UK based fashion brand Next have a fabulous women’s tailoring range perfect for updating your working wardrobe. From stylish work dresses to summer blouses, ladies can browse the gorgeous range of tailoring designed with fashion and functionality in mind.
From high waisted to boot cut work trousers and a variety of suit jackets in an array of tones, mix and match women’s suits to compliment your body shape and fit in with your lifestyle. Whether you are dressing for a professional meeting, job interview or like to dress down on Fridays, Next’s great outfit combinations and footwear mean you can complete the look at the click of a button.
Express your personality whilst still looking professional with gorgeous ladies shirts, blouses, shoes, hosiery and accessories from Next and brands at next.co.uk. With design features such as ruffles, colour blocking, prints and Peter Pan collars, shop beautiful tops from Lipsy, Calvin Klein, Hobbs, LK Bennett and Nicole Ritchie’s Winter Kate.
Don’t forget Next also have a stunning range of jewellery and watches which can add the finishing touches to any look – perhaps a classic gold bracelet or a statement stone necklace.
Showcasing stylish women’s fashion and accessories, this season Next has the best in the latest summer trends. As well as selections from the latest women’s tailoring collections, there are also other great women’s fashion ranges to discover online at next.co.uk. Love what you see? To enjoy the SS12 collections, click onto at next.co.uk for stylish summer arrivals.

With that kind of resume, you would think actress Zoe Saldana could grace the cover of any magazine in the world. But the 33-year-old actress tells The Huffington Post exclusively that’s not the case. “I can’t yet pose for any magazine. I wish I could,” the soft-spoken actress told us on the red carpet at the Cosmopolitan for Latinas launch party Wednesday night in New York City.

“There are a lot of magazines that are still sort of…that only cater to a certain demographic and only put certain people on their covers,” she added. “And that’s fine – I never lose hope that one day certain big magazines can broaden their exposure of what is an American face,” added the half-Dominican, half-Puerto Rican actress.

Zaldana says magazines have tremendous power to bring about change. “I never like to get political, but when you have the ability, through your media, to influence a large mass of people, I would want to be a part of the evolving cycle of progress vs. keeping things the way that they are. I think that I speak for a lot of us, Americans, that I would want to see a little more diversity,” she said.

“For the love of God, we have a Black president,” Saldana added. “That should’ve set the tone on a lot of things that should’ve been a little quicker, and it’s not enough.”

Saldana says she feels it’s important to address these kinds of issues. “I feel like I need to contribute my two cents in terms of something that should be happening more,” she said. “But that said, I’m always a person that’s half-full, and magazines like Cosmopolitan for Latinas are doing what others should be doing more of.”

Cosmpolitan for Latinas, a new magazine aimed at acculturated Latinas in the U.S., launched earlier this month. Zaldana is the magazine’s first ever cover girl – an honor that she takes very seriously. “For me to have been invited to be the first on their cover, I feel so honored and grateful,” Saldana said. “To be seen and to be respected for my work and acknowledged as a true American Latina…means a lot to me.”

Check out our full interview with Zoe in the video above to hear her thoughts on diversity, her plans for mother’s day and her thoughts on motherhood!

Chris Collins, the former Erie County executive now running for Congress, decided he needed a couple of pairs of jeans to wear on the campaign trail in the district’s rural parts.
The wealthy businessman can afford to buy designer jeans at any high-end clothing store.
So where did he get them? BJ’s Wholesale Club.
“For me, BJ’s is the place to go,” Collins told us. He said he’s been buying his casual clothes there for years.
Collins owned only one pair of jeans, so he picked up two pairs of Calvin Klein jeans for $24.99 each.
We heard about this from Linda Soltis, who knows Collins and his wife, Mary, and thought the world should know about Collins’ frugal habits.
Collins is campaigning against David Bellavia in the Republican primary, so we asked Bellavia where he buys jeans.
He told us he has a few pairs of Gap jeans he’s owned for a while, before joking that he can’t afford to belong to an “exclusive club” like BJ’s.

Here’s the question

After wooing tourists and a throng of reporters with his plans to walk across Niagara Falls, Nik Wallenda met a group of fifth-graders last week to talk about — what else? — making healthy choices.
At least one school administrator noted the irony of a stuntman giving such advice to students. But during the question- and-answer session, one brave Kalfas Magnet School student stole the show.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” the student said, “but are you crazy?”
Wallenda, for the first time in months, was finally thrown off balance.

