Seizure Magazine: The Style Issue

I'm proud as punch to have had an article included in the third edition of Seizure magazine.

And, even better, those are my shoesy wuzzies on the cover. #famous 

You can order a copy online.

London 2012

Let's just look at this picture of Lebron James fixing Kobe Bryant's tie (Athens, 2008) and reflect on the fact that the Olympics are the greatest thing humanity has accomplished.

It's nearly time!

girls and boys

Some years ago I attended the pre-formal (or 'prom' to you yanks) drinks of my friend's little sister. It was pretty standard fare - teenagers sipped from glasses filled with about one tablespoon of champagne while their parents looked on, and there were plenty of those wildly awkward group photographs in which tuxedoed boys stand behind their partners in a huge semi-circle, everyone smiling goofily. 


The whole thing took place about four years after I had attended my own formal, and I remember feeling faintly annoyed at how much kinder the prevailing fashions were to these girls - none of them were wearing full length skirts and there were no corsets of the kind that always look absurd on 16 year old girls. A youthful silhouette was driving fashion, with Empire waist lines and baby doll (but not Mod) dresses decidedly 'in'.  I remember recognising the influence of Nina Ricci's Spring 2006 collection in many of the girls' pretty outfits.

ANYWAY. I don't know why but I was discussing this event with a girlfriend recently and we suddenly recalled one particular girl in attendance who baffled expectations by bringing two male partners. I remember finding this exceptionally amusing at the time, particularly because there was no explanation given. They weren't even a particularly vivacious threesome - the enduring picture I have in my head is of the girl in question seated beneath a tree while her two betuxed escorts stood nearby, none of them speaking. 

Another girlfriend who was listening to the story suggested it sounded like something out of a fashion shoot. She's quite right. There are plenty of fashion campaigns in which a woman is accompanied by two men. I can't explain why but it somehow makes for a sexy dynamic.

See further discussion of this image re Cowardly Lion here

 Versace Spring 2011 campaign

This may be wishful thinking but don't the women seem strong/ more powerful than the men? Possibly something to do with the fact that the modelling industry is almost entirely a woman's game and so the men are necessarily anonymous?

Debrett's reprezent

"You can't sit with us!"

I have nothing to add to the awesome caption accompanying this photo (taken at Prince William's wedding) of Princess Diana's nieces, Kitty, Amelia and Eliza Spencer, except to say, "Good one, internet."

National Anthem

I had just finished reading the first chapter of Dreaming in French: The Paris Years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis when I saw Lana Del Rey's video for "National Anthem". 

Maybe it's because I had Jackie on my mind but I feel completely bowled over by the thing.

There is so much stuff to talk about. Stripes and spangled stars, two cars and three kids, vacations and big hair, Ralph Lauren, but especially Tommy Hilfiger, youth and huge money. It's all here.

Amidst all the thoughts about this video I have swirling around in my head, there are a few fashion touchstones I keep coming to.

First, the pink Chanel (via Chez Ninon) suit that the real Mrs Kennedy wore on the day her husband was assassinated. Jackie refused to remove the blood-stained suit for fifteen hours after her husband's death - meaning that she was wearing it when Vice President Johnson was sworn in.

Lady Bird Johnson, who had also been in the motorcade in Dallas, described her predecessor's appearance: 

"I looked at her. Mrs. Kennedy's dress was stained with blood. One leg was almost entirely covered with it and her right glove was caked, it was caked with blood - her husband's blood., Somehow that was one of the most poignant sights - that immaculate woman exquisitely dressed, and caked in blood."

It's good that Del Rey stays away from the gore of JFK's assassination, even if a lot of the clip has a Zapruder feel. The closest we get to reenactment is a beautiful short of Lana climbing over the rear of the car, as Jackie herself did, moments after her husband was shot.

I studied JFK's assassination as part of year 11 modern history and as a result have seen the footage of his death several times. Without knowing much about Jackie and John's marriage, apart from the fact of his philandering, I always had a particular understanding of what happened - JFK gets shot in the head and, almost instantly, Jackie is scrambling out of the car, trying to get out of harm's way.

Just a few days before watching the "National Anthem" clip, I learned that I had been quite mistaken. Apparently - and it certainly seems this way when you watch the Zapruder film - Jackie instinctively reached to retrieve a piece of her husband's skull that was blown away by the gunshot. I found myself deeply affected by this revelation and how my misinterpretation of a single gesture could so drastically alter my understanding of the moment and the people in it. It's because of this that I find the shots of Lana on the back of the car - where she seems as though she could be smiling - quite poignant 

Del Rey's main look for the clip is GOAT's bell-sleeved Orion dress in a powder blue. (It's actually for sale at a marked-down price here.) 

Though the dress is demure, there are hints that things may not be quite what they seem. What should be a string of pearls around her neck turns out to be a necklace of diamonds. If she is Jackie then it's probably Mrs Onassis, not Kennedy.

Then there is Marilyn Monroe's 1962 "Mr President" dress by Jean Louis.

