Friday, September 30, 2011

fairy tail episode 99

episode 099 :

bakuman season 2 episode 001


season 2 episode 001 :

Oriental Prints ...

Following in the footsteps of designers such as Miu Miu and celebs including the Saturdays’ Una Healy,  Desire Clothing (http://www.desireclothing.co.uk/) has added to its ever-growing collection with gorgeous ranges of oriental flower print skater dresses and kimonos.

“Team these stunning skater dresses with Autumnal toned colour block tights, same tone platform heels (to elongate the legs), a fur coat and a satchel bag for a great day time look.At night, go bare legged and add some coloured heels and an oversized clutch. Finish the look with a dash of lippy and you’re good to go.”
 -Nikki Evans, head stylist at Desire Clothing

Today I am wearing a Skater Dress from Desire Clothing £22 ....


Cacharel leads the way ...


Thanks L xx

Thursday, September 29, 2011

We All Love A Beauty Spa ....

Hint Hint to all those male readers out there .... this is what us girls want for Christmas.


Treat that special lady in your life to the ultimate five star head-to-toe pampering experience in London’s newest Boutique Day Spa, Viva Beauty.  Situated in the heart of London’s West End, Viva Beauty offers an ‘Indulgence Day’ that provides seven gorgeous make-over treatments in a unique deluxe environment followed by a professional photographic shoot to capture this fabulous look. 

The Viva Beauty Boutique Day Spa has been specifically designed to create the perfect environment to enjoy the full benefits of the Indulgence Day.  As well as dedicated treatment rooms and daylight suites for hair & make-over sessions, it also offers several relaxation suites, a private fashion styling area and dedicated photographic studio so your Christmas gift will be enjoyed in the ideal environment.
You can buy this ultimate Christmas gift, the Indulgence Day with seven pampering treatments and a professional photo shoot, for just £149.

 L xx

My New Favourite Perfume .....

The Perfume Shop have done it again with this new EXCLUSIVE Candy Apple Collection from DKNY Delicious Scents.

I am in LOVE with the packaging and it smells so good I could actually eat it!!! I have the Fresh Orange and it is DELICIOUS!! It is fruity and fresh but not too over-powering so you could still wear it in the winter too!  

The DKNY Delicious Candy Apples collection is a delectable combination of a hard, sweet and vibrant candy coating with freshest scent inside. The crunch from the candy, mixed with the fresh crisp juicy apple centre creates a sweet surprise that is irresistible and immediately desired.

This scrumptious trio includes Sweet Strawberry in red which combines strawberry mousse and sparkling bergamot notes, Juicy Berry in purple which mixes apple blossom with blackberries and Fresh Orange in orange which contains mouth-watering mandarin and fizzy orange sorbet.

Thet are priced at £29.50 each and are available exclusively at http://www.theperfumeshop.com/

Which is your favourite??
L xx

Chelsea Boots Round Up ...

The most talked about boot for AW11 is the CHELSEA Boot and with Heritage becoming the hottest trend for Winter it is no surprise this was the chosen boot ....

Today I am wearing these AMAZING Kesslord Chelsea Boots from Spartoo.co.uk with this HOT outfit by Vila.....


Jameela and Fearne and already one step ahead in their Chelsea Boots teamed with their Summer Wardrobe ....

Jameela Jamil and Fearne Cotton wearing Chelsea boots
Picture Courtesy of Look.co.uk


Stockists -
Spartoo 
Tamaris
Dr. Marten

The Best Sensitive Skin Body Lotions

I suffer with EXTRA sensitive skin and always struggle to find products that are suitable so I thought I would give you a round up of great products that are extra kind to sensitive skin.

Here are my Top 7 Body Lotions -

1) MADARA Body Cream £15
MÁDARA nourishing body cream is a rich and nourishing body cream that contains natural active ingredients such as Jojoba oil, seabuckthorn berry, calendula, cocoa butter and camomile which deeply hydrate skin and help to lock in moisture to protect against the drying effects of the summer sun and salt water. This was amazing - especially on holiday!!!! My skin felt SO soft!!


