“Life’s a game but it’s not fair, I break the rules so I don’t care[…]”

I’m listening to the new song by Jay-Z feat Rihanna, when the I hear the following lyrics “I’m in Maison, uh, Martin Margiela” and I’, like “what the hell?!?!”. But I googled it, and I heard right, it really did say Martin Margiela. It is true that lately, that specific mister “appears” a lot in my life…

A couple of years ago, before enrolling to fashion school, my only encounter with Maison Martin Margiela was through Vogue magazine, and especially through the Maison’s jewelry line, which was very chic! But when in fashion school and afterwards when attending a course in Saint Martin’s, I found out how important Mr. Margiela is, as a conceptual designer. I was also luck to have visited the exhibition for the Maison’s 20 years last April in Munich, which was truly inspiring.

What I find really intriguing (as all people I guess) is the fact that Mr. Margiela does not appear in public. When discussing about Maison Martin Margiela and its philosophy in fashion school, I must say that I truly understand the reasons behind such invisibility: focus must be given a) on the clothes not the designer b) on the team as a whole and not to a specific (celebrity) designer. Then again, it is the fact that he does not appear that makes people curious, very curious. I guess that’s why the NY Times call Mr. Margiela “one of the most influential and enigmatic designers”

From 20^th March 2009 up to 1^st June 2009, the Exhibition celebrating the Maison’s 20 years in fashion took place in Munich, in the “Haus der Kunst” (= house of art). I found about it by sheer luck, when a friend of ours started describing the exhibition and I was like “what is the name of the designer?? Is it Martin Margiela??”. It had to be him and it was. So on my last day in Munich I literally rushed to see the exhibition. I took many pictures (it’s hard to select which to post), but unfortunately I cannot totally relate the pictures to the guide that I took.

The guide has as cover, a dictionary type presentation of Maison Martin Margiela. The words Underground, Deconstruction, Destruction, Minimalism, Grunge and Provocation are associated with the Maison. It is stated that the Maison communicates in first plural in order to focus people’s attention on teamwork. It is notable that one of the first exhibits is a 3D group portrait of Maison Martin Margiela. The Maison is also known for its love for re-use and recycling of materials. What I liked the most in this exhibition is the simplicity of the lines, the peculiar use of seams and darts and the way that the silhouettes and shoulder types were presented in the exhibition. As the tutor told us at Saint Martins, even the most simple designs can be different, so I believe that Maison Martin Margiela is the proponent of avant-garde simplicity. The following pictures were taken at the exhibition 20 in Munich in April. Enjoy!

Seams and darts detail

Seams and darts details

Maison Martin Margiela on Milan

A/W 1989-1990 vest made out of broken plates

A/W 2007-2008

Shoulders' tailoring

from the jewelry collection

S/S 2008 Long Skirt and Jacket adorned with sequins that create an effect as if the garments reflect light

S/S 2008 Artisan Colletion: vintage buttons sewn on silk chiffon that give the impression of computer graphics

S/S 2006 Artisan Colletcion: Top made out of pearl strings. When creating the garment, each string was weighted so as to create a balanced garment

Video projection at the exhibition

S/S 2009 Flat Garments: round formed jacket with long arms

It is true that when I announced to my colleagues that I am going to visit Mykonos twice this summer (with different parties…long story) and especially during ultra-high season (mid-August that is) some of them considered me crazy. The fact is that some people adore Mykonos, some of them despise it and some of them can’t understand the hype. Personally I like this island a lot, despite the “overdose” (I’ve been there a total 5 times) but there are some aspects of the island that I like and some that I don’t. But let’s (try) to introduce Mykonos to you (in case you have missed out).

