Kenneth Cole - Designer and Philanthropist

A fashion designer by profession, Cole established his own company in 1982 under the name Kenneth Cole Productions. He first introduced a delicate collection of ladies' footwear, but over the years the company was able to produce a variety of fashion products and accessories, including a line of perfumes, for both the national and international market.

The products are distributed and marketed from different areas in the world under three major labels. Included in the list are the unlisted.com, Reaction, and his very own label. More than 30 product categories are distributed in these labels, with the most recent addition holding the name, the Kenneth Cole Women's Collection.

This is a first ever company of its type that came out in the United States and is run and managed by Cole. Cole has made a massive expansion though, bringing the name and his designs even to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Amsterdam. He made this expansion by creating a marketing strategy that turned out very effective.

He distributed catalog mails under his name to more than three million of consumers worldwide, and this marketing strategy is utilized every year. He also established his own websites, each receiving thousands of visits per day. It was this marketing savvy tactic that has earned him an image renowned not just by Americans, but also by Europeans and Asians. He, in fact, is known as the forerunner of trends and fashion in today's modern world.

Although very active in fashion designing, Kenneth Cole has also made himself committed to societal movements founded for a good cause. He is a member of a fashion community that takes stand in fighting against AIDS. He has been supporting many other global fights for corporate and personal issues.

What matters most for him is his dedication to provide a part of his marketing budget to support public awareness. Knowing the benefits of the movement, Cole continues to serve the American Foundation of AIDS Research (AmFAR) as a national board member. He is also helping the HELP U.S.A. Homeless project since the year 1987.

Having strong dedication to fashion and philanthropic movements, he was honored and awarded with the Spotlight Award by the Creative Coalition. He also received recognition from the Amnesty International for the 1998 Media Spotlight Award. The other titles and honors received by him include the following: Humanitarian of the Year by CFDA and Divine Design (1996), Mother's Voices Extraordinary Voice Award, 1996 Humanitarian Leadership award by the Council on Foundations, Footwear News' Person of the Year, and The Fashion Medal of Honor Award by the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (1997).

Kenneth Cole Productions is currently featured on the World's 200 Best Small Companies in America. The company has been featured on that page every year, since 1994 when the company was established.

The Business Week also highlights them as one of the Top Hot Growth Companies in the US. In addition, Cole is continually producing a wide selection of quality fashion products, including perfumes, shoes, clothing, hosiery, watches, eyewear, and luggage, to mention but a few.

See all Kenneth Cole perfumes and also visit the Kenneth Cole company site for latest info. Browse other womens perfume at PerfumeCenter

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Dressing To Impress

It's not just one leg after another

Does it really come as a surprise that the more we know the more difficult things become? We create products to simplify our lives but in doing so make our lives more complicated-take cell phones and e-mail for example. It's great when you can check movie times or game stats while waiting in line at the bank but when all you want to do is sip a Pina Colada on a sandy beach, that email notification emanating from your Treo can get pretty darn old.

We know more about the human body, diseases and viruses than ever before, which is great-I mean we'll all be hooked up to machines until we're 185 years old-but in the meantime we live in fear of pre-packaged spinach and germy bathroom handles.

And what about fashion? Clothes, along with food, are necessary items but we are in a constant pursuit to keep them interesting and "fresh". But it makes sense-if we didn't keep innovating, we wouldn't have anything to look forward to. So while we must wear clothes-in most places anyway-why not have fun with fashion, and make your wardrobe work for you?

Shopping for clothes these days is more overwhelming than ever. The average American is exposed to 3,000 advertising images every day and has so many options available to them, oftentimes the result is straight out apathy.

Instead of getting bogged down by designer labels and the hottest trends, fashion stylists recommend focusing on quality, shape, color and patterns. Obviously there is a difference between a bargain basement suit and a custom-tailored Armani. But sometimes it's hard to tell what will look good in the real world. Buying clothes that look good on the rack is not the only benchmark for creating a polished look, so if you focus only on brands and trends, you could still end up on the Worst Dressed List-if A-list celebrities can get it wrong, so can you!

And guys, you don't get off the hook so easy. While you may not concern yourself with how round your rump looks or if your pants make you look stumpy or squat, others may be picking up on your unintentional fashion boo-boos-and regardless of lifestyle or career, no one wants to give off the wrong impression. So if your past plan was to roll out of bed and reach for the first pair of slacks that could pass muster without ironing, listen up ... and take notes.

Alan Au, client relations manager at Jimmy Au's for Men 5'8" and Under, suggests the following tips for looking your best at any height.

Dressing Tips for business wear

Stripes have an elongating effect and make you look taller. Choose wider stripes if you are trying to look bigger and narrower stripes if you are trying to look slimmer. Avoid loud plaids and windowpane patterns. If you like these patterns, choose more subtle tonal varieties in smaller patterns. When choosing solid colors, remember lighter colors tend to make you look bigger and darker colors tend to make you look slimmer.

Shirt Tailoring Tips

Have the sleeves tailored if it's too long. If you don't, all you will ever do is roll them up. Have the sides taken in if it's too full. No one wants to look like a flying squirrel.

Shirt Dressing Tips

Avoid large patterns of any kind, including stripes. Narrow and fine line stripes are best to give your torso length. Checks, houndstooths, and herringbones patterns should only be big enough to be appreciated at social distances. Lower shirt collars help elongate your neck. Avoid high collar styles. They make you look like a turtle.

Sweater Dressing Tips

Avoid large patterns in bold or bright colors, especially loud horizontal stripes. If you like horizontal stripes, choose more subtle color combinations. Avoid large gauge knits, especially cable knits. They are too thick and chunky. You will be lost in the sweater. Choose smaller gauge knits in small patterns or solids. Choose slim fits and v-necks. It brings attention to your head and chest.

T-shirt Tips

Avoid shirts where the sleeves go past your elbows. Avoid shirts that are too full. Most cannot be altered.

Dress Pant Tailoring Tips

Always take in pants that are too full in the seat, crotch and leg. The fullness leads to chaffing and discomfort. Plain hems are preferred because its angular hem will also give you a longer leg line.

Dress Pant Dressing Tips

Pleated pants are okay if the pleats are shallow and in a short rise. Avoid regular rise pleated pants. The pleats are too deep and make you look stubby. Wear dress pants at the waist where most are designed to be worn. To look taller, keep contrasts to a minimum with your portcoats. Go with more tonal combinations. Avoid large patterned pants, especially in plaids and windowpanes. Solids and marled shades are best, followed by stripes, small herringbones, and small checks.

A. Covington is a fashion writer with a sharp eye for men's fashion. Her men's fashion blog covers the essentials on how to dress well, from neckties and pocket squares to to men's casual clothes to work attire for men. She always knew she wanted to be a writer and always loved fashion - and finally found a way to revel in both. Her work has appeared in numerous regional magazines and ezines, including San Diego Magazine, San Francisco Downtown Magazine, Ranch & Coast Magazine and JustLuxe.

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