From is probably the best surreal indie pop band to come from Beverly Hills. We sound like Nico + Kraftwerk on a Magical Mystery Tour, and the site covers the life of an unknown band that loves music, design, advertising, and post meta fun times.
James Mercer Murphy composed a new piece for Yves Saint Laurent and performed it at the house’s fall winter 2010 fashion presentation last night in Paris. It’s a moody instrumental piece with some distorted keyboard stabs that lend it a futuristic slant.
Read more »
I love this new single from Familjen. It’s driven by a Motown-esque kit, has a bass line that would work in a New Order track, and alternates between a surfy Brit pop guitar and nearly organic keys. The melody is second to all that instrumentation, and it, too, is catchy. “När planeterna stannat” means “when the planets stop.” No idea where they’re going with that because my Swedish listening skills suck. I need this album because I don’t know yet what goes with this single. Also, I bet the album will be at least good. It’s coming out in April or May.
Stockholm-based Familjen is Johan Karlsson’s project – he’s the sole writer and performer of the studio material. For live shows, he performs with Andreas Tilliander. Familjen is released cooperatively by the labels Hybris and Adrian Recordings.
Familjen – “När planeterna stannat”
Get “När planeterna stannat” at Clicktrack
Visit Familjen at its new site or on MySpace
Yesterday I went to the Debbie Durkin’s Eco-Oscars at the Main Event Red Carpet Lounge, an Oscars gifting tradition. It was a fun, surreal afternoon. The event had more of a green/philanthropic angle than the pure promotional consumerist gifting suites we read about in gossip mags, not that it lacked cupcakes or bedazzled Ed Hardy-esque clothes. I’ll hopefully have better images soon – I’m not trying to be incognito, I swear.
I was photographed for a book whose proceeds will benefit Red Cross efforts in Haiti. Photographer Scott Nathan shot some celebrities in attendance, and we (omg, what?) also wrote messages for the book. I was proud to participate but was not prepared with anything that meaningful to write. I did, however, have orange lipstick on, which is at least as inspiring as a written expression of hope.
Here I am getting touched up by a stylist from Juan Florentino:
Lights, gray seamless, action:
I learned about the P.S. I Love You Foundation, which organizes educational outreach programs for at-risk kids. Looks like a really great organization that makes it easy to get involved. They work with schools, sure, but they also put on pizza & ice cream socials and surf lessons at the beach.
The company that makes soap for Fresh presented its private label soaps, under the La Belle Vie brand. They’re made in France and smell amazing:
They’re also a lot cheaper than Fresh. I still love Fresh, though, no use talking me out of that habit, at least till I find out who makes their brown sugar scrubs.
Pure Heat brought its hair styling tools made from 50% recycled materials. That line seems great for white people with hair that just needs drying, the hair that responds well to Kiehl’s grooming creme and tips you see in fashion magazines. My Mediterranean hair demands full force, full heat pro blow drying that only the Elchim 2001 can deliver. I’m excited to try their brushes, though; I was told they can hold up to my blow dryer without melting.
On the way out, I was asked to pose with a car. I hope the pics ended up tasteful. The car was pretty big. I was standing by the tire, not the hood, so I think it’s all right. I don’t know that it’s appropriate to do product shots for objects I am/am not endorsing. One might be better than the other, not sure which. I was not promoting the car but was okay with the event the car company supported. Should probably draw this line ‘with a bolder stroke’ or else I risk diluting my JPGs’ resonance.
A couple of days ago, I went to The Makeup Show, a trade show for makeup artists. Lots of lines sell their cosmetics at a discount, and there are talks + demos. The photo above is of a cat modeling custom fur from National Fiber Technology, an exhibitor at the show.
A friend of mine sent me the link to this Sartorialist post featuring my doppelgänger. It even had me confused; I have a very similar jacket, and I recently ran around the Upper East Side. Thing is, I don’t wear jeans tucked in boots, and I don’t have tough-chic buckled boots.
It’s about time I see some evidence of lookalikes roaming around, because one in 10 people I meet claims to know someone who “looks exactly” like me, and she “sounds like you, too.” That sentiment was really hard to take when I was growing up since I’ve considered myself very opinionated and specific – how can anyone duplicate that? And what for? But I’ve come to realize that I’m also a thin, pale blond, and we do all look alike.
Belorussian designer Dzmitry Samal created this concept bag for Louis Vuitton. The Structural Bag is a cage version of the iconic Vuitton Keepall style, made out of the same better-with-age leather that the French house uses for straps and accents on its monogram line.
