70s Hollywood star turns muse for designer

(Image:red prom dresses) Shehla Khan made iconic beauty Ali Macgraw the muse for her spring line that will come to life next month at fashion week in Mumbai
Fashion designer Shehla Khan has made seductive 70s star Ali Macgraw the muse for her spring summer collection for the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week 2014. Reminiscent of the early 70s and drawing inspiration from the iconic Ali Macgraw, the line is a melange of western and Indian ensembles. Each piece is the epitome of elegance and glamour with her standard feminine aesthetic.
Voluptuous fabrics with bolder embroideries, this time around embellished exquisitely in silver and gold, Shehla has moved away from her signature pastels and has ventured into deeper and richer colours that encapsulating the mood of the season.
Ali is an Oscar-nominated actress who first gained attention with her role in the 1969 film 'Goodbye, Columbus'. The dusky raven-haired beauty rose to fame in 1972 with 'Love Story', and went on to star in hit films like 'The Getaway', 'Convoy' and television miniseries 'The Winds of War'.

Says Shehla, "My inspiration came from the actress Ali Macgraw, a typical American girl with a young and free spirit who suddenly hit super stardom overnight with her films and marriage to Steve McQueen. Her original style turned her into a fashion icon overnight with every girl wanting to look like her in the early 70s. Derived from my image of her, I've created this collection which is easy to wear, classic, hip but with a twist and over and above everything... glamorous!" She has merged a melange of different schools of thought to create idiosyncratic looks.Read more here:white prom dresses

Oscar-nominated Lupita Nyong'o's best style moments to date

Jaws dropped when little-known actress Lupita Nyong'o stepped out at the Golden Globes wearing a scarlet caped Ralph Lauren dress.
The Twelve Years A Slave star's elegant, stylish appearance cemented her status as fashion's newest darling, with the industry waiting with bated breath to see what she wears to this Sunday'sOscars.
(Image:graduation dresses uk) Since, she has been turning heads in a series of chic ensembles. Attending the premiere of action movie Non-Stop on Monday, the 30-year-old wore a copper-hued Lanvin ruffled creation.
And last week, she sported a burnt orange Givenchy number with a sexy plunging neckline for an awards ceremony.
Talking about the sudden interest in her style choices, Lupita said, "I wasn't the girl who bought the fashion magazines, I'd always just worn what appeals to me.
"I know that even if I don't buy the magazines and stuff, with fashion and style, you pick up influences all the time – if your eyes are open, you're being influenced by fashion and style, whether you like it or not."
She added, "I love colour and gravitate towards solid block colours. I like clean lines and a classic look, but I also like to have a sense of humour and wear things that put a smile on my face."
Lupita made an appearance at New York Fashion Week, sitting alongside Anna Wintour and Naomi Watts in the front row of the Calvin Klein show.
She wore a lilac long-sleeved Calvin Klein Collection dress with strappy heels, accessorising her ladylike dress with retro glasses and a bold lip colour.

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Private equity hiring change is skin-deep

