The Manchester dress designer for stars like Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga and Michelle Keegan you've probably never heard of

It took 10 days for Zeynep Kartal to launch her first collection at the famous Vogue Fashion Night Out event in Manchester three years ago.
The 26-dress collection was a huge success and propelled Turkish-born Kartal’s name in the UK fashion industry.
In just two years, the 41 year-old has taken part in four London Fashion Week shows and has been invited to showcase her work at New York Fashion Week in February.
She has designed for superstars including Lady Gaga, who was so impressed with one particular black lacy number, she asked Kartal to have the same dress designed in cream!
Other celebrity clients include Cheryl Cole, Tess Daly, Rebecca Adlington, Amanda Holden, Michelle Keegan, Rochelle Humes and Coleen Rooney.
And now celebrity PR agencies and boutiques from Beverly Hills are knocking on Kartal’s door keen for her to dress Hollywood stars in her stunning designs.
It’s not hard to see why her collection is in demand for the red carpet.
Kartal, whose studio is based in King Street, only uses the finest natural fabrics, including silk, crepe, laces and leather with stunning, hand-made embellishments, to create a distinctive sense of elegance and femininity – with Kartal aspiring “to give every woman who wears her prom dresses a feeling of stylish sophistication and self-confidence”.
“The dresses are very expressive and sensual for a woman’s silhouette,” she says, as she looks me up and down and tells me that I’m more than welcome to borrow a dress for upcoming events.
Kartal’s success is even more remarkable because she has achieved this in little more than two years, having only come to the UK nine years ago speaking very little English.
She said: “Vogue Fashion Night Out was my first event and naturally I was nervous. But on the night the crowd and the media loved the collection.
“The following day my dresses were all over the media, the fashion world was saying they were amazing.”
That night in October 2013 also lead to fashion bloggers and magazines taking notice of Kartal.
Soon after London Fashion Week made contact with the designer asking her to attend her first LFW show.
Kartal agreed and while preparing a new collection for LFW she was also being contacted by TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor to design cheap prom dresses for the likes of Tess Daly and Cheryl Cole.
At Cannes Film Festival this year, she dressed actress Emma Miller among others, and back in Turkey, Kartal has been working with Hayrunnisa Gul, the Turkish president’s stylish wife.
Kartal’s designs are inspired by the environment around her including Manchester.
For her first LFW collection, she took inspiration from Manchester Town Hall, a building she describes as being sophisticated just like her own designs.
For her latest collection she was inspired by French artist James Tissot.
She said: “Sometimes an idea comes to me straightaway and other times it can take a month. For the last collection I was sat in the Turkish Airline lounge when I noticed Tissot’s paintings and straight away I found inspiration. I have to say the Turkish Airline lounge is a very inspiring space.”
Zeynep has always had a passion for designing and creating beautiful clothes, which was first discovered at the young age of 10 when she attended a local sewing course in her Turkish birthplace of Bursa, beating designers more than twice her age to win an award for her intricate skills.
After completing a degree in fashion design, she spent 19 years working in production, marketing, design and textile positions within the fashion industry.
She moved to Manchester nine years ago with her twin boys and chemical engineer husband Hamit Ozcelik, who had relocated from Istanbul with his job at food processing giant Cargill, which has its UK facility in Trafford Park. Kartal said: “My husband originally came to Manchester for six months, but then his contract was extended to three years so I decided to join him with my twin boys, who were only two at the time.”
Kartal’s first priority was to learn how to speak English so she enrolled on a two-year fashion design course at Manchester City College.
She said: “I know fashion, I knew pattern cutting and how to sew but I really wanted to improve my English.
“The course was good fun and often the other students would ask for my help.”
Upon completing the course, Kartal was even offered a teaching job at the college but she turned it down as she felt her English, although had improved, wasn’t up to teaching standards.
“I often turn down interviews on TV and radio because I think people might find it hard to understand me,” she says, but her English, I tell her, is excellent and easy to understand.
Kartal struggled to find a job in the region’s already competitive fashion scene but eventually found work with a local designer who she remained with for 18 months before her husband encouraged Kartal to launch her own business.
She said: “We were in the process of buying a house, when Hamit decided that instead of buying a large home, to buy a smaller property and use half of our money towards setting up a business.
“I said to my husband it was a huge responsibility and I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it.
“But he said to me that I can, that he had complete faith in me and that I would be very successful.”
She added: “Our plan in the beginning was to move back to Turkey. But the kids started school here and love it and Cargill offered Hamit a permanent job.
“We decided it was better for the children to stay in Manchester.
“We like it in Manchester, it’s better than London and other cities in many ways. It’s trendy, the people have been so lovely and Manchester is important for me as a designer.
“Everyone asks me why I’m still here, when am I going to move to London but no, this is where I belong.
“It’s my adopted city, my studio is in a great location and it is where I have built my business!”
While Kartal’s dresses continue to adorn the pages of fashion magazines and blogger websites, she is looking at supplying more boutiques in the UK.
She added: “My last collection was much more commercial and wearable and has led to a number of boutiques wanting to stock the designs.
“Even Harvey Nichols have been in contact.
“I think the success of my work has been great and I would like to continue to create fashion that is a hit with women from all around the world. I never thought I’d come so far so quick but the journey has been amazing.

