Hello

I haven't been home in a while... I'm not even sure where to call home anymore. But here are a few projects that have been occupying my time on this planet, that were a sheer joy to work on.

The first was turning Emily Haines of Metric into a super hero for Coachella. I've been collaborating with Emily for a while now; she was the first girl I talked into a jumpsuit years ago and since then all members of Metric have become my extended family, whom I could not navigate through this crazy life without. Before Coachella, I was in Mexico City with them. They had a show and Converse shot it for their "Icons" ad campaign. The ad will feature Emily wearing another one of shorts jumpsuit (I do believe they are called "play suits" in the UK) I had designed for her. It was at that point, Mexico city became my most favourite city in the world and I cannot wait to return.

Here is a clip from Coachella: Emily killing Monster Hospital.



The second is some Gnarls Barkley madness for their next single "Going On". I really love this video, I'm so glad to be a part of something so special. Shot in Jamaica, directed by the lovely and talented Wendy Morgan. And did I mention it's Kanye approved?

This Next Week...

I'll be in New York. Thinking of checking this out. Full report later...

Dream Team

Radiohead and Liars, together on one bill, coming to a city not anywhere near me. Worst.

Lou Doillon

Last year, as a present on my boyfriends birthday, I found him a vintage Playboy in mint condition, published the month and year he was born: April 1979. Looking at the soft focused pictures, I couldn't help but think how much more appealing those images were, than the ones published in modern day issues of Playboy. The images from the 70's inherently felt more erotic, more intimate; they seemed to capture and celebrate female femininity. The girls were not airbrushed and photo-shopped. They were not plastic versions of their former selves and they certainly weren't styled in trashy, suburban mall lingerie.

And then I came across this recent image of Lou Doillon posing for French Playboy. Beautiful and artistic, at least we can always count on the French to bring a touch of class. Is this the norm in French Playboy?

... Is the bf getting a subscription this year?

Picture courtesy of the Imagist. More can be found here.

A recent project

I usually don't like posting projects I work on, but I thought I could give a shout out to a few emerging designers who I borrowed some pieces from, along with the usual high-end suspects - (Vuitton, Mui Mui, Balenciaga)... It's the video for Roisin Murphy's latest single, "You Know Me Better", which will be released March 31st.



The two gorgeous neck ruffs I used, came from No-One, my favourite East London boutique. I wondered in one day and ran into Teresa, the lovely owner. We got to talking about the look of the video and she said she would have something in, in a few days that you will absolutely need. She was right; a designer who goes by the name of KaPowWow, makes gorgeous neck ruffs especially for the boutique and has hand made some in pastel shades especially for spring. I paired the pink one with a green vintage dress and hot pink hot pants. The mint went on the head as a part of our crazy old lady look - an idea that started as a joke, but somehow made it's way into the video...





This great pink and black neck ruffle in the last shot is by Poltock and Walsh (shoes, Blenciaga - droooooool). You can learn more about this duo here, in an interview with Patricia Yaugue, for her online magazine, Milkshake Chocolate.



I'd also like to say Thank You to my extremely talented assistant, Meghan, who ran herself ragged, splitting her time between assisting me on this and interning with Christopher Kane, all during London Fashion week no less.

Edit: I originally said the neck ruffs from No-One were by Wowow. I was wrong, that is a whole other collective. It's actually KaPow Wow. I am a bad, bad, stylist.

Alejandro, meet John.

Of Diors Fall 08 Collection, Style.com says it's a case of Mrs. Robinson meets Valley of the Dolls. I say they have it all wrong. Clearly this is a case of Jodorowsky's, Holy Mountain meets Valley of the Dolls.









Edit:
For another (slightly more articulate, academic and historic) point of view on this collection, please read Suzanna's thoughts over at Style Snatcher.

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A Letter From Montreal

Doing some research on stuff i like ... saw these photos and they
reminded me of you.

And it reminded me of summer... sweet sweet summer. ahhh... how many more days till the snow melts?

-R

Katy rodriguez

While I'm kind of bored of coloured tights, these shoulders excite me.

Donna Picking Up The Slack

From Donna in Sundance:

Ok, so I’ve never written a blog, and after guidance from Claire, I’ve decided to post something from my last week at the Sundance Film Festival. Basically the town of Park City, Utah is run over by media, film big-wigs, celebrities and paparazzi. With this, the small ski village, usually filled with wind-burned faces and tricked out snowboarders, fills up with city folk wearing urban adaptations of warm clothing. Take for example Dracula’s collar. No blending in with the locals here.

Lost and Found

Was shooting in the middle of Nowhere, Canada. Be back soon...

And can someone fill me in on Couture week?! I'm in the dark, literally.

