We seemed to be deluged at the moment with sex scandals- all this hoo har over Ryan Giggs & Imogen off Big Brother (don't even get me started on her- if you know a mans married, you shouldn't be going there- karma and all that) as for him, well, he is nearly 40 so most likely he is feeling a bit insecure and fancied a last grab before he retires.
The sex mad savage lurks just below the surface in most men, hence why most of them, put in a situation with a woman where they feel they have the slightest chance, will give it a go...its really just a question of biology and how they are programmed to spread their seed as far and wide as possible.
Of course some of them take this biological urge a little too far- as we can see in the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who by all accounts has been getting away with behaving like a predatory pervert for years now in his native France (there has to be something a bit wrong in French society that women are allowing this kind of behavior) the French are convinced he's been 'set up' personally, I think a man in his position of power, who has had a blind eye turned to his actions for so long, was eventually going to come unstuck.
Then we have Arnold Schwarzenegger who has been happily pregnating the staff. Of course being from the Kennedy clan, Maria Shriver must surely be used to such behavior....
So of course it isn't just now, for centuries men have been giving into their weaknesses, and so many women excuse it, or put up with it and of course it usually happens again (its like if you let a dog get up on the furniture- he is always going to get back up there, given the chance)
My first boyfriend cheated on me- I was on holiday with my family, and he was basicly set up by one of his friends girlfriends (who hated me, but didn't actually know me at all- I'd met her once) she had invited him to 'a party' when he got there, it was just this girl...and he stayed and ended up in bed with her.
He told me after I had got back, and we had just had unprotected sex, when he confessed he hadn't used a condom with this girl either. I was livid, but being only 16 at the time, I thought I could forgive him (despite having to go for a check up to make sure I hadn't got anything from his misdemeanor)
Then she started calling his house and telling his entire family that she was pregnant by him (frankly, with this girls reputation she would have been just as well pulling names out of a hat)
At that point I thought- sod this, the humiliation of his family knowing was too much and I left him.
Years later a friend asked if it was his, and I have to say, I have no idea. Didn't know or care, and I don't to this day. I'm actually now quite thankful this happened so early on in my life, as its never happened again, nor would I allow it to.
No matter how much you love a man, once you have been betrayed in this way what you had is irretrievably broken.
So I can sympathise with the wives of these men- to know the entire world is aware must be devastating, but to stand by him- that to me is more so, because he may have been weak in his actions, but you are far weaker if you put up with them (and a six month affair is much worse than a one night stand, in anyones books)
Surely it can't be just money and lifestyle that keeps these women with their men? and granted, it must be tougher if you have children, but frankly mummy putting up with daddys indiscretions to this degree does not set a good example- in fact it breeds the next generation of philandering boys and downtrodden girls -monkey see, monkey do.
There was a very interesting documentry on BBC2 recently which may actually go some way to explaining how we got here. Called The Bibles Buried Secrets, It was all about the Christian church, and Monotheism, and told the tale of how up until the seventh century, there were actually two gods- Asherah & Yahweh, until they came to write up some other translation (the book of Deuteronomy) and basicly, wrote Asherah out of it (they argued that as God was this all powerful being he wouldn't need to have sex, so he wouldn't need to have a wife)
Early sexism anyone? even back in 7th Century BC women were merely seen as sex objects (we haven't really come much further it seems) Its amazing they totally missed the point of male & female Gods- the principle of Ying & Yang was clearly lost on them.
But here is the thing- had these 'scholars' not been allowed to willfully reinterpret the bible (probably based on their own issues) women would not have found themselves second class citizens and subjected to the last 2000 years of oppression.
There would have been no need to Suffrage, I'm sure the burqa wouldn't be around, in fact when you look at most organised religion, its all about men being all powerful and allowed to do exactly as they please, and women being second class citizens
And because women arn't driven by ego & power, its allowed to flourish.
We are oppressed, basicly, because we are feared - the majority of men are actually frightened by women, especially strong ones
I can't tell you how many strong, successful, beautiful, intelligent outgoing women are perpetually single, and when they do get a boyfriend, the man seemingly can't help but undermine her in some way- by either being threatened by her success, or at worse, cheating on her.
You only have to see articles like this rubbish (posted on Womens Day, by a male blogger at Marie Claire)
http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/men/bad-vs-innocent-women
In a nutshell, men only like women if they dress like little girls, and act all demure and innocent...don't even get me started on this guy (or why Marie Claire would allow him to spout such drivel) now I'm not saying I agree with things like the recent 'Slut Walk' (intended to highlight that women can dress in as little as they please and shouldn't have to worry about getting raped) but at the same time- if I'm wearing high heels and having a laugh ergo I must be a massive slut? Get real.
