‘Waves of Joy’ ends third day of LFW Summer/Resort 2012

Anita Dongre’s “Waves of Joy” collection presented by Design HQ from Godrej Interio was a gorgeous offering for men and women. Blending creatively the organic fair trade cotton with Boho Luxe; Anita’s collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2012 was a delicious recipe which had the flavours of Benares silk and cotton and brocade weaves, blended with the tie and dye of Rajasthan, the hand painted silks of Jaipur, the ikats of Andhra Pradesh and the Chikankari of Lucknow.

Sensuous, elegant, gowns, maxi dresses, comfortable jackets, fluid palazzos, skirts and delicate lacy blouses gave the collection a feminine touch. To match the mood of the garments, the colour palette was pastel with the ever popular black and white along with gold brocades to give the creations a striking look.

Candy pink, lime, sea green, aqua and peach played a medley with muted grey and yellow. Working with the crafts that Anita is so renowned for, the designer had beautiful Chikankari and gotta Patti embroidery intricately used to highlight the salient points of the garments.

The silhouette was very 1950s, as stiff flouncy canvas petticoats rustled under the full circle skirts of the dresses, with provocative necklines and sensually cinched at the waist.

The show opened with an interactive AV with model Dipannita matching the actions as the beautiful furniture designed by Anita Dongre for Design HQ from Godrej Interio was revealed to the audience. With the stylish furniture lining the stage, the show opened with gorgeous swirling long gowns with trellised yokes in pretty pastels. Jersey Kaftans in hot shades of orange with ornate yokes were followed by strappy summer maxis with long sleeve, white panelled sheer covers, gathered skirts, printed silk dresses with cutaway shoulders, halter maxis and column skirts.

The saris in bright hues were teamed with sexy cholis and sequinned bustiers. The black and white section featured pencil dresses, shirt waisters, midis with lavish embroidery and had the negative/positive saris with sequin borders.

Making a foray into men’s wear, Anita had light linen shirts in shades of pink, turquoise and lime, some unstructured blazers in neutral tones, trousers which were more vibrant in orange and yellow, and black and white jackets with the ombré effect. It was a comfy, smartly cut, edgy line that the Indian male will obviously opt for during the hot summer months.

The finale was Anita Dongre taking a bow once again interacting with the fabulous Design HQ from Godrej Interio.

Here was ideal resort wear from Anita Dongre presented by Design HQ from Godrej Interio which will move perfectly from morning to dawn as the stylish couple holidays around the globe.

China’s passion for fashion on show in Paris.

Chinese stars dot the front rows, a new designer from the country joins the runway calendar, and its retailers scout the city for talent: China’s love affair with style is on full view at Paris Fashion Week.

Outside the French capital’s Rodin Museum on Friday, paparazzi clustered around after the Dior show poring over a hand-out from the company, matching names to the faces of the Chinese celebrities they had just snapped.

Though totally unknown in Paris, these young women — the actresses Huo Siyan, wearing a stand-out plumed hat, Li Xiaolu or Lin Peng — were clearly the stars of the day, dressed to kill with a buzz of security agents around them.

And their presence signals a shift in a high-end fashion industry turned increasingly towards the booming country.

Home to more billionaires than anywhere except the United States, China’s luxury market is forecast by McKinsey & Co to soar to 27 billion dollars by 2015 — one fifth of the world total — up from 10 billion dollars in 2009.

“It is a country that is passionate about fashion, like all emerging nations where appearance is of the utmost importance,” Didier Grumbach, head of France’s fashion federation, told AFP at a “China in Paris” cocktail party last week.

Held since 2010 on the sidelines of Paris Fashion Week, the event aims to build bridges between China and the world’s fashion capital.

“Ten years ago we didn’t have any Chinese citizens in our industry,” Grumbach told the gathering, as he introduced some of the figures who are developing the fashion business inside China.

One of these is William Zhao, chairman of the COPAIS industrial group, which is setting up a network of multi-brand designer stores in China.

While five European brands — Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Armani — currently lead in the Chinese marketplace, according to consultants Bain and Co, Zhao was on the look-out while in Paris for less-known designers.

“I think it is just the beginning for the luxury industry in China,” Zhao told AFP. “We are targeting the richest 10 percent of the population — and these people want novelty.”

China’s love affair with fashion runs both ways, with the country eager to boost its visibility in the design world.

“China doesn’t have the equivalent of Japan’s Yohji Yamamoto or Issey Miyake,” Grumbach explained. “They want to promote the work of designers who could be built up into national brands.”

For the past four seasons, Christine Zhao has flown in half a dozen young Chinese designers as part of the “China in Paris” initiative, to introduce them to the world’s fashion capital.

“Paris is a dream for designers the world over,” she told AFP.

“It’s about opening a door for them, otherwise they don’t know how to approach Paris,” explained Zhao, who set up the event in partnership with the China National Garment Association and the French fashion federation.

“Up to them to decide whether they want to stay — or if it doesn’t suit them, for reasons of language or culture. To stay, they need to have talent — but also a good head for business.”

Many already have successful careers as industrial designers in China.

“But they want to measure themselves on the international scene,” said Zhao.

So far three of the designers are working with Paris showrooms, said Zhao, who believes that “for social and economic reasons, people are paying a lot more attention to fashions coming out of China.”

The 30-year-old Chinese designer Masha Ma showed her work as part of the event two years ago, but later decided she would rather go it alone.

“I want people to come to my show, and judge the clothes in a fair way, not because of a Chinese connection,” she told AFP.

This year Ma — who trained at Central Saint Martin’s school of fashion, and showed three seasons at London Fashion Week — was invited to join the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, holding her first show in the city on Wednesday.

Raised in a cosmopolitan family in Shanghai, Ma does not claim a specific Chinese lineage, but does feel compelled to counter her country’s association with lower-grade goods, putting the focus in her own work on pristine finishes.

“I’d like to contribute to changing the notion of low-grade ‘Made in China’,” she said. “I think it’s an approachable goal.”

Toronto Fashion Week: Lucian Matis talks fall/winter

2012-13 collection.

Black Swan actress Mila Kunis isn’t your typical Hollywood starlet: She’s outspoken and willing to call people out on their crap — just ask that Russian reporter she went off on while promoting Friends With Benefits. She’s the quintessential guy’s girl that girls actually want to hang with.

She opened up on her life — and unusual issues with her body — in the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

“People have interpretations of what you’re supposed to be like,” she said when asked about her gorgeous looks. “If you’re unattractive and overweight, you must have a great personality. If you’re attractive, then you must not be the nicest person. People are always taken aback that I’m easygoing but not necessarily stupid.”

She is obviously comfortable with herself, but she’d rather gain back the weight she lost for her role in 2011’s Black Swan.

Which Was Your Favourite Octavia Spencer 2012 Awards Season Look?

