Lectura de sambata dimineata

Una dintre cele mai frecvente conversatii pe care le port – cu femei si barbati deopotriva, si niciodata initiate de mine – este legata de neglijenta afisata de femeile pe langa care trecem pe strada, de lehamitea pe care multe femei o poarta o data cu hainele, alese intamplator si fara chef, de cat de putin elegante – in gesturi, in maniere, in priviri, in vestimentatie – suntem astazi, comparativ cu generatiile anterioare.

Nu imi place sa generalizez, asta e si motivul pentru care nu fac presupuneri legate de „motivele” unei intregi demografii, dar de curand, pregatindu-ma sa reiau cursul de Istorie a Frumusetii Feminine, am dat peste un articol despre eforturile facute de frantuzoaice in timpul razboiului pentru a ramane sic.

„That life went on we knew, but that it went on with such good-natured vigor – that couturiers produced outfits called Coal or Black Coffee, or an entire collection with each number named after a stop on the Metro; that they turned their hands to disguising culottes as a skirt; that a „journée de l’élégance à bicyclette” was organized as an open-air fashion show of stylish clothes for getting around town on a bicycle – comes as something of a surprise. How staggering, how amusing it is now to come upon photographs of Parisian women in a beauty salon, where the hair dryers, for lack of electricity, were powered by two men on a bicycle in the basement, pedalling the equivalent of 320 km a day to dry the hair of 150 clients.

From time to time, women working for the Resistance, receiving shipments of arms from London, gave i to the temptation to make a blouse out of silk from a parachute, even though it might signal their ties to the English or the Gaullists. On exhibit at the Memorial de la Paix, an excellent museum of the war in Caen, is a bridal gown made from a parachute.

The instinct for fashion, put to the test during the war by relentless indignities and deprivation, proved to be fundamental to the French character. Veillon (a historian an author of books about the Occupation) recognizes that for most women the act of making a dress out of an old tablecloth or going to the hairdressers as usual constituted not only a refusal to give in to adversity, but a means of safeguarding the identities they had built for themselves in a world that, morally and physically, was being reduced to rubble. ”

Food for thought, asadar, mai ales ca iarna a navalit iarasi peste noi si suntem tentate sa ne infofolim ca niste ursi, sa imbracam cele mai diforme pulovere si cele mai groase jachete… Pe de alta parte, cat ramanem in casa, ne putem imbraca intr-o „robe de chez soi”. Eu, una, stiu ce o sa imbrac azi…

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The discreet charm of Christophe Lemaire – “It’s been two years since Lemaire was hired to replace Jean Paul Gaultier as the designer of women’s ready-to-wear for Hermès. This accounts for less than 10 percent of the company’s sales and is dwarfed by accessories, which have the advantage of being both more iconic… and more accessible, like its silk scarves, watches and enamel bracelets.” In Wall Street Journal.

How much? The rise of the £6,000 dress – “For spring 2013, the luxury-fashion site Net-a-Porter predicts ‘the rise of the £6k dress’. That’s a dress that costs £6,000. They are not wedding dresses, or even red-carpet gowns: some are for cocktail parties; others might even qualify as daywear. And they sell – if not in industrial quantities, then at least enough to warrant buyers placing larger  orders than they used to.” In The Independent.

The rich pleasure of pleats – „Curated by the designer Oscar de la Renta, an exhibition now on show at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute places the spotlight on Fortuny, one of the few remaining last words in luxury fashion.” In Wall Street Journal.

Ten fashion moments in Milan Menswear A/W 2013 – “Sonny Vandevelde was backstage in Milan again this season to give us a behind-the-scenes look into the Milan menswear collections for Autumn/Winter 2013. Accessories were strong, with bold shoes and standout leathergoods from Burberry, Bottega Veneta and Prada.” In Photo Diary.

Ten fashion moments in Paris menswear A/W 2013 – „As the Paris menswear shows concluded on Sunday evening with Hedi Slimane’s menswear debut for Saint Laurent, some notable figures in the crowd of menswear buyers and editors quietly grumbled that this was a lacklustre season” In Photo Diary.

Youth is beautiful – “The passing of the flame from a much older 70-something generation to those who might be their grandchildren has been a slow burn over the last decade, but it has finally burst like a firework display.” In International Herald Tribune

Mencyclopedia: Brioni – “Although thriving in America, Brioni didn’t become a big deal in its home nation until the Seventies. Before then, Italian men had favoured English companies – particularly Chester Barrie – for their off-the-peg suits.” In The Telegraph.

In Italy, a British outpost – “In other words, Burberry, Dsquared, Cavalli and Gucci are not names you will often read in the same sentence. Yet a pronounced Englishness ran through the collections from each of those houses, making Milan feel temporarily like an extension of the Tuscan region called Chiantishire.” In NY Times.

China’s metrosexuals revive luxury shopping – “Let’s hear it for the boys. China’s fashion-forward men are snapping up Gucci and Burberry bags, driving a rebound in the luxury market months after a slow down in spending by the world’s biggest luxury goods buyers spooked global investors.” In Reuters.

Not just another jacket – „Three brands that built their reputations on perfecting a single accessory -Belstaff, Coach, Berluti – are now expanding into full fashion lines.” In Wall Street Journal.