ICE STYLE.....2017 Rostelecom Cup of Russia COSTUMES REVIEW: The MEN!

ICE STYLE.....2017 Rostelecom Cup of Russia COSTUMES REVIEW: The MEN!

A Costume Repeat? Maybe...Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup of Russia Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Moscow Russia

This past weekend was the first of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Season 2017-2018 international competition events: The Rostelecom Cup of Russia. It was held at the Megasport arena in Moscow Russia. Disciplines in Ladies, Mens, Pairs as well as Ice Dance were on display and the winners of these disciplines earn points to qualify them for the 2017-18 Grand Prix Final...

GOOOO JAPAN!!! Even though the Grand Prix of Russia was held in...Russia, the Megasport Arena was PACKED with the very supportive Japanese fans. Thousands traveled to Russia to cheer on their Japanese skaters, especially Yuzury Hanyu. God bless the Japanese fans, they seem to be keeping the ISU and figure skating afloat many, many thousands of fans at a time!

Now, let's get to the IMPORTANT STUFF: THE COSTUMES!!! As you may know, I love discussing and reviewing the figure skating costumes here on my "Ice Style" blog so let's get started with my Recap of the 2017 Rostelecom Cup of Russia Costumes: MEN. I will follow with separate blogs on LADIES, PAIRS and ICE DANCE...



MEN:

Nathan Chen of USA: First of all: Nathan is a QUAD wunderkind!! What I am not so impressed with are his costumes. This all black dress shirt and pants look is what he wore as his "costume" for his Short Program to Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine. I get that the music is sweeping, jazzy, modern...so a sleek all black costume is appropriate but...THIS? Nathan looks like...

The WAITSTAFF at a party!! It's not particularly the all black that I have a problem with, if done right, it can be quite beautiful and interesting...take a look at these examples:

BETTER: (L to R) Jeremy Abbott at 2011 Cup of China, Evan Lysacek at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Max Aaron and his "Carmen" costume at 2013 US Championships--Nathan doesn't have to look like the "hired help" at a party. Just saying.

Free Skate to Mao's Last Dancer (soundtrack) by Christopher Gordon: And kids, it didn't get any better for his Free Skate costume. An indigo blue colored dress shirt (Oh, what a shock!! Color!!). The music is this sweeping score from the film depicting a ballet life of Li Cunxin taken from his early life in rural China to end up defecting to the US. Even the "costume" in the movie's poster is more exciting:

I REALLY REALLY HOPE that these are just "in transition" looks and that his REAL COSTUMES are being made as I type this. PLEASE I hope I am right! I am in AWE of Nathan Chen's multi-quads. His "costumes" leave A LOT to be desired.

Mikhail Kolyada of Russia: Russia's Kolyada skated his Short program to Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Tango. I loved this. Now, this is something I wished Nathan would have worn. It was sleek, fit him well and had enough "costume" excitement but not too much. 

Free Skate to Steamroller Blues, Can't Help Falling In Love, Rip It Up by Elvis Presley--Mikhail did Elvis proud with an interpretation of one of his famous costume looks (seen above from his 1972 concert). I liked the details, the obvious homage to the original costume with the front torso details. This was another nice costume for the young Russian.

Denis Ten of Kazakhstan: Denis skated his Short Program Tu Sei by Vittorio Grigolo in this look above. The outfit consisted of black pants and a wrap-style white embroidered shirt. It gave hints of a classical opera tenor with a little bit of funky style. I especially liked the caviar beaded-like "thread" applique seen in the lower photo above.

Free Skate to SOS d'un terrain by Dimash Kudaibergen: Denis skated his Free Skate to his famous song done by a fellow Kazakh artist. Ten's costume was a sleek, modern look that included silver sequin embellishments as well as chiffon volants/mini-ruffles. Overall, it was a good costume for the beautiful and deep-meaning song. If there was any critique, I don't think he needed the crystal-detailed waist. Otherwise, it was just fine. 

Grant Hochstein of USA: Grant skated his Free Skate to Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber in this midnight blue costume featuring violet, blue and silver crystals highlighting his upper torso. I liked that this was not so overtly a reference to Phantom and that he didn't have any gimmicky faux mask anywhere... 

The slight peeking of white ruffles gave enough of a nod to the Phantom's blouse (seen on actor Gerard Butler above with director Joel Schumacher in the 2004 movie version ) which was nice.

