A few weeks ago a square envelope arrived at my home. I took it out of the mailbox and knew from the quality of the envelope and thickness of the card inside that this is an invitation to a cool fashion event. When I opened up the envelope, the first thing that caught my eye was the colorful paisley print. Without thinking twice, I knew that this could only be the invitation to the fabulous opening party of the Etro store. Indeed I was right. This unique Etro corporate identity cannot be mistaken with any other brands, and a designer eye can see the details right away. Since I live in the neighborhood, I have been scooping the store since it arrived in our little city with a big attitude.
I met the girls a bit earlier for a drink on the Fressgass and then we walked together to the opening. As we arrived, we were greeted by the smiling Frank Kuhlmann, of the Kuhlmann-Consulting-Group, which was in charge of organized this event. The girls grabbed a glass of champagne and I reached out for the boring sparkling water. That’s what you get when doing detox. Water, water and more “delicious” water. Not. But at least my liver, kidneys and skin love me for it. We managed to slip into a tiny niche, because the store was so full! It was incredible because it felt like the entire European fashion society was there! Of course the who’s who of Frankfurt was definitely there. Along with some new and very attractive faces. I believe that twice as many people came than were actually invited to this event – which is always a sign of a good party!
My friends were pleased to see what even though Etro was popping at the seam with people, the champagne was flowing quite quickly and there was no shortage of it for the next hours. I loved the matching Etro-colored macaroons that were served with the drinks. What a fabulous little detail! I greeted my friends and people that I knew at the party and couldn’t wait to make my way to the lower lever of the 210 square meter store. I was there for the fashion and new collection! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the new styles and fabrics. I set my girls on a mission to show me their favorite outfits. My favorite “ETRO LOOK” for the evening was a colorful wool knee-length coat – mainly made of khaki, brown and purple shades – topped off with a matching big Russian-shapka-style furry hat. Since I was deeply inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection at the Dominicana Moda a few weeks ago, I had to wear something with stripes, so I put on my crazy Gaultier pantyhose. Of course they totally clashed with the coat and hat, but in a strange, circus-Buckingham-Palace-guard kind of way, the entire outfit worked! At least I thought so – some would beg to differ of course. I fell madly in love with this wild outfit! In my opinion, perfect for almost any occasion! (See photo below).
Speaking of playful, I bought a shiny bag in a shape of a robot a few days ago. I named the bag Robotica, and of course, brought her to the opening with me. Let me tell you, Robotica was the star of the show, together with the beautiful wool Etro paisley-printed scarves. Everyone wanted to touch her and make a photo with her. Who would have thought that a bag could have so many lovers? After trying on half of the store, the girls persuaded me to go upstairs and dance for a bit. There was a gorgeous woman DJane rocking behind the decks. She played a nice combination of light and deep house. Not only did Etro bring us beautiful designs that evening, but made everyone sway to the magical sound and flirt over a nice chilled drink. There were a few guys making eye contact with us, but that evening I was only interested in fashion-love!
Watching my friends run around the store with their champagne flutes and lipsticks in hand, I realized how boring detox can be. It was time to bid everyone farewell. I definitely got my hard fashion fix for the night. My eyes, heart and soul were very happy – of course my credit card was not! I kissed the girls, told them to flirt and have fun, said goodbye to the beautiful Etro staff and made my way to the door. I was given a cute goodie bag on my way out – which happened to have a very chic leather tassel keychain inside. I turned around to look at the store form the outside and sighed to myself. Frankfurt was definitely changing for the better. My city was becoming more chic and trendy with each passing year. I walked home with a proud and satisfied smile on my face.
Finally! One of my very favorite brands has made its way to our little city with a big attitude. What I love most about the Belstaff brand is that not only does it have history that goes back to 1924, but its timeless classic jacket can be worn in the next 100 years as well! I cannot imagine going on a Harley wearing anything else than my favorite black leather Belstaff jacket. I got mine many years ago, and it looks better and better with age. That’s the thing about timeless classics; they are always there to remind you that some things can never be replaced!
