Looks I Loved At The Oscars 2012

The 69th Annual Gold Globes, also known as the 2012 Oscars, was held at the Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday 26th February in Hollywood, California and as usual, it was all about what everyone was wearing.
I'm always a fan of Oscar fashion, but this year, for me, it was quite a disappointment. I found the red carpet dresses to be quite dull and not very interesting. I much preferred some of the Vanity Fair and Elton John's party dresses. But as the Oscars go, this is definitely my least favourite year so far. I have piled together some photos of the dresses I loved though, there are about 16 and I think they are gorgeous!
Above is Claire Danes. She looked so pretty and feminine in her Valentino dress which she paired with Christian Louboutin heels, a Lanvin clutch, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet and some Tiffany & Co. earrings. I think she looks amazing! I honestly love everything about this look and the dress is just stunning. This was definitely my favourite of the whole evening!
Emma Stone looked amazing in red! She wore a Giambattista Valli Haute Couture dress with Brian Atwood heels with a Louis Vuitton bag and jewellery. The cut of this gown is so pretty! It's really flattering and striking at the same time. I think the bow around the neckline really makes it dramatic as well!
Sofia Vergara is always gorgeous! She wore a strapless Roberto Cavalli gown with some Casadei heels, a Judith Leiber bag and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery. I think she looks stunning and this is a dress that I could see someone getting married in! It's definitely beautiful!
I thought Natalie Portman looked so cute in her vintage Dior Haute Couture dress from the 1954 collection! I love the polka dots on it! Natalie was one for me that wasn't afraid to try out something different and polka dots are a trend that is creeping back up again. She wore Dior heels, a Charlotte Olympia bag and some Harry Winston jewels for the night too.

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Glam Slam: Oscar Glam!

We had such a good time walking the red carpet and then checking out all the stars and they did not disappoint!!!! Loads of big time “movie stahhh” glamour, dahling!

Here are a few of my fashion favorites:

Let's start with Jennifer Lopez. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

Go big or go home seems to be her motto and she went for it with her custom couture Zuhair Murad gown — a Deco delight. The nude silk gown features a plunging neckline and is hand-embroidered with transparent crystal beading. She completed the look with Jimmy Choo shoes, Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and a mirrored Salvatore Ferragamo bag. Super sexy!

Another total stunner — Michelle Williams!

Her Louis Vuitton burnt orange silk gown took over 300 hours to create. Love the peplum detailing and the diamond bow pinned to her waist. She paired the gown with a Bottega Veneta blush crocodile clutch and a Fred Leighton for Forevermark brilliant cut diamond necklace. She rocked blonder hair and the lighter shade is very Marilyn.

Angelina Jolie knows how to make some entrance. She and Brad Pitt were the very last stars to arrive after the carpet had nearly cleared out. It was worth the wait!

Her black velvet Atelier Versace strapless gown, which she paired with Salvatore Ferragamo heels, features a thigh-high slit. Absolutely stunning and I love her dramatic big hair and red lips.

The icing on the cake? $2.5 million in Neil Lane diamonds!

I could see Viola Davis's bright emerald green gown all the way down the red carpet. That's how you stand out in a crowd!

She looked positively radiant in her embellished Vera Wang gown, paired with Judith Leiber clutch and Jimmy Choo heels. Love that she went with a natural hairstyle. Gorgeous.

Octavia Spencer, who has been wearing Tadashi Shoji all award season long, once again went with her go-to designer. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right? She knows what works for her body and Tadashi's gowns are very flattering on her, including this gold beaded number. She completed the look with a Judith Leiber clutch and 50-carat diamond earrings from Neil Lane.

Gwyneth Paltrow continues her style risk-taking ways and it paid off handsomely with her white hot Tom Ford gown and cape. Yes, a cape at the Oscars!

