Highlights From Milan Fashion Week

By now you know that Jennifer Lopez ruled Milan Fashion Week. That she reprised the barely there Versace jungle dress, which helped launched her into the celebrity stratosphere, for Donatella Versace’s spring 2020 collection. (This time around the dress lost the sleeves and featured more beadwork). You’ve also probably read in news reports that on their (Lopez and the jungle dress) first time out 20 years ago, the overwhelming searches on the internet for a photograph of Lopez led to the creation of Google Image search. It’s a compelling fashion digital age story.

Second time around, it still broke internet barriers. Wasn’t your Instagram feed flooded with images and videos of Lopez strutting on the Versace catwalk as it was happening and immediately thereafter? Even those who weren’t present at the show were compelled to regram the moment on their Instagram accounts so as not to miss this fashion moment. It was a major fashion statement, so major in fact that it eclipsed the entire collection. Google Versace spring 2020 collection and the overriding image will be Lopez and the green tropical print dress and not much else.

And speaking of prints, there were so many to be had at Marni and Salvatore Ferragamo, all in exuberant colors. Where at Salvatore Ferragamo the shapes where more conventional, at Marni there was more experimentation. Marni and Salvatore Ferragamo are currently headed by relatively new creative directors, Paul Andrew and Francesco Risso respectively.

But the young gun making all the waves is Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta who has been expounding on the house’s basketweave intrecciato technique. He’s made it oversized and slouchy. He’s used it on trousers and coats in sumptuous ways. He’s also poised to make Bottega Veneta handbags hot again with his take on clutches.

Miuccia Prada delivered one of her best collections in a long time for spring 2020. There was a quiet beauty to the clothes especially the tailored jackets that borrowed their shapes from the 70’s as well as the easy muslin-like dresses that were free of any sort of embellishments. But it wouldn’t be a Prada show without prints and patterns and the most successful were those that reworked Prada’s geometric prints.

                                                               

                                                  ΦΟΡΕΜΑΤΑ ΜΠΑΛΑ

Meet Rebecca Hessel Cohen, A Female Founder in Fashion

"People are wanting that connection to something that feels like a happy path and story," says the fashion designer and entrepreneur, Rebecca Hessel Cohen, about LoveShackFancy, the womenswear brand she started 6 years ago. Cohen's line of modern, vintage, victorian-meets-edwardian-meets-floral collection were born at her wedding. She designed dresses for the bridal party that would be easy to move in, easy to dance in, and easy to live in. The result was a chiffon halter—feminine but flirty, sexy but demure. It was the dress that, proverbially, launched a thousand dresses.

Cohen and I are at her family summer home in Watermill, New York where she hosted a dinner in collaboration with milliner, Nicolas Fouquet. It's golden hour and the property is bathed in late summer shimmer laced with a light, warm breeze.

The home, where she spent her childhood summers and where she was married, is a 19th century farmhouse sat within an orchard and framed with rolling country gardens. A small gardening shed with walls comprised of antique french doors is coming slightly undone with perfectly peeling paint. The shed contains one of the two dinner tables at the party and is set with linens new to the LoveShackFancy collection. Whimsical floral centerpiececs of dusty pink roses and lavender decorate the tabletops, and the property is scattered with oversize pillows and blankets in the grasses for lounging. It's magical.

The event is a manifestation of what Cohen does so impeccably—she has a very specific vision from which she doesn't deviate, a vision which she executes down to every miniscule detail. It's why LoveShackFancy is what it is, because she is unwavering on its offering at every touch point, giving her consumers the opportunity to tell their own story, while being a part of the one she's created.

                                                            Avondjurken

Could This Be How We Make Fast Fashion Sustainable?

Fast fashion is synonymous with disposable low-cost fashion and as such faces, much of the criticism levied at the fashion industry for its environmental impact. Throwaway garments are currently contributing more to climate change than sea and air travel combined and it has been estimated that more than ½ of fast fashion items are disposed of within one year of purchase—all too often ending up in landfill sights.

Fast fashion also has a poor social responsibility reputation with claims of employee exploitation with workers struggling to survive on extremely low pay, suffering appalling working conditions, excessive hours and being denied basic human rights.

