|
LIFEMIX, THE MAGAZINE
Summer, 2008 Issue
A magazine blog? A blog magazine?
Whatever, just chill here to get some inside track on
fashion, trend, life, and anything else mixed in between.
Check back for updates on store specials and promos too!
last modified Jan 21, 2008 at 19:47
For Sunday, March 18th edition of The Bakersfield Californian, under the 'Eye Street' editorial section, Lifemix's bangles, handbags & necklaces made its debute under the publication with the heading 'The Long and Short of Spring'!
Is Bakersfield all set for high spring fashion? We think so!
The Lifemix shopaholics observed a strange phenomena at Sak's the other day:
The new, massively expensive Alexis Bittar bamboo bangle and twist bangle have eerie resemblances to Adia Kibur's Resin Bamboo Bangle and Large Twist Bangle that we featured for years.
Adia Kibur's Bamboo Bangle:
Alexis Bittar's Lucite Bamboo Bangle:
Adia Kibur's Twist Large Bangle:
Alexis Bittar's Swirled Carved Bangle:
Is Mercury Insurance from the planet Mercury? Is Alexis Bittar's new $100+ (yes, that's right) bangles odd twin sisters of Adia Kibur's bangles?
Let your wallet be the judge!
Lifemix.net featured on the March, 2007 issue of Teen.
Product featured include -
Carved Rose Bangle:
Lifemix.net featured on the March, 2007 issue of Cosmopolitan.
Featured products include -
Bamboo Resin Bangle:
Oval Rock Ring:
Large Donut Bangle:
Twice a year, all of who's who in the fashion business, including designers, magazine editors and buyers flock to Milan and Paris for the upcoming season's fashion shows.
The trends set forth by European designers are not necessary what works for the rest of the world; The styles in Europe are much bolder, stronger in color usage, and more daring than what consumers in the US are accustomed to. So in accordance to their respective markets, major magazine editors will pick and choose from the range of trends that are featured on the catwalks, and ultimately, narrow it down to be featured in their respective markets.
Just as it is in Europe, there is one group of fashion consultants that has a strong hold over the ins and outs of fashion in the US, they are a handful of trend forecasters which not only has the training, but also the background and experience to define the styles that would almost certainly work for the United States.
As convincing as it is in the promotion of individualism, America is probably one of the more conforming cultures in the world in terms of consumerism. US is completely driven by big corporate marketing research, so pretty much everything we buy here is a result of someone researching and saying we should buy it. A simple example is the high school clicks, you have the athletic jocks, the OC surfers, the punk rockers, the polo inspired preppies; kids in high school are already conditioned and divided amongst themselves in relation to their personality by the particular chain stores they shop in.
With trend forecasters, they have a strong hold on the market because all major chain and department stores utilize their services. The services are needed mostly because of time and assurances, buyers simply do not have the time to filter through loads of trend and color information to define their purchases, and their bosses needs the assurance that whatever they do will sell, and nothing guarantees assurance more than the comfort to know that you paid lots of money for it.
What the trend forecasters will do is a complete, inch thick report on Eurpean shows, what people are picking up on the streets, what competitive or relevant retailers are displaying in their store windows, along with various presentations to form a complete picture in what will most likely be a trend in the upcoming season. It then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, because the major buyers will always move on the same reports, and in term stcok their stores with similar items, and ultimately, with not much else to buy, American consumers as a whole will realize the trend.
With the textile groups defining the range of materials that will be in for the next season, all western design trends will then be marked on the catwalks of Europe.
Most major designer labels are not independent labels, conglomerates such as LVMH heads about 50 designer labels that includes Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Christian Dior, Fendi, Donna Karan, and Marc Jacob to name a few, and they have a firm grasp on the world of fashion as we know it.
With any large companies, it makes perfect sense for them to attempt to corner their industry, and they do this by controlling the ins and outs of trends.
