Du Juan in FW06 Ads

Du Juan (Nationality: Chinese)-The first Asian model to really break out. Hye Park (Nationality: Korean) was already considered successful in terms of Asian models working in the high fashion world, but Du Juan is the one who managed to secure an impressive number of FW06 ads.

Du Juan trained to be a dancer when she was young, but according to articles/ interviews of her, she just wouldn't stop growing tall, so she became a model. (She also won some beauty contest thing.)

And bam! everyone fell in love with her after the high-profile and very first Vogue China cover, also starring Gemma Ward. (Remember back when the cover was first released, I said she was my fav Chinese model on the cover?)

Anyways, so since then, she's been a staple of Vogue China. Also, she's started to appear on runways and this season, quite a few campaigns. Du Juan's FW06 ad portfolio includes:

Gap -She doesn't really look like her in the ad, but it's her. I suppose this is Gap's attempt to reach out to more people, although I'm not sure the whole Gap using low-profile high-fashion models campaign worked.

Roberto Cavalli -I love Du in this campaign. So dramatic and cool.

Swarovski -Sensual, (where is the jewelry on her?)

Louis Vuitton -Another loveable campaign, this one featuring Du and Raquel. Not that you can really see Du's face in the ad, but still. She's like a Vuitton bag hanger in this ad! I wasn't so sure about it at first, but it grew on me!

YSL -Du's outfit here isn't exactly my fav, but it's impressive she managed to get high fashion ads at all. Actually, the contrast between the background and her outfit is pretty cool.

Although according to thefashionspot forums, Du Juan so far, does not seem to have any SS07 campaigns yet. Let's hope she's not a one-hit-wonder!

Volver - 2006 - Film

Monday, November 27, 2006

New Review! Read it in Four Magazine!

Sansho The Bailiff - 1954 - Film

Sunday, November 26, 2006

This is an absolutely amazing movie and it is a crying shame it has taken me this many years to finally see it. Then again, the wait was worth it because I had the privilege of seeing it on 35mm at The Music Box theater, which in case you haven't checked the list of "Best Movie Theaters" on the right scrollbar of this blog, is one of the finest movie theaters in the country.

Thoughts on the film will be brief because I am completely backlogged with other movies to be covered, but I couldn't sign off without noting how gorgeous the long shots are in the forest sequences. In fact, every shot is calculated so meticulously with different scales of light and dark that they are worth noting. In particular though, when I remember the movie the shots that call to mind are the ones of the children trekking through the forest, vines and leaves strewn in the fore, thick tree trunks and foliage in the background--all of which comes together with a clean, matte finish over it. And I haven't even mentioned the story itself, which is a heartbreaking tale of a mother separated from her son and daughter, both of whom go to the ends of the earth to find her again, after years of rape, abuse, slavery and torture.

I can't wait to watch it again, and afterwards I'm eager to get to The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939), too. Kenji Mizoguchi fans and experts, please weigh-in for a list of recommendations and favorites, it will be a greatly appreciated guide.

Nara Camicie

In Milan, besides Prada stores everywhere, on every other street there are also stores by this brand called "Nara Camicie" everywhere. Intrigued by the display, we went in and found a gem for dress shirts. They had them in every cutting and color, with chic variations that are just to die for. Turns out, this Italian brand has been specialising in dress shirts since 1984! My friend and I ended up each buying this one dress shirt (her's in black and mine in white) with a built in wrap-around thing, which is super cute. The only complain I have about it though, is that it wrinkles very easily. But I guess I can't expect too much since it IS relatively inexpensive for Milan standards. They don't have a picture of it available on their website (turns out they are available worldwide), so I can't show you guys. But here are a few pieces from their collection that I like:

This is what I like best about them: they transform the classic dress shirt into something more unique while still keeping the clean cut classic quality of a dress shirt.

Their take on frills is also refreshing, adding a soft feminine touch to the crisp shirts.

In addition to dress shirts, they also make more elaborate things that are quite pretty.

Although I must admit, some of their stuff are way over the top and borders on tacky. I guess, we'd just have to sift through all the sand to get the the gems!

