Fashion, Celebrity & Culture News at Sugar Salon

Niwot, CO, United States (AHN) – Crocs, the maker of the popular clunky, multicolored, bright, foam clogs, is expanding its brand to include accessories, eyewear and apparel.

The Niwot, Colorado, based company is launching a line of Crocs-branded accessories, which include hats, bags, backpacks, socks and gloves.

Paramount, a sports licensee, is selling collegiate and Major League Baseball licensed footwear for the iconic Crocs brand.

The Crocs brand will branch out into children’s apparel, set to launch in April, through an agreement with A Group.

And, Eye King LLC will start selling branded sunglasses and sunglass accessories starting in May.

That’s not all. Through a partnership with ICER Brand, Croc’s professional footwear division will introduce Crocs-branded scrubs.

Several months ago, Crocs debuted a line of golf shoes that have proved popular.

The company, created by three friend, as a shoe company with the launch of “spa shoe,” has grown into a hugely successful billion dollar company.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States (AHN) – The most coveted, most sought after, hottest, and hardest to get souvenir heading in to the Feb. 5 Super Bowl is a hand-knitted scarf.

What makes the scarves so difficult to wrap hands around are that they are not actually for sale. The knit one, purl two blue and white hand knitted scarves come with the Super Bowl XLVI emblem sewn on. An attached postcard reveals the name of the volunteer who created the scarf.

Some 13,000 scarves were made, thanks to knitting clubs and grandmothers, for what football fans call the biggest sporting event of the year. However, the number knitted exceeded the number of volunteers (8,000 this year), so the additional scarves were presented to the players.

Some scarves made it to the “black” market and are selling upwards of several hundreds of dollars.

It is the hunt, not the cold, that has many racing to get the limited edition scarves. Temperatures leading up to Sunday’s big game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants have been hovering in the 60s.

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NYC, NY, United States (AHN) – This could be one fashion trend that is here to stay.

The fashion public relations and production powerhouse KCD Worldwide announced Monday a new service, where it will produce some shows in an entirely digital format.

The new idea, which is being touted as an alternative to runway and presentation formats, is aimed at making it easier for time-crunched reporters and editors.

During Fashion Week, especially in New York, where there are sometimes 300 shows crammed within eight days, a lot of designers complain they get lost in the shuffle, and reporters vent about meeting deadlines with so much to see and cover.

KCD’s Digital Fashion Shows hopes to resolve some of these issues. Featured shows will be  accessible by invitation only, with a password required to gain entry. Included in the live-streaming shows will be runway footage, designers interviews and notes on the clothes,

Paul Guring will be the first designer to show online only on Feb. 15, when he debuts his first collection for ICB.

KCD hopes to expand to other designers and cities. Its main focus is to replicate a live show as closely as possible.

While online shows have become a popular way to expose fashion to a wider audience, watching shows on a computer does not have quite the same cache as being at a must see fashion show or seeing the clothes in person.

But it does pave the way for smaller designers, many who get over shadowed by iconic designers, and who don’t have the financial resources to develop online shows of their own to do so. And, more importantly, it is a way to have their lines seen.

It appears that the fashion world is going high-tech. Fashion, after all, like architecture and technology, is always evolving.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The newest must-have shoes are not the latest designs from iconic designers such as Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo or Salvatore Ferragamo. The most coveted footwear is hightop sneakers.

Over-the-top, trendy, colorful and unique hightops are popping up everywhere, from Paris fashion runways to basketball and tennis courts, to Hollywood and beyond.

A-list celebrities, high powered CEOs and fashionistas are all lacing up the newest lines. The stylish sneakers come in a wide range of colors, wedges, fabrics and laces or Velcro straps.

High-end designers such as Giuseppe Zanotti and well-known sneaker brands are collaborating to turn out some feet-stomping show-stopping kickers.

Jeremy Scott is working with Adidas and Alexander McQueen has partnered with Puma.

The choices are endless for the classic, the cult-like and the upcoming sneaker fans.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The season for giving and receiving gifts is now Christmas Past. Now, it is the season for returning unwanted presents.

Dubbed “Mega Monday,” Dec. 26 is expected to be the third busiest shopping day of 2011, with scores of people heading to stores in droves in search of after-Christmas bargains and to return items.

Stores are forecast to ring up $469.1 billion over this holiday season, which extends from Nov.1 through New Year’s Eve. The final week before Christmas accounts for up to 20 percent of those sales, with the week after the holiday also being very brisk.

Some retailers underestimated the resilience of the American shopper, believing they weren’t ready to spend during the still-weak economy. However, the National Retail Federation reports that the two-month period has been busy, and it upgraded its overall sales growth forecast a full percentage point, to 3.8 percent.

Some shoppers are just getting started, putting off buying big ticket items until after Christmas, looking for blockbuster year-end specials.

Stores are also preparing for the rush to exchange and return gifts. Many stores have changed their return policy, shortening the number of days customers can return an item and requiring a receipt for cash back.

For those that find they can’t return, there is an option. We promise not to tell if you save that unwanted present and re-gift it next year.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Don’t wear a hat just because it fits your head. Experiment and follow the recent trend in head coverings that are not the traditional, the ordinary or the average.

