Previously, I wrote of Christian Audigier’s collaboration with Michael Jackson for the release of his  clothing line prior to the pop stars death. Audigier is pressing forward for the eventual launch of the clothing label. The Ed Hardy designer recently appeared  on the Today show giving a sneak peak at items from the fashion collection.   The clothing and accesssories in the line include rhinestone socks, a rhinestone glove, belts, T-shirts, jackets, gloves, and  umbrellas.

Audigier related that: “[Michael] said ‘I want to do a line, and I want to have you working on the merchandising.’ “He was very excited.” “What he wanted from me was the T-shirts and the hoodies and the caps.”  He also stated that Michael Jackson was very much involved in the design of the fashion line.  Audigier is now working with Jackson’s estate to complete the project.

Click below for the video and more info after the jump…..

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Millions of fans the world over mourned the passing of modern legend, Michael Jackson. A brilliant entertainer, nonetheless, he was plagued by troubles. Many creative people often struggle with pressure from without and conflicts from within. Often that creativity leads to the art, music and literature that we may be fortunate enough to enjoy. A creative endeavor which he did not get to complete was the launch of his own fashion collection with French designer Christian Audigier. In June before  Jackson’s death, the Ed Hardy designer was enthusiastic about the project, telling PEOPLE that “It’s the merging of the King of Pop with the king of fashion. Something explosive is going to happen.”

Michael Jackson with friend Christian Audigier

A fashion line seemed like a logical step for Jackson to take. Michael Jackson always designed with the costumers for his performances. The pop icon favored Swarovski crystals, a military look and “over the top” designs to enhance his onstage presence.  Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush discussed working with Jackson for costumes for the “This Is It” tour, in this People article.  Bush said,  “Working with Michael for 25 years we had never seen his creativity at this level…”.

Sketches for tour costumes

Audigier, who also designed tour outfits for Jackson, describes the planned fashion collection: “It was based on various types of merchandising on different products, also accessories. What he wanted from me was the T-shirts and the hoodies and the caps. And it was very kind of royalist – kind of a mix of the real Michael Jackson and his alter-ego as the King of Pop.”

This collection may be available in the future. “I’m still hoping to launch the label as a tribute to Michael,” Audigier said at the launch of his  Champagne and wine collection recently. ‘We went through designs quite often. I showed him what I thought would suit him and he would say “Yes, I like that” or “No”.

However, a separate venture is being launched – a 300 piece collection that Michael Jackson had a hand in designing,  in connection with the “This Is It” tour.  Universal Music Group’s merchandise division, Bravado along  with concert promoter AEG Live will offer the collection which is comprised of clothing such as T-shirts, hoodies and other merchandise such as sleep masks, belt buckles, socks and even jigsaw puzzles and children’s games.

More after the jump…

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Tennis Fashion anyone? Serena Williams who wore a white belted trench coat at Wimbledon this year, while warming up, talks about her Nike tennis fashion line for Fall 2008 and her affinity for design.

Click below for pictures.

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Celebrity fashion lines seem to be popping up faster than daisies in a field or from some perspectives faster than dandelions on a suburban lawn. 

A video from mainstreet.com asks: Are Celebrity Fashion Designers Worth the Money? This video asks the question from an investment or stockholder’s perspective. How do these clothing lines fare for companies that use the famous to boost store sales? Kristin Bentz gives her take on the bottom line for the designs of Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart and LL Cool J.

From Pop Crunch a couple of pictures of Penelope Cruz and sister Monica Cruz posing for their 2008 spring/summer Mango ad campaign. The Cruz collection is a 38 piece fashion line which include over-sized men's shirts as dresses, leather jackets and vintage denim. Scroll down for more photos of the dynamic designing diva duo.

(click on thumbnails to enlarge)

And more pictures of Ms. Cruz from the Mango advertisements.

Look for the collaboration of Kirsten Dunst with cashmere label Lutz + Patmos to debut Sunday, February 3, at the New Museum.

Dunst, who is currently appearing in Miu Miu's spring/summer 2008 ad campaign, is known for her quirky, offbeat style and has, for some time, had an interest in launching her own fashion line.

