Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Vintage Society



This is the era of It Girl bombardment. The It Girl is the chick who epitomizes that times current pop culture consciousness. And we are definitely not talking of the Britneys and Paris'. In fact, we are talking about their polar opposites. We are referring to the Edie Sedgewicks, Zoe Kravitzs, Agyness Deyns, Corey Kennedys, Lou Doillons, Kate Moss' (you get my drift) and that chick I saw at Union Square the other day who does the tres cool Doc Marten ads. (She is so tall in real life). I'm not sure what it takes to be an It Girl, but when you see her you know. I have found my It Girl of blogs- The Vintage Society.

With charming photography, inspiring fashion for the person who wants beyond trendy or sexy without being too eccentric, this fashion blog has turned into a quick favorite and one that will be hit just as often as Fashion Toast, Sartorialist etc. I'm not alone in my fondness as the brand Quicksilver granted Beth- the author of The Vintage Society, a mentorship and sponsorship! And to top it off, Society recently featured the very hot Jalouse magazine. A french magazine up in the rankings of Lula, Nylon and Teen Vogue. So spot on with this choice, I'm quickly brainwashed into running out on the street and buying my first copy.

Anyway, let's not get sidetracked and get on with our worship of http://www.thevintagesociety.blogspot.com/
As a rule, I never mention other blogs, but this blog was just too juicy not to share.








Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Terry Richardson



America and censorship is like a Vodka Sprite. The sweet taste of the Sprite masks the in your face excessiveness of a powerful, drunk inducing Vodka. America likes to get you drunk on their ways till you forget that you actually use to swear like a pirate among friends way more than noticing the f word being bleeped from your favorite block buster. Without the Sprite, it's a whole different ball game. As foreigners, we are not use to so much Sprite.

I have a friend staying over from Australia who told me she was delighted to find the old mid nineties alien exploitation movie Species on TV while trying to unwind from tourist adventures. She remembers how her high school male classmates were so excited about the topless part in Species and was looking forward to being sentimental of those days while finally seeing the much talked about scene, until she realized, they deleted it out!

In Terry Richardson's work, no boobies will be deleted out. In fact, the more boobies, the better. I'd like to follow with, since my abrupt noticing of censorship that seems to slyly creep into American media, that I find Richardson's work "refreshing" or "provocative", but they are just words not nearly awkward or cool enough to use in this case.

Born in New York City, raised in Hollywood, Terry Richardson started taking photos in high school. His work, so highly acclaimed, includes Gucci, Costume National, Mui Mui among other high end fashion campaigns, is also in British and French Vogue etc. Having impressed the fashion set, actors, musicians and celebrity It girls alike (not to mention scoring the NYC It girl- Jen Brill, as his girfriend) are ready to take off clothes, drink cows milk at any given moment to be photographed with a shoot and point camera by Richardson.

So let's face it, Sprite eventually goes flat and runs out way faster than Vodka. But I feel Richardson's work has left the Sprite out and downed more than one bottle of Vodka. Give me real America and the real excess any day of the week. That's what I came here for. Any less than this, and I feel cheated.















Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Lula Girl of My Dreams



This magazine is for every delicate, dreamy, feminine, intelligent yet modest sensibility. Taking back the girly reigns has never been so empowering. There has been a very old school stereo type that has pervaded our media tainted consciousness that I'm sure goes further back than the first time Cleopatra discovered charcoal eyeliner. It's the myth that with beauty, there is a high chance there is no substance. Women are often driven in many ways by this myth- depending how this message has been taught to them on their individual paths of womanhood. I would be lying if I didn't admit to moments of getting ready for a job interview, a date or a coffee catch up with a girlfriend, being mildly influenced by how much "substance" over beauty or vice versa, I wanted to depict.

Lula is a girly girl magazine and makes no apologies. The intoxicating photography, the painstakingly chosen subjects of fashion and women in the arts and the use of high quality paper that makes it more a book rather than a magazine, all embody a sense of feminine pride minus the aggression that normally goes hand in hand. You won't find any articles about cellulite here. Or how to deal with the break-up steps. It is simply a celebration of beauty, fashion, art and the ethereal. Lula truly is, the girl of your dreams.

With the publication only coming out quarterly (oh the devine exclusiveness of it all!), I excitedly obtained the most recent edition. Having read the interview with new Chanel it girl Rinko Kikuchi, who was nominated for her role in Babel and an article on Jessica Williams, a painter that has put a spring in my cognitive step, I'm again inspired and pleasantly beauty enticed. Although a little pricey, you soon realize it's a magazine worth paying and waiting for. Stop buying those celeb weeklies and save your money for a gorgeous feast for your eyes and mind.







Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Sunday Night Safran



I've often felt like I have a foot in both worlds simultaneously, since relocating to Brooklyn, New York City U.S.A from Erskineville, Sydney Australia. I don't think I would have been so lucky in the pre-internet era to feel so comfortable in my transition during the last eight and a half months. They say the key to adjusting well in your new home is to find things about your new home that you adore as well as finding ways to obtain things you still favor from your old home town. The second last recent episode of Sunday Night Safran, an Australian radio show-that can be listened to via the internet, a personal favorite that helps my homesickness through familiar Australian accents and some indie music, momentarily bridged my Aussie American cultural gap. (Episode featuring an interview with the New York based author A.J.Jacobs who wrote "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible").

John Safran is an Aussie media personality who's first rise to underground Australian fame came when he was one of the ABC's contestants on a TV show called Race Around the World in 1997 before the more commercial U.S CBS copy The Amazing Race that came out in 2001, with a similar plot to the Australian originator. Despite coming last in the race, Safran continued on with success with hilarious yet revealing TV series such as John Safran's Music Jamboree, John Safran vs God which received cult followings, then the radio show Speaking in Tongues, now known as Sunday Night Safran.

The show has that dry Australian sarcasm, that I cannot live without. Safran hosts with Father Bob, a 73yr old Catholic priest whom he met on his TV series John Safran vs God. Sunday Night Safran's, main theme is religion and all things related and random, curious and fun stuff like E-zines on Scrabble. To some this might sound yawn provoking, but with Safran's view from his Jewish beliefs and upbringing and Father Bob's old school yet uniquely open minded Catholic point of view interviewing notorious religious leaders from widely publicized groups such as the Kansas based Westboro Baptist Church who decided to protest at Heath Ledger's funeral and a spokesperson for Scientology, you get a pretty engrossing radio show. It is difficult to articulate the feel of the show, so just go ahead and listen for yourself!

Turn on last Sunday's episode while doing tonight's cooking at:
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/triplej/safran/safran_2008_03_03.mp3

Click on the mp3 downloads of the show on http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/safran/
for future episodes.

Father Bob's Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/frbobmaguirefoundation