Eve: "I think you just hate people."
James: "I don't mind people, I just can't stand collective idiocy."
What do you think would come out of a collaboration between Stuart Murdoch – the chief songwriter and lead singer for Belle and Sebastian – and the producers of Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums?
God Help the Girl is a coming-of-age story centred around Eve (Emily Browning). Eve is a catastrophe: at the start of the movie, she runs away from a eating disorders recovery clinic and wanders off into a candy-coloured and sun-dappled Glasgow holding nothing but a backpack and a tape, in which her dreams of becoming a recognised pop singer are enclosed. There she meets James (Olly Alexander), a cynical and awkward young guitarist, and Cass (Hannah Murray), a dreamy and kind of posh who wants to write songs. Three seemingly disparate souls, but brought together by their love for pop music and ideas about the role of musicians and the aspirations of today's songwriters. They are an improbable and yet perfectly put-together trio, just like their outfits, selected by costume designer Denise Coombes.
The dreamy and idyllic Glasgow scenes are marked by an undertone of dark psychological problems addressed to some too lightly, but to me it's sort of refreshing to see a movie with a character whose eating disorder isn't the main protagonist of the story, nor is it her defining characteristic, but something that creeps up at the worst times, unexpected, uninvited, and taking everything with it, but still something she can keep at bay.
God Help the Girl is, essentially, a 2-hour long Belle and Sebastian music video filled with charming little dialogues and sharp but casual retro-chic outfits. For me, it was a bit of a guilty pleasure: yes, the plot was definitely secondary if not non-existent and the characters have little real development; but the thinness of the story and the characters is what makes the movie pull out wings and fly high, dazzling you with a pinch of fairy dust, with a daintiness only possible thanks to Belle and Sebastian's lyricism and Emily Browning's amazing dream waif performance.
It is a movie about aspirations and goals, musical or otherwise.
“If you want to hear your voice floating in the middle of a beautiful tapestry of frequencies, you’re going to need a pop group.”
Needless to say, I was a huge fan of the soundtrack (it does help that I'm rather fond of Belle & Sebastian music), so if you want to take a tiny step into the twee and whimsical world of God Help the Girl, wait no further and let this one hour of delicious arrangements and uplifting choruses:
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Brandon Stanton, a.k.a. Humans of New York. I have been following him on Facebook for years and watched him go from snapping the average passerby on the streets of New York, to going around the world to feature real stories of real people from over 20 countries, following causes, meeting refugees, and, basically, changing people's lives as well as the world a little bit at a time.
Which is why when I found out that, just like last year, HONY was going to be at the Met Gala, I was only waiting to see what he would come up with this time. While the press avidly howls at the celebrities our on the red carpet and paparazzi snapped juicy candids inside, Brandon skips on frivolous details such as what designer they're wearing or who they are currently dating, and he just finds the right questions to make anyone open up about their dreams, fears and aspirations. As per his usual format, his subjects are the focal point of the picture and each photograph is left anonymous and only accompanied by one simple quote that he extracted from their chats, which can last up to 10 minutes. I love how he included such a various range of Met personalities, not only high-profile celebrities the likes of Nicole Kidman and Elon Musk, but also employers and less "famous" faces.
All photographs via Brandon Stanton.
Which is why when I found out that, just like last year, HONY was going to be at the Met Gala, I was only waiting to see what he would come up with this time. While the press avidly howls at the celebrities our on the red carpet and paparazzi snapped juicy candids inside, Brandon skips on frivolous details such as what designer they're wearing or who they are currently dating, and he just finds the right questions to make anyone open up about their dreams, fears and aspirations. As per his usual format, his subjects are the focal point of the picture and each photograph is left anonymous and only accompanied by one simple quote that he extracted from their chats, which can last up to 10 minutes. I love how he included such a various range of Met personalities, not only high-profile celebrities the likes of Nicole Kidman and Elon Musk, but also employers and less "famous" faces.
All photographs via Brandon Stanton.