(and yes, I did respond to his blog at the time, as did many other women, but they seem to have all been deleted....)
As far as I'm concerned, this Patriachal rule we have lived under since the 7th Century has simply not worked. The worlds in a terrible state, the environment isn't looking good (because money and power seem to be controlling things, not common sense)
I'm sure if women, if not in total power at least shared power, things would be looking a lot different. Empathy and compassion would be much higher on the list of priorities for one thing.
Sadly, its never going to happen, because the majority of women are not driven by status, money and ego and it seems to be those qualities that drive the leaders of this world.
Its all very well Beyonce singing 'who run the world' and telling of a female army, but sadly this will never happen, certainly not as long as the weaknesses of men are condoned by women.
In the late nineties we saw the rise of lads mags like Nuts and Zoo which helped take the sex industry overground, essentially unmasking soft porn and making it freely available to all ages. Obviously, this can never be a good thing as it perpetuates women as sex objects and teaches young girls that its OK to emulate it. It really isn't. Now we have things like having pole dancing lessons as a 'fun way to keep fit' - I'm sorry, but its actually not, its degrading yourself, frankly. What next, the hooker workout? Simulating blow-jobs to get rid of your bingo wings??
You only have to look at the worst example of this to see the kind of person it breeds: Jordan aka Katie Price- surgery obsessed, insecure, tasteless and seriously missing the Sisterhood gene as far as I can see, why a woman who has only just hit 33 has had so much botox is absurd, Jordan has presented herself as a sex doll come to life, and she is a millionaire because of it. What a sad exemplification of our times.
Jordan and her ilk are helping to keep all women down, and sadly it shows no sign of abating.
Don't get me wrong- I don't hate men, I love them in fact and have many male friends both gay and straight, and I'm also very fortunate to have a respectful and loyal boyfriend in my life- sadly I think he is a very rare example.
Most heterosexual men have a lot to learn about respect and equality, and that only starts at home, how the likes of Toni Terry expects to teach her twins this is beyond me.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Bookworm
If Fashion is my first love, Music has always played a close second (I actually don't think you can separate the two, they always influence each other, for me anyway they go hand in hand, and I couldn't live without either)
Just finished the biography of Kurt Cobain- I loved Nirvana when they came out, the perfect embodiment of my teenage angst and the second wave of amazing bands I could claim as my own (the first wave being The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays etc) baggy came just as I came of age which was a thrill, as every band I loved before then were from past generations (The Stones, Hendrix, even Motley Crue being from the 80's were before my time enough to feel like a different generation entirely)
I read the one by Charles R Cross, and its a really good, very indepth, poor old Kurt - I really felt for my fellow Piscean - we are such sensitive souls, I think we actually have a depth of feeling beyond most people, our intuitive instincts go beyond the normal realms of existence.
This was certainly true of Kurt- trauma in adolescence was a great contributing factor to his unhappiness, as was probable undiagnosed depression and I suspect Celiac disease (as he was plagued with stomach problems they couldn't figure out) not helped by having a bad diet containing 'no green stuff'
His heroin addiction was partly blamed on this- although curiosity led him to try it, and then his stomach was often used as an excuse for self medication
He definately found a kindred spirit in Courtney Love (who actually was a good influence on him, inspiring him and giving him confidence, which is all any of us needs really- to be loved, supported and understood by our partner) we are all looking for our twin soul, and Kurt certainly found his Yang in Courtney
Kurt was also a great advocator of gay rights- something I guess a lot of people wouldn't expect of a punk rock star, he really preached empathy and tolerance- even in his suicide note.
If only his addiction hadn't gotten the better of him, and they could have diagnosed his illness - the world was robbed of a great talent and a wonderful human being, along with the other greats we lost at 27
I thought we had come a long way and that tolerance, empathy and acceptance were pretty much a given these days (an eternal optimist, I'm always surprised when anyone is racist or homophobic) but sadly it seems Homophobia is alive and well, judging by two horrible instances recently- the first being the attack on Philip Sallon in Piccadilly on April 2nd (not far from where Ian Baynham was kicked to death by two teenage girls - unbelievably)
No CCTV (which is fairly ludicrous considering the threat of terrorism and the fact its Central London) Philip suffered a fractured skull, but is on the mend (thankfully, he could have easily been killed)
I've met Philip on numerous occasions, he is a lovely man, very peaceful and open and a national treasure on the London club scene. I hope they catch an severely punish whoever committed this vile attack.
