Lady Gaga dresses up as red cockscomb!

Source From: http://www.examiner.com/fashion-in-atlanta/lady-gaga-dresses-up-as-red-cockscomb

Atlanta Lady Gaga fans, the fashion iconoclast is up to her old self again – donning yet another outrageous fashion creation and new dark red platform shoes to tax any ankle – just in case you were a bit concerned for her that she was having an identity crisis!

The Queen of Pop was spotted at the Atom Factory VMA Dinner in Los Angeles on Friday 26 August, 2011 wearing an outfit that looked like a bright red cockscomb at the waist and abdomen.

The plunging necklace revealed that Lady Gaga chose not to wear her bra to the event but she did accessorize to the hilt with a huge diamond necklace, thick leggings – in the heat of summer – and her signature break-neck clodhoppers. Her kidney-shaped red clutch bag was very tasteful though as were her lovely sunglasses.

Gaga, who is normally known for her signature scarlet red lipstick, actually wore a black tint instead to match her raven hued pointed nails. The platinum blond updo with bangs must have had add-ons as there was a lot of hair in her bun!

The diva was there to perform at the VMA awards on Sunday 28 August, which she did as her alter ego Jo Calderone but more on that later – with pictures! Promise…

Styling the High Heels and the Boots

There are a lot of shoes of every kind out today. There are more styles that women can choose from when it comes to shopping for shoes and the likes than there are for men to choose from. Perhaps this could be because designers of footwear find women’s shoes easier to design or embellish with what designs they have in mind. However, do you know how to style these things by wearing the right clothes and more? A lot happen to not know.

Now, there are plenty of inspirations regarding styling these things that one can get online. There are some sites with photos on how these things are best worn and most of the time. It is the stars that are wearing such high-profile shoes and more. But commoners like us can be artsy with some high heel shoes as well. We just have to be careful in choosing the right shoes to go with when we want to wear them out casually or when we want to wear them out to work even.

Boots are the perfect things to wear when it’s the cold season and even when it’s the summer season. You must have seen today some discount boots being worn with dresses and even some shorts. It might be awkward to look at but quite a lot are now sporting this style. Boots do look really cute with the dresses and the shorts. It doesn’t matter if they are the thigh highs, the knee-high and even the ankle-length ones. As long as you have a pair of these, you can now be a bit trendier than most.

Some high heels, pumps and wedges can also be good to wear with some skirt or some other. You should be able to find some of these from Rocket dog shoes. If you are the girly type, then there are some of these kinds of shoes that you can find everywhere. You just have to look for where you can find some great bargains on them and where you can find some with styles or designs that go well with your own personal style and the like.

Nothing is wrong with spending so much on shoes. Most women would find this a great relief from a busy day at work or perhaps a busy week she has just had. Some ladies are called “shoe ladies” for some reason and this is because they love such shoes and are even able to style them accordingly.

Women, Beauty and Shoes

Years ago, a powerful woman from a small Asian country rose to even more fame because of her collection of shoes. To this woman, her shoes represent the beauty that the world can create. Despite the violent opinions that people in that country may give for that woman’s lack of repentance for her vast shoe collection, it is true indeed that shoes can define a woman’s beauty.

Because of this, many designers in creating women’s shoes strive not only to provide comfort but work primarily to make women look good. Some designers spend most of their careers trying to create an exclusive line of shoes for women for this very goal. In fact, there are some companies that exclusively sell women’s shoes like Anne Klein shoes, Style & Co and Boutique 9 shoes. These shoes range from the high end to the low end ones.

Beauty has been defined as the characteristic of a person, place or thing which gives pleasure or satisfaction to the person seeing or experiencing it. However, there is no universal and absolute concept of beauty because it differs from one culture to another. Thus, a thing, person or place could be beautiful for people in a particular culture but this might not be different in the case of other cultures. Shoes, however, have defied these limitations. Whatever culture you belong to, you will consider a woman wearing high heel shoes beautiful, at least, compared to the woman who isn’t.

In the field of sociology, it is said that people live in a world of meanings. Shoes serve as status symbols and being so can give different kinds of meanings. For those who come from the lower socioeconomic class, it can signify their moving up in the socioeconomic ladder. To shoe manufacturers, it represents a source of living. To the debutante, it could mean coming out like Cinderella. To women, however, the right shoes can mean getting the job that they want, the man they desire or the promotion that they yearn for – all of these relate to the ability of shoes to make them look good.

