Lectura de sambata dimineata

Citesc acum colectia de povestiri si nuvele ale lui Cheever – descrieri melancolice, pe alocuri descurajante si pline de amaraciune, despre o America in perioada interbelica si post-belica, despre un New York de pe vremea cand toti barbatii purtau palarii, la petreceri se bea gin tonic, serile radioul se asculta in familie, sotiile erau cuminti, gospodine si gazde perfecte, si in general o lume populata de personaje ratate, care nu inteleg unde le-a disparut tineretea si traiesc mici drame cotidiene. Cu toate astea, vi le recomand din suflet, mai ales daca vreti sa incercati si un alt mare scriitor american in afara de Hemingway, Steinbeck si Fitzgerald.

M-a amuzat si interesat descrierea unei zile de shopping ale unei femei din anii ‘5o. Spuneti-mi voi: cat de mult s-au schimbat lucrurile fata de acum 60 de ani?.. Here it goes.

„Ca multe alte femei din New York, Lois petrecea enorm de mult timp la cumparaturi pe Fifth Avenue. Cumparaturile erau principala ei ocupatie. Era in stare sa mearga la cumparaturi bolnava. Isi incepea dupa-amiaza la Altman – cumpara o pereche de manusi la parter, apoi urca la etaj cu scara rulanta sa se uite la un gratar pentru semineu. Cumpara o poseta si o crema de fata de la Lord & Taylor si examina masutele de cafea, stofele de tapiterie si paharele de cocktail. Cumpara o pereche de pantofi si un furou de la Saks, ii trimitea mamei ei niste servete de la Mosse, cumpara un brat de flori de stofa de la De Pinna, crema pentru maini de la Bonwit si o rochie de la Bendel. Cumpara prajituri de la Dean, ultima ei oprire si se intorcea acasa pe jos, printre umbrele inserarii, ca un adevarat om al muncii, multumita si epuizata.”

Trecand la lucruri mai serioase, desi aparent frivole, am pentru voi o lista consistenta de articole. Enjoy, my princesses!

Remembering Diana Vreeland – “Diana Vreeland, who died in 1989, is hardly an unknown figure in the worlds of fashion and journalism… But now, a new documentary that was shown over the weekend at both the Venice and Telluride film festivals has the potential to bring Ms. Vreeland’s story, and a pretty compelling one it is, to a wider audience.” In NY Times.

New York Fashion Week: 10 years later – “It is but a small footnote to history that the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened on what was to have been the fourth day of New York Fashion Week for the spring 2002 season… In the days that followed, many designers, as they struggled to make sense of their world and resume the daily business of fashion, arranged simple presentations… But for the younger designers… There was no viable way to show their collections to the buyers or press.” In NY Times.

Behind a designer, there’ s a stylist – „Prabal Gurung’s stylist, Tiina Laakkonen, is a confidante and a hired gun. She morphs from editor of images to enforcer of deadlines, consulting on tailoring or scouting out shoes and other accessories for models to wear.” In Wall Street Journal.

Designers, celebrity woo shoppers around the world – “Department stores, designers and celebrities wooed economically battered shoppers around the world on Thursday during the 3rd annual “Fashion’s Night Out” event to encourage spending and raise money for charity. ‘Fashion’s Night Out,’ the brainchild of Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour, was designed to jump-start an industry battered by the global recession.” Pe Reuters.

In L.A., best friends build the best buzz – „Tweeting is what friends are for. A network of L.A. girlfriends are using their close friendships and Internet sophistication to inspire and promote their own home  – grown style machine.” In Wall Street Journal.

John Galliano: the rise and fall of a tormented celebrity – “In the dossier that was presented to the court in Mr Galliano’s defence, a story emerged of a celebrity tormented by fear, hate, self-indulgence and loneliness. There were plenty of people within the fashion industry who saw this tragedy unfolding. But it seemed no-one had the power to stop it.” Pe BBC News.

Facebook, fashion and fantasy – „Instead of Facebook, substitute Alexander McQueen; instead of the list of promising-but-still-not-necessarily-profitable internet start-ups like Foursquare, Bump and Spotify, substitute Cushnie et Ochs, Joseph Altuzarra, Peter Som, Wes Gordon (to name a few); or Bora Aksu, Felder Felder, and Danielle Scutt. Of them, how many are really going to become global names?” In Financial Times.

Katie Grand: the super-stylist – “Katie Grand, the magazine editor and stylist -or super-stylist as she is now described, perhaps in reference to the many fashion superbrands for which she has helped create defining images – has the sort of non-stop life that sounds just too fabulous and utterly exhausting.” In The Telegraph.

Paris to sell its young – “The Council of Fashion Designers of America is taking a page out of the British Fashion Council’s playbook and is bringing 10 of the past CFDA/US Vogue Fashion Fund finalists to Paris Fashion Week. The finalists will be able to use showrooms to help them “expand their international business and increase their presence outside of the United States,” according to Steven Kolb, CFDA chief executive.” In Financial Times.

Next step for labels: cyber-boutiques – “The ultimate challenge for all luxury brands is to go digital — without losing their key attributes of individuality and identity. Yet click onto almost every big name fashion Web site and while the product offering might be tempting, the experience is often bland and only two-dimensional. The success of Net-a-porter.com and of its witty masculine version, Mrporter.com, is the magazine-style content that makes the sites entertaining as well as efficient.” In International Herald Tribune.

Where fashion gazes at itself – “Tumblr, founded four years ago, has reached out to the fashion community in a way no other social networking site has. For the second time, it has brought users to New York Fashion Week as reporters, paying for their trips and giving them access to the shows. Their coverage is being posted on a dedicated channel, tumblr.com/NYFW, made up of posts from 20 bloggers picked by Tumblr’s staff, along with contributions from magazines that have their own Tumblrs.” In NY Times.

A fashionista gets her own show – „Blockbuster exhibitions dedicated to fashion designers have become popular at museums. But „Daphne Guinness,” opening on Friday at New York’s Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, has a different focus—one especially stylish customer.” In Wall Street Journal.

Luxury: the next generation – “One of the more astonishing success stories of the past century has been the evolution of luxury retailing, from small-scale family firms to an international, multi-billion dollar industry… Yet, as the modern industry struggles to reconcile its artisanal heritage with today’s public offerings and quarterly reports, it is the personal, family connection that bridges the gap.” In Financial Times.

Hats, hats and more hats – „Often referred to as the orphan of the accessory world, hats are parentless no more. It’s been quite a season for chapeaus, which popped up on the runways in London, Milan and Paris, and were the talk of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in April. Now, the oh-so-British flourish is taking Manhattan, as English milliner to the stars Stephen Jones’s exhibition, „Hats: An Anthology,” travels stateside from London’s Victoria & Albert museum to the Bard Graduate Center, Sept. 15 through April 15.”. In Wall Street Journal.