The dream of Matthew Williamson for his 15th birthday

The British designer celebrates fifteen years in fashion with a short movie that tells the dream of 15-year-old Matthew, a magic story that ends suddenly when he wakes up.
But to me it looks like in real world the dream of Matthew Williamson actually came true, and celebrating 15 years from the start of his career with a short like this one prooves that.



The video itself is a result of the work of a dream team too:
Starring: Siena Miller, Poppy Delevingne and Andrea Riseborough and eight ballerinas from the Royal Ballet
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Directed by: Tell No One

Thanks to my friend Zlatina for sharing this piece of content with me.

OPI Instinct of Color. And of dance.

Here is something that really surprised me, in a good way. Two main things in the new OPI commercial: amazingly creative idea for nail polish ad and great execution.
Here nail polish colors definitely got meaning. And expression.
Pink stands for classical femininity, expressed with classical ballet.
Red is passion and tap dance.
Than come the blue and the yellow.
But it would be so good without the Lady in Black performances!



Special thanks to Zlatina Zareva for sharing.

A glass of liqueur with dancing ballerinas inside, that's Baileys

The new ad for Baileys Irish cream really makes me feel like staring at my glass, looking for the cabaret show I saw in 'Pour Spectacular', the Irish liqueur new spot.
'Spectacular' is actually a good word to describe the video, and I definetelly like it.



For more detailed info, credits and for another opinion, check out what AdWeek says about it.

Real people in luxury fashion, really? Lanvin winter campaign 2012

In July I read several blog posts and articles showcasing Lanvin's 'real people' ad campaign fall/winter 2012. I didn't post about it immediately because I decided to wait for the propised 'behind the scenes' video which is now available at the Lanvin YouTube channel.



So, are the 'real people' of Lanvin actually... real? As much as I like the idea of finding a place for luxury fashion on the street, well, it still doesn't look realistic to me. However, since the first shots from the campaign were released in July, I really liked the cast, especially the 82-year old dancer Jacquie "Tajah" Murdock (in the end I have a soft spot for almost anything related to dance). Absolutely stunning lady, indeed. A real jem in the surreal 'real people' Lanvin world.

Old techniques and new usages. Shwood eyewear Lookbook 2012.

It's been awhile, but I finally found something I consider worth posting.

That's a video presenting the premium line of Shwood wooden sunglasses (I'm also in love with their business idea - wooden sunglasses, handmade).

Here's Shwood eyewear lookbook 2012. For this video the creators used a technique called stereoscopy, invented back in 1838. And I find the result of its usage in 2012 just beautiful:

Shwood Select 2012 Lookbook from Shwood Eyewear on Vimeo.

Thumb up for the Oregon based company and for creativity in all its manifestations.

Thanks to my friend Bas for showing me his new pair of Shwood, which made me take a look at the brand.

A Dior bag on a trip in Tokyo or the fascination of mixing cultures

That's the japanese journey of a Lady Dior bag (well, together with Garance Doré). I have to share that what happened to the poor little bag on the way schocked me a bit but in the end it's not the core of the story.

What I find important here is the act of intercultural interaction. A phenomenon that turned almost into a 'must' for the good old european brands in pursuit of thriving markets.

So, here's how Dior does it:


Actually, I pretty much like the result. But most of all, I like the process that's been developed.

To people who love dance... the world's first dance lifestyle channel on YouTube

That's the promo video of DS2DIO, the world's first dance lifestyle channel, as claimed.




Yes, indeed, YouTube is the ultimate medium for dance related content. The proof: more than 45 000 views for less than 24 hours.

Happy Dance Day, happy Jazz Day!

Yesterday was the International Dance Day. 
On the occasion, check out the message of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, one of the most important contemporary choreographers:



And today is the International Jazz Day, so it's a perfect moment to enjoy some good music and try some dance moves.

About the link between classical ballet, architecture, fashion and technology or thoughts on creativity

I have a deep conviction that the best examples of creativity are based on exploring subjects with no visible connection and mixing them together.

That's why I'm sharing this talk by Lucy McRae. She calls herself 'a body architect' and her unique approach is based on an enourmously big interdisciplinary background in classical ballet, architecture, fashion, technology and biology:

Find it impressing? If you want to achieve similar levels of creativity, here's an advice: look around constantly, and find a hobby, a passion outside your professional path. Than try to incorporate it in your activities. You might be surprised how creative you are actually.

It's Spring time again. And color changes everything

Vibrant colors, dynamic and positive energy, music and dance. That's how spring season comes this year to Target. I definitely like it.

Don't imitate... originate / "Like Mike"

Here is something witty and beautiful. "Like Mike" - a short movie by the very talented dancer, choreographer and lately a director, Daniel Cloud Campos. I just love the way the message gets through. I have nothing more to say, so just watch it:

How brands use YouTube channels a.k.a. content is still king

Recently I've been discussing with some young and smart entrepreneurs the usage of YouTube channels for brands, and more specifically, how to make that channel work for them.
In my humble opinion there is only one thing that matters and it's called Content. Yes, content is still king. So what you can do is to try your best and produce the best content possible, according to what 'best' means to your brand and your audience.

Here an example that is related to my favorite type of content (which obviously, going through the content of this blog, is related to dance and art projects). That's the latest video by Louis Vuitton:



If that's the type of content you find good as well, check out the Louis Vuitton channel.

Love note on a cupcake and other sweet ideas for Valentine's day

Ok, it's time for a hidden, locally based gem. This post comes straight from the central streets of Sofia, from a charming cupcake bakery called Take a Cake.

Their Valentine's day initiative is called Cupcake Art - a project in collaboration with artists.

In brief, the designs are printed on waffles paper (yes, you can eat it) and put on six cupcakes. That's how you get your festive box of 6 originally designed cupcakes, and with a post card inside (this one is not eatable so your love note lasts).

Isn't that the sweetest idea for a Valentine's gift?

The charm of 'behind the scenes' videos and how Chanel uses it

I've always liked the 'behind the scenes' videos as a supporting system to a campaign, especially when well done.

Here two of the latest examples by Chanel, a brand I find perfected in communication as much as perfected in fashion.

Here comes 'Anarchy', a graphic novel by Axe

Here is the first post for 2012. While some people are waiting for the end of the world as we know it, Axe, accidentally or not, is launching a new campaign on 10th of January. It's called Axe Anarchy, a graphic novel. Actually it's a crowdsourced comic book - an idea I really like.



Looks promising but let's wait and see what plot will come up with the Axe fans...