“I’m also very lucky I have a supportive husband who always had faith in me and even now supports me in everything that I do.”

Highlights From the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection’ review

‘The immortal beauty which Athens and Florence have bequeathed to the world will be made to sweeten the daily toil of the bread-winner.”
So said James MacAlister at the 1891 dedication of the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry, now known as Drexel University. Mr. MacAlister, president of the Institute, was referring to the importance of the Drexel Collection, a museum of art and artifacts that the Institute’s founder, financier Anthony J. Drexel, endowed with $1 million (the equivalent of $26 million today). Such high-flown rhetoric suggests a stress on classical antiquity, but in 1898, with remarkable prescience, the museum began to acquire garments, accessories and textiles. Over 14,000 pieces and 117 years later, Drexel is now home to a world-class collection of fashion and textiles, recently renamed the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (FHCC).
That the museum was understaffed in recent decades and therefore inaccessible to fashion scholars and fellow curators has only added to its cachet. “It was whispered about in the costume-history field,” says Clare Sauro, the collection’s curator for the past seven years. Upon her first peek into the archives she identified not one but three dresses by the couture house of Callot Soeurs, a favorite of the cognoscenti. Like the kiss that awakens Sleeping Beauty, the exhibition “Immortal Beauty” is reintroducing the FHCC to the world.
“Highlights” shows don’t have a thematic DNA from which to generate a form; they’re more of a défilé, the French word for “narrow pass, parade, procession.” Ms. Sauro wanted to created a harmonious introduction to the collection, and “Immortal Beauty”—on display in the university’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, an airy industrial space—proceeds chronologically with 45 articles of clothing arranged on six platforms (plus accessories in glass cases). The collection has especially strong holdings from the late 1800s and the opening item, appropriately, is a mantle from 1883 by Charles Frederick Worth, the founding father of the Paris couture. Aubergine with a Medieval pattern of cream pomegranates (symbol of prosperity), long in front and short in back (to accommodate the bustles of the era), this piece, redolent of old Philadelphia wealth, summons up those Age of Innocence trips to Paris.
The show hits its stride, however, in the 20th century. This platform includes a Jacques Doucet walking suit of claret velvet (1916) that looks straight out of an illustration by Georges Lepape. And the pieces from Callot Soeurs—yes, three—show a fashion house evolving from full-length Edwardian (a candlelit lamé circa 1910), to tea-length Ballets Russes ornamentation (1919), to a flapper sheath in turquoise, magnificently delineated with Moorish motifs (1926).
(Photo:vintage prom dresses) Further down, front and center, stands a bolt from the blue—a bias-cut wrap gown from Elsa Schiaparelli’s fabled Zodiac Collection of 1938-39. “Schiap” was famous for her fabrics, and this one is stunning, a giant gingham of gold lamé with stars of lilac and persimmon woven in. We’ve been seeing the same two or three Zodiac pieces for years now, so it’s extraordinary to make the acquaintance of this super-fresh survivor. In a very smart bit of positioning, Ms. Sauro has placed Adrian’s sleight-of-hand suit of black-and-white gingham (1947) just beyond the Schiaparelli. As chief costume designer at MGM, Adrian often dressed the actresses in designs a la Schiaparelli.
Moving midcentury, standouts include a 1948 gown by Charles James for Babe Paley that ranks among the most graceful of his aggressive, often tortured creations. Norman Norell, the easeful opposite of James, is represented by a cocktail shirtwaist from 1951—a black wool jersey bodice with a white cloud of skirt. This look, in fact, was behind Edith Head’s opening number for Grace Kelly in the movie “Rear Window.” Speaking of which, the dress that Ms. Sauro calls “the most beloved object in the FHCC due to its royal provenance” is a coral A-line gown from 1964 that was owned and donated by Princess Grace of Monaco. The design is Givenchy, but Grace got permission to have it executed, less expensively, by Marie Therese of Nice. “She was a practical princess,” says Ms. Sauro. Embroidered with real coral branches, it evokes the coastal principality over which the former Philadelphian presided.

