BOYS & BAGS :: CHRIS & TIBOR AW09

FMP RESEARCH :: LUKE SMALLEY

a small selection of work from american photographer Luke Smalley who died earlier this year:

i like how oddly disconnected a lot of his work feels. could be very relevant to the direction of my final major project although it deals a lot more with a very american masculinity.

DISSERTATION :: TUTORIAL

so after my tutorial with Itai we decided rather than to focus on the cultural exchange between Europe and China, I should probably look more to that between China and the US, particularly during the Nixon administration in the 70's. much more material to work with in terms of representation (see above...thanks Andy!) and links between the two superpowers are so established I won't have to spend so much of my time trying to dig up evidence.

working title has to be re-worked. direction of research has to be tweaked.

nothing is worth more than this day.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT :: TUTORIAL

wasn't as bad as i thought but chastised heavily for not having moved along much since presentations. definitely focusing on menswear and still going to address issues of race and representation but not try to be so literal and gimmicky about it.

i told Leila i honestly felt my work was very detached and deadpan (kind of like me..) which she agreed with but then said i could probably make a feature of that in the series. it would work say to express a suppression of cultural identity in that style, but also to bring the menswear element into it by repackaging that conflict with the problems/struggles of british masculinity. not so gimmicky anymore but relies quite heavily on styling...

must start testing.

CARAVAGGIO :: 000237

DIFFRACTION

i'm feeling totally unprepared for my tutorial tomorrow.

numero 18 // chad pitman :: nicola formichetti

DOWN THE LINE

DAULMONSTER

still reeling.

R.I.P.

HAPPY SUNDAY

TEST :: ASTRID

hair/makeup :: sunanda mesquita

THE FITTING :: RAF SIMONS SS10

we burned to the ground

left a view to admire

with buildings inside, church of white

we burned to the ground

left a grave to admire

hills reach the sky, reach the church of white.

SIREN

We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or grand moments that signify.

Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

R.I.P. DAUL KIM

TEST :: SYLVIE

lights blew up in my face :: natural light to the rescue :: the lovely lovely sylvie crabbe

hair/makeup :: sunanda mesquita

EVENING STANDARD 17/11/09

came across this article in the Evening Standard last night (hooray for free newspapers). some useful highlights:

"..in economic terms China is probably the most important phenomenon of not only our but also our children's generation."

"China's GDP has increased by about $3 trillion in just seven years. By the end of next year...it will have comfortably overtaken Japan to be the world's second-largest economy."

"...the credit crunch, forcing the beginning of a new, more sensible US consumer, has obliged China to deal with the consequences of reduced exports. In its place there is a new phenomenon: welcome to the age of the Chinese consumer."

i like this idea of the chinese consumer. obviously Condé Nast will have timed GQ China's launch perfectly, considering the emergence of what market researchers refer to as the 'Little Emperors' - large numbers of young, affluent male consumers...a result from the country's birth control policies in the 70's (an interesting subject in itself actually).

times they are a-changing.

THE BEAT OF 1980'S

Andreas Sjodin & Kris Van Assche for inaugural GQ China :: shaping up to be quite the international publication! hopefully this will be consistent

source :: gq.com.cn and 很大很大 at TFS

IT'S FINALLY HERE

FIRST ISSUE :: GQ CHINA

lauched last month :: Condé Nast's fourth publication in China...much more promising than the inaugural Vogue China in my opinion in terms of Chinese identity - the cover features several leading Chinese figureheads (ie. Zhang Yimou, Andy Lau etc)

the main fashion story features up-and-coming chinese male model Daniel Liu (currently all over Uniqlo) and although it's promoting that whole new york high fashion consumer lifestyle it's given a slightly less eurocentric bias given the context with the cover. the 'chinese-ness' becomes primary in that setting while it would be interpreted much differently i think if they had put Richard Branson/Donald Trump/Alan Sugar/Brad Pitt etc on the cover...

ADDIDAS SLVR

more on this HERE

image © The Daily Recommendation @ Fantastic Man

INTERNALIZED COLONIAL FANTASY

Han Jin & Daul Kim by Oh Joong Seok for Vogue Korea Jan '09

POST-APOCALYPSE :: GARETH PUGH SS10

TEST :: RIVER

i actually shot a story with river a few weeks ago but in the process of archiving last month's shoots i found these first test shots :: river is from spain and signed with m and p models in London

hair/makeup :: sung hee park

NEW FACE :: OSKAR L

signed with the amazing nisch model management in stockholm, he will be in town next month to shoot :: great profile and very graceful:

images © Nisch Management

VOGUE PARIS :: BLACKFACE

Lara Stone by Steven Klein in last month's Vogue Paris :: not sure what to make of her transformation from blackface - kabuki

TWO SISTERS

i'll be true to my love :: if my love will be true to me.

MIRAGE MAG :: LAURENCE ELLIS // CHRISNA DE BRUYN

preview of the new issue of Mirage magazine from dynamic duo LAURENCE & CHRISNA

© Laurence Ellis // Chrisna De Bruyn '09

TERRY HALL FOR VMAN :: NEW POWER STUDIO SS10

QVC parody :: how amazing is that presenter?

find more about this HERE

COMING SOON

this has been going on for a while now and i really need to get things sorted. my new site designer GUS is an absolute star, i just have to get my arse into gear and sort out my portfolio for him to upload.

hopefully should have it up and running by the end of the month: