Marianne Faithfull

This movie poster must have been highly effective in attracting audiences then...

After watching this movie, I had to find out more about Marianne Faithfull who had one of the most beautiful faces I've ever seen/watched on screen. The Girl on a Motorcycle (also called Naked Under Leather, for literal reasons) is a British-French movie about a recently married protagonist who travels on a motorcycle (clad in a full body leather suit with yes, nothing underneath) across states to visit her lover every week.

Marianne Faithfull's life was no less dramatic. She was married at 21 and had a son in the same year, in the next she left her husband to stay with Mick Jagger. Their relationship was highly publicized and the Rolling Stones wrote a couple of hit songs inspired by her in the next few years, including Sympathy for the Devil, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and Wild Horses that are still making the waves today.

Her life was plunged straight into the gutters few years after her success in movies and music because of an addiction to heroin, and she ended up living on the streets of Soho in London for 2 years battling anorexia at the same time. It took her many years to regain her momentum, but when she did, her voice was no longer the same as it had been cracked by years of drinking, smoking and drug use.

Today she's still making records at a ripe old age of 63, trying to earn enough for her to retire from the industry.

What intrigued me most about Marianne Faithfull is how she reminded me of a rock and roll version of Edie Sedgwick (she even looks like Edie in the last pic!), but unlike Edie who eventually OD-ed and died after living an equally turbulent life, she got back on her feet and started making music again.

She's definitely on my list on pretty faces along side with Anna Karina! I love actresses of the sixties.

credit to here and googleimages for the pictures and wiki for her story

Sunday 7

I've had a really exhausting week, but thankfully I had some things to cheer me up. Here are 7 things that have captured my attention this week (:

1. Lonny Magazine

Some days I like imagining what my dream home would look like- what kind of furniture I'd get, what kind of wallpaper etc. Lonny Magazine (London + New York) is perfect for days like those. I think their choices in colour palettes are pretty genius! Their layouts are beautiful, it's chock full of decorating ideas and just so fun to look through!

2. The Moral Animal- Robert Wright

I'm no scientist, just take a look at my junior college result slip and there's no refuting that. I was terrible at chemistry, worse at physics and my biology knowledge pretty much stagnated at 14. So I can't attest to the facts that are contained in this evolutionary psychology book. However, I can tell you that Robert Wright managed to find a way to make this easy to read, and interesting to boot. Take it as an introductory course on evolutionary psychology, I promise it isn't half as painful as it sounds.

3. Mad Men

I have to admit, I'm slow. This show is fantastic. I have to admit, I was drawn to it because of the costumes, but the characterization and script certainly didn't disappoint. Hahaha, I'm definitely going to do an outfit post inspired by this one day so watch out for that.

Mad Men revolves around a few main characters who all work in an ad agency in the 1960s and the drama that surrounds them. But it's so much more than that too, it seems to actually capture the essence of an era... amazing stuff.

4. Penelope- Pinback

This song is about a dead pet goldfish, who knew there were (good) songs about things like that?

5. Penelope- Saosin

Cover of the Pinback song. I felt it really sounded like the band was underwater, plus the slower speed surprisingly works for this song. I've got new respect for Saosin after this!

6. Cupcakes and Cashmere

Emily's blog combines fashion with baking recipes and pretty pictures, my three great loves haha.

7. Grilled Cheese Academy

This isn't actually a cooking school, but if it was, I'd sign up in a jiffy! If like me, you love going grocery shopping, love good food but am totally lazy (sandwiches are much easier to make than say, a steak), this is filled with ideas of how to make the perfect sandwich- or a variety of them. Not only do you get pictures, but you get recipes on how to make the sandwiches too! Yum! I'm definitely going to draw inspiration from #26 The Birchwood. Mmmmm...

I hope you guys had a great week! ((:

To Infinity and Beyond!

I just visited the Pixar exhibition at Singapore Science Centre today! I went there filled with high expectations, fresh from my Studio Ghibli experience in Japan (which was magical to say the least). I expected something similar, though secretly acknowledging nothing could possibly exceed that experience. Well, the Pixar experience was nearly there.

After trekking halfway across Singapore to Jurong East (a place I had last visited six, seven? years ago on my first and only ice skating misadventure), my friends and I stepped into the Science Centre tingling with excitement since we were all huge Pixar fans. Upon our entrance into the exhibition, we were first greeted with a timeline with Pixar's beginnings and development and a video from John Lasseter (the head guy of Pixar) explaining what this exhibition was about. "I could get these information from wikipedia and youtube," I thought "give me my twenty dollars worth!!"