I mean come on. So overtly sexy and risque, it's ridiculous.

And I can't help but think Lana drops the ball on this one:

So half-assed - Marilyn was sewn into hers, after all. The dress works OK in the grainy videoclip footage but seeing the high def pic above is a definite mood killer.

But anyway, as it turns out, Lana is neither a Jackie or a Marilyn, but a Priscilla. Presley, that is. Of course Lana has been rocking this vibe for a while but she becomes Priscilla in this video.

And, thank heavens, Lana's trailer park manicure is still going strong:

I was always intrigued by Lana's nails but it was seeing her make the international hand signal for 'toke it' in her "Born to Die" clip ("... let's got get high"), that sealed the deal. True love. I am utterly flabbergasted by fashion types who criticise those fabulous talons. For me they are by far the most compelling aspect of her entire look.

Though I find Lana's unrelentingly retro style a little tiresome at times, it works perfectly in "National Anthem". Along with the cinematography of the video, we're basically smacked over the head with a sense of misplaced nostalgia. I mean, I wasn't alive in 1963 (of course, neither was Miss Del Rey), so  how does this video so effectively invoke in me a sense of mournful longing for the era? Can you miss something you never had?

My mum suggested to me the word saudade, a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist ... a turning towards the past or towards the future". This seems kind of perfect.

Add to the mix the casting of A$AP as Del Rey's JFK and things get really interesting. For me, as with  Bradley Soileau in Lana's previous videos, A$AP is pitch perfect, in that he is a pitch perfect babe. 

I'm not sure if the idea or (more to the point) the image of miscegenation is still considered shocking. I do know that 'sexy' is way ahead of 'shocking' in the list of words I'd use to describe Lana and A$AP's interactions in this video. [NB. A$AP has been added to my list of oddly benign rapper names. List already includes Ice Cube, Ice-T and Q-Tip.]

I can only think of one other music video in which a white female singer kisses a black man; Madonna's "Like a Prayer". But while there's basically no attempt to create a sense of romance or even intimacy in "Like a Prayer", the love story of "National Anthem" is remarkably convincing, not least due to Lana's impressive acting skills. The comparison between the two videos ends up seeming a little, shall we say, superficial. 

Miscegenation and its representation in film has such a complicated history in the US. I really do love that in this video Del Rey has given us an image so attractive and desirable that you almost forget everything else.

What I really like is how successfully Lana and A$AP portray a spectacularly envy-inducing couple. They Have It All - beautiful boats, cars, houses, friends and kids - but more than that, they're just totally hot for each other. They touch, gaze and kiss like teenagers. When Lana breaks outs some dancehall moves it is unquestionably all for him. All this contributes to intensifying the impact of the final scene of the video, which according to its makers is about the loss of innocence. 

frozen ephemera

The exceptionally beautiful tableware pictured below is made by Sydney ceramicist Hayden Youlley.

In Youlley's own words The Paper Series is a study in 'lightness, translucency, mimicry and texture'. Hand-casting each piece in porcelain, Youlley displays imagination combined with impressive technical skill - and why not? Dude learned his craft at Sydney's College of Fine Arts.

Now, I don't want to toot my own horn, but as someone who once drunkenly stole a Hayden Youlley cup from the artist himself, I feel uniquely positioned to promote these lovely objects.

The Cup has a quality that makes the owner (ahem...) want to keep grasping long after its contents have been consumed.

You can read more about Hayden and his work here.

ambrosia

Portrait of Doris Day by John Florea, photographed in 1953.

Note Miss Day's very au courant sheer skirt, and pre-Tim Walker pastel pups.

As an aside, Doris Day sings my second-favourite rendition of the song Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be), in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much.  The best version is by Sly And The Family Stone.

Don't be sad, Dor. Ain't no shame in being beaten by the best.

A meek and forlorn flower, with naught of pride

I am currently lusting after the work of the American artist Nick Cave.

His incredibly tactile, densely embroidered and embellished works, some of which are constructed using human hair, are just too lush for words.

And it's nice to see that there seems to be a lot of chatter about him despite the considerable google-problem his name poses.

Bill Gaytten for Christian Dior

Wait... What?

Christian Dior, Resort 2013

Miu Miu, RTW 2008

The current Resort collection will be Bill Gaytten's last at Dior before Raf Simons takes over. I can only assume he suffered from some kind of brain explosion - that Miu Miu dress was by no means obscure, having appeared on several magazine covers and red carpets.

One can't help but feel for Gaytten. I don't think I've read a single article on him that hasn't contained the phrase 'big shoes to fill'. 

But don't let's end on a sour note. The resort collection also included this marvelous confection: 

No doubt it will look beautiful on Marion Cotillard.

