givenchy

Givenchy store

givenchy is a luxury french brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with parfums givenchy. the house of givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer hubert de givenchy and is a member of chambre syndicale de la haute couture et du pret-a-porter. 

Hubert de Givenchy

during his reign (1952 - 1995) as the designer of the label bearing his name, hubert de givenchy was known for his modern, ladylike styles, which earned him many loyal clients. the most famous ambassador of the brand was audrey hepburn in films such as sabrina, for which edith head claimed the academy award, how to steal a million and breakfast at tiffany's. his other famous patrons include the guinness, grimaldi and kennedy families, who famously wore givenchy clothes to the funeral of john f. kennedy. hubert de givenchy retired in 1995.

John Galliano with Givenchy

john galliano succeeded givenchy upon his retirement but was in turn promoted to christian dior less than two years later, prompting the hiring of alexander mcqueen. in 2001, designer julien macdonald was appointed artistic director for the women's lines, which consist of haute couture and ready-to-wear. 

Givenchy Spring / Summer 2012

the reins for both collections were ultimately passed on to riccardo tisci in 2005 when he was named chief designer of womenswear. tisci's apparent fascination with gothic touches (dark, languid dresses on sickly-looking models for fall couture) and space-age minimalism (one ready-to-wear show featured white-clad models drifting aimlessly around a sterile-white sphere) have drawn new attention to the brand. reviews and output so far have been mixed and inconsistent, but many, including influential fashion critics (such as cathy horyn of the new york times and suzy menkes of the international herald tribune) have homed in on tisci's conceptual leanings, as well as his future potential for revitalizing the givenchy brand and infusing it with his precision and imagination. 

givenchy designs have been worn by a number of celebrities on red carpet occasions, including gisele bundchen, rooney mara and beyonce. also responsible for working with madonna designing her costumes for her sticky & sweet tour as well as the 2012 super bowl halftime show.

fash'on... BAM!

five models you must know

having a pretty face and a fabulous body is not enough. if you have been blessed with a pleasant exterior, the tough part is maintaining it and using it to your maximum benefit. so if you are reading this post, word-of-caution: the models featured are there because they put in effort for their careers, so hard work is still essential if one desires to make it to the top AND stay there.

that said, here are the top five earning models who are featured by forbes... 

1) gisele bundchen: $45 million

Gisele Bundchen on the cover of Vogue

2) kate moss: $9.2 million

Kate Moss on the cover of UK Vogue

3) natalia vodianova: $8.6 million

Natalia Vodianova on the cover of Vogue Russia

4) adriana lima: $7.3 million

Adriana Lima on the cover of Vogue Brazil

5) doutzen kroes: $6.9 million

Doutzen Kroes on the cover of Vogue Germany

so what happened to the men? how much does the top earning male model bring in a year?

Sean O'Pry, the face of Zara

touted to be the most successful international male model, sean o'pry has a net worth of $6.5 million. so comparatively, the women still have a larger grip over the fashion industry's dollar. technically, such trends should apply to singapore too, right? wrong!

strangely in singapore, we are unable to really name a female model is THE FACE or THE BODY. i guess this is largely due to the use of artistes over models. we like our familiar screen faces... but if i am forced to compare the state of male and female models in singapore, i think the men have it better here in terms of mileage and fame. just try naming the models or where you know them from...

image from rock the trend

image from ifitness

know her?

best model of the world singapore, his name?

fash'on... BAM!

mirror, mirror on the wall

who's the fairest of them all?

 would it be Snooki from Jersey Shore, Mariah Carey, Fann Wong or Nicole Kidman? 

or does Gisele Bundchen reign supreme?

the notion of a fair beauty has always been a hot topic for discussion. does fair beauty refer to porcelain white skin or is it about the features? that pair of striking eyes, the nose with the perfect angle, the jawline that is oh-so-perfect!

in singapore, the Asian trend is often for ladies to go fair and the men to go tanned. guess that has to do a lot with our cultural roots. fair ladies helps one associate with the notion of the gentle women sewing in the confined spaces of their ancestral homes. whilst, men have to adopt the tanned skin tones... the hours we spent not working but lazing by the pool under the blazing sun just to adopt that bronzed, golden brown tan (of course, there is indoor tanning now...) why do men do that? when one is tanned, one is linked to hard work... ruggedness... everything 'manly'...

culturally, we don't seemed tolerant of tanned ladies... the ladies from my dragonboat team have often had to endure snide remarks because of the tan that they sport... you know what? that's your own problem in life, not theirs... like a saying that has been going round, 'ladies are not expecting you to be Brad Pitt, so why are hoping that they become Angeline Jolie?'

so if we are going to experiment with colours, prints and fabrics in the world of fashion... surely, the skin should be a palette of colours too... so whether you are black, white, tanned or fair, i say, work your colour... 

love you girls... BAM!