In L.A., Art + Film + Fashion

“JENNIFER and Justin! Straight ahead!” shouted the paparazzi huddled outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Saturday night. “Drew! Drew! Over here!”

It was the museum’s second annual Art + Film gala, billed as the West Coast’s version of the Costume Institute Ball at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Indeed, the event drew Anna Wintour and a crush of celebrities, with an august museum as the red carpet backdrop. There was even a fashion sponsor.

“Gucci,” said Michael Govan, the museum’s director, when asked about his black tuxedo. He was standing in the courtyard, overlooking Chris Burden’s popular outdoor sculpture, “Urban Light.” “L.A. has always been known for the movies,” he said, in explaining the gala’s genesis. “The idea was to get the art world and the movie world together.”

This year’s benefit, with Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio (a no-show, thanks to Hurricane Sandy stranding him on the East Coast) as co-hosts, honored the Los Angeles artist Ed Ruscha and the late film director Stanley Kubrick.

Attendees were herded to the cocktail tent, where the actress Evan Rachel Wood drowned out the screaming fans outside by crooning a couple of jazz standards. For the most part the art and film worlds maintained independent orbits, as did a third world, represented by Ms. Wintour and the vintage fashion retailer Cameron Silver.

Whiffs of cannibis wafted through the tent as Robert Iger, the chairman of Walt Disney and his wife, the journalist Willow Bay, chatted with Brian Grazer, the producer and museum trustee, whose finger-in-the-socket hairstyle looked especially electrified (the Santa Ana winds, perhaps). Diane Keaton, in a tuxedo and black bowler hat, vamped for Matthew Modine. Jane Fonda, in black Gucci, delicately embraced Salma Hayek, also in black Gucci.

Scanning the crowd with his water-blue eyes was Mr. Ruscha, who recalled how film had influenced him. “I went to all those 10-cent Saturday morning western serials as a kid,” he said. Among his favorites was ‘Paths of Glory,’ Mr. Kubrick’s film about World War I. “It was a stroke of brilliance.”

After cocktails, guests made their way to the dinner pavilion. Taking his sweet time was Jack Nicholson, who lauded Mr. Ruscha as an “old friend, a beautiful boy, a true artist.” He paused to look back at Mr. Burden’s installation, now ablaze under an almost full moon. “I guarantee you no photographers grabbed this shot with the Variety building in the background,” he said. “It’s a beautiful L.A. museum, isn’t it?”

Giant images of Mr. Ruscha’s deadpan paintings were projected on one wall of the dinner tent. The schmoozy crowd ignored repeated requests to take their seats, and even after the beef Wellington came out, the table hopping continued. The most desirable table in the room may have been that of the “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington, who introduced her parents, visiting from the Bronx, to a steady stream of luminaries, including Sean Penn, Cameron Diaz, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

After dinner Mr. Govan paid tribute to Mr. Ruscha, quoting the novelist J. G. Ballard: “Ed Ruscha has the coolest gaze in American art.” Tom Hanks honored Steven Spielberg, who in turn honored Mr. Kubrick. “Kubrick was the Beatles,” Mr. Spielberg said. “Kubrick was all four of the Beatles.”

The English indie rock band Florence and the Machine performed a few songs before guests were invited to head downstairs for dessert and a preview of the museum’s Kubrick exhibition.

But while Los Angeles may be a movie town and an art town, it is certainly not a dessert town. Nor is it a late-night town. The brandies and pastries remained largely untouched, and the galleries, where stills and costumes from Mr. Kubrick’s movies were on display, sat empty.

Chicago goes fashion forward at The Fashion Market

Looking for fashion outside of Michigan Avenue, State Street, and the usual boutiques? The Fashion Market, located on 216 S. Jefferson, holds space for models, fashion designers, photographers and fashion addicts to come and enlighten one another.

Occupied by fashion shows and shopping events, The Fashion Market serves as an outlet for creativity in the fashion industry and entertainment for anyone with an interest in fashion.

Fashion Forward!, a fashion show featuring a variety of designers and models, took place at The Fashion Market on Oct. 20. Intended for youth, young women and middle-aged women, the fashions varied but had remarkable handiwork; the pieces featured intricate work and unique designs.

