Prada presented an amazing fashion show for the 2012 fall/winter collection in Milano.
Prada, 2012 Fall/Winter Menswear show
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Would SOPA & PIPA damage the web?
Reading Time: 2 minutes
A lot of talking is running right now about the SOPA & PIPA projects. PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting “creativity”. The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites– they just have to convince a judge that the site is “dedicated to copyright infringement.”
The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that’s for a fix that won’t work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.
Check here a video that explains some of the details:
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
That is why global internet platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit went dark today for at least 12 hours.
More to come…
info sourced at Reddit website, wikipedia and Fight for the future Vimeo channel.
E-TIP winter gloves, pure high-tech.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The North Face, outdoor brand, relaunched its high-tech gloves this winter. The line is called the E-TIP and allows you to use any touch screen device thanks to a high-tech material. You do not need then to take the gloves out to use your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry Storm or other Samsung.
As a modern and high-tech oriented person, we always complain about the fact that we need to take out our gloves in winter to use our touch screen device (phone, GPS,etc…) thanks to The North Face and the E-TIP gloves this sacrifice is over. Thanks to these special gloves you can use your iPhone in a normal way in the ski slopes.
According to the Brand, the E-Tip Gloves are form fitting, four-way stretch gloves that offer warmth and maximum dexterity. For urban wear, you can comfortably work your phone, MP3 player or laptop mouse pad with warm fingers in these gloves. The stretch knit shell is ideal for three-season wear. And whatever you need to hold – a rope, ski pole, dog lead, horse reins, ice axe or après ski mulled wine – the silicone grip pattern on the palm will help you keep a tight grip on it.
Feature
- Comfortably work your phone, MP3 player, or laptop mouse pad with warm hands. Four-way stretch
- Silicone grip pattern on palm
The Technology
- X-static fabric has a layer of all natural pure silver permanently bonded to the fiber face. This inhibits the growth of bacteria, and helps manage moisture and regulate temperature, allowing the high speed user to stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Check here the video about the use of these gloves by LuxuryActivist.
So stay warm and stay connected.
Info sourced at The North Face official website. All images are copyrighted. Reproduction without authorization is forbidden.
image: Tungphoto
New 2012 luxury Spring bags – horrible!
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Color is a big theme for luxury handbags since last fall. Color blocking went all over the place and some brands like Prada definitely became the ambassador for color blocking. Now that Spring is coming, most of the main leather accessories brands presented their new collections. OMG, OMG, they are horrible. They all look 80’s style and we have the feeling that Brigitte Nielsen is coming back!
OK, Spring is a good time for using vivid colors but this season, the ugly club is out! Let me guide you through a small tour.
DIOR: It would be great… 20 years ago.
The brands introduces a collaboration with the artist Anselm Reyle. He is a german artist, based in Berlin. He is known for his often large-scale abstract paintings and found-object sculptures. But here the bag collection presented is really not very elegant and some quite bad taste. The Brigitte Nielsen attitude.
GUCCI – Even older, back to the 70’s (the bad one).
Gucci proposes a mono-color collection. Gold and leather green… hummmm. Run, run… According to the brand you can find inside cell phone and PDA pockets. Well we can see that if this bag was a real 2012 bag, you would find only one pocket for a SMARTPHONE.
BOTTEGA VENETA – Why not… but why?
The beautiful brand presented its Cruise collection for Spring. OMG, either they are targeting the pinky cheesy chinese customer or I really wonder how they manage to make leather look like plastic (look to the handles). Barbie girl in a Barbie world.
LOUIS VUITTON – Marie-Antoinette cupcakes…
The very respectful brand LV worked with Sophia Copolla in order to create the Monogram Flore collection. Well, it is not great. Some of the bags look like cupcakes in Copolla’s Marie-Antoinette. Not great even though I understand the inspiration.
HERMES – It saves the day!
With Hermès, there is nothing really new and exciting but at least they propose a colorful collection with style. Ok, very classical but at least I can imagine Spring in Portofino or Sardinia.
As you can see, Spring becomes totally overrated on Cruises collection. We can see that Chinese taste for colors and shapes are dominating as probably they will be the ones purchasing them. But then, where is the creation part in these more and more tactical collections? What about good taste? Frankly, with quite aggressive prices (around 4,000$) and not a great creative inspiration, brands are not showing themselves on their best days this season. Let’s hope that Fall will raise the level up. Disappointing.