Oscars 2012: Michelle Williams Gorgeous in Red, Jessica Chastain Stunning in Black and Gold

The biggest names in the movie industry have begun to arrive at the Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday, February 26 for the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Bringing the glamor to the red carpet are many of this year's nominees, including Best Actress hopeful Michelle Williams and Best Supporting Actress candidate Jessica Chastain.

31-year-old Williams turned heads on the red carpet in a tiered bright red dress by Louis Vuitton. The "My Week With Marilyn" star, who was accompanied by fellow actress Busy Phillips, finished off her look with a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes, a Bottega Venetta bag, as well as Forevermark and Fred Leighton jewels.

Williams wasn't the only one who dared to go with a red dress. Emma Stone, "The Help" beauty who has been set as one of the presenters, also looked gorgeous in the color. Hitting the red carpet, the 23-year-old actress wore a fuschia Giambattista Valli gown, which features a gathered bow at the neck.

Also looking stunning with her choice of dress was 30-year-old Chastain. The "Help" actress, who is up against the likes of Berenice Bejo and Melissa McCarthy among others, rocked a flowing black gown with intricate gold detail from Alexander McQueen. She came to the event accompanied by her grandmother.

Other female stars stealing the spotlight included Bejo and Rooney Mara. While the leading actress of "The Artist" dyed her hair red and wore a mint Elie Saab dress with sheer sleeves, the Lisbeth Salander of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" dazzled in a lace Givenchy Haute Couture.

Bringing more colors to the red carpet, in the meantime, were "The Help" actress Viola Davis and George Clooney's girlfriend Stacy Keibler. Davis, who brought along husband Julius Tennon as her date, opted to go with a custom emerald green gown by Vera Wang, while Keibler rocked a gold Marchesa dress. Both have Lorraine Schwartz jewels as their accessories.

In the men's department, Clooney presented a classic look. The Best Actor nominee for his work in "The Descendants" chose to come to the biggest night in Hollywood wearing a classic Giorgio Armani tuxedo. Meanwhile, Sacha Baron Cohen arrived fully-clothed in his character's costume from "The Dictator" completed with an urn of Kim Jong Il's "ashes".

Young resident saving the planet with paper bags

He's only ten but Abdul Muqeet Mannan is already winning awards for trying to rid his neighbourhood in Abu Dhabi of plastic bags. Zenifer Khaleel interviews the ‘paper bag boy'

Abdul Muqeet remembers the date: February 2, 2010. He was eight and in grade three at St Joseph's School, Abu Dhabi, when his teacher told him and his classmates that they were introducing a ‘No plastic day'.

She gave the pupils a short talk on the importance of preserving the planet for the future and how plastic, one of the biggest threats to the environment, was polluting the earth and causing untold damage.

Back home he asked his mother, Andaleeb Mannan, more about plastic. She reiterated that it was a major pollutant that apart from taking hundreds of years to degrade, could also end up in the waterways and pose a threat to marine life. Plastic is also a major threat to animals such as camels, which have died after ingesting it. So we should reduce or discontinue our usage of plastic bags, she told him.

"But," Abdul asked, confused, "how will the grocery deliver my chocolates if they can't use plastic bags?" His mother laughed and replied that maybe they could use bags made of some other material. That set him thinking. Abdul began looking around for substitutes and the first thing that caught his eye was a pile of newspapers lying on the table.

"I thought, ‘Why can't paper be used to pack stuff?"' he says. "I wondered why I didn't think about it before." Getting down to work, he grabbed a few sheets of paper, some glue and began making paper bags.

"Initially, I could make bags which could hold a reasonable amount of stuff or weight," he recalls. But the little boy, who beat 22,000 people from 62 countries to be one of the ten winners of the Abu Dhabi Awards, persevered until he mastered the art. "I went on the internet and looked for sites which would tell me how to make them," he says.

"I made about 20 bags and the next day after school went to the grocery store near my house and asked the man at the counter if he would consider using my bags to pack stuff," he says.

"The shopkeepers were initially sceptical," recalls his mother. "But they agreed to use his bags just to humour him."