2) Comvita Replenishing Body Lotion £16
A nourishing body treat that leaves your skin feeling velvety smooth. Packed with natural goodness, this light emulsion glides over your skin to moisturise, soften and revitalise. Contains Manuka honey, to help slow the signs of aging by supporting your skin’s natural elasticity. This smells amazing and kept my skin soft all day!!! In fact it smelt that good I could eat it!!!

3) Dove Indulgent Nourishment Body Lotion £5.49
This turn’s your daily care routine into an every day treat and smells good enough to eat. It's also armed with Dove's unique DeepCare Complex which melts into skin, whilst still offering deep down essential nourishment to the skin. I love Dove .... I am also a big fan of Dove deodorant!!!!
4) Higher Natures Body Vital Body Balm £17.70
Body Vital nourishes and moisturises deep into the skin, refreshes and revitalises. With bio-activated, organic essential oils of magnolia, lemon peel and nettle, organic seabuckthorn oil, MSM, and a bioactive plant complex to rebuild collagen. This smells and feels great and Higher Nature also do a great Rose Lotion too.
Body Vital Whole Body Balm

5) Dead Sea Natural Mineral Body Lotion £7.99
Dead Sea Natural Mineral Body Lotion contains minerals including potassium that replenish and restore lost hydration whilst chloride improves tone and elasticity. Even the NHS are reccomending this for dry and sensitive skin and is perfect for ME!! I also reccomend their body wash and bath salts!!!!


6) E45 Junior Body Lotion £4.85
A gentle formulation to soothe, soften and nourish dry and sensitive skin. Use daily all over the body to help protect the skin against moisture loss leaving your skin feeling soft and moisturised. This hydrating lotion is perfect for use after bathing with E45 Junior Foaming Bath Milk to lock in moisture - which is lovely too. Good value for money!!!
E45 Junior Moisturising Lotion

7) Jason Cocoa Butter Body Lotion £6.49
Jason Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion is an intensive cocoa butter, sunflower oil and soothing chamomile extract soften, smooth and moisturise your skin. This makes your skin SO soft!!!!!!!
I hope this helps.

L xx

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

naruto shippuuden episode 230

episode 230:

Angela DeMontigny's Parfleche Series


Check out First Nations fashion designer Angela DeMontigny's latest purse collection, the Parfleche Series. Based on Plains Indian parfleche rawhide bags, DeMontigny's versions are hand cut and sewn by master leather craftsmen using the finest Italian leather and hardware.

This collection is based on the parfleche, which is a Native American rawhide bag used in the past for holding dried meats and pemmican. The first known use of the word parfleche was in the early 1800s and comes from the Canadian French parflèche - from French parer meaning to ward off, and flèche, which means arrow. The term referred to the hide, which was tough enough to be used as a shield.

Among many tribes, women made and decorated parfleche, often with designs that were passed down for generations through families. In addition to familial designs, painted parfleche bags can also be identified by tribal characteristics. Crow, Lakota, Blackfeet, Ute, Nez Perce and other tribes all used mineral paints and designs that reflected community artistic styles.

The large flat surface of the parfleche bag was painted with colorful, geometric, abstract designs. Some of the original parfleche bags had graphics that were maps or general geographic depictions of the surrounding landscape. A sharpened porous buffalo bone served as an effective paint brush. Sometimes the rawhide was incised to highlight a design. (Click here to view historical parfleche bags in the Smithsonian's online collection.)

The development of DeMontigny's collection was a result of the Cody Institute for Western American Studies (CIWAS) Resident Fellowship program at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, where DeMontigny was a fellow last summer.




(Images are all © Angela DeMontigny 2011)

The Best Sensitive Skin Suncreams

I suffer with EXTRA sensitive skin and always struggle to find products that are suitable so I thought I would give you a round up of great products that are extra kind to sensitive skin.

Here are my Top 5 Suncreams -

1) Aubrey Unscented Suncream SPF 30 £14.29
All-natural, broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) mineral sunscreen. The cream is a sheer, gentle sunscreen which maintains skin’s moisture balance with organic shea butter, organic jojoba oil and aloe. The unscented formula is ideal for sensitive skin. They also do an amazing Aftersun!!!


