Lectura de sambata dimineata

Mijlocul saptamanii m-a prins cu un sentiment de anticipare al weekendului, visand la cine in aer liber si discutii pana noaptea tarziu, plimbari desculta, cu sandalele intr-o mana, pe asfalt, nisip sau iarba, si la leganat intr-un hamac.

Mi-am promis ca imi gasesc timp si pentru emailuri catre prieteni vechi, pentru buchete de flori de camp, pentru degustat un platou de branzeturi cu struguri, nuci si felii de mar verde, pentru incercat o reteta noua de ardei copti la gratar, pentru o pauza intr-o gradina umbrita si, bineinteles, pentru citit.

Fashion’s better halves – „After 28 years of phenomenal success and some gut-wrenching controversy, Marc Jacobs and his business partner, Robert Duffy, still love each other.” In Wall Street Journal Magazine.

Cut from a different cloth – “What happens when bespoke is not enough? As the ability to personalise everything from your trainers to your trench has become democratised thanks to the internet, those in search of the truly special – the ne plus ultra of made-to-order – have become frustrated. Even more so as their old go-to solution, the tailor, has been constrained by the increasing homogeneity of cloth.” In Financial Times.

Carine Roitfeld by Karl Lagerfeld – “Although Carine Roitfeld is no longer the editor of French Vogue, she remains steadily at the perch of the fashion world, standing atop those super-high bondage-referencing heels that she partly made a staple of Parisian style. But la femme parisienne, which Roitfeld very much is, makes her own ground wherever she walks.” In Interview.

Rei Kawakubo – „I don’t feel too excited about fashion today, more fearful that people don’t necessarily want or need strong new clothes, that there are not enough of us believing in the same thing, that there is a kind of burnout, that people just want cheap fast clothes and are happy to look like everyone else, that the flame of creation has gone a bit cold, that enthusiasm and passionate anger for change and rattling the status quo is weakening.” In Wall Street Journal Magazine.

At 90, fashion’s latest star – “Mrs. Apfel, the subject of a string of museum exhibitions, a coffee table book and even a fashion advertising campaign, has long been a magnet to aficionados, those devotees of fashion who dote on her style — a more-is-more mix of haute couture and hippie trimmings that appears at a glance to have been blended in a Cuisinart.” In NY Times.

The fastest growing private company of 2011  – “Flash-shopping sites, a decade-old phenomenon in Europe, took root in this country around the time of the recession, when ideeli and its three best-known competitors launched. Members receive e-mail alerts about sales, and the clock starts ticking. For customers, the appeal is brands at a discount, which at ideeli can reach 80 percent.” In Inc.

Creating your own clearance rack –  „Don’t some clothes have the capacity to make you feel like the proverbial million bucks, while others render you almost incapable of leaving the house? Are there clothes hanging in your wardrobe that you won’t wear because of a bad association—a funeral, bad news at work, a disastrous date—never mind bad-hair day? There are days when the mess in my wardrobe makes me want to shoot myself or a tight waistband renders me incapable of rational thought at my desk.” In Wall Street Journal.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour: intimidating, no; powerful, yes – “‘I don’t think of myself as a powerful person. You know, what does it mean? It means you get a better seat in a restaurant or tickets to a screening or whatever it may be. But it is a wonderful opportunity to be able to help others, and for that I’m extremely grateful.’” In Forbes.

Look back in envy: the 70s take the runway – “But the 1970s resonate most insistently on fashion runways, through a proliferation of languid fall looks inspired by the greatest hits of Halston and Saint Laurent, as well as those of style-world luminaries like Sonia Rykiel, Rosita and Ottavio Missoni, Claude Montana and Karl Lagerfeld, whose fluid dresses for the house of Chloé are still being emulated.” In NY Times.

„Made in China” chic is making Chinese proud – “‘The world has used China as a cheap manufacturing land,’ said Shu Shu Chen, communications director for the Hermes Chinese fashion line Shang Xia. ‘This has been the defining thing for the past 10, 20, 30 years. The time has come to move on from that idea.’… While the Far East has traditionally been associated with cheap labor and shoddy production, its reputation is changing—and attracting big name brands.” In Red Luxury.

Mad woman Janie Bryant – „The costume designer for „Mad Men” on her new collaboration with Banana Republic, her dislike of ’90s fashion and the secret to Don Draper’s sex appeal.” In Wall Street Journal.

On wrists, inner rebels peek out –  „On the streets of New York, scruffy young creatives are tapping their inner Steven Tyler and strapping on leather cuffs, woven friendship bracelets and nylon cords — sometimes 5 or 10 each wrist — as part of their downtown uniform. The look is no longer reserved for Johnny Depp and flâneurs on the Côte d’Azur.” In NY Times.