Maria: 1 dress and 6 covers

Balmain dress from autumn/winter 2010  collection took over  all  the leading fashion magazines.
Claudia Shiffer appeared in   that  dress on a cover of  Zeit's october  issue.
Anna Della Russo  is wearing it on  a cover  of 10 magazine (autumn edition)
And what a surprise! Natalia Vodianova wearing.. well you know what on a cover of Harper's Bazaar England  in december.
Also THE DRESS was  worn by Cindy Crawford on a cover of Vogue India in october,
Abbie Lee Kershaw appeared  on a cover of Vogue Germany in august wearing THE DRESS and last but not least  Toni Garrn on a cover of Vogue Spain in september wearing...well the trendiest and hippest dress possible.
It would be almost perfect if it wasn't so sad.
We all understand that cover of a magazine is something that should be carefully chosen. Some magazine covers became legendary some of them became a total fashion disaster.

But this is not about doing it right or wrong. It's about having so lack of creativity or lack of finance to hire a decent stylist that we have to see that dress 6 times in a row. I wonder, what editors and stylists around the world were thinking about:  "Let's do a tribute to a random Balmain dress"or "People who buy our magazine are  dumb anyways they will never be able to spot it on other covers" or maybe "Ok, Balmain offered us lots of money if we'll put that dress on a cover". Are fashion magazines that cynical? Or is it an accident?
Tell me your thoughts.

All the 6 covers  featuring  THE DRESS

Devil may wear Prada, but Virgin Mary dons Louis Vuitton

The devil may well wear Prada, but at a biennial exhibition of sacred art in Italy, a statue of the Virgin Mary is donning Louis Vuitton

The veil traditionally covering the Virgin's head bears the French luxury brand's trademark "LV" logo in golden letters decorating bags -- many of them counterfeit -- around the world.
Francesco De Molfetta, 31, said he created the work to "denounce a society based on the cult of appearance through the use of a brand that represents the search for ephemeral happiness."
"This new way of interpreting sacred art is along the lines of the famous work presented (in 1999 in Venice by Maurizio) Cattelan that showed a wax icon depicting Pope John Paul II being crushed by a meteor," the curator of the biennial Giuseppe Bacci told Il Centro.
"It is a way to hit the visitors' unconscious," he added.

"If you are friendly, you will withdraw Mr. Arnault" - a statement recently made by Hermes Groupboard to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. Recently LVMH acquired a full 17 percent of Hermes stock, signaling a possible move to take over the popular family-owned luxury brand. Hermes is one of the last remaining family-owned major luxury brands, most are part of larger groups such as LVMH and the Richemont Group. LVMH is said to be the largest luxury group in the world.

After acquiring the large stake in Hermes, LVMH announced that it did not have current intentions to take over Hermes. Hermes has made it very clear that they do not wish to be part of a large luxury group - a move that would fundamentally change how the brand is run and operated. Hermes seems to be dedicated to remaining independent, which is understandable given the massive changes that occur when large groups take over such brands. 

The good name of Hermes would benefit LVMH that already has names such as Louis Vuitton - arguably a direct competitor of Hermes. With Hermes under its belt, LVHM would have more ammo to fight the Richemont Group - which is arguably its largest competitor. At issue are a range of products such as leather goods, lifestyle products, clothing, watches, jewelry, and more. 

While LVMH seems clear in their dis-intent to take over Hermes completely at this time, the act of buying 17 percent of the stock is not without meaning. LVMH likely wants to prevent other groups from taking the brand over, and may also be planning out ways of engaging in a future friendly or hostile take over. Hermes family members are said to retain about 73 percent of all Hermes shares. So LVMH would have to negotiate the family members directly in order to pursue such a takeover - who have special rights associated with Hermes bylaws in order to prevent hostile takeover attempts. Stay tuned in the next year or so to see what becomes of this potential take over attempt. 

Via Reuters. 

Prince P.

Hell's Angels show Alexander McQueen who's boss..

Once again here we see an example of a high fashion brand losing credibility for creativity, innovation and most of all originality...

London

It could lead to a biker war. The Hell's Angeles motorcycle gang has given notice to Alexander McQueen and Saks Fifth Avenue that they are infringing on their copy rights by illegally using their name and logo. 