One of the greatest dilemmas for both men and women is finding a great winter hat that doesn’t leave them with helmet head. You know the look: flat, static ridden, and matted down.

Among today’s favorite options are hoods. Seen frequently on both men and women are black hooded tops worn under a quilted zip-up vest. When flipped up, the hood shields against wind, rain, sleet or snow, leaves hair intact, and looks both fashionable and fabulous. Hoods are increasingly appearing on tees, sweaters, jackets and coats.

Long oblong scarves, sophisticatedly draped around the neck and casually wrapped over the head, are also very in and so movie star chic.

Also popular this season are brimmed hats. Felt fedoras are particularly popular. But finding the right size and proportion makes pulling one off a bit of a challenge. For men, wide brimmed hats work well for both work and the casual wardrobe.

Vintage hats for women are best when donned with evening gowns and for dressy nights on the town.

Tams, or slouchy berets, are another option for winter headwear. Also in vogue are leather Army style caps, shearling, sheepskin and bucket hats. Leave the trapper hats for hunters.

Hats are more than just a common accessory during the winter. They add style and panache. A great hat stands alone.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels fetched a record $115 million at auction Tuesday night, while the contract signed by Apple’s confounders that established Apple as a company sold for $1.35 million.

The contract, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, sold for over 10 times the pre-sale estimate. It was expected to fetch up to $150,000 at Sotheby’s auction of books and manuscripts in New York.

The sale of Elizabeth Taylors’s jewels at Christie’s crushed even the highest estimates and established new records.

A 50.6 carat pearl, known as the “La Peregrina,” given to the actress by her twice-wed husband Richard Burton, sold for a record $11.8 million in a bidding battle. A 33.19 carat diamond, dubbed “The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond,” sold for $8.8 million, more than double its pre-sale estimated price. In addition, a diamond bracelet gifted to Taylor by her close friend Michael Jackson sold for $194,000.

Additional items of Taylor’s jewels will be up for bid in the coming days at Christie’s.

Next on the auction block on Dec. 20 is Orson Wells’s Oscar for “Citizen Kane,” esteemed by many to be the greatest film ever produced in Hollywood. The 1942 Academy Award statue is expected to go for between $600,000 to $1,000,000.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Winter months bring out cashmere collections in various colors and labels. Fashionistas and designers often have closets filled with cashmere blazers, sweaters, scarves and socks.

Correctly caring for cashmere can keep your items in tip-top shape and lasting for decades.

Most labels may read “dry clean only,” but experts say that hand washing a cashmere item will actually make it softer over time. Be sure to use baby shampoo or a mild detergent like Woolite. Use warm water except for solids, and cold water for items that are printed or have more than one color. Press out excess water, but don’t ring the item.

Lay the laundered item on a towel. Avoid line drying so as not to crease the piece. Wet cashmere takes days to dry, so be patient.

When ready to store, fold the item. Never hang a cashmere sweater; it will cause stretching and the shoulders to dimple.

Cashmere needs to breath, so store items in a cardboard box with cedar disks inside. A box gives the item the room it needs to breath and the cedar prevents moths.

If you do stain a cashmere piece, resist the urge to intervene right away. Rubbing it will just make it worse. Wait until you can have it dry cleaned or you can hand wash it.

With correct care, cashmere pieces can last for years and still took fabulous.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Wearing oversized back sunglasses, bright red lipstick, a big white hair bow, black gloves, a white Chanel dress, and looking as glam as ever, the flamboyant Lady Gaga unveiled her new project at Barneys department store in New York Tuesday night.

Gaga’s “workshop” has taken over the entire fifth floor of the iconic Barneys flagship store for 12 days. The holiday funhouse will highlight one unique Gaga piece every day, following the traditional 12 days of Christmas theme.

The singer/songwriter worked alongside several designers and stylists to create the project.

The 5,500-square-foot pop-up store will sell a range of different projects inspired by Gaga, including accessories, cosmetics, candles and toys.

Books, CDs curated from the singer, jewelry made of candy, and lipstick in signature Gaga red and pink tones will also be featured. Prices range from a $95 chocolate shoe to beads that will fetch $1,650.

The Lady Gaga workshop will be open until Jan. 2. Twenty-five percent of sales will be donated to her anti-bullying charity, the Born This Way Foundation.

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Rotterdam, Netherlands (AHN) – Guys–watch those cheesy pick-up lines.

Designers in the Netherlands have created a dress that react to the wearer’s body as well as to those around her. It changes color to the heart beat of the person wearing it, and becomes more transparent on amiable close encounters.

The “Intimacy 2.0″ dress is made from e-foils, which become clear when they are zapped with electricity.

“Social interaction determines the garment’s level of transparency, creating a sensual play of disclosure,” the designers from Studio Roosegaarde say. If a woman’s heart starts racing when she in engaged in a conservation with a gentleman, the dress will show more skin (when the dress does transparent, it is quite see through). An encounter with a unwanted or dull suitor will keep the dress opaque.

The dress is a bit futuristic. It features a plunging neckline and sculptural coils of the e-foil protruding from the shoulders.

The edgy designers, who have also invented a dance floor that can generate electricity, describe the Intimacy 2.0 dress as the “perfect dress for the red carpet.” More like a perfect wardrobe malfunctioning dress.

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