Kate Fitzgerald Blog

South Korean fashion label HLS (Headline Seoul), which has made waves with its affordable and trendy designs, is serving up a dose of luxe with its new sister line HLS DSGN (HLS Design, photo).

Launched two weeks ago, the upmarket line features premium fabrics, such as Italian yarn and Japanese tweed, while retaining the easy-to-wear aesthetic and flattering cuts found in the main line.

Naturally, it comes with a higher price tag, which ranges from $89 to $289, compared with the main line that tops off at $99.

There are dresses in an H-line silhouette - a straight silhouette with a slight accent on the waist - which are perfect for just about any body shape. Shirts in a boxy cut will also help to hide any imperfections. The line also includes jackets, skirts, pants and culottes, which are now back in trend.

For the debut collection, blueish hues of azuline, azure and aquamarine take centre stage alongside cobalt and paint a fascinating seascape.

The launch of the new line is part of the brand's expansion strategy, says Ms Ann Kositchotitana, 38, who co-founded HLS in April 2012 with South Korean designer Brandon Hong. She also runs multi-label boutique Front Row and French label A.P.C's Singapore boutique.

The new line is being launched not long after HLS was dropped by department store Tangs, which was one of the Singapore-based brand's major retailers. Tangs Orchard and VivoCity had, till June this year, stocked HLS for a year.

"Due to Tangs' rebranding efforts, HLS does not fit into its product mix as the price points are too low. The new line will allow us to be in more premium department stores and hip multi-label boutiques," says Ms Kositchotitana, a Thai-born Singapore permanent resident.

NEXT H&M OF ASIA?

Although HLS is still in its early years, the brand hopes it can become the next H&M of Asia. The brand takes Korean fashion trends and tweaks it for a more global market.

For instance, three-quarter sleeve tops, which are popular in Korea, have chiffon or organza sleeves so that they are cooler to wear in humid countries.

"Although there is a great demand for fast fashion, there is still a big segment of the population that appreciates quality and premium fabrics," says Ms Kositchotitana.

It remains to be seen how the premium line will do, but her fashion business has made huge leaps within the region in the past two years and is expected to grow even further.

HLS has 12 points of sale across Asia in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Singapore. This includes a mix of stand-alone stores and store-in-stores. By the end of next year, Ms Kositchotitana is expecting 30 stores worldwide.

Overall, company revenue for this year is expected to grow by 30 per cent from last year.

While its roots may be in Singapore, global expansion is the main priority for Ms Kositchotitana.

"One shop in Singapore can get us four shops in bigger markets. Rental here is not sustainable in the long term," she says. HLS is also stocked here at multi-label stores W.E. at 313@somerset and The Assembly Store at The Cathay.

When franchisees offered to open up three points of sale within the span of six months in Malaysia this year - two in Kuala Lumpur and one in Malacca - much of the stock from Singapore was sent across to cope with the opening.

"Our distributor decided that they wanted to open within a month. You can't say no when someone comes along and wants to open a shop for you," she says.

With the premium line set in place, the energetic serial fashion entrepreneur has moved on to the next big project - a make-up line.

Set to be launched in collaboration with a major Korean cosmetics manufacturer next year, it will include blushers, lipsticks and nail polish, says Ms Kositchotitana, while showing off a blush pink nail colour that she has been testing.

"I have such a great interest in this business. I don't think I can do anything else. None of this feels like work."

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Binky Felstead has been doing ''Insanity-style'' work-out sessions to get a great body.

The 'Made in Chelsea' star - who is now a size eight - revealed that she has stepped up her exercise regime to get in the best shape possible since she started modelling for Bluebella and has now become obsessed with fitness.

Speaking at the launch of Bluebella lingerie at Debenhams in Oxford Street, London, on Thursday night (19.11.14), she said: ''I've been working out a lot and dare I say it I've become a little bit addicted to working out. I never ever thought I would say that but I'm really getting into to it now.

''I'm doing at least three work-outs a week. A lot of the time I'm doing Insanity style fitness sessions in the morning in my living room at home. It's 45 minutes of absolute torture but I do feel really good about myself afterwards.''

The 24-year-old reality television star wore a tight fitting top and an A-line skirt at the party and posed for pictures with two models wearing Bluebella underwear.

The Chelsea socialite shed her excess weight over the summer months in preparation for her lingerie photo shoot, but has managed to retain her svelte figure and admits she is feeling really confident about her body.

