MORE JEWELRY FROM UNICO

"UNICO IS A TRUE LOVE STORY"

While studying, I worked part-time at a jewellery shop. Today I am a purist when it comes to jewellery and no longer a fan of costume jewelry. You see, sterling silver, while pricy, is an investment. It can be melted down, re-worked or sold. Costume jewellery breaks, discolours, disappears under the cupboard or becomes lost in oblivion.

Last week I stumbled upon a small shop. Unico produces original and mass-made pieces from different materials: sterling silver, alloy, beads, semi-precious gemstones and fabrics. Unfortunately, my fvourite item, the gold ring, twisted and knobbed like algae, doesn’t fit me. Maybe I am a metal-puristbut my heart beats most of all for original and whacky designs ­– be it alloy or silver or gold.

YOUNG DESIGNER: MICHAEL SONTAG

Michael Sontag Spring/Summer 2010 collection is here. He might still be a fashion student based in Berlin but he has already been called a "Überflieger" by ELLE magazine and was the proud recipient of the Beck's Fashion Experience.

MIMI PLANGE IS CRAZY FOR COLOUR

Mimi Plange, new to the fashion scene, showed her fourth collection titled „Scarred Perfection“ – a reference to her African culture. Plange, who is 33, was born in Ghana. Her signature pieces include black motorcycle pants with thin trapunto stitching which is a reference to tribal scars.
 

Plange used “The Patterned Skin” by Christiana Oware as a subtle inspiration for her references. These references to scarification are seen in the meticulous stitched leather and hand-embroidered beading. African fashion should not start from the obvious. Plange uses many different colours and patterns, but the looks are cohesive. That’s the solution! There’s nothing worse than stereotyping. Colours should melt like a bird’s plummage or a children’s crayon box.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE ARTISTS

Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist who has produced abstract and photorealistic paintings over the last five decades. Born in Dresden, Saxony, he studied at the Dresden Art Academy in 1951, and went on to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.

Many paintings are based on newspaper photographs and books – sometimes even incorporating the captions. His “blur” technique is produced by the touch of a soft brush over the canvas, or a hard smear of a squeegee. In 1969 Richter started producing abstract paintings: some based on colour charts or the textures resulting from different methods of paint application.
 

Detail and colour clarity are always part of his work. Waves of minimalism appear and disappear again. Nowadays, Richter’s position on the art market is high. In 2008 his painting “Zwei Liebespaare” was sold for $14,3 million. The band Sonic Youth used his painting “Kerze” for their album Daydream Nation in 1987.

GIORGIO ARMANI AND PHILIP TREACY TEAM UP

Giorgio Armani sent the models down the runway glowing from head to toe in: metallic dresses, dazzling leggings and XL sequins. Shimmering gems in sparkling colours were the inspiration for the Armani Privé collection, reflected in the peridot, onyx and amethyst silk organza. The result: glittering sequins and metallic-flowing statements gowns. The accessories: space-age hats designed by milliner Philip Treacy. This Spring/Summer 2011 collection was a great start to the Haute Couture week in Paris.

WHY I MISS KOREAN FASHION

What made me miss K-Fashion? When I saw recent photos of the group 2NE1 („twenty-one“). Their commitment to adopting every possible fashion trend is truly endearing. This South Korean girl group is made up of CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy. Their first hit “Lollipop” was performed with the boy band Big Bang.  

The band is a product of the Korean music industry their music is infectious. As an example, LG Corporation created the song, matching phone (which they released at the same time) and the result was it was the top song for four weeks in a row.

But still, I love these girls.I love their proud and often colourful fashion style. Korea may import Western fashion trends but they in turn, export their products, be it music or i-phones, to the rest of the world. Okay, so maybe I’ve bought into this post-capitalism creation.

LOOK OF THE WEEK

My favourite Look of the week: Givenchy Pre-Fall Collection. Yeah baby, oh yeah!
“It’s the ’70s,” Riccardo Tisci said of his pre-fall collection, “but not the glam ’70s.”

"STIL" IN THE LITTLE TOWN OF KARLSRUHE

Maurice Moel is one of the coolest slam-poets in town.

The fashion blog "Stil in Karlsruhe" mirrors the famous "Stil in Berlin" blog. I moved to Karlsruhe about 10 months ago and haven’t found much out-of-the-box street fashion. Charles’ repose has a population of 300,000. It’s a smaller city (although the third largest in Baden Würrtemberg). Butit’s no Berlin! It’s no Hamburg! But "Stil in Karlsruhe" has some fantastic people in this fan-shaped city!