As one of the largest sporting events in the world, the World Cup is a huge deal the world over and attracts more attention to the world of football than any other competition. It symbolizes the coming together of nations in an open competition to determine the best. Until recently, nothing like this existed for fashion, but now, thanks to Very.co.uk there is a brand new global fashion competition where the styles from many nations around the globe can compete. Each week the site unveils 2 styles from 2 of the countries who have football teams going head to head in the World Cup taking place this year in South Africa. Visitors are invited to cast their vote for the winner of this Fashion Face-Off and have their say as to which country they feel should win for that week. Sometimes the fashion reflects the winners on the field, but that’s not always the case. This week, it’s all about the hot, but 2 very distinct flavors of hot. This week it’s all about Australia’s spunky, sassy beach babe fashion and the exotic matador inspired artistry of Spain’s fashion sensibilities. Who will win? As always, it will be hard to say until the last votes come in.

Australia has a lot to offer with fun, upbeat colors and a clear love for the sun, sand and waves washing in. The look celebrates good times had with great friends in an outdoor party type of environment. There’s a natural vitality which is clearly evident in the Aussie style that has a clear zest for life and an emphasis on feminine fun, an almost sporty appeal that practically screams beach bunny. Hats, sunglasses, shorts, sandals and women’s swimwear are all part of the ensemble from Oz, but how will it fair against its decidedly more serious competition?

From Spain comes a slender look that is all about symmetry and grace. There’s a poise to the dancer-esque lines and subtle curves of the Spanish style that isn’t afraid to embrace lace, cropped jacket styles and the sort of accessories that definitely appeal to the inner artist in all of us. Where the Aussie style speaks of girly good times, Spain offers up the look of the seductress completely in control of her own look and very much prepared to turn away unsuitable suitors. Is it arrogance or aristocratic grace?

Will it be surf chic Down Under or the sleek temptations of Spain?

Leading United States retail giant Sears Holdings Corp. has been a consistent innovator in recent years as it attempts to correct its past business issues in the face of incredibly stiff competition, even at the fashion market level, with world giant Wal-Mart. Sears has turned to looking for ways to leverage its real estate to its advantage and one of the ways it does this is by renting out what it owns to complimentary retailers. Now, Sears is turning an eye towards Fashion 21 Inc. since it is known to be a fast fashion choice for the fashion crowd. By testing the pairing out in a prominent mall in California, Sears and Forever 21 hope to see if they will be able to profit together in the new pairing. Negotiations are now in progress to move the 40,000 square foot Forever 21 store in Costa Mesa, just outside of Los Angeles, into the 300,000 square foot Sears location in the South Coast Plaza mall. This would offer the ability for Forever 21 to have their own entrance to the mall.

Should an agreement be reached with the fashion and accessories store, Sears would stand to gain a foothold in the elusive fashion market and diversify its offerings for fashion fans in the market that Forever 21 caters to. The smaller retailer has done well by expanding all through the recession due to a reputation for offering bargains that exceed its rivals Zara and H&M, both of whom are already set up inside the mall along with stores like Christian Louboutin, Harry Winston, Chanel, Prada and Burberry.

A Victoria, Canada fashion show being thrown to raise funds for a local charity got an ugly surprise when lawyers for Vogue fashion magazine made claims that the event is using a trademark of Vogue without the publication’s express written permission. The Victoria Fashion’s Night Out event was set to include a large number of local businesses from the downtown area that were going to show case brand new fashions, but it appears that things have been brought to a halt with the letter from Vogue’s high powered team of lawyers. If the event, whether for charity or not, does not immediately change its name then the lawyers have stated that they will bring a lawsuit against the team holding it on the grounds of intellectual property breach. Maneuvers such as this have been popular by the recorded music industry in defense of their artists and record labels and even by Disney which has threatened lawsuits against day care centers for their unlicensed use of its characters on the walls of their facilities, but it is a definite first for a fashion magazine to sue a charity over a name that many critics argue does not give consumers the impression that Vogue is hosting or present.

The issue that lawyers are upset over is the fact that Vogue has previously used the title Fashion’s Night Out in New York City in 2009. This year, the event will take place in a large number of cities so the confusion, Vogue fears, could cause issues with the magazine’s readership. Since the trademark is literally Fashion’s Night Out, the charity now plans to change the name of the Victoria event to Victoria’s Fashion Night to avoid problems.