Women Fashion Blog

Naya Rivera shows off washboard abs just months after giving birth to son

darylsteel — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 07:54:41 GMT

Naya Rivera got back in shape within five months of delivering a baby.

Actress Naya Rivera is a proud fit mother, debuting impressive washboard abs less than six months after giving birth to her son.

The 29-year-old welcomed son Josey with her husband Ryan Dorsey on 17 September (15) and after delivering the little boy, she wasted no time getting back into the gym.

The results of her tireless commitment to fitness was obvious in a picture Naya shared on Instagram Monday (1Feb16), which showed off the star's ripped abdominal muscles.

"Yaaassss! Werk. It. Out. fitmom (sic)," she wrote in the photo's caption.

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The image saw Naya lifting up her shirt to show off her midriff while standing next to cycle instructor Nichelle Hines.

Nichelle is incredibly proud of her client's swift results. Posting the same picture on her own Instagram account, the fitness professional wrote in the image caption: "So proud of this gorgeous woman!!! Her baby is 4 1/2 months old!!! She eats right, rides hard and trains hard. Hard work and dedication make anything possible. What'd you do this Monday??? bodyafterbaby killingit traininsane teamnomakeup".

Naya previously revealed she loves the feeling of participating in cycling classes.

"I really like group classes," she gushed to Self magazine. "I love the energy feeding off of everybody else."

The former Glee star is not a fan of certain exercises though, admitting there are specific types of repetitions she does her best to avoid.

"I hate crunches," she told Fitness magazine. "I do planks -- traditional and side planks -- instead for my abs."

Whenever she is unable to attend a class or a personal training session, Naya stays fit by partaking in sensual activities.

"Have a lot of good sex," she laughed to Self in response to how she gets her fitness in when classes are cancelled or unavailable.

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Hong Kong FW F/W kicks off with over 1,500 exhibitors

darylsteel — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 07:40:11 GMT

The 47th Hong Kong Fashion Week kicked off from January 18 featuring more than 1,500 exhibitors from 22 countries and regions showing latest fashion designs and collections of fabrics and accessories.

“With this year's theme being 'Fashion of Music', HKTDC has created a fashion avenue for the fair, which blends different musical genres in ways that complement various styles of fashion and accessories,” a press release informed.

During the fair, around 30 fashion events, including fashion shows, fashion parades, seminars, forums, and a networking reception were organised to present latest fashion collections and market intelligence.

This year, companies from Myanmar, Romania, Uzbekistan, New Zealand, Philippines and Vietnam joined the Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter for the first time.

The fair features 11 pavilions, including China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Macau, Japan as well as Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association.

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Multiple zones have been set up to help buyers find sought-after products and suppliers, including four new zones this year: Women's Wear, Knitwear, International Fashion Designers' Showcase, and Fashion Tech.

Other zones include Emporium de Mode featuring top brands, Fashion Gallery showcasing mid- to high-end fashion, Men in Style, Activewear & Swim Wear and Denim Arcade.

HKTDC has invited 90 buyer missions comprising more than 5,000 buyers from 43 countries and regions to source at the fair, which includes H&M from Sweden, Dssr Co from Japan and Showpo from Australia.

More than 10 fashion, designer and brand collection shows were organised during the fair, with the local fashion communication hub Fashionally presenting two fashion shows for upcoming local talents.

Fashionally Collection #5 Menswear displayed menswear for the 2016 fall/winter season, with participating designers including designer Derek Chan, Kenax Leung, Kurt Ho and Aries Sin.

Fashionally Collection #6 also launched a collection of women's wear for the 2016 fall/winter season, with participating designers who include Mountain Yam, Walter Kong and Jessica Lau, Effie Hung, etc.

The Hong Kong Fashion Week also features Hong Kong Brand Management Association presenting the United States diva Taylor Swift's own brand.

Kate Liegey, who is responsible for tailoring Swift's clothing, is bringing the latest Taylor Swift collection to the show together with the singer's single Wildest Dreams from her latest album.

