Charity Shop Revolution

So, Monday night was a chance to revisit the world of the charity shop in Mary Portas' follow-up documentary on BBC2, to last year's Mary, Queen of Charity Shops. I was an avid fan of the original program, as so much of it was faithful to my own experience of volunteering in such places - great fun when the donations are good, but often frustrating when people dump what should rightfully go in the bin (muddy socks and sweaty trainers, anyone?). I was looking forward to seeing Monday's program and checking on the progress of the project, however at least half an hour was dedicated to showing footage from her previous escapades in Save the Children. I'm not sure how good the long-term memory is of the average BBC2 viewer, but I found this a bit patronising and also sneaky; if they wanted to show 2009's episodes, I would gladly have watched them, but please don't fob me off with a so-called new program. The first 30 minutes left me with a strong sense of deja-vu, to say the least.

The remainder of the program dealt with seeking out a younger breed of volunteer, on a flexi-time basis, which naturally caused problems with the mainly elderly stalwarts of Save the Children. However, I think that flexible working hours from a volunteer should be regarded as help nonetheless, especially as the pace of life is a lot faster pre-retirement. You have to expect unexpected commitments and life's little interruptions these days, and it does become harder to commit to a regular time. The program proved that, although initially confusing, a new injection of people into the shops is definitely beneficial. I have found, as a younger volunteer, that my knowledge of current trends is also important when it comes to sorting stock, because some donated items may be seen as old-fashioned by one person, but might actually be coming back around again as the latest thing. Disregarding such items, or not selling them for their true retail value, is a waste and a shame. After all, the ultimate aim is to raise money for the charity.

Overall, I'm glad I watched the program, but would like to be considered less gullible by the BBC in future.

Selfridges Project

I am currently in the middle of being a contributor to a project in Selfridges called 'Long Live the Photo-Story!' which links together fashion, the 1980s, magazine culture and the photo-story process. It's looking very girly and fabulous in here - I am a child of the 80s but don't remember much about it so it's nice to see what it's like....

Would You Pay for a Paper?

Recently there's been a lot of suggestion in the media about online newspaper content no longer being free in the future, with viewers charged to look at the latest stories. Personally I can't see how this is at all fair or sensible - why should you pay for something you can't even physically hold in your hand? For me, a large part of reading newspapers is about finding articles you otherwise would not have read, and also cutting out images or text that is inspiring; this would certainly not be achievable with online content. I would begrudge paying to view a website, then having to copy and paste or screenshot everything I wished to salvage, before printing it out at yet more cost. There is also something very annoying about having to view endless webpages of stark white electronic backgrounds - I like the dull cream pages of a newspaper and the smell and feel of it.

With blogging, there is a completely different experience, with unlimited journalistic possibilities and no desperate need for payment (not here, anyway) in order to eke out a return for your readership. Maybe, instead of putting a consumer spin on the online paper, it should just be left as a free resource and an important archiving tool -I have definitely found online papers useful for my degree, as it gives me access to articles I never could have otherwise read. Yet if I was charged for the privilege, I would not be inclined to use the website again.

I think that, once you start putting a price on information and totally remove the tactile qualities of a newspaper, technology has gone too far.

The Nearest Thing to McQueen

I bought this top in Zara after falling in love with its spectrum of colours. It really reminded me of the cyber-meets-tribal Alexander McQueen dresses that are being photographed a lot at the moment. Sadly, I'm never going to be able to afford one, or even the diffusion McQ line, especially as demand has rocketed since the designer's passing (RIP). I think I'll remember him most fondly for the tartan dress he put Sarah Jessica Parker in a few years ago (possibly at the Metropolitan Museum?). His posthumously released collection went back to these kind of 'heritage trend' roots as well, with thick fabrics - in a similar vein, I added a crown necklace to my top, although mine was far from regal and came from Poundland. Anyway, this top just kind of puts me in a McQueen mood. I saw a similar one in Bershka the other day, so clearly there's something in the water...

Things that have kept me going this week...

1. Flat sandals from Zara. They are a kind of mouldy faded denim colour with tan soles and would look ridiculous on me cos I have tiny ankles... but hey, I can dream
2. Face Hunter book by Yvan Rodic - he is my new obsession, following The Sartorialist, JakandJil and Tavi. I love street photography and quirky unexpected clothes thrown together
3. LCF Open Day is coming up soon, which I am more than a little excited about. Hope it looks as good as it sounds
4. Oasis jumper. It's grey with a giant turquoise shoe on it. Enough said
5. Vogue journalism competition - although I will be anticipating a rather well-typed rejection letter in May, on lovely thick paper
6. Filling up my new Moleskine - as a stationery fanatic and lover of the Moleskine groups on Flickr, this is going to be so much fun. It will end up being stuffed with old photos which I am currently hoarding via Ebay and various markets.

Nobody Does It Better Than V&R...

http://cocoperez.com/2010-03-08-viktor-rolf-dress-their-models-on-stage

The link above just demonstrates how clever Viktor and Rolf are as fashion designers and lovers of the arts. For their Fall 2010 collection, they decided to be active participants on the runway, revealing the kind of tweaking that goes on backstage. This also reminded me of their earlier work for the collection entitled 'The Fashion Show', where models wore lighting rigs as well as clothing. There is something really honest and open about Viktor and Rolf; they don't pretend that fashion is effortlessly made, but involves many processes and creative decisions. Most of all, they demonstrate that fashion can be fun.

It Might Be Art, But It's Not Punctuated

I do like this bit of graffiti, but it really needs a question mark (unless the fact that it doesn't have one just turned it into art rather than a sentence). Also the handwriting is pretty dire... but the message certainly gets you thinking. Personally I love textual art and find it much more interesting than a bloody still life.