If the '60s are making a modern-day comeback, it's thanks in large part to Janie Bryant, the renowned costume designer behind the popular television series Mad Men.
Since 2008, she has been the force behind a revolution in the fashion world, bringing vintage back and inspiring designers such as Prada along the way.
Bryant is doing with 1960s style exactly what stylist Patricia Field did a decade ago with Sex and the City (the Manolo Blahnik craze, gold jewelery and vintage dresses).
You can see traces of Bryant all over the place; at retailers selling "nerd" glasses on Broadway, in the aisles of Forever 21, recent Michael Kors shows, in Halloween costumes and even on invitations to themed events. Even Brooks Brothers started selling a three-piece "Mad Men Edition" suit.
It is not often that a television show becomes so successful because of its clothing choices.
"I was not expecting this at all," Bryant says. "I see it everywhere, on the catwalk, in the street. The first time it really hit me was when (show creator) Matt Weiner called me at the beginning of season two to tell me he saw guys dressed up as Don Draper on the street."
I meet the Tennessee-born Bryant at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she is getting ready to present a conference for fashion students. A "lady" to her core (she doesn't own a single pair of flat shoes), Bryant proudly shows me her handbag, a piece from her new collection of clothing for American chain QVC.
With the success of Mad Men, Bryant has slowly built an empire consisting of items such as vintage nail polish, a book on one's quest for personal style (The Fashion File) and clothing for women. She is now planning to step into the world of men's clothing, lingerie, wedding dresses and even bedding, all faithful to her passion for vintage.
Bryant is obsessed with antique clothing. She picks every piece of material for the show in Los Angeles second-hand stores with the same discerning eye as a museum curator. Good thing too, as Reiner is known for being a stickler for details. For example, he demands that his actresses stop working out so that they don't have muscled arms.
Each episode uses between 75 and 200 costumes, a massive task for which Bryant counts on a team of nine to help. She makes the majority of the costumes herself.
"Let's just say that the budget is really tight, we have to be really creative," Bryant says.
After studying fashion design in California, New York and Paris, Bryant then transitioned into the world of costume design. She earned an Emmy Award for her work on the show Deadwood in 2005, but it was Mad Men that really put her on the map in 2007.
Bryant says she draws inspiration from stylish early-1960s films such as The Apartment, The Days of Wine, Madison Avenue and Les Bonnes Femmes, which she studies religiously. Production for the fourth series of Mad Men wrapped in September and Bryant is still waiting to find out when filming for season five will begin.
Bryant also works with Montreal actress Jessica Pare, who play's Don Draper's fiancée Megan, on the show.
"I love Jessica so much," Bryant says. "That character was all about the new life for Don Draper, about showing what was going on in fashion at that time. It is still office wear, but we still have glimpses of mini dresses, boots; she's the modern young girl."
As for the character of Betty Draper (January Jones), Bryant said she draws inspiration from both her grandmother and Grace Kelly. Bryant has also been credited with the rediscovered appreciation for women with curves on the small screen, such as Christina Hendricks.
And what is she most proud of?
"That people are starting to dress up more," she says.
2011年3月29日星期二
2011年3月15日星期二
Grace Coddington Once Buried Manolo Blahnik In The Sand
Admit it — you didn't know who Grace Coddington was until you saw The September Issue. But that's OK. Since the movie came out she's been making up for decades of denying that she's a celebrity and doing things like an interesting profile in Intelligent Life, a supplement to The Economist.
The profile, penned by former Coddington assistant Julie Kavanagh (who's now the London editor of Vanity Fair), details Coddington's decades in fashion, and explains how she's transformed from one the most quietly influential people in the industry to one of its stars. A lot of it comes from hard work, and some of it comes from working in the industry for so long, both as a model and as a fashion editor. But mostly, it's from her looking at fashion as something magical and fun rather than as a business. Below, some of our favorite bits of the piece, including the time she did a beach shoot with Manolo Blahnik, the time she quit working for Anna Wintour and why she needs to slow down — just a little bit.
