Vivant Vibrante

Hello Loves,

It's been a little over two years since I have even logged into this blog.  I lost myself for a little,but guess what !!?! I've been found.  I'm rebranding this blog to be more than fashion as I have found that clothing is not my only passion.  It's how clothing makes me feel in different environments.  It's how those environments affect my choice of clothing.  It's how those choices of clothing and environment are centered around ones lifestyle.  So, the title still reigns true but we have to diveldge deeper into its meaning.  Style, which can mean anything from what shoes you have on to the shade of green of your new Nathan Anthony couch. It can be anything from how you make your famous Mac and Cheese to whether Fiji or Belize inspires you the most.  You live style in everything you do and say.  You love your style because it's the only thing that seperates you from the world. You own your style because if anyone tries to take it, they gotta pay you first, baby.  So welcome back to you guys, welcome back to me, and strap on your seat belts becasue we are about to turn this sucka around. 

Chanel CEO Maureen Chiquet Uncovers the True Chanel

How crazy is it that I just watched the movie "CoCo Chanel" and all of a sudden, BAM!, the CEO of Chanel shows up at my school. You all KNOW I was the first one there eager to see what this head-woman-in-charge had to say. So here is my rundown/review.

Background
So, to begin, she starts with her Bio. She is from a small town in Missouri and at the age of 16 she fell in love with France. She went there for a summer and fell more in love with each day.

She explained that she went to Yale University to study Cinema with an emphasis in French Film (surprise). Her big punch line of her career path is that she "walked out of the LSAT." She recalls that she went to take the test because "that was what you were supposed to do" but after an hour in she walked out.

She moved to Paris upon graduation from college, got an internship with L’Oreal, met a French husband and then moved back to the US.

When she moved back to the States her and her husband moved to San Francisco because they "liked it." There she called the GAP to try and get a job in marketing. Since there was no marketing program at the time she became a merchant until 1994 when she was asked to work on the brand Old Navy.

In 2002 she went to work for Banana Republic and after a year she joined Chanel and had to go back to Paris for a year. She said she always wanted to work in luxury retail but exclaimed never knew much about it saying "I mean, I liked luxury clothing." In 2007 she became the Global CEO at Chanel.

Takeaways
Now, she wanted to inform us of the things she learned over the years, here they are for you summed up:
About Chanel:
1. They emphasize creativity
2. They insist on quality and strive for excellence in service and product
3. They have a nique story, rich heritage and modernity
4. They have a decentralized structure

About having a job:
1. Learn to listen
2. Let passion lead your choices
3. Get your hands dirty
4. Have a vision
5. Break some rules

Myths to get out of your head:
1. More is better
2. Bottom line is king
3. Change or die
4. Get rid of people who are at the bottom
5. central organizing is key

She went on to discuss being a woman in business and how we are comfortable when a man leads a company but we need to break out of that comfort zone. Followed by (here is the shocked) a large Chanel plug about the new stores, the line, jewelry, perfume, and beauty products.

What was interesting to me

What I found the most interesting is her (or Chanel's) approach to the creative end. She relinquishes all the creative control of Karl Lagerfeld, saying "what Karl makes is what will be in the store." She continues saying that Chanel is not the type of company that thrives on customer feedback, they basically anticipate what the customer needs, without the use of actual customer feeback ( or so they say). The discussion on the creative part of Chanel was very much Karl focused, and when asked what she would do if Karl were to leave, she didn't have a true answer. She said that Karl makes a lot of lines each season and he is happy here and he will be designing for a longtime. Yes, that might be true, but he may not be with Chanel forever. Clearly, they do not have a back up plan.

Critiques
As you can tell already I have my own critiques, but my biggest concern is diversity of opinion. Maureen claims that this company is not hierarchical but throughout the speech she hints otherwise. She says that they have work groups that have the ability to contribute their ideas with campaigns and what the customer wants. (First of all, they don't care about what the customer wants and she made that very clear.) She added that these teams don't get to make decisions, but they are important. Oh really? So what about the diversity of opinions and thoughts. The point of having work groups is to have a diverse group of opinions that held aim the product at the particular customer at each store, or is that wrong ? How do you strive for top quality customer service, when you really don't engage the customer on what they want and need? hmm

I am also concerned about diversity in campaigns. After getting to about page 17 of google images, I have found no one advertisement that involved ANYONE of color for Chanel ( most of my results included Chanel Iman but never in an ad). During the presentation she showed us some ads as well, still no color. I am wondering what is going on with that? People of color buy Chanel and there are some great models of color that could be featured in those campaigns. Where is all the modernity she was talking about ?