Talk about taking things in stride.
East Aurora Village Trustee Patrick Shea certainly did so.
In last week’s Off Main Street, we wrote of the debate about how certain signs look in East Aurora. Village Trustee Ernest Scheer, who had complained about Dunkin Donuts’ signs, backed off his criticism, quipping that he’s a regular customer, as evidenced by his physique.
An editing mistake attributed his comment to Shea.
So, of course, the good-natured Shea brought a dozen Dunkin Donuts to Monday’s Village Board meeting. And he looked forward to kidding The Buffalo News scribe, who was unable to attend.
“I brought a dozen doughnuts and then you don’t show up,” Shea told The News this week. “Ernie and I were joking between us and talking about the [quote], and I began to think, ‘Am I having mental lapses? Did I really say it?’ ”
Shea, who found humor in the mix-up, said he was thrilled just to get his name in the paper. “I don’t usually get quoted, and people were still talking to me about it today. You retract it, and I might sue you,” Shea said.

After 15 years, a price hike

Elected officials in Cheektowaga know it can be political suicide to mess with issues important to senior citizens.
Apparently, the message hasn’t reached Juan Valdez.
Last week, coffee prices at the Cheektowaga Senior Center doubled.
That’s not news to the billions of coffee drinkers who have been shelling out more for a cup of joe the last few years. But seniors in Cheektowaga were insulated from price spikes — until now.
A “Coffee Service Update” was published in bold letters at the bottom of the senior center’s May newsletter. The notice reminded seniors that a cup of coffee in the center’s lobby has remained just a quarter for 15 years before alerting them that the price would go up to 50 cents this month.
“The good news is we are offering a slightly larger cup,” the notice stated. “We ask that, on your honor, you now put TWO QUARTERS in the cup when you help yourself to coffee. If you are someone using your own larger cup (like a travel mug), we ask you to throw in even a bit more to make it fair for everyone.”
The message added: “Thank you for your expected cooperation. We need to cover more of the cost of the coffee service or we may have to discontinue it.”
Bold flavor indeed.

Calvin Klein’s former boy toy was busted in his Greenwich Street penthouse early Tuesday after he allegedly punched another man in the face, sources said.Nicholas Gruber, 22, was hanging out in his luxury pad with the 20-year-old man before the fight broke out about 4:20 a.m., the sources said.“It’s really unfortunate,” the victim told the Daily News over the phone. “I thought he was a good friend. I’m OK for now, but I don’t know about the future.”After the brawl, the injured man thought about going home, but called the police instead.“Blood was coming out of my face,” he said.Cops soon arrived, but Gruber flailed his arms to avoid getting cuffed, sources said. As the officers wrestled the model and former flame of fashion designer Calvin Klein, he was spotted trying to shove something in his pants, sources said.When the officers searched Gruber at the Sixth Precinct stationhouse, they found what appeared to be cocaine stashed in his underwear, sources said.He was later charged with assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

CALVIN Klein sent his troubled paramour Nick Gruber to rehab by private jet this week.

Sources said that Gruber, 22, knew he was headed to rehab – arranged and paid for by his older, multimillionaire on-off boyfriend – before he was arrested for assault and cocaine possession on Tuesday morning.
Friends of Gruber say the 69-year-old fashion designer had arranged for Gruber to be flown to The Meadows in Arizona – so he went on a big “last night out.”
Gruber was put on Klein’s G4 plane Wednesday afternoon. “There was a fear that if Nick flew commercial, he might go to the bar first. He had to be delivered there,” a source said.
Klein is also paying the $35,000 monthly tab at The Meadows for Gruber’s treatment. The facility is where a now sober Klein sought treatment for his drug problems in 2003, after his notorious meltdown at Madison Square Garden in the middle of a Knicks game.
Gruber and Klein had dated since 2010. While friends claim they broke up months ago, other sources say they have recently been spending a lot of time together.
Klein had previously shelled out thousands for surgery on Gruber’s finger after he broke it while skiing, and paid two years advance rent for his West Village apartment. Gruber also struggled with bulimia, but was helped through treatment and with advice from Klein’s personal chef.
Sources say Gruber decided to go “out big” the night before he was arrested. He dined at Da Silvano and later headed to Meatpacking restaurant Catch, but he was not allowed in.
Gruber was arrested at about 4:30am local time after he punched pal Calvin Swint at Gruber’s Greenwich Street penthouse. The ex-porn star was later charged with possessing a stimulant and two misdemeanors – resisting arrest and assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Chatting with the hottest designer of the moment (hello, Mary Katranzou), discovering an under-the-radar new brand like Huishan Zhan and pumping the streets during Fashion Weeks, our Tumblr reveals exactly what Grazia‘s Fashion Editor, Sophie Ferguson Jones, gets up to. So we’re intrigued to see what Calvin Klein’s insider offering reveals as today, the New York brand has unveiled its official Tumblr blog. Yes!
So what can we expect from the CK Tumblr? Well, those sultry campaigns starring Lara Stone will be on display, as well as archival ads (bring on that Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg magic!) and there’ll also be ‘inspiring visuals’. Let’s book mark the page pronto.
As if that wasn’t incentive enough to wile away the working day, Hanneli Mustaparta has been lined up as the lady behind CK’s visual treats. She will serve as contributor at calvinklein.tumblr.com and considering she did an excellent job at manning their social media over fashion week last February, we’re in for a right treat. Oh, and let’s not forget Ms. Mustaparta is somewhat of a pro at such things. Back in 2009 in her home country of Norway, she began her street style blog, hanneli.com, which quickily developed an international following.
So we can’t wait to see more of the stunning photographer, blogger and model’s insider perspective. She will be providing content for her own designated category, #Hanneli, which will give behind-the-scenes access to the new collections and will see her interacting with major CK figures while snapping away at swanky shindigs around the world. Phewf, tough job Hanneli!

