tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49991201801710251602024-03-06T21:45:38.970-08:00NONSENSE ON STILETTOSHIC SUNT A FASHAHOLICBlue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-41327795857228834922019-01-31T10:26:00.001-08:002019-01-31T10:27:08.261-08:00Redux? <div>
Strange to be posting here again, but nostalgia has funny ways of working.</div>
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It's been twelve years to the day since I began Nonsense on Stilettos, nearly seven since I last posted in it, and in that time, the entire ....blogosphere, for lack of a better word to call it, has changed beyond all recognition (for starters, approximately half of the blogs in my sidebar have now gone private, been deleted, got new domains or become primarily instagram accounts - RIP). Fashion is a visual business, and I've always been more of a words girl - perhaps it was inevitable that I'd never be able to keep up. But I loved the little c.2006-08 style-blog corner of Internet we had and the odd sort of community we built, even if being small potatoes came with its own pitfalls. And I loved blogging as a part of that community. </div>
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I can't pinpoint exactly what combination of plummeting self-esteem and plain quotidian exhaustion made me punish myself by thinking I didn't deserve to blog anymore/was rubbish at it, but honestly, I think I may as well truck along at it even if I'm shouting into the void, if for no other reason than to not feel like the part of me that loved things has died. <br />
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This blog is back.</div>
Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-29748370649407670492012-04-23T16:50:00.000-07:002012-04-24T22:16:27.188-07:00About Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://beautiful-pics.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/natalia-vodianova-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://beautiful-pics.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/natalia-vodianova-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Natalia Vodianova, speaking at a CFDA panel on eating disorders in September 2007, on being told to lose weight off her 5'9",112-pound frame because designers were calling up her agency to complain that she wasn't as thin as she'd been before :</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>"I defended myself, saying it was crazy to consider measurements like 33-27-34 to be normal. I think because I was one of the girls most in demand it helped me to be able to forget the incident quickly. On the other hand, it makes me think that if I had been weak at the time, I can really imagine how it could have helped me endanger myself."</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Natalia Vodianova, speaking at a panel discussion at the British <i>Vogue </i>Festival in April 2012, in response to the following question by <i>Vogue </i>fashion director Calgary Avansino: <span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's undeniable that models are very thin, expected to be very thin, and thinner than 99.9 percent of the population. What message should you be sending out?":</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"> "</strong><span style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Come on, guys, it's better to be skinny than to be fat! We eat well, we exercise — please, do the same and you will look like this. I'm sorry, but today the NHS [Britain’s National Health Service] are fighting against obesity, children are taken away from their parents because they’re too fat … And here we are, defending that we are healthy and skinny."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #222222; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #222222; line-height: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On one level, I'm not surprised by this (she later claimed <a href="http://www.facebook.com/natasupernova">on her Facebook page</a> that her quotes had been taken out of context because of their format - audience interaction, as opposed to a prepared speech - and blamed the food industry, among others, for provoking eating disorders by constantly pushing food at consumers, ending with the statement: "I assume there i<span style="font-family: inherit;">s </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">very little Anorexia or Bulimia issues in countries like Africa, China and Russia today!"). It's not at all unexpected for a model to defend the practices of her industry, or the state of her body - a model's body is her livelihood, after all - and the "but people are so fat nowadays!" style of logic seems to be an increasingly common defence against any criticism of the demands the fashion industry places on models, with everyone from Anna Wintour to Vodianova herself eventually resorting to it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And even though I do think that expecting models - who are, more often than not, teenagers and very young women - to police their bodies for whatever "message" their appearance sends out is unreasonable to say the least, it still doesn't address the question of why so many young women (including Vodianova, who has said she did not get enough food as a child in Russia) are encouraged to compromise their health in the interests of a modelling career - especially now, when models are the youngest (and thinnest) they've been in years, and even taking into account the fact that many models are naturally thin to begin with. But in an age when no one wants to take responsibility for contributing to this phenomenon and instead chooses to shift the blame (by implication) to the models themselves, it's hardly surprising that Natalia Vodianova is defensive of her looks. All that saddens me is that statements like hers just allow the fashion industry to bury its head in the sand and continue to hold models up to a standard of skinny that is ultimately good for no one, least of all models themselves. </span></span></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-37394183895090383912012-01-26T13:13:00.000-08:002012-04-24T20:30:49.226-07:00R.I.P. Eiko Ishioka (7/12/1939 - 21/1/2012)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf7ka7jXUd1qa3bj8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf7ka7jXUd1qa3bj8.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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Being a shameless lover of both movies and clothes, it's not really that surprising that I am a complete nut for costume design, be it sumptuous or slick. And the work of the late Eiko Ishioka, one of the most brilliant and original visionaries in the field, has been my favourite thing about the films she did costumes for for over a decade now - even when they were otherwise rubbish, the chance to see her clothes up close on a 70mm theatrical screen alone made it worth the price of the ticket. To those who are unfamiliar with her, here are some samples of her designs in film:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dracula </i>(1992)</span></div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=dracula1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Sadie Frost in Dracula" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/dracula1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=cracula2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="dracula wedding dress full-length" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/cracula2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">Below is Lucy's green dress in the film - the detail shot shows that it was embroidered with snakes</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(a classic Ishioka touch)</span></div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=dracula_snakedress.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/dracula_snakedress.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=dracula_snakedressdetail.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="640" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/dracula_snakedressdetail.jpg" width="474" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Cell </i>(2000)</span></div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=thecell_mask.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/thecell_mask.jpg" /></a>
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The Fall (2006). I won't even attempt to hide how happy the butterfly-wing patterned coat made my eyes.</span><a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=the_fallcoatcloseup.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="640" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/the_fallcoatcloseup.jpg" width="479" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">An early illustration of a costume side-by-side with the actual costume itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">That headdress would probably make the late Isabella Blow proud.</span><a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=the_fallillustrationfan.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="448" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/the_fallillustrationfan.jpg" width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=thefallheaddress2.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/thefallheaddress2.png" /></a>