Then last week we have the John Snow pub throwing out a gay couple for kissing! a protest was organised, and scuppered (but they had to close, so at least it hit them in the till)
All I can think is that frustration and anger over the state of our nation and the financial situation we have all been placed in is manifesting itself as anger towards groups seen as being 'on the outside' or 'easy targets'
If people are really angry, they should protest where its applicable- join UK Uncut, let the bankers and government know you are angry and do something that might actually make a difference. Don't take it out on people just living their lives.
Maybe its jealousy as the gays have the best parties? ;-)
This weeks reading matter is:
Top book: Teenage by Jon Savage- the creation of youth 1875 - 1945
I love sociology, particularly youth culture, this one goes back even further than I've ever looked- right back to the beginning and I'm fascinated to see how these previous generations led us to where we are today- if the teenager was supposedly created in the 50's (more actually by marketing men, as it was the first time they had a disposable income and were therefor able to be targeted as consumers)
it will be very interesting to see how we got to that point, and how they found their outlets.....
Missing the Mr this week, he is off in NYC, rebranding some ad company, clever sausage...its only the second day he has been away and I'm sooo bored!! sleeping in the middle of the bed and cooking for one, meh!
Just finished the biography of Kurt Cobain- I loved Nirvana when they came out, the perfect embodiment of my teenage angst and the second wave of amazing bands I could claim as my own (the first wave being The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays etc) baggy came just as I came of age which was a thrill, as every band I loved before then were from past generations (The Stones, Hendrix, even Motley Crue being from the 80's were before my time enough to feel like a different generation entirely)
I read the one by Charles R Cross, and its a really good, very indepth, poor old Kurt - I really felt for my fellow Piscean - we are such sensitive souls, I think we actually have a depth of feeling beyond most people, our intuitive instincts go beyond the normal realms of existence.
This was certainly true of Kurt- trauma in adolescence was a great contributing factor to his unhappiness, as was probable undiagnosed depression and I suspect Celiac disease (as he was plagued with stomach problems they couldn't figure out) not helped by having a bad diet containing 'no green stuff'
His heroin addiction was partly blamed on this- although curiosity led him to try it, and then his stomach was often used as an excuse for self medication
He definately found a kindred spirit in Courtney Love (who actually was a good influence on him, inspiring him and giving him confidence, which is all any of us needs really- to be loved, supported and understood by our partner) we are all looking for our twin soul, and Kurt certainly found his Yang in Courtney
Kurt was also a great advocator of gay rights- something I guess a lot of people wouldn't expect of a punk rock star, he really preached empathy and tolerance- even in his suicide note.
If only his addiction hadn't gotten the better of him, and they could have diagnosed his illness - the world was robbed of a great talent and a wonderful human being, along with the other greats we lost at 27
I thought we had come a long way and that tolerance, empathy and acceptance were pretty much a given these days (an eternal optimist, I'm always surprised when anyone is racist or homophobic) but sadly it seems Homophobia is alive and well, judging by two horrible instances recently- the first being the attack on Philip Sallon in Piccadilly on April 2nd (not far from where Ian Baynham was kicked to death by two teenage girls - unbelievably)
No CCTV (which is fairly ludicrous considering the threat of terrorism and the fact its Central London) Philip suffered a fractured skull, but is on the mend (thankfully, he could have easily been killed)
I've met Philip on numerous occasions, he is a lovely man, very peaceful and open and a national treasure on the London club scene. I hope they catch an severely punish whoever committed this vile attack.
Then last week we have the John Snow pub throwing out a gay couple for kissing! a protest was organised, and scuppered (but they had to close, so at least it hit them in the till)
All I can think is that frustration and anger over the state of our nation and the financial situation we have all been placed in is manifesting itself as anger towards groups seen as being 'on the outside' or 'easy targets'
If people are really angry, they should protest where its applicable- join UK Uncut, let the bankers and government know you are angry and do something that might actually make a difference. Don't take it out on people just living their lives.
Maybe its jealousy as the gays have the best parties? ;-)
This weeks reading matter is:
Top book: Teenage by Jon Savage- the creation of youth 1875 - 1945
I love sociology, particularly youth culture, this one goes back even further than I've ever looked- right back to the beginning and I'm fascinated to see how these previous generations led us to where we are today- if the teenager was supposedly created in the 50's (more actually by marketing men, as it was the first time they had a disposable income and were therefor able to be targeted as consumers)
it will be very interesting to see how we got to that point, and how they found their outlets.....
Missing the Mr this week, he is off in NYC, rebranding some ad company, clever sausage...its only the second day he has been away and I'm sooo bored!! sleeping in the middle of the bed and cooking for one, meh!
