[Weekender] Woo Young-mi seeks homegrown fashion in Paris

What makes luxury goods stand out among fashionable items? What makes a luxury a luxury?Chinese fashion columnist Wang Er Song says in his book “Luxury Attitude” that it is the buyers’ respect for the goods. “What makes a luxury a luxury is the abundant value it contains and people’s respect for that value, the stories behind it,” he writes.  WOOYOUNGMI, a Korea-based menswear brand, fulfills these conditions perfectly. Having started with a small boutique brand, Solid Homme, in 1988, designer W

Feb. 14, 2014

[Weekender] Conglomerates foster own luxury brands

Korean conglomerates are gearing up to nurture the future Louis Vuitton or Chanel, which will not only secure them with profits but also a luxurious corporate image and high social status. Hoping to become the next Bernard Arnault of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy or Francois Pinault of Kering, business tycoons and their heirs are vigorously buying up designer brands or nurturing future star designers. LVMH owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Saint Laurent, Donna Karan and Celine, among others, while Kering

Feb. 14, 2014

Korean designers appeal with diversity

 Korean designers have delivered vibrant appeals for Korean fashion with elegant tailoring, twists to classic looks and various mix-matched styles.Four designers showcased fall and winter collections for 2014 at Concept Korea on Tuesday, a show held for the ninth year to promote Korea’s design talent at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. The major fashion event is being held from Feb. 6-13 at various venues throughout the city. The Concept Korea show for fall-winter 2014 collections was

Feb. 12, 2014

Pevonia opens spa at Ritz-Carlton in Seoul

Spa cosmetics brand Pevonia has opened its first Korean branch at The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul. The Pevonia Spa, launched in 1991 by family members of LVMH Moet Hennessy, is one of the world’s leading spa brands with skin care products provided at more than 10,000 spas of top hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries.The Pevonia skin care products are made from natural ingredients free of chemical materials such as parabens, alcohol, lanolin, mineral oil, artificial colors and formaldehyde, and m

Feb. 12, 2014

Mulberry paper products showcased at Paperworld

Korean mulberry paper and everyday products that use it are on view at Paperworld, an international trade fair for paper and stationery, in Frankfurt, Germany. Forty-three kinds of Korean mulberry paper, hand-made by Korean artisans, are on display. Two products using the paper have been selected as the highlights of the trade fair’s Asia Design Excellence exhibition, organized by the German Design Council. Korean mulberry paper, called “hanji” in Korean, was widely used for brushwork calligraph

Jan. 26, 2014

Gaga at Versace, Kate Bosworth hits Dior

PARIS (AP) ― “I’m just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time,” Lady Gaga once said. And the fashion-inspired singer reigned supreme at the opening of Paris’ luxuriant haute couture shows. Monday marked the first full day of the spring-summer 2014 displays in Paris, including collections from Christian Dior Couture, Giambattista Valli and Schiaparelli.Here are some key moments and tidbits from the day.Lady Gaga at VersaceShe may not yet have changed the world, but Lady Gaga almost upst

Jan. 22, 2014

Still got it: Kate Moss turns 40

LONDON (AFP) ― It’s been 26 years since the skinny girl from south London was spotted at JFK airport but Kate Moss, who celebrates her 40th birthday on Thursday, is still on top of her game.The British supermodel greeted the landmark birthday in typically rocking style by posing as a bunny girl for Playboy magazine in black stilettos and rabbit ears.She riled a few feminists but it was hard to deny that while the years may be rushing by, she’s still got it.Moss has recently fronted campaigns by

Jan. 16, 2014

Milan designers trumpet workmanship

MILAN (AP) ― Italian fashion trumpeted its roots during the third day of Milan Fashion Week on Monday. Milan designers emphasized what they do best, showing off tailored silhouettes, highlighting advanced textiles that elevate the looks and putting the spotlight on the artisanal work behind their exclusive wears.Etro, the Milan-based fashion house famed for its paisley prints, went one step further, parading out the men and women who create their garments at a factory in the southern region of A

