Fashion Face book: Robin

03.03.2010 | Blog , Fashion | BY:

Who: Robin Faulkner, 18
Born: Alabama

Inspiration: Nature
Obsessions: Robert Pattinson
Favourite designer: It’s my first season, so I’m quite new to this. But I love Roksanda Ilincic
Ambitions: To be happy and successful
Not many people know: My hometown only has a population of 12,000
If you had one wish: To work with Mario Testino