Steve Madden (left) Balenciaga (right)

It’s not the first time Steve Madden is getting into trouble. Before it was Alexander McQueen who sued Steve Madden for copying his black Faithful bootie, now it’s Balenciaga’s turn. Balenciaga filed a lawsuit against Steve Madden on Tuesday for copying their multicolor heels called Lego, from the Fall 2007 collection. The Balenciaga heels were sold for $4175 while the copied version by Steve Madden, which came out in 2008, was sold for only $99.95.

Some people are completely against this copying of designer pieces, while others thinks it’s a great opportunity to get a great bargain on the copied version. Would you rather spend the extra money on the real deal, or spend less on a copied pair of shoes?

Image source: nymag.com

For those of you who have been wondering about Tom Ford designing womenswear, we can confirm that the rumor is true. The former creative director for Gucci, Tom Ford, has confirmed that he will return to designing womenswear and according to Ford the launch date for the new line will be around Fall 2010. Ford is saying that he and his business partner Domenico de Sole is currently looking out for financing at an estimate of at least $50 million for the project to get off the ground.

“Financing is extremely expensive right now, so if we find financing in the right situation we’ll be able to start soon. If we don’t, we may have to wait a while,” Ford tells WWD. “You know it will take me 18 months when I start, because I have to hire the team, find the factories, put everything together and then get the stores ready so there’s a place for these clothes.”

Even though this feels very far away, I have a feeling this line could come out to be new fashion success. We’ll continue to follow up on this story. What do you think of Ford launching a womenswear line?

Image source: splendicity.com

Soon the Jimmy Choo collection for H&M will be out in stores with their latest collaboration (14th November). But it has been announced that Sonia Rykiel will be the next guest designer for H&M for Winter 2009 and Spring 2010. The French fashion house founded by Sonia also known as “the queen of knits” will no doubtedly create some cute knitted dresses but also for the very first time in H&M history they will extend their designer collaboration into lingerie and related women accessories. The collection for the holiday season will be in 1500 H&M stored all over the world and it will hit stored on 5th December 2009. A tip guys, see this as a perfect opportunity for a great Christmas present for your loved one! A second collaboration by Sonia Rykiel will be done for Spring 2010 which will include knitwear and playful accessories for women and girls. This collection will be available in 250 stores from 20 February 2010.

“It is a hallmark of Sonia Rykiel to think of all women because fashion is about a certain spirit more than a question of means. This collaboration fits perfectly with our philosophy. The Sonia Rykiel pour H&M lingerie collection is the ideal way to offer the essence of Rykiel to a great number of women around the world, and a beautiful way to close the year. The knitwear collection is perfect for welcoming a colourful new season,” says Nathalie Rykiel, president and artistic director of Sonia Rykiel in a recent press release by H&M.

Image source: losangelesmagazine.com

Paris Fashion Week which has held from 30th September to 8th October is one of the biggest fashion weeks of the year. The Paris Fashion Week shows the top fashion designers of today with designers like Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Balmain, Chanel, Christian Dior and many more. Here’s a summary of the top designers showing off their Spring 2010 collections. Which collection was your favorite this year?

Alexander McQueen has created an interesting collection with the sea inspired outfits. McQueen is known for his outrageous runway shows didn’t let us down this time either.
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Balmain is showing off a military inspired look with prominent shoulders and military boots. Balmain continues to impress with their latest collections. Keep it coming!
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Balenciaga with a punky outfit.
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Karl Lagerfeld has created this outfit with white shirt and black tie. A signature look of Lagefeld’s personal style.
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Chanel with a cute dress and matching bag and accessories.
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Christian Dior is showing off a beautiful magenta colored dress.
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Costume National has created this cool outfit with a biker inspired leather jacket and shorts with a matching bag. Love this outfit!
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Givenchy is showing off a monochrome patterned outfit with matching shoes.
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Jean Paul Gaultier has created this light pink corset outfit.
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Louis Vuitton was trying out the big fro hair with a light yellow and black patterned dress.
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Miu Miu has created this beautiful dress with sequin details.
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Nina Ricci is showing off a fluffy angel like dress. Love it!
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Sonia Rykiel has created this black and white dotted blouse with blue shorts with matching accessories. Love the style!
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Sophia Kokosalaki is showing off this beautiful skin colored creation with gladiator boots.
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Stella McCartney has designed these high waist pleated pants with a white lace top. Very elegant and simple.
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Valentino has created an inspiring outfit with a ruffled top and pants.
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Vivienne Westwood is showing off a simple dress with lots of wrapping fabric. She added some interesting makeup to the models. Not sure it was the right move in my opinion.
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Yves Saitn Laurent has done this simple dark green strapless dress. I think this was way too simple, like they took a piece of fabric and wrapped it around with a belt.
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Victoria Beckham launched her very first collection during the New York Fashion Week 2009. The collection of only 10 pieces is based on Victoria’s own personal style, costing between $1000-$3000 per piece. Her collection is made out of fabrics like silk, fine cotton and wool, and the pieces are cut in simple silhouettes of an hourglass figure. Her inspiration came from all fashion designers that she has ever worn with a touch of the 40’s and 50’s styles. “I know I have a lot to learn, but over the years I think I have worked out how women want to look,” she said to telegraph.co.uk. I think this collection feels a lot like Victoria Beckham, it’s definitely her own style. The pieces are really beautiful and simple that exentuates the female figure, but I would have hoped to see a little bit more creativity in her collection. Then again, knowing Victoria Beckham’s style, she like it simple and minimalistic. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of Victoria’s fashion design. How do you like Victoria’s collection?

