The New Hip-Hop

Everybody knows how hip-hop fashion looks like, right? No. Everybody thinks they know how hip-hop F looks like, but they really have no idea. The thing is, they are all stuck somewhere in the past.

Don't get me wrong, there is the good past (the RUN DMC past) and the Dr. Dre, Snoop past (you know it, the early '90s). So, why is the beginning of hip-hop fashion so great? You just have to look at some pictures: the cut is clean and simple, but it has that something-something that we all crave for! The best example here, as I mentioned before, is RUN DMC. I'm not talking about the leather, for them, it's all about the shoes: the white Adidas that made history!

Just for fun, I'm going to give you the definition for hip-hop fashion that I found in a Romanian Fashion Dictionary (you're going to love it). Hip-hopper = a singer or just a fan of hip-hop music, that wears this type of uniform: XXXL T-Shirts, baggy pants, over-size sneakers and a cap (always backwards). Sometimes he wears an XXXL vest, or a sport blouse (on the shoulders or around the neck). The overall look is: forget about it.

Today things have changed. The hip-hop fashion inspires the street fashion (things go also in revers). It it stylish, surprising and also (very important) personal. There are many new hip-hop inspired labels that I love, so I'm going to recommend some of them. First of all, there is Married to The Mob (especially because FAFI worked on it) and then The Hundreds. If you know, or just love another such brand, pleas let me know! Here are some pics from their collections.

Married to the Mob:


FAFI & Married to the Mob

The Hundreds:

When LESS is just...LESS

Lately, with the coming of warm whether/spring, I've notice an increasing problem among young girls. Anorexia. Until recently, anorexia wasn't something I saw on the streets, but things changed and apparently so did the idea of perfection (regarding the body).

We think we know what this proplem is, but don't be so sure. Because of that, I'm gonna offer you some detalis about it and some really shocking pictures. So, anorexia nervosa (the medical therm) is an eating disorder characterized by obsessive dieting and starvation. The sufferer typically is below a weight that would be considered normal for his or her height. An anorexic individual may be concerned about being seen as fat or have a fear of becoming fat (even despite being underweight or thin). He or she may also be afraid of losing control over the amount of food consumed. Food becomes an obsession.

The fashion industry is directly responsible for this phenomenon. The leading country regarding anorexia is Brazil (even so, as far as I remember, Brazilian models are full of shapes, right? Apparently that didn't stop other models to become as skinny as possible). The increasing number of models suffering form this disorder made them realize there is a problem. So they came up with different solution, like medical checkups for models. For now, it's not enough, but at least there is something happening.

This is anorexia:



Remember, this is a medical problem and not a faze. It hits woman of all ages and races. This is a case when less doesn't mean more. There is nothing to gain from anorexia.

Why I Adore the '60

I just realized I just love the sixties. These are the reasons why:
1. mini skirts (by that understanding I also adore Mary Quant. In a few days we'll talk more about the controversy of the mini)
2. dyed T-shirts (but they should keep being history)
3. Twiggy
4. Martin Luther King Jr. (he had a great dream)
5. Woodstock
6. Jimmy Hendricks
7. The Beatles (also because my mom was in love with them)
8. The Rolling Stones
9. Led Zeppelin (this is for my father. Yes, yes, I know they were a band starting with the late 1969...even so)
10. flowers (baby-dolls and cuteness)
11. pace
12. love
13. Age of Aquarius (you know it: hippies, Psychedelic and the list can keep going)
14. Hanna-Barbera (The Flintstones, Huckleberry Hound, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest ans Space Ghost)
15. Emil Cioran, Mircea Eliade and Eugen Ionesco (a little Romanian literature - they are Romanian authors, but they moved to France. You should try looking them up)

Sixties icons: Jagger, Lennon, McCarthy, Twiggy and Hendrix (music and fashion, completing each other) :

3 Romanians: Eliade, Ionesco and Cioran:

What do you love about the crazy-fucking-awesome sixties?

Colors of Summer

It's almost April, but I just can't wait for summer. I'm like a little kid in his parents car...Are we there yet? Are we there yet?. So, I'm being annoying and people are starting to hate me. That is why I thought it would be nice to talk about last summer. Just see it as a vintage discussion.

