And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it
Kat Von D is one of those people I wish I was or had the balls to be. Apart from being effortlessly cool, shes now adding fashion designer to her seemingly endless list of talents. I personally love Kat Von D's style, while some may consider it risque borderline trashy perhaps, its a perfect representation of her free wheeling spirit, a little bit out there, a little bit on the edge. From the sneak peaks that are available of her clothing line, it seems that Von D has blended her own style preferences with a more subtle take on Gothic fashion to give us a more wearable version of her own wardrobe, without losing her own stamp on the collection of course. So far the collection is incorporating tailored military jackets with a cinched in waist, burlesque style pencil skirts and cut out leather leggings. The line pays homage to Von D's mother who made all of Kat's clothes growing up and in the process taught her daughter to sew. A lesson we could probably all learn in these times. The exact date for the collection has yet to be announced but will be made available this Fall.
I'm really looking forward to the "Life In A Day" premiere on the 27th of January 2011. The man pioneering such a massive project is Kevin MacDonald the directing extraordinaire, responsible for films such as The Last King of Scotland and One Day in September. Determined to show us life through a lens, MacDonald is teaming his talents with executive producer Ridley Scott who directed Black Hawk Down, Thelma and Louise and the Gladiator to name but a few. It is quite a wonderful concept gather 4500 hours of footage, from 192 countries and allow human nature to become the driving force in creating the largest user generated film ever. Iv watched a few of the teasers and its almost like a kaleidoscope version of Ferris Buellers Day Off. Life at its best. The film will be premiered at a live broadcast on Youtube from the Sundance Film Festival at 8.15 p.m EST.
Carey Mulligan is simply too cute to exist. Even though Mulligan has stated she doesn't care much for fashion, credit must be given to her stylist because Mulligan has hands down conquered the 50s inspired lady like trend that's been floating around lately. While Mulligan may be critised for wearing too much black and staying in her comfort zone, she always seems to look elegant and comfortable, so if its not broken! When she does choose to mix things up she chooses simplicity and opts for a cinched in waist or a necklace. She also manages to pull off the ballet pump look without compromising the integrity of the rest of the outfit which in itself is a pretty mean feat. One of her looks that I adore is Mulligans appearance at the BAFTA's, where she wore a Preen dress and teamed it with statement electric blue shoes. Mulligan has even been tipped to play Daisy Buchanan in the Baz Luhrmann remake of The Great Gatsby. It would seem that 2010 was the year Mulligan joined the big leagues and 2011 looks to be just as promising. If Mulligan can stay true to herself then it would seem that a style icon has been born.
The new skins is back on the 27th of January, if the trailers anything to go by I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to it. Series four of Skins was rather disappointing, yeah the kids were wearing the right things listening to the right music but Freddies murder at the hands of crazy train John Foster really??!! I stand to be corrected but I really think Skins has run its course. There was something about the first and second series of Skins that was gritty and course, even the characters were a little more dishevelled, instead of pertaining to the hipster trend that followed later. There was drugs, sex and lots of weed which were shocking when it debuted first but now it feels like producers are clinging to shock value in a feeble attempt to retain its already skeptical fan base. I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor Momsem joined the gang at this stage. If the producers learned anything from the fourth series then perhaps they'll develop the characters more instead of loosely tying the plot together in a fitting finale. Really though are we expected to believe that Panda secretly studied for Harvard exams, if my memory serves me correctly she seemed to spend a lot of time frolicking around on MDMA. Hopefully the fashion will continue to inspire, please bring us another Cassie Ainsworth, Effy and Co as wonderful as they were never quite filled the vacuum.
Seriously though Skins has the platform to be great, to really show people whats going on out there, its 2011 and things have changed. It is hard growing up, no other generation is subjected to such levels of technology and media influence as teenagers growing up today. Although the show may be glamorised it cant be denied that teenagers are drinking more, taking drugs and having sex at an early age. Look around Dublin, you'll see this culture everywhere set alight in every pub and every club. This is the culture we're growing up in whether people like to believe it or not.
An American version of the show has been aired on MTV and of course its facing the same lynch mob the UK version did. The New York Daily News has expressed that the shows " marketing campaign itself makes light of lying to parents and participating in all manner of harmful, irresponsible, illegal and adult themed behaviour." And so it begins. Its quite hard for me to fathom that parents really believe they can shelter there kids from doing these things or seeing these images of supposed hedonistic activity. Knowledge is power, things will never change if people are too scared to acknowledge whats going on. Unfortunately until parents choose to educate instead of condemn,the age gap will never be bridged. I really love that Marvis Staples song Your not Alone especially when she sings "every tear on every face tastes the same". We're not lifetimes apart people drank too much, experimented with drugs and their sexuality in the 50s/60s/70s too but now the situation has got worse, so lets make an effective system to reduce teen suicide, reduce drug addiction and teen pregnancies. That will never be accomplished by a mob mentality or the burning of books so to speak. Let teenagers see what these things do to you, how can you be afraid of something you've never seen? I didn't mean to turn this post into a rant, but its an argument worth having even if its with myself.