Final Thoughts
In the end, she was an interesting person with a diverse retail background (Old Navy to Chanel) but it is troubling to me that some of the things that her very brand and company "stand for" are not the things they are doing: like being modern and keeping up with the times with diverse campaigns and having a diverse amount of opinions. Don't get me wrong, I like Chanel but I think that the views of Karl Lagerfeld ( who is notoriously controversial when it comes to race and size) are influencing the company a bit too much.

While I was gone....

Hey EVERYONE!! First of all , HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am so excited to be back.

Here are some things that have been brewing while I have been gone:

1. Kelly Cutrone Her new self help book is out called If You Have to Cry, Go Outside ... And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You. This should be a valuable resource for those of us who want to blaze the trail to entrepreneurial endeavors and in our professional life in general.

2. Karl Lagerfeld

Our favorite , of course. Unfortunately the recession has hit him pretty hard, in addition to layoffs Karl has had to discontinue his denim and sportswear line after this spring. So sad, but does that mean a major sale come June??? Hope so!



3. Matthew Williamson

He will be launching a capsule line of menswear for the spring.



4. Plus Size Models

omg... they are taking this way over the top. Don't get me wrong, as a plus sized girl myself I am all for plus sized inclusion, but only when it's tasteful and smart. But this just is not.

Let's not forget the purpose of modeling is to show off the work of a designer whether it be jewelry or clothing. When they are completely naked, regardless of size, they are useless and such, should not be called models. Let's not lose site of our business.

more plus sized pictures

5. Moises de la Renta ( Oscar de la Renta's Son)

Moises has designed new shirts for Mango. Check them out!


6. Michelle Obama

Looking fabulous as always.


7. Not really an update but a definite omg moment.

NORDSTROM RACK WILL BE OPENING IN UNION SQUARE MAY 11,2010 !!!!!

8. Rodarte

The ladies have now ventured into men's sweaters. I have to tell you that I would not mind wearing one of these.


9. Sex and the City Two... underway


10. PROJECT RUNWAY NEW SEASON TONIGHT

Let's all set our DVRs and thank God that they are now back in NEW YORK CITY!



citations:
1, 2,3,4,

IM BIZZACKK!!

Ralph Lauren Model Fired Because Too "Fat"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So apparently the today show has been a lot more fashion conscious ( they recently did a segment on the Black faced models in French Vogue), and as a part of their efforts they invited Fillipa Hamilton. She was fired from Ralph Lauren for being "too fat" at 5'10", 120lbs, and a size 4.

Here is the full statement:

For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality, integrity and a wholesome American lifestyle. Filippa Hamilton is a beautiful and healthy woman that we have worked closely with for over 6 years and we consider her an important part of our imaging and branding. We regret that our relationship has ended as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us. The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S. We take full responsibility for allowing this image to run as this is completely inconsistent with our creative standards and brand values. This error has absolutely no connection to our relationship with Filippa Hamilton.

So, why is no one saying what the contract says? Wouldn't that clear at least some of the air with Ralph Lauren?

A few weeks before she was let go, this photo was released in one store in Japan. The picture was extremely photo-shopped. I mean honestly, was no one overlooking the photo shop team that day at Ralph Lauren?

Noticing their mistake, the people at Ralph Lauren removed the photo and took full responsibility to the damage they are causing the women's views on body image.


My thing is Filippa needs to stop crying. She had a contract, she no longer meets the terms, so she is fired. This is a business. She didn't go into this thinking " oh my body doesn't matter and this silly little contract means nothing," at least I hope not. She was fully aware of the expectations of her profession.

I am also kind of sick of people blaming ( COMPLETELY) women's body image issues on the fashion industry. What happened to learning values and morals in the home? Are you letting the media teach your children or are you stepping in and saying " you know this isn't real."


