When one thinks of fashion, several names come to mind. Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, John Galliano, Nina Garcia, Rachel Zoe, June Ambrose and Andre Leon Talley are a few. How about the name Gwenolyn Stephens? Well, for those who are not familiar with the name, don’t fret. Ms. Stephens has set out on a mission to change that.

Gwenolyn Stephens hails from rural Mississippi and has had a lifelong obsession with fashion. Inspired by her mother, who was “always dressed to impress and always had on a pair of heels,” Stephens has created Rock.Paper.Heels., a boutique located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Rock.Paper.Heels is “the basis of every woman.” The rock represents diamonds, a girl’s best friend, while paper represents money and heels are an accessory that all women love.

Though she is not formally educated in the field of fashion, Stephens has worked extensively in retail and has studied fashion in her own right—presumably with the aid of her favorite fashion publications, Elle and Vogue. One might expect her to feel inferior to those who hold degrees from world famous fashion institutions; however, she does not. She says that although “[my] creditability may be questioned [at times], that gives me the opportunity to show what I am capable of.”

Another issue that many may consider a hindrance to Stephen’s brand is her location. Needless to say, no one considers Mississippi one of the fashion capitals of the world. Still, she will not be deterred from pursuing her dreams on her own terms. “When you’re good at what you do and stay true to yourself, no good deed goes unnoticed,” she says. “No matter where you are from, you will have the ability to shine and make a positive impact in the lives of others.”

In addition to the physical location in Mississippi, Rock.Paper.Heels also has an online boutique. There are a number of things that separate this boutique from others. For starters, Stephens and her staff offer customers a variety of styles. The online store is geared more towards lovers of the urban genre, whereas the physical location offers more sophisticated pieces.

The company also offers customization. They have partnered with a Japan-based designer to customize pieces and hope to expand into national and global markets. The final component that separates this brand from the various others is personal styling. “I have yet to see a boutique that offers styling tips to their customers which includes hair, makeup and accessories,” Stephens states. “We offer the complete package, not just the garment.” Stephens is dedicated to giving her customers all of the necessary tools in order to feel comfortable and confident with their image.

Furthering her efforts to improve the image of her customers, Stephens seeks to open a consultation firm which will be an extension of Rock.Paper.Heels. She acknowledges that image is everything and that it is important to look your best at all times whether one is going on a job interview, first date or to a social gathering. Of course, Stephens has far bigger dreams than styling the everyday Mississippi woman and those dreams could be summed up in two words: Solange Knowles.

“She does everything so effortlessly,” she states of her dream client who she lists as a fashion icon alongside Rihanna, Audrey Hepburn and David Bowie. “She does not follow ‘fashion rules’ and she steps outside the box which is what I love about her. She is a style chameleon.”

Stephens is passionate about her brand and hopes that others will be able to identify and connect with what she is offering to the fashion community. Rock.Paper.Heels opened on September 1, 2012 and is located at 103 West Washington Street, Suite B4 in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Gwenolyn Stephens may be contacted via telephone at (601) 427-5472 or rockpaperheels@gmail.com. If interested in reading up more on Stephens’ fashion philosophy, feel free to view her Fashion Bomb Daily ‘Fashion Bombshell of the Day’ submission.

Image Courtesy of  Zvonimir Atletic / Shutterstock.com

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It appears Prince Harry is not the only one facing problems because of nude pictures – shoe designer Brian Atwood is too. The latest ad campaign for famed shoe brand Brian Atwood has been banned from the streets of New York City due to its mildly sexual imagery.

Shoe brand Brian Atwood was told to remove a billboard-size image from outside their soon-to-open store by the building’s owners due to its content described as unsuitable for public eyes. The campaign poster, which was to be displayed outside the new boutique at 655 Madison Avenue in Manhattan’s Midtown, stars Victoria’s Secret supermodel Candice Swanepoel. The banned billboard-image shows the supermodel dressed in a black basque, hold-up stockings and sexy leopard-print high heels with a leg on each side of two bare-chested men. Candice is cavorting with her two nude male companions on a couch.

The owners of the building thought the huge poster, just one of four from the brand’s racy autumn/winter 2012 campaign, shot by photographer duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, was provocative, even though it was showing nothing more than long legs and sexy heels. The shoe brand has now replaced the billboard with a toned-down picture of a woman’s legs, approved by the owners of the building.

According to New York Post, the large-scale advertising campaign not only has been banned from the facade of Atwood’s Madison Avenue store, but from New York City’s ‘Taxi TV’ screens as well. A film version of the ad, that was due to air on screens in New York taxis, has also not been approved by the companies that provide TV content for the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The film features Victoria’s Secret supermodel getting naked down to nothing but for a pair of boots, while she’s watching a wall of screens, showing porn.

Instead, a behind-the-scenes teaser of Atwood’s campaign will be aired directing viewers to Brian Atwood’s official website, where the original full film will play. The Taxi and Limousine Commission’s representatives told that the film wasn’t banned due to their decision, but that private vendors were responsible for its rejection.

This ad campaign is a first for the designer, whose creations are quite popular among celebrities including Kate Hudson, Victoria Beckham, Rachel Weisz and Jessica Biel. The banned images will be published in the September issues of Vogue, W, V Magazine and CR Fashion Book. The designer himself described his ‘the sex is in the heel’ themed film, as ‘sexually charged’. His inspiration for his spring 2013 collection is going to be the ankle, explaining that “There is something so sexy about this part on a woman, and these celebrate that.” His Madison Avenue boutique is only going to be the first out of many around the world.

