Past decade's top 5

Some say this post should have come about a year earlier (or maybe just a week?). Doesn't change the fact that these are 5 really important things that happened in the past decade. Plus they make a good Sunday post! 1. Second hand / DIY
It seems that the decade began with the remains of the '90s obsession with second hand clothing (think Kate Moss) and ended with the widespread acceptance of DIY clothing and accessories as something you can wear in public (think Yourself, etsy.com). This shift is a good example of how fashion really is for the masses and not just for celebrities or the elite: DIY is free, everyone can do it at home.

2. Designers went highstreet
Speaking of fashion for the elite and the privileged, about mid-decade and with WTO shifting most barriers for global production, dominating design houses are faced with a pickle: their styles are being 'borrowed' straight from catwalk and produced in thousands for a fraction of the price their collection sells. People no longer want to pay a fortune for a top with their name on.

They try to fight is with law suits and more affordable diffusion lines. In November 2004 though, a bomb is dropped by Swedish H&M: a limited edition line signed by Karl Lagerfeld, priced by H&M. Collaborations between mass production companies and eponymous designers become a standard ever since. Finally the latter found a way to grab a piece of the cheap fashion pie and shoppers are happy with the amounts they are spending.

3. E-shops
With the first e-shop, boo.com, being such a famous massive disaster in the late '90s, many were quite sceptical of the possibility to ever sell clothes successfully online. At 2004 British Fashion Awards, net-a-porter.com proved a point by winning the Shop of The Year Award and causing a stir. Now there are thousands of profitable e-shops and online shopping is a big industry with what seems to be a bright future.

4. Fashion blogs
Here's a new term that's emerged in this past decade. Much more than a term actually and you know it. For me, fashion blogs' contribution during these years will always be described best by Suzy Menkes' words in this clip: it finally turned fashion monologue into a dialogue. Shoppers have a voice too. According to wikipedia, 'Fashion blogs first appeared in the blogosphere prior to 2002, and Kathryn Finney, of The Budget Fashionista, was invited to New York Fashion Week as early as September 2003'.

5. Hellenic Fashion Weeks
(obviously this one's for the Greeks!)
Fashion shows and exhibitions have been taking place in Greece for as long as fashion exists. However, it was in 2004 that Greece officially announced the launch of a fashion week that... soon became two. 'Moda Athena' took place in October 2004 and 'Athens Collections' was established around the same time, with the first, featuring among others the likes of Doukas Hatzidoukas, Angelos Bratis and Vassilios Kostetsos and the latter listing Hellenic Fashion Designers Association members.

I believe 2004 was the year 'Fashion Forward' started in Thessaloniki too so it would be fair to say that mid-'00s were a fashion week era for Greece overall.

'Athens Collections' was based at Zappeion whereas very short lived 'Moda Athena' at the Hellenic World Cultural Centre. I was present at both as a... foreign correspondent, will try to find their booklets in my archive and show you at some point since there's not much available on the web about it.

Athens would not stay without a second fashion week for long though(!): in May 2007 'Athens Xclusive Designers Week' came to stay.

I guess all 5 somehow changed the way we see fashion today, in the year 2011. What remains to be seen is what the future holds for them.

The Island - Costumes II

The costumes of the series 'The Island' are as emotionally charged as the story itself. That's because most of them are real vintage items, existing way before the story was told. Part of what makes this new series a masterpiece, is the effort put to gather these precious bits of history that should later on be placed at a costume museum, no doubt.

All credit for the very special work goes to:
Costumes Supervisor Maria Kontodima
Costumes Designer Xanthi Kontou
Assistant Costumes Designer Marli Aleiferi
Dressers Foteini Papastefanou & Christina Tsoutsouligka Here's the huge storage space the costumes were kept at, at Elounda's school yard. An impossible giant closet, square metres of fashion history. Costume design team's work doesn't stop at getting the goods in one space. Past time series require special handling, like adding the marks of time, getting those gems realistically dirty to match the scenes' conditions yet keeping them in perfect shape for the actors. A movie is not just what you see, but also what you see if you look closer.
Costumes Designer Xanthi Kontou and Assistant Costumes Designer Marli Aleiferi were kind enough to talk about this truly unique and of international standards project:

How many costumes travelled to Crete, how much preparation was needed and how many people participated in the process?

