Prada Parfums

Prada is on a roll, fashion film-wise. The video is so cute and lovable. But then again, any campaign with Daria Werbowy in it, is.

And by the way, next to Terre d'Hermès, the 'Prada' perfume by Prada -the rechargeable one with hand-pump- is my absolute favorite! Too bad they finish up so fast.

Alexander McQueen

The day we all found out about his tragic death, I was doing some research for my thesis on fashion short films and the live streaming of shows. Although these aspects of the industry are quite new, that day one name kept popping up in literature; Alexander McQueen.

His innovative view on what a fashion show is and how it should evolve, has shaped and changed fashion. He was a story-teller, who saw the potential of film to get his vision and message across. I'm glad that I can somewhat honor him by mentioning his contribution to both industries in my thesis.

Alexander McQueen Interview from SHOWstudio on Vimeo.

Vogue Italia

First thing I do, when I arrive in Italy, is get myself a copy of the Italian Vogue. And although I was raised in Italian and went to an Italian/Ducth-school when I was younger, I sometime still have some issues understanding the whole magazine, and read it all fluently. Too many trendy words, I have never heard about here in Belgium.

My English on the other hand, is a-okay. So, great news for all of you who don't speak or understand Italian. The country's leading fashion magazine has relaunched their webpage in English. And the site looks very cool, with lots of pictures, an editor blog and a street style section...

And they have been busy over there. They've also put on a Vogue Black and Vogue Curvy-site.

Web Sales

2009 changed fashion history, when fashion brands invited you, the internet user, to their until now very exclusive incrowd-only fashion shows. The brands have discovered Web 2.0 and the social media. And when they started to stream their shows live, it seemed as if they are putting the press and networks present offside by giving the viewer at home the chance to witness it all live, and as it happens.

This season however, I get the impression they are trying to pull this off in another segment of the industry; the retailers. Both Burberry and Proenza Schouler launched a web shop, where some exclusive items of their newest collection, could be bought within limited time of the show. Apparently the Aviator-pieces are selling out very quickly. That Burberry is delivering the jackets within 8 weeks, just shows what a well-olied machine the brand is.

This all reminds me of what my professor was telling us yesterday, during our film history-course; How Hollywood started expanding and growing tremendously and at some point controlled the film productions, the film distribution and the exploitation of their own films, which they had to give back by court order.

Or maybe by now, my head is too focussed on searching impossible similarities between film and fashion. How I enjoy my thesis...

Either way, those are some amazing jackets. 'Add to shopping bag or put on wish list?'

Fashion's Night Out

So for my thesis, I also have to do some research on fashion documentaries. I'm guessing the whole purpose why big fashion names agree with it, is self-promotion, but I still have to investigate all that scientifically.

(Picture by me, at the 5th Ave. Fendi-store)

Too bad the project on Fashion's Night Out that CBS is planning, won't air until mid September, when the deadline of my thesis has passed for months. The documentary will, like The September Issue, give the viewers an inside-look into the production of this global fashion event.

Last year, my NYC-trip ended a day before Fashion's Night Out started. Too bad, 'cause apparently it was insane. Guest appearances by all of our favorite fashion stars and very cool must-haves. So hopefully, if I go back this year, we will stay until Friday the 10th of September. Save the date!

Oh, and I'm curious for this year's FNO's shirts. And how I wish that Belgium/Antwerp would take part and do something.

More news:

Agyness Deyn is now a model turned -as did Audrey Hepburn.

The short film to watch is Mean To Me.

Chanel Short Film

Remember the Scorsese/Chanel-collaboration, I told you about earlier?

According to Belmodo.tv and other prominent fashion news pages, the film the director shot in Brooklyn is Chanel's new perfume campaign. Since at least some parts of the commercial have been shot a while back, I hope it won't be too long before the ad airs.

But taken Martin Scorsese's oeuvre into account, I'm pretty sure it will be as good as my all-time favorite Chanel perfume campaign.

Shopping Spree

Thursday I received some very nice feedback regarding my exam results. And thus, I decided to go and celebrate. Celebrating to me almost equals to shopping. And so we headed off to Belgium's greatest shopping city Antwerp on Friday, and as always, it was totally worth it.

First, I spotted this Alexander McQueen skull shirt for men. I could not believe they hadn't all sold out immediately when the news got out. Now, as I mentioned before, I do wear men shirts, when it comes to McQueen -in size XS that is. But then I realized that I already have quite a few signature pieces by the designer. My boyfriend on the other hand, always bought his low-key designs, and now was risking to be left without an original skull shirt. So I decided to get him one, as a present.