Octavia Spencer took a leaf out Mo’Nique’s book and turned to the one designer who would know how to flatter her curves: Tadashi Shoji.

Left in the wrong hands this could’ve been a run of black dresses and tent like shapes, but Tadashi celebrated Octavia’s womanly figure with waist-defining, flattering red carpet looks which are worthy of praise.

The man with the midas touch dressed her for the Critic’ Choice Awards and it was uphill from there.

My personal favourite was her SAG Awards look, followed by the colourful NAACP Image Awards look.

Which look did you love?

Gucci’s romantic gesture at Milan Fashion Week A/W 2012.

The dark romanticism of Gucci was unleashed upon the catwalk on the opening day of Milan Fashion Week yesterday. Frida Giannini delved into her love of the pre-Raphaelite era in creating her Autumn / Winter 2012-13 ready-to-wear collection.

Models flaunted 19th century-inspired brocades, chiffon dresses, ruffled collars and jacquards. With the decadence at the forefront of her mind, Giannini added all the luxury elements of fur, silk, velvet and leather to her Edwardian-esque looks which seemed to be made up of layer upon layer of garments. In contrast to the billowing gowns, there was also a strong equestrian theme which comprised of Gucci’s signature leather riding boots in flat styles and trousers that were reminiscent of jodhpurs.

But back to the billowing gowns… Gucci did not fail in adding the glam aspect to her latest collection. With the Oscars just over the horizon (psst: it’s on Sunday – don’t miss our extensive coverage!) Giannini offered floor-length halterneck dresses in a moody floral print, sheer asymmetrical numbers adorned in shimmery embellishments and plunging neckline versions with long sleeves in alluring forest green and velvet variations.

Joburg Fashion week gets new sponsor and home.

When Joburg Fashion Week kicks off next week, it will be the third incarnation of what started as a localised fashion event that became an edgy representation of the City of Gold and has now emerged as a mature lady of luxury going through what could be best described as her second marriage.

She’s changed her name – becoming the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg – and has relocated, setting up shop on the roof of Hyde Park Corner.

Why, I hear you ask, has this reincarnation taken place? Viewed from a particular angle it seems illogical – African Fashion International has, in the past, been criticised for creating a fashion circus and social spectacle that has little to do with the business of fashion.

“We wanted to make it easier for the buying public to understand an element of luxury in SA fashion,” says Allana Finley, AFI global brand and marketing manager. “Often consumers who can afford to buy ‘designer’, and who are shopping the international luxury brands at Hyde Park Corner, are unaware of the local design talent.

“They don’t know you can mix and match – pair a Burberry coat with a Thula Sindi dress, a pair of Porsche jeans with a trim C Squared jacket.”

Designers showing this year include glamour gods David Tlale (interestingly given an early evening slot – no doubt in the hope that his show won’t run the expected hour or two late) and Gavin Rajah. Rajah has not shown in Joburg since 2009.

According to a press release, Rajah’s collection, entitled Anatome d’une Rose, will be “an exploration of botanical drawings of roses” and will feature “interesting pattern-making techniques”. It goes on to say “the new sense of restrained luxury for me is unequivocally shown in this collection. The focus is on fine fabrics and meticulous craftsmanship”.

But it is the young Joburg-based designer Thula Sindi whose star continues to rise. Taking the much-coveted closing slot – 10pm on Saturday night – confirms his growing fan-base and ever-popular collection stocked on the main floor at Edgars.

Affirming the idea that Joburg Fashion Week hopes to bring together a national cross-section of designers, a selection of KwaZulu-Natal designers will be showing on Friday afternoon in a presentation sponsored by the KZN Fashion Council. They include Karen Monk Klijnstra, Genna-Wae Webster, Kathrin Kidger and Siyathemba Ngwenya.

Leigh Schubert, another Durbanite, will be showing on Saturday night in a joint slot with Abigail Keats. Schubert is part of a collective of SA designers stocked by the US retail giant Nordstrom in their concessionary NY store, Treasure and Bond.

Schubert says that following the Nordstrom association, her business has taken on a new dimension.

“I’m not showing to impress the fashion media,” she says. “I’m showing to sell garments. I want to sell garments. I need to sell garments.

“I think we need to use our fashion weeks and the platforms that we have to the best of our ability. Especially when money is tight, we need to think about a return on our investments.”

Step in the Mercedes sponsorship. Billed as – and admittedly a rather witty pun – the new “vehicle of fashion”, it is an alignment that has had a successful global run for years.

Mercedes-Benz is the headline sponsor of New York, Tokyo and Berlin fashion weeks, as well as Stockholm, Moscow, Sydney, Brisbane and Mexico City. Not to mention countless initiatives around fashion in Paris, Milan, London, Buenos Aires and Beijing. It is hoped that positioning Africa within this bracket will provide instant international leverage.

“Our three-year title sponsorship commitment affords us both local and international exposure for our innovative and cutting-edge luxurious brand,” says president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz SA, Dr Martin Zimmermann.

“Mercedes-Benz is an icon in the realms of fashion as function, form and design, key elements in all our exciting and fascinating models.”

Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, AFI executive chairperson, adds that the AFI showroom will be launched soon, an initiative serving as a resource to international consumers.

She also said 2012 will be the year to connect with “other fashion week platforms on the continent as part of our feed in strategy to Africa Fashion Week”.

H&M Marni and TopShop’s Mary Katrantzou collections

will redefine high/low collaborations.

When H&M launched its first designer collaboration in the fall of 2004 with the cheap-and-chic collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld, it opened the floodgates for other retailers to pair up with designers. It heralded a new era in fashion. Luxury brands were no longer for the rich and famous. This notion of fashion being democratized meant everyone was invited.

For a limited time, fashionistas on a budget could suddenly get their hands on a piece of apparel designed by a couture-level designer. The revolutionary concept created pandemonium at H&M stores worldwide. Collections sold out in minutes. And other retailers, like U.S. retailer Target, wasted no time copying the concept.

But two designer collabs launching next week are poised to redefine it.

Mary Katrantzou for TopShop will launch in Canada at the TopShop in Yorkdale on Tuesday and Marni at H&M will launch at select H&M stores on Thursday.

The labels are hardly household names. And neither one makes esthetic compromises in their first foray into the mass market.

While Target’s recent collection with Jason Wu was a blockbuster, it revealed none of the artistry that is the hallmark of the young New York designer. The pretty prints and simple shapes were hardly challenging and could have been from any store.

Marni, by designer Consuelo Castiglioni, is a Milan-based label known for wildly colourful graphic prints juxtaposed with materials like plastics and neoprene — often all on the same outfit. The Marni for H&M collection — which also includes menswear — features the Milan-based label’s signature crazy prints, oversized polka dots and a PVC T-shirt.

