Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion

Last night at the Carlyle in New York: An intimate dinner for Gordon Rush hosted by Kelly Cutrone of People's Revolution. By Glenn Belverio

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I simple adore the Carlyle. While Eartha Kitt was not in sight, we were all charmed to meet luxury shoe designer Gordon Rush during an intimate dinner in the hotel's private dining room. The food was exquisite: I had veal sweetbreads (I love eating brains. Makes me feel like a gay zombie) and a thick slab of rare filet mignon.

  
Gordon Rush and Kelly Cutrone. Kelly looks like an Italian film actress from the '50s.

Emily of People's Revolution and yours truly

The lovely Allison Beale, Director of Marketing for Gordon Rush

Love,
Glenn Belverio

Polysexual freaks, European aristocrats prepare to land on Planet Life Ball. By Glenn Belverio

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Very excited, just found out I've been invited again to the Life Ball in Vienna. The theme this year is outer space chic: gays/freaks/people living with HIV as "aliens" on Earth. I'm thinking of working some kind of Dr. Smith on "Lost in Space" meets Warhol silver Factory look. I hope the chartered plane to Vienna is decorated with a retro spaceship theme! Agent Provocateur will be the event's fashion show and my pal Kelly Cutrone of People's Revolution is doing the PR. Hope to see you all there!

For my coverage of last year's Life Ball, please visit Confessions from the Velvet Ropes.

Love,
Glenn Belverio

Julien Bertic reports on Sydney Fashion Week - Day 1

Dear Diane Dear Shaded Viewers,

Does anything come to mind when I mention Sydney? Well now you can think about the Rosemount Australian Fashion week, which started yesterday and will be showing the Spring Summer collections until the 2nd of May.
First the location is great, all the shows are gathered in the Overseas Passenger Terminal in a set up a la Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. At the moment I am facing the magnificent Opera House from sunrise (almost) to sunset (for sure).

THe three most interesting collections of the first day were Kirrily Johnston, Hotel Bondi and Michelle Jank.

Kirrily Johnston

Hotel Bondi

Michelle Jank

And of course the M.a.c Gold Fever's launch party with Danii Minogue as guest star, performing live. Awesome!!

Mac Party

Best

Julien

Hyeres 2008 photographs by Rene Habermacher

Dear Shaded Viewers,

A few more memories from the 23rd edition of the festival d'Hyeres.

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Graham Tabor's team just before their depart-Masha, Miguel Villalobos and Chinatsu.

Miguel Villalobos, I really wish that I could say I took this photo but like all the rest in this post...Rene Habermacher was the photographer.

Jean Paul Lespagnard's shoes

Jean Paul Lespagnard collection and Yoann Lemoine

Jean Paul Lespagnard signing autographs

The Sartorialist and last year's jury prize winner, Sandra Backlund with her man, Ante

Take and Catherine Baba

Graham Tabor

Miguel Villalobos and I walking to the show and Antoine Asseraf and I at work.

The photographer that took all the photos on this post, Rene Habermacher and Richard Hsu and I.

Haider Ackermann and Catherine Baba and Hannelore Knuts toasting Haider

Graham Tabor and Miguel Villalobos

Jaap and I and Joanne and Robin Schulie

Graham Tabor and Antoine Asseraf

Antoine Asseraf and Another Magazine

See you next Hyeres....

All photos by Rene Habermacher

Diane

Photos from Akiko Hamaoka's phone from Hyeres

Dear Shaded Viewers,

A nice souvenir of the last official day of the 23rd edition of the festival Hyeres and time spent with my friends.

It rained when everyone left but the sun is out again today.

