Thursday 15 December 2011

Age Of Innovation


Hussein Chalayan is one of those elusive designers who manages to create things that, season after season, leave one flabbergasted. A wooden coffee table/skirt hybrid, LED-lit sheaths and self-transforming robot dresses are just a few examples of ideas that have blossomed in the Cyprus-native’s mind.
Now in its final days of display, Hussein Chalayan: Fashion Narratives at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris pays tribute to a true fashion visionary. Comprised of past collections, installations, fashion shows, projections and research, the exhibition is as multi-layered as the CSM graduate’s work itself.
Even having to book an overpriced, last-minute ticket on the Eurostar seems like a small price to pay when you have the opportunity to spend an afternoon inside the mind of Chalayan the Great.
Hussein Chalayan: Fashion Narratives is at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris until December 11th.

A Reel Take On Fashion


From Edith Head’s designs for Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds to Audrey Tautou portraying one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary couturiers in Coco Before Chanel, fashion and film have enjoyed a well-documented and fascinating relationship.
On screen, clothing embodies the unscripted role of sculpting characters – would Cruella De Vil be as villainous without her floor-length fur coats? Clothes create unforgettable moments such as Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy little black dress outside Tiffany’s, adding to the aesthetic vision of a director – could one imagine Margot Tenenbaum in anything but her heavy eyeliner and preppy polo dresses?
Creative arts platform Test’s series of monthly film screenings and talks mark an intriguing new chapter in the genre. Accompanied by an introduction and Q&A with designer Roksanda Ilincic, the latest motion picture up for discussion will be Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter starring Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde.
More than simply a night of stylish cinema, the event is a testament to the lasting power and iconicity of fashion in film.
Test Presents…The Night Porter Introduced By Roksanda Ilincic takes place at Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF on December 13 at 7:00 pm.

Virtual Valentino For Twin Magazine Blog


This week marked the launch of The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, an archive of over 5000 images, videos and sketches set up in a three-dimensional palazzo landscape.
The fashion lover’s dream of a virtual maze, the tour animates the history of the Valentino empire, as well as the story behind the creation of the 79-year-old’s most iconic pieces. An ode to the lifework of the couturier who retired in 2008, the application is an engaging and fascinating look at one of the Twentieth Century’s most legendary designers. As breathtaking as one of Garavani’s designs in real life, Valentino gone virtual proves why fashion and technology make the perfect mix.
The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum is available for download here

Mercury By Ariana Reines On A Shaded View On Fashion Blog

 
Read my article on the stupendous work of Ariana Reines here.

Saturday 19 November 2011

A Shaded View On Fashion



In case you aren't reading the amazing blog by Diane Pernet already, please feel free to pop on over and read my two posts on Blue Rabbit By Mira and Angus & Soest here.

Friday 18 November 2011

Female Fortitude


Check out my post on French activist JR's film Women Are Heroes on the Twin blog here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Wednesday 9 November 2011

The Monroe Factor

Check out my article on Marilyn Monroe for Twin Magazine's blog here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Vivian Maier


Read my piece on photographer Vivian Maier here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Monday 31 October 2011

Pretty Visitors

 
Check out my interview with the wonderful Madeline of the Tumblr Pretty Visitors.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Days Of Del Rey & A Rossi Revival

No overnight YouTube success can sing a tune quite like Lana Del Rey. Ever the DIY recording star, the 24-year-old’s self-edited clip of debut single Video Games has garnered over 2 million hits and spawned the album Born To Die, set for release in early 2012.
The New Yorker, whose stage name is derived from a combination of film noir actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey automobile, cites Nirvana and Biggie Smalls as two of her biggest musical influences. It is through this combination of retro nostalgia and catchy lyrics such as “you fit me better than my favourite sweater” that the artist also known as Lizzy Grant evokes the days of Sixties sirens singing in small jazz club venues, served with a 21st Century twist.
Del Rey kicks off her UK tour on November 4th in Manchester. It will be the chance to prove to her critics what we already know: she doesn’t just meet the hype surrounding her persona; she exceeds it.
The double single Video Games/Blue Jeans is out now.
lanadelrey.com



The Sergio Rossi boutique re-opening on Saturday was the perfect continuation of the shoe brand’s ethos: elegant decadence.
Inspired by feminity and the world of screen icons, the new flagship store displays creative director Francesco Russo’s designs including pony skin ankle boots, crystal embellished stilettos and fur pom-pom adorned sandals in an Art Deco-styled interior.
With guests including Georgia May Jagger, Roisin Murphy, Dinos Chapman, Liberty Ross and Erin O’ Connor having already given the beautifully decorated space their seal of approval, it’s safe to say that all Londoner shoe fetishists have found themselves a new mecca.
Sergio Rossi, 207A Sloane Street, SW1 X9QXsergiorossi.com