This is not to say that it is the shoes that make the woman because, the truth is, it is actually the other way around. It is the woman who makes the shoes. This is because it is she who chooses what pair of shoes to wear with that stylish dress and it is she who essentially makes the decision what shoes she wants to own.

Seattle gets big-name fashion collections from Karl Lagerfeld and Rachel Zoe

Source From: http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/fashion/seattle-gets-big-name-fashion-collections-karl-lagerfeld-and-rachel-zoe?prmid=4932

It’s serendipitous that Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe both have clothing collections hitting the racks of major department stores starting late August.

Fans of Zoe’s Bravo show, "The Rachel Zoe Project," know that Lagerfeld is one of Zoe’s fashion idols -- she even gets to air-kiss him backstage at his runway shows. But really, what stylist or fashion-obsessed person doesn’t count Chanel and Lagerfeld among their idols?

If you’re a fan of Lagerfeld, but can’t afford couture prices, you’re in luck: his affordable capsule collection for Macy’s “Impulse” department arrives on Aug. 31.

“Impulse” is Macy’s youthful and contemporary department, where Lagerfeld’s limited-edition collaboration will join brands like Betsey Johnson and Free People. The collection is heavy on graphic black and white, tweed and leather, but has hits of pink and “is a blend of refined dresses, airy tops, modern tweeds and [Lagerfeld’s] signature high-collared neck, priced on average from $50 to $170,” explains the press release.

I’m especially taken with the most Chanel-like pieces, including a great black baby doll dress with a white pointy collar ($109), a sheer lavender/gray blouse, also with a pointy collar ($89), and a versatile tweed jacket ($169) that may very well be your best wardrobe staple for years to come.

Over at Nordstrom, Rachel Zoe’s collection veers towards a higher price point, starting at $275 for pleated wool pants and stretch jersey leggings, and topping out at $575 for a (gorgeous) leopard-print halter gown.

Of course, Zoe’s collection also looks very rich and luxurious -- her statement says it was inspired by “her love of all things glamorous.”

With a nod towards her fellow fashion icons Brigitte Bardot, Edie Sedgwick, Bianca Jagger and Faye Dunaway, this debut collection (not counting the one she did for QVC) is “glamorous, vintage-inspired and effortless,” influenced by “'60s mod” and bohemian “'70s glamour queen.”

Our favorites are a to-die-for faux-fur trim wool coat ($550), a black-and-white sequin shift dress ($495) and a very Chanel-inspired bead and sequin cardigan ($375).

Most of the Rachel Zoe collection is available at Nordstrom.com for pre-order (shipping mid-September), but her faux fur jacket ($450) and a few other pieces are available for purchase now at the downtown Seattle store's Via C.

If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail seattleshopping@nwsource.com or tell us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter for the latest local sales, great deals and noteworthy products, designers and stores.

The Big C in Shoes

Men and women have a common criterion when it comes to selecting shoes and that is comfort. For whatever occasion be it formal or casual; for whatever activity whether it’s just the lazy walk in the park or the grueling exercise routine; wherever the venue is for the event, in the beach or in a classy restaurant – people want their shoes to be comfortable. Wearing a pair of shoes, in order to be classified as comfortable, should not take so much effort. It should be like wearing bedroom slippers or should even feel like going barefoot.

The shoe industry is a busy industry because of the high demand for shoes as this footwear can be considered a necessity nowadays. In fact, because of this demand, many designs come out in the market and some are manufactured particularly for different types of activities. For women, many shoe styles have been designed appropriate for different types of occasions. Some of these types are flat shoes, peep toe shoes, ankle strap shoes, mules, athletic shoes and high heel shoes. For men, there are black shoes, boots, loafers, leather shoes and athletic shoes. There are even highly specialized shoes that are created specifically for certain kinds of sports like tennis shoes or skate shoes.

Although shoes can be considered a status symbol separating basically those who can buy a good pair and those who can only afford discount shoes, people’s shoe choice go beyond price. More importantly, they go comfort. But why is this so? A couple of reasons can be cited.

