Italian Fashion Watch

LG Prada Bluetooth Watch

Now that the release of the new Prada II mobile phone is eagerly expected by fashion enthusiasts and gadget passionate alike, LG thought of making a big surprise to both by offering a unique bluetooth watch with its already impressive smart phone.

The new gadget will synchronize with the phone and will alert you of incoming emails and will display your messages directly on your watch.

Technically, the LG Prada Link Bluetooth watch measures 32.5×38.7×11mm (case only) and weighs 51g. The many interesting features include Caller ID, Call history, SMS full text display, Alarm, world time, stop watch, 48h standby, 2.5h charging time, white mono OLED Display with 120×56px, vibration and sound alert and leather band.

LG announced that it will release an evolved version of their first designer cell phone, Prada II. It will hit the market by the end of the year, just in time for Christmas shopping.

The new phone will feature a slim QUERTY keyboard that will slide on the left site. It will have an evolved HTML browser, support for 3G with video calling, a 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, Wi-fi and of course, a 5 megapixel camera, a standard at the moment. The camera has a Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens, a 3 inch display with a 400 x 240 resolution.

Of course, the screen will be all touch sensitive.
The price will start at 600 euros and will be available at major carriers in Europe.

The previous Prada phone, released in 2007 sold over 1 million units in only 18 months of its launch.

The woman who gave the world “ugly chic” and made her fortune with tough black nylon, has discovered that all women really want is to be soft and pretty.

So last night (Tuesday) in Milan, Miuccia Prada, the “high priestess” of Italian fashion, bowed to evolutionary change and offered a new vision which was all about an imaginary, natural beauty.

Her collection for spring/summer 2008 was like a flower fairy fantasy for grown-ups, inspired by the erotic Art Nouveau movement of the turn of the 19th century.

A dress appeared emblazoned with the voluptuous petals of an orchid; or was it a Venus Fly-Trap; entwined leaves and branches suggested ivy – or were they snakes; anything was possible in this verdant wonderland.

Everything rippled and flowed, as sinuous as the curves of a woman’s body, from the exotic printed silk tunics, dresses and trousers to the elaborate, hand-carved-and-hand-painted “flower” heels on the multi-colored shoes.

Colors were as vivid and intense as a “Garden of Eden” – woodland greens, soft pinks, shades of citrus and crimsons as rich as painted lips – and the flowers and foliage of the prints which decorated the clothes just as decadently depicted.

Dress featured puffed sleeves, a tracery of ruffles at the shoulder, a curvaceous cut-out delineating the neck. Trousers were loose and languid to the ankle, or blossomed into a flounce at the knee. Little knits were worn with skirts which were like clouds of exquisite fabric, floating along the catwalk.

Sheer silk and a new knitted silk-organza mixed semi-transparency and transparency, giving the clothes a fluidity, unusual in a Prada collection.

The look of the models, too, was a first for Prada. With tousled hair caught in loose pre-Raphaelite chignons and shadowed with metallic red and gold, they had an ethereal, fey beauty which matched the clothes.

“This is the first time I have gone soft,” the designer said backstage. “There is nothing straight in this collection– like nature. Before, I wanted to show women as tough and powerful, so I used thick fabrics, with dignity. Shapes were vertical to represent strength. But I discovered women like soft, they like pretty. It was hard for me, because if you use soft fabrics and cut on the bias it is boring, all it does is show the body. So I did a new soft with experimental prints and fabrics.”

Prada has released impressive sales figures for the last year.

The Italian fashion brand has seen net profits grow by a staggering 63% to £52 million with sales rising to 8.2 % to £1 billion.

Prada chief executive officer Patrizio Bertelli (and husband to Miuccia), told WWD.

“The investments in retail we are making in 2007 will allow a further acceleration of our businesses on the most important fast-growing markets.”

“We can be confident as we look forward, also with a view to a potential initial public offering in the near future.”

The brand stated that Diffusion line Miu Miu also added a hefty weight to the figures, with sales rising more than 22 per cent.

