Celebrity Women & Models

On Saturday night, Christina Aguilera performed at Donald Trump’s private Bel-Air estate in California to help celebrate the opening of his new Dubai hotel venture with Middle East developer Nakheel.

Trump International Hotel & Tower is located in Dubai on the Palm Jumeirah. The man-made island, shaped like a palm tree, palm fronds and all, is a place of creativity, imagination and decadence.

Christina, who has never been to Dubai, said she was ‘down for any great celebration’, was happy to be a part of the evening, and looks forward to going to Dubai at some point in the future.

Wearing a beautiful and stylish dress from Welsh designer Julien MacDonald, Christina looked elegant and classy. I love the detailing of the dress and think that the skirt is nothing short of genius! Click on the link to Julien MacDonald’s spring/summer line at London’s Fashion Week. I see some outfits in there that I think would look great on Christina!

Julien MacDonald had this to say when asked: “Who is your ideal customer? “I love confident women who are not afraid of their sexuality: Charlize Theron, Angelica Huston, Charlotte Rampling… I love women so my list is endless.”

I think he may have just found the perfect customer in Christina Aguilera!

Christina Aguilera Arrives at Trump/Nakheel Party: YouTube/SmashHoney

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Christina Aguilera is high style all the way. She’s wearing a gorgeous black Julien MacDonald dress but has thrown in a little pink and purple in her shoes, red on her lips and either purple, blue or black on her nails.

Christina could have gone for straight black shoes, but with true Christina Aguilera pizzazz, she made the style her own!

What I also love is that Christina let the dress do all the talking. Perhaps the evening called for a more ‘reserved’ look, given that Nakheel hosted the evening. Either way, it’s wonderful to see Christina dolled up and looking all class!

Christina Aguilera Arrives at Trump/Nakheel Party: YouTube/SmashHoney

Images used with permission from Newscom.

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Tags: charlize theron, Christina Aguilera, fashion, fashion week, Love, photos, pink, style

I go to Peru several times a year not only to work on my knitwear, shoe, and belt collections, but to eat amazing food, see the vibrant and charming city of Lima, and visit with many fantastic people. This is a short trip for me. It is usually several weeks, but as we are nearing fashion week, I had to come down to try and do some face-to-face persuading and encouraging.

August 5

I arrive in the early a.m. and go straight to my friend Caroline's apartment in Barranco, which is a gorgeous old neighborhood on the seaside. When the main part of Lima was 30 miles or so inland, Barranco was the resort destination for well-off Peruvians, so there are many gorgeous old buildings overlooking the high cliffs onto the Pacific. On display in Caroline's apartment are amazing embroideries from the Peruvian mountains that are used in ceremonial dances. You can see the incredible handwork capabilities and traditions of Peru represented in these few items.

I catch a quick nap and then spend the day picking out yarn colors and meeting with different knitters, both machine and handknitters. They're proud of their work, but hurry up guys, we need them finished so we can ship, Barneys is waiting!

That evening, we go to an art opening at a lovely neighborhood gallery called Lucia de la Puente and then later to Juanito for a few Chilcanos (Pisco and ginger ale). Juanitos is an ancient bar in the main square of Barranco. The grandpa proprietor sits at the bar while his sons race around serving drinks and ham sandwiches to the loyal customers, the artistic and literary communities of Lima.

August 6
Caroline is an amazing hostess and major connoisseur of the exotic fruits and vegetables available in the markets. Her morning fruit smoothies rival any I've had. From her roof terrace, where we eat our morning fruit, you can see giant bougainvillea, which are everywhere along the rooftops of Lima.

After an hour ride into the desert, we arrive at one of my shoe factories, where we check on production, pick leather colors, and hand over additional Spring designs. We spend most of the day there, reviewing details and capabilities and putting orders in for the runway sandals.

August 7
Since we have the knitters and shoemakers working on new designs, we give them a day to make advances and head down to the beach (called El Silencio) for the afternoon. Our excuse is that the light is better for looking at yarn colors.

Tags: fashion, fashion week, Love, style

Romney Leader reports from Copenhagen fashion week.

You'd think that back-to-back shows from morning to night would leave little chance to do touristy things in a new city, but yesterday afternoon had me crisscrossing the Sortedams Sø to experience a number of landmarks (in the name of fashion, of course). Charlotte Eskildsen's Designers Remix Collection—so popular here that she has a boutique in the Copenhagen Airport—was held at the old elephant house in the city zoo. Attendees took in the sights (and smells) behind metal barriers while models Lisa Cant and Emma Karlsson took their first spins in Copenhagen down the well-worn cement catwalk.

On the other side of town, Bruuns Bazaar (Denmark's answer to Banana Republic) staged their show at the National Art Museum. It made for a beautiful setting but a logistical nightmare, as guests were trapped in a 45 minute queue to get to their seats. The clean silhouettes, hailed by the Dansk Daily as a return to Scandinavian minimalism, may have been better represented in a more modern venue.

A fitting end to the evening was Day Birger et Mikkelsen's massive tenth anniversary show in an outdoor arena erected in the heart of downtown. 1,500 of their closest fans paid respects to Keld Mikkelsen, who bowed to his screaming fans like a rock god. A massive thunderstorm did little to quell the post-show fever as guests poured onto the runway for an impromptu party. It's a good thing that the Champagne is always in full supply here.