Also, I think people are forgetting the purpose of the model. A model is a walking mannequin. Their primary job is to display the clothing. They aren't even required to be pretty, because weird looking faces would allow people to remember the clothing. They also need to be very tiny for the sample clothing.

If you know nothing about designing, know that it is expensive.

Sample clothing is like a prototype for the final product. With prototypes sometimes you change it and some times you trash the idea all together. To make this process cost effective you want to buy small amounts of fabric and spend as little time sewing as possible. This is the economics behind skinny models. It is cheap to make a sample for these size 2 girls that may or may not be adopted in the collection. Now image having to buy 6 yards of cashmere at $200/yard to make a sample dress that was the size of the average women in America, a size 14. That is $1200 wasted on the possibility of a garment being chosen, just to make customers who don't even purchase the merchandise feel better about themselves.

Now I would rather buy 2 yards and make the dress as a sample, then find out people like it, and make more sizes. Now that it is a recession, budgets are tighter. Designers don't have the money to waste making big samples of possibilities. Cutting costs means smaller models.

The real problem here is the value people put on the career of a model. People idolize these women, and for what, because they get to try on nice clothes first? Most of them don;t get to keep the clothes . They also aren't treated like humans, but like walking dolls playing dress up. People in Japan are even in the process of making Robot models.


All this is just to say, think for yourself. The media put out what they think is beautiful, but you don't have to go along with it. Many guys/girls don't like super skinny or super buff bodies that the media glorifies anyway. I mean at the end of the day, do you know who is pushing this image on us ? Old, white, male executives who believe this is the way to be. They then to hire people who believe in their skewed visions and the chain continues. I don't know about you, but I will not be convinced by these people, and neither should you.

The Knock Off Wars

Ok, so lately things have gotten a little crazy with knock offs. I am guessing the reasons for this BOOM in the knock off industry is because of the recession, but I think that should be all the more reason why people refrain from knock offs. The designers of the original thing have to eat too, ya know.

( Trovata is suing Forever 21, Forever 21 top row, Trovata bottom)

( Alexander McQueen Suing Steven Madden. McQueen left, Steve Madden right)
Before I remember the knock offs being very limited to accessories, purses, belts, bracelets, and the like. But now a days the knock offs have soared to a new level. Stores are knock off clothing within the months of their debut on the runways. Up and Coming designers are learning the tricks to knock off early in their careers. ( Remember Jimmy from " The Fashion Show" on Bravo?)

( Lanvin Left, Jimmy Right)

The word knock off has such a negative connotation, you would thing the merchandise was being sold on the streets, but no. Huge chains such as Zara, Steve Madden and Forever 21 make their living from knocking off designers. They like to call themselves derivativities or imitatettes, whatever the heck that means.

The CFDA has tried everything they can to try and stop the knocker-offers, but the AAFA ( American Apparel and Footwear Association) would not support the bill they proposed, which would make it nearly impossible to get it passed in Congress. What the CFDA needs is some fashion driven law makers on THE HILL in order to help them tackle this problem that is growing bigger than ever in these tough economical times.


I believe that regardless of the times, knock offs should not be the go to gear for shoppers. There are stores that make very nice, original designs INSPIRED by the runway for cheap, like Payless or J.Crew. I know personally, I would feel more proud to wear something that was inspired than something that was blatantly copied.

Another alternative option is to go to stores that feature a low cost designers collection. For example, H & M partnered up with Viktor & Rolf, Matthew Williamson and soon Jimmy Choo. Target has worked with Isaac Mizrahi, and Kohls works with Vera Wang. Even Macy's features a lower priced version of Rachel Roy's designs. These are places that are embarrassing the designer and giving them a chance to reach a lower priced market while still remaining original.


I think fakes take away from a key aspect of high fashion designs: exclusivity. Now a days people want things fast and cheap, it's really a reflection of the times. To me, the moment I get to hold a real Birkin bag on my arm and claim it is mine will be a very special time in my life. But if I already brought 4 fakes Birkins from Sketchy McSketchum off the corner, then what would it matter. For some people, like me , it is a very touchy subject.