Costa, women’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection, brought his eye for minimalism and shape to his “Brasil: A Magical Journey” dress collection, which will be available in stores and online mid-May
“For this line, I think that the warm colors — like clay, guava and cocoa — remind me the most of Brazil and really complement the light and soft nature of the crepe and jersey fabrics,” the native Brazilian says via e-mail.
And rather than focusing on baring flesh or grabbing attention with loud colors, Costa says, his aesthetic for the $135-$180 collection is more “about ease, freedom and sensuality.”
“It’s really more about the sensibility and a freedom and comfortable confidence that reflects Brazilian culture and style,” he says. “This was just a perfect opportunity, because I have always been interested in designing a more accessible, affordable line to reach a much broader customer base.”
Macy’s also tapped Brazilian accessories and handbag designer Carlos Falchi, as well as its own in-house designer Rachel Roy, to put its spins on Brazilian style. (Falchi’s collection is online now.)
Roy teamed with native singer Seu Jorge, whom she describes as “pretty much the Bono of Brazil.” Roy and Jorge collaborated on a special edition of her Rachel Rachel Roy collection, which will be in stores at the end of the month and will be priced $36 to $149.
“He’s passionate and he really cares about his country,” Roy says. “He’s a very inspiring, amazing man, who has very, very clear points of view on colors and prints and sizes. He’s quite chic.”
“Modern design is about where the girls and guys are going, what they live like, what they do today versus 20 years ago. These are the puzzle parts I have to fill in. Calvin loves classic, very practical clothes, but we’re likely to communicate them in a slightly provocative way.”

Asked what aspiring designers need to know most, in terms of business, Carrigan said he regularly comes across students who “want to be designer by tomorrow”.

“I’ve been in the business for 20 years, working on different projects that broadened me as an artist and yet also as a responsible businessman. I’m always visiting the stores, having meetings with the store designers and the advertising people, the photographers. Collaboration is extremely important in getting the best out of the best.
“So you try to stay focused in your own area but surround yourself with really smart people. It’s like an orchestra and I’m the conductor. Every season we have to move these products into the minds of the consumers, generating excitement over the innovations and new materials.”
He reckons that “strong brands like Calvin Klein will get stronger” because of their solid standing and products.
“If you don’t evolve and move on, you’re out. What happens in fashion is the mix and match. Especially in women’s wear there are so many things going on, so many influences, not just from the runways but also the bloggers.
“People are following the cool girls who do the blogging in Hong Kong, London, Brazil and New York. I feel like they’re interpreting and putting their own things together with colours and proportion.
“We’re coming into the spring and fall collections, playing with proportion, texture and colour. It’s going to be an interesting season for a year or 18 months. We’re going back to emotionally reconnect again with the clothes. How does it make you feel when you wear it? It’s about the feeling that the clothes give you, ultimately the sexiness, the form, function and beauty.”
Asked about “eco-fashion”, Carrigan pointed out that Klein uses “sensible fabrics”.
“The company has a strong belief in giving back to the community. We don’t use real fur, and we support good work ethics.”
And digital fashion?
“We have a Calvin Klein Facebook page and a fashion blog. The ck One campaign is a digital project aimed at 17- to 24-year-olds.
“Back in 1996 we did an e-mail campaign where consumers could correspond with our models. So our company is always at the forefront, whether it’s in product innovation, communicating or advertising, and we also evolve with our consumers constantly. It’s very revolutionary.”

Former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has told how he was groped by women in nightclubs following his famous Calvin Klein underwear advert.

