[Image source: Vogue Italia website]
Showing posts with label vogue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vogue. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Style Inspiration: Vogue Italia - Look of the Day
[Image source: Vogue Italia website]
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Vogue Has Spoken...
I got on Vogue.com this morning to check up on the happenings in the fashion world since I no longer subscribe to their magazine (for no other reason than I am too lazy to send in my re-subscription form) and right smack on the front page of their website were the words MAJOR EARRINGS in all caps, so you know it must be extremely important. The accompanying picture and article was about how big earrings are now in. Right now, all over the world, housewives are rushing to their jewelry boxes to throw out all of their studs.
Personally, I love big earrings... I'm just too scared to wear them. I have the most gorgeous pair of jade green earrings that I got at Forever21, but I haven't worn them yet because whenever I put them on I feel like my upper half doubles in size because they are so big. Perhaps one day I will be brave enough to venture out in public with them on, but until then they'll remain safely on my dresser.
My original intention for this blog was to show off some neat large earrings on Etsy, but after about 5 minutes I gave up searching for any because I got so sick of wading through all of the reseller crap (excuse the language). A pair of handmade thread wrapped earrings for $2.99? Yeah freaking right. If I want junky earrings made in China I will shop at Forever21, thanks very much.
(For those of you who don't spend unhealthy amounts of time on Etsy every day and don't know what I'm talking about, be thankful. Just always be wary when shopping for jewelry on Etsy... if the price is too good to be true, it's probably not handmade.)
So in short, this blog was not nearly as interesting as I had originally planned, so sorry for that. But what do you think about giant earrings?
Personally, I love big earrings... I'm just too scared to wear them. I have the most gorgeous pair of jade green earrings that I got at Forever21, but I haven't worn them yet because whenever I put them on I feel like my upper half doubles in size because they are so big. Perhaps one day I will be brave enough to venture out in public with them on, but until then they'll remain safely on my dresser.
My original intention for this blog was to show off some neat large earrings on Etsy, but after about 5 minutes I gave up searching for any because I got so sick of wading through all of the reseller crap (excuse the language). A pair of handmade thread wrapped earrings for $2.99? Yeah freaking right. If I want junky earrings made in China I will shop at Forever21, thanks very much.
(For those of you who don't spend unhealthy amounts of time on Etsy every day and don't know what I'm talking about, be thankful. Just always be wary when shopping for jewelry on Etsy... if the price is too good to be true, it's probably not handmade.)
So in short, this blog was not nearly as interesting as I had originally planned, so sorry for that. But what do you think about giant earrings?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Journalists in shock - Roitfield leaves French Vogue vs BBC covering for police brutality
As the fashion world is shocked and going into jitters at the news of "the end of an era" - the resignation by Carine Roitfield from French Vogue, I myself am still caught up in as story that is actually shocking. Hmm, let's see... someone (sure, that someone is very fabulous) decides to leave their job. Oh blood and horror. She seems pretty happy about it and it's not like she's dying, she'll still be doing her projects we can see. Have a look at the following, and muse about the situation we live in, where police brutality is covered up and justified by the BBC. Now that's a story that should "shatter the reality" of any journalist. Having said that, I wish it was Ben Brown leaving his job, not Carine Roitfield.
To start you off in the "get your priorities straight" journey, have a look at this interview. What follows, is my letter of complaint to the BBC, it's the first one I felt I needed to make.
In the interview Ben Brown conducted with Jody McIntyre there were so many points that this actually fits into several complaint categories - bias, offense, and standards of interviewing.
There are so many things wrong it's difficult to know where to start, so I'll go through it step by step.
1. The topic of coverage, which was an interview with a VICTIM of police brutality, was not addressed in any of the questions. The entire interview was conducted in the manner as if the person being interviewed had in some way something to answer for.
2. Instead, Jody McIntyre was repeatedly posed leading questions on the assumption that he must have provoked the police to attack him even after clarifying that he had in no way done so and even clarifying to a clueless interviewer that he is physically incapable of having done so.
3. I am deeply annoyed by the fact that throughout the interview Ben Brown is not bothering to take into account the very straight forward and clear answers by Jody, which rendered following questions ridiculous. What kind of biased, unprofessional and bullying idiot asks someone with cerebral palsy, who just TOLD YOU that he can't operate his own wheelchair, whether he "threw rocks at the police"?!
