a 14-month low, while mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton dropped 2.81% and 2.26%.The luxury-goods sector also came under pressure, extending the previous week's losses linked to concerns over China's growth. Shares in Burberry's tumbled 4.94%.Elsewhere, U.S. equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a drop of 0.53%, SP 500 futures signaled a fall of 0.52%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.76% decline.Later in the day, the U.S. Institute of Supply Management was to publish data on manufacturing activity.Forexpros - Forexpros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .Read more posts on Forex Pros European stock markets were mixed on Tuesday, as shares in the financial sector led losses amid persistent fears over the euro zones debt crisis, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a higher open on Wall Street.During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slumped 0.25%, Frances CAC 40 dropped 0.5%, while Germany's DAX 30 edged 0.08% lower.Fears that Portugal was close to seeking outside help to resolve its debt problems continued to weigh on shares in the banking sector. Spains largest lender Banco Santander saw shares fall 1.1%, Societe Generale dropped 2.3%, while Unicredit shares were down 1.3%.Also Wednesday, Deutsche Bank saw shares drop 1.95% after the Wall Street Journal reported that the lender would seek a shareholder approval to raise as much as EUR18 billion in fresh capital.However, shares in Commerzbank climbed 2.3% after it announced plans to repay nearly EUR14.3 billion of state-aid by June.Meanwhile, shares in Frances largest utility provider Electricite de France dropped 3.5%, while GDF Suez slumped 1.45% after French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the government would freeze a planned hike in natural gas prices in July.In London, the FTSE 100 added 0.3%, as shares in retail giant Marks Spencer jumped 5.1% after it said that fourth quarter sales in its U.K. stores rose by 0.1%, defying expectations for a 2.5% drop.The upbeat data boosted other shares in the retail sector. Clothing retailer Next saw shares climb 2.9%, while shares in Burberry added 1.7%.Meanwhile, shares in miners performed strongly after gold prices rose to a record high. Randgold Resources saw shares climb 1.9%, African Barrick Gold added 1.35%, while shares in silver producer Fresnillo jumped 1.75% after silver prices rose to a 31-year high.The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.18%, SP 500 futures indicated a rise of 0.19%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.25%.Later in the day, the U.S. was to release a report on crude oil inventories, while the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Dennis Lockhart was to speak at a public engagement.ForexPros.com - Forex Pros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .Forex Pros – pros ndash; European stock markets were mixed on Wednesday, as upbeat economic data from China eased fears over an abrupt slowdown in the worldrsquo;s second largest economy, while lingering concerns over the euro zonersquo;s debt crisis limited gains.nbsp; br /br /During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased down 0.1%, Francersquo;s CAC 40 dipped 0.2%, while Germanyrsquo;s DAX 30 edged 0.2% higher. br /br /Official data released earlier showed that Chinese gross domestic product expanded by 9.5% in the second quarter, broadly in line with expectations. A separate report showed that industrial production rose by 15.1% in June, the most since May 2010, outstripping expectations for a 13.7% increase.br /br /European exporters with high exposure to China, such as automakers performed strongly. Shares in Volkswagen climbed 1.7%, BMW shares rose 2.2%, while Peugeot saw shares gain 1.3%.nbsp;nbsp; br /br /Meanwhile, Ireland joined Portugal and Greece as the third euro-zone member state to have its credit rating reduced to junk status, following a downgrade by ratings agency Moodyrsquo;s on Tuesday.br /br /Shares in the financial sector were mixed. Bank of Ireland saw shares tumble 4%, Deutsche Bank dropped 1%, while Italian lenders Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit gained 3.3% and 2.5% respectively after Italian lawmakers pledged to speed up efforts to approve an austerity package.br /br /Europersquo;s largest semiconductor-equipment maker ASML Holdings sank 4.8% after it said it expected orders to pull back sharply in the third quarter as customers become more hesitant to place big orders.br /br /In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.2% as raw material producers gained after oil and metal prices advanced and as fears over a slowdown in demand from China eased.nbsp; br /br /Mining giant BHP Billiton saw shares jump 1.6%, silver producer Fresnillo rallied 6%, while shares of oil major British Petroleum added 0.9%.br /br /Fashion retailer Burberry saw shares advance 2.6% after reporting a 26% jump in second quarter revenue, as sales grew across all regions and categories.br /br /The outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.55%, Samp;P 500 futures rose 0.65%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated an increase of 0.75%.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; br /br /Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on import prices and crude oil inventories, as well as a report on the federal budget balance. br /br /In addition, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is to give prepared testimony on monetary policy before lawmakers in Washington.br /br /Forexpros - Forex Pros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .Read more posts on Forex Pros European stock markets plunged on Tuesday, as mounting fears over Japan's escalating nuclear crisis sparked a global selloff in equities, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a sharply lower open on Wall Street. During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dropped 3.46%, Frances CAC 40 tumbled 3.33%, while Germany's DAX plunged 4.83%.Earlier in the day, Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that radiation levels had become significantly higher around the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant, following another explosion, this time at the stricken plants No. 4 reactor.Shares in the worlds largest maker of nuclear reactors Areva plunged 9.5% amid concerns damage to Japanese nuclear power plants would hurt demand for reactor fuel. The stock has lost nearly 18.5% this week.Utility providers linked to nuclear energy also performed poorly, as Germanys largest renewable energy provider RWE AG saw shares tumble 5.7%. Rival E.ON plummeted 6.1% after the Deutsche Presse reported that the German environment ministry wanted to temporarily shut E.ONs Isar 1 nuclear reactor in Bavaria. Meanwhile, shares in luxury goods retailers were broadly lower amid concerns over the long-term sales impact of the massive earthquake in Japan, which accounts for nearly 11% of global luxury sales.Shares in LVMH dropped 6.4%, rival Hermes slumped 5.8%, while Burberry saw shares plunge 6.7%.In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 sank 2.4% as commodity prices retreated amid increased risk aversion. Shares in silver producer Fresnillo tumbled 7.1%, copper producer Xstrata dropped 4.05%, while oil giant British Petroleum saw shares slump 4.1%.The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was sharply lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a drop of 2.39%, SP 500 futures indicated a loss 2.82%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a decline of 2.85%.Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on manufacturing activity in the New York region, as well as government reports on import prices and the balance of domestic and foreign investment. In addition, the Federal Reserve was to hold its policy setting meeting before announcing its federal funds rate. ForexPros.com - Forex Pros offers a diverse set of professional tools for Forex, Futures and CFDs. These include real-time data streams, technical and fundamental analysis by in-house experts, and a widely used economic calendar and .We couldn't bring ourselves to actually attend the second round of Fashion Meets Finance. Last year's party was still too fresh in our minds. Fortunately, somebody made the New York Press's ace party reporter Matt Harvey go to the thing. He survived and came back with this news: models still want bottles paid for by bankers.Broke bankers and struggling models mobbed the rooftop of the Empire Hotel last night for the latest installment of Fashion Meets Finance. A tipsy brunette on crutches was trying to put her Burberry coat on so she could leave, but guys wearing suits sans ties kept jostling her as they moved past. Struggling to anchor herself with the crutches she told me her deal. I was running to work to get there on time when I fell. Its not funny! As the tiny metaphor hobbled away, a bushy-haired suit eyed my black notebook and smiled. How many numbers you get tonight? With an obscene bro-wink he added, Im just chilling because Im engaged.---The party was billed as a return to the halcyon excesses of 2007, and enough unemployed finance types fished the necessary change from their couch to pony up for a bottle of Absolut. Liz, a 20-something fashionista in a low-cut black cocktail dress, eyed them skeptically and said, just look at all the douches in those seats. Theyre all so broke. A line-up of seven models was in the DJ booth nodding to anemic dance music. One of them, Sabrina Roberts, a six-foot Afro-Chinese stunner wearing a tiny creme-brulee-colored dresstold me she wasnt giving up on finance dudes. One, theyre more interesting; and two, can you imagine if everyone was in fashion? I asked her if she had ever thought of dating so-called normal people. She twirled around, took a sip from her champagne flute and asked happily, How do normal people pay for champagne?Did any readers attend this thing? We'd love to hear more about it. Email [email protected]A social media study of FTSE 100 companies from The Group confirms what we found in a last November: firms remain wary of but are exploring the options available to them, especially Twitter.[]The Group, which has been monitoring corporate use of social media in the UK for just over a year, finds 45 percent now have corporate Twitter accounts, up by 50 percent on a year ago. :Twitter is easy to set up, easy to use and, some well-documented failures apart, a fairly foolproof way for companies to connect with various people online. Which explains why, of all the social media channels weve been monitoring, Twitter use is in the rudest health.As you can see from the chart, Facebook and blogs are used far less, however. The low uptake of Facebook is probably down to the cost and effort required to do it right, says The Group.YouTube is more popular, being employed by two fifths of UK blue chips. Of the social media channels reviewed by the consultant, however, YouTube is the least well used. More from The Group:There are some exceptions Aviva and Burberry have both put thought into their YouTube channels. The majority, however, seem content to add the odd video to the (frankly awful) channel template without much thought as to how their content will be consumed.For , it helps to broaden your sample and look to continental Europe. Here, companies like SAP and BASF are showing others how to do it with .Source: Investors pulled $15 billion out of the BRICs in 2011 as the European sovereign debt crisis escalated and the world economy decelerated.In China, all the chatter was about its problems, its property bubble, and its risk of a hard landing.Naturally, investors are anxious about pouring their money into emerging markets. And China, once an emerging market darling, is seeing bearish sentiment on the rise.Speaking at the Peter Chiappinelli, portfolio strategist at Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo Co. (GMO) said Wall Street has sold GDP growth as "the road to riches," but argued that there was no correlation between GDP growth and stock market returns. Chiappinelli spoke of a three tier short on China:"We've applied a more surgical approach to how we wanted to construct a short. We call it a three tier short. Three themes all tied to infrastructure and real estate.Tier 1 would be those names that are directly tied to China real estate, China development, China banks, China cement manufacturers, with an obvious link to China real estate.Tier 2 we would describe perhaps as less obvious, think Australian mining.Tier 3 even less obvious back to your global comment, everything is tied together. You can play a China short through European luxury goods, through , through Burberry, those kinds of names, vast majority of incremental growth is coming from mainland China. And we think they are very very exposed right now to a potentially dangerous situation. So it's more of a China theme that goes well beyond China's borders."Don't Miss: Many companies were disappointed when Google+ rolled out and banned the creation of accounts specifically for businesses and brands. Fortunately, today, , for them to start connecting with customers and followers.For an example of what a Google+ Page looks like, check out the one for the :You'll notice that you can +1 the page, see how many followers they have, add them to your circles, and confirm that the page is verified. You can share the page on your own stream. Check out all the differences here on the Google+ support page. (Bonus: are having a hangout at 4PM PST today!)Unfortunately, it doesn't look like just anyone can create a Google+ page. This is what I found, when I tried to click on the "Create a Google+ page" button:But you can see what Google+ is trying to encourage in the background. You can define whether your page is for a local business or place, whether it's a product or brand, and whether it's a company or institution. You can also further categorize it in "Arts, Entertainment, or Sports" or "Other". There's a message encouraging you to host hangouts, and create circles, and ask people to +1 you. You can get more advice from the . According to , he's been assured that .There's also Direct Connect, which simplifies searching for brands and businesses in Google search. Just go to , and type in the [+] symbol, along with the brand you're looking for. For example, when you search for "+Google", you'll be automatically taken to the . Currently this option only works for a few pages, but more is coming. In addition to the brand page, there are also a bunch more Google pages you can follow along with, including , , and . You can check them all out . Here are the non-Google brand pages that are now up and running:Have you spotted any more great brand pages? (By the way, the . How do you think the page will stack up?) Via on .Read more posts on 1) Luxurybrands have started out carefully.The article shows a great example of how Burberry back in 2009 created a, but moved cautiously, first with professional photographers then opening it up to the public (and even then maintaining some editorial control).What does this mean to you (the local business owner):You too can start out slowly. Forget what the daily deal sales person is telling you. There is so much competition in the daily deal space, you don't have to give away steep margins and creative control to participate. You should choose a vendor that uses professional photography (more cost to them) and will let you approve how the promotion is written. You should also ask the daily deal site to segment their mailing list and give you visibility into what kind of consumer is getting your email offerbeforethey send it. You should absolutely negotiate on margin and limit the number of offers you sell so you can test results.2) They've worked hard to maintain the sense of exclusivity.This article gives you a great example of Oscar de la Renta buildingwith the concept of a backstage pass to make consumers feel special.What does this mean to you:You don't need to call your promotion a deal. Think of this more as crafting a unique experience for your favorite customers. Many of the daily deal sites now have things like travel escapes, tastings, adventures, tour like bundles so they will have opportunities to package up unique local experiences. Work with your sales person to explore ways you can work creatively with other merchants in town to package a showcase of your business that feels more in line with your brand. Look at,, andas brands doing a good job of this.3)They are reaching bigger audiences.Derek Lam knew eBay could help his brand reach millions of new consumers, but these customers wouldn't all be right for his high-end products. So he was careful about which products he promoted on eBay, but he didn't ignore this audience.What does this mean to you:Don't avoid the promotion power of daily deal email lists. They can be the most effective way to put your business in front of millions of local consumers. The key is use select inventory. Control and limit your offering so that you showcase your business.This economy has made it feel like we only buy what is on sale, but that's not true. Consumers will always buy things that make them feel unique and special. Daily deal sites can get local businesses closer to thousands of local consumers without discounting what makes themspecial. The next generation of these products must deliver on that promise.This is not the student. Joe Mihalic graduated from Harvard Business School with his MBAand $95,000 in student loansin 2009. After two years of loan payments, Mihalic resolved to pay them off in 10 months.He started a blog, No More Harvard Debt (), to chronicle his experiment in cutting costs and earning more money. In March, he paid the last of hisseveral months ahead of schedule.[See.]U.S. Newsrecently spoke with Mihalic about his creative cost-cutting strategies. Excerpts:When and why did you decide to get more aggressive about paying off your student loans?In August 2011, I logged into my student loan accounts and the total came up to somewhere just shy of $91,000. This was after almost two years of paying down the loan at $1,057 every month. I had put over $22,000 into these loans that started out at $101,000. The principle was still at $90,000 because most of thewas going towards interest for the first couple of years. I looked at that total and it blew me away. I realized that I wasn't really happy with that trajectory of those loans. I felt like I was trapped. Emotionally, I felt it would just be better to be debt-free.In aclass that I took at Harvard, the professor said that debt was good. They're being held accountable to make a monthly payment to their debtors every fiscal quarter, so it keeps them focused and on track. I agree with that. The question is, "What's the right level of debt for an individual?" I thought that awas plenty of debt for an individual. This student loan debt was a little onerous for me. The pressure was too high.Do you think it was worth taking on that much debt to get your MBA?I do. I met a lot of really smart, talented, ambitious people who I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. I made great friends. The case method taught me to think in a whole new way. It made me a better decision-maker. Because of that, I was a more effective employee. I really don't think that it was that much debt when you consider that my salary doubled, as well as the fact that I was able to pay most of it down in seven months.What steps did you take to cut expenses and boost your income?I threw security and common investment wisdom to the wind and I used my life savings to kill a $25,000 loan to start my debt snowball. I stopped contributing to my 401(k), but I still have about $45,000 in my 401(k) that I didn't touch. I also had a $12,000 IRA from my old job. It started out as a 401(k), but I rolled it into an IRA and used it to pay down my loans. I took a hit on it, of course, when I did the early withdraw so it turned into $8,000.[See.]Certainly, if I had a qualified financial officer, they wouldn't say, "Withdrawing your IRA is the right thing to do," because you'll realize some loss. My situation does not apply to everyone, but it was my choice. Emotionally, I'm in a way better state now than I was this time last year.I gave up my privacy and got two roommates on . I also started a landscaping business, which was mildly successful. I also sold my motorcycle for $2,000, and I sold my bicycle for about $1,000. Then I sold some miscellaneous stuff on Craigslist: an , motorcycle accessories, bicycle accessories, even an old pair of Burberry reading glasses that I had sitting around from grad school.I saved 74 percent of my income. At the beginning of the challenge, I was making $103,000, which is really only $70,000 after taxes.I didn't go home for Christmas or to friends' bachelor parties or weddings. I didn't go on any dinner dates or to the movies. I'd hike around the park. I'd get bagels and coffee, random things that didn't cost a lot of money.How did people react in your life to this sudden lifestyle change?It takes a certain type of girl to go on a hiking date instead of a dinner date, but that's kind of the girl I'm looking for. As far as my life, I still have a great time. I hang out with friends a lot but I bring a flask to bars, which some of them thought was a good idea.For the most part, my friends were pretty frugal. I think I just may have subconsciously chosen frugal friends. Yes, most of them have houses and they do travel, but they don't really throw their money around unwisely. So, when they saw me tighten my belt a little bit they were like, "Yes. We get it. That's cool." They didn't go out of their way to do really flashy things and exclude me. I appreciated that.[See.]Do you think that the accountability of blogging played a role in helping you reach your goal?I'm pretty intrinsically motivated to begin with, but I knew that I would be held accountable at the end of every month with my progress report. "Here's how much I made, here's how much I spent, here's why." Just knowing that at the end of the month I would have to admit to my sins, so to speak, made me think twice about buying things and doing certain things.For example, when I quit my pedi-cabbing gig, it was very humbling to report that on the blog. It made me approach future revenuewith a lot more caution. There are so many pedi-cab drivers in downtown Austin just driving around without anybody in their trailers. I should have seen that and made the connection. I was just excited to be a pedi-cab driver. I thought it would be really fun. I didn't really do the due diligence. I had to admit on my blog that I failed in pedi-cabbing. It was kind of humiliating.Now that you've paid off your, will you continue some of your cost-cutting measures or go back to the lifestyle you had before?The roommates signed their lease until the end of June, so they're entitled to stay there until the end. After that, I'm thinking of renting the house out and getting a studio closer to the city, because the house is really too big for me.Spending is pretty similar to when I was paying off the debt. I haven't gone on a dinner date yet. I'm still driving my 12-year-old Honda. I'm still packing a lunch every day. My friends and I are still hitting up the BYOB place before we go downtown. I bought a couple of shirts for the first time in a year.I need to build back up mycushion to get six to eight months of living expenses in the bank just in case anything happens. Then I'll have the option to spend more. Right now, I just got used to the lifestyle I was living.People who win the lottery, their level of happiness actually returns to the baseline even though they have so much money. People who lose all their money, there will still be some dark days, but they'll rebound. I got used to that lifestyle. So, I haven't been in a rush to go spend crazy amounts of money or do anything really wild.Ethan Miller/GettyQuintessentially British label Paul Smith is attempting to crack China once again, with a flagship store in Shanghai and 24 new boutiques in the pipeline.Sir Paul Smith has cited the opening of his first as one the proudest moments of his career, and his foray in the Far East is set to continue as he takes on China next.His brand will set up a 5,000 sq-ft store in Shanghai - where European fashion houses Christian Dior, Gucci and Jean-Paul Gaultier have recently staged catwalk shows - in December and add 24 shops in China over the next five years, according to .Chinas clothing market is predicted to more than triple to 1.3 trillion yuan (128.3 billion) by 2020 from 400 billion yuan (39.4 billion) in 2010 as rising incomes fuel demand, Boston Consulting Group Inc found.This is the right time to join the race, said Balbina Wong, chief executive officer for ImagineX Group, Paul Smiths Greater China distributor. Chinese consumers are becoming more sophisticated and brand-conscious. Chinas overall GDP may slow, but the middle-class is growing.It is the second time the London Fashion Week label is attempting to crack China. The brand retreated from the country with large losses five years ago, with Smith telling the Financial Times that the Chinese market was extremely dangerous due to its high rents and because the majority of the population only sought clothes to cover their bodies.Paul Smith will be taking on earlier entrants Michael Kors and Burberry alongside fellow newcomers, Italian brands Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo.ScreenshotHow many of these are ads?The future of mobile advertising is display. To clarify: it's not in iAds or other software from OS makers and carriers. Tapping on those teeny-tiny "x"s in pop-ups requires an annoying amount of precision, and users generally ignore the ad content. The versus the enormous time spent on mobile is real, and it exists partially because of these unappealing little ads.Instead, the company proving that display advertising works for mobile is Instagram, the photo-sharing app that . Instagram's 27 million users not only look at mobile ads -- they rate them, share them, comment on them, and perhaps even like the brands using them a little bit better.Just don't call them ads. Instead, call them pictures, and if you're a brand, make sure they're interesting or beautiful to look at. See for example Burberry's hazy, over-exposed "behind-the-scenes" shots of models and fashion shoots. They're appealing in a way that glossy magazine pictures aren't, because they're not the commoditized images that consumers might expect. Instead, they're a hip, attractive, insider-y collage. And they probably make consumers think of the Burberry brand more favorably.You can hear more about smart mobile marketing and ad tactics at the , taking place June 14 in New York, hosted by . are now on sale. The covers everything from in-app experiences and stealth ads like those on Instagram, to content integration, traditional display, and geo-local targeting.You'll hear from including:They'll dive into the , such as:, and join the discussion on June 14 for a day of intense industry insight and valuable networking. Meanwhile, you can follow @BI_Events on for discounts and updates. See you in June!() - Inc, the world's largest home improvement chain, will close all seven of its big box stores and cut 850 jobs in China as the retailer changes its focus in the Chinese market to online and specialty stores and becomes the latest retailer to feel the chill from China's slowing economy.Earlier this week, British fashion house Burberry Group Plcwarned a slowdown in China could hit earnings. The profit warning came as recent Chinese data signaled a further slowing of the world's second-largest economy.Chinese home appliance retail chain operators such as Suning Appliance Co Ltdand GOME Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd, who are seen by some as China's answer to Co Inc, are also slowing their expansion to focus on raising efficiencies at existing stores and refining their e-commerce operations.China's retail sales growth in all consumer goods categories slowed to 13.2 percent year-on-year in August to 1.67 trillion yuan ($263.84 billion) from 18.1 percent in December, official data showed.Home Depot will retain two recently opened specialty stores in Tianjin and is "developing relationships with several of China's leading e-commerce websites," it said in a statement late on Thursday."China is a do-it-for-me market, not a do-it-yourself market, so we have to adjust," Home Depot spokeswoman Paula Drake told Reuters late on Thursday.The company made its first foray into the rapidly-growing Chinese market in late 2006 through its acquisition of a 12-store Chinese chain called The Home Way.However, it has struggled to expand ever since as it was a relatively late entrant into the market behind other international chains such as Britain's Kingfisher Plcwhich ventured into the world's most populous country in the late 1990s. http://r.reuters.com/far62tThe company expects to incur a $160 million charge in the third quarter as a result of the closures, but said this will not affect its full-year earnings forecast.Home Depot said it will continue to employ about 170 associates in China working in the sourcing offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Shares of the Atlanta-based company closed up 2 percent at $58.30 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.Last week, Suning Appliance announced the launch of a network of super stores to offset slow growth in its core business in China. The super stores will sell home appliances, general merchandise, books, and daily necessities, a move that put it in direct competition with local operators such as Sun Art Retailand Wumart Stores, as well as foreign giants like Walmartand Carrefour.($1 = 6.3296 Chinese yuan)(Additional reporting by Tej Sapru in Bangalore; Editing by Matt Driskill)A baby may be the ultimate accessory, but for women who love designer brands, it can also be an awkward wardrobe fit.Okay, we're half kidding--but fortunately for those women, high-end designers such as , Lanvin, Versace, and have all recently launched or plan to launch clothing lines for kids.Upscale children's lines started entering the scene about three years ago, but made a surge this season with Fendi showing its collection at its Fifth Avenue store in New York City and Gucci hiring Jennifer Lopez and her twins for its advertising campaign.The prices for many pieces, which children will likely only wear for one season, border on ridiculous. For example, a Gucci's , designed for girls ages 2 to 8, costs $595 dollars.But as the luxury market makes a slow comeback, the wealthy are willing splurge these items, said the Doneger Group's Creative Director Jamie Ross.We spoke to her this week about designer baby fashion became such a trend; here's what she had to say.When did we start seeing designer children's clothes become a trend?About three years ago, we started to see designer clothes for children enter the market. But the past year, we've seen it enter a good mainstream consciousness. These moms who wear the brands themselves and place their identity in them, and want their children to have matching aesthetics.Why is expanding to children's wear smart for designers?The fact that they are building costumers base that young, helps them build customers for life. If a child associates themselves early on with a brand, they have a guaranteed customer later on.So what are the trends in children's designer fashion? It's a take away from the grown-up clothes. Especially Gucci, Lanvin, and I'm sure Versace are all taking trends from their adult lines.Is it cost-effective for designers to create children's lines?Yes, absolutely. The fact that Fendi had their show at the Fifth Avenue store just generated so much hype for the line and I would say people were more excited for the Lanvin kids line than the woman's. Just generating the buzz helps the designer.As the luxury market made a small comeback in the past few years, is this how people are spending their money?For the infant clothes, we're seeing them mostly gifted. The doting grandparents are a large part of the people spending on these lines.So if the mother of the child is clad from head to toe, is there an etiquette about what type of clothing to buy the child as a gift? If it's a known fact that a mom leans in the direction of designer, it's probably best to step up to the plate and buy the designer clothes. If you even think how far diaper bags have come, women don't just carry a basic bag anymore.What designer children's line do you like the most right now?Looking ahead, Fendi looks good. It's a direct interpretation of their woman's line. The clothes are kid friendly, the prints and colors are just right. They are pushing the envelope forward. The clothes are user-friendly, some of the kids clothes (from other designers) almost look too precious to use. Fendi has utility safari fabrics, others look more washed and comfortable. They have fashion pastels for boys. It looks great, because sometimes compared to the girls, the boys lines can be boring.Children are the ones wearing these clothes, so do you think it comes with a level of understanding that the clothes will get dirty?If you're a mom and spending on this, you're prepared to have a good dry cleaner as well.WikipediaWhen Bill McComb took the helm of in 2007, he laid out an ambitious plan for kate spade new york, Lucky Brand and Juicy Couture: Build each of these marquee labels into a global lifestyle brand.Four years later, while in July, we see signs that McCombs vision is paying offkate spades sales are up 64% compared to 2010, and Lucky posted a 13% increase. And McComb says its only a matter of months before Juicy starts jumping too. Liz Claiborne Inc.s CEO talked to The High Low about these diverse brandsand the shared strategy that has put all three on the path to double-digit growth.The High Low: So direct to consumer sales grew by 77% this quarter. How did you unlock the potential of this 18-year-old brand?Bill McComb: The first step was to bring in our brilliant creative director, Deborah Lloydwhod had hugely successful runs at Burberry and Banana Republicand pair her with Craig Leavitt as CEO. Because kate spade was the last brand acquired under my predecessor, the business wasnt yet caught up in the corporate structure of the parent company which was built around sales channels, not brands and, frankly, was beginning to unravel. So I allowed kate spade to remain an independent, yet fully integrated operating company; we kept it highly entrepreneurial, and we kept it small.THL: How did this new team rethink the brand?WLM: Deborah had a clear road map for kate spade new york in terms of its handwritingits visual and product expressionand a big part of the plan was to introduce apparel, which was a risky venture and not one that many handbag companies had done successfully. In April of 2009 we were looking forward to an exciting apparel launch in the fall, but our stores were still little white handbag museumsvery plain and simpleand our traffic was plummeting. So I gave Craig, Deborah and their head of marketing, Kyle Andrew, a challenge to remake the small 5th Avenue store [in New York City] with a minimal capital expenditureand by minimal I mean $25,000 to $30,000. We would use that store as a lab, and if the concept was successful we would scale it.THL: What was riding on this experiment?WLM: Its always darkest before the dawn, and April 2009 was 3 a.m. for kate spade. Within six weeks, the team executed a colorful, energetic store format, which immediately drove major increases in traffic. Each store now is designed to look like the kate spade customers idealized apartment, which meant we defied some laws of modern retail. We actually put walls up and chopped the store up to make it feel like rooms in a home. The fall came, the new product launched, and it all worked togethercentered on a crystal clear target audience definition, a thats written up on a big wall behind the cash registers in every store.THL: You refreshed too, but in a different waywhich strategies carried through and which ones did you have to tweak?WLM: The recipe is the same: the right leadership, great product, andwithout major capitalizationnew visual merchandising to bring the stores to life. Lucky has always had a clear look and feel, but the stores were poorly edited, which left the brand too wide and uncommitted. Creative director Patrick Wade and CEO Dave DeMattei, who took over in 2009, put a laser focus on denim and the denim lifestyle, but with modern handwriting, not just the 70s peace vibe or 80s rock-and-roll. The stores now are much more consumer-friendly: its easier to find and navigate sizes and styles; its easier to see the array of washes relative to sizes and styles. Second-quarter sales were up 22% compared to 2010.THL: is the trendiest of these three brandswhy was it third in line for renovation?WLM: The founders left the business only at the end of 2009, and there was a state of suspension, creatively, before I was able to bring in LeAnn Nealz as President and Chief Creative Officer. Shes been at , Calvin Klein, Theory, and she came to us from American Eagleshe really understands the womens contemporary space, she understands the LA girl, and she has an amazing vision of where Juicy needs to go. What Juicy is really about is Southern California casual luxurya certain Laurel Canyon, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles look and feelthat is timeless. And its a look that transcends global tastes even better than traditional American preppy.THL: So whats the new Juicy going to look like?WLM: Youll see a re-couturing of the stores this falldifferent properties and elements than what we brought to kate spade, but the same lift and renewal: new art packages, new merchandising systems and, starting with spring 2012, fantastic new product. LeAnn has said that shes going to be celebrating the couture more in Juicy Couture. Its still a casual California lifestyle brand, but the quality is up, and the attention to detail on fit is tremendous. The aesthetic has a whole new beat of relevanceand the reflects that.THL: How big can these brands be?WLM: Any of them could join the ranks of Coach, Guess and Ralph Lauren, the very enviable monobrand companies, because Im recruiting people that are uniquely passionate about the brand they are buildingtenured apparel-retail veterans who run their business with a high degree of entrepreneurship and flair. Theres an affinity between each team and the product, the lifestyle, the positioning. And what that unlocks is the high double-digit growth were already seeing in some of these brandsI believe that globally, each of these brands has the potential to do $1 billion and more in sales.This originally appeared at .Earlier this summer, Mot Hennessy won a for its digital magazine, , which it launched in early 2010. The French fashion house -- and the world's largest luxury company, run by billionaire -- says its content is editorially independent, and calls the site an "information reference." It's reminscent of French or Italian , with multimedia (e.g., the short film "" was popular in fashion circles). No matter how it's packaged, it's a marketing win for , and follows a new wave of advertising for luxury brands (in 2009, Burberry launched a similar site, the ). reports that:Many luxury-goods companies, for example, have built editorial teams to socialize their brands: they are transforming the customer relationship by producing blogs, digital magazines, and other content that can dramatically intensify both the frequency and depth of interactions. on the trend earlier this year, and spoke with Miki Berardelli, chief marketing officer for Tory Burch, about how luxury advertising is changing:Were publishing content in an authentic way, and if its increasing our brand awareness, then it could be defined as advertising. Its a new way of communicating with consumers. Its taking an editorial approach to telling your brand story, and the social media space just lends itself so beautifully to that combination.Sites like NOWNESS , but those lines have been blurred since the inception of (1892) -- just a few decades after was born (1854).Social networks have changed the way we workand live.For example, 18 percent of consumers use social networking sites before even getting out of bed, according to a May 2011 Ericsson ConsumerLab study.They have also changed the way we travel, morphing business trips from a mundane experience into a data-rich opportunity to make new connections and discover or strengthen relationships. "The simplest way to think about it is that you used to fly into a city, and unless you knew someone who was there, there's no chance that you ever got in touch with anyone," notes , the -based head of location-based marketing at , an integrated global communications company."We all tend to hover around in these bigger metropolitan areas and we're closer to so many people we know than we think we are, but we just don't know it. So social media kind of tightens up that six degrees of separation, and it also makes for serendipity."But how do you keep it professional and make the most out of your next trip by utilizing social media? Here's what the experts advise.How Social Media Has Changed Business Travel: Before You LeaveBefore you ever book your trip, social networks allow you to research, interact, and enhance the experience.From a research perspective, some hotels have started to offer room specials exclusively for fans of their page. Morever, travelers can see reviews of properties from trusted colleagues, friends and strangers to make sure it's the right spot long before arriving.Lastly, you can figure out where your connections and contacts are staying if they'll be in town at the same time to simplify that process later on (travel-organizing app TripIt makes this easier with its integration into ).Travelers can also use Facebook, and LinkedIn to communicate with existing contacts to figure out details about where to stay and what to do while travelingincluding whom else might be in town. You'd be shocked sometimes at where old connections that you haven't seen in years might be living or have lived, allowing you to solicit opinions or schedule meetings with folks you never envisioned."A lot of hotels are adopting this that if they become more social-media friendly, people will start staying there," Strout says."Before I leave, I can figure out if someone I know will be there and then triangulate that data to connect for dinner. You have micro-control of it too, because you can broadcast out what you like or keep things private."Social Networks and Mobile Apps to Use Before You Travel: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn: Let your contacts know you're planning a trip to see what fellow connections are going to be in town so you can schedule meetingsformal or informaland determine places to go and things to do in your down-time. Follow hotels or airlines on the networks to get exclusive discounts not available elsewhere. book your travel wherever you choose, and forward your itinerary to . The free organizational service does the rest of the work, allowing you to access the data anywhere and also telling you if any connections are in the same area. still a relatively new service, GTrot (short for globe-trotting) connects users with Facebook friends who live where you're visiting, have visited there previously or are there at the same tim as you. With one click, you can notify those friends of your plans and solicit input or suggestions. , , or : whatever your car rental needs are, there is a way to access the best deals here. Autoslash and allow you to input dates and times of arrival and departure and then scours the Web for the best deal. With Autoslash, if you book a rental and a better deal comes across the site, it automatically rebooks you at the lower rate. is a well-known service that allows you to rent a car for hours, days or longer, often cheaper than car rental companies and with nicer vehicles (but including a membership fee). part of the rising trend of social car sharing and luxury car services, this is changing the way we get around in town. , the winner of last month in , allows car owners to safely rent out their unused car to trusted drivers when they need it most.Cyndi Lauper said it best when she stated that girls just wanna have fun. No matter what city you place a group of girls, they will inevitably find something fun to do and is no exception. Often described as a young and diverse city; it has a fascinating vibe that is ready to be explored and the perfect destination for a girls getaway. Purple Cafe and Wine Bar: What better way to enjoy the night than to chat over a few drinks and a warm meal? Purple Cafe Wine Bar may sound like a simple place to visit, but it is the Mecca for savory dishes and fine . Full of flavorful dishes like Lobster Macaroni and Cheese or Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, it's worth every calorie. A superb wine list is a fantastic invitation to let loose and order the bubbly. Catch up on the latest gossip and feel like a local at the same time at this chic wine bar. Twist: Since girls just want to have fun, why not look for some boys that want to as well. Even if you are taken, it is fun to flirt at Twist; an upscale bar and lounge. It was recently rewarded for having the best liquor selection with a roster of 150 choices. If you don't fall in love with a cute local, you'll fall in love with their happy hour with no drink priced over $10. This bar can easily feel laid back at first, but as the night progresses it is the perfect spot for a girls night out to enjoy the local scene. Seattle Premium Outlets: What would a weekend be without shopping? Seattle Premium Outlet features all the faves like Coach, Burberry and Calvin Klein. Beware of where you can save even more money; which means you might even have to bring an extra bag with you!Salish Spa and Lodge: Live luxuriously at the Salish Spa and Lodge. Only 30 minutes from Seattle, it's close to the fun hustle and bustle of the city, yet close enough to nature. Most rooms have fantastic views of Snoqualmie Falls and other scenic landscapes. Or make a day trip out of it for the full spa experience. Just reading the spa menu is relaxing enough, with choices like the Green Tea Northwest Seaweed Salt Glow or the Cascade Escape: The Ultimate Salish Spa Experience. Treat yourself from head to toe and enter Seattle like a new woman; a $500 treat that brings the serenity of the mountains right into your very pores.Girls Night Out Classic Yacht Cruise: A great way to end your girls weekend is toasting to good times on an exclusive Ladies Night at Sea yacht cruise. Seattle is known for its dazzling waterfront, shining with city lights and skyline. range from harbor tours to cruising out to Lakes and Islands in the Seattle area.Silicon Alley Insider is a community news, information, and discussion site. Please participate in any of the following ways: By sending us background tips and ideas, by submitting comments, by posting on our , by joining our room, and/or by becoming a formal contributor.Tips. We crave news, rumors, and other info. Please send to [email protected]. Unless you say otherwise, we'll assume you want to remain anonymous.Comments. You can publish comments directly on articles or posts. You'll need to provide a valid email address, and please follow our Posting Rules. The content on our Community page is contributed by Silicon Alley insiders and other readers (including our staff). 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At the recently concluded CII-ET Dialogue on Luxury in Delhi, Yashovardhan Saboo, CEO, Ethos Boutiques - a retail chain of Swiss watches in India - blamed deeply ingrained social and economic prejudices for the not happy-to-help attitude. Even regular buyers of luxury brands complain that sales staff tends to judge buyers by their appearance. "If a woman wearing a sari walks into a Jimmy Choo store, the attendants will not see her as a serious customer. On the other hand, anyone in a dress and stilettos is paid much more attention," says Ragini Jaiswal, a Mumbai-based entrepreneur.Fashion consultant Harmeet Bajaj, who counts her shopping experiences at Max Mara and Marni among the best, says that selling luxury brands is a fine art. "Store attendants have to talk to the customer, understand her background and style. They should never force any product on you. In stores abroad, the attendants know their regular customers and give them personalised care. And if you are new to the brand, they are trained to assess you in a matter of minutes and guide you around. Such inter-personal skills are missing in India."When Burberry launched in India in 2008, customers were promised personalised shopping, a USP of the brand. However, when Priyanka Bhattacharya, a freelance beauty writer from Bangalore, walked into a Burberry store in Delhi, she didn't find the staff very forthcoming. "In India if you walk into any luxury store all that the staff tells you is the price of products because that is not mentioned. That does not make the service exclusive. They rarely offer you any style tips - what kind of bag will work for you? Will a short dress suit a short frame? They are not trained to assist shoppers."Luxury Stores Not Up-to-DateLuxury shoppers also find that the stores are not stocked with the latest collections. This is reported to be especially true for beauty and make-up brands. Even though the autumn-winter collections are out elsewhere in the world, in India you will continue to find lipstick from the last season. It's also been observed that luxury apparel brands prefer to keep more pret-a-porter, or ready-to-wear, collections in Indian stores rather than haute couture lines.The recent CII-A T Kearney India Luxury Review 2011 has also taken note of this gulf between customer expectations and supply. Customers, it reports, seem to be saying, "have money, will buy, but please treat me well". The Review further states: "High quality talent continues to be limited. With the entry of new brands and footprint expansion by most companies, luxury players are facing high attrition rates resulting in increasing personnel costs."The way out, feel experts, are intensive training programmes for luxury retail professionals. "Right now there's very little investment in retail training. We need to introduce long-term training programmes instead of organising sporadic workshops. It will also help to offer retail professionals opportunities to work abroad," says Saboo.Anil Chopra, former CEO Lakme Lever Pvt Ltd, cites the example of the aviation industry to emphasise the importance of right training modules. "On any given flight the same set of crew is servicing passengers in the A class, business and economy class. How do they manage this? It is possible because there are good schools and institutes training them. This can be replicated in luxury retail industry."This originally appeared on .This story was originally published by.With the removal of the cap on foreign ownership in single-brand retail, global luxury brands are expected to ramp up their presence in the domestic market."In one stroke, India may have opened the floodgates," said Sanjay Kapoor, managing director of Genesis Luxury, the joint venture partner of Burberry in India, which also represents other luxury brands like Canali, Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta.Most luxury brands operate through the franchise or licensing route, while some like Louis Vuitton and Burberry have joint ventures in which they own 51 percent shareholding. Many such brands which have silent partners in India may now want to buy out their Indian partners. "A lot of brands were concerned about holding only 51 percent in India. Now, there is a better chance of them coming into India," said Dinaz Madhukar, vice-president at DLF Emporio, in an report.India to Become a Preferred MarketTikka Shatrujit Singh, chief representative in Asia for French luxury firm , the parent company of Louis Vuitton and many other luxury brands globally, said the appetite to invest in India is bound to grow now. "This was the last frontier to be opened. It will make India a preferred market," he said.With the rapid rise in high net worth individuals, Indian luxury market is estimated to triple to $14.7 billion by 2015, from $4.76 billion in 2009. In a recent report, Swiss wealth manager forecast that the number of HNIs in India, with assets of $1 million or more, would more than double to 403,000 by 2015."We expect investments in India from luxury and fashion companies to benefit from this decision and the process of development of infrastructures will improve and boost the growth of luxury industry in India," said Michele Norsa, CEO of Ferragamo Group.Luxury Plans for the Country"We are waiting for the fine print. If the conditions are favourable, we will look at scaling up our stake from 51 percent to 100 percent in our Indian subsidiary," Damien Vernet, general manager, Middle East India at Louis Vuitton, said. Louis Vuitton has a 51:49 joint venture in India, with four stores. In contrast, it has 36 stores in China."I expect people sitting on the fence to now make a beeline (for India). After China, India is the next big market for luxury brands. India is expected to be the next China," said Abhay Gupta, executive director of Blues Clothing Company, which has franchise deals with luxury brands like Versace, John Smedley, Cadini and others in India. Just a couple of months ago, , who runs the fashion and leather goods unit at LVMH said the 51 percent cap was holding back foreign investments.This originally appeared on .This story was originally published by.InstagramKim Kardashian On Instagram.No, there's no dashboard or back-end metrics. And no sales team to support advertisers--yet. But Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service that , is Mecca for brand advertisers.Why?It's a place where display advertising actually works. Yep, that's right: people want to look at your ads. Just don't call them ads. Instead, call them images, and make sure they're (actually, truly) interesting or beautiful to look at. One smart angle is the "behind-the-scenes" approach taken by brands such as General Electric, , and Burberry. As a consumer, I don't know much about GE's engineering division, and I might not profess to care. But amazing, color-saturated photos of engines and repairs, which turn my into a portable gallery of industrial-flavored art? Yes, please. CEO has suggested Instagram may be the , and he now has the resources of --expected to IPO at $75-100 billion later this month -- to back him up in developing it.So how can you use Instagram and other social platforms smartly? You can find out more at , Business Insider's one-day conference diving deep into the best practices in social-media marketing, sales, branding and engagement.The Summit takes place June 7 in Chicago. You can .Brand marketers from Walmart, , , Gatorade, and more Fortune 500 companies will convene to share strategies, alongside emerging private companies and leading investors. Speakers include:They'll share industry insight on topics including:See the and for additional information, and @BI_Events on for updates and discounts. We'd love to in June! is the app that every mobile developer dreams of building.Since launching last October, the for has gone completely viral, with more than 13 million downloads. It is now adding a million new users every couple of weeks, including celebrity users like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Its runaway success has propelled cofounder and CEO into sudden fame in the tech world, landing him on lists like Fortune's .And yet, Instagram has never spent a dime on marketing, and the company is still tiny, with only 7 employees working out of a space in San Francisco's South Park neighborhood.We caught up with Systrom last week before Thanksgiving to ask him how he did it and what's next for the company.Here's what we learned:Here's a transcript of our conversation, lightly edited:: How's life? How's business? You guys are up above 13 million users now right?Kevin Systrom: It's funny that you say that because you really can swap "life" and "business" in the same sentence. Life's great. We're growing like a weed, both in people joining the company and also in usage. We have over 13 million people now on the app. It's been a crazy year. It's unlike any social network trajectory in the first 12 months and we're really excited to see where it goes.BI: Why do you think the app took off so quickly?KS:We took a very basic action that everyone does in the world, taking a photo, and we put some meaning behind it, some reason behind it. The reason is suddenly all your friends can see that photo immediately, in an instant. But also we make the photo more beautiful. It doesn't take very much to convince people to do what they do every day anyway and then do it through you're product. Really we're just taking people and shifting them from taking photos anyway to taking them on Instagram.But then, because of the encouragement through making photos beautiful, people are taking way more photos than they would have otherwise because there's a reason to share them.BI: But what advice would you give somebody to get that initial notice and get that spike in usage? KS: It's interesting because I've started to work more closely with startups trying to do exactly this, and a lot of people think it's a marketing game. But really, if you build a quality app you will naturally rise through the ranks. I don't know how many apps are in the App Store, but everyone knows a fraction of a percent are really well done, quality, thought out apps. There are a lot of apps that are fun to use, they're utility apps, they're fine. But there are a fraction of apps that are in the cream of the crop. You just need to be in the cream of the crop to get noticed.I think far too many people focus on how many emails can I send the user to get them to come back at the end of the week. If you build something beautiful and useful they will come back. And sure, you should also do those things, but I don't remember the last email I got from saying "hey, you haven't been back to our site in a while."There are gimmicks, paying for downloads and stuff. But we've never spent a dime on marketing. Great products sell themselves.BI: What does your average user look like? Do you have a few "whales" who are taking tons of photos and then a bunch more casual users, sort of like with games?KS: You can split it up into personas. There are definitely people who don't take any photos but like photos and comment on photos. Like people who joined for Justin Bieber -- a lot of them are there for one reason, and the reason is Justin. At the same time, there are people who subscribe to thousands of people and not only like and comment on their photos but take beautiful photos as well.BI: You only have 7 employees, right?KS: We're going to be 9 pretty soon.BI: What are you hiring for?KS: Right now we're hiring engineers and designers. That's what we're focused on. We've had a tremendous amount of luck in the last six months finding people that we really love to work with, and the team we've built is unparalleled for what we're doing.BI: What's the kind of person you're looking for? Fresh out of college? Lots of experience in mobile?KS: Actually I really value passion for the product above experience. Right now, most of the people are within a few years, three to six years out of college. But that's not necessarily true going forward. A lot of people coming aboard are a little more senior than that, and I'm totally cool with that. We just want to build a company that focuses on the love of Instagram.BI: It doesn't seem like you need to hire any marketing people.KS: It's funny, I was talking to somebody about getting a job as a growth strategist at a company and I started thinking to myself that's the opposite of what we need right now. We need somebody [who can tell us] how do you deal with growth. At the same time, even though we're growing at our peak over one user per second, we still need three or four times that to make us happy. That'll require things like Web, things like Android, a concerted play on those areas.BI: What is the next platform?KS: The next mobile platform is definitely going to be Android and we've got some cool stuff coming, that's all I can say.BI: Are you going to target only the most recent version?KS: You mean like versus others? We're going to try to be compatible with all modern phones. I don't know enough, so I can't comment to specifics, I'm not the guy who knows a lot about Android. But in our discussions, there's always a tension between just supporting the latest or supporting a bunch of different ones. We're going to try and support as many as we can.BI: There was an , a developer told Rafe Needleman that it's sometimes better to support limited platforms because you get more marketing support.KS: The stronger point is not that will give you preferential treatment, because I don't think they do if you're not on Android, it's not that at all. The stronger point is the focus that comes from being on a single platform. We were able to iterate much more quickly than -- I don't think anybody even names any of our competitors anymore. One of the reasons why is we were able to focus on Android and really focus on the experience on the Apple platform. There will always be folks coming up with interesting innovative stuff, I'd never write anybody off, but focusing on iPhone really helped us take that market.BI: So you guys see yourselves as a platform, right? I hear that from a lot of startups these days -- everybody wants to be a platform.KS: I don't think platform means you support other people, necessarily. A platform is the base from which something big happens. In our case we're an entertainment platform in the sense that there are people signing up like , Burberry, folks like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. And why? Because it's their channel to control their entertainment to their fans. Whether you're a brand, whether you're a big artist, or whether you're me, just a photographer, it's a platform upon which to broadcast. What we're seeing is people spending more and more time on these things [picks up his iPhone] and this is where we're consuming entertainment. Instagram is definitely becoming a new entertainment source for people day after day.And right now we're still images, right? Imagine what happens when in the future, this really becomes an entertainment platform. I don't want to say this is an entertainment platform in the way TV is a platform because we're not going to go producing content. That being said, you could see where professional producers do produce content, do produce photos of behind the scenes things -- Audi produces gorgeous photos of all their cars and I'm sitting there and flicking through it and I'm addicted. That's very much like people sitting down on a Friday night to watch their favorite show. It's just a different platform, meaning it's a different medium, and they're consuming different kinds of content. But they're engaged, they just sit there and they open it up every 10 minutes. That's the kind of behavior that unlocks the potential of a big advertising business.BI: So that's the opportunity -- sponsorships, affiliates, advertising, something like that. Not subscriptions?KS: I haven't thought very specifically what form it takes, I've thought very generally about the direction we're moving. I don't think you should ever start a business and move in a direction where you can't see it becoming a business. Those thoughts have crossed my mind, can people buy things from the app, or sponsored things in your feed or whatever. I don't think we've landed on any one, but the good news is we add a million people every two weeks, that's a big number. When you have a big part of someone's time, there's a big opportunity, especially as dollars shift off these traditional entertainment mediums and onto online.Search ads is a very specific implementation of advertising. The question is, is there an opportunity beyond group buying, search advertising, to make a whole lot of revenue on the iPhone, on Android. I believe the answer is yes, that's what we're going after.BI: When do you have to turn the corner and show revenue? You're showing such fast growth I'm sure you could raise more money whenever you need it, and you have less than 10 people so that's a slow burn rate, but when do you start looking at the business side?KS: It was a concern from day one. I don't think it's healthy to ignore it. I look at our numbers every day and I see how much we're spending, and I understand that goes up exponentially as you get bigger. So it's on the top of my mind. It's a good problem to have. I'm not sure there's a specific time we need to turn on the faucet. It's a progressive process.We're trying to figure out a lot of things before that. How do we build a team such that we can support partners? How do we build the technology so that every weekend we're not stuck in the office trying to fix things from going out.BI: What do you think of native apps for mobile phones vs HTML5 apps? I talk to some people who think HTML5 is the way to build one app that works on multiple platforms.KS: I don't buy it, mostly because we started off as HTML5.What I don't buy is just your statement. I totally buy HTML5. It's great for some companies. For instance, I think it's awesome for bigger brands who are not technology companies to invest in HTML5. It's much more accessible, the refresh cycle's much smaller, it's just better for the organization to spend their time doing what you do well. If you're a larger brand, having the flexibility to do HTML5 is also great.But to do what we do, there's no reason why we should do it in HTML5....We were HTML5 when we were . But there were so many stumbling blocks getting it out to consumers, the second we went native it was the best decision we ever made. I think that's true, for folks to have a strong consumer experience that needs to be completely polished. I don't buy the cross-platform thing.BI: What about writing in HTML5 and then wrapping it for each different platform?KS: Why would you do that? You might as well learn Objective C. I think the big stumbling block is a lot of developers are worried that they don't know this other language so let's build it in HTML and JavaScript. But it turns out if you spend a couple of days learning Objective C, you can get really far. The experience is great, too.BI: You mentioned a Web platform, what's up with that?KS: I don't think there's any reason people shouldn't be able to consume photos on the Web. We just focused on mobile first.BI: You also hinted at moving beyond photos into video?KS: I've been mentioning this a lot lately because I don't want people getting stuck with the idea that Instagram is a photo-sharing company. Instagram is a media company. I think we're about visual media. I explain ourselves as a disruptive entertainment platform that enables communication through visual media. I don't think it's just photos. There's a reason we don't allow you to upload photos on the Web as albums. It's not about taking all these photos off your DSLR putting them into an album and sharing them with your family. It's not about that. It's about what are you up to right now out in the real world, how can you share that with everyone. It's about what's happening out in the world. It's about can I consume media from folks like Taylor Swift. That's really interesting to people. What's not interesting to me is becoming a photo storage platform.BI: has that locked up. has it, . We're not in the business of making mugs with photos on them. That's not our thing. So the reason I describe is it pushes people's boundaries of what Instagram is. Video is definitely somewhere in our future.BI: Video requires a lot more resources.KS: Everything does. So does Web. We get six million visits a day to our Web site. Imagine us launching a Web site [for sharing], how much more infrastructure would we need? All of these things are commitments. We have to see where they make sense in our lifecycle?BI: So do you want to stay independent as a company?KS: You mean versus selling? I'm excited about what we're doing, I love what I do every day I come in to work and get to work with my team, that's what I want to do as long as possible.BI: Are you a photographer?KS: It's funny, I was a photographer before I was a programmer. But in high school I basically got them to waive a bunch of science requirements so I could take more computer science. I got to college and decided I didn't want to concentrate on computer science for some random reason. But I've always done photography, in the darkroom, and I've always really been into digital photography. If you go on to , you'll see a photo that looks like an Instagram photo, from about 2007. I've always been into taking my photos, cropping them square, putting them through a filter in Photoshop. We just reverse engineered how to do filters, now we opened it up to the masses....I've done all our filters except for a few. We worked with , one of our users, who did a fantastic job on Amaro, Rise, and Hudson. He did the first three on the list and they're awesome, I use them 24/7. But we're definitely itching to get new ones out there. We talked about doing limited Christmas holiday ones, or whatever, but we're not Seasons or anything like that yet.FacebookPressing the like button on a company's Facebook page can have a much more wide-ranging impact than you might have guessed. A new study finds a possible correlation in the relationship between the financialperformance of public companies and their consumer following or fan count on Facebook.What the researchers found was that the more popular the company was on Facebook, the better its stock price seemed to do."The results suggest that changes in fan count trends could signal changes in consumer brand company stock prices, creating the potential for new applications of metrics as economic indicators," the researchers said.There is an association between a company's and how active its Facebook users are and its stock price, Pace University researcher Arthur O' Connor told BusinessNewsDaily."I am not saying because these are the most popular brands that have the greatest following of consumers on Facebook that that causes stock prices to go up," he said. "The study suggests a relationship between the popularity or greater numbers of people thinking and posting comments or sharing experiences about brands and the economic performance of the brand."O'Connor, in association with social media analytic service , which ranks and tracks social media followers, took the 30 most popular brands on Facebook and broke them into two groups. The first group included companies that sell smaller ticket impulse-based purchases and included Abercrombie Fitch, Adidas, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Burberry, , Puma, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, McDonalds, Oreo (), Pepsi, , Taco , , , Whole Foods and . The second group included 11 companies that offered larger ticket purchases including , , , , , Blackberry (RIM), , , Harley-Davidson, JetBlue and Southwest airlines."Fan counts for the most popular brands associated with small ticket and/or impulse purchases were found to have stronger correlation with their respective stock prices than those for the most popular brands associated with larger-ticket items and/or more complex buying processes," the researchers wrote.O'Connor believes his research has implications for how brands ."The most notable thing is that people need to start to understand that social media really does have some relationship with the conformity of behavior," said O'Connor, an information technology management consultant enrolled in the executive doctoral program at Pace University. "If everyone is thinking about and talking about your brand, that may mean something in terms of your stock price or corporate performance."With more than 800 million active Facebook users, the significance of these findings can signal a change in the way companies look at social media and its ability to serve as an indicator and even predictor of economic performance. O'Connor said he believes companies will have to be careful how they wield their newfound social media power."Popularity is a two-edged sword," said O'Connor. "The more people look at you and think about you (especially) if you do well and do right by your customers, it can be a tremendous benefit. However, if you dont do those things, it can work against you in a big way. The one thing you can take away from it is that social media is becoming a more respected and established communication channel with customers, investors and the general public. It is something to take just as serious as shareholder communications, marketing communication or other more established communications."This originally appeared on .SHANGHAI () - Louis Vuitton is courting China's wealthy with one-of-a-kind shoes and bags it is branding as unique works of art to reclaim its exclusive cachet in the luxury market.The French luxury brand, a unit of , is set to open its largest China store in Shanghai on Saturday, complete with a gilded spiral staircase and an invitation-only private floor where big spenders can get their hair done while dreaming up designs for custom bags."The made-to-order concept is the ultimate luxury," Louis Vuitton Chief Executive told Reuters during a tour of the store, which the company calls a "maison"."It's the same with art. If you are interested in art, the ultimate is to commission an artist rather than buy a piece that is already done," Carcelle said.Louis Vuitton routinely ranks among the most admired brands in surveys of Chinese consumers. But ultra-luxury names such as Hermes are making inroads, and some top-tier consumers now look down on Louis Vuitton as too common.The company hopes to cement its exclusive luxury status with the new Shanghai store, which boasts steel sculptures and carries a wide array of goods ranging from chic coats and hats to brightly colored bags made from python or alligator skin.It also sells carrying cases for tiles used to play the Chinese game mahjong and made-to-order trunks for tea sets.China is the world's third biggest market for personal luxury goods, worth at least 160 billion yuan ($25 billion). In the next three years, it is expected to leapfrog over Japan and the United States to take the top spot, with the luxury segment expanding to 180 billion yuan ($28 billion).BAD TIMING?The Louis Vuitton maison, one of 16 similar boutiques in the world, is located in Shanghai's address for luxury goods: the swanky Plaza 66 mall, where rival brands such as Chanel and Prada also have stores.Spanning four levels and with more than 100 staff, the store is currently the only one in China that offers custom bags and shoes. The company declined to say how much it spent on the boutique."Being in this made-to-order market needs sophisticated customers who know what they are talking about and own several bags, if not dozens of bags," Carcelle said."That's why the haute maroquinerie and made-to-order-shoes... are important to demonstrate in China," he said, using the French word for luxury leather crafts."As long as we didn't have this space to show them to our clients, in a world that is changing fast, we were missing our weapons," he said.Louis Vuitton's timing, however, may be less than ideal.Luxury spending is softening in China as the economy weakens. Economic growth slowed to its lowest level in three years last quarter. Britain's Burberry said last week its sales had been hit by the slowdown in China.Carcelle declined to comment on the state of the Chinese economy or its impact on luxury spending, but said he sees more "maisons" opening up in the capital Beijing and Hangzhou, a thriving trade hub in eastern China.He said Chinese consumers had rapidly matured into luxury connoisseurs, and the company needed to cater to both first-time buyers and sophisticated shoppers."Maybe in the West, this trend took 20 years but here it takes 5 years from the first purchase to the willingness to have more sophisticated products and services," Carcelle said.($1 = 6.3729 Chinese yuan)(Editing by Emily Kaiser and Miral Fahmy)- A curated list of the good things in life- Contributors from Forbes, TechCrunch, Condé Nast Traveler, Mashable and Luxist- Advertising managed by Halogen Media Group, with initial advertisers including BMW, Coach and Burberry- Upcoming functionality will include community reviews, luxury ranking and on-the-go recommendations with the Pursuitist iPhone AppPursuitist, the premiere luxury lifestyle blog, has officially launched at While in beta, the Pursuitist editors have diligently curated a rich list of the good things in life to share with affluent readers. With categories that include Arts, Auto, Epicurean, Family, Green, House, Style, Tech and Travel, the Pursuitist aspires to be the Huffington Post for Luxury. Coinciding with the launch, a few of the new contributors sharing their favorite luxuries include Carrie Coolidge (Luxist, Forbes), Paul Carr (Techcrunch, The Guardian), Gretchen Kelly (New York Post), Erica Swallow (Mashable, CosmoGirl.com), Shandana Durrani (Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour) and Leila Cohan-Miccio (Saveur).International contributors include Holly Boyle in London and Vilte S. Holstad in Paris, capturing the excitement and pulse of fashion, art and life in these vibrant cities.