The Day The Internet Blew Up

With the a lot of the hoopla and excitement settled after yesterday, I have finally gathered my thoughts and here's what I think…

As I'm sure all of you know, the Vogue April cover was released yesterday and Kimye are the chosen ones to grace the cover. The Internet and Twitter world basically blew it's head off and many many people were not happy, most especially the loyal readers who have been reading the magazine for what seemed like years. 

Sarah Michelle Geller also made a statement by tweeting she would be canceling her Vogue subscription.

The issue hasn't even hit the newsstands and Anna Wintour, Editor-In-Chief, already defended her decision with what appears to either be her Editor's Letter that appears in the magazine every month or a well-crafted, last minute rebuttal to all the backlash.

Let's also not forget the fact that both Kanye and Kim were on the cover, a move that looks like PR was smeared all over it and was perhaps what made Anna finally pull the trigger.

And of course, Kimye moved their wedding up from July to May not too long ago, perhaps a  indication of the cover to come.

This actually all brings me back to when JcPenney swapped out their old and loyal customers for new, younger ones. Vogue better hope their new customer can spend some money on clothing.

And than there is my opinion left... 

Well if you look at the picture below, I think it sums it up pretty well. I've collected Vogue magazines for 5+ years, a loyal and avid reader who loved the mix of intellectual articles with fashion from the world's fashion Bible. 

However, with the latest stunt pulled, I believe in continuing that fashion and intellect with another choice. 

Final thoughts: Whether the magazines sells a ba-gillion issues or heads start rolling, Vogue has officially become something else….

And it's up to you to follow or not.

Designers Vs. Economy

Are designers having a harder time designing in this economy? 

The mystical and magical aspects of the typical runway show went away for awhile when the economy took it's first big hit a few years ago. And maybe not literally a physical aspect disappearing, but the vibes were present. Buyers had to be more conscientious of what they were buying because of possible mark downs down the road. 

From then, they have been gradually working their way back, but as employers have been used to the fact of having less employees with more work, the shopping habits have been going the same way. 

It seems like many people are looking for the lower priced versions of these designer clothing, aka the fast fashion retailers. 

But how do we get those same people back for the real deal?

The fact that the industry is becoming more accessible to Suzy homemaker is a big answer to that question. 

When they started the Fashion Night's Out, which expanded across the U.S and into many other countries, designers, industry professionals and celebrities were on call to promote shopping and bring the fun back into it. 

Vogue came out with The September Issue movie which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the magazine's infamous September issue and in turned made you feel like you were part of that fantasy world.

When Alexander McQueen's Met show opened, over 600,000 people came to see the elaborate embellishments and the well-made clothing that typically only people at the fashion shows see. Hopefully this instilled a quality that people turned to again.

Even just having more PR going into this world such as the fashion news sites and bloggers have helped bring more awareness. 

With the economy showing a difference from those first years, hopefully designers can keep integrating the fantasy world back into their collections and the shoppers will follow.

Photos from www.smufashionmedia.com and jennacommunications.com

The Fashion/Cool Girl Stigma - Why Can't You Be Interested In Fashion And Smart?

Anna Wintour said it best when she stated just because you want to wear a beautiful Carolina Herrera dress or a pair of J Brand blue jeans doesn't mean you're a dumb person.

This type of logic is what hinders the fashion industry from growing. Is this why we've resorted to celebrities to pump up and ignite the fire?

Whenever you read a magazine from cover to cover, it doesn't mean your vocabulary or thought process isn't established. In fact, many magazine articles relate back to real world issues, whether they be health or politics.
Whenever you're reading a book on Christian Louboutin or Chanel, you're studying real world history and educating yourself. Just because many of these books are coffee table reads that educate with many pictures as well as words, does not mean that you can't read. 
When your out shopping and choosing to buy a silk top from Saks Fifth Avenue rather than a cotton one from a fast fashion retailer, maybe it's because of the real world factory issues in other countries and/or where the design is truly coming from. 
The industry is lucky to have extremely intelligent people in the form of designers, product development, retailers, manufacturers, editors, etc. I mean who else could have created a multi billion dollar business.
If you go to a fashion school for a merchandising or design degree, you're getting involved in something that everyone partakes in and wears everyday: clothing/shoes/accessories.
Without that, we'd all be walking around in our birthday suits and how ordinary and boring that would be.