Design contest for young fashion designers

A boyfriend jacket from the new Olsenboye spring collection at J.C. Penney.Here’s an opportunity for budding fashion designers.

J.C. Penney has announced the Olsenboye Design Contest, timed to coincide with the arrival of Olsenboye brand apparel, handbags and footwear in stores nationwide. Olsenboye is an exclusive new Juniors brand by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. The Olsenboye spring collection, including the boyfriend jacket pictured here, landed in stores last week.

 Designers between the ages of 13 and 21 are invited to design an original apparel item. Enter for a chance to win:

 WHEN:   Enter the contest February 2, 2010 through March 14, 2010. Public voting to decide the winners begins late March.

HOW:     Young designers can enter the Olsenboye Design contest by visiting jcp.com/olsenboyecontest.  Following conclusion of the entry phase, Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen will select their favorite 15 designs.

A public vote will be held to choose 15 finalists in March.  The winners will be announced in April. 

Inspired by teen trends from cities around the world, each travel-themed collection of Olsenboye will highlight different cities.  The spring collection celebrates New York City.  Olsenboye items retail from $20-$50 and can be mixed together to create an array of unique looks that allow teens to express their personalities and celebrate their journey through life with fashion.



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Science Museum Oklahoma spring trunk show

If you like to shop outside of the box for Valentine’s Day, head to the Science Museum Oklahoma.

Antique trunks will overflow with the latest in science gadgets and gear during the spring trunk show at the Science Shop, just in time for shoppers to choose a special gift for the scientist in their life. The trunk show will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 11 and will feature the shop’s new arrivals.

 Amanda Foote, the Science Shop fashionista, said the trunk show is meant to give shoppers the chance to see the new products that will be available for spring and for Valentine’s Day.

 “It is important for shoppers to know we consistently have new, engaging science products hitting our shelves each season,” Foote said. “This trunk show will encourage our shoppers to get hands-on with new arrivals. They will have the opportunity to play with certain products before they purchase and to preview catalogs that show the other science gear arriving soon in our shop.”

 The spring trunk show will be inside the Science Shop at Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52 in Oklahoma City. There is no admission fee for the event, and it is open to the public. Shoppers will receive special discounts on purchases made during the trunk show and refreshments will be available.



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Beauty remedies made from grapefruit

Grapefruit is getting lots of buzz in the beauty industry. Oil, extract and peel are showing up in creams and lotions.  Here are some home recipes I found on sheknows.com.  Whip up something good for your face or body in the kitchen. Let me know what you think.

Fresh face wash

Grind half of one red grapefruit in a blender (peel included) with a splash of millk and some sugar. Blend until mixture is well combined and then warm the mixture in the microwave just until warm. Stir until thickened. Spread the mixture over your face, lightly rubbing the sugar into your skin until it dissolves, then rinse.

Grapefruit salt scrub

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1Tablespoon grapefruit zest
1 cup almond or sesame oil

Stir all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container. Use can use it  over your body, but avoid your face or freshly shaved legs.

The scrub will stay keep int he fridge for up to two weeks.

Facial mask for normal skin 
Combine  1/4 cup of oatmeal with 100 percent grapefruit juice. Just add enough juice to create a thick paste.

Spread the mixture over your face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water, followed by a splash of cool water. Use this treatment once a week to help your skin stay balanced and revitalized.



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Haircare for your haircut

This has to be one of the most interesting ideas I’ve ever heard. HerCut is a new hair care collection developed to keep the first day haircut performance alive.

Here’s the information I received — word for word. What do make of the concept?

Created to deliver that first-day haircut look every day, HerCut maintains straight-from-the-salon style by catering to the special needs of individual cuts. “Every time you get a haircut, you’re making a huge investment—both emotionally and financially,” said Bob Salem, HerCut creator CEO and founder of Blue Space Brands. “HerCut empowers you to protect that investment, not only by preserving the impact of your cut but also by enabling you to fully embrace the personality of the style.”

“It’s an industry secret that there are really five essential hair styles that all stylists master during their training,” adds HerCut brand ambassador and Emmy award-winner Kyan Douglas. “No matter what your hair type, your stylist uses the same techniques to create your signature style. Maintaining that look is about using products tailored to the cut, not the hair itself. For the first time, HerCut offers products that bring out the best in every cut, giving you flawless style long after you leave the salon.”

Created to address the five major categories of haircut—the bob, the pixie, the shag, the blunt cut and long layers—HerCut employs “catalysts” that work on a molecular level to ensure that hair conforms to your cut, picking up where your stylist leaves off. The catalysts are customized to meet the specific needs of every cut (i.e., weighted, forward motion for bobs and controlled separation for shags) to maximize every style regardless of hair type.