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| “From the moment he could speak, he could discuss.” |
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| "I'm afraid we're moving toward an environmental apocalypse where everyone is going to be living in slums and I'm going to be a 60-year-old woman gasping for breath." |
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| "We always tell each other: 'Whatever form you came in, I'd love you.'" |
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| "I'm a fashion associate. I come from a family of doctors and lawyers, so I do feel frivolous at times. Fashion is a luxury. I know that everyone gets dressed in the morning, so clothing is a necessity, but a dress like this is not even for the one percent—it's for the .001 percent. But there's something magical about that. When I was a little girl, I put pictures of these dresses on my bedroom wall. It's what I aspired to. And this dress was somebody's dream and vision. Fifty artisans spent thousands of hours making this. That doesn't seem frivolous to me. That seems like servitude and artistry. It's people doing what they love." |
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| "I grew up in India where a woman got married, settled down, and kept a house. I never thought I’d do anything different. I lived a very sheltered existence. I went to a British school, then a women’s college, and then I met my husband. I assumed that I’d be taken care of for the rest of my life. But shortly after we came to America, my husband slipped into a coma and lingered for another 15 years. We had a small child at the time. I’d never worked before, except for a part-time job in the bookshop at the Met. I was a very quiet person. And suddenly I had to make all of the decisions. I had to get a full-time job. It was empowering. I learned that I could be fearless, I could be angry, and I could fight. These were three things that I'd never had to do before. I was thinking recently that if my husband had lived, he might not have liked who I’ve become." |
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| "We started dating shortly after she acquired a stalker—bad start, I know. So she had security with her 24/7. Our first date went great. It was the kind of night that was clearly going to end with a kiss. But I had to kiss her in front of the security guards. It was awkward. It was like our parents were watching. The next morning she knocked on my hotel room door. She was alone. She walked into the room and said: 'I can do better.'" |
Who thought dance and flour could make such an amazing combination?
Lately, after attending a series of lectures about photoshoot ideas and how to turn ingenious concepts into simple but effective low-tech solutions, I have been looking at photographs and editorials under a different light. Even after coming to a decision with my group about our perfume brand photoshoot, I was still on the lookout for creative ideas to keep as a reference for future projects. I have to admit, having never been in a studio on the other side of the camera, I wasn't sure whether I would like being an art director for a while, but it actually turned out to be pretty fun! I'm not sure if this is the path I would want to go on, but it is definitely something I will enjoy exploring more throughout my degree, which is why I've been avidly collecting inspiring images on my Pinterest (look out for my #art direction boards at the bottom!).
I came across this particular series by Russian dance photographer Alexander Yakovlev and completely fell in love with them. After admiring them for a while I immediately felt the urge to reproduce them, and, keeping in mind Tim's advice on "photoshoot cheats", noticed right away how the whole idea was based around a very simple concept to recreate: the use of movement and flour.
I love the smoky, almost ethereal consistency of the flour, and how it seems to elongate the ballerinas' beautiful movements in the air. I believe that the elusive quality of the flours would be suited really well to a fragrance ad, and the way it blurs with the models' bodies links it with the idea of scent and identity and whatever meaning it might carry. Maybe I just have a thing for conceptual visuals, but I found myself wishing I were able to use this trick in our ad.
Another reason why I felt this was a rather serendipitous discovery is that I recently found out that for our summer activity we will have the chance to work on a live project with a brand! And as we got to pick, I decided to go with this brand called Dance4 and focus on the relationship between fashion and dance. I'm not sure what exactly this project will entail as we haven't been briefed yet, but I just thought it was pretty interesting and I have to admit I am pretty excited to find out more.
I highly recommend checking out his other work both on his website and his instagram! I am hoping to write soon something about my other idea for a perfume brand which in the end my group and I didn't go for, but that I really really liked so, even if the module is almost over, I am not quite ready to give up on yet. And I must say this guy's work has really inspired me in terms of visuals and aesthetics for this brand. So stay tuned to see more on that!
