FASHION/RELIGION - Have you seen any women recently wearing a Niqab or Hijab?
No, I am not talking about Conservative Muslim women. I am talking about women (of any ethnic background) wearing it as some kind of fashion statement.
And an important point is you can now buy them in brand names like Calvin Klein and GAP.
Like WTF? How did that happen? Well, its not so much that these brand name companies are getting into the business, its the fact they're making scarves/etc that can be used as such.
First lets affiliate you with some of the fashion terms:
A Hijab is basically a hood that is worn over your hair.
A Niqab (or Niqaab) is a scarf you wear over your face. A full niqab covers everything but a slit for the eyes.
There's also:
Abaya - Covers you from head to toe except for the eyes, one large piece that looks very baggy. Usually found in Pakistan.
Burqa - Like the Abaya, but it covers the eyes with semi-transparent fabric or a grille. More common in Afghanistan.
Dupatta - Popular in Pakistan, covers the head and shoulders.
Its important to note this is NOT a religious belief per se... and nor is it sexist. Many men in Arab countries also wear headwear to cover their heads. Such things include the Igal, Bisht, Ihram, Kufi / Kuffiyya / Ghutra / Shmagh, Taqiyah cap, Thawb and the more commonly known Turban.
So yes, before you go jumping to conclusions you have to realize this is a CULTURAL tradition, not a religious edict. Some Muslim women choose to wear such things and often make that choice when they are a teenager (ah, the horrors of peer pressure). In that context they see their friends wearing such things and they follow suit.
After all if you're best friend gets a tattoo, or a nose piercing or a pair of high heels... are you repressing yourself if you choose to get the same thing for yourself? No, you're making a choice. Admittedly your friend played a role in making that choice, but thats just a sign of a strong friendship.
Thus when non-Muslim women start wearing such clothing its not simply because they're trying to make a fashion statement. Sometimes they just have Muslim friends who wear such things, they look at it, realize they'd like to wear a hood or whatever, so they go out and buy it.
I myself have a fondness for hoodies, especially on rainy days. I could see myself buying a hijab someday if I found one I really liked. Does it mean I would be changing my religion? No.
Its just a fashion statement and frankly I think thats kewl. It could even be considered sexy.
Granted I am not about to run out and buy any full-length garments that cover me head to toe... they just look too much like radiation suits to me. But I could certainly see wearing a wide variety of Muslim clothing.
Let me give you an example you might not normally think of: Look at the adorable photo below of the little girl wearing a Kufi hat. Those hats are totally kewl and I WANT ONE! It has nothing to do with religion, its just plain a really kewl looking hat. Who wouldn't want one?
FASHION - I really like David Dixon's fashion designs. They're simple, stylish and I can see wearing them on a day to day basis. They're sexy too.
What I also like is his choice of models. He picks his models carefully, choosing not just ethnically diverse models, but also being careful to pick models who have more meat on their bones as opposed to the disgustingly thin.
"I don't even think about it," admits Dixon. "It's not a conscious decision to cast women from various ethnicities. I pick the girls I like. I pick girls I think women can relate to."
Its also smart business sense. "I get feedback from women who have a critical opinion. They want to see themselves in these clothes," says Dixon. They're more likely to buy the clothes they can see themselves wearing.
Designer Mark Fast does the same thing. A couple weeks ago he insisted on having plus-size models for his 2010 spring fashion show... which drew a lot of media attention. Fast says: "My knits respond differently to different bodies. Some looks just work better on curves."
Which sparks my belief that "Its hip to be diverse", not just by adding plus size models, but by including models from a wide range of backgrounds.
Sunny Fong for example recently hired two models: One that was a lot older, and other who was bigger. "Other cities look to this unnatural ideal of what's beautiful," says Fong who only hires models with a waist larger than 24 inches. "I've never liked skinny-skinny models. They don't suit my clothes. My target market is real women, not skinny 16-year-old girls. When I put my clothes on skinny girls, they hang like they're on a hanger. I want the body to translate the garment. On a skinny girl, it says nothing."
FASHION - You know what a gaff is right? Its a mistake. Its a blooper. Its the outtake that usually doesn't make it into TV or magazine spreads.
But unfortunately in the fashion world these gaffs do make the news, and in a silly way some people actually take them seriously.
Like the two images to the right.
