Thursday, February 24, 2011

Iggy & Debbie - Red Hot

I've been listening to the RED HOT + BLUE album a lot lately, resurrected by my friend's iPod! I had forgotten all about it and shall buy it asap! This was one of the first ever for-charity compilation albums, put together by the Red Hot non-profit charity organization that was established in 1989 by a group of New York artists in response to the Aids crisis, particularly as the disease was running rampant within the creative community of artists and musicians. Red Hot founder John Carlin had "an improbable dream: to create an AIDS charity album with pop stars singing Cole Porter songs." Red Hot + Blue was released in 1990. John said "That CD was inspired by naivete and sheer will."
The album features amazing tracks by musical powerhouses such as Sinead O'Connor, David Byrne, Bono, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfied, Neneh Cherry, The Thompson Twins, Kd Lang, Tom Waits, Erasure and The Jungle Brothers and spawned music videos by esteemed Directors such as Johnathan Demme, Jim Jarmusch and Wim Wenders. The album went on to sold 1 Million worldwide and becoming the template for future charity projects. And since then, Red Hot have created 20 more compilation albums, raising over $10 Million for HIV and Aids.
The album is unfeasibly good! Buddies Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop's 'Well, did you evah!' is a particular favourite. I adore the video of Iggy and Debbie toomfooling around New York, particularly the opening scenes of them cruising purposefully through Soho like the King & Queen of New York - fabulous!
Behold the coolness that is Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Kate Moss @ 10 Dowing Street

Love this dress Kate Moss is wearing for her visit to 10 Downing St , as part of London Fashion Week 2011 Reception. UPDATE: Just found out that this is infact a Stella McCartney top - fabulous! With Louboutins.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Gwyneth does it again

Forget Gaga in the egg - the outfit of the night for me was fabulous Gwyneth in a Stella McCartney jumpsuit reminiscent of the YSL Le Smoking tuxedo jacket, hot pink earrings and neon bright Louboutins - fashion gold! I have to say, Gwyneth never fails to disappoint me with her sartorial choices.
I love the bright injection of accessories with a super slick and sexy black outfit - I have been searching for long, drapey feather earrings all Summer! Boo - oh well, knowing NZ they'll come around for 2012 Summer.


Here is Gwyneth with Cee Lo Green - I adore her Glee version (watch that here)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Think Pink!

Honeysuckle has been nominated Colour of the Year 2011 by Pantone! “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”
I couldn't agree more - all Winter and Spring I searched the racks in both Auckland and Sydney for some BRIGHT Summer fashion. Only to be met with neutrals and pastels, and an disturbingly overwhelming glut of 'dusty pink'. I LOVE pink. I have loved pink since I was at the tail end of my 'black from head to toe' period in 1993, when I broke up with a like-minded boyfriend and by way of rebellion and closure, suddenly embraced pink in all it's fuschia glory - Schiaparelli-style. Pink is hot! I will be wearing pink through Winter and hopefully will have some appropriated threads for Summer 2011/12!

I'm not much into Valentine's Day - but it is my sister's birthday! (Check out her cool Blog here), So I prefer to celebrate that occasion. Never the less, here are some of my fave pink things this Valentine's month:

Gaga on Vogue US March 2011

Wildfox 'Burning Bright' Tiger Print Tee


Macaroons


Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb Limited Edition La Vie en Rose


Pink Suede Fringe Louboutins


Haigh's Rose Cream Chocolates


MAC lustre lipstick in Lovelorn


Rayban Wayfarers


Elle MacPherson Intimates Strawberry Pink Boudoir set


My fave Isabeli Fontana in Oscar de la Renta Spring 2011 gown
(worn by Lea Michelle @ the Oscars, here)



Archipelago peony Candles, available @ Superette Store

NARS 'Tainted Love' set incl. new hot pink limited edition Multiple - Angelika


Rosewater Martinis


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Model vs Actress - Who is 'on Vogue'?

Niki Taylor (below, in full 90's mode) has spoken out about the increasing numbers of fashion contracts & covers being swooped up be celebrities - mainly, actresses. When asked the question What changes in consciousness would you like to see in the fashion industry?", Niki replied to FutureClaw mag "Put models back on covers of magazines and in campaigns and let the movie stars do movies."

Niki was one of the supers back in the 90's. My favourite Niki Taylor shot is from UK Vogue (top of post). I had it on my wall circa 1992, she's wearing a Vivienne Westwood bustier outfit and is looking very Cindy C - people used to confuse the two of them. It's also great to see Cindy Crawford in the same mag! And to see the 90's supers featuring in the fashion glossies again - Amber Valetta, Kristin McMenamy, Naomi Campbell - and Kate Moss never left!

Niki sometimes modeled with her pretty younger sister, Krissy. Tragically, Krissy died in 1995, from an acute asthma attack stemming from cardiac arrhythmia.

6 Years later, Niki was involved a horrific car crash in 2001, resulting a coma for 6 weeks with injuries to her back, lungs and liver. It took 56 doctors to operate on her spine. This FutureClaw image is a nod to that surgery.
I can see where Niki's coming from - heavyweight fashions mags such as W, US Vogue and ELLE especially have been putting actresses on their covers for a long time now, and UK Vogue and ELLE has started to features actresses a lot more often, with Lily Allen, Demi Moore, Keira Knightly, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Carey Mulligan, Kate Hudson some of the latest, off the top of my head. And lately, it seems labels and fashion House campaigns feature actresses more often than not - Julianne Moore for Bulgari, Madonna and Scarlet Johannson for Dolce & Gabbana, Victoria Beckham and Sofia Coppola for Marc Jacobs, January Jones for Versace, Lily Allen for Chanel, Leighton Meester for Missoni...it goes on. Let actresses promote other products - like Scarlet's cool campaign for Moet & Chandon, below.

Personally, give me a model any day - we all know that 99% of actresses don't even choose their outfits, yet are lauded as fashion icons. It's duplicitous. At least, for the most part, models actually live and breath fashion, they have access to the best of the best and they innately style themselves to suit. Granted, they have the access to all of the labels - but they still don't need to pay a stylist to dress them in the morning. Look no further than at one of the most admired, imitated fashion icons of our generation for proof - Kate Moss. You can just see her pulling out a fur gilet and her Westwood boots after a night on the booze with the band.

Case in point - the Vogue UK edition with Emma Watson on the cover. A very wishy-washy, drab cover, yet inside is an A-Mazing Testino shoot, Star Girls- 'A Decade of Supermodels' - this Thread from The Fashionspot concurs. One of the model shots should have been the cover. I mean, just take a butcher's at these:

I understand that fashion houses think that getting celeb to front a line will bring in big bucks. But personally, I think let the models do their thing - actresses, stick to your own media!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...