Lectura de sambata dimineata

Cum e cantecul acela al Ellei Fitzgerald? „Autumn in New York […] spells the thrill of first-nighting, glittering crowds and shimmering clouds in canyons of steel/ […] autumn in New York brings the promise of new love, gleaming rooftops at sundown…”

Ei bine, a venit toamna: cu castane coapte si placinta de mere, cu pulovere si umbrele, cu ceai la Bernschutz in loc de limonada la Lente, cu zile scurte si nopti lungi, cu vin rosu la Bruno in loc de Long Island Ice Tea-uri la Residence, cu plimbari pe Kiseleff si pe Calderon, cu parfum de anii ’30 si nu de 2011…

Repede, sa trecem la citit:

Ready to wear: in fashion, to tweet or to remain discreet? – “How best to showcase a forthcoming collection when even the most well-heeled of Western consumers must surely be tightening her belt?… In the red corner, we have Burberry. This is a brand that upholds democracy with pride. With this in mind, the company staged what it described as the world’s first-ever ‘tweetwalk’… In the blue corner: Tom Ford… decided that he doesn’t want any pictures and/or reviews of his clothing to appear until it goes on sale at the beginning of next year.” In The Independent.

Fashion bloggers, posted and represented – “Seemingly every fashion brand is working with bloggers these days, including mainstream brands like the Gap (which featured the avant-garde-leaning Susie Bubble in a campaign), DKNY (which hired the photo blogger Jamie Beck to shoot behind the scenes at its recent runway show)… But deciding which opportunities to accept can be tricky for bloggers, who risk overexposure and being seen as a corporate shill. A blogger’s influence is derived from independence.” In NY Times.

Stylish entrant to seek love in a cold climate – „Style.com Magazine is noteworthy for more than its print title bravery.” In Financial Times

Magazines begin to sell the fashion they review – “While the glossies have long had a reputation for accommodating the designers they cover, sometimes guaranteeing coverage to those who advertise in their pages, a wave of new ventures and partnerships suggests they are willing to go even further by selling the designers’ clothes.” In NY Times.

Gucci feds its florentine roots – “The museum, housed in a 14th-century building in the Piazza della Signoria, is designed to honor the company’s leather goods legacy and to bring it into the 21st century by juxtaposing the innovation of bamboo-handled bags or luxe sports equipment with modern art… The idea of facing off past with present — under the slogan “forever now” — was the brainchild of Frida Giannini, the creative director of the famous brand.” In International Herald Tribune.

How street style changed the frontier of fashion photography –  “Tomasi Hill is a member of a new, elite class of fashion celebrities whose pictures (and shoes and bags and outfits) are fanatically snapped outside of fashion shows and events by street style photographers… These photographs, seemingly casual and snapped on the fly, now appear regularly on retail websites, blogs, and in ad campaigns and print magazines to demonstrate how “normal” people incorporate certain looks into their everyday outfits.” In The Cut.

Yelling „fire” on a crowded runway – “Without question, we can count on Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons at Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi and, at times, Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta to say something with fashion, and not just offer approachable clothes. But there should be many more designers in Milan with that driving ambition. Otherwise, the future of fashion will be in jeopardy.” In NY Times.

A model business – “China is the world’s fastest-growing fashion market and the crème-de-la crème of the sector are all flocking here in search of business opportunities. Even the grande dame herself, American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, came last year — the fashion-world equivalent of a state visit — and was blown away by the buzz of energy and creativity.” In China International Business.

Aging European brands find second life in China – “The rising Chinese middle-class, driven by its strong conscious for status, is gobbling up exhausted European brands re-imagined for their rich histories and royal connections. ‘Chinese are a lot more brand driven than other countries, and also they have rapidly increasing income but their brand product knowledge is sort of behind their spending power. That creates an interesting opportunity,’ said Vincent Lui, a Hong Kong-based partner at Boston Consulting Group.” In Red Luxury.

Looking black – „Fifty years after Audrey Hepburn popularised the little black dress in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, it still comes with new twists.” In Financial Times.

The perfect handbag his fall – „With finances as they are, buying a new handbag requires the same careful, purposeful thought as, say, purchasing a new fridge or sofa. Tina Gaudoin offers picks from this autumn’s crop.” In Wall Street Journal.

From shopping sprees to marketing technique – “So-called ‘haulers’ are tween-to-20something, largely female shoppers who haul their purchases back home and post video reviews on YouTube for their followers to watch… Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, a trends and innovation consultancy, says:  ‘If that’s your world, to go to the shops and show off your stuff, then it’s incredible. This becomes a whole new mechanism for [retailers to] understand and target a demographic’.” In Financial Times.

Letting the light shine through – “As hazy, or even dark, as the future might appear for the stock markets or in the international news, in fashion, at least, designers are letting the light shine through. ’Nacre at night time,’ said Giorgio Armani referring to the French word for mother of pearl, the gleaming natural underwater treasure that was the inspiration of a show that started with a projection of waves and ended with an image of moon on water.” In International Herald Tribune.

Mario Testino at 30 years – “In 30 years of fashion photography, he has captured in images the hectic glamour of beach life in Rio de Janeiro or the disciplined enthusiasm of the Horse Guards for the royal wedding last April. For that historic occasion, he was not only behind the lens to create an iconic image of a cuddly “Wills and Kate” before the event, but was also highlighted on camera at Westminster Abbey for his fame as a household name.” In NY Times.