“Pursuitist is luxury redefined. It’s about finding and sharing the good things in life. To inspire, educate and be relevant. Pursuitists are ahead of the curve and authentic,” said Christopher Parr, CEO and Publisher of Pursuitist. Parr is an award-winning 10-year luxury online marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. In 1996, Michael Wolff’s NetGuide named Parr’s inaugural online magazine as “The Best Site of the Year” at MacWorld.The Pursuitist is also a targeted advertising platform for luxury brands to connect with affluent readers. While in beta, advertisers on the site have included Burberry, BMW, Coach, Broadmoor Hotel, Chase Bank, Audemars Piguet, Cosmopolitan Hotel and Effen Vodka. Halogen Media Group, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, manages advertising for the site.Bringing on world class content producers exemplifies Pursuitists understanding of influencer media and the importance of providing brand advertisers with an environment where they can interact with consumers alongside relevant content. Were thrilled to bring branded content from the worlds best brands to Pursuitist and its loyal readers, said Greg Shove, CEO of Halogen Media Group.Luxury fashion brands featured on the site include Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dolce Gabbana, Hermès, Gucci, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Dior, Fendi and Roberto Cavalli. The editors have also highlighted amazing luxury destinations, including Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Disneyworld’s Grand Floridian, InterContinental Resorts, Conrad Hotels, The Plaza and the Waldorf Astoria. Bentley, BMW, Lexus, Bugatti, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Audi, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz are a few of the luxury auto brands that have been spotlighted on the blog.Upcoming functionality to the site will include community reviews, luxury ranking, flash sales, Facebook integration and on-the-go recommendations with the Pursuitist iPhone App.On the web at: Read below Christopher Parrs interview with Luxury Daily, regarding working with BMW, Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Choo:Read more posts on Luxury companies are complacently selling to their established customers while ignoring the next generation of millennials.This attitude could jeopardize future business because millennials are "skeptical" about luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Burberry, according to a report by So far, luxury brands have taken the easy way out and marketed to their reliable customers."Luxury marketers face a challenge repositioning their brands for this next generation of highly-educated, soon to be affluent young people," Danziger says."Luxury brands will have to adapt to meet this next generation of luxury consumers in the marketplace."Reaching the younger generation is challenging because research shows that young people think that luxury brands are overpriced and aren't worth the expense.While millennials aren't making up much of the market now, Danziger predicts that by 2020 many will be affluent and buying more expensive goods.Marketing to younger people should be luxury brands' top priority, according to Danziger:"Understanding the aspirations of Millennials for a luxury lifestyle is critical for luxury brands, including what money, status, and success means to them. They will need to both innovate with new products, services, marketing strategies and branding concepts, as well as let go of old ideas that will prove ineffective, even counterproductive, for marketing to this new generation."DON'T MISS: Joshua Linam of IGNs Askmen.com has named the . Christopher Parr, Pursuitist CEO EIC, is included on this great list, which also includes Luis Fernandez, Timo Weiland, Michael Macko, James Andrew and Ryan Cook. The bloggers, designers and luxury marketing gurus showcased on the list share their favorite fashion brands and style advice. Parr, our very own EIC, shares his go-to style staples which includes J.Crew, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Belstaff, TAG Heuer, Cole Haan adding When traveling, I grab my Belstaff jacket and go with a Barbour bag tossed over my shoulder its stocked with my iPad 2, a few Cuban cigars and Johnnie Walker Black flask.Christopher Parr might be described as the renaissance man of luxury fashion. An award-winning luxury marketer, writer, web-publishing pioneer, and go-to speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences, the man stays busy. Presently CEO and chief editor at Pursuitist, Parr launched the site as a curated list of all the good things in life. He recruits contributors from Forbes, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur, and more, to share their favorite luxury items and adventures. For over 15 years, Parr has consulted with brands on , online buzz marketing to online engagement – and has been a pioneer in web publishing, content creation, iPad app development, blogs and viral videos. In 1996, Michael Wolffs NetGuide named Parrs inaugural online magazine as The Best Site of the Year at MacWorld.Read more posts on Christopher Parr is an industry leader with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing. He is an award-winning veteran, writer, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Askmen.com recently named him , his family is featured in , , and Milton Pedraza, CEO, Luxury Institute, calls him One of the top expert practitioners in global luxury in marketing with a particular expertise in marketing, selling and engaging customers in the digital world. He is one of those professionals who executes brilliantly. He is innovative while looking out for the return on investmentIn 1996, Michael Wolffs NetGuide named s inaugural online magazine as The Best Site of the Year at MacWorld. He holds a MFA from Brandeis and a BA from Viterbo. Heres a QA with as he shares his digital strategy behind creating an authentic luxury platform to engage affluent readers and connect with luxury brands. Its a new age of blogging and editorial intersecting with digital luxury marketing and social media to create online buzz for the worlds best luxury brands. Can you talk a little bit about where you got the idea to start Pursuitist.com?The idea of Pursuitist.com was to create a travel, style and leisure destination for affluent consumers. For readers pursuing amazing fashion brands, hotels, restaurants, gadgets, experiences, and autos – Pursuitist is a destination site that curates the good things in life. We’ve brought in world-class content producers — remarkable writers sharing remarkable experiences. How has the experience of the site differed from what you expected it would become?It’s been a blast. As I tell my writers — write about remarkable people, products and experiences. We aspire to go beyond the bling – Pursuitist is luxury redefined. We focus on the artisans that make amazing handcrafted products – from a designer at Louis Vuitton to a 2nd generation organic winemaker in Napa. We pursue to tell the story and go behind the scenes. We officially launched in July. While in beta, the Pursuitist editors have diligently curated a rich list of the good things in life to share with affluent readers. Coinciding with the launch, a few of the new contributors sharing their favorite luxuries include remarkable writers.How does the site plan to attract affluent individuals?To build awareness, we’re launching a 360-degree advertising campaign. To attract and keep the right readers, our strategy includes word-of-month, PR, campaigns with Facebook, Twitter, banner ads on other affluent websites, and email marketing. Facebook integration is also a major tactic – the sharing, liking, and commenting is exclusively powered by Facebook to help us go viral and obtain more likeminded readers.What is your relationship to the brands you write about?As we’re able to serve up a targeted audience, luxury brands love our platform. We’re also very selective of the advertisers that appear on our site. Pursuitist is truly a targeted online destination for luxury advertisers to connect and engage with affluent consumers. Advertisers have included Burberry, Coach, Intel, BMW, Chase Bank, Audemars Piguet, Broadmoor Hotel and Cosmopolitan Hotel. The Pursuitist is a great place to be seen – as our readers are affluent (65% with an annual income of $75k and up) and influencers.How do you keep your content authentic?There’s a shortage of online destinations for affluent consumers seeking authentic experiences. Plenty of cold bling sites exist, focusing on editorial content with ultra premium and inaccessible luxuries. That’s the void, and why Pursuitist was created — there’s not another site like us. Pursuitist is one destination site with 9 targeted sections (Arts, Auto, Epicurean, Family, Green, House, Style, Tech and Travel) – best described as an online mashup of The Huffington Post and Conde Nast.Our editorial is also different — from our travel journals to our features on amazing artisans and clever destinations. With friendlier and accessible narratives – our readers tell us they feel like insiders, along for the ride.In general, what kind of lift can this kind of content offer brands? Is this something they should focus on getting more of?We’ve also worked quite closely with other luxury brands to organically integrate and feature their products – from Four Seasons, Hermes, Patron, Gucci, Prada, Robert Mondavi Wine, Ralph Lauren, Lobel Steaks of New York, to Chanel. As we only focus on premier brands and destinations, we are selective of the brands we feature. It’s a terrific halo effect – to be “Pursuitist Recommended.”Do most brands react to what you write? How do they respond to your content?They love it. The brands, from Marc Jacobs, Land Rover to Viking Range prefer to re-tweet and link to our editorial on their social media channels. (See an example of Marc Jacobs leveraging Pursuitist’s editorial .)Also read, Luxury Daily News: Read more posts on Luxury brands including Louis Vuitton and Burberry are having difficulty expanding in China because there isn't enough prime real estate to go around.According to a, four out of the five fastest-growing real estate markets are in China. But luxury retailers have trouble finding commercial space that's up to their standards and won't settle for the more up-and-coming neighborhoods.Still, China will continue to dominate development, according to the report: eight out of the 10 fastest-growing markets are there. Even though luxury retailers are puzzling over how to expand, middle-class shopping malls are popping up everywhere.- A curated list of the good things in life- Contributors from Forbes, TechCrunch, Condé Nast Traveler, Mashable and Luxist- Advertising managed by Halogen Media Group, with initial advertisers including BMW, Coach and Burberry- Upcoming functionality will include community reviews, luxury ranking and on-the-go recommendations with the Pursuitist iPhone AppPursuitist, the premiere luxury lifestyle blog, has officially launched at While in beta, the Pursuitist editors have diligently curated a rich list of the good things in life to share with affluent readers. With categories that include Arts, Auto, Epicurean, Family, Green, House, Style, Tech and Travel, the Pursuitist aspires to be the Huffington Post for Luxury. Coinciding with the launch, a few of the new contributors sharing their favorite luxuries include Carrie Coolidge (Luxist, Forbes), Paul Carr (Techcrunch, The Guardian), Gretchen Kelly (New York Post), Erica Swallow (Mashable, CosmoGirl.com), Shandana Durrani (Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour) and Leila Cohan-Miccio (Saveur).International contributors include Holly Boyle in London and Vilte S. Holstad in Paris, capturing the excitement and pulse of fashion, art and life in these vibrant cities.“Pursuitist is luxury redefined. It’s about finding and sharing the good things in life. To inspire, educate and be relevant. Pursuitists are ahead of the curve and authentic,” said Christopher Parr, CEO and Publisher of Pursuitist. Parr is an award-winning 10-year luxury online marketing veteran, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. In 1996, Michael Wolff’s NetGuide named Parr’s inaugural online magazine as “The Best Site of the Year” at MacWorld.The Pursuitist is also a targeted advertising platform for luxury brands to connect with affluent readers. While in beta, advertisers on the site have included Burberry, BMW, Coach, Broadmoor Hotel, Chase Bank, Audemars Piguet, Cosmopolitan Hotel and Effen Vodka. Halogen Media Group, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, manages advertising for the site.Bringing on world class content producers exemplifies Pursuitists understanding of influencer media and the importance of providing brand advertisers with an environment where they can interact with consumers alongside relevant content. Were thrilled to bring branded content from the worlds best brands to Pursuitist and its loyal readers, said Greg Shove, CEO of Halogen Media Group.Luxury fashion brands featured on the site include Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dolce Gabbana, Hermès, Gucci, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Dior, Fendi and Roberto Cavalli. The editors have also highlighted amazing luxury destinations, including Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Disneyworld’s Grand Floridian, InterContinental Resorts, Conrad Hotels, The Plaza and the Waldorf Astoria. Bentley, BMW, Lexus, Bugatti, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Audi, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz are a few of the luxury auto brands that have been spotlighted on the blog.Upcoming functionality to the site will include community reviews, luxury ranking, flash sales, Facebook integration and on-the-go recommendations with the Pursuitist iPhone App.On the web at: Read below Christopher Parrs interview with Luxury Daily, regarding working with BMW, Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Choo:Read more posts on  flagship store in Herald is getting a $400 million facelift, scheduled for completion in 2015.The overhaul of the landmark department store, which was built in 1902, will add some 100,000 square feet of space and give the shopping mecca a sleek new look, .Some parts of the renovation have already been completed. Macy's recently debuted its revamped shoe section, dubbed "The World's Largest Shoe Floor," which includes a cafe space that serves coffee, Moet Chandon champagne, and hand-made chocolates from Vosges Haut Chocolate.And the store plans to debut its new main floor in time for the upcoming holiday season. It will feature a trio of luxury shops from Burberry, Longchamps, and Gucci that will be "second only in scale to each brand's own flagship location," according to Macy's.Macy's shared a few photos of its new shoe department and a rendering of the new main floor with us.Here's what the luxury shops will look like when they're completed in December 2012Courtesy of Macy'sMacy's new shoe department opened earlier this month on the second floorCourtesy of Macy'sThe department offers 280,000 pairs of shoes, according to the AP.Courtesy of Macy'sThe new department is sleek and white, and designers are given top billing.Courtesy of Macy'sIn 2006, the Wisconsin State Journal interviewed Madison web designer, writer, online marketing and social media professional of about web design and marketing for Madison, Wisconsin businesses. Wisconsin State Journal published the interview in the articles: , and . He recently rediscovered the original QA with the Wisconsin State Journal reporter and is publishing the original interview, in its entirety, as a perspective on the short history of successful online marketing and strategy. Q. Why should a Madison business have a website?A website is a spoke on the communications and branding wheel. It helps to convey a message, along side of TV, print, mobile, point-of-purchase and enewsletters. An effective company utilizes all of these mediums to their advantage. Consumers have many options, so you can’t just rely on TV or the web to get your message out. Some consumers use the web to perform research, some use magazines. A website helps to complete the picture and capture your audience. However, a website is the most engaging medium. TV and print are passive. The consumer can only watch or turn the page. A business can’t tell the whole story with a print ad. Print is great for grabbing attention, but you need to learn more. With a website, on the other hand, consumers can delve further. It’s interactive; they control where to go, what they want to learn. Q. What kinds of businesses need what kinds of websites? Are there specific types of sites that fit specific types of Madison businesses?A. All businesses, large or small, need a website; from a Fortune 100 company, to a coffee house, to a local artist. For a local company, like a restaurant or coffee house, present hours of operation, directions and the menu. And add interactive components, like the ability to create online reservations or sign up for e-coupons. Everyone is busy, so tell the story of why people should go out of their way to visit your store. And personalize it; incorporate humanistic touches to your site. Computers and most websites are cold, you can’t connect. Add in a greeting from the owner or include a picture of the staff. Make it real. In creating an effective website, content is king. Perhaps a coffee house could have a blog; write about new blends or recommendations, stories at the coffee house, feature the baristas. My wife, Alison Relyea-Parr, is a children’s book illustration – she has a website at She no longer needs to be based in New York. Publishers search and find her, which is a reversal on the selection process when artists would take their portfolios door to door to the publishing houses. The editors find her, and browse her work, at their leisure. So from blogs, websites to creating a profile for your business on Facebook, use the web to network with your customers online. The ability to connect to prospects, and nurture your current customer, is key. Q. If you had to categorize different kinds of Madison business websites out there, how would you categorize them?A. There are 100 different web strategies for 100 different Madison companies. Look at your objectives and business plan. What fits, what doesn’t? If you don’t need to go overboard, don’t do it. Some companies create an informational site to educate consumers and capture leads, so they can remarket to them via email or brochures. E-commerce is the way to go with companies offering tangible goods – in creating a national customer base. Q. What are some common mistakes Madison businesses make when theyre trying to get on the web? What do people tend to do wrong when theyre developing a web presence and selecting a Madison web designer?A. There can be many mistakes in creating a website. Speed is an issue, creating a slow site will make your customers quickly click away. Many print designers create all graphic sites that uniformly fail; while they can design fantastic brochures, the web is a totally different medium. Spend time on usability and how people access information. It’s the flow of information, hold the hand of your customer and guide them through your website. Don’t make it a mystery. Know your audience. Create a site for the customer, not what someone in your company or an agency “thinks” the site should say or do. Also, consider the new visitor — look at your site with this fresh perspective — and explain who you are and what you offer at a brief glance.Get the facts. You may go with a Madison web designer or developer because you admire one of the sites they created — but the web designer who created the site is no longer there or it was outsourced. Perhaps they just host the site — and someone else designed it. Ask who’s working on your project; find out skills and experience; call their clients and ask if they delivered as promised.The other mistake is being tied to a proprietary technology which drives your website. You end up getting married to a vendor that will milk the relationship for all it’s worth. Ask for a site that can be completely handed off to your internal staff or to another web firm, if need be. Go open source. Consider WordPress. Q. What is something that all Madison businesses should do with their web presence that not a lot do?Ideally, use your business to add value to my life. Make it worth my time – and be creative about it. Even local companies can get into the game. Great examples include Milios and Klinke Cleaners. At milios.com, customers can order their sandwiches online, for pickup or delivery. Over at klinkecleaners.com, customers can download coupons and can be alerted via email when their garments are ready for pickup.Q. If you dont have an e-commerce section to your website (and youd like one) how do you know youre ready to start it up? And, how do you make that happen?E-commerce can be a blessing and curse. If you begin receiving orders, you need to have the infrastructure in place to handle customer service, order status, product availability and delivery. Everyone wants their stuff fast – you need to meet or exceed their expectations. If you’re a larger company, turn to a web consulting firm to implement an e-commerce solution. Ideally, find a company that’s done this numerous times. They should provide a turn-key solution. Always select a web design and development firm with a track record; otherwise, they’ll stumble and delay the process – which will probably cost you more in the long run.For smaller Madison businesses, or a one-person business, you can also create an inexpensive e-commerce solution offered from Amazon, Yahoo or Ebay. Their “stores” offer low overhead, wide distribution – and you don’t need to be on the Geek Squad to set it up., CEO of , is an award-winning writer and online marketing strategist. Since 1995, the Madison, Wisconsin-based internet pioneer and marketer has launched numerous successful web projects, viral videos and online marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. In addition to creating blogging and buzz marketing platforms, services include . In 1996, Michael Wolffs NetGuide named s inaugural online magazine as The Best Site of the Year at MacWorld. He holds a MFA from Brandeis and a BA from Viterbo. Visit to learn more.Does a great job of generating an experience- Douglas Coupland (author of Generation X)Delightfully rich and original- Roger Black (author of Web Sites That Work)Christopher Parr one of the Top 20 Most Influential People in Madison- Madison MagazineLuxury Daily News: Askmen.com names Christopher Parr NYTimes: Wisconsin State Journal: Read more posts on Last year, British retailer Marks Spencer convinced to leave Victoria Secret and promote its new Brazilian-cut underwear.The line has been so successful, reports the , that it saved new CEO Marc Bolland from a battle over his pay package, which includes a 250% bonus on his 950,000 base salary.There was talk of a shareholder's revolt at the company's annual meeting at Festival Hall on London's South Bank this week, but since lingerie sales jumped by 3.2%, analysts say he was protected against the pushback., a UK lobby group that recently encouraged shareholders to revolt at , was behind the potential revolt.The that it wasn't only the underwear sales that appeased shareholders; it was the meeting itself. Guests at Festival Hall were greeted with vanilla ice cream and wine, and a presentation by model Twiggy. The company's chairman also introduced a new edition to the lingerie line.At the previous , there were shareholder revolts over CEO pay packages.If the top luxury brands collided with McDonalds, youd get a mashup similar to the below. The concepts are created by Access, a design agency from the mind of The Cool Hunters Bill Tikos. Imagine a high-fashion makeover of McDonalds and youd have, ta-da, McFancy Who wouldnt want a Burberry Burger, Gucci Fries, Paul Smith Sundae, or DG water.?Waiters in tuxedos, silver service, private dining areas, and packaging co-created with the fashion brands that present at Fashion Week — Burberry burgers, Chanel fries on black packaging, Paul Smith Sundaes…A bit of fun among the serious business of fashion. A bite of comfort food among all the elaborate cocktail fare, Private dining rooms, a raised catwalk that winds around the perimeter of the space, and with a central bar area providing a dramatic focal point. The ceiling is constructed from stretched fabric, ribbed to provide articulation and define zones. The form of the ceiling is accentuated through the use of LED lighting. Read more posts on ReutersHermes in Mumbai. By Boby Kurian Reeba ZachariahEver noticed how the staffers at a luxury store look as premium as the products they sell? Maybe that's because they've been powdered and puffed, pampered and indulged enough to ensure they never leave. At Aditya Birla's luxury fashion chain, The Collective, for instance, they are the million-dollar employees - the ones who bring in annual sales worth $1 million. And keeping them in high spirits can only result in more moolah.Gone are the days of the over-eager 'salesman' with his oily smile and sweaty handshake. The new store executive is sharp and suave, and effortlessly showcases the product he's selling. Marquee global brands are lavishing attention on picking, training and retaining high-class staff only for the close ties they strike with the upper crest of India's spending class.So while some brands offer their employees a retention bonus to stay put, others such as , Ermenegildo Zegna and Dior have gone a step ahead and reinvented the look and feel of their store to attract well-groomed and qualified staff that has now taken on the role of brand custodian and fashion consultant.Why Employees Are PamperedConsultancy firm McKinsey estimates that over nine million Indian households are a target for luxury brands, and about 40 per cent of them - some of whom don't mind spending a few lakh rupees on a single store visits - are between Mumbai and Delhi. Not surprisingly, picking the right staff is top priority-luxury brands are focusing on making experienced hires from aviation and hospitality backgrounds while many more CEOs are descending on fashion institutes and finishing schools for campus recruitment. "There's a new store culture attracting staff from good middle-class families," says Tommy Hilfiger CEO Sailesh Chaturvedi. "We make it a point to listen to them and provide them direct access to the top brass. They drive the shopping experience that is crucial to branding these days."It pays to be an executive at a high-end store. The store manager of a luxury retailer in Mumbai's Palladium Mall takes home more than Rs. 20 lakh per year, while store staff is paid between Rs. 4 lakh and 6 lakh annually. Retired models and India-returned NRI housewives take up jobs as consultants at some stores, much like students from pedigree institutions and working models in Europe and the Far East take up commission-based work at Gucci or Prada stores on weekends."These people look at life and a career differently," says Shital Mehta, who heads The Collective. "They're not terribly excited about becoming mere store managers; it's interacting with the well-heeled that draws them." And working at a luxury store is a definite step-up in the food chain for any executive. "It connects me with the wealthy," says Navin Sonawanneya, 30, assistant store manager at Tod's which is known for its shoes and bags. "You develop a bond with them, they value your suggestions, and on occasion they call you home."Some brands go so far as to prepare a career road map as part of their employee retention strategy. Diesel, for instance, puts every store employee on a professional enhancement programme. "There are store staffers who have gone on to become visual merchandisers, buyers and designing talents," says Darshan Mehta, CEO, Reliance Brands, which operates a JV with Diesel.Burberry's country head, Nalini Gupta, argues that India's retail story has become a serious career option as several luxury and high-street retailers like Hermes and upscale men's clothier Tom enter the country, braving economic uncertainties. "A talent pool for selling luxury brands has now started to build up in India," says N S Rajan, partner, Ernst Young, "and business school grads are adding to the intelligence quotient of their sales personnel".This originally appeared at .iframe src=http://www.businessinsider.com/embed?id=5063cc6c6bb3f73b01000015amp;width=600amp;height=430 width=600 height=430 border=0 frameborder=0/iframePerhaps its the Pinterest Effect the social media network that is all about the visual side of life, but more and more brands, especially the big boys on the brand block, arejoining the mobile only app that, as per allows users to take a photo, apply a digitalfilterto it, and then share it with other Instagram users they are connected to on thesocial networkas well as on a variety ofsocial networkingservices.Originally available only to owners and now available to users as well, Instagram has seen a remarkable growth in the first seven months of 2012 going from 15 million users in early 2012 to 80 million in July an increase of over 400% in just seven months. Now I was hardly a math major in school but thats some pretty impressive numbers I would say.Apparently big brands are taking notice as according to a study conducted by, 40% of the brands listed inTop 100 have set up shop on Instagram.Now obviously the penetration rate for Instagram among the big brands is light years behind the big dogs -Facebook(which happens to own Instagram) and but you have to remember that Instagram is still a young company and is, as previously mentioned, available only via a mobile platform. Its for those reasons Simply Measured referred to Instagrams growth as very impressive and I would surely agree.And I would surely agree and recommend that all brand managers and brand marketers, who are not currently active on Instagram on behalf of their brands, get active in a hurry.The Good Reason Part Of My TitleBack in MayI wrote.The rationale behind my statement was for the simple fact that Pinterest was extremely popular among women, AKA the people who make the majority of household purchase decisions.And Instagram while not yet possessing the same gaudy numbers as Pinterest when it comes to the number of female users or the amount of trust women place in it, does have a user base that is nearly 70% female according to data from.According to Simply Measured, the leaders in the Instgram clubhouse right now are luxury brands with Burberry, and Gucci among the brands with highest number of followers. From the chart below you'll also see that andStarbuckshave the highest number of followers overall among brands but upon further review you can see that brands such as Audi and are doing a better job in terms of engagement as witnessed by the number of likes and comments in relation to their overall number of followers.In ClosingObviously if youre a brand manager or brand marketer you need to stop what you are doing and set up an Instagram account right away for the future of the free world depends on it.Ok, maybe not the entire free world and perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic but the fact remains that consumers more and more of them, are using Instagram, just as they are, Twitter,Google+ and Pinterest. And if youre not including Instagram as part of your social media strategies which should be part of your overall, you are missing out on a golden opportunity to move that needle.From the conclusion of the Simply Measured study:For brands that continue to hold out and watch as their competition is engaging users and measuring results, 80 million potential customers are being ignored.Put that in your marketing hat and smoke it 80 million (and growing) potential customers being ignored.Sources:,,GoogleImagesNamed one of the(#41) by Social Technology Review and aby Kred,is a freelance copywriter/blogger currently looking for full-time work. He has worked on some of the biggest brands in the world and has over 20 years experience in advertising and marketing. He lives in Philly and can be reached via,,or his.Readers of New York Magazine's fashion blog The Cut are in for a treat when they check in on the site Monday morning.That's when the the company plans to reveal its all new version of the bloga standalone website that will move outside its current editorial milieu of style and gossip to take on a wide range of topics that interest women, from sex and relationships to health and media. And it's putting a whole new emphasis on photos."Our goal was to create a mash-up between a high-end fashion magazine and a blog," said , editor-in-chief of New York Magazine.From what we saw, The Cut's new format could give traditional print glossies a run for their money. Images on the site appear at a super-high resolution and slideshows will feature a zoom function, meaning readers can get up close and personal with a sexy pair of shoes or a makeup smudge on a runway model's face.The site also invested heavily in its image inventory, creating 100 new celebrity Look Books (in the style of the ) and hiring freelance street photographers around the world to capture the looks of the moment.Maureen O'Connor, formerly of Gawker, will helm the new site's features section, Love War, which she said would experiment with "first-person confessionals" alongside commentary and longer pieces. Another new feature we're eagerly awaiting is "Celeberotica," in which a romance novelist is asked to reimagine tabloid stories.Altogether, there are now 11 editorial staffers on the website, including seven new hires. The new Cut will also make heavy use of outside contributors, Moss said.The launch comes as women's sites in generalBuzzfeed's , The Grindstoneare on the rise. Moss said that by expanding outside the sphere of fashion, the website hoped to capture a wider audience.It's also a boon for advertisers. Fashion is the largest single advertising category for New York Magazine, up 34 percent from last year, and digital now accounts for 40 percent of its ad revenue, said publisher Larry Burstein. Five advertisers, including Bottega Veneta, Burberry, and Cartier, have signed on for the site's launch, for campaigns that he said would "replicate print ads."While the site doesn't have any specific e-commerce plans in place for the launch, that could come next, Burstein said. And it makes sense, considering that another section of the site, Goods, will feature a range of click-to-buy products, from bargain finds to looks straight from the runway.We were big fans of The Cut before, and are excited to see what the new version brings.Here's a preview of the new homepage, TheCut.com. Click to enlarge.One of the first people to go to trial for criminal acts during the London riots is a 31 year old primary school teacher named Alexis Bailey, reports . He plead guilty to burglary with the intent to steal. He's out on bail, but has been given a curfew.London Magistrates and their staff have been working around the clock to deal with large numbers of individuals arrested during the riots. But they don't always have the power to sentence them.Chair of magistrates Melvyn Marks told the court many of the cases had aggravating features, occurring "in the middle of a very violent riot", which meant magistrates had insufficient sentencing powers."Because of the nature of this offense and because of the circumstances, we have taken the view that there are too many aggravating features on this case and our powers of punishment are not enough."Naturally, most of the crimes that the court has been related to looting -- robbing a , stealing Burberry shirts, two men went to trial for pushing around a shopping cart full of power tools that they had "found".Here's a video of Bailey leaving Wood Green Crown Court, where most of the sentencing is being done. He's covering his face with a newspaper, but you can see it clearly around second 7.Follow 10 Things Before the Opening Bell and never miss an update! Please Note: Business Insider will never share your information with any other companies. You also have the ability to unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time simply by following the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of each email Warning: This video (below) is gross.Bet she is wishing she had all those high-powered handlers around her now to prevent this embarrassment.Even Fox News is covering this.Oh, and check out the Burberry scarf she's wearing in the video (below). Fancy, fancy!: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin officially pardoned a turkey for Thanksgiving at a farm in Wasilla, Alaska on Thursday, then conducted a television interview as another bird was clearly seen being slaughtered in the background.As the former Republican vice presidential nominee spoke with a KTUU-TV reporter about returning to work in Alaska, just a few feet behind her a Triple D Farms worker is seen feeding a turkey into a grinder, periodically turning around to watch the on-going interview.Palin, who called the pardoning experience "neat" was reportedly told by the station videographer what was going on behind her, but allowed the interview to continue.Pardoning a turkey is tradition for governors in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, following a White House custom that began in 1947.Within the last couple of years GQs multi-winning designer-of-the-year Paul Smith has opened shops in and , hoping to finally crack that American market. Each of these buildings reflects an architectural through-line back to Paul Smith himself: colorful, drawing influences from sport, history, art, pop-culture or modern architecture. Paul Smith the brand continues to open stand-alone shops throughout the world, including this past month with a new 3-story flagship in Seoul, South Korea, featuring Paul Smiths personal art collection on its walls. British designer Paul Smith is not a household name in America; not yet. Where the French have always had a reputation for womens fashion, it is the Brits, well, Londons Savile Row specifically, that has the well-earned reputation for turning out men in bespoke suits, fitting the countrys elite and sophisticated and, yes, the wealthy in clothes that definitely make the man. But, truth be told, these companies churning out high-end mens fashion havent been British in the strictest sense for decades; they can be, and are often, owned by multinational corporations headquartered in France, Italy or Japan. The designers, and their sense of style, most assuredly rock a British idiom that push past typical Savile Row boundaries, leaving the shores of England as fast as any Virgin airlines jet can whisk them away. The globalization of British mens and womens fashion is certainly alive and well from Asia through to America, with the likes of British (and award-winning) designers like Christopher Bailey (), John Galliano (), and recently departed influencing the way men and woman are dressing. Bringing us back to the iconic British designer Paul Smith, who is arguably the most successful designer in British history. Knighted by the Queen in 2000, Paul Smiths fashion strengths have always played to a mans sensibility: well-made clothing with just a touch of unique style as seen in his signature multicolored stripes. Sir Pauls fashion house, still independently owned, supposedly has revenues now past $600 million from 48 different countries, including 12 different mens and womens lines, licensing and limited edition deals with Evian water, cameras, Cross pens, Barneys New York, luggage, furniture, skis, and the list and revenues go on (and on). In his book Paul Smith: you can find inspiration in everything (2003), Sir Paul says that we should seek to be childlike, not childish; and that the key to staying inspired is to see and to think about the world horizontally, where we can find inspiration from all of the things around us (not other designers). As Paul Smith expansion continues around the globe, his personal inspiration is sure to follow. Diamonds, Burberry, Rolex, Lacoste - yes, they may have more sales and inventory problems than 2003, but they are surviving. What can the small business owner learn from these individuals?...When in doubt, they're buying the most expensiveEntrepreneurs, upon going into business frequently make the mistake of lowering the cost of their product or service due to the perception that this is the only way to gain new business. They think that paying the "no profit dues" is the sole means to get in the door.As a small business, pricing your product or service correctly is nothing short of critical.When it comes to deciphering what you should charge for a given product or service, I've compiled three of the most crucial pricing tips to help your start-up sustain growth, successfully maintain the company's existing client base, as well feel that you are being compensated adequately for your expertise:If You Want A Nice Diamond, Go To Tiffany'sWhen clients call into a potential vendor, they typically have no idea about the product or service that they are inquiring about. If they did, more likely than not they wouldn't be outsourcing the job.Therefore, many clients judge the quality of a product or a service based on its price. After all, the higher the price tag, the better it is likely to be.Although logic would say that the aforementioned statement proves to be entirely false, it is what your potential clients are thinking when you answer that RFP with an astonishingly low price.Another reason why you should shy away from being the price competitor at first is that the firms that are ultimately going to use you and that are going to become your clients are not going to want to deal with future price raises and are much less likely to be successfully sold on a parallel product or service that you're offering.Cheap Clients Don't Like Price IncreasesDon't go into the game thinking that the price increase that is going to strategically be implemented in a few months won't lose you clients.Any client, especially the bargain hunter is going to be livid when you convey the news that they had the introductory offer that has now expired. Either be prepared to be known as the cheapest and form your business plan accordingly or begin in the price tier that you believe you have the best chance of competing in.If you don't want to be the cheapest, there are a few highly persuasive ways in which you can implement that will result both in you getting the fee that you deserve and will also result in the client feeling that he or she got a fair price.Cushioning The Blow - Higher Price 1stI like to refer to this tactic as cushioning the blow because upon giving a quote, you always want to give two different options or packages. The first or more expensive package can even be a dummy product.Whether the package is real doesn't matter because the buyer is going to often opt for the second mentioned or cheaper package your firm offers to its clients.Essentially, what you are doing is easing the blow regarding your costs and mitigating the chances of the potential client leaving to further price shop by stating and describing the more costly package first.This way, the regular package that you are seeking you sell them on seems very reasonable and logical to purchase.The Non-Exist ant CFOJust as you can soften the blow by quoting the higher price first, you can also soften your own image in your client's eyes by relying on a third party to play the bad guy when it comes to pricing.If your "CFO" has set a certain price minimum, or if you have otherwise number-based "rules" to follow, it is harder for a client to argue the price.Since numbers are what they are, and do not depend on your positive feelings for one client or another, setting up a third party bad cop (you could be the CFO of your start-up, but they don't know that) takes the potential for taking it personally out of the equation.APModels walk in the finale for Burberry's Mens Fall-Winter 2012/13 runway, at the start of Milan Fashion Week.Burberry, the British luxury firm known for its iconic check pattern and trench coat, saw revenue surge 21% to 574 million, or $883 million, for the three months ending December 31.Top line results were bolstered by 13% comparable sales growth, as London, Paris, Beijing and Las Vegas flagships performed above the company's financial plan."Our investment in flagship markets and digital technology has enabled our global teams to continue to drive customer engagement, enhance retail disciplines and improve operational effectiveness, further strengthening brand momentum," CEO Angela Ahrendts said.Burberry saw lift from the launch of its news women's fragrance line, Burberry Body, as well as the opening of six mainline stores, including one in So Paulo.However results were again driven by its core outerwear and large leather goods product, accounting for close to half of retail sales. The company said its fastest growing categories were knitwear, mens accessories and tailoring, perfume and watches.Burberry showed its men's fall 2012 collection in Milan this weekend to critical review. Following on past success, the company will allow customers to pre-order goods seen on the runway directly after the show, an uncommon practice amongst luxury players.Ahrendts' firm has benefitted from this strong online format, which includes the ability to tap demand at its height after a show, and through social media pushes like ArtoftheTrench.com."Looking ahead, we remain focused on executing our proven core strategies to achieve long-term sustainable growth, while staying mindful of the challenging macro environment," she said.Burberry will announce full year results on May 23APRetail sales are expected to climb 3.4% in 2012 to $2.53 trillion, cooling from growth of nearly 5% last year, the .The NRF attributes the slowing gains to a stalled employment picture and slow job creation.Our 2012 forecast is a vote of confidence in the retail industry and our ability to succeed even in a challenging economy,"NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "Retailers have played a key role in driving growth, but to continue this momentum we need Washington to act on proposals that will spur job creation and unleash the power of the private sector.Retailers had mostly finished 2011 on a positive note, with , the owner of brands like T.J. Maxx and Home Goods, posting comparable sale gains of 8%. Others saw similar improvements: , up 7%, (including its high-end Bloomingdale's brand) up 6.2%, and up 8.7%.But the industry started off the new year on unstable footing. While luxury players like , other big firms have issued profit warnings. New York Company, the mid-sized apparel company that has struggled with profitability over the past several quarters, said last week it expected gross margins to erode further.Over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, big-box stores including announced near fire sales. Discounts reached up to 80% at the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, chain, with ruffle dresses priced at $13.60, from $60.If the 3.4% growth estimates hold, the sector would outpace economic expansion in the U.S., with economists now forecasting growth slightly above 2%.According to local report, Shanda is investing over RMB 2 billion (US$ 309 million) in ecommerce site with two other undisclosed participants. Founded by Ge Binbin, the former head of Goldcool Games, Pinju is set to debut in this Oct. Ge said that Shanda accounts for 40% of the total sum, or US$ 1.23 million.Pinju is still under beta testing, the latest comer to the highly crowded and fierce competing Chinese ecommerce market is featuring all kinds of goods ranging from cosmetics, clothes, maternity and baby products, electric appliance, home supplies, health products, 3C products to luxurious brands including Hermes, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Armani, Gucci and so on. It seems Pinju is positioned to be an online general store.Its known to all that majority of Chinese online shopping sites(except for 360buy, the Chinese B2C giant announced its departure with Alipay because of high commission fee) partner with, using the latters online payment solution, whereas Pinju will feature, the online payment offering by shanda. That makes sense, just likerefers its customers to, Tencents approach to online payment.Shanda has long been rumored to keep an eye on the lucrative and promising Chinese ecommerce waterfront, according to the Beijing-based market research firm iResearch, the market size will passes RMB 10 trillion (US$ 154.6 billion) by 2013, how can one miss out on a chunk from this.Sina has launched a luxury B2C site called Sina Shepin (????) at the URL .Sina Shepin has different categories such as handbags, apparel, watch and jewelry, covering over 50 brands includes LV?Balenciaga?Gucci?Dior?Burberry. Sina asserts that all products sold on the site are genuine, quality products.Sinas entry into online luxury follows a number of other Chinese internet giants, including Netease (NASDAQ: NTES) and Tencent (0700.HK). Netease launched its luxury shopping platform, , in July 2010. Tencent invested in B2C jewelry site  in July 2011.Research agency Analysys International finds that luxury e-commerce sales reached RMB 3.45 billion in Q2 2011. Annual sales are expected to reach RMB 16 billion by the end of 2011.Original Chinese Source:  Read more posts on Burberry is officially the worlds most popular luxury brand online, having amassed more than 10 million Facebook fans on the social networking site. The London-based fashion house has embraced social media and digital marketing, and theyve been rewarded as their revenue has increased 29%. Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, : “Burberry has delivered a strong first half, reflecting our continued investment in innovative design, digital marketing and retail strategies.”Ten million Facebook fans! Thank you so much for all your incredible support, Christopher Bailey, Burberrys Chief Creative Officer, posted on the Burberry Facebook page (with multiple images and a YouTube video, ). 10 million Facebook fans is a major achievement for Burberry as they take leadership on the social media platform this is almost more than Dior (5,920,960 fans) and Gucci (5,811,295) combined. Chanel is also at 5 million fans, followed by luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Dolce Gabbana. Burberry is regarded as one of the most forward-thinking luxury brands in the world. The New York University think-tank LuxuryLab the Worlds most Digitally Competent Luxury Brand in October. From live streams to runway shows to an arms race on social media platforms, brands are seeking the halo of innovation that comes from inspired online programming, Scott Galloway, professor and co-founder of LuxuryLab, . However, most fashion brands still approach digital as a series of pet projects rather than presenting a coherent multi-platform strategy. Although 94 per cent of brands in the Index have a presence on Facebook, one in five still lacks e-commerce capability.“Almost 100 percent of brands cite Facebook as a source of upstream traffic,” Galloway in August, 2011. “[Burberry] is getting more traffic from Facebook than Google. It’s the largest source of traffic to its site. Brands are transitioning from spending money on Google into Facebook programs. All of this [Facebook] traffic and investment is leading towards commerce.”What can you learn from Burberry?Luxury brands need to be focused and targeted online. On Facebook, they’re unique clubs that discerning fans want to join, the opposite of a Walmart for the masses that offers everything for everyone. The attraction, and connection, to a luxury brand is all about affiliation to a unique experience – it is a dream, a desire and something to aspire to. If you’re a Mercedes-Benz owner, you want to make a connection with that brand on social media channels and share your affiliation. You want to mingle with like-minded friends, share stories and reminisce.Luxury brands need to be on the cutting edge, as the affluent consumer is demanding – and always up on the latest technology, from amazing apps to the latest Apple iPhone. Luxury brands need to create killer content for these devices and social media platforms – from inspiring videos, cool apps, to exclusive content that offers an insider’s look into the brands. Louis Vuitton has numerous travel apps for the iPhone, with city guides for cities like Paris and New York, featuring Sophia Coppola and Rachel Weisz sharing their favorite restaurants and shops. Pull back the curtain and allow customers to have an emotional affinity with the brand. Karl Lagerfeld brilliantly unveils videos on the Chanel Facebook page previewing first with teaser images and videos – and then full-length videos. A luxury brand that basically recycles a TV spot or a magazine ad will ultimately fail at social media and engagement with their fans.Affluent consumers are active and vocal. Never passive. They’re in the know, they’re insiders, they love to be engaged and share their favorite fashions, autos and destinations. It’s all about social, and sharing their favorite things with their friends. As a luxury brand, you need to engage your affluent consumers. Invite them in, inspire them – and in-turn, convert them into brand-advocates.Christopher Parr is an industry leader with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing. He is an award-winning veteran, writer, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Askmen.com recently named him , his family is featured in , and .Read more posts on Burberry is officially the worlds most popular luxury brand online, having amassed more than 10 million Facebook fans on the social networking site. The London-based fashion house has embraced social media and digital marketing, and theyve been rewarded as their revenue has increased 29%. Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, : “Burberry has delivered a strong first half, reflecting our continued investment in innovative design, digital marketing and retail strategies.”Ten million Facebook fans! Thank you so much for all your incredible support, Christopher Bailey, Burberrys Chief Creative Officer, posted on the Burberry Facebook page (with multiple images and a YouTube video, ). 10 million Facebook fans is a major achievement for Burberry as they take leadership on the social media platform this is almost more than Dior (5,920,960 fans) and Gucci (5,811,295) combined. Chanel is also at 5 million fans, followed by luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Dolce Gabbana. Burberry is regarded as one of the most forward-thinking luxury brands in the world. The New York University think-tank LuxuryLab the Worlds most Digitally Competent Luxury Brand in October. From live streams to runway shows to an arms race on social media platforms, brands are seeking the halo of innovation that comes from inspired online programming, Scott Galloway, professor and co-founder of LuxuryLab, . However, most fashion brands still approach digital as a series of pet projects rather than presenting a coherent multi-platform strategy. Although 94 per cent of brands in the Index have a presence on Facebook, one in five still lacks e-commerce capability.“Almost 100 percent of brands cite Facebook as a source of upstream traffic,” Galloway in August, 2011. “[Burberry] is getting more traffic from Facebook than Google. It’s the largest source of traffic to its site. Brands are transitioning from spending money on Google into Facebook programs. All of this [Facebook] traffic and investment is leading towards commerce.”What can you learn from Burberry?Luxury brands need to be focused and targeted online. On Facebook, they’re unique clubs that discerning fans want to join, the opposite of a Walmart for the masses that offers everything for everyone. The attraction, and connection, to a luxury brand is all about affiliation to a unique experience – it is a dream, a desire and something to aspire to. If you’re a Mercedes-Benz owner, you want to make a connection with that brand on social media channels and share your affiliation. You want to mingle with like-minded friends, share stories and reminisce.Luxury brands need to be on the cutting edge, as the affluent consumer is demanding – and always up on the latest technology, from amazing apps to the latest Apple iPhone. Luxury brands need to create killer content for these devices and social media platforms – from inspiring videos, cool apps, to exclusive content that offers an insider’s look into the brands. Louis Vuitton has numerous travel apps for the iPhone, with city guides for cities like Paris and New York, featuring Sophia Coppola and Rachel Weisz sharing their favorite restaurants and shops. Pull back the curtain and allow customers to have an emotional affinity with the brand. Karl Lagerfeld brilliantly unveils videos on the Chanel Facebook page previewing first with teaser images and videos – and then full-length videos. A luxury brand that basically recycles a TV spot or a magazine ad will ultimately fail at social media and engagement with their fans.Affluent consumers are active and vocal. Never passive. They’re in the know, they’re insiders, they love to be engaged and share their favorite fashions, autos and destinations. It’s all about social, and sharing their favorite things with their friends. As a luxury brand, you need to engage your affluent consumers. Invite them in, inspire them – and in-turn, convert them into brand-advocates.Christopher Parr is an industry leader with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing. He is an award-winning veteran, writer, a frequent speaker at luxury and interactive marketing conferences and a pioneer in web publishing. He launched as a curated list of the good things in life, with guest contributors from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more sharing their favorite luxuries. Askmen.com recently named him , his family is featured in , and .Read more posts on Louis Vuitton is by far the most valuable luxury brand in the world, worth $23.577 billiona 2 percent increase from last year's valueaccording to a new survey from brand consulting firm Interbrand.It was a good year for the luxury conglomerate. The company improved its digital experience and launched several apps, entered the fragrance market for the first time, and remained a blockbuster brand in China.It even got Michael Phelps to star in a .In addition to Louis Vuitton, seven other luxury brands made it onto of the world's most valuable brands. Most experienced major growth, and there were two newcomers to the list.Interbrand takes into account brands' financial performance, role in influencing customer choice, and ability to command premium prices.BRAND2012 RANK2011 RANK2012 BRAND VALUE ($millions)% CHANGELouis Vuitton1718$23,5772%Gucci3839$9,4468%Herms6366$6,18215%Cartier6870$5,49515% Co.7073$5,15915%Burberry8295$4,34216%Prada84N/A$4,271NEWRalph Lauren91N/A$4,038NEWSEE ALSO: It seems increasingly difficult to find a Hollywood star these days that is equal parts screen icon and fashion muse. There aren’t many Katherine Hepburns or Joan Crawfords running around L.A., which is why the Neiman Marcus Art of Fashion campaign featuring none other than Drew Barrymore is such a breath of fresh air. Rebellious teenager no more, Barrymore is photographed by Norma Jean Ray in the most coveted looks of the season, from Chanel to Valentino. Models like Daria Werbowy and Josephine Skriver are ethereal and gamine beauties to be sure, but there’s something to be said for using a household name in a luxury fashion shoot. Audiences grew up with the Barrymore dynasty and Drew herself has been in the public eye since E.T. Through her film and T.V appearances, people feel as though they know Ms. Barrymore and her quirky personality in a way that few top models are known. Shot over the course of 16 hours, Barrymore donned fur-trimmed Burberry Prorsum, stunning Lanvin, tribal-inspired Etro and a show-stopping emerald green Emilio Pucci cut-out gown. The shoot had the potential to be lifeless, but Barrymore’s presence and the artistic feel of the photographs give the clothing- and the overall campaign- a warm, approachable look that almost comes off as more vignette than photo shoot. And it’s a storyline you’ll want to keep following. For more information regarding the Art of Fashion and the looks featured in the campaign, visit . Read more posts on Vanity Fair's Maureen Orth on how the Church of allegedly controls Tom Cruise's life and relationships.We scored a copy of Vanity Fair at a nearby newsstand (the issue is currently only available in NYC) and read Orth's story.Here are some of her most interesting claims:The Vanity Fair issue with the full story is scheduled to hit newsstands nationwide on Monday.DON'T MISS:I'm greeted by a charging springer spaniel, wet from the morning's rain, tennis ball in mouth -- a dog whose sprightly mug I've seen before inFadermagazine and on the Urban Outfitters blog. Lancey, named for Delancey Street in's Lower East Side, is a wily hound. The dog put a drool-covered tennis ball on the back of my chair on the sly and got my chinos a little wet in the crotch with the same. A good dog.You don't typically see a dog with that much room to play in New York, but Michael Williams works out of a relatively massive showroom filled with clothing, shoes and accessories belonging to clients of his PR firm, Paul + Williams, and decorated with pieces of Americana he's picked up while digging around flea markets.Michael is wet, too, from the rainy walk between his apartment next to the World Trade Center site to his office in the Soho Building on Greene Street. It's a nice building on a block of expensive retail shops like Louis Vuitton and Adriano Goldschmied. The place looks pretty much how I expected from reading his blog,(ACL): A well-kept hybrid of men's clothing boutique, factory floor and antique barn. The floppy-eared spaniel is almost too much.Williams is what you'd call a lifestyle blogger, part of a growing contingent of guys who write about gear, fashion, food, and so on, just like what you'd find in a traditional men's magazine except that instead of a whole editorial staff, it's just one or a few people writing through a more personal lens about a niche, focused topic. Zeitgeisty stuff, mostly things you can buy. Lifestyle.Michael Williams on his hit blog, A Continuous LeanThe blog should be hyper-focused, nicheTalking to successful bloggers, guys who can or could live off of the revenue theirgenerate (directly or indirectly), I whittled down three maxims that can help us understand this whole blog thing: What it is, where it's going, and how to be successful at it -- the wholetelosof the thing.Maxim No. 1:The blog should be hyper-focused, niche. ACL was born of Williams' interest in Americana, especially American-made clothing and products. I worked for a Japanese company, so I saw all these Japanese magazine interpretations of Americana, he said. I thought it was interesting that they were so into it and that they understood it very well and at the same time didn't understand it at all... And I thought, this is something that I find interesting that's maybe worth exploring.You also get the sense that Williams, there having a game of catch with Lancey -- that damn dog is so endearing -- has an abiding interest in America that's deeper than clothes and products. He gets worked up talking about the state of things:If you look at companies like, a client of mine, they fought to keep their factories open in the States. Everyone was saying move offshore. The owner was like, I don't care. All these public companies, that sh*t would never fly. This country has a terrible three-month view of the world. It's all based on quarterly earnings. They don't give a f*ck what happens five years from now. There's no skills, no facilities, no infrastructure. What's gonna happen when it's super-f*cking expensive to make stuff in China?Thisoriginally appeared at.An age-old tale: teen throws party at her parents' house, teen guests get out of control, home gets messy and things go missing.But when the parent of the teen is Grant Eisenhofer name-partner Stuart Grant, this scenario ends in a lawsuit.Zach Lowe of reviewed the Delaware suit, which alleges the teens ransacked a part of the house they were not supposed to be in, stole a milk jug with $500 worth of coins, snorted prescription drugs they found, and took "household items."This one is a lot of he said/she said -- some of the items were returned, the defendants claim they were invited and it's questionable, the report said, whether Grant can get compensatory damages because he hired a private investigator rather than going to the police.Lowe's full report is , but needless to say this is one teenage party that ended way worse than with just your run-of-the-mill grounding.Note: the teens pictured are not the teen defendants. These are young British people enjoying a night out. The excessive Burberry is the tip-off. Morning Notes- Asian markets closed down over 1% as they were in catch up mode after Mondays weakness on SP downgrade of US credit rating- In China, the HSBC Manufacturing PMI number came in flat m/m- may suggest growth is stabilizing- In Japan, chipmakers/semi name were weak following TXNs statement yesterday that the earthquake would slow production in Q2- European bourses are trading higher- Fairly strong earnings out of Novartis (NVS) and Burberry- Positive Eurozone Manufacturing PMI number- France Services PMI came in at the highest level since September 2000- Successful Greek bond auctionclick for full articlehttp://www.hedgefundlive.com/blog/tuesday-morning-recap-positive-tone-following-solid-housing-numbers-and-gs-earningsiframe src=http://www.businessinsider.com/embed?id=4d20d75549e2ae9005110000amp;width=600amp;height=430 width=600 height=430 border=0 frameborder=0/iframeWelcome to a holiday-shortened trading weekIn the US, Memorial Day weekend serves as the unofficial beginning of summer which typically means lower trading volume, and sleepy action. This is the week when Wall Street portfolio managers start to escape the city and head for the Hamptons, and retail investors focus on travel plans rather than trend linesBut this year, the summer investment environment is a bit different. While US traders used Monday as a chance to take in a ball game or fire up the barbecue, traders in Europe continued to handicap the debt crisis with Spain now challenging Greece for the most sensational headlines.On Friday, SP downgraded 5 Spanish banks, as losses from the countrys property bust continue to mount. While Prime Minister Rajoy continues to claim that the country will NOT need a bailout, Spain has been urging the ECB to lower borrowing costs so they can roll debt obligations and still manage to keep up with interest payments.To be sure, the European debt crisis isnt new news. It seems that the continent has been in the slow train wreck process for years now and there is still plenty of motivation to continue to prop up failing banks (and countries) in order to avert the inevitable crisis.But the problem is that investors are losing faith when it comes to the crisis averted statements and with a more skeptical global investor base, comes the risk of massive capital withdrawals, from both deposit institutions as well as global equity markets.So heading into the new trading week, theres certainly a possibility for the traditional slow-sleepy trading environment, but we also see plenty of opportunities for sharp price dislocations and significant trading action. It just depends on how the chess pieces in Europe are played along with traders responses to the political maneuvering.Looking at the recent action in US equities, its pretty easy to make a bearish case for stocks.  All four of the major indices (Dow Jones Industrial Average, SP 500, Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000) have broken below key support levels and then consolidated or drifted higher.click to enlargeConsidering the bearish patterns for the major market indices, its no surprise that there is a large number of bearish trade setups in the queue. Below are a few of the areas we are particularly interested in for the coming week: Sign Up For the Mercenary Dispatch Get our best content delivered FREE to your inbox!Check out the page to learn more.Luxury Retail Sentiment DropsLuxury retail stocks are taking it on the chin as investors adjust to slower growth expectations.  The group weathered a challenging domestic economic environment relatively well as US and European consumers reined in spending.  But now that emerging markets are also reporting decelerating economic growth, the groups prospects are becoming much less attractive.In last weeks , we made a bearish case for the retail apparel group as a number of key constituents offered disappointing outlooks.  Luxury retailers are following the same pattern with stocks breaking down as executives outline a distressed environment for selling to high net worth shoppers.Consider this, from regarding Tiffany Co. (TIF)s revised earnings outlook:Tiffany also said spending by financial sector employees has continued to slow while “substantial competitive discounting” remains a problem.Meanwhile, shoppers balked at entry-level silver jewelry after Tiffany raised prices to offset the rising cost of materials, from precious metals to diamonds.While visitors from abroad still drove sales in the Americas, Tiffany said it saw a drop in sales, especially to European tourists, at its New York store.In China, sales have slowed, echoing remarks made by such European counterparts as Burberry and LVMH. Still, Tiffany said its store growth plan there remains on track.A worldwide slowdown in luxury spending could set up some tremendous trading opportunities. This months 21% decline in Sothebys (BID) along with Tiffanys ominous warning has set up some sharp breakdowns that are now giving way to consolidation or drift patterns., has a pending short trade for Coach Inc. (COH) as the stock has completed a rounding top pattern and is now poised to continue the bearish action with any help from the overall market environment.Facebook Faceplant Creates Social Media OpportunityIts hard to overstate the importance of the Facebook Inc. (FB) IPO just over a week ago.Not only did the transaction mark the culmination of literally years of hype, the deal was also completely botched by both Morgan Stanley (MS) downgrading the stock ahead of the offering and Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ) screwing up executions on the most highly anticipated IPO in years!As noted in last weeks , the fun is just getting startedThe actual IPO transaction had the unintended consequence of , and then when the IPO started trading lower it created a cascade effect across the entire social media group.This week, were keeping a close eye on social media candidates as the initial breakdown which coincided with the Facebook transaction should lead to a continuation pattern and further bearish action.Homeaway Inc. (AWAY) looks particularly vulnerable as the stock has tried repeatedly to break above its $27 IPO price, but has met significant resistance. A fresh breakdown in conjunction with more weakness from the group could be the first step for a much more significant drop.And considering the premium multiple investors are currently paying for the stock, there is plenty of room for lower prices before value investors would start getting interested in supporting the stock.Gaming Rests Hope on Faltering ChinaFor the gaming industry, Las Vegas is just another cityThe true growth for casino operators comes from Chinas Macau province, where gambling is legalized and throngs of affluent Chinese visit for both the gaming and atmosphere, shops and restaurantsProblem is, with the Chinese growth engine decelerating, investors are starting to worry about the growth expectations for the gaming industry in Macau.Of course the industry isnt going to evaporate or turn unprofitable overnight.  In fact, we expect profitability to continue to grow over the next few years but at a slower rate than investors have become accustomed to.But as Chinas economy approaches stall speed, and economists debate whether the country will experience a soft or hard landing, Chinese consumers are likely to pull back on how much they travel, on their level of luxury spending, and even on how much they wager at the baccarat tables.Gaming stocks have already completed major topping patterns with capital flowing out of stocks like Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and MGM Resorts International (MGM).Las Vegas Sands (LVS) has completely reversed its first quarter breakout, and has spent the last week etching out a narrow wedge pattern.  A break lower would confirm the bearish trend in a sector that has already established a bearish pattern.While US equity markets were closed on Monday, Globex futures markets were relatively active with the SP contracts advancing marginally and precious metals inching slightly higher.Modestly bullish action would not be a surprise, given the light amount of economic data and the absence of catastrophic news out of Europe. Were keeping our risk points relatively tight in case we get another euphoric all clear signal out of Europe. But the majority of our pending setups are on the bearish side of the ledger as we continue to respect the price action and the risks associated with the darkening macro picture.Trade em well this week!MM ([email protected]) p.s. Like this article? For more, p.p.s. If you haven't already, check out the Similar articles you might like:Read more posts on In July of 2011, Parr Interactive, a Madison, Wisconsin-based web design, digital marketing, online strategy and social media marketing company, launched Pursuitist at an online travel, style, food and leisure destination site. Contributors sharing their favorite luxuries include writers from Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Glamour, Saveur and more. Advertisers on the site have include BMW, Best Buy, Intel, Gucci, Gap, Coach and Burberry. They also kickstarted Intels latest social media campaign featuring the Ultrabook on Intels official YouTube Channel: , CEO of , is an award-winning writer and online marketing strategist. Since 1995, the Madison, Wisconsin-based internet pioneer and marketer has launched numerous successful web projects, viral videos and online marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies. In addition to creating blogging and buzz marketing platforms, services include . Visit to learn more.Weve created more award-winning web sites, email campaigns, apps, blogs and videos than we can shake a stick at, says Christopher Parr. We know what works and what doesnt. Our projects drive real results. Increase market share, sales and leads. Make an impact.Does a great job of generating an experience- Douglas Coupland (author of Generation X)Delightfully rich and original- Roger Black (author of Web Sites That Work)Christopher Parr one of the Top 20 Most Influential People in Madison- Madison MagazineBio: After working in the TV, film and theatre industry, Christopher founded Parr Interactive in 1995. As Marketing/Creative Director of the award-winning interactive, digital marketing and e-marketing agency, he developed marketing strategies for many clients, included Insinkerator, Musicnotes, Rayovac, John Deere, Looksmart, Sub-Zero, Credit Union Executives, Microsoft, Bizfilings, WPS Insurance Epic Insurance. His projects have been featured in numerous publications, including USA Today, Wired, Ad Age and Entertainment Weekly, and case studies featured in Clear Blogging from Apress, Web Sites That Work from Adobe Press and HTML Unleashed from Macmillan Publishing.He was also a VP, Marketing/Creative Director for an e-commerce company, working with Warner Bros. Pub., BMG, AOL, leading the marketing team, branding and PR. Christopher also financed and co-owned an internet e-commerce startup, featuring luxury home garden goods. Christopher managed global brand communications, brand ID and guidelines, CRM, interactive, media and planning for Sub-Zero and Wolf, maker of luxury kitchen appliances. From product launches to e-commerce, he also managed B2C, B2B touch points and all things internet; social media marketing, interactive, promotions, media, video, branding, e-newsletters, blogging podcasts and developing campaigns with HGTV, New York Times, Food Network, Oprah and Epicurious. For Sub-Zero, Christopher launched an integrated campaign for Sub-Zero Wine Storage, featuring print ads, brochures, e-newsletters, online banners and a new wine blog, including wine events at Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, with magazine support from Conde Nast Traveler, Wine Spectator and Food Wine.Luxury Daily News: Askmen.com names Christopher Parr NYTimes: Wisconsin State Journal: and , and Hes also married to .Read more posts on It was a choppy week for the FTSE-100 (UKX) this week. Chancellor George Osborne reportedly blamed the weather for an unexpected half percent contraction in the size of the UK economy during the fourth quarter of last year. Whether or not his assessment was correct, the figures sent a chill through the market.  