Thursday 31 March 2011

Splendour



When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of time at my grandparents' house near the sea. In the summertime my parents had to work, so they took my sister and me to that pretty house covered in ivy, and we loved it. In those sunny, fresh mornings, I used to watch my grandmother as she dressed up for the day. We had lovely conversations even though I was only about 6, and I was fascinated at her enormous multi-coloured Christian Dior make-up palette and her silk foulard collection. To me she looked prettier than Grace Kelly. She was about 65 at the time, but she was still really active: she taught Spanish literature and still managed to find the time to cook lovely meals, play with us and invite her friends for tea... and always with a smile. My grandfather was the same: at 70 he still worked as an architect, taught us magic tricks and showed us classic Hollywood movies. Maybe it was because thanks to them my childhood was magical, or maybe because I thought of them as the most stylish, cute couple ever; in any case, I grew up loving elderly people. And I used to think I was the only person my age who did.
It's incredible how society's obsession with (fake) youth has found its way to so many people's DNA. I can't tell you how many times I've had to hear sentences like "I'd rather die young than grow old" or "OMG I'm turning 20, I'm like so depressed!". I even had one ex-mother-in-law suggest that I behaved like an old lady because I'd rather read a book than go out clubbing. Old people are exclusively associated to "boring", "negative" behaviours. Yet my adored grandfather, who is 85, is still travelling the world (actually right now he is in the Canary Islands waiting for the nice weather to come back to Northern Spain and following a detox diet). I'd like to see many 20 year-olds as energetic, positive and active as him! To me, there is a mysterious charm and an enormous wisdom to people who have lived for long and learned a lot from life.
So when I came across Ari Seth Cohen's blog Advanced Style almost 2 years ago, I was really thrilled to find I was not at all the only one fascinated by older people and their style! Ari reflected my thoughts exactly on wisdom and age, and he did it in the most stylish, genuinely chic way I could imagine. All these ladies in his blog look otherworldly, and I must confess sometimes they make me very jealous, as they have something I won't be able to obtain until I have lived much more: true self-confidence and deep self-knowledge. That reflects in their ideas, in the way they live their lives and... in their style. They are unique because they know who they are. And they embrace the moment they are living.
When I look at Advanced Style's photos, I do not see the "old". I see the splendour. I just wish my grandmother was here so she could also see the blog. She'd love it.

Monday 21 March 2011

Nothing is Written

NOTHING IS WRITTEN - trailer - 160g magazine from nicolas valois on Vimeo.


160g's new issue is all cooked up and ready to be launched! Vol. 11 will be out in a few days and it's packed with amazing shots, interviews, articles and... an outstanding fashion film styled by my friend René Gloor and shot by Nicolas Valois! I'm a really big fan of this one, not only because David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (the movie on which the fashion film was based) is one if my all-time favourites, but also because René and Nicolas's film is really good and perfectly captures its spirit! All I can post for now is this teaser, but really soon you'll be able to watch the real deal here. Only a few days to go!

Friday 18 March 2011

A Girl Can't Make an Entrance Without her Lipstick



Lipstick. Contrary to popular belief, not a frivolous or a superficial issue. I sort of knew it since a long time ago (if you saw my collection of red lipsticks you'd understand), but I had it confirmed a couple of weeks ago, when Dior invited me to an exclusive presentation of the brand's new lipstick range at the Dior Suite in the Plaza Athénée hotel (by the way thanks to the Dior Spain team for making it a fabulous day!). When I saw miss Kate Moss saying the words "a girl can't make an entrance without her lipstick" I became a believer.
What most people don't realize (visibly the ones who don't use it) is the way the lipstick you choose can change you day. In my experience:
- Statement red lipstick (what is traditionally known as "the Dior red") is impressive indeed. There is always something Marilyn Monroe-ish about it (especially when it has a satin texture) and it does attract everyone's glances. It's the perfect lipstick for a fancy soirée but... not for dates! For, as Andy Warhol once said, "Marilyn's lips were not kissable, they were photographable".
- Darker red/ purple/ chocolate hues are, without the shade of a doubt, ideal to feel empowered (and we all need to feel powerful at times, sometimes badly). The kind of gothic feel to these tones is still incredibly feminine. I always wear this kind of colours for things like work meetings or in the (very scarce) occasions in which I find myself surrounded by straight men.
- Fuchsia and shocking pink are great, so cute and fun yet grown up. I love wearing them everyday in summer, especially when I'm around other girls, as the colour really is extremely feminine (for that same reason it can also work on dates).
- Beige tones are cool and understatedly chic. Also modern, and they go great with black eyes. To be honest I hardly use them as I kind of have a fetish for loud lipstick and nail polish shades (it's the Classic Hollywood kitsch starlet in me), but I do love to see it on other girls.

Knowing all this, you can understand how a girl can't make an entrance without her lipstick. Lip make-up, just as clothes, can change the way you feel and the way others see you. Also, a girl needs several lipstick colours for changing moods. In my make-up frenzy, I have already tried many of the Dior Addict Lipstick shades, and I already have some favourites: the super dark Perfecto, a really shiny prune tone that makes your lips seriously yummy, and the classic New Look, a vinyl red that turns cherry thanks to its glossy texture.
But I think the real discovery for me was DiorKiss, the colour Kate wears in the short film. For the last 2 years or so I have gotten into the habit of always wearing lipstick, usually making my entrance in red, burgundy, purple or coral tones. As a result, when I'm wearing bare lips (which sometimes is also necessary, like in a ride along the countryside with friends or when you don't want to scare a boy - I actually think boys don't really like lipstick... oh who cares) I have a bit of a lipstick cold turkey. The thing about DiorKiss though is it has a very light acid pink shade to it and it's really shiny and moisturizing, so when I wear it the effect is that of "bitten lips" which, honestly, before DiorKiss, I had never been able to find. So now I'm truly addicted and... I'll never make an entrance again without my lipstick!

Thursday 3 March 2011

Vive Mugler!



Yesterday afternoon, at the very last minute, I realized an invite for Mugler's show was waiting for me at the 160grams office. Nothing could have made me happier. So I got together with the lovely freelance stylist Ray and Mugler's fitting model and Brazilian bombshell Luisa B and, braving the insane Parisian cold, we arrived early to the Gymnase Japy. We were scared hysterical Gaga fans would try to kill us to steal our invites, but that didn't happen. Instead, we witnessed one of the best shows we have ever seen.
Models strolled down the catwalk in a playful, joking mood, dancing, making faces and jumping (and falling down from the towering heels, but in an amusing, graceful way). Lady Gaga walked under a red light wrapped up in latex and pigtails and smoking a cigarette and... she actually was a great model! She was obviously relaxed and having fun and made everyone smile. Rico Genest was also there working the catwalk like the zombie boy he is. Coco Rocha and Jessica Stam were two of the other models and they were fab.
The clothes were really covetable, reminiscent of Mugler's volumes but intelligently avoiding 1980's influences (after all, who cares about the 80's anymore?) and reinterpreted in a really modern, tasteful way (Ray described it as "a Jil Sanderized version of Thierry Mugler").
All in all, it was not only a cool collection and a great show, but also the first show that has made me (and everyone else) laugh because of its amazing, light, positive energy. That energy couldn't come at a better time, to remind us during one of the gloomiest fashion weeks ever that fashion is actually supposed to be fun .