(Image:blue prom dresses) This is particularly the case when, seeking capital for their next fund, buyout firms have been anxious to persuade investors that far from being a crew of predatory bankers, they understand how the companies in their portfolios work.
One way has been to widen their recruitment beyond the usual crop of investment bankers and look for people with skills as consultants or from industry.
It may, however, be little more than cosmetic. Some buyout firms have made unheard-of changes to their recruitment habits, but most hires are still from the banking sector, and it seems that many firms are not in quite the same need of operational skills as they would like to make out.
Slowly changing
This is not to say things have not changed. “Hiring definitely changed after the crisis, particularly with large-cap funds,” said Caroline Sage, co-founder of Kea Consultants, an executive search firm focused on alternative asset management. “For the first time ever, private equity firms are looking for people with a consultancy or entrepreneurial background.”
She said firms had asked her to seek out candidates with “more interesting backgrounds”, and not to get bogged down with the need for leveraged buyout modelling skills.
Pat Hedley, managing director responsible for human resources, marketing and communication at General Atlantic, a private equity firm based in New York, agreed that executives entering the industry needed a variety of skills beyond financial modelling.
“They need to be analytical, diligent, thoughtful and responsive,” she said, adding that they must interact well with management teams at target or portfolio companies. “The business of private equity is in many ways an apprenticeship-type business, where people are learning to evaluate and make good decisions.” There are some private equity executives with backgrounds outside banking.
General Atlantic conforms to the trend of mostly hiring from investment banking, but John Bernstein, its managing director and head of Europe, qualified as a barrister, although he came to General Atlantic through finance, working at SG Hambros then Advent International. Martín Escobari, who leads General Atlantic’s Latin American investment programme, has a background in consultancy and entrepreneurship. He began his career as an associate at Boston Consulting Group before co-founding Brazilian online retailer Submarino.com.
Buyout firms Bain Capital, co-founded by US presidential candidate Mitt Romney after he left consultancy Bain & Company, and Advent International have a history of hiring consultants, although Advent generally hires about five former consultants to every 100 ex-bankers, according to a person familiar with the matter.
These examples may still be the exceptions, however. Between 70% and 80% of recruits to private equity firms are still from investment banking backgrounds, though this is lower than in pre-crisis years, Sage said.
She said that while private equity firms often start off keen to hire from non-financial backgrounds, they are often put off by such candidates’ lack of financial modelling expertise once they get to interview stage.
Few resources
Few buyout firms can spare the resources to teach financial skills, according to one private equity executive.
“Private equity firms are fairly small compared with investment banks,” he said, adding that they lack the same capacity to train junior staff.
He added that, ideally, private equity firms would bring junior staff in aged between 25 and 27. “Any later and it’s hard for them to catch up.”
Alan Giddins, managing partner and co-head of private equirty at 3i Group, said that candidates from consultancy or industry-based backgrounds often join private equity in their late 20s or early 30s while those with investment banking experience tend to join in their mid-20s.
And not many buyout firms have an urgent need for the hands-on operational skill set that consultants, entrepreneurs and MBAs possess, Sage said. “Very few private equity firms are hands-on, mixing it up,” she said.
Such firms do not generally get “heavily involved” in running the companies they buy. “Only 10% to 15% of the role is activity on boards,” she said.
The slowness of change may be as much a matter of supply as demand, she added, because consultants tend to be more reluctant than investment bankers to apply for private equity positions.
Sage said: “With most bankers we speak to, all they want to do is go to the buyside. They are more confident about going for those roles and they are more honed through working on buyside deals – they are already thinking in the right way.” Consultants, on the other hand, are often “nervous that they don’t have the skills and don’t necessarily put themselves forward and the inclination is not necessarily there.
“They might be looking at roles on the corporate side, plan to do an MBA or start their own business.” Private equity firms may have persuaded themselves that demonstrating operational expertise might help them to attract investors, but investors also want reassurance that the buyout firm has financial skills.
The financial crisis, combined with more stringent regulation, has made it increasingly difficult for private equity firms to raise capital for their funds from the same sources as they used to. This has made the role of investor relations, responsible for fundraising, more important.
At smaller firms without dedicated investor relations teams, associates are sometimes given the role of meeting investors alongside the leaders of the firm, said Sage.
She added: “Over the last five years, we have seen investor relations teams [at larger firms] building out and hiring mostly bankers. These used to be relationship-driven roles, but now they need an analytical person to demonstrate the abilities of the firm.”

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Fearless beauty look at Fyodor Golan AW14

(Image:SheinDress celebrity dresses) A beautiful bold lip was the beauty look for the Fyodor Golan AW14 collection and we can't wait to try the look ourselves.
Mel Arter created a ‘fragile and fearless’ beauty look for the show.
Inspired by their holiday in Burma, the designers behind the beautifully creative Fyodor Golan, Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman, describe their new collection as ‘couture elements fused with Asian street style”.
Mel Arter, Max Factor Make-up Artist said of the look: “She is fragile and fearless. Fyodor Golan has developed their muse through tribal and urban aesthetics. Adolescent and tom-boyish, she is very much like the character Mathilda from the film Leon, with a beautiful, strong modern lip.”
Using new Max Factor Facefinity All-Day Primer, which will help to extend the wear of foundation, skin was prepped to create a youthful, long-wear look and neutralised with the new Colour Corrector ‘CC’ Sticks. Mel says, “We wanted skin to look clean but very fresh as well. Eyebrows were lightly defined and brushed up for a more informal, less groomed effect...keeping in mind that these girls are more street than overly polished”.
To create the modern lip, Mel used new Lipfinity in ‘Just in Love’. Mel continues “After applying Lipfinity, natural pink pigment was placed in the centre; it’s not flat but almost two dimensional to emphasise her youth”. The lashes we’re finished with a coat of new Clump Defy Extensions Mascara. With a nod to the beautiful Candice Swanepoel who wears the long lasting lipstick in shade ‘Just in Love’ for the new Lipfinity ad campaign, some of the models wore sunglasses to extenuate the strong lip.
Nails were faded together to create an ombre effect with Max Factor Glossfinity in Disco Pink and Cute Coral .

