Oh Valentino.

Valentino has retired from the fashion industry. After 45 years of glorious collections and unlimited elegance the titan of fashion has presented his last collection in a festive environment. The dresses are breathtaking, they are the pinnacle of craftsmanship, great design and femininity.

Valentino’s fashion shows are about fashion, they are not the entertaining shows of some of his peers. It is easy for most women to imagine themselves wearing his clothes. Last year I saw some of his designs in a museum, as with all high fashion, they were not only beautiful, but so detail oriented that it is difficult to believe that those dresses can still be made today.

Look at the details of these pictures from his collection. You can see the whole collection on Style.com. We will certainly miss him and wish him a very happy life.

Photo credits: style.com

Valentino fashion show at Rodin Museum

For anyone like me who follows fashion, Valentino is the master. He has been around for so long and it is amazing that as times have changed, his fashion has evolved to keep some things unchanged while changing the others. He is retiring now and put on a spectacular show at the Rodin Museum in Paris. Of course in this video you will see many of his elegant dresses but also towards the end take a look at his lipstick red dresses, that clearly has his signature.

Dita von Teese and Wonder Bra

Dita has signed a contract with the lingerie line Wonder Bra. She will design a limited edition collection inspired by the lingerie of the 40s. Dita has said that she is excited about the project, because she has a passion for sensual, high quality, usable lingerie and she can share this with other women.

Looking at Dita we expect really good-looking lingerie. I hope the price is moderate and the pieces are as Dita said “usable,” because in some cases beautiful lingerie is just not easy to wear or wash.

Ageless Demi Moore

Demi Moore is on the cover of the current issue of the V magazine. Demi looks spectacular. She looks better now than when she was younger. Demi proves that the myth of not using long hair after 40, is a myth

Nars new collection

Shanghai Lilly is the name of Nars cosmetics spring collection. The colors are deep and intriguing, they describe it as a dichotomy of innocence and seduction. The colors are very wearable and easy to combine with your existing makeup.

Shu Uemura Rebirth

The spring collection of makeup in the Shu Uemura line is called Rebirth and it has beautiful bright colors as shown in the pictures on this page.

Bobbie Brown's Pink raspberry

The new color for spring in the Bobbi Brown line is pink raspberry, either on eyes or lips. Bobbi Brown has put together a set to get her spring look going. According to Bobbie, pink raspberry makes all skin types more beautiful, specially brunettes.

Bobbie recommends to put pink raspberry on the cheeks and cool tones on the eyes. For a more modern look, Bobbie recommends using a sheer blush in pink raspberry. According to her, most women have the colors that work well with them, but adding a new lip or cheek color adds to their look.

Lancome new ambassadors

Lancome has two new ambassadors. One is the French actress Juliette Binoche. You may remember Binoche from the movies Chocolat and The English Patient. Binoche is 43 and looks beautiful.

In a statement Lancôme's International President Odile Roujol said: "It is an immense pleasure for us to welcome Juliette Binoche back to Lancôme. Her career choices, her natural and moving beauty, her independent spirit and generosity epitomize the values essential to our brand." Authenticity, sophistication and a luminous face make Binoche the perfect spokesperson for the Lancôme Rénergie franchise, a skincare line that addresses the signs of aging. She will be featured later this year in an advertising campaign.

The other brand ambassador is Italian actress Laura Morante. "Laura Morante is an exceptional and passionate woman," said Roujol. "Her intelligence, charm and elegance bestow her with a special presence. We are honored to welcome her as ambassador for the Absolue treatment range." Laura was born in 1956.

You may see both of these women in advertisements for Lancome in the months to come.

Colcci clothing collection

Colcci is a Brazilian fashion label and it has been endorsed by Gisele Bundchen, the Victoria's Secret model. This line of clothing represents the essence of Brazil and the clothes are youthful, edgy, but still very feminine. Obviously, to model their fall/winter collection in Rio de Janeiro, Gisele was there. Here are photos from the collection in a slideshow format.

