Keeping Up with Anna Dello Russo IV

“It’s good to try to render the dream of fashion for a wide market to relate to the time we live in,” Anna Dello Russo

Macy's introduced Anna Dello Russo as INC International Concepts' editor at large for the Fall/Winter 2001 collection at the line's launch event last night in New York City.Dello Russo, an editor at Vogue Japan, is well known for her over the top style and droves of fashion-hungry fans. So, it comes as no surprise that Macy's would tap someone with her vibrant aesthetic to edit and style INC's Fall collection.

Last night's event displayed Dello Russo's lively spirit through "day in the life" videos projected on the venue's walls. Dello Russo did not attend the event, but Solange Knowles, June Ambrose and Genevieve Jones were on hand to preview the collection and take in the sights and sounds.

You can expect a distinctively Modernist feel from the Fall 2011 INC Collection, complete with color block separates, tons of hot pink and plenty of polka dots. Add some fur faux, a bit of attitude, a reasonable price tag (everything retails between $30-$169) and you're ready for the Fall season.

The Launch of INC’s Fall  2011 Collection By Anna Dello Russo

Favorite Pics of Anna 

Balmain Dress
Fendi Clutch

Moschino Dress
Moschino Bag

Mary Katrantzou Dress

Balmain Dress

Alaïa Shoes

Balmain Blazer
Balmain Pants
Miu Miu Clutch

Rochas Jumpsuit
Fendi Clutch

Going-Broke-Playing-Games
Going Broke Playing Games
You Don't Have To And Here's How

If you haven't looked at the cost of new computer or video games and gaming systems as a whole recently, you might be in for a shock. Today's games and gaming systems can run from a meager $30 all the way to a whopping four hundred dollars or more. To a loving mother of a game obsessed teenager, the costs can be astronomical and nothing short of frightening. Fortunately the cost of buying quality computer or video games (including the systems that they run on) can be significantly reduced once you know what to do and where to look.

One alternative to funding a gaming pursuit with a second mortgage is to "go old." By "going old," we mean buying last month's or year's games and game systems. If you could admit the one truth that we all know, but never readily face, you could literally save hundreds of dollars in an instant. This truth is that unless you're a millionaire, none of us can afford to buy the latest toy on the market. The ugly fact behind that truth is that within a relatively short amount of time (say, 60-90 days?), that latest toy will be replaced with a new and improved system, which consequently, grants access to what was wanted in the first place - at half the price! So go old and have a little patience. Within about three to four months, you will have made a tremendous saving.

When it comes to computer gaming, you could also come out better by upgrading games rather then an entire computer. It can take anywhere from a year or more for a gaming company to release a new version and chances are, the upgrade doesn't require new hardware - it just requires a new payment. Remember, the gaming industry can't really keep up with the computer industry either (no one can), so there's no reason to panic or worry. Concentrate on keeping your game current rather than your system. Only in rare instances, such as if your computer is archaic to begin with, will you need to upgrade your hardware. Shop wisely and you can catch a new soundcard, joystick, or graphics card on sale. But if you have a high gigahertz processor and Direct X 9 installed, you'll do fine for quite a while.

Here's a whopper of an idea and one that probably won't take as much of an effort to convince younglings to do as you might think. But to curb the costs of gaming, perhaps a group of families could pitch in and share the finances together. Depending on the number in a group, the cost of a new gaming system - and 5 or 6 of the most popular games - could diminish to 20% or more of their original costs.

And since gaming consoles are getting smaller and smaller, there's no reason why a group of families couldn't band together and trade gaming space within their homes every week or two. This way the kids in the neighborhood can enjoy one or two of the new systems on the market that they could never otherwise afford, and they can enjoy them without their parents having to shoulder the burden of funding them alone.

Seeing that kids generally play games together anyway, a group effort of this sort satisfies game cravings at a significantly reduced cost and it keeps everyone happy.

Designer We Love Ryan Jordan

Modern, structural and radical plays of color and texture are just a few words which came to mind when I first saw Designer Ryan Jordan creations .

Ryan Holds a Bachelor of Fine Art in Fashion Design from Parsons New School for Design,NYC. After interring and working for some of the biggest names in the industry: Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung and most recently Tom Ford.

Ryan provocative approach to his womenswear Collection  is strong, sleek and sophisticated. Through sheer hard work and determination Ryan has garnered attention from some of the worlds top style bibles Lady Gaga Herself.

 "My collection gives a woman the freedom to embrace her sexuality in a quirky and  fearless position"Ryan Jordan

In designing his collection Ryan believes in the theme of contrast within his ideas, color palettes and textural treatments. The interplay between opposing characteristics brings interest to his work whether is drape versus structure or muted versus vibrant.

About his debut collection SS 2012  “Sexual Sensory”  Ryan Says : "Ryan Jordan’s 2012 S/S Collection dives into the visual intimacies of the female form with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. It takes inspirations from the subtle sexuality of a woman’s breasts and amplifies it into a bold and daring garment which shows confidence while still remaining chic. Despite having and underlying sense of stimulation, the silhouette remains body conscious with higher waistlines and longer hemlines. Bold textures, clean angles and dauntless eroticism combine to create a complimentary contrast of simplicity and sexuality. With heavy emphasis on two contrasting concepts come a diverse color palette consisting of; green with envy, black lacquer, stark white and burnt sienna."

"I go with what stimulates me through my senses"Ryan Jordan

Lady Gaga in Ryan Jordan's Corset :

Lady Gaga in a  Ryan Jordan's Python Leather Skirt :

Credit: Ryan Jordan's Official Facebook Page 

             AGAR Apparel

Software Piracy
It's Best To Avoid It At All Costs

Like electronic identity theft, computer viruses, and the spread of other computer crimes, software piracy is on the rise. The problem with software piracy is that software costs make this illegal activity appealing to the end user. After all, who is it going to hurt? Rich software companies?? This article investigates software piracy as a whole and the impact that it has on the computer using industry.

