TREND I-SPY

At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, as many as 26 countries refrained from sending female athletes. However, by Beijing 2008 that list had shrunk to just three nations; Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei. Four years down the line, London 2012 is set to be the first Olympics in history whereby every participating nation will have at least one female representative.  And with the inclusion of women’s boxing, it will also be the first Olympics to involve female athletes in every sport. Saudi Arabia, who had opened the doors for women participants last month, were the last one to complete the numbers when they named two female athletes on July 9.  Middle distance runner, Sarah Attar and Judoka, Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahman Shahrkhani are Saudi’s historic first-ever female Olympic selections. Attar, born in California of mixed Saudi and American parentage, aged 17, is the youngest Arab athlete competing at the Olympics. From renowned photographer, Brigitte Lacombe , an...

Acne, Fall 2010 The Fall 2010 runway season has begun. Hip Swedish label Acne got a head start on the majors, showing a few days ago in London to great reviews from the press including that of Sarah Mower at Style.com who wrote, "The models who flew into London for the show had spray-painted foreheads and greasy glitter around their eyes and stomped onstage wearing cartoonish boots with Lego-like soles, dressed like some postapocalyptic alien militia." Also notable were the scarves wrapped around some of the girls' heads. Was it a political comment? Ironic that something which has for centuries been a custom of religious significance should now be at the center of controversy. For their Christmas 08 issue Playboy Mexico stunned Catholics with their cover depicting the Virgin Mary dressed ONLY in a white head garb Maria Florencia Onori , Playboy Mexico, Dec 2008 As a non-Catholic, some spectators were surprised by Michelle Obama's choice to don a dramatically long bl...