GIA Magazine - Issue Three, January 2011 - DILEMMA

HUBEN HUBENOVEDITOR IN CHIEF /FASHION [email protected]

SLAV EDITOR IN CHIEF /CREATIVE [email protected]

DEPUTY EDITORVASIL [email protected]

EDITORSANNA [email protected]

SVETOSLAV [email protected]

YANA [email protected]

contributorsalina koengeorgi petkovinga ilievakrassimir dimitrovlazar goushevmomchil hristovtihomir rachevvasil germanovzlatimir arakliev

While we conscientiously on the theme of this issue, we got to some life-defining, and not-so-life-defining conclusions. We realized that our life is constantly accompanied by everyday dilemmas, sometimes really tough and hard, and sometimes – just fruits of our spoiled existence. It’s a fact as much as the fact that rarely there are unsolvable dilemmas. The reason is that actually every one of us know what is the right solution, only we rarely have the balls to make the right choice, but we often find excuses not to. It’s just as true that we’ve turned into life-threatening problems things like choosing between two cerulean belts, between iOS and Android, between Mini Copper and Fiat 500, the examples are endless.

That being said, the only dilemma on the pages of GIA this month is: either to have fun with fashion, or take it very seriously.

The choice is yours.

Happy New Year!

ISSUE THREE JANUARY 2011

WEBSITE DESIGNED BYGEORGE YANAKIEV

WWW.GIAMAGAZINE.COM

gergana popova at ivet fashion is photographed by momchil hristov and is wearing a dress by marios schwab.styling by huben hubenov, hair georgi petkov, makeup slav for max factor

4 JANUARY6 BLOGGER: VALENTINA SIRAGUSA

10 WOMEN TRENDS: FRUITS VERSUS STRIPES14 MEN TRENDS: SHEER VERSUS SUITS

18 INTERVIEW: GARDEROB22 INTERVIEW: MARII ROSEN

26 INTERVIEW: SIMEON STOILOV30 INTERVIEW: NELLY MITEVA

32 BEAUTY: RAW40 DESIGNER: THOM BROWNE

44 BEAUTY: TRANSITION54 INTERVIEW: GIO METODIEV

58 EDITORIAL: DILEMIC72 COMMENTARY: THE FASHION DILEMMA

74 EDITORIAL: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE90 EDITORIAL: DOMESTIC SOLITUDE

108 EDITORIAL: YESTERDAY120 POP

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Jimmy Choo

How success can inspire are showing us at Jimmy Choo.

After the huge interest to the men shoes they made for H&M, we are now expecting a full line for men, regularly priced.

It will be in store from September 2011, but it’s presentation will be at the end of this month, during Fashion Week in Milan.

Peter Som

We bet you’ll never guess what Peter Som’s new occupation is. Relax, we couldn’t guess at first either.

Come on, who would’ve guessed that Peter will start designing... bed sheets?! There’s no joke, you’ll be able to lay the bright printed Som sheets this March, after you buy them from the stores offering the luxurious brand Sferra.

As for Peter, in his defense he says: ‘Everything matters: from the clothes and the bag through the day, to the sleepwear at night. This defines the quality of your life.’

Matthew Williamson

We guess that holidays did good for Matthew, judging by his new ‘business plan’.

We predict a huge success, because it’s proven: on the bridal gown market there’s always place for another designer’s name.

The collection, made in traditional white and ivory, is complemented by a line of accessories: headwear, bracelets, purses and furry outerwear, in case of cold weather.

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Maison Martin Margiela and Opening Ceremony

And if we have to be exact: MM6 Maison Martin Margiela x Opening Ceremony. That’s the name of the new fashion collaboration for the two brands, which, besides long enough to be topic of a conversation by itself, will present a series of clothes and accessories for women. Umberto Leon, co-owner of Opening Ceremony refers to the collaboration as ‘two worlds colliding’. The ‘second world’ remained silent.

Dr. Martens and BAPEThe new collaboration between

the cult Dr. Martens and the Japanese brand A Bathing Ape /BAPE/ this time gave birth to

quite nice pairs of shoes, known as saddle shoes. The difference

is that they’re not presenting them in the usual black and white

combo, but in whole three color options.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

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When did you start your blog and why? I opened my blog one year ago, exactly on 15 November 2009. I decided to do that because I wanted to show others my style and to know their opinion.

Tell us about your first post. My first post was not a great success, the blog was known by few and the visits were not so many, but I was satisfied with my first step.

Who is helping you with the photos?My boyfriend. I’m a very shy person and I can only feel comfortable when I know that I have him behind the camera.

How would you describe your style?My style, it varies. I feel confident wearing bon ton and colored garments, it varies depending on my mood, the weather, on what I get inspired by, and if I’m traveling.

Which is your favorite brand?My favorite brands... Topshop,

because it’s a brand with affordable prices for all, with different clothes – from everyday wear to elegant. The choice of clothes is always huge.My favorite brand anyway is Marc Jacobs, for the lines and the colors, I adore him, it’s like he always knows exactly what I want.

Which do you think is the real capital of fashion?Difficult question... In London, you see the fashion, in Paris you feel the fashion. I say London and Paris, I couldn’t pick one, because I think they are completely different and both wonderful.

Thanks to the success of your blog, you have been invited to a lot of spring 2011 fashion shows. Which ones you liked the most?I had the possibility to go to London, Milan and Paris and the shows I went to are Burberry, Christopher Kane, Moschino, Frankie Morello, Dsquared2, Chanel and Kenzo. I love them all a lot, they were all very beautiful. I saw a lot of colors on the catwalk and I love colors, I saw the

elegance of Chanel, the originality of Kenzo and the incredible and deep London style of Burberry.