Rejoice! A new collaboration is among us!
Except… well, Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein for Macy’s is hard to get excited over. New pics of the capsule collection, which hits stores on May 15, show very Costa-y styles: clean lines, muted hues, straight hemlines and unfussy shapes. Classic? Sure. Boring? Well…
Maybe there’s something we’re missing. Maybe it’s so chic we don’t get it. But we look to limited edition designer collaborations for a dose of excitement, for something idiosyncratic that will boost our wardrobe and get us excited to shop. (See: Jason Wu for Target, Versace for H&M and Marni for H&M.)
Costa’s clothes, while lovely and refined, will easily blend in with the other basic sportswear at Macy’s. In fact, they look like some things we already own. The collection is either completely brilliant or the equivalent of a sartorial yawn. We can’t decide.
Below, see photos from the collection, whose prices range from $135 – $180. Will you be buying on May 15?

Recently, Calvin Klein Jeans revealed promotional pictorials featuring members of EXO-K: Kai, Se Hun, and Baek Hyun. Under the fierce sunlight, the three members of EXO-K expressed boyish freedom of a road trip at the beach.

In the revealed pictures, Kai, Se Hun, and Baek Hyun are all wearing summer items from Calvin Klein Jeans. Each members added his own unique vibes to ice-wash denim, lightweight colored denim, vintage t-shirts, and shorts, completing romantic summer looks.

Members of EXO-K got a chance to get away from their busy schedules and city life for this photo shoot. A source reveals that the members kept a close, friendly relationship with all staff members throughout the photo shoot and enjoyed their much needed downtime like any other typic boys of their age.

Calvin Klein Jeans pictorials featuring Kai, Se Hun, and Baek Hyun from EXO-K will be featured in upcoming June issues of GQ and Vogue Girl.

Check out EXO-K’s Calvin Klein Jeans photo shoot below!

revealed as a favourite to star in the next series of CBB.

Fans have already seen him in his underwear, but now they could get the chance to see Freddie Ljungberg on the small screen.

The 34-year-old footballer is rumoured to be one of Channel Five’s favourites for the next series of Celebrity Big Brother as they believe he will ‘sex up’ the show.

The Swedish sportsmen – who has modelled for Calvin Klein in the past- is not only a hit with the ladies, but he is also said to be an icon among gay men too.

According to the Daily Star, Ljungberg is a huge fan of the reality show but was unable to sign up for it last year due to his work commitments while playing for Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse.

However, he left the club by mutual consent last month and is now free to sign up for the next series.

‘The man is unbelievably attractive and won’t just have the girls hot under the collar,’ a Celebrity Big Brother insider told the newspaper.

‘He’s a massive gay icon so we know his male admirers will be desperate to spy on him in the house. And who wouldn’t want to share a house with him?’

The latest series of the Channel Five show saw Loose Women star Denise Welch take home the crown following much drama in the house with U.S. Playboy twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon, former Glamour model Nicola McLean and Hollywood actor Michael Madsen.

‘The last series was fantastic,’ the insider added. ‘Now we want to build on that and are looking at the best personalities out there.’

However, as usual TV bosses are doing their best to keep possible future housemates a secret, with a spokesperson saying: ‘Big Brother execs are currently in talks with a number of celebrities but we are not confirming any names at the moment.’

Calvin Klein designs have long been known for their razor-sharp lines, but the label’s creative director Francisco Costa seems to have a knack for curves, too.

His fall collection presented Thursday as one of the last major shows of New York Fashion Week ended things the way the season largely started, offering clothes for a woman who can seduce and charm with intelligence and strength, but without wearing anything too tight or revealing.

Costa, in fact, purposely created a looser hourglass shape for this muse that gives room to move and breathe, sculpting stiff wool fabrics into outfits with rounded jewel necklines and a little extra fabric at the hips. For most women, this is going to work better in coats than dresses, but on the models, it was nice to see the chic, fuller shape shifts.

“Mysterious, sexy and super urban” was how Costa described it just after the show. “The iconography for this is all super modern,” he said.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” star Rooney Mara sat in the front row, and the clean, architectural and unadorned style that Costa has crafted as his Calvin Klein signature seems a perfect fit for her. She might be the one to pull off a leather look at the Academy Awards.

The colors, as usual here, were dark and stark, with the only bright moments coming from a few flashes of red and a salmon-colored dress made of a glazed tweed and tulle.

The mixing of fabrics that this crowd has gotten used to seeing over the past few days was done best on a dress that combined gray wool flannel and black shaved shearling. Another standout look was a black-leather, funnel-neck bodice and a winter-white moleskin skirt. Costa also sneaked in white leather panels in the folds of some black pleated skirts.

