Modeling the world

September 12th marked Tom Ford’s return to womenswear, following a six-year “pause,” with one of the most strongly guarded presentations in modern fashion memory. He turned the traditional fashion show formula on its head by banishing the standard hordes of photographers, Twitterers and bloggers who offer same-day coverage on the internet, and invited only pinnacle fashion editors and one photographer, Terry Richardson, inside the walls of his spring 2011 presentation.

Mr. Ford (as he now prefers to be called) also did away with traditional runway models, as an alternative handpicking some names you might be more recognizable with–Beyoncé, Julianne Moore, Lauren Hutton, and Rita Wilson–to showcase his garments. He told the media that they’d just have to remain for the photos: Richardson’s photographs would emerge on the newly relaunched TomFord.com in December, when the clothes were prepared for his stores. Currently Vogue is running the first images of the collection in their December issue, which hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles this Tuesday.

“I do not recognize everyone’s requiring to see everything online the day after a show,” he explains to Vogue. “I don’t think it at last serves the customer, which is the whole point of my business–not to provide journalists or the fashion system. To put amazing out that’s going to be in a store in six months, and to observe it on a starlet, ranked in US magazine next week? My customer doesn’t desire to wear the similar thing she saw on a starlet!”

In the time as Mr. Ford left Gucci in 2004–a dark period where “My values were in the incorrect position and “I didn’t know if I cared if I lived or died”–he discovered Daoism and co-wrote, financed, directed and edited the seriously acclaimed “A Single Man,” a film which earned Colin Firth an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Karachi Designers researched with silhouettes and drifted away from their staple long kurtas and palazzos on the second day of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council-Sunsilk Fashion Week (PFDC-SFW) here to throw up a blend of creativity and contemporary cuts even as a vast blast close to the venue unsuccessful to cast a shadow on the event.

The blast, close to the Sindh chief minister’s residence, compressed a police building and killed minimum of 19 people. It did result in a minor rescheduling and back-to-back shows, leaving slight time for the models to alter their outfits and hair but the backstage crews managed to pull off the exercise pretty well and everything went efficiently.

The designers who stood out Thursday were Moeed Yousaf and Farya Aftab of label Muse as their 1940s-inspired collection had tailored splits, high-waist pants, skirts, glamorous dresses, jumpsuits and tunics minus leggings as Pakistani women shy away from presentation off their legs.

The spotless cuts and edgy dressing brought in a breath of fresh air to the fashion week.

Students from the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) also left a spot with their hoodies and micro skirts teamed with leggings, umbrella-cut tunics, irregular buttoned tunics and ruffled dresses in hues of metallic green, turquoise, fuchsia and bright yellow.

For the foremost time, one also got to observe the sari on the ramp and credit for this goes to Sehyr Saigol of Libaas, who is also the PFDC-SFW chairperson.

There was hardly any skin show and just a slight experimentation, but Pakistani designers still managed to set the ramp on fire with their extremely wearable clothes that married the conventional with the Western at the country’s best known fashion week.

A model presents a creation by Pakistani fashion designer Mohsin on the opening day of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Sunsilk Fashion Week in Karachi, yesterday.

The first day’s finale of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week will be a charity show entitled Fashion Gives Back. The fashion week will showcase designs from 40 local designers for Spring/Summer 2011.

Mohsin’s collection was an extension of his thesis project, Homeless Hazara, and he patrician it Chadar Namaaz.

‘I have always been awestruck by dupattas since in my family every female wears it. So for my debut line I thought I can present how good-looking and stylish it can be,’ said Mohsin.

Often called “the bible of fashion”, Women’s Wear Daily magazine renowned its 100th anniversary last week. The red carpet at the celebration was star-studded with models, designers, and fashionistas, but many had impressive in general: black was the irresistible palette of the high fashion event at Cipriani in NYC.

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen crooked up representing their line The Row. The twins wore shaggy black fur coats, and Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, was spotted in a coat with a comparable black fur collar. You recognize the Olsen twins must be doing somewhat right if it’s Anna-approved.

Eye catching collars were moreover worn by fashion designers Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman, founders of Marchesa. Craig’s layered gold necklaces were suggestive of a Cleopatra-style breastplate, and Chapman’s fluffy neckline looked similar to an amped-up take on Queen Elizabeth’s ruffled collars. Designer Anna Sui’s Chinese-inspired embroidered velvet cape showed a style for the historical as well.

Though these names in fashion were there to celebrate the narration of the iconic periodical, they also appeared to be paying homage to fashion’s own history.

An unrehearsed fashion show in Los Alamitos celebrates women’s military service. Sponsored by GI Hope and Amvets, the event is designed to create the returning veterans feel welcome and special.

Until two weeks ago, Lindsay Higgins was resting on friends’ sofas and park benches.

However on Sunday evening, the 25-year-old former soldier donned a swirling black and cream evening gown and glided down the runway at an improvised fashion show in Los Alamitos celebrating women’s military service.

“I felt resembling I could be a model,” she said, beaming.

The event seized at the California Wok restaurant was organized by GI Hope and Amvets, which advocate for veterans and assist them locate services such as transitional housing, career advice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

“It’s very essential to us that our women veterans feel special, feel gorgeous and feel honored,” said Kenya Lawson, who runs GI Hope.