julian schnabel

Artist and film director Julian Schnabel has a habit of going to appearances and events looking rather like a homeless person with a thing for Hugh Heffner's pajamas-all-day style. At first I thought maybe it was a careless way of dressing, in that affected way that serious artists try to seem to busy and preoccupied to plan their outfits. But then recently I realized it was much, much worse than I had imagined. His wife, actress and former model Olatz Lopez Garmendia, designs and makes those pajamas. They are available for purchase online.

{El artista y cineasta Julian Schnabel tiene el hábito de salir a los eventos con la apariencia de uno de los sin techo, con un toque de Hugh Heffner, que famosamente lleva sus pijamas todo el día. Al principio pensaba que esto solo era una manera de vestirse descuidada, como muchos artistas serios tienen el afecto de ser demasiado preocupados para pensar en cosas como su ropa. Pero hace unos días me dí cuenta de que era mucho peor que imaginaba: su esposa Olatz Lopez Garmendia (que es española, creo) disegna y vende estas pijamas. Los puedes encontrar y comprar (pero favor de no hacerlo!) en el link de arriba.}

get that look

Normally I'm not a huge fan of Lauren Conrad (or the Hills in general), but I do like when she keeps it simple. Browsing through the online sale at Urban Outfitters right now, this white bubble tank reminded me of this picture of LC -- casual but sophisticated for the warmer weather. The shirt already has an elastic hem, but tucking it into jeans the way LC does would give even more bubble effect. If I get this I will probably adjust the way the side meets the neckline (by the shoulder/underarm), bringing it in a little bit to re-create LC's neckline and get a little extra ruching in.

{Normalmente no me gusta nada Lauren Conrad (ni The Hills, su programa de televisión, en general), pero si que me gusta cuando tiene un estilo simple. Mirando las rebajas en Urban Outfitters ahora, este top me recordaba de la foto de LC de arriba -- es casual pero sofisticado para el tiempo un poco más cálido. El top ya tiene un dobladillo con elastico para hacer el estilo "bubble", pero si se lo metes en los pantalones como hace LC, tiene el efecto aún más. Si yo compro esto probablemente cambiaré un poco en parte del hombro/escote para parecer más al estilo de lo que lleva LC.}

the french factory

I came across this French jewelry + accessories maker by chance when I was clicking through links and I love their adorable, humorous designs! I think my favorite is the K7 necklace, above, which is a tiny cassette and heart for those who love music.

The French Factory

He estado pensando por unos dias en hacer este un blog bilingüe, porque sé que visitan varios lectores de países hispanohablantes. Os parece una buena idea? Tendrais que disculpar todos mis errores y las mezclas de palabras particulares de diferentes paises, aprendí el español en varios lugares...

{Yo encontré esta tienda francesa de joyería y complementos al azar mientras estaba mirando los links en otros blogs. Me encantan sus diseños graciosos y adorables. Creo que mi favorito es el collar "K7" en la foto de arriba, hecho de una cinta pequeña con un corazón, para los que aman la música.}

finally, someone who agrees that we need to objectify men more

I had been waiting for an excuse to post this picture from BlackBook Magazine, and I think this is it. The Cut has posted the text of an interview that Tom Ford did with Britain's GQ Style, in which he talks about how images of nude or next-to-nude women are the norm in our media today, but the male nude remains taboo, shocking, and uncomfortable for many people. I'm not going to post the pictures that went along with the story as they might not be appropriate for everyone, but here are some highlights, and click the link above for the rest.

" But, Tom, why do you objectify women more than men in your ads?

"As much as I've tried, it has been consistently harder to get images of nude men onto magazine pages and billboards than it has nude women. In a society where images of brutal violence are consumed during breakfast, the male nude is one of our last taboos. There's a double standard at play here: magazines that are happy to fund ads featuring an artfully lit female nude will balk at an image of her male counterpart."

American fashion magazines don't show breasts like European ones do. Do you think nude phobia is a uniquely American problem?

