Tim Burton: the Exhibition

Today I finally visited the Tim Burton exhibition - a career retrospective of his works, published and unpublished. I am a big fan of his movies and his style. Tim Burton's works are dark and twisted: macabre, humorous, irreverent, tormented. The perspectives in his artworks are very exaggerated, the outlines of objects are messy and topsy-turvy. There is a little boy with nails stuck in his eyes and blood oozing out, there are two lovers 'enjoying' each other by feasting on their limbs, there is a poem about a girlfriend who's really a statue, and there are graveyards and stitched-up corpses aplenty. You feel small and isolated in a beautiful, curious version of hell.

I liked the rawness of his sketches/paintings. Most of them are roughly drawn; unpolished because they were not meant for public showing. His movies are very good, but they are so well honed that they often lose that unrestrained craziness. In his unpublished work, you see deeper into his mind. I was often surprised that some content was allowed to be displayed, but I'm glad it was (I think today's censorship goes too far and people need to get over themselves).

In many ways, Tim Burton reminds me of Roald Dahl, one of my favourite authors. In some of his younger work, he has a writing style very similar to Roald Dahl. But his adult work is much darker. These are a few of the displays that left a deep impression on me:

I love the colour, the concept. Probably my favourite.

You can tell he likes body "modifications".

Pumpkin-lined walkway leading up to an eerie ghost house. I'd love to stay overnight.

A hell of a room.

Definitely worth going. Give yourself at least two hours.

My favourite things (and apologies)

First, I'd like to apologise for my absence from this blog. It's been four months or eternity in blog years. I hope I haven't disappeared into thin air. But in any case, I'm back and hope to post more often.

I thought I'd post a few of my favourite things: they're the little things that cheer me up, amuse me, something I can think about when I happily have nothing better to do. They are not big purchases, but rather things acquired on a whim 'just because'.

Recently, I've been getting into the whole aromatherapy/scent/fragrance business. I didn't used to pay much attention to scent, and I still don't think aromatherapy is all it's marketed to be. But sometimes, you come across something and it's like breathing in magic. Magic because you stop for a moment and imagine what it could be. It's quiet luxury:

Jo Malone Cologne. Very simple and wearable. This is not the complex, enigmatic perfume, which suits me just fine because I'm not the complex, enigmatic person. You could try layering different ones, but I prefer wearing one only. My favourite is the nectarine & honey blossom. I smell perfectly ripe nectarines in the warmth of summer. I don't mind smelling like fruit if it's delicious.

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm. Intense woody, herbal smell. What you smell in day spas. I bought a pump bottle when looking for something to keep in the bathroom. Due to my innate desire to match everything, I also bought a pump bottle of hand wash. Yes, I can hear you say, it's just hand cream and hand wash for god's sake! But favourite things need no justification.

Chanel Le Vernis - Paradoxal 509. I love nail polish. You can wear whatever colour and (usually) get away with it because it's such a small part of the body. Red nails say, I am fiery and passionate, even when the overall dress is conservative. This particular shade, paradoxal, is so beautiful. It's taupe/grey/purple depending on the light conditions - the colour changes, there is no way of describing it. It's really very elegant and moody, which is perfect for winter. In fact, I loved the entire Chanel fall 2010 makeup collection because it's exactly what I picture cold weather makeup to be.

Right now I am lusting after this pair of Chanel sunglasses. I saw it on Privilege. Read this blog if you have the time - it's beautiful prose written by a genuinely nice person. I don't know where I can get it or if it's even available here, but if I find it, I suspect I'll very likely cut off an arm and a leg to take it home with me. White sunglasses with pops of red and blue are too perfect.

So these are a few of my favourite things (to quote Sound of Music). They make the bad days bearable and the good days memorable.

Kate Hudson is an everyday girl

Kate Hudson photographed by Peter Lindbergh for US Harper's Bazaar January 2010.

Kate H is fearless and she doesn't hold back - I like that about her. She's got this crazy joyful energy. You can see it in these photos. I love the idea of this photoshoot: dress a golden girl in OTT glamorous couture, and watch how she turns the mundane scenes of everyday life into something special. Something to keep in mind next time I do my grocery run.

The continuing saga of the Lady Dior ad campaign

I posted awhile back about 'Bag Royalty'. I considered the Lady Dior bag to be one of the three timeless, investment bags. A few weeks ago, Dior started a massive ad campaign to promote the Lady Dior handbag. I'm guessing Dior wanted to revamp their image of prim ladylike couture to something a bit more edgy. The first installment of the campaign was a short film noir featuring  Marion Cotillard as Lady Noire. You can see it on youtube:

The film looked like it was going nowhere, and frankly, a bit pointless. I felt  it lacked any sort of real concept and only tied together some indulgent Dior imagery. But anyhow, I was interested to see where the next installment was heading.

