FashionIndie.com for Haitian relief

When it comes to good causes, fashion is more than frills. Daniel Saynt, the Editor-in-Chief of The Fashionably Independent (FashionIndie.com), came up with a quite special and tempting idea to raise money to help the people of shaken Haiti.

He is asking designers to allow him to donate his invitations to New York Fashion Week to raise funds for HEAL HAITI, a charity that is currently mobilizing efforts to bring food, shelter and support.

The tickets will be made available for auction beginning February 1st for one full week on CharityBuzz.com and the proceeds will be given directly to HEAL HAITI, an effort by the US Fund for UNICEF and The American Red Cross.

“This is only a small effort but I’m hoping to bring some help to those in need,” said Daniel Saynt. “I have faith that designers will step up and allow us to provide Haitians with some much needed assistance.”

Living in Greece, a country most familiar with earthquakes and their tragic consequences, I am moved by his idea and urge you all to visit FashionIndie.com/Haiti.

Who killed the copy cat - II

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Pictures.
Protect your own:
Your images belong to you and you don’t want to share them without permission. I’m with you but it’s a pickle.

First time I realised my pictures were used by a website without my permission, I was upset, mainly because they did not credit. I did all the legwork, went to the exhibition, shot the image, suffered from blisters later that night. They just downloaded it from my blog whilst sitting on their comfy office chair, no permission asked, no credit given.

So I was advised to register with Creative Commons and feature their warning on my blog. I chose “Some Rights Reserved”, meaning you can use and redistribute my work, provided you credit me and do not alter my content. A reminder of …my work being mine helped a lot.

But some were still not bothered and went on borrowing photos without crediting or linking. I started marking my photos as “Alecca Rox”. It was about the same time that Dreamville started marking hers and I remember we had exchanged comments on how we were trying to protect our work. Later on so did Fashion Paths.

The Soho Symposium, a copy cat victim too, decided to include “soho” in the names of her images in an effort to reference them and track them down. For the purposes of this post I asked her if this system worked but she was not too sure.

I don’t get it. What’s the harm in attributing credits? If one does all the work and I can have it free of charge, the least I can do is show my appreciation and say “thanks” by mentioning them. It's a matter of intellectual property as well as ethics.

You can never fully protect your pictures from this cat. I’d sum up the above experience into the following words of advice:
a) Find out what Creative Commons is and register with it. (make sure you feature their licencing widget)
b) Mark your photos with your name, trademark or username. (warnings are never enough. This will take longer on photoshop but it’s working)
c) Name your photos including your blog name. (however I’d say it’s best to keep the originally named from camera photo too, otherwise it’s gonna be harder to prove it’s yours)

(If you have any other suggestions or experience to share on this, please do so!)

>>Worst case scenario:
You come across one of your photos being used without your permission. Do not panic. 99% of these cases happen because the (copy) cat is too lazy to credit or unaware. With one of my images, I was even told they didn’t know who to credit as they had “borrowed” if from a website which had in turn “borrowed” it from me without mentioning source.

In that case, I had to unofficially prove it was mine by sending them the original link, along with previous and following shots of the subject from my camera. So what do you do if you’re faced with such a scenario?

1. As I said, don’t panic and try not to assume it was intended.
2. Contact the owner or administrator. Chances are they will correct it straight away.
3. Repeat process if the above fails, give them the benefit of the doubt.
4. If they fail to respond and take action in a reasonable amount of time, make it known. Post it, tweet it, warn fellow bloggers.
5. If you are seriously pissed off and your image is being commercially exploited, consult a lawyer. Laws tend to be different on this from country to country, but bottomline is always in favour of the owner.

Webz.gr has a similar story to tell (Greek readers).
Michael Calanan has a similar story to tell (English readers)

-- TO BE CONTINUED --

Who killed the copy cat - I

Actually, nobody killed it 'cause she's still at large - otherwise there would be no point for this post. Whether she’s driven by arrogance, ignorance or negligence, here’s how to tame her, whether inside you or at you.

Pictures.
In search of:
So there it is your beautiful text and now all you have to do is spice it up with some photos. It is really tempting to fish some images from google or save them off a blog/ website. But it's wrong.

