Dressful

On my unexpectedly free day during Milan fashion week, I popped into the Vogue Talents Corner at Palazzo Morando just off Via Monte Napoleone, one of Milan's most popular luxury shopping streets. Vogue Italia and thecorner.com have organized this exhibition for the second time to help emerging fashion designers from all over the globe gain international recognition. During the three days of the exhibition, you could also order pieces from the designers' Spring/Summer 2012 collections on the spot using Samsung tablets – one of the cleverest Fashion and Digital compounds I've seen.

The 11 brands that participated in the exhibition were: AI_Andrea Incontri, Pedro Lourenço, Leitmotiv, Benedetta Bruzziches, C.B. Made in Italy, Mungo Gurney, Vernissage, Joanne Stoker, Shourouk, Hexa by Kuho and Ricostru. Of course, with a large number of designers comes an equally large number of (different) visions. The exhibition was too diverse to be summarized in a single post, so today I'd like to share just my favorite part of it: shoes by Joanne Stoker and AI_Andrea Incontri.

AI_ANDREA INCONTRI
The pink pump with silver specks is fairy tale material, almost too fragile to be worn. Then again, fashion never comes quite alive when put on display.

JOANNE STOKER
Because I see an abundance of beautiful clothes and accessories at fashion weeks, my friends often ask if it's difficult for me to constantly be exposed to covetable pieces, all of which I obviously cannot have. The truth is that the more I immerse myself in fashion, the less often I feel the desire to actually buy it. I think it's precisely because I see so much of it – as terribly ephemeral as it makes it all sound, if I skip something I like, there will most likely be a new, similar piece soon that I might like even more. With Joanne Stoker's shoes, however, I immediately knew I need not look any further: the first pair, perhaps in a slightly brighter colorway, might as well be my dream pair.

Clockwise: ice-cream sundae shoes, meat shoes, red-bean rice shoes.

Before Lady Gaga's meat dress, there were Tokio Kumagai's meat shoes.

Shoe designer Tokio Kumagai first produced his Shoes to eat (Taberu kutsu) series in 1982, reviving Elsa Schiaparelli's trompe l'oeil technique from the 1930s. As the title would suggest, the shoes were not edible. Kumagai created them using Japanese plastic food-sample production methods.

I'd love to see edible miniature versions of these shoes being sold in vending machines alongside fancy Japanese snacks.

P.S. A propos Lady Gaga's meat dress – it's not so much an issue of originality as it's a question of whether everything has been done in fashion already. Forget luxury brand management Master's degrees, fashion innovation is what's going to matter in the long run.

I wanted an ordinary, but not too ordinary pair of black suede pumps for December festivities to go with my two outfits. These Guess suede pumps have earned the nickname "dino shoes" because the studs on the counter resemble dinosaur spikes. They're not as dangerous as the spike on the "license to kill" Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2011/12 wedges, but they could hurt if I tried.

Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2011 sandals

Don't you think it's curious how the fashion system lumps together spring and summer, fall and winter? Indeed having shows twice a year is enough of a chaos as it is. It'd be all kinds of complicated to double the number in order to specifically cater to every season, but the latter is precisely what I do. I dress differently in spring than in summer. There are colors and clothes that fit fall but not winter.

With the Fall/Winter 2011/12 collections being presented when the Northern Hemisphere's Fall/Winter 2010/11 was just coming to an end (to me, the 24 hours I spent in Paris for the Hogan by Karl Lagerfeld event were the first hint of spring, Milan was still very cold), i.e. more than half a year in advance, I too am skipping one season, already thinking about what I'm going to wear this summer.

Artdeco nail polish

Due to my love for black, many beautiful colors are severely underrepresented in my closet. One of them is coral red, to which I'll be giving more attention this summer - these Emporio Armani sandals (sans heel!) are going to be my "everyday shoes". You just slip them on - shoe hassle is for winter, not summer.

I'd also like to get a summer dress in another bright color (maybe orange?), not very expensive so I won't fret too much if it gets ruined (who am I kidding though - I haven't ruined a piece of clothing since I was what, 6?). A dress for meeting friends in town after the sun has set and it's not so devastatingly hot any more.

I was thinking about dressing for spring 3 months ago. Perhaps this means I'm adapting to the fashion industry's insanely rapid pace. It can be overwhelming, but on the other hand, it's fascinating that compared to the rest of the world, fashion is always one step ahead. Why not?

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Impressions from Milan and Paris I wanted to share with you that didn't find their place in other posts:

MILAN
Seeing the genius and bold Prada Spring/Summer 2011 collection in store, squealing at the sight of my favorite blue platform sandals.

Everyone wearing shoes from the Prada Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

Realizing that after a long time I belong somewhere again, confirming my October decision that fashion is what I'm going to do in life.

PARIS
An incredibly elegant 40-something woman wearing a Chanel suit and an orange Birkin, looking at sheer, pastel-colored tops at Zara.

The alluring old Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysées that I didn't have time for.

Stylish Parisiennes in flats, despite fashion week demanding more effort.

Paris being so cosmopolitan and relaxed that I wonder why it took me all these years to realize it.

Dressful is going to celebrate its half-birthday one of these days. To complement this merry occasion, here's a collection of the posts you've liked the best so far. I'd like to say huge thanks to those of you who share my posts on Facebook and Twitter. This blog wouldn't be where it is today without you. The same goes for everyone who takes the time to leave me great comments. Thank you!

10 best posts in Dressful's first 6 months:

1. 20 sarcastic tips to become a popular fashion blogger :: 20 funniest fashion blogger cliches from Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots to photographer boyfriends!
2. Franca Sozzani trashes fashion bloggers - or does she? :: My reply to Franca Sozzani's article in which she compares fashion bloggers to diseases.
3. 10 easy tips to promote your fashion blog and get more followers :: How can you effectively promote your fashion blog and get more followers? Check out these easy 10 tips!
4. Fashion blogs and self-promotion: How much is too much? :: Many fashion bloggers are resorting to aggressive self-promotion to get more visitors. Does it pay off in the long run?
5. Vogue India racism: Only light skin is beautiful! :: Vogue India promotes an extremely narrow standard of female beauty - light skin is a must!
6. 10 most desirable shoes from Spring/Summer 2011 runways :: List of the 10 most desirable shoes from Spring/Summer 2011 fashion weeks.
7. Anna Dello Russo: How fashion blogs made her a style icon :: Anna Dello Russo became incredibly popular because of the fashion blogging revolution. Find out how she won the hearts of the most influential fashion bloggers!
8. Jane Doe: Belgrade's most inspiring vintage shop :: Jane Doe vintage shop's cozy atmosphere, great selection of items and lavish decoration set an example for all other vintage stores.
9. How I bought a tie with little elephants :: I fell in love with Salvatore Ferragamo ties as a child in Florence, but it wasn't until many years later that I finally bought one.
10. Fashion is art, not trivial! :: Fashion isn't frivolous; it functions on the very same principles as "traditional" art forms.

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