On playing on the beach with Manolo Blahnik.
For a cover, she got David Bailey to shoot the actress Anjelica Huston enfolded in the arms of the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, in a kitschy pose against a Corsican coastal sunset. Grace bursts out laughing when I remind her. "It was pretty ridiculous—there's no one more camp than Manolo. He brought his own clothes and took far more of my time discussing what he was going to wear than Anjelica did. To shut him up we buried him in the sand, with only his head and spotted handkerchief showing."
That time she quit working for Anna.
At British Vogue, Grace creates a startling series of "sprawling, National Geographic-style photo essays—more than 20 pages long—in which the clothes were so smoothly integrated they barely registered as fashion photographs at all", as the fashion writer Michael Roberts put it. In March 1986, Anna Wintour becomes editor-in-chief. Grace resigns in December: "Anna was much more into ‘sexy' than I was." (Coddington rejoined Wintour at American Vogue in 1988.)
On getting older.
"I got really sick last time in Paris, and I was on antibiotics for two months. I push my body too hard, and do have to stop myself now from jumping on a plane. It used to be me who got sent to Russia and China while the older editors like Sheila Whetton stayed behind: but I'm one of those older ones now."
The profile, penned by former Coddington assistant Julie Kavanagh (who's now the London editor of Vanity Fair), details Coddington's decades in fashion, and explains how she's transformed from one the most quietly influential people in the industry to one of its stars. A lot of it comes from hard work, and some of it comes from working in the industry for so long, both as a model and as a fashion editor. But mostly, it's from her looking at fashion as something magical and fun rather than as a business. Below, some of our favorite bits of the piece, including the time she did a beach shoot with Manolo Blahnik, the time she quit working for Anna Wintour and why she needs to slow down — just a little bit.
On playing on the beach with Manolo Blahnik.
For a cover, she got David Bailey to shoot the actress Anjelica Huston enfolded in the arms of the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, in a kitschy pose against a Corsican coastal sunset. Grace bursts out laughing when I remind her. "It was pretty ridiculous—there's no one more camp than Manolo. He brought his own clothes and took far more of my time discussing what he was going to wear than Anjelica did. To shut him up we buried him in the sand, with only his head and spotted handkerchief showing."
That time she quit working for Anna.
At British Vogue, Grace creates a startling series of "sprawling, National Geographic-style photo essays—more than 20 pages long—in which the clothes were so smoothly integrated they barely registered as fashion photographs at all", as the fashion writer Michael Roberts put it. In March 1986, Anna Wintour becomes editor-in-chief. Grace resigns in December: "Anna was much more into ‘sexy' than I was." (Coddington rejoined Wintour at American Vogue in 1988.)
On getting older.
"I got really sick last time in Paris, and I was on antibiotics for two months. I push my body too hard, and do have to stop myself now from jumping on a plane. It used to be me who got sent to Russia and China while the older editors like Sheila Whetton stayed behind: but I'm one of those older ones now."
2011年3月2日星期三
Amazing Online Offer: Design One Pair Of Shoes, Get One Free!
If your shoe collection is in need of a new-season update, then you need to bookmark Upperstreet.com sharpish. The brainchild of shoe-loving sisters Julia and Katy, it's an online boutique that lets you indulge your inner Manolo Blahnik by designing your dream pair of heels, and to celebrate their first birthday, today you can create a pair of shoes and get another completely free.
From peep-toe platforms to classic court styles and with a rainbow of colours and textures including snakeskin, satin and suede, they have everything you need to create your ultimate shoe, and they'll even adjust them for free if they don't fit perfectly. You've got until midnight tonight to log on, design your heels and buy them, and within a day of placing your order, you'll be sent a voucher code for the same amount so you can start all over again on your free second pair. You'll never be stuck in a same shoe situation again! GG
From peep-toe platforms to classic court styles and with a rainbow of colours and textures including snakeskin, satin and suede, they have everything you need to create your ultimate shoe, and they'll even adjust them for free if they don't fit perfectly. You've got until midnight tonight to log on, design your heels and buy them, and within a day of placing your order, you'll be sent a voucher code for the same amount so you can start all over again on your free second pair. You'll never be stuck in a same shoe situation again! GG
2011年2月27日星期日
Spanish cuisine the latest 'it' food
GIRLS, put on your favourite pair of Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals, grab your partner and step out Spanish style.