What they weren't prepared for was his persistence. The next day Abdul was back with more bags. "I'll get you more as soon as you are through with these," he told the owner.

Apex Worldwide Logistics Has a New Hire

The Apex Group of Companies, a global consortium of companies that are leaders in providing business consulting, insurance and financial services, manufacturing, vendor management, equipment supply and logistics to the renewable energy, naval, and defense sectors has hired Dionni De La Cruz as a new account manager for Apex Worldwide Logistics. Apex Worldwide Logistics is an integrated supplier committed to providing its customers with quality products and services, cost savings and on-time delivery, while providing superior service through its alliance partners with their respective distribution networks and state-of-the-art warehouse systems. Apex Worldwide Logistics has provided logistics solutions for various products from construction and farming equipment, to the procurement of diverse metals, minerals, and materials for clients both domestically and abroad.

Dionni brings a wealth of experience first as a sales manager at Kirkland's Department Store for home decor and uniquely distinctive gifts. It is here where she learned the fundamentals of high quality customer service and the skills necessary to process large quantity transactions, unload shipments, and track and maintain inventory. After receiving numerous employee of the month honors, Dionni left Kirkland's to pursue a job at Coach, Inc. a leading American designer and maker of luxury lifestyle handbags. Her job duties there included maintaining the stock room and working out the logistics involved with receiving and sending large volumes of shipments to their nearly 500 locations in the United States and Canada.

Apex Worldwide Logistics provides cost savings and efficiency in the supply chain to both customers and suppliers by serving as a procurement arm for customers as well as the marketing and selling arm for suppliers. With a focus on international logistics chain, Apex Worldwide Logistics connects both the customer and supplier in order to expedite products and services in the most efficient way possible consistently meeting the needs of our customers.

The Apex Group of Companies has a global focus on government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries including Defense, Safety & Security, Healthcare, Finance, Shipbuilding, various lines of Insurance, Energy (Conservation, Aggregating & Trading), Oil & Gas, IT Solutions, Renewable Energy, and Engineering & Construction services. With global headquarters in Washington, DC and regional district offices located in the energy capital of the world, Houston, Texas - Apex Worldwide Logistics is well represented in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and South & Central Americas, supporting logistics for both customers and suppliers alike.

Tantrums and handbags with Pixie Lott and Lana Del Rey

Tantrums and handbags with Pixie Lott and Lana Del Rey - Dianne Bourne braves the front line at London Fashion Week

If you thought movies like The Devil Wears Prada rather overcooked the cut-throat nature of the fashion world, then think again. When it comes to the style hierarchy at London Fashion Week – the bi-annual showcase of the big seasonal trends – then expect elbows sharper than a towering Christian Louboutin stiletto. Especially if you are an A list star expecting a seat right on the front row – or 'Frow' as the fash pack like to call it. For me, on my first visit to London Fashion Week on behalf of the M.E.N., I was braced for frostiness and diva demands. But I wasn't expecting to encounter a full-blown outbreak of handbags at dawn. And how ironic it should come at the Mulberry show – whose most famous product is those super-bling bags.

For alas, there were one too many celebrities at this glitzy event, and when socialite Pixie Geldof and chart-topper Pixie Lott were coveting that last teensy space on the fur-covered front row something had to give. That something was pop star Pixie, and finding there was no room on said front row, she promptly spun on her heel and left the event rather than simply sitting in the, gulp, second row behind the likes of Oscar-winning actress Michelle Williams and US singer Lana Del Rey.

These shows are all invite-only affairs, but the sheer number of celebrities, journalists and fashion bloggers vying, nay, demanding their place on the 'Frow' can be a serious nightmare for organisers. One fashion insider told me, under strict rules of anonymity of course, that it can be an 'impossible jigsaw' trying to get the seating right at the big shows. “Everyone thinks they are 'frow-worthy', but when you are trying to fit in some of the world's biggest celebrities, opinion-formers and fashion editors you are looking at an impossible jigsaw,” he sighed. With hundreds of fragile egos to attend to, it's hardly a surprise there are plenty of diva strops. Me, being a first timer and all, found myself at the monster-themed Mulberry show on the very furthest furry bench from the catwalk.