Iconic pieces abound. Halston’s party pajamas of 1978, cheetah-print jersey shimmering with translucent paillettes, are thrillingly luxe and lean. A Madame Grès column of 1980, Grecian pleating in ivory silk, is design as Delphic Oracle. The show culminates—and is strangely contained—in a dusk-black gown from 2006 by couturier Ralph Rucci, a native Philadelphian. The silhouette is simple—a princess line flowing wide at the hem—but four layers of black tulle contain a Klimt-like pattern of black fabric rectangles, ripped by hand, fault-lines revealing a nude silk lining. Mr. Rucci has said he was channeling sculptor Louise Nevelson, but he seems to have created a deepening world in one dress: the land of fashion history.Read more at:mermaid prom dresses

No mahurat, designers not bothered

(Photo:prom dresses) Inauspicious dates used to put plans for bridal dresses on hold, but designers tell us that despite the lack of auspicious dates till next year, they continue to get orders for the festive and wedding season.
The stars may have played spoilsport for those looking forward to an auspicious mahurat later this year to wed, but those concerned with business during the wedding season have less to worry about in the lull period, which began from July this year and will continue till January 2016.
According to astrologers, July 2015 to January next year is an 'inauspicious' time and weddings shouldn't take place during this period. Fashion designers, however, whose major business comes from weddings, say that while this festive and wedding season has begun on a low note, they are positive that their business will pick up within the next few months. Charu Parashar says, "The Indian fashion industry largely relies on weddings for business and while the 'inauspicious' and 'auspicious' periods do have an impact on sales, we are hoping that we won't incur any losses due to weddings not happening till next August. People will plan for their wedding trousseau in advance during this period. I have already started meeting brides. In fact, some brides are glad they can spend more time on their wedding trousseau because of these dates. There are also those who do not believe in mahurat and will go ahead with their wedding plans, so business will go on as usual. I started getting orders during the shradh, when people gave me specifications about their outfits and collected them once the shradh period was over. People are not that rigid these days about auspicious or inauspicious dates and even if they are, they find alternative ways to get things done on time." Anuradha Ramam says that business remains largely unaffected now, since youngsters are not as bothered about a shubh mahurat. She adds, "Even if parents follow such things, youngsters go ahead with their shopping plans. There has been a change in this regard in the last four-five years. Earlier, even shopping on certain days was considered inauspicious, but no one follows such things rigidly anymore. These days, people who are concerned about the planetary positions consult pandits to come up with convenient solutions while planning their weddings. So designers worry less about a lull period. Brides continue with their wedding shopping, no matter what."
Designers say that in terms of business, until August this year, it was a bad time for them, but there has been an increase in orders since September and they are hopeful that the festive season and wedding orders will keep them busy in the coming months. "I can't say what the reason was, but in terms of business, it was a dull period till August," informs Poonam Bhagat. Some designers are already gearing up for the busy season that will follow this dull phase. "I think that while we have a lighter work load right now due to the mahurat, we'll suddenly get an influx of orders in the coming months, thanks to the festive season and wedding orders. While the bride and her family can prepare in advance for their outfits, the guests will only have two months or so to decide what they will wear, which will lead to a sudden increase in orders. So knowing this, we are able to plan accordingly and everything functions smoothly," says Reynu Taandon.

