Two issues in, and Dorian Grinspan already possesses a Manhattan apartment befitting the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine.

After exiting an elevator best described as European—cramped, carpeted, as old as it smells—guests walk into a penthouse with lacquered black floors, a functioning fireplace, a zebra hide, off-white couches, and ceilings high enough to dwarf the already spare décor. Five tall windows look onto Gramercy Park, to which he has a key. “I like to answer my e-mail­s there,” he says.

Grinspan collapses into a sofa, curling his limbs into a jagged apostrophe. In an accent that reveals his upbringing in Paris, he says he looked at 30 or so appartements earlier in the year, and took the one that happens to share a floor with Carla Sozzani, owner of the Milan luxury emporium 10 Corso Como. She bought her place from her sister Franca, Vogue Italia’s editor-in-chief, for $1.7 million earlier this year.

I wonder how Sozzani feels about the big pile of magazines on the landing between their apartments. There, her 21-year-old neighbor has stacked about 50 copies of the spring 2013 issue of Out of Order,the high-end fashion, art, and culture magazine he runs when he’s not studying for exams or trying to convince professors that, yes, he really needs to miss finals to attend Paris Fashion Week. (“My dean says it’s not really an excuse, so now I always have an ‘illness’ or something.”) Though it’s three years (and only two issues) old, it feels more established: Woody Allen agreed to be ­photographed and interviewed for the debut issue, and the next one featured a Ryan McGinley profile and retrospective along with pictures of the model Arizona Muse with her young son. The second cover story was by Larry Clark, the director of Kids, about a tween skateboarder whom Clark found and photographed in Texas. The operation is professional enough that Grinspan and Rich Aybar, a stylist he knows, convinced labels like Givenchy, Lanvin, Dior, Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, and Stella ­McCartney to lend clothes for photo shoots. Prada, lately, too.

Source:  Newport International group fashion articles

  Real estate markets will boom and Tokyo Bay will be redeveloped if the Japanese capital wins the right to host the 2020 Olympics, a senior business leader told investors Wednesday.

Toyota Motor honorary chairman Fujio Cho said the already busy city would become even livelier if the sporting extravaganza came to town.

"It's certain that real estate markets will be quite active" if Tokyo's bid is successful, he told members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

"Without doubt, the Tokyo Bay area will be redeveloped on a large scale.

"In terms of road-building, there are many places where ring roads are not complete just because of small sections that have not yet been constructed.

"If the Olympics are to be hosted here, I think there will be a big boost in morale among Japanese people, which will enable the construction and completion of such projects," he said.

Tokyo is competing with Istanbul and Madrid for the right to stage the Games, with the final decision set to be made by the 100-strong International Olympic Committee at a meeting in Buenos Aires on September 7.

While many large Asian cities are throbbing with construction projects as their economies surge, there are few cranes standing over the Japanese capital these days.

The investment boost that hosting the Games could bring would be a welcome fillip for Japan, whose economy has struggled for much of the last two decades.

It would also dovetail well with a renewed push by the government to turn things around, with lavish public spending promised for infrastructure projects.

Source: http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-20297.aspx

So here is the newly revised: Apps For Actual Fashionistas (New York edition).

AfterLight: A Conde Nast photo assistant friend of mine turned me onto this image editor, which gives the user more control than Instagram. The filters are more subtle, and you can further dial their strength up and down. There are also options for exposure, brightness, saturation, and contrast; plus, cropping that allows you to cut an image into letters. Or shapes! Edit on AfterLight; upload to Instagram or any other social media site of your choosing; make yourself look amazing.

Instagram/Vine/Twitter: This wouldn’t be a roundup of apps for the fashion industry if these three weren’t mentioned. It’s a small, social world, and the tags fly fast. The Man Repeller and Kate Upton are getting silly on Vine, and Twitter tends to the professional, but Instagram is where it’s at. Goodies include group hugs at Coachella, group hugs with Derek Blasberg, and sweeping views of wherever Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is shooting.

SoulCycle: Nothing says ‘I work in fashion’ like SoulCycle. In maybe the best news of the summer for its rabid followers, the uber-hip spin chain is putting the finishing touches on a mobile app tentatively set to launch in early August. The app will accelerate the sign-up process by allowing Soul enthusiasts to pre-select classes and bikes before registration for the week goes live on Monday at noon, rather than having to select a class at noon through the company’s website. It will also enable social sharing so friends can sync up workouts, note classes they want to take, and see each instructor and his or her music lineup.

CitiBike: SoulCycle changed pop fitness the way fixed gear bicycles changed street-style photography. Scott Schuman’s inclination to snap well-dressed ladies on velocipedes ushered in a new era of Girls On Bikes, or Cycling In Heels. Which is all to say that the May 27 launch of NYC’s CitiBike bike share program and accompanying app for iOS and Android (showing bike locations, availability and routes) is big news for fashionistas without their own wheels. If the bike share operates smoothly this summer, I’m predicting a major deficit of bike availability between shows during fashion week in September.

Hailo & Uber: But sometimes you just don’t want to bicycle! Or your bag is too heavy, or whatever. Now that Hailo has been cleared to operate in NYC, it’s definitely going to be getting some use during New York Fashion Week, during which it is notoriously impossible to get a cab. Uber’s black car and SUV options may make it a better pick for those aiming for a sleeker look or who need the extra space to wedge in two dozen garment bags, shoe boxes and an intern.

GoodGuide: While not the sexiest app in the world, GoodGuide is your app if you care to know what exactly is going on your skin or in your hair. It lets you sort through products (personal care, food, apparel, etc.) and gives them ratings for health, environmental, and societal impact, along with a list of ingredients. Because sometimes finding a good sulfate-free shampoo really matters. Ask any beauty editor.

