Scarve enterprise

So...I haven't abandoned my blog, nor am I slipping on the new years resolution or blogging regularly. Where have I been?

If the pictures don't make it more than obvious, the emergency stairways and the scene of a fairly modern looking suspension bridge contrasted with a mosque in the foreground should tell you there's no place like TURKEY. The above pictures are from Istanbul, a city that's crammed with more history than an encyclopedia.

During my ten day stay, one of the most prevailing feelings that Istanbul, in particular, left was that of a city that is trying to embrace modern times while maintaining it's rich history. It was a very odd contrast at times to see advertisements with Giselle Bundchen and then BOOM - a centuries old mosque. Maybe it's not so odd and I was just going through a foreigner phase.

History and modern times seem to be an odd compromise. It's awkward, like being a teenager that can't decide between two polar opposite styles...and then, of course I saw this

and this
Mentally, I saw this
and thought more about how I prefer this

While I can't conceive the wearing of a hijab to ever come into mainstream fashion, I was definitely impressed by how fashionable they were able to make the hijab. I'm particularly partial to the wrapping and gathering around the neck as I find it similar to the Kelly wrap pictured above.

Scarf culture was pretty extensive in Turkey. They were sold virtually everywhere. What surprised me was going into the Armine store and seeing the area dedicated to just scarves. Patterns are seasonal and I probably looked like an imbecile for not really noticing. Anything that offers a new creative outlet for women always becomes evident and prevalent: probably about 70% of the clothing stores in America mainly cater to women's clothing and in Turkey, scarves were everywhere. I was really amazed by the size of Armine's look book which seemed to be dedicated to mainly showing off the scarves.

What surprised me most was the new take on the hijab. If you could, imagine woman driving in a convertible with a scarf and sunglasses. The only difference here is that she never takes her scarf off. It's a nice retro take on things, and there's nothing wrong with reinventing and adapting classics.

Among other things, yes, I bought a bunch of scarves. More to come later.

WTF LVMH!

As noted before, I don't know much about fashion, I can't elaborate on fashion, but I do know patterns, evolution, and after almost a full academic year of being a chemistry teacher, I can call out BS as I see it.

I'm referring to the targeted takeover of Hermes by Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

There's something I find highly unappealing about giant conglomerates, afterall, being a teacher you know that the larger your class is the less individual attention you can give to each student. I'm not saying that all conglomerates are bad, but this certainly explains why I've been seeing traditionally high end designer labels almost everywhere in the masses.

I find Hermes decision to remain completely independent of the conglomerate very admirable. Until yesterday, I was unaware of how large LVMH was. I recognize that the conglomerate has a knack for revitalizing old brands, but even so, striving to appeal to a younger market is not...very impressive. All you have to do is lower prices. Cheapen materials. Create an outlet store. They only care about the name anyway.

This is where I admire Hermes dedication to quality even if they can only appeal to a small audience that can actually afford their products. They also are very well aware of how trend-based fashion is and how the good majority of fashion is transitional.

Family members recoil as they recall an LVMH official’s suggestion that Hermès bolster sales by creating a line of lower-priced bags.

“It’s exactly what you shouldn’t do,” Mr. Dumas says. “Because you will make a cheap Hermès bag which will sell like hotcakes for three years, and after three years people will say, ‘Hermès is not what it used to be.’ ”

Mr. Thomas says: “If you tell me I have to double the profit of Hermès, I will do it tomorrow. But then you’d have no Hermès left in five years.”

Fashion is business. Business is all about money. The article seems to show that LVMH has a blind eye towards the economics of reputation, and reputation standards.

Given that I'm not much for explanations on fashion, I'll do what I do best which is: give science examples.

Dogs are a beast that have evolved over the past 4000 years. One thing that I really enjoy about dogs is that if you look at other countries, almost all of them have a culturally significant dog that was developed for specific useful purposes. There is beauty in function. On a side note, I think that some may not realize that a lot of the best and most creative ideas arise out of need. Anyway, if you fast forward some 4000 years, we have miniature designer dogs that were bred for the purposes of being able to be carried around in purses without being burdens to their owners, accessories, if you will, and more importantly, dogs that would not be able to function without human intervention. Dogs that really can't stand on their own. Point being made, it's easy to create a sad situation when you cater to the wants of people. I hope that Hermes will continue to evolve naturally and if they ever feel it necessary to commit brand name suicide, I hope that it will be on their own terms.