When they came out, the Vuitton canvas pieces were innovative for their light weight and use of a plain material in a luxurious finish. Now it’s a little sad to see the monogram as a symbol of complacent status rather than mischievous iconoclasm. The Samal piece points out how the monogram line evolved in relation to the consumer market. The luxury is still in the leather and hardware, and the innovation is restored once the tired monogram is somehow eliminated. I also like the play on the idea of packing itself; the extra diagonal leather straps look like packing tape.
Check it out – I’m on Chic Intuition! It’s a super good fashion blog, and its authors Sarah and Dahlia have been posting photos from New York fashion week. People imagine the crowd at fashion shows to be in either all black or all crazy. This post features three alternatives to those styles, and there I am, representing posh.
A cliché that did turn out to be true: people ask you who you’re wearing all the time. It makes sense since they’re reporting about clothes, but it’s still weird for me to name labels.
Also weird: a crowd of photographers shooting me. One came, and then there was a group of them, click click click flash flash. Some girl looked at me like, “WTF are you,” and I was all, “I dunno, k?” I felt like a freshman.
Sarah and Dahlia of Chic are so smart + positive, and they have a great eye. Check out Chic Intuition if you havn’t yet!
This ad by The Israel Women’s Network suggests an image for the idea of prostitution as a prison. The copy:
Thousands of women in Israel are held against their will in the prostitution industry. Don’t be an accomplice.
Here’s the concept: a one-girl electro pop band stages a video with inflatable, crayon-colored balls and sings about youth in the US.
Name the Pet’s “American Boys” could very well be an inverted Swedish version of From’s “American Girl,” but I’m too close to the subject to judge. Hanna Brandén is a much more accessible singer than I am, and our aesthetics are quite different as well. I love high end fashion, innit. So yeah, this song has been popular on the Swedish radio station I stream. RMX below. It’s my Valentine’s present to Annie and Robyn fans. Observing holidays is a popular blog past time. The other track is for Prexy Day and reminds me of Hot Chip’s “Ready for the Floor.”
I’m so sad about Alexander McQueen’s suicide. It devastates me to imagine his state of mind since his mom’s passing recently. I found him so inspiring and his work brilliant. I miss him already, and the timing – during NY fashion week – makes this loss much more immediately poignant.
Photographer Ryan McGinley created this video for The Ruby Suns‘ “Tane Mahuta.” Titled “The Lightness of Being an Olympian,” the video was made for the New York Times‘ Science coverage of the Winter Olympics. In it, athletes wear some pieces by Rodarte, as arranged by the NYTimes for a photo essay by McGinley:
Iconic design house Vitra has a new building on its campus in Weil Am Rhein, Germany: VitraHouse, designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Seemingly made of stacked houses, VitraHouse will showcase the Vitra Home Collection when it opens in March. The interior looks like an amazing place for the Vitra pieces; its spaces are divided by the unexpected collisions in forms.
These Lacoste ads for spring summer 2010 are impossibly happy in a pure, 1950s way: it looks like irony was not even considered as a plausible marketing angle. The pitch had to be purely positive and aspirational. In a way, it respects irony enough to leave it out of commerce. It doesn’t sell out someone else’s joke conventions. It gives humor the dignity of art, and it does so with its own uncompromising imagery.
“Hollywood Hills” comes from former Laakso singer Markus Krunegård. His latest album, Prinsen av Peking, was produced by Mauro Scocco, and his collaborations with fellow Swedes include projects with Johnossi, Sâkert!, and Kleerup.
The video opens with a proud Universal Music ID – adorable. Check out more old school logo spots here.
Markus Krunegård – “Hollywood Hills”
Get Prinsen av Peking from 7digital or CDON
Visit Markus Krunegård on MySpace
Collabs are the way to go for labels that want aspirational branding and a modern campaign without going directional or turning innovative. Levi’s makes its most compelling pitch to advanced consumers with its Opening Ceremony capsule collection. The range includes cord shirts, a vintage-looking jacket, and slimmed versions of the 505 in pant, cut-off, and short. In addition to black, white, and a worn wash, there are finishes in muted shades of pink, lavender, dusty dark blue, and olive, plus saturated brights teal and curry. The pieces look like 80s suburban castoffs that would be tricky to wear without the Opening Ceremony association, so they’re a success.
socialize