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| Afghans Protest Civilian Deaths Protests erupted in Afghanistan Wednesday in response to a U.S. military raid that may have killed 10 civilians, including eight children, over the weekend. online.wsj.com |
Obama to unveil 'bombing' report President Obama is to address the nation after the White House unveils a unclassified account of the Christmas Day bomb plot. news.bbc.co.uk |
Witness describes Philippine killings The first eyewitness to testify against the chief suspect in a Philippines massacre describes the horror of the scene. news.bbc.co.uk |
Climate body admits glacier error The IPCC gave the wrong date for Himalayan glacier melt, but says it does not change the picture of man-made climate change. news.bbc.co.uk |
John Galliano updates Gibson Girls for Dior at Paris fashion week A new decade arrived at Paris haute couture fashion week today. But naturally – this being the self-consciously elite world of fashion's most exclusive clique – it was not the same one the rest of the world has entered. Instead, in the Avenue Montaigne headquarters of Christian Dior, designer John Galliano heralded the 1900s, and the cartoonish, cream-puff feminine aesthetic of the Gibson Girls.The exaggerated proportions of the women drawn by illustrator Charles Gibson, with their unfeasibly small waists, swagged lace skirts and bouffant hairdos topped by beribboned hats, might seem a stretch from modern womanhood. But as Galliano showed today, the shape and mood is surprisingly close to the glamour-model ideal which is much in evidence in celebrity magazines and at red carpet events. With the sculpted jackets cut with unmistakable Galliano brilliance and the vast hairdos given a modern spin with outsize buns wrapped in a web of black netting, the clothes looked as relevant to contemporary wardrobes as those on a couture catwalk are ever intended to.What this collection will mean, filtered through to the real world, is another shot in the arm for fashion's ongoing obsession with the perfect jacket. Fitted, cutaway styles look to take over from last season's shoulder-padded power dressing looks. It will also lend weight to the emerging trend for soft, sherbet colours – parma violet, apricot and lemon were used to great effect here.Changes are to be heard ringing throughout haute couture this week, with fashion's most traditional enclave embracing fake blood spatters, an orgy of diamonds, new-generation designer mobile phones, handbag designs by Kate Moss and a public slanging match.The Chambre Syndicale, governing body of French fashion, has moved to offset the blow of the departure of Christian Lacroix – the designer has filed for bankruptcy – by introducing new elements to the previously staid calendar. Joseph Thimister, a designer tipped for greatness a decade ago before slipping from commercial favour, was invited to return and staged a collection inspired by the "bloodshed and opulence of 1915", which included fake Russian army uniforms spattered with fake blood, and beaded frocks in regulation-uniform khaki.On Thursday, a handful of exclusive jewellery brands including Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels have been invited to stage jewel "shows" for those customers whose appetite for shopping can no longer be sated in the ateliers now that the roster of couture designers has dwindled to 11. In between, smart brands are taking the opportunity to pounce on a captive audience of high-rollers twiddling their thumbs in the Ritz between shows: Versace is launching its latest mobile phone to an exclusive audience of top clients, and Longchamp has chosen this week to unveil a range of handbags designed by Kate Moss.Meanwhile, Giorgio Armani, a relative newcomer to Paris, but secure in his position as sole owner of a multimillion-pound fashion empire, has openly accused the house of Christian Dior, and by inference Galliano, of foul play after Dior changed the timings of today's show, forcing Armani to put back his scheduled catwalk slot from 7.30pm to 9pm. Calling the change "last-minute, unexpected and unjustifiable", he said it was "indicative of a lack of respect for other people's time and labour".A spokeswoman for Dior responded by taking what, in couture, passes for the moral high ground: "We think it is not elegant to comment."Paris fashion weekFashionFashion designersFranceJess Cartner-Morleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |