Directly from Lady Gaga's concert in London

My dear dear friend Aline Mazzocchi is right now in front of the O2 Arena (London) where Lady Gaga is performing tonight. She has just sent me a message telling me the girls' outfits were amazing - and of course I asked her to send me a picture of the greatest look she could find. Here's what she just sent:

I loved it :)

Thanks darling!

Haute Couture + Kandinsky in Den Haag (2)

I promised to write more about the Gemeentemuseum in Den Haag and to post some pictures, so here I am.

So the museum has 3 floors: 

The basement had an exhibition called "Wonder Kamers", which means "Rooms of Wonders". There are several rooms and closed doors between them, and before opening the door you can only see the colour of the room on the other side - not its content. So you'll be surprised each time you go from one room to the other, not knowing whats awaiting you. It's a very cool exhibition, everything really interactive and experimental and covers all the themes showing on the other floors of the museum (fashion, design, art, music, etc). As the rooms were really dark I wasn't able to take pictures - because using flash was not permitted. It is a trendy and young environment, worth one visit if you like this kind of things. You'll find more information (with pictures) here. 

On the ground floor I found some interesting things:

Georges Vantongerloo: a Belgian Painter / Esculptor / Designer / Architect / Theorist that makes such simple yet perfect things. His history is fascinating and his work reflects that. I had never heard of him before seeing this exhibition, but then I started to look for more information and found out he was really relevant though art historists say he didn't get all the attention he deserved for his work. 

Besides Vantongerloo, there are others artists that work with colours and geometric shapes on the ground floor. Really interesting.

I happened to find an exhibition about Tupperware as well, which I loved! Totally related to what I'm  professionally interested in. It was about how Tupperware emerged, the context by then, the appeal fof this product to the 40's/50's/60's housewives, how they were sold and advertised, etc, etc. There was even a 50's kitchen there to give the idea of how things really worked for women at that time.

First floor - this is the must-see floor, in my opinion:

Kandinsky and Der Blaue Reiter: this exhibition is sooo beautiful! So colourful, full of life... from the time Kandinsky and other great artists formed a group (Der Blaue Reiter) to start doing something different with their painting. Their purpose was opposing to what was being done by others and start painting from sensations and feelings, and not from reality. Just BEAUTIFUL. Pictures here:

And last, the Voici Paris! exhibition, showing the history of haute couture and its role through the decades, starting in the mid-1860's. Their collection include great creations from all major Maisons (Dior, Givenchy, Chanel,...) and a great sample of the couture work that's being done here in The Netherlands. This exhibition is mesmerizing, you can spend one whole day just there, admiring all those amazing gowns - some of them having an average of 800 hours of handcraftmanship on. It's pure art.

Here are some pictures, not of my favourite gowns though. I had to choose the clearer ones, because most of the pictures are just too bad, as the place was too dark - shame.

Armani Privé

Dior by John Galliano

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld

And voilà! Today I was reading the Couture Suplement of the Italian Vogue (March edition) and found an article about this exhibition! So I guess it's really unmissable :)

Trendy Tilda (2)

Here are some of my favourite Tilda Swinton's looks:

Trendy Tilda

I love the idea of using Tilda Swinton as a model for fashion brands as she's really exotic, intriguing and interesting with her alien-like look. Besides that she has her own style, her own fashion identity which happens to be really elegant. I usually love her looks on the red-carpet, though most of the times she gets the worst reviews from the gossip press - but what do they know about elegance and good design, anyway. 

I find her androginy very fashionable and I really see her in campaigns for groundbreaking fashion designers, like Martin Margiela for example (and I know he doesn't advertise but I think Tilda could easily be his muse if he did). 

But why this ad for Pringle of Scotland? I get the brand is a classic as they make knitwear since 1815 (so it's a REAL classic) and they want to make it look trendier, but why this paranoid/terrified look on her face? It just doesn't fit. I'm not talking about the whole campaign, which I find beautiful, but this ad just doesn't look right.

Can one vote for the next 'it girl'?

 

I wonder what the Lola Bag will look like and which brand will be the one to create it... after the Birkin, the Kelly (both Hermés) and the Alexa (Mulberry), I guess Lola deserves to have one created in her honour as well!

RIP Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren, father of the Sex Pistols and owner of the first punk boutique (with Vivienne Westwood as his partner - in life and in business) died yesterday - after a long battle with cancer.

 Vivienne Westwood with Malcolm McLaren

 

This is the man who changed the course of culture in the 70's by introducing punk music and fashion in London - which became one of the most important and easily recognizable movement / style in the world. What happened then thanks to Malcolm is still a huge influence to almost every fashion collection and to a huge number of music bands.

Jean Paul Gaultier AW 2007

 

Agyness Deyn and her punk style

Haute Couture + Kandinsky in Den Haag (1)

Today I was trully amazed by Den Haag Gemeentemuseum. I went there with the only purpose of seeing the temporary Haute Couture exposition (until 6 June 2010) and I ended up spending the whole afternoon (and by that I really mean the WHOLE afternoon, as I arrived there at 12:30 and left when the museum was closing). When I have the time to do it properly (this weekend), I will write more about it and post some of the pictures I took - and yes, it was permitted, so I wasn't doing anything wrong as long as I kept my flash off.

The highlights were the Haute Couture and the Kandinsky expos, both temporary, but the permanent collection is mesmerizing as well - at least for those who are not big fans of classic art, as this museum is  clearly modern-biased. Still I would say no one should miss these temp expos, so it would be best to go there before May 24 - when Kandinsky's expo goes off. 

Here's the Gemeentemuseum website, but I tell you, it doesn't do justice to the museum. Really.

Ok, so this weekend I'll write more about it. Time to go to bed now :)

Telephone - Gaga's new video feat. Beyoncé

On the Video Phone clip, Gaga looks like a little girl trying to shake it lika mama Beyoncé. I actually felt sorry for Gaga for the first time because she really disappears wearing those tight clothes and shaking by Beyoncé's side. BUT OF COURSE, we couldn't expect less from Gaga: she has just launched a videoclip for a song called Telephone, featuring Beyoncé... and it's all about Gaga.

But Video Phone, Beyoncé feat. Gaga, then Telephone, Gaga feat. Beyoncé? Is it a competition? Anyway, this clip is more like a movie, with Lady Gaga on the main role and Beyoncé as an accessory. Both of them look amazing, but the video clearly has Gaga's aesthetics and she's the one you can't take your eyes off. Amazing coreographies, cool looks, great makes, in short, stunning aesthetics. Well, that's Gaga... nevermind the song.

So here's the new video, a bit long (9:32) but REALLY worth it.

And this is Beyoncé's Video Phone, just for comparison :)

Shuella: umbrella for your shoes

This is Shuella, this impressive functional-trendy-stylish-convenient protection for your shoes on rainy days. The ideator is an American woman called Rebecca Miller, who spotted this market opportunity based on her own experience of not being able to find any suitable product to meet this need. 

If you are wearing your best shoes, you definitely don't want the weather to ruin them, but you  don't want some crappy plastic bags protecting them, but ruining your whole look either, right?  So Shuella meets these two female needs: protecting your shoes while making you look sooo nice. This is a real spot on, check out the design - they look amazing!

They come in sizes just like female shoes and can be worn over any size heel. Shuellas are easy to put on and strong enough to walk in with a slip free sole, according to their website. They also include a cloth to wipe off any excess water before you fold them up and put them back in their pouch, which is a convenient way of carrying it in your bag everyday - just in case.

Genious, isn't it? I love this simple ideas that really make our life easier - or at least more pleasant.

I chose the yellow ones :)

Shuella's website here.

This is me

A print screen of my computer right now, with the 22 tabs I'm actually using at the same time - not saving for later.

Oh, and I loooove this Helmut Lang's fall 2010 collection, by the way. I don't want to live without AT LEAST one of those jackets.

Best Dressed

I loved Vera Farmiga in this stunning Marchesa gown at the BAFTA.