"In Sweden or Japan, or other places … casual nakedness at the sauna or the bath house is part of daily life, but in the places that I call home, the fear factor around nudity seems to be rising. I have always found it ridiculous that, in America, if I wanted to run an ad of a woman with bare breasts I had to retouch her nipples. Now why would a woman's bare breasts, created as nature intended, be more shocking than a bizarre pair of breasts with absolutely no nipples? What could be more perverse?"

So tell us the damn truth about being a woman.

"Women have long been objectified in our society; images of beautiful female forms are everywhere. Go to a dinner party and women are wearing tiny dresses, exposing their legs and baring their toes in high-heeled sandals. They're basically naked, with a little bit of draping over their body. Think of how tough it must be to be a woman in our culture. Women are constantly judged by their bodies and the size of their breasts."

But you make clothes, Tom. Gorgeous ones, too. Why are you championing being without them?

"With a more natural relationship to nudity, we might also be freed up to find each other a lot more fascinating. There's an equality to being naked; the fewer clothes and accessories a person wears the less you judge them, and the more you notice their truest traits, like their eyes or their charisma, their great hands or their one-of-a-kind hair or, most importantly, their personality and character. As much as I love clothing, it gives us one more layer to hide behind." "

gwyneth; art and fashion

Many people have already written about Gwyneth Paltrow's seeming "new look" since cutting her hair shorter (it feels almost like Reese Witherspoon's post-divorce Nina Ricci makeover, only there's been no divorce), so I'm only going to mention a few of the looks that have really caught my eye from her recent press tour for Iron Man.

There is very little I don't love of this picture of Gwyneth taken in Rome (if you must know, it's the shoes!). She's wearing a classic little black dress but it's an interesting one with lots of folds and intricate draping. She has my dream hair, just a hint of a spring tan (how does she look so good pale?) and is just radiant overall. If you are a bit creepy like me and like to look at the tiny details, she has two rings on the same hand, one looks like a big diamond but the really nice touch is a ruby surrounded by small diamonds worn on her pinky. She went with a classic pale pink manicure as well which I think is one of the marks of someone with impeccable classic taste -- making sure nails go with jewels. I also get a kick out of seeing her unabashedly towering over Robert Downey Jr!

Here she is in Berlin in a black minidress with pixilated sparkling accents that create a portrait. I suppose I like this dress because it reminds me of one of my favorite paintings, Salvador Dali's "Madonna in an ear" which similarly uses only black and white dots as in newspaper photographs to create a double image of the Madonna and of an ear.
(click to enlarge)

It's a timely analogy, because just today I was appreciating what I think it one of the most original fashion spreads I've seen in a while: this month's cover story for Harper's Bazaar with Julianne Moore. In it, she re-creates famous paintings by Edgar Degas, Egon Schiele, and John Singer Sargent, among others. I like the clever styling of these images to use contemporary clothing but be as faithful to the original as possible, but I also find it interesting how each photo, if not in this context, could believably be from a fashion editorial now. And I'm sure this was a lot more fun for Julianne than many magazine photoshoots can be!

I think that my favorite of the photographs is this one in which she re-creates John Currin's painting "The Cripple." Both she and the dress are a perfect match for this image, and like the painting she manages to capture the simultaneous retro feel and modernity that is so much at play in fashion right now.

View all the pictures at Harper's Bazaar

John Currin happens to be one of my favorite contemporary artists. I like that he goes back to a somewhat conventional medium of painting but makes things that really connect with things that are important today; and he does so with simplicity, grace, and often humor. My favorite painting of his is below, titled "Heartless." Clever, n'est pas?

full of herself?

One of the best things about blogs becoming such a popular medium is all the inside information and casual conversations that come to light, un-scripted, un-edited to make everyone look good. Usually it's just nice to shed a light on actresses or models or designers that you might like or hate, to get a better sense of who they are -- but then there are those other celebrities who seem to be talked about all the time without being known for their work. Emmy Rossum is loved by the fashion world and the media and it always photographed at events (and Camilla Belle is another actress like this who springs to mind), but I've never seen anything she's actually done, and can't even name anything besides Phantom of the Opera. I guess publicity just for hype is a good deal, but it also brings higher scrutiny. So when I read this conversation between her, Leighton Meester, and NY Magazine on the latter's blog (about the upcoming Costume Institute party), my own thoughts as well as those of several commentors honed right in on a bit of an attitude. Does she seem a bit stuck-up and full of herself for someone who's over-hyped as it is? Isn't comparing Wintour to the Pope a little... ridiculous... even in a context as sycophantic as the fashion world? Questions, questions. Me, I'd take Leighton over Emmy any day. A bit clueless about one of the biggest events, maybe, but at least she seems "real". Oh, how judgmental we've all become.

