I'll never look at Vogue the same way again...

last week I watched The September Issue, honestly I was expecting something else, something slightly better, I mean we were expecting to see things gets canceled and changed last minute esp. at Vogue, some panic, drama, late deadlines, we kind of expected all of this, but nothing was too shocking or unusual. The movie showed a slightly softer side of Anna, maybe not in a direct way, but because we always see her very serious, and doesn't wanna talk, but watching her talking to the camera, smiling , makes you think, after all she is a human, and she has a soft, nice side.

from some of the scenes in the movie, you can see how influential and powerful Anna is, talking to department stores CEO's , checking collections before they are displayed, there is one scene with Stefano Pilati while she was checking his collection, it was obvious she didn't really like it and how he looked terrified! it was nice to see that, designers always look and sound very tough and confident, but not so much infront of Anna, also the snobbish editors I ran into in Paris and how they behave infront of her! :) It was also nice to see how she supports young designers ( Thakoon in the movie), and how if she believes in someone, she can easily boost their business, with probably a single page in the magazine.

Last night I was flipping through the Oct. issue, and looking at the editorials, or the interviews, makes you think how did they end up with this, how many other pictures they took, why did they pick up those pictures, and everything it makes you go through the whole movie again but with the material in hands.

here is a trailer of the movie incase you didn't see it yet, and if you've seen it, let me know what do you think!



Love,
Styloholic.

Paris SS '10 Fashion Week

It's been a very long time since I wrote anything here! and I feel guilty about it!
BUT I have some nice things to share with you all! :)
Some of you know that I moved to Florence last June, to do a Masters Program in Luxury Management in Polimoda, I was sponsored to do this program by Chalhoub Group in Dubai.

Last week I went to Paris for fashion week, and I had such a great time!
I went to 6 shows! yes 6! :) Chanel, Giambattista Valli, Celine, Elie Saab, Hermes & John Galliano! My favorites were Chanel ofcourse, Giambattista Valli & Galliano.
It was so exciting, because I don't know how I managed to get in! I mean they are very strict with the invitations and everything, yet I managed to go to the best shows!

I met so many people, people I see only in Vogue and Bazaar, I saw almost everyone from US Vogue, editors in Chief, contributing editors, models, muses, you name it!
some of them were very nice and I talked to them, some were very snobbish!
I met Tim Blanks and Candy Pratts Price from Style.com, both were very nice, I met Glenda Bailey Editor in Chief of US Harper's Bazaar, she was very nice too! I met everyone from the Signe Chanel documentary, Mme Cecile & Mme Jacqueline, Virginie Viard & Karl!.

The Chanel show was amazing! when I got in, I couldn't believe that I'm actually inside the Grand Palais for Chanel show! I mean it has always been like a dream, Chanel, Karl, the show, the people and this time it was magical! The set was a farm house in the country side, seconds before the show started everyone was standing and moving around, and when the show started with a roosters sound, everyone was in place in exactly 1 second! :)
Then came the surprise, Lilly Allen came up from nowhere and performed her song "not fair" then disappeared again! it was a great show!

Next day I managed to go to Elie Saab, I was standing in the back, and just like 2 minutes before the show, I found a free seat in the front row , right in front of Nelly Furtado and Dita von Teese, rushed there, and thats how I got my front row seat at Elie Saab.
Couple of hours later I was outside the Hermes show, ofcourse they were not letting people in because the show was about to start, but luckily we managed to find a back door that leads to the backstage, where I met jean Paul Gaultier, Eva Herzigova, Chanel Iman, Isabeli Fontana & caroline Treniti - and by we I mean me and people I meet there who is trying to get in too! :)

The Galliano show was taking place at the same venue, right in the next hall, and there was noway to miss his show, so Michele and I managed, and again please don't ask me how because we were so lucky to get in, the show was about an hour late, and only staff were inside as they were still rehearsing and John was checking everything out, and ofcourse the show was fantastic!
I was so happy to meet Ms. Laila Hamdaoui, a Stylist and Fashion Editor, we had previously met almost 3 years ago in Dubai during the LCDA and she remembered me, she was such a sweetheart! :)
I also went to see my friend Srdjan who launched his own footwear label Aperlai (website coming soon) I loved it ! very nice designs, and he had good responses from buyers and im so happy for him! I also met Zoe Saldana at Giambattista Valli's showroom the day after the show and we had a small chat on what she was picking from the collection. I got my copy of The Sartorialist and I met Scott and got it signed, I met him first in Milan but all bookshops had ran out of the book, but I'm happy i bought it from Paris, you know, it's Paris! ;) I met Mario Testino again (first time in Milan also) he told me he maybe coming to Jordan soon (hope I'll be there). Models were so tall, and more beautiful in person, esp. Claudia Schiffer & Natalia Vodianova.
The sole purpose of my visit to Paris was to try to get an internship with Giambattista Valli in December, unfortunately he was very busy, but I managed to send him an email asking him for it, so wish me luck with that!

Over all it was a great trip! and if I'm in Paris again, I would for sure do it all over again and try to get in! :) RTW fashion week is great, but I still wanna experience Haute Couture, so January maybe? ;) Please find some pics on my twitter account.

Love,
Styloholic.

The September Issue

The September Issue is a new documentary that premiered Jan. 16th at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Excellence in Cinematography Award.

The documentary talks about the preparation of Vogue's Sep. 2007 Fall Issue. The biggest issue ever published in the history of magazines, of 840 pages.
Director R.J. Cutler, follows Vogue's Editor in Chief, Anna Wintour, and her larger than life team for 8 months, Jan.-Aug. 2007 and focuses on Sept. Issue of Fall fashion.
R.J. approached Ms. Wintour 2 years before they started shooting.

"He seemed very committed to the idea of what goes into the issue and obviously that is something in particular I'm interested in, because I do feel there is a fascinating side to fashion." Ms Wintour said about Director Cutler, she continues to say "I'm thrilled that it is a creative process and the agony , the joy, the incredible hours and passion that everyone who works at Vogue puts into the magazine, which is what R.J. decided to focus on."

Grace Coddington, Wintour's colleague for 20 years, the magazines creative director, and genius stylist wanted nothing to do with the making of the film, to a point where she told Ms. Wintour that she would quit if she allows them to film!!

"The first thing she said to me was GO AWAY! She couldn't throw us of the office, because she is not the boss! Anna is the boss and she had invited us in. But she wasn't happy to see us. And when Grace is unhappy to see you, that's not the place anyone wants to be in. God Bless her, she eventually gave us a chance." Director R.J. said.

This is a documentary that I literally can NOT wait to see. I mean do you realize that it means to be able to go behind all the closed meetings, the preparations, the photo shoots, backstage at the shows, everything that goes into the process of making the issue? To see inside the REAL Vogue! We've seen some familiar things in The Devil Wears Prada, and SATC the Movie, but this is going to be the real Vogue, The real Anna, the world of fashion, something we have always dreamed of! The Documentary will hit theaters this Sep., until then, I'll survive on YouTube Clips! :)

Will update you about it.


Love,
The Styloholic