[Herald Interview] You can have style and comfort, too

When it comes to shoes, there is no need to compromise comfort over style -- or vice versa. “Technology has made it easier to have both,” said Fred Allard, chief creative director of the GRI Group, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday. “As a designer you have no choice. They (shoes) must be comfortable. Women are working now,” said Allard, who worked as a shoes and accessories designer at European shoe brands and the Nine West Group in the US before joining the Hong Kong-based G

March 12, 2017

Saint Laurent ordered to remove ‘degrading’ posters

France’s advertising regulator has ordered fashion house Saint Laurent to remove posters of extremely thin models in “degrading” poses after an outcry over their appearance around Paris.The campaign features a reclining woman in a fur coat and fishnet tights opening her legs and another of a model in a leotard and roller skate stilettos bending over a stool.Stephane Martin, head of advertising regulator ARPP, told AFP Tuesday that his organization had received 120 complaints over the way the pos

March 9, 2017

K-beauty clicks with US consumers

Before Bailey Ewing leaves her home each morning, she lathers her face in eight different skin care products: cleanser, four different toners, serum, emulsion and sunscreen. The 35 minutes it takes her to complete her morning skin care routine and makeup is only a fraction of her two-hour evening routine -- something, she says, she learned only after arriving in Korea in 2014.　Bailey Ewing wears a Korean-style sheet mask. (Bailey Ewing)“I never even had a skin care routine back home, and when yo

March 8, 2017

Saint Laurent designer gives bold, VIP-filled sophomore show

Kate Moss hid under a hat, Eva Herzigova shivered in the cold, Catherine Deneuve and A$AP Rocky sat poker-faced, while only Charlotte Gainsbourg managed a smile.Fashion crowds do not usually brave a cold, elemental construction-site at night in Paris unless there’s a very good reason.And this was it: Anthony Vaccarello’s highly-anticipated sophomore collection for the iconic house of Saint Laurent.Here are some highlights from Tuesday, the first day of fall-winter 2017 shows.Saint Laurent under

March 1, 2017

High style and politics on Oscars red carpet

For Hollywood’s A-list, Oscars night is the biggest fashion moment of the year. And Tinseltown’s top actresses did not disappoint on Sunday, with winter white gowns among the key trends.Here are some highlights from the Academy Awards red carpet:Visions in white  Sofia Carson arrives for the 89th annual Academy Awards ceremony Sunday. (EPA-Yonhap)White, cream and champagne quickly emerged as a red carpet favorite.Best actress nominee Isabelle Huppert, already a Golden Globe winner for edgy rape-

Feb. 27, 2017

Milan designers feature ‘empowering women’ theme

Models present creations for fashion house Missoni during the women’s fall-winter 2017 fashion week in Milan, Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap)Milan Fashion Week took a formal turn on the fourth day of previews for next fall and winter. Mindful of the price point, designers were not churning out looks that could be tossed into a suitcase for a fanciful journey, but rather pieces that could hang in the closet for years to come, even left alone for a period only to re-emerge as relevant as the day they were

Feb. 26, 2017

Designer with unique vision of fashion and biz

Removing her dark, oversized sunglasses which she had kept on for the photoshoot that just ended, Im Seon-oc remarks that she doesn’t want to be rude wearing sunglasses during the interview.Clad head to toe in her own black top and pants, her petite figure exudes a strong presence. When the sunglasses come off, it is impossible not to be struck by the swaths of black across her eyelids that extend out to her temples. It is her signature look, along with her sunglasses.Twenty years in the cutthro

Feb. 24, 2017

Gucci presents otherworldly collection in Milan

MILAN -- Milan fashion designers launched six days of fall-winter fashion previews Wednesday, as the long-accepted runway format undergoes challenges like never before. Brands like Gucci and Bottega Veneta sat out last month’s menswear previews to combine their efforts this round, while some labels, like Roberto Cavalli, were taking breaks during creative transitions. Master showmen Dean and Dan Caten, the Canadian twins behind the DSquared2 label, opted for showroom presentations rather than a

Feb. 23, 2017

Burberry draws on sculptor Henry Moore in fashion highlight

All eyes were on Burberry and creative director Christopher Bailey Monday night as London Fashion Week reached its starry climax.Bailey didn’t disappoint, drawing on the sculptor Henry Moore for inspiration in a startling new collection that built on the English heritage brand’s traditional appeal.The Burberry spectacle capped four days of shows that highlighted London’s claim to be an international fashion hub that rivals Paris, Milan and New York.Burberry mines Britain’s artistic heritage Mode

