Douze pointe: Thoughts on the Eurovision Song Contest

No, I did not watch the Eurovision. Haven't sat through one since I moved to the USA. But that does not mean I don't fondly remember tuning in year after year to listen to terrible songs and watch the even worse costumes. Nor does it mean that just because I'm out here, in the wilderness, that I am a cultural ignoramus. I still follow the significant developments in continental culture - and what is more cultured than the Eurovision??

Indeed, the Eurovision puts a fairly accurate mirror to the cultural trends that shake the continent - and this year it was the double whammy of sexual and political freedom. In one corner we have the winner, an Austrian drag queen by the name of Conchita Wurst (what can be wittier than a be-sausaged lady?). In corner two are the Russian Tolmachevy identical twins.   So a woman+ against two women. The + won.
Here are the two performances:

What I found interesting (thank you JV!) are the differences in approach to both femininity and 'normalcy'. The drag queen, a role traditionally defined as extreme performance of femininity, chose to punctuate her look with a beard, a symbol of masculinity. Unlike the bearded ladies of circuses and freak shows of yore, however, her freakdom is studied, carefully calibrated, calculated, and packaged marketing conceit.  She knows that more than an implied angry inch is necessary to shock an audience habituated by now in transvestites (Dana International, Israel's claim to dame) and drag queens - you need something visible. A beard.

Her dress, on the other hand, in all its bedazzled glory fully conforms to drag queen rules, as does her rail thin figure. She is all femme - until, right where it matters, around her pouty lips, she isn't.

The politics of her performance, while supposedly a transgressive call for personal, sexual freedom took as many risks as needed to play completely safe and despite the bombastic free-speech hype they said, sadly, very little new or true about conditions of un-freedom.

The Russian twins took the opposite approach, fully in line, again, with the political climate in their home country. There was no display of scintillating flesh, no porno glimmers celebrating twin fantasies. Their dresses were virginally white and puritanically demure. The only sexual hint was in the crystal rods they held. The only freaky aspect was their twin-ness, the fact that they began their performance joined at the hair as well as the hip, and their mirror-image movements. Their performance, like Conchita's, was political - but its politics were different. There was not even the smallest attempt to shock and instead every attempt to mollify the powers that be. Were they supposed to represent the twin nations of Russia and Ukraine that should be unified under one wise father-leader? Quite possibly.

And so Europe becomes once again a continent divided. By Eurovision?

Oh, and the songs were of course complete crap.

Is short better blond? - another take

Looking at the pics of Kate Lanphear's wonderful haircut I started to wonder again. Her pixie bob is severe, gamine, perfect. And at first I thought that color is what makes it so fantastic.  But then Jessica Seinfeld cut her hair. And then she died it. Like so:

Yeah, that's her with the black pixie in the rondo.  And the two women flanking her are responsible for the blond.

Which can also look like this:

If I were her I'd divorce her stylist rather than celebrate her.

Do we agree that it is an unmitigated disaster? I mean I love the short pixie. Hell, the only reason I'm posting all this is BECAUSE I love the short pixie, which is, of course, what I have - this is all about self-vindication for the hairdo that the girl-child is still, continuously!, angry about. But Seinfeld's blond ambition misfired horribly. Much worse than on Maggie Gyllenhaal. It is just bad. It is bad on its own and it is even worse on her. Not everyone looks good blond.

And then it occurred to me that Kate Lanphear's do would look just fine if it was black. It works not because of its color, but because of its cut and her pretty little features. It would have, in fact, looked great on Jessica Seinfeld. Just not blond. I guess that settles it, then.

Pearl Earrings?

No, I'm not aspiring to look like the Queen of England. Just the opposite. Attending the latest Dior Cruise show Rihanna sported a fantastic departure from the solitaire pearl stud that surely exists in each and every one of our jewelry boxes. Like so:

My parents gave me a pair of stud pearl earrings when I enlisted and I wear them often still. But these made me want to upgrade for a fun, punky take on a classic staple.  So I looked around. And found them in a store front on Etsy. Enjoy ladies:

I think they will pair beautifully with that pearl choker I posted about a month or so ago...

Style Covet - Kate Lanphear

A signature look is perhaps the most covetable concept for most of us peons. Women (or men, for that matter) who have a look that is distinctly, uniquely, theirs, immediately recognizable. As with anything that becomes a major commitment there is a danger there, it is much too easy to traverse into a caricature, an exaggerated version of your style that has morphed into a brand, or worse, a joke. But if you can sustain a solid, continuous engagement with a single look - well then, you're a master dresser.

I'm not interested in a signature look if said style was questionable to begin with, or overtly theatrical. For example, Helena Bohnam Carter is no style icon over here  at Vestments although she does dress within consistent style parameters - a Victorian street walker on opium. The look works for her, but it does not a great style make, you know? Gwen Stephani, on the other hand, is - her look is her own, you can't miss-identify her, and she owns it, and while theatrical to a degree it is also something that a civilian might be able to copy (which is of course the whole premise of her fashion line, L.A.M.B, which is quite good).

Today's style covet is Kate Lanphear. Why is she the first, ye may ask? Over the past few years I've found her style to be the one I covet the most, and it was not because of the Princeton sweatshirt (he brother's).  I don't have access to her closet full of perfectly tailored designer clothing but many of her looks can be pulled off through lower end fashion retailers such as Zara or Theory. Finally, she's my first, inaugural style covet because the woman swims with the biggest sartorial sharks around and yet managed to look distinct pretty much from the start.  A signature look to be envious of.

