Purfe – Fashion, design and perfect fit

January 19, 2023

Fashion forward with AI: AI-based personal stylists are taking the guesswork out of getting dressed

Get ready to say goodbye to hours of scrolling through online clothing stores and hello to your new personal stylist – AI-powered fashion assistants! These technologies are revolutionizing the way we shop and dress. From virtual wardrobe management to personalized style recommendations, these AI tools are making fashion more convenient, effortless and fun than ever. Imagine having your own virtual stylist who can curate your wardrobe, recommend outfits for any occasion, and even provide virtual try-on experiences. So, are you ready to join the AI-fashion revolution? Let’s dive in and see how these tools can help you elevate your style game.

The future of fashion is here, and it’s powered by AI!

AI-powered fashion. Dall-E 2 generated image — AI, the missing piece to complete your wardrobe. Dall-E 2

ScopeStyle

~Fashion that fits!

First on the list is ScopeStyle, the ultimate fashion tool that combines cutting-edge AI technology with the latest fashion trends. It makes it easy to find the perfect pieces to add to your wardrobe. All you have to do is to upload a picture of the look you like and let AI do the rest.
Not only will it provide you with all the information about the items, such as brand, price and links to online stores, but it will also offer similar style choices and show how to pair them. Whether you are looking for the perfect top and shoes to match those new jeans or unsure about how to match that pattern, ScopeStyle has got you covered.
ScopeStyle also gives you a personal style score and recommendations to improve it based on trending fashions, so you can always be on top of the latest trends. Plus, ScopeStyle’s collections are carefully selected and curated by AI algorithms. They recognize key trending pieces and update them daily, giving you a diverse range of fashion options.

If you are ready to give it a go, use code PURFE to get 10% off your first purchase.

Style DNA

~Your new BFF (best fashion friend)

Style DNA – the ultimate personal styling app designed to empower you to feel good and look your best.
Whether you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe, try out a new look or just need some inspiration, Style DNA has got you covered. With the help of world-renowned image consultants and cutting-edge AI technology, you’ll be able to tap into your unique style and make informed shopping choices that’ll empower you to look and feel your best. From color analysis to detailed advice on the styles, fits and fabrics, that suit your body best. Style DNA – is like having your own personal fashion concierge at your fingertips!

Have you tried AI-powered personal stylists? Share your story in the comments!

January 17, 2023

4 American designers who changed fashion (for the better)

and helped to shape the American Look.

Fashion history is a fascinating topic! It gives insight into the cultural, social, and economic influences that shape the way people dress. It reveals changes in technology, aesthetics, and the role of fashion in society over time.
It’s hard to believe that the things we take for granted were actually innovations and bold concepts not too long ago.

Here are 4 American designers whose contributions changed fashion forever and helped shape American style.

Claire McCardell, thanks for the separates!

Claire McCardell, who worked in the 1930s and 1940s, is credited with creating American sportswear (1930s term for separates). Prior to McCardell’s designs, separates were primarily associated with sport and were not considered appropriate for everyday wear. McCardell changed that notion by creating separates that were both comfortable and stylish. She used inexpensive fabrics such as denim and calico, as well as simple, functional designs that were easy to mix and match. Thus, pioneering matching separates.
Claire McCardell’s sportswear designs played a significant role in shaping the perception that casual wear can be stylish. This idea had a lasting impact on American fashion and continues to influence it. In addition, her designs were a catalyst for the emergence of American ready-to-wear fashion, which became an important industry in the following decades.

Why is sportswear important for shaping American style?

In the early 20th century, while many fashion styles in America were heavily influenced by or directly borrowed from Parisian fashion, American sportswear emerged as a distinct and unique style that was developed and originated in the United States. This style, known as the American Look, represented a departure from the traditional European influence and became a defining feature of American fashion.

Bonnie Cashin. Zippers and layering!

