Gala Darling | ChinaShop

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Fashion Girly Girl Shoes

March 3, 2010 - 4:37 pm

Spring is on its way — not that you would know it on the East Coast — and so is Alice In Wonderland, Tim Burton’s latest masterpiece. While it may just seem like a simple movie release, it definitely isn’t. It’s going to be a key influence throughout the year in the world of fashion. We’re already seeing allusions to Wonderland style, from cropped White Rabbit-esque jackets to fob watches and super-feminine, tulle skirts. Believe me when I say that you’ll be seeing a lot more of this surreal and psychedelic-but-demure aesthetic!    So when I saw Girly Girl Shoes‘ latest releases — a collection of crystal-embellished ballet flats in bright candy colors as well as some daring metallic heels, I knew they were perfectly on-trend. I had a quick chat with Nicole Woo, the designer of Girly Girl Shoes, to see where she gets her inspiration, who she designs for, and what’s next…

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Fashion The Burberry Life

by Gala Darling

March 1, 2010 - 10:38 am

Burberry is one of the most well-established & recognised fashion labels in the world. Formed in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, the company invented gabardine, dressed Roald Amundsen & Ernest Shackleton (the most revered explorers of their time) & designed clothing for officers in the British army. “Burberry classic check”, also known as “haymarket check” is instantly identifiable from it’s black, tan & red pattern.

Burberry had a public image problem in the 1990s, when it fell victim to the problem all fashion houses dread: counterfeiting on an enormous scale. As Burberry had become popular with fans of English football, their classic check started to appear on all manner of items, & sold on almost every street corner. It become the unofficial uniform for less savoury groups like chavs & football hooligans, & severely damaged the public perception of the brand.

When Christopher Bailey joined Burberry as creative director in 2001, the tide began to turn for the British icon. The house turned out truly fashion-forward looks at the speed of light, garnering a gaggle of young new fans. They secured the top British talent for its advertising campaigns, including Emma Watson, Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson & Kate Moss. Today, their image is of utmost quality & brave style.

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Fashion Featured Mr. Brainwash

by Gala Darling

February 26, 2010 - 10:15 am

Who is Mr. Brainwash? If you were looking for clues at his recent opening in New York City’s Meatpacking District, you were out of luck.

The art/fashion crossover crowd descended on 415 W 13th Street, an enormous multi-level space packed with jumbo canvases and installations, including a life-size horse made from tire treads. In the middle of the upper level was a pink-splattered can of paint so big you could hold a party inside it. People milled around, guzzling Red Bull and champagne, confused & bemused in equal measure. Taking photos and video was encouraged — this is one man who knows how to promote himself.

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Fashion Surviving Fashion Week in February: The Essentials

by Gala Darling

February 24, 2010 - 12:05 pm

It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeear… February is the month that fashionistas love and dread. Fashion week menacingly dominates the psyche. From Paris to New York and London to Milan, the selection of shows is staggering. Style aficiandos stumble through airports, sleepwalk through shows, subsist mostly on champagne and do their best to report what they’ve seen. Glamorous though it may seem, the reality is far from it.

Here’s my guide to surviving fashion week with style, grace and God willing, a little sleep.

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Fashion Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week : Betsey Johnson

by Gala Darling

February 22, 2010 - 11:50 am

My Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week highlight was, without a doubt, the Betsey Johnson show, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. Betsey’s shows aren’t just a moving catalog of latest looks — they’re a full-blown party, with a kicking soundtrack, attitude-laden models and a vivacious atmosphere. The crowd simmers excitedly, the models are laughing with one another and practicing dance-steps, and balloons litter the backstage area.

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Fashion All Smiles at L’oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival

by Gala Darling

February 16, 2010 - 10:45 am

The L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is like any fashion week anywhere in the world: designers, models, buyers, editors & stylists revelling in a sartorial orgy which lasts for the longest seven days of your life. By the time of the closing night party, blisters are rampant, skin is dehydrated and sallow, and everyone is feeling just a tad bit blind from the non-stop camera flashes. Your bed is calling your name; your name has never sounded sweeter.  But this year, Melbourne’s fashion week has a point of difference. It has a simple and straightforward slogan: “Get Happy”. In the advertising campaign, there is nary a sour or sultry look to be had. No — instead, the models are smiling and laughing. Photographed by Stephen Chee, models Katya & Tina look delighted just to be in front of a camera, and let’s face it, they probably were.