The most vulnerable victims of software piracy are software businesses or independent programmers who create and distribute commercial software or shareware. We described shareware in another article, but because both commercial software and shareware require payment, they're the target of pirates who seek to make these kinds of programs free to use.

Depending on their binding legal agreements, licensing typically allows the use of a single program on a single computer. This set up is usually fine for a user who uses software at home on one computer. But in an environment where there are five, ten, twenty or more computers, buying a license for each computer can be down-right costly. So costly that the temptation to pirate a little software here and there can be pretty tempting.

Co-workers are familiar with this temptation and they're often the ones who "share" purchased software among those who need it. However the same temptation also prompts others to knowingly or unknowingly buy bootleg copies of commercial software or registered shareware. 

As tempting as it is, it's still illegal and the punishments/fines for sharing commercial or registered software is too much for one to bear. In recent news, "Yahoo China loses music piracy case (AP via Yahoo! News) A court has ordered Yahoo Inc.'s China subsidiary to pay $27,000 for aiding music piracy, the company and a music industry group said Tuesday."1 Additionally, "EU lawmakers approve prison terms, fines for major commercial piracy (International Herald Tribune) EU lawmakers voted Wednesday for legislation that would set prison sentences and fines for large-scale commercial piracy, but exempt patents and copying carried out for personal use." 2

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Schools can research student versions of commercial software or ask for a school discount. Just because school rates aren't advertised, it doesn't mean that they aren't available.  Freeware or open source software (also described in another one of our articles) is another alternative to pirating commercial-ware, as well as shareware. And using older versions of programs could additionally reduce the costs associated with commercial versions.

Up until recently, public opinion held little faith in freeware or open source software - often regarding it as low-quality knock-off's of better known commercial products. But if you take a good look at what's being offered at no cost, you may be in for a big surprise. The quality of today's freeware and open source software created a strong rift among the commercial community and it's literally driving the competition bananas! So much so, that even some well known software development corporations have joined the cause and built a few freeware open source products of their own!

If you can remember that there are hoards of alternatives to costly commercial software (and you make the effort to get it), you'll discover that you can keep up with the rest of the computer industry at a significantly cheaper cost than if you attempted to pay your way down the software aisle. Software piracy just isn't the answer.

We Love Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum | Getaria Spain

THE work of Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga has been honoured with a new museum dedicated to his life and great legacy, located in the designer's hometown of the medieval port town Getaria. His grave overlooks the town, and now also overlooks the votive space built in homage to one of the key fashion figures of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

The €30 million Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa showcases Balenciaga's grand style in the form of dresses exhibited like precious artworks, with one of the six display areas given over entirely to bridal gowns. Not least of these is a mink-trimmed ivory-silk dress with a 20-foot train, the wedding attire of Queen Fabiola of Belgium - a Spanish aristocrat before marrying King Baudouin I of Belgium in 1960.

The opening of the museum last week was attended by the height of Spanish society - with Queen Sofia of Spain amongst the glamorous invitees, some of whom had donated dresses to the collection. Spanish-born Estrella Archs, Emanuel Ungaro's former head designer, summed up the strength of feeling that led to the project.

"Balenciaga is the essence of Spain," she told the International Herald Tribune. "There is a side that is very rustic and a side that is very sophisticated about Spain. His work was sophisticated and very pure - his modernity was about being very simple, with a very Spanish modesty and pride."

photo Credit :Buro

How to go about earning an Extra Income

Extra Income means an income that you can earn apart from the regular income coming in from employment or normal work. This earning can be used to payoff your outstanding debts or build up a capital account or spend it on luxuries that you could only think about before. Everyone seems to want a second income but no one wants to work a second job, so the extra income is normally seen as a windfall.

When we compare income levels in different countries, it is evident that the average income per person is less than $15,000 a year--in other words, where many people are near the breadline -- Extra Income really does make people happier and improves their lifestyle.

But countries which have average income above the normal subsistence level of approximately $15,000 a year, happiness seems to be income independent. For example, an average American ranks richer than an average Indian or an Austrian, but also less happy.

Why does this happen? People always look at their income relatively with some norm or the other and the norm keeps rising all the time.  And this norm is what increases the spending, more or less in direct proportion to the income. Two things drive up the norm with which people compare their incomes. One is the income that they themselves have experienced -- which habituates them to higher standards of living. And the other is the income that their colleagues or neighbors get, and which they try to outdo.

The extra income options available today are targeted to generate employment and are targeted specifically at people who can use their skills that are lying dormant to make some more money for themselves. To achieve a moderate success in generating an extra income one should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This would greatly help in selection of a most suitable way to generate extra income.

The selection process consists of logical steps. Firstly one should ask themselves of an honest opinion of their strengths, what they excel at? What do people around them keep complimenting or criticizing them on?, are they perfectionists?, For example, if you are a  computer literate you could help your neighborhood in upgrades, repairs or installation of software.

The extra income can also be augmented by doing extra seasonal chores like raking leaves in the fall or clearing snow in winters. These are just a few ideas, but making an extra income augmented with self analysis will take away the need for a second job.

Today the internet and the general market have a lot of ideas for generating extra income. Network marketing in general market terms has been successful to some extent. Internet offers something similar that says affiliate marketing. The internet also offers a host of other options like writing, advertising and simple technical non-technical jobs which can highly augment your regular income. The extra income that can be earned form these opportunities depends on how good your skills in the field of your selection.