Misha Ge of Uzbekistan: Misha Ge wore this lilac top and black pants costume for his Free Skate to Meditation (from "Thais") by Jules Massenet. The look was a bit "subdued" from some of Misha's past costume looks but it was lovely. The color added delicacy to his skate and I liked the ruffled sleeve cuffs. I just wish the neckline didn't have that mini panel of nude illusion (WHY??) and I would have rather seen a more plunging neckline. Maybe not Max Aaron plunging but a little more than that above. It seemed a bit "Junior Skater" to me.

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan: Yuzuru skated his Short Program to Ballade No. 1 by Frederic Chopin. If this sounds familiar, it is because it's almost like "Groundhog's Day: The Figure Skating Edition" when it comes to Hanyu, his Short program AND his costumes. For this 2017-18 Olympic Season, Hanyu has gone back to the same Short Program Music and (almost) the same Costume that he used for the 2014-15, 2015-16 Seasons...

Costume Adjustments: MINOR adjustments to the same costume--(L to R) 2014-15, 2015-2016 and now. The "new & Improved" version includes basically the same ombre-dyed blouson top with crystals but gold beading was added to the mock-neckband. He also used the same gold cummerbund as in the previous season. I think this is kind of lazy costuming if you ask me. It's an OK costume but it would have been WONDERFUL to have seen something COMPLETELY NEW! As a Fashion Designer and costume enthusiast, I selfishly want something NEW and EXCITING!

Free Skate to Seimei (soundtrack) by Shigeru Umebayashi: For his Free Skate, Yuzuru also went back to a previous Free Skate Program from a couple of seasons ago. He also used the (almost) same costume but with minor sequin adjustments. 

Yuzuru Hanyu's costume for his 2015-2016 Season Free Skate

Once again, I liked the original (above photo), especially with the music but I am just baffled why he didn't just have a BRAND NEW design and style made??!! We all know he has the MILLIONS to get it done so why??!! Maybe he is superstitious and somehow feels that he should wear the same (or almost the same) to bring him luck??? Who knows...

I know that I probably would have rather seen him in a cute Pooh Bear Costume instead...or this fab little stretch velvet number on this darling little Russian boy!

UP NEXT: The LADIES COSTUMES REVIEW of the 2017 Rostelecom Cup of Russia!

André Bryson - Guerrilla - Emerging Fashion Designers at NYFW

André Bryson - Guerrilla - Emerging Fashion Designers at NYFW

For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, Guerrilla is the name given to irregular military combatants, like a 'Resistance' army; not an official army... In my correspondence with the designer André Bryson he tells me that these 60's 70's silhouettes are a reference inspired by the tensions of the day, both in the USA; and tensions in the UK epitomised by the Mods and Rockers. Clearly André sides with the Mods on the style front. And quoting Bryson directly "Only the five primary colors (black, white, red, yellow and blue) I wanted to express that every color known to man is derived from these five colors in hope to bring unity to this collection as a complete story." I suspect the colours chosen also represent a message of unity in more than just the designs. My photos are of some of the highlights from the Guerrilla range, shown with Bracé Designers Emergent De la Mode NYFW at The Stewart Hotel, NYC September 2017.

I love the blocked colours and bold stripes, patch pockets and windowpane broken-checks, black with white or white with black, playing with positive/negative combinations. The innovative Nehru jacket as an open-front blouse with a scarf or pussy bow tied at the collar, a personal favourite of mine. Curiously, weeks later I saw similar concepts being sent down the runway in my news feeds from the Paris shows.. Weeks later.. Bryson seems to have the zeitgeist a fashion designer needs on his side. Love his designs? You can contact him directly via his instagram below. For more shots, just scroll down!

https://www.instagram.com/andre.bryson/
SFS New York Edition is Sponsored by White Caviar Life, Destination Travel.

Telling Stories in Pictures all over..

Kent Johnson, Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

kent@artcommunication.com.au

www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au

www.fashionphotographysydney.blogspot.com/

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Pregnancy Outfits Ideas - Cool Trending Styles For Pregnant Women

Pregnancy Outfits Ideas - Cool Trending Styles For Pregnant Women

Outfits for Pregnant Women. Pregnancy shouldn’t stop you from looking stylish and staying trendy. If you are looking for ideas on how to get a look glamorous look while being pregnant? What are the latest fashion for pregnant women, then this post is for you.

Here we bring amazing outfit combination for pregnant women this season. Whether you are in early weeks or pregnancy or last weeks, we bring some stylish maternity outfits in this collection. From casual maternity style to formal look you can get a lot of ideas from this collection. Scroll down to see how these pregnant women dressed up to have a chic look.