Mykonos is one of the many islands that Greece has, located in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Mykonos was a popular destination as early as the 60s where the jet-setters of the time used to go on holidays. Nowadays Mykonos is a destination for almost every kind of person: singles, couples, families, clubbers, nudists, jet-setters, has-beens and wannabes. I believe that this mingling of people exists only in Mykonos

Life is a Beach (well a lot of beaches…)

Mykonos has beautiful beaches with golden sand and turquoise waters. Well to be exact, Greece has even more beautiful beaches, with more peculiar landscape, but no one can deny that Mykonos lacks of beaches!! My favorite by far, since my first visit there some ten years ago is Kalo Livadi. My second favorite is Elia beach. In July and August especially during the weekend those beaches are fully packed! If you are an early bird thought, you can find a perfect spot: that means first row sunbeds!! That is first row from the sea…

Ornos is another beautiful beach. Its much smaller than Kalo Livadi or Elia, but it has a homely feeling. The beach has some picturesque restaurants and it is beautiful in the afternoon (that was the only time of the day I’ve been there). Agrari is also a quite beach. Maybe people are intimidated by the steep road that leads to the beach or the fact that it is not sandy, but has tiny pebbles (trust me, when it is windy, you’d prefer the pebbles!!). The beach is located “next door” to Elia, but there is no road connecting those two, apart from a footpath. Last, but not least, the northern (and windiest) side of Mykonos has a couple of nice and pure beaches such as Panormos and Agios Sostis. The latter is probably the only beach without a beach bar and sunbeds. CAUTION: DO NOT visit on a windy day!!!

Paradise and Super Paradise beach are popular among young party people. All I have to say is: been there, done that. Paradise beach is also home to Cavo Paradiso, a renowned club, host to many famous DJs. Personally I’m not into house or trance or whatever music, but I have to admit, that the club is located at such a beautiful spot to see the sunrise.

Down Town

The town of Mykonos is truly a chaos full of small stone-paved streets, bustling with life, full of bars, restaurants and a lot of shops. It is the place to see and to be seen…some kind of “runway”, as we call such places in Greece. I just love to walk through all these streets, looking at shops, having a drink, or maybe a sweet crepe (I got hungry now)! The landmark of Mykonos are the windmills, located at the top of a hill by the sea. It’s a very nice and windy location, just next to Little Venice, the place where most of the bars and clubs are. Caprice is a favorite…you have to visit it. If you are lucky enough and the wind isn’t so strong you can sit outside by the sea.

Food Anyone?

After a loooong day of sunbathing you’ve probably starved. Chances are that you might have snacked at the beach bars. TIP: Sol y Mar at Kalo Livadi has excellent club sandwich. If you are a fan of Italian food you have to visit Bandanna at Kalafatis beach (it is located at your right hand side before reaching the beach). Whether you have pasta or pizza, you must have the calzone pizza with chocolate as dessert!!! Bandanna has yummy yummy food, but it’s a bit pricey if you a re on a budget. Konstantis tavern at Ornos is another favorite, not only for its food, but also for the location and surroundings. Here the cuisine has more variety as you can have fish, meat or even traditional Greek dishes.

the post wouldn't be complete without a true island cat!!

When going out (well it should be about midnight now), you might still fell hungry…well I suggest you visit the Swiss café. It isn’t much difficult to locate that! It’s at Matoyianni street, after the Kessaris shop on the road on your left (it’s the second café I think). You might sit outside by the pavement or inside (its super cute there)! Savoury and sweet crepes are equally good.

Essential Addresses

Sol Y Mar

Beach Bar

Kalo Livadi, Mykonos

www.solymar.gr

Bandanna

Italian Restaurant

Kalafatis, Mykonos

http://www.bandanaweb.com/

Yeap, it’s official, my 2-year fashion school is over and now I don’t know how to go on with that fashion thing. At this point I have to add though that I am happily (and probably for life) employed, so the whole fashion design thing is actually a hobby I want to take advantage of. But the question is how?