Also, Fortuna from Japan, known for using the traditional textile Nishijin-Ori in their designs, is showing high-quality fashion products, while Redress will host EcoChic Design 2015/16 Grand Final Fashion Show.

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Reorganising your make-up

darylsteel — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 08:01:14 GMT

It's a new year and time for a new organisational system for your favourite make-up products

It's a new year with new goals, and for a lot of us, that means cleaning up the clutter that has piled up after months of disregard. And for those of us who have loads of beauty products stashed away, it's easy forget we have an unopened bottle of Moroccan oil shoved in the bottom drawer in our bathroom.

If you're struggling with a seemingly endless amount of make-up and products, here are some helpful tips to get you organised and make the most out of the space you have.

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The goal of any organisational system is to make it quick and easy, so first off, consider the items you use every day - from your eyeliner to foundation to mascara - these should be the most accessible to you. For example, if you use the same brushes every day, put them in a cup, empty candle glass or plant pot so they're in your reach and not hiding away.

Counter space and drawers aren't the only places to keep your beauty products - your door is the perfect spot for your items, especially if you're dealing with a limited amount of space. Purchase a cheap plastic shoe organiser that hangs on the back of doors, and label each pocket. You can have a pocket just for lipsticks, lip gloss, sunscreen, blush, mascara... You name it, you've got a space for it.

If you're more of a Do-It-Yourself type, try putting together a magnetic board for your make-up. All you need is sheet metal, super glue, paint, and an empty picture frame. Take the sheet metal and paint the entire thing. Next, super glue the sheets to the back of your frame and let it set. Then, put magnets on the back of your make-up products. In addition, if you glue a long strip of magnetic tape to the bottom of the board, you can stick bobby clips all along it so you never lose those pesky pins again.

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During Men's Fashion, Flocks of Peacocks Descend on Florence

darylsteel — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 09:31:29 GMT

Neither the high winds that diverted flights past Florence’s airport to nearby regional cities like Bologna or Pisa, nor security jitters that led to undercover patrols and sniffer dogs policing the streets near major monuments deterred the flocks of peacocks who descended on this city this week for the huge men’s wear fair Pitti Uomo.

“We’re really quite surprised, to be honest, how many people came,” Raffaello Napoleone, the fair’s director, said of an estimated 30,000 visitors.

While exhibitor numbers have climbed steeply over the past several years — 1,219 labels are now represented here, close to 50 percent of them international — geopolitics have a way of wreaking havoc on commercial expectations. In recent years, the ruble collapsed and the Russians stayed home; then the renminbi fell into a ditch, taking with it the free-spending Chinese and the global markets. It turns out people have had more important concerns than whether to trade in their jeggings for palazzo pants.

Yet the mobs strutting along walkways threaded through a maze of pavilions, tents and pop-ups crammed inside the 16th-century Fortezza da Basso were so dense that it felt like wandering into a tube-sock sale at a street fair rather than a multibillion-dollar trade event, among the most important in the business.

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Because many exhibitors have already gone into production with merchandise displayed here, Pitti Uomo serves as a commercial bellwether. Designers mounting runway presentations in Milan, Paris and New York over the next four weeks are in that sense disadvantaged, as the core of their design messages may, in many cases, have been rolled out already at Pitti in a mainstream commercial form.

In terms of trends, all indicators suggest trousers are about to widen and waistlines will migrate north. “My girlfriend asked me if I’d had breakfast this morning,” said Scott Schuman, the Sartorialist blogger and a newly minted designer, whose capsule collection for the Italian-owned Roy Roger’s label opened here on Wednesday.

“I said: ‘Are you kidding? I have to wear those jeans today,’ ” Mr. Schuman added, referring to high-waisted denims from his new line.

Fabrics, if not Mr. Schuman, will be putting on weight in the near future. The hefty woolens that granddad wore are making a comeback. Blue serge may be next. “There is this return to those traditional weaves that disappeared when the superlight woolens came along,” said Guido Vergani, a representative of the Italian shirt makers Dudalina and managing director of AD56, a noted Milanese haberdashery. Textile powerhouses like Ermenegildo Zegna have taken note.

