I've been kind of stressed out lately with a lot of work. I had a very long day last Friday. Among other things I had to finish sketching a small collection for an alpaca company here in Lima. I had been shut up in my office all day, well, except for the occasional green tea at Starbucks. My iTunes playlist was on shuffle, and As Time Goes By came on, and out of the three versions I have, the original one from Casablanca was playing.
I couldn't help but grab a mannequin and start gliding across my studio, pretending to be dancing like in those Old Hollywood movies. I then decided I had to register it all, so I set my camera on self-timer and voilà! I'll probably publish the visual testament to this moment soon.
I hold Casablanca as one of my favorite movies, as I assume a bunch of people do. I practically know all the lines by heart. I probably watched it for the first time when I was seven and loved it ever since.
Here are two clips of from the movie. The first one, inspired my dancing. The second one has to be my favorite scene from the whole movie. It is just SO emotional, it's hard not to be moved by it. Tears. Enjoy.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
AND YOU CAN DANCE...FOR INSPIRATION
I'm in the middle of an inspiration block. I have a bunch of projects for this week including the re-vamping of a bank's current corporate image (just for the actually counter employees), a small collection for an alpaca company that wants to do a sort of joint venture and a very special client for a very special dress.
Number one is almost done, number 2 is on its way and number three has become the most difficult one up to now. I'm designing a dress for a local actress who will be travelling to the Málaga Film Festival in Spain in a couple of weeks, where the opening movie will be the one she acted in.
I loved the idea from the minute a photographer-friend-in-common suggested it and I've had a zillion dresses come to mind since then, but just now, as I've been putting them down on paper, I just can't seem to get to the "right" one. I guess part of all this doubting throughout my design process comes from the fact that I haven't met her yet ( I will do so tomorrow afternoon) and that maybe that's why I've been going all over the place.
I've been taking an excessive amount of breaks (including this one) from my sketching blaming it on a block. Natually, Madonna interfered (although I'm still mad at her for wearing all that fur lately) and I couldn't help but think of the opening lyrics for "Into The Groove". I'll try it right now, and see if it works. I've come up with a selection of songs by different artists and different genres (although most of it is very Pop).
Once again, as I was making my selection, I came across the video for one of my favorite songs from Summer of '96. It is a collaboration between Gypsy Kings and Ishtar of the group Alabina. I had never seen the video and even though I had seen pictures of her before, I'm quite captivated by her beauty. Here it goes. Join me in the dance, ha!
Number one is almost done, number 2 is on its way and number three has become the most difficult one up to now. I'm designing a dress for a local actress who will be travelling to the Málaga Film Festival in Spain in a couple of weeks, where the opening movie will be the one she acted in.
I loved the idea from the minute a photographer-friend-in-common suggested it and I've had a zillion dresses come to mind since then, but just now, as I've been putting them down on paper, I just can't seem to get to the "right" one. I guess part of all this doubting throughout my design process comes from the fact that I haven't met her yet ( I will do so tomorrow afternoon) and that maybe that's why I've been going all over the place.
I've been taking an excessive amount of breaks (including this one) from my sketching blaming it on a block. Natually, Madonna interfered (although I'm still mad at her for wearing all that fur lately) and I couldn't help but think of the opening lyrics for "Into The Groove". I'll try it right now, and see if it works. I've come up with a selection of songs by different artists and different genres (although most of it is very Pop).
Once again, as I was making my selection, I came across the video for one of my favorite songs from Summer of '96. It is a collaboration between Gypsy Kings and Ishtar of the group Alabina. I had never seen the video and even though I had seen pictures of her before, I'm quite captivated by her beauty. Here it goes. Join me in the dance, ha!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
SEX IS KOSHER ON THE SABBATH and other great lyrics...
My recent post on Lady Gaga brought me to the fact that I had almost forgotten how fabulous Army of Lovers was.
The Swedish band went to Buenos Aires while I was living in Uruguay (circa 1994) and I remember they performed live at a couple of TV shows. I loved their outrageous aesthetic and the Army-of-Lovers-Universe they created, where every single element of their performances or videos matched their personal Manifest. The toilet-cleaner shaped microphones (in gold) were unforgettable. I remember not having the best reactions from my friends in 8th grade when I suggested we should play their music at a party...can't imagine why.
