Apparently military fashion is coming back in- and with that knowledge I started researching the history of military influence on American fashion- call me a nerd, but it sparked an interest.

Did you know that military uniforms from the 1040′s started making a fashion debut in the 70s?

It seems like every season fashion designers pay homage to our past military endeavors- we are always taking a look at new trends from pea coats, to militant style buttons, camouflage, navy blue, khaki, olive greens, …there are so many little things that standard and historic military uniforms have contributed to our fashion. It’s crazy!

Maybe it is the feeling of strength and power that these clothes conjure up? Maybe it’s the pristine tailoring that people are drawn to? There may be many reasons why designers are continuously adding in flairs of military influences- but it is totally apart of our fashion world. If you want to read up more on it- read the info from this site- it’s actually pretty interesting.

Check out Ethical Ocean’s Energy Saving Light Bulb

Ethical Ocean is an online store representing the most ethical products in North America. Their guidelines are simple: Good for People, Good for Animals or Good for the Environment. Integrity is important to them, so all of their sellers are thoroughly screened prior to becoming an acceptable vendor.

I love this concept and thought it would be fun to share with you guys. Personally I enjoy products like this and think it’s important to understand that our purchasing decisions affect our society and the planet. This site makes it simple.

 

They pretty much carry an endless amount of ethical based items, from clothing, to beauty products, all the way to baby toys and clothing.

If your an online shopper and looking for some great Holiday gifts… Look no further then Ethical Ocean. As cliche as it is to write this, it’s true; It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Sure this is a Hair Blog….

But we love make up!

Check out this great see and do make up spread from fashion week.

Bonus** It includes some really good DIY tips and tricks!

Did you see Alexander Wang?

Maybe you missed it because you were blow drying your hair? Well according to Guido, lead hair at Alexander Wang, wet hair represents a fashion statement and it is chic. Next time skip the blow out and enjoy the show.

“This is a very natural look that a girl could very easily achieve herself. It’s got that ‘just out of the shower’ feel to it, and I think it’s very chic to have a wet hair look when fully dressed in amazing clothes, like Alexander Wang. The very trendy, fabulous clothes in this collection paired with the effortless hair makes for a very cool finished look.”–Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

I mean I guess when you think about it…. that super busy office woman whose life is go go go and is needing that wash n go hair; apparently all you need is a great outfit!

Wait wait wait….. you need a great outfit and a perfect cut!!

We are dying to know what do you think?

In conjunction to using a wide variety of textiles, Derek Lam was able to capture a modern architecture based feel to his sportswear collection.

Lam said in his notes that the little fantasy that shapes the look begins at a beautiful mid-century home in Palm Springs, Calif., specifically the Kaufman house designed by Richard Neutra. The clean, modern interiors coupled with the desert landscape is his “place of salubrious comfort.”

Everything felt very androgynous. This collection is without a doubt an ideal fitting and design for a confident woman. A woman who doesn’t mind hiding her “comfort features” and using her face to expose her beauty.


The hair was a fabulous addition to this collection. In keeping the theme of over exposing the woman’s face, it was a perfect design by pulling it all back and using a side part to tie off the androgynous feel.


I was also drawn to this collection for the versatility of it’s inspiration. Some pieces took us back to the strength of the 60′s while other pieces, due to the textile, gave a loosens  of the 70′s.

Cathy Horyn/The New York TimesA look from spring 2012 Narciso Rogriguez collection.

Maybe a year ago — or was it longer? — Prabal Gurung answered Demi Moore’s Twitter post with his own. Until then, Mr. Gurung, an up-and-coming designer who started his company two years ago, had been on the Twitter fence. He really didn’t know what it was and, as he said, “it seemed too much about yourself.” But after replying to Ms. Moore, he quickly got 500 followers. Today he has 32,604 followers, and as he calculated the payoff from the social media network, says, “It’s a business.” It has helped him build his brand.

I had come down to Mr. Gurung’s small studio on West 38th Street to preview his spring collection, something I love doing but seem to have less and less time for, perhaps because I’m tweeting. I’m awfully busy, but so was Mother Hubbard.

After Mr. Gurung showed me a few things, including a custom flower print he created with a printmaker in England, I dropped by Joseph Altuzarra’s showroom on West 40th Street. Over the years, I’ve learned not to draw any conclusions about a collection from mood boards or snapshots of individual looks. The clothes appear horribly flat, the models like sentries of a cult. Instead you have to look at the actual garments, and then wait to see how the designer and stylist put everything together on the runway.

