Many of our female readers are already sold on ASOS, so it’s great to see the online retailer give the men some consideration.
It’s started on an item of clothing that most men should have no trouble ordering online: denim. The two new videos promoting the ASOS Menswear Denim range—which has over 600 styles—are cheeky and should appeal to most men. It’s asking men to send them challenges, and ASOS will respond to the best ones using items from the range.
The first video is a humorous look at how one can become a drummer—with ASOS skinny jeans, of course—while the second, on how to save a football team from relegation, requires ASOS denim shorts.
Netizens are asked to submit a challenge to ASOS at its Twitter account at ASOS_Menswear, hashtagging denimchallenge, or via an email form at the end of its videos.
Challenges could include a request for help to meet a girl, or freezing jeans, as the company.
ASOS says it will reply back to the best challenges, each using a product from its denim line.
The idea behind the humorous campaign is to spark a conversation.
ASOS has also launched a competition to tie in with the campaign, opening the morning of May 10, and closing at 4.30 p.m. BST. The winner is the one who Tweets the best denim challenge, as determined by the judges—with humour and imagination the two criteria they are looking for. The winner takes home a denim item of their choice. Full rules can be found at ASOS’s website.
ASOS was founded in 2000 in the UK, and was floated on the AIM at the London Stock Exchange the following year. It now carries over 50,000 branded and own-label lines, with 1,500 new product lines being introduced each week.
Actress Helen Flanagan (formerly of Coronation Street, where she played Rosie Webster) is the top-placed Briton on FHM’s Sexiest 100 Women list, thanks to reader votes. Mila Kunis topped the poll, voted via fhm.com, followed by Rihanna. Flanagan found herself in third place in the list of international celebrities.
Rounding off the top ten—and showing how FHM’s largely British reader base often voted in their own—were Michelle Keegan, Kelly Brook, Kaley Cuoco, Pixie Lott, Kate Upton, Cheryl Cole and Georgia Salpa. Tulisa Contostavlos just missed out on a top-10 placing, in 11th.
Our colleagues at ITN caught up with her in a very low-cut black gown at the party announcing the list, but presumably the volume prevented Flanagan from hearing the first questions posed to her.
Once tuned in to the interviewer, the 22-year-old Mancunian actress got through her questions more quickly.
Flanagan says that she has an obsession with Angelina Jolie and also regards eighth-placed Kate Upton as being sexy.
She also notes that she is ‘socially shy’ and would prefer a gentleman with manners to a ‘bad boy’.
Flanagan leapt from 47th place in last year’s poll.
The full list can be found at www.fhm.com/girls/100-sexiest-women.
Our second video features Emily Atack, Keeley Hazell, Jorgie Porter and Laura Whitmore.
Notch has scored another high-profile cover girl with actress Priyanka Chopra. Chopra talks about why she hates singing live and her concern for her father’s health, and gives advice to her younger sister Parineeti Chopra. The magazine can be found via www.notchmag.com, or through its presences on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
We’re absolutely loving One Luv’s latest jewellery collection, Through the Eyes of Yves Saint Laurent, comprising miniature glasses. They are a tribute to the late designer’s trade-mark eyewear, and actually open and close like real specs. The designs are available in 18 ct gold-plated, or can be had with rose gold, silver or black. They retail for A$70, come with a long belcher chain, and measure 45 by 40 mm when open. If you’re a discerning fashionista, or you know of one, then we think these are the cleverest jewellery item for discerning fashionistas that we’ve seen in ages. There’s more at www.oneluv.com.au.
In travel news, the Cranleigh Boutique has launched a distinctive boutique house in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District, with appointments and gadgets galore. The décor is not what most of our non-UK readers might associate with Britishness—it’s more over the top of what you’d typically find in our pages.
However, the three-storey house, called the Hideout, impresses on the toys and amenities. It features a cocktail bar, a super-sized air spa bath for two with underwater lighting, a 65-inch hidden cinema screen, a three-dimensional smart TV with internet and Apple TV access, Sono’s music, and Netflix movies (with 150 DVDs). The first floor has a king-size four-poster bed and luxury bedding, while the third floor has an open-plan cinema lounge, fully equipped kitchen, a 55-inch Sony smart 3D TV with a Blu-Ray DVD player, Bose surround-sound system, mood lighting and balcony.