Later,

Diane

DINO DINCO : Premiere of "El Abuelo" / Fashion in Film Festival 2008, London

"El Abuelo" will premiere at the Fashion in Film Festival 2008, London: "If Looks Could Kill: Cinema's Images of Fashion, Crime and Violence

www.fashioninfilm.com

Saturday, 10 May 2008 at the Tate Modern, Starr Auditorium


Co-Conspirators (New Artists Commissions)

Book tickets via Tate Modern or call 0207 887 8888

Exploring a range of subjects such as cursed clothing, obsessive gestures and desires, and the history of the cinematic slap, eight artists have collaborated with the Festival to create new films that explore the themes of "If Looks Could Kill" . Weaving together the work of photographers, performers, designers, artists and film-makers, the programme takes a long hard look at the fixations, joys and fears that can become attached to garments and styles of dress. The Co-conspirators artists are: Paulette Philips, Eloise Fornieles, Elizabeth McAlpine, Dino Dinco, Shannon Plumb, Wendy Bevan, Derrick Santini and Boudicca.



"Co-Conspirators" will also be shown at the Gallery at Sketch on 31 May 2008, 10am – 5pm , 9 Conduit Street , London, W1S 2XG .


www.sketch.uk.com

Day 11 Hyeres 08 the festival is over

Dear Shaded Viewers,

We are still in Hyeres but everyone else is leaving.

Chinatsu, Miguel and Mascha

Rene Habermacher photographs Miguel Villalobos

My portrait by Miguel Villalobos

Justin Morin and Miguel Villalobos

Designers Isabelle Steger and Graham Tabor, Take

Jean Pierre Blanc, the founder and director of the festival d'Hyeres

Last year's jury prize winner Sandra Backlund with this year's jury prize winner Matthew Cunnington

Matthew Cunnington and Audrey Corregan jury prize winners of fashion and photography

Jean Paul Lespagnard, winner of the public and the 1,2,3 prize.

Michel Mallard and Jean Pierre Blanc in the exhibition of the Sartorialist and Eric Lebon

Matthew Cunnington, John and Titi Kwan and Isabelle interviewed

Justin Morin, Maida Gregory and Antoine Asseraf and last year's 1,2,3 winner Peter Bertsch

Later, Diane

Be on the look out for clear plastic high heeled boots

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Jean Paul Lespagnard is missing a pair of clear plastic high heeled boots with yellow laces and that the tips look like they have been dipped in ketchup.What happened was he lent the boots to the assistant of Titi Kwan. Some time during the night she took them off and that must have been when someone accidently walked off with them. Here is the contact JP through my blog.

Later,

Diane

Day 10 Hyeres 08- the winners are...

Dear Shaded Viewers,

A Shaded team was invited for brunch at the villa were Graham Tabor and his friends and family are staying, it's about 30 minutes from Hyeres.

Miguel Villalobos diving and The Shaded team by the pool at Graham Tabor's villa, Yoann Lemoine and Antoine Asseraf

Trying to be David Hockney with Miguel Villalobos, diver

Lunch and Miguel Villalobos

Akiko Hamaoka and Miguel Villalobos and Melvin Sokolsky

A visit to Melvin's site is a must.

Melvin Sokolsky is a man of images. His series "Bubbles" and "Flying," both shot for Harper's Bazaar respectively in 1963 and 1965, figure among the classics of fashion photography. In the former, a woman floats along the Seine in a bubble. In the latter, another woman flies over Montmartre. These images are emblematic of Sokolsky's work in photography: a light and playful world of enchantment. Beyond such remarkable achievements in fashion, the photographer's entire body of work is astonishing.

Melvin Sokolsky is 21 years old when he starts working in fashion in 1959 at the invitation of Henry Wolf, the visionary art director of Bazaar. Wolf had just left Esquire, and he was looking for new photographic talent to modernize Bazaar; Sokolsky was among the chosen.

Less interested in apparel, Sokolsky is especially fascinated by his models as they pose in front of the camera. He portrays this fascination on several occasions, notably by creating images-within-images inspired by "Las Meninas." Month after month he invents stories through which he explores the female form, its posture and attitudes.