Under the direction of the unassuming Mr. Napoleone, Pitti Uomo has stolen a march on other fashion capitals as an incubator of style. Street photographers all know it as a place both to spot trends in the making and to mark for death those whose time is up. “There’s only one true dandy per country per century,” Umberto Angeloni, chief executive officer of Caruso, said, pronouncing doom on the sillies still seen slouching around here dressed up like Oscar Wilde. “There has to be something under your hat besides your hair.”

It hardly matters that the dandies seen in flocks here (dandies are evidently herd animals) have failed to heed Mr. Angeloni’s message. They remain out in force in their snug, taut trousers of Prince of Wales check, cuffed well above the ankle; hourglass jackets in Highland tweeds; pocket squares erupting from breast pockets; monk-strap shoes in strenuously distressed finishes; and felt fedoras, sometimes with a pheasant feather tucked into the band. “It all looks a bit heavy,” said Nick Sullivan, men’s fashion director of Esquire.

Sprightly they are not, and one reason is that nostalgia is a burdensome emotion. In its original definition, it means homesickness; for many here, the homesickness they evince is for a period they’re too young to have known. “This is a season of the father and son in the wardrobe,” said the designer Brunello Cucinelli, whose billion-dollar fortune was built on an idiosyncratic knack for mining and modernizing Italy’s sartorial past in a way that translates across generations.

Others got there before him, of course. Giorgio Armani’s early success was predicated on his reinterpretation of traditional soft suiting devised by Anglophile Neapolitan tailors. Those body-hugging “American Gigolo” shapes are making a comeback. Mr. Cucinelli was far from the sole exhibitor to show sweaterlike blazers, sweatpants-style trousers and over it all, the extravagantly costly outerwear he goes to great lengths to make look generic.

There is a reason a pair of basic cotton poplin trousers from Bottega Veneta costs $800 and a deceptively simple shearling coat from Mr. Cucinelli can cost almost as much as a Mini Cooper: “That particular customer wants something special,” without standing out, Mr. Cucinelli said. Freshly minted tech billionaires, in other words, don’t want to end up looking like Minnie Pearl, price tags dangling from their hats.

Simpler is more chic; the more basic the better, in fact. Take the witty collaboration between Seletti, an Italian housewares brand, and Toiletpaper, the art collaborative run by the artist Maurizio Cattelan and the photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. The melamine trays, enamelware dishes, kettles and plastic-framed mirrors ornamented with images of sausages or toilet plungers are a first here. “They’ve never done home design before” at Pitti Uomo, said Stefano Seletti, whose father, Romano, back in the early 1970s, first imported from China the plastic buckets and enamelware now common in Italian households.

Romano Seletti hawked his wares from the hatchback of a little Fiat Cinquecento station wagon driven from one town to the next. Now, cars much like it were parked throughout the Pitti fairgrounds, festooned with all manner of cheap and irresistibly gaudy art junk.

Asked what were the day’s big sellers, Antonio Piemontese, a young journalist moonlighting as a salesman (“The pay is better doing this,” he said), immediately held up a $60 tote bag emblazoned with a woman’s toothy smile, a scatological epithet scrawled across her teeth.

“This,” he said.

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2016's Most Popular Health Resolution? Clearing Out Bad Energy

darylsteel — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 06:44:24 GMT

During the first week of January, instead of heading to the gym or peeling off the seal on an inaugural bottle of green juice, more people than ever, it seemed, opted to stay in and organize, take a bath, burn a smudge stick, or, simply breathe. “I am just cleaning my room—trying to get the old energy out,” texted one Vogue editor on January 1, who wasn’t alone in her off-season spring-cleaning. The quest is to KonMari, or perhaps, less dogmatically, to declutter dominated to-do lists from Manhattan to Malibu. When model Angela Lindvall wasn’t practicing calming left nostril breath work, she could be found going through “a bunch of stuff I had been ignoring for a long time. That physical clutter in our home stacks up and brings this emotional burden on us.” And the cleansing didn’t stop there. There was artist Mickalene Thomas wafting sage smoke in her living room during a Vogue video tour of her own home, and the Lenny Letter contributors publicly giving up their classic resolutions in favor of excising rage- or guilt-inducing activities from their lives. Which is to say that, in 2016, among the pledges to exercise and denouncements of caloric indulgences, another New Year’s health declaration has emerged: to clear out negative energy.

