Dolce & Gabbana Collection Fall 2012: Baroque and Beautiful

Has Dolce and Gabbana been stealing fabrics off the mantles of Italian Cathedrals? The Baroque inspired collection littered with gold embellishments and Raphaelean allure is just too visually jaw-dropping.

Aquascutum Sold for $24 million to Chinese Fashion Firm YGM Trading

A Hong Kong company said it has agreed to buy the business and assets of troubled British luxury clothing maker Aquascutum for £15 million ($24.2 million). YGM Trading told the Hong Kong stock exchange late Thursday that the acquisition was based on the "substantial value" of the more than 160-year-old icon of British high-end fashion, which entered administration last month. They have sold the brand and assets including UK stores, concessions and the head office, preserving 100 jobs.



Aquascutum is known for its trademark plaid or Club Check colours worn by politicians and royals throughout the turn of the century. Aquascutum was established in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, when tailor and entrepreneur John Emary opened a high quality menswear shop at 46 Regent Street. In 1853, after succeeding to produce the first waterproof wool, he had his discovery patented and renamed the company ‘Aquascutum’, Latin for ‘watershield’.

 "We are delighted to announce the sale of Aquascutum, safeguarding the jobs of over 100 employees and the presence of the iconic Aquascutum brand in the United Kingdom," said joint administrator Geoff Rowley.

Chinese fashion firm YGM Trading has owned Aquascutum's brand licence for Asian markets since 2009. Aquascutum, which is known for trench coats worn by Winston Churchill and Greta Garbo, said in April that it had entered administration due to "challenging conditions" in Britain. YGM shares were 1.13 percent higher at HK$19.7 on Friday morning.

Brad Pitt for Chanel No.5 Perfume

Hello ladies! Oui! Brad Pitt is in the Chanel House for a very good reason. The Hollywood A-Lister Brad Pitt is to be the new face of Chanel No.5 perfume, one of the most famous fragrances in the world is now ironically represented for the first-time by a man. Not just any man, but Angelina's soulmate, Brad.

Chanel No.5 a women's luxury fragrance has this to say about their decision:
"Chanel has selected world renowned actor Brad Pitt to be the face of the upcoming advertising campaign for Chanel No.5," Chanel said in a brief statement on its Twitter account. Chanel No. 5 was the creation of legendary fashion tragic figure Coco Chanel in 1922.

So what does Brad's musky pitts smell like? Chanel No.5, of course!

Household Shampoo Magnate: Vidal Sassoon Dies at 84 years old

Vidal Sassoon, hair stylist and fashion world icon who created a natural look in the 1960s and built a hairstyling empire on his name, has died of apparent natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84.

This British stylist's scissors was the known killer of the 1950s beehive and bouffant craze. Vidal Sassoon was the hairstylist who brought women's hair down by pioneering easy wash and wear looks. As much as he was a genius in the salon, Sassoon was a business genius who knew the reach of his merch. He began marketing his name, branding his styles and cutting techniques through a global line of salons, beauty schools and hair care products.

Grace Coddington, the creative director of American Vogue has this to say about the hait icon - “He changed the way everyone looked at hair. Before Sassoon, it was all back-combing and lacquer; the whole thing was to make it high and artificial. Suddenly you could put your fingers through your hair!”

Truly Sassoon made the world of hair liberating for women today.

Paco Rabanne Fires Creative Director Arora

Fashion house Paco Rabanne, which launched a women's ready-to-wear line last year, has dismissed its artistic director, Manish Arora of India, by a "mutual agreement," it said Friday.

"We are most grateful to Manish for the work accomplished and the energy that he displayed all along this project," it said in a statement.

Arora, who has his own line of apparel in an array of psychedelic colours and snappy prints, presented a critically acclaimed collection for Paco Rabanne in March.  His first creations for the Paris-based Spanish fashion house, unveiled in September last year in its first show since 2006, featured exaggerated shoulders and hips reminiscent of Thierry Mugler's silhouettes of the 1980s. Arora, a Bombay native who lives in New Delhi, said in the statement: "Revisiting the Paco Rabanne fashion was a very enriching experience and an exceptional artistic and human adventure."