Within the walls of his studio, Melvin Sokolsky releases an insatiable creative appetite. He plays with scale and perspective, increases the number of models, and constantly experiments. A woman walks on the ceiling; two others interact on top of a giant table and chair; another climbs a stairway that has no beginning or end. Sokolsky is knowledgeable about the history of images; sources of influence like the surrealist movement or metaphysical painting are sometimes quite apparent. There is a wealth of ideas, always fresh, yet there is also the process, the precision of the images, and the saturation of colors.

Alongside his sustained collaboration with Bazaar, the photographer also works for Show, McCall, Esquire, Newsweek, and New York Times Magazine. After more than a decade of professional photography, Sokolsky begins to work with motion pictures and decides to move to Los Angeles in 1975, where he engages in a parallel career as a filmmaker, mostly in advertising. At the turn of the century, Sokolsky takes up again his collaboration with Bazaar, and works for Vogue, Vibe or The New York Times. His visual poignancy remains intact; his photography, an experience both sensory and conceptual, is as luminous as ever.

The 1960s are rightfully considered to be the Golden Age of fashion photography, as well as its age of emancipation. Sokolsky, with his blazing creativity, is among the vanguard of the genre's revolutionary movement. "I acted on instinct, and all I had to offer at first was irreverence."

The ambition of this retrospective is to emphasize Melvin Sokolsky's essential contribution to the revival of photography in the 1960s, and reveal to 21st century eyes just how strikingly contemporary this photographer is.

Melvin Sokolsky lives and works in Los Angeles. He is represented in L.A. by the Fahey/Klein Gallery and in New York by the Staley+Wise Gallery and by Marek & Associates.

Kristin Barron and Sadek Bazaraa and Olivier Borde

And now for the news that you have been waiting for.....

It was dead birds and flowers for the photography prizes. First prize went to Audrey Corregan for her series of the back view of dead birds that faceless assumed the postures of humans.

Audrey Corregan

Audrey Corregan (1982) is French and is based in Amsterdam. She began her studies in photography at the Vevey School before finishing at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. For this year’s Hyères Festival, Audrey Corregan presents a series of portraits entitled “Obviously”. Imposing creatures seen from the back expose their shuddering feathers with the utmost indifference to the presence of the spectator. They seem to breathe softly, captivated by something that we cannot perceive.
www.audreycorregan.com

Amira Fritz

Amira Fritz
Germany
Amira Fritz (1979) is German and currently lives in Paris and Berlin. She holds a degree in photography from the HGBLVA of Vienna.
Colorful flower arrangements, almost too perfect to be true, bloom in the middle of a clearing or behind a bunch of briars. At the edge of the forest they seem to multiply, as if their geometric shapes were drawn in by the vertical trunks of the woods.
Amira grew up in the countryside, among the flowers. In fact, both her mother and her uncle are florists. During her recent trips back home, Amira asks her mother to compose a bouquet for her. The photographer then goes into the woods where she places the bouquet, sometimes as ostentatiously as possible, hoping to surprise a wanderer, sometimes hiding it behind a bush. After working its magic and surprising those who discover it, the bouquet is covered over with weeds and loses its natural beauty. These floral compositions, carefully confectioned and then let loose in the wild, cloud the natural landscape with a veil of mystery, an enigmatic quality that stems from the symbolic power of their colors as well as the events and emotions they conjure.
www.amirafritz.de

jury prize was awarded to Matthew Cunnington for his Hail Mary collection. Here is a photo from when we met in October 2006. Matthew studied at Westminster with Zowie Broach from Boudicca. Matthew's collection was inspired by a personal story of his mom, 37 years ago and young having to give her illegitimate child up for adoption. The volumes and draping translated the emotion of the hard life experience. The mother and daughter were reunited 7 years ago. The devore fabric was a way of saying their lives were shattered but now they have found each other and have nothing more to hide.

photo by Jessica Roberts

Matthew Cunnington
United Kingdom
Women's Collection : "Hail Mary"