FW06 Bag Trend: The Hip Ones

Before I start ooh and ahhing, I want to emphasise that these bags are this season's hip bags, the cool ones. Note that these aren't IT bags. People always want to know which bag is the IT bag, and magazines /websites like to claim a bunch of bags as the IT bags of the season. But the real deal is, there are very very few IT bags and you'll know if a bag is IT. Think back to the days of the Motorcycle, the Paddington and the Stam.

Anyways, so these are some of my fav cool bags this season:

Botkier -Bianca. Not counting Lindsay Lohan pap photos, the first time I saw this bag was in NY Barneys, where the girl in front of me in line was carrying the Bianca medium in brown. I was like, I really like this bag, and went into a Botkier-online-ogling-frenzy phase.

Chanel -This Chanel supersized bag is one of the few Chanel bags that I actually feel is great for young people. Can you just imagine: a girl in black/grey skinny jeans, ankle boots, huge black shades and this simple but uber cool bag. Oop, I might have just described Kate Moss.

Kooba -Carla and Lena. Kooba bags in general give off a more bohemian vibe. So not all Kooba bags are my thing, but I do like these two. They give off a really relaxed vibe (if that makes sense.)

Miu Miu -Vitello Paggy Shoulder Bag. I saw a girl in a very casual outfit -cute shorts, a tee and black shades -carrying this bag back in the summer, and I stared at her for awhile. The bag is so cute and practical. Actually, I like most of Miu Miu's bags this season, but I already squealed about them to my poor, patient (and loyal reader) friend.

Balenciaga -the Motorcycle bag trascends seasons. While it may not be an IT bag anymore, it's still super cool and edgy. I do love how gorgeous the leather is and how light and practical it is. You can tell by the fact that after a few seasons, the young stylish girls, that's MK and Nicole, are still carrying it.

Chanel -A new young stylish girl fav this season (which will probably go on) is the small Chanel classic-looking bag. I've always thought these Chanel bags look old, but the girls sure carry the bags well and look cool.

FW06 Trend: Winter Hats

I was about to devote a blog on how much I love all the winter beanies just floating around everywhere this season and recommend a few that I liked. But then I went out and tried on a few and it occured to me that winter beanies are just about the hardest thing for anyone to wear- especially the ones this season! They looked so different on me than on the mannequin (and the next girl) that I realised that one simply cannot tell from pictures whether a hat is cool of not.

Even here on the Burberry Prorsum runway, the same hat looks so different from one model to another. It looks SO much better on Gemma (left) than on Hye Park (right). Maybe its the head shape, I have the same problem. I found a similar hat and it looked awful on me, which is just too bad, because this picture of Gemma is what inspired to me write this blog and go look for a cool slouchy looking beanie like that to begin with. Perhaps I haven't found the right one yet?

Other hats from Burberry Prorsum. She looks cute with that navy ridged beanie with a cap thing (left) but I can't quite see it looking good on people in the streets. Sasha (right) looks kind of scary here, but its probably just her expression. That beanie doesn't look too bad on her.

On the Marc by Marc Jacob's runway we have these wider rimmed hats. I rather like the wide rimmed beanie thing he has there (left). She looks effortlessly cool there. Then there is the patent leather fisherman hat thing (right). It looks alright, but I think I've gotten over the whole fisherman hat thing back a few years ago and am not ready for it to come back yet.

And these two pictures are the ones that sometime makes me doubt whether the designers have tried the whole outfit on the model properly before letting them on the runway. Because she looks dreary and childish with that droopy white hat (left: burberry prorsum) usually seen on an enfant and she just looks too old to be wearing that cutesy cap thing(right: J Mendel).

And some trends are just destined to remain on the runway. I love the Balenciaga FW06 collection and all, but if I see someone on the streets wearing this, I will laugh so hard.

