Nick Grimshaw appointed ambassador of London Collections: Men

Nick Grimshaw has been appointed ambassador of London Collections: Men, in a move that the British Fashion Council hopes will capitalise on the burgeoning success of the British menswear week, now in its second year.

The Radio 1 DJ joins fellow presenter Dermot O'Leary, David Gandy and Tinie Tempah as the celebrity arm of the menswear committee to champion British designers and support London Collections: Men.

It's a shrewd appointment by the BFC. Grimshaw's signature style is laid-back - leather jackets, T-shirts, denim - but he gives good red carpet and isn't afraid to experiment. His approachable nature contrasts fashion's standoffish reputation and will help make London Collections: Men a more inclusive event. Most importantly, he brings a sense of fun to proceedings (and fashion, after all, should be fun): earlier this year he snapped himself dressed as pal Alexa Chung, and most recently took the stage at the Teen Music Awards, dressed in a leopard-print coat, as Rita Ora.

Dylan Jones, chair of London Collections: Men, said: 'We are thrilled that Nick Grimshaw has become an ambassador for London Collections: Men, as his innate style, his enormous influence and his enthusiasm for British fashion makes him a perfect choice.'

Already a regular at London fashion week, Grimshaw is can often be seen front row at Giles, Fashion East and at close friend Henry Holland's show. He recently presented the Channel 4 show Style the Nation, a nationwide search for budding stylists to work with high-street retailer New Look.

* London Collections: Men AW14 will run from 6-8 January 2014.

6abc Investigates: Underground dog dealer accused of selling sick puppies

October 31, 2013 (WPVI) -- An underground dog dealer arrested once for allegedly selling sick puppies out of his car, is in trouble for selling dogs again. A viewer contacted Action News after the Shih Tzu she purchased from William Roberts died 6 days later.

Action News went undercover to confront the dealer.

Twenty-eight sick dogs were seized from William Roberts Gloucester County home in 2008. Officers with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raided his home, and briefly jailed Roberts. Those charges were later dismissed.

Then last year, the county issued a cease and desist order to Roberts after getting another complaint he was illegally selling sick dogs. But Action News found him violating that order, selling puppies out of his car again.

Action News found someone using the aliases John and Bill Roberts on puppyfind.com selling 15 different but very similar-looking dogs.

After calling 'John,' a man calling himself 'Bill' met us in a parking lot as authorities say he does with most of his customers. This particular stop was in Bellmawr, New Jersey about 20 miles from his home.

Action News set up the meeting after we got a complaint from Joyce Camarota whose joy over a new puppy, quickly turned to sadness.

'She was so cute and I was just really overjoyed I was happy,' Camarota said. 'I just can't let him get away with it. '

Camarota paid Roberts $650 cash for a 10-week old Shih Tzu she named Molly.

'After he took the money,' Camarota explained, 'he says, 'Don't be surprised if you see blood in its stool.''

Then, about four days later, Camarota continues, 'She had bloody stool, she had blood all over so much and vomiting she couldn't stop. I mean she was just shaking; shaking uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do.'

Camarota rushed Molly to an emergency vet. More than $1,000 later and after spending the night in the animal hospital, Molly died of Parvo in the veterinarian's office. It was only 6 days after Camarato bought the Shih Tzu from Roberts.

Roberts has a long history of complaints in New Jersey. According to the SPCA, he was housing nearly 30 sick puppies in his kennel when they raided his home in 2008. The New Jersey Health Department cited Roberts for unsanitary conditions in 2005 during an inspection.

Gloucester County issued a cease-and-desist order to Roberts after getting another sick dog complaint last year. But that hasn't stopped him from selling more puppies.

In spite of New Jersey laws that require dealers to be licensed, and for dogs for sale to be examined by a vet, Roberts didn't provide us or Camarota with any official veterinary records.

Authorities say he doesn't have a pet dealer's license. He told Action News during our meeting that he gives the dogs their shots.

Here's the conversation we had with him on a hidden camera:

Wendy: 'At 13 weeks what kinds of shots have they had?' Bill: 'Shots are done. If you take it I am going to give it another shot right here.'

Wendy: 'So do you do their own shots?' Bill: 'Yes.'

Wendy: 'You do them yourself?' Bill: 'Yep. Because they only cost me $3.'

When Action News told Roberts we were investigating him for allegations he was selling sick dogs, the conversation abruptly stopped.

The charges against roberts in 2008 were administratively dropped. Roberts said he intends to sue the SPCA for harassment, but he refused to answer any of our other questions.

Roberts and his attorney did not return multiple calls to discuss the active cease-and-desist order or why he isn't licensed as a pet dealer in New Jersey, which would require his home to be inspected by the health department.

When we asked for the vet records for the dog he sold Camarota and the two dogs that he showed us during our meeting, they refused to answer my calls.

He refunded Camarota the cost of the dog, but to date has not paid for any of the emergency vet bills.

