Lets have a little chin wag...

Running up to the completion of Dictation Manipulation's first quarter, I thought it would be rather nice for us all to find out where we're all from... Oooooh and look at this clever little map I found! Yes that's us - all over five countries in two continents: USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Romania. Isn't it thrilling!


During this time we've been looking a selection of different takes and opinions on the fashion industry, little idiosyncrasies within it and the wheels and cogs keeping the whole machine running... We've been interviewing Ella and Kate, collaborating with FUTV (A lot more to come!) and attempting to spark many a debate with the odd controversial quote!

What I'd like find out, if you would kind enough to oblige (Thank-you, Please) is a little bit about all of you!

Please drop me a line at dictationmanipulation@gmail.com, giving me a little bit of news about you: First Name, Where you are from, profession, age and interests...

Fat versus thin...

'Being Size Zero is as unhealthy as being size twenty.'

Aren't you proud?

'We are a generation of over indulgence.
Everything in excess - We have no limits!'

No way out?!

'With so much fashion product coming as us from everywhere,
you would have to go a long way to completely remove yourself from
it's sphere of influence.'

- Jane Andas

Size Zero - thoughts?

'We (the fashion industry) are not solely responsible for Size Zero,
but we do have a definite influence.'

- and this is an influence that we must take responsibility for!

So why do we all keep doing it?

Iconic 80's New York Fashion Reporter, Bill Cunningham is credited to have said:

'Creativity is the highway to Bankruptcy.'

Well we all know he wasn't wrong... what with fabrics, printing costs, hiring or purchasing equipment and paying people to give you hand it can end up a very costly experience. So what I pose to you is - Why do we all keep going? What is it that drives our hands into our own pockets, putting ourselves into more and more debt? And for what?

Join the protest!

Starts tonight, 9pm on MTV One - Join the protest!

What an industry!

'Even if I did look at magazines, I never realised what a machine existed behind the industry until I was working in it.'

- Panos Yiapanis: Stylist

A late one...

Ok, so a late entry I know, but just to draw your attention to an intriguing show on Channel 5 tonight: The Kate Moss Years... (Love her or hate her!)


Thats all.

Reaching for the stars...

In the words of the talented Miss Katie Melua:

'We were always reaching for the stars,
And they can still be ours...'

- Go on people, push yourselves! Do the things you've always wanted to!

A good kick!

So yesterday we looked at the fashion industry from the outside, however I do feel that often we need a good kick on the inside.

What makes the fashion industry do interesting is the level of commitment within it. A feeling of passion and a real need within its most dedicated members, to work until perfection is reached - no matter how long it takes!


However, there is an extremely broad range within this intriguing industry. And sadly a lot to who are just here for the ride - It's not all about air kisses and calling people dahling, you know! Don't worry though, reassurance is here... no matter how much press and attention these air kissers get, we can rest safe in the knowledge that they don't have a clue what they are doing, and this time next year they will be dead in the scene because people will have seen right through them and all their chat.

These are the ones that drop out, not able to cope with all the knock-back and the lack of ass-kissing. They simply can't understand why they only got two spreads of editorial for a shoot that they spent two weeks (ahem) preparing for!

But for the rest of us, keep going. We are the ones that are excited about the possibilities of a shoot (or whatever aspect of the industry you work at) before it's even happened, pouring over one image until it's close to perfection, until we have got the best we possibly can - even if that means staying up for days on end. It's cool to rip your hair out with frustration because you don't know how to make 'this shoot' work and it's all right to feel a little smug because your shoot turned out great.

The fashion industry is not for the weak hearted - no matter how much it might look like it from the outside!

Tell it how it is, and don't be shy with your ideas!

Fashion from the inside...

Why is it that when you mention to anybody outside of the fashion world that you, in fact, do work inside the industries' constraints, you get that... 'Oh.' and then an almost disappointed look from anyone mildy academic (in their own minds)?

This is an issue I felt needed addressing after having to explain myself at many a party of so called 'intellects' and am sick of defending our highly competitive, demanding field of work. I believe the below quote satisfies any queries:

'Whatever it takes. If it takes me 30 hours of studying a week,
that's what it takes, and if it takes me 40,
I'm going to have to find time to do it.'

Dictation Manipulation spends the day on set with FUTV!

So I spent all day yesterday, sitting eagerly on side-lines (and probably sticking my little nose in where it wasn't really required! Tee hee!) of the FUTV pilot shoot. [What do you think of their new logo by the way?] Where those clever things had arranged an in depth, poignant discussion on Size Zero.


This debate was directed by FUTV's extremely engaging presenters Beki and Ore (Profiles coming!) and was attended by Lynn Crilly of National Charity B-eat, James, Fashion Designer at CSM and Eleny Renton model booker at Quintessentially Models... who from each of their individual industry stances - attempted to explore this highly controversial subject - and rather professionally done I might add! But don't worry guys, you won't have to wait until the release date on SUB.TV, because those lovely people at FUTV have agreed to showcase snippets from the show, exclusively, right here on Dictation Manipulation!

Aren't we lucky!

