the days become weeks and the weeks have become months.
i have disappeared from my own fashion blog for almost two months. during this time, there was a great spike in numbers for a couple of weeks. it was definitely a pleasant surprise even though i was not actively writing. truth be told, i have been doing some script writing too. =)
anyway, this is just a quick shout-out to everyone that i am doing well. i've just been extremely occupied with work and holding down sixteen hour days are no joke at all. just to justify my ranting on a fashion blog, here are a couple of outfits that i wore during my hosting over the chinese new year festive season. (if you want to get a better glimpse of my clothes, follow me on instagram: theonlineeditor)
i do love my reds and my gold. one of my favourite pieces would be the semi-trench from Armani. it was from last year's fall but i kept it till early this year before showcasing it on stage. love how comfortable it was and the movement it gave on stage.
well, it's late and there's more work to be done. hope everyone is well!
yup, rub your eyes! i am doing an 'advertorial'... well, not really since i am not paid or stand nothing to gain in this. for this week's '@dd it', i am asking you to go into an armani store and pick up something for yourself.
yes, you did not read it wrongly, i am throwing my weight behind a brand. my love for armani is no secret anyway. whether it is armani exchange, emporio armani or giorgio armani, shopping in an armani store is always a pleasure. for as well as my memories serve me, i've never walked out of their stores empty-handed.
like i once remairked, 'i have an insane amount of armani. his work is crisp, clean, elegant and tailored. armani's designs have changed the look and feel of contemporary fashion in business, entertainment and the fashion industry itself.
giorgio armani himself can sum up his design philosophy, which has proven to be so successful, best, 'i design for real people. i think of our customers all the time. there is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories or clothing that are not practical.' hence as we approach the end of another week, we should never forget that every piece of garment remains fabric until someone buys it and wears it.
all right, after a rather 'heavy' post this afternoon, i'm going to make tonight's read more light-hearted. let's take a peek behind some of the most iconic creatures in today's fashion industry and ask ourselves how these animals came to be.
let's take to the skies and start off with the eagle.
the emporio armani logo depicts an eagle that is looking in the right direction. the eagle symbolizes the brand’s supreme quality, excellence and feat, hence making it an everlasting emblem. it is interesting to note the importance placed on eagle feathers in various cultures. highland clan chiefs still wear three eagle feathers in their bonnets as a symbol of their rank, while in native american culture, eagles and their feathers still hold great significance. they were traditionally included in head-dresses, used in various ceremonies, and were also awarded to warriors for acts of bravery. being such great soarers, it is not surprising they represented a higher perspective on life and were believed to have a particularly close connection to the creator.
baby phat uses a sleek cat as the brand logo. the baby phat logo is inspired by kimora lee simmons' own cat, the late max, who had been a part of her life since she was eight years old. the brand was touted as 'turn of the century sex kitten'. it's the perfect description for the bold, fun and sexy attitude of the baby phat woman. whether evidenced by the glimmer in the rhinestones on a pair of jeans, or in the darting glance of the slinky feline logo of the company, these are clothes for the women who defiantly sees the world on her own terms.
the a&f logo is a moose because a&f was once an outdoors store called abercrombie & co, founded in 1892 (the year that's always on the clothing today) by david abercrombie. the store was something along the lines of ll bean, selling things like camping, hunting, and fishing gear. ezra fitch was one of his most loyal customers and in 1900, ezra fitch convinced david abercrombie to let him buy into a partnership in the business, and in 1904 the store's name was officially changed to abercrombie & fitch.
designed by art paul, the magazine's first art director, the rabbit head has appeared on the cover of every issue of the magazine since the second. hugh hefner, the creator of the 'playboy' magazine, once explained, 'I selected a rabbit as the symbol for the magazine because of the humorous sexual connotation, and because he offered an image that was frisky and playful. I put him in a tuxedo to add the idea of sophistication. there was another editorial consideration, too. since both 'the new yorker' and 'esquire' use men as their symbols, I felt the rabbit would be distinctive; and the notion of a rabbit dressed up in formal evening attire struck me as charming, amusing and right.' added art paul, 'if I had any idea how important that little rabbit was going to be, I probably would have redrawn him a dozen times to make certain I was doing him justice, and I suppose none of those versions would have turned out as well as the original. as it was, I did one drawing and that was it. I probably spent all of half an hour on it.'
if you had the opportunity to create your own fashion logo, which animal would you choose?
so for the rest of the week... we are going back to basics... it's going to be terminology overdose for some of you but for each posts, i have selected five words that will be useful for you to know... thinking of it as fashion vocabulary 101 so that when you next speak fashion, you'll be able to find the right term instead of saying... neh, that dress from that shop a few months ago...
here are the five basic terms that i think all of us should know:
1) fashion: it is the general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, make-up, body piercing or furniture. fashion usually is the newest creations made by designers and are bought by only a few number of people; however, often those 'fashions' are translated into more established trends. fashion can finally refer to clothing generally and the study of it. more from my friend wikipedia here...
2) label: yes, that little thing sewn onto your clothing that tells you which brand you bought... the first label is credited to charles frederick worth. before that, clothing design and creation was handled by largely anonymous seamstresses. worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear instead of following the customers' lead as earlier dressmakers had done. while all articles of clothing from any time period are studied by academics as costume design, only clothing created after 1858 could be considered as fashion design.
3) house: in fashion, a reference to house is not merely about the place one stays but it's a reference to maison de couture... translated, maison de couture is simply house of fashion. while you can find a label that goes by the same name, the idea of a fashion house is people working from a house instead of a huge factory. think the personal attention to details, handcraft as opposed to machines and mass production... and the most popular address? nope not wisteria lane but rue du faubourg saint-honore...
4) seasons: spring, summer, fall (autumn), winter... yes... we all know the four seasons but in fashion, seasons operate on a slightly different schedule. several months in advance of the season, fashion weeks are held to allow the press and buyers a chance to preview fashion designs for the following season. from january through april, designers showcase their autumn and winter collections. the fashion week for spring and summer is held from september through november. this is also to allow time for retailers to arrange , to purchase or incorporate the designers into their retail marketing. the latest innovations in dress designs are showcased by renowned fashion designers during these fashion weeks and all these latest collections are covered in magazines.
over the past few years, more and more designers have shown inter-seasonal collections between the traditional autumn/winter and spring/summer seasons. these collections are usually more commercial than the main season collections and help shorten the customer's wait for new season clothes. the inter-seasonal collections are resort/cruise (before spring/summer) and pre-fall (before autumn/winter). there is no fixed schedule for these shows in any of the major fashion capitals but they typically happen three months after the main season shows.
5) couture: this is the business of designing, making and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made, women's clothing. now, haute couture is the phrase we should all know. french for 'high sewing' or 'high dressmaking', haute couture is made to order for a specific customer and it is usually made from high quality, expensive fabric. it is sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time consuming, hand-executed techniques.
