Fashion week wraps up here today in Amsterdam, and the big tents on soggy Museumplein, nestled amongst the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Stedlijk Museum, are coming down. I mention soggy because of the thunderstorms & flooding in the region recently. A Cartier Marcello handbag launch event last week had to be moved indoors from a lovely garden location due to rain.

Apparently the $1,500 bags don’t mix well with water—making them a bit impractical for Amsterdam of late.

Anyway, that’s what tents are for, and my photographer pal Tony Newitt braved the weather and crowds to cover the event. His stuff is seen in Amsterdam on the program Cult TV (Salto 1 Friday evenings between 19:30-20:00), but he graciously shared some preview photos from several Dutch designers.

How the rest of the world influences the West: a burka shirt? For those days when you want to cover your face.

After you’ve had your morning coffee and are ready to face the world you can pull the shirt down around your neck for a more traditionally western look, seen at Antoine Peters’ show on Thursday evening.

Monique Collignon presented on Saturday this tangerine 2-piece that would not be out of place amongst the Bollywood glitterati in Mumbai.

And from Iris van Herpen, I detect perhaps a Japanese influence in this dress shown Friday night.

Looking at these select photos I’m reminded of a question I posed several weeks ago about what the kids will wear in 20 years. A reader, Randi, responded in part with this:

…Maybe the 00’s could be remembered as a time when western fashion grew up and saw itself in context of a world much larger than its own little history?

With more non-European immigration to cities like Amsterdam, London, and New York, I imagine this is just the beginning of what we might call a “global fashion exchange”.
-Jill Woodward

Every once in a while a product comes along that creates such a buzz, such a frenzy, that people stand in line at crazy hours to buy said item. I’m not a plastic bag is a reusable shopping bag from the English label Anya Hindmarch, and is one of these high demand items. After completely selling out of a limited edition in the UK, the company is now selling a version of the bag in a small number of selected stores in the United States.

No doubt, it’s due to the increased awareness about the environment that reusable shopping bags are now becoming all the rage– and I hope this trend sticks around. Plastic bags for a variety of reasons are not eco-friendly (or as No Impact Man puts it, Plastic Bags are the Devil). In the US, it will require a big transformation to wean consumers and retailers off the cheap disposable bags.

But these Sakyots take environmentally friendliness to higher level. Perhaps they should be called “I AM a plastic bag” because they are actually made from used plastic bags. Not only that, each one is unique, and looks really sharp. And perhaps best of all, you won’t have to stand in any lines to acquire one. -Jill Woodward

Designer Michelle Tamoush is based in San Diego, California and her line of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings are sold on b-good.com and in west coast stores. I chatted with her by email.

I would say my main source of inspiration comes from the materials themselves. Coming across a certain stone can trigger and entire design for me. Sometimes those ideas don’t flesh out as well as you had imagined in your head, but that is how the process starts. From there, the original idea might evolve into something else which might be tweaked a bit further and so on. I do get inspiration from my environment and images around me as well. For example, I pass a certain office lobby in my neighborhood about once a day and they have a 3 hanging lamp shades of different sizes clustered in one corner and I think that my upcoming work will probably incorporate those shapes in some way. However, for the most part, I get immersed in my materials and I just start to play.

My core materials are sterling silver and 14K gold filled wire, chain and findings. Then I use semi-precious stones, pearls, wood and other types of beads to accent the wire and chain. At the beginning I chose them because they were familiar to me. I am naturally attracted to anything faceted that sparkles but have lately tried to incorporate some muted colors and smooth shapes. The jewelry is always evolving and while I’ve started off with fairly conventional materials, I do imagine that at some point I will branch out into other less typical materials. Right now I am focused on developing a recognizable style and I feel once that is set, I can have more freedom to step out of those bounds. Lately, I have been experimenting with more metal accents, charms and filigree pieces.

Actually, no, not usually. Unless it is a custom piece for a particular person or demographic. For the most part, I am always surprised at who is attracted to which design. The piece never turns out as well when I try too hard to gear it to who I think might wear it.

Yes. It has been my only source of income since August 2006. At first, I was just testing the waters but by the new year I had decided to get my business license and go for it.

Well, I am still in my first year of business so I probably should be taking the advice, rather than giving- but from my experience so far, I can say this- Once you start approaching stores and selling your crafts, you will have plenty of days you just want to give up and throw in the towel. But then for all of those incredibly low days, there will be other days where you will make a sale or pick up an account and feel like you are on top of the world. It’s an emotional roller coaster, so expect that and when you hit those lows just keep working through them cause a high is probably just around the corner.You can find out more about Michelle on moushart.com. Check out her unique designs on b-goodfashion.com. -Jill Woodward

Individuality has often been the focus of my thoughts pertaining to style and fashion. Perhaps it’s because I have a medium build, with medium brown hair, that I sometimes try to use clothing to stand out or make a statement. But a couple of weeks ago I participated in someone else’s statement—an art event, by taking off my clothes.

