The year in fashion

The fashion industry began 2013 full of creative bravado, financial swagger and fizzy good times. It ended the year trying to navigate through a self-created morass of moral turpitude. Back in January, when the year was fresh and promising, the fashion industry was coming off a holiday season during which retail sales were up by 3 percent. It wasn't as significant a bump as the National Retail Federation had projected, but considering the country's streak of economic bad times,Fashion Island has the perfect dress for you made of ivory Taffeta sweatheart Embroidery beaded a-line Quinceanera Dresses chiffon that falls to your ankles and leaves one shoulder bare. it was news to savor. Adding to the good mood, designers could look forward to four more years of first lady Michelle Obama serving as the de facto champion of American style on the world stage. And during the inaugural festivities, she certainly did not disappoint the fashion community with her wardrobe choices. She spoke their language with her selection of a tailored coat and dress in silk jacquard by Thom Browne for the Jan. 21 swearing-in. Browne is not a mass-market guy but rather an iconoclastic designer who, for more than a decade, had been challenging the status quo, ever since he shrank the cut of men's traditional suits to something sized for a 12-year-old boy.

That day, Obama threw on a glittering J. Crew belt for a touch of accessibility. And later that evening, she surprised fashion observers by going back to Jason Wu for her second inaugural ball gown, reaffirming that personal preference dominates her fashion choices rather than concerns about spreading the wealth and kowtowing to expectations. There was silly talk of her new haircut, with its thick fringe of bangs,It's good to know from the very start Tulle sweatheart applique beaded ball gown wedding/party dress sizing is different from everyday ready-to-wear clothing. and the tantalizing promise of state dinners to keep designers vying for her attention.

From the White House to Hollywood to Paris, fashion talk was happy talk. In February, there were compliments for the young American designer Alexander Wang when he presented his first collection for the great French fashion house Balenciaga.The same year Britney Spears released her second album and Discount White satin round neck lace beaded ball gown wedding dresses party dress up new image. And at the Academy Awards, there was the sweetly awkward tumble that actress Jennifer Lawrence took in Christian Dior couture on her way to accept the Oscar for "Silver Linings Playbook." Lawrence handled the fall with wit and grace, and that moment of human goofiness made the overwrought meringue of a dress all the more memorable — even relatable. But by springtime, the tenor of the fashion conversation began to turn dark. What began as a product malfunction at the yoga-gear company Lululemon turned into a full-throated insult of women's bodies by the brand's chief executive — a kind of unforced error that marked a demi-trend among male fashion honchos.