Friday, 15 April 2011
MTV CK One party
Looong time since my last post, so sorry I have been really busy with various projects, can't say much about them atm, but know that a few cherries are gonna be ripe for the picking pretty soon :)
Went to the MTV/Calvin Klein party last night at Village Underground in Shoreditch, I'm sure my queue hopping ticked a fair few people off (especially as I had to actually push past them all to do so as it was a barriered entrance) well, what can I say, I don't do queues ;-)
Walked in and thought- am I in the wrong party? all I could hear was some god awful AOR sounding girl warbling (turns out this was Alexis Jordan- never heard of her before, never want to hear her again, thanks)
Met up with the gang- Jonny Woo, John Sizzle, Ma Butcher, Miss Marie Louise Von Hasselberg (super duper stylist and all round diva) my 'sister' Letitia (I'm very lucky to have two best female friends, Letitia & Rachel- The Sisterhood) we had done our usual trick of turning up in the same outfit (this time it was a turban clash) Alex Noble & Josh Caffe, Miss Ilona International- fresh off the plane from Miami, Amandine, Leo Belicha, Nadia & Morris, Holestar, I could go on...there were loads of us out last night.
Ran into Amechi Ihenacho (editor of Flux magazine) who I havn't seen for ages- he's just opened a new shop and a cocktail bar called Maneros on Kingsland Road with a 5am licence! I'll be checking that out for sure, I can imagine it will be the epitome of elegant debauchery as Amechi is one of the most stylish men on the planet, a truly dapper chap.
Also spotted- Katie Grand and Bip Ling (how is this girl signed to a model agency? pretty yes, but she is tiny! I towered over her and I'm only 5'2")
Jameela Jamil: she is really lovely, seems very down to earth and has a nice vibe about her. I saw her outside the JCDC show last season and she told me I had a 'fucking cool dress' on
Free bar all night, which was fab, and they had a good selection too (I hate when its just free beer)
They had a booth thing where you could record your own Calvin Klein commercial, but by the time Tish and I thought we would have a go they had run into technical difficulties....
The crowd as a mixed bag- lots of Shoreditch faces mixed with competition winners. It was rammed packed, the toilet queue for the ladies was massive, so I tried to pass myself off as a transsexual to gain entry to the mens (I could see friends in there, so it would have been safe) despite back up from a couple of Batty Bass regulars, the bouncer was having none of it...
There was a DJ set by Pixie Geldof & Alice Dellal, which wasn't great....they turned the bass down halfway through (think they just didn't know whet they were doing really, should stick to Alexa Chungs method of just playing mix CD's her brother Dom does for her) ironic they probably got paid about 15k for it....I liked the Britney Spears track, but Eminem? no thanks...
There was also live performances from Katy B and Wretch 32 (who were good) and the music picked up after that, but we all decided to go to The Joiners (change of scene) and I'm so glad we did as the music was AMAZING in there
We even managed to score a free cab ride, as the driver had no change for a 20 (result)
It was disco heaven, we barely left the dancefloor, Josh Scrutton was pulling some hip snaking moves, ran into Dan Williams, but I missed his set as my feet were killing me so I left about 1am hopped in a cab with Morris and tried not to wake up my sleeping boyfriend when I got home (probably unsuccessfully)
Went to the MTV/Calvin Klein party last night at Village Underground in Shoreditch, I'm sure my queue hopping ticked a fair few people off (especially as I had to actually push past them all to do so as it was a barriered entrance) well, what can I say, I don't do queues ;-)
Walked in and thought- am I in the wrong party? all I could hear was some god awful AOR sounding girl warbling (turns out this was Alexis Jordan- never heard of her before, never want to hear her again, thanks)
Met up with the gang- Jonny Woo, John Sizzle, Ma Butcher, Miss Marie Louise Von Hasselberg (super duper stylist and all round diva) my 'sister' Letitia (I'm very lucky to have two best female friends, Letitia & Rachel- The Sisterhood) we had done our usual trick of turning up in the same outfit (this time it was a turban clash) Alex Noble & Josh Caffe, Miss Ilona International- fresh off the plane from Miami, Amandine, Leo Belicha, Nadia & Morris, Holestar, I could go on...there were loads of us out last night.
Ran into Amechi Ihenacho (editor of Flux magazine) who I havn't seen for ages- he's just opened a new shop and a cocktail bar called Maneros on Kingsland Road with a 5am licence! I'll be checking that out for sure, I can imagine it will be the epitome of elegant debauchery as Amechi is one of the most stylish men on the planet, a truly dapper chap.
