I think the amount of obsession I develop on new additions to my shoe collection can be easily calculated by the number of pictures I take of them. In this case, a lot. Meet my new Chie Mihara AJO sandals, on sale from Simple Caractere at The Mall. Love.
I'm rather sleep-deprived today, due to a morning battle with Greek bureaucracy in downtown Athens, and therefore unable to put words together in a manner that makes sense, so I'll just quote the Hellenic American Union post:
Beyond Dress Codes is a thematic exhibition with sketches of traditional Greek costumes by sketch artist Gissis Papageorgiou that also features creations by Greek and foreign fashion designers.
The exhibition presents colored drawings of traditional Greek dress and headdresses from all over Greece by sketch artist Gissis Papageorgiou, which constitute the most extensive and possibly most complete inventory of traditional Greek dress to date.
In an attempt to create a “dialogue” between traditional Greek dress and contemporary fashion, creations by Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano will be on show, as well as by other distinguished Greek fashion designers such as Angelos Bratis, Dimitris Dassios, Deux Hommes, Yiorgos Eleftheriades, Ioannis Guia, Sofia Kokosalaki, Thanos Kyriakides, Mastori*Motwary, MiRo, Orsalia Parthenis.
Beyond Dress Codes demonstrates that traditional Greek costume should not be regarded as the antiquated contents of museum showcases, but instead a creation of timeless interest that continues to serve as a source of inspiration.
Curator of the exhibition is fashion historian Lydia Kamitsis.
The exhibition will be open from Monday, September 27th to Wednesday, September 27th 2010 (weekdays 12:00-21:00, Saturdays 10:30-14:30, Sundays closed) at the Hellenic American Union Galleries, 22 Massalias str, Athens and the admission is free. You'd be a fool to miss it.
Oh, and the opening is tonight. Hope to see you there!
MUJI is a Japanese brand that makes no-label, quality goods with minimalistic, no-fuss aesthetics. And, along with COS, it was one the stores I was happy to discover during my Berlin trip last spring. As you can see from both the website and the actual store, MUJI doesn't just sell wares, it sells a complete way of life. From clothes and stationary supplies to kitchen utensils and furniture. A very minimalistic but not austere way of life. I think that if I could shop from one store for the rest of my life, that would be it. Their philosophy is totally worth a mention:
Cleaning of every nook and cranny - this is the foundation of comfort in traditional Japanese homes and gardens. No matter how luxurious, an environment that is not clean is not comfortable. Simple surroundings - whether home or garden - that are cleaned spic and span, on the other hand, are pleasant and beautiful. We dust the selves and the wooden frames of the sliding doors, we carefully sweep the floor. We remove our shoes to go inside, so naturally the home stays clean. We put away out things and our bedding when we don't need them. Minimalist rather than showy is the thought to be more pleasant: a simply and sparsely furnished living room has long been considered preferable.
MUJI was established thirty years ago, in 1980, with the idea of completely eliminating wastefulness. At that time, Japan enjoyed a prosperous economy, and expensive international brands were all the rage, while at the other end of the spectrum, cheap, inferior products hit the market. The MUJI concept was born as a criticism of this state of affairs - a fresh look at quality and price of truly useful quality goods with a no-label philosophy.
It all started with careful selection of materials, streamlined processes and simplified packaging. The concept of rationalizing products by totally eliminating wastefulness, and at the same time making them more attractive, is at the heart of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Since ancient times, the nature of core elements has been fundamental to the Japanese appreciation of beauty. Simplicity does not mean merely austerity; its appeal can be greater than that of luxury. And in an age when individuality and individual preference rule, eliminating precisely these qualities allows customers to find their own uses for products, giving free reign to individuality.
Last year we initiated an internal research program in our aim to provide even better quality goods. This laboratory, which we call the Quality Products of Everyday Life Research Center, is a space where we engage in dialogue with customers in MUJI stores and online to develop products and discover pleasant ways of living that make people around the world say this will suffice.
So what did I get from MUJI in Berlin? Kitchen stuff. Much less than I wanted to, due to scarce luggage space, but cute stuff nevertheless.
Minimalist white porcelain salt and pepper shakers. Simple bamboo kitchen utensils. And this. Can't guess what it is? It's an ice tray that makes diamond shaped ice cubes! Not minimalist per se, but not wasteful either: It makes ice. I use ice. Lots of it. Makes sense, non?
I also fell in love with this watch below. Then I thought, I already have a watch. How many watches can a person wear at the same time, right? Buying something you don't really need just because it's incredibly cute and well-designed is not a decision towards the right way after all this talk above. A decision I'm not always able to make, unfortunately. But in the case of the watch I did, so I passed.
Now, will somebody please open a MUJI shop in Greece?
Well, it was all about the new NEXT TOP MODEL trailer! FILMIKI, the production company I work for, produced this season's trailer of the popular show for ANT1 and guess who didn't mind staying really late at work the day the fitting took place, ogling at the pretty clothes.
The concept of the trailer: The first season of Greek NEXT TOP MODEL was just an introduction. This year is gonna be really tough and competitive. Backstage mayhem, models getting ready for a catwalk show. Suspicious, aggressive looks are exchanged. Suddenly we realise... The bag isn't just a bag. The rings aren't plain bling-bling. The shoe gives a whole new meaning to the word fierce. The lipstick is killer. The girls will show no mercy this year. And of course the Greek version of Tyra Banks, Vicki Kaya will show'em how it's done.
Oh, and that lethal black patent platform pump you saw above, the one sprouting a knife à la James Bond in From Russia With Love, 1963 (SPECTRE did invent some great stuff) an idea copied by Joker in The Dark Knight, 2008 45 fucking years later? It's ZARA. Modified with a popping-out blade by the art director especially for the trailer, originally bought from the collection available in stores as we speak (and on zara.com for those few lucky countries where ZARA is already selling online). Sans blade of course.
Watch the trailer below and tell me what you thought!
DIRECTOR: Vasilis Bourantas ART DIRECTOR: Dimitris Katsikis DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Antonis Zkeris STYLIST: Dimitris Papathomas ASSISTANT STYLISTS: Eva Georgiou and Vagy Roka PRODUCER: Maria Stefanidi SONG: "Marathon" by Tennis ADVERTISING AGENCY: Frank PRODUCTION COMPANY: Filmiki
Sometimes all it takes is a dress, a necklace and a pair of shoes. I rarely wear lilac, pink and baby blue. I find them way too girlie and what-would-Barbie-wear. That's way I wore my dress with vinyl black Vivienne Westwood for Melissa flats and the quirky handmade necklace, so they would "dilute" its cuteness. Lilac cotton dress, H&M. Necklace, handmade by Antonia of Toto Accessories, bought in Pure Bliss. Black plastic flats, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa.
Business look alright. I love this shirt,... such cute colours and amazingly soft fabric. Last time I wore it though, was two years ago. Ooops! And this skirt above is yet another one of my new season purchases from ZARA, along with the carrot pants. Got it in black too! It's gonna be a real workhorse for my work wardrobe. And those sandals... Seriously, these are the most comfortable heels ever! I'm really regretting that I didn't buy them in black as well when I had the chance. The belt came free with the skirt. I love the dark brown colour and the woven style, but I'm not very keen on fake leather... It makes it really hard to slip through the belt loops and it just frustrates me when I get dressed in the morning and my hand-eye coordination isn't at its functional best. But until I decide which one of my belt collection is best suited for this skirt, it will have to do. Stripy button-down shirt, Mango. Camel skirt and its own belt, ZARA. Cream sandals, Clarks.