Information sourced in the concerned brands official websites. All images are copyrighted, Reproduction rights reserved.
image: Photostock
Bentley reveals the new continental GT V8
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Finally, Bentley Motors revealed in Detroit the new Continental GT V8 in a brilliant and exciting presentation to the press.
Sisley 2012 new exclusive launches – skincare
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Sisley Paris is launching in 2012 two very interesting skincare products: Phyto-Blanc Lightening Serum in February 2012 and Sisleÿa Concentré Anti-Age Fermeté Corps in March.
SISLEY PHYTO-BLANC INTENSIVE LIGHTENING SERUM
During the last ten years, Sisley laboratories seek to deepen the mechanisms of melanogenesis, to understand the pigmentation disorders and to explore the origin of skin radiance.
With seven existing products, Phyto-Blanc line now complete its offer with a new serum, consisting of active lightening complex, the most effective ever developed by Sisley laboratories.
The new Intensive Lightening Serum fits all kind of skin and all ages. According to the Brand, only 4 small weeks are requested to get the first results. The skin is clearer, softer and more flexible. The complexion is smooth, uniform and radiant. The skin texture is refined.
Brown spots due to age and aging photo-induced decreases significantly. The results can double in 8 weeks.
In terms of active ingredients, we can see the huge know-how of the Brand in terms of essential oils and vegetal extracts. The use of Vitamin C is very interesting but this one is very unstable in a formula. Asian researchers succeeded to stabilize this active by associating it with a glucose molecule. And the “Ascorbic Acid 2-glucose” is born.
In terms of ingredients, please note :
– Ougon extracts
– White Mulberry
– Lemon
– Flower Extract Cactus pear
– The Vitamin A Palmitate
– Essential oils of Lavender and Marjoram.
– Vitamin E acetate
– Alpha-Bisabolol
– Vegetable glycerin
SISLEŸA CONCENTRE ANTI-AGE FERMETE CORPS
The body is less exposed than the face to external aggressions. But, the skin of the body also suffers with aging. Why? Because of
– Hormonal changes
– Lack of exercise
– The repeated sun exposure
These problems result in a loss of density and firmness for the skin. From a certain age, skin tightening becomes a problem for all women, no matter their weight and profile.
Some areas are particularly affected:
– The internal faces of the arms and thighs.
– The belly and buttocks
– The “décolleté”
For all these reasons, Sisley launches “SISLEŸA Concentré Anti-Age Fermeté corps.” The first Global anti-aging skincare for the Body by Sisley. 19 active ingredients from the vegetal world in order to fight body-aging. A multi-sensorial experience in 3 steps.
Action one: A Global Strategy for anti-aging and firmness
– Dill seed extract
– Alkekengi Calyx extract and Soy
– Padina pavonica extract
– White Willow extract
– Einkorn extract
Action two: Moisturizing, nourishing and revitalizing
– Spirulina extract
– Caffeine
– Cédrol
– Red Vine extract
– Vegetable Glycerin
– Plum and Andiroba oil
– Shea Butter
– Lavender and Marjoram Essential oils
Action three: Immediate Smoothing and Sheathing action
– Oat extract
– Ratanhia extract
As you can see, Sisleÿa Concentré Anti-Age Fermeté Corps is one of the most complete skincare product in the market, capitalizing on Sisley know-how at its best.
With Phyto Blanc Intensive Lightening serum and Sisleÿa Concentré Anti-Age Fermeté Corps, the french Brand starts the year with 2 great products that will find naturally their respective places in the product offer.
Do not hesitate to connect to the Brand official website in order to keep updated on the products launch: http://www.sisley-cosmetics.com .
Wishing you all a great new year.
LA
info sourced at Sisley Press release, www.fashionmonitor.com and purebeauty.co.uk
All images copyrighted, all reproduction restricted without further notice.
SoundCloud, the myspace killer?
Reading Time: 2 minutes
One of the most fashionable words in 2011 was “cloud”. And it will continue in 2012. After Apple’s iCloud, another one growing very fast is SoundCloud. It is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings. Some people consider it is a myspace killer. Originally from Sweden, SoundCloud quickly got installed in Berlin-Germany in August 2007. It was founded by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss. It had the intention of allowing musicians to share recordings with each other, but later transformed into a full publishing tool which also allowed musicians to distribute their music tracks.
