Mass Mingle Into the Real World

30 years ago we were predicting 2010 to be the year where we would all live a technologically advanced virtual world of our own imagination away from others. Now that we are well and here the reality is that even though technology is advancing wonderfully fast, rather than for us all to say goodbye and live alone online, sites such as Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as forcing interaction online but also encouraging it elsewhere..

"The more people can get their hands on the right info, at home and on the go, the more they date and network and twitter and socialise online, the more likely they are to eventually meet up with friends and followers in the real world." - Trendwatching.com/briefing/massmingling

SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE TO BEGIN WITH

Mass Mingling is a trend that will go places and the briefing online at trendwatching.com, predicts a future of impromptu social meeting organised via Twitter to "generate public attention". And wouldn't it be great if those meetings aimed to bring attention to good causes that need addressing? Whether political, social or environmental?

Tech Beautify Things

A collaboration between Gareth Pugh and Apple has launched great new products to make our IPhones and MacBooks even more fashionable. Seems that the connect between fashion and technology is growing and growing this year and thank heavens someone stepped in to beautify the great technological inventions of this year.

Estee Lauder Wins Best Fashion Website Award

Esteelauder.com won Best Fashion Website Award 2009 by the Web Marketing Association for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development. What worked and won the award for Estee Lauder is a combination of design, easy of use, interactivity, innovation and also content. What also impressed the judges what the use of video to show new products, current advertising campaigns and how to use products.

Behind the scenes content is used, and customers can enjoy getting beauty and make-up tips from the pros in the industry.

Microsoft Retail Windows

Windows 7 computers took place at Saks Fifth Avenue this Christmas, as officially one of the most famous retail windows this is soon to be a huge trend! Twitter has also joined forces and you can send your own Christmas or New Year wishes and they will be shown on the big screens for all of New York to see!

This years theme was "Twinkle,twinkle Little Flake" based on a children's book, the big screens made the story come to life! Just when we thought window shopping was getting rather dull, always seeing the same predictable thing along come Microsoft and delivers the future, talk about a retail experience, its become ...

cinema experience+twitter love+shopping=heaven

Real-time at ASOS

You can feel free to leave to leave a comment at the fashion online store ASOS as they have just launched a brand new section on their website that allows a voice for us customers to be heard! You can leave an feedback from purchasing goods, any suggestions for their site or to just say hi!

http://www.asos.com/

Read more about it at New Media Age

The Guardian Goes Online

Another fashion store has been launched online, but the difference is that this fashion store is via the Guardian website! The daily newspaper has found a way to drive readers online and read purchase products that they read about there and then! If you like what you see and read about then no hassle trying to find where it came from as it can be bought on the same sight!

www.guardianfashionstore.co.uk

Just another great way to encourage loyal Guardian readers to head online onto their website. The fashion store offers "150,000 items referred in its fashion and lifestyle pages and the site has signed partnerships with 2000 brands and 300 retailers" - Mintel,2009

Innovative Technologies

NYU's ITP Winter Show allowed their students to display their new incredible inventions. My favourite and the one I can believe would work in the real world is called TweetGrass and it aims to encourage communities to take better care of the environment. Here is how it works:

Users do a good deed for the environment, let everyone know about it by tweeting at @tweetgrassnyu and then "these tweets are transformed into clouds on a monitor, when it gets cloudy enough, the digital to real world transformation happens and the community wheat grass is watered."

image from tweetgrass.worldpress.com

I truly do believe that if a large enough organisation backed this project up it would be a fantastic way to encourage everyone to take care of the environment. People can share what they are doing to help and together as a community everyone helps to "water the planet".

Progress of this project can be viewed at http://www.tweetgrass.worldpress.com/

Angel Tang & The New Technology She Brings

Angel Tang has worked as a fashion designer for Viktor and Rolf, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan, to namedrop a few. Now she is doing it alone and has a passion "fashion than actually do things". Her new invention is jewelery that can quite honestly here, allow you to communicate with Twitter information, to host parties and wearable cell phones.

I loved her quote in an interview with businessoffashion.com

"It's exciting to be able to watch a television show and then become an active participant in the story as it plays out in the real world, by reading viewers thoughts on different websites, seeing video clips uploaded onto Facebook pages, and following others on Twitter at the same time." Angel Tang

Follow Angel on her amazing journey of discovering new technological functions for fashion on twitter.com/angeltang

Dansk Magazine Turns to Blogging

The reinvented DANSK magazine has turned to blogging online to reach new readers and keep their loyals updated. The blog features regular updates and fashion commentary by the magazine's writers and stylists.

"This blog is not like other fashion blogs. We've taken our favourite traits from DANSK, that element of surprise and the intelligently opinionated tone of our world" - Uffe Buchard, Editor in Chief

It will be interesting to see if in a years time all magazines will have a online space, not just their own site but a place where interacting and communication can take place and companies can learn first hand from their customers and deliver a more personalised service for them-just as trendwatching.com and ViewPoint predict in their "Nowism" and "Freemersim" reports.

Underwear as Outerwear Part II

Its the Spring 2010 show and I am so happy that the "Underwear as Outerwear" trend has well and truly taken off. Its kind of like the 80s but softer, prettier and so much more glam.

Images from (left to right: Victoria secret and Don Ashby fashion catwalk show)

Nick Knight Book

I am slightly becoming obsessed with Nick Knight and his spectacular work, did you go to Somerset House?? The new thing I want is his book that includes images from his work produced in the last 3 decades. Images from his many industry collaborations are included as well as work for his website SHOWstudio.com.

The Changes Brands Can't Avoid

While the recession has forced companies to cut back costs and the new culture of online Freemerism, identified by trendwatching.com, that allows readers to get everything they need online for practically free, fashion magazines are struggling to keep up and bring the readers back. The digital revolution has changed the way business structures work, and work successfully for so many years, people are searching online for their news, while all the while sharing and communicating information with each other. Publishers are struggling to adapt to this new change,

American Vogue has had to slash payroll and cut back on feature expenses

I-D magazine is planning to cut costs by only printing 6 magazines a year

"We are not moving from a world of Business Model A to a world of Business Model B. We are going from Business Model A to Business Models A-Z." - Mr. Shirky(Internet writer and professor at New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program, Business of Fashion

So each publication that is currently struggling will have to experiment, as there is no definite answer to what will work yet, and find their own business models that adapt and suit the new technological, social and economical changes that the world is currently facing.

Need Any Help Sir?

image from:istockphoto/getty images

Mannequins came to life yesterday while modelling lingerie in Debenhams in London, making choosing underway for men's loved ones a little easier. The idea was that you could see how each underwear item fitted and what it looked like on so that men wouldn't be getting the wrong pick for their partners this year.

"The idea was a huge success, with our male shoppers commenting on what a great idea the event was at this time of year" - Debenhams spokeswoman

The event was a success, unsurprisingly, but what I think is great about it is what a difference a new shopping experience made to consumers, a little effort for presenting the same product but in a different way makes dramatic changes in consumer perception and makes it desirable again.

Tavi Going Places

13 year old blogger Tavi has made a mark in the fashion world by having her own monthly column on U.S. Harper's Bazaar. Although many believe Tavi is indeed too young for such a huge responsibility the magazine trusts that her influence on people who follow her blog religiously will now buy and read the magazine that has now hired her.

(images from:wwd.com)

Have You Met Hanne?

No? Well now you can finally get to meet her in Italy's December issue of Vogue that features Steven Meisel's feature on social networking sites and to make the feature extra special the models have twitted us what they were up to at the time.

I Want What She Has!!

Buying a piece of clothing that a celebrity modelled or even designed is just so last season! Welcome Not Just A Label.com , a site that allows you to buy Lady Gaga's clothes that she has already worn on stage! Now we are moving on from just having something designed by a celebrity, we can now have their exact style, stitch for stitch, on our back after they are done with it. The site also has items worn by Paris Hilton, Taylor Swift and Alice Dellal.

(image from www.tmagazine.nytimes.com/2009/12/24-buying-fame)

Lohanhouse.com recently sold Lindsay's Marc Jacobs bag for $300 and some Stella McCartney boots for $500.

Underwear as Outerwear

"The Evolution of Underwear" took place at the Fashion and Textile Museum and explores the use of underwear from "daytime to playtime" and the above images are the pictures I managed to take a snap of! A matching bra and brief with Swarovski crystals all over it was the favourite from me and also what was interesting was the use of underwear as outerwear, a trend that started in the early 80s and was significantly shown all over the catwalks this season also shown with a twist, underneath sheer, see-through fabrics. If you must the exhibition read all about it here:

www.ftmlondon.org/exhibitions/past.com

What Milan Will Be

An exhibition is taking place in Milan at the Spazio FMG. It is called "Milano work in progress2" and it is a must-see as it incorporates experimental and cutting edge designs for future retail shapes and also public housing.

"These are new generation works, designed by some of the most interesting young architects on the Italian scene, and they convey the concept of a different Milan, which looks out towards Europe and expresses the idea of contemporary architecture responsive to its users needs. (once again we see consumers coming first and being a priority!) - Molinary and Galateo (the exhibitions curators)

Did you send an e-card?

As Christmas is coming to an end and most people are looking forward to celebrating the New Year, it is important to note the significant amount of e-cards being sent around the net. There are fewer cards on our desks and as e-cards are cheaper, guaranteed to be received and much faster to send people are beginning to shows their Christmas wishes and love through e-cards. Are cards soon to be extinct and taken over on-line? At least that way no-one is left out.

What is rather great about them are their digital advantages, the e-card that was made online and given round to us at Browns had snow continuously falling and bells as a background noise, and I bet no hand made card can beat that! Here are a few more passing round...

Imagine Fashion

An amazing new online and mobile environment that combines fashion with film, music, art and design. Imagine fashion allows you to see fashion from a different point of view, through a more digital world. The films and documentaries are a must see.

The mission of it to let us forget about fashion magazines and allow ourselves to see everything fashion in a film format. and while you view the new catwalk collection, IF will let you buy everything there and then. IF promises you evolve when you do.

www.imaginefashion.com

Make a Mark on Fashion Snoops

Online trend service Fashion Snoops has a fantastic new section that allows you to create a personal space on their website and put together all the bits and pieces of information that are relevant to you or your company and you can change it, review it or save it and start again for the next season whenever you wish to.

http://www.fashionsnoops.com/

Vogue on your Phone?

Major publishing house Conde Nast, as well as Hearst, Time Inc and Meredith have got us all excited about the prospect of magazines going digital. The plan is to make their products more viable on e-readers, tablets and mobile devices.

Great plan and at least they are making sure they won't be left behind in a digital sense. Reading the daily paper on the phone? Fine! But giving up the Vogue to have it sent digitally? I'm not so sure. Its not something you just throw away now is it? I hope to be proved wrong.

Read the full story and give your opinion here: www.businessinsider.com/conde-hearst-news-corp-time-meredith-announce-big-digital-venture-2009-12