B x
Lately, after attending a series of lectures about photoshoot ideas and how to turn ingenious concepts into simple but effective low-tech solutions, I have been looking at photographs and editorials under a different light. Even after coming to a decision with my group about our perfume brand photoshoot, I was still on the lookout for creative ideas to keep as a reference for future projects. I have to admit, having never been in a studio on the other side of the camera, I wasn't sure whether I would like being an art director for a while, but it actually turned out to be pretty fun! I'm not sure if this is the path I would want to go on, but it is definitely something I will enjoy exploring more throughout my degree, which is why I've been avidly collecting inspiring images on my Pinterest (look out for my #art direction boards at the bottom!).
I came across this particular series by Russian dance photographer Alexander Yakovlev and completely fell in love with them. After admiring them for a while I immediately felt the urge to reproduce them, and, keeping in mind Tim's advice on "photoshoot cheats", noticed right away how the whole idea was based around a very simple concept to recreate: the use of movement and flour.
I love the smoky, almost ethereal consistency of the flour, and how it seems to elongate the ballerinas' beautiful movements in the air. I believe that the elusive quality of the flours would be suited really well to a fragrance ad, and the way it blurs with the models' bodies links it with the idea of scent and identity and whatever meaning it might carry. Maybe I just have a thing for conceptual visuals, but I found myself wishing I were able to use this trick in our ad.
Another reason why I felt this was a rather serendipitous discovery is that I recently found out that for our summer activity we will have the chance to work on a live project with a brand! And as we got to pick, I decided to go with this brand called Dance4 and focus on the relationship between fashion and dance. I'm not sure what exactly this project will entail as we haven't been briefed yet, but I just thought it was pretty interesting and I have to admit I am pretty excited to find out more.
I highly recommend checking out his other work both on his website and his instagram! I am hoping to write soon something about my other idea for a perfume brand which in the end my group and I didn't go for, but that I really really liked so, even if the module is almost over, I am not quite ready to give up on yet. And I must say this guy's work has really inspired me in terms of visuals and aesthetics for this brand. So stay tuned to see more on that!
B x
I love Instagram. I may not post on it all that often, but I love scrolling through my feed and looking at all the awesome images from people all around the world. There is just something about the time and care that some people put into these tiny squares that has the power to make me feel inspired and more often than not I indulge myself in going down rabbit holes of follow-attack which is how I end up following over 400 accounts. Oops.
Here are some of the people that participate towards making my feed some of the prettiest I've ever seen (in no particular order).
@1924us (link)
With a combination of typography, illustration, and amazing scenery these guys have it all. They include a bit of everything that I love, and how could you not fall in love with their amazingly detailed mini-drawings animations? It's safe to say this is one of my all-time inspiration favourites.
@groehrs (link)
I love me some good fashion illustration and this, to me, is one of the most creative and interesting of the few I follow. Gretchen Roehrs takes "playing with food" to another level! I just love the pop of colours from the pomegranades, banana peels and watermelon slices combined with the simple and smooth lines of her sketches.
@betty_books (link)
I love books and I love pretty covers. Betty_books brings the two together offering some of the prettiest shots of niche and exclusive book editions which she finds in various book fairs and events. Plus, her annual competition #readtherainbow is one of the most visually pleasing hashtags I've ever laid my eyes on!
update: here are some shots from this year's #readtherainbow2016. Doesn't it just look amazing?!
@feminist_tinder (link)
Moving away from all the prettiness of great photography and illustration, here is another of my favourite Instagrams. feminist_tinder collects conversations taken on Tinder (both by the woman herself and fans' submissions) which perfectly illustrate some of the pathetic pick-up lines and otherwise manifestations of sexism which some men feel entitled to make while hiding behind a screen. Doesn't sound all that appealing? Don't worry, her pungent and sardonic replies will make you laugh out loud.