Basically, you can record your original-sound and share it with your friends, ask them what they think about it or even share it throughout the social networks.
Of course, all records need to be original and you should be the owner (or have the official rights) to display it. So it is pointless to share your best singers, you will get censored or even banned.
SoundCloud is developing fast and they have the aim to become the biggest sharing platform around Music in the world. For that, SoundCloud got big investors: Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures joined the board.
In this beginning of the year, we heard they raised around 50 million US$ in order to “allow for further expansion and scaling for mobile and international markets”. This shows how serious they are.
Since they have created the mobile app, they won 1 million users in a couple of weeks.
Get the iPhone App here
2 interesting features that spices up SoundCloud. The first one is the Social Media sharing. You can share your sounds throughout the major social media platforms, which gives a huge power to the tool. The second point is about apps. In deed, within SoundCloud there are several apps that allow you to record, to improve, to modify, to edit sounds. There is also Developers resources, so everybody is able to propose new apps.
With these 2 features, SoundCloud gets in the path of rich media and social content production, basically the future of internet. So is Soundcloud a myspace killer? Not sure, at least their aim is to do with audio what Youtube did with videos.
Check the official website: http://soundcloud.com
Sounds great.
LA
info sourced at SoundCloud website, Wikipedia and socialtimes.com
image: Tungphoto
David Bailey, British rocks!
Reading Time: 2 minutes
David Bailey is a British photographer, born in 1938 and worked on the past 60 years for fashion magazines and rock stars. He influenced the British photography and he is our photographer of the month.
He started his professional career in 1959 as photographic assistant at the John French studio, and in May 1960, he was a photographer for John Cole’s Studio Five before being contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue magazine later that year. He also undertook a large amount of freelance work.
First Vogue cover by David Bailey – 1960
He was one of the artists leaders of the 1960’s Swinging London movement. According to Wikipedia, Swinging London is a term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s. It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the British economy after post-World War II austerity which lasted through much of the 1950s.
The “Swinging London” scene was aptly reflected in his Box of Pin-Ups (1964): a box of poster-prints of 1960s celebrities. See here some of my preferred:
MICK JAGGER, Box of Pin Up’s – 1964
John Lennon, Box of Pin Up’s – 1965
In parallel of his fashion work, David Bailey was responsible for Music album sleeve art for : The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull or Cat Stevens.
In the 90’s he directed some documentaries and TV programs for the BBC and of course continue his work as photographer.
In 2011 Jerome de Missolz released a documentary called “David Bailey: Four Beats to the Bar and No Cheating”. Check a small teasing here:
On his personal life he was married 4 times, and one of his wives was famous french actress Catherine Deneuve (divorced in 1972).
Brit’Rocks!
info sourced in wikipedia and David Bailey officials website and Facebook. All images are copyrighted, no reproduction allowed without further notice.
2011 Top 5 best luxury blogs in the world
Reading Time: 2 minutes
In 2011, luxury and internet were really well together. Here is the ranking of the top 5 best luxury blogs based on multiple settings: Page rank, back links, alexa ranking and social networks activity.
TOP 5
#1 – The Sartorialist
Founder/blogger/photographer Scott Schuman began The Sartorialist with the idea of creating a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life.
http://www.thesartorialist.com
#2- Hypebeast
Hypebeast is a global media platform positioned as a major contributor to today’s lifestyle and fashion landscape. It was founded by Kevin Ma.
http://hypebeast.com
#3- Stylelist
See celebrity style trends, and read style tips, reviews and opinions on Stylelist.
http://www.stylelist.com
#4- Highsnobiety
HighSnobiety is the flagship site of the Titel Media network of fashion and product focused websites. With a solid staff of writers and bloggers working worldwide, HighSnobiety (and other Titel Media sites, Selectism and HighSnobette) remain some of the strongest resources in fashion news on the Internet today.
http://www.highsnobiety.com
#5- Fashionista
One of the largest independent fashion news sites, Fashionista is a finely curated collection of fashion news, criticism and career advice. Fashionista is published by Breaking Media.
http://fashionista.com
We can see that this ranking is totally dominated by US websites. There are few blogs around the world with an international impact. Most of the existing ones are influent in a country and/or region and/or city. If you have any interesting blogs to share, do not hesitate to share it here.
info sourced on http://www.signature9.com
image: Tungphoto
Plukka, jewelry e-shop
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Plukka is an online shop for jewelry in which they adopt a common purchase strategy. Prices get lower depending on how many people are committed to buy the item. Making fine jewelry available to everyone.
