Lectura din dimineata de weekend

Incep cu o veste frumoasa: am ales o castigatoare pentru „Grace”, autobiografia celei care semneaza cele mai creative pictoriale din Vogue US. Cartea merge la Andreea Ilie (nr. 23 in lista intrarilor in concurs) – sweetie, o vei citi pe nerasuflate, sper sa te bucuri de ea pe deplin!

Continui cu o intrebare catre voi. Ieri, la intalnirea nr. 4  Style Conversations am vorbit despre „cum sa nu mai purtam negru” – de ce alegem cea mai intunecata culoare, cui i se potriveste si cum ar trebui purtata, ce culori ne infrumuseteaza si cate putem purta intr-o tinuta. Am divagat catre cine poate purta pantaloni scurti, de ce nu exista un echilibru intre calitatea hainelor si pretul lor, de ce femeile prefera mai curand cantitatea si nu calitatea, unde gasim cea mai frumoasa camasa din denim… Intrebarea mea este: cu atat de  multe si variate teme posibile de Style Conversations, voi ce ati propune? Care ar fi tema – de stil practic, de moda, de shopping – care v-ar atrage cu adevarat? Btw si Fyi, urmatoarea intalnire va avea loc pe 8 iunie.

Inchei cu un citat, care mi-a placut in mod special.

„When Coco Chanel declared that she stayed in most night to avoid bad wine and bad conversation, she had good reason. Sometimes a girl needs to coolly withdraw from the frantic pace of life and enjoy an evening or an afternoon of solitude. Silence may be golden, but solitude is richer still. You need solitude to read, to let thoughts settle, to have strokes of genius and take deep, quiet reflection. Most of all, you need solitude to get back to your most private and essential you, stripped of artifice, divorced from external demands, free to dance naked in your Uggs, dream and blob out to your heart’s content.

Solitude is a chosen state. It is a time when you make a conscious decision to be alone or when you find yourself alone but don’t panic, but use the time as a privilege. By spending tranquil time away from others, even for a few minutes a day, the heart starts to heal, creativity blossoms, ideas begin to germinate and the mind has a chance to rest.

We avoid silence, cluttering up what is perceived to be empty space with long phone conversations or the background noise of TV, radio or loud music. Some only find themselves alone in times of depression, nursing a flu, sulking during a fight. And most of us are kept in a state of constant movement, meeting the demands of job, love and children. The only real opportunities for private time are spent sleeping, having a shower, or traveling to and from work.

The ability to be self-contained and self-sufficient is a mark of a strong character, but solitude is not just about discipline.  It is also a journey.  Some of our greatest potential takes time to reveal itself.  This doesn’t necessarily mean sitting on a cushion waiting for a vision to rise from the mists of time.  But perhaps some days it just might. ”

Iar acum, sa citim.

Mencyclopedia: Gucci – “The Gucci story began in 1921 when Guccio Gucci, the son of a Tuscan hatmaker who in his youth had worked his way to London as a stoker and worked in the kitchens of the Savoy before returning to Italy, opened a leather goods shop in Florence.” In The Telegraph.

You snooze, you loose – „The pajama party that has been going on in fashion sure looks like fun, but for proud wallflowers the look can be as intimidating as a velvet rope. How do you wear pajamas outside the bedroom without looking as if you just rolled out of bed?” In NY Times.

More brands want you to model their clothes – „Retailers from Coach to Lululemon are searching social-media sites for photos of their products and embracing the use of such photos, with real people showcasing their apparel, on retail websites.” In Wall Street Journal

The Ab FabSchool of Fashion:  the publisher of Vogue has now its own college – “Formally known as the OCN Eastern Region Level 4 Certificate in Fashion (Vogue) (QCF), the short course, which costs £6,600, was the brainchild of Nicholas Coleridge, president of Condé Nast International.” In The Independent.

Game changers – “Introducing the tech-savvy darlings of the digital world who are transforming the way we look at luxury.” In Refinery29.

Chanelling the flapper girl – „The Great Gatsby’ misses the flapper, an American icon whose modern style connected to youth.” In NY Times.

Is it time to bag the plastic? – „Shoppers won’t inconvenience themselves unless they’re forced to. Many countries and a handful of American cities have more or less done away with this supposed convenience item, by discouraging its use through plastic-bag taxes at checkout counters or outright bans. Walk down the streets of Dublin or Seattle or San Francisco and there is barely a bag in sight. Life continues.” In NY Times.

Stealing style from granny – „Fashion’s latest rebellion is co-opting looks from grandma’s closet.” In Wall Street Journal.

M&S at its best – „Behind the scenes, our journey from concept to catwalk for this collection has been significant, as M&S seeks to reassert its position as a fashion retailer, focused on quality and style.” In The Telegraph.

Meet the woman making China fashionable – „Angelica Cheung has a vision for the future woman of China, the kind of woman she hopes her daughter will grow up to be: stylish, but not a slave to fashion; socially aware, but not tainted by lingering distrust of displays of wealth.” In The Independent.

At my vanity: Wolfgang Joensson – „The product designer behind luxury grooming brand Hommage on the perfect shave, the importance of very good scissors and the age when every male should start caring about his skin.” In Wall Street Journal.