Here's a couple of videos by Army of Lovers: Crucified, one of their greatest hits, and then a live performance of my favorite song, Israelism (too bad I couldn't find the actual video, but I will keep looking for it, I promise). Enjoy.
ISRAELISM LYRICS
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Diamond market in the ghetto
Star of david on my chest
Sex is kosher on the sabbath
Jewish princess in my nest
Like aunt golda high on zion
Milk and honey are my drugs
Relic box of einsteins hairdo
Spring prediction cloud of bugs
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Glory in the circumcision
Oops there goes a freudian slip
Army of lovers on a mission
Forty years of desert trips
Drinking from a stinking fountain
The kabbala and jezebel
Dancing horah on a mountain
Party like a bitch from hell
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
The Swedish band went to Buenos Aires while I was living in Uruguay (circa 1994) and I remember they performed live at a couple of TV shows. I loved their outrageous aesthetic and the Army-of-Lovers-Universe they created, where every single element of their performances or videos matched their personal Manifest. The toilet-cleaner shaped microphones (in gold) were unforgettable. I remember not having the best reactions from my friends in 8th grade when I suggested we should play their music at a party...can't imagine why.
Here's a couple of videos by Army of Lovers: Crucified, one of their greatest hits, and then a live performance of my favorite song, Israelism (too bad I couldn't find the actual video, but I will keep looking for it, I promise). Enjoy.
ISRAELISM LYRICS
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Diamond market in the ghetto
Star of david on my chest
Sex is kosher on the sabbath
Jewish princess in my nest
Like aunt golda high on zion
Milk and honey are my drugs
Relic box of einsteins hairdo
Spring prediction cloud of bugs
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Glory in the circumcision
Oops there goes a freudian slip
Army of lovers on a mission
Forty years of desert trips
Drinking from a stinking fountain
The kabbala and jezebel
Dancing horah on a mountain
Party like a bitch from hell
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
The heavens cry loud in the open
I hear the angels sing
Shalom bisrael shalom bisrael
Shalom laolam shalom bisrael
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
Evenu shalom shalom
Shalom alechem
NATASHA RICHARDSON
I am very saddened by the sudden death of Natasha Richardson. Even though I can probably only mention a few of her movies, I have always had a lot of sympathy towards her. Part of it comes from the fact that she was Vanessa Redgrave's daughter, whom I adore, and that she came from a family of actors, that her sister Joely is also an actress and that she was probably on her way to creating a similar sort of fate for her family, having married Liam Neeson in 1994. This is just a short post meant to express my condolences to her family, wishing I could hug Ms. Redgrave.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
NEUE-STALGIA
One of Lady Gaga's best songs on her debut album finally gets a video. I really like it, not in love with it (yet), I just think it's a good video. I do LOVE the wardrobe though (some of it reminds me of my own stuff hehe..) the choreography, and the make-up. I love the fact that she has so many dancers and that this time they are all male. It has been a long while since we've seen a new, fresh pop star with such a well-achieved image.
I know she gets a lot of criticism for some of her wardrobe choices but I think it's all good. I love how she's created this pop-superheroine persona and how as her success increases her image gets more and more polished and continues to evolve. What I mean by polished is that it gets closer to what I believe she had in mind for herself from the start of her career which could have been a limited version of her actual self due to different factors such as getting the right people to work with her, and yes, budget too.
I like to think I was the first person to listen to her here in Lima haha...I got to know her through Perez Hilton. It took FOREVER until she finally got some airplay over here. I've liked her ever since the Just Dance video, I like the song itself, her look and how it represents this younger generation's fascination for the 80's. I love how something, such as the 80's in this case, can appeal to almost three different generations in two different ways : for teenagers it's something new while for us late twenty-something's and beyond it's pure nostalgia.
Here's the video for Love Games, I think this one really says she's arrived. Enjoy.
I know she gets a lot of criticism for some of her wardrobe choices but I think it's all good. I love how she's created this pop-superheroine persona and how as her success increases her image gets more and more polished and continues to evolve. What I mean by polished is that it gets closer to what I believe she had in mind for herself from the start of her career which could have been a limited version of her actual self due to different factors such as getting the right people to work with her, and yes, budget too.
