From Tradition to Modern - A New Kimono Design

From tradition to modern, how the traditional kimono top transformed to a modern design is the key issue for our design of new Kimono Wrap Tie Top series. This new series is available at CM Style Fashion. Extracting main elements of wrap tie design, wide sleeve, gorgeous oriental prints from the tradition and adding modern design of uneven pointed sleeves, slimmer tie in waist area and unbalanced bottom hem, the series gives a good harmony and stylish look. Different colors are available for your selection.

Japanese Kimono Style Top

Chic kimomo style blouse tops that effortlessly blends traditional and contemporary styles

Kimono Style Wrap Tie Blouse

Kimono style wrap tie tops designed with a modern twist to add a touch of sophistication to any outfit

Kimono Sleeveless Blouse

Elevate your wardrobe with a touch of Japanese elegance in our kimon style sleeveless blouse top

Fashion Trends 2014 F/W

Here we go for the fashion trends for Fall/Winter 2014. Major trends includes the following:

1. Eye-Catching Fur

Fur / Faux fur is a commonly used element by fashion designers in their Fall/Winter collections. This element was presented with elegance and luxury in the past. However, this season, designers tried to inject fresh ideas including spots, color blocks and ethnics into fur / faux fur designs. Such change has broadened the audience to younger generations. Brands leading this trend include Moschino, Prada And Pucci.

2. Art Pop

Vivid colors is another tune set in this F/W in addition to the traditional gray and black color mix. Pink and green(Dior), green and yellow(Pucci), red and blue(Versace), unexpected and vibrant hues are all over the runway. Besides colors, designs also turn color into their painting with different artistic patterns(Kenzo), geometric shapes(Chanel) and cartoon figures(Moschino and Yoji Yamamoto).

3. Keep Metallic

Metallic colors are trending to be more popular in F/W collections. Their eye-catching shiny nature gives the dull colors more attractions and modern styles. Brands like Miu Miu and Moncler Gamme Rouge also inject sportive design elements into their collections.

Fashion Trends 2012 F/W - Colors





Black is a favorite color for almost every F/W. People seems to be never getting tired with this color trend or should we not call this a fashion trend but a fashion classic? For those who have got bored with the black or dark colors, you may find life is more vivid in this F/W. Purple and Pink have come to the mind of fashion designers.

Purple :

Purple is a combination of red and blue. One from the cold tones and one from the warm tones which may reflect a mixture of passion and coolness in human. No matter you want to show which feeling, purple gives you the choice. Apart from the feelings, it also adds a bit feminine to your style. Haider Ackermann, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Lanvin show you the way to dress in purple.

Pink :

Pink is one of the favorite colors since we are girls. It's strange that when people are getting older, it is fading out of our life. Is it because pink color is a representation of romance? People are becoming more practical when getting older. However, this season, you may be able to pick up some of the romantic memories from your childhood as pink is back to remind you romance never die. Love is always embedded in your heart. Come and join Alexander McQueen, Yohji Yamamoto, Jil Sander, Marc Jacobs etc for a season of romance.

Go Stripey

Forget prisoners and sailors. Striped patterns and fashion are now icons of freedom, youthfulness and leisure. A stripey shirt is so subtly chic and supremely versatile that it is always a staple in any woman’s wardrobe. It never goes out of fashion. Matching with jeans and flats is a perfect smart causal look. For creative looks, pair striped fabric with lace to get a sophisticated and unique style. Layering items also make the outfits more interesting and eye-catching.

Wearing Sequins in the Day

Though sequined wears are usually associated with evening occasions and night parties, you can create a day appropriate outfit by opting for classic colours like black, gold or silver. By keeping your silhouette ...simple and classy, you can also avoid overkill. A complementary shrug, with matching details can also tone down your bling bling top and yet offering a chic look.

The sequin embroidery crochet shrug in sheer fabric allows you to incorporate the jazzy and eyecatching sequins in your wardrobe in a subtle and stylish way.

