first families: gainsbourg & birkin

hollywood is known for its blatent nepotism (see: the entire copolla family including indie stars sophia and jason schwartzman and fading star nicholas cage) however few manage to pull off reproducing strictly cool kin and thrusting them into the spotlight with grace. serge gainsbourg and jane birkin, as shortlived or volatile as their relationship might have been, not only produced some of the best pop culture grand oeuvres of the century (see: je t'aime... moi non plus) but also reproduced one of the coolest 'it girls' of our generation. charlotte acts and sings, but started her it girl career as the muse for some of her father's most controversial work, lemon incest and charlotte forever.

you can also see charlotte work her magic in michel gondry's 'the science of sleep' and the bob dylan biopic 'i'm not there' and showcase her pretty voice on her platinum album 5:55 released in 2006.

jane birkin, although not quite as popular as brigitte bardot in her heyday, has managed to age with grace and dignity and continues to actively participate in the arts community (bardot on the other hand has made quite the name for herself as an animal activist and france's top racist). the maman of chère charlotte herself played the role of muse in her time, a fashion icon forever immortalized in the 'birkin bag' by hermès. The bag is so desirable and popular, birkin suggests the popularity of the bag exceeds her own, telling the new york times "now when my daughter goes to America, they ask her if she is the daughter of the bag."

despite his passing nearly 20 years ago, serge gainsbourg maintains his popularity as both an old-fashioned chanteur as well as a french new wave artist, the musical equivalent of godard or truffaut. a reissue of 'histoire de melody nelson' early in 2009 proves his staying power and influence over popular culture today. the national treasure now passes his legacy on to his daughter who has proven herself to be a talented singer and actress as well as a worthwhile contender as the next national treasure of france; like mother like daughter like father.

grey anatomy

i recently came across a paparazzi photo of sienna miller rocking some silly sexy leopard print pants and toting a beautiful grey bag - love at first sight, see for yourself:

her bag, in case you are wondering (i know you are), is the yves saint laurent besace flap messenger and it goes for a paltry $1,895 US. justifiable, right? great colour, perfect for any season - if you wore it everyday for a year that's only $5.20 a day! (let's forget taxes for arguments sake). forget about feeding an orphan for just the price of a cup of coffee a day, you can have so much more fun with the purse (i kid, i kid - unfortunately people who are shitty enough to believe it DO exist).

let's all bask in its glory one more time before moving on to more reasonable options:

ok, phew, we've got that out of our systems now right? good.

it's the oft ignored middle sibling, losing attention to the sweet baby (white) or the rebellious teenager (black) however, as mentioned earlier, grey really is one of the most versatile colours. It can manage to make any accessory, be it a purse, a scarf, or a killer pair of heels, functional for any season.

asos - the website actually lets you shop by colour! - offers this great grey bag for a fraction of the cost (£40). now if only shipping costs and customs wouldn't cause that price to double.

some other affordable choices from left to right: deux lux - $68 US, deena & ozzy - $58 US; both available at urban outfitters, (i rock the one in the middle in red) zambos & siega - $121 US; available at shopbop.com

it may not have the natural punch of a stark white or a deep black, but paired with bright accessories or garments, grey is a chic and sophisticated option - just remember to have fun with it!

bonus: for being the worst blogger and friend, here's a little interview with the veils to brighten your day. i would love to: know what this was shot with, date this boy Finn Andrews, be this girl Sophia Burn.

obsessed: the brothers bloom

sorry this post is retarded in its delivery - written well over 2 months ago, i haven't been able to find the time to properly write the piece nor search out the appropriate images to accompany it. please take it as it is, and love it for what it is. sincerest apologies - expect more effort going forward.

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friday night has quickly turned into date night with my sister. we usually watch one of those horrible tween movies (hannah montana! 17 again! hey! don't knock it 'til you've tried it) but we decided to do something a little different this past friday. don't get me wrong - i think i have pretty good taste in movies - but i find that it's difficult finding quirky indie fare with wide theatrical releases and when you do find a location playing your film of choice, the times are odd and they don't play for very long. our choices came down to the brothers bloom and rudo y cursi. funny enough, both films were about a pair of brothers who don't necessarily see eye to eye. the brothers bloom won out (because it was playing at a later time). point homa for making the decision - i'm going to take all the credit for this one, because when i make the wrong choices (ie: the last kiss) i take all the blame as well.

i loved every aspect of the film - storyline, characters, costumes, soundtrack, locations, props. A job very well done by the production team - they obviously assembled a very fun, smart group of people to work on the film - from costume designers to actors. i was so inspired by everything i had to share - and there's just so much to share, i'm going to break it down into parts.

