I guess this isn't a surprise since the presentation of the bambi award to Britney Spears in 2008, the collaboration with H&M also in 2008 and the release of Lagerfeld confidential in 2007. Karl Lagerfeld has designed a bottle for the one and only Coca-Cola. We could ask if he needs the press, or if there was some kind of hidden deal behind this temperary merge but I feel like the digging would be pointless. Karl Lagerfeld knows how to get a bit of press and how better to do it than design for one of the most widely known brands globally? The add features beautiful, Canadain Coco Rocha and on the bottle is Karls' incredibly distinctive profile silhouette of himself. I find this oddly brilliant and obvious at the same time.
On Saturday night I hit up the new club on Seymour for its second weekend open and my friend’s birthday. I had heard that it had four floors, different DJs, that there would be staff working there who had switched from the Odyssey, and that it was going to be a mixed club between gay and straight. I was skeptical but excited for the prospects. The idea of a mixed gay/straight bar is always a tricky one because in general the vibes between the two are so different and always end up like Celebrities, becoming mostly straight bars. I was concerned that this bar was so far off from the beaten homo path that the gays wouldn’t come. With no other easy options around to club hop, it seemed unlikely that we’d put all our eggs in one basket by coming to Five Sixty.
Honestly the first impression was a terrible one. The signage outside Five Sixty is not attractive. The wall with strips of colored light shining from within is quite cool but the sign itself looks cheap and the colors make it hard to look at. Using the address of the bar is unoriginal as this has been done by 1181 on Davie. Could no other name be thought up? My friend and I had some sketchy guy bothering us in line trying to get us into the club through some other door he had jammed open. Although I can’t attribute this experience to the club itself, it spoke to the area of town we were in.
It was cold out and there was a long line to get in that wasn’t moving quickly. If Simone hadn’t have gotten me and my friend in a little faster and waved our cover, I would have left. It was great to see that a bar that is gay affiliated unofficially still honored loyalty within a community. Saying that, once we got in we had to wait in another long line up inside the doors. This was a huge deterrence and I know that a lot of people turned and left because of this. I get that a bit of a line up outside makes a place look busy and is good for business, but the second line wasn’t visible from outside and was completely unnecessary.
Stepping in was bitter sweet. Immediately there is a large dance floor and long accessible bar which both would be full if it weren’t for the ridiculous hour long line ups. Knowing that we were held in line for an hour to get into a large venue that was not very busy was frustrating. My friend and I went downstairs to check our coats. I have never seen a set up like the basement of Five Sixty anywhere. It’s a huge rectangular room with a dividing wall separating dining tables and chairs on one side and a long corridor of enclosed unisex bathroom stalls and communal sinks on the other. This basement are has its own bar (where Lola from the Odyssey had apparently claimed her perch early) and its own DJ (Mumbles). DJ Mumbles was fantastic and should have been spinning upstairs as there was no dance floor downstairs and the DJ upstairs was uninteresting. Coat check is at the far side and it was fun to cross the DJ, guys ordering at the bar, people dancing, and fixing their hair at the mirrors. A better ventilation system could be used to take away the wafts of unpleasant smells though.
Since Lola had cut us a deal on our drinks because she knew us I didn’t realize until my second drink that they were $9.75 each. I know that a huge space like that must cost a fortune to rent but honestly, I can buy an entire mickey of vodka for a dollar or two more. We took our little wet goldmines upstairs to the third floor which was a pleasant lounge gallery. The black leather sofas, the art on the walls, the balcony overlooking the dance floor below, and the exclusive wait service made this a comfortable, unique and fun environment to be in. Unfortunately the fourth floor looked as though it were still under construction as it was blocked off by a large traffic pylon. This bar is massive and beautifully renovated from the A&B Sound it used to be.
