Monday 31 January 2011

MadWalk - The Fashion Music Project

Another 'first' for Athens and 2011. Mad TV and Vodafone have joined forces into bringing Fashion and Music closer at a charity fundraising super-event. It's scheduled to take place this Wednesday, February 2nd at the Olympic Fencing Venue of Hellinikon. Eight of the most popular Greek fashion designers are going to pair with loud names of the local music industry at what is expected to be a spectacular show.

Line up:
DEUX HOMMES & GIORGOS MAZONAKIS
MI-RO & ONIRAMA
PARTHENIS & MELISSES
YIORGOS ELEFTHERIADES & MYRONAS STRATIS FEAT. ILIA DARLIN
MARY KATRANTZOU & MATISSE
CELIA KRITHARIOTI HAUTE COUTURE & SAKIS ROUVAS
APOSTOLOS MITROPOULOS & HELENA PAPARIZOU
VRETTOS VRETTAKOS & DESPINA VANDI
Music support by Claydee, Mark Angelo & Playmen
Closing act: Shaya & Otherview
Hostesses of the night: Vicky Kaya and Tamta

Tickets cost 25 euros. Part of the earnings will go towards ELPIDA, Association of Friends of Chirldren with Cancer.

For more ticket info and preparation action, visit www.madwalk.gr

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*are you thinking of a certain British Fashion & Music event? Me too and here's one of it's finest moments.

MaryWantsAPurleDress s/s 11

Mary Wants A Purple Dress new shoot is out, bringing Spring a step closer:MaryWantsAPurpleDress is: Dimitris Kaidantzis
Make Up: Morfe
Hair: Manolis Oikonomou
Styling: Marli Aliferi
Model: Tina (VN Models)

Sunday 30 January 2011

This is Shoko - Athens

Shoko was 'born' in April 2009 and you can see it's carrying a Spring happy mood as a brand, at a glance. All clothes are handmade and designed by Daniela Koch at her Athens studio at Ermou str., Athens. She often models her designs (see cute blonde below) and collection photos are snapped by her boyfriend Manos, which makes her call it a 'family business'.

'Shoko' is short for 'shoppingkotsch', a nickname friends used to call her at school. 'We aim for the clothes to offer a feelgood sensation with happy colours and a combination of selected fabrics' she explains. Part of the aim is to sell at affordable prices too, that's why Shoko is only available to purchase online here. Good stuff.

Saturday 29 January 2011

Martini Gold by Dolce & Gabbana

I went to the movies tonight and though I have nothing to say on the movie itself, I found the opening commercial quite interesting. Here's Martini Gold by Dolce & Gabbana, starring Monica Bellucci and with the designer duo in guest appearence:

Then there's also this BTS clip where director Jonas Akerlund gives a lot of info on how and why this fashion video was made, saying amongst it all that it's drink and fashion in equal measures.

And if you want to know it all, Domenico & Stefano speak about their point of view, their love for Martini (possibly the fuel behind some of their inspiration?) as well as the fact that to them, both their brand as well as the drink are a way of life.

Thursday 27 January 2011

Miu Miu's 'Powder Room'


A lot of action fashion film-wise.
Miu Miu has just released the first fashion film of a scheduled series, where 'distinctive female filmakers with different intellectual background explore their feminine love affair' with the brand. It's called 'Powder Room', directed by Zoe Cassavetes and shot at Claridges hotel in London. Genius concept. For BTS material as well as keeping an eye on who's next, visit miumiu.com.

SHOWstudio is editing Kate


Everybody seems to be talking these days about SHOWstudio.com film project and 'Editing Kate'. Have you seen?

Credits:
Photography: Nick KnightFashion
Editor: Edward Enninful
Hair: Sam McKnight at Premier
Make-Up: Val Garland at Streeters London
Published in Vogue Italia, December 2010
Music : Evan Voytas - "Tomorrow Night We'll Go Anywhere" (Cascine)

Eastpak Artist Studio - the bag

I have already told you I am participating at this year's Eastpak Artist Studio project for charity. As it all happened so fast, I haven't been able to show you the bag. Taking you through it now:
I was chosen for blogging about fashion so I thought it should be a blogger themed bag. What bloggers are notorious for among other things, is snapping photos. I made a velcro detachable camera pocket and placed it at calculated hight on the left arm of the backpack so one can shoot photos as you go.
The pocket secures with a bow to fit most pocket-camera sizes and has two strass elements attached to it, a small for turn on and a bigger for snap. (made a camera dummy out of a random magazine cut-out)
Then, most bloggers like knitting. I do too and since I both perform and talk about it every chance I get, it had to be part of my bag. Opened two button-holes at the top of the bag and stuck my bamboo needles in them. What you can't see is that on the inside, there are two tubes perfectly fitting them and stopping them at the right height.
Bottom left side of the bag there is another button-hole. This one is for the yarn as you don't want it twirling on dirty floors as you knit. Once you've started knitting of course, your project can be kept safely at the front pocket between sessions. Up to here, I'd made the perfect backpack for me. I even thought about not handing it in - but then I thought of the charity:) So on we go. With all the press fashion blogging has been receiving lately I thought there had to be a tongue-in-cheek cheesy element to it. Well I blastered 'blogger' with yarn all over the front top and crowned it with a strass. Doesn't get cheesier than that hun.

