Full-figured women will have their day on the catwalks of New York on Friday when hometown designer Eden Miller unveils her plus-size collection — a fashion week first.

In the ultra-skinny fashion world, where angular models typically strut the runways, Miller will send out voluptuous models sporting looks from a colorful mini-collection in which prints reign supreme.

Miller, who has been a designer for 25 years, launched her line Cabiria in April to “good but unexpected” reviews.

In July she was approached by the Fashion Law Institute — a non-profit organization which advises and supports talented designers who do not have the resources to put on shows themselves — to stage a show.

“It’s an incredible honor, it is absolutely fantastic,” Miller told AFP ahead of her show.

“It is also a wonderful opportunity for showing the legitimacy of plus-size fashion. It is real fashion. It can be measured in the same way that other kinds of fashion can be.”

Miller, herself proudly curvaceous, explains passionately how she uses cut, angles and silhouettes to flatter fuller figures.

She says her pieces are “simply cut with a consideration for a plus-sized figure. They put it on, and they feel beautiful and that’s such a gift to me — that fuels me to go further.”

While still a rarity on international catwalks, plus-size models have been seen in Paris and Milan, and London has a fashion week dedicated to clothing for the more generously endowed.

New York got its first plus-size show almost by accident.

“When I first met Eden, she was wearing one of her dresses,” said Susan Scafidi of the Fashion Law Institute.

“My first thought was not, ‘nice plus line’, but ‘nice collection — I wish she made it in my size.’

“I actually didn’t realize until later that Cabiria would be the first plus line in the tents. In other words, making accidental history was simply a plus.”

Scafidi said that in the fashion world, the distinction between skinny models and larger models was made in the same way as one would distinguish between being gay or straight.

“The straight-size models and the straight-size designers are out there, the plus have stayed in the closet. So I am so thrilled that the plus world are coming out of the closet,” she said.

Miller, whose collection is aimed at women who wear American sizes 12 to 24 (42 to 56 in Europe), loves bold prints and doesn’t shy away from them.

“If you have a bigger body, you shouldn’t pretend you are a tiny person — there is no point,” she said.

“If you scale up the pattern, it fits the body the way a smaller pattern would on a smaller figure.”

The same applies to her own body, which she has adorned with some 50 tattoos, including a bat, a rat, two ladybirds and a beetle on her arms and snakes on her calves.

“I love animals,” she says, laughing.

By offering a small place to bigger women at New York fashion week, Miller says she hopes to make a larger impact in a country where the average woman is a size 14 (European 44).

“I really wish that the lines that would qualify to be part of the tent show, but have been excluded because they are plus, can now be invited on the same grounds,” she said.

Victoria Beckham unveiled a boyish, more chilled out look for next spring in New York on Sunday, as her daughter Harper, perched on husband David’s lap in the front row, stole the show.

The pop star-turned designer still loves delicate pleats — which poked out in tennis white from underneath flirty asymmetrical mini-skirts — and belted body-hugging dresses.

But her new collection for spring-summer 2014 also offered up new silhouettes. She opened with a white round-shouldered blazer paired with loose, cropped black pants.

Loose-fitting tunics with flares low over the hips and a bit of gauzy transparency here and there joined the series of fun, kicky mini-skirts.

It was as if the former Spice Girl, having come into her own as a designer since she took the fashion world by surprise in her first runway show in New York in 2008, has finally allowed herself to breathe.

Her collection — like practically all those seen this fashion week — was dominated by black and white, with some grey and a touch of fuchsia or bordeaux.

Beckham traded her usual show space at the New York Library for the immaculate white of the Cafe Rouge hall — before the show she tweeted pictures of white booties she made people wear to keep the floor clean as they prepared.

She explained that she had decided to “explore new proportions” using boyish elements against a sense of femininity.

“What became most important to me was to convey a feeling of balance across the collection … together with the merging of boy and girl sensibilities,” said the 39-year-old mother of four.

“I love a fitted dress, but there is a different side of me that is more relaxed.”

There was at least one spectator in the hall who wasn’t concerned with the fashion hullabaloo, and that was her two-year-old daughter Harper who bounced around on the lap of her footballer father.

Her hair in a tiny chignon, wearing a lightly pleated dress, Harper was the belle of the ball.

Even the super serious celebrity editor of Vogue Anna Wintour cracked a smile faced with the mini-Beckham.

As the seven-day fashion frenzy hit its halfway mark, more big names are expected to unveil their spring looks on Sunday, including DKNY, Michelle Obama-favorite Tracy Reese, Diane von Furstenberg, Y-3 and Zac Posen.

Israeli-American self-taught designer Yigal Azrouel revealed his eponymous collection, also dominated by black and white with a touch of grey, in Soho.