2) Green People No Scent Sun Lotion SPF 25 £17.95
Natural protection from UVA and UVB radiation. This natural sun lotion is made without Parabens, Lanolin, phthalates, artificial perfumes, petrochemicals and colourants to bring you the purest sunscreen that nature can offer. This smells goes on brilliant and was great for my sensitive skin. Green People also have an amazing scent free body lotion and body wash.
3) Caudalie Face Suncare SPF 30 £22.50
This cream for the face provides excellent all-around protection: broad spectrum UVA/UVB, anti-ageing and cellular DNA. Its silky formula gives skin a matte, transparent and non-sticky finish. Moisturized and fortified, the skin is evenly tanned and the complexion is luminous. This kept my skin so soft all day and smells great!!!
Anti-ageing face suncare SPF30
4) Simple Sun Senstive Protecting Lotion SPF 30 £9.99
Simple Protecting Suncare Lotion SPF 30 is a special blend of active ingredients and sunflower goodness to naturally protect against sun damage and help prevent sun induced allergies. Perfect for sun sensitive skin and absorbed into my skin so quickly - I LOVED it!



5) Ultrasun SPF 30 Super Sensitive £18
Ultrasun delivers very high all day protection (UVA 93% and UVB SPF30) with just one application per day. Its super sensitive formulation is ideal for very sensitive and children’s skin and helps to prevent 'prickly heat' reactions. Which is ideal for my ultra-sensitive skin!
I hope this helps.

L xxx

Lavenham ....

My new lust-after brand is Lavenham! The Lavenham Heritage collection is a classic range of jackets and waistcoats. Originally created in 1972, the versatile nature of these products means that they are lightweight but warm.

A perfect on-trend Heritage investment for the coming chilly months and next years festival these amazing pieces are both stylish and practical!

Today I am wearing a Grey Quilted Lavenham Jacket .....


Other favourites from the Lavenham AW11 Collection include ...

Foxton skirt £170.00 and Dovercourt jacket  £320.00

Check them out on the Lavenham website.

L xx

Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Vest ....

I have recently lost my nan to cancer and am therefore in full support of Damart's Pink Vest ....
 
Made from 95% cotton with an element of elastane jersey fabric for a bit of give, this stylish hot-pink top has a v-shape lace insert in the back and a lace trim neckline. Perfect with jeans, shorts or skirts either on its own or layered.

On sale from September, the pink top is priced from £16 for extra small, small, medium and large; £18 for extra large, with £4 donated to Breast Cancer Campaign with the sale of each vest.

Available to buy at http://www.damart.co.uk/
Please show your support.
L xx

The Best Sensitive Skin Face Moisturisers

I suffer with EXTRA sensitive skin and always struggle to find products that are suitable so I thought I would give you a roundup of great products that are extra kind to sensitive skin.

Here are my Top 5 Moisturisers -

1) Palmers Daily Calming Facial Lotion £5.95
This is a fantastic, light, fast-absorbing lotion, is specifically designed for sensitive, redness-prone or irritated skin. A special blend of ingredients reduces the appearance of redness, calms and soothes sensitive skin and leaves skin lightly hydrated. It feels amazing on and quickly soaks into your skin!!!! Love it!

2) Comvita Daily Moisturiser with SPF 15 £30
This Moisturiser is amazing!!!!  Contains Comvita’s® scientifically researched HUNI®XA Manuka honey, to help slow the signs of aging by supporting your skin’s natural elasticity. A divine combination of Rosehip, Macadamia, Sunflower and Soybean oils work with Shea butter to perfectly hydrate your skin, while SPF15 provides daily defense from the effects of the sun and environment. This made my skin SO soft all day long!!!!
3) Nuture Protect Moisture Boosting Serum £9.95
To help protect skin against daily environmental damage this calming serum contains a unique blend of active ingredients and natural plant extracts. Enriched with Neutrazen™ to soothe redness caused by skin irritation, also squalane, vitamin E and panthenol help to condition the skin, with a deep moisturising effect. These ingredients also protect your skin from becoming dry. This really calmed my skin and reduced redness around my nose.
protect face serum
4) Qsilica REVIVE £15.95
The new Nutrient Boost Face & Neck Moisturiser is perfect for soft and supple, hydrated and glowing skin. Distributed by Planet Health International, this natural skin care range includes eight products that use potent natural nutrients – not synthetic cocktails. This really did make my skin look fresh and radiant!!
 