I love the atmosphere here and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was filled with all kinds of gay men. I was also happy to see new faces out. Five Sixty has real potential to be a smaller Heaven from London UK, or a bigger Sky from Montreal but my only concern is that I’m not sure that Vancouver is ready for a bar like this. As much as I really love the idea of Five Sixty, I fear that it’ll lose the fun new buzz and dynamic it had this long Easter weekend. I’m not sure that Vancouver’s gays will take to such an expensive venue with crazy line ups and so much empty space in a shady neighborhood. I hope I’m wrong and that Five Sixty’s originality, glamour, and diversity is enough to keep it alive so I can spend my birthday here. It’s just too bad that the first impression wasn’t a great one for Vancouver.
It's been a while, and this is dated, but here is a report i did on the costume in the movie 'Elizabeth'.
Alexandra Byme designed some very elaborate costumes for the 1998 box office hit “Elizabeth” starring Cate Blanchett. This movie was loosely based on the reign of royalty in the 1500’s. This movie was nominated the BAFTA for Best Costume Design, the Oscar award for Best Costume Design and was awarded the Golden Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture Costume Design. The costumes were a wonderful mix of historical influence, portrayal of character and artistic liberty.
The silhouettes in this time frame and movie are very drastic. For Men, necklines often almost disappear and breeches create a wide midsection contrasting the hoes that were tightly worn around the legs. For women, upper bodies were accentuated with corsets and square bust lines attached to large bell shapes expanding largely at the waist. This movie was set in the summer and autumn and this could be identified not only in the setting and the weather, but also in the costume.
The first character we are introduced to is Mary of Guise. Mary is the current queen and is sick with cancer. Mary does not approve of her sister as the new queen not only because of the situation she was born in but because of her protestant religion. Mary is a dark, sadistic and somewhat crazed queen and this is definitely reflected in her costume. Her hair is significantly covered in dark decorative pieces (except in moments of weakness) to reflect the senseless craze she experiences. She wears very dark colors in velvet fabrics which seem to be tightly bound and covering most of her body. Drenched in evil, Mary’s rigid dress is dark and stiff covering her chest, arms, legs and feet. The symbolism of the color green (with envy) seems to appropriately relay the jealousy Mary has for Elizabeth.
Robert Dudley is the romantic traitor in this film and his costume appropriately reflects the romance he emanates throughout the movie. Underneath he wears a white linen chemise with a frilled neckline which seems to be a trend for men’s shirts throughout this movie. Robert’s coats are often stiff or oversized and are beautifully lined with embellished or embroidered fabrics that you can see in the front or collar of his coats. With exception to the red velvet and dark leather coats, Robert generally wears light desaturated colors. He also wears short and full breeches which are unique to this character in this movie. This could perhaps be because this article of clothing was not popular until the 1600’s. The fullness of the breeches seems to be hiding Robert’s secrets in a soft affectionate pillow-like pant.
Like Mary, the Duke of Norfolk wore very structured and stiff attire. The fabrics he wore were mostly thick and some were made with metallic thread giving his garments a chainmail-like consistency. There is very little movement as the clothes seem to be tight and layered. The Duke is a bit of a mysterious character and I believe this is the reason the costume designer decided to equip him with black leather gloves to conceal his hands and a large pouch attached to his pants. Large Medallions and jewelry decorate the Duke’s and most other men’s costumes according to rank.
Elizabeth’s costumes followed her transition from rural isolated princess to strong dominating queen. Her character change was so drastic and the largely varying costumes clearly follow this character’s static nature. Elizabeth starts the movie wearing light and flowing tunics in washed out pastel colors. Her hair and clothing are as free as her nature. The large cloak placed on her when she visits her sister is symbolic of a large heavy male like presence weighing her down but also keeping her warm. A restriction and protection seem apparent in this single large dark brown hooded cloak.
Elizabeth begins to wear her hair up and dresses tighter once she becomes queen. The embroidery is bold and the bust lines square with bell dress bottoms enhancing her physical presence. The colors of her costume become more bold and dark as she takes on this political struggle.
