Last week I told you about my visit to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) for Evolution of the Fashion Runways: A Photographer's Viewpoint ~ Maria Chandoha Valentino, a fashion runway photographer, who discussed her more than 20-year career on the runaways around the world. She shared her - inside - perspective on how it all started and the 'evolution' of the runaways shows through her personal experiences shooting runway shows in the top fashion capitals of the world.
She talked how both the fashion and photography industries have dramatically changed over the years, and how the standards and expectations of both professionals behind the scenes and those of the designers' themselves can no longer satisfy even the most worldly - and 'have-it-seen-all' crowd - who back in the days were satisfied with a warehouse runaway, and now wanting more in terms of the 'performance' and 'presentation' department.
She shared with us the examples of those designers who were able to fascinate the crowd and how they did it back in the days, from Jean-Paul Gaultier's Fall 1994 Nordic Fantasy show to Thierry Mugler's Anniversary Show in 1995.
Thierry Mugler's Anniversary Show in 1995
Thierry Mugler's Anniversary Show in 1995
Jean-Paul Gaultier's Fall 1994 Nordic Fantasy
Here is why those designers who made a name for themselves in the 1980s are still not only around, but are still being considered the best of the best in show now, and whose runaway shows are impossible to get in...
It's been my fifth year in a row spending Christmas in College Station, Texas - a town that I would have never thought I'd end up going to more than I do to any other places in the world. [How many times I wished my parents settled in places like Paris, London, Florence, Split, Berlin, or at least - in San Francisco and/or Washington, DC - the places that I'd be more than happy to visit them at more often!] So, it's a true battle when the holidays or vacation times come - to go visit my parents in Texas or to go to Paris, Amsterdam or Tokyo - or places I've never visited before? - a battle that I often loose in favor of my parents, and, thus - in favor of the little Texan town, College Station...
Bright pinks and blues, neon greens and yellows - the Spring has arrived and the fashion world is telling us that as much as we love our blacks, browns and beige, it's time to add some color to our wardrobes, just as the Japanese and Italians have been always doing it.
Yesterday I met the creative force behind one of the greatest versions of the Vogue magazines in the world - Vogue Italia . I've met Franca Sozzani , the Editor-in-Chief, who has been with Vogue Italia since 1988 and who came to the Museum at FIT to share her wisdom - [ you should have seen the line of people, some of which really looked like serious fashionistas, to the auditorium to meet with Sozzani! Good thing I've booked it way in advance! ] To say that this woman is brilliant is an understatement, she is beyond the visionary. She is also hilarious and is not afraid to push the envelope. Her bold statements in regards to how the fashion industry works and what goes into the production of one of the most prestigious fashion magazines in the world once again proved, why she's been considered one of the most controversial editors in the history of Vogue. She shared with us the things that most of the fashion industry players are afraid to say out-loud....
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