“Innovative fabrics — like technical tweed, bonded basket weave crepe and painted wool mohair — enhance the collection’s contemporary, urban aesthetic,” he said in his notes.

There’s never much embellishment from Costa but he did show a handful of pieces with shine that came from laser-cut embroideries.

Guests had been warned before the show that there would be extra security because of a planned Occupy Wall Street protest, but a noticeable group of protesters not materialize.

Designer Calvin Klein sold his namesake business to Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. about 10 years ago and Costa was his handpicked successor.

The phrase “affordable designer cosmetics” may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s a goal that CK One hopes to meet with its new cosmetics line. The company, which is an offshoot of Calvin Klein, has been around for 18 years and is making the move because there was a “white space of opportunity,” according to FashionEtc.

Embracing Peoples of All Kinds

While The Huffington Post has asked in a recent op-ed piece if people are still into the brand, the move seems logical given not only the company’s focus on fragrance but also because, according to a recent report, there will be a worldwide boom in cosmetics and toiletries sales over the next several years. Product sales for both men’s and women’s personal care items are expected to reach $300 billion plus by 2015, and the brand’s new unisex line may just appeal to both men and women, giving the fragrance giant a boost in sales.

This positioning will appeal to the individual and goes in the face of stereotypes. The ads themselves speak to the goals of the campaign, defying gender roles. They have a look to them that is reminiscent of CK One commercials in years past, which featured a multitude of different types of people. They’re quite stunning, although not done in black and white as many of the commercials have been.

The ad campaigns for the new products feature Dutch supermodel, Lara Stone, British model and songwriter, Ruby Aldridge, Tanzanian model, Herieth Paul, Australian model Abbey Lee Kershaw, British model Eliza Cummings, Chinese model, Fei Fei Sun, and American model Ehren Dorsey. Joining the ranks of the male models are Swedish artist, Viggo Janason and Russian model and rapper, Yuri Pleskun, according to the official press release.

As for the cosmetics, they will come in a variety of colors, and judging from the types of products like the three-in-one serum/primer/base face makeup, the collection looks easy to use. The CK One line will feature a 130-unit cosmetics line. The cosmetics are latest addition to a whole lifestyle brand, which includes clothing pieces like jeans and underwear, which were introduced in 2011.

PVH Corp.’s (PVH) Calvin Klein Inc. unit will exercise its rights to reacquire the existing license agreements from Warnaco Group Inc. (WRC) to distribute and sell ck Calvin Klein apparel and accessories in Europe, effective 2013.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Calvin Klein predicted the European business could potentially reach sales of about $500 million in the next five to seven years. The company said the ck Calvin Klein brand represented global retail sales of $1 billion at the end of 2011, achieved primarily in Asia and Europe.

The PVH International division, which also manages the Tommy Hilfiger brand globally, will operate the ck Calvin Klein apparel and accessories businesses in Europe.

In January, PVH Corp. boosted its fiscal fourth-quarter guidance after the apparel company’s Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands delivered stronger sales, offsetting weaker performance in its Heritage business. PVH, formerly known as Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., has been reporting stronger profitability in recent quarters, but warned that this year’s earnings growth would take place entirely in the second half.

Last month, Warnaco reported it swung to a fourth-quarter loss on higher restructuring and pension charges as the apparel company’s 3.9% sales growth was driven mostly by the Calvin Klein brand.

Victorian midnight was the theme in a romantic collection from Viktor & Rolf, strong on evening wear, high-collared furs and even the odd “bed wear” piece.

A moon shone from the backdrop of human figurines — the doll is a recurrent motif in the Dutch designers’ repertoire — adding to the clothes’ darkly feminine and sleepy mood.

“We’re always trying to look for the unexpected,” said Rolf Snoeren backstage. Viktor Horsting cited the show’s “subtle juxtapositions”.

Surprises were certainly on display with fluid, metal-sheen silhouettes based on pyjamas. But in sumptuous printed satin-silk, it would be a waste to just wear them to hit the sack.

An in-vogue Edwardian edge defined many evening wear looks with overgrown-sleeved slip dresses, and feather-light tulle gowns paired up with glass embroidery and silk fringing. High-collared form-fitting furs provided the sensuality, with a look that invited you to see what’s underneath.

It was a strong show. The design duo clearly upped its game after the Mattel-infused baby-doll offering last spring got a lukewarm reception.

London”, the title of Vivienne Westwood costume-design inspired collection, had it all: Elizabethan corsets, Sherlock Holmes tweed, scholars’ gowns and even a model cycling down the catwalk.

It was said to channel 17th century Britain but saw models stomping around some 400 years of fashion history — all in contemporary black moon boots.

