We love a bit of Prada in our life...

I'm currently working at Prada and what did I come across on my first day... these gorgeous dresses with beautiful prints which are all taken out of Miuccia Prada's vast textile library in which pieces of fabrics are archived). This is the new Prada Print Collection – which features a single dress, a lovely 1950s summery style with a gathered skirt, which has been created in a range of fabrics from cottons to silks in Miuccia’s distinctively painterly patterns. Also in the range, ballerina pumps with ribbon bow in contrasting prints, and a shoulder bag on a chain strap in more prints inspired by fabrics from Miuccia’s archive. So far, so gorgeously Prada.

But here is the bit that stopped us in our tracks: every piece in the collection - which went on sale mid-May – all retail for below £500. Dresses retail for between £425 - £475 (depending on fabric and print), shoes for £235 (bags prices have yet to be confirmed). We had to double check to make sure there hadn’t been a mistake. But no, it’s all [a dream come] true.

Oh how we love a bit of Prada in our life...

www.prada.com

Bombarded!

KAPITAAL from STUDIO SMACK on Vimeo.

We have been reading a lot recently about information overload and overburdened lifestyles. Everywhere we go we are bombarded by new products, brands and their messages. Our lifestyles become faster and faster as we are now expected to be online and connected 24/7. It is difficult to slow down and escape this daily routine.

So we have been asking ourselves how much visual stimuli do we receive in one day? From ads to signs, logos and even graffiti…and how much can actually take in and what do remember at the end of the day? In the end you just block it out. This video Kapitaal by Studio Smack reveals the commercial overload surrounding us.

They have captured brilliantly what our overloaded lives have become...

The Future of Advertising

With social media giving more and more power to the consumer, we are wondering what the future of advertising might look like???

The answer obviously depends whether brands and advertising agencies embrace this trend and try to be forward thinking and creative with the advertising approach or if they keep on investing in the good old print and television advertising. It will be all about engaging with the consumer in new and exciting ways, adding value to their already overburdened lives and making the choice easier for them.

'The Last Advertising Agency on Earth' is a short film that shows what might happen if brands and advertising agencies don't listen to the consumers and don't change their approach towards new concepts and strategies.

Info taken from here.

Simply Because...

Todays media landscape is changing dramatically with online publication and blogs growing rapidly. The traditional newspapers and magazines however are experiencing a significant loss in their readership as the same information and content is available online for free.

It is not surprising to us that publishers are now seeking investment opportunities online and try to become more than just a 'publisher or print brand'.

There is Dazed Digital part of the Dazed Group which is a major online destination for the youth culture who are interested in cutting edge and underground music scenes, arts and fashion.

Dazed & Confused, one of our favourite magazines, is still running strongly and the website and magazine compliment each other perfectly. The content of the magazine is not simply repeated online, but additional stories are constantly added. The website is now a stand alone online destination for the young fashion, art and music crowd.

Dazed Group have also recently developed and invested in the online platform from Another Magazine which feature a daily edit of their favourite blogs (AnotherReader), a daily edit of products (AnotherLoves) and a shop with exclusive product lines (AnotherShop).

These websites extend their already existing target audience and create a community around the brand which is so important in today's society.

The Publishers are more and more responding to the demand that people want something different not your stereotypical ad campaigns and magazine format, but something that thinks outside the box, offering projects that are non-traditional.

A recent addition to the online world is BECAUSE by Tank publications. Caroline Issa, co-owner of Tank Publications says about BECAUSE: " We realised where publishing is, realised where the internet is, and BECAUSE is the solution to that."

The tagline of the site is "WE LIKE, YOU BUY" and each week BECAUSE delivers a tightly curated gallery of the best products, from the fields of fashion, beauty, accessories, shoes and jewellery. Furthermore it highlights cultural events like premiers, exhibitions, movies, gigs, workshops and parties. We would describe BECAUSE as a creatively curated online gallery showcasing the best fashion products and cultural happenings. The products are mainly presented in forms of moving image and animation instead of still images which taps into a very strong movement in fashion imagery at the moment where the way forward for online publication is animation and short film.