 HerCut landed in all Sephora stores this weekend. In addition, Kyan Douglas will be debuting the HerCut line on QVC at 6 today (Feb. 6).

Each of the five fundamental styles has its own customized heat-activated catalyst that promotes the right behavior for the corresponding cut:

THE BOB
The Personality: From flappers and suffragettes to mod icons, this timeless style always makes a statement.
The Style: This forward-flowing angular cut utilizes clean geometric lines to delicately define the shape of the face.
The Science: The Bob Catalyst utilizes patent-pending Tumbling Polymer Technology to anchor the ends of the cut, weighting hair to encourage forward momentum and showcasing the clean, precise exterior of the bob.

THE PIXIE
The Personality: The gamine, the tomboy and the pixie—rebels and rule-breakers, baby dolls and independents.
The Style: This cropped, tailored cut is short on length and long on options—wear it smooth and sleek or deliberately tousled.
The Science: The Pixie Catalyst utilizes patent-pending D3 Polymer Technology to create a strong yet flexible mesh that loosely connects hair, providing versatile hold that allows you to shape, contour and texture with total control.

THE SHAG
The Personality: Rebel with a cause célèbre, she rocks, rolls, and never falls flat. Always edgy, never hard, the shag has many layers.
The Style: This casual, spontaneous, heavily layered cut has multi-dimensional texture with playful movement.
The Science: The Shag Catalyst utilizes patent-pending Ionicon Polymer Technology that creates separation and weight dispersion through negatively charged macromolecules that repel each other and create controlled separation.

THE BLUNT CUT
The Personality: Indie, alternative and trailblazing, on the edge but forever insider.
The Style: This precision cut is typified by an even, unified length from root to end, with clean lines and blunt edges for a sleek silhouette.
The Science: The Blunt Catalyst employs patent-pending Compress-Ion Polymer Technology to form a crystal-clear matrix around each hair fiber and compress it while forming bridges between hair fibers to ensure that they move in unison and always appear freshly cut.

LONG LAYERS
The Personality: Femme fatale, bombshell or beauty queen, this style beckons with sweet yet seductive allure.
The Style: Luxe layers stay connected and never fall flat, cascading from the crown to the full length of the haircut.
The Science: The Long Layers Catalyst utilizes patent-pending Spring Polymer Technology that creates flexible connections between layers via coil shaped molecules, fostering delicately bouncy hair that moves together.

To maximize the effects of the catalysts in catering to each fundamental style, HerCut offers a collection of sulfate- and paraben-free shampoos and conditioners to create complete, customized regimens for every cut:

Normal-Oily Shampoo: Designed for straight to wavy cuts, this daily shampoo maximizes true color vibrancy while strengthening the roots to support the weight of the cut and maintain its intended cut.

Normal-Dry Shampoo: Developed to make all cuts look their best with use every other day, this shampoo protects color while supporting the shape of every cut.

Dry Hair Shampoo: Designed for twice-a-week use, this shampoo for all cuts nourishes and protects color to bring out the best in every cut.

Light Conditioner: Developed for fine hair and/or single-processed hair, this color-protecting conditioner weightlessly improves fiber elasticity to support every haircut shape, absorbing immediately and rinsing without leaving residue.

Medium Conditioner: Developed for medium hair texture that’s single processed and medium hair textures with highlights or lowlights, this nourishing, smoothing conditioner infuses hair with healthy moisture, absorbing instantly and protecting color.

Deep Conditioner: Developed for coarse, damaged or chemically treated hair, this deep conditioner instantly softens, smoothes and repairs, weightlessly improving elasticity and absorbing instantly to protect color and support hair shape.

WHAT THEY COST: Catalysts, $28 each; Shampoos and conditioners, $22 each



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Beyonce teams with Nintendo for fashion game

Beyonce Knowles will have her own fashion video game. (AP Photo)Beyonce Knowles is taking her style savvy to another level with a new Nintendo DSi game called “Style Savvy,” according to Celebrity News Service.

“It’s all about creativity and fashion and I get to be a stylist and take over my own boutique and store,” said the multiple Grammy Award winner about the fashion video game.  “That’s so much fun for me.”

The game is sort of a double-whammy for Beyonce. Some of the fashions from her Dereon collection can also be download in the video game and the game’s boutique owners can offer Dereon selections as merchandise.

