Whitest Boy Alive - Burning

Aaro Murphy, Foto Session No. 1

Gilles Rigoulet, METRO, 1977

The question is what was there first: The elderly woman or the monster-lamp? 

Rigoulet did not know and we won't solve the mystery either.

But the picture is just great. 

Anna Ostrom

ANNA OSTROM

A few weeks ago I went to the London Fashion & Art Event, an exhibition organised by Loulou Bontemps to promote a few of London's upcoming designers and artists. 

Situated in the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the exhibitors managed to create a friendly, familiar atmosphere with champagne reception and models presenting clothes of young talented designers.

Anna Ostrom was one of the designers I found most impressing: Anna is still studying Jewellery Design in Birmingham but presented an in my opinion outstandingly appealing collection of bracelets, earrings and necklaces. The collection's name "Urban Jungle" was inspired by big cities and their manifoldness. "London is animalistic," Anna says when asked about her inspiration. "We are all animals living in cities. That's why I am inspired by buildings and not really by nature. It's just in my blood. I'm definitely a city girl", she concludes. And an innovative one as well: Some of her rings are made out of three pieces that can all be worn separately (and if you lose one part of the ring you still have two other ones, really clever). 

Well done, Anna. I hope to stumble across your future boutique soon!

'Atlas Hands' Official Video (HD) - Benjamin Francis Leftwich

FASHION WEEK SS'11: MARC BY MARC JACOBS

Marc Jacobs...everybody loves his work. I do, too! He is a crazy guy, but a genius. Do you know what I love most? The long skirts you see everywhere right now! Don't expect your boyfriend to like them, but isn't it great to see another length again, after all these years of miniskirts? Even if you don't like your legs you can start wearing long skirts now (especially good for Christmas time when you eat too many cookies anyways).

I also think it brings back another side of sexiness: The one of hidden sexappeal. And isn't it just way more exciting to discover a person's body when you don't know what lies underneath?

People, this is real 80's Style! I have seen this guy a couple of times before and just needed to take a picture of him. Do you see the pink socks? Thank god there are still creative people out there who are trying not to look like everyone else.

The Charleston

Lisa Fonssagrives for Vogue, 1939, by Erwin Blumenfeld

Ok, seriously: Would you be brave (or silly) enough to risk your life for a fashion advertisement?? 

I don't think I could have posed up there, on the EIFFEL TOWER, hundreds of metres above the ground.One step to her right and GOODBYE, life!  However, Lisa Fonssagrives, a famous Swedish model during the 30's and 40's, survived, and with her one of the most impressive fashion pics I've ever seen. Everything about this picture is perfect: Her posture, her dress and the way it plays with the wind, the construction lines of the Eiffel Tower. You think you can almost hear the dress flagging, don't you?

Lisa became an icon, leading the way to the "supermodel-era". The shot was published in VOGUE in 1939 and is still being copied by hundreds of photographers today. 

Burberry Prorsum Womenswear Spring/Summer 2011 Show

Brick Lane Market, London

Isn't it cute how the girl combines the polka dot dress with a little blue cardigan and a red French hat? I was mesmerized by this combination!

What do you see...

D&G - Spring Summer 2011 Full Fashion Show

"It's such a wonderful life..." -even the soundtrack of the Dolce & Gabbana show for spring/ summer 2011 is stuck in my mind! The whole collection is amazing! Surrounded by flowers and bright colours you couldn't help but feel like Garden of Eden had just opened its doors for you.
Welcome to fashion paradise: Checked handkerchiefs combined with fresh, summerly patterns, floral long-skirted dresses next to cute red leather shorts, and finally some lace pieces in pastel tones, showing a hint of skin underneath them. The shoes were one of a kind; beautifully romanticized cork boots and wedges -though you could definitely see some models struggling with them while walking down the catwalk.
This season, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce have finally created a world for the little princess in every one of us, a fairy tale we should not miss next summer.

D&G - Spring Summer 2011 Full Fashion Show

Vive la France

I love the French culture! I love Paris! I love the language, the art, the food! And the French influence is everywhere, believe me, even when you travel to a country on the other side of the world. For example Australia. When I was in Melbourne this year I discovered "Paris' End", a little area in the middle of the city, where you can find French cafés, boulangeries, and even tons of French people! Amaaazing! You always have Chinatown in those big cities, but I have never seen "Francetown". I really doubt we have something like this here in London. And it is a shame! Anyways, my little day trip inspired me to do this drawing here. A woman had been dressed like this and I found her attitude très francais. She really could have been from France...but who cares? She looked gorgeous!

Scott giving the interview...

