2014 the year of fashion

2014, the year of fashion!

Dear reader, There are always some things that one remembers the most about certain years, 2013 will always be for me the year I met paris and new york, or when humanity saw the scandalous change of miley cyrus, 2012 was the year I witnessed winter for the first time, and if I hadn’t started my blog on 2014 then I would simply be the year I learned what a real party is about, but I did start my blog, so forever in my mind I will remember 2014 as the year of fashion, and I wanted to record it in my almost new born blog.

but why would i remember 2014 as the year of fashion? why not the year of… blog? well, i won’t remember this year as the year of fashion only for my blog, there are so many other things, big or small,that happened this year in the industry, and it is these things that make it the year of fashion, so as a thank you to the fashion industry for giving me such a great year i will name a few of the things related to fashion that happened this year:

as you might, or might not have seen, earlier this year i mentioned louis vuitton as the brand of the future, but, as i am not fortune teller i can’t say that louis vuitton will continue succeeding, yet i can tell you that louis vuitton made a huge difference in the industry this year, and to me it is the brand of the year.

is louis vuitton the future of fashion

Gucci, on the other hand, has never been one of my favourite brands, it might be because it is a brand subject to heavy faking back here in colombia, and let me tell you the people that wear fake gucci don’t have my favourite kind of style, but there is something about the last 3 collections that have made me fall in love with the style they’re marketing, its about the 70’s and boho-chic, heavy furs, long boots and the beautiful suede, it’s like they’re dressing the old charlie’s angels, just in a fashionable and elegant way. and the credit for making me like gucci should be to Frida Giannini my designer of the year.

my favourite show from gucci

the blogger of the year would have to be the man repeller, great reads, great fashion, great street style.

the blog

but on a less obvious category, and the most surprising discovery of the year came from keeping up with the Kardashians, who would think that little miss kendall would end up walking in Givenchy? later in shows like Chanel, dolce and Gabbana, and becoming the face of estee lauder. she has a different kind of beauty, and has such an editorial appeal that she is for me the best model of the year. 

kendall in vogue

and last, for putting colombia out there i would have to congratulate paula mendoza, her beautiful pieces of wearable art seem as if the future had been melted together with the pre-colonic history inside some beautifully crafted and designed pieces of golden jewellery. colombia is proud of you paula, congrats you are my colombian designer of the year.

her last collection

those are a few the little things, the people, and the brands that have made 2014 the year of fashion for me, and although as i have stated multiple times before in my blog i have no say in the industry i do think that the people and brand i called before should be awarded, either cause of their style, cause of the clothes they make, their philanthropy in the case of louis vuitton, or representing colombia in such a great way.

p.s: if you haven't checked out the last section i added to my blog, then you should probably do; the lookbook is a place where you will can find inspiration for your wardrobe and also get to know what sence of style im keen of...
the look book.

look book. series#2: the caribbean city

Dear reader, here is the second series from the look book. It was inspired in the most beautiful caribbean city: cartagena. I'm heading over there to spend new year's eve, so i thought "why not make a series that a classic and elegant woman could use to walk at night around la ciudad vieja" ciudad vieja: an old walled part of the city that dates back to the colonic period of colombia.
Cartagena is a very special place to me, so i hope you like this series.

Purse by yves saint laurent

Belt by massimo dutti, high heels by paul andrew, earrings and necklace by Paula Mendoza.

Hat by ryan roche, shorts by valentino, shirt by comme des garcons and blazer by the row

curious fact: Lauren Santo Domingo, one of vanity fair's best dressed, and co-founder of Moda Operandi, married in cartagena and owns ,with her husband's family, a summer house in the "ciudad vieja".

Look book.

dear reader, as you might have noticed i've been a little absent since i posted "santa take notes" but, as any teenager, i've been eating myself through dicember, and when i noticed it was already christmas eve, and i hadn't posted either of two articles i had planned for this wonderful time of the year, one of which was my new category: Look book.

as any (politics, economy...) blogger would like you to know his criteria, opinion and such, a fashion blogger in special should on top of providing you with his opinion also provide you with inspiration for your everyday and special occasion style, and, not trying to call myself a pioneer or anything, i came up with the idea of creating a lookbook where i would add some pictures i edited myself; the lookbook would be a place where you can find inspiration for your everyday life, and where you can try to further understand the kind of fashion i'm fond of.

the next pictures are the first series of the lookbook that will be posted. my idea was to create looks that you could use as inspiration for the few days of holiday seasons we have left, that are on top of all full of parties where you should try to look great. these looks have both luxury articles and dress for less.

earrings from oscar de la rent, top from zara, coat from mango, heels from nastygal and jeans from levi's.

i love camel, it's my favourite colour ever, and i think there's a very interesting idea in using it for semi-formal occasions, like a casual friday at work, or to a casual coffee meeting with a business partner. i was inspired for this look by the spectacular oscar de la renta earrings that are on top, when i see this look i can  clearly picture a young woman in new york trying to catch a cab after having a shopping spree in 5th avenue, its just missing the dior "so real" sunglasses.

