Mark Tungate

one of the most interesting videos I watched online lately

flower power

Ouaah, time flies! Well, for the last couple of months I think and rethink about this blog, and it always comes to my mind a certain interview that I once gave along with other fellow bloggers. Then they had asked us, when do we find the time to blog. And the answer was 'a minute during the day or at night'! Well, goodbye old me, now I can't find the time to even respond to my mails! So as this blog was never a 'personal style' one or a 'fashion news' other, I find that I'm lacking of the time that I once had for finding interesting things around the wwweb. -not that they don't exist, or that I don't find them, only that I don't find the will to post them!

Some days ago I turned 26. And one of the things that I promised myself was to not let down of this 'baby'! So...until I find my rhythm and as summer vacations are across the corner, I leave you with these beautiful images of the Raf Simons' DIOR couture show. Some said that the setting was of no need but for me it was a certain dream that finally came true thanks to the new circumstances and possibilities...and to dreams we trust!

source: bureaubetak blog

al di la di

As mentioned in the previous post, AL DI LA DI is the newly born vintage brand of friend Aggeliki Kotroni that is also a resident in Florence.

Aggeliki is a great collector of vintage clothes and accessories and will participate in tomorrow's event. The pictures above were shot the previous days in Florence and will accompany the vintage clothes sold as a proposal of how to wear these pieces.

All pictures are taken by me, if used please credit. For the complete photo album visit the al di la di facebook page

Fashion Festa at NOF

Finally, the day has come! After months and months of complaining, proudly saying to everyone I met  how fashion forward Athens is (yes it is sure it is) and how I couldn't believe the fact that nothing interesting was happening in Florence, together with Rachel and Imma (NEW KID) we decided to organize this festa!

the RECYCLO girls and the newly born AL DI LA DI vintage brand will be there as well.

For one evening, young designers and the young crowd of Florence will finally meet! People in Florence prove how fashionable you are, share and be there!

the Pretiosa

Well, living in Florence for more that a year makes me realize more and more how proud the fiorentini  are for their rich leather technicians heritage. The leather goods of all the major brands are produced here. "The Row" a pure-american-marketed-brand,even though produced in New York factories, have their handbags produced in Italy but this is not the only example.

More than three are the famous leather bespoke shoe makers here in Florence(among them Roberto Ugolini mentioned in my last post) and if you happen to walk by their stores, you will see them create shoes and bags with their own hands every single day.

So when I read about "La Pretiosa" bag, I thought that if I wasn't living here maybe I wouldn't appreciate this bag as much as I do now. It is a special edition, 100% handmade (only created in 99 pieces) and it is based in Leonardo Da Vinci's Atlantic Codex (yes apparently he designed fashion items as well). The bag is created by the Florence-based Gherardini brand and what is even more impressive is the fact that Lisa Gherardini is said to have been Leonardo's inspiration as the famous model for the "Mona Lisa". She was living in Florence's San Lorenzo area, only steps away from the leather markets.

click here to see how "La Pretiosa" was crafted and visit the Gherardini site for more info about the bag.

Alan Buanne Q&A

I met Alan almost a year ago as we practically lived next to each other. Well the fact that we both studied at Polimoda made it all easier to know each other better.


This interview was nothing but easy for me as we spent hours and hours discussing his first collection. I was there during the creation and editing of his book and even though now we live in different cities, we still find time to discuss our fashion careers (...in the making). So, this interview is my way to introduce you to his work as I was lucky enough to have as a neighbor one of the most talented shoe designers of polimoda.

1. Alan, you are quite international. Born in Australia then moved to Italy, Dubai and now London. How has all these years of experience in different job positions have formed your professional personality? 

 The benefit of being able to experience different parts of the world has allowed me to develop an innovative approach to my work and philosophy. For example, it now makes more sense for me to design collections for multiple seasons and break the traditional rules of sticking to Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer. Half of the world is never in the same Hemisphere and is always in the oposite season, this gives me a chance to think for the modern day man and woman - the kind who wakes up in the morning in Sydney and is working later that night in LA. 2. Why a shoe designer? I love the world of shoes - maybe it's in my DNA, as I am the third generation of shoemakers now or maybe it's just because I choose to. There are many things i like about my work but far from any end result, I seem to be at my best when I am creating shoes.

3. While in Florence you interned at Roberto Ugolini's - a very well known bespoke shoe maker- where you created shoes with your own hands. Do you believe that bespoke is the future or is it just another trend? 