The team behind BECAUSE aims to bridge the gap between editorial and and shopping, luxury and retail, in short making it as easy as possible for people to get the best products, and when an item isn't available online there is also an option to reserve. A member of the BECAUSE team will then find the nearest stockist and get the item put on hold for the customer within 24 hours. Nice.

We love the fact that we are now able to buy and item that we have spotted in an editorial right there and then. We are also in love with their little animations and short films about their clothes. It is great to see that there are still people out there that try to push the boundaries in a very creative way. It is well worth a visit for everyone.

www.becausemagazine.com

www.dazeddigital.com

www.anothermag.com

The New Simplicity

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

"Strong. Powerful. Reduced."

In the words of Phoebe Philo this is what the Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11 collection was all about. It was simple but sexy dressing for women.

Her reductionist approach focussing on the sportswear and classic heritage of Celine brought the label back to life in the previous season. The whole collection is proving to be a best seller as it is currently flying off the rails in the shops and which one also noticed at yesterdays show as literally the whole spring summer collection could have been spotted amongst the audience.

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

The show was one of the hottest tickets to have during the Paris Fashion Week, oh and how strongly Phoebe Philo has confirmed this with her beautiful new autumn winter collection.

It is all about the new simplicity. It is not about elaborate over the top dressing anymore, it is about a strong simple statement that Philo achieved with her stunning tailoring, the variation of the classic white shirt and her great use of leather which made the collection stand out. Narrow navy funnel neck coats and dresses, slim tailored and cropped ivory and black trousers and A-line skirts were key elements to the collection.

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

Celine Autumn Winter 2010/11

Leather details like big patch pockets on the sides of skirts, dresses and coats and then of course the big leather wrap skirt are just some of the highlights of the collection.

Phoebe Philo managed a perfect balance of modernism, simplicity and sophistication with her classic but forward thinking clothes.

We think it is simply beautiful and predict that it will be flying off the rails just like the previous collection.

Images taken from here.

Nowness - be inspired!

We are are bombarded with new messages and products everyday in both the online and the offline worlds. It becomes increasingly harder to filter through the information and be inspired by something that we come across as our attention span shortens dramatically.

Nowness is a new online magazine launched by none other than the LVMH group that aims to overcome this and wants to provide its readers with a little inspiration everyday that will last.

Digital executive vice president Kamel Ouadi, said: " NOWNESS is about carrying a moment in time with you. It sums up a certain feeling when you get a moment of inspiration that lives in your imagination during the day."

And this is just what we believe we need in a time of constant information overload.

It will showcase exclusive daily stories surrounding contemporary arts, fashion and global lifestyle. The site will cover fashion, art, cinema, music, design, travel and global luxury. They promise to do all this in a highly curated and thoughtful way.

Each day, it will publish exclusive multimedia stories curated by an international team of editors such as some of the world’s foremost designers, creatives and thinkers in the luxury industry. Its visitors can enjoy featured work by leading artists such as Wong Kar-Wai, Patti Smith, Lucien Freud, Francesco Vezzoli, Rodarte, Raf Simons, John Galliano for Dior, and Nick Cave. Furhtermore its aim is to be editorially independent, covering brands both in and outside the LVMH group. Nowness aims to unveil a new world of ideas, delivering exclusive content that will inspire, educate and inform. We also love the "Love / Don't Love" button that allows users to interact with the content. By doing so Nowness is not only able to assess interests, but through its own technology it can tailor recommended stories to the each individual visitor. We have noticed this development on various website now which gives even more power to the consumer than before and provides a more interactive environment and content. Putting inspiration and emotional engagement at the forefront of this site is a great move and provides us with a nice pause from the fast paced lifestyles we all live in. We hope to see a little bit more of these popping up in the future. Info taken from here and here.

Milan Fashion Week: Real Women, Real Clothes

Prada Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 1

Big-name designers demonstrated a new understanding with a focus on real clothes for real women at Milan Fashion Week for the upcoming Season.

