Pictures

Recession Spending: The Collections That Will Count Come Spring

2009-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Making clothes has always been one part fortune-telling—what will women want to wear in six months' time? With the economy in shambles, designers' prognostications are more divergent than ever. Our top ten shows run the gamut from elegant pragmatism to giddy opulence. In other words, there was something for all tastes and styles.
Photo Credit: Marcio Madeira

1. Ann Demeulemeester
Ann Demeulemeester left her comfort zone to create what rates among her strongest collections to date, one that had bold shots of color, glittery crystal embroideries, and bunched and wrapped toga dresses, as well as cool, drapey jackets and waistcoats for her rock 'n' roll fans.

Fashion Week Etiquette 101: 8 Tricks to Looking Like a Front-Row Regular

2009-10-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

Forget what your mother told you: When it comes to the Fashion Week scene, not all the normal p’s and q’s apply. Whether you’re a Fashion Week newbie or just wondering what it’s like at one of the runway shows, these tips will help you look like a fashion VIP.

by Susan Cernek and Tracey Lomrantz

In one corner, our Single-ish blogger Ryan Dodge gives the guys' perspective on spring's top trends, while glamour.com's Susan Cernek voices her take on a few of-the-moment looks. Read on to find out which outfits girls love but guys loathe, plus the surprising style that earned the guys' stamp of approval. (Admit it—you want to know!)

Fashion Week Paparazzi on the Last Day

2009-10-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

What will the paparazzi do now that Fashion Week is over? Here's the scene at Bryant Park last night before Tommy Hilfiger's show. A crowd of photographers and tourists started forming outside the designer's backstage entrance, waiting for a glimpse of a famous model or celebrity. They were busily shooting photos of the gal wearing the hat—and no one was even sure who she was.

He Says, She Says: The Sexes Size Up the Latest Trends

2009-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

In one corner, our Single-ish blogger Ryan Dodge gives the guys' perspective on spring's top trends, while glamour.com's Susan Cernek voices her take on a few of-the-moment looks. Read on to find out which outfits girls love but guys loathe, plus the surprising style that earned the guys' stamp of approval. (Admit it—you want to know!)

/ Photo: Mark Leibowitz

Trend #1: Boho dresses

He says: No one told me Miss Cleo started a clothing line. A little whimsy is cute, but this looks like something my color-blind grandma would wear, complete with the orthopedic sandals. (I love you, Grammy!)

She says: Make all the Woodstock and psychic jokes you want. As long as you skip the full-on hippie treatment (love beads, peace-sign charms, Yoko-worthy floppy hats), a breezy boho dress is a classic rite of spring—kind of like Opening Day.

Hot off the Runway: September 16th

2009-10-09T11:17:00.001-07:00

Highlights from Anna Sui, Michael Kors and more

Photo by Marcio Madeira

Nanette Lepore

By Alison Baenen

Nanette Lepore was thinking about color for Spring, and she ended up with a palette of highlighter hues. Acid yellow, neon orange, and hot pink lent the season's long and fluid silhouette a bit of heft (not to mention some of the energy that was missing last season). "I wanted the colors to give the clothes a more powerful look," Lepore explained backstage before her show. The result was a playful mix of airy, printed dresses and striped knits that would work on a summer day in South Beach or Southampton. Lepore's chunky wedges—hybrid booties and strappy sandals—in prints and patterns as eye-grabbing as the clothes offered a grounding element to the lightness on top.

Hot off the Runway: September 16th

2009-10-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

Photo by Marcio Madeira

Michael Kors

By Nicole Phelps

Madonna and Lady Gaga may have been on the soundtrack, but Michael Kors' show was decidedly not meant for the pants-less set. Explaining that he was thinking about architectural shapes, he sent out a sleek collection that, save for a few missteps, played like an ode to the city in springtime, along with its high-powered inhabitants. The strong yet rounded shoulders of his jackets and vests put the power in power suit. Overall, though, he was more interested in sleeveless shift dresses, a favorite of his most high-profile client of all, Michelle Obama. They came in silver crinkle lamé, crushed techno taffeta, draped jersey, and glove leather, but the most interesting was a radzimir number in sky blue with origamilike folds. Kors created surface interest elsewhere with zipper accents that zigzagged around the torso of a mint green asymmetric-neckline sheath, or with bold cutouts that exposed a flash of rib on a cocktail dress.

Occasionally, Kors' enthusiasm got the better of him. Dresses with graphic plastic insets might pinch, were some gal to wear them longer than it takes to make a circuit of the runway. And a further detour into deconstruction and high concept—via cashmere knits with slashes at necklines and hems, along with a trio of sweaters with extra sleeves—was off-key. But the show ended on a high note, with a pair of trompe-l'oeil sequined dresses, their graphic shapes evoking a nighttime skyline.

Hot off the Runway: September 16th

2009-10-09T11:11:00.001-07:00

Photo by Marcio Madeira

Doo.Ri

By Nicole Phelps

Doo-Ri Chung, edgy? This is the designer who built her brand on slinky jersey dresses. But edgy is how she described her focused Spring collection, which was inspired in general by metals and specifically by an installation created by artist Annette Messager, My Wish Is Under Netting. What that meant is that many of the show's abbreviated cocktail dresses, sweet little blouses and shorts, tanks, and bubble skirts were swagged in thin chains or overlaid with tulle netting. It also meant that the majority of the 30 looks were gray or silver. The quilted silk opal dress that opened the show was a simple, streamlined knockout. Another look, with ruched gray tulle front and back, and silver sequins on the sides, was its sexy, curvy counterpoint. But what got the audience scribbling approvingly was the arrival of a royal blue frock, its bodice tucked and folded like a fan, and a blush jersey cocktail number dripping in chains. No surprise there. Even the edgiest girls need a hit of sweetness once in a while.

Hot off the Runway: September 16th

2009-10-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

Photo by Marcio Madeira

Anna Sui

By Laird Borrelli-Persson

Fresh off her CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award and a collaboration with Target, Anna Sui is steadfastly in center ring—and it was clear from her stellar circus-themed Spring fling that she's comfortable there. "I'm always about optimism and exuberance. It's what I feel about fashion," said the designer a few days before taking her show on the road.

The clothes were pure big-tent Anna Sui, with lots of references to the Pop sixties—the designer's Valhalla. Models wore Mary Quant's Sassoon cut, or were transformed into latter-day Jean Shrimptons with flowered head scarves and shifts printed with circus animals, paisley, or apples. There were also ringmaster's jackets, Liberty patterns recolored "à la Anna Sui," and lots more tomboyish looks than usual. Blame that on Rex Harrison: Sui had been watching the 1967 version of Dr. Doolittle, and it must have really struck a chord, because the tailored pieces—a flowered pantsuit on Ranya Mordanova, a voodoo-beaded denim shorts suit worn with a paillette-embroidered mesh dress—had a cool sixties-take-on-Victorian-menswear feel. (Vests never looked so good.)