This is not the first time a fashion brand’s advertisement has to be withdrawn. Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Tom Ford have all had ads banned due to nudity, provocative images, sexual implications and violent messages. The history of fashion has shown that banned ads become a success, so no worries for Brian Atwood.

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Over the years, there has been a growing trend among Hollywood starlets, and it’s not their sense in fashion. The image of the it-girl is younger, taller and skinnier than ever. And with the social media growing at a rapidly fast pace, young girls are bombarded with images of scarily thin starlets.

With that in mind, what message is Hollywood sending to females all over the world? And how are young girls coping with the pressure to be alarmingly skinny?

According to a recent study, 81% of ten-year-old girls are afraid of being fat, while 42% of girls in grades first through third claim they want to be thinner. Some question whether or not the media is having a negative impact on body image amongst females, and there definitely is a direct correlation.

‘In a recent poll, “79% of teenage girls who vomit and 73% of teenage girls who use diet pills are frequent readers of women’s health and fitness magazines.” Canadian researcher, Gregory Fouts has reported that over 75% of females in TV sitcoms are underweight while only 5% are of an average or healthy BMI (body mass index).

Gisele Bundchen is just one of the astonishingly thin starlets who was recently praised for her body. VOGUE magazine stated that Gisele, “strays from the rail thin body image of the quintessential supermodel,” yet, she stands 5’11’’ and is estimated to weigh a mere 115 pounds, which is 25% below her ideal body weight. In contrast, the average American woman is 5’4’’ and weighs approximately 140 pounds. This is a drastic difference from the average size of the female supermodel.

As the average woman’s weight has increased over the years, Hollywood stars are continuing to drop numbers on the scale. The diet industry has generated over 40 billion dollars last year as many average size women are resorting to diet pills and fad diets to lose those extra pounds and conform to the societial ideal of thinness. 

Many women progress from a single diet into pathological dieting and according to RadarPrograms.com, “one out of every three women and one out of every four men are on a diet at any given time.”

Starlets like Keira Knightley, Kate Bosworth, Mary-Kate Olsen, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and Nicky Hilton are among several celebrities who have been publicly noted regarding their shrinking frames. Most recent, Angelina Jolie has faced a lot of questioning regarding her emaciated figure.

Jolie has stated in interviews that she goes on a crash diet that she refers to as her ‘movie diet’, in order to be pin-thin when the cameras start rolling. She has gone to such extremes as an intake of only 600 calories a day. When asked how she gets in tip-top shape before a fashion show, Adrianna Lima has revealed her secrets, which are a far cry from healthy. Lima claims she doesn’t eat any solid food for nine days before a show and refuses to intake any water while prepping 24 hours before the show starts.

As women all over the world read dieting advice such as this, there is one positive side to it. The Hollywood scene has become so obsessed with body image and size that magazines and fashion industries attempt to “buck this trend” of the stick-thin look, in search of new trends.

The Quebec magazine, Coupe de Pouce has recently been including more and more plus-size women in their articles while one of the world’s biggest fashion capitols, Milan, has decided to ban any “ultra-thin” model from the runway. Spain has joined in on the efforts by creating a project that includes measuring healthy weight women’s clothing sizes with laser.

If we could get advertisers and others in the Hollywood industry to start taking a stand in healthier living then there is a chance of change the statistics and to start making a positive impact on women and their body image.

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After a week of rave reviews, it’s official: Victoria Beckham has been crowned queen of New York Fashion Week. After previewing her Autumn / Winter 2012 collection to a packed house at the New York Library on Sunday morning 12th February, and with her husband David Beckham OBE, editor in Chief of American Vogue Anna Wintour OBE, and her long time business partner Simon Fuller [http://www.xixentertainment.com], all looking on from the front row, the critics were unanimous in voting this the finest moment of her career as a fashion designer.

“Her strongest show yet” The Guardian

“In her insistence on developing slowly, and gradually earning respect, Mrs. Beckham has scarcely put a platformed-foot wrong” VOGUE.com

“Queen Victoria: How Mrs Beckham conquered fashion” The Guardian

“Her style is, season after season, more and more desirable and confident” Vogue Italy

“She has staked her claim and she owns this space” FT

With her ready to wear collection now stocked in over 300 retail outlets around the world, the Victoria Beckham business is now worth in excess of GBP30 million at retail, and with a launch of a new line, named ‘Victoria by Victoria Beckham’ going on sale this week, that value is only set to rise. It is a good news story for British creative industries, as her ready to wear collection is designed and is hand made by British businesses.

Simon Fuller, Victoria Beckham’s long term business partner, comments: “Victoria and I are both proud Brits and it feels good to be building a creative British business that is flourishing on a global stage.”

On February 15, 2012, Victoria posed alongside Anna Wintour OBE and other British Fashion icons to launch the British Government’s GREAT campaign. Sir Peter Westmacott, the UK’s Ambassador to the United States, comments:

“As one of Britain’s major fashion icons Victoria Beckham’s involvement with the GREAT Campaign will bring even more attention to Britain’s world renowned fashion designers, the magnificent range of shopping on offer and our distinctive British style.”

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/victoriabeckhamcollection

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