The Swelle Life

Latest from Alice Hawkins: "Museum of Costume"

Click the image to watch the film

(My headlines get less and less imaginative as the years go by.)  I've really been looking forward to this, Alice Hawkins' latest fashion film, from SHOWstudio:

"Created to accompany the Antwerp Fashion Museum's 2011 exhibition 'Dreamsuits: Designs by Nudie Cohn, the Rodeo Tailor', photographer and filmmaker Alice Hawkins lends her unique eye to Cohn's equally unique couture creations, capturing the glittering surfaces of Nudie suits drawn from the collection of Belgian entertainer Bobbejaan Schoepen on fashion film in 'Museum of Costume.'"

Country/Western/Fat Elvis outfits are not really what turns my crank (I guess I'm bringing that phrase back) and neither is the music that is performed while they're being worn. Alice Hawkins' film Musuem of Costume celebrates both, though it is focused on a particular designer and a particular artist of the genre. But her way of capturing her subjects just 'being', as if they are occupying moments outside of time and space as we know it, is always fascinating and mesmerising to me. Her style of highlighting detail with dramatic light and shade, through both flashing cuts and lingering looks, demonstrates her appreciation for the elements as much as the whole of the character, a study that is always a treat to watch. She made me appreciate the couture aspect of a style I would never associate with couture. But the details in the embroidery, textures and fabrics really are exquisite if you can get past the style of the clothes. I say this at the same time I'm thinking how fun it would be if everyone dressed this way.

Alice Hawkins' films are such a hypnotic, sensory experience (the more accurate descriptor would be 'sensual' but I feel weird saying that, like I should be slipping into a candlelit bath in the dark while whispering the word as I stare at you). 

I have to admit, I love this one best with the sound muted. No offence meant to the talented Bobbejaan Schoepen who has an awesome name and wicked car to match. I'd love to be taken for a ride in it with his stereo cranked.

Alice herself makes an appearance:

A Look at the New LFW Cinema

Inside the BFC Show Space at Somerset House

Spring Summer 2012 is the first season at London Fashion Week for the BFC Cinema, set up in a tiny black hut-style theatre in the BFC Show Space at Somerset House (BFC is British Fashion Council). They did livestreaming as well as show their programme of fashion films on a loop which is what I caught when I popped in after the Jasper Conran show, which I saw thanks to LFW sponsor Vitamin Water (photos coming, I swear. 'Twas a good one, too). 

You can watch some of these films at LFW TV

Here are my favourites of what I caught, starting with House of Flora's film by Ryan Parry. "A playful nod to Grace Jones, Keith Haring pop art and gestures of Josephine Baker", it was an infectiously energetic performance with plenty of colour and striking shapes in the body movements, designs and backdrop.     
 
     

Now this next one was pretty cool. The subject is Sarah Angold 's lighting sculptures which I thought were accessories because this was fashion week, and I kind of wish it was actually possible to wear one of these translucent coloured pieces. However, this film by George Petrou was loooooong. It ran with several minutes of silence and then a soundscape by Danny J Lewis sprung in to remind you there had been no sound until that point. For fashion week especially, when people don't have long to sit and watch, an edited version would have been better received. People got tired of waiting for it to end and left. That's a shame. It would be best played at parties hosted by Timothy Leary, if that were possible.

Charlotte Olympia's To Die For by Jam and featuring Portia Freeman, is a gorgeous, surreal, murder mystery featuring designs from the current AW collection.

First two photos © The Swelle Life

Others shot from films, as previously credited

Saving the 'Gone With the Wind' Dresses

You would think the costumes from one of Old Hollywood's most iconic films would be preserved with the kind of care afforded to newborns. Yet the velvety brocade and feather embellished garments from the epic Gone With the Wind were not treated as precious, they were tortured! Well, not intentionally so, but some do look a bit nasty now as a result. Compare the Technicolor emerald green and brilliant gold of Scarlett O'Hara's curtain dress as seen above on the set to the faded mess it is today:

Ack! Was it pulled from a swamp? How did it and other important pieces from film history wind up like this? It's a combination of factors. The dresses endured decades of traveling on display and had been on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They were dry-cleaned multiple times, sprayed with disinfectant - likely Sudol, similar to Lysol (that can't be good) which could have affected the rate and nature of the fading (no kidding) - and displayed in department stores. However, streaks of 'brown mustard' discolouration remain an unsightly, dijon-esque mystery.

Some pieces, such as the burgundy ball gown, have retained the depth of their colour, but Scarlett's veil is unfortunately a lost cause. Brittle, creased and too fragile to be handled, it has booked a one-way plane ticket to Miami and is learning to lawn bowl.

Associated Press was invited to observe the restoration process undertaken by the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas and gave us these photos of the costumes in their current state. It will cost $30,000 to restore five dresses which, according to the Yahoo article, are from the collection of David O. Selznick which was acquired in the 80s. The producer of Gone with the Wind died in 1965, so I'm guessing his family took possession of the collection. All of this is about getting the pieces in good shape for a 2014 exhibit to mark the film's 75th anniversary.

So how does one approach repair on garments that just can't take any more? The Ransom Center has enlisted the help of the University of Texas' textiles and apparel technology lab to analyze the fibers in the faded areas. New technology will allow the fibers to be examined without being destroyed.

Cara Vernell, an independent art conservator who specializes in Hollywood film costumes and is doing the restoration work explains, "We do not add color back. That would be me, this lone individual in the 21st century, deciding what that was going to look like 75 years ago. It's unethical. You just don't do that. We honor the history and we honor the piece."

I get it.

Photos from AP

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: ACTOR TIM POTTER

Tim Potter would be a glorious Mad Hatter. He is creative, experimental and intensely loyal to his craft, he seems to relish in a challenge, having played many diverse roles over the years. He was just as at home playing Captain Hook in Finding Neverland (starring Johnny Depp) as he was portraying Spanish genius and serial lunatic Salvador Dali at the Royal Court. He stretched his skills even further playing Blanche DuBois in a production A Streetcar named Desire.

I met Tim at the Carlisle College of Art in the 1970s, we were both in the foundation course and became friends. He was striking, intelligent and hilarious. We had to do a bit of everything, and when Theatre came around Tim and I were in the same group. As luck would have it, it was Panto season. To my humiliation and horror I was chosen to play the Princess to 200 screaming kids twice daily for a week of torture. I was overweight, not pretty, a party animal and it was the eve of Punk. I was poured into an ugly Laura Ashley smock dress, hairpiece and make up that would have horrified the worst drag Queen. Tim played a brilliant Dick Dastardly type villain that was so scary one little boy had an accident when Tim went into the audience. As I climbed reluctantly up a wobbly high scaffold tower, stuck my head out of the "window" and cried help, one kid went as far as to shout "I wouldn’t marry her if you paid me!"

It was in this Theatre that one lunchtime I found Tim playing, very loudly, a fantastic record by a band called The Sex Pistols, and before I could say "Anarchy" I was hooked and soon morphed into "Looby”, the bow-loving colourful punk, egged on to be more OTT by Tim and his childhood friend Richard Ostell. When we went home at weekends we went to Maxim's disco in Barrow where once a week they had punk night. If the bands turned up (in those years it was always if) they would play to a handful of people - Tim and friends pogo-ing madly and Richard and I posing.

When Foundation finished Tim and I headed South - Tim to the Central School of Speech and Drama me to Ravensboune which fortunately was near Bromley, the town that the infamous" Bromley Contingent" which included Siouxsie, Steve Severin, Billy idol and Philip Salon, had put on the punk map. We had great nights up in the West End and at Croydon Greyhound. One afternoon, Tim and a friend popped a note through actor John Hurt’s door (he lived opposite) inviting him for coffee, and to their amazement he came and was just great. What a gent, what an actor! He was filming the Elephant Man at the time and told them David Lynch had shown the cast Eraserhead on set.

One of the last times I saw Tim in person was at a soiree celebrating his birthday held by his friend Rupert Everett at his flat in Chelsea. Tim was sitting in a rocking chair dressed as Miss Haversham, full of great expectations. (HA couldn’t resist!) That was the last memory I had of him until recently when we got back in touch, so very Tim. I spent many years living out of the country and so we had lots to catch up on. He told me that around 1979 he was a member of Acme Acting, explaining that the troupe would take the play to people’s homes. I was so interested and asked him if he would write a piece about his experiences way back then. He did and sent me some fabulous, startling pictures of himself in some of the productions he has been in. Enjoy!

Judith (as 'Looby') with Tim Potter (far left) and Richard Ostell, 1977

Over to Tim Potter...

