Electric People

Just came across this film clip "We Are Electric" by Fischerspooner  on Vimeo.
What a mad video, an overload of everything obsessing my eye lately - different forms of light, in so many combinations, mixed with out there headgear, mirrors, cool styling and even video screen mouthpieces! Lots of inspiration for a current project as i am looking at lighting options. Credit to Andrew Schneider for that touch of digital dental greatness.

FISCHERSPOONER "We Are Electric" official music video from SUBVOYANT on Vimeo.

FISCHERSPOONER: "We Are Electric"

Directors: Jason Cacioppo & Adam Dugas

Stylist: K8 Hardy

Makeup: Tracy Alfajora

Lighting: Ben Kopald

Video Helmet: Andrew Schneider

In transition: the new fashion media

A new post from my friend DesignBrainBucket is a comprehensive little summary of my main area of research, the changes in fashion communication. Having just completed a dissertation in this topic, it's nice to see that the interest for new kinds of fashion media is growing - it is an area that is increasingly getting more attention and i think will continue to do so for a while to come. The internet is being embraced more and more, having gained a dominant presence as a disseminator of fashion news and trends - it is instantaneous, something that is unique to this format of communication. Maybe once the intensity of having written a whole dissertation on the topic dies down, i will write something with more elaboration so in the meantime have a read of her post, and have a peek at the rest of her blog too!

Men in Tights

Still looking at all manner of men things, I bought a plastic-wrapped Japanese men's magazine the other day with no idea what it would contain. I ended up being very pleased with my purchase for it unleashed a stream of beautiful men's fashion and fantastic japanese styling. This shoot featured here shows off a bit of trend going on in Japan right now for wearing leggings under shorts - sporty, playful, post industrial....

Huge Magazine

April 2010

photographed by Katsuhide Morimoto

styled by Toshio Takeda

Amazing Tilda

While doing some research for a men's fashion film, i came across this video shot by Glen Luchford and styled by Katy England. Starring the inimitable Tilda Swinton - she is fast becoming a fashion favourite and muse to labels like Pringle of Scotland, whose video will be posted up soon. This film encapsulates a lot of the elements i am looking for in my own project - but featuring a man instead of a woman. It was actually quite surprising and timely to view this and see the same things that have been swimming in my thoughts this past week, the essence evoked, the narration, and the lingering shots. Beautiful. Tilda Swinton for Dazed Digital:

Pilati's perspective

This is a series of short films showcasing the Yves Saint Laurent Men's Collection for SS09. Filmed by Sarah Chatfield, in collaboration with YSL designer Stefano Pilati, it is an exploration of various notions of masculinity. Put together, the films follow a sort of non-sequiter narrative, depicting a different aspect of man in each. Combined with the collection, the films round out the season's story and allow the designs to be engaged with on a whole other level. There is a whole range of film techniques and styling to complement each part of the story, and tie in with the overarching theme of what it is to be a man today.

Textural Man

While currently researching manly things for an upcoming project, i was reminded of an editorial I had seen and loved in the wonderful magazine Bon. Photographed by Anushka Blommers and Niels Schumm, and styled by Haidee Findlay-Levin, they have such seemingly simple compositions, yet the black and white photography is so effective in capturing the hedges. Add to this the ethereal young man, model Robin van der Krogt, who gives off a bit of a vampire vibe. The shoot is modern with an edge of retro styling - the hair especially teamed up with chunky knits and large-buttoned coats, it makes me think of iconic male characters like Holden from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. There is a sense of vulnerability underlying a shrewd independence that is typical of those literary characters, finding themselves while out on a wandering journey.

Bon International, No. 16, Autumn Winter 2009-10

Fashion Film Frenzy

A Shaded View On Fashion Film is a touring festival showcasing new fashion films and promoting the increasing profile of this emerging genre. Hosted by Diane Pernet, fashion editor and blogger of A Shaded View On Fashion, it is now in its third year and gaining more and more popularity. This year, the film festival is on the move, with new film submissions required with each stop. Next up will be Paris, after first launching at the Mexico and Russia fashion weeks, the Hyères Fashion Festival April 30, then landing in Milan on May 25-30, with more destinations to be announced. In conjunction with the Milan event, Vogue Italia is looking for submissions for a short film based around the subject 'light' - if the due date wasn't so soon I would have had plenty of inspiration! Past films include work by Jeremy Scott, Ksubi, SHOWStudio, Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh and director Ridley Scott. Can't wait to see the new crop of exciting films, they are sure to be fantastic.

lenhenry.com

Boys Boys Boys

In celebration of explorations of masculinity, the male body and dress, man style, men everything, this week begins with a film for Dolce and Gabbana's SS10 mens collection. Filmed by Pierre Debusschere, styled by David St John-James, and starring british actor Robert Sheehan, who is due to appear in upcoming films Killing Bono and Season of the Witch, the film is inspired by the sequinned tailoring of the spring collection. Following on from my previous posts about light, this video plays with a range of sparking light sources from firecrackers to strobe lights and laser projections. Set to the music of Australian experimental rock band Pivot, it is an edgy piece, working well with the flashy light effects juxtaposed against the more dreamy twilight landscapes to communicate a dramatic opulence for Dolce and Gabbana. The film debuted on website Nowness, and also features in stills in Another Man magazine.

Dolce & Gabbana's Men's Spring 2010 Collection Trailer from Selectism on Vimeo.

Info courtesy of Nowness.com

Whiteness of Being

Here are some lovely photos from french/swedish artist Mathieu Bernard-Reymond's 2009 series entitled Disparitions, exulting in the ghostly quality of white for which they are remote and beautiful. There is the knowledge and suggestion of human presence while at the same time the landscapes are rendered alien and abandoned. I get a feeling of dislocation, of being there and not there, or maybe on another dimension. The human influence of their built environment seems to merge with the foggy land rather than encroaches - the contrast seems to work together as a whole, creating this interesting and conflicting atmosphere.

A description of the series from his website:
"The series Disparitions the artist examines architecture, people, landscape and their mutual interactions. Man appears as a flâneur in the layers of the image, randomly present or absent. The architectural complexes thus generated become compelling stage designs for human decoration in which the individual beings are imprisoned."
Helen Hirsch

Mathieu Bernard-Reymond - Disparitions (2009)
images from his website here

From white to bright (to fright?)

This is a truly fantastic photographic series shot by Rankin - who co-founded Dazed and Confused - in collaboration with makeup artist Alex Box. Beginning with a white 'canvas' the images progress in an experimental exploration of beauty and darkness. I love these because they are not your typical beauty shoot, it is a lot more raw and textural. Inspired by gothic culture in her younger years and the idea of being unattainable, she studied fine art at the Chelsea College of Art before progressing into painting the body and face. This series was shown as part of a 2009 exhibition of their joint work at Rankin's gallery space Annroy, among their other equally as inspiring images. (Dazed and Confused, Nov 09)

 

Photos courtesy of Rankin's website.