Xanthi Kondou: We shipped 2.000 outfits which took eight months of extensive research to put together. Overall, the various stages from Costume Design to Dressing, was carried out by a team of five. All costumes were created based on tradition archives and some were selected from private collectors’ original garments.
What is special about these costumes and where should the audience focus throughout the series?

Xanthi Kondou: We aimed to achieve balance and harmony between the colours of the environment, Spinalonga and those of the clothes. We paid special attention to the conservatism of the era, something obvious in the clothes of women. We also worked our best to recreate regional style with elements of the traditional Cretan men’s attire (boots, pants, etc.)

There are many semiological details helping the viewers follow the plot, for example, the crosses around the little girls’ necks (Anna & Maria) is what links them later on to their adult years.
To what extent is costume important in such a big production and why?

Marli Aleiferi: It is vital to project the mood and overall atmosphere. You only have seconds to make the audience familiarize with the main characters and the image must communicate the role clearly and accurately in order to achieve a quick engagement.

Semiology is also crucial in order to have the viewer hooked, subconsciously getting the clues we aim to get across. The costume design department reads every line of the script just like the actors and works closely with the director for perfect close ups and powerful frames.
What is a good and what a tough moment for the costumes team during filming?

Marli Aleiferi: A tough moment is when you have to shoot a scene involving numerous extras, that have to fit the theme perfectly and at the same time have a visually balanced and realistic result. None is meant to stand out, other than the protagonists. Getting an immaculate result in limited time is challenging. So is making sure there are no goofs, i.e. if the actor wears a ring on the left finger in a scene, it has to be on the same spot during the next ones too.

A good moment is each and every time a scene is successfully complete. Thankfully we’ve had plenty and you’ll get to watch them all.
Congrats to everyone for the wonderful job, for bringing all these items to light and all 150-something characters to life through clothes. A strong reminder that attire is a big part of our herritage and should not be neglected. Next Monday, watch 'The Island', see the pictures, but read the costumes.

Aegean textiles

Once upon a time this land used to make everything.

Smack! - A giveaway

Speaking of juicy lips these days, my lips get rather dry in this mad weather. Mad I try not to be, therefore I am not gonna walk in fuchsia lips during the day. Sweet pink is more like it and I found my little saviour in Lip Smackers. Even better, they come in more than 100 tastes, watermelon, ice-cream cookie, bubble gum and candy floss (!) to name a few.

And since 2010 began with a "hot" shade of pink for me, it might aswell start with a hot giveaway for you! How would you fancy receiving in the post three delicious smackers in a cute bag?

You know what to do: email me at aleccarox@windowslive.com, type "Smackers" in the subject area and your name as the message - no need to do this if you've signed up for my competitions list, if you haven't, make a note and I'll add you for future giveaways as well as this one.

Thirty parcels are waiting to be posted, one may be yours! Giveaway ends on Tuesday, 26th of January, at midnight.

Stuff I dag out on Lip Smackers:

*Bonne Belle started producing them in 1973.

*They are the only kind of balm/gloss that comes in such a wide selection of tastes.

*They are also known for collaborations with Coca-Cola, Fanta, Mars, Disney and Colgate. (Fanta roll-on gloss rules)

*They are collectors items (!) - see this.

*American product, made in the U.S.: a) you know I like it when companies produce locally, b) I am surprised this is not Japanese.

*Apart from my purse, they can apparently be found in the handbags of Lindsay Lohan, Sharon Stone, Halle Berry and Paris Hilton:)

*Features proudly: WE DO NOT TEST ON ANIMALS.

The bowling shoe

If you ask me for a weekend alternative to going out with friends or staying in with friends, I'd say go bowling with friends. Tons of fun I tell you, whether striking those pins down or simply watching your ball travel down the side pipe:)

I am a regular and as you can see I take bowling dress code, well, not too seriously! If you can bend over and get your keys off the floor in it, then you can bowl in it. Fact. The shoes though, that's a different story. They maybe ugly or even funny, but you have to wear bowling shoes.
As a child, I didn't mind their looks. I was actually quite pleased I got to wear the special, "important" shoe. As a teenager though, I attempted several times to cheat and bowl in my All Stars. Busted each and every time. And then finally, someone cared enough to explain: it's a matter of performance as well as safety.

