"Ripped off by Chanel"

Counterfeit bags, sunglasses, and accessories, are all aspects of this major company’s problem. For years Chanel has been made aware of the vast replicas of their merchandise. Chanel has tried everything to stop the replication of their merchandise including magazine ads and encouraged law enforcement. But what if to say the tables have turned, and Chanel is now ripping off a designer? Designer Jessica Kagan Cushman is cracking down on this fashion mogul. Jessica is noted for her sleek resin bangles with well known phrases such as “Lions and tigers and bear Oh My!” and “All right, Mr. DeMille, I am ready for my close up.” Recently Chanel has put out a similar bangle with quotations by Coco Chanel. If copying the design was not enough of a steal, Chanel is selling the bangle at six hundred dollars. To make this so-called “impersonation” known, Cushman has designed a bracelet in response to the controversy that reads – “Ripped off by CHANEL.”

Cosmetics with Compassion

Founded in 1985, M.A.C Cosmetics has risen to a global giant in a one hundred-sixty billion dollar beauty industry. This company is not only a king of makeup, but is a company with a “soul.” M.A.C stands by a cruelty-free campaign, which prohibits the testing of cosmetics on animals. Another feature of this humane company is the use of recyclable packaging. The “Bac to M.A.C” campaign enabled customers to receive a free lipstick upon returning six empty cases of M.A.C lipsticks. M.A.C’s biggest accomplishment has been its M.A.C for Aids charity with its VIVA Glam lipsticks each year. Each penny from the purchase of these lipsticks is donated to the fund. M.A.C donates approximately five million dollars a year to the Aids foundation. Although now many beauty companies have become environment friendly and began charity campaigns, M.A.C had it right from the beginning.

Ongoing Icon

Throughout all the fashion icons in history, I have always had a special place for one in particular. Audrey Hepburn’s stature of elegance and fashion lives on in today’s modern dress. The great couturier-Givenchy, twenty-six at the time, saw something intriguing in the legendary star. Together, Givenchy and Hepburn created the “Audrey Hepburn look.” Her figure was flattered by the geometric simplicity of Givenchy’s lines and his preference for blacks and off-whites. In 1957 and for the years then on, Hepburn would be a regular on the list of best-dressed women. After so many years, her icon still affects the fashion world. The Breakfast at Tiffany’s big sunglasses, the little black dress, the flat ballet shoes, the turtleneck, the trench coat, and the three-quarter sleeve still remain as today’s fashion necessities. Hepburn wore clothes better than any actress ever has. “Style is a word we use often and for a multitude of purposes. In the case of my mother, Audrey Hepburn, it was the extension of an inner beauty held up by a life of discipline, respect for the other and hope in humanity. If the lines were pure and elegant it was because she believed in the power of simplicity. If there was timelessness it was because she believed in quality and if she still is an icon of style today it is because once she found her look she stayed with it throughout her life. She didn't go with the trends, didn't reinvent herself every season. She loved fashion but kept it as a tool to compliment her look." – Sean Ferrer

Runway?

Because of a misinterpretation of my blog’s title, I think it is substantial to step away from my fashion oriented format for a minute and write a blog concerning airports. Having great ambition to expand their airport industry, China will invest approximately eighteen billion dollars in the construction of airports. In the next five years China is expected to launch seventy-one airport expansion projects, build forty-nine new airports, and relocate eleven of them. It is expected the mainland airport industry will grow at an average rate of eleven percent from 2006 to 2020. China, on the rise of becoming an airport city, will undergo an increase in economic growth in local and regional development.

Kiss of Death

Finally found that perfect red lipstick, only to be made aware that it contains something more than what you paid for? More than half of the thirty-three brand name lipsticks tested had lead in them; the reddest of the reds contained the highest content. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had an independent laboratory test which observed the product of having one-third more lead than is allowed in candy. Think buying that expensive tube of your favorite color as suppose to the cheaper brand will limit your risk of lead? Test have shown that less expensive brands such as Revlon contained no trace of lead as suppose to the lavishly expensive Dior Addict contained high levels. Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause many problems such as lowering IQ and reduce school performance. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the industry to reformulate products, to require suppliers to guarantee that raw materials are free of contaminants such as lead, and to join the campaign of demanding a more strict regulation by the FDA.

Global Luxury

Unquestionably, The United States holds the highest number of consumed luxury goods. But what if to say this would not be true in the future? By 2015, predicted by luxury-goods executives, China is promised to surpass the United States in its consumption. As of now China is the world’s third largest consumer of luxury goods. According to Goldman Sachs report in December 2004, China accounts for twelve percent of global sales. In this society’s new economic freedom, capitalists are eager to present their social wealth – turning to the luxury must-haves of French labels. Approximately twenty-two percent of affluent consumers in China own a Rolex. These Chinese consumers buy luxury goods to help define their identity. The Asian concept of pride and dignity is a major reason they invest in these couture brands. In this rapid growing economy, status symbols are the easiest way to demonstrate wealth and power.

*the above image is the Chinese character for "fashion."

Bringing Back the Glamour

When asked to be the head of design at Christian Dior a decade ago, John Galliano captured the essence of Dior right away. From his eccentric designs of bombshell waist skirts to ‘40s hourglass silhouettes, Galliano has achieved the continuity, tailoring, and drama that goes along with Dior’s fashion. In the fashion institutions sixtieth year of design, the designer is returning to its romantic roots. Elegance is this years standard. Each piece of clothing has had every stitch, button, and fabric, scrutinized over to make it perfect for “the Dior woman.” To Galliano, the woman on the street in Dior is his inspiration. He states that the Dior woman has style, attitude, conviction, serenity, and, above all, she knows all the rules and she breaks them. The same could be said about Galliano with his alterations of Dior classics in the most audacious ways. He explains, “I want her to feel like a million, if not a zillion, dollars. Fashion is to make you feel on the outside as invincible as you should be inside."

Do You Remember?

There are so many aspects of writing-especially in creative nonfiction writing. A form of these writings is a memoir. A memoir is not merely an autobiographical writing; besides being shorter, a memoir aims to capture an individual’s distinct feel for a certain past. An autobiography tells of a majority of the writer’s life; a memoir highlights the most significant moments. A memoir is more emotionally concerned with capturing certain surroundings or events that play a large role in the author’s life, rather than documenting every fact. The span of time covered in a memoir is often brief. It is focused in time and not a span of years. A memoir describes and then shows why these particular events are still remembered. In conclusion unlike autobiographical writing, memoirs are extremely focused and selective in the memories they includes.