After a delicious hot chocolate at Verso Café, my sister bought a new bag. I'm still so jealous, I can not get over it. Afterwards, I spotted some 'bling', at the Pinko-store. No way that I'm going to wear the logo-shirt that comes with it, but when it comes to brooches, I just have to have them. And this white 'Saint-Tropez' special edition version came with 3 pieces.

Oh and my sister saw the most amazing Nicolas Kirkwood-shoes, the ones she blogged about in October. True masterpiece indeed, too bad it comes with a matching price tag (€ 1100).

Since my boyfriend promised me a long time ago, saturday we went shopping in Brussels. I didn't see anything cool, so 'all I got' were the Chanel ballet flats I longed for, for a while now. Black leather, with a black patent point, easy to mix with my all-black wardrobe. I'm happy. We finished up with a great dinner at Cook & Book and his band's gig at the Belgian seaside.

Proenza Schouler

The first thing I did this morning, even before I made myself breakfast, was watch last night's Proenza Schouler-fashion show online. I was looking forward to this one for days, and as always, the long wait was worth it.

This fall/winter 2010 collection started off with a school girl-look. I love those plissé-skirts. I love those colored furs. But then more and more electric blue and greens started to appear on stage. The prints had that same cool feel as the ones in the Spring/Summer 2010-show. A winter version, perhaps. Below you can see the items I want to have hanging in my closet. But the last look I posted here, is my absolute favorite. What a cool dress. It reminds me of the origami-dresses by Proenza Schouler, still the absolute winner collectionwise by the duo, in my opinion!

(Photos: Marcio Madeira / FirstView.com)

Alexander McQueen's Future

PPR has just confirmed to continue the Alexander McQueen brand!

The chairman Francois Henri-Pinault stated: “You understand, the Alexander McQueen trademark will live on”.

I wonder what will happen to his upcoming Fall/Winter 2010-collection, since apparently it wasn't finished yet. But more importantly, who will dare to take over the position as creative designer? 'Cause we all know, Lee Alexander McQueen can't be replaced...

Update:

The show will go on, on March 9th and 10th, as a private 'salon'-event. And sales have increased with 1400% last week.

Hoods

Move over Alexander Wang, I just fell in love with Thakoon's latest collection.

I especially love the hooded looks. -Remember the ones by Balenciaga earlier?-

(Although, the white look on 00.55 seconds, looks somewhat like Balenciaga's spring/summer 2010-collection, no?)

Fashion Forecast

Whenever I see pictures of myself in the nineties, almost every time I ask myself: What were you thinking? Although I have a clear idea of which fashion must-haves I want to own in 15 years time, it is much harder to imagine what we will be wearing then.

But apparently designers in the 1930's had a clear view on fashion in the year 2000.

God save McQueen

Alexander McQueen dies

Apparently, British fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen died. What a loss for the fashion world. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Alexander McQueen - Harper's Bazaar

Edit: When I wrote the message, only a few webpages reported this tragic news. So, at first I wasn't to sure if what was being stated was true. Alas, Mister Lee McQueen did pass away. He truly was the most innovative designer of this generation, fashion and technology wise.

Too bad some news networks, like the Daily Mail who had a very respectful report at first when I cited it above, have turned things into a media circus already.

May he find peace.

Sex and the City Inquiry

For my second chapter in my Fashion/Film-thesis, I am writing a segment on product placement in fashion movies. Since the first Sex and the City-movie got awarded with the title 'Film Whore of the Year' by the Brandcameo Product Placement Awards, I just had to mention the film.

Als we all know, the movie is packed with the namedropping of high fashion brands, glamourous -recognizable- fashion must haves and tie-ins. The collaboration with Bag Borrow or Steal is the most remarkable, in my opinion. After the e-shop was mentioned explicitly, the number of members increased by 217%, and more importantly, the number of 'bag borrows' rose up to 400%. And the website gets the idea of product placement and tie-ins perfectly: "Look like a SATC star: Carry Bags Seen in the Movie".

(source: Bag Borrow or Steal)

Many significant authors state that the reason why these marketing techniques are a success, is because they give the film viewer the illusion that they can follow into their favorite star's footsteps and be a little like them. The movie as well as the leading characters become sales men and once again, Hollywood functions as a dream maker -remember what I concluded about the shirt scene in It Happened One Night?