The highly structured silhouettes included some rigid corset bustiers that recalled the embellished crinoline of the Restoration epoch.

Rectangles were also a motif, in small peplum lapels or as a flat patterned square Beefeater dress, whose shape resembled that of the poster boys that stand in London’s Leicester Square.

At times, there was an element of couture-meets-school-play as draped silks sported rough edges or theatrical embroidered beading.

Jean Paul Gaultier fused 1980s graffiti prints with the style of cult rock band Velvet Underground in his slickly executed fall-winter offering.

The designer sent down the catwalk revamped versions of the boxy bomber — once worn by the group — with bands, zippers and gothic hairstyling adding a punky vibe.

Graffiti-printing provided the fun. The fabric’s richness in one flowing silk jumpsuit contrasted with the decimation of an all-over print depicting a gruesome car pile-up.

Models slung brightly coloured fur jackets over arms or let them fall coolly off one shoulder. Sleeves and cuffs seemed to crop up everywhere as ornamental features in skirts, furs and ruffles — or just hanging limp.

A series of brash copper jackets and skirts dazzled in what looked like lame, an inexpensive fabric.

Fashion delved into past times for inspiration on Saturday, conjuring up nostalgic ready-to-wear collections that journeyed back years to the structured gilding of the Restoration and the high collars of the 19th century via a splash of punk.

British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, whose collection showcased some four centuries of English dressing, said that fashion “builds on the styles of the past in order to move forward”.

Danish design duo Viktor & Rolf looked at the midnight moon in a strong Victorian-tinged homage to night-time sensuality with lavish, high-collared furs.

Paris’ enfant terrible Jean Paul Gaultier, meanwhile, gave a polished offering that revisited the 1980s with a typical array of tongue-in-cheek humour.

Owens, an American designer working in Paris, has always had the ability to find romance and poetry in the shadows. The power of his work comes from a sensibility that rejects classical definitions of beauty and femininity. His point of view allows for eccentricity and for flaws; he constructs a place for outcasts.

When he is at his best, Owens cuts sensual garments that do not rely on flamboyance or exhibitionism to evoke sex appeal. Instead, he hints at a woman’s physique through translucent materials and through the subtle curves that are revealed when a slim skirt pulls taut in the midst of a strong gait.

There were moments during the presentation of his Fall 2012 collection, which is part of Paris Fashion Week, when he offered clothes to savor. His cropped leather jackets with their dolman sleeves were perfectly proportioned over his attenuated, back-slit skirts. His work with fur, combining white and gray mink, was skilled and sophisticated. And his sweeping overcoats evoked modern day grandeur.

What is your business idea and what problem is it solving?

Couture Rani is an online boutique selling made-to-order luxury bridal and evening wear from India’s top fashion designers. Every year, South Asian women from around the world travel to India and spend thousands of dollars shopping for wedding apparel and jewelry. Despite the barriers of time, convenience and knowledge of where to go and what to buy, they spend in excess of $1,800 to travel to the fashion centers of Mumbai and New Delhi. Shopping in India is not the preferred choice but the only choice because a better alternative does not currently exist. The process is laborious, time consuming and inefficient. Couture Rani provides a solution to this market need by allowing shoppers to order a custom made, individually tailored piece they truly love. The bespoke approach is the standard in Indian fashion retailing. Since most have to travel to India to take advantage of this service, Couture Rani would provide customers this convenience in the privacy of their own homes. While the core business will remain custom made apparel, Couture Rani will add contemporary ready-to-wear apparel to help expand Couture Rani’s customer base from an exclusively South Asian clientele to a more global audience.

Bridal apparel is the most lucrative segment of the Indian designer wear market, making up 50-70 percent of a designer’s revenue. The Indian wedding industry is a $20 billion a year market, growing at 25 percent annually. Non-resident Indians contribute approximately 40 percent of a designer’s annual turnover. Additionally the rapid growth of the ready-to-wear Indian designer market provides Couture Rani with the opportunity to create a centralised global platform for Indian fashion online through our established relationships and partnerships with designers.

Who is your competition and how are you different/better?

While there are numerous sites that sell Indian apparel online, e-commerce site Exclusively.in would be most comparable to Couture Rani. The site sells fashion, jewelry, and home decor from India at a discount of 70 percent. While Exclusivley.in has positioned itself as a ‘discount site’ with a multitude of offerings, Couture Rani will focus specifically on luxury designer apparel and accessories and aims to become the global online retailer for Indian designer wear. We have spent the past two years building relationships with the best designers in India and want to open the doors to their studios and ateliers and showcase those special, unique pieces to which customers would otherwise never have access.