5) Jason Aloe Vera Creme £7.29
This highly concentrated aloe vera gel plus natural sweet almond oil and vitamin E soothes skin and instantly moisturises. This is great for sensitive skin!!
Also check out the Jason back to school competition www.youtube.com/jasonnaturalcare
I hope this helps.

L x

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

bleach episode 341

Episode 341 :

New Must Have Label - Eleven Paris ....

I LOVE it when you find a new label and am happy to share with you my new lust-after brand - Eleven Paris!

Channelling their signature rock femininity, Parisian label Eleven Paris brings forth a laid-back collection with a sophisticated edge. Contrasting structured, form-fitting pieces, with fluid, sensual shapes; oversize print t-shirts are paired with skinny jeans, Nordic knits and faux-fur trimmed military jackets, while glamour comes in the form of bodycon mini dresses.

Today I am wearing a Navajo Inspired Jumper Dress .....


This wild wild west americano trend was spotted on all the catwalks for AW11 ...

Picture Courtesy of ASOS.com

L xx

Monday, September 26, 2011

Neo-Navajo fashion: Trend or tradition?

This article was just published yesterday, in The Arizona Republic. The article asks Navajos what they think about the 'Navajo' trend in fashion, and they interview awesome folks like Jaclyn Roessel and Melissa Cody.


Neo-Navajo fashion: Trend or tradition?by Jaimee Rose

And now, from the people who think they know everything about what we should be wearing, comes a new trend about which we Arizonans might know a bit more.

At Neiman Marcus, just racks away from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's latest leather offering, there's a kicky cashmere shift dress - all geometry in deep red, black and cream - that looks exactly like the Navajo blanket on display in the Heard Museum (hand-loomed in 1880, just so you know).

At Forever 21 in Scottsdale, mannequins wear $8 feather necklaces while posed in positions not unlike a ceremonial dance - and the sign in the window says "Into the Wild." (Made in China, and you don't want to know.)

Diane von Furstenberg is on a $365 "Native Hound" print parade. September style magazines trumpet the look with multipage shopping guides headlined "Hail to the Chief." Teenagers are buying woolly shawls. Shawls!

From the omnivorous minds of fashion designers, who want us in soldier chic one minute and Bollywood brilliance the next, a communal word emerged as the Gospel of Fall: "neo-Navajo!" they declared, flinging Navajo iconography all across the mall.

There are arrows on bracelets and medallions on miniskirts and woven patterns on skinny jeans that cost $660 at Barneys New York.

Even this: "Navajo Hipster Panties," at Urban Outfitters, printed with zigzags and stars, which an online reviewer loves because they make her "bum look delicious." Ahem.

It's such a fashion buzzword that a solid-blue robe at Target is christened "Navajo Navy" - a color we thought was named after a military branch of the USA.

So we have questions. We have questions for the fashion folks and questions for magazine editors.

We wonder what the people who write product descriptions for Intermix were thinking when they penned "The new Navajo: ethnic Aztec inspiration" (different country, different tribe).

We are not sure it was in the best taste for Urban Outfitters to offer a Navajo-inspired flask, because there's a history there. It's complicated.

And we are dying to hear from the Navajo people themselves - who would be well within their rights to have their Navajo hipster panties in a twist, considering the Telegraph newspaper in London told its readers to "channel your inner Pocahontas."

Pocahontas wasn't Navajo. She was from Virginia.

Lost in translation
"It's funny, being Navajo and seeing this. I was looking online, and there was, like, a Navajo tube top," says Jaclyn Roessel, 28, who grew up learning to weave on the reservation and now works in education programming at the Heard Museum.

She sees girls her age wearing the look everywhere: feather earrings for a dinner downtown, or Navajo prints on the light rail, where she spotted an Arizona State University student in a dress so gorgeous that Roessel wished it was hers.

"It was so pretty, but I don't know - I don't know if I could pull it off," Roessel says, and she's not sure she should try.

This modern moment is an odd twist for Navajoland, where parents and politicians alike worry endlessly about too much USA leaking onto their 17.2 million-acre homeland - a wide corner of Arizona where wandering sheep and red rocks reign supreme.