Bertelli added:” The company’s performance is on target in terms of both revenues and profitability. Our brands are strengthening their trendsetting positions in fashion and luxury all over the world.”

Miuccia Prada plans to give men that warm-and-fuzzy feeling next winter.

The trend-setting Italian designer showed off shag-pile style in her autumn-winter 2007-08 catwalk collection yesterday, during men’s fashion week in Milan.

“Men will be like cuddly soft toys in winter,” she joked backstage, explaining her top-to-toe fuzzy fashions.

“I’m tired of seeing the same skinny trousers so I tried to do something different.

“The idea is one of mutation, from sportswear to elegance.”

Hi-tech blends of cashmere and mohair – their fine fibres melded together rather like hair extensions – were used to create furry coats, rectangular vests and fluffy trousers, soft against the skin but textured like shag-pile carpet on the outside.

Long black beaver fur formed Yeti-style overcoats, and trench coats were cropped into short fur capes.

Hairy mohair jumpers poked from beneath the hems of boxy grey flannel suits, and square-cut tunics featured drawstring necklines, hems and cuffs.

Splashes of acid orange and green livened up the sombre shades of black and gunmetal grey.

The tops of trousers and bottoms of jackets showed either splashes of colour or a faded effect, as if the wearer had sat on wet paint or spilt bleach.

Prada’s clean-cut models clutched handbags resembling women’s purses, in quilted black nylon or bright patent-leather versions with flashing silver handles.

Black was the business of the day for Giorgio Armani, who used only flashes of silver to brighten his youthful Emporio Armani collection.

“It’s not a matter of winter being dark, of there being little sun,” he said backstage.

“It’s just difficult to put colour in a men’s collection. And lighter colours always make you look bigger.

“Young men just want to look great when they dress up. And black just looks hot, guys – it looks hot!”

Armani mixed street-style with sophistication, matching formal business jackets with silken sports pants that gleamed like molten mercury.

Trousers, tight as leggings, were tucked into long, scrunched-down black boots.

Footwear featured rugged black ankle boots, shiny sneakers and calf-high boots the colour of melted chocolate.

Armani’s winter sports range might be a boon for lost snowboarders – the sci-fi silver snow gear looked dazzling enough to be spotted from space.

The fight against anorexia began a few months ago when the officials at Madrid Fashion Week banned extremely thin models from the catwalk, claiming they promote a false and unhealthy model of beauty. Amongst the first designers stood up and supported the decision was Giorgio Armani.

This really got to the public’s attention only last month when 21 years old Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died in hospital weighing only 88 pounds.

Now, the Italian government is teaming up with more and more fashion designers to promote a “healthy, sunny, generous, Mediterranean model of beauty.”

The new regulations require models to prove they do not suffer from eating disorders, as well as banning models younger than 16.

The code was signed Friday by Melandri and Mario Boselli, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber, which includes fashion houses like Versace, Prada and Missoni.

It will probably be adopted internationally after some time. Designers who will not comply to the regulations, will be subject to some sanctions, like being assigned less favorable hours or days for their shows.

Looks like every designer started deigning fashion phones for various companies in the mobile phone and electronics industry. I think it’s becoming a new trend, and I’m sure the future offers us plenty surprises.

First, there were the two Italian designers, Dolce and Gabbana, who designed the extremely good looking MOTORAZR Motorola Phone. I must say, that’s one of the coolest phones I’ve seen in my life. With it’s gold color, it’s catches your eyes instantly. Too bad I’m not a Motorola fan.

Then, Giorgio Armani designed the Samsung Limited Edition Armani Exchange Ultra Edition 6.9 in Blue, for the well known Korean company which manufactures everything electronics. I have two Samsung TVs and a D600 phone by the way, but that’s another story.

The phone presents itself as great. It has a more simple look. Very modern. The only reason I don’t like is because I already have the technologically more advanced D600, which has way more interesting features for the technology addict

Now I see that Prada is also moving into the fashion phones design industry. The company they’re working with is LG, another important mobile phone manufacturer. They’ve just launched their new creation these days.

