Sunday Viewing: Day of the Triffids

(movie poster)

The BBC television adaptation of John Wyndham's 1951 novel, The Day of the Triffids, alongside well known contemporaries such as Doctor Who and Survivors, celebrates the well earned status of sci-fi cult classic. The post-apocalyptic story told the terrifying tale of mankind succumbed to the horrors of the mysterious and ostensibly intelligent Triffid plants. The plant that was horrifyingly found to eat the rotting flesh of its victim's corpses would have been made extinct during the early years of its discovery were it not for the monetary gains that could be made from the harvesting its seeds.

A story of survival and the sour fruits of human greed, it makes quite the tale. Indeed announced last year, plans for a remake of the television series have garnered much attention and speculation. Whether the remake shall be of particular note remains to be seen, however the original shall always stand apart. So sit take some time to sit back and enjoy the first episode of six of this delightful masterpiece...



Currently playing: Persons & Machinery - UNKLE

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Somnambulism.

Currently playing: Man on the Moon - Kid Cudi

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Absolute Ash

Absolute Man

Balmain Homme
The First Collection

Huge Magazine
Photographer: Satoshi Sakurai
Stylist: Tsuyochi Noguchi
Model: Ash Stymest

This editorial has been doing the rounds all week, but it is definitely worth a repost. Whilst I still cannot shake the whispers of Hedi from the back from of my mind, I find this shoot quite simply stunning. The ladies may have Balmainia, but I am excited to see what may be in store for the gents...

Currently playing: Run This Town ft. Kanye West & Rihanna - Jay Z

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Straight Edge.

Currently playing: Portions For Foxes - Rilo Kiley

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A Childhood Adventure

Courtesy of Band of Outsiders.

The arts and concepts of the fashion lookbook are as diverse and exciting as the medium of fashion itself. The decision of how to present the latest collection, choosing carefully one's medium, one's concept and the meaning one wishes to convey, is arguably as important as the collection itself. Of course the medium of the runway show is most probably the most prominent of presentation mediums today. Yet even so, there is still a limitation to what one can achieve on the runway. As such one often sees designers choosing to create a lookbook after the runway shows in order to better show their concepts.

Indeed I have often thought fashion design is most importantly about concept. In understanding that concept, that idea and image the designer wishes to convey, one can truly appreciate a collection. It can however arguably be somewhat difficult to fully portray concept through the garments alone. Whilst the designs will indeed be worn in isolation, with a buyer picking the piece they most love and incorporating it into their closet, the concept and story behind the collection will still remain. However the story is in that case somewhat incomplete, relying on the buyer to finish and adapt the story to their own lives.

As such, I feel that a lookbook which can present a clear concept is most often relevant simply to the art of fashion, rather than directly to the inevitable buyer. It is the presentation which entices, yet also completes the vision of the designer. It gives one an idea behind the potential story of the clothing, and perhaps it inspires one as to understanding the very meaning of the pieces one loves.

What I love about these Polaroid offerings from Band of Outsiders for their Fall 2009 collection is their simple charm and fun nature. Whilst lookbooks can sometimes stray into the murky depths of artistic complexity, there is something beautifully refreshing about the simplicity and quirkiness of this lookbook. I think Polaroids shall always have that inherently childish allure to them, in that they are such a basic and instant photographic format. Polaroid for me calls for a certain fun energy when shooting, which is something that is clear in these shots. These shots truly make me smile, and I think that is important when it comes to fashion.


Currently playing: The Star & The Snake - Hands Upon The Earth

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Body Armour.

Currently playing: Kill The Messenger - Jack's Mannequin

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Part Ten: And I'm Baaaack

Apologies to you all for falling off the map these past few weeks, I am however thankfully back to blogging :) As always I shall endeavour to reply to all of your lovely comments and emails as soon as I can possibly can. I may also have a surprise in store for you all reasonably soon.

A morning snack.

What is your daily routine like?