“You kind of get to live your fantasy and make your character and your store however you would ever imagine and make it look like what celebrity you love or yourself,” she said. “You get to live out your fantasy right here.”

Look for commercials for the game to debut on Nickelodeon in March.



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“Savile Row” and “The Red Carpet Issue” on the Sundance Channel

Get ready for a week of new on-air programming from the Sundance Channel’s Full Frontal Fashion.

Starting Feb. 8, the Sundance Channel will kick it off with the premiere of the series “Savile Row” and the U.S. premiere of “The Red Carpet Issue.”

“Savile Row” –  7 p.m. Feb. 8:  The three-part documentary series goes inside the venerable bespoke tailoring firms – the best in the world — on and around this quiet street in London’s elegant Mayfair district. Over the course of three one-hour episodes, “Savile Row” captures a background steeped in pride and tradition, where exquisite craftsmanship goes hand-in-hand with gentlemanly discretion.  Meet tailors and their customers. The series explores the  challenges facing Savile Row in the 21st century — and how it is responding.

“The Red Carpet Issue” —  8 p.m. Feb. 8:  The U.S. television premiere of the latest documentary from France’s leading producers of fashion programming, Lalala (“Habillées”) and directed by Olivier Nicklaus,  “The Red Carpet Issue” looks at the transformation of the red carpet ceremony from a private event into a popular phenomenon and multi-million dollar business.  In it, renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld comments, “The fact that we pay actresses well saves them from doing bad films.” With insight and plenty of humor, the program  considers the risks and rewards — for designers, stylists, media outlets and celebrities — of playing the red carpet game.



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Which stars sell fashion?

I came across an interesting story in the Wall Street Journal about which celebrities sell fashion. It’s certainly timely, with all eyes soon to be on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

********************

With the Academy Award nominations out this week, fashion designers are already jockeying to dress the stars for their big night. But rather than trying to pick the Oscar winners or the most fashionable celebrities, designers should be asking another question: Who will be the most effective at getting viewers to buy the clothes they see on the red carpet?

Among this year’s nominees, the “best seller” award is likely to go to a nominee whom few in the fashion world are discussing: Sandra Bullock. At StyleSpot.com, a Los Angeles-based Web site that links red-carpet photos to stores that sell the looks, Ms. Bullock’s Vivienne Westwood dress at the People’s Choice Awards ranked among the top of all red-carpet appearances this year in inspiring viewers to “click through” to retail sites.

One lesson: It isn’t pure chic that moves clothes. “For the most part, celebrities that drive sales aren’t necessarily the ones that get nominated” for awards, says Lily Hollander, editorial director of StyleSpot.com. The 45-year-old Ms. Bullock has a down-to-earth image that means millions of women relate to her.

Read the entire story.



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Lady Gaga … top fashion buzzword

This probably won’t come as a surprise, but pop singer Lady Gaga has been named as the top fashion buzzword of  spring 2010, according to the Global Language Monitor.

Not surprisingly, Michelle Obama fell from last fall’s No. 2 slot to No. 15.  That was to expected with so many other buzzwords, including armadillos and no pants, invading our fashion senses.

Check out these pictures of Lady Gaga.

CORRECTION APTOPIX  Grammy Awards Show

Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards show. (AP PHOTO)

Musician Lady Gaga poses backstage with her awards for Best Dance Recording and Best Electronic Dance Album at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, 2010, in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Musician Lady Gaga poses backstage with her awards for Best Dance Recording and Best Electronic Dance Album at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Lady Gaga performs at the Grammy Awards.

Lady Gaga performs at the Grammy Awards.

Lady Gaga performs at the Grammy Awards.

Lady Gaga performs at the Grammy Awards.

Lady Gaga at the Monster Cable exhibit during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (AP PHOTO)

Lady Gaga at the Monster Cable exhibit during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (AP PHOTO)



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London Fog’s ad campaign features the Parkers

He’s a star on the basketball court and she’s anything but desperate. I’m talking about Eva Longoria Parker of “Desperate Housewives” fame and hubby Tony Parker, NBA San Antonio Spurs champion starting point guard.

The couple’s other starring role is in the spring advertising campiagn for London Fog. This is the second season the two were featured by London Fog. They must sell a lot of coats. Just looking at the pictures makes me want to buy a new trench.

Eva Longoria Paker and husband Tony Parker star in London Fog ad campaign.
Eva Longoria Paker and husband Tony Parker star in London Fog ad campaign.



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Hair makeovers … check ‘em out

I love a good makeover. Or two or three. Here’s a trio of hair makeovers from the “Today” show.

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