Angry 80s Punk Goes Downright Mainstream at the Stately Met
Like many good things, it began in the 60s. Kidz with a love of music, a lack of training but a surfeit of garage space ignored any lack of musical talent and simply forged ahead in a loud-louder-loudest sandstorm of blissful ignorance. And lo & behold, punk started to spread in its cacaphonious glory, trampling right over the traditional music-biz playbook…which no one heard anyway ‘cuz the din was probably too deafening.
When the Stooges & the MC5 played in places like Detroit, these noisefests often turned violent. Under Andy Warhol’s influence, The Velvet Undergound began expanding how music was defined. When the glam contingent (David Bowie; the New York Dolls) split and went “hair metal”, the rest of the 70s punk scene solidified in NYC’s Bowery at CBGB where The Ramones, Blondie & The Talking Heads appeared regularly. Across the Pond, Malcolm McClaren launched the Sex Pistols and a pack of their fans from the Bromley nabe, the so-called Bromley Contingent, went on to form The Clash, Siouxsie & the Banshees, X-Ray Spex and the Billy Idol-fronted Generation X. (source)
Dress Your Superheroes: What Would Wonder Woman Or Elektra Wear?
The other day, when we had that kids bedding conversation, I started thinking – more seriously – about how we’re brought up, about how we educate our children and about how the gender issue is put in perspective from our tender childhood years.
Because, as you well know, this is an endless source for potential controversy, an endless source for potential subjectivity. Because, if you haven’t already given it any thought, you may do so as of right now! Picture this: we’re growing up with fairytale princesses and courageous, bold princes. Our gender stereotypes are cleverly inoculated and carefully cultivated during our continuous education, shaped into what we see and acknowledge as the gender-specific culture we’re living in. Not always favorable for us, ladies.
This is the topic I want to address with this story. And I picked the super-sheroes to do so because I know one of our dear friends, Ellington, is a fan, like so many others. And, much like our fairytale princesses, superheroes are part of our childhood and yes, they do contribute in shaping up that gender prejudges and cliché we so want to erase from our society!
Vivienne Westwood Collaborates With The English National Ballet
The English National Ballet has chosen to feature Vivienne Westwood’s looks from her eccentric Spring/Summer 2013 collection in their new year campaign shoot. The photographs are absolutely stunning, redefining the way viewers think about the age old dance genre with untraditional costumes, poses and imagery. As Tom Sharp, creative director of The Beautiful Meme and coordinator of the idea, explains, “It is about taking dancers out of tutus and moving away from conventional backstage images to show the intensity, creativity and hot bodies of the dancers.” With whimsical pieces inspired by punk, Victorian extravagance and the avant garde, Vivienne Westwood is the perfect brand to capture the drama and theatrical expression of ballet. We’re excited to see what future fashion partnerships the English Ballet, under the new artistic direction of Tamara Rojo, has in store for us.
Gallery: Critics’ Choice Awards 2013 fashion round-up
The award season is now in full swing with the Critics’ Choice Awards, which always follows the People’s Choice Awards, kicking off in Hollywood overnight. Plus the Oscar nominations were also released overnight (squee, go Hugh Jackman!) Instead of being voted by the people, the Critics’ Choice Awards are decided and presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Some of the big winners on the night were Anne Hathaway who won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her heart-wrenching performance in Les Misérables. While Jessica Chastain walked away with the Best Actress award for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. Daniel Day-Lewis picked up Best Actor for Lincoln, and Ben Affleck was named Best Director for his film, Argo, which was also awarded the gong for Best Picture.
It was more awards for Jennifer Lawrence, who received not one, but TWO awards for Best Actress in an Action Movie (The Hunger Games), and Best Actress in a Comedy (Silver Linings Playbook). What a star! A full list of winners are below.
Quiz: What Should You Be for Halloween?
Photo Credit
And so the countdown begins: There’s exactly 1 week and 3 days until the big day! If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t settled on what you want to be for Halloween yet (though we’ve shared some ideas in our 15 College Halloween Costumes Ideas for Girls on a Budget post, and our Geek Chic Halloween post).
So if you’re still looking for a costume, we’ve created a personality quiz to help point you in the right direction.
Cara Delevingne Takes Over the Spring 2013 Runways (And Our Hearts)
In a fashion week packed with plenty of drama (Slimane vs. Horyn! Hotdogs vs. hamburgers! Bitchslapping by the French!) it’s hard for one lone model to pull the attention of the fashion press just by being (seemingly) omnipresent. Yet it seemed like all the fashion crew wanted to talk about was British model and socialite Cara Delevingne. The British press in particular seemed besotted with her, but we were pretty captivated too. “Is it just me, or is Cara Delevingne everywhere this season?” asked the Twitterverse. So just what is it about Cara?
Signed with Storm Management, Cara already has a pretty impressive resume at just 19 years old. She is one of the faces of Burberry beauty, which makes sense considering we’re all well obsessed with her eyebrows (to nick a phrase from the Brits). Most recently, she covered i-D‘s “Just Kids” issue, shot by Terry Richardson, and she’s fronting Blumarine’s fall ad campaign. Cara will also have a sex scene in this winter’s Anna Karenina, the film starring Keira Knightley.
So was she really everywhere this season? Pretty much. We counted 55 trips down the catwalk at all four international fashion weeks, including some seriously major shows like Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel.
Geek Chic: Fashion Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Part I
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In every generation, there is a chosen one…she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She will inspire legions of die-hard Whedonites, multi-disciplinary academic conferences and studies, and Geek Chic inspired-by articles. She is the Slayer.
You knew this was coming. I recently watched all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time and developed a serious-as-a-stake-through-the-heart obsession with the show.
Incoming search terms:
- buffy the vampire slayer style
Rachel Weisz Premieres Bourne Legacy In France Wearing Nina Ricci White Dress
My dahlings? Have you seen The Bourne Legacy? Yep, that’s right, I’m talking about the latest installment in what seems to be the Bourne movies series. But even if you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t spoil you the fun. I’ll just open your eyes on this and that detail that caught my attention.
Elegantly outfitted Jeremy Renner and the ever so lovely Rachel Weisz take The Bourne Legacy to France. For the movie’s Premiere Red Carpet at the Deauville Film Festival, Rachel is wearing an elegant, timeless chic white dress from Nina Ricci. (the most similar model I could came up with is the short one from the Spring Summer 2011 collection. I’m not fully convinced it’s the same one, but the asymmetrical ruffles of the skirt indicate in this direction)
