Super popular!

 

Sometimes, opportunities present themselves and this is one of those moments. I missed a few important popular culture benchmarks … The Red Wedding ;) (for which I apologize, but I’m back and whether you read it or not, I plan on staying :) )

On the 19th of June Man of Steel (Superman) was released (Belgium official release), and I’m glad my personal favourite superhero is back on the silver screen. Although I haven’t seen the movie yet, I’m excited with the semi new faces (for example the lead Henry Cavill played a role in The Tudors), the promising build up and the superhero fun (have been a part of popular culture for forever).

As far as marketing is concerned this superman is definitely a high-flyer. It seems this movie will definitely earn back its budget, estimated at 225 000 000 million dollar. Moreover, there are already a ton of side products: “With over 100 promotional partners, 140 lines of licensed product, hundreds of retailers, and thousands of items—all the way from Under Armor (UA) work-out gear to a Superman doll from Mattel (MAT) with stretchy arms that lets kids sling-shot him around until he looks like he’s flying—Warner Bros.’ (TWX)Man of Steel is the most marketed movie this summer.” (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-21/warner-bros-dot-is-a-man-of-steel-marketing-machine)

To keep it short, most interesting, more interesting than the entire history of Superman, is how it all began. Superman was thought up in the 30’s when Jerry Siegel wrote the short story ‘The Reign of Superman’ in 1932. His friend Joe Shuster did the illustrations. Long story short, superman was a bald guy who liked to experiment (more of a mad scientist). When he drank one of his own concoctions he developed telepathic powers. He was more of a bad guy who wanted to take over the world then. Anyway Jerry and Joe reinvented the concept and Superman (in comic strips) was born in 1983. And the rest is history (we’re still living today).

Don’t miss this movie and enjoy! (I know I will ;)

Pope-thusiasm!!

It’s been a while (sorry), but although time is not always on my side, I’ve realized it doesn’t always have to be. I love popular culture, maybe that and a little bit of time might just be enough ;) Therefore, I want to kick off a popular summer season with a bit I should have written a while ago, namely around Easter.

The pope has been around for centuries and believe it or not, has in my opinion become a face of popular culture. A sign on the wall may be that he has as many as 2450953 followers for his twitter account (@pontifex), maybe a modern standard for all round popularity. Either way, what he says and thinks about events is a cause for dialogue. Whether people believe in the church or not the pope is a world figure that is definitely taken into account.

For example Pope John Paul II, who reigned from 1978 to 2005, is known for his travels and his clear stances on world affairs such as the Iraq war and Apartheid. Although he was quite traditional he clearly loved humans.

Then there came Pope Benedict who had to deal with the reality of sexual abuse within the church. This sexual abuse became very mediatized around 2011. He was also quite conservative. He was also the pope with a flair for fashion and was not scared to add a spot of colour ;) After all he became Esquire’s ‘Accessorizer of the year’ in 2007.

 

He also re-instated the use of the papal red slippers, of which he even had a Prada slip-on pair.

He also loved to pull a hat out of his closet J  A surprising one was what is known as the camauro. This was an odd choice to say the least, and to be honest, he seemed to look a bit like Santa Claus. Charisma is not what he missed.

 

The future will only tell what surprise Argentinian Pope Franciscus will leave behind as legacy.

 

Bopthusiasm: "bopping it"

Between all that shopping and exams, for the students in Europe, there is a time for relaxation and strange habits. I remember when I studied (not so long ago) a friend and I would always do the ‘stick trick’. I wonder if I could still do it. Remind me to let you know how to do it, pretty amazing, when I have re-mastered the trick ;)

Yet, the Bop It makes you move and gets a laugh out of you either way (or it does with me anyway). Maybe it’s a good alternative, that’s also an ice-breaker. For those of you not familiar with the game it was originally released in 1996. It is an audio game which gives you commands such as spin it, flick it, pull it and twist it. It quickly became one of the most popular games because of the interaction between player and toy. Moreover, you can play solo, with two or multiplayer. The game is licensed to boardplayer and toy multinational Hasbro, also known from classics such as Monopoly (best selling boardgame ever according to the book of guiness world records, Cluedo, Pictionary, Risk, Scrabble  etc.

Even now in 2013 Bop It lives on. The company has released several versions since and today the sales of the Bop It, Bop It Bounce, Bop It XT, Bop It Smash, the Bop It re-release and the pen and keychain versions are still going strong.

