Mary Katrantzou

This girl doesn’t stop lately…from UK to France, from France to the States…nonstop! Same goes for her designs…And the Greeks are (lately) known around the globe for something more than their crisis :) … hope they are proud for her!!!

We are waiting for her second collaboration with Topshop that will be released in February next year and even though it shouldn’t have gone public we have all seen a prototype going around that looks really promising!!! It is a 14 piece collection that we are all looking forward to seeing and hopefully do a bit of shopping since I guess the price range will be more accessible…

Then in January it will be launched the Mary Katrantzou for Longchamp collection. The theme for this S/S 2012 bag collection is ‘East meets West’. A must have for print lovers!!!

Get ready for Mary Katrantzou overdose :)

First Virtual Fashion Museum

Well, well, the first virtual fashion museum is open and Giancarlo Giammetti and Valentino Garavani have explained how people can interact with the digital master classes and other interactive concepts that will be introduced every eight weeks.
Instead of the static exhibitions in museums, the Valentino duo has used immersive 3-D technology to present archives spanning 50 years, including nearly 100 fashion shows on video, 5.000 dresses, the original working sketches and photographs of the clothes etc. The virtual museum is a downloadable desktop application that when downloaded each visitor can create their unique route through the galleries, to discover and enjoy every aspect of Valentino’s world. The application is available to download since yesterday, 5th December!

The idea is to open up the archives and see a key outfit close in intimate detail in 3-D, with explanations of its cut and craftsmanship, as well as when and where it was first shown. The significance of the initiative is to bring the history of Valentino to the wired generation in the language of today’s technology.

I find this very interesting and I’m planing to virtually visit :D

Isabel Marant’s T-Shirt

I like that Marant decided to create this T-shirt for Gap and support World AIDS day 2011…if there are still T-shirts left you will find them in selected Gap stores!!

It makes me happy to see that people really care for what’s happening around them irrelevant of their wealth, status etc…

Marni x H&M

I know it’s all over but I couldn’t resist to at least post some pics and say that I can’t wait…

As you can obviously see there will be women's, men’s collection and accessories!!! This time I’m queueing :D

And you??

‘Pop-up’ shopping centre

Boxpark, London’s latest retail park is built entirely from recycled shipping containers and just opened in East London on Friday. It is the world’s first ever ‘pop-up’shopping centre and is already proving popular with celebrities and public alike!

Located on trendy Shoreditch High Street, it is made up of 60 standard-sized shipping containers which are stacked two stories high and five rows wide. Roger Wade, British entrepreneur (Boxfresh), is behind the park and you can visit the website below for the brands you can find and more information.

http://www.boxpark.co.uk/

The shopping centre took a year to complete and has a temporary lease of five years. Once the lease is up, the plan is to return the land back to its owners in the same condition as it was before Boxpark was built. Then the community can decide if it wants a more permanent retail space there.

What do you think of these kind of initiatives?

I’m back!!!

Good morning all!!! It has been so long since my last post and so many things have happened!!!

Marni is designing a capsule collection for H&M
Online Vogue Fashion Week starts today
Pull and Bear has created its first collection for kids
Chopard is opening in Madrid its bigger store in Europe
Boxpark opens the first pop up shopping centre in Shoreditch London
Amy Winehouse’s final Fred Perry collection goes on sale
British Fashion Awards

and so many other things that for sure I’m missing now…

oh! Christmas is almost here…yuppie!!!

S xxx

ASVOFF in Barcelona

Each year ASVOFF, debuts in Paris, and tours the globe with selected  screenings at prestigious museums and events in creative capitals, such as NY, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Cannes Film Festival and Tokyo. So after Tokyo edition of October, ASVOFF - A Shaded View on Fashion Film, conceived and curated by Diane Pernet, is moving for the first time in Barcelona with a special edition full of initiatives.

From the 24th to the 27th January 2012 at CaixaForum, the Barcelona edition will play host to three competitions, the official ASVOFF Competition, a Mobile Fashion Film Competition and the first global Students Fashion Film Competition. The Mobile Competition is an online competition through asvoff.es, while the Official and the Students Competitions will be judged by a renowned international jury.

If you want more info or to join the contest you can visit the website:

http://www.asvoff.es/asvoff.php

Nine West fragrance

Footwear and accessories brand, Nine West, is launching its first ever fragrance, Love Fury, in January along with a specially designed Love Fury pump!!!

the picture is from WWD :)

Nice!

Forever21 Hologram Fashion Show

Forever 21 first, in 2010, used an interactive billboard in Times Square. The billboard featured onscreen models who interacted with people outside of the store by “picking them up” and dropping them into a store shopping bag!
In April this year a runway show which replaced live models with holograms launched in Vienna. The link to the event is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTy2zKS_dLw
There are I think seven shows in total. After Vienna, came Brussels and London, and now is NY time. The show will take place on October 25th in Manhattan’s Union Square and will be produced in conjunction with space150, a digital agency! Customers who want to attend receive invites via the retailer’s Facebook page or other social media.
The seven-minute show features holographic models walking a cosmic runway and disappearing into starbursts and climbing invisible staircases. Forever 21 will open its first ever pop up shop at each event site with looks from the fashion show.

Cool, no? I would like to be able to see the show live!

Fashion Encyclopaedia by Italian Vogue

Italian Vogue created a new online fashion encyclopaedia, Wikipedia-style, where the readers can voice their views. Vogue Encyclo covers all areas of fashion and allows readers to contribute and submit information for encyclopaedia entries. The readers entries will be of course sub-edited by Vogue Italia staff so that misunderstandings can be avoided…

The link to the encyclopaedia is:

http://www.vogue.it/encyclo

Earlier this year, US Vogue launched a similar fashion database, Voguepedia, however it is only Vogue staff that can contribute.

