Vogue now online: all 120 years

10 Saturday Dec 2011

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If you’ve got a spare $1,575 you can subscribe to the Vogue archives. And that’s a yearly price. Yes, you will have to renew. Subscribers might get a price break, but with limited access. What’s the point of that? Anyways, every page, ads included, were scanned for you my dears. Everything is indexed and cataloged so you can go right to the good stuff.

I’m a FIDM Alum, so I had access to their physical Vogue collection, but now I could just go online instead of trudging downtown. It’s VERY tempting! It’s nice flipping through pages and stumbling across something fantastic that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise, but it does save time to be able to get, say, all Audrey Hepburn images like that (snap!)

So graphic, but ladylike.

Love that hat! Love the way the feathers from her hat and the feathers from the bird languidly fall.

The colors! Orange, pink, magenta and black works here for some reason.

I will have to think about it…

Francois Lesage, 1929-2011

09 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Angie in R.I.P.

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embroidery, Francois Lesage, Haute couture

Even in France, the handmade couture arts are dying. Francois Lesage was born into the Maison Lesage embroidery atelier. This was, is, the creme de la creme of embroiderers who worked for the top couturiers, from Vionnet to Dior and Lagerfeld at Chanel. It was purchased by the House of Chanel in 2002 as a way of guaranteeing the survival of this art form as other artisans, button makers, milliners, etc., were shuttering their doors.

He also spent time in Los Angeles doing costume design work for clients like Marlene Dietrich. He moved back to Paris in 1949 after the death of his father to take over Maison Lesage. He even set up an embroidery school next to its headquarters to pass on the trade.

The company plans to keep Maison Lesage operating. Let’s hope that these art forms don’t become extinct.

AFPTV still from YouTube. Look at the beading and embroidery on this coat. This shit is done by hand, skilled hands. Every bead and stitch, BY HAND. They're amazing.

YouTube link to Lesage videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIkV0XW8rYU

Trainspotting

08 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by Angie in 1990's, Men

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Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Irvine Welsh, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald, Trainspotting

Let’s take a trip in the way-back machine to 1996. Guys still wore their jeans baggy, or at least loose. Biggie on the charts with two dudes doing the Macarena, and Alanis singing about how ironic things are. Or were they? They just seemed like coincidences, bad luck, not irony, but what ev.

Then comes Danny Boyle‘s “Trainspotting,” that pierced the zeitgeist and surged into our veins like a hit of heroin. Bursting with energy and style in every frame, it ironically made the gritty life of a junkie look glamorous/rebellious to the naive teens of Scotland, and made drug use soar in its aftermath. Heroin chic, indeed.

Very skinny jeans, and gray not blue. Ewan McGregor.

Shrunken fitted top, on a straight male, go figure. Love the poster behind him. Mark Renton is cocked and loaded. Ewan McGregor.

I just like how Boyle framed this shot. The red reflections in the puddle, nice touch. Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald.

Again, nice composition. It’s also an invitation to Diane’s world. Even though she’s jailbait, she’s more mature than Mark, and she’s the one to prod him into maturity, wanting more out of life than the next hit. Kelly Macdonald.

This is where Mark gives his, “It’s shite being Scottish,” speech. He’s speaking of not having a future and hating his present. One can see beauty and purity or desolation and isolation in this landscape. Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller.

Spud’s eyewear could either be retro hip hop or retro new wave. Ewen Bremner.

The off kilter perspective tells you Mark is changing directions. He now embraces being “one of us,” happy yuppie consumers. He’s also wearing the denim leisure suit, but not matchy-matchy, and shrunken. The jacket is dark blue and the pants are grey, makes it modern and not so 70’s. Ewan McGregor.

Costume designer, Rachael Fleming, stayed within the confines of their socioeconomic level, but gave each clothes that reflected their personality. And now, skinny jeans are the jean of choice.

The Wings of the Dove

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by Angie in 1910's, Men, Women

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1910's fashions, Alison Elliot, Belle Epoque, Helena Bonham Carter, Henry James, Iain Softley, Linus Roache, Sandy Powell

Based on the Henry James novel of the same name, “The Wings of the Dove,” directed by Iain Softley, 1997, tells the tale of a love triangle between Kate, Helena Bonham Carter, Merton, Linus Roache, and Millie, Alison Elliot. The impeccable costumes were designed by powerhouse, Sandy Powell.

The year is 1910, and the London elite clothed in the oriental-inspired finery by Paul Poiret, luxuriate in peace, before World War I befalls Europe. Exoticism abounds, rich colors, Art Nouveau influences, feminine lines, softness are the trends of the day.

Kate with her patron, Aunt Maude, primping her for a society party. Charlotte Rampling and Helena in costume, the heart stops.

Beautiful lace embellishments and layers make for a comfortable but suitable night look.

Here's the back.

Maybe I'm just a minimalist at heart, but I love her dressing gown and long flowing hair as an evening look.

Love the angled jacket hem.

How fun is this hat?!

From the side, the feathers are fab.

Jewel tones and lux fabrics. Kate's (Helena's) jacket doesn't look like much sitting down. But wait...

Helena's stunning peacock jacket from behind.

Love the shoulder strap detail.

Now, I'm not usually a fan of men in velvet jackets, but somehow he manages to make it look sexy.

Lots of delicate, covetable jewelry in this film.

More great earrings.

Rich colors and sleeve details.

Again, another pretty dressing gown robe that could be translated for day now.

Painstakingly dyed top layer worn over silk.

This in-between era, between Edwardian in England, (Belle Epoque still rages on the continent) and Art Deco, is so rich in detail and femininity, it’s becoming my favorite. The film itself has flaws, but the costumes are perfection.

Chicks with Guns

03 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by Angie in Books

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Chicks with Guns, Lindsay McCrum

No, it’s not an upcoming summer blockbuster. It’s a new book of photos from Lindsay McCrum.

The gun debate is such a charged and heated one in this country, it’s refreshing and eye-opening to see it framed (no pun intended) in a non-confrontational way. This post takes neither side, just want to tell you about how evocative the photos are. Each photo tells a compelling story, strikes a balance of between sweetness of the subjects and the subtle deadly force of the weapon.

As a writer, you could write a film or book with this image as a spark. As a designer, you could play with the balance of feminine and masculine, soft, hard, protective and vulnerable, danger and safety.