Weekly fashion agenda: fashion week in Melbourne, shopping in Istanbul, Baselworld

(AFP PHOTO/Francois Guillot)

Here is a selection of upcoming fashion events around the globe.

15th L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
March 14-20
Melbourne, Australia

Karen Walker, Sass & Bide, and Collette Dinnigan will present their latest collections while the Designer Award as well as a graduates showcase will hopefully identify their future successors. The fashion festival, which is largely open to the public, will also see several appearances by Danish supermodel Helena Christensen who is set to walk on the Menswear Runway (March 17) as part of the genderbending trend in fashion.
http://www.lmff.com.au
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1st Istanbul Shopping Festival
March 18-26
Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish authorities hope to steal some of Dubai's limelight as an international shopping destination with the launch of this festival, which has been heavily promoted all over the world. Several of Istanbul's shopping areas will be open 24 hours a day throughout the duration, while cultural events will also be on offer to break up the shopping.
http://www.istanbulshoppingfest.org
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12th Japan Fashion Week
March 19-25
Tokyo, Japan

Japan's design stars including Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) and Yohji Yamamoto have long been showing their collections outside Tokyo, but the city remains a breeding ground for exciting, up-and-coming talent made in Japan. Japan Fashion Week will be held concurrently with its prestigious global fashion fair Livingroom in Tokyo (March 22-24).
http://www.jfw.jp
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39th Baselworld
March 24-31
Basel, Switzerland

The biggest watch tradeshow in the world is the place to observe the trends for the coming year. More than 100,000 international visitors and some 2000 companies are again expected to attend the expo that receives thousands of jewelers and watchmakers from brands like Rolex, Chopard, Tissot, Patek Philippe and Bvlgari.
http://www.baselworld.com
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Balenciaga and Spain
March 26 - September 4
San Francisco, CA, USA

The exhibition at the de Young museum of fine arts examines the influence of Spain on the work of haute couture master Cristóbal Balenciaga. The impact of Spanish culture, history, and traditions is explored through the recurring themes in Balenciaga's oeuvre and organized in the exhibition in six sections: Spanish Art, Regional Dress, The Spanish Court, Religious Life and Ceremony, the Bullfight, and Dance.
http://deyoung.famsf.org
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