Lectura de sambata dimineata

Iubesc perioada asta a anului. Are de-a face cu lumina soarelui care se schimba, incet-incet, de-a lungul zilei – dimineata intensa, cu frunzele in flacari pe fundalul cerului albastru, dupa-amiaza molcoma dar inca calduta. Are de-a face cu buchetele de flori, explozii de culori autumnale stranse ca intr-un pumn, cu serile mai lungi si violete, cu trecerea de la sandale la pantofi, de la matase la piele, de la culori intense la imprimeuri pe fond intunecat, de la verde smarald la bleu fumuriu, de la alb optic la galben chihlimbariu…

In prima zi de octombrie, am senzatia ca septembrie nici nu a existat – atat de mult am avut de lucru, si mai urmeaza inca pe atat! De asta si posturile au fost atat de sporadice, ca sa ma exprim cu indulgenta… Ma pregatesc pentru inca trei weekenduri in care vorbesc despre moda, ce inseamna „Made in Italy” si cum au inventat francezii conceptul de „lux”; de la jumatatea lunii ne putem intalni la cele doua cursuri pe care le tin la Fundatia Calea Victoriei (puteti deja sa va inscrieti aici si aici), iar deja pregatesc trei cursuri open de imagine in Bucuresti, Cluj si Timisoara, pentru primele saptamani din noiembrie.

…si desi stiu ca diminetile mohorate de toamna nu sunt departe ci la fel de certe ca ploile de noiembrie, am savurat saptamana asta: a fost una dintre acele ultime, insuportabil de calde, luminoase si fierbinti saptamani de toamna, care imi amintesc sa imi umplu fiecare moment cu auriu si soare si sa ma plimb cat mai mult prin oras…

Iar acum, spor la citit!

Don’t look back or ahead – “‘There is so much pressure in the business to be something or not to be something, people dictating what I should be or do next, that you can get drunk on all the voices,’ said Mr. Panichgul, 36. ‘I don’t want to be just a product of the hype, being categorized as ‘Michelle Obama’s designer.’ So what I’ve learned to do is to focus on what’s in front of me right now, on what I’m doing today and not tomorrow, where I am now.” In NY Times.

Fashion bloggers to spur online luxury sales – “Fashion bloggers will help propel online sales of designer clothes, jewels and luxury cars to more than 11 billion euros ($15 billion) in 2015. The exclusive fashion world has embraced the Internet later than other industries but is catching up quickly… Blogs and social media are setting trends more than fashion critics, with one out of two customers turning to Facebook or Twitter for advice before buying, the study said.” Pe Reuters.

The making of an „exclusive” – “Exclusives are valuable ammunition in the battle for market share among department stores and boutiques during this choppy economic recovery. The recession all but eliminated aspirational shoppers—consumers who drove the luxury boom by spending beyond their means. Now, high-end retailers are trying to woo a relatively small pool of affluent customers with merchandise not found anywhere else.” In Wall Street Journal.

Is digital killing the luxury brand? – “Just a few years back, most high-end fashion brands distrusted all things digital. Their fear was understandable. Digital is democratizing; it’s about accessibility. The brand image for high-end fashion is all about inaccessibility: Keep the masses out so that the people who can afford to buy their way in feel they’re exceptional.” In Adweek.

Gaytten’s difficult inheritance – „Bill Gaytten knew he had been given a hard act to follow when he took up his post at Galliano.” In Financial Times.

Building a smart wardrobe – „Even if you consider yourself a homemaker rather than a shoulder-padded business executive, you need to know that you can up the ante, if and when it’s required.” In Wall Street Journal.

Milan floats a big idea – “Recently a new fashion store opened in Milan. This would not in itself be a notable occurrence, especially during fashion week, but this is a vast, 43,000 sq ft ‘directional emporium’… This is Excelsior, Italy’s first upscale concept department store in the Selfridge’s/ Barney’s mode.” In Financial Times.

A duo clashes for fashion – “Messrs. Hernandez and McCollough, both 33 years old, are considered leaders of a new school of designers in their 20s and 30s representing the next generation of big American fashion designers. This new breed is known for its willingness to experiment with fabrics and its ability to reinterpret classic designs for a contemporary audience.” In Wall Street Journal.