I have to say nothing tops the experience working alongside Roberto Ugolini and being able to make my own shoes. The world is developing so quickly, and as mass luxury brands saturate the market, the interest in artisans and new luxury products are offering a refreshing option to customers and it's an incredibly exciting time to be part of that recognition. It might be a cycle, a come and go thing but what people are simply appreciating is the real value and craftsmanship from a pair of well fitting handcrafted shoes.

4. What are you working on now and what are your plans about the future? 

At the moment I am in London Interning at Nicholas Kirkwood, so I am learning in a really great environment and experiencing a new way of working. 2012 will be the start of building my professional career,vehicular is a very exciting and adventurous stage to be at in a career - anything can happen. For the time being, however, I am concentrating on what is here and now in front of me and taking on the challenge of the new city.

all pictures courtesy of Alan Buanne

Fashion Live!

On February 4, Ozon Mag organized the first Fashion Live! event involving various students in the process of creating fashion editorials along with real field professionals.

One of the people who participated in this event was stylist Soultana Papaioannou/ my personal eyes and the ears as I couldn't attend the event! She was part of the "Street team" and thanks to her camera I got to see a small preview of what the editorial photographs look like!

Fellow bloggers Elena LFOF, Thalia Life In Athens and Oh So Chic! Maria and Eleni presented their blogs so don't forget to click their pages for more pictures as well as the usual suspect Fashion Architect!

all photos courtesy of Soultana Papaioannou

a matter of colors/seasons/places

Today while checking my +1500 photos on iphone I found these two snapshots of my closet taken in two different seasons of last year.

Well..."I can't help but wonder"...what the %&@ happened to my closet?! It's true that I hate Winter season and that I can barely handle the cold weather but this drastic color range change I think reflects it much better than said. Also Florence is a very "monochromatic" city as well so...

the conclusion of my thoughts for tonight is that not only seasons but also cities reflect on our clothes and our moods. Oh and I forgot to tell you for the first time ever, I got dressed in  black head-to-toe! Definitely an accomplishment not to be proud of...

Angelos Bratis for YOOX

Well, I must confess this was a SO well written press release that I was really tempted to leave it the way it was sent to me!!

"To celebrate the launch of the Greek version of the virtual store, yoox.com unveils a unique collaboration with Greek designer Angelos Bratis, debuting online his Spring/Summer collection, alongside an exclusive caftan-dress designed exclusively for yoox.com and available online starting from today.

 The Spring/Summer collection - ECHO LOVES NARCISSUS, is inspired by the famous Greek myth. According to Angelos Bratis this legend is more contemporary than ever in today’s digital age. Hi-tech Romanticism permeates Angelos Bratis’ collection: algorithmic design blends with softness and fluidity – geometric shapes like the triangle and rhombus in ‘Facebook’ blue and Narcissus yellow create seamless color block dresses, crafted from natural materials and cut directly on the mannequin like traditional Greek peplums.

Greek tradition fuses with the future in the exquisite Y-caftan dress, created exclusively for yoox.com: “The Y-caftan came to mind when I was looking at the yoox.com app on my iPhone: the letter Y - a beautiful Greek symbol” affirms Angelos Bratis. A strong graphic silhouette combines with the geometry of the letter "Y" in bright yellow against a simple square of grey silk cut in four pieces. Bias-cut side panels drape against the body and give the garment a sense of fluidity.

 Angelos Bratis for yoox.com is the first collaboration between yoox.com and a Greek designer, and the perfect way to celebrate the launch of the Greek version of the website."

discover the collection here

image courtesy: yoox.com

Suspenders

..and the above picture proves that stylists are lucky enough to be able to wear after shooting, the model's clothes!

Stylist Emily Rusby transformed a "magazine shoot" look into something totally streetstyle approvable and wearable. The red shocks are THE detail of the look!

sources: vanessa jackman, emily rusby's personal webpage

Firenze4Ever 4th Edition_the party

Well words are not enough to describe this season's edition of Firenze4Ever Luisa Via Roma bloggers party! The store and upper restaurant floors were emptied of clothes and full of pink-worn fashion and music bloggers, friends, photographers, fiorentine stylish residents and even some people that traveled from other Italian cities just for this event! 

Of course everyone was excited to meet the "star bloggers" behind the blogs Fashion Squad, Bryan Boy, Style Scrapbook, Fashion Toast and The Blonde Salad (blogs mentioned in the order that you get to see them in the first pic)! Other than that, people were coming up and down, Joan as Police Woman rocked the party with her amazing voice and songs and the cute Pug Dogs were exposed in the walls of Luisa!