@thefilmcommunity (link)
As per their description, thefilmcommunity is a curated feed to celebrate film and film photography. As you know I am a big movie fan so I have an affectionate reason to follow them, but even without that the photography they feature is always so unique and inspiring! I like these "collective" Instagrams as they allow me to discover new hidden gems which I wouldn't otherwise never come across.
This is it for now, I am sure I will make some more of these soon as it was really hard to narrow my favourites down to only 5. So stay tuned for that!
Over and out,
B. x
Here are some of the people that participate towards making my feed some of the prettiest I've ever seen (in no particular order).
@1924us (link)
@groehrs (link)
@betty_books (link)
update: here are some shots from this year's #readtherainbow2016. Doesn't it just look amazing?!
@feminist_tinder (link)
@thefilmcommunity (link)
As per their description, thefilmcommunity is a curated feed to celebrate film and film photography. As you know I am a big movie fan so I have an affectionate reason to follow them, but even without that the photography they feature is always so unique and inspiring! I like these "collective" Instagrams as they allow me to discover new hidden gems which I wouldn't otherwise never come across.
This is it for now, I am sure I will make some more of these soon as it was really hard to narrow my favourites down to only 5. So stay tuned for that!
Over and out,
B. x
Independent magazines are to me like the grapes are to the fox: I aspire to read them, yet they feel inescapably elusive. They seem to belong to that aspirational hipster lifestyle, consisting of on-fleek latte shots and tinted of a soft, black-and-white Instagram filter. In other words, not me.
On occasion, however, my hand will reach for one of those polished-looking and gloriously matte magazines, sitting untouched and undisturbed on a shelf (that is, as long as the shelf is within my frustratingly short reach). On this particular occasion I was lazily browsing through the aisles of the WHSmith at East Midlands airport when my eye was caught by a lonely, possibly displaced copy of this:
On occasion, however, my hand will reach for one of those polished-looking and gloriously matte magazines, sitting untouched and undisturbed on a shelf (that is, as long as the shelf is within my frustratingly short reach). On this particular occasion I was lazily browsing through the aisles of the WHSmith at East Midlands airport when my eye was caught by a lonely, possibly displaced copy of this:
Lately I have been feeling a bit withdrawn and somewhat disconnected, almost as if I was trapped in a bubble, the world around me feeling muffled and discoloured. I have found myself having a bit of a hard time gathering the motivation for performing even simple everyday tasks, let alone keeping up with the blog and staying on top of my uni assignments. Okay, so we all have some down time once in a while. It just doesn’t bode well with my perfectionist and occasionally overachieving self, for on top of the ‘regular’ blues I am crushed with a crippling sense of guilt for being lazy and unproductive.
Of course, the early twenties are a time in anyone’s life that brings about lots of changes and insecurities, especially when you are studying (or working) far away from your family, your friends, and anything familiar to you—in my case, about 1000 miles from home. Not only that, but I have also got the majority of my close friends and loved ones scattered all over Europe, if not the world. You’ll understand why it can feel pretty lonely up here sometimes.
I’ve especially been having a hard time coming to terms with some of the things that I have found myself struggling with—things that I did not expect I would be struggling with at all before moving here. Things, if you like, that I believed I was a bit of a ‘natural’ at, or that I had somehow convinced myself I was good at. I had to find ways to reassess myself and the way I see myself in some ways, which I believe is something a lot of us go through at this age. Feels a bit like puberty 2.0 with a vengeance, doesn’t it?
Luckily, I’ve got an amazing boyfriend who listens (even at 1000 miles distance and with one of the crappiest Internet connections I have ever owned—dramatically hilarious one-way conversations made up of mainly “hello? Are you there? Can you hear me?!?! AUGRHHHH” ensue) and tells me when I need to take a deep breath—slow down—take it easy—aaand exhale.