In a collection he described as “very precise” and “built on the women’s bodies” in the last few weeks, he played with shadow and light to create an androgynous but seductive look.

He paired embroidered eyelet and silk organza with lambskin leather and mesh in patchwork patterns in a collection of see-through dresses, crop tops and ankle-grazing trousers, and fitted, thigh-length dresses.

Celebrities, fashionistas and industry heavyweights have flocked to New York fashion week, which runs through Thursday when the spotlight swings over to London, Milan and Paris.

Tunu is a Kenyan fashionista extraordinaire. She is well-versed in fashion matters. She is passionate about fashion such that she makes sure she stocks up her SHOP with the latest worldwide chic-est trends. She knows what’s IN when it’s still too hot and flying off fashion store shelves and she never minds sharing fab fashion tips. All this is evident from her closet which is often featured on Capital Lifestyle.

Today it’s all about flaunting those gorgeous womanly curves.

#LOOK 1

If you want to show off your curves, the outfit’s  material can give you a huge boost.

#LOOK 2

Cut outs begin and end just at the right places and it’s like they know what part of the body needs some showing off.

#LOOK 3

Pencil skirt and crop top combo will also do your curves justice always.

In case you missed the previous weeks’ editions of Tunu’s closet…CLICK HERE

Check out Tunu’s blog HERE

Marc Jacobs on Tuesday delved into the rock looks of yesteryear for next spring, offering up a blur of pastels, sequins, stars and radiowave stripes for his diffusion line.

From the bright blue on models’ eyelids to the lightning-jagged patterns on dresses and giant star motifs, the electrifying look for Marc by Marc Jacobs was unveiled in a large, brightly-lit industrial building alongside the Hudson River.

Models walked to the energizing sound of Jeffrey Lewis’ “WWPRD (What Would Pussy Riot Do)” — an ode to the female activist Russian punk rock group. Two members have been jailed over a church protest.

Shiny satin varsity jackets and dresses had a 1950s feel while a jumpsuit made entirely out of sequins was a throwback to the 1980s.

Pants were slouchy, and several shiny dresses had large stars in silver or black snaking up the side.

Female models had scarves tied tightly around their hair and necks, while some wore guitar pick necklaces.

It was the first of two outings for Jacobs this week — he shows his main line on Thursday, the last day of New York’s fashion parade.

Clean-cut American label J.Crew — a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama — sent brightly-clad beachgoers to a 1900s Venetian resort in its new spring collection.

Chief women’s wear designer Tom Mora gave casual wear an infusion of old-world sophistication, layering a blue blazer with white piping over a floral jumpsuit, or pairing a billowing white skirt — modestly falling to the calf — with a fitted black sweater.

Paint-spattered pants in military green met a smart white shirt with navy blue stripes on the sleeves, while a shimmering mint knee-length skirt contrasted with a large “Aloha” t-shirt.

“It’s easy to do beach-inspired, it has been done. I wanted something a little more complex,” Mora told AFP.

“I was thinking about the duality of beach culture,” from surfing in California to the “contrast of the Lido lifestyle on the Venetian coast at the turn of the century, where you have proper dress with lace eyelet, nautical stripes, tailored blazers.”

Neon pink and orange flowers gave a punch of color to a belted, calf-length dress with a plunging neckline. A bright orange shift dress and luminous yellow jacket offered more flashy chic.

Obama is famous for mixing high-end and low-end pieces to create her own signature brand of chic. When she wears something from J.Crew, the items often sell out.

“You couldn’t ask for better advertising — not only is she the first lady but she also has really independent style, she knows what she likes and isn’t afraid to step out,” said Mora.

“To be a part of her journey in the White House has been an amazing thing.”

He however insisted that having Obama as a fan had not influenced his designs, as he likes being surprised when she chooses them.

‘We don’t design into it. I like it much better when we just see it happen,” he said.

Dutch-born Frank Muytjens, the brand’s menswear designer, said he was inspired by America’s natural parks for a more “rounded, earthy, crafty” look for men next spring.

“Nature is genuine and never bores,” he said.

American designer Tory Burch, the billionaire queen of ballet flats and handbags, drew inspiration from the glamour of the French Riviera in the late 1960s for her spring collection.

The runway at Lincoln Center resembled the swirling turquoise depths of a swimming pool as models showcased dresses, tunics, swimsuits and maxi-dresses in fresh green, white and coral with botanical prints.

Vera Wang, whose evening wear and bridal gowns are highly coveted by Hollywood A-listers, unveiled a series of flowing, layered dresses mixing black and cobalt blue, yellow and red.

Fashion week ends in New York on Thursday before the style parade moves over to London, Milan and Paris.

New hair product AMLA Legend got a spectacular launch into the Kenyan market (3rd launch in the global market) complete with stage fireworks courtesy of Beauty product giant L’Oreal East Africa.