And so we walked on. It was slightly crowded, since it was a Saturday and also the penultimate day of the exhibit. The body of the exhibit is the behind the scenes storyboards and character sketches that we would not have otherwise had a chance to study. The raw, computer untouched drawings of our favourite animated films were a reminder that even though Pixar films prides itself on its computer graphics and 3D effects, ultimately these pieces of art come from the most basic form - drawing and colouring by hand by talented artists. Storyboards of hundreds of pictures are a testament to these artists' skills, it doesn't just take a computer to create pretty pictures.

John Lasseter also constantly reminds us in the form of video interviews that the story is always the heart of Pixar films and they are always wholesome family goodness. This is one reason why I love Pixar so much. I've never really liked the crude American humour found in many Hollywood comedies these days (and some other animated films) that preferred making fun of others for their ugly appearance and various shortcomings. Pixar never had to resort to such cheap gags for laughs, but every one of their movies are always so much fun to watch.

For me, the best part of the exhibition has to be the little spaces where they showed films. Short films that had been previously made, and also this fantastic movie/motion picture (yes, literally) called Artscape which made us feel like we were on an amusement park ride. The camera panned and zoomed into storyboard images, bringing us between layers of brush strokes, beyond the grainy canvas into a 3D world where we were moving as a character in the pictures. It was amazing.

Another fun part was the zoetrope, a spinning carousel like device with figurines of toy story characters mounted on. It was inspired by the Totoro zoetrope in Studio Ghibli (which the same friend and I had ogled at until our eyes went misty). Basically, when this thing isn't spinning, you will see figurines placed in equal distance away from each other in a circle, each layer a different character doing a different action. But when the device spins, the magic begins. These figurines come to life - they hop, they dance, they jump off cliffs with parachutes, it is a truly a sight to behold in wonder.

Catch this exhibit on its last day tomorrow!

note: photography is not allowed in the exhibition so these images are grabbed from google and the official pixar website.

Feature Film: Cracks (2009)

Miss G makes for a bewitching teacher, with smoldering smoky eyes, perfect scarlet red lipstick and tales from the exotic Far East. All her students adore her and life seems perfect- boring but still picture perfect. In comes Spanish aristocrat, Fiamma, and cracks, an apt title for the film, begin to form.

Honestly? The storyline isn’t that spectacular, it’s predictable enough from the trailer. There was a twist at the end of course, and it gains points for that.

But, the film was beautifully made and that makes it worth watching. The tale is haunting, its melancholic piano pieces that formed much of the film’s soundtrack stayed in my mind hours after the movie, as did Eva Green’s convincing portrayal as Miss G.

Set in 1930s Britain, Miss G’s wardrobe choices are one part prim schoolteacher and two parts whimsical gypsy flapper girl. Silk high-waisted pants, headband scarves, cigarette in hand, she's captivating. I especially liked the colourful, printed jackets she wore, one of which is pictured below.

The girls themselves make a pretty picture, their force as a collective illustrates how much attention was paid to costumes in general, not just Miss G's.

The film's pace might be abit slow at times, but that also means more time for us to appreciate the props in each scene. Overall it's just a beautiful film and most of that can be seen from the trailer.

Still reveling in the resort collections from this season since I've just watched Le Mepris by Jean-luc Godard which is set in Capri in Italy. So envious of Europeans and their summer villas. The closest we've got here is Sentosa that comes nowhere as close and they are all being snapped up by foreigners anyway. So while we dream, here are a few pieces of clothing we can imagine bringing on a summer vacation in European isles.

1. Halter Dress SGD$ from Forever21.com
2. Sleeveless Shirtdress SGD$43.20 from UrbanOutfitters.com

Chambray dresses in the pastel shades of blue are popular this season and it's easy to see why - it's the cool of denim without the heat and matches perfectly with the sky and the sea.

3. Straw Boater Hat in Gold from Modcloth.com

As we have established on Tuesday's post, straw boater hats are still evergreen and this is the most perfect hat I've seen online. Sandra owns one and that is good enough a reason for us to own it too! Fit it on some tousled waves and you're good to go! (beware of strong breezes though)

4. Matchmaker Scarf from Modcloth.com
5. Bandana in Pink from UrbanOutfitters.com

You may have noticed that the image is made up mostly of blue and neutrals which matches the background I've chosen. Add a burst of colour with a headscarf of some sort, be it a bandana or a silk scarf that will also keep your hair in place!