Mary Katrantzou is one of the hottest young designers in London, thanks to her inventive use of patterns, photoprints of baroque home interiors intersected with floral prints and rosette appliqués for 3D effect. The Mary Katrantzou for Topshop collection features a floral print dress in the shape of a lampshade.

It’s not exactly stuff that has wide mass appeal. Marni is widely considered an intellectual designer whose designs — sacklike dresses and clashing patterns and textures — are not exactly known for sex appeal. Will the average consumer who believes Kim Kardashian is a style icon find it desirable?

“We haven’t thought of it like that. It’s a very beautiful and dignified look that will make the most to the wearer,” says Margareta van den Bosch, the creative advisor at H&M, in an email from the company headquarters in Sweden. “To us, it’s a brand you look and feel good in. Isn’t that sexy?”

As designers and retailers continue to collaborate — some baffling and random like Diane von Furstenberg for GapKids — it’s not surprising that the pioneer of the concept, the retailer that started it all, H&M, is now seeking innovative ways to keep these mash-ups exciting.

They’re reaching out less to the world’s most exclusive designers and more to the artists, who are adventurous and daring.

“I think it’s going back to the roots of what designer collaborations were — fabulous one-offs, says Carly Stojsic, market editor for Canada at WGSN, the global trend forecasting agency.

Stojsic thinks that the ubiquity of collaborations got to the point of becoming almost like licensing — designers just slapped their names on mass market products. Often, they were items that looked like they could’ve been designed by anyone.

“But these collections are not nuances of the designer’s vision; they look like the real deal,” she says of next week’s new collections.

“I would get of piece of that Marni at H&M because it looked like Consuelo had a hand designing it.”

My dears, can we talk? Luvs, this here scribe is one of those who believe that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller should refuse to meet with Dr Julian Hunte of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) until he or his board apologises for the intemperate remarks directed at the prime minister a few weeks ago. This will be adhering to the standard set by the WICB, that for them to consider entertaining Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle, he must first apologise for daring to express his opinion.

And frankly, my dears, if Chris Gayle were to apologise, he would have lost the moral and nationalistic high ground. And so he should hold fast and continue playing cricket internationally, while West Indies cricket continues in its death throes under the expert and professional guidance of those now guiding it to the pinnacle of stardom.

The truth be told, like the West Indies Federation, whose idea had run its shelf life, the time has come for Jamaica to go it alone in the world of cricket, as the internecine sniping and pettyfogging posture by pompous windbags is not deserving of the attention of the prime minister. It reflects the animosity and culture of animus with which some Caribbean nationals treat Jamaican nationals, whether it be at their borders or in the many other areas of life in which Jamaicans are forced to interact with these other nationals.

Implicit in the WICB criticism of the prime minister and the continued enforced but unofficial punishment of Chris Gayle, the WICB has made it plain that it will not entertain any criticisms by or from Jamaicans of any stripe. So that being the case, Madam Prime Minister, why bother entertain its president?

Then, my dears, it’s all systems go for the visit of the royal son and dears, the stampede y’all are hearing is the rush of would-be socialites who are lining up to make the guest list for the official functions being hosted to celebrate the visit. And dears, you have all heard the line ‘hell knows no fury like a woman scorned’. Well, try that of a socialite, with no invite.

Carib fashion in London

And last month, it was all about London Fashion Week and the storming of the catwalk by Caribbean fashion designers and models!

Darlings, talk about upping the ante! Ahead of Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) here in Kingston, internationally acknowledged designers: Jamaica’s Sandra Kennedy; DrennaLuna; Julan from Jamaica; Suriname’s Atelier Doré; Haiti’s Phelicia Dell, David Andre and Michel Chataigne; UK-based Gavin Douglas and Trinidad’s Meiling and KAJ were representing the emerging fashion trends in the Caribbean, with all the vim, vigour, vitality and verve of the Caribbean people and, as they say in local parlance, “Di ting sell off!”

Dears, this was the first in a four- pronged fashion initiative under project management by the region’s foremost fashion authority – Pulse Investments Limited with the Caribbean Fashion Industry Association’s Chairman Kingsley Cooper, and Pulse fashion director Romae Gordon the driving force behind the idea. It was conceptualised to broaden the exposure and market for the region’s designers, and was cemented after Gordon visited London twice in early February to prepare the groundwork as well as consult with that city’s leading fashion industry insiders.

And so it was, my dears, that for the first time in the history of London Fashion Week, a Caribbean contingent showcased their designs at the European gateway. The much-acclaimed exhibition lasted two days from February 17-18, hosted at the Charing Cross Hotel, and an exclusive dinner fab Five-Star Corinthia.

And dears, we are talking a smasheroni of a dinner at a London property which boasts among its international clientéle actor Johnny Depp, who makes it his London home when in that fab city.

And talk about chic, luvs, the collections were presented in the ultra-mod private dining room in the Northall restaurant, with Pulse models Alexia Palmer, Vogue rising star; the fabulously hot daughter of the minister of justice, Tasmin Golding; Oreintha Russell; Racquel Smith; and outstanding new face from CMS, Annisha Pitterson, headlining the Caribbean models working the runway, with Britain’s and Ireland’s Next Top Model winner Tiffany Pisani leading the group of UK models for the presentation.

And luvs, the continuing buzz is that the movers and shakers of the world of fashion were out, too, with headliners such as Italian Vogue’s Federico Poletti and the buying director of Harvey Nicholls, David Pun and Stefan Siegel of Not Just Another Label; owner and head jewellery buyer of Juwelier Schumann, Franz Knops; the BBC’s Eddie Nestor; Sky TV’s Jasmine Dotiwala; New African Woman’s Regina; buyer and LA-based celebrity stylist, Urbana Chappa; Bruno Mars producer Phillip Lawrence; full-figured supermodel and actress Toccara Jones; Caribbean Export’s Chris McNair; JAMPRO’s Kim Marie Spence and Joy Walcott; Pulse supermodels Jaunel McKenzie and Nell Robinson; designers Juliette Dyke, Arlene Martin, Meiling, Kevin Ayoung Julien, Cheyenne Uiterloo, Gavin Douglas and Safia Cooper (who will be officially joining Pulse this weekend).

My daahlings, not only was the Caribbean invasion the talk of the town, the buzz is the contingent created such an impact that this year’s CFW, slated for June 7-11, will not only be the second stage of the four-pronged project, but will see a number of fashionistas and leading buyers and editors of fashion mags in attendance.

Birthdays

And speaking of fabulous people and events, happy birthday wishes to: businessman Mark Brooks; Denton Ellis, in May Pen, Clarendon; and former French embassy official Claudie Warner, now back in France, who all celebrate their birthday today.

