Lectura de weekend

Cat de minunat se scurg zilele, una intr-alta, ca un fade-out al unui cantec care iti merge la „casa sufletului”. Dupa o saptamana aglomerata, plina de evenimente – mondene si de voluntariat -, ma linisteste si ma anima, in acelasi timp, sa petrec timp pierduta intr-o discutie, intr-o carte, intr-o cana de ceai, intr-o galerie de fotografii sau intr-un album cu amintiri, in ganduri si planuri de viitor, ba chiar si in nostalgii despre o alta viata. Nu stiu ce faceti voi duminica dupa-amiaza sau seara, dar sper ca va hraniti sufletul cu ceva si/ sau cineva frumos 🙂

Cambodia slowly reweaves its silk industry – “Far from the glamour at fashion weeks in America and Europe, Cambodia’s silk industry is struggling to regain the foothold it lost during years of political and civil unrest.” In NY Times.

Italy’s top designers take over Milan – “It’s a different Milan fashion editors and buyers are descending upon this season. More sophisticated. More serene. And that’s to say nothing of the clothes.” In Wall Street Journal.

Luxury fashion retailers: functionality or flash? – “Eight out of 10 globally recognised luxury brands are now selling directly to customers online. Chanel and Versace are the only two retailers not currently offering customers any transactional options.” Pe nou-descoperitul Retail Bulletin.

Art on your sleeve – Leather motorcycle jackets become a canvas for eighteen artists as part of a Milan Fashion Week exhibit to benefit the Andy Warhol Museum. In T Magazine.

London’s bright idea is color – „If the New York shows seemed to be advertising a white sale, London was an orgy of neon pinks and oranges, acid yellows and cool aquas.” Pe NY Times.

The new fashion forward – “Such is the insanely accelerated speed of the fashion world that the clothes appearing in shops now already seem not to be the latest thing, their significance lost, having long ago been… sucked dry through overexposure.” In The Telegraph.

Celebrity Fashion Lines – “Celebrity clothing brands are particularly volatile, because their success is closely tied to one person whose popularity can fluctuate violently.  There’s a lot of coming and going, because as their popularity wanes it affects everything else.” Pe Forbes.com.

Gucci unpacks „La Dolce Vita” – “During the consumer-spending slump, aspirational purchases slowed sharply, and Gucci was hit harder than competitors … So when Mr. di Marco joined the company… he wanted to elevate the brand away from the recent cheapening of its image.” In Wall Street Journal.

Fashion opts for safety in Milan, Paris – “Even amid signs that demand for luxury clothing and accessories is returning, makers of the goods will ‘play it safe’ for spring-summer 2011, according to Sue Evans, senior editor of catwalks at fashion forecaster WGSN.” De pe Bloomberg.

A British fashion invasion –  “With 84 stores in Britain (it also has branches in the USA, China and the Gulf), the scheme has the potential to transform the entire concept of tailoring on the high street – if [Reiss] gets it right. The early signs are good.” In Portfolio.

The future of cheap chic – “It was a sign of the times: fashion so cheap it became ‘disposable’… But the days of the £4 jeans and £2 T-shirt could be numbered, with analysts and retailers now warning that the era of constantly reducing prices is coming to an end.” In The Guardian.

Armani hitches wagon to Gaga – “The 76-year-old designer’s multimillion-dollar partnership with the 24-year-old pop idol has put Mr. Armani ‘in a new creative spotlight… It is also an effort by one of fashion’s oldest figures to rejuvenate his €1.5 billion business.” Tot pe Wall Street Journal.

Ideas that go beyond heritage – „At a time when many companies are using the hook of heritage to persuade consumers to spend again (a strategy that appears to be working, based on recent earnings reports), Ms. Prada’s kind of fashion can seem frivolous. And given her method of forcing oppositions — high and low, vulgar and beautiful — it can also seem predictable. ” Pe NY Times.