Gautam Gupta shares that for designers specialising in wedding wear, it becomes a challenge to maintain good work flow whenever there is a 'mahurat issue.' But the good part, he adds, is that whenever a family has more time to prepare, they plan for designer wear not just for the wedding ceremony but even the pre-wedding and post-wedding functions. "When there is less time to prepare for a wedding, people think if nothing else works out, they can just get designer wear for the big day. If there is adequate time to plan, however, people get to spend time with designers for their pre-wedding and post-wedding outfits as well. To meet that kind of demand, we keep a stock of outfits and combinations, which never go out of fashion, ready for our customers. For example, a sari with brocade and zari work is always in demand during the wedding season," he explains.Read more at:cheap prom dresses

How Working With Celebrities Like The Bachelorette Built A Business

(Photo:formal dresses uk) She counts Rihanna, Kylie Minogue and Amal Clooney as clients, but celebrity makeup artist and business owner Helen Dowsley now has a new friend in the spotlight -- Bachelorette Sam Frost.
Dowsley said she was “thrilled” when Frost requested Dowsley to work exclusively with her on set for The Bachelorette series.
She was the head makeup artist for The Bachelor, overseeing a team of artists working with the contestants, and, like most of Australia, was stunned when Blake Garvey rescinded his proposal to Frost.
“I was with Sam last year and we were all so shocked at what happened and I was so grateful that Sam actually asked for me to be on it so I could go on this part of her life with her,” she said.
“Sammy was amazing, absolutely amazing.
“She had a lot of trust in me and I would show her reference shots of what I was thinking for her makeup that day and her thing was always ‘love ya Helso, love the idea’.”
But this kind of celebrity favouritism is no accident -- it’s the result of years of hard work and tenacity to build a successful business based purely on Dowsley’s name and personal brand.
“When you’re a freelancer the only thing you’ve got is your name and you’re only as good as your last job,” she told The Huffington Post Australia.
“In this industry, you need to be very ethical in what you do and instil trust and keep your mouth shut because there are a lot of things we know, especially spoilers and things like that, so it’s very, very important to me to have a good name.”
Dowsley, who dreamed of being a makeup artist in Hollywood as a girl, has always worked for herself in TV, with celebrities and at fashion shows -- but it’s not for the reasons you might think.
In the 1990s in Australia she was a single mum and a widow -- and apparently a big risk.
“We mostly had men as bosses and they just didn’t realise what women could achieve,” she said.
“And so the only way I could do it was working for myself whether it was in a salon or working on a celebrity because nobody really would employ me.”
Three years ago, after thinking about it for many years, Dowsley expanded her business to sell ethically-produced and handmade synthetic lashes online.
She said it was a big decision -- and she has learnt what not to do in the world of e-commerce -- but she just knew she had to get out there and “have a go”.
“My secret has always been eyelashes. I’d always use lashes even when others weren’t using them at all,” she said.
“I was really confident about the businesses, but you do tend to second guess yourself.
“I wanted to do it a long time ago but I thought ‘why would I be any different? Why would it work for me, just little old Helen from Coogee?’”
Three years on and her lashes are used by every leading makeup artist in Australia, worn by celebrities on the Golden Globes red carpet and by TV celebs here, including Frost, of course.
Her lashes also made their debut at this year’s Sydney Fashion Week, featuring in the Watson X Watson and Jennifer Kate shows.
She said using her own name for the lashes line, Helen Dowsley Lashes, was never her idea -- it was the brainchild of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia’s Mark Bouris with whom she worked on the reality show.
“I didn’t want to use my name. I felt quite embarrassed about it,” she said.
“But Mark said big companies that were interested in where I was going said that I should do it under my name because of what I do and my reputation.”
And Dowsley’s reputation is what keeps the clients coming back, and has allowed her lashes business to flourish.

“The amount of times I get orders and it’s through referral it makes my heart jump for joy because I haven’t done anything to get them. It’s purely from having a good name and working with people and it getting out there,” she said.Read more at:evening gowns