Tomorrow, birthday celebrants will include: the People’s National Party’s Courtney Spence; the charming Sonja Griffiths; the lovely Kim Chase, Strawberry Fields, St Mary; Sigrid Gaffga-Ribbe, in Montego Bay; John Beckford, in Florida; former Miss Jamaica World Cornelia Parchment Horn, now in Newport, Connecticut; north coast habitué Louis DelGaudio, of North Hackensack, New Jersey; Lucy Silver from the Chain of Hope Charity and resident of the UK, will all be partying their own birthday storms.

On Sunday, March 4: Major Joanna Lewin; Michael Abrahams; Pauline Gordon-Gray; Clifton Harriott, now in Brooklyn, New York; Prudence Anderson, now in Buffalo, New York, share the same birthday.

On Monday the fifth, those celebrating their birthday will include: Peter Morris of Gymkana, of the Guardsman Group; the fabulous Carleene Samuels, of Solid Agency; le grande dame of style Nerissa Braimbridge, in Montego Bay; the fab Alissa Perry Allen; Leroy Francis, now in Atlanta, Georgia; the lovely Moya Hamilton Ashman, in Brooklyn, New York; will make it a special day of celebrations.

Come next Tuesday the sixth, the lovely Candy DePass; Davion Cole; the lovely Andrea Johnson; Oscar Williams in Grenada; and the fab Mary-Kay Mullally, in San Diego, California, will make it all that.

On Wednesday the seventh, the musically eminent Donovan Germain and the charming Karen McDonald will celebrate.

Next Thursday the eighth, the fabulous Nancy Burke; the lovely Karen Preston Francis, in Montego Bay; the charming Paula Hurlock, also in Montego Bay; and Dr Adrian Richards, in Barbados, will be among those doing the birthday shuffle.

And belated birthday wishes to Shirley McCatty Harrison, who celebrated on the 24th of February; and special belated anniversary wishes to her and husband George Harrison of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, who celebrated their wedding anniversary on the 26th.

Max Mara

Max Mara meets Lili Marlene could be the title for the latest womenswear signature collection from the fashion group known for its fashionable yet easy-to-wear styles.

The theme for next winter is without a doubt military, as epitomized by the army cap that appeared throughout the show, and the Khaki green palette.

Military coats, duffle coats and toggle sweaters all combine to make up a bold collection for a woman who likes to be in control, and at the same time dares to be different. Leather and alligator print inserts in a dropped waist and leather half-belts accentuate the military feel of the collection.

But the latter-day Lili is as much at ease in her fatigue pants gathered at the hem like a parachute as she is in her tailored shorts worn under a long sheepskin coat. Classic Max Mara styles such as the camel coat are given a new twist when fashioned into a power jumpsuit.

For a night at the officers club, she wears a sailor-striped jumpsuit highlighted with Art Deco tassels, but never lets go of her hat. Here black and white join the army shades.

Fendi

There’s something of a Nordic warrior in Fendi’s womenswear collection for next fall and winter.

Fresh from the hunt, the Fendi woman is draped in fur – sometimes in bright warpath yellow, more often in earth tones – or clad in leather, crocodile, or eel. Her accessories, from thick belts that double-cinch to oversized collars, create an armored look, tough and resilient.

Many of the clothes were stiff and deconstructed, but not without feminine touches like pleated skirts and puffy sleeves.

Silvia Fendi Venturini, who collaborates with Karl Lagerfeld, called the collection “strong, sweet and soft.”

The collection’s accents were both old-fashioned and modern. A violet blue tailored woolen coat featured balloon shoulders that finished in long sleeves, while two-toned Victorian tie or button-up ankle boots, worn with ripped tights, completed most outfits. To keep it contemporary, there also were square IPad cases carried by handles.

Leather gave the collection its toughness, but that wasn’t the final word. Leather dresses or skirts were cut out to allow a lightweight pleated skirt to sway alluringly.

Fur was not only shaggy and voluminous, screaming for attention in multicolor, but also light and wispy. A fitted Shearling dress had wisps of fur at the shoulders, while a straight dress featured a ring of fur around the hips.

Colors were mostly earthy brown, black and blue with some crimson, mustard and peacock.

Strong, soft are watchwords for fashion designers.

The looks are demure, but with an edge that is expressed largely through the materials – leather and big shaggy fur – and military accents. Details give a feminine feel: pleats, beads, feathers and bubble sleeves.

Many designers showing their winter wears on the second day of Milan Fashion Week last Thursday favor ankle boots, either equestrian-style or Victorian, most with extra high heel.

The pantsuit is making a comeback, but not at the expense of dresses, which permeate the runways.

The basic palette is black or white, with bursts of color ranging from autumn hues to bright yellow, purple and red. Multicolored patterns also make an appearance.

Prada

Miuccia Prada’s collection has some basic building blocks: cropped pants worn either under a long skirt, with a short jacket, an empire-waisted long coat or sleeveless vest for a layered look.

Details make the difference.

Elegant black combinations were the backbone of the collection. Some long coats featured tails, a look Prada launched for men last month. Oversized beads ringed pant hemlines, decorated the bodice like so many brooches, or created a vertical pattern down the skirt.

The empire waist of the jackets and dresses provide a flattering silhouette.

Even with the heavily layered look, Prada’s lines remain impeccably clean – both ethnic and elegant.

After the introduction in black, Prada exploded with brocade prints recalling hip 1960s upholstery in bright orange, pink, green and purple.

Long printed coats dipping below the knee and belted high with a jeweled buckle were paired with cropped pants, the better to show off the comfortable flat Mary Janes with bright rubber soles – an antidote to the super-high-heeled strapped pumps.

Prada brought back the pant suit, a look which is popping up all over Milan, but she also sometimes paired complementary prints, say a purple and red hexagon vest over brown and black diamond pants, leaving lots of room for the Prada woman to mix and match.

A fiesta of bags accessorized the look, including Prada favorites from doctor bags to tiny cell phone-sized evening purses.

From Renaissance to ’70s at Paris Fashion Week.

Designers took the fashion crowd time-travelling, from a Renaissance hunting party to the 1970s punk scene via antique kimonos, at Paris’ ready-to-wear shows.

Darling of the fashionista pack, the Belgian Dries Van Noten, crafted a trademark blend of feminine and masculine for autumn-winter as he paired Asian-inspired fluid silks with military blazers, slim coats and tapered pants.

Van Noten took antique Japanese and Korean clothes photographed at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum as his starting point, but digitally reworked the images to create original motifs in riotous tangerine or turquoise.

“We went from 2D to 3D to create contemporary pieces, so we played at using the hem of a coat as the main theme of a dress, for example,” he explained backstage.

Bright patterns were hemmed in between panels of demure navy, military green, or black, on long-sleeved blouses, high-necked fine pleated dresses or coats.

Ethereal numbers like a flowing ankle-length dress with golden embroidery at its ruff neck and shoulders, alternated with more self-contained looks like a military blazer over apron and cigarette pants, all in black.

