Lectura pentru dimineata de weekend

Acum imi beau cafeaua, cu gandul la mini-degustarea de cafea de miercuri, de la Starbucks, pe care am castigat-o in urma unui comentariu pe blogul lui Adrian Ciubotaru.

Nu o sorb – asa cum ar trebui sa fac cu un espresso -, i-am pus mai putin zahar – ca sa nu devina mai puternica, nu am facut pairing cu nici un fel de prajiturica – pentru ca am mancat ieri o prajitura 🙂 Anyway, foarte cool acea degustare si, FYI, puteti lua si voi parte la asemenea „tratamente”, pentru ca Starbucks organizeaza lunar degustari si mini-seminarii despre cafea, este suficient sa intrati pe siteul lor ca sa aflati datele si locatiile.

A fost si asta o saptamana plina, care inca nu s-a terminat. Diseara merg sa o vad pe Alexandrina la Palatul Ghyka, vineri a inceput Festivalul de film Rus la cinematografele Studio si Eforie, MTR-ul prezinta in fiecare seara de luni, pana in decembrie, documentare britanice, iar Fundatia Calea Victoriei va da intalnire in fata la BNR si va plimba astazi prin Orasul de Mijloc. Mergeti la un stand-up comedy in Club 99, miercuri la o seara de jazz cu Jezebel in La Historia, mergeti la targul Sf. Dumitru la Muzeul Satului, tratati-va cu ceaiuri aromate, cu cacao aburinda, cu placinte de dovleac si cu mere coapte, cumparati-va paturi pufoase si sosete moi, bucurati-va de serile lungi si de diminetile cu soare si aer rece, ridicati-va nasurile din calculatoare si observati ca e toamna afara…

Pana una-alta, sa mai „lecturam” ceva online. Cum ar fi…

Reinventing Savile Row – “Faced with constant pressure from the bottom end of the market, such as low-cost operations that claim to offer ‘bespoke’ goods… and the top end, in the form of slick designer labels… Savile Row’s tailors had a choice —evolve or go extinct.” Pe WWD.

Marc Jacobs’ Chinoiserie: Obsession or opportunism? – “Beyond the playfulness and glam, reviewers clearly picked up on the Asian influence, seeing it as an acknowledgement of the growing industry influence of China and other Asian countries, or perhaps a play for their consumers.” Pe Jing Daily.

From Boys to men –  “It’s also, like comfort food, about the economy…Look back to movies during the Depression, and all you saw was real guys like James Cagney. In tough times, people want a strong man.” Oooh, baby, ca sa zic asa… In NY Times.

Luxe lowdown: Tony sites begin to invite buyers review – “More than a decade after book and electronics retailers embraced online customer reviews, the most elite stores in the U.S. are opening their websites—and the brands they sell—to the slings and arrows of public opinion.” Pe Wall Street Journal.

Bling is back – “The strength of the recovery was a surprise…. Big brands such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès are the main winners. With their deep pockets, they were able to continue to open new shops and invest in the business during the crisis.” In The Economist.

Chinese models hit runways around the globe – “When the willowy Liu Wen stepped onto the runway… she finally began to see a parade of models who looked increasingly like her: This fall, major design houses featured a number of Chinese models in fashion weeks as part of a bid by the firms to boost their sales in China.” Pe CNN.

Rene Gruau: a new look at the influential Dior illustrator – „René Gruau was an Italian-born illustrator who worked at the front line of high fashion for more than 60 years. Next month his sketches for the House of Dior will reach a new audience at an exhibition in his name. To some, it will be a reminder of what the brush, pen and ink achieved before the camera took over.” In The Telegraph.

Why can’t middle aged women have long hair? – „At a certain age, cutting your hair is considered the appropriate thing to do, as if being shorn is a way of releasing oneself from the locks of the past.” E un articol care va va placea tare, tare mult… Pe NY Times.

Designer labels go pint size – “Gucci, Fendi and Stella McCartney are among the latest designers to add luxury children’s collections to their company’s stable, a small step for high-end fashion but among the first signs of growth since the recession.” Pe NY Times.

Pop-up mobile for luxury retail – “One of the inherent values of the mobile medium for marketers is the very personal nature of the smartphone device itself… This creates a plethora of unique engagement opportunities for luxury brands… [to] re-create the feeling of uniqueness historically inherent in shoppers’ experience with the brand.” Pe Mobiluxe.

The 3 billion dollar woman – „Forget advertising in glossy magazines, gushing celebrity endorsements or the creation of an exclusive, hush-hush cult of desirability. The latest and greatest marketing technique is simple, in theory: get Michelle Obama to wear your clothes.” In The Independent.

Tamara Mellon interview: for services to shoes – „Tamara Mellon’s life has always sounded as if it were modelled on a schlocky TV mini-series, and today’s episode is no exception. It’s Thursday and we’re in the rococo lobby of the Ritz, the morning after Mellon, president of the Jimmy Choo fashion house, has received her OBE at Buckingham Palace.” In The Telegraph.

Styles – and strategy – that defy conventions – „With 25 employees and about $5 million in annual revenue, the designer sells her brand, Zero + Maria Cornejo, to about 85 retailers around the world, including Harvey Nichols in London, Ikram in Chicago and Joyce in Hong Kong, as well as in her own three stores in New York and Los Angeles. She is frequently among the A-list designers in Michelle Obama’s wardrobe.” In Wall Street Journal.

Your closet needs an editor – „Yet proclaim they do, citing the ladylike new-New-Look Prada and Louis Vuitton, who riffed Christian Dior and Douglas Sirk’s cinched silhouette like they were doing wardrobe on a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical. Dresses and skirts so Fifties retrograde, all that was missing was the poodle.” In Montreal Gazette.

The Fashion conservatives – “‘The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously is frankly dismaying,’ Ms. Wintour chided. ‘I do think Americans have moved on from the power suit mentality. Political campaigns that do not recognize this are making a serious misjudgment.’” In NY Times.

Limited brands’ international promise – “A 1,000-square-foot Victoria’s Secret travel store in a Brazilian airport, which just sells accessories and beauty products, opened a little more than a year ago. Since then, it’s done about $10 million in sales, or $10,000 per square foot.” In Market Watch.

Does the shoe fit? – „The much heralded return of the trouser has, it seems, proffered up a problem for us women, between seasons. Namely, what should one wear on one’s feet?” Pe Wall Street Journal.

Macy’s get fast fashion –  “Any retailer on earth would just about die to create the kind of consumer craze that takes place when H & M introduces a discount designer collaboration… the latest store to delve into fast fashion is a bit unexpected in that it is the classically mainstream Macy’s.” In NY Times.

Ballets Russes:  emotional and passionate – „The Ikat-weave costumes, bleeding the colors of Russian folklore across the surface; the tiny pink ballet slipper of the dancer Tamara Karsavina; the sophisticated Parisian exoticism of Paul Poiret; and the disconcerting, Cubist creations by Pablo Picasso are Diaghilev’s epitaph — and they make a splendid display at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.” In NY Times.