Designs by E.KayeCollection, Aparna Designs, DiLi Designs, Cobar Collection, Laima Gaudi Designs, Chloe + Isabel, Emages Design, and Alexandra Torissi shoes were displayed by models, while photographers sat at the head of the runway and took shot after shot. Onlookers sat and stood all around the runway, observing, applauding, and admiring the fashions, while using their phones to capture the moments.

A raffle was held also, giving away an ornate gold and black party dress to a random ticket-holder. Meanwhile, the DJ played dance music, such as Kanye West and Two Door Cinema remixes, along with classic '80s songs accompanied by a heavy bass.

Aside from drawing in citizens with an interest in the fashion industry, Fashion Forward! also gives designers an opportunity to display their pieces to the community, while models wear them on runways and distribute pamphlets and fliers for local shops in Chicago.

One Chicago designer, Wanda Cobar, exhibited her line called “Erupted Love,” which utilized an assortment of colors and materials: red, black, plastic, chiffon and more, paired with corsets and heart-shaped zipper pulls. Emages Design focused on handbags, a must-have for anyone with multiple items to carry. The handbags consisted of fringe, studs, brighter colors, as well as more neutral tones. Articles of clothing included pieces designed specifically for Chicago winters, Sunday church, high school prom, and attending school events, such as a spelling bee.

Fashion Forward! was only one aspect of Chicago's fashion week, entitled Fashion Focus. Fashion Focus, an annual affair, includes a multitude of events available for fashionistas, designers, and models who wish to show off their skills. Fashion shows, museum exhibits, social events, and plenty of shopping opportunities both at boutiques and vintage establishments draw the attention of stylish Chicagoans and provide chances to become involved in the fashion scene. Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Plumbers Hall, Supreme Novelty Fabrics, and The Adela Red Studios all provided space for these events.

Although New York City, London, Milan and Paris may have bigger and better names than Chicago in the worldwide fashion industry, Fashion Focus sets Chicago apart from other large cities, and in turn creates an amazing fashion week catering just to the Midwest. Fashion Focus allows for exploration of vogue accessories and creative outfits, without having to fly to a fashion capital. Thanks to Fashion Focus, Chicago's designers, models, and style pursuers get a taste of high fashion, right here in the Windy City.

Denver Art Museum brings together 70 works by van Gogh to reveal key steps in his artistic evolution

Becoming Van Gogh, an in-depth exploration of Vincent van Gogh’s unconventional path to becoming one of the world’s most recognizable artists, will be on view at the Denver Art Museum from October 21, 2012, through January 20, 2013. The exhibition examines critical steps in the largely self-taught artist’s evolution through more than 70 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh, along with works by artists he responded to. Organized by the DAM and curated by Timothy J. Standring, Gates Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the DAM and Louis van Tilborgh, Senior Researcher of Paintings at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, Becoming Van Gogh brings together loans from more than 60 public and private collections from across Europe and North America to tell the story of a number of key formative periods throughout the artist’s career.

“This is a unique opportunity for our audience to discover how Van Gogh arrived at his iconic style and gain new insights into his influences,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM. “We are thrilled to bring together an exhibition that will give visitors new insight into one of the world’s greatest artists.” By focusing on the various stages of Van Gogh’s artistic development, Becoming Van Gogh illustrates the artist’s initial foray into mastering draftsmanship, understanding the limitations and challenges of materials and techniques, learning to incorporate color theory and folding a myriad of influences, including other artists, into his artistic vocabulary. No other exhibition has focused so intensely on Van Gogh’s personal growth and progression in his journey toward his own personal style. Becoming Van Gogh will take visitors on a journey through the artist’s stylistic development via his dramatic paintings and drawings. Throughout each section, critical developments in his personal style are called out, illustrating how Van Gogh’s well-known signature form developed. The exhibition begins with a focus on how Van Gogh imbued his early works with energy and verve as he strove to master drawing with graphite, ink and washes; how he begin to understand color with watercolor paintings; and how he began to test his skill with oils on canvas.

