A collection of some of Princess Diana‘s most memorable evening gowns, including one she wore to a White House dinner where she danced with John Travolta, fetched over 800,000 pounds ($1.2 million) at a London auction Tuesday.Diana famously wore the deep navy, figure-hugging velvet gown to a gala dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan, during her and Prince Charles’ first joint state visit to the U.S. in 1985. Photographs of her taking to the White House dance floor with Travolta have become s

PARIS (AFP) ― New York fashion star Alexander Wang last Thursdsay presented his much anticipated first show for Balenciaga with a collection praised as “elegance, modernity, structure.” Wang paid homage to the founder of the illustrious fashion house Cristobal Balenciaga in what he modestly described as a “prologue.”Wang, one of the hottest names in U.S. fashion who also has his own label, was announced last December as a replacement for Nicolas Ghesquiere whose surprise departure came after 15

PARIS (AP) ― A hundred years ago, the legendary Coco Chanel opened her first boutique in the Normandy seaside town of Deauville. Today, the boutiques number 300 and Chanel spans the globe.Karl Lagerfeld celebrated this century’s skirt-suited success story Tuesday with an incredible Paris collection that had journalists gawping at an enormous globe right under the Grand Palais exhibition hall’s glass roof. Dotting the sphere were 300 Chanel flags, each representing a boutique.“The spirit of the s

On her inauguration day, President Park Geun-hye was seen wearing five outfits. While Park cannot be charged guilty of vanity for changing so frequently ― each event did call for attire appropriate for the occasion ― those who had looked forward to a fashion moment or two from the country’s first female president were largely let down. Wearing a lightly padded coat to the Seoul National Cemetery was a fashion faux-pas: Such a solemn occasion calls for a classic long coat, in wool or cashmere.The

A fashion blog run by Louise Mensch was subject to criticism after she posted tips on how to look attractive for men.The former lawmaker and self-styled feminist recently set up a blog, Unfashionista, on which she posted fashion advice for women.In a post named “The Holy Grail of Heels,” she encouraged women to abandon their flats for heels, saying heels were “sine qua non (indispensable and essential action)” for looking hot in a dress.“Most women give up and switch to flats. No! Don’t go gentl

NEW YORK (AP) ― Rain, snow, ice. There’s a lot of grumbling about the stiletto-adverse weather during New York Fashion Week. But there’s a silver lining: cozy coats, especially styles with oversized fur hoods, never looked better.Phillip Lim, for his 3.1 brand, sent out his big coats in navy and black during a show in a cavernous space south of the Lincoln Center tents.Houndstooth set off one of Tommy Hilfiger’s coats for women. On a bomber jacket, he moved the comfy lining to the outside, putti

Korean men more than ever are braving the makeup aisle for themselves, leading to a boom in the retail market for men’s cosmetics and skin care products. “Flower men” are in right now, encouraging men to groom themselves. The term “flower men” refers to good-looking K-pop stars with feminine features. Many men have adapted to the popular clich, “appearance is power.” Indeed streets are lined with makeup boutiques featuring handsome male celebrities posing as models with phrases like, “For men, t

Korean cosmetics brand MISSHA’s “purple bottle” (Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule), a type of nutritional face oil product, sold 1 million bottles in January. As a reinvention of Estee Lauder’s “brown bottle,” it has been well received by Korean women. Estee Lauder’s brown bottle (Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex) has been a popular facial oil product across the world for several decades.  When MISSHA launched its purple bottle in January 2012, the Korean company was cri

Prominent Korean fashion designer Lie Sang Bong took it all off in front of the camera of a close friend. Lee Yeop, who has been documenting Lie’s collections for the past 10 years, took 20 photos of Lie nude or covered with a body suit and accessories made by other artists. It may not be as “scandalous” as when Yves Saint Laurent posed nude for his fragrance advertisement in 1971, but Lie’s bold performance attracted many people’s attention at the exhibition’s opening reception on Wednesday at

PARIS (AP) ― A garden within a garden was the setting for Christian Dior’s flower-obsessed ― and typically decadent ― couture show.Carrying on with the “flower women” theme of designer Raf Simons’ last offering, landscape artist Martin Wirtz recreated a scented French garden replete with hazelnut trees and boxwood hedges, in an annex inside Paris’ famed Jardin des Tuileries.Spring was indeed in the air.The flower theme was most obviously expressed in floral embroideries. And in this respect, the

Menswear for next winter traditional, with attention to details