Written By: Allison Hibbs

He was responsible for Madonna’s cone bras.
He created the wild outfits used in the wacky future-fiction movie, “The Fifth Element.”
He made bondage chic and brought the British punk rock look of the early eighties to the world’s most exclusive runways.
Even if you don’t know the name Jean Paul Gaultier, you almost certainly know the man.

“The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” enthusiastically acclaimed exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art, is scheduled to close next weekend on Feb.12, so you’ve got one last chance to get to know him a little better. From the shockingly sexy Boudoir collection to his fascinating use of industrial materials in the Metropolitan room, this is an exhibit not to miss.

“I’m not such a good speaker,” says the voice of Gaultier himself upon entering the exhibit, his talking face projected onto a mannequin dressed in a sailor ensemble (that he designed for himself to wear in an interview with pop superstar Lady Gaga). He communicates best through his clothing, he tells his visitors. And it’s true. One can only stand there and listen for a short while before being drawn away into the changing landscapes and attitudes of his apparel. The exhibit is set up in six distinct sections, yet certain ideas – like his fascination with S&M – carry through his work like a refrain.

“I respect individualities and I like particularities,” reads a quote attributed to the designer on the wall in the Urban Jungle room. “I mix and match, collect, twist and crossbreed codes. Past, present, here, elsewhere, masculine, feminine, remarkable, humdrum – it all coexists.” A delicate Spanish dress cut through with bondage leather; a pink floating ball gown with the crotch cut out; a full tulle skirt in camouflage coloring next to a glittering plaid mens’ kilt; Gaultier has a knack for making the scandalous seem sumptuous, for turning the gutter into glamour and for creating couture from the least likely corners of human experience.

Alongside the fabulous fabrics and intriguing ensembles worn by talking mannequins are actual sketches by Gaultier, rare prints on loan from renowned photographers and glowing quotes from contemporaries such as Pierre Cardin and Pedro Almodóvar. Scenes from movies for which he designed costumes play on variously sized screens throughout the rooms. Even the designer’s well-worn childhood teddy bear is on display, wearing – you guessed it – a cone bra. He designed it when he was only seven years old.

Everyone who makes it to see this truly extraordinary exhibit is sure to find at least a few favorites. From the Madonna to the mermaid (and that’s just the first room!), Gaultier manages to pay homage to kink, heritage, culture, counterculture, flora, fauna and fantasy all with a sense of openness, possibility and joy.

After Feb. 12, the collection will travel to San Francisco and then on to Europe.

Several ensembles and images shown in the exhibit. Photograph by Paolo Roversi.

Technorati Tags: art, avante garde, bondage, corsets, couture, Dallas, Dallas Museum of Art, fashion, From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, Gaultier, haute couture, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Pedro Almodovar, Pierre Cardin, punk, runway, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, The Fifith Element

“Written by Kathleen Mulvihill”

Mom was right. Never throw anything out; eventually your clothes come back in style. That’s why retro fashion is always hot. When designers run short of innovative ideas they can always reach back into the closets of yesteryear and come up with a look with a new twist. Voila - fashion that is both nostalgic and hip. Some examples:

The pencil skirt is the new hobble skirt of the 1920s; bootcut is the new bell-bottom; spandex is the new girdle; ballerina shoes are the new flats; the chunky high-heeled oxford is grandmother’s shoes from the fabulous 40s; capris are the new pedal pushers; and black is, well, the new black. Call it indie, vintage or retro, it all adds up to apparel that is timeless.

Labels by designers such as Marc Jacobs, the master of mash-up fashion, define the retro rack. In a New York Magazine article, Jacobs was quoted on his passion for the past: “I like romantic allusions to the past: what the babysitter wore, what the art teacher wore, what I wore during my experimental days in fashion when I was going to the Mudd Club and wanted to be a new wave kid or a punk kid but was really a poseur. It’s the awkwardness of posing and feeling like I was in but I was never in. Awkwardness gives me great comfort.”

Retro fashion is the brainchild of the “retro chic” concept of the Parisian avante garde. Today it refers to apparel that imitates a previous era associated with a post-modern stylistic trend. While vintage spans the 1920s to 1050s, retro or indie represents the pre- and post-1960s fashion. Look around - it’s everywhere. If not in consignment shops (the new thrift stores), then look for a vintage store in your metropolitan area, even in suburbia. There’s a plethora of sites online, including top20sites.com which offers the top 20 retro fashion sites with popularity ratings.