Seoul Fashion Week: Colorful season for men

As Seoul has a reputation for fashionable men whose devotion to fashion and skincare tops in the world, menswear collections by Seoul-based designers are some of the must-see shows during Seoul Fashion Week.
K-pop stars rocked the 2016 spring-summer menswear shows on Friday and Saturday. R&B singer Zion.T, singer Gangnam and movie stars stole the spotlight in the front rows. Bora of girl group Sistar unusually took the runway of menswear designer Jung Doo-young’s VanHart di Albazar.
Here are the highlights of the weekend’s menswear shows.
Munsoo Kwon
One of the hottest emerging menswear designers in the Korean fashion scene, Munsoo Kwon presented light, sporty looks for the 2016 spring-summer season on Saturday.
(Photo:green prom dresses) Inspired by some youngsters turning to fishing instead of finding office jobs, Kwon’s collection was a stylish guide for young anglers. Models walked comfortably in lightweight seersucker summer suits -- blazer and short pants. A towering baseball cap -- reminiscent of the bulging belly of a fish -- added humor to the otherwise usual men’s summer look. He gave accents to trench coats and suits with neon color-stripes, which Suzy Menkes, international vogue editor, called “K-pop colors” after the show.
“He was clever to use K-pop colors like stripes in this collection,” she said.
The sporty vibe ran throughout the show with sweatshirts and pants, featuring Kwon’s creative fishing-inspired prints. The prints proved again that he is a genius of creating witty symbols that embeds his fun personality in his clothes. Cardigans featuring key prints for the 2014 fall-winter collection were a big hit last year.
VanHart di Albazar
Designer Jung Doo-young, a mastermind of Italian style tailored suits added airy and breezy vibes to his 2016 spring-summer collection.
Themed as “Creation of Adam” by Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo Buonarroti, his collection showed a renaissance in neutral men’s fashion and its limited color palettes. Pastel pink and sky blue in chesterfield coats and trench coats warmed up the spring collection, which presented more relaxed silhouettes than his previous collections.
Bora of the girl group Sistar took the runway in transparent chiffon skirt topped with warm gray knit sweater as the solo female model.
Designer Kim Seo-ryong’s signature tailored suits featuring flamboyant color prints opened the show, signaling a tropical spring for urban men. Sleeveless jumpsuits, knit pullovers instantly took viewers to their imaginary holiday destinations. Kim didn’t let down audiences expecting to see his signature double-breasted suits, which this time featured small dynamic diamond-shaped patterns.
Beom
Designer Kim Beom launched the brand in 2012 and debuted in the generation next section of the Seoul Fashion Week. The designer, with a background in graphic design, worked his way up to a managerial position at a design firm, but suddenly quit everything to explore fashion.

Graphic design elements add a unique personality to his menswear design, inspired by fish and swelling sea waves. The music and stage design attempted to create a deep-sea ambience. Artistic fishermen emerged in multilayered pants and mesh tops and sweatshirts, featuring fish-inspired graphic prints.Read more at:yellow prom dresses

Why Saoirse loves Fifties fashion

In Brooklyn, the film in which Ronan plays Eilis Lacey, a young Irish migrant who moves to New York, the waist-cinching costumes are certainly dazzling.
Said Ronan of the 50s look: "The 50s outfits were so womanly, and it encouraged women - as opposed to now - it encouraged women to have the curves and a bum and boobs and all that stuff. Girls are so strongly encouraged to be almost waif-like now, and not have any shape at all."
It's easy to see why 50s fashion, with its full skirts, wiggle vintage prom dresses uk and pencil skirts, work so well with modern day women not built for heroin chic. It was an era in which, for better or worse, women were encouraged to be feminine and ladylike. Ergo, the outfits were glamorous, plushly detailed and bright. It was a curious moment in the 20th century for many reasons. The 1950s was seen as a period of post-war decadence; after the great Depression in the US (or wartime London), it was roundly believed in both American and British society that things could only get better. It was a time of unbridled hope and optimism. Women were emboldened after their brief stint in the workplace (they picked up the slack while their men fought during the wars), and it started to show in their attire. Glamour, creativity and sartorial freedom marked the decade. The 50s ushered in a mood of sleek, slender elegance - at once young and sophisticated. What was not to like?
Fast forward via time's giant wheel to the present day, and there is something truly forgiving about a cinched waist. Our bodies have changed in the last 60 years, certainly, but a wide skirt, snug knit and pencil celebrity dresses are universally flattering. The revival of 50s fashion is the most egalitarian and accessible there is; no more so than on women who don't have fashionably boyish figures.
In my 20s, before I discovered prom dresses and vintage skirts, I trudged glumly into Topshop and Oasis, ultimately in vain. I'd attempt to batter my breasts into tops not designed for curves, and sighed when shirt buttons gaped and strained. Jeans were out of the question. My skinny size six friend, blessed with a more boyish and minimalist silhouette, could walk into Topshop and have her pick. I, meanwhile, felt like the proverbial eunuch at the orgy.
One day, there came a moment of enlightenment. On a whim, my friend and I decided to visit Retro, a vintage-inspired store in George's Street Arcade, Dublin. It was a revelation; rather than battle my curves, the dresses and skirts worked with them. The hemlines and modest sleeves forgave a multitude of sins (and there are a multitude, trust me). For the first time in ages, it looked as though that extra couple of stone may have in fact been deliberate. The same dresses sagged and hung limply on my model-esque friend. The shop assistant winked at me, slightly conspiratorially. "You kind of need something to… fill these out," she whispered. The afternoon kick-started a love of fashion, and in some ways, a new love affair with my own body. The celebration of curves - kick-started in the late noughties by the magnificently pneumatic Christina Hendricks on Mad Men - was a delightful moment for us womanly types. Where Christina blazed a trail, Kelly Brook and Nigella Lawson followed; women who looked luscious, sexy and who wouldn't cry at the sight of a hamburger (unless they were tears of joy). After decades of what body image expert Suzi Orbach called the 'visual Muzak' of waif-like teenage models, the creamy-skinned, doe-eyed Hendricks was eye-poppingly exotic.
Even evolutionary psychologists have observed that the hourglass figure is seen as an ideal body type for men. Research from the University Of Texas revealed that curves tap into important biological information about women's fertility and reproductive potential (well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it).
However, curves have come under fire in recent years. In today's celebrity system, stars like Daisy Lowe, Ariana Grande and Gigi Hadid are considered 'curvy'. Unless you are enslaved to a macrobiotic kale smoothie regime, you are fair game for body fascists. Even Kylie Jenner and Selena Gomez - both fairly waif-life to begin with - have had to fight back against body shamers. Online misogyny has further heaped shame on women with any semblance of a womanly figure. Perhaps Saoirse Ronan was right after all. Either way, it's an insidious, unhealthy and unforgiving turn of events.
This is precisely where 50s fashion comes back in. Today's 50s style has been upcycled for the 21st century, oozing kitsch and sexiness. In its own way, it's a nostalgic nod to a simpler time (simpler, certainly for women, though not always in positive ways).
Much like charm and humour, unabashed glamour is a woman's great armour for detractors. Fifties fashion helps us normal, non-skinny women tell the world, 'yes, I may have eaten too many Doritos, but I don't care. In fact, the Doritos have helped me really fill out this dress'.
If you, as a woman, have enjoyed a staple diet of skinny jeans and fitted shirts for the last decade, try the 50s silhouette on for size. I defy you not to be entranced by its forgiving qualities, its full-on glamour and its timeless appeal.