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The theory that emotional residue can embed itself in a space—be it your living room or your body—and stifle it is no longer reserved for the patchouli-loving gypset. “You can be around someone with bad energy and pick up on that. You don’t need to be a healer,” says Kerrilynn Pamer, who, along with Cindy DiPrima, co-founded the West Village’s CAP Beauty boutique and spa to serve the growing masses searching for holistic routes to happiness via an approachable, inarguably pretty space (underlain with rose quartz for good vibrations, no less). “I used to think of resolutions in a different way. But now people are taking on a word or shifting their intentions for the year. We’re so much more than just our body, or just our mind, or just our spirit. They all work together, and when they do, that’s when you feel really good. People are noticing that,” says Pamer.

According to New York City–based shaman Elizabeth Clemants, there are four approaches to unpack what she refers to as “shadow pieces” that weigh down your life through accumulated trauma or difficult experiences. The Marie Kondo–popularized act of decluttering is an effective means of physical clearing, as is Clemants’s favorite and most leisurely approach: a piping-hot Epsom salt and baking soda bath. “I do it myself three to four times a week. If I catch myself complaining or I’m depressed or anxious, the quickest most brainless way to sweat that out of the system is a bath.” Just as important are emotional, relational, and energetic means to removing shadow pieces to let more light shine, says Clemants.

A cathartic conversation with a friend where you cry, laugh, or express anger will serve as an emotional route to removing heavy energy from your system. So will closing the circle on draining relationships: Clemants suggests taking a six-month break from speaking to that not-so-ex boyfriend, or whittling down your phone calls to your parents to once a week to avoid being clouded by others’ opinions. When it comes to energetic cleansing, movement (see: exercise) has long been a popular resolution for a reason. Around the Vogue offices, a brisk walk through nature, or along the Hudson River’s edge, is often a means of recalibrating mood. Lindvall looks to mood-boosting cardio whenever she’s feeling stuck. “People get bogged down by the idea of having to pack a bag and go to the gym—I’ve been putting on cheesy hip-hop music and dancing [at home], being a full-on dork, mixing in yoga moves and Taekwondo kicks. Moving your body is an ancient way to stimulate your cells and shake energy loose.”

Alternately, stillness can be just as useful. It’s no secret that meditation is a powerful means of harnessing emotional stability—the act of momentarily clearing out your thoughts, cultivating a calm mental and, thus, emotional state for longer and longer periods of time. “We’re all looking for the same thing: space,” says DiPrima. Making room in our apartments, minds, and bodies, “makes us vibrate at our fullest, highest potential.”

If seeking out a healer or circling a room clockwise with a flaming piece of palo santo once induced eye rolls, it’s now a recognized route to overall health. “[We’ve become] so busy, and there’s so much stress,” says Lindvall. “We’re in an age where we’re often grasping at these external things to fulfill us, but people want to awaken to something more. Re-exploring ancient techniques is about an inward journey—trying to reconnect with that infinity inside of us. Some might call it the guru within or the soul.” And, according to Pamer, it doesn’t matter if the results can’t be so easily, empirically proven. “My therapist told me that if it affects you and changes you, it works whether or not it ‘works.’ If you feel like something happened, it happened.” Even taking the time to practice Kundalini yoga poses or let a friend drop essential oils on her spine leaves Lindvall feeling more optimistic. And who is to argue? After all, she lives with a mantra we might all be better off for adopting: “Be responsible for the energy you bring into a space.” Now that sounds like a resolution worth keeping.

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Fashion Frolic with Jami Spence

darylsteel — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 06:29:19 GMT

Flair's Fashion Frolic feature takes you on another behind-the-scenes journey to really get to know some of your favourite and celebrated designers. This week we get to know a little more about Jamie Spence of YC designs.

