Wang: smoke and fire

Alexander Wang remains one of my favorite talents on the scene: despite the simplicity and geometrical cuts of his garments, his attention to details is admirable. Single pleats, twists, 'gloved sleeves', coupled with a wonderful mix of fabrics: leather, wool, fur, felt, mohair. Not to mention his non-apparel range: double-handled 2-sided handbags, pointy shoes 'softened' with chunky woolen socks. The colour palette is not surprising for his AW13 collection: shades of smoky grey revived by contrasting red-haired models.

The loves? Flaming red hair ponytails and fur 'boxing' gloves: as usual A. Wang cannot escape his Rock and underground touch...I love it!

Zero Dark Thirty: a time for landing?

It would be difficult for me to say what I was expecting from Katryn Bigelow's latest movie. Two things were certain though: I admire her work and I knew it would be difficult to portray such a recent historical event without being highly criticized.

Because the result was indeed a portrayal: a narrative of a secret mission without much controversy or questioning of the actual facts. Narrating the story about the capture of one of the most wanted men in history after not even a year would be very compromising and restrictive if the project was to challenge and highlight any controversy behind Bin Laden's capture.
Hence, the result is a quasi-documentary of the actual events: a powerful documentary though that pays honor to Bigelow's skills and a tremendously captivating lead character.
Jessica Chastain is surreal: her eyes and expression draw the spectator without needing for her to speak or move. A hypnotizing effect only achievable by a true star, and under Bigelow's direction she unquestionably blooms into a star!
The interrogation scenes were harsh, the years of investigation before the capture were far beyond a 'job' conception: a true life dedication. The movie did not question any steps undertaken by the US military nor the likeliness that Bin Laden was truly sleeping in his house that morning; it mostly told the story of a bright lonely career woman whose bravery and exhaustion culminate in a final scene with Chastain blasting into tears. The only 'motherfucker' woman agent who truly believed in her convictions and acted accordingly in a men's dominated world: a searcher for justice and for a better world, a perfectionist. Traits that are not unfamiliar to Bigelow; Maya (Chastain) is a female 'Bodi'...only operating on the side of justice.

My answer is that it is not yet time for 'landing' for Bigelow: her movie is captivating and moving, maybe not in the way we would expect, but it still is!

The Dark Knight

He’s certainly one of the best-known heroes of the 20th and 21st century: the only creature rising from the darkness whose purpose is not evil and whose soul is 200% human.

Bob Kane had to come up with a character charismatic enough to compete with Superman and whose charisma would match Zorro’s and The Phantom’s: no need to say challenging enough!
That’s when Batman was born in 1939: a cape and a mask, but instead of drawing on the roots of Spanish cavalry and riding a horse, Bruce Wayne was drawing on a force of nature and driving a machine that looked a lot like a rocket. What could be more alert, sensitive and dark than bats? So silent that the noise of their wings perfectly fades away in the wind and so sensitive that they would perceive danger miles away. Couple that with a successful business entrepreneur that would set the idealistic image of the ‘career-accomplished’ 1940’s American businessman and the result is simple: Batman.

The dream of the double-sided identity was certainly not a new one: from Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, the myth of the Ware wolf, to Count Dracula. But for the first time, Batman, was devoted to restoring peace and to accomplish ‘something good’ to the point of meticulous control and calibre of his two identities. The animal side would be a highly inspirational one, rather than an uncontrollable propelling force that would take over the human side. No unusual DNA code would be mixed with that of a bat, but rather the adoption of the costume would be to Batman the beginning of an inward journey aimed at dealing with his personal fears and channelling that energy towards positive actions and the rescue of a trashed city best described by its gothic architecture; a city inspired by a Manhattan that we are hoping never to see.
Reflecting on the years of darkness the society was going through in the late '30s, even though on a different type of darkness, the birth of the Batman must have come as the result of a demand for hope and belief.

