Fashion For Profit

Fascination with Fascinators! - Whether you like them or not they are fascinating!

Personally I think most fascinators look rather pretentious and stupid! I honestly can say I have not seen many adaptations and creation of the fascinator that improve the wearer’s overall looks.  I do love hats and have enjoyed being a wearer of head gear for many different occasions. As we know, for the most part hats do normally have some kind a function. They were created to protect us from the elements; the sun, or the rain, or to keep our ears warm in the cold weather. They can also be worn to protect from paparazzi. Caps and sunglasses are a well recognized disguise. They are also worn as a status or as a uniform , for example with priests and train guards. However, for hundreds of years hats have also been created to be worn just for the fun of it. They are worn as the topping off of a beautiful elegant outfit. But, it seems to me that most fascinators have pushed the “for the fun of it” to the limits of becoming ridiculous. Like “modern art”, there are some forms that really defy art or reason.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie example of topping off their wedding outfits with those craziest of fascinator as a head decoration just left me frowning and fascinated at how they just did not work to improve the wearers’ appearance. Was the objective to get attention? In which case the fascinators worked, but then they would have had their share of the spot light being the cousins of the Prince. Princess Beatrice has her own unique beauty she would have been better advised to highlight that instead of wearing that toilet roll holder on her head!!:)

As I am a Brit I could assume that maybe it is another example of their humor! Our daughter got married last July 4^th and we had a number of family members from the other side of the pond from the UK and my husband’s side from Germany turn up with fascinators packed in their suitcases to wear under the California sun at the garden wedding! Luckily we had planned for the sun and provided white umbrellas’ for them all to protect them from frying in the heat of the late afternoon sun.

Maybe I need to hear from you and if you would wear a fascinator like the one Princess Beatrice wore?

China now accounts for 49 per cent of luxury growth, according to Julius Baer

It seems that the luxury goods market is experiencing growth. Can this mean that the economy is on the turn? Well, it seems that this is true when it comes to investing in luxury brands from emerging markets like China, and it is said that this trend is set to persist! Their growing middle and upper class are looking to invest some of their wealth into these branded world renowned goods and are buying them at a rapid rate. It is said that “they are crazy for luxury brands”.

Most luxury companies are in excellent financial shape. We have to hope that the rest of the western worlds down economy will follow this trend. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the west coast of America has been hit particularly harshly by the greed of the corporate business owners. There are far too many people out of work here and they seem to remain out of work for long periods. I am not sure when we will see here a swing to buying luxury goods on the scale we have seen in past years.

With regards to that stimulus package, well, so far as I can see from being involved on the peripheral edge of LA City Council; it went to the same place as all the wasted dollars have gone in the past…to the good old boys! There was never enough time to investigate and make a solid plan as to where that stimulus money would be spent. So, it seems none of it was put to good innovative use in developing new manufacturing methods and retraining workers.

So, it appears that for China it is a rapid growing time and they will now have their golden time in history. As for the US, unless we begin to invest in our own production and workers, it seems to me that we will be following the Romans…

Fashion Trends in Travel

 World Travel – Pros and Cons

 

The problem with travel is that it requires travel! This usually means you need to fly to your various destinations. Well, as most of us world travels know this can be a test of stamina and endurance. There is no doubt and a fact that flying is an amazing feat of engineering. For instance, how can a 350 thousand pound plane with 50 thousand pounds of fuel and hosting two hundred passengers with luggage fly through the air at 500 miles per hour? I know my husband, the German flight stress engineer would love to explain these facts in detail but we don’t have the time to get too detailed here! The fact remains that the logistics for those who traveling can be a test of endurance that is way too often a rather torturous event.

 

We have just spent a much needed (see last blog) pleasant change of pace and relaxing ten days on vacation in the southern Caribbean on a friend’s sail boat.  Getting there and back has been anything but pleasant or relaxing. Our outward bound flight from LAX was smooth flying with three transfers but upon arrival found us without our luggage, which it seems did not fly with us. Nothing really new here, except we had to journey on the next day to meet up with our friend and host on her sail boat. So, on landing in Grenada we not only had no luggage we also needed to stress about whether the lost bag would ever turn up and if so when, and then how it would find us in the eastern part of the Caribbean. Luckily we are seasoned travels and had carried on swimwear and toiletries. After our first night spent in a hotel we then made numerous phone calls as to where the lost bag was and if found how it would possibly get transported to us at our soon to be remote location.  Amazingly, and much to our surprise the bag was located 24 hours later and American Airlines arranged to have it sent by ferry boat so we could collect it from the dock. This in its self was a pleasant surprise.

 

Homeward bound was another exhausting stress filled travel experience that goes down in my scrapbook of travel experiences as a marathon journey! Broken plane parts resulted in a ten hour delay in Grenada, which then resulted in the domino effect of missed connections, frustrations, exhaustion, more frustration and a fascination of how, for the most part good natured people are when pushed through these extreme travel experiences. Thankfully, after 36 hours in transit found us safely home!

 

So, what does all the above have to do with fashion? People watching while traveling is for me the most interesting and a time consuming hobby. What people choose to wear for any occasion is fascinating stuff for clothes minded person like myself, but traveling internationally can be an interesting observation of what people choose to wear while traveling.

 

It seems that “Juicy” on the butt is still a popular fashion statement with some! Most of us may well ask, “why”, would an attractive, intelligent women (or girl) want to walk around with that statement so close to a bodily area that ……… well, let’s not even go there!

 

Cargo pockets are really the ideal choice for travel for men if they don’t over stuff them with everything needed for a two week vacation.

 

Pedal pushers in all styles and fabrics for women with and without cargo pockets.

 

Denim in all weights are to be seen while traveling, including; leg shapes, low raisers, high raisers, various sizes, fits, stitching details, pocket design, distressing and with multiple finishes. Nothing new here.

 

Workout gear can be seen on more travelers this season. This seems to me to be the ideal choice for comfort and practicality. Need for layering is important as you can be boiling in Miami and then on the plane freeze yourself to death sitting next to the escape doors where the draft is so severe it can make the journey miserable just trying to keep your feet at a normal temperature.

 

T-shirts galore in all shapes, styles, with a vast variety of graphics and sizes!!! Some more grotesque, obscene, confusing and stupid than the next! Then there are some who choose to wear the shorter length t-shirt that expose rolls of fat and protruding belly buttons with a confidence of the wearer that makes them seem proud to be carrying around all that extra fat.

 

Running shoes and thongs in every imaginable color, shape and brand on the planet. Personally, I prefer shoes that slip on and off for easy of maneuvering through the strip down security search blockade.

 

Color trends – Every color under the sun! Mix and match are preferred!

 

Other than the above I do not have much to report on the latest fashion trends for travelers. All very boring stuff!

 

However, we are glad to be home in southern California where the weather is beautiful year round.

 

Now back to work re-editing all my books and to expanding the Fashion Business Inc., plus planning my daughter’s wedding this summer. I need another vacation just contemplating this last sentence!