From falafel to fettuccine, from French to Finnish, from fresh to fast, food is a fad, subject to the fate of fashion - and following the latest trend allows for fearless fun and fine feasting, flamenco style!
It's sexy, sultry and just a little bit spicy and, according to renowned Brisbane food critic, Jan Power, Spain is the new 'it' place for fabulous and fashionable food, well on its way to being the number one international cuisine in Brisbane.
"Spanish food is the new fashion; it's quite glamorous and it's always been there but now people are discovering it's really worth it," Ms Power said.
"Spanish food is very popular in Brisbane and as we have a similar climate and similar personalities it works because we always need a change in fashion.
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"I'm a total fan of Spain, they do everything well, eating to them is a total social component and something to share."
The Mediterranean diet appears to be in sync with both the Queensland climate and its health conscious, trendy population. The ingredients used in Spanish cooking are known to be fresh, natural and nourishing, with liberal use of herbs, oils and spices delivering scintillating flavours.
Brisbanites are jumping on the Mediterranean bandwagon with nine Spanish restaurants currently operating within a 5 kilometre radius of Brisbane's CBD. Additionally through the popularity of television programs such as Masterchef Australia and My Kitchen Rules, people are becoming more adventurous and trying new delicacies at fine dining eateries and backstreet cafes or even sharing tapas and sangria on their backyard deck.
Cooking classes around Brisbane including Mondo Organics at West End are incorporating classes solely devoted to the craft of learning Spanish cooking, with Chef Paul Horne sharing modern recipes for sophisticated tapas.
Language and Latin dance schools also have more people learning Spanish and the sexy, seductive and sultry moves of the Tango and the Samba. Latin dance teacher Anthea Tert, who's been dancing for 33 years, says the Spanish way of life is taking over as the international flavour in terms of music, culture, food and dance.
"I teach private classes and there has been a huge growth in popularity in the past two years as there are more people wanting to learn just for fun," Mrs Tert said.
"Spanish music is very rich, it makes you feel like dancing and it has a special way of reaching people internally," she said.
Brisbane is following the international rise in popularity of Spanish cuisine. Recent results from the 2010 San Pellegrino's World's Best 50 restaurants, found restaurants in Spain hold four of the top 10 positions worldwide.
Owner of Pintxo Spanish Taperia Tapas Restaurant in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Melissa Telecican, attributes Spanish food's popularity with an assortment of various taste sensations and its unique social atmosphere.
"People like having variety and trying lots of different things and as the food comes out gradually on a tapas train it makes it ideal for the individual, couples or larger social groups," Mrs Telecian said.
"We have Spanish tourists drop by for an authentic meal, however, we mainly cater to Brisbane locals, particularly those who have travelled to Spain and are passionate about the food and culture.
"I opened the restaurant after a trip to Spain, realising there were Spanish quarters in both Sydney and Melbourne yet there was a market for Spanish food in Brisbane that had yet to be discovered," Mrs Telecican said.
A patron dining at Pintxo, Jason Quinell, said he would definitely be back.
"It's my first time trying Spanish food and I love it," he said.
As Spanish cuisine is sizzling hot right now, step out before summer ends, sangria in one hand, flamenco fan in the other and adopt a fearless fixation for the 'latest' fashionable food.
From falafel to fettuccine, from French to Finnish, from fresh to fast, food is a fad, subject to the fate of fashion - and following the latest trend allows for fearless fun and fine feasting, flamenco style!
It's sexy, sultry and just a little bit spicy and, according to renowned Brisbane food critic, Jan Power, Spain is the new 'it' place for fabulous and fashionable food, well on its way to being the number one international cuisine in Brisbane.
