Tiny Dancer's FASHIONOSOPHY

NATAR / YASTROBNIK

Since starting this blog I feel like I have not complained enough - well, not as much as I should have - on the fashion cycle phenomenon. I have only mentioned it a few times, yet I seem to be consumed with boredom on this apparent lack of new ideas. The new season trends to hit the shops for the summer of 2007 are great but to say that I am completely covered would be a lie, as I am dying to see something different hitting the fashion world. Thus I was delightted to find out fresh talents spring up in the local scene.

The names Demos Natar and Thomas Yastrobnik probably draw a huge questionmark to the rest of you, yet they are becoming increasingly popular in this little side of the world. Personally I consider them to be some of the freshest and most unique talents around at the moment, and the words "absolutely fascinating" is the least I could say of their work. Their creations are glamorous, with theatrical elements and an air of luxury and passion infused upon them. The cutting and the composition of fabrics, the delicate weaving, the beautiful hand-made work, everything seems original and lustful.

I would definetely say their garments are merely just clothes. Pieces of art definetely, little masterpieces, that have a character of their own, and I 'd defy anyone not to see something new and original here. I have spotted their creations on local TV stars and media people, and I can always tell it's them, such a distinctive look their clothes have. Prices aren't on the cheap side though so I should probably start saving up if I intend to make a Natar / Yastrobnik addition to my wardrobe.

Their shop opened just a few months ago but is constantly going strong, and I hear that their venture is slowly expanding, with their clothes also being available in the UK and the Czech Republic. I have actually met the two designers and I have to say that apart from being super-stylish and gorgeous, they were extremely polite, down-to-earth and sweet. One crazy night I stopped by their shop window and started taking pictures like a complete nutter, just to get a sneak preview for the blog. My sight caused a bit of laughter among a group of passers-by who exclaimed  in a funny tone the word "Spies!", on observing my weird antics! Heh! More on the designer duo, with more photos of their work very very soon.

A MILLER VENTURE

Predicted it should have been, yet I did not see this fashion team-up coming. She is a hollywood actress, attracting more attention for her style choices (and her Jude Law relationship) rather than her movie career and acting abilities. Her sister, a Central Saint Martin's graduate, is a designer who often custom-makes garments for her famous sibling. And there you have it, the perfect fashion formula!

Sienna and Savannah Miller have announced the launch of their clothing line that will be called Twenty8Twelve, after Sienna's birthday. The first collection, compiled of 80 pieces and inspired by "Dickensian London", will be entitled “An Anthology of Rebellion”and is bound to hit the shops by the fall of 2007.

I am quite sure the sibling-duo are very aware and will be taking full advantage of their ace up their sleeves, being Sienna's trendsetter material and her ability to turn everything she wears into major trends. Sienna however seems very determined to incorporate her influence in all stages of production rather than siply sell an image, and stated that “this isn’t about just lending a name to something and not really being involved”. Still, I can foresee her prancing around celebville in their creations, thus giving popularity to the line. I am actually quite intrigued by this new venture and if the Miller sisters play it cleverly enough they could probably hit a goldmine and make it really big in the fashion scene. Gucci beware, the Millers are coming at ya!  

WHO IS WHO

Being a passionate-for-fashion gal, I always spend a considerable amount of my time flicking through magazines scrutinizing people, hairstyles, trends and outfits. Designer fashion has always been fascinating and inspiring, plus it looks great on models, but what about the real people? Can they actually pull it off?

Thus, my attention has always been captivated by street fashion, the fashion of the real people. Blogs like the Sartorialist and Face Hunter featuring street fashion have actually been such an online hit mainly because of the approachability and wearability they infuse to fashion trends, as well as the plethora of original ideas fashion-lovers can track down from other trend-setters.

Cyprus has seen it all a bit different though in the "street-fashion" scene. With Fashion Police pages, it doesn't seem like a celebration of fashion but a route to making a mockery of one's style choices. As a bunch of mixed up thoughts have occupied my mind for a while, I thought I 'd share a few observations, just to get them off my chest.

"Strangely" enough, you always seem to get all these recycled faces, these rich, polished, groomed-to-the-last-cell ladies wearing their high labels and their every-inch-designer outfits on the "in" pages. The pictures are always accompanied by extra flattering commentary of course, with full details on which designer each of them is wearing. As for the "out" pages, well they are always filled with all these regular "unknown" women, just "nobodies", with less than perfect bodies and some sort of fashion disorientation. It seems like the photographers have been doing "a good job" taking very specific pictures of normal women with - yes - unflatterring outfits, yet oddly enough not once has a common mortal been featured in any of the best dressed pages.