Each time a moment of power, vulnerability and risk burdens Elizabeth, her attire almost always is red in hue. A dash of danger is depicted visually while still keeping delicate materials like velvet and silk. Elizabeth develops rigid shapes in her costumes such as the bum roll in the red printed collared dress she wears when challenging Robert.
The final dress Elizabeth wears is maybe the most significant and symbolic. Elizabeth has been forced to become something she wasn’t previously because of her queen hood and the war. She shaves her head and wears a short deep red wig raised a little to give her height. She wears the most makeup she’s worn throughout the movie, whitening her out, making her seem more ghostly than human. Her large white embellishes frill collar seems to enhance her face and head as well as restrict her throat. We’ve already noticed that this type of collar was a masculine trend. The puffed out sleeves taken in at the wrist seem to depict muscular strength even with the fine printed embroidery. The bows that drip down her corset and to the skirt hem keep a feminine feel to the dress and contrast the colorless fabric in a cold way. Finally the cloak worn at her shoulders drags behind her like a wedding dress. Elizabeth is being reborn and is symbolically marrying herself and her country in the end.
With all of this extravagant costume, obviously well thought out costume for each character and reflection of royalty, individualism and symbolism, these costumes can be historically accurate to a certain extent. Although Alexandra borrows from other close by time periods in her costumes, and the accuracy is enough to recognize, she finds a beautiful balance between history and artistic liberty.
Alright, I know I'm late with this, very late... but I plan on going back with my blog and recapturing past fashion events, trends, icons in history etc. but right now I'd like to go not so far back in time and present to you Karl Lagerfeld's show for Chanel's Spring 2010 collection.
This one really hits home for me. I grew up on a farm and my theory is that because of my lack of social aptness and my lack of influence for fashion, (Not to mention my oblivion in general) I was an aesthetic late bloomer. Chanel took a young country approach to the show this season and if I were ever to be homesick for the farm, (which I never am) this show would have done it. The barns and haystacks and dirt floors and enchanting clothing enthralled me, making me want something that never existed for me as a child.
What a bizzare concept for me that this show combines an uncharacteristically young look and a farm atmosphere. Ironic almost. If only my farm were in Paris like this show.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the youthful change in the chanel line this season. My biggest association with Chanel comes from my time working at Henry Birk's and Sons. My manager was a hard yet elegant woman. She had previously worked for Chanel and almost always wore a Chanel suit; soft, thick tweed in muted colors mostly (unlike her personality). She was a middle aged business woman who didn't let her gender or anything else get in the way of her running a prestigious and successful flagship store as the general manager. Socially she is a sweetheart and I still go to visit her in the store here and there. She is a Chanel customer and although I think she'd probably immensely appreciate this show, I think she might leave this season to the younger women of the world this spring. Rihanna, Lily Allen, and Prince attended the show and I feel like this was such a suiting audience for the show.
Let's talk about Lily Allen's performance. Yes, Lily Allen and her band were raised up and out from the ground singing "Not fair" If you've never seen the video for this song, here it is. Perfect. It was just the perfect song. It's young, edgy, sexual and has a huge old western flare to it. Fantastic. And did Karl decide to include the sexual innuendo in the show because of the song or did he specifically choose the song for the performance he'd put together? Regardless it all came together quite wonderfully. For a moment I expected Lily to be wearing something a bit more country western but then I remembered. It's Lily Allen, she has to stand out. This was a great little piece to reel in new Chanel customers which seemed to be the point of the show.
I laughed a little when I caught wind that new Chanel model Nastya Karzan had a spycam hidden in her hair. The footage is actually quite fun to watch. Seeing through the eyes of a model in a huge show like this is just an unexpected point of view. Of course I prefer to see the full show but I think this was a fun, innovative and interesting way to create some media buzz. It might have had more effective if it weren't so obvious that it was planted by Chanel (Seeing people fixing the camera along the way gave it away) but nevertheless Chanel is giving you the experience from every angle. Almost literally.