E-commerce became the new challenge for many brands and customers are today more and more willing to buy their goods online. Lack of time, change of purchase behavior, cheap prices or just good advertising are good reasons in why e-commerce became now a reality. Some products are easier to sell online than others but e-tailers find more and more creative ways to propose new products.
Electronics, books, hotel bookings or even flying tickets are currently the big sales online and some categories are more complex to sell like fragrances, watches or even jewelry. In the strictly elitist jewelry market, in which top luxury brands dominate, we can hardly find an e-commerce proposition. Most of the time, brands will tell you that their products are not appropriated for online sales, or that internet is a cheap media. Well, most of the time, it is more a lack of creativity and audacity… or simply a good overdose of conservatism.
Plukka is one of the answers to this historical conservatism. The principle is easy. Plukka proposes beautiful pieces of jewelry that are produced only when there are enough buyers for it. And the more buyers they have, the cheapest the jewel is.
But who is Plukka?
Plukka sells own-brand, extremely creative, original fine designer jewelry (18k gold, diamonds, gemstones) priced 70-90% off normal retail price, sold through a revolutionary social shopping process called the Plukka Value Proposition. Prices will range from $200 to $20,000, with an approximate median price range of $500-700. The name is a fantastical portmanteau name combining two English words, “pukka” (genuine, reliable, or good; proper) and “pluck” (“courage or resolution”).
It was founded in July 2011 by Joanne Ooi and Jai Waney. Joanne is the former creative director of Shanghai Tang and a leading environmentalist. In 2005, she appeared on the cover of Fast Company for turning around Shanghai Tand and was nominated to Time’s 100 Most Influential this year for her work on Hong Kong’s air pollution. Jai is an international businessman and investor with diverse interests including manufacturing, hospitality and art. Among his holdings are the Zuma/Roka international group of restaurants and the recently opened Arts Club in London. Whereas at the beginning, Waney and Ooi intended to apply the business model to fashion and garments, they quickly changed their mind after bringing on board Elle Hill, Plukka’s Director of Business Development who possesses 20 years of experience in the fine jewelry industry, including senior management roles at Dalumi and M. Fabrikant
At Plukka website, each online sale is called an event. You can easily scroll throughout the events and most interesting, you can see the incoming events. To be sure to participate, you can subscribe online and you get an email once the event is available.
One of the incoming events is the sale of this beautiful ring called “Citrine Square Rope”.
It is a black rhodium sterling silver ring featuring a 3.40 carat cushion-cut citrine surrounded by a decorative “rope” bezel. This understated modern classic adds polish to a pair of jeans or your favorite suit. The online sales starts on the 13th of January, so if you are interested, just click here.
Plukka is based in Hong Kong, the international crossroad for high-jewelry. They have their own internal designers team who create each piece of jewelry according to personal inspiration and trends.
One point of interest and originality at Plukka: a reward program. In times in which social media is a great deal, Plukka put in place a reward program to help you get up to -40% off. How it works? When you apply for a purchase, the more you share your purchase online throughout the social networks, the better price deal you get. From -10% up to -40%, social sharing becomes very interesting and for once, there is a real benefit for the “sharer”.
Prices goes from 200$ up to 20,000$ depending on the jewel piece. So the idea is to keep quality and design but with a fair price thanks to community purchase. Which kind of person will buy from Plukka? Difficult to say. Probably people who are not looking for “brands” and that appreciate beautiful jewels.
Check this video that explains well the Plukka experience:
Plukka also try to present original themes and uses the help of famous photographers to “put on stage” the designers team creations. Currently, they asked to Juan-Carlos de Marcos to photograph 2 collections, the 7 wonders and the bling one. Juan-Carlos de Marcos is a fashion photographer also used to shoot watches and jewelry. If you want to learn more about him, check his official website: http://www.jcdemarcos.com
So do not hesitate to connect to Plukka official website to learn more about the online sales and keep updated to future events: http://www.plukka.com.
info sourced from plukka press release, plukka and juan-carlos de Marcos websites.
http://luxuryactivist.com copyright
image: Tungphoto