And if Saoirse's ladylike wardrobe in Brooklyn doesn't provide at least a little fash-spo, then nothing will.

Israeli designers shine at NYC Bridal Week

Hundreds of bridal gown designers from all over the world gathered inside the hangar at Pier 94 in Manhattan this weekend for New York International Bridal Week.
Getting attention from buyers and clients is not easy in such a competitive setting, but for seven up-and-coming Israeli designers who got to show their prom dresses uk in a special show, it seemed to be a piece of wedding cake.
The show highlighting Israel was organized by the Ministry of Economy’s Trade Mission in New York, the Israeli Foreign and Tourism ministries.
Merav Solo, who has been designing wedding gowns for 21 years, told The Jerusalem Post it was her first time sending her creations down a runway in the big city.
“This moment is so new for me,” she said, “I feel good, I feel like I am now ready for this.”
“I am not here just for a good experience, I’m here to really succeed and pass on my designs to more people all over,” Solo added.
Even though her studio has been based in Haifa for over two decades, Solo feels Israel is “very small” and aspires to see her long prom dresses worn by women of different backgrounds across the world.
“When I build a collection, I always want to build it for a variety of brides,” she told the Post, “There are very few brides that I couldn’t design for.”
Her brand, Solomerav, has been worn by brides with various cultural backgrounds over the years. A significant part of Solo’s clientele is also made up of Arab women.
“It has become a real relationship that I have with them,” she said. “It started with one wedding, and then there was another one and they keep sending me people.”
“They are wonderful women, very pleasant to be around and they really appreciate my work,” Solo said.
“From the beginning, they felt it was more than a dress, we made a connection, and that felt really good.”
Solo said that from her experience, Jewish Israeli brides and Muslim Arab brides look for the exact same thing in a dress: to feel beautiful.
“We are all the exact same people,” she said.
For Solo, New York is only the beginning, she describes herself as an ambitious person, always looking for a new goal.
“I am never just content. I always want more. I always think forward,” she said. “My dream is to have a fashion show that is just mine, with a collection that I build from A to Z, where I decide what comes first and what comes second.”
“And I want to do it here in New York,” she added, “New York is the center of the world, everything comes from here.“ New York International Bridal Week is considered one of the leading commercial events in the American wedding market, which generates revenue estimated at over $54 billion a year. Seven percent of this amount is spent on bridal gowns.
Beyond the seven Israeli designers participating in the show, 14 others had booths at this year’s event.
“This testifies to the exceptional talent in Israel,” Israel’s Economic Minister to North America Nili Shalev said, “Israeli designers have become popular among American clients due to their innovative thinking and daring designs.”
According to Yoav Davis, a branding consultant for one of the featured designers, the strength of Israeli designers lies in their willingness to dare.
“They are risk takers.” he told the Post, “They can really go the extra mile with doing whatever it is they want to do and just really be kind of extreme.
Davis explained that Israel being a small country, designers often have to find creative ways to stand out in order to find their place in the market whereas European or American designers can afford a more classic and reserved approach.
“They become so competitive and aggressive,” Davis said, “Some people could be intimidated, but some could be fascinated by it.”
“Obviously it’s been working,” Davis added, “They know how to sell and convince and get someone to fall in love with their merchandise. It’s something that Israelis really have in their DNA.”
The Israeli gowns themselves seemed to have common traits differentiating them from those of other international brands.
The use of small shiny beads and crystals was predominant in the Israeli wedding dresses displayed. They had a vintage feel, sometimes even a bit of 1920’s inspiration, which seemed to catch the eye of several buyers.