Photography intellectual rights are no joke and only the owner and licenced parties are allowed to approve their publishing. So where does that leave you? One of the most well-written and enlightening suggestions on which photos to use is this by IFB (use your own*, ask for press photos, use public domain images).

When I don’t use my own* photos, I ask for permission. It only takes four words: May. I. Use. This? And then I credit. It is illegal not to, unless licensed otherwise (Greek law on this). It pays tribute, shows you did your research and have your sources.

*own photos are 100% safe only if the subject is you or your personal belongings. Do your homework on it and read stuff like this. Also, there are technicalities like not being allowed to publish photos of a store window without permission, unless you are somewhere in that picture too, etc.

>>Worst case scenario(s):
You use image from web. Let's say you credit too. Owner comes across the post, doesn’t like it, and:
a) asks you to have it removed (ok)
b) asks you to have it removed and still sues you (a bit over the top?)
c) sues you without notice, because he can (mean?)

(Unless you’re commercially exploiting the photo, that’s quite unlikely. Then again you never know and it always depends on what you "borrowed")

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Next fashion show... in court

The above advert caught up with me at Charles de Gaules airport in Paris. It is cheekily titled "next fashion show... in court" but right below, it features the anything but cheeky message: buy and carry counterfreit and you could end up in prison, paying a fat 300,000.00 euros fine.

That's France for you, sport a "Chanelle" or "Cucci" bag and they'll defend the original brand's trademark in the most memorable way. The fact that France is taking loud action is great news for designers who are concerned with such issues and well, not so great news for... "Cucci" lovers around the globe!

*Speaking of ethics and rights, I am currently cooking a delicious post on online writing.

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-Another post on why counterfeit products are not on.

Greece is for lovers

So they say!
Apart from the obvious statement, this post is a tribute to the homonymous brand, "Greece is for lovers". Totally makes my day. (text in italics is SO copied from their website - not because I couldn't be bothered to write a couple of lines, but because they said it BEST)

Rest In Peace candle. For instant redemption, fill in with the appropriate x-lover's name and burn the blues way. Approximate burning time: 45h. Cedar scent.

Magic Treat. This year you'd better treat yourself! Accessorize to match your vehicle - be it auto or motor, broom or sleigh. Gold plated brass, odor free.

Build you myth. Is your demanding demigod lifestyle hard to cope with? Does everything feel like a Herculean task? It’s probably time to start pumping iron Ionian style! A set of dumbbells in solid brass, they come in weights of 1.5 and 3 kgr.

Granny tunes. If my grandma had an ipod it would definitely look like this.A hand-knitted sleeve to soften up those hard tunes you love blasting on your ipod.Machine washable, it comes in three colours.

Love this commission: Tougher than Leather. How old school can you get? Strap on this leather beauty and pose your cred away. Socks optional. Originally designed for the "7ply Project" exhibition, organised by Propaganda Rolling Co, in May 2008. One-off.

As well as the Opa curtain prototype: Practice your dance steps with these distinctive curtains and your opas will be as hot as Zorba’s. Low maintenance Tyvek meets Greek traditional embroidery technique “kofta”.

Browse more here. Check out their blog there.
Happy Monday all over again!

Blogger panel @ Premium, Berlin

I've received this notice and I'm kicking myself I didn't book that ticket to Berlin this season. I know (frozen) Berlin is reading so chuck on something warm and go attend this on my behalf:

PREMIUM SYMPOSIUM Fall/Winter 2010/11
BLOGGER PANEL: FASHION BLOGS – HYPE OR FUTURE?

Suzy Menkes: “The world changed, when fashion instead of being a monologue, became aconversation. And that's never going to stop.“

For the seventh time running, the PREMIUM SYMPOSIUM is inviting luminaries from the international fashion industry to talk about themes and trends that are important to the business.

The panel will be moderated by Mary Scherpe (blogs: “Stil in Berlin”, “Quite Contrary”) who will lead a discussion on the significance of fashion blogs and their future, fashion reporting in print and online media, and the actual communication between media and users.