If leopard print is the rage on the store windows of Gucci, you can be sure that Louis Vuitton has leopard print influence in its line as well. Aligning the influences of various design labels has many advantages, the first being the ability to stir up the public and direct them to a particular trend you created, which means more interest, and more sales. The second is the collapse of the management structure, which means you need less decision makers, and you will have more control over what comes out of your labels. Third, manufacturing your products becomes cheaper, as you can now negotiate better pricings for your leopard prints since you're buying much more of it.
At the end of the day, the process is not as romantic as a genius designer, sketching and contemplating over trends with an espresso at a Parisian cafe, it is instead, a systematic and controlled process of design. This is not to say however, the brilliance of each head designer at each major label do not have their inputs, but rather, they extend their creativity over a narrower range of focus and issues which surrounds their core company.
Ever wonder how a particular look all of a sudden becomes the look to have for a particular season?
It's probably no secret that it all starts in Europe.
The fashion industry is a well-oilled machine. With the weight of responsibility for billions upon billions of consumer dollars, and the burden of having employed countless number of people across the globe, nothing happens by chance in the fashion industry.
It all begins with textile.
Intuitively, we would think that big time European designers are the ones who initiate trends every season. While this might be valid in terms of the ultimate look and feel of the the lines they produce, but the process truly starts at the manufacturing level, or to be more speciifc, at the textile plant.
Textile conglomerates in Europe pre-defines the materials and colors that would go into each new season. These plants base their decisions on first and foremost, the availability of raw materials that has the highest feasibility in production. Meaning if silk is impossible to get one year because of the lack of supply, then perhaps cotton will be the dominant choice of fabric that year. In terms of the direction of colors and patterns, they work with a handful of color and trend forecasters in Europe to have a general feel of what's going to be hot. This could range anything from data these experts collected from the streets, the archives they have of historical trend patterns, or what the overall feel of the market is; is war on everyone's mind and therefore we should do camouflage? Are people feeling light and happy so we go with bright summer colors? Whatever the choices they decide on, the textile conglomerates defines a range of fabric they will go forward with for the season, and from this collection, the designers then work to further narrow focus the trend of the season.
Dear customer,
Just wanted to inform you that we were relocating our server recently, so there were various site and email glitches here and there that needed to be resolved.
Everything should be running smoothyly now, orders placed at any time were not be effected by the switch, there were no issues in regards to receiving or processing orders.
If there's a problem you are experiencing, please don't hesitate to email us or leave us a comment, and we'll get back to you in a flash!
We apologize if this caused any inconvenience, thank you so much for your support and patience!
During the early stages of plastic development, Bakelite (or phenolic resin) was popular in the 1930s and 1940s as a low cost alternative to expensive raw materials such as jade and pearl.
Developed by a Belgian chemist named Leo Baekeland (hence the name, Bakelite), initially the material was developed for the purpose of providing a durable coating for the bowling alley lanes. The chemical process was patented by Dr. Baekeland, and he soon utlized the material for automibile manufacturing, used most commonly as an insulating coating for automotive wiring.
It wasn't until a decade of exploration that Bakelite was finally made available to the consumer market. Thomas Edison used Bakelite as the base for his early commercial phonograph records, it was used to make billiard balls, or handles for flatware and hand-held mirrors.
The manufacturing process of Bakelite accessories was simple, yet labor intensive and time consuming. Craftsman would order the material in cylinder or block forms, use powered hand tools and grinders to carve out individual pieces for resale. During its peak, Bakelite jewelry became the rage among fashionable consumers, and during the depression, its inexpensive value eventually attracted the masses to its unique qualities.
Ultimately, Bakelite-Catalin's labor-intensive and toxic process proved to be its undoing. After World War II, mass production became the plastic industry's buzzword and Bakelite became a pleasant memory. Collectors today prize it for its patina and its versatility, it is not unusual for a typical Bakelite bangle to be priced anywhere from $200 to $600. Unscrupulous dealers, however, have tried to sell other plastic items as authentic Bakelite. One test for authenticity is called the hot pin test. Interested buyers should find an inconspicuous area of the object in question and apply a heated pin. True Bakelite gives off a distinctive odor as it melts, very similar to the scent of burnt human hair. If the pin melts the object but no formaldehyde/burnt hair odor is detected, it is most likely an imitation.
