Would you dress your child in minimalist clothing?

(Photo:celebrity dresses) What’s cuter than your kid dressed in a frothy tutu and diamante crown? Try a structured chambray smock, oatmeal knit and tan-coloured d’orsay leather flats.
In case you hadn’t heard, minimalist fashion for kids is now a thing and trendy parents are purging their children’s wardrobes of sequins, glitter and everything hot pink faster than they’re cutting refined sugars from their play lunch.
Shopping for kids is already an exercise in frustration for both parties – and that’s without having to distract them away from the sizable portion of the market dedicated to Spiderman and Dora emblazoned T-shirts.
Is insisting little Evie/Nico/Frankie/Anais wear tasteful, adult-approved clothes more work than it’s worth? And who would spend the money and risk the potential tantrums just to see their dear littl’un in a pared-down, straw-coloured cotton dress or engineer-stripe pants and logo-free, Margiela-esque sweatshirt?
An increasing number of parents are going sparkle-free, buying up items bereft of bows, rainbows and logos in an attempt to impart their own minimalist dress sense on their children. There are households where tutus and superhero merch are reserved for dress-ups only, kept in the toy tidy alongside the Barbies and Skylanders.
A number of brands – Zaikamoya from Brooklyn and Bonpoint from Paris, for example – are doing kid’s clothing you yourself wouldn’t mind wearing. Unfortunately, they’ve grown-up price points to match despite their no-frills aesthetic.
Crocs, your kid’s preferred option 99 per cent of the time when allowed to choose their own shoes, have been kyboshed in favour of minimalist sneakers, gunmetal Hunter wellies and monochromatic slides. Let Alexander Wang’s niece and front-row fixture Aila Wang or fictional Pinterest style icon Quinoa show you and your family how it’s done. As Quinoa’s ‘mother’ writes, "When out in public with Quinoa, I can hear the sound of hipster ovaries swelling with want.”
What came first – the simple-chic children’s clothing or the demand for it? That’s as complicated as the chicken-or-egg quandary. “If the bandwidth devoted to kid-friendly organic recipes and Suri Cruise's footwear is any indication, childhood has never been more fetishised than it is by the current generation of parents,” writes Christine Lennon for the Wall Street Journal.
The minimalist movement appeals to a certain type of parent. They subscribe to quarterly food journals, believe in biodynamic baby food and wouldn’t hesitate to fork out for an Alexander Calder-inspired cot mobile. Yes, they’ll welcome colour by way of a Liberty floral-print dress and the Pantone: Color book one cool aunt got their baby for Christmas, but other than that, their kid’s wardrobe is predominantly cottons, linens and wools in creams, greys, beige and navy.
Some of the under-six set don’t need prompting from their parents, gravitating toward the minimalist look naturally. We find they are part of an increasingly common breed of toddler who was brought up on Baby Mozart and organic diapers and elects to eat beetroot-cured salmon over sauce-dunked McNuggets any day. My nephew, for example, prefers a muted colour palette and will only wear long-sleeved T-shirts with his indigo-wash, ultra-skinny jeans. His favourite foods also happen to be pecorino and pear, consumed in one mouthful. An under-age, card-holding member of the design-foodie elite, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports T-shirt, let alone one with Ben 10 printed on the front.
How picky is too picky? The key here is balance. Clothing, whatever colour (or non-colour), is an outlet for children to express themselves. Allowing them to wear what they want to wear – whether that be tutus, garish light-up sneakers or indulging their love for mismatched prints – teaches them to listen to their own voice and learn what feels right for them.

Then again you could always think like us and have your child live in hand-me-downs forever. Seriously, what’s the point of buying new when they’re going to sneeze and vomit on them anyway?Read more:formal dresses online shopping