We saw your photos next to the fabulous Anna Dello Russo. How would you describe her?Thinking about Anna Dello Russo makes me smile, she is a funny and humble person, I think this is what I like about her, she is eccentric, we see her dressed in fantastic clothes, worn with great elegance and irony. She is a professional with a marked taste for fashion. I adore her.

Would you like to work in the fashion industry?I love fashion and I think that I couldn’t do anything other than this. I love creating outfits and experimenting with combinations of textures and colors, and to being original so that I can inspire people. I think that the most appropriate profession for me is being a stylist.

www.factorystyle.blogspot.com

photography h&s

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Fruit is the new flower. That’s our conclusion after seeing the spring catwalk shows, and more specifically the collections of Prada, Stella McCartney, Moschino Cheap and Chic and Wunderkind, who all showed fruit printed garments.All these pieces propose an everyday life filled with color and joyous vitality, and by betting on the certainty of nature they become the contemporary keys in this season’s trends.

Almost as popular as the digital, abstract and the already mentioned fruit prints, stripes were noticed on the runways of many designers and were included as a prominent line by Jil Sander, Prada, Haider Ackermann, Fendi, Balenciaga...The stripes went up, down and diagonally and varied in terms of size, color and – oddly enough – shape.

Our dearest Stella McCartney, was once again inspired by the masculine silhouettes, this time in soft colors like rose pistachio, bergamot and lavender. Everything was pretty much expected – high waisted and cropped trousers, cigarette-sleeved jackets,

Our spring dilemma is pretty tough – fun versus fun. On one hand we have something very classical - stripes, but remade in a very cheerful and optimistic way, and on the other – we have the very much needed alternative to floral prints – the fruit print. We loved them both, and couldn’t pick our favorite. What would you choose?

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well until the fresh citrus mix at the end of the show. Oranges, lemons and grapefruits on dresses, skirts and even collars.Yummy!

Prada’s collection on the other hand was as eclectic as the label she herself put onto it – ‘minimal baroque’. In the strange, yet very beautiful mix of inspirations, its place found the borrowed from the jungle luscious banana print, standing out on an all black background. And to top it off, Mrs. Miuccia herself came out for her round of applause wearing banana earrings!

But Prada’s collection is the centerpiece of our dilemma. Yet another of her inspirations was the uniform, and so she showed a lot of sailor, or prisoner, or whatever stripes in typical uniform-colors like plain orange, black and gray, or the sailorly white and blue. Again, combined with baroque prints, or just left on their own in clothes or furry accessories.

The expectedly minimalist collection of Jil Sander, consisted of mostly very colorful solids. The vibrant colors of the clean-cutted blazers, oversized skirts and dresses, were perfectly complimented by some pieces made in bold stripes. And who can forget the sailor-striped summer gown?

The 70’s retro spring show of Fendi was also mostly consisted of solids. But then there was the standalone piece – the diagonally striped wrap skirt in red and blue. It stood out, it was different, and it was fresh.

And as for Balenciaga – well we always love what Nicholas Ghesquiere has to offer. For this spring he offered black and white striped outerwear and tops - very masculine and very edgy.

photography h&s

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This spring it's all about flaunting skin and borrowing elements from the female wardrobe, which lead us to one of the strongest themes

– sheer. The see-through elements of a male outfit, like shirts and tops are no longer reserved just for women. Boys at shows like Etro, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta and Michael Kors are wearing shirts from very soft materials, almost transparent.

The sheer fabric is a style wave, that absolutely fuels the voguish reputation of transparent and flashy clothing items, but also leads a bit more to what should be flaunted with a classy and sophisticated manner. In Etro's case, the transparent shirts in very bright and warm colors have also different prints and tribal details, and are combined with absolute classics like the trenchcoat, or dress trousers.

Staying inside the limits of good taste and elegance, Bottega Veneta and Givenchy offer us the chance to make the transition of

Men style and trends do not change as often as women's. The main dilemma of most designers this spring was whether or not to present new and unusual menswear, trends that will be little too much to digest. Because from the menswear shows, most people expect to see a lot of suits, shirts with little change in cuts here and there. But for the upcoming season everything is different and unusual, and perhaps we'll finally see the liberation of the men's wardrobe, just as we saw it happen with the women's, in the beginning of the twentieth century.

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sheer fashion from the runway, to the streetwear, or to the more formal outfits. These are good examples to consider, when looking for a revolutionary outfit ideas to experiment with, but not vanishing the strong look of the whole outfit.

Perhaps because most men are scared of fashion, and never leave their 'comfort zone', menswear is often an after thought for the designers, but sometimes that can lead one to a dilemma in what exactly to wear, to look different.

A lot of men will be equally scared of the sheer trends, but they don't have to worry. If they prefer to keep the classic elements in their outfit, but yet look a little bit different, and 'in fashion', there are plenty of choices. For instance – the Comme des Garcons collection, which offers classic black suits, but made in a very modern way, with cropped pants and tailored jackets.

The classic black could also easily be replaced with shades of blue, seen on almost every catwalk in form of footwear, shorts, and also making a huge statement in 3.1 Phillip Lim's suit. Or the light gray minimalstic suit at Yves Saint Laurent, or the all-white linen option from Dolce&Gabbana. Very nineties, thanks to the wide cut of the trousers, but also very 'now'.

And of course, the modern man must now how to accessorize. Key pieces this season are the espadrilles and the leather sandals, but in fresh colors and with edgy details. And to freshen up the style, and not look like they just got off the runway, men can break both trends with the ever-classic jeans or trenchcoat with an updated, structured cut – the must-have of the season.

photography h&s

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Why you chose working together? How do you allocate your responsibilities?We don’t remember choosing, the things happened natural, we were working on a student project. There were materials, ideas, pictures and lot of fun. We guess something attracted us to each other, all three of us are very different, and yet very alike, we complete each other. As for responsibilities, until recently there were no distinct ‘positions’, but we keep specializing ourselves in different ‘links’,

Garderob are three charming, elegant ladies.Daniela Ivanova, Zhivka Dacheva and Lyubomira

Aleksiva started working together four years ago, when they made

their first collection. For that time they subtly juggle with fashion

design and editorial styling, and develop their fine style in

harmony and consent.

we’re more efficient that way.