I love this black dress with the lace look and simple silhouette.
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This black dress and matching jacket with prominent shoulders is very much Victoria Beckham, very simple and lady like.
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This long gown with long full sleeves reminds me of an Oscar Red Carpet dress. It has beautiful silver accessories on the shoulders.
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This gray figure dress feels a lot like a dress of a business woman.
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White dress with sharp shoulders, something that with Victoria’s body shape would look beautiful.
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This is a cute red dress with a really nice flow which is perfect for spring.
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This is my favorite gown of the whole collection. Sharp and clear cuts with a mix of black and red.
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Another black and red gown with some simple black details on the front.
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This item is eye catching and stands out from the collection with the beautiful mix of colors.
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A yellow Victoria Beckham signature dress with the simple cuts and details.
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Image source: guardian.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk

The New York Fashion Week has started and our top fashion designers are displaying their latest collections for 2010. The New York Fashion Week also known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week brings together celebrities, fashion designers and fashion writers from all over the world. We can see designers like Whitney Eve, Monique Lhuillier, Vena Cava, Jason Wu, Gwen Stefani with her L.A.M.B. collection and many many more. There are world renowned designers as well as new ones.

The Hills star Whitney Eve who is quiet new on the market with her fashion line was showing a beautiful collection which breathes a lot of glamour, summer and party.
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Monique Lhuillier has made some amazing dresses which reminded me a lot of of Greek goddesses with the corded waists. Adding the hats as a nice accessorie gave it a more unique look.
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Vena Cava gave a nice collection with Spring colors like coral orange. Simple pieces which seems to have a more comfortable and relaxed design.
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The young designer Jason Wu who came into the spotlight after Michele Obama was wearing one of his gowns has created a collection with lady like pieces with bright colors.
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L.A.M.B by Gwen Stefani has a very playful style with the touch of punk and rock-n-roll. Can’t wait to see these in stores!
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Image source: telegraph.co.uk, coutorture.com, fabsugar.com, chinadaily.com.cn, peoplestylewatch.com

Alexander McQueen’s Men Collection Fall 2009 runway show felt like it was taken straight from Gangs of New York or Sweeney Todd with the touch of horror. With the gangster look and the cold smoky eyes they were walking down the runway wearing their hats and holding their silver-topped canes. It definitely felt like another Alexander McQueen masterpiece with the theatrical and traditional look. We could see pieces like long coats, slim suits, waist coats and cardigans. Alexander was sticking to the colors of the fall with brown, black and beige. He added the look with some cropped and cuffed skinny-legged trousers which I think will become a big trend this fall/winter. I really like McQueen’s men’s fall collection this year. I love the way he manages to bring together garments from different periods and makes them look nothing but amazing.

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Image source: men.style.com

Alexander McQueen’s women collection for fall 2009 had a spectacular show on the runway this year. McQueen’s creativity doesn’t seem to have any problems this time either. In this collection his theme seems to have gone more aggressive and a bit on the dark side with a touch of humor. It almost feels like a mix between Alice in Wonderland and goth. The models looking like dolls with the overdone lipstick is a question of taste. In my opinion it looks a bit scary, but I still admire McQueen’s sense of creativity here. He has used lamps and umbrellas like hats and plastc bags to accessorize. Something I like about this collection is that some of the pieces have a touch of the 60’s. The fall/winter look has gotten mixed opinions from people around the world, but it seems that the younger crowd are sheering more than others. I really like Alexander McQueen’s designs and I’m really curious to see how the rest of the fashion world will respond to this collection.

