From Vogue UK, this season's 1950s (yes, again) looks worn (with a wink of irony) by Guinevere Van Seenus and made fresh-looking by Javier Valhonrat. Perhaps the best, least literal take of this tedious trend. Very clever of Vogue UK to do it like this. Mr Valhonrat, the Spanish photographer is a favourite of mine - his pictures are painterly and romantic. He is, unfortunately underrated IMHO.
Diptyque has introduced a new roll-on gel cologne. The convenient packaging offers a lighter touch than the huge spray bottles, the tiny glass bottles are ideal for tossing into clutches and for weekends away. The French fragrance house's 20ml comes in its classic colognes: L’Eau has Italian green mandarin, Florida grapefruit and orange blossom; Hesperides has bitter orange, lemon and African rosemary; Neroli has Italian bergamot, Indonesian patchouli and tarragon; and Tarocco includes ginger, saffron and Bulgarian roses. SGD 90.
Stefano Tonchi's fully revamped W. I must say it looks much more interesting; The coverlines say something at least! I must also say the last panel of the three looks really badly styled! And who are these common-looking girls?
Vanity Fair has announced their 2010 International Best Dressed List and both Roitfeld kids Julia and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld are on it. They hardly belong up there with Kate, Carine and Pharrell (yes, he's in the list!). Julia gets tartier with every new outfit; and Vlad Vlad, while cute and all that (pity about the horriblah girlfriend), is merely as well dressed as any of those young men in the international fashion flock - they are a legion. Attractive doesn't mean well dressed, just as well dressed doesn't mean stylish, nor stylish, chic. I wish these list makers would get these definitions straight and not make lists more meaningless than they already are.
Where were you in 1982? That was the year I won a Speech Day prize in school and this was it - a slim package, with an officious blue satin ribbon. When unwrapped, it was the first edition (1982) of Toh Paik Choo's Eh, Goondu! You have to think about why this would have been given out as a prize at the annual Speech Day. Did the school's Christian Book Shop want to unload extra copies? Was it an act of inspiration or humour? Was the principal slightly whacky? Was it, in fact, a booby prize? (I've not heard anyone say 'booby prize' for an age!) It's a Singlish phrasebook, and reading it today, queer and anachronistic. It's been ages since I've heard persons described as mong char char if they are blur, for instance. Or silly street rhymes like:
A lot later in life, my ex boss, Michael Chiang gave me (inscribed and signed!) his book Private Parts & Other Play Things: A Collection of Popular Singapore Comedies, comprising the plays he wrote over the years, all of them huge crowd pleasers. They were blockbusters for the local theatre, including Army Daze, Beauty World and Mixed Signals. Mr Chiang, a mentor for many, has had a huge influence in my life, ever since I interned for him when he was editing Go Magazine. Remember Go? The first shoot I ever did was with Pat Chan. Remember Pat Chan?
To round off this little lead-up to National Day (people who know me know I love Singapore! The older I get, the more patriotic I feel), I'm looking at Tropical Garden Plants (William Warren), which isn't strictly a Singaporean book, but its gorgeous photographs by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni illustrate the flora that I love so well, and help me identify the plants all around me. I always fall back on this book when I want to learn about the trees and flowers that make this city so pretty all the year round.
Bleak picture for the traditional glossy (click on picture to enlarge):
"I do it for the old people who laugh at me in airports. You can only dress like this if you get the humor of it.” - Daphne Guinness
"You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll. I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture. You've got to keep moving forward." - Kristen McMenamy, 45.
"I'm perpetually lonely. I'm lonely when I'm in relationships. It's my condition as an artist. I'm drawn to bad romances. And my song [Bad Romance] is about whether I go after those [sort of relationships] or if they find me. I'm quite celibate now; I don't really get time to meet anyone." - Lady Gaga
I must say I found Gucci's fall ads (Mert & Marcus) convincing and energetic. It makes a case for the clothes. But one does look with fond nostalgia at those Tom Ford era collections. This 1990 one (below) still looks contemporary 20 years on. Of course it was styled by the impossible Carine Roitfeld.
This fall, Tiffany & Co will be launching a line of new bags, which will reference the novella and the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. This is its first women's handbag collection in 20 years; They say this is part of a bid to "extend its brand beyond jewellery" (translation: greed rears its inelegant head). Tiffany & Co previously tried selling handbags and scarves in the 1980s, but discontinued the items in the early 1990s. The highlight of the new line is the Holly clutch, which come in both satin and leather.
The collection — which includes day and evening handbags for women, men's briefcases and bags, and accessories — was created by the designers formerly known as Lambertson Truex (Richard Lambertson and John Truex), who joined Tiffany about a year ago after the brand acquired their bankrupt leather goods firm from Samsonite.
Kate looks so sad on the cover of Vogue UK's September issue. This is her 30th cover for the British magazine. Her first, shot by Corinne Day, for the September 1993 issue is below.
Carrie Bradshaw taking Samantha Jones to the Prabal Gurung sample sale. Played by Gloria Swanson and Diana Dors.