I walk around the city all the time and I see exceptionally beautiful women wearing garments from the high street - maybe a few with a hint of the designer element - yet looking nothing less but mesmerizing, with far more interesting looks than the supposedly "elite" ladies. This country is probaly one of the very few places on earth where people are somebodies because of their money. Understandable it may be in a population of less than a million, where everyone knows everybody, and with the lack of a proper star system which means that - and I am stating this without meaning to sound insulting - importers of electrical appliances, civil enjineers, advertisers, supermarket and boutique owners, and other local businessmen/women become the "celebrities", "the hot stars", and of course the regulars at such columns, being featured as the most beautiful, the most fashionable and the most stylish of the cypriot kind.

But fashion is not represented in the wardrobe of a woman with unlimited money and a closet filled to the brim with all the latest designer creations. Fashion is reflected upon the wardrobe of a regular woman who might be a bit strapped for cash, but is constantly experimenting with all her raw material, taking advantage of all her sources, recycling her older clothes and updating her wardrobe every season with new items of the key-trends and while putting her personal nifty touches to her outfits manages to look exquisite.

Just to make a clarification, this post does not turn against all these wealthy ladies. I mean, they just happen to be financially priviledged, with overflowing bank accounts and flourishing family businesses - luck on them. My problem stands within the editors of these lifestyle magazines, who have created this provocative and pretentious, I dare say, culture of the newly-riched "elite".

And one thought for the finale: What gives you real style and commendable existence is not a mount-everest-sized pile of bank notes. What you are and what you have achieved in your life as a person is what truly makes you somebody.

I CANT BELIEVE IT'S NOT MARC JACOBS!

It is a given fact that high street shops knock-up designer-style stuff very quickly, sometimes too quickly, even before the actual designer collections hit the shops. To our delight, the high street has made the designs much more accessible as the garments normally come cheaper and in wallet-friendly versions, which however often responds to a drop in terms of quality. But what should be considered more wise: to save-up and invest in the designer version or go for the cheap high street alternative?

Cube is a great shopping destination and definitely one of the hottest spots to splurge some cash. With quite spicy prices but also all the spiciest hottest labels, it stores among others my dearest and very popular at the moment Marc Jacobs..And a great selection of the brand's shoes that as expected come with a not so great price tag. 

Thus, Cube was where I tracked down a lovely pair of Marc Jacobs tower-high patent pumps, which I just had to have. However, thinking of my credit-card-balance fiasco after a potential Marc purchase, I let go of my "Marc" dream and out of nowhere decided to head to Bershka, a shop where I rarely get in, to drown my sorrow. Apparently, I' m not really a fan of the particular high street label, as I think it offers cheap disposable fashion at quite often very cheap quality. Then again opinions should be revised as Bershka was the place where at that exact afternoon I managed to get my Marc Jacobs knock-offs! Patent, violet and utterly gorgeous, the chunky heel bow pumps were just what I had been looking for. Actually, I think they look much cuter than the original designer version. I have very often thought of saving up an amount worth of a few hundreds to get something flashy and designery, but every time hundreds of cheap high street equivalents cross my mind..well, and the plan just sinks!

THE RETURN OF THE SADDLE BAGS

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• After a winter of riding suits, boots and hats (the very successful Balenciaga winter collection for 2006), spring welcomes yet another addition to the rider pact: the brand new generation of the Dior saddle bags. Nothing like Balenciaga's sharp and severe lines, the saddle bags resemble the horse’s saddle yet in more refined way and feminine shape, and are usually decorated with heavy embellishments and colourful embroidery, with the signature CD charms along the shoulder strap.

• Ten years after their successful debut at the house of Dior, and after being featured on the shoulders of fashionable celebrities and other fashionistas, John Galliano has remade the iconic bag and has come up with twelve new designs. The new bags are inspired by Galliano's trips around the world and one in particular has been inspired by the UK's royal family and its long history of kings and queens.

• Still I am not quite sure whether the return of the saddle bags will make the same impact on the public as when they first came out. Personally, I have grown out of these bags whilst a few years ago, I absolutely hearted them. But since then, almost a decade later, there has been a shift in aesthetics, and trends in shape, fabrics and decoration have changed. Without meaning to fall into the trap of labelling something as out of fashion, I should note that other notorious bags,like the Hermes Birking Bag, or the Chanel pleated bad, have preserved their number one status over the years partly because of their classic shapes and colours. Thus, I am a bit sceptic about the comeback, but I guess I 'll just have to wait and see how it is perceived by the fashion world and of course the media, who play an important role in defining the trends.