When it comes to rules and regulations governing the sales of animals, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware all have varied enforcement policies and practices. Here are links to help you track down what you need to know.

Pennsylvania's Puppy Lemon Law: Law in Pennsylvania requires that sellers and breeders of dogs in the state must have a sign posted that details consumers' rights and responsibilities under the Pennsylvania Dog Purchaser Protection Act, also known as the 'Puppy Lemon Law'. Sellers and breeders must also provide a written copy of the consumer's rights at the time of the sale.

Delaware's Pet Warranties: Delaware also has legal requirements whenever anyone sells a dog. The seller must provide a written, dated disclosure signed by both the seller and the buyer. The disclosure must include a statement that either

The animal has no diseases Discloses that the animal has a disease, illness or congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the animal at the time of sale or is likely to adversely affect the health of the animal in the future. You can get more information about Delaware's Pet Warranties by following this link to Delaware Code TITLE 6 - Commerce and Trade - SUBTITLE II - Other Laws Relating to Commerce and Trade - CHAPTER 40. PET WARRANTIES

New Jersey's Kennel Regulations : In the Garden State, the Office of Animal Welfare handles oversight of the sellers of pets, and the regulations are posted at this link. Additionally, you can see the New Jersey's official inspection sheet used to check out kennels, pet stores and other pet selling facilities at this link.

You can also check out this list of Licensed Shelters and Pounds in New Jersey.

(Copyright ©2013 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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Vintage Fashion Hoard Worth £100000 Found In Houghton

A collection of vintage fashion estimated to be worth at least £100,000 has been found at a home in Houghton-le-Spring.

The clothes belonged to a woman called Vervia who died last year aged 92, and was found by the executers of her will - her best friend Sheila Ellis and cousin Ann.

The collection will go on sale to the public at a special ticket-only event at Vervia's home in Houghton-le-Spring on Saturday December 7.

Sheila said: 'I was absolutely astounded to find trunk upon trunk with clothes in that hadn't seen the light of day for half a century or more.

'It was absolutely amazing.

'We'd like the clothes to be used and come alive again and for other people to gain the pleasure from them that Vervia obviously did.'

The collection includes items from Victorian and Edwardian times as well 1940s, 50s and 60s clothes and accessories.

Many of the items were found in near pristine condition, and others have been restored. Vervia's mother's wedding dress was one of the items found.

The Victorian garment dating to the 1890s won't go on sale with the other items.

Vintage dealer Paula Donaldson who runs boutique Dregs Of Society in Whitley Bay has helped price the items and coordinate their sale. She said: 'To find such a prolific collection is once in a lifetime.

'Some of the evening dresses are around £150 at the top end, they're actually worth a lot more but we're pricing to sell.

'It's the amount of things that actually amount to the £100,000, not just the quality.'

For full details about the vintage sale, click here.

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Mercedes

(Photo : REUTERS/David Gray)

It used to be that when you attended a show during fashion week and saw an item on the runway that you just had to have, you had to wait several months before it would appear in stores and you could purchase it.

But IMG Fashion is in the process of changing that procedure with a new plan to cater to consumers during fashion week.

While announcing changes to its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia lineup for 2014 on Thursday, IMG unveiled plans to add a new two-day, consumer-focused showcase, dubbed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weekend Edition, in addition to an e-commerce initiative that will allow consumers to purchase merchandise straight off the runway .

This new consumer showcase will immediately follow the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia schedule, which will take place from April 7 to April 10. The public can purchase tickets to the event, which will take place at the same venue as the runway shows and will feature four shows a day, in addition to styling sessions and blogger discussions.

Designers who are participating in this showcase can offer a selection of their new season merchandise either straight off their runways via pre-order or on a buy-now basis through exclusive merchandise produced for the pop-up shop. Items purchased via pre-order will take between eight to 10 weeks to be delivered, which is still much sooner than they will arrive in stores.

For those who can't make it to the event in person, you can still shop the items via an online store, which is linked to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia's live stream program and will remain operational for up to six weeks after the event.

If this event is well-received in Austrailia, Elle Turner, IMG Fashion director of brand and strategy, said the concept might make its way to other IMG Fashion events internationally.

'The learnings from this program will be shared with the global team and form part of the knowledge base for the next incarnation of events in other regions' Turner told WWD.

'To ensure we can facilitate future opportunities, the e-commerce platform is being built as a component of the global mbfashionweek.com hub with the capability to manage multiple currencies and languages.'

'In the past few years, we've seen more and more designers participating in events around the globe find ways to generate sales from the interest and hype promoted by the runway shows. As event organizers, the Australian e-commerce solution will be the first time IMG Fashion has undertaken an e-tail initiative,' she added.

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Business incubator has eye on making Phoenix a magnet for fashion designers

PHOENIX -- Producing T-shirts bearing slogans such as 'Chillionaire' and 'Work Hard, Love Hard,' Scottsdale's Michael Poulos hopes that his beach clothing line will inspire others to live their dreams.