These shoes are different from regular shoes in that the heel and sole of the shoe are made of specific materials, not only for protection of the lanes (reduce scuffmarks, damage to the wood), but also for the protection of the player. The shoes are designed to have a small amount of "slide", because the momentum from releasing the bowling ball transfers to the foot. A shoe with a pure rubber sole provides greater traction and little or no "give" on the lane surface; as a result the increased friction in the material could result in a potential injury. (stolen from here)

Although the sport is no newbie, historians have traced it back to Ancient Egypt, the shoe pattent came as late as 1984 - at least in the U.S. Voila for the thorough learners:

And even though they thought of pattenting it, it seems that very few bothered to make it look a bit more... sight-friendly. (Seriously, where does it say in that pattent "and it has to be ugly"?) I was ever so excited to come across these babies online, only to read they don't do them since 1984. Why, oh why? *devastated*

Anyways, as long as they don't force me to wear any funny pants, I'll allow the shoes. (Although I am seriously thinking of creating an accessory to cover them nicely and... pattent it too;))

Whatever you do, enjoy your Sunday.

FWA - day4, Giannetos

Should there was a true Hellenic Fashion Week, I believe this name should not be absent from the list. Didn't know much about Giannetos company, till I found this precious book inside my press kit. I was surprised to see it was a rare publication of the Giannetos family and how they turned from one village tailor's family in 1907 to an established firm making fine, classic tailleurs and suits today. As there are not many (if any at all) publications about the history of Greek fashion, I classify this illustrated book with rich archive and rare info, as a real gem and may I say how sad it is it's not up for sale in every bookstore. (If anyone's interested, you can seek it at Giannetos store, Stadiou 5 in Athens)

Even though it was the first show of the day (19.00) and it was raining cats and dogs, two factors that almost guarantee the room will be half empty, this show was quite full. Not the typical, trendy, flashy fashion, but some classic suits with a descreet modern twist, better styled for the kind than some of the most highly anticipated shows of FWA and sizes that seemed to be made for each model's measurements (something that should not even be mentioned for a show, but it seems this season it wasn't a standard).

The funky soul soundtrack of the catwalk, the true customers in the front row and the team bow at the end of the show were all extra touches I liked. A Greek company with a history of this many years, holding such an immaculate show, I was glad I made it, I was glad it took place and added to the variety of styles in FWA, I wish there were more shows in this spirit.

FWA - Eponyma Exhibition

Tonight, FWA was also hosting the opening of "Eponyma" exhibition, a wonderful tribute to the donors of the Peloponnesean Folklore Foundation. Well-known, distinguished ladies, designers and dressmakers all connected to the dresses on show which they once wore/made. It is actually a preview of the exhibition to be presented at the Benaki Museum in March 2010 under the title: "Endyesthai: To dress. Towards a Costume Culture Museum". As put in the press release: "costume research does not stop in local costume, since Greek women also adopted European fashions". In my opinion, a must-see.

Costas Faliakos dresses, donated by Christos Petridis.

Wedding dress made by Anna Avramikou, belonging to Eleni Thomopoulou-Pentheroudaki (1951).

Jean Desses gown and wedding dress, belonging to Elisavet Komninou-Papastratou (Paris, 1951).

left: "Waves", dress by "Tsouchlos" belonging to Manto Oikonomidou (Athens 1950), right: Dior coat belonging to Grace Kelly (Paris, 1950's)

Yiannis Tseklenis dress worn by Efi Mela at her last fashion show (1972) donated by Yiannis Tseklenis.

Givenchy dress belonging to Eleni Iliaskou (Paris 1960's) donated by Iliaskou family.

right: "Tsouchlos" overcoat belonging to Nelly Chronopoulou, donated by Stella Kostourou, left: Biba dress belonging to the sculptor Niki Kanangini (1960's)

Dress belonging to Marika Veloudiou, first Greek tourist guide (!) (1930).

The September Issue

It's only been a few hours since I watched "The September Issue" at the "first screenings festival" of Athens. My honest opinion? By watching this trailer you've more or less watched it all. However, do go and see it just to shape your own opinion. Only part not obvious in trailer, is how influential she is, in the sense that she can and obviously does give an extra push to particularly talented designers like Thakoon.

"Why is the September issue such a big deal?" was whispered to me during the documentary. The answer came from the screen: because September is January to fashion.

Another point that should not slip through the seams is Anna Wintour's relationship with Grace Coddington, the creative director of U.S. Vogue. At first look, Wintour seems to be the hard-to-please editor that sets boundaries to creativity. However, truth is that creativity needs those boundaries which make the difference between tattling and perfection. And it takes a great deal of experience to do that successfully in seconds.

Somehow I feel the real documentary is not what I watched last night. I remember saying this before, the real documentary is "The Devil Wears Prada"...