Kate Lanphear is the former long-time Style Director at the American Elle, which she left in the fall of 2012, and now is the Style Editor for T, the NYTimes style magazine. Her look, ye ask? Couture punk. Platinum white sharp super cropped asymmetrical bob, minimal makeup, strong jewelry, super high heels. And the clothes? Mostly monochrome (black-gray-white); lots of leather; strong shoulder lines; some punk staples like tears and pins. Lanphear has a knack for making 80s items look fresh (case in point: she should be credited with bringing animal sweaters back). Like so:

Lanphear's style is highly consistent - here is a selection of photos from the last 4 years and other than a minor differences in hair length you can't pin the year down:

Copying her style exactly would not work for 99% of us. She is too thin, her features too perfectly small and lovely, her legs too fantastic, her heels too tall, and finally her punk too emphasized for most ordinary women leading ordinary lives. That said, if you are into harder edges then borrowing elements from her look will absolutely work.

Which, ye may ask?

1) masculine edge even in feminine outfits (blazers, belts, button down shirts, something chunky)
2) crisp tailoring over frilly and ruffly
3) monochromatic or nearly monochromatic dressing helps with keeping a clean line

None of these three simple principles are sole property of designer wear. Walk your fingers over to Zara.com and you will find much to work with. Maybe that's the reason why Zara has replaced JCrew in my heart.

Surfing Collections: Dior Resort

Fashion design is a seasonal business - there is Fall (shown in March) and there is Spring (shown in September). Between the two there are Resort (or Cruise) collections, inter-season or pre-season lines of ready-to-wear. These “pre-collections” function either as a precursor or as a post-script to the real thing - hence their strategic importance. Some designers take advantage of the season to reinterpret their creative vision in a more wearable way; others use the opportunity to reinvent proven past best sellers in new fabrics. Overall these collections are known precisely for their wearability factor which is also why they tend to appear in store the longest . There is a marketing advantage to these pre-collections as well - they give an indication of what fashion buyers like. So while the Fall & Spring collections are still considered as the main event (emphasis on 'event' - these are big, expensive to dos) where designers formulate and cement their aesthetic and branding, much of what they actually sell comes - paradoxically, perhaps - from pre-collections.

The down side? That many more collections for the market to track and for the designers to produce. The fashion cycle has increased its pace, propelled by digital dissimulation and the proliferation of copies (Zara, H&M and their ilk are notorious for getting their designs from conception to the store at lightning speed) and the design houses are left with no recourse but to play along.

With this brief intro we inaugurate a series of tracking down some major players in the Resort game.

Today: Raf Simons for Dior.

Remember the post about layering? Apparently layering has become such a major trend in styling that Simons decided to incorporate it into single garments, like so:

Even when not mixing and matching the collection focused on prints:

Yet while most of the collection was abut prints, there were a couple of stand-out monochromatic pieces as well:

Throughout, the Jil Sander aesthetic - formal rigor, minimal lines, folding - is very much  evident (Simons was Creative Director of the label from 2005-2011) and I have to admit it is all pretty fantastic.

That said, Simons' minimalism is an extreme departure for Dior, long led by John Galiano, whose over the top glam aesthetic can only be described as Simons' polar opposite.

Nostalgia Friday II: Clueless

A definite pick for my top ten favorite chick flicks of all time: Clueless!

- Reference to the work of Jane Austin? Check.
- A handsome love interest? Check.
- Quotable lines? Check
   (my personal favorite: "I don't participate in any games where balls come flying at my face").

What else can you possibly want in a great movie that you can watch again and again and never get bored?

For some reason there was a reunion of some of the cast of that masterpiece. Here, take a look at the rather sad pic:

The story is in LATimes.

Personally, I would rather watch the movie again than read reunion stories...  There is something sad about a 'ten years hence' look, especially when one of the actors has since died.

Or we could listen to this:

Movie night ladies?

Prom Hell

Apparently I'm on a feminist kick today. First Monica, and now, ladies, the story below from  LATimes which frankly does not need any additional verbiage from me to speak for the sheer YUK it describes.

NFL-style 'prom draft' at Newport Beach high school criticized

ADOLFO FLORES

A Newport Beach high school where male students say they select prom dates in an NFL-style draft – ranking female students and selling first-round picks to those eager for a top selection – is being discouraged by administrators. News of the “prom draft” prompted Kathy Scott, principal at Corona del Mar High School, to send an email to parents over the weekend saying that “it is not OK for any student to be objectified or judged in any way.”

In her email, Scott said she’d hear about an ongoing “prom draft” and that it appears there was a similar draft last year.  According to one student, junior and senior boys draw random numbers for the draft but can purchase more desirable draft picks. This year, one junior paid $140 to get a high first-rank pick so he could select a specific girl, said the student, who is not being identified because of potential school disciplinary action.

“It’s awkward because he spent a large amount of money to go with someone he doesn’t talk to,” the student said. “And she finds it awkward that he chose her.”

The reaction among students on campus has been mixed, he said.  “A lot of the girls respect the draft and stick with those dates,” he said. But the prom draft has also drawn complaints from female students, he said. Last year some junior girls were upset that junior boys were asking sophomore girls instead of them, he said. The school prom is June 7. Scott asked parents to speak with their kids about how the “prom draft” could be harmful.

“I do not believe this is intended to be harmful, but this is not behavior that is consistent with our school’s outstanding reputation,” Scott said.

The campus is rebounding from a cheating scandal in which 11 students were expelled after district officials determined that -- with the guidance of a tutor -- some had hacked into the school’s computer system to change grades or access tests.

The Orange County district attorney has been asked to investigate.