Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Get dressed like you mean it: Dockers Spring/Summer 2013

Gotta admit, my whole life I thought Dockers was a brand for dads and boring twenty-something guys. I stand corrected. When I was invited to their spring-summer '13 collection showcase, I was promised a youthful, fun, still all-American line. That's what I saw. Tons of color, textures, slim fits. It was amazing. 

The event happened on a hotel's roofgarden. The idea was "Get dressed like you mean it", which alludes to the art of choosing an outfit for every occasion and really putting your mind into it. At first, a cool video showed the everyday routine of men while getting ready to go out. Choosing a shirt, jeans, shaving, all that. At the end of the video, the guys left the room and, SHAZAM! They were on the hotel, behind the glass walls. It was a pretty cool trick. 

// Debo admitir, toda mi vida pensé que Dockers era una marca para papás y veinteañeros aburridos. Hoy puedo decir que me han probado lo contrario. Cuando me invitaron a la presentación de su colección primavera/verano 2013, me prometieron una línea buena onda, joven con todo el estilo estadounidense de comfort. Y eso fue lo que vi. Muchos colores, texturas, entalles. Estuvo bien padre. 

El evento sucedió en el jardín de techo en un hotel. La idea era "Get dressed like you mean it" algo así como "Vístete con toda la intención y ganas", esto alude al arte de elegir un atuendo para cada ocasión y, en serio, poner toda la concentración en la tarea. Al principio mostraron un video padre que contenía la rutina de todo hombre al alistarse: bañarse, elegir la ropa, rasurarse, todo eso. Al final del video, los chavitos salían de la habitación y ¡BAM! Estaban en el hotel, tras las paredes de vidrio. Fue un truco bastante buena onda. 


After that, and between mandarin mojitos, the models walked and posed in a stage that was in front of everybody. The clothes looked great. It was mainly menswear, that made me really happy. And yeah, I loved several pieces, like the salmon chinos, the denim shirts,  the one with the blue panel and the bow ties. Man, I love bow ties. And for the girls, the dotted jeans were amazing. 

Overall, Dockers surprised me in a pleasant way. This event definitely changed the way I see the brand and I find super cool that they're taking risks with colors and fits (without losing their "all American man" seal) proving that their target market has expanded. Way to go Dockers!

// Después de eso, y entre mojitos de mandarina, los modelos caminaron y posaron en un escenario que estaba frente a todos. La ropa lució súper bien. Era casi todo para hombre, eso me hizo muy feliz. Y sí, me gustaron muchas cosas, como los chinos color salmón, las camisas de mezclilla, la que tiene un panel azul y los corbatines. AMO los corbatines. Y para mujer, los jeans moteados estaban increíbles. 

En conjunto, Dockers me dio una sorpresa agradable. El evento cambió definitivamente la percepción que tengo de la marca y se me hace muy bueno que estén tomando riesgos con colores y cortes (sin perder su esencia estadounidense), probando así que su nicho de mercado está expandiéndose. ¡Bien por Dockers!

 What do you think about Dockers? Hen.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Stylish dudes: Leon David

So, here's the deal. I launched a new sub-section for Stylish dudes. I've been interviewing some cool guys and sharing their thoughts here. Last month, the interviewee was Aussie blogger, always dapper, Ben Galbraith. This month's is 16 year old, super cool, Leon David from Germany.

// Creé una nueva subsección de Stylish dudes. He entrevistado a chavitos buena onda y compartido sus respuestas aquí. El entrevistado del mes pasado fue el bloggero australiano, siempre bien vestido, Ben Galbraith. Este mes es el súper buena onda, de 16 años, Leon David, de Alemania.

La entrevista no tiene traducción porque no me gustaría modificar las palabras de los entrevistados. Así que saquen el traductor interno que tienen, ja.

Tell me a little bit about yourself:

I'm a 16 year old, photography obsessed, student from Germany. I also love fahsion (who'd have thought it?), riding my motorcycle and watching movies. Living in Germany, respectively the little town I'm from, is okay. I mean, it's not really bad but also not very good.

Describe an average day of your life:

Uhm, on a school day, I have to get up very early (about 6 am), getting ready, driving to school, doing homework/study, meeting friends and/or take a few photos (mostly for Lookbook.nu) and watching an episode of O.C. California or some such.

What are you really passionate about?

Photography. And fashion.


How do you feel about blogging?

I'm very new with this blog-thing, so I'm never sure in which style I should write or, above all, about what, haha. But I hope to get better and inspire people with my blog.

When did you become invested in fashion; how was that process?