Tim Potter as Captain Hook in Finding Neverland, 2004

ACME ACTING performed plays in people’s homes. That is, we used the whole of the house, and the audience followed us room to room. The doorbell rang, and that was the start of the show. In Psycho, Norman Bates would enter, showing his guest, Marion Crane, around "The Bates Motel", i.e., your flat. Speaking dialogue from the movie, he'd fix her a snack of milk and cookies from your fridge, and chat to her over the kitchen table, with you watching, sometimes inches from the actors’ faces. When Marion took her shower (Marion was me, in black 1950s corset and knickers - well, I lacked the required female "bits"), I remember one householder, in a panic, begging us to stop. She got really freaked out. We didn't stop. How could you stop in the middle of a murder? In fact, we generally had the upper hand in the house, running up and down stairs, rifling through drawers and "personal things", using cutlery, serving up meals. The main shows, Psycho and Streetcar Named Desire, were played as realistically as possible (despite the inherent absurdity), so audiences ideally would be moved as well as amused. It was helped by being acted in real rooms and hallways, and peoples' homes took on a new dimension as backdrops to the drama. Your washing machine might go into a spin cycle, noisily interrupting one of Blanche and Stanley's scenes in Streetcar. Your pet dog might get very friendly with Norman Bates’ leg. Would you ever sleep soundly in your bed again, after witnessing Stanley rape Blanche there? (to the sound of jungle drums.) Would you ever step into that shower again? We left fake blood on the bathroom tiles, and people with a whole host of cracked memories.

ACME ACTING were Jim, Tim and Louis, recent graduates of the hated (to us anyway) Central School of Speech and Drama, a very conservative place. We needed to rebel against that authority (they'd expelled our friend Rupert Everett, so what the hell did they know?) and the youthful mood of the times was punkish, experimental, in a way perhaps unknown today. Our theatre company reflected that. It was a surprise hit, having a life of its own, and we performed to a lot of thrilled audiences - although it could go wrong, and I'm thinking of one Psycho to a solitary lady and dog in a council flat, where the performance was greeted only with a depressed silence. Ah, well...

For Tim Potter's full acting credits go to IMDb. Tim now lives in Brighton and is writing a children's book - perhaps a copy will find its way to the child of the child Tim scared all those years back? Alas that we will never know but in true dramatic style let’s assume it will!

    Tim Potter and ACME ACTING in i-D magazine

Tim, Jim and Louis of ACME ACTING

Apocalypse Now

Psycho

  Psycho

ACME ACTING photos courtesy Tim Potter; photo of Judith Frankland by Denise Grayson

Intergalactic Transport Blackmarket: For Quilts, of Course!

 

 

Can you say your quilt is made by an Intergalactic remnants trader? You can, if you buy one of Jimmy McBride's aka Stellar Quilts hand embroidered creations. I have never, ever seen quilts - or anything else from an independent craftsperson/designer, well he's a textile artist actually - promoted this way. I pity anyone trying to top this film featured on Etsy for ingenuity, it's a tall order. Traditional craftsmanship combined with forward thinking has limitless potential for new concepts that appeal to what lies within so many of us these days - a yearning for that nostalgic feeling, and the wonder of technology. They can co-exist! I love McBride's message that no matter how advanced we as a civilisation become, we will always need comfort and warmth.

Do you remember when you were a teenager and started going over to guys' houses (only when parents were home, Mom and Dad if you're reading this - and they were gay!) and you first saw their bedroom (as you passed the open door on your way to the bathroom) and you saw that they still had a space-themed bedroom? McBride's quilts are the perfect transition piece from space-loving boy to man, so if you're 15 and you're still into your planets and stars and spaceships and beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about it but you aren't ready to pack it all in for the grey or navy striped bedspread, you don't have to leave it all behind - you can still have planets and stars plus nebulas, spacestations and a scene depicting an "attack on the energy collectors surrounding V838 in the 3rd quadrant occupied by the Reni"! Each quilt tells a part of McBride's intricately woven space odyssey so if you really want to indulge in the fantasy, oh boy can you! And you've invested in a piece of art you can really live with.

Pillar in the Carina Nebula

 

Hey, wait, it's ok Mom and Dad! That's (my brother) John's room I'm remembering! It was like being in Battlestar Galactica. Which reminds me that the only non-girlie thing I ever wore was Battlestar Galactica running shoes when I was 9. I don't know what happened there but they must have been the only pair Buster Brown had in my size at that particular time my feet grew another centimetre. That's the only place my mom would take us because they measured our feet properly and sold proper shoes. In other words, they didn't sell Sparks. I remember one day we had to take off our shoes at school for some reason and I was the last to grab mine from the pile to put back on, and the teacher held them up and said 'Whose are these?' and I sat there looking around thinking some dummy doesn't even recognise his own shoes. The other kids had to remind me they were mine. I tried to pretend that of course I knew they were my shoes, I was just taking my time getting up. Me and those BGs, we just didn't gel.

Weekend Fashion Film Treat: The Good Life

Every so often something truly great comes along and I'm gushingly grateful. Something that evokes an emotional response of the extraordinary kind, as in not the kind of the thing you experience in day to day life, and connects with a part of you you would almost forget existed if it wasn't so thrillingly nudged every now and then. (Say what? In short, I lose it for beautiful things that tap into a dream state and I can't tell you why. I don't know exactly.)

Photographer and film maker Alice Hawkins made The Good Life which showcases some of the best of AW 2010, it's a moving editorial of sorts. But for me this film is not about fashion.

This is how it's described on Showstudio (yes, them again. What can I do, they're awesome):

"Proper doesn't have to mean prim - Alice Hawkins gives the bourgeoisie mood of the A/W 2010 collections a terribly British spin in a tongue-in-chic ode to Margot Leadbetter, Beverly Moss and quintessentially English class consciousness."

I didn't grow up here so I don't know the 70s TV show after which this film is named, I don't have a reference for Margot Leadbetter, and Google can't seem to tell me who Beverly Moss is, though something tells me I should know. But that's all fine, I prefer no context for this film. As I mentioned I'm not viewing this as a fashion film, though it's tough to ignore the familiar outfits, and the fact that I fell in love with that Dior ribboned sweater on the catwalk, the one that the wonderful Jean Sherman is wearing at her vanity table (which looks a bit different on her).

The Good Life is like David Lynch doing the The Housewives of Orange County (without the boob jobs, trout pouts, useless husbands and ingrate kids). It's a bit film noir and completely dreamlike. The way Hawkins shot it is dramatic and stunning, she plays with light and dark to create the passage of time - the bright, waking sun of dawn with birds chirping, the washed out look of dusk, and the deep shadows of a mysterious night. Yet her passage of time doesn't necessarily make any sense, all weaving in and out in quick seconds and at the same time dragging slowly, which is a huge part of its appeal. Any of the scenes in The Good Life could be seamlessly edited into Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive.

The film also taps into the standard feminine idealism - perfect house, clothes, hair, family, life - and every waking second is bliss, all smug smiles of true contentment. It's as if their air is not the same as the one we breathe. Why, they don't even need it! They exist on a different, Lynch-esque plane.

I imagine Hawkins asked her cast? subjects? to play the impossibly glamorous, self-satisfied woman. But something tells me, if their stories are true, that they felt right at home and quite deserving of such a portrayal.

After writing the previous paragraph I read this, which would have me believe these women are indeed only a slightly less exaggerated version of their 'characters' and that's exactly why they were chosen. I don't think Hawkins like actors, she's intrigued by real people and exaggerating their fun parts. The article also touches upon why the film reminded me of pageants - the unnatural poses, the frozen smiles, and the complete and utter belief in what they portray, which I would sum up as nothing. If you asked them to stand there and smile without moving for a whole hour, they would, no questions asked. Hawkins is into all of that, "she's attracted to those who 'make an effort'". Works for me.

 
 

To Lee, With Love, Nick

 

"Celebrating the breathtaking imagination and groundbreaking designs of Lee Alexander McQueen", Nick Knight created this film tribute to the late designer. Bjork provides an exclusive soundtrack that builds quite intensely, and forged with Knight's dramatic and stunningly beautifully imagery, illicits a powerful emotional response. Perfect timing for the release as I suspect any earlier it would have been too much to take on. 

Watch here.

Showstudio Interview: In Fashion, Stephen Jones

 

You will well know my love of Showstudio and Alex Fury's recent interview with Stephen Jones (do I need to introduce him as the most accomplished and influential milliner of the past three decades?) is one example of why. How many interviews get your heart racing on aethetics alone? Not to say that the words and thoughts of this man of many hats aren't an absolute delight - he gives probably the most enjoyable interviews of anyone I admire and this is one of them - but they do look great. The directors resist becoming seduced by their own cleverness and losing focus on the point of the inteview - extracting wonderful stories from their subject who in this case is the lovely Stephen Jones, who recounts significant moments from his life in fashion.

He also discusses the context around his hats as they pertain to fashion's most influential designers with whom he has longstanding working relationships (but says nothing of the fact that he looks a bit like my uncle Roger).

Karl Lagerfeld (when he was at Chloe): "He was the only designer in Paris who was using hats. He was the one person who saw how a hat on a runway makes a very special notation or focus."

Jean Paul Gaultier: Months after being asked to model in one of his Paris shows (and not being able to due to a motorbike accident), Gaultier and Jones watched a film of the show together. Gaultier then asked him to design the hats for his menswear collection. This became Stephen Jones' first season in Paris and caused him to fall out of favour with the British Fashion Council, who he told to 'bugger off'!

John Galliano: "John works in a very character driven way. He will create this extraordinary story of somebody and it will be a person, a simple muse, in his head and he will create a storyline around her. The hats will fit into parts of the storyline, they'll be almost a punctuation within the storyline of the clothes."

Rei Kawakubo: When I get a brief from her it will normally be by fax, which I love, and it will be a few words written down. Maybe she'll do a little sketch, maybe she'll just say 'I don't know', and that will be the brief. She doesn't want me to undestand what she wants." (This story is particularly noteworthy if you're interested in Rei's creative process.)