Feb. 21, 2017

Marc Jacobs rewrites runway rules with hip-hop finale

A model walks the runway for the Marc Jacobs collection during New York Fashion Week on Thursday in New York City. (AFP-Yonhap)Marc Jacobs offered a hip-hop grand finale to New York fashion week Thursday, rewriting runway etiquette in a phone-centric, celebrity-obsessed world with the future of traditional catwalk shows under threat.One of America’s most critically acclaimed living designers sent models down a bare wooden catwalk in silence, striding through the middle of a cavernous room devoid

Feb. 17, 2017

Proenza Schouler bids New York goodbye

Carolina Herrera called it her “white shirt” moment, a celebration of her favorite garment. And the Proenza Schouler label said adieu to New York Fashion Week for now, as it prepares to show in Paris. Some of Monday’s highlights at New York Fashion Week:Carolina Herrera: Loving the white shirt  Fashion collection from Oscar de la Renta is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, on Monday. (AP-Yonhap)Few women rock a white blouse like Carolina Herrera – it’s her personal signature garment. But t

Feb. 14, 2017

Calvin Klein show delivers political message at Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) -- Crunchy snow and ice greeted designers, models and fans at New York Fashion Week on Friday, a day after a snowstorm pummeled the city. What visitors got was a high-profile debut and a political message at Calvin Klein, some psychedelic designs (and more politics) from Jeremy Scott, a focus on femininity from Jason Wu, and not one but two collections by Kate Spade. Among the day’s highlights: A model walks the runway for the Calvin Klein show at New York Fashion Week on Friday. A

Feb. 12, 2017

Slimmed down NY fashion week kicks off in Trump shadow

NEW YORK (AFP) -- New York Fashion Week will offer slimmer pickings than usual when it kicks off Thursday as big names decamp to Paris or Los Angeles and fashionistas search for renewed meaning in the Donald Trump era.More than 230,000 people will flood into America’s biggest city and cultural capital to attend the bi-annual style bonanza held in September and February, where hundreds of shows, deals and parties rake in nearly $900 million.Celebrity watchers will be out in force for rapper Kanye

Feb. 9, 2017

Dior blasts sweatshirt culture in rave Paris show

PARIS (AFP) -- Dior struck a blow for the boys and for traditional tailoring Saturday with an all-male show after a week when women turned up on the majority of Paris menswear catwalks.With so-called co-ed shows with both male and female models almost becoming the rule for men’s fashion weeks -- the reverse rarely applies -- Dior’s Kris Van Assche cried halt.In a show that married rave culture and mosh pit punks with haute couture, the Belgian designer insisted that young men had the right to we

Jan. 22, 2017

Classical fuses with punk to kick off Paris menswear shows

PARIS (AP) -- Subzero temperatures were an apt backdrop for fashionistas who arrived in Paris for the first day of warmly-wrapped fall-winter 2017 menswear fashion shows.The travelling press bid “ciao” to Milan and said “bonjour” to Paris -- kicking off 50 fashion shows, endless parties, million-dollar business deals and the last leg of the menswear mania that will sweep the French capital for five days. Powerhouse Valentino unveiled its couture-infused creations from the now-solo designer Pierp

Jan. 19, 2017

Dolce&Gabbana courts millennials, Plein launches activewear

MILAN (AP) -- If turmoil brings innovation and renovation, Italian menswear is in for a creative burst.Fashion houses are continuing their reboot of Milan Fashion Week menswear offerings, with notables like Bottega Veneta and Gucci sitting out this round, preferring to combine menswear and womenswear previews next month. That is making room for a plethora of newcomers.The data indicates that menswear is worth the rethink. Euromonitor market research forecasts that between now and 2020, growth in

Jan. 16, 2017

Prada goes in search of the naive, Missoni bursts with color

MILAN (AP) -- This is the season of renewal, with new faces at some of Milan’s top fashion brands.New creative directors made their debuts Sunday during the second day of Milan Fashion Week at Salvatore Ferragamo and Dirk Bikkembergs, days after Marni and Zegna set off in a new direction. Roberto Cavalli and Brioni, meanwhile, took a runway break this season as they worked out what their future creative directions would be after parting ways with their stylists.Here are some highlights of menswe

Jan. 16, 2017