Michigan Momtrepreneur Launches Fashion-Forward Vegan Shoe Line
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Sept. 30, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Detroit-area TV host, blogger and momtrepreneur Elizabeth Katzman is committed to living a kinder, cleaner lifestyle … in style. Her new shoe collection for women, “Elizabeth’s,” fuses fashion and compassion in smart, trend-right styles that are also vegan, eco-friendly and cruelty-free.
Handmade in the United States of recycled materials, Elizabeth’s features the season’s must-have footwear: peep-toe booties in faux leather that are long on style but short on environmental impact — they are biodegradable and emit no volatile compounds. Faux suede platform heels are versatile, sexy and made from recycled plastic and soft, recycled ultra-microfiber. And side-zip faux leather combat boots are funky, fashionable and, like all of Elizabeth’s styles, finely crafted and comfortable enough to be worn every day.
In addition, for those in warm climes, there are Elizabeth’s jelly flip flops sporting black cow print or pink pigs and the message “Go Veg.”
“This collection was born from my love for animals and fashion,” says Katzman. “Although the two are often mutually exclusive, I don’t believe they have to be.”
Katzman is a former lawyer turned stay-at-home mom to two young boys. She created the website and blog “Elizabeth’s Kind Cafe” (http://www.elizabethskindcafe.com) to share tips on cooking, composting and gardening with kids, teaching them to care for the earth and themselves. She and her family became vegan in the process, meaning they don’t use or eat animal products, because of the widespread abuse and exploitation of animals for food and also because of the considerable health and environmental benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.
“The vegan lifestyle makes sense on so many levels, and that means not only what we eat, but what we put on our bodies and in our homes,” she adds.
Katzman’s desire to share her passion as well as resources for a kinder, cleaner lifestyle led to hosting the current “Elizabeth’s Kind Cafe” weekly talk and cooking show on Bloomfield Community TV. She also created a store on her website to make available helpful products such as books, cruelty-free cosmetics and her easy-to-use, all-natural DIY Home Cleaning Kit. Her new shoe collection fills yet another important need:
“There are vegan shoes out there, but for style-conscious women looking for really fabulous but cruelty-free footwear, there’s a hole in the market. My goal with Elizabeth’s is to fill that void, and I look forward to introducing more great styles in the months to come.”
Elizabeth’s shoes are sold exclusively online at http://www.elizabethskindcafe.com.
A portion of the proceeds from every sale benefits People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and 1% for the Planet, a global environmental initiative.
Photos from footwear collection:
http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Elizabeths-footwear.jpg
http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Elizabeths-cow-pig.jpg
Contact:
Cyndi SummersPublicist586-945-8775 (mobile)cyndisummers@prodigy.net
This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Elizabeth’s
Kim Kardashian’s make-up confession
Paris defends title as fashion research lab
PARIS |
PARIS (Reuters) – Balenciaga on Thursday proved yet again that Paris remained one of the world’s most experimental fashion capitals despite efforts by rivals Milan, New York and London to upstage it.
Fashion knows no taboo and for Balenciaga it is all about pushing the boundaries of acceptable combinations of radically different materials and colours in the same outfit.
Nicolas Guesquiere delved into Cristobal Balenciaga’s rich heritage of weaved and embroidered fabrics to produce oversized, geometrics-inspired dresses made from a patchwork of organza, polyester, leather, vinyl and other materials.
Wearing felt hats covering their eyes and half the back, models presented an eclectic spring/summer collection whose striking compositions included a bouffant ochre satin blouse on a shimmering half-purple, half-black straight long skirt.
Other original mixes included black and white prints with orange or beige satin tops or poplin prints inspired by medieval cathedrals’ stained-glass windows on short vinyl shorts.
Guesquiere awed the star-studded crowd whose front row guests included French actresses Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Chiara Mastroianni.
“His research on materials is amazing,” Deneuve told Reuters. “His mix of fabrics is very audacious.”