Cranleigh Boutique owner Stephen Hargreaves’ aim was to create the best accommodation experience for two people in the UK. It retails at between £400 and £500 per night, with a two-night minimum stay. It can be booked by the night all year except for weekends. Additional services including continental breakfast and daily maid are available, as well as free use of luxury leisure facilities. More can be found at www.thecranleigh.com/property/111/the-hideout.aspx.
Finally, in the main part of the site, we’ve gone Parisian: Lola Saab looks back at the prêt-à-porter collections for autumn–winter 2013–14, while Stanley Moss checks out two very different boutique hotels. Jack Yan writes about the BMW 3-series Touring launch between Auckland and Paihia, while Sopheak Seng checks out Wellington label Mondegreen’s latest collection. Elyse Glickman headed to the pre-Oscar suites, while Eva Mendes launched a collection for Vogue Eyewear in Los Angeles.
The Jameson Empire Awards took place at the Grosvenor House, a J. W. Marriott Hotel, in Park Lane in London at the weekend, with Sam Mendes, Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Radcliffe, Martin Freeman, and Jennifer Lawrence among those honoured.
Other VIPs included Sir Ian McKellen, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Kevin Spacey, Mark Strong, Vanessa Kirby, Beth Tweddle, Ellie Goulding, Alexandra Roach, Edgar Wright, Robert Sheehan, Johnny Vegas, Michael G. Wilson, Jonathan Ross, Nick Park, Sam Claflin, Laura Haddock, Tom Riley, Laura Whitmore, Maia Dunphy, Mariella Frostrup, Rickie Haywood Williams, Melvin O’Doom, Dexter Fletcher and Blake Harrison. Ed Byrne was host.
The Empire Awards, which celebrate the best movies of the previous year, are judged based on an international public vote.
Mendes picked up three awards for the James Bond film Skyfall, including the Empire Inspiration award presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey, as well as Best Film, presented by Sky Movies, and Best Director, presented by Monitor Audio. The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey won two awards, for Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy Film, presented by MediCinema, and the Jameson Best Actor award, presented by Rebecca Hall, which went to Martin Freeman. Sightseers was Best British Film, presented by Trésor Paris.
Dame Helen Mirren took home the second Empire Legend award, presented by Tom Hiddleston, for her career, which has seen films such as The Queen and Hitchcock. Director Danny Boyle won the Empire Outstanding Contribution award, for his films, including Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and Trance.
Daniel Radcliffe won the Empire Hero award, presented to him by director James Watkins.
Jennifer Lawrence, who was not present at the awards, thanked audiences from location in Hawai‘i, after winning Best Actress, presented by Citroën, for The Hunger Games.
Tom Holland won Best Male Newcomer for The Impossible, presented by Entertainment Tonight, while Samantha Barks won Best Female Newcomer for Les Misérables. Ted won Best Comedy, presented by Magic 105.4; Headhunters won Best Thriller, presented by Vue Entertainment; and Dredd 3D picked up the Art of 3D award, presented by RealD.
The Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds short film award was won by Philip Askins, for his remake of Blade Runner. Tom Hiddleston, Edith Bowman, Alex Zane, Joanne Froggatt, Bauer Media CEO Paul Keenan and Empire editor-in-chief Mark Dinning served on the judging panel.
The Awards will be televised on March 30 at 8.30 p.m. on Sky Movies in the UK, and repeated the following night at 7.30 p.m. on Sky Movies Showcase. To celebrate the awards, US readers can download Empire’s US edition for Ipad free from now through March 27.
Otago Polytechnic graduate Rakel Blom won the ID International Emerging Designer Awards last night in Dunedin, with a collection that tapped into the Zeitgeist of global communities and cross-cultural connections.
Blom, who originally hails from Iceland, told Lucire, ‘My biggest passion is travelling,’ and that she had ventured through Asia and Europe before studying in New Zealand.
That passion saw her design seven garments, one for each continent, although only five were required by the competition. Consequently, Oceania and Antarctica were omitted.
