I was looking over vintage airline posters longing. Back in the old days traveling was alluring, fun, easy, a bit of glam.
. As vacation season starts in the New Normal, the surreal sensation stays with me. I have been planning on another staycation. The thought of getting on a plane in the near future makes me a bit nervous. The same felling as going to a dentist appointment. Back in the say heading to the airport meant embarking a new exciting adventure. Even before 2020, the travel experience got stressful. Now, more time for checking in and screenings, face masks. How do you social distance in a terminal? Boarding an airplane? Taking an overcrowded train to the city centre? Travelling has become, if you can believe it, more complicated. My holiday involves a car drive within a few hours of where I live.
Summer time, Sunglasses for 2020. What style do you want to wear? Going over the collection, I found a pair I liked for people watching. In Berlin, my friends at Schoenhelden Optics give tips.
The famous silhouette at Fashion Week for the past 32 years. The perfectly coiffed helmut hairstyle. Oversized sunglasses. Statement Necklace. Calf-length dresses. Admired, feared, and copied, Anna Wintour commanded attention. Whether on purpose or not, when she entered the room her presence was felt far and wide.
Vogue Head Anna Wintour
As the daughter of famous newspaper editor Charles Wintour, publishing runs through her veins. Vogue USA sits at the top of a diminishing fashion magazine landscape besieged by the digital platforms. Now the resurgence of Black Lives Matter has placed the once venerated title and its editor in a cross hairs. As the pressure mounts for a more socially responsible outlook, many want answers about the lack of diverse voices in the fashion field, particularly at Vogue. Will Anna Survive?
The “C” Word
In Anna’s defense, her first cover model was Naomi Campbell in 1989. But, in 2020 the entire organization feels like a social club trapped in an episode of “Mad Men”. First, Andre Talley, former Vogue Editor at Large, released excepts from his book calling Wintour “A Colonial Broad”. OUCH!
Side Note: I plan on reading Mr. Talley’s book “The Chiffon Trenches”. I have some questions with a raised eyebrow concerning his new found “Identity” and “Sour Grapes” tell all.
I cannot remember a designer or creative of color championed by her or anyone at the publication. Based In New York City, I fail to see why it was difficult to find a Black Photographer. It took singer Beyonce to insist on one for her cover shoot. Former African American staff members (the few who worked there) complained of bad treatments and lazy stereotypes.
Can She Stay?
If a letter to Vogue staff on lack of support for African American Staff members was suppose to put out the fire, it only threw gasoline on a flame. Conde Nast Chairman Roger Lynch during a staff phone call defended the embattled Editor in Chief. Stating, “Wintour is staying put”. But with opens calls inside and out insisting on her resignation, it is hard to see how this corporate position is sustainable.
How will fashion handle this increasing awkward relationship? A one time asset suddenly has the potential of being a liability at fashion week. Social Media could be unforgiving if that scrutinizing silent gaze is sitting front row.
My Thoughts
As for my real opinion. It was no secret many publishing houses were and are cultural insensitive. I would not have met the “hiring profile”. Vogue USA never impressed me on the creative level. It did not take risks. Nor did I find it particularly stimulating or at the forefront of style. It was about the establishment. Who made into the club. However, guilty as charged, I read the September issue.
Earning a reputation for control, Anna Wintour has learned as the rest of us, no one is in control during these times.
Friday, June19th. After 90 days of not going to the gym, I finished my first week working out indoors in the New Normal. March 12thwas my last training session before the lockdown. Thankfully in Berlin there was not a complete closure. I managed to run everyday in the streets and the local parks.
Weigh In
I did the dreaded a weigh in after 3 months. Facing a firing squad would have been less frightening. The scale read 84.6 kilos. The previous one came in at 83.5 kilos. A small gain. Considering I visited South Germany for a week living on Bavarian Cuisine and drinking, a minor relief
I belong to a gym chain with multiple locations in the city, walking to the nearest branch or biking to the bigger one 15 minutes away. On the website the new protocols included: no shower, no changing of clothes, 3 meter distancing, and disinfecting equipment. Also, going to the gym, I have to walk through the mall, making a mask the new requirement instead of a gym bag.
Check First
Before going, I have to check online for gym crowd member status:
Green=Go
Yellow=Maybe
Red=No More People allowed inside.
Walking in, there are arrows to guide me to the check in. The same trainers stand at the desk. We greet each other but they are behind plexiglass. Hands in the sanitizer spritz. Skip the locker room, head to the cardio area. The distancing rules translates to every 2 machines taped off.
My past routine was A muscle, then B muscle: A Muscle 12 reps times 4 sets, for B, 12 reps, 3 sets- Sometimes I would double rep or jump from one machine to another. Today, that is not possible. New protocols mean taped off workout areas for each piece of equipment, all spaced apart and moved. I was lost in a place I visited 5 days a week for the past 3 years.
No classes, no work out mats, no steps. The free weight zone only allows 8 people at a time. The trainer is now a room monitor. The atmosphere has that “New Normal Feeling”: little conversation, no laughing, suspicion in the air.
Returning
Initially, on my gym return, it was grab a space or machine that became available. I had trouble putting together a program, biceps, triceps, lats. Chest mixed with shoulders, not today! Out with old ways! I am at 60% were I left off in March. My legs and stamina benefited from the outdoor running routines.
Devising a new way forward required visits to the larger gym with more space, more equipment. Forging a new routine, one based on practical situation, focusing on one muscle group at a time: 4 to 5 sets, 15 reps. I have to forget about a chance to move to another machine in between also, the hygiene rules, wipe down the equipment after each use.
After 5 days, I am getting the hang of it, making progress, feeling the difference with a more focused program.
The diversity question is first and forefront in the fashion business. Triggered by global protests, a reckoning is taking place. Are fashion environments racists? An industry in need of different voices, falling short when it comes to inclusion, fashion is an elitist field until recently only for the few living on 5th avenue in New York.
I made a quick video on my interactions, views and experiences.
I hope fashion makes meaningful long-lasting changes. Not just following a # for the shake of social media legitimacy. The industry talks the talk. But fall short when it comes to the walk.
The first fashion week in the “New Normal”, London Fashion Week goes digital. An event once exclusive to fashion insiders, LFW is now available to the public via Internet.
In comparison to the other fashion capitals, London’s beats the other cities with its experimentation, a quirky stance on style. Does this translate to digital? In a manner of speaking “no”. On screen, the awe value is lessened. The spectacle is not as spectacular.
Adding to this, he value of having fashion weeks comes into question as the industry faces pressure on many fronts. Magazines have lost relevance. Retailers are closing stores. Shoppers have cut back on none essential purchases.
I hope next year LFW goes live again.
I like this:
Looks from Kaushik Velendra
A veteran of Louis Vuitton, Daniel Fletcher interprets menswear and streetwear designs into minimalistic fluidity. Harry Styles wears his suits.
