Saigon Customs Elephant

Saigon Customs Geisha 1

Miss Saigon is a talent that I believe many should recognize. Presently she utilizes Saigon Customs as a way to illustrate her obvious talent and artistic flair. Being featured on Female Sneaker Fiend, Sole Heaven, and Chicks in Kicks, Saigon has developed an instinctive style and eye for custom sneakers and wishes to invoke imagination to all who see them. She is looking forward to showcasing her unique line of work at artistic venues around the world, and I for one am excited to see the goodness!

After much success in the last two decades, the ANDAM (Association Nationale pour le Développement des Arts de la Mode, National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts) Paris Fashion Award is opening their doors once again for applicants and entries in this year’s competition.

Founded in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, ANDAM hosts a major competition every year to welcome, launch and provide support for emerging new fashion talents. The competition is open to all up and coming designers on the French and international fashion scene, with a generous endowment of €160,000 for the selected winner.  This is the largest fashion prize in the world, and is an opportunity that should not be missed. As 2009 is ANDAM’s 20^th Anniversary, they have also introduced a new prize of €20, 000 to a young French fashion designer.  This celebratory and special prize was encouraged by the outstanding results of the 2008 competition, along with the ongoing support they have received over the years by private and institutional partners. This additional prize will be given in conjunction with the endowment of €160, 000.

ANDAM is accepting entry materials right now, with the final deadline being the 25^th April 2009 – you must be quick, not long left y’all! All applicants must have plans for a fashion show and development in France, and also be under the age of 40 (as of January 1^st 2009).

If you are a winner, this generosity from ANDAM will most definitely give you a kick start into your future career as a designer. This will be a stepping stone that many will envy, and you will be given an opportunity to put your mark in the fashion scene. Your name will be up there amongst the likes of M.I.S.S. favourite Jeremy Scott (winner 1998), Victor & Rolf (winner 1994) and more notably, last year’s winner Gareth Pugh. This is a chance you should take; a chance to get your foot in the fashion industry’s door which, more often than not, is shut in many faces. Good Luck ladies and gents!

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The most famous set of ears is getting a designer makeover.  Teaming up for the celebration of Mickey’s Magical Party- yes ladies and gentleman, Disney’s MICKEY MOUSE - are designers Luella, Giles Deacon, and House of Holland (just to name a few).  Other celebrities on the list of enchanted activities include Daisy Lowe, Estelle, Geri Halliwell, and John Terry.  What do all these names have in common?  They are all creators of customized mickey ears. These newly designed ears are a part of Disneyland Resort Paris’s year long magical party that runs from April 4, 2009 to March 7, 2010. You can check out the designer ears throughout May, 2009, at London based boutique START .

If you can’t make it across the globe to get a glimpse at the Mickey ears, don’t worry!  From May 4 -28, 2009, the custom designer ears will be placed on an online charity auction Buy Once Get Twice. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to Disney’s Appeal for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. It does’t get much better than a year long party in the happiest place in the world that can make a positive difference in someone’s life!

Barbie has had quite the anniversary buzz celebrating her big 5-0. And who could do it better than the always glamorous lady herself? From fashion shows that have honored the four decade glam doll to deluxe items designed in admiration of her success, I have got to say being plastic pays off.

If you happen to be in Paris, France March 9th-28th check out Barbie’s birthday celebration at Colette. At this boutique will be all things that credit the bombshell’s success. If it’s anything like a Barbie dream world there has got to be lots and lots of pink oh and a delicious looking Ken!!

Exclusive designs for the Barbie collection by Jeremy Scott and products from Bless, Goyard, Azumi & David, and Uslu Airlines will be available.

Also listed for the anniversary is the release of limited edition products from designers selected by Colette- Married to the Mob, Bruno Frisoni, Alexis Mabille, Barbie Rocks of Beverly Hills, Jawbone, Domestic, and Linda Farrow.

Dylan’s Candy Bar sweets (btw, chocolate is my weakness) and special edition Le Baiser dessert by Laduree will make tasty treats for the celebration!

Guest can also enter the gallery of “Barbie and Ken” by Karl Lagerfeld. Images of Barbie and Ken (portrayed by model Baptiste Giabiconi) can be found here, and let me say they are so adorable. If you are one who has collector’s fetish, the photos in the gallery will be available for purchase.

Be sure to check out all the collabo’s from designers selected by Colette and Stila cosmetics.

Goodness, if I had the money and a passport I would book my flight TONIGHT!!!!