Louis Vuitton Richard Prince handbag collection

After reading the book "DeLuxe How luxury lost its lust," I may be somewhat ambivalent about designer handbags, but there is no denying that when it comes to art and aesthetics the luxury goods brands do a terrific job. Obviously, Louis Vuitton is among the leaders. From time to time this fashion house teams up with other great artists. For example, a collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami led to a totally new line that everyone fell in love with.

Now this designer label is partnering with great American artist Richard Prince to launch another beautiful line of handbags. Below is a slideshow from the launch party.

Flat mouse shoes

Flat shoes are great, they make us look good and be comfortable at the same time. I am so happy they are back in fashion. Looking at new shops online (new to me) I found the shoes on the picture. Granted they are a bit silly, they are not elegant and sophisticated, but I found that they cute.

The shop I found them on is called yesstyle and it sells Asian clothes in the USA, Canada and the UK. The prices are reasonable.

How to get a Hollywood body?

Whether we like it or not but it is a fact that most of our Hollywood celebrities are indeed beautiful and have bodies that are simply close to perfect. And trust me, it takes a lot of work to stay that way, even when you are blessed with a good body and you have great genes (plus help from makeup artists and cosmetic surgeons). If you don't believe me, just look at the celebs that stopped eating healthy or did not workout -- they lost their great bodies and while some Kirstie Alley did it, others couldn't.

I have written previously about how to get a Hollywood body in 6 weeks and wrote other articles based on Hollywood stars like recovering your body after pregnancy, yoga during pregnancy, and yoga on a daily basis.

Daisy Fuentes recently did a series of episodes on television revealing the secrets of the Hollywood stars and their fitness regimen.

My new favorite jeans

During the holidays I got 3 pairs of jeans. Two of them were branded, expensive pairs (even though I bought them at a heavy discount sale -- the Jean Paul D'amage jeans cost me around $40, even though it was originally priced at $180, and the Paige Jeans cost me $80 and it was originally priced $180) and one was a $13 jean (a very skinny jean in a dark hue) that I got at Forever 21 store in Union Square, New York City.

I have to confess that in the messy dressing rooms of Forever21, I thought the jean looked pretty good and I also thought for $13 I can afford to buy it, even if it was not the greatest pair for me. I argued that if with better light at home or after more than one opinion, it did not look good I could simply give it away to someone.

It turned out that the Forever 21 jean is my #1 favorite. It fits great, actually close to perfect. It has Lycra which makes it very comfortable and it also lifts my tiny butt and makes it look somewhat bigger. It has become one of my favorites jeans and I am thinking on buying one more pair just in case it goes bad or Forever 21 does not bring them back. Check it out

The Lolita fashion in Japan

Tokyo is a city filled with fashion. Young women in this city spend a fortune on clothes and accessories. Just a quick look at most Japanese magazines makes this obvious, but that is not all; their fashion is centered on brands. Japanese people love expensive brands. They consume 50% of all luxury products worldwide.

One of my first surprises when I when to Tokyo back in the mid-nineties was to see that every other woman had a Louis Vuitton bag. Taking into consideration that Louis Vuitton at the time sold for about $1,000 in Japan, that makes this fact even more surprising.

There are clear divisions on the fashion scene in Tokyo from teenagers to middle agers and office ladies (corporate female employees), fruits (a fashion trend among some young people) and the Lolita fashion. Each group has a defined fashion style and there are magazines for all groups.

Lolita fashion is one of the most unique styles (see the pictures); it is a Japanese created style, originally created by young girls, not famous designers. It has become expensive, but originally it was not like that. There are a few types of Lolita: black Lolita, white Lolita, Lolita (plain Lolita), sweet Lolita, and Goth Lolita. The names are self-explanatory.

Usually in Japan, girls (teenagers) dress like this for a few years and then grow up and adapt to a new fashion trend.

The Lolita fashion has inspired designers around the world (Gwen Stefani is a classic example with her Harajuku line) as well as followers in other countries, especially Asian countries. It offers an alternative to the young Japanese to be fashionable and unique, to follow their creative instincts and not to buy into the expensive brands culture. The concept of uniqueness is a problem in Japan, a society that emphasizes a group mentality. The Lolita fashion, as well as all other alternative fashions in Japan, is a rebellion against the standards.

