Lectura de sambata dimineata

Suficient sa va spun ca azi nu am mai uitat – ca saptamana trecuta – de recomandarile de lectura, dar nici nu o sa va tin prea mult in fata ecranului. Va recomand in schimb, pentru ca tot vorbim de lectura, sa va faceti timp sa mergeti la Gaudeamus (e deschis pana luni), sa plecati de acolo cocosate de kilogramele de carti cumparate si sa va opriti pe o banca, in Herastrau, sa le rasfoiti, inainte de a merge acasa.

Daca nu aveti chef de carti, treceti pe la MTR – azi si maine, doar pana dupa-amiaza tarziu, are loc un fel de targ unde vin ciobanii din Bran, dar şi din Moeciu, Braşov si Sibiu. O sa gasiti acolo telemea, urdă, caş afumat, brânză cu busuioc sau pătrunjel, brânză de burduf şi în coajă de brad, pastramă delicioasă, precum şi alte delicii specifice zonelor de unde provin.  Daca nici targurile nu sunt your cup of tea, mai aveti de ales intre Serile tanarului cinefil, la cinematograful Tinerimea Romana sau Medalia de onoare. Iar daca nici astea nu va umplu weekendul, mai veniti voi cu idei, please 🙂

Pana una-alta, sa trecem la citit…

Designing with feathers, the old-fashioned way – „Working alone in the atelier that she also calls home, Ms. Saunier, a master plumassière, is one of the few remaining feather designers in France practicing with exceptional skill a craft in danger of extinction.” In NY Times.

Google debuts fashion shopping site –  “In a deliberate collision between nerds and fashion mavens, Google has created a new e-commerce site that significantly improves how fashion is presented and sold online. The site, Boutiques.com… may also change how people shop for clothes.” In NY Times.

Balenciaga exhibition opening on Park Avenue – “It’s astonishing… to realize how much one country shaped the ideas of Cristóbal Balenciaga. The country, of course, is Spain, and the period of influence was from 1937, when he opened his Paris house, until he retired in 1968 and returned to Spain.” Pe On the runway.

Made in little Wenzhou, Italy: the latest label from Tuscany – “Pronto moda involves importing cheap fabric, usually from China, and getting it made up to order at breakneck speeds into high-fashion garments that are then sold with ‘made in Italy’ labels.” In Guardian.

How luxury brands can tap the blogosphere’s growing influence –  “Consumers trust blogs more compared to traditional media than they did five years ago. Brands should actively look for ways to generate positive press by developing relationships with prominent industry bloggers.” Pe Luxury Daily.

Donatella Versace is teaching a new generation how to thrive – “Once a party animal, now the head of a fashion empire, Donatella Versace has lived through both good times and bad. Now she’s teaching a new generation of designers how to thrive.” In The Independent.

The eye behind fashion’s innovative showcases – “The hordes of shoppers lining up for the Uniqlo’s+J collection in SoHo last month probably didn’t notice the store: the futuristic clean lines, steel railings, opaque glass stairs. And that’s the way Masamichi Katayama, the cult designer behind this mass-market fashion temple, likes it.” In NY Times.

Young Chinese mortgaging their future for luxury brands – “Young Chinese have been sold a distinct vision of what it is to be modern, and it’s all about the brands and the gadgets. But the Chinese economy isn’t yet capable of providing the income necessary for most urban youth to live a life of full-blown consumerism.” Pe Global Times.

Dior sponsors W magazine’s online Fashion on Film experience – “Christian Dior has partnered with Conde Nast’s W for a sponsorship of the magazine’s online, interactive Fashion on Film festival [spanning] a number of different tactics such as traditional banner displays, video spots [and] a young filmmaker competition.” Pe Luxury Daily.

Ermenegildo Zegna: fashionably alive –  “Zegna has not been left unscathed by globalisation, an economic downturn and the capriciousness of fashion: sales fell by 8.4% to €797m ($1.1 billion) last year and net profits slumped to €17.3m from €62m in 2008.” In The Economist.

Giving a glimpse of how it’s done –  “‘The point is, luxury brands cannot compete on product alone… They all sell beautiful products and follow the same trends, so loyalty is low. Brands are seeking ways to connect to consumers and show how they’re different.’” Pe NY Times.

Sustainable luxury: new opportunities for growth – “This new consumer mindset poses an interesting challenge to luxury brands. While on the one hand, global luxury sales have rebounded nicely in 2010… this uptick does not necessarily translate into profitability over the long term.” Pe Guardian.

The new food groupies – “What qualifies these guys to dip their toes in the food world? What qualifies a lot of the self-appointed foodies, foodists and food bloggers out there? Often not much beyond a good eye, a strong opinion and a willingness to be exacting.” Pe Wall Street Journal.

Betsey Johnson faces a makeover – “Steven Madden could likely help the $200 million Betsey Johnson label expand, allowing it ‘to put money into the organization, product development, marketing and corporate growth.’” Pe Wall Street Journal.

What does „masstige” mean for China? – “If masstige collections are offered supplemental to the luxury collections, there is little risk of impacting the luxury spending; instead, masstige opens up a new market segment of middle-class consumers.” Pe Jing Daily.

The new icons of fashion – “Ms. Dello Russo and her raffish style-world cohort, who populate the mastheads of the fashion magazines, represent a new breed of Web-based reality star… they are casting a spell, their comings and goings relentlessly tracked by a new generation of aspiring style savants.” In NY Times.

Heritage Luxury: the past becomes the future – “The subject of heritage is red-hot because, faced with fierce global competition, brands have to decide which way to go: back to the comfort zone of craftsmanship and quality…fast forward into the world of live screening and e-commerce; or a delicate balance between the two?” In International Herald Tribune.