Also spotted- Katie Grand and Bip Ling (how is this girl signed to a model agency? pretty yes, but she is tiny! I towered over her and I'm only 5'2")
Jameela Jamil: she is really lovely, seems very down to earth and has a nice vibe about her. I saw her outside the JCDC show last season and she told me I had a 'fucking cool dress' on
Free bar all night, which was fab, and they had a good selection too (I hate when its just free beer)
They had a booth thing where you could record your own Calvin Klein commercial, but by the time Tish and I thought we would have a go they had run into technical difficulties....
The crowd as a mixed bag- lots of Shoreditch faces mixed with competition winners. It was rammed packed, the toilet queue for the ladies was massive, so I tried to pass myself off as a transsexual to gain entry to the mens (I could see friends in there, so it would have been safe) despite back up from a couple of Batty Bass regulars, the bouncer was having none of it...
There was a DJ set by Pixie Geldof & Alice Dellal, which wasn't great....they turned the bass down halfway through (think they just didn't know whet they were doing really, should stick to Alexa Chungs method of just playing mix CD's her brother Dom does for her) ironic they probably got paid about 15k for it....I liked the Britney Spears track, but Eminem? no thanks...
There was also live performances from Katy B and Wretch 32 (who were good) and the music picked up after that, but we all decided to go to The Joiners (change of scene) and I'm so glad we did as the music was AMAZING in there
We even managed to score a free cab ride, as the driver had no change for a 20 (result)
It was disco heaven, we barely left the dancefloor, Josh Scrutton was pulling some hip snaking moves, ran into Dan Williams, but I missed his set as my feet were killing me so I left about 1am hopped in a cab with Morris and tried not to wake up my sleeping boyfriend when I got home (probably unsuccessfully)
Thursday, 17 March 2011
The Dubya
Went to the official launch of the W hotel last night, with my lovely friend Colin.
They had divided the floors into North, East, South & West London rooms, North was W lounge & the Wyld club, hosted by Fran Cutler and the W band, West was hosted by Jade Jaggers Jezebel, South was the screening room, hosted by Horse Meat Disco and East was in the W Studios on the second floor
Our gang were hosting the East London room (naturally) Mr Jonny Woo being master of proceedings, alongside Holestar, John Sizzle & the Horsemeat disco boys the music was AMAZING we barely left the light up dancefloor they had installed, it was definatly the best room by far and had a cute market stall with Patrick Cox glittery cakes and they served a gin cocktail in pretty tea cups
The lovely Elliot Atkinson was in attendance, who I havn't seen for years, he was very pleased to hear I'd been singing his praises last week whilst doing some consulting on fashion & technology trends (isn't it funny how that happens? you speak about someone and they pop up soon after)
We did do some exploring, to the Wyld room where we caught the first bit of Alexa Chungs set and bumped into Domenic Jones, a face from our scene doing very well with his jewellery collections, didn't stay too long in that room though as it seemed too full of men in suits (I prefer mine in heels & make up ;-) )
We couldnt get into the main part of the room for the W supergroup set (Roger Daltrey and The Clash, introduced by Kate Moss- that will be why then, it was packed tighter than a can of sardines)
Apparantly Miss Moss came up to the East room, and was by the DJ box for ages, but I didn't spot her or any of the other celebrities in attendance (to busy chatting and dancing with friends) did share a lift with Jade Jagger though, who had the most beautiful hair.
The hotel had given a few rooms to the performers, which meant we could rest our feet a wee while and have a little lie down, which was a very welcome addition to the nights proceedings
We watched some of the films in the screening rooms, where they served popcorn and tequila shots
Super fun was had by all, lots of friends were there to enjoy the night with, the venue was really lovely, as were all the bar staff and waiters, all in all a fabulous night in a gorgeous venue
Probably drank a bit too much champagne (oops!) so I put myself into a cab home at some disgraceful hour, head was a tad fuzzy this morning...oh well, it is my birthday on Friday, may as well have a warm up!
more pictures to come later- as I had my Iphone stolen last week, I will have to get them from friends.....