Hot off the Runway: September 16th

2009-10-09T11:06:00.001-07:00

Photo by Marcio Madeira

3.1 Phillip Lim

By Meenal Mistry

"Everyone says to back off aesthetically," said Phillip Lim, days before his show. "But that's not what's selling." Clearly, that counseling script should be flipped, and "everyone" should instead be heeding Lim, he of the stellar sell-throughs. The designer said he had been thinking about recasting basics, and working on a kind of primitive collage concept inspired by a visit to the Picasso: Mosqueteros show at the Gagosian. But unlike Fall's collection, with its bohemian rock-chick vibe, Spring wasn't about an overarching theme or look: It was about giving them a reason to shop, and, as such, there were many arguments here for a girl to unfreeze her AmEx.

Lim set the stage with a jaggedly geometric red runway and opened with a lipstick-red suit. You might have mistaken it for a jumpsuit, but that's because the jacket was unlined and light enough to be tucked in. Lim called it "the new suit." It's machine-washable. The new dress, meanwhile, is a swingy, heart- and purse-string-pulling collage with panels of knife pleats, leather, and sequins, arranged in various compositions—perhaps a few too many. An iridescent sequined top and shorts will also send the Lim-ings off a shopping cliff. There was yet more specialness in a basic navy knit spiffed up with a croc jacquard, or the miss-it-from-the-second-row subtle lizard pattern on a blush trench—the result of the designer's recent reptile obsession. In short, this was a collection to sell, sell, sell, no matter what the prevailing wisdom.

4th Year Opening Party!

2009-10-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton To Quit Partying!

2009-10-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Paris Hilton, THE socialite of the century has only announced that she’s "too busy" to go partying anymore and that the LA club scene is no longer any fun!

Personally, we wonder whether or not this has something to do with he lack of a BFF to go partying with, as she’s always on ITV2 searching for someone to hang out with?

Either way, Paris is claiming that she is working so much recently that her late nights and early mornings are just getting too much, but we thought Paris was the queen of burning the midnight oil?

So, with this strange turn of events, the next thing we know, Katie Price could start wearing tweed… or heaven forbid, more clothes?! No, surely not?!

Slideshow

2009-10-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Lifestyle, Fashion, Shopping hub!

2009-10-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

For Models, Artists, Actors, Designers, Stylists, Make up artists, Singers, DJ's, Photographers, Videographers, Dancers, Yoga Enthusiasts, & all of you who love fashion, lifestyle & entertainment.

Anton Du Beke shouldn't be fired by Strictly Come Dancing

2009-10-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

And so the controversy about Anton Du Beke howls on. Now Bruce Forsyth has apologised – or been made to apologise – for saying people shouldn’t get so worked up about “nicknames”.

I don’t agree with him that “Paki” is no worse than “limey”. “Paki”, after all, is a word of abuse used by racist thugs. “Limey” is not. I don’t suppose there are many English people who live in fear of being attacked by hordes of American skinheads bellowing “Limeys go home”.

None the less, I don’t think Anton Du Beke should be sacked by Strictly Come Dancing.

I know what he said was horrible. Telling anyone, let alone a woman of Indian heritage like Laila Rouass, that they “look like a Paki” is not a harmless joke. If this is Du Beke’s idea of witty repartee, thank goodness he’s only a dancer and not the presenter.

But this is the point. He’s a dancer. If Du Beke were in a job that actually mattered, certainly he should be fired. Say he were a policeman or a judge or a politician or a teacher. No one in those professions should get away with using such language. If you think it’s all right to call people with dark skin “Pakis”, you’re not fit to do any of those jobs, or indeed any other important or influential job.

As Du Beke is a mere dancer, though (a man paid to do nothing more significant than fling his feet about), I don’t think it’s a matter of national urgency that he be sacked for a single offence. Reprimanded by the BBC, yes. And of course he should say sorry (which he has, however clumsily – “I do not use racist language”, indeed). But for an unimportant man doing a trivial job to lose his livelihood after one misdemeanour would be a bit much. If he does it again, of course, fire him by all means.

This is not like the Ron Atkinson case. Working as a television football commentator, Atkinson called the Chelsea player Marcel Desailly a “lazy, thick nigger”. He was rightly sacked. Atkinson’s job was to give analysis. If he thought “lazy” and “thick” were appropriate words to characterise a whole race, and that “nigger” was an appropriate word at any time, he wasn’t much of an analyst.

Similarly, Carol Thatcher was sacked from The One Show for saying a tennis player looked like a “golliwog”. She was meant to be a reporter. If she thought it acceptable to use that word even off-air, she’s not someone you’d go to for even-handed reporting.

You may argue that, as Du Beke appears on a show routinely watched by an audience of millions, including children, he should be a spotless role model. Well, possibly. But the outcry over this business will have made it pretty clear to young and impressionable minds that what Du Beke said was wrong. We all know Du Beke was an idiot. We all know he said something vile. Now let’s see if he can behave himself.

Incidentally: until now, Strictly Come Dancing has been trounced every week by The X Factor in the ratings.

Body art at international contest

2009-09-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

A model displays a body art creation during the international contest of hairdressers, nail and body art designers in St. Petersburg, September 12, 2009. [Agencies]

Models compete in New Silk Road contest in Sanya

2009-09-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Contestants in the 17th New Silk Road Model Contest pose during an outdoor photo shoot in Sanya, a coastal city in South China's Hainan province, September 14, 2009. The final round of the contest, which includes the winners of previous rounds held in 14 different cities, will take place between September 11 and September 30 in Sanya. [Xinhua]

NY Fashion Week designers bet on bold accessories

2009-09-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

A model presents a creation from the Isaac Mizrahi Spring 2010 collection during New York Fashion Week, September 17, 2009.[Agencies]

NEW YORK - Designers at New York Fashion Week are betting on accessories such as belts, boots, jewelry and even a pearl-studded scrunchy to tempt shoppers during the recession.

It is not just that accessories are a more affordable way for consumers to make a fashion statement, some buyers can also be enticed by one-off investment pieces -- as long as they are unique, experts at New York Fashion Week said.

Accessories sales have held up better than clothing in the worst recession in some 70 years and according to market research company NPD Group they are poised to be one of the earliest fashion areas to recover.

Designers are taking note.