Charlotte Gainsbourg, always present at Balenciaga shows and the face of the brand’s first perfume launched last year, said Guesquiere was one of the only fashion designers who did not make any compromises in terms of style.
“I am always surprised by his work,” Gainsbourg told Reuters. “His clothes are about modernity and elegance but he is also a man who does not make any compromises, whether in terms of trends or comfort.”
Balenciaga, which makes more money from its handbags than from its ready-to-wear, is one of the fastest growing brands within the PPR (PRTP.PA) stable of fashion companies, sitting alongside Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Stella McCartney.
FIRST SHOW FOR CARVEN
If Balenciaga was a sleepy fashion house resuscitated by Guesquiere and financially backed by PPR over the past 10 years, Carven, which presented its first catwalk on Thursday, is a much younger revival story.
A couture label which lose its lustre in the 1980s, Carven was acquired three years ago by two businessmen who hired designer Guillaume Henry to infuse new life into it.
The brand quickly became the darling of fashion editors with little advertising thanks to its concept of original fashion designs at accessible prices. It is overseen by Jean-Jacques Picart, fashion adviser to Bernard Arnault, founder and head of LVMH (LVMH.PA), the world’s biggest luxury group.
Carven’s spring/summer collection included a wide range of school-girl style short dresses, which like Balenciaga, made much use of ochre and orange colours.
“There were some very nice things,” said Maria-Luisa Poumaillou, fashion adviser for French department store Printemps which has been selling Carven for two years, practically since its inception.
“It is good value for money for fashion.”
Carven, which opened its first shop in Paris in March, is planning to open a boutique in Tokyo and Hong Kong next year.
Chief Executive Henri Sebaoun told Reuters the brand had not seen any slowdown in spite of the dark mood in the market, with revenues up 20 percent over the first eight months of the year.
“To this day, none of our clients have cut their orders,” Sebaoun said. “But it is true that what is going on in the market leads us to ask ourselves questions. Maybe we will be affected later.”
(Additional reporting by Pascale Denis; Editing by Karolina Tagaris)
Latest trend in hip-hop: Donning women’s clothes
Elena Kiam, owner and creative director of the jewelry brand Lia Sophia, said that initially she was surprised to see her women’s line embraced by some of rap’s top acts, such as 50 Cent, P. Diddy and Snoop Dogg, who has worn her pieces in music videos and on magazine covers.
“When we were designing these really beautiful, sparkly necklaces, we thought more for top editors, maybe a celebrity movie star. We really weren’t thinking about hip-hop,” said Kiam, who also said Beyoncé, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus have worn her designs.
Celebrity stylist June Ambrose said those multi-platinum musicians can pull it off because their personas stretch beyond the hip-hop culture. Of Lil Wayne’s much-talked-about decision to sport a pair of boxer-revealing, black-and-white leopard print pants during the VMAs, she acknowledges his attire was “eccentric, but, you know, he’s a rock star and pulls it off extremely well.
“Fashion should be as unisex as it is right now. It’s probably the most unisex we’ve seen it,” she said.
West, hip-hop’s ultimate metrosexual who is debuting his own fashion collection in Paris, wore a flowing, long-sleeved women’s shirt designed by French-based fashion house Celine earlier this year at Coachella. Though there were some who poked fun at his clothing choice, Ambrose saw nothing wrong with it.
“I think it’s acceptable if you’re not wearing a pair of heels with it and you’re not wearing lipstick, and neither of these guys did that,” said Ambrose, who has styled Jay-Z, Diddy and Will Smith. “They treat fashion like it is art.”
It’s not just rappers. Russell Brand and rockers such as Steven Tyler and Pete Wentz have worn women’s clothes; Janet Jackson said the famous sparkly black jacket Michael Jackson wore during his legendary “Motown 25” performance was from his mother’s closet. And of course, androgyny has long been intertwined with pop, from David Bowie to Freddie Mercury to Prince (known for his trademark heels).
Bieber, the 17-year-old pop phenomenon, acknowledges he has rocked women’s jeans because of their suitable fit.