<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=the_fall2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/the_fall2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=the_fallblack.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/the_fallblack.jpg" /></a>
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The hyper-theatricality of her work may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's no denying that her twisted, almost surreal take on classical costumes is extraordinary to look at. Ishioka's costumes were often designed to be more evocative of a feeling than a particular period in time (she created the costumes for <i>The Cell</i> without a single literal reference point) and especially perfect for the science fiction, fantasy and horror films she designed for.</div>
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Although costume design might have been the field in which she was best known, Eiko Ishioka was a visual artist whose talent was never confined to a single medium , whether it was directing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2DB4uL6An8">a music video for Björk</a> or designing the costumes for the Cirque du Soleil and the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. Her latest - and last - work as a costume designer is on the upcoming <i>Mirror, Mirror</i>, a decidedly campy-looking take on the story of Snow White whose costumes do not let their creator's reputation down and are at least 75% of the reason why the film looks like it's going to be a visual treat. I'll be going for this one as soon as I can,mainly because I want a last chance to see her genius blown up on a 70 mm screen. May she rest in peace.</div>
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<a href="http://s990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/?action=view&current=mirrormirror.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/nonsenseonstilettos/Eiko%20Ishioka/mirrormirror.jpg" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Mirror, Mirror</i> (2012). </span></div>
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** image sources: The Costumer's Guide, eiko_ishioka.livejournal.com, io9.com.</div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-74062156157020960112012-01-17T16:31:00.000-08:002012-04-24T22:32:56.081-07:00On the Tweenification of Fashion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/pub/21publish/b/beauty/kristen-stewart-wearing-balenciaga-in-madrid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/pub/21publish/b/beauty/kristen-stewart-wearing-balenciaga-in-madrid.jpg" /></a></div>
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Anyone who's been anywhere near a fashion news outlet in the last few days will probably know by now that Kristen Stewart is now officially the newest celebrity spokesperson for Balenciaga, chosen by<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Nicolas Ghesquière to star in a campaign for a perfume that doesn't have a name yet.. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">To say this is a surprise is an understatement, for more than one reason - Balenciaga is a label that is the highest of high fashion; one that has always positioned itself as being for women, not girls, and which is usually rather judicious with its choice of celebrity endorsers - Jennifer Connelly (who featured in the Spring/Summer 2008 and Autumn/Winter 2009/10 ad campaigns) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (who has been the face of their first perfume, Balenciaga Paris, since its debut in 2010). Connelly and Gainsbourg had a longstanding association with the label well before it tapped them to feature in its campaigns, and both their public personas and filmographies reflect a sophistication and maturity that fit the label to a T. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Stewart, on the other hand, is best known for starring in a film franchise about glittering vampires whose fans are typically very young girls. At 21, she is undoubtedly legally an adult and has worn a fair bit of Balenciaga on the red carpet, but the eyeballs she will bring to the brand are those of girls nearly a decade younger that herself - and considering the fact that celebrities are usually chosen to endorse a brand on the strength of their public images and the audience they might draw to it, trying to appeal to the tween demographic is a radical departure from the past for Balenciaga. Though what with this and the news of Taylor Swift's <i>Vogue </i>cover girl status, one can only suppose the tweenification of fashion is well underway - the Powers That Be have spoken, and who are we plebeians to turn up our noses at them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">image from graziadaily.co.uk</span></span></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-27864119603428082432011-03-25T03:35:00.000-07:002011-03-25T03:54:07.643-07:00Corinne Day, "The Long Story" Vogue UK June 2002<div style="text-align: justify;">This is one of my favourite editorials ever to feature Gisele, not least because (in classical Corinne style) it couldn't be more different from the Glamazon Glory mode magazines usually choose to put her in. It's rather nice to see fashion taking a model with boobs and letting the boobs <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>be the entire point of the editorial.<br /><br /></div><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img843.imageshack.us/i/30641226.jpg/"><img src="http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/7793/30641226.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img864.imageshack.us/i/42653302.jpg/"><img src="http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/949/42653302.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img691.imageshack.us/i/62691401.jpg/"><img src="http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2287/62691401.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img15.imageshack.us/i/50141722.jpg/"><img src="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6651/50141722.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img695.imageshack.us/i/39594420.jpg/"><img src="http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2166/39594420.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img853.imageshack.us/i/90491759.jpg/"><img src="http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5873/90491759.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img191.imageshack.us/i/23666764.jpg/"><img src="http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/7514/23666764.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img146.imageshack.us/i/94956452.jpg/"><img src="http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8648/94956452.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img263.imageshack.us/i/25720591.jpg/"><img src="http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/2057/25720591.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img831.imageshack.us/i/12846197.jpg/"><img src="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/1985/12846197.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a target="_blank" title="ImageShack - Image And Video Hosting" href="http://img862.imageshack.us/i/69485601.jpg/"><img src="http://img862.imageshack.us/img862/8136/69485601.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Hair: Neil Moodie<br />Makeup: Max Delorme<br />Fashion editor: Kate Phelan<br />Model: Gisele Bündchen<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">scans by me</span>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-74747663166564881262010-12-22T12:39:00.000-08:002010-12-23T10:34:46.375-08:00Spot The Resemblance: Swans and Rebels* Edition<div style="text-align: justify;">Again with the Black Swan things, but surely I can't be the only person who thinks that this beautiful poster, below:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W4utN5395tPcQDUaBmSn8eUvCHzzpU_1HaxpeuZ9Fj8lr_Lh8UurOY7XzPqK5aeADHG4K4MxIWp3YOsf9ovTHU_eJoSZkWzwp5KVyc2FYitQF8qKzjjyPLCilMhyFCRKsboQipH2utk/s1600/black_swan_poster_.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 549px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W4utN5395tPcQDUaBmSn8eUvCHzzpU_1HaxpeuZ9Fj8lr_Lh8UurOY7XzPqK5aeADHG4K4MxIWp3YOsf9ovTHU_eJoSZkWzwp5KVyc2FYitQF8qKzjjyPLCilMhyFCRKsboQipH2utk/s400/black_swan_poster_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553620757932355170" border="0" /></a><br />looks a lot like<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSMZEZoacVB66EPAenOvxNRzATwoCYZgQvN91MwNAwQNWUOmisZSy2E-J9C-RPCqr-bYNJkXvKGZlO137ysIpkxtbIfXlc4brjMcwOWDomLJNqyIO4qv7Yu7VwQ4QtD8svYsaZtofG8Q/s1600/rebel+alliance.