Bold belts, necklaces and bracelets featured prominently on New York Fashion Week runways as designers show collections for spring and summer 2010 and one of the most talked about pieces in Marc Jacob's collection was a pearl-studded hair scrunchy.

"Many stores that focused on clothing are opening up to having bigger displays or bigger buys for accessories and shrinking their buys for clothing. You're just seeing a different kind of market right now and I think designers are recognizing that," said Jodie Snyder, whose DANNIJO jewelry partners with designers such as Carlos Campos and Bensoni.

Luxury brand Henri Bendel has stopped selling clothes at its flagship Fifth Avenue boutique to focus on accessories, gifts and beauty products.

"CONSUMERS ARE KING"

Australian designer Anna Coroneo scaled back her collection of dresses this year but is rapidly expanding her accessories offerings. Her key accessory -- silk beads -- has been popular with consumers worldwide and she is now working on a scarf collection based on her own artwork.

"Accessories are really important right now," designer Jill Stuart told Reuters backstage after her runway show, which featured fishnet boots and sparkly belts.

Belts played a key role in a number of collections, coming in a variety of widths and textures including on evening gowns and high-waist swimsuits.

In the first half of 2009 belt sales performed significantly better than other accessories, rising 32 percent compared to a year earlier, according to NPD Group data.

The economy has forced designers to become more attuned to what the consumer is looking for and give them a compelling reason to buy, experts said.

In the past decade "consumers were afraid of missing out on the next big thing. Now that the paradigm has shifted, consumers are king again and they are pushing back. They are much more discerning in their purchases," Ann Watson, a fashion retail consultant, told Reuters as she sat in the audience of Brazilian designer Carlos Miele's show.

Maria Bogomolova, executive director of couture jewelry designer Alex Soldier said the well-heeled were prepared to open their wallets for unique pieces that were seen to be timeless. Alex Soldier's jewelry retails from $995.

"Across the board, it is not the time for basics. Consumers are looking for bold, conversation pieces," said Karen Giberson, head of the not-for-profit Accessories Council. "The good thing is, it's not always the least expensive thing."

Rachana Mode Vol 10

2009-09-20T11:43:00.001-07:00

Rachana Mode Vol 10

2009-09-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

fashion 2009

2009-09-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

Never mind the hellaciously cold weather — according to the fashion calendar, now is the time to start shopping for summery frocks and platform sandals. But before you invest your hard-earned income into a runway trend (jumpsuit, anyone?), read first what the top fashion critics had to say. We’ve brought together critics’ sound bites and runway images from nearly every women’s show of the past fashion season, giving you a sense of what trends actually belong in your closet (hint: the

fashion 2009

2009-09-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

Brit Award Fashion 2009

Nadine, Kim, Sarah, Nicole and Cheryl from Girls Aloud show off their perfect tans and white smiles on the red carpet of the Brit Awards. The girl band took home the award for best single.

fashion 2009

2009-09-09T01:19:00.001-07:00

White color is not necessarily only for summer clothing. It can also be worn in the winter and, of course, white coats are perfect for winter. To some degree, white coats evoke the winter snow. Besides that, a white coat can give us a sophisticated look.

Recently, many white coats with different styles have been seen on the catwalks.

And many celebrities are following the trend of wearing white coats. From Victoria Beckham to England’s Queen, including Rachel Bilson, Eva Mendes and Miley Cyrus. All of them sport their white coats, accompanied by matching garments: jeans, heels, fringe boots, long boots, long skirts, short skirts, dresses: the possibilities are infinite.

Finally, remember: white coats can be worn for any occasion, formal and informal events included.

Shopping directory

fashion 2009

2009-09-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

Despite that I am a lover of fashion; I always try to take with tweezers suggestions for the season of parades which take place in New York, Paris or London. This is because, as well as that sometimes the budget does not give to buy these beautiful clothes or that the prospect of our market is sometimes different from what happens in the rest of the world-is because we do not have the courage to use it or because the stores do not sell models that we want to buy, most times I try to have the philosophy of bringing fashion to my lifestyle, my tastes and what was left in my wardrobe for spring and summer, and that, like many, I cannot change my clothes every time we changed our season and year.

What I'm looking for is to try to buy some clothes fixed and / or accessories (which are usually cheaper) to give the look that this season "demands" in some way.

I remember when I was a girl, I hate-the famous Guess jeans were you had to have it ... independent if they were originals or not, you were a plus in your wardrobe. Nowadays, since my 31 years, that doesn’t mean that much for me.

Another thing we must also take into account is that not everything that is fashion we must use it. Many times this happens: something we love, but it does not go with our body type, but it is fashion, so we use it. Please we must take this idea out from our head.

It is also important and superfine now, as I mentioned in other post, everything is trendy. That is, the trends of past decades are a mix in fashion this year. Everything past is in!

Well, now they are going to what is going to be in fashion this season: Girls, to use skirts! This spring-summer long skirts, half leg, short, balloon, lines, bound, with pockets and others, like what clothes, both, are in. So ... take care of the legs!

All you need is fashion 2009!

Not-So-Funny People

2009-07-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Judd Apatow’s cancer comedy is DOA. Plus, the year’s best caper flick is a documentary.

(Photo: Tracy Bennett/Courtesy of Universal Pictures)

It’s hard to believe that Judd Apatow’s sour, maudlin Funny People is only the third film he has directed. His man-child universe, with its mixture of juvenile raunch and white-bread family values, has conquered American comedy. But this film is meant to be an advance: Apatow’s first “grown-up” movie. That man-child protagonist is now in his late forties and facing death and has never had a mature relationship—never made a commitment. George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a stand-up comedian turned dumb-comedy movie star, is diagnosed with a fatal cancer and copes by returning to his old club haunts and baffling people with sardonic free-associations. He picks up a youthful protégé, Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), who’s meant to be the stand-in for us mortals in the audience: flattered by access to celebrity and dazzled by its perks (private planes, women) but increasingly appalled by the star’s selfishness. Even as the scared and lonely George tries to atone for past misdeeds, he radiates entitlement. Sick or well, he’s dead inside.

Playing dead is tricky, but Sandler gives it a go. He barely opens his mouth when he talks, as if he’s too powerful to expend the effort—he knows people will lean in. He’s very touching when he asks Ira to sit by his bed and converse until he falls asleep, like a rich baby who can hire someone to coddle him. (He does a good sleepy-baby voice.) Sandler isn’t afraid of plumbing his dark side, but Apatow fails him: Scenes of George’s self-pity drag on too long, and as the character loses stature, Sandler recedes from his own vehicle. Rogen doesn’t fill the vacuum. He’s wrong for the part of the male ingenue: He looks pained, as if he’s laboring to hold his gee-whiz expression in place.

