The name alone must sell

Is it me or has this been happening to you too? You absorb so much information daily, you start to forget where you read/saw/heard what. For instance, I know this week I read that sales at Gucci have been exploding,and that the company moved product past the 2 billion dollar mark. I remember reading that the new store on 5th Ave at Trump Tower was a sumptuous extravaganza of unmatched awe and spectacle with a stunning view of the avenue from all of it's floors. Most of all we were assured Frida Giannini knew what she was doing. She had feminized the brand. Made it warmer and more spontaneous and accessible. The message of the PR spin was, (and it was written this bluntly in the article)... “Tom who? “.
Now weigh all that information against the reviews the last Gucci show has garnered. The general temperature? Lukewarm, much of it on the order of “This Will Sell Well. Especially In Russia” In her diplomatic review of the show , Cathy Horyn in the NY Times made reference to Gildo Zegna, the chief executive of Zegna, as saying this week that 20 percent of his company’s sales now come from new markets such as Russia, India and Brazil with profit margins said to be higher than those of the “ established markets."
This then leads me to a thought that has been bugging me as a dedicated consumer of designer fashion. What is it that drives me to buy? The reviews of fashion critics? (In my case, no) . The packaging and PR done in the glossy fashion magazines (Somewhat, especially if the magazine is “renegade/independent” like Fantastic Man).

Faye Dunaway gives maximum drama Eyes Of Laura Mars

I just opened a preview of a new edit that V mag sent over last night. It is a story featuring Linda Evangelista and Raquel Zimmerman referencing "Eyes Of Laura Mars", a film so 70's not only does it star Faye Dunaway, it has Barbara Streisand wailing the theme song, Helmut Newton shots standing in for the work of "Laura Mars" and cameos by Studio 54 fixtures like Sterling St. Jacques. It is a fun weekend watch and a great primer for really getting into the nuances of the V edit. Will Linda channel Dunaway for the scene where Laura has to flee down a pier, dressed in overlapping layers of wool, tweed and cashmere in a vain effort to stop a murder she just "saw" in her psychic mind. Can't wait to upload the V 52 sneak peek over at MDC tmrw.

The anticipation is building for the Balenciaga FW 08

Well full disclosure...past a few hints and confusing clues ("leather and skins"..."ecclesiastic"..."triangulated" )the Paris chapter of the Hiss Squad cannot seem to penetrate Balenciaga's Paris atelier. But we do have an assurance that this collection with be "major, major, major". Three majors make a moment no? Will fill in more clues as they trickle in.

Specialten Magazine is breaking new ground

TI would like to welcome Specialten magazine to our growing group of friends and family. The concept of a bi-monthly publication on DVD is seriously brilliant and is a really efficient way to crash course through current art/design/fashion and music culture. Here's the official words straight from the mag. Check out the current issue at specialten.com.

‘Specialten’ the bi-monthly publication on Dvd, was founded in 2002 by Marcus Black and Fabio Sebastianelli.

The magazine itself is a unique format made up of a heavy card gatefold cover that in one side holds a colour booklet of 24 pages, displaying artwork and illustration relevant to the issue. On the other side, the cover holds a print on A4 card that is submitted by a designer, illustrator, photographer or artist. Each of these prints is exclusive to Specialten and has previously included work from Jamie Hewlett, Obey, Terry Gilliam, Sssr, among others. Together with this print is the Dvd itself.

At around 2 hours in length, each issue includes music video, interviews, documentaries and short films. These have covered artists and musicians ranging from Bonnie Prince Billy, to Be Your Own Pet, from Don Letts to Cat Power. There have been features with directors such as Terry Gilliam, actor Samantha Morton, award-winning films from Cannes, Sundance, Bafta, Berlin and Toronto festivals.

Oraine by Gregory Vaughn

TI has certain set of fixtures and photographer Gregory Vaughn is becoming one of them. We love these pictures he snapped of Jamaica's finest Oraine .The clean clarity and the consistency of Greg's work is really well developed for someone who only recently took up the camera. These are outtakes from an upcoming John Bartlett spot but we can totally see them becoming posters. I remain a Bartlett fan because through the years he's managed to remain so grounded and unaffected. I love too that this Major Model Mgmt. MVP is rocking it out both editorially (everything from Arena Homme + to ID and Vogue Italia w Meisel) and commercially (his Lord's and Taylor's is everywhere!) . His ease and athletic grace on camera is not a common thing. Which means he'll definitely be a fixture on these pages in the future.

St Margeret: Francisco Zurbaran

In hunting for clues as to where a certain directional Paris designer will turn next, TI has been encouraged to get into the work of Francisco Zurbaran, a 16th century Spanish painter known for his depictions of monks, nuns and martyrs. Well you can totally see how all this interesting layering could be modernized. Severe...Spanish...martyr...hmmmmm.

Rad Hourani FW 08: The Look Book

Rad just sent the new look book over so I thought I'd share. I love that he placed all the red looks dead center! Which is where red should always be, no? Click on picture, then choose "original" to get the image full size.

Cutting Up with Cut Copy.

Hooray! The new Cut Copy's here! Beats, drawl, drama ...now just add high heels, champagne , cigarettes and a guest list and we have a Paris Fashion Week party anthem!

Shalom Harlow: PH: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin: Purple Magazine Vollume III, Issue 8

I've been trying to sort out the fate of "Pretty Much Everything, Volume One" the massive Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin monograph that covers 20 years of their photography. It was supposed to have been published in January of 2007 by 7L , but a year later...no sign. The infamous opening at the Matthew Marks Gallery (The Now People Part 2: Life on Earth.) certainly whetted a lot of appetites. My hissers tell me the Matthew Marks nation had never seen that much drama, status coats and statements handbags in years upon years. Other than that, hopes for a catching a comprehensive chronicle of the late 90's work of Inez and Vinoodh are scant, that is unless you visit the airdeparis.com page that hosts several brilliant examples of their images of 10 years ago. This is where the commercial machine of Inez and Vinoodh had first started revving via the work for the Balenciaga campaign, Visionaire and V. There are brilliant glimpses of how past exhibitions of the work has been staged at mmparis.com as well as 926 archival images at artandcommerce.com. In any case if you know the story on the glitch RE: Pretty Much Everything, hiss it here. An anoynmous poster had given us a wondeful update on the whereabouts of I+V's Art and Commerce agent. Might that well informed tipster know something?

Hotel Raphael: Can you spot the Turner ?

Hotel Raphael on Avenue Klebler in Paris will be the official TI/Hiss Squad HQ for this season's shows precisely because it is located between the Grand Palais and Palais de Tokyo. But here are the 10 other reason's why we love it so.