Is this look a hint of what might have been had Gaytten had more time and less pressure? I don't think so. In fact during his tenure as head designer at Dior, Gaytten created a number of ravishing New Look-waisted ensembles, often incorporating some impressively un-frivolous tulle skirts (like the red one, above). He drew from the Dior archives and displayed the same spooky ability as his predecessors to make sensible women want to cinch their waists and pad their busts. For this alone, he deserves to be more than a footnote in the fashion house's history.

Etsy buys for under $1 billion

Contrast-lined navy jacket, $36:

Post and Beam

"Peeper" earrings, $10:

Brooklyn Frock

Lucite-handled umbrella, $24: 

Sugar Bank

Red Ferragamo low heels, $60:

Planet Claire Vintage

Diamante brooch from Richard Nixon's presidential campaign (it's an election year after all), $13:

Copy Desk

Fork You

Egads.

If I possessed one piece of jewellery half as lovely as this set of cocktail forks, I would be a satisfied woman. From etsy seller, TheJewelryTech.

swatch out

So who knew that Swatch made sunglasses in the 1990s?

Not I, not I.

They really are rather now, don't you think? Ebay is flooded with them and I've half a mind to buy a pair...

darkened by the heat of passion

I recently planted some dear little tulip bulbs in my garden (at precisely the wrong time of year, my father has helpfully pointed out) and shortly afterwards was struck by a troubling thought  - do I like tulips? Thank heavens for the internet which has reminded me; I do indeed.

House of Worth, "Tulipes Hollandaises", silk and metal cape, 1889, The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maker unknown, Kimono, 1910-1930, Japan, Machine-spun pongee silk woven with stencil-printed warp threads,  

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Cover of "The Tatler", 5 May 1954, designed by Sigrid Hunt, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

the classics

Sorry for the ages-long gap in blogging. I am in a bit of a fashion funk at the moment, but anyway here is a nice reminder that it's not all bad:

Evening dress (1958) by Madame Grès, silk jersey, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

There's a good little piece here on the links between classical art and fashion. In particular the wet drapery of classical sculpture is echoed in many of Grés' extraordinary designs.

Unknown artist, "Muse Terpsichore" (Roman copy of Greek original), marble, 2nd century AD, 

State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

I spent a while looking for a good example of wet draping in sculpture before settling on this one of Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance. In the sculpture the 'fabric' suggests movement and the form of the wearer's body below. Conversely, Grés' silk creation seems to do the opposite, the dress conveying a sense of deep stillness - as if hewn from marble, I guess.

And just because I can't bear not to share this image, here is another example of fabric in sculpture:

Raffaelo Monti, "Veiled Lady", c. 1860, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Gail Sorronda S/S 2013: Oh My Goth

If there's one story that'll break this little patriot's heart this week (well, a patriot as far as fashion is concerned), it'll be the tale of Tim Blanks (i.e. the world's best reviewer of contemporary fashion) and Bryan Boy (Celebrated person of some sort. This isn't about him.) being denied entry to Brisbane designer Gail Sorronda's presentation.

My god, are we trying to make ourselves appear provincial? The horror, the horror.

What makes things extra awful is that Sorronda is one of the most interesting local designers around at the moment. I would love to know what Blanks would have made of her collection, "Oh My Goth". (Not that Blanks has been particularly prolific in terms of reviews so far this week. Hey Australian Vogue, not getting your money's worth much?)

Quite the departure from her beautiful and austere black and white collection last year, Sorronda's palette this time around was all like:

Sweet but not saccharine. And though I'm no great lover of polka dots, Sorronda's manage somehow to avoid being too twee.

And quite frankly, at this point any respite from moody symmetrical florals is okay with me.

Photos stolen from Vogue.com.au

Romance Was Born S/S 2013: BERSERKERGANG

Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett presented their Spring/Summer 2012 collection on Monday this week, the product of a deal Romance Was Born inked with Marvel to gain exclusive access to the comic book behemoth's archives. Being nought but a lowly blogger, I was unable to wrangle an invite to the show this week, something I sorely regret as they clearly know how to put on a show.

In keeping with RWB's previous collections  - and especially fittingly given the Marvel connection - the show was driven primarily by print designs. Ben-Day dots were especially effective in referencing the comic book theme while remaining attractive and wearable:

Elsewhere the prints worked best when slightly abstracted, one piece bringing an unexpectedly baroque flavour to proceedings:

Romance Was Born has never had any trouble attracting column inches - the mainstream media loves a wacky designer about whom they can write tedious "What's all this crazy fashion stuff about" articles. Case in point.


The question is, do these sort of clothes sell? I for one hope so because when Romance Was Born are good, they're electric.

That said, there was some pieces in the collection that didn't pull their weight.

The inspiration for the collection being what it was, RWB were wise to mostly avoid designs that might bring to mind halloween costumery of the cheap and nasty variety. But a couple of pieces felt a a little too "Sexy Spiderman" for my liking.

And as for this piece:

Well, I kinda feel like The Blonds have a lock on this genre:

And given the impeccable fit of the New York label's garments, I'm not sure that the comparison is one that works to RWB's favour.

Photos stolen from Vogue.com.au