As I walked down the glamorous Goethestrasse, I was dazzled by the lights shining in my eyes. For the first time in a long while, I decided to wear my prescription Ray Bans to contradict my bright red Paris-inspired outfit. I was happy to see my two friends Jens and Olli waiting for me at the front of the store. Life is always better with smiling friend that are happy to see you. I hugged them both, and suddenly my attention was ripped away! The entire front of the store was lined with amazing bikes! Everything from BMW to Triumph and Harley Davidson. Goethestrasse has been graced by our handsome biker men, who came to admire the new Belstaff collection. Knowing my intense addiction to choppers, I couldn’t take my eyes off the machines. One was better than the other! After drooling over the bikes for a good 20 minutes, it was time to enter the cool pop up store.
The first sight that my eyes landed upon were two beautiful ladies that offered the guests a tray full of goodies – including Balvenie Whisky single barrel, Old Perth blended malt, Craft Beer, fine chocolates and other delights! I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the guests were in attendance wearing their own Belstaff jackets, proud to show that they have good fashion sense. As we moved further into the store, I was warmly greeted by Daniel Tobias Etzel of WAOH, who is the man of Frankfurt when it comes to fashion and lifestyle events and opening parties. Once again, he did a fantastic job at organizing this Belstaff opening event and made sure that the brand got the real welcome that is deserves in Frankfurt! I’m pleased to say that we are the second city in Germany who is privileged to have this iconic British brand. Continuing with our tour of the store, I saw a huge glowing sign saying “Outlaws” with David Beckham’s handsome face starring back at me. He is Belstaff’s proud testimonial of 2 years, with his own capsule collection.
Daniel introduced me to Julia, the pretty store supervisor, and her right-hand man in charge, Harald. I couldn’t get the thoughts of the bikes outside out of my mind, and knew that they have to be on the feature photo. Harald picked out two attractive men for me and dressed us all up in his favorite Belstaff jackets. He assigned a bike to each of us, and the mini photo shooting on the Goethestrasse began! Stefan Höning, the professional photographer was about to take the photos, but as soon as I got my bum on the bike, the alarm went off and the siren blared throughout the entire street. It was exactly like in an embarrassing scene of a movie, all heads turned, everyone started laughing, people came outside to see what the chaos was all about and red-faced Gali was sitting on the bike and wishing that the earth would open up and swallow me together with the bike and the fabulous Belstaff jacket that I was wearing. But of course the only way to react was to laugh with everybody else. Then the tall, dark-haired owner of the bike came outside, gave me a flirty wink and the embarrassment rapidly washed away.
After an hour the people gathered at the front to listen to the magical voice of Sam King, who filled the entire store with a melody that had everyone mesmerized. I was highly impressed by his performance! That’s definitely a man with soul, rhythm and spirit. The people were enjoying themselves tremendously, the whiskey was flowing and the jackets were selling like hot cakes. I don’t know what Belstaff does to their jackets, but I noticed that any man who puts one on turns into a handsome-strong-warrior-biker-man! There is no better way to describe it, but their leather jackets make all men look hot. Or maybe I just have a thing for biker guys. I stood in front of the women’s leather jackets and tried each one on. Slowly, one by one – like a sugar addict locked inside of a Patisserie and cannot escape!
Another wonderful night was coming to an end. I enjoyed myself very much because it was a very warm and intimate opening event. Everyone seemed to know each other. One could see that the people were having a wonderful time and were savoring their evening. Slowly I had to step away from the bikes, say goodbye to my friends and make my way back home to my cozy little city flat, take off my 13 cm heels and get some beauty sleep.
If you’re also curious to see the collection for yourself, the Belstaff Pop Up Store shall be with us on the Goethestr. 3, until March 2016.