Layering Styles

Layering look! It adds warmth and makes summer dresses wearable all year round. It also adds colors to otherwise boring outfits and cover up some unflattering curves of body.
Some of the favourite layering styles include:

l. Using waistcoats and vests (or sometimes sleeveless tank tops) for layering. Choose an item with sequins, or made with faux fur to avoid looking old fashioned. Details like hoods, lace trimmings, or pom poms also help.

2. Another favourite is layering the bottom half with tights and leggings worn under a skirt or tunic, then paring with high boots. But it is important to make sure that the top is long enough hide the hip.

3. One of the layering accessories is scarf. Layering or not layering, scarves can be a frequent accessory. Pick sequined scarves and velvet scarves for occasions, and flowery prints for casual outfits. One way to wear a scarf is wearing it inside a blazer, with the ends of the scarf tucked in the waistline of the pants/skirt. This will make the scarf a nice-looking cross-bust blouse, fits for formal looks.

Sizing Issues of Buying Clothes Online

Sizing is one of the difficulties for buying fashion clothes online. As different countries adopt different sizing system for their people, it is very difficult to communicate effectively in sizing. The LARGE size in asian countries may be equivalent to the MEDIUM or SMALL size in western countries. Even the sizes stated by different brands may also vary a bit due to different designs, manufacturing requirements and vanity sizing.

Vanity sizing has been one of the major sizing problems for women buying clothes online. According to Wikipedia, vanity sizing, also known as size inflation is used to refer to the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming larger over time. The purpose of clothing manufacturers in creating vanity sizing is commonly thought to satisfy buyers' wishes to appear thin and feel better about themselves. A survey by Which? has revealed that around 90% of women find the unpredictability caused by vanity sizing annoying especially when buying clothes online becoming part of our life.

To cope with this issue, we have developed our own measuring system by measuring the actual lying flat measurements of various parts of clothes and stated these information clearly with illustrations in our clothes listings. By comparing the measurements stated with their own well fitted clothes, customers can clearly know whether the clothes will fit them or not. This method has been proved to be effective for most of the time but there are still some discrepencies happened on and off as some customers may not have actually done the comparisons.

Sometimes, some common senses can also help a lot in finding the right size clothes for you by finding out the following information :

1. Is the design is loosely fit? Loose fit design will have a wider range of fitting. Your own idea of fitting also matters. You want to dress it in tightly fit or loosely fit?

2. Is the fabric stretchy? Same design can fit more people with stretchy fabric.

3. If the clothes is presented on a mannequin, ask the seller what size is the mannequin such that you will have a better idea.

After all, a unified sizing system will be very useful and helpful for the developement of garment industry selling online. To make this happen, the governments of different countries should work more closely to tackle the trading barrier problems between countries such that people all around the world can enjoy the best design and fitted clothes.

Fashion Trends - Fall & Winter 2011

At the end of this hot hot summer, we need to start to look and plan for our new looks for this F/W 2011. How will the fashion trends go this time? What hints have the fashion designers provided to us to dress up ourselves? You must be very excited in finding the details. Below are some of the fashion trends this F/W for your reference :

1. Polka Dots

What? Some may think I must have made a mistake in typing this term. In the memories, this patterns belongs to the 80's and even older. However, I am serious in raising this fashion trends. This year the dots are presented in different ways and textures besides simple prints. Embroidery, sequin discs are adopted by Stella McCartney. Dots on lace fabrics in collections of Gucci, l.a.m.b, Malandrino and Salvatore Ferragamo. Dots with different sizes for Yohji Yamamoto, Lyn Devon and Azzaro. Even more, Marc Jacobs introduces a full set of polka dots design from hats, tops, dresses, skirts to hosiery in order to completely capture this trend,

2. High Class Fetish

Black leather, synthetic rubber, plastics, see-through fabrics and metal clips are common elements of Fetish fashion. This type of fashion is understood to be clothing that is not worn as the usual wardrobe of people, and is instead worn to create a particular reaction. However, fashion designers try to reform the tradition and create a Fetish fashion trend by mixing it with high class elements eg fur x fetish by Louis Vuitton, 3D cutting x fetish by Loewe and classic SM design by Alexander McQueen. Therefore this trend should be called High Class Fetish to differentiate with the traditional Fetish.