Matthew Cunnington is a graduate of the University of Westminster. He takes his inspiration from the life of his own mother who in 1969, due to social pressure, was forced to abandon her illegitimate daughter, meeting again only thirty years later. This collection, defined by the memory of this reconciliation, can be understood in a more symbolic than narrative fashion. A tightly worn draped dress ‘contains the emotion on the inside’. A cloth burnt with acid evokes the ‘fragility of this poignant story’. An exposed pocket on a coat signifies that ‘there is nothing left to hide’. The shoulders are accentuated in order to depict the anxiety and guilt carried for so long. Insignificant details suddenly gain a disproportionate importance, such as the large buttons sewn on the front of the dress. Delicate and intimate, this collection invites us to delve into the recollections and emotions of a woman.

The 1, 2, 3 prize and the public prize went to Jean Paul Lespagnard. Jean-Paul was inspired by Jacqueline, a fictional character that works in a Brussels french fries stand and dreams of meeting a rodeo clown. Some of the collection includes needlepoint designs that were made by inmates of a mental institution. Accessories were delerious and looked like the tips of the boots were dipped in ketchup and french fries were everywhere from shoes, bracelets to sunglasses.

photo by Jessica Roberts

Jean-Paul Lespagnard
Belgium
Women's Collection : “Ich will’nen cowboys als mann”

Jean-Paul Lespagnard loves his country, Belgium, the kingdom of the ‘pomme frite’. He insists that it be noted that he works not just in Brussels but also Antwerp, or Liège where he studied at the IFPME. For this collection, he has imagined a colourful character, called Jacqueline, who runs a well known ‘fritkot’, where admirers come from afar to sample her crisp little fries. Jacqueline has two passions in life: the kitsch Danish singer Gitte and a deep fondness for Texas; in particular its rodeo clowns – the men relied upon to distract the bull when the cowboy hits the dust. Her wardrobe is the epitome of her passions: Jean-Paul Lespagnard combines the clown's stripes, the cowboy's trousers, and Texan shirts with a large serving of 100% Belgian fancy. The ‘teepee’ print material is cut from children's tents, the volumes are purposefully extravagant, the bracelets in the shape of chips. Behind her counter, Jacqueline is always ready for the day a man in cowboy boots will carry her away from this place.

Jean Paul Lespagnard with Jean Pierre Blanc, the founder and director of the festival and Thierry Dreyfus, the master of illumination and inspiration.

The president of the Jury, Riccardo Tisci and Haider Ackermann, jury member and creator of the exhibition at the swimming pool. The floor was covered so if you did not know there was a swimming pool there...

dinner with Rene and Antoine and Akiko, Fumi, Miguel and Chinatsu

Jean Paul Lespagnard and his teacher, Michael Guerra and Yoann Lemoine, Mario Canal and Graham Tabor

Antoine Asseraf and Yoann Lemoine, Miguel Villalobos and Graham Tabor

Jessica Roberts, the photographer that did this years catalogue and Popel Coumou, both are last year's jury winners for the photography and each of them has an exhibition this year and Catherine Baba and Miguel Villalobos with the models.

Olivier and Mario Canal and DP with a fave model

Jaap, Yoann Lemoine and Miguel Villalobos and DP with Jean Paul Lespagnard

Yoann dancing in the dark

Akiko drives me back from the party and a goodbye to Fumi, Chinatsu and friend.

Later,

Diane

Friday night in New York: The Squeezebox movie premiere party. By Glenn Belverio

Above: Deborah Harry and Michael Schmidt

Dear Shaded Viewers,

On Friday night I attended the premiere of the long-awaited SQUEEZEBOX! movie and the after-party at the Gramercy Theater. It was like a high school reunion, so many friends I haven't seen in ages, freaks I used to get drunk with every Friday night at Don Hill's, back in the '90s. Marc Jacobs kindly sponsored the party and there were stellar performances from Debbie Harry, Misstress Formika, Jayne County, Miss Guy and the Toilet Boys, the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black and more. It was a night that will not be equaled for a long time to come.