Also, we do get to keep lots of notes so I pinned all kinds of phrases (some hand-written by me) and even clothes and shoe images to create a blogger's 'edit drafts' feel.

'Knits between shows' is well, what this bag is meant for! (saying this, it's an exhibition piece, I don' expect to see it anywhere in public)

Among all other stuff I chose to pin, is an original 'Made in Greece' tag, something that will soon be a collectors item considering not much will be produced in Greece for long the way it goes.
So there you go, now you know all there is to know about my bag. That, and the fact that I made it with lots of love hoping to bring some of it to the people in need. Spent time with it as long as I could thus it's fully charged with Alecca-positive energy.
Last but not least, special thanks to Ino Mei for the amazing shoot of this bag at her studio and all the mental support.

*More on the fate of this bag, the exhibition party and all other participants, coming soon.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Stripes'n'Buttons - new website

Stripes'n'Buttons has got a new webspace for showcasing her lovely accessories: www.stripes-buttons.com. For now you can only place your orders by email, but I've been told this is about to change very soon. Whilst browsing, don't miss out on her just in, handmade reusable lavender sachets.

Melissa + Jean Paul Gaultier in Tangerine

When Melissa + Jean Paul Gaultier made public their fashion affair last summer, I wasn't expecting it at my doorstep for... Christmas. Must be the comfiest stilettos I've walked on (surprised? so was I) as well as the best smelling ones.

This time Melissa's usual recyclable jelly material is meant to look its best when worn with fishnets, creator JPG had told Vogue.co.uk so I gave them a go accordingly. Nude & short fishnet socks is my free translation.
*Special thanks to exclusive importer of the style and shoe-Santa of the moment, Shop & Trade, who made sure they reached my feet.
**Tangerine, among other colours, will be released this coming Spring.

Smells like Jimmy Choo

Dear Jimmy Choo lovers, this season Tamara Mellon has more than beautiful shoes for you. It's official, Jimmy Choo fragrance is now hitting Saks Fifth Avenue counters. In a Murano glass inspired bottle and snakeskin packaging to stay true to Jimmy Choo's most successful material.

What does it smell like? Imagine green top note, Tiger Orchid heart note and base note of Toffee and sensual Indonesian patchouli. Face of the campaign, the woman herself, Tamara Mellon.

Mellon said about the brand's first ever parfume: “Fragrance has always been part of my vision for Jimmy Choo. To fully extend the Jimmy Choo lifestyle, enveloping a woman with the sensuality and essence of the brand. I have always loved wearing perfume; it is part of my identity. Now to create a signature fragrance for Jimmy Choo expressing an aura of strength and beauty is my ultimate dream.”

Here's some BTS images of the photo shoot photographed by fashion photographer duo, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin:

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Eastpak Artist Studio vs Alecca Rox

The project: "77 of the continent’s most creative personalities have been selected to produce original creations from a number of limited edition 'blank' EASTPAK bags. The artists have been selected from different backgrounds and include painters, sculptors and poets as well as musicians, graffiti artists and television personalities.

EASTPAK is proud to support this select group of artists and the communities that feed their inspiration. All proceeds of sales of these one-of-a-kind creations will be donated to a local charity organisation in each participating country".

It's creative. It's for a good cause. I am in.
Check out the project here. Can you spot my bag? Well it's here - stats are 2009 but do you care. Will get back to you on this one, so happy to be part of it.

Sunday 23 January 2011

1st Fashion Business Forum - Athens, finally

Fashion, besides making you pretty on a Monday morning and stylish on a Saturday night, is a business. As such, it finally had its first Fashion Business Forum last Monday. Some of global fashion's best, along with Greek players of the past, the present and possibly the future, discussed thecurrent state of fashion industry. The contribution of the latter was crucial for touching local particularities.

International speakers spoke about tendencies that should not be neglected like the effect of the economic recess and global fashion on buying habits, with value for money, strong brand awareness and consistent presence online (including social media) being more important than ever. Local speakers, noted the lack of government support, the reality of having to engage in offers and early discounts to attract buyers and gave a mixed message on whether or not they believe in the power of www.

Clearly believing in the internet were the three Greek online start-up companies, private sales Brands Galaxy, eshop Buldoza.gr (which further co-invited 15 fashion bloggers to attend) and Fashinating.com which offers the double service of personal styling to consumers through thousands of online finds aswell as market insight and targeted sales testing to businesses through detailed response statistics.