People, being bipedal species, have their weight centered on their feet when upright. From the time people wake up in the morning until they go to bed at night to sleep, the feet receives the greatest toll in all physical activities that are done while doing common activities like walking or running. The kind of footwear can either provide ease to the feet or cause pain. If shoes are not comfortable, they can lead to corns, calluses, blisters or eventually malformations to the toes.

Another reason is safety. For very active people, uncomfortable shoes can lead to foot injuries like ankle twists or sprains and broken or fractured bones. The discomfort may either be caused by the wrong fit of the shoes or the inappropriateness of the shoes to the activity.

There is truth to the saying that “when your feet hurt, you hurt all over.” This is manifested by what people usually look for in shoes – the big C called comfort.

Fashion News: Barneys New York taps Lady Gaga for holiday campaign

Source From: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2011/08/fashion-news-barneys-new-york-taps-lady-gaga-for-holiday-campaign.html

One of the presents we opened in our email inbox this morning was an announcement that Lady Gaga would be serving up her interpretation of Santa's workshop as part of Barneys New York's holiday campaign called "Gaga's Workshop." The announcement reads, in part:

"Barneys New York has worked closely with Lady Gaga under the creative direction of Nicola Formichetti to design a range of exclusive, limited-edition, small gift items, which will be available for a limited time only at Gaga's Workshop. In addition to Gaga's Workshop in New York, a selection of items from the collection will also be available at Barneys New York locations nationwide and online at Barneys.com."

The retailer will be donating 25% of sales from all items featured in the workshop to a charity of Lady Gaga’s choice.

If you ask us, Christmas can't come soon enough.

The latest in shoe-collaboration news? Apparently London-based shoe designer Mark Fast has teamed up with Aldo. At least that's what they're saying over at Catwalk Queen.

In other shoe matters, the legal equivalent of the "Red Shoe Diaries" takes another step forward (or is it back?), with industry trade paper WWD reporting that Christian Louboutin plans to appeal the recent ruling by a federal judge in Manhattan that allows YSL to sell red-sole shoes.

Speaking of Manhattan, Opening Ceremony, which always throws a good party, celebrated the Bean Pole x Kim Jones collaboration with a good, old-fashioned block party on Friday.

Summer block party season will eventually give way to the tailgating and football season, and now team spirit will be as close as the nearest Old Navy. Seventy of the nation's top college athletic programs will team up with the Gap-owned label to sell branded clothes and accessories at stores across the country.

Of Women and Shoes

Shoes have an important role to play in making a woman look good. Bad shoes can ruin a woman’s looks even if she’s wearing expensive clothes. How can shoes make you look good? The following tips can serve as a good guide:

1. Go for comfort. No matter how expensive a pair of shoes is, if it is not comfortable enough to be worn, ignore it though it looks very beautiful as displayed. Go for the pair that you can wear even on a daily basis. Remember, shoes that are heavy on the wallet do not assure you of a relaxed walk or run. Even discount shoes can give you the comfort that you need. You just have to learn to choose your shoes well.

2. Know the occasion. If you are ever invited to an event, it is always good to know what it is for. Do not go blindly to a party without knowing what the dress code is. You cannot go to a beach party wearing high heel shoes, right? Or to a formal engagement party wearing skate shoes? This is certainly not a troublesome task because most hosts give out invitations to their guests which specify how formal or informal the occasion is. Just remember to read the invitation well. For invitation given over the phone, all you have to do is ask the host what you need to wear.

3. Know which shoes to wear for that dress. You do not have a fashion model to know what shoes you will wear for a particular dress. Sometimes, it only takes a little bit of common sense. The decision to wear flats, heels, pumps or peep shoes will depend on what dress you will wear. At times, all of these can go with one dress so the choice will depend on the occasion.

4. Color matters. When buying shoes, choosing the color to fit a dress can be a bit tricky. If unsure, there are always guides for color combinations which can be consulted online. However, color of the shoes also matter in certain occasions. Like it is a bit off to wear red shoes in a sad event like a funeral or when you go to a formal job interview. So, carefully select the color of your shoes in accordance with the dress you will wear plus the occasion.

If you are a woman and want to look good, choose good shoes. Carefully chosen shoes can get you to places. Good shoes can certainly give you nods of approval whether for your fashion style or even for the job that you are aiming for.