Van Gogh turned all of his creative energies towards mastering the tools that would enable him to render the visual world as he saw it by learning as much as he could about the formal elements of art, color theory, painting techniques, compositional methods and more. Visitors will see Van Gogh’s artistic maturation through works created after his arrival in Paris. His Parisian period, from 1886 to 1888, is perhaps the crucial period of his professional career because his artistic temperament shifted from works focused on social subject matter to works driven largely by aesthetic and artistic concerns. This, the heart of the exhibition, is the period when he strove to attain a considerable degree of artistic self-confidence by responding to the stylistic and ideological shifts of the Parisian art world happening at the same time. During this eventful two-year period, Impressionism mounted its eighth–and last–official group exhibition, Seurat startled the world at the annual exhibition Salon des Indépendants with his use of divisionism in the painting Un Dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte, Signac and Pissarro followed his example with a softened variant known as pointillism, Bernard launched a salvo of synthetism and Toulouse-Lautrec recorded the bohemian culture of Montmartre.

Acutely aware of these avant-garde trends and working closely with artists such as Émile Bernard and Paul Signac, Van Gogh both experimented with and eventually transformed these styles into something wholly personal and unique. During this time Van Gogh met and interacted with many of these artists, all of whom are represented by significant works in the exhibition. “This exhibition demonstrates Van Gogh’s conscious decision to commit himself as an artist,” said exhibition curator Timothy Standring, pointing out that the man best known for his paintings also tried out other careers–including an assistant art dealer and minister. “His work was systematic and rational as he sought to arrive at his personal style, not simply the result of emotional outbursts of creativity.”

Fashion icon makes stop in River City

Fashion icon Calvin Klein shared his life story Wednesday night at the Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville.

Klein's advertising campaigns have redefined the way products are marketed to consumers. Among his many honors, Time Magazine in 1996 named him one of the most influential Americans.

He shared lessons from the runway to build a global brand.

"It's very exciting to have somebody who's truly a household name all around the world and it seems like everyone has some sort of personal connection to one of the products that he has, whether it's clothing, fragrance, home design, it's a very diverse and well known business," said Kristen Lund with the University of Evansville.

Klein's visit is sponsored by the Institute for Global Enterprise in Indiana, part of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration at the University of Evansville.

This Ma wears B'deshi accessories

To add to the grandeur of Durga puja this year, puja organising authorities in Jankipuram have ferried accessories for the deity from Bangladesh.

The exquisite jewelleries-crown, necklace, bracelet, earrings and nose rings- hand crafted by Bangladeshi designer Altaf Hussain is set to give the Durga idol a global look.

"The city artists have given the idol a traditional look that goes well with the grand ensemble. The ambience here have been set in such a hue to give Bengalis a feel of Bangladesh," Puja committee member Saurabh Bandhopadhyay revealed.

The Rs. 60,000 accessories for the goddess will surely be a crowd-puller this year, Bandhopadhyay says.
"For years artist Altaf Hussain has been making accessories for Durga for different Raajbaris and zamindar families. To recreate the 'sabekiana' (traditional) here in the City of Nawabs, the puja committee roped in Hussain for making the embellishments for the goddess earlier this year," he adds.

Like in Jankipuram many other Puja committees are draping their deity in Kanjeevarams, Banarasis and silk this puja.

Many say, this year 'Maa' (the goddess) would be a designers' delight, as particular attention is being paid to on the deity's look.

Ramakrishna Math too is not far behind in this competition. The Math has already purchased two Banarasi sarees, one for the deity and another for the Kumari (young maiden), on whom the deity would be invoked.
All the nine forms of goddess Durga here are being prepared by Navadurga Puja committee of Barabanki.
The Math authorities also are flying flower ornaments from Kolkata, to deck the divine Kumari and the goddess.

Black Tiger Affair: Fashion inspiration through film

Movies give insight to what’s popular in fashion during that film’s time period.

We can look at current movies for contemporary trends and classic movies to take inspiration from the past. No matter what era the movie is in, good fashion is timeless.


1.“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” may be 50 years old, but it still holds up in all things chic.

It is because of this movie that the little black dress should be a part of every girl’s repertoire. Audrey Hepburn was a style icon, especially in this film.

Actually, on anything she ever wore, you should take note.


2.“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (2011)

An espionage movie set in England in the 1970s about a tinker, tailor, solider and spy—with an extra emphasis on the tailor part.

