Helsinki Fashion Stock Sales SS 2015

April 25, 2015 10:00-18:00

Helsinki Fashion Stock Sale is held bi-annually at Vahan Ylioppilastalo, organized by Lumi Oy, gathering dozens of up-and-coming designers and concept boutiques under the same roof, to showcase new collections and sell vintage pieces, unique items and brand samples for discounted prices. Since 2013, I continuously have been visiting to chat with friends, enjoying some bargain hunts and discovering some interesting designs.

Though some attendees complain that due to the old building restrictions, the lighting equipment limits the display of the items, still, the shoppers can feel the vivid atmosphere of the sales event. In 2015, the East Wing is opened for the vending, while the tables are rather petite than Main Hall area. I spot Cotton from Tampere has some great selections on Marc By Marc Jacobs scarves, I search between the others at discount box and finally decide the one with 75% cotton and 25% silk, diamond shape, black and white hue, merely 50 EUR. 

Another interesting find at East Wing is Finnish up-and-coming design ONAR, which is a Helsinki-based design house established by Greek-Finnish Irene Kostas in 2014. The brand means “dream” in ancient Greek, that specialises in high-quality shearling outwears and accessories, and recently also launches the leather collection. ONAR is the fusion of “soft materials meet geometric forms, richness of texture meets minimalism, organic meets plastic and the stark Scandinavian lines meet the mystical.” I adore the neon dye on the ethical shearling hoods and collars, and the twin-tone mixed collar would be exciting for the darker winter in the future years.

Stepping out of the Old Student House, having my new scarf and full inspiration, I always think Fashion Stock Sale is yet another mini Finnish Fashion Exhibition. Surely I would not miss the AW 2015 session in November!

For more information about Cotton and ONAR ->

http://cotton.fi

Magazine Madness: 2015 Interview Kristen Stewart by Patti Smith

Interview March 2015

Though many commentators criticize Kristen Stewart’s performance at Twilight Saga, and still a quite amount of haters spit words on her fashion campaign pages, I find Kristen Stewart a beautiful and potential actress, from Panic Room to Still Alice. Interview special spring issue is usually a great platform for the collaboration between photographers and femme. Before the physical copy displaying on the rack, from Interview Facebook page has been posted double covers of Kristen photographed under Steven Klein’s lens: both are neon layering hues, late night streets, leopard wild fur, silky pink lingerie, a touch of Sin City, and highly Las Vegas.

As Editorial Director Fabien Baron quoted photographer Peter Lindbergh’s quote, that “Photographers are responsible for creating or reflecting an image of women in society” (90). In Interview Fashion Issue 2015, styled by Karl Templer, interviewed with National Book Award Winner/punk-rock matriarch Patti Smith, Kristen Stewart speaks her self-awareness and self-expectation. Stewart realizes that “it’s counterintuitive to boil down something so personal. You open your work up to the world and put it in a context where you could easily trivialize what you’ve done. If people sense that discomfort, they’re not wrong” (183).

What makes Interview magazine highly collectable is that the Q&A mode between unimaginable interviewer and interviewee an original word record. Readers can view the glimpse of the ways of thinking of these talents, perhaps the sentence construction is simple but the mindset is deeply downward. Besides Kristen Stewart with Patti Smith, there are Riley Keough by Steven Soderbergh, Sigourney Weaver v.s Jamie Lee Curtis and Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière by LV spokeswoman Michelle Williams. 

At age 44, Ghesquière’s futuristic ideas lead the House of Travel into a new dawn. His inspiration of new colours of the Louis Vuitton bag, dune, is reveled that from David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s space odyssey, Dune. The secret of his never tiring inspiration is viewing himself as “a vortex, absorbing information and emotions and sensibilities. Then [I will] express it later in the attitude and the description of the woman I want to express with fashion” (233).   

The Louis Vuitton Spring 2015 fashion campaign are graced by Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, geometric, elegant but a touch of Science fiction, showing that women in the future the image of strong and independence. How I wish that LV Spring 2015 campaign by Vodianova are full pages rather merely some column-size fragmentations. The magazine’s unique voice toward designer’s garments and the arrangement of fashion atmosphere shall be much louder than those commercial papers at front of. Comparing summoning  famous sponsors, the fashion campaign of a ‘fashion magazine’ reflecting both the editorial and artistic abilities of the team, from that, is the true test of  longevity of a fashion publication.

The next cover star who will wow Interview April 2015 issue is an avant garde yet mystic 

femme. No doubt I am very ready. 

Works Cited & Photography:

www.interviewmagazine.com

Magazine Madness: Natalia Vodianova on PORTER Spring 2015

Issue 7 2015 Heroine Chic

While Issue 7 exactly makes PORTER magazine’s one-year anniversary, Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova and the scarlet red tone catches my gazes. After flipping several pages at Stockmann, I found PORTER adapts halftone glossy paper, and the style of photography conveys a touch of TATLER feels. With no doubt I know PORTER is powered by Net-A-Porter, one of the largest luxury brand shopping website, my only concern is that if PORTER would be a too highly commercial catalogue.