Have you ever had the dilemma to split, and each of you go on her own way, grow on her own?Lyuba: At this point, no.Zhivka: I have dilemmas every day, and that’s normal. But I’d like to continue to develop with them. When someone works in a team, where things happen, and you speak common language, they are successful and very happy.Daniela: One year ago I had the possibility to to live outside Bulgaria, but few things stopped me. Garderob was one of them.

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You work as stylists in Bulgaria, but sell your clothes elsewhere. What made you do that?L: It happened natural – we are accepted better in other countries, and the clothes we make find their owners faster.Z: I used to work as a designer for another brand until very recently. The choice is simple – things can happen here, but at what price? We sell here too, of course, but a lot less. It’s good to try other places too, to feel the way of thinking and the way you are perceived – it makes you flexible.

You consider a success when:L: When clients like themselves and feel comfortable in our clothes.Z: Every new collection is a success.D: ...and when there’s satisfaction

from the achieved.

When do you get bored?L: When something repeats itself.Z: I don’t get bored. Only if I don’t have a plan for something...D: When I mark time, with no clear goal or perspective.

One day you will make:L: Garderob more famous.Z: A swimming pool.D: An adequate space for work and showing our work.

What have you learned in 2010?L: That it’s always good to have a plan B, and how to write a business plan.Z: Three very important things: run faster, believe more, and that if you’re body is smiling, you’ll have better digestion.

D: It was a hard year, and I learned that there are no bad years, only years with more lessons to learn. And also that good communication is the foundation of success.

Your personal dilemma was:L: Whether or not I actually like the situation in Bulgaria.Z: To stay or not to stay. In Bulgaria.D: Both.

The illusion which you left behind:L: That everyone knows what’s loyalty.Z: I don’t have illusions.D: That someone else can do a good job for you. In Bulgaria ‘quality’ is something that people often speak of, but rarely see it, not to mention they can’t make the difference between good and bad quality.

photography h&s

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In which of your social and creative roles, do you consider yourself best at?The plurality have always scared me. That being said, I don't see them as roles, as much as different manifestations of an unitary nature. When I can't declare myself a certain way, I do it another and I am grateful.

I am very much myself when directing, and I enrich my direction through acting. I am a guest in

Marii is a theatrical and movie director, an actor, a musician

/Help Me Jones/, a lyricist /Nasekomix/. A month ago

was the premiere of the play 'Test', directed by him, and after another month we expect a new

music video of his project with Konstantin Timosheko.

Obviously, 2011 will be one of his strongest years.

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music, but I try, and I write lyrics for as long as I can remember.

Have you ever wanted to select only one of your appearances?When you do something, it's good to give the best you can, and thus, when I am one of my so called 'appearances', I'm only that, I give it to the maximum and I keep my integrity. I cannot choose which part of me is more important.

How and when have you decided to involve yourself in music?I've been writing the lyrics for Nasekomix for many years, but it's different than poetry. Those lyrics have to be sung, to have a melodic potential.

And that's how I introduced myself to music – I was humming the words and sometimes I got really carried away, and as we know – the appetite comes with eating.

I entered music through words. Then recklessly we recorded few songs with Kostya Timoshenko, and Help Me Jones was born – something that we take good care of, and we love.

What's your favorite sentence from lyrics you wrote?Lately this is stuck in my head:

a picnic at a beachpears in perfect pieces cutno fears hiddenunder blanket soft kitten

you read in a bitter trancehigh noon that intuit the nightdoes it wave my wigor it is a wave of mind

That's part of the words of one of our latest songs, that I keep playing. Until I get bored with it.

What made you happy in 2010?The fact that I have work. I do plays, I act, I sing, I invent. If I don't do it, I'm going to get ill. Perhaps that's why I turned out to have so many different 'appearances'. When one gets stuck, another unlocks, and this year was rich in events like that. What more?! Keep it coming.

What did you forgive yourself for?I hardly forgive myself, which is not good... But on the other hand I feel calmer and calmer in my skin.

The thing you admire:Sanity, consciousness. But I also like the 'misfits' that contrast the rational.

How do you decide, when you have a dilemma?I hate being on a crossroad. When I have to make quick decisions I trust my intuition. When I have more time, I listen to my

experience, but in the end of day I again trust my intuition, which often offers the most irrational solutions.

Your life in three days will be:Fireworks!

You are sure that:I am alone in my head!

photography h&s

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You're a classical 'Painting' graduate, but for years you have devoted yourself to large-scale, conceptual projects. Have you ever had the dilemma which path to choose, how and with what to work?Few are the lucky ones, who know which is their path from early age. A handful of people can hold on to their chosen path, even less if it's connected to art, and even lesser if it's in Bulgaria, for the last twenty, thirty years.I've never had a dilemma which path to choose, or why I choose it, it's like when I breathe... If I either paint, or use other mediums in my art, it doesn't really matter. For the last few years I do exceptionally spacious things – due to lack of my own atelier, I have turned the gallery spaces in one, and I did my works on place. Recently I got the dreamed space of my own, and I'm thinking of new painting projects. I've never doubted the righteousness of my choice to be involved with art. The doubts that 'eat' me all the

Simeon likes to provoke and make other people think. He's an author

of elaborate and conceptually philosophical installations and art works. One of his very impressive

works is called 'Isolator' – huge styrofoam blocks, 8 meters in

diameter and 5 meters in height, organized as a monument for protection and solitude of the

urban human. His last installation 'Grey clouds' is a replica to

Warhol's 'Silver clouds' from 1966, and consists of treatment plant tanks hanging from the ceiling, representing and materializing

the ecological threat we're facing today.

time are related to the realization of my artworks, but if there are no doubts, there are no questions. If there are no questions, there are no answers, and if there are no answers – there's nothing.