The collection was called The World through My Eyes, and featured prints with designs representing each continent. It had been inspired both by travel and textiles. Judges called it ‘eclectic and joyful, sleek, chic and professional, with intricate detailing and true depth.’
In a release, Assoc Prof Karen Webster, guest judge for the competition, said, ‘It absolutely had the “wow factor” but also real depth. There was incredible intricate detailing, including hand-made buttons, stars cut out of Perspex mixed with bold inspirational prints. The collection was a discovery waiting to be made.’
Blom speaks highly of her Alma Mater but despite the win, which includes a NZ$5,000 prize from Peroni, she says her next focus is to ‘find a job.’
Blom’s collection was the crowd favourite at the Edgar Sports Centre, helped by the support of a local crowd. She competed with designers from Ireland, England, China and Australia.
Judge Stephen Jones, OBE, the famed milliner, said that the key themes for the evening were ‘diversity, globalism and everything made to a perfect degree.’
The 1,300-strong audience included two High Commissioners and a consul, cheering on the UK, Australia and China. It was hosted by Shannon Ryan.
China’s contribution also included 10 international models from the University of Shanghai Engineering Science. Aliana McDaniel led the make-up team backstage for Revlon.
A full report from ID Dunedin Fashion Week will follow in Lucire.—Jack Yan, Publisher
Winners
Peroni 1st Place Prize (NZ$5,000): Rakel Blom, School of Design, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Caffè L’Affarè 2nd Place (NZ$3,000 cash): Emma Boseley, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Strawberry Sound 3rd Place (NZ$1,000 cash): Kathleen Choo, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall Prize (NZ$1,000) for the most commercial collection: Blathnaid McClean, National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, Ireland.
Global Fabrics Award for Excellence in Design (NZ$1,000 cash and a NZ$2,000 voucher): Sohong Lim, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.
Since Cheryl Cole always gets additional readers for the British tabloids, she’s the subject of further speculation again—that The X Factor supremo Simon Cowell will offer Cole her old judging job back on the American version of the franchise.
Cole was heavily promoted in the British press when she went to the US for its version of The X Factor in 2011, only to be quietly dumped. One episode had Cole start the show and her replacement, Nicole Scherzinger, end it.
A rift had been reported between Cole and Cowell in the British press in subsequent months, but neither would offer an official comment on what had happened.
Since then, Scherzinger, and her replacement, Britney Spears, have left the show. L. A. Reid is also leaving The X Factor USA.
Cole’s legal team has filed suit against The X Factor USA producers Blue Orbit, claiming she is owed the equivalent of £1·4 million. Blue Orbit claims that Cole lacks standing in the case.
Top MAC’s new Mineralize Rich Lipstick promises the same high quality as the company’s other lines. Above Chloé is offering free engraving for its Signature fragrance this weekend, but only at Selfridges.
If you’re in the UK, Chloé and Selfridges have teamed up to offer free complimentary engraving for Mother’s Day, but only this weekend (March 9 and 10). With any purchase of a Chloé Signature fragrance (30 ml and above), you can receive free engraving in store.
Shiseido, meanwhile, has won an award at the the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the second consecutive year. The announcement by the Ethisphere Institute, an American think-tank, was announced on March 6, awarding companies that have best practices in ethics and corporate social responsibility, not unlike the Medinge Group’s earlier Brands with a Conscience awards.
The ceremony took place in New York.
MAC Cosmetics, meanwhile, have three new releases. For the eyes, the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot range (bottom), still with its highly pigmented colour and pearlized finish, has a new creamy formula that dries more quickly. Suggested retail price is NZ$44, with the 242 Shader brush at NZ$68. The Paint Pots hit retailers on March 11.
On March 18, MAC’s Mineralize Moisture SPF 15 foundation (below) becomes available, featuring shea butter, emollients and conditioning extracts. MAC says the combination of powders has an ‘optical blurring effect’ that helps even the skin tone. The foundation, with 18 shades, retails for NZ$75 each, and the 130 Short Duo fibre brush at NZ$90.
