June 30, 2013
June 29, 2013
Meanwhile, at the Berlaymont
European Commission security is best dressed security.
In Memory of the Late Mr. and Mrs. Comfort , A Fable by Richard Avedon
The single greatest fashion editorial of modern times, a fable by Richard Avedon.
If you’re headed for a life that’s only involved with making money and that you hope for satisfaction somewhere else, you’re headed for a lot of trouble. And whatever replaces vodka when you’re 45 is what you’re going to be doing."
- Richard Avedon - 1988
La Cour des Senteurs
"If you’re lucky enough to be travelling to France this summer and are scheduling your obligatory trip to Versailles, then you shouldn’t miss La Cour des Senteurs, a new sensory experience dedicated to the art of perfume which just opened near the palais."
June 28, 2013
The changing shape of cinema
The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio from FilmmakerIQ.com on Vimeo.
The history of aspect ratio.
Five lovable cities
"They might not be slick or smart, they might be a bit dusty in the corners or a nightmare to navigate, and they won't be making our top 25 most liveable cities list any time soon. But who cares?"
Evolution of Get Lucky [Daft Punk Chronologic cover by PV NOVA]
Thanks to Bill.
June 27, 2013
Adele's Dream - The Movie
"Adele's Dream is Fendi's latest cinematic undertaking, a short movie that celebrates the new Selleria Line, with a focus on the Adele bag and the magnetic appeal of Italian cinema. A woman and her bag. The timeless appeal of Adele 1328 named after Fendi's founder, which blossoms like a flower in the hands of Fendi's master artisans."
So goes the Fendi copy. But this isn't Italian cinema, it's Hitchcock.
Exposed
Dandy Diary explains they got Miky the Streaker - and a cameraman - into Saturday's Dolce & Gabbana menswear show.
Vibration theory of olfaction
"A controversial theory that the way we smell involves a quantum physics effect has received a boost, following experiments with human subjects. It challenges the notion that our sense of smell depends only on the shapes of molecules we sniff in the air."
The Jaguar C-X75 Prototype
"We needed to achieve the performance of a Veyron, the range of a Volt, and the CO2 of Prius."
Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics German...
Nyusha - Alone
Russian pop music videos > other pop music videos (with a hat tip to Mr. Percifield).*
* Possible exception: Ukrainian pop music videos.
June 26, 2013
Can perfume ever again become a luxury?
"Luxury is less about hype and more about showing the best that a human being or brand can make. Thanks to the information age, high-end consumers are becoming more and more knowledgeable, more connoisseur and more discerning.
"To them, brands are for those who don’t know any better – brands being for those lacking in knowledge, confidence or culture. The more educated consumers become, the more they tend to seek out the best in a field, and as such, they tend to seek out the great masters - specialists in specific fields."
Model Files - Season Finale: It's Preston's Day
While shooting the MODEL FILES spread for V Magazine, Preston finally gets the camera time (he feels) he deserves.
June 25, 2013
Christian Dior Spring/Summer 1998
"A celebrity and femme fatale, the marchesa's famous eccentricities dominated and delighted European society for nearly three decades. The beautiful and extravagant hostess to the Ballets Russes was something of a legend among her contemporaries. She astonished society by parading with a pair of leashed cheetahs and wearing live snakes as jewellery."
"Much later, John Galliano based the 1998 Spring/Summer Christian Dior collection on her. Gowns from this collection have been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute."
"Perhaps Alexander McQueen most unashamedly romantic show to date, his Spring/Summer 2007 collection was inspired by [Luisa] Casati." (NSFW, couture)
Senators of fashion
"For several years now, the international fashion industry has been whispering about the decline of Milan Fashion Week and the waning influence of Italian fashion at large."
WWTFD
What Would Tom Ford Do?
Specifically: Tom Ford in 24 hours, Tom Ford's 15 things every man should have and,
Rules of Style from Tom Ford.
While we are on the subject: Tom Ford on fashion success.
June 24, 2013
Runway safari in Milan
"Designs shown on the second day of menswear previews during Milan Fashion Week had an exotic flare - even if Miuccia Prada in particular says she was rejecting the label."
Resort 2014: The Missoni runway show.
June 23, 2013
Inside Koenigsegg - The Future of the Internal Combustion Engine
"Inside Koenigsegg provides for the first time, a look behind the scenes at Koenigsegg and examine how innovation within the highest echelon of sports car manufacturers will affect the broader automotive world. Company founder and principal, Christian Von Koenigsegg, hosts this nine-part series, which was produced at Koenigsegg headquarters in Angelholm, Sweden.
