Window shopping & moving

You are window shopping some day (or everyday), you move slightly... and/or dance in front of the mannequins... and suddenly they do the same movements like you!

This is now possible in Tokyo, thanks to clothing store United Arrows. 

They are called MarionetteBots (half mannequin, half robot) and mimic the movements of anyone who is passing by. MarionetteBots are created by the agency TBWA Hakuhodo (very creative website, recommended!) and use Kinect technology.

First goal, get people's attention - done!
But, will they enter the stores /and purchase items or just have fun in front of the window displays? Hopefully we can get soon an evaluation from United Arrows :)

Info: adweek.com, fayerwayer.com
Image:  adweek.com

No. 5

They say people associate certain odours with certain persons, objects and memories. 

I associate one particular perfume with one of my aunts, because she usually "wears" it at special events. And that's how I first knew about Coco Chanel and thought, "wow, how cool that person must be to call him/herself like an exotic fruit!" Coincidentally, I love coco, so that person gained a place in my ranking of top people. Aaah.. kids' stuff.. When I later knew it wasn't her real name (when I knew it was actually a woman)...

Gabrielle Chanel was a cabaret singer and used to perform “Ko Ko Ri Ko” and “Qui qu’a vu Coco?” Later, the audience began calling her “Coco,” the refrain in both songs. I've also found on Internet that all that is a popular story, that actually Coco comes from "coquette" (flirt).

For the first time, the most feminine fragance in the world to be represented by a man... who? ;)

Mademoiselle Chanel used to describe No. 5 as "a woman's perfume with a woman's scent." And she added, "a woman's scent should be as important as her style of dress."

The chemical formula for Chanel No. 5 was created in 1921 by Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. Until today, it is the best-selling and most famous frangance in the world.

 

But, why that name, that mysterious code of No. 5? 

Mademoiselle Chanel preferred the 5th perfume sample Beaux presented to her (among over other 80 scents).  Others say that it's because of her belief in the magical luck-giving quality of number 5. Besides, according to wikipedia, she chose no. 5 because "I present my dress collections on the fifth of May, the fifth month of the year and so we will let this sample number five keep the name it has already, it will bring good luck." 

Oh, J'adore  Audrey Tatou's performing "Qui qu'a vu Coco", 

in the movie Coco before Chanel (Coco avant Chanel).

So... 

what's your scent? 

 

Video about Chanel No. 5 by Chanel

Info: appellation mountain, thepopcan

Image: newlydomesticated, visionaryartistrymag, moviechopshop

Un señor y otras historias griegas

"ZORBA ME MOLA."

Eso fue lo que dijo un señor tras ver Zorba el Griego, estrenada en 1964 y adaptación de una novela del mismo nombre, escrita por Nikos Kazantzakis. Cuenta la historia de "un personaje casi místico, luchador, amante de la vida, con ganas de progresar y de transmitir esfuerzo y alegría" que le cambia la vida a Basil, un tímido escritor inglés que llega a Creta por motivos de trabajo. Este espíritu carpediem fue transmitido a su vez a ese señor espectador, el cual justamente, buscaba un nombre para su primer (y único...) negocio. Así que fue corriendo a registrar el nombre pero la motivación le duró poco porque Zorba ya estaba registrado como marca y patente. Pero, al igual que Zorba, no se dio por vencido y se puso a jugar con las letras, a consultarlo con su gente y con la almohada.... hasta que dio con una preciosa palabra que a día de hoy asociamos con exitazo seguro: ZARA. 

*Curiosidades lingüísticas:

1. zara (del quechua "sara") f. *Maíz (planta gramínea).

       2. zara (del hebreo) La llena de luz ; llena de flores, florecer o florida.

*Curiosidad cinematográfica: 
El papel protagonista de Zorba supuso para el actor Anthony Quinn el exitazo de su carrera.

 Zorba (Anthony Quinn) and Basil (Alan Bates) dancing on the beach. 

Were they the pioneers of Gagnamstyle's philosophy?: 
"Dress Classy and Dance Cheesy."

SHALL WE DANCE?

 ///

"ZORBA IS COOL."

That's what a man said after watching Zorba The Greek, released in 1964 and a novel adaptation of the same name, written by Nikos Kazantzakis. It tells the story of "a character almost mystical, fighter, life lover, with passion for progress, effort and joy" who changes the life of Basil, a shy English writer who arrives to Crete on a matter of business. Such carpediem spirit was transmitted at the same time to that spectator, who was just looking for a name for his first (and only one...) business. So he hurried up and register the name but sadly found that the name was already registered as a brand and patent. However, like Zorba, he did not give up and started to play with the letters, to ask for advice from his people... until he bumped into a beautiful name, that we link today to a guaranteed success: ZARA. 