Local designer to host Lorain fashion show at Palace Theatre

(Photo:formal dresses) Clothing designer Jevon Terance will move his annual fashion show to the Lorain Palace Theatre on July 27.
The Lorain-based fashion designer and clothing maker will host “VII,” the show to commemorate the seventh anniversary of his fashion line. The show will be on the stage with a runway shaped like a number ‘7’.
The show will be across Broadway and down the street from Terance’s boutique at 712 Broadway. The last two years Terance, 28, held the show at Lorain County Community College and this year’s show will be his first at the Lorain Palace Theatre.
“I want to make a point here,” Terance said. “I want to and will always make sure that people know where I am from.
“This is big,” he said. “It’s my seventh anniversary show and it’s on stage at the Palace Theatre, I want it to be special.”
Terance has been featured in more than 60 shows, including in Elyria and in South Lorain’s Oakwood Park.
He said the 2014 Lorain show will be his biggest, with complete pieces that Terance called his most complete and high fashion work so far.
“This is the year that I’ve decided that I would not show simply pieces, but complete looks — my dresses, my skirts, my handmade designed fabrics,” Terance said. “This collection is about my complete vision as a designer. It’s a lot of work, but it was time for me to do this.”
Since he started his fashion line, Terance said he did not see anyone else designing and
making clothes like he did around Northeast Ohio. That has changed in recent years, Terance said, and it will be good for all the designers.
In 2011 Terance went online with JevonTerance.com and in winter 2012 he opened his boutique as part of Lorain’s pop-up shop program, in which City Hall staff matched small businesses with vacant storefronts on Broadway.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Terance said. “No matter where I wind up I want to always be the designer from Lorain, Ohio. That is what I am here to show everyone this year at the Palace.”Also read here:formal dresses sydney

Top designer and his Scottish army of at-home knitters take Edinburgh's International Fashion Festival by storm

(Photo:formal dresses) GRAEME BLACK, a Scottish fashion designer, has recruited some of Scotland's best knitters to help him produce a new knitwear range that recieved critical acclaim at the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival.
A GANG of knitters took centre stage as top designer Graeme Black showcased his latest collection.
Graeme’s army of home knitters from all over the country received rapturous applause at his catwalk show, which opened Edinburgh’s International Fashion Festival on Friday.
And Carnoustie-born Graeme, 47, who dresses top celebrities, hailed them as “the real stars of the show”.
His latest project fuses Scottish and Chinese culture, using cashmere from Inner Mongolia.
He said: “Inner Mongolia produces the very finest cashmere in the world and it is the perfect fusion with Scotland’s incredibly rich textile history.
“I’ve been working with Scotland’s best knitters to produce what I believe is a first – weaving together the finest cashmere with the traditional chunky yarns used in Fair Isle jumpers.
“What I love most of all is that these pieces have been lovingly knitted by the most incredible ladies.”
Graeme, a former right hand man to Giorgio Armani, has spent the past two years putting his stamp on China’s biggest cashmere firm, 1436 Erdos.
Friday’s show at the National Museum of Scotland was the first collection of his work with them to be shown outside China.
Graeme said: “I’m so delighted with my knitters’ work. The craftmanship and quality is simply world class.”
Di Gilpin, 55, from Largo, Fife, is one of the knitters. She said working with Graeme has been “inspirational”.
Di said: “I don’t think I’ve ever worked on anything so incredible. The intricate detail of the pieces is simply astonishing.
“There were 10 of us working on the collection for the show, only the very finest knitters because the yarn was so fine.
“This really is couture at the very highest level.

“It certainly takes hand knitting to a whole new level and breathes new life into Scotland’s rich textile history.”Also read here:bridesmaid dresses

Rugby star Mike keeping it casual as he weds his fashion designer bride

(Photo:formal dresses) HE'S unwinding after a busy season on the pitch and Leinster star Mike McCarthy is now enjoying life as a newly-wed.
The 32-year-old former Connacht player married long-term girlfriend Jessica McLean last weekend.
Tall second row Mike and his new bride said "I Do" in front of close family and friends in Mallorca.
The loved-up couple opted for a laid back affair, with Mike choosing to ditch the suit and tie and wear an open white shirt and casual brown shoes.
Jessica wore a stunning, mermaid-style Kathy De Stafford lace gown and loose bouncing curls as they hosted a romantic reception at the holiday destination.
"Happily ever after with my amazing husband," the brunette wrote on Twitter after the lavish nuptials.
Jessica spends her time living between Newcastle Upon Tyne, and Ireland.
She runs her own made to measure clothing business Garbeau, which she started five years ago whilst studying for a fashion degree at university.
She also works as a part-time model when on Irish shores and is often booked for gigs in front of the camera and is a regular face on TV3's Ireland AM and Xpose fashion slots.
She and Mike are now making the most of the rugby talisman's limited break from the field before he returns to training with the Heineken Cup winning side.
Although a string of Mike's team mates are single, including Ian Madigan and Rob Kearney, many of the Irish rugby set are starting to settle down.
bliss
Sean Cronin proposed to his long-term girlfriend Claire Mulcahy while holidaying in New York in June and Ulster winger Tommy Bowe is gearing up for his nuptials after getting down on bended knee in April.
The Monaghan native and his long-term girlfriend, former Miss Wales Lucy Whitehouse (inset), are expected to walk up the aisle next year. Meanwhile, a number of rugby internationals have been toasting their anniversaries this summer.
New parents Jonathan and Laura Sexton celebrated a year of wedded bliss last week.