Navajos wage a constant cultural battle to defend their traditional beliefs and Native language against the influx of 2011, which wants the kids to believe in Beyoncé, and sing along to "Run the World."

They're used to selling their kids on their culture, not being the stars of the mall.

So Roessel has questions of her own. For example: Do those fashion folks in New York think that all her people are dead?

"I wonder whether they understand that Navajo is even . . . a living culture," Roessel says, "and that there are women today who wear outfits with these designs on them because they mean something."

In their lust to sell "Navajo" as the perfect blend of bohemian-exotic cool, the fashion elite may not have realized that those stacked triangles and jagged edges are symbols, and that they stand for something else.

The symmetrical pattern on a cashmere cardigan at Neiman Marcus comes from the careful symmetry of Navajo rugs, which Roessel says pay homage to the Navajo convention of leading a balanced life. (This may not recommend spending $517 on a sweater.)

The stacked triangles on blouses at H&M could be interpreted as clouds, which bring rain to the crops of Navajoland and, therefore, food to the tribe's tables. (Fashion and dinnertime have never understood one another.)

And consider the Navajo Hipster Panty: Those zigzags often stand for lightning, explains Roessel. Her people wear the symbol as an emblem of protection. The star design nods to the four sacred mountains on each corner of the sacred Navajo homeland.

Translation: Those undies are protecting something sacred indeed.

Behold, the trendiest chastity belt of all time.

A caveat: No one would be safe trying to precisely dictate the intended meaning of Navajo symbols or rugs, says Ann Hedlund, a University of Arizona anthropology professor, tapestry expert and curator of ethnology at the Arizona State Museum.

Navajo is an unwritten oral culture passed down through generations of storytellers, and things tend to shift during flight. Also, there are times that Navajo weavers put triangles and zigzags on things for other reasons, Roessel says, possibly because they just look pretty on the rug. Or, the meanings could change based on the context of the entire composition. .

Everything is complicated.

Designer labels
"Neo-Navajo": whither, and why?

"I wouldn't say a bunch of fashion editors got together and said, 'Let's name this. What should we call it?' " says Tracey Lomrantz, an editor at Glamour magazine in New York, which dedicated eight pages of its August/September issue to the Navajo look. "But this way, we sort of encapsulate it and make it easier to understand.

"Everyone naturally gravitated toward the word neo-Navajo because (the look) is a new interpretation," Lomrantz says. "It's not a costume. The cuts are very modern, and the tailoring - it still looks like 2011.

"In fashion, nothing is new, but this is the most literal interpretation that we've seen of Navajo . . . and this Navajo theme kept resonating with a lot of different designers."

On the list: Proenza Schouler, Isabel Marant, even rocker-turned-fashionista Gwen Stefani and her L.A.M.B. line. And none of the above would give us an interview to discuss naming and inspiration. Perhaps it's complicated.

We did, however, receive an offer to publicize trendy labels with the following pitch from a fashion house in New York:

"Pay homage to our past while looking marvelously modern with Navajo-inspired styles from Chelsea Flower, Love Sam, DL1961 Premium Denim & Cult of Individuality . . . On-trend and simply chic - minus the Headdress. Pack the teepee (or the closet) with (items) that will be sure to become closet staples."

Teepee? Headdress?

Hail to the grief.

Lomrantz says designers are getting their Navajo notions from all kinds of places, like the work of Ralph Lauren, that Great Spirit of Native-inspired work, who has been extolling the virtues of the Southwest for years. (Did you see him chatting up Oprah Winfrey at his Colorado ranch? Did you see the Navajo rug in the background? He didn't want to talk to us either.)

Also, Lomrantz says, significant designer inspiration comes from the Parisian fabric markets held each year, where designers wander and select their wares. Navajo is huge in France.

Finally, she says, "the most important thing in fashion right now is the idea of a global marketplace, and the desire to travel to understand other cultures."

What not to wear
In the spirit of promoting understanding of the fashion culture, we wish to offer you Lomrantz's advice: Should you wish to go neo-Navajo, do so with discretion.

"Rather than going head-to-toe and being mistaken for an actual Navajo, I think accessories are a great place to start," she says. "Maybe a belt or a piece of jewelry. And I am really loving the fringed suede booties.