Completing the MAC releases, also due on the 18th, is its Mineralize Rich Lipstick line, which the company says is larger in size and has a mineral moist complex for hydration. There are 12 vibrant shades, each retailing at NZ$58.
Amid the bustling of holiday traffic, a layover, and no time for tea, I took a moment to speak with prominent talent, Yasemen Hussein. The London-based artist and creative all-star designs exceptional artworks that are both captivating to the fine art tenderfoot as well as any artistic mastermind. As I found a quiet space nestled in a corner of the airport, a few of Hussein’s designs came to mind: from the beautifully sculpted golden shield commissioned for Will.i.am (right) to the Marie Antoinette metal wig with antlers emitting from it called, Diana, exhibited at the Museum of London in 2010, which she also categorizes as one of her proudest pieces.
Hussein’s art has intrepid layers. Whether fine-tuned in an extravagant coiled headdress or in the sparkling of Swarovski Elements (e.g. over 25,000 lavish crystals she used to create an outfit for Katy Perry’s American Idol performance of the single, ‘E.T.’ [below]), Hussein’s pieces speak for themselves!
Outside the creative world, many people may not ponder in detail about the artist or designer behind such avant-garde works that a stage performer might wear. Some may even think it to be entirely the vision of a marketing team or performer themselves. Yet, however wonderful the end result is executed, it does start with an artist’s eye and most certainly one that can take on a mighty challenge transcending the intangible or conventional methods of design.
Every designer has a process of development, perhaps a special moment when they are entirely in the zone of their body of work. For Hussein, an alumna from the Penland School of Crafts, getting in that zone means being fully open to experiment without limitations.
‘I came from a strict working class Turkish–Cypriot immigrant family where I was expected to live the norm of marriage and children. The UK gave me grounding and a true understanding of the importance of research and development. Living in the US gave me the time and experience to understand … to do anything I wanted without creative boundaries,’ said Hussein.
Clothing has the ability to create an image, displaying expressions of one’s mood or style. Mere shoe choice can even make or break an outfit’s buoyancy! Then, there are forms of wearable art that need no special introduction. It’s the one-of-a-kind bells and whistles: the statement pieces, timeless accessories, and other fashioning elements that fairly garner a worthy showcase all on their own. Hussein’s designs are just that!
With an eye for structure, an appetite for the bold and underlining æsthetic of sculpture, her art merges the love of working with diverse materials such as metal, glass, and clay. She somehow transforms the initial vision into a forward-thinking wonderland.
‘I secretly love the smell of metal when it’s been heated up to a cherry red and the sound it makes when I quench it in water,’ confessed Hussein. But, don’t place too much of a label on her artistic style, she’s a designer who is awe-inspired by a multitude of things. ‘I don’t really think about it or guide myself towards something, I just do it. My style is what I gravitate to, whatever has influenced me,’ said the designer.
So, what advice would a celebrated and very down-to-earth designer give to aspiring artists? ‘You really do have to love what you do. There really is no winning formula, you have to create your own. Unfortunately it’s not always down to talent. I hate to say it, but a whole chunk is a business mind, patience, and timing,’ said Hussein.
Needless to say, this was one layover with a chock-full of inspiration that I will not forget!
You may catch more of Hussein’s (headwear) pieces currently being showcased in the must-see Head On exhibition at Fashion Space Gallery in London. She joins a roster of designers, including catwalk looks by Donna Karan, Gareth Pugh, and A. F. Vandevorst, as well as millinery works of Stephan Jones and Philip Treacy, amongst many others. The exhibition will run through March 23, 2013.
For more information visit www.yasemenhussein.com.—Tamara Madison
Since Cheryl Cole always gets additional readers for the British tabloids, she’s the subject of further speculation again—that The X Factor supremo Simon Cowell will offer Cole her old judging job back on the American version of the franchise.
As I found a quiet space nestled in a corner of the airport, a few of Hussein’s designs came to mind: from the beautifully sculpted golden shield commissioned for Will.i.am (right) to the Marie Antoinette metal wig with antlers emitting from it called, Diana, exhibited at the Museum of London in 2010, which she also categorizes as one of her proudest pieces.
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