6. Toms in Natural Canvas from rock star by soon lee
7. Lace Up Espadrilles from melissa2k

Walk in comfy and practical shoes in the beach so as to maximize enjoyment of the awesome scenery. Toms are cool and this shade matches the sand so your outfit will be a perfect recreation of the beach - sun, sea and sand (just in a different order). Look slightly more elegant with these brown espadrilles.

8. Brown Straw Bag from UrbanOutfitters.com

Keep your hands stylishly free with this brown straw satchel as you romp around the sand and sea!

FAMOUS PERSON OF THE WEEK: Theodor Geisel

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991)

Writing a bestseller is a difficult task, but it takes special talent to cook up one with an arsenal of just 50 words. In this case, the only push that was needed was $50, and of course a bet that was hanging in the air.

I could not, would not, in a house.

I would not, could not, with a mouse.

I would not eat them with a fox.

I would not eat them in a box.

I would not eat them here or there.

I would not eat them anywhere.

I would not eat green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

‘Green Eggs and Ham’ remains Dr Seuss’ best selling book, followed by the 225 worded, and my personal favourite, ‘The Cat in the Hat’. Perhaps one of the reasons Dr Seuss books are so well-loved is because of the adorable, imaginative plots, usage of easy words and their catchy rhythms. This was in fact deliberate, as a Life magazine article had found that school children were reluctant to learn to read because their books were boring. Prior to this, children’s books endorsed by schools often featured unnaturally clean and well-behaved children, a message which they perhaps secretly revolted against. ‘The Cat in the Hat’ was the beginning of the Dr Seuss children’s books we see today.

The pen name Dr Seuss was influenced by Theodor Geisel’s parents. ‘Seuss’ was his mother’s maiden name, while "Dr." was an acknowledgement of his father’s unfulfilled hope that Theodor would earn a doctorate in Oxford. While Theodor did go to Oxford, his doctorate never materialized as he fell in love there and married Helen Palmer, who would be his wife until her death.

But Theodor Geisel was more than just a talented children’s book author, he wrote books for adults too, a number of which were satires. Also, at various stages of his career, he wrote for humour magazines as well as other famous publications that still exist today, one of which includes Vanity Fair. Interestingly, he first became nationally famous from his advertisements for Flit, a common insecticide at the time. His slogan, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!" became a popular catchphrase. He also was active in politics, making award-winning films for the United States Armed Forces during WWII.

But perhaps what amused me most was how he applied one of his children’s books to then current politics. Shortly before the end of the Watergate scandal, Geisel converted one of his famous children's books into a bold polemic. "Richard M. Nixon, Will You Please Go Now!" was published in major newspapers through the column of his friend Art Buchwald. Nine days later, Nixon went.

To cut a long story short, I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s more to Dr Seuss than meets the eye. (:

Resort Collections 2010 and the Game of Association

We're a little late on this, but here are a few of my favourite collections:

When has Mr Renta failed to perform? His dresses are always beautifully cut, classy and elegant. This collection, complete with straw boater hats reminds me of old 1940s Preston Surges movies like The Palm Beach Story and The Lady Eve that are partially set on cruise ships. I would imagine that this is how the characters would dress if the movie was set in today's culture! The cinched waists and floaty skirts are perfect for the sea breeze.

Perhaps my favourite collection of the bunch! The collection transits from a bloody red to a gothic black and white before adding a playful dash of leopard then concluding with black once again. It reminds me of old gothic chapels with high archs and ceilings, german expressionism and of course, Dracula (very apt with the next chapter of Twilight coming out huh). The see through bohemian dresses are my favourite, a trend I've noticed recently among the likes of facehunter - old sheer vintage dresses as a cheaper alternative to this look are going to be popular soon! The red suit defies conventionality not only by the colour but also the cut - notice the strong shoulders that are inspired by Balmain (or Dracula's robe?). I really like what Riccardo Tisci is doing with this label!

This collection is distinctly Proenza as usual (which is a great thing since I love their look). The fabrics and textures remind me of the time my laptop crashed lol, the colourful grainy lines spread across the screen are definately the similar to those on the second sweator. It also reminds me of the grainy lines and images on music visualizers hence the background image. I love the juxtoposition of colours and textures in their classic silhouettes - I am a huge fan of the british school girl look of the last outfit!

Jason Wu's collection reminds me of sandy beaches and pale blue skies, along with an accidental mermaid studded with silver scales. The shorts tweed suit with contrast piping in the perfect shade of blue is nautical perfection with the striped shirt inside. This is going to be my favourite colour combination! Grey and blue gives off such a casual and laidback vibe. I guess boater hats are here to stay, despite its immense popularity everywhere this summer (I own a hat that would have been perfect if it actually fit my head :().