Black Lace Galore

A trend on the rise in recent months is black lace.  Lace is very popular among trims, because it often adds femininity and a luxurious element to a garment.  Lace trim is a narrow lace fabric, which can vary greatly in cost, intricacy and complexity, width, and fullness.  The cost of a full, gathered lace trim will cost about double or triple what a flat lace trim will cost.  Due to these factors, lace can come in all different varieties.

While lace started out being a handcraft, the majority of laces today are machine-made.  There are five main types of lace trims: insertion, galloon, edging, beading, and medallion.  Insertion lace trims lay flat with two straight edges.  Galloon lace trims lay flat with two scalloped edges.  Edging lace trims have one scalloped edge and one straight edge.  The edges may be either flat or gathered.  Beading lace trims have ribbon which is threaded.  Lastly, in medallion lace trims, an individual lace motif is applied, such as a cuff, collar, or applique.

These lace trims are being seen all around Hollywood in recent months, often in the color black.  Below are some pictures of celebrities who have chosen to wear this new trend.
      Hayden Panetriere                                                    Taylor Momsen

Mischa Barton                    Scarlett Johansonn              Sarah Harding

         Rihanna                                            Blake Lively                          Lady Gaga

     Lauren Conrad                                         Olivia Wilde                       Madonna

Fur

Many celebrities are known to wear fur, because it is often used to make luxurious coats and jackets and for trims and accessories.  Consumers often value fur for its warmth and beauty, and wear it because it can often be a status symbol.  Five of the biggest celebrities who are known for wearing fur are Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Hurley, and Kanye West.

The cost of fur can vary because it depends on the rarity of the animal from which it came from.  The fur quality also relates to it's softness, color, luster, fluffiness, and density of the fur.  The fur from female animals tend to be softer and more desirable than the fur from males.  All furs go through an extensive process which helps explain why the cost of fur garments is so high.  Some of the most common animals used for fur garments are chinchillas, foxes, minks, rabbits, and raccoons.

Animal rights activists are becoming very popular because they oppose the wearing of fur due to the fact that it requires killing the animal for its coat.  One organization that is very popular is PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  Many celebrities have started participating in PETA's ads.

Whether you are a fur wearer or believe in the ethical treatment of animals, fur is a very big industry in the apparel world.

Please comment on my blog and let me know how you feel about whether you would wear fur or are more interested in the ethical treatment of animals:

a) I will never wear fur. It is unethical to animals.
b) It is okay to have a few pieces of fur.  I'm sure they weren't hurt too badly.
c) I love my fur clothing! I couldn't live without it.

Celebrities Creating New Maternity Clothing Lines

A trend on the rise: celebrities deciding to create their own maternity clothing lines.  Perhaps they felt that there were not enough cute outfits to wear when they were pregnant or maybe they just really wanted to create a new clothing line. Either way, many celebrities decided that it would be a fun idea to create clothes for women that are expecting.

Maternity clothing features details that make pregnant women more comfortable, such as garments expandable for the expectant mother.  The most common approach to this is using excess fabric.  Some common things in maternity wear are adjustable openings at the waistline to accommodate the enlarging abdomen and stretch panels in the abdominal area of pants and skirts in order to expand as the abdomen grows throughout the pregnancy.  The stretch panels should be long and wide enough to keep the clothing from being uncomfortable, and they are usually covered up by long maternity tops.


Another aspect of maternity wear is nursing garments.  These garments have openings over the breasts so that the wearer has convenient openings for breast-feeding.  These openings are concealed by extra fabric overlays when not in use.

 Many celebrities have started creating their own maternity wear lines. The dress shown above is a dress from Lilly Pulitzer's new summer maternity wear clothing line. The dresses shown below are from Allen Schwartz's fall dress maternity clothing line.

Many celebrities and famous fashion designers such as Heidi Klum, Lilly Pulitzer, Ella Moss, and Allen Schwartz have chosen to create their own fashionable maternity wear clothing lines.  Here are some pictures below of Heidi Klum's maternity wear that she created for her line "Lavish"

Trend on the Rise: Ruffles

One thing that we learned about in our Apparel Analysis class that is being seen a lot around Hollywood is ruffles.  Ruffles, or flounces, are decorative gathered or pleated strips of fabric. Full ruffles are often found in high-quality garments. Ruffles should be cut on the bias because they drape more gracefully than ruffles cut on the straight-of-grain.  Ruffles are used as decorations and are going to be very popular this fall and winter.