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Scots fashion designer Christopher Kane scoops top gong

(Image:vintage prom dresses) The star of London Fashion Week was crowned British Designer of the Year at the 2014 Elle Style Awards.
Kane, 32, originally from Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, took a break from displaying his latest autumn winter collection, to attend the glitzy bash in the UK capital.
He's had a great 12 months, and is on course to open his first store this year in London's Mayfair.
Last year fashion giant Kering bought more than 50% of his business and he's won plaudits for his latest styles which have attracted the attention of his friend, Anna Wintour at Fashion Week.
Elsewhere at the awards, pop star Katy Perry was crowned Woman Of The Year.
Roar singer Perry was presented with her gong by pop princess Kylie Minogue at the glamorous award ceremony in London.
The 29-year-old I Kissed A Girl singer is known for her campaign work for gay rights and her support of same-sex marriage.
Perry, who divorced British comedian Russell Brand in 2011 after just 14 months of marriage, recently recorded duet Who You Love with boyfriend John Mayer, and the couple are rumoured to be engaged.
Guests including model-of-the-moment Cara Delevingne, singer Ellie Goulding, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko and designer Tom Ford were treated to a champagne reception, a 1950s supper club menu and table butler service at the magazine's 17th annual celebration of style.
Lily Allen, who recently returned to the music scene after taking a break to become a mother, was named Female UK Recording Artist of the Year, while Tinie Tempah - who earlier this week high-fived the Duke of Cambridge as he performed at the Baftas - took home the title of Male UK Recording Artist of the Year.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson was awarded Actress of the Year and Happy singer Pharrell Williams was presented with the gong for International Recording Artist.
Fashion photographer David Bailey was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award by designer and director Tom Ford while Tom Hiddleston, fresh from his run starring in Coriolanus at the Donmar theatre, was named Man of the Year.

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London Fashion Week: Runway report 2