They had divided the floors into North, East, South & West London rooms, North was W lounge & the Wyld club, hosted by Fran Cutler and the W band, West was hosted by Jade Jaggers Jezebel, South was the screening room, hosted by Horse Meat Disco and East was in the W Studios on the second floor
Our gang were hosting the East London room (naturally) Mr Jonny Woo being master of proceedings, alongside Holestar, John Sizzle & the Horsemeat disco boys the music was AMAZING we barely left the light up dancefloor they had installed, it was definatly the best room by far and had a cute market stall with Patrick Cox glittery cakes and they served a gin cocktail in pretty tea cups
The lovely Elliot Atkinson was in attendance, who I havn't seen for years, he was very pleased to hear I'd been singing his praises last week whilst doing some consulting on fashion & technology trends (isn't it funny how that happens? you speak about someone and they pop up soon after)
We did do some exploring, to the Wyld room where we caught the first bit of Alexa Chungs set and bumped into Domenic Jones, a face from our scene doing very well with his jewellery collections, didn't stay too long in that room though as it seemed too full of men in suits (I prefer mine in heels & make up ;-) )
We couldnt get into the main part of the room for the W supergroup set (Roger Daltrey and The Clash, introduced by Kate Moss- that will be why then, it was packed tighter than a can of sardines)
Apparantly Miss Moss came up to the East room, and was by the DJ box for ages, but I didn't spot her or any of the other celebrities in attendance (to busy chatting and dancing with friends) did share a lift with Jade Jagger though, who had the most beautiful hair.
The hotel had given a few rooms to the performers, which meant we could rest our feet a wee while and have a little lie down, which was a very welcome addition to the nights proceedings
We watched some of the films in the screening rooms, where they served popcorn and tequila shots
Super fun was had by all, lots of friends were there to enjoy the night with, the venue was really lovely, as were all the bar staff and waiters, all in all a fabulous night in a gorgeous venue
Probably drank a bit too much champagne (oops!) so I put myself into a cab home at some disgraceful hour, head was a tad fuzzy this morning...oh well, it is my birthday on Friday, may as well have a warm up!
more pictures to come later- as I had my Iphone stolen last week, I will have to get them from friends.....
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
No Call For Celebration
Apparantly Kanye West has now decided to jump on the band wagon and release his own range of clothing.
Grrrreat. There really are enough ugly clothes in the world already without this megalomaniac inflicting more upon us.
This all makes my heart sink, as celebrity as designer really is nothing to celebrate.
Its a sad testament to our celebrity obsessed culture that every five minutes another one feels the need to slap their name on some shoddy old garments, in the hope of making even more money for themselves or believes that the British public are so stupid they will lap it up, even if the clothes are second rate.
It really is hard enough being a designer as it is - you have to constantly fight battles with your buyers to get anything new or directional and interesting into your ranges (as they tend to be reactionary beings, who look at past sales to guide them- this is why you often see the same garments in different colours season after season....)
The only celebrity who seems to be doing a good job with their range is Victoria Beckham (and I strongly suspect this is because she is savvy enough to have help doing it- I really don't believe for a moment she oversee's the entire thing)
The Beth Ditto range was a good move however- as for larger girls there is very little on the high street (when working as a stylist for Basement Jaxx, I could find nothing at all for the singers- sizes 16 & 20 and ended up making 90% of their stagewear as a result) so her range was a welcome one, as this sector of the public is pretty much ignored by most fashion stores.
Apparantly, the biggest selling celebrity fashion range is Jessica Simpsons. $750 million last year. She sells everything from bags to shoes, clothes, luggage, fragrance...thankfully only in America
Just look at these beauties....I'd rather carry a colostomy bag.
For every good range (Nicole Richie) there are five bad ones (50 Cent, Fergie- who would want to dress like either of those two?! I could go on.....)
So Kanye please- leave it alone, or the next time you play a gig, I'm going to come along with a mic and a megaphone and tread all over your toes, we'll see how you like it....
Grrrreat. There really are enough ugly clothes in the world already without this megalomaniac inflicting more upon us.
This all makes my heart sink, as celebrity as designer really is nothing to celebrate.
Its a sad testament to our celebrity obsessed culture that every five minutes another one feels the need to slap their name on some shoddy old garments, in the hope of making even more money for themselves or believes that the British public are so stupid they will lap it up, even if the clothes are second rate.
It really is hard enough being a designer as it is - you have to constantly fight battles with your buyers to get anything new or directional and interesting into your ranges (as they tend to be reactionary beings, who look at past sales to guide them- this is why you often see the same garments in different colours season after season....)
The only celebrity who seems to be doing a good job with their range is Victoria Beckham (and I strongly suspect this is because she is savvy enough to have help doing it- I really don't believe for a moment she oversee's the entire thing)
The Beth Ditto range was a good move however- as for larger girls there is very little on the high street (when working as a stylist for Basement Jaxx, I could find nothing at all for the singers- sizes 16 & 20 and ended up making 90% of their stagewear as a result) so her range was a welcome one, as this sector of the public is pretty much ignored by most fashion stores.
Apparantly, the biggest selling celebrity fashion range is Jessica Simpsons. $750 million last year. She sells everything from bags to shoes, clothes, luggage, fragrance...thankfully only in America
Just look at these beauties....I'd rather carry a colostomy bag.