The closest modern day manufacturing process that resembles Bakelite is called polyresin. Adia Kibur Accessories is probably one of the few companies around that produces all of its plastics in respect to this process.
Polyresin combines the dense and crisp quality of Bakelite, with the ease of casted molding process. The polyresin material arrives in sealed buckets of liquid form, it is then opened, and poured into well-oiled molds that were negatives of hand carved originals. The molds are then air dried for a day or so, with the finished products released from the mold, and then polished with fine pebbles in a rotating machine.
When one thinks of crystals, one thinks of Swarovski. Valued as one of the most prestigious brands in fashion accessories materials, Swatovski made its mark by producing the world's most refine line of crystals, in an assortment of colors and cuts that are second to none.
Swarovski is the brand name for the range of precision-cut crystal glass products produced by companies owned by Swarovski AG of Feldmeilen, near Zurich, Switzerland. Swarovski was founded in 1895 by a Bohemian, Daniel Swarovski, who established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens (near Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria) where he could take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes he had patented.
How would one tell if a crystal bead is from Swarovski? What separates Swarovski from the rest of the pack?
One word sums up the edge Swarovski has over its competitors - consistency. Consistency in crystals comes from its cut and color. If you were to visually compare a batch of Swarovski crystals versus regular Czech or Chinese crystals, Swarovski will give off more spark. The reason for this is not because the properties of the raw materials Swarovki are made of is that much better, but just as diamonds, when crystals are cut consistently, light will reflect and deflect off its edges far better.
With the consistencies in cuts, Swarovski crystals sets on jewelry better as well, ensuring that every drop of crystal on an accessory stays securely in place, and appears extremely uniform in presentation.
In terms of colors, crystals colors are dependent on the chemical coating it receives after it is cut, much like how glazing is brushed on pottery, but it won't give off its resultant color until it has been heated. With Swarovski's decades of research, they have developed and created various color techniques that are uniquely their's. For designers who work with crystals, knowing the latest colors available fron Swarovski will not only help out tremendously on their designs, but it will also allow them to stay with current color trends, and ultimately design products that can be produced effortlessly with existing cystal stock.
Art and fashion have always operated on pretty much the same revolving principals of creativity. When it comes to creation, artists and fashion designers either strive to produce something entirely new, or take a spin on something of the past to give it a fresh new take.
When art translates into fashion, it is usually called a 'crossover', which means you take two different disciplines, and jumble it up to create something new, , something fresh, and something very marketable like a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Prior to the crossover between LV, the powerful fashion corporation, Marc Jacob, the icon of a fashion designer, and Murakami, an artist, Louis Vuitton was struggling to find a modern identity. Everybody identifies LV with its signature look of brownish color leather handbags with tiled logos, but at the time, it was a tired look in the midst of all the fresh labels competiting in the handbag business.
So LV decided to try something different by getting Marc Jacobs to put a fresh spin on their line. Marc Jacob, sensing the ever growing popularity of Japanese art, hooked up with Murakami to add some spice to the line.
Murakami was an up-and-coming Japanese artist on the international scene before his collaboration with Marc Jacobs. Basing his art on popular Japanese animations and comics, Murakami coined the art movement as 'Superflat', referring to the 2D medium it is mimicking. The Superflat movement had a pretty positive response with its exibitions around the world, and with the recognition it gained, so did its popularity, which made it a great starting point for a crossover effort.
The crossover resulted in a handbag line that became one of Louis Vuitton's top selling lines ever, meanwhile successfully turning an aged fashion iconic brand, into something every affluent, modern young lady craved for, and why not? When you're buying a Murakami LV purse, you're buying not only the perfectly made leather handbag, but you get the art to go with it too!