Supporting Osborne’s view, the UK’s Office for National statistics blamed December’s snow for a market decrease in pre-Christmas trading, with advisory firm Deloitte calculating that retailers alone lost £750m of sales because of the weather. With VAT rises, inflation rises and fuel rises all expected to dampen public enthusiasm for getting out to the shops, Deloitte said it expected no growth, and possibly a dip, during the rest of 2011.After a bright start on Monday, the FTSE 100 lost ground Tuesday on the GDP data news but went on to rise through the week before jitters set in on Friday ahead of US GDP figures and a return to worries over sovereign debt. In a note to investors on Friday, Angus Campbell, head of sales at trading firm London Capital Group, said concern had shifted away from Europe towards Japan, whose credit rating was cut by Standard and Poor's on Thursday. Japan is one of the worst offenders when it comes to budget deficits, with a public debt that is double the size of economy.With this somewhat gloomy backdrop, it proved a good week for the insurance sector. The best FTSE 100 performer was Resolution (LON:RSL), the insurance focused investor focused on buying and merging U.K. life insurers, which saw a 7% gain. The has suffered in the last year as prospective acquisition targets have rebounded from the financial crisis. However, CEO John Tiner indicated in an interview this week that the Company will achieve its annual rate of return target even if it doesn’t make another acquisition. Separately, the company announced that Andy Briggs, ex CEO of Scottish Widows, will become chief executive of Friends Provident , joining from Lloyds Banking Group where he is currently CEO of General Insurance.Elsewhere in insurance land, while the U.K.’s largest insurer by market value, Prudential (LON:PRU) also had a good week, with the   CEO, Tidjane Thiam indicated in an interview at the Davos Forum that he was  unconcerned by rising inflation in emerging markets as the company seeks to grow in Asia. He indicated that:“We are in a sector that is relatively insulated vis-a-vis the macroeconomic situation in Asia… Our market is so under penetrated we are still in the growth phase. We are lucky we have many, many years of strong growth ahead of us.”Speaking of Davos, it was a curious week for satellite TV and broadband operator British Sky Broadcasting (LON:BSY), which found itself implicated in numerous headline news stores simultaneously. For shareholders, the big news was that pre-profits in the six months to December 31 soared by 26% to £467m on revenue up by 15% to £3.18bn. Those figures served only to heighten speculation about Rupert Murdoch’s desire to buy the 60.9% stake in BSkyB that his News Corp group doesn’t already own. Discussions over a price are understood to have been shelved until all the regulatory (and/or political) issues surrounding the deal have been resolved. Nevertheless, analysts suggested that any bid would need to be close to £8 per share on the back of the company’s latest figures. As it was,  during the week and was trading at 767.5p by the end. Murdoch Snr can now only watch and wait for an answer from regulators. In the meantime, the firestorm over phone hacking allegations at Britain’s biggest selling newspaper News of the World, will be an unwelcome distraction. In turn, his son James, the CEO of BSkyB, has is own irritations – finding a couple of new football pundits for Sky Sports.The sector hardest hit this week was banking, with Lloyds (LON:LLOY) the biggest blue chip casualty of the week. This followed the double whammy of the GDP figures  coupled with the news that the government's Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) was considering splitting up some of the banks under its remit, creating uncertainty over the future of the banking sector. on the week, although providing some respite was the testimony of the UKFI chief executive Robin Budenburg  to the Treasury Select Committee that if a ruling similar to the US Glass-Steagall Act was brought in, it would result in 'diminution of value' for shareholders. Currently UK taxpayers own 41% and 83% of Lloyds and RBS respectively. This uncertainty reduced , in contrast to it being so buoyant last week.   (LON:HSBA) and (LON:BARC) – which have remained out of state ownership, were in better shape, being flat and down just 0.5% respectively.  HSBC has however been feeling some heat after accusation of tax evasion in the US. It has emerged that federal authorities are considering serving a broad legal summons on HSBC to examine if its bankers sold tax evasion services to dozens or hundreds of its clients. The surprise downgrade to Japan's debt rating drove  down 34p to 1639p at Thursday’s close.In mining, the performance of the price of gold looked distinctly lacklustre given its sparkling upward trajectory through 2010. Gold has dipped since the start of the year and is currently trading at around $1,310 – down from the $1,400 it reached late last November. Those figures were enough to send the (LON:RRS) share price down by 4.3% during the week, making it one of the biggest losers in the FTSE 100. On the same note, the (LON:AFR) and (LON:KAZ) share prices also suffered. Elsewhere, , performing well but then sliding after news of its profits at its Australian uranium arm sliding badly. On a brighter note, the way was cleared for its £2.5bn takeover of Australia’s Riversdale after a consortium of Indian mining groups said they would not put up a rival bid. Finally, (LON:AAL) and (LON:BLT) both ended the week flat after seeing early gains wiped out as general sentiment towards miners waned.Elsewhere, no news but a great deal of speculation triggered . Ahead of its full year results on February 1, market chatter focused first on whether CEO Bob Dudley would reinstate the dividend that was scrapped to help pay for the damage caused by last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Equally, the tie-up between BP and Russian giant Rosneft announced two weeks ago, was in the spotlight. Shareholders in BP’s other (and at times troubling) JV in the country, TNK-BP, launched legal action claiming BP was obligated to carry out activities in Russia primarily through the TNK-BP vehicle. A resolution to that dispute could be resolved as early as next week.This week also saw weakness generally amongst UK listed retailers as investors in the sector grappled with the CGT increase and an uncertain economic outlook. Fashion house Next saw on the week, having reported earlier in January that the bad weather in the week before Christmas cost it £22 million of full-price sales. In similar fashion, , amidst concerns also that rising food costs . One clear exception to this retail malaise was iconic fashion company, Burberry Group (LON:BRBY) which enjoyed further strong gains. following impressive news last week that that its third quarter sales rose 27% to £470 million, ahead of market consensus of £434 million. Finally, pharmaceutical heavyweight Astrazeneca (LON:AZN) posted its earnings for the fourth quarter this week – despite declining profitability due to generic competition. Although it reported a 5% decline in net profit, the results exceeded analyst expectations, and the company also announced a $4 billion stock buyback program for 2011. It's a tough week for retail. Williams-Sonoma announced Wednesday it was cutting 18% of its workforce, which translates to about 1,400 employees. Company execs say they hope the move will reduce costs by $75 million in 2009. But the home company is not alone; several clothing retailers announced major job and price cuts yesterday.: Women's retailer Charlotte Russe Holding Inc. said it was considering a sale of the company.Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., which owns several clothing brands including Calvin Klein, said it would close about 175 stores and eliminate 400 positions...Other cost cutting measures? Price drops.Also on Wednesday, Coach executives announced plans to lower prices as much as 15% on handbags and other accessories. Mike Tucci, president of North American retail, told analysts during a conference call that the company would also bring more of its handbag prices into the "sweet spot below $300."Time will tell whether "below $300" will be enough of a price drop for consumers.See Also: Balance sheets and profit margins are not the first things that come to mind in the glamorous world of high fashion. In an industry where many of the great fashion houses sacrifice profits for prestige, it can be difficult for anyone interested in investing in fashion to make the right decisions.But vintage fashion investment is an increasingly lucrative area, and with substantial public demand for luxury clothes, fashion retail businesses have also seen impressive returnsso is there still room to get money for old rope?William Banks-Blaney, owner ofWilliam Vintagein London, shared his tips with on where to begin in the world of classic couture: "If I was going to start investing in fashion, the key things I would start with would be works by the great masters."Ossie Clarkfor British design,Diorfor French design,Norman Hartnellagain for British design. These are pieces by iconic designers that have a worldwide appeal and audience.""Most pieces appreciate quite substantially," he said. "We are finding there is between a 10 and 20 percent year-on-year uplift in good pieces of vintage."Kerry Taylor, founder ofKerry Taylor Auctions,stressed unprecedented demand: "There arent huge supplies for these things any morethey are running out."Every time I get something special now there is a battle royale between the private collectors, the very rich women who wish to buy to wear, and the museums, and when you get these three different parties all vying for the same lot, the prices escalate."Having the right eye for a collectible item is clearly important, and at a fashion auction, the prospective investor could find some real winners.Taylor told CNBC the three things to look for: "You should look for things with designer labels, you should look for things that are in good condition that dont need repairs. And you should make sure that they have not been altered."A garment with a history is an added bonus. "If it has been owned by someone like Audrey Hepburn or the Duchess of Windsor or Daphne Guinness, that adds a lovely little cachet too and makes it even more desirable and collectible in the future," said Taylor.An Audrey Hepburn gown from the film "Roman Holiday" sold for over $130,000, and Princess Diana's engagement dress went in 2010 for a massive $300,000.Steven Philip, co-owner of vintage clothes shopRellik,also shared his tips: "Look for a garment that kind of associates with the designer and look for labels."If you were going in forChaneland there was an acid green jacket (just) because the acid green is in vogue, avoid buying it. Go for a more classic piece. It will be more of an investment."If it's not vintage fashion investment you're after, business ventures in the retail industry are increasingly taking advantage of the massive boom in e-commerce and sustained public demand for great clothes.Sarah Curran, founder and CEO ofMy-Wardrobe.com, the online luxury fashion retailer, told CNBC what is takes to make online retailing pay."I started originally as a boutique in 2003 when I launched the business, so I understood the bricks-and-mortar model and the online and they are very different. The logistics behind them are very different. It is impossible to compare," she said.Since the launch of the website in 2006, Curran says the online model has gone from strength to strength, and that there are still opportunities for budding online retailers."Naturally because of the sector that we sell which is designers such asBurberry,MulberryandVivienne Westwood, they are very protective about their distribution, so it makes obstacles and barriers to entry quite tough but there is still opportunity."Online retailing can see huge returns, but Curran warned that it takes a sharp attention to detail to make it work. "It is quite a complex model. A lot of people tend to think that e-commerce is the easy option and the easy route to market, but actually it takes a lot of investment."That investment comes in the ease and navigation and performance of the site, but also in terms of the photography of the site. Equally, it's about a strong customer experience and customer service, from entry to the site to delivery to also handling of returns."Curran agreed that prospective investors should be looking to the big fashion houses like Chanel,Dolce and GabbanaandVersacefor those pieces that keep their value. And above all, she said, you shouldn't wear them."It's like if you're going to invest in wine, dont drink it. If you are going to invest in clothing, dont wear it."This originally appeared at .This story was originally published by .101 Christmas gifts for ALL ages and ALL budgets - Part TwoBy UPDATED:10:58 GMT, 11 December 2010UNDER £100 LUXURY BUY GET IT SENT Go back to part one30 SECOND GUIDE: Company makeoversPUBLISHED:08:44 GMT, 30 August 2012 UPDATED:08:50 GMT, 30 August 2012Free pedicures? We're not talking about complimentary pampering for employees. So what are they? Company makeovers are when firms try to give themselves a facelift by rebranding, changing slogan, or decking out branches or shops with snazzy new furniture. They can also involve more fundamental changes such as new products catering for a different breed of customers. Why do firms do this? One reason is that they are not doing so well and need to give the business a boost. A takeover is also a prime reason. A company makeover is the corporate version of attention seeking. Sounds like an extravagance Insurance giant Aviva was accused of squandering money when it spent £80m rebranding subsidiary Norwich Union under the same banner. This campaign featured celebrity-packed ads starring Bruce Willis, Ringo Starr and Elle Mcpherson. Surely it must work sometimes? Some makeovers have involved root and branch reform rather than cosmetic changes. Fashion designer Burberry managed to transform itself from a favourite among chavs and hooligans in the 1990s to a high-end label in the 2000s and beyond. This has been achieved by new clothing ranges and an advertising push featuring Kate Moss and Emma Watson. Accolade for Burberry's BravoBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 27 February 2002ROSE Marie Bravo, chief executive of Burberry UK, has been named the most successful businesswoman in Europe by the Wall Street Journal. Bravo, who transformed Burberry's distinctive tartan from frumpy to high fashion, shares the top slot with Sari Baldauf, of Finland's Nokia. Also in the top 10 is Go airline chief Barbara Cassani at number six. Gail Rebuck, head of publisher Random House, is joint ninth with Kim Winser, chief executive of knitwear company Pringle Scotland. US-born Dame Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson and last year's number two, dropped out of the charts. According to Burberry's new shopper system, are you Brit, London or Prorsum?By UPDATED:10:39 GMT, 18 November 2009It fought hard to shake off an unfortunate association with chav culture. But now Burberry has divided the country into three categories according to how smartly they want to dress.The luxury fashion house has introduced a new tripartite system, splitting glamour queens who opt for silk catwalk dresses from those more comfortable in scruffy jeans. Tripartite: Harry Potter actress Emma Watson models Burberry London, left, Burberry Brit and Burberry Prorsurm, rightUnder the categories, high-end, high-cost evening wear for fashion gurus will continue under the label Prorsum, which means forwards in Latin.A new collection called Burberry London will include day time work outfits such as smart tailored suits, dark suede and dense wools. The name is designed to reflect the clothes cosmopolitan feel.Casual dress including denim andsportswear will be branded Burberry Brit to capture the relaxed,scruffier side of the population.It will appeal to a younger market with linen jackets and cropped trousers, and a slightly lower price tag than the other ranges, a spokesman said.But after ditching its associations with chav icons such as soap star Daniella Westbrook, Burberrys distinctive house check pattern has been toned down.An advertising campaign shows Harry Potter actress Emma Watson showcasing all three labels. Thetrench coat, which she has modelled, will remain Burberrys signatureitem. The categories are currently housed in the same shops, butBurberry is looking for locations for stand-alone stores afterlaunching two in New York this autumn.Burberry shield: Madonna and boyfriend Jesus prefer to use their trench to hide from paparazziA spokesman insisted: Were not reallytalking about appealing to three different markets. This is supposed tobe Burberry girl, who can opt for evening, work and weekend wear withclear labels to differentiate them. Some department stores will havethree different sections, giving us more space. Burberry is currentlylooking for locations for stand-alone stores.The new categories will signal a fight-back after Burberry announced a 19 per cent drop in profits yesterday, despite a solid performance in the UK.Demand for handbags, sling shoulder bags, snoods and scarves helped it to reach pre-tax profits of £78.4m in the six months to September 30 this year.But the figure is down from £97m last year after the effects of discounts hit profit margins and wholesale orders were reduced.The luxury fashion house won praise after its return to the catwalk at London Fashion Week this autumn.It also said it had seen exceptional growth in London stores after the weak pound attracted foreign shoppers.The retailer said its non-clothing ranges represented its biggest growth, contributing more than a third of revenue.Shoes and childrenswear were also identified as key growth areas, anticipated to grow to make up 10 per cent each of revenues. The firm, which was founded in 1856, opened a children's store in Notting Hill this year.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: Burberry delivered a solid first half performance, reflecting the strength of the brand, business and team. 'We enter the second half confident in our core strategies, capitalising on product, region, channel and operational opportunities.October 2012Prize valueWinning bond No.Area£1,000,000176ND537520Overseas £100,000190YL731192Dudley £100,00086ZY785587West Sussex £100,000186AQ461669Derbyshire £100,000183SA844038Sheffield £100,0005EJ713506Northern Ireland £50,000189HA961605Bradford £50,00017QC030688Nottingham £50,000150ZZ067504Hertfordshire £50,000126RT689109Southampton £50,000111CA212785Greater Manchester £50,00024JC837905Edinburgh £50,000110ZL786330Kent £50,000147QP328139CumbriaHurrah! Cherish that crumpled skirt - it's chic to look a mess UPDATED:18:56 GMT, 16 January 2009 One of the most enchanting fashion shows of the past season was by Burberry, where Christopher Bailey conjured up, in faded linens, flowerpotmen hats and dusty colours, a vision of Englishness through the prism of fashion. His models, with their natural-looking skin, slightly dishevelled long hair and even their slight slouchy shuffle, set the mood for one of the big trends of the spring - beautifully worn-looking, crumpled clothes. Add the crumpled satins of Prada's lingerie-style suits and the trend was confirmed - big time. Of course some of us, in fact probably half the female population, naturally subscribe to this look already and if you scan a room full of women you will see the great divide is between those whose appearance is pristine almost as if they have been dressed with hospital corners and those who, no matter what they might be wearing, will always have made it look slightly rumpled and lived-in. No matter what the dictates of fashion, our crumpled or our crimped style overrides our dress. If you are a crumpled type of person, you will find a way to make an Armani suit look slouchy, but if you are a crimper you will appear calmly immaculate in the same outfit, just like Condoleezza Rice. Some women I know appear effortlessly never to have creases on the back of their skirt, wear neatly ironed shirts whose collars stay upright and cuffs remain sharply rolled back, are never seen with scuff marks on their shoes and although their jeans might be as boyfriend baggy as the next girl's, somehow manage to make them look smart. Others can just as attractively and effectively make everything they wear appear comfortable and easy. They rumple up layers of T-shirt sleeves, wear skirts and dresses of soft jersey or linen and even manage to make a gala gown look as natural to be wearing as a pair of pyjamas. That worn-in look is a much more female idea of fashion than male. Men tend to want to make women look perfect - think of Roland Mouret with his fitted dresses, Ralph Lauren with his pared down preppy style or Dolce Gabbana with their cocktail glamour. Women are far more likely to make a woman look comfortable.British designers such as Betty Jackson with her slouchy shapes, Nicole Farhi with her knits and feminine skirts, and the new names like knitwear designer Clare Tough, bring us clothes that have an inbuilt crumple factor to them. Although not British, increasingly popular French middle-market brands from designers such as Vanessa Bruno and Isabel Marandt also possess that immediate lived-in feel. To look the perfect mess takes time and effort - it's not about losing the ironing board. A twist to the cardigan, the right degree of fold in the sleeve, artfully dishevelled hair tied up in a knot - this takes practice, but you could start with a Burberry summer coat.Why a good gossip really is priceless Gossip is the new currency. As everyone's purse strings are tightened, delicious morsels of information are the cheapest way to win your way into someone's affections. With the expansion of the net and personal technology, the speed at which you can discover information and pass it on increases daily. One rumour that swept town recently was emailed to me by ten people within an hour. People are offering up titbits of salacious chat to those they want to impress and good gossips are top of everyone's guest list. In offices, those eager to impress vie to be first to Blackberry some breaking news, while others use gossip as a deflecting preamble to some possibly more unwelcome subject matter. It's inexpensive and entertaining - what more could you want. But beware stale news - it's got to be fresh from the oven or you're a sad loser. Now 'ear this: Earrings are back!It's no accident that accessories are the big story in fashion. While it's the clothes that create the image of a label, accessories are usually the more affordable 'entry point' to the brand. If you buy the key ring, you might graduate to the shoes. If you've got the shoes, you'll want the handbag and then, hopefully, you'll soon be saving up for the whole outfit. With a certain amount of well-deserved It-bag fatigue, the industry has been looking for new items to tempt us and has come up with a jewellery renaissance. Last season, enter the bangle. Simultaneously, we have all been learning to love the 'statement' necklace, which dominates the sartorial look with its splendour rather than acting as a retiring bit part, and now we're going to be all over, guess what - earrings. For years, earrings have been out of fashion. Yes, we've all worn them, and more and more of them, since only people over 40 still have one piercing in their ear, but they haven't been fashionable. The death knell of the earring really came in the late Seventies when every hemp-wearing, Marxist-leaning girl I was at university with had huge earrings dangling from her lobes - the only nod in the direction of conventional feminine adornment she was prepared to make. There was the odd pearl bauble and gold hoop to accompany the power suiting of the Eighties, but then nada. Earrings as a fashionable accessory went underground. Until now. At the last Jil Sander show, Raf Simons accessorised his girls with beautiful thin jewel-tipped spears piercing one lobe, creating a cool march of minimal warriors. Then Marc Jacobs went completely loco and piled on every accessory for his triumphant Louis Vuitton show, including amazing tribal hoops with everything imaginable hung from them. So prepare to be brave. Earrings now are brazen and enormous. They take pole position in your jewellery (there's no way you can wear both them and the show-off necklace), but they are an easy, stylish and enjoyable addition to the spring scene.It's time to have a ball (if you can afford it) No signs of dressing down at the Golden Globes - the first of the red carpet triumvirate that includes the Baftas and the Oscars.Kate Winslet might have chosen black, but it was chic YSL, and the host of presenters and other movie stars to a woman wore girlish, feminine, shimmering gala gowns.A sense of occasion and the quest for glamour persist no matter what else is happening around. For instance, it has been fascinating to see pictures of the attendees at the recent Parisian Bal de Crillon, the new Queen Charlotte's Ball where girls of 'good' families parade couture and dance with acceptable young bucks.When I first heard about the existence of this ball, I couldn't believe that anybody would want their daughter, or indeed son, to take part in this anachronistic occasion. I was amazed a few years ago when my friend Nejma, married to American photographer Peter Beard, told me she was taking their daughter to Paris to have a Dior gown fitted for the ball. At the last ball, none other than Demi Moore's and Bruce Willis's offspring and Carrie Fisher's daughter (surely Hollywood aristocracy) were debutantes alongside a smattering of the Guinness gang and European aristos.It still seems curious to me that such an occasion is flourishing and in particular that any young person should want to play a part in it. But it's possible that now more than ever, people will seek out spectacle and extravagance as an escape and antidote to the gloomy world around them. The Eighties revival is hitting hard. We've already had to get used to jumpsuits and metallic leggings, and now Bananarama-style mussed-up hair is getting back in the picture, as seen for example at the Topshop Unique show. We must pray that there isn't going to be an Eighties-style music revival, too. Batwing sleeves and ra-ra skirts are perfectly acceptable, but nobody can live through another era of a-ha, Devo and Cyndi Lauper-style sounds. Or can they?Share this article:Smashing style: Andy Murray and his girlfriend join the fashion set at Burberry runway showBy UPDATED:09:31 GMT, 22 September 2010He's more comfortable with the court than the catwalk. But Andy Murray was putting on a brave face yesterday as he attended London Fashion Week. The tennis star accompanied his girlfriend Kim Sears to the star-studded Burberry Prorsum show, exhibiting a little more style than usual. Dressed in dark blue jeans and a black felt coat, he cut a respectable figure among the well-dressed crowd. Those at the premier show included fashion stalwarts Sarah Jessica Parker and American Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Miss Sears, 22, who recently graduated from Sussex University, looked very much at home by the catwalk in her ensemble of a blue mac, black skinny trousers and spike-heeled boots. Meanwhile Murray admits he is no closer to appointing a new coach ahead of his return to ATP World Tour action next month.The world number four had hoped to find a successor to Miles Maclagan, who he sacked in July after two and a half years together, before the China Open in Beijing, which begins next month.Murray said: 'The situation is the same as it was before the US Open. I'm still looking into it and trying to find the best person that can help me.Will Wimbledon be followed by wedding bells? Kim has loved Andy for seven years and now the talk is of an off-court happy ever after By PUBLISHED:23:24 GMT, 11 September 2012 UPDATED:07:46 GMT, 12 September 2012At the moment of victory, sheer unbounded Grand Slam-sized joy was written all over the face of girlfriend Kim Sears.That enviable mane of glossy hair was whipped by the wind into a golden crown as Murray made his way, shoeless, to embrace her very much as he did after winning Olympic gold at Wimbledon last month.Later he posed with his arms around Kim and the cup quite a mark of devotion.Kim has loved Andy for seven years and now the talk is that they will find the time to formalise an off-court happy ever after, too. Perhaps a wedding after Wimbledon next summer. When asked recently about such rumours, Murray demurred: 'I have no plans to get married right now. I am still fairly young. But we'll see.'It was a half admission. If true, it would delight all his family and his team of coaches, moneymen and advisers because Kim is universally recognised as a perfect tennis wife.By her background her father is a leading tennis coach and by virtue of her polite, uncomplaining nature, she is well fitted to a supporting role. She doesn't chafe at the 35 weeks a year which professional tennis players spend on the road.Shy, polite and clever, she attends all major tournaments, but otherwise spends most of her time at home in Surrey.A typical 'tennis wife' task was to carefully dry in an airing cupboard the bouquet Andy was given after his Olympic win. It now hangs in her studio office.The versatile Kim is known for her domestic skills making a mean sloe gin from berries picked by her mother.She is 24 but looks younger in fact, she was asked to show her ID in her local Waitrose in Cobham when buying a bottle of spirits. And after dabbling in acting, fashion and design, and weighing up a career in publishing, she now makes portraits of dogs and cats for wealthy owners.Andy says approvingly: 'She wants to have her own career, not just pose in Hello! magazine.'Awaiting her return from New York are commissions for paintings of a cat, a labradoodle and a labrador. (She's believed to charge about £1,500 per canvas.) Her website boasts several apologies to potential clients for her backlog of work. She works in the guest wing of the £5million home which she and Murray share in the footballer-and-stockbrokers territory of Oxshott, Surrey.While Andy's daily life is travel, training, ice baths and Grand Slams, Kim's is a gentle round of activities.Painting aside, she takes daily walks with border terriers Maggie May and Rusty. Recently she bumped into footballer John Terry's wife Toni, who was walking their bulldog. Kim, who was an A-grade student at the private Burgess Hill school in West Sussex, likes to listen to Classic FM, and drink tea.An English literature graduate, her circle of friends include a cupcake baker who has made special cakes decorated with pictures of Kim's dogs which she served Andy on the silver tray he got as Wimbledon runner-up this year. Theresulting photos were then posted on Maggie May's Twitter page, which Kim runs. (Indeed, she has been asked if she will write a book in MaggieMay's name an offer she is considering.) Andy's mum Judy always stays with the couple during the Queen's Club and Wimbledon tournaments in the early summer.The two women are firm friends and Judy doesn't see it as a slight that Andy embraced Kim before her after both his Olympic and US Open victories.Kim is so sweet-natured that she is happy to put up with anything that makes Andy happy. The couple met when she was still a teenager in the sixth-form. Her father Nigel was the head of UK women's tennis coaching and she was visiting him at a tournament in America. Andy wooed her with flowers and texts.They moved in together in 2009, but then split briefly for six months to give each other 'space'. Both of them were miserable apart.In the early days, she used to act as his chauffeur because he couldn't drive he bought her a £40,000 Mercedes as a thank you. An associate who had dinner with the couple recently said: 'Kim's just a lovely, young middle-class girl. She is very sweet and quite shy.'How long, then, before Andy Murray proposes a romantic game of doubles at the altar?VIDEO: A happy man. Murray looked delighted, posing with his US Open trophy in New YorkMurray, Khan, Pendleton and more swap sport for style at London Fashion Week By PUBLISHED:09:09 GMT, 18 September 2012 UPDATED:10:09 GMT, 18 September 2012Forget about training for a while - it seems like the Burberry Prorsum's London Fashion Week show was the place to be for some of Britain's top sports stars on Monday.US Open winner and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray left his racquet behind as he was given a front row seat with his girlfriend Kim Sears at London's Kensington gardens. Scroll down for videoThe Scottish tennis star was not the only Olympic star spotted at the event. Boxing star Amir Khan, who won silver in Athens in 2004 and Victoria Pendleton who retired after the 2012 Games were also present.Khan was in attendance with his fiance, Faryal Makhdoom. The boxer has recently split from his coach Freddie Roach after defeats to Lamont Petersen and Danny Garcia but was clearly in a light-hearted mood as he enjoyed some downtime. Pendleton, meanwhile, took some time out from her Strictly Come Dancing training to make an appearance at the show. She has been partnered with ballroom dancer Brendan Cole in the BBC programme. The former Olympic cyclist bowed out after winning gold in the women's keirin in August. Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock and Olympic rower Pete Reed also showed up, both having won golds in the summer. The former picked up his medal in the T44 100m sprint and the latter in the men's coxless fours, a category he also won gold in four years before, in Beijing. Argos and Burberry star at GUSBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 20 November 2003RECORD results from Argos, Burberry and its Experian credit checking arm helped GUS push its profits up by an impressive 44% to 354m over the first half-year. Shareholders are rewarded with a 16% increase in the interim dividend payment, to 8p.Chief executive John Peace said each of the group's main businesses had continued to perform strongly and there had been 'considerable progress' at the Homebase DIY operation.'Although we face some challenges in the second half, we remain confident in the outlook for the future,' he added.Group sales for the six months to 30 September were up by 24% to 3.77bn and the 44% profits rise was achieved before goodwill and exceptional items. Even after adjusting for acquisitions and disposals, GUS said the profits increase was 27%.Argos continued its stellar performance, with a 14% increase in sales, or 7% like-for-like, to 1.39bn and a 27% profits jump to 73.9m.Earlier this week Burberry reported doubled profits and GUS yesterday cut its stake in the luxury goods business by 10% to 67%, raising 180m in the process.The cash will initially be used to reduce debt but GUS raised the prospect of a cash return to shareholders.GUS said it remained 'a committed investor in Burberry', but did not rule out further sales of the luxury retailer's shares. It also signalled the prospect of a further windfall from elsewhere within the group, indicating that the flotation of its South African Retailing business should occur next year. Argos and Burberry stars at GUSBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 15 April 2002CATALOGUE stores chain Argos and the Burberry luxury brands business continue to show strong sales growth for parent company GUS but there has been a slowdown at the group's North American business information arm, Experian. A second-half trading update from chief executive John Peace showed an underlying decline of 2% in North American turnover at Experian, although the UK and international operations turned in improved figures. Experian is GUS's biggest profits earner and overall sales were ahead by 2%. Burberry, which is scheduled for a partial flotation on the stock market in June, enjoyed a recovery after the 11 September terrorist attacks on America, with like-for-like sales ahead by 5%. But Argos remained the star performer, with like-for-like sales jumping 13%. GUS will report its full-year profits at the end of May, when it is expected to give further details of the Burberry float. Arm candy! Downton's Michelle Dockery surrounds herself with some sexy rising British stars at Burberry show in Milan By PUBLISHED:21:30 GMT, 23 June 2012 UPDATED:22:33 GMT, 23 June 2012In real life she lives with her architect boyfriend and on-screen she finally got her man after Matthew Crawley proposed in the snow at Christmas.But that's not to say that Michelle Dockery doesn't appreciate a bit of arm candy from time to time - and with that line-up, it's hardly surprising. The Downton Abbey star, 30, was a guest at the Burberry Prorsum catwalk show as part of Milan's Men's Fashion Week and was surrounded by handsome young rising British stars.As she took her front row seat at the show for the Spring/Summer 2013 collection by British designer Christopher Bailey, she was joined by George Craig, lead singer of band One Night Only and the former boyfriend of Harry Potter star Emma Watson.He is also a model for Burberry as is Rob Pryer, who sat next to George, and singer songwriter Roo Paynes, who is fronting the fashion house's autumn/winter campaign. But if Michelle was excited about her handsome fellow attendees, she certainly didn't show it as she sat engrossed in the new collection.She was dressed in a very unusual outfit that many could not pull off but looked lovely on her tall, slender frame. She wore a calf-length dark teal velvet skirt which she accessorised with a skinny tan belt tied in a bow at the front.Sheteamed that with a dark grey T-shirt which was decorated with a bejeweled owl design and she wore brown heeled brogues on her feet.Michelle was taking a break from filming the third series of Downton Abbey in which she plays Lady Mary Crawley.It was last on screen for a Christmasspecial in which Lady Mary finally found love after Matthew Crawley, the heir to her father's fortune, proposed to her in a very romantic moment in the snow.And having worn some stunning costumes during the first two series, which were set between 1912 and 1918, Michelle said they had finally moved on to more comfortable attire.Shesaid: 'Were over halfway through the filming, and were moving into the Twenties now - its very feminine and the corsets are definitely softer. we feel much more free!' As Bob Diamond waits on multi-million bonus we reveal other lavish fat cat perks By and PUBLISHED:07:37 GMT, 27 April 2012 UPDATED:07:37 GMT, 27 April 2012When the shareholders of Barclays file into the Royal Festival Hall today for the banks annual meeting, they will be heading for a showdown with chief executive Bob Diamond that could prove a watershed for boardroom pay.Diamonds multi-million-pound jackpot this year has ignited a furious battle with big City investors, and a last-minute attempt by the bank to placate shareholders fury by attaching performance conditions to one of his bonus schemes failed to soothe tempers. It is being predicted that as many as a third of shareholders could vote against his pay package today.Some leading investors are so frustrated at the banks stubborn behaviour over top pay, which has remained in the stratosphere despite the austerity sweeping the country and Barclays poor investment performance, that they are threatening to retaliate.Barclays controversial decision to make a £5.75 million payment to the U.S. tax authorities to cover Diamonds personal bill was the catalyst for anger from normally quiescent shareholders, some of whom are poised to vote against the banks pay report. Influential City lobby group the Association of British Insurers has slapped Barclays with an amber top alert on pay the corporate equivalent of footballs yellow card signalling there are serious concerns with its pay strategy. The tide, it seems, is turning against unfettered rewards for bank bosses even on Wall Street, the birthplace of the monstrous bonus. Earlier this month, shareholders voted down mighty Citigroups pay report, forcing the board to reconsider top executive pay levels.Whatever happens at Barclays meeting today, the High Street lender has already inflicted serious embarrassment on itself.By now, perhaps, we should all be inured to any sense of shock when it comes to the obscene levels of pay in Britains board rooms. After all, the outsize rewards routinely given to bosses, virtually regardless of their performance, have been a stain on corporate Britain for two decades.But the truth is that, despite the financial crisis and economic worries enveloping the country, the indulgence bestowed on these captains of commerce has not abated one iota.In fact, the latest round of pay reports shows them to be more rapacious than ever. Diamond is a case in point of just how ingenious companies have become in finding new ways to milk shareholders who are, ultimately, ordinary British pension-fund members on behalf of their top management.Diamond, who is paid through a U.S. subsidiary, has convinced his board not only that the bank should foot his £5.75 million personal tax account, but also that it should pay any further tax demands from the U.S. authorities for as long as he remains in his post.In addition, as part of a £474,000 benefits package, Diamond has been given money to spend on personal financial advice even though you would expect him, of all people, to understand money management.Barclays decision to pay his £5.75 million tax bill takes the total rewards disclosed in the annual report for Diamond to an astonishing £26.6million, including long-term incentive packages that are linked to performance and pay out over a number of years.In 2011 a year in which the banks share price fell sharply Diamond made £13 million, if his latest long-term share awards are taken into account, including the £5.75 million tax payment.It is not as if the company has met its performance targets quite the reverse, in fact. Barclays shares have fallen over the past five years by 70 per cent, and Diamond him-self described the performance as unacceptable. This greed in executive remuneration makes a nonsense of his public commitment during a Radio 4 interview to good corporate citizenship.It has resulted in howls of outrage from senior political figures. The bank has also attracted the ire of organisations such as the Association of British Insurers and the National Association of Pension Funds, both thoroughly capitalist outfits representing investors, many of whom are appalled by what they perceive as an unconscionable reward for failure. But then, while hard-working families stump up their tax, make ends meet on modest salaries and pay for their own homes, clothes and childrens education, life is rather different for pampered executives and not just at Barclays.And it is not just the seven-figure salaries: the company bosses lavish lifestyles are also heavily subsidised by shareholders. Perks such as clothing, housing and travel allowances, even subsidised energy bills, are scattered like confetti at their feet by the fawning pay committees that rubber-stamp their rewards.For example, Angela Ahrendts, the impressive chief executive of Burberry, can afford to buy her own trench coats, courtesy of her £3.5 million package and a £7.3 million incentive to stay in her job to 2015.Yet she receives a five-figure annual clothing allowance £25,000 in 2009, the latest figure available plus a hefty staff discount on her purchases from Burberry.Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica, receives a multi-million-pound pay, bonus and long-term incentive package, making him one the few people who can pay his fuel bills without flinching. That did not stop him from being awarded a staff discount of up to £684 on his energy bills, even as pensioners shivered because they were too poor to turn up the heat.And Mick Davis, chief executive of mining giant Xstrata, received a £6 million pay, pension and bonus award in 2011 after a record year for the company he built. So it is unlikely he really needs the annual housing allowance of £114,000 to live in his palatial, art-filled home in Hampstead, North London. Davis also received £300,000 for his personal use of a corporate jet, along with a pension contribution of £2.7 million last year.Parents struggling with private education costs may grind their teeth to learn Peter Voser, head of Shell, took £97,000 in benefits including school fees and tax compensation.Similarly, Nicandro Durante, who leads British American Tobacco, took more than £323,000 benefits including home security on his homes in Britain and Brazil. What is most galling is that this tsunami of excess continues unchecked despite endless promises by governments and big investors to curb it. Even the Institute of Directors which, as its name suggests, represents the executive class across the country concedes people have lost faith in the way company pay is set.The tragedy is that business leaders have succumbed to a sense of entitlement that has overwhelmed any semblance of common decency. They are quite unabashed as they cut the pay of employees and slash their pension benefits while luxuriating in their own ever-expanding packages.The claim firms make to justify such pay-outs is that they are approved by shareholders the individuals, investment firms and pension funds that own their companies. But the prevalence of hedge funds that think in the short term, as well as the number of overseas shareholders, means only a small band of long-term British investors can be relied on to act as responsible stewards.And even if the shareholders as a whole do vote through the pay awards, they certainly do not win public approval.Perhaps that is why some major companies try to sneak out their pay reports at times when they hope the embarrassingly large numbers will slip under the radar. This year, a number of firms that should know better delivered their reports online on a Friday afternoon, when newspaper business pages have already been written and the City is packing up for the weekend. They included Centrica and state-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland.Of course, there is nothing new about unrestrained greed in the boardroom. Two decades ago, John Majors Tories were embarrassed by the huge pay rises for public utility chiefs post-privatisation notably the 900pc pay rise over a few short years for British Gas boss Cedric Brown (who retired with a £5.5 million pension pot).Around that time, ministers asked Marks Spencer chairman Sir Richard Greenbury to examine how best to curb excess. In his 1995 report, he came up with the idea of long-term incentive plans that would link rewards to performance over several years.But instead of displacing the bonus and short-term share awards, long-term share plans became an added extra the icing on an already over-rich cake. Such multi-million-pound, long-term options act like time-release pills, filling the coffers of executives each year, even in economic bad times.At the heart of the great pay robbery are the remuneration committees that set the pay of executive directors.These are supposedly independent, but in reality often represent a back-scratching old-boys club. At least nine chief executives of the nations top FTSE-100 companies sit on the pay panels of other leading companies.Paul Walsh, chief executive of global drinks giant Diageo, earned £3.2 million last year. He sits on the pay committee of Unilever, where chief executive Paul Polman collected a package of pay, allowances, share awards and other benefits worth almost £5.5 million in 2011.Similarly, Centricas Laidlaw is on the pay committee of global banking giant HSBC, where boss Stuart Gulliver received a £7.2 million pay cheque.Research by the High Pay Centre, an independent think-tank set up to monitor rewards at the top of the scale, found that no fewer than 46 per cent of people sitting on the remuneration committees are current or former top executives at other top firms.Pay committees invariably set awards by looking at what their equivalents in other FTSE-100 companies or firms in the same sector are paying. The higher they ratchet up the pay-outs at the company where they sit as independent directors, the more likely it is that they, too, will hit the jackpot in their main job.Committees also rely heavily on highly paid consultants who often double up as head-hunters to draft their complex pay schemes. Any consultant recommending a pay cut would be unlikely to last long, so no one has any incentive to advocate restraint.Pay in the UK is set using data from around the world, mostly the U.S., where the pay of directors is often off the scale.Apple boss Tim Cook recently received a share package worth an astonishing £236 million.By using these transatlantic comparisons, British bosses can argue they are underpaid and must be handed more if they are not to be poached.The reality, of course, is that it is only too rare that the boss of a UK firm makes it to the top of a U.S. corporate giant. This so-called global market is something of a fiction.Another wheeze the big firms have developed is to put out reports on corporate pay and behaviour, which are screeds of meaningless jargon.At HSBC, for instance, the report runs to 25 pages of tiny type, much of it legal gobbledegook. This has made it all but impossible to give a single definitive figure for what any given executive takes home in a year.HSBC gives three widely different figures for its boss, Stuart Gulliver, for 2011: £7.1 million, £6.6 million or £4.1 million, depending on how it is calculated.This makes a mockery of the idea of transparency and allows corporate PRs to present figures that vastly understate the full rewards as the real or fair ones.Within the world of chief executives, there does appear to be a slowly growing realisation that the gulf between rewards in the boardroom and pay elsewhere needs to be bridged.The bandwagon that saw directors in FTSE-100 companies achieve a 45pc pay rise in 2010 and possibly even more in 2011 a year in which the economy barely grew needs to be addressed urgently.Even some of those who receive big pay-outs recognise the need for change, though they will rarely look a gift horse in the mouth.Sir Andrew Witty heads one of the UKs most successful enterprises, GlaxoSmithKline, which pours £5 billion of resources into new research each year. He is one of the Coalitions favourite businessmen.He accepted a pay freeze in 2009 and 2010, recognising the hardships of those losing their jobs in his own company and the strains on ordinary households.But last year the dam burst and all the admirable restraint was cast aside as Witty saw his pay, benefits and bonus package rise to £6.8 million, including incentive awards that matured in 2011.So who will tackle these corporate behemoths? Director- general of the Institute of Directors, Simon Walker, a former Downing Street adviser, is a powerful voice advocating change. He argues that the old practice of signing up retired chief executives to serve on pay committees must be stopped.U.S. fund management giant Fidelity Worldwide, a big investor in most FTSE-100 companies, is also demanding that City shareholders tackle the problem and use annual general meetings as a chance to vote against big pay deals.It believes the pay of corporate chiefs should receive the support of 75 per cent of shareholders before approval.Thus far, much of the anti-fat-cat venom has been directed at bankers, whose mistakes led to the biggest fall in household income since the Twenties.But chief executives in other industries, from retail to mining, have also been paid sums totally divorced from the rest of society. The clubby atmosphere in the boardroom and the supine attitude of big shareholders have allowed a culture of sheer avarice to flourish.It has spawned the most cosseted and grasping generation of bosses ever seen in this country and it is time for shareholders to call a halt.As Burberry snaps up the pretty Harry Potter actress, is Emma Watson the new Kate Moss?By UPDATED:22:39 GMT, 14 June 2009While Kate Moss and Peaches Geldof continue to make headlines every time they unveil an outrageous look, a new British style icon has been gracefully emerging. When Emma Watson first appeared as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, at the age of nine, she was a photogenic schoolgirl. Ten years later, she's undergone a metamorphosis and for the past few years has been quietly building a modelling portfolio that's beginning to rival her acting career. In 2008 Chanel appointed her the face of their perfume Coco Mademoiselle, replacing Keira Knightley. Since then, the fashion house's supremo Karl Lagerfeld has become her new best friend. A touch of elegance: Emma's smokey eyes and softly tousled hair add to Burberry's sophisticated feelPicture perfect: Kate Moss pictured in her 2006 Burberry campaign holds a similar profile to the young and blooming Miss WatsonLast month, he photographed her for an edgy French magazine. 'This was a dream come true,' she said. (And that's the other thing about Emma: you won't find her being less than gracious, a welcome contrast to mouthy types such as Lily Allen.) Emma's latest coup is the lucrative Burberry campaign. With smoky eyes and softly tousled hair (right), she adds a touch of sultry elegance to the British label's signature trench coat. Here's hoping she inspires the next generation of teenagers to turn away from tacky tattoos and jeggings. Well, we can dream, can't we? As Emma Watson wows at Burberry's London catwalk comeback, we look at the history of the luxury brandBy UPDATED:10:24 GMT, 24 September 2009 It wasn't so long ago that Burberry check was the fabric of choice on council estates, defining chav fashion. Fast-forward five years, and the luxury brand is virtually unrecognisable. The label's first show at London Fashion Week for more than adecade was this week's hottest ticket, with a front row bristling withA-listers and fashion editors including Vogue's Anna Wintour, current'face' Emma Watson and long-term fans Victoria Beckham and GwynethPaltrow. Huge relief, then, for the brand that has endured a somewhatcheckered history since its humble beginnings in a Basingstoke store in1856... 1879Thomas Burberry invents gaberdine, the world's first breathable fabric. The beginnings of the label's trademark coat are born. 1914During World War I, Burberry designed mackintoshes forofficers of the British Royal Flying Corps, later the RAF. The militarymodel became known as the trench coat, and would later be adopted bycivilians. 1924The famous Burberry check, registered as a trademark, was introduced as a lining to the trench coat. 1983The Prince and Princess of Wales (above) are photographed in Burberry ensembles while holidaying in Nova Scotia. 2001Designer Christopher Bailey (right) takes the helm and downplays the Burberry check as part of the label's unofficial re-branding.2002Burberry's heritage chic becomes the look of choice for celebrities from Madonna to Mr and Mrs Beckham, with the check print scarf selling out in stores from New York to Tokyo. 2004Daniella Westbrook and her daughter are 'papped' in head-totoe Burberry. The soap star and some-time cocaine addict is crowned Queen Chav. Her response? 'It's a real compliment.' 2006Kate Moss returns as the face of Burberry in a campaign shot by Mario Testino nine months after the fashion house scrapped her campaign following tabloid accusations that she used drugs. 2007Burberry discovers model de jour and former fish and chip shop worker Agyness Deyn, who stars in its autumn campaign of this year. 2008Burberry begins its ascent to global adoration. With a 25 per cent jump in profits, the label makes the top five luxury goods brands in the world. 2009In A bold move, Harry Potter star Emma Watson (above) becomes the label's new face. Runaway success at London Fashion Week galvanises Burberry's starry future, with the company worth £1.2 billion. Asian boom lifts Burberry to new highsBy UPDATED:00:13 GMT, 20 April 2011Shares in Burberry soared to anall-time high on the back of strongsales in China, Hong Kong andother emerging markets.The 155-year-old fashion retailer,best known for its distinctivecamel, red and black check, beatCity expectations yesterday whenit revealed in a trading update itscore fourth quarter sales had risen33 per cent to £390million. Analysts hadexpected the firm to post revenuesof around £350million.The London-based businesswent on to raise its full year forecaststo between £279million and£300million. In January it had set arange of between £250million to£290million.The stock initially rallied 8.6 per cent to1245p, before easing back to closeup 69p at 1215p.The firm also said it planned toboost its retail space by 12 per cent year,and would look at sites in Asia,Latin America and the MiddleEast.Burberry opened seven newstores in the second half of thiscurrent year, including São Paulo,New York and Milan, and plans toadd 20-25 stores next year, mainlyin China, Latin America and theMiddle East.Chief executive Angela Ahrendtssaid: Burberry had a strong finishto the year. While the luxury industryfaces global challenges in theyear ahead, we remain confidentin our teams ability tooutperform.Burberry shares have surgedmore than sixfold over the pasttwo-and-a-half years after thegroup slashed costs during theeconomic downturn and then benefitedfrom a faster-than-expectedrecovery in the luxury sector.Richard Curr, an analyst BrandCommunications, said: Five or sixyears ago the brand was not seenas being worn by trendsetters inthe UK. But it has since traded onits strong English name in the FarEast and has not looked back.Burberrys stock was hit after theearthquake and tsunami in Japanlast month raised fears aboutdemand from the worlds third-biggestluxury goods market. Fashion-forward Emma Watson is a Burberry beauty as she dazzles at pre-BAFTA bash in £1,700 coatBy UPDATED:17:11 GMT, 12 February 2011She may not be the face of Burberry anymore, but Emma Watson showed her loyalty to them remains last night by stepping out in the luxury label.The Harry Potter star looked gorgeous in a new take on the brand's iconic trench coat.The 20-year-old attended a pre-BAFTA Awards party thrown by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein at Almada bar and restaurant in Mayfair wearing a £1,700 Burberry Prorsum trench coat with eye-catching leather sleeves. The party was in honour of Colin Firth and The King's Speech, the runaway success of this year's awards season, which The Weinstein Company produced.The party continued well into the early hours, with Emma arriving at nearby Mahiki nightclub in the film chief's Rolls Royce.When they were accosted by eager autograph-hunters in between parties, Weinstein jumped in to chivalrously guide Emma through the crowd.For Firth and many of his fellow revellers, who included flame-hairedMad Men star Christina Hendricks (in a stunning low-cut floral print silk gown), it was the start of a party-packed weekend in the run-up to Sunday's BAFTA Awards. Other stars feted at Almada's included Amy Adams, star of The Fighter, Rosamund Pike, Dougray Scott and Claire Forlani, Neve Campbell, new 'It' girl Felicity Jones, Ralph Fiennes and designer Vivienne Westwood.Ronnie Wood spent the night flirting with a variety of young female delights, but left arm in arm with girlfriend Ana Araujo.Sam Taylor Wood and Aaron Johnson also took in the heady atmosphere along with Noomi Repace, Elizabeth Mcgovern star of TV hit Downton Abbey, Sally Hawkins, Matthew Freud and wife Elisabeth Murdoch. Appropriately, theatrical knights Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ben Kingsley were in attendance. Sitting chatting with friends was Ricky Gervais, he was keeping a low profile and didn't insult anyone.'It's my night off', joked the comic who hosted January's Golden Globe ceremony.Tom Hooper , director of The King's Speech praised his film's leading man for helping to turn the movie into a global phenomenon.'We all hail King Colin', Hooper told guests. During dinner executives from Momentom Picture, the film's UK distributor, revealed that Friday night's ticket sales for the movie hadpushed the UK box-office takings to well over the £32 million mark.Firth said he would be pacing himself at all the BAFTA festivities. 'People don't come up to me and say, 'Oh congratulations' or whatever. 'They just want to know how I'm coping with all the travelling back and forwards from London to Los Angeles and back again,' the actor laughed.'I am now in the possession of so many cures for jet-lag I could open a chemists.' Firth, who arrived at the soiree in time for dessert, added: 'But in-between going to awards shows I have to fit in the school run when I'm home in London. 'But that keeps you grounded and I love to do things with my family.'He and his wife, Livia Giuggioli had their first courses at Cecconi's, where Vogue magazine threw a pre-BAFTA bash.On Saturday there are several 'happenings' for the stars in town.Momentum are hosting a brunch at the new hotel Corinthia in Whitehall while Charles Finch will be 'at home' at Mark's Club, the private members' dining club in Mayfair.On Sunday there are post-BAFTA parties all over town including the Fox and Pathe studios combining to host an after midnight affair at Sketch while Momentum and the Weinstein film company will be in high octane party mode at the new W hotel in central London.Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.Behind the scenes of Burberry's atmospheric autumn/winter campaign starring Gabriella Wilde and Roo Panes By PUBLISHED:16:35 GMT, 1 August 2012 UPDATED:07:00 GMT, 2 August 2012Burberry is continuing to create a buzz on social networking sites after embracing the power of social media to promote their Autumn/Winter campaign starring Roo Panes and Gabriella Wilde. Since images of the campaign have been released, the fashion house's Twitter and Facebook fans have rocketed whilst also raising Wilde and Panes's profiles.Now the fashion brand have released behind the scenes pictures of their atmospheric shoot which was filmed at night by Mario Testino under the creative direction of Burberry's Christopher Bailey at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich London.One of the pictures shows St Trinians actress Wilde in make-up as she prepares for her close-up. Another shows Testino and Bailey behind the camera as the glamorous shoot takes place.Bailey said they were delighted with the resulting pictures and videos that were produced following their night of filming. He said: 'Using London as the backdrop, we shot the series of cinematic, emotive black and white images and short films with the incredibly talented Gabriella Wilde and Roo Panes, who effortlessly bring the campaign and our collections to life across all of our platforms.'The resulting pictures and videos have been cleverly trickled out via social networking sites and Burberry's own website. Today, as well as the behind the scenes pictures, the fashion house also released more pictures of Wilde and Pane modelling clothes and accessories from their range with the titles 'the long wait' and 'footsteps and shadows'. A video called 'London Streets' has also just been released which is a continuation of previous short films starring Wilde and Panes in the classic old Hollywood movie style. The campaign has been well-received with Burberry currently up to 13,180,946 likes on Facebook and1,162,741 followers on Twitter.As well as Facebook and Twitter, their cross platform campaign has also been sent directly to Burberry's fans on Burberry.com, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Sina Weibo, Douban, Kaixin001 and Youku. Thanks to the involvement of Panes, who can add singer-songwriter to his list of talents, Burberry have also released an official soundtrack on iTunes featuring Pane's songs which have also been used on some of the campaign videos. The latest 'London Streets' video however, which you can view below, uses British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading's 'It Could Have Been Better' as the backing track.Fans of Panes will hear more from him though as the Burberry campaign continues to be released while Wilde will be seen again on the big screen soon as she is to star in the remake of classic horror film Carrie, which will be out next year. Bespoke on a budget: Now you don't have to be A-list to afford made-to-measureBy UPDATED:09:21 GMT, 1 February 2011Burberry has announced it is to launch Burberry Bespoke - a website where you can customise one of its iconic macs to make it just the way you like it. But if you want to put your own stamp on your style, high-end fashion houses arent the only places to go. There are a host of companies offering you the opportunity to design your very own wardrobe, for a ­fraction of the price.CLOTHES styleshake.comSick of not being able to find the clothes you want in the sizes, fabrics and styles that you like? Help is at hand in the form of StyleShake.com, a brilliant website that gives you the chance to design your own dress.Youcan customise one of their existing designs or start from scratch, choosing the colour, fabric, length, neckline, sleeves and trimmings. You then choose a standard size or, for an extra £5, give them your exact measurements and get it made to measure.Jerseydresses start at £41, 100 per cent silk frocks at £71 and you can also make skirts, from £37, tops from £41 and matching accessories including shrugs, £30, and clutch bags, £30.Standard delivery (up to ten days) is £7 and they will even do free alterations to ensure that your outfit fits you perfectly.KNITWEAR granniesinc.co.ukIfyour own grandmother is not much cop with a pair of needles, but you still like the idea of handmade knitwear to your specifications, then atGranniesInc.co.uk you can pay someone elses grandma to make you a hat,scarf, snood or wrist-warmers. You decide on the colours youwant it made in, pick the size and any extras a pompom, bow or some ­tassels, perhaps and then a granny gets knitting for you. The prices start at £34 and all items are made from 100 per cent British spun merino wool. Deliverytimes will vary depending on which granny you choose and how busy she is. But expect to have your item within eight days, sent by first-class post for £3.95.COATS KatherineHooker.comA good coat or jacket is the ­definition of an investment buy and the right one will last you for years. But finding a coat off the peg isnt easy, which is where Katherine Hooker comes in. Shes the woman whom the likes of Kate Middleton, Sarah Brown and Jerry Hall trust for ­stylish outerwear. This ­winters ­collection has seven coats, ranging from the fashion-­forward cape coat to a classic belted coat, ten jackets and two waistcoats. Choose from a wealth of fabrics and ­colours, select the lining and trims, and between four and six weeks later youll have your own designer coat. Coats start at £520, jackets at £470 and waistcoats at £295. Delivery will cost you £10.Made-to-measure: Examples of a StyleShake.com's dress, a Granniesinc.co.uk scarf and KatherineHooker.com coat LINGERIE GildaPearl.co.ukInspired by the sirens of the silver screen, Gilda Pearls silk and lace confections are Agent Provocateur without the scary dominatrix ­overtones. Whether you want jet black, jewel-like tones of red and ­purple or creamy ivory, theyve got something to suit. And if they havent, or you want it without the bow or with an extra ribbon, theyll make it for you. Every item they sell is handmade in ­Britain, so they can tweak their designs to suit your needs.The semi-bespoke underwired bras start at £78, while knickers are from around £52. You can get a semi-bespoke ­garter from just £22. Standard delivery is free and ­usually takes two weeks.WEDDING SHOES emmyshoes.co.ukThis luxury, custom-made ­wedding shoe venture is the brainchild of Emmy Scarterfield, who started out designing shoes and ­accessories for top labels Bottega Veneta and Giorgio Armani.She later returned to ­Britain to set up glamorous accessory ranges for French Connection and Reiss.Emmy has devised a series of ­beautiful ­vintage-inspired designs that can be ­customised, according to what you want. So you can choose every tiny detail, from the height of the heel and shape of the toe to whether you want them in cream leather, ivory suede or any number of other luxury materials.You can also add any embellishments that take your fancy. Prices start at £260, but creep up if you decide on Thirties pearl detail or some hand-embroidered ­daisies. The delivery charge is £10 and can take between ten and 12 weeks. Perfect fit: A GildaPearl.co.uk bra, an emmyshoes.co.uk wedding shoe and a bag from bagsoflove.co.ukPHOTO BAGS bagsoflove.co.ukWe know it was Anya Hindmarch who started the craze for photo bags, but while her offerings are undoubtedly exquisitely made, they do start at £115 for a washbag. Instead, check out the far more affordable offerings available from Bags Of Love.Their make-up bags, which can be personalised with a photo of your choice, start at a more pocket-friendly £35 (and unlike Anyas, which can take up to ten weeks, theyre ready for delivery in just a couple of days).You can order totes from £89 and laptop bags from £49 all personalised with your favourite photographs.Standard ­delivery is £3.85.SPORTSWEAR store.nike.comAt the online Nike store, you can ­personalise a whole range of sports kit and were not just talking about getting your name printed on the back of a football shirt. While the Nike ID concept started with trainers, its expanded and you can pick the colours, badges and slogans on a complete range of kit from hoodies, £65, and sports bags, £60, through to the ­original Air Max trainers, from £115. Delivery takes a fairly long three to four weeks and costs £6.50. But there is ­something quite appealing about getting shoes, or a hoodie with whatever you want embroidered on the back.HANDBAGS belenechandia.comA handbag created to your specifications in the colours of your choice sounds like the sort of thing only A-listers can get their hands on.But luxury bag brand Belen Echandia offers that for half the price of your average It Bag. Simply go to the website, browse the archive of handbag styles from clutches to totes pick one and start to customise.Prices start at £400. You can choose the leather and lining, a zip or magnet closure and whether you want an extra internal pocket or studs on the outside. Your bag is handcrafted in an Italian atelier using traditional techniques.You can expect to receive it a couple of weeks later and delivery costs £9.Now that's what you call a ball-gown! Tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands goes Gaga at pre-Wimbledon party in wacky yellow dress By Created 11:02 PM on 16th June 2011Bethanie Mattek-Sands has described herself as the Lady Gaga of the tennis world due to her flamboyant fashion taste.So who better to dress the American tennis player than one of Gaga's own designers.The 26-year-old made an attention-seeking entrance at the Women's Tennis Association pre-Wimbledon party in association with Range Rover in London last night in a tennis-inspired dress.Scroll down to see a video of how the dress was madeThe startling dress included a neon green corset made of parts of tennis balls, with matching shoulder pads.More tennis balls were then attached to some neon green chiffon to create a Mohican-style hat.Mattek-Sands, who is currently No.31 in the world rankings, commissioned British designer Alex Noble to create her flamboyant gown for the bash at the Kensington Roof Gardens.Sony Ericsson Xperia Tennis Hotshot Mattek-Sands is no stranger to breaking the style rules, who was fined for wearing a cowboy hat on the court in 2005.A lover of crazy fashion, Mattek-Sands knows she will have to tone down her wardrobe to adhere to Wimbledon's strict dress code.So the pre-Wimbledon bash was the perfect opportunity for her to show her individualism outside the rigid rules of the South West London club.She said last month: 'I don't think I can really challenge the colour rule right now.'You know, I got to figure something out. Obviously the white, you got to work with a lot of the cuts. Obviously I'll be wearing my high socks. But yeah, it's always challenging to think of new things for Wimbledon.'I think the fans that come to Wimbledon appreciate everything I do. I think it's more probably the members and the people higher up that are tut-tutting me.'Mattek-Sands and Noble met up in Madrid and Copenhagen earlier this month and was open to his idea of making the gown out of tennis balls.In an online video following the making of the gown, Mattek-Sands said: 'Fashion has always been super-interesting for me.' All white on the night: (L-R) Singer Eliza Doolitte wore a daring little white dress, Holly Branson opted for a white, blue and glittery shift, while Holly Valance kept it laidback in a shirt and skirt Going to the dark side: (L-R) Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki wore Stella McCartney, actress Patsy Kensit looked sleek in a long shift, while Sinitta wore a maxi dress and flip-flopsDescribing the dress, Noble said the corset section made of tennis balls 'is like an armour, which really suits Bethanie's personality.Wondering what the reaction would be on the red carpet, she admitted: 'I like keeping everyone on their toes'.While lots of guests at the bash were horrified by Bethanie's outfit, some applauded her for her sense of fun. Feeling blue: (L-R) Spanish model Elen Rivas in a floral maxi dress, Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyatt in a silk Sixties dress and RB singer Alexis Jordan in an asymmetrical mini Leggy: (L-R) Socialite Tamara Ecclestone wore a very tight cream dress, Jelena Jankovic looked red hot in Vivienne Westwood, while retired tennis player Annabel Croft wore a blue summer dressAustralian player Casey Dellacqua Tweeted her: 'Totally love your dress Bethanie...u look smashing!!!!! :)'The event saw 15 female tennis players wearing gowns by the best British fashion designers.All the dresses will then be auctioned off during the tournament with proceeds going to WTA charities and the British Fashion Council's Princess of Wales Charitable Trust.Guests at the star-studded bash braved the downpour to feast on a summer barbecue and sipped cocktails, champagne, Evian water and Jacob's Creek wine - the official wine of Wimbledon.Tennis stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharipova joined Holly Branson, Holly Valance, Tamara Ecclestone and Eliza Doolittle for the raucous party.The grey weather didn't dampen the party spirit as the A-listers dancing to old-school tunes on the dance floor until the early hours and play dress-ups in the photo booth.Big spenders help Burberry defy recessionBy UPDATED:08:36 GMT, 20 January 2010The rich are still spending in spite of the recession according to the latest figures from luxury good retailers. Burberry, the 154-year-old maker of trench coats and handbags, yesterday showed that an appetite for designer goods remains strong as it smashed forecasts to report a 10pc rise in underlying sales. This compares with analysts' expectations of a rise of 3pc for the three months to December 31. The group, famous for its camel, red and black check, has cut costs and jobs and managed stocks to ensure it can perform well through the downturn. Shares in Burberry jumped 8pc to close the day 49.5p ahead at 649p as the retailer, which features Harry Potter star Emma Watson in its advertising campaigns, forecast profit growth in 2010-11. Evolution Securities analyst Dennis Weber said: 'Burberry is beating its competitors on all counts and the trend is still getting better.' The group has enjoyed strong growth in Europe and Asia. The news came as upmarket jeweller Theo Fennell said it expected to post only a marginal loss this year following a bumper Christmas with sales up 25% in the three weeks to December 24. The company, whose pieces have been spotted on David Beckham and Sir Elton John, has managed to turn itself around after suffering losses of 3m last year. Shares added half a penny to 48.5p. Earlier this week, Richemont, the group behind Cartier watches and Chloe fashion house, said shoppers have started splashing out. Tiffany recently said that its profits should beat expectations following strong sales. Thank you for your excellent website, and in particular please thank Joanne Hart and her team for their expert stock picking advice, which is serving me much better than I had even hoped for. - R Jeffery I've followed your column for many years and really appreciate all the good tips. Of course, one can't act upon all the info, but, most recently, I did buy 1,000 Immupharma and was impressed when I saw that they'd won a prestigious award. - David M Midas is the first thing I turn to when we get the paper! - Karen Love the Midas section of the Mail on Sunday - keep up the good work. - Simon P Blue-chip boards still lack women By UPDATED:08:27 GMT, 2 December 2010The glass ceiling in the UK looks shatterproof: despite efforts by the government and the chairmen of our largest businesses to increase female representation, the number of women at the top of FTSE 100 companies has remained stagnant for the third year in a row. The 2010 Female FTSE report from Cranfield School of Management reveals today that women hold just 135 directorships out of 1,076 total board positions in the blue-chip share index, or 12.5 per cent, barely up on last year's figure of 12.2 per cent. Of the 135 new appointments to top corporate boards, only 18 were women and there was a net rise of just three female directors over the year, taking the total to 116 women holding 135 positions. One glimmer of hope is that the number of companies with no female directors at all decreased to 21, from 25 in 2009. Smaller companies are even worse at promoting women to board level than their bigger brethren, with an 'unacceptable' 52 per cent of firms in the FTSE 250 having all-male directorates. The new UK Corporate Governance Code calls on companies to 'pay due regard' to diversity on boards. Former trade minister Lord Davies of Abersoch is spearheading a government drive to get more women on boards. Roger Carr, the chairman of Centrica, and Sir Win Bischoff, chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, have founded the 30% Club, a group of chairmen aiming to get that proportion of women around their boardroom tables. Leading the Female FTSE 100 is fashion retailer Burberry, led by chief executive Angela Ahrendts, with women as three out of its eight board members, followed by Alliance Trust, whose chief executive is Katherine Garrett-Cox. Dr Ruth Sealy, co-author of the report, said women had won positions on executive committees just below board level in 82 of the FTSE 100 companies but too few were making it to the directors' suite. 