It would help if the characters had distinctive worldviews as comedians, but their routines have no juice. Ira’s are all about dick size, and Apatow cuts away from George’s just when they start getting interesting. These men aren’t enlarged by their work; if anything, their jokes diminish them, and it’s hard to feel sympathy for people who put so little soul into their work. Apatow has been around L.A. long enough to capture how showbiz males (especially Jewish) compete with one-liners: some good, most lame, many hostile. But the banter between Ira and his more successful apartment-mates (Jason Schwartzman and the tubby Jonah Hill) grows tiresome. Funny People feels insular, as if Apatow’s whole world consists of nerdy jokesters who were angry, lonely kids who got rich beyond their dreams and fucked women who’d never have talked to them in high school but are deep down still angry.

Apatow transcended all that—and wants us to know it—by marrying Leslie Mann, who was hilarious as Katherine Heigl’s acid sister in Knocked Up and here gets quite the pedestal. She plays Laura, “the one that got away” from George and married an Australian businessman (Eric Bana). Apatow lingers on her bright eyes and darling overbite and sweet little bod, but he hasn’t given her any good lines or an interesting subtext, so what’s the point? It’s a waste of a precious resource. Laura’s children are played by Apatow and Mann’s daughters, Maude and Iris, and the casting tips you off to the fate of George and Laura’s rekindled romance: Even translated into fiction, Apatow would hardly break up his own family. George has to become a dull schmuck to conform to Apatow’s moral agenda.

Park Chan-Wook, director of the Korean art-gore vampire movie Thirst, has a gaze that’s weighty and impassive, even when he’s showering you with riotously yucko carnage and death. You laugh—but also register the emotional gravity, the extremes to which humans can be pushed. This time he opens on a religious note. The likable Song Kang-ho plays a priest so depressed by people’s depressions he volunteers as a test subject for a new vaccine. After his skin shrivels and a geyser of blood erupts from his mouth, he dies—and is resurrected by a transfusion. At first it seems he has been reborn to heal the sick, but it emerges he’s just a vampire—a nice vampire who doesn’t kill people. The first sign this is an over-the-top Park movie is when he’s under the bed of an obese man in an irreversible coma, sucking blood through a tube. The sound is to die for: loud, slurpy, very liquid. A vampire film with a pacifist vampire can get boring, so he’s swept into an affair with the traumatized young wife (Kim Ok-vin) of a childhood friend. Will he kill her allegedly abusive husband? Make her his undead bride? For all his noble intentions, the blood is about to hit the fan.

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

2009-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play amorous co-workers in “(500) Days of Summer,” directed by Marc Webb.
July 17, 2009

Love at the Greeting Card Company: Best Wishes on Your Breakup
Early in “(500) Days of Summer” the omniscient narrator who intermittently (and somewhat annoyingly) comments on the action cautions that the movie is “not a love story.” The print advertisements qualify his words, describing this slight, charming and refreshingly candid little picture as “a story about love.” Which it is: a story about how love can be confusing, contingent and asymmetrical, and about how love can fail. Given all this, it’s somewhat remarkable that “(500) Days,” the feature directing debut of the music video auteur Marc Webb, is neither depressing nor French.

But it is, all the same, a fairly pointed response to the sorry state of romantic comedy in Hollywood, which runs the gamut from gauzily implausible fantasy to blatant and fatuous dishonesty, with an occasional detour into raunchy humor. The governing commercial calculus these days seems to be that dudes want smut, ladies want weddings, and a picture (like “The Hangover,” say) that delivers both will make the audience happy and the studios rich.

This dispensation means that more delicate, and perhaps more authentic, feelings and attitudes must be spoken about either with subtitles or, from time to time, in mumbles. So a winsome, accessible movie about more-or-less recognizable young people navigating the murky waters of post-sexual-revolutionary, midrecessionary heterosexual attraction has a novelty and a measure of bravery working in its favor, whatever its shortcomings. And “(500) Days” finds just the right scale and tone, neither trivializing nor melodramatically overstating the delicate feelings it explores.

Some of the credibility that Mr. Webb’s movie establishes right away comes from its unassuming and appealing stars, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. With his crooked smile, reedy physique and improbably deep voice, Mr. Gordon-Levitt camouflages his magnetism with diffidence, much as Ms. Deschanel uses her slightly spacey, vaguely melancholy affect to magnify the charm she is pretending to disguise. Their characters, Tom Hansen and Summer Finn, seem so ideally matched, such a cozily compatible semi-hipster couple, that it’s a bit of a shock when things don’t work out between them.

Don’t worry; I haven’t given anything away. Mr. Webb and the screenwriters, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, have scrambled the chronology so that Tom and Summer’s meet-cute and their eventual bust-up occur, in film time, close together and near the beginning. What follows is a shuffled, teasing and ingeniously structured presentation of their romance’s heady commencement, ambiguous middle and (at least for one of them) tormented aftermath. This structure restores a measure of the suspense that is usually missing from the romantic-comedy genre, which relies on climactic chases to the airport and ridiculously contrived choices between rival mates. From the outset you know, more or less, what happened between Tom and Summer, so most of your curiosity is invested in the question of how it all came to pass.

The answers, in themselves, are not earthshakingly dramatic or even especially unusual. A workplace flirtation — Tom and Summer are employees of a Los Angeles greeting card company — leads to a few missed chances, a sweet first kiss and fitful progress from casual to serious. Or so it seems to Tom, an unapologetic believer in true love, soul mates and other touchstones of greeting card mythology (and romantic comedy ideology). Summer is skeptical of such notions and refuses to promise commitment or even consistency, but she does seem to want more and more of Tom’s company, and this leads him to believe that her carefully maintained barriers to intimacy are beginning to fall.

The design of “(500) Days” suggests a puzzle with a few crucial pieces left in the box. Some of this elusiveness comes from an admirable impulse to respect the enigmatic fluctuations of desire and infatuation. But there is also something tentative and half-finished about the film, which substitutes a few too many gimmicks — split screens, a musical number, that voice-over — for moments of real intensity or humor and seems a little afraid to make its main characters too interesting or idiosyncratic.

Instead they project a kind of generic individuality, with shared tastes that ensure a measure of compatibility — they both like the Smiths! — and divergent quirks to provide some interesting friction. (Her favorite Beatle is Ringo!) Tom, whose point of view predominates in spite of the third-person narrator, has a couple of goofy pals (Matthew Gray Gubler and Geoffrey Arend) and a wise younger sister (Chloë Grace Moretz). He also has the stymied, or at least deferred, ambition to be an architect instead of a drone in a best-wishes factory.

