Worldwide window & street Inspiration & Trend shopping
In my travels across the world I took tens of thousands of paper photos a fortune. Before the digital age we had to carry a large load of photographic material. As Designer Photographer one has to confront loads of shopkeepers who seem to own the product they sell and the stores they work at display. Some do not care what you do with your camera but many are ademant to stop anyone taking a photo. The bizarre thing is they always say "NO PICTURES ALLOWED" depending my mood I would walk on or confront them and tell them this is a free world and one can take a photo of any shop window as we please as he it is there for the public to see and take on the idea concept and enjoy. You will find anything and everything that tickled my fancy walking the street, usually on a very tight schedule usually around the world in say 20-25 days usually 2-3 times per year from the early 80s since I moved to Hong Kong to till the early 90s when the economy somewhat started slowing down. As soon as the Internet arrived we could sense that traveling will for sure diminish. As information was going to flow nearly faster then light.
My seasonal highlights would be the Harrods and Saks and other big name window displays. I miss the hyper creativity of Tokyo of the 80s. These were amazing times. Then came the GAP and others who seemed to have found that creativity is one polo in 24 colors the 'right" colors. Then came the followers who's only interest in the fashion industry was to copy what GAP etc put on the shelves. Travelling the world I got to know and meet quite a considerable amount of Designers on shopping trips buying from 5-20.000 US $ per tirp depending on their set budgets buying up all that was of interest and copyable for their own brand. I admit at one stage for one particular company I enjoyed that budget and the business or first class travel that was our preferred class of travel as it was cheaper to fly that way with the amount of luggage that went often close to 100kg. So let say you buy economy you get 20kg and 80kg at astronomic prices. It was wise to buy 1st class and get 40kg free than with the Mileage card get an extra 20-30kg and even more depending my smile and the mind set of the check in staff and pay for the rest. I even got to be known by face by shop keepers in Florence who would defend their shop window like eagles. The way around it ( there is always one :-) was to go during the Siesta time when all Italians were sleeping. Then the windows of Florence and Milan were swarmed bu Designers catching up on the much wanted shot of this or that sweater or print to save on the purchase of it. I became an expert of taking 'autofocus" macro photos of knit sample stitches.
I will try to make a possible fashion gallery down memory lane.Maybe some Designers now who were not alive then will enjoy looking at them but i have to scan the thousand of photos. I was well known in HKG fro my photos and actually had clients buying them from me. My granny and me sat week end, week end and night to sort them by city and type of garments.
Read MoreMy seasonal highlights would be the Harrods and Saks and other big name window displays. I miss the hyper creativity of Tokyo of the 80s. These were amazing times. Then came the GAP and others who seemed to have found that creativity is one polo in 24 colors the 'right" colors. Then came the followers who's only interest in the fashion industry was to copy what GAP etc put on the shelves. Travelling the world I got to know and meet quite a considerable amount of Designers on shopping trips buying from 5-20.000 US $ per tirp depending on their set budgets buying up all that was of interest and copyable for their own brand. I admit at one stage for one particular company I enjoyed that budget and the business or first class travel that was our preferred class of travel as it was cheaper to fly that way with the amount of luggage that went often close to 100kg. So let say you buy economy you get 20kg and 80kg at astronomic prices. It was wise to buy 1st class and get 40kg free than with the Mileage card get an extra 20-30kg and even more depending my smile and the mind set of the check in staff and pay for the rest. I even got to be known by face by shop keepers in Florence who would defend their shop window like eagles. The way around it ( there is always one :-) was to go during the Siesta time when all Italians were sleeping. Then the windows of Florence and Milan were swarmed bu Designers catching up on the much wanted shot of this or that sweater or print to save on the purchase of it. I became an expert of taking 'autofocus" macro photos of knit sample stitches.
I will try to make a possible fashion gallery down memory lane.Maybe some Designers now who were not alive then will enjoy looking at them but i have to scan the thousand of photos. I was well known in HKG fro my photos and actually had clients buying them from me. My granny and me sat week end, week end and night to sort them by city and type of garments.