She said: ''I had to get in shape back in the summer for my Bluebella lingerie shoot but I have kept it up and now I can fit into all the clothes that before I wouldn't have worn.

''Even a few months ago I would not have thought I would fit into a size 8 skirt like this, I absolutely love this look and I feel so confident with my body at the moment.''

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The grainy mobile phone video shows a mob of Kenyan men surround a woman and grab, grasp and yank her clothes until she is naked. Several such videos have emerged recently of attacks by males who deem a woman to be provocatively dressed. The attacks have created a grounds well of anger that saw mostly women protesters flood downtown Nairobi Monday.

The hashtag #MyDressMyChoice is trending in Kenya's social media, as this East African country sees a clash between new, Western lifestyles and traditional African ways.

Rachel Machua wore what she called "a little black dress ... my normal outfit" to Monday's protest. She views the recent attacks as stemming from socio-economic conditions: Lower income men are attacking successful, well-dressed women.

The attacks are not overtly religious in nature, though this is a conservative, mostly Christian country. The women at the march described "normal" levels of sexual harassment over the years and said that peers will warn other women that "you're gonna get undressed" for wearing a particular outfit.

"Kenyan men are in different groups. My father wanted me to be here and said you can dress however you want. Then there are others who think you are out of their reach and they try to victimize you," said Machua, 26, who runs an aid group called Transforming Generations.

Women play an active role in Kenyan society. The country's foreign minister is a woman, though few women hold high-ranking elected office. Parliament is a virtual men's club, unlike in neighboring Rwanda, where more than half of parliament is female.

After the recent attacks, elderly Kenyan women are said to have rescued the naked victims by giving them a shawl to cover up.

About 10 percent of the approximately 1,000 people marching through the streets were men. James Wamathai, said he was marching because he believes in equal rights.

"I think it's really horrible and no women should have to go through that," said Wamathai, 33, who does commercial media work. "It's a weird sexual fetish. If you see some of the videos some of the men are groping the women. ... But it's not based on anything (like religion) because in Africa we didn't used to wear clothes."

Just 100 meters (yards) from the march's meeting point, park worker Ulda Akinyi emptied trash. Akinyi looked at the demonstration with disdain, and said she has instructed her three daughters to dress conservatively for fear of attracting unwanted attention. "Wearing miniskirts is the devil's work," said Akinyi.

Men gathered against a nearby fence. Most said they didn't support the cause. A man who gave only his first name, John, said he didn't want Kenya's women to "seduce" him by wearing revealing clothing.

"It's like three-quarters naked if you are wearing one of those short skirts," said David Ndongo, who works on one of Kenya's mini transport buses known as matatus, where women can also face harassment.

Robyn Emerson is a 43-year-old American from Texas who has lived in Kenya for a decade. In America, she said, women talk about issues like equal pay and abortion rights. Kenya is just a couple steps behind, she said.

"I think there are so many things happening in Nairobi and Kenya all at once, a new way of living influenced by modernity which runs up against cultural stances," she said. "But at the confluences we can't say we want some parts of modern things — we want to be a middle income and have modern technology — and not the other things that come with it."

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Have you ever wondered why, despite repeated efforts at driving home the fact that the glossy photoshopped bodies and faces of models aren’t real, we continue to consume media that perpetuates these unrealistic standards of attractiveness? Here’s a really disconcerting piece of information for you to consider: according to a new study, women may be buying fashion and beauty magazines to fat-shame themselves. Yes, you heard me correctly. We’re consuming this garbage under the guise that those waistlines of literally impossible measurements are attainable, be it through diet, or exercise, or sheer willpower. We as consumers are fueling the very fire we’re combatting.

In a five-day study of 51 female college students, researchers showed the women advertisements and stories from various magazines. On each day, they were given 16 articles from popular media brands, each one containing a prominent female figure. The participants were then asked to rate their body image and satisfaction. The researchers happened upon a disturbing realization, finding that rather than women concluding unhappily that they simply don’t measure up to the “perfect” figures on the pages of their favorite magazines, they in fact turn these images into psychosomatic thinspo, thereby setting unrealistic standards of beauty for both themselves and other women.

Author of the study and Ohio State University professor Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick comments, “Women get the message that they can look just like the models they see in the magazines, which is not helpful. It makes them feel better at first, but in the long run women are buying into these thinness fantasies that just won’t come true.” Pretty lame, no?