4. If that weren't enough, implying that "rolling towards the police", which considering they were everywhere would be a) not an act of threat in any way and b) not exactly something he could have avoided - rolling in any which direction, aka "moving from the spot" would have been in the direction of police.
5. Questioning his belief as if they had anything to do with the incident was particularly annoying considering, may I point out once again, the issue at hand was POLICE BRUTALITY. Unprovoked. I do wonder whether that method of questioning would have been applied to, say, Camilla and Prince Charles, to wonder why they were there, and how their beliefs could have had anything to do with provoking anybody to an attack and that it may just have been their own fault?
6. The interviewer was insensitive and rude. Instead of reacting to the clear answers being given to frankly ridiculous and irrelevant questions, as I pointed out earlier, answers were clearly not listened to or acknowledged and in some points an apology would have been in order - for example when Jody points out that he can't "roll" towards anything due to his condition, Ben Brown's reaction seems to imply a wordless "whatever", which I must say makes him look like an idiot.
7. Throughout the entire interview Ben Brown did not once acknowledge the fact that police brutality is out of order - the issue actually at hand. The line of question was merely to establish that what the police had done was appropriate while it doesn't take a lot to realize that not "even" shouting or rolling would justify tipping someone with cerebral palsy out of their chair and dragging them across the street.
8. I've seen this clip a while ago and waited with my complaint because I was hoping to see a swift and immediate apology by the BBC. Instead, I have watched a meager attempt at defending an inappropriate approach to interviewing a victim as "equality of treatment" by Kevin Bakhurst. Would anyone ask a victim of rape whether they might have provoked the attack, repeatedly, even after the victim had pointed out that it was physically impossible for them to do so? Treating people EQUALLY does not mean treating them the SAME. It means treating them with respect and a genuine interest to finding out what actually happened. None of which was done in this interview.
9. I have in the past respected the BBC and their ways of reporting but have been ashamed to say that their coverage of the student riots have been atrociously one sided and biased - and this interview is the pinnacle of the entire coverage. However, I am still hoping that the BBC will come to realize that they need to distance themselves from poor interviewers such as Ben Brown, who not surprisingly covered a lot of the riots, in order to regain their respect in many, many reader's view.
10. I am still waiting for an OFFICIAL APOLOGY from the BBC and hope that if Ben Brown cannot see the error of his atrocious approach and resign, that he shall be sacked.
11. I am happy to see that the outcry against this interview has been so widespread and hope that the BBC editors will apologize for condescendingly implying that a widely spread and appropriate outcry against a dreadful interview where, I am sure, many reasons were given in each complaint had Kevin Bakhurst bothered to read them, is merely a herd of sheep following the crowd without realizing what they are talking about.
12. Where is the "hard hitting", "firm" and "equal" interview with the police officers in question? At the end of the clip itself one can see another officer pulling away the officer in question - very clearly showing that even police officers were very aware of the immoral and unnecessary brutality happening. Is the BBC really covering up for this violence against humans, while painting unarmed minors in a broad brushstroke of rioting, which may I point out is directed at BUILDINGS and not humans? This is what was being done in this interview, and without a formal apology, this is the line the BBC is taking.
13. The only person so far who has had an inkling of decency so far is commissioner for London Deborah Glass from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and I truly hope the BBC will follow suit with an apology and the resignation of Ben Brown.
To start you off in the "get your priorities straight" journey, have a look at this interview. What follows, is my letter of complaint to the BBC, it's the first one I felt I needed to make.
In the interview Ben Brown conducted with Jody McIntyre there were so many points that this actually fits into several complaint categories - bias, offense, and standards of interviewing.
There are so many things wrong it's difficult to know where to start, so I'll go through it step by step.
1. The topic of coverage, which was an interview with a VICTIM of police brutality, was not addressed in any of the questions. The entire interview was conducted in the manner as if the person being interviewed had in some way something to answer for.
2. Instead, Jody McIntyre was repeatedly posed leading questions on the assumption that he must have provoked the police to attack him even after clarifying that he had in no way done so and even clarifying to a clueless interviewer that he is physically incapable of having done so.