Here are some ways I have decided I want to begin improving my life in order to make some space in my currently very cluttered, very stressed out mind (and body):
1. GO OUT MORE
Even if just to take my laptop out to a café or the uni library to do some work. As somebody who tends to always work alone and in the solitude of my home, I have been feeling a growing need to separate my bedroom from my work space. I believe that doing that will help me keep more focused while working, and fully relax when I’m taking a break—instead of constantly mixing the two, doing research and then getting distracted by a Facebook notification, or constantly sneaking off to the kitchen to grab a snack (isn't that the perfect mean of procrastination?). Also, spring is coming and lately we’ve been lucky enough to have a string of sunny days which I need to take advantage of!
2. FIND NEW RECIPES
To the dismay of many, I am a 100% Italian with little to no interest in cooking. Most of what I know comes from the aforementioned amazing boyfriend, with whom I spent most of my gap year (you can read some more about that here) and who taught me how to find my way around the kitchen and how to, basically, sustain myself. Not that my parents (who are still back in Italy) couldn’t or didn’t cook, it’s just that I never cared enough to observe what and how they cooked. My boyfriend, who, on the other hand, loves food, still bears a grudge against me for once saying that I don’t really enjoy food, I simply “shove it in”. Ouch. While the kitchen still doesn’t feel like my natural habitat, I have been trying to improve my relationship with food by cooking healthy, nutrient-rich meals in order to keep my body going. Which is why I want to start looking for more recipes, especially vegan ones, to expand my currently pretty limited grocery list and selection of meals which I tend to lazily stick to. I might even begin posting some on here if I find any particularly delicious ones (my borderline food-porn Pinterest board might be a good starting point).
3. EXERCISE MORE
One of the first things I did when I got to university was sign up for a gym membership. I was so happy to finally have access to an affordable, nearby gym, as I actually don’t like running outside much—I prefer the treadmill. I began signing up for fitness classes such as yoga and pilates which I had wanted to try for a while, and ended up never actually using the gym space. Then came Christmas, and as the pounds added up, whatever kind of routine I had set up for myself magically dissolved into thin air. I now need to get back into it and slowly, but steadily work my way back to a decent amount of fitness. My iPod is also slowly, but steadily dying on me after one of my cats poured a whole glass of water on it while I was home during Christmas break and I can’t run without my music, so wish me luck with that…
4. DIY BEAUTY
A couple of years ago I became slightly obsessed with hair care and natural products. It got to the point where I refused to go to hairdresser because they would be using shampoos with high concentrations of sodium laureth sulphate and conditioners filled with silicones. While I am not as hung up on it anymore, something I really enjoyed was making homemade DIY hair masks—sure, it could get messy, but it was great fun, my hair felt amazing and frankly, it was quite therapeutic for myself, too. I never went further than hair masks, but I’ve got a Pinterest board full of DIY face masks, lip scrubs and whatnot that I would love to try out. They are affordable, easy to make and good for you—what more could you want?
5. REACH OUT
As I’ve mentioned, a lot of my friends are scattered in different countries and it has obviously become harder and harder to keep in touch. This is worsened by the fact that I am quite forgetful and pretty disorganised when it comes to contacting people and replying to messages. I want to make more time to talk to some of these friends. Throughout my life I’ve had a great deal of people come and go, and I don’t have that kind of best friend from primary school or even nursery that I have such a close bond with. I used to think it didn’t bother me, I loved getting to know so many different people. However, as I grow older I am realising how much close friends matter. The type of close friend that makes you feel comfortable with saying and doing anything, that you can call up with any issue and they’ll be there, that you can be really silly with or really serious with and it won’t matter. Especially because I don’t have such a close relationship with my family, friends like these are something I feel I’m going to really need later on in my life, as a solid, dependable support.
6. WATCH MORE / READ MORE
Okay, this may sound silly, but as a self-proclaimed movie junkie whose dream since I was 14 years old has been to be part of this magical, wonderful world that is that of films, I need to start watching more movies again! My boyfriend and I always have lists of films we want to watch together, but then when I’m alone I tend to slack and just watch TV series or YouTube videos. I don’t want to eliminate those from my life, but I definitely feel that I need to up my movie-watching game again (I haven't even seen half of the latest Academy Awards nominees!). A bit like with books, I feel like when I was younger I used to watch so many movies and even find the time to re-watch my favourite ones times and times again—and now I barely manage to keep up with my watching (and reading) lists! I feel really sad thinking about it. So yes, watch more movies—and since we’re at it, read more books, and not only uni book but novels.