For every good range (Nicole Richie) there are five bad ones (50 Cent, Fergie- who would want to dress like either of those two?! I could go on.....)
So Kanye please- leave it alone, or the next time you play a gig, I'm going to come along with a mic and a megaphone and tread all over your toes, we'll see how you like it....
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Sucéss De Scandale?
Its been impossible to ignore the scandal surrounding John Galliano this week.
Last week we had reports he had made anti semitic insults to a couple in a bar (which he claims were untrue, and actually retaliation at them mistaking him for a tramp and asking him to 'move away, you are ugly', Mr G was understandably upset at this and proceeded to insult the womans 'dirty whore voice' and ugly handbag (all fair enough so far, some people will insist on lugging around nasty accessories)
However, the whole thing has taken a turn for the worse, when video footage of him (apparently from December) making similar comments emerged.....in the video he is seen to remark "I love Hitler" and go onto make comments about gas chambers and suchlike......he is very drunk in the footage, and we don't see what was said before to him (I suspect he was wound up by these people) but it isn't a great co-incidence and will be very hard for him to deny now.....
Dior suspended him early this week, and today they terminated his employment officially.
I'm always one for giving people the benefit of the doubt- there are two sides to every story, there is also a very often manipulative media at play (how do we know these people in this bar are not members of the press? or perhaps undercover fashion mafia intent on ousting Galliano from his position at Dior??) there are rumblings Dior wanted rid of him for some time - artistic temperaments are not always easy to handle, and he has been in the position since 1996.
We probably won't ever know the real truth- if in fact he is anti semitic or if he's been stitched up.
I always find it hard to comprehend when anyone is racist or homophobic (an eternal optimist, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could hold such views in this day and age, but I know the sad fact is some people still do) its just very hard to believe someone who could create such beauty could hold such ugly thoughts.
There is also the fact he was drinking alone - and to excess...this is not a good sign (and alcohol in that amount never brings out the best in anyone, in fact people can behave in ways that are completely out of character that they can't even remember) so this should also be take into account.
However, what should also be taken into account is he would be producing around six collections per year, not to mention overseeing accessories for his own line & Dior, so no wonder he needed a drink. This is a lot for any designer to undertake, and the pressure cannot be underestimated.
What we should also look at is his changing appearance- is this surgery (which is very apparent) some kind of Micheal Jackson inner torture? or simply a gay man conforming to the pressure that they (and we women) feel to stay young and beautiful?
Whatever the truth of the matter is, I hope Mr Galliano get the help and support he needs and deserves, as you can't deny he is one of our generations greatest talents. I hope he can rise above this murkey business and repair the damage to his reputation, and if he does have some inner turmoil, that it can now be addressed before he goes the way of that other fashion great who's problems were perhaps ignored until they were too late, Mr Alexander McQueen.
Last week we had reports he had made anti semitic insults to a couple in a bar (which he claims were untrue, and actually retaliation at them mistaking him for a tramp and asking him to 'move away, you are ugly', Mr G was understandably upset at this and proceeded to insult the womans 'dirty whore voice' and ugly handbag (all fair enough so far, some people will insist on lugging around nasty accessories)
However, the whole thing has taken a turn for the worse, when video footage of him (apparently from December) making similar comments emerged.....in the video he is seen to remark "I love Hitler" and go onto make comments about gas chambers and suchlike......he is very drunk in the footage, and we don't see what was said before to him (I suspect he was wound up by these people) but it isn't a great co-incidence and will be very hard for him to deny now.....
Dior suspended him early this week, and today they terminated his employment officially.
I'm always one for giving people the benefit of the doubt- there are two sides to every story, there is also a very often manipulative media at play (how do we know these people in this bar are not members of the press? or perhaps undercover fashion mafia intent on ousting Galliano from his position at Dior??) there are rumblings Dior wanted rid of him for some time - artistic temperaments are not always easy to handle, and he has been in the position since 1996.
We probably won't ever know the real truth- if in fact he is anti semitic or if he's been stitched up.
I always find it hard to comprehend when anyone is racist or homophobic (an eternal optimist, I find it difficult to understand how anyone could hold such views in this day and age, but I know the sad fact is some people still do) its just very hard to believe someone who could create such beauty could hold such ugly thoughts.
There is also the fact he was drinking alone - and to excess...this is not a good sign (and alcohol in that amount never brings out the best in anyone, in fact people can behave in ways that are completely out of character that they can't even remember) so this should also be take into account.
However, what should also be taken into account is he would be producing around six collections per year, not to mention overseeing accessories for his own line & Dior, so no wonder he needed a drink. This is a lot for any designer to undertake, and the pressure cannot be underestimated.