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSMZEZoacVB66EPAenOvxNRzATwoCYZgQvN91MwNAwQNWUOmisZSy2E-J9C-RPCqr-bYNJkXvKGZlO137ysIpkxtbIfXlc4brjMcwOWDomLJNqyIO4qv7Yu7VwQ4QtD8svYsaZtofG8Q/s400/rebel+alliance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553620627661720290" border="0" /></a>the symbol of the Rebel Alliance in <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span>? I find it hilarious, given that Natalie Portman actually had a starring role in the (dreadful) prequels.<br /></div><br />*<span style="font-size:85%;">misbegotten twist on the title of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hons_and_rebels">one of my favourite books of all time</a>. Do read it if you haven't already</span>!Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-79783368791401559992010-12-17T14:22:00.000-08:002010-12-19T00:40:55.008-08:00Goodbye, Carine<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaLY50B1trBfnydrWp1YHN-gHwb4qJfTA-xjYMTi9_I-Jo5qHPdQWEagEl3efMIdKHONVEyydHHnpEGs2Ntx78NCQwhPj8N93u5EtbpdwWOsXBUwpFlxnEsrrPqrN8jD9cTucH5pVZV0/s1600/Carine-Roitfeld-007.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 460px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaLY50B1trBfnydrWp1YHN-gHwb4qJfTA-xjYMTi9_I-Jo5qHPdQWEagEl3efMIdKHONVEyydHHnpEGs2Ntx78NCQwhPj8N93u5EtbpdwWOsXBUwpFlxnEsrrPqrN8jD9cTucH5pVZV0/s400/Carine-Roitfeld-007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551780879099720962" border="0" /></a>I can't believe Carine Roitfeld is actually quitting Vogue Paris! On one hand, her logic in favour of going out while she's still on top, and when she's completed a nice round number of years- ten- as its editor, can't be argued with (she'll leave once she's done with work on the March 2011 issue). On the other, I'll miss the frequent cheek and oddly impeccable naughtiness she brought to Vogue Paris*, and whoever succeeds her (Emmanuelle Alt?) will have some major shoes to fill.<br /><br />Ah, well. From one humble fashion blogger to the woman who is practically the icon of the "Fashion Insiders As Style Inspiration" movement, good luck for the future.<br /><br />*<span style="font-size:85%;">I will say it though, I'm not a fan of photographs like <a href="http://www.godammit.com/2010/12/02/fashions-axis-of-evil/#comments">this one</a>.</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-67023754960473782092010-12-17T03:33:00.000-08:002010-12-17T04:27:51.733-08:00On Girls, Gloves And The Art Of René Gruau...though I suppose it's not quite right to call them girls, given that René Gruau never drew female figures without a strong hint of slink and sophistication, and 'womanly' is very much the appropriate adjective for the general vibe of his illustrations (see another one <a href="http://lemontartletsandwinegums.blogspot.com/2009/12/bye-2009.html">in this post</a>)<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTg0nbt3bXCsVWikvGmocUTdylS1gFh9F9Y-BW-X54aDSFIRYKdvT2vy7WTWKz-GGEa0E2aUmYeZyfxEu9ZoXhdUkjv_14UedHcz7nrMRNSs9RMu3mj9zMjBuFAzRd_Q1tMKSUp4aBEc/s1600/1948+1960.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 750px; height: 522px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTg0nbt3bXCsVWikvGmocUTdylS1gFh9F9Y-BW-X54aDSFIRYKdvT2vy7WTWKz-GGEa0E2aUmYeZyfxEu9ZoXhdUkjv_14UedHcz7nrMRNSs9RMu3mj9zMjBuFAzRd_Q1tMKSUp4aBEc/s400/1948+1960.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551618601884718546" border="0" /></a>I've always been more than a little in love with the boldness and flourish of his work, combined with the sparse composition- his work (for Jacques Fath, Dior and others) was never short of impact.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8O2ZrN8SGvD0406gI8UaUnijKTh2aum3jimUXPuaNhUAUQvpFBkt4nuPKz_WSDq00qsA8D5doTZVdH-I3hip7XoYGNt3zMFuYIGs6m0gAcadvc22GNhEUtSQKwZZO9QO3WSuFoHyFOI/s1600/gruau_dior_gaine_1959.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 761px; height: 529px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8O2ZrN8SGvD0406gI8UaUnijKTh2aum3jimUXPuaNhUAUQvpFBkt4nuPKz_WSDq00qsA8D5doTZVdH-I3hip7XoYGNt3zMFuYIGs6m0gAcadvc22GNhEUtSQKwZZO9QO3WSuFoHyFOI/s400/gruau_dior_gaine_1959.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551618048210540962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRROdh8DrUcQMP22TBzAwK1Lhu2DJjDCvtTHRQ5UzLpsL38RS228GAVti9Xf9P3_Vp6tIb0GTV5crSTEx5sZ3BjND7KGAiknTsq5v-WVZhkLBkrWwAzkRRtQmRwcrg9NcQ7O2Cic8tZyw/s1600/gruau_dior_1967_b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 760px; height: 532px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRROdh8DrUcQMP22TBzAwK1Lhu2DJjDCvtTHRQ5UzLpsL38RS228GAVti9Xf9P3_Vp6tIb0GTV5crSTEx5sZ3BjND7KGAiknTsq5v-WVZhkLBkrWwAzkRRtQmRwcrg9NcQ7O2Cic8tZyw/s400/gruau_dior_1967_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551618328645926338" border="0" /></a>If anyone takes a close look at these or larger images, you'll see a spiky star-shape above Gruau's signature in several of his illustrations- after an inkblot fell on his work and he doodled it into the shape of a star, he liked it so much that he adopted it as a motif.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3ZcfGnFxj6FyVNSbLGI-ntNI97rEAeZfZazwptiubmZfakMfEmJD4tiXFiHiHv6-syecHuxv-ASOdyY15ttrGGSCIbrzBwjgNTd-6da68iEAjVH0Yn0gvB_jY7b5aSllOCihNUKafK4/s1600/renegruaufashionillustration4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 547px; height: 572px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3ZcfGnFxj6FyVNSbLGI-ntNI97rEAeZfZazwptiubmZfakMfEmJD4tiXFiHiHv6-syecHuxv-ASOdyY15ttrGGSCIbrzBwjgNTd-6da68iEAjVH0Yn0gvB_jY7b5aSllOCihNUKafK4/s400/renegruaufashionillustration4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551616621269172722" border="0" /></a>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-53812432575848955212010-12-16T13:38:00.001-08:002010-12-16T13:44:28.792-08:00Cruella?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvEBoP2jkeyQkeJEiYq9YqefEbDfPT_UVqckhIBpY4OviE07FrpIFbBpBfcUElv1DHhaNwUtqrqSqQxJ0x96KqXUfsy8ixODnyg7uutKE5alE7UhcaAfBQiw0bnF8dwL-cjnseDORc24/s1600/cruella+i+think.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 633px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvEBoP2jkeyQkeJEiYq9YqefEbDfPT_UVqckhIBpY4OviE07FrpIFbBpBfcUElv1DHhaNwUtqrqSqQxJ0x96KqXUfsy8ixODnyg7uutKE5alE7UhcaAfBQiw0bnF8dwL-cjnseDORc24/s400/cruella+i+think.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551397884656497730" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm aware that, as per pop culture, the hair really should be white with a black streak (e.g. Daphne Guinness), but really, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruella_de_Vil">how was I expected to resist</a>?<br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-89799874235531190242010-12-11T04:08:00.000-08:002010-12-11T04:17:48.123-08:00Spot The Similarity: The Bear Edition<div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps the styling for <a href="http://www.sm2.co.jp/season.html">SM2's Winter 2010 collection</a> is a touch more muted than what it reminds me of, and the model is taller and less tubby, but be that as it may, blue duffle coats like the one below:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU55BLGfdPz1OMh8Xc7w-J7N6D29613tE7A6O-wbXKEBwHhizPmV4nQBNI78DKukbO65QmLWvit4hTRjlZcVteKC-dWefXbKWH3xyysFHMRrN6UgBXFStvPOjO8I-uZqd_kBDykE6ByoM/s1600/sm2padd.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 695px; height: 494px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU55BLGfdPz1OMh8Xc7w-J7N6D29613tE7A6O-wbXKEBwHhizPmV4nQBNI78DKukbO65QmLWvit4hTRjlZcVteKC-dWefXbKWH3xyysFHMRrN6UgBXFStvPOjO8I-uZqd_kBDykE6ByoM/s400/sm2padd.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549396319343937666" border="0" /></a>will always remind me of this:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-hSHkoF4TBQyMzAfR62bkbYr5JU0Fc44X5ew9xMTqsTgwOeCSyocvnOpw070kfw4WcdFUHBHVnWNH-CHwMD3X5dPjDzmbZuoXYo8qNqFxx2S-Humb__FRT18lZ7bAXcfYM6vSyQUpWA/s1600/paddington.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-hSHkoF4TBQyMzAfR62bkbYr5JU0Fc44X5ew9xMTqsTgwOeCSyocvnOpw070kfw4WcdFUHBHVnWNH-CHwMD3X5dPjDzmbZuoXYo8qNqFxx2S-Humb__FRT18lZ7bAXcfYM6vSyQUpWA/s400/paddington.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549395730212901186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Paddington Bear doll, c. 1980</span><br /></div><br />(incidentally, SM2's is also one of the most charmingly styled and shot winter collections I've seen this season, with the added benefit of the fact that most of the outfits actually look like they fall on the right side of warm and comfortable- more about that some other time, and check it out <a href="http://www.sm2.co.jp/season.html">here</a>.)Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-34004467749591161342010-12-10T10:13:00.000-08:002010-12-10T10:43:14.925-08:00Star Power a.k.a. Another Edition of Spot the Resemblance<div style="text-align: justify;">There's been a <a href="http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=8074135&postcount=39">bit of talk</a> at The Fashion Spot about the similarities between Miu Miu S/S 2011 and Miu Miu S/S 08. The resemblance is <a href="http://forums.thefashionspot.com/showpost.php?p=8073407&postcount=4">there</a>, no doubt*, but one particular recurring detail made me think Miuccia Prada might also have been referencing a very slightly older collection: Spring/Summer 2006. I mean, look at the print on these dresses:<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIONgAMinKhuzhvnoHapZe5PQtQuQC4YDJnboepFBQbaA0W4SsDFhRmRUNtC0x14RVNlQq0v9lpLdSFMccl7hHX7ZeNVz0l71CR1_InWwK6N4pXy3jtkY1mn-K_YCd6U8eaBdOnC3fl9E/s1600/miumiuss06+detail1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIONgAMinKhuzhvnoHapZe5PQtQuQC4YDJnboepFBQbaA0W4SsDFhRmRUNtC0x14RVNlQq0v9lpLdSFMccl7hHX7ZeNVz0l71CR1_InWwK6N4pXy3jtkY1mn-K_YCd6U8eaBdOnC3fl9E/s400/miumiuss06+detail1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549119380278627602" border="0" /></a>and then, look at Miu Miu S/S 2011, below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZ3zkHnu_kLbYTHeJzt5rItmr4AnhGwEco5O3vS5PhZUl58R900Db_Po49G5nE_UNZDwshXhKAsSkkdxSs-J41F6nn0z47oilZV9BduYVpGHoxkq5h8sNAjnmb3EdHZseJLz9Wnwvdx0/s1600/miumiuss11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 610px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZ3zkHnu_kLbYTHeJzt5rItmr4AnhGwEco5O3vS5PhZUl58R900Db_Po49G5nE_UNZDwshXhKAsSkkdxSs-J41F6nn0z47oilZV9BduYVpGHoxkq5h8sNAjnmb3EdHZseJLz9Wnwvdx0/s400/miumiuss11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549119045906240818" border="0" /></a>For what it's worth, I liked the original (S/S 06) iteration better, though I'm quite taken with the fact that the S/S 11 star prints look a little like explosions in comic books.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">images from style.com and The Fashion Spot's Miu Miu S/S 2011 thread.<br /><br />*I also thought S/S 08 looked like it had inspired some aspects of S/S 2010- <a href="http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2008RTW/MIUMIU/RUNWAY/00390m.jpg">those collars</a>! And now, the illustrations of harlequins from that season have turned into illustrations of a snake and a swan in this one..<br /></span>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-88770438478454394002010-12-04T05:24:00.000-08:002012-04-24T20:37:17.400-07:00Coming Up: Brighton Rock<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fnKOtY6euS2oQ-DWTBAOrIVFqJTVHjRsrZvjyyJO8VCqWVJzG8zsZWXWCp9OHBIcjB5Lxbtok7EFG986vW6iqqRZUVvt36rq2VhcqpT_XVlcceYIvj1KTYawAOOxZnYDS1I0TuHJi4U/s1600/Brighton-Rock+poster.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546820242452766722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fnKOtY6euS2oQ-DWTBAOrIVFqJTVHjRsrZvjyyJO8VCqWVJzG8zsZWXWCp9OHBIcjB5Lxbtok7EFG986vW6iqqRZUVvt36rq2VhcqpT_XVlcceYIvj1KTYawAOOxZnYDS1I0TuHJi4U/s400/Brighton-Rock+poster.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 600px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 405px;" /></a>While the world spent the last week gasping over <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Swan</span>, this humble blog finds itself much more excited by the imminent release of a film that manages the double feat of being based on one of my favourite books and being set, via what looks like judicious adaptation, in one of my favourite eras, fashion-wise (three words: Mods and Rockers).<br />
<br />
The updated adaptation isn't due for general release for a while yet, but <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoGHiBsrJKk">the trailer </a>looks promising- Sam Riley might be over a decade older than Pinkie in the book, but is baby-faced enough for that not to bother me too much (also, I remember how good he was in <span style="font-style: italic;">Control</span>). And even though I do love a sharply-dressed bit of celluloid featuring Crombie coats, parkas and vintage scooters, the fact that the costume designers exercised some restraint and didn't go all-out with the 60s costume on Rose (Andrea Riseborough) is something that makes a great deal of sense to anyone who has read the book- she is a bit <span style="font-family: inherit;">na<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">ï</em><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">ve</em>, n</span>ot very worldly-wise, and it does make sense that she isn't enough of a fashion plate to dress in head-to-toe Mary Quant that early in the decade.<br />
And now, for stills:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpC9YCF1-N6MGrs7Os8rXqUjHEL4ufKat2ujbJwtWKIZ2me2vO62weg_is74TfnK5L9FV0GS62J9gtRhKyvUItNy8d17Mtj30uV1k_FBEJO-_CVeaGkkNGontae4-yUXicuca8b2hl90/s1600/BrightonRock3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546820076794261058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpC9YCF1-N6MGrs7Os8rXqUjHEL4ufKat2ujbJwtWKIZ2me2vO62weg_is74TfnK5L9FV0GS62J9gtRhKyvUItNy8d17Mtj30uV1k_FBEJO-_CVeaGkkNGontae4-yUXicuca8b2hl90/s400/BrightonRock3.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 399px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Mods out in full force. I love the souped-up rides and the parkas..</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnBGZ0xW3xVqonYCpg4_MKA_IVT2fldAEcv30Q1E5IYj0-3GMBba8GKEmyCYm3Q639jROKrOwwJuqhPie1zVH7bIFoFCCPUvNwSDkW5F2dzB-ap4AjNkY-H4sfqyIQwn1yCu8j10-GW4/s1600/BrightonRock4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546819875821640914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnBGZ0xW3xVqonYCpg4_MKA_IVT2fldAEcv30Q1E5IYj0-3GMBba8GKEmyCYm3Q639jROKrOwwJuqhPie1zVH7bIFoFCCPUvNwSDkW5F2dzB-ap4AjNkY-H4sfqyIQwn1yCu8j10-GW4/s400/BrightonRock4.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 399px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">And the impeccable wardrobe of what looks like every man in this film- this still looks like it could well be from the 1930s in which the book was originally set, instead of the 1964 of this adaptation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzjly4ABI_A1PMKCRiz0b3wE6lunS-XB7Un6qATrUlQoNo7XppjkGUSVp1-2olzdWab2IxovS53Rd1WamhUUPvqUgv1EHIsSyw075wZZoLW63cgtrFS3RbhqLlzeZpSxYhscacBvnHmA/s1600/BrightonRock5.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546819632652904386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzjly4ABI_A1PMKCRiz0b3wE6lunS-XB7Un6qATrUlQoNo7XppjkGUSVp1-2olzdWab2IxovS53Rd1WamhUUPvqUgv1EHIsSyw075wZZoLW63cgtrFS3RbhqLlzeZpSxYhscacBvnHmA/s400/BrightonRock5.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 399px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Helen Mirren proves that it isn't just youth making clothes look pretty here- the clothes are that good, and I'm more than a little floored by the combination of red hair, lipstick and coat.</span></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-26445329614019112372010-11-27T05:43:00.000-08:002010-11-27T06:33:39.451-08:00Scarfing Art, Ascher-Style<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26Ccg05Sze3vChSQpDs5s3iChwuXnGNu6o8EiJYPEXsz7id1QOWX9yL4yU93AtzS_f0IDJGp8rcKX77DNK4zFpYlXbnUCJtYU32GrKnotGutX41P26-_SLe5JYHGKtidtRksEAe6uVVI/s1600/Calder+La+Mer.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26Ccg05Sze3vChSQpDs5s3iChwuXnGNu6o8EiJYPEXsz7id1QOWX9yL4yU93AtzS_f0IDJGp8rcKX77DNK4zFpYlXbnUCJtYU32GrKnotGutX41P26-_SLe5JYHGKtidtRksEAe6uVVI/s400/Calder+La+Mer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544230620993157522" border="0" /></a>I've never been much of a girl for silk scarves, but in the wake of Hermès going on a mission to give its own silk squares an image makeover, my interest was piqued enough to go digging around the Internet for more info on scarves that served as something other than a clichéd feature in most people's image of Parisians.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The story of Ascher's artist scarves (as they're known) began during World War II, when Lida and Zika Ascher of Ascher Textiles began asking leading artists of the day to collaborate with them on the design of a series of silk scarves. This, as a concept, isn't exactly a new one: one could imagine that scarves provide artists with more flexibility to work in two dimensions than, say, a dress, and art/fashion collaborations weren't unknown (e.g. Dali and Schiaparelli, Chanel and Cocteau, Dali illustrating covers for <span style="font-style: italic;">Vogue</span>...) . What is staggering, however, is the roll call of some of the 20th century's greatest artists who designed limited-edition (probably by necessity, since finding materials for the line in post-war London in the era of rationing can't have been easy) scarves for Ascher, which went on sale in 1947. The artists, you ask? Take a deep breath first: Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Feliks Topolski, Cecil Beaton, Jean Cocteau, Zao Wou Ki, Graham Sutherland, and Henri Matisse, among others.<br /><br />Eighteen of the scarves were reissued in different colourways earlier this year in limited editions (which is how they came to the attention of the wider public recently), and even though they're staggeringly expensive, I'd still recommend taking a look- <a href="http://www.ascherstudio.co.uk/productgrid/205">here</a>, because that is how fabulous they are.