MY LIFE AS A BLOG: Regina Spektor

With The September Issue being completely sold out (should have known lots of thirtysomething women with their girlfriends would all take a sprint to the cinema to see it as if the latest collection of a famous fashion designer had made its debut at the H&M) I was forced to watch a different movie. So me and my mum (dad decided to stay at home) went to see Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (Millennium: Men Who Hate Women). There's a great chance you've heard about the film because there's been a lot of hype surrounding it. It's based on the first part of the Millennium series written by Stieg Larsson who at this time last year was a complete stranger to me as to, I assume, many others. But ever since this trilogy became the new The Da Vinci Code everyone seems to be at it. Everyone, expect for me and my mum. No idea what we got ourselves into we entered the cinema and came out extremely pleased. What a thrill. It's like the usual detective mystery TV series, I guess, those you happen to see a lot on TV, but I'd never really seen any of those on the big screen. The story is solid although the ending is a bit predicatable, although I liked the motives behind it. Well acted, fast paced and extremely brutal which had me very surprised. I don't think I'll read the book anytime soon, perhaps in some years when the hype has cooled down, but who knows I might be at the cinema again once the movie adaptation of part 2 of the trilogy is released! :)

This afternoon I saw (500) Days Of Summer, one of my most anticipated films this year. As what usually happens I guess my anticipation killed it a bit for me 'cause I felt I never really managed to get completely into it. Don't know why. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood or the fact that the film is filled with for me recognizable songs from artists such as The Black Lips, The Smiths, The Temper Trap and Regina Spektor kind of put me off. Everytime a scene started I could clearly hear the song in the background playing and all my attention was drawn to it. Couldn't help it. There's even a scene with a Carla Bruni song! I expect to be completely into it when I see it the second time. It happened to me when seeing Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park. At the cinema I liked it, but when I saw it for the second time at home I really came to love it making it probably my favourite Van Sant film. That one I was waiting to see for a very long time so when the lights were switched off and the movie started playing I could hardly breathe. The film Once is another one of those examples. I still have to see that one for the second time though. So I'm expecting the same will happen with (500) Days. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as always is great. He's very charming and I can see him having a massive appeal. He seems this sentimental kind of guy with good looks but without that Brad Pitt or model type perfection. And although he's far from afraid to show emotions he's still the very guy-ish type too. So that makes for a wide appeal and for him being a great leading man in my eyes. Same for Zooey Deschanel who doesn't have that perfect model look either but who's still extremely pretty and dreamy. Her eyes being her strongest asset. I loved how she portrayed her character. She really made it hard for us spectators to read her and at times could be so cruel. Still you couldn't help to like her character 'cause, apart from her sweet Bambi eyes, she managed to convince you she did mean no harm and was just a girl who struggled with relationships. So I did really love the film 'cause it's all very cute but without it becoming to sugery sweet and girly, it even has some very nice animations in it as well as a funny dance scene! :DDD Me not getting completely into it yet might also have been because I held back a bit, not getting me too involved with the characters because being in a crowded cinema. Especially Gordon-Levitt's character had a chance to get me real good but I didn't let him get under my skin. I guess I didn't dare to with all those people around. :) So it'll be much better seeing it all by myself I when I will be able to get all romantic and cozy with me myself and I without anyone watching and just swoon away with every scene :D

Oh, and here's a real cool MGMT video for ya ;)

Via Stereogum

Last night I watched The Brothers Bloom and even though it's not perfect it's still very good and highly enjoyable. Especially because of the stunning Rachel Weisz who just owns every scene she's in. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson who also did Brick. But Bloom seems more like a grown-up version. Like Brick it features eccentric characters with nicknames who receive big introductions and who all got their own agenda and background story. And to point out how fashion has gotten some kind of hold of my life of today the clothes in this are nothing but amazing. They were one of the best parts, if not the best part, of this film. The suits the brothers wear, but especially the pieces of clothing Weisz wears. So colourful and very pretty. Weisz herself kind of reminded me of model Mariacarla Boscono. Especially because of her short dark hair in this film. Overall the film is very funny. But you really have to pay attention well to be able to follow the plot. It's the same as with Brick. First time I saw that one I didn't immediately get everything. But months later when I saw it for a second time everything fell into place. Even though Weisz is the one who truly shines and manages to outshine everyone else, Rinko Kikuchi is wonderful as the mysteriously silent Bang Bang and both Adrien Brody as well as Mark Ruffalo are great as the two con brothers. Brody in particular is very charming. Most of the time I felt this was such a romantic film though don't think that means it's cheesy like a romantic comedy or something. It isn't at all. It's just the style that is so fun and playful at times reminding me a bit of Wes Anderson while at the same time still being very different. Can't wait what Johnson comes up with next.

Elle Muliarchyk is a model who's also a photographer. The most amazing thing about her work, though, is that she does everything herself. She's her own model, make-up artist, hair stylist and art director. Plus, she doesn't just take pictures in a photo studio or some beautiful outisde location. Nope, she goes into fitting rooms of shops that sell luxurious brands. And she doesn't ask for any permission. She just takes some pieces of clothing walks into the fitting room and starts taking pictures hoping she won't get caught. The results are very impressive, especially when you consider the conditions she takes the pictures in. But she says that before coming to a shop to take the pictures she takes a look around some days prior to her little shoot to check out the lighting in the shop and the size of the fitting room. And of course the clothes that can be bought. So when she has all that information she knows exactly what camera and lighting to bring next to her tripod which she always carries around in her bag.