I can remember watching one of those hidden camera shows when I witnessed the most disturbing thing in my life. At a high end department store there were some men who were delivering merchandise to the storage. While in the back, the men where switching DESIGNER hand bags with fakes. Now can you image going to the store and laying down $1,000 for a fake. I would just die.

Just remember the people that are loosing out when you buy the fake instead of the original; the designers, seamstresses, stores, sales people. Instead of spend $5 dollars on a knock off shirt, why don't you save your money for a real piece of designer clothing that will last you forever. You can hand it down to your children and tell them stories about when you once wore it.


Also remember that designer clothing doesn't give you status, like some people seem to believe. Status is something that you earn, not something that you buy.

French Vogue Does Black Face, Too Much?

( Where the F is the G? )

French Vogue loves the controversy, dont they?

BTW the issue has no black supermodels. Oh but they have a "curvy" model... she is a size 4. wth

At one point I wanted to work at French Vogue... but now I am not so sure!

My Review of The First Philadelphia Fashion Week

Yes folks, you read correctly... fashion week came to Philadelphia. Expectations were high as we were all coming down off the clouds of New York and Paris fashion week. The location was a nice little armory that gave off a goth/churchy aura. Free food and free drinks ( alcoholic) were scattered throughout the venue. This was nothing like any other fashion week, obviously.

I have to say after experiencing only one day, I was mildly disappointed. Let me tell you why:

A) 21 and over age limit. Now I understand why this might have been a good idea, to keep out the children and to allow people to have drinks. However, you leave out devoted fashionistas that have not yet hit the golden age. Especially the college students, those of which may have wanted to support their fellow designers or the publications that wanted to cover the event. It wasn't like the venue was jam packed. It probably would have been beneficial to increase the body count.
Suggestion: 18 and older would have been sufficient.

B) Anything goes seating. Honestly, this takes away from the credibility of the show. I mean anyone can sit anywhere they wanted. People were saving seats with empty drinks and in between shows people were switching around seats. The VIP area wasn't even organized. Though the placement was pretty unique ( in the middle of the circular runway), unreserved seating just seems to be tacky. I even overheard some women saying they paid for $100 VIP tickets and had to stand the entire show because the seats were full.

In addition to the VIP seating in the middle of the run way, there was a VIP section that was on a raised platform off the side of the runway. As I stood in front all I could here was " I can't see, can you sit down, you need to move." It was just unnecessary chaos and disorganization.
Suggestion: Ticket Buyers online get reserved seating, tickets at the doors get a section of seating behind the reserved. VIP seats must be reserved prior to event.

VIP Seating... during the show

C) No Dress Code. Now I know this is Philadelphia and this is their first fashion week but I thought this would have been a no brainer. There is no way I should attend an event with the title " Fashion Week" and see people in sweat pants and sneakers. I was just appalled.
Suggestion: Mandatory dress code that is strictly enforced.

D) The Models. Wilhemina modeling agency of PA ( an affiliate of Wilhemina, the national model agency) supplied the models for the shows that took place during fashion week. Now, during the student show, I was sure these models were volunteers from the school and I cut them some slack. However, upon finding out that these models were professionally hired, all I could do is shake my head in shame. I can honestly say two out of the about 15 where worthy of being on any stage modeling. I mean was there no practice time? Who are the agents/talent scouts for these people, because if it were my company they would be fired along with the models.
Suggestion: Go with Ford Models. period.

Click here to check out a Video 1

E) The Schedule. Now since these shows were all in one venue it only seems right that they be on a continuous, flowing schedule throughout the night. But that was not the case. The shows were to begin at 5pm, which they did, but there were way too many breaks in between. Real fashion week shows are between 15-20 minutes because people have lives, and they have to be on the move and Philadelphia Fashion Week should take their cues from that design as well. After every show at the Armory there were mediocre bands playing while people get more drunk and walked around the pop up stores. This also caused people to loose their seats and/or get back to their seats late, which just looked sloppy. I mean the "host" of the evening didn't begin to host until after the third fashion show, when people were about ready to leave.
Suggestion: Keep the shows going without interruption. Have the djing/bands before and after all the shows are completed.