3. Gentlemen Look

In the modern world, this trend has always been hidden in the fashion designs of many famous fashion designers. Women like to be as powerful as men is the main theme behind this trend. Dress in a more masculine way also provides more varieties in fashion styles. One of the major appearance is the Tux look. Generally a shirt or a lace blouse inside with tuxedo outside in black or white colors is a great look to capture this trend. Another sexy way is a tuxedo outside with nothing underneath. Want more ideas? You may take a look at how Kirsten Dunst suited up for the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards. The 29-year-old actress wore a Patrik Ervell tux and shirt with Prada shoes. She accessorized with a ring and white gold and diamond bracelets from Bulgari. Meanwhile, British designer Phoebe Philo, who is the creative director for Celine also dressed in a Tux when attending the same ceremony.

Color of Clothing - A Way to Change Your Fortune

Maybe you are not so lucky recently. Maybe you feel that everything is going against you. Have you thought of selecting the right colors of your clothing to change your fortune? In traditional Chinese Fortune Telling, color is a way to affect your luck and fortune of your life. One of the popular system is the Flying Star System. In this system, 1 to 9 numbers are assigned to everything which in turn matching with the five elements to create an interacting effect. The nine numbers representing :

1 : white water

2 : black earth

3 : green wood

4 : green wood

5 : yellow earth

6 : white metal

7 : red metal

8 : white earth

9 : purple fire

Year of Birth for Women and matching Flying Star Numbers :

1960 : 2 ; 1961 : 3 ; 1962 : 4 ; 1963 : 5 ; 1964 : 6 ; 1965 : 7 ; 1966 : 8 ; 1967 : 9 ; 1968 : 1 ; 1969 : 2 ; 1970 : 3 ; 1971 : 4 ; 1972 : 5 ; 1973 : 6 ; 1974 : 7 ; 1975 : 8 ; 1976 : 9 ; 1977 : 1 ; 1978 : 2 ; 1979 : 3 ; 1980 : 4 ; 1981 : 5 ; 1982 : 6 ; 1983 : 7 ; 1984 : 8 ; 1985 : 9 ; 1986 : 1 ; 1987 : 2 ; 1988 : 3 ; 1989 : 4 ; 1990 : 5

From the above patterns, you can easily derive the Flying Star Number of your birth year. With this number and the knowledge of five elements, you can easily find the color which will promote your fortune. For example, if your flying star number is 8, your life element is earth so you can wear clothing with the color of fire such as red, orange or purple (fire promotes earth in five elements). Hope the above information can help to create a better lucky life for you.

Outfit Ideas: Bow Details

Has ever bow detail be out in the fashion trend? Bows appear on prom dresses, formal shirts and also on casual tees, and could never look out of the places.

I love bow detailed fashion items. Be it blouses, jewelry, shoes, belts and other accessories, bows add a bit feminine flair to any outfits. Moreover, bows resemble butterflies which are a luck symbol. (Butterflies evolve from caterpillars and hence a symbol of rebirth and advancement; the pronunciation of Butterflies in Chinese conveys the meaning of multiply)

It’s easy to incorporate bows into your wardrobe:
- Replace your white shirt with a silky bow blouse. It’s classy and elegant, recreating that 70s feel which is so charming and trendy.
- Get a bow printed shirt, or a top with the bow woven into it. They make the bow part of their structure.
- Opt for sequined embellishment in a large bow pattern, it’s a interesting, bold statement
- Bow piece embellishments on tunics are fun, eye-catching and just right.

There's just not many ways to get bows wrong; whether an oversized feature or simple ribbon, a bow can add a nice touch to outfits this season.