Fashion designer Jami Spence goes by designer name 'James Black' with her fashion line Yahdie Conscious, now YC.

Spence said her designer name came as a result of her alias name 'James' and added the 'Black' because she likes wearing black so she put both of them together.

Spence's designs are a reflection of her funky personality-hence her specialising in unique sophisticated street-style an edge.

Her talent and passion were recognised when she was in sixth form, and her team won best costume the first year they entered the JAMFIT cheer leading competition, "I realised just how much I enjoyed coming up with the concept and bringing it to life. I thought it was the coolest thing ever," Spence told Flair.

The name 'YC' also came during her sixth form days at St Andrew High School for Girls. "My partner and I needed a name for this T-shirt brand that we wanted to start - depicting inspirational quotes - Jamaican style. I was saying 'Yahdie' a lot referring to a Jamaican, and during that time 'Conscious' or one drop music was huge so we put them together," Spence explained.

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Though fashion was not Spence's first choice, immediately after completing her degree in Economics and briefly working at Bank of Jamaica, she started her line and realised that that's where her true passion lies. She hasn't been able to ignore it since. "I quit my job because I needed something that allowed me more time to work on the brand," Spence explained.

So far among her most successful moments in the industry was four years ago when her blog JBSTYLEZONE was featured in Vogue Italia. "I was so excited and it felt absolutely surreal," Spence said with excitement.

A MOMENT WITH SPENCE

1. How would you describe your sense of style?

My style is laid-back, but always with a touch of sex appeal. It's also a bit unpredictable, some days I'll be super girlie and classy and other days I may be in ripped jeans and a crop top or a loose tee.

2. How would you describe your design style?

Crazy. Sexy. Cool. LOL, but less of the crazy. YC pieces make you feel like you are a part of this exclusive, cool girls club because the pieces have a unique look, but it's not forced or elaborate. I love anything that is comfortable yet sexy and so I always bring that to my design process. I'm obsessed with jump suits now and to me that is the ultimate no brainer outfit. I like when fashion is easy but makes people look twice.

3. What is your most important rule of fashion?

Less is more! That's it...

4. What is your favourite design or collection to date and why?

My favourite collection is always my most recent collection, so in this case it's my Summer 2015 collection - Treasure Beach. With each collection I can see so much growth in my designs I can't help but be more in love with my most recent work.

5. What advice would you give to young passionate designers?

Running your own business will always have a lot of challenges, and it will test you to see if this is what you really want to do. If you are passionate about it, you will find a way to make it work.

I would say read and watch videos of people who have made it, especially, those who started out with very little. It's always a good idea to follow a plan that has worked for someone else, and find a way to fit it into your own life based on your circumstances. I'm currently reading #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso, and it has really inspired me to keep going while also giving some insight into running a multimillion dollar company in the fashion industry.

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A look at Philippines' beauty queens in 2015

darylsteel — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 08:36:51 GMT

The country’s triumph at the 64th Miss Universe pageant ended the year 2015 in Philippine pageantry with a big bang and may be considered the country’s second golden year after 2013. Victories in various beauty competitions around the world achieved by Filipinos in a single year in record fashion is one for the books which included wins in diverse competitions for women, men, children, transgender and even scuba divers, highlighted by a rare back-to-back feat.

Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach made her Miss Universe journey in her third attempt at the Bb. Pilipinas national search. Realizing her dream to become Miss Universe was well within her reach, she promised not to fail her countrymen’s high expectations in the most anticipated beauty event of the year.

Wurtzbach brought her A-game in the national costume, interview, swimsuit and evening gown competitions to succeed in capturing the country’s third Miss Universe crown, the most win for any country in Asia and Europe. Famous Miss Universe judge Perez Hilton best described the newest toast of Hollywood. “To me, there was a real beauty and grace and elegance in her, she was Miss Universe.” As Wutzbach said after her merry mixed up ascension to the Miss Universe throne, “After 42 years of drought, it now finally reigns.”