I like to think I was the first person to listen to her here in Lima haha...I got to know her through Perez Hilton. It took FOREVER until she finally got some airplay over here. I've liked her ever since the Just Dance video, I like the song itself, her look and how it represents this younger generation's fascination for the 80's. I love how something, such as the 80's in this case, can appeal to almost three different generations in two different ways : for teenagers it's something new while for us late twenty-something's and beyond it's pure nostalgia.
Here's the video for Love Games, I think this one really says she's arrived. Enjoy.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
SHUT UP AND...you know the rest.
Well you would know the rest if you grew up in the 90's. And if you had a taste for dance music. And odd videos. And very gay performers. Even though you were still in the closet. Oops.
I was remembering how I had a huge crush on one of my professors while I was in design school. I was absolutely infatuated with him, I was such a sad case. I had just come out of the closet and this man had become the embodiment of gay perfection (according to my 18 year-old brain). He was good looking, dressed nicely, had good taste, shared common interests, etc. etc. I had had no idea of how I was to make my move, no idea at all. My fear of rejection was just too big (well, things haven't changed much really...). I remember I asked a friend from that same school (who's become one of my closest friends) what I should do. She said she had noticed he also had an interest in me (she said it was pretty obvious because of the way he behaved during class), so she suggested something. She said : "Listen Roger, I've got this single, it's just PERFECT. I'll give it to you and then you can give it to him as a gift and it'll send the message right across. DONE!!" I thought it was a pretty cute idea, then I asked her what the single was and she answered "Closer, by Nine Inch Nails" and went along and described the chorus. Poor girl, she was probaly sick of having to deal with my indecision every day.
Of course I never did that and of course I never got any further with my intentions regarding the 17-years-my-senior guy of my dreams. Well, not right then, it actually did get way further after I was done with school.
Anyway, going back to the cd-gift, I should have considered this song instead. Enjoy.
I was remembering how I had a huge crush on one of my professors while I was in design school. I was absolutely infatuated with him, I was such a sad case. I had just come out of the closet and this man had become the embodiment of gay perfection (according to my 18 year-old brain). He was good looking, dressed nicely, had good taste, shared common interests, etc. etc. I had had no idea of how I was to make my move, no idea at all. My fear of rejection was just too big (well, things haven't changed much really...). I remember I asked a friend from that same school (who's become one of my closest friends) what I should do. She said she had noticed he also had an interest in me (she said it was pretty obvious because of the way he behaved during class), so she suggested something. She said : "Listen Roger, I've got this single, it's just PERFECT. I'll give it to you and then you can give it to him as a gift and it'll send the message right across. DONE!!" I thought it was a pretty cute idea, then I asked her what the single was and she answered "Closer, by Nine Inch Nails" and went along and described the chorus. Poor girl, she was probaly sick of having to deal with my indecision every day.
Of course I never did that and of course I never got any further with my intentions regarding the 17-years-my-senior guy of my dreams. Well, not right then, it actually did get way further after I was done with school.
Anyway, going back to the cd-gift, I should have considered this song instead. Enjoy.
SWEET DREAMS
I can't believe I'm actually writing an entry about this, but I have this desperate need to have something sweet right NOW. It wouldn't be anything unusual except for the fact that I'm on a strict diet to try and shed off a few extra pounds that torture me day and night. It is a especially strict diet because I got a knee injury that keeps me from running, cycling or doing any other exercises that would help me burn what I want to get rid off in a much more fun way. My bikram yoga classes (which I only got to go to three) have been put to a halt until my teachers finish setting up a new place, so I'm fucked. Aarrrgh!!
Going back to my eternal craving for sweets, I swear I'm having visions. Pretty much like these:
But then if I do eat some sort of chocolate, dessert, ice-cream or whatever soothes my craving, I'll have the biggest guilt-trip afterwards. I'm beginning to wonder how mentally healthy this whole deal is because I've had nightmares where I dreamt I broke my diet by eating sweets or an extra dose of carbs. Waking up was the greatest relief.
Going back to my eternal craving for sweets, I swear I'm having visions. Pretty much like these:
But then if I do eat some sort of chocolate, dessert, ice-cream or whatever soothes my craving, I'll have the biggest guilt-trip afterwards. I'm beginning to wonder how mentally healthy this whole deal is because I've had nightmares where I dreamt I broke my diet by eating sweets or an extra dose of carbs. Waking up was the greatest relief.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Your daily/weekly/monthly dose of : DRAMA
I don't know how many people share this feeling, but sometimes, like this morning for example, I just feel the need to be absolutely silly and have a dose of feigned drama involving a certain song. Not necessarily sad, it could be a happy song. I guess this goes along with my recent thoughts of what my life as a musical would be.
