Lectura de sambata dimineata

Drumurile astea prin tara, pe care le-am facut in ultimele saptamani, mi-au trezit o stare de introspectie, de nostalgie si m-au facut sa inteleg ceva mai multe despre ce inseamna responsabilitate personala, decizii, promisiuni facute tie si altora. V-as putea povesti un milion de lucruri despre metaforele pe care le-am descoperit la volan.  Despre drumuri care ti se desfasoara in fata ochilor, oglinzi retrovizoare, sentimentul de siguranta sau chiar despre GPS ca metafora despre a te baza pe ceva sau cineva in afara de tine.

Iar ieri seara la Brasov, tragand linie dupa o saptamana neobisnuita si privind un episod din Anatomia lui Grey, mi-am adus aminte de doua dintre citatele mele preferate (fara nici un fel de legatura cu moda, stilul, vestimentatia obviously!). Vi le scriu mai jos, nu stiu ce anume va transmit voua – dar ar fi interesant sa aflu!

Primul este „A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. “Never leave that till tomorrow,” he said, “Which you can do today.” This is the man who discovered electricity.  I don’t know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I’d say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure. Fear of pain. Fear of rejection. Sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you’re wrong? What if you make a mistake you can’t undo? Whatever it is we’re afraid of, one thing holds true: that by the time the pain of not doing the thing gets worse than the fear of doing it, it can feel like we’re carrying around a giant tumor.  We’ve all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to ‘seize the day’. Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today’s possibility under tomorrow’s rug until we can’t anymore, until we finally understand for ourselves like Benjamin Franklin meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping. And that even the biggest failure, even the worst most intractable mistake beats the hell out of never trying.”

Iar cel de-al doilea este „I have an aunt who whenever she poured anything for you she would say „Say when!” My aunt would say „Say when!” and of course, we never did. We don’t say when because there’s something about the possibility, of more. More tequila, more love, more anything. More is better. There’s something to be said about a glass half full. About knowing when to say when. I think it’s a floating line. A barometer of need and desire. It’s entirely up to the individual. And depends on what’s being poured. Sometimes all we want is a taste. Other times there’s no such thing as enough, the glass is bottomless. And all we want, is more.”

So, inainte de a va lasa sa cititi articolele cele mai bune ale saptamani, la cafea ganditi-va ce „drum” vi se intinde in fata si in cat timp il veti face, pe cine alegeti sa se aseze in scaunul pasagerului si ce va este bagaj inutil, daca mergeti pe un drum stiut, pe o scurtatura sau pe unul neincercat pana acum, cine sau ce va asteapta la sosire dar si la intoarcere…

In the spotlight’s glare – “Much of what has been written about Mr. Elbaz on the occasion of his 10th anniversary as the designer of Lanvin, a milestone that normally might merit a mention somewhere near the classifieds, could illustrate what is a rare example in the catty fashion industry of the Buddhist concept of mudita, or taking pleasure in another person’s good fortune. These days, everyone seems to love him, and naturally, that makes him uncomfortable.” In N.Y. Times.

Sartorialist Scott Schumann airs grievances in GQ – “Good old print magazines keep getting the shaft these days. Even in their own pages. ‘It shocks me when young kids still say, ‘I want to do a magazine,’ Scott Schuman said, in the June issue of GQ.”  In WWD.

What the Chinese want – “The rise of microbloggers, the popularity of rock bands with names like Hutong Fist and Catcher in the Rye, and even the newfound popularity of Christmas all seem to point toward a growing Westernization… Consumers in China aren’t becoming ‘Western.’ They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain distinctly Chinese.” In Wall Street Journal.

Young, broke and spending on luxury – “Though some millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000, are launching promising careers, most are burdened with large student loans, and thousands are unemployed. Despite this, they are making luxury purchases a priority.” In Fiscal Times.

Alexis Bittar in expansion mood – “Fashion jewelry design is in the midst of a renaissance the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1980s. And Alexis Bittar blazed the trail. In the last two decades, the New York-based jewelry designer has gone from selling his signature colorful, hand-carved Lucite pieces on the streets of SoHo to bejeweling leading ladies in Hollywood and beyond.” In LA Times.

The future of Armani – „Few people in the fashion world are as entwined with their brands. In most companies, a creative director designs and an executive manages. Armani does both. Most houses are owned by large conglomerates, and for those that still belong to their founding families, ownership is usually shared. Armani owns 100 percent of Giorgio Armani SpA.” In Wall Street Journal.

An intellectual fashion: Olivier Theyskens – “From the very beginning, Theyskens has been acknowledged as one of the most idiosyncratic voices of contemporary fashion design. Since 2011, his career has taken a new direction, as he now serves as creative director for the American brand Theyskens’ Theory and adapts his vision to the stream of contemporary life.” In AnOther.

The triumphant smell of success – „There was a FiFi for Interior Scent Collection, which went to 34 Boulevard St. Germain, and a FiFi for Fragrance of the Year in the Nouveau Niche category, which went to Tom Ford, for Jasmin Rouge. There were FiFis for media campaigns (the winners were Gucci for a the men’s fragrance Guilty and Chanel for Coco Mademoiselle), and even FiFis for packaging. ” In NY Times.

Talking shop with the new powar woman at Net-a-Porter – „As the woman who has just taken over the day-to-day running of this nascent super-brand while its founder, Natalie Massenet, assumes responsibility for the group (which comprises net-a-porter.com, mrporter.com and the marked-down site, the outnet.com), Loehnis gets to study in detail the shopping habits of high-end fashion consumers.” In The Telegraph.