You see, as an artistic / creative person myself, I would be totally embarrassed to make things that look so ridiculous. They can't be worn, they can't be taken seriously, they're barely even 'art' because they're not making a statement about anything.
And the holes? What is the point of that? There's no statement there. Ripped blue jeans makes a fashion statement, but only if the rips are real. Fake rips are for poseurs.
And then there's the 1/2 dress / 1/2 business suit... WTF is that? What a complete waste of fabric.
Sometimes I swear Paris fashion designers are sniffing glue or something. They could be making fashion which actually helps people, looks good, gives people jobs, makes them look professional...
"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain.
To infer from that, well-dressed people are leaders and go out and change the world. People who dress like idiots will be treated like idiots (and not taken seriously).
FASHION - Lindsay Lohan's latest fashion for Spring / Summer 2010 was unveiled on Sunday... and frankly, what brain-dead person would wear this crap?
The brand is Emanuel Ungaro and the fashion itself was co-designed by Barcelona-born designer Estrella Archs, which is a funny way of saying Archs did most of the work. Lindsay Lohan is just the "artistic advisor".
Ungaro has been a fashion house since 1965 and fashion designer/owner Emanuel Ungaro retired from the house in 2004 at the age of 71 and in 2005 the brand was sold. Esteban Cortazar was anointed the head designer...
But pedigree aside, I'd say it still sucks.
Its too... 1980s.
And I realize some people think the 1980s is in vogue again, but frankly this is too much. I am beginning to think people are taking it too far. Its one thing to bring back the "good fashion" from the 1980s, but why would you bring back the crappy fashions too?
Oh and there was WAAAAAY too much fuchsia and pink. Sorry, that is just too Barbie Girl for me.
And before you think I am just being mean, or copying what other people are saying go ahead and Google Lindsay Lohan Ungaro and you will see there are a lot of people who hate the fashion looks being produced at the new Ungaro. There are probably a 'few' who like it, but they are in a minority.
In summary Lindsay Lohan's fashion style... 1980s pink Barbie. Its like fashion for 9 year old girls...
So below are some of the pics and the interview from Ocean Magazine which Tyra shot a while back when she was doing the Hamptons shoot as well as one for Michigan Avenue w/ch I have yet to get my hands on...grr.. Any who check it out below!!
OCEAN DRIVE: How are you changing the format of your talk show now that it has moved to the CW? TYRA BANKS: I changed the skin of the show and the music—now it’s hip, modern, fresh, energetic. We have one of the youngest audiences so I want the show to move fast. Because of the Internet and all these outlets pulling them in so many different directions, their attention span is shorter. I want the best of the best to be on the show and not drag a topic on just because we’re supposed to do it for an hour.
What are your favorite stories to work on? I love dealing with teens. I feel like I’m their big sister and that I can say things to them that they wouldn’t necessarily accept from their parents. They also say stuff to me that they don’t say to their parents.
And you’re their mentor. Yes! I’m also taking the bull by the horns and doing live makeovers on stage to show my expertise in makeup. For America’s Next Top Model we’re now calling makeovers “Ty-overs” because they are my vision of what the girls should look like. I take audience members, put them on stage, and with my makeup belt on, shout, “Should I give her a smoky eye?” I have a live band and the singer follows with, “Smoky eyeeeee!” I was inspired by Emeril Lagasse, like when he says, “Should I add some cayenne pepper to this stew?” and the audience is like, “Yeaaah!” Well, I wanted to do that with makeovers. Girls used to line up in front of me backstage at fashion shows in Paris, New York and Milan because they wanted me to do their makeup.
Was it years of modeling that gave you that skill? My mom is the queen of makeup and when I was a little girl, I used to sit at the end of the bathtub and watch her put on her makeup every single morning as she was going to work.
You grew up in LA, right? Do you go back often? I go back to LA for decorator showhouses. They are a passion of mine! I’ve been going for years with my mom. I will fly out from New York when a new showhouse in LA or Pasadena has opened. That’s how passionate I am. Just looking at all the rooms, and talking to the designers.
I didn’t know that! Did you decorate your apartment? My very first apartment in New York I decorated all on my own. Now I’ll work with designers, but I’m extremely hands-on.
What styles do you like—traditional, modern, eclectic? I tend to like eclectic meets whimsical meets traditional.
When are you happiest? I am happy when I am doing anything that has to do with planning, creating, facilitating. I’m also happiest in my mom’s kitchen.