Lacquered tortoise-shell on shoe heels, tips and tongues added a retro feel, but the show’s soundtrack, whose lyrics spoke of time slowing down, was closer to capturing the essence of the collection.

With statuesque figures in romantic ruff necks, cloaked in smooth suede and leather, the 30-year-old Damir Doma made an impression earlier Wednesday as he whisked Paris back to the Renaissance — also with an eastern twist.

In black, rust, camel or dusty pink, Doma’s Elizabethan-inspired creations paired delicate hand-pleated collars and billowing silks, with manly tailoring in the cut of pants and jackets.

Suede desert pants and ample skirts, laced together with wide stitches, were tucked into soft, Robin Hood boots or paired with pointed slippers, under ample, cape-style jackets.

Fur jackets overlaid with breastplates alternated with kimono-style coats for a look part Samurai, part Renaissance hunting party.

“It’s a modern Renaissance collection,” the Croatian-born, German-raised designer told AFP, explaining he blended oriental and Western references, while injecting a “futuristic edge”.

Leather in all its glory was the backbone of the punchy, sensual look from Portugal’s Felipe Oliveira Baptista – also a designer for Lacoste – whether on a second-skin sheath dress, or a buttery wraparound coat.

Even the glossy plastic-looking fabric that cropped up on the skirt of wool coats, in graphic panels on short skirts and dresses, or on shoulder-high gloves – was in fact varnished leather, backed with jersey.

“But that’s what luxury is about, right?” quipped Oliveira Baptista explained backstage.

The designer – who last season took a skydiver’s suit as his starting point – said this time he went looking underground for inspiration.

“I used the idea of underground things, the counter-culture, punk, the art magazines of the 1970s. But I wanted to work all these elements into a real woman’s wardrobe.”

Stretchy-looking second-skin numbers had punky zebra stripes in black or red running down from the neckline, above pointy-tipped leather platform boots, intended as “part cyberpunk boot, part cowboy boot.”

Later at the French house Rochas, designer Marco Zannini also drew on the 1970s to wrap his models head to toe in autumnal colour and prints – right down to their opaque tights in patterned red or gold.

There was barely a white or black in sight as Zannini worked through a retro palette from mustard to rust and aquamarine, matching demure ribbed sweaters or brocade tunics with pleated A-line skirts or flared pants, hair in wispy ponytails and outsized shades.

London fashion students hail green as the new black.

Could ‘green’ be the new black? Perhaps only if you can imagine wearing stilettos made from pistachio nuts and coffee beans and clothes from orange peel, fungi and mould.

While the fashion pack are hitting the catwalks at Paris Fashion Week, students at London’s Kingston University have taken up the challenge of trying to lower the industry’s carbon footprint by using biodegradable materials to produce luxury clothes, shoes and accessories for home and car interiors.

The fashion industry has a high environmental footprint.

The manufacture of synthetic fibres like polyester alone produces nearly five times as much carbon dioxide per kilogram as some organic cotton and more than twice as much as hemp, according to a Stockholm Environment Institute study.

According to waste industry reports, more than one million tonnes of textiles are thrown away every year, with most going to landfill and only 25% recycled.

InCrops, an initiative based at the University of East Anglia, sponsored the Kingston fashion project, asking students to create designs that show renewable raw materials derived from crops can be used to create low or zero carbon fashion.

A range of futuristic fabrics, garments, and designs will be unveiled at an event at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London on Thursday.

Apart from stilettos made from pistachio shells and coffee beans, designs include a wood-chip corset by British designer Stefanie Nieuwenhuyse, which was unveiled at London Fashion Week last September and modelled by singer Pixie Lott in Vogue.

Other designs include a bodice made from orange peel by Hoyan Ip and scented jewellery made from biodegradable plastic.

“InCrops’ interest in the luxury sector gave us a steep challenge as many fashion practitioners have failed to successfully communicate the relationship between fashion and bio-waste,” said Nancy Tilbury, MA Fashion course director at Kingston University.

“Our students rose to the challenge and produced excellent work that has been sought after by musical artists and the fashion press.”

Designers have made progress in recent years in bringing organic cotton and recycled materials to the high street, but whether orange peel dresses will be worn in the future remains to be seen.

It was only a matter of time before Norfolk  fashion designers would make a big splash at Norwich Fashion Week.

After guest starring at the launch show in February 2011 and opening up their studios at Norwich Fashion Week last September, it was clear that the high calibre of workmanship and creativity would make a spectacular show.

For the first time you can see the work of Norfolk Fashion Designers in their very own catwalk show at Norwich Fashion Week. Emma Harrowing takes a look at what the designers have in store.

So for Norwich Fashion Week 2012 a new catwalk show is born. The Designers Show brings together talented fashion designers from Norfolk with up- and-coming fashion designers from City College Norwich in one of the biggest shows of this year’s fashion week.

Organised and choreographed by City College Norwich and fashion show guru Stephen Knights, the show takes place at Project Nightclub on Tuesday March 13.

Head of the creative and business industries school at City College Norwich, Jo Pretty believes that The Designers Show offers invaluable experience for students. Says Jo: “It’s really important for the students to showcase their first collection at Norwich Fashion Week as it is seen as a prestigious event in the fashion calendar. Our students are working alongside other new and established designers. They are the designers of the future.

Meet the designers

Cocoon: As reported in yesterday’s Evening News, Cocoon is the new fashion label from fashion and textile students from City College Norwich. Cocoon will be launched at The Designers Show at Norwich Fashion Week and the first collection from the label is based around the theme of machinery and mechanics. Expect fresh, original designs that play with spring and summer’s main fashion trends.

Poppy Valentine: When designer Claire Read brought her Poppy Valentine label to Norwich a few years ago she developed a cult following for her retro dresses and clothing made from vintage fabric. Recently, Claire has launched a new children’s range of clothing at her Royal Arcade boutique, but it will be her growing women’s collection of clothes that she will be showing at The Designers Show at Norwich Fashion Week. This will be Poppy Valentine’s third appearance at Norwich Fashion Week and Claire, who also works as a fashion lecturer at City College Norwich, is helping the students co-ordinate the show.

Peggy’s Collection: New to Norwich Fashion Week is Dereham knitwear designer Diana Clark of Peggy’s Collection. The collection of vintage inspired designs and accessories rose to prominence when footballer Wayne Rooney’s sister Natalie wore one of Diana’s designs on BBC Three television show Snog, Marry, Avoid. Peggy’s Collection has also won Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis’ Small Business Sunday award. Peggy’s Collection will be bringing women and men’s fashion to the catwalk at The Designers Show.