I really don't know. I became invested in fashion about a year ago but I have no idea why. Maybe, becasue I spent more time on websites like Tumblr or Lookbook.nu.

Who would you consider as a stylish dude from this time and why?

I know, that sounds so stereotyped and shitty, but it would be a guy who doesn't care about what people think and tries to find his own style. And he would definitely wear skinny jeans, in my opinion one of the biggest trends of the past decade. 

You're really young and have pretty cool style. How's the fashion scene in Germany for guys under 21?

I don't think there is a fashion scene for guys under 21. There's a general fashion scene but I'm not really into it. The only thing I can tell you is that in the past few weeks I had many great conversations, which simply developed via Facebook/Lookbook with boys my age all over Europe. 


I really like your photo diaries. What's your main motivation for doing them?

Thank you very much. The answer is, again, my love for photography. I just love trying to capture a city or country I visit with my photography so people get a pure impression of it. 

When you're feeling pressured or overwhelmed, what activity helps you re-find your center?

Mostly sleeping, haha, or motorcycling. 

What are some of your favourite books, TV series, musicians and artists?

Musicians: Left Boy, The XX, The Kooks, AC/DC, Eminem, Modest Mouse.

Books: The catcher in the Rye; The boy in the striped pajamas. 

TV Series: O.C. California, 90210, Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory.

Artists: Elliot Erwitt (photographer), Sebastiao Ribeiro Salgado (photographer), Cristoph Schaller (photographer and fashion blogger). 

What would you say to someone seeking general fashion advice?

Spend some time on it. Get inspiration on the internet, on the streets, in the stores, in order to find your style

Thank you very much Leon! Be sure to catch him on his blog: Round Metal; or hype/fan him at his Lookbook.nu page. I'm pretty sure he's going to be someone big, real soon!

Hen.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Mexico's Next Top Model: The finale


You know I'm not the biggest fan of Mexico's Next Top Model right? Well, I couldn't refuse an invitation to see the last episode and meet the winner. The event was held at a local newspaper headquarters and it was really cool. First, the episode was broadcast and then, Mr. Antonio González de Cosio a.k.a. my new favourite person of the Mexican fashion industry organized a fashion show with only national brands and designers. Pretty amazing.

After that, I went backstage and met some of the contestants and the eventual winner and Mexico's Next Top Model: Sahily Cordova. She's so pretty and was incredibly sweet (I think I got a crush on her, hehe). Seeing that the winner is a genuine and nice girl makes me happy.

And with her victory, another cycle of MxNTM closes and hopefully it will bring tons of success for Sahily and also for the judges. Just because the show itself isn't good (on my personal opinion) doesn't mean that the people working in it aren't incredibly talented. They truly are. Thanks again, Antonio, for inviting me, you're the best!

// Como saben, no soy el mayor aficionado de Mexico's Next Top Model. Aún así, no pude rechazar una invitación a ver el último episodio y conocer a la ganadora. El evento sucedió en los cuarteles generales del periódico Reforma y estuvo buena onda. Primero pasaron el capítulo y luego, el Sr. Antonio González de Cosío, a.k.a. mi nueva persona favorita en la industria de la moda mexicana, organizó un desfile de moda con sólo marcas y diseñadores mexicanos. Muy muy padre.

Después de eso, fui tras bastidores y conocí a algunas de las concursantes y a la eventual ganadora y México's Next Top Model: Sahily Córdova. Es súper bonita y fue increíblemente amable (creo que tengo un crush con ella, jeje). Ver que la ganadora es una chavita genuina y buena persona me hace feliz.

Y, con su victoria, otro ciclo de MxNTM se cierra y, esperemos, le traiga mucho éxito a Sahily y, también, a los jueces. Que el programa en sí no me parezca bueno no significa que la gente que trabaja en él no posea gran talento. Realmente son buenos en lo que hacen. Gracias otra vez, Antonio, por inivtarme. ¡Eres lo máximo!

I look really weird on the photo on the right, don't I?

X, Hen.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

H&Mmmm Part II: The pre-sale

Today is November 15th, which means officialy everyone has access to the Maison Martin Margiela collection for H&M (I like to call it H&Mmmm emphasizing the 'mmm' part). Earlier this week I posted my visit to the showroom and now I'm sharing some photos of the pre-sale that was conducted on tuesday. 

It was a very concurred evening (although not so crowded as the store in a weekend. YIKES!). I was able to invite someone to join me and my sweet sister was the chosen one. We spent most of our night choosing clothes, chatting and drinking our weight in champagne. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. 

Since I already talked about the collection, I just want to say that the event was very well organized, the snacks were awesome and the staff was really kind. The store had a 20% off everything and I bought a couple of items (a H&Mmmm piece included, I'll not say which, you'll have to stay tuned!).