Marc Jacobs: "We'll have a conversation. I remember the third season I worked with him he said 'There are two ladies going shopping in Italy. Florence or Rome? Rome. Will they have lunch? Yes. Are they going to Ferragamo or Gucci? No no no, they're going shopping for fine leather gloves.' I said 'Ok, I'll design a hat to go with that.'"

You can watch the interview here.

 

 

(Creepy) Model Scouting in Rural Brazil

 

I came across this NY Times short doc from the summer which follows a young male model scout looking for new faces in rural south Brazil. There were lots of things that were interesting about it: getting a glimpse of what life is like in a part of the world I'll likely never see, observing who the scout chooses to single out as having potential, hearing what the girls have to say when they're approached, and wondering if any of the parents told this guy 'Get your damn hands off my daughter!' in Portuguese. At one point the scout is with a 16 year-old girl named Michele at her parents' farm, stroking her hair while looking at her adoringly. Being an optimist I thought 'Wow, her boyfriend really looks like the scout. Hmmm...he's even wearing the same shirt!' I preferred to believe that until I watched again and realised it was indeed the scout. He also strayed from professionalism when he stopped a 13 year-old girl in the street with her hoodie up, framing her small face which displayed a fresh hormonal breakout and metal dental braces, and told her, 'You are so cute' while appearing to stifle nervous giggles. He came off looking like your friend's creepy uncle. She told him she didn't like modelling but seemed to be nervously flattered by the attention, naturally.

Maybe it's a cultural thing where close physical promiximity and affection is more accepted in casual social situations. But I still think this guy's methods are inappropriate, especially in a situation where the young girl has no power over what happens once she agrees to leave her family behind and travel to the big city of São Paulo, where all of the new girls sleep in one room in bunkbeds. Gisele Bünchen was scouted in the same area at age 13, as was Alessandra Ambrosio, at age 11. Geez. Most of these girls are desperate to be like their hometown heroines while others, like Michele, are equally determined to give their parents a better life. She tears up just talking about it. Her mother says with an innocent laugh, 'I dream of flying on an airplane one day and maybe I will.'

Part of the scout's strategy for finding new faces - and he's just one of dozens working in the area - is to hang out at the local schools and inspect the young girls as they walk by, which he has permission from the female principal to do. She says 'The scouts have always been allowed to observe freely.' Where do I even start on that one...

Animated Courtney 'Loves Her Kook'

 

Filmmaker Michael Mouris has made an animated short featuring Courtney Love, illustrating her "evolution from kooky poster child of grunge to classy Birkin bag carrier." Um, uh...I like Mouris' vivid and visually varied style of storytelling, and I tried very hard not to be distracted by the nowhere near accents of the Lagerfeld and (far too thin) Andre Leon Talley characters - an especially tough task against Love's as she voiced her own - but the subject matter is, well, I can't get into it.

In an early sequence a conflicted Love whines to the world in general "I want to be dignified. Why can't I be dignified?" Let us know when you figure it out. (Hint: your 'declaration' accompanying your name in the opening credits is one clue.)

Video from WWD.com

Orla Kiely SS 2011: Stiff Models, Adorable Dresses and Cake Lollies

Orla Kiely presentations at London Fashion Week are always a treat, quite literally. Not only are the clothes pure eye candy, but this time the print mistress had a sweet-faced 'cigarette' girl serving popcorn in pink retro (of course) cups and the most delicious things I've ever tasted - cake lollies. I wasn't the only one who thought so. A young girl I was standing next to in Orla's tiny cinema was eating one and asked me "Have you had one of these? They're sooo good! I'm on my third one!" That decided it, I didn't need to feel shame for wanting to go back for seconds. Besides, I had already endured being laughed at by two guys who were watching me go to town on one of those popcorn cups. I hadn't eaten anything all day (this somehow happened last season, too) and after some champagne I was desperate. So I stood there with a cup and I ate it all the way to the bottom. It's not like my face was buried in it and popcorn was flying everywhere in a ravenous frenzy (well, only for a moment), but still I must have looked like a freak - hardly anyone even touches the food which is nuts! - but you can't take pictures while holding popcorn so I had no choice. It was use it or lose it!

Moving on....Orla Kiely opted for cardboard cutouts of models wearing the collection to the real deal. That's one way to keep the whining about sore feet in high wooden heels to a minimum. But it worked. Her venue at Somerset House is the Portico Rooms, and she transforms the main room into Orla Kiely headquarters. This time she constructed a cinema, complete with theatre seats, to show her collection and the spirit of it through a film by Gia Coppola - yes, she's related. It took us back to 1960s London, leaving the ochres, oranges, browns and moss greens of the 70s behind (a palette I typically loathe yet I love Orla Kiely without exception), in favour of a rose and mint-green tinted world. There were cupcakes and pretty teacups, ponytails and hair ribbons. It all served to strengthen my resolve that I am indeed a girly-girl. No apologies!

 

Orla Kiely

 

Photos by Denise Grayson @ The Swelle Life

Gone...But Not Forgotten

Gone...But not forgotten from Laura Seymour on Vimeo

If you're a professional or amateur photographer (who isn't these days?), film maker or music composer residing in Europe you may want to consider submitting your best work to Hitachi G-Technology's Driven Creativity competition. Winners and runners-up will be awarded innovative G-Technology drives and the overall winner will receive €5,000 to fund their next project. You can enter until September 30th, 2010 here

Entries are judged not merely on aesthetics but also on the inventiveness used to get your result. One stellar example is Laura Seymour's Gone...But Not Forgotten submission for the film category. It's got it all: technological wizardry to wow you, music to engage you and enough sunny sentimentality in the visuals to leave you feeling that everything is right with the world.

How did she do it?

"Asked by composer Richard Anthony Jay to create a video piece for his track 'Gone...but not forgotten' incorporating super8mm footage, I was inspired by the wealth of public domain archive footage online and decided to attempt to make an animation solely using this footage, and still imagery also sourced online. This involved a long process sourcing the materials, then compositing a massive tabletop composition in Photoshop before then bringing into After Effects to animate one camera over the table-top and all the elements within that needed to move at set times in time with the music. As the concept is about memory, families and capturing the stories of people from times now gone across the four corners of the table, the important thing was also to portray a different aesthetic/finish for each area of the table using filters and colouring to recreate different film stocks. I used the Magic Bullet colouring suite 'Looks' to achieve this in Final Cut Pro."

(If you're reading this in an email subscription click the title of this post to see the video.)

Cupcake Monday! The Marie Antoinette Edition

How perfect is this scene from Sofia Coppola's stunningly gorgeous film Marie Antoinette? It's every girlie girl's dream to lounge on a silk damask chaise longue in an 18th century gilded French palace surrounded by pink iced cakes while being pampered with a pedicure. With your shoes on. I prefer mine off for the full effect but maybe that's just me.  

I went nuts with images from the film a while back, so if you'd like more drool fodder take a look here.

And now, let us eat cupcakes:

Gorgeous! From I Love Muffins

Gilded, from Peggy's Cupcakes

Tower of yum! From Yummy Piece of Cake

Look at what's on those plates and notice the macaron tree beside her. They used Ladurée in the film but the French pastry maker wasn't established until 1862. Oh how I hope those didn't go to waste.

Gareth Pugh's One-off Modelled by Raquel Zimmermann Rocking Out to Lady Gaga

Last November I was glued to Showstudio's livestream of Gareth Pugh creating a one-off dress right before our eyes for two long days and I have the posts to prove it. I checked back after the livestreaming had concluded, for days, but couldn't find the finished dress. I'd been dying to see what shape it had taken as it was impossible to tell exactly what it was meant to look like. He and his assistant had cut out countless shapes from the fabric using stencils in what appeared to be a monotonous and backbreaking process. Once in a while Gareth would hold up a piece of exquisitely shredded black angelskin as he was working, an inadvertent tease for those of us who were trying to piece together this couture puzzle.

When I went to Showstudio today to watch Philip Treacy follow suit and create some one-off hats (coming tomorrow) I saw that the dress was for sale in the shop and that they did a little film (of course! it's Showstudio!) to present it. Raquel Zimmermann was the model of choice, but rather than simply pose with the clothes she killed it to Lady Gaga's Pokerface. Awesome. Click the image below to watch.

 

And the price? The dress costs £7,500. Compared to $4,750 for Balmain cargo pants with fake holes in them that are priced that way just so someone like me can't buy them, I'd say that's a bargain. Comes with the film of the dress being made, too. I believe it took at least three full days to complete the dress with both Gareth Pugh and his assistant working at it. If my bum looked awesome in shredded angelskin and I had that kind of money, I wouldn't be wearing pretend beat-up cargo pants.

Vintage Dior: Fashion Show at Blenheim Palace, 1958

In 1958, Yves Saint Laurent at just 21 years old and having taken over design duties from Christian Dior the previous year, presented the house's winter collection at Blenheim palace to Princess Margaret for some reason, a guest of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The event was to benefit the British Red Cross as the 1650 guests paid 5 guineas each. (That is old English currency, I live in England and I've never heard of it!)

