Monday 28 February 2011

Inspiration Friday (Well, Monday): A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him













Arthur Symons puts it perfectly - although I am far from a realist, Venice certainly captivated me.

Although I do feel that it is cheating a little to call this an Inspiration Friday, not only because it is in fact a Monday (sorry about that), but because this is more me telling you about my trip. However I couldn't call it anything else because I WAS inspired.

Most of the pictures speak for themselves, but a couple need a little explanation. Firstly, it was leading up to the beginning of the carnival whilst we were there and so I thought it was only appropriate, if a little bit tourist-y, to buy a Venetian mask. There are hundreds and hundreds of shops selling these around Venice and I could honestly stare at them forever. This is of course a simple version, but the most fascinating are the giant golden creations with stars and moons and butterflies. The design and craftsmanship that must be involved is stunning.

The last five shots are of what my mum initially assumed to be a gay porn shop, but was actually a little gallery/shop entitled Fiorella Gallery and run by an eccentric designer named Fiorella Mancini. It sold contemporary art and dazzling, crushed velvet smoking jackets covered in parrot prints, beaded crucifixes or Fiorella's trademark - rats. The shop is like being on the inside of a crazy dressing up box, and although the clothes are priced at hundreds of euros, I was hospitably accosted with jackets and skull-shaped goblets to "take pictures". It was amazing fun and I would have bought everything in there if I could.

Other highlights include...

-Walking through the city at night eating chestnut ice cream in the rain.

- Riding the water bus and considering about the logistics of running a city like Venice, the absolute strangeness of having no roads or cars. All food deliveries are done by boats. Hearses are boats. We even saw some cement mixers on a boat. Incredible.

- Visiting the palace which was so beautifully constructed, with such interesting history.

- The bizarre sight of the most opulent designer shops squeezed into the tiny, narrow streets.

But my favourite part of all was just walking. Venice isn't a big city, but I could just walk and walk and walk. Without the interruption of roads and fast food chains, only tiny bridges and cobbled streets, it is delightful to just explore and discover details you didn't see the first time. It was charming in every sense of the word and I hope it stays unspoiled for as long as possible.

P.s. I really encourage you to check out the Fiorella Gallery website, Mancini's story is beyond cool.

P.p.s Also, all of these photos are digital and I took a ton with my film camera, so expect a second update at some point in the distant future when they are developed.

Friday 25 February 2011

Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.













Lily Cole and Alyona Osmanova photographed by Michael Sanders for Citizen K, Fall 2006


Just a fun editorial I found from a few years ago, which I really like for some reason. There's a nice variety of shots and I've missed seeing Lily around, although I do think that sometimes she over-works the whole alien look.

I know I haven't been good lately, but I blame a recent trip to Venice! I will do an "Inspiration Saturday" tomorrow which will be far more interesting than this pathetic post. I love you all for putting up with me.

Wednesday 16 February 2011

When you're lovin me, I'm lovin you.



I thought it would be a good idea to join Bloglovin.

So everyone Follow my blog with bloglovin and give me a bit of late Valentines love. Just click the logo :)

xoxo

Alexander the great.




Just a quick little post because I got a little bit excited, I thought I'd share one of my favourite pieces from NYFW. Don't get me wrong, I love Alexander Wang. His clothes are always beautifully made and perfectly fit for purpose, but I couldn't helping it was all getting a little dull. 

Neutrals, neutrals, grey jersey, neutrals. 

But when I saw these in the F/W 2011 show I fell a little bit in love. The way the light bounces off them is really pretty, and jewel colours and sparkles? Two of my favourite qualities. Thank you very much, Mr Wang. Finally. 

I've noticed fun trousers seem to a bit of a thing so far with two-tone or lime green ones at Philip Lim, gold and shiny at Marc by Marc, stripy at Thakoon and even a bit of glitter at Michael Kors. I might have to drag myself out of dresses and buy some come Autumn.

Friday 11 February 2011

Inspiration Friday: I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.








Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington in Vogue Italia, March 1994 (Picture 1); Kate Moss in Vogue UK, January 1993 (Picture 3); Clueless, 1995 (Picture 4) ; Naomi Campbell in American Harper's Bazaar, February 1997 (Picture 5). All others from Weheartit.com or general googling. 


A recent urge I have had to wear brown eyeshadow, neutrals and crop tops all the time, and an afternoon of dancing around my bedroom listening to still fabulous Spice Girls songs are responsible for my nineties themed Inspiration Friday.
The nineties are my favourite decade in fashion history, the age of grunge, straighteners and too much denim. They were a fun, albeit sometimes cringe-worthy, time in fashion and saw the rise of the supermodel. I have, of course, included Kate, Naomi, Christy and Linda, all looking nostalgically smooth-skined and fresh-faced.
I also have a lot of personal memories of being a little kid in the nineties, from stick-on earrings which I wore religiously, to my favourite special edition barbie which I was given as a present. I chopped off her tiara with scissors because I couldn't understand why it would be attached. And last, but certainly not least, the Spice Girls. Spice World was my first ever cassette and those five girls became my very first definition of the word "cool". They played a big part in my developing interest in fashion as I was girlishly in awe of their confidence in what they wore, despite the fact that, looking back, they fairly closely resembled strippers. They were mind-blowing and melodramatic and I loved them with all my 5-year-old heart.


P.s. I know I skipped last friday, but I have since come to the conclusion that two Inspiration Fridays per month is more realistic and far less dull.



Tuesday 1 February 2011

Photographer Spotlight: Elle Muliarchyk








Elle Muliarchyk is a Belarus-born model turned fashion photographer now based in New York and, her spellbinding work aside, I am completely enchanted by her story.
It begins as a traditional rags-to-riches tale - growing up in Belarus and Vietnam, Muliarchyk had only two outifts, one for cold weather and one for hot. She moved to Prague, California, and then New York where she was, in true Cinderella fashion, scouted in Manhattan by Patrick Demarchelier at only sixteen years old. She describes fashion at this time as "alien" to her, having already given her mother's fur coats to the Salvation Army without a second thought.
But this all changed when she began her project "Guerilla Dressing Room" in 2006 (seen in pictures 1, 4 and 5). Muliarchyk felt that her creativity was limited in her work as a model as so began sneaking into designer boutique changing rooms, often in the middle of the night, and taking self portraits surrounded by elaborate set ups and wearing the most beautiful and expensive outfits. She was arrested and kicked out numerous times and I'm going to unashamedly say that is the coolest most imaginative thing I've ever heard. She has done many more recent and equally as bewitching projects which I could talk about for days, but I will try to keep this short and sweet. 


"I didn’t break the ties, I just took on a secret identity. And I would switch it whenever it suits me, kinda like Superman."


She seems utterly insane and that is exactly why I have fallen for her, head over heels.