Marc Jacobs, now the 2013 creative director for Diet Coke

I don't know about you, but being able to snag a piece of designer clothing at a good price always makes me smile. Unfortunately, these opportunities come up less often than I would like.
This year though, we are given a chance at buying designer products in a very different way.

Coca-Cola announced on Feb. 6 that Marc Jacobs is the new creative director for Diet Coke. For the year 2013, Jacobs will design cans and bottles that pair his youthful and provocative style with the popularity of the Diet Coke product.

Jacobs is being brought in because this is Diet Coke's 30 year anniversary. To celebrate, the designs reflect the idea of female freedom with some designer flair.

These cans and bottles are going to be limited edition. So if you want one, make sure to buy it when you can. Or you could miss out!   


I am not normally a Coke drinker, but for the sake of fashion, I think I could be just a little this year.

Diet Coke is previewing this change with a rather attractive video. The most exciting part? Marc Jacobs is in the video with his shirt off!

This is a very good idea for the Coca-Cola company. It could bring in extra revenue for them in this celebratory year. The attractive designs could expand the customer base by appealing to non-Diet Coke drinkers who know (and like) fashion.

Not many people can say they have a Marc Jacobs original. This is a way to change that some. 

How to accessorize a plain dress

Accessorizing can be an overwhelming idea. With the many options out there, it is hard to know what to pair with what. Even how to pair things together for a matter.

Here a two ideas on how to accessorize a plain black dress.
This black dress from H&M, aside from the shape, is a very simple dress.


For a fall/winter look, you can pair this dress with a short button cardigan, patterned tights and booties. Like these below. A bright color in the cardigan balances the dark colors of the rest of the outfit. The pattern in the tights creates visual interest in an area that is normally plain.

       

For a summer look, add a scarf, belt and flats to be ready for the heat! The color blocking between the scarf and the flats creates contrast the eye is drawn too. The belt accentuates the waistline to give you a nice silhouette.

          

U.S. Postal Service making a clothing line?

In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service had a $3.2 billion loss in it's second quarter (Jan. 1- March 31). This is a $1 billion increase from the same quarter the year before.

Technology has created a hardship for the U.S. Postal Service. What used to be sent in a letter or package is now emailed and text-ed. In other words, waiting days for a gift to arrive somewhere is no longer acceptable, and the Postal Service is not as popular. To combat these financial problems, they have stopped doing Saturday delivery and are creating a clothing line.

Yes, a clothing line. Call "'Rain Heat & Snow'", it is scheduled to debut in 2014. The goal of the line is to create innovative outdoor apparel for men. For example, a jacket will have an iPod plug-in with sleeves that can control the volume.

The Postal Service and Wahconah Group, Inc., the company designing the line, are hoping consumer loyalty will create a good customer base for the line.

As an apparel design and merchandising student, I am very interested to see how this will turn out. Novelty merchandise is a big market. However, the innovation the company is planning will produce expensive garments.

The Postal Service created a merchandise line in the '80's that sold very well. In fact, the only reason it was stopped was because lobbyists said the main job of the service was mailings. This was when the Postal Service was in high demand though. Now that technology reins communication systems, the likelihood of consumers wanting to pay a good amount of money for Postal Service merchandise is lower.  

Highlights from New York and London Fashion Weeks

The Fall 2013 Fashion Weeks have begun. Last week, New York held volumes of fashion goers to see what will now be big in the ever-changing fashion world. The production is now in London. With a large amount of news stories being dedicated to Fashion Week, it can be hard to sort through it all.

Well, here are a few simple and uncluttered highlights from New York and London to keep you current!

Broadcasting
Digital is the new runway! Broadcasting online is not new. Top designers have been streaming their runway shows for a few years now. However, according to Patricia Reaney from Reuters, this is new for smaller designers just getting a start at runways.

This gives them a broader audience and a greater chance of success. For us as audience members, this also gives us more of an in. We can watch more of the fashion week shows and do so in the free time of our schedules!

Craziest Show
According to Mitsy White Sidell, Jeremy Scott's runway was the craziest show during New York Fashion Week. The designer created unlikely outfits by pairing ideas like neons, animal prints and fur. This created outfits like the ones in this Daily Beast photo below.


Check out the rest of the highlights from the Scott's show. You will not be disappointed!

Rihanna
On Feb. 16, Rihanna launched her first-ever clothing line at London Fashion Week. Her line sported mesh tops, yellow shift dresses denim tank tops and thigh-high slits. She partnered with River Island on the line, a company well known in Britain for it's youthful style. Check out some of the pieces and see what you think.

UNIQLO: Affordable fashion for everyone

In 2012, a representative from a fashion company, UNIQLO, came to present in one of my classes. In the first few minutes he was there I thought this would be another store that students couldn't afford and another idea that involved exclusion. However, I quickly found out this company was much, much more.

Ever since I have practically stalked their website. I hope all of you will want to do the same!

UNIQLO is a fashion company that sells basic, on style pieces for the whole family at very affordable prices.
The 100 percent cashmere women's sweater below costs $49.90 at their regular price, almost half of what a cashmere sweater would normally cost. (This photo is from the website. Click to take a closer look at the sweater.)
  
