Pink is the New Black: Shopping to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

 Have you seen a lot of that girly color this month? Women are shopping to support Breast Cancer Awareness, the second leading cause of death in women. Designers and beauty brands all over the industry have partnered with organizations to raise money for treatments, education, and research. It is not asking a lot. Just when you shop next, a simple choice that also benefits others is an easy one to make!

October is the month to shop pink to support Breast Cancer Research and provide treatment

Beauty:
Designer Ralph Lauren created the Pink Pony Fund as an initiative to reduce the disparities of cancer care in underserved communities. The brand is donating 100% of the proceeds of their Midnight Romance fragrance to benefit the foundation.

Estee Lauder is another brand that created their own foundation to fight breast cancer. 20 % of the Resilience Night Lift cream with pink ribbon bracelet will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to aims to fund the most promising research in battling the disease.

Dr. Brandt's Breast Cancer Kit  is a great gift combining the brand's top products. They are donating a portion of proceeds to the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Remedy's nail polishes are a healthier choice by avoiding dangerous chemicals and using natural ingredients like wheat protein and tea tree oil. They are donating a percentage of purchases to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. 

Karin Herzog is also offering a skincare gift kit. They are donating 50% of the proceeds of this product to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Fashion:
Jewelry designer Chan Luu has created a beautiful collection of necklaces and bracelets. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Breastcancer.org.

White House Black Market is going pink with a pretty butterfly scarf. They will be donating most of the purchase price to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

Need a purse with a purpose? Ora Delphine is offering this fabulous leather Harlowe handbag in ballet slipper pink. 50% of the purchase price of this bag will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Land's End created the Pink Thread Project where shoppers can monogram their fashion items and 75% of the fee will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Josie Natori created the stylish pink and coral Pure Luxe Full Fit Bra where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Under Armour has an entire line of Power in Pink that embraces a sporty, active lifestyle to fight breast cancer. There are a lot of great pieces in this collection, but I like the pink ribbon socks. Regardless of the purchase amounts, the company will donate a minimum of $500 000 to a group of breast cancer centers and charities through their organization. As a result of the program, they have already donated over 10 million dollars to the Under Armour Breast Health Innovation Center.

So there you have it. The beauty and fashion industry made it easy for you to shop wth a conscience. Be stylish and raise your own and others breast cancer awareness as the first line of defense to this big battle.

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#Unselfie Style - #GivingTuesday

It’s the morning after  Cyber-Monday.  I thought I would take a break from the holiday shopping and gift guide planning to focus on giving.  The #Unselfie and #GivingTuesday campaign is a social media initiative most active on Instagram to take away from your own narcissism and instead raise awareness of a cause that is important to you.  The point is to post a photo with information on your cause instead while obscuring your own face.

The project was launched with the 92nd Street Y, Mashable, the United Nations Foundation and over 2,000 partners, big and small, across America.  Do you have a charity that you regularly donate to?  What about an organization that you volunteer for?  This is the perfect opportunity to give them a shout-out.

I can’t say I am particularly loyal to one specific cause.  I have volunteered my time over the years for DIFFA, Fashion Fights Cancer and many seasons with the CanadianCancer Society.  I am happy to give blog space to promote pretty much any good cause one of my fashion industry peeps are passionate about.

The general public has an image of the fashion industry as a vain and shallow community, but in my 20 years in it, I have found it to be the exact opposite.  I can’t name any prominent fashion brand or designer who doesn't devote a good percentage of time and resources to a great cause. 

To name a few:

Cynthia Rowley and Lauren Bush have worked together for F.E.E.D.

Betsey Johnson is a huge advocate for Breast Cancer Awarness with programs for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, Iris Cantor Center, Pink Ribbon products, etc.

Donna Karan founded the Urban Zen Organization to provide comfort and wellness where the health care industry fails, but also to preserve and support diverse cultures.

Josie Natori was in her native Philippines right after Typhoon Haiyan hit.  She rallied a large number of fashion brands to donate aid to the country and has channeled visitors to her site to organizations that provide the most help to the victims of the tragedy.

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Josie Natori Spring 2013

Josie Natori has had a great year. She celebrated her company's 40th anniversary with a beautiful book, a museum exhibit in her home country and a gorgeous tropical fantasy of a collection for spring 2013.

