Dhaka, April 18 (UNB) - The second Bangladesh Fashionology Summit will be held here on May 2, aiming to firm the footings of Bangladesh to fetch its share in the $130bn global market.

Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), the organizer of the summit, unveiled this at a press conference at a city hotel on Thursday. 

The summit has been titled ‘Digitalization-the Next Destination’ which is aligned with the government’s goal - ‘Digital Bangladesh Vision’.

A total of 41 speakers from 15 countries will speak at various sessions of the summit to be held at International Convention City, Bashundhara.

Organizers said smart clothing is the fourth industrial textile revolution which will reach a sales volume of more than US $130bn by 2025.

“The recent increase of wages and the cost of production have made it inevitable for the apparel manufacturers to concentrate on value added products. The $130 billion smart clothing market is an area we need to focus on to survive and thrive,” said founder and CEO of BAE Mostafiz Uddin.

The shift from producing basic to smart clothing will not be so easy and it has to be done gradually with proper planning and preparation. The objective of the summit is to facilitate the shift, he said adding that all have to work together if they want to do something better.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will attend the summit as the chief guest.

Ambassador and Head of Delegation, Delegation of European Union to Bangladesh RensjeTeerink, Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Winnie Estrup Petersen, Honorary Consul General, Consulate of Greece in Dhaka and Senior Vice President of BGMEA Faruque Hassan, Managing Director, KDS Group MdSalimRahman and Director, Pioneer Denim Limited Md. Mohiuddin Ahmed, among others, will address in the inaugural session of the event.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi will attend the closing session as the chief guest. DNCC Mayor M Atiqul Islam, FBCCI President M Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, BGMEA President-elect Rubana Huq, Dutch Ambassador Harry Verweij, Pacific Jeans Ltd Chairman Naser Uddin will also attend. 

Dhaka, Apr 8 (UNB) - April showers bring May flowers! We are well into monsoon and it’s time to update our wardrobes with the change of the seasons. The weather in Dhaka can be quite unpredictable with heavy rain pouring down on us one minute and a surge of heat wave hitting us the next. However, you can still stay trendy while remaining comfortable to fight all the storms (or the lack thereof). 

Street style has had a great impact on the fashion scene all around the world and Dhaka is no exception. It is the perfect gateway for minimalistic and sleek fashion. Mixing up elements from both cooler and warmer seasons may help you execute the perfect outfit for a transitory season like this. While many suggest wearing brighter colours to stand out in the dull and gloomy days, it is better to make the transition smoother by choosing the best of both worlds. You can opt for basic crew neck t-shirts with breezy wide-legged denims and accessorize with a pop of colour, adding some light to the darker hues. So, darker fabrics but brighter accessories – the perfect mix!

You can also wear long sleeveless dresses with a plain black, grey or white tee to stay warm yet breezy. Culottes, flared jeans, bell bottoms and maxi skirts are the best options for this season. Pair these with fitted tops – maybe in pastel or floral prints and you will look divine thanks to the flattering proportions. 

Never underestimate the power of accessories! As I mentioned earlier bright colours are the way to go. Boho rattan bags were all the rave last summer but this year we saw a shift to micro bags. Yes, we are channeling the early 2000s fashion and summoning the tiny handbags and sunglasses. You can wear a pair of perky statement earrings and carry a small messenger or hobo bag for that retro feel. In terms of shoes – you can easily pair up all of these looks with a pair of sneakers. The ‘ugly’ sneaker trend is still peaking but you can also style up these with a pair of Old Skool Vans or any white sneakers. If you want a more feminine touch, then go for a pair of peep toe wedges to stay classy. The most functional accessory that you can carry is your umbrella and a transparent one would be super cute! 

In terms of makeup, less is definitely more this season. It is best to wear a breathable base e.g. concealer and powder or just BB cream and powder with a pinch of coral blush. For eyes, matte eyeshadows and volumising mascara would be the dream team. You can add brighter colours to the inner corner of your eyes for highlighting e.g. mustard yellow or salmon pink making the look much more interesting. Another major trend in makeup which is returning are monochrome tones – one single shade instead of lighter to darker transitions. You can simply add a wash of matte rose gold eyeshadow for some added warmth to your subtle base. For highlighter, glossy ones are the way to go instead of super shimmery ones. It is best to stick to warmer nude tones for lipstick and save the dramatic and loud shades for summer. 

Let’s not surrender ourselves to the impulsive weather but embrace it in our own style. Dress up, show up and don’t let anyone dull your sparkle!  

By: Nazila Nihad

Dhaka, Feb 25 (UNB) - The three-day long TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2019 showcasing the works of fashion designers of home and abroad came to an end on Monday. 

The event, arranged by TRESemmé, an American luxury brand took place at Bashundhara International Convention City. 

Starting on Saturday, it displayed works of 19 Bangladeshi and 11 international designers of Asia. It was the biggest fashion event of TRESemme in country. 

The event featured designers like Paromita Banerjee from India, Humaira Khan, Riffat Reza Raka, Sarah Karim, Sadiya Mishu, Musarrat Rahman, Aishath Shamla from the Maldives, Ezmat Naz Rima, Lipi Khandker and Anu Shrestha from Nepal and more. 

TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2019

Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh (FDCB) was the creative partner of TRESemmé Bangladesh Fashion Week 2019. 

New York, Feb 10 (AP/UNB) — If there were a best-view award at New York Fashion Week, Christian Siriano would win it. The sights outside the designer's runway show atop Rockefeller Center were hard to beat: The Empire State building, the Chrysler Building and other Manhattan landmarks, just as the sun began to set on a cold but clear Saturday.

As for the clothes, Siriano looked to the future — the far-off future — with a collection that had an outer-space feel, with shiny silver metallics and highly sculpted futuristic shapes.

Even the colors were galactic: "Pulsar purple," ''comet blue," ''eclipse black," ''astral plane ivory," ''asteroid gray," and "supernova silver."

Siriano himself was full of apologies as he came out for his post-show bow, telling the crowd "I'm so sorry!" for the late start — a result of congestion in elevators leading up to the venue, and lines snaking through the lobby at Rockefeller Center. He repeated the apologies throughout post-show interviews.

The celebrity guests didn't seem to mind too much: Debra Messing, Billy Porter and Mariska Hargitay whooped with admiration as some of Siriano's flamboyant designs came down the runway.  Other celebs in attendance included actresses Christina Hendricks, Christina Ricci, Danielle Brooks, and Kelli Giddish.

"I'm thinking of futurism," Siriano said backstage about his theme, "and what do people think about that, what does futuristic mean to everybody else? So mine was if you had to live in a different realm, a different world, how would you dress, and what would your social calendar be like. What would inspire you?"

The designer is known for the diversity of his runway — in terms of racial diversity and also size — and said he remained committed, "because that's who our customer is, that's our world, that's what's out there. So it doesn't make sense to not have that, all these different women. I think that was very important to highlight the range of beauty."

Plus-sized model Tess HolIiday, who attended the show, said Siriano was "size inclusive and he's one of the first designers to do it. He continuously not only shows up for our community, but puts on beautiful shows."

Siriano said he'd just finished taping his first season as mentor on "Project Runway," taking over from Tim Gunn, and working alongside supermodel Karlie Kloss.

"It was awesome," he said of returning to the reality show, which he won as a contestant in its fourth season. "I love working with Karlie. I think it's going to be really great." He said he'd be bringing his perspective as a working designer to the show's contestants.

"I treat them the same way I treat my staff, my team," he said. "Like, 'Do you like that fabric? Do you think that's right? I'm giving them advice the same way I would give my team advice."

Siriano was full of appreciation for the vocal support he gets from his celebrity guests.

"Sometimes fashion people can be a bit, you know, they're tired," he quipped, "so it's so nice to have (his celebrity fans) there to support me, because listen, they're wearing the clothes. So even if an editor hates the clothes, I'm like, 'Well that's fine, Debra Messing is nominated for a Golden Globe and I'm going to dress her! So for me, that's important. And I don't know why other people don't think it is."

Bangkok, Dec 17 (AP/UNB) — The Philippines' Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 in a competition concluding Monday in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home country.

The 24-year-old Gray wore a sparkling red dress she said is inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favored Southeast Asian contestants.

She said she wore red because "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress." She said her mom cried when they saw each other after she won the competition.

Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-place Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela. She succeeds Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa.

In the Philippines, pageants are a popular attraction, and Gray's countrymen cheered wildly and jumped for joy when she was declared the winner. Celebrations were especially buoyant in Oas town in the northeastern province of Albay, from which Gray's Filipina mother hails.

The office of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate the winner. Gray is the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe.

"Ms. Gray truly made the entire Philippines proud when she sashayed on the global stage and showcased the genuine qualities defining a Filipina beauty: confidence, grace, intelligence and strength in the face of tough challenges," he said in a statement from the presidential palace. "In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work."

An early round of questioning touched on the issue of drugs, where Duterte's aggressive 'war on drugs' has taken thousands of lives, many in what critics charge were extrajudicial executions. Duterte raised even more controversy when he recently joked that he smoked marijuana to deal with the busy schedule of meetings with other Asian leaders at a regional summit.

Asked what she thought about legalizing marijuana, Gray said: "I'm for it being used for medical use, but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people will argue, then what about alcohol and cigarettes? Everything is good but in moderation."

This year's Miss Universe competition included the first-ever transgender contestant, Miss Spain Angela Ponce. She said in a video presentation that it was not important for her to win but was more important for her "to be here."

One of the few controversies of this year's contest involved Miss United States Sarah Rose Summers seeming to mock contestants from Cambodia and Vietnam over their English language skills. Summers apologized.

The finale was again hosted by Steve Harvey who infamously announced the wrong winner in the 2015 contest. Harvey joked briefly about the incident in exchanges with contestants and said "You all can't let that go" and "I'm still here."

The theme of the 67th Miss Universe pageant was "Empowered Women" and was judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen, and a fashion designer.

The contestants spent nearly a month in Thailand to compete in preliminary rounds wearing elaborate national costumes, visit famous tourist sites and even met the country's prime minister.