The movie focuses more on detail and tailoring rather than big collars and flared pants.

With more three-piece suits to shake a stick at “Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy” is a great movie to inspire some English charm to your wardrobe.

If this movie doesn’t make you want to wear tweed, I don’t know what will.


3.“Coco Before Chanel” (2009)

A movie that should be more revered because of Coco Chanel fashion rather than the movie itself. Chanel was a true innovator of women’s fashion.

She was her own muse. Instead of trying to copy the styles of other women, Chanel would dress differently to have other women copy her.

She forever changed the way women dressed, especially in her own time period.


4.“James Bond” series

From the early days of Sean Connery to the present days of Daniel Craig, Bond films are a great example of the evolution of the suit.

Not only the evolution of the suit, but the suit for every occasion. With the upcoming “Skyfall,” it is interesting to point out that the suit is becoming tighter.

Let’s not ignore the classic looks from the Bond girls.


5.“Do the Right Thing” (1989)

Spike Lee’s movie is not only one of the most powerful movies of the ‘80s, but it is unique in how a movie’s fashion impacted a generation.

Even though some of the outfits in the movie are cringe-worthy (biker shorts?) it is a movie where the fashion is all about being creative with your own individual style.

The film incorporated the mix of vibrant colors and patterns. It is also a movie on how ethnicity influences urban fashion.

“Do the Right Thing” is also where we learn the most important rule of all in fashion: never scuff the sneakers.

Shocking! Famed fashion house Schiaparelli revived

Shoe hats, lobster dresses, and spiraling goggle glasses could easily be part of a closet inventory belonging to Lady Gaga.

But these objects were all spawned from the mind of another woman, who was born — incredibly — in 1890: the avant-garde Elsa Schiaparelli.

The house of the influential fashion designer, and hated rival of Coco Chanel, is being revived this fall, in one of the most highly anticipated fashion events of 2012 in Paris. There's been a flurry of activity this year, including actress Farida Khelfa being named as house ambassador.

If Schiaparelli is no longer a household name — her business folded in 1954, and she died in 1973 — her design firsts have certainly lived on: newspaper prints, exposed zippers, perfume bottles in the female form, shocking pink, and — arguably — the first woman's power suit.

"The house Schiaparelli is really the DNA of fashion," says Khelfa. "When you see the world of fashion across the century, you can see all the people she has inspired —all the great couturiers of the last century and this one."

The new house will, of course, inherit all the iconic house codes, but — lacking an artistic director and any clothes dating past 1954 — it surely must be one of the most curious fashion relaunches in recent times.


"It feels like the right moment... and things are moving quickly," said Khelfa who added they've finally found a key piece of the puzzle in reacquiring the original showroom on the 21 Place Vendome, which will set the tone for the clothes production, expected next summer.

"It's really something to be in the very place of creation. We can imagine the boutique downstairs, with all the window displays made by (artist Salvador) Dali. ... In her day, there were three great women at Place Vendome: Schiaparelli, Madame Chanel and Madame Gres. Now we're back."

Inside the revamped showroom, Schiaparelli bigwigs have painstakingly recreated her surrealist universe. Original artifacts that artists designed for the Schiaparelli boutique are proudly on display. Across five salons, glittering gold columns by Alberto Giacometti, a powder compact in the shape of a telephone dial by Dali, a wacky colored carpet by Fernand Leger, spiraling metal glasses created by Man Ray.

Also featured is a "cabinet of curiosity" which featured the perfume Shocking — a reminder of why the Schiaparelli name became world renowned. A one-foot (30-centimeter) curved fuchsia perfume bottle stands provocatively in the shape of the bust of Hollywood sex symbol Mae West — a design echoed by designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier. "Shocking" was an adjective on high rotation in the Schiaparelli vocabulary. She invented a bright fuchsia hue — the now world famous "shocking pink" — that she chose as the house's signature color.

In 1948, according to company lore, a survey of Americans put Elsa Schiaparelli at the top of their list of most famous French people. But they still couldn't pronounce her name: the "Sch" is hard, as in "school."

A much-publicized exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in May, featuring Schiaparelli's dresses alongside modern Prada ones, introduced her melodic name to whole a new generation, but showed how avant-garde her designs remain.