“I think I’ve worn women’s jeans before because they fit me better,” he told the Associated Press at a recent fashion event. “I just think that whatever works, works.”
“It wasn’t like it looked like a woman’s sweater,” continued Bieber, referring to the women’s shirt worn by West. “It was just a regular sweater that just happened to be a woman’s.”
But hip-hop culture — often defined as much by its masculinity as its music — always seemed to be different. It’s hard to imagine Eminem raging onstage in a breezy women’s top; rapper DMX once clowned Jay-Z for wearing sandals on the beach, deeming it unmanly. Hip-hop’s style in recent years has ranged from oversized sports jerseys to sweats to baggy, sagging pants and plain, large white T-shirts. Lately, though, hip-hop stars are likely to sport clothes that are made to fit, and sometimes, tightly, like rock and indie hipsters.
— Associated Press
Rachel Zoe packs up 13 bags for Paris Fashion Week
HollywoodNews.com: Rachel Zoe has never been known to pack light, but this time when she went to Paris Fashion Week, she apparently needed 13 bags.
Zoe posted a picture on Twitter of her 13 bags as she travels from London to Paris, states UsMagazine.com. A trolley had to pull all the bags as they were transported around.
“Final stop..Paris via Eurostar train..@rbermanus [husband Rodger Berman] is hating me right now..xoRZ,” Zoe also posted on Twitter.
Do you think she’s excessive with her clothing?
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New season shoe report
From stilettos and pumps to boots and brogues, we bring you the best shoes from Westfield London.
BY Vanessa Woodgate
29 September 2011
Part of Westfield London Hot Topics
Elliot stiletto, £200, Kurt Geiger at Westfield London
Pyramid flared heel boots, £140, Topshop at Westfield London
Luna peep toe pumps, £435, Jimmy Choo at Westfield London
Dusk leopard print ponyskin boots, £275, LK Bennett at Westfield London
Catwalk high boots, £360, Jaeger at Westfield London
Burwood brogues, £230, Church’s at Westfield London
Lamé pony skin and glitter pumps, £400, Miu Miu at Westfield London
We all know that an average outfit can be propelled into super-stardom with the right pair of shoes and this autumn/winter, it’s all about statement accessories. Bad girl shoes are back in vogue; think chunky heels, hardware details and fierce animal prints.
Topshop never disappoint with their shoe collection and this season’s offering is no different. Fashion fanatic and Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts was seen sporting a pair of Topshop woven ankle boots at London Fashion Week, so expect these beauties to be flying off the shelves. With a chunky pyramid heel, rubber finish and tassle detail, they fit with autumn’s fetish trend perfectly – wear them to toughen up girly dresses and add those all-important inches.
Take a walk on the wild side this season with animal print heels. Fall’s favourites are snakeskin and leopard print, so head over to Jimmy Choo in The Village to seek out their Luna peep toe pumps in glamorous python printed leather. If it’s leopard that gets you going, LK Bennett’s Dusk boots will be your essential autumn buy.
No wardrobe is complete without a good pair of knee-high boots and Jaeger has hit upon the perfect style this season. Black, with a sturdy heel and contrasting white piping, the boots have a detachable foot guard giving you two looks in one, plus they sit well with the Sixties trend that’s sweeping the fashion world right now.
The stiletto has been out of the limelight for a few seasons, but now seems the time to welcome it back into your life and with good reason as its one of the sexiest shoe shapes ever designed. Forget your round-toed courts and platforms; instead embrace a pointed style with a spike heel for an ultra glamorous look. Brighten up your day with a red pair from Kurt Geiger at Westfield London and bring your look into 2011 by wearing them with ankle socks and the skirt length of the moment – the midi.
When it comes to flats, this season we’ll be taking style tips from the boys, wearing all manner of brogues, loafers, slippers and brothel creepers – as seen on the catwalks at Dolce Gabanna and Stella McCartney.
Play it safe with plain black or brown brogues or get adventurous with vivid pink, metallic or animal print styles. It’s worth investing in this androgynous shoe trend because it’s here to stay, so why not go for the best brogues in town? Church’s has been making shoes since 1675 and no one does it better – the Burwood style in navy with silver detailing is just divine.