I am a morning person, which would appear to be a habit more in the minority than I would have initially expected. Regardless of how late I happen to go to sleep on any particular night (or indeed early morning) I can never bring myself to lie in bed past mid-morning. I have always been one to wake up earlier than most and I suppose that it certainly makes life easier in terms of morning appointments and schedules.

Another benefit is that of the experience itself. The beauty of the setting sun is one that is available to the vast majority to view. Yet for whatever reason, it is one most often missed, whether as the result of the busy nature of life, or people simply forgetting how to look at such beauty. However for me the rising of the sun is an experience that is far more intimate and special. In that moment it is as if you are the only person in the world, and you are given the privilege of viewing a beauty so great that the Earth asks for it daily.

What is your favourite food?

I suppose here would be the moment where I express a love for my mother's cooking skills and those usual cliches would ensue. However, it is actually the food made my the hand of my maternal grandmother which I value most. Whether it be a variety of sumptuous dishes for a grand dinner, or simply bread and butter. It is but the simple joy of knowing that you eat something lovingly prepared for you by your grandmother. Unfortunately it is not an experience I have had the opportunity to experience as often as one would like, but they are moments that I hold dear to my heart.

That clock tower all of them tourists love. Big Jack or something?

Do you think that living in a major city is important for a career in any area of the fashion industry?

I would assume that living in a major city may not be a necessity for working in the fashion industry, but it certainly would make it more convenient. When Rick Owens set out to become a well known fashion designer, he made the choice to go to Paris, not because he had to, but because he knew that it would help him achieve what he wanted. Regardless of what it is you want in life, you have to be prepared to go after it lest it pass you by. The inherent opportunities of living in a major city certainly seem to be of benefit, however it really does depend on the individual situation. Besides, even the smallest of villages require a fashion section in their local paper...

In your opinion which three qualities does a fashion designer need to be the best that they can be?

1. A designer should love what they do.

Love makes the impossible look possible, not because it makes you foolhardy, but because it opens your eyes to possibility. If you truly love what you do, you will naturally give it your best, and that really is all you can ask of someone. A designer who truly loves what they do would be willing to overcome any obstacle life may happen to place in their path, in order to achieve their dream.

2. A designer should have self discipline.

I would assume that the hardest part of being a fashion designer is the simple fact that you have to create collections. Whilst it is easy for me to sit here and form an idea and concept for a collection, it is quite another thing to do so repetitively and to a schedule. An artist may allow inspiration and concept to flow and form naturally around them, and by doing so, create at their luxury. However the fashion designer has to be able to strictly channel their expressions to the rigid restraints of the fashion calendar. The demand for something new and fresh every season must be a very difficult burden to carry, and as such I hold the highest respect for those who are able to do so.

3. A designer should have the ability to sit back and realise that it is just fashion.

Perspective is a beautiful thing. Whilst one could easily sit for hours and debate the relative merits of either dark brown or dark tortoiseshell buttons on a certain tweed jacket, sometimes you have to remember that it is only fashion. A designer who is able to appreciate the beauty of life and know what is truly important in their own life, shall always have an advantage. Fashion is everything and nothing, but then again, everything is something at some moment in our lives.

Currently playing: In A State ft. Graham Gouldman - UNKLE

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A gateway into humanity itself.

Currently playing: Angels - Augustana

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Uneven Terrain

Founded in 1920, Palladium quickly emerged at the forefront of aviation tire production. Their technique of layered canvas bands encased in vulcanised rubber enjoyed a high popularity in Europe. By the 1940s and the end of the war, Palladium decided to turn towards the manufacture of footwear, specifically a boot which would be as tough as their tires. The Pampa boot was born in 1947, and it would soon be adopted as the footwear of choice by the French Foreign Legion. Over 60 years later and after a brief hiatus in recent years, the iconic boot has been made available once again.

