Fashion guru’s journey from rags to riches

BEVERLY HILLS, California ― Think you’re too opinionated? That may not be a bad thing. In fact, for fashion guru Joe Zee it led to success in the high-powered, fiercely competitive field of fashion design.Zee is the creative director for Elle Magazine and the host of Sundance Channel’s “All on the Line,” which begins its second season Friday.“As a kid I was studious and always opinionated,” he says in the busy lounge of a hotel here. “I was probably naughty. I remember when I was 6 I had to have

Nov. 23, 2011

Buying a down jacket for winter

Consumers should be picky about down jackets, looking beyond priceWith the chilly air this week bringing back memories of last year’s harsh winter, it’s time to get a quality down jacket before the freeze sets in. But there is a bewildering choice of jackets available, with prices ranging from 39,000 won ($33.80) to 1.5 million won. At luxury French brand Moncler and several outdoor brands, down jackets cost over 1 million won. Japanese outdoor brand MontBell’s Eider Down Jumper costs 1.5 millio

Nov. 23, 2011

Fabric made from milk folds like silk, washes like cotton

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) ― Wear Milk? Anke Domaske says why not.The 28-year-old German is the designer of an award-winning new textile made entirely from milk that’s environmentally friendly as well as soothing to people with skin allergies. Called “Qmilch,” it drapes and folds like silk, but can be washed and dried like cotton.The biochemist and fashion designer has so far only used the fabric to make dresses for her own MCC fashion line. But next year Domaske has plans to begin mass producing ―

Nov. 16, 2011

Huge ‘Sun Drop’ diamond fetches $10.9 million at auction

GENEVA (AFP) ― A 110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, considered the biggest of its kind in the world, sold for 10 million Swiss francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.“Ten million francs (10.91 million dollars) Sold!,”said Sotheby’s David Bennett before about 150 people gathered for the sale at a luxurious Geneva hotel.The sale price was slightly less than the estimations of experts who had valued the yellow diamond at between 11 and 15 million d

Nov. 16, 2011

Giant yellow diamond auctioned for over $10.9M

GENEVA (AP) — The Sun-Drop Diamond of South Africa, a giant pear-shaped yellow gem weighing 110.3 carats, has sold for more than $10.9 million at auction Tuesday, beating previous records for a jewel of its type.Including commission the unidentified telephone bidder paid almost $12.4 million f

Nov. 16, 2011

Notes, nice and natural

PHILADELPHIA ― Most families have a kid who loves to draw.In the Morris family in rural Pottstown, Pennsylvania, that was Pam. When she wasn’t “playing in the dirt and streams,” she was making little thank-you notes, hand-lettered place cards for holiday dinners, party invitations and birthday greetings.At 36, she’s Pam Olshefski now, Brian’s wife and the mother of three girls, 8, 6, and 4. You might argue that as part-time curatorial assistant at Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill

Nov. 14, 2011

Gaultier flies to fashion-savvy Texas

DALLAS (AP) ― As the Dallas Museum of Art prepares to open an exhibit of Jean Paul Gaultier’s sometimes outrageous, always head-turning fashion designs, the city’s well-heeled residents are mobilizing.Dallas is one of just three North American cities ― along with Montreal and San Francisco ― hosting the exhibit of works by the French designer. And while Dallas is not a fashion industry center like New York, Paris or Milan, designers and retailers know very well that some of their most devoted an

Nov. 13, 2011

Fall styling tips from rag & bone

Designer duo suggests mix of British classic, NY street look with Eskimo motifs for fallAbout 20 power bloggers, teamed up in groups of two or three, hurriedly rummaged through rag & bone racks on Monday at the multi-brand shop Bleecker pop-up store in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul. They had five minutes to pick out items and dress models. “Now I know what they must feel like on Superstar K,” exclaimed an excited contestant, talking about Mnet’s audition program.Marcus Wainwright and David Nevi

Nov. 9, 2011

Hanbok designer makes second try for Dokdo show

Hanbok designer Lee Young-hee will sail to Dokdo for the second time on Thursday in the hope of holding a fashion show on the rocky islet 87.4 kilometers east from Ulleung Island on the East Sea. It will be in commemoration of Dokdo Day, which falls on Tuesday. Lee is one of the most renowned designers of the Korean traditional costume, having introduced hanbok to the world and clarifying its name from being “Kimono Coree,” a name that an unknowing French journalist gave to hanbok in the early 1

Oct. 24, 2011

Business-oriented Seoul Fashion Week mixes extremes

Menswear designers gain spotlight while some veteran womenswear designers lack experimentalismSeoul Fashion Week 2012 S/S finished its six-day run on Saturday at SETEC in Daechi-dong and Samsung D’light in Seocho-dong in southern Seoul, attracting about 15,000 visitors every day. A total of 127 bran

Oct. 23, 2011

Flowers or pleats?

KAAL E SUKTAE,                                               &nb

Oct. 20, 2011

Female designers show strength with eclectic mix

Lee Doii, Kwak Hyun-joo, Hong Eun-ju and Im Seon-oc tweak their styles with color, embellishmentsThe jingling noise of eye-catching sandals covered with colorful beads, tassels and tiny bells was only a little part of the exotic and flamboyant show. There was nothing new to designer Lee Doii’s use o

Oct. 19, 2011

Kuho opens Fashion Week with taste of Russia

Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2012 kicks off six-day run, packed with over 60 fashion showsDazzling prints of badges and medals reminiscent of the military outfits of Romonov Russia fluttered from chest to toe while the rest of the floor-length dress was imbued in florescent turquoise blue ― a familiar loo

Oct. 17, 2011

Modest 19th-century house lives larger but blends in, thanks to thoughtful makeover

MINNEAPOLIS ― Most people who update their homes want them to look bigger, better and newer. But Brita Hansen and Eric Hazen wanted their remodeled Minneapolis home to look like its small, 1880s self.“We really liked the proportions of the original house and the gables,” Hansen said.They bought the

Oct. 10, 2011