3. I am deeply annoyed by the fact that throughout the interview Ben Brown is not bothering to take into account the very straight forward and clear answers by Jody, which rendered following questions ridiculous. What kind of biased, unprofessional and bullying idiot asks someone with cerebral palsy, who just TOLD YOU that he can't operate his own wheelchair, whether he "threw rocks at the police"?!
4. If that weren't enough, implying that "rolling towards the police", which considering they were everywhere would be a) not an act of threat in any way and b) not exactly something he could have avoided - rolling in any which direction, aka "moving from the spot" would have been in the direction of police.
5. Questioning his belief as if they had anything to do with the incident was particularly annoying considering, may I point out once again, the issue at hand was POLICE BRUTALITY. Unprovoked. I do wonder whether that method of questioning would have been applied to, say, Camilla and Prince Charles, to wonder why they were there, and how their beliefs could have had anything to do with provoking anybody to an attack and that it may just have been their own fault?
6. The interviewer was insensitive and rude. Instead of reacting to the clear answers being given to frankly ridiculous and irrelevant questions, as I pointed out earlier, answers were clearly not listened to or acknowledged and in some points an apology would have been in order - for example when Jody points out that he can't "roll" towards anything due to his condition, Ben Brown's reaction seems to imply a wordless "whatever", which I must say makes him look like an idiot.
7. Throughout the entire interview Ben Brown did not once acknowledge the fact that police brutality is out of order - the issue actually at hand. The line of question was merely to establish that what the police had done was appropriate while it doesn't take a lot to realize that not "even" shouting or rolling would justify tipping someone with cerebral palsy out of their chair and dragging them across the street.
8. I've seen this clip a while ago and waited with my complaint because I was hoping to see a swift and immediate apology by the BBC. Instead, I have watched a meager attempt at defending an inappropriate approach to interviewing a victim as "equality of treatment" by Kevin Bakhurst. Would anyone ask a victim of rape whether they might have provoked the attack, repeatedly, even after the victim had pointed out that it was physically impossible for them to do so? Treating people EQUALLY does not mean treating them the SAME. It means treating them with respect and a genuine interest to finding out what actually happened. None of which was done in this interview.
9. I have in the past respected the BBC and their ways of reporting but have been ashamed to say that their coverage of the student riots have been atrociously one sided and biased - and this interview is the pinnacle of the entire coverage. However, I am still hoping that the BBC will come to realize that they need to distance themselves from poor interviewers such as Ben Brown, who not surprisingly covered a lot of the riots, in order to regain their respect in many, many reader's view.
10. I am still waiting for an OFFICIAL APOLOGY from the BBC and hope that if Ben Brown cannot see the error of his atrocious approach and resign, that he shall be sacked.
11. I am happy to see that the outcry against this interview has been so widespread and hope that the BBC editors will apologize for condescendingly implying that a widely spread and appropriate outcry against a dreadful interview where, I am sure, many reasons were given in each complaint had Kevin Bakhurst bothered to read them, is merely a herd of sheep following the crowd without realizing what they are talking about.
12. Where is the "hard hitting", "firm" and "equal" interview with the police officers in question? At the end of the clip itself one can see another officer pulling away the officer in question - very clearly showing that even police officers were very aware of the immoral and unnecessary brutality happening. Is the BBC really covering up for this violence against humans, while painting unarmed minors in a broad brushstroke of rioting, which may I point out is directed at BUILDINGS and not humans? This is what was being done in this interview, and without a formal apology, this is the line the BBC is taking.
13. The only person so far who has had an inkling of decency so far is commissioner for London Deborah Glass from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and I truly hope the BBC will follow suit with an apology and the resignation of Ben Brown.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Style Inspiration: Carey Mulligan
You know those ridiculously silly questions people think are good conversation starters? Like, "If you could have lunch with a famous person, who would you have lunch with?" or "If you died and they made a movie about your life, who would play you?". Well, I'm not nearly interesting enough that any one would ever make a movie about me, and I have never heard of a celebrity just randomly going out to lunch with a mere mortal such as myself, so I feel it's probably not the best use of time to think about these questions to deeply. But when people do feel it necessary to plague me with such cliche questions, I always tell them Carey Mulligan.Even if you haven't heard of Carey Mulligan before, you've probably seen her:
Yup, she was in Pride and Prejudice (the new version, not the 3-centuries-long one). Watch the movie again to see Carey throw a fit when Lydia gets to go to Brighton and she doesn't. Not fair!Carey also starred in 2009's An Education. I got this movie on Netflix a few weeks ago and I thought it was really well done. The plot is a little uncomfortable (it's about her falling in love with/being seduced by a much older man), but it was never gratuitous in its portrayal of the relationship.