The models were referred to then as 'mannequins', the French word for model (which the English narrator pronounces 'mannakaah'). 

The narration from this era never fails to entertain. From the film of the event: "A short evening gown with chic and style such as only the house of Dior - according to the house of Dior - can give." And at the end "Dior himself is...dead. But in the world of haute couture, it's 'The king is dead, long live the king..."

 

 

Those ladies in front are saying 'I am so not wearing that.'

 

 

Are you seeing the awesome eyeball stand-off between those two girls in front?

I like to research things a bit and I came across this newspaper clipping from The Age, November 6, 1954. Now, as the headline suggests, Dior came to Blenheim Palace four years earlier. But it was actually Christian Dior who designed and accompanied the haute couture collection which debuted his famous 'H' line - a slender tunic suit with a slim skirt that later became more of a dropped waist tubular twenties style dress with a hemline that was creeping upwards.

 

One day, I found a book buried deep in the ground...

In my previous post about Bjork and Alexander McQueen's collaborative friendship I mentioned that her video for Bachelorette is my favourite of hers. It's actually my favourite video period and I wanted to share it. So I spent an obscene amount of time taking screen caps and paring down the images (believe it or not!) to tell the story and show the gorgeous imagery in both black and white and saturated colour. For me, this little film is endlessly inspiring and absolutely exhilarating, it hasn't lost a drop of its potency since I first saw it in 1997 when it was made. 

As I ranted the other day, the YouTube of the video has been blocked thanks to Warner but if you find the video on her website here you can watch it in iTunes by clicking the download link under the credits - and in case it's not clear, I highly suggest you do! It's an incredible piece of art in every aspect - from the concept to the music to the cinematography to the editing to the set design and props. A brilliant collaboration between Bjork and director Michel Gondry.

 

Craig Lawrence A/W 2010 Film Presentation

As the title here suggests, Craig Lawrence presented his A/W 2010 collection in film at Somerset House during London fashion week. I had actually taken a video of it myself in the darkened room which was rather unsteady and had some guy's head that was in the way for about a minute, so I was glad to see an official version of the film on YouTube and spare you the amateur version. Not having seen any of the clothes in person it's tough to comment, but we can see that outrageous knitwear is still a love of Lawrence's as his 'pompom' girl would suggest (that's what that giant shrug made of metallic strips reminds me of) as is beautifully worked, intricately lush textures. All of his pieces are handknit and Cynthia F. of The Swelle Life's Designer Series, Knitwear had a hand in assisting with the collection. I'm hoping she can fill us in the materials used, there looks to be a complementary mix of all kinds of textures and fabrics.

(Email subscribers will need to click the the title of this post to view the videos directly from the blog.)

I was going to tell you more about Craig Lawrence but this interview from last summer with Lady Gaga will give you an idea about where his work comes from, and it's more entertaining:

Cacharel's Pretty Scarlett Commercial

Just a little Sunday night pretty for you. It's the commercial for Cacharel's fragrance Scarlett. It's no Miss Dior Chérie which is the dreamiest Paris-loving commerical but it's got that floaty fresh romantic look, white broderie anglaise and the coral-pink shade of the perfume is carried throughout and is just gorgeous. Where's that groundhog? Bring on spring.

The Greatest 80s Guy Look Ever, Courtesy Robert Downey Jr.

I know these pictures are the worst and that usually renders them banned from The Swelle Life but there is nothing good on the internets and I had to take my own from TV. And when I say "I had to" I mean I had to. Look. Look what Robert Downey Jr. is wearing in Weird Science, that 80s magnum opus from John Hughes (don't you still miss him?). I must have watched it 100 times since it came out. RDJ has mastered the preppy-dandy look which I just can't believe didn't catch on. That one yellow sock pulled high, khaki shorts with a studded belt and wait - do I see a fanny pack peeking out? - the neck all nicely wrapped up in supple white cotton, and nothing says 'Do me' like an abundance of brooches, especially on a guy. Still, was there ever anyone cuter?

And that reminds me of a man I saw on the streets of Torino a couple years ago. I wish you could see his purple silk ascot but I had to be discreet when I was taking this photo. As you can see he saw me and I just looked at the ground and coughed because I'm slick like that. That is one wicked look. You don't see that in England.

I'll Never be Hip...

I leave you tonight with a treat. If you haven't yet seen this gem of a promo from Rachel Antonoff who makes the most darling dresses and cardies and skirts and tops - oh, she's just so swell - it's a must-see. And it's got Alia Shawkat who you'd know as Maeby from Arrested Development and she's brilliant, as you'd expect.

Below is the Top That scene from the 80s movie Teen Witch that Antonoff is spoofing/paying homage to/reminding us how there was no time like the 80s and if you were born too late, you really missed out. Yeah, I'm old. But I grew up at a time where stuff like this seemed cool. Get your head around that. And those moves are all kinds of wicked. I do believe that was the girl who played Carla Tortelli's son's girlfriend on Cheers. That show was all kinds of wicked, too. After Diane left.

The Arousing Style of Dita Von Teese

You would think that an international burlesque performer who is famous for taking her clothes off in an elaborately choreographed and propped stage show would be best known for her body. But it’s Dita Von Teese’s throwback starlet style that has the fashion world and its loyal followers drooling in their couture.

She may have a figure to die for, but it’s when it’s covered up – or rather how it’s covered up – that has cemented Ms. Von Teese’s place as one of the world’s most influential style icons. She has single-handedly brought back the allure of Old Hollywood glamour with her impeccable 1940s dressing and grooming both on and off-duty, and it seems that just about everyone wants to infuse their own look with a bit of Dita beauty.

So how did a girl from West Branch, Michigan cultivate this much emulated, sexy and sophisticated image? No overnight transformation, this was a result of her intrigue as a young teen with all things retro and burlesque – the dance, the costume, the attitude – which developed into a passionate yet disciplined pathway to both her career and lifestyle. In other words, the girl isn’t simply putting on a show, she's living it.

The natural blonde, born Heather Sweet in 1972, grew up watching Technicolor musicals with her mother – who regularly gave her clothes for dressing up – and found herself drawn to the feminine and flirty aesthetic of the pin-up girls of the past. She was especially fond of Silver Screen siren Betty Grable. From time to time she snuck peaks at her father’s Playboy magazines (eeuw), admiring the lingerie worn by the models on its pages. When she was 15 years old she worked at a restaurant with a lingerie boutique nearby and found herself visiting often to peruse and try on the lacy bras and panties. Eventually they hired her as a salesgirl. Dita became increasingly fascinated with corsets and basques and began incorporating the elaborate lingerie into her own dressing, complete with stockings and garters. Until that point she had hoped for a career as a ballerina, having soloed for a local dance company at age 13. But she arrived at the realization that she was as good as she was going to be, and looked for other ways to nurture the natural performer within. You can see the influence of her classical dance training in her show in which she is known for going en pointe.

While she was at college studying historic costuming with aspirations to style period films, Dita began working at a local strip club, then age 18. She took the opportunity to create her own pin-up girl persona and fashioned a costume consisting of a retro basque accessorised with opera-length gloves and seamed stockings, finished with a beehive hairstyle and dramatic forties-style make-up. Her originality set her apart from the other dancers and she instantly became an audience favourite. At the same time she began posing for photographs as a Betty Page look-a-like glamour model which led to a career as a star of fetish films. She made a series of films called Dita in Distress where she was bound by her hands and feet in a variety of perilous situations, such as being captured by cannibals and prepared for dinner. Despite the theme the films were lighthearted, more camp than hardcore.

However, explicit performances were not outside of Dita’s personal or career boundaries. Despite the protests of her friends – including those in the burlesque arena – she agreed to appear in a film by pornographic filmmaker Andrew Blake. Her reasoning was that she liked his films which featured mostly women, glamourously outfitted and made up in the throwback style she was known for. Rather than derailing her career as her friends had feared, it became a non issue and Dita went on to perfect her burlesque routine.

Not one to do anything half way, Dita had giant martini and champagne glasses custom-made for her signature show. After performing an old-fashioned strip-tease she climbs into the glass and bathes in the ‘cocktail’, washing herself with a giant olive or strawberry sponge, depending on the libation. Her originality caught the attention of many Hollywood insiders and her martini glass routine was borrowed for a scene in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in which Cameron Diaz performs a burlesque number.

The undisputed ‘Queen of Burlesque’ is now a permanent fixture in the high fashion scene. She is a regular front-row guest for the most high profile and esteemed fashion houses including Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, and has been named the ‘Burlesque Superheroine’ by Vanity Fair magazine. Appeasing her fans' desire for a Dita Von Teese fashion collection, she leant her distinct style to the word of lingerie, with Wonderbra by Dita Von Teese. This vintage-inspired, limited edition lingerie collection for Wonderbra was a bestseller in 2009, and has just been renewed for 2010 and expanded to all of Europe. Dita also launched her own collection of full-fashioned seamed stockings with Secrets in Lace, which are available through their catalogue and her website.

But Dita’s good deeds go beyond supporting fashion's finest and entertaining the masses. She’s had charitable roles as a MAC Viva Glam Spokesperson (2006-2008) and collaborated on the design of a top for H&M, each to help raise money and awareness for against HIV and AIDS.