For more photos from the party and my review of the film, please visit Confessions from the Velvet Ropes.

Love,
Glenn Belverio

Day 9 Hyeres 08

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Morning meeting in our DP TV production office.

Yoann Lemoine

One of the conferences and lunch on the hanging garden.

Miguel Villalobos shoots and Isabelle at her showroom

Catherine Baba, stylist and Haider Ackermann, designer, jury member and exhibitor.

Jean Pierre Blanc, founder of the festival and Didier Grumbach at his book signing.

Miguel Villalobos and last year's jury prize winner, Sandra Backlund

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Ante, Sandra Backlund, Mario Canal and Vincent and Richard Hsu

Jessica Robert's exhibition

Jessica Roberts

the location for the show

Show time

photo by Jessica Roberts and Yoann Lemoine with Sandra Backlund

Jean Pierre Blanc, founder of the festival and Olivier Borde, Jean Paul and Philippe

Graham Tabor and Jean Paul Lespagnard's designs

Matthew Cunnington and Isabelle Steger

Olivier Borde and Titi Kwan's designs

Last year's winner of the 1,2,3 prize, Peter Bertsch and Sandra Backlund

Friends from the Standard and Swiss Textiles patiently wait out our mic problem.

Ante and Sandra Backlund and Graham Tabor

Akiko Hamaoka drives me home.

Day 8 Hyeres con't

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Today was the official opening of the 23rd edition of the festival d'Hyeres. The designers were setting up their showroom while journalists and guests were arriving.

Isabelle Steger and Jean Paul Lespagnard 's showrooms. This is the first year that the designers do not have individual rooms to create installations, instead they have a showroom all together.

Mario Canal, his prince and Vincent

Matthew Cunnington's showroom and Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist

Melvin Sokolsky has the exhibition in the squash court and in the Hyeres catalogue there is a photo of him and his favorite model, Simone d'Aillencourt, as a surprise for Melvin, Michel Mallard invited Simone to the official opening. Some of Melvin's most amazing photos are with Simone. More than ten years ago when I was working for Joyce Ma's magazine as her fashion editor I cast Simone as my cover girl. That was in 1996, it was my great pleasure to meet her again at the villa.

Didier Grumbach, the president of the Festival d'Hyeres and Melvin Sokolsky and Simone d'Aillencourt

Susie Bubble and Massimiliano Locatelli and Beniamino Marini

Akiko Hamaoka and Chinatsu working on the Graham Tabor show

Graham Tabor's models

Unfortunately my runway shots are pretty overexposed so you will have to wait for our film but here are a few that are more or less properly exposed.

Titipon Chitsantisook and his models...apparently not wearing his clothes

Matthew Cunnington

Matthew Cunnington with the black dress

Feride Uslu and One of the You Wear it Well screens

Graham Tabor

Olivier Borde and Isabelle Steger

Isabelle Steger

Jean Paul Lespagnard

Jean Paul Lespagnard

I love it when the designers come out at the end of the show. I was happy to catch when Graham winked at me as he walked by.

Jean Paul Lespagnard and Graham Tabor with the wink

After the show it was dinner at the beach with the A Shaded View crew. It seemed like everyone from the festival had the same idea.

Justin Morin and Yoann Lemoine

Graham Tabor and Jean Paul Lespagnard and the rest of the table.

Romain Kremer and Miguel Villalobos

Last image for the night, Yoann Lemoine, the last member of A Shaded View's team has arrived and we are all very happy. Here is a very shaded view....

Yoann Lemoine is happy to be with us too, dancing in the dark.

Later,

Diane

Day 8 Hyeres

Dear Shaded Viewers,

a few friends relaxing on the lawn in front of the villa.

