Made-in-China U.S. Olympic uniforms spark political row

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ralph Lauren's stylish uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team, complete with a jaunty beret, have sparked a political row because the red, white and blue outfits were made in China.

With U.S. unemployment hovering just above 8 percent, politicians have spoken out against the uniforms for the London Games that start later this month, and six Democratic senators said they plan to introduce legislation requiring the ceremonial uniforms be produced in the United States.

'At a time when too many Americans are looking for work and our manufacturers are closing factories, we need to do everything we can to keep jobs in America and not give the work of producing our iconic American uniforms for our Olympians to China,' Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said in a statement announcing the plan.

The senators said they will introduce the 'Team USA Made In America Act of 2012' next week.

'I call on the USOC to do the right thing for this summer's team, and I call on my colleagues to help pass this bill to ensure we don't find ourselves in this appalling, embarrassing situation before the opening of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics,' Menendez said.

The proposal from Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg, of New Jersey, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sherrod Brown of Ohio would amend the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which specifies requirements and rules for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and its members.

A spokeswoman for Menendez said it would be limited to ceremonial uniforms because some athletes may require specific high-performance items for their sport uniforms that simply aren't produced in the United States.

The move follows criticism about the uniforms from both political parties on Thursday.

Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat from New York, said the issue was not just about a label, but an economic solution.

'Today there are 600,000 vacant manufacturing jobs in this country and the Olympic committee is outsourcing the manufacturing of uniforms to China? That is not just outrageous, it's just plain dumb. It is self-defeating,' he said.

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, echoed that criticism.

'You'd think they'd know better,' Boehner told reporters.

The U.S. Olympic Committee defended its decision to have Lauren design the outfits and oversee the manufacturing process.

'Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors,' spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement.

'We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company, and excited to watch America's finest athletes compete at the upcoming Games in London.'

No one was immediately available at Ralph Lauren to comment.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; additional reporting by Richard J.Cowan in Washington; Editing by Richard Chang)



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What's in store for Valentino after Qatar royals' purchase?

Rumors had been swirling around for days, but on July 12 it was confirmed that Italian luxury label Valentino has been sold to the royal family of Qatar for an estimated $858 million.

Mayhoola, an investment group controlled by Qatar's royal family, explained its vision for the fashion house -- which was founded in 1959 by namesake Valentino Garavani and is famed for its ultra feminine frocks.

'Valentino has always been a brand of unique creativity and undisputed prestige,' said a Mayhoola spokesperson in a release.

'Our vision is to back management for the long term to exploit the full potential of this exciting brand. We believe Valentino is ideally suited to form the basis for a global luxury goods powerhouse.'

Meanwhile, Valentino chief executive officer Stefano Sassi added the new investors will help the brand 'reach its full potential.'

As well as acquiring Valentino, the Qatar group also reportedly picked up the M Missoni license, while the Qatar Luxury Group, owned by the Qatar Foundation, acquired French leather goods company Le Tanneur last year.

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the glamorous wife of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, was behind the creation of the Qatar Luxury Group in 2008, and is considered to be one of the world's biggest couture collectors.



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Israel hosts Yamamoto's avant-garde designs

The geometric structures and angular light in Israel's ultra-modern Design Museum Holon offer a made-to-measure setting for a new retrospective by avant-garde fashion maestro Yohji Yamamoto.

More than 80 of the designer's creations spanning three decades went on show this week, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Japan.

It also marks the 40th anniversary of the company started by Yamamoto, now 69, who began his career in Japan in the 1970s and rose to international fame a decade later with his elegant cut, sober colours and fascination with fabrics.

The show in Holon is the latest in a series of retrospectives held since 2005 in Florence, Paris, Antwerp and London.

'But it's never the same exhibition. We adapt it to the people and the places,' said Coralie Gauthier, a spokeswoman for Yamamoto's fashion house.

'We're not just bringing our show to Israel, we are doing a show for Israelis, for the museum,' she told AFP.

Opened in 2010, Design Museum Holon, like Yamamoto's creations, challenges tradition. Conceived by Ron Arad, Israel's best-known contemporary architect, its striking exterior is made of massive orange and mauve steel ribbons that curve around the building.

'We found in this museum that there was something balanced between the place and the clothes that we didn't experience in other cities. It is the first time that it is so harmonious,' said Shohei Otsuka, president of Yohji Yamamoto Inc.

For curator Galit Gaon, Yamamoto and Arad share a 'great respect for the individual, who is always at the centre of their creation.'

The exhibition, which runs through October, shows both mens' and womenswear. The garments are displayed on headless figurines, suspended as if floating above ground and set off by sunlight that cuts into the galleries in geometric shapes or a crimson glow through coloured panes.

The women's pieces are surprisingly colourful while the menswear is more in line with the designer's signature style -- dark shades, elegant cut, discreet detailing.

In true Yamamoto style, the clothes drape the body, never constrict it -- like the museum, curator Gaon says, which 'is on a human scale.'

'It does not make one feel small, crushed, as in so many museums.'



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Report: women change clothes four times a day on vacation

A UK study has revealed the average woman wears 28 different outfits during a weeklong holiday, with one in 20 admitting they often change attire several times a day just to get through all the garments in their suitcase.

The survey of 2,000 women, commissioned by clothing line F&F at British high street store Tesco, also revealed women will then buy another two items of clothing or shoes to add to their wardrobe while on vacation.