As the party season approaches, you might need something dressier than a brogue, so thankfully Miu Miu have created the perfect party shoe. Their iconic lamé pony skin and glitter pumps in gold and black will add a touch of sparkle to your little black dress and keep you dancing all night long.
Enter here to win £1,000 to spend at Westfield, plus the chance to style a fashion display in The Village
The Chidambaram-Mukherjee Makeup Show Won’t ‘Close the Matter’
By Amol Sharma
It’s been more than a week since the disclosure of the controversial government memo that sparked talk of a feud between Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee over the so-called 2G spectrum scandal. And yet only today did the two ministers finally address the media and seek to put an end to what has turned into a riveting New Delhi soap opera.
If this was supposed to clear everything up, though, it didn’t work.
Raveendran/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
A protest against the 2G spectrum allocation in New Delhi on Tuesday.
In a joint press conference interrupted by noise from the throng of reporters, Mr. Mukherjee read out a very brief statement explaining the memo, which was written by a finance ministry official and which essentially laid out the government’s inter-ministerial deliberations over how best to allocate spectrum before a controversial airwaves sale in 2008.
Mr. Mukherjee sought to douse speculation that the memo was intended to embarrass Mr. Chidambaram by suggesting that he could have stopped the 2008 spectrum sale before it spawned a major corruption scam. He also said certain interpretations of the memo “do not reflect my views” even though the front of the memo said it had been “seen” by Mr. Mukherjee. (Mr. Chidambaram was finance minister in the lead-up to the airwaves sale.)
Mr. Mukherjee said the memo was an internal government document summarizing its telecom pricing discussions – a good-faith effort by the government to respond to the numerous public inquiries about the scandal.
Mr. Chidambaram stepped forward rather awkwardly and he, at least, seemed mollified. “I accept the statement, and as far as all of us in government are concerned, the matter is closed,” he said.
That doesn’t mean opposition parties will be quieted, of course. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been calling for Mr. Chidambaram’s resignation and for him to be criminally investigated as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged wrongdoing in the spectrum allotment, which includes favoring certain companies in the allocation. Quickly after the joint press conference, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “This statement of Pranab Mukherjee is untenable and unacceptable to the people of India. It makes the crisis deeper.”
If Congress wanted to dismiss the notion that there was a behind-the-scenes brawl between top Cabinet ministers in the government, its strategy has been curious. In more than a week, the government has said too little to clear things up but just enough to keep the drama going in the headlines day after day.
Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Chidambaram passed up chances to comment repeatedly while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh weighed in with an impromptu presser on Air India One earlier this week that was most notable for how feisty it was against the opposition. Indeed, he denied there was any rift in the government, which might raise the question of why two of his senior ministers then appeared as a double act at a press conference that was extraordinary even by Delhi standards.
At no time has anyone in Congress clearly articulated what is its best and only argument in the 2G scam – that some corrupt officials distorted what could very well have been a well-meaning spectrum policy. Mr. Mukherjee tried in his inscrutable statement to explain that the problem in the 2G scam was not the underlying spectrum policy but its “implementation,” but he didn’t go far enough to explain what that means in lay terms.
India’s breathless media has conflated the idea of selling spectrum at a fixed low price with corruption. If you backed that manner of spectrum allocation, you must be corrupt, the thinking goes. That’s absurd – it’s a media dragnet. A fixed-price spectrum sale may not be the best policy – it won’t raise as much revenue for the government as an auction and, sure, it’s more prone to funny business than a transparent auction. But supporting that approach isn’t evidence that an official has accepted a bribe or kickback.
Why the government hasn’t clearly made that argument is puzzling. If it had, this finance ministry memo wouldn’t have been such a big issue in the first place. Who cares if someone supported an auction or not? Did someone get their hands greased is what we want to know.
