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By sally, July 14, 2010 4:13 pm

Stephen Jones, born 31 May 1957 is a leading British milliner based in London, who is considered one of the world’s most radical and important milliners of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He is also one of the most prolific, having created hats for the catwalk shows of many leading couturiers and fashion designers, such as John Galliano at Dior and Vivienne Westwood. His work is known for its inventiveness and the high level of technical expertise with which he realises his ideas. Jones co-curated the 2009 exhibition Hats: An Anthology for the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Stephen Jones began his career on graduating from St Martin’s School of Art in 1979. Since then he has produced hat collections twice a year under his label ‘Stephen Jones Millinery’, while also collaborating with some of the most prominent fashion houses and designers of our time, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Comme des Garçons and Marc Jacobs. Distinct from hat-making, with its large-scale production of standard hat types, millinery focuses on the creation and decoration of elegant, experimental and often whimsical hats. Jones permits us to examine the world of millinery from the inside out, following the life-cycle of a hat from its point of inception in the milliner’s mind to its final incarnation atop the wearer’s head.

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By sally, September 10, 2009 10:44 am

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American media personality, actress, occasional singer, former model and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show America’s Next Top Model and is co-creator of True Beauty. She also hosts her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show. In 2009 she was honored by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award.  Banks began modeling in the 11th grade. She later went to Paris, France to do some runway modeling. Within Banks’ first week in Paris, designers were so entranced by her presence on the runway that she was booked for an unprecedented twenty-five shows – a record in the business for a newcomer. She has done extensive print and/or runway work for fashion/advertising giants, such as Anna Sui, Coors Light, CoverGirl, Badgley Mischka, Bill Blass, Cynthia Rowley, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Gemma Kahng, H&M, Isaac Mizrahi, Maria Snyder, McDonald’s, Aislinn Dubois Modeling Agency, Michael Kors, Milk, Nicole Miller, Nike, Inc., Oscar de la Renta, Pepsi, Perry Ellis, Randy Kemper, Richard Tyler, Rifat Ozbek, Swatch, Todd Oldham, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria’s Secret and Yves Saint Laurent. She has appeared on the covers of high-fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Elle.

Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog. Banks retired from modeling in May 2005 to concentrate on her television career. She walked the runway for the final time at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Aside from modeling, In 1998, Banks authored a book entitled Tyra’s Beauty, Inside and Out. The book was advertised as a resource for helping women to make the most out of their natural beauty.

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By Andrew, September 9, 2009 7:10 pm

IF you live in London you will sit on them (once a week if you are lucky), they are sometimes garish, often dishevelled and over 3.5 million people see them every day – and now the seats on the London Underground are on the receiving end of a fashionable makeover.

For over 100 years the tube network has transported travellers across the capital, and artists and designers through the ages have created the print design for the seating fabric, or “moquette” seen by every passenger. Now Transport For London has launched a competition, for professional and non-professional designers, to create the next fabric.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the entries people send in,” Saskia Boersma, TFL brand licensing manager, said. “Design has always played an important role for London Underground and the new seating fabric will continue this tradition of high quality design.”

The design brief, which remains very much the same as it did in 1930, emphasises that the design’s colours should respond well to both natural and artificial light, with a pattern which takes account of wear and tear. The winning design will launch on the Piccadilly line in 2012 and will then be adopted across the London Underground system.