People "had trouble seeing which was the dress from 1927 and which was from 2012," says Khelfa. "Often the 1927 ones looked more current! That's true avant-garde."

Paris-based fashion writer Rebecca Voight sees the launch as hugely promising. "She still has such an incredibly vibrant image and what a name. The people behind the launch are really in the know, so there's really no reason they'll get it wrong. The question is who will (the designer) be?"

The identity of the artistic director remains the biggest question mark.

The pressure for the launch to succeed may perhaps explain why there's still been no formal announcement, although it was scheduled for September.

Khelfa and Schiaparelli CEO Camilla Schiavone dismissed rumors that John Galliano might be in the running, but they both refused to reveal a short-list.

Schiavone tried to explain away the secrecy.

"The house was rebought in 2006. Now, we have the property. We've waited so long to get it right. We're not interested in running after someone. But you will know in the next three weeks or so. The first, what I call, ready-to-couture collection will probably be June 2013."

Ready-to-couture is a concept Schiavone hopes will keep the classy profile of the Schiaparelli name. Garments won't be available in boutiques but will be made-to-measure for select clients who are invited to the 21 Place Vendome for fittings. Though the house says the aim is to produce highly wearable clothes, the first collection will be shown during the Paris Haute Couture week — fittingly, alongside historic rival Chanel.

In their heyday, Coco Chanel dismissed Schiaparelli as "that Italian artist who makes clothes." Schiaparelli responded, equally cattily, calling Chanel "that milliner."

Fashion rivalries are in vogue at the moment. A highlight of this year's fashion calendar involves the media pitting the two new designers at Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior against each other.

So after 60 years does the Schiaparelli revival signal there'll once again be handbags at dawn on the Place Vendome?

GSEA Fashion Group Now Operating Its Own Apparel Manufacturing Plant in Lima, Peru

Young entrepreneur Anthony Rosa is building a fashion empire on the tip of a Peruvian janitor. Rosa, the president and CEO of Global Sourcing & Enterprise Apparel (GSEA) Fashion Group, LLC, had spent six years in China learning the apparel manufacturing industry inside and out, and by 2007 he was ready to start his own factory. A chance conversation with an office custodian from Peru led Rosa, a native of Perth Amboy, NJ and of Puerto Rican descent, to that country, where he proceeded to build his factory brick by brick.

This video chronicles the journey of GSEA Fashion Group and the road traveled to formally start a company 3000 miles away in Lima, Peru. Acquiring credentials, purchasing property, building an apparel manufacturing plant and developing a team of employees to share in the core values of the company through faith, hard work and commitment to the vision.

Today, GSEA Fashion Group is producing branded apparel for fashion labels around the globe. In Lima, Rosa found the ideal combination of affordable land, proximity to the U.S., low manufacturing costs, and a perennial supply of premium pima cotton. On-trend T-shirts, novelty tops, hoodies, tank tops and dresses are just a few of the fashion bestsellers rolling out of Peru to meet global demand. The GSEA Peru factory handles orders that come in through the GSEA Fashion Group office in New York's fashion district, which also houses three of GSEA's proprietary brands: got G.A.M.E.?, Project Threads and the most recently launched Glossy Chick.

As GSEA Fashion Group navigates through the next phase of its development in Peru, the entire GSEA enterprise continues to define itself. Rosa credits his company's success to GSEA Fashion Group's close-knit and talented team, which embodies one of the company's core values, "Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit," and includes experts in global branding, logistics, fashion merchandising, retailing and graphic design.

Rosa may have taken the long way to success in the fiercely competitive fashion industry, but in never giving up on his aspirations, the University of Miami graduate has managed to carve out a niche for GSEA Fashion Group: producing factory-direct, high-quality knit garments with Peru's finest Pima Cotton.  "We are committed to the growth of our factory in Peru and expanding our operation here in NY.  Our attention now turns to seeking the right partner to help infuse the growth capital required to allow for that type of expansion and increase our production capacity," Rosa explained.

Luxury Fashion Brands Want Nothing To Do With Amazon

Amazon has entered the fashion world with some fanfare, hiring an expert to set up an online store with swanky brands like Kate Spade and Rebecca Minkoff.