For that hair that is hard to manage. For that hair that has experienced prolonged relaxer use that leaves hair feeling lifeless. For that hair that has been abused through use of harsh chemicals that led to scalp irritation, thinning roots, hair loss, breakage and dullness… dubbed the Mercedes benz of Dark and Lovely relaxers(since it now sits at the top of the Dark and Lovely family), AMLA legend is anticipated to provide solutions to women with such discerning hair needs.

“The AMLA Legend will revolutionize the care of African hair. It will ensure that Kenyan women never again suffer from bad hair. They can now comfortably and safely use a relaxer that is both affordable and good for their hair. They will fall in love with the product when they see and feel the difference in the hair after using Amla Legend.” Explained a proud Patricia Ithau L’Oreal East Africa Managing Director.

Research on the new hair product claims that it can undo 2 years of relaxer damage in just 2 weeks and research conducted in other countries certainly supports this promise, with 9 out 10 women surveyed saying that AMLA Legend delivered the perfect relaxation treatment.

The AMLA ritual is a complete solution consisting of a relaxer, deep treatment mask, oil moisturizer and also a serum. Amla oil is a legendary Indian beauty secret. Made from the Amla fruit, also known as the Indian gooseberry which has a high concentration of Vitamin C, protein, powerful antioxidants and minerals, Amla oil has been used for centuries as a natural solution to condition, enhance and beautify hair. Dark & Lovely’s new AMLA Legend range now incorporates the goodness of this super-fruit to provide specific support for healthy and beautiful relaxed African hair.

London Fashion Week got off to a colourful start on Friday with a sun-drenched trip to the Aegean Sea courtesy of Turkish designer Bora Aksu, who whisked trend-setters away from Britain’s dreary autumn drizzle.

Aksu hunted through childhood memories for inspiration for his new spring/summer 2014 collection, which heavily featured the colours of Turkey’s traditional “evil eye” lucky amulet — indigo, white and pale blue.

Mixing quilted cotton, silk tulle and delicate crochet, the Turkish designer teamed his feminine silhouettes with embellished shoulders, high heels and messy bun hairstyles.

Skirts and shorts were matched with bolero jackets and sleeveless vests, while touches of lace gave a nod to tradition.

“When I realised that this would be my tenth year at London fashion Week, it struck me how long it has been since I left Turkey,” the British-based designer said.

“I felt that I wanted to re-ignite the passion coming from the rich culture and traditional artistry of Turkey that had inspired me in the first place.”

Sudden bursts of hot Mediterranean colour punctuated Aksu’s show, including a bright golden-yellow skirt and a majestic floor-length fuchsia dress.

Brilliant yellow also made an appearance in the catwalk show by Latvian-Israeli duo Fyodor Golan, but they went for a more urban, sporty look.

Their new collection, dubbed “Electric Children”, paired shorts, skirts and trousers with bras, sports jackets and sweatshirts as well as natty white patent shoes.

Silky, transparent fabrics and feathers brought a touch of elegance to the duo’s athletic designs.

They kept the look young and fun, with one corset top seemingly stitched together from dozens of yellow smiley faces in a nod to the 1980s, while acid colours brought a hint of psychedelia to pleated dresses.

For young South Korean designer J. JS Lee, minimalism reigned supreme.

Monochrome and sharp silhouettes dominated her collection, broken up by blocks of pink and turquoise. Her models wore flat sandals with their hair side-parted in low ponytails.

Bright red lipstick gave a flash of colour to a sober ensemble of black trousers with a white sleeveless blouse.

Other designs played with geometry, such as a PVC dress in gingham print, and a checkered fine-knit sweater.

Seen as the edgier sibling of Paris, Milan and New York, a total of 58 catwalk shows are crammed into London Fashion Week’s five-day programme.

The London event sees the biggest names in British fashion, including Burberry, Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood, rub shoulders with up-and-coming designers such as Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou and Henry Holland.

Brazilian designer Barbara Casasola is one of this year’s newcomers to London Fashion Week, which will also feature new collections by Tom Ford and Stella McCartney for Adidas.

London Fashion Week attracts more than 5,000 buyers and journalists and sees designers take in more than £100 million ($159 million, 120 million euros), according to its organisers, the British Fashion Council.

Neon colours and geometric forms at Roksanda Ilincic and pastel-coloured lace and cashmere at Burberry Prorsum offered contrasting interpretations of femininity at London Fashion Week on Monday.

Luxury brand Burberry is one of the biggest names here and did not disappoint with a dreamy collection of skirts, blouses, cardigans and coats in pastel colours and made with soft Scottish cashmere and English lace.

Actress Sienna Miller was in the front row to see elegant jerseys with a minimum of detail, either a small fold at the nape or a bow above a bare back, matched with intricate lace and cut-out white leather pencil skirts.