Have fun shopping,
Your Gali
Feature photo by: Stefan Höning
homepage: www.stefanhoening.de
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StefanHoningPhotography
My Jacket: Belstaff Sidney Moto – black leather – 1.695,00 €
Finally the time has come when the house of Christian Dior has decided to grace our little cosmopolitan city with its presence. I would like to welcome Dior to the beautiful new location on the Goethestrasse 13 in Frankfurt. Finally there is another beautiful French couture designer to enrich our little fashion street!
I met with the glamorous Emanuela Canto, who is now the director of Dior in Frankfurt. Emanuela greeted me with a warm smile and an endearing hug. I could see the excitement and happiness in her eyes – a true symbol of a person that follows their dreams and gets the job done right.
The interior was stunning! The new Dior store is any woman’s dream-come-true. When you enter inside, it’s like being transported to Paris in the 20s. The style is very feminine and glamorous. To me, it appeared as if we entered a private Boudoir, filled with beautiful delicate clothing and accessories. It almost had a subtle voyeuristic and sensual quality to it as well. Emanuela gave me a tour and I fell in love with the store right away. Downstairs one can find the beautiful bags, jewelry and accessories. Upstairs is where the clothing, shoes and ready-to-wear collections are displayed.
I was dressed up in the new “Esprit Dior Tokyo 2015 Collection” and fell in love with it because it has a tough-edge to it, yet also very feminine due to the body-contouring silhouettes. Knowing my leather jacket fetish, I fell in love with the cropped dark blue biker jacket. (Shown in the photo below). I am also a huge fan of the A-line dresses and skirts, and thankfully many are to be seen in this collection. It felt wonderful being clad from head to toe in Dior. I have to admit that it did have a slight warrior-princess-feeling to it. I felt at home in the store and enjoyed my evening there tremendously. I will definitely be coming back soon again.
Thank you Dior for finally coming to us, and thank you Emanuela Canto for making the store and experience so perfect!
Whoever says that Frankfurt is not chic, has obviously never been to the Goethestrasse, which boasts store after store of the best couture brands in the world. Last Friday the highlight was the Versace store, presenting its spring summer 2015 collection.
It has been a week filled with glamour and Champagne for me, and my visit to Versace did not change that. I was greeted at the door by the elegant Emanuela Canto, the store manager of Versace. I could see that she was preparing for a while for this dazzling event, running around with a sparkle in her eyes and mesmerizing the guests with her melodic Italian voice.
I wanted to capture all of my favorite outfits for your dear readers, so I didn’t take a seat at the show. Instead, I stood at the end of the runway, waiting for each model to strut seductively towards me so that I can photograph each look directly from the front. I absolutely adore to make my own photos and show you personally what my eyes see. As usual, the Versace models were as gorgeous as ever – tall, young, sexy and straight from Milano – to show us how these beautiful outfits can be worn and shown off.
The main colors for the season were pastels, black, white and some splashes of color, used to accent the details. There were many geometrical patterns to be seen, as well as some glittering material that flicked like diamonds when the models walked underneath the spotlight. Some pieces had long skirts on the front and back, yet revealing the entire left leg, all the way up to the thigh. Versace is definitely making sure that it will be a very hot summer this year – including lots of bare stomachs for the ladies. Talk about sensuality in the form of clothing! What I loved were the many a-line short dresses, which took me back to the 60s, yet had a sharp modern touch.
As the show ended, many of the women were already running up to Manuela, waiting to secure their favorite outfit in their size. I made my way to a soft black leather jacket, hanging seductively in the front area of the store and quietly calling my name. Those who know me, know about my passion for tight leather jackets. This particular one is a beauty that must live in my closet.
I had a very nice chat with the models and they told me that this collection was one of their favorites in the past years. I definitely agreed. The time was running like speed of light and Cinderella had to leave the Versace Ball, thankfully with both shoes on, plus a nice little present for later. Thank you dear Emanuela Canto for a wonderfully organized event and brining the Italian flair to our mini cosmopolitan city with a big attitude!
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