And that makes up for marrying a certain one-contact-lensed, pseudo-intellectual, fetal girlfriend cloning, ex-wife bashing, self-obsessed GIANT DOUCHE. (Not that I'm taking sides or anything!)

Update: The above statement baffled (awesome) reader Kim because she is fortunate enough not to know who Dita married - and divorced. So I will direct her and anyone else who wants to take a look (get your eye wash ready) to an interview with the former Mr. Von Teese in which he declares - referring to 19 year-old girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood who broke up with him, the one who he turned from a rather plain blonde with no particular style into a clone of Dita - that he has "fantasies every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer." Because she hurt him by leaving him. Oh, get over yourself you pathetic 40 year-old baby. You can read the charming interview here.

 

 

Dita gives Anna Wintour a run for her money when it comes to impossibly perfect hair, no? However, Dita's is the kind of impossibly perfect you actually want to have.

Watch the Natalia Vodianova British Vogue Shoot with Nick Knight Live!

Today (right now!) and tomorrow Showstudio is livestreaming Nick Knight's shoot for British Vogue with the stunning Natalia Vodianova, a woman who must have grown her three babies inside a zip-off pouch and simply removed it once they were ready to come out.

I love Showstudio's livestreams - hearing the conversation as Nick Knight et all stand around holding their chins, contemplating options; seeing the hair and make-up artists (in this case, Sam McKnight and Val Garland) doing touch-ups between shots and the stylist (British Vogue's fashion director Lucinda Chambers) perfecting the look, taking in the set from all angles like this dark and beautiful winter scene; and of course watching the models get into position and doing their thing. Natalia is amazing to watch. In case you didn't already know. 

Click any of the images to watch Natalia posing while exquisitely entangled in this tree-like prop.

 

 

Natalia is modelling outfits customised by some of fashions leading designers, which will then be sold at auction with the proceeds going to ‘The Naked Heart Foundation’, a charitable trust which builds and runs playgrounds for disadvantaged children.

Happy Halloween! It's Rosemary's Baby Time

I don't know what it is with that film, but Rosemary's Baby is endlessly fascinating to me - I always look for it around Halloween. I've seen it countless times despite it being really long, like three hours with commercials. I think it's the combination of late 1960s decor and fashion (look at that sexy quilted bedjacket); New York; Mia Farrow's makeover and irresistible innocence; pushy neighbour Ruth Gordon and her awesome blue eyeshadow, orange blush and rust lipstick; the animated way actors spoke back then; Roman Polanski's knack for creating tension and its overall creepiness. Polanski has a way of getting under your skin (insert joke here). Hmm...I guess I do know what it is about that film. 

About that remake idea that got flushed down the crapper - that's where it should stay. The producers "couldn't find a new angle to introduce that would be credible." Well, that's never stopped Hollywood before. I shudder to think of which flavour-of-the-moment starlet whose talent is contained in either her boobs, butt, legs or lips they would have cast as Rosemary Woodhouse. Now that would be truly horrifying. 

Orla in Action! The Orla Kiely A/W 2009 Lookbook Film

After I posted about Orla Kiely's irresistible 60s style/70s palette autumn collection, her fine people saw it and got in touch to tell me about the Lookbook film, which I immediately went to check out on YouTube. It's so fun! And it shows just how many ways those sweet clover print tights can be worn. I think I may have to have them. You?

I agree with some of the commenters of the last post - I would gladly replace my current wardrobe with this collection. From any of Orla Kiely's collections, in fact. (Sorry to my current loves but they're just that good. And a big white paint stain on my black Milly coat from leaning on a wet railing in our house would make it that much easier.) For those who love this look and can't get enough of it, it's perfection.

More McQueen Show: A Bombardment of Stills!

I finally saw the show, without interruption, and there aren't words to describe the whole of it. What I wrote earlier (see previous post) was skewed to what I saw; it turns out I missed far more than I'd thought! (Not suprising as it was a long show - over 17 minutes.) The clothes were unearthly, divine, sublime. Every last bit. Prints and embellishments galore. Shoulders, silhouettes. The shoes, insane. And the music, as I mentioned I loved it but to hear the tracks start out lighter albeit dimensional, then build up to a progression of hard, tribal beats, well, it took me back to my favourite nights out seeing my favourite superstar DJs.

It was well worth being glued to my computer all night and hard refreshing hundreds of times to finally get a clear feed. You can watch it here.

I couldn't help but go crazy with the screen shots. Some are much clearer than others as this was a stream but the pixelation creates a rather painterly effect that offers something in itself.

 

Stills from Alexander McQueen's Live Streamed Show!

Okay, I got myself all worked up for that show. The server appeared to have crashed from the traffic which surely would have been anticipated and no one could see anything, then the show was delayed so that was good news as it gave them time to sort it out but then most of us missed the interview with McQueen which apparently broadcast with poor sound quality. And then I was finally able to see the show a few minutes in which due to delays just stopped after a bit because the show was actually over, but many were not able to get on at all due to 'massive demand'.

Democracy via technology = a blessing and a curse.

So I felt a bit sorry for all of us who were so looking forward to this and also for Lee if he was disappointed because I knew how fired up he was about being able to bring his show to us at home, in a way that was supposed to be better than what the in-house audience would be able to see - those giant cameras on tracks gave us close ups and different views, and it was edited superbly. But the stream stopped about every two to three seconds. I was seriously bummed at first but then realised it gave me an opportunity to really look at the clothes, albeit pixelated versions at times, and so I took screen shots. The collection was done in a palette of blues and greys (correction: there were more colours in teh beginning which I missed) and some of the shoes were massive sculpted platforms that looked exactly like antelope heads in profile.

Choppy or not, I LOVED the soundtrack. It was deep and bassy and darkly ambient which just does something to me. The hair, sculpted into two rock hard points atop the head was like a cross between the wicked Queen in Snow White and Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Plato's Atlantis was the name of this show. I spent a few minutes trying to connect what I saw with the story after watching but my first impression was that the music, the deep blue pulsating backdrop (the film) and the out-of-this-world characters - the models - were telling a story about the birth of a new world rather than the demise of an old one, that being Atlantis which existed for only one turbulent day and night before it sank into the ocean. The placement of the models in front of that absorbing, enveloping backdrop caused them to appear at times as if they were occupying different planes which was just cool. I doubt it would have translated that way in person so I'm assuming that was an intended effect for us at home. 

The female body was definitely a key theme as you can see below. The prints on many of the dresses seemed to reflect that imagery as well. McQueen likes boobs.

So! There's going to be a second showing at 11:00 pm, Paris time at here. And that is soon!! Demand will be just as high if not more so be patient with trying to load the stream. Or just curse at the top of your lungs and throw your computer out the window!

 

 

 

Alexander McQueen's Paris Show Live Streaming Tonight!

Update! If you can't get on the site, don't worry. Showstudio is getting high volume and is trying to sort it out. The good news is there's word from Paris that the show won't start for a bit, I'd check in again at 9 pm Paris time. Hang in there, it will be well worth the wait!

I cannot wait for this. Luckily it's scheduled to start in just over two hours, not taking into consideration the standard half hour delay for fashion shows. But I'm guessing Lee McQueen has everything calibrated to precise measurement to ensure this one is absolutely perfect, for he's treating us to a live stream of his show, Plato's Altantis, in Paris this evening. Filmed under the direction of Nick Knight, this live broadcast aims to capture the essence of an Alexander McQueen show: ‘the witnessing of a unique moment in time’. Streamed  on a joint micro-site alexandermcqueenlive.showstudio.com alongside an exclusive pre-show interview with Alexander McQueen himself, the stream is set to kick-off at 8:15 Paris time this evening.

To get you primed you can watch the absolutely captivating and exhilarating film of McQueen's Iconic Moments by clicking the image above which will take you to the video on Showstudio. (I have to admit I cried a little. I sat with my head in my hands watching it over and over. THIS is fashion.)

Frankenfashion

No, Frankenfashion is not the lengthy worst dressed list from the Emmys. It's a new film by Alex Turvey that was commissioned by Dazed and Confused and featured as part of onedotzero and Dazed's Fashion in Film program at the BFI. Why didn't they have cool courses like that when I was in school? Despite the massive improvement in options I'm not going back. Not ever. I prefer the self-directed approach to further education.

The fashion victim is wearing this incredible cut-out dress by Nathan Jenden that looks like paper but moves like crisp cotton, with shoes from Rupert Sanderson. The Frankenstein model is first seen wearing a black Hannah Marshall dress with Louise Goldin shoes and the gloriously ornate gold dress is from Manjit Deu. 

It's violent! Sort of. Well, it is about taking someone else's parts to make a superior being. Two times I asked no one in particular 'She's not really going to do that, is she?' And she did. Watch to see what I mean. The final scene reminds me of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box video.

I Hated This, Now I Kind of Like it: Libertine's S/S 2010 Video

I watched this video from the newly reconfigured Libertine Friday night. With the sound off, for some reason. And I hated it. It looked to me like one of those hipster self-loving things where they tell the beautiful people to look all model-ly and do their dancing and jumping around and laughing thing which I usually find super annoying.

And I didn't want to think that, I love Libertine. Look - I said so here. I wondered if recent events were responsible. Cindy Greene left Johnson Hartig to continue the label on his own and he made the decision to return to their vintage roots, when Libertine was about reworking unwanted clothes into something 'covetable'.