There is much to like about Copenhagen, but one of its best features is how the shopping is all concentrated in the same pedestrian area. While walking around this morning I was drawn into jeweler Zarah Voight's boutique by an enticing window display that paired her candy-colored pieces with popsicles and cupcakes. Voight mostly works in laser-cuthard plastic that she juxtaposes with delicate gold chains. The designs are playful—I spotted a bracelet with a string of hot-pink Barbie stilettos, and earrings shaped like house keys. I may go back to buy the pendant necklace with a silhouetted black cocker spaniel. (I have a real one waiting for me at home).

A new addition to the retail scene here is the Swedish boutique Whyred, which opened this summer (it's the label's fourth location; the other three are in Stockholm). The brand was launched in 1999 as a denim label by three colleagues from H&M. Their collection has evolved into an enticing blend of basics with an edge. My favorite piece was a color-blocked body-con dress. The shoes are also strong; I had to tear myself away from a chunky leather heel with attached spat. Soon to be a big hit globally, you can check it out in New York City at Castor & Pollux.

Tags: catwalk, designers, fashion, fashion week, pink, rap, style

Oskar Metsavaht, the designer behind Brazilian powerhouse brand Osklen, hasn't followed a conventional career path. A physician by training and an avid surfer, skateboarder, and snowboarder, he entered the design world in 1989, creating activewear for fellow fans of his favorite sports. A decade later, he began to evolve a high-end effort that introduced elements of luxe to his signature aesthetic. Now, nearly 20 years after he first began, he has seven flagship stores, including outposts in New York, Tokyo, Rome, and Geneva, and has become perhaps the most successful designer to expand beyond Brazil's borders. He took a break from São Paulo fashion week to share some insights about his journey so far.

What made you want to go into design?

For me art means the creative process, not the purpose of what you're doing. To me medicine is an art, not a science. I was a successful physician, but the lifestyle didn't agree with me. I wanted to find a way to express my ideas.

How did Osklen come about?

In the beginning Osklen was a lifestyle brand. Jackets for snowboarding, bikinis, T-shirts for surfers. But then, in the nineties, when I looked at the kind of lifestyle my tribe had, it seemed cool and special, and Okslen began to be more involved with "fashion." I decided that I had a style, and I only had to channel that style into a fashion language. It was a very gradual evolution.

So what defines your tastes then?

I'm a surfer, I like to snowboard and skateboard. I like to wake up early and go surfing, but I also like to go out late at night. I like art exhibits, but I also like reading skateboarding magazines. I am an environmentalist—not eco-granola, but scientific and informed.

Who are some of your favorite fellow Brazilian designers?

Reinaldo Lourenço and Gloria Coelho. Reinaldo's work is feminine in the best way and modern. Gloria's work is very strong. For swimwear, Lenny. Her work has a sophisticated elegance but with a Brazilian feel.

How do you see Brazilian fashion evolving?

I think we're like Italy was 30 years ago. We're learning to work with the industrial process and to produce the best quality. We have good self-esteem, we see that we can do something original. The generation before mine would just copy.

What do you think needs to happen in order for Brazil to make a bigger impact globally?

If Japan is technology and France is high style and India is philosophy and spirituality, then Brazil has a chance to be the environmental and socially sustainable country. I'm sure everyone would love to buy products with a Made in Brazil label if they knew that these products were made to be sustainable. It might be more expensive, but I think this is the new luxury. We need to embrace these values.

Do you design with these values in mind?

Yes. It's funny—in my recent show I used a material that people didn't like, crocodile, and some people criticized this, saying, "Oh, it's not sustainable," etc., but they weren't informed. If there's one thing I hate, it's hypocrisy! There is actually an overabundance of crocodiles in some parts of Brazil , near the Amazon, and they have to control the population because they threaten the ecosystem and the people living close by. These indigenous people sell some of the skins, so purchasing them is actually sustaining these people as well as the environment.

Tags: bikini, designers, fashion, fashion week, Love, sports, style

The big news out of Sao Paulo fashion week last season was the formation of the IM group, a fashion conglomerate that was (supposedly) buying brands and pumping them full of cash. Fast forward a few months later, and it turns out that all wasn't as it appeared. Headlines have trumpeted Alexandre Herchcovitch's claim that "I was lied to!" and the buzz is all about what's going to happen next. Apparently, IM's pockets weren't quite as deep as they claimed and Herchcovitch had never actually signed a deal selling his company. Which was probably a smart move, considering that of two brands that did sign, Fause Haten still hasn't received full payment and Zoomp, one of the country's biggest and most-beloved brands, has seen cash flow problems and isn't staging a show for the first time. Still, life goes on. Haten staged a dramatic show and was showered with roses as he took his bow. Herchcovitch's tightly focused men's collection didn't appear any worse for all the melodramatic wear, while his women's ranks among the best in his career. Stay tuned for a new set of twists and turns, sure to come by next season.

Tags: drama, fashion, fashion week, Love, style

Here’s a photo of Fergie in Milan presenting a creation by Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana during the Spring/Summer 2009 collections of Men’s ready to wear collections displayed at Milan fashion week on June 21. I’m not really sure what item she’s presenting, but the photo of her is very nice.

Tags: Dolce & Gabbana, Fergie, Milan

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Tags: fashion, fashion week, Fergie