[ps. If you liked this image - and I certainly did! Check out Tony's Flickr Profile.]

Britney hits back at the media...

Britney SpearsPiece Of Me

'Don’t matter if I step on the scene,
Or shrink away to the Philippines,
They still gone put pictures of my derrière in the magazine...'

Fair do's I say!

Catwalk to highstreet -The modern day 'trickle down' theory!

Hipster versus The Muffin Top

No, I'm not talking about this...

I'm talking about this:

'I don't like hipster trousers, I don't think they suit me,

but thats all you can get these days, so that's what I have to wear!'

And the result?


Something that has come to be know as the muffin top. Why is it that we girls just can't see this when we look in the mirror, we see size ten on the label and smile - even though we know we're really closer to a twelve, and the irony is, we'd actually look better in a larger size that fits us better. Buying a smaller size doesn't actually change your figure's dimensions!

Just to provoke...

To see some more of these fun little comics, check out http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/

UNIQLO goes all Pantone on us...

Ever bought a pair of red gloves to match your new red scarf and then wondered when you got them together why they seemed to clash? They are both red right?

Fortunately, Pantone Inc. has been around to help avoid colour confusion for more than 40 years. A well-guarded secret (until now! Ha ha ha!) among Graphic designers, Pantone is te international authority on every shade under the sun. Whether a designer needs a cherry red, a raspberry red, or even a it's-so-cold-my-nose-is-red red, all he has to do is choose the perfect match from Pantone's selection of thousands of colours, and he'll be guaranteed that the colour he wants it the colour he'll get.

And it is exactly this kind of colour perfection that UNIQLO has tapped into with it's latest range of sweaters.

We're all so easily swayed!

We are the angry mob,

We read the papers everyday,

We like who we like,

We hate who we hate...

... and we're all so easily swayed!

Isn't it intriguing how we all think we're so individual and yet we have a great ability to judge everyone around us on everyone else's standards - what we've been told is 'cool' or whatever.

Angry Mob Lyrics

[Lyrics taken from the Kaiser Chiefs song, entitled 'The Angry Mob' - available on iTunes.]

Does anyone hate fashion?

'Fashion is a despot (dictator, tyrant) whom the wise ridicule and obey' wrote Ambrose Bierce in 1911 in his Devil's Dictionary. Ridicule and obey? Obviously he was on to something. Shoes that hurt too much, trousers that pinch, blouses that scratch, dresses that demand we alter our bodies for their sake, and let's not even get into hair and make-up trends. Fashion can be painful, uncomfortable, way too time-consuming, and of course super expensive. It's appealing today and appalling two seasons later. Anyone who has ever had a passion for fashion knows that it can be dangerous, and , even worse, addictive, because of its promise that if we look chic we will fell great - and who can beat that?'

... and to read the rest of this article, please go out and buy the latest copy (That's issue 7!) of Let Them Eat Cake Magazine - Go and read all about them! There story is a great one, and I believe they are to be saluted!

Dictation Manipulation chats to Ella and Kate (Full Audio Clip)

Ok so I reckon you've all waited long enough for the full audio clip... however, please be aware that this is an 18 minute debate and you may need to set aside some time so as to get it's full benefit!

It is for this reason that I have been posting up some shortened version, a few seconds of insight to spark your own debate... I hope some of this will get you riled! Please also feel free to let me know what else you'd like to hear about...

Busy little worker ants...

Ok, so I'm not sure if your all aware of this, but there has been quite a bit of commenting activity going on and I'd like to draw your attention to it! We've been particularly busy on the Is fashion evil? post which seems to have got a few of you going.

Now the reason that I've set aside today's post for this is not because I'm lazy, don't have anything else to say, or aren't feeling particularly inventive because I haven't had a cup of tea yet, but because I do not wish this site to become another form of dictation, that my opinion overshadow everyone else... We are on an equal platform here and I only wish to insight debate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, here's what I've got for today (yet another quote from the wonderful Fight Club - valid none the less)

'I see the strongest and smartest men who have ever lived, and these men are pumping gas and waiting tables... 

Remember this... 

These people you are trying to step on, we're everyone you depend on. We're the people who do your laundry and cook your food and serve your dinner. We make your bed and guard you whilst you're asleep. We drive ambulances. We direct your call. We are cooks and taxi drivers and we know everything about you. We process your insurance claims and credit card charges. We control every part of your life.

We are the middle children of history, raised by television to believe that someday we'll be millionaires and movie stars and rock stars, but we won't.

And we're just learning this fact... So don't fuck with us.' 

So is this something that can be applied to the fashion industry, and if so how far do we agree with it?

Beauty regime...

' Beauty never comes easy, but it usually looks that way. '

[An old M.A.C. product I know, but you have to admit, it illustrates the point!]

Trends come and go...

'Of course I see trends... they come and go. Quality and meaning are the things that stick around so, in the end, trends don't really interest me.'

- Max Wigram, Gallerist, Clever Man.

[Max Wigram was brought to my attention via an extremely nice newspapery type thing that UNIQLO have produced recently, rather pleased with it actually.]

Nasty designers!?