The fictional character that inspired TV shows, movie directors, designers has come back with the latest Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” . I still remember the first Tim Burton’s blockbuster: a gothic movie where the setting had become a canvas of blacks, purples, reds: contrasting colors and characters, few dialogs, a captivating soundtrack. A more shy Bruce Wayne where the tinier figure of Michael Keaton seemed to contrast his inner force even more and  made him appear a lot stronger. A Jack Nicholson trashing a museum only for the sake of it to the sound of a very sensual "Cream" by Prince and a Kim Basinger whose inexpression would become acceptable only because of her captivating and enlighting beauty.

A fictional character that would grow through endorsements by Val Kilmer, Clooney to culminate with Bale. Batman would adopt looks to resemble the Comic book’s drawings more and more as the hero would become taller and stronger. Definitely a more impressive figure aesthetically, but a more vulnerable one that would allow the spectator inside the real life of Bruce Wayne and the true human condition of the Batman.

The latest one is a movie not to be missed, even though it offers suggestions for the end of the Bruce Wayne we know, but nevertheless for a birth of the Batman legacy.

Thank you Chris Nolan.

Chuck rocks with you

From basketball to Rock 'n' Roll: that seems a long way to go, but Converse has achieved a popularity that goes beyond these kinds of boundaries.

It is not about purpose anymore, but style and symbolism rather. We don’t say ‘basketball trainers’ any longer, but when we say your  ‘Chuck Taylors’ we know exactly what we mean: they haven’t changed, it’s the same colored twill flat that you were wearing when you were 16 and it’s the same you are still allowed to wear at 40. Because like Coca Cola it has become so universal that it’s made history! Affordable, it’s been reworked to suit all narcissistic needs of our ‘fashiony ‘ society: from leather to sequins to limited editions and studs.

And even designers have become worried as we see Louboutin, Choo, Martin Margiela and Jacobs coming up with their own version of the ‘Basketball’ flat to tap into this Converse universe.

Well, the smartest thing to do might then have been MAG's idea to work collaboratively with the trainers’ brand guru to create dedicated Chuck Taylors for the music industry and not quite any music: Rock and hard rock.  That seems to make perfect sense given that most of the performers already wear them: no way you could fly like Ashba with cowboy boots, that’s for sure!

I love the Richard Fortus' edition

The boy is new in town

Making your way to the top by designing the perfect Tee obviously requires a sense of style and feel of fashion that would justify your name being praised among luxury brands and Hollywood’s jet set.


Well, James Perse did it and did it well! Up to now I have always relied on high street fashion to stock on my basics and I was glad I could purchase that whit tee for a very modest amount as I obviously had to repeat the ‘ritual buy’ at least every couple of months to make up for the poor quality not resisting my ‘delicate wash’ cycle.

However , the ‘LA kid’ has now made his way to this side of the ocean with his first store opening in Notting Hill, on the very chic side of Westbourne Grove, last month.

So here I come: stocking on my first ‘eternal’ basic tee. I love the texture, the feel, the shape, the colors,…The only drawback? Won’t be that easy to justify my repeated addictive ‘ritual buy’ at James Perse as the only reason to drive me into store would be the very egocentric need to treat myself and stock on my favourite basic in six different colors and at least three different neck shapes. You could potentially find solutions to the problem though: opening a James Perse savings account and filling it up by giving up your daily starbucks’latte; finding a very generous partner; be patient and allow yourself only exceptional purchases you will enjoy looking forward to.

James Perse offers indeed a very comprehensive core designs collection which will always be waiting for you.

If you visit the store to get your revenge on your ping pong match against one of the super nice sales assistants while listening to ‘Thin Lizzy’, well, it is a complete different story…

http://www.jamesperse.co.uk/

A denim love story

As an official ‘fashion freak’ I love shopping, but it never takes me long to realize that in the end I always tend to buy the same styles in different brands and colors: the art of duplication is indeed a very subtle one and it requires enough detail orientation to make sure you can justify your multiple shopping sprees by actually being conscious of that touch of “difference” and “uniqueness” that distinguishes all your pair of jeans.

But let me tell you about my favourite ‘closet lover’, the ‘guy’ I would never betray, the perfect partner who knows how to make me feel beautiful and confident, sexy and feminine. His name won’t be unfamiliar to some of you: the JBrand waxed denim in rust!

