Milano

Robert Frank for the Aspesi Catalog

Photo credit: 5B4 

The list of design houses at the Milan Fashion Week could not be more crowded. Having no intention of joining the crowd or discussing hemlines or prints in interviews, the Italian designer Alberto Aspesi prefers to express his view in an un-posed way with Robert Frank. The Alberto Aspesi catalogue by Robert Frank is hardly available to the public and the Aspesi clothing is rarely presented in the photographs.

The Milan store of Aspesi on Via Montenapoleone, designed by Antonio Citterio, is a showroom displaying sculptures, video screens, and toys. The laundry detergent designed by Dirk Van Dooren of Tomato looks so much like a drink bottle that I almost asked the question that may make them go bananas: "what kind of drink is it?"

Shot in the late 1980s and the mid-1990s, the campaign photos may have, intentionally or not, pushed the budding ascetics of  “street” style--embraced by Corrine Day at the same period and followed by a generation of work by Juergen Teller, Craig McDean, David Sims and Glen Luchford.

In the city where dressing well is a responsibility rather guilty indulgence, the Milanese, strolling in the piazzas and the cafes, may enjoy more responsible-people watching this week.

Aspesi showroom display

Aspesi Detergent

Stay true to the spirit of traveling

to Prague and the marionettes

    Jan Svankmajer's Alice

 Milan Kundera

  The Kafka character in "Puppet Kafka"

 

Party on the Head

Philip Treacy’s hats are for conservative women.

So said the soft-spoken Irish Milliner. So said the hat architect who has placed lobster, shoes, orchid and swan's nest on the head of Isabella Blow, Ladygaga and the like. To Philip Treacy, Eccentricity is much more subtle. Women who wear his hat could be conservative outwardly, but inwardly they have their own sense of fantasy. Sounds like the fantasy of Juliet in Fellini’s “Juliet the Spirits”?

Drawn to the kaleidoscope of Juliet’s dreams, spirits, and memories, Philip Treacy understands the beauty of illusion, and empathizes in his design with the illusion because it's larger than life. The haberdasher does not consider himself as an artist, but someone who simply adds some spice to the dull of life.

The conservative women, with a heavier piece on their head, may keep  their foot more grounded and their heart lighter.

Reference: Philip Treacy's interview

Federico Fellini's 1965 film: Juliet of the Spirits (Giulietta degli spiriti)

A Man in line in "Annie Hall" screams his opinion of Fellini
Photo credit: Annie Hall scene

San Francisco Fashion Week 2010

Paris, Tokyo, Milan, New York City. Many times, we see designers celebrate their establishments or origin in these cities. In 5 seconds, quick, any other city jumps into your mind as of fashion cities? huhhh… London? Berlin? Speaking of fashion cities, San Francisco does not easily, if at all, get pinpointed on the picture. SF is too laid back, SF is too hilly, SF has too many parades when costumes are louder than the pieces in fashion shows. SF has too many festivals when clothing is unnecessary item in the required list. Only on the screen do Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren appear elegantly in San Francisco.

SF originated designers know better to move to New York City early in the career. But there might be a bit of flashback of Bay To Breakers in the sporty theme of Alexander Wang’s 2010 Spring collection. The designers who choose to stay, their fashion shows may not be as glamorous as those in the other cities, not yet. Their shows, nevertheless, without big stages, have been much closer to the indie-friendly enthusiasts strolling from the high heel-unfriendly steep streets.

 Clu at San Francisco Fashion Show

Clu dress-- Bloomingdales

 Clu at San Francisco Fashion Show

Twelfth St by Cynthia Vincent at San Francisco Fashion Week

Vintage Joy at San Francisco Fashion Week

 San Francisco Fashion Week audiance

The Sound of Pearls

                          Photo by Steve Klein

Ideas come to him, like a bait, and bigger things will follow. The bait, to David Lynch, in the short film--Lady Dior Lady Blue, is the poem “Pi Pa Xing” by Bai Juyi—“different sized pearls falling in a jade plate”.

The color, the sound and the juxtaposing scene of old buildings and futuristic skyscrapers all feed the mood, a Déjà vu mood. The mood is dreamy, the suspense---nobody expected Mulholland drive-like suspense in the sixteen minutes film--still gets the Lynchian tension and anxiety. But having seen Sherilyn Fenn dancing to Angelo Badalamenti’s music in Twin Peaks, or even Lady Rouge singing the song by Franz Ferdinand in the previous sequel, you may be disappointed by the character in Lady Blue. There seems to be a lack of strong connection between the mood and the character.

The sound in Lynch films creates themes for characters. When Lynch asked Badalamenti to write the song for Twin Peaks, he said, "It should start with an anticipatory melody, then build slowly up to a climax - a climax that's slow and tears your heart.” The classic Shanghai music in Lady Blue is finely made by David Lynch and does build curiosity and anticipation, but just is not well weaved into the character. It would take a lot of effort for the audience to feel the energy and to feel the sound of pearls in Lady Blue.

Let the 80's stay in the 80's

 

Madonna and Maripol

Maripol

Maripol rubber necklace, 1984

Maripol bobbypin necklace, 1984

“The 80’s never left”. Said Maripol, who styled Madonna with the black rubber bangles and cross earrings in her album "Like a Virgin". Maripol insisted casting Jean-Michel Basquiat in her first movie production Downtown 81(previously entitled New York Beat Movie), funded by Rizzoli publishing house, through Fiorucci. Downtown 81 seems to be more of an MTV than a documentary that features the New Wave/No Wave/punk music. Did the NY music scene of the 80’s influence the fashion trends or did the fashion trend inspire the musician’s style?  This might be a “Chicken or egg” question.

The jewelry worn by Madonna and Duran Duran, styled by Maripol became the signatures of the 80’s, but why not let them stay in that time capsule?

 Marc by Marc Jacobs collaboration with Maripol, 2010

The movements of Qi Pao

She lifted up her Qi Pao a little, squatted down quietly. Her curvy back is seen through the camera from a stepped-back angle. A lady could squat in Qi Pao while still holding her elegance, more than any other pose.  While shooting “New Woman” (新女性), Ruan Ling Yu squats with the director Cai Chu Sheng (蔡楚生) and discusses the character she plays, another actress Wei Ming. Although the director explains how peasants are used to squatting and getting whipped from the back, Ruan Ling Yu remembers herself squatting by her mom resting, before she became a movie star.

“Centre stage”(阮玲玉) (1910-1935) shows in parallel the footage of Ruan's silent films and Maggie Cheung’s impersonation of Ruan. Without sound, Ruan plays the character with her body emotion, in Qi Pao. Her character in “The Goddess”  (神女) has her son teach her to exercise, fall to the floor laughing together.  She sits on the table, crosses her leg and blows out cigarette smoke. Who could imagine Qi Pao could be so fun and rebellious?

The scene of nostalgic and sepia Qi Pao in the silent movies, played by Ruan Ling Yu flashforwards to the scene of attractive and colorful Qi Pao that Ruan dances in, played by Maggie Cheung. This movie in movie and mix of shifts is baffling but the continuity of the charm of Qi Pao could not be more unambiguous.

Singing "Blue Angel", Ruan sometimes impersonates Marlene Dietrich. Ruan didn’t live to see many sound films. The plot and dialogue of her silent films is printed in words on the screen. But the depressed characters, the rebellious characters and the modern characters she played didn’t need much explanation with her movements of Qi Pao.