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The year’s sling of title conquests came first in the distaff side of women’s pageants, courtesy of dashing police officer Mariano Perez Flormata, Jr. at the Mister International 2014 contest in Ansan, South Korea held on Valentine’s Day, Febr. 14. Besting 28 other contestants from around the world, Flormata’s victory was dedicated to the memory of his batch mates in the police academy who were among the SAF 44 killed during the tragic Mamasapano encounter.

Bb. Pilipinas Tourism Ann Lorraine Colis brought home the Miss Globe 2015 title from among 32 contestants in Toronto, Canada on Oct. 8. Colis, a 22-year-old beauty from Mexico, Pampanga, and a graduate of BS Management degree at the University of Santo Tomas, became the fourth Filipina to win the title.

Angelia Ong achieved a rare back-to-back win at the Miss Earth 2015 pageant succeeding compatriot Jamie Herrell during the finals held for the first time in Vienna, Austria on Dec. 5. Ong, a 25-year-old, Fil-Chinese beauty from Iloilo City bested 85 other delegates to become the third Filipina to win the Manila-based Miss Earth pageant.

Miss Gay Manila 2015 Trixie Maristela bagged the Miss International Queen 2015 in Pattaya, Thailand on Nov. 6. A graduate of European Languages at the University of the Philippines, the 29-year-old, Viva contract artist and winner of Super Sireyna 2015, Maristela is the second Filipino transgender to win the title.

Cindy Madumma, a 27-year-old, nursing graduate from Palawan State University, bested 17 open water scuba divers to win the Miss Scuba International 2015 pageant held at Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on Nov. 27. Madumma drew a landscape painting of Palawan St. Paul Underground River, new wonders of nature during the finals of the pageant that promotes the welfare and wonders of oceans and underwater world through beauty queens.

Bb. Pilipinas Christi Lynn McGarry almost made it a double celebration finishing first runner-up to Miss Russia Valentina Rasulova at the Miss Intercontinental 2015 pageant in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 18, two days before the Miss Universe pageant. The statuesque 25-year-old, Fil-American beauty from New Jersey, USA, who studied at New York’s PACE University’s Lubin School of Business in Marketing and Advertising and a minor in Fine Arts, was named Miss Intercontinental - Asia and Oceania, the same special title she won when she first competed at the same pageant in 2010.

Bb. Pilipinas Parul Quitola Shah, a native of San Nicolas, Pangasinan, was named third runner-up at Miss Grand International 2015won by Anea Garcia of Dominican Republic, held in Bangkok, Thailand on Oct. 25. Shah, a 27-year-old, Filipino-Indian beauty and Nursing graduate of the University of Cordilleras, was also named best in national costume.

Bb. Pilipinas Janicel Lubina, a 5-foot-9, 20-year-old, Tourism Management student at STI, finished in the Top 10 semi-finalists at the Miss International 2015 won by Miss Venezuela Edymar Martinez, held in Tokyo, Japan on Nov.5. Lubina, who said she once worked as house helper in her hometown in Narra, Palawan to help support her family, was awarded the Miss Best Dresser special award for fabulous Swarovski-beaded white evening gown made by famous Filipino designer Leo Almodal.

Hillarie Danielle Parungao, a 24-year-old, freelance print and photographic model also finished among the Top 10 at the finals of Miss World 2015, won by Spain’s Mireia Lalaguna, a first for their country, held in Sanya, China on Dec. 19. Parungao, a student at Trinity University of Asia from Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, also won the Miss World Multi Media special award.

In the Princess Universe pageant exclusively for children and teens, 11-year-old Patricia Angela Cruz bested other teens from five continents around the world to win the title and best in national costume during the finals held at the St. George Palace in Syet Blas in Burgas, Bulgaria. Cruz, who is a student at Chen Kuang High School and wants to be become a lawyer, is the daughter of Mrs. Universe 2015 Superstar Special Award Jennifer Cruz.