"This is not meant to be a costume."

To wit: A few weeks ago, Roessel was in Phoenix, walking to dinner with a friend, and spotted a girl gone wild: "She had feather earrings, and a headband, and sandals with fringe, and it was quite over-the-top, like Native American Fashion Night," Roessel says.

"Now, I love fashion and I love to dress up, but if she was in Glamour, you'd have had the black bar over her (eyes)."

The Navajo now
And in the spirit of promoting understanding of the actual Navajo culture, we introduce you to Melissa Cody, an actual neo-Navajo, if there were such a thing. She is 28, originally from Leupp, on the reservation, and creates weavings that hang in the Navajo museum and the tribal president's office, too. Her work sells for $2,000 per square foot.

Recently, she wove caution tape into a rug so cool that, if Urban Outfitters could see it, we fear for the hipster panties that could come forth. It was a tribute to her father, and what she found in his toolbox.

"I'm a fourth-generation weaver," Cody says. "It started off with my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mom and her sisters, and then myself. We all grew up weaving.

"It is one of the few links that I do have to my culture. I wasn't raised in the traditional religious background. I don't identify with the different ceremonies or songs. I'm not fluent in my language, and I can't converse with my grandma, but we speak the same language in terms of weaving and textile. It's something I hold very dear to my heart."

It's not exactly "the traditional way" to make a rug out of caution tape, Cody says, or to put Pac-Man into your pattern, like 30-year-old weaving celeb Sierra Teller Ornelas did, or to make street-style T-shirts with chiefs on the back and "Noble Savage" on the front, like Cody's friend Jeremy Arviso, 32, did.

But being Navajo now means continuing the culture war by making the traditional arts interesting and relevant to younger generations, and in that way, preserving the Navajo story.

"Neo-Navajo is embracing everything around us, and that's not new," the Heard Museum's Roessel says. "But now it means using social media and film and video games - that give-and-take of adapting things from American culture to make them uniquely ours.

"Neo-Navajo is that push, and understanding that you're part of both worlds."

The last time Cody showed her grandmother something wild she'd dreamed up, her mother translated her grandmother's reaction:

"I'm going to copy that," the elder Navajo said.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8923 or jaimee.rose@arizonarepublic.com.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Native Appropriations Takes Down Urban Outfitters

(Urban Outfitters' "Navajo Socks" ain't Navajo, just fyi)

Aw snap! Adrienne Keene over at Native Appropriations is on an Urban Outfitters Take-Down mission! (and I LOVE IT.)

Keene has called out Urban Outfitters many times in the past two years for their shameless attempts at appropriating (and misrepresenting - oh, and profitting off of) Native cultures.

Her latest post looks at UO's use of the word 'Navajo.' She says it best: "Urban Outfitters is Obsessed with Navajos." Unfortunately, they're not the first to be obsessed with Indians. But that's a different story.

Keene says: "A search for "Cherokee" on the Urban Outfitters website reveals 1 result. A search for "Tribal": 15. A search for "Native": 10. "Indian": 2. But Navajo? 24 products have Navajo in the name alone."

She goes through the women's section, chucking all of the Native-inspired items into her online cart, and ends up with a whopping 58-item cart! Good lawrd, 58! (I'm semi-curious what the grand total of this cart was, considering that we ALL KNOW that economics factor into this whole deal in a crazy effed-up way).

Keene then focuses on a particular (bad) trend - the over-use (and mis-use, tsk tsk) of the word Navajo.

Then, she tells us that the Navajo Nation has actually trademarked 12 derivatives of the word "Navajo". That's right kids. This word is trademarked. And the Navajo Nation Attorney General sent a cease and desist letter to Urban Outfitters. Daaaaang. Cut.it.out!

Here's part of the letter:
"Your corporation’s use of Navajo will cause confusion in the market and society concerning the source or origin of your corporation’s products. Consumers will incorrectly believe that the Nation has licensed, approved, or authorized your corporation’s use of the Navajo name and trademarks for its products - when the Nation has not - or that your corporation’s use of Navajo is an extension of the Nation’s family of trademarks - which it is not. This is bound to cause confusion, mistake, or deception with respect to the source or origin of your goods. This undermines the character and uniqueness of the Nation’s long-standing distinctive Navajo name and trademarks, which—because of its false connection with the Nation—dilutes and tarnishes the name and trademarks. Accordingly, please immediately cease and desist using the Navajo name and trademark with your products.