" New York: [to Rossum] So who are you wearing to the Costume Institute gala on May 5?
Rossum: Oh, I can't say. But I can say that Anna [Wintour]'s picking it.
Meester: Why is she picking it?
Rossum: Because Anna invited me to sit with her. I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?
Meester: That's pretty great!
New York: Did Anna say to you, "I will pick your dress"?

Rossum: No, I am lucky enough that Anna has kindly said that she'll work with me to get me a great dress. I've been christened. I feel like I was just blessed by the Pope.

Meester: Is it, like, ridiculous — the Costume? They were asking me about it, actually...
Rossum: It's, like, literally amazing. You can't not go. It's like the event of the year.
Meester: I know, but I think I'm going to be in L.A.
Rossum: It's like the New York Oscars…
Meester: May 5, you said? I don't think I'm going to make it.
New York: [to Rossum] Why don't you take her over to Anna and introduce her?
Rossum: She's working. She's not even available to go to the most fabulous event. "

Read all the rest here
Ok, I promise to write on things besides Gossip Girl! And expect more about the upcoming Costume Institute Gala....

tonight is the long-awaited night...

Gossip Girl is back tonight! And Blake is seriously making me consider getting a bright yellow dress for spring/summer (hers here is from Banana Republic). Leighton looks great in Chanel and jeans but that's no surprise, is it! I do also need a white blouse with a long bow/ties. And one of those huge milkshakes!

image from Vogue, March 2008. for other pictures & details see PopSugar

lou doillon

"I know I'm dressed wrong if the businessman turns his head. But I like to think that after an hour of sitting next to me on the train, he'd look. I'd have grown on him." "Style Credo: What attracts me is something broken, something a bit off. I never comb my hair or make anything pretty. When people look too beautiful, it's too easy.
On Hats: I come from a very mad, very classic family that all wore hats. I have a vintage pop-up top hat that I wear a lot. I'm like the Houdini of nightclubs, pulling an enormous hat out of a tiny bag. My favorite hat was stolen. It was a classic black moche hat, which means 'ugly' in French. The people at Chanel told me I should go to Maison Michel, the house that makes all their hats, and have it replaced.
Recent Acquisitions: A Chanel jacket and bag. I'm very proud of them. You can dress up like a tramp and have a little Chanel bag, and look so chic.
Current Projects: I just finished a three-month tour of a show called 'Lettres Intimes,' and during it, designed the winter Lee Cooper collection. I was drawing clothes for runaway girls, but like Charlie Chaplin's 'The Kid': high-waisted tweed trousers with high hems and tiny jackets. It's very moving to have little ankles and wrists showing -- they're such a fragile part of a woman. Someone suggested I design men's wear. I should. I have such trouble dressing up as a girl."

from NY Times 20.4.08; not yet available online

reason #10 to love belgium

Reasons number 1-6 are, obviously the Antwerp 6. 7 would be Olivier Theyskens, 8 Martin Margiela and 9 Raf Simons. But the latest would be: men who wear printed scarves. The multiple knots really make it look unique. And I love the all-black suited look, except for a matching crew-neck shirt and shoes.

photo from facehunter

do you polyvore?

I discovered this site a while ago and while for me it's too time-consuming to find things on it to get addicted, I can certainly see the addictive potential. Basically it's a site where you can get pictures from most shopping sites and put together outfits, inspiration boards, etc.

One of the experiments I've done on it was with this white Moschino dress, styled three different ways: on the right sort of boho/liberty florals for spring, on the top left more beachy and summery and on the bottom left in a more classic, elegant way for night.

The bad part of polyvore is that now I really really want those white ankle boots.

alice temperley's motto

"Look for freedom in your life and laugh a lot."