'These women are a rich resource pool for future board directorships,' she said. Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said: 'Making boards more diverse is not about political correctness - it's about making sure companies draw senior staff from the widest possible pool of talent, which is good for business, good for staff and good for customers.' The UK lags behind other countries for boardroom diversity, including Australia, where nearly a third of new appointments this year went to women. In France a quota law is in the pipeline stipulating at least 40 per cent of directors must be female. Norway introduced a 40 per cent quota in 2004 in a move that is widely seen in that country as having been successful. Boom time for Burberry as company bucks the trendBy UPDATED:20:53 GMT, 22 May 2011The belt-tightening taking place elsewhere in the economy does not appear to have affected luxury fashions, which are going through a boom period.Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts, pictured, is in line for a £12m pay and bonus package, thanks to strong demand for her pricey wares. The group is expected to announce a 40 per cent profit rise to £300m this week. And womens love of stilettos has proved lucrative for Tamara Mellon, whose 17 per cent stake in the Jimmy Choo brand she founded was valued at £85m in a takeover by luxury goods group Labelux last night. She will reinvest in Labelux and continue as chief creative officer.Bravo poised for Burberry windfallBy and UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 23 June 2002BURBERRY'S chief executive Rose Marie Bravo is in line for a windfall of more than 10m, if the float gets off to a good start. GUS, which owns the luxury fashion brand, will today unveil details of a bumper package that will make Bravo the most highly paid female boss of a quoted British company. The 51-year old Italian-American already earns about 2m in salary and bonuses each year. The glamorous New Yorker is also paid a clothing allowance of more than 10,000. But these amounts will be dwarfed by the shares and options award that GUS has agreed to give her when Burberry floats. Some argue it is a price worth paying, but the package will inevitably raise questions about excessive executive rewards. When Bravo was poached from US department store Saks Fifth Avenue in 1997, Burberry was estimated to be worth just 200m. Now it is worth more than 1bn, with 500m annual sales. Bravo is credited with revamping the brand, now worn by the likes of Madonna and supermodel Kate Moss. GUS chief executive John Peace will today defend the award and announce the price range for Burberry shares. The retailer, which also owns Argos, is floating about 25% of Burberry. It is valued at 1.2bn to 1.5bn, though analysts reckon it will be priced at the lower end of the range. Bravo gets a large chunk of shares immediately, but her option award will be based around a longterm incentive plan which depends on the performance of the group. British luxury brand Burberry to terminate tie-up with Inter Parfums as it seeks more profitable relationships By PUBLISHED:20:56 GMT, 27 July 2012 UPDATED:08:34 GMT, 28 July 2012British luxury brand Burberry will terminate its tie-up with French fragrance-maker Inter Parfums as it seeks more profitable relationships.The group, best known for its trademark camel, red and black check pattern and raincoats, yesterday said it had ended talks after failing to agree new terms. Burberry continues to pursue various strategic options to develop fully its fragrance and beauty business in the future, Burberry said.A week ago the company marked its tenth anniversary on the London Stock Exchange, a decade which has seen its market value leap from £1.2bn to £5.6bn larger than Marks Spencer.Analysts say Burberry (up 6p to 1284p) aims to boost its fragrance and make-up business by developing new products, strengthening control over its brand and enhancing profits.The group is still a minor player in the fragrance business, which is estimated to be worth only about 2 per cent of its sales.But perfumes and cosmetics accounted for around 21 per cent of the 191bn global luxury market in 2011, according to estimates by consultancy Bain Co and industry body Altagamma. Buoyant Burberry beats forecastsBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 16 November 2004LUXURY goods group Burberry topped analysts' expectations with an 18% increase in underlying profits to 78.8m over the first half and a big increase in the dividend. The group, headed by chief executive Rose Marie Bravo, is also planning to buy back up to 250m shares. Its shares responded with a 22p surge to 417p. Womenswear did particularly well, with underlying sales ahead by 18%, and the new Brit fragrance for men also had a successful launch. But the group sounded a warning note about the current-state of the retail market. Finance director Stacey Cartright said 'There has been some softness on the retail side, particularly in the United States.'She added: 'We are outerwear-dominated, so the mild weather has not been particularly kind to us.'Based on this subdued demand, Burberry said it is 'planning retail sales conservatively for the second half'.Total sales were ahead by 14%, at 347m and the interim dividend is raised by 33% to 2p. A big beneficiary will be retail conglomerate GUS, which holds a 66% stake. Buoyant Burberry looking to growBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 14 April 2003BURBERRY's underlying retail sales have soared by 30% over the winter half-year, the luxury goods group reported, though the gloss came off the figures after it warned of the effects of the Iraq war and the deadly flu virus Sars. The growth figure for its fourth quarter, the three months to the end of March, indicated slowing sales as it came in at 28%. 'During March, various factors increasingly affected performance, particularly in the UK and Hong Kong markets,' the company said. The company, which floated last summer, said underlying sales climbed 15% in the six months ended March, with total revenues ahead 30%. After opening seven new stores in the past six months, Burberry aims to open another eight this year, including in the fashion capital of the world Milan. The shares rose 15p to 247p. Burberry beats forecasts with 24% first-quarter growthUPDATED:08:17 GMT, 13 July 2010Luxury group Burberry beat forecasts with a 24 per cent rise in first-quarter underlying revenue, helped by a bringing forward of wholesale orders and strong demand for outerwear and accessories.The 154-year-old maker of raincoats and handbags said it made £282million of revenue, excluding a restructuring at its Spanish arm, in the three months ended June, led by growth in Asia and the rest of Europe.That compares with an average forecast of £263million in a Reuters poll of eight analysts.Sales at the group's retail outlets rose an underlying 16 per cent,including a 10 per cent increase at shops open at least a year, whilewholesale revenue leapt an underlying 46 per cent, helped by a pullforward of orders into the first quarter.Burburry, bestknown for its camel, red and black check pattern, said it was keepingits guidance for a high-teens percentage increase in first-halfunderlying wholesale sales.Luxury goods firms mostly enjoyeda strong start to 2010 as the world economy moved out of recession. Butmoves in several countries to rein in government borrowing, like highertaxes and public spending cuts, have raised fears demand will slowagain.Burberry weathered the recession better than manyrivals thanks to a quick response which saw it cut costs, jobs, stocksand ranges. In May it announced plans to step up its expansion, with afocus on emerging markets, e-commerce and menswear.Burberryshares have beaten the STOXX 600 personal goods sector by 25 per centthis year. They closed on Monday at 789.5 pence, valuing the businessat about £3.5billion. Burberry: 'Float is still on track'By UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 10 July 2002FASHION house Burberry is seeking to dispel fears that it could pull its float on the London Stock Exchange, scheduled for Friday. A spokeswoman said: 'Nothing's changed. The float is still on track.'Earlier reports, citing banking sources, said parent GUS could drop the plan if markets kept falling. The retailer wants to float 25% of Burberry, valuing the business at 1.14bn to 1.45bn. Brokers Tullett & Tokyo quoted a grey market spread of 239p to 244p for the shares, down from Wednesday's spread of 242p-248p and compared with the indicative price range for the float of 230p-290p.The Burberry listing has taken centre stage after several other market hopefuls pulled their plans to float, blaming turbulent markets. SAB Miller, the world's number two brewer, late on Wednesday shelved a share sale to raise about 614m, within hours of unveiling the plan. Irish drinks and snacks firm C&C pulled its float on Monday.Trench coats boost for Burberry as movie stars helped attract younger shoppersBy UPDATED:07:52 GMT, 19 January 2011A raft of star-studded celebrity backers including actress Gwyneth Paltrow have helped luxury fashion group Burberry boost trading over the key Christmas period, writes Rupert Steiner. Endorsements by movie stars helped attract a younger, more aspirational shopper to the 155-year-old firm, which saw underlying sales rise a hefty 14 per cent over the three months to December 31. The shares rose 5 per cent after finance director Stacey Cartwright said full-year profits, which analysts forecast at between £254million and £291million, would be at the higher end of expectations. Burberry (up 56p to 1115p) has benefited from wealthy tourists splashing out on its trademark camel, red and black check trench coats, boosting total revenues to £480million from £380million for the period, and is aiming for continued success with its spring collection, pictured. It follows Cartier owner Richemont and France's LVMH in posting stellar festive sales. Cartwright added: 'We are seeing an influx of newglobal luxury consumers in India and the Middle East which counters anyissues in the traditional core market.' Burberry a star for upbeat GUSBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 10 April 2001BURBERRY, the luxury goods brand best known for its plaid-lined raincoats, continues to pile up spectacular sales gains ahead of its 1bn-plus flotation.The business, part of Great Universal Stores, raised its underlying sales by 41% in the second half of the year, with significant growth reported on the wholesale and retail side. Burberry was the best-performer in the GUS empire, which ranges from the Argos retail chain to Kay's and Great Universal home shopping catalogues. By far the biggest part of the group, however, is its Experian credit-checking business, which accounts for 40% of profits. Experian's progress cheered GUS followers, sending the shares up 43p to 490p. Experian's operations in North America alone account for more than a quarter of GUS's profit and there have been fears about the impact of the US slowdown on the business. But GUS said that while the outlook for the US economy remains uncertain, sales at Experian North America had continued to grow in the second half after a better fourth quarter last year. Worldwide, Experian sales were ahead by 7%, including a 4% rise in North America, where the group said business was boosted by strong demand for credit reports related to mortgage financing. British sales jumped by 14%. Argos pushed like-for-like sales up by 6%, reporting particularly strong sales of mobile phones, furniture and jewellery. Margins also remained firm. In home shopping, sales were down 5%, which GUS said was in line with its plan to reduce the business. Sales per customer increased as the group continued to target more profitable customers. GUS has previously indicated that it would float around 25% of Burberry by summer 2002, raising more than 250m for the company.Finance director David Tyler dismissed some analysts' fears that the Burberry brand may be fast moving past its peak, damaged by a horde of downmarket imitations. 'Plaid is only one very small part of the Burberry offer,' he said. 'It is less than 20% of what we sell and we are not unduly concerned. Imitation is the price of success.' Results for the year to 31 March will be released by GUS on 5 June and the group also promises further news on the Burberry flotation plans. Burberry and Argos boost GUSBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 25 July 2000Burberry continues its remarkable renaissance with sales of the luxury goods business well ahead over the first quarter. Parent company Great Universal Stores also highlighted continued double-digit like-for-like growth for Argos, at 12%, and said margins at the catalogue showrooms chain had also risen. GUS's biggest profits contributor, the financial information business Experian, staged a recovery over the first quarter after last year's disappointing performance, while the group's traditional mail order operation saw sales slide by 6%. GUS said the decline reflects continued weakness in the clothing market together with the planned reduction in spending on customer recruitment. Overall, the group says, trading for the three-month period is broadly in line with market expectations. Burberry and Bailey unveil the thorn birdsLast updated at 10:53 14 June 2007They are the new English roses - only these girls havethorns.British models Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson, Kiera Gormley andGeorgia Frost have been chosen to front Burberry's newautumn/winter advertising campaign. The results are seen hereexclusively.While the models' complexions are pure English rose, theirthorniness derives from the clothes they are parading - thetoughest, sexiest collection to date from erstwhile romanticChristopher Bailey.Scroll down for moreYorkshireman Bailey has had a long love affair with prim Englishdressing, but for autumn he has traded Princess Margaret for Queen- not our monarch but the rock group.One image is reminiscent of the cover for their 1974 album,Queen II, featuring the four band members' heads on a blackbackground.The edgy Burberry pictures, photographed by Mario Testino, arewell suited to the rock-inspired spirit of the campaign, which alsofeatures members of modern bands such as The Paddingtons, The Viewand Larrikin Love and singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf.However, it is the pale blonde duo of Donaldson and Deyn thatdraws the eye.Both models were featured on the cover of last month's AmericanVogue as two of the influential magazine's 10 most promising modelsof the year.The Burberry campaign-one of the most prestigious in the fashionindustry, is likely to cement their reputations.Also featured is the new "It" bag for autumn, the Knight, socalled because of its studded, rugged appearance.Made of soft nappa leather, it will cost 1,595.That may sound expensive, but its predecessor, this season'sManor bag, was sold out within weeks.A regular Burberry fixture who does not appear this time is KateMoss. But Bailey insisted her absence was entirely innocent.He said: "Although she doesn't feature in every advertisingcampaign, she remains part of the Burberry family."Share this article: Feisty Adele is just the girl to get Burberry back on song By PUBLISHED:00:56 GMT, 16 September 2012 UPDATED:06:57 GMT, 17 September 2012Singer Adele may be looking forward to the birth of her first child later this month but shes already got a new project lined up working with Burberry. Fashionistas say that Burberry chief Christopher Bailey has approached the Someone Like You singer, offering her the chance to take on a role with the British fashion house.This could give Burberry a boost after last weeks profits warning saw about £1.3billion wiped off its stock market value.Bailey credited with reinventing a brand that was once linked to chav culture personally wrote to Adele, above, at the start of the year, inviting her to visit his studio, and she has since been working with the firm.He is said to be keen for the award-winning singer to take on a consultative role and, along with her stylist Gaelle Paul, create bespoke designs that reflect her position as an ambassador for stylish, curvy women. Adele has always had an interest in fashion and Christopher is keen to get her involved because she knows exactly what suits her and likes to be involved in the creative process, says an insider.He invited her to come to the studio with Gaelle Paul and together they collaborated on creating dresses for the awards season with her.Adele was hands-on with her dress for the Brits, and she did the same for her gown at the Grammys. There could well be a plus-size collaboration in the future.Bailey is also seeking Adeles backing for the Burberry Acoustic project, which seeks to showcase young British music talent.Burberry said: It is a private matter that we wouldnt comment on. A spokesman for Adele declined to comment.Meanwhile, the Burberry Prorsum dress worn by Samantha Cameron to last years Royal Wedding has popped up on eBay. The silk teal gown, which was praised by fashion critics, is being sold in aid of Save the Children. I love the dress and am thrilled to donate it to Save the Childrens Born To Shop auction, said Samantha, a British Fashion Council ambassador. The first bid, placed yesterday, was for just £12.99 lets hope bidders get more generous over the next few days!Milliner to the stars Philip Treacy will make his catwalk comeback tonight after a ten-year hiatus. Philip the go-to hatter for royalty and celebrities managed to bag all of fashions biggest stars Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss, Stella Tennant and Christy Turlington for his debut in 1993, so big things are predicted for tonights London Fashion Week show at the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand. Im told Grace Jones, Bryan Ferry, Boy George and Duran Duran will all be at the show and that there will be a few musical surprises in store. Irishman Treacy, 45, has had a busy few years culminating in his transition into a Royal milliner, although the pretzel hat he made for Princess Beatrice at last years Royal Wedding wasnt well received.Wheelchair athlete David Weir received help from an unlikely source on his way to Paralympic glory fashion mogul Sir Philip Green. The 33-year-old, who won four gold medals at London 2012, has received private funding from the Topshop boss since a friend of Sir Philip saw him training in Richmond Park four years ago. A spokesman for Sir Philip said: He was delighted to help. He saw David last Thursday and will continue to keep in close touch with him.Burberry axes up to 290 to guard profitsBy UPDATED:11:55 GMT, 20 January 2009Fashion house Burberry today said it is axeing up to 290 UK jobs to protect profits. The luxury goods group is closing its sewing factory in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as demand sinks for its traditional trench coats. Operations will now be focused on its plant in Castleford, West Yorkshire. Burberry, famed for its check design, was locked in a row with unions in 2007 when it decided to shut its poloshirt factory in South Wales. Burberry said like-for-like retail sales fell 3% in the final three months of 2008 but total revenues rose 9% to 329m, boosted by heavy discounting in December and an influx of tourists into its London stores, tempted by the weak pound. 'In a difficult and volatile environment, our performance has been very satisfactory, with menswear and childrenswear doing particularly well,' chief financial officer Stacey Cartwright said. Burberry forecasts a decline in the 'high single digits' in revenue at its wholesale arm in the second half of the year as US stores reduce orders.Burberry baby Mason Disick enjoys designer-clad park date with his parents By UPDATED:13:43 GMT, 22 September 2011Most of his famous family have tried their hand at modelling, with the youngest Kardashians Kendall and Kylie set to take the modelling world by storm.However 21-month-old Mason, the son of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, looked ready to give the girls a run for their money when he went to the park with his parents today.He wore a checked baby Burberry jumper and some blue pinstripe trousers, along with a pair of tan leathermoccasins, for the family day out. He accessorised the adorable look with a pair of white-rimmed baby sunglasses, which he sported to cover up his recent injuries after a fall left the toddler with a bandage on his nose and one above his eyebrow.Kourtney, 28, had something of an overreaction when she whisked son Mason off to a plastic surgeon after he bumped his nose.And worried that he may injure himself further, she has since been seen carrying the energetic toddler around. But today as they filmed an episode for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, stylish Mason was living the life of a normal toddler as he played in the park.Kourtney and husband Scott, 28, took Mason for a stroll and the little boy appeared to be good as new as he raced his mother down a double slide in the playground.Meanwhile his mother wore a casual ensemble of cream knitted jumper, black leggings and brown and black riding boots.But the reality star managed to make the look glamorous with lashings of red lipstick and her brunette locks slicked back in a plait. The family spent the morning filming for the show in New York.Kourtneyrushed Mason to the surgery after his fall and kept a blanket covering him when she left her hotel and was snapped by photographers.But the reaction appeared to be slightly over-dramatic and Mason needed no more than a bandage.His parents were back on schedule later on in the day as they stepped out for a romantic dinner date. Burberry bags itself a hefty rise in profitsBy UPDATED:10:31 GMT, 26 May 2011The enduring popularity of Burberry handbags and the fashion houses allure for Chinese shoppers spurred a 39% rise in annual earnings.The luxury goods giant posted an underlying pre-tax profit of £298m for the year to March 31. Revenue increased 27% to £1.5bn, and the full-year dividend was hiked 43% to 20p.The 155-year-old maker of raincoats revealed sales of its non-apparel goods, such as handbags, jewellery and shoes, grew 35% in the year.The firm said its focus on non-apparel had paid off as the sector accounted for nearly half the group's sales growth.Burberry and the luxury sector have experienced a more rapid recovery than the rest of the retail industry, as sales are driven up by demand from Chinese shoppers and tourists.The company's underlying retail sales increased by 32% in the year, of which 12% was driven by China, where the group has 57 stores.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts hailed the strong operational and financial progress achieved during the year.While mindful of global macro challenges in the current year, we will continue to invest to drive growth across our portfolio by channel, region and product, she said.New store openings were focused on emerging markets, which make up 16% of retail and wholesale revenues, including India, Brazil and Mexico.The group has accelerated its store growth in the last year - mainly in China and emerging markets - and it has 174 mainline stores, 199 concessions in department stores and 44 outlets.Shares in Burberry were down 39p at 1,281p in trading today.View from the CityKate Calvert, retail analyst at Seymour Pierce, said Burberry operated in a market place with strong long-term growth opportunities.She added: We expect it to deliver continued outperformance relative to its peers.Broker Dolmen Securities noted that growth was quite strong across all of the groups regions, with Asia Pacific particularly strong. Those invested in the luxury goods sector should also take comfort this morning from Ms Ahrendts comments that she sees a modest improvement in the groups full year operating margin, which is in contrast to Ralph Laurens margin warning yesterday, it commented.Analysts at asset manager Investec said the results were slightly better than they forecast given Spanish losses were lower than expected.After a strong run the shares may pause for breath, but we remain buyers for the sustainable growth story, they said.Burberry benefits from the Kate Moss effectLast updated at 13:50 11 October 2006Burberry became the latest fashion house to benefit from theKate Moss effect today after sales of the luxury handbags shemodels soared.The London-based firm said retail sales lifted 23 per cent inthe first half of the year amid "extraordinary" demand for its newrange of handbags.See also...Among the most popular was the 750 Manor Handbag carriedby Moss in a high profile advertising campaign which also featuredfellow Burberry supermodel Stella Tennant.It came just a year after Moss was ditched from an advertisingcampaign by Burberry following allegations that she snortedcocaine.Today the company said Moss was an "icon" and insisted she wasalways "part of the Burberry family" as it posted a 10% rise intotal sales to 392 million for the first half of theyear.Burberry, famous for its camel, red and black check, said it wasalso boosted by the clamour surrounding its 150th anniversary.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: "Continued strength inouterwear and womenswear, as well as the extraordinary consumerresponse to the launch of the Burberry Icons Collection of luxuryhandbags, have fuelled excellent retail performance acrossmarkets."Our distinctive 150th year advertising campaign andunprecedented editorial coverage contributed to the salesmomentum."As a whole, performance in the first half is consistent withexpectations for the full financial year."Alongside soaring sales at its 300-plus stores and concessionsaround the world, including in New Bond Street, Regent Street andKnightsbridge in London, wholesale revenues lifted 1 per cent inthe six months to the end of September.It sent shares up 5% to a record high today.Share this article: Burberry blazes a pink trailBy and and UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 24 May 2004THE great ambition among British upmarket retailers these days is to do a Burberry. You take an old-fashioned British brand, inject it with some design razzmatazz - and bingo, you have a success story. If only it were as easy as that. But one suspects Belinda Earl is going to find out at Jaeger that it is far more complicated. Burberry's great success under Rose Marie Bravo, the best rewarded woman in British business, is that she proceeds cautiously. The radical chic of Burberry stores, from Berlin to Tokyo, has been built around its traditional strengths of quality and outerwear. It is on this base that flair, design, colour and fashion have been added. As a result, it has become one of the most desirable luxury brands in the world. With the opening of new frontiers to riches, from Moscow to Beijing, Burberry has been quick to cash in. But it is careful to partner local companies and share the very generous margins, rather than take on too much of the risk itself. The formula, which delivered a big advance in profits this year and a 50% lift in the dividend, was based around pink and pastels, a far cry from the dull but staple fawn Burberry check-lined raincoat. Somehow Bravo and her team have convinced the fashionable that they need not just one Burberry coat, but several in different colours, and some coatstyle dresses to complete the ensemble. The careful branding has also been usefully passed down through accessories from umbrellas, delicately decorated with flowers, to perfumes. Menswear has been a little more tricky but is starting to get the Bravo makeover with the launch of Burberry Brit for men. One of the advantages that Burberry has over its rivals is that it still sources heavily in Britain, with some work done in Italy, which provides consumers with a traditional assurance of quality. The capital spend will continue at 40m to 50m in the next financial year, demonstrating a belief in the long term by the Burberry board and its main shareholder GUS. In any fashion business maintaining momentum, after a splendid year, is difficult. Bravo appears as confident as ever, even introducing the cropped trench coat for the new global warming age. Who knows what the next trick will be? Caz choiceONE institution having difficulty adapting to modern times is blueblooded stockbroker Cazenove. The 180-year- old broker, which represents many of Britain's top Footsie companies, is struggling since it converted from partnership to corporation. The change was seen as essential-so that it could properly pay its staff. But as an investment bank it is struggling to make waves. The advice of chairman David Mayhew, 64, is still sought in the City on critical transactions. In fact, Caz was the first financial institution to show Conrad Black the door after it felt it had been let down over a share placement. But in the world of the bulgebracket investment banks, Caz is a minnow. The choices it faces are to go ahead with an independent float, valuing it at 800m or so, or to sell itself to one of the big boys. The history of merchant banks taken over by international giants is not a happy one. After the initial burst of enthusiasm the accountants, compliance officers and marketing men eventually get the better of the enterprise and the culture is quickly gobbled up. That is certainly the case for a range of great British financial names from Flemings to Kleinwort Benson. Can Cazenove survive as a free- standing broker? There is no reason why not. Other less illustrious names like Close Brothers have done precisely that. In the case of Close, the trick has been to run its businesses as separate independent enterprises and not to be tempted into believing that clients of, say Winterflood, its broking arm, are necessarily going to be corporate advice customers. Independence is a far more attractive option than subservience. Vanishing reservesCAN anyone be sure of Shell? The blue-chip oil giant has been forced to cut its oil reserve levels for the fourth time this year as it has come under pressure from regulators and auditors to clean up its accounts. As a result, the company has had to jettison several key executives, including former chairman Sir Phil Watts, has lost its 'triple A' topgrade investment rating, and suffered enormous reputational damage. If it wants to salvage its reputation, it has no time to lose in unifying and streamlining its British and Dutch boards. Burberry booming in the Far East and outlets expected to grow By UPDATED:00:05 GMT, 18 January 2012Burberry, best known for its posh raincoats and handbags, is cashing in on the boom for its pricey wares in China.Sales in Asia Pacific most of which are in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan grew by 36 per cent in the final three months of last year, said Burberry yesterday.Asia Pacific now accounts for well over a third of group sales. The company expects its number of outlets in the region to rise from 60 to 100 within five years and the average size of outlets will double. Burberry predicts it will see continuing increases in like-for-like sales.Even in crisis-torn Europe, the rich are continuing to splash out on Burberrys goods: sales were up by an underlying 20per cent.Burberry, which has recently signed model Cara Delevingne (pictured above) for its summer advertising campaign, said its global sales grew by more than a fifth in the final quarter of the year to reach £574m.The only area of the world to see sluggish growth was the Americas, where sales rose only 4 per cent. But Burberry said that was because it had stopped supplying discount department stores. Burberry shares edged up 1p to 1301p. Burberry boosted by China and EuropeBy UPDATED:09:19 GMT, 15 October 2009Chinese and European tourists taking advantage of the low pound have boosted Burberry's UK sales. The luxury fashion group, famed for its check trench coats, says people are still shopping but are being more discerning about purchases. Its shares, which have had a stellar run recently, rose a further 28.5p to 565.5p after it posted a better-than-expected second-quarter performance. Total underlying global revenues were down 5% to 343m, hit by a drop in wholesale volumes. Underlying retail revenues rose 5% with a double digit rise in Europe and Asia. The Daily Mail City team looks at how the snood - a cross between a scarf and a hood - is driving sales at the likes of Burberry.Pardon? Think fashion not finance. A snood is a cross between a scarf and a hood. A tubular item, it looks rather like a balaclava without the face hole.Traditionally favoured by women trying to protect long hair, a snood can be pulled over the head like a hood, or pushed down around the neck like a scarf that can't come undone.A throwback to the '80s?Snoods were rather popular among teenagers of 20 years ago. In garish pink or bright jade, they made sure the wearer was always visible after dark, even if they didn't flatter the skin tone.But snoods are actually far older than this. The word was widely used in the Middle Ages for cloth or net head coverings.Crocheted snoods were popular in the 1940s and '50s to keep women's hair in place while they went about their work.Snoods are also popular with Orthodox Jewish women.And now? Snoods are making a comeback, albeit on a far grander scale. Luxury goods group Burberry says bumper turnover of snoods and leather handbags is driving sales. But its 'pull on scarves' are nothing like the £5 snoods found on market stalls in the 1980s.These luxury wool and cashmere items, complete with trademark Burberry check, go for £175 a pop. If you are short of cash, just knit a short fat scarf and sew the two ends together.Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts bags big salary and bonus By PUBLISHED:21:09 GMT, 8 June 2012 UPDATED:09:40 GMT, 9 June 2012Angela Ahrendts, the chief executive of Burberry, received a total of £16million last year in pay, bonuses and long-term incentive schemes that bore fruit in 2011. She is one of the best-rewarded female bosses in the UK thanks to the stellar performance of the luxury group. Burberry, famous for its distinctive red, black and beige check, has been one of the best performers in the FTSE 100 under her leadership.Ahrendts received a package for 2011-12 that added up to £3.7million, including a salary of £990,000, a £255,000 pension supplement and £76,000 of benefits. She receives a five-figure annual clothing allowance £25,000 in 2009, the latest figure available plusa hefty staff discount on her purchases from Burberry to help maintain her polished appearance as a global ambassador for the brand. She reinvests her bonus in the business each year.In addition, during 2011 she received £12.3million of shares and dividends from a Co-Investment Plan awarded in 2008 and an Exceptional Performance Plan awarded in 2007. Burberry said that under her leadership the company produced exceptional returns for shareholders in a period of economic turbulence. It added that last year Burberry delivered record revenue and profit, along with job creation in the UK and abroad.Michael Spencer, the boss of currency dealer Icap, which suffered a stinging pay rebellion last year, enjoyed a pay and bonus package for last year of £5.5million and also gained access to shares worth £4.2million from previous incentive plans, taking the total during 2011 to £9.7million.Spencers pay and bonus deal was reduced by 27 per cent from £7.6millionlast year. The company has overhauled this years pay scheme after shareholders urged the company to link pay more closely to performance. According to Icaps annual report, directors will face higher hurdles to reach the criteria for their bonus, with the targets rising each year. The chief executive of credit checking firm Experian took home a total of £9.1million from his 2011 package plus incentives maturing last year.Don Roberts was awarded a basic salary of £973,000 and received a bonusof £1,9million, which he will take in company shares.He also has a company car and petrol allowance, as well as healthcare and life insurance worth a total of £285,000, including a housing allowance of £250,000. Three long-term plans from 2004, 2005and 2006 paid out during the year netting him a further £6million, and taking his haul to £9.4million. INVESTMENT EXTRA: Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts snaps up shares after 20% plunge By PUBLISHED:20:51 GMT, 14 September 2012 UPDATED:09:20 GMT, 17 September 2012Burberry issued a profits warning this week which immediately knocked over 20 per cent off the value of its shares. But this led to an interesting response from the luxury goods retailers chief executive, Angela Ahrendts. She immediately showed her continuing confidence in Burberry by acquiring £543,000-worth of shares in the group. A number of other directors bought with her.Ahrendts has been chief executive of Burberry since 2006. She is reported to have earned a total of £15.6m last year in salary, bonus, cashing in shares and her clothes allowance. The luxury goods giant has enjoyed a sustained period of growth despite the economic downturn. It blamed this weeks earnings alert on fewer of its wealthy customers travelling abroad on shopping trips, uncertainty over the eurozone debt crisis knocking consumer confidence and the rich in China spending less as export-led Asian economies slow down due to contracting demand. Burberry boss feels the heat over success of turn-around plan By PUBLISHED:21:06 GMT, 5 October 2012 UPDATED:11:33 GMT, 6 October 2012Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts is under pressure to set out a series of new initiatives aimed at reversing the fortunes of the luxury fashion chain when she updates on trading next week. The firm issued a surprise profit warning last month.Investors will want reassurance sales have picked up or details of Ahrendts self-help plan.The American had blamed fewer wealthy customers travelling abroad, and the eurozone crisis denting consumer confidence, for flat sales over the 10 weeks to September 8. But shoppers appeared to have made it through the doors of rival Hermes, which beat first half forecasts last weekend. Burberry admitted trading conditions were becoming more challenging but it is too early to tell whether theproblems are industry wide or company specific. October 2012Prize valueWinning bond No.Area£1,000,000176ND537520Overseas £100,000190YL731192Dudley £100,00086ZY785587West Sussex £100,000186AQ461669Derbyshire £100,000183SA844038Sheffield £100,0005EJ713506Northern Ireland £50,000189HA961605Bradford £50,00017QC030688Nottingham £50,000150ZZ067504Hertfordshire £50,000126RT689109Southampton £50,000111CA212785Greater Manchester £50,00024JC837905Edinburgh £50,000110ZL786330Kent £50,000147QP328139CumbriaBurberry braves tough tradingBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 October 2002LUXURY goods group Burberry reported continued sales growth over the second quarter, pushing underlying sales ahead by 9% over the six months ended September. Retail sales, which account for just under a third of the group total, rose 17%, or around 8% like-for-like. 'These results were particularly notable given the trading conditions,' said chief executive Rose Marie Bravo, although she cautioned that the trading environment remains uncertain. The figures were at the top end of analysts' expectations and compare with underlying growth of 5% in the first three months. Burberry opened five new stores in the first half. It will open or replace eight in the second half, including a new store in London's Knightsbridge. The group, famous for its beige check, floated on the stock market in July, at 230p, but swiftly fell to a discount and its shares are currently trading at 209p, up 9p. This values the business, in which GUS retains a 77.5% stake, at just over 1bn and Bravo's stake at just over 10m. Burberry buoyed by strong tradingBy UPDATED:12:49 GMT, 21 April 2009Sales at fashion chain Burberry showed no signs of wilting in the recession today after the luxury retailer reported improved trading so far this year.The group said store-based sales, which account for nearly 60% of its business, were up 3% on a like-for-like basis in the three months to March 31, compared with the fall of 3% seen in the previous quarter.Though still challenging, Burberry said its markets in the United States, Europe and Spain all performed better, with operations in Korea and the UK posting 'exceptional' performances in the period.With the company also on track to deliver £50m of annual cost savings, Burberry said it expected results for the 2008/09 financial year to be around the middle of the current range of market estimates.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: 'Burberry made good progress in the second half.'Shares rose by more than 1% following today's update.Burberry said non-clothing ranges delivered the strongest growth, while a move into childrenswear continued to go well after the opening of five trial stores - in the US, the Middle East and one in Notting Hill, London.The better performance in retail was offset by second half declines in wholesale and licensing revenues, down 11% and 13% respectively. Burberry said the drop in wholesale business was partly due to conservative inventory management by department stores.Numis Securities said the two figures were slightly weaker than expectations and highlighted the tough trading conditions facing the group.Analyst Nick Coulter added: 'This release will reassure and offers some evidence that consumer resilience is not confined to the UK. However, we remain extremely cautious on the outlook for the global luxury goods market in 2009/10.'Numis raised its forecast for full-year profits to £174m, with a similar figure expected for the following financial period. Burberry's talented new models Gabriella Wilde and Roo Panes spark Facebook and Twitter storm with new multi-media campaign By PUBLISHED:15:02 GMT, 4 July 2012 UPDATED:15:53 GMT, 4 July 2012It is the social networking world's favourite fashion brand. With 13 million 'likes' on Facebook and well over a million followers on Twitter, Burberry has made the transition from heritage brand to multimedia hero with ease. And today, as Burberry releases its latest autumn/winter campaign via a dozen different social networking sites, complete with video, and a song composed by the hot young musician starring as model, the British brand scores another massive social media win. For while other brands drag their feet where modern media is concerned, Burberry have jumped in with both.This latest campaign has been launched in what is called in the social media world a cross platform experience, with imagery, video and music sent direct to Burberry's fans on platforms including Burberry.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Sina Weibo, Douban,Kaixin001 and Youku. In social media terms, Burberry is the most popular kid in the class. Campaign star Roo Panes, who follows in the footsteps of musician and model George Craig and actor Eddie Redmayne as a Burberry face, wrote the accompanying song 'Indigo Blue' exclusively for Burberry - and it has been released on iTunes as the official soundtrack.Of course, it helps that the models Burberry choose to front their campaigns are never just pretty faces. While Panes has his musical talent too, hisco-star in the Burberry campaign, Gabriella Wilde, is one of Britain's most sought-after new actresses. Born Gabriella Zanna Vanessa Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, she is the daughter of businessman John Austen Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and Vanessa Mary Theresa Hubbard - a former model who was photographed by David Bailey during her career. Wilde - whose moniker, as it sounds, was inspired by the legendary Oscar of the same name - starred in her first film St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold in 2009 at the age of 20, and is set to play one of Hollywood's most coveted roles alongside Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore in the 2013 remake of classic horror film Carrie.Burberry say that this 'innovative digital experience', which allows visitors to explore and purchase from the campaign through short films, imagery andmusic, will bring the campaign and collections to life every month. The 'live' campaigns are a continuation of the brands Runway to Reality concept, which has seen consumers able to buy the Autumn/Winter 2012collection directly through the campaign gallery on Burberry.com for the first time. Burberry checks in big sales riseBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 13 January 2004LUXURY goods group Burberry today reported further double-digit growth in sales, despite a sluggish performance in Britain, and strong consumer response to its spring/summer ranges. Chief executive Rose Marie Bravo, Britain's best-paid businesswoman last year, said sales over the fourth quarter to the end of December were ahead 15% on an underlying basis, with the retail arm up 11%.On the wholesale side, the group expects high single-digit growth for the spring/summer season, after a 23% jump over the third quarter.Bravo pointed out that the figures were achieved against the 'exceptional' numbers seen in the previous year. With healthy order books, the group 'enters the remaining quarter of the year with continued momentum', she added.Growth on the retail side was driven by new stores, with only a 'marginal' performance from existing outlets. New stores were opened in Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.The US market remained strong while Korea was resilient in a 'volatile' environment. In Europe, the UK performance reflected the 'sluggish' market while continental Europe continued to gain momentum.There was strong growth in licensing, with an underlying sales rise of 18%, although the important Japanese market was static after two years of substantial gains.The group did particularly well in fragrances, following the 'outstanding launch' of its Burberry Brit perfume. YESTERDAY'S FTSE TRADING: Burberry checks into the FTSEBy UPDATED:12:38 GMT, 2 September 2009It's a big month for Burberry. The 153-year-old British luxury fashion house will be showcasing its spring 2010 Prorsum collection at the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week on September 22. It will be the first time it has shown its collection on home soil, having decided to switch its show from the catwalks of Milan. But before then, on September 9, chief executive Angela Ahrendts and the rest of her board should be popping pink champagne corks in celebration of the group's first admission to the elite Footsie index since floating on the London Stock Exchange in July 2002.Trendy tracker funds busily bid for stock in anticipationyesterday, chasing the shares up to 502½p before they closed 5.6pbetter at 489¼p.Burberry, whose trademark black-red-tan tartan is known the worldover, has displayed resilience during the recession. Retail hascontinued to see strong double-digit sales growth in Europe, especiallyin the UK, helped by tourist traffic and Asia. The U.S. and Spain hasremained difficult. Following first-quarter figures in July, Investec upgraded its2010 pretax profit forecast from a bottom-end-of-the-range £161millionto £171million, and from £185million to £202million for 2011. Historically a weak month for equities on both sides of thePond, September began on a dull note. Some profits were taken off thetable following the recent strong summer advance. The FTSE 100 closed 89.20 points down at 4,819.70 and the FTSE 250 197.83 off at 8,619.68. Shanghai's 6.7 per cent fall overnight on concerns that lending curbsin China will dampen growth in the world's third largest economy rockedthe boat. Then dealers heard that broker Credit Suisse had reduced itsweighting on the UK equity market to 5 per cent from 15 per cent. Wall Street slumped 152 points in the early stages despite aleading survey showed the U.S. manufacturing sector returned to growth inAugust after a prolonged slump. Buyers were all over drugs giant AstraZeneca like arash and the shares touched 2930p before closing 16p better at2855½p. They were excited by news that in a clinical trial, Brilinta,its blood thinning pill, had significantly reduced patients' rate ofsuffering a heart attack or dying from cardiovascular problems whencompared with the blockbuster drug Plavix, sold by Sanofi-Avents andBristol-Myers Squibb. Goldman Sachs raised its AZ 12-month target priceto £30 from £28. Reports of a pending upbeat circular lifted household goods giant Reckitt Benckiser 27p to 2880p. Growing fears that a £600million rights issue is on the agenda left insurance group RSA down 6¼p to 124.4p. Renewed buying in anticipation of pleasing half-year figures later this month helped insurer Gable Holdings edgea fraction higher to 10½p. Chief executive Bill Dewsall's strategy isto tap into profitable niche insurance businesses in a number ofEuropean markets. Computer games retailer Game Group zapped 4½p higherto 165p amid industry gossip that the price of Nintendo Wii is about tobe reduced to £149 from £199. Altium Securities says were it to happen,it would be the third of the three major consoles to cut its price in alittle over a week. Hardy Oil Gas gushed 21p to 362½p afterdrilling the first well on the group's D9 exploration licence. It holdsa 10pc participating interest in D9 which is operated by RelianceIndustries. It is located in Krishna Godavari basin on the East Coastof India. Kiwara cheapened 2p to 40p on profit-taking. Sellersmight well rue the day because rumours doing the rounds last nightsuggested a further upbeat resources statement on its Kalumbila copperprospect in Zambia is imminent. Canary Wharf's largest landlord Songbird Estates added1p at 34¾p. Qatar Holdings, part of the Gulf country's sovereignwealth fund, has said it plans to become its biggest shareholder.Songbird last week revealed plans to sell shares to institutionsincluding Qatar and China Investment Corporation, to repay an£880million loan. Demand ahead of today's interims helped K3 Business Technology climb 7p to 92½p. The provider of retail and manufacturing software to Adidas andRymans said in July that the business remains strongly cash generative. Burberry checks out male marketBy UPDATED:13:22 GMT, 10 July 2006UNDETERRED by the sight of English football fans in Burberry baseball caps, Angela Ahrendts, the new boss of the iconic brand, is planning ' menonly' stores in a move to reach a wider audience. The American, who last week replaced Rose Marie Bravo as chief executive of Burberry, downplayed the company's reputation as the brand of choice for 'chavs'. 'This is a very British notion,' she said, adding that Burberry is perceived as a 'modern classic brand' globally and that different formats, including dedicated accessory stores, will be looked at. New ranges for men will be modelled by singer Bryan Ferry's sons Otis and Isaac, as well as members of the band Kasabian. Kate Moss and Stella Tennant will be among the models promoting Burberry's creations when it launches an autumn advertising campaign. Ahrendts, former vicepresident of Liz Claiborne in the US, added that she was keen to expand Burberry's presence in North America. Burberry will report firstquarter trading on Wednesday. Analysts at JPMorgan expect a 16% rise in sales to 131.6m.Burberry cuts 300 jobs and closes factory as credit crunch hits luxury brandsBy UPDATED:11:38 GMT, 20 January 2009 Luxury clothing brand Burberry said today that it was cutting up to 300 UK jobs and closing one of its factories.Burberry said the plant in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, which sews basic outerwear for the label, is to shut with the loss of 170 jobs.Further UK staff whose work relates to the Rotherham factory could also lose their jobs. Hit by recession: Victoria Beckham steps out in a Burberry headscarf in 2000 while Kate Moss models for the luxury clothing brand in 2003The cuts could mean the loss of up to 290 UK workers.Burberry, which employs 2,000 staff in the UK, said production would be consolidated at its other Yorkshire factory in Castleford.Meanwhile there further job losses at a food firm that supplies Marks and Spencer. Dutch-owned Vion said 470 jobs will be lost at its Haverhill site in Suffolk, 200 at Malton in North Yorkshire and 150 at Cambuslang in Scotland.Burberry said the measures were part of a global cost-cutting campaign which will see a total loss of around 540 jobs in the UK and Spain.It said the move would save the company between £30 million and £35 million.Tim Roache, regional officer of the GMB union, said: "This is very bad news for Rotherham. We will want to have a thorough discussion with Burberry on the logic of this rationalisation before we are able to move forward."We have been around the blocks with Burberry before as they sought to move jobs from the UK to China - we want to make sure nothing like that is happening this time." Job cuts: Burberry has annonced that it is cutting up to 300 UK jobs and closing one of its factories. Agyness Deyn (middle) pictured in the Spring 2008 campaign In 2006 Burberry announced the closure of its factory in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales, which employed 300 people. The move prompted a celebrity-backed union campaign but the closure went ahead.The company, which employs 6,000 staff globally, said it had no plans to leave the UK.Burberry said the job cuts were linked to "evolving its supply chain" and were not prompted by the global economic downturn.However, Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: "This will position us to trade through the current difficult environment and emerge even stronger when the global economy recovers."The Rotherham sewing facility has been owned by Burberry for less than five years.Other UK jobs affected are at the firm's Castleford and Keighley factories, neither of which will close.The company said only 7 per cent of its sales were in the UK.Burberry also announced today that underlying group revenues grew 9% in the three months to December 31.It said profit would be in line with previous guidance, which was in the mid to lower half of market expectations. Burberry cuts a fine figureBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 October 2002LUXURY goods group Burberry reported continued sales growth over the second quarter, pushing underlying sales ahead by 9% for the six months to end-September. Sales on the retail side, which account for almost a third of the group total, were up by about 8% like-for-like. 'These results were particularly notable given the trading conditions,' said chief executive Rose Marie Bravo. Burberry floated on the stock market in July at 230p but swiftly fell to a discount and the shares are trading at around 196p. Burberry trench coat and bag sales defy fears of slowdown in demand for luxury goods By UPDATED:10:28 GMT, 12 October 2011Burberry has shrugged off concerns about the global economic outlook, stressing demand for its luxury branded coats and bags remains strong.The company said bumper sales through its Chinese outlets and flagship stores in London, Paris and New York helped half-year revenues jump by 30 per cent to £830million in the six months to September 30.Although the update beat City hopes, Burberry shares slumped when the markets opened, but they recovered to trade 2 per cent or 29.5p ahead at1,293.5p by mid-morning.Burberry, which is famous for its red, black and camel-checked clothes and accessories, said Chinese outlets acquired a year ago showed same store growth of 30 per cent over the past six months.Worldwide retail revenues rose by 45 per cent, with like-for-like sales growth up slightly in the second quarter to 30 September to 16 per cent, from 15 per cent in the first three months.Total retail growth slowed to 42 per cent in the second quarter from 49 per cent in the first.Outerwear and large leather goods accounted for half of the growth, with the Burberry London trench coat range a major contributor.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said the company's first half performance 'clearly demonstrates' the continued global momentum of the Burberry brand, though the group was prepared to 'respond appropriately' if there was any significant change in demand in the luxury sector.Burberry said wholesale revenues rose by a better-than-expected 20 per cent excluding China. Shoes, childrenswear, menswear and men's accessories all did well, Burberry said, especially in the U.S. and emerging markets.Licensing revenue rose by 4 per cent, but like the retail arm, both licensing and wholesale's growth slowed in the second quarter compared to the first.Over the remainder of the year, wholesale revenues are expected to slow again and rise by mid-single digits, against 9 per cent in the first half, with licensing to rise by a similar percentage to the first six months.Margins improved slightly over the half with a modest rise expected for the full year.Burberry added it expects to add 15 per cent more store space over the rest of the year through between eight and 10 new stores, including a store in Paris and outlets in Latin America and China.At the end of September, the group had 187 retail stores, 210 concessions. 44 outlet shops and 52 franchises.View from the CityDavid Jeary, an analyst at asset manager Investec Securities, said concerns about growth in China had been overdone and today's update underlined the strength of the group's strategy. He forecast profits for the year of £365million.Dolmen Stockbrokers, which has a buy recommendation on the shares, said: 'Overall, this is a strong set of sales numbers by the luxury goods retailer who has outperformed the FTSE 100 by 18 per cent year to date and while the stock trades at over 17 time earnings, the brand is still clearly still in vogue.' Burberry defies UK gloom as top global shopping cities hold up demand for luxury goods By UPDATED:13:46 GMT, 17 January 2012Burberry reported strong trading in the last quarter of 2011, shrugging off concerns over faltering demand within high-end markets thanks to its popularity in the worlds top shopping cities. Strong performance in London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris helped the luxury brands revenues up 21 per cent in the three months to December 31.The luxury brand, famous for its check design and trench coats, said retail like-for-like sales were up 13 per cent thanks to growth in knitwear, mens accessories and tailoring, fragrance and watches along with strong sales of traditional Burberry favourites such as jackets and leather handbags. Overall underlying revenues were 36 per cent higher in booming Asia Pacific markets, offset by more subdued growth of 4 per cent in the Americas. In Europe, underlying revenues were up 20 per cent, helping Burberry offset fears of dampened demand for high-end goods in the wake of the eurozone crisis.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts pointed to the brands investments in flagship markets and digital technology as the key to the growth in sales. She said: Looking ahead, we remain focused on executing our proven core strategies to achieve long-term sustainable growth, while staying mindful of the challenging macro environment.Burberry continued to expand during the period into markets with new-found disposable income for luxury items, such as Brazil, but also consolidated in more traditional shopping cities, with six new stores opening in cities such as Sao Paulo and Paris. The company also said its social media strategy was helping as it attracted over 10million fans to its Facebook page. Burberry enjoys 49% profits rise but shares slipBy UPDATED:11:23 GMT, 16 November 2010Luxury goods group Burberry beat forecasts with a 49% jump in first-half profit as fewer markdowns and better management of stock combined with an already-reported rise in sales.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said she expected the group's trademark trenchcoats to sell particularly well this Christmas.'We cannot keep them on the shelves. I think trenchcoats are going to be a best seller this year,' she told reporters, adding the 154-year-old firm would launch an online service allowing shoppers to create a bespoke coat early next year.Burberry, known for its camel, red and black check pattern, made a pre-tax profit of £129m in the six months to September 30, beating a forecast for £114m in a Reuters poll.The group's positive tone echoed that of other luxury firms such as LVMH and PPR as the world moves out of recession and high-end companies benefit from a surge in big-spending Chinese tourists.However, US consultancy Bain forecast last month that luxury sales growth would slow to 3-5% next year from 10% in 2010, as the basis for comparison becomes higher and currency moves could hamper tourist flows.Burberry said last month it expected full-year profit in the top half of analysts' forecast range of £240-270m , after a 21% rise in first-half revenue boosted by sales of coats and leather goods.Finance chief Stacey Cartwright said she did not expect analysts to change their forecasts after upgrades then.Citi analyst Thomas Chauvet, however, said he thought the consensus profit forecast would rise to £280-285m , though he kept a 'hold' investment rating on the shares, saying the good news was largely priced in after recent strong gains.Burberry shares, which have surged by around 70% in value this year, periodically boosted by bid speculation, were up 0.5% at 0850 GMT but fell back by 1100 to stand 2p (0.2%) down at 1,018p.'The shares may have fallen foul of high expectations in early trade, despite having beaten most analyst forecasts,' said Richard Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.'The increase in both margin and in particular profit is stellar, even if this had been largely trailed at the trading update in October,' Hunter said, but added that the second half may be more difficult.The company continued to expand, opening 20 stores in the first half in addition to 43 stores acquired in China as it converted operations from wholesale to retail. Burberry said it plans to open 10 more stores in the second half, with half of them in China.Burberry said it had net cash of £181m, but Cartwright declined to be drawn on how this might be used apart from the already-announced expansion plans, and said the board believed it was right to retain a prudent balance sheet.The group, which is opening stores and investing online, lifted its interim dividend by 43% to 5p a share.Burberry enjoys Asia swingBy UPDATED:22:14 GMT, 17 April 2010Burberry is expected to confirm on Tuesday that its sales are continuing to boom in Asia. Sales in countries such as Japan have jumped by a fifth in the past three months on the popularity of expanded ranges of shoes and childrenswear introduced across the globe. Worldwide own-store sales are believed to have grown by more thanten per cent in the second half of its financial year to March,excluding the impact of foreign currency changes.Dennis Weber of broker Evolution Securities predicted 'strong' figures. Analysts expect profits to have grown by 14 per cent to £200 million on annual sales of £1.3billion. Burberry enjoys Asia upswingBy UPDATED:11:21 GMT, 18 April 2010Burberry is expected to confirm on Tuesday that its sales are continuing to boom in Asia. Sales in countries such as Japan have jumped by a fifth in the past three months on the popularity of expanded ranges of shoes and childrenswear introduced across the globe. Worldwide own-store sales are believed to have grown by more than ten per cent in the second half of its financial year to March, excluding the impact of foreign currency changes. Dennis Weber of broker Evolution Securities predicted 'strong' figures. Analysts expect profits to have grown by 14 per cent to 200 million on annual sales of 1.3 billion. Burberry entrenches its market shareBy UPDATED:10:48 GMT, 15 October 2008Shoppers' continuing love affair with Burberry trench coats and its iconic camel check helped the luxury goods retailer rack up a 13% rise in revenues to £539m for the six months to September. Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said she was pleased with Burberry's performance 'against the background of an increasingly challenging external environment'. But in a sign Burberry (down 33p at 288p) may not be recession proof, underlying sales growth slowed from 4.5% in the first quarter to 2.5% in the second quarter.In light of the slowing growth, the firm said Christmas would be difficult to judge. Stacey Cartwright, Burberry's finance director, was hopeful the group's focus on unique gift items ranging from exotic handbags to jewellery, hats and scarves would help keep sales buoyant. 'The fact that we are delivering positive like-for-like sales in almost all our markets shows there is still confidence at the higher end. It's not all about gloom,' she said. However, the group admitted a lower percentage of merchandise was sold at full price, impacting gross profit margins by around two percentage points. Cartwright stressed this was offset by tight control of discretionary expenses and was 'entirely manageable'.Burberry eyes expansion after robust resultsBy UPDATED:17:09 GMT, 26 May 2010Shares in Burberry rose on Wednesday as the luxury goods group posted better than expected results, boosted by new stores and an online marketing drive. The firm, famous for its camel, red and black check pattern, said profits before tax jumped by 23 per cent to £215million for the year to the end of March, beating City forecasts of £205million. Retail sales increased by 19 per cent to £748.8million, accounting for 58 per cent of total sales following the opening of 21 outlets in the year and the closure of nine. 'We do believe that Burberry, distinct from what's happening in themarketplace, has got specific momentum in the brand right now,' StaceyCartwright, the groups chief financial officer said.Burberry said it would almost double its capital spending to £130million to support its expansion drive. Its plans include new stores inemerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico and India as well as furtherinvestment in e-commerce and menswear. Cartwright also said that the company would launch a new digital platform later in 2010 to replace a number of local websites. The full-year dividend was lifted 17 per cent to 14p a share. Burberry eyes expansion drive after strong end to the yearBy UPDATED:09:28 GMT, 19 April 2011Shares in Burberry jumped nearly 8 per cent during early trading on Tuesday after the fashion house reported strong results.The company, best known for its camel, red and black check, said it expected full-year profits to be at the end of expectations after posting a 32 per cent increase in revenues to £390million in the three months to March. Retail revenues came in 42 per cent higher to £596million in the six months to March, while wholesale revenues rose 14 per cent to £214million in the same period. Burberry said wholesale revenues were driven by soaring sales in China, while the Americas and Asia Pacific also outperformed. Burberry had a strong finish to the year, driven by our design,digital marketing and retail initiatives, as well as good earlyprogress in China, said Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive.She added: While the luxury industry faces global challenges in theyear ahead, we remain confident in our team's ability to outperform,underpinned by the consistent execution of our key strategies. Burberry also announced ambitious plans to step up its overseasexpansion by increasing store space by 12 per cent to 13 per cent inaverage retail selling space in the financial year to March 2012,mainly in China, Latin America and the Middle East. Analyst Katharine Wynne, of brokers Investec, said the fashionhouses expectation of full-year profits to March 2011 at the top endof forecasts implies a figure of £290million. Burberry eyes up Laura AshleyBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 22 February 2004ROSE Marie Bravo, the chief executive of the Burberry fashion group, is believed to be looking at a bid for beleaguered store chain Laura Ashley. Bravo, the highest-earning female boss at a British quoted company - she has a pay and bonus package worth 6m a year - has told close friends she is considering a number of options and is keen to take on a new challenge. According to one source, Bravo has sounded out a major US private equity firm, thought to be KKR, about a deal to buy Laura Ashley. The company, famed for its floral print dresses, is 43 per cent-owned by Malaysian United Industries. The business has spectacularly failed to return to the black despite millions in investment. Laura Ashley reported an eight% fall in fashion sales in the 24 weeks to 10 January, though there was a three% rise for home furnishings. Shares ended last week at 11 1/4p - compared with a 12-month high of 17p - valuing the company at slightly more than 84m. Though family commitments mean that the American-born Bravo would like to spend more time in her native country, she has also been closely linked with the chief executive post at luxury goods and fashion group Gucci. Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, which owns Gucci, has made repeated offers to Bravo to succeed Domenico De Sole, who leaves in April. The latest deal, said to be 'breathtaking', was offered just a few weeks ago, according to another close source. Bravo has headed Burberry for seven years and was recently named as the 'most powerful woman in fashion', outranking Vogue's Anna Wintour and fashion guru Donna Karan in a magazine poll. She is credited with turning the 148-year-old Burberry plaid into a style icon, used on everything from umbrellas to ball gowns. But although Burberry recently announced an 11% rise in retail sales, the UK market has been tough. Bravo has endured shareholder revolts over the size of her pay package. If her contract were to be terminated she would be in line for a 12m pay-off. Neither Bravo nor Burberry would comment. Burberry fashions bumper trading to shrug off gloom By UPDATED:21:00 GMT, 12 October 2011Soaring sales of mens shoes and trench coats helped Burberry smash through half-year trading targets. The bumper update from the UKs biggest luxury goods firm catapulted Burberrys stock market value ahead of its more pedestrian rival Marks Spencer. The firm famous for its camel, red and black check has been a stellar retail performer shrugging off the gloom engulfing the High Street as its wealthy followers of fashion, seduced by a raft of fancy new products, continue to spend through the downturn. The fashion house beat forecasts with a 30 per cent rise in total sales to £830m for the six months to September 30, with underlying sales at its store network grew 16 per cent. Revenues from wholesaling rose 9 per cent to £248m while licensing grew 4 per cent to £54m. Burberry along with rival luxury goods firms LVMH and Richemont has seen strong demand from a burgeoning middle class customer in China and Brazil. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said while the firm was not immune to the downturn there is some insulation for the luxury sector as a result of new wealthy clients you see around the world. She added there was no evidence of any slowdown what we have seen is consistent strong brand momentum and business growth.Burberrys shares rose 4 per cent or 50p to 1314.03p on the back of the update, pushing its market value to £5.7bn, well ahead of Marks Spencer at £5.2bn. New products in menswear including trainers, shoes and leather skins for iPads drove sales, along with new store openings and tourists from around the world, including China, Brazil and Russia. Spending by travellers accounted for half the revenues seen in flagship Burberry stores in many of the worlds major cities.Over the past six months customers have piled into the firms trademark trenchcoats, which can cost anything from hundreds of pounds to as much as £12,000. While Burberrys new fragrance for women has also sold well. A slowdown in the Chinese economy, which wiped 16 per cent off the value of Burberrys shares earlier this month, has yet to show any sign of affecting sales. David Jeary, an analyst at broker Investec, said: Concerns about Chinese growth have weighed on the shares of late we feel this is overdone, and the statement demonstrates the continued momentum of the group and the strength of its strategy. There has been no slowdown in China stores. Burberry fashions fuller figuresBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 23 May 2004TOP fashion outfit Burberry's full-year profits rose 21%, as its colourful new lines cut a dash in a resurgent global luxury goods market.Earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation (EBITA) came in at 141.2m, up from the previous year's 116.7m as total revenues rose 15%.The 150-year-old company, whose trademark beige check still ranks among the top sellers of a range that now includes candy check pink accessories, said it looked ahead to the current financial year with confidence as its EBITA margins rose to 20.9% from 19.7%.Shares in Burberry, which is majority owned by retailer Great Universal Stores, closed at 367 3/4p on Friday. The shares have underperformed the UK retail sector by about 5% this year.A final dividend of 3p per share was proposed, making the total payout for the year 4.5p, a 50% increase.Burberry shares closed on Friday at 370p, valuing the group at 1.85bn.Burberry feels the pinch as rivals cut pricesBy UPDATED:11:31 GMT, 12 January 2005SALES growth slowed at luxury goods group Burberry over the third quarter, hit by a combination of weaker consumer spending in Britain and price-cutting by rival fashion chains.Underlying sales, which exclude the impact of currency movements, were ahead by 7% in the three months to 1 January, a performance described by chief executive Rose Marie Bravo as 'solid'. She expects the group to meet City analysts' full-year profit expectations of up to 160m.Best sellers over Christmas were charm watch bracelets, small leather accessories and ponchos. For the current season, Burberry's 495 Cinda bag is selling particularly well, with a waiting list at stores. US retail sales increased in line with space growth, while in Asia, Korea remained 'volatile' and there was 'vigorous' growth in Hong Kong. The UK market, which accounts for around 10% of group sales, was weak. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said Burberry's popularity with so-called 'chavs', who have hijacked its traditional plaid pattern, 'won't have helped'. But she added: 'As we move into 2005, it's yesterday's news.' Burberry shares were down 13p at 404p by mid-morning.Burberry finance chief heads for exitBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 4 August 2003ROSE Marie Bravo's Burberry is losing its chief operating and financial officer, Michael Metcalf, who has decided to 'look for new opportunities' outside the fashion and luxury goods group. Burberry dismissed suggestions of any boardroom rift, saying the departure is entirely amicable. Metcalf, who earned almost 1m in pay and bonuses last year, will stay until the end of next March and will not get any compensation payment. The search for a replacement is already under way. Metcalf has been with Burberry for five years but, at the age of 51, is thought to be keen to secure a chief executive position. Before joining the luxury goods group, he was chief executive of Thorn. Bravo was generous with her praise for Metcalf: 'We will be sorry to see Mike go but we respect both his decision and the thoughtfulness with which he is orchestrating his departure.'Burberry braved turbulent markets when it floated last year. Former parent company GUS retains a 77% stake. Burberry shares were today down 3p at 294 1/2p, against the float price of 230p. Metcalf will retain options on more than 194,000 shares, exerciseable at the float price. At today's level, they are worth 577,000. Burberry first quarter in the pinkBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 18 July 2004FIRST-quarter revenues at Burberry made good gains driven by strong retail sales, the British fashion house said on Monday. Burberry said sales for the three months to 30 June rose 14% at constant exchange rates as retail sales pushed 15% higher. The company, whose traditional beige check remains a British design icon, did not provide a cash value for its first quarter sales performance. 