Hotel Grande Bretagne was an excellent choice of space and everything was very well organised on behalf of Boussias Conferences. The official reel of the event is available here: boussias_conf, all other relevant tweets tagged accordingly can be found here: #fbf_athens

Attendance was high as the room was full of fashion business professionals. By no means would one say that the majority of the local market was there, however, this first attempt to offer a conference of this kind was a success and there's always the option of a bigger room next year. Loud absence that of traditional fashion press, although I did see and hear a couple of fashion journalists in the room, one from a glossy and one from a newspaper.

Overall, congratulations to all the businessmen/women who accepted to participate in panels and presentations and share thoughts and tactics. Whether on the right or wrong track, it takes courage to openly talk about your business, especially if it hasn't happened this way before. Constructive criticism and discussion have a chance of pushing one to the right direction, silence does not.

There is still a lot to tell about what went on but as it won't stop being relevant for quite sometime, for now this post is limited to a (brief?) recap.

Attended the forum and blogged about it:

Eye Candies,
Posh Fashion,

Life in Athens,
Fashion Algorithms,
Mary Jane Girl,

Battered Couture,
FFFFashionmiXXXX,
LFoF,
Ordinary Style Pulse,
Little Stylist,
Sugahspank,

Spottedm,
A Brit Greek,
Wardrobe Recycle,

Fashion Architect

Saturday 22 January 2011

RIP Theoni Vachlioti Aldredge

Have been meaning to write this since I heard the news on Friday. Theoni Vachlioti-Aldredge, born in Thessaloniki in 1932 and one of the greatest costume designers this country has ever exported, is no longer with us.

With hundreds of Broadway plays, movies and tv shows featuring her name, it would be fair to say she'll be remembered as one of last century's most important costume designers worldwide.

She's in the Theatre Hall of Fame since 1986, has received awards like TONY, BAFTA, Costume Guild Career Achievement Award, as well as an Oscar for Jack Clayton's 'The Great Gatsby' (1974). First film in her long career was Michalis Kakoyiannis' 'Stella' (1955) followed by many famous classics like 'Annie' (1982) and Ghostbusters (1984).

A true icon, may she rest in piece.

*Deni Vachlioti is Theoni Vachlioti's cousin, also a costume designer and sometimes mistakenly mentioned as her, even on imdb.

En Vit Ekorre - music, fashion & ecology

En Vit Ekorre is apparently a stage designer as well as a costume & accessories designer. She's the one responsible for most performance outfits of Film featuring Etten gigs (including last night's at Gagarin, see below). As there aren't many local live shows of such costume attention, thought it's worth dropping a line about it.
En Vit Ekorre features 'Athens - Stockholm' with a brief about note saying the brand stands for recycling vintage fabrics, clothes, as well as all kinds of materials spotted at flea markets in Athens, Stockholm and Berlin. It's all about mixing fashion and ecology, and looks like the outcome goes down well on stage.

I thought her item presentations are quite special too, so here's a peep before you click on to check her out.

Occhi Concept Store - new address

Must be the season of new beginnings. Occhi Concept Store will soon be leaving 'Panther', Sarri 35, Psirri - Athens, for a new space a few metres down the road. To celebrate the move, an ongoing Treasure Hunt Sales Event is unleashed till January 31st, with prices ranging between 5 and 150 euros. As owner Anna Polydorou has proved to have a very good eye for some seriously cool Greek and foreign designers, it will be easy to hunt your own treasure.

During this period, Occhi will stay open on Sundays too, with opening hours forming as such:
Mon. , Wed., Sat.: 11.00 - 18.00
Tue., Thu, Fri.: 12.00 - 21.00
Sunday (23/1 & 30/1): 13.00 - 19.00

As of mid-February, Occhi's new home will be at Sarri str. #28.

Ma Chambre - new address

Like I said it was going to happen, Ma Chambre has just moved to a new 'chambre', at Skoufa 77, Kolonaki - Athens.

Image above, Mikaela Theofilou's piece on Skalidi's work at one of Ethnos newspaper recent issues - it's great to finally see fashion and local creation all the more often on newspaper pages. Fingers crossed, at some point it's going to move from the fashion columns to the business ones like it should.

Image below, mural at the new Ma Chambre, by graphics designer Paris Koutsikos. Wonderful touch.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Designer Chrome

Gotta give it to them, Google Chrome has got quite a collection of stylish skins. No matter what's in your wardrobe, your browser can dress in some flashy designerwear for free, here. Have you seen?
by Anna Sui
by Matthew Williamson
by PPQ
by Vivienne Westwood
by Oscar de la Renta
by Dolce & Gabbana
by Donna Karan