Bonnie Cashin is an American fashion designer who worked in the 20th century and is known for her practical, functional, and comfortable designs. She was a significant influence in the development of the American Look and is credited with introducing the idea of “layering” (she also coined the term) into the fashion world. This led her to a rare feat in the fashion industry, winning both the Coty Award and Neiman Marcus Award.
Bonnie Cashin was especially known for her use of leather, suede and mohair in designs, as well as the use of zippers and snaps as closures, which were considered to be modern and revolutionary at the time.

Ralph Lauren. Polo and Preppy Style.

Ralph Lauren is one of the most iconic and successful American fashion designers of all time. He began his career in the 1960s and is famous for building a lifestyle brand based on his vision of American style. Ralph Lauren was one of the designers who popularized the preppy style in the 1970s, characterized by its Ivy League-inspired clothing and accessories, such as polo shirts, khaki pants and loafers.

Norman Norell. Mermaid dress 🧜‍

Norman Norell was an American fashion designer known for his clean, classic designs and high-quality construction. He is considered one of the most influential American fashion designers of the 20th century.
Norman Norell was one of the first American designers to use luxurious fabrics and elaborate construction techniques along with sequins, beads, and metallic fabrics. That helped him to become a leader in evening wear. He contributed to the luxurious side of the American look popularizing sequin-covered “mermaid gowns”.

Well, I guess a post on American style would be incomplete without a mention of Levi Strauss and one of the staples of American fashion, jeans. But this story is too famous to repeat, so I’ll leave it out for the time being.

February 18, 2016April 1, 2024

Top 3 Fashion Portfolio Books: How to Create Perfect Fashion Portfolio

Top 3 Fashion Portfolio Books. How to create perfect fashion portfolio
Fashion portfolio is like resume. It demonstrates your skills, experience and talent in a visual way. If you are an established professional your work says it all for you, but for a novice in fashion industry creating a great fashion portfolio is crucial for gaining a prominent spot.

I have picked the best 3 books that will inspire and guide you through process of creating excellent fashion portfolio.

I must say that each of these books will give you fundamental information on all aspects of creating successful fashion portfolio from getting an inspiration to choosing a layout and cover for your fashion portfolio. They are the best in the industry.

Topics common for all books

	Introduction into industry, fashion markets and fashion cycles.
	Fashion over time: fashion history and trends.
	Creative research: from finding an inspiration to ways to organise different sources of creative materials and work out the main idea of a collection.
	Development and sampling. Methods to work with colour, shape and texture in order to articulate main concept of a collection. 3D, 2D sampling to define the main idea.
	Garment design and range planning. Refining silhouette, proportions, colour and texture of garments to crystallize the idea behind a collection.

There are important differences in the details and I am going to highlight them in this post.

How to Create Your Final Collection by Mark Atkinson

As it comes from the title, the book focuses on creation and presentation of end-of-year collection. Hence its style is methodical and very clear. It is well balanced with lots of examples and visual material for more exhaustive topic coverage.
The way information structured in the book is much like creative process itself: from broad themes through refining and selection to a final point.
Much the same Mark Atkinson does in his book – from wide and general topics of fashion markets and cycles, trends and fashion periods through the study of creativity he guides the reader to define project steps.

What makes How to Create Your Final Collection by Mark Atkinson different?
• The chapter ‘Styling and presentation’ where author discusses catwalk styling, editorial styling, lookbook presentation.
• Very useful practical advices on how to make most out of your collection and leverage it, Chapter 7 ‘Diffusing your final collection’.
• Practical tips and description of approaches on range planning.
• Case studies.
• CD with even more case studies.

Fashion Portfolio by Anna Kiper

This is a wonderful book and I did a separate in-depth review of it earlier so I’ll keep it short here.
Fashion Portfolio is undoubtedly one of the best books on the topic. It covers all basic subjects one will need to create a collection.
It is very visually centred which is great if you are a visual person. However, it doesn’t mean that it lacks textual information! Blocks of text are highly informative and precise. There are no unnecessary words, all is sharp and clear. Needless to mention beautiful illustrations that adorns almost every page.

