Friday 28 May 2010

I just LOVE finding new places to wear diamonds!






I thought it would be nice to start the weekend in a silly, glamourous and optimistic way. I'll be having a relaxing couple of days in the countryside, how about you? Good plans?

Monday 24 May 2010

Political Fashion?

10 am: my workday is starting. I'm surrounded by people wearing ridiculously fabulous outfits discussing where is Riccardo Tisci taking Givenchy's essence while a model wearing next to nothing is being photographed. The talk of the day? the latest cover of Vogue Italia, shot by Steven Meisel. When my friend Vanni calls me to say Mandi Lennard is shutting down her PR agency and Gareth Pugh is now represented by Karla Otto, everyone in the room nearly gets a heart attack. So many things going on, I need a croissant breakfast.
7 pm: I'm walking back home from work. Parisians around me seem angry (or at least not at all pleased) at everything. Everyone looks the same... jeans, leather jackets, vespa helmets... Beards for boys and messy, hippyish hair for girls. "Chez moi", I read the news of the day: the world is quickly coming to an end. It's all about evil politicians, bad economy, nature destruction, failure, guilt. In other words, the "real world".
I have been intrugued about this "fashion-reality" duality for some time now. Is fashion unreal? According to all my uni philosophy courses, fashion is a part of reality. There are many realities going on, and fashion is just one of them. Like politics or economy, fashion is a very structured system formed by many characters and with good and bad moments. That has led me to fantasize about how the world would be if "Fashion World" was to be mixed up with "Real World", creating some sort of "Fashion Reality".
Everything would be so very different in a way, but still kind of the same... for instance, history would still of course have taken place, with its higher and lower points and its critical moments. For instance, if you remember your history books, you will recall the European arms race which started on the 1890's and which ultimately lead to the Great War. Well, the fashions of the moment were just as critical as the tense politics:
It would indeed take a world-changing war to create new trends, way more practical and less hideous.
Amongst the most delicate diplomatic moments during the XXth century is the Cold War; a terrible moment which caused a lot of suffering and tension. It should never have happened. Just like those pointy bras which were incomprehensibly fashionable during the peak of the Cold War.

I mean seriously, please, is this some sort of domestic capitalistic interpretation of Soviet missiles? It's the only way I can see it.
A few years after this trend, and still during the cold war, there was another historic mistake: Vietnam. Luckily many people were against this but most of them made a big fashion mistake: dressing as hippies (read barely dressed at all and covered in Woodstock mud).
I'm all for hippy values, peace, love and psychedelia. But I'm slightly disappointed at the hippies's lack of imagination when it came to dressing.
But how would "Fashion Reality" be nowadays? Surprisingly, I think it wouldn't be so very different! We'd still have world leaders, and the world leader number 1 would still be...in America.
Obama is a most remarkable character, stylish, strong, decisive. Adored by many and distrusted by some, but all that doesn't matter; what's important is the fact that he is the one to make the planet's most important decisions. Just like Anna Wintour. In "Fashion Reality" she would dominate the world... Wait, doesn't she already?
And what about France? We don't have Obama, we have Monsieur Sarkozy. Different, to say the least. I confess I have mixed feelings about him.
Then again, in some sort of fictional fashion world, who would rule France? Carine Roitfeld? Maybe not. Maybe it would actually be...Olivier Zahm.
Er... What can I say about him? Way creepier, way greasier and (even if it seems impossible) way smaller than Sarkozy. I think, just for this once, I'll stick to reality and to old Nicolas.
And just for the record...Who would be the Pope? Lady Gaga?
But, in my opinion, the best way about a fashion-ruled world would be the fact that outfits like these would be socially acceptable:


That would make me very happy, as then I wouldn't have to stand the comments of people who keep it too real... "Um, honey, just what are you wearing? I know you work in fashion and all that... But this is the real world!"

Tuesday 18 May 2010

E' solo moda!

During the last few weeks I have been working in some new projects which have confronted me to yet more new points of view about fashion. I've been collaborating with people who are so very different from the people I normally work with, yet they are part of the industry just like me. They just see fashion in a different way.
Working in the industry, living in France, and knowing how the French (a people I am really fond of, it goes without saying) love to establish completely structured philosophical systems on anything, from existence to politics to pains au chocolat, I often hear the most disparate speeches about what the essence of fashion is.
Also, being Spanish, and knowing how the Spanish never fail to make statements on everything (from politics to the male and female roles to the best way to make gazpacho) with the main purpose of starting controversy, I often hear the most passionate and contrary opinions on the pettiest details of the fashion industry. I love the Spanish feisty character too, it also goes without saying.
Generally speaking, working in an environment in which 80% of the people come from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, I hear, read and see too much information and interpretations every day. Not to mention what a controversial, popular and fascinating conversation subject fashion is. I get confused: fashion is art, fashion is mere money, fashion is exploitation, fashion is cool, fashion is for the elite, fashion is evil, fashion is silly, fashion is Victoria Beckham, fashion is despicable, fashion is everything, fashion is fabulous, fashion is scary, fashion is for idiots, fashion is the paradoxical expression of belonging to a group versus trying to make a difference as an anthropological theory proved by... Slow down!
Maybe I haven't thought that much about fashion, or maybe I'm slightly naïve. I like to think I just see it in a different way...




Fashion might be all of the above, but for me it means mainly creativity, intelligence, audacity and of course... fun! Just like Rock & Roll... It's only fashion!

Friday 7 May 2010

A Hard Day's Night



Or should I say "a hard week's night"? I haven't forgot I have a blog, but I have had so much work during the last week I have hardly set foot at home...
Anyway, I miss blogging actually, so I've decided I'm gonna try and be more constant. And, after watching this video, I have also decided I have to start a diet so I can weigh 30 kilos like 60's models... They all look so divine, especially Peggy Moffitt (she's always been one of my favourite all-time models, I think she's far more exotic and personal than Twiggy).
I have this theory about the 60's: I think people who lived in the 60's had everything a person could wish for... the best rock and pop bands in history, the coolest art, the looniest fashions and beauty products (check out on 60's hairdryers). And with this video featuring Rudi Gernreich's clothes I have realized they even had their own 60's version of SHOWstudio. As I say, everything one could wish for.