ust what is charmuese, and what does it have to do with your wedding dress? In addition to silhouette and neckline, fabric plays a key role in selecting the right gown, since the same style of dress looks and feels very different in a variety of fabrics. And while most of us can discern between satin and lace, what about shantung, crepe or organza?

This handy guide to wedding dress fabrics will help you sort through the sea of Silk Mikado and Chantilly Lace to find the most appropriate fabric for your wedding day look. Read more…

Here was Kate Moss in Berlin last night - hosting a party to celebrate the launch of her new perfume, Velvet Hour. And very cool she looked too, with her smoky eyes and tousled hair and Marc Jacobs, diamond-studded dress.

Which was exatcly the same Marc Jacobs, diamond-studded dress that Victoria Beckham stepped out in in LA four months ago. Whoops!
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Jerry Hall’s wedding dress in which she married Mick Jagger 18 years ago has sold for almost five times its top estimated price.

The model sold scores of items from her vast wardrobe to raise money for a homeless charity and has said of the tight white lace creation: “I hope someone else has more luck than I did.”

The dress, with its scalloped sweetheart neckline, was the star lot.

The dress, worn at her wedding to Jagger in 1990, was estimated at £300 to £500 but sold for £2,420. Read more…

Budget
About 10 percent of your wedding budget should be set aside for your look — the gown, accessories, shoes, etc. Know how much you have before you get your heart set on a gown; online gown galleries allow you to search for looks you love at the price you can afford.

Body-type
Know what cut will look good on your body, and be open-minded when shopping (what looks good on you everyday might not when it comes to your wedding). One of the biggest misconceptions about bridal gowns is that they only come as is. The truth is, most gowns can be ordered in alternative forms. So if you like the bodice of one and the skirt of another, ask to have them put together to form your dream dress (provided, of course, that both gowns come from the same designer). Read more…

The U.S. economy may be stumbling, but it won’t keep millions from walking down the aisle this summer.

Wedding spending is largely immune to economic downturns, and the $66 billion industry keeps growing. Wedding spending is expected to rise 11% next year, according to the Bridal Association of America.

Dress codes are also evolving, with summer trends pointing to a more relaxed look accented with playful cuff links, pocket squares and exotic accessories. Women are wearing bright colors and asymmetrical designs, and men are finding more casual cotton suits. Read more…

Lohan, star of Hollywood films such as Mean Girls, Herbie Fully Loaded, Just My Luck and The Parent Trap, has already taken part in an LA photoshoot for the campaign, which is in association with the clothing charity TRAID.

She will encourage UK shoppers to swap their unwanted clothes at the Visa Swap Shop store in Covent Garden, London, in support of the charity.

Lohan has previously fronted campaigns for major international fashion brands including Miu Miu, Versace and Donna Karen. Read more…

Even with eternal model Kate Moss vamping it up for Agent Provocateur’s new bridal lingerie line, spanning virginal white lacy demi-bras to thongs, the prevailing mood among brides is to still keep their wedding-day undergarments simple and frills-free.

Many choose magnificent gowns that can be semi-sheer or form-fitting or even bare at the neckline, leaving little recourse for opulent bras and panties.

“A lot of people come in with the intention of buying something beautiful to wear underneath the gown, but they soon realize they need a plain bustier or a panty with no ruffle to avoid panty lines,” says Alison Rubke, co-owner of lingerie boutique Faire Frou Frou (www.fairefroufrou.com).

Foregoing lingerie bells and whistles, brides often shop her store for the clean-cut Commando thongs, which lay flat and smooth on the body and are constructed without elastic or trim. For bras, brides will select strapless options or buy Fashion Forms U-Plunge Bra, which scoops very low in the front and in the back, ideal for accentuating décolletage and bosom-revealing styles. It also lifts with pockets for silicone pads and comes with adjustable straps for halter and strapless dress styles. Read more…

Kate Moss has been dropped by Agent Provocateur for the second time.

The 34-year-old model has reportedly lost her £500,000 deal with the sexy underwear brand to Alice Dellal, an unknown blonde socialite 14 years her junior.

A source said: “Everyone is stunned. Kate’s shots were really well received, but bosses thought it was time to move on. They want a fresh new face and think they’ve found just the candidate in Alice.” Read more…

Jessica Simpson just doesn’t know when to stop. The failed singer, actress, handbag designer, fashion designer and reality TV star has announced that she will be coming out with a lingerie line next year.

Simpson’s line, Jessica Simpson’s Intimates, will reportedly feature bras, panties, sleepwear and daywear and will hit major department stores and online shopping sites in spring 2009.

“I like differently lingerie for different occasions,” Simpson told Women’s Wear Daily. “I think that’s the best thing about it. You can feel sexy or girly depending on your mood.”

For those who always imagined the 1970s to be the nadir of fashion and who cringe to recall the tank-tops and loons or wince with embarrassment at old photographs of mullets and sideburns (the men that is) comes good news. The 1980s were worse.

More than that, they were a “scientific abomination”, according to Marcus du Sautoy, an Oxford professor of mathematics. His main beef is that haircuts were asymmetrical, and that the floppy coiffures popularised by the so-called New Romantics were an excrescence.
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