Ruffles are traditionally feminine touches yet are being seen in small touches in many different types of garments.  Ruffles are being paired with lace on many garments in order to soften heavy fabrics and straight lines.  They are especially being found on garments that would normally be unexpected.  It is very common for ruffles to be thought of as less is more.  A little bit goes a long way, and so just a little bit of ruffles on a garment is how it should be done.

Below are some pictures of celebrities who have started wearing garments with ruffles recently.                                                                                              

              Jessica Alba                                                                        Kate Beckinsale

     
                            Rihanna                                                                                                  Christy Turlington

Trend Alert: Investment Dressing

      Many young teenage consumers want the latest apparel fashions, and durability is unimportant to them because fashion will make their wardrobe obsolete before they wear the outfit out.  On the other hand, most adults tend to be interested in purchasing classic apparel such as coats and suits that can be worn for several seasons, because utility and durability are important to them.  The term for this type of shopping is called investment dressing.
      Due to the economic downturn in recent years, investment dressing has taken a rise in popularity.  Because the economy shows little signs of improving in coming years, investment dressing is often named "the new Black." While this was very popular in 2009 when the economy was at a very low point, it is still very common a few years later.  Many magazines, such as Harper's Bazaar, are showing articles on how to investment dress correctly and how to "recession-proof your wardrobe."  British Designer Vivienne Westwood describes before her show in Paris in 2008, "In these hard times- dress up. There is status in wearing your favorites over and over until they grow old or fall apart."
      While many of the world's luxury fashion houses did not agree to this quote by Westwood, more have joined her.  Dozens of designers have decided to provide the consumers with well-made, timeless classics that people can wear for many years.  A few examples of the investment pieces that designers are making are belted skirt suits, tailored trousers, blazers, classic sheath dresses, well-made blouses, and pant suits.
      There are many different price ranges for investment dressing.  It is easy to find good quality classics that will be very durable at stores such as Macy's and Talbot's.  There are also a wide variety of higher priced garments that would qualify as investment dressing as well.  A few of the designers who pinned their hopes on the basic classics were:
   Burberry Trench Coats                                                                           Jil Sander Blazers


                                                   
 
                             














                                                     Oscar De La RentaSkirt Suits                                      

Investment dressing is a great way to make sure the clothing that you buy lasts for a while and is worth your money.  Because investment clothing is made to be classic and worn several seasons, look at utility and durability when purchasing these garments.  When buying an investment piece, make sure that it is something you really love and will wear forever, because this will reduce its cost per wear and it will be much more ethical than buying cheap clothing that you will wear far less often.

Recall of Flammable Garments

          In the past year, a large amount of clothing has had to be recalled due to the lack of adherence to the Flammable Fabrics Act. This act, established in 1953, classifies fabrics according to how fast they burn under controlled testing conditions.  Standards for rating apparel fabrics is divided into three categories: Class 1 is normal flammability, Class 2 is intermediate flammability, and Class 3 is rapid and intense burning.  If the fabric is unsuitable for clothing, it would fall into Class 3.  This means that the flame is spread throughout the garment in 3.5 seconds or less. Manufacturers, distributers, retailers, and importers should carefully evaluate the flammability compliance of their garments before sale.  Unfortunately, many stores have been selling clothes that are unfit for safety.   


      One of the stores that is having to recall many garments is Chanel.  A large amount of scarves, tops, and dresses have been recalled because they have been reported as being highly flammable.  These items, all made from pure silk, retail from $430 to $3,650.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has asked that all customers immediately stop wearing these garments and return them to the store for a full refund. These items are considered extremely dangerous because they fail to meet flammability standards and pose a fire hazard to the consumer.  Pictures of the aforementioned garments are shown below. 

      Chanel has not been the only store that has had to recall garments due to flammability.  Macy's recently recalled womens' dresses as well as children and infants' pajamas.  In Culver City, California, Macy's stores have issued the recall in cooperation with USCPSC.  There were around 2100 dresses involved in this recall due to the lack of meeting federal flammability standards.  This poses a fire hazard to the consumer and can be very dangerous.  Macy's has also recalled a large amount of childrens' pajamas.  Hundreds of sets of children's sleepwear have been recalled by Sage Green Organics.  These pajamas did not meet the tight fitting sizing requirements and failed to meet the federal flammability standards for childrens' sleepwear.  Pictures of the womens' dresses and childrens' sleepwear are shown below.

      It is very important that the manufacturers, distributers, importers, and retailers carefully evaluate their garments before selling them to make sure that they comply with the Flammable Fabrics Act.  This will save a lot of money and time, and it is extremely important so that their garments do not cause harm to the consumers.