A jolt of colour was provided by a red and white polka dot blouse tucked into a black and cream striped skirt, while belts embedded with crystals or gold-studded flowers gave romantic outfits a sharp edge.

“We wanted the collection to have this real crafted feeling, something that felt like you were cocooned and protected,” chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said backstage, after emerging from a media scrum sparked by the presence of One Direction’s Harry Styles.

“Very, very feminine, very gentle, very soft, but there was also that sassiness and the sexiness underneath. I like that idea of strength and fragility.”

There was no hiding the sassiness at Roksanda Ilincic, who played with dayglo colours for her spring/summer collection, blocking yellow with orange, beige and black for a striking look.

The Serbian-born designer, whose fans include Prince William’s wife Kate and Michelle Obama, used neoprene to create oversized tops, matched with calf-skimming skirts, loose trousers, or a combination of both.

Other less daunting looks included a printed sleeveless top with a yellow pleated skirt, or simple shifts rendered extraordinary by vertical stripes of colour.

“I tried to experiment a little bit more with what is a modern dress — how that dress can be elevated to something different,” Ilincic told reporters after the show, which was attended by Prime Minister David Cameron’s wife Samantha.

“So that is why there were many dresses worn with trousers, or deconstructive panels or pleats that, when you walk they’re showing flashing colour… there was lots of playfulness inside.”

Making it on to Vogue’s Week of September 16th edition of 10 Best Dressed, Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o is definitely shining bright in the limelight.

Edited by Vogue’s Chloe Malle, Week of September 16, 2013, is dedicated to the film festivals and fashion week fetes.

Vote for Lupita’s Prada look at 12 Years a Slave premiere at Toronto International Film Festival here: http://www.vogue.com/fashion/10-best-dressed/10-best-dressed-september-16-dree-hemingway-lauren-santo-domingo-hilary-rhoda-and-more/

The finale of a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women will take place in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, in a riposte to the Miss World contest in Bali that has drawn fierce opposition from Islamic radicals.

Twenty contestants will show off the latest Islamic fashion trends in the Muslimah World pageant and will also take part in other activities, such as reciting the Koran, aimed at demonstrating their piety.

“We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful,” said Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, a 21-year-old contestant from Nigeria, one of six countries represented at the pageant.

“We are free and the hijab (Muslim headscarf) is our pride.”

The contestants — who can only enter the competition if they wear a headscarf — have undergone three days of “spiritual training” in the run-up to the final in Jakarta, waking up before dawn to pray together and sharpen their Koranic reading skills.

Organisers say they want to show Muslim women there is an alternative to the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also want to show that opposition to the pageant can be expressed non-violently.

Organiser Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as “Islam’s answer to Miss World”.

“This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,” she told AFP.

It is a starkly different approach to the groups of Islamic radicals who have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as “pornography” and burning effigies of the organisers.

Despite a pledge by organisers to drop the famous bikini round for the pageant in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed.

The government finally bowed to the mounting pressure and ordered the whole three-week pageant be moved to Hindu-majority Bali, where it opened on September 8.

Later rounds and the final, on September 28, had originally been scheduled to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence.

While beauty is very much at the heart of Muslimah World — contestants’ height and weight is shown on the pageant’s website and it is sponsored by a halal make-up brand — the contestants’ piety is also a big factor.

More than 500 contestants competed in online rounds to get to the final in Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the headscarf.

On Wednesday night, contestants will retell these stories and answer questions from judges at the final in a Jakarta shopping mall, and the 20 finalists will be whittled down to four before a winner is crowned.

“What I will be looking for is strength of personality — someone with a vision for the future, who gives back to their community and shows that beauty is not just about bodies,” said Jameyah Sheriff, an education expert from Malaysia who is on the judging panel.

Shanti said the contest was first held in 2011 and was then only open to Indonesians but it proved so popular that it was opened up to international entrants.

Miss Tourism Taita Taveta Beauty Pageant has been launched to boost development in Taita Taveta County by promoting activities that best tell its unique treasures – its people, culture, scenic attractions, wildlife and investment opportunities.

The Pageant whose theme is Our Beauty, Our Pride, Our Heritage will also be used to highlight the plight of women and the girl-child in the county.

Miss Tourism Taita Taveta County Edition – a franchise of Miss Tourism Kenya – has been created as part of re-alignment of the Pageant to conform with the new devolved governance system in Kenya.

“This is among the first concrete ideas that Taita Taveta County has away from the politics and it will be something that can easily showcase what our county has to offer to tourists and investors,” said Ms. Faith Kavata, Miss Tourism Taita Taveta County administrator.

Kavata expressed hope that the Pageant will produce a girl worth the face of Taita Taveta and capable of promoting the county.

