January 25, 2010

Excerpts From “Vol de Jour” by Karl Lagerfeld

   
"why is Chanel investing in creating and publishing all this digital content? The answer is rooted in the changing nature of media, marketing and technology and underscores lessons that all major fashion brands would do well to observe"

"In the past, marketing fashion collections mostly meant buying pages in magazines or space on strategically positioned billboards. In both cases, brands paid to interrupt consumers, repeating a visual theme or message in order to create recognition, desire and conversion. By exerting their influence as advertisers, brands also forced magazines to feature their products in their editorial. But today, affluent consumers are migrating online, where the balance of power is dramatically different."

"These days, it’s not about being louder. It’s about being more interesting. To communicate effectively, brands must inspire and harness conversations amongst consumers by giving people something remarkable to talk about — something of value that they will actively seek out, amplify and share with others. In this new reality, forward-thinking fashion brands like Chanel are learning to think like media companies, creating and publishing original editorial content to earn attention and attract fans who will carry their message across the internet."

Read the Full Story: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/01/fashion-2-0-chanel-learns-to-think-like-a-media-company.html

Visit Chanel News http://www.chanel.com/fashion/8-fashion-trends#8-fashion-trends

Too Much Fun With Polyvore

January 18, 2010

So Last Decade...




The decade of the 00's oversaw a lot of both ridiculous and forward thinking trends. Celebrities continued to have a huge impact on the fashion world and it seemed like almost every one launched a line, making it look way easier than the brilliant minds we saw on shows like Project Runway.

Designers capitalized on denim. We have the $150 dollar jean and the emergence of niche brands. 20 years ago, paying that much to look like Kurt Cobain would have been insane. My favorite is the skinny jean, which also assisted the rebirth of the embellished, platformed, heels we can now happily show off.
Which takes me to the sky-high platform, where average woman can taste the altitude of models and tower over men. Sorry guys, we don't feel bad anymore. And did I mention androgony? The growing number of women in executive positions in the workforce saw a masculization of women. I'm not talking boyfriend clothes. Think sharp and boxed. Balmain shoulders and millitairy jackets from h&m. The boyfriend blazer. Designers started to reshape women, threatening to embrace other things than her softness and curves. Perhaps this has something to do with the 00's trend of emaciation. The super skinny girl and the obessesion of talking about her-whether dieting or excercize or photoshopping or models dying mysteriously-the topic was always catching headlines.




Guilty pleasures:
velour track suits: A very embarassing trend, but luckily I was in college at the time so I could wear Juicy jumpsuits to class every day.
Leggings: To me, it's straight laziness. But they are awesome for fat days
Big slouchy bags:  They are great because you can literally carry 3 outfits, a hair-dryer, a computer and a meal at once, but they shouldn't be worn with a careless outfit outside of the east village. 
Flannel shirts: I love anything reminiscent of the grunge era.

Celebs like Mary Kate&Ashley Olsen (though they dress up well) and Lindsay Lohan introduced Homeless chic. The intersection of starvation and homelessness.

LA fashion scene zzzzz. Lauren Conrad just keep to your coast.

Massive Collaborations for retail giants like H&M, Target, Uniqlo. The wave of the future, as fashion becomes collective.

As luxury and materialism have been questioned in times of recession, let's hope the fashion industry continues to think ahead by being socially responsible. The first step is an educated consumer.