As a Nation with a distinguished legacy and unmistakable contemporary presence, the Nation is committed to retaining this distinction and preventing inaccuracy and confusion in society and the market The Nation must maintain distinctiveness and clarity of valid association with its government, its institutions, its entities, its people, and their products in commerce. When an entity attempts to falsely associate its products with the Nation and its products, the Nation does not regard this as benign or trivial. TheNation remains firmly committed to the cancellation of all marks that attempt to falsely associate with the institution, its entities, its people or its products. Accordingly, immediately cease and desist using Navajo with your products."

Read the whole wonderful Native Appropriations post by clicking here. And remember, truly awesome Navajo fashion designers exist, just go on and click here to see some super cool stuff that isn't wack.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

naruto shippuuden episode 229

episode 229:

OPULENCE.

So, it would seem the fashion masterminds were inspired by all things golden for the spring/summer 2012 collections. Golden referring to the inspirational eras being the obvious main influence as well as referring to the clothing, as shown in these runway shots of (top to bottom) Gucci, Topshop Unique and Felder Felder. A cross between Cleopatra, twenties flapper girls and ancient Egypt, all combining together to create a proud, metallic colour plate. It's usually these colours and trends that we tend to see being shown in the A/W collections and then months later as downgraded office Christmas party dresses in high street stores, however, fashion being it's unpredictable and spontaneous self has taken the trend and created summer clothing - short sleeves, sandals & hoorah for not seeing one pair of tights. Gucci, as always, is a favourite and always a delight. The quintessential glamour of Frida's collections remains throughout the ever changing collections and designs.

It all seems to fit in quite conveniently, seeing as my first assignment for my Open University module is about Cleo in all her rich & beautiful glory. It's a possiblity that I could use these collections as inspiration... so thankyou once again to Topshop (you could never do me wrong).

(All photos credited to http://style.com)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fashion Trends Rocks and Rolls - Return of Denim Jackets

The Denim Jackets are here once again. It’s after a shatter from the leather jackets in trend preceding season that Denims come back in style. But this time 80’s fashion is going to come back live in a more stylized way. Earlier where Denim Jackets were worn out in a more formal look, with jeans and fitted skirts for women.

Today Denim jackets goes more casual. Put on your jacket with rolled up sleeves for more funky look, you can even unit it with a plain loose dress, shorts or wear it in shirt style. Torn effect is in vogue with a lot of washes on the jackets. Today even shrugs/ short coats / jeans are coming in denim, with a lot of light prints over them. They look so cute and nice.

We should also be grateful for the designers for playing a vital role in booming the Denim industry. Where Denims were worn in slight cold weather earlier, today people are wearing it at any point of time, summer or winter does not make much difference. The material being used today is so superior that it does not make us feel hot. The prints over it and the styles available induce us to wear it. After all whatever we say jackets always give a stylish look, if clubbed properly as the whole attire.

Here are two images that shows the best use of Denim Jackets.






Monday, September 19, 2011

bleach episode 340

Episode 340 :

Some History | Tula Shell Coat of Armor

Shell Coat of Armor
Mexico, Hidalgo, Tula
9th-12th Century AD

The old city of Tula had a great historical relevance in Mesoamerica.

The archaeological ruins of Tula are located in the Mexican state of Hildalgo northwest of Mexico City. Tula is considered to be the candidate for Tollan, the legendary capital of the Toltec Empire, which was founded in about 750 A.D. when the Teotihuacan empire was in the process of falling apart.

Between about 900 A.D. and 1,100 A.D. during the height of Tula's power, it covered an area of some five square miles, with a population of perhaps as high as 60,000.

In Tula, Toltec society grew increasingly militaristic. The knightly orders of jaguar and eagle warriors and the practice of massive human sacrifices are likely to have begun there. The heavily fortified city took on a somber air as war and death became the dominant themes in stone work.

For more information, check out this book (where I found this awesome image): The Road to Aztlan: Art from a Mythic Homeland