We had both opted for all-black ensembles for the occasion, in my case mainly to try to fade into the background and escape the wrath of any eagle-eyed fashionistas who might have noticed my dress was most definitely from 'last season'. My colleague, a seasoned attendee at fashion week, laughed: “There's no point trying to compete with the fashionistas, so it's always safer to wear black – and sunglasses.” Ah yes, sunglasses. I was warned before I came that these are obligatory – even in the darkened rooms of most catwalk shows. Meanwhile even at the more fringey-fashion events at this year's extravaganza I watched a-gog as style people threw their weight around to gain a place on that all-important 'Frow'.

Eastern Europeans fuel fight for Internet freedoms

Eastern Europe's tradition of political revolt has met the digital age. This time it's not communists or food shortages fueling fury, but an international copyright treaty that opponents say threatens freedom on the Internet.

A grassroots protest movement erupted last month in Poland and spread quickly across the former Eastern Bloc and beyond. The growing opposition against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has raised questions about the fate of the treaty, which is important to the governments of the United States and other industrialized economies.

There have been street protests across Eastern Europe, attacks on government websites in the Czech Republic and Poland, even a heartfelt apology from a Slovenian ambassador who signed it and then decried her act as "civic carelessness."

In a region where people remember being spied upon and controlled by oppressive communist regimes, the treaty has provoked fears of a new surveillance regime.

The pact aims to fight intellectual property theft -- like fake Gucci handbags and violations of pharmaceutical patents. But it also targets online piracy -- illegal downloads of music, films and software -- and calls for measures that critics say would bring surveillance of Internet users.

Eastern Europeans fuelfight for Internet freedoms

Eastern Europe's tradition of political revolt has met the digital age. This time it's not communists or food shortages fuelling fury, but an international copyright treaty that opponents say threatens freedom on the Internet.

A grassroots protest movement erupted last month in Poland and spread quickly across the former Eastern Bloc and beyond. The growing opposition against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has raised questions about the fate of the treaty, which is important to the governments of the United States and other industrialized economies.

There have been street protests across Eastern Europe, attacks on government websites in the Czech Republic and Poland, even a heartfelt apology from a Slovenian ambassador who signed it and then decried her act as "civic carelessness".

In a region where people remember being spied upon and controlled by oppressive communist regimes, the treaty has provoked fears of a new surveillance regime.

The pact aims to fight intellectual property theft – like fake Gucci handbags and violations of pharmaceutical patents. But it also targets online piracy – illegal downloads of music, films and software – and calls for measures that critics say would bring surveillance of Internet users.

"Most of the people who have gone to the streets are young and don't remember communism themselves, but Polish society as an entity remembers," said Jaroslaw Lipszyc, the president of the Modern Poland Foundation, an organisation devoted to education and developing an information society.

"In Poland freedom of speech is of special value, and there is a history of fighting for it."

Lipszyc, a prominent ACTA opponent, sees his work today as a natural extension of the same struggle for free expression that prompted his own family to illegally print anti-communist essays in their basement during the 1980s.

Eastern European countries, even those now in the European Union, are still much poorer than the West, and among the critics are people who fear losing access to free – sometimes illegal – entertainment. With joblessness in Poland at 12.5 per cent and the monthly minimum wage at just 1,500 zlotys ($465) pre-tax and average wages at 3,605 zlotys ($1,130), many say they can't afford 20 zlotys ($6.30) or more for a movie ticket.

"People became furious," said Katarzyna Szymielewicz, director of Poland's Panoptykon Foundation, which campaigns for privacy rights in a context of modern surveillance and opposes ACTA. "We have a history of rising up against injustice."