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Fashion Barbie Basics: The First Barbie Tweetup

by Gala Darling

February 12, 2010 - 12:10 pm

Tuesday night’s Barbie Tweetup marked the unveiling of 12 one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls, dressed by some of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s brightest stars, including Betsey Johnson, Isaac Mizrahi and Kate Spade. Revealed with the lifting of oversized black boxes, the Barbies stood under perfectly positioned spotlights, eager to show off their new looks.  From Betsey Johnson’s “part punky devil and part pretty mistress” Barbie wearing sequined devil horns to Lorraine Schwartz’s Barbie wearing real diamonds valued at $25,000, the collaboration was a clear success.   All 12 designers were given a different doll to customize, each of them wearing a different Little Black Dress. Some of the designers remade the original dress they were given (which was constructed with simple black jersey), while others focused more on accessorizing their doll. They were then auctioned off on eBay, with the entire net proceeds directly benefiting CFDA education initiatives and their scholarship program.

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Event Fashion Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Paid to Be Front Row?

by Gala Darling

February 11, 2010 - 11:13 am

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Show kicks off in New York City next week, and the stakes are high.While celebrities are awash with event invitations, fashion bloggers and lesser-known magazine editors are busy scrounging, begging and scraping the bottom of the barrel to secure just the tiniest piece of coverage. Some designers are known for their disdain of bloggers, but others have embraced the new wave of journalism, with key players such as Chanel, Dior and Rodarte inviting their biggest fans to sit front row.

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Fashion Spring Flirt

by Gala Darling

February 8, 2010 - 11:43 am

For most of us, the day of the first Spring blossoms is one of the best days of the year. It signifies an end to the bone-chilling temperatures & incessant layering-up, & beckons with a finger full of promise. The end of dumpling-wear! Rejoice!  With this, of course, come the questions. What can we expect to see ourselves in this season? After all, no matter how little you like fashion, what is in style dictates what is available for purchase.  The recent Spring 2010 collections shown in Paris are the best indication of where the industry is at. So, where is it at?

Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld’s “neon baroque” collection for Chanel will surely be a huge influence. He has taken what was already mid-revival — say, studded footwear & oversized hair-bows — & simply done it better than everyone else. While most of us have just been wearing a big floppy bow on the side of our heads, he has made them ornate & frothy, & placed them smack in the middle of a heart-shaped bouffant. He has combined a high-heeled bootie with a studded platform (two huge trends in & of themselves), but made the shoe entirely silver with an extravagant heel & jewel-encrusted buckles. While Chanel’s immaculate & easily identifiable cuts are still there, they’re in frosting hues: pastel pink & sweet lavender, with glittery silver & shimmering grey-blue. Just like a couture cupcake.

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Fashion Street Style Round-Up

by Gala Darling

February 3, 2010 - 11:26 am

From New York City’s Upper East Side all the way to Helsinki & even New Zealand, street style photography is big business. With an internet culture fixated on immediate updates from the world of fashion, snapping pictures of well-dressed “real people” is one of the fastest ways for a photographer to create a name for themselves. The Sartorialist is an internet phenomenon, & he’s not the only one. Tommy Ton of JAK & JIL recently shot teen blogging sensation Tavi for Vogue Paris, while Craig of Altamira regularly shoots for the Vogue franchise. With books published, advertising campaigns secured & a rabid online fan-base, it seems like photography skills & an eye for style is a sure route to success.  But when it comes to really being inspired by street style, what are you most influenced by? The Sartorialist, Tommy Ton & Altamira all hang around outside fashion shows, shooting the cream of the crop — the men & women, editors & models who can afford (or are given) the very best in designer names. Most of us can’t afford that kind of luxury — so how much does what you see on those blogs really affect your day-to-day aesthetic?

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