My best friend suggested that I could sell the jewelry that I make. But the thing is, I am not really a seller type. Personal interaction with the intention of selling or promoting something is not something I am good at (that’s why I never liked marketing or advertising to start off with). I could “use” my colleagues as a potential client base as there are quite a few people in the office that have some kind of artistic endeavor and promote this endeavor in the office, but again it is something a cannot do. I can’t simply send out an email saying “hey these are my creations, check them out”. Maybe I think that If they really like something I am wearing, they could ask for one for themselves.

The other option would be to sew clothes, but then again (ok I know, I am a negaqtive thinker here), I don’t trust myself or consider myself an exceptional seamstress; I have hardly managed to make a couple of clothes for myself, and it took me so much time and frustration to accomplish them. On the other hand I managed to create 2 presentable clothes for the school’s fashion show, but deep down inside, I know that all the other dresses which were made by professionals looked better. Then again, I made some poor fabric choices, but what the hell…I’ll learn one day that taffeta cringes… A LOT!!!

The third option (but hey not last) is to design clothes and sell my designs. If I choose this path, I do not have connections whatsoever. So I guess we strike option 3 out. I do like designing though. I like the progress from inspiration to mood board to actually design. And I like to draw, or use collage to present my designs. The actual design was my favorite subject at fashion school.

The only option which I consider is to create an online shop at Etsy.com, which I accidentally found about while reading the book “The Goddess Experience”, by Gisele Scanlon. Maybe I have luck there and if not, then well I will start dressing myself with all things handmade!!

P.S. I finally decided and enrolled myself to a 4-day course at Central Saint Martins in London (my dream) about “Creating New Concepts In Fashion”! Maybe I’ll get some ideas there as what to do in the future!

Since I was about 10 I wanted to be a fashion designer! I alwasy loved creating things, let it be drawing or modelling clay or whatever I could lay my hands on. My mother used to make a lot of clothes sewn by a seamstress, so I liked the whole procedure of making clothes. As a child I used to make clothes for my barbie doll (now she has a fairly good amount of clothes I admit!!). I also used to design clothes in tiny “girls” and mainly in dancing poses (did I ever mention I did ballet for 5 years?)

Of course it was out of the question for my parents to send me to study fashion, so I ended up in business administration, which also suits me I have to admit!! After finishing my under-graduate course and my masters degree and working since I was 19 I decided to “fund” myself a 2-years part-time course in fashion design.

It all started in 2007, when a year after completing my masters degree I felt “lost” and needed a new initiative in my life. So I enrolled in this course at the AKTO, a private school of art and design in Athens. I those two years I learned a lot. First of all my tiny girls grew up and became proper models (οι “κοπελιές” μου). I learned (well at least tried) to make my models 3D. I learned how to make patterns (talk about geometry class revisited) and partially how to use a sewing machine (we have now become good friends despite initial “quarreling”). I have met a lot of new people (co-students and teachers alike) from who I learned a lot and who I will dearly miss.

So…to the “dream” now…Last night was my fashion school’s end of the year show, with our desigs. It took us 3 months to create those clothes. From inspiration (the theme was enchanted forest, fairytale, formes and structures), to design, pattern cutting and finally sewing the garments.

Personally, I chose to sew the garments myself, as I didn’t know any seamstress that I could trust and because I wanted to be part of this creation. I spent 1,5 month making the patterns, the samples and finally the garments. Sometimes I got frustrated, the fabric ended to be not the best choice at all, I also heard some bad reviews from someone I don’t want to name, but who finally told me that my garments were really good. It was hard as I had time for nothing else! But it really paid of…Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you my fairies, for which I am very very proud of!!!

the fairy jumpsuit

the fairy dress

The first time I ever visited Munich was 18 years ago and I was almost nine at the time! The only thing that I vaguely remembered was the Olympic Park and the BMW building! So this time it was a good opportunity to be re-introduced to the city and its beauty. The weather was (mostly) generous to us, as I strongly believe that any city looks more beautiful when the sun shines.