The fashion truth is: The way we wore is the way we are. Retro is here to stay.  So if you’re feeling the pinch in these troubled economic times, there’s no need to fret when it comes to your closet. Take a close look, visualize that 80s ribbed knit sweater with a long wrap-around scarf, and you just got a new leash on an old look. Dress it up with a piece of glam jewelry from your grandmother, slip into those skinny jeans and any kind of boots and you’re ready to step out on the town. Looking good has never been so easy.

Technorati Tags: fashion, indie, retro style clothing, vintage inspired

Watches by Design, Fashion Watches and More...

 

If you really want to impress your sweetie this Valentine’s Day, be a smart and savvy shopper.  Bring home something extra special and a little something extra at the same time.  Watches by Design offers the largest selection of fashion watches at the best prices and this year they are throwing in an added bonus.  If you purchase a fashion watch from January 21^st – February 7^th 2011 you will receive their Valentine bonus package.  

In addition to being able to choose from thousands of designer name brand timepieces, your gift will include free Valentine’s gift card, free gift wrapping, and a very special surprise!  

Why choose Watches by Design for your top of the line timepieces?  They simply offer the biggest selection and the best prices.  If you’re not convinced yet, shop their watches sales.  Watches by Design can help you take Valentine’s Day to a whole new level.  Your Valentine will appreciate your thoughtfulness, as well as the fantastic new watch!  Shop from famous maker like Movado, Michele, and Omega.  These watchmakers, and many more call Watches by Design home.  Shop with confidence this year.  Come home with a gift she will truly enjoy and treasure for years to come.  Let Watches by Design show you the way. 

Technorati Tags: gifts, valentine's day, watches

Fruitz Watches, the brand that represent a wonderful, charming array of Fruits Watches, are the hottest craze right now.  Even Twilight star, Dakota Fanning was seen sporting her Fruitz!

There are three types of Fruitz: Fruitz Classic, Sorbet and Happy Hour.  The Fruitz Classic collection features 36 mm adorable sunburst dials, colorful silicon straps which are really comfortable.  Each watch in the collection represents a different fruit, so there’s a Blueberry Fruitz Classic Watch, an Orange Fruitz Classic Watch and so on.

The Sorbet collection conjures up an image of delicious, tasty and sweet.  From the Fruitz Lemon Sorbet Watch to the Fruitz Licorice Sorbet Watch, these watches do look delectable, with their stainless steel expandable bracelet straps, and bright, lively colors!  Dakota Fanning loves her Lemon Sorbet Fruitz watch.  According to Fanning, “”I cannot wait to wear it – what an adorable idea… I am so happy to have one!”

The Happy Hour collection makes you think of good times, and indeed, each watch in this collection represents another fruity cocktail, from Black Russian to Cosmopolitan.  These watches have 43 mm dials, which include day and date functions.

By the way, these fashion watches come with a perk: each watch is embedded with a natural frequency technology disk, which may lead to better sleeping, increased concentration and focus, and an overall sense of wellbeing.

Technorati Tags: fashion, fruits, fruitz, natural frequency technology, watches

Our bodies: Like them, love them or carry a fevered resentment toward them, they are what we have to work with. If you are a woman that judges yourself against women on the runway or in shiny magazines, you need to stop. Few, if any, women look like the models we see everyday in the media. Not even the models look like the models. They are digitally airbrushed, stretched, enhanced, smoothed out and otherwise sugar-coated for consumption. If a model is being real, they will be the first one to tell you that.

Two short stints working in retail positions at women’s clothing boutiques, as well as a few years spent modeling professionally, taught me two important things about women and fashion: The first one is that no two women’s bodies are the same. I’m not just talking about differences in weight or natural shape. I’m talking about differences in height, weight distribution, posture, muscle tone, skin texture, bilateral symmetry (or lack thereof) and even physical disability.

The problem is that many style guides illustrate how to “dress right for your body type” according to shapes defined as Inverted Triangle, Pear, Hourglass or Rectangle. These guides might be helpful, but, if the truth is to be told, women should know that most women are a blend between two types and even that changes as they age and/or bear children. These guides also don’t consider the natural variations that come from height differences or even the proportional differences caused by waist or inseam length.

The second, and possibly most important, thing that I learned from retail sales and modeling is not to judge a woman by her appearance. The women that look like they would be the most confident and happy, are often neither confident or happy. Appearances truly can be deceiving. On the other hand, many women that don’t match up to societal standards (for varying reasons) often are confident and happy. Don’t get me wrong, fashion is fun and compelling—I love it—but it will never beat out confidence as every woman’s seasonal “must have”—no matter what body type(s) she represents.

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