Coincidence vs Recycling of Ideas - Louis Vuitton AW2012 show

Ideas are often recycled and often it is called inspiration... but sometimes it may be just a coincidence that one idea is similar to another... after all if the idea is good it is bound to happen that more than one person will think of it.. I don't know whether this idea is a coincidence or inspiration but I thought I would share it with you. Lets play a game called "spot the idea" .. note the dates:

September 2011 - a small London brand, Izmaylova presents its SS2012 collection.. the press release reads something along the lines of "welcome to Izmaylova express.."




March 2012 - Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2012/2013.. obviously on a much grander scale, done in an amazing Vuitton style with immaculate attention to detail... yet when I saw it, I immediately thought of Izmaylova.. I mean, a vintage train idea is so cool and not that unique that of course more than one person might think of it so this post is not here to say anything it's here to point out a parallel I have drawn in my mind when I saw the show.

Dolce & Gabbana Spring Summer 2012 campaign

I'm loving Dolce & Gabbana's spring summer campaign. Very Italian, very passionate but on a deeper level we are being reminded of La Famiglia - where lots of great Italian brands started and where so few are today.  As fashion world is being carefully moulded into one big cash cow by the countless private equity firms who run the show with an invisible hand, I think it is so important to remember the original values of what great Italian houses are all about - craftsmanship, quality, style, sensuality and ... la famiglia.

Vogue Russia - November 2011 - RANT

I simply cannot not talk about this. When I saw this Vogue cover, I had to "take-two" and actually make sure I was looking at Vogue and not Penthouse or some other similar publication.

I mean Vogue is Vogue regardless of whether it is Russian, French or American. Vogue is the pinnacle of style, fashion and everything that is exquisite. Vogue is also a woman's territory. I personally think that if you are a man, unless you are Tom Ford, you should not, under any circumstances, appear on a cover of any Vogue.  

It is a common view that after Alena Doletskaya left Vogue Russia, the magazine somewhat got a little bit lost. The content is still good and relevant but the whole publication became very .. well "russian". In my view Vogue should be international, it should be written in the international language of style and should connect people in Russia (or wherever) with the rest of the fashion community worldwide. 

I personally was offended, disappointed and even disgusted that such a cover would even be allowed to be published under those coveted five letters. Russia is already overly, overtly sexual... too much for my liking. Luckily the likes of Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Elle somehow managed to keep their integrity and style...until now that is.

The editors of Vogue Russia should really reconsider why they are publishing this magazine. The primitive view is that Vogue is a magazine about clothes..well I mean the shoot with Adam Levine and Anna Vyalitsina hardly even contained any clothes!!! Don't get me wrong, I think the pictures are very well done, except they are better suited to GQ perhaps. Ahhh, this really made me angry. Just when you think Russia is finally coming out of its "Eurotrash" dump of a stereotype, you see something like this and realise how long it will be before Russia will become a style arena in a true and full sense of that word. Shame, shame, shame on you Vogue Russia!

Rave- Charlotte Gainsbourg for Balenciaga

I think Balenciaga got this one soo right. Leaving aside the fact who Charlotte Gainsbourg actually is (daughter of the legendary Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg - I mean hello!) she is the perfect French woman - the understated yet extremely sensual french chic and beauty is what she conveys in this ad - I don't think they could have picked a better person for an iconic house like Balenciaga. She is sooo much better suited to this than just the next pretty face model with luscious lips and empty/sexy eyes. Bravo Balenciaga! Love your work.

Lacoste - Unconventional Chic, Thoughts

I have been thinking about this campaign for a little while and I have decided that I actually don't like it. I understand what they are getting at with this but something is just not working about it. I understand that Lacoste is trying to take a different spin on glamour and chic and break out of the 'polo shirt' niche that the brand is currently in but I'm not entirely sure that such a literal interpretation is necessarily the most effective way to expand the brand perception beyond sports chic.

ID magazine cover - Thoughts

I don't know why I like this cover.. I think it might be her hair... or more specifically the hair colour. It's grey. As in the colour it turns when you age... I like the juxtaposition of her young face against the long grey hair. Something interesting in that... I guess that's because we hardly ever see grey hair on a magazine cover, it's nice for a change.. May be if we saw grey hair portrayed as cool more often we wouldnt all be so petrified of ageing. That is all. 

Kate Moss for Parisienne by YSL - Rant



Parisienne - 2011 ad campaign



I actually had the exact same thoughts last year when the first Parisienne fragrance came out, except back then I didn't have this blog. Well now I do, and Parisienne is having a re-run.

Kate Moss, aka ‘the love of my life’, the most stylish, my most admired is once again the face of Parisienne by YSL fragrance campaign.

I had mixed feelings when I saw this last year and I have the same feelings about it now. On the one hand, I love Kate Moss and she can do no wrong. On the other hand, I laugh at the fact that Kate, the ultimate Brit, the ex-face of Burberry (i mean, how more Brit can you get?!) is now also the "ultimate Parisienne"?!

I don’t really care if the message YSL is trying to send is ‘anyone can be a Parisian’ or ‘its your style that makes you Parisian’ or whatever it might be… I say – DOWN WITH THIS FASHION GLOBALISATION! Why is it that stereotypes are bad?? Some times they can be good.. Like the stereotypical French/Parisian lady.. the one who is meant to ooze elegance and chic and the je-ne-sais-qoui.

Like Audrey Tatou.. or Melanie Laurent.. or Marion Cotillard...

Kate Moss is a legend - not doubt about that. But in my humble opinion she was a wrong choice for this particular campaign. That is all. 

Parisienne - 2010 ad campaign