Poulos has been able to make his company, Living Dreams, his top priority since June 2012, when being accepted into Phoenix Fashion Week's incubator for designers connected him with four months of fashion shows, media exposure and lessons in marketing.

'It's been, I'd say, full-time from that day forward,' he said, adding that the experience led to $4,000 in sales.

Phoenix Fashion Week, a company that organizes the annual fashion show and connects designers with buyers, is trying to make the Valley a fashion hub through the Emerging Designer Program, which helped Poulos, as well as through its Fashion Hub co-working space.

Poulos, one of 12 designers selected for the 2012 program, didn't win the $10,000 prize package that included business consulting and a magazine spread. But he and the others were still eligible for business training, promotion and placement in two fashion shows, valued at $1,295.

The program culminated at Phoenix Fashion Week's October event, which drew dozens of designers to showcase their fashions.

Brian Hill, Phoenix Fashion Week's executive director, said next year's Emerging Designer Program will select 15 designers from a pool of about 300 fashion brands.

It was developed four years ago to prepare designers for Fashion Week beyond just designs, he said.

'In reality, young designers were really focused on their clothing and their craft. They weren't focused on the business side of it,' Hill said.

Young designers need to target specialized retailers and bloggers who will love their products and evangelize for the brands, he said.

'You have to get the people who will drink your Kool-Aid,' Hill said.

The program originated as a way to build sustainable clothing brands in Arizona, he said.

'If you gotta go to LA or New York to run your fashion brand, you can't hire a great marketing person from NAU,' Hill said.

From June until October, designers meet online every other Wednesday to learn business skills like marketing, writing press releases and developing appropriate profit margins, he said, noting that the designers only need to be in Phoenix three times during the program.

Los Angeles-based brand Shawl Dawls expanded from being in one store to 110 retails across the country because of the program, Hill said.

Zappos.com, the online shoe and clothing retailer, now carries four brands from the program, he said.

In addition to the Emerging Designer Program, Phoenix Fashion Week's Fashion Hub, workspace located in east Phoenix, allows designers to collaborate and hone their skills while renting cubicles for $250 a month, Hill said.

Designers who use the Fashion Hub can take advantage of Phoenix Fashion Week's weekly classes on topics like branding and profit margins, and they can immediately apply the knowledge to their brands, he said.

Hill said Phoenix Fashion Week plans to expand in 2014 to let designers cut and sew their fashions as well as adding a photography studio.

Elizabeth Norris-Baines, an aspiring fashion designer from Northern California, said the Fashion Hub has helped her develop contacts and learn about business while she designs a line of business shirts for women.

'So it's really given me a platform to succeed,' she said.

Norris-Baines, who owns a construction company in Oakland, Calif., said that despite having success starting and running a company she still has much to learn about the fashion industry.

'This is retail. This is completely different than what I'm accustomed to,' she said.

'Necessary Roughness' Alum to Recur on ABC Family's 'Baby Daddy' (Exclusive)

ABC Family's Baby Daddy is introducing a new family member.

Necessary Roughness vet Amanda Detmer has joined the comedy in a season-three recurring role, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The Soul Man's Kim Coles has also booked a guest-starring role.

Detmer will appear in several episodes as Riley's ( Chelsea Kane) Aunt Margot. Described as fun and free-spirited with an aversion to responsibility, Margot's got a few secrets up her sleeve.

Set for one episode, Coles will portray Vice Principal Peters. Still working at Riley and Danny's ( Derek Theler) old high school when the two return to chaperone a prom, she has no filter and is a stickler for the rules. She's just as tough on Riley as she's always been, but has a soft spot for Danny.

Detmer is repped by Abrams Artists Agency. Coles is repped by elev8 and Authentic Speakers Agency.

Baby Daddy airs a holiday episode Dec. 11 on ABC Family.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com Twitter: @insidethetube

Going to the dogs: Autism program at Williams produces canine treats for sale

A couple days a week, the smell of baking and cinnamon wafts down the second floor hall at Williams High School.

'When we walk down the hall, all the kids stick their heads out and say, 'I want one,'' said Jennifer Hogg, teacher assistant with the school's autism program. 'And I say, 'They're dog bones.''

They look surprised and lose interest, Hogg said.

The six students in Williams' autism program mix the dough in their large classroom, roll it, cut it into Christmas or dog-friendly shapes, and hustle it down the hall to the oven in the food lab to bake.

It is a funny thing, said teacher John Osborne, since they had a hard time selling cookies last year. People would eat one cookie, but were too weight conscious to buy more. They get excited about dog treats, though.

While senior Tyson Haith starts mixing the dough, Zach Farrington puts the baked and cooled bones into a box with six squares drawn on it, one in each square. He puts them in clear plastic bags, and ties them with silver twist ties. Jaiquese Pinnix helps with the packaging and places them in a laundry basket. Each bag has the name of the person who ordered them.