Photographer Spencer Tunick is becoming more and more well-known for his “naked city” portraits, which are extremely large-scale group nudes. I participated in one a few years ago in New York City, with perhaps another couple hundred people at 4am on a Saturday morning in an alley in Chinatown. This was back in 2002; I had heard of Spencer Tunick in 1999 but didn’t have the nerve to join in with friends. It wasn’t risk-free: in New York City (and most places in the U.S.) it’s illegal to be nude in public. For some reason in those days, local politicians weren’t on the side of nude art, so many of Tunick’s large group photo shoots were done on the down-low, to avoid arrest of the photographer or the participants. When I finally determined I wanted to take part in one of these art works, I went by myself and didn’t talk to many people there. I was a bit afraid of being hit on by creepy guys who’d had too much to drink. I didn’t need to worry about that; however, a month or so later there was a gathering to distribute prints of the photograph, autographed by the artist in return for participation. It was at this gathering that I met my current husband, Leigh, who was carefully inspecting his print. “Did you find yourself?” I asked him.

Fast forward five years later: Leigh and I now are happily married living in Amsterdam, and Spencer Tunick has become something of an international art celebrity. Earlier this year in Mexico City he attracted 18,000 people to pose nude. In Amsterdam he received a commission from the Dream Amsterdam Foundation complete with corporate sponsorship and heavy press coverage. For this commission he did a series of photographs located in rural blooming tulip fields, as well as in central Amsterdam. When Leigh and I heard about the Amsterdam shoot, we figured it was a no-brainer—a nice commemoration of our five-year relationship and 1-year marriage anniversary. We signed up by email and received instructions and directions. We were to show up at the Q-park parking lot at 3:30am on a Sunday morning. For us, this meant staying up all night. Our friends Aminah and Davy kept us company over drinks at a café and then dancing at a nearby club, Korsakoff.

3:30 came pretty quickly and we made our way around the corner to the Q-park where it seemed most people were already assembled. It was difficult to assess just how many people were spread out on one of the floors of the parking garage—I later heard nearly 2000 people. Most were sitting in groups chatting, some were reading, and I saw several single women who appeared to give off that same “don’t approach me” vibe that I had felt 5 years ago. The waiting was really boring, but after perhaps an hour, one of Spencer Tunick’s assistants gathered everyone around. Tunick himself addressed the crowd in English and explained the different shoots he wanted to do. One set-up would be with everyone, one would be with men only, one with women only, and a final one would be with a very small number of selected women.

Around 5AM we were herded by a gang of assistants to the outer circular ramps of the car park and it seemed somehow strange that it was already light outside. Shortly after that we received instructions from Tunick from across the canal, via bullhorn, that we should remove our clothes and get into position. At first this was a bit thrilling, finally something happens after all that waiting. However, tedium quickly set in. One must hold the position while the photographer shouts terse instructions—“3rd floor! Move in closer!” or something like this. Although the situation was absurd—standing on folding chairs, naked, and most people too tall to stand straight without bending their necks or knees (Dutch are among the tallest in the world)—there could be no giggling or smiling. It was shivering cold too. This time I felt more comfortable chatting with strangers and discovered that some people had traveled from various places around Europe to participate. Listening to the accents though, the vast majority was Dutch.

The photo shoot lasted hours, unlike my earlier experience in New York, which was done in minutes in order to avoid police confrontation. As the city gradually awakened, we attracted more and more attention from by-standers, renegade and press photographers, and honking bus and tram drivers. For me, the best moment was after the set-up in which the women posed with their bikes across a bridge on the Lauriergracht. Many women left their clothes on the sidewalk, and then afterwards rode back down the hill a half block or so to retrieve their things. You could see the total glee in their faces, having the freedom of cycling unclothed, even for just a minute. Looking around, I decided that with all clothing removed we are more alike than different. Most of us were pink-ish toned but of course there were other skin tones, body sizes, tattoos, and piercings. I reckon the only way for a caucasian to really stand out in a Tunick photo is to have a huge mane of dreadlocks piled high on your head. However, I get the impression that Tunick doesn’t want anyone to stand out. While riding my bike home around 8am in full daylight I reflected on the experience. As a participant, I did feel somewhat like a subject in a dictatorship. It’s not a collaborative project; we were there to do his bidding. I was happy to go along for the sake of art and Tunick’s vision, but I’m certainly glad in daily life to be able to express myself as I choose, paying no attention to “fashion dictators” either. –Jill Woodward

Spencer Tunick’s Dream Amsterdam series will be unveiled Saturday June 23, 2007 at 17:00 on the Leliegracht and Nassaukade, at the photo shoot locations. According the press release, this is the first time that Tunick’s large-scale prints will be displayed where they were created.