Lucky the site is in both italian and english, so if you are not a native italian don’t worry at all :)

Do you like the idea??

Jimmy Choo celebrates 15 years in fashion

Jimmy Choo XV is the book with which Jimmy Choo celebrates his 15 years in fashion.

Fashion editorials photographed by Mario Testino and Terry Richardson, alongside paparazzi images of celebrities have helped elevate the brand to become synonymous with glamour, wealth and sex appeal.

Also sketches and behind-the-scenes pictures serve to take the reader on the Choo journey, while the book’s eight chapters shows the power of the stiletto and use of animal prints, to recounting memorable occasions, basically celebrities wearing Choos!

The book will be distributed via booksellers worldwide next February or for those who cannot wait there will be an early release in Jimmy Choo stores on October 26. 

New brands in Barcelona

Well, well, well…I keep saying that I have done enough shopping for this year but 'new' brands keep appearing in the city and I can’t resist!

So El Corte Ingles closer to me (in L’Illa Diagonal, Barcelona) has decided to add some more brands in the store, like Claudie Pierlot, Sister Jane, The Kooples etc. And now what am I meant to do…resist? Not go shopping…is this possible?

Could you resist? :)

Bimba & Lola enters the UK market

Bimba & Lola, the spanish fashion brand, is entering the UK market for the first time with a new store due to open in October in Westfield London.

Bimba & Lola has secured a 1305 sq ft store on the ground floor of Westfield London. The opening of the brand’s first London store is the the first step of its expansion plan in Europe. Bimba & Lola’s objective is to open 10 stores in european cities, like Paris, in the 5 years ahead.

Bimba & Lola’s collections include accessories and RTW garments. The brand was launched in 2006 and is currently present in 12 countries with a total of 117 stores across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Middle East.

Vogue Japan November 2011 Cover

Lara Stone covers Vogue Japan in Givenchy

Do you like it?

Vogue Portugal November 2011 Cover

Sara Sampaio on the cover of November Vogue Portugal

Vogue USA Nov 2011 Cover

Anne Hathaway wears a Oscar de la Renta gown in the cover of US Vogue November 2011 that was shot by Mario Testino…fabulous!!!!

Vogue Australia Nov 2011 Cover

Well in Australia it’s almost summer and Alina Baikova wears a really beautiful summer dress in the cover of Vogue Australia for November!

Do you like it?

Vogue UK Nov 2011 Cover

Rihanna goes to blonde and wears Armani Prive!!! She rocks!!!

Olivia Palermo

So Olivia Palermo has launched her website this weekend...

Gucci 90th anniversary

Born in 1881, craftsman’s son Guccio Gucci founded the House of Gucci as a saddlery shop in Florence in 1906. Guccio’s first talent was his craftsmanship in leather goods. He started out selling bags to horsemen in the 1920’s and progressed to luxury luggage as his clients graduated from equine transportation to horseless carriages. In 1938 Guccio Gucci opened his first retail shop on Via Condotti in Rome.

The family business, surviving both the depression and World War II, prospered on its use of a distinctively flawed leather called ‘’ cuoio grasso’’, the ruffled surface of which, superimposed with the twin Gs of the family name, became a global sensation in the years after the war.

Unfortunately, a family schism began full of family fights but ironically the company kept growing! Bad publicity wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Celebrities like Jackie O. started making public appearances holding Gucci bags.

But by 1989 nearly 50% of the business had been bought out by Investcorp since Gucci had almost gone bankrupt. Fortunately with Tom Ford now as head designer Gucci name restored its glitz and became more valuable than ever!

Today, 20 years later, Frida Giannini is the creative director of Gucci and during her tenure, Gucci profits have risen around 25%, to an estimated £660m.

Gucci has just turned 90 and the Gucci Museo in Florence has opened its doors to celebrate it. A new public museum in a 14th-century palazzo in which handbags, coats and jewellery from Gucci archive are on display alongside work by contemporary artists. The museum shows how the brand has outgrown fashion and become a part of culture, being part of the permanent collection of Moma in NY since 1985 or giving its name in a list of songs!!!!

So next time in Florence you know what not to miss!!!

Uniqlo

The Japanese casual clothing chain Uniqlo plans to open 500 new stores a year globally in the next three to five years. Starting from its Regent Street store expansion, Uniqlo is planning to open stores in Europe, like Germany, Spain, Italy and France and make a even bigger step by entering the South American market - with stores in Argentina, Brasil and Mexico.
Uniqlo currently operates more than 900 stores and has aimed to grow to become the top global retailer competing with foreigner giants such as Gap, Zara and H&M.

In addition to its expansion Uniqlo from the 1st September has introduced an All-Product Initiative at the stores in the US, UK, and France. An initiative that the company started in 2006 in China and Japan. The customers can donate their used Uniqlo items at the cash wrap locations where an official Uniqlo All-Product Recycling box is located. Before recycling the clothes need to be washed. The clothing is then donated to refugee camps and others in need through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other organizations. The company says it aims to introduce the project in every country of operation.

Fashion can do good things, no?

Miu Miu cocktail party Barcelona

Barcelona was last night partying with cocktails and music in the launching party of the Miu Miu store in Paseo de Gracia and different well known faces were around!!!

Mannequins and models were all around too!!!

Were you there?

Louboutin for men in Paris

Twenty years after Christian Louboutin opened his first store in Paris, selling heels with his signature red soles, the designer has moved a step forward with one just for men, at 19 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The demand of men’s styles in his women’s store next door was so much that he had to open a store only for men shoes.
The shoes are obviously very expensive but whoever can afford it can even use the custom service in which his tattoo can be replicated as embroidery on a shoe!

;)