eyesing

When John met Pat they made beautiful glitter babies together

I'm declaring today Pat McGrath Day, a national holiday in honour of John Galliano's right hand lady of false eyelashes, Pat McGrath... although I have so many pictures of her work it may end up being Pat McGrath Fortnight or Pat McGrath Month.

I'd also like to add that I thought it necessary to recognise McGrath's amazing talent. Considering she's one of the world's top make up artists, I suppose she doesn't actually need my help. Regardless, I do find it quite galling when people speak/write in irreverent tones about how beautiful runway models are. Newsflash! All they did was get born, say no to a second helping of cake and walk in a straight line with an air of confidence. If it wasn't for the creativity and skills of hair and makeup people like Pat McGrath, all we would see is a bunch of skinny teenagers with good cheekbones clomping about.

I feel like I'm being a negative, but whatever.

My plan for the next however many days is to post as-many-as-is-digestible-in-one-sitting shots of Pat McGrath's runway make up for Christian Dior. After a while the "Your daily Pat McGrath" category will give deliver a big dose of McGrath glitter-dusted goodness. End result? You'll be gagging for a fancy dress party and checking your diary for available dates.

Christian Dior Fall Couture 2001

Galliano's "Barbie Goes to Tibet" Collection. Can you see it?

Christian Dior Spring Ready to Wear 2002

More globetrotting Galliano, firstly a romantic take on safari chic complete with mosquito net, followed by gold-encrusted Aztec glamazons.

Christian Dior Spring Couture 2002

What you would get if a technicolour cossack KGB agent and a geisha fell in love.

More on Pat McGrath
Time interview
NY magazine Q&A
Teen Vogue in brief
Afrobella props
Pat McGrath is Creative Design Director for Proctor & Gamble

Crazy Hat Lady

No denying Anna Piaggi has a fabulous way with clothing. I can't help wondering why she dresses the way she does. How does she feel waltzing around in her colourful garb? Does she want to stand out or do the hat, clown make up, blue hair and cacophony of prints create a suit of armour to hide behind? I know when I'm dressed up, with make up, heels and fancy frock, I hold myself with more composure and confidence compared to when I'm bumming around in tracksuit pants. Does Piaggi want to take that feeling of "this is me at my best" as far as she can or does she find herself sans makeup, blue hair and top hat completely unpresentable to the outside world?

Ponder, ponder...

It's cool to see Piaggi when she was younger, but am I alone in thinking she seems more fabulous and fascinating now than she did 30 years ago?

With her friend Karl Lagerfeld

More information
Hundreds of photos on style.com
style.com beauty icon
Lots of old pics
International Herald Tribune feature
Q&A on telegraph.co.uk
Victoria & Albert Museum exhibition, Fashion-ology, curated by Piaggi

Bloody Carine

Back in the day (ie the early 90s) when forest green suede parkas were de rigueur and Kate Moss was just a bandy-legged teen from Croydon, UK magazine The Face was the coolest thing on the planet. Every month I would gobble up its morsels of youth culture fabulousness like a hungry puppy.

To this day, there are still a few images from the mag have seared themselves onto my memory – the cover of Kurt Cobain in a dress, Bjork submerged in Icelandic thermal baths with her lookalike son… and these images… Eva Herzigova as a butcher. Yes, you read right, Eva Herzigova, face of Wonderbra, famous for her boobs, Bridget Bardot bouncy blonde beauty, blood-smeared, washed out and holding a lump of bloody mince meat. I'd never seen anything like it, and the gory subject matter and surprising representation of a famous supermodel had quite an effect on me.

At the time, I didn’t take in the names of the stylist and photographer, but after reading this article in the Guardian I was fascinated to realise these disturbing/intriguing images were created by none other than Carine Rotfield, now editor of Vogue Paris and celebrity photographer, Mario Testino.

If you flick through any of Rotfield’s issues of Vogue Paris you’ll see she still makes subversive choices. Unlike most fashion editors who direct other stylists to make sense of trends for their readers (New Seaon Florals, Nautical Stripes, Glamorous Skinny Model in Evening Clothing etc), Rotfield still acts as stylist. And under her editorship, Vogue Paris has become a space where she and her collaborators (Emmanuelle Alt, Juergen Teller, Mario Testino, Terry Richardson) examine the cult of celebrity, art, stereotypes, glamour, scandal, dignity and infamy.

L'icone
Styling by Carine Rotfield
Photography Mario Testino
August 2007

Just Married
Styled by Emmanuelle Alt
Photographed by Terry Richardson
February 2008

L'idole
Styled by Emmanuelle Alt
Photographed by Peter Lindbergh
February 2008

Cindy Sherman
Stylist and photographer Cindy Sherman
All clothing Balenciaga
August 2007

More information
Vogue Paris
Carine Rotfield interview, The Guardian
Cindy Sherman

It ain't over til the lady with the pink hair sings

I've seen two operas. They were both in German, contemporary, minimalist and involved men sleeping with/killing their mothers and/or someone's ghost haunting and ultimately sending someone mad. Given I'm all about costumes and hold an unfair prejudice against Germans (horrible German exflatmate), this isn't my idea of a fun night out. Turned me off opera to be honest.