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOm2FKrwpWn4Y4R0yp3A1XL6r_bZ7LClnXNDQBCHj4mbpvj-7Sv6NA1_-4oDFLSoBYqUjzPJWHcaCKnIMDIlSLuRYdpq8Fort8E6QFz_KJqeH405bePp0aEk9iUQ1GIfMCjZutIR8vSM/s1600/Oscar+Dominguez+Le+Jour+et+la+Nuit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOm2FKrwpWn4Y4R0yp3A1XL6r_bZ7LClnXNDQBCHj4mbpvj-7Sv6NA1_-4oDFLSoBYqUjzPJWHcaCKnIMDIlSLuRYdpq8Fort8E6QFz_KJqeH405bePp0aEk9iUQ1GIfMCjZutIR8vSM/s400/Oscar+Dominguez+Le+Jour+et+la+Nuit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544230526229690114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMm9JB3UVYOCoUvOQ4W9Y3WqTLWs-2hEcDyyEwF16ljoqtcvkqD11HaNsbMdKzZcE1T3UpjQEKM9__Oy0Zw4h8a0Vs7kM25_jJCaC2OISmf4puhJKCbpvU3FUiKue7D85WKse8l0uZd0/s1600/Jean+Denis+Malcles+Nocturne.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMm9JB3UVYOCoUvOQ4W9Y3WqTLWs-2hEcDyyEwF16ljoqtcvkqD11HaNsbMdKzZcE1T3UpjQEKM9__Oy0Zw4h8a0Vs7kM25_jJCaC2OISmf4puhJKCbpvU3FUiKue7D85WKse8l0uZd0/s400/Jean+Denis+Malcles+Nocturne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544230350190293810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYAK0JSzLxGm67NNXLesvu5w2PbdYHqu5211q0mkhAOI4iDQuYdq94LgvmQ7S2gZdyZEP_sHI2-VVHE6NkedTNSkWm7g_2L-LRqLsxBSEFOEZgRcVk0boz-4o3CMBNzZuHSd31wEDWHU/s1600/Beaurepaire+Landscape+Fantasy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYAK0JSzLxGm67NNXLesvu5w2PbdYHqu5211q0mkhAOI4iDQuYdq94LgvmQ7S2gZdyZEP_sHI2-VVHE6NkedTNSkWm7g_2L-LRqLsxBSEFOEZgRcVk0boz-4o3CMBNzZuHSd31wEDWHU/s400/Beaurepaire+Landscape+Fantasy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544230124772230850" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYGQ03vKOzc8gYBrEAnHny-az9nyXucfdbJzYJ-P5fWchSxn8PWeb-4LAwxaiGdUpI8VzUzZag31w2sF0TbMu-0lmUCzUM2pM6OjO84Ix51UbgnH3TAmdJQHE8Xjmf3Pg907fuQiI0_I/s1600/FelkisTopolski+London+1944.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYGQ03vKOzc8gYBrEAnHny-az9nyXucfdbJzYJ-P5fWchSxn8PWeb-4LAwxaiGdUpI8VzUzZag31w2sF0TbMu-0lmUCzUM2pM6OjO84Ix51UbgnH3TAmdJQHE8Xjmf3Pg907fuQiI0_I/s400/FelkisTopolski+London+1944.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544229877417792066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQuar8_CnJXjTJUjMghHVh5HiibYy1e44zp2c2NnjYY7LzedMCCkABO9iKTdPkDHYzosBw2JhJU6WMDBNcU_0I0x148977SuqzJvivr3HGAeywsaY9i7SdWv8Ye62wIj7eRtQ4BgrRvA/s1600/GRaham+Sutherland+Black+Trellis.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQuar8_CnJXjTJUjMghHVh5HiibYy1e44zp2c2NnjYY7LzedMCCkABO9iKTdPkDHYzosBw2JhJU6WMDBNcU_0I0x148977SuqzJvivr3HGAeywsaY9i7SdWv8Ye62wIj7eRtQ4BgrRvA/s400/GRaham+Sutherland+Black+Trellis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544229757180153586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnpNImtOosTGvsH5Jgd79esnqbDW6SpFcAdh_Z_J-ahCduLhuNceRMoile4fcsddddreLgy5fbuAMAPi83v5-zZfVdSFYqdDQaMYU9utDbl3nyVDQ-JEbcf5QCjPCCwFK5XWGK1fPRKY/s1600/Jean+Cocteau+Visage.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnpNImtOosTGvsH5Jgd79esnqbDW6SpFcAdh_Z_J-ahCduLhuNceRMoile4fcsddddreLgy5fbuAMAPi83v5-zZfVdSFYqdDQaMYU9utDbl3nyVDQ-JEbcf5QCjPCCwFK5XWGK1fPRKY/s400/Jean+Cocteau+Visage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544229527236585826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GcBkWiL61mc4YLBnVDgD8-s4bbXoazHrfXlajuZwqEmer1RivgkbrfaABarKkqqR4nZxIIUqUK4ZZu8FwhxyHU6LlDjrx2CDLU4hTKvTiuqwZGrzwVmlT9ZsXhiHRc47QvnilcLQFSM/s1600/Matisse+Echarpe+No.+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GcBkWiL61mc4YLBnVDgD8-s4bbXoazHrfXlajuZwqEmer1RivgkbrfaABarKkqqR4nZxIIUqUK4ZZu8FwhxyHU6LlDjrx2CDLU4hTKvTiuqwZGrzwVmlT9ZsXhiHRc47QvnilcLQFSM/s400/Matisse+Echarpe+No.+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544229371075322466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsScD5sH0qjvepcYXSGBXhzDG28dCnbiroHhiaKBX1lySezLOscNdxXueUUL-wYvNIxwidBTtdlB1YdD6bZJKYZ29Tq8y7rbh3XhWwOwl9WguCoCYQ3co4Mj7Lrv38jaGgvzgY92xPgns/s1600/Zao+Wou+Ki++Paysage+Bleu.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsScD5sH0qjvepcYXSGBXhzDG28dCnbiroHhiaKBX1lySezLOscNdxXueUUL-wYvNIxwidBTtdlB1YdD6bZJKYZ29Tq8y7rbh3XhWwOwl9WguCoCYQ3co4Mj7Lrv38jaGgvzgY92xPgns/s400/Zao+Wou+Ki++Paysage+Bleu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544227805363060242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wwyw0tWQGSl7-EYkvYkMkfBHhObIAAMd5Dt7Y8fiJIqMV8LYfqGl8Db_AbTXoHIleCRCWNKMegPx0ZG-cbG_-1H8EGYsKLkHzr3Xy_qmI-iGK7_ZDXilXawGTbOq4ZvePUgteg3FPJ8/s1600/Pedro+Flores+Contrabandier.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wwyw0tWQGSl7-EYkvYkMkfBHhObIAAMd5Dt7Y8fiJIqMV8LYfqGl8Db_AbTXoHIleCRCWNKMegPx0ZG-cbG_-1H8EGYsKLkHzr3Xy_qmI-iGK7_ZDXilXawGTbOq4ZvePUgteg3FPJ8/s400/Pedro+Flores+Contrabandier.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544225074166176850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">all pictures from ascherstudios.com. Images, top to bottom, 1.<span style="font-style: italic;"> La Mer</span>, by Alexander Calder 2. <span style="font-style: italic;">Le Jour et la Nuit</span> by Oscar Dominguez 3. <span style="font-style: italic;">Nocturne</span>, by Jean Denis Malcles 4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Landscape Fantas</span>y, by Andre Beaurepaire 5. <span style="font-style: italic;">London 1944,</span> by Feliks Topolski 6. <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Trellis</span>, by Graham Sutherland 7. <span style="font-style: italic;">Visage, </span>by Jean Cocteau 8. <span style="font-style: italic;">Echarpe</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">no. 1</span>, by Henri Matisse 9. <span style="font-style: italic;">Paysage Bleu </span>by Zao Wou Ki 10. <span style="font-style: italic;">Contrabandier </span>by Pedro Flores</span>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-90318523104600428262010-11-24T05:37:00.000-08:002010-11-24T06:16:27.167-08:00Of Guts And Gore(y)<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7fjmoICcVNvrnl7uY9dB6XC7uXH-vFZF3UkN2lPnKBCDtAgCn2umw4hGCPJPDjPp_-BW49DagkDttkWAescLASypnSgJC8fWexHTgvvUbrYCzN_hzvnDyQv1D8c3OvO6XN6bxlxhTgk/s1600/gorey_furcoat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 331px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7fjmoICcVNvrnl7uY9dB6XC7uXH-vFZF3UkN2lPnKBCDtAgCn2umw4hGCPJPDjPp_-BW49DagkDttkWAescLASypnSgJC8fWexHTgvvUbrYCzN_hzvnDyQv1D8c3OvO6XN6bxlxhTgk/s400/gorey_furcoat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543112063955611442" border="0" /></a>This is probably the oddest post I've ever written, but any Edward Gorey fans among the miniscule number that read this, <a href="http://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/emails/edward-gorey-fur-coats.html">should definitely have a look over here</a>. (it's not that often that vintage fur coats acquired and worn by Edward Gorey himself over the course of three decades- from 1950 to the 1980s- are put up for auction by his estate, as will happen on the 9th of December this year). <br /><br />Given the fact that the 14 coats in question are described as 'well taken care of' and belonged to the great Gorey himself- in fact, coat no 10 in the lineup at the link is the spitting photographic image of the coat on the gent in the above picture- I reckon they won't go cheap. But fur isn't completely evil here- one of the beneficiaries of the auction proceeds is the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, which works to benefit animals.<br /><br />If you're still squeamish about fur and/or don't have the money to spend on Gorey memorabilia, there are other things getting auctioned that weren't once alive and which <a href="http://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/emails/edward-gorey-fur-coats.html">you can view at the pre-auction exhibition</a> on the 4th and 6th-8th of December at Bloomsbury Auctions in New York- namely, Edward Gorey's illustrating pen, a couple of hand-carved figurines and- deep breath here- around 5<span style="font-style: italic;">0 signed editions of his books</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">image copyright of Edward Gorey</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-79834389461253323212010-09-22T21:51:00.000-07:002011-09-08T08:49:20.965-07:00For Which I Should Be Faceplanting<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-Yo6D1gJdXReZVsIdAVDWbwVn2O6PqIdsQe5gVYiNoEhMZfjshkB9tLNp4H5SPolINo8EsGBNfDJEII4x-aLkjIugpMqvwOUKezfBWw-GZZ2z_saB9V0S8X6AgYYb5K1sbTwUx1uXnk/s1600/shima2" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-Yo6D1gJdXReZVsIdAVDWbwVn2O6PqIdsQe5gVYiNoEhMZfjshkB9tLNp4H5SPolINo8EsGBNfDJEII4x-aLkjIugpMqvwOUKezfBWw-GZZ2z_saB9V0S8X6AgYYb5K1sbTwUx1uXnk/s400/shima2" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515898816529158098" border="0" /></a>Scene from February Some Year, a.k.a. How To Embarrass Yourself Completely Without Having A Wardrobe Malfunction, A Nervous Breakdown In Public, or even Being Seen By Anyone You Know:<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />1. Re-watch <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hairy Bird</span> (or whatever title your DVD says it's got) for the 1000th time.