OK, this has to be the gayest thing I've posted up to now.
Anyway, I was in the mood for some of that singing, exaggerated gestures and face-making that goes along with this type of moment and scrolling down my playlists (don't worry, I don't have a playlist titled DRAMA) I found a song I've liked forever, ok, not forever, but since I was ten.
It's "Les Hommes Qui Passent" by Patricia Kaas. It was a song I immediately loved, especially because of her emotion-infused performance and the fact that she was (and still is) absolutely beautiful. I couldn't find the video of the first performance I saw but here's a pretty good one from a live perfomance in 1990.
And below that one, for a total mood change, I've posted a video that surely illustrates what I'm talking about regarding doses of feigned drama, one of my favorite scenes in a Cate Blanchett movie.
Bisous.
I actually used this song as part of a sountrack to one of my shows.
OK, this has to be the gayest thing I've posted up to now.
Anyway, I was in the mood for some of that singing, exaggerated gestures and face-making that goes along with this type of moment and scrolling down my playlists (don't worry, I don't have a playlist titled DRAMA) I found a song I've liked forever, ok, not forever, but since I was ten.
It's "Les Hommes Qui Passent" by Patricia Kaas. It was a song I immediately loved, especially because of her emotion-infused performance and the fact that she was (and still is) absolutely beautiful. I couldn't find the video of the first performance I saw but here's a pretty good one from a live perfomance in 1990.
And below that one, for a total mood change, I've posted a video that surely illustrates what I'm talking about regarding doses of feigned drama, one of my favorite scenes in a Cate Blanchett movie.
Bisous.
I actually used this song as part of a sountrack to one of my shows.
Friday, January 2, 2009
BHUTTO BOLLYWOOD
It's been a month!! Bad blogger, bad. I definitely need to increase the frequency of my posts....
OK. I haven't shown any of my work up to now, but a special date has come across and I think it's the perfect chance to do so and get away with a little personal homage I've had in mind for a while.
December 27 was the first year anniversary of Benazir Bhutto's tragic death. She was the starting point for my latest collection. I took elements of her personal style mixed with details of muslim women's traditional wardrobe and, to lighten it up a bit, a little Bollywood too (main reference : the Jimmy Ajja part of the 80's movie Disco Dancer). Oh yes, 80's elements too.
I was able to take this collection and show at the September edition of the Salon du Prêt-à-Porter this year where I got great reviews. This collection was also nominated for the Collection of the Year category by Peru's leading newspaper, El Comercio, in it's Best of 2008 survey.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
BELATED NEWS
I can't believe I just found out that Laura Branigan died FOUR years ago. I had absolutely no idea and I am quite shocked.
It's really sad, especially considering she was only 47. The first song I ever heard by Laura Branigan was her version of "Gloria" for Flashdance (even though I never understood why it wasn't included in the soundtrack) and then of course came "Imagination" which had just an incredible sound and was the background music for one of the most artistic shows performed by Alex during the movie.
I just found out about it while youtubing some of her videos, I was quite curious about the one for "Self Control" because I had never seen it before (remember, I used to live in a communist country in the 80's). I love how videos in the 80's were so artsy.
Regarding her looks, I'm not a fan of her wardrobe, but I think she had a beautiful face, incredible angles, typical of that era. Like the brunette version of Kim Wilde. Perhaps it would have been cool to see them perform together.
It's really sad, especially considering she was only 47. The first song I ever heard by Laura Branigan was her version of "Gloria" for Flashdance (even though I never understood why it wasn't included in the soundtrack) and then of course came "Imagination" which had just an incredible sound and was the background music for one of the most artistic shows performed by Alex during the movie.
I just found out about it while youtubing some of her videos, I was quite curious about the one for "Self Control" because I had never seen it before (remember, I used to live in a communist country in the 80's). I love how videos in the 80's were so artsy.
Regarding her looks, I'm not a fan of her wardrobe, but I think she had a beautiful face, incredible angles, typical of that era. Like the brunette version of Kim Wilde. Perhaps it would have been cool to see them perform together.
Eyes, hair, face, image, all must be preserved...
Still life displayed forever, no less than she deserved.
