CFW - FTW

The weekend is over and I have had almost no rest, but all the energy was indeed well spent. This last week witnessed the first edition of the Cluj Fashion Week (CFW - Cluj is my hometown), an event born out of the previous organizational failure of the Romanian Fashion Week

CFW meant art exhibits, workshops, lots of great parties and obviously a great fashion show. The runway saw creations of many talented Romanian Designers (Iris Serban and Raluca Coman) and also quite a few foreign designers (Kavathas Vangelos - Greece and Choi Boko - South Korea were my favourites).  My only major disappointment was that the Fashion show featured absolutely no designs for men, all designers focusing exclusively on Women's Fashion. While it is true that in Eastern Europe an even lower number of men are interested in fashion and the trappings of style, there is no excuse for omitting this niche completely.

I am not going to claim I know as much about Women's fashion than Men's, however there were quite a few designs that I enjoyed very much. Even "A Shaded View on Fashion" 's Diane Pernet was present at the show and her presence meant a lot for an event that is only just taking form.

My friend Jenya, visiting from the States on the left and myself on the right, on the last night of the CFW

CFW, great job and I'm looking forward to next year's edition, hopefully, bigger, better and definitely "manlier"!

An Autochtonous Revelation

In spite of centuries of toil and trouble,

In wild Wallachian lands of old,

The people are still unabated,

And each day brings more wonders to behold.

It rarely happens that Western Europe, with its "Meccan" centers of fashion, Paris and Milan, looks to the East for innovation and beauty in the form of fashionable creations.

I have had the luck of stumbling upon a little shop in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, a former Communist country that is voraciously enjoying and devouring Capitalism. Few would stop and look for innovation in a place where imitation is so rampant, but Mihaela Glavan's new store, Sepala, breaks from the confines of its geographical location and brings new ideas to light by means of its exquisite Men and Women's Shoe Collections.

With its three distinctive collections: Mihaela Glavan, Sepala and RSM (Reconstructed Style for Men ), its designer, Mihaela Glavan has had the opportunity to experience with bold colours such as bright red, neon green or light blue, which most shoe designers avoid like the plague. She has also redefined the standards of prime materials used in her shoes and has often varied their respective combinations. For that reason some of her creations include leather and suede and velcro, nubuck and leather and even leather and PVC.

The best thing about Sepala is that all shoes can be customized in store and ordered to size if unavailable.

The Sepala Store can be found at "24 Intrarea Tudor Stefan (Dorobanti area), Bucharest, Romania" or if you would like to contact them regarding  an order, online here.