The worst of this news, however, came after the study was finished. The women were provided with questionnaires regarding their diet habits after they’d repeatedly consumed that imagery for five straight days. The overwhelming result? Women who simply compared themselves to the models depicted had lower body image. The silver lining in this bizarre consumer brainwashing is that the percentage of women who used the imagery as inspiration for fitness actually had higher self esteem. So basically, so long as you’re already dieting and working out and also a beacon of perfection, you should be fine.

“Women might be able to fight off the harmful media impacts on their body satisfaction if they understand how these messages are designed to make them fall for unrealistic and even unhealthy body ideals.”

Hear that ladies? IT’S ALL A LIE. Please consider burning your magazines accordingly.

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Neneh Cherry has discussed some of the most important outfits she's worn during her life.

Neneh Cherry is still in mourning after having to send back some borrowed Stella McCartney clothes.

The 7 Seconds singer has always loved fashion, which has led to some odd outfits over the years. She doesn't regret any of them though and has discussed a few of her best-loved in a new interview.

Among those are the pieces she wore to Stella McCartney's recent Spring/Summer 15 show in Paris - which she topped off with an on-trend blanket coat.

"I was playing at Stella McCartney's after party and my daughter Mabel had never been to a fashion show, so we got the early train," she recalled to British newspaper The Guardian. "I was wearing a Stella McCartney knitted jumpsuit, Judy Blame necklace and Stan Smiths. I had all these amazing Stella McCartney clothes on loan. I'm still mourning sending them back."

Also making the cut was a flower-print dress Neneh, now 50, wore in 2008. It remains one of her favourite looks, even though she purchased the black, white and orange item when she wasn't really feeling herself.

"This is my weird '60s cocktail dress. I should be on a patio with some green olives. I bought it at a flea market in Sweden with my mum. I was really hungover. I tried it and it fit like it was made for me," she laughed.

In 1988 Neneh hit the headlines when she appeared on a UK pop music TV show and performed her track Buffalo Stance while heavily pregnant with her second child. She didn't let her bump affect the show, busting out her usual dance moves and donning a tight outfit. It caused a media furore, with many suggesting she was setting a bad example. Neneh still can't believe what was said about her and is proud of what she did, which is why the clothes she wore have such big memories for her.

The following year she donned a form-fitting dress emblazoned with US dollar bill prints.

"This was from [Sex and the City costume designer] Patricia Field's shop in New York - it's not by her, it's by some drag-queen designer," she recalled. "I think we ran out of money, spending it on baby clothes, so needed something cheap and cheerful. Those are $7 earrings."

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The Indian designer brand Ritu Kumar has recently unveiled its Parisian street style-meets-contemporary Indian silhouettes inspired Autumn/Winter 2014 campaign.

Conceptualized by the label’s CEO Amrish Kumar, the advertorial, showcasing The Indian Tuxedo collection, has been shot in a motion theme format by fashion photographer Farrokh Chothia.

Replete with well-tailored designs along with smart accents and print combinations, the collection, which has been created in collaboration with the French designer Samy Chalon, includes embellished evening and day wear dresses, jumpsuits, tailored jackets, tops, tunics and shirts in a lively palette of blue, teal, red, beige and off-white hues.

While speaking on the collection, Mr. Kumar states, “This year our collaboration with French designer, Samy Chalon, got us thinking about merging the best of both our worlds in order to produce something original. It resulted in a sense of synthesis of our Indian aesthetic with Parisian street style.”

“We were interested in working on structure. In particular a structured look which, was moulded to a more Eastern silhouette. This led to a series of sharply tailored jackets, trousers and shirts, which is part of ‘The Indian Tuxedo’ range. The rest of the collection too has varied options for women including prints as well as solids to create a complete look,” states the CEO.

The A/W campaign comprises 4 double spread visuals as well as individual shots, which are going live in the month of November 2014. Keeping in view the brand’s positioning in going digital, a behind the scenes video has also been created to narrate the story of the print campaign.

Started in 1969 by the 69-year-old eponymous designer, the Ritu Kumar brand specializes in the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. The label has a presence in over 35 stores in India and Dubai.