Beautified: Ever since this app launched in the last week of May, it’s been getting major buzz on industry news sites. That’s partly because DJ/cool-girl-about-town Hannah Bronfman is one-third of the brains behind the product, and partly because it’s a genuinely solid idea: you want to book a last-minute beauty appointment, and the app hooks you up with open appointments at salons and spas around town. Sure, similar apps have come before, but a) Beautified has culled a roster of participating salons that are already trusted city-girl faves and b) Bronfman is having a major moment right now.

Terwijl de New Wave van Britse Heavy Metal de clubscène in de verenigd Koninkrijk en Europa overnam, een partij van banden aanwezig en rond Los Angeles — afgevuurde door een liefde voor KUS, Busje Halen en aantrekkelijke groepen als de New York Poppen en het Zoete — waren over om Zonsondergang Strook als een 7,0 aardbeving te schudden. Met opzichtige, androgyne beelden en overhaast, solo-verzadigde liederen, de "haarmetaal" banden dwongen visueel en muzikaal aannamen. In het begin groepen als Mötley Crüe en Ratt waren bijna zo zwaar zoals Judas Priester en Dio, de band Ronnie James Dio vormde nadat verliet Zwart sabbat. Maar toen de scène populariteit en een belangrijk etiket won die vlaag voeren begonnen, vele muzikanten pasten hun liederen voor heersende stromingsradio aan, die vasthoudt wat van hun zwaarte maar meer klemtoon naar melodie en hart-aan-mouwgevoeligheid tekent — en sexualiteit.

Met het verspreiden van New Wave sloot MTV met een klink aan naar het dat visueel aantrekkelijke metalen video's staakt — vele waarvan voor syrupy machtballades was. Voor u zou kunnen zeggen, "Blik ik zie een IDENTIFICATIE"? Rij, Assepoester, Dokken, Machtiging, Vergift niet Dood, Schiet N' Rozen, Mötley Crüe en talloos anderen stormden hun weg in miljoenen van voorstedelijke huisgezinnen rond de wereld. Hun video's kwamen bijna altijd voor jonge vrouwen in uitdagende houding, veelvoudige kostuumveranderingen en muzikanten in zware make-up die kijkt bijna zo vrouwelijk zoals de meisjes zij achtervolgden. En de achtervolgen heeft niet beëindigd toen de band rollen stopte. Zelfs voor de dageraad van de tachtig, een handvol van ongehoorde L.EEN. banden inclusief Busje Halen en Kalme Rel plantten de verwaarloosde zaden van het genre.

Door het middene-' 80s, L.EEN. werd door wijd-gebeschouwen, groot-behaard hoopvolle inschenken van alle landen bevolkt — inderdaad, van alle wereld — lokte door de belofte van succes en de begeleidende randvoordelen. Hollywood was slechts een korte pendel van belangrijke ontmoetingsplaatsen als het Forum, Lange Strand Arena en Universeel Amfitheater en het was huis van beruchte clubs als de Whisky, Starwood, Troubadour en Roxy Theater. Belangrijke recordbedrijven stipten de stad en recordwinkels belijnden Zonsondergang Boulevard en LaBrea Laan. Een gelukkige weinige toekomstige rotssterren leefden in de L.EEN. gebied, waar, in de late jaren zeventig, kregen zij een vogel' s-oogoverzicht en een sprongstart op een scène die hun stad in enkele korte jaren zou inhalen.

Read more:

http://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/welcome_to_the_jungle_the_definitive_oral_history_of_80s_metal/

Launched in 1953 and halted briefly in 2008, the accolade was revived last year, with Belgian designer Christian Wijnants taking home the A$100,000 (HK$770,000) prize.

This time around, the contest was expanded to include contenders from the mainland, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, and two Hong Kong-based brands - ffiXXed and Plotz - are among 10 Asian nominees.

The two home-grown brands will be up against 47 other emerging designers across Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States, according to Woolmark's recently unveiled list.

"We are very excited to have two Hong Kong brands this year," says Simon Locke, a judge for the regional competition. "For me, [ffixxed and Plotz] have their own unique handwriting along with universal appeal. Not only have they achieved that fine balance between art and commerce, but they are also viable businesses."

All 10 Asian nominees will present a capsule collection (comprising six sketches and one complete look) made of Merino wool at the regional finals in Hong Kong next month. The winner will then compete for the overall prize alongside other finalists in Milan next year.

Although both brands are relatively new - Plotz was established in 2007 while ffiXXed came a year later - they have already received a fair amount of recognition here and abroad.

Plotz is a local brand through and through: its founder, Singchin Lo, was born and raised in the city and graduated from Polytechnic University's School of Design in 2005.

"I was your typical kid - I never liked to study, but I loved drawing. Fashion design appealed to me because it was about creating something from nothing. I love to design things freely with no restrictions, whether people like it or not," says the 31-year-old.

http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-watches/article/1239037/hong-kong-designers-nominated-prestigious-woolmark-fashion

I took over the Timaru store in 2007, the Oamaru store in 2008 and the Ashburton store in early 2010. All three stores had been in operation for many years but needed rejuvenating and re- focussing to include a wider age group of women customers. We now cater for women aged 35+. Did you have any previous experience in women’s fashion?

When I was younger I wanted a break from nursing so managed a women’s clothing shop in Christchurch for a while before I had a family. What have you enjoyed the most about becoming a retailer?

Meeting the needs of our customers – by offering a great selection of clothes and accessories, most of which are exclusive to our stores and by offering a level of service that includes honest advice and always going the extra mile.

Visit:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/features/8575615/A-new-focus-from-old-folks-to-fashion