Work, Travel, Tag, Travel, Work,

I can't keep up, so in the mean time, here's some eye candy, courtesy of Your Daily Awesome...



And

Suzanna, at the eloquently written and always informative Le Style Sauvage blog, tagged me to spill the contents of my bag. So here goes… my bags take quite the beating, so the one that runs around with me while working will never be designer and will always be large and tote-like, to fit my MacBook. This one is currently in regular rotation:



In it you will find:

•Vaseline. My one true addiction; I apply it to my lips compulsively, at least 15-20 times a day.

•A tape measure. Since everything is “vanity sized” these days, I need it on me at all times to get the real size of the garment (I'm a stylist).

•Notebook – another work must

•iPod, the new video nano (best present/best boyfriend).

•Chanel blush - an attempt to make my pale complexion look less death-like.

•LeSportsac 3 zip wallet - great for keeping my work receipts in order.

I have a busy week, so I'm trying to con my friend Donna into writing something. Because, well, she writes for a living, and I'm sure she's dying to write something for my blog and not get paid, compared to her usual, write something and get paid, routine. Plus she's the best fashion editor EVER.

Robert Weir

While back in Toronto last month, I was shopping in a favourite Queen Street West boutique (Delphic) when the artwork hanging on the wall caught my eye. After inquiring, I learned it was recent works by local artist, Robert Weir: exquisite illustrations that blur the lines between portrait and fashion illustration. I say this because the detail in the portrait, the face, eyes, hair, are masterfully finished, but interestingly juxtaposed with a looser style of fashion illustration.

The girls in the illustrations are all models; images from last seasons backstage life. I know Robert, from out and about in Toronto's art/music scene, so I sent him an email about them. About the style of illustration, he said, “they should resemble the little drawings you would do in your note book when you were supposed to be learning about geography. I guess I am celebrating youth and a moment in time? Or maybe I am celebrating high school drop outs. HahHa”.

It turns out this most recent body of work is an extension of themes Weir regularly explores in his art (taken from a statement on previous work):

“As someone immersed in the new reality of online social networking and self-promotion, model and actor-types are coming out of the woodwork and designing their own Web pages, self-publishing through their own blogs and of course, taking their own highly stylized photos.

Viewers want to look like them, meet them, date them and have sex with them. After all, they are real people. I've taken these photos and transferred them to a more traditional context and adjusted the images to look more traditionally attractive. Their clothes, make-up and hair are of the moment; personifying the looks for 2006. My goal in my drawings and paintings is to respond to this age of self-portraiture by creating a romanticized version of other people that can seemingly only exist right now.”






This current exhibit can be viewed until the end of January at Delphic:

706 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario

Shramms "Top Ten Rock and Roll Couples"

I meant to post a link to this ages ago: A well thought out list of the Top Ten Rock and Roll Couples, according to Schramm. He compiled the list, based on their awesomeness, which I have interpreted to mean quality of music made, style, mystique and well, general awesomeness (minus the wife beating).

Ankle Boots and Semi-Opaque

Happy New Year!

Face Hunted

Lets just take a moment to appreciate/embarrass my gorgeous, dear friend, Liz. Courtesy of Facehunter.

On Losing Vivienne

I’ve been following Vivian Westwood’s rants against consumerism, Tracy Emin and contemporary art in general, for some time now, but it was her latest interview in the Guardian that spurred me to go to her new “Active Resistance” website and research for myself just exactly what was going on with my beloved Viv these days.

Basically, she has written a manifesto and several essays’, which are intended to be a “blue print for a way of thinking” and in turn a way of living. The manifesto is hard to get through and follow, as it is a rambling narrative, told by 20 different characters, such as Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty, intended to “penetrates to the root of the human predicament and offer a underlying solution.”

The first of a series of essays she has posted, is a lot easier to get through, but the essay itself, is disjointed in its ideas, and Vivienne is utterly self-righteous in the generalization she makes. I do, however, agree with one of the first ideas presented in the essay: “One of the things that art teaches us is that others have thought differently and that there are other ways to understand the world”. It would have been a great supporting statement for the aforementioned “blueprint for a new way of thinking”. But instead of supporting the statement with follow up ideas, she goes on to contradict herself by saying, “Don’t waste your time with conceptual or abstract art. It is exactly the Emperor’s New Clothes: there is nothing to see in it except what you invent.” Westwood does give us an art lesson on art she finds valuable. And I do find value in the lesson, as I do not know anything about 17th Century Dutch painters. It's the context in which it is presented, that I find troubling.

When she is not criticizing modern art and projecting her own artistic preference on to us, she is lecturing on consumerism. And perhaps she has a right to do so, because, as stated in the Guardian, she says the only thing she spends her money on is books, supporting this statement by claiming it only took her three hours to pack the entire contents of her apartment. But then again, I guess you do not have to spend money on clothing or footwear if you are the head of a major design label and only wear your own creations.

