Thanks to Anna Dello Russo, H&M is in the spotlight again

            So what do we know about Anna Dello Russo? Let's start with the fact that she called herself " The Lady Gaga of Fashion Week" , she is the Director at Large and the creative consultant at Vogue Japan, she never wears comfortable clothes because they are not fashionable for her, she has an imposing couture wardrobe and  4000 pairs of shoes. 

        It seems like more and more designers and fashion icons love H&M and they are more than willing to share their creativity with this high- street brand. Talking about fashion icons, Anna Dello Russo has a passion for anything that looks eccentric ; from dresses ( a spicy subject that could receive a great attention in my future blog posts) to accessories which represent her target in playing with her imagination and offering " precious accessories that are impossible to find" . Well, we are thrilled to admire her work for H&M starting from 4 October.  All the eyes are on her unique creations including sunglasses, shoes, jewellery, bags and a trolley suitcase.

Video blogs? Well, let's change it a bit. How about< VIDEO FASHION BLOGS> ?

        It is certain that the world of fashion blogs is amazing. Some can say it's ruled by pictures, others can appreciate fashion in words. Considering true the saying that a picture paints a thousand words and admitting blogs are made for specialists in different domains, the conclusion is that blogs should contain a balance between pictures and letters. It is true that a picture weights more than thousands words sometimes but we cannot annul the power & beauty of words. Even though I want to present a 'video fashion blog' I must say that fashion blogs in general- fashion news, fashion in pictures and so on should not exclude the reading part of their stories. As every new  invention is firstly embraced by a huge amount of 'fans' and then it is forgotten and exchanged with a new, upgraded version or even a totally different one, blogs had the same fate. Firstly, they were popular, then it was facebook, then it was twitter and the list will be longer in several years. What is wonderful about them is the fact that they are formal enough to allow you to express your opinion as a specialist, but , at the same time, their informal aspect permits you to freely expose your ideas and play with your creativity. 

     Speaking about creativity, Garance Dore is a women that knew how to use it in a productive and enjoyable way. She created a video fashion blog where she shares her fashion experiences , she presents the fashion world with all its glitter but she has an aura of modesty at the same time. She is a street fashion photographer but she took fashion blogs further. To me this blog is from a different dimension. If it's not informative , at least it inspires you in many aspects.

http://www.garancedore.fr/en/category/video/

Chanel vs. Linda Evangelista

Timeless beauty

Golden Age Model Linda Evangelista watches us through Chanel glasses, showing us the non- conformist Chanel attitude. At 47, the canadian supermodel  is the face for the Chanel Spring-Summer 2012 eyewear campaign. Well, her timeless beauty is again confirmed...

Speaking about timeless beauty, I cannot help myself from watching her in extreme couture on Vogue Italy (March 2002)

 Publication: Vogue Italia

Issue: March 2002
Title: Couture In The Extreme
Model: Linda Evangelista
Photography: Steven Meisel
Styling: Lori Goldstein

 So...fast fashion is sustainable : A story of H&M

         Helena Helmersson, Head of Sustainability at H&M , explains H&M helps you feel less guilty when you wear your favorite dress. Watch Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design at H&M explaining you what's behind H&M newest collection. 

  

Take a look on their symbolic named Conscious Collection. If you ask me, I would love to wear the neon dress. 

What do Lady Gaga and  Isabella Blow have in common? 
 

       Well, we all know Lady Gaga's eccentric and bizarre outfits , so there is no need for introduction. She wanted to make a difference so she did it. She is made to be loved or hated, there is no middle way.

I personally find her interesting enough to read every news about her but, most of all , to stare at her outfits on and on...She is part of a story and I admire the way she plays her role . More specifically, her hats make her look as if she is from a different world....or maybe she is.

 

Ok, she is unique...there is no doubt, she is different checked, but she is not the only one who made a passion for hats. An interesting story (almost bizarre) had Isabella Blow who explained she wears hats " ...to keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye. I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love"

Well, I guess you must feel precious enough to have this attitude. Believe it or not she was real and she made a really big big difference in the history of fashion with her fanciful appearances. Alexander McQueen was discovered and helped by her in his successful but short career. She bought his very first collection for 5000 pounds. So...the order is Isabella Blow - Alexander McQueen and, of course, the actual queen of hats, Lady Gaga.

Inspiration from the past

Guerrilla store, the shopping adventure

Shopping cannot only be translated into a functional activity.It has a social meaning and people are searching more and more for entertainment when they hunt for new clothes. The entire process can be simply called shopping adventure. 

With this vital detail in their minds, retailers are aware the more creative they are, the more money they'll gain , so their purpose is to create retail experiences for the customers. In this context, there is no doubt that "the luxury brand cathedrals" subject is a gigantic theme for debating , but , how about the concept of Guerrilla Stores?  These unconventional stores have a short life: they live only 12 months, in a place far from the shopping centers and they "act undercover". The stores are designed to be discovered by word-of mouth, as their target market "gossips" about them on the internet or in clubs.
Comme des Garcons, the Japanese fashion label, embraced the concept spending a minimal amount of money on the interiors of the stores, selling exclusive new pieces , items from previous collections and unsold stock.  

 One of their stores is opened in Poland's capital Warsaw in a former fruit store in a building that belongs to the Stalinist era. 

In this century fashion wears different clothes!

Nowadays ‘fashion hunters’ (*) are becoming more and more capricious in terms of fashion. Even if customers are loyal to one brand and they buy it repeatedly, they are also curious about what other brands have to say, what they offer and, most of all, if they are price oriented. It’s all about expressing yourself and, in some cases, expressing your ideal -self. The democracy is everywhere even in the implacable world of fashion.

 If we take a look into ‘what’s new in the fashion world’, we can see that since 2004, partnerships between famous luxury brands and chain stores have attracted customers from both up market and mass market.  If you are inquisitive enough to try to find out the reason why such great designers decided to offer their creations to some well-known retail chains(such as H&M) you will discover that this is not ‘charity’ at all and the surface reason declared by some of them is not this:” intention of making clothes available to the thousands of people who could not afford to shop “( Karl Legerfeld for Vogue, 2004) is not the real one. Why would they do this? Why would they try to get closer to the mass market if not for some strong reasons related to their business or maybe to their overall image? Using a method such as ‘Birds eye view’, I found myself trying to research in depth about this interesting strategy utilized by the above mentioned types of businesses in this unpredictable world of fashion. A quite relevant explanation would sound like this: Mass market is attracted by the sparkling world of luxury brands and up market finds value in fashionable clothes offered by inexpensive stores because they love to be complimented on their latest acquire and then stating that it costs almost nothing.  People love to experience new things and to seek different feeling during their shopping sessions. They want to be smart, they want to know & try everything. ‘Fashion hunters’ are not designed to stay in the routine, they must look forward all the time because fashion is not about looking back, it is about looking forward.

So, a collaboration like this would bring benefits for the both parts:  luxury brands would demonstrate they know how to be accessible and the chain stores would benefit from the sparkle, so a win-win situation could be identified in this story. Not to mention about the free publicity and the happy customers both mass market and up market because now they can go in an inexpensive store and buy not so expensive clothes which have on them the name of a  luxury brand smiling at them.

(*) Customers