Nowhere it has been written that you can not wear stylish clothes during pregnancy. Pregnant women usually throw their old clothes that do not fit them. You must, in fact, keep the old clothes and redesign them with the help of a professional tailor. With the exception of few clothes that don’t fit you. You can keep them aside. The truth is that when you are expecting a baby and during the last months you need to buy clothes that are loose and flowy. You can then wear them after your pregnancy too so that money doesn’t go to waste. Today we will discuss the top outfits that you should have in your wardrobe during the pregnancy time.

How to use your existing clothes with the maternity wear:

Usually, women throw away their old pieces but you can utilize them smartly and make some amazing outfit combinations. For example, your old scarf, tight or leggings, a favorite handbag, a cool statement necklace can altogether completely pull a maternity look together. Even you can use your cardigans, t-shirts or jackets to wear over your clothes. That way you can hide your baby bump too and look stylish as well.

A great option to wear during the pregnancy are dresses that are flowy such as a wrap dress. These kind of dresses are very classy and they easily pull off the look really well. By being a little creative you can look smart. Other than that you could wear a T-shirt with a blazer on top, a short dress with leggings, cool t-shirt with a jacket and a lot more. You can check out the pictures below for more ideas.

Stylish Clothes for Pregnant women

  1. Pencil skirts? Yes.
"I preferred tighter midi-length pencil skirts while I was pregnant because it accentuated my bump," fashion blogger Tanesha AwasthiI of Girl With Curves told BuzzFeed Life. "I think the key is finding what you're comfortable in and just going with it."

2. Button-ups? Yes and yes.

Get oversized button-ups in either the women's or the men's department. Roll up the sleeves and let the loose material love on your belly. When your bump gets big, wear your button-up open over a tee, according to Sara Qaddoura, curator of e-commerce at London-based fashion startup Not Just A Label.

3. Flared skirts? Why not.
"The flared skirt definitely balances out your proportions, especially at the end of the pregnancy when the belly is so big," says fashion blogger Sara Strand. "The whole belly is less visible—since the skirt isn't high-waisted—and your upper body looks longer."

4. Asymmetrical hemlines? Why yes please and thank you.
"A hemline that's higher in the front won't be so tight on your bump," says Qaddoura. Comfytown USA, here we come!

5. Color-blocking? Cute!
"Color blocking tops can be either really great or seriously awkward," Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere told BuzzFeed Life. "If the color change is higher up and doesn't cut across the largest part of your belly, then yes, go for it! It's a fun way to embrace the bump."

 6. Horizontal stripes? OMG.
"Horizontal stripes were my favourite while I was pregnant," Strand says. "I was really proud of the growing belly, and the stripes showed it off in a nice way."

7. Bright colors? Of course.
"It helps to wear more colorful pieces on the days when you don't feel too good," says Strand. "At least my skin tone looked that much better!"

8.Tight dresses? Go for it.
"Experiment with wearing things you already have in your wardrobe," says Awasthi. "I only bought 2 items from the maternity section! The rest were things that had a lot of stretch or were oversized, so they worked to accommodate my bump."

 
10. Heels? If they feel comfy enough, do it.
"If you're having a healthy pregnancy and aren't experiencing any pain while wearing heels, I think it's a really great way to feel sexy," says Schuman. "While I don't wear mine for a 9-hour work day anymore, I'll certainly still throw on a pair for a date night with my husband or to head out for a party."

11. Chunky accessories? Get it, girl.
"I think bold accessories add a hint of luxe and polish to any look, especially when dressing on the casual side of style," says Awasthi. "Adding bold accessories allowed me to feel a bit more put together, which is sometimes hard to accomplish in the later months of pregnancy."

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2017 Finals: The EVENING GOWN RECAP!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2017 Finals: The EVENING GOWN RECAP!

Gown Throwback: A Not-So-Fashion-Exciting Evening Gown Top 10 at Miss USA 2017 Finals--Mandalay Bay events Center Las Vegas

Last night were the finals of Miss USA 2017 in Mandalay Bay Events Center at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Las Vegas. Fifty one contestants representing all 50 U.S. states plus District of Columbia competed for the top crown and a chance to represent the USA at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. And the winner was...

Back-to-Back: Miss USA 2016 (and former Miss District of Columbia) Deshauna Barber crowns Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough as Miss USA 2017--Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas

Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough! Kara is 25 years old, stands 5' 10" (178 M) and was born in Naples Italy. Because of her father--who worked in the U.S. Marine Corps--she was raised in various places including Sicily, South Korea, Japan and Hawaii. Oh, and did I mention she's also a RADIOCHEMIST! Now, Kara might be interested in the study of radioactive materials but she's also no stranger to beauty pageants: She was 1st runner-up at the Miss District of Columbia USA beauty pageant TWICE, in 2015 and 2016, where she was the first runner-up to last year's Miss USA, Deshauna Barber.