(Image:evening dresses uk)  
Spritzing Anna Wintour and the front row with water is not something fashion brands usually aim to do at London Fashion Week. However, British wellington boot brand Hunter Original were aiming to make a literal and metaphorical splash as models stomped down a waterlogged catwalk, lit as if by moonlight and surrounded by silver birch trees. Although creative director Alasdhair Willis said the brand would not want to profit from the flooding, with swaths of the UK under water and politicians clad in wellies, it is certainly a timely moment for the company’s first catwalk show.
Established in 1856, Hunter is clearly striving to do a Burberry/Belstaff and expand as a heritage brand. In 2012, US private equity firm Searchlight Capital Partners took a controlling stake in Hunter Boots, with London-based brand management group Pentland owning the remaining 25 per cent, and Alasdhair Willis, aka Mr Stella McCartney was hired as creative director last February. Willis is not a fashion designer – he’s the former publishing director of Wallpaper* magazine, co-founder of brand consultancies Announcement and The Anonymous Partner, as well as furniture design company Established & Sons (he resigned from the company in 2010) – and his background shows that building a brand rather than any grand artistic statement – deconstructed welly dresses etc – is where Hunter is headed. Willis has already restructured the company into sub brands: Hunter Original, the more fashion-conscious line aimed at young festival goers and Hunter Field, a more technical line set to launch for spring/summer 2015.
Thus the collection was not the usual hunting, shooting and fishing, tweed-tastic affair one might expect from a British heritage brand. Instead Willis went for a young, playful and modern look, which felt quite urban. Rainwear was the defining theme, unsurprisingly, and materials such as rubber, vinyl and neoprene made up most of the collection, alongside wool. With lots of grass green, as well as grey, sky blue, yellow, purple, black and silver, as the main colours in the collection, wool duffel coats for men and women came with rubber patches, and also wholly in rubber. Vinyl ponchos came in sheer green and grey, there were rubber trenches, wet-look capes, a few waxed cotton jackets and trousers with colourful contrast pockets – no nods to Barbour here – and frogman-like looks for men and women consisting of neoprene culottes, rubber bomber and a swimming hat-shaped wool hat. There were silver puffas too, as well as two-tone fisherman jumpers, rubberised bags and rucksacks and of course wellies, in ankle boot and mid-calf versions, and with heels. Heeled wellies are arguably the height of fashion lunacy but they are bound to sell by the bucketload come festival season.
The rather bizarre finale involved the popular magician Dynamo joining the models at the back of the catwalk, amid more trees, before making the scene disappear, after which playing cards rained from the ceiling. Perfect social media-bait.
A similar coherence of vision informed Henry Holland’s show. He dubbed it “debauched debutantes” and imagined a 1980s deb ball that had been posted on Facebook and trashed by a “gang of House of Holland harlots”.
These were clothes for young girls who want to have fun, ladylike given a playful, pop boost. Thus velvet, beloved of Sloanes who dressed like their mothers, came in the form of red mini dresses, and skirts and tops covered in sequin lipsticks and cocktails. Shantung silk trousers, both wide and cigarette shaped, were worn with crop tops or came in pink orange and green. Skirts in layers of net ruffles, in bright orange or pink, velvet sandals decorated with gobstopper pearls or pom-poms, and trouser suits in wallpaper prints (with thanks to Miu Miu) all had a crazy, eclectic feel, while a quilted satin jacket emblazoned with the word “rich bitch” evinced the kind of knowing, uninhibited attitude of Holland’s customer.
If fashion holds up a mirror to life, there was a pretty accurate reflection of what was happening on the front row in Holly Fulton’s designs. Namely, a camel wool A-line skirt featuring a manicured hand clutching a mobile phone. Meanwhile several hundred manicured hands reached for their phones to tweet this dress and the ones that followed.
Fulton had spent the season considering the mechanics of her own business and womanhood: specifically “the bold, dynamic and creative woman”. Her inspirations included Dziga Vertov’s Man With a Movie Camera and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
As always, there was a strong Art Deco feel to the collection, mixed in with 1950s advertisements (where the hands came from) and Russian constructivism. Thus a ladylike car coat came covered in silhouettes of arms in pale blue, updated flapper dresses in pink and blue/grey silk and satin featured images of what look liked machine parts, an exclamation mark on a glittery lurex jumper became a Deco symbol, as did cog motifs.
Fulton’s conclusion was that we are left adapting to technology’s demands, which is certainly something that’s true of the fashion industry where influences such as what looks good for online retail are increasingly influencing designers’ choice of colours and patterns.
At a presentation of his autumn/winter collection in the Savoy, Nigerian-born designer Duro Olowu was also looking at the 1920s, specifically at artist and furniture designer Elizabeth Eyre de Lanux. He said that he blended ideas from her work with colours from Chris Ofili’s paintings for an “Afro-Deco” vibe. As always, the collection was vibrant and joyful, featuring a printed velvet coat in a multicoloured tessellated flower pattern with Mongolian fur pockets and cuffs, a silk tea dress with tropical flower print, rayon and silk evening cape in block-coloured magenta, royal blue and black and a full 1950s skirt in different patchworked fabrics – from an Ikat woven for Olowu in Burkina Faso to a black and silver brocade.
Olowu declared the new skirt length to be 4 inches below the knee, picking up on a growing trend for longer skirts – often in traditionally tricky lengths. At Emilia Wickstead, 1950s pencil skirts and dresses in forget-me-not blue, shrimp pink and buttercup yellow lace fell on the lower calf, as did leather coats edged with crystal, New Look-style dresses and coats in snake print and lace, and a sleek wool pencil dress with high neck and scoop back. As part of the film noir femme fatale look the new skirt length looked mysterious rather than frumpy.
It would take a self-confident woman to wear J.W Anderson’s longer skirts, falling variously to lower calf and ankle, some taking the shape of a towel wrapped round the waist, others cut on the bias. The designer – in whose own label LVMH has bought a minority stake – also showed fitted corduroy tops in cream and brown with leg o’ mutton sleeves and bra detailing, and long godet skirts that followed their own structural logic (they were inspired by Barbara Hepworth) as well as the lines of the body.
For anyone tempted by the new skirt length the Sister by Sibling show issued an accidental warning. The last two fitted and knitted maxi dresses – one black, one white – with trailing crochet skirts made it impossible for the models to walk. One model took her shoes off halfway down the catwalk while the other was forced to shuffle precariously with her heels getting tangled on the way. The critics’ considered verdict? SO not a good look.

