Quotes of the Day._ Diana Vreeland on London and on being vulgar

_ "The best thing about London is Paris"
_ " Never fear being vulgar, just boring"

Diana Vreeland

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_ "Lo mejor de Londres es París"
_ "Nunca temas ser vulgar, si no aburrida"

Diana Vreeland

Diana Vreeland by Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Lie Sang Bong's aw 08*09 or the Blade Runner collection...

I discovered the work of Korean fashion designer Lie Sang Bong while I was working with Dragos from Rozalb de Mura label at The Train trade show in New York City (oh, and that's another story i need to tell you about).

He was showing his collection a couple of stands further away from us and I remember being amazed at the construction quality of his garments. Although not quite my style, I couldn't take my eyes off the geometric shapes that formed the SS09 collection.

Dragos told me he's quite a famous designer so shame on me... as soon as I get home i turned internet on and went to his site.

His aw 08-09 collection could be perfectly worn by Rachael (Sean Young) in Blade Runner...

Presentation of lamono magazine in Madrid

lamono magazine is a free monthly magazine based on Barcelona.
I've been collaborating with them since August but never met them personally till last Thursday when they threw a party in Madrid to introduce their latest issue; En Femenino (Feminine). For such issue I interviewed American artist Maya Hayuk, one the most rebel feminist artists I know.
Here's an extract of the interview:

You are one that defends women rights more than anyone else I know, and i remember once you denied the participation in an important exhibition for the fact that you were the only female among 20 something males.. How do you see the situation of women artists such Agathe Snow, Kiki Smith or yourself in contemporary art?.


I'm always amazed and offended when i am invited to be in a "expose of contemporary art", but am the only woman involved. I find myself having to ask often why there are so few or no women involved, then send around ever-growing lists of women artists who i admire. It seems obvious to me that since there are about 50% women and 50% men in the world, and since there's nothing that would make a man biologically better at making art, that it would be a given that in any art show you'd see this statistic reflected in the gender of the artists. What i hear so often - from men who are putting the shows together - is that they "just don't know any women artists" and i wonder if they live under a big penis-shaped rock. I say that i don't want to be in shows that tell the public that women artists are a minority. I don't have the time or the energy to be the poster child for women or the token woman artist so the curator sleeps well at night. I honestly believe that in a few years we will look back on this time and shake our heads at how ridiculous this time in history was.

The party took place at Fast Cool art gallery in Huertas, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
We got there late but was already crowded; I saw photographer Luis Díaz former assistant of Daniel Riera.
Anna Parini, illustrator, whose work has been featured in the cover of this issue, was there on a 'live-painting-show' (pic above).

My Friend Ainne on Style.com !!

She's the one on the bottom right corner...

The picture was taken on the H&M flagship on 5th Ave in NYC... waiting in line to buy Comme des Garçons for H&M, isn't she cute?? :_)

here is the story

New Shoes Thanks To...

I was always a little suspicious when companies would offer me free samples of their products to write about for my readers, or invitations for events that 'could be interesting for my readers'.

Of course it's tempting but I was afraid that accepting or attending these events my blog would become a subliminal fashion ad blog.

I'm quite against those bloggers that write about the 'amazing' qualities of such and such product when the product just sucks; it's like those celebrities that agree to put their faces in ads of products that, ehem, are SO BAD. Credibility to the drain.

Last summer I received another offer but this time i thought it twice before saying no... I realized that we bloggers are always free to say the truth, whether is good or bad for the companies; they never force us to write 'positive' about their products, they just offer us the possibility of trying and talk about the experience. That's all. And I was ready to talk bad about mine...

For this reason and for the first time in my blogging life I agreed to get a free product in exchange of a post. I really wanted to see how the business work.
And let me tell you, I had a big surprise.

The company that contacted me was Solestruck and they did so through a lady called Danielle.
Danielle offered me a pair of shoes from their web, at no cost for me. I could choose any of the models on view, whatever size and color.

When she contacted me i was packing and getting ready for my European sojourn of 9 months so time was really tight to get anything and my mind was everywhere but where it should be.
I remember watching at the shoes they had on the web and although the type of product they carry is not really my style, I found these lovely Jeffrey Campbell mary-janes (above) and ordered them forgetting that i was leaving for Paris in less than a week.

When I apologized Danielle for my slip (she had sent the package already) she told me not to worry at all as as soon as she read the email she contacted the courier to change the date of arriving; and i got my new pair of shoes right on time for Paris fashion week :)

So what can i tell you? No bad word on this company from my keyboard.
Lovely shoes, and Danielle such a nice person.

Music with no instruments but with fashion

When I started to work at IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) university in October I wasn't aware of the cool projects that this school was involved with. Actually, it isn't involved but it's the promoter of.

Some of these works can be seen in their youtube page.
Here I wanted to show you one project made through the IED Moda Lab, the fashion department of the school.

"In February 2008, the band Giganto developed a workshop at IED Madrid ModaLab, where students from different courses modified and transformed fashion creation tools into musical instruments. In only sixteen hours and with any previous musical knowledge, they formed an orchestra that ended into a live composition "

Here is the result... absolutely AMAZING

Fashion Lectures at the Museo del Traje in Madrid

Located in one of the most beautiful buildings in Madrid (I know it doesn't seem like in the picture but trust me, it is really impressive!), the Museo del Traje (The Costume Museum) is offering a series of lectures on modern fashion designers.

It started September 18th so many talks have been given already... in any case, every Thursday and till November 13th, at 8pm and free entrance, journalists and fashion historians will lecture on different designers, from Jean Lanvin to Viviene Westwood to Jean Paul Gaultier.

Unfortunately I have missed some but went to the talk given by journalist Abraham de Amézaga on Paco Rabanne who has met the journalist several times.
The best part came with the questions, some were really funny although I can't recall any of them now..



Next week Jean Paul gaultier by Charo Izquierdo, editor in chief of YoDona magazine.

BLESS nº36 show inParis

BLESS nº36 Nothingneath was the first fashion show I've ever been invited to during Paris fashion week.

I received the invitation at my friend Antoine's house because in Paris you need to give a Parisian address to get your invitations. The first thing I saw when I arrived at my friend's was the envelope with the invitation on his desk...

The show was a surprise, in every sense.
First, because I stumbled upon friends from Madrid and New York by total chance.
Second, because one of the models was a friend of mine that i didn't know she was in Paris let alone modeling for BLESS! And third because of the show itself; it wasn't a show at all and for the first time i felt how a model feel when people stare at her...

The happening took place in a Le Marais's private house where there was an arrange of models situated on the staircase wearing the pieces of the collection. There wasn't time really to stop and look at them (at the pieces), it was a little violent to do so because of the proximity of the models to you; then i realized how safe is to have a catwalk between you and the models... Therefore you could just go up the stairs, have a very fast peak at the clothes while passing by and down again, this time in an elevator. And the show was over.
Susanna Lau was in front of me in the line, all the time... Maybe I should say something to her, but didn't.

pictures by me

video courtesy of BLESS