Happy Thanksgiving

First time hosting thanksgiving with families and watching Charlie Brown with a satisfied belly :)

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Waist vs. Butt

Alber Elbaz's style: the black suit along with a silk bowtie and black rectangular glasses.



We can already guess who may not be interested in the movie in the last post. On his ouster from Yves Saint Laurent by Gucci Group in 2000, Alber Elbaz said "Some people had a different perception of my work, or thought that a designer should be more handsome or more out there, which is not my story." Elbaz is known for his fashion philosophy —the elegant simplicity of a Lanvin dress or skirt or sweater should last for many seasons.

We also know who sure doesn’t think it’s cool to flaunt. Elbaz doesn’t want to define trends; he wants his designs to be timeless, perfectly resonated in the logo of Lanvin—a mother and daughter holding hands. Elbaz can’t bear the word sexy anymore; he wants to bring beauty back to fashion. Elbaz doesn’t begin designing a dress with the butt, but with the waist, where he sees as the most important part of a woman’s body.

For Alber Elbaz, the beauty of the Lanvin job lay in the lack of image, when a Taiwanese publishing magnate, Shaw-Lan Wang, bought Lanvin from L’Oréal in 2001.When Elbaz left Israel, he dropped the ‘t’ from his first name. In Judaism, if you change your name, you change your destiny. At Lanvin, the world’s oldest running couture fashion house, he is changing its destiny, quietly, with his own vision.

Reference:
NYtimes

A Single Man

Tom Ford, with his notoriously provocative advertising campaigns, was not known for his subtlety—the exact reason why his call to Colin Firth, the Mr. Darcy, could have easily been mistaken for a Vanity Fair project photo shoot. But when Firth read the script of “A single man”, he was convinced it was not a series of visual delights, but a story important for Ford.

Receiving rave reviews at a preview screening at the Venice Film Fest, this first movie attempt by Tom Ford was adapted from Christopher Isherwood's novel A Single Man, written in 1964, praised at the time for its artistry but also denounced for its then unpalatable subject matter.

Another cast member who gets a good grasp of the script, and maybe a good chance for her supporting role in the Oscar is Julianne Moore. I would imagine that it helps to gain a fine understanding of “Mrs. Dalloway” in “The Hours” about Virginia Woolf, who applauded Mr. Isherwood “the great hope of English letters.” Julianne Moore wears one black and white long gown that is so Los Angeles in the 1960’s, designed by Arianne Phillips, the Oscar-nominated Costume Designer for “Walk The Line” and Madonna’s stylist. “Costumes inform character, help underscore and illustrate mood, tone, and texture.” She was flattered to be the chosen costume designer by Ford.

Reference:
The Australian

That tan corduroy blazer

That tan corduroy blazer, once worn by Bill Murray in the Royal Tenenbaums, will be seen again on Mr. Fox next week—over Mr. Fox’s fur, to be accurate. How is that to add to the quirky specificity in Wes Anderson's movies? If Grace Kelly’s clothes in Rear Window gave her an identity, as commented by Wes Anderson, the corduroy blazer seemed to have become a symbol of his distinctiveness in real life. Like a stopped fashion watch, the blazer had the occurring appearances in many occasions including the Sartorialist last year.

In the Royal Tenenbaums, Richie always dresses in his tennis gear and Margot always wears barrettes. Same style goes to Wes Anderson’s casting for his movies—always in the lists are Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman—even as the voices—American accent is okay since the animals in England don’t speak. Style is all about consistency after all, isn’t it? Eight years after the Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anderson is still wearing that tan corduroy blazer. It's not the same suit, though, he told the Gardian. “They last a couple of years. I have a guy who makes them specially for me. They're very inexpensive and I can just call him up and say, can I have another one please?”

BTW, I’m still looking for a knee-length striped Lacoste dress that Margot had.

References:
nytimes
only style remains the same

I invented grunge

“Hey, I invented grunge! It’s a look I’ve been sporting for years,” Even Grungetta won’t deny that. Oscar the Grouch has been, more often than not, grouchy for 40 years, since he was put into the garbage can after Jim Henson encountered a grumpy waiter at a New York restaurant Oscar’s Tavern.

Approaching 40 in a few days, Oscar cannot be more ill-tempered. Not only was he told that some early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child, but he had to teach grown-ups fashion? Well, together with some other fashion icons—oh, no, not Vera Wang or Carolina Herrera—we mean Big Bird in feather, and Bert in stripes, the fashion education day in fact turned out to be one of those more enlightened time for him on the street.

References:
CNN
Harper's Bazaar












Google Doodle Celebrates Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary in the next 10 days:

Nov4

Nov5

Nov6

Nov7

Nov8

Nov9

The man shops globe

“Big is the enemy of cool.” Richard Hayne, an anthropology graduate, was referring to owning all the stores instead of going for franchising. But the three-story Anthropologie store opened this month on Regent street in London, with a gigantic whale made of wasted packaging, a fabric tree made from thousands of tea bags, and a vertical garden, is anything but a small venture outside of the U.S.

“I don’t want anything in the store or in my home that doesn’t have soul and a sense of history” with Keith Johnson, the man who shops globe and haggles like a local in flea markets, villages, and art studios, the anthropologie stores acquire one-of-a-kind pieces. Hopefully those stepping out of the store, enjoying one-of-a-kind aftertaste, would range as wide as the span of Glen Senk and Keith Johnson’s relationship—from teen age to the 50s. Maybe that's what Hayne really meant by "complete lifestyle".

References:
WSJ
Homeshoppingspy

Psycho Clowns

What style elements can you think of putting on to make a clown costume? We’ve seen, every November of the year, argyle, polka dots, and colors—lots of colors. And where does the fear of clowns come from, btw? What is scary could not possibly be the pleated collar of Bozo, or the bulbous nose of Weary Willie, or the black and red mask of Harlequin. It might not be just about how bizarre and grotesque the characters are, but the exaggeration and idiocy you may effortlessly identify through the white face.

The expansion of clown elements, imperceptibly, is not short of diversity, and sure won’t have much complaint for a cotton candy-like wig.

I wonder what Bozo would think looking at such an assortment of costumes in Comme des Garçons’s Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear. After the chiffon veils seen at the latest Fall 2009, here comes the cotton candy wig, much less creepy and much more silly.

No matter what the costumes mean to be—entertaining, or frightening, the best part of it—they are not afraid of the likelihood of being related to foolishness.


References:
refinery29
joonbug
style.com