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Posts Tagged ‘Fashion Magazines’

Vogue is considered to be one of the best fashion magazines in the world.  The magazine features information about fashion, style, and makeup and is published by Conde’ Nast Publications in nineteen different countries.  Vogue magazine is well known for helping fashion models become famous.  Founded by Arthur Baldwin Turnure in 1892, Vogue went on to have a large number of subscribers during the Depression and World War II.  Today, the number of subscriptions is still going strong, as Vogue remains one of the best fashion magazines in the world.  Teen Vogue is also a popular magazine for younger readers.

Glamour is another popular fashion magazine.  It is also published by Conde’ Nast Publications in many countries, including the US, UK, France, South Africa, and Latin America, where it’s published in Spanish.  It’s also set to be published in Australia soon.  Glamour magazine is a monthly publication, and the subscription price is very affordable.  There are nearly 1,500,000 subscribers in the United States alone, as well as 986,000 newsstand readers each month.

Another one of the world’s most famous fashion magazines is, of course, Elle.  Elle Magazine originated in France in the 1940′s, but is now being published in the US.  The Lagardere Group of France still owns the magazine, however.  There are thirty six editions of Elle Magazine published in six continents.  There are five million readers alone for the US edition.  Some offshoot companies associated with Elle include Elle Decor, Elle Girl (for younger readers), Elle Cuisine, and more.  The official website for Elle Magazine is also very popular.

Some of the best fashion magazines for younger readers include Elle Girl, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Lucky, and Cosmo Girl.  Great deals can be found on all the most popular fashion magazines enjoyed by audiences of all ages.  Online sellers often offer discounted prices on magazine subscriptions.

You know you’re destined to be a fashion designer if you: a) spent most of your childhood making clothes for your Barbie dolls instead of playing with your friends; b) read fashion magazines instead of your school books; c) ran a boutique out of your basement at age 10. In other words: if you want to be the next Yves Saint Laurent, it helps to be completely and utterly obsessed with fashion.

However, there are many aspects of the profession. Working as a fashion designer can just as well mean supervising a design team at a sportswear company as producing a label under your own name. Although the former career may not seem as glamorous as the latter, it certainly will make your life less stressful. To create your own label takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work. Not to mention living just above the poverty line for several years.

Choosing a strategy

There are as many different ways to embark upon a fashion career as there are styles of design. Ralph Lauren’s Polo empire was founded on a small tie collection that he sold to Bloomingdales. Helmut Lang decided to open his own clothing store when he couldn’t find a t-shirt that he liked. Michael Kors built up a network of customers by selling clothes in a trendy NYC boutique. However, most people find that the best foundation for a design career is to get a fine arts degree in fashion at a prestigious school. Besides teaching you the craft, a good school will also add credibility to your resumé. “We live in a brandname society, and having the name of a good school behind you really does help,” says Carol Mongo, Director of the Fashion Department at Parsons School of Design in Paris.

Applying to a school

There are a lot of colleges that have fashion programs, but only a handful has the kind of reputation that can really push your career. It’s hard to enter these schools as competition is high, and they tend to be very selective. You apply by sending a portfolio of drawings of your designs. “We can’t teach you how to be creative – you have to bring your creativity to us and let us lead you on your way,” says Carol Mongo. She recommends students to get some sewing experience before they apply. Drawing is also an important skill for a designer – it is the way you communicate your ideas. In order to build an impressive portfolio it’s a good idea to have some experience in sketching; taking art classes will help you understand form and proportion. But you don’t have to be an expert drawer to get accepted to a school. “The most important quality that we look for in our students is that they are truly passionate and exuberant about fashion,” says Mongo. “If you have wonderful ideas but can’t draw, there are always ways to get around it. You could for example put your designs on a mannequin and take pictures of it.”

What school will do for you

Most fashion programs are three to four years long. During that time you will take fine arts classes and study drawing, color composition and form. You will also learn pattern making, draping and cutting techniques. One of the most important advantages of design schools is that they work really closely with the industry. Parsons, for example, have “designer critic projects” where successful designers like Donna Karan and Michael Kors work directly with the graduating students. Ambitious students also have the chance to win prestigious awards and grants, which bring them a lot of attention as well as financial support. One very important event is the fashion show at the end of the last semester, when graduating students show their collections. A lot of important people from the fashion industry attend these shows to scout new talent. It’s also an opportunity to be really outrageous and get noticed by the media. Hussein Chalayan, for example, became instantly infamous when he showed rotting clothes that he had buried in his backyard for his graduation show at Saint Martins.

Alternative routes

“Let’s be realistic,” says Carol Mongo at Parsons, “School’s not for everyone. If you’re just looking to get a job in the fashion industry – not a career as a designer – you probably don’t need to go school.” If you want to work as a seamstress or a patternmaker, the best thing is probably to apply for an internship at a fashion house and work your way up. However, there are many examples of famous designers who started out as interns with no formal training. For example, Dior’s brightest new star, men’s wear designer Hedi Slimane, had a degree in journalism when he started working with men’s wear designer José Levy. Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière is another example of a brilliantly successful designer who learned the jobs hands-on, as an assistant at Jean-Paul Gaultier. Usually, you apply for an internship by sending a portfolio to a fashion house you’re interested in. But it’s a good idea to call them up beforehand to see exactly what they need. It’s also important to note that competition is fierce, and unless you have personal connections, it’s very difficult to get an internship without an education.

