welcome fellow addicts.

Inspired by the recent movie, Confessions of a shopaholic, i have dug deep down inside myself, to reveal to you all, the addiction i have been dealing with. I, Jessica, have tan-erexia. Yes, i am in love with everything fake and bake. The tanning beds, the smell of coconuts, the lotions and potions and the never ending tanning minutes that never seem to expire. And everytime i find myself at the salons counter, booking my next appointment, they have a contest, making me win after glows and all kinds of goodies. So why wouldnt i wanna go back?!

It doesnt help much either when i know all the girls who work there, its like a family gathering every time i come in! But the best thing about it all, is when im in that secluded little room, ready to go and all i have left to do is press that magic little red button, start! and from then on its the best ten to fifteen minutes of my life. im alone, with no one to bother me. cell phones away, mothers not knagging, and the heat puts me straight into the deepest of sleeps. i enjoy my afternoon naps ok! its a therapeutic feeling, and its a luxery yes, but if i seem to find it quite worth it, then why not?! better this than a crack pipe right? i just have to learn how to use in moderation ;)

Maybe this stems down to when i was younger. i was pasty as snow and ghostly as casper, looking a little drab. but with a healthy glow and a little color, i find myself to be happier, looking healthier and being in better spirits. it doesnt take me 30 minutes to get ready in the morning anymore, slapping on pounds of makeup, layering myself like a birthday cake! None of that anymore! And my recent trip to the bank, involved the teller asking me if i went downsouth, because i had such a quote on quote, "gorgeous color". Now who doesnt want to look like they just got back from a fabulous vacay!?

So maybe i do embrace my addiction a little too much, but dont you worry, orange maybe a color of the season, but i will try not looking like a carrott anytime soon!

Jessica D

Interesting marketing strategy

As an even/fashion fanatic, I have various reference sites to which i am very faithful to. One of my weekly references includes BizBash.com. It is a key site for event planners to keep up to date on the most recent event trends, business, markets, ideas...and much more. This week I thought i would share one of the articles that caught my eye. I think that this is a great example a marketing collaboration (between a product and the fashion industry).

Model Behavior

For a fashion-centric marketing campaign, Sony has recruited a small army of "live mannequins" to pose around Manhattan with its new notebook in the days leading up to Fashion Week.

Sony plans to market its pint-size Vaio P Series notebook to the fashion set over the next two weeks by sending laptop-toting models to bars, hotels, and other public spaces around the city. Visitors to Grand Central Terminal caught the first glimpse of the stunt Friday afternoon. Wearing the styles of six up-and-coming designers—Threeasfour, Elise Overland, and Libertine among them—Sony’s so-called “live mannequins” will infiltrate different venues in demonstrations ranging from the obscure to the mundane. In spaces like Grand Central, choreographer Johnny Byrne had the models posing with the laptops in unusual, synchronized contortions, but in more intimate spots like Lower East Side bars Spitzer's and Libation, the models silently used the computers as Sony’s targeted customers would, checking Facebook or communicating with friends. Produced and cast by Jack Morton Worldwide, the elaborate P Series launch will eventually find its way to the Bryant Park tents on February 13 and 14. Models will be deployed out front and inside to garner maximum attention. The campaign also features on online element with behind-the-scenes footage of Fashion Week preparations and a YouTube channel to showcase customer testimonials and impressions. As for the participating designers, Sony’s partnership doesn’t involve sponsorship for runway shows; it merely offers a chance to showcase the designs while appealing to a clientele that might be in the market for a notebook that can fit in a purse. Once the stunt is over, the designers' clothes will be featured in window displays in Sony stores across the country—including its New York flagship, which will host a launch party on February 11. —Michael O'Connell -Emma Cusson-

La Collection est une nouvelle émission sur le design de la mode, qui prendra les ondes du réseau TVA dès avril 2009.

Huit semaines durant, dix designers de mode - hommes et femmes - devront dessiner et confectionner des vêtements pour les artistes féminins les plus en vue du Québec.

Avant de créer chaque vêtement cependant, les designers devront mettre de l’avant leurs aptitudes physiques et mentales en s’affrontant dans différentes épreuves, qui leur permettront de remporter des privilèges pécuniers et autres.

Un panel de juges provenant du milieu de la mode votera pour la création gagnante de chaque émission. À la fin, un grand prix alléchant: un contrat de 100 000$ avec La Baie en plus de voir leur collection vendue dans tous les magasins La Baie du Québec!

La Collection… Une émission où se côtoient talent, ambition, endurance et émotion!

I have had the opportunity to attend several television shows, and all of them even though they were Canadian were really fun and interesting. This one on the other hand was terrible.

It was already a difficult morning for me, the weeks work was really catching up to me and i was exhausted. I still wanted to attend this little activity because this meant i would see some fashion shows. Half asleep i made my way to TVA for 12:45 the time i was asked to be there, last Thursday (Feb 12th) Sure enough, everyone was running late, so an hour and a half went by and finally we were called in to be seated. I thought this was it no more waiting, from here on i will be watching fashion shows until 5. But NO that's not what happened at all, once everyone was seated. (The 20 seats) :) we again waited for about 30 minutes until the models and camera crew were ready. By this point i couldn't wait to get started.