"In the seventh episode, Christian Von Koenigsegg and Urban Carlson demonstrate their Free Valve technology that does not require a camshaft to run. This engineering is being pioneered by Koenigsegg for future use, but is already running in a Saab 9-5 test mule"
Neb-Senu
"An ancient Egyptian statue has spooked museum bosses – after it mysteriously started to spin round in a display case."
But in recent weeks, curators have been left scratching their heads after they kept finding it facing the wrong way. Experts decided to monitor the room on time-lapse video and were astonished to see it clearly show the statuette spinning 180 degrees – with nobody going near it.
June 22, 2013
Dali Atomicus (1948)
"Before modern, computerized techniques in image manipulation, Latvian-born American portrait photographer Philippe Halsman shot this photograph of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí suspended in mid-air. "
Das Parfum
"The origin of Eau de Cologne might seem difficult to determine, but nothing is more farther from the truth than that. In fact, its roots can be easily traced as it is fully documented in the “Rheinisch-Westfälischen Wirtschafts-Archive” (RWWA) which can be found in the City of Cologne in Germany.) There all purchases, sales, correspondence, production and controversies about Eau de Cologne can be traced on the hands of original documents dating back to 1709."
Grawlix
The series of typographical symbols (such as @#*&!) used in cartoons and comic strips to represent swear words. Plural: grawlixes.
June 21, 2013
The Midnight Archive - The Art of Ryan Matthew Cohn
"Prepare yourself for a world of skulls, mixed anatomy, shrunken heads, and mummies. This episode takes us into the home of collector and artist Ryan Matthew Cohn and showcases the amazing world he has created for himself. Here he gives a charming account of his collection as well as the work he does. His apartment is OVERWHELMING in its incredible design and expansive collection."
Memento mori
Time and death were the inspirations behind Christian Dior‘s opulent Dior Joaillerie.*
* This is several years ago now but this Reine de Quartzie ring in platinum, diamonds, pink quartz and pearls, for example, is still relevant to my interests.
Talking Games
"Founded by indigenous language learning veteran and Thornton Media President Don Thornton, a Cherokee Nation citizen, >Talking Games is the first company to bring immersive virtual game environments to the consumer language-learning market."
June 20, 2013
Ermenegildo Zegna Men Fall/Winter 2013-14 | Milan Men's Fashion Week
"Classic suiting meets sportswear at the Ermenegildo Zegna show for Milan Men's Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013-2014 in colors like stone gray, charcoal, and granite. A couple of unique colors and leather additions made for another luxurious line by the brand. Appearances: Jacob Coupe, Linus Gustin"
Rules of conversation
"The excerpt below comes from a book published in 1875: A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette by Cecil B. Hartley. Hartley’s rules may be over 100 years old, but they’re just as true today as they ever were."
Je Veux les Lunette de Karl
The Karl Lagerfeld video game: Fail and Karl has no more time for you.
June 19, 2013
China Southern Airlines : An Introduction
Meanwhile, I have two shipments of bottles en route from Zenjiang. Fortuantely, they are being thrown into a cargo container.
No road is long with good company
"The Pitti Discovery foundation has teamed up with ITKIB - Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations - to host thirteen Turkish designers who are already established in their country but not yet internationally." (video at the link)
June 18, 2013
Coco Avant Chanel (2009) - Final Scene
"Coco Before Chanel, the final scene. Not really spoiler-worthy. I mean, we all know what becomes of Coco, right? Music by Alexandre Desplat."
Aussi: Thanks to YouTube, an interview with Coco Chanel followed by scenes from her spring/summer 1970 haute couture collection.
How to sell wine
"The second catalogue, Rose et Noir, has an odd storyline for a wine advertisement. Its narrative follows newlyweds through a downward spiral, brought on by the effects of too many American cocktails (and not enough French wine)."
How to Tie a Turban (1942)
Woman Magazine (editrice) Anne Edwards combats rations with turban fashions.
June 17, 2013
British Pathé - Spectacles Fashion, 1950s
Additionally: Shoe fashions of tomorrow.
Absurdly Expensive Items Of Clothing I Will Be Making And Selling
"Up until this point, I thought I would have to work hard, like Pierpont Morgan, to amass a fortune, but, actually, all I have to do it make one single item of clothing and sell it. These are some ideas. You can let me know which one you would like to buy."