<br /><br />2. Begin craving prissy school-uniform-like clothing as a consequence, especially the pleated skirts.<br /><br />3. Go on an mission to find and buy pleated skirts to wear.<br /><br />4. Fail miserably because the local clothing store buyers are probably secret school uniform fetishists at heart, as a result of which every pleated skirt on the rails of a commercial clothing store is far too short to prevent knicker-flashing if one leans down to tie a loose shoelace, and resembles slutwear more than schoolwear. ( also, any actual schoolgirl in one of these would be sent straight home to change before being allowed over the threshold of a classroom)<br /><br />4. Give up in disgust.<br /><br />5. Go home to visit parents, and notice that there is a girls' school next to their house.<br /><br />6. A girls' school with pleated-skirt-featuring school uniforms! (the skirts in question blessedly go all the way to the knee, just like in the picture above. Unlike the one in the picture above, however, they are worn by girls, not boys).<br /><br />7. Unfortunately, they're <span style="font-style: italic;">actual </span>school uniforms. Only to be worn by their students.<br /><br />8. You are not a student of the school in question. You are also too old - <span style="font-style: italic;">much </span>too old- to be a student. 20-something years old, to be exact.<br /><br />9. That doesn't stop you.They are nice, eminently prim knee-length things with a very handy pocket in the side.<br /><br />10. Prepare a long-winded cover story for the tailors to explain why a non-student wants a school skirt (because no one's going to believe the truth, let's face it), involving an absent younger sister- I have none- needing a new uniform, and handing over measurements and payment with preferably minimal fuss and no investigation.<br /><br />11. Rehearse the story a couple of times, for good measure.<br /><br />13. Have the plan fall flat on its face once the tailor asks, without even allowing you to get to the sister story, which class <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> are in, and therefore need a uniform skirt for.<br /><br />14. Much to your own horror, play along with the mistake, but not without major redface and the expectation that your nose is growing at a speed to beat Pinnochio's. It's one thing to finagle a uniform skirt out of the tailors under false pretences, quite another to have to pretend to be an actual high schooler to get it.<br /><br />15. Feel like an even bigger fraud when you actually get the (very reasonably priced, entirely innocuous-looking) skirt in your mitts a week later.<br /><br />16. But since fashion has the collective memory span of a goldfish, turn completely shameless and wear it anyway.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">image from www.tokyobopper.com</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-49521460945144387392010-09-11T22:54:00.000-07:002010-09-11T23:00:32.049-07:00It's Not Really A 90s Revival<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3987/21_2008/phpcqyk9gpmyi3.preview.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 419px; height: 550px;" src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/0/3987/21_2008/phpcqyk9gpmyi3.preview.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>...until someone ties their sweater around their waist, stretched-out sleeves be damned (especially if, as in my case, those sleeves happened to be the sleeves of one's school cardigan).<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">image from fabsugar</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-82022541801392034802010-09-05T15:50:00.000-07:002010-09-22T16:04:11.395-07:00The Artsy Fart Focus: Ronald Searle<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcB6ziNALRBM6Rig8O4ZCu5cYuV7wdrkClpKHy0RFXgjjdziaQVV-PrZ649wlvp6Rl_7y_ec_6Ed44YLYwKAsaxsYjpdX95ztV1t2VA0VotvIwn9f8DmY1dQcNPEzFbB9-n-ocsPj4U8/s1600/download.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcB6ziNALRBM6Rig8O4ZCu5cYuV7wdrkClpKHy0RFXgjjdziaQVV-PrZ649wlvp6Rl_7y_ec_6Ed44YLYwKAsaxsYjpdX95ztV1t2VA0VotvIwn9f8DmY1dQcNPEzFbB9-n-ocsPj4U8/s1600/download.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>I've never made a secret of the fact that I'm a huge fan of Ronald Searle's work, and St Trinian's in particular- <a href="http://lemontartletsandwinegums.blogspot.com/2007/12/never-mind-stocking-tops.html">the first post </a>I did about it led to the words "stocking tops" becoming the top search leading people to this page. But despite how much people- self included- want to be the bloodthirsty, devious little (and adolescent) monsters who were the heroines of those books(and God knows, I like seeing girls wielding weapons and whacking their antagonists), the artist himself has never been as well appreciated as he should, IMO, be. Hence the cartoon above, which sums it up more or less perfectly.<br />So, onwards to the point of this post- the pictures.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbv_9o7ql4uCLGajU0t1vvty260JXefreMst_hZPAZYp90UdMC1sUrapS7Qb7O5Fr57DgZuUnF8_MPR1rDEWv63guzGvD0MfMn_4_3mLXQhmo1kUFZX8QcuX4D4iCrkc0xkxNTMJfbhQ/s1600/Lilliput-46-12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 537px; height: 768px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbv_9o7ql4uCLGajU0t1vvty260JXefreMst_hZPAZYp90UdMC1sUrapS7Qb7O5Fr57DgZuUnF8_MPR1rDEWv63guzGvD0MfMn_4_3mLXQhmo1kUFZX8QcuX4D4iCrkc0xkxNTMJfbhQ/s400/Lilliput-46-12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513572970181937026" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClyjhx1QCdg7NxVmhFEBJB7Ti1Jf8uNQUDdVg6UHlCxStVDt5Z-y9Er1nQB0RYxWK4jZMF3uCNFfYzkJyH2cKqRPW96kse1cg39H9GJT6rRXNtJf2xzihbAv4u1T2v7cu9-cDS4XXQn4/s1600/IllJustDie2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 442px; height: 472px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClyjhx1QCdg7NxVmhFEBJB7Ti1Jf8uNQUDdVg6UHlCxStVDt5Z-y9Er1nQB0RYxWK4jZMF3uCNFfYzkJyH2cKqRPW96kse1cg39H9GJT6rRXNtJf2xzihbAv4u1T2v7cu9-cDS4XXQn4/s400/IllJustDie2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513568276938318786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">"I'll just die, then you will be sorry."</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnP7hx3vIZVR2OsfqNAJCrAeeBnq1USzezWO5V89htgoBLBn0W-iOMkpqzT_ohTls8H4a02CrN3-3alf18SiBLYl-SnmXTf0Pz44o4OSWBMr3EadBg-I-LZ4EibajxKbaecFDjiGnSig/s1600/HockeyChase.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 536px; height: 600px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnP7hx3vIZVR2OsfqNAJCrAeeBnq1USzezWO5V89htgoBLBn0W-iOMkpqzT_ohTls8H4a02CrN3-3alf18SiBLYl-SnmXTf0Pz44o4OSWBMr3EadBg-I-LZ4EibajxKbaecFDjiGnSig/s1600/HockeyChase.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAw5-HUxsa5dlax1RFN-oA8lYjQecdDeh3iMz6mdu8z25klgPDv6JBf90rIAHdjumwZprfETuAMOWDRaIllbD5H0vhTNXIHlx_oFU-rO1NpNVHWhKzswKXEa6uZmDc2etFVRPHK_pssM/s1600/LemonHartPoster4small.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAw5-HUxsa5dlax1RFN-oA8lYjQecdDeh3iMz6mdu8z25klgPDv6JBf90rIAHdjumwZprfETuAMOWDRaIllbD5H0vhTNXIHlx_oFU-rO1NpNVHWhKzswKXEa6uZmDc2etFVRPHK_pssM/s400/LemonHartPoster4small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513566189122269410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRExNrJ7eIUjnEF0FdbAiT0RTIaYNw-soX-WLr4gyVlyPftOck8K-ijlfx6m9lf7mLh8lCpfwYu0gR9tmw1X1t_YkbYe_npAhkz4X1MH1dSTfDtYIu0VjOkjXjEbSHkvkojj8wDIg5rJM/s1600/1991jun.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 480px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRExNrJ7eIUjnEF0FdbAiT0RTIaYNw-soX-WLr4gyVlyPftOck8K-ijlfx6m9lf7mLh8lCpfwYu0gR9tmw1X1t_YkbYe_npAhkz4X1MH1dSTfDtYIu0VjOkjXjEbSHkvkojj8wDIg5rJM/s1600/1991jun.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ronald Searle does a New Yorker cover! Just like one of my other favourites, Michael Sowa!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The spindly limbs and shambolic, chaotic lines of his characters' figures kept me hooked to his work even when it wasn't a set of cartoons about a pack of cheerfully weird, murder-happy schoolgirls (the younger they are, the more murderous they turn out to be).<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCmCUvJIKqQxEPT4bfwdm5ZeUfJPcviwB9PmRU9RMYllCfNXxpX_jvPGIpQa-XgzwGJyNJHUoPS2dv5TfcMuxN6ZKMXIhJ_85LsdK99ArQ7DG-DghXdCZ3oOx0apuAAe-Pwt6sxA3JEU/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 715px; height: 506px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCmCUvJIKqQxEPT4bfwdm5ZeUfJPcviwB9PmRU9RMYllCfNXxpX_jvPGIpQa-XgzwGJyNJHUoPS2dv5TfcMuxN6ZKMXIhJ_85LsdK99ArQ7DG-DghXdCZ3oOx0apuAAe-Pwt6sxA3JEU/s1600/Picture+3.