There are also designers, like Luella Bartley, who started their own business after working as stylists for several years, thus building an industry network as well as a good marketing sense.

Understanding the business

Unfortunately, it’s not enough for a designer to be creative; you also have to have some business sense. As fashion gets more and more corporate driven, it’s important to be aware of the business climate and understanding the mechanics behind it. By religiously reading trade papers like “Women’s Wear Daily” you will get a lot of valuable information. If you want to run your own company, you need to be extremely organized and learn at least the basics of economics. A lot of fashion schools are currently increasing business classes in their curriculum. “Our students have to be smart enough to know how to negotiate a contract, or to pick a business partner,” says Carol Mongo. It’s perhaps telling that many of the designers that are really successful today, like Calvin Klein or Tom Ford, are involved in every aspect of the business – from licensing strategies to ad campaigns to actually designing the clothes.

About the author:

Fashion Designer Omar Ejaz,The owner of The Heer boutique, has previously exhibited in Lahore, Karachi, New Delhi, Singapore, HongKong, London, Glasgow and USA,where his creationswas highly appreciated. Omer work with a variety of fabrics, and what truly sets them apart is the innovative way he combine two or more textures in a single garment.

TheHeer Carries Women’s Designer Clothing, Shalwar Kameez, Indian / Pakistani Wedding Lehenga, Bridal Dresses, Bridesmaid Dresses, Casual Wear, Formal Wear, Evening and party wear.They design and sell Indian and Pakistani fashion dresses. Pakistani clothing store. They have custom made Pakistani/Indian fashion dresses like shalwar kameez, sherwani dress, embroidered khussa shoes, Men’s shalwar Kameez, lehnga and ghagra.

website:http://www.TheHeer.com

TheHeer@gmail.com

We love search engines, but they run on algorithms, not creative juices. It’s never okay to wear a white tie with a frilled shirt, but try asking a search engine this, and it would only send you to sites that will sell you a frilled shirt or a tie, if not both. This is where Goddiva’s Top 10 Fashion Websites enters the picture. We love fashion, that’s a given, but we also have the fashion chops to back this liking with. We chose our top ten sites based on our working knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. We look for depth and breadth and diversity. We look for sites that know the fashion landscape, sites with that je ne sais quoi that makes them stand out from the million and one other websites online.

1. www.style.com

This site is the online home of Vogue – and rightly so. After all, Style.com is a fashion powerhouse. With over 58,000 runway looks to check out, you can choose to do your browsing by trend, season, or designer. You can keep yourself abreast with the latest in fashion, click through Vogue’s photos, get the latest dibs on parties, people, and what the gorgeous people are wearing, or share your opinion in fashion forums. Style.com is what every store claims it is but actually isn’t – a one-stop shop for the fashionable and stylish. It’s so complete and up-to-date it has made many fashion magazines obsolete.

2. fashionplanet.worldofsl.com

This site is a fashion magazine – only better. It’s accessible online, is updated regularly, and covers everything that’s hottest and latest in the industry, from trends to collections, from personalities to lifestyles around the world.

3. www.dailyfashion.com

This fashion community of “real girls” (and by real, we take it this is no place for the irritatingly stunning and skinny) is where you can read about fashion trends, finds, do’s and don’ts, and advice from style experts. You can also log on to this site for daily fashion tips or check out what girls around the world have to say style-wise.

4. www.askmen.com/fashion/index.html

Real men are not scared of fashion and this site is perfect proof of that. AskMen.com’s trends, tips, and commentaries empower males the whole world over to flex their style muscles and show the world it’s not queer to be trendy – pun intended, of course.

5. lifestyle.msn.com/BeautyandFashion

MSN’s fashion section offers excellent updates, photos, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and articles the likes of which you never see elsewhere. And if you’re into the funny and the snarky, then MSN fashion critic and writer Kat Giantis will have you in stitches over her tongue-in-cheek reports of celebrity style booboos.

6. thesartorialist.blogspot.com

Former retail store owner and fashion marketer Scott Schuman goes around the world taking photos of well-dressed people on the street. His blog may have begun as a hobby but it has long since turned him into a celebrated fashion photographer and Style.com reporter.

7. www.firstview.com

First View is the next best thing to getting seated front row in all of the world’s best fashion shows. Past and current collections, upcoming shows, the who, where, and what of fashion – you name it, First View has it.

8. www.women.com/style

Celeb fashion news, fashion tips, trends, and releases – all these and more are packed in the site’s Weekly Top 10.

9. www.fashion.net

Want to become an industry insider? Visit this site daily for your daily update of snippets and photos about fashion trends.

10. www.fashionoffice.org

Take a major online magazine and partner it with three other style sites (stylerader.com, confashion.com, and beautyme.com). What do you get? A site so comprehensive it turns fashion into a science.

Now you know. If it’s fashion you want to brush up on, these sites have your back. Happy browsing!