It would be pretty easy for Julia Restoin Roitfeld to ride the coattails of her mothers resume Carine Roitfeld. Its often hard to respect celebrities who squeeze their way into the limelight in a hierarchical fashion that should be left to 18th century politics. That said it cant be the basis either for baseless bashing. Julia Restoin Roitfeld is certainly one of those celebrities who indeed possess some of the talent that made her mother famous. As muse to Tom Ford and YSL the case cant really be argued. Recently Roitfeld not only donned Tom Fords new S/S 2011 collection but even snapped her own self portraits and afterwards found time to interview the seminal designer. Her style isn't profound or earth shattering but it is a simple demonstration of the less is more philosophy. Whats wonderful about Roitfelds style is the main components of her wardrobe shirts, simples skirts and blazers are all probably sititng in your wardrobe too. While Roitfeld tends to lean towards a darker palette of clothing her features are truly complimented by the splashes of colour she incorporates now and again. I absolutely love the Isabel Marant skirt shes wearing with the red cardigan iv been looking for a skirt like that for awhile now, I'm planning on teaming it with a band tee and studs galore. There's certainly something about Julia Restoin Roitfeld and its got nothing to do with her last name.
PASSING stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream,)
I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,
You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours only nor left my body mine only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass, you take of my beard, breast, hands, in return,
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone,
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.
I adore Rie Rasmussen shes basically the Angelina Jolie of the modelling industry. Impulsive, daring and a mysteriousness that goes far beyond the eye shes definitely a style crush of 2011. The Scandinavian beauty has talents that lie far beyond modelling. Art whether it be in the medium of sculpting, painting or writing are mechanisms through which she feels can really tell her story "bringing art into the moment" if you will. Starring in Brian de Palmas Femme Fatal, Rasmussen produced her own feature film in 2009 called Human Zoo. I would be kinda easy to stereotype Rasmussen, the quintessential Victoria Secret girls looks are knockout but her style has a dark sinister vibe. She possesses a formidable quality of the unexpected. A look where you cant help but be fascinated by her every move. Those deep set suspecting blue eyes coupled with almost futuristic outfits make me wonder what life experiences brought Rasmussen to this level of zen. Even in her beautiful beaded pink Cannes gown Rasmussen has all the attributes of a woman who cant be messed with.
Christmas has come and gone. January always leaves me feeling weird. I'm never quite sure what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. I'm always left in that awkward stage of indecision where I feel I should be on the cusp of changing my life but I have no idea how I should even begin to do this or even if I'm arsed. I thought about belly dancing after I watched Shakira shaking her arse around in Waka Waka but really the thought of even breaking a sweat scares me to death, plus the only time I enjoy dancing is when I'm loaded up on JD. Oh but how I wish I had hips movable like that even if it means removing several bones from my body. Then I thought id write a book, OK by this point I admit I was slightly delusional, so I googled the matter and it held all the worn down secrets writers pass from one to another, write about what you know yada yada. So I know asolutely nothing. Case closed. The curtain has come down on that one. Then I thought about getting rich, fleetingly, but stamped that one in the dust when I realised one has to spend money to make it. So I'm going to start 2011 with the intention of somehow someway stumbling upon my passion, my raison d'etre. And if I don't then I don't really give a shit because this time next year il raise my glass to the same toast, the same resolutions and the same worn down promises so maybe the best thing to do is see where 2011 takes me.
I tend to fall behind on television trends, every now and then a TV show descends upon us, gripping our hearts, clutching our souls or well hyperbole aside giving us a reason to stay in on a Thursday night. Facebook status' will be dedicated to it, columns of magazines will be consumed with its secrets and in general everyone gets a little bit cooler by watching it. This was the reason I started watching Mad Men. I want to catch up with everyone else, look a little cooler, be involved in the convo but that's not going to happen when iv just watched episode one of series one!! Not to worry I have come across the cheats guide to Mad Men. Phew!
Jazz artists pf the 1930s and 1940s became the unequivocal trendsetters of their generation. One such irrefutable music and fashion guru was Lady Day otherwise known as Billie Holiday. Changing the face of the music industry Holiday was the first female front woman to work on stage with white musicians lending her vocal talents to the Archie Shaw band.
Lady Days life was not without tragedy, becoming a prostitute at the tender age of 13, Holiday was forced to work in the nightclubs of Harlem as her mother fell sick. With a penchant for hard drugs Holidays rise to fame came to an almost unprecedented end when she was convicted and imprisoned for possession of illegal drugs.
Perhaps in some ways Holiday will always be the peoples tragic heroine but when we truly listen to her raw unusual vocals its not with sympathy we should respond but rather celebration of the wonderful tenacity of a woman who fought the social norms and her own demons for her entire career. Her style harmoniously matched her stage presence. Adorned in pearls, gowns and her trademark gardenias Holiday rounded off her look with dark red lips and high arched brows. Holidays style was marked with a polished elegance, a style that hearkens to an era gone by.
