Knowledge

Mary Queen of Shops

Mary Queen of Shops is a British television series presented by Mary Portas broadcast on BBC2. The series began with a four-week run starting on 7 June 2007, and returned for a second series of six episodes beginning on 9 June 2008. A third three-part series, titled Mary Queen of Charity Shops, began on 2 June 2009. The show returned for a fourth series on 7 June 2010, featuring various independent shops, rather than just fashion boutiques.

In each episode, Mary Portas troubleshoots her way around the UK on a mission to help turn around struggling fashion boutiques. Mary is a leading retail communications expert and is the founder and creative director of Yellowdoor.

Her aim is to turn the businesses around and put glamour back into shopping.

First, she visits the boutiques while the owners are away. Then she revamps them, gets the shop owners right up-to-date and hopefully helps them to start making money again.

In season 3, Mary takes on other retail shops.


Alex Polizzi - The Fixer

An appetizer on this page, but you should see the complete series. If you can.

Alex Polizzi: The Fixer is a business documentary show that has aired on BBC Two since 31 January 2012 and is presented by Alex Polizzi. The programme sees Alex turning around family businesses who are struggling for various reasons to attract customers.


Work-Songs for Drella

The words and music of this song are an inspiration.

Songs for Drella is a concept album by Lou Reed and John Cale, both formerly of the Velvet Underground, and is dedicated to the memory of Andy Warhol, their mentor, who had died unexpectedly in 1987. Drella was a nickname for Warhol coined by Warhol superstar Ondine, a contraction of Dracula and Cinderella, used by Warhol's crowd but never liked by Warhol himself. The song cycle focuses on Warhol's interpersonal relations and experiences, with songs falling roughly into three categories: Warhol's first-person perspective (which makes up the vast majority of the album), third-person narratives chronicling events and affairs, and first-person commentaries on Warhol by Reed and Cale themselves. The songs on the album are, to some extent, in chronological order.

Work

Andy was a Catholic, the etic ran through his bones

He lived alone with his mother, collecting gossip and toys

Every Sunday when he went to church

He'd kneel in his pew and say, "It's just work,

all that matters is work."

Andy was a lot of things, what I remember most

He'd say, "I've got to bring home the bacon, someone's

got to bring home the roast."

He'd get to the factory early

If I'd ask him he'd tell you straight out

It's just work, the most important thing is work

No matter what I did it never seemed enough

He said I was lazy, I said I was young

He said, "How many songs did you write?"

I'd written zero, I lied and said, "Ten."

"You won't be young forever

You should have written fifteen"

It's work, the most important thing is work

It's work, the most important thing is work

"You ought to make things big

People like it that way

And the songs with the dirty words - “make sure you record them that way"

Andy liked to stir up trouble, he was funny that way

He said, "It's just work, all that matters is work"

Andy sat down to talk one day

He said decide what you want

Do you want to expand your parameters

Or play museums like some dilettante

I fired him on the spot, he got red and called me a rat

It was the worst word that he could think of

And I've never seen him like that

It's just work, I thought he said it's just work

Work, he'd said it's just work

Andy said a lot of things, I stored them all away in my head

Sometimes when I can't decide what I should do

I think what would Andy have said

He'd probably say you think too much

That's 'cause there's work that you don't want to do

It's work, the most important thing is work

Work, the most important thing is work

Lou Reed John Cale

Buy Songs For Drella

Find all about Andy Warhol on these Artsy pages


Inside the house of Chanel

If you are interested in what the world of one of the most prestigious and billion euro companies is all about.

From Karl Lagerfeld’s first sketches, through the daily grind of the workshop, and into the hands of the client, this documentary follows the incredible journey of a haute couture collection, taking the viewer behind the scenes of this legendary atelier on the Rue Cambon 31.

One of Karl Lagerfeld's excellent quotes: 'Chanel is dead, don't touch it, that's what people said to me, in the early days, when I was talking about going there'

Some appetizers on this page, but you should see the complete series.

Signe Chanel – Haute Couture Collection [DVD]

DVD ~ Signe Chanel
Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000A6M9YY