Beauty and Brains: Miss USA 2017 Kara McCullough

Kara caused a little bit of controversy in the Twittersphere with her answer to a question regarding health care in which she said that it should be a privilege as opposed to a right for all U.S. citizens. But this blog isn't about that, it's all about THE GOWNS! And the controversy here is how MEH the Top 10 gowns were...

Sequins and Slits: Miss USA 2017 Kara McCullough--Miss USA 2017 Finals, Mandalay Bay Events Events Center Las Vegas

Honestly, this was ONE OF THE MOST LACKLUSTER Evening Gown showings at a Miss USA Finals in a LOOONG time! They were dated, semi-Pageant Betty and in terms of FASHION, or fashion-forward...look elsewhere darlings 'cause you wouldn't find it here. It was as if we had regressed back to the late 1990's/early 2000's in terms of Gown designs. Only ONE of my Top Ten Best Gowns from the Preliminaries made the Final 10 and if that wasn't enough, two of my "UH Oh/Worst" picks made the final Top Ten (Yikes!)

So...I guess, the evening gowns had little-to-no effect on the judges in choosing the 10 semifinalists, which I suppose is fine, since all 10 semifinalists seemed to be some of the most intelligent women in the contest and, in addition, perfect representations of the tagline "Confidently Beautiful". Well, even though the style (or lack thereof) of the contestants Evening Gowns might not have been important to the judges, they are still important to me here on my "Sashes And Tiaras" blog!



So here's my RECAP of the Ten Semifinalist's Gowns--from Worst to Best:

Miss Minnesota USA Meridith Gould: Meridith did an OUTSTANDING job last night at Miss USA 2017. She had a strong stage presence and in addition, answered the questions perfectly and eloquently. No misstep there. Oh, and she looked like a toned Goddess in Swimsuit. It's her gown that I thought was problematic. Back in my recap of the Preliminary Competition, I placed her gown as one of my least favorite and that sentiment didn't change in the Finals. She revealed that this white organza, tulle and applique design was a combination of TWO gowns that she liked. Well, kids, that might have been the problem: It looked it. The top was this sequined bustier/leotard with neckband and Breast-a-licious front cut-out and then the bottom were pants AND a matching overskirt. It was A LOT to say the least and really overpowered her. I get the "J Lo-on-the-Latin Billboard Awards Red Carpet" look she was going for (very popular with Lebanese designers like Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab) but it was a Too-Mucheey mess. On a good note, she didn't wear those tacky "Stripper" platform heels. On a not-so-good note: NUDE??? Really??!! With a WHITE gown?? 

Miss New York USA Hannah Lopa: Red-haired Hannah is next on my list of least favorite gowns for the 10 Miss USA 2017 semifinalists. I'll start with the positive: I liked the emerald green sequins over nude tulle but...she was almost-nude underneath! I could literally see her PANTIES! (Yikes!). Maybe I'm too old-school but I just don't want to see panties. I get the see-through style but it really isn't supposed to be really SEE-THROUGH (it should have been lined to the bottom, in a nude colored lining of course). And then, if the see-through-ness of that wasn't distracting enough...

We get SMOOSHED-BOOB Syndrome with a waaaay too revealing neckline. She's too gorgeous too wear something so "Real Housewives of Atlanta"-like. Period.

Miss Alaska USA Alyssa London: First off, Congratulations to Miss Alaska USA Alyssa London, who was a definite spoiler and surprise in making the Top 10; quite an accomplishment all on it's own. The gown was designed by herself with the help of Joey Galon Atelier. Galon had quite a night for himself since he not only created Miss Alaska USA's gown but also Miss Hawaii USA and...

Outgoing Miss USA Deshauna Barber's beautiful lavender gown (LOVE!)

I will say, of the 3 gowns, Miss Alaska's was the least successful however. I appreciated Alyssa honoring her Native American/Tlingit heritage with the ceremonial robe aspect to her gown. The sequin work and images of Tlingit patterns and whale's tail were quite impressive, but I didn't think that the reveal was effective. This was VERY hard to pull off from a technical design perspective, and the robe that transitioned into a train ended up being clunky and dragged the look down. In addition, the dress itself was a bit "been there, done that" Pageant Gown. But kudos to Alyssa for showing her Alaska Native/Native American heritage in her evening gown! 

