Screen Gems review: “Sex And The City”

If you enjoy fashion and romance a new movie could be right up your alley.

I`m not the first to say it, but it`s true that labels and love serve as the main theme in “Sex And The City.

Four years after their long-running HBO series went off the air, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reunite for a big screen adventure.

As the story begins, We find Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) and her on-again, off-again lover Big (Chris Noth) in the middle of a fairy-tale romance. While they seem happy, a new apartment brings up the question of marriage. After a conversation that sounds more like a business deal than a proposal, they agree to wed.

With Carrie is in the midst of pre-marital bliss her friends` relationships are in various stages of happiness. Charlotte (Davis) is ecstatic, but Samantha (Cattrall) and Miranda (Nixon) aren`t quite as satisfied.

This “Sex And The City” feels very similar to a TV episode. Even as Carrie is ready to walk down the aisle with Big, obstacles and hurdles begin to appear in the lives of our four fashion conscience divas.

We get trials and tribulations and lessons about love, relationships and forgiveness. But, none of it feels new, or very real. On the positive side it is fun to see the “Sex And The City” cast back together. And, of course the actresses are very familiar with their characters. But it all plays out a little too predictably.

That`s doesn`t have to be a bad thing, if the familiar if punchy and has some new twists. But here, with a two and a half hour running time, the story drags at certain points. There a little too much whining and a little too little fun and frothy behavior that the series was known for. There are scenes which try to create that atmosphere but they feel forced. Actually, the most amusing parts of the film use very lowbrow humor to generate laughs. It`s like a frat movie meets a fashion show.

With so many familiar faces returning the only notable new addition is Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson. But she doesn`t bring much zip in a role that just about anyone could have played. It`s a one-note character who quickly passes in and out of Carrie`s life. Although she`s credited with helping our star through a tough time I would have rather seen one of Carrie`s friends (like Miranda) take on that task.

After meandering through the story we finally get to an ending that most fans will probably enjoy. I just wish the journey hadn`t taken so long.

On my rating scale, “Sex And The City” earns TWO DIAMONDS. But to be fair, four women who accompanied me to the show said they would award it at three gems. I have no doubt hardcore followers of the TV series will enjoy this much more than the casual movie-goer.Read more at:2016 prom dresses | graduation gowns

Barbour becomes Bra-bour as team come up with underwear design for Lorraine

Team leader Diana Quinn with machinists Maria Choumanidis, Julie-Ann Shevill,Sarah Davidson-Nelson and Laura Bingham. 

(Photo:prom dresses)Barbour machinists Maria Choumanidis, Julie-Ann Shevill, Sarah Davidson-Nelson and Laura Bingham volunteered after Walk the Walk got in touch with the company asking it to design a bra and skirt for television presenter Lorraine Kelly.

The group, who work from the firm’s South Shields factory, used its tartan, the colours of the Kelly tartan and features from the company’s wax jackets in the finished pieces.

The bra will be unveiled in Jenners windows in Edinburgh from tomorrow, alongside more one-of-a-kind bras that have been exclusively designed and signed by iconic

Scots and fashion brands.

These include a Bay City Rollers bra that has been signed by the pop giants and exclusively created by Slanj Kilts and a Judy Murray bra that has been designed and signed by the Scottish tennis coach.

The bras will also be showcased by models at a fashion show organised by Essential Edinburgh to raise funds for EFW charity partner, Walk the Walk, organisers of The

MoonWalk Scotland.

The fashion show will take place on The Mound in Edinburgh on Saturday, March 5, and the bras will be auctioned live on the night.

Hosted by Essential Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fashion Week was launched in 2015 to bring families and shoppers into the city centre, to celebrate the capital’s creativity and style.

This year’s event will take place from March 5 to 13.

Walk the Walk is a grant-making breast cancer charity and organiser of the iconic MoonWalks in London, Scotland and Iceland.

Every year thousands of men and women wear brightly decorated bras and power walk through the night to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

Angela Brownless, a technical manager at Barbour, said: “It has been very exciting and a lot of fun for us to design a bra for Lorraine Kelly for the Walk the Walk Fashion Show during

Edinburgh Fashion Week.

“Breast cancer touches the lives of so many people and is a cause very close to all of our hearts at Barbour.

“We hope it raises a great deal of money for the charity.”

Lorraine added said: “Two of my favourite things are fashion and raising awareness for breast cancer, so what a fantastic idea to combine Edinburgh Fashion Week and The

MoonWalk Scotland by auctioning specially designed bras! I am thrilled that my fantastic bra has been designed by Barbour, so please bid what you can.”

J Barbour & Sons Ltd was founded in 1894 by Scotsman John Barbour, who moved to South Shields in the north east of England where the company still has its head office and factory.Read more at:formal dresses

High Fashion Gets Online

elmuda.com 

(Photo:celebrity inspired dresses)Their online luxury fashion magazine elmuda.com may only have launched under a year ago, but Editor-in-Chief Badea Jaber and CEO Ruba Sa’d Abdulhadi say their website has already made significant inroads into the region’s promising e-commerce sector.

With their strongest presence currently in their home market of Jordan, the Oasis500 business delivers to everywhere across the Middle East. The pair said they were working on building their exposure in the Gulf, with their sights set on growth in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

How did the idea for your business come about?

Abdulhadi: I used to live in Ramallah and never had access to any kind of shopping. When I graduated and went to America I saw that you could shop and deliver anything to your house. I wanted to bring that back to the Middle East and combine both the content and e-commerce together. The website is based on two women trying to serve other women in the region.

