The story about the golden Hunkemuller bikini and the influence of the neo-conservative religious parties

 One would think that with all the bubbling (Dutchlish) ladies in very little clothes that you can see around the clock on MTV and TMF, that a billboard advertising of a lady dressed up in a golden bikini would make anybody lie awake at night. But no, when Hunkemuller put their shot for their golden bikini billboard size on the facade in one of the busiest shopping streets in Utrecht(see pic), the Christian Union (they are a small party that glues the current government together) tried to get it banned via the city-council.

















Of course this got a lot of media coverage I guess many people just find it hard to understand why this is wrong but nobody seem to be doing much to interfere with Porno-parties, Sex-for-a-breezer and the already mentioned R&B bikini-ladies.
Now this weekend there was a piece in the newspaper about that one should make a clear distinction between public opinion and governmental influence. So the Hunkemuller is a clear example of the Christian Union using their influence in government to impose on the rest of us (representing the public opinion) their ultra-conservative world-views. Particularly defending these when they threaten to saw demise in the good old institute the family.

All of that for a golden bikini, I think Hunkemuller must have been happy with the extra attention and PR. Golden bikinis probably sold beyond expectations.

Victor & Rolf adventures and in-house counterfeit

I joined the crowds for the Victor & Rolf sale in H&M, and actually I managed to get into the shop even though I had only arrived in-front of the shop at 9:30.

Actually I was a bit embarrassed of myself joining the consumer-craze and my embarrassment became a bit bigger when I realized that the employees of H&M where standing on the stair-case photographing us the crowd as we got projectiled into the shop when the doors opened. Everybody seemed to just throw themselves at the goods and try to get what they could. I didn't notice any serious hamstering (Dutschlish) as I read about later in the media. I did hear people (read women) scream out loud because they had manage to obtain an item of desire (i.e. wedding-dress). I guess I must have got caught away by the mass-hysteria because eventually I also ended up leaving the shop with many more items than I had planned, and I don't even particularly like Victor & Rolf.
So of course after having sobered up and looking over my new possessions I decided I needed to get rid of them again, either because they where really not fitting, really not my style or just because I don't really appreciate neo-classistic fashion. So I eventually I sold off the items on Marktplaats all for the price I had originally payed. The remainder of what I didn't sell on Marktplaats I returned to the shop. H&M has a decent right of returning goods until one month after purchase. When returning it in the shop I overheard one sales-person says to the other sales-person; "hey but what are we going to do with this stuff now, when the hype is all over?"
I just thought, well guys that's your problem, and does it mean that by now it's not an as attractive piece of fashion anymore? Will nobody want it now, 1 month after the hyped introduction? Or has the quality/price ration decreased dramatically by now?
My adventures left me with just one piece of attractive fashion in my cupboard, a skirt that I bought by mistake thinking it was Victor & Rolf, but actually it was H&M Victor & Rolf styled look. An in-house counterfeit one could say...