With summer and warmer temperatures, I’m always longing to be outside, perhaps sipping a cup of tea or coffee at a waterside cafe. One thing Europe definitely has going for it over the US is the café culture. A few American cities approach the European sensibility, such as New York City or Asheville, NC, but it’s not what I’d call widespread.

One change over the last few years, though, is the gradual introduction of smoking bans across the continent. A few weeks ago I went on a weekend trip to Brussels with my family visiting from the US. When we checked into our hotel, I was pleased to see a notice informing me that as of Jan. 2007, smoking is prohibited in public places such as hotels and restaurants (but not bars & cafes) in Belgium. Ireland & Norway banned smoking in all public places including bars back in 2004, and many other countries followed–with some variations. New York City also has a ban on smoking since 2003, even in bars. Surprisingly, the Netherlands and Germany trail in this trend, especially when it comes to eating and drinking establishments. In the Netherlands it is still possible to light up in a restaurant (ugh, talk about an appetite suppressant!), but that looks likely to change by next year. Last weekend here in Amsterdam at a private party, I noticed a couple of people smoking while dancing on a crowded dance floor, and this didn’t seem socially unacceptable.

Many people, including probably my mom, will say that it should be okay to smoke in a place that serves alcohol, but I disagree. Small bars and cafes fill up easily with smoke, making it a very unpleasant experience for those who don’t smoke. It’s not just that it’s unpleasant; it’s been shown in studies that second-hand smoke causes lung cancer and heart disease. I would go so far as to say that even in outdoor café seating areas, tobacco smoke is annoying and should be regulated. Smoke may disperse more easily outdoors, but often it just drifts right towards me like a target. I also sometimes see smokers trying hard to keep their smoke away from their companions, but that results in the cigarette and smoke being closer to someone else! Civil libertarians take note: my position is you are free exercise your right to smoke anything you want, as long as your rights don’t infringe on mine to breathe clean air.

Speaking of smoking anything you want, when the Netherlands’ proposed ban takes effect next year, it seems it will affect the infamous “coffee shops” as well. Currently, one can buy and smoke marijuana in certain licensed cafes (that don’t serve alcohol). Historically the government has boasted that this tolerance of “soft drugs” has allowed the country to concentrate on prosecuting hard drug dealers and users, and has decreased drug related crime. It’s still unclear how the proposed ban will affect the coffee shops. They may be allowed to have smokers in a separated, ventilated area. In New York City there are also loopholes. There exists such a thing there called “cigar bars” or hookah bars. In these establishments it is okay to smoke, I guess because it’s ostensibly the main reason why one would go there. These make up a tiny percentage of the number of bars in NYC, so it would be hard to argue that an employee had little choice but to work in a smoky environment. Owner operated bars are allowed to have smoking too.

A similar approach could work in the Netherlands, where smoking is allowed only in cafes designed for, well, smoking. In my opinion though, the Europeans should stop mixing tobacco with their marijuana. While one can certainly question the health issues of marijuana on the user, there is no clear-cut research that shows ill effects of 2nd hand marijuana smoke. Plus, it smells better.

So, have smoking bans cramped your style? Do they make you more likely to go out, or more likely to stay home? Let’s hear your opinion! -Jill Woodward

Last week we talked about recycled trends from the eighties. That got me thinking, what is unique about the ‘naughts, the first decade of this century, that will be recreated in 15-20 years? I was trying to come up with original, non-recycled fads that came about in the post 9/11 era. Personally, my wardrobe is full of vintage items and has been that way for a long time. I don’t worry much about the 70’s or 60’s looks going out of style because I just really like clothing from those eras. So looking into my own closet doesn’t give many clues about trends happening now that will come back to haunt us in a couple of decades.

My husband suggested following the music to realize what’s happening in fashion. Of course he is right, I instantly thought of super baggy jeans, the kind that almost beg to be yanked down, but these were more of a mid to late 90’s trend. Continuing on the hip-hop thread, one can think of truckers’ hats, but these were actually revived from the 1970’s. Hoodies? Ok maybe, but is that really the best we can offer future generations?