And the constant outfit changing can sometimes cause friction when remarked by a partner or travelling companion -- one in ten ladies even admitted their outfit changes had caused rows while they were away.

According to the study, the average suitcase for a holiday abroad will contain four dresses, six tops and four pairs of shorts or skirts. Two pairs of trousers or jeans also go in the suitcase, as do three bikinis or swimsuits, three pairs of flip-flops or sandals and two other pairs of shoes.

Speaking to Britain's The Daily Mail July 9, Bernadette Lusher from F&F explained the importance of a capsule holiday wardrobe to avoid over packing.

'Unlike the typical day at home, which can involve an outfit for work or for popping to the shops, an average day on holiday can consist of several different activities.

'Each needs a different outfit -- a bikini by the pool, shorts for walking around the shops and then a chic maxi dress for an evening meal.

'This can make packing a nightmare, especially if you are travelling by plane and can only carry a certain amount of luggage,' said Lusher.

'The trick is to make sure you plan your clothes rather than just chucking the entire contents of your wardrobe into your case. Packing some staple items, along with some accessories can give you several different outfits without the bulging suitcase.'

For ladies in need of holiday packing help, there are an array of useful sites to offer advice including style-passport.com and whattowearonholiday.com.

The latter gives destination-tailored tips as well as advising on essentials to purchase from its online store, while style-passport.com offers style solutions for holidays ranging from beach vacations to city breaks.



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Livia Firth premiers ethical fashion line

Best known for co-founding the Green Carpet Challenge that has taken the fashion world by storm, Livia Firth has now designed her own pieces for new ethical fashion line Livia Firth Designs.

Firth is already creative director of eco-age.com, the shop within a shop on YOOX's shopping website Yooxygen, which aims to spread environmental awareness by collaborating with a series of international brands, designers and talents.

On the site, shoppers can purchase from a selection of clothes and accessories Firth praises for their style and eco-sustainability, via the collection Eco Age by Livia Firth.

Meanwhile, her new sustainable fashion line Livia Firth Designs will launch this September on YOOX, with items including a little black dress in organic wool with a vegetable tanned leather obi belt, two styles of woolen cloche hat and a hand-crafted butterfly necklace.

Since her actor husband Colin won a Golden Globe nomination for Tom Ford's A Single Man back in 2009, Firth has only worn dresses made from eco-friendly fabrics during the ceremony season, including one upcycled from an old Tom Ford suit.

The Italian-born former film producer famously convinced big-name creators such as Tom Ford, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Stella McCartney to sign up for the Green Carpet Challenge -- the initiative she founded in 2009 along with British journalist Lucy Siegle.

Other famous faces to have championed sustainable clothing include Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, who last year designed her third and final collection for ethical fashion label People Tree and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who is currently promoting a T-shirt designed by Vivienne Westwood to support reforestation in Europe.



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Nicole Richie launches Polyvore guest editor series

Nicole Richie has launched a new guest editor series on fashion website Polyvore, which will see an array of style icons offering advice, inspiration and their personal clothing and accessories picks.

The social-commerce website allows users to assemble sets of clothing from its database of items, with reality star turned designer Richie kicking off the new series by revealing the contents of her Balenciaga handbag for the 'What's In Her Bag?' set.

Contents featured in the fashionista's bag include beauty essentials such as lip balm and bobby pins, as well as items by luxury labels including Goyard and multiple choices of sunglasses.

Throughout this month, Richie -- founder of fashion lines Winter Kate and House of Harlow 1960 -- will curate a collection of her favorite products based on specific weekly themes: 'What's In Her Bag?,' 'Morning/Getting Ready Routine,' 'Beauty Products' and 'Style Icons.'

It's a busy time for Richie, who announced last month that she will be launching her debut fragrance this September -- the same month she launches a capsule clothing collection for department store Macy's.

Among future Polyvore monthly guest stars are an array of experts including designers and beauty gurus, with online retailer Net-a-Porter's fashion director Holli Rogers set to be the guest editor next month.



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Fetish fashion takes over the Berlin underground

BERLIN (Reuters) - Riders of the Berlin subway have been taking trips this week that go far beyond the hip German capital's already outlandish standards, as models in latex wear, fetish gear and 'spirit hoods' staged a fashion show on a train.

Girls wearing all-leather sado-masochist bodysuits tottered through the train car, followed by male models wearing nothing but ornamental metallic sculptures around their groin. Models in neon tulle dangled from the subway poles.

Around 600 people showed up for 'Underground Catwalk', a ticketed show during Berlin Fashion Week that took place entirely on a train running underneath the city.

'Because of the special location, models pretty much walk across people's laps. There's loud music blasting, it's pretty wild and colorful,' event director Alexander van Hessen told Reuters.

Micaela Schaefer, a German reality TV star known for her self-professed 'fabric allergy' and near-nude appearances, made tabloid headlines by performing in the show as a burlesque Marilyn Monroe in a costume made entirely of artificial blonde hair.

But 'Underground Catwalk' is also a forum for young Berlin designers to show more classic couture fare without paying the price for a fashion tent show, said van Hessen.

Berlin's fashion week, which ends this the weekend, is no showcase for haute couture on the scale of Paris or Milan.

Though a strong host of young local designers have significantly raised Berlin's fashion profile in recent years, the culture of the fashion week remains alternative and less focused on exclusive designer goods.

'We are the alternative to Berlin Fashion Week,' said von Hessen. 'You wouldn't drink champagne here, but beer or whisky.'

(Reporting by Sophie Duvernoy)



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