locations:
the brothers bloom was chock full of beautiful scenery - i'm already planning a vacation to montenegro (not really, just in my dreams) and reminiscing about prague. apparently it was filmed in serbia, montenegro, romania and prague but locations for the purpose of the plot were montenegro, prague, st. petersburg, and mexico.

beautiful montenegro(londonbrad on flickr)

rinko kikuchi who played bang bang in prague - note the amazing glasses and the gloves!

costumes:
new girl crushes: rachel weisz and rinko kikuchi. rachel is so gorgeous and the classically beautiful outfits she donned just let her natural beauty shine through without overwhelming them. rinko kikuchi is so funny she's been described as the harpo marx of the brothers bloom. so cheeky! and her outfits played the part too! the men also sported some old world classics as well - why don't men wear hats or suspenders anymore? didn't sundays used to be the day of leisure, where couples would take promenades in their finest gear? now we all bum around in dirty jeans and baseball hats.

props:
oh my, too much to love. from the montage of penelope's (weisz) many hobbies (she collects them!) to the sea liner and on, there are so many things i want in my life!

circles

palm pictures released the directors label series in 2003, the brain child of michel gondry, chris cunningham, and spike jonze, which showcases the art of the music video. i've only watched an excerpt of the gondry dvd but it was a gem. in this clip, michel incorporates the process of spin art with music in collaboration with the darling genius bjork. the product is stunning - beautiful rings of colour, kinda like ben branagan series of circle drawings above.

canadian author/artist douglas coupland also gets in on the fun with his 'canada house' decor. check out ouno design for more info and pics.

words of wisdom: vonnegut

1. find a subject you care about.
2. do not ramble, though.
3. keep it simple.
4. have the guts to cut.
5. sound like yourself.
6. say what you mean to say.
7. pity the readers.

beauty draws us with a single hair

there's something about vintage that exudes romance. i assume it's the stories passed down with the heirlooms or the mystery of the stories unknown. whatever it is, i'm not ashamed to admit that i really don't care, that i prefer the aesthetics of vintage. the craftsmanship, the style, the materials; they all surpass anything from our times. i'm not one of the fortunate, however, and i can only dream of a vast vintage collection (hopefully my 6/49 ticket turns out a winner tomorrow! fingers crossed!) that doesn't stop me from collecting pictures of vintages, because one day, someday, i will get the chance to purchase my dream items.

these lovely hair accessories - perfect for any bride - are photographed by jennifer carrillo. she takes standard wedding photos, but they are touching none the less. as an added bonus her website features the music of glen hansard and marketa irglova from 'once' which is such a great film, it melts my cold heart.

ebay and etsy are two tried and true sources for lovely vintage finds or homemade crafts. this lovely set here can be purchased on etsy at modishvintage, or you can go all out and get a brush from the mason pearson line. i found out about the brand from mindy kaling's blog (girl crush!!!). so cool, reminds me of titanic!

what is my ideal of vintage romance? it's all about innocence , it's all about the hair - and curls are the epitome of vintage, virginal hair. i love the locks of these two lovely ladies, the first photographed by claudio mancilla and the second for dearcreatures, found at oh joy! and because i'm the worst blogger in the world, i've lost the reference for that final photo, which i think is so lovely - i'm going to take a stab at it and say it was found at oh, hello friend! or oh joy!

now i just have to wait and will for my hair to grow grow grow, so i can have ethereal curls once again.

david hughes - illustrations for adults

i think it's only appropriate to follow my previous post regarding illustrations for children with one for adults. david hughes is as talented as any to follow the likes of antoine de st exupery - his website displays work for a range of publications from the new yorker to esquire, even to children's books by sandy turner!

on a rare night a couple of weeks ago, i went out with some friends and our pre-event shindig was hosted by my good friend guy. his home was so lovely - his mother's an artist and by the looks of her pad, she's also an earthy goddess with great taste. in his kitchen was a wall absolutely covered in amazing magazine tears and other inspiration - among them, an illustration that jumped out.

the sex and the city ladies! wow wow wow! david hughes captured the essence of each of these four women! samantha's resemblance is uncanny - carrie's dress - miranda on her high horse - charlotte's body! everything in this picture is perfect right down to the yellow cab and bridge in the background, the proportions of which perfectly offset the scale of the ladies in the foreground.

what i love about illustrators, which you cannot find in other artists, is their knack for portraying pop culture and the political arena at any moment in time (granted many traditional visual artists capture the political environment of their time, ie: picasso - guernica, it's never with the urgency of a commercial artist).

besides, how could i not love a man who took one of my favourite books, and managed to create an illustration that wasn't stuffy - as jane eyre and other novels of the era are often considered to be - in fact, it's downright quirky!

find other david hughes work here.