Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion

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

Hyeres 2008 Day 2

Dear Shaded Viewers,

The designers

Graham Tabor's masks and Watching last years video while waiting to start the first presentation -

Director of the festival - Jean Pierre Blanc and Creative Director of Fashion at the Festival d'Hyeres-Maida Boina with a bouquet of roses from Jean Pierre

Maida and her team and Graham presenting his collection

Olivier Borde shows me his collection while waiting for his turn with Maida

Olivier Borde

Antoine and Armand, the bet was if the sun came out, like Armand said it would, Antoine owed him a croissant. The team from the Villa Noailles, Jean Jean and Sophie.

Titi Kwan and his assistant in his coat waiting to see Maida

Antoine Asseraf in our production office, we are loving it, now to figure out how to move it to Paris... and Graham Tabor trying on two guitars.

Frederic's birthday party and Graham, the two C's and Jean Paul going back to the villa after lunch at the beach.

Miriam Lehle

Ludivine Caillard

Ludivine Caillard
There is more to come but the internet connection is so slow I'd be up all night trying to post so...

This is the last image of the day...designers Titipon Chitsanisook and Matthew Cunnington and Joe and Pop. , more on them tomorrow.

Later,

Diane

Hyeres day 1

Dear Shaded Viewers,

The preparations for the festival are well on their way. Rain greeted us but the sun is shining today.

I have not met everybody yet, but you will meet them all at the same time that I do.

Jean Paul Laspagnard

Isabelle Steger

Later,

Diane

Hyeres is Here

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Hyeres is in the air.....

- le lien avec les films de l'année derniere:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1487538349&channel=1378401826

Later from the South of France,

Diane

Hyeres is Here

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Hyeres is in the air.....

- le lien avec les films de l'année derniere:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1487538349&channel=1378401826

Working on the teaser for Hyeres 23rd edition

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I came back from New York today and tonight Antoine Asseraf, Yoann Lemoine and I worked on the voice over for the teaser for the next edition of the festival d'Hyeres.

Antoine Asseraf and Yoann Lemoine. Yoann was asked to customize a doll for a charity he also signed a record deal recently and tonight he played us a few songs on his mini size ukulele.

Later,

Diane

One last image from New York, the Monkeys - Graham Tabor, Miguel Villalobos and Zaldy as hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil. This was taken at the Tribeca Grand after the You Wear it Well 2 screening.

Production Meeting for festival d'Hyeres 23rd edition

Dear Shaded Viewers,

The film crew gathered for a production meeting yesterday at Marriages Freres.

Justin Morin, Antoine Asseraf and in the last image, birthday boy, Yoann Lemoine.

Later,

Diane