Other runner up finishes were achieved by Candice Ramos, fourth runner up at Miss Global 2015 held in Manila on Oct. 22 and won by Miss Australia Jessica Peart; Alfe Marie Nathanile Uy, first runner-up in Miss Asia 2015 held in Kochi, Kerala, India; and Divine Ezrha Canaceli, second runner-up at the first World Beauty Queen contest, held in Incheon, Korea on Aug. 22. Athena Catriz also placed third runner up at Miss International Summer 2015 held in Baranquilla, Colombia in March. Bb. Pilipinas Rogelee Catacutan settled for a Top 20 finish and Top 3 best in evening gown at Miss Supranational 2015 pageant held in Poland.

Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista is vying against 60 contestants at the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2015 today, New Year’s Eve. A 22-year-old, Marketing Management graduate of Letran College, the Laguna native may as well win it all the year’s last beauty title already won by Filipinas thrice.

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Harrisburg designer fulfills fashion dream, opens showroom in Strawberry Square

darylsteel — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 06:04:35 GMT

A year ago, Amma Johnson designed her first handbag sample and got the product into her first store.

Today she fulfilled a bigger childhood dream of opening her own fashion showroom to showcase her Amma Jo brand, which includes designer handbags and accessories.

The Ghanaian-born designer, who spent 15 years as a corporate executive in retail, nonprofit and government relations, opened what she hopes will be a flagship store and fulfillment center in Strawberry Square.

"There is always a place for new designers," Johnson said. "I wanted to be in Strawberry Square because it's easy marketing with the mixed uses."

And the traditional suburban mall is not trending well, she added.

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Amma Jo products are a mix of "funky prints with zebra prints and classic designs," she said.

Johnson sources materials from Africa and hopes to one day say a lot of her products are produced there. She currently has a line made in Ghana, another in Kenya and other products made in China.

Amma Jo currently is sold online and in 14 boutique stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. Johnson is scheduled to appear at nine upcoming buyer shows, which could increase her retail presence.

Her goal is to sell products in 100 stores by next year, while her big dream is to see them sold in the fashion capital of Paris.

She has more than 25 items right now, with plans to add clothing and home furnishings. Johnson hopes Amma Jo eventually will turn into a full-scale lifestyle brand.

Being a new designer, she also wanted to make her pieces affordable. Prices range from about $29 to $119.

The Harrisburg showroom is currently by appointment only.

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Q&A: Fashion Designer Mara Hoffman Talk Star Wars & Her Luke Skywalker Inspired Collection

darylsteel — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 04:50:36 GMT

Star Wars is undeniably one of the greatest sci-fi films ever to be released. For children, adults and teens everywhere the film became a major inspiration. To date, the film continues to inspire creatives in every industry, and designer Mara Hoffman is no different. In honor of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made an international debut of $279 million, Hoffman created a fall/winter 2015 collection.

Expanding on last season’s softer color palette, the fall 2015 collection combines a strong neutral story, consisting of camel, cream, black and white, with streams of color through the brand’s signature prints. Hoffman takes style cues from Luke Skywalker and the landscapes of his planet, Tatooine, in the form of metallic geometric embellishments, black crepe fabrics, and chiffon tufting appliqués. The collection is texturally balanced with the use of fringe and luxe wool-coating throughout a wide range of coats and sweaters. Telling the story of other-world landscapes and the costumes and rituals of the wildermann, the fall 2015 collection is about fighting the good fight and embracing the spirit that never breaks.

Haute Living had the chance to speak with the designer about her collection and what Star Wars means to her.

HL: What inspired this collection?

Hoffman: The collection was inspired by Luke Skywalker’s wardrobe in the first 1970s edition of Star Wars and his home planet of Tatooine definitely set off the color palette.

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HL: What is the connection between the collection and the movie?

Hoffman: I wanted to modernize the 1977 film. We took style cues from Luke and Tatooine and feminized them with wrap-around jumpsuits, gold embellished gowns and an array of coats and sweaters.

HL: What did the Star Wars movie mean to you as a kid?

Hoffman: It was a super exciting movie; I loved Princess Leia. I had a crush on Chewbacca and was always terrified/thrilled with the scene of the snake in the garbage compactor—I had to watch it over and over again.

HL: How has it inspired you as a designer and an overall creative?