Gordon D'Arcy and his model wife Aoife Cogan marked two years since their bohemian chic wedding earlier this month and recently retired Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman toasted four years as a married couple on July 2.Also read here:bridesmaid dresses

Derbyshire firm John Smedley to put on fashion show for Queen

(Photo:formal dresses) THE Queen will today be today be treated to an exclusive preview of a new John Smedley collection as modelled by employees of the luxury knitwear firm.
The show will feature Miriam Maclean, the 11-year-old daughter of managing director Ian, a descendent of the John Smedley who founded the business in 1784.
She said: "I'm really proud of my dad for inviting the Queen to visit John Smedley and I am totally amazed that I will get the chance to be a model in the fashion show.
"It's my first time doing anything like this, and we have been practising by walking up and down our living room in time to the music.
"I hope I won't be too nervous when the time comes to do it for real."
The spring/summer 2015 collection has been christened Sea Fever, after one of the first pieces of swimwear that the company produced in the 1930s.
Though the inspiration may come from the 1930s, the clothes feature a pioneering dyeing technique.
Stepping out of the studio to model the collection will also be designer Chloe Cooper, 24.
She said: "It is very exciting, if a little nerve-wracking, to be modelling the spring/summer 2015 collection.
"It is an amazing opportunity to be able to show our designs in front of the Queen and I feel incredibly privileged to be part of the John Smedley team."
Hoping to avoid stage fright today is first-time model and full-time web manager Bruce Slater, 40.
He said: "I'm proud and excited to wear a John Smedley garment for the showcase, although it's certainly nerve-wracking catwalking in front of the Queen and modelling is not necessarily my forte.

"This a huge event for the company and I can't wait to be part of it."Also read here:bridesmaid dresses

Designing Dreams

(Photo:formal dresses) Having dressed some of India’s most famous and having styled them for blockbusters, the teacher in Neeta Lulla came calling to give back to students in her own way. Under the guidance of fashion designer, Neeta Lulla and filmmaker Subhash Ghai at Whistling Woods International (WWI) School of Film, Fashion and Media, The Neeta Lulla School of Fashion (launched in September, 2013) aims at giving students an in-depth knowledge of various fashion verticals and gaining hands-on experience within the field. It is located in the Film City in the premises of WWI. Neeta Lulla had been
teaching students at various colleges before she decided to start the school.
“Giving back what I have learnt over the years to students of this generation is something that always gives me immense satisfaction. Having delivered several lectures, seminars and workshops across various colleges over the last few years, I think fashion education in India needs to advance. It is time for us to understand and build professionals who can excel in the diverse job profiles available within the fashion industry, and do it with the sincere approach that is deserving of an industry, which contributes over 4 per cent to the country’s GDP,” says dean Neeta Lulla. Subhash Ghai serves as the Chairman and Meghna Ghai-Puri as the President.
Courses offered
The school offers a two-year Advanced Diploma in Fashion (Rs. 7 lakh fee) and a one-year Diploma in Fashion (Rs. 4 lakh). They aspire to take the learning in these courses beyond just designing. They want to open up avenues to the many fast-growing and alternate career options in fashion, in tandem with design — styling, fashion marketing, communication, fashion photography and accessory designing.
Honing students to fit the needs of the dynamic fashion industry, the course will focus on developing domain skills like knowledge of textiles, draping, illustration and much more. Soft skills and other activities like Yoga, etiquette and personality development are also part of the courses.
Some of the subjects offered are Pattern Drawing and Sewing Techniques, Art and Illustration, Draping and Design, History of Indian and World Costumes, Fashion Coordination, Visual Merchandising, Styling, and Fashion Journalism. An internship will be included in the course. The students’ assessment is done on the basis of assignments undertaken throughout the year and internship progress.
Siddharth Lulla who manages the school says, “My mother realised 10 years ago that there is a clear need for fashion aspirants to look beyond the urge to be a fashion designer when pursuing a career in fashion. They also need to focus on building their strengths. She and Subhash Ghai wanted to open this back then, but it happened only recently. Now she is sharing her experience from over three decades (teaching in schools like SNDT Fashion University, Mumbai) in the fashion and film industry.”
Mentors galore
To help this along, they have the best in equipment and space allotted for students. On the advisory board are many stalwarts like fashion designers Nachiket Barve, Wendell Rodricks, Mickey Contractor, director Make up Artistry of MAC India, fashion photographer Joy Datta, Ex Editor of Femina, Sathya Saran, fashion journalist Meher Castellano and others from the industry. Their academic advisors are designers Anita Dongre, James Ferreira and the list goes on.
The added advantage
They believe that their idyllic location at the film city gives their students an added advantage, exposing them to many avenues across films and television. They also hold Master Classes for students where they get to meet stalwarts from the industry and interact with them.
Admissions are on!

