7 posts tagged “news”

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 07/07/2008 10:31 AM | Headlines

When stylish, metropolitan women stroll along with a Louis Vuitton Pleaty bag, they exude an air of high class, impeccable taste and considerable purchasing power.
And because this effect does not come cheap, some resort to buying knockoff designer goods that have found permanent homes in the malls and along the pavements of the country's main cities.

Unlike fake cosmetics or medicines, commodities that can be potentially lethal, replicated fashion goods seem harmless -- especially on the consumers' pockets.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry admitted state losses due to counterfeit goods were impossible to calculate, although the ripple effects are being felt far and wide.

"It has caused Indonesia to gain a bad reputation internationally, caused lost revenue because counterfeiters do not pay taxes and has hampered foreign investment because investors have lost their faith in our protection of intellectual property rights," Ansori Sinungan, the ministry's director for copyrights, industrial design and trade secrets, told The Jakarta Post recently.

He said reports of brand violations were on the rise since 2004, with 83 cases recorded in 2007 -- up from 69 cases in 2006. The 2004 and 2005 figures stand at 61 and 63 respectively. Of the 83 cases reported last year, only 45 have been tried in court, Ansori said.

One counterfeiter, Ninna Aryanto (not her real name), said strong demand, cheap materials and a talented labor pool, as well as high returns, were some of the factors driving the growing trade in counterfeit fashion products.

Ninna, who started her Louis Vuitton (LV) replica business eight years ago, receives orders from buyers as far away as Sweden and Austria. In her small studio in Bali, she employs five workers, each working on a different process -- pattern drawing, leather cutting, stamping, stitching and sewing.

"I do a lot of research, mostly from LV-authorized boutiques, catalogs, the Internet and first-hand experience with authentic LV bags," she said.
"I study all sorts of details, such as the fabric lining -- whether it's canvas, microfiber suede, cowhide leather or micro-monogram denim."

Claiming her knockoff LVs are of the highest grade, Ninna said, "I sell a limited number of LV replicas to foreign high-class buyers. They know the quality of my products very well, that's why they're confident about using them."

"I use high quality monogram leather with real oxidizing leather handles and trim, just like authentic LV products. I carefully inspect each bag -- no missing stitches and no gaps in the stitching, no loose threads, no materials that don't lay right or zippers that don't work properly."

She said each fake LV bag cost between Rp 300,000 and Rp 400,000 to make. Her knockoff of the LV Monogram Multicolore Alma sells for US$250, with the authentic item retailing for $1,600.
Ninna said her husband, a foreign national, was responsible for delivering the bags on his monthly visits to Europe.

"The reason is simple: My husband can trick both Indonesian and EU customs officials by pretending to be a tourist who has bought souvenirs from Indonesia," she said.

Ansori said a major reason for the flourishing counterfeiting business was the lack of severe legal consequences for counterfeiters.

He said the 2001 law on trademarks was designed to provide copyright protection and support fair competition in trade, but allowed most offenses to be punishable by fines rather than imprisonment. The maximum fine under the law is set at Rp 800 million.

On the topic of protection for brand-name items, Ansori said, "Indonesia has moved a step forward in complying with a World Trade Organization agreement last year to protect brand-name products."

He said prior to this agreement, there was a "first to file" loophole in the law, which meant protection for the person or company that first registered a brand in the country, regardless of whether they actually owned the rights to it.

He cited the example, a few years ago, of a dispute between Italy-based Prada S.A., owners of the Prada brand since 1913, and an Indonesian citizen Fahmi Babra. By registering the brand name Prada in Indonesia in 1995, Fahmi was allowed to use the Prada brand on his products. Prada S.A. took the case to court and was eventually named the official trademark owner of Prada in the country.

Ansori said because of the WTO agreement, such cases were now a thing of the past.

PT Mitra Adi Perkasa (MAP), Indonesia's leading retail marketer of brand-name products, said counterfeiting well-known designs was inevitable and difficult to prevent.

"It is difficult to control such practices. But as long as it doesn't greatly affect our sales, we won't bother taking further action," Ratih D. Gianda, MAP head of investor relations, told the Post.

By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer Sat May 19, 5:00 PM ET

CANNES, France - About a decade ago, when Leonardo DiCaprio was on the cusp of megastardom and Al Gore was the U.S. vice president, the two talked together about global warming.

Now an all-out environmental activist, DiCaprio has followed Gore's lead by bringing a climate change documentary to the Cannes Film Festival. DiCaprio co-produced and co-wrote "The 11th Hour," which explains how humans have changed the climate and how to fix the damage.

"It's such an amazingly large issue, and you suddenly you feel like, what can I do? What can I do? It's too big for me to deal with," the 32-year-old actor told reporters Saturday in a beach cabana overlooking the Mediterranean.