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Marc by Marc Jacobs' youthful beauty

Image:pink prom dresses 2013 Marc by Marc Jacobs opted for a fun hairstyle to accompany the new brightly coloured "ninja" collection at New York Fashion Week.
Marc by Marc Jacobs used a "young" hairstyle to go with the "sophisticated" designs of the new line.
The fashion house took to the runway yesterday as part of New York Fashion Week to showcase its latest Fall/Winter 14 collection.
It was the debut for new British duo, creative director Katie Hillier and head designer Luella Bartley.
As well as heavily featuring black and grey, bright colours and sneakers peppered the catwalk to give the show a fun and youthful feel.
Giant bows became a theme of the new collection, as did mid-length skirts.
"It's a little bit ninja, a little bit manga, a little bit Wednesday Addams," laughed hair stylist Guido Palau to style.com.
All the models wore their long hair in plaited pigtails, with a black headband to complete the look.
"The clothes are a bit more sophisticated this season, so the hair had to be quite young, but still have an edge to it - a sweet-and-sour kind of effect," he continued.
Make-up also had an edge to it, and the models' eyes were heavily rimmed with black eyeliner, and then mascara was "piled on."
Skin was kept bare, with a natural lip and cheek to finish off the striking look.
"It's the gesture of a kid who is trying make-up for the first time," said make-up artist Dick Page backstage.
Vera Wang's Fall/Winter 14 show was entirely made up of black, grey and metallic pieces. The only colour came courtesy of the models' hair, which included one with shocking red locks and others with icy blonde hair.
The designs used leather and lace as well as heavy patterns including tartan in the dark-yet-romantic collection.
In contrast, the models' faces had a natural and ethereal complexion. A pink hue was used on the eyelids, but apart from that, make-up was kept basic. A strong brow was a prominent feature.
Hair was kept loose, with a slightly dishevelled look.
"She's a beacon of light in her face," said make-up artist Lucia Pieroni on the looks she created.

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New York Fashion Week: Meet Manolo Blahnik’s Macaron Maker

 green prom dresses uk Meredith O’Shaughnessy has a spatula and isn’t afraid to use it.
The London event planner, 35 years old, is in New York this week for a very specific task.
To make macarons.
For Manolo Blahnik.
Yes, that Manolo Blahnik. The legendary Spanish shoe designer is making a rare New York fashion week appearance.
Mr. Blahnik’s brand is, of course, well known, if not coveted by more people than just Carrie Bradshaw. But it isn’t necessarily highly touted at the mass-market level.
“It is time for him” to step out more into the limelight, said Ms. O’Shaughnessy, who slogged along slushy West Village streets in very sensible, an very un-Blahnik teal Nike crosstrainers to an interview at the Norwood House, around the corner from a friend’s apartment where she is doing a bulk of her baking. His brand is “traditional, but moving forward.”
Ms. O’Shaughnessy, an Aussie by birth, originally started college with the intention of studying engineering. So how does she end up at a friend’s apartment in the West Village making roughly 200 macarons (vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel)?
“It’s the allure of the nightlife. It sucked me in. I wanted to be in that world. But it’s better to be working” in the environment Ms. O’Shaughnessy said of her company, Meredith Bespoke and Ohlala Macarons.
So, Ms. O’Shaughnessy went into business as special-events planner and coordinator. Mr. Blahnik has been a client of her company for a year and offered to fly her to New York and prepare her specialty for the show.
As an event planner “I’m on the sidelines. I’m there to say ‘everything is going to be ok.” she said, pointing to an electric blue spatula and whisk she had stowed away along with a pair of Manolos in her purse. A smart way to travel. On the flight from London, she debated trying to get her icing in tubes through customs on an unmarked carry-on . She thought better of it.
“New York feels like a city of possibilities,” she said. “I’m amused by it. Everything is slightly off the wall.”
The Blahnik brand has a great foothold, but certainly with the help of some well-made macarons will put its best foot forward at fashion week.
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Victoria Beckham recalls first front row moment

