So, I was debating whether to make a comment about the below article because it will label me as old, bitter and twisted (most of which is true) but at the same time, there was something in Colin McDowell’s piece for the B.O.F that really resonated with me – so I will share it, and then you can make the judgment on my bitterness.

The jist of his article is based in the premise that the hiking up of tuition fees (in the areas of Art and Fashion) will alienate the creative hub of England and will produce graduates from the privileged classes who are lacking in the ‘design hunger’ and who want to take the easy road to success..

Now to be fair, I don’t think that is a new situation. I don’t think the increase of fees will help the situation, and I agree with Colin about alienating the raw talent that cities like London nurture, but I think (and this is from experience) that over the last 10 years, there are already too many fashion graduates entering the industry expecting a cushy journey or exotic trips and instant fame.

Is there someone to blame? Or is it how society is now with an instant gratification generation expecting something for nothing?

The number of grads I have met who seem to think their first job should be senior designer or sourcing manager is quite scary, the knowledge they gather at college is basic and theoretical and is a great starting point, but it’s just that, a starting point.

It takes years to learn the industry and to understand the nuances of the process, It simply doesn’t happen in 6 months, yet trying to explain this to a first jobber is like telling them their dog died! It leaves them distraught and crest fallen.

Are colleges really to blame for this? Do they teach students that anything is possible and in 6 months they will get to be head of Dior? I don’t think so.

Or is it the preconceived notion from the likes of E! that the fashion industry is a ride to easy town in a pretty frock? After all Lindsay Lohan became creative had of Ungaro (albeit for 1 miserable season) – so therefore anyone can do it – and fail?

Whatever the case, the industry is changing and graduates expectations of it need to be kept in check.

Maybe the increase in college fees will prompt the colleges to really analyse what they are teaching and nudge them to make the courses more vocational and industry realistic, maybe it’s the job of the industry to re train the graduates once they start at the bottom rung, or maybe we have lost the likes of raw talent that once graced the streets of our cities and are let with a team of ‘i-want-it-now’ graduates.

A much-needed brush up on production procedures and methods was essential for chapter 8 of the book, so with a specific vendor in mind, the flights were booked and hotels reserved.

Now, I’m not going to go on about how hard the job is, or how stressful travel is in order to gain some kind of sympathy, but what I will say is that, these trips ARE tiring, and NOT glamorous. I think the only person who has the glamour job in Fashion is Mme Wintour, and for the rest of us mere mortals we do the late nights and early starts, the plane delays, the long walks from terminal to terminal, the strange taxi drivers and frisky security men.

So, with this in mind, Here is a brief recap of my trip to Portugal this week, all in the name of research.

In order to save money on flights (it’s me buying them now and not an employer) I headed for a German airline which for a bargain fee asked me nicely to change in Frankfurt and then head on to Porto later in the evening.

Knowing that Frankfurt airport is huge and a devil to navigate, I allowed enough time (ok, I hate being late – so, loads of time between my flights) which meant that for Tuesday, dinner was either a hot dog and some fizzy pop at a takeaway stand or a cocktail and bar snacks at the airport branch of the Sheraton.

Cocktail and snacks went down a treat, although I did have to battle with business guests recanting tales of their management meetings, and Swedish football fans glued to the big screen in the corner of the Lemons and Limes Bar. Still – it was enough to send me on my way to the front row of economy where I had a perfect view of how the business travel flies.

With it being 10.30pm, I was awake for precisely 20 minutes of the flight before I drooled and headflopped over my neighbour in the attempt to get some sleep.

On arrival at Porto, the driver, thankfully, was there to whisk me to the hotel 40 minutes further into the Portuguese countryside.

The cosy room was a vision of comfort and seclusion once I arrived and whilst I could have slept standing, clothed and with overnight bag in hand, I did the necessary and spent a further 20 minutes turning all the lights out. Note to Hotel; One light switch can do the job people…. no need for twenty.

Next day – bright and early, I was whisked to the factory where I spent the day working though production procedures, techniques, planning and trims. Now, as much as I would like to describe the details, infrastructure and layout of the above factory, I shan’t, It’s for the book, I need to formulate and turn the prose, and this, my friends takes time.

Relax – it will come, and hopefully you will like..

By the end of the Wednesday I was production’d out, let me tell you. However a glass of wine, excellent food and great company served a proper way to finish the day.

Note for those who are interested, If you travel to Porto and head outside of the town, into the hills of neighbourhood villages, there are no sign posts, no street names, and the most amazing restaurants are hidden in the middle of nowhere.

The one in question where I dined was next to a fabric mill, down an industrial estate, but nevertheless, had a view of a vineyard and amazing food! surprise!

1 hour after leaving the restaurant I was back at a different hotel about to check in. Now bearing in mind it was now 11pm and my flight was at 6am, my stay there was to be brief:

Here’s how check in went..

Me: checking in, the name’s Breuer

Hotel:  yes – staying for 2 nights?

Me: No, just the 1

Hotel: Really?

Me: Yes, really!

Hotel: Can I have your credit card

Me: Sure!, Can I have a wake up call tomorrow morning please?

Hotel: Yes, for what time?

Me: 4am!

Hotel: Of course!

Hotel: Ms Breuer, next time you stay, the breakfast will start at 7am until 10am,

Me: Thanks – good to know!

Hotel: Ms Breuer, would you like to use the gym?

Me: Does it look like I want to use the Gym, It’s now, 11.20 pm and I have to be up in 10 minutes, so it seems.

Hotel: I guess the gym is a no, ah so here is your card and the room is 233.

Hotel: Enjoy your stay!

And with that I headed to a beautiful room which unfortunately would only be required for sleeping and a super quick shower in around 8 minutes.

Thursday morning – with wake up call success, taxi’d and securitied, found me in an empty airport at around 04.30. ggrrrr

With no coffee, no food and no free wifi, I paced up and down the terminal walking like a runway model and finishing each strut with a Paris Hilton pose. Well, where else can one practice? Eventually the coffeehouse opened and an espresso was inhaled.

On the plane additional headflopping and dribbling was managed, and with the arrival at Frankfurt I tried to find some snack to nibble on..

Note to Airport – please make available non chocolate snacks at the magazine counters. Not everyone wants chocolate, some people like muesli bars and furthermore, SOME people are allergic to chocolate and beef jerky is not a true alternative. !

After further plane delays and more pacing  from me) the flight took off, landed and disembarked. I was on home turf.

In a dream world I would be chauffeured back home, lunch would be ready and a stack of magazines and mug of tea would be resting on the sofa. Alas Rather than heading back to my nest, to shower freshen up and relax, I headed straight into my consultancy job to be buried amongst fabric cards, spreadsheets and 106 emails. T’was a long day.

So there we have it, my research trip to Portugal in a nutshell. Busy, tiring but productive.

If you can find one glamorous aspect to that, please do let me know.

The layering effect of writing a book has to be done literally. Starting with the basic first draft, then layer on the illustrations, the interviews and finally the photos.

To do it via a keyboard and to have all items on a screen 15″ wide just doesn’t ‘float my comma’ i’m afraid.. as I need to see the whole picture in order to figure out where I am and where I need to go.

So stuck in the 70’s I shall remain, blissfully happy with coloured Post It notes and pens.

It’s merely that I have seen a couple of funnies that show the more , how should I say, amusing side of the industry.

This time its the success of the Biba line which was taken over by House of Fraser in 2009. Making a profit under the leadership of the retailer, Biba has found a new customer base 35 years ater it first hit the scene.

However when pressed to explain the styling, the HOF spokesperson exclaimed it wasn’t a retro collection but merely celebrated the 70’s with jumpsuits, high waisted pants and maxi dresses. Not retro? really? um…….really?

OK!! – I have been told – so I will agree – 70’s is not retro.

The original founder is however less than impressed saying that this collection is too expensive and plans to launch her own label in conjunction with Asda ( for non brits see Target or Walmart as a reference.)

I feel a fashion fight brewing.

Of course you do!  you just want something new and exciting – I realise this!

Hoping I won’t disappoint I come prepared with a little snippet from todays Guardian announcing a new cut of jeans from Levis..

Carrots are out, twisted leg, what? boyfriend…hello? – these days your dude should be wearing the ‘ex-girlfriend jean’

You heard me!

So – imagine how this creative meeting went?

Marketing ” we need a new snappy name for a guy’s denim pant”

Design ” well I’ve seen that the hipsters are still going drain pipe”

Marketing ” drain pipe you say – really? Kids are still going skinny?”

Design ” yes…. on the last research trip which cost the company thousands in expensive dinners and boutique hotels we learnt that men are still wearing skinny. Maybe we can call it the ‘new skinny’?

Marketing ” no – needs to be punchier, how are the sales on the Boyfriend pant”

Design ” no idea, I only draw”

Numbers ” Boyfriend Jean is reacting well in several of our key markets, so maybe we need an equivalent to sell to the men?”