Up and Coming Outfit Idea for Spring: Layering

A good idea to stretch your wardrobe, go through the ever-changing weather of spring and to show off your unique sense of style. - Scarves are great items to create layering looks. Try wearing two light scarves to be warmer and funkier.

- Summer tops or slipdresses under cardigans, deep V-neck sweaters, or over a girly blouse. You can easily transform your favorite summer items by putting it over a tee or try a tube top underneath in a contrasting color.

- Try patterns / prints under solid layers, or vice versa.

- Lightweight tunics over jeans, a look you can get year-round.

- Try mix fabrics like sequined shrugs over t-shirts, denim over satin, lace over beaded/ prints for a more fashion-forward look.

- Add a blazer to any layering combinations for more important occasions.

Fashion Trends - Spring and Summer 2011

1. Animal Kingdom

Traditionally animal prints belong to winters. Among the most popular are leopard prints and tiger prints which are presented together with fur to create a warm and wild feeling. However, the animal prints extend to S/S collection this year. Beside the traditional prints, more animal patterns are added to create a genuine animal kingdom eg swan in Miu Miu collections and sheer butterfly for Sportmax. To make this trend more noticeable, Louis Vuitton even filled their fashion show with tiger decorations to harmonize their tiger prints designs.

2. Ethnic Designs

Ethnic elements are always popular in fashion designs no matter it's for S/S or F/W. Every year, fashion designers have picked out different ethnic elements from different nations to enrich their designs eg millitary look from Russia, kimono style from Japan, hippie style from Gypsy etc. This year, the focus is on China. Chinese traditional prints and fashion styles are widely adopted in the fashion design of various brands eg. Louis Vuitton has designed their collection showing Chinese Cheong Sam styles and Chinese fashion elements.

3. Acid Color

Harmony of colors or Clashes of colors is always a dilemma for women in choose their clothing set. More people will prefer a harmony of colors as it goes more natural in outlooks. However, this year, the dressing concept may be challenged by some leading fashion designers. The color schemes chosen by designers are in a more energetic and raw way eg teal and electric blue from Haider Ackermann and shiny yellow from Moschino. Clashes of colors are common on the runway eg Blue vs Orange and Purple vs Green (Jil Sander), Purple vs Orange (Gucci, YSL), Orange vs Green (Loewe). Eye catching is the way of choosing colors for this trend.

4. Clean Cut

Minimalism never dies. Less is more. Less design in clothing means more attention to the natural body. Clean cut design is a better way to outline the natural curve and shape of women. Modern fashion designers tend to over-design with the intention of showing how gifted they are. However, to design with less design elements is more challenging. Only a few masters in fashion can do beautiful clean cuts without losing aesthetics. Leading this trend are brands like Max Mara, Celine, Chloe etc.

Hooded Style, The Unique Style

Hoods are used to be incorporated into jackets and coats for comfort or protection against chills and rains. Wearing hoodie sweatshirt underneath leather jacket is something punk rockers had already been doing for ages. However, recent trends have incorporated hoods into everyday fashion from sweaters to shirts to casual blouses and even cocktail dresses.

Adding hoods to your outfits is a simple trick to jazz up your wardrobe. The hooded style gives a basic blouse that urban street wear look which enhances your uniqueness. Details like fur or lace trimmings could further express that casual chic that is loved by all, adding a spunky attitude into your character giving it a more fun and unique look. Hooded style is so versatile that it can be casual and dressy, and anyone can really look good in.

Enjoy the Fur Trend without Harming Animals

Luxurious and glamorous, yet warm and practical, no wonder the fur looks go strong in this winter. To enjoy the trend, opt for faux fur items. Not only that they come in jackets, vests, wraps, hats, bags that are fun but they also save lives and cash!

There are so many chic faux fur options at affordable prices. Wild animal patterns, fun patterns, bold or pastel colors, embroidered and sequined…they are warm and cozy.

If an overall piece is too much for you, why not try a fur collar to add to your coat, or add a faux fur wrap scarf to your wardrobe to pair with your party dresses. A fluffy cape or shrug is also a versatile choice to exude glamor and style in this festive season.