Book review Rosa Mexicano cookbook

Rosa Mexicano is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in New York (they have locations in other cities too). The cuisine manages to be innovative and authentic at the same time. Rosa Mexicano is an upscale Mexican restaurant, the food served here is not the one found in the normal Mexican restaurants that are everywhere.

The food at Rosa Mexicano is definitely Mexican and flavors are well balanced. The cookbook has many of the recipes on the menu and a lot of explanations of chilies and other Mexican ingredients. I found the information on Mexican cuisine ingredients very helpful as well as the tips on making tortillas and quesadillas. The recipes in this book require ingredients that are not so easy to get in many parts of the country.

Rosa Mexicano is famous for its guacamole, which is made at the table in front of the diners. I like their guacamole and I was happy to see the recipe in the book. This is a really good guacamole, and really Mexican without mayonnaise and garlic which are American versions of the dish.

I only have one recommendation on making tortillas. The author recommends to use supermarket plastic bags to line the tortilla press. It is important to understand that the grocery bags are made from the cheapest plastic that is not food-grade (in other words it is not designed to come in direct contact with food and often contains nasty chemicals and additives that should not be ingested). You will be better off using a a sandwich bag (a normal Ziploc bag) that is made from a higher quality plastic.

Book review: Deluxe; How luxury lost its lust

This book has been written by Dana Thomas, a Newsweek correspondent with many years of experience in the fashion and luxury industry. I heard about the book from my husband who listened to the author's interview on NPR and since it is my line of work, I rushed to read the book.

I found the book fascinating from beginning to end. The book includes a short story of luxury and how the industry has evolved from craftsmanship and personalization to mass marketing of manufactured products (now) made in China.

Dana takes the veil away from the luxury industry and reveals how marketing and corporate greed manipulate us to buy overpriced goods that in reality are mass-market products made in China. The book is an investigative report that included visits to many countries and many interviews with people in the industry. Dana talks how fragrances and handbags are the products that are heavily promoted by corporations because they do not need many sizes and there are fewer returns. The handbag has become the most important product to sell for designers; the markups in these products are huge (from 10 to 13 times in the case of Louis Vuitton).

Dana talks about something that we all have noticed. Not long ago the designer houses had classic bags that one bought with the hope that they would be in fashion for years to come. That is not the case anymore. There are very few classic bags; the collections change every season. It is very difficult for most people to keep up with the "It" bag of the moment. The prices, despite mass production and distribution, have gone up in total contrast to all other product categories where products typically go down as companies send productions in cheap countries. So we are paying more money for lower quality and less exclusivity.

Dana also touches on the exploitation of the red carpet as a promotional campaign for designers and how in the beginning the stylists just got money to put the clothes on their clients but now the clients (the celebrities) get money to wear the dresses, jewelry, shoes, etc. and all they have to do is to repeat the name of the designer whenever a television host asks.

The chapter on fake designer bags is very interesting. The bags are mainly made in sweatshops in China, many of them with forced child labor. She also argues that terrorist groups, realizing the potential for huge profits from selling fake goods all over the world, are behind many such counterfeit businesses and use the profits for terrorist activities and it is believed that the money from counterfeit products has been used to support the September 11 attacks in New York.

As I said I really enjoyed this book and it makes me think more about paying all that money for designer goods. I am not saying I will not buy them again, most probably I will, but I will now know what went on before I got hold of a handbag.

Fashion trends 2008

The new year always means new style trends. 2008 is definitely an year of change because the change from 2007 is remarkable. According to Suze Yalof Schwartz (Glamour magazine), here are the top five trends that you can follow in the coming months:

1. A T-shirt dress matched with a men's blazer (borrow from your man or simply buy one)
2. Ruffled sleeves, tops, skirts, preferably in bright colors like hot pink. I would not recommend this for everyone because it may add volume and make you look fat. So if doesn't work for you, forget about it.
3. A floral top matched with cropped pants and gladiator shoes or sandals.
4. Show your shoulder and neck with an asymmetrical top
5. Hand printed splattered splash tops and dresses
   

Almost all of these items can be bought at mid-priced stores like Banana Republic or even Target.