One indication of the film’s thinness is that Summer has no such professional or creative pursuits — she’s the assistant to Tom’s boss (Clark Gregg) — and no identifiable passions, friends or characteristics other than her heart-stopping desirability and her vintage-y dresses. Ms. Deschanel excels at playing this kind of cute, quasi-bohemian crush object, but after “Elf” and “Yes Man” and “All the Real Girls” it would be nice if some smitten filmmaker would write her a fully developed, less passive part.

Still, I don’t want to pop the shimmering soap bubble of “(500) Days of Summer,” a movie that is, for the most part, as mopily, winningly seductive as the Regina Spektor songs on the soundtrack and at its best as unexpectedly lovely as the views of Los Angeles captured by Mr. Webb and his director of photography, Eric Steelberg. At first, I mistook the city for Chicago or Philadelphia or some other old-growth conurbation, and Mr. Webb, who has directed videos for artists as different as Miley Cyrus and My Chemical Romance, deserves credit for finding new and fresh perspectives on this overexposed metropolis. There are no beaches or Spanish-style bungalows in the hills, just a scruffy, comfortable atmosphere of melancholy optimism that suits Tom and Summer perfectly, in all their imperfection.

“(500) Days of Summer” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has a very mild sexual vibe and some equally mild profanity.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Marc Webb; written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber; director of photography, Eric Steelberg; edited by Alan Edward Bell; music by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen; production designer, Laura Fox; produced by Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters and Mason Novick; released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes.

WITH: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom), Zooey Deschanel (Summer), Geoffrey Arend (McKenzie), Chloë Grace Moretz (Rachel), Matthew Gray Gubler (Paul), Clark Gregg (Vance), Rachel Boston (Alison) and Minka Kelly (Girl at Interview).
Excellent Romantic Comedy
An offbeat, original romantic “date-film” that will surely be a favorite of many of the people who go see it. But do many moviegoers see “small” movies any more, movies without stars and wish-fulfillment worlds shown off through Hollywood production value? This movie will be a test case because it’s chock full of inventive visual and character ideas—and with a leading man and woman who display real on-screen chemistry, a rare occurrence. Although the characters are different than their forebears, one might think of Jean-Pierre Leaud and Anna Karenina in a New Wave film halfway between Godard and Truffaut, but with a more carefully developed American narrative that balances plot and sub-plot (romantic and career ambition) so that the interplay of both depict that certain time of youthful life. With impressive skill, the story navigates a challenging arc, a rather complex flash forward and flashback structure that never becomes confusing or tiresome. Like those New Wave heroines, the female character here represents the mystery of attraction felt by young men who haven’t lived long enough to understand what makes the opposite sex tick. And it is that mystery, that inscrutability, which drives one’s ardor and makes one insanely in love, a love that is perhaps neither healthy nor durable. Scenes that catch your attention are limitless and the first-time director’s immediately displayed and non-stop talent for showing off moments of romance (and the frustration that seems to accompany them) fills every interaction with real feeling.
— garydrucker, Los Angeles

Events Fashion Milan

2009-07-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

MORE APPOINTMENTS WITH CREATIVITY!

On Wednesday February 25th you will have the possibility to take part in a FREE ADMISSION WORKSHOP proposed by IED Moda Lab, the school of Istituto Europeo di Design which organises courses in Fashion Design, Urban wear Design, Shoes and Accessories Design, Jewel Design, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Communication, Fashion Stylist.

An open appointment which will see you as a protagonist in discovering how the fashion world works and all the professional figures related to it.

Christopher Kane Resort 2010

2009-07-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

Christopher Kane Resort 2010 Collection
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fashion design / resort 2010 collection vdo Home by Yann Arthus Bertrand

Milan Fashion Week Spring summer 2010

2009-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Milan Fashion Week

House Of The Very Island Spring Summer 2010

2009-07-26T07:00:00.001-07:00

House of the Very Island

Fanshion gangs “smiles”

2009-07-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

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6 Trends Summer Fashion 2009

2009-07-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Posted on 05 April 2009 by admin

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : spicy pink

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : metallic mood

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : sense of flower

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : black & white revival

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : ethnic chic

6 trends summer fashion 2009 : color mania
Marie Claire we love fashio

Fashion trends 2009: The week of fashion in Paris

2009-07-26T06:20:00.001-07:00

A few days ago it has been closed the exhibition of Fashion Week in Paris and in this site we will show you what have this week left us in order to which clothes are must in fashion and which one we must forget to use. Also, we will present you the trends that we have been able to see in the gateway.

Among the key trends there are:

Gaucho-style trousers: There are like jeans but in a rustic style, like in the Latin American countries. They are made with leader mixed them with jeans, like a collage. The designers who have risked this fashion are Givenchy, Hermes and Watanabe.

Then we had the opportunity to see the overalls, the boyfriend-blazers, trousers rate cuts scout and military jackets that had the designer Chloé, Balmain, Wunderkind and McCartney and we can see they are a must in the new year, and the best thing is that they are very comfortable.

Geometric ethnic African and Eastern, in the hands of designers like Juny Watanabe, Tsumori Chisato and Bernhard Willhelm; hair tribal goddesses of fertility in high-heeled shoes whit Dior, and kimonos from the hand of Yves Saint Laurent.

In addition we can also appreciate souvenirs global Vivien Westwood and prints of insects recognized by the hand of the designer Alexander McQueen.

Another noticeable trend at Fashion Week in Paris has been the inspiration from outer space, this will become warlike designs in space, with much of the futurism of Balenciaga hand, Hussein Chalayan and Gareth Pugh.

Finally we also have new proposals on the shoulders of the designs that are displayed in various forms, such as shoulders straight, with shoulder, with a sort of wings, cut, which came at the hands of designers such as Rue Du Mail, and Stella Comme McCartney

Stockholm Fashion Week spring/summer 2009

2009-07-26T06:07:00.000-07:00

Stockholm Fashion Week (days, to be more accurate), held from June 30th till July 2nd, has put on show fresh Northern ideas for spring 2009 season, gathering well-known brands such as Acne and Cheap Monday as well as up-and-coming designers nominated for the Mercedes-Benz Young Fashion Industry Award.

Acne sent forward tough and sophisticated looks, with strict cuts, straight lines and a minimalist color palette. Silly looking oversized ranger hats added a touch of humor to those punkish distressed denim jeans.

The overall silhouette is a casual one going from jersey dresses worn over sheer leggings, loose cropped trousers with elastic waistband to origami mini-dresses.

