Say yes to the dress, and help women battling breast cancer

In keeping with the truism that one woman's discarded bone-white Vera Wang organza ball gown is another's score of the century, Brides Against Breast Cancer has been connecting budget brides with gently used dream dresses for some time now.D.C. brides take note: The group's touring bridal sale rolls into the Dupont Circle Hotel beginning Friday, and you might find your dress and help the cause at the same time: Proceeds from the sales and tickets go towards the organization's mission to offer resources and outreach to women suffering from breast cancer.Will we see would-be brides dressed only in sports bras wrestling over gowns, as they would at the annual Running of the Brides? One can dream.
The sale offers a lot of tulle for not a lot of dough. Most of the thousand-odd dresses, organizers say, are priced between $99 and $799. All of the gowns are donated to the organization, with some gently used and others still toting the original tags.Admission is a little convoluted. For first dibs on the dresses, spend $40 for VIP admission on Friday night, which gets the bride and a buddy in for early shopping, plus champagne and hors d'oeuvres.If you want to shop early on Saturday morning, buy a Pink Power Hour ticket for $20 and get two hours of unencumbered shopping before the masses are allowed in. General admission (Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) is free, but all guests must still reserve tickets.
This weekend, I went shopping with a friend of mine, doing what I do best, i.e. encouraging her to buy everything she looked cute in (and vice versa, although I didn't look cute in anything, SAD FACE). "You're so bad to shop with!" she exclaimed, holding a pile of clothes as we waited in line at the register. "I'm spending so much money…"When it was her turn at the register, we stood there chatting as the salesperson rang up all her items and bagged them. She announced the total and my friend paused our conversation to hand over her credit card. We made eye contact as she signed her receipt, and I could tell both of us were thinking the same thing. When we got out of the store and had safely turned the corner, we both stopped in our tracks."Wait, wait, wait, how was your total that little?" I asked frantically. "It should have been twice that!""I know, I know, I know!" she exclaimed, digging through her shopping bag, searching for the receipt."Was something on sale? Is everything in there?" All of the clothing she had purchased ― two dresses, a pair of shoes (on sale), a skirt, and a pair of jeans ― was accounted for.

The bonanza of blue-green dresses was refreshing

TV's biggest celebration of itself started with a ho-hum red carpet at the 64th Emmy Awards last night.There were lots of perfectly lovely dresses (even a few stunners), but many actresses opted for gowns that seemed like a seamstress ― or a stylist ― didn't know when to say "cut." Let's just say it was easy to catch a train ― or three.Here's what did work: The bonanza of blue-green dresses was refreshing. Sofia Vergara rocked a beaded turquoise number, as did "The Good Wife's" Archie Panjabi in her teal strapless dress. Juliana Margulies deserved best dress status in a green floral that looked like it could be framed and hung in a gallery alongside corset dress Supplier's water lily paintings.
If Margulies' dress was fine art, the "Mad Men" crew seemed, well, a bit maddening. Elisabeth Moss' fashion choice was also floral, but in a dark palette, one that unwisely featured ruffles. Moss' platinum blond locks were matched in intensity only by her castmate January Jones, who slicked back her strawberry blond tresses. Jones' hair, coupled with heavy black eyeliner and black Zac Posen, recalled Gwyneth Paltrow's Goth turn at the Oscars in 2006.But many actresses were sheer delights ― embracing the see-through elements from the recent New York runways. Ginnifer Goodwin was a hit in her red lace asymmetrical gown by Monique Lhuillier. The "Once Upon a Time" star looked like a fairy tale beauty.
Loose-fitting sweaters define the silhouette for the latest collection from Les Copains.Designer Alessandro Dell'Acqua focused on the label's trademark knitwear for the womenswear spring-summer 2013 collection.Relaxed striped sweaters with a nautical feel were paired with fitted cigarette pants or pencil skirts. Dell'Acqua also took inspiration from the African Masai intricate intarsia knitwear that showed up as sweaters, skirts and sexy mini babydolls. Sequins and beads made some pieces ready for evening.
The collection also contained flower graphics -- one of the themes blossoming on the Milan runway this season.Accessories included thin golden belts, cinching a black sequined dress with sheer top or a sparkly gold bustier dress.Playing with colors and combining them into beautiful patterns is an Etro trademark.For next summer designer Veronica Etro transformed his prints into a variety of silhouettes from the Hawaiian Muumuu to the Oriental pajama and female Ninja warrior.Whatever the style, the look was as light as a paint brush stroke. The prints highlighted the uniqueness of the gowns from a butterfly inspired dress with wing-like sleeves to a slender dress with a built-in long cape.