What provokes you as an artist? How do you decide exactly which idea to realize?Everything can provoke me, but mostly my personal experiences. When I think of it – only my personal experiences. I would never do an artwork, for which I'm not convinced I want to realize. Provocations sometime come from the need to master a certain space, other time – from painfully wanting to tell something to the people. Although my works differ from each other, in terms of medium and expressions, there's always something common in them – they're very honest, and they're very mine.

What was your most difficult dilemma, professionally?Always the last one...

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Where do you find peace and solitude?That's a tough question. I am extremely dynamic person, I work a lot, I sleep a little, there's a constant movement of images and thoughts in my head – it's not easy! I feel most relaxed in big, open spaces, airports, beautiful museums of modern art or architecture, huge, clean spaces, few people, good artworks, silence, beauty – nothing to tease your sight or hearing in a bad way. The rocks and horizon of the northern Black Sea calms me as well.

The little sin you chose not to get rid of:Nothing human is unfamiliar for me, and the world always looks better through a glass of whiskey...or more!

You feel powerless when:When I encounter ignorance and incapacity, low-minded people. Odd – when I think, it's always things related to the negative human qualities.

The gift you wanted to receive:I like gifts I can either use, or look through, or listen to, so no one can

go wrong by gifting me something like that. Now, particulary, I want a book for sacred art – Ars Sacra – that came out a month ago, very thematic for the holidays. Of course, don't get me wrong, I bow before the achievements of artists and architects no matter the cause...

...and to give:Hope. Hope for everyone.

Your word of 2010:My word is always the same – Freedom.

photography h&s

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You work with many young designers. How do you choose which ones?It all started from my personal observation of the first class Fashion in National Arts Academy I taught. Alexander Gerginov /Ham&Eggs/, Antonia Pashova /tochka/, Leda Ekimova /chaika/, Zhivka Dacheva, Lyubomira Aleksieva and Daniela Ivanova /Garderob/ have all been students of mine. There were a lot of enthusiasm in this beginning that I, together with my irrevocable idealism, put in Ivan Asen 22. I quickly became familiar with graduates of New Bulgarian University like Nikolay Pachev, Georgi Florov, Vyara Borislavova, Igor Iliyovski, Zaharina

Nelly Miteva is a fashion designer, but that's the least that can describe her. She is the conceptual and physical

engine of Ivan Asen 22, a concept showroom showcasing

the ideas and collections of young designers. Besides taking

developing the new wave of Bulgarian fashion, Nelly works on

her own labels nelmit and TAPA with Yulian Tabakov, and leaves

time for performances with Бbrain Сstore Пproject.

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Gabrovska... And in time, 'the core' was built.

It was extremely important to not lock myself in a closed circle, but to give opportunities to new names – graduates or very young designers, to contribute on a subject, after being selected on a contest. That's how one of our most conceptual and progressive designer Tsvetalina Atanasova /carevitsa/ emerged, who follows absolutely own and very distinctive direction.

On the other hand, the accent of my curatorial program for 2010 was the international collaboration. For the Neighborhood stories exhibition I invited designers from Macedonia, Serbia and Romania.

The approach when selecting designers is always different and is defined by the subject we work on, or by the partners we work with on a project.

I dare to say that I know very well what every designer can offer, but their attitude in team work as well as their own work is determinative. In some projects the group of designers is smaller, for instance when working on an art project, as was the case with the designer duo BLESS, which required conceptual thinking and willingness to exchange and communicate.

Also, there's a group of designers who follow a certain common direction and style, despite of their differences, and they are suitable for projects under a joint collection. For our bigger subjects, the whole team is invited, because then the diversity is important as much as the integrity of the predefined theme (a common color palette, style, etc.)

Of course, I am all for self-initiative, and I always look at proposals sent to me by young designers. And because I now have a lot of experience with clients reaction, and the acceptance of the general public, I can define the work of which designer will be accepted, and which proposals, despite their value as an experiment, just need more time, reworking and cultivation.

And how do you choose the themes for your projects, what inspires you, provokes you?The approach is different here as well. Sometimes I discuss the themes with fellow journalists, other times we 'vote' proposals with the designers themselves. Sometimes the briefing for the theme comes from the partners we work with, or they like a certain idea and join us. Without trying necessarily, our themes have always been a representation of the strongest

trends for the season, like the animal prints in Urban Jungle, or, more currently, the hand-made, sustainable and 'slow' fashion in Cool:WOOL!.

What was your biggest dilemma in your work?The lack of real market for designer wear in Bulgaria. Also the loyalty – without the constant support of regular clients and customers, people who are really interested in and respect our work, who are enthusiastic about it, or collect it, we would be lost.

I keep saying that what I try to do is an 'educational process' – to be more professionally educated Bulgarian designers, who make individualistic but also wearable clothes, which are made better than the mass fashion, and you

won't see them on the next man on the street. And which worth more, because they are worth it.

A huge problem is also the lack of manufacturing for small designer brands or at least lines. There's a huge gap between industry and designers, and perhaps there's a lack of eagerness and courage in manufacturers to trust the designers, instead of forcing them in outdated methods. Of course, designers also need to land down a little (but just a little) and realize that functionality and comfort are as important as the idea and concept.

Creativity is born when:When you decide to step out of the 'system' and create your own.

The inexhaustible source that fuels you is:The persistence and consistency of my Leo sign, my inborn optimism,

despite all the difficulties, the support of my parents, friends, and when I see something that I'm sure is ahead of its time.

