Naughty Barbie

I found these pictures thanks to a blog I've only just discovered, Diary of a Dead Barbie (which I'm loving at the moment).  It looks like Barbie's been getting up to all sorts...

 It seems that according to photographer Mariel Clayton, Barbie is a sadist!

Although you can laugh at the surreality of the images, they aren't just about humour.  Seeing Barbie in such incongruous poses approaches heavy issues such as suicide, abortion and sex trafficking in an alternative light, making them current and making you see them in new ways.

Check out more of Mariel Clayton's photography using miniatures and dolls.  It's wicked.

When I Grow Up

I've been meaning to mention street style photographer Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style blog for a while now, and this video made by him for Nowness has made it imperative that I do.  It's filled with quotes to structure your life by, from the most fashionable women I've ever seen who truly 'don't give a shit'.

Another thing they have in common?  They're all over 60 years old.  And they all look incredible, with not a botoxed forehead in sight.

  In superlative words inspired by my own Nan (who is one of my heroes, in both style and beyond), it's a fabulous film, a marvelously inspiring feat which is making me want to finally embrace growing up (famous last words from the 22 year old girl who has been panicking for a while now about crow's feet).

If it makes me anywhere near as cool as these women then roll on wrinkles, silver hair and that unparalleled confidence that comes with age.

Seven Days

In the last week I've been mostly playing outside in the sun, continuously humming 'Bruises' by Chairlift ("I've got grass stains on my knees for you, and holes in my new jeans for you"), finding old pictures I took of Pai in Thailand, watching David Dutton's 'Do You Know South Korea?' over and over with excitement and trepidation, coming across random new graffiti in Cardiff, and remembering the 2010 Student Protests by watching VBS' Teenage Riot.

Bounce

This video, styled by Katie Grand, is making me hark back to being a kid.  Remember that game where an adult would slowly pull their hand down over their face, changing their expression underneath it in a way that seemed magical?  This video is like a fashion version of this, with Dree Hemingway bouncing up in down on Hampstead Heath, wearing a different outfit for every reappearance in the shot.

The shoot was created in 2010 and Dree wears Miu Miu archive and resort, but fittingly it looks like she's wearing SS11 pieces because of all the colour and print involved.



The choral sound and the slowing down of the shots makes the video ethereal but fun, making me think of lazy summer days where one minute you're feeling drowsy, basking in the sun, and the next you're running around a beach or a patch of grass after a quick sugar boost in the form of a Mr. Whippy.

Summer is definitely a'coming.

Stuff

I'm moving to South Korea in a week or so to teach English as a foreign language in a governmental school.  I'm feeling a mixture of apprehension and excitement at this, especially since the decision was made on a whim and I'm not sure how it's going to pan out.  Big eek!

Since I can only take a limited amount with me, I'm having to get rid of masses of stuff that I've accumulated over the years.  I've started putting a selection of my stuff on ebay - if anyone is at all interested?  Examples below, clickety click on them to purchase.

It's been perturbing to discover how many stripy blue items I own.  No wonder I've been feeling stuck in a style rut.

In Bloom

As a campaign video this new creation from Mulberry captivates, with the graphic flowers blooming in time to the toe-tapping tune.

Here's an intriguing insight into how the film was made:

Framestore (who have previously worked on high-end commercials as well as projects for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Avatar) created the digital, arty animation by cutting out hundreds of images and allowing them to move independently within a defined 3D space. Every available element from each image was isolated and 'freed' from the backdrop, allowing them to move in dreamlike, illusory layers within the images.

I'm not such a fan of Mulberry's SS11 collection though.  I'm getting bored of the English Country Garden theme they rely on so heavily.  I know it's their trademark, but Emma Hill needs to mix it up just a little: The clothing is starting to feel dated instead of fresh and alluring.

Head-to-toe denim?  Done.  Floral floral floral? Done.  Ankle boots with sweet dresses? Done done done.  As a safe option, the clothes are still pretty.  They just aren't very inspiring.

That cute little piglet more than makes up for any oversight in the design department though.  I think I might have to skip my usual Sunday bacon sandwich in his honour!

  

(Spring Summer 2011 - The Campaign from Mulberry on Vimeo)

The Young Creatives

I've been featured on the above website, which is a 'fledgling project' initiated by innovative student and aspiring journalist Katie Byrne.  It contains lots of interviews with multi-mega-talented under-25's (excluding me, I merely jumped on the bandwagon) and links to their work, condensing them all onto one handy website.  I'm finding it fascinating discovering new talent, the inspirations that feed their work, and the quirky facts that make their personalities come to life.

I especially love reading about the illustrators and seeing all their incredibly intricate drawings.  I think this is because illustration is a talent so out of my reach; I have problems staying inside the lines when I'm colouring in and I always splatter more paint on myself than on the page when doing arty stuff..

Probably safer to stick with the writing then.