What makes Fashion Portfolio by Anna Kiper different?
• The section ‘Storytelling in design’. Concept of a design as a narrative is a quite new approach. Using a case study Anna Kiper explores the topic showing interesting possibilities of storytelling in design.
• The section ‘Design approaches’ displays interesting classification of designers by their signature style like The sculptures, The Sensualists and so on.
• Styling and presentation of fashion portfolio. The chapter outlines different methods and approaches of design presentation: from choosing the right media to page composition and stylisations. Special pages are devoted to photomontage and digital manipulations as well as traditional media.
• The chapter ‘Specialisations’ provides reader with heaps of useful information. It explores particular fashion niches such as Knitwear, Activewear, Lingerie, Evening Wear, Menswear, Children’s wear and Accessories.

Fashion Design Course: principles, practice and techniques by Steven Faerm

This book is an exemplary example of how to squeeze tremendous amount of information into less than 200 pages without compromising on quality. This becomes possible partly due to an elaborate page layout that helps to comprehend great amount of information Steven Faerm puts on each paragraph. On other hand, thoroughly selected illustrations intensify the text and help to make the most out of every single page.
Fashion Design Course is straight to the point and concise, but what makes it unique is its practical approach. Steven Faerm fills the books with assignments, exercises, questions and practical considerations that aim to enhance creativity and aid the development of fashion collection.

What makes Fashion Design Course by Steven Faerm different?
• Assignments. Among exercises and assignments, one may expect to get while studying in college, this chapter provides practical tools for independent research and shows ways for gathering fashion information.
• Chapter ‘The professional world’ which focuses on getting a job within industry. It offers useful tips on resume writing and fashion portfolio presentation along with actual portfolio examples.
• Quite comprehensive glossary on wide range of fabrics, fibres and common fabric-related terms.
• Interview transcripts of industry professionals which give the first-hand information on fashion industry world.

Bottom line
As I have mentioned in the beginning of this post all of three books are great and they will gently guide you through creative process without preaching or directing, they will give all the necessary information you may need to create a great fashion portfolio. These are the best books.
But remember they are general guidance only! Every country and every fashion institution has its own standards. Therefore, before starting the work on your collection don’t forget to make yourself familiar with those.
Good luck on your fashion adventure!

November 3, 2014November 7, 2014

4 Reasons To Have A-Line Dress in Your Wardrobe

While they say that every woman should have a LBD in her wardrobe I insist this it should be A-line dress.

And here is why:

• it is versatile and appropriate for any occasion;
• it is easy to dress up and down;
• it flatterers almost every figure;
• it is the most flats-friendly dress you can find.

All these have secured position of A-line dress on runways and on shopping racks.

Every season A-silhouette is constantly recreated in new fabrics and textures and will never get out of fashion.

Keep scrolling for more A-line dress ideas.

Show-stoppers

A-line silhouette is ideal for cocktail dresses and party outfits.

show-stopper a-line dresses — 8 Balck Dress — Fresh Soul Enigma Dress — Finders Keepers Dress — Miss Moncur Dress

Soft elegance

By eliminating flaws A-line dress emphasizes femininity and gracefulness of almost any figure.

Textured

Lace is perfect choice for A-line dresses. Intriguing and playful as it is.

lace a-line dresses — Miss Moncur Lace Dress — La Kore A-line dress — Zalora Lace Dress — Only A-line dress

Add some colour

Perfect in any length and colour A-line dress could be a fail-safe option when you stuck with an eternal problem of I-have-nothing-to-wear.

colourful a-line dresses — Finders Keepers Dress — Lou Lou A-line dress — Siste's dress — SASS Polly Cut-Out Dress

October 29, 2014February 22, 2016

Wearable Tech, New Perspectives in Fashion

It is at the borders that some of the most interesting problems reside.
Eric R. Kandel, In Search of Memory *

The presentation of a smart bracelet, MICA (My Intelligent Communication Accessory) by Opening Ceremony and Intel on New York Fashion Week this year has demonstrated how deep technology is penetrating fashion world.

