Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Fashion designers: who is from where

By: Anne Robinson
Follow me on twitter amr8798
Email me at amr8798@gmail.com

We all know that fashion has always thrived in Europe. But there are also some amazingly well known American designers. So here's a little guide to designers and who came from where.

Knowing a designer's origins and where their collections are made today can also keep you from getting a fake or knock-off. If your handbag made by an Italian designer says it was made in China, I hate to break it to you, but it's probably not authentic...but I'm hoping you knew that already.

So, just to be patriotic and show a sense of nationalism, I'll start with the top American designers.

Marc Jacobs (I'm sure you know by now that I love this man's designs!) is an American designer even though he has gone international, working with Louis Vuitton while living and working a lot in France.

Vera Wang is another designer that America has to be thankful for. Her name is embedded in pop culture and celebrities love to call her up when they get engaged.

You might be surprised, but Oscar de la Renta is considered an American brand. He is from the Domincan Republic but came to the U.S. to start his career.

Our good old American boy, Calvin Klein, his collections may have changed, but his roots haven't.

Can you get more American than Ralph Lauren? I don't think so... Mr. Lauren lives and works from within the U.S.

Donna Karan's designs are recognized throughout the world, but she lives and works in New York City. (Hence forth her brand, DKNY)

You might ask yourself, with these amazing designers why ever buy from an international designer? Well...America is lucky to boast some impressive fashion natives, but we can't forget about the amazing collections that come from Europe.

Let's travel to Italy next...or pretend anyway.

Giorgio Armani, who is the king of making men on the red carpet look fabulous, is one of Italy's most successful designers. Just an interesting piece of info, he was also the first designer to ban models who have a BMI of under 18 after one of his runway models died of anorexia nervosa.

Roberto Cavalli, born and raised in Florence loves to experiment and try new techniques. He lives with his wife and children in a villa overlooking Florence.

Fendi italian fashion house is best known for it's handbags. Fendi is based in Italy but has boutiques all over the world.

This is Italy, so as you can imagine the list goes on and on. Just a few more of the many amazing Italian fashion designers include: Gucci, Prada, Versace, Nina Ricci, and Salvatore Feragamo.

Now, on to France--home of haute-couture.

Pierre Cardin studied architecture in Paris, he is well known throughout the world. Sadly, he recently sold everything...an unfortunate hit for the fashion world. (Because I know you want to know...I wear his glasses and they are fabulous).

Chanel has improved fashion for the entire world, her skill and creativity is why she was the only fashion designer to be included in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the 20th century.

Christian Dior, who hails from Normandy, actually opened up an art gallery before starting his career in fashion design. He died at the age of 52, although there were mixed reports as to how: some say he had a heart attack from: playing cards, having sex, or choking on a fish bone, while some other reports claim he died of a seizure.

To end out the French list I'll throw a few more names at you: Louis Vuitton (like you didn't already know that), Hermes, Christian Lacroix, and Yves Saint Laurent.

As you can see, fashion can thrive and spread anywhere in the world. But, you don't have to run off to Paris to be the ultimate fashionista.

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