When I was younger, before grey hair started to set in, I used to be able to scan a market rail and within 5 minutes, visually pull out the bargains, determine the repair job needed and negotiate a lower price with a raised eyebrow and a curled lip, but over the past 15 years my vintage cyber-skills have waned and I have been somewhat lazy in the world of secondhand scavenging…… or so I thought.

This weekend, my vintage-scanning-ability or VSA for short came up trumps with not not just one but two all in the same city.

Dries Van Noten Cami

Bleeker New and Vintage in the Pijp here in Amsterdam served me a vibrant red cami top from Mr.D Van Noten ( at 25 euro) whilst Tamogo on Spiegelstraat handed over a Black cotton Valentino blazer with pleated back for 140 euro.

Red Valentino : Pleated back panel jacket

With both fine establishments looking after the luxury end of the vintage market you can be sure that the quality is high and the curating of the stores is impeccable.

For sure, dear people, these are not places for the cheap tie dye nonsense, they are instead, for the more discerning customer who knows their labels and can spot a bargain. With the stock turned around on a speedy basis, stick your head in when you can but keep your distance from the size 38 (s), if you will.

Rubber Gucci

I want to like them, I really do…..it’s a loafer, great, its simple and not overly branded, excellent, its a shiny, almost metallic colour, oh mercy me enough already..

but wait,  it’s – in –  rubber? Seriously?

A rubber loafer? does it come with a G emblazoned Elastoplast for those special Gucci blisters?

It could have been the perfect start to my week but alas my search for a simple, stylish loafer continues..

I’m not a designer, never have been, and truth be told, have no ambition to be, but what I love about my job is the challenge of getting some developed and produced – the A to Z of the process, which has led to me write a book about the very same.

So, yesterday I was in the position of finishing one project and starting another – with a simple crossover of 3 hours to be exact. For this new project I do have a vague appreciation on the what, when and how but as the brand is technically a start-up ( albeit one with a ton of investment behind it) there are many aspects still to be confirmed, which should trouble me, but actually doesn’t (I think age is slowly removing the control freak in me) and I have to say that last night when I received the draft merchandise plan I actually felt quite calm about the task ahead.

I saw the range size, I saw the product groups and I saw the quantities, all that was missing were the sketches to match against the reference numbers on the sheet.

So – with a glass of wine to my left and a bowl of potato chips to my right, I clicked on the download button to open the sketch files. And then it happened…

My palms became moist, a knot formed in my stomach, my fingers twitched on the keypad and my heart raced, for there in front of me were the illustrated sketches from one of the worlds most famous designers. The enormity of the project hit me and in an instant I remembered why I love my job and why I love this industry. I work with insanely creative people and I help to realise their vision. I had an instant flashback to being 13 years old, tearing magazine pages of fashion shoots, longing to work in fashion in whatever guise that took.. And now, nearly 30 years later, I am privileged to work on a project which essentially takes ink on paper and turns it into a garment.

Holy shit I’m lucky!

…to be continued…..

Let’s get this straight, according to the figures quoted in the article;

80% of LVMH shoppers are women, 61% of its executives and 31% of its executive committee members are women, yet it’s the big chief and his henchmen who test and approve the vibrating mascara.

Recognising this is an issue and probably (ok, I’m more than a little bit cynical here) because of France’s new quota laws which demand that 40% of non-executive directors be women within six years, founder Arnault has instructed its head of HR to work on increasing the numbers from 31% to 35% for its executive committee members by 2012.

But is this it?

One week after International Women’s Day where Daniel Craig drags up to demonstrate the inequality of women in the world, we read that the only reason for women to be employed in an industry where they are the biggest consumers is to tick off a government requirement.

It seems that an increase in China’s middle class has forced a higher demand of leather goods pushing up the prices of the raw materials in the US, China and also Brazil.

Couple this with the adverse weather in Australia hitting wool production and the increase of the price of cotton and you get serious implications on every level of the garment industry from high street to high-end.

Interesting times when you consider who is going to take the price increase – the customer or the company. It has to go somewhere..