The maiden pageant will comprise a series of events including road shows, free medical camps, and public education day that will culminate in the grand finale to be held on Saturday November 2 at Voi Wildlife Lodge.

Kavata announced announced auditions for the Pageant will be held between October 5th and 7th to select 20 contestants, five from each of the four constituencies of Taita Taveta County.

“Online registration begins immediately on Miss Tourism Kenya website and we are targeting more than 2,500 students and young professionals aged between 21 and 38 years old to register for auditions,” she said.

The winner of Miss Tourism Taita Taveta County Edition will compete with 46 other County Finalists at the Miss Tourism Kenya 2013 Finals on November 30th, 2013.

The panel of judges will look at the models demeanor, beauty, public speaking and personality among other qualities when selecting winners.

The Miss Tourism Taita Taveta Pageant has so far attracted General Motors East Africa (GMEA) as a sponsor. It is targeting more than Sh 3.7million shillings to make the event a success.

Speaking at the launch yesterday, GMEA Managing Director, Rita Kavashe said the motor vehicle assembly through its brand, Chevrolet, will support the search for Miss Tourism Taita

Taveta as it offers opportunity for the youth to grow intellectually and contribute to development of their counties.

“Chevrolet is a spirited and youthful brand full of energy and Miss Tourism Kenya is all about intellectually beauty, which is associated with the young generation,” she said.

Taita Taveta boasts of several tourist attraction sites including the Tsavo National Park and several forts built by the British forces along the Tsavo River in defence of the Von Lettow Vorbeck’s intrusion from the south during World War 1.

It also has natural resources and a huge potential in real estate development in Voi town, which is the largest town in the county.

It looks like the French won’t be getting their version of “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” anytime soon.

France’s Senate voted early Wednesday to ban beauty pageants for children under 16, and to punish any adult who tries to enter a child into such a contest with up to two years in prison and a steep 30,000-euro fine.

The amendment is part of a broader bill on women’s rights, which will now proceed to the National Assembly, French Parliament’s lower house, for debate and another vote.

The senators who voted in favour of the measure argue that it will protect children from being prematurely “sexualised” through the use of heavy make-up and often provocative attire.

The amendment was prompted by a a parliamentary report entitled “Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality”, which, in addition to calling for an end to the pageants, encouraged a ban on adult-style clothing for children, including padded bras and high-heeled shoes.

“Let us not make our girls believe from a very young age that their worth is based only on their appearance,” the author of the report, former sports minister and current senator Chantal Jouanno, said in an interview with free French daily “20 Minutes” last year.

Paris’s 'Mini-Miss' pageant…in Belgium?

Controversy surrounding the issue peaked in December 2010, when French Vogue published a photo spread featuring images of a 10-year-old French girl, Thylane Loubry Blondeau, decked out in a tight dress, jewellery, high heels and make-up.

The magazine argued that the photos were meant to capture a classic fantasy of young girls – to dress up like their mother.

But the images sparked outrage both at home and abroad.

If the bill is signed into law, as expected, pageants like the annual “Mini-Miss” contest in Paris will no longer take place.

The pageant’s creator, Michel Le Parmentier, has protested the amendment, saying that regulations, rather than an across-the-board ban, would be more appropriate.

Le Parmentier has said that if the law is passed, he might move his pageant to Belgium – but close to the French border, in order to accommodate French contestants who want to compete without having to worry about legal consequences.

Paris fashion week got off to a charmingly chaotic start Tuesday with a rooftop catwalk show — the first by Franco-Cambodian designer Christine Phung — at which fashionistas played ‘spot the model’.

Fashion watchers who trekked up the eight flights to the top of Paris’s famed Galeries Lafayette department store were rewarded with clear views of the Eiffel Tower on a sunny September day.

But the models at Phung’s catwalk debut were almost impossible to glimpse as they walked in a path hastily cleared among the milling crowd before being moved to an even less visible corner of the roof terrace.

“It was a lovely spot to hold a fashion show — and there was a great view of Paris — but unfortunately most people couldn’t see anything (of the collection),” lifestyle blogger Marino Vizza told AFP.

Brought up in France by a Cambodian father and French mother, Phung’s dual heritage is reflected in her use of printed silks.

Her spring/summer 2014 “Liquid Dilusion” collection featured a delicate palette of metallic grey, silver, white and ecru as well as black and ultramarine.

Looks inspired by “the possibilities of water” included billowing silk trousers teamed with a sheer halter neck top and pleated dresses and skirts.

Of around 10 looks in the collection, one was worn by a black model and two by Asian models.

The number of black models on the Paris catwalks can be expected to come under scrutiny this week following a blistering attack on the fashion world by models Naomi Campbell and Iman and model-turned-activist Bethann Hardison.