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Mots-clés : beauty, women, skincare

Winter usually marks the beginning of wedding season in India and hence, brings much more than just a rosy glow on the face of every bride-to-be. But at the same time, this season also calls for more attention to your skin as well as hair. If not taken care of properly, you might face the problems like, dryness, itchiness, flaky skin, etc. To combat these winter woes, it is essential to keep the skin and hair naturally healthy. In addition, you need to maintain the moisture content. In order to make it possible, you must indulge in a daily skin care regime. So, here are few beauty tips for you to take care of your skin and hair during winters.

Moisture Boost

Boost your beauty regimen by drinking lots of water. It helps your skin to stay young and hydrated. It is recommended to slather on a moisturising cream, as it will form a protective layer on the skin that retains more moisture.

In case you want to go for something natural, then honey can be a good option because of its moisturising properties. You can use it with other ingredients to hydrate the skin during the winter season. Add two teaspoons of milk powder to one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of egg yolk. Mix these ingredients well to make a paste. Now, apply it on your face and wash it after few minutes with lukewarm water. You can use this natural remedy every day, so as to attain soft and smooth skin.

Apply sunscreen

Many of us believe that sunscreen should only be used in summers to protect the skin from tanning. However, winter sun too can damage the skin, even though it does not seem to be so harsh due to the cold weather. It is advisable to use broad spectrum sunscreen in winters. Apply it on your face and hands, 30 minutes prior to stepping out of the house.

To give glowing effect to your tanned skin in a natural way, you can try a milk mask. Just apply milk mixed with glycerine on your face, avoiding the area around eyes. Leave it for about 15 minutes, and then rinse it off with water. The treatment softens and rejuvenates the skin. It also restores the optimal pH balance of skin, thus protecting it from negative effects of winter sun.

Avoid hot baths

Hot water bath certainly is very appealing in winters as it soothe your senses. But as appealing it might feel, it robs your skin of its natural oils and makes it drier. So, always bathe in lukewarm water instead of hot water. Oiling is one of the most important elements of your skin care regimen in winters. Apply few drops of aromatic oil, almond oil, or coconut oil on wet skin every day after bath. This helps to keep the skin smooth and moisturized.

Hair care

As the winters arrive, you need to pay extra attention on your hair as well. Just like your skin, the hair strands also become dry, dull, and fizzy during winter. To keep the lustre of your hair intact, use a silicone rich conditioner. The silicone content helps to lock down the outer layer of hair strands, and seal in the moisture.

From the nature’s basket, you can pick up avocado to take care of your hair. Simply mix the avocado pulp and extra virgin olive oil to make a paste. Apply this smooth mixture and wash it off after 30 minutes. This nourishing mask is enriched with essential vitamins, minerals, and softening agents that prepare your hair to fight winter harshness with ease.

Foot care

You need to treat your feet with winter care creams so as to prevent them from the ruthless weather. Use exfoliators frequently to get the dead skin off your feet. This will allow the moisturiser that you use for your feet, to sink in faster and deeper. Give a gentle massage using shea butter or petroleum jelly, and wear warm cotton socks for happy feet.

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No thanks to chintzy embellishments, OTT fabrications (full-fur, full-leather, animal-everything!) and second-skin silhouettes, Italian fashion has in recent decades been synonymous with flamboyance, rather than recherche style.

And as the Japanese rolled out their avant-garde designs, Belgians unleashed their brand of cerebral minimalism and the French continued to refine their forte in enduring elegance - Italian fashion seemed to have lagged behind.

It no longer had the cool cred, its flashy aesthetics appealing to the nouveau riche rather than the really discerning.

But with at least three new Italian brands setting up shop here in October alone, as well as the opening of a 1,647 sq ft flagship dedicated to the prince of leopard prints himself, Roberto Cavalli, at Marina Bay Sands in September, Italian fashion is certainly sizzling again.

In fact, shopping mall Scotts Square has just unveiled an exhibition telling the story of Italian fashion from its birth in 1951 Florence to the present day.

Called 60 Years of Made In Italy, it showcases Italian fashion from the haute couture era to the pret-a-porter creations of today, including Fernanda Gattinoni's "Impero" dress, worn by Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace (1956), a dress which earned the Lombardy-born designer an Oscar nomination for Best Costume.

"It's not right to say that Italian fashion is well-known only for extravagance. In fact, Italian fashion is 'elegance'," declares Alessia Tota, a fashion journalist who has curated the exhibition.

"Some good examples would be pret-a-porter brands such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Roberto Cavalli and many others that are renowned for their extravagant designs and have pushed the meaning of elegance to a new level for a modern age."

