Nordstrom Unveils New Fall Fashion Campaign

The campaign vision and concept was developed by Olivia Kim, Vice President of Creative Projects at Nordstrom, who has set the creative tone for the retailer's last five brand campaigns. Kim along with her creative team tapped Farago and Cullen, the husband and wife creative duo favored by the fashion world, to bring their vision to life.

The campaign features intimate and honest portraits of models and non-models alike, minimally edited and styled how people really dress to depict a modern and relevant perspective on a high-fashion campaign.  The full campaign imagery and videos can be seen at Nordstrom.com/Fall2017.

"People are the foundation of Nordstrom," said Kim. "Our customers and employees are at the center of everything we do. They are our friends and our friends-of-friends, and this season we wanted to convey a sense of community and celebrate real people who are doing great and extraordinary things, who inspire us in our everyday lives.

"We see the brand campaigns as our opportunity to tell our most fashion-forward story, yet this season we put the focus back on the people. We cast people we find inspiring, who have something to say and use their voice for positive impact and influence whether through art, education, journalism or mixed media. Most of all, we wanted to celebrate them and their immense talents."

Farago is a Los Angeles-based photographer whose work has been exhibited at New York's Canada Gallery, London's Jonathan Viner Gallery and The Future of the Photography Museum at Foam in Amsterdam. His commissioned features and portraits have appeared in Vogue Paris, Purple Magazine, The New Yorker, and the New York Times, to name a few.

Cullen is a director who works in a range of mediums, proposing new ways of showing moving image using the newest technologies and the internet as her primary platform. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, NOWNESS, Purple and Love Magazine, with commissioned work for various fashion brands.

In her role, Kim focuses on creating energy, excitement, a sense of discovery and a bit of disruption through engaging and unique shopping experiences at Nordstrom, both in-stores and online. Kim joined Nordstrom in February 2013, and her Creative Projects initiatives have established Nordstrom as a retail platform to test new partnerships, concept shops and to bring limited distribution collections to customers, as well as introduce customers to the best up-and-coming brands and new talent.

With her creative mind and unique perspective as a merchant, Kim took on the role of setting the vision for the company's brand campaigns in Spring 2016, the retailer's first in 15 years. Following her inaugural "See Anew" campaign, "We Are Here" from Fall 2016, and "Love, Nordstrom" from the holiday season, and the Spring 2017 campaign shot by Petra Collins. The Fall 2017 campaign marks Kim's fifth developed for Nordstrom.

Dressmaker Elevates Beautiful, Bold African Prints with Thriving Online Business

With a creative eye for traditional textiles and unexpected color-matching choices, Malacia Anderson boldly goes where few designers dare.

She skips the trendy nude palettes for bright, colorful fabrics that command attention — and people take notice. Anderson designs primarily for women who crave confident colors and loud, African-centered prints. Ankara, a fabric popularized by the West African fashion market, is the recurring theme that weaves her collections together. She sews a majority of her garments to order, creating custom-tailored silhouettes that fit each client like a glove.

 "I make things that allow a woman to remember who she is and how beautiful she is," Anderson said.

Anderson's memories are vital to her design aesthetic. In 1977, she was far from the master seamstress she would become. She watched intently as her mother hunched over the sewing machine, stitching a dress for her daughter to wear. In the morning when the young girl opened her eyes, there would be a completed dress waiting for her. Anderson was mesmerized by her mother's resourcefulness and the speed at which she could turn a bundle of fabric into a complete outfit.

That same year, Anderson was enrolled in the 4-H Club in her hometown of Long Island, N.Y. In the 1800s, 4-H was a government-subsidized youth program that functioned as a pipeline to introduce new developments in agriculture research into rural communities through the malleable minds of youth farmers. By the time it reached more urbanized communities like Roosevelt, Long Island, it had developed into a program that fosters youths with vocational and life skills. Given the option to study woodworking, cooking or sewing through the program, the seamstress's daughter chose sewing. Anderson excelled and continued to sew well into her high school years. After less than three years as a student in the program, she was offered a position as a sewing teacher. The young clothier competed in several New York State fairs with her designs and won during her junior year.