Your most valuable asset last year:The realization that I have to have at least one day-off in the week.

The gift you made to yourself:The day-off. And I learned to hand-knit.

The event: Our first presentation of young designers, called 'We are to wear'. And I'm proud to say that we are worn – in Sofia, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo!

The dream:To continue to be able to live, work and achieve in Bulgaria...And never stop travel and search!

photography lazarhair and makeup slav for max factor

model matilda at starz people

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Till recently Thom Browne was considered only as a pretty radical menswear designer who put the excitement back into clothes. His first collection for women might as well do the same – a sublime development of menswear ideas into cleverly constructed and feminine clothes for tough women

Thom Browne has a serious problem. When you work on the silhouette and proportions of clothes, you either redefine modern fashion (Christian Dior's New Look in 1957) or fail spectacularly (too many to mention). Browne has been known for doing exactly the first thing – redesigning the contemporary men's suit with new length of the pants (to some unknown till now

extreme proportions), slimming the jackets and tailoring them to be as fit and short as possible and playing with hard to perceive ideas like a dress suit for men or the more commercial savvy collection for Moncler Gamme Bleu. He might be considered a fashion darling, a true pioneer, loved by the press and his colleagues (CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year in March 2006 and named the GQ Designer of the Year in November 2008), but Browne just seems pretty ahead of its time and while his ideas are well accepted in the up-market, he is still to make it into the mainstream. The question is who needs it?

Thom Browne has been working under the radar for a long time. Born in 1965, he grew up in Pennsylvania and initially trained

to work in finances. After a hugely unsuccessful attempt at acting in Los Angeles, Browne moved to New York in 1997 to work as a salesman in Giorgio Armani's showroom, thus seeing what comes and goes in menswear frоm the bottom level up.

His affinity towards sartorial elegance and a monochrome men's wardrobe with twisted proportions was hard to notice in his next job as a chief of the creative development team in Club Monaco, an independent company by assumption, but in reality owned by the Ralph Lauren Corporation.

After only four years Thom Browne established a fashion label under his own name in New York as a result of the slight shift from

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really used and messy business casual attire to a nerdy and heavily cut into proportion version of Mad Men's Don Draper – a trend, which would eventually blow out into considerable volumes, even in the high-street chains.

Initially Browne's showroom was dedicated to made-to-measure suits for men, but he also had a lot of female clients as well. The latter clearly adored the masculine and pretty confident tailoring.

But Browne's tailoring is different from all of his contemporaries. As we mentioned, he specializes in construction and fit, which can't be accepted easily by the mass market, but eventually turned him into one of the most respected American designers, credited for revitalising men's fashion and

putting some good wit in it. According to his design aesthetic, everything (suit lapels, tie, tie clip, short, pants) is skinny. You will know a Thom Browne suit by its distinctive structure and fit. It's composed of flat front pants with readily exposed ankles and a jacket that concludes mid-wrist and doesn't cover the backside. It's not for every body shape and taste, that's for sure. And with a $4000 price tag, you might think twice before purchase. Most of the jackets have three buttons, narrow lapels, side vents (thank god), and the trouser is without belt loops (a typical feature in all made-to-measure clothes on Savile Row), paired with a tie from the same fabric, a silver tie clip, a classic white button down shirt and black leather dress shoes. The typical

Thom Browne uniform reminds us of the 60's silhouettes of the white collar workers.

At the beginning it was only suits in grey, black and white but through the years Browne has added dress shirts, sweaters and accessories to the line. He has also been heavily working on proposing bold prints for the outerwear and lining of his suits (tennis and bicycles among his all-time favourite topics).

Browne is perceived as a really influential menswear designer also due to his collaboration with the Brooks Brothers, who wanted someone credible and smart to dust off their dowdy image.

Black Fleece began as a 50-piece high-end collection for men and

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women, in 2006. The joint project seems to be successful since Browne is doing the line even today and there's a standalone Black Fleece store in New York's West Village.

Browne's appeal also comes from the fact that he has never accepted the typical male American uniform of white t-shirt/blue jeans and in spite for it opted for a tailored wardrobe of suits and basics that once defined the establishment of 60's Americana and the working class. If he will be remembered for one main thing, it's about thinking outside the conventional and showing there's another way to be masculine, excluding the testosterone and including the posture, elegance, charisma and stubborn naive attitude.

But we are ready to see the impact of his latest development, a long-waited but never thought to happen (in the near future) women's line. The only hint till now for Browne's interest in women's fashion was his capsule collection at Barneys for a couple of seasons in 2007 and 2008. He also designs womenswear for his collaboration with Brooks Brothers and has always worked with females in the made-to-measure department of his label, but a full-fledged women's line is a really exciting thing for Thom Browne New York.

For the women's spring summer 2011 collection Browne develops furthermore the staples of his menswear basic pieces (suits, collars, sleeves, ties, proportion) and colours (grey, white, red and

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brown) and defines it into more loosened and elegant clothes for ladies, who are not afraid to be perceived as the more at ease part of Thom Browne's delicate masculine universe.

For WWD, the designer says that the line 'is very focused on jackets and trousers and outerwear. I think it's what people expect from me, very men-inspired women's clothing. Gray flannel, navy cashmere. Good, all-American menswear influence, but fitting in a cool feminine way.'

As mentioned, the menswear-inspired tailoring features some unexpected twists like grey-flannel dress which looks like a blazer from the bodice up, only to be nipped into a pleated skirt at the waist. The skirts are long and full

with detailed layers. There are some feminine strokes as well – oversized pearl necklaces, tulle bustles and a cute blazer studded with bows.

While his menswear has been shown in Paris for the last few seasons, Browne returns to New York Fashion Week in February to present his first proper women's show for Fall. The idea is for the collection to become a fully developed enterprise in the coming seasons. Clearly there's no dilemma for the designer what and where to show and work on.