What is the revenue model?

Couture Rani’s unique business model allows the business to generate cash flow during the production phase for both custom-made and pre-order garments. Customers pay for bespoke orders in full at the time of purchase, while ready-to-wear items require a 50 percent deposit at order placement and 50 percent when the item is shipped. Couture Rani and the designers split the profits 20-80 for bespoke orders and 40-60 for ready-to-wear.

Although Couture Rani was launched as a solo venture, the business was incubated by the Strategic Technology and Design Management class at the Pratt Institute in New York and was advised by Monte Gibbs, a digital media strategist and web technologist who heads the program. Individuals whose backgrounds include work on fashion startups like ShopFlick, Refinery29, J.Hilburn and Trunk Club, to name a few, have also provided guidance and advice. Consultants were also hired to work on various aspects of the business and I will be actively identifying the core team soon.

How much funding are you seeking and why?

Capital investment needed to scale the business and move it to the next stage is $500,000 for the following: accelerate development of website and features; development of interactive technology; building the core team; key hires in technology, digital media strategy and sales.

THE PANEL

Sonali De Rycker, Partner, Accel Partners, London

“I like that the company is addressing a white space and a hyper-targeted market that lends itself to higher than average spend. Customer acquisition should be fairly frictionless and word-of-mouth will probably work. My biggest concern is that this category may just not be ready for e-commerce yet. Couture Rani will need great customer service and branding, and perhaps devise an online/offline model to overcome this issue, including charging for leads and value-added services instead.”

“Gina, this is a well-thought-out business idea. You have identified a shopping challenge that stands to be addressed by your vision and an attractive business model: pre-order fashion. Compelling factors support the idea: large target market, proprietary product and sourcing relationships, and a clear value proposition (access, convenience). I see a lot of potential to build a rich brand by showcasing the artisans that produce these products and sharing stories about their history and craftsmanship. With a large, but niche offering, to a geographically diverse audience, I imagine you may incur relatively higher customer acquisition costs. Further, admittedly my knowledge of the specific target customer segment is limited, but I do wonder if customers at scale will be willing to pay 50 percent upfront and wait for ready-to-wear items, similar to the premise for couture orders.”

“Gina, it shows that you’ve spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the market, the customer and the solution. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know the Indian luxury market, but the success of companies like Exclusively show there’s an appetite for Indian fashion. You’ve done a nice job designing the brand. More specifically, the website is clean and clearly articulates the value of your product and service. Given that you’re going after the high end of the market, I’d like to know how many people seek out high end Indian fashion each year. From reading your Elevator Pitch, I wasn’t entirely convinced this is a huge market and a significant pain point. I’d also like to know more about your target customer and how you plan to reach them. Specifically, where do they live, how do they behave, how old are they, where do they hang out online? Finally, I’m impressed with what you’ve built, but I would have liked to get to know Gina Mathew better. While it’s great that experts have helped you along the way, I was hoping to get a better sense of your experience prior to starting Couture Rani. Why are you the right entrepreneur to back in this market?”

“While I really like the idea of this business, I must confess I am unfamiliar with this particular market. However, your value proposition combined with a well-designed, clean user experience is a great start! I wonder if adding luxury accessories would add both incremental sales revenue and an opportunity for repeat purchases beyond couture and ready-to-wear for special occasions. The long delivery timeline and 50 percent deposit concern me. Additionally, asking couture customers to gather and submit their own measurements does not feel like a particularly couture-level experience. I wonder if there are high-touch user experience elements you could introduce to facilitate this process – either digitally or perhaps via small offline showrooms.”

“I like the aesthetic and approach that you are using to address what is a clear opportunity in the Indian bridal market, which is valued in the billions of dollars. However, these trips to India are not just about the transactional purchasing of bridal clothes, they are also part of the ritual and tradition around the preparation for the wedding. I wonder how many mothers and daughters would forgo the bonding experience of wedding shopping for a more transactional process on a website. I wonder what other experiential elements — online and off — you can create to make the Couture Rani experience more rich with emotion, advice and tradition. Perhaps, Couture Rani might complement, and not compete, with the traditional wedding trip by integrating your service with physical trips to add efficiency, but not detract from the experience.”

Now, it’s time for the BoF community to offer their thoughts on Couture Rani. What do you think about the business and its potential? And what advice would you give its founder, Gina Mathew?

If you have a promising business idea in the fashion-technology space or are already working on a start-up and looking to raise your profile or attract funding, send us your Elevator Pitch. We are accepting Elevator Pitch on an on-going basis, by email only, and will review the first 500 words you submit. For detailed instructions on how to submit your pitch.