Our relationship began when I purchased it on Shopbop.com last year, out of love at first sight, and since then our story has relied on mutual trust and faithfulness.

I could not believe how striking the resemblance with a pair of leather trousers was, without the price downside of course and without the risk of falling into a ‘trashy rock’ look. I thought it was the perfect trade-off for a gentle rock’n roll style and I was right. Since then it has been with me several days a week and several nights as well: because thanks to his flattering color it is the perfect versatile trouser that would fit my day in the office when coupled with a flared shirt and a cashmere v-neck or that would make you look terrific as a ‘sexy rock chick’ with a sequined tank, a leather blazer and biker booties for my clubbing nights.

Like every fashion piece, whatever I buy, I buy because of the feeling I get when wearing it: I need to feel good in my outfits, but I also need to feel that I am staying true to my personality and to who I am. Fashion to me is exactly this: displaying who you are because you have nothing to hide about yourself.

My JBrand allows me to do just that and whatever mood I am when waking up, it’s there for me to cheer me up and reminding me of who I am and why I am in love with it. When I want to make my day I know what to do: get my partner, wear it and enjoy. Surprisingly enough, I never feel like my body is altered by it and simply adding a plain white t-shirt does the trick. I have had amazing moments with it: my best nights out in Shoreditch and the best looks I could have asked for, obviously my bright red lipstick totally helped.

It joined me to The Guns ‘n Roses gig last week where for a second I felt I could have almost stepped on stage and fit among Mr Fortus and Dj Ashba (ignoring my lack of tattoos obviously); it was with me on my first day in the office at ASOS where I knew it was a right choice when the fashion editors came to me and asked me where it was from. It also made my day when my flatmate, slightly envious, pretended I was looking like a perfect East London “hipster”.

Yes, I love it and if I had known I would have bought ten pairs of it. But then again it wouldn’t have been a once in a lifetime story would it? I know it is meant to stay with me for a little longer as our love story is nowhere close to an end yet.

Rock ’n’ Roll still rocks

I made one of my dreams come true when I managed to buy tickets to the Guns n’ Roses gig at the O2 in London. As a super last minute buy I cannot tell you how much my hope to see Axl was long gone.

On that Friday morning I had the great idea of checking out Ticketmaster and was lucky enough to grasp a few tickets.

When I entered the O2 I couldn’t help but smiling: like a kid queuing to get in at Disney World (I still do get excited about that). I was very curious to see those ‘old generation’ guys who nevertheless marked the era of Rock forever: musicians motivated by a quest for perfection and experimentation and a lead singer playing with his voice and pulling on extraordinary energy.

Axl is now the last one remained from the very original band, Slash is gone, but Bumblefoot remains and the last two additions are certainly no mistake, in every way! Dj Ashba and Richard Fortus have an amazing stage presence and you wouldn’t believe one is 45 already and the other close to his forties..

They obviously love what they do and definitely know what they are doing! I was mesmerized by their solo performances and the numbers of Gibsons carried on stage: a ‘Guitar runway show’.

Dj Ashba relies on a caricatured look: big hat, torn jeans, very sparkly guitars, black khol, striking blue eyes…Richard more on the Ronnie Wood's side of things: very skinny and fit, shorter hair, great smile, laughing eyes,..

And there it goes: it all helps me remember why I love Rock so much! I am now definitely going to take those guitar lessons I’ve always wanted to.

They are truly inspiring artists: looking for perfection, they are not signed exclusively with Guns’ , but they also play in other bands, showing their quest for perfection in what they do. They are not ‘tabloid junkies’, they are professional inspiring artists who make me respect what they do even more.

Growing in small towns and coming from almost nothing and very modest backgrounds they perfectly embody the American dream, but they are also the proof that one needs to believe in his/her dreams. The only true questions are: ‘How bad do you really want it? How hard are you ready to work for it?’. Nothing is impossible.


Thank you Guns n’ Roses for this very inspiring moment!