The women's line of Thom Browne is available at Barneys New York, Colette, 10 Corso Como and Thom Browne New York. More at www.thombrowne.com

photography zlatimir araklievhair and makeup slav for max factor

model hristina at ivet fashion

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A shoe boutique with the label Gio Diev appeared on Vitosha Boulevard in Sofia last August. It opened very quietly, without pompous red-carpet events, or wine-drinking celebrities, or overblown press releases, which was quite unusual. No one knew who the hell was Gio Diev, but one thing was certain – the shoes in the boutique were amazingly well made, different and very, very beautiful. It later turned out that the man behind the label is the 30-year old Gio Metodiev, who lives in The States for fifteen years, and is in Sofia just for a month.

We first met for a Friday brunch, followed by a wild night-out, and I quickly realized that our views for fashion, for the world, and for living in general are pretty much the same. Few hаngоvers and dinners later, and I could already name him as a friend of mine, so I couldn't help myself but ask him for an interview. Obviously he agreed.

So, how's your stay in Sofia so far?I'm rediscovering it. I meet editors, designers, and a lot of wonderful people, who think in a same direction as me.

Bulgaria is a place, where fashion was inaccessible for a long time, and now after the Internet, and after more people travel, there's a lot of fresh creative energy here. And that's amazing!Furthermore, I discovered that Sofia, besides my home, can be a place where you can do a lot, and do something for the first time.

When was the last time you were here?I am usually home for Christmas. But there was this time, I was away for four or five years, because I was liable to military service. Imagine that – you've started a career, a life and all of

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a sudden it all has to stop for an year. And especially in fashion, one year is eternity. It was very hard to be away from my loved ones for so long, at that time even Skype didn't come up my mind, all my contact with them was by the phone. After that I resumed my Christmas visits, and little by little started to realize what's the situation here. Bulgaria is changing so quickly. It's unique!

Yeah, ten years ago no one would've understand you if you talked about Balenciaga or Comme des Garcons for instance. Exactly. And that's the fun of it, because in Paris for instance, everyone is jaded with fashion, but in Sofia there's an excitement about it.

Is that what made you open your first boutique here?Well, that's a test for me.

It was very logical to start here, where more or less I developed as a person, as a taste. Next step is Paris in March, where I'll show my fall/winter 2011/12 collection. But in fashion everything depends very much on personal contacts, so I'll devote to showing my shoes to important people, important stores, who can make you an established name. And I'll show to the media. You're actually the first editor who I speak to as a designer, and that's important for me, because that beginning also happens in Sofia.

I'm happy to hear that. I loved your shoes, so there was no other way, but wanting to see you in person. My idea for that is to be a bit more exclusive. I don't want to just show my shoes, but to collaborate

with people who I like, people who understand my point of view. I think when magazines tell you: 'Okay, we're gonna shoot your shoes, that's gonna cost you that much' they stop being fashion magazines and turn into catalogs. Naturally, magazines are financed by advertisers, but I don't think that's the way. It's like making love for money.

How did you get involved with fashion?I went to New York City when I was nineteen, with the idea to work in television, so I enrolled in Communications studies in Marymount Manhattan College. But the city itself is a school of its own, so I decided I have to be 'in' the city. I rented an apartment, instead of living in campus, and for a time I worked whatever – in restaurants, in clubs, in a liquor store... At the same time I started going

out, and there was this club, Spa, where everybody was – Kenny Kenny, Sophia Lamar, Amanda Lepore... When all your life you felt like a weirdo, not belonging anywhere and with anyone, and suddenly you enter the right social circles, you're like: 'It's actually okay to be weird, these people don't judge me.' In this setting the ordinary is weird.

So, in these circles, everybody gets dressed to go out and I quickly realized that t-shirt and jeans won't do the trick, you have to be different every night, everyone is different. It's like a stage play, but in the club. Actually, that was the first time I started thinking of fashion as a way to express yourself. Naturally, I didn't have the money to buy designer clothes, so I was buying

a lot of vintage and second hand clothes and then I cut them, drew on them, to make them my own.

And people started asking me: 'Wow, you have a very nice style, are you a designer?, and when I told them that I want to work in television, they said: 'Oh, no, you have to be in fashion.'Then a friend of mine proposed me to intern as volunteers during New York Fashion Week, and from never seeing a catwalk show live, I was backstage at Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, you name it.

What exactly did you do there?It depended on the show. The one day I was a dresser, I had to dress the model, at Michael Kors show I was an usher, I assisted people to find their seats.

After all that madness, I was like: 'Wow, that phenomenal!'

Was it then when you decided you want to be in the industry?Well, yes, things happened by accident and very organic. I was never one of those kids reading Vogue, pursuing a career in fashion at any cost. But when I look back, I see the accidents that brought me where I am now.

And what was your first 'real' job in fashion?I was working for an year in Package development for Chanel, and after that at a PR agency, where I was responsible for the American public relations of Fendi. It was incredible, because seeing Carla Fendi, or Karl Lagerfeld working, the energy that surrounds them, is unbelievable.

After that I went to Dolce&Gabbana as Head of Menswear PR, I was responsible

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for North and South America. It was quite the school for me, because I realized how high the bar is set in this industry, and that in order to make it and be successful, you have to be able to jump over it.

What led you to shoes?It was very instinctive I never planned to be a shoe designer. But there was always something pulling me towards shoes, even when I meet somebody, I first look at their eyes, and immediately after – at their shoes. And I said to myself: 'Okay, I'm gonna make shoes.'But I knew there was no way for this to be my hobby, that if I don't do it seriously it will never happen. So I quit my job and went to Italy. I spent a lot of time in factories, at trade shows, looking at leathers, soles, heels, buckles... Everything I learned was learned in life, not in some school. I just

jumped in the water and had to learn how to swim, before I drown.