Lutz + Patmos have previously worked with celebrities including Liv Tyler, Julianne Moore (see below). These creations are to benefit a designated charity as the following encapsulated statement of the philosophy of the guest designer declares: (from lutzandpatmos.com)

PLATFORM FOR DIFFERENT GUEST DESIGNERS EVERY SEASON / NO FASHION DESIGNERS / BUT CREATIVE THINKERS / FASHION INTERESTED PEOPLE / CREATING THEIR DREAM CASHMERE SWEATER / DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW / MERGING FASHION WITH ART AND DESIGN / COLLECTIBLE / LIMITED EDITION / BENEFITING VARIOUS CHARITIES / PRODUCED BY LUTZ & PATMOS.

(Click on pictures to enlarge) 

pictures: lutzandpatmos.com, kirsten-dunst.com.ar 

Glamor, seduction, style, allure…yep, I think they picked the right person in Dita Von Teese to design and front a limited edition lingerie collection for Wonderbra. The designs will be based on 1940s lingerie styles and vintage underwear fashion. The collection will be made up of three themes, or stories, revolving around her love of glamor and forties lingerie. I predict this will be a best seller (Tiny waistline not included). The collection will arrive in stores in the U.K and France in September.

"I've been passionate about beautiful lingerie my entire life, so to team up with Wonderbra is a great privilege for me and I am immensely proud of my collection,"

"I really hope that with this new range I can share my passion for sensual, wearable lingerie that will add a touch of glamour to people's lives,"

Dita Von Teese

    
(Click on pictures for full image) 

So, what did 1940's lingerie look like? The third photo above, on the right is a brassiere ad from the forties. The advertisement shows a cone or bullet shaped bra typical of that era. Get an idea of perhaps what to expect from Von Teese's collection – below a video which shows a lingerie fashion show circa 1940s. 

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photos: adclassix.com, dailymail.co.uk

Prominent designers, artists and musicians are donating their passion and creative talent for an exemplary project, Fashion Against AIDS.

H&M and the non-profit group, Designers Against AIDS, are collaborating in this campaign with the artists to promote a range of T-shirts, tank tops and hooded sweaters. The garments designed by the diverse group of artists are to support the campaign to promote awareness of HIV and AIDS among the world’s young people. The targeted group is 15-24 year-olds who make up 50% of new HIV cases.

This gifted and giving group include Rihanna, Chicks on Speed,Good Charlotte, Henrik Vibskov, Jade Jagger, Justice, Tiga, Ziggy Marley, Rufus Wainwright, Scissor Sisters, The Cardigans, Katharine Hamnett, Timbaland, Nina Persson and My Chemical Romance. Each of the artists gave their time and effort in the project free of charge and 25% of proceeds will go to HIV/AIDS prevention.

“Supporting the Fashion Against AIDS campaign was a great way to encourage my fans to join me in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I love that H&M is providing a fashionable and easy way for young people all over the world to get involved in this worthy cause, “says Rihanna.

Fans, shoppers and supporters of this good cause will be able to purchase from this collection when it arrives at stores in February.

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Photos: hm.com

Rihanna, Rufus Wainwright, Chicks on Speed, Nina Persson, Katharine Hamnett, Ziggy Marley, Good Charlotte
Photographer: Daniel Jackson

Timbaland
Photographer: John Scarisbrick

Rihanna, Timbaland, Good Charlotte, Rufus Wainwright, Chicks on Speed, Nina Persson, Katharine Hamnett and Ziggy Marley give motives and personal stories behind the designs for their shirts, hoodies and tees for the Fashion Against AIDS clothing line.

H&M in conjunction with the nonprofit group Designers Against AIDS, developed the campaign to bring awareness worldwide about HIV/AIDS prevention. The collection will be available in stores in February.

 embedded by Embedded Video

video courtesy www.hm.com

I haven't been doing posts of late ( very busy)so I thought I'd get back into the habit of blogging so I can start to regularly update the site.

I came across this video of Mandy Moore singing Umbrella…I liked it and thought I'd share.

Hear Mandy's version of  Rihanna's catchy tune Umbrella and I also included a video of Rihanna singing her hit.

So I can relate the post to the topic of this blog as Rihanna has a range of umbrellas with Totes and Mandy Moore has a fashion line called Mblem (and I am hoping to break this blogger's/writer's block resulting from my absence).

Now to find topics to post and catch up on my emails! 

 Rihanna …

Mandy Moore's rendition…