ACTA went from being an obscure international agreement to a household term in Poland in mid-January when the government said it would sign it within days. Civil rights organisations like Panoptykon were outraged because the government failed to consult with them first.

Szymielewicz said they got word out on Twitter and other social forums, and soon Internet activists in Poland and abroad – some with the group "Anonymous" – waged attacks on government websites, including those of the Prime Minister and Parliament, leaving some unreachable for days.

The anger drew on a broader frustration in society, especially among young people, over a lack of jobs and a sense of alienation from the political process.

"This was the last drop that made it a flood," Szymielewicz said. "The Internet is a space of freedom – something people feel really belongs to them – and suddenly the government interferes with this space."

Poles and others were also primed to act because many had been following the opposition in the United States to two similar initiatives, the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property Act – known popularly as SOPA and PIPA. American lawmakers shelved those bills after massive pressure that included a one-day blackout by Wikipedia and other Web giants.

Days later, Poles took to the streets across the country against ACTA – activism that spread to Berlin, Sofia, Bucharest and many other cities where thousands rallied yesterday week. More rallies are planned for 25 February.

Opponents are also angry that the treaty was negotiated for almost four years in secret without input from civic rights groups, giving them the impression that it is a backroom deal made on behalf of powerful industries.

The United States and other proponents of ACTA deny that it will be invasive. They argue that protecting intellectual property rights is needed to preserve jobs in innovative and creative industries. The online piracy of movies and music costs US companies billions of dollars every year.

Washington also vows that individuals would not be monitored online and that ACTA would instead target companies that profit from using pirated products like software.

Coach Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend

Coach, with headquarters in New York, is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men, including handbags, men's bags, women's and men's small leathergoods, weekend and travel accessories, footwear, watches, outerwear, scarves, sunwear, fragrance, jewelry and related accessories. Coach is sold worldwide through Coach stores, select department stores and specialty stores, and through Coach's website at www.coach.com . Coach's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COH and Coach's Hong Kong Depositary Receipts are traded on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the symbol 6388.

Neither the Hong Kong Depositary Receipts nor the Hong Kong Depositary Shares evidenced thereby have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account of, a U.S. Person (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act), absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. Hedging transactions involving these securities may not be conducted unless in compliance with the Securities Act.

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Fashion Retailer Michael Kors Rocks Q3 Earnings

Strong sales of leather handbags, watches and jewelry propelled Michael Kors (KORS) ahead of earnings estimates, with huge same-store sales growth in its first public earnings report Tuesday.
The luxury apparel and accessory retailer said its wholesale, retail and licensing divisions all saw growth, and it remains bullish going forward, on the spending strength of its more affluent clientele.

Michael Kors shares rocketed to fresh highs, rising 27.5% to 42.85. They debuted at 20 in December.
The fashion house reported earnings of 20 cents per share in its fiscal third quarter — 28 cents excluding one-time items. Analysts expected 9 cents. Revenue surged 68% to $373.6 million. Sales at stores open more than a year climbed 38% in North America and 34% in Europe.

Michael Kors sees fourth-quarter EPS of 10 to 12 cents on revenue of $350 million to $355 million. Analysts expect 11 cents per share on $347.4 million in sales.
The firm guided same-store sales growth of 25% to 30%. Margins would be slightly tighter due to markdowns, partially offset by a sales shift to higher-margin retail stores, the company said.

"The luxury segment continues to grow globally, and our positioning as an American lifestyle luxury brand will enable us to continue our global expansion," CEO John Idol said in a conference call with analysts.
Michael Kors is named after its founder — a fashion designer and "Project Runway" reality show judge. It sells $300 purses, $500 suede jumpsuits, and other must-haves for young aspirational buyers.

It ended the quarter with 231 retail stores, up from 156 a year ago. Retail sales climbed 83% to $199.4 million.
Michael Kors is headquartered in Hong Kong, but its products are sold in 2,300 department stores and other retailers in the U.S. and Europe. Wholesale division sales climbed 55% to $154.6 million.