Mr. Altuzarra showed me a dress and a padded jacket that had elements of perforated leather. It was obvious that he had really thought about how to integrate components from last season (parkas, for instance) into a spring wardrobe. Yet at the same time, when I saw the subtle effects of the leather in a jersey dress, I wondered how many people on Saturday night — when Mr. Altuzarra shows his collection — will notice the details or be able to identify the fabric as the models zoom past and iPhones click away. Mr. Gurung was particularly proud of a silk print jacket in his collection; he knew how hard it was to make the complicated pattern match at the seams (the D’Angelo factory in New York made the jacket). But, again, how many people will notice how perfectly the pattern lines up?

This has always been a problem — stuff flies past and you miss the details. Also, the roles of designers have been expanding for decades, well beyond the actual making of clothes. They’re celebrities, entrepreneurs. Indeed, the public has no trouble accepting that many designers are not designers at all.

But on Thursday, when I arrived at Lincoln Center and saw rows of writers tapping away at their stations, I sensed a paradox of the modern runway. Despite the amount of information flowing, we may actually know less about the real work — the making of clothes. Similarly, news reports enter a kind of vacuum. If I hadn’t asked several people for a reaction to the conviction of John Galliano on anti-Semitism charges in Paris, I doubt I would have heard a peep all day. Generally, these people thought the ruling was correct, and that Mr. Galliano could repair his career. “I will bet that he will make a comeback,” Howard Socol, the former Barneys chief and now a consultant, said before the Richard Chai show. “This happens in sports and politics all the time.”

I’m quite sure that Narciso Rodriguez doesn’t qualify as an avant-garde designer, but during a visit to his studio later in the day, I certainly wondered if a skillful eye and hand might be radical. He had created a group of cardigan jackets in linen with built-out shoulders and wand sleeves and almost no lapels. He had supplied a small but intelligent solution to contemporary tailoring. But you’ll have to see for yourself next week, when he shows.

Forbes has got you covered!

Here is a great list of Forbes 5 designers and shows to keep your eyes on.

1. Derek Lam – September 11 – The clean-lined, femininity of Derek Lam’s clothing has been recognized with multiple industry awards. But another reason to pay attention is that Lam continues to build social media into his design business. Lam dipped a toe into uncharted fashion waters this spring when he debuted his collection and allowed anyone with internet access to vote for their favorite pieces. The resulting crowdsourced collection was available exclusively on eBay. Now he’s not only a participating retailer during Fashion’s Night Out but he’s leveraging Facebook and the chic hordes to source the next “Crosby Girl.”
2. Rebecca Minkoff – September 12 – This indie accessories and apparel designer’s star is on the rise, partly because of her dedication to quality production with an edgy vibe, and partly because she’s placed herself at the intersection of such fashion influencers as Polyvore.com and top fashion bloggers. Last fall, Minkoff invited Polyvore users to personally re-interpret her signature Morning After Clutch. 6,000 entries later, the result was a winning bag that went into production and is premiering today. For the launch at Fashion’s Night Out, Rebecca Minkoff is hosting The Man Repeller, a blogger with a formidable following, for a hair braiding bar at Saks Fifth Avenue.
3. J. Crew – September 13 – Approximately 420,000 Google results for “girl crush” should be enough to establish J. Crew’s creative director and president Jenna Lyons as the go-to gal of all things preppy chic. Now she’s presiding over the retailer’s very first turn in the Lincoln Center tents. And just like that, the company that started with one catalog in the early 1980s catapults over the velvet ropes to earn serious fashion cred.
4. Marc Jacobs – September 12 and 15 – Fashion editors are already swooning over the plethora of polka dots in Marc’s F/W 11 collection, building up buzz for what’s to come in spring. The designer’s also got a uniquely interactive e-commerce site and a lively presence on Twitter (the latter thanks to gushy,over-sharings of president Robert Duffy and the disgruntled intern who took his complaints to the stream). The live streamed shows of Marc by Marc Jacobs and Marc Jacobs Collection are just frosting on this very fashion-forward cake. Shopaholics can also participate in the FNO frenzy online and enter to win items autographed by Marc and his muse, actress Dakota Fanning.
5. Ralph Lauren – September 15 – Courtesy of the digital direction of his son David, Ralph Lauren will be live streaming his runway show on the New York Times‘ iPad app. It’s just another seamless bridge between the designer’s classic chic and the company’s pioneering stance on multimedia presentations.

We will be keeping you posted on these show and breaking down the energy, inspiration, hair, etc. from each of them!