It all sounds fantastic, but how do you finance such enterprise? You can't just snap your fingers and start a label. Look, you need money, but not that much. For a lot of things you can get help from friends. For instance - a friend of mine made the website, another friend of mine made photos of the shoes.

I guess that your job at Dolce&Gabbana also helped a little?Of course. After all I also used to help people, when you're on a position like that you can do favors, release clothes for shoots, you name it. And people don't forget that.I believe that when you go about something like this, destiny sends

you the right people, friends and acquaintances pop-out of nowhere and help you reach your goal.

How do you define your style? European, American, or...Hybrid. I myself am a hybrid, I grew up in Bulgaria, but I formed as a person in the United States. Same goes for my shoes – I am inspired by the New York woman, but also by the Italian and French aesthetic. I love the classicism of Europe, but also the new energy and dynamic of America. I can't define geographically my designs, or myself for that matter.

But don't you think that American fashion is more commercialized? That the main goal is selling, not creating and in the end of the day design gives way to the thought: 'Would I sell that?'Well look, The States are a huge market, and If you make it there

you can quickly expand. When you expand, a lot of people enter your business, and unfortunately most of them look at charts and yearly reports, and forget that after all fashion is a form of art. But it's all about balance, and then the job of the designer is to stay true to his vision, but also to sell. Because in the end of the day, if you don't sell – you don't survive. It's a thin line.

Marc Jacobs is a great example for that kind of balance – he does so many different things, with different price tags and design levels. You can buy a $13 pair of flip-flops, but also a $5000 handbag.

What are your plans from now on?I'll work on popularizing the label. I'll send samples to stylists and

celebrities. But only celebrities that are speaking to me through their art and style.

Such as?Well, I love Roisin Murphy, Alison Goldfrapp, Tilda Swinton. All of them are women who make money by making art, and by making that what expresses them. That's exactly what I'm trying to do, and I'll love to see them wearing my shoes.

I think it's great that you aim that high!You know – if I aim low, I'll hit low. And the other way around.As Alexander The Great said: ‘Destiny favors the brave.’

www.giodiev.com

photography momchil hristovstyling h&s

hair georgi petkovmakeup slav for max factor

model gergana popova at ivet fashion

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The near future: We are über-consumers with an insatiable need to buy nearly useless items - the more, the better. We live in a world where everything has been decided for us. We are clones wearing identical clothes plugged in a system that does not tolerate uniqueness and outcasts. We don’t have to make any choices, there are no dilemmas anymore. The marketing gurus know better what is good for us, we just follow the trend blindly and obey. Everything is so easy and simple. We are all converts to this new religion of consumerism.

Let’s rewind a little.

These days, everybody from the free world aspires to be in control, to decide their own fate, and pursue their happiness - the core principles and freedoms lying in the foundation of democracy. Isn’t this what they are fighting for in all the wars currently: to free

the oppressed population of any country still under dictatorship? Well, no, not really, but that's another subject.

On the other hand, we do have the tendency not to make our minds for ourselves. We prefer not to bother ourselves with dilemmas, and we buy useless things that someone else has offered us. It’s so much easier to eat and watch television, and to follow the crowd. They know better than us.

But consumerism and the current state of capitalism is turning us into 'homo consumericus', while at the same time buying stuff that we think we need does not turn us into happy and fulfilled people. Still, many of us tend to forget that freedom of choice equals responsibility. And responsibility comes with a price, and usually there is a high cost of taking or not a stand on the dilemmas that confront us. Decisions can be minor or major but they are always important. In the end of the day our lives are defined by

the choices we make or choose not to make.

What is the place of fashion in this equation? Many consider fashion as one of the culprits in the case against consumerism, a vanity fair, a world being full of narcissism, concerned only about the empty and shallow appearance and image. We will not respond to that, it's up to everyone to acknowledge that fashion is so much more than the clothes we’re wearing.

The dilemmas tend to be innumerable - starting from the designers choosing between colors, designs and fabrics, passing through the fashion editors picking up the trends and ending with the customers – deciding what to buy. And that's exactly how fashion can actually help us in the battle against consumerism.

The question that all of us have to answer is: will buying more will make me happier and fulfilled and am I making a well thought and

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educated decision what to buy?

How can we find the middle path from over-consuming to enjoyment of the pleasures created by designers? Vivienne Westwood proclaims in her manifesto Active Resistance to Propaganda 'We have a choice: to become more cultivated, and therefore more human - or by not choosing, to be the destructive and self-destroying animal, the victim of our own cleverness’. She asserts that we need to be art lovers and we will find we consume less. In other words - art will make us free. We tend to agree with her.

The financial meltdown has sobered us up and the fashion industry is not an exception. Many brands reconsidered their strategies by reorganization, repositioning of collections or introduction of new lines. Some brands perished from the market, but the really good ones not only survived but also flourished.Why some fashion brands will be successful no matter the external

factors and some cannot make it? As with everything really successful the answer is simple - they are not doing it only for the money.

They primarily want to share with the world their vision and to materialize their dreams. Naturally, the customers want to experience this and they are ready to pay. In the end, it’s more expensive but it’s really valuable.

Although we can buy several cheap imitations for the price of one genuine commodity and it can be the perfect replica – it still will be a cheap imitation. And an example – a Chanel knock-off will last you a season, but that old lady, who bought her Chanel bag in her youth, can still proudly wear it today.

And we must not forget that the world is complex, everything is interconnected and one thing leads to another. It has never been that evident that the natural resources are scarce and deforestation and urbanization,

although necessary evils per se, are destructive, and these are direct results of the over consuming. We don’t want to greenwash you and preach that you need to care about the environment – there are enough Al Gores in the world right now.

