Italian Aristocrat Marchese/ Air Force Fighter Pilot/ War Hero/ Olympic Skier/ Fashion Designer/ Member of the Italian Parliamentary. Emilio Pucci is a simply amazing man. He was so influencial and important especially in the 1960s when the Pucci Look reigned as a status symbol and was so widely copied by less expensive labels. Pucci was so important to women’s fashion. He revolutionized the free flowing loose, vibrantly colored, light fabrics. Women all around realized the Pucci look was flattering, sexy and so versatile. The jet-setting women of the 60s also realized they could pack way more of their Pucci because of the light silky fabrics. He was asked to design uniforms for flight attendants in the 1960s and even asked to create a flag for the Apollo 15 crew to carry to the moon.

Emilio Pucci was born in Naples Italy, was an member of the Italian Olympic Ski Team in Highschool, and later faught in WWII as a fighter pilot for the US Airforce. This is really cool too . . . Emilio attended Seattle University after the war. After some time in the states Emilo returned to Europe and was discovered by an American fashion photographer who worked for Harpar’s Bazaar. Emilio was up on the Swiss slopes of St. Mortiz in ski clothes he had designed for himself. They apparently caught the eye of the American photographer and soon after Emilio went into business creating several sportswear items for a Harpar’s Bazaar spread. They were very popular and very highly demanded by viewers so before to long Emilio had his own couture house under the name Emilio.

In the 1960s Emilio lead the ‘Pucci-Gucci’ team through what was a very notable time for being fashion daring (trying new fabrics and free fitting lighter design). A notable time for freeing women of their previously rigid restrictive clothing.

In the 1970’s he was elected into the Italian Parliamentary and he also began selling wine produced on his estate in Chianti, which has been in the Pucci family since the 13th century.

I personally love his vibrant colors and how his clothing has a looseness and flowy appearance, but in such a flattering way. His clothes are very sexy, some times form fitting, most often very flamboyantly colored, and generally silky. They are simply beautiful.

Oscar. Oddly enough Oscar de la Renta started his fashion design career wtih no intent of being in the fashion world at all. He studied to be an abstract artist and just fell into designing a gown for the daughter of a US ambassador to Spain which is where he was discovered to be a fashion genius (in my words). The gown was featured on the cover of Life magazine. Shortly after his first creations debut on the magazine he joined Balenciaga’s couture house in Madrid. Twelve years later he ended up with Elizabeth Arden’s couture & ready-to-wear boutique in New York City. It wasn’t until 1965 that Oscar went out on his own name as a designer and begin working under his own label. Oscar is most well known for his formal gowns & cocktail dresses. He is known for using embroidery and ruffles (hello!), to achieve the vibrant glamorous look he is so well known for. Since he made a name for himself, Oscar has been known for his use of bold colors. His old designs are a bit flamboyant (obnoxious actually, but it was the 70’s & 80s) and for being ready-to-wear don’t actually seem so, but today’s Oscar de la Renta is very elegant, beautiful, and surely tame enough to be apart of any woman’s wardrobe. Love it! In fact, I was in Nordstrom’s today drooling over the couture clothing, and Oscar, my man! You Got it! Wish I had 3 Grand to drop on a totally awesome cocktail dress. Some day, ahhhhh! I dream of . . . Oscar . . .

So sorry that I have been such a slacker with the A-Z this last week or so. I just moved to Seattle so with packing and such I have been a bit distracted. I will be getting back with N in no time. So you can look forward to Helmut Newton and well, Jackie O actually. So anywhoo I will be coming back soon with that. Stay tuned til after the break. :) hee hee

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Lainey Keogh nicely tells her collection story herself so I will just let her cover this one. “[My clothes are like] food or sex: intimate and personal”. She is Ireland’s premier knitwear designer. Normally open knit designs are seen more in sweaters, but Lainey very neatly places these open patterns in evening wear, day dresses, etc. She has a wonderful talent in expression of color as well.

So I don’t actually know anything about this . . . the bro sent me an email with a link to this joke site, and it just so happened to have something about this new bum craze. So the big craze now in Japan is having screen printed skirts made to look like your bum is showing. Yeah!?! Honestly! So their bums aren’t in actuality showing, they just appear that way. And that is popular right now! Like, really popular! I just had to report it, because I mean honestly I want to look back years from now and see these photos and remember this. :) hee hee! Good for a little laugh.

A very big name in the fashion world and beyond. Her marriage to David Bowie has brought her much publicity as well as her success as a supermodel.

She was born in Somalia on July 25, 1955. Her father was the Somolia Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and her mother a nurse. She has a degree in Political Science which she received in Nairobi University, speaks 5 languages, and was discovered while walking across campus by photographer Peter Beard. She first modeled in 1976 for American Vogue, becoming quite popular among mulitiple big name fashion designers and many photographers. She married David Bowie in Florence Italy in 1992. The have one child together and she has another from a previous marriage.

She is an amazing woman with an amazing drive. Firstly, Iman saw a growing need for cosmetics of women of color so she launched IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare Collection which has become very popular and well known since it’s debut in 1994. In 2000 she brought around her second company I-IMAN Makeup, which was designed for all women of all skintones. I-MAN is very popular here in the States and in Canada, which is how of course I fell upon her beauty line business. Secondly, she spends a good share of time participating in the charities in which she so devotely is involved, such as, For All Kids Foundation (which was founded by Rosie O’Donnell and which Iman is on the Advisory Committee for), Action Against Hunger (where she returned home for the first time to Somolia for a documentary on famine in Somolia), Children’s Defense Fund (where she hosted a benefit for The Black Community Crusade for Children), and Stand for Children (which is about building better communities all, begining with the child).

Her site I-Man.com is a good source if you are interested in learning more about this beautiful woman.

She is nearly 50 and still looks amazing. All pictures below are courtesy of her website, and David Bowie. :) Cartoons, however are ALVARO (website artist).

Dorian Ho may not be a big name here in the states but in Hong Kong and China he is a fashion god. His family has been in the knitwear production business for some time, which of course explains is wonderfully made sweaters (etc), but he is also known for having worked with the Australian Label “Country Road”. Dorian established his own label in 1993 and has been the lead of his own product design and development since. His label Doriano International LTD is intended to be a ladies fashion label (which is huge among the gals in Hong Kong & China, as mentioned before), and his other label DSC is directed at ‘Smart Contemporary Co-Ordinates Fashion for the Modern Day Office Lady’. Doriano was established in 1993 when he first took his own label and DSC soon followed and is still growing rapidly with boutiques popping up everwhere. In 1996 & in 1997 Dorian Ho won the BEST KNITWEAR AWARD during Hong Kong’s Fashion Week and it is very apparent why. Check him out. Clean lines, soft hues, ingenius embellishments, graceful curves, sex appeal, addictive design, and keen style. Dorian Ho! He’s Your Man!

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Hmmm, Helmut Newton was born in Berlin in 1920. He started work as an apprentice to a Berlin fashion photographer during WWII. He continued on to work for Elle & Marie-Claire after the war, eventually working for American Vogue as well (were he worked for some time). He is very well known for his fashion photography and his way of voyeuristic photography shot in some sort of fantasy land. Each of his photos tells a story and in the case of his fashion photography the models tell a story through their tense and aggressive pose. I really like the photo below in the middle of the woman in Florence Italy. Reminds me of Brian’s little venture there, I know I’ve seen pictures of that church behind the woman.