'The financial year is off to a good start ... we achieved strong sell-through of remaining spring/summer merchandise and experienced an encouraging initial consumer response to our autumn/winter collections,' Bravo said in a statement.Burberry's traditionally conservative image has been radically re-engineered in recent years, and the company said in May new lines such as a pink version of its classic raincoat had helped it post a 21% increase in earnings for the year.Burberry shares closed at 398 3/4p in London on Friday.Burberry flotation on courseBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 6 July 2002FASHION Group Burberry is shrugging off market turmoil and pressing ahead with its flotation this week. The 150-year-old company that trades on its British-ness is said to be attracting a large number of investors because of its strong sales potential in Asia and the USA. It recently opened stores in the trendy SoHo district of New York and in Beverly Hills, California.Shares are expected to start trading on Wednesday towards the bottom of their 230p-290p price range - probably around the 250p mark, say City bookies.Burberry follows Avatar's lead as first label to stream 3D show at London Fashion WeekBy and UPDATED:16:57 GMT, 8 February 2010Red and green glasses are not much of a fashion statement - but this appears little obstacle for British fashion label Burberry, which is set to make history by broadcasting its upcoming catwalk show live in 3D.The 154-year-old brand, which continues to defy the recession with soaring profits, has announced plans to stream its upcoming London Fashion Week show at a string of parties in New York, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo and Los Angeles. Guests can expect to enjoy something akin to a front row experience - which was limited last season to A-listers including Gwyneth Paltrow, Freida Pinto, Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen and Liv Tyler - to see details such as the texture of fabrics.Taking fashion to a new dimension: Burberry will be streaming its upcoming London Fashion Week show in 3D at a string of parties in New York, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo and Los Angeles in FebruaryThe parties will be by invitation only, but fans of the label can watch the show like - albeit in 2D - on the Burberry website.Christopher Bailey, Burberrys chief creative officer, said: 'We are very excited we are hosting the first ever truly global fashion show. 'This unprecedented event will enable people to experience the energy and atmosphere of this show from around the world.'3D technology will bring our global audience into the London show space allowing them to see the colours and fabrics, to hear the music and to be a part of that moment when it all finally comes together.' By Invitation only: The stars will no doubt steal the show again, as they did last September. From left, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Alexa Chung, Mary Kate Olsen, Liv Tyler, Emma Watson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario TestinoHe added that there would also be pre-show behind the scenes coverage, backstage footage and red carpet arrivals.The decision to broadcast the show in 3D follows the success of James Cameron's latest epic, Avatar, as well as Sky's plan to show weekly 3D football matches in pubs from April.Burberry's innovative business acumen has resulted in sales soaring to £380 million in the final three months of last year, following the launch of an advertising campaign starring Harry Potter star Emma Watson, 19 - last week named Hollywood's highest-paid actress. The label returned to London last September, after a decade of showing in Milan bringing along an A-list audience, including Anna Wintour.The U.S Vogue editor made an appearance at London Fashion Week for the first time to attend Burberry's show. The upcoming autumn/winter 2010 womenswear collection is to be shown at the Chelsea College of Art on 23 February.The British Fashion Council revealed last week that it will be streaming shows live in 2D via the London Fashion Week website.Magic moment: Emma Watson, who is the face of the label, was named Hollywood's highest-paid actressBurberry hits 10 million mark to become most popular luxury brand on Facebook - and unveils new Eddie Redmayne and Cara Delevingne films to thank fans By UPDATED:18:47 GMT, 4 January 2012As Burberry today unveils its new spring/summer campaign in store windows and across social media networking sites, millions of ardent fans will be watching.Just last month, it was announced that the British company had become the world's most successful luxury fashion brand on Facebook and Twitter, with a record 10million fans on Facebook, and almost 700,000 following the brand's regular UK feed on Twitter. Meanwhile, they have thousands more global Twitter fans following their international feeds and post exclusive content on their own YouTube channel.Burberry's social media success has grown exponentially - and it is still growing fast. The secret, say consumer experts, is the fact that Burberry share so much unique content exclusively with their followers on social networking platforms, and post new and different content to each one. What is posted on Facebook will be different from that on Twitter, and dialogues are constantly being carried out across both.Just this morning, Burberry placed three new videos from their latest campaign, starring My Week With Marilyn star Eddie Redmayne and Cara Delevingne, onto their YouTube channel.And at the news that the brand had reached 10million Facebook fans, Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey uploaded a personal thank you via a video message to the site. Days later, a further 163,000 had joined.BURBERRY'S NEWLY RELEASED FILMS FOR SPRING/SUMMER, STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE AND CARA DELEVINGNE, AND A PERSONAL THANK YOU FROM CHRISTOPHER BAILEY: About the videos, Bailey says: 'We wanted to capture a moment in the lives of two exciting and inspiring British actors who have been part of the Burberry family for several years. 'The images reflect the mood of the collection through Eddie's and Cara's energy, playfulness and effortless elegance and I have such huge admiration for them both.'Follow Burberry at www.facebook.com/burberry, www.twitter.com/burberry, www.youtube.com/burberry, www.burberry.com and www.artofthetrench.com. Burberry hits high note in public debutBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 19 November 2002LUXURY goods group Burberry delivered an impressive 32% jump in first-half profits today to 55.1m in its first set of results as a publicly quoted company. Its 1m-a-year chief executive, Rose Marie Bravo, said there had been good gains in the core womenswear operations and further expansion in the higher-margin accessories business, which now accounts for 28% of sales, up from 25%. Menswear also staged a recovery after its recent sluggish performance, benefiting from higher sales of suits and ties. 'Gentlemen are getting back to dressing up again,' said Bravo. Group sales for the six months to 30 September were up 15% to 273.7m, including a 32% jump on the retail side, or 17% like-for-like, to 85.6m. Profits, which were at the top end of expectations, excluded costs related to the group's July flotation. After tumbling as low as 150p at one stage, the shares have since bounced back to outperform the market by 15%, and added 3p today to take them to 250p. There is a maiden interim dividend of 1p. Although highlighting the uncertain economic outlook, Bravo said: 'There will be a Christmas and people will, as usual, exchange gifts.' Top sellers will be cashmere scarves at 150 a throw, as well as handbags and small leather goods. Burberry in defiant mood despite growth slowdownBy UPDATED:08:21 GMT, 15 July 2008The global credit crunch and the worst retail environment in a decade have not stopped luxury fashion house Burberry - yet. The company still best-known for its distinctive check designs says sales continue to rise, but the speed of growth has slowed. Sales in stores rose at 4.5% in the three months to the end of June, against a 6% rise the previous six months. Only 7% of Burberry sales are in the UK, meaning the company is hardly a barometer for the health of the British High Street. But analysts will take heart from signs that the luxury industry is defying the downturn. The troubled Spanish arm remains the only blot on the success story, with sales in Asia and America continuing to soar. The latest must-have item for the fashion-conscious woman-about-town is the Lowry handbag, which at a mere 1295 is a bargain compared with its predecessor - the 11,000 Warrior. Total sales for the period, including new-store openings, are up 22%. Chief executive Angela Ahrendts claims that Burberry remains under-exposed across the world. HSBC, which rates the shares a buy, agrees. It said in a note to investors: 'Burberry's less-mature state of development-than its peers in many markets should enable it to gain new clients.' It is the only major luxury brand with a British heritage, giving it a niche position. Burberry shares have suffered with the rest of the retail sector, down from a year's high of 681p. Today they fell 3p to 393p. Finance director Stacey Cartwright has been working to improve the company's supply chain, so that goods ship when they should. She said today that while more work remained to be done, 'we have certainly made enormous improvements'. Ahrendts said Burberry had made a good start to the year in 'an increasingly challenging environment'. Call the fashion police! Burberry introduces risque $695 leather dress - for TODDLERS By UPDATED:16:48 GMT, 29 October 2011They may be most famous for their trench coats, but Burberry is stirring the fashion pot with its fall line that includes a leather dress - for toddlers.With a price tag of $695, the dress features a round neckline and a back zipper with a flared skirt that comes just to the girls knees.The fashion giant presents the dress as 'finely tailored in buttery soft lambskin from Italy, creates a look of modern luxury.'A post on the website TotSnob.com protested that the Burberry frock is 'wrong on so many levels.'The rant, posted by 'Bag Snob Kelly,' read: 'A leather dress for a little girl? For real? Burberry, you've gone too far Sticky! Uncomfortable! Unbreathable! Sexy! Unseemly!Burberry, with hundreds of stores across the globe, is likely pushing the dress as its latest attempt to target a younger audience with its brand. Fashionista: Harry Potter star Emma Watson poses with her younger brother Alex for Burberry's Spring/Summer 2010 campaignIn 2009, Burberry inked a deal with Harry Potter star Emma Watson after creative director Christopher Bailey claimed she was the obvious choice for their campaign.Miss Watson described it as the 'biggest ego boost of my life.'The British fashion house named Transformers actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the face of fragrance Burberry Body in July 2011.And Kiernan Shipka, 11, who plays Don Drapers daughter Sally on AMC hit Madmen, was recently photographed donning a Burberry hat. Burberry is top UK label for foreign richBy UPDATED:09:12 GMT, 30 January 2007Burberry may have had a chequered reputation in Britain, but new research shows the raincoat group's reputation is waterproof with overseas label-hunters. Global investment bank UBS has cited 500 international businesses that play to the fantasies of the rich and beautiful. It picks Burberry as the principal UK-listed luxury goods company. The research reflects how, with the help of Kate Moss and some stylish advertising surrounding its 150th anniversary, the company has cracked the international market. It has also overcome the stumbling block that most customers at the luxury end are wealthy middle-aged people in the US and Japan looking for status symbols rather than clothes. Maureen Hinton at retail research group Verdict said: 'Burberry is doing very well at the moment and a lot of the growth there is down to accessories such as the 425 Cinda bag.'In Britain, Burberry's image was pulled down after its clothes became essential kit for chavs - street kids obsessed by labels and jewellery. However, the company has recently re-rated itself under new chief executive Angela Ahrendts, and the shares have risen 50% over the past 12 months.Most of the companies cited in the 176-page research report are Italian and French but there are 22 British clothes groups ranging from Aquascutum to one-time punk designer Vivienne Westwood.Eleven jewellers are also named, including Asprey Garrard, Bentley Skinner and Longmire. There are 24 leather goods and shoe groups ranging from the well-known Church's and Mulberry to the recherch such as WH Gidden, plus perfumes and pens such as Jo Malone and Conway Stewart. Yasuhiro Yamaguchi, UBS's luxury goods specialist, selected 10 companies, including Burberry, for detailed inspection. He tested the UK company alongside a powerful collection of French and Italian companies-with internationally known names - Bulgari, Christian Dior, Hermes, LVMH, Richemont, Swatch, Tod's, PPR and Valentino. Yamaguchi says British companies lag their Continental peers due to diffidence about selling themselves. 'French companies are very good at presenting their heritage and raising the brand value,' he says. 'UK companies make equally high-quality goods but their marketing penetration is weak to non-British customers.'Burberry joins the internet revolutionBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 1 November 2004BURBERRY has moved online in order to boost its push into America. The luxury goods group's finance director Stacey Cartwright says: 'It is very early days.' But she hints that internet shopping could soon become a massive source of revenue. When Burberry's US website started selling goods over the internet in September, the public started buying immediately. Cartwright says: 'There are great swathes of the United States where we have no presence. There is a pent up demand.' UK customers could be buying over the internet within a year. It is hoped that the venture will increase the value of the brand which has soared to 1.9bn compared to just 200m when boss Rose Marie Bravo took over in 1997. Burberry keeps rebels in checkBy and UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 25 May 2002RETAIL group GUS is to press ahead with the flotation of fashion house Burberry, despite fierce opposition from some shareholders. GUS, which declares its full-year results on Wednesday, aims to raise up to 375m from floating 25% of Burberry on the London stock market. The listing would value Burberry, which has been made fashionable in recent years by celebrities such as supermodels Kate Moss and Elle Macpherson, at up to 1.5bn. According to sources, Burberry is on track to list towards the end of June. GUS is expected to confirm the float on Wednesday. But investors have called for GUS to demerge Burberry. Under a full demerger, existing GUS investors would receive a share in Burberry and one in the remaining GUS group for each share they currently hold. A source close to the float told Financial Mail: 'Some shareholders made the management look at the possibility of a demerger. They are worried about Burberry not selling at a high enough price in a difficult market for new share issues.' But GUS's management, led by group chief John Peace and Burberry chairman Victor Barnett, are believed to have convinced rebel shareholders to accept a stock market listing. Peace and Barnett believe they can get the right price for Burberry stock in a flotation. GUS has hired American investment bank Merrill Lynch to manage the Burberry flotation. Merrill ran the flotation of pubs group Punch last week - which got away successfully at the second attempt. Punch priced its shares at 230p, raising 160m. It was hoping for 250m. But sources say Punch marked a turning point and convinced GUS to pursue its flotation. One banking source told Financial Mail: 'The market is wide open as long as the price is right.' Burberry lifted by new rangesBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 April 2004FRESH evidence the luxury goods market is on the mend came today as Burberry posted a 14% jump in retail sales for the first three months of the year on the back of strong demand for its spring and summer collections. The group, best-known for its trademark check design, said business in Britain was picking up after sluggish pre-Christmas demand. It enjoyed 'vigorous' growth in the US and strong orders in Asia. Chief financial officer Stacey Cartwright said: 'This time last year, we had Sars and the Iraq war affecting the UK, and certainly as we have gone through the quarter there has been an improving trend.' Just 15% of Burberry's clothing now carries its plaid design as chief executive Rose Marie Bravo, one of the best-paid women in the City, continues to rejuvenate the brand. She said colour was the 'key catalyst' for sales across the business with womenswear, floral designs and trench coats selling particularly well. Retail sales were up 14% in the three months to 31 March - the final quarter of Burberry's financial year - against 11% in the third quarter. Wholesale sales increased 16% in the second half. Burberry lifts sales in fine styleBy UPDATED:07:58 GMT, 12 July 2006BURBERRY'S new chief executive today said global sales were up 12% in the spring and early summer. Angela Ahrendts, the former Liz Claiborne boss who started in her post this month, said sales in the UK were among the strongest risers, up more than 10% in April, May and June compared with the previous year. The wet start to the British summer is widely expected to have benefited the group famous for its trenchcoats. Sales from Burberry stores were also strong on the Continent and in the US. Wholesale sales remained sluggish with a 2% increase. Ahrendts has declared that she would be pushing harder to expand the brand in the US. Burberry loves Chinese takeawaysBy UPDATED:15:21 GMT, 13 April 2006A sensational revival of Burberry's fortunes in London has been driven not by chavs but by Chinese. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said a new influx of big-spending tourists from China was splashing out on its classy new ranges in London's upmarket Burberry stores. They are rapidly adding to the more established fan base of rich customers from the Middle East and Russia. Sales from Burberry's shops in the UK were up 6 in the last three months. The figures will be welcomed by incoming chief executive Angela Ahrendt, who replaces outgoing Rose Marie Bravo in July. Burberry's better guesswork on its ranges in the past three months fuelled much of the improvement. A year ago, it put its lightweight spring/summer ranges on the shelves in January, when shoppers were still shivering in snow in many of its key capital cities. This time around, it kept its warmer lines out for longer, with the trademark Burberry trenchcoats and outerwear retaining their prominence. 'Cold weather was good for us this time,' said Cartwright. Sales at Burberry stores across the world in the six months to 31 March were up 13, although wholesale takings were down 7. Burberry makes debut Down UnderBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 21 October 2003BURBERRY has opened its first stand-alone store in Australia, in an upmarket shopping mall under a Melbourne casino owned by Kerry Packer. The London company's products have been distributed in Australia for 15 years through duty-free and wholesale operators, but only now is it dipping its toe into the retail market. The company, which is opening stores in Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong, also suggested it would look at other sites in Australia. Burberry Group president Thomas O'Neill said in Melbourne he believed the Australian market had the potential to support up to five Burberry stores. The company's decision to open in the Crown casino complex comes at a time when other luxury retailers such as Gucci, Tiffany and Armani have left the site on the south bank of the river to move into Collins Street, a stylish central Melbourne shopping thoroughfare. O'Neill said he might consider a Collins Street store too. 'For luxury brand retailers it's all about opportunities on the real estate side,' O'Neill said. 'We have been looking in Sydney for some time and frankly if something came up on Collins Street in Melbourne we wouldn't discount that.' Burberry last week announced revenues up 17% in the first half. Chief executive Rose Marie Bravo attributed the result to three new shops in Milan, Virginia and Las Vegas. The company has 70 stores and its strongest market in the US. Asian operations were hit badly this year by the Sars virus and the Iraq war. Burberry may be a luxury bargainBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 July 2002IN the face of turbulent stock markets and after a string of companies pulled their market debuts recently, retail group GUS managed to float its luxury goods business Burberry on Friday. But GUS, which also owns Argos, succeeded only by pricing the shares at the very bottom of its planned range. Issued at 230p, the shares fell even further and closed at 225p in restricted trading, valuing the whole company at about 1.1bn. Just 22.5% of the company has been floated, with GUS retaining the rest. Could the share price mean it is a bargain opportunity for private investors? Burberry, which will begin its independent life with 10m in cash, has come to market after a remarkable recovery engineered by its highly paid chief executive, Rose Marie Bravo. Operating profits have surged in the past two years and hit 90m in the year to March. They are expected to top 100m next time. This has been achieved by closing loss-making stores, opening outlets in potential growth markets such as East Asia and the US, and taking back control of distribution from licensees wherever possible. Compared with other general retailers, the issue price was slightly high given Burberry's earnings. But the group has expanded its range into products such as perfume and is successfully positioning itself as a luxury products group in the same vein as Gucci and Hermes. Shares in these luxury groups are typically valued at about 14 times forecast underlying earnings. At its present price, Burberry is valued at just ten times its predicted earnings for 2003. But there are dangers for Burberry. First, the sharp rise in profits has so far been brief and some analysts question whether it can sustain anything like that level of growth. Second, there is GUS's stake. GUS has guaranteed not to sell more shares for six months - a short period, which could make the market nervous. On the other hand, GUS is unlikely to undermine its own offspring by selling further shares at less than the original issue price. Midas verdict: Full trading in the shares starts on Thursday, and four days is a long time at present. At current levels, the shares look inexpensive but given the market's jitters they could go still lower. At 210p or below, they are a buy. Otherwise avoid. Engineer is a haven in times of trouble SINCE the technology bubble burst, many investors have turned to old economy companies such as engineers or traditionally defensive sectors such as food and tobacco. Specialist engineer Molins combines both characteristics. The group is a key supplier of machinery to the tobacco industry, with most of the world's big cigarette makers, including British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco, among its clients. Its other line of business is designing and making packaging machinery, and clients include the likes of Unilever. Molins' recent performance has been solid. In 2001, sales rose by 11% to 111m, with pre-tax profits up 40% to 9.4m. It was not always so good. The late Nineties was a difficult period for the tobacco business, particularly in China, where there was huge overcapacity. But the company has turned round its tobacco division and this was the driving force behind its surge in profits. Its packaging business has been less consistent and it made a small operating loss in 2001. But at this year's annual meeting, chairman Peter Byrom said the division was trading ahead of last year and was profitable. As an added extra, the company is planning to redevelop 17 acres near its UK factory at Saunderton, Buckinghamshire, as office space. Surveyors have estimated Molins could reap between 13m and 22m from this. Shares surged to 400p in early May, but the stock has fallen back and ended Friday at 320p. This is just over eight times historic earnings. Midas verdict: As a profitable business linked to highly defensive sectors, Molins offers a relatively secure haven in the troubled shares market. Assuming that it can realise the value of its property and deliver another year of profit growth as expected, it looks cheap. At 320p, the shares are a buy. Midas update SINCE Midas recommended Waste Recycling Group in March at 411p, the shares soared to a high of 463p in May before closing on Friday at 397 1/2p. But aside from the general stock market slump, there is little obvious reason for this fall. Last month, the company announced that chairman Pat Barrett was quitting for 'personal reasons'. While such a sudden departure is not ideal, there is no reason to suspect anything untoward about the announcement. Investors should hold their nerve through this difficult patch. Interim results next month should confirm that WRG is in line to hit full-year targets. Investors in Project Telecom, suggested as a buy by Midas in March at 77 1/2p, should also hold tight. The shares have dipped to 72p, but nothing fundamental has changed about this cash-rich and profitable company. In April it acquired TW Telecom, which manages mobile phone services for a number of organisations in Manchester, including Manchester Airport, and several local councils. Like WRG, Project Telecom will release half-year results next month that should show the group still enjoying rising profits. Burberry posts 13% fall in profitsBy UPDATED:15:24 GMT, 19 May 2009Luxury goods firm Burberry today reported a 13% fall in underlying profits, despite annual revenues topping more than £1bn for the first time.The company has endured one of the most challenging years ever seen in its sector, with profits down to £174.6m for the year to 31 March.Sales, up 21% at £1.2bn, were more than offset by reduced consumer demand which led to a lower proportion of full price sales.Steps taken by Burberry to tackle the global slowdown have included a £50m inventory reduction and a £50m efficiency programme.To date, some 800 staff have left the group - representing 15% of the total workforce. Nearly 300 employees have gone in Spain, with another 400 in manufacturing and the rest from across corporate functions. In January, Burberry announced 170 jobs were going as a result of its plan to close a sewing facility at Rotherham, south Yorkshire.Burberry said revenues in Europe increased by 17% on an underlying basis, helped by an 'exceptional' performance in its London stores.Retail operations contributed just over half the region's revenues, driven by favourable currency rates and increased tourism, as well as its new store at the Westfield shopping centre in West London and concessions in leading department stores.After a strong first half, Burberry said European wholesale revenues declined in the second half due to consumer conditions and store rationalisation.For the first half of this financial year, Burberry is planning to reduce its number of small wholesale accounts by more than 200 - as its own retail presence is increased. Retail now generates more than half the company's revenues, following expansion in regions such as the Middle East.Today's results were ahead of expectations, but shares fell more than 2% after Burberry outperformed the broader market by 40% in the past quarter.Burberry checks into menswear after 26 per cent jump in annual profit By PUBLISHED:21:04 GMT, 23 May 2012 UPDATED:21:04 GMT, 23 May 2012Burberry said it will trial a stand-alone menswear store in London as it posted a 26 per cent jump in annual profit.The luxury fashion brand, which started life 156-years ago selling raincoats sporting its trademark camel, red and black check pattern, overcame the general retail malaise to hawk its high end clothing and accessories.Luxury goods firms have largely been immune from the downturn as wealthy tourists continue to travel and snap up luxury brands. Burberrys chief bean-counter Stacey Cartwright said it operated from a different end of the high street than firms like Clinton Cards which recently collapsed into administration.Pre-tax profits rose to £366m from £295.7m for the year to March 31, in-line with expectations, on sales of £1.8bn.But the shares fell 5pc at one point during the day recovering to close down 17p to 1369p over fears that Europes long-running debt crisis could help trigger an economic slowdown in emerging markets such as China. The dividend was lifted to 25p-a-share from 20p. Burberry president quits after two yearsBy UPDATED:13:02 GMT, 15 November 2005FORMER Gucci top man Brian Blake is quitting Burberry as president and chief operating officer after just two years in the job. The luxury clothes group said that Blake, who oversaw its wholesale, retail and licensing businesses, was leaving for family reasons. He ruled himself out as a possible successor to chief executive Rose Marie Bravo on the same grounds last month. She is to be replaced by New York fashionista Angela Ahrendts, who joins in January on a 19m package. A decision as to whether to find a new chief operating officer will be taken once she has her feet firmly under the desk. Blake, 50, was paid 1.19m in the year to last March, including a 530,000 bonus. But he will receive no pay-off from Burberry when he leaves at the end of the year. He is not expected to take up another job. Bravo said the current cold snap in Europe and the US was welcome as it should trigger sales of the iconic coats and scarves, which had been slow in recent warm weeks. She said: 'With cold weather arriving and the holidays approaching, we enter our most important time of the year with cautious optimism.'UK sales have been hit by the slowdown in consumer spending and by the July terror attacks. Europe saw an underlying decline of 1% in sales with Spain and the UK soft but Italy strong. The US was the strongest performer with a 5% sales rise. Asian sales were 9% better if Japan, where there was a slight decline, is excluded. Emerging markets such as Turkey, Poland and Saudi Arabia improved sales substantially. Sales rose 2% in the six months to end-September with pre-tax profits slipping 1.6% to 78.1m. But before the 3m costs of the Atlas programme to redesign infrastructure, headline operating profits were up 2% at 78.8m. The interim dividend rises 25% to 2.5p. ? Argos owner GUS will reveal details of the demerger of its 66% Burberry stake, worth 1.9bn, on Thursday. Burberry profit warning wipes more than a fifth off shares as China's wealthy shoppers feel the chill By PUBLISHED:09:17 GMT, 11 September 2012 UPDATED:15:39 GMT, 11 September 2012A shock profit alert from luxury fashion house Burberry has knocked a fifth off its share price today.Investors fled the stock, wiping £1billion from its market value, after Burberry admitted sales ground to a halt then started to fall in the past few months, and said profits would come in at the bottom end of current forecasts.The luxury goods firm spent much of the year bucking the gloomy trend in the retail sector due to its exposure to robust emerging markets, especially China. But an industry analyst said today's warning from Burberry showed it was 'not immune' to current economic conditions, as the lengthy global crisis shakes the confidence of even the most wealthy.Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts acknowledged the external environment was 'becoming more challenging'.'Given this background, we are tightly managing discretionary costs and taking appropriate actions to protect short term profitability,' she said.The flat like-for-like sales in the in the 10 weeks to September 8 are a sharp slowdown from the 6 per cent hike reported for the first quarter to June 30.Burberry reported a 24 per cent surge in annual profits to £366million in its last financial year, while total revenues were also up 24 per cent to £1.9billion, as key Asian markets showed more strong growth and flagship stores in London and Paris performed well.The previous range of market forecasts for the current financial year had been for Burberry to achieve profits of between £407million and £455million.Burberry has announced plans to add a further 12 per cent to 14 per cent of selling space in this financial year, but did not give details of store openings in today's update.The group has been focusing on larger format stores, such as its relocated site in London's Regent Street.It is due to issue another trading update on October 11 before its interim results for the six months to the end of September on November 7.Shares in Burberry had plunged 287p at 1,088p by late afternoon.The firm, which was founded in 1856, has 196 retail stores, 207 concessions, 48 outlet shops and 58 franchise stores worldwide,Income shares watch: Burberry hiked its total annual dividend by 25 per cent to 25p when it reported full-year results last May. The shares yield 1.82 per cent.View from the City'Burberry's latest results show that even the top-end of the market isn't functioning at full capacity in the current economic climate,' said Jaana Jatyri, CEO of fashion forecasting company Trendstop.com.'The global economic crisis is dragging on and the longer it drags on the less confident even wealthier individuals become. Unfortunately, people lacking confidence do not shop at Burberry.'By no means will Burberry implode, as it has an in-built hedge in its high net worth customer base and a CEO with an acute understanding of the market, but these figures show that even it is not immune to market conditions.'A percentage of the aspirational buyers that have driven Burberry upwards are starting to run out of steam. In recent years, Burberry has thrived in the emerging markets, where people crave democratic luxury, but even the emerging markets are slowing.'Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said: 'While disappointing, the cautionary update is not a total surprise. The groups own "clean-up programme", where management is axing cheaper fashion lines in order to buoy prices, is likely to take some responsibility, while the groups exposure to China has already been extensively highlighted.'Comparatives have become increasingly challenging, while a still spluttering U.S. economy remains unhelpful.'In all, and given the additional profits warning, investor appetite is now being thoroughly tested. The connectivity between the developing and developed markets appears to be making itself clear, while management moves to protect the groups long term luxury brand status may now be denting short term performance.Investec Securities analyst Bethany Hocking said: 'We have been fans of Burberry, and remain of the view that the strategy, luxury positioning and management team should lead to long-term sector outperformance.'Today's statement does, however, imply a significant slowdown and Burberry is not immune from wider macro-economic turbulence.' Burberry profits jump by 24% lifted by strong menswear sales By PUBLISHED:12:47 GMT, 23 May 2012 UPDATED:12:47 GMT, 23 May 2012Trenchcoat maker Burberry today reported a 24 per cent jump in annual profits helped by good performance in its menswear division and overseas markets. The luxury fashion group said menswear sales were up 26 per cent thanks to attention to tailoring and enhanced ranges, while non-clothing sales, which include small leather goods, bags and accessories, increased by over 50 per cent. More strong growth in its key Asian markets as well as in flagship stores in London and Paris helped Burberrys total revenues up 24 per cent to £1.9billion in the year to March 31, with pre-tax profits lifted to £366million.The group, which currently has 63 stores in mainland China, accounting for 12 per cent of revenues, said it planned to open 15 new stores over the next year. There are plans for up to 10 new stores to be opened in Central and Latin America as the group continues to invest in growing luxury markets such as Brazil and Mexico. Its focus will be on larger format stores such as its relocated site in Londons Regent Street. As well as doubling its number of Facebook fans to 12million at the year end, Burberry has extended its presence on Chinese social media platforms and launched other initiatives such as Tweetwalk during London Fashion Week. View from the City Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, described the annual results performance as robust.He added: A 24 per cent rise in pre-tax profits defies some of the economic gloom, whilst the companys exposure to some strong local markets continues to propel prospects. Burberry pushes ahead with floatBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 23 June 2002RETAILER GUS has set an indicative price of between 230p and 290p for shares in the flotation of its luxury goods and fashion arm Burberry. It said the shares should start trading on 12 July. The partial float, via a global offer to institutions, will value Burberry at between 1.15bn and 1.45bn and could make its American chief executive Rose Marie Bravo a total of 10m. The luxury goods market has been struggling since 11 September, leading some analysts to question the timing and pricing of the float. The market had initially looked for a value of 1.2bn to 1.8bn.Last week Gucci posted a worse-than-expected fall in first-quarter profits. Burberry said its autumn/winter sales were likely to be flat, with wholesale orders of the new collection, 'broadly unchanged compared to the prior year'.Burberry denied this meant the brand's rejuvenation had been a one-off hit with the public, saying it primarily reflected 'the effect of the current difficult macro-economic environment on the luxury goods sector and soft domestic demand in Spain'. It also warned that the yen-sterling exchange rate would mainly wipe out the expected increases in Japanese licence income. Sales at Burberry's retail operations 'enjoyed double-digit revenue growth' in the first 11 weeks of the current financial year, but Burberry offered no information on like-for-like sales. Although this is the key measure for UK retailers, Burberry said it should be compared with other companies in the European luxury goods sector such as Gucci and LVMH, which do not reveal these figures. Selling 25% of the issued share capital at the mid-point of the price range would raise a net 282m. Most of this will be spent repaying inter-company debt, leaving Burberry with 10m in cash. Bravo will be paid a basic salary of 1m with a 100% performance-related bonus. She will be granted shares worth 1% of the company's value and options over another 0.5%, giving her a total package worth up to 10m over the next three years. Burberry also named Philip Bowman, group chief executive of Allied Domecq, as a non-executive director alongside the former president and chief executive of L'Oreal USA, Guy Peyrelongue, and GUS finance director David Tyler. Burberry will be chaired by GUS chief executive John Peace. Michael Metcalf, who worked with Bravo at Saks Fifth Avenue, is finance director. Analysts said Burberry had been 'priced to go' to get the float away. John Baillie of SG Securities said: 'If you accept it is a luxury brand, and there is some debate on whether it is, it has been priced conservatively.' Burberry would have a price-earnings ratio of 15-19 while Gucci generally trades at 25-30. Burberry is priced at between two and 2.5 times sales but shares in other luxury brand companies are nearer three times. Fashion that must check outBurberry recovers from downturnBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 July 2003LUXURY goods and fashion empire Burberry today reported sales of its distinctive checked clothes and accessories were recovering strongly from the poor start to the year. The designer and retailer, which boasts a host of celebrity clients from Madonna to Lyudmila Putin, wife of the Russian president, worried investors in the spring when it warned that like-for-like sales through its stores had fallen in the first seven weeks of the current quarter. It blamed the impact of the Sars virus and the Iraq conflict, which stopped upmarket tourists from travelling and splurging on its exclusive merchandise.But today, chief executive Rose Marie Bravo was able to deliver positive news on sales, saying that the group's like-for-like sales had turned positive since the first seven weeks, and had ended the quarter on 30 June with same-store sales ahead of last year's. Many analysts had been banking on a recovery at the group, saying the pick-up in international travel cited by airlines and hotel companies in recent weeks should follow through to Burberry, which relies on tourists for about a quarter of its sales.The statement should take some of the heat off Bravo, who has faced controversy over her potential 12.4m termination contract. At tomorrow's annual general meeting she faces shareholders who have been urged by activists including the National Association of Pension Funds to vote against her terms and conditions. Burberry reports 13% fall in profits despite sales riseUPDATED:10:17 GMT, 19 May 2009Luxury goods firm Burberry today reported a 13 per cent fall in underlying profits, despite annual revenues topping more than £1billion for the first time.The profits decline to £174.6million for the year to March 31 came as Burberry endured one of the most challenging years ever seen in its sector.Sales were 21 per cent higher at £1.2billion, up 7 per cent on an underlying basis, but this was more than offset by a decline in margins as reduced consumer demand led to a lower proportion of full price sales.When including restructuring costs of £54.9million and balance sheetwrite-downs of £129.6million, Burberry posted bottom-line losses of£16.1million, against profits of £195.7million a year earlier.Steps taken by Burberry to tackle the global slowdown have includeda £50million inventory reduction and a £50million efficiency programme.To date, some 800 staff have left the group - representing 15 per cent of the total workforce. Nearly 300 employees have gone in Spain, with another 400 inmanufacturing and the rest from across corporate functions. In January,Burberry announced 170 jobs were going as a result of its plan to closea sewing facility at Rotherham, south Yorkshire.Burberry said revenues in Europe increased by 17 per cent on anunderlying basis, helped by an 'exceptional' performance in its Londonstores.Retail operations contributed just over half the region's revenues,driven by favourable currency rates and increased tourism, as well asits new store at the Westfield shopping centre and concessions inleading department stores. Burberry sales jump on strong Chinese demandBy UPDATED:15:31 GMT, 18 January 2011Luxury clothing brand Burberry said on Tuesday it expected full-year profits to be at the top end of forecasts after it reported another better-than-expected rise in third quarter sales.The retailer, known for its red, black and camel tartan design, said group-wide retail sales surged by 36 per cent in the quarter to December 31, boosted by a strong performance in the UK and higher demand from Chinese consumers. Overall revenues jumped by 27 per cent on an underlying basis in the period, while underlying wholesale revenue increased by 15 per cent, the company said. 'As a result, we now expect adjusted profit before tax for the currentfinancial year to be at the top end of market expectations,' said chiefexecutive Angela Ahrendts. The news prompted Numis Securities to upgrade its pre-tax profitsestimation from £271million to £287million, while shares in the companyrose by more than 40 per cent on Tuesday.The fashion group said same-store retail sales jumped by 14 percent, while its operations in Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe alsodelivered double-digit growth. Burberry added that comparable store growth from stores in China was higher than 30 per cent. Burberry sales lifted by luxury goods boostBy UPDATED:20:21 GMT, 26 May 2010Burberry is accelerating its growth plans after strong sales helped the luxury goods group to a 23pc jump in profit in the year to March 31. The better-than-expected result catapulted the shares to the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard as they closed the day up 46.5p, or nearly 8pc, at 659p. Burberry - which this year features Harry Potter star Emma Watson in its Spring/Summer advertising campaign (pictured) - reported pre-tax profits of £215m. Underlying retail sales increased by 15pc to £748.8m. The result provided further evidence that the market for luxury goods may be rebounding after Prada posted a near six-fold jump in first-quarter revenue on Monday. Both companies benefited from a strong increase in demand among emerging markets. The 154-year-old British company said it would almost double capital spending over the next year to £130m as it announced plans to open between 20 and 30 new outlets over the period, mostly in the Americas and Asia Pacific region. Burberry reported £433.6m of revenues from its wholesale business and £97.5m from its licensing operation, giving total group sales of £1.28bn. Burberry sales surge to 449mBy UPDATED:09:12 GMT, 16 October 2007Recession might be in the air and housing prices could be tumbling, but fashion house Burberry is not feeling the pinch. Sales at the check coats to pricey handbags group rose 19% to 449m in the six months to September, as the company continued to re-invent itself as a major player in the luxury market. The second quarter was particularly strong, thanks to pent-up demand for Burberry items from the newly rich in China and Russia. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said the numbers reinforce the fact that we have elevated ourselves into the luxury market - an industry that has natural insulation from wider economic downturns. Burberry admits a slight problem remains with its supply chain, putting pressure on warehouses. Chief executive Angela Ahrendts in the trading statement said: Our new luxury outerwear, apparel and non-apparel collections have again driven demand in both our retail and wholesale channels. Ahrendts, who took over more than a year ago, remains a low-profile figure but has been meeting investors to explain her long-term strategy. Burberry sees sales getting 10% smarterBy UPDATED:16:04 GMT, 14 November 2006Burberry today upped its sales forecasts after seeing stronger demand from retailers for its quintessentially British fashions. It had suffered from dwindling orders from fashion and department stores frustrated by poor supplies and a botched early move to light, warm-weather ranges in icy January 2005. But it has built up its retailer customers' confidence since then with a host of successful new ranges and a better supply system. Wholesale orders are expected to be close to 10% up on last year. Pre-tax profits in the six months to 30 September fell 2% to 74.6m because of the 9.6m costs of a new supply system but sales rose 11% to 392m. London store sales are booming in the run-up to Christmas. Burberry shares cool as eurozone crisis and US slowdown put brakes on emerging market growth By PUBLISHED:10:15 GMT, 11 July 2012 UPDATED:10:46 GMT, 11 July 2012Shares in Burberry fell 5 per cent today as the luxury giant posted a slight slowdown in quarterly sales amid 'more challenging' trading conditions. The group, which started life 156 years ago selling raincoats with its distinctive camel, red and black check pattern, said total revenues were 11 per cent higher than the same period last year, at £408million, in the quarter to June 30.The rise was lower than the 15 per cent seen in the previous quarter and below City expectations. Store sales were up 14 per cent to £280million, with underlying sales up 6 per cent, boosted by higher prices and a continuing strong demand for its men's clothing and non-apparel range. Burberry, which posted a 16 per cent jump in annual profit, said it saw growth in the UK, France and Germany,with double-digit comparable sales growth in China, with particular strength in Beijing, despite recent fears of a slowdown in Asia. Burberry's and other luxury goods firms' shares have wobbled in recent months over worries about Europe's debt crisis and slowing growth in some emerging markets like China, where runaway demand for high-end goods has offset weaker trends in the United States and Europe. Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts said: 'With continued brand momentum, Burberry has delivered a robust first quarter.'Building on our balanced business model and strong operational foundation, we continue to invest in our retail, digital and marketing strategies to drive long-term sustainable growth, while remaining responsive to the changing external environment.'The group, which opened six mainline stores including the fourth store in Brazil and Russell Street in Hong Kong, is set to reopen two large flagships in London and Chicago later this year.Burberry said it plans to increase its average retail selling space by 12-14 per cent by 2013, with a shiftfrom smaller to larger format stores, such as its relocated site in London's Regent Street. Its sales growth compares well against many of its high street counterparts, with Marks Spencer yesterday reporting a 6.8 per cent drop in non-food comparable sales - its worst performance for more than three years. However, there are concerns that Burberry's performance will slip as the global economic woes take their toll on some of its markets. Burberry's US arm delivered the weakest sales growth in the first quarter, at 2 per cent, as it continues to be hit by the planned rationalisation of wholesale distribution. The group said it expects double-digit percentage growth from its US department store customers, which should reassure that demand remains strong in a key market, according to Seymour Pierce analyst Kate Calvert. She said: China delivered double-digit comparable growth so there appears to be no weakness there which is a concern that has impacted the wider sector generally.We consider Burberry a strong long term growth story, she added.Helal Miah, investment research analyst at The Share Centre said Burberry had a good business model but remained vigilant of the global economic conditions. 'These weaker than expected revenue figures may be a reflection of the worsening confidence in the Eurozone and the Chinese economy experiencing a slowdown. 'Also, the share price has seen an impressive run in recent years and although there has been a moderate pull back in recent months, we continue to recommend investors hold until valuations become a little more attractive.Burberry shares knocked despite profit rise as fashion brand targets 25 wealthiest cities By UPDATED:11:04 GMT, 15 November 2011Burberry suffered a share price fall today despite meeting expectations of a 26 per cent rise in first-half profits thanks to resilient tourist spending.Luxury clothing and accessory brand Burberry posted a profit before tax and one off items of £162million in the six months to September 30, and also pledged to pushed ahead with plans to expand in the 25 wealthiest cities in the worldThis was slightly ahead of expectations - a Reuters poll had predicted £159million of profit on this basis.However, the result left investors nonplussed and Burberry shares traded lower today. A short time ago they stood 64p, or 4.5 per cent, lower at 1,357p.In a statement to accompany the results, Burberry said: 'We remain mindful of, and prepared to react to, any local or global uncertainties'The maker of raincoats and leather goods has performed well despite the financial crisis and responded to the 2008-9 economic downturn by cutting jobs and inventories.Today it said that it would stick to ambitious expansion plans, saying demand in top cities like Hong Kong, London and New York would prove resilient in any downturn.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said Burberry made 60 per cent of retail revenue in 25 cities that are home to the world's wealthiest individuals and attract high numbers of tourists.'Those top 25 markets are much more sheltered during a downturn,' she told reporters.Morgan Stanley analysts said while the company had good momentum, there was little scope for profit forecast upgrades.Nomura analysts noted Burberry shares trade at 20 times forecast earnings, compared with a multiple of 16 for the luxury sector, and kept a neutral rating on the stock. Burberry shares rise on 16% sales surgeBy UPDATED:16:05 GMT, 13 July 2010Shares in Burberry rose nearly 3% today after the company posted a big jump in sales.The luxury clothes maker and retailer, which has an ad campaign fronted by Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, said it saw strong demand for accessories and outerwear.Fresh from a 23% jump in profits to £215m, for the last financial year, Burberry said revenues were up by a better-than-expected 24% in the first quarter to the end of June. The company's share price rose steadily throughout the day to close up 24.5p at 814p - a rise of more than 3%.Sales in its stores were ahead 16% on an underlying basis - which excludes new outlets - and included another strong performance from its UK stores.Burberry said items such as handbags and other non-apparel items were its strongest performing area of business, while outerwear also did well.The company has introduced a pricing policy which has ensured that heritage products such as rainwear and cashmere scarves were never marked down.It has also brought greater clarity to its offering through the labelling of Burberry London as its wear to work range and Burberry Brit as casualwear. And a larger proportion of its marketing spend has been shifted online, boosting awareness and the reach of the Burberry brand. It has more than one million Facebook followers and its social media site, , has received more than several million page views since its launch in November.The company's plans for the current financial year include an increase in capital expenditure to £130m from the £70m spent last year. This will feature between 20 and 30 new stores in areas such as the Americas and Asia Pacific, as well as store refurbishments and investment in digital commerce.It has also sought to 'purify' the Burberry brand by closing inappropriate wholesale accounts. Meanwhile model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has been revealed as the new face of the brand while Watson takes a break from modelling.'Although it is early in the financial year, forecasts are likely to move up,' says Evolution Securities in a note to clients, keeping a 'neutral' rating on Burberry shares.'They need to in order to justify the premium share price rating. The shares are on a 17 times full-year 2011 price-to-earnings ratio, a 5% premium to the sector.'Charles Stanley analyst Sam Hart said the near-term trading outlook remains uncertain given the possible impact of austerity measures on global demand. He added: 'Our best guess is that demand will hold up relatively well and continue to slowly recover from the depressed levels of 2009.'Longer term prospects remain good, given the iconic Burberry brand and plans to leverage the franchise.'Burberry shares gained 170% in 2009 and are up almost 30% this year, compared to a 40% and a 12.5% respective gain for the personal and household goods sector.Burberry continues its global march as sales jump 23 per cent By PUBLISHED:11:03 GMT, 17 April 2012 UPDATED:11:10 GMT, 17 April 2012Strong demand for luxury goods in key markets including the UK, France and China lifted retail sales 23 per cent at Burberry. Sales of knitwear, men's tailoring and accessories, fragrances and watches were all up, and traditional Burberry favourites such as jackets and handbags also did well. Like-for-like store sales were 12 per cent higher, bringing in £743million from the whole 192-shop estate in the six month period to March 31. Broadly in line with the City's expectations, shares never-the-less dipped slightly in trading today after hitting a record high yesterday. They are currently down 80p (5 per cent) at 1,506p. The retailer wants to increase its selling space by between 12 per cent and 14 per cent in the current financial year, with growth weighted towards making stores larger.Across the group and including wholesale markets, revenues were up 18 per cent to £1.03billion in the half year.Burberry's profits are expected to be £372million for the year just ended, compared with £295.7million a year earlier, Investec Securities said.Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, added that Burberry's growth was the envy of most other retailers, helped by its expansion in Asia and emerging markets.He said: 'Burberry's luxury brand status remains undiminished, with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations potentially providing a boost.' Burberry smashes forecasts after flaunting it at Fashion WeekUPDATED:09:47 GMT, 14 October 2009Luxury goods firm Burberry followed up its successful return to London Fashion Week today by posting sales figures at the top end of expectations.The group's shares rose by more than 3 per cent after it reported a positive response from shoppers to its autumn and winter collection, with handbags and casual outerwear particularly popular.Like-for-like sales in its stores rose by 5 per cent in the quarter to September 30, compared with the flat performance seen in the first quarter.The UK was again one of the company's best performing markets as visitors to London took advantage of the weak pound.Burberry, which was founded in 1856, received praise fromcommentators last month after the fashion house returned to the catwalkat London Fashion Week.After shrugging off its links with 'chav' culture in the UK in recent years, the brand has regained its upmarket reputation.Evolution Securities analyst Dennis Weber said: 'Today's statementconfirms our view that the Burberry brand is likely to continue tooutperform the rest of the luxury sector in the current difficultenvironment.' Out of the cold and into the black: How Burberry's snood is behind 10 per cent rise in profitsBy UPDATED:10:55 GMT, 20 January 2010If you're a luxury fashion house, it seems there is just one way to beat the recession - and the cold.Burberry has attributed strong profits over Christmas to the success of its snood - a cross between a scarf and a hood.The cashmere garment, which costs between £175 and £895, is marketed as the 'new scarf' and was one of the best-selling products in the run-up to a successful December for the business.It bears the classic Burberry print and was one of the key pieces behind the 10 per cent rise in like-for-like retail sales over the period.The snood is supposed to be worn over t-shirts and jeans for a 'casual chic' look.Harry Potter star Emma Watson modelled it in the autumn-winter collection and stars like Gossip Girl's Blake Lively have been snapped in it. There are 11 styles in the autumn-winter collection, from tweed cable knit and fair isle knit to reversible wool check, melange check and plain cashmere.Its success has led to high street versions appearing in shops like Warehouse.Burberry's classic trench coat and accessories such as the Sling and Woolf handbag also helped put the store's profits up.Stacey Cartwright, chief financial officer for Burberry, said sales of the snood had risen by five per cent in the three months between October and December compared to the previous three months.'Snoods landed in stores a few months ago and are proving popular,' she said.She added that consumers were 'willing to spend where they feel thatwhat they are buying is an investment piece, rather than something thatis frivolous and of the season.''Burberry is positioned well in that environment,' she added.The company's annual profits are now predicted to be 'towards the topend of market expectations' - which currently range from £175million to£200million.Meanwhile, Burberry, which has 127 stores throughout the world, is hoping to drum up interest in the brand among the younger generation with high-profile adverts featuring young stars like Emma Watson. It also has more fans on facebook than any other luxury brand.Britain was one of the key countries behind Burberry's rise in profits, with double-digit growth.Although the fashion house did not fare as well a year ago when the recession was at its height, its London stores have been bolstered by the weak pound, attracting foreign shoppers. Tighter stock control has also meant it has discounted fewer items in sales.The 10 per cent rise will come as welcome news to the business after analysts predicted a rise of just three per cent.Angela Ahrendts, chief executive officer, said: 'Burberry has delivered a strong performance in both retail and wholesale, as customers around the world responded positively to our collections.'As a result, we currently expect profit for this financial year to be towards the top end of market expectations. Burberry soars 13% as retailer beats the bluesBy UPDATED:23:45 GMT, 21 April 2009The recession has failed to dent demand for luxury goods from Burberry, sending the company's shares soaring more than 13pc. Burberry said sales through its own stores, which account fornearly 60pc of its business, were up 3pc on a like-for-like basis inthe three months to March 31. In the previous quarter, there had been a 3pc fall.The company said its markets in the United States, Europe and Spain all performed better, with operations in Korea and the UK posting 'exceptional' performances in the period.With the company also on track to deliver £50m of annual cost savings, Burberry said it expected results for the 2008-09 financial year to be around the middle of the current range of market estimates. Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: 'Burberry made good progress in the second half.' The shares rose 43p to 374.5p, valuing the business at £1.4bn. Burberry sounds sales alarmBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 12 October 2004BURBERRY, the iconic designer label run by Rose Marie Bravo, today warned that it could see a slowdown in sales in its second half, with wholesaling of its spring/summer range for 2005 likely to show 'mid-to-high single-digit growth'.But it said its first-half performance and outlook 'is consistent with expectations for the financial year'.Burberry said in a trading update that wholesale sales, which account for 57% of the total, had moved ahead by 13% on an underlying basis, driven by the US and Asia, although this fell to 8% on a reported basis because of the strength of currencies in its main export markets.It made no comment on sales of its trade-mark checked baseball caps, which it is reported to have withdrawn after adverse publicity about them being worn by less desirable members of society than Burberry's normal target customers.New stores helped drive retail sales up by 12% on an underlying basis in the six months to end-September. Four stores opened in the first half and four more are planned to open in the second. The biggest growth came in the smallest division, licensing, which saw a 31% rise in sales thanks in the main to the launch of the fragrance BurberryBrit for men.Bravo said: 'We are delighted with our new fragrance licence which will deliver ongoing financial and marketing benefits.'The group has signed a new, long-term agreement with Inter Parfums, its existing producer of fragrances. Burberry steals the show at London Fashion Week with fake showers at Hyde Park By UPDATED:13:14 GMT, 21 February 2012London Fashion Week goers were left open-mouthed today when a rumble of thunder and crash of lightning roared through Hyde Park - followed by a downpour that was not predicted in this mornings forecast. But the heavy showers running down the glass windows of Burberrys specially erected show space were not an unexpected weather pattern but the work of a highly-skilled production team. The effects managed to raise excitement from the most jaded followers of fashion even Anna Wintour cracked a smile.Scroll down for videoCountryside colours were muted - burgundy, khakis and mustard tones.Bailey also proved a fan of peplum this season, working the trend into jackets and pencil skirts featuring pockets so large and deep you wouldnt need a handbag.As the last model exited the supersize runway, a moment of silence ensued before the rain started, followed by gold confetti falling on a cacophony of umbrellas for the finale.All looks are now available to buy on Burberrys website for the next seven days.And with clothes like these, you will be praying for real rain. Fashionfront line: 1) Bollywood beauty, Sonam Kapoor; 2) Black Eyed Peas rapper and music producer will.i.am; 3) Model and presenter, Alexa Chung; 4) War Horse star Jeremy Irvine, 5) Birdsong star Clemence Poesy;6) Birdsong actor and Burberry model Eddie Redmayne; 7) Model Rosie Huntington-Whitely; 8) photographer Mario Testino; 9) Actress Kate Bosworth Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Eddie Redmayne and Kate Bosworth attended the LFW presentationBurberry steps up its Olympic effort at the final hurdleBy UPDATED:20:40 GMT, 17 April 2011Luxury fashion house Burberry is in a sprint to beef up its presence in London ahead of next years Olympics.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said the retailer known for its distinctive check pattern was planning to ramp up purchases of retail space in the capital, in a bid to make London its flagship market.She said the increased number of Chinese visitors to Britain was a key factor in the decision, while the Olympics would bring in millions of foreign shoppers.October 2012Prize valueWinning bond No.Area£1,000,000176ND537520Overseas £100,000190YL731192Dudley £100,00086ZY785587West Sussex £100,000186AQ461669Derbyshire £100,000183SA844038Sheffield £100,0005EJ713506Northern Ireland £50,000189HA961605Bradford £50,00017QC030688Nottingham £50,000150ZZ067504Hertfordshire £50,000126RT689109Southampton £50,000111CA212785Greater Manchester £50,00024JC837905Edinburgh £50,000110ZL786330Kent £50,000147QP328139CumbriaBurberry surges 24% with new rangesBy UPDATED:13:44 GMT, 17 April 2007Outstanding demand for its spring outerwear ranges, luxury handbags and a much smaller January sale helped Burberry to a stronger-than-expected final quarter. Retail sales in the last three months of its financial year to March rose by 24%, matching those of the third quarter. Wholesale and licensing growth was as usual slower but still total sales for the year were 15% higher at 850m with much stronger growth in the second half than the first. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said the success of the new ranges had cut short the January sales and brought forward the spring and summer ranges. She said the closure of the Welsh factory last month had not damaged the brand. We announced the closure in September. Some celebrities gave their views without hearing our side of the story. 'But if you want to see the impact on the brand just look at the last half 's sales. Burberry takes a tumble as fears Japanese will slash spending spreadBy UPDATED:22:00 GMT, 14 March 2011Fears the fashion-conscious Japanese will slash spending on luxury goods have wiped more than £200million off the value of Burberry. Its shares fell as much as 6 per cent after investors counted the potential cost of the tsunami. Japan is the world's third-biggest luxury goods market after the US and China, but the Japanese still spend more on high-end brands when adding overseas purchases.Burberry (down 51p to 1122.5p) generates about 7 per cent of its sales in Japan. Concerns over Japan's nuclear crisis hit Amec, down 37p to 1125.1p amid fears of a slowdown at its nuclear services division. Investors placed their bets on providers of alternative energy. Shares in BG Group jumped 54p to 1504.66p on hopes that Britain's largest natural gas producer will be able to help fill Japan's energy breach. Drax, which operates Britain's biggest coal-fired power station, saw its shares rise 12.4p 408.4p. And Aggreko, which makes temporary power generators, soared 116p to 1483.94p, making it the steepest riser on the FTSE 100. Burberry takes axe to British staffBy UPDATED:00:00 GMT, 22 December 2002FASHION group Burberry is axing a quarter of the British workforce that makes its famous check cloth. It is the clearest signal yet that its no-nonsense chief executive Rose Marie Bravo is distancing herself from the beige, red, black and white plaid that has been Burberry's trademark for decades. Twenty-four staff at Burberry's factories in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and Keighley, West Yorkshire, are being made redundant and there is speculation that the two sites may be merged. Much of Burberry's manufacturing has already been moved abroad. Burberry's stock market flotation in July was seen as a bold move at a time when many other luxury brands were suffering. Investors expressed concern that the fickle world of fashion would soon turn against the Burberry check, which has graced everything from bikinis to raincoats and famously even 'It girl' Tamara Beckwith's dog. Bravo, who joined the company in 1997 when it was a subsidiary of mail order giant GUS, has already axed many of the brand's licensees and wholesalers. Sales have more than doubled to 500m in the past three years. However, the Burberry check has been a growing area of concern. Though clever designs and a bold advertising campaign by fashion photographer Mario Testino briefly revitalised the check, its popularity was recognised as fleeting. And as soon as it became the chosen uniform of some football fans, it was dropped by the fashion elite. The check still accounts for 26% of Burberry's business, but Bravo has tried to move the brand on by creating a 'Burberry stripe'. Shares in the firm, which is still 75% owned by GUS, closed on Friday 3p below its flotation price of 230p, valuing the business at 1.1bn. Burberry to defy 'chav effect'By UPDATED:07:38 GMT, 13 April 2005LUXURY goods group Burberry will beat profits expectations this year despite sluggish trading in Britain, where its trademark check pattern is a badge of honour among 'chavs'. Total sales for the second half, to 31 March, rose 6% on an underlying basis and retail sales were up by the same amount. On the wholesale side, the increase was 5%. Describing the figures as 'solid', chief executive Rose Marie Bravo said she expects profits of at least 162m for the year, against expectations of 160m. She added: 'We continue to be encouraged by the vitality of the Burberry brand and the opportunities it presents.'More new stores are in the pipeline, including outlets in Naples, Florida, San Antonio, San Diego and Atlantic City. In Europe, a new shop will be opened in Madrid. Burberry is two-thirds owned by Argos-to-Homebase retailer GUS. It said in January that its UK business had suffered from a lower number of United States tourists visiting London due to the strength of sterling against the greenback.It also said the so-called 'chav' factor 'probably had not helped' the previously upmarket brand's UK performance. However, it downplayed their impact on its business, saying the UK accounted for less than 10% of the group's worldwide sales.It said its fourth-quarter retail performance had been consistent with that of the third quarter.In its US business, as a result of a muted consumer response to early spring women's fashion styles and significant store refurbishment activity, sales growth was driven by extra store space.Burberry to open in MoscowBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 13 October 2003LUXURY goods group Burberry, famous for its raincoats and plaid check patterns, is to open its first store in Russia, chief executive Rose Marie Bravo said.News of the Moscow store came as the group reported better-than-expected sales for the first half, with underlying revenues jumping 16%.Bravo said the group had traded strongly in the six months to 30 September, as the improved conditions of the first quarter continued. It did particularly well in the United States.'Our retail investment, geographic expansion and product development strategies continue to deliver excellent results. With this performance, Burberry's trading is clearly in line with market expectations for the financial year.'Most analysts expect the group to push full year profits ahead from 85m to 128m.Total sales for the six months were up 17%, while underlying retail sales jumped 20% and now account for around a third of the group total.Growth was driven by new stores, with only a 'marginal' contribution from existing outlets. While the US performed well, there were 'varying degrees of recovery' in other markets.Three new stores were opened during the period, in Milan, in Virginia and a second store in Las Vegas. The group remains on schedule to open six new outlets in the second half.The Moscow store, which will be 5,000 square feet, is scheduled to open early next year and will be operated by a third party.On the wholesale side, sales rose by 14%, driven by double-digit gains for the autumn/winter season. Burberry trench biscuit, anyone? The afternoon tea treats inspired by the latest fashion trendsBy UPDATED:00:55 GMT, 19 December 2009Recession or no recession, new designer clothes each season were always out of our price range. Thank goodness then for the wittily-named Pret-à-Portea at The Berkeley, which features cakes and biscuits inspired by the latest collections as part of its afternoon tea. For a snip of the price of the real thing, you can dine on Dior macaroons and Matthew Williamson mousse in the hotel's deliciously-named Caramel Room.Louis Vuitton bunny ears (à la Madonna) feature in this season's collection, as well as Roger Vivier thigh-high boots complete with signature buckle and concave heel. And we adore Mulberry's coveted leopard-print tote, recreated in delicious coconut and white chocolate.Plus, to celebrate Burberry's return to the London catwalk in September, the talented pastry chefs even created a cinnamon trench coat biscuit.To complete the experience, the stylish confections are served up on Paul Smith china, and Champagne is served in Baccarat crystal flutes.It's a truly fashionable experience, but if the winter chill has deterred you from leaving the house, we've got two Pret-à-Portea recipes exclusively for MailOnline readers. CINNAMON BURBERRY TRENCH BISCUITMAKES 20-25 BISCUITSINGREDIENTSMETHODMix the butter with icing sugar, add the flour and cinnamon, followed by the egg whites and melted butter. Put in the fridge to rest for one hour. With a rolling pin, roll it down to ½cm thick and cut into trench coat shapes.Bake in the oven at 180C for approximately 8 minutes. Use two different colours of icing to create the design.TIP: Start with a line of icing on the contour of the coat, let it dry slightly and fill in the middle part. Let it dry completely before adding details like buttons.WHITE CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT MULBERRY HANDBAGMAKES 20-25 CAKESINGREDIENTSFOR THE GANACHEFOR THE MODELLING MARZIPANMETHODFor the ganache, bring the cream to the boil and pour on the chopped white chocolate.Let it cool to 35C then add the soft butter and Grand Marnier. Fold in the toasted coconut and pour on a tray to cool down and become solid. Cut into handbag-sized rectangles.Mix all the ingredients for the modelling marzipan together. Let it rest for 1-2 hours then roll very thin. Cut into a cross shape large enough to put your white chocolate and coconut ganache piece in the centre.Fold the sides of the marzipan 'cross' around the ganache, with the uppermost piece last.Roll a small piece of marzipan for the handle and use edible gold leaf for the clasp. Burberry turns fans' love into 'likes' as it beats Dior to become Facebook's most popular fashion brand By PUBLISHED:20:29 GMT, 19 March 2012 UPDATED:12:00 GMT, 20 March 2012Burberry has taken the lead as Facebook's highest fashion label recipient of post 'likes', surpassing previous leader, Dior.According to market research conducted by , just 18 posts on the British label's page in February, generated 138,537 'likes'. Dior, which was the second most popular fashion brand, generated 118,387 for the same period.Also in the top ten were Coach, Louis Vuitton, Armani and Dolce Gabbana as well as the lesser-known label Yepme which made a surprise entry in the ranking.Butit is the ongoing popularity of streetwear brands like Converse which continue to surprise fashionistas. Fellow footwear brand DC Shoes also made the top ten as well as Nike Football.It was Converse, though, that has the most popular Facebook page (rather than posts), with a mammoth 22.9million page likes. Burberry, by contrast, has just over 11million.It shows how luxury brands are being outdoneby the sportier labels when it comes to page 'likes'. Adidas has 13.2million page likes, making it the second most popular Facebook brand. Nike Football has more than 11million and Puma has just under 7million. Burberry's heightened Facebook presence may be thanks to the label's newest advertising campaign, starring It model Cara Delevingne and British actor Eddie Redmayne, and shot by famed celebrity snapper Mario Testino. It has also more than doubledits activity on the site since January, when it generated just 61,000 post likes.Burberry was also active in the lead up to London Fashion Week,which was staged mid-February. The brand featured preparation updates for its Fall 2012 women's wear collection on Facebook, and also streameda recording of the show. Froma marketing perspective, Facebook post likes are a valuable marketing tool. If a Facebook user chooses to 'like' a brand's content, it demonstrates first-hand approval. Gemma Craven, Head of New York said 'liking' something online can translate to actual sales. 