But then I watched the film again, for some reason. With the sound on. And suddenly I came around, and I actually enjoyed it. It endeared itself to me. Why now? I wondered. And I deduced that it was the music that made sense of it. It's this catchy riff that is played over and over by the band in the film which is fronted by Hartig himself. He's making up the appropriately monotone, cool vocals as he goes along. With its repetitiveness the music is like a non-objective painting as are the orb prints which could be likened to the op art of the 1960s. No, I'm not on drugs right now. Have I thought about this too much? Obviously.

So, Libertine's spring 2010 collection and therefore this little film called Orbs and Philosphers was inspired by a book on the history of philosophers and also from a road trip to Death Valley with the Mulleavy sisters (yes, as in Rodarte), during which they stayed in a haunted hotel and Hartig became a believer in orbs. Does that mean he saw something? Why no pictures? (One day I'll tell you about the ghost family that appeared in a photo my friends took at their house. I saw it and it was chilling. I even took it home to show my family and one of my brothers was too scared to look at it; it's something you had to see for yourself to believe.)

Anyway, they recruited some Newport Beach surf kids to wear Libertine Speedo-like briefs which I just find gross, maybe because I'm not European. Or it offends my tender sensibilities. One guy has an orb right on his...cylinder?

I think some of these people got in on after the shoot.

 

I did love the tea scene. That one saucer is quite wee for that massive cup. It's not dainty but her extended pinky makes up for that. And I do like the clothes. Probably should mention that.

 

 

 

Let Yourself Feel

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

Today while browsing the beautiful blog Brocante I saw the most dreamy animation project from motion graphics designer Estaban Diácono, inspired by the song Ljósið by Olafur Arnalds. The bursts of colour, like small explosions of paint under water that appear to be created by the introduction of each new note, then evaporate in a grey mist, made me wonder if Diácono is a synaesthete. But seeing that his focus is branding I'd say probably not. Though even synaesthetes have to make a buck! (If you have no idea what I'm talking about look here. It's very cool.)

The quotes included in the video are from Brian Eno, Stefan Segmeister, Albert Einstein, Nietzsche and a few that he found with no author attached. My favourite is this:

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

             - Richard Buckminster Fuller, US architect and engineer (1895-1983)

It seems Olafur Arnalds liked what he saw and made this the official video for Ljósið. And how could he not?

                                                                   

Amazing Grace Coddington

Photo: Patrick Lichfield, 1964

Obvious headlines aside, U.S. Vogue creative director Grace Coddington, the one who is said to be 'the real star' of The September Issue, is getting major press and we're being treated to some gorgeous modelling shots from her days in front of the camera. Well, they were already out there in online portfolios of the photographers who shot them, but who knew until now? (Other than you, Ms. Diehard.)

The hugely influential Welsh fashion editor/stylist is quite intriguing in that she's as stubborn as Anna Wintour and even more private. And I already adore her not just for her dreamy fairytale editorial but for having said this in 2003:

"There are no models on covers anymore. They're all actors because they're what sells. An actor often dictates what you're going to get. I find that annoying. And I'm incredibly shy, so they scare the pants off me. But I feel perfectly comfortable with the models. They're like my kids."

I loathe actors on the covers of my fashion magazines. Do designers send actors down the runways? No. Only as occasional novelty. So why then are models bumped for them almost every time? To keep the Photoshop people in business?

The September Issue opens in the UK on September 11. Who's coming with me?

Photo: John French, 1965. Grace wearing Nina Ricci

 

Photo: Chris Moore. Grace in the front row at Pierre Balmain, Paris Haute Couture, A/W 1977

 

 

 

Grace and Karl: 'You're fabulous!' 'No, it is you who is fabulous! It is not possible!'

Gareth Pugh's Colourful Fantasy 'Frieze'

Click the image to watch

Nick Knight doesn't waste anything. The latest Showstudio collaboration between Nick Knight and Gareth Pugh, Frieze, draws on archive video recorded on the set of Nick Knight's shoot for the October 2006 issue of i-D.The footage provided the foundation for "an escape into a madcap post-produced fantasy of metallic foil, multicoloured balloons, and swirling neon catherine wheels - a cinematic reverie that expresses all the unbridled innovation and invention both of this shoot, and of Pugh's stratospheric career to date."

Watch for a shirtless Gareth Pugh ascend into the psychedelic heavens at the finale.

The soundtrack came as a complete shock. A total departure from the usual dark and atmospheric electronica his Showstudio collaborations usually use, this would be more apt as an accompaniment to the lost hoe-down scene in Deliverance.

But would Nick Knight or Gareth Pugh let us settle into a predictable mood, a look, a concept? No way, man. 

Why Everyone Loves the Hoff

That truly is an unfortunate screen cap. Apologies.

This post is dedicated to my dear friend Sophie who loves The Hoff, as I shockingly discovered last summer when she proudly showed me her autographed book, or calendar, or oven mitt (I can't quite remember what it was). I looked, I touched it, and then I went to get something to eat. What was it that caused an employed, mentally stable, snappy dressing 27 year-old woman from East Yorkshire to find this 57 year-old American known for lifeguarding and talking to his car so appealing? This would keep me up nights.

Anyway, the reason I'm blogging about this is I got a message in the comments for my recent post The Hoff Drunk on the Floor is High Art from Luke 'Keeno' Keen. It was a link to his very funny film that explores the theory that 'Everyone Loves the Hoff', see video above. And hey, since I like to laugh, maybe you do, too.

David Hasselhoff really was instrumental in re-uniting East and West Germany and liberating the East from oppression, you know. Those borders would not have opened and that wall would not have come down if not for that wickedest of anthems, Looking for Freedom - even if it was released after the fact. It was 'in the air.' (If only he was big in the Middle East.)

I just figured out why you're so obsessed with the Hoff, Sophie! It's not the hair, the voice or the drinking problem - it's your love of democracy!

Watch for his crazy lightshow of a jacket at the end of the video. Reason #2 right there.

(Please forgive me, Sophie.)

The Hoff Drunk on the Floor is High Art

When The Hoff hit rockbottom and was filmed drunk and shirtless on the floor shoving a hamburger in his face by his teenage daughter to teach him a lesson, the footage hit YouTube and joined the crap collective of pop culture video phenomena. 

Swiss art duo Comenius Roethlisberger and Admir Jahic, aka 'Invisible Heroes' have been observing the world's fascination with these easily digestible clips of inadvertent social narrative and began drawing frames from selected videos with coloured pencils. Their Star Wars Kid installation was a hit at Scope Basel 2009. It consists of 605 drawn frames of guess who? That poor kid in his garage trying out his moves with an imaginary light saber. (Would you believe I just watched that for the first time? I've seen countless references to it over the years but had never seen the original. I figured the kid was a lot younger. And smaller. He really gets worked up at the end, I thought he'd go right through the wall or at least split his pants or slap himself in the junk.)

Roethlisberger and Jahic's Without You Baby, There Ain't No Us project focusses further on the entity that is YouTube with their latest drawings, described as "an attempt to disrupt the haphazard collection of archived videos that YouTube has become" and that by transforming the visual back into the physical they "are doing what they do best - adding to the confusion." The resulting collection is both distressing and humorous in its ability to highlight our often vulgar predilections.”

You can buy the drawings in Colette's e-shop. Or get out your pencil crayons and draw your own.

Marie-Antoinette Visual Overload

I'm not really sure that Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette was a good film but this is one occasion where it matters not a whit. For it is a tasty feast for the eyes with breathtaking costumes from Milena Canonero and set design so enchanting that it could tempt you to trade places with Marie Antoinette, if only a spaceship could come rescue you sometime down the road from, well, you know.

For me, these pictures never get old.

 

   

 

 

 

 

The September Issue Trailer Has Arrived

Wow. That's not the most flattering screen capture. The film that has all of us fashion freaks giggling with anticipation - besides Coco Avant Chanel - can be now be seen in sound bytes and quickly spliced clips, otherwise knows as The Trailer.

The September Issue treats us to an all-access pass to the Vogue offices, including Anna Wintour's (love how it looks exactly like Miranda Priestly's office in The Devil Wears Prada, if there was any doubt as to the 'inspiration' behind the film) so we get to witness all of the madness that comes with putting THE fashion issue of the year together. And I assume in the end we'll be quite happy to have viewed it all from the outside.

The U.S. release date is August 28, 2009 and will coincide with the September 2009 issue of Vogue. Of course. I can't wait to eat this one up.

Coco Avant Chanel: The Trailer

It looks like Coco Avant Chanel is going to be released in the UK on July 31 and word has it September 25 is the US date.

I noticed that the supporting quote at the end comes from Grazia. Not UK Vogue. Interesting...

Luckily it opened in France the day before I left Paris - I so wanted to see it in Paris - and I caught a matinee which I wrote about here, or more accurately I blubbered all over my blog (I was a bit emotional about having to leave).

I highly recommend it. Well, duh!

(Email subscribers: click the header to get to the site and view the video!)

