The Toys of Hermès

It’s Saturday night and I’m hanging out by myself reading and listening to music, something I haven’t done in a really long while. I used to do this a lot before I graduated from high school, which I completely enjoyed, and somehow I forgot how relaxing it felt. Not that this matters for what this post is going to be about.

This week I received as a little gift, the November issue of British Vogue, and truth be told, the articles are so interesting, the magazine is beautifully formatted and the website is not the best one. Surprise? Absolutely! If it’s part of the Vogue or Condé Nast‘ family, you’re only expecting the best, isn’t that right?

Well, as I mentioned like a thousand times before on the previous posts, I’m currently working as part of the Vogue Mexico’s online team, and I’ve had the chance to observe and learn how to build a beautiful, clean and successful website by writing different types of notes, uploading galleries and taking care of almost every single detail that involves designing and keeping up with the main web page and the competition.

This is why it surprises me so much, that Vogue.co.uk is kind of not messy, but not good-looking compared to AmericanVogue.com, or to Vogue.mx. The browsing is not easy, and I know they’re the first ones to upload the latest news about fashion, but the format or something is not quite right. It’s not comfortable to navigate through their website. Besides, they don’t upload the main stories of the magazines’ issues, which takes a couple of points off, comparing them to the main and strongest competition.

Now, coming back to the November issue (I can rarely stay talking about only one subject, sorry)… From the many articles that were published in the printed magazine, there was one that caught my eye, and I kept like thinking about it, because I didn’t have a clue about the subject of this article that I’m going to talk about. It is about the fact that now, or recently, high-fashion/luxury brands RECYCLE. The weird thing is that until this month, for what I know, there are no big publications about this subject.

The brand they’re focusing on? Hermès. The recycling project? They make toys with the scraps and pieces that are no longer useful for the production of the fashion items. And they’re not any type of toys. Professional craftsmen and artisans produce them, at the point were it became an associated label/brand to la maison.

The project/brand is called Petit H, and the whole project was born from the fact that one of the family members, a sixth-generation heiress of the brand, Pascale Mussard, grew up by taking home the pieces that were no longer useful for her to play and construct things. The idea developed throughout the years until it became Petit H. The workshops take almost every single scrap to transform them into leather lionesses; crocodile frame mirrors, and wood, leather and silk yachts.

Because they’re part of the Hermès family you can’t expect them to be cheap or even affordable. But, if you have money and kids, this is definitely the way to go. The products are absolutely beautiful, and the designs reflect a sort of creativity and artistic explosion.

P.S. If you live in the US, UK, Mexico or anywhere else where they sell the British Vogue, go buy it. The articles are entertaining, funny and again, it’s a great way to spend your time, or take a little break from the daily routine.

Guess the character!

Ok…. This is about guessing the character although you already saw the picture. If you don’t know the name, don’t read until the very last line. If you do know the name, well, wait and read this post because it is way different than the other ones you’ve ever read before. I promise.

Now, let’s start. He’s the silver fox of fashion royalty and the lord of the americana style. He’s married and he has a daughter, that if you live in the US, or in NYC specifically you’ll go shopping in her store for more than just clothes. You’ll go shopping for a little treat on Dylan’s Candy Bar. Sounds familiar? Keep reading!

He was the first male designer to choose a black high fashion model for his events, and every store and boutique he owns, carries that home and cozy energy that makes you feel inside your very own dreamed house. There’s more hold on!

His birthday was this week (and the reason why this post was made today), and his brand has more than ten different lines, including jewelry, accessories and housewear. He owns an amazing collection of luxury cars, and his hair is white platinum representing the big titans of fashion building the commerce era during the 20th century.

One more, one more! His biggest competition has and always will be Tommy Hilfiger. Do you know yet? Wait for it… wait for it…

It’s Ralph Lauren!

Behind the Credits

What’s the charm about Vogue? Is it the insane amount of products that come free or as a sample to the editors? Is it the fashionable pieces walking down the aisles of the real offices? Or is it the perfect silhouettes that cover the glossy pages of the beautiful magazine? I think all of these reasons count, as part of the charm isn’t it? But, honestly after three months as an official insider, for me is not the products, or the heels walking downs the aisles. It’s the people who build the beacon of hope for the fashion and contemporary art lover (let’s not forget for the one who can afford a $4.99 monthly luxury).

This group of people includes designers, artistic directors, creative minds and great editors. They’re all so different that you don’t even imagine how human can they be. It is a little bit like The Devil Wears Prada, in a way that they’re unbelievable experts in what they do. But, the thing is that people who reads the magazine only knows about the ones who are in charge of the big positions. Among them, Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Kelly Talamas, Emmanuelle Alt, and Andre Leon Talley.

Now, what about the rest? Who are the writers or the editors-at-large? Where are they, and why they’re not known because of the very own credits of the magazine? What about the assistants, the marketing directors and even the photographers who assist to every single event to document every single outfit and face that goes through it? I think the socials section is not enough, and honestly sometimes it is more charming to only know the name and the face instead of the real person who writes and designs. If you have worked inside this industry you know what I mean.

To know the person indirectly is more fun sometimes. You get to know the fun and bright side of the genius who writes that monthly essay that might give a little twist to a part of your life. Some of my favorites? Hamish Bowles from Vogue USA and John Heilpern from Vanity Fair USA (clearly my favorite magazines and newspapers are from the US). I’ve got to know them not only because of the essays they write for these amazing magazines, but because of a source that has become a little more exclusive as time has gone by. The New York Times presented them to the audience, in a real human way. Yes, they talk about their love for the publications areas, the fashion clichés and their daily routine, but what’s more interesting about these profiles is how they made their own way to the top.

There wasn’t any family name involved, or any beauty stereotypes at the time of hiring. They were hired because of their true talents, and they were promoted because of the outstanding job and constant innovations. They were able to transform an insipid subject into a really interesting and fulfilling one. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and check out the columns by these authors, a.k.a. Out to Lunch with John Heilpern in Vanity Fair or the selected story by Hamish Bowles in the monthly Vogue (one of the most interesting ones and personal favorite, was an interview and personal course with Formula 1’ driver Lewis Hamilton).

The list is really long, and let’s not forget about the people who doesn’t write, but photograph or design exclusively for these publications. Always, when reading a magazine, no matter your choice, check the credits column at the beginning. Check the collaborators columns and always look a little further for the designers’ profiles. They work their a** off everytime they’re called for a feature, and believe me, you’ll be more than surprised to know who they are and where they come from.

Check out The New York Times, that allows you to read 20 free articles per month, or The Business of Fashion, that with their new area of the BOF500, features an insane amount of stories behind the big labels. Also Vanity Fair and W Magazine allows you to access the cover story and the main ones online for free every single month. I’m not kidding. I’m not a great follower of The New Yorker, but I know they have great essays. I’ll have to get my eyes around those essays some time soon. And if you want even more details for free, go ahead and check Voguepedia.com, which gives you a really wide selection of stories about the most recognized Vogue personalities ever.

Read the books that the magazines recommend. You might find a lot of interesting personalities that might inspire you to a better life. I know they don’t always read the books, the ones who recommend them, but as far as I’ve read them, they’re all have been really good and insanely interesting. You’ll get to know authors from all around the world, and actually support a literary project.

If I keep writing this post, I might exceed the boring line, so I’ll leave you with this information for now. It’s all useful and again, incredibly interesting. Because of reading these magazines and newspapers, you might get a chance to get the dream job that you always wanted. You’ll never know. Never underestimate the unexpected results. They happen to everyone, the thing is that we don’t always get to know.