Marie Antoinette - 2006 - Film

Friday, November 24, 2006

Marie Antoinette is lovely for its scenery, for its graceful long shots, elegant costumes, poetic choreography, and for Kirsten Dunst, who, by virtue of her thorough dedication to the characters she plays is one of the best actresses in Hollywood. When you watch Dunst her star persona simply fades away and she is completely that character. With Dunst, director Sofia Coppola gives us one of the prettiest-looking films of the year, not only through the highly stylized costumes and makeup that create this version of Marie Antoinette (Dunst) that looks like a cross between the eighteenth-century and 1980s pop culture, but through every inch of the set that seems to be coated in shiny pink icing. Ironically, the silence that befell Marie Antoinette in its long, picturesque scenes is exactly what brings its energy to a dead halt.

Coppola's last film Lost in Translation (2003) was quiet in terms of dialogue, which made sense thematically since its lead characters played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, as Americans in Tokyo, literally could not communicate verbally--their characters really are lost in translation. Marie Antoinette looks like it is riding on the fumes of Coppola's former film with the same kind of muted peace, but the momentum of the two stories are too disparate to pace at Lost's cadence.

Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is fourteen when she arrives in Versailles to rule with King Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), himself a teenager at the time. The story, based on Antonia Fraser's book "Marie Antoinette: The Journey," is a revised history of the infamous queen's life, which adds a little more sheen to her character than has been popularly thought. What intrigued Coppola about the story was how much pressure this teen was under. She had to give up her former life: her friends, family, clothing, everything. Then she was put in charge of a country. How would a contemporary teen deal with such pressure, Coppola wondered? To see, she tried it out with Dunst and Schwartzman, punching up the costume drama with a stellar soundtrack and a lot of bright color, but the movement of everything she tints with her retro nostalgia sit still, they hardly react. It was clear that Coppola was commenting on celebrity lifestyle, and perhaps her own rather privileged upbringing. But rather than explain the emotional and mental consequences this kind of responsibility and fame burdens upon someone so young and impressionable, there are long, almost still shots of scenes that simply present the problems, as means for our observation.

They are beautiful scenes to observe, I'm the first to become entranced by their depth and detail. Without Coppola to guide us through the long shots with more sympathy, and maybe even a little mockery of Marie's extravagant lifestyle, however, we don't leave the theater seeing eye-to-eye with her, which is after all, the purpose of the story.

Scoop - 2006 - DVD

Friday, November 24, 2006

New DVD Review! Read it at Cinema Blend!

The Battle of Midway - 1942 - DVD

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

I read the credits for The Battle of Midway days after the DVD was on its way back to the Netflix warehouse, so unbeknownst to me Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell both have voice-over dialogue in this John Ford WWI propaganda piece. Too bad! It would have been the second most interesting thing about the 18-minute film. The best part being the final intertitle that reads "300 Japanese Aircraft Destroyed" while a hand paints a "V" in bright red paint across it--which looks a hell of a lot like blood. Get it? Victory spelled with blood? Maybe not.

I was loath to watch this movie, but as it turns out I would have anticipated it with interest if only I had done some superficial research before I screened it. Not only would I have known that there was a reputable cast and crew behind it (yes, Gregg Toland is an uncredited cinematographer, per IMDb), but I would have had a better sense of the danger during the actual shooting. Ford is out there shooting real battle scenes, not picking up stock footage from some nameless soldier drafted to the field. In many shots you can see the camera shake as the bombs rattle the ground (or ship deck, etc.) around it. From that angle, there are a few amazing images of ships and land structures that lay victim of the bombings. The most memorable instance is towards the end as thick, black smoke snakes through the top layer of the blue sky. It's an incredibly surreal moment of chaos and peace in one shot, of an ordinary day gone terribly awry that reminded me of this:








That's some heavy punctuation to follow my otherwise light observations, so I will continue, however briefly, and say as a pseudo-historian I am grateful for this live, historical footage. Sure, it's propagandistic, but the images seen by themselves have meaning, and provide even more context for an event in history that is slowly dying out of collective memory.

Next up in the Ford Movie Marathon: 3 Godfathers (1948).

This Week HG is Loving...