The similarities are pretty difficult to ignore when they concern names such as Hells Angels Pashmina, Hells Angels Jacquard Box Dress and Hells Knuckle. Their graphics bare a striking resemblance to the outlaw riders Death Head design.

According to the lawsuit... “For more than half a century of continuous and conspicuous usage, both the Hells Angels word mark and the [Hells Angels Motorcycle Corp.] Death Head design mark are famous,” the lawsuit says. The name and logo “are widely known and recognized by the public as indicating the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.”

(Source: http://www.fashiongossipweekly.com/2010/11-02-10/3.shtml)

--It is commonly known that fashion is borrowed from many different sources and influences can be drawn from many places but the fact that Alexander McQueen did not acknowledge this inspiration (or shall I say, quite unoriginal and completely copied motif) from Hell's Angels is why they are wrong. Usually I think Alexander McQueen collections are very nice, because they are very edgy and sexy, but this just shows that even fashion leaders can sell us a cheap and stolen trend.

How would you handle these allegations if you were the spokesperson for Alexander McQueen?

How much damage does this do to the fashion house?

(and finally) Would you still go out and buy these products?

Gena

Assignment 2... Late posting ;-)

RAFFLES INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE FASHION COM

Assignment2: Fashion Photography


Learning Objectives:
1. Gain better knowledge about a specific photographer
2. Understand how cultural and social contexts influence visuals
3. Decode visuals

Introduction:
This is an individual assignment.
Students are required to pick the photograph of their choice and “decode” it.

Instructions:
1. Students will select one photograph taken from either:
a. A fashion editorial in magazine
b. An ad campaign
c. Or a photographer’s portfolio/book
2. Draft a brief biography of the photographer (Timeline with important milestones, what he/she is well-known for, style…etc)
3. Describe the “outer layer” of the photo chosen ie scenery, characters, colors used, contrast, hues…etc
4. Describe and analyze the context of the photo ie in which cultural, social and/or political frame is the photographer including the picture.
5. Give your personal opinion on what the subtext of this picture may be.

Grading criteria:
Photographer’s bio: 10%
Originality of photo: 10%
Visual description: 10%
Analysis of the context: 30%
Analysis of the subtext: 40%

Requirements:
· WORD Document. Pls provide the hard copy on the due date of the assignment.
· Format:
• Proper cover page with title, name, student number, module, date
• Table of content (following the 5 points detailed in the instructions)
• Page numbers with initials and date at the bottom of the page
· 1000 words maximum (not including appendices or references)
· Harvard Referencing style

Policy:

Please refer to the module outline for more information on policies regarding late submission, plagiarism and collusion.

Maria: More than fashion,Nike, Samantha Jo Alonso

Today the topic of my post is super exciting because at some point it's a way to bring fashion to the whole new lever...

So, Samantha Jo Alonso is a celebrity stylist known for her work with famous fashion magazines such as: I-D, Dazed&Confused, Vice...

But a while ago, Samantha and Nike  joined together for a wonderful project called "Mission I'm - possible".

The aim of this marathon is too educate people about fitness, and ..wait for it .. FASHION

So what Samantha is planning to do is to run 5 marathons in 10 months. The latest one happened in Chicago and was a huge success. I guess people relate to this project because the main message of it is  fashion to be an extension of who your are, to be able to find an inner strength for archiving the most extreme goals you set  for yourself. Which is truly wonderful and goes beyond normal/posh understanding of fashion.  

Lanvin for H&M

I heard this news for couple months ago and when i was trying to find sth to post on this blog I accidentally found the first look of this special collection so I try to find more...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg2AnIUCktE



(sry guys i don't know how to post a video here T^T)

First though of me about this collection was...Lanvin? H&M? R U KIDDING ME? I never thought it gonna come out great because Lanvin 's quite luxury but after I saw the video that Elber Albaz  said "I think I loved the idea that H&M was going luxury rather than Lanvin is going public" and yeahhhh! maybe he's right! I could think it that way. 


I wanna see how Lanvin and H&M go together. H&M did really exciting me and yes so did Lanvin. I think people's going to line in front of H&M shop just like when it happen with Stella McCartney's colleciton

(Stella Maccartney's collection)

what do you think? :)

-Lookchoup