I hate to subscribe to rumors but this one seemed appropriate to mention. Apparently Karl Lagerfeld is not renewing his contract with Chanel. Is this it for the Lagerfeld/Chanel partnership? It seems to have ground considering what an unexpected and fantastic show he put together. Is this him leaving chanel with a bang? Or is Karl Lagerfeld targeting and expanding the chanel client and people interpreting it as a final show and starting rumors? I seriously doubt that it'll be his final show with Chanel but we'll have to wait and see.
What beautiful cuts, prints, fabrics and cuts. I love the large floral print. Boy do I have a few things to learn because as a designer I'd never pick out this fabric but it looks fantastic!
For my Fashion Marketing class I was put into a group (mine ended up being a pair, Ashli Soto was my partner who worked hard with me on these slides and research) and we were assigned blog sites to present about. Unfortunately, our power point presentation wasn't working, so we presented without it,improvising with the website. It went well. Here is the power point presentation we weren't able to present.
For a school project she recreated designer clothing in miniature sizes. Here are a few, Alexander McQueen's shoes, Comme Les Garcons dress, and a Rodarte dress.
Tavi only has ads by google on her website which is the case for any blogspot website.
We were asked to also present an article idea for our blogger about Vancouver. Since Tavi is well spoken and well versed on political issues, we think she'd be interested in the recession, the Olypics and the financial strain that might push us Vancouverites to be recessionistas and shop at places like thrift stores, which Tavi loves doing.
Personally I don't take Tavi's personal style very seriously but I think there is definitely something there. As a child I'm sure it's hard to find clothing that fits when you have adult taste. I am super impressed with her ability to research, learn and report. As a student, this is exactly what I am striving to do. She may not be the next Anna Wintour, but I'd interview her for potential jobs in five years.
So I was thinking today about how in my previous sociology classes we talked about push/pull factors. This is apparent especially in immigration. Usually people migrate because the place they are from is not advantageous for them to stay in (push) and another place presents opportunities (pull). This believe it or not, is not a sociology lesson. I believe that everything we do to a certain extent has a push/pull factor. In my life I'm going through my own transition. From a social based career to a fashion career, I'm studying and moving in a completely different direction. Here's the relevance to the push/pull factor theory for me. There is little push for me. I don't hate my job. I'm not bored of it. It's not tedious for me. I am a community support worker which means I assist people with special needs. Sometimes that means helping them bathe, eat and take them for walks, and for other clients that may mean helping them build a resume. I have some pretty amazing clients who I connect with on a personal level. Before this job, I worked with kids for a few years. The most common reaction that I get to my job is that "it must be so rewarding". Yes and no. It is rewarding because I work with some really great people, it's always interesting, and I am always learning. I've been working with this client for almost a year. He has severe autism, O.C.D. and he also has Mania. He is not verbal and only knows limited sign language when he remembers it. He is so honest and sincere though and doesn't know how to fake emotions. He loves to eat and sometimes just wants you to rub his head. How can you not find that endearing and adorable?
It's not so rewarding sometimes because people with special needs are like anyone else in many ways. Sometimes you connect with them, and sometimes you don't. Also I really feel like my passion and own personal development are being neglected. I need art and I need fashion. Fashion is about presentation and expression and acceptance. It will make or break whether you get a job or not. I went through a transition in life when I discovered fashion. Perhaps one that saved me. A career in fashion is also a bit of a risk which I was afraid of until last summer. For me, there is not much push in my career, but there is a huge pull for me in the fashion career. One that I sacrifice for.
This photo is of me in 2005 working at a summer camp. I had put on a fashion show with/for the kids. It was terrible but the kids loved it (mostly) and I loved doing it. I made the poster and put it together.
I keep this photo in my binder at school because it reminds me to keep my eyes open and follow my heart. I never thought I'd actually pursue a career in fashion back then, but why not? I am passionate about it and it's going to happen. This picture is me in my default, doing something I love. Isn't that what your career should be?
So onward and upward with this fight for fashion. I hope that whoever reads this pursues their default dream too.