Vanity Fair send two fashion reporters to examine how many brands were exposed in the movie. They counted about 25 fashion brands, excluding fashion magazines, stores and other brands. But since the two probably were experts on the subject, I was wondering how much of these fashion brands will a 'normal viewer' spot and recognize?

If by any chance you are planning to watch the movie again, and if you care to join me, and help me count, you are all more than welcome! Every dress -, shoe -, purse designer that you can spot, counts in this one, even the one the four ladies namedrop... Thanks a million.

Edit: I have just finished up searching for the 'hidden' labels in the film, and I've found every brand the Vanity Fair team reported, except for Ferregamo, Nike and Adidas. I did however spot some brands that they didn't find: Judith Leiber, Roberto Cavalli and the rainbow bird of paradise Alexander McQueen dress, which is quite saddening given today's tragic event.

NYFW

Tomorrow New York Fashion Week starts. And according to the weather forecasts, it has been snowing over there as well, very badly.

I bet the usual chaos over there in the tents will double; fashion teams, models, editors and VIP will run late, garments won't be able to be shipped towards the fashion shows...

And even if all that magically will be sorted out for the upcoming 7 days, what will that fashion in-crowd be wearing, in such cold and harsh conditions? I can't image some of the world's most renowned fashion editors -carless- to just show up wearing dizzying killer heels, even if they must be pros by now.

Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Will these Chanel skis be an option? Or, maybe Vogue (Women) can do another collaboration with Moncler?

I know I for one can't wait to see the arrivals at the various fashion shows on the Jak and Jil page.

Louis Vuitton and Environmental Design

A few weeks ago, I had my oral exam of Human-Computer Interaction. One of the questions I had to answer was how context-aware interfaces can be relevant for augmented reality. I answered with what I wrote down in class and with the content of the slides and I think that went pretty well. It was harder though to give a precise, and original application-example of the two technologies combined.

How I wish this news got out before the exam took place: Louis Vuitton has developed a jewelry line, to attach to your bag or wallet, that detects the user's emotions. Kind of like those old fashioned mood rings, only digitally and so much cooler.

Art director Fernando Lahoz explaines: "The bag incorporates a new HERM (heart and emotion rate monitor) in the form of a beautiful piece of jewelry which can be purchased with a bag or separately at Louis Vuitton stores. When attached to a bag the HERM automatically transmits your location and heartbeat via Bluetooth/WiFi to the owner’s smartphone. This heart and emotion rate monitor is automatically tracking the heartbeat and transmitting the information via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi to a smartphone, creating a heartbeat path and storing all the data. The bag is connected to the owner more than ever, saving a trustworthy reminder of the feelings and emotions of the owner during each journey." Plus, the journey the bag's owner made, is then laid out in a map through an iPhone application.


Not only is this a great example of experience design, but it also contributes to the relationship between the 'user' and the brand. And even cooler, and in relation to the context-related exam question, the walls of a Louis Vuitton-store can then e.g. reflect the customers' excitement when visiting the shop. Red being then the color of passion for Louis Vuitton's latest handbag collection for instance.


More info on Lahoz' website, which was also the source for these pictures.

Burberry 3D

My second term has started at the University of Leuven, and I had just begun pondering on my Fashion/Film-thesis -what content to include or exclude, why the subject is relevant, setting up my research part...-, that sort of things, when I came across this Twitter-message by Business of Fashion:

BREAKING: Burberry to beam live 3D fashion show from London to NY, LA, Paris, Hong Kong, with local hosts like Colette and Tina Brown.

Apparently the British label is hosting 'the first ever truly global fashion show… 3D technology will bring our global audience into the London show space allowing them to see the colors and fabrics, to hear the music and to be a part of that moment when it all finally comes together'. And those lucky fashion VIPs will catch up on the whole atmosphere of the fashion show as well, since there will be a pre-show segment filled with behind the scenes action and red carpet moments.

This for sure will be a part of fashion history, and even better, this is great material for my thesis-chapter How fashion is influenced by film -or at least by a motion picture technique which recently has been causing a small riot in theaters.

Too bad us mortals just have to witness the whole thing via live.burberry.com in 2D. You can comment and review the fashion show in real time through your facebook or Twitter-account.

Save the date: February 23rd, at 4 PM. (WWD)

Alice au Printemps

If there is one subject I have been blogging about too much now, it has to be Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The movie hasn't hit theaters yet, and I would already describe it as a fashion film, since so many top designers already have been inspired by Lewis Caroll's story.

