Monday, November 15, 2010

I Love Ballet

Especially Anna Pavlova.What I find so amazing, so inspiring about the art of ballet is the contrasting components. The way a ballerina moves is so graceful, so poised and elegant. Yet, in order to move as they do, they must be incredibly strong. At the same time, a good ballerina can be as delicate as a baby daisy and suddenly propel into a powerful storm of a different kind of grace. A grace that is defined as a warrior-like quality. There's nothing quite like a good ballerina.


Here's some footage of Anna Pavlova performing 'Dying Swan' :

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Vogue Italia Gioiello

The latest Jewelry supplement for Vogue Italia included a smorgasbord of beautifully designed covers. In the world of jewelry, almost anything is possible. Almost anything goes. And, almost anything will have its 15 minutes of fame. From the here-forever classics, such as Chanel length necklaces and Audrey Hepburn pearls, to the excitingly explosive trend of a fistful of rings- Jewelry's seen it all. This issue of Gioiello also included a jewelry through the ages editorial- everything from charm bracelets in the '60s to rings with exuberant pigs on them in the '80s. The thing I love the most about jewelry is its innate power. Jewelry has the power to completely change the mood of an outfit. How many ways can one wear pearls? The answer is infinite. Jewelry has the power to manipulate the same simple outfit one day into something completely different the next day.








Sunday, November 7, 2010

Alexander McQueen S/S '99

Few designers can execute fashion as art and fashion as fashion at the same time as well as Alexander McQueen. It was a tragic loss for the fashion world when McQueen made his departure. Fashion lost its star performer. Some designers have tried and failed to make their shows as much of an experience as McQueen's. Hussein Chalayan's older shows are among the successful few.

For McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 runway show, two mechanical robots were stationed around legendary model, Shalom Harlow on a spinning wooden platform. A sense of suspense was built up by the way the robots pensively moved, as if they were contemplating what they should do. When a decision is reached, the way the model reacts is up to our own interpretation. The story is given to us and we are the creators of what is actually happening. It takes a true artist to involve his or her viewer without literally interacting with them. A bond was born between anyone who attended Mcqueen's S/S '99 show, and anyone who ever watches this video.








Thursday, November 4, 2010

Marcel Rochas' Seagull Bird Dress

Once upon a time, in the year 1934, a couturier in Paris dreamt of an elegant little black dress. However, this was no ordinary dress. The dress in Marcel Rochas' mind was rather the opposite of ordinary. Attached to the front shoulder would be a seagull, one of its wings, particularly arched and curved forward. Perfectly running alongside any woman's face who had the brilliant opportunity to wear it. Like something straight out of a surrealistic painting, the dress was formulated, constructed and photographed for Harper's Bazaar- all in the year 1934. It's amazing what the past holds, isn't it?