'Brands such as Burberry have realised theres a new customer journey - one that is defined by the increasing impact our social networks have on our purchase decisions,' she said.It is becoming increasingly common for fashion brands to look to Facebook as an indication of product likeability.'The business case for being on Facebook is clear,' said Miss Craven. 'Recent numbers show 60per cent of Facebook fans are more likely to recommend brands they follow.'However, Burberry's current success is undeniable. The label's London Fashion Week showing for Fall 2012 was well-received by critics. Style icons Kate Bosworth and Rosie Huntington-Whitely were both seated front row.As for the show itself, the theatrics seemed endless. Staged inside a glass tent, faux rain poured in an extremely life-like fashion down the side of the glass walls.And elsewhere in the web-sphere, Burberry maintains a popular Twitter feed. Followed by more than 853,000 users, it has been reported that the brand relies on divvying up its exclusive content between social media platforms, to attract optimal fans.Burberry hold star-studded party to launch luxury new watch collection - accompanied by slick Mario Testino campaign By PUBLISHED:15:46 GMT, 3 October 2012 UPDATED:16:13 GMT, 3 October 2012Continuing with his plot for world domination, or at least fashion world domination, Burberry's Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey has launched his first collection of super-luxe automatic watches. The Britain is a range of slick timepieces created to celebrate 156 years of the brand - harnessing all the core elements that are the essence of Burberry: history, craftsmanship, and quality. The collection was launched with a stellar party at the new Burberry flagship at 121 Regent Street - 44,000sq ft of prime fashion real estate that has a hydraulic stage and concert-quality sound system. And that sounds system certainly got tested to its limits last night, as a host of young, beautiful Brits gathered to pay homage to Bailey's latest baby.Olympic gold medal winner Victoria Pendleton rubbed Burberry-clad shoulders with homegrown actors Olivia Grant and Gemma Chan, and singer Ren Harvieu, who performed at the event. Stars of the current Mario Testino-lensed watch campaign were in attendance - actress Gabriella Wilde, who is currently shooting a remake of the horror film Carrie in Los Angeles, musician Rob Pryor and art dealer Harry Scrymgeour.Musician Roo Panes, who composed the track for the autumn/winter campaign, again shot by Testino, was also there in his Burberry best.'The Britain is the embodiment of our rich, British heritage and all our inspirations,' Christopher Bailey said of the timepiece collection.'It is a very personal project that we have been working on for a long time The Britain is this powerful balance of modernity and tradition, mixing strong attitude and innovative design with craftsmanship and timeless quality.' Burberry warmed by rising revenuesBy UPDATED:15:25 GMT, 13 October 2010High street retail was warmed by news that fashion house Burberry revealed a 21% rise in half-year revenues as customers snapped up coats and leather goods. The company, which took centre stage at the recent London Fashion Week, said it continued to build momentum with strong performances in markets including Hong Kong, the UK, Italy and France.It is also targeting more of the Chinese market after recently agreeing a £70m deal to buy out its franchise partner in the country.The company's retail division posted sales growth of 22% in the second quarter, up from 16% in the first quarter after the addition of new space and the transfer of the Chinese operations.Same-store sales rose 8% in the quarter, down from 10% in the previous three months, with outerwear and large leather goods accounting for half the growth. Shoes, childrenswear and its Prorsum collection also did well.Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts said the company expected profits for the full year to be in the top half of market expectations, adding that new products, online and customer service initiatives and the Chinese expansion were helping to underpin confidence. However Nick Raynor, investment advisor at The Share Centre, was unconvinced about the figures as Burberry did report that sales were slowing.  'Although Burberry cautiousness is understandable in the current climate, we feel that bid speculation is keeping the share price above 1,000p and current figures are not backing up the share price.  'We therefore downgrade Burberry to a sell.'This afternoon its shares are down 27p or 2.6% to 1,012p.Burberry, Argos good for GUSBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 11 October 2000Burberry, one of the most globally venerated names in British fashion, has hitched up its plaid skirts and is dashing for growth. In a first-half trading update, parent Great Universal Stores reported that Burberry sales have leapt 38% at constant exchange rates, with wholesale orders for next spring pointing to more growth in the pipeline. 'Particularly pleasing is how widespread the gains are,' said GUS finance director David Tyler, 'extending to Asia and the US, and from womenswear into men's and accessories such as handbags and ties'. The glitterati were clinking glasses to celebrate the launch of the new flagship store in London's New Bond Street. Another big store will open in Tokyo in December, and Burberry is doubling the size of its New York store. The other big success has been Argos where, as with Burberry, new GUS chief executive John Peace has shaken up the management. Like-for-like Argos sales were up 11% in the half-year to end-September, led by sales of furniture and mobile phones. Analysts, concerned by a 16% sales slump in South Africa, are holding full-year profit forecasts at 470m. Burberry's Body: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley unveils Brit label's new fragrance By UPDATED:14:57 GMT, 1 September 2011After single-handedly turning the trench coat into a wardrobe staple, it seems Burberry's influence on fashion is going from strength to strength. So it was only a matter of time before the British label unveiled a new fragrance.And with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the face of the scent, it won't be long before thousands of bottles of Body are flying off the shelves.The supermodel features in the new campaign to promote the range, wearing nothing but a gold trench - and a few drops of the scent of course.Shot by Mario Testino under the direction of Cheif Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, the campaign will be shown online and on TV and Burberry Body will be available in over 160 markets from tomorrow.The scent has so far featured on Facebook, giving users a chance to preview the scent.The page has had a staggering 8 million 'likes' as the brand continues to push the boundaries of digital media.It was the first high-end label to stream its shows live during Fashion Week - setting a new precedent.Bailey said: 'Burberry Body is the most exciting launch that we have ever created and captures the iconic spirit of the brand today in a striking and sensual way. The supermodel wears nothing but a trench - and drop of Burberry Body'Rosie's effortless style and her staggering beauty made her the natural choice as the first Burberry Body.'The Transformers actress, who has also been busy starring in the new MS campaign, was announced as the face of Burberry in 2010.She said: 'Itsa huge honour to be working with Burberry again, a brand that put my career on the map and helped launch me. To be asked to be the first 'Burberry Body' is an amazing compliment.'CLICK PLAY TO WATCH THE BURBERRY BODY COMMERCIAL...CLICK PLAY TO WATCH BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE OF ROSIE...Burberry's distinguished decade as luxury fashion brand goes from strength to strength By PUBLISHED:21:00 GMT, 19 July 2012 UPDATED:21:00 GMT, 19 July 2012Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts opened trading at the London Stock Exchange yesterday, ten years after the luxury fashion brand first listed on the bourse, and capping a decade of outstanding growth.Over that time Burberry has grown into a fashion powerhouse, using its English heritage to generate sales in Asia, the Middle East and the US.When Burberry first listed on the LSE in July 2002 at 230p, its market capitalisation was £1.2bn. Yesterday the shares closed up 57p at 1289p, a 460 per cent increase since it floated, giving the fashion house a stock market worth of £5.6bn larger than MS.Ahrendts, pictured centre, said the last ten years were a remarkable chapter for the business that was formed in 1856.Burberryfinance director Stacey Cartwright received stock worth £1.7m as part of a reward scheme dating back to 2009. She sold shares worth £1.5m. After buying stock worth £456,000, she was also gifted shares worth £1.9m. Burberry's fashion hothouse: Young talent stars in spring campaign By UPDATED:17:02 GMT, 10 December 2008 Winning a place in the Burberry advertising campaign is a little like winning the X Factor. The unknowns who are cast in it often go on to great things, such is the exposure from one of the most prestigious gigs in the fashion business. There is no better indication of who will make it big. And according to Burberry's spring 2009 campaign, pictured above, it could well be Eden Clarke. It is only 18 months since the 19-year-old was spotted at a festival on her native Isle of Wight but she was on the cover of last month's British Vogue with new Model of the Year Jourdan Dunn and is now with a quintessentially British brand that has boosted the likes of Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Joining her in the Burberry line-up is 18-year-old Alexina Graham - the Nottingham teenager got her break after winning a modelling competition. Lily Donaldson, 20 - discovered in Camden market - is in her eighth season with the brand.Also photographed are 19-year-old George Craig, from Yorkshire band One Night Only, and Tooting photographer Emily Hope, 23.Photographed by Mario Testino in a Richmond greenhouse, the campaign sees Burberry revert to basics. "This reflects the true heritage of Burberry outerwear, the iconic check and our British attitude," said brand creative director Christopher Bailey. "I wanted the mood to be gentle, relaxed, romantic and about a quiet, beautiful sense of luxury." Alexina Graham, George Craig, Eden Clarke and Donaldson in outfits marking a return to the brand's heritage as a designer of outerwear the fashion business The walk-in website for fashionistas: Burberrys hi-tech new superstore opens in London's West End ahead of Fashion Week By PUBLISHED:13:32 GMT, 13 September 2012 UPDATED:14:34 GMT, 13 September 2012As the global fashion pack move from New York to London tomorrow all eyes are on our capital city.With this in mind, classic British brand Burberry have pulled out all the stops to revamp their flagship store.The existing store on Regent Street has undergone a fashion fabulous facelift and has been turned in to a walk-in website, mirroring the label's fashion forward digital world and offering a totally new shopping experience for the West End. Just in time for this season's biggest fashion show, the label has created 'Burberry World Live' which has been designed to mirror their website.It boasts nearly 500 speakers and 100 screens and notes to accompany the store launch describe it as merging fashion with technology and having many functions: serving as both and events space and innovation hub ... meaning that shoppers can expect exciting digital add-ons like virtual rain showers and mirrors transforming into runways while they browse the beautiful trench coats. There will be musical talent on display too with the launch of Burberry Acoustic: a live stage hosting creative talent.And for those of us not lucky enough to join celebrities and fashionistas at the shows, satellite technology means that fashion fans can experience live streamed events direct from the store. The store itself is rich in history. Constructed in 1820 for the Prince Regent, the building has housed galleries, a cinema, livery stables and a radio broadcaster over the course of 200 years. 'Burberry Regent Street brings our digital world to life in a physical space for the first time, where customers can experience every facet of the brand through immersive multimedia content exactly as they do online. 'Walking through the doors is just like walking into our website. It is Burberry World Live.We call Burberry a young, old company: forever moving forward while never forgetting our 156-year heritage. The fusion of history and innovation in Burberry Regent Street is the brands most comprehensive creative and commercial expression,' said Angela Ahrendts, Burberry Chief Executive Officer. Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer added: 'We are so excited to launch Burberry World Live at our new Regent Street flagship, bringing our physical and digital worlds together to create amazing experiences that encompass everything from fashion, to heritage, to music, to the Burberry Foundation.Burberry Regent Street is one of the most architecturally and culturally significant projects we have undertaken. In renovating this iconic London building we have worked with some of the UKs finest craftsmen to restore a wealth of historic features, at the same time as pushing the boundaries of digital technology. Theresult is a space defined by contrasts: at once imposing and intimate, its juxtaposition of craft and innovation is designed to delight, surprise and entertain. It is a reflection of how we approach everything at Burberry - revealing the different layers of the brand's heritage within a modern context, and forever celebrating design and expert craftsmanship.' Feel like you are on the front row for Burberry's London Fashion Week show as it's streamed live on the FEMAIL channel By PUBLISHED:12:56 GMT, 17 September 2012 UPDATED:13:56 GMT, 17 September 2012Fashionistas don't need to worry if they haven't been able to get a ticket to Burberry's London Fashion Week show. The British brand are harnessing the latest technology to stream their Prorsum Spring/Summer 13 show live so fans around the world can tune in to view the catwalk display where ever they are. The show will be streamed as it happens via their website from 4pm and you can also view it at the.Scroll down to watch teaser... Burberry's new collection will be previewed by more than 1500 guests at the brand's custom-built show venue in London's Hyde Park. A host of celebs are expected to be on the front row and you can see them arriving for the anticipated event before the catwalk show begins via the live stream.Fashionistas will have more access to the show than ever before via their mobiles as they will be able to connect to the show via Facebook and Twitter for exclusive content and share what they like with friends. Guests at Burberry's recently re-opened flagship store in London's Regent Street will also be able to feel like they are at the event by experiencing it live from 'Burberry World'.The show will be streamed simultaneously onto the tallest retail screen in the world at their West End store.The Hyde Park, Regent Street store and social media show experiences will be linked via an advanced social stream, integrating real time content from the London events, Facebook, Twitter andInstagram. Burberry say their aim is to 'blur the physical and digital' by bringing all the facets of their live show to a global audience via their personalised cross channel viewing experience.Guests at over 35 Burberry Retail Theatre events and those watching through Burberry World will then be able to purchase the runway collection exclusively for one week immediately after the show, before the products go on sale globally eight weeks later.To watch the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 13 show from 4pm click to visit the.See the show teaser here... Burberry's profits boosted to £196million as rich Texans and Arabs buy their wives handbags and shoesBy Last updated at 2:02 PM on 28th May 2008 Cool Britannia: The Spring Summer 2008 advertising campaign by Mario Testino, featuring Agnes Deyn, has helped boost Burberry's sales by 25 per cent. Picture by Testino/Burberry Burberry, the British fashion house with an American chief executive, unveiled a credit crunch-defying jump in sales and profits today as wealthy women across the globe continued to shop with abandon.Burberry - famous for its trademark check design - said wholesale revenue doubled from markets such as China, the Middle East and Russia, while North America underlying sales rose 26 per cent.The luxury handbags, belts and clothing group enjoyed a 25 per cent jump in profits to £196million on the back of a 17 per cent rise in revenue to £995million for the year ending in March.Angela Ahrendts, approaching the end of her second year at the helm, insists Burberry has much further to grow, especially in markets such as Russia where rivals LVMH and others have more exposure. 'Compared to our luxury peers, we are significantly under-penetrated,' she said. 'It will be quite a few years before those markets are tapped out.'Burberry has been around since 1856, and continues to promote itself as a luxury brand with a particularly British sensibility. But it is a global concern now, and its iconic West End store is merely the UK flagship. Although much of the retail sector is struggling of late, the luxury end has so far not suffered from the downturn.Finance director Stacey Cartwright said: 'Our luxury positioning gives us some insulation, but we are not saying we are completely immune.'The problem for all luxury businesses is how to grow while retaining an exclusive feel. Until Ahrendts arrived, Burberry was opening five new stores a year at best. Now it is more like 15. Although the statement warned about "an external environment that became increasingly challenging during the second half", Ahrendts sees no reason to slow down.The debt on the balance sheet fell by £25million to £64million, although this figure is expected to rise next year.Burberry tended in the past to be run as a series of fiefdoms, with businesses in different countries pursuing their own designs and developing their own supply chains.Ahrendts has been working on turning Burberry into a single company with common advertising.This is probably an attempt to take greater control of the brand and avoid past mistakes that for a while saw Burberry associated with Essex girls - a temporary boon to sales that was a potential long-term disaster.The most recent marketing gambit has focused on the film of Sex and the City - Burberry is one of the brands favoured by the character played by Sarah Jessica Parker. New product lines in the works include luggage, while shoes and childrenswear are just starting out. The dividend is up 14 per cent to 12p. The shares have fallen sharply from a year high of 707p, but today put on 11/2p to 5081/2p. That values the company at about £2 billion. Forget the It bag: Male satchels boosts Burberry's sales by 27%By UPDATED:14:34 GMT, 19 January 2011Forget the It-bag, it's now the man bag helping fashion brands boost profits.Burberry has reported a 27 per cent rise in sales in part due to the trendy piece.And it seems the item made a popular gift choice in the run up to Christmas.The totes, selling for between £295 and £895, have proved particularly popular with Chinese and Asian shoppers.Chief financial officer Stacey Cartwright said: 'In China and the rest of Asia where Burberry has a big fan base mens accessories are a huge market'.The latest menswear collection features brightly-coloured bags with Sixties-style duffel coats and transparent ponchos and was unveiled in Milan on Saturday. Total sales in the three months to the end of December hit £480 million, meaning Burberry expects annual profits to come in at the top end of City forecasts.Analysts are pencilling in pre-tax profits of almost £290 million for the 12 months to the end of March. Cartwright said its stores in the UK and on the east coast of the US suffered during the snow, but she was 'delighted' with the performance of Londons stores where almost a third of customers come from China. Shoppers from the Middle East, Russia, the rest of Europe and Brazil also helped to drive up sales. The luxury brand with a chequered past, Burberry's shaken off its chav image to become the fashionistas' favourite once more Last updated at 9:17 AM on 02nd June 2008 Profitable fashion. It's a difficult balancing act, one only a handful of labels have been able to achieve: how to keep your brand exclusive and cutting-edge, but at the same time shift enough of your product to keep the accountants happy.Make your brand too famous and it will inevitably fall into the wrong hands, ensuring your high-end customers - always in search of the Next Big Thing - desert you in droves.Become too niche, and while the girls who worship Vogue might hanker after you, the rich wives of Russian oligarchs will turn up their newly chiselled noses. In the late Nineties, Burberry , once a staid store selling raincoats, decided it wanted a piece of the burgeoning mania for designer labels. It upped its advertising budget and used its trademark check not just as a discreet lining but plastered over absolutely everything. Reinvented classics: Burberry's Spring/Summer 2008 collectionUnfortunately, Burberry became too ubiquitous for comfort, and soon the distinctive house check was adopted as a badge of honour for the newly emerging chav generation. The day that former soap star Daniella Westbrook and her daughter stepped out head to toe in Burberry sounded the death knell for the company's credibility. It had to change, and it had to change fast. News released last week confirms it has done just that. Burberry enjoyed a 25 per cent jump in profits to £196 million on the back of a 17 per cent rise in revenue to £995million for the year ending in March. It is now one of the top five luxury goods brands in the world. It's interesting that the Burberry renaissance has been driven by two canny American businesswomen: Rose Marie Bravo, who left the most prestigious job in fashion - as president of Saks - to head up Burberry in 1998; and Angela Ahrendts, who took over two years ago having cut her teeth at Donna Karan. What the women have in common is that they are both anglophiles who fell in love with the history of the company. Founded in 1856, Burberry dressed not only Sir Ernest Shackleton for his exploration of Antarctica, but also provided Army officers with the raincoats they wore in the trenches of World War I (hence the term 'trench coat') and clothed debutantes in floor-length duchesse satin. The straight-talking Bravo recognised that this unique slice of Englishness could be successfully marketed around the world. In 2001, she hired the down-to-earth Yorkshireman Christopher Bailey to reinvent the label and put the chavs firmly off the scent. Bailey grew up in Halifax, the son of a carpenter and a Marks Spencer windowdresser. His love of fashion came from his grandmothers, who were both seamstresses. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1994, he worked for, among others, Donna Karan and Gucci. One of the first things Bailey did at Burberry was to spend months poring over the archives, before reinventing the classics, fashioning a military jacket out of gold sequins, say, or buttery soft leather. With the younger label Burberry Prorsum (Latin for 'forwards'), he has come up with numerous trends: the balloon sleeve, the cocoonshaped overcoat, the liberal use of metallics and, of course, the trench coat in ever more luxurious fabrics. His collection for winter 2008 includes myriad exquisite variations, covering the simple trench with tiered feathers and leather leaves; the £3,000 chevron coat has even made it onto the back of Sarah Jessica Parker in the new Sex And movie. And while Bailey, talking about his label's chavdom, is keen not to sound elitist - 'I'm proud we had such a democratic appeal' - he has been instrumental in returning to the brand its coolness, while at the same time sending top-end sales soaring. He was at the forefront of the money-spinning mania for vertiginous shoes (Burberry sold more than 300,000 pairs at more than £300 a pop last year), and for the hugely expensive handbag, fashioned from exotic skins. This spring's Warrior bag, which, despite its £13,000 price tag, sold in its hundreds, added nicely to the bank balance, while its success had a knockon effect: the dizzying height of the Burberry price range enabled the brand to increase the average price of its bags by more than 25 per cent, the resultant buzz helping to push Burberry accessories to make up 31 per cent of total sales. The ad campaigns have been instrumental in the brand's success, too. Shot in black and white by Mario Testino, they look more classically beautiful than ever before, use models who might actually be members of the British aristocracy - such as Stella Tennant, granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire - or merely look as if they are, such as new Brit stars Agyness Deyn and Georgia Frost. It is an inspired conceit. But that is exactly what it is: a conceit. The English countryside, as depicted by Testino, no longer really exists. Nobody in the countryside actually wears this stuff, or carries the new Burberry Beaton bag (only 8 per cent of Burberry sales are in the UK). But it is the illusion that we do that has helped propel the latest sales figures, and enabled Ahrendts to open 15 new stores in developing markets. Burberry continues to trade on its 'Englishness', of course it does. Bailey cites as his inspiration the warmly-coated figures depicted by the artist L. S. Lowry, and says proudly, 'We have two factories in Yorkshire - in Rotherham, which we saved from closure, and Castleford, where we make the iconic rainwear. We still use fabrics from the traditional cloth mills. I love those solid English cloths.' But you wonder how long it will be before Burberry - which closed down its factory in South Wales last year, at the cost of 300 jobs - is forced, or tempted, to move all its production to China. The big challenge for the next few years will not be whether a D-list celebrity has got hold of your clothes, but whether consumers will stomach the poorly-paid worker churning out ever more expensive 'things' that are supposed to remind us of a more gentle, bygone age, all in pursuit of that all-important bottom line. Share this article:Burberrys future isnt so Rosie UPDATED:00:09 GMT, 19 October 2008 Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has been dropped by leading fashion house Burberry following the publication of a picture of her with what appeared to be a drug pipe.Sources close to Rosie, right, who is dating Rolling Stone Ronnie Woods son Tyrone, say she was not approached to appear in the latest Burberry campaign, which was shot last week.Dropped by Burberry: Rosie Huntington Whiteley The snap of 19-year-old Rosie with the pipe was printed by The Mail on Sunday in July.Rosie thought she was doing two or three seasons for Burberry, Im told. But they asked Eden Clark and Alex Pettyfer to do the shoot. Burberry said: The campaign is not finalised. We dont release information until the official launch. Share this article:Celebrity style finder: Where can I find Eva Longoria Parker's dress and Sienna Miller's boots? By UPDATED:11:27 GMT, 20 August 2009From Kate Bosworth's trench and Nicole Richie's jewellery to Alexa Chung's handbag, we show you how to get A-list looks at a fraction of the price.EVA LONGORIA PARKER'S DRESSEver the diva, Eva hit the redcarpet at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles wearing this dazzling,strapless fringed Marchesa dress with an embroidered bodice (£3,300,marchesa.com or net-a-porter.com) a season before it was in the shops. Make a similar statement for a fraction of the price at goddiva.com (£35), which specialises in copying celebrity outfits. SIENNA MILLER'S BOOTSWe love Sienna's laidback boho style, with an edge - and these slouchy, studded brown suede biker boots epitomise her wearable look. We tracked them down to Russell and Bromley (£295, russellandbromley.co.uk). As ankle boots are a trend that's here to stay for autumn we think they're worth investing in, but you can also get cheaper versions in Miss Selfridge and Kurt Geiger for a more affordable £75-£100.ALEXA CHUNG'S BAGWe adore Alexa's power satchel,which glams up even the grungiest outfit and holds everything you couldever need. Alexa's is the Daria satchel from 'It' bag designer labelMulberry and costs £550 (mulberry.com) - if you can get to the front ofthe waiting list, that is. Fortunately, Vanilla Paris does a double-take version in a range of colours from £70 (vanilla-paris.co.uk). NICOLE RICHIE'S NECKLACEKnownfor her quirky retro style, Nicole Richie is never seen without hersignature bold jewellery. You can bag her look with this House ofHarlow gold and resin Triangle necklace (£68, asos.com) which Richiedesigned herself in collaboration with jeweller Mouawad, or find acheaper version at Freedom for Topshop, where chunky necklaces costaround £20. KATE BOSWORTH'S TRENCH COAT If you don't have a trench coat already, trust us, they'll be everywhere come October. Kate Bosworth made sure she wasn't caught out on a wet Manhattan day recently in this dip-dyed Burberry Prorsum trench coat, a modern update on their classic mac. It's an eye-watering £1,195 (burberry.com), but we've seen fantastic trench coats everywhere from Zara to HM (349). If you want one with the checked inside, Topshop has a stylish number for £195. Chav-tastic coat of paint for wacky artist's house turned into Burberry shrineBy UPDATED:17:43 GMT, 19 November 2009Once a symbol for all things chav, Burberry had successfully re-branded itself as one of the UK's most sophisticated fashion labels.But a Norwegian artist looks set to undo all of their hard work after painting the exterior of his house - a former public toilet - in the brand's signature check.Jens Werner, 33, covered the entire building in the famous beige, black and red tartan design. The re-painting of the building in Larvik took several weeks at a cost of thousands of pounds.A gathering place for happy people: Artist Jens Werner painted his house in Burberry's signature beige plaid Fashion house: Mr Werner on the windowledge of his home, which he painted in the famous check because he thought it would be 'a fun idea' The makeover of the property was part of an effort to turn Jens'home into a 'gathering place for happy people, peace-on-earth-mentalityand art-loving people'. He explained how he came up with the idea after waking up onemorning and thought that it would be 'a fun idea' to repaint thebuilding, which he has owned for six years.Burberry, which is over 150 year old, is a favourite with fashion-forward celebrities including Alexa Chung and Agyness Deyn.It became famous for its raincoats after the label was commissionedby the War Office to adapt its officer's coat to suit the conditions ofcontemporary warfare. After the war, the garment became popular withcivilians.The company's signature print, the Haymarket check, becameubiquitous in the Nineties among football hooligans and the new chavgeneration. Fashion forward: Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung and Emma Watson all regularly wear Burberry designsIts popularity sparked thousands of imitations and the print wasreplicated on everything from baseball caps to shoes. The label'sluxury status was dealt its final blow when former EastEnders actressDaniella Westbrook stepped out with her young daughter, bothhead-to-toe in the house tartan, complete with matching buggy.After fighting hard to shake off its unfortunate associations withchav culture the firm has divided the country into three categoriesaccording to how smartly they want to dress.The luxury fashion house has introduced a new tripartite system,splitting glamour queens who opt for silk catwalk dresses from thosemore comfortable in scruffy jeans.It was U.S. businesswoman Rose Marie Bravo who transformed thebrand's image when she joined the company in 1998, spearheading arenaissance that saw the likes of Kate Moss, Rachel Weisz and EmmaWatson star in its advertising campaigns.Mr Werner is not the first to have turned his home into a tribute to a fashion label.Footballer Philip Neville turned his 18th century grade II-listedhome into a Versace-themed palace after he bought it ten years ago.The decor featured gold-panelled ceilings and monogrammed gates sparking widespread ridicule.The property was on the market for a year before selling for £1.5million below its £4million asking price earlier this year.Renaissance: Kate Moss starred in advertising campaigns for Burberry after its re-brand Chequered results for BurberryBy UPDATED:06:00 GMT, 25 May 2005EVEN Burberry's much-loved raincoats are not immune to the retail gloom in Britain, but its Asian stores are growing strongly.Finance director Stacey Cartwright blames a 'lack of US tourists' for an estimated 5% drop in underlying sales in the UK in the fourth quarter.The retailer said group profits before tax rose from 140m to 164m in the year to March. Gross margins improved from 57.9% to 59.3%. Turnover rose 6% to 715m.China and Hong Kong now account for 6% of sales and are growing at more than 30% a year, though analysts fear progress could be slow in Burberry's more established markets. Accessories are growing strongly, thanks to new Candy and Bluebell handbags - a modern version of the traditional trademark check. Cartwright reckons the next big seller will be the new Haymarket range.Investors were rewarded with a 50% jump in the final dividend to 4.5p. But concerns that majority shareholder GUS may sell some of its shares are hanging over the stock.Burberry also unveiled plans to spend 50m over the next three years to upgrade its computer and supply systems. Cartwright says: 'This will enable us to spot global trends that much faster.' China helps Burberry to 32% revenue growthBy UPDATED:09:48 GMT, 19 April 2011No hard-up retail story from Burberry as it plans to expand store space by more than 10% following a bumper finish to its financial year.Reporting a 32% surge in revenues to £390m in the three months to March, the fashion house predicted full-year profits would ring in at the top end of expectations.The 155-year-old maker of raincoats and handbags best known for its camel, red and black check, said it would increase store space by 12% to 13% by March next year, mainly in China, Latin America and the Middle East.Burberry and the luxury sector has experienced a more rapid recovery than the rest of the retail sector, driven by demand from Chinese shoppers and tourists.Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive, said: 'Burberry had good early progress in China.'While the luxury industry faces global challenges in the year ahead, we remain confident in our team's ability to outperform, underpinned by the consistent execution of our key strategies.'The group said retail revenues were up 42% to £596m in the six months to March, while wholesale revenues gained 14% to £214m in the same period. Retail growth was driven by its new stores in China, but all regions experienced double-digit growth. It said its Burberry Prorsum and Burberry London brands outperformed. The company opened seven stores in the final six months of the year, in New York, Milan, Beijing and Shenzhen in China, Delhi, Sao Paulo and Puebla in Mexico. Wholesale revenues were similarly driven by a surge in sales in China, but the Americas and Asia Pacific also outperformed.The company's licensing division saw revenues decline 5% to £50m, but this was in line with expectations, as growth was offset by the planned termination of the Japanese leather goods licence in 2010. It warned licensing revenues in Japan, where a licensed dealer sells Burberry goods to about 800 outlets, would be broadly flat throughout the year.Shares in the FTSE 100-listed company gained 67p (5.8%) to 1,213p after today's update.Katharine Wynne, an analyst at brokers Investec, said Burberry's expectations of full-year profits to March 2011 at the top end of expectations implies a figure of £290m.Ms Wynne added there was also scope to revise upwards its forecast for the year to March 2012.China's passion for British fashion sees Burberry sales soar By PUBLISHED:20:26 GMT, 14 April 2012 UPDATED:10:10 GMT, 15 April 2012British luxury giant Burberry will reveal this week that sales have soared over the past six months as more wealthy Chinese buy the brand. The popularity of the label with shoppers at the fast-growing number of luxury department stores in the country and its promotion by actresses such as Fan Bingbing meant global sales rose by nearly a fifth to more than £1billion in the six months to the end of March.Chinese and Russian tourists across Europe have also helped lift sales nearer to home, Burberry will report on Tuesday. Global Blue, which tracks spending bytourists from outside Europe, said the number of purchases by Chinese visitors to Britain rose 35 per cent in the first three months of the year compared with the first quarter of 2011.And the value of each transaction for which they claimed back VAT rose 20 per cent to £747.Young tourists are coming to Britainto buy designer labels. They are also looking for products that wont be available in China so they can stand out from the crowd when they gethome, said a spokeswoman for Global Blue, which will also publish figures this week. China now accounts for a fifth of non-European shopping in the UK and was second only to the Middle East in the first quarter. Chinese customers' demand fuel Burberry boom By UPDATED:01:38 GMT, 17 November 2010Burberry is the latest fashion retailer to record a boom in half-year profits following a surge in demand from Chinese customers. The retailer, famous for its camel, red and black checked raincoats, pictured, has benefited from the same increased consumer confidence that lifted Cartier owner Richemont last week and rival French fashion house LVMH. Chief executive Angela Ahrendts unveiled better-than-expected profits for the first half of £117.7million, up from £78.4million, on sales of £641million. The business has net cash of £181million and Ahrendts hiked the interim dividend from 3.5p to 5p. She said the star performer of the first half has been leather handbags. Burberry (down 16p to 1004p) has been focused on driving sales of accessories so the firm is not so dependent on high-fashion items.Customers have snapped up its range of heritage handbags that will not be changed with the trends of the season, which will underpin its offering. Finance director Stacey Cartwright said Burberry will absorb any hikes in the cost of raw materials. Chinese demand boosts Burberry salesBy UPDATED:21:41 GMT, 13 October 2010A surge in demand for Burberry's iconic trenchcoats among wealthy Chinese tourists helped boost half-year sales at the upmarket retail chain. The fashion group shrugged off the downturn to post a 17 per cent rise in underlying group sales for the six months to 30 September at a time when many of its High Street rivals are struggling to woo customers. Finance boss Stacey Cartwright said performance at its network of 50 stores in China was particularly strong along with a pick-up in demand from fashionconscious Chinese men, like Hong Kong actor and popstar Eason Chan. Revenues in the past quarter rose 12 per cent to £359million, up from£282million in the previous three months, prompting the firm to say profits would be at the top half of expectations. But its shares fell 31p to 1008p on disappointment that the firm did not lift its forecast even further. Cartwright was upbeat on future trading saying Burberry would not be affected by a spike in cotton prices. CITY DIARY: Retail sector under the spotlight By PUBLISHED:14:46 GMT, 18 May 2012 UPDATED:14:46 GMT, 18 May 2012The retail sector will come under the spotlight this week when Marks Spencer, ASOS, Mothercare and Burberry will update on how they are coping in tough economic conditions.Monday Ryanair will publish its final year results. TuesdayHigh street bellwether Marks Spencer will suffer its first fall in annual profits for three years as the squeeze in its customers living standards hits home. Profits had smashed through the £1billion barrier for the first time in a decade in 2008 but the financial crisis hurt shoppers and heralded an era of fierce discounting on the high street. In that time, the UKs biggest clothes retailer has come under pressure from the success of budget retailer Primark, while Next has grown sales online to make up for a fall in store sales. And its food sales are competing against fierce discounting in the supermarkets, prompting it to launch a new 500-strong Simply MS value range to appeal to austerity Britain. The group, which has more than 700 stores in the UK, will report a 3 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to £694million in the year to the end of March, according to City forecasts. Like-for-like sales of general merchandise are expected to have fallen by about 1.7 per cent in the year, but food sales have put in a much stronger performance, with margins set to have grown slightly. Booming demand for mobile internet access in the UK and strong growth in emerging markets will help Vodafone weather the financial storm in southern Europe. The mobile phone giants shares approached their pre-financial crisis peaks in early 2012 but have weakened in recent months amid fears that its stellar growth is beginning to slow. The Newbury-based firms performance has been hit by recessions in Spain and Italy, while the fees it can charge for connecting mobile calls are being reduced in markets such as the UK.These effects are offsetting gains from its rapid growth in India and Turkey, and from growing demand for data as people use smartphones to get online. Wednesday Angela Ahrendts star will continue to shine when luxury goods group Burberry reports that profits have risen by a quarter. The brand, famous for its red, black and camel-coloured check design, has remained resilient in the face of the worsening global economy, helped by strong demand in key markets including the UK, France and China. Under the leadership of chief executive Ms Ahrendts and creative director Christopher Bailey, the group has tapped into demand from well-heeled travellers for high-end British fashion.Burberry recently allayed fears that the slowdown in China would hurt its growth when it reported that sales from its retail estate, which includes 192 shops and 208 concessions, rose 23 per cent to £743million in the six months to March 31. As well as sales of traditional Burberry favourites such as jackets and handbags, the company reported strong growth in knitwear, mens tailoring and accessories, fragrances and watches.The City expects profits for the year of about £376million, compared to £298million a year ago.ThursdayMore details on the rescue plan for Mothercares UK operation will be unveiled when new chief executive Simon Calver presents full-year results. Mr Calver joined Mothercare at the end of April from internet movie rental company Lovefilm and is expected to endorse the transformation strategy announced by executive chairman Alan Parker last month. Alongside a drive for more online business and continued overseas expansion, Mr Parker revealed plans to cut the number of stores in the UK from 311 to a core 200 profitable stores by 2015. It follows months of weak trade, including a 9.5 per cent drop in like-for-like sales in the 12 weeks to March 31. Panmure Gordon stockbrokers analyst Jean Roche said annual profits were likely to dwindle to just £1.1million, driven by the impact of competition from supermarkets, specialist chains and Amazon. Asos will shrug off fears about its growth when it reports a 40 per cent rise in profits to £40.3million in the year to the end of March - in-line with City expectations - helped by margin improvements. Sales are expected to rise 46 per cent to £495million in the year, after it continued to expand its reach overseas with new websites in Spain, Italy and Australia. The group, which also sells fashion favourites such as River Island, American Apparel and Ralph Lauren, is expected to repeat that it is on-track to hit its target of growing sales to £1billion by 2015. The companys website now attracts 18.5million unique visitors a month and has some seven million registered users from 191 countries. Retail sales and adjusted GDP figures will be published along with BBA Mortgage Approvals data. Friday No major economic or corporate news is scheduled. City news in brief: Burberry, AmecBy UPDATED:07:27 GMT, 16 October 2009A roundup of the shorter news stories from the Financial Mail on Sunday...Burberry magic is still aliveStill basking in the glow of its success at London Fashion Week last month, Burberry is this week expected to show that it continues to steal luxury market share from rivals, even though like-forlike sales are likely to be flat.Analysts at investment bank Nomura say the brand should post a solid performance on Wednesday for the three months to the end of September.The label took London by storm with its catwalk show, where guests of honour included Emma Watson, the Harry Potter star and Burberry model.Jenks owners sued for debtA former marketing director of Abbey bank is being sued for £150,000 after his sales and marketing company went into administration earlier this year.Ambrose McGinn is being sued, along with Ross Beattie, after their business, Jenks Sales Brokers, went bust in May owing more than £10m.The directors, who each owned 50 per cent of the company, are being sued by Venture Finance, a factoring company that helps businesses manage and collect debts.According to a High Court writ filed last month, Venture Finance claims its is owed £10.4m by Jenks.It also claims that Beattie and McGinn had signed guarantees making them personally responsible for £150,000 each of the company debts to Venture.Jenks acted for leading High Street brands in their dealings with supermarkets. Clients included Mars and DelMonte.Profits warnings halved over yearThe number of companies issuing a profits warning has halved in the past year, but could rise again sharply if they become overconfident, according to accountant Ernst & Young.Its survey of profits alerts published this weekend showed 52 UK quoted companies issued a warning in the three months to the end of September, down from 111 in the same period last year.But the authors said the drop was not necessarily a sign that the economy was bouncing.Companies may have become more realistic in their forecasts after last year's financial shock.Government lending schemes and low interest rates were also providing a short-term lift, it suggested.The drop was limited to those companies with a turnover of £1bn or more.Landing craft could net shipbuilders 30 ordersIt is a bizarre mixture of catamaran and hovercraft, but a contract for a high-tech military vessel could mean multi-million pound orders for its maker, Griffon Hoverwork.The £6m craft, called the Pascat, which is undergoing trials for the Ministry of Defence, can travel at twice the speed of similar craft and carry twice the payload for a vessel of its size.The trial vessel, destined for use by the Royal Marines, has been bought by defence group QinetiQ on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.If the trials are successful, orders could be placed for 30 more.Griffon, based in Woolston, Hampshire, is leading a team made up of Aluminium Shipbuilders, BMT Nigel Gee and BMT Marine Projects to build the Pascat.The trial vessel, which took 18 months to build, is designed to offload a number of armoured vehicles and troops in waters as shallow as 2ft thanks to its hovercraft capability.The Pascat is powered by twin waterjets, driven by diesel engines, which lets the craft travel at speeds of up to 25 knots.A decision on orders will be made 'within months', said a QinetiQ spokesman.Amec joins India's drive for reactorsEngineering and project management group Amec has joined forced with Hindustan Construction, one of India's biggest construction firms, to spearhead a multi-billion-pound nuclear building programme.The two have signed a memorandum of understanding that will harness Amec's nuclear expertise to design and provide safety systems for nuclear power stations.The agreement follows India's announcement of plans to build hundreds of reactors over the next 40 years as it starts to bridge the energy gap and replace oil and coalfired power plants. At present, 400m people in India have no electricity and the country is dependent on oil for most energy needs.The country plans to boost its nuclear output 100-fold.Amec is involved with French energy giant EDF in Britain's nuclear power plant programme. TV football row grows for OfcomThe premier League has told media regulator Ofcom that the proposal to force BSkyB to offer its top-flight football and film rights to rivals at regulated prices is a mistake.Ofcom said earlier this year it wanted the pay-TV satellite broadcaster to offer its premium services on a regulated wholesale basis to rivals to 'ensure consumers have an increased choice of supplier and platform'.BSkyB has owned most of the rights to live Premier League matches since the league's foundation in 1992 and paid £1.8bn for the rights to most of the live games for the three years beginning in 2010.Ofcom's proposals that BSkyB should now offer this programming cheaply to its rivals has infuriated the broadcaster, which has threatened legal action to defend its position against what it called 'unwarranted intervention'.The Premier League has told Ofcom that it also believes the proposals are 'fundamentally flawed'.'Forcing BSkyB to wholesale Premier League rights to live games would remove any element of competition when it comes to bidding for rights,' said a Premier League spokesman.'If BSkyB is forced to wholesale the rights, competitors will be able to pick up Premier League rights in a risk-free, low-value manner. We believe we should encourage as much competition as possible.'Claws come out as Burberry blondes start acting up... By PUBLISHED:00:40 GMT, 17 June 2012 UPDATED:13:18 GMT, 17 June 2012A battle of the blonde models has broken out between the two recent faces of the Burberry fashion house.Leggy beauties Cara Delevingne, and Gabriella Wilde, are said to be at loggerheads as a rivalry between the rising young stars grows.Cara is adorable, talented and very friendly but she and Gabriella are too alike to get on, says a fashion insider.A distinct rivalry has brewed between them, based as much on their acting as their blossoming fashion careers. They are both looking for a big break in films.Gabriella, 23, has appeared in two childrens movies and will star in a remake of Carrie opposite Julianne Moore.But Cara, 19, is set to make a serious acting debut in a new film version of Anna Karenina alongside Keira Knightley. They are competing with each other and the claws are out, says the stylist.Caras reign as the face of Burberry came to an end when she was replaced by Gabriella earlier this summer.Brothers rewarded in birthday honoursThomas Hughes-Hallett, right, has been rewarded for being one of Britains most generous philanthropists with a knighthood from the Queen.And the recently retired chief executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care wont be going to Buckingham Palace alone his brother James has also been named on Her Majestys Birthday Honours list.Eton-educated Tom, 57, ran Marie Curie for 12 years, giving up a highly paid banking job to join the charity.Last year he helped Marie Curie whose yellow daffodil badges are widely recognised raise £130million and he is Hugh Grants favourite philanthropist after the actors mother was helped by Marie Curie nurses.Tom was last year chairman of the Philanthropy Review a body set up to boost charitable giving in the UK and his knighthood is for services to palliative care.James, 62, is chairman of export company John Swire Sons. He has been made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to British business interests in Asia and Australasia.Actor Nicholas Hoult had Prince William in stitches after swapping tips on horse-riding technique.The pair met at last months Audi polo tournament and X-Men star Nicholas, 22, says: I told him I had to learn to ride for my last role, but when it came to filming the scenes they wouldnt let me get on a horse because the insurance didnt cover me.'So I had to get on an oil barrel instead and use some rope as reins pretending to ride it as if it was a real horse. William found that very funny.Coats and leather goods boost Burberry's half-year revenues By UPDATED:09:41 GMT, 13 October 2010Fashion chain Burberry said on Wednesday it expects full-year profits to be in the top half of market forecasts after posting a 21 per cent jump in half-year revenues. The luxury clothing brand said it was benefiting from robust performances in markets including Hong Kong, the UK, Italy and France. It is also eyeing a larger share of the Chinese market following its recent £70million deal to buy out its franchise partner in the Asian country.Higher demand for coats and leather items resulted in a 8 per centincrease in same-store sales in the second quarter, down from 10 percent in the first three months.Burberry's retail division reported sales growth of 22 per cent inthe last three months, up from 16 per cent in the first quarterfollowing the addition of new space and the transfer of the Chineseoperations. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry's chief executive, said that theintroduction of new lines, online and customer service initiatives aswell as the expansion in China boosted the group's confidence. Concern as Burberry's new Kate Moss is pictured clutching a VERY suspicious pipe By UPDATED:00:18 GMT, 27 July 2008 As the new face of Burberry, she is following in the footsteps of Kate Moss and tipped to be the next big thing in the fashion world.But a curious picture showing Rosie Huntington-Whiteley holding what appears to be drug paraphernalia may be cause for concern for the clothing labels bosses.The company has already been dragged into a drugs scandal, after Ms Moss was pictured apparently snorting cocaine, so will be keen to avoid any further adverse publicity. Worrying photo: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley pictured with the bong and fellow models Jennifer Pugh, Alexsandra Rastovic at the party The picture of Rosie enjoying herself at a party with friends has appeared on a fashion industry website. Casually dressed in jeans and a gilet, the rising star is seen clutching what appears to be a bong. Also known as water pipes, bongs are used to smoke tobacco, cannabis or other herbal products. They are filled with water which cools smoke before it enters the lungs, making it easier to inhale. Users can therefore draw in a large amount of smoke quickly, rather than smaller, more frequent puffs on a pipe or cigarette.With her head thrown back and mouth open, the model is pictured huddled with fellow models Jennifer Pugh and Aleksandra Rastovic, who is the face of Armani and Calvin Klein. As Croatian-born Aleksandra, 20, looks on, American Jennifer leans towards Rosie and poses provocatively with her tongue out. Close: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley with her boyfriend Ty Wood Rosie, who has been dating Rolling Stone Ronnie Woods art dealer son Tyrone, 24, since last year, was snapped at a friends private party a couple of years ago. The picture was later posted on fashion industry website supermodels.nl, attracting several comments from the models, bookers and fans who use the websites open forum. Last month, 21-year-old Rosie was unveiled as the new face of Burberry. She appears in their autumn/winter campaign, shot by Mario Testino, alongside British actor Sam Riley.The fashion giant has a history of turning unknown models into international catwalk stars and was one of the first to sign Kate Moss in 1998. They dropped her from a planned advertising campaign in the wake of the Cocaine Kate scandal, but reinstated her when police charges against her were dropped. Work: Rosie in the Burberry campaign with actor Sam Riley The Burberry contract has already caused problems for Rosie, leading to tensions with Agyness Deyn, whom she replaced.Rosie grew up the eldest of three children in Quither, a four-house hamlet near Tavistock in Devon.The family owned a farmhouse where they grew organic vegetables and kept chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep. But Rosie said she knew from an early age that she was destined for bigger things.I was made for the city, she said. I knew that I was going to leave Devon and that, whatever I did, it would be big.She first posed for the camera five years ago after she was discovered as a 15-year-old GCSE student doing work experience at London model agency Profile. She got her first big break in January 2004 when she appeared in a New York fashion shoot for Teen Vogue, and she made her catwalk debut the same year.Speaking three years ago, she said: Im pretty level-headed and down-to-earth. I had a regular upbringing . . . that keeps me pretty normal.Now signed to Models 1, she has been photographed for Chopard perfume, Clinique, Jaeger, DKNY, Abercrombie Fitch, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. She has been seeing Tyrone Ty Wood since meeting him at a Rolling Stones concert in Barcelona last year.In a recent interview, Ty said he was madly, deeply in love with her, while she has said: I think its serious. Theres a healthy future ahead of us.Rosie says she is the luckiest girl because of her lifestyle, adding: I have some great memories and experiences, and look forward to achieving even more. Im truly blessed and fortunate to be in my position.Burberry declined to comment on the photograph, but a friend of Rosies said: She is aware of the pictures existence, but she was 18 or 19 when that was taken. Shes just turned 21 so its two or three years old.Speaking from the family farmhouse yesterday, Rosies mother Fiona, a personal trainer, confirmed it was her daughter in the picture. But she added: I really cannot say anything about it, my darling. Isnt it lovely that someone so young is doing so well? A very sweet move by Mr Fry as chocolate heir Cosmo marries for the third time By UPDATED:09:07 GMT, 25 January 2012His first marriage lasted six weeks, his second around six years. So its hardly surprising chocolate heir Cosmo Fry has taken his time about exchanging vows for a third time.But, at 53, Old Etonian Cosmo has taken the plunge again and wed his long-time lover, former fashion writer Lulu Anderson. The couple, who were this week at a party for the revival of Alan Bennetts play, The Madness of George III, have a ten-year-old son, Jude, and live in Somerset, where Cosmo is a director of Baths Theatre Royal. Cosmo tells me: Ive got married after 15 years of being with Lulu. Im not sure why after all this time we decided to marry after all, having been wed twice before I am aware of the pitfalls. But all good things come to those who wait!Unlike his first marriage to the Marquess of Londonderrys daughter Lady Cosima Somerset, which was at smart St Peters church in Eaton Square and had 500 guests including Zac and Jemima Goldsmith, his latest nuptials took place at a Bath register office with just a few close friends.He and Lulu had the union blessed at a church and, some days later, held a party for 200 at their home, where guests included Richard E. Grant and Jasper Conran.How to Cruz into HollywoodFlamboyant turban-wearing socialite Amanda Eliasch, who married the multi-millionaire pal of Prince Andrew, is on the move.Two years after selling the Belgravia house she shared with her ex-husband, sportswear tycoon Johan Eliasch, she has a canny addition to her extensive property portfolio.For she beat other hopefuls to buy the Hollywood mansion that was formerly owned by film star Penelope Cruz.Artist and playwright Amanda, 51 the granddaughter of the late St Trinians film director Sidney Gilliat snapped up the three-bedroom house for around £2.5million.It is a mere snip compared to her other homes in London and Paris. She has since spent a further costly sum renovating the property and moved in this week.The house is transformed, says Amanda. I adore it. I fell in love with the house and I fought to get it. I just knew it was for me.Amanda, who has two sons, adds: I begged Penelope to sell it to me. Meanwhile, Amanda, who is hoping for her semi-autobiographical play, As I Like It, to premiere on Broadway, has put her Grade II-listed house in Londons Cheyne Walk up for sale.She says: I love the house, but its too big. Nicky Haslam, who decorated it for me, says its the most romantic house in Chelsea.After a somewhat turbulent past, during which his aristocratic wife left him for a tattooed gamekeeper, James Hervey-Bathurst found happiness second time round with the Duke of Rutlands cousin, Lucy Manners, a pal of the Duchess of York.He also worked hard to turn his 97-room Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire into one of the nations best countryside attractions hosting weddings, conferences and shooting parties.But, alas, James, 62, will be counting the cost after organisers of the Big Chill musical festival, held in the castles 5,000-acre grounds, decided to cancel this summers event.Its bound to have a huge knock-on effect, says a friend of James. I gather the organisers decided not togo ahead because it clashed with the Olympics and, presumably, that means James is set to lose his fee for the use of his grounds.Thissetback comes nine years after father-of-five James was left by his wife Sarah, after her Lady Chatterley-style romance with gamekeeper Mark Smith, who worked on the grouse moor of her father Viscount Inglebys Snilesworth estate in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.Their love affair fizzled out. Meanwhile, James fell for Lucy, an interior designer, who was a one-time lady-in-waiting to Fergie. The couple have since married and have two children to add to his three children by his first wife. Two years ago, his daughter, Isabella, then a third-year student at Trinity College, Cambridge, was voted fittest girl at the university.James, affectionately known to his friends as Dirty Bathwater, has various business schemes to help pay for the hefty upkeep of the Norman-style turreted castle, which has a twin-towered gate-house, arboretum and lake. It has been used as a backdrop for various TV shows, including Bargain Hunt and Simon Cowells Red Or Black gameshow. Land Rover has also used the estate for off-road testing. Last years line-up for the Big Chill included The Chemical Brothers and Kanye West.Suddenly, handsome Birdsong star Eddie Redmayne is everywhere. And theOld Etonian friend of Prince William yesterday picked up yet another award this time for being Best Shakespearean Actor.Redmayne was as stylish as ever when he received the gong at the prestigious Critics Circle Theatre Awards dressed head to foot in Burberry. Yes, these are lovely clothes, but theyre not mine, he says. I have to give them back afterwards. Its all Burberry. Cambridge-educated Eddie, who is appearing in Richard II at Londons Donmar Warehouse, can be seen cavorting with model Cara Delevingne in the latest Burberry campaign. Redmayne, who has female TV viewers swooning at his role in the Sebastian Faulkss World War I novel, adds: Im back to work later filming Les Miserables at Pinewood. ..........................................................Growing political instability in Yemen is posing significant problems for a new film set in the country starring Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ewan McGregor. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, based on the book by Paul Torday, is due for release in March, but I gather producers are increasingly nervous aboutwhether it will be appropriate to premiere the comedy, as the situationin the benighted country worsens. It tells the story of a British scientist who becomes involved, somewhat reluctantly, in a project to bring salmon fishing to the wadis of the highlands of dirt-poor Yemen.Former mercenary Simon Mann has been relating how he survived five years in two of Africas toughest prisons by carrying on solitary conversations in different voices in his cell for hours on end. I became skilled at imitating Peter Sellers directing air traffic control as Inspector Clouseau, Mann told guests at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill. The Old Etonian former SAS soldier, whose self-penned book of his incarceration was published last year, says libel laws prevented him naming the figures behind his failed coup in Equatorial Guinea.PS She's game for most challenges, but former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, touted as a possible police commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, has ruled herself out because the role doesnt offer enough power. The former Strictly Come Dancing star says: Its all very well being able to hire the Chief Constable, but if you then have these silly differences about whos in charge of operations or policy, its no good. I would do it if I thought I would be able to say we will have zero tolerance. No crime will be too small. Unless you can do that, youre never going to get on top of the problems. Im afraid it wont be me.Is that appropriate for a family lunch? Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk share passionate embrace at the tableBy UPDATED:09:07 GMT, 26 May 2011When dining with their boyfriend's parents, many women would be concerned with their manners in front of potential in-laws.Irina Shayk clearly feels at home with her footballer beau Cristiano Ronaldo's family, as the pair got down to some serious kissing at the table during lunch in his hometown, Funchal, Madeira.But while the gorgeous Russian model was wrapped up in her boyfriend's embrace, laying her head back and closing her eyes, Cristiano appeared a little distracted.The Real Madrid player looked over Irina's head as the pair embraced, before pulling his head away.Irina did not appear happy with the snub, playfully pouting and trying to pull Cristiano's face back towards her.Their comical interaction was witnessed by the footballer's family and Cristiano's little boy Cristiano Jr, who they have been spending time with in the Ronaldo's home town on the Portuguese island.The good-looking duo are enjoying their down time, with Irina going casual and make-up free.As an in-demand model, she spends most of her time coiffed and preened to perfection, but Irina was happy to step out in a simple white vest and jeans, with tousled, natural hair and not a scrap of make-up on her beautiful face.Cristiano, 26, was typically decked out in designer gear in a Gucci cap. The day before, Cristiano was pictured for the first time with his baby son.And, in the first shots of 10-month-old Cristiano in many months, the resemblance between the father and son is uncanny.With a head of downy black hair and olive skin, little Cristiano looked adorable as he was carried by his proud father. Thebaby also appeared to have taken after his father in terms of his love of designer fashion, as he was wearing a Burberry checked shirt, denim jacket and matching Burberry baseball cap - which he wore backwards to make it more trendy.And it seems Irina has adapted well to the family style of life, as she was seen cuddling up to her boyfriend's super-cute son in the back of the car.Irina has remained loyal to Ronaldo despite the revelation last year that he had become a father. The baby was allegedly born to a 20-year-old British student following a fling with the star after they met in a London club. The Portuguese star stunned the world when he announced out of the blue last July that he had become a father.The winger said from the start that the child would be under his 'exclusive guardianship'. But his mother Dolores is helping to raise the child.After announcing the birth on Facebook, Ronaldo wrote: 'It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy. He said recently: 'Of course something like this affects you. It's a different type of responsibility.'Maybe I feel more comfortable. I'm comfortable when things are going well: my family, the club, my friends,that gives me important support for everything else.'Of course I change the nappies. It's not the thing I like best in the world, but I do it.'Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.Pictured: Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo takes charge of his baby son... and girlfriend Irina Shayk gets a cuddle tooBy UPDATED:10:46 GMT, 24 May 2011Cristiano Ronaldo has been pictured for the first time with his baby son Cristiano on a day out in Portugal over the weekend.And, in the first shots of 10-month-old Cristiano, the resemblance between the father and son is uncanny.With a head of downy black hair and olive skin, little Cristiano looked adorable as he was carried by his proud father.Thebaby also appeared to have taken after his father in terms of his love of designer fashion, as he was wearing a Burberry checked shirt, denim jacket and matching Burberry baseball cap - which he wore backwards to make it more trendy. Also on the outing was Ronaldo's girlfriend Irina Shayk, who looked chic in a tight pair of grey trousers, black vest top and white blazer jacket.And it seems Russian model Irina has adapted well to the family style of life, as she was seen cuddling up to her boyfriend's super-cute son in the back of the car.Irina has remained loyal to Ronaldo despite the revelation last year that he had become a father. The baby was allegedly born to a 20-year-old British student following a fling with the star after they met in a London club. The Portuguese star stunned the world when he announced out of the blue last July that he had become a father.The winger said from the start that the child would be under his 'exclusive guardianship'. But his mother Dolores is helping to raise the child.After announcing the birth on Facebook, Ronaldo wrote: 'It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy. 'As agreed with the babys mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be undermy exclusive guardianship.'And while Ronaldo's mother Dolores isessentially raising the baby between Madrid and Portugal due to the football star's career commitments, Ronaldo spoke recently about how hislife had been affected by becoming a father.He said recently: 'Of course something like this affects you. It's a different type of responsibility.'Maybe I feel more comfortable. I'm comfortable when things are going well: my family, the club, my friends,that gives me important support for everything else.'Of course I change the nappies. It's not the thing I like best in the world, but I do it.'City news in brief: New Star, Chrysalis, BurberryBy UPDATED:08:44 GMT, 16 April 2008We round up the shorter business and finance stories from the Daily Mail City pages.Pound battered on poor housing surveySterling took a pounding after a gloomy housing survey, while oil leapt to a record high as investors tried to hedge against a weak US dollar. The pound dropped to $1.96 against the greenback and hit a low of 80.65p per euro. A Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors survey which showed a fall in the key house price index to a 30-year low has increased hopes that there will have to be a series of interest rate reductions. Weak retail sales and steady inflation has also reinforced hopes for a cut. Meanwhile, oil rose above $113 per barrel, touching a high of $113.93 in the US before easing back again. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who travels to Washington today for talks with President Bush, called on oil producers to act to calm prices. New Star fund boss has a Pease of the actionNew Star's top fund manager Richard Pease pocketed a whopping 5.7m last year, up from 4.7m in 2006, despite a slump in the group's share price. Pease, who earned a basic salary of 197,000, got the bulk of his money from managing a hedge fund, which gave him 5.5m in performance fees. Though his own performance has been strong, investors may still not be best pleased at the huge payout since New Star's share price has tumbled by 75% in a year. The stock closed up 2p to 112p yesterday. Boris gets a DiamondBarclays executive Bob Diamond, one of the best-paid men in the City, has agreed to be an adviser to Conservative candidate Boris Johnson if he is elected Mayor of London. American, Diamond, whose Barclays pay package was worth 21m last year, has agreed to help Johnson find sponsors for a Mayor's Fund designed to tackle youth crime and social problems in the capital. Diamond could use his extensive network of City contacts to help find corporate and individual donors for the fund. Chrysalis rejects HandsGuy Hands suffered another setback after music business Chrysalis rejected a 104m takeover from his Terra Firma private equity firm. Chrysalis, which controls the publishing rights for writers including Gnarls Barkley, The Raconteurs and Feeder, said Terra Firma's 155p-a-share offer significantly undervalued the company. It is no longer in bid talks. Chrysalis fell 20p to 115p. Hands, who also controls EMI, was set on driving consolidation in the music industry. Burberry brushes off credit concernsFashion conscious consumers appear to have shrugged off credit fears to keep on buying luxury items from Burberry (up 42p to 438p). Retail sales in the three months to March 31 rose 20% to 121m, while total sales for the period increased 12% to 292m. The other end of the high street remains gloomy. Icelandic retail investor Baugur has raised the 'for sale' sign over MK One, the struggling cut price fashion retailer which made a 17.4m loss last year. BE hit by shutdownBid target British Energy (down 11p at 730p) has again been undone by its ageing portfolio of nuclear power stations as it shut down Unit 1 of its Torness reactor in Scotland because of a 'small leak'. The latest problem follows an outage at the facility in December and January and another weeklong outage at Unit 2 in February. £25bn debt chaosBanks face a 25bn mountain of 'problem' unsecured debt as the credit crunch forces more people to default on their loans, warned a leading credit analyst. TDX says up to one million Britons are in danger of falling behind on their loan and credit card repayments. Those opting for Individual Voluntary Arrangements could double to 800,000 in 2008. Debut-day drop for BurberryBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 11 July 2002INSTITUTIONS that backed the 1.15bn flotation of fashion group Burberry were left with bloody noses today as the shares slumped on their stock market debut. They slid 2% from the offer price of 230p to 224p. The issue was already at the bottom end of the expected range, so City bookmakers had expected it to trade at least 10p higher than the starting price by the end of the day. The fall means Italian-American chief executive Rose Marie Bravo's 11.5m stake has already fallen in value by nearly 250,000. However, brokers praised owner GUS for getting the float away in a turbulent market that has seen a host of share offers being axed. One trader said: 'You've got to hand it to the GUS management. They've been saying for 12 to 18 months that they'd offload Burberry and they've done it. If they hadn't managed to do it now, they would have come in for some major stick.' In its capacity as stabilisation manager, Merrill Lynch went into the market to buy shares after they tumbled as low as 219p at one stage. Investors who were bullish about Burberry said the offer price, of 15 times prospective earnings, was a 40% discount to luxury goods businesses such as Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, Gucci and Bulgari. Burberry remains confident despite 20% profit slideBy UPDATED:22:51 GMT, 17 November 2009Luxury goods firm Burberry has posted a 19 per cent profits fall but said its performance was 'solid', helped by strong demand for handbags and scarves.Burberry said pre-tax profits were £78.4million in the six months to September 30, down from £97million last year as the effects of discounting hit margins and wholesale orders were reduced.The firm - praised by commentators after the fashion house returned to the catwalk at London Fashion Week this autumn - said it had seen 'exceptional growth' in London stores after the weak pound attracted foreign shoppers.Burberry said it now planned to split its clothing brands into three distinct categories - casualwear will come under the label Burberry Brit, workwear and tailoring will be known as Burberry London and its catwalk collection will continue as Prorsum.After shrugging off its links with 'chav' culture in the UK in recent years, the brand has regained its upmarket reputation.The firm, which was founded in 1856, opened a children's store in Notting Hill during the period.It said its policy of focusing on its retail stores had started to pay off, with this now accounting for 54 per cent of all sales.The retailer said its non-clothing ranges represented its biggest growth area in the first half, contributing 34 per cent of revenue.The firm said larger handbags, 'sling' shoulder bags and accessories like snoods and scarves had all proved increasingly popular as it looks to diversify its offering.Shoes and childrenswear were also identified as key growth areas, anticipated to grow to make up 10 per cent each of revenues in the medium term.Like-for-like sales across the business were up 2 per cent over the half year, improving to 5 per cent in the second quarter.Chief executive Angela Ahrendts said: 'Burberry delivered a solid first half performance, reflecting the strength of the brand, business and team.'We enter the second half confident in our core strategies, capitalising on product, region, channel and operational opportunities.'Cost cutting measures helped limit the fall in underlying profits to £82.6million, from £95.3million a year earlier.The firm has cut 1,000 roles as part of moves to save £50million a year, which also involved improving its infrastructure.The retailer now expects to grow its selling space between 8 per cent and 10 per cent for the full year, with plans to open a further 15 stores in the period mainly in Asia and the Americas.Meanwhile, the firm expects wholesale revenues to fall around 15 per cent at constant currency in the second half, with about half due to Burberry's own actions, while stockists also move to cut their inventories.The awkward moment when Will.i.am and Denise Lewis arrive at the Burberry show wearing the same trench coat By UPDATED:13:25 GMT, 21 February 2012It's a wardrobe must-have associated with the label.But perhaps heptathlete Denise Lewis and Will-i.am should have consulted one another before donning their Burberry trench coats today.For the designs were exactly the same.And the designer's highly-anticipated - not to mention star-studded - London Fashion Week show was the worst place to make such a fashion faux pas.The stylish, beige number, which comes in a men's and women's style, featured the usual double-breasted design with black buttons and piping.Either star could have easily chosen another trench coat from Burberry's vast collection.The label would have no doubt sent the coats to the pair along with an invite for the front row of the show at Kensington Gardens.Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.i.am, 36, - real name William Adams - paired his coat with jeans and stylish trainers and some gold-rimmed glasses.Former Strictly Come Dancing star Denise, 39, who won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, wore red velvet tights under hers, along with open-toe black boots.Will.i.am kept his fans updated throughout the show, via Twitter.He said: 'The @burberry fashion show in london was amazing...christopher is an amazing designer, angela is CEO with vision #embracetechnology.'He added later: '@Burberry is leading the future of fashion social connectivity...they do it all...great art leadership...http://bit.ly/wIsgV1.'VIDEO: Will.i.am chats after the Burberry catwalkSell-out celebs: Seen a star in a High Street frock you love? Hit the shops quick - or they'll all be gone By PUBLISHED:22:56 GMT, 7 June 2012 UPDATED:09:54 GMT, 8 June 2012This week, MarksSpencer announced that one of its dresses has sold out in just two weeks, after actress Denise Van Outen was pictured wearing it at a party. The £37.50 green hummingbird print dress from the MS Limited Collection range flew off the shelves in 14 days - prompting more than 200 calls to customer services from people desperate to buy it. The store says it will reissue a new version of the must-have, in an owl print, next month. But this isnt the only time a celebrity has caused a stampede after being spotted in an item of High Street clothing. From pop stars to politicians, we look at the other celebs who made us hit the shops... ALESHA DIXON TOPSHOP DRESS: After Alesha Dixon wore a £350 'lampshade' dress by Mary Katrantzou for Topshop for the Britain's Got Talent auditions this February, left, the dress promptly sold out online and vanished from stores within a day. Alesha wasn't the only star spotted in the dress, from the Greek designer renowned for vibrant prints. A month earlier, Poppy Delevigne, centre, wore it to the Elle Style awards and former Made In Chelsea cast member Amber Atherton, right, wore it on the front row of the Fashion East event. The dress is now on sale for upwards of £499 on eBay EMMA WATSON CRUMPET SCARF: As the face of Burberry and fan of high-end designers, Emma Watson has become something of fashion darling but most of her A-list wardrobe is out of our reach. However, when she was spotted walking down the street in a Scottie-dog print cashmere scarf by a British knitwear company called Crumpet in September, left, Harry Potter fans took note. The £179 scarf sold out within a week. Over the next three weeks, sales of all the firms scarves increased by 62 per centKATE MOSS TOPSHOP PANTHER PRINT DRESS: Everything Kate Moss wears becomes an instant fashion hit. When she wore a piece from her own Topshop collection, a panther claw print dress, centre, on a night on the town, the design sold out within 15 minutes of being put on sale at the Oxford Street superstore. The £100 dress, which was part of her Christmas 2008 collection, sold out online within two hours and within a day it was being sold on eBay at double the price. Topshop reissued it in 2010. In June, her power to shape what we wear was demonstrated again, when the 38-year-old borrowed a poncho from a friend during her hen-do at the Isle of White festival. The £18 Aztec print Primark piece sold out within daysALEXA CHUNG RUSSELL AND BROMLEY LOAFERS: British shoemakers Russell and Bromley had been quietly making their sensible loafers since 1873, but when TV presenter Alexa Chung started being spotted in them in 2008, right, the stores £125 flats soon sold out CHERYL COLE WOLFORD BONDAGE TIGHTS: Cheryl Cole may have started some stylish fashion trends, but there is one look we dont thank her for bondage tights. After she wore the Wolford hosiery on the X Factor in October 2010, left, the tights sold out online within hours. All 600 pairs vanished from stores the next day. But the tights were neither flattering nor classy they were soon seen on the likes of Katie Price and Chantelle HoughtonTWIGGY MS SEQUIN BLAZER: When Twiggy designed a collection for MS, she was photographed at the launch in April wearing a £79 silver sequined jacket, centre. It sold out within two hours of going online and vanished from stores within two days. It was not the first time the store had benefited from the Twiggy effect. In 2011, MS sold ten times more macs in one week than ever before after Twiggy modelled a £39.95 trenchYASMIN LE BON WALLIS DRESS: Back in 2009, the great and the good flocked to Hampton Court for a lavish fundraiser organised by Mikhail Gorbachev. But while most were wearing couture dresses worth thousands, model Yasmin Le Bon wore a full-length yellow gown from her own collection at Wallis, right. The £120 Peridot evening dress sold out within a week and that year Harpers magazine voted the 48-year-old model the fourth best-dressed woman in Britain How brolly inconvenient! Dita Von Teese drops her umbrella at LFW show... and waits patiently for someone to pick it up By and PUBLISHED:22:30 GMT, 17 September 2012 UPDATED:06:58 GMT, 19 September 2012Dita Von Teese narrowly avoided an embarrassing error as she turned up to the Burberry Prorsum show at London Fashion Week on Monday. The burlesque dancer gave off an air of sophistication ready for her photo opportunities at the starry event.But she almost had to face bending down in her figure hugging dress in front of the waiting paparazzi who were ready to catch the move when she accidentally dropped her umbrella on the ground.Scroll down for video... She then took her seat on the front row when she was inside, but was joined by a rather unlikely companion next to her.One Direction's Harry Styles showed of his fashion credentials as he attended the high fashion event.While to her right Aaron Paul sat next to her as she posed perfectly with the umbrella in its position. American dream: Dita Von Teese and Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul caught up before the showFashion's other finest names turned out to witness the Burberry Prorsum London Fashion Week show and model Tali Lennox led the way with her undeniable style.The teenage model showed a much more mature side as she stood out from the crowd at Kensington Gardens, London, on Monday afternoon.Tali, 19, arrived looking every inch the style icon as she bravely wore brown and blue in the same ensemble and managed to pull it off. With his cheeky smile and messy hair the One Direction member looked like a young gent as he smiled for the cameras.In contrast Tali kept her make-up simple as she let her mane fall elegantly over her shoulders.Having modelled for Prada, Roberto Cavalli and Burberry, Tali knows the fashion scene well and fitted in with the front row despite normally being on the catwalk herself. The 35-year-old wore a black dress with a pair of leather boots but bizarrely also wore a huge V medallion with a pair of sunglasses that had the word 'vogue' on the lenses.American actor Aaron Paul, best known for his role of Jesse Pinkman in TV show Breaking Bad, was looking exceptionally dapper in a black and white suit.Reality TV star Olivia Palermo made a stylish entrance in a brown jacket and chocolate colour trousers, while Alison Mosshart made less effort in a leather jacket. US Open champion Andy Murray arrived with his stunning girlfriend Kim Sears on his arm while many more athletes also attended the show.Olympian Victoria Pendleton looked lovely in a lilac peplum dress with her hair down and her slim figure on show.Fashion royalty also rocked up to the show in the form of Anna Wintour and Mario Testino. The style stalwarts were in good spirits as they joked and laughed their way into the venue. VIDEO: Harry Styles attends the Burberry showDo your clothes reveal your character flaws? That's what a leading clinical psychologist claims. I puts her to the test... By PUBLISHED:22:19 GMT, 25 April 2012 UPDATED:14:13 GMT, 26 April 2012Clothes are one of my greatest pleasures, but also the source of much anxiety. Faced with any social occasion, I invariably go over the top, agonising for months about what to wear. I never, if I think about this honestly, feel comfortable in what Im wearing. And this isnt just because I work in fashion and am surrounded by women who look incredible in the latest must-have clothes. While I often experience extreme envy when I see a catwalk model a craving that makes me forget my age, bank balance and shape this lack of self-confidence stems from earlier in my life.I grew up, the youngest of seven children, in a family where money was tight. Consequently, I wore hand-me-downs from my three elder sisters and clothes that were made by my mum: little checked pinafores and rough, hand-knitted sweaters.So, from an early age, I craved beingable to buy clothes from shops. I was painfully shy and believed I was ugly. Its no surprise that, as a teenager, I was in thrall to fashion magazines. I soon got into debt buying expensive clothes because I had been so miserable always being the poor relation.I realise I go over the top in my bidfor perfection. When I was asked by the BBC to report live from a banquet held at Buckingham Palace in honour of President Obama, I boughta black Alexander McQueen trouser suit, new shoes and a bag. I felt I had to wear something British, and spare no expense. This is me all over: I thought my commentary would be pedestrian and halting, and so I had to make up for my inadequacies somehow. Because I also feel ugly, I never dress provocatively: I never show my legs, arms or cleavage (even on my wedding day I wore a cream tuxedo suit, not a dress). So, I choose expensive items because I grew up poor. I dress like a man at work because I think Im stupid. I cover up because I believe Im repulsive. I have long understood that the way I dress is my shield, my solace, my safety net.But can someone else tell that just by looking at me? Whats more, can anyone help me with the issues behind my wardrobe choices? U.S. clinical psychologist Jennifer Baumgartner, author of new book You Are What You Wear, says so. Baumgartner paid her way through university by working in a Ralph Lauren store, where she noticed how many women are confused about their identity, and act out their neuroses by spending inappropriately.Often, wardrobe mishaps are simply our inner conflicts bubbling to the surface, she says, wisely. Baumgartner claims that by just looking at a woman she is able not only to diagnose what is wrong, but fix her psyche in what she calls the psychology of dress. But does her method really work? Can Jennifer not only identify my deep-seated problems just by looking at my four signature outfits, but also, more importantly, offer me help? EVENING WEARBlack strapless gown and clutch by Bottega Veneta, peep-toe sandals by LouboutinJENNIFER SAYS: Why has Liz, with a knockout figure, allowed herself to be swallowed by this great sloppy satin beast? She allows only a glimpse of her inner sparkle with her metallic shoe. The oversized outfit makes me think she is unaware of her body shape. I am waiting for Liz, like someone after a makeover, to rip off this dress to reveal a better one. If I had thick, lustrous hair like this, I would not hide it in a messy updo. She is also weighed down by the eye make-up on the lower lids.LIZ SAYS: This dress is not too big for me: its a size 8, and the integral corset means I can hardly breathe! But Jennifer is right: I hate my body, and try to hide it at all times and at great cost. When I wore this dress to an awards ceremony, I added a metallic Aquascutum jacket. Its strange that she mentions my heavy eye make-up without apparently understanding why I wear it. Isnt it obvious that Im hiding behind a mask?CASUALJaeger London trousers, MS Cashmere sweater, Burberry patent platformsJENNIFER SAYS: Im getting a university student vibe from this outfit and Lizs hair style. It conveys a youthful energy. The colours are bold, bright and fresh, and she is not afraid to mix and match them, but unfortunately they work against each other. She seems to be comfortable with being noticed in a crowd, as the bright pink of the jumper will stand out. Id team the jumper with white skinny jeans and either nude flats or colourful sandals. Id alter the trousers to eliminate bagging, and pair them with a tweed blazer and boots and throw in a printed silk scarf or load up on gold accessories.LIZ SAYS: She is half right. I do have youthful energy. I am passionate and hard-working. I try my best all the time. She says I am comfortable being noticed in a crowd, but this is not true at all. I might wear a raspberry Sloppy Joe jumper, but this belies my deep-set neuroses.DATEGold lace skirt by Suzannah, white T-shirt and sandals by PradaJENNIFER SAYS: Lizs make-up gives all the evolutionary indicators of fertility pink cheeks and lips, and glowing skin but then she lets us down with a very non-seductive, plain white T-shirt. This outfit suggests Liz is relatively conservative and the pieces dont match, suggesting Liz may have pulled the outfit together in a rush. She should wear this skirt with a fitted black top, a black patent leather belt and stilettos. I would shorten the skirt to right below the knee, and nip it in slightly to create a more streamlined silhouette. This outfit begs for accessories, too.LIZ SAYS: Oh dear. I chose this outfit to cover all the things I hate about myself. Jennifer says I am conservative, when, in fact, I am very shy, afraid of being sexy, feel unattractive and I hate my knees. Just telling me to wear a sexier top is unhelpful. She should have said: This woman has problems with self-esteem and has no idea of her own worth, which I could have told her.OFFICEBlack Alexander McQueen trouser suit, Burberry patent platformsJENNIFER SAYS: Lizs smart, tailored outfit says she is a no-nonsense go-getter, but the shoes suggest a fun side. Black is a no-frills colour for work, where people feel they are taken more seriously in dark colours. The shoes are quite different. Research says people associate platforms especially red ones with women who are not very intelligent, and possibly promiscuous. Liz sidesteps these associations by wearing them with a conservative outfit. She should try skinny trousers, instead of cropped, or a skirt, and try a daintier shoe to complement her frame and update her look, as the days of the platform are over, or so says designer Manolo Blahnik.LIZ SAYS: She is pretty spot on. I am ambitious and I also have humour. I disagree about my shoes. I bought these in 2003, still love them, and dont think I should change to suit Manolo Blahnik. To me, this outfit screams my deep insecurity: Please dont sack me! and that I spend too much on clothes.HOW COULD SHE GET ME SO WRONG?The verdicts on the way I dress in no way show that Jennifer Baumgartner has spotted my deep-seated insecurities. She missed that I am borderline anorexic, have body dysmorphic disorder, fear ageing, men and sex, that I am in awe of clothes rather than know how to enjoy them, and that I spend way too much money.She should have deduced, as a therapist who claims to use only clothes to make her diagnosis, that I am divorced, that I hate my body, am hugely stressed, and oh! that Im broke! Reading her book, Ive found Jennifers prescription for someone like me who struggles with self-loathing is to filter my media restrict the magazines I read and websites I look at to go out in a crowded shopping centre wearing only a tight-fitting top and skinny jeans, to be more assertive and to choose bright colours. But it all sounds a bit simplistic, a bit Gok Wan to me. When addressing disorders in her book, she writes: Life is too short for such silliness. A clinical psychologist should know better. Wearing a bright sleeveless top exposing my arms is not going to begin to cure me. You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You by Dr Jennifer Baumgartner is published by Da Capo Life Long, priced £10.99. Double digit growth for Burberry in Europe and Asia offset by difficulties in U.S.UPDATED:14:05 GMT, 15 July 2009Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has cast her spell on Burberry sales in the UK since featuring in an ad campaign for the fashion house. It posted an 'exceptional' performance in Britain, with sales at stores including key outlets in Regent Street and Knightsbridge up 12per cent in the past three months.But growth in Europe and Asia was offset by weakness in other markets. Burberry said customers had responded well to its Spring/Summerranges, particularly mens tailoring, denim, sport and childrenswear.The firm added: 'Europe and Asia both delivered double-digitpercentage growth, with exceptional performances again in the UK andKorea (both helped by favourable currency movements).'Meanwhile Burberry's wholesale business saw sales drop 28per cent ascustomers face the recession by slashing the amount of stock held,while Burberry is also restructuring its wholesale division and closingsome operations.Angela Ahrendts, the retailer's chief executive, said: 'Burberry hasmade a solid start to the year in what remains a challengingenvironment.'Burberry plans to add between 10 and 15 stores to its portfolio this year.A new American headquarters and showrooms were opened on Madison Avenue in New York during the quarter, as well as three franchise stores in emerging markets, including the first Burberry store in Bahrain.The firm said as of the end of June it had 118 retail stores, 253 concessions and 84 franchise outlets in over 25 countries.Burberry said its cost cutting initiatives were delivering the expected results.Steps taken by Burberry to tackle the global slowdown have included a £50million inventory reduction and a £50million efficiency programme.The company endured a 13per cent fall in underlying profits last year, despite annual revenues topping more than £1billion for the first time.The firm shed around 15per cent of its workforce in the last financial year.In January, Burberry announced 170 jobs were going as a result of its plan to close a sewing facility at Rotherham, south Yorkshire. Doubts raised over Burberry floatBy UPDATED:23:00 GMT, 10 July 2002THE Burberry float could be dropped tonight if markets keep falling, banking sources said. Owner GUS, which is due to float up to 25% of the luxury brand company on Friday, does not want itss debut to be a flop. A decision will be taken at the last minute, but Wednesday's stock market slide is adding to pressure to delay. The shares are trading at 241p-248p in the grey market and have generated much interest. This is within the 230p-290p indicative price range, but GUS must consider whether they would fall after the placing. It would be very damaging to the public perception of an upmarket consumer brand such as Burberry if the shares slumped in the after market. Kate in command: Duchess of Cambridge does dress uniform as she carries out first military role as a royal By Created 11:26 AM on 25th June 2011The Duchess of Cambridge took on her first military role as a royal today as she handed out operational medals to members of the Irish Guards.Alongside the Duke of Cambridge, who is Colonel of the Irish Guards, Kate presented medals to soldiers who have recently returned from serving in Afghanistan.A royal aide said the Duchess was very pleased to be undertaking the role for a regiment 'so close to her husband's heart'. The 1st Battalion Irish Guards returned in April from a six-month tour in Afghanistan where they were deployed to 22 different locations in Helmand Province, tasked with developing the Afghan Army.Sixsoldiers returned home two weeks before the royal couple's wedding day and had ceremonial duties to perform in London on the day. The Duke of Cambridge spoke of his pride and humility today as he presented the medals. Private Nadine Gwendu, 25, from Newhaven, Brighton, who is originally from Zimbabwe, said meeting the Duchess was like a dream come true.Now I have seen her, and she has shaken my hand it is something different, he said.She was very calm and down to earth, you wouldn't think she is a duchess because she is so down to earth. She asked me what it was like livingwith so many men in Afghanistan and I told her that it was all right because I was like a priority to them. From the time I joined everyone has been great, from the Guardsmen to the highest rank.Also it was so important for William, the Colonel, to present our medals and we all really appreciate that.Six soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, swapped their combat uniforms for ceremonial dress participate in the Royal wedding, with a handful returning to the UK just seven days earlier. The Duke of Cambridge paid tribute today to the extraordinary soldiers like Sergeant Paterson,who within days of returning from fighting in Afghanistan, took part in his marriage celebrations.William said: As Catherine and I rode through the centre gate of Buckingham Palace on our wedding day, there you were, formed up as the Queen's Guard with your commanding officer at your head.If ever there was an illustration of why the Foot Guards, and the Micks in particular, are special, that was it.To exchange combat kit for ceremonial uniform in the space of two weeks is nothing short of remarkable.To be amongst the most proficient in the world wearing both is just simply extraordinary.There's a supermodel behind you! Eddie Redmayne only has eyes for his Birdsong co-star Clémence Poésy as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is ignored at Burberry By UPDATED:13:17 GMT, 21 February 2012They played young lovers in this year's hit BBC film Birdsong.And could life be imitating art of Eddie Remayne and French actress Clémence Poésy?The pair looked smitten in the front row for Burberry at London Fashion Week yesterday.Scroll down for video Despite gorgeous supermodel, and Eddie's fellow Burberry model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, sitting beside him, he only had eyes for his blonde co-star.They looked deep in conversation as Clémence continued to clap as the model strutted in front of her at Kensington Gardens. Birdsong, which premiered last month, was an adaptation of the Sebastian Faulks novel of the same name. The two-part series saw Eddie as Stephen Wraysford and Clémence as married Isabelle Azaire with whom he had an affair.Set during Work War I, the story is told in flashbacks. Also on the guest list was Will Young, who played it safe in a blue jumper and black trousers. English model Laura Bailey was seen wearing a floaty yellow and green dress that was also donned by one of the models on the catwalk.The women even wore similar brown heels, but the catwalk model added a pair of black studded leather gloves. Rising model Cara Delevigne, sister of socialite Poppy, led the other models on the massive white runway, holding umbrellas as fake snow fell.Hundreds backed the venue, photographing and admiring the latest collection. VIDEO: See all the celebs at the Burberry catwalk show The new Brit Pack: Rising stars Roo Panes and Tali Lennox join Eddie Redmayne to help Burberry celebrate first men's fashion weekend By PUBLISHED:15:14 GMT, 18 June 2012 UPDATED:15:21 GMT, 18 June 2012British brand Burberry celebrated the first weekend-long event dedicated to men's fashion with a cocktail party attended by a number of rising young stars.Attendees included Roo Panes, a singer-songwriter not many people have yet heard of, who fronts their autumn/winter campaign, and one of their catwalk models, Tali Lennox, who is currently only recognisable thanks to being the daughter of the famous Annie Lennox.But Burberry are confident the pair will soon become household names in their own right - and they haven't been wrong before.The brand were the first to sign Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, who has gone on to be a major fashion icon, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who has gone from the catwalk to starring in major Hollywood blockbusters including the third Transformers film.Their eye for spotting talent has already been proven this year after they used actor Eddie Redmayne in their spring/summer campaign. He is currently in demand for acting roles as well as modelling work following his starring turns in the Oscar nominated film My Week With Marilyn and acclaimed BBC production of Birdsong.Redmayne helped Burberry mark the first men's fashion weekend by hosting a cocktail party at their store in Knightsbridge, London, on Sunday with the British brand's chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.The event was well-supported by a number of the new bright youngs things from the showbiz world. As well as Lennox and Panes, model David Gandy, comedian Jack Whitehall and actor Russell Tovey rubbed shoulders, while indie music star Miles Kane, formerly of The Last Shadow Puppets, provided entertainment as he performed a set of his solo material.Not to be outshone by the up-and-coming stars, Sir Elton John also attended with his partner David Furnish. The singer chose not to blend into the crowd by wearing a shiny fuchsia pink suit with clashing bright metallic green loafers and yellow rimmed glasses.The Burberry party was part of the first London Collections: Men, a weekend-long event dedicated to men's fashion organised by the British Fashion Council. The aim of the weekend was to put the spotlight on men's clothing which is often overshadowed by women's wear collections at established fashion weeks.The weekend featured shows, exhibitions and digital programming from top fashion brands and was launched by Prince Charles at St James Palace on Friday. How fame lost its magic for Hermione (that's despite Emma Watson's £30million in the bank)By UPDATED:11:10 GMT, 17 May 2010While several hundred flashbulbs are fizzing in unison to mark the arrival of Emma Watson at New York's hottest red-carpet event, just a few feet away, a rather less glamorous spectacle is drawing a sizeable crowd of its own. The driver of the Harry Potter starlet's limousine is involved in a heated and vaguely comical exchange with one of the event's parking supervisors. Amid much rancour, the official is accusing the actress's car of blocking the arrival of her fellow A-list guests, who include Sienna Miller and boyfriend Jude Law, Mick Jagger and Renee Zellweger, outside the city's Metropolitan Museum of Art. But her chauffeur is refusing to budge. The reason: he insists he has been specifically instructed by the British actress to remain close at hand should anything untoward happen to her stunning, specially created Burberry gown.He is on red alert, he is saying, in the event that a careless reveller spills red wine or inadvertently drops a crab puff on Emma's handmade, white, floor-length frock. Whereupon he will be expected to race inside on a mercy mission clutching an exact copy of the stunning gown, deposited in the boot for just such a calamity. Clearly the focused Emma is in no mood to leave anything to chance. This may explain why her 'plus one' for the Met Ball fashion gala two weeks ago was not her new Spanish boyfriend, but Burberry's chief creative officer Christopher Bailey. Who better to have on hand should the off-the-shoulder, slashed-to-the-thigh frock need any final tweaks? For, despite her tender years (she celebrated her 20th birthday last month), the determined Miss Watson is very much hands-on when it comes to the subject of her public image. Witness the actress's over-the-top reaction this week when she called in her lawyers to remove doctored pictures from an obscure website that appeared to show her naked. At the same time, her spokesman issued a statement insisting: 'If you look at it you will see that the head is marginally too big for the body and the angle of the face is physically impossible with the body in that position.' Presumably this might equally apply to just about any of the faked naked pictures of female celebrities that litter the murkier reaches of cyberspace. Would it not have been wiser for Emma, who plays schoolgirl witch Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, just to ignore such nonsense rather than draw attention to it? The single-minded Miss Watson is not, however, inclined to take such liberties lying down. Despite her movie stardom and assured public appearances (she is paid more than £1 million a year to promote Burberry at fashion events), Emma, it is said, is still struggling to adjust to being public property. This dilemma is neatly illustrated by her rather schizophrenic approach to her public and private worlds. Take, for example, the morning after that glamorous fashion gala in New York. Emma was whisked from her five-star Manhattan hotel in a gleaming black Cadillac SUV to the airport to make the short flight to Providence, Rhode Island, where she is about to finish her first-year studies at the prestigious Brown University. But by the time she arrived back on campus, her transformation from international film star and designer fashion icon to freshman student was complete. Dressed down in jeans and a simple green top, she returned to the dormitory she shares with other first-year students at the Ivy League college and the tiny room, complete with two single beds, in which she bunks down with a female member of the athletics team. All of which might seem a tad surprising for a young woman who this year was officially declared the best-paid actress in the world, outdoing Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts with the £20 million she earned from filming the final two in the series of Hogwarts movies. Particularly as back home in London, Emma has invested some of her growing fortune in a £3 million townhouse in North-West London and a £1 million Swiss ski chalet. But Emma, who turned down a place at Cambridge in order to study women's European history and acting at the American university, insists she wants to lead a normal student life. Frustratingly, however, that has not always been possible. Fellow students told me this week that after arriving on campus last summer, Emma was persuaded by a male member of the university rowing team to become coxswain of the college's varsity eight crew. Soon, the dainty Emma was a regular sight at the club boathouse or coxing the crew's boat on the Seekonk river. But it is understood that she was forced to give up her role after the university discovered their insurance did not cover having on board someone who is conservatively said to be worth £30 million. Nonetheless, the college authorities have issued strict instructions to their students that their famous fellow undergraduate must be allowed her privacy. At times, however, this well-meaning policy has been taken to rather farcical extremes. Two months ago, Emma appeared in her first amateur college production of the Chekhov play Three Sisters put on for free at the university. Her performance won her a standing ovation. But the reviewer sent to cover the event by the college newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald, was barred from even mentioning that the character of Irina in the am-dram production was played by one of the world's most famous actresses. 'We've been told that we mustn't say anything about Emma,' Oona Curley, a fellow member of the theatre group told me. 'We're banned from talking about her.' Unsurprisingly perhaps, Emma, who was brought up in Oxford and London by her divorced parents, lawyers Jacqueline and Chris, has been the victim of jealousy from some students at college. At one point towards the end of last year, she was even considering giving up the course and coming home. This month, she told Vanity Fair magazine she has found the experience a difficult one: 'It was just awful,' she said. 'I thought I must be mad. Why am I doing this? I felt as if I'd walked into an American teen movie.' But despite her homesickness, there have been compensations in the shape of acting student Rafael Cebrian, whom Emma has been dating on and off since November. The Spanish-born Cebrian, 20, who is the drummer in up-and-coming rock band The Monomes, was spotted kissing the actress at an ice hockey match at New York's Madison Square Garden at the end of last year. The dark-haired Cebrian is certainly well connected. This year, he was voted the fifth most eligible bachelor in Spain and is the son of Juan Luis Cebrian, the owner of a media conglomerate and co-founder of El Pais newspaper. But troublingly for Emma, the would-be rock star is known to have a reputation in his home country as a ladies' man who has dated a string of beautiful women, including actress Mercedes Sanchez and singer Ana Lopez. It is for this reason that he is said to be viewed with some suspicion by Emma's parents, who had tried to persuade their daughter to continue her education in Britain where they could keep a watchful eye over her. They have had to step in once before to call a halt to Emma's fledgling flirtation with Johnny Borrell, the inappropriate singer and guitarist with indie band Razorlight. They are said to have gone up the wall two years ago when Emma was photographed partying with the self-confessed former heroin addict, who is not only ten years her senior, but also a former friend of Pete Doherty. Not least because the actress has a strict good behaviour clause in her contract with Warner Bros who own the billion-dollar franchise to the screen versions of the huge-selling JK Rowling books. And Borrell, who claimed he was 'a smackhead' at 16 and has previously dated Hollywood starlet Kirsten Dunst, clearly did not fit the squeaky-clean bill of her ideal suitor. He was quickly replaced in her affections by well-bred financier Jay Barrymore, until she called time on that relationship two months ago. It had been claimed that her affair with the square-jawed, 28-year-old London University graduate fizzled because he remained in London while she has been in the U.S. But, in fact, Barrymore, who is an expert in renewable energy and clean technologies, also left Britain at the end of last year to begin a new job with a non-profit organisation in India. The couple tried to keep the long-distance relationship going, say their friends, and after splitting up twice had a miserable make or break holiday at the exclusive Round Hill resort in Jamaica at the end of last year. And while their relationship foundered, Emma - who shot to fame at the age of 11, appearing opposite Daniel Radcliffe in the first Harry Potter film - was becoming ever closer to the charming Cebrian. Meanwhile, Emma, who will finish her degree in 2013, has been busy preparing for life after Hermione when the final film, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows II, is released next year. But sources close to her say that she has yet to be offered the bigbudget starring roles they had expected would be rolling in. Instead, Emma has been bemoaning the lack of decent offers. 'The scripts all have happy endings, they're really badly written and they are sending them to an English literature student,' she says, rather sniffily of the parts she has so far been offered. But it is generally accepted by crew members on the Potter set that Emma is the least naturally talented of the three co- stars (Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley). Indeed, despite her big-screen success, she told an interviewer last year: 'There's no burning passion to act.' I am told by her friends she may yet consider quitting films in favour of starting a career away from showbusiness. Whatever she does, there is one thing that Miss Watson - the somewhat reluctant movie star - can be sure of: she is never likely to need the money. Emma Watson enjoys a magical night at the theatre with fellow Burberry model Georgie CraigBy and UPDATED:11:53 GMT, 10 June 2010Just last week she appeared distraught while filming the final scenes for the last of the Harry Potter films. But life goes on, as they say, and Emma Watson is getting on with everyday life taking time out to watch a production of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse at the New London Theatre. And she was accompanied by a male companion to watch the new play, a friend who was definitely not her most recent boyfriend Rafael Cebrian. Her male companion was in fact one of the models she worked with on a recent Burberry campaign, George Craig. The 19-year-old is also frontman for rock band One Night Only, for whom the drummer is his brother James - one time drummer for indie band Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong.Emma and Georgie can be seen working closely together in a behind the scenes video from the Mario Testino shoot, and they appeared to get on famously. Relative unknown Craig and his band's debut album Started a Fire was released in February 2008, and charted at No. 10 on the U.K. Top 40 Album Chart.Burberry designer and creative director Christopher Bailey, a self-proclaimed fan of George's band was so impressed by Craig that he cast him in the 2009 ad campaign alongside Emma. He is also featured in the campaign for men's fragrance Burberry The Beat For Men.Bailey has said: 'Hes an incredibly talented young British musician. I love Georges energy and his effortless style.'Hes also a joy to work with, and it just so happens that he comes from my native Yorkshire in England.'Last night Emma went for a laid back look in a bold shoulder leopard print top with tight black skinny jeans and heels. While musician and model Georgie looked cool in a blue mac, black jeans and a striped T-shirt.The pair rocked up to see War Horse, a production adapted by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris for the stage,billed as a 'thrilling and spectacular production' based on Morpurgo'scelebrated novel.Set in the First World War it is a tale of the extraordinary bond between a young recruit and his horse.Theactors in the production work with life-sized puppets, created by theinternationally renowned Handspring Puppet Company, to take audienceson a journey through history.Emma is certainly enjoying the single life since her split from boyfriend Jay Barrymore.Up until last month she was dating fellow Brown University student Rafael Cebrian. Dark-haired Cebrian was voted the fifth most eligible bachelor in Spainearlier and is the son of Juan Luis Cebrian, the owner of a mediaconglomerate and co-founder of El Pais newspaper.The Spanish-born 20-year-old is also a musician, playing drums in rock band called The Monomes. Emma and Cebrian were spotted kissing at an ice hockey match at New York's Madison Square Garden at the end of last year.The young actress who earned £19million in 2009 and was ranked number 6th on Forbes magazine's list of Most Valuable Young Stars was pictured filming the final scenes of the last of the Harry Potter movies in Stevenage last week. Thanks, big sis! It's a Watson double act as Emma recruits her brother for BurberryBy UPDATED:01:23 GMT, 7 January 2010She is a star of film and fashion and has flown the nest to study in the U.S. but Emma Watson hasn't forgotten her roots. The 19-year-old actress appears to have secured her brother a job modelling alongside her for Burberry's Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Executives at the brand signed up 17-year-old Alex for their latest national advertising campaign, shot by Mario Testino. Scroll down to see a behind-the-scenes videoIt is the second campaign for Burberry that the 19-year-old has takenpart in, and looks as though it will be as successful as her first.Also appearing in the campaign are George Craig, frontman of indie band One Night Only; Matt Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyds David Gilmour; and model, Max Hurd, a grandson of the former Foreign Secretary, The Lord Hurd of Westwell.The adverts feature three of the Burberry fashion brands, Prorsum, London and Brit, all designed by Christopher Bailey, the current British designer of the year. But the aspirational high-fashion brand which has undergone a renaissance in recent years after the iconic print became a favourite among 'chavs' is hardly affordable for most people Emma's age.Spoilt for choice: Emma cuddles closer to Matt Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyds David Gilmour, while Max Hurd (r) - grandson of former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd - strikes a pose A woman's classic trenchcoat starts from an eye-watering £625, and the same goes for the pricey menswear modelled by Emma's equally youthful brother.Emma, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the HarryPotter movies, said during the shoot: 'Today is really special for mein a number of different ways.'It's so nice to see Mario and Christopher again. They also shot my brother in the campaign. 'He's having such a great time. He's so psyched.'It is the first modelling assignment for Alex, who has also appeared as an extra in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, but he has now been snapped up by London model agency Storm.He said: 'It's such an honour to be a part of this. It's really exciting.'Christopher Bailey, Burberry's chief creative officer, said they were thrilled to be working with Emma again. 'We'veworked again with Emma Watson who has a classic, effortless beauty andis incredibly talented,' he said. 'We wanted this kind of eclectic but very cool crowd of people.'He added: 'We always talk about how much fun we have making theseimages and I wanted to capture some of the excitement that you feel onset when all these different creative attitudes and personalities cometogether. 'Mario has shot these as both stills and video so we can sharesome of that energy with a wider audience.'Burberry Spring/Summer 2010 campaignbehind-the-scenes videoSpeed read: The Mackintosh is back so let it rain!By UPDATED:12:55 GMT, 22 January 2011This week sees the opening of the first ever Mackintosh store in Londons exclusive Mayfair, nearly 200 years after the classic British Mac was invented. Loved by everyone from Audrey Hepburn to the Queen, the stylish waterproof was created by a Scottish scientist called Charles Macintosh in 1823. He invented the process of spreading rubber onto cotton to make it resistant to the wettest of weather and now, almost two centuries on, its a fashion classic. Nor is Mackintosh the only name in town: thanks to Emma Watsons glossy ad campaign, Burberry trenches are also enjoying a fashion moment, and are an off-duty staple for stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham. So stop moaning about the weather: let it rain, let it rain, let it rain! HOW TO WEARSHOPPING LIST Move over Harry... how Emma Watson has her sights on megastardomBy UPDATED:09:36 GMT, 17 March 2011As she quits college to be a style icon, the awesome ambition driving her...They are wondering, in the rooms she shared at Brown University on Rhode Island, what their most famous student plans to do with her things.A jumble of books and clothes cream Prada pumps, suede Louboutin platforms and piles of Agnes B casual wear remain. The girls in her dorm, who include Scout Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, expect she will send someone to pack.They are already saying how much they will miss Emma Watson, the unassuming star of the Harry Potter films, who bunked down in a single bed in a shared room for the past year and a half.She started studying history at the college in September 2009, and was on course to complete her degree in 2013. That has been deferred, she says just by a few terms, though many believe she wont be back at all.And the reason, it seems, is that Emma 21 next month is confident she can put the Potter films behind her and become a star in her own right.This week, it was announced she has been anointed the face of Lancome, succeeding Julia Roberts. It is a huge role that will not only net her millions, but ensure her face is on billboards all over the world. Lancome said: Emma Watson has become the icon of her generation.She is emerging from her shell. After a couple of years of uncertainty, Emma no longer feels crushed by her £30million wealth or embarrassed by her success.Whenshe first found out how much money she had made, aged 18, she says she felt physically sick. It seems it has taken her all this time to get used to it.After ten yearsof playing Hermione Granger and, she says, sacrificing her childhood and normality on the altar of the Warner Bros agenda, she was ready to give it all up. That, though, has changed.Shes learning to enjoy the pleasures of success. Youll see her taking a spa break with friends in Thailand and propping up the bar in top London clubs. Home is a £3million pad in North London, where her Toyota Prius is proudly parked outside. She has had cookery lessons from celebrity chef Joel Robuchon as she is tired of paying caterers for her dinner parties. Its all rather grand.Her friends are starting to include the glitterati, and she has shown a particular interest in making an impression on all of the more important people in fashion, such as Burberrys Christopher Bailey and Antoine Arnault, son of LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) boss Bernard. Shell soon shoot a campaign for Joel Robuchon with Mario Testino.One who knows her socially said that all her friends know to never mention Harry Potter. She pulls a bad smell face if you even say the name, she said.Come Bafta season this year, she was the most flirtatious of all the starlets, parading in a series of carefully chosen outfits, and working the room at the best parties.Film mogul Harvey Weinstein, the man who helped to make the careers of Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett, was among those she dazzled.For ten years she has been this schoolgirl in the Harry Potter films and now you see her as a woman for the first time, he said. She has an elegance about her she looks like Jean Shrimpton plus she has a gift for comedy and drama, and were just starting to see her range. I feel were going to work together a lot in the future.This week, her starring role in a new film is to be announced possibly a project with Weinstein.She has already filmed a small part in My Week With Marilyn about Marilyn Monroe, starring Michelle Williams, and from May she will be shooting the film Perks Of Being A Wallflower.Over the summer, she will have to fit in a final hit of promotional activity for the last instalment of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows a task which, it seems, may not fill her with delight.For Emma has moved on. When the cast and crew held a wrap party after shooting the final set of re-shoots around Christmas, she didnt go. Co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint did. While the three key actors were genuinely good friends during the making of the early films, the bond seems to have loosened considerably during the last movie. Perhaps there was resentment over the way Emma took her time signing for the final two films. Her contract came up for renewal in 2006, but while Daniel and Rupert signed for five years without a second thought, she admitted in an interview this year that she agonised before deciding that she would, and was considering giving up being an actress.So why the sudden change of heart about her film career? People who know Emma say its simply a question of having had some time to catch her breath she needed to get some space away from the Potter juggernaut and to decide whether she wanted a life in the public eye.Friends say the revival of her career ambition is also partly down to the sage counsel of her father, lawyer Chris Watson.An Oxford graduate who works at a senior level for one of the larger London firms, he has supported her every step of the way. He has often been with her on publicity junkets and film premieres around the globe. She adores him, and takes his advice on everything. Significantly, his views were the first she sought on that haircut the pixie crop she had to celebrate the end of her Potter years. She says: He said: Dont get carried away. Youre not Audrey Hepburn yet. But he loves it now, and so hes eating his words.He and Emmas mother Jackie were divorced in 1995. He has since remarried, to Elizabeth Green, and they have three further children, Toby and twins Nina and Lucy. Their North London home is a five-minute stroll from Emmas.Her one financial splurge a £1million ski chalet in France was made with her father in mind. He is a passionate skier.Those who know her from the Potter days say that, even though she lived with her mother, her fathers influence was paramount.She was, though, troubled from time to time by their wringingly awful divorce.And it was even whispered that her parents had opposing views on whether she should make the Deathly Hallows films at all.All I can tell you is that there was a lot of unhappiness connected with the parents, says a Potter source.Will she ever go back to university? She says she fully intends to return to Brown and her academic career is very important to her.But there is rather a lot of cynicism about that on the Ivy League campus, where it has also been noticed that she chooses to hang out with only the wealthiest and best-connected girls. Her best friend is Scout Willis she went to her home over New Year. Shes also close to Madison Utendahl, a glamorous young lady whose banker father is stepping out with supermodel and TV personality Tyra Banks.Her college romance was again with someone connected to the fringes of stardom a Spanish acting student named Rafael Cebrian, who is the son of the co-founder of El Pais newspaper.He was also the drummer in The Monomes. It seems Emma has a weakness for rock musicians. Take her flirtation with Johnny Borrell at a Fashion Week party in 2008 or her romance last summer with George Craig, singer of pop band One Night Only.They did Glastonbury together, and were spotted snogging in hospitality tents across the site. But it didnt last Emma says she is starting to wonder if her wealth is an issue.I hope it doesnt complicate relationships for me, she says. I think it can make guys quite uncomfortable. I do have to be sensitive.She probably neednt worry too much. Because the direction in which she is heading means that pretty much everyone she meets from here on will be wealthy, famous or both.Golden girl Emma Watson upstages Victoria Beckham at Burberry's London catwalk comebackBy and UPDATED:09:39 GMT, 23 September 2009When they signed her up for their ad campaigns, Burberry might have wondered if it was a risk too far.But as Harry Potter star Emma Watson arrived at London Fashion Week, she proved she is worth her weight in gold.Wearing a stunning metallic Burberry minidress and towering black heels, the 19-year-old actress turned heads as she arrived at the Burberry show.She even managed to upstage the perennially glamorous Victoria Beckham, who arrived in an understated black knee-length dress.Emma wore dark eye make-up and styled her hair in a loose up-do, proving she was perfectly at ease among the fashion know-how.Emma got the look just right, one eyewitness said. It would have been a big mistake to try an over the top outfit. Her dress wowed the crowds but looked sophisticated at the same time. Other attendees included Slumdog Millionaire stars and off-screenlovers Freida Pinto and Dev Patel, who are now happily flaunting theirrelationship after a spell of camera-dodging.Agyness Deyn turned up in a ruffled mint green dress and black stockings while actress Liv Tyler opted for black leggings.Earlier in the evening, fashion giant Burberry announced it was'thrilled to be back' in London as top industry names gathered tonightfor one of the most eagerly-awaited catwalk shows of the year.The sunglasses are back: American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, MTV presenter Alexa Chung and Donna Air dress to impressThe brand switched its fashion show to London from Milan to help celebrate 25 years of fashion in Britain.American Vogue editor Anna Wintour was among a host of leadingfashionistas watching the show, which will help bring this year's eventto a close.Angela Ahrendts, Burberry's chief executive, said the company -which has enjoyed a surge in popularity over the past year - was doinggood business at the show.Of the decision to switch the brand's show to London, Ms Ahrendtstold Sky News: 'You know it just felt like the right time for us. Thecity is celebrating 25 years of London fashion.'It's been unbelievable the support we have had. We are thrilled to be back.'A tremendous amount of business is done here. It is a halo for the brand.'Burberry was founded in the mid 1800s when a 21-year-old draper'sapprentice opened a small outfitter's shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire. After shrugging of its links with 'chav' culture in the UK in recentyears, the brand has regained its reputation as an elite brand,featuring in the Sex And The City film.The eagerly-awaited spring/summer collection for Burberry Prorsum,designed by the Yorkshire-born Christopher Bailey, marked the firsttime that the global fashion brand has shown on the LFW catwalk sinceMr Bailey became creative director.Miss Watson, who plays witch Hermione Granger in the Potter films,took time out from university in the United States to attend the Burberry catwalk show.The actress is studying at Brown University in Rhode Island, and started her English Literature course this month.Althoughshe is likely to have to get used to having a mini fan club on campus,she has said she hopes the novelty will wear off.I do hopethat it will only be a short time before I am known as Emma Watson,the student from the UK rather than Emma Watson who starred in thoseHarry Potter films".' It is unlikely, however, that her fellow students will be able to forget her rise to fame quite so soon.MissWatson will have to return to the studio during her university holidaysto film the last two instalments in the Harry Potter series.MissWatson was unveiled as the new face of Burberry in June this year,joining a roster of past stars that includes Kate Moss, Rachel Weisz andAgyness Deyn. She modelled their autumn/winter 2009 collection for an estimated six-figure fee. Earlier this month Miss Watson and her Potter co-star DanielRadcliffe were named as the highest-grossing actors of the decade afterconjuring up billions of pounds each.While Radcliffe, 20, made the studios an average of £537 million afilm for the first five movies in the series, Miss Watson saw heraverage reach £544.88 million per film.She earned more than her co-star following the success of animated hit Tale Of Despereaux, in which she voiced a main character.The figures were revealed in the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. Spring showing: Catwalk queens model the eagerly-awaited spring/summer collection for Burberry Prorsum designed by Christopher Bailey Model chic: Emma Watson steps out in studded-sleeve trenchcoatBy UPDATED:22:48 GMT, 16 November 2010She's making a name for herself with an increasingly individual and eclectic fashion sense.And Emma Watson didn't disappoint yesterday when she stepped out in New York wearing a very stylish Burberry trench coat with studded sleeves.She also carried a matching black studded bag to complete the whole edgy look.She wore a very unusual thigh-skimming ink blot minidress underneath that showed off her gamine figure to perfection.And the Rorsache test-inspired design shows that the Harry Potter star isn't afraid to play with unusual and untraditional looks.Emma wore the dress and the Burberry jacket as she arrived at the New York studios for the David Letterman show, where she was a guest last night.And for the show itself, she changed into a vibrant sparkling red and black dress. It looks like the 20-year-old is developing a real passion for fashion - she recently revealed that she will be collaborating with design house Alberta Ferretti.With an established line for People Tree already to her name, this will be her second design venture.Emma says She [Alberta] wrote to me and said, "I saw what you did with People Tree and I think its a great idea and will you do something with me?"'The actress also appeared on Live With Regis Kelly this morning to promote Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.Wearing a green knee-length dress and black boots, she looked stunning.And she wasn't afraid to poke fun at herself either, joking that she was engaged to co-star Rupert Grint.She said: 'OK fine, we're getting married, and we're going to have little ginger-haired kids, and we're going to live in a beautiful house.'She then pretended to show off an engagement ring on her left hand.The actress made headlines when she dramatically cut her hair into a crop.But she won't be doing anything more to change her look.'The hair is as dramatic as it goes,' she told E! News. 'I think I'd have to shave it to get any more dramatic.''I'm loving it. I don't really miss it. I'm not going to lie. I can wash my head, in a basin, in a sink. Takes me like five minutes to get ready. It's great.'Meanwhile her Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show last night in a smart green suit, to promote new film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Classic beauty Emma Watson swaps her Hogwarts scarf for Burberry checkBy UPDATED:13:21 GMT, 9 June 2009Well, its nicer than her Hogwarts uniform. After weeks of speculation, Emma Watson was today unveiled as the face of Burberry. Photographed by Mario Testino, Watson looks extremely grown up in trench coats from the autumn/winter collection.Despite persistent rumours linking her to Chanel, and her ubiquitouspresence at international fashion shows, Burberry is the first majoradvertising campaign that the 19-year-old Harry Potter star has landed. And it's predicted the prestigious contract will boost her estimated £8million fortune by sixfigures.Shot by Mario Testino in Westminster, close to Burberry'sheadquarters at Horseferry House, the images capture Watson in a collection inspired by Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury set.Burberrys creative director Christopher Bailey told The Evening Standard: 'Having known and admired the lovely Emma Watson for quite some time,she was the obvious choice for this campaign.'Emma has a classic beauty, a great character and a modern edge. Hercharm, intellect and brilliant sense of fun made the whole shoot feellike a picnic on the Thames.'He added: 'I felt Emma would be strong enough to hold the campaign as the only girl, and I loved the idea of her being surrounded by these young, cool British guys.'Watson first appeared as Hermione Granger alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone in 2001.The sixth film Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is released on 15 July. Emma Watson's new six-figure deal for Lancome proves that there is life after HermioneBy UPDATED:19:03 GMT, 13 February 2011Emma Watson is about to sign a six-figure deal to become the latest ambassador for Lancome.The campaign is to be shot by celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino next month, and will feature Emma as the face of the French beauty brand in posters and TV advertising.Its so exciting, I cant wait to start shooting, Emma, 20, said. Although I dont wear much make-up Im a big fan of Lancome products, especially their mascara. The fresh-faced actress will be quite a change from Lancomes previous thirtysomething ambassadors, who have included Juliette Binoche, Uma Thurman and Julia Roberts. The deal comes as Emma prepares to bid farewell to the Harry Potter series, in which she has played Hermione since she was ten, with the final film out later this year. The star who cut her hair short to mark the end of life as Hermione will fit her Lancome role around studies at Brown University in America.Emma was being her usual stylish self on Friday night at a party at the Almada bar in London's Mayfair in honour of Colin Firth and The King's Speech, the runaway success of this year's awards season, accompanied by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Hollywood giant Weinstein produced the Oscar-nominated film which is tipped for BAFTA glory tonight.The party continued well into the early hours, with Emma arriving at nearby Mahiki nightclub in the film chief's Rolls Royce.When they were accosted by eager autograph-hunters in between parties, Weinstein jumped in to chivalrously guide Emma through the crowd.For Firth and many of his fellow revellers, who included flame-hairedMad Men star Christina Hendricks (in a stunning low-cut floral print silk gown), it was the start of a party-packed weekend in the run-up to tonight's BAFTA Awards. Other stars feted at Almada's included Amy Adams, star of The Fighter, Rosamund Pike, Dougray Scott and Claire Forlani, Neve Campbell, new 'It' girl Felicity Jones, Ralph Fiennes and designer Vivienne Westwood.Ronnie Wood spent the night flirting with a variety of young female delights, but left arm in arm with girlfriend Ana Araujo.Sam Taylor Wood and Aaron Johnson also took in the heady atmosphere along with Noomi Repace, Elizabeth Mcgovern star of TV hit Downton Abbey, Sally Hawkins, Matthew Freud and wife Elisabeth Murdoch. Appropriately, theatrical knights Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ben Kingsley were in attendance. Sitting chatting with friends was Ricky Gervais, he was keeping a low profile and didn't insult anyone.'It's my night off', joked the comic who hosted January's Golden Globe ceremony.Tom Hooper , director of The King's Speech praised his film's leading man for helping to turn the movie into a global phenomenon.'We all hail King Colin', Hooper told guests. During dinner executives from Momentum Pictures, the film's UK distributor, revealed that Friday night's ticket sales for the movie hadpushed the UK box-office takings to well over the £32 million mark.Firth said he would be pacing himself at all the BAFTA festivities. 'People don't come up to me and say, 'Oh congratulations' or whatever. 'They just want to know how I'm coping with all the travelling back and forwards from London to Los Angeles and back again,' the actor laughed.'I am now in the possession of so many cures for jet-lag I could open a chemists.' Firth, who arrived at the soiree in time for dessert, added: 'But in-between going to awards shows I have to fit in the school run when I'm home in London. 'But that keeps you grounded and I love to do things with my family.'He and his wife, Livia Giuggioli had their first courses at Cecconi's, where Vogue magazine threw a pre-BAFTA bash.On Saturday there are several 'happenings' for the stars in town.Momentum are hosting a brunch at the new hotel Corinthia in Whitehall while Charles Finch will be 'at home' at Mark's Club, the private members' dining club in Mayfair.On Sunday there are post-BAFTA parties all over town including the Fox and Pathe studios combining to host an after midnight affair at Sketch while Momentum and the Weinstein film company will be in high octane party mode at the new W hotel in central London.Do you have a story about a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683. For U.S. stories, phone 310 642 2317.Emmys 2010: Mad Men girls' hourglass silhouettes herald fashion trend for curvesBy UPDATED:09:00 GMT, 31 August 2010The hourglass silhouette will be de rigueur for fashionistas next season - and if any further proof was needed, it was all over the red carpet at the Emmys last night.Mad Men stars Christina Hendricks, January Jones and Elisabeth Moss all wore figure-hugging gowns that made the most of their famous curves.January Jones's shimmering blue Atelier Versace dress played on the retro look with a fitted waist and full skirt, while Christina Hendricks wore a plunging lavender gown by Zac Posen with ostrich feathers at the sleeves and skirt. Elisabeth Moss wore a cream Donna Karan gown with a flattering ruched waist and bustline.She said of the designer: 'I've always been a big fan,' but admitted that posing in it was not as easy as it looks.'I'm just thinking about trying to make the dress look good. I'm just trying to pose right and put my feet where they're supposed to go,' she said.But Armani was clearly the label of the night - Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper in the series, and his girlfriend of 12 years, Jennifer Westfeldt, both wore the classic Italian label, while Claire Danes shimmered in a gold sequinned Armani Prive gown. Oscar de la Renta was also a favourite, and Glee's Lea Michele did the designer proud in a sculpted strapless navy gown with cascading ruffles.Kim Kardashian, who wore a whiteGrecian-style Marchesa gown was quick to praise the starlet's choice ofdress, admitting she was 'freaking out' over it. Tina Fey, who was nominated for 30Rock, also chose Oscar de la Renta - a silver embroidered number with ahigh neckline and fishtail skirt. She told reporters: 'I feel fancy!' Emmy debut: Glee's Lea Michele did Oscar de la Renta proud in a strapless navy gown with cascading rufflesWhile on the red carpet, Kim was quizzed about her relationship status, but refused to reveal any details - despite being seen out and about with NFL star Miles Austin.When asked whether she was 'taken' by E! presenter Ryan Seacrest, the curvy brunette said: 'I don't know, I don't know. I'm dating.'And even though she looked immaculatein the figure-hugging number, Kim complained of difficulties choosing the right dress because she felt bloated from overeating the previous day.That didn't appear to be a problem for Heidi Klum, who wore an embellished black Marchesa minidress. Golden girls: Anna Paquin (left) in Alexander McQueen, Sofia Vergara in Carolina Herrera (centre) and Claire Danes (right) in shimmering Armani Prive Back to black: Eva Longoria Parker in Robert Rodriguez (left), Heidi Klum in Marchesa (centre) and Kelly Osbourne in Tony Ward Couture (right)The supermodel, who attended with husband Seal, proved that being a mother-of-four had not harmed her figure in the slightest, showing off acres of long tanned leg.And she wasn't the only one to be flaunting her figure. Being single certainly hasn't done Kelly Osbourne any harm, as she looked phenomenal in a couture gown by little-known designer Tony Ward.Working a similar Jessica Rabbit silhouette was Eva Longoria Parker, who wore a black Robert Rodriguez gown embellished with roses. Newlywed True Blood co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer both wore Alexander McQueen, with Paquin in a flowing black gown with almost gladiatorial gold embellishment at the neckline. The dress was part of the late designer's final collection.Navy was a strong trend throughout the evening. Glee's Jayma Mays, who plays schoolteacher Emma Pillsbury, looked a far cry from her dowdy on-screen character in Burberry Prorsum, while Padma Lakshmi, who presents U.S. show Top Chef, accessorised her Carolina Herrera gown with a necklace from her own jewellery range. The Good Wife actress JuliannaMargulies also went for a navy gown, in a L'Wren Scott dress that wascovered in shimmering inky-blue sequins. 'Apparently navy is the colour,' she said. Glee cheerleader Dianna Agron was as pretty as a princess in a pale pink and black lace Carolina Herrera gown. She accessorised with over £1million worth of Cartier diamonds.'I'm a very lucky girl,' she commented.But the Emmys were not without the odd flash of colour. Julia Ormond's fuchsia gown made an eye-catching statement, while Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz went for a red halterneck style with black and gold strapless platform sandals. Colour me happy: Julia Ormond in fuchsia Escada, Jenna Ushkowitz in a red Kevin Hall creation and Emily Deschanel in Max Azria Atelier Bones star Emily Deschanel went for abold ruffled purple number by Max Azria Atelier - and she wasn't theonly one to choose the regal hue. She was in good company with JaneLynch, who won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedyfor her role as Sue Sylvester in Glee, and Kyra Sedgwick, who wore aprincess-like Monique L'Hullier number.But almost as many stars opted for white - from Kim Kardashian to Rose Byrne, who also went for a Grecian style in a Gucci column dress.Pretty Dexter actress Julie Benz also worked a similar look in a gown by Pamella Roland - though we weren't sure about the cut-out detail at the hip. Neither was she by the look of it - she appeared to be covering it in most of the photos. All white on the night: Reality television star Kim Kardashian in Marchesa (left), Troy actress Rose Byrne in Gucci (centre) and Dexter's Julie Benz in Pamella Roland (right)Like Hendricks, The Devil Wears Prada actress Emily Blunt also went for a lavender-coloured gown - though hers was by Christian Dior. The pretty applique flowers were a nod to the label's couture show earlier this summer, which was a riot of flower-inspired dresses inspired by the summer garden of Dior's childhood home.Actress Toni Collette also went for a floral theme with a delicate Valentino gown that appeared to have been hand-painted. Another to break the style mould was Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson, who wore a Prada dress draped with a crystal overlay - but it was less successful than some of the other red carpet ensembles.The actress and producer, 53, had obviously put some effort into the outfit though, as her shoes were embellished with the same crystals as her dress. Butthe clear straps of the lucite sandals looked cheap, and the teardropcrystals should really have been left on the chandelier. It was a small fashion blip on the red carpet landscape though, which was relatively free of fashion faux pas.There were some brave choices - AnnaPaquin and January Jones win points for that in particular, though therest were classic rather than safe. And for the most part, dresses were cut to fit, flatter and play on curves, proving that designers next season really are working towards impressing consumers with timeless shapes that will genuinely look good on every woman - not just on the red carpet. Now if only we could afford them...Visit msnbc.com for , , and End of season... and the beginning of another means a lot is changing in the fashion world By UPDATED:12:28 GMT, 1 February 2012Fashion, known for its ever fleeting nature, doesn't boast of having too many constants in its repertoire. These pieces, that exist like old family traditions give fashion a structure to rest its ever changing younger props on. The LBD from Chanel, the bandage dress from Hervé Léger, Aviator glasses from Rayban, traditional weave saris from South India, jodhpurs and precious jewellery from Jaipur, the travel trunk from Louis Vuitton, red soled heels from Louboutin are some of the items that have made to the list. The Burberry Trench is one such piece that has stood the test of time. To celebrate the iconic fashion item, an exhibition titled Art Of The Trench, curated by Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, will showcase streetstyle images captured in India by local photographer Manou of wearabout. Here's a sneak preview of the images on display from the 3rd-12th of Feb at the new Burberry store at Hotel Oberoi, Gurgaon. The fashion award goes to the traditional sari for eleganceThe Sari is getting all the awards from popular to critics this award season. Giving a break to the flowy gowns and bandage dresses, most B-town beauties are being spotted in different sari styles at several red carpet dos. While some like Karisma, Vidya and Anushka stuck to traditional designs, the others such as Priyanka, Katrina and Deepika experimented with more of contemporary styles like nets and georgettes. The sari has had a style boost recently with, international TV host Oprah Winfrey choosing a kanjivaramfor her recent visit and style acer Sonam Kapoor donning it to polo matches and couture outings. Anushka (pictured left) looks stunning in a velvet sari from Sabyasachi, actress Vidya Balan (pictured centere) dressed in a silk traditional weave, while Priyanka keeps it minimal and classy in an all white ensemble (pictured right) End of the super-rich boom?: Why the good times at Burberry have shuddered to a halt By PUBLISHED:22:00 GMT, 11 September 2012 UPDATED:12:13 GMT, 12 September 2012It was only ever going to be a matter of time before the downturn permeated through to the super-rich.Since the beginning of the recession the worlds biggest luxury goods firms had appeared immune to the economic conditions battering their more pedestrian rivals. But that all came to a crashing halt yesterday.Burberrys first profit warning since the demise of investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 sent a shock wave through the sector, wiping more than 21 per cent, or £1bn, off its market value.The earnings alert is being seen as a clear signal the wheels have come off the luxury goods sectors diamond-encrusted shopping trolley.Rivals LVMH, PPR the firm behind Gucci and Cartier-owner Richemont all saw their shares tumble as the quintessentially British firm, famous for its raincoats decked out in a camel, red and black check, warned underlying sales have fallen in all of its markets over recent weeks. Even China, the powerhouse of growth for the luxury goods market, has been affected.Burberry has been hurt by fewer of its wealthy customers travelling abroad to indulge in high octane shopping trips.Uncertainty over the eurozone debt crisis has also knocked consumer confidence and the rich in China are spending less as export-led Asian economies slow down due to contracting demand.Its a powerful cocktail of gloom that is beginning to filter through to the tills.Burberry said total sales grew 6 per cent for the 10 weeks to September 8 but this was due to its aggressive expansion plan.Underlying sales from the same number of stores open as the previous year, and excluding new space, were flat.That represents a marked slowdown from first-quarter retail revenue growth of 14 per cent and comparable store sales up 6 per cent.It also noted a deceleration in recent weeks and warned: Burberry currently expects adjusted profit before tax for the 12-months to March 31 2013 to be around the lower end of market expectations.The shares fell 287p to 1088p yesterday.Analysts had expected Burberry to post pre-tax profit for the year to March 2013 of between £407m and £451m with a consensus of £433.2m, according to Reuters.The retail groups finance director Stacey Cartwright said the firm is not alone in taking a hit to earnings: Luxury has been insulated from the downturn but it is certainly not immune and we dont believe we are alone.We pick up trading trends on the ground and know others, not everyone, but others have been impacted. This is not just about Asia and China, the last couple of

