Ola, 22, student from Hamburg. Scarf: childhood relict, pendant: regular bottle opener that was a gift, necklace: lace bought in a building centre, sweater: borrowed from boyfriend, cuffs: old DDR soccer cuffs from Ebay, sneakers: Customised No Name Sneakers that have cost only 3€.
Since days, flags that become skirts, capes and turbans shout on me. I get visually molested by awful boring shirts with country names. I am traumatized by ridiculous headpieces that transform human beings in walking advertising spaces for breweries and ban every spark of beauty.
Germany is in the European Soccer championship fever - and for the first time in my life, I also became a soccer junkie since the quarter finals. But, as a stringent denier of flagdresses, flag make up, flag branded masks, crowns, heats and tricots, the big question is: What to wear?
After a long search, I finally found an option. And fortunately - a great one. Schalala is a fan-scarf remix project that was born in Berlin at the beginning of the year. On a virtual platform, the unconventional soccer fan will find a huge archive of international soccer fan scarves that can be virtually cutted, recomposed and recoded. And the best thing is, your personalized soccer scarf doesn´t have to stay a virtual product. After your creating process, Schalala offers you a free knitting pattern to download. Great idea. Unique option. A real alternative.
Photos via Schalala
Liza Snook´s Virtual Shoe Museum is one of the most interesting databases for all kind of „shoe”-themes. In 2004 Snook called on artists, designers and photographers from all over the world to present their creations. Thanks god - they respond the call and helped to create a sweeping and very well arranged virtual exhibition, that is ordered by various criteria like Designers, Styles, Usage, Color, Materials, …
I was looking for the experimental and artsy shoes. But although those who search for danceshoes, cowboy boots, High Heels, high-tec creations etc. will discover amazing stuff in the Virtual Shoe Museum.
All Photos via Virtual Shoe Museum
Beeing on an art show together with Michel Gondry at an age of 26 - that happens only to the great, the talented, the exceptional. French artist NDEUR is that kind of guy. As a shoe-customizer, he conquers the world and is dealt as Europe´s hottest customizing artist. Rightly! Look at his stunning creations.
For more, check out NDEUR´s MySpace profile or his website.
Photos via NDEUR
From Chanel Hacks to Naco-Paris - it´s a logical step to cover now some smart DIY ideas.
Unfortunately, the European DIY scene is not as well represented in the web as the US-scene is.
There has to happen something!
The big surprise for me was, that the US Teen Vogue has an own DIY rubric online and offers some nice ideas.
Have a look.
All Photos from Teen Vogue US
When Coco Chanel opened her first shop in 1913 in Paris, no one would have been thought that this woman would become one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, a role model for the industrially expanding world and a precursor for female independence.
Replacing tight-fitting corsets and long dresses with petticoats by comfortable, sexier clothing, by pants and by men´s wear inspired working costumes and suits Coco Chanel induced the biggest fashion revolution in the 19th century.
The first stylemarks were the simple, uncluttered but elegant designs. Boxy lines, shortened skirts and the use of jersey freed woman for the practical activities made necessary by the war. The final breakthrough as international design icon came in 1926 with American Vogue alluding Chanel´s “little black dress” - a dress suitable for day and evening- as THE next it-piece. While first shocking the general public with that strapless and backless “little risk”,the little black dress soon became an icon and is a legendary today´s Must-Have.
The rest is history - until her dead in 1971, Coco Chanel hasn’t only built up an international fashion empire - she also opened up the world of haute couture (high fashion). With her own lifestyle and attitudes as well as with the timeless class, the intelligent emancipation and the comfortable elegance of her designs, Chanel became a key arbiter of women´s taste of style and fashion and is considered to be one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century (Time Magazine).
Following Coco Chanel´s favorite “colors” black and white and conform to one of her design guidelines “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”, the owner of Chateau de Cremat gave a symbol to Coco Chanel that became one of the world most famous trademark.
The Chanel logo, the basic black and white Chanel color scheme, the traditional materials and its very high quality execution as well as Chanel´s unique design language and her iconic status are the immortal Chanel key codes that inspire manufacturers, artists, designers and wannabe´s today for
imitation and artwork, hacking and re-coding. While not interested in fakes and cheap imitations- today I crawled the web, searching for Chanel “hacks”. For products, projects, artwork and fashion that work with the Chanel logo in different ways. As you see, the results range from totally odd to hyper cool, from nasty to smart.
Pictures above: Artwork by French street artist Zevs, seen on Art Magazine, Graveyard installation by artist Laura Keeble, T-Shirt by Naco-Paris, Chanel Cake by debbiedoescakes, T-Shirt by Cherrycore.
Photo from Coco Chanel found on black-in
Transratfashion, a Poject by Kristofer Pateau
T-Shirt from “Behind The Scenes”
Flickr Photo by Sergio Sainz
I´m not obsessed, The best of DIY
Cherrycore and Flickr Photo by Pincurlsandpeacoats 
Jewelry by Alex&Chloe, seen on Counterfeit Chic
Customized bag by maki squarepatch
Cavalera Fake Chanel T-Shirt, found on Made in Brazil
Stencil attempt by Pixplosion
Photo on Flickr by Monsieur M
Embroideries done by personalizedwithluv
Photo on Flickr by rlkataja
Cakes found on Susie´s Scrumptious Sweets, Caketoppers, Counterfeitchic and hmhcouturecakes and cutoutandkeep