The beautiful Celine Spring Summer 2010 collection was cited by many as a key influence for the Autumn Winter 2010/11 Milan fashion trends. With its stunning new classic but very sophisticated cut and fit and a strong focus on clean day-wear it quickly turned out to be the favourite of many from the last season shows. And it is certainly one of ours.

Celine Spring Summer 2010/11 Look 3

Celine Spring Summer 2010/11 Look 2

Celine Spring Summer 2010/11 Look 1

Milan's fashion designers have moved slightly away from the stunning red-carpet looks and instead focussed more on the saleability and wearability of their designs. There was a new wave of wearable daywear and key separates as we have seen on the first day in the fabulous Prada show. " It is normal clothes - classics," Muiccia Prada said backstage before the show.

She thoroughly revisited Prada's strenghts from the double-face cashmere to flattering fifties and sixties dresses and skirts. Detailed coats and jackets with the collar as the highlight also stood out. It was a very fresh and sexy approach as it celebrated the very curvaceous woman amongst us and we all love to see that don't we??!!

Prada Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 39

Prada Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 25

Prada Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 10

Prada Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 1

Alberta Ferretti's collection on the other hand was all about the separate pieces and with the concept of wearing the pieces separately and in lots of different ways.

Alberta Ferretti Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 27

Alberta Ferretti Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 14

Versace surprisingly also moved away from the Glitz and Glamour look focussing on more day-to-day items. She was obviously inspired by the good old biker style making it suitable and appealing to her audience by translating it into tight fitting pants and trousers with matching biker jackets and stunning asymmetric long sleeved zip dresses. It was a clever step from her moving away from the evening wear and putting more focus on the daily wear.

Versace Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 6

Versace Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 34

Versace Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 5

And then of course there was Jil Sander's collection that represented a pared-down approach in a very clean and clear way. It was all about practical dressing for grown women "who know what they want and aren't afraid to go for it," as Raf Simons, creative director, explained. This has led him to designs that were inspired by a mix of Anna Wintour and Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in Tomb Rider which resulted in classic and beautifully tailored tweed suits and black sheer shorts, bodysuits and tailored catsuits.

Jil Sander Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 31

Jil Sander Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 4

Jil Sander Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 1

Info and images taken from here.

The 21st Century Fashion Show

Burberry Autumn Winter 2010/11, Look 5

Yesterday at precisely 4.25pm the Burberry Autumn Winter 2010/11 show kicked off in London on the grounds of the Chelsea College of Art and Design. Prestigious guests were invited and it seemed like half of Hollywood took a break to see the show with Kate Hudson, Uma Thurman and the Olsen Twins only being a few of the big names. But more importantly it was live-streamed simultaneously to a global audience and in 3D to invited guests only in Paris, LA, New York, Tokyo and Dubai.

The collection was beautifully designed paying homage to their heritage roots that lie in military and focussing on their so fabulous outerwear. Creative director Christopher Bailey moved away from their famous trench coat and re-discovered the versatility of the aviator jacket which was then designed in many beautiful ways. Giant over sized collars, zips and buckles, sheep skin, tight skinny leather pants and a colour palette of creme, mustard and khaki where outstanding elements of the new collection.

Burberry Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 8

Burberry Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 10

Burberry Autumn Winter 2010/11 Look 52

Now broadcasting a show live digitally is not a new strategy to reach all your customers, however Burberry might have just invented the new way of retail and fashion shows in the 21st century as the online audience was able to click on the admired piece of clothing and pre-order it instantaneously on the Burberry Website. So what is new, and in my opinion very clever move from the marketing and communication team at Burberry, was the immediate pre-selling of the clothes on the runway. This is not all the pre-selling is limited to three days only and will end on Friday at 4pm. It allows Burberry's consumers to buy into the new collection while the excitement from the incredible show is still around. The time limit also offers a feeling of exclusivity. This was once again a brilliant strategy by Burberry and certainly puts them ahead of their competitors as Burberry combine the online and the offline worlds very cleverly and use it to their advantage.

