"Irreverent" by Carine Roitfeld | Source: NY Times

A Super-Stylish Vampire (IHT)
“If the definition of a vampire is a pallid, blood-sucking monster with frightening fangs, Carine Roitfeld, former editor of French Vogue and a pivotal figure in the fashion world, does not seem to fit the bill… ‘Why a book — especially for someone like me who hates looking back?’ Ms. Roitfeld asked herself… ‘It marks 30 years. The end of a chapter is a good moment — and they have been ‘belles années,’ beautiful years, when I have succeeded in work and with my family.’”

Ted Baker’s figures look smart as high street rivals falter (Independent)
“The fashion retailer’s US retail sales grew by 74 per cent to $16.7m (£10.8m) in the 28 weeks to 13 August, boosted by new concessions and strong demand for its clothes. But UK and European sales rose by a more modest 7.8 per cent over the period, to £69.2m, while gross margins were dented by a higher level of promotional activity.”

Fashion’s brave new world (Telegraph)
“Beginning with the invention of nylon pantyhose by Allan Gant Sr in 1 959, fashion and technology have gradually been brought together as new materials and techniques opened up countless possibilities for designers… One step further along the technological scale comes catalytic clothing, which… Claims could help combat the harmful emissions released by vehicle exhausts in cities.”

US Vogue is magazine of the year (Telegraph)
“There’s no denying Anna Wintour still reigns supreme as queen of the glossies. US Vogue , which she has edited – with an iron fist some might say – since 1988, was just named Magazine of the Year at the prestigious Ad Age Awards… There is hope for print, it seems, as advertising revenues have plummeted along with every other measure of economic growth across the globe; if anyone can squeeze revenues from cautious (or broke) advertisers it is ‘Brand Anna’.”

Diane Pernet On A Shaded View Of Fashion Film Festival (Huffington Post)
“Drenched in black with her ever-present lace mantilla and catseye sunglasses, Diane Pernet is one of the most recognisable figures on the fashion landscape. But it’s not just her iconic and unvarying look that has gained her recognition; she is one of fashion’s true digital pioneers.”

Graham Tabor and Migel Villalobos | Photo: Miguel Villalobos

NEW YORK, United States — I first met Graham Tabor and Miguel Villalobos over sushi in New York with our mutual friend Diane Pernet. Then again, it felt like we already knew each other since their smiling faces were often featured on Diane’s blog and she had already told me so much about them.

Since then, Graham and Miguel have kept me captivated with their creativity and ideas. A talented photographer and illustrator working in film, fashion and art, Miguel is always casually snapping photos away when we’re together. He has worked on creative projects with various collaborators including another friend of BoF, Zaldy Goco. For his part, Graham has long collaborated behind-the-scenes with other talented creatives — including  super-stylist Melanie Ward, Helmut Lang and Karl Lagerfeld.

Most recently, Graham and Miguel put on their first solo sculpture exhibit in Paris, featuring animal skeletons constructed out of found cardboard and masking tape, covered in layers of resin, which made for some arresting imagery.

I’ve often wondered in the back of my mind how this dynamic duo would take their complementary creativity and commercialise it some day. The answer finally came during Paris Fashion Week just past when they showed me their beautiful new line of fine jewelry, 1-100.

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LONDON, United Kingdom — According to network technology and services company Cisco, the number of people who watch web videos will surpass 1 billion by the end of 2010. By 2014, web video alone will account for 57 percent of all consumer internet traffic. Already, more than 2 billion videos are played each day on YouTube alone. With staggering statistics like these, it’s no surprise that fashion brands, both large and small, are investing in online video content, while agencies that represent commercial artists are urging their fashion photographers to reposition themselves as image-makers who can direct short films.

But what makes a good fashion film? And are these the same primary concerns that go into a good fashion photograph? While these questions have been circulating since SHOWstudio’s early experiments in moving image, this season, as the medium of fashion film matures, we saw the debate condense around two distinct points of view.

Some industry figures say that creating a successful fashion film is very different to creating a fashion photograph and underscore the primary importance of elements like narrative and acting. “What makes a good fashion film is exactly what makes any good film: direction, lighting, acting, script, sound,” said Diane Pernet, influential fashion blogger and founder of A Shaded View on Fashion Film. “These are elements that go beyond a static photo shoot,” she continued.

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J.Crew Takes a Leading Role in Men’s Fashion (Bloomberg)
“The men’s fashion landscape has long been dominated on one side by luxury brands… [or alternatives] that no longer seem au courant.  J.Crew has emerged in this void as the merchant of a new style that bridges work and leisure, youth and age, vintage and contemporary, gay and straight.”

Will Chinese Shoppers Embrace Luxury Goods–Sans Logo? (Forbes)
“Although luxury shoppers in established, recession-stung markets may gradually be lured back into stores by understated items…will this trend appeal to potential buyers in emerging — and lucrative — markets like China, where garish still equals good?”

Hermès launches street style website (MyFashionLife)
“Dedicated solely to its signature square scarves, the new website, called J’aime Mon Carre (I Love My Scarf), takes a street style turn as it shows hip young things working the scarves in ways Hermès would never have dreamed of.”

Nordstrom profit matches view, outlook unchanged (Reuters)
“Nordstrom Inc reported a higher quarterly net profit that met Wall Street expectations, but the company did not raise its previously announced 2010 profit outlook and its shares fell 2.5 percent.”

Diane Pernet on Tavi, Fashion Film, and the Future of Catwalks (Fashionista)
“Diane Pernet’s enlightened view on fashion, combined with her support of budding talents, has made her one of today’s great ladies of La Mode… Fashionista had coffee and grapes with the lady… we talked Tavi, tomorrow’s talents, and her trendy tribes and tribulations.”

VICENZA, Italy — Whereas Italy may have initially been slow on its uptake of Fashion 2.0, momentum appears to be building there to embrace digital media in all its forms, but especially fashion film. Indeed, two high profile events focused on moving image in fashion will take place in the month of May alone, bringing a much needed digital awareness to the country’s conservative fashion mainstream.

Tomorrow, in Vicenza, is the launch of OPPURE II, La moda in movimento verso i nuovi media, an exhibition curated by Federico Sarica, director of the Italian edition of VICE magazine and professor of fashion and new media at the European Institute of Design ModaLab in Milan. OPPURE II will showcase moving image in fashion and discuss its impact on the future of the industry. And, later this month, Diane Pernet will bring ASVOFF, her pioneering peripatetic fashion film festival, to Milan in collaboration with Vogue Italia.

Earlier this year, we featured the stunning short film for Fred Butler by Elisha Smith-Leverock which debuts at Pernet’s event in Milan, and today we bring you one of the featured films for OPPURE by Luca Merli. More OPPURE films can be viewed on the BoF YouTube page.

The Business of Fashion is an official media partner for OPPURE II which runs from 14 May 2010 – 27 June 2010 at Spazio Monotono run by Cristiano Seganfreddo in Vicenza, Italy

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