Marilyn Thomas: Known for her colourful Fair Isle knits, Norwich designer Marilyn Thomas proved that Norfolk fashion designers have their finger on the fashion pulse when she showcased her brightly coloured knitwear at Norwich Fashion Week 2011. For this year’s show Marilyn is back with her new collection of hand-knitted jackets, cardigans and accessories.

Monkey Mash: Eclectic designs inspired by the 40s and 50s sum up Norwich designer Emma Jackson’s Monkey Mash label. Her retro designs are made from rare or discontinued fabrics from designers such as Alexander Henry and Michael Miller, making each piece original and unique. Rumour has it that one of her designs at Norwich Fashion Week will be made from fabric with the London Underground map printed on it to celebrate the Olympics coming to London this year.

Jane Kenning: If you read the Jane Kenning interview in your Evening News last Friday you will know that the Drayton designer is making the corset the must-have item for spring and summer. Jane’s intricate collection of corsets will be on the catwalk at The Designers Show. If you missed the interview read it online at www.eveningnews24.co.uk/nfw

Alice Bodgener: Her frilly knickers caused a stir at last year’s fashion week, but the East Harling designer used Norwich Fashion Week 2011 to launch her first evening dress in her womenswear collection. For Norwich Fashion Week 2012, Alice plans to bring new designs to the catwalk at The Designers Show. Fingers crossed that her collection will include her original knicker designs.

Marian Eve Williams: She wowed 2011 audiences with her shimmery ivory dress made from the dye of a silver birch tree in February and then returned in September with a turquoise and green tie-dye effect dress. Expect easy-to-wear eco-friendly designs at The Designers Show.

Take a look at the Norwich Fashion Week programme of events by clicking on the link at the top right of this page.

In recent weeks it has been hard to miss the crowds of designers, stylists, paparazzi and models in India top two cities — as well as eager crowds of fashionistas sporting everything from leopard prints to rhinestones to strappy sun dresses.

Both New Delhi and Mumbai have major fashion events this time of year, which bring buyers and designers from around the world. Like the two cities they are based in, though, they have their own distinct styles and attitudes.

During Feb. 15-19, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi showcased 138 designers, attracted 180 buyers and drew a crowd of more than a thousand. Now touted as “Asia’s biggest business of fashion event” by its organizers, it has grown substantially since the Fashion Design Council of India first started the show in 2007.

Starting Friday, Mumbai hosts Lakme Fashion week, which has more than 80 designers and over 400 buyers registered to attend the event. This is the 13th edition of the Lakme Fashion week, which started in 2000 in Delhi with only 28 designers.

That fashion shows in India should have a growing appeal is no surprise – the country is home to more than 50 billionaires, scores more millionaires, and millions of women who read the latest fashion magazines or follow local and international trends.

High fashion’s appeal is even spreading beyond India’s metropolises. “We have seen a surge in buyer interest from smaller towns like Raipur and Ahmedabad, which now have greater spending power and interest in fashion,” said Anjana Sharma, director, fashion at IMG Reliance, which is co-organizing the Mumbai fashion week.

Still Mumbai and New Delhi remain India’s centers of high fashion, and rivalry between the two cities, and two fashion weeks, remains fierce.

Mumbai fashion is seen as edgier and more inventive, while in Delhi, where some of the country’s most powerful business families interact with the most powerful government officials, brand-name bling is prominent. A luxury mall in Delhi, DLF Emporio, stocks Dior, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Versace to drape the city’s elite.

It’s a city of conspicuous consumption where wealth rarely expresses itself quietly or subtly. The moneyed class, growing since India’s two decades of liberalization, quickly wants to set itself apart.

Divrina Dhingra, editor, Vogue.in, said that, for the most part, attendees of last month’s Delhi Fashion Week dressed well and appeared to be following international trends, but the label remains important.

“It’s not so much improvisation as wearing big brands and designer labels. And you see a lot more of that in Delhi than in Mumbai,” Dhingra said. The capital city hosts many who tend to flock to showy, but less classy, brands to appear fashionable, she said.

Designer Jatin Varma, who showcased his autumn and winter collection at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and will be presenting his summer/ resort collection at Mumbai, adds “You cannot define Delhi as being just bling, it has more to do with the season and the clientele.” Mr. Varma describes Delhi fashion as “posh and sophisticated.”

Mumbai’s fashionistas may disagree with that assessment. “Mumbai has a different take, we do not feel the need to be all dolled up when going to a club,” Ms. Sharma said.

A mix of new and established designers flaunted their sartorial predictions in the capital. Long-limbed models sashayed down the ramp in exquisite fabrics to the beat of catchy music – much like their counterparts in Milan and New York. A cosmopolitan mix of Indians and international models strutted and pouted – what one fashionista described as an international show with an Indian “tadka,” or spice.

Delhi Fashion Week doesn’t draw the kind of star power of Mumbai’s, which featured A-list Bollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan walking the ramp last year. That isn’t always appreciated in the fashion world. The media attention surrounding celebrities “sidelines” the designers and their work, designer Rohit Bal, the grand finale designer this year,said recently.

While Mumbai has Bollywood star power, Delhi brings in political bigwigs. Being Delhi, where business and politics are forever conjoined, journalists asked a couple of celebrities after the opening show what they think about the sartorial choices of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, offspring of India’s first political family, who has been campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. While actress Dia Mirza hailed Gandhi’s style as fuss-free and effortless, designer Nikhil said, “she’s got a great mix of India and Italy.”

Oman stitches designer bond on city runway.

Fashion frenzy took over the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman with a zeitgeist power walk in the Capital on Wednesday evening.

The ambassador of Oman, Humaid Al Maani, along with Vinay Gupta hosted an evening to support Save the Girl Child and Back to Nature & Wellness campaigns.

The model line-up included Indian musician Anup Jalota, cartoonist Sudhir Tailang, Abhijeet Sarkar, filmmaker Akbar Khan, Sandeep Marwah and Omar Nasim to name a few. Along with the usual faces on the runway, were, Miss India Earth 2011, Hasleen Kaur and Diana Hayden, who lent the glamour quotient as showstoppers for the night.

Designers from Oman such as Anisa Moosa Al-Zadjali and desi designers such as Pallavi Mohan, Zubair Kirmani and Sulakshana Monga showcased their collections. Diplomats of various nations, socialites from the Delhi circuit and members of the fashion fraternity were rubbing shoulders along with sports star Kapil Dev, who made a blinkand-you-missappearance.

5 designers enter Macy’s fashion incubator in Center City.

Beside the old-school Wanamaker eagle, Mayor Nutter on Thursday welcomed the first set of designers to enter Macy’s Philadelphia Fashion Incubator.

Nutter was joined by Macy’s Inc.’s chief executive officer Terry Lundgren and Center City District president Paul Levy to laud the incubator’s inaugural class.

“This is about jobs and economic vitality,” Nutter said of the first city-sponsored work space dedicated to developing up-and-coming designers. “The fashion and retail community [in Philadelphia] is bigger and better than ever, and we have design talent contributing to this.”