"My parents [once] rented a car and took off into the Masai Mara with us. I have never forgotten that feeling of freedom."

vogue.co.uk

keira knightley

Picture in Elle magazine, courtesy of keirapictures.com

I love this picture from a feature on Keira Knightley in Elle magazine a few years ago, especially for the bright contrasting colors, the flowers, the simplicity and yet fantasy-like quality of the setting (who wouldn't love to be getting room service in such an amazing hotel room?), how good the pasta she's eating looks... (never blog when hungry!) But mostly for the amazing blouse that Keira is wearing, which looks like the perfect luxurious but light-as-air thing to wear when lounging around the house (or a gorgeous suite). A bright color like this is sure to look unique and attention-getting in any outfit, but I love the way the sheerness of the fabric mutes the effect a little bit, so it isn't so overwhelming. It could be played off more boldly, or more casually in a variety of different ways.

The blouse is from Alessandro Dell'acqua's S/S 2005 collection, which had a number of tops and dresses in this electric/Yves Klein blue chiffon with white Wedgwood-inspired embroidery. The collection as a whole got sort of mixed reviews because this look was only one in a number of strong ideas among the outfits, so there wasn't an overall focus. But I really think this look alone (which opened the show) was original, interesting, and yet somehow classic enough to carry the whole collection. The blue was combined, and contrasted with other outfits in between, with neutral khaki and nude colors as you can see in the picture below on the left (I think you'd have to be really careful about mixing this with another strong color).

The blouse and other designs on the runway (with quite a different color based on light):

And here are some blue silk chiffon pieces available this season, in case you're feeling inspired to give this look a try:




Top row - Stella McCartney and Chris Benz
Bottom row - Catherine Malandrino and Vanessa Bruno

cropped pants and ankle boots: mini-trend for transitioning into spring

If these ladies, photographed by Garance Doreand the Sartorialistrespectively, are any indication, the most stylish way
to adjust to the slightly warmer temperatures is to pair neutral colors,
layer on top, and let the hemlines rise little by little...

un peu d'air sur terre

(click to enlarge)

Before there were the Lacoste airborne ads and the Vogue editorials, there was Phillippe Halsman's 1959 "Jump Book" in which he photographed leading actors and actresses, including Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn, jumping, basically.

While the models tend to take it a little too seriously now, struggling to maintain composed faces, in Halsman's book the best part is the lighthearted, happy quality that the pose brought out in everyone, even those who were usually concentrating on sexy or sophisticated image-control. Probably the most amusing pictures from the book are those of serious men in business suits, letting go and having a good time for once.

I'm glad that such a simple, but unconventional, idea for portraiture is coming back into style in a big way -- couldn't we all do with a little bit more whimsy and a little less pretension in fashion? It's supposed to be fun, afterall.

kate hudson on set

It looks like her new film, Bride Wars, will have an interesting, very-styled wardrobe, probably like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days did. I really like the extra-long green cardigan, and the boots with a little bit of Pucci/Missoni-ish print at the top. It makes an interesting look, without being too extravagant for real life. Although here she is with blue streaks in her hair, which I'm guessing is more a prank by her rival bride, Anne Hathaway (apparently they're best friends who scheduled their weddings the same day and must compete for everything) than a fashion statement...

if you know ny you know how true this is...

"I've been in New York for four years now, and I feel that I have done it. It's a place where you can be busy all the time without ever doing anything."

Margherita Missoni, on why she's moving to Paris

Courtesy of style.com

the most ridiculous product I've ever seen

Jack Spade sells a leather matchbook cover at his online store. I'm not sure what could be less necessary? But at $10 I'm oddly, perversely tempted....

total look

Ellen Pompeo is a good example of how to achieve a total look as seen on the runway without doing it literally. In this outfit she wore high-waisted pants from J. Mendel's Fall 2007 show, and paired them with a similar sheer white blouse as was seen on the runway, but with a deep-v instead of a crew neck (and she lost the fur coat). She even wore her hair in similar loose blonde waves.

stilettos on the beach

Photos of Kate Moss by Terry Richardson, complete shoot can be found at Calikartel Magazine.