Monday 17 October 2011

Proud To Protest & Cosmic Collages






With Frieze Art Fair having turned London into a kaleidoscope of visionary talents, the timing could not have been more ripe for Seana Gavin’s Alternate Dimensions exhibition at the b Store.
The artist will be showing exactly what makes her space psychedelia work so magnetic. The exhibit will include a three-dimensional collage window installation and otherworldly landscape pieces such as Lost In Space.
Gavin, for whom dreams, science fiction and her upbringing in Woodstock, NY all act as inspirations, has previously exhibited her pieces alongside the likes of Tracey Emin, Mark Titchner, and Jake and Dinos Chapman.
A graduate from the Camberwell College of Art, she explores different states of consciousness in her work, in reaction to the imagery overload and visual noise that constitute our modern-day world.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Gavin’s work so compelling: is it the full spectral range of colour, the seemingly unconnected elements that are blended into one cohesive image or the fact that her collages transport its viewer into another dimension?
The definite explanation of its attraction may still be up in space, but it’s clear that the only worthy  way to experience Seana Gavin’s work is up close and personal.
Alternate Dimensions is at b Store, 24a Savile Row, W1S 3PR until 5 November.

Sunday 16 October 2011

The DSM Takeover / Luminescent Lights


Dover Street Market is engulfed by a variety of installations this week, all in celebration of London’s Frieze Art Fair.
The work of Brazilian/French artist duo Vivid Astro Focus encases the ground floor entrance, creating a 360-degree tunnel of vibrant paintings, which the DSM team is calling it “one of the greatest installations we have ever done”. Three stories upwards resides an exhibition of creations by heel-less shoe God/Daphne Guinness favourite Noritaka Tatehana and New Yorker ceramicist/sculptor James Salaiz.
The store is also exclusively hosting Dr Marten’s Bespoke in its basement event space, where the iconic boots can be completely customised, right down to the last eyelet.
If you ever needed an excuse to get lost in Dover Street Market for a few hours, this is it.




Carsten Höller’s (BELVEDERE)RED Double Sphere Hanging, debuted at the pre-Grammy Awards party in Los Angeles, is truly a more than meets the eye piece of art.
Composed of red and white flashing bulbs, the light installation was inspired by Höller’s desire to unbalance the rational mind and create a piece which puts the viewer’s personal experience at the forefront of its purpose.
Built in partnership with Belvedere Vodka and (RED), the piece will be auctioned off at Art Basel Miami in December. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Global Fund, an international organisation dedicated to fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, making the Double Sphere Hanging both benevolent and beautiful.

Friday 7 October 2011

David David Talks On Twin Magazine Blog



In a shameless bit of self-promotion, check out my post for the Twin Magazine blog here.
Image via twinfactory.co.uk



Saturday 30 July 2011

Style Icon: Björk For Sweet & Sound



Check out my article for Sweet & Sound here.


Before Lady Gaga hatched out of her Hussein Chalayan designed egg, the mélange of the music industry and avant-garde fashion was (and still is) dominated by the unequaled kaleidoscopic visionary that is Björk Guðmundsdóttir. From crystal face masks and jingle bell dresses by Alexander McQueen to the crochet pieces by The Icelandic Love Corporation for her Volta album, when it comes to Björk’s fashion sense there are no boundaries. On Björk things aren’t just mere objects but a higher form of artistic self-expression.
Born in Reykavík, she released her first recording at the tender age of 11 and played in the Icelandic punk band Tappi Tikarass and alternative rock group The Sugarcubes before launching her solo career in 1993. Fiercely individual and ever-evolving, there is no artist that is comparable to Björk – not even old incarnations of Björk herself. Every album is such an evolution from the last, that the only thing stringing them together is that unmistakable voice.
The reflection of her über-creative mind can be seen in the Icelandic’s polarising fashion choices. The Marjan Pejoski swan dress she wore to the Academy Awards, where she was nominated for I’ve Seen It All from the soundtrack of Lars Von Trier’s Dancer In The Dark, has been labelled as one of the worst dresses in the history of red carpets. I find it quirky and a clever allude to the dying swan, coveted one moment, gone the next mantra of the creative industries, where every single/film/collection/exhibition could be your swan song. Having compared the trend and styling dictations of the fashion world to fascism, it is clear the Björk couldn’t be less interested in what critics might think of her style.
The ultimate ambassador for individuality and non-conformatism, Björk is an otherworldly creature that is misunderstood by most. Whether you find her fashion style remarkable or revolting, the world would be a bleak one without her.

Thursday 30 June 2011

Dazed Digital

Check out my recent contributions to the Dazed Digital blog below.



Images taken from dazeddigital.com