I would, however, have make an exception for the English National Opera's recent production of Aida. That's because Zhandra Rhodes, high priestess of pink hair designed the costumes and set, using her own Egyptian collection as inspiration. Sounds like the Abyssinian's loincloth to me!

Design sketches
I presume these are sketches by Zandra Rhodes... quite interesting to see the illustration style, n'est pas?

On stage
More turquoise than you can shake a Navajo neckpiece at...

Not impressed? Think you could have done a better job than that crazy lady with the pink hair? Click here and design your own Aida costume.

More information
Zandra Rhodes website
English National Opera
This Is London interview with Zandra
Hilary Alexander on Aida + Zandra
One of Zandra Rhodes' other creative productions, the Fashion and Textile Museum

Valentine's Day Romance Was Born in the Garden of Eden

My first post on this blog was about Sydney artist Del Kathryn Barton. So, I'm trying to be OK about the fact that I didn't find out about this event until after the fact. Apparently subscribing to an art gallery's blog, email newsletter as well as joining their facebook group doesn't guarantee that you'll be notified of upcoming event.

Huff, snort, grump.

Anyway.

Last weekend, Romance Was Born and Del Kathryn Barton had what looks like a fabulously exciting two-day installation at Kaliman Gallery in Sydney. Here's a bit of promo that I missed said:

A collaborative exhibition of work from past and present with 12 new one off designs from Romance was Born featuring prints from Del Kathryn Barton who introduces a new body of work. Garden of Eden includes installations of giant objects (fruits and garden of eden inspired pieces) by Romance was Born.

Can't believe I missed out on the giant fruit! These pictures from this blog will have to do.

Pictured above in centre Luke Sales, Del Kathryn Barton and Anna Plunkett with models from the show

Somethink special by Del Kathryn Barton from the Kaliman Gallery website

Melbournites can catch the Garden of Eden show in the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival cultural program at the National Design Centre from March 7-May 7, 2008.

More information
romancewasborn.com
Del Kathryn Barton
L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
Little Hero PR

Topsy Turvy Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf are fond of themes. They like block colours, repetition and bows.

Block colours

Fall 2001

Spring 2002

Fall 2002

Repetition

Fall 2003

Spring 2006

Spring 2006

Bows...

Spring 2005

They also like block colours, repetition and bows all at the same time...

Spring 2002

Spring 2005

For their Milan boutique they also went with a theme - upside down.

Fun.

If you don't suffer from vertigo...

Photos of Milan boutique from Angelonki on Flickr

More information
Viktor & Rolf website
Guardian interview
Viktor & Rolf blog

Knit One for me Clare Tough

Oh I did covet these when I first saw them back in 2004 (I think)... and I still do. They're Clare Tough's Masters graduate collection from Central Saint Martins. She's done several collections since this one but none of them seduced me the way these have. I think it was the kermit green that got me...

Clare Tough's collection may or may not be available from The Library in London; Maria Luisa and L’Eclaireur in Paris; Maxfields in LA and Penelope in Italy. Her website is under construction and scant on details...

Special mention: Play dolly dress ups with Clare's Spring 2007 collection here.

More information
Clare Tough website
Central Saint Martins graduate show report for Autumn/Winter 2004
Spring/Summer 2008 on Telegraph.co.uk
Autumn/Winter 2006-2007 on vogue.co.uk

Fashion’s four-letter word

Today I’m going to talk dirty.

For fashion’s sake I’m about to blaspheme.

Are you ready?

No, ok, some background first of all. At any given point in time there is always one thing that is seen as unspeakably awful in fashion. When I was a teenager it was flares, in 1999 it was tight jeans, in 2002 it was high waists. The only time these fashion unmentionables get an outing is at fancy dress parties. However in a matter of a few years these fashion pariahs start popping up and soon every woman and the Olsens are wearing whatever it was that once seemed inconceivable.

As the owner of an almost exclusively secondhand wardrobe, I like to explore the styles of decades past and in doing so tackle these fashion taboos head on. And, generally my efforts are greeting with… silence. Example: a couple of years ago I wore high waisted jeans to a friend’s BBQ, which was admittedly attended by a group of lovely people who ain’t exactly fashion forward… Crickets chirping… It’s like you frighten people by stepping outside socially accepted fashion norms. Of course, after everyone has recovered from the shock of me wearing whatever it is, a smart arse comment from a fashion Neanderthal follows. And then… and then… the compliments come… often in secret… people who can see what I’m getting at but aren’t ready to wear it themselves will sidle up and say something nice. It’s nice. Compliments are nice.