While the high fashion world is rife with talk about Milan Fashion Week losing its cachet, what with powerhouse editors such as Anna Wintour skipping the tail-end of the fashion capital's presentation to head to Paris's flurry of shows, most retailers are still bullish about moving their high-quality, statement products - in spite of the country's slow recovery from recession.

"If New York, Paris and London are the best locations to launch new designers, Milan Fashion week is always the highest value one and gathers most of the brands," asserts Eros Pennacchioni, chief executive officer of 40-year-old Italian leather goods brand Giudi.

"It would be incorrect to assume that Italian fashion is slowing down. Its history and tradition are alive and well. The quality, originality and avant-garde of Italian fashion have not been affected by the economic crisis."

Having just opened its first boutique here at Mandarin Gallery, Giudi offers a taste of Italian craftsmanship at relatively attainable prices: handbags start from S$600 and cost no more than S$2,000.

Another Italian brand that prides itself on affordable luxury is Boggi Milano, which officially unveils its store at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in two weeks.

"Consumers tend to, in fact, mix high-end products with mid-tier ones," says Paolo Selva Mario, business development manager for the classic Italian menswear brand.

"This can be the case of seeing people wearing a Zara dress with a Prada bag. Luxury is changing and that is where Boggi, which offers very good quality at reasonable prices, steps in."

Indeed, with the exception of Cavalli, these new-to-market labels aren't trying to usurp the heavyweights of fashion with gowns dripped in bling or three-piece vicuna suits.

They are about offering real-world chic to down-to-earth dressers. After all, these are the very people who pioneered the concept of sprezzatura, a studied nonchalance that often translated into effortless chic.

But that's not to say they do not owe their existence to a heritage steeped in high glamour and unrivalled craftsmanship.

"Italians are famous for their eye for quality and precision, down to the smallest detail of a garment, from the texture and flow of the fabric used to the construction and composition of the garments, harmonising every little part of a dress," explains Ms Tota.

"Apart from using the finest selection of rare and exclusive fabrics, Italian fashion houses are also renowned for the use of experimental materials and techniques for their collections."

Visitors to the 60 Years of Made In Italyexhibition can admire the use of small mirrors tailored with silver threads in a 1980 Salvatore Ferragamo dress, the innovative architectural pleated structure of 2005 Gianfranco Ferre and 1987 Krizia gowns, and 2001 Marella Ferrera's head-turning gold thread interlaced bodice.

One brand that has epitomised the Italian dedication to using the best possible materials is Brunello Cucinelli, a cashmere and luxury lifestyle brand that will be opening a 2,000 sq ft boutique at Paragon in December.

Its eponymous designer started the knitwear business in 1978, creating just five coloured cashmere sweaters for his first sample collection in the town of Perugia, famed for the trade.

Mr Cucinelli says: "Sales took off immediately, the business grew and the time soon came when I had to make a major decision, should I remain a good company like so many others or should I, in the words of American economist Theodore Levitt, whose fascinating ideas had inspired me to start the business in the first place, take a leap of faith and become the best at specialising in a unique product?"

After noticing that women would borrow cashmere sweaters from their husbands, brothers or fathers, and wear them with the sleeves rolled up and almost like a tunic, Mr Cucinelli decided to design pieces for women as well.

He would make annual visits to China and Mongolia to source for the best wool, which is then processed and spun by skilled craftsmen in Solomeo, a 14th-century Perugian hamlet personally restored by the brand's founder.

Likewise, the use of rarefied materials lies at the root of family-run company Giudi, where all the leather used have been tanned exclusively with natural tannins of vegetable origins such as tree bark rather than pollution-causing chemicals.

"The know-how of Italian brands has long been recognised," says Mr Pennacchioni, whose father started Giudi along with his cousin.

"There is no doubt that craftsmanship in Italy has a long history and tradition and this is something you can't replicate. People will always want the best quality products and Italian brands, like Giudi, are a guarantee of perfection."

And there is no forgetting the unique sense of Italian aesthetics that have evolved into edgy glamour over the years, from Donatella Versace's exciting collaborations with young talents to revive the hip quotient of the luxury house, to the cool-kid duds of young designer Cristiano Burani, who is showing his latest collection at Digital Fashion Week Singapore on Monday.

As Ms Tota proclaims: "Italian designers from the past 60 years have evolved to become some of the leaders in today's fashion industry and proving the test of time. Italian creativity will never die. It is part of Italian DNA."

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