Perusing through the revamped Balenciaga website led me to their campaigns repository. Curious to know what Balenciaga looked like in the past decade (it extends to 1998)? Check it out here! Just for fun, guess which season that above ad is from (click it to view larger). Have a good one!
The Wall Street Journal always has a place in my fashion journalism heart. From Christina Binkley's latest report, she peruses Los Angeles' fashion industry, dissecting and disseminating the cost structure of premium denim.
It's best to wisen up before swiping....
It's always a good idea to know more about a product's manufacturing and rationalize its cost, because, ultimately, you the consumer will end up with it. So if you're looking for your next Seven jeans or True Religions, it's best to wisen up before swiping. Lucky for me, I'm relieved to know that a generous portion of the revenue goes to marketing--my field--and manufacturing (no sweatshops!).
For an interactive info-tour of denim math, click here!
The menswear shows in Milan and Paris have concluded and editors are convinced that the overarching theme for Spring-Summer 2012 is sports. In Milan, Prada was at the golf course, Frankie Morello was cycling in the city (or perhaps just taking spinning classes), Calvin Klein was at the gym further toning an already sculpted physique, and Dolce and Gabbana was fishing, albeit leisurely, by the seaside. It’s clear that come next summer, while the Olympics lends its torch to jolly London, fashion folks will be playing their own sort of sport, dress-up!
After a deluge of color in Spring-Summer 2011, it's convenient that designers went back to what men are really about: potent, active and sinewy. This pretty much translated to heaps of sportswear in various silhouettes and myriad of fabrics. Nonetheless, designers kicked it up a notch by infusing prints and patterns to an otherwise hackneyed concept (ahem, Alexander Wang's menswear collection). I mean, if you’re willing to spend big bucks on these labels, it might as well not look like it’s Nike or some other athletic mass brand.
Fashion folks will be playing their own sort of sport, dress-up!
In Paris, the notion of discovery played a central role. Dries Van Noten experimented with fabrics; Thom Browne delved back to Paris' cabaret scenes for entertaining flourishes in menswear; Givenchy walked towards the light and paradise in a collection beaming with optimism (hello, birds of paradise prints!); and Louis Vuitton, with Kim Jones as new menswear director, found refuge in Jones' childhood in Africa.
My personal highlight from Paris definitely includes Raf Simons' almost-endangered-but-relieved-to-be-alive collection, which showed his craft in creating the best slim suiting. And the other is Lanvin which has garnered my special attention for their innovation in fabrics, silhouette and color. Dropped shoulders on jackets anyone?
P.S.: I'm so glad Style.com have now dedicated themselves to creating menswear videos! It doesn't cover every show of the season but it's a start.
Campaign season is running full hilt since August, the time when Fall campaigns usually get their maiden exposure at major publications, is just around the corner. As mentioned previously, Hailee Steinfeld is fronting the Miu Miu campaign, looking very much like a girl playing dress up. Mind you, Steinfeld is only 14; sadly, those padded shoulders and grim color palettes took away this gal's youth. But if it's awkward juxtaposition you want, then this is probably it. Meanwhile, Tobey Maguire stars in Prada's menswear campaign. After ditching the "Spiderman" franchise, it's a logical approach to retain relevance and visibility through the all mighty Prada campaign. Hey, that's how models do it, so why can't he?
To embody the vicious and animalistic collection, the models must turn into one too!
More campaigns are available for viewing at New York Magazine, but Givenchy's deserves special mention. After parading panther prints for the women's show and rottweilers for the men's, it's only fitting that in order to holistically embody the vicious and animalistic collection, the models must turn into one too! Watch Naomi, Natalia, Kristen, Mariacarla, Rob and Jonathan get their power animals on. It looks freaky and ferocious with all that hissing and growling going on, but the total effect is just cool. Or nightmarish. It could easily go both ways.
Images in order of appearance: telegraph.co.uk; fashioneditoratlarge.blogspot.com; fashionista.com; womenmanagement.blogspot.com; fashionesse.com; racked.com (2); purseblog.com; labdailyblog.com; video from style.com
Summer is hot. Too hot sometimes. Want to amp up your coolness? Why not try these über snazzy wrist ornaments! Not only do they come in eye-popping neons, but they're also the perfect pair for the sports-inspired spring-summer collections. I'm totally digging the Altuzarra bracelet because it recalls backpacking or rock climbing accessories.
They come in eye-popping colors and reflect summer's sports-inspired collections.
As for TKO Orlogi's Slappers, you get to exercise your creativity by mixing and matching straps, dials and capsules. What's even more impressive is the Slappers' price: it's available at the TKO Orlogi website for mere $50.
But if that's out of your budget, consider Lego's (yes, as in the Danish toy building blocks) offering, a wristwatch with interchangeable, reconstructable links and a glow-in-the-dark dial. The price? $23.99 at Kohl's.
Images in order of appearance: asianmodels.blogspot.com; style.com; kohls.com; tkowatches.com