Elevator Pitch is a recurring feature on BoF, co-curated and developed with Rachel Shechtman of Cube Ventures.

Cash expenditure of the people at New York Fashion Weeks are discussed often enough. But if they bring financial benefits the city, until now a wide circle was not known.

The company IMG, who organize the event, commissioned a study to determine how useful are the eight days of glamor to Big Apple or the Big Apple, as it is often called the city of its inhabitants.

A study conducted by graduate business schools Fordham, found that the city receives millions of dollars profit each time around Lincoln Center, erected a tent fashion. Just last season earnings in the center was $ 21 million.

Where does that kind of money? According to New York Times, about $ 6 million visitors in hotels holiday leave, another $ 7 million at stores and $ 9 million in the restaurants. After all, people tend to fashion is, like everyone else. The calculations also composed in 2008, Economic Development Corporation, reported that the city-wide treasure every season of Fashion Week brings in $ 233 million

So Fashion Week is quite a lucrative event for the city. And every time he happily builds tents and podiums for its regular shows.

Finally, the famous fashion house «Calvin Klein» presented to us by the charming pictures of the new advertising campaign called «Calvin Klein Swimwear 2011″.

Face and body care line of swim apparel «Calvin Klein» This year was the sexy and sleek super model named Marloes Horst. And, of course, we can not help falling in love with a new advertising photo shoot, created by a talented photographer Sebastian Kim. Stylist while taking pictures of the advertising company «Calvin Klein Swimwear 2011″ was the Beat Bolliger, who managed to transform Marloes Horst in one of the most beautiful, desirable and naturally beautiful women in the world.

A new collection of swimwear from «Calvin Klein» sustained in a minimalist style that make up the color palette of the collection has become a classic black and snowy white hue. This is the latest promotional photo shoot after the brand «Underwear Holiday Campaign», and it turned out no less beautiful and seductive. Fashion house «Calvin Klein» in his new collection of swimwear has decided not to use sophisticated ornaments or cut, and has created swimwear for women with the use of “classical” standard silhouettes.

At the level of habit, and a great talented designer adheres steadfastly neutral monochrome palette. Presented in the morning of the eighth in June 2011 collection «Resort 2012″ by fashion brand «Calvin Klein» show viewers elegant silk dresses, skirt suits, made of black, white, dark blue and gray fabric. Silhouettes dresses gently emphasize the shape, but not much wrap around it. Thalia has been allocated through a very thin straps, more reminiscent of leather laces or straps. Models, Promotional clothing collection «Resort 2012″ by «Calvin Klein» wore wonderful summer sandals white platform.

Perhaps the only hint of seduction in the beginning of the fashion show can be considered as cut on the chest of one of the dresses presented a model named Yulia Terentieva. But as more models came out onto the podium, the more it has been shown dresses with a hint of seduction frank: streamlined and extremely delicate tissue, podcherkivkayuschie every bulge girls, very thin straps, as well as reduced in line shoulders vests suits.

Every year since 2005 and with the exception of 2010, «Calvin Klein» delighted his fans with new versions of great perfume, releasing during this time «Euphoria Blossom», «Euphoria Luminos Lustre», «Euphoria Crystalline», «Euphoria Crystal Edition», and also «Euphoria Eau de Toilette» and «Euphoria Spring Temptation».

The new feminine fragrance «Forbidden Euphoria» has been declared as prohibited inspired desires and passions, challenging a perfume composition which is equipped with intoxicating fruity floral notes. Top notes of raspberry flavors come and peach blossom in combination with a light tangerine. In the center of a fragrant perfume compositions put the perfect combination of notes of jasmine and tiger orchid. The basis of the flavor was musk, cashmere and patchouli.

The form of the bottle «Forbidden Euphoria» repeats the line, belonging to the bottle «Euphoria» 2005. The aroma goes on sale in September this year.

A new brand advertising campaign was shot in New York photographer Patrick Demarchelier. Her black-and-white images imbued with typical Calvin Klein orientation.

Tom Murry, president and chief executive officer of Calvin Klein Inc. described the promotional photos of Lara Stone, as beautiful and create an emotional connection with the submitted products. He also added that special look of Lara Stone and her sex appeal resonates with consumers of the brand and its previous advertising campaigns.

The Naked Glamour Collection has been designed to allow a woman to look at it more sexy than naked. It offers a sophisticated combination of luxurious fabrics with a slight sheen, subtly contrasting against the dull woman's skin. In addition to lingerie for women, the line also includes and sleepwear.

The Naked Glamour bras are comfortable and have a glamorous look. They are represented in two directions with lace and push-apami that increase the size, as well as in four of stylistic solutions.