Definitely one of the best editions I've frequented so far as the place was full and everyone seemed to enjoy the music, the drinks, the food, the outfits and of course being photographed by so many bloggers around!

Firenze4Ever 4th Edition_the outfit

Luisa Via Roma organized yesterday night  for the 4th time the single most important international bloggers reunion party and this time the dress code was "Pink Carpet" (last time it was animalier check post here)!

Luckily I already had in my closet my Sparkle & Fade shirt-dress bought from Urban Outfitters when in London last June that I combined with my favorite (but very few times worn) shoes from Fullah Sugah!

Stay tuned because the next post features more photos of the party and a "bloggers family" photo that I'm sure you'll love!!!

New Xmas Kid

New Kid is the brand that I presented to you some months ago (re-read post here). These past few months, Rachel started also the market section in the official webpage and just for your pleasure this weekend you can buy all shoes (except model Dreamcore), with a discount of 50%! Just type CHRISTMAS as check out.

As for me, yesterday night I found myself at Rachel's studio where I bought these goodies and also had the pleasure of seeing for the first time the Fall/Winter 2012 collection. Stay tuned because we are talking about some good stuff! 

Remember Tomorrow

Ioanna Kourbela is a Greek designer that happens to be a personal favorite! Few days ago I received not only the current season's Fall/Winter 11-12 lookbook from which you see my 3 most desired looks above, but also a very pleasant surprise (that unluckily for me, luckily for you I cannot attend).

Save the date! Sunday 18th December at three o'clock at Andrianou 109 and Hatzimihali 12 str, all season's xmas bazaar 50-70% off plus a super contest organized by Athens Voice for two male and two female complete Ioanna Kourbela looks as christmas gifts!

Madame Shou Shou

Thanks to Tonia, some days ago I discovered a new Greek brand under the name "Madame Shou Shou".

Initially dragged by the careless-colorful-so-Greek mood of the photoshoots for the first two collections, I wanted to learn more about the designer Elina Kordali. For this reason, I decided to ask her in person. Enjoy the interview and don't forget to visit her fb page for more details on her collections!

" I have studied Fashion design at Instituto Marangoni in Milan and afterwards I did a Master in fashion styling at IED in Barcelona. Madame Shou Shou started on April 2011. The 2nd winter collection is already in stores

Usualy I name my clothes after the people I love most,my favourite piece from my winter collection is a brown jacket which i named after my most loved person in my life , Paul.

All the fabrics of my collections as well as the production are 100% "made in Greece". From the very beginning I knew that I wanted it to be this way. I don't know if it will be a positive decision but at least I'm happy to be helping even like this, these difficult times.

In the beginning it was very difficult to find the contacts, but now I can definitely say that I am satisfied both for the price and quality of the materials I'm using.

Designer or Stylist?...

I am a designer but in all the photoshoots I realise how much my studies and my knowledge of styling have helped me. I think that my Fall/Winter collection combines casual with theatrical. All the clothes are made of very soft and comfortable fabrics while at the same time their lines are very romantic as if created in the past eras.

I love traveling, I am leaving in  a few days for one month round trip in South America. I think that this trip will make me more inspired that why the Summer Collection 2012 will have a lot of influences of these places...

A webpage as well as the eshop of Madame Shou Shou will be soon online so stay tuned!

pic source: all pics taken from Madame Shou Shou's fb page

Forte_Forte

Forte_Forte is designed and produced in Italy by Giada Forte and Paolo Forte (double the forte and you get a brand name!).

Some more info about the brand, as I found in the Tranoï webpage, is that the collections are made exclusive with Italian fabrics rich in special finishings and lovely hand-made details. Furthermore all pieces are embellished by precious embroidered labels, decorated with tiny enchanting jewel charms, and sold in small perfumed bags.

find out more about the brand in the official site!

DElight S/S 2012

At the same time that I'm burying in the back of the closet all the summer clothes and try desperately to find some warm Winter alternatives, DElight publish their Spring/Summer 2012 collection's lookbook! Rather familiar feeling, instant DElight recognition and some very well structured shirts and jackets from what I can tell so far!

Above are my 3 most favorite pieces! Follow DElight on Facebook and like yours.

Lazzari

Lazzari is an Italian brand with -apparently- really cute clothes that I discovered some days ago! What you see above is the lookbook of the Spring/Summer 2011 collection which I know, is already a past collection but I couldn't help but post these pictures as I really like the color pallet and the concept!

Pastels seem to be in trend even for the next Spring/Summer 2012 so I'm thinking of embracing it even during Winter!