We (my generation) grew up with the Bop It and you may not know it but tv programmes and movies incorporate it and since 1996 its become one of those popular culture diamonds. Maybe its crowning moment was a slot in popular show The Simpsons, because if you appear there you are most definitely a part of pop culture. My own favorite guest appearance of the Bop It was on Gilmore Girls. Lorelai and Rory mention it a few times (for instance Lorelai says they take it out when a social situation needs mouth to mouth resuscitation J and even take it out one episode. (at 1:14 below when Luke and Dean fight)

 

Therefore, my Bop It XT and Smash are the pride of my games cupboard and I couldn’t imagine it without them. Have fun!!

 

A shot of popular culture please?

The Belgian newspaper,Het Nieuwsblad, made a top 10 of coffee places… (http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20130104_065). Nevertheless, that particular brand that’s taken the world by storm did not even get mentioned. Therefore, I’m going to give it the extra credit it deserves because the founders of Starbucks, Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegel and Jerry Baldwin who signed a partnership in 1971 to launch the first Starbucks store, deserve at least some credit for the still so successful coffee shops.

If you ask me it is not the coffee that attracts people. Take me for instance, I don’t even drink coffee, but I love the Starbucks because of the way it ‘is’ living popular culture in a way. I go there probably weekly, and from just looking at it I get a happy feeling (I know it’s lame but it works for me). Of all shops, I find they probably have the best atmosphere (good lighting, "fantastic mugs ;)", cosy interior, couches and also the usual coffee bar seats, a peaceful hustle and bustle, friendly staff and they have pretty good drinks too, not to mention all the extra food stuffs (mmm).

Moreover, there’s some fantastic merchandising (I absolutely love my Starbucks mug J) and obviously just their general presence in the streets. It is, namely, not uncommon to see celebrities with the tell tale Starbucks cup in hand.

Basically it has become a part of our modern popular culture J There has to also be credit in that.

Winter Sales

 

 

 

Basically, you never know what you are going to find and just looking never hurt anyone. I guess it’s a little like that box of chocolates and there can be pretty great ones ;)

Hence this topic: how awesome is the new Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Brussels?

I am not very brand minded because high street shops such as Zara, H&M etc. also have a wide variety and many options and lines. They focus on trends as well as offering the basics we all need (for example a plain white shirt etc.). Then, there are the, what I call middle of the range brands, such as surfer brands for example Roxy, Billabong, O’ Neill, Esprit, Mexx, Levi’s, Abercrombie etc. 

Following, we have the so called ‘real’ brands like Chanel, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc. They obviously have stunning pieces and it is what the high street stores base their fashion lines on but for an average individual, their closet will probably not be bulking with Louboutins or branded clothing. I would probably situate Marc by Marc Jacobs somewhere in between the middle of the range brands leaning towards the ‘real’ fashion brands.

Nevertheless, I personally have always had a weak spot for designer Marc Jacobs (he’s a man to be noticed and I appreciate his ‘laissez faire’ attitude (like: “if you don’t like me who cares, tastes differ, doesn’t mean we can’t be civil”)). His line ‘Marc by Marc Jacobs’ for the younger generation has me fascinated. It only goes to show that Blair in Gossip Girl (pity it’s done) was not so wrong with her B brand. Moreover, the clothes and accessories in these lines seem more ‘affordable’ and ‘wearable’ in comparison with the top of the range brands.

 It probably all started for me with his mouse shoes.

I simply love them (picture above just an example), and that’s all there is to it! These seem reasonable regarding price, considering. To me, they give a playful, youthful touch to many outfits in addition to the fact they wear well. A bit like the Charlotte Olympia kitty flats which are super popular among celebrities right now. Never mind the fact that those sell for around 500 euro a pair, which is quite a bit above my price range. Moreover, I don’t like them as much as I do the Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats. Additionally, the handbags, wallets, accessories and clothes are ‘finished’, really original and come in great colours. I love the designs and they are very wearable which is why I love them. (The clothes are a on the pricey side.)

 

Therefore, the first Belgian Marc by Marc Jacobs store, was in my opinion a welcome addition to the Brussels shopping scene. The store of 250 m² with the men, women and children collections can be found on the Rue Dansaert. It also houses the first European Marc Bookstore, Bookmarc. There is a wide variety and I felt that this store was better than the Paris one.  On this street in the centre you also find a Mac store, Bobbi Brown store and many more.

 

The store in Brussels is lovely, but then again I might be a bit biased ;)