This Chidambaram-Mukherjee flare-up has all been a sideshow to the real scandal. It won’t change the need for investigators to continue probing the very serious allegations that there are officials who actually accepted bribes to help private telecom firms get cheap spectrum.
You can follow Mr. Sharma on Twitter @AmolSharmaWsj. Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.
Lady Gaga’s stylist disappoints at Mugler on day 2 of Paris fashion week
No one knows that better than Dries Van Noten, the modest and affable Belgian designer who, working quietly over the past quarter century, has built an empire on the quality of his clothes alone. Van Noten delivered another tour de force Wednesday, with a collection of sculptural skirts and jackets printed with cityscapes by night.
It looked as if Damir Doma were following in Van Noten’s footsteps, not aesthetically — the designers have radically different visions — but by allowing his clothes to mature naturally and to speak for themselves.
Rochas’ Marco Zanini held fast to his chaste vision of early 1960-era glamour with a slight patina of nerdiness, and big, bold retro-futuristic glamour was in the air at Brazilian wunderkind Pedro Lourenco’s polished show.
Zippers to nowhere embellished the peppy sportswear numbers from Portugal’s Felipe Oliveira Baptista, and models were encased in cages and plastic masks at the day’s most disturbing display, by soft-spoken British bad boy Gareth Pugh.
Paris’ nine-day-long ready-to-wear extravaganza moves into day three on Thursday with shows by California-born designer Rick Owens, coveted Paris label Balmain and Indian madcap Manish Arora.
DRIES VAN NOTEN
Romantic, boulder-strewn landscapes and anonymous cityscapes — their neon lights shining in the dark — were the dreamscapes of Van Noten’s haunting spring-summer collection.
The Belgian critical darling projected these topos onto the ladylike shapes of 1950s-era couture, sending out classic bell-shaped shirts and ample cocoon coats illuminated by urban lights or covered in dramatic black and white etchings of mountains and waterfalls.
Suddenly, the mothball-laden retro air that clings to these shapes evaporated, replaced by a crisp, of-the-moment freshness.
These were the kind of clothes that you would never suspect you could want, but once you see them, you can think of nothing else.
MUGLER
Whether he dresses her in meat or swathes her in a gown made entirely out of stuffed animals, Formichetti can do no wrong when it comes to outfitting Lady Gaga. But at his day job as Mugler creative director, the stylist has yet to hit on the winning formula.
After his widely panned debut at Mugler last season with a collection that was all about plastic pants and other garments normally sold at sex shops, Formichetti was back Wednesday with a radically different — but no more successful — approach to spring-summer 2012.
Lauryn Hill Sued By Fashion Consultant For Keeping Clothes, Withholding Pay
Oh, Lauryn. Back in headlines again.
TMZ reported that Hill is being sued by a fashion consultant who lent the RB singer clothing for her 2007 European tour… and never got all her money or the clothes back.
In a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Hill snagged “an entire wardrobe of high fashion items” intended for four week which Hill kept for three months.
The store that provided the gear, Via Davia Vintage, also claims to have been paid only a fraction of what Hill owed them and only got back about 30 percent of the clothes.
It’s just more drama for the singer, who was recently sued for verbally abusing one of her guitar players.
Then there was the Rohan Marley-Isabeli Fontana drama: if you recall, Hill was pregnant with her sixth child when Rohan Marley, father to her other children and presumed father of the sixth, made off with Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana, sparking critiques that Marley “abandoned” Hill.
The drama turned out to be not so dramatic at all, when Hill defended Marley and announced he was not the baby’s father. But not before the media churned out plenty of negative stories and threw Hill, who has not released a full studio album since 1998, back in the headlines.
We’re guessing this new lawsuit will do the same.
Read more at TMZ.com.
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Best of Milan Fashion Week
Fashion Week continues around the globe, making a stop this week in what is considered the fashion capital of the world: Milan, Italy. USA TODAY’s Arienne Thompson rounds up the most exciting styles and stars from the land of pasta.
Designer Roberto Cavalli showed off his bold collection, including this technicolor blazer adorned with his signature gold.