Do you cook a lot? Oh, hell, no! I’m cooking frozen dinners and stuff in there, but my mom cooks breakfast for me when I’m home.
Do you have any vices? Yeah, frozen yogurt.
That’s not really a vice. Well, I don’t smoke or drink. I don’t like the taste of spirits. The most alcohol I ever had was when I was 12 years old and drank the neck of a wine cooler. It was nasty, and I never drank alcohol again. But I know what everything tastes like. I’ve had a sip of wine, a sip of Champagne, a sip of a real piña colada, an amaretto sour. I know what it tastes like, it tastes nasty, and I don’t like it.
What is your fitness regime? I moved a couch out of my living room and put in an elliptical and a treadmill. I do about 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. I sold the world my fat ass, but then I went on a get-fit, get-healthy challenge with some friends to see who could get the fittest in three months. I actually won because I’m very competitive. And then the press started picking up on it, and going, “Oh, my gosh, Tyra’s looking like her old self,” and I was very torn about whether to talk about it or not, because I don’t want women to think that by me getting in shape I’m saying that their curves are bad. I still have what my stylist calls “levels,” meaning boobs that stick out, a butt that sticks out. I have an issue with my stomach—I suffer from these stomach attacks that happen every two to three months—but I haven’t had one since I started this challenge with my friends.
What is your beauty regimen? I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleanser—it’s like an oil makeup remover—and then I wash my face one more time with Aveeno bars from the drugstore for dry skin. Then I put some Aveda hydrating lotion on my face and a little chilled Kiehl’s Eye Treatment with Avocado under my eyes. I tie my hair up every single night when I go to bed because I don’t want split ends.
Who are some of your favorite designers? I went through this phase of loving certain designers, but only when I was walking in their fashion shows. So I loved Chanel, I loved Armani, Calvin Klein, Anna Sui. But when it came to my personal life, I looked like a pig! I wore sweats and flipflops and was a damn mess. I looked so bad that a friend had an intervention with me and said, “Tyra, you need to pull it together. You need to comb your hair and get out of the sneakers and sweats.” I just started shopping for myself and styling myself and I discovered that I love Alexander McQueen. His clothes make me feel so girly. When I go into his store, I get all giddy and excited and want everything.
And it’s very form-fitted. Yes, because I’m curvy, I have to show my waist. So he really, you know, cuts for a very curvy woman, which is really good.
Now let’s talk about Miami. When I think about South Beach, I think about my days as a model. A lot of my jobs were in South Beach. I was a businesswoman as a 20-year-old model even before I was a businesswoman, so I would always think about the budget. And I could never understand who would bother traveling to these different islands all over the world. I would be like, Why did we go all the way to Timbuktu when we could have just gone to South Beach? It would still look gorgeous and tropical. I used to stay at The Raleigh hotel back in the day. And I actually remember the Delano being remodeled, and being so impressed with the big curtains out front. I was like, Woooo! That’s different—outside curtains. Now they’re normal, but they were cutting-edge at the time. I’m a little intimidated by South Beach, though.
Why? Because it’s so popping, you know? The night vibe is so cool, but because I don’t drink or party, I feel really intimidated. I guess I’m more of an Orlando girl, a Disney girl. OD
Check out the video of the behind scenes footage from the photoshoots
Okay...so maybe not the robot lol...But check out these pics shot by Mike Ruiz! This has got to be one of my ALL time favorite photographers...the last picture is a shot both he and Ty took together...
Hey guys New interview is up of Tyra talking about the show gossip girl and her role as well. Check it out below! Also the new October web issue is up on tyrabanks.com! It is not all the way completed but lots of new stuff to check out!! Love and Fieceness!!
No, I am not talking about Conservative Muslim women. I am talking about women (of any ethnic background) wearing it as some kind of fashion statement.
First lets affiliate you with some of the fashion terms:
Its important to note this is NOT a religious belief per se... and nor is it sexist. Many men in Arab countries also wear headwear to cover their heads. Such things include the Igal, Bisht, Ihram, Kufi / Kuffiyya / Ghutra / Shmagh, Taqiyah cap, Thawb and the more commonly known Turban.
Thus when non-Muslim women start wearing such clothing its not simply because they're trying to make a fashion statement. Sometimes they just have Muslim friends who wear such things, they look at it, realize they'd like to wear a hood or whatever, so they go out and buy it.