Thanks again H&M for inviting me!

// Hoy es 15 de noviembre, eso signfica que todos tienen acceso oficial a la colección de Maison Martin Margiela para H&M (me gusta llamarla H&Mmmm, con énfasis en el 'mmm'). En la semana posteé mi visita a la exhibición y ahora comparto fotos de la pre-venta sucedida el martes. 

Fue un evento muy concurrido (aunque no tan lleno como la tienda en un fin de semana. EL HORROR). Tuve la oportunidad de invitar a alguien y elegí a mi dulce hermana. Pasamos la mayor parte de la noche eligiendo ropa, platicando y tomando nuestro peso en champagne. FUE HERMOSO.

Dado que ya hablé de la colección, sólo quiero decir que el evento estuvo muy bien organizado, los bocadillos estuvieron súper buenos y el personal fue muy amable. Toda la tienda tenía el 20% de descuento, compré un par de cosas (una pieza de H&Mmmm incluida, no diré cuál, ¡tendrán que estar sintonizados para saber!)

¡Gracias otra vez a H&M por invitarme!

Can you give me a hand?
This jewel of a dress isn't a part of the H&MMMM collection but it was definitely a scene-stealer for me (and it's available at the kids section, hehe)
I love you sis! 
Did you buy anything from H&Mmmm yet? Are you planning to?

Hen.

Monday, November 12, 2012

H&Mmmm showroom


And there I was, white walls, white flowers, even white food; yeah, it was the H&M Maison Martin Margiela showroom that happened to be two blocks away from my office. I must say that, even when the collection is a little crazy for my taste, the event was quite cool. I got a free mimosa, hehe. 

// Y ahí estaba yo, paredes blancas, flores blancas, hasta comida blanca; sí, fue la exhibición de Maison Martin Margiela para H&M, que resultó estar a dos cuadras de mi trabajo. Debo decir que, a pesar que la colección es un poquito arriesgada para mi gusto, el evento fue bastante buena onda. Tuve una mimosa gratis, jeje. 


I think the overall collection is all about opulence and a certain ostentatious lifestyle, I mean there's fur everywhere, metallic disco pieces, leather, thick wool garments and silky ones. If the pieces weren't super expensive (at least for my budget) I'd buy a couple of things, like the red sneakers, the shirt with the untied bow tie and the gold silk t-shirt. They were my favourite items. 

Back to the actual event, I must say it was pretty well organized, the drinks and snacks were awesome (I ate lots of pastries) and the place looked great with the white decorations. My highlight of the day was meeting Mexican fashion editor Antonio González de Cosío, he's currently a judge on the crappy Mexico's Next Top Model (it's so bad, it's actually good) but, I mean, the guy is really talented and he was incredibly nice and down to earth. He's cool, yo. 

// Creo que la colección se trata de la opulencia y un estilo de vida ostentoso, digo, vean todas las pieles y pelajes, cosas brillantes como de disco, cuero, lana gruesa y seda. Si las piezas no fueran súper costosas (al menos para mi bolsillo) compraría un par, como los tennis rojos, la camisa con el corbatín desecho y la playera de seda dorada. Fueron mis cosas favoritas. 

Volviendo al evento en sí, debo decir que estuvo muy bien organizado, las bebidas y bocadillos estuvieron buenos buenos (comí muchos dulcesitos) y el lugar se veía padre con toda la decoración blanca. Una de las mejores cosas fue conocer al editor de moda mexicano Antonio González de Cosío, él es juez en el terrible Mexico's Next Top Model (en serio, es tan malo que es bueno) pero, en serio, es súper talentoso, bien vestido y buena onda. Fue increíblemente amable y sencillo. Está padre.

Seriously, look at him. He's a rockstar (with rockstar shoes)
// And well, the other highlight was receiving two little gifts: a notebook á-la-Moleskine and one of the MMM pieces: the enlarged watch frame bracelet (pictured above with the accessories). Overall, it was a great event, it was pretty cool to go and see what's going on with H&M and its power arrival on Mexico.

Y bueno, la otra parte buena fue recibir dos regalitos: una libreta tipo Moleskine y una de las piezas de MMM: el brazalete de carátula de reloj (visto en la foto de accesorios). En conjunto, fue un gran evento, estuvo padre ir y ver qué pasa con H&M que llegó a México con todo.
I hate mirror self-portraits but I really didn't know anybody and couldn't ask for help more than once.
Hope you enjoyed this inside look at H&Mmmm, Hen. 

Currently listening: PartyClub - Those Girls