blouse from zara, jacket from del pozo, charms bracelet from massimo dutti, boots from zara, and trousers from mango.

from the previous posts you might remember i come from a traditional family where family dinners and parties are quite common, when i was making this look, i got inspired by both the "del pozo jacket" and the family parties i attend to in this time of the year.

oscar de la renta heels, M2malletier purse, rest from zara.

this look is supposed to be used, or to serve as inspiration for a cocktail party, or a wedding... i just though a jumpsuit would be a fun take on those occasions, and the gold and baby pink are colours that go great together 

dress from zara, clutch from yves saint laurent, boots from zara, and earrings and ring from eva fehren.

for this look i just though fun night out in new years eve, its minimalistic, lavish and the eva fehren accessories highlight and pull together everything. 

dress by givenchy, high heels and clutch by valentino and earrings from eva fehren.

when i was making the looks i was trying to include as little luxury articles as possible, my goal was to make the first looks down to earth and dress for less, but when i was looking for some shoes to match the previous look i thought that one more luxury article in the list couldn't hurt and i went into farfetch, where i stumbled upon this magnificent emerald Givenchy dress, and i couldn't resist the urge to create an all luxury look that could be used at any formal event in the world (i love it when people risk it using a short dress for a long dress event). its elegant with a twist, a big twist. 

Santa, take notes...

So, I was born in a traditional family, and even though we are Colombians, and instead of Santa we call the “present giver” baby Jesus, we do have a similar Christmas to that of Americas here in Colombia.

I can remember since I was a small kid that clothes were never my cup of tea, I’d rather have a stuff animal than Nike’s newest shoes, and I was always obsessed with toys. that trend evolved, but didn’t change till two years ago, I mean, I didn’t ask for toys after I was 10, but I did instead ask for Nintendo’s Ds, or Wii’s, or computers… anything that wasn’t clothes, but just as I change, and I do really rapidly, my tastes change as well, and as you’ve seen I have become really obsessed with fashion.

This year I have been on the look for things that I might like to ask for “baby Jesus” and really, not to be greedy, but I don’t know how I’ll choose, and that’s the thing about fashion, it has such a pleasing variety! So next the things that I covet the most for holiday season, and that I’d like to be given.

•  ANY kind of pro-camera!
  

so, really if you're into fashion then learning how to use cameras, i mean, at least decently, is a must, and i'll be doing that this vacations (in colombia we don't have winter so the long "summer" vacations are during december") and a good camera can't hurt.

• A camel suit

camel, i can't resist camel, i know it's not so hot this season, but i can't take it, and even though i am 16, you know what they say, or i say.... either way, you are never too young to be elegant, and you can't go wrong with this camel suit from Zara...

• Valentino "Rockrunners"

Valentino has been getting more and more edgy, and the last seasons have been a treasure cove for men who love fashion, and who love the sporty chic trend that has lately become so famous. These Valentino "camouflage rockrunners" are perfect for a laid back sunday, or, if you are more fast forward and your boss isn't so tight with etiquette then you could wear them with suits like the one i listed before, i know i would. 

• Alexander Wang fro Hn'M sunglasses

alexander wang is one of my favorite designers, and if you haven't been hiding under a rock this year, then you'd know that he has done a collection for Hn'M, and just like previous collections from famous designers, take Isabel Marant, it's been a total success. This is a piece i love from the collection, and that i would totally love to wear this 31st of december in the spectacular Caribbean beaches we have here in Colombia.

• Kenzo sweaters

there are no words to describe the feeling i have for kenzo sweaters, specially the Tiger one, i just need one, it is one fashion must haves. when western society fades then there will only be some fashion classics that will remain,the Chanel flap-bag and the kenzo tiger sweater will be between those.

• A pair of casual shoes 

everyone needs a pair of casual shoes, and when i say casual i mean sneakers, some shoes you can walk with at an airport without killing your feet, some shoes to travel, some shoes for the usual things, and these kinds of shoes are the hardest to find, because if you love fashion you are trying to find the pair that serve for all of these and still makes you look polished. here are two perfect pairs, the white ones are from adidas originals, and the leather ones are from my everyday favorite brand: Massimo Dutti.

• Mon monogram personal agenda

to be honest i don't know how to explain this one, just, Mon Monogram is such a perfect idea, it expresses personality, identity, something so intimate, that it makes me wanna have it, and this personal agenda would make a perfect fit for me, you couldn't guess how messy i am with my life, some order would be perfect for me, something that serves as a reminder of what i have to do, and somewhere to write the ideas i have.... 

• A pair of Ferragamo's 

Ferragamo's have, and will always carry a special place in my heart, first because my dad says that "you can tell a lot about the shoes a man wears, and if you wear Ferragamo then people won't have a lot of bad things to tell" he wears Ferragamo since i can remember, and i love the idea of familiarity they produce in me. Second because they are the embodiment of class, you can't go wrong with them, and i'm dying to have a pair i can wear to parties and next year's prom. 