The color palette was bright, like the sunny colors of the beaches.  There were a lot of figure-flattering (and disguising) draping and gathers for soft silhouettes.  Her signature embroidered details were present in the white cotton sleepwear the designer showed.

For accessories, there were several beautiful fan-like handbags.  Shoes were bright and strappy.  I would love to be able to wear the fresh orchid hairpieces on the models, but they are not for sale and far too high maintenance!

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Josie and the Dragon

Wednesday nigh at the Openhouse Gallery on the Lower East Side. Designer Josie Natori hosted the launch of a beautiful book commemorating her label's 35th anniversary.

The limited-edition book is illustrated with gorgeous paintings by Andrea Byrne and printed on gallery quality paper.  The original artwork was flown in from Europe to be shown for the party.  The illustrations depict the milestones in Josie Natori's career, like her first meeting with Bloomingdale's where a buyer advised her to market an embroidered blouse she showed as intimate apparel.  This was a catalyst to her building one of the biggest international lingerie brands in the world.  Her story, "Josie and the Dragon"  is told in a folklore/fairy tale manner, which is a surprise and pleasant departure from the typical designer biography that most brands put out.  The book is signed and numbered, presented in an exquisite embossed box.

Other key moments include her inspirations in incorporating a pattern from a piece of China into a signature print of her collection and meshing her Filipino heritage with her life in New York.  A retrospective of her career was also recently celebrated at the Ayala Museum in Manila.

Pick up the book or one of her beautiful caftans as your personal holiday treat!

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Fashion Institute of Technology - Class of 2012

The Fashion Institute of Technology had one of the most flamboyant shows of the design school grads around town this month.  Those who could not attend the show live were able to stream it in 3-D at home.

Categories from lingerie, womens wear, menswear, and childrens were interpreted in a variety of techniques and looks.  Students worked under designer critics like Victor Alfaro, Josie Natori and Michelle Smith to create their collections.  The clothing then went through a rigorous judging process to be included in the show by fashion industry bigwigs like Elle Magazine's Joe Zee, VH1's Alana Kelen and Harper's Bazaar editor Laura Brown.

Learn more about the students, the judges and mentors at their site. 

Photos by Mariana Leung

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Top Jewelry Trends from NY Fashion Week

Love bling?  Me too.  After sorting through all my NY Fashion week photographs I found the top three trends for Fall 2012 that you can wear now for spring!  Ms. FABulous has partnered with Ice Jewelry to bring you a collection inspired by the runway.

 Bold colors featured on many runways.  From Vivienne Tam, to Anna Sui, Catherine Malandrino to BCBG Max Azria.  In jewelry, this meant large, framed colored stones or chunk bright enamel.  Check out the green onyx bangle and bluHVG GYM WPe topaz onyx earrings for this look.

 Vintage glamour was a top trend for evening wear designers.  Zang Toi brought lots of drama at his show with old Hollywood sirens in red and black.  Ruby lips, jet crystal and some Eastern influence from Tadashi Shoji and Josie Natori truly brought elegance to the runway.  Look for the multi-strand jet necklace or garnet chokers to dress up the most basic of outfits.

Chandeliers earrings were all over the funkiest designers like Betsey Johnson, to sophisticated designers like Zang Toi.  Glitzy drops also elevated the rustic charm of Candela's fashion presentation as well.  My must-have for the season are diamond and sterling silver earrings or a pair of dangling cognac quartz beauties!

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Eastern Style of Josie Natori Fall 2012

Ancient art met modern zen for the Josie Natori presentation at the Rubi Museum of NYC.  The designer known mainly for intimate apparel brought out a retro Mongolian-inspired collection with deep black, cream and red colors.

The kimono was clearly a muse, as variations on the silhouette were interpreted in several ways.  Soft and built around the shoulder, or as an exaggerated jacket to accentuate sleeves.  While the looks clearly referenced traditional clothing items of Chinese and Japanese origin, Ms. Natori drew from that to create a fresh sportswear collection with bold Asian prints on chic black backgrounds.

Dark vamp lipstick was paired with 1920's waves or 1930's curls.  Accessories included feathered fans and fan pleated clutch handbags.

The presentation of having coiffed models saunter down a spiral staircase really helped to create drama.  It was like watching 1930's screen goddesses materialize out of an opium daze into daylight.  Beautiful!


Photos by Ching Leung
 

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