Last month, Brazilian-based modelling agency, Star Models, launched a controversial eating disorder awareness campaign which draws attention to the unrealistic proportions of models in many fashion sketches. Grace Carter examines the role played by such advertisements.
by Grace Carter
Pakistan's growing fashion industry was an unlikely influence upon the country's recent general elections, held on May 11. Laaleen Khan explores how local designers have been marrying design and politics in their unified vision for Naya Pakistan (a new Pakistan).
Parisian women have long been regarded as the ultimate symbols of elegance and chic. But is this, in fact, a reality? Photographer Baudouin (yes, a one name wonder) sets out to uncover the world of Parisian women, resulting in the eclectic photo series, 75 Parisiennes.
by Alina Kulesh
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Vladimir Nabokov, Jackson Pollock, Alfred Hitchcock and Man Ray: men who have shaped the arts in the 20th century. But look closely at their shadows, and you'll see their unsung partners, better halves, and, in many cases, worst enemies - in female form.
by Alina Kulesh
A growing number of New York City-based fashion designers have been resettling in rural towns further upstate. Amanda Coen explores what is driving their move, how they're operating in their new communities and how technology is making it possible to continue their careers from afar.
by Amanda Coen
Irene Kim is a co-founder and COO of Geeky Chic, Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of The Genteel.
Alina is the editor of frank by The Genteel, freelance writer and occasional portrait painter.
Mona is a co-founder and CEO of Geeky Chic, Inc. and of her brainchild, The Genteel.
David is an East to West coast Canadian currently skulking through the streets of Vancouver.
Cristina reports for The Genteel from Rome. She is a professional freelance journalist with ten years of experience.
Semhar Woldeyesus is writer whose primary reporting interests include design, music and culture.
Erin hails from the San Francisco Bay Area, but has called Madrid home for the last four years.
Grace is an editorial assistant at The Genteel and a contributing writer from London, where she has recently graduated with a First-Class degree in English from Loughborough University.
Louise is a British born, Australian raised English Literature and Art History student from Brisbane.
Amanda is a photographer and writer with a love for travel, fashion, design and adventure.
An East-coast girl by nature but a European at heart, Julia is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor obsessed with the fashion, culture and art scenes from Montreal to New York.
Alina Kulesh speaks with Oscar-nominated costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, the creative mastermind behind Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2005) and now Joe Wright's upcoming film, Anna Karenina. Durran's designs had to reflect Wright's expressionistic and experimental directorial vision - and the result is a stunning blend of two centuries.
How do high-end designers and fashion houses influence the collections of high street brands? Why do many low-priced pieces look strikingly similar to last season's designer-wear? David Walmsley sheds light on these questions by discussing several permutations of the "trickle-down theory".
While it would seem that fashion and food only team up when another stain-fighting detergent hits the market, that's about to change. A prominent clothing retailer has joined forces with a premier food publication and a foodie website to promote one of summer's juiciest collections.
In recent years, the city of Mumbai has burst forth massively onto the style scene. Since the hugely popular biannual Lakme Fashion Week debuted in Mumbai in 2006, a new group has been adding to the city's fashionable image - fashion bloggers and personal stylists.
William Morris: renowned textile designer of the late-nineteenth century, founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, fan of Gothic architecture, Renaissance man - and now an artistic influence at New York fashion week. Alex Korchynski observes as Morris's work comes full circle.
Clothing that was once considered to be multi-seasonal and of good quality is increasingly becoming disposable and cheap as a result of turnover-driven companies and style-seeking shoppers. However, in a bid to break the cycle, many consumers are now turning towards a slow fashion philosophy. Erin Ridley takes a deeper look at the industry and the psychology behind the shift.
E-commerce shopping websites, along with bigger retailers, are exploring new ways of connecting with their customers, ways that seem to transcend traditional editorial models. Paul Aguirre-Livingston explores the next incarnations of the mail-order catalogue.
Luxury boutiques are cropping up in malls in cities big and small; high-end labels are offering low-end creations at retailers like Zara, H&M and Topshop; and, little by little, premium boutiques are morphing into sales-churning online shops. The democratisation of high-end fashion, especially via e-commerce, is changing the luxury landscape as we know it.
NEW YORK - Max Ekman, CEO of Finnish design company, Visionary Design Partners Helsinki Inc.
NEW YORK - London-based solicitor, Graham, in a stunning Vivienne Westwood cape coat.
NEW YORK - Aspiring stylist, Gerald Leveritt, on his way to work at Onassis in SoHo.
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The Genteel is committed to delivering quality journalism, unearthing the forces shaping international fashion and design, through the lens of business, culture, society, best kept secrets and street style. As multi-dimensional and stimulating as its readers, The Genteel is the inspired destination where informed readers converge with in-depth fashion and design coverage.
A worldwide collective of contributors currently form The Genteel. On a daily basis our team dispatches thought-provoking and insightful articles from the streets of Oslo, Toronto, Beirut, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Seoul and beyond.