It just leaves us wondering how the 21st century show will evolve and how the competitors will react to this move? Well, we are excited about these current developments and cannot wait to see what is coming next? Maybe some of the other designers at Milan and Paris Fashion Week have already another ace up their sleeves waiting to be released...???

Info taken from here, here and here.

Photos taken from here.

Its the final countdown...

Lara Stone at the Christopher Kane Spring/Summer 2010 Show

With a mere 11 minutes to go until the first London Fashion Week show by Paul Costelloe kicks off we are sitting impatiently in front of our Laptop screens.

With the new digital schedule everyone can be in the front row and can follow almost every show during London Fashion Week.

London Fashion Week has announced its launch of the digital schedule about two weeks ago. With this move they are following in the footsteps of brands such as Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana who live streamed their previous show online.

Alexander McQueen's show had such a huge online audience that it even brought down the whole website for the duration of the show ( thanks to Lady Gaga who announced her new single was featured in his show).

The Internet is becoming more and more dominant and we will certainly see it growing more and more and with it our power as a consumer as well.

It has now come to a point where the oh so exclusive fashion shows are accessible for everyone online and everyone can become part of it.

It will be interesting to see how this will develop further in the future... but for now there are two minutes left until London Fashion Week kicks off live and everyone can see it.

So get comfy and enjoy the shows!

Image taken from here

The Shopping City...

It was last summer when I first found out that Borders was closing.

Why...I was asking myself?? Surely they made enough profit in that location (Oxford Street).

I didn't just want to accept it at that time and started asking around until someone finally told me that New Look bought the space and with the Oxford Street location, five other locations throughout London.

Oh nooooo not another one, they are taking over the high street, its not that we didn't already have two or three of those around.

Well now it is finally time for the new New Look to open in its brand new location and yes they are bigger and apparently better than before with a whole floor dedicated to their wonderfully cheap footwear and their biggest menswear department yet - WOW.

Oh and the old Starbucks seemed to have survived the move from Borders to New Look.

So what do we have with this new 26,000 square feet of retail space- yet another shopping city that tries to challenge Topshop flagship store just opposite the road. Another retail place that tries to suck the consumer in for the day - brilliant.

And if this wasn't enough, Sir Phillip Green obviously wants to end up on top of it again and promptly bought a 19,000 square feet of retail space right opposite to Harrods.

It is due to open this Easter and promises us, hhhmmmm I wonder what, maybe another mini city that encompasses everything that we apparently still need in our lives.

New Look opens on the 5th of February.

Info taken from here.

We Love Nudity... Especially with the new YSL Boys!

Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing, Baby...

Yves Saint Laurent's recent Autumn Winter 2010/11 in Paris opened with the above short film "Aint' Nothin' Like The Real Thing". It was directed and shot by star photographer Bruce Weber and it also premiered on YouTube and Facebook simultaneously with the launch of the fashion show.

“If you don’t want to be nude, wear a suit,” and "let Fashion be fun" was Bruce Weber’s message that he tried to bring across. He created an atmosphere of freedom, passion and sex which immediately grabbed our attention and left us behind speechless...

It certainly is a well made and fascinating film and we DO love, love, love the models in it, however it did remind us more of an Abercrombie & Fitch advertising campaign than YSL.

Info taken from here.

SPEECHLESS!

Yes Yes Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John did perform together and it did leave us speechless.

Lady Gaga and Elton John sang and played the piano (designed and made by Terance Koh) together and Gaga once again showed us what she is capable of.

She is current, or better more than current as she seems to be ahead of everyone else with her music and her appearance.

She looked incredibly sexy with custom made designs by Armani Prive.

Well what else is there to expect if she is styled by none the less than the amazing Nicola Formichetti.

What will be next...? Hhhmmmmm, we can't wait to see it.

But for now we are left behind utterly in love with Gaga, Formichetti and the designs by Armani Prive.

All images taken from here.