Fashion Style You

Prisoners detained in at Milan’s San Vittore prison are looking to break into the world of fashion by launching their own clothing brand.

The inmates have been taught tailoring skills by a local cooperative that aims to help women prisoners, and have already made costumes for theatre and television as well as flowing dresses and long-sleeved shirts for small shops.

Having transformed the stereotype of the jailbird sewing sacks, they are now going it alone.

“I didn’t know how to do this before,” said Paola Mazzini (60), who is due to be released next year after 15 years in jail for drugs convictions. “Now I’m dedicating myself to tailoring.”

Rows of clothes and cardboard cut-outs hang from the walls at San Vittore, they could be part of any tailor’s workshop. Only the occasional appearance by a prison warder reveals the true setting.

The aim of the scheme is partly to help the women acquire skills for life outside prison, but their work has also already been used in costumes for La Scala opera house in Milan and small accessories for Inter Milan football club.

One patron of the prisoners has a boutique on Milan’s exclusive Montenapoleone street, and the inmates have held a prison fashion show where an invited audience watched their designs being modelled.

“Next time, we will present clothes from our brand,” revealed Alessandro Brevi, head of the Milan-based Cooperativa Alice, which runs the project and has as operated for some 15 years in the city’s jails.

So far, the inmates’ only independent venture has been a line of T shirts under the ‘Jail Cats‘ brand with a motif of cats or prison bars, sold in libraries or at the cooperative’s headquarters.

The new line has the backing of Italian designer Anna Molinari of Blumarine and will be named later this year.

“First we need to have a name, eventually we will work with Anna Molinari to see what our collection will be. We hope we will be able to market it by next spring, even before if possible,” Brevi said.

“We are thinking of a small collection of clothes. We will work mainly on women’s clothes.”

With Italy’s fashion industry only just recovering from a beating by global rivals, the launch of a new brand will be a challenge.

“The problem is distribution,” Brevi said, adding that he would like the cooperative to have a shop although it is working on a Web site to sell its products.

Popularity: 1% [?]

A L’Oreal commercial featuring Penelope Cruz broke industry rules because the actress was wearing false eyelashes, the advertising watchdog has decreed.

The advert for the firm’s ‘Telescopic’ mascara claimed the product could make eyelashes “up to 60 per cent longer”.

According to the Advertising Standards Authority, however, the advert misled because it did not make clear Cruz was wearing some individual false lashes.

Click here for the full story.

Popularity: 7% [?]

According to a report in the New York Daily News, troubled pop star Britney Spears ruined a fashion shoot at OK! magazine.

OK magazine’s editor-in-chief, Sarah Ivens, who attended the fashion shoot on 19th July said:

“It was like a cry for help, really, it wasn’t normal.”

The OK issue that will be on sale this Friday, reveals that Britney Spears:

• Wiped her greasy hands on a designer gown during lunch.
• Let her puppy poop on a $6,700 Zac Posen gown.
• Took frequent bathroom breaks with the door open and even brought her assistant in with her.
• Insisted that her friends, not the hired professionals, do her hair and makeup while complaining that the wardrobe provided by the magazine’s stylists wasn’t “sexy,” “short” or “tight” enough.
• Fled the shoot and interview before it was over, still wearing $14,526 worth of OK!’s borrowed clothing.

Representatives for Ms Spears could not be reached for comment.

OK magazine is picking up the $21,267 (approx £10,600) bill for the lost and damaged goods.

OK is renowned for being celebrity-friendly, but this time they have decided to reveal all about the shoot.

“We’re really hoping that it will provide a wake-up call for her and for the people around her,”

Ivens said.

Popularity: 2% [?]

A survey has revealed that over two thirds of UK British shoppers admit they have bought fake clothing or footwear, however law firm Davenport Lyons asks if they would they be as ready to own up to supporting terrorism?

A large proportion of the money from fake goods goes towards funding terrorism, drugs, people trafficking, pornography and money laundering.

While most people never think twice about where their money goes when they buy a fake shirt or pair of jeans, many would be put off if they knew the profits from their purchases were being channelled into organised crime and terrorism.

Popularity: 1% [?]

In 1984 two Argentian brothers, Santiago Aguerre and Fernando Aguerre created the surf company Reef.

Reef blends the cool and casual surf lifestyle with sensuality and fashion to create vibrant surf clothing, and stylish, high quality lifestyle sandals that are extremely comfortable.

Inspired by the beautiful women on the South American beaches, Reef introduced the surfing world to an exotic beach element they called Miss Reef. Using the sexy bikini clad curves of Miss Reef, and never revealing her face or identity, she is now a global icon of the surfing world, with Miss Reef appearing on Reef sandals and surf clothing, such as T-Shirts and boardshorts.

Click here to view the Reef collection.

Popularity: 3% [?]

There’s no space for boring colours this season, it’s back in the drawer for all those whites, creams and beiges and time to open that box again. You know the one, all those shocking bright colours and brave hemlines from the 80s that you thought were too bright to ever wear…well think again.

The bright fluoro look is back again so dig out those neons and step out on the town. You’ll sure to cause heads to turn with your dazzling colours.

Here are a few tips to make sure you get the look right:

• Wear shades of neon that suit your colouring.

• Warmer tones – oranges and yellows.

• Cooler tones – blues and pinks.

• Always remember; less is more. Experimentation can be a lot of fun, provided you don’t go too overboard.

Popularity: 2% [?]