 sexy evening dresses Victoria Beckham's first fashion show experience was like ''another world''.
The singer-turned-designer found her first ever front row experience at a Versace show in Milan completely surreal and says it marked a turning point in her life.
Speaking in her new Skype Collaboration Project documentary, the 39-year-old icon reminisced: ''When I was in the Spice Girls I got invited to go to a Versace fashion show, and I'd never been to a fashion show and Donatella Versace flew me, on a private plane with my friend, to Milan. It was all very glamorous and it was taking me into a completely different world.
''I've still got the dress that I wore - the black, leather dress - and funnily enough I saw Donatella not too long ago - we judged the Woolmark awards in London and I hadn't seen her for years and years and we had a chat whilst we were judging and she said, 'Do you remember when you came to Milan?' and I said, 'God, do I remember? Are you kidding, that was the most exciting thing I'd ever done.' ''
The style-savvy superstar also recalled her extreme anxiety before presenting her first collection because she wanted every last detail to be perfect.
She confessed: ''I felt really anxious, sick, nerves like I've never had nerves before. I'd worked really hard on this collection. I remember the night before I was downstairs with a florist in a pair of hotel slippers at about 4 o'clock in the morning - redoing the flowers because I didn't like the way that the flowers looked.''
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Organising seating at Fashion Week is a tricky business

yellow prom dresses If New York Fashion Week is the Super Bowl of style, then the process of picking who gets in - and who sits where - is like a secret playbook.
Sometimes it can be a feat for media, retail buyers, celebrities and fashion fans just to get their names on the guest list. Scoring a seat instead of a standing space is even better. Managing to secure a spot in the front row is a touchdown.
For many designers and public relations firms, it’s a hush-hush practice that is largely veiled from the public. (A handful of brands contacted for this story declined to comment on how their Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week guests are selected and seated.)
‘‘It’s an amazing, bizarre process,’’ says Jimmy Lepore Hagan, director of digital media for New York-based designer Nanette Lepore.
Things could get even trickier when the week of runway shows and presentations concentrated at tents outside the Lincoln Centre in Manhattan begins on Thursday. This is because the makeshift venues will have fewer seats, making access even more limited.
More generous seating and media passes in recent seasons led some designers to lament that the atmosphere at the tents had grown too pedestrian.
‘‘The redesigned venue offerings will enable designers to better control and reduce audience capacities, making invitations once again an exclusive pass for true fashion insiders,’’ IMG Fashion, a global leader in producing fashion shows, says in a statement.
More than 100 seats have been cut from Lepore’s runway show on Wednesday at Lincoln Centre, Hagan says.
Some people pull out all the stops to try to make an impression.
‘‘I’ve seen some crazy stuff,’’ says Erin Hawker, owner and founder of Agentry PR.
Hawker has worked in the fashion industry for two decades, and her firm is helping several designers, including Christian Siriano, orchestrate shows in February.
‘‘People come up with these crazy sob stories,’’ she says, noting that one reporter even sends a big jar of lollies each year.
‘‘You kind of hear it all.
‘‘The requests that we get a lot are somewhere along the line of, ’if you act like you’re supposed to be there, someone will let you in,’’’ Hagan says.
‘‘I just feel there’s a lot of very arrogant writing that doesn’t defend itself and assumes its place.
‘‘The (requests) that are successful are the ones that are short, honest and express a genuine admiration for the brand.’’
Social media, celebrities and reality TV shows, such as Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model, have elevated pop culture’s interest in runway shows as entertainment.
But, in the end, these shows are about boosting business for a brand.
A guest list should be those who are ‘‘appropriate and relevant to the brand to get the best exposure and publicity, and hopefully lots of orders from stores,’’ New York-based designer Betsey Johnson says.
Next Wednesday at the Lincoln Centre, she will present her new collection inspired by American Hustle and singer Rihanna.
Many brands begin planning their guest lists months in advance for a show that will likely last only about 20 minutes.
Lepore works with a third-party agency that helps organise the show and compile a list of potential guests. People from the brand go through the list to make sure information is accurate and to learn more about the names on it.
For bloggers - a group whose presence has swelled at New York Fashion Week in recent years - staff members research their websites’ reach, visual design, quality of work and presence on social media.
‘‘What we started to do this year is put less of a focus on numbers and more of a focus on aesthetic,’’ Hagan says.
They also try to learn more about people’s positions. For instance, if one person is an editor-in-chief of a start-up blog with little readership and another is a writer for a major fashion website, the writer will take precedence over the editor, he says.
Staff from magazines and metropolitan newspapers, as well as business partners, are a large part of a runway show’s audience.
It’s about who’s been loyal to you, Hawker says.
‘‘That doesn’t really change.’’
Once a list has been finalised, the seating arrangements begin. Usually, a certain number of chairs are allocated to media and bloggers, retailers, business contacts, celebrities, and friends and relatives.
‘‘You should seat people where you get the most bang for your buck,’’ Johnson says.
‘‘It’s a hierarchy of celebrities, press, buyers and influential people in the industry.’’
Shows also have standing sections on hand to accommodate extra media and brand supporters once seats are filled. It’s not uncommon for 200 or 300 people to show up at the door the day of the show and say they’re friends of the designer or personally invited, Hawker says.
‘‘We save the standing room area for the people who show up at the door.’’
Overall, brands generally reserve their seats for their strongest, sincerest supporters.
‘‘Our relationships are organic,’’ Hagan says.
‘‘We don’t pay people to sit in the front row.
‘‘We have to show people what we can give them, and what we can give them is our genuine admiration of their work by going to bat for them and giving them a seat.’’
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Fashion: Lennon Courtney's fresh collective