Philadelphia is actively trying to expand its “creative-economy district,” which right now is defined as a one-block corridor along 13th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets. In time, the city hopes the lower rents east of 13th will attract additional creative entrepreneurs to set up shop in the area.

The incubator is being touted as the catalyst to spur such growth.

This year, the incubator will be host to five designers-in-residence selected from a pool of 25 applicants, Nutter said. Ten of Philadelphia’s fashion and retail insiders, including designer and Philadelphia University professor Danny Noble and Nicole Miller franchise owner Mary K. Dougherty, made the final selections.

“We wanted designers whose collections were salable,” Dougherty explained.

Organizers hope that, by the end of the year, the selected will have solid business plans and will be closer to launching their own fashion lines.

“I want these designers to be so successful,” Lundgren said, “they will one day be selling their products here at Macy’s.”

An alumna from each of the city’s three design schools was chosen, as well as a wild-card designer (this year, one of the four chosen is actually a pair). Applicants had to be in business for at least one year, but less than three. They are: Autumn Kietponglert, a graduate of Drexel University, whose womenswear line, called Heartless Revival, features zippers as a key element; Kaitlyn Doherty, a graduate of Philadelphia University, whose womenswear line is inspired by architectural silhouettes and her travels abroad; Melissa D’Agostino, a graduate of Moore College of Art & Design, whose multiuse wrap pieces are tie-dyed; and sisters Latifat Obajinmi and Moriamo Johnson, who are using traditional African prints to make modern-day, workingwoman silhouettes.

Designing an Inspired Holiday Table

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and there are so many things to think about if you are hosting dinner or a cocktail party to celebrate. As Thanksgiving tends to focus on gathering around a table or large displays of food, I thought it might be the perfect moment to discuss a unique, inspired and personalized approach to decorating your table and home. I’m an obsessive collector of beautiful objects. These pieces range from delicate antiques to flea market finds and they come together in all sorts of unexpected scenarios when I’m decorating.

One very important tip to keep in mind as you hunt and gather decorative accents for your space is to remember you need options! If you collect vintage silver, look for trays in different shapes, tall vases and low, wide bowls. Always keep your eye open for the unexpected object, as well. That random little trophy or tea tin might provide the touch of whimsy your décor is missing. I consider these random surprises to be the glue that holds a decorative display together. You want to keep things interesting and unique. When design is predictable and perfect everyone loses interest quickly. Keep that inspired, whimsical spirit in everything you do at home and it will infuse your next party with the perfect dash of personal style design.

With a background in fine art, I tend to gravitate toward creating eclectic still-life vignettes for a more interesting centerpiece or decorative accent. You can really tell a story with these still-life moments and the unexpected objects paired with food or flowers will bring a whole new life to your décor. If you are bored with the classic autumn palette of orange, burgundy and gold try limiting your approach and work with only green textures. Fall is all about texture and by using only green the final result will look fresh and sophisticated.

In the following images I used some of my favorite objects, such as a small metal bird, a gold flower, wood boxes and unique vases all paired with lush ferns, cascading ivy, fresh woodland moss and bold green leaves. The monochromatic palette pulls all of the seemingly random objects together and creates a perfect frame for the eclectic décor. The great thing about this approach is you probably have a treasure of eclectic objects and accessories in your basement, attic or grandmother’s house!

Never underestimate the magic that can occur when you start to open boxes of collectibles, heirlooms and special objects from the past. These are wonderful and meaningful pieces that can easily be incorporated into your décor. Just remember to choose a simple, clean palette such as the one I’m featuring here, which focuses on bold green tones paired with vintage metallic tones such as brass, gold and copper. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you can put together after selecting your favorite pieces from your own collection. Also, keep the flowers simple. You don’t need hundreds of varieties or color options. Flowers will finish and unify the look. They are that last touch to add color, a little romance and seasonal inspiration. Have fun and enjoy setting your Thanksgiving tables!

When you get dressed in the morning you’re more likely to cook up a stack of waffles than slip on a pair of waffle pants. But, if the mood strikes, you can literally have your pants and eat them too, as designers are increasingly making clothing and accessories out of real food, or at least what looks like real food. Take for example an octopus top paired with a seaweed miniskirt, or a quail egg necklace. These are just some of the creations made by Austrian chef Roland Trettl that can be found at the Museum of Communication’s Fashion Food exhibition in Berlin, Germany –and a taste of what some designers are cooking up. It’s certainly not the first time people have draped themselves in edible delights. Who can forget Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards or her barely-there meat bikini on the cover of Vogue? Franc Fernandez, designer of Lady Gag’s famous dress, says that designers have long been using food as an inspiration for their craft. He says his Gaga creation took two days just for the design process. He said the meat came from his Argentinean family butcher and he picked cuts with more fat and grease, like skirt steak, that are easier to work with because they have less blood which can turn a dress brown. “Gaga said it was fine and the most comfortable dress of the night. She actually said she liked the way it smelled like a butcher shop.” Fernandez says the dress was hardly end of his foray blending food and fashion. If the idea of smelling like a butcher shop is too much for you, then check out Fernandez’s new t-shirts, a women’s dress and tank top, and men’s underwear made out of poly-blend cotton that looks like real meat. “I photographed the meat pieces used to make Lady Gaga’s dress before they were sewn together so the actual meat pieces you see on the shirt were actually on the dress. It’s the real meat you’re looking at. The whole idea was to commemorate the dress,” Fernandez says. The t-shirts are $150 and the other pieces should be out soon. But before Gaga’s meat obsession, photographer Ted Sabarese was pushing the limits of incorporating food into fashion. In a series titled “Hunger Pains” he had models wear clothing that depicted their personal food cravings. Designer Ami Goodheart said she created five outfits for the shoot that were made entirely out of foods like meat, pasta, artichokes, bread, and waffles. There was a meat skirt made of tenderloin she decided to pair with a top made of dried potatoes. The pasta outfit she created features ravioli shorts and a shirt made out of several pasta noodles. The stunning artichoke dress cost hundreds of dollars to make says Goodheart, but the result was worth it. Accompanying the dress is a radish ring and an artichoke hair accessory. The bread outfit was one of Goodheart’s favorites because of the Alexander Macqueen inspired sleeves made out of challah bread. The skirt is made of bruschetta like crackers and the buttons on the top are actually brownies. The last look was the idea of fruit and waffles. The model’s top is banana peels with carrots and his pants are entirely made of waffles.

“The meat skirt was the most challenging to make because we didn’t want it to go bad,” says Goodheart.

Goodheart thinks it may not be realistic to make clothing out of real food for more than a one-time use, but says the colors and textures are definitely amazing to work with. She’s not opposed to creating clothing made out of dried foods and experimenting more with food to develop things everyone can wear.