Sightseeing

What I liked more about Munich was its parks. When I saw on the map how huge the English Garden is, I was astonished. I wished that I could walk ALL through the park, but I had to be content with the small part that I visited. It was Sunday, it was sunny and that means that the park was full of people strolling, biking, jogging, walking their dogs or sunbathing. Some friends told me that some people preferred to sunbathe in their birthday suit, but the people I saw were covered up (or at least their private bits)! In the park there is a lovely beer garden, by the Chinese Tower which is SO ideal during such a sunny day!

The second park that I loved (and also visited he same day) was the Olympic Park. It is located at the North West corner of the city and it is fairly large (but not larger than English Garden. It has a few hills that were created from the soil produced by the excavations for the Olympic Stadium, the Olympic Hall and the Swimming Centre. It also features an Aquarium, 5×5 football court and mini golf. If I had more time I wanted to climb up the highest hill which was 564m high! The sight of so much grass and people strolling or sunbathing was so attractive, I wanted to dive into the grass!!…but BMW World was awaiting me…

The BMW building is consisted of 3 cylinder formed buildings actually. In front of this building there is another, cup shaped one, which is part of the BMW Museum and across the street is a modern glass building with a “double cone” on one corner, which hosts the BMW showroom. The “double cone” hosted a presentation/exhibition of the new BMW Z4 roadster. The motto of the presentation was “An Expression of Joy” and one of the video clips playing involved an Z4 creating an abstract painting with its wheels (you can watch the clip here ). The show room also had a couple of computers where you could make your own drawing and email it. So I made a lovely abstract drawing (what else could I do with a touchpad?!) and mailed it to myself!!!

The BMW Museum also amazed me. The design and presentation of exhibits was soooo fine. The walls were white and lighted from the inside (which actually doesn’t make them walls but Plexiglas panels) and a very relaxing music was playing on the background (the kind of music you hear when doing yoga). It didn’t follow the typical chronological order of appearance, but it was separated it parts such as company history, car motors, motorcycles, design + innovation and of course cars from the 30s until today.

Apart from the parks, the other sites that I loved were the gothic buildings that the city has. I am a big fan of gothic architecture (especially churches and stained glass), so I was more than amazed when I saw the City Hall at Marienplatz. I was also lucky as I was there when the clock stroke 5 p.m., and a marvelous “show” from the figures that were located just under the clock started. The Frauenkirche is one of the churches located at the town center. It is a large and high church (as all medieval ones) and at first sight I thought that it didn’t have stained glass windows. But the pillars were just hiding them!! I took some very lovely pictures of them and I was more than content!

Food & Drink

When in Munich, you must absolutely visit a beer house (or beer garden in spring and summer). The most famous one is the Hofbräuhaus (HB) which originates from the 6^th century. I prefer their weiss (= white) beer, but they also have other varieties as well, such as beer combined with lemonade. Apparently weiss beer is a Bavarian specialty, which is highly convenient for me as the only beers that I like are HB and Franziskaner (which also has a beer house in Munich)

If you want to taste more sophisticated (a.k.a pricey) dishes then you should visit “Schuhbeck’s in den Südtirolen Stuben”. Apparently Schuhbeck is a famous chef with a couple of cookbooks and a TV show! The menu had very few dishes but they were all delicious. Its was just one of the occasional times that I have a 3-couse meal.

Shopping

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of german clothing brands. Do not get me wrong, they have nice clothes, but I haven’t found something young, fresh and a little bit eccentric; a high street brand like River Island in the UK. Though the one shop that is my latest favorite is NewYorker ! Especially the “brand” Fishbone has some cool t-shirts to wear either alone or with a cardigan.

More Photos

Munich U-Bahn

Goose @ Nymphemburg Palace Garden

Stained Glass @ Frauenkirche

Essential Addresses

Hofbräuhaus
City Center
Am Platzl 9
80331 München

http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/index_en.html

Schubeck’s in den Südtirolen Stuben

Platzl 6 + 8
80331 München

http://www.schuhbeck.de/

New Yorker

München 80331

Kaufingerstr. 22

www.newyorker.de