By way of illustration: Alberto Moretti 24-Carat gold shoes and a $68,000 jacket by Saint Laurent Paris.
Constance Bennet - Daily Beauty Rituals 1937
"In lush 1937 cine-color , the beautiful and glamorous Constance Bennett takes us though her typically lavish [for a Hollywood Starlet] daily beauty routine, complete with attending house maid! It was produced for the Educational Films Corporation of America by none other than Hal Roach, who is better remembered for his work with Laurel & Hardy."
June 16, 2013
Finding Bessarion (2013)
"In this short documentary, TTC Enthusiast and Urban Explorer Jeremy Woodcock travels to Bessarion Station, the least used Subway Station on the Toronto Transit Map, to find out if it really does exist and why it would be built in the first place."
Meanwhile: The Bamboo Train of Cambodia.
June 15, 2013
Heracleion
"It is a city shrouded in myth, swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea and buried in sand and mud for more than 1,200 years. But now archeologists are unearthing the mysteries of Heracleion, uncovering amazingly well-preserved artifacts that tell the story of a vibrant classical-era port."
Detail: Also known as Thonis.
Discovery: "Prior to its discovery in 2000 by the IEASM, no trace of Thonis-Heracleion had been found. Its name was almost razed from the memory of mankind, only preserved in ancient classic texts and rare inscriptions found on land by archaeologists."
Mahendraparvata
Australian archaeologist Damian Evans "matched years of archaeological ground research to reveal Mahendraparvata, a lost mediaeval city where people existed on a mist-shrouded mountain called Phnom Kulen 350 years before the building of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex in north-western Cambodia."
Nightscapes
Cities around the world at night photographed by Jakob Wagner.
June 14, 2013
This word "triumph"
I do not think it means what you think it means.
Much as I like Daphne Guinness.
Custom perfumery, Brooklyn
"Julia Zangrilli, who got her certification from the renowned Grasse Institute of Perfumery in France, launched Nova as a custom-blend service partly as a way to learn more about her craft."
Everest capsule collection
"When Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953 alongside Sir Edmund Hillary, he did so wearing Bally Reindeer-Himalaya boots."
June 13, 2013
Fashion Uncovered | Iran
"In Iran the fashion police are armed with more than a few cheap gags on prime-time TV. Designer Shadi Parand has worked hard for her creative freedom -- even if it can only be celebrated behind closed doors."
Bertrand Duchaufour, The Maharaja and Jodhpur
Bertrand Duchaufour returns with Vaara, his first perfume for Penhaligon’s since Sartorial (2010).
Duchaufour: "He’s at lunch, deconstructing the chutney. He says it could trigger his next perfume. Just like the soup served at Bal Samand Lake Palace in Jodhpur, the night before. “It was so incredible! The combination of tomatoes, apple and cinnamon in the soup...,” says master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour, in Jodhpur to launch his latest fragrance, Vaara by Penhaligon’s (the legendary British perfume company)."
Chapels / castles
10 chapels: "Ever since Bramate’s Tempietto, architects have loved to design small chapels. These structures provide designers a unique opportunity to craft a large communal space that can play with, or even break from, a long tradition of religious architecture. Here, we’ve rounded up 10 unusual modern chapels, representing a host of styles and range of faiths."
And: Twenty-nine castles.
June 12, 2013
The Slayer Tarot
"Lost hundreds of years ago, the Slayer’s tarot is an important artifact from Slayer history that came into existence after a group of women shared a vision of a rogue Slayer who would love a vampire and who would be aided in her fight against evil by a group of mystical allies. The heretical prophecy led to the suppression of the deck by the Watcher’s Council."
Tornado season on the Sun
"For a 38 hour spell (June 3-4, 2013) the Solar Dynamics Observatory captured plasma whirling through a magnetic dance across the Sun's surface. Multiple 'sun tornadoes' appear to be supporting a long solar filament like pillars of fire."
June 11, 2013
Marc Jacobs talks "Dot"
"Polka dots are exuberant, chic, whimsical.. an energetic pattern that I have always loved" - Marc Jacobs
Is oxymoron an oxymoron?
"Yes. The common part of grammar/speech 'Oxymoron', is technicality a, well, oxymoron. The first part of the phrase, 'Oxy' means smart, Whereas 'Moron', as we know, means dimwitted, or stupid."
June 10, 2013
Grimes - En El Laberinto
"Grimes plays her biggest show yet at Barcelona's San Miguel Primavera Sound 2012 Festival and talks about her interests in minimalism and mindless pop."