But the big luxury heavyweights want nothing to do with Amazon, according to an article by Barney Jopson at the Financial Times.

While the website is one of the most powerful retailers in the world, many of the luxury fashion brands Jopson interviewed were hesitant to get involved with the brand.

Menswear giant Hugo Boss told the FT that any of its products sold on Amazon aren't sanctioned by them and they're looking for ways to control where their brand is sold.

Alexander McQueen's CEO wouldn't rule out future involvement with Amazon, but barbed to the FT that the brand is " increasingly aware of the importance of brand identity online and maintaining it at the highest levels."

But perhaps the worst zinger came from Louis Vuitton.
"Amazon will never sell Louis Vuitton, because we are the only ones that sell it," said  Louis Vuitton  chief executive Yves Carvelle. "This is a model of direct control thay we pioneered, and I think long term it is the direction that most luxury ecommerce will take."

Amazon has made a name for itself as a place to find bargains, and that doesn't jive with luxury fashion. Still, these fashion houses can't ignore the exposure that a partnership with Amazon would bring them.

Jovani Was Combining High Fashion with Big Fun Before it Was Cool

Jovani has made a name for itself by crafting styles that combine girlish glee with elegant haute fashion.

In Milan, there was an unambiguous mandate from a large number of designers: 2013 will be a year of fun fashions for the young girl in us all. Armani's sheer dresses in pastel colors at Milan's fashion week were just one example of the turn toward fun, whimsical designs in party dresses, and all other areas of fashion. Other designers used a mix of Japanese influences and returns to 1950s and 1960s elements to convey the message with couture dresses, but it was clear everywhere: fun is in.

The good news is, with Jovani, you won't have anything to worry about, because fun is already their specialty, and judging from the latest collection, there's plenty of fun still to come. That's very good news indeed, because with more and more young women turning to second hand stores for their prom dresses, being ahead of the curve doesn't just mean looking great. It also means saving money.

Take Jersey Ruffle Dress, style 781 as an example (in the homecoming dresses section on the Jovani website). Here's a dress that makes the wearer look ready for a night out on the town, or a night at the school dance, of course, but it also emphasizes youth and frivolity in a refreshing way. The ruffle skirt is the first thing anyone will notice because the curves of the fabric will dance at the slightest movement. However, the single shoulder strap with colorful embellishments is a tiny touch that adds more than a dash of youthful exuberance to this exciting dress.

Is Fashion Having A Fifty Shades Of Grey Moment

With the spring 2013 collection shows over, it is now safe to make the observation that fashion, whether it cares to admit it or not, has been influenced by the best-selling book Fifty Shades Of Grey. How else would you explain the countless looks from New York, London, Milan and Paris showing models in various states of dishabille? Undressed is the new dressed up. Skin baring is the hottest trend.

This was the big statement at Jason Wu where the designer played with the idea of leather and sheer or in fashion parlance hard and soft. He showed lingerie-inspired looks spliced with leather and ensembles with sheer panels in a mostly black palette. A couple of days before, BCBG Max Azria showed soft dresses worn under leather harnesses. And Francisco Costa ended New York Fashion Week with clothes that had exposed conical bras.

The Fifty Shades Of Grey influence also made its presence in London and Milan. More so in Milan where Dolce & Gabbana showed sheer lacy numbers and retro-style undergarments and swimsuits. The sexual charge was also seen at Roberto Cavalli with his cutout numbers, and at Bottega Veneta and Prada where some of the clothes borrowed elements from lingerie.

In Paris, Alber Elbaz showed strong sensuality with dark clothes that emphasized a woman’s curves. Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen created corset type tops in honeycomb patterns. The usually romantic Giambattista Valli added sheer components that revealed luxe boy shorts. And Miu Miu ended the spring 2013 season with more of the same lingerie as outerwear theme. Bra tops exposing midriffs were paired with blue denim skirts lined with satin.

If Fifty Shades Of Grey is a little too low-brow a cultural reference, think of the trend as a nod to the femme fatales in Helmut Newton’s photographs. Strong, sexy and even dominating. But however you attribute fashion’s new erotic mood, one thing’s for certain, many will be baring skin come spring 2013, much like the photographs in the slideshow.