Hoffman: I’ve always been such a fan of space and interplanetary travel. It was the first movie that spoke to the spiritual aspect of ch’i, a universal force that can be channeled and used within both the light and the dark.

HL: Who are/were your favorite characters and why?

Hoffman: Yoda, the O.G. guru. He spoke to a very altruistic spirituality but under a disguise.

HL: What are your favorite pieces from this collection and why?

Hoffman: I love the jumpsuit that opened the show. It was a textured off-white Luke Skywalker jumpsuit that definitely resonated the most with the movie. It has such a modern feminist twist to Luke’s wardrobe.

HL: What was the creative process like?

Hoffman: It was a lot of fun because I could channel an unexpected inspiration for the story.

HL: How did you decide on what fabrics to use, colors, etc.?

Hoffman: I looked for things that resonated with the other-worldly desert landscape of Tatooine. The prints had a feeling of sci-fi and the gold beadwork looked almost galactic to me.

HL: What should we all wear when seeing the film?

Hoffman: Maybe the star poncho? It’s like bringing a huge comfy blanket with you to the theater.

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Pageant rules block women who've had abortions, given birth or been married

darylsteel — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 08:10:38 GMT

A rule that stops women who've had abortions entering beauty pageants is discriminatory and outdated, experts say.

New Zealand versions of United States beauty pageant franchises like Miss World and Donald Trump's Miss Universe stipulate that contestants cannot be married, in a relationship, have given birth or parented a child.

When asked what type of women entered beauty pageants, Miss World New Zealand organiser Desmond Foulger said "single women without children, never having given birth nor had an abortion".

The Miss World New Zealand entry form says contestants have to be "single, not in a de-facto relationship, have neither been married, nor has ever gotten pregnant or given birth".

They also have to be a "natural-born female".

Meanwhile, the Miss Universe rules state contestants can never have been married or pregnant.

"The titleholders are also required to remain single throughout their reign.  "

However, Miss Universe does allow transgender women to compete.

Pageants of New Zealand director Dianne Foley said the rules were outdated.

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Entry requirements were set by the international franchise owners, usually in the US, and had to be honoured by whoever held the franchise rights in New Zealand.

Foley said whether a woman had given birth or had an abortion was usually "totally irrelevant".

"I find that quite hard because the world has changed since those rules were brought in."

International pageant owners needed to modernise the rules to be more inclusive.

Foley said she often worked with young women who had been bullied or had a difficult upbringings then entered pageants to gain confidence.

People who have been through things like having abortions or becoming young mums would benefit the most from the pageant experience, she said.

"I even plead sometimes for some of the girls."

National Council for Women president Rae Duff said it was sad to hear women were being discriminated against for their reproductive history as well as their relationship status.

"Whether a woman has had an abortion is irrelevant," Duff said.

"There is also an element of privacy being breached here as women should not have to disclose their medical histories unless it directly affects their participation in the performance."

Wellington Young Feminists co-chair Pollyanne Pena said while it was a woman's choice whether she wanted to enter a pageant, pageantry had "problematic aspects".

At times beauty is defined within a "very narrow, westernised framework", she said.

"This is especially true when such strict limitations on the women are placed - these kind of entry requirements uphold some quite damaging and narrow notions about who desirable or ideal women are."

Foley's Pageants of New Zealand business encompasses competitions like Miss Teen New Zealand and Face of Beauty International New Zealand.

Foley said as far as she knew, the only pageant in New Zealand where contestants could be married and have children was Miss World Supermodel New Zealand.

The Miss World Supermodel competition allows women between the age of 20 and 30 to enter - their relationship status and reproductive histories don't matter.

Current Miss World Supermodel New Zealand Adele Krantz said entry restrictions were about the brand finding the "right person".

"A lot of it's because of who they want to represent their business and their brand."

Krantz said unfortunately she would be excluded from a lot of pageants once she turned 27.

New Zealand's Battle of the Babes pageant hit headlines last year after organisers told Auckland teen Amy Brosnahan she was not eligible because she was transgender but had not had gender reassignment surgery.

Brosnahan approached the Human Rights Commission and organisers later did a u-turn, allowing her back in the competition.

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