Grimes - Oblivion (Live at Grimey's)
&: Live at Coachella - April 21, 2013.
June 09, 2013
Iain Banks, RIP
I was told the story about Iain Banks abseiling down the side of the Metropole hotel by Robert Holdstock, sadly, also dead. It's a funny old world.
June 08, 2013
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
"Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a 2010 American documentary film which follows the 60-day journey of Australian Joe Cross across the United States as he follows a juice fast to regain his health under the care of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Nutrition Research Foundation's Director of Research. Cross and Robert Mac, co-creators of the film, both serve on the Nutrition Research Foundation's Advisory Board. Following his fast and the adoption of a plant-based diet, Cross lost 100 pounds and discontinued all medications."
The vocoder, invented by Bell Labs in 1928
"In his recent book How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop
June 07, 2013
Affective computing
"I think we’re going to see an explosion of devices that sense emotion. It’s going to be everywhere, from our existing gadgets to intelligent earrings and bracelets that monitor heart rate — maybe even embedded in your clothes. In terms of expression recognition via video, the technology works with any type of camera, so it could be the camera on your laptop, the camera on your phone, the camera on your tablet. So cameras are becoming ubiquitous — and soon they will be emotionally aware."
Paul Smith in his Covent Garden office
"For his portrait of famed English fashion designer Paul Smith, Nottingham-based photographer David Baird knew he wanted to capture Smith in his natural habitat: a frenetically cluttered office in London's Covent Garden, filled top to bottom with neon tomes, small toys, boxes of Polaroid film, heaps of unfolded clothes, and the colorful finds of a well-traveled collector."
Couture 4
"A dreamy close-up of Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2013 Haute Couture collection, directed by Antoine Asseraf. "
June 06, 2013
Post-internet
A promised L'Uomo Vogue interview with artist Ed Atkins made me wonder just what post-Internet means.
Under the hammer
"An auction of clothes and vintage accessories from brands including Chanel, Christian Dior and Rochas will take place at the Hôtel Drouot auction house in Paris on June 24."
Belinda - En El Amor Hay Que Perdonar
I forget if Mr. Percifield sent this to me or I sent this to Mr. Percifield.
June 05, 2013
Edgeland House
Edgeland House was built for an unnamed sci-fi writer and his family.
Bunker archaeology: "Writing in The Guardian, J.G. Ballard asserted that Hitler’s bunkers served as the predecessors for the Brutalist architecture which was to spread across Britain and the continent in the post-war period."
Paul Virilio: Renowned urbanist, political theorist, and art critic.
Matthias Heiderich's Dubai
"It’s hard to believe some of these images are real—the incredible scale of construction versus the complete absence of human beings is shocking, even if you're familiar with the area."
June 04, 2013
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)
"Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925) is a silent documentary film which follows a branch of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia (today Iran) as they and their herds make their seasonal journey to better pastures."
Artisan perfumers
"Monocle takes a look at the world of perfume and the new generation of expert alchemists."
Guillermo del Toro's libraries
Sadly, del Toro does not name the possessed book in question.
Related: Guillermo del Toro's four favourite books.
Steve Reich - City Life, Part 1 "Check it out"
"Performed Live in 1995 at the Frankfurt Opera House, with the Ensemble Modern conducted by Sian Edwards."
June 03, 2013
Dior Homme Fall-Winter 2013-14
"Discover the Dior Homme Fall-Winter 2013-14 collection by Kris Van Assche."
Jonas Akerlund - Dior Addict [Director's Cut] (2012)
"Dior Addict New fragrance collection: The art of seduction and being free by Daphné Groeneveld! Filmed on the French Riviera in Saint Tropez."
June 02, 2013
Hutt Lagoon
"With its dazzling shades of pink, these pictures look like abstracts paintings. But these bold squares of rose, magenta and coral are actually part of the world's largest algae farm."
June 01, 2013
The Secrets of the Hieroglyphs (2005)
"Egypt is a BBC television drama serial about various archaeological discoveries taking place in that country's history, with the occasional 'flashback' scene involving actors portraying the ancient Egyptians themselves. The hour-long show originally aired on Sunday nights at 9 pm on BBC1 in 2005."
Highbury under lights, 1951
"Arsenal's 2nd ever match under flood lights. Arsenal 3:2 Glasgow Rangers. Friendly match. 62,000 attendance. Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, 17th October 1951."
Christopher Hitchens on science vs religion
"You might not think it to look at me but my background is a British family of the Royal Navy..."