Awarded "Newcomer of the year" by Swedish ELLE (2004) for her designs, Carin Wester's show at Stockholm Fashion Week displayed interesting proportions in a soft color palette:

blouses with voluminous sleeves and high neck inspired by La Belle Epoque, loose high-waist shorts, ruffled wrap dresses. The best pieces included two short knitted tops and a mini black dress.

Filippa K sends down on the runway one of the prettiest collection at Stockholm Fashion Week. The style of this well-know Swedish label mixes timeless simplicity with contemporary edge adding a gentle touch. There were soft pleated short dresses and tops, loose trousers and jeans, swishy skirts and flowing long dresses.

Among the highlights: a black long jersey jumpsuit with spaghetti straps. The neutral color scheme of white, cream, beige, grey and black also included rose pink, lilac and iris blue shades, stripes and pixel-y floral prints.

Swedish fashion designer LiseLotte Westerlund opened the Stockholm Fashion Festival with her spring 2009 collection. She is known for a sophisticated, mature style that brings together classic chic and modern elegance

A strict color palette of ivory white, shiny black, midnight blue and crimson red lets the silhouettes "speak" for themselves: voluminous long dresses, long jumpsuits with sexy plunging V or one-shoulder neckline and silk body-conscious dresses with bell sleeves.

fashion 2009

2009-07-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

fashion 2009
6 Trends Summer Fashion 2009 | Girliza
www.girliza.com/2009/04/.../6-trends-summer-fashion-2009/
Japan Street Fashion 2009 »
Japan Street Fashion harajuku - Fashion design เสื้อผ้า ออกแบบเสื้อผ้า แฟชั่นดีไซน์ แฟชั่น designer ดีไซเนอร์ สไตลิสต์ เสื้อผ้า ผู้หญิง เสื้อผ้า ผู้ชาย ...
www.designer.in.th/style/japan-street-fashion-harajuku.html

Fashion Trends 2009 > Fashion Trends By Year > Blog
Fashion trends are what we do best, so it should come as no surprise that we'll be doing the same in 2009. So read on to find out all the details and men's ...
www.fashionising.com/.../b--Fashion-Trends-2009-1163.html

Women's Spring/Summer 2009 Collections > Fashion Show Coverage > Blog
Though the season is still well ahead of us, the international Spring/Summer 2009 catwalks have been and gone. And we loved them!
www.fashionising.com/.../b--Womens-SpringSummer-2009-Collections-1341.html

Bloggang.com : แพท ภัทรียา : Spring Fashion 2009
ไม่พูดพร่ำทำเพลง เริ่มเลยค่ะ สำหรับ Spring Fashion 2009 เริ่มจาก. Color! Color! Color! Reem Acra, Spring 2009. Geometry Class Missoni, Spring 2009 ...
www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id...2009...3...

Fashion 2009
Fashion 2009, Fashion World 2009, jewellery 2009, Trends 2009, trend reporting, forecasting 2009, fashion news 2009, major trade fairs, forecasts and trend ...
www.fashion-2009.com/

Fashion Color Trends for Each Season| 2005 - 2010 | Fashion ...
TFL Fashion & Color Inspirations Autumn/Winter 2009/2010. Color Trends | Summer 2009 ... CIFF Spring/Summer 2009 Fashion & Color Trends ...
www.fashiontrendsetter.com/content/color_trends.html

MCOT Variety : The Run Way : Summer Fashion 2009
เว็บ สถานีโทรทัศน์อันดับ1, TV online, ทีวีออนไลน์, ทีวีช่อง9, โมเดิร์นไนน์ทีวี, ModernineTV, สำนักข่าวไทย, Thai News Agency, MCOT, ข่าวด่วน, ข่าวเจาะลึก, ...
variety.mcot.net/runway100

Passion & Fashion 2009 | อื่นๆ
แพสชั่น แอนด์ แฟชั่น 2009 ช้อปปิ้งอะราวด์เดอะเวิลด์ Passion & Fashion 2009 ณ.
thailandexhibition.com/อื่นๆ/passion-fashion-2009.html

Spring Fashion 2009 - Spring Fashion Trends and Shows
Spring fashion is all about color, pretty prints and fresh silhouettes. See which spring fashion trend translate best to real life.
fashion.about.com/od/fashionshows/a/spring2009.htm

การค้นหาที่เกี่ยวข้องกับ: fashion 2009
reem acra fashion tracy reese fashion michael kors fashion fashion trend 2009
marc jacobs fashion louis vuitton fashion fashion around the world fashion rss feed

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Prada handbag fashion for 2009

2009-07-20T05:13:00.000-07:00

Prada handbag fashion for 2009 is all about neutral shades which have successfully pulled a new look. The neutrals used in the 2009 collection give a very stylish and refined look. Whether it is a hand bag to match that favourite designer outfit of yours, or something simple which will be elegant with every dress, the Prada handbag fashion for 2009 is bound to meet your expectation. Prada hand bags are considered to be a must have accessory among the luxury loving fashion lovers.

This is mainly because each of the Prada handbags is very elegant and is a work of art. Prada, the fashion house of Italy is famous for designing bags which are loved by women mainly because of the attention which they get because of these bags. The beauty of Prada handbags lie in the fact that the Prada fashion has evolved considerably and at the same time has remained true to its origin.

Prada handbag fashion for 2009

Prada handbag fashion for 2009

Prada handbag fashion for 2009

Prada handbag fashion for 2009

Fashion bag/Tote/handbag/Shopping Bags

2009-07-20T05:11:00.000-07:00

Boyfriend jeans trend 2009

2009-07-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

Boyfriend jeans are the one 2009 fashion trend that we really scared about because, as Katie Holmes has proved, it has the potential to go terribly wrong. But that's not to say you shouldn't be trying it. Take a risk and prove your fashionising credentials by grabbing a pair of men's jeans, cuffing them, and hitting the streets in 2009's

This is one 2009 fashion trend that I'm still really hesitant about. And to clear from the outset I'm not hesitant as to whether or not the boyfriend denim jeans trend is going to be popular, it is. Rather, I'm more hesitant as to whether people are going to get it right or not.

Fairy-Tale Romance: 2009 Runway Trend

2009-07-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

It's not the most practical of trends when it comes to every-day wear; but the romantic fairy-tale princess dress certainly had it's place on the runway for Spring/Summer 2009. Romantic details and classic fairytale silhouettes will make their mark on red carpets and down church isles: but don't be dismayed, there are practical applications for Romantic elements as well. Click here to read more on the

Fairytale dresses by Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Nina Ricci, and Dolce & Gabbana, Spring/Summer 2009.