Scott Schuman et moi

Mr. Sartorialist and me

It is already April, but the weather does not seem to care: It is still freezing outside, I can even see my own breath in the cold air. Luckily, the tiny hall we are standing in is warm enough to create a cosy feeling between me and the little crowd in front of the small stage. However, it is not enough to make me feel very comfortable: I am standing right next to the stage and the interview must be over in only a few seconds. I can already feel my heart beating and my hands shaking. I try to concentrate on the question I want to ask. I have to ask. This is the only chance I would get. I just couldn't chicken out. After all, he seems to be quite a friendly, humorous person...

         Two days ago on the internet: While scrolling down the pages of "The Sartorialist" as usual, something suddenly caught my eye -had I just read the words "Berlin" and "press event"? I scrolled backwards. Yes! It was true: Scott Schuman, the guy who practically invented the whole Fashion blog-Mania was here in Berlin, on the occasion of a promotional project for Nespresso. He would give an interview, "a moderated discussion on blogging and fashion". This was nothing I could miss! His blog was the first I had read and followed since I knew about fashion blogs! There was NO choice, I had to get there somehow.

         I'm not actually from Berlin, but I do have some friends there I'm meeting from time to time. Obviously, I had picked the right moment for my visit! I asked two of my friends if they'd like to come with me, to see if we could manage to get in. Sure they wanted to and soon we were already on our way to the "Michelberger Hotel" in Kreuzberg. Since we were way too early (but I just didn't know what to expect, you understand) we had to wait for another hour for the arriving of Mr. Schuman...

         The interview then took about an hour. The first topic he is asked about is Berlin: Could this city, with its incontestable important history, become one of the big fashion capitals? Is it ready to be named with Paris, London, Milan and New York in one row? Scott negates that. "Not yet" he says. "Berlin reminds me a lot of New York in the 80's: It is a place where you can be creative without spending a lot of money. You don't have to be expensively dressed up to be stylish." He refers to India in a similar way: "The people there create a lot of style under almost unbearable hot circumstances and even without money! The whole thing is about celebrating people who do something in a creative, special way." On the opposite is Milan, "a comparatively small city, where everyone is kind of 'design-driven' and sensitive to style". Coming back to the question of the next fashion capital, Mr. Schuman points towards Istanbul, a city that has a great potential in his opinion. "What both Istanbul and Berlin need is more talented designers who are on top continually." 

        The moderator now wants to know if blogs are possibly creating some sort of a "global style"? "Well, yeah I would say so", Scott Schuman answers, "if you see a photo of someone you can't really tell where he comes from just by his style. However, you can notice some differences between  the countries in general: For me, Berlin is part of the northern, European style, similar to the people in Stockholm. There is a lot of grey and black, supplied by little details. People dress down here. That's a shame I think, because you guys have potentially very beautiful people out there!" The little crowd in front of him laughs. He continues. "In New York and London the people tend to be more confident with their styling, Paris is like the smoky, sexy kind of girl and Milan seems to be, as i said before, its own 'creature'." The moderator is smiling.

        A young woman in the audience raises her fist: "What is the most important part of an outfit, Mr. Schuman?" Scott Schuman has to grin. "The shoes,of course! If you have the right shoes, you can build up the whole outfit. The shoes are the most important thing." At that moment I have to look down to my feet, feeling the urge to change my brown leather brogues against some exclusive high heels. But Scott does not care about my shoes; he goes on talking about his blog now. "The idea was to talk about women's and men's wear in the same way of fashion. When I take pictures, I am very picky. To me, it doesn't matter, if people are wearing ZARA or a piece from last season. I want to see a smile on their faces. You cannot buy a certain amount of humidity." It is these words that make Scott Schuman very likeable to me. Who would have thought that this tiny man and I (and he really is very short), define beauty in the same way? In the end of the discussion "The Sartorialist" himself advises not to take the blog too literally, "but to take the inspiration of it". And finally, the interview is over.

       Now Scott Schuman is in fact coming off stage. I see his back right in front of me. I can see myself raising my hand and seriously tapping on his left shoulder! He turns around, watching me. "Yes?" This is it, I'm pushing myself. Talk, Nica! And I open my mouth, hearing myself asking what he thinks is the most important thing to be successful as a fashion journalist? He answers quickly, talks about Suzy Menkes, the 14-year old Tavi Gevinson and the power of having your own opinion. I am holding pen and paper in my hand but don't feel able to do anything else than listen. He comes to an end, I smile and thank him, not without asking if I could take a picture with him.  He agrees and even puts his hand on my waist! Scott is very nice.

      The rest of the evening passes with loads of free food and drinks (definitely good decision to come here) and me, trying to take pictures of Scott without him thinking I was a stalker (I think he noticed anyway).

      

      He probably won't remember our little conversation. But this evening is one of the reasons why I started this blog.

Thank you, Scott. You really inspired me.