Carey got nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category for her role in the film. This is what she wore on the red carpet:
I really don't like this dress, but I think it looks great on her. I usually hate that hem line at the bottom, the hardware on the front looks a little homemade/crafty to me, and I'm not in love with the neckline either, but somehow it all works very well on her. And anyone with the guts to chop their hair off that short instantly earns my respect.Vogue featured her in January '10. They dressed her up like an drunken idiot but she still manages to look gorgeous in spite of her clown clothes (albeit very expensive clown clothes).
And then in October '10, Vogue put her on the cover. This is one month after my Vogue subscription ended (my last one came in September), so I was none to happy when I saw that my favorite star was on the cover of the very next issue. Tsk tsk. Nevertheless, I still got to see her editorial online.
Stunning, am I right? Oh to be famous and get to wear pretty dresses for money!In other news, Carey just got picked to play Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. She was picked over several more-well-known actresses such as Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman. Huzzah!
OK, I'll stop swooning now.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
My favourite Vintage Vogue covers
Yesterday I was taken aside by my granddad who showed me images that made me very emotional. Ranging from beautiful vintage to modern advertising in the fifties, sixties and seventies of his designs, to catwalk show images, private pictures of models wearing his pieces, and most amazingly... several pages editorial shoot in the first ever Brazilian Vogue featuring his designs... and him, incidentally.
As I am trying to source said cover, at least, I got to scour the archives of vintage Vogue covers, some of which I love too much to pass by so here they are...
As I am trying to source said cover, at least, I got to scour the archives of vintage Vogue covers, some of which I love too much to pass by so here they are...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
African Vogue issue has (not) disappeared
This is the American Vogue September Issue 2010 cover with Halle Berry looking radiant in her 20s swing short haircut. She is a woman of many firsts - She was the first black woman to receive an Oscar for a lead role and dedicated it to former African-American actresses that should have won an oscar Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll among others. She is the first black woman to grace the September Issue of vogue since 1989, where Naomi Campbell was the first ever black woman to do so. Halle Berry is the first black celebrity to ever grace the front cover of the September Issue Vogue.
Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago, the option of an African Vogue was denied for reasons the fashion world has gossiped about endlessly, trying to think of what could possibly fathom an excuse big enough to deny such an influential region of the world in fashion the Vogue when it was presented to them on a platter of obviousness. Kristin Knox the clothes whisperer discusses this in her WhispeRant series article "No Vogue for Africa??" and outlines many points, which I don't have the authority to. Please read the article, the more people are aware of the unholy acts of his holiness, the more they might be persuaded to change their minds. As for Halle Berry, she look gorgeous, but is channeling Anna Wintour a bit too much with that haircut, maybe? Doesn't the fashion pope have enough say already? I may very well be reading too much into it, but slapping your own haircut onto your first african-american front cover celebrity after having just rejected the African Vogue? What is she trying to say? That she controls everything? We know that already. I cant help but feel offended, though. Maybe the soreness of the rejection is still with me like a slap in the face which doesn't disappear at an attempted stroking caress.
There are many people who have an issue with the labeling of African-American or black for Hale Berry - and Obama, in fact. They are of mixed race, as am I, and as are most of us if we look properly. I'm not going to get into this issue because it isn't the point. The point is, I am still sore about what happened and light of it, this choice makes a point, whether Halle Berry is mixed race or African- American or black.
Maybe Vogue doesn't deserve to embrace such an amazingly varied fashion culture if they are so close minded. But to, just then, decide to poke into the wound a little and go with Halle Berry on the front cover ... hmm... I have a feeling this is no coincidence. In case you wondered - I haven't forgiven you yet, Vogue.
Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago, the option of an African Vogue was denied for reasons the fashion world has gossiped about endlessly, trying to think of what could possibly fathom an excuse big enough to deny such an influential region of the world in fashion the Vogue when it was presented to them on a platter of obviousness. Kristin Knox the clothes whisperer discusses this in her WhispeRant series article "No Vogue for Africa??" and outlines many points, which I don't have the authority to. Please read the article, the more people are aware of the unholy acts of his holiness, the more they might be persuaded to change their minds. As for Halle Berry, she look gorgeous, but is channeling Anna Wintour a bit too much with that haircut, maybe? Doesn't the fashion pope have enough say already? I may very well be reading too much into it, but slapping your own haircut onto your first african-american front cover celebrity after having just rejected the African Vogue? What is she trying to say? That she controls everything? We know that already. I cant help but feel offended, though. Maybe the soreness of the rejection is still with me like a slap in the face which doesn't disappear at an attempted stroking caress.
There are many people who have an issue with the labeling of African-American or black for Hale Berry - and Obama, in fact. They are of mixed race, as am I, and as are most of us if we look properly. I'm not going to get into this issue because it isn't the point. The point is, I am still sore about what happened and light of it, this choice makes a point, whether Halle Berry is mixed race or African- American or black.
Maybe Vogue doesn't deserve to embrace such an amazingly varied fashion culture if they are so close minded. But to, just then, decide to poke into the wound a little and go with Halle Berry on the front cover ... hmm... I have a feeling this is no coincidence. In case you wondered - I haven't forgiven you yet, Vogue.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Coco Rocha Loves Wedding Jewelry
A friend of mine from church that's getting married asked me if I would like to make bridesmaids rings for her wedding (and I said yes. Surprise!). Had I planned ahead, I would have made them during the day time so I could take some better pictures. As it was, however, I waited until 11pm when there was no natural light to be found. So I apologize for these horribly lit pictures.
So these are the rings. I made 5 of them with copper-colored Swarovski Crystal beads and antiqued brass wire, and the 6th one was with a red round Swarovski bead and vintage bronze wire for a friend that's helping in the wedding but isn't a bridesmaid.
I decided to wrap up the earrings in my standard shipping packaging, minus the shipping envelopes and tissue paper. I wanted each package to match, so I decided my best bet would be to find a fashion editorial in one of my old Vogues because they are usually 6+ pages.
Took me a while, but I finally found a good one with more subdued colors and where the model was mostly covered. :) It featured Coco Rocha (one of the "regulars" in Vogue). Prettiness!
So I ripped the pages out and picked which sides to use. Since they were too wide to wrap the rings in, I had to cut some of the sides off.
Oops, I cut Coco Rocha's hand off. Sad day.
All 6 Coco Rocha's after being cut down to size:
I folded each separate paper up and punched holes in one end. Then I used some antiqued brads to close one end of each package.
I call this picture 'The Many Faces of Coco Rocha':
Then I put the rings in (along with a business card), punched holes on the other side and closed them with brads as well. Normally at this point I would wrap it up in tissue paper and put it in my shipping envelope, but since I'm not shipping them I just left them like this:
And of course, I added little name tags so the right person would get the right ring.
The End!
So these are the rings. I made 5 of them with copper-colored Swarovski Crystal beads and antiqued brass wire, and the 6th one was with a red round Swarovski bead and vintage bronze wire for a friend that's helping in the wedding but isn't a bridesmaid.
I decided to wrap up the earrings in my standard shipping packaging, minus the shipping envelopes and tissue paper. I wanted each package to match, so I decided my best bet would be to find a fashion editorial in one of my old Vogues because they are usually 6+ pages.
Took me a while, but I finally found a good one with more subdued colors and where the model was mostly covered. :) It featured Coco Rocha (one of the "regulars" in Vogue). Prettiness!
So I ripped the pages out and picked which sides to use. Since they were too wide to wrap the rings in, I had to cut some of the sides off.
Oops, I cut Coco Rocha's hand off. Sad day.
All 6 Coco Rocha's after being cut down to size:
I folded each separate paper up and punched holes in one end. Then I used some antiqued brads to close one end of each package.
I call this picture 'The Many Faces of Coco Rocha':
Then I put the rings in (along with a business card), punched holes on the other side and closed them with brads as well. Normally at this point I would wrap it up in tissue paper and put it in my shipping envelope, but since I'm not shipping them I just left them like this:
And of course, I added little name tags so the right person would get the right ring.The End!
VR
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