Whilst the fast fashion low priced wear once and throw away fashion items continue to be favored by Instagram obsessed teens and price-driven family shoppers seeking quantity over quality there is undoubtedly an environmental and social backlash brewing.

In much the same way that we have seen public backlashes drive change in other industries from disposable cups, to the reduction in the volume of red meat being eaten to the banning of single-use plastic bags I think we will see the same happen in the fashion industry as consumers start to vote with their feet.

Yet fast fashion as a process has much to recommend it—it relies on early identification of customer wants and a quick turnaround process to get these products into the market with data feedback loops ensuring that the correct volume of product is offered to meet customer demand and avoid stock-outs or margin crucifying discounts.

robes de soiree

Terroir In Craft Cannabis: Emerald Triangle Fashion

I am a fanatic for a little thing named terroir, no not terror, but terroir. In the study of wine, it's a French word that means quite simply, the taste of the place. The characteristics of the soil, the rock and the drainage. The way of the earth. In ultra-high end cannabis it's also the taste of the place. Hey, wait a minute, didn't I just say that in wine that terroir is the French word that describes the taste of the place, yet in cannabis it's the same thing? Well my friends may I suggest drinking wines from the same regions that cannabis is grown. You'll be astounded, just like I was when we started discussing appellations and the deeply sensual characteristics of the soil. Who knew that rocks would be sexy? (They are, especially with grape vines struggling out of the crushed stones and crystals. The taste of the place in wine is essential. Just like the difference between pretty label wines and true garragist wines. Then, organically our the conversation leaks into Biodynamics. Did you know that Rudolph Steiner developed the theories of Biodynamics in the late 1800's? Steiner saw himself as a clairvoyant of the earth. That the soil is a living thing and it requires self-regulating utilizing techniques of a purely organic manner? That different types of organic applications give the soil acidity but others make the soil sing its own song of renewal. That  Biodynamics teach me everything that I need to know about growing vegetables and cannabis. Preferably together, along with wild herbs. The taste of the place, the taste of the soil, the way things are grown. No chemical manipulations or augmentations are allowed, ever. We need to have this conversation about replenishing the soil with nutrients that add balance and structure to the growing process. That outdoor grown cannabis naturally tastes better. Less corporate. More passion. You may disagree with me. That's fine, the massive cannabis conglomerates are not worried about craft cannabis, just like the massive liquor manufacturers are not worried about craft spirits. They aren't even on the radar. Sure everyone wants to make money in cannabis. But corporate weed has no place at the craft table, just like speed rack quality whiskey can never be called Straight Bourbon. There is a difference in craft spirits as there is in craft cannabis. I'm absolutely positive that all craft cannabis growers want to earn a good living for their talent. By creating a workable format for an appellation,  these mom, and pop cannabis growers will raise their bar. Initially growers may doubt the path of an appellation, but with quality comes success. And organic success doesn't have to be corporate run to earn a very fine living for themselves. That's why in France, where appellations have contributed to the quality of life itself. Not a bad way to become known for utter quality over quantity.

Craft cannabis is my topic. I want to share with you real people who make a difference, doing what they love, getting the word out on what it means to grow the very best. People who are passionate about the soil and want you to taste what they've nurtured from the earth.

Biodynamically grown is not only the wine world or your vegetable garden. It's also the cannabis way. A Tao of truly gourmet cannabis, from a specific place, grown in a specific way with Biodynamics as the driving force.

Many thanks to Michael Katz and Justin Calvino for their deeply enriching kindness towards me. I can't wait to test my wine-centrist theory about your appellations. That is, you can taste the place in every puff!

Here Are The Best Travel Insurance Apps For Your Next Trip

When Dary Merckens needed the name of a reliable doctor or the number for the U.S. embassy, he turned to an unlikely source: his smartphone's travel insurance app.

"It helped me out in numerous situations," says Merckens, the chief technology officer for a technology firm based in Las Vegas.

Travel insurance apps, which used to be simple programs that helped you contact an insurance company or file a claim, are coming of age. The best travel insurance apps for your next trip offer real-time access to medical and emergency travel assistance, extensive embassy and hospital contact information, and even the ability to buy insurance on the fly.