*Linguistic curiosity:

1. ZARA (Arabic: زهرة, Hebrew: זָרָה): Compare with masculine Zara.
   1. Hebrew name meaning "stranger." 
   2. Variant spelling of Arabic Zahrah, meaning "blooming flower."
    
2. ZARAMAMA: Quechua myth name of the Inca goddess of grain, meaning "grainmother." 

*Movie curiosity:
Leading role of Zorba brought Anthony Quinn the biggest success of his entire career.
  
 
Info: "Zara. Visión y estrategia de AMANCIO ORTEGA."
Image: filmquotesdb, crochetgeek 

What's a fashion victim?

Inès Marie Laetitia Eglantine Isabelle de Seignard de la Fressange

Behind that long name, it's the French style icon, Inès de la Fressange. Supermodel in 1980 and Karl Lagerfeld's muse for Chanel. She was recently crowned France's Most Stylish Woman. Ines is a brand ambassador for the luxury shoe line of Roger Vivier. She is the Face of L'Oreal & author of a 2011 book Parisian Chic: A Style Guide.

She has her own collections.  

I usually don't pay attention to the models but Inès de la F's attitude toward fashion and life has got me.

"You could be from anywhere in the world and become a real parisian. 
It's a lifestyle, an atmosphere, an attitude... a way of life: "the french touch". 
A Cosmopolitan parisian, a travelling nomad, a lover of life, active and dynamic, proud of being frivolous, bubbly and witty."

I don't know what is to be a Parisian, not to say a real Parisian. But I agree with the cosmopolitan touch, the travelling nomad and a lover of life. And personally, so far, such motto has gone well...

In the following interview we can see a natural (I think to believe) woman commenting on the eternal question: 

"What's a fashion victim?"

"Someone who would wear things that doesn't fit him just because he thinks that it is fashion or for fun or to be absolutely different, just with his outfit, not with his mind. 
Usually... a fashion victim is beyond being a stupid."

Yes, I agree with you, Ms. de la Fressange.

What do you think?
Who rules fashion?


Introduction info: pinterest 
Image: vogue.fr

Sketch introductorio

ADVERTENCIA: 
This isn't a conventional (what's that) fashion blog, about fashion trends and what's not, posh people, "rien de rien". Here I will just put some curious facts or fabrics around the world of la mode, from a non-fashion perspective. I don't consider myself any fashionist or fashion victim, although I must confess that in some moment of my life (maximum twice) I have got up early to attack sales in Pull&Bear. I never imagined myself to be in touch with the topic of fashion, until I had to consider it for my thesis. 
As I have been reading about the history of fashion, designers, brands, theories of fashion, etc, I have realized that there are a lot of very interesting things, those you can use when playing Trivial. The world of fashion is generally considered frivolous, harsh, only suitable for people who are in the fashion world. By posting some interesting facts about fashion, I will try to humanize that world. Although my real objective is to create an extra notebook, since I can't include those facts with no theoretical base in my thesis, therefore I just do this to have fun and entertain my brain.

  ///

Este no es ningún blog de moda, ni de tendencias y no tendencias, ni de niñas pijas y niños de papá, ni de sugerencias a la hora de vestir, "rien de rien". Aquí sólo voy a ir pegando retales curiosos sobre el mundo de la moda, desde una perspectiva non-fashion. Efectivamente, nunca he sido fashionista (?), ni fashion victim (?), aunque he de reconocer que en algún momento de mi vida (a lo sumo dos veces) me he levantado temprano para atacar unas rebajas del Pull&Bear. Pero eso sí, nunca me imaginé tocar el tema de la moda. Hasta que llegó el momento de plantearme incluirlo para mi tesis. 
Al ir documentándome sobre la historia de la moda, diseñadores, marcas, teorías de la moda, y tal y pascual, me he dado cuenta de que hay cositas muy interesantes, de estas que sirven para el Trivial.  El mundo de la moda es considerado generalmente como algo frívolo, seco, pasota, sólo apto para los entendidos del tema o los tope-fashion-osea-te-queda-divino, vamos, (casi) un mundo aparte. Yo aquí voy a ir dejando las telas que encuentre por ahí, para intentar humanizar un poco ese mundillo. Aunque en realidad, lo hago con la intención de crear aquí mi cuaderno de apuntes extra, esos que no voy a poder incluir en mi tesis porque no tienen valor teórico, ya que sólo sirven para divertir y entretener al coco. 

Estereotipazo

Imagen:  de un blog de por ahí