April 29, 2013

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

Mine, Student
Scarf: Borrowed
Jacket: Flea Market, Regensburg
Dress: H&M
Tights: H&M
Spring is a magical season for me. I love the sound of birds chirping, the smell of rain in the air, and the vibrant colors of the flowers starting to bloom. For me spring awakes the senses. It was one of the first warm spring days in Hamburg when I noticed Mine sitting in the sun and enjoying her coffee. In retrospect I realized why I asked Mine to become part of Imprimoloco. Her energetic personality and the colorful highlighted style symbolized perfectly the beginning of spring. The name Mine is Turkish in origin and stands for the flower "Forget-Me-Not". With a smile on her face Mine told me the story of her style. Her beautiful, red sparkling jacket is a gift from her sister and Mine's favorite piece. Her sister bought the jacket on a flea market for less than three Euros. Mine's story provides impressive evidence that fashion doesn't have to be expensive. "One man's trash is another man's treasure," an old saying says.
The mother of all flea markets is in Paris: Le Marché aux Puces. Any given Saturday, Sunday and Monday there are between 2,500 and 3,000 stalls and shops selling finds that range from antiques to cool French junk. There's stuff like old buttons, wonderful new and used French pots and pans, vintage and new clothes, as well as housewares and furniture. Of course, the better your French, the better your deals. 
As a child, I remember often getting confused by trying to remember the different colors of the rainbow. A simple mnemonic aid is the term ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). Mine's nails are the logical consequence of her fresh and colorful style.

April 22, 2013

Desire and Anxiety are the Heart of following Trends

Canan, Fashion and Textile Management Graduate
Headphones: AKG
Necklace: Bershka, Dubai
Shirt: Adidas for New York Yankees, LA
Leather Jacket: Zara
Trousers: Bebe, Dubai
Boots: Zara
Backpack: Fjällräven
I met Canan at the airport in Istanbul. We started talking while we were waiting for the luggage. I liked her cheerful and smart spirit. It turned out that Canan just quit her job in Hamburg as a store manager to start a new life and to try something new in Istanbul. Grown up in a tailor's family and with the background of fashion and textile management, Canan knows a lot about clothing and trends. We talked about her style and Canan brought up an interesting thought: "Is it possible to dress individual if you follow trends?" Steve Martin's joke occurs to me. He made all his audience stand up together and recite simultaneously the Nonconformists Pledge: I will be my own person! I will think my own thoughts! I will make my own decisions! Then he would tell the entire audience to sit down. And of course they did it, as a group, in union. This joke illustrates a truth that has existed for as long as people have. People follow trends. This is not a new thing. Desire and anxiety are the heart of this. We are drawn to the new and novel, to things that provide a feeling of change and progress. We also want to belong, to be part of something recognizable. There is no more obvious way to demonstrate this than through your clothes. The reverse side of these desires is anxiety - about not fitting in, not being up to date and being an outsider. I am always excited about trends because they tell me a lot about the world and the people. There are also many trends I like on others, but I am not interested in trying them myself. And there are trends I dislike, but I would not be the judge of what other people choose to wear. In the end I think the answer to Canan's question is that you don't adopt a trend because it's a trend. You try to see if it enriches your personal style. If it doesn't work for you  - you let it go. 
For my first day at school in 1985 my mother bought a light grey Fjällräven backpack. I loved it. Fjällräven is Swedish and means Arctic Fox. I am pleased to see that the Fjällräven backpacks are back. Take a look at their every day bag collection

April 9, 2013

True Beauty is What You Project

Asena, Fashion Stylist Assistant
Sun Glasses: H&M
Suede Jacket: Mango
Shirt: Zara
Skirt: Small Boutique, Istanbul
The first thing I thought when I saw Asena was "Wow - what a beautiful woman!" She makes me think about what true beauty means, but more on that later.
Asena's outfit shows her sure feeling for trends and her preference for casual styles which have that certain something. Quite rightly she is working as a fashion stylist assistant. Royal suede together with black and white stripes - amazing! Typically reserved for fall and winter, leather is making a big splash this spring, thanks to a lighter, more feminine look and feel. I think it is easy to embrace the unexpected warm weather look by selecting pieces in cool colors enhanced with embroidery, laser-cut details or perforated accents. Asena's stylish blue suede jacket inspired me to do some research. From my point of view the latest "Must Have" is Acne's Mape Petite Sue Pop
Back to true beauty. I have come to realize that beauty is a subjective quality, and a universal perfect beauty is, but an abstract concept. I did not only notice Asena's outfit. What I noticed was the whole beauty: Mind, spirit and body. It was a shining light that sparkled through her eyes and smile. I think, beauty is not only what you look like -  it's what you project.
For more beautiful pictures of Asena take a look at her blog: http://asenasaribatur.blogspot.com.

April 8, 2013

Life is too Short to Remain Unnoticed

Mete, Photographer 
Sun Glasses: Oakley
Camera: Canon G15
My whole perception changed since I have started with Imprimoloco. For the first time in my life I see clearly. Every day I try to raise my awareness of the beautiful things around and if possible capturing the moment by taking a photograph. I love the challenge when taking photographs. It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction when I bring together what I know about the camera with my choice of subject. Sometimes the result is a good photograph and sometimes there are mistakes. Then I want to learn from it and it urges me to do better next time and learn a little bit more. It is a very creative process and individual expression of how you see the subject whether it's a landscape, portrait, fashion shoot, flower or food. And when I create something that is completely my own and has turned out well then that is the payoff for all the work - seeing the result.
When I saw Mete sitting in the sun I realized that he was doing the same: He absorbed the mood and expressed inner contentment, a camera was hanging over his shoulder. At the age of 35 Mete decided to work as a photographer. It was a new beginning for him and a decision he will never regret. On his home page http://www.metersoz.com Mete quotes Dali: Life is too Short to Remain Unnoticed.

April 5, 2013

I love Sneakers!

Mina, Photography Student 
Glasses: Giorgio Armani
Coat: Zara
Shirt: Zara
Jeans: Topshop
Sneakers: Nike
When I was 19 years old I did skateboarding and I loved punk music. I still love punk music, but I gave up skateboarding after a bad crash. During that period sneakers were the most important footwear for me. Time changed and I switched to high heels, long shafted boots and ballerinas. People say when you get older you go back to your roots. It feels like that for me now. I am looking for a nice long board and I keep my eyes open for the perfect pair of sneakers. As it turns out finding the perfect pair of sneakers is much harder, then I thought. The man I love has a passion for Nike Air Force 1. The more I do research on "the perfect pair of sneakers" I become aware of the science, cult and history behind the big sneaker labels. 
I noticed two things about Mina: Her perfect cut fringe and her yellow shining Nike sneakers. The running shoe Nike Lunar Glide 4 is the perfect fit for her - as well as the haircut, I think. And I admire Mina for both: Sneakers and Haircut. She inspired me: Hair appointment is fixed and right now I am flirting with Nike Air Max 1 Vintage. What could be more reasonable now than buying sneakers for my daughter, opening a door for guitar music and the skateboard will be next. 
Mina is wearing Nike Lunar Glide 4. If you need some orientation on the sneaker topic I would recommend Squidoo for a brief history, the Sneakers Magazine for the latest trends and the Frontlineshop for online purchase.