Editor-in-Chief Lucy Yeomans’ letter of the season takes up 2 pages, aside from the brief tour of the contents of Issue 7, she also shares in Spring 2015, what’s in her mind is looking forward to, not just only Christopher Kane blouse or Chanel sheer powder, but also the artist John Singer Sargent exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery (tate.org.uk). On contributors’ page, the talents’ brief CV is shown and making readers realizing how a magazine is being produced. PORTER Spring 2015 major theme is ‘Heroine Chic’, therefore, ‘Who is your ultimate heroine?’ is asking around among the contributors, and it’s really intriguing to see how these fashion professionals’ ways of thought.

Russian supermodel Natalia Vadianova’s fairy tale stories on becoming designers’ muse, separated from aristocrat Justin Portman and the relationship with LVMH heir Antoine Arnault, is fairly known. With too many fashion magazine focuses on TV-reality quacks or armature celeb-designers, it’s fresh to read the voices of a professional model/mother/philanthropist, who usually must keep silent during the catwalks.

Among 17 full pages of interview readers know not only what Natalia’s comments toward her life, but memorize the foundation she has been establishing for the support of female education in Russia, Naked Heart. Under photographer Ryan McGinley’s lens, Natalia is same time mysteriously exotic, strongly spirited and girly innocent. Natalia once said “even those who are closest to me now cannot comprehend just what kind of life I lived—even the worst scenarios they can imagine would have been a good reality for me” (Yeomans, 134). 

We would never know if Natalia’s marriage decision was trying to get a life for herself in a new land after a poverty stricken time in Russia, and among the lines of interview, the quotes from the top designers’ are, no surprisingly, filled with warmly praises, not even a single doubt, still, Natalia, via her smiles and eyes, among so many fashion faces, is one of a few that I would vote/purchase for only judging through the magazine covers.

I am also amazed by Photographer Norman Jean Roy and Fashion Editor Cathy Kasterine’s contribution, ‘Prairie Rose’, which portrait model Toni Garrn in cinched-in silhouettes and fluid fabrics. The dry land, the brown grass, the dying tree and the blue sky reflects a wild romantic landscape of delicate yet strong SS15 fashion. With Nina Ricci white silk blouse, Alberta Ferretti dress or a black cowboy hat, Toni Garrn sometimes looking away on the tree trunk, occasionally glancing back to the readers, or with a close-up portrait. I like how the colour combined and how various angels to capture a female’s nostalgic beauty. 

PORTER magazine may be highly commercial on at the footnote reminder ‘Shop Porter with the NET-A-PORTER App’ at every single page, and vice versa on its shopping website, but for the production and artistic scales, PORTER’s clean layout, encouraging themes, strong feminism, the choices of models, good balance between advertisements and contents, and most importantly, the very high fashion photography, from those has already erase my concern of buying a commercial catalogue, but more of a fashion art archive to cherish and collect.

Works Cited & Photography:

www.net-a-porter.com

www.outnet.com

More about Photographer Norman Jean Roy, please visit: 

http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/01/norman-jean-roy-digital-ruined-fashion-photos.html

Beauty Boom! Dior Le Vernis Bloom Fuchsia #777

Dior Vernis Bloom #777

One of the highlights of 2014 spring beauty collection of Dior is the nail polish. Totally six new le vernis released globally, and four of which are available in Europe. After Chanel Sweet Lilac#615, I bargain hunted Dior Vernis Bloom #777 at winter sale, I hoard this lacquer until today because I would like to give my toenails some vibe during my Easter holidays.

DIOR Vernis series box design is gliding pressed with silver, on ‘DIOR VERNIS Dior’ and a bold line above the basic info ‘e 10ml-0.33 FL.OZ’. Unpacking the Royal blue box, the silver texture main cap is undercut the monogram of Christian Dior, CD, while the black polish wand is rather convex engraved the 2 alphabets ‘CD’. The label ‘Dior Bloom 777’ is a transparent sticker on the glass bottle, as well the info on of the bottom. The external design in comparison with Chanel Le Vernis is less detailed.

Dior Vernis Bloom is for those who would like something more vibrant for the springtime. It has a slightly jelly character from the formula, one coat is thick enough to perform its Fuchsia pink, but by two coats, it was opaque on my toenails. It is a vivid and cheerful shade for the warmer days.

Alas that Dior Vernis wand is too tiny (9 cm, while Chanel is 13 cm) to hold still and apply coating on my toenails, and the brush is too flat to run over the corner parts of nails. Still, the texture is rich and under the different lights, the fuchsia would change a bit redder and shine.

I take Dior Vernis photos alongside with ELLEFrance Janvier 2015, since Miss Dior is the cover girl and the font colour of ELLE and Bloom #777 are perfectly matched!

What’s your April days colours?