POTENTIAL SEEN

During her senior year, Anderson's art teacher began taking note of her commitment to sewing and unique design perspective. He encouraged her to apply to the Fashion Institute of Technology at the State University of New York (F.I.T.), which is consistently ranked as one of the top five fashion education institutions in the world. Anderson was confident that her sewing skills would make her stand out in such a competitive environment, but she struggled with sketching. Despite that obstacle, she worked hard to improve her drawing skills and ultimately created a promising portfolio.

"I knew my sewing would overcompensate for my drawing because a lot of designers can draw but they can't sew," Anderson said, laughing.

With her technical skills and her teacher's artistic coaching, Anderson was accepted into F.I.T. As she continued in the program, she noticed that the emphasis on drawing became more pronounced. Still, Anderson's garments shined, reflecting years of hard work honing her craft. After graduating with an associate's degree in Fashion Merchandising, the seamstress set her sights on entrepreneurship, enrolling in the business program at Temple University. Despite moving to Philadelphia to continue her education, Anderson continued to sew, mostly creating clothing for herself and her sorors of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. While competing in step shows with her chapter sorors, she met a tailor from West Philadelphia who was known for making elaborate costumes for stage performances. Anderson worked under his tutelage until she graduated with a bachelor's in Business Administration. 

LEAP OF FAITH

With degree in hand, Anderson returned to New York to take an administrative job in finance and begin her career as an entrepreneur. She named her business In His Glory Creations and focused on creating custom formal wear for bridal events. Although the money was good, Anderson found the work to be taxing. Sewing began to feel like more of a job than the passion she had loved most of her life. So, she put her sewing machine away to focus on work and regroup.

Years later, Anderson became a customer service representative at Pronovias, a Spanish wedding dress company. While working at Pronovias' flagship store in Manhattan, Anderson's co-worker mentioned an online platform for independent creators called Etsy.com. Perusing others' online shops reignited dreams of entrepreneurship that she had put on hold. She joined sewing groups and watched other seamstresses launch their own brands before her eyes. Anderson thought, "I can sew as good as them, if not better. Why not me?"

A week before her 47th birthday, Anderson opened her store on the platform and named it Lili's Creations. Inspired by the sartorial essence of the Harlem Renaissance and her love of feminine silhouettes, the seamstress began designing with herself in mind.

"I really just made what I liked," Anderson said. "I didn't think about some random woman out there. I like vintage. I'm a girly girl. I like dresses and skirts."

A month after releasing her inaugural collection, she got her first sale. Anderson began looking at her day job as a means to an end instead of her means of income. During the day, the seamstress would clock hours to save money and at night she'd make dresses to order. She'd pack her beautiful Ankara skirts and dresses in garment bags and travel around New York to vend at events. As she plugged into her customer base, primarily Black women, orders started pouring in. Anderson soon realized she would likely have to leave her full-time job to keep up with her rapidly expanding business.

In January 2016, Anderson achieved her goal of quitting her day job to work for herself full-time. She continues to be successful, operating every aspect of the business solo. She contributes the success of her business to her faith in God, an unwavering commitment to mastering her craft and the privilege of being in a position to take advantage of tech-based entrepreneurship.

"Don't let the no's or the slow times be considered a failure. Those are the times you allow God to stretch you," Anderson said. When asked what advice she would give to aspiring entrepreneurs, Anderson mentions her strong support system — which includes her mother, who often helps out on large orders — and how instrumental it has been to her brand's success.

"Being an entrepreneur will teach you that you … need a good support system, a mentor," Anderson said.

Sonakshi Sinha gets her party style on fleek with a Lavish Alice rust dress

There's always a party in tinsel town and this time it was actor Arbaaz Khan who turned 50 whose lavish birthday party witnessed the who's who of Bollywood. One of them was Sonakshi Sinha who made a riveting style statement as she turned up to wish her Dabangg co-star. Evoking a wow every time she steps out, Sonakshi Sinha never shies from experimenting with colours and silhouettes. Her off-duty looks are much sought after and styled by the celebrity fashion stylist, Mohit Rai look impeccably well-put together. Her stint as a costume designer at the beginning of her career in Bollywood certainly aids her sartorial sense of style. Fiercely feminine and feisty, Sonakshi Sinha chose rusty orange as her party colour and boy! she nailed it to the hilt.