While the first batch of the advanced diploma classes was inducted last year, admissions are on now for the one-year diploma programme. Graduates of Class XII with a flair for fashion, keen interest and basic sketching skills can apply for these courses and write an entrance exam which will be held on July 12, followed by a personal interview.Read more here:formal dresses melbourne

The New A.P.C. Kanye Collection in Full

the New A.P.C. Kanye Collection in Full, and a Chat With Jean Touitou

For the second and last season of the A.P.C. Kanye collection, the brand’s proprietor, Jean Touitou, and Mr. West went deep into military archives. What they came up with is an arsenal of cool, comfortable-looking, luxurious casual clothes that are as unique and appealing as they are smart and simple. This will be your last opportunity to own a piece of this collection, as West is moving on to build his sportswear empire with Adidas. So put July 17 on your calendar—that’s the day it goes on sale (and will likely be your only chance, as it will surely sell through fast).

We caught up with Touitou last week as he was preparing to show his Spring/Summer 2015 collection in Paris to chat about this partnership, his outlook on future collaborations, and A.P.C.’s American expansion.

How did the process of working with Kanye evolve over time?

The process was easier the second time because we have learned more from each other, and then also we stopped by the military archive. It was surprisingly easier the second time, except at the end.

What happened at the end?

What happened at the end is exactly what he does to his own records, so I didn’t take it personally—like when it’s something he makes, and ten days before it drops, and then he wants to start from scratch. In music things are so possible, especially with today’s technology, good engineer, good computer, you could stretch time, but in fashion there are so many people involved, from weaving, knitting, choosing the yarn, choosing the color, making the pattern, making the first samples. It’s so much more material, but again, I don’t feel badly about him pushing the limits. So that was the difficulty. But apart from that, it was perfectly easy.

So he wanted to change things—

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That happens until, like, sixteen minutes before the presentation, I was changing things.

But at some point you were able to settle on some final decisions?

Oh, of course, of course, because it’s going to be in the stores and online on July 17, and we don’t have a reputation of being late. You have to manufacture all the clothes, and it’s not just virtual, it’s real things. At some point you have to say, “This is what it’s going to be.”

What led you to the military archives? Was that Kanye’s idea?

For a very simple reason: I do have archives where we live in Paris, and one day I wanted to show him what I did for almost twenty-seven years, and you know, there was a lot of my old stuff, a lot of A.P.C., and we started the process of designing from there.

You know, when you design something, you have to start with something, so that’s where we were, at my big archives to start with something. It’s not the process for designing a conceptual collection, but that’s why when we said we want a parka, its nice to see a parka from this army, and this army and that army and make your own design of it.

What was Kanye’s part in the design? For instance, would he have input on every aspect of how the parka was going to be made?

Of course he would decide with me on every part of it. We would choose the fabrics and the color and the proportions, sleeves, shoulders, and there were a lot of fittings. It’s not like we want to do a parka, send the pattern to China, and OK we have the parka and I OK it. It’s not like that at all. We produce a first and second sample, a mock sample, a third sample, and finally the last one is good. It’s like a couture piece for every item.

Was it a more involved process than what you typically do for A.P.C.?

No, it was the same, with being involved and making the patterns. It was exactly the same.

A.P.C. has done a lot of collaborations—Nike, Supreme, Carhartt, and others. What’s your perspective on collaborating with other brands?

I have no perspective. I’m tired of collaborating. I’m tired of it. And there’s not so many people that I want to do anything with.

So you’re feeling like this is the last one?

Kanye has his own line with Adidas now. And we do Nike because we don’t know how to do running shoes and they know how to do it right. I don’t have a major collaborating project. But I’m creating a new brand, and we’re launching Vanessa Seward in March, launching the brand with a new company and everything.

So you’re no longer focusing on collaborations?

Well, if it’s something very interesting to me, I’ll go for it. But I don’t look for collaborations, I just wait until it knocks at my door. I’m not pushing it all, doing something as humongous as creating a brand. Days are only twenty-four hours. And also we opened new stores. We’re not a huge corporation, we’re a small independent company.

The expansion of A.P.C. has really been impressive. Are you planning on continuing to expand?

No, we’re just focusing on America, and France is like the Titanic—still dancing, but it’s going to be at the bottom of [the ocean] soon. So I’m really happy to bring the brand to America.

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