As little fashion freaks that we are, we just can't imagine a summer far away from the city (maybe a weekend or two). My secret for surviving the heated concrete is finding a color-full oasis. In other words, find an open space, where they have drinks and friends. In order to make time fly until the evening, you could also play a card game (I recommend UNO), or just start painting the walls or floors. This thing will come in handy especially if you keep in mind that summer and fun are synonyms. The great thing about my idea (ain't I modest?!) is that it keeps your creativity in action, a very important thing trough summer.

This is my favorite out door space, where they have drinks and friends...it's kf's terrace. It's a memory of my color-full summer.

A pinky, girly, cutey behind the wheel

The car is such a man machine, right? But things are changing together with us. I am so terrified about driving. But don't get me wrong, not the driving itself, but getting behind the wheel. From there, a whole bunch of problems come: taking care of your stilettos, protecting your shoe point, or (if it's warm outside) watch out for the bruises, caused by the seatbelt. Not much fun...

But here I am, coming to your aid. My biggest discovery (I'm very proud of it) is a brand of shoes, especially made for woman drivers. The brand name is Sheila's Heels. Just imagine: you walk all day in your great, super sexy stilettos and when you get on the driver seat, you just remove the heel and become as comfortable as possible (not to mention, you'll make traffic safer). As you can see, they are pretty good looking (even when they become baby doll style), but still, I fell they are missing something. Even so, it's great they exist and maybe, soon all high heels will be like this.

Another way to protect your special Jimmy Choos (I WISH!!!) is to use a heal protector. The good thing about this invention is that it fits all types of heels and it's removable. This heel protector is from Smart Heel. On their site you can find more information and other products.

I also found a lot a really stupid stuff, that I really love (even if you don't want to admit it, I'm sure you like them too). So go and surch some pink, Hello Kitty, fluffy seatbelt pads, wheel covers, heel pads and so one. They are not only girly looking, but also useful. Just write pink car on google and you'll find everything you need.

So, drive safe, think pink and be stylish (no matter where you are).

Recycled fashion - VAHO

Last summer, while visiting Barcelona, I came upon a great little boutique, right near the Picasso Museum and the Textile Museum (great location by the way!!!). Like all urban style stores, it had colors, it had excitement and it had bags (of all types and colors). Nothing special until now, right? Then, I saw this:

Get it? Seeing that, made everything special, because they were no longer just beautiful, but actually saving the environment. The bags are made form PVC advertising flags that not long ago hung in the streets of Barcelona, or Madrid - you can better visualize the process in the picture on the right (but I'm pretty sure you got it by now).

So, beside saving nature you'll look fantastic with a bag like that. Especially because nobody will have the exact same one as you (thanks to the manufacturing process). It's all you can wish for - and more! A genius idea, but I think they are not the first to use it (there were others that did the exact same thing, but by using truck tarps, like Freitag) . Even so, it's a great example of urban fashion, because it really combines the city with great fashion.

For more info on Vaho, my personal favorite in this domain, click on their name, or do as I did: go to Barcelona and visit their store! I posted here a few pictures of the boutique (and especially of the merchandise). As you can see, they have something for everybody and I'm not talking just about begs, but also wallets, belts, accessories in general .

where is the DANDY?

I've decided to look for somebody special, a true Prince Charming of the fashion world: the famous DANDY. For those of you that don't know for sure, a dandy (also known as a beau, gallant or dude) is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. Historically, especially in late 18th and early 19th century Britain, a dandy often strove to imitate an aristocratic style of life despite being of middle-class background.
Yes, he was truly the perfect gentleman, the aristocrat!
But where is he? This days, dandies appear in only one place: on the catwalk. They are there only in form, not in value - like a true reminder of a forgotten time. Even so, I just love this fashion trend, shown especially by Andre 3000. As you know, not everybody can get away with this look, because it's all about the attitude!

When talking about the dandy, I just can't forget George Bryan Brummell. This name doesn't sound too familiar, because he was better known as Beau Brummell. He was the arbiter of fashion in Regency England. He led the trend for men to wear understated, but beautifully cut clothes, adorned with elaborately knotted neck wear. Just think about all those beautiful tailor-made suites and admit the fact that without Beau, they wouldn't exist! For Brummel, elegance was in the cut of the fabric and in it's quality.

So, let's start looking for the dandy, a figure of elegance and perfection. He truly demonstrates the connection between fashion and fashion lovers!