Rossy de Palma and the All-American Girl

Last night I was reading a post by Wendy Brandes on her new blog collaboration with designer Christian Francis Roth (get to know it!). It started out as a show-and-tell of her cute-as-a-Wendy undone bow-tie dress from Francis and finished with a mention of Spanish actress Rossy de Palma - the connection being the title of the post Tie Me Up, Tie Me down is also the name of a Pedro Almodovar film, and the filmmaker happens to be responsible for launching the acting career of de Palma by casting her in his films in the 1980s.

This mention of the extraordinary looking de Palma unlocked a memory from 1992. I was sitting in my bedroom flipping through the latest US Vogue and found myself fascinated by an editorial called Gypsy Soul that featured Claudia Mason, the guys from Extreme (yes, as in More than Words - I apologise if you spend the next two days with that song playing in your head) and this strangely exotic creature, the likes of whom I had never seen before. She had the most unusual nose, and it was played up in profile shots like that above where she's kissing the donkey head. This was my introduction to Rossy de Palma.

 

I stared. And I stared. I had never seen anyone like this in Vogue before or any other fashion magazine for that matter (not hard to believe as I was also still reading YM and Seventeen) and to be honest, I was confused. How was I supposed to feel about her inclusion alongside Claudia Mason and the other models with perfect profiles - was Vogue playing a trick on me? Before you yell at your monitor 'What the heck was the matter with you?' let me remind or describe what 'diversity' meant back then. 

'Diversity' was Cindy Crawford. No, I haven't forgotten Iman or Yasmeen Ghauri or any of the other richly-featured beauties who broke the mould. But they didn't have commercial success back then, and unless you were able - or allowed as it were - to transform your name and image into a brand you were essentially a non-entity at the end of the day.

 

Cindy Crawford has brown eyes and brown hair. And a mole. She arrived on the scene at the tail end of an era that still considered Christie Brinkley, Kim Alexis and Cheryl Tiegs to be the epitome of American beauty - all blonde, blue-eyed with the kind of Stepford Wife smile any star quarterback would be proud to bring home to mom. I have brown hair and brown eyes. While I never disliked what I was born with, I was aware it was not the popular 'ideal' and had wished I'd gotten my dad's hazel green eyes instead as my brown held no cache. Case in point - who was prettier in Charlie's Angels? Farrah Fawcett or Jacklyn Smith? Jacklyn Smith of course. But who was the nation going mental over? Farrah. Not that she didn't deserve it but she had more competition than was ever acknowledged. And this continued until America was ready to accept a Cindy as their girl (after a few years of airbrushing out the mole).

Poor Kate Jackson, she wasn't even allowed to have cleavage

As with all cultural transitions, there can be bumps. Some people take a while to get up to speed. One day I found myself having lunch with a guy and a girl at my new high school (I left my old high school in the last year to attend a more artsy school - without uniforms - to get the credits I needed for university, and I was tired of getting detention at 18 years old for having a tiny part of my shirt not tucked into my scratchy kilt). They were a couple and although it was a bit awkward to be invited to eat with a couple I didn't know I appreciated the welcoming gesture and put the idea that they might be pervs out of my head. Turns out they weren't pervs but one of them, the girl, was a real jerk. Somehow the topic of Cindy Crawford came up and the girl - a blue-eyed blonde - exclaimed loudly 'How comes she's so popular? She has BROWN EYES AND BROWN HAIR!" And her face was so contorted with disgust it was as if someone had just farted in her face (if only). The boyfriend quietly chastised her for being so insensitive which I appreciated, but I did wonder if he agreed with the sentiment.

Just a note, I'm not forgetting Janice Dickinson, the first model to call herself the first supermodel. (Hee.) Yes, she was a good model and a big model and she shared the spotlight with dark beauty Gia Carrangi. But did she have commercial success? Did the corporations want her face to represent them in big campaigns? No, their money was on the blue-eyed blondes. Like Jerry Hall.

 

So, coming back to Rossy de Palma - seeing her non-perfectness celebrated in Vogue all those years ago was a real awakening for me. It went against everything I'd been told about what was beautiful (except for my parents who thought I was the greatest. And of course they were right). It may still be an extreme exception to the 'perfection' rule society is now rigidly adhering to (and ironically so in light of the latest phenomenon - the 'pillow face' which is hardly perfection unless you think alcohol bloat is sublime), but just when we think the world is completely ass-backwards, we can look to the rare beauty of Rossy de Palma.

Thanks to Ready Set Fashion for archiving all of these old issues, I can't believe I found that editorial.

Wanna Buy Johnny Depp's Jacket?

Yep, that's the jacket Johnny Depp wore in The Man Who Cried. I bet it smells of rugged manliness and unfiltered cigarettes. You can buy it at the Entertainment Memorabilia auction at Bonhams in London's Knightsbridge where 250 film costume pieces will be up for grabs.

Angels The Costumier is supplying the outfits, many of which are historically significant such as Christopher Lee's iconic black cape from Dracula, a collection of costumes from the James Bond series, and the cloak worn by Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia. There are even some outrageous offerings like the infamous monkey masks from series one of The Mighty Boosh.

The Entertainment Memorabilia auction begins at 11 a.m. on June 16. I can't wait to see how much the monkey masks go for.

L: Belinda Mayne as Delta in Dr. Who, 1987
R: Full outfit of sequined cloak, evening dress, floral hair
ornament and gold brocade court shoes.
Worn by Kate Bosworth in Beyond the Sea

Jarvis Cocker in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire



Rik Mayall and Gabrielle Glaister from Blackadder II, 1986
Doublet of cream brocade, trimmed with gold braid,
embellished with pearl beads

The Lady Noir Affair

Film seems to be the new medium for selling luxury goods these days and the latest is a series for Lady Dior handbags 'starring' Marion Cotillard. It begins with Chapter 1, The Lady Noir Affair. I don't really care what it's selling or what the story line is (they're all a bit goofy in their fashion à propos OTT style), I just like the look of it (deja vu from yesterday?). John Galliano co-art directed this 1940s-styled short film noire and of course is responsible for Cotillard's femme fatale look.

When she was going through her bag I couldn't help but think of that maxi-pad commercial from the 90s (I saw it in Canada, maybe it ran in the US too?) where the idea of concealing them in individual packages in your purse was introduced in a (bad) spoof of an international spy film where they were confused with clandestine information and referred to as "zee microfeelm'.

Sorry, John and Marion. I can't help the awful things that are forever etched in my brain. 

My reason for posting about this: scenes from around Paris and the interiors are drenched in art deco furnishings. This is how I imagine heaven is decorated:

 

 

Thanks to Reanna at Reanna Time for the heads up about the film!

 

 

Observing Atonement

If you've seen Atonement, you know what a gorgeous film it is. Set in the 1930s and showcasing all of the splendor the decade is known for, it's one of those rare events where you could watch with the sound off and still find yourself re-assessing the world as a wonderful place because out of it comes beauty such as this (yeah, I liked it). It took me far too long to finally see the film and once I did I couldn't help but take pictures the entire time - the temptation was far too great, like a shiny red can of Coke in the fridge (you can see I have a problem).

These are my favourite shots. And there are many. I love the pinks and mint greens and blues that tint so many of the scenes.

Audrey Tautou in Short Film for Chanel

Audrey Tautou has appeared in a short film (or long commercial) as the face of Chanel No. 5 (good timing but she was still overdue her turn), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet who gave us Amélie (thank you). Billie Holiday's I'm a Fool to Want You kicks in near the end. Parfait.

Filmed in a railway station in Nice and on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, it was inspired by a scene in the Oscar-nominated film A Very Long Engagement. 

Despite playing Coco Chanel herself in the film Coco Avant Chanel, she finds herself overwhelmed by her appointment as the face of the world's most famous perfume: "It hasn't really sunk in yet. The fact that the film has been directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the fact that it is Chanel No.5, which for me is a legend in itself. Even now, I find it hard to believe." 

Don't you love her?

(Email subscribers - click the header to go the blog and watch the film)

Stella's Second Film 'Poem' Arrives

Yesterday was the launch of Stella McCartney's summer capsule collection for NET-A-PORTER and we saw #1 of four films, Magnolia Tree and the first pieces of the collection. Today Poem is revealed with more designs including cloud-print tops and espadrille wedges, and a gorgeous blush silk chiffon top with scalloped teardrop trim. View the film and collection here

Stella McCartney Launches Films and Frocks at NET

Stella McCartney has created a summer '09 capsule collection exclusively for NET-A-PORTER to be revealed in four parts over four days, accompanied by a short, atmospheric film. Today we can view the debut installation, Magnolia Tree, along with the first pieces from the collection which include a backless, silk jumpsuit and a cloud-print dress in silk jersey cut from one piece of fabric - all done in her palette of soft neutrals.

Click here to watch Stella

Nick Knight Shoots Mariacarla for Wallpaper - Livestream!

British fashion photographer (in case you didn't know) Nick Knight's website Showstudio is NOW! showing livestreaming of his shoot for Wallpaper* magazine's July issue editorial featuring Peter Saville's 'Erotic House'. Mariacarla Boscono is on deck at the moment, it's fascinating (and a bit tiring) to watch a photo shoot of this calibre.

Click either of the images to watch.

Update: Alana Zimmer has joined Mariacarla.
Update 2: They're back today with a different set. You must take a look! Fashion is happening!