Goodheart, who also designed several pieces for Lady Gaga, says because of her meat skirt many people mistakenly think she designed Lady Gaga’s VMA dress instead of  Fernandez. “I laughed about it. I didn’t really like the dress she wore because it looked sloppy,” she says.

Now it’s not only clothing that designers are taking inspiration from food. Jewelry designer, Onch who has designed eye-popping jewelry for A-List clients like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Kate Moss, is also following suit. Onch personally designed a necklace for Nicki Minaj to rock at this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.  It looks and feels like a tasty deep-fried chicken wing, but it’s pink.

“I am so grateful that Nicki Minaj appreciates what I am doing…it really takes a very special talent and a very special person to be able to rock it with pride,” he says.

None of Onch’s pieces are real food, but he does have a word of caution for those who sport his pieces. “They feel and look like the real thing. And the funniest thing is if you have a pet doggy or a pet they will kind of gravitate towards it so definitely don’t wear a meat – lace to the zoo.”

The meat-lace is Onch’s version of a meat slab necklace inspired by what else: but Lady Gaga’s meat dress.

Onch didn’t actually take digital images of Gaga’s dress like Fernandez to design the meat-lace, but he describes his necklace as more of a fatty cut, while Lady Gaga’s dress was more “beautiful marble” cuts.

From lollipop and banana necklaces –in all different colors, to a bacon choker, you’re sure to find something that makes a true fashionista statement, says Onch. “What’s the point of wearing something if people won’t react to it? You’ll never be disappointed by the amount of ooh’s and aww’s and attention you will get when you wear the jewelry.”

All of Onch’s jewelry is available on his website or at his Los Angeles store and he says a new piece will be coming out soon. The inside scoop he gave me on the piece is that “its very rainbowful,” and it’s inspiration is something“you can find it at McDonalds.”

While these creations look good Onch, Fernandez and Goodheart agree that clothing and accessories made out of real food would be fun to wear for a day, but it would probably be gross to continually wear. As with Lady Gaga’s dress  – which was dipped in chemicals, dried and painted for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit — keeping the food items looking fresh is half the challenge.

But the designers say it is worth experimenting with food for its dynamic qualities.

Do Men And Women Cooperate Differently?

Cooperation is central to human existence. Our great achievements are all a testimony to our ability to cooperate. There would be no bridges, skyscrapers, computers, agriculture or railroads if people could not work together to design and build things that go beyond the capabilities of any individual person.

Although it is clear that cooperation is crucial for us, we still have all sorts of beliefs about who is more likely to cooperate. On the one hand, there is a broad belief that women are more likely to act as caretakers than men, and so women should be more likely to be cooperative with others. On this view, men compete with each other for resources and for mates, and so they should be more likely than women to act competitively rather than cooperatively with others.

On the other hand, men also tend to get involved in team sports and are most likely to serve in armies. So, perhaps men are more likely to cooperate.

That is, as you start to think about it, you realize that you could generate good reasons why men might be more likely to cooperate than women, or less likely to cooperate or perhaps equally likely to cooperate.

Luckily, there is data to help us out here.

Daniel Balliet, Norman Li, Shane Macfarlan and Mark Van Vugt did a meta-analysis of 272 research findings over the past 50 years exploring men and women in cooperative settings. This paper was published in the November, 2011 issue of Psychological Bulletin. In a meta-analysis, researchers analyze the data from many studies conducted over a long period of time and try to extract patterns that might not be evident from any individual study.

For example, many studies have explored a particular setting called the “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” In the Prisoner’s Dilemma, there are 2 people, and each has been arrested on suspicion of committing a crime together. The authorities make clear that they don’t have enough evidence to charge either person with a serious crime, so they are willing to cut a deal. If both of you refuse to testify against each other, you’ll each receive a moderate jail sentence. However, if your partner refuses to testify and you rat on your partner, then your partner will get a stiff sentence and you’ll go free. If your partner rats on you and you refuse to testify, then your partner goes free and you get a stiff sentence. And if you both testify, then you both get a stiff sentence.

In this kind of game, the best outcome for both of you is to cooperate with each other and refuse to testify. Then, nobody gets a stiff sentence.

The meta-analysis looked at studies that used the Prisoner’s Dilemma as well as other games that are similar to it.

So, what did they find?

On average, men and women are about equally likely to cooperate in games like this. However, the pattern of cooperation differs:

Men are most likely to cooperate when they are playing against other men. Women are much less likely to cooperate when playing against other women. When the game involves a mixed-sex pair, then women are much more likely to cooperate than men.

When the game is played repeatedly, men are more likely to cooperate than women over time. Essentially, in games like this women are more likely than men to punish someone who rats on them.

Overall, there is one other finding of importance here. All of the differences that the authors observed were rather small. That is, while gender does influence how likely people are to cooperate to some degree, it is hardly the most important factor.

Practically speaking, then, if you are trying to create an environment in which people are going to cooperate, you are probably better off fostering an environment of team unity and trust than you are focusing on the gender balance of the group.

L'WREN Scott (pix) wants her designs to "stand the test of time".

The fashion designer says it's important for woman to feel special when wearing one of her dresses so tries to create something that boosts their self-confidence.

She said: "I've never met a woman who thinks they've got a good enough figure - however perfect they look - which is sad, because no one else can see these perceived flaws; they're entirely internal. But I feel I've succeeded if I can design a dress that you can always rely on, that will stand the test of time, that becomes like a dear friend."

L'Wren - who is dating Rolling Stones legend Sir Mick Jagger - also wants her designs to be comfortable.

She told Stella magazine: You can celebrate the female form in comfort. We left corsets behind in the dark ages, so why bring them back now? The modern woman has a modern life, and most of us work. There's no time to change before we go out in the evening, so a dress should always look appropriate for day and night."

Crimes of the Heart at the Women’s Theater Company

The Women’s Theater Company, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, premiered their production of Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize winning Crimes of the Heart this past week.   This a delightfully quirky, screwball comedy about three eccentric young sisters who reunite in their Granddaddy’s home in the real-life town of Hazelhurst, Mississippi circa 1974-75. All the action takes place in the 1960’s style kitchen.

The oldest sister, Lenny MacGrath, played by Jacqueline Ann Holloway, is celebrating her 30th birthday, she is the most responsible and level headed, but severely lonely as she has been caring for her sick grandfather. Holloway’s performance is appropriately warm and touching.  Her younger sisters are; Meg MacGrath, 27, who has an unpleasant history with men. She went to Los Angeles to pursue a singing career that never happened.  Michele Danna is the lusty, chain smoking, bourbon fancier and grossly irresponsible, Meg. She has an interesting way of eating boxed chocolates. Danna impresses here as she did last year in the WTC’s rave production of Enchanted April.