F) The Fashions. I know I only went on Saturday, so this is based on what I observed personally, but the clothing was not up to par. If I were a designer I would not have left half of those clothes come out of my designing studio. The clothes did not fit the models properly, they were constructed poorly and some of them just missed the mark.
Suggestion: A screening process for clothing to be in the show. They have to meet a certain level of construction in order to be showed.

click here for video 2

Ok I am not going to act like the entire thing was a bust because there were some good aspects that I think should be continued for years to come. Some of them are:

A) Food. Ahh food at a fashion show, how ironic right? Well, I happen to think it was a great idea. The food was actually delicious. My favorite was the Crab stuffed wontons, TDF ( to die for). They had min burgers, cheese snacks, onion puffs and they continued to bring out more varieties of food as the night progressed.


B) Pop up stores. This give the designer a good way of getting their clothes to the customer as they are seeing it on the runway. This works well especially for the designer whose clothes are only sold in select stores or for the up and coming designer. I was also delighted that most of the designers where the hosts of their own mini stores. It was great to see all the fashionistas mingling and bonding over leather jackets and oversized rings

( Marina Makaron Moscow)

C) The Venue. The location was prime right on the outskirts of Center City and easily accessible. It was also a great space to have fashion shows, it was edgy, dark, and vintage which are irresistible traits in clothing so you know it worked well as the home of Philly Fashion Week.

D) Website. I think the website was very helpful in understanding the events that were going on, getting tickets, reviewing the designers and seeing which days one would be most interested in. It served as a valuable resource for the event.


That was my review of the fashion week. I know people may say I was being too hard on Philly's fist try, but I believe that if you have prototypes ( NYFW, PFW, MFW, etc) then there should be no excuses for a below par event.

I mean I know Philadelphia is not exactly a fashion capital, but I do think there could be potential. There are great designers/ label that come from Philadelphia, one in particular that I wish was there ( Zahra Saeed), and they need to bring it harder next time.

I do appreciate the effort, though.

P.S. for the Penn Students, look who showed up!

Harold Haskins

Chanel Iman: This Season's 'Must Have' Model

So honestly, I have seen Chanel on EVERY runway. This girl is getting more than her fair share of work and it all seemed to happen so fast.

Born Chanel Iman Robinson in Atlanta on November 30, 1989 she grew up in LA. She was signed on the spot to Ford Modeling Agency at the age of 12 after her and her mother just walked in one day.

The half African American, quarter Korean beauty walked her first runway in the fall/winter season after placing third in Ford Model's Supermodel of the World competition in 2006. According to her, things "just exploded from there." She was walking in shows for Anna Sui, Derek Lam and Marc Jacobs in no time.

She has been living the dream every aspiring model wants. She quickly was booked to walk for major, major designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, DVF, Oscar de la Renta, Dior and many others. She has done ad campaigns for Victoria's Secret Pink, GAP, United Colors of Benetton, and more. I wont even mention the amount of magazine cover she has graced, but Harper's Bazaar and the i-D are some high lights.


But her dreams don't stop ad modeling, she hopes to design, act, produce music, direct and all kinds of other things.


She is really a normal girl who like cheeseburgers and high calorie foods, gets tattoos without her agencies permission and she dates; I mean, just like you and I right ??!?! She even fears of becoming an old face in the industry so that's why she changes up her look from time to time. To keep it fresh. and that is understandable.


I know your thinking, well her name is so perfect. Well her mother had read a book about coco Chanel and was impressed by how she built her empire and decided it was a good name to give her. What a good decision that was.

( with Iman, carrying Chanel... chic)

I know I never write about models. But I just had to write about Chanel because I think she is really doing her thing with the undying support of her single mother.

And You know, if my line comes out and she is still modeling, I am DEFINITELY getting her in my show. No Doubt.

MODEL STATS
Birth Year: 1989
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 110lb
Measurements: 32-23-33
Dress Size:2 Shoe Size: 7

Follow her on twitter... she posts a lot of twits so you won't be disappointed.

( she didn't like the dyed eye brow look, who would?)

( I need an ID on this guy!)

Citations: 1,2,