Royalty revenue grew 44% to $19.6 million.
The quarter benefited from a slight shift to higher-margin retail and European sales.

Europe's economic woes have not hurt, the company said. And rising commodity costs had a minimal impact
The brand is still building awareness and cache, said Robert W. Baird analyst Erika Maschmeyer. And new products keep existing customers coming back. "They're finding incremental ways to get women to open their pocketbooks," she said.

Also Tuesday, watch and accessory retailer Fossil (FOSL) beat earnings forecasts and rocketed 15% to 119.82, a six-month high.
Fossil supplies Michael Kors with its branded watches that retail for $150 to $500. Fossil also supplies necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry that Michael Kors sells for $45 to $400.

Kors said jewelry sales are on track to reach the targeted 5% of sales at its free-standing stores.
"We don't know how high is high because we ran out of product, quite frankly," Idol said in the conference call.
Luxury handbag and accessories maker and retailer Coach (COH) rose fractionally to a fresh high. The upscale company reported better-than-expected quarterly results last month.

Ringer perfect for Gellar's new life

It is a warm evening and from the balcony of the multi-million dollar upper-east side Manhattan apartment the sun can be seen setting over Central Park and the New York skyline.

It is a magnificent sight.

The apartment's interior is also easy on the eye, with wall-to-wall affluence making it any New Yorker's dream abode.

The furnishings are exquisite and the walk-in closet in the master bedroom is filled with Chanel, Gucci, Elie Tahari and other designer clothes, shoes and handbags.

The lucky inhabitants are Andrew and Siobhan Martin.

Well, not really.

Mr and Ms Martin don't live in the apartment. Mr and Ms Martin don't exist. It is not an actual apartment.

The apartment is a set and Mr and Ms Martin are characters in the TV series Ringer, the twist-and-turn laden drama starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays two characters - Siobhan and her recovering addict identical twin sister Bridget Kelly.

Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd plays Andrew Martin.

The apartment is not located on Manhattan's upper-east side, but is a set in Stage 3 on Los Angeles' landmark Culver Studios, a 94-year-old complex where film classics including Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane and Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca were made.

The magic continues with Ringer, with great detail invested in the apartment and other sets by production designers and set decorators.

To make the Martins' balcony view realistic, a 24 metre by six metre canvas print of the sunset over the city skyline and Central Park was erected.

"I think we've done a pretty amazing job," Gellar said in a recent interview on the studio lot.

"I mean, I'm a born and raised New Yorker and it's important to me that we keep not just the look of New York City, but the feel of it."

Ringer marked the return of Gellar to a starring role in a TV series.

After her seven-year run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003, she concentrated on film projects, but that changed in September, 2009, with the birth of daughter, Charlotte.

The 34-year-old, who is married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr, found the jet-setting needed to work on movies did not fit her philosophy in raising Charlotte, so when the opportunity to star as twins Siobhan and Bridget, and executive produce Ringer, was offered she signed up.

"That was the first time pretty much in my entire life that I had taken time off and I couldn't believe how happy I was and how satisfied that I was, being at home and sort of experiencing the other side of life that I hadn't for so long," Gellar said of her almost two-year hiatus raising Charlotte.

With the series shot in LA, she could work and always be close to her daughter.

"I realised, 'Wait a second. I can be somewhere the entire year. I can take my child for the first day of school'.

"Two weeks ago my daughter was very sick and I got to go home and be with her and we were able to work around it so that I could be there when she needed me.

"As soon as she was getting better I could come back and that's just not a lifestyle that's really offered anywhere else.

"Then you combine that with the lack of female roles in films, it just seemed like the perfect time and then it's just a matter of finding the right project."

Ringer began with Bridget six months sober. Her life, however, was turned upside down when she witnessed a professional hit by mobsters. Authorities placed her in federal protection for her own safety, but frightened, she fled to New York where she met up with twin, Siobahn.