2 Things this week: Ashley Olsen at the Teen Vogue cover party and Nicole Richie's brunette do.

Ashley looks absolutely AMAZING. That Calvin Klein dress is so sheer, so hard to look good in, and she managed it. And very importatnly, she managed to look sensual, as opposed to slutty, in that rather revealing dress. (It could be that the CK dress was simply extremely well designed too.)

I'm still undecided on her new dark brunette do though, so hopefully there'll be more photos of her soon.

Nicole's brunette locks may be less glam than her previous blonde one, but I'm loving the stylish edge it gives her. I've always wondered, how does she achieve those perfect bangs? Must be a lot of hairspray for them to stay in place!

Since we're talking about Nicole, for those who are out of the loop, Nicole fired Rachel Zoe and hired a new stylist this week. It's not exactly the most grateful thing for Nicole to do, afterall, Rachel Zoe did transform her from a rather trashily-dressed, BFF of Paris Hilton, to the ever-fashionable, stylish Nicole, whom we all look upon now (for style inspiration). But Nicole fired Zoe to get rid of bad influence, so that's definitely a good thing. Look out to see if Nicole's 'style' changes!

BG's Paris Diary: Week 8

Since there has been an overload of "Paris Diaries" lately, I figured I'd make this one more focused. So this week, I am going to concentrate on the shopping in Paris. Personally, I like my shopping focused so I can compare easier and know that everything is from a reliable source, hence I like department stores.

And what does one think of when one thinks of department store and Paris? The Galleria Lafayette of course! According to my guide, it was the second department store in the world (since Marshall Fields claimed to be first, but I'm not too sure about that). Anyway, the point is, that it is so famous that it is practically a tourist attraction in itself. Although I don't think the clothes in there are that great. They're ok, but nothing worth braving the crowd for. And when did Hello Kitty become a fashion brand???

I prefer Printemps next door more. Their contemporary designer section is better. And it is less crowded.

But my favourite department store of all is Bon Marche. It is like the Barneys of New York. The atmosphere there is more upper-scale, elegant, relaxed and well. . Parisian!
Plus, they have the most fabulous shoe collection. I absolutely adore everything! I am considering getting this pair of grey ankle boots (circled on the left). It has a bit of a platform, has a perfectly rounded pointy toe and I love the fold. Thoughts?

Steet shopping wise, I haven't done much of it, but one of my favourite streets is Rue de Juillet where Colette (a super trendy store that sells make-up, cd's, clothes, shoes, phones and has a cool "water bar" that has a gazillion different types of water from around the world in adorable bottles), Sandro and a few other French fashion brands are. Right next to the Tuileries metro stop, it is super convenient and is also near a street full of restuarant/bars and boasts a delicious rotisserie chicken place called, "La Poularde Saint-Honore," which I adore. Other great areas to walk around for fashion is Saint Germain des-Pres and Saint Sulpice.

So these are basically all the areas I've hit so far. Any other suggestions?

Mademoiselle Parasuco

Its Thanksgiving! Too bad they don't celebrate it over here in Paris, because even though this is a fairly new holiday for me to celebrate, I still miss the turkey. And the holiday. Anyway, today we are going to introduce you all to Mademoiselle Parasuco collection by Parasuco. Created by two Canadian designers: Salvatore Parasuco & YSO Siphay Southidara, it is simple, elegant, feminine, wearable and yet still unique and refreshing. Here are a few of the pieces:

Perfect for in and out of the office.

Different but still very wearable.

These two looks are my favourite, because they're just so cool and girly. I WANT that black shirt and culottes! They look good together and I can totally imagine them to match perfectly with things in my wardrobe.
And isn't this coat adorable?

You can find all this and the rest of the collection at their flagship store in NYC and the Westfield San Francisco Centre. Doesn't the rest of the store look so chic?

In addition to this gorgeous collection, Parasuco also makes denims. And for those who were complaining last year about the lack of worthy things to buy on Black Friday here is our Thanksgiving present to you: from Nov 24-26th they are having a 20% off regularly priced merchandise from any of their collections in both their locations.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!