Wearables are a commonplace now and this event just confirmed our world’s obsession with both tech and fashion.

“It’s as intelligent as it is well-designed” — OC creative director Humberto Leon commented about smart bracelet MICA.

Fashion and biology. New fabrics

Remember that much-talked-of Lady Gaga’s meat dress? As shocking is it is, the idea of using animals for clothing is known for centuries (leather, silk and wool) while being condemned by animal rights groups along the way.

There is a new trend, however, that definitely looks more interesting and more ethical in some respect. The fabric made from bacteria.

Scientists from Biofabricate use bacteria and yeast to grow new fabric-like materials.

Biofabrication comprises highly disruptive technologies enabling design and manufacture to intersect with the building blocks of life.

Here is small video giving the idea of the company’s recent achievements:

A dress from green tea or a top from wine? Donna Franklin and Gary Cass made dresses out of beer and wine bacteria while using colourful fungi as dyers.

No doubt fungi could be very colourful indeed! I myself always fascinated by their colours and textures.

Colourful fungi are used as dye in new type of fabrics

Will we be able to grow a wardrobe for ourselves soon? 3D-growing sounds like a fascinating idea – a unique organic dress grown just for you, no seams, no stitching, natural fabric, compostable.

Fashion and energy. Wearable solar station

Invention of flexible solar cells that could be woven into fabric opens great possibilities in off-grid situations.

Project leader of Wearable Solar Christiaan Holland was driven by his love of music festivals and aspiration to stay connected with his friends during events. At Wearable Solar he and his team put these ideas into life, designing fashionable clothes form solar powered fabrics.

We also see huge possibility for using solar fabrics for tourist wear and gear. Bushwalkers and travellers sometimes have to stay in a wild with no power source; it will be pretty cool to not worry about laptop and camera charge levels. A nice solar powered wind shell or tent will be a perfect solution!

Fashion and medicine. Taking care of your health

This is probably the field where fashion and tech have had the longest and most fruitful relationship over the past few years.

Smart bracelets, wrist bands and watches with biosensors that measure heart beat rate, blood pressure and calorie burn are as usual as ordinary jewellery.

The co-founder of biosensing technology company Valencell believes that ear is the best place to collect vital signs. The LG and Jabra are also following the same route.

Though LG’s Heart Rate Headphones was not released in Australia, Jabra offers a wireless in-ear fitness headphone that gives more accurate than wrist sensors data along with DDP sound.

Tech footwear

The second much developed field of tech and fashion union is footwear.

Here the collaboration mainly moves along two paths.

First leads to increasing in comfort and improvements in performance of the footwear. Think of smart technologies and fabrics Nike uses in their sports footwear.

Moticon is in this category as well. It is the world’s first fully integrated sensor insole. Wireless technology allows the foot pressure and motion parameters to be monitored easily which has direct benefits in rehabilitation and sports.

The second path adds speed to ordinary footwear.

It starts with skates, we knew.

ACTON R RocketSkates™ , a Kickstarter’s project introduces battery-powered skates or the world’s first smart wearable transportation as stated on the web site.

I see it as sophisticated combination of Heelys or roller skates and Segway.

The RocketSkates™ use motion sensors and doesn’t require a remote to operate!

Looking forward the heels-friendly version.

Time for changes?

It is obvious, that wearable technology is a hot commodity. Fashion and technology becoming strongly fused with every new development coming out. It is not just about looks anymore, but elegant performance and precise control as well.

The key element of marrying fashion and science is and will be still to find an optimal balance between fashion itself and technology it incorporates. Make wearable tech fashionable, stylish and desirable.

Is the time came finally for a new discipline which will integrate fashion and technology?

*Eric Kandel is a neuroscientist who won Nobel Prize for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in brain cells.