Ethnic Influence on Fashion

Its weird how in fashion every element seem to connect or come full cirle. On my last blog I commented on my favorite designer of all time Ralph Lauren and his African and Middle East theme in his collection. What do you know, this week the blog discussion is ethinic influences on fashion. One particluar example I see ethnic influence is with shoes, particulaly mocassins. Native Americans created moccasins and now celebrities are wearing them. I remember when I saw sienna Miller with the ankle one, the first thing I did was go get a pair.
Another area in fashion that I see ethnic influence in is jewelry. I see inspirations from the Indian cultures in the bold colors and lots of gold. Also bangles have become a very popular accessorie for women. When my mom's co-worker went to India, the first thing i told him was bring me back some bangles. the Indian culture is not just affecting jewelry, but clothing as well. Now bright and bold colors such as yellow, pink, orange are in. When I go to school I see girls who combine colors such as Yellow and bright green, two or three years ago I don't think that the color combination would fly.
Ethnic influence is also on the runway.In Ralph Luren's spring 2009 collection an African Safari theme was definitely present. He even used models from different nationalities. Versaces 2009 esort collection had influences from India and Africa (style.com). There were lots of brghts colors, but combined with a safari inspired outfit.

Fashion Week Reflection

Ralph Laurens Collection for Fashion Week was amazing. I absolutely loved his designs and wish I could afford them. I loved how his collection had a touch of maculinity. Everything was loose fitting, but you could still see the shape of the models. the white suite worn by model Bruna Tenorio was GORGEOUS! I would buy the entire suite if I was in the position. One obeservation I made was the African Safari theme. I loved how there were models of color on the runway. Not just black models, but other ethnicities as well(Nicole Phelps, style.com). I also adored the colors. I always expect to see great pieces in the classic colors of Blakc and White, but Lauren brought out some fantastic metallic gold and green pieces.
I thought Zac Posen's collection was ok. I did not love it like I did Ralph Lauren's, but I think it was very creative. Many of the designs had lace and frills on it. I saw a hint of the "Southern Bell" theme in the collection.Irina Kulikova's outfitt was beautiful,I would buy that if given the chance. Bernadette Peters comment on the hips being excentuated(Style.com) is exactly how I feel. Some of those designs really brought out the shape of hips and I did not like that so much. After watching the runway show on video i was relieved by Tim Blanks quote " Zac's future involves a broadway musical about a southern bell(style.com)." I am not the only one who saw a southern bell theme.
Vanessa Friedman described Derek Lam's collection as "the American sportswear" (style.com). I agree with her, his designs look comfortable and chic. some dresses had drawstrings in them, which I adored. I value comfort, so it is good to see that you can be comfrotable and stylish at the same time. Lahm said that he focused more on technique than theme with this collection (syle.com) and I could tell. When I saw his models come the runway with dresses, it literally looked like the dresses weighed nothing. to me the models walked like how they would walk naked.

Organic Clothing

To be completely honest I do not know much about organic clothing. I have never really been interested in the environment until my senior year in high school. I really do not enjoy mother nature much, so I just never looked into environmental friendly clothing. I do know that lately concern over the environment has started to become popular.
So for this weeks blog I looked up some clothing lines that use environmtal friendly fabrics. One line I found is called Preloved. This clothing line takes old sweaters and uses the fabric to make new ones. I also found another company called Scrapsbags. The designer Melanie makes bags out of old fabric scraps. I was suprised to see just how cute the bags were. I am kind of interested now in the fabrics of my clothes. I probably will be more aware of what i buy.I won't wear strictly organice clothing, but I will at least make an effort to buy some.
After reading the third chapter in my concumers and apparel's book I have found out that there is a way to create clothes and take care of the environment. I believe the book said that Nike is now using 2.5% of organic cotton in their products. What I really think is cool is how plastic bottles can be used to create polyester staple fibers. Who knew that plastic bottles can be made into fabric. That just boogles my mind.
Ok I just finished looking up some more clothing lines that are going organic and H&M are creating a whole collection. The stuff looks so cute can not wait for it to come out. Unfortunately there is no H&M in Greensboro, but hey thats what online shopping is for.

Ralph Lauren

Right now I would have to say Ralph Lauren is my favorite designer. As long as I could remember I have loved his work. I always thought his designs had a classic sophisticated look. There has never been an occasion where I looked at something from Ralph Lauren and said "that is out there". His designs are simple, but have a collegiate look to them, and I love preppy. A good portion of his clothes have plain bold colors, such as blacks, maroons, grays, and navy blues, and red. His designs are just classic bold looks.
I love his dresses! Even his basic "Little Black Dress" has a way of making a statement. When I wear a Ralph Lauren dress, I know that I will draw attention, but do it subtly. Also i just love the way his dresses give women an appealing sensual style. The final reason I have a love for Ralph Lauren is when I spend a whole paycheck on his clothes, I know I am buying a piece that will last for a while. His clothes are comfortable, durable, and appeal to all ages.