I’ve never made New Year’s resolutions, but I suppose this list isn’t so far-removed from that kind of format. Except it’s March, and they are not so much about 2016 as a stand-alone year but rather more integrated lifestyle changes. I am hoping to turn this blog into something a bit more personal as well, alongside my usual posts about the fashion industry and general creative findings, so consider this a beginning towards that direction.
What are things you like to do when feeling withdrawn and disconnected from the world?
One of the main aspects of Fashion Communication & Promotion is learning about brands and, particularly, how to create and develop brands. For my current uni project we are creating a completely new perfume brand, totally from scratch, all the way from initial concept development and big idea, to creative concept and execution. One of the reasons why we're focusing on fragrance is that it is one of those sectors where branding makes up pretty much all of its costs: the actual bottled perfume, or "juice" as they call it in the industry, makes up maybe 10% of the retail price. It's all about the narrative, the story behind the fragrance, the aspirations it connects to, and the power of the brand itself.
Whilst our focus lies primarily in the actual branding and connecting to our target consumer, it doesn't hurt to learn more about the actual perfume-making, or art of perfumery, behind it. I've already talked about the BBC Perfume documentary which first introduced me to the fragrance industry, but what better way to learn about the skills and techniques than to hear it directly from a well known industry figure, teacher of perfumery classes and author of two books, Karen Gilbert?
Karen was kind enough to come and host a guest lecture on perfume branding as well as letting us take part in her perfume-making workshop. I never really knew much about perfumes and what goes into making them, so, as the incredibly curious and nosy person I am, I quite enjoyed learning about the science and the history behind those little coloured bottles of liquid pleasure.
A fragrance:
- is a way of communicating without words;
- can make us feel, think or react and we can't explain why;
- can trigger memories, memories create emotions, emotions cause reactions.
It is therefore of vital importance to think about how you want your consumer to feel when creating a fragrance. The story comes first; then comes the product through which that story is delivered; and, finally, comes the actual scent. You can then proceed to put this story or feeling into a bottle by mixing the ingredients, keeping in mind the layers of perfume:
- top notes: the first impression of the fragrance, the "selling point", however they wear off the fastest;
- middle notes: the heart or character of the fragrance;
- base notes: they give body and longevity to the fragrance, they are the ones that can linger on even after a whole day.
Finally, we got to put all this theory to the test by creating our own fragrance!
My team and I decided to create a fragrance for a rugged young male, very active, probably into surfing and snowboarding, quite masculine and confident and who doesn't take himself or his beauty products too seriously: he is young-at-heart and really just wants to have fun.
We then proceeded to smell and categorise a whole lot of concentrated scents (they were so many I honestly got a headache and had to get out of the room to get some air in the middle of it) and picked a few key notes that would go towards our final product.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience and it was fun to make pretend and be "experienced perfumers" for a day. It also helped me understand how scents can and should change depending on the narrative one wants to convey and the personality and lifestyle of the target consumer.
Check out Karen Gilbert's website to find out more about her and her workshops!
Over and out,
B. x
My team and I decided to create a fragrance for a rugged young male, very active, probably into surfing and snowboarding, quite masculine and confident and who doesn't take himself or his beauty products too seriously: he is young-at-heart and really just wants to have fun.
We then proceeded to smell and categorise a whole lot of concentrated scents (they were so many I honestly got a headache and had to get out of the room to get some air in the middle of it) and picked a few key notes that would go towards our final product.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience and it was fun to make pretend and be "experienced perfumers" for a day. It also helped me understand how scents can and should change depending on the narrative one wants to convey and the personality and lifestyle of the target consumer.
Check out Karen Gilbert's website to find out more about her and her workshops!
Over and out,
B. x
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