3 questions, 3 answers

Hey there, yes you, hey to you, dear reader! (try to picture your name here to make a little bit more personal...); throughout these three years I have read many comments asking me questions or sugesting me to add my outfits and other personal things. Well, maybe it's time to do so... here are three recent questions with its three answers.

Minor keys: things you like or cannot live without

I'm not that sort of person. I don't have items I "need" or "can't live without". One of the things that peopl always tell me is how ready I am for changes, any kind of change (job, clothes, house, city, country...). The constant moving of things and elements has been a constant in my life since I was a child so now as an adult, it's still "easy".

If you are asking about clothing items, I must say that I trust on the timeless effectiveness of plain good quality white/black t-shirts... and then, probably, anything in black is a must-have in my closet.

Brigadeiro: How old are you? are you studying/working? If so, in what?

23...(so, yes, I started the blog with 20, on a cloudy day under the effects of a massive hangover)
working/studying? good question. Right now, and after studying business and fashion marketing and working on the fashion industry (as a stylist assitant and magazine collaborator) and another few other non-chalant not-fashion-related jobs, I'm starting a personal project with two other friends that I prefer not to talked about yet.

Aurora: who are your favourite photographers?

I love French photographers from the mid-XX century in general but my recent photography book purchases have been Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. I follow the work of many more.

you, your shoes and Mr.Choo for a good cause

Jimmy Choo will donate 25% of the net sales from Project PEP to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. With this funding, the Elton John AIDS Foundation can directly support the pioneering Simelela Rape Centre in Cape Town that was set up in 2005, with the mission to administer victims of abuse with the vital HIV preventative PEP medication (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) and provide the infrastructure for medical, counselling and legal support.

...

Choo is asking you to take part in a new social networking concept which will feature a photo competition to generate awareness of the vital 72 hour time window. The slogan for the campaign is 'You, Your Shoes and 72' and many of the winning images will be showcased at the global launch of Project PEP at Selfridges London on 29th October and at Jimmy Choo Project PEP events globally. Over 100 winners will be chosen to win products from the Project PEP range, with a Grand Prize offering the overall winner 7 pairs of shoes and 2 bags from Jimmy Choo.

more info: http://www.jimmychoo72.com/

three years

Not a toddler anymore, tomorrow it's the blog's birthday: three years old and still here.

Once again I want to thank you all for your support. I know I'd write no matter what and no matter how because it's something I really enjoy (about fashion and many other things) but maybe without you I wouldn't published.

Art Decó birthday postcard

Feel free to ask me any question regarding the blog or myself. I'll be more than pleased to answer.

your celebrity brands

The fashion industry is often considered a perfect place to derive fortune and fame not only for well-stablished celebrities (Victoria Beckham) but also for celebrities wannabes (Peaches Geldorf) and rich girls with no real designer potential (Kira Plastinina).

Many designers today have become celebrities themselves (to name one, just think on Karl Lagerfeld and his own personal website to cultivate his persona). But even when the celebrity status has been achieved they need real celebrities (singer, actors, models, sportmen and socialites) by their side because their every movement is on magazines, tv, newspapers, blogs, forums, etc. With that in mind, the question is: do we follow the celebrity or do we follow his/her clothes?

In view of the confusion that this simple question might arouse, in the last decade celebrities have put their shoulders to the wheel as they have never done before. Celebrity branding isn't a new phenomenon but the rise of magazines, blogs, forums, etc tracking celebrities as well as the demand of mass retailers such as H&M to help and collaborate in one-time unique collections have given them more power and clout in influencing mainstream fashion trends than many designers. However the downturn is hitting celebrity labels hard and many have been force to disappear (Sweetface by Jennifer Lopez, LC by Lauren Conrad, Heidiwood by Heidi Montag, Nicky Hilton by Nicky Hilton, etc) into the graveyard of celebrity labels.

"Every D-level celebrity who thought they could make a quick buck by designing a handbag or whatever is going to disappear,and I think that's a good thing." said Anna Wintour.