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A few weeks ago Lily Allen was spotted out and about with the Russian Doll Clutch from Chanel’s Pre Fall Collection entitled “Paris to Moscow.” Karl Lagerfeld incorporated the doll into some of the collection’s accessories but the clutch is definitely my favorite. It is being reported that the clutch’s price tag is £2,500, which is about $3,700 U.S dollars. Yikes! I might have to sell a kidney to afford it, unlike Lily Allen who is rocking it well. It is a huge step up for her since her last Chanel look . . . We love you Lily . . . just no more homemade Chanel. K thanks;)

P.S. - Lily Allen’s It’s Not Me, It’s You dropped yesterday!  You can get your copy here. Check out the video below where Lily talks about her new album.

Sarai, of the lovely Sweet Sassafras blog, did a great write-up on vintage shops/shopping in Paris and whether you’re a seasoned jet-setter to the city of lovers, fashion and lights, someone who has a trip on the horizon or a dreamer who’s never been (like me!)—this is a bookmark-must!

Check it out at SweetSassafras.org!

Oh and, coincidentally, Design Sponge just put up part one of a four-part “Regional Design Roundup” on Parisian desingers. Check that out at DesignSponeOnline.com.

We’ve come a long way from the times when women were “seen and not heard,” but oh, were the women seen. The Musée Galliera just unveiled its newest exhibit, “Under the Empire of Crinoline,” a collection of luxurious gowns from 1852 to 1870. During that time a woman’s most important feature was her hips (to show how good at child bearing she would be), and crinoline and hoop skirts went a long way in perpetuating that message. The exhibit features over 300 gowns - all with exquisite details and craftsmanship. As a history buff, and lover of all things fashion, I wish I could be in Paris to see this. As uncomfortable and impractical these gowns are, no one can argue with their beauty. The exhibit runs though April 26th, after which the Musée Galliera will feature pieces illustrating the glamour of the 1950s.

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Yesterday we told you about the silent film that Karl Lagerfeld directed, in homage to Mlle. Chanel, to introduce the Chanel Métiers D’Art Pre-Fall 2009 collection.  I just found a teaser, and I NEED to find the whole thing! I love it! It totally captures the Chanel spirit, especially since it’s filmed in a way that was “a la mode” of the time period that he’s portraying. Karl is a genius. Check out the teaser below:

And now, the clothing!  Karl always manages to surprise and delight me.  Whenever I think I’ve seen it all, he takes it to a whole other stratosphere.  Last year, for Chanel’s Métiers D’Art Pre-Fall collection Karl took us to London (literally and thematically).  This time, though showing in Paris, Karl was inspired by Russia.  It’s not too far off the mark considering Chanel herself had a romance with a Russian noble, and was friends with Russian creatives including Stravinsky and Diaghilev.  In fact, she designed costumes for one of Diaghilev’s ballets.  She was so inspired by her Slavic circle of friends that she even had a design period heavily influenced by traditional Russian dress, especially, of course, the men’s garment.  But alas, I’m digressing - I’m here to talk about the clothes!

I’ve gone through the collection twice (so far), and each time I rush through it so quickly because I can’t wait to see what’s next and I miss so many details. Every time I go back and look again I find something else that makes my mouth water.  For me, the hair and head-pieces stole the show.  The garments, of course are amazing but the hair, the braids, the feathers, the dangling cascades of pearls and chandelier hair/hats - my goodness! A-maz-ing.  The “fantasy folkloric headdresses [were made] by Japanese wizard Kamo.”  When asked what he had up his sleeve for next year, Karl said: “Shanghai Express — the trip [Chanel] never made.”  Chanel was enamoured with Asian artwork and her apartment is known to have housed many, many Coromandel screens.  I cannot wait to see what next year will bring!

More pictures from the collection, as well as some video footage of the goings-on at the show with still images of the fashion. As soon as the actual show footage is available online we’ll post it up for you! Jeez, I need a fairy god mother to bestow Chanel every season. Oh, fairy god mother, where are you??
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L’atelier WM is a group of young artists founded in Paris in 2008. They cleverly created a line of colorful candles with attitude. Whether you’re reppin’ the West, showing your love for death metal or just wanting to display the ever-so-lovely middle finger for all to see—there’s a candle here for everyone!

Contact them directly for purchase or visit If It’s Hip, It’s Here for more details!

We’ve been fans of CTRL for some time now so it was a pleasure to meet Freeman and Esa, the boys behind the brand, in person.  CTRL is based in Helsinki, Finland so the guys made a trek out to Vegas but it was really worth it.  First off, the collection was shown on wire hangers - which brought flashbacks of “Mommy Dearest” to mind.  When you see the same hangers on all the racks, it’s refreshing to see designers infuse their personality into the details.  On to the clothes . . . For Spring 2009, Freeman was inspired by international cities and their individuality.  Cities like Paris and Jakarta played a strong role as recent trips to those places were fresh in his mind.  The inspiration can be seen mainly in the graphics and patterned prints.  Some favorites included his double entendre Paris tee (Paris, France v. Paris, Texas) and stone washed fleece (so comfy!).  Check out more pictures from the Spring 2009 collection after the jump.

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