Touching moment, the part where Wintour's daughter states on camera she wants to become a lawyer instead of going into fashion and Wintour adds something like "it's still too early, we'll see". At the end of the day it doesn't matter who your mother is, she will always want you to follow the only profession she understands, her own!

The closest I have been to Anna Wintour is this:

(image borrowed from this post, belongs to me, all rights reserved, blabla)
The picture was shot at LFW, at Aquascutum's show AW '06. I was sitting at least 50 metres away from notorious Anna but still, chills were going up and down my spine. Next to me was a dear friend, fashion features editor back then for Vogue Brazil. "What did you think of the show?" she had asked me in the end. "I liked the revamp" was my answer. "And what do you think Anna thought of the show?" was her next question. If that wasn't a tough one!

*it was nice to see Lifeinathens and Streetgeist at the cinema...

Eye-candy

Back to Trödelmarkt in Tiergarten, Berlin. If this is not eye-candy!

Isaac Mizrahi - Resort '92/'93

Pierre Cardin, God knows from when (it rhymes)

aaaand...Lacroix, dahlings. Lacroix.

Original, rare, true bits of history just sitting there at a flea market for 40 - 90 euros on average. Sadly, I brought them back only in pictures.

more flea market

Cure's gold, could be mine for 150 euros...

Who's that girl (it's Madona) for 1.5 euros (blast from the past: priceless)

And these two came home with me! I still have them somewhere on cassettes. Useless info on the Rick Astley cover: he comes from the town where one was for the first time killed by one. Doesn't get spookier then this!

Berlin Street Gourmet

Half the reason I went to Berlin was the fashion week. The other half, was currywurst (currysausage for the non-german speakers).

Currywurst, pronounced koorivoorst, is by now considered to be a national German dish. Sort of like the Greek souvlaki, it is widely sold in the streets (if I was a brave eater, I'd stop at every canteen)

There's even a Currywurst Museum in Berlin, at Schützenstraße number 70, where you can enjoy threedimensional installations and classic exhibits are intended to playfully arouse enthusiasm for the internationally known item of German food culture.

For the record, currywurst was first sold by Herta Heuwer at her Take-out at the corner of Kant-Straße and Kaiser-Friedrich-Straße in Berlin on September 4th, 1949. The original Currywurst was a boiled sausage, fried, with a sauce of tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and other ingredients. (thank you wiki).

In case you fancy a bite, all you have to do is grill a pork sausage, slice it and cover it with ketchup and sprinkle curry powder (the more the better). Fresh bread makes the whole experience even tastier. (a more... official recipe can be found here)

Chie Mihara @ Premium

Amongst the very loud names participating at Premium Exhibition, was that of shoe designer Chie Mihara. Chie, was born in Porto Alegre Brazil to Japanese parents and studied in Japan and New York before finally deciding that Spain was the place to be.

Launched her personal line in 2001 which is as inspiring as the fact that she created a family and is currently a mother of three!

Chie was not there herself, her German distributors though were so kind as to take me through the winter and next summer collection and give me her email. So in the end, here's Chie taking this blog's readers through her work:

Alecca: What shall we expect from you this winter?
Chie: I thought we need to laugh a bit, to have some humor in these times, without it the product has no appealing and therefore no success… So, my winter collection is all about fun and uniqueness. Things you don’t see anywhere, details nobody dares at this moment… Things that make you fall in love…

Because obviously all our closets are full of clothes and shoes, bags, eyeglasses…and why need more? That’s the trick!! Yes, you have to make “that” product women will say “I need to have it”!!! And being a woman these times is really a plus, at least from my point of view… I can perfectly understand women’s needs and what makes us crazy!!

A: What was the inspiration behind the collection?
C: - Late thirties styles, lot’s of suede and feminine details.
- Rounded toes with inside platform and big platforms too… Curvy heels, straight…but voluminous shapes.

A: Have you got a personal favourite design?
C: I have many favorites, will send pictures. (pictures featured here)

A: For which type of woman would you say you design?
C: For the woman with sensibility and in search for something special and different.
A: A simple advice for Alecca Rox readers?
C: Buy a quality and a very good fitting shoe, even if that’s a bit more costly, you will notice a big difference! Because behind the scenes, there are hundreds of people caring for the smallest detail to make a good and long lasting shoe.

*Special thanks to Chie Mihara, she truly is wonderful!*

--> You can browse and shop the current collection, here.