In the past, my expeditions into fashion isolation have involved some degree of forward planning. It starts with a ponder, “Hmmm… I think I fancy a [insert garment in sartorial exile]…” and a focussed quest through the rails of charity shops soon follows.

So anyway, it is with surprise that I suddenly find myself with a number of garments that entail one of today’s fashion four-letter words… pads… as in shoulder pads. Yes, I am as surprised as you are. I didn’t plan this, but it’s happened. It’s very strange. I used to merrily unpick any shoulder pad that crossed my path. But last week I found myself kicking myself for ripping out some shoulder pads because the dress looked better with them in. Can you imagine?

My boyfriend is against the shoulder pads. I think he’s scared of them. Hell, I’m scared of them… but I’m gonna go with it anyway, especially after seeing the Super Bodies exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria last week. Sourced mostly from two private collections (I wish I could meet the women who wore these creations), the exhibtion featured fashion from the power-dressing era (80s and 90s) with pieces by designers like Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier and Issey Miyake. Was great to learn about the designers’ influences (it’s always their childhood) and so for these designers the big shoulder, small waist is derived from the forties. Fascinating no?

Iman rocking Thierry Mugler in 1988

And now for some grid iron-esque ebay gems and other entertaining examples of power dressing.

Thierry Mugler Lamb Leather Jacket
Buy it here

Thierry Mugler dress

Buy it here

Thierry Mugler black velvet trim dress

Buy it here

Thierry Mugler suit
Buy it here

Thierry Mugler jacket

Ooh another Thierry Mugler jacket

More information
Thierry Mugler NY Times interview
New York Times article: Future Shock
Claude Montana info

Trembled Blossoms - James Jean for Prada

Update on my previous post, James Jean's animated flick for Prada is up and charming. Click here for beautiful blossoms, birdies and bags and prettiest product placement I ever did see.

More information
Trembled Blossoms video on prada.com
vogue.co.uk story
James Jean website

Bjork - Volta tour frocks

As is typical of a January in Sydney, I've been to about a jillion gigs. That's cos all the northern hemisphere artist get the eff out of their home countries to bask in the south side sunshine. I've yapped on before about how much I love Bjork and I've been lucky enough to see Bjork twice this month, on the Sydney Opera House forecourt and at the Melbourne Big Day Out, plus I saw her in August at the Paleo festival in Switzerland. Anyway, as is typical of Iceland's most famous person, the visual representation of her Volta album has been fabulous all the way from the cover art to the art direction for the Volta tour. She joined forces with with German-born, Antwerp-trained designer, Bernard Willhelm months before the tour started to create the amazing array of dresses, headdresses and capes and knitted hand thingies. Bjork described the tour as "my most hooligan, warrior-woman tour. I've done tours with symphony orchestras and choirs, inside opera houses, that are very delicate. This is the opposite, an outdoor pagan thing," and as you can see, Willhelm fulfilled that brief magically with Bjork and her 10-piece female brass band dressed in hyper-coloured battle outfits and daubed in war paint.

Paleo Festival
Nyon Switzerland
August 2007

We were front row for this. She performed just after The Arcade Fire and before she came on my boyfriend was all, "She won't be as good as they were" and of course he was completely blown away by the end.

Sydney Opera House forecourt
Tuesday 22 January 2008

This performance was part of the Sydney Festival. They'd been trying to get her out for years and she agreed to do a concert for them on the condition that she could sing by the water... cue fantastic harbourside location.

Melbourne Big Day Out
Monday 28 January 2008

She was great but our position about 100m away wasn't. Anyway, still fabulous and what a frock.

Coachella Festival
Indio, California
April 2007

What Bjork had to say "Coachella was probably a hooligan show because we were playing really late and it's hard at a festival to play a lot of calm songs because people have been there a long time and the concentration is different so you end up playing a lot of hooligan songs."

You can also she her brass band in the background. Bjork told Dazed & Confused that she decided to get an all-girl brass band after she realised that otherwise she would be on tour with all men. She also said wanted 10 brass-playing girls from Iceland that there are only 13 in the country! Poor little things who missed out.

Deer Lake Park
Vancouver
May 2007

Glastonbury Festival
June 2007

Guadalajara
Mexico
December 2007

I admit these may be from concerts other than the one in Mexico (bad blogger)... anyway, you can see three variations on the same ikat print dress.

Amsterdam
July 2007

Dazed & Confused
Bjork did a beautiful shoot for Dazed in Iceland with her brass band, wearing some of her tour outfits. Check it out here.

And check out this Bjork interview on Later with Jools Holland where she talks about working with Bernard Willhelm, the origins of the name "Volta" and writing "Declare "Independence."

More information
bjork.com
Bernard Willhelm
Courier Mail interview
The Age interview
Dazed & Confused interview and photo shoot
The Australian interview