Project Runaway Australia
October 20, 2009
Fashion is no longer only an exclusive category that only the wealthy and connected can be successful in, Project runaway has demonstrated that fashion can be for everyone, it’s all a matter of whether you have the right style. However the show does not omit the glamorous energy behind fashion, style and design as its host is Kristy Hinze - Australian model and actress, as well as including Rosemount fashion week as a top priority for its designers.
Survival of the fittest takes its toll in the fashion realm where each competing fashionista sows for their life. Project Runway Australia, a highly rated TV show, gathers skillful designers to exercise their passion for fashion – literally. The competitors of the show are eliminated one by one after each ‘task’, demonstrating a feisty industry as it truly is every man for himself.
Style and creativity both collaborate to produce a lifestyle for these competitors where they are critically judged by professional opinion leaders in the fashion world. The TV show epitomises how serious a lifestyle fashion is to those who wake up every morning to ensure a dress is in the making and a winning collection is on the road.
Project Runway challenges the competitors to use all different sorts of material to create a unique look. It demonstrates that fashion can emerge and exist in anything and everything, so long as one has a needle. It positions fashion designing as a career which is only measurable against others and in order to succeed a collection must trump another collection. As Project Runway would put it, ‘life is too short to have on a bad outfit’.
This is the ultimate Television show for all aspiring style wanna be’s as although its focus is on fashion, ultimately its about style, your own personal style that is able to be versatile enough to accomodate for the world.
Armani’s New Style Code
October 20, 2009
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/armani-presents-new-smart-phone-amid-fashion-mobile-trend-1802327.htm
Armani has joined the rest of the fashion world in shaping his empire to embrace the colours in technology and not just those spalshed on fabric and materials. The new exciting Samsung Georgio Armani phone is another addition to the designer brands that have branched out to reach to technologically aware people, and in doing so has added more versatility to the industry and more competition against not only high fashion houses, but electronic manufacturers. This adds on the post I created regarding the Prada phone, just to prove my point that fashion is heading in a direction where lifestyle choices are now determined by what others tell us to buy. Fashion is not what u cloth yourself in, but the decisions regarding how you choose to live and what items you choose to purchase and this time it comes at a heavy price of 700 pounds. Armani is keeping its exclusive clients as exclusive as ever and only providing the best, just like with its unique sheik suits.
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Quotes of the Week
October 19, 2009
“Fashion Fades, Style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent
“Fashion is made to become unfashionable “ - Coco Chanel
“I dress for the image, Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men” ‘ -Marlene Dietrich
“I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.” – Coco Chanel
“The goal I seek is to have people refine their style through my clothing without having them become victims of fashion.” – Giorgio Armani
Black is the New White
October 14, 2009
This week’s fashion interest lies in the controversial shoot taken by French Vogue magazine, while the global community is moving towards a more dynamic and accepting approach towards different races, cultures and religions, it is fascinating to explore how one shoot can potentially abolish the harmony that we believe exists.
Further more it is interesting to note that fashion, models and photographers have the potential to create this heated topic and move modelling and fashion from the magazines and bulletin boards and onto the field of social and political study. This takes fashion out of the back bench and places it in the center of the spot light, what is interesting is the Sydney Morning Herald’s description of Vogue magazine, states that the magazine is renowned for its attention seeking spreads. Whether this is true is arguable, I would frankly argue otherwise as Vogue isn’t specific to attracting attention, but effective in being innovative, creative and at times pushing against mainstream ideas of fashion, their work is usually deep enough to stand in a gallery.
Thus the media in this instance shouldn’t be so quick to jump to the conclusion that vogue was being insensitive, ignorant and politically incorrect, as their very work is made to create different perceptions of the one product and most times their agenda is not to offend anyone.
Similarly to the Hey Hey its Saturday stunt which was in the media regarding a very similar act, news.com goes into depth about the matter, Australians must remember that we are not American and our culture is our own, meaning not just because one thing may be interpreted as offensive or insulting must be adopted by our own culture. Australian’s are known for their easy going nature, sense of humor and unique adaption of ideas. To have that stunt appear to be a racist appropriation is the equivalent of not knowing the national anthem – that is being so un-Australian.
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,26181031-10229,00.html
The hey hey its Saturday stunt should have been watched from within an Australian perspective and if it was contextually analyzed the extract would make perfect sense and not appear to be racially discriminative. As many people state, if a black person was to paint their face white that would undeniably be either a racist act, an act of vilification or for the purposes of making a statement. Yet the painting of a white person as a balck person could be a veneration of beauty. Some of the world’s most beautiful and successful models have been black models, must we mention Naomi Campbell who is in her 40s and still one of Victoria’s Secrets best kept secrets. Tara banks who is now not only successful for her incredible modelling shoots, but for her America’s Next Top Model show that has been popular across the world to the extent that countries now have their own competitions, this includes Australia and New Zealaand.
