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.

Fashion films

 

 

The Weeks of Dasha

What do we call films with characters wearing distinctively designed outfits, in better known examples, Marie Antoinette or The Great Gatsby? Or films with characters not even being put into pretty clothes, but designing them, such as Coco Before Chanel? We describe them, potential nominees for Best Costume Design of movie awards—movies with a touch of fashion.

Some directors are not satisfied with having just a touch of fashion, they want to create fashion films with fashion as the focus. Here is the tricky part—short films with a fashion theme sounds kind of familiar—aren’t they… emmm… ad campaign? I am not discussing Vol de Jour by Karl Lagerfeld here, but it just doesn’t feel right to call it a fashion film. Fashion films may have to, delicately, strike a balance between making fashion the focus, and getting the commercial part involved. Whether the commercial side becomes a result, that’s another story, but it’s better to be left out of the planning process.

Inspired by Haruki Murakami (村上春树), The Weeks of Dasha ties in fashion and film nicely—each episode keeps the scene simple enough to not let the story get in the way of the fashion items Dasha wears, yet somewhat leaves a cliffhanger, in a noncommercial way, to induce curiosity. Although I didn’t get the mood of Haruki Murakami from the music used in the film, I am curious to find out more places Dasha goes to, with the close-up shots of the shoes or jackets.

View the film here: The weeks of Dasha

Rainbow in a puddle

 

 

Calling all visitors in London—modern world lovers who appreciate the Gherkin, while enjoying the London views, consider putting on the Oakley shades; and playing The Eraser by Thom Yorke; and a Griffin jacket—uhh…maybe too much.

It was terrifying for Stanley Donwood to think of attending the Grammy ceremony in February 2009, for “Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package” for Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ album—picture Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings, overwhelmingly nightmarish and painful. Known as being inept in social situations, is Stanley seeking for a better way to hide in the crowds with the collaboration with Oakley?

  

  

Cnut

  

House of Bastards

  

Gherkin

The Eraser

  

A London house

The last Atlantis

When asked by his mom: “What is your most terrifying fear” during an interview, Alexander McQueen answered: “Dying before you.” At least, he is gone without being terrified. Fashion is only a game, and he played it so creatively that it will take a long long time for us to comprehend it.

He may be going to the past, to the field of Culloden. He may have gone to the future, to have predicted what the aliens look like.

 

Tribute to Isabella Blow

  

"The Bird" From his inspiring movie to his friend, 2008

Photo credit: InStyle

 

Rain on the runway, 1998

 

Shalom Harlow as a human canvas, 1999

Photo credit: InStyle