Jaber: Namshi.com is men, and men run Marka VIP, and there aren’t really women doing this. It’s about time.

How does the business model work?

Abdulhadi: The revenue is generated through the sales. We haven’t opened the advertising yet because we want to have higher numbers first. On average, we have between 2,000 to 3,000 visits to the site each month, mainly from women aged 18 to 24. They stay on the website because we have articles. Users can press on the item that a model or celebrity is wearing and they can actually buy the outfit.

What are the main challenges that you face as an e-commerce business?

Abdulhadi: PayPal was not in Jordan about two years ago. Last year it was introduced, which makes our lives so much easier. Still, people are not used to the fact of paying online with a credit card. Everyone in Jordan pays cash on delivery, but in the GCC it varies more. When it comes to delivery, we do face a lot of problems. Why can’t the courier integrate the system into the website? We have to call them to send someone to pick up the item, and have to dedicate a person to do that.

What are your plans for the future?

Abdulhadi: We’re still building the numbers. We’re building an app because 58 percent of users check the website on their mobiles. We’re also translating the whole website into Arabic and trying to work on the logistics and cut delivery times.

Jaber: We promote regional designers and sell their products. So that’s a big focus for 2016—we want to have more Arab designers. It’s so interesting to watch how our business is growing within the digital age. Especially in the Middle East, we are tapping into an opportunity that hasn’t been touched before.Read more at:short prom dresses uk

Why we all want to be a Coach girl next winter

Coach AW16 collection 

(Photo:occasion dresses)The British designer Stuart Vevers is two years into his tenure at the American heritage label Coach, which will celebrate its 75thanniversary later this year. In this time he’s graduated from a small presentation with a capsule ready-to-wear collection into a full blown show, which is fast becoming a fashion editor favourite.

Clothes have not been long a part of this brand’s identity but he has created a keen sense of wit and covetable humour with his upbeat collections which play on the label’s Americana identity but without getting too bogged down in the heritage detail. The ex-Mulberry and Loewe designer’s aesthetic has always had a playful touch which feels at home here.

It would be easy to churn out Love Story era pieces and throw a few tan satchels on top, instead Vevers has taken a more considered approach. He says that “this is a reset for the whole brand. The collection is an exploration of the cool clothes of America, and taking those archetypes and making them believable as ‘Coach’.”

For autumn, he took the 1986 Rob Lowe film Young Blood as an initial reference, throwing a hint of Velma from Scooby Doo and disco-era Michael Jackson. “Paris has chic and New York has cool, for me that has been such a great starting point for the Coach girl. It’s that sense of ease and rebellion, which feels like an opportunity to say something very different from the world of traditional European luxury” says Vevers, who took the “Varsity jacket, and that idea of being part of a gang” as the collection’s central point, “there’s a big play between the codes of toughness, and juxtaposing that nostalgia with femininity.”

This translated into an almost thrift store appeal – an illusion of quilting, dresses spliced together from pieces of different fabrics, patchwork leather coats offered a lack of formality and that elusive cool.

Western shirts were prettily and cleverly put together with contrasting coloured collars and cuffs with sweet ruffle details, worn with clashing patterned A line mini-skirts in kitsch florals.

Teddy-bear sheepskin boots were paired with fabulous metallic cowgirl boots, oversized Varsity jackets featured kitsch-detailed badges sewn onto them, there were flirty dresses in off kilter pinks.

That Michael Jackson reference appeared in a very covetable gold sequin star intarsia knit, while navy naval-in-feel over coats were worn with a low slung, hands in pocket attitude. The sweet motifs continued in the bags, which were embroidered, and studded with rivets creating a very vintage meets modern feel. This Coach girl might be new on the scene, but boy oh boy do we want to be in her gang.Read more at:evening dresses

You’ll roar with approval when fashionista Katie Perry offers hot tips for dressing up

 

(Photo:pink prom dresses uk)There will be plenty of fireworks and fun when Aussie fashion designer Katie Perry comes to town later this month for a chat and to reveal her latest collection.

Perry, from Paddington, is also a personal stylist and will present a glamorous fashion show and styling workshops at the Ken Duncan Gallery at Erina Heights on February 19-20.

Funds raised from the events will support Duncan’s charity Walk a While.

This is an Aboriginal charity working with young indigenous people to encourage them in creative arts.

Perry said her vision was that every man and woman deserves to have unshakable confidence in themselves.

She has been featured on many television shows including the Today Show about what to wear to the races.

She has also styled celebrities including radio and television presenter Amanda Keller.

“I’m really looking forward to coming to the Central Coast,’’ Perry said.

“On the Friday night I will be showcasing my latest range which is a lifestyle collection about making women feel ‘more’ — more confident and more stylish at work, relaxing on weekends, lounging at a resort or travelling the world.

“Best of all, there is no ironing involved in my clothing. After all, who wants to iron?

“Ken and I will be having a chat with people on the Friday night also.’’

Saturday will see Perry conduct two styling workshops.

“At each workshop, I will give tips and fashion secrets to help women of all ages and sizes discover their personal style,’’ she said.

“Among other things, I will be showing them what colours work for them and which ones don’t and this season’s trends.’’

There is a limited chance to have lunch with Perry at the gallery’s Sanctuary Café on Saturday.

Early bookings are advised as tickets to the events are expected to be snapped up quickly.Read more at:occasion dresses