Shopping malls are essentially a place that provides an indoor, multi-stores environment for people to shop in. The idea has been around for centuries, but the first sign of an organized constructed effort was probably around early eighteen hundreds in London, and then the idea was intorduced first in the United States, in Providence, Rhode Island with a joint called The Arcade.
In the mid-20th century, the idea of the mall really exploded when suburbs and automobiles became a common thing, malls were able to move away from city centers, and into suburbia where land is plenty and consumers didn't want to travel afar for their shopping fix. The rest as we know it, is pretty much what we have today - malls have pretty much infiltrated most suburbs, and in them, are chain stores after chain stores of cookie cutter retail concepts across the entire nation.
We won't be the first and the last to say that it's pretty boring to shop in a mall nowadays, if you go to a mall in California, it is pretty much the exact same experience as if you would to goto one in upstate New York; you have your Gaps, and you have your Macy's. The repetition is efficient and effective, but it does make a dull shopping experience when you're craving for something 'different'.
In a way, we as consumers created our own evil; we want things to be good, and we want things to be cheap. It is this exact desire that drove the growth of malls and chain stores, but the thing with us human beings is, once we get something we want, all of a sudden, that's not good enough for us anymore. So we whine and complain that the shopping experience in the US is bland and uninteresting.
It is really not the malls fault that they do what they do, it is not the chain store's fault either, because both of these guys, are really only doing what we ask of them. So if we want things to change, if we want more interesting stuff in our stores, then quite simply, we have to change the way we buy things.
In Europe, people don't buy 20 bargain shirts a year, they buy 3 high quality ones and treat them with care. If we were to chart out how many of one thing we buy, and how often we throw them away after they fall a part, the result would be interesting - It will probably just show that, it's worth the money to get something that's slightly more expensive, but higher quality.
We don't go out to buy a car with the thought that it'll be temporary and we'll change it next season, so why do we do it with our clothes? Why do we do it with our accessories? When we buy a car, we know exactly what we're getting because we took the time to understand what we're buying, if only we apply the same effort to the rest of the stuff we buy, we will make a statement that quality matters, and buying the look is simply not enough anymore. When we make these types of buying decisions, we are telling the people who sell them, we waant better stuff! Only then, would retailers understand that we are willing to pay the price for quality, so they will respond over time, and bring in higher quality products.
So no, the mall will probably stick around. As for the stores, they have to change, and they have to risk changing in order to serve the next generation of quality shoppers.
Lifemix began its life with a simple purpose in mind, to collect the trendiest, most innovative and affordable lifestyle accessories about, and gather them in one small corner of the globe for people to enjoy.
What does lifestyle accessories mean? And why should you, the reader, care?
Lifestyle accessories can be interpreted as anything that you use to accessorize your life with. From necklaces to bracelets, belts to scarfs, handbags to wallets, even things you use at home, the watch or clock you tell time with - Collectively, every piece of the accessories you surround yourself with says a bit about who you are, and how you choose to exist. Lifemix has the objective to equip you with as many selections of these items as we possibly can, since your individuality, is as important to us as it is to you.
The purpose of this blogazine, if you can call it that, is to go beyond that, to provide you with information, ideas and resources that we utilize day in and day out to bring you the best of what trends has to offer, and to give you a more in depth look at the world of fashion as a whole, what defines style, how style comes about, and where it collectively leads us.
We hope you enjoy this journey with us, for us, it is simply not enough to just peddle you products, you can get that at any other retailer. Though we may not always succeed, but we do strive to be different; we regard ourselves as in the business of selling ideas, because only then the world will change little by little, bit by bit, so everyone can appreciate what the rest of the world has to offer.
Check back here to read, discuss, and contribute ideas with your peers. Let us know what you think too! Your thoughts are invaluable to us as a tool to help us constantly grow and improve!
|