PS: the pictures in the blog are previous versions of the saddle bags, for no matter how badly I searched the net I was not able to track down any pictures of the new generation. 

LILO FOR MIU MIU

Fashion houses have quite often picked mainstream names of music and hollywood stars to do their advertising campaigns, targeting on their household material to give their collections a sale boost and more recognition among the public. This time it was Miu Miu's turn to "turn heads" with its new campaign featuring Lilo, otherwise known as Lindsay Lohan. As for the glossy photoshoot, it combines different elements that seem to work well together and give out an exceptional result: the pale alabaster complexion and bright red lips, the fiery auburn red hair, and the combination of the blue with the red shiny fabrics and greyish-blue background with the odd touch of the purple bag, they all seem to contribute to an exquisite result.

However, is it just me or does anyone else think the girl in the picture looks nothing like Lindsay Lohan? Not just because her body has obviously been retouched and made with longer legs as well as given some sort of hourglass figure with a teensy weensy waist, but her face also looks completely altered, as if its is a completely different person. Nothing seems to remind of poor old Lindsay. Still, it might be the size of the picture that doesnt enable a more detailed examination of her facial features, but I 'll probably be able to reach more conclusions when I see the actual photo in a large splash across the pages of a fashion magazine.

As for the selection of the particular Hollywood starlet, I have to say I get quite annoyed by Lindsay Lohan, even though I like her outfits. I don't think she has done anything to deserve the attention and the limelight has turned upon her without even having any major achievements under her belt. She has starred in some terrible, and in the best of cases medium quality bubble-gum sugar-coated films, did some cheesy pop-rock songs attempting to launch a pop career, and she only started getting tabloid attention causing scandals with her personal life, body weight and lifestyle..ok and fashion choices after hiring Rachel Zoe to do her styling. And now she is on the Miu Miu campaign. That's all great news for her but I think it's about time Lindsay proved herself with her professional life and work.

SALE-ING

It's again that time of the year when the sales hit the shops, and when everyone seems to go crazy. The most frightening sales-situation I have seen was about two years ago, at a Mango shop, which on entering looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. With very few clothes all knotted up with the hangers on the rails, some others mixed up on the racks and everything else piled on the floor, literally all over the place even in changing rooms, it completely resembled a wicked battlefield.

It is a given that lower prices somehow spark our animal consumer instict. But then there comes the main trap of buying something just for the sake of it being cheap. I have often caught myself reaching out for things I have in similar versions, or things I don't need or don't particularly like or never have noticed previously, just because of a delicious price tag. Then again, I have picked up some of my loved-up items on sales that I got a lot wear out of and still treasure like gold. Thus, sales are a good opportunity to stock up on great items so long that, as with any purchase, you make wise and carefully thought investments.

I have already mentioned my attempts to save up for "the bargain days to come", and I believe I have made some really good purchases. The only downside is that I have been shopping from brands with shops all over the world like Mango and Zara, so more girls will probably be wearing my items, but sadly the Cyprus market doesn't really leave many options in sales-shopping. Still, I am very very pleased with my new wardrobe additions. Here's a taste.

 

Cream-beige pixie leather slouchy flat boots.

Floral boho wool scarf.

Leather oversized brown bag.

Embellished top and silk polka-dot shirt.

THE COLOUR OF BLUE

According to StyleBytes, royal blue seems to be a big hit for this summer. After a winter of solid and rather dark colours the summer collections are once again bringing back the more vibrant and full of life part of the colour palette. Royal blue seems to work well with brunettes as it makes a nice contrast with dark hair and olive skin tone (apparently my physical characteristics). As I am a particularly big fan of this shade of blue, I am on the lookout for anything royal-tastic.

I am already the proud owner of a silk blue top from Mango, purchased a couple of years ago but still loved to bits but I have also spotted a similarly-coloured dress in AdoreVintage which I am hoping to grab, provided that sizing and everything is ok. It's been in the site for over a month, maybe a month and half, which is quite annoying as I am still waiting for it to be available in the shop.

I am quite sure that there will be some options on the colour of blue available from the high street as well. The new collections are due to hit the shops any time now so I should be on the lookout. And if nothing else works I can still make a garment out of this silky fabric I got about a year and a half ago from my favourite fabric store. I have already roughly sewn it into this dress, which however needs more work and a proper finishing so I am bound to keep myself busy for the next couple of weeks.