[投稿情報: Israel Travel]

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Effortless Strategies For Any Worthwhile Major Occasion
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[投稿情報: プラダ/PRADA バッグ]

これはほぼ常に「悪い」製品どちらか。自分のためを取得品質クラバット関係から、認識意志を格納の確認信頼性。

[投稿情報: トリーバーチ服]

これらはのほとんど、我々 のブランドすべてするユニークな置くと後。それはより重要あなたよりと思うと見栄えの良いデザイナー ハンドバッグになる目立ちます。

[投稿情報: exercise for back]

Although you and other participants have come to the site for common
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Being comfortable & Eco-friendly is as good as saying "Eco-comfortable".
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[投稿情報: MONOGRAM モノグラム モノグラム バッグ]

女性を夢中よりも余分なデザイナー バッグ通常愛良い生活。いくつか身に着けているこの特定getup
は当然のことながら全然ない真の青いヒッピー。

[投稿情報: シャネル]

あなたできたを選択オンライン ショップをお楽しみいただけます物理ショッピング。いくつかグッチのバッグしばしばは今日の 1 つに関連する最も有名な袋そこ。ことができますそれ黒と一緒に白、青したがってオレンジ、赤、または多分黒。提供、洗練された見えると見て、の各私たちB.

[投稿情報: エアジョーダン1]

彼らすることができますは役割トップ モデル多くの人として、のゲームバスケット ボール間違いなく非常に人気のあります。少しの時間と、バスケット
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[投稿情報: コーチ 財布]

一緒に"を読むと一緒に入れてどちらがが必要になります選択すると、いつでも"確かに。は、女性人大好きを購入するデザイナー ハンドバッグ。

[投稿情報: モノグラム?イディール アンクル]

あなた間違いなくしないする支払うあなたヶ月最終的な貯蓄に、単一バッグ。上女性、彼らおそらくあります、不可分アクセサリー。ヴィクトリア · ベッカムプラスに誇りを持っています女の子胸の谷間と強要アップ ブラジャー ！実際不朽の名作としてみなされているグッチ Princy ボストン デザイナーバッグ。

[投稿情報: モノグラム?イディール アンクル]

あなた間違いなくしないする支払うあなたヶ月最終的な貯蓄に、単一バッグ。上女性、彼らおそらくあります、不可分アクセサリー。ヴィクトリア · ベッカムプラスに誇りを持っています女の子胸の谷間と強要アップ ブラジャー
！実際不朽の名作としてみなされているグッチ Princy ボストン デザイナーバッグ。

[投稿情報: CHANEL（シャネル）]

あなたは高ファッションスタイルになりますの嫉妬すべて親しい友人 ！今私は場合疑問ことができる午前より多くを得る適切なから結果承認オフまたは再編？

[投稿情報: トートバッグ]

いくつかがあった場合でもそれ
isn'tその情熱的な何でヒッピー位置していた、ヒッピーまだ傾向することができるキャッチします。おそらく、最高の 1 つ見つけることへのパス本格的なバッグは発見すべてのあなたの行うについてあなた有名なデザイナー。

[投稿情報: www.orangeresort.kr]

コーチ バッグが重いのため、高級ハードウェアと使用される革。以降
1,000は用の aptスタイリッシュな機会、パーティまたは多分企業を満たしています。

[投稿情報: モンクレール レディース 2013]

ロゴすべきする代わりに興味をそそられるにとして書かれて右売り上げ高はピッチ。モンクレールの女性のジャケット達成のまで追加に代替ブルームピッキングします。それは確かです疑いもなく圧縮性とオプション暖かさの脂肪の割合が最も大きい。赤みを帯びた色は通常広く使われているに立ってのため、の血主。モンクレールの女性のジャケットもたらすのまで追加に代替ブルームピッキングします。サイトモンクレールのアウトレットのはことをお勧めこれは順番にモンクレール コンセント格納オンライン。

[投稿情報: モンクレール レディース 2013]

ロゴすべきする代わりに興味をそそられるにとして書かれて右売り上げ高はピッチ。モンクレールの女性のジャケット達成のまで追加に代替ブルームピッキングします。それは確かです疑いもなく圧縮性とオプション暖かさの脂肪の割合が最も大きい。赤みを帯びた色は通常広く使われているに立ってのため、の血主。モンクレールの女性のジャケットもたらすのまで追加に代替ブルームピッキングします。サイトモンクレールのアウトレットのはことをお勧めこれは順番にモンクレール コンセント格納オンライン。

[投稿情報: エアジョーダン15]

そのスニーカーことにに見られるalotバスケット ボール選手。彼 純度と魅力2 番目だったをすることができます彼市場。

[投稿情報: エアジョーダン1]

生鮮食品最適なより収量きのこ結実フレーム。購入後、非常に最高に時間食事を楽しむは5日間それことができるない新鮮な。。多くのオンライン オークション市場のようなサイトクレイグズリストは、靴使用可能。しないでください彼に紛れもなく、最大今までですか？

[投稿情報: エアマックス]

偽ののコピーコレクター アイテムおよびデザイナー採用格安航空ジョーダンのスニーカーは広まった。ブロッコリーは、最も印象的な栄養価で野菜。いくつかの並べ替えフクロウはといわれる非常に重要なながら、オウルに関連付けられている知恵。いくつかの種類がありますのうち鋼つま先あなたの靴（ブーツ） 動作購入することができます。

[投稿情報: 財布/小物]

はい、この上決定瞬間、立っている変更のはちょうど通過屋根。レインコートできます本当に彼女親友とき彼女はで、ピンチします。