What we should also look at is his changing appearance- is this surgery (which is very apparent) some kind of Micheal Jackson inner torture? or simply a gay man conforming to the pressure that they (and we women) feel to stay young and beautiful?
Whatever the truth of the matter is, I hope Mr Galliano get the help and support he needs and deserves, as you can't deny he is one of our generations greatest talents. I hope he can rise above this murkey business and repair the damage to his reputation, and if he does have some inner turmoil, that it can now be addressed before he goes the way of that other fashion great who's problems were perhaps ignored until they were too late, Mr Alexander McQueen.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
From Door To Door
Last nights Fred Loves Fashion event was super fun, attended by some fabulous faces, including the designer Peter Jensen & James Baillie (creative director of the Lovebox festival)
I was drafted in by the legendary Mr Kenny Campbell to do the guestlist, Princess Julia was comparing the event, we had a live performance from The Fabulous Russella (what a voice!)
It was held @ Freds on Vyner St, (Fred Manns gallery space) and featured installations by Omar Kashoura, Berstock Spiers, Nelson Santos & Boudicca amongst others (I loved the Bernstock Spiers wall of bunny eared caps)
There were also three fashion shows: one from a Spanish designer called Factoria Rent Me (mens & ladies, she used prints & silks with fur & chain trims and religious references)
An amazing collection of corsetry from Sian Hoffman that was just sublime- really well constructed and executed, a perfect balance of beauty and edginess, I'd love to own one of these pieces
And to close the show was menswear from A Child Of The Jago (which I missed because I was gossiping with Russella backstage) but here's a shot of the boys in their dressing room
Tonight will be another door shift for me - my regular gig at one of Londons best club nights- the inimitable Batty Bass
Batty Bass has been taking London by storm for the last 5 years, the night is hugely popular, and held on the first Thursday of every month at The Star Of Bethnal Green, E2.
Despite being on a school night we never fail to fill up that venue (I'm always amused by the sweaty, smilin faces stepping outside to smoke by 11pm)
Headed up by Hannah Holland (Trailer Trash) the Batty family is MAMA, the amazing Alex Noble is the Art Director, providing visuals and illustrations (Alex has been making waves recently due to his collaborations with Lady Gaga, not to mention his recent Selfridges window) Deboa, Keaton and has featured live performances & collaborations with Warboy, Andre J, My Bad Sister & FERAL to name but a few
Tonight is the album launch party (available to buy in Urban Outfitters) so we are all super excited (but then we are super excited every Batty) because it always, without fail totally goes OFF happy vibes and booty shaking guaranteed, its been said that Batty 'looks like a music video, feels like a house party'
The album will be available to buy on the door tonight, at a mere £5
For more on Batty Bass, click here
http://battybass.blogspot.com/
I was drafted in by the legendary Mr Kenny Campbell to do the guestlist, Princess Julia was comparing the event, we had a live performance from The Fabulous Russella (what a voice!)
 |
| Legendary Princess Julia |
 |
| Russella rocking some fierce heels |
 |
| Bernstock Spiers |
 |
| Omar Kashoura's installation |
An amazing collection of corsetry from Sian Hoffman that was just sublime- really well constructed and executed, a perfect balance of beauty and edginess, I'd love to own one of these pieces
 |
| Sian Hoffman |
And to close the show was menswear from A Child Of The Jago (which I missed because I was gossiping with Russella backstage) but here's a shot of the boys in their dressing room
 | ||
| Jago boys looking dapper |
Batty Bass has been taking London by storm for the last 5 years, the night is hugely popular, and held on the first Thursday of every month at The Star Of Bethnal Green, E2.
Despite being on a school night we never fail to fill up that venue (I'm always amused by the sweaty, smilin faces stepping outside to smoke by 11pm)
Headed up by Hannah Holland (Trailer Trash) the Batty family is MAMA, the amazing Alex Noble is the Art Director, providing visuals and illustrations (Alex has been making waves recently due to his collaborations with Lady Gaga, not to mention his recent Selfridges window) Deboa, Keaton and has featured live performances & collaborations with Warboy, Andre J, My Bad Sister & FERAL to name but a few
 | |
| Alex Noble towers over the other 'bright young things' @ Selfridges |
Tonight is the album launch party (available to buy in Urban Outfitters) so we are all super excited (but then we are super excited every Batty) because it always, without fail totally goes OFF happy vibes and booty shaking guaranteed, its been said that Batty 'looks like a music video, feels like a house party'
The album will be available to buy on the door tonight, at a mere £5
 | ||
| our Ms Holland |
For more on Batty Bass, click here
http://battybass.blogspot.com/
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