Miss Missouri USA Bayleigh Dayton: There were several issues I had with this gown. First, the style was dated. I am also not a fan of those "pick-up's" as they are called (the horizontal folding and pleating and picking-up of the fabric). The Pick-up detail + the satin = Prom 1995. In addition to all this, the gown was just too heavy looking; she looked like a red swirling Christmas ornament and/or bell. I just want to see a little FASHION, a little fashion-forward-ness, a little inspiration from the Haute Couture shows of Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, something!

Miss California USA India Williams: When I saw this white sequined gown on the beautiful Miss California USA in the Preliminaries, I was not a fan. I was disappointed. India is so pretty, so tall (six feet!) and statuesque and the gown was too Miss Teen USA "Sweet" and Prom-like. She needed something more "Runway Fab" in my eyes. The neckband was useless, the crystal waist trim was too low, and overall, this gown just wasn't a WOW. If she had worn something like this, I would have jumped from my couch and given her a standing gown ovation...

Miss Falcon Jennifer Saa at Miss Venezuela 2014--But, alas, I just stayed seated bored to tears.

Miss New Jersey USA Chhavi Verg: Seriously kids, what is happening with these women picking the most boring traditional oh-so-meh gowns??? If there was one contestant who could bust out in a fab Runway-like gown, it would have been the exotic Chhavi Verg, Miss New Jersey USA. She looked nice and very safe. And maybe that was the point. If so, she gets a TEN for that, but this choice of a black sequined halter gown was just nice, and that's about it. I would have loved to have seen her in something more like this:

Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014--Notice that I'm not even referencing anything recent; these gowns are from 2014! The women (and their pageant glam squad) need to be a bit more creative with their gown choices and pageant gown designers/manufacturers need to start getting "inspired" by gowns like the ones above. ASAP.

Let's just get to some of the better ones from the Top Ten:

Miss Tennessee USA Allee-Sutton Hethcoat: Allee-Sutton wore one of my Top Ten Favorite Gowns back in the Preliminary Competition earlier in the week. And she wore the same one for the Finals last night. In terms of style or silhouette, there was nothing really Earth-shattering Fashion Diva about it, but it looked beautiful nonetheless, especially the fabrication. The halter-style gown fit her well and the sequin-over-nude fabric looked expensive and nice. From head to toe, this was a perfect Miss USA look. She looked like a top actress walking the red carpet of a top awards show. 

Miss South Carolina USA Megan Gordon: Megan is so beautiful--she reminds me of a Somali or Ethiopian model like Fatima Siad or Kadra Ahmed Omar. While I also wished her choice of gown would have been more runway fab and directional, this royal blue design wasn't a bad choice. The gown featured flower sequin applique, a nice v-neckline (not too revealing) and slightly dramatic overskirt. The style was Pageant Predictable but I think what I really liked was the strong color. It was impacting on stage and at least looked more of this century as opposed to the past.

Miss Illinois USA  Whitney Wandland: Whitney was quite a star at last night's Miss USA 2017 Finals. At only 5' 7" tall (compared to the glamazon heights of Miss California USA and Miss Minnesota USA!) but I have to tell you she exuded the confidence, air and SUPERFAB runway walk that made her look like a six foot tall Supermodel! I also liked her choice of this gold sequined fringe gown. Many people have made comparisons to the gown last year's Miss USA Deshauna Barber wore to win the crown:

It was gold and had that "Liza With a Z"-like sequined fringe. The style and golden color was impacting for Miss Illinois USA and she WORKED it on the stage. If I had to pick my favorites (I didn't have many in these Top 10), this one would have been up there.

Finally...

Miss District of Columbia USA Kara McCullough: The eventual winner of the Miss USA 2017 crown wore this white and sequined gown for the Finals Evening Gown Competition. This was one of the better dresses in my view of the Top 10 Semifinalists. The gown featured gold and silver jeweled sequin top and a white flowing skirt with side-front slit. The gown was very effective onstage and Kara utilized the silhouette and that slit very well. The colors were also quite nice for Kara and her skin tone. I also like the bit of Cleopatra Drama in the overall look. Again, this was not a super fashion-forward gown but it wasn't tacky, it wasn't revealing too much cleavage and it was a good choice for her.

If I did have some criticism...(Take a guess what that could be?)...YEP: Those shoes! Putty colored platform heels are NOT--under any circumstances--the right shoe choice when wearing a white and golden gown. Come to think of it, I'm not sure when there is a good style time to wear putty colored platform pumps. Were there no gold strappy (NON PLATFORM!) shoes available?? Oh well. Who cares. She won!!

Congratulations to Kara and to the Miss District of Columbia USA organization for back-to-back Miss USA wins!! Now, STEP AWAY from the Putty COLORED Platform Heels!