• stylish backpacks 

i love the backpack trend, and being a big travel fan these two just fit my likes, cause' like i say design+functionality=perfection. i mean fendi and chanel never let me down, karl, thanks.... i can already picture myself "dear santa, can i please have these two, or at least one, i know they're expensive, but they are worth it!"

 so yeah, That's my list for santa, or baby jesus, or whoever gives presents in my postcode district... but, being serious i know i won't get all of this for christmas, the truth is i'll be lucky if i get one or two of the things listed before, but i can dream right? 

what do you think of the things listed before? or any of the articles i've written before, i'd love to know, also if you think there's anything i should have in mind for the next one don't doubt to contact me, i don't bite. 

Thanks for reading,

 NG. 

Louis Vuitton ¿is it the future of fashion?

Louis Vuitton ¿is it the future of fashion?

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Peter Drucker

Well, really I don’t know, it is really hard to tell what the future holds, I don’t have a crystal sphere, but it certainly does seem that LV and it’s root enterprise LVMH are trying to take the lead in the industry and, cher Arnault, if by any chance you ever get to read this, you are nailing it.

First congrats on your new employee, or should I say creative director, never have I ever loved a creative director more, he’s an inspiration to all us young fashion enthusiast and to all people creative and entrepreneurial in the world. His designs have continued the magnificent creative task of Mark Jacobs and elevated his idea of luxurious commerciality to a more futuristic-ish a la française elegance that should and I’m sure from now on will characterize the French Maison de mode.

Second the campaign celebrating the monogram. For you all people out there that don’t know what it is, the celebrating the monogram collection, or campaign, was a revolutionary move from LV in which they invited some of the most influential people in the fashion, and creative fields to design articles inspired in the monogram, people like Karl Lagerfeld the genius behind Chanel, frank Ghenry the most ingenious architect of the XXI century Rei kawakubo from comme des garcons, and my personal favorite Cindy Sherman, who although is not a person that has dedicated her life to design created the most beautiful Louis Vuitton trunk I have ever seen! Lovely!

 And third because of the great philanthropy that LVMH is doing. Nothing could make me happier than to know the industry I want to work in when I leave school is an industry that although sometimes can be harsh and thorny it is also an industry that fights to preserve culture, as in the new LV museum, or when Chanel commissions haute couture collections to centuries old maisons de couture; an industry that fights to give the next leaders opportunities, as in the LVMH prize for young designers; and an industry that believes in good causes.

In conclusion, Louis Vuitton may or may not be the future of fashion, but it certainly is future in the making.

Oscar, I feel Proud!

I know we are all dying, the day will come when you, or I will die, it is the last action we take in this world, and no matter how we have lived, or what mark we are leaving on the world death will never stop being sad, it is the truth, because just like Gabriel Garcia Marquez showed us, humans are mostly nostalgic.
But although death will never cease to be sad, it does cease to be shameful. You feel shame when someone that did not use his life for worthy things dies, but when someone that did like Oscar de la Rental did you can only feel proud.
That is the word that describes the death of Oscar de la Renta: Pride. I can only feel proud because although I have no rights over his achievements, I do feel that they benefitted me, and fashion lovers around the world in general. 
It was he that made us more sensitive, it was he that made women more feminine without being weaker, it was he who inspired people around the world to become fashion designers, it was he who made it possible to feel haute couture in prêt-à-porter, It was he who defied the stereotypes of sexual orientation of men working in the fashion industry and it was he who proved Latin Americans can be as classy as they aspire to be. Oscar de la Renta was an admirable man: humble, simple, tasteful, and with a sensitivity that only true artists can have, he dressed women like Monet painted pond lilies, in his own perfect way.I can only thank you Oscar from wherever you might be, and tell you that although your death makes me sad it also makes me feel proud.
Peter Copping, i can only hope your designs will make me feel half as happy as Oscar's designs made me feel every season.

Our very own Andy Warhol...

i read an article by Suzy Menkes, an important fashion journalist, for vogue in which she spoke about the relatively new creative director of Moschino, an italian fashion house founded by franco moschino, and famous for its fun and colorful designs that have only gone wilder as years go by, not to mention the scandal that Jeremy Scott caused on the media this year.

Now the article stated how she finally understood that the joke was on us for not understanding the sense of humor that made the clothes he designed such a massive success in every sense: design, taste, meaning... and, i have to confess that it didn't make sense to me either, as a matter of fact, it didn't till' i found the resemblance of his story with the marvelous Warhol, and how, like warhol that challenged and mocked society by making the things that belong to the masses into art, and by that representing the reality of the time period he lived in, he challenged the set idea that fashion should be exclusive, thoughtful, new and "elegant". i consider jeremy an artist, he made the things that every fashion aficionado would think dull, unimaginative, and on top of that not at all tasteful, and made it into a thing we covet every season. he contrasted the reality the masses live in right now to that of the fashion world, what more shocking that a goddess like model wearing a dress that resembles both the chanel suit and a uniform from MC? like wharhol it was society which didn't understand him, and not viceversa, and the sooner we all try to understand jeremy, the faster we'll be able to enjoy his art.

i leave with just one advice: don't take life too seriously, for a life without fun is not a life, 

NG