Exercise and health

Twice a year the city of Paris is center stage of the marvellous world of haute couture. It’s origine lie in the nineteenth century where a Frenchman called Charles Frederick Worth started showing his bespoke artistic designs for a selected public. Serving the rich and royal Worth presented made-to-measure garments executed by the most skilled individuals. What he actually did, was not only creating high fashion for the prestigious, but also making the designer or the couturier as someone to be admired and lifted their status as a whole. Some of the fashion houses that followed in Worth’s footsteps still exist today, such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Valentino.

Left is shown Megan Markle’s Givenchy wedding gown, to the right is shown Kate Middelton’s Alexander McQueen wedding gown.

Wedding gown

Today haute couture is as vibrant as ever. Although only a select group of wealthy customers can afford the ten thousands of dollars costing garments; a single wedding gown can go up to a hundred thousand of dollars.

Being a discrete service (many clients don’t like to talk about their lavish spendings on couture and like to remain anonimous) wedding dresses such as those from Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and the Dutchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton are said to be costing in between a 100.000 and 434.000 dollars.

Identity

Couture is like a dream.

Reality is that couture doesn’t bring profit for the fashion house. Instead it generates revenue in the form of publicity. A fashion house such as Chanel creates profits from sales from cosmetics and accesoiries because of the luxury and mystery surrounding haute couture.

It’s like the halo-effect: you want to have Chanel, but when you cannot afford couture you still can afford that bottle of perfume bearing the name and  luxurious feeling of the house of Chanel. In the end these are all vessels of identity.

Mechanotransduction

Being a marketingtool I propose to use haute couture as a metaphor. Couture indirectly enhances revenue and this can be used as a metaphor for the relationship between exercise and health. Exercise on it’s own doesn’t make you healthy.

It’s the neuro-endocrine respons from your activated muscles that set a myriad of complex networks in motion. These networks basically shape the communications between cells, tissues and organs. And eventually it’s this communication that keeps your body healthy. The neuro-endocrine respons is also referred to as mechanotransduction, and part of mechanobiology.

Examples of intra-and extracellular communications are activation of insulin receptors on the muscle cells in order to attract carbohydrates as fuel for the cells. Another example is the positive effect of exercise induced accelerated blood flow on the elasticity of the veins and arteries. Recent research targets on bone cells being like a weight sensor (sedentary behaviour could result in bones not feeling enough bodyweight and negatively inflencing hormones of satiety) and on a better bloodflow in fat tissues resulting in less leaking of triglycerides in the blood. The collection of Margiela Artisanal shows this indirect effect of exercise on health: unwearable and even unbearable designs meant to increase the profits on cosmetics and accesoiries. And yes, exercise can be bearing and grinning it all...

Healthy mind

But the proces of mechanotransdution also keeps your mind healthy. The sheer pressure of exercise on the central nervous system allows a proliferation of neurotransmitters to all kinds of parts of the body.

And that is the ‘neuro’ part of the neuro-endocrine respons of exercise in the body. An example is the creation of new neurons and synapses in the brain, so called neurogenesis.

That’s what I see looking at the futuristic collections of Dutch based designer Iris van Herpen; she creates new textiles and shapes using 3D-printing and moulding plastics.

Happy mind

Keeping the mind healthy is part of the equation. Keeping the mind happy is another part of the equation.

An example is exercise mediated stressrelief and surpression of anxiety on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Also Dutch based designers Viktor and Rolf have shown this throughout their work in couture.

Amplified memes on huge dresses bring a smile to your face, don’t you agree?

---

Wedding

My dear, it has been a busy year, especially for those catering the celebrities weddings. Whether you like it or not, weddings are a celebration of commitment and love; so why not enjoy it?

2018 Started with the royal wedding of prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The wedding was a big boast for the designer of Meghan’s wedding gown, Clare Waight Keller for the house of Givenchy. And let’s not forget the evening dress by Stella McCartney. Should I mention the 1,9 billion viewers worldwide, the 500 hours of work to create the veil by hand and the 53 Commonwealth states represented via flowers on that veil?

Cara Delevingne and David Beckham stealing the spotlight!

Princess Beatrice

A leap forward to oktober, the second daughter of the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, got married.

The wedding of princess Beatrice caught worldwide attention by means of the A-list stars attending the nuptials.

From Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss to James Blunt and Demi Moore, there were names all over.

Naomi Campbell, paying hommage to the fancy hat that made princess Beatrice a household name…

Celebrations, rituals and tradition

These royal weddings are basically part of the society’s foundation.

Celebration of shared values, traditions and rituals bring the nation together.

People just love a big ol’ wedding, it’s like a fantasy come true.

 What follows are the more expensive and eagerly awaited weddings of the season. India and Italy hosted at least three major weddings.

Ambani wedding

The most expensive wedding of 2018 is no doubt the wedding of Isha Ambani, daughter of the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani.

The three-day engagement ceremony took place at Italy’s Lake Como, the prenuptials were held at Lake Palace in Udaipur and starred Beyonce in a private concert, Hilary Clinton’s attending as well as other Bollywood celebrities. The wedding ceremonies were held later at the Ambani residence in Mumbai, the famous 27 floors sustaining Antilia. Deemed to be the world’s most expensive property, after Buckingham Palace, it has a staff of 600 to maintain the residence 24 hours a day.

Bollywood sweethearts Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh

Before the Ambani wedding there were the weddings of Priyanka Chopra to Nick Jonas and Bollywood sweethearts, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.

Honouring both of their respective culture and traditions, Deepika and Ranveer got married in two ways- one in Konkani traditional style and in another Sindhi traditional style.

A Hollywood royal wedding

Exclusively reported by People’s Magazine, Priyanka and Nick got married in custom Ralph Lauren at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur.

This was Hollywood’s version of the royal wedding.

Celebrate commitment

As stated before, weddings are a celebration of commitment and love. Don’t you love to see the fantasy, the elaborate embroidered gowns, the regal posture, the extravagant wedding venues and all the glitz?! It brings a smile to my face, and so should a commitment feel like. Whether you are getting married, going to the gym or adhering to a diet, it’s all about commitment.

So why not celebrate? I mean, you and me are no Bollywood, Hollywood or English royalty darlings; but in the end, it’s all about the mindset. Do what you do with love and commitment, and you’ll succeed.

---