When Siobahn went missing, Bridget took her sister's identity and discovered Siobahn's marriage was on the rocks and she had been having an affair with her best friend's husband.

"It's really interesting because there I am playing these two characters when I sort of feel like for the first time in my life I'm leading two lives," Gellar said of her new dual role of actress and mother.

Gellar created a creche on the Culver Studio lot so the actors and crew could bring their children to work, something Gruffudd took advantage of with his daughter Ella, just 13 days older than Charlotte.

"Sarah has erected a beautiful little playroom for them to all play together whenever they're here," Gruffudd said.

Shooting a series in LA that is set in New York had plenty of hurdles, but Gellar said downtown LA and the Paramount studio lot successfully filled in for the urban landscape of Manhattan. Although, LA's heat caused problems when shooting an outside New York winter scene.

"Downtown LA is pretty spectacular these days and we're very careful with the taxi cabs and making sure there are no buses and getting the trees out and really sticking true to what that is, even if it means that we're sweating in downtown LA in coats and hats and gloves while it's ninety degrees (32 degrees Celsius) in Los Angeles," she said.

A style full of Grace

FOR next month's Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition, Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan wanted most to conjure the woman "to get a clear view of this ordinary person". Quinlan knew the refined, chaste elegance of Kelly's dresses and suits, sunglasses, shoes, handbags and gloves on the way to the gallery from London's Victoria and Albert Museum would convey volumes about her public persona but Quinlan wanted even more intimacy for her visitors. She wanted more "food for thought about this amazing woman who pre-dates all we know about celebrity today".

Quinlan saw Kelly's absence (Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco died in a car crash in 1982 at the age of 52) like a pressing item on her "to do" list, a vacuum that had to be filled.

Bendigo's tribute to Kelly consequently has more photos and filmed fragments from her public persona and private life, more evidence of her real body language and the way she looked when she thought no one was looking. There are more triggers, in other words, to nut out just how the language of Kelly's wardrobe worked for her and in its wider social, historic and cultural contexts.

"It's usually the hardest thing about displaying fashion: that absence," Quinlan says. "And remember here, we're dealing with the absence of a very special, real person."

Most of the mannequins to be dressed in about 40 of Kelly's gowns and outfits - which date from 1954 to the year before her death - for the Bendigo exhibition are headless to minimise distraction, to enable a kind of Brechtian "suspension of disbelief". We can mentally conjure Kelly in that suit or this gown on that day without a replica of her head adding to our sensory confusion. Or, so the theory goes.

"You'll be looking at those garments and you'll be imagining her there," Quinlan says.

Beyond the whimsical spectre of Kelly herself, there is also a doctorate's worth of data to deduce from her clothes. The exhibition traces her sartorial timeline from lean teen collegiate to elegant royal matron in garments from American and Parisian high-fashion collections including some by Madame Gres, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Chanel, Hermes and Oleg Cassini.

Designers scratch back, tell copycats to knock it off

Last summer, fashion designer Moriah Carlson noticed a woman wearing a dress printed with a series of crosshatched, tepee-type slashes pass by her on the street in Brooklyn. Ms. Carlson recognized the garment's print—it was a copyrighted design she and her business partner, Alice Wu, had created for the 2009 collection of their Brooklyn-based clothing label, Feral Childe. But the dress was unfamiliar.

After running into a colleague wearing the same item, Ms. Carlson discovered that Forever 21, the Los Angeles-based mass-market discount store, was selling its own line of tepee-printed apparel.

"We had gotten some great press from that collection, but we never thought we would see it in this context," said Ms. Wu, who along with Ms. Carlson is embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit with Forever 21. The retailer did not respond to calls requesting comment.
Trend goes mainstream

Knockoff designs, whether hanging on the racks at chain stores like Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters or selling via e-commerce sites, have graduated from back alleys to Main Street. Retail lawyers blame the increased use of the Internet as a shopping tool, as well as the shift in production from local facilities to overseas factories in countries such as China, where retailers have less control over manufacturing.