The trio earlier this month named a string of fashion houses who had used just “one or no models of colour” in recent collections and called for urgent action.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Belgium’s Anthony Vaccarello, known for his famously “slit-up-to-there” dresses looked to swim suits for inspiration.

Skirts and dresses in mostly black, white and red were strictly for those with legs worth baring.

“It just came out (like that) because the inspiration was the swim suit and I wanted the girls to move very fluently, very easily,” he told AFP backstage after the show.

Oversized buttons created a military uniform look with skirts and dresses sporting triangular shapes at the front and cut-out strips at the side all worn with towering heels.

Other looks included tiny black shorts with a lace skirt covering just one leg.

Belgian Cedric Charlier, the former creative director of Cacharel, meanwhile, went for minimalist designs with a heavy emphasis on geometric shapes.

Black teamed with blue dominated the collection with other looks in metallic mint green, red and rust. Footwear was half sandal, half calf-high boot.

Tuesday is the first of nine days of women’s ready-to-wear fashion that is due to wrap up on October 2. Among the shows scheduled for Wednesday are Dries Van Noten and Felipe Oliveira Baptista.

Highlights of the week are expected to be Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent collection on Monday and New York fashion star Alexander Wang’s second show for Balenciaga on Thursday.

Hey ladies!  Cosmo editor Robin Hilmantel got the scoop on how to recreate Michelle Obama’s famous hairstyle, no scissors required!

First it was the clothes. Michelle Obama wowed us with drool-worthy outfits that seemed way too stylish for a first lady. Then, of course, came the biceps…those sexy, chiseled hunks of she-muscle. Who didn’t wish she were packing those guns? And now—no surprise—MObama’s made us majorly jeal when it comes to her beauty routine, too, by sporting a flawless (and fake!) bob.

 

Lucky for beauty addicts across the country, though, this faux cut is something you can steal—and with just a few bobby pins! We talked to Fantastic Sams

This style works best on ladies with mid-length, medium-textured hair that’s layered. Is that you? Start with hair that’s about 70 percent dry, and get ready to channel Jackie O!

Step one: Apply a smoothing gel to hair from your ears to the ends, and blow-dry it with a 2-inch round brush, pulling it straight as you go. This style works best when hair is super smooth, so use a flatiron to work out any leftover kinks once you’re done blow-drying. Afterward, work a dab of pomade from the mid-shaft to the ends to make hair more manageable.

Step two: Clip your hair into four sections by making a part from the middle of your forehead to the nape of your neck and then again from ear to ear. One section at a time, take a 2-inch wide piece of hair, and tuck it underneath itself, pinning it securely to the nape of your neck so the ends aren’t visible through the outer layer of hair. Continue doing this around your head, making sure everything looks smooth and even as you go.

Step three: When you get to the ear area, make sure to tuck the strands behind it before pinning them underneath (the key here is to make sure the bobby pins/underlayer of hair stay hidden). In the back of your head, tuck your strands under so they look slightly shorter than the rest to create the bob’s slight angle. Work your way around your head until you’re done.

The look should hold up all day—and at any White House events you plan to attend. Now if we could only get those killer biceps… hairstylist Carmen Higareda to get the lowdown on how you, too, can rock Michelle O’s anti-hair extensions.

When choosing clothes, your aim is to create the illusion of having a balanced body. This is a neat hourglass figure with, shoulders and hips in line, a defined bust, a waist even with a softly curved tummy and a curved bottom.

Whether you are a petite or have a fuller figure, the cut of the clothes that will flatter you the best will depend on your basic body shape.

There are seven basic women’s body shapes:

The Neat Hourglass – is characterised by:

A defined bust, a defined waist, a neat bottom and neat hips.

Your golden rule is show off your body by wearing clothes that define your waist enhance your bust and highlight your hips and bottom. Avoid wearing clothes that hide your body line or you risk looking an extra three to four kilos heavier than you are!

The Full Hourglass – is characterised by:

A full bust, a small waist, a rounded bottom and rounded hips.

Your golden rule is it is important that you wear clothes that follow your body line as opposed to those that constrict you. Avoid heavy or stiff materials or you’ll end up with tops and jackets that are two to three sizes bigger that you need just to accommodate your curves. Choose fabrics carefully!

The Triangle – is characterised by:

Full hips or thighs, a defined waist, shoulders that may slope and are narrower than your hips and a top half that appears small.

Your golden rule is that your jackets and tops need to finish either above or below the widest point of your hips and bottom. Layering on your top half creates visual interest and draws the eye upwards. Buy jackets or tops that fit your shoulders rather than your hips – you can always leave the bottom button undone!

The Inverted Triangle – is characterised by:

Straight and squared shoulder line, little definition between waist/hips, flat hips and bottom and a bottom half that seems smaller than your top half.