“Such as, isn't it just a bit contradictory to design clothes and to tell people to stop shopping? Or as Suzy Menkes, long-time fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, put it, after one of her last collections: 'How dare she send out a show laced with anarchist messages, take her bow in a clinging dress with the word "propaganda" spiraling around her ample figure, announce that the spirit of her show is "the more you consume, the less you think" and then take the opportunity to launch her collection of punk safety pins in diamonds?

'Mmm. Mmm. Anyway,' says Westwood. 'I don't feel very comfortable defending my fashion except to say that people don't have to buy it. You do have to consume. You have to live. If you've got the money to be able to afford it, then it's really good to buy something from me, but don't buy too much. I think stamped-out clothing is just for clones and I think that everybody looks terribly miserable. Fashion is life-enhancing and I think it's a lovely, generous thing to do for other people.”

While the whole “Active Resistance” website reeks of contradiction, I understand where she is coming from (well, on the consumerist issue, anyway). Because when it comes down to it, and as much as I hate to admit it, as a stylist/costume designer, a large percentage of the projects I take on, makes me a part of that marketing machine, who’s sole purpose it to make you spend your money. But I try not to buy into it myself; I try to be conscious of what I purchase, and not give in to buying too much disposable crap. It’s Westwood's rants against modern art that I mostly disagree with; cautioning us to curb our spending habits for the good of the planet and general societal health is one thing. Telling us what art we should like and not like, is a little bit annoying.

U.R.A. Fever

While I've never been much of a fan of Sophie Muller directed videos, I am a fan of the Kills. Here is the video for the first single from their upcoming album. And I actually don't mind the video, it works well with their style.

Poodle Ballet

Zac Posen, Pre-Fall via Style.com. (Minus the pukey, cutesy shoes)

I missed you.

I got sucked into a work vortex, but promise to be back with regular posts again starting tomorrow...

Human

I was thinking about this video today, it's one of my all time favourites and I haven't watched it in a while. I thought I'd post it, since I don't have time to post much else. Be sure to check out the amazing styling on these creepy children.



Carpark North, "Human", Directed by one of my favourites, Martin De Thura.

Jet Lagged

..Will post again when mind clears and eyes focus.

Couldn't Capture Death

I've been obsessed with Sophie Calle's contribution to this years Venice Biennale since I first learned of it, enough so, that at one point I started looking into flights to the Venice. I never made it, but here is a bit about the project and a short YouTube clip of it.

An excerpt from Art Review Issue 12/June 2007:

“On 15 February last year I received two simultaneous phone calls. One told me that I had been invited to exhibit at Venice. The other was from my mother: she had a month to live. I wanted to be there when she died, but everybody said: she will go when you leave the room, when you’ve wandered into the kitchen with a cup. So I set up a camera in her room and for 80 hours I stayed awake, changing the tape each hour, hoping to capture the moment of her death. It was impossible: I couldn’t tell the moment. When I told my mother about Venice, she said: ‘to think that I won’t be there’. But she will be: my film shows the last 20 minutes of her life, it’s called Couldn’t Capture Death.”

Lynch/Gucci

And while we are on the topic of Lynch, here is an ad he did for Gucci. Depending on which side of the spectrum you are on, you’ll either think he’s a sell out or he hit the mark.

Being someone who has worked closely with directors, the clients and ad agency’s, I’d say he did a good job of keeping everyone happy.

Lynch/Louboutin

Since I have been hunkered down all weekend with the Twin Peaks box set, I thought I’d post a few images from a recent collaboration between a favourite director and a favourite shoe designer.

More information here.

Mister Lonely

I saw the new Harmony Korine film, “Mister Lonely” at the London Film Festival Monday afternoon. The opening scene saw our protagonist, a Michael Jackson impersonator, known simply as Michael Jackson, riding a mini motorcycle in slow motion, with a small (stuffed) monkey with angel wings floating behind him. He was wearing full Jackson gear, complete with a surgical mask. The following scene included some nuns in a rain forest, performing a baptism, among other things. Which was followed by Michael Jackson busking in Paris, pulling stellar, sharply edited, signature Jackson moves. At some point a narrative started, and I was so caught up in this visual feast, I had to remind myself to listen.

Of the many reasons I liked this film, one of the things I most appreciated was the thought that went into Michael Jackson costumes, which became an integral part of understanding our protagonist. The point isn’t that he was dressed in any old Michael Jackson costume, so yes, we know it’s Michael Jackson, it’s that we can understand the characters motivation by examining what era of Jackson he chose to become, which is the ‘Dangerous’ era combined with a bit of ‘Bad’.