DiCaprio said the environmental movement owed a great debt to Gore, whose "An Inconvenient Truth," was shown at Cannes and won an Academy Award for best documentary feature.

"I think that movie, through the cinematic format, was able to convey science to the public and to the media in a way that it had never done before," DiCaprio said.

He said at their meeting about 10 years ago, Gore "took his time to talk to me about the issue of global warming, which I didn't really understand very much about, and from then on I've kind of been more active."

While "An Inconvenient Truth" laid out the science behind global warming and its impact, DiCaprio's film doesn't try to prove that global warming exists — it accepts that it does and goes from there. It asks and responds to philosophical questions such as, how did mankind let nature deteriorate to this point?

DiCaprio also narrates the movie, which was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and includes commentary by visionaries from physicist Stephen Hawking to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

For a new project, DiCaprio is looking for a script with an environmental theme.

"It can't be just a film about the environment for the sake of doing it," he said. "It's got to be powerful and moving. ... It's got to be good."

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070519/ap_en_mo/people_cannes_dicaprio

By Kerstin Gehmlich
Thu Mar 1, 8:21 AM ET

PARIS (Reuters) - Either love it or hate it -- fur is dividing the Paris fashion scene this season.

Big labels such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino or Christian Lacroix celebrated the return of fur with a selection of trimmed coats this week, winning praise from luxury brands.

"There has always been fur," Gaultier said, after rapturous applause for a long coat combing fur segments with tartan.

"It's not a return but a continuation of fur. I'm always proposing it. Fur is a material that has not been replaced for the moment," Gaultier said at his Paris fashion week show.

But other designers say women who wear mink, fox or sable coats have animals' suffering on their conscience, supporting the arguments of naked animal rights activists who tried to disrupt some fur-heavy shows this week.

"I totally disagree with any electrocuted animals on people's backs," Britain's Stella McCartney told reporters after her fur-free ready-to-wear show on Thursday, in which she presented floating woolen cardigans and cashmere tops.

Her collection of knitted overalls and big-hooded anoraks worn with mini skirts struck a contrast to the range of fur-collared coats Lacroix and Valentino presented on Wednesday.

A naked protester jumped onto Lacroix's catwalk, showing her back with the crossed out word "fur" on it to photographers before being dragged away by security guards. Protesters had also tried to interrupt Valentino's show earlier.

ALTERNATIVES

McCartney, the daughter of former Beatle Paul, said there were enough alternatives to fur.

"We have everything. We're using a lots of taffetas and satins and we have a lot of knitwear ... a lot of cashmere," said the designer, who has just launched an organic skincare line.

McCartney paraded out models in pink catsuits and short silk dresses, as fur-clad fashion editors in the front-row looked on.

McCartney's pelt-loving colleagues make no secret of their admiration for animal skin, and retailers say it sells well.

"(Fur) is a luxury material and I know our customers will love it," Linda Fargo, senior vice president for the fashion office at luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman, told Reuters at Valentino's show.

"There was a bit of a trend which started in New York. We definitely saw it in Milan and we're seeing it here in Paris as well," she said about fur's comeback to runways.

Designer Riccardo Tisci rolled out slim coats with protruding fur collars in his collection for Givenchy late on Wednesday, in which he also showed a range of asymmetric black dresses for the house that dressed Audrey Hepburn.

Lacroix seemed unfazed by the protests at his show.

"I'm no hypocrite. I love fur," he said.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070301/en_nm/france_fashion_fur_dc;_ylt=AuSpVuwXInqNOjQDnFOPhd5PWrsF

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, AP Fashion Writer
Sat Feb 10, 12:20 PM ET

NEW YORK - Sunny-yet-crisp autumn days help with the transition of the seasons. Come this fall, so will a slim pencil skirt worn with a cocooning fur-trimmed sweater.

That's an outfit that bridges the gap between the voluminous looks designers have been pushing for the past few years and the sleek and slim ones we seem to be headed toward.

Style watchers also saw a renewed interest in polished and chic clothes on the runways of New York Fashion Week, which finished up Friday after more than 100 previews.

This fall, look out for architectural shapes, tailored suiting, fur trim, cropped jackets and long coats with swing. Mix textures and fabrics, and traditional daytime pieces (a tweed skirt suit, for example) with a nighttime separate (beaded or metallic top), and vice versa.

As for colors, you'll see black and brown, with pops of purple, cobalt blue, dark yellow and blue, and lots and lots of gray.

"Gray — I don't know when that became a color, but it did and it's a very important one," said Candy Pratts Price, executive fashion editor at Style.com.