Spice Up Your Wardrobe with the Hot, Fun and Funky Animal Prints

Animal prints have always played an important role in fashion. In the upcoming season, this timeless trend has evolved into something cool, wild and sexy, all at the same item. Unleash your wildness and reinvent this classic pattern to look stunning.

Why Make Animal Prints So Popular?
Animal prints are diverse and provide loads of varieties in its prints and colors. Leopard spots, zebra and tiger stripes, giraffe and snake prints are everywhere from tops, blouses, coats, pants to scarves, handbags and shoes. Their color schemes are so natural and vibrant that they look good almost on anyone. In the coming season, newer looks in bright colors are also as exciting and charming as ever. Numerous celebrities have got into the flow with animal-print pieces brought into spotlights.

Wearing animal prints is not easy as there is a fine line between fabulous and a fashion disaster. Here come some experts’ tips to handle the wild prints:

Don’t Overdo Animal Prints: don’t try too hard to mix too many elements of an outfit, aim for a balanced ensemble

Stick to One Animal Print: it’s much easier to carry animal prints if you limit the print to one item at a time, and pair the item with a solid piece. Neutrals, solid black, crisp white, chocolate brown and beige are good color schemes to compliment animal prints.

Accessorize with Animal Prints: for an initial start, play safe for a subtle look with animal patterns in smaller items and accessories, like scarves, belts, bags, hats, and heels…

Ethnic - A Fashionable Addition to Style

Ethnic has been one of the popular fashion trends in recent years with a cultural background of increasing awareness of environmental and cultural proctection since 1990's. To fashion designers, simply play with style variations cannot fulfill their needs for varieties. The popularity of ethnic simply adds more imagination to their fashion designs from tranditional Chinese Cheong Sam to Gypsy Bohemian, from Russian to Indian and Middle-Eastern. Non-Western aesthetics have provided a fertile subject matter to develop creativity. Designers such as Christian Lacroix, Dries van Noten, John Galliano, Kenzo, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee and many others have taken these inspirations to create new design styles and mix & match different cultural elements into modern fashion designs. The inspirations are well prsented by Dries van Noten (one of the leading fashion designers for the ethnic fashion trend) who said "For me, exoticism is the elsewhere, the other, the difference. It is generally associated with distant countries. But for me, it is rather everything that reroutes us from the ordinary . . . from our habits, our certainties and from the everyday to plunge us into a world that is amazing, hospitable and warm." In fashion designs, ethnic is presented in gorgeous patterns and prints or some specific cultural fashion elements. As the world continues its globalization, it is foreseen that the ethnic fashion trend will keep going and may blossom to even greater success in the future.

As a piece of advice, when dressing in ethnic style fashion, don't forget to decorate yourself with accessories to beautify the fashion, in which way the characteristics can be highlighted and strengthened.

Fashion Trends - Fall and Winter 2010

New seasons are coming. New fashion trends are coming too. Let's take a look at the main fashion trends for this F/W 2010.

1. Fur / Faux Fur

Furs are flourished along the runway for this F/W. Fur coats, fur shawls, fur jackets or fur trousers etc. Furs can fulfill all kinds of imaginations of fashion designers. In response to the claims for animal protection, faux fur has become a commonly adopted element to replace fur. Among them is the God of Fashion, Karl Lagerfeld who has turned faux fur into new chic by stating in his show at Paris Fashion Week "It's the triumph of fake fur … because fake fur changed so much and became so great now that you can hardly see a difference." His design collections for Chanel all comes with faux fur trim in various ways of presentation including the classic tweed suits of Chanel. He announced to the world of fashion that "You cannot fake chic, but you can be chic in fake fur."

2. Power of Women - Cape

In modern world, women have become more and more successful in their career. Therefore, a stronger look is welcomed by them to show the power of women. Wide shoulders, Oversized Dressing are some of these "powerful" elements revived in previous seasons. For this F/W, cape has come to life to continue this trend. Cape, poncho etc are among the collections from Emporio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Zucca etc.