purple prom dresses uk We are very mindful of the fact most women want to look thinner. So we think about that a lot when we design; about what is going to be flattering.
"And that is everything from a sleeve length to hem length, to where a waist sits, to a gather here and a pleat there," says Sonya Lennon of Lennon Courtney, her and Brendan Courtney's fashion label.
What Sonya states as being one of the most important tenets of their collection, is the great unsaid of the fashion business – all women want of their clothes is to look thin.
Not power, not sex, not attracting the opposite sex, not friends. It is all about body image.
"On Off the Rails, where we came from, Brendan used to say it all the time: 'Yes, we want our women to look fabulous. But they want to look in the mirror and see taller, thinner, better.'
"And clothes can do that," she says. "That is the beauty of it. It isn't alchemy or dark arts. Putting a pleat in the right place can make all the difference."
The savvy at the heart of the range is directly attributable to its designers being people who always had to deal upfront and close with women. It is perfectly contrived to fit in and flatter our bodies and our lives.
"Our colours and shapes are chosen to avoid a series of disconnections.
"Season-on-season, you grow your investment in Lennon Courtney, to create a holistic offering," Sonya explains.
Lennon Courtney is selling brilliantly all over the country and online. The next stop is export, with a UK launch this month at Wolf & Badger in London, during London Fashion Week, which runs from February 14-18.
"Clothes have to work. People are now so design-aware there has to be a purpose, there has to be a reason to buy something," Sonya told me.
"What we get told, repeatedly, is that the collection allows the woman to put her own stamp on it. That is due to how clean the designs are, and allowing your own style and accessories to make the statement. So it is like our clothes become a canvas for your style. But it is a canvas that very subtly allows your body to look as well as it can look."
This season's collection is my favourite so far. It is feminine, with strong, yet sympathetic structure to the shapes, while the colours are a subtle drama to enhance and support your natural attributes – your skin, hair and eyes.
Though it is a much-used term, Lennon Courtney is a range designed to be the workers in your wardrobe. I like to think of them, though, as being of supermodel calibre.
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