A stable and useful travel insurance app can make the difference between a bumpy trip and a smooth one. With the busy summer travel just underway, it's an excellent time to consider what may be an important feature of your travel insurance policy.

The best travel insurance apps could "literally be a lifesaver"

"All the travel insurance apps do a good job of helping someone keep track of their policies and helping claims get processed faster," says Kimberlee Leonard, an insurance analyst for FitSmallBusiness.com. "The better travel apps have additions for free, like where to find providers for medical attention or pharmacies, country emergency information, alerts, and other local travel aid information."

Leonard says one example of a travel insurance app that does more is the Allianz TravelSmart Mobile App.

"TravelSmart has a medical translation feature," she says. "Even if someone is fluent enough in a foreign language to get around, most people will not know complex medical terms and explanations. This tool could literally be a lifesaver when working with medical providers in emergency situations."

Exploring one of the best travel insurance apps

No one officially tracks the most popular travel insurance apps, but with more than 470,000 downloads, TravelSmart appears to be one of the most popular.

"One of the things people love about travel is the discovery of new places and people," says Daniel Durazo, a spokesman for Allianz. "TravelSmart helps travelers navigate unfamiliar territory and gives people the confidence to travel off the beaten path.

I'm a regular user of TravelSmart since I have an annual Allianz travel insurance policy. (It's free to download and available to anyone, regardless of whether they’re an Allianz customer.) Mostly, I use it to file claims -- I've had a few smaller ones earlier this year after suffering a minor medical condition on a trip to New Mexico and Arizona.

Everything You Need to Know About Permanent Makeup

My combined morning skincare and makeup routine eats up an hour of my life every morning—which is why the allure of permanent makeup is tempting. Not having to bounce my beauty blender on my dark circles, put on lip gloss, or re-do my eyeliner eleven billion times would make time for at least three extra cups of coffee in the morning (so necessary). Here's the thing: My pain tolerance is so low that I've cried while getting my teeth cleaned (I still blame the hygienist and not the fact that I hadn't flossed in two months). As for commitment? I can't even make up my mind about I want to have for breakfast in the morning.

Exactly how painful and permanent is permanent makeup, anyway?

I asked Dr. Jackie David—the microblading and permanent makeup expert at NYC's Jackie David Skincare—to breakdown the good, the bad, and the ugly about the four most requested permanent makeup services: Permanent eyebrows, permanent eyeliner, lip blushing, and permanent concealer.

"Microblading involves using a handheld, manual tool—either a blade or a rotary pen with different configurations of needles depending on what the client is going for," explains David. "If they want a soft, powdery brow then I like to use the rotary pen with the appropriate configuration of needles to deposit pigment, whereas using a blade creates sharper, more angular strokes. With the blade, you create slices in the skin, and in the slices you put the pigment on top and rub it in and let it sit. From start to finish, I like to give myself 1.5 hours."

Climax will leave you ironically dissatisfied

Have you ever been staggeringly drunk at a house party that was so noisy you thought you might throw up, and so out of control someone was literally peeing on the floor? Have you ever descended, like Dante, to the very centre of Hell? If you’ve never done either and are wondering what it might be like, Gaspar Noé’s newest should set you crooked.

First, a word on the title. Noé’s last film, 2015’s Love, was two-and-a-quarter hours that had critics pondering the line between art and pornography, and whether he’d blurred it, erased it, crossed it or strangled his audience with it. So it should be stressed that Climax does not contain an onscreen climax, in either the sexual or narrative sense.

It opens with documentary-style footage of a bunch of French dancers discussing their craft. We get to watch it on an old-style TV screen, flanked left and right by the kind of books and VHS tapes that a certain kind of poseur would have purposefully stocked his shelves with in university in the early 1980s; Kafka, Nietzche, Wilde, Bunuel and a well-worn copy of Suspiria.

Noé, who graduated from Louis Lumière College in Paris in the early 1980s, then presents the dancers performing in a 10-minute single-take shot that is the highlight of the film, the camera swooping up over their heads and back to the floor as they writhe and shimmy. And then they break apart into little groups to drink and smoke and discuss their sex lives. Climax is set in 1996, which means no one is texting. For this alone, I award one star.