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15Dl8LIS8UQ93kJt-7NMszBf5uNnZYUC8yJhY3lHTDCy7xoZyy3jCICfbj3u0y7JhLEXK9Z5y0zvgPyCJ32ygY7Q5o9VOWumuIJmGtn4b09tV2TtmvmN6skdJIhA4yhDLjWdmEc4y9Bg/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 748px; height: 493px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15Dl8LIS8UQ93kJt-7NMszBf5uNnZYUC8yJhY3lHTDCy7xoZyy3jCICfbj3u0y7JhLEXK9Z5y0zvgPyCJ32ygY7Q5o9VOWumuIJmGtn4b09tV2TtmvmN6skdJIhA4yhDLjWdmEc4y9Bg/s1600/Picture+2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>I had to put the last two pictures above into this post- they are illustrations Searle drew as an accompaniment to an article by Peter Mayle (whose accounts of Provence, where he and Mr Searle both live, are among the best things I've ever read). For more, I suggest checking out ronaldsearle.blogspot.com, which is a tribute blog that is brilliant.Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-12289584895345922762010-09-05T14:36:00.000-07:002010-09-07T07:16:39.427-07:00Whatever<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/6/15/1245087413903/Jill-Furmanovsky-Oasis-Wa-013.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/6/15/1245087413903/Jill-Furmanovsky-Oasis-Wa-013.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6tuPBrSl9Nw?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6tuPBrSl9Nw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I dare anyone viewing this page to listen to the song above and not have immediate warm happies, no matter how uncool you think Oasis are (though I admit to bias, they were my first-ever favourite band).<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br />photograph by Jill Furmanovsky from www.guardian.co.uk</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-35572945088422667832010-08-29T12:00:00.001-07:002010-08-31T21:53:32.548-07:00Another Ad I Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQlCYRqi28dGR-42crvmxAgWETa6jKX48yVDsaMAo07UuQjjLXJkpvEfVeRJbnfh973_7smIYVStQE0GrIVWsP_bfKA7MRViBtbMxHBc63XXOjWWHWdFfJ_DPvssIsTb8DuKWi4BwLqQ/s1600/yohji98ad"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 546px; height: 750px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQlCYRqi28dGR-42crvmxAgWETa6jKX48yVDsaMAo07UuQjjLXJkpvEfVeRJbnfh973_7smIYVStQE0GrIVWsP_bfKA7MRViBtbMxHBc63XXOjWWHWdFfJ_DPvssIsTb8DuKWi4BwLqQ/s400/yohji98ad" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511803386764000818" border="0" /></a>Yohji Yamamoto, AW 1998-99<br />Photographer: Nick Knight<br />Model: Susie Bick<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Images like these make me wish Yohji could put out more ads for his main line, (yes, despite last year's bankruptcy) and not just Y-3. The PC police will probably go nuts about the cigarette, but the smoke swirls and louche, slouchy pose turn the starkness and elegance of the clothes into a combination that is nothing short of amazing to look at- not just a magazine advert for clothes.<br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-2966160683970602892010-08-28T18:49:00.000-07:002010-09-07T07:28:17.937-07:00R.I.P. Corinne Day (1962-2010)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YJIz91zO29RTh2uVE8Gj2_6hrJlMd2rrz32kPlL80GWFw8EATMeaxXAsmBAwT9K5SMjIK3E3CPcsimMxX10jZKehYCi5fuipuTi7xATnKan9qD0WL4EQQu8zWBNSVOoE4WOtoN20xiI/s1600/08.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YJIz91zO29RTh2uVE8Gj2_6hrJlMd2rrz32kPlL80GWFw8EATMeaxXAsmBAwT9K5SMjIK3E3CPcsimMxX10jZKehYCi5fuipuTi7xATnKan9qD0WL4EQQu8zWBNSVOoE4WOtoN20xiI/s400/08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514178149732482386" border="0" /></a>I've just read the incredibly sad news that Corinne Day has passed away after a long struggle with brain cancer. As a <a href="http://lemontartletsandwinegums.blogspot.com/2007/03/hmmmm.html">longtime fan</a> whose fashion sensibilities owe a lot to her images and the radical revision of the concept of beauty they brought about in the 90s, I can only say she will be immensely missed- it's even sadder considering she died so young.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />image: fromDazedDigital</span><br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-49870812463591597962010-08-28T17:29:00.000-07:002010-08-28T17:49:12.480-07:00New Favourites<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/07/zizou-500x679.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 679px;" src="http://www.kickette.com/files/2010/07/zizou-500x679.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After a month of careful consideration to think it over, I'm pretty solid on the fact that this is indeed my new favourite image from the AW2010-11 ad campaigns (I mean, it's <span style="font-style: italic;">Zidane*</span>. Modelling for a collection designed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Yohji</span>- as if I needed more reasons to love Y-3).<br />And I must say, I rather enjoy the layering and the fact that the model- I still want to giggle a bit at that- is a slightly older man, even if he happens to be a celebrity.<br /></div><br />*<span style="font-size:85%;">my first-ever football hero, 2006 World Cup final headbutt notwithstanding</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />image from kickette.com</span>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-84023135960480041112010-07-21T07:56:00.000-07:002010-09-07T07:53:33.364-07:00Audrey Kawasaki<div align="justify">I'm no art critic, and when it comes to the work of one of my favourite artists of all time, the oft-cited references to her style being a mixture of Art Nouveau and shoujo manga are things I can't refute or outdo. But <a href="http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/">Audrey Kawasaki's </a>astoundingly beautiful, surreal, <span style="font-style: italic;">eerie </span>portraits of girls (and some boys) with heavily-lidded eyes and no worries about what a potentially prudish onlooker might think of them, are a treat for the opticals- make no mistake about that.</div><div align="justify"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiowHFG0gcKrYL58CDzTOkOXdvbDKN7lXNRJvk41xZE9j1PfFSXpnpN-LIin4oJm1j9BF2cA7XohDtiwTOzsYRNPnVlb_oG0B4ly_jnLuphGdU5g_mCp-OjQ1AUi_iCoVhOlVt-k920uY/s1600/octogirls+06.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 536px; display: block; height: 342px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496477417313142994" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiowHFG0gcKrYL58CDzTOkOXdvbDKN7lXNRJvk41xZE9j1PfFSXpnpN-LIin4oJm1j9BF2cA7XohDtiwTOzsYRNPnVlb_oG0B4ly_jnLuphGdU5g_mCp-OjQ1AUi_iCoVhOlVt-k920uY/s400/octogirls+06.jpg" border="0" /> </a><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Octogirls</em> (2006)</span><br /></p><div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuVcrd6E5-GiYJrUGcLLFvv8lTahk0eMwFcFqVYHMLWDp8IzOMFjC8-WfjxMeKm0Vzb4wKiTWlFOYq_-Vil4y3e99HwypQAH-0c_F34YArYuSqqWZ_z2AX9n-fl8a-Nrfkz7ottToGVw/s1600/dishonest_heart_08.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 535px; display: block; height: 600px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496384388829189906" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuVcrd6E5-GiYJrUGcLLFvv8lTahk0eMwFcFqVYHMLWDp8IzOMFjC8-WfjxMeKm0Vzb4wKiTWlFOYq_-Vil4y3e99HwypQAH-0c_F34YArYuSqqWZ_z2AX9n-fl8a-Nrfkz7ottToGVw/s400/dishonest_heart_08.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Dishonest Heart</em> (2008)</span> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="justify">It's hard to put my finger on just what it is that I love so much about Audrey's work- its beauty goes beyond the obvious, beyond the lines and the details, to the attitudes of her girls (and boys). The mere fact of prettiness isn't what makes them so appealing- the allure has something to do with these beautiful would-be innocents who really don't seem to care that much about what they <em>should</em> be like, being frequently charged with obvious undercurrents of things that are darker, deeper and not pretty at all. Erotica, grotesqueness and the alternate-universe atmosphere created in part by the grain and natural lines of the wood Audrey paints on, coexist in apparent, if somewhat uneasy, peace in each work. This is something that not everyone is comfortable seeing, if the odd spot of online criticism (absurd, IMO) claiming that her work encourages child pornography is anything to go by.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnkZuJe9LGGoieN2vXjp0gz9wNvGdkUa-8Gcwwcrd4kavwSpn5lmLt-ksf8TzvEdh8ADd5jE1nbrvN1L4eBwW9mSKntzPOv2FRgsCH1oBh0BCK1yjFjZA-48wDa0tfvD_ppwyNBCTChw/s1600/linger-08.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 570px; display: block; height: 574px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496379611996899090" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnkZuJe9LGGoieN2vXjp0gz9wNvGdkUa-8Gcwwcrd4kavwSpn5lmLt-ksf8TzvEdh8ADd5jE1nbrvN1L4eBwW9mSKntzPOv2FRgsCH1oBh0BCK1yjFjZA-48wDa0tfvD_ppwyNBCTChw/s400/linger-08.jpg" border="0" /> </a><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Linger</em> (2008)</span><br /></p><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvr8RxbisEA3GrCKM7NgcUoAM7aW79Yb-qIqLSN56Z_WY2Nkd5zID1lEHKFcZe9O0icLQ9Rb_hl7dL_aCSG9_nhx9ynXl4ACiNTFx9GQvATxNriousL986y4QtY0nCUYneiRHikSx2bs/s1600/hyakki_yako_09.jpg"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 570px; display: block; height: 350px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496378753370312818" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvr8RxbisEA3GrCKM7NgcUoAM7aW79Yb-qIqLSN56Z_WY2Nkd5zID1lEHKFcZe9O0icLQ9Rb_hl7dL_aCSG9_nhx9ynXl4ACiNTFx9GQvATxNriousL986y4QtY0nCUYneiRHikSx2bs/s400/hyakki_yako_09.