A SWEET ENCOUNTER

Sometimes life can be refreshingly surprising. You often discover that a moment, a random incident, or even fate, as some prefer to call it, gives you by what it seems a complete chance, and in the most impossible places, what you may have been looking for in ages.

I can't say for sure if it was just pure randomness or fate that led me to that old alley that particular sunny Saturday afternoon. What I am aware of is that as I was once again walking around the little alleys looking for off-the-beaten-track shops in the old town of Nicosia to grasp one-of-a-kind garments, I felt the inexplicable urge to turn into a small unkept grassy alley. That was when my eyes caught sight of Demetrakis Georgiadis, well..and the eye burning colour of a patent bright-red clutch bag!

Mr Demetrakis, an old craftsman sitting on an tattered straw-pleated chair, in a background composed of scraps of leather fabrics, studs, buckles, dozens of tools, belts belts belts and that gorgeous patent bag, greeted me with a huge smile and a quite high mood for talking. As it occured from my little unofficial "interviewing", he has been working in his little workshop for over sixty years, making belts and other leather accessories and selling them to women that want to get something unique and different that you can't easily track down in the market. At eighty years old his vivacity seemed to have gone no under with his creative spirit at its peak and his adoration and persistence to work and create still flourishing. He was absolutely adorable, so sweet and polite, with a huge smile and sparkling eyes, that would go even brighter especially when talking of his work.

We chatted at great length over his life and family, his grand- daughter (apparently as pretty as me,words cited,hehe!), the recycling tenderness of fashion and how waisted / elasticated / patent belts and bags that are now considered to be fashionable are actually vintage-inspired and used to be greatly favoured by the female shopping public some decades ago (another proof on that designers seem to have run out of fresh and innovative ideas).

The best part of the encounter was the opportunity wonder around, explore the workshop and riffle through what seemed like a gazillion of vintage belts. Despite giving me an elasticated belt I had expressed liking for as a gift, Mr Demetrakis insisted on me taking the patent bag and another belt for free, an offer that touched me (and I' m pretty sure that the thought would never cross the mind of other well-established designers who 'd make the big bucks) but which I did not have the heart to accept.

I walked away with a huge smile on my face, the elasticated belt and my newly purchased fire-red patent bag under my shoulder. A couple of weeks later I stopped by his little workshop once again. He was sitting exactly on the same spot, resting his body upon his old battered chair, working miracles with his hands and creating another belt.

He did not seem to remember me though, but I still found the opportunity to trawl for more one-off treasures, an attempt which eventually resulted in the purchase of a bright-blue suede belt to colour-up my outfits.

PS: A few days ago a friend was sporting this black leatherette envelope-clutch bag in exactly the same shape and design as my patent one, apparently a purchase made from Faith back in the UK. I neglected to ask details on the price tag yet I 'm pretty sure it cost more than my hand-crafted version, despite being of lower quality, something that could easily be observed. Hence my even bigger excitement for discovering this sweet miracle-maker craftsman!

THE BIBA EXPERIENCE VOL. I

The arrival of my butterfly necklace may have infused enthusiasm into the freshly arrived New Year but what would really lift my spirit would be the arrival of this collectable BIBA poster. Coming straight from the 1970s with a gold printed Biba Logo at the top left hand corner, the poster that never saw the light of the actual shop was my triumphant purchase a few days ago, after a five-hour-long ebay digging and trawling.

BIBA may be unknown to quite a few but back in the 1970s the label was very happening. Barbara Hulanicki's (founder and designer of the label) brilliantly original, disposable cheap-and-fast-fashion-for-teenagers concept, made BIBA loved-a-plenty to the public and turned it into a whole culture and lifestyle. That was until the BIBA label closed down in 1975 following the moto "live fast, die young".

The buzz has however been building up after the label's re-launch and re-invention with designer Bella Freud (yes, she does have some famous background with her grandfather being the very famous Sigmount Freud). Freud's Biba is reemerging in a completely different context with with sky-high price tags and a designer concept behind it, something that caused intense reaction from the vintage BIBA fanbase and Hulanicki herself. 

At 25BP with a 7.50 BP for postage the poster doesn't come cheap but considering it's historical and fashion worth I would say it is a great investment and memorabilium. As for BIBA, expect a more extensive reference soon in another post, but by then you can check out the entire designer collection at Style.com.