The Israeli Tourism Ministry’s North America Mission announced it would host seven leading fashion journalists at the Holon Fashion Week in November, to attract more US media attention to Israeli fashion. Among those invited are journalists from the popular fashion magazines Elle, Glamour and Latina, and some leading fashion bloggers.

Athiya Shetty to add star power to AIFW

(Photo:prom dresses uk) "Hero" actress Athiya Shetty, also the brand ambassador for Maybelline New York, will be walking the ramp for designer duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Spring Summer 2016 here on Saturday.
The actress will showcase the designers' pret collection, inspired by the Maybelline woman who is modern, edgy, ambitious and diverse.
The collection which follows the theme of 'Many Mazes, Many Minds', will see structured silhouettes in mesh, silk organza and more highlighted with unique motifs, tone on tone embellishments and Rorschach embroideries.
Vivid tones of mint, white, coral, sky hues, frost and black form a strong part of the collection. A stark combination of black and white stripes has also been used which are in sync with Maybelline's motto of 'Make It Happen'.
"We are extremely excited to have Athiya Shetty make a debut for Maybelline New York at the grand platform of Amazon India Fashion Week. With established designers like Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, we look forward to a creating a show that will inspire women to express themselves with the power of make-up," Pooja Sahgal, general manager- marketing, Maybelline New York, said in a statement.

The ongoing five-day fashion gala that began on Wednesday has been low on Bollywood quotient so far. Only Bollywood beauties Konkona Sen Sharma, Mini Mathur, Deepti Naval and Soha Ali Khan were spotted applauding the collection of designer Sanjay Garg of the Raw Mango brand from the front row on Day One.Read more at:evening dresses

4 favourite earrings for this festive season

(Photo:plus size prom dresses) With the preps for the festive season in full swing and as everyone;s gearing to look their best for Navratri and Diwali.
Here's a little help as we suggest you the four most favourite earrings for this festive season.
The chandbaali Popularised by the blockbuster film Goliyon ki Raasleela Raam-Leela where Deepika Padukone looked fab in those heavy chandbaalis, two years on, this style is still the most 'in vogue' fashion statement when it comes to traditional dressing. The best part is that they come in great colours like neon pinks, greens and oranges, as well as in eternal golds and silvers.
The pearl dangler You can never go wrong with pearls, they just make any attire look classy. Simple pearl danglers in matte gold, oxidise or german silver make for great accessories this season. You can also go for the exquisite ones that have rows of small pearls weaved in thin gold strings dangling upto your shoulders.
The traditional jhumka A jhumka never goes out of fashion, be it ion gold or silver, this is the most eternal piece of jewellery you can own. There are several patterns in jhumkas these days, however the ones that have a deeper dome lined up with stones or pearls look beautiful, even if worn solo without any other accessory.
Funky earcuffs

Earcuffs are the most trendy piece of jewellery this festive season; a lot of girls are opting for them to sport a rather funky or grunge look. You can either wear them only as cuffs with a one side hairdo or paired with danglers for a more detailed look.Read more at:red carpet dresses