Aging: it has come to be a frequent topic in my conversations. As I mentioned before, I am approaching thirty, I'll be turning 29 in April. Last night, at a birthday party, eye soothers, facial creams and other sorts of hope-infused ointments were part of what I discussed with my friends, along with Flashdance, nostalgia, remembering how all of us had met, and the breaking news of my blog (I haven't told that many people about it yet but I have now included it in my web info on Facebook).
To add on to the topic, I was watching a Madonna special on TV, and it included a recent post-plastic surgery interview. Now, in order to create some background for what I'm about to say, I need to make clear that I'm a HUGE Madonna fan. Ever since Dress You Up (which means I was about 4 then). I love her. I was lucky enough to see her up close during the Confessions Tour where she grabbed my hand at the end of her perfomance of La Isla Bonita and made my trip from Lima to Boston (especially for the concert) worth every penny and more.
OK, so I love her, and I will definitely have posts in the future just about her, but after watching this interview and her "new" face, I think she's made it clear that she is now officially old. It's a certain look, the high cheekbones, the eyebrows, something about this "young" appearance that comes across as a clear statement that she has reached a certain age. I don't know if I'm being clear here, but, I no longer look at her and say "wow, she looks amazing for her age" because plastic surgery just makes those calendar blocks evident. I'm not against plastic surgery AT ALL, I might go through it myself in the future, but I hoped Madonna would stay looking fabulous and plastic-surgery-free forever. That just goes on to show you how hard it is to please everyone when you're a public figure.
On the other hand, after thinking about all these things, I couldn't help but watch some clips of one of my favorite movies ever, Death Becomes Her. I seriously consider this movie a masterpiece, from the AMAZING performances to the script to the humor, I can't help but laugh like crazy every time I watch it. It's one of those movies that if you had to make a selection of highlights, you'd probably end up selecting 95% of it.
The opening is just hilarious and Meryl Streep confirms the fact that she is one of the greatest and most versatile actresses of our time. The set, the decoration, the choreography, the mix in musical styles and, of course, the lyrics to the opening song make this scene kitsch to the max (please pay attention to the feathers coming off her boa) and part of that 95% I was talking about.
Enjoy.
Aging: it has come to be a frequent topic in my conversations. As I mentioned before, I am approaching thirty, I'll be turning 29 in April. Last night, at a birthday party, eye soothers, facial creams and other sorts of hope-infused ointments were part of what I discussed with my friends, along with Flashdance, nostalgia, remembering how all of us had met, and the breaking news of my blog (I haven't told that many people about it yet but I have now included it in my web info on Facebook).
To add on to the topic, I was watching a Madonna special on TV, and it included a recent post-plastic surgery interview. Now, in order to create some background for what I'm about to say, I need to make clear that I'm a HUGE Madonna fan. Ever since Dress You Up (which means I was about 4 then). I love her. I was lucky enough to see her up close during the Confessions Tour where she grabbed my hand at the end of her perfomance of La Isla Bonita and made my trip from Lima to Boston (especially for the concert) worth every penny and more.
OK, so I love her, and I will definitely have posts in the future just about her, but after watching this interview and her "new" face, I think she's made it clear that she is now officially old. It's a certain look, the high cheekbones, the eyebrows, something about this "young" appearance that comes across as a clear statement that she has reached a certain age. I don't know if I'm being clear here, but, I no longer look at her and say "wow, she looks amazing for her age" because plastic surgery just makes those calendar blocks evident. I'm not against plastic surgery AT ALL, I might go through it myself in the future, but I hoped Madonna would stay looking fabulous and plastic-surgery-free forever. That just goes on to show you how hard it is to please everyone when you're a public figure.
On the other hand, after thinking about all these things, I couldn't help but watch some clips of one of my favorite movies ever, Death Becomes Her. I seriously consider this movie a masterpiece, from the AMAZING performances to the script to the humor, I can't help but laugh like crazy every time I watch it. It's one of those movies that if you had to make a selection of highlights, you'd probably end up selecting 95% of it.
The opening is just hilarious and Meryl Streep confirms the fact that she is one of the greatest and most versatile actresses of our time. The set, the decoration, the choreography, the mix in musical styles and, of course, the lyrics to the opening song make this scene kitsch to the max (please pay attention to the feathers coming off her boa) and part of that 95% I was talking about.
Enjoy.
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