"I noticed, especially after leaving Ralph Lauren, that the American fashion you're seeing is quite defined. There's a sense of grooming and polish, almost patrician," Pratts Price said. "It's not about rock 'n' roll or grunge and it's not about a sequined gown, either. ... It's a fall that looks like fall. You don't wonder, `Where am I supposed to wear this?'"

Pratts Price already has picked out a few things for her personal shopping list, which will be posted for the world to see as a lookbook on the Style.com Web site:

_A long and lean pantsuit from Marc Jacobs, and possibly a long and lean tunic, too.

_An embroidered cropped jacket from Proenza Schouler.

_A velvet and mohair dress with a sweetheart neckline from Calvin Klein, though she might see if it comes in a color other than green.

There's also a case to be made for a sweater-style knit dress.

And Michael Fink, women's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, thinks there are a few other must-have items, especially a dramatic jacket or coat — "one with a lantern sleeve, or a full volume back, or a rounded shoulder," he suggested. "What looks new is when you layer this over a slimming pant, pencil skirt, or body conscious dress."

A touch of glamour, either something metallic or covered in sequins or paillettes, will liven up a wardrobe that is otherwise dominated by the serious suits in dark colors, Fink added, and a patent leather pump is the shoe to buy. "It's the perfect shoe for any outfit and any occasion. No more clunky shoes."

Other accessories to complete your look will be riding-style boots and a hat. It could be cloche, knit, beret or even a wide-brim hat — both Marc Jacobs and Nicole Miller sent those down the runway.

Probably the most noteworthy thing about this round of fashion shows is that the clothes looked mostly like classic American sportswear instead of an effort to mimic the more abstract and artsy designs of Europeans.

These are clothes American women feel confident and comfortable wearing — something to make both the women and retailers happy.

For the designers, they're able to carve out an identity for themselves. It was probably easier than ever before to see a layered tulle look and declare it a Vera Wang, a dress with cutouts as a Narciso Rodriguez, a knockout gown as a Bill Blass and an architectural suit as a Calvin Klein.

"There was no fashion trickery," Pratts Price said.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_en_ot/new_york_fashion_week_wrap

We ask hairstylists, anthropologist what's behind new trend.

By Farrah Weinstein

When Cameron Diaz appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" earlier this month to promote her new movie "The Holiday," she shocked the masses. Wearing a zebra-print dress, the quintessentially blond actress had become an effervescent, dark-haired mystery woman.

"For some reason, in my mind, I'm a brunette," the statuesque beauty told Leno. "But it's kind of fun because I'm a natural blonde, so I still get to use that excuse. People react differently to me. I get hit on by different guys. The darker guys seem to come at you as well, the guys who are more introspective."

Diaz made the bold move back in September, just in time for her boyfriend Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds record-release party. It was a complete 360 for the "Charlie's Angels" actress, who has been associated with her blond hair since her "There's Something About Mary" days. Diaz's black hair seems to bring out the actress' sky-blue eyes and accentuate the chiseled angles on her face.

But Diaz isn't the only blond star to undergo the refreshing change. Ashley Olsen has opted for a darker shade after many years as a streaky blonde. So have Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and Nicole Richie. (Full disclosure: Duff dyed her hair for a movie she is currently shooting called "Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens," in which she plays a European pop star.) Even Beyoncé has gotten rid of her blond highlights and is now showing off her full, voluptuous dark locks.

(See how the ladies' brunet locks compare with their previous blond 'dos in these photos.)

And let's not forget about Britney, who can't seem to decide between black and blond. It's almost impossible to keep up with Spears' forever-changing locks. In August, when she was pregnant with her second child, she dyed her hair black and wore long extensions to the Teen Choice Awards (see "Britney Introduces K-Fed, Nick Lachey Scores 'Awkward' Award At Teen Choice 2006"). She dyed it blond again and then, two weeks ago, she dyed it black. Last week, she was spotted at an L.A. Lakers game with her sister, sporting honey-blond highlights. What gives?

Louise O'Connor, owner of prestigious New York salon OC61, says darkening locks and flipping back and forth "shows how a woman is feeling."

"I think Britney is doing this because she is depressed and confused," she said. "On the other hand, Cameron Diaz looks beautiful, and she has changed her whole look and attitude."

"There was a time when brunettes ruled, like Raquel Welch and Sophia Loren, when brunettes were the sexy hot look," added hairstylist-to-the-stars Edward Tricomi of Warren-Tricomi hair salon. "Now they're bringing sexy back."

Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University, says blond is outdated and a head full of natural, glowing brown hair looks more youthful.

"The blonde is becoming more and more of the lady who lunches, the kind of woman who does nothing all day except get her hair done," she said. "The blonde used to be regarded as natural, and now everyone knows that it's not. Black hair was always considered sexy and attractive because it signified youth."