In recent times, orange has progressed from a fad to a permanent fixture in fashion, highlighting the bright essence of fashion. Orange and its related hues are certainly her colours as earlier this year she had walked the ramp for Monisha Jaising wearing a tangerine short dress at the opening show of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017. Adapting to evolving styles and trends, Sonakshi Sinha aced the party style meter and here's how she did it!

Sonakshi Sinha – Fiery in Orange

Wearing a corset panel orange dress from Lavish Alice which also featured a corset detailing with a front split, Sonakshi layered her look with a classy white trench coat. She flaunted a minimal makeup of blushed cheeks, dark eyes and nude lips, courtesy makeup artist Nilyesh Parmaar. She opted to keep her hair open styled sleek and with a centre parting and rounded up the look sans accessories and nude pumps.

BL Style Verdict – Sonakshi Sinha

Picking up a number that not only enhanced her lithe frame and curves, the addition of the trench lent a sophisticated finish to her look. Certainly a wardrobe must-have colour, Sonakshi made a compelling case for ditching the black and sprucing up the party style quotient.

BL Style Rating – Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi clinches a perfect style score of 4 on our style meter. On the professional front, Sonakshi Sinha will be seen essaying the role of Madhvi in the 1969 remake, Ittefaq with Sidharth Malhotra and play the role of a trapeze artist in a movie called Circus.

Why Queen Letizia and Gwyneth Paltrow's simple approach to summer dressing should inspire your holiday wardrobe

For some of you, it may only feel like the start of holiday season. After all, most of us only manage to make our escapes in August and so the concept of what to pack may only be dawning on you as a matter of concern now.

But the 2017 getaway wardrobe is a subject which has occupied fashion for months, and the general consensus is that this year, luxe-bohemian is the de rigeur way to go. A slew of niche resort labels has popularised a glamorously relaxed aesthetic which means that winning at holiday style would mean investing in multiple artisanal dresses which circle around the £1,000 price point. These creations are undoubtedly beautiful (and who wouldn't want a handful of them in their wardrobe?) but it does feel like it's time for a dose of reality to be injected into this year's 'what to wear on holiday?' conversation.

And that's where Gwyneth Paltrow and Queen Letizia of Spain come in.

Now, we may not consider these two likely allies in the style stakes- one is all sleek modern celebrity, the other is the epitome of regal elegance- but both are currently on holiday and showing us that there is an alternative to the amped-up look which has so far seemed to be this summer's only option.

Let's take Letizia as exhibit a. She's holidaying in Soller with husband King Felipe and daughters Princess Leonora and Infanta Sofia at the moment and is, naturally, taking the opportunity to dial down from her usual heels and tailoring. Over the weekend, she was photographed wearing a white broderie anglaise dress by Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez.

The first cheeringly realistic aspect of her look is that it's a dress she's had in wardrobe for at least six years. Given most of us spend only a few weeks a year relaxing in the sun, it's only realistic for holiday pieces to have far more longevity than we would expect from our everyday clothes. Part of the reason she's been able to keep the dress in rotation so long is its timeless look- it could have looked chic in any summer between now and 1960. Lastly, there are the accessories- simple embellished sandals, black sunglasses and a straw bag- a masterclass in keeping it simple.

Gwyneth Paltrow was singing from the very  same hymn sheet as Letizia as she relaxed in the Hamptons last week. Many tenets of the timeless and super-simple approach to holiday dressing were the same; the breezy cotton (her top is Isabel Marant) and pared-back straw accessories.

There was, perhaps, a dash more edge to Paltrow's look in the form of her ripped denim shorts with exposed pockets and white Birkenstocks but the philosophy of simplicity and ease over frou-frou still rings true. Those pieces look as good now as they did in the Nineties, and will probably endure for decades to come.

Besides, wouldn't packing for holiday just be so much easier if the Gwyneth-Letizia school of thought were adopted? Just throw go-with-anything sandals, some old favourite cotton bits and denim shorts for good measure into your suitcase, a swimsuit or two- and you're done. Then, relax.