The Business of Fashion

BoF Recommends | A Shaded View on Fashion Film

When I first met Diane Pernet, it was hard to see beyond her iconic look : a towering pompadour, mantilla veil, cateye sunglasses and platform wedges, all in black, complemented by scarlet red lips and a signature scent.  Since then, I have never seen her in anything else.

But, despite her aesthetic constancy, she is one of those rare souls in the fashion business who still manages to surprise at every turn, with witty observations and an unflinching honesty. And, as I have come to know the person behind the veil, as it were, we have bonded over our shared passion for young design talent, debated ideas for fashion collaborations and industry progress, and exchanged dollops of industry gossip.

Diane, of course, is best known for building one of the most influential blogs in the industry, something she has done by focusing on emerging brands and edgy events from around the world, as opposed to the major brands which are covered ad nauseam elsewhere. But recently, she has been talking to me about A Shaded View on Fashion Film, which will launch at the prestigious Jeu de Paume in Paris in September.

Links: Russia, Boombox and Mash-up

Rubles are a Girl's Best Friend (New York Times)
We came across this multilingual sign on the new Dolce & Gabbana store on London's Bond Street the other day. It's a sign of the times that many of the customers are from the Middle East and Russia. This article  describes the celebrity angle of Russia's fashion scene.

The Real Story Behind Boombox (A Shaded View on Fashion)
Mandi Lennard, London's uber PR for the hip and happening in the fashion business sent out an email last week confirming a report on the Business of Fashion that Boombox is to shut down by the end of the year. Diane Pernet interviews Richard Mortimer in this piece to get the back story.

Heart to Heart (Style.com)
Check out our first piece for Style.com which covers a cool mash-up of Comme des Garçons and Chrome Hearts.

DP in Getty Images

Check out this cool photo from Getty Images that my friend (and 360 Fashion member) Diane Pernet just posted on her "A Shaded View on Fashion" Blog at  http://dianepernet.typepad.com/diane/2007/01/dp_for_sale_on_.html. You can see the reflection of the model walking down the catwalk in Diane's glasses.

Diane is an iconic figure in the fashion industry and has a network of co-bloggers around the world who help to keep the content on the "A Shaded View on Fashion" site fresh and up to date. On a given day, there are posts about fashion happenings from three different continents. Diane is also a bonafide entrepreneur, having been part of the team to launch iqons.com (tipped as the myspace for fashion industry) and the You Wear It Well film festival of fashion film shorts.

I met Diane for the first time in February last year at the Charles Anastase show during Paris Fashion Week. Here is a picture I took of her before the show.