Jewel-encrusted Clothing Trend

2009-07-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

It's not the first time bejewelled pieces have been a hit over the past few years. But in 2009 they return brighter, bolder, and more elegant. This time around pieces are not just embellished but often completely encrusted by jewels; the feeling is luxurious, exotic, and yet the glamour remains somewhat understated. Click here to read more on the

Bejeweled pieces by Zac Posen, Alexander McQueen, Alberta Ferretti, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, and Blumarine.

Butterflies: 2009 Motif

2009-07-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

Feminine, ethereal and a symbol of renewal. The butterfly takes over from the star as the motif du jour in 2009. Don't fall into the trap of glitzy blingy kitch though - the butterfly this summer is all about elegance. Click here to read more on the butterfly motif trend.

Butterfly motif in Diane von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, Collette Dinnigan, and Tibi.

Butterflies can symbolise many things - from the hope of resurrection, to the reminder of the ephemerality of life. We suppose that as a Spring/Summer 2009 trend though, it's best to view them as a symbol of beauty, femininity, and the ability to be ever-changing.

Tribal / Ethnic Fashion Trend

2009-07-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Fashion in Spring/Summer 2009 is cultured and world-wise. As well as the Grecian and Roman-inspired gowns comes a whole range of exotic and ethnic trends. From tribal-infused prints, to turbans, to flowing kaftans and crisp safari suits... if it evokes a feeling of the exotic and the adventurous, it

Tribal themes can be seen with the strong use of animal prints at Christopher Kane, in cheetah and leopard print tops, combined with geometric shaped skirts in earthy hues such as grass green. Turbans also crop up again and again, another simple way to update your wardrobe for this season's fascination with global fashion.

Grecian dresses fashion trend

2009-07-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

History and fashion repeat themselves; so don't be surprised to find out that Roman and Grecian inspired clothing are a key fashion trend in 2009. It's both a logical flow on from the one-shoulder trend, and a natural progression from the flapper trend. Both as maxi-dresses and short little numbers, the Grecian dress is one of the key looks that any woman can

One-Shouldered Tops, Dresses & Bikinis

2009-07-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

From single-shouldered dresses to tops and bikinis, asymmetric shoulder-lines have made a huge return in 2009. Showing off one-shoulder in a dress can be subtly sexy and interesting on the eye, and the possibilities for how to wear it are numerous. Click here to read more on the

Women's Spring/Summer 2009-2010 Fashion Trends

2009-07-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

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See-through and sheer fabrics trend

Fringed clothing fashion trend
A flow-on from 2008's flapper trend, fringing was a dominant feature of the Spring/Summer 2009 runways. Whether modern and sleek, silken femininity, or showgirl burlesque, fringed dresses in particular should be on every girls to-buy list this summer. Click here to read more on the fringing trend.

Hussein Chalayan Spring, Summer 07.

2009-07-20T04:26:00.001-07:00

Hussein Chalayan, INERTIA Spring,Summer 2009.

Hussein Chalayan

2009-07-20T04:12:00.001-07:00

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The wonderful world of Vuitton

2009-07-13T23:15:00.001-07:00

Grazia’s accessories editor Louise Cavanough gives us the scoop on her fabulous fashion finds

Upon entering Sydney’s Establishment bar on Friday afternoon, market editor Anouk, junior fashion editor Peter and I were invited into Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs’ fantasy of Parisian nightclub glamour.

Champagne flowed as we were treated to a celebration of the French muses, models, socialites and fashion mascots of the 1980s.

The collection was far more impressive in the flesh (or should I say fabric?) than it was online. We saw lace dresses, puffball skirts and even a pair of bejewelled leggings – Peter was specifically instructed not to try these on, but we’ll see if he can obey orders when they hit our fashion cupboard further down the track…

Oh, the accessories! There were gold boots so high they’d skim the bum of the leggiest model, hot pink studded clutches to die for and metal necklaces in shocking colours, inspired by children’s paper chain necklaces.

We were also invited to customise our own Louis Vuitton bag using the new online ordering system: you can choose from one of the classic monogrammed bag designs and then select your initials, which are then printed onto the leather - with a three-letter limit, our Grazia bag was dubbed GRZ.

The world of Vuitton was one of extravagance, excess and all things over-the-top and ridiculous. And we loved every minute. The only question left: when can we go back?

Hot Pink? Call It 'Mangenta'

2009-07-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

A model dressed in Christian Lacroix Couture Spring/Summer 2009 collection.

As the founder and chief executive of Joie de Vivre hotels, Chip Conley is known for quirky, cutting-edge décors. But some of his investors balked when he planned a hotel interior and a financial-district restaurant that featured hot pink.

So he and his designers picked a new name for the color in their scheme: "mangenta."
No longer relegated to the garish masses, the saturated pink shades known as fuchsia and magenta are suddenly haute. They are cropping up in all sorts of unexpected places, including building exteriors, sofas, shoes and iPhones. British designer Clive Christian, who accepts only clients who know better than to ask the cost of their "couture" kitchens, has created a concept design for the "Alpha Kitchen" that's aglow with hot pink LED lighting.

Fuchsia is a leading color for fall in both womenswear and menswear. Hot pink ties drip from the racks of the upscale new Neapolitan Men store in Winnetka, Ill. Saks Fifth Avenue has placed fall orders for hot pink clothes from brands including the inexpensive BCBG Max Azria and the higher-end Michael Kors, who went so far as to show a full-length fur coat in the color for fall.

"I have to tell you," says Colleen Sherin, Saks's women's fashion director, "our best sell-throughs are not coming from black. They're coming from bold, vibrant colors and patterns."

For once, this demand is coming from the fashion elite in New York, the city that perfected head-to-toe black. Store buyers in the southern U.S. have been begging for more color for years.

"This is a somewhat unusual color trend," says Dean White, executive vice president of merchandising at Paul Fredrick, where sales of hot pink ties have doubled to 6% of sales from 3% in the past year. "In the '80s, sales in pink neckwear were very good, but that was in a more traditional shade of light pink."
The fuchsia phenomenon might not age really well. Yet that's precisely the point -- fuchsia is so very here today because tomorrow is so scary to think about. The color of hothouse flowers and glorious summer landscapes speaks to our bruised psyches. Brown is bleak. Fuchsia is anything but.

Says Anamaria Wilson, fashion news and features director of Harper's Bazaar magazine, which has a spread of fuchsia fashion on its pages this month. "I don't mean to sound obvious, but there's a whole optimism thing going on here."

When the financial crisis hit last fall, just as clothing designers were selling their fall ready-to-wear collections to stores, the runways were full of black, gray and brown, with swatches of blue. The style world's creative types set to work immediately to come up with a new style equation that would persuade consumers to whip out their credit cards. Six months later -- wham! The colors -- zany, cartoonish hues that also include neon orange and yellow -- are bold enough to induce an adrenalin rush.