Coco Avant Chanel: Audrey, You're Killing Me

I just got home from a matinee showing of Coco Avant Chanel, it opened today in Paris. I settled into my comfy seat in the theatre (not anywhere near) full of people on their own, like me, and took off my heavy knee-high boots, undoing all six of the buckles so I could relax.

If you didn't already know, it's a French language film. And not subtitled for showing in France, naturallement. I didn't understand much of the dialogue. All of my elementary school French classes and two attempts at improving my skills in the past six years just didn't prepare me for that most important part of learning another language - hearing it as the native tongued speak it, and thus, understanding it.

Anyway, none of that mattered. The acting was superb and it's a truly gorgeous looking film. As the title suggests it focuses on Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's life before she became a famous designer - specifically, her relationships with the two significant men in her life at that time. How her influences and future trend-making ideas were shaped was introduced with subtlety - a quick snip with the scissors for a crude refashioning of her performance partner's tightly corsetted costume to allow her to move more freely while dancing, admiring the society ladies' bold black and white outfits and their wearing of two or three long strings of pearls instead of the usual one, the white camellia boutonnière on her date's tuxedo lapel, her enchantment with the boatneck nautical striped shirt worn by um, some guys in the water (crap, I can't remember what they were doing) which she promptly recreated at home, and her act of going into her male friend's wardrobe and cutting up his shirts, vests and trousers for her own daily wear and to help her ride the horses with ease (he was rich, he didn't mind). I've always wondered how such a dramatic transition in dressing occurred - these were women who still wore corsets and heavy petticoats so how were they so quickly convinced to forget it all and in favour of what were deemed men's clothes?

There is a scene where Coco is wearing a man's outfit, tailored to fit, while standing next to some society ladies in bustles and hats with heavy plumage. The first time she appeared in her new look she seemed awkwardly out of place and was subject to some ridicule, but now it was the over-done ladies who were embarrassed, and soon enough the excess undergarments were shed in favour of a natural silhouette, and Coco was only too happy to lend her expertise and award them their freedom.

The film wraps up with a most stunning scene: It's Coco's first show - which took place in the original Rue Cambon boutique - and her models descend the staircase one by one in dresses and suits which could easily pass for current season today (I'm curious how accurate a reproduction this collection is though I think it must be fairly so). It's a breathtakingly shot scene that looks almost ethereal, without dialogue and only the music, the beauty of the girls in their clothes and, if you've seen film footage of Coco Chanel who was known to be stern, you'll recognise Audrey Tautou's performance as the most unnervingly accurate portrayal of the designer I think anyone could pull off. She watches the show seated on the staircase with her legs pulled in, wearing the prototypical tweed suit you see in the header photo, resting against the mirrored walls. She holds in her emotion during the ovation until she's overwhelmed with pride and out it comes, just enough to pull at our heart strings yet remain 'Coco'.

And then something happened to me. Yes, it was a wonderful film and the ending was so lovely and perfect, and some kind of an emotional reaction might be expected. But I started to cry, and I felt like I just needed to wail. Of course I didn't, and the lady who decided to sit right next to me despite 80% of the seats being empty didn't help matters.

I have been living in Paris for the past two months. And I leave tomorrow. And I don't want to. I have completely fallen in love with this city as if it were a person. The film depicted through its landscapes, interiors, and its characters the essence of French life, its people and its history, which is alive today and can be experienced by simply being in the city. It's not just in the buildings with their magnificent architecture and the museums with their masterworks, it's in the air. And I will miss it dearly.

Once I got myself together, I bent down over my knees to put on my boots and laboriously fastened the three buckles up the back of each one, and smiled to myself knowing how silly Coco would think I was for dressing in such a complicated fashion.

Sonia Rykiel Exhibit a Reminder of How Cool She is

I caught the Paris retrospective of Sonia Rykiel's 40-year career of changing how women dress (I think she's my new Coco), which I finally saw after my first attempt at seeing it was disrupted by my three year-old daughter who decided she would sing and play butt games where she bends over, sticks her butt out at you, wiggles it and says loudly "It's bum bum time!" and laughs hysterically. It occurred to me this may not be proper museum behaviour, not just because the song was in English but it may be considered distracting to the other patrons so I took her downstairs, handed her off to Dad with a 'good luck to you' and headed back in. (You might think I'm nuts but she's usually very well behaved and she wanted to come along to see the dresses. I had no way of knowing our visit would coincide with Bum Bum Time.)

Anyway, the exhibit features 220 of Rykiel's designs from 1968 to present, all intermingled  according to motif rather than year/era as her themes have appeared again and again throughout her career - like the poorboy sweater, black, stripes, words printed on sweaters and seams on the outside. One of her sketchbooks was on display and laminated so the pages could be browsed which was appreciated as there were others behind glass - it's fascinating to see how ideas are borne, as it is to see the style of one's illustrations. Rykiel's are quite compact and restrained and she seems to press firmly and evenly with her pencil and use concise lines, rather than a flowy kind of loose style - an interesting contrast to the 'freeing' quality that presents itself in her clothes.

A film presentation accompanied the exhibit - a Warhol interview for Warhol's TV in 1981. All in French and sadly, I had to pretend I knew what she was saying as my ear for French just isn't very good. The show footage is from the era of the first wave of supermodels - Jerry Hall and Janice Dickinson were leading the pack and doing these weird dancey moves, you know the kind of old-school runway boogie where the feet do little steps going back and forth with a lot of hip wiggle and the hands are waved about slowly and deliberately at shoulder level as if to conjure up a tray of cocktails which they would surely and quickly consume themselves.

A second part to the exhibit focusses on Rykiel's collaboration with Dominique Isserman who photographed all her publicity shots from 1979 to 1990, an impressive collection which could warrant a solo exhibit.

While watching the Sonia Rykiel interview and pretending to know what she was saying, I couldn't help but notice how thoroughly she embodies the essence of French chic. It's not about having hair just so (hers looks like Rosanne Rosannadanna's) or perfect features. It's about carrying oneself with that cool elegance and an attitude that suggests all is right in their world, regardless of what's going on - this is a woman in control. Now that's a role model. (And being rail thin and having the best clothes doesn't hurt, either.)

 

How great are the knit water wings and ring?

 

 

 

 

 

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Back to Reclaim Spotlight

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the Disney character that was introduced in 1927 and preceded Mickey Mouse, has returned, in t-shirt form. He was actually revived in 2006 when he was reacquired by Disney - NBC/Universal had previously owned the rights to Oswald since his debut - but has since remained low-key. (Not used to all the paparazzi mayhem, I'm guessing.)

Now the vintage Disney icon is ready to step out with his own limited edition line of t-shirts from Lucky Brand, to be sold exclusively at Lucky Kid, Lucky Brand stores and luckybrand.com in time for summer.

This reminds me of the wide availability of 'lucky' rabbits feet keychains when I was growing up, dyed in all kinds of colours...that was really gross! And just wrong. I bought one at Marineland on a class trip when I was about 12 (to attach all zero of my keys), I was looking at the display which must have had hundreds of them, trying to decide whether to go for the 'natural' fur in white or light brown, or the new flashy colours like electric blue or fuchsia. I decided the colours were tacky (ha!) and went with the pure white. I actually petted it on the bus ride home. Eeuuwww.

Gareth Pugh F/W 2009 RTW - The Film

Gareth Pugh presented his collection in Paris in the form of a film in collaboration with Showstudio's Ruth Hogben who has a real knack for bringing sartorial things to life, especially when the subject matter tells its own story. This isn't an 'oh, those are nice clothes'  kind of presentation, it stands on its own outside of its fashion week context, it's just a really cool thing to watch. I still find myself going back to Insensate regularly, created with Nick Knight. And the model is Natasa Vojnocic who in her performance embodies the 'hard femininity' that Pugh sought to represent in his collection.

To watch the film and the interview with Gareth Pugh that follows, click the photo. (He is so cute I just want to give him a big cuddle.)

These are screen captures from the film, some are collages:

Let There Be Lily

Showstudio's Let There Be Light project has culminated with a film homage to its star Lily Donaldson, called Lily's, which showcases spring 2009 designs by Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga among others, and uses the model and the clothes to explore the theme of light.

It's a brief but lush, quirky and beautiful film from renowned photographer Nick Knight and filmmaker Ruth Hogben, with a soundtrack by Philip Sheppard. I didn't quite get it at first, but then found myself watching it for a seventh time in a row and knew it had something over me. The scenes are like collage with paint strokes and peonies of all kinds adorning the frames throughout, and the screen captures I got from it make for some of the most beautiful images I've ever seen - Lily has that delicate, innocent quality, and in black and white she complements the washed-out creams and pastels of the flowers in a way that's truly breathtaking.

Will someone please send me some double peonies?

Of particular note with reference to the clothing, Lily wears Martin Margiela's plaster cast of the first jacket he ever produced, for S/S 1989. You can watch interviews and video of various looks from the shoot and film, including Nick Knight discussing the concept, Lily Donaldson musing about how her technique has changed (her legs are so long and her platforms so high that she resembles a newborn colt on the comparatively tiny wooden chair she's forced to sit on), as well as the Margiela plaster jacket and other pieces, which she wears in this scene:

These are collages I put together using photos from the shoot (I wouldn't want to tarnish the good reputation of Showstudio by chancing that anyone thought they had made them):