They sell everything from ultra light down jackets and vests, also known as puffer jackets, to undergarments and belts.

The style for this company is classic. You will not find evidence of fast fashion here, they stick with slow fashion looks that can really last a lifetime. On the plus side of this, everyone can wear their stuff. According to the their story, "UNIQLO makes clothes that transcend all categories and social groups. Our clothes are made for all, going beyond age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, and all other ways that define people."

In their clothes, they advocate diversity and equality.

This company actually started in Japan. Since it's start though, the stores have grown international. Just in 2012, they opened stores in San Francisco and New Jersey, according to their news.

JackThreads

For all the men out there who are younger in age with an urban kind of style, JackThreads is the place to shop! This is a fashion website exclusively featuring men's clothing and accessories in an urban style from designer brand names or styles that are on current trends. What is so special about this website?

Mainly, the prices. JackThreads is able to offer designer merchandise at affordable costs. For instance, you can get a pair of Puma Roma Luxe shoes for $74.99. The original price of these shoes is $125.00.

However, JackThreads is also unique because it takes more to shop here then just to type in the web address. You do, in fact, have to request an invite to the site. Once you do this, you create a member Log In ID and password. These two pieces of information are then how you can successfully look at what the site offers and make the exciting decision of what to buy. An invitation site can seem like a hassle. However, what JackThreads is able to do with that is create a more exclusive customer base. Someone not as interested in fashion may not want to go through all the steps. This leaves these amazing deals and buying options to those more seriously interested.

Now, in case you happen to be on the move when the mood to shop arrives, JackThreads also has a mobile app for iPhones and Androids. According to Sarah Perez from Tech Crunch, these mobile apps are quickly bringing the company up to the next level. The numbers have shown that customers shopping on the app are more loyal and likely to return to purchase again.

No More Paris Pants Poverty

Equality between men and women has been an important and vital issue in the world for some time now. In terms of diversity, progress on this topic is discussed over and over again. It is no longer surprising for women to be in the top ranks of a business or, say, to wear something besides a skirt. This is why I was extremely surprised to hear the news about a Parisian law recently.

Until Jan. 31, 2013, Paris had a law that stated women were not legally allowed to wear pants. That is, unless they were to get permission from the police. The law was created in the 1800s, according to the Associated Press, and has been in police books since then. In 1892 and 1909, changes were made so that women could wear pants when they were "'holding bicycle handlebars or reins of a horse'". However, under most circumstances closed legged bottoms were out of the question.

It is reported to have been mostly unenforced, which is why officials saw no need to repeal it. According to Traci Tong from The World, the government thought there were more important issues to deal with than repealing a law not used. However, a women politician was still criticized last year for wearing pants to a cabinet meeting.

As a fashion hub, it is very surprising Paris would allow this to stay on the books so long. Yearly fashion weeks hosted in Paris exemplify the freedom women have to get creative with their dress. Yet, for the past 213 years, it has technically been against the law any time a women goes through the streets wearing jeans, slacks, bell bottoms, or any other pant-style bottoms you can think of.

Nail Art!

Last year the idea of painting nails as art really started becoming popular. Publications like Glamour have posts about the different styles or new color arrangements often. Not all of these ideas have been my favorite. I saw a video a couple weeks ago about fake nails that you could manicure to come out to a sharp point, so you had about an inch of extra nail off your finger coming to a point. This is not so much my style, but I think it's awesome for anyone who can pull it off!

Others, like making different designs on different nails, have been an idea-opening experience. How did we not think of that before? Well, I am here to give you a few more ideas.

One of these is polka dot nails. Sounds pretty basic, but Beth Shapouri from Glamour reveals new ways to do this. You can take matte polish as the base color, and then use a shiny nail polish or shiny coat on the polka dots. This really makes the contrast high. You can also make different sized dots using contrasting colors like white and taupe.

Another idea from Glamour is creating a french-style manicure and covering the painted part of the nail in jewels or glitter. This may not be an everyday nail style, but it is certainly a good idea for a fancy night out. Maybe Valentine's Day? See what is looks like.

The coolest idea I have seen is "Water Marble Nail Art". This is where you put nail polish in water that's a certain temperature. You create a style in the water with a toothpick and then put your nails in the bowl of water. Your nail comes out with a marble-like design. This video has step-by-step instructions in how to complete it.

Transitioning to Spring Styles

Woolen sweaters, heavy cardigans, furry booties and puffer jackets. I don't know about you, but these are the clothing items my closet is concentrated with right now. My shorts, tank tops and spring dresses have been tucked away in a safe place for months. With the beginning of February here though, it is time to start making a wardrobe change!

This is almost always a difficult task. New trends come in and all of the outfits you have been harboring don't fit for the season. Instead of trying to buy a whole new wardrobe, take these few cooler months and slowly transition into the new styles. According to T.K. Brady, pieces from winter can be easily put into this changing stage.

For instance, color blocking was a huge trend this past winter season. Designer's like Calvin Klein color-blocked colors such as camel and black for winter coats. According to the style.com Spring 2013 Trend Report, this classic idea of black and white  is still going to be all the rage for spring. Not only can this transition, this can also be included in your spring closet. Leather pieces and ruffles, like peplums, are also going to be continued into the spring months.