Guests:
Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune (via Video)
Imran Amed, Business of Fashion
Markus Luft, Gala Germany
Christoph Amend, ZEITmagazin
Sven Schöne, K-MB Agency for Brand Communication GmbH
Annette Weber, InStyle Germany (tbc)

BLOGGER PANEL: FASHION BLOGS – HYPE OR FUTURE?
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010
2 pm
PREMIUM AUDITORIUM
STATION-Berlin 1st floor
Luckenwalder Strasse 4 – 610963 Berlin

For accreditation - please send an email to: symposium@premiumexhibitions.com

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- Here's a glimpse of how Premium was for me last season.

Sale-ing

First day of the much awaited sales period for Greece today and I am sure most of you are out there bargain-hunting already. Whilst taking the picture of my little coin-purse above, I was thinking how much I'd like it to be a chicken that lays...euros! When it comes to discount shopping, no amount is ever enough I guess.

Cheap prices can be such a honey-coated trap to lure you into buying a whole bunch of stuff you don't really need, just for the thrill of getting it cheap. Here's a piece of advice to help you stay out of trouble and (unnecessary) bankrupsy:

1. Only buy what you need. What you really need. And maybe that's a vacuum cleaner and not the 100th pair of shoes.

2. Try before you buy. It may look lovely on the hanger, but it has to look good on you or it's joining the dusty pile in your closet. A low price doesn't justify a lousy purchase.

3. Buy timeless goods. And that's where you make the most out of a buy: minimum cost, maximum use on your timeline. (no, a trendy sequinned skirt is not timeless. Wear it next season and you'll be the definition of "'so-last-year")

Couple of tips you may also find useful:

a) The reason to reach the till is not "love at first sight". It's "can't stop thinking of you when you're not around". That's right. Spot it, walk away from it, go back and get it if you still want it an hour later. (this does not apply when you hear the words "last piece in your size")

b) Sales % off tend to become more exciting during the last week. However. This is mainly because it's left-overs. Don't push your luck if your shoe size is 38 or your clothes size is Medium (experience talking about the first, market research on the second)

Let the sale-ing begin!

I'm on 3D

I have just come back from watching the notorious 'Avatar' movie (& this post is on timer, obviously!). Whether you are a modern cinema tech fan, a nature lover or simply up for a good watch, I'd totally recommend it. Go for 3D projection. I must say that watching it like that made a whole lot of difference.

To give you an idea, today's post is in 3D format (I made this picture here). How are you gonna see me on 3D? Well, unless you have a pair of 3D glasses handy at home (because?!!), here's how to make one:



Easy peasy. Apart from checking me out and playing around with your own shots, wouldn't this be a cool gift for someone? A 3D photo of you or them complete with a set of handmade 3D glasses, now that would be different! Knock yourselves out, this is fun;)

Memoirs of Mariah's experiment

About half a year ago, and with temperatures twice as high, a very exciting email arrived in my inbox (from a very exciting sender): Mariah Carey would release her new album in Autumn 2009, titled "Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel". Exciting part: her record label Island Def Jam Music Group had decided to incude a booklet, a mini Elle magazine all about the artist.
Considering the current poor state of the CD market, this seemed to me as quite a clever move to boost sales. I mean you can buy pirate copies and download as much as you like, but only the original copy would come with the special little mag. In days when the CDs come with newspapers, they thought of trying the exact opposite. Moreover, they'd include ads which would nicely support the release financially.

The fun and promising experiment would be out in 1 million copies to start with at the U.S. and 500,000 overseas. So how come I am bringing this up now? Before answering this, I'll let you check out some of the pages of the booklet, fished here.

Where was I? Ah, yes. The reason why I am bringing this up now, half a year later, is because somehow I bumped on that email again and was wondering whatever happened to that whole thing. For the come-back of such a popular idol and the mini-mag including ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Métier de Beauté and the Bahamas Board of Tourism, things have been TOO quiet.

And then I looked at the sales: 300,000 CDs out of that 1 million were sold in the U.S. by December 09 whereas London reported 67,347 pieces sold up until now, nowhere close to 500,000. My, oh my. It didn't go that well, did it? Were the songs that bad? Can we conclude that print fashion did not work well with music? Either-or, the company is dropping the promo of the album.
Oh well it was a good effort.

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.