Your golden rule is that you will need to ensure there is minimum detail on your shoulder line; keep this area as simple as possible. Your clothing line needs to be straight and clean. Your silhouette should be uncluttered.

The Lean Column – is characterised by:

Narrow shoulders, flat chest or small bust, small and non-defined waist, narrow hips and a flat bottom.

Your golden rules are highlight your hips and bottom, and enhance your bust line with details. Your clothing line needs to be straight, with emphasis on the waist. Make use of texture and layering.

The Rectangle – is characterised by:

Straight shoulder line, straight hips and bottom, Very little waist definition, Straight ribcage.

Your golden rule is use details on your hips and bottom to create shape. Avoid details at the waist, such as noticeable waistbands or belts. Keep your clothing line straight and go for the uncluttered look.

The Round shape- is characterised by:

Rounded shoulder line, curved back, fullness around the middle and a flattish bottom

Your golden rule is to make sure your clothes hang from your shoulders. Clothing lines need to be straight, and fabrics soft to avoid any unnecessary volume or bulkiness. Keep any detail above the bust line and below the hip line. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!

The average woman has 17 pairs of shoes .  According to ShopSmart Magazine: Online shoe buying is in, stripper heels are out, and shoe-related injuries are a very real thing.

Now here’s the long version . . .

- The average woman now owns 17 pairs of shoes, which is down from 19 pairs four years ago.

- Of those 17 pairs of shoes, the average woman only regularly wears three of them.

- The average woman purchases three pairs a year and spends $49 on each pair.

- 829% of women shop for shoes online. Four years ago, only 14% of women shopped for shoes on the Internet.

- Also, 14% of women have lied to their husband about at least one shoe purchase.

- The most popular heel height is . . . no height. 39% of women say their favorite type of shoes are flats. Only 8% of women wear heels that are over two-and-a-half inches.

- 48% of women have had a shoe-related injury . . . everything from a blister to a break to a sprain. And 24% have actually fallen because of their high heels.

The voice of Marilyn Monroe will feature in a new television ad for Chanel No. 5 after previously unheard audio was unearthed of the screen siren confirming she wore only the iconic perfume to bed.

The recording, from an interview given to Marie Claire journalist Georges Belmont in 1960, was discovered by Chanel last year and will be used in a global campaign rolling out this month.

?You know, they ask you questions. Well just an example, ‘What do you wear to bed? Do you wear a pyjama top? The bottoms of the pyjamas? Or a nightgown?’” she says in the recording.

“So I said Chanel No. 5! Because it’s the truth. And yet I don’t want to say ‘nude’. But it’s the truth.”

No. 5 was created in 1921 by the nose Ernest Beaux, as a special order from Coco Chanel herself, who wanted a unique scent to pair with her fashion designs.

Monroe first confessed to Life Magazine in 1952 to wearing only “five drops of Chanel No. 5″ to bed, in one of her most remembered quotes.

Many celebrities have served as the official face of the perfume before, including Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, Vanessa Paradis and most recently Brad Pitt, the first man in the role.

Some 40 black models, most of them women, have staged a topless protest in Rio de Janeiro against the low presence of Afro-Brazilians on fashion catwalks.

“What strikes you, your racism or me?” one of the female demonstrators wrote on her chest during the protest late Wednesday timed to coincide with Rio Fashion Week.

The demonstration also coincided with the signing of a deal between the Fashion Week organizers and the Rio ombudsman’s office setting a 10 percent quota for black models in fashion shows, the G1 news website reported.

“This agreement crowns a joint initiative that can open a space that does not yet exist,” said Moises Alcuna, a spokesman for Educafro, a civil rights group championing the labor and educational rights of blacks and indigenous people.

More than half of Brazil’s 200 million people are of African descent, the world’s second largest black population after that of Nigeria.

But Afro-Brazilians complain of widespread racial inequality.

“If we are buying clothes, why can’t we parade in the (fashion) shows,” asked a 15-year-old model taking part in the protest. “Does that mean that only white women can sell and the rest of us can only buy?”

“Claiming to showcase Brazilian fashion without the real Brazilians amounts to showing Brazilian fashion (only) with white models,” said Jose Flores, a 25-year-old former model who now works in advertising.

After 13 years of debate, President Dilma Rousseff last year signed a controversial law that reserves half of seats in federal universities to public school students, with priority given to Afro-Brazilians and indigenous people.

In June 2009, the Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW)– Latin America’s premier fashion event — for the first time imposed quotas requiring at least 10 percent of the models to be black or indigenous.

Previously, only a handful of black models featured among the 350 or so that sashayed down the catwalk — usually less than three percent.

But in 2010, the 10 percent quota was removed, after a conservative prosecutor deemed it unconstitutional.