But let us ask ourselves this - do we need crisis and catastrophes to remind us that we need to be proactive and involved in solving the dilemmas that really matter? As we know this is our life and it’s ending one minute at a time, now faster than ever before. Living in a model home taken out of a catalogue and wearing exquisite clothes will not make it more meaningful by itself – but solving the real dilemmas in our lives and taking a stand in favor of buying fewer but better quality products that cost more will not only help us to use our money more wisely but will also help the really good fashion brands to offer even greater products. And by choosing 'slow' over 'fast' fashion, we will also help the world we live in.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICEphotography vasil germanov /thinktanklabstyling angelina ilieva-inga /thinktanklab

makeup slav for max factormodels gia and nikolay at ivet fashion, maria at visages

all the t-shirts are from metal heaven store www.metalheaven.bg

photography vasil germanov / thinktanklabstyling huben hubenov

hair and makeup slav for max factormodel denis at ivet fashion

photography lazarstyling h&s

hair and makeup slav for max factor model teodora at ivet fashion

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You will know her by a great pair of 6-inch heels or stripper fetish shoes she redesigns the way she wants to. Look for the vintage bright pink Hamer, which she really plays. If you have been listening to the music of Mia and Yeah Yeah Yeahs recently, you will definitely fall in love with Margo, a fierce and beautiful girl from Jamaican/Canadian origin, who is originally from Toronto, but has been working on some music in Los Angeles for the last couple of months. Since then she has been writing songs for different artists (as she says, some signed, some not), but her greatest achievement till now is the release of Animal House EP, a collection of alternative pop music with an immense raw power and beautiful

shrieks from a gorgeous lady. ‘I want the whole world to listen to my music. I like to say I’m developing myself to be a world pop story teller in music. I try to push myself to write stories about different topics but still make it relatable to people.’ Obviously she won’t settle down with one EP. ‘I have so many songs that I have never put out! I just want to make sure that whatever I do for me as an artist is authentic to me and sounds like something I could hear when I’m older. I know where I want to go musically and what I want to say in my songs. So now its time to share some music with the world.’ Margo will begin her conquest for world domination from Los Angeles, her current residence and huge inspiration.

‘It’s great to have a city that doesn’t try to cover it up, it’s there and it’s real. When I see all the shopping cart pushers it makes me work harder. There are a lot of cool artists too we can bounce ideas off of each other.’

As any other aspiring artist, Margo is constantly working on new music, which, strangely enough, will sound like a roller coaster on Mars. This is easily explained when we hear she has been inspired by Space Invader, vintage video games and gamers. ‘You can expect some more new music from me, shows in 2011. And I’m going to change my hair soon!’ Go get them, tiger.

You can listen to Margo’s tracks at www.margoworld.com

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We might seem tough at first, but everyone here at GIA is a sucker for a good romantic story, that can tore apart our heart and make us cry for at least couple of minutes.

And who better to star in it than Ryan Gosling (America’s future mega star, acclaimed romantic lead actor from The Notebook, pretty hot) and Michelle Williams (the love and of the daughter of the late Heath Ledger, a fine young actress with a remarkable talent)

– two actors with a great onscreen chemistry and prolific careers?

Blue Valentine is the story of Dean and Cindy, who use one night to try and save their failing marriage. The movie is filled with vivid reminiscences and romantic memories of their courtship, all of them scored by the New York indie band Grizzly Bear.

As the press release gladly informed us - love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time.

We haven’t seen it yet, but both Gosling and Williams are nominated for best actor/actress in a drama at the Golden Globes. It won’t be a huge surprise if the two of them have made the performance of their life.

Blue Valentine opens internationally at the end of January.

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5+1 anna purna www.annapurna-aidabarni.comderek lam www.dereklam.com

francesco scognamiglio www.francescoscognamiglio.itlost&found www.lostandfounddesign.netmarios schwab www.mariosschwab.com nymphenburg www.nymphenburg.com

vivienne westwood www.viviennewestwood.co.ukare available at farenah concept, 1a saborna street, www.farenah.com

jean paul gaultier www.jeanpaulgaultier.com maison martin margiela www.maisonmartinmargiela.com

junya watanabeare available at all u re, 9 saborna street.

moschino www.moschino.com paul smith www.paulsmith.co.uk

are available at trend box, 5 sveta nedelya square

manoush www.manoush.com yigal azrouël www.yigal-azrouel.com

are available at love/labels, tzum floor 2

chloe www.chloe.com christian dior www.dior.com

are available at garde robe, 4 saborna street

ben sherman is at 1 slaveikov square and www.bensherman.comblumarine is available at paola apsi, 64 vitosha boulevard and www.blumarine.com

byredo is available at salon olfactive, 145 rakovski str. and www.byredo.comcoccinelle is available at purple, tzum first floor and www.coccinelle.com

diane von furstenberg is available at volume one, tzum second floor and www.dvf.comd&g is at 5 sveta nedelya square and www.dolcegabbana.it

gene is at 26 solunska street and www.genestyle.netgio diev is at 84 vitosha boulevard and www.giodiev.com

givenchy is available at kult shoes, tzum ground floor and www.givenchy.comkaren millen is at serdika center, ground floor and www.karenmillen.com

max&co is at 56 vitosha boulevard and www.maxandco.comm-a-c is at the mall, ground floor and serdika center, ground floor, and www.maccosmetics.com

s.t.dupont is at 27 tzar ivan shishman and www.st-dupont.comsalvatore ferragamo is at 4 saborna street and www.ferragamo.com

valentino is at 4 saborna street and www.valentino.com

GIA MAGAZINE WILL BE BACK SOON.THE MODELS ISSUE IS OUT ON THE FIFTH OF FEBRUARY.

GIA Magazine - Issue Three, January 2011 - DILEMMA

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