The next installment, I knew, was going to be about Marion Cotillard as Lady Rouge. I expected another short film, but it turns out so far that it's just Marion Cotillard singing 'The eyes of Mars' by Franz Ferdinand. I received in my inbox today notification of the music video. You can see it on youtube or go directly to the Dior website.

I was sitting on the fence for the first installment, and this second one doesn't really change my feelings about it. The song is OK. Marion's voice is, of course, beautiful. But once again, the whole direction and concept of this very expensive ad campaign baffles me. Dialogue seems out of context, what has the song got to do with the bag, and most importantly, is this strange new image reflective of we love about Dior? You'll notice throughout the video, the Dior trademark cannage pattern stitching appears awkwardly superimposed on the eye, fades on and off in red leather stitching, and forms prison-like bars for Marion to hold onto. And I find this logo-marketing very forced and ineffective.

The epic, short film, big-budget ad campaigns started long ago with Chanel employing Nicole Kidman for marketing the Chanel No.5 perfume. We all remember that video. I loved that video. Beautiful music by Debussy, the breath-taking feather dress by Karl Lagerfeld, a very Baz Luhrmann storyline of star-crossed lovers and ultimately, it made sense. Perfume is about the sense of smell and the memories that it invokes in us. That video was about a common man who remembers his love affair with a tortured, untouchable celebrity by the perfume she used. It was all very romantic and sad.

But this Dior ad campaign, at least so far, seems lost on me. I love the handbag. It just seems like with all the money they've spent, the very talented actress, director, and photographer they've procured, that they could have done something spectacular with it. It's such a shame and I hope there's more to come that will change my mind.

Objet d'Art: the intoxicating world of fashion illustration

It's Saturday night and I am busy doing nothing. I somehow stumble onto sketches of Manolo Blahnik shoes by the man himself. While the craze around Manolos is waning, his fantastical sketches of stilettos will always been admired by shoe aficionados.

I know of fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo from the book The One Hundred by Nina Garcia. I loved that book because of the divine illustrations on every page. He also did the whimsical Nordstrom ads and is married to fashion designer Isabel Toledo.

David Downton is not so much whimsy and surrealism as monochrome sophistication with a dash of colour. His portraits are good examples:

I love looking at fashion illustration. I love the silhouettes, the textures, the exuberance, the fantasy, the intense emotion. And now, excuse me while I google some more...

Bag Royalty

Towards the end of the noughties, there was a distinct fashion trend of going back to tried-and-trusted classics. You could blame it on the financial crisis - people wanted to spend their money on items they knew were going to last. I would simply call it good taste.

It bags have their moment on stage, but how many times have we gone crazy for the lastest arm candy, only to find it completely disgusting and unacceptable to wear in public 6 months later? Maybe it's time to do away with the fickle, impulsive 'It' bag and rediscover the pieces that continue to take our breaths away decade after decade.

The classics are truly investment bags. Not only do their retail values rise by 10-20% every year, but they also retain good resale values. In some cases, like the Chanel classic flap and the Hermes Birkin, people often buy them at higher than retail value from resalers due to the rarity of some colours and styles (beware eBay scalpers!). If you can save up the money to buy one, this is one purchase you should not feel guilty about: true style and a financially sound investment.

Hermès Birkin

The UHG (ultimate holy grail) of bag collectors. Reportedly conceived after Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas had a chance encounter with Jane Birkin on a Paris-London flight, and as you do when you are seated next to the Hermès CEO, Jane Birkin described to him her ideal bag that she woefully could not find anywhere. Next thing she knew, a bag was made according to her specifications and sent to her (now that is good customer service!). The rest is history.

Chanel flap

Available in two styles: the reissue (aka 2.55) and the classic. The reissue is the original, unchanged design from way back when Coco Chanel wanted a bag that would leave women's hands free for other things. Amen to that! It has the plain, rectangular mademoiselle turnlock and metal chains. The classic is a modified, yet arguably even more popular design with the CC turnlock and interwoven leather chains.

Lady Dior

This isn't widely regarded as bag royalty, but in my opinion, it is timeless and stylish. Princess Diana was widely photographed with it. Apparently, she liked it so much she got it in every style and size. It is more youthful than the Hermès Birkin and the Chanel classic flap, so if you think you're still too young to own the previous two bags, this is the the one for you!