#AmazeAfrica is a Samsung initiative pairing 7 accessories designers with 7 fashion designers from across the continent to create unique artistic collaborations and to start a cross-continent conversation about a new African design aesthetic. In line with Samsung’s global positioning of Accelerating Discoveries & Possibilities, the #AmazeAfrica vision is to be a premium platform to showcase Africa’s immense creative fashion and design talent.

Showcasing at the Samsung #AmazeAfrica show at the opening night of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa last Wednesday evening at the stately Pretoria City Hall, South Africa; Adèle Dejak, based in Nairobi, Kenya, unveiled her handmade fashion accessories together with Ghanaian designer Nana Brenu.

Here’s what you missed:

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

PHOTO: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Newly crowned Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela, took up her duties in Moscow on Sunday, twirling in a jewel-studded swimming costume valued at $1 million.

Isler, 25, spoke to reporters a day after winning the title at a glitzy ceremony at a Moscow concert hall, saying she had stayed up all night talking to friends and family on the phone.

“I feel very happy to share my first day as Miss Universe,” Isler said. “I’m a simple girl. I am just come to have fun, to enjoy the moment — and here I am.”

She said she felt “honoured” at becoming the seventh Venezuelan Miss Universe, triumphing over 85 other women at the first competition held in Russia in its 61-year history.

Isler wowed the judges including Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler with her appearances in a bikini and sparkly silver evening dress.

She then won the final interview round by saying in response to a question about her greatest fear: “We should overcome all our fears and this in turn will make us much stronger.”

As the new face of an Italian lingerie company, she posed in a Moscow hotel in a white cut-away swimming costume featuring an emerald pendant and swirls of diamonds and rubies, with a fur boa wrapped around the hips.

“It’s very simple but very elegant, so it’s like me,” she said.

The organisers of Miss Universe said the costume was sewn with 900 stones and is worth $1 million (750,000 euros).

“We do have armed guards, so don’t get any ideas,” quipped the president of the Miss Universe organisation, Paula Shugart.

The organisers did not make clear whether the swimsuit was for sale. Isler said she did not know what would happen to it next, but she would like to keep it.

“I’m still asking: where are those guards, because I’ll run with it,” Isler joked, although her towering heels would have hindered an escape attempt from the hotel’s 20th floor.

The Miss Universe competition, which began in the United States as a promotional campaign for swimwear, includes several rounds in which the contestants are judged based on their appearance in bikinis and one-piece swimsuits.

A Canadian tailor is releasing a three-piece suit that has everything a danger-seeking 21st century executive could need — killer looks plus bulletproof protection that would make James Bond envious.

The company, Garrison Bespoke, believes it has combined style and safety, using lightweight carbon nanotube technology to absorb impact from bullets fired from handguns and prevent punctures from knife attacks.

All in all, the luxury suit, retailing at almost Can$20,000, seeks to provide a select few customers a way to avoid being killed while traveling abroad.

“We focused on making the ultimate James Bond suit,” said David Tran, head of special projects for Garrison Bespoke.

“The tailoring industry is actually quite sleepy, and you want to be challenged like this.”

Tran said the suit was inspired by a conversation with a client who was shot in a foreign country six months ago, but lived to tell the tale. At his next visit to the store, he confessed that he was shaken up by the near fatal encounter.

“After five minutes, we thought, ‘Are we really serious here?’ And then we started looking into it,” said Tran.

As purveyors of smart tailoring, however, the company could not simply use bulky Kevlar, the typical combat protection material that is used in police and regulation military gear.

So they reached out to contractors — Tran has an agreement to keep their name secret — who previously provided elite body armor to US Special Forces in Iraq.

Once a suit has been custom-tailored, six thin nanotube sheets are slipped into the lining of the back of the suit jacket and in the front of the vest, allowing the fit to remain crisp and clean.

Although more sheets can be added for extra protection, comfort and ease of movement would be compromised.

“A lot of men in the finance industry, or mining and oil, have confessed (to us) that when they’re in dangerous places, they feel really on edge, they feel really nervous when they’re out there. It affects their performance at a high-level strategic meeting,” said Tran.

“So it had to be completely discreet. If it’s bulky, it’s signaling to the other party the wrong message — they’re scared, they don’t trust them.”

It’s not the first unconventional project the company has embarked on. Tran says Garrison Bespoke has commissioned all kinds of special suits, from crushed-sapphire tuxedos to an outfit that can be worn underwater.

The original client who was shot and survived was the first person to buy its bullet-proof suit.

Tran said there have been at least six requests and there is a waiting list, adding that even the staffs of international world leaders have reached out, hoping to tailor their respective country’s president or prime minister.

For a company that prides itself on a personal touch, it’s created something of a predicament.

“We’re not set up to do mass manufacturing,” said Tran. “So right now, we’re revisiting what we should be doing and our next moves.”