Jan. 15, 2014

Exhibition shows men’s bags’ evolution from practical carryalls to style items

Men’s bags have become more than a practical means of carrying belongings. They are now much more like accessories, fashion statements or reflections of a man’s identity. In step with changing perceptions about the nature of men’s bags, the Simone Handbag Museum on the trendy Garosu-gil in Seoul recently opened a small exhibition to examine the relationships between men and bags. “Bags have become a style accessory, no longer a practical carrier. I think bags are one of the fashion items with wh

Jan. 12, 2014

Dongdaemun Design Plaza creates futuristic Seoul scape

Dongdaemun, one of the largest commercial districts in Korea, will have its new face revealed with the opening of the latest masterpiece by star architect Zaha Hadid, in an ambitious Seoul Metropolitan Government project to establish a design and cultural hub in the capital. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park will be unveiled in March amid anticipation that the new flashy building and its adjacent public park will attract citizens much like Korea’s first sports stadium originally located on th

Jan. 1, 2014

The pretty to the ugly: fashion round-up

NEW YORK (AP) ― It was a year for pixie haircuts, chunky flat shoes, bangs on our first lady and bare skin ... lots of it, on movie actresses and pop stars. Fashion always has its royalty, and this year, Kerry Washington was a queen. For real royalty, we had Kate Middleton, making the rest of us mortals feel a little better by flashing her mommy tummy. If Kate made us feel good, Lululemon didn’t, when its chairman appeared to blame women’s own bodies for problems with those popular yoga pants. A

Dec. 25, 2013

Vegan leather, faux fur are hot holiday gifts

ATLANTA (AP) ― Finding a knockoff version of the fur you want under the Christmas tree would ordinarily be a disappointment.Not this year.Faux is the new black this season for holiday gifts. But this isn’t the “pleather” of the 1980s ― that cheap, plastic-looking material made popular by Michael Jackson during his “Thriller” days.A $198 fuzzy brown coat at Banana Republic has a prominently placed tag that reads “faux fur.” Dresses with “vegan leather” accents are flying off virtual shelves at sh

Dec. 25, 2013

Korean male fashion models on the rise

They defy the common prejudice that Asian men are short, less fit and less fashionable than Asian women. With faces smaller than the size of a palm and incredibly long legs on top of good communication skills and strong English ability, Korean male fashion models are emerging as the newest darlings of the global fashion scene. The new breed of clotheshorses sashay down the catwalks of internationally acclaimed fashion houses, pose for globally circulated magazines, and are featured on advertisem

Dec. 23, 2013

Craft Trend Fair offers gift ideas for holiday season

The biggest showcase of craftwork in Korea will be held from Thursday to Sunday at Coex in Seoul, presenting unique and creative works made by more than 600 artists.The 8th Craft Trend Fair will feature a wide range of craftworks such as tableware, home decor items, accessories, stationary and clothes designed by Korean, French and British artists. Craft galleries and lifestyle brands are also participating in the fair, presenting a diverse array of lifestyle objects and gift ideas for the holid

Dec. 18, 2013

2013 is year of the e-cig and ‘selfie’

PARIS (AFP) ― E-cigarettes replaced nicotine patches, grunge returned to the catwalk, Daft Punk swept dance floors and “selfie” made it into the dictionary.Here are some of the lifestyle trends of 2013:― The scene at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service served as confirmation ― if any were needed ― of the selfie’s newfound place in the English language.  As the ceremony for the anti-apartheid hero who died earlier in December dragged on, U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cam

Dec. 18, 2013

Growing trend for 2014: Orchid as top color

NEW YORK (AP) ― Orchid is growing on us: A version of the purple hue is Pantone Inc.’s color of the year for 2014.It follows this year’s pick of emerald green.Officially known as Radiant Orchid, the tropical shade is a color-wheel contrast to green, said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, but it’s not the red that would have been a more obvious choice. “It’s a little different, it’s a little off the beaten path, and it’s not a primary color,’’ she explains. “It’

Dec. 11, 2013

Seamster to the stars

Hanbok designer Kim Young Seok has developed an emotional attachment to discarded old objects in his childhood home. In elementary school, he started taking out dust-covered household objects from storage and has picked up things on his trips to the provinces since he was in elementary school. “How many are there in my collection? I don’t know. I never tried to count. I know I have some 1,000 pillows,” said Kim in an interview with The Korea Herald at his hanbok shop in Seoul last week. “I have

Nov. 22, 2013