Most importantly, with many women being bottle blondes, a brunette stands out — and men like women who stand out, Fisher believes.

"We're so used to seeing five blondes in a photograph, but when there's a brunette in the middle, that is novel," said the anthropologist, who recently penned a book called "Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love." "It may even be a signal of daring, someone who doesn't follow the crowd. Men are very attracted to women who are daring."

Still, as daring as you may be, stylists advise to not go black if you plan on going back to being a blonde.

"You have to be sure about it," O'Connor said. "To go back to blond is very taxing on the hair. It's a definite change. It's going to change your look, how you feel. The attention you get as a blonde is different than the attention you get as a brunette. You are taken more seriously."

Also, if you're going to embrace a darker look, be sure to seek a professional and be wary of drugstore dyes.

"If you're going from blond to dark and your hair has been bleached out and you put a color on top of that, you could end up with a green tone if you put an ash brown in it," O'Connor said. "At a salon, going dark is the cheapest thing to do. You can get a single process and be brown within an hour."

Lastly, O'Connor suggests, try before you dye.

"Make sure it does suit your skin tone," she said. "Maybe get a wig and test that out for a few days before going permanent."

Celebrity hairstylist Oscar Blandi says he's noticed an increase in women coming into his salon and asking for their hair to be darker over the course of the past month.

"A lot of the time it can be a psychological thing," he said. "Britney, Lindsay, they want to find a new star. They are looking for a new identity. They want to start a new image. A lot of the time you find that it looks great, it's a great contrast. Great skin color and blue eyes look great together.

"In Hollywood, people need to reinvent themselves, and a great way to do it is by changing drastically," Blandi continued. "People are getting tired of the Paris Hilton bimbo-blonde look. They want to look intelligent and sexy, and you can be sexy and be a brunette. If you look at the cover of W, nobody is going to tell you Cameron Diaz is not sexy."

Another positive aspect about going brunet is that your can wear your same wardrobe but look completely different.

"If you have a low-cut blouse down to your navel, you might look a little more intelligent with dark hair," Blandi said. "After a while, you get bored of looking at something. When all the magazines are doing blond, blond, it becomes refreshing to see a brunette."

source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1548688/20061221/index.jhtml?rsspartner=rssYahooNewscrawler

Tent dresses
Fashionably pregnant women everywhere must be elated over the return of designer Pierre Cardin's signature dress, which he created in 1966. Tent dresses were plentiful during New York's recent fashion week at Alice Roi, DKNY, Sass & Bide, Diane von Furstenberg and other designer shows. The pyramid-style dress drapes from the shoulders or bust with no waist and has enough fabric to hide the largest bump. But should any nonpregnant woman wear one? We think not.

Too-high platforms
Some fashion trends should never be resurrected, but then what would fashion designers do for inspiration? High platform shoes--4 inches or higher--have been around since the 16th century. We watched them rise in the 1940s (with Carmen Miranda wearing glittery wedge soles), then again in the 1970s disco era with singer Elton John. Now a new generation of women can break their ankles for the sake of fashion. Stylish women have always been willing to put up with a little pain, but these iconic shoes are best saved for Halloween.

Being too thin
Even before organizers of Madrid Fashion Week and the Madrid regional government banned models who were considered too thin from the runway, the industry was buzzing about alarmingly thin models. And ultra-waiflike Hollywood celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan seem to have succumbed, too. Protruding collarbones, bony arms and hips aren't a fashion trend. When the average woman in the United States is a size 12, fashion types in Madrid shouldn't be the only ones taking a stand.

Goth makeup
Raccoon eyes, dark lips and black nails. Not a look for winning friends, but who needs friends when you're the ridiculously wealthy Olsen twins? Their dark, brooding look has infiltrated fashion runways and magazines for the moment, but it'll be gone in a flash. Who wants to spend that much time applying and removing makeup?

Monster handbags
A gigantic handbag is like a security blanket, complete with all the comforts of home. It can double as an overnight bag, storing a lunch, a few wardrobe changes and a pair of shoes with room for more. In times of distress, it can serve as a weapon. The downside: It can weigh a ton and cause your shoulders to ache. You can forsake good posture for fashion, but be sure to find a great masseuse.

SOURCE: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2006-11/23/content_741379.htm

isn't that great news? all those time i kept wishing that their marriage would soon be over so that she could go back to being the sexy songstress we all know and love. and a few days ago she filed for divorce. i'm ecstatic. this calls for a celebration.

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• Really, how hard can it be for a guy to stay married to Britney Spears?
  
• Britney's first night out as a single girl
• Yes, it's true: Britney and K-Fed are o-v-e-r!
• Britney's most outrageous moments
• Sutton Pierce, er, Jayden James is born
• Watch it: Britney's baby album
• Growing up Britney