Looking at other music trends, the popular White Stripes have probably inspired designers, but their wardrobes also seem to be heavily borrowed from days gone by. What about Gwen Stefani? She’s a major fashionista, right? But did she launch any major non-vintage-inspired trends like Madonna’s fingerless lace gloves in the 80’s? Usually the best trends and fads come from the streets and/or underground movements, like raves in the 90’s. What is the equivalent street culture right now? Something that in 20 years will make us say, “oh yeah, that is classic 2007”. I checked the wonderful street fashion photography blog The Sartorialist but nothing really jumped out at me. Perhaps I just need a little perspective, after a few more years have passed. Or maybe I’m just too old. Help from anyone? -Jill Woodward

Okay, we all know that every 20 years or so the fashion of the day, and music, will be revived. Ideally it comes with a new and creative interpretation, like the 2003 song Through the Wire by Kayne West (which samples Chaka Kahn’s 1984 song “Through the Fire”). Or in fashion, with fresh combinations, like in this photo of my friend Anja snapped in spring 2006. I was a child in the seventies, and I can imagine my mother must have been amused/horrified at how we had “fifties dress days” and wore rolled up jeans and poodle skirts, inspired by the TV show “Happy Days”. Sometime in the eighties, the mod, mini-skirt smiley face trends of the sixties came back around. But new stuff got introduced in the 80’s, some of which we are currently in rotation. I know I speak for a lot of folks when I say that I wish some of those trends had stayed gone and buried. For fun, here’s what I like and dislike about 80’s fads, in no particular order.

Okay by me:

• Polka dots (itself a retread from the 40’s, 60’s, well you get the picture)
• Leggings or footless tights
• Metallic fabrics
• Safety pins
• Short punk dyed hair
• Ripped or cut t-shirts
• Off the shoulder shirts
• Legwarmers

Really would rather not see revived:

• Over-sized tops–here’s where I disagree with Diana’s earlier post, which inspired me to write on this topic. On many people they end up just looking like big tents. The exception for me would be if the tunic stays relatively true to the Indian inspiration, like a salwar combination. These do look good with scarves like Diana said.

• Shoulder pads
• Side pony tails
• High top Reeboks
• Add-a-bead necklaces
• Big permed hair
  
• Headbands (the kind that go around your forehead, seen here)

And I think it’s also probably established that the 20 year recycle pattern is decreasing to more like a 10-15 year pattern as designers and trend-setters desperately jump the gun in an effort to be ahead of the pack. In fact the eighties revival must nearly be reaching its peak, so I guess before long we’ll be reaching back for grunge and flannel shirts that were popular in the early 90’s—but hey, let’s not rush it.

Prologue: I stumbled across this 1999 article, The Return of Frosted Denim, after I wrote this post. Ms. Wilson was dead-on in her predictions about the current decade.

I know there will be lots of opinions on this topic, so comment away! -Jill Woodward

After reading about the clothing swap concept several weeks ago, Galit Bauer, partner in b-good, hosted one here in Amsterdam. It was the first swap for nearly everyone present, and was a big hit. Two guys were present–they agreed it was a good thing for both males and females, and they will encourage their guy pals to come to the next one. Everyone left with at least one “new” item that was totally free! Galit combined the event with the opportunity to sell items from her
b-good line. This is a nice idea for anyone who is making their own jewelry or other craft/clothing items. Host a clothing swap so everyone can clean out their closets and get free stuff, but also expose people to your own products. And don’t forget the main point, to be social and have some fun. At Galit’s, the party went late with everyone chatting and drinking wine. Same thing with the one I wrote about at Lauren’s, where we ended up dancing in the living room (in our new clothes).

Another point, what to do with the leftover clothes? I researched this a bit when I was living in New York. Usually I gave them to a local thrift store such as Goodwill, which in turn sells the items at low cost and uses the proceeds to help an appointed charity. At one point I wanted to try to donate the clothes to hurricane Katrina victims in the US, but I discovered that donated clothes are of limited helpfulness in this sort of disaster. Because clothes are so cheap and plentiful these days, many clothes will go to overseas charities in third world countries or be shredded for pillow fillings. I have no problem with this, but it’s a reminder that it might be better to re-use them yourself. Really worn or badly stained items should be used as rags for dusting or washing the car. Nice fabrics can be saved for patchwork quilts or other craft items. For some crafty ideas, check out
Church of Craft. If you aren’t crafty, you might find a friend who is. High quality items that you no longer want, like a wedding dress or fancy coat, might be sold at a consignment shop. But if you are the host dealing with a big pile of leftover clothes, the easiest thing to do is donate the lot to an organization. Depending on the city, some have drop boxes, like Amnesty International in Amsterdam. Sometimes a charity will come pick them up if you have a lot of stuff and no car. Happy swapping, and let us know how your next swap goes! -Jill Woodward

