Kiwi diamond buyer Ange Hardy went up against the big boys to secure the rare 22-carat white diamond which Hollywood celebrity Kim Kardashian will brandish on her finger on Tuesday.

Jacinta Lal said controversy over the Miss IndiaNZ pageant had distracted from the "inappropriate and offensive" comments made by Paul Henry.

Catering for skin sensitivity is a growth industry.

While we ponder what to buy this season, designers in Europe are showing what will be hot for summer in 2012.

Is SPF15 enough protection in our natural skincare products?

L'Oreal is considering a bid of US$44 ($58.16) a share for Avon, the UK's Daily Mail reported.

Time to get casual, with our summer checklist - easy pieces that will form the backbone of your holiday wardrobe.

Mecca Cosmetica has become the New Zealand stockists of Diptyque, the cult French candlemaker.

A blonde, blue-eyed woman is in a new racism row after winning a Miss IndiaNZ beauty contest, then being accused of not looking Indian enough.

Sometimes the simplest of garments brings out a display of virtuosity in designers more effectively than anything more obviously sensational.

A British clothing supplier has won a four-year trademark battle against the fashion giant Lacoste.

The French are the experts when it comes to all aspects of culture. Julie Harries explores Auckland's Gallic connections in a quest to gain some quintessential French style and attitude.

Lots of people start new businesses. Not so many sell them for more than $10 million. Two sisters tell Christine Nikiel how they did it - and why lunch matters.

The wild weather bomb that hit the 10th New Zealand Fashion Week made everyone feel a bit drippy. At times the front row resembled a row of sodden crows on a wire, as fabulous baubles and sexy shoes were abandoned in favour of warm clothes.

When a champagne house can name Marie Antoinette and Marilyn Monroe as fans, you'd think the brand couldn't get any more glamorous - then they announce a collaboration with shoe designer Christian Louboutin.

Fashion has rejected its current minimalist aesthetic and heartily embraced colour.

Pop artists have been involved in clothing lines for a while, but now indie rock bands are getting in on the action - and not always with successful results. Viva charts some of the failures.

Marc Jacobs has long flirted with danger and it has yet to do him much harm.

Forget the frocks, this year hair and makeup rocks.

A new book about Coco Chanel captures the spirit of the great designer. Here Viva explores how Chanel revolutionised women's fashion, and why, even 25 years after Karl Lagerfeld took over, the label remains as iconic as ever.

Lagerfeld's shows are never presented on anything less than the grandest scale but, even so, such an ostentatious display of wealth and power was breathtaking.

Stay ahead of the game with some of the key trends and moments from the latest international fashion weeks.

The current passion for purple gives plenty of choice for nails without going garish.

Australian retail analyst Robert Buckingham is in New Zealand to share his insights on global fashion trends.

A potential joint venture turned sour nearly spelled the end of clothing label Huffer's foray into the US market more than two years ago.

If anyone can be credited with the return of so-called 'real' clothes to the catwalk then it is the British-born designer, Phoebe Philo.