3. Tribal / Ethnic Look

Whenever talking about the Tribal /Ethnic fashion trend, one must have raised her hands for Dries Van Noten. DVN have been a major force in promoting this trend each year. However, to your surprice, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano are leading this fashion trend for this F/W. From Chinese Cheong Sam to Russian Styles, from Middle Eastern to South American, different cultural elements are mixed into fashion designs to tell us "The World is Flat".

Inspiring Outfit Ideas #1

Neutral colors are a big trend for 2010, from footwear, makeup to apparel. Anything from soft flesh-tone hues to earthy neutrals is going to be on the hot list for fall. Nudes go well when combined with other colors in an outfit. They are ethereal and chic. But nude colors tend to wash out some skin tones, so mix nudes with black and darker neutral tones like brown and gray.

For paler persons, khaki, camel and beige aren’t always flattering to their skin tones. So why not try gray instead? It’s an easier color to pull off, and it works well even with vibrant brights like Fusion, Coral or Violet. Somehow it also makes office attires like button-downs and one-piece seem, seem movie star-worthy.

Embrace the lighter shade of fashion with confidence and spice up your wardrobe with some trendy neutrals this fall.

An Evergreen Clothing Accessory – A Shrug / Bolero

One excellent investment piece of clothing is a shrug. A shrug is cropped, open fronted (with long or short sleeves) and adds a unique dimension to any outfit, whether it is a tee shirt, tube top, corset, gown or any sleeveless or strappy outfits.

Shrugs are generally knitted like cardigans but can be made with cotton, silk, lace, satin, velvet, making it suitable for any seasons. Sequined versions would add extra sparkle to a boring outfit, while crochet versions offer a pretty layered look for casual day wear.

Shrugs are quite functional – they could keep off the chill while covering up bare skin and drawing attention away from problem areas, like heavy arms. Other than easy matching, shrugs are also easy to wear. One does not need to have a particular figure to wear shrugs. While covering the extra flab of the arms, they are open in the front and allow one to show off great jewelry, establishing sophisticated and polished looks.

A smart and timeless addition to any well-rounded wardrobe, a shrug presents a chic alternative to basic cardigans and jackets.

Enjoy Summer in Tunics / Kaftans / Smocks

Smock / Tunic dresses are the simplest thing to throw on for summer. Tunics are versatile, comfortable and flatter almost any figure. They can form numerous looks or outfits, and in different lengths and materials, they are fit for various seasons. Even summer tunics can easily transition into fall with a sweater / wrap.

Straight or flared, solid colors or prints, with or without embroidery and sequins, tunics are great choices for this summer. Wear your favorite ones all sorts of ways:

Over leggings: A loose, longish tunic dress looks perfect when worn over cropped or full-length leggings. Pair it with flat sandals for casual chic or high-heeled booties for more sophisticated looks.

Over skinny/slim-cut jeans: If leggings aren’t your style, try wearing your tunic dress over skinny jeans or very slim-cut boot cut jeans. Jeans are so versatile and fit for various occasions.

Over wide-leg trousers: It may be tricky. A tunic dress and wide-leg trousers can look bulky together, but when put together correctly, it works. Choose a tunic dress with an A-line or slim silhouette, then balance it with dark wide-leg trousers. The darker color makes the trousers look slimmer, and the whole look isn’t too heavy.

With a loose belt: Tying a loose belt around a tunic dress creates a whole different look. It’s casual enough for day if the belt is worn low on the tunic dress on the hips, and it works when the tunic dress is worn over leggings or jeans. For night, try tying a glitzier or dark belt around the tunic dress with high heels or high heeled booties.

Alone as a mini dress: It could be real sexy for parties. For more dramatic head turning looks, wear with high heeled low boots or high heeled sandals. Wider boat like necklines exposing the collarbone detailed with a thin scarf or choker necklace keeps the look sexy yet fresh.

Looking your best while being comfortable has never been easier this summer!