"Spanish food is the new fashion; it's quite glamorous and it's always been there but now people are discovering it's really worth it," Ms Power said.
"Spanish food is very popular in Brisbane and as we have a similar climate and similar personalities it works because we always need a change in fashion.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
"I'm a total fan of Spain, they do everything well, eating to them is a total social component and something to share."
The Mediterranean diet appears to be in sync with both the Queensland climate and its health conscious, trendy population. The ingredients used in Spanish cooking are known to be fresh, natural and nourishing, with liberal use of herbs, oils and spices delivering scintillating flavours.
Brisbanites are jumping on the Mediterranean bandwagon with nine Spanish restaurants currently operating within a 5 kilometre radius of Brisbane's CBD. Additionally through the popularity of television programs such as Masterchef Australia and My Kitchen Rules, people are becoming more adventurous and trying new delicacies at fine dining eateries and backstreet cafes or even sharing tapas and sangria on their backyard deck.
Cooking classes around Brisbane including Mondo Organics at West End are incorporating classes solely devoted to the craft of learning Spanish cooking, with Chef Paul Horne sharing modern recipes for sophisticated tapas.
Language and Latin dance schools also have more people learning Spanish and the sexy, seductive and sultry moves of the Tango and the Samba. Latin dance teacher Anthea Tert, who's been dancing for 33 years, says the Spanish way of life is taking over as the international flavour in terms of music, culture, food and dance.
"I teach private classes and there has been a huge growth in popularity in the past two years as there are more people wanting to learn just for fun," Mrs Tert said.
"Spanish music is very rich, it makes you feel like dancing and it has a special way of reaching people internally," she said.
Brisbane is following the international rise in popularity of Spanish cuisine. Recent results from the 2010 San Pellegrino's World's Best 50 restaurants, found restaurants in Spain hold four of the top 10 positions worldwide.
Owner of Pintxo Spanish Taperia Tapas Restaurant in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Melissa Telecican, attributes Spanish food's popularity with an assortment of various taste sensations and its unique social atmosphere.
"People like having variety and trying lots of different things and as the food comes out gradually on a tapas train it makes it ideal for the individual, couples or larger social groups," Mrs Telecian said.
"We have Spanish tourists drop by for an authentic meal, however, we mainly cater to Brisbane locals, particularly those who have travelled to Spain and are passionate about the food and culture.
"I opened the restaurant after a trip to Spain, realising there were Spanish quarters in both Sydney and Melbourne yet there was a market for Spanish food in Brisbane that had yet to be discovered," Mrs Telecican said.
A patron dining at Pintxo, Jason Quinell, said he would definitely be back.
"It's my first time trying Spanish food and I love it," he said.
As Spanish cuisine is sizzling hot right now, step out before summer ends, sangria in one hand, flamenco fan in the other and adopt a fearless fixation for the 'latest' fashionable food.
2011年2月22日星期二
High-Fashion Books: Christian Lacroix And The Tale Of Sleeping Beauty
Christian Lacroix is the subject, inspiration and collaborator of the first iconic-designer-meets-fairy-tale book by Camilla Morton. The book, illustrated by Christian Lacroix himself, weaves in the designer's biography into the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Morton tells of a world where a young boy draws, creates and designs for as long as he can remember himself, inspired by anything and everything around him and dreams of great things and a princess who is saved by couture from a lifetime of boring outfits. The last few pages list Lacroix's actual biography timeline. Even if the story itself is superficial at times, the book's illustrations alone are worth it and give an insight into the drawing process of one of the important couturiers of our time.
The book is one of Morton's firsts and will be followed by similar designer-illustrated fairy tales by Manolo Blahnik and Diane von Furstenberg.
Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir is available on Amazon.com, $14.95.
The book is one of Morton's firsts and will be followed by similar designer-illustrated fairy tales by Manolo Blahnik and Diane von Furstenberg.
Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir is available on Amazon.com, $14.95.
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