Finally after all that time of waiting, Chantal Lacroix comes to take her seat in the audience. At this point i thought, why isn't Chantal speaking to us a little about the show, or tell us just what we will be doing today, or what they will be presented today... we got NOTHING!

Silence sur le plateaux, YEAH! we are finally going to start. I had no idea what we were going to be watching but i was assuming it would be interesting.

So the 7 models start strutting their stuff.... they did that about 7 times. over and over and over again. Obviously because its going to be on television they have to make sure it was perfect but.. No one was sure what to do ... do we clap when the model reaches the end of the runway.... or do we stay completely still for the whole show...are the models suppose to stop for 3 sec or 5 sec.... oh god!

About an hour later.... i think.. that part of the show was finished. Next thing we here is " alright everyone take a 15 min break" i was thinking to myself .. ARE YOU SERIOUS! man these people are paid.. to do nothing. you would think that they would want to do 2-3 different fashion shows.

Anyways so its 3:45 and everyone takes a break... we all thought that perhaps we could go eat something or that we were going to get some snacks. But of course not! we weren't allowed to step out more then 20 feet from the room, and there were no snacks!

So finally at 4 everyone gets back into the room to see the next fashion show. 4:10, 4:20, 4:30, 4:40, 4:45. Nothing was happening..... no one told us anything.. we were all just sitting there looking like idiots. Even the owners of LaBaie were sitting there, questioning what they were doing there.

This was ridiculous.. and that's when i decided to leave..

If they don't do a good editing job on this show it will be terrible. Real Canadian Crap.. like a friend of mine would say. :)


Jessy Lalancette

Check this site out

So i came across a a really neat fashion blog i'm sure some of you already know it but for those of you that don't you should really go take a look

http://www.garancedore.fr/en/

She's an Illustrator from France the site is in both English and French

-Zoe Anderson

Govenor's Ball-Feng Me, Shui Me

I was surfing the web and then went on Elle.com and came across this article. I thought it was interesting and the picture caught my eye so I wanted to share it with you. Each year Sequoia Productions organizes the Academy Awards Govenor's Ball and with the economic crisis: "It's all about understated Elegance". So they are going with a concept of the 5 Feng Shui Elements which are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water and in addition air. The Asian philosophy brings a calming ambience and is down to earth! Through difficult times using this concept in your own home is conforting and this will allow you to be centered and relaxed.
Earth: Add living elements in your home like plants, exotic centerpieces this allows you to breathe!
Fire: Adding a sense of warmth; light up the candles!
Water: Soothing and calming so add a small fountain or floating candles are great as well!
Wood: Adding natural wood by frames, banisters, etc.
Air: Space is a decor, so rid yourself of all the junk/clothes you do not need; whether it's in your closet or anything hanging around. Then she mentions ( I liked this quote) "it doesn't say on your gravestone THE ONE WHO HAS THE MOST STUFF WINS!" Meaning items are not as dear to us as our loved ones!!
And finally Metal: With a sense of celebration nothing says it better than a sparkle!
Have a good one!
Alessandra Salvatore

sushi :S

I wonder sometimes if i eat sushi because eveyone else says it's good ... I never crave for it when i'm hungry , i guess i just have it because it looks good . I want to like it , i tried many times to, i really did but never ended up liking it .
Yesterday, i went to this fancy restaurant to have sushi with my friends, came back home and through up everything i ate. So i was wondering , why should i eat something that i hate and find disgusting , and why should i pay $40 for a meal in a restaurant if i'll leave hungry and go right after it to MC Donals.
That was the last try .
Eliane.A

Recession a la Haute Couture

Armani Prive Chanel Jean Paul Gaultier

Haute Couture week in Paris played an interesting reflection of the recession. Indeed, designers tried to demonstrate that it was not going to slow them down. There were some cut backs as expected. The event was shortened to 3 days instead of 4 and showcased 20 designers instead of 23. Every designer had different thoughts and ways of seeing and dealing with this still fresh obstacle.
Giorgio Armani who laid on an exotic show inspired by Shanghai and the roaring 1920s, featuring silk shawls and models with cropped black hair declared that the role of haute couture is to "make people dream", also mentioning at the cocktail after his show: "it is not about the crisis, it is about a forgotten world."

Karl Lagerfeld, by contrast, decided to embrace the downturn. Mr. Lagerfeld chose the more intimate setting of Cambon-Capucines Pavilion for his event instead of Paris's Grand Palais. Guests sat at round tables surrounded by columns festooned with paper flowers. Mr. Lagerfeld said he cut the VIP section to create "equality in an unfair world."

His minimalist clothes for Chanel were inspired by white paper, and embodied what he terms "New Modesty." After the show, he implored everybody to "stop crying" over the slowdown.

Jean Paul Gaultier "doesn't want to talk about the recession at all" warned his chief exec. Veronique Gaultier.

As long as the very rich don't fall short of money, i think the haute couture will continue to be an ongoing success as long as it is handled smartly, as was this most recent one.

-Emma Cusson-