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Hyakki Yakou</em> (2009)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL80asSvD4U4ohLhTtyazrWYOEjpxVFfqds0o75AFAru-_TytG78jmIvEe6EfDZElFdPvEqJOSCgA1Z_Ufp787DH7leoMmcdWPvSzpT9bZaz91LeOHgephI-WSQc_eN0qT7rLg_Tteps/s1600/doodles.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 620px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnL80asSvD4U4ohLhTtyazrWYOEjpxVFfqds0o75AFAru-_TytG78jmIvEe6EfDZElFdPvEqJOSCgA1Z_Ufp787DH7leoMmcdWPvSzpT9bZaz91LeOHgephI-WSQc_eN0qT7rLg_Tteps/s400/doodles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514184265471250338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Doodles. No less lovely than her finished work..</span><br /></p><p align="justify">Audrey's latest pieces, which were<a href="http://i-seldom-do.livejournal.com/155377.html"> engraved wooden brooches</a> designed by her, are on sale now- to those of you who like her work, I suggest getting yourself a brooch. And to those of you who can't buy it and aren't too familiar with her work, I suggest looking at <a href="http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/">Audrey's website </a>or her <a href="http://i-seldom-do.livejournal.com/">livejournal</a>, or <a href="http://twitter.com/audreykawasaki">following her on Twitter</a> if that's what you like. As for lucky people who live in Melbourne or Sydney and are reading this, do visit Audrey's show at the Outre Gallery in either city in October. I'm only sorry I can't be there.</p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">pictures taken from i-seldom-do.livejournal.com and audrey-kawasaki.com, used with the permission of the artist.</span></p>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-91131140895346215062010-07-09T09:47:00.000-07:002010-07-09T11:34:54.151-07:00Boredom Speaks<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVdC7i5fJ6J3v7deCImP6uXCtl-sY1YguXtgTDpqgG6fFq__WLjeW68AFyHbokoLuuRszpeJamlgysLx_EXZ9n-aaV3ZGCVbaki3uc9ZHbSwX3pMuEjYPVng15h8UvuSacNZKSFgPF74/s1600/Cover+Booklet.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 550px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVdC7i5fJ6J3v7deCImP6uXCtl-sY1YguXtgTDpqgG6fFq__WLjeW68AFyHbokoLuuRszpeJamlgysLx_EXZ9n-aaV3ZGCVbaki3uc9ZHbSwX3pMuEjYPVng15h8UvuSacNZKSFgPF74/s400/Cover+Booklet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491949552497350658" border="0" /></a>It's an odd thing for a fashion blogger to say, but fashion has been boring me for a while. Given the extreme speed at which one set of collections follows another (Pre-Fall, Menswear and now Couture Week- how are the designers even breathing?) , I must admit to feeling mildly glutted and tired of it all (not that what I think actually matters to the people involved).<br /><br />And bizarrely for a girl with zero interest in sport, it happens to be exactly the thing that has an iron grip on my brain at the moment, specifically in the form of football. Or maybe football just seems more special than fashion right now because the World Cup comes along once every four years as opposed to every other month, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Octopus">Paul the Octopus</a> doesn't do trend forecasts, only match forecasts. Is anyone else excited for the final?<br /></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-87281200984572710752010-06-16T19:59:00.000-07:002010-06-16T21:08:29.706-07:00Of Shocks and Context<div align="justify">At first sight, I reckon the jacket on the left is an unlikely candidate for being one of the most controversial garments of the 1990s, or for belonging to one of the most controversial collections of that decade. Sold on eBay a handful of years ago and photographed about as plainly as a piece of clothing can be, even the label wouldn't really give away much unless you happened to be (like me) a bit of a fashion geek. And nine out of ten people would probably think "what's the fuss?"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgA83u7AEmFMoUGS1dcCEBnPeG76azTmt8bMFx4m5PPo7SiK3xLNK353aii4sBw9IxyNP1-iOwPDoDKB4t2nKoELxXFuCMhOxp9Isd26TNM0GLOyTp5YHZa8JthllRuT-EZ-litXheKE/s1600/JPG93.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483575498012968658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgA83u7AEmFMoUGS1dcCEBnPeG76azTmt8bMFx4m5PPo7SiK3xLNK353aii4sBw9IxyNP1-iOwPDoDKB4t2nKoELxXFuCMhOxp9Isd26TNM0GLOyTp5YHZa8JthllRuT-EZ-litXheKE/s400/JPG93.jpg" /></a>The fuss in question might become slightly more apparent on seeing the picture below- the good garment in question takes its provenance from none other than Jean-Paul Gaultier's A/W 1993 collection, famously known as the Hasidic collection. </div><div align="justify">Contrary to what many people might think, it wasn't the act of putting clothes modelled on those of orthodox Jewish people on the runway that raised people's hackles- it was the fact that the clothes - traditionally worn by men- were being modelled by <em>women</em>. (women including Naomi Campbell, Nadja Auermann, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, among others). And given that cross-dressing is taboo to Hasidic Jews, it was considered a sacrilege that Jean-Paul Gaultier had encouraged exactly that. Hence, the furore.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlNfgnK7JeRJ3qhKm6cM1SHL52zl2pzUeAXZ5ACgv12ewh3nsMtEGDdF2wG4kOAZEo0lRef8u1sKuL3itdEu8Jz12VvdNq60jXy_sKBcbY6r-80LcSSCmf3UhchcjoaMD1znn4UQwbyA/s1600/JPG1993.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 324px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483573869164187330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlNfgnK7JeRJ3qhKm6cM1SHL52zl2pzUeAXZ5ACgv12ewh3nsMtEGDdF2wG4kOAZEo0lRef8u1sKuL3itdEu8Jz12VvdNq60jXy_sKBcbY6r-80LcSSCmf3UhchcjoaMD1znn4UQwbyA/s400/JPG1993.jpg" /></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkQYU5prR9CnGPMLHNjlaM38lP_AWVaCj5nHuQihmjQj1MTNaLuPUtFGLo-OTPh9xF0bp4US653bzghy-VNRraTrhMQZH8zSzdEuzTJsWBa06IqveNG497EL9aFClA_dZ_TpLeeFdJzY/s1600/JPG1993+hasidic+collection.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 394px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483572220784555234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkQYU5prR9CnGPMLHNjlaM38lP_AWVaCj5nHuQihmjQj1MTNaLuPUtFGLo-OTPh9xF0bp4US653bzghy-VNRraTrhMQZH8zSzdEuzTJsWBa06IqveNG497EL9aFClA_dZ_TpLeeFdJzY/s400/JPG1993+hasidic+collection.JPG" /></a> On some level, mindless cultural appropriation by fashion (see: every time the so-called "tribal" or "ethnic" look swings around on a runway, or even keffiyehs a few years ago) makes me uncomfortable, partly because of the blind one-dimensional idiocy it's done with (both by designers and wearers- see: keffiyeh) and partly because of the connotations of someone's heritage and the aesthetics associated with it being a "trend"- which also means that it can be <em>demode</em> six months later. But this collection doesn't fall prey to that particular trap- the almost commonplace look of the clothes when considered individually (like the jacket in the topmost photograph) is a good lesson in how <em>anything</em>, in the right context, can be exotic or shocking- even the relatively familiar.</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">pictures from eBay, TFS and the New York Times.</span></div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999120180171025160.post-3791038945890308182010-06-11T21:56:00.000-07:002010-06-11T22:38:18.730-07:00My (World) Cup Runneth Over<div align="justify">Sports, as I have said before, has never been my bag of chips- but in honour of the World Cup finally kicking off today, I do rather fancy (in my dreams) wearing these, courtesy Comme des Garçons SS09 : <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w6nrf37WOroVPOxOomgeFyMJJjs3Tx33hCfUIjbJCbmRlxZTbgZVKZV0FK5hcDwtInhjjv-Mld5Mn18Fx_aYxSvsJ5Xmnp60CBbwMd3T0ovrckM5gpMu1Ie19HAdZXQA34h_IW7Ln20/s1600/00180m.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 640px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 480px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481750366261279314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w6nrf37WOroVPOxOomgeFyMJJjs3Tx33hCfUIjbJCbmRlxZTbgZVKZV0FK5hcDwtInhjjv-Mld5Mn18Fx_aYxSvsJ5Xmnp60CBbwMd3T0ovrckM5gpMu1Ie19HAdZXQA34h_IW7Ln20/s400/00180m.jpg" /></a>They're hardly standard WAG-wear and might be likely to get me kicked by an enterprising football hooligan who mistakes me for an old-school ball (not the more aerodynamic FIFA model), but given that the chance for these to be entirely occasion-appropriate hardly ever comes along, I'd say <em>carpe diem</em>.</div>Blue Floppy Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13924517166595597734noreply@blogger.com7