The American President is now an African America, must society still stand within the shadow of the past and not endeavor to move into the future. The more society clings onto this notion of sensitivity and cautiousness when mentioning blacks or creating art through different ideas, the more we revert back to 18th, 19th and 2th century teachings about cultural differences, racism and racial segregation. Australia should lead the world in its examples of harmonious co-existence with many different cultures and races, if farmers can co-exist with Aboriginals through pastoral land leases, then the world is far behind if it can’t co-exist artistically, culturally and socially.
Nonetheless it’s not the entire art and fashion community who is offended by the white model painted black, it is an exclusive few that have shunned this masterpiece, including the media who in this case are looking for any means to create a public outrage. Rather than looking to the deeper value of the image, some have taken it on face value if that even, and some how pointed out why it was so politically incorrect.
What made these images even less offensive was that French Vogue was using its culture, Renaissance creations – meaning props, photography and effects were meant to transcend the image back to a 14th/15th century film still. This is a mere appropriation, in essence a work of art with the likes of artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman who have all aimed to appropriate artworks to make them more relevant today. Vogue’s aim was to most probably paint an image of what didn’t happen back then, meaning having black person’s in the role of a white person, stating a fact isn’t offensive especially a fact that existed centuries ago. Isn’t it high time people understood our history, so that when artworks appear that venerate the blacks rather than dismiss them, the message can be interpreted correctly and not mistakenly confused for a racist act.
If we look to the similarities it is clear that Vogue was not making a racist statement, but rather appropriating its photography and making a piece of art – something that is paramount to the Vogue manifesto.
Jezebel an American blog, goes through audience discussion regarding the severity and impact of the image – Jezebel discussion
The upper image is the Alforini artwork, a popular painting created during the 14th Century, if you look closely between that and the neighbouring image of Lara Stone, the Dutch model, you can see similarities in the props and style of both images.
Fashion TV at Favela!
October 6, 2009
Internationally acclaimed Fashion TV has finally embellished Sydney with its presence and launched its inaugural Diamond Model Awards in Australia. This places Australia on the fashion map and for those who consider themselves fashion icon’s, this is a must attend event. No longer is fashion reserved for Paris, Milan and New York, it is at our door step making Australia cultured and placing it under the fashion telescope.
It will be hosted at Favela at Potts point, one of the most exclusive clubs in Sydney, it will feature celebrity guests, judges, contestants and a real glamorous atmosphere that Fashion TV is renown for.
The Stylish Wears Prada
October 1, 2009
The LG KF900 Prada II was among the first phone of its kind to integrate the latest technology that only the most sophisticated and technologically up to date person would possess and merge its sleek and ultra-modern features with the legendary house of fashion - Prada. Together it created an audience of its own, combining technologically aware consumers with those that breed an obsession with the fashion world.
http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/prada%20phone.jpg
What is increasingly fascinating is that, these fashion dominating brands are attempting to seek out new audiences as they explore the boundaries that consumers wont stop at to win the ‘most stylish award’ and have themselves ‘keep up with the ‘Jones’ ‘.
The Prada phone is not just a technological investment and has not been advertised and promoted only through technologically related means, but Vogue has double paged spreads enhancing the product and contributed to its success by commenting on it being a fashion accessory. It also stated,
“HAVING teamed up with the LG Group for the second time, Prada won’t just have us coveting its bags, shoes and clothes for the new fashion season – add to that its stylish new phone.” - Vogue UK article
This innovative approach for Prada, is capable of placing it beyond the rest. particularly due to its strength in developing a phone that was one of the strongest in terms of features that was out in the market. This shows that Prada like its attention to detail and accuracy in fashion clothing does not lack the essential quality guarantee that all retailers should have.
The president of Prada = Patrizo Bertelli has stated ” As we do with ready-to-wear and accessories, we were looking at a breakthrough. Consistent with our approach, we are not branding an existing product,” adding that the phone would have a “very strong character and unique style”.
It has also been stated that “LG and PRADA have worked closely together on every aspect of the product, from handset development to marketing combining the attention to detail and uncompromising quality of PRADA design with the trademark technological innovation of LG mobile. PRADA’s involvement extends beyond exterior aesthetics to the key elements of the user experience such as the advanced touch interface, ring tones, pre-loaded content, mobile phone accessories and the exclusive leather case, inspired by the classic Italian craftsmen tradition.” – Dr Scott Ahn, president and CEO of LG – article
Through this Prada and LG have worked together to create not just a handset, another luxurious option for those who wish to be the empitomy of style.
“We at LG are exceptionally proud of the PRADA Phone by LG” says Dr. Scott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. He continues, “The two companies have worked together seamlessly towards a truly shared vision, to develop one of the most beautifully stylish handsets the market has ever seen.”
prada was among the first to initiate this trend and what we have seen follow is other similar high fashion houses extend their approach to what fashion is, by including mobile phones as the ultimate fashion accessory.
Many fo the world’s leading high fashion designers have merged with the technological successful brands of the industry to stylize and elevate it to target the audience who are fashionable but keeping up with high city busy life. This includes new models from Porsche and Bang & Olufsen
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