My sister and I have mentioned the jewelry lines (Stella's and Swarovski's) and the editorial in Vogue's December 2003 issue. But do you remember the post about the Alice-window display at the Parisian department store Printemps? It's finally here -or there, to be more precise- until March 14th.

Nicolas Kirkwood's sketch has become reality. And I think the shoes are 'Alice'-inspired in an obvious way, but nonetheless very cool and clever. Both his and the story signature 'design' is incorporated in the shoe. Those window mannequins don't know how lucky they are to wear them.

The shoe designer states: “I think my favorite Alice character is the March Hare. You can see I’ve made his watch rather prominent. This was a different design process for me, because I’m not usually so applicative—typically, I’m thinking about line, silhouette. But this time, I figured, why not just pile as much as I can on top?”

And how I wish I could go admire the store's windows myself. Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Haider Ackermann; I would go crazy.

Alice au Printemps des Merveilles.
Photos by Francis Peyrat.

For more wonderful Wonderland-designs, go to Style File.

Edit: Every time I see those last few pictures, I think of Donnie Darko.

Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton

For years now, movie stars have been appearing in ad campaigns of famous fashion houses and by doing so, contributing to their and the brand's image. Another aspect which interests me for my fashion/film thesis, is when a celebrity takes on the role as a guest designer for a brand. And so, I'm pretty sure that I will include the collaboration between film director Sofia Coppola and Louis Vuitton, in my project.

I'm not a huge fan of Louis Vuitton's monogram bags, but I do however love the line Sofia Coppola designed for the french luxury brand. The small black clutch has been on my wishlist for a while now, and seeing the bag appear on the Jak & Jil blog today, makes me a bit jealous of the owner.

(source: Jak & Jil Blog)

(source: e-shopping page of Louis Vuitton)

Oh and I am a bit shocked of that price tag by the way, since it is such a small bag. Maybe it will be better to just save up for classic watch, like the girl is wearing in the picture above? I'm guessing it's the Rolex Day-Date.

Tim Walker

Up until now, and since I saw his exposition in Dusseldorf, Michel Comte was one of my favorite (fashion) photographers. Now however, ever since we saw the skeleton featured in one of his pictures at 10 Corso Como, I've become more obsessed with Tim Walker's work.

I'm in love with the romantic touch in his pictures. And so, I've added a new book to my Wishlist: Tim Walker Pictures.

My boyfriend at the 10 Corso Como Bookstore

More Tim Burton-inspired photographs by the artist for Harper's Bazaar US.

Check out timwalkerphotography.com for more supercool images.

Fashion Smart

Yesterday a schoolmate left me a message on Facebook saying I was going to love the content of the link he shared. It was a press release of the University of Amsterdam.

Apparently, communication scientists proved that women, who are aware of the fashion brands they wear, have more self-confidence and preform better at cognitive tasks. (In other words: They get 'smarter') An experiment where a group of participants wore a G-Star blazer led to these results, and this particularly was the case for more materialistic women.

The experts conclude with the following advice; That women who are well-aware of the brands they wear, should dress their best in situations, where one needs to perform highly on cognition - such as an exam or a job interview.

Well, I guess any fashionable woman knows that, right? Plus, I'm not sure a brand like G-Star would do it for me. Either way, I'm still thrilled with these findings: What a great excuse to go shopping. On the other hand, do we need one?

The September Issue

As soon as the DVD landed in the UK, I ordered my copy of The September Issue on Amazon.co.uk, and this since I needed to watch the documentary for my thesis as soon as possible. But now the discs apparently include 90-minutes bonus material.

How I wish I could have been more patient.

Oh, and the DVD is only 5 Pounds now, (vs. 15 when I bought it in September).

Another documentary I can't wait to get my hands on, is Valentino The Last Emperor. Not only is Valentino Garavani a great designer - I love my mom's Valentino bag - but he himself as well is quite an

interesting person.

Gucci Group Award

Since I've been away for a few days, I was browsing all of my favorite fashion pages in order to be up to date again. When visiting fashionair.com, I came across this video of Mimma Viglezio, the PR and communications expert of the renowned Gucci Group. -She must have the coolest job, ever!- At the end of the piece she talks about the Gucci Group Award, given to an artist who has contributed to the world of film in a remarkable way.

I honestly had no idea that such a eminent fashion group is involved actively in cinema, until today. Great -and interesting- thesis material, I must say.

Oh, and I miss Italy already.