I remember seeing these boots when I was younger, especially the numerous cloned cheaper designs one could easily find, and must admit that I am rather pleased to see them back in production. Whilst the boot itself is everything you would expect from having a 60 year heritage - functional, comfortable, hard wearing; it is actually the latest lookbook which appeals to me most.

I recently wrote about the difficulties presented by the concept of a lookbook for footwear, where the balance between shoe and background story can be a tricky one to master. For this shoot however, I find myself drawn to the exact opposite of close up shots and soft portraits, for it is the atmosphere and drama of these that I enjoy. With such an iconic design, I suppose it is easier to create a lookbook based on story and feel, as opposed to simply needing to display the footwear. I find this lookbook, of close up shots mixed in with the more story driven shots, highly appealing.

The presentation of the decaying urban landscape really is a powerful one, and I find the use of light in these shots quite simply stunning. I often feel that it is easy to lose the concept of a piece when considering it in isolation, for one needs to see it in the landscape the designer envisaged upon creation. It is here that I feel this lookbook is successful, for the shots somehow manage to convey the very meaning of the boot. Like all photography, it is perhaps not something easily conveyed through words, but something to be felt upon sight.

Currently playing: Be There - UNKLE

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Music.

Currently playing: Organ Donor - DJ Shadow

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General Issue

Enemy at the Gates
(movie stills my own)

I have always felt that Jude Law is a rather under appreciated actor. His best performance was most probably in the sci-fi drama Gattaca, however for me, his role as Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev in Enemy at the Gates comes in at a close second (sorry Mr. Ripley). Indeed whilst recently watching Enemy at the Gates, I got to considering the costume design of the film.

Compared to the likes of other war films, such as Saving Private Ryan, I have always been amazed by the costume design of Enemy at the Gates. For a film such as Saving Private Ryan, I suppose that the standard 1940s American military uniform does perhaps not leave much for interpretation or creative alterations. For me however the look of the costumes felt a tad too clean. Admittedly, being set during the events just after D-Day, the uniforms may have been newly issued to the soldiers specifically for the offensive. And the Americans would have no doubt had better provisions for kitting out soldiers in properly finished and sized uniforms.

Director Jean-Jacques Annaud's subject matter however certainly lent itself to the opportunity for far more interesting costume design, and I really do applaud Janty Yates' (costume designer for the likes of Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven) work. The Soviet soldiers in Stalingrad, and the USSR in general, were notoriously under provisioned and ill equipped. Uniforms were quite literally taken from the dead to clothe the living, or else patched and layered with whatever happened to be at hand simply to weather the cold. I suppose it is my instinctive love for the beauty of survival inspired clothing, nevertheless I found the costume design stunning.

The costumes really did seem to fit far more naturally, as indeed did the make up and physical signs of fatigue on the characters. By naturally I do not mean that all the garments fit the characters size wise, but rather in places it was quite clear that they did not. Each character may have worn similar or identical garments, however the way in which they wore it was quite unique. Indeed the potential for layering, and the requirements of urban camouflage as suited to the sniper, allowed for a more exciting design.

The unique and well aged finish of garments was clear. I was particularly drawn to the silhouette of the make shift sniper's uniform, of the wide and draped upper half and the slim and fitted bottoms. The uppers were carefully layered, with a quilted coat serving as the outer layer, however the addition of a blanket serving as a cover for sniping was also seen. This heavy top contrasted wonderfully against the thermal leggings and trousers, tapered and tightly bound around the soft leather boots. It is in an odd way actually a silhouette that has been somewhat prominent on the runway of many winter collections these past few years.

Although one may be drawn to the conclusion that the costume design relied only on the sourcing of original Soviet army uniforms, the ingenuity and care taken to finish each look really did add to the overall look of the film. And I suppose that the uniforms of war shall always inspire as much as the wars themselves. For the uniforms represent the people that wore them, and people inevitably inspire us all the most.

Currently playing: Sky Might Fall - Kid Cudi

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