Rising cost of clothes could signal end of „cheap chic” – “The days of “cheap chic” and throwaway fashion could be numbered, because the cost of clothes is rising at its fastest rate for nearly 15 years. The “fast fashion” trend, where T-shirts sell for £2 and jeans are priced at less than a fiver in supermarkets, is being battered by big increases in the cost of cotton, labour and transport.” In Guardian.

Miuccia Prada sitting pretty – “Miuccia earned her stripes slowly and after years of being regarded with skepticism from critics and fashion insiders. Untrained in design and lacking an apprenticeship in the conventional sense, she earned a Ph.D. in politics, then became a mime artist before eventually taking over the family business. 
At that point in the late ’70s, Prada was a small Milanese leather goods manufacturer.” In Because London.

Will Chinese designers get left behind in China’s fashion boom? – “China’s once almost non-existent fashion industry is on the verge of exploding. New domestic brands pop up seemingly everyday. Chinese models, like Liu Wen, who has shot campaigns with Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Estee Lauder, are increasingly becoming a hot commodity on foreign runways while domestic designers, such as Richard Wu, are piquing the interest of the international fashion elite.” Pe CNN.

Specifications for the way we live now – „As the fashion pack leaves Milan for the start of the Paris shows on Tuesday, one designer will go with them: Alessandra Facchinetti, late of Valentino and Gucci, who is making her return to fashion after three years via the launch of a brand far removed from her couture and high fashion roots.” In Financial Times.

Recenzii despre Saptamanile Modei:

The volume stays up – “There seems to be no escape from the orgy of prints and color consuming the runways. It continued on Tuesday at Rodarte and Vera Wang, with runny floral patterns. It struck on Monday with ice-cream pastels at Preen, tribal prints at Donna Karan and blazing red at Ohne Titel… But if you look at many of the prints that have appeared this week, and the way they were handled, you don’t find that human dimension of wit and vulnerability. They don’t make you smile.” In NY Times.

Fashion Week’s split personality – “In a matter of a few seasons, the Friday and Saturday shows have eclipsed the others in excitement and energy, so much so that, by Sunday, it seemed to many that spring 2012 Fashion Week had peaked and that the remaining days, far from being a slalom, were a slog… Beyond energy, though, what do all of these young people bring to the communal fashion table, and what, specifically, do they give to designers?” In NY Times.

Paris Fashion Week – „Judging from the early shows of Paris Fashion Week, a number of designers have bondage issues – or entrapment, depending on your point of view – on the brain.” In Financial Times.

Tipping towards the dark side – “Significantly, British designers, whose colorful digitalized prints of the last couple of seasons so influenced the New York shows, have taken a sharper turn. Although not angry or belligerent in the Punk mode, an angular geometry is the new influence, with craftsmanship as the subtext. The flowery prettiness once endemic to British design has been swept away by designers using both geometric tools and a needle and thread.” In International Herald Tribune.

For a day, it’s all good – “Wednesday was a double-bonus day with outstanding shows from Ralph Rucci and Proenza Schouler. The next morning, Ralph Lauren concocted one of his romances out of straw picnic purses and robin’s egg blue, ending it with a gown as triumphant as the Chrysler Building.” In NY Times.

Milan fashion picks glam over gloom – “Designers have prepared a marathon of catwalk shows and gala openings to wow shoppers and woo their wallets at a Milan fashion week… ‘This is our chance to react to the crisis,’ Mario Boselli, chairman of Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion… Fashion is a key contributor to the euro-zone’s third largest economy. Italian brands are expected to generate total revenues of almost 63 billion euros (54.9 billion pounds) this year.” Pe Reuters.

The Roman spring of Ms. Prada – “Miuccia Prada spent her summer vacation in northern Argentina. Karl Lagerfeld was at home in St.-Tropez, ducking camera-snapping tourists. Somehow, though, their spring collections brought us all to Italy, or at least our idea of an Italian holiday. Neither show was a movie-still occasion, but the cottony, upswept hair and glitter-coated eyelids at Fendi might make you think of a 1960s film star. The collarless, knee-length satin coats and pleated chiffon dresses at Prada did the same.” In On the Runway.