When Prince William put an engagement ring on Kate Middleton’s finger, he lit a fuse of nearly round-the-clock news coverage that is guaranteed to burn right up to (and probably well beyond) the royal nuptials, scheduled for April 29. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)
Freida Pinto wears a sari and jewelry at Sona Chaandi in Artesia. Post “Slumdog Millionaire,” Hollywood has continued to stoke interest in all things India. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
If 2010 was the year that 3-D captured our attention -- and dollars -- at the box office (as did, to a lesser extent, the reality of 3-D television), then look for 2011 to add another dimension as “4-D” moves more mainstream. In November 2010, Polo Ralph Lauren brought 4-D into its world with great fanfare, using camera technology to turn the facades of it flagships in New York and London into trippy, mutating 3-D movie screens that are fashion runways one moment, the backdrop for a giant dangling handbag the next and a polo field moments later, all accompanied by digital sound effects and wafts of fragrance (from the Ralph Lauren stable of scents, naturally). (Henry S. Dziekan III / Getty Images for Ralph Lauren)
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Call it post steampunk up-cycling, a renewed appreciation of all things retro or new wine in old bottles, but the nostalgic longing for the look and feel of days gone by has resulted in an ever-growing “newstalgia” movement, blending elements of today with yesteryear. Twenty-first century hipsters sport handlebar mustaches. Prohibition-era moonshine is back on the shelves of swanky wine shops. You can put your MP3 playlists on a USB memory stick that looks like an analog era mixed-tape cassette. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)
Members of the Staatsballett Berlin pose wearing Adidas Women’s TechFit outfits at the Adidas Women’s TechFit Launch Spring/Summer 2011 at Stadtbad Oderberger. Adidas might be the biggest brand to bank on the ballerina in the upcoming year, collaborating with Staatsballett Berlin to develop the newest version of its TechFit atheletic apprel for women. Several of the company’s dancers appear in its lookbook for spring, and one -- Alessandra Pasquali -- was recently tapped to be a brand ambassador for the company. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images for Adidas)
The notion of customer service may seem quaint in an era when everything and anything can be bought without interacting with another human being. But it has become one of the last remaining ways any brand -- but a luxury brand in particular -- can make itself stand out in a cluttered market place. Look at online footwear retailer Zappos, which used a nearly obsessive level of customer service to distinguish itself from competitors. (Isaac Brekken / Los Angeles Times)