Marketing ” perfect – we’ll call it the girlfriend Jean….no…. wait – sounds too feminine, lets call it the EX-girlfriend Jean….. giving the impression that the guy is cool enough to lose the girl but keep the jeans..

Design + Numbers in unison ” ooh that’s a great idea”

And so a new fit is announced for Levis men!

Whilst it’s not true that i stormed the stage with my superb Paris Hilton impression, it is true that I was overcome with emotion.

23 years I’ve worked in the industry and I’ve merely dreamt of seeing a catwalk show, so to see two in as many days? – of course I was overcome…. who wouldn’t be?

So this season, with my working situation changed, I find myself stuck in Amsterdam with a book to write and an over enthusiastic Jack Russell dog. What are the chances of seeing 1 catwalk show let alone 2 I think to myself?

Not so slim as it happens, dear reader, not so slim.

Fresh out of the box today came a charming FB update announcing that Peter Som would be live-streaming his Fall 11 runway show through the delightful people at Mac and Milk.

I had the extreme pleasure of working with Mr Som in my past life, so am thrilled to be able to see his latest line from the comfort of my living room with my unwritten book and crazy dog.

Friday 11th Feb 10am EST ( US time) – go to Mac and Milk and sign up and join the fash fest.

Ok – so the current stage is that it’s in its first draft stage and I’m in the process of writing the book proposal.

Having never written one of these before, or rather, successfully written one, I am finding it tough to say the least. The hardest part is stepping back from the piece and being honest in its content, its target market and it’s competition. It’s find for the author to think ‘ it has a place in Waterstone’s but in reality, does it?

The A.B.C. here in Amsterdam has a phenomenal reputation in workshops and especially writing workshops. It’s caliber of speakers is second to none and the knowledge gained is priceless, so it was here, yesterday, that I attended a workshop by Jo Parfitt on How to write and publish a book.

Not only is Jo a seasoned speaker, she is also an author of 27 books. Clearly she knows her stuff, but what I found most refreshing is that the information she shared was rich and plentiful. It was all business, no bullsh*t and it honestly saved me hours of time researching and a lot of money.

It is SO refreshing when someone genuinely passes on nuggets and gems of their knowledge for free ( the course was only 35e, so in my eyes that’s free).

I thoroughly recommend her workshops if you have even the vaguest interest in writing.

So what can we, as a voice, do?

This week in the UK’s Observer there is a great piece about 10 changes that can be made to make a difference. It’s about taking control, using our voice and retaining some speck of control of our lives.

Two aspects that caught my eye are the 3) Micro loans and 7) shop locally.

None of the points listen suggest major life change, nor are they rocket science. They are about having a voice and making it heard.

Now people, I will get off my soap box ; )

The book is a guide to how the industry works and is, or should be, a hands on, practical approach to creating a fashion collection.

All well and good I hear you say… well actually yes because the focus of this book is not to fund retirement in a dream house at Big Sur, spending my days making jam and walking the dog (although that WOULD be nice), more that it will enable me teach and pass on my knowledge to others who need a helping hand, who have the dream but not the knowledge. So please bear this in mind when you read the next ditty of the story….

I was on holiday in Texas over Christmas. It was my first time there and the primary reason was that of a family visit. One evening my boyfriend and I went for dinner with some friends and one of the other guests was a lady who works in water parks ( the giant water slide places that scare the s*it out of me but are loved by many). An Interesting lady, my age I think, maybe a tad younger but a serious career women with a strong voice.

We chatted about our jobs and careers and  it turned out she had just returned from Central America where she had met a small community of women who wanted to set up a business making handbags from locally sourced materials but they were missing a designer to lead them and also some production knowledge. They had the resources, the enthusiasm, the workforce but were missing the design and the production guidance.

Immediately this struck a chord with me – what can I do to help on this? I thought..

Before the words came out of my mouth she offered up that she already had a bag designer in Vancouver BC who was keen to pass on designs and creative know-how but that they were missing out of the process knowledge.

Now – how is it possible that a random meeting like this at a house in Austin TX can result in a possible connection such as this.?

This to me is a perfect example of random coincidence. How cool would it be to pass on from my side, basic information, to a group of women who are desperate to have a creative voice on the other side of the world.?

Nothing is in work yet but from my side the interest is there and I am pursuing it avidly.

Talk about championing the underdog…. I’ll keep you updated.

There is no logic to the order nor the content – it’ll be general musings.