For this one she even brought a prop, a large gorilla hand. Very Kong. :)

Apart from those fitting room shoots she has also done normal photo shoots, but these fitting room photos make her really stand out among that big crowd of fashion photographers.

For more pictures and info on miss Muliarchyk go here.

And a video in which she explains how she does it found via YouTube.

Milan Fashion Week is still going strong. Separating the good from the mediocre from the very bad:

The good:

Moschino - One of the best collections. Love the prints, shoes, shiny fabrics. Love the prints on some of their jeans and ties and some of the blazers are real cool. Good overall collection.

Z Zegna - One of the best. Love the shoes. Clothes fit well. Nice and cohesive collection. Love the shiny blue blazers.

Jil Sander - Very minimal, but good. Nice shapes. This is good design.

Giuliano Fujiwara - One of the best collections. Love it. Seems a bit martial arts-ish.

Calvin Klein - Simple yet chique. good clear designs. Biker shorts are hot item. Proofs you can hardly go wrong with black. What I liked I really liked just didn't like everything. In that sense I was a little dissapointed. Love the blue suit. That's a nice kind of blue.

Iceberg - A bit too basic at times but overall very nice. Love the combination of suits with sneakers.

Emperio Armani - Some of it is really good, but a lot I just didn't like. But what's good is really good. Like for instance the orange blazer. That one is amazing. Most of it felt more of a miss than a hit though.

Salvatore Ferragamo - Classy. Nice orange-ish colours. Nice hats and shoes as well. However, second half of the collection was a bit less good.

Io Ipse Idem Par Romeo Gigli - HUH? I know... Very unique. Like the overall style and the way the clothes fit together.

Prada - Love the shapes. Silhouettic. Fits well. Some nice prints and greys and blacks.

John Varvatos - Not a too big of a fan of the scarves but most of it is nice. Still nothing groundbreaking. But it's good.

Gianfranco Ferré - Like it a lot. Very surprised. Love the shiny fabrics and colours.

Gucci - Okay. Like some of their prints.

Brioni - No runway. Some nice pieces. That green minted jacket in particular is really nice.

Pringle Of Scotland - Simple yet chique.

Roberto Cavalli - Styleful. Mixing the classic with the modern. Love some of the leather jackets. Love the prints especially on the jeans. Negative thing is that they sent some half naked guys out on the runway.

Vivienne Westwood - Always a pleasure. Truly unique. Negative point. She has a half naked guy.

Dsquared2 - Like Vivienne Westwood completely unique. Good layering. Cool and fresh mix of styles as always. Some really good combinations. As usual very daring. And as usual half naked guys as well. Don't understand the purpose, it's not all swimswear. Love the coloured socks, makes the shoes look longer. Love them boots!!

Marc Jacobs - I would have liked to see more!

Aquascutum - Okay. Good fit. Seems basic, but fits well. Would have liked to see a bigger collection.

Etro - Nice prints. Love combination of classic with modern. Not a fan of everything but the pieces below are really nice. Love the shoes in particular.

The mediocre or half good:

Bottega Veneta - Mediocre. Stop sending half naked guys out on the runway please. Don't like how the clothes fit the models. They seem to wide. Guess I'm a fan of the Hedi Slimane silhouette look. :)

Dolce and Gabbana - One of their collections is really bad, but this one is still okay. The boots are a huge plus. I like some of the faded blazers and they have nice jackets too. Still a bit too macho. Don't like the half naked guys. Send them back.

Dirk Bikkembergs - I liked these first pieces you can view below, but then it went dramatically downhill. They also had some half naked guys for no reason.

Burberry Prorsum - After seeing the cool ad campaign featuring Emma Watson I'm a bit dissapointed with their collection. I do like their pants, the shape of them. They seem to fit nice. Didn't like some of their jackets. Overall a bit of a let down.
This I did like:

Costume National - Nothing groundbreaking. Clothes are alright, but bit too basic.
The pictures below show stuff I did like.

Moncler Gamme Bleu - Most of their pieces are a big NO. Cool they're trying to create their own style though. It's not always working. Some clothes are too wide. Looks like they're wearing table cloths.

Canali - Too plain. Seen it all before. More prints would have been nice. Some things are alright. Be more daring. Most of it was bad. Just because I liked some pieces I listed it as mediocre instead of bad.

Ballantyne - I just don't know what to think. Is it good bad? I feel more bad than good seeing this. It's just a bit basic and somehow a bit weird. Especially the one with the houses, cool or not?

Dolce and Gabbana - Just too many ripped jeans. They look better on girls. Don't understand the idea behind sending half naked men out on the runway. It's about the clothing! A bit too slick and macho. Stick to suits, those are okay. You can see some of them below.

The bad:

Won't bother posting pictures.

Versace - Like Dolce. Ughhh. Too many half naked guys. One already counts as too many. Not my style at all.

C.P. Company - Nice but too basic. Overall a grandpa kind of feel.

Missoni - Pants are too wide. Not a big fan of all their different shades of blue.

Diesel - Had no runway show. Just clothes being photographed while lying on the floor.

Emrenegildo Zegna - Too oldfashioned. Bit grandpa.

Alexander McQueen - Just didn't like it much.

All pictures via WWD fashion shows.

P.S. Biker shorts are a hot item!

Plus, Regina Spektor's new album Far is a grower. I like it more on every listen! :)