It was hard to miss the appearance of both Michelle Obama and White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers in bright fuchsia dresses at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner several weeks ago. They are always right on trend, thanks to their cavalcade of fashion's leading advisers, from Vogue editor Anna Wintour to designers like Narciso Rodriguez.

And from a design-industry perspective, what better choice than a shade that will shake things up now -- and require a new coat of paint when we can no longer bear to look at it?
he cover of New York magazine's design issue this month shows a gleeful model tossing a can of fuchsia paint across the white cover. The concept suggests devil-may-care fun.

"Pink represents a certain playfulness and confidence, particularly in men," says Simon Maloney, head of buying and production for shirtmaker Thomas Pink, where pink is selling well and will be marketed as a key color for fall.

Since pink carries a lot of psychological baggage, I consulted with Sarah Whittaker, an image consultant known professionally as the "wardrobe shrink," about what the color says when worn. Fuchsia, she says, "can be quite acidic, and so the wearer can appear arrogant or like they are flaunting themselves," she said. Redder tones such as magenta "can be more respectful," she added, noting that such colors work well on people with strong coloring, such as dark eyes and hair.

I disappear in bright colors, but fuchsia has tiptoed into my home. First, some pillow covers called out to me at Ikea -- an inexpensive way to enliven my kitchen benches. I've purchased a hot pink scarf that makes people smile, I hope out of good cheer.

Last week, my 10-year-old son Harper returned from the orthodontist with fuchsia-colored braces. I concede that I worried about the reaction at school the next day, but I needn't have. The other boys like them -- without any coaching about mangenta.

Pre-Altared: More Used Wedding Gowns Go Back on Market

2009-07-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hard Times and New Web Sites Persuade Owners to Let Sentiment Go, Even as Brides-to-Be Intensify Search for Something Cheap
For many women, a wedding dress will be the most elaborate and expensive thing they will ever wear -- the crowning glory of a day that will pass in a blur of adrenaline and joy.

And then what?

I have dutifully carted my silk Priscilla of Boston gown through six moves and 18 years of marriage. I am not alone; closets across America are hiding fancy gowns of silk, tulle and French lace amassed in the 30 years or so since the wedding industry became a juggernaut.

Now, the combined forces of the Web and the recession are bringing many of those dresses out again. As online venues for selling dresses proliferate, wedding planners and other specialists say that they're seeing more brides selling their dresses.
Josie Daga's Janell Berté gown, for which she paid $3,000 in 1999, arrived home after the wedding, cleaned and preserved, in a three-foot-by-four-foot box. "You can't fit it under the bed or in a closet, and I thought the reality of my daughter ever wanting to wear my dress is pretty slim," says Ms. Daga, who is 38.

She listed the dress in 2004 on Craigslist, where she received a few $200 bids and a lot of offers that she suspected were scams. On EBay, ditto. In consignment shops, nada. So she did what an enterprising young advertising executive does -- she launched a Web site, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, and sold her dress for $800. A year later, she had 400 listings, with each seller paying a minimum $25 fee, and soon afterward, running the Web site became her full-time occupation. T
PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com has about 2,360 gowns listed.
Boosting its business these days are brides on a budget. There are 2.2 million weddings each year in the U.S., according to Brides Magazine. While their cost on average in recessionary 2008 was a still-high $22,000, that was down roughly 20% from 2007. Disc jockeys, photographers and videographers are being hit hard as brides opt for iPods and friends with cameras.

Emotionally, it can be hard to downsize a wedding-dress dream. Some women justify the purchase of an expensive gown by planning to resell it. Sally Lorensen Conant, owner of Orange Restoration Labs in Orange, Conn., says fewer brides want to have their gowns preserved these days. "I'm seeing more women who say, 'I just want you to clean the dress. I'm going to try to sell it,' " she says.

It's a risky maneuver. A gown isn't a financial investment. It can take months or even a year to sell a gown, and the returns are comparable to those of selling a used car. Transaction details must be negotiated. That includes not only payment but, if the dress isn't being mailed, where to meet and try on the dress. One seller I interviewed arranged to meet a potential buyer at her dry cleaner, which felt safer than inviting a stranger into her home.
Cranky Consumer

* Until the Best Offer Do Us Part

But when a deal is done, it can feel, for seller and buyer alike, like serendipity. Jennifer Ramsey tore a photo of a Tomasina gown from a magazine when she was 19 and kept the magazine page until she became engaged 18 years later. The dress, miraculously, was still being manufactured, but at $8,000, it was priced too high for her budget. "I thought it was the most stunning dress I'd ever seen," she says. "So I googled Tomasina and the style code."

Suzanne Fargo's listing for the Tomasina dress was halfway down the Google page that led to PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, and the dress came with a matching bolero jacket, two veils and a tiara. When Ms. Fargo, a 41-year-old retail manager in Orange County, Calif., got married in 2001, "I thought some day my daughter might want to wear it," she says. Now divorced, with no daughter, she says, "I want to simplify my life."

Ms. Ramsey and her mother flew to California from her home in Jacksonville, Fla., to see the dress. When they cracked open the sealed box, they discovered Ms. Fargo's forgotten custom Jimmy Choo shoes and a handbag. Ms. Fargo threw them in, too. Ms. Ramsey, who is getting married in September, says she paid $3,200 for "a dream come true."
ve kept my dress so long because a friend once told me I should save it for my daughter. At seven, Saskia is enthusiastic about the dress, but I suspect that by the time she marries -- if she does -- she'll have less-sentimental ideas. I'm thinking about selling it, but I haven't quite crossed that threshold.

Still, none of the six buyers and sellers of used gowns I spoke to expressed any sentiment other than joy after the trade. Jana Cook, a New York author, sold her $6,000 Vera Wang gown for $2,500. "I was going to donate it, and then I thought: I could use the money," she says. Anna Ntenta, a lawyer in San Francisco, bought it. "It was a lot less than I thought I would spend -- and there were a lot of dresses out there," says Ms. Ntenta, whose wedding is later this month.

Bride-to-be Kate Bulow, a 27-year-old certified public accountant in Fort Myers, Fla., had been given a wedding gown by a family friend. But when she became engaged in April, the dress no longer fit. "I was crushed," says Ms. Bulow, whose $5,000 wedding budget leaves little room for error.

Ms. Bulow found a dress online, tried on the $1,200 style at a bridal shop, then bought the dress for $450 from a young woman in Alabama whose wedding had been called off. "It's the way the free-market system should work," Ms. Bulow says. "She had something I wanted."

khmer Photo

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Khmer Styles

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Khmer

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