With all of this, I wonder which designer will go for Nokia. I’m sure the design is already in progress. I bet we’ll hear about it in the next two or three weeks maximum. Nokia can’t remain behind in this new venture.

Will it be Versace or Gucci…

Designer brands Prada, Versace and Armani have agreed to ban skinny models from the catwalk.

The Italian label’s action was prompted by the death of two models and comes into force in Milan Fashion Week.

Madrid Fashion Week kick started the initiative which Milan and Paris initially resisted.

However it is believed that Camera Nazionelle della Moda Italiano, which represents the county’s top fashion brands, changed position and has agreed a January deadline in time for Milan Fashion Week 2007.

Italian youth minister Giovanna Melandri told the Metro: “The Camera della Moda will take action against designers who do not respect the manifesto.

They could be removed from the fashion calendar or, in the most serious cases, banned from the fashion week.”

Dressed in pink Uggs, Seven jeans and a matching pink sweater and cap, Elizabeth Cohen looks the epitome of hip as she winds her way through the holiday crowds at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles.

She is a discerning consumer — her Ugg boots are not knockoffs, and she names Prada and Dolce & Gabbana as her favorite brands.

She’s also 10 years old.

“I ask her, ‘What do you need these for?’ ” said her mother, Jane Cohen of Bel-Air, who shops mostly at vintage stores and garage sales.

But the 10-year-old is hardly unusual. Elizabeth and other “tweens” — kids who are 8 to 12 — are expected to contribute to growing demand for luxury goods this winter.

Today, the season shopfest begins in earnest with day-after-Thanksgiving sales, crowds and traffic jams. For tweens and their older teenage counterparts, the search is on for expensive accessories, belts, purses and perhaps a pair of shoes such as those seen in fashion shows and glossy magazines.

“There’s a huge uptick in teens shopping for traditional luxury brands,” said Jim Taylor, vice chairman of the Harrison Group, a strategic marketing firm that recently conducted a survey of teenagers’ preferences. “Having a Gucci scarf is part of being a kid today.”

To be sure, even on the affluent Westside of Los Angeles, these youths rarely have closets full of luxury goods.

Many, including Elizabeth, also shop at stores such as Target or Gap, looking for bargains. Frequently, they mix and match with luxury accessories.

“It’s not only the rich communities — it’s anywhere that kids have an income,” Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard’s Retail Consulting Group in New York, said about teens and tweens buying luxury products. “A lot more kids earn money than used to, and they feel they have the right to spend their money as they see fit.”

Taylor said many of the teenagers buy these brands with allowance money or wages earned from part-time jobs. This can lead to a fair amount of spending on brands once known only to the rich and famous.

“They’re 100% more brand-conscious today than they used to be,” said Fraser Ross, owner of the upscale Robertson Boulevard store Kitson. “A 12-year-old will know what Louis Vuitton is.”

Kitson is known as a high-end Westside celebrity haunt, near the Ivy restaurant. A year ago, Ross added Kitson Kids nearby, but he said tweens still prefer items at his main store, such as $190 Seven for All Mankind jeans and $650 Isabella Fiore handbags.

Many of these customers, he said, see celebrities wearing certain brands and buy the same ones. Some browse the store aisles while their mothers have lunch at the Ivy. “I call them ABC girls — Armani, Blahnik, Chanel,” Ross said. “They wear everything branded.”

Last week Mumbai was studded with glamorous fashion brands, as the global elites like Fendi Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo displayed their accessory collections at 5-star hotels, attracting Bollywood divas and major designers.

As the growing potential in India, luxury houses are making a beeline into domestic market.

Following the lead of their favorite stars, locals are also getting tempeted for lavish treats.

While jewelry artist Farah Khan Ali is a major fan of Fendi and Louis Vuitton gears, stunning Simone Singh is crazy for Prada, Chloe and Miu Miu footwear.

Koena Mitra loves a LV chocolate and brunette bag, others adore cute little purses.

In all there is no doubt that India is recognizing the essentiality of chic accessories that is making room for global boutiques, who are standing on one feet to grab new opportunities!