While the designers were presenting their work to the jury, Justin and I were downstairs interviewing the photographers and their jury. The impressive jury included Marta Gili, the Director of the Jeu de Paume, Paris, Daren Ellis, 10 and Big Magazine, London, Fumiya Sawa, curator from Tokyo, David Sebbah, T, New York Times, Melvin Sokolsky, photographer from LA who has the impressive exhibition in the Squash court, Gijs Stork Veenman PUblisher in Amsterdam, Jorg Colberg, Founder and Editor of Conscientious Northampton, Urs Stahel, director of Fotomuseum Winterthur, Zurich, Sophie Anne Delhomme, art director Courrier International, Paris and Elaine Constantine, photographer, London.

I wanted to see how things were going with the fashion, they already finished with their jury before the lunch. That went really fast.

Haider Ackermann

Matthew Cunnington and Graham Tabor

in a few hours...

Dear Shadies and Shadettes,

The finishing touches are being applied.
A lucky are already lounging in the grass.
The inauguration is in a few hours...

Hyères is here.

 

Day 7 Hyeres

Dear Shaded Viewers,

View from the Villa Noailles

Here is the actress that I cast but will not be appearing in our film. Doll created by Miguel Villalobos.

The DP TV set was built today and we started 'the making of film' of the 23rd edition of the festival d'Hyeres.

Ludivina and Eric Lebon both have installations at the villa.

Jaap did the invitation and Haider Ackermann has the installation in the swimming pool.

Jean Pierre Blanc, the director of the festival d'Hyeres

Melvin Sokolsky

Melvin Sokolsky

Jean Paul and Titi's asst sunbathing and Felipe Oliveira Baptista

photographers have arrived and the designers are waiting for their rehersal

Sandra Backlund and the set for the show tomorrow night, the theme is glamour...and RED.

Designers and friends and the models arrive

Graham Tabor and Miguel Villalobos

Antoine Asseraf and Miguel Villalobos

Later,

Diane

Diane Pernet on CHIC / Arte

MÉTAL BY BERT HOUBRECHTS

Bert Houbrechts is a belgian photographer who collects interesting objects and furnitures from different period and countries.
His métal exhibition/shop is opened at brachfeld. : 78 rue des Archives 75003 Paris from tue-sat 14:00-20:00h until 1 May.
Finisage 30 April 19:00 metalprices.
houbert@visualartservices.com
+ 32 486 920 976

Last night in New York: Dita Von Teese makes a splash at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. By Glenn Belverio

"Waiter! There's a naked lady in my soup!" Photo: Glenn Belverio

Dear Shaded Viewers,

New York hasn't really become as boring as everyone says it is. Exhibit A: The Dita Von Teese Cointreau party last night on the Lower East Side. Okay, so maybe it felt more like an LA party but at least there's more going on here than just long lines at Whole Foods and toxic work-a-holism. In the house: Roxanne Lowit, Russel Simmons, Steven Klein, that guy who played Samantha's bf on SATC, Catherine Malandrino, Richie Rich, Michael Schmidt and about 400 drunken Cointreau employees.

For more photos and a full report, please visit Confessions from the Velvet Ropes

Love,
Glenn

Day 6 Hyeres

Dear Shaded Viewers,

The sun is shining in Hyeres and I am in the A Shaded View production office receiving visits at my window from the designers enjoying the sun  on the terrace.

Jean Paul Lespagnard and Titi Kwan and his beautiful assistant

Titipon Chitsantisook and Isabelle Steger

Miriam Lehle likes Jean Paul Lespagnard

THe designers were doing hair and make up tests all day at the beach. The big activity of our day was building the set. First set was too heavy, second one was too light...Justin Morin and Antoine Asseraf decided that the best was for them to go out and get the wood and build and paint it themselves.

Antoine and Justin at work and Justin's new phone

Graham and his team. Akiko, his friend, just arrived from Tokyo to see Graham and Chinatsu is his hair stylist and Fumi who just arrived from NYC is here to do the make-up for his show.

Phyllis and her son Graham and Jaap, a winner from the photo contest a few years ago,  at dinner