... and so do I.

cold outwear

New purchase: Aubin and Wills Backfield Cape

neutral shoes

I had no idea Elizabeth&James stocked moccasin shoes. Although some of their pieces are quite interesting I have never payed much attention to this label and I was surprised to find out their moccasins. These days I obssesed with moccasins. My own mother is a big fan of the preppy casual look and so she wears them a lot, and so did I a while ago...but them change them for ballerinas and now I'm about to get back to them investing in this pair of comfy calf-hair grey-ish moccasins that are neutral and totally effortless to wear.

in the tightrope of fashion

Conceptual fashion is following the steps of Haute Couture and has become less and less saleable in the last two years. Their future is unpredictable and I wonder whether or not there's space for them. A perfect example of this is Maison Martin Margiela.

It has been reported a while ago that Martin Margiela is longer at his maison. After selling his fashion house to Renzo Rosso, sistering with Diesel (very antagonic, right?), journalist and fashionistas (including me) were a bit suspicious about the change and the possibility of Mr. Margiela leaving from the back door forever. Wrong and misunderstood information/rumours were given from in and out the house in the early months of 2009 and everybody was confused.

“In the absence of any definitive corporate statement, the only test of whether Margiela is still in the house must be down to whether the inimitable dialogue of excellence, intellectual challenge, and wit is still there in his show.” wrote Sarah Mower on Style.com.

so, we waited...

and after the show (see picture), Rosso finally admited that Martin hadn't been there for a long time, he had been replaced by a new fresh and headless team... and we weren't that shocked, because we are in the post-recesion era of quike shifts in the fashion industry.

Now, the future of the house walks the tightrope. In times of crisis, customers stop investing in fashion as if they were art sponsors and move towards safe, wearable and timeless purchases. Besides, there isn't a leader anymore to revamp the myth of the cult designer for a brand whose strategy lies basically in it. There's not even the glare of the retired designer lighting from the shadow. We missed a sort of farewell event/celebration. Margiela is still THE conceptual designer and a farewell event/celebration would have helped to built a new cult strategy less focused on the designer himself and more focused on the brand created by him and continued by others with a similar spirit.

we'll wait a bit longer...

To finish and after reading my post to check for mistakes I have just remember Robert Duffy's words when Marc Jacobs signed a 5-year contract with Rosso: "If it's good for Martin Margiela, it's good for us."

thoughts after reading thebusinessoffashion.com analysis

*I have just read a very similar article on the topic on TFS.*

inspired the night

Tomorrow some friends are throwing a party but I haven't decided yet which is going to be this year's Halloween costume...

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories from the Tim Burton Exhibit at MoMa

The October issue of Haper's Bazaar incudes an editorial inspired by Tim Burton's universe.

maxi

Big Bra from the series "Long Story"

Check writtenafterwards, label founded by Yoshikazu Yamagata and Kentaro Tamai, Central St.Martins former student, well-known for their experimental work in merging fashion and fine art.

found via thefashionobserver.com

my own blank notebook

On saturday a friend of mine who I haven't seen in a while came (with other people) to my place to have dinner and have fun... In order to make up for the time lost and as a sign of our friendship she gave me a sort of notebook that at first glance looks quite random, boring and normal but that deep inside its blank pages entails a unique experience captured by the sentence of the cover (In my notebook fashionistas that I met and liked).

Archie Grand believes that for those who have everything a little notebook to enclose all your little secrets and thoughts is the best present.

Now I have my own notebook to spoil as much as I do in my fashion blog. This is my category... Which one is for you?

Save the Garment District

YOU: Guess where my shirt was made

ME: In the Garment District?

YOU: No! are you kidding?

first of all, I barely watch tv. Secondly, I don't live in the US (and therefore, I don't have access to HBO). But yesterday, Marc Levin and Daphne Pinkerson's documentary Schmatta: Rags to riches to rags premiered in HBO and I'm looking forward to get a glance on it.


It's hard to imagine a city like New York fall down with globalisation. New York is the centre of business and probably the capital of the global world we live in but things are getting tough in the Garment District.


Today, about 95% of the clothing sold in the US is made abroad, so the Garment District is just a shadow of what it used to be and is fighting to be saved from extinction . Schmatta tracks the evolution of the area and its economic importance from its very beginning to the current situation. In so doing, the film raises important questions such as how the fashion industry is facing the post-recession climate (including the recently gained significance of developing countries in the business and the adaptation of the sector to eco-frienly demands).