NDEUR

While looking for some funky shoes on the web, I've discovered NDEUR. Very, very nice! They offer you, for the pleasure of your eye, different types of graphic design, on different materials, surfaces.
I love the shoes (you can see 2 of them in the pictures, for more visit their site), especially because they don't have the classic, over rated stiletto. They are original from the print point of view, with a little bit of retro in the design. They really inspire you to start a project. So, go search your moms or grandmas old shoes, get a textile, or acrylic paint and let loose! That's what I'm going to do and I'm challenging you to do the same thing!
On the site you can also see some T-shirt samples, that will really knock you out! Great colors and great graphic! So, relax and admire some really beautiful projects.

The Galliano One Man Show

As all you fashion lovers know, John Galliano is a designer that you just can't get enough of! Seeing him is like taking a breath of fresh air: always interesting and exciting. His outfits are so unique, that his appearance on stage at the end of his shows could be just as well a fashion show. I just can't wait to see what he's going to do next, or wear next! Because we've seen him a pirate, space man, rocker, Napoleon, punker and the list can go on and on.

A fashion icon, a trend setter, a character, that's John Galliano. A man that wasn't borne in the same universe as us, with a creativity out of this world! You can find more images of him by just google-ing his name. Or just click here and you'll go straight to his web site.

Wad Magazine

Here is a fashion magazine that make you see the clothes in a different way. Innovative, provocative and artsy! You'll enjoy it even if you're not a fashion freak. The thing I love about it, is that every issue approaches the subject from a new point of view. If you want to see more, click here, it will take you straight to Wad's home page, or look for it among my favorite links. I'm sure you'll become addicted!

Fashion, Color, Light and Summer - 2008

The Fashion world is crazy! You never know what's coming up next, you never know what to expect. Last summer, things were clear as water, but now, there is just too much happening.
Designers have prepared for us a great feast: elegance, color, with artistic spices and a taste of fantasy! Fashion shows for the hot season have something for everybody. I'm mostly happy for the come-back of color and art in fashion, it was about time!
Here are some for my personal favorite images form the cat walks of the spring-summer 2008 shows.


The first thing you notice, is the purity and simpleness of some summer dresses this year. It's one perfect combination, from the heat and sun point of view. I just love the Balenciaga piece (2nd on top), especially for it's armor look-alike. The thing you'll notices at all of this outfits is the architectural inspiration, combine in some cases with a flower motif (very much in trends now) or with a little bit of color. Personally, for me the best example here is the King, King Karl Lagerfeld, by Chanel that is (3ed dress on top).
Other examples here are Anna Sui, Bill Blass, Donna Karan, Luca Luca etc.


As true fashion victims I just know you all know what color is on top this year, but I'm going to say it anyway. So, it's all about the yellow. Pure yellow, yellow combined with other colors, different types of yellow in one place, it doesn't matter, as long as you wear it. Even so, we shouldn't forget other colors: red, fuchsia, blue and green are just as present on the cat walks. Jean Paul Gaultier (2nd up) offers us a style somewhere between a Tim Burton world and The Pirates of the Caribbean. Miu Miu (3ed down) sees the world in a different, more artistic way and Alessandro Dell'Acqua (1st down) celebrates color!
Other: Celine, Eliea Saab and Missoni.

I offer you my summer favorites (even if the fall-winter 2008-2009 shows are so in right now) because we should take it step by step, one season at a time. Maybe soon, we'll have a chat about what's going to come. Until then, just enjoy the beautiful weather!

Summer vibe

This summer, cover everything...almost. When talking about a one piece bathing suite, people usually think sports, mothers, thing that are not necessarily sexy. But just take a look at the new one piece bathing suite, the new and improved version by famous designers (Anna Sui, Ice Berg, Pucci, Lacroix and La Perla). It's not a one piece, nor a two piece, it's something in between and as far as I'm concerned: I find it elegant, sexy and very, very stylish. The La Perla, it's true, it's a corset of some kind, but it's just so popular that i couldn't ignore it.

You'll find that this summer it's all about the natural, so this trend can be seen in the swim wear industry too. Bathing suites are created buy classic techniques - like embroidery, using cotton and other natural fibers. So, besides being gorgeous, they are environmentally friendly too.