As I mentioned last week, I connected with buddies Anja & Tetsu in Berlin over the weekend. They live together in NYC’s Chinatown but Anja is from Hamburg and Tetsu was born in Japan. Anja was integral to our clothes swap initiative I blogged about several weeks ago. I always got compliments when I wore something of Anja’s, even if it was several years old, because of her unique style sensibility. As we explored Berlin’s shopping possibilities, we couldn’t help comparing the gentrifying Mitte district to New York’s Soho. The expansion of worldwide chain stores and brand names has spawned a monoculture dominated by global labels such as Nike, Prada, and American Apparel. This makes it more and more difficult to pick up that unique item while traveling that sets oneself apart from other city dwellers.

I used the opportunity of a road trip from Berlin to Amsterdam to ask Anja, a graphic designer, and Tetsu, an architect, about how they still manage to stay ahead of the pack in terms of fashion in the wake of these factors.

BGFB: Describe your style.
Anja: Unorthodox mixtures; mixing different designs to make it more interesting. Not too much, but mixing 2-3 different styles. For example, wearing something very elegant but breaking it up with boots or a belt so it doesn’t become too much in one direction.
Tetsu: Anja’s a uniform strategy. She likes one thing and wears it.
A: I always have a favorite that I’m wearing until it dies & I replace it.
T: For me, love of vintage, like the 70’s, without following the immediate trend. And looking for unique detail. Proportion driven style. Importance in the silhouette profile. Colors are seasonal. But I would say I’m pretty conservative. Choice of material, definitely polyester & cotton. But the love of vintage is more the past and I’m going now in the direction of concept-driven and deconstruction/sculptural apparel entities. Meaning, for example, something kind of futuristic but not sci-fi. Something beautiful and sculpture-like that I’m still looking for. Symbolic and abstract. You could say I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist.
BGFB: How do you respond to the increasing presence of shopping districts like Soho and Mitte that have essentially identical stores?
T: No comment at this time, I need to have a lawyer present. (laughing). It’s a sad global change. I always like to see more local, unique, grass roots design. I think there’s a certain dependency by the consumer on what people want to look like and it’s being driven by the industry.
A: We were looking in the wrong direction (in Mitte). You need to find the young designers. Five years ago Mitte was a lot of young designers. It’s shifting, now they are somewhere else. There’s still a lot of young designers out there, too many in fact, you just have to find them. I know it’s really hard as a young designer to compete with the big brands. They are stitching things themselves so it’s expensive. In NY there are always department store sales and if you are lucky you can pay 20% more than wholesale. But if you are small you have one sewing machine and buying small amounts of cloth and therefore have to charge more and they’re still probably almost starving. So I like to support these young designers.
BGFB: What is your approach when shopping?
A: I don’t like shopping. I like looking, but not when I’m searching for something. Usually it jumps at me. Then I need to think about it. If it’s still there the next day, then maybe I get it. If I know right away it’s very rare. If I go to buy something specific, like I really need shoes, I will not find anything and I get really annoyed.
T: I definitely use a scanning technique. If something pops out that meets my needs then I buy it right away. There’s a whole retail psychology from the retailer’s point of view. There’s a certain spot in the entrance where you can see everything. I stand there and sweep L to R and it’s a very receptive thing. At the end of the day I’m looking for something that jumps out at me. I don’t go through the hangers one by one.

BGFB: Do you have any advice for people trying to create their own look?
T: Travel more instead of looking at magazines. Know yourself and understand the materials and find your preferences. Travel and see the cultural…there’s usually a climate reflection and the way people live. I prefer to have people understand the kind of variety & lifestyle instead of depending on the editors of magazines. I don’t watch that much TV or buy magazines. Even though I do spacial design.
A: I do people watching more. Old movies are a great resource for style, like from the forties. People on the street. I don’t buy magazines, I never did. If you see something in a shop I think about how I can wear it in a different way. Basically what we did at clothes swaps all the time.
BGFB: And speaking of clothing swaps, Galit is hosting one in Amsterdam this Saturday. Details:

Bring your discarded items and a bottle of wine to Floris Versterstraat 15 huis 1058 JL Amsterdam on Saturday May 19th at 17:00.
We will pile everything on the floor or sofa. Then, go shopping, or swapping!
And for b-good collection will be for sale!
Please let me know if you are planning to come and if you will bring your pile.
I’m looking forward to hear from you
Galit
www.b-goodfashion.com

-Jill Woodward