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Image source: fashionising.com

Months ago it was mentioned that Gwyneth Paltrow was going to design her own clothing line for the French label ZOEtee’s. The collection is called ZOEtee’s LOVES Gwyneth Paltrow and finally we can check out her new line which is being sold exclusively from matchesfashion as from next week. She has designed a mix of relaxed outfits for daily wear and more elegant outfits for the evenings. Gwyneth has been taking a big part of the designing work by help choosing good quality fabrics and making sure the items are correctly done. Much more work than many other celebrities in creating their own lines. I really like her mix of draped dresses funky tops and jumpsuits, it’s very much Gwyneth with her laidback style and they have that touch of 70’s glam-rock. The pieces will work for any age in any type of shape. A great mixture of style that can easily fit into your wardrobe.The prices start from $165.

These were the sketches of the clothing line that we got to see in March earlier this year.
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Black draped dress and a black loose jumpsuit. Looks really comfy!
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Chic jumpsuit and a long one shoulder dress. I absolutely love the jumpsuit!
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Funky top and grey draped dress. Perfect outfits for a Friday night out!
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Image source: nymag.com, stylecaster.com, marieclaire.co.uk,fabsugar.com

Nicole Richie is out with her new clothing line of maternity wear called Pea in the Pod. She has created a line of 14 pieces with a bohemian style. The clothes are floaty and comfortable tops as well as long dresses and tees. The line gives you a very relaxed impression with the touch of the bohemian look. I like most of the items, but I excepted to see a bit more creativity and more unique style in her clothes, especially coming from Nicole Richie. It would have been nice to see a bit more color. But I must say they look very comfy! I think it’s a perfect line for those who want to dress a bit more casual and relaxed. The price range of the clothes are from $50 to $150. Which is your favourite item?

Cute dress with patterns of bohemian style
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Black simple dress
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Patterned top in kimono style
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Black top with an open light grey cardigan and a matching scarf
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Simple black long skirt
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Black loose sweater
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Black dress/top that can be worn with leggings or trousers
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Image source: fabsugar.com

When I first saw a pair of shoes from shoe designer Camilla Skoovgard, I thought they were a piece of art. My first question was, who is this amazing shoe designer? Her shoes are really trendy at the moment but there is also something very unique about them. Sexy and sophisticated and very simple with only a few straps.

Camilla is originally from Denmark and has won a number of prestigious awards for her work as a shoe designer. The Times says “Intelligent fashionista. Think Arne Jacobsen in couture”.

You can find her shoes with a gladiator style worn by celebrities like Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford on the red carpet. So I will keep on dreaming about these shoes for now.

Silver colored high heel stiletto with a unique look and a snake leather with front lace.
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Halle Berry at the TV Spike Awards in a pair of black gladiator styled shoes by Camilla Skovgaard. Fierce!
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Cindy Crawford at the Grand Opening of the W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a pair of brown gladiator styled shoes by Camilla Skovgaard. Love the match with the purple dress!
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Image source: whatshaute.com, iheartluxe.com, awomanandhershoes.com, fashionbombdaily.com, jadorefashionblog.wordpress.com

The film “Coco before Chanel” tells you the story about the fashion designer icon Coco Chanel. Actress Audrey Tautou who is portraiting the designer through her incredible life where she changed the world of fashion.

Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was born in 1883 in the small city of Saumur, Maine-et-Loire. Her family was very poor and she had a though childhood. She spent seven years in the orphanage of a Roman Catholic monastery where she learnt the art of sewing. When she left the orphanage she started working at a tailoring shop. After meeting the french millionaire Etienne Balsan who brought her into the rich life of pearls and dresses she started designing hats. Her interest for this grew and soon she had opened her first shop where she sold different types of clothing. Her business grew and evolved into a fashion empire with a wide selection of designs. Coco Chanel always kept her designs comfortable, simple and revealing. This was like a new evolution for women in that era to be able to show off their bodies instead of hiding them under layers of padding, corsets and underclothes. Her design didn’t change much through the generations. In 1921 Chanel came out with her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5. Coco Chanel had a few affairs but she never settled down and didn’t have any children. She died at the age of 87, in 1954.

I can’t wait to see this film! I love the actress Audrey Tautou and I’m sure she has done just another amazing film that is a must to see.

Will we soon see a new trend wave from the early days of Chanel? I really hope so! I really love her simple and elegant designs that somehow feels timeless.

Image source: counterfeitchic.com