It would have been far too easy to dress Michael in the obvious Thriller attire, but this man wanted to be taken seriously, not just as someone who impersonates Jackson part time to make money, but as someone who lives, embodies and say, could replace the real Michael Jackson, if ever needed. To convince people of this, he is not going to wear the slightly comical, extremely clichéd gear of the Thriller era. To be taken seriously as Michael Jackson, he is going to wear the military inspired attire, as military attire commands respect and suggests importance.

The costume designer, Judy Shrewsbury, also gave us a glimpse into how Michael Jackson would wear his costumes in everyday day life. She turned the intricate and sometimes complicated, Jackson costumes into casual everyday wear. Did the real Michael Jackson wear his armbands, silver dress shirts or military-like bibs while lounging around Never Never Land? That, I do not know. But in this film, we got a glimpse of what he might have looked like if he did.

Thought also went into how the other characters, such as Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis Junior would have dressed, if they were hanging around the farm for the day, which were also done to perfection.

The film was absurd and the script was a little weak, but when it comes to Harmony Korine, that doesn’t matter to me. He follows his creative vision, breaking rules, making concessions for no one, which always results in a some form of ground breaking, visually pleasing, cinematic experience.

Oh The Horror: Parts 2 & 3

Happy Halloween!

As Promised, parts two & three of Cinematical's 'Best Horror Films You Haven't Seen Yet' list.

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Jacobs and Scott vs Cobain and Grunge

Style.com has a preview of the new book, "Stylists: The Interpreters of Fashion" here. Due out October 30th.

While I’m yet to see the images they have published in accordance with each stylist, style.com has already hooked me with their pop quiz on the stylists they are featuring. I love hearing of peoples roots, how they started and what initially inspired/influenced them. One thing I have to question though, is this statement made about Venetia Scott:

“Sometimes called “Marc Jacobs” secret weapon,” Scott is credited as one of the pioneers of grunge. “I wanted to create something that you could aspire to without it involving a lot of money,” the perennial rebel has said of that antifashion moment.”

Right. Except I’m pretty sure Kurt Cobain has the copyright on “Grunge”. It was Nirvana and other Seattle bands with their plaid shirts, worn cardigans and doc martins, that spawned a whole generation of kids dressing in this manner. The music became a movement, a new and exciting sound people wanted to be a part of. For most fans, embodying the sound meant dressing the part.

As for the Jacobs/Scott role: I can clearly remember watching that Perry Ellis show on Fashion File (I started at a young age) and was intrigued; I remember thinking to myself, this Marc Jacobs guy is cool. Cool, as in, I can’t believe a fashion designer is taking cues from Kurt Cobain. I understood that he was breaking some sort of rule in fashion because you did not normally see clothing like this on the runway, but I also understood the origins of the grunge “look” and knew where he drew his inspiration.

The grunge generation was dressing this way because they were moved by the music and were responding to iconic figures such as Kurt Cobain, not because they were taking fashion cues from Marc Jacobs and Venetia Scott. Jacobs and Scott can certainly get credit for presenting grunge to the fashion world and there is no denying that that particular show will go down in fashion history, especially since it led to the dismissal of Jacobs from Perry Ellis. People who wouldn’t normally wear grunge were influenced by Jacobs and Scott to adopt this style of dress, but that still doesn’t warrant credit for “creating” the style.

The situation does not even parallel a stylist working with a musician to create a look that becomes widely copied by fans and flows into the mainstream. This leads me to question, how much credit should a stylist get for 'creating' a fashion movement that had already spontaneously been claimed, worn and loved by the fans of a musical genre? While she may have been a "pioneer" of the look within the fashion industry, Scott certainly did not "create" it.

Disclaimer: I actually have nothing but respect and admiration for Venetia Scott and I also fully intend to buy this book.

Please note that the image posted above of Nirvana is not an image taken from the book, and posted for commentary purpose only.

Oh The Horror

In anticipation of Halloween, here is part one of Cinematical's 'Best Horror Films You Haven't Seen Yet' list.

Parts 2 & 3 to follow.

Chloe and the High Waist

Chloe Sevigny talks high waisted.

She credits Nicolas Ghesquiere of Baleciaga as being the first to bring the high waist back, but I'm sure she is being modest. Ghesquiere may have been the first designer to re-introduced the trend to the fashion industry, but I think Chloe, herself was wearing vintage versions of high waisted jeans and trousers years before any designer thought to raise the waist line.

I also love this clip for how she manages to throw around fashion trivia without sounding pretentious. And I also love it, as it is somehow helping me justify that it’s okay that I bought another pair today, bringing my high waisted jean total to four pairs.