Featuring celebrity-studded shows by big names as well as a crop of designers

DESIGNERS turned to Nature for inspiration at the opening day of London Fashion Week last Friday, showcasing a collection of sheer silk dresses, delicate embroidery and elegant show pieces all featuring a floral-inspired theme.Britain's capital took over the baton from New York, which wrapped up its week with sparkly dresses and bold geometric prints, with a pared-down colour palette of fresh pastels and faded dip-dyes.Designers Antoni & Alison opened the show with a series of quirky silk printed dresses, followed by Fyodor Golan whose collection was revealed in the grandiose lounge of the Waldorf Hilton and inspired by Mayan and Aztec cultures.Models floated down the steps in shift dresses, loose kaftans and bold show pieces varying in electric blue, canary yellow, autumnal amber and bright pink hues, with intricate beading embroidery, and tribal-inspired prints and cutouts.
"We wanted to show lightness and spirituality, and at the same time to have that sexuality there. So it's that contrast but it's not in your face, it's still strong and gives you power but it's very emotional, something that will engage you," said designer Fyodor Podgorny who, along with his partner Golan Frydman, has consistently impressed critics since their debut collection two years ago. The duo kept their look neutral, with slicked back ponytails and bare faces on models offset by delicate painted tribal tattoos, and intricate facial jewellery covering eyes and noses.Theatrical hats, crazy heels and bright red lipsticks were out in full force at the first previews, which included shows by veteran designer Caroline Charles, Bora Aksu and Australian label sass and bide.London Fashion Week is a more eclectic affair than its cousins in New York, Milan and Paris, featuring celebrity-studded shows by seasoned big names like Burberry and Vivienne Westwood as well as a crop of younger designers, including Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou and Roksanda Illincic.
Veteran fashion journalist Hilary Alexander said she was impressed by the attention to detail and vibrant colours."It's not for everybody, a woman who's a minimalist would probably throw up her hands in horror but I happen to love them," she said.Designer Corrie Nielsen said that her collection, entitled Florilegium, was inspired by the Royal Botanic gardens in London and Japanese artist Makoto Murayama."Everything has been cut three-dimensionally and shaped, inspired from the flower," she said.The collection also featured sleek tailored pieces alongside dip-dyed silk blouses and origami-folded jackets in pale yellows, pinks and creams.Sheer dresses embellished with embroidered applique details in icy blues, mint greens and lilacs were seen at Bora Aksu.Models were adorned with cut-out felt crowns, sporting braids and back-combed hair, wearing light printed and embroidered gowns inspired by art deco, and botanical gardens.

Emma Watson dresses down for day out with boyfriend Will Adamowicz

She may be taking time out of her degree studies to focus on her acting career, but Emma Watson still looks like a student.Pictured with her boyfriend Will Adamowicz in New York yesterday, the high-profile couple looked like a pair of students.In contrast to her tight, glam mini dress that she wore on Jimmy Fallon's chat show on Friday, Emma was dressed down in jeans and a leather jacket. With her hair left loose and natural and a pair of large dark sunglasses, the English actress was barely recognisable.No doubt the couple, who have been dating since the end of last year, were enjoying spending time together during a gap in her busy work schedule.
Emma is currently promoting her new film The Perks Of buy Cheap School girl's costumes from china.The coming-of-age story is based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Stephen Chbosky, which provoked some controversy with its handling of drugs, homosexuality and teen culture.The story follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a misfit teenager who arrives at a new High School without friends, any idea how to make them.He is taken under the wing of senior student, free-spirited Sam (Emma) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller).Charlie is bewitched by Sam, and she becomes his main love interest, for much of the story an idealised dream figure for the awkward teen.Talking about the movie recently, Emma said she is hoping it allows her fans to see a different side to her, rather than her Harry Potter alter-ego Hermione Granger.
She said: 'I hope what Harry Potter fans can see is that I am able to transform, that there are other sides of me that perhaps they haven't seen yet, and that they might allow me a little bit of room.'Just doing American really is different. People have said to me that they keep forgetting it's me when they see the Discount Cat & Bunny, which for me is more than enough. That's a success in itself for me, really.'
"We originally opened with a focus on historical arms. Over the years, we've really grown and we've changed and we've evolved into becoming a much more broad-based history museum," she said. Last year, we kind of came out with a new brand. We changed our name and we wanted to send the message that this is what we're doing. This is the direction we're going in.""You feel like you're really able to get close to the objects (which are all enclosed in glass cases), which is nice. I think people are going to really be pleased with the experience in that regard."

The fashionista's dilemma: Cheap clothes

When was the last time you looked at the label on your clothes to check where they were made or what they are made of?A few years ago, I was living a paradox familiar to many Americans: eating local and organic food, carrying reusable bags to the grocery store and choosing eco-friendly products wherever I could. This mindfulness was in no way extended to my closet -- I owned more than 350 items of clothes, every single bit of it cheap, trendy, poorly made and assembled in low-wage factories in other countries.Fashion today has a here-today-gone-tomorrow mentality, where the latest look, lowest price or the hottest designer are paramount and quantity is valued over quality. For the first time in history, we are consuming clothes as a disposable good, buying a cheap dress for a date night and wearing it but once or twice. These changing attitudes prompted me to write my book, "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion," and what I learned about the fashion industry during the process compelled me to change.
Our consumption of clothing is growing at an alarming rate. Most Americans have closets brimming, if not overflowing with clothes. Few of those purchases are made here -- 3% of apparel is produced in the United States, down from about half in 1990. While American factories sit empty, our thirst for cheap imported clothing has kept the cash registers at many stores humming throughout the recession.
Fashion's environmental footprint has also mushroomed. There are more than 80 billion garments produced around the world today, and according to a study by the UK's Cambridge University, the industry is creating 70 million tons of waste water as of 2006 in the UK alone. In China, the largest clothing manufacturer in the world, the textile industry is also a major polluter. Last year, I traveled undercover to southern China and saw smog enshrouding a landscape of factories and, more shockingly, hundreds of factory workers wearing cheap, trendy clothes. As China's consumer class grows, already-scarce resources like water and petroleum may soon buckle under all of this shopping.In July, when it came out that the Olympic uniforms were made in China, Americans were outraged, making it clear that we're growing weary of soulless consumption. I believe we're ready for more meaningful wardrobes, and to support our amazing clothing heritage. My mother recently gave me a dress that she wore in high school in the 1960s. It was made by Jonathan Logan, a juniors brand that was considered cheap for its day -- the dress is 100% wool, fully lined, finished with French seams and made in the USA.