Each year, U.S. designers lose hundreds of millions of dollars from sales of copycat products, including handbags, printed apparel and jewelry. Many brands, such as Coach, employ entire departments to police the Internet and the brick-and-mortar landscape for counterfeits, while several apparel designers are working hard to win passage of legislation in Congress to protect their styles.

"The biggest thing is the Internet," said Susan Scafidi, academic director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University School of Law. "Years ago, you used to have to sneak into a fashion show in Paris, then come back out and sketch from memory. Now the images are available instantaneously."

Fighting to protect your designs can be prohibitively expensive for all but the biggest companies. For Feral Childe, which generates less than $1 million in annual revenue, monitoring the masses for copycat looks is a near impossibility—it's simply too costly. But not so for Coach Inc. The $4.2 billion handbag company, along with Louis Vuitton and Chanel, is one of the most copied brands in the world. Each year, Coach spends millions of dollars to prevent counterfeit activity.
Investigators on the job

Three years ago, the Manhattan-based firm launched Operation Turnlock in an effort to curb such illegal activity. It now employs some 20 investigators who scour websites and stores for counterfeit Coach products. Since the program's debut, Coach has entered into 600 lawsuits. Todd Kahn, the company's general counsel, said the money is well spent.

Most bags are not protected by copyrights, but Coach does have trademark protection for its high-end Reed Krakoff Boxer bag, thanks to the purse's innovative shape. Already, just over a year into the Boxer's existence, Coach is enmeshed in three lawsuits over copycats of the bag.

"We're going to be very innovative and go after people," said Mr. Kahn. "If you sell counterfeits, we'll find you, we'll sue you, and we'll win."

Trademark protection is not available on all products, however. Generally, prints and jewelry are protected by copyrights, but not fashion designs, because of their functionality as clothing. Days after last month's Golden Globes, copies of Charlize Theron's pink Dior gown appeared online for under $500. Similarly, inexpensive knockoffs of Kate Middleton's wedding dress appeared two days after the royal wedding—all perfectly legal under American law.

"In Europe, those designs are protected, but in the U.S. they're not, and the result is that a designer comes out with a dress and the other stores come out with the exact duplicates," said Randy Lipsitz, a partner at law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel.

Street Style: Handbag hunting in Knightsbridge

So we're gearing up for London Fashion Week here at MFL HQ. We know that there are lots of things which women absolutely love – fashion and accessories being high on the agenda. We also know that busy women love coffee, and thanks to Kenco Millicano, the latest trend in instant coffee, women can now enjoy the luxury of the taste of freshly ground coffee in an instant form.

The launch of the new stick packs means that it can be enjoyed whenever and wherever you want.
In association with Kenco Millicano we hit the streets to find some of London's most stylish handbags. So far we've stalked women at Carnaby Street, Convent Garden and Camden Passage.

We thought Camden Passage would be our overall favourite but boy were we mistaken. Knightsbridge was definitely a great stalking spot! We found a number of various gems including many Mulberry lovers.

Right…where do we start. Firstly as expected there was a sea of black bags. Satchels were a familiar sight, making us feel as if we were back at school but it was this bright Fuschia offering (see pic below) that really put a smile on our faces. Can anyone say "gorgeous!".

Thanks to our photographers keen eye we also spotted a fab vintage find in the form of a tan shoulder bag. Love, love love. Our editor is still swooning over this ridiculously cute luxurious beige croc embossed tote which would look amazing with any outfit.

Combining two of the most popular colours we've seen so far, fans of more practical and functional bags will fall for the black and tan structured tote.

We also spotted another Louis Vuitton fan, this time in beige with a very glamorous owner. Favourite handbag sighting of the day though has to go to the "tanned satchel"…

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and let us know!

Interesting finding? Quite a few women own at least 30 handbags and use maximum of 5 -10 on a regular basis…