The trip didn’t start off very well.
Due to an expected strike, I had to take the 6.15 am flight to Frankfurt and then wait for the 1.40 pm flight to Dubai. Oh well! On the positive side, I had some time to work on my laptop in the Lufthansa Lounge.
Then, at the gate, I ran into a friend of mine from Bologna that was also going to Dubai, who haughtily informed me that the strike had never taken place.
So, I was exhausted for nothing and on top of that, my mother had been calling me incessantly with worry over the desert, scorpions and who knows what other potential dangers!
Read the rest of this entry »

Is Mandarina Duck now seeking Nirvana?
One thing is sure; it has crossed Asian borders, arrived in New Delhi, the capital city of India, and opened up a new Mandarina Duck store in the Select Citywalk mall.

This city of Gandhian democracy is 3,000 years old and yet looks modern. Especially considering that it is second only to the USA with regards to new information technologies. And despite the fact that it is the fulcrum of the “Golden Triangle”.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s getting closer to Christmastime and that awakens the child within me.
I always recall the good old days when I wrote my wishes in a “letter to Santa Claus“. It’s a pity he never answered me, sigh!
I could try it again but I’d rather go to his house in Lapland. Perhaps I’ll find a plane ticket under the Christmas tree this year.

“Dear Santa Claus,
Read the rest of this entry »

Is fashion art? Or art fashion?
If I had the answer to that question, I’d be as famous as Schopenhauer. I could give it a try though. I think I’ll surf through the upcoming exhibitions that examine crossovers of these two areas.

After Berlin, the successful Max Mara 101801 camelhair coat, a Made- in-Italy icon, has arrived in Japan (could it beat out a kimono competition?). It’s showing at Tokyo’s Mori Art Center Gallery until 25 November. In the 50s, Dior predicted that this coat, taken from menswear, would become a fashion must. Ipse dixit.

Read the rest of this entry »

The nineties will never be forgotten thanks to all the important historical events that changed Europe in that decade, including the reunification of East and West Germany and the Maastricht treaty, which ratified the creation of the European Union.
Several important Mandarina collections were launched in that decade, including MD20 and Work, the business and travel line, which, thanks to several restylings are both still in vogue.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Eye of London is an eye observing street style from above. Fashion rises up from the grassroots and from the people. In London there are no rules and the streets are the source of trends. That’s why I like it so much.

In Covent Garden, you can breathe a timeless atmosphere amongst the street artists and artisans (who aren’t always cheap). It’s a window on new trends and moods. Globalization and globetrotter: ethnic prints, bohemian scarves and platform boots, mixing is the new must. Giles and Marc Jacobs have shown us.

Walking from Oxford Street to Marble Arch, past traditional British chain  stores, you can come across spacewomen in futuristic outfits of Indian colors that seems to be right off of a Manish Arora runway (stylist to whom the Victoria and Albert museum have dedicated a temporary exhibition).

Read the rest of this entry »

Although we’re a bit late with respect to the launch (8 October), I’m thrilled to announce that we have finally integrated the US and European e-commerce platforms.

It’s been a massive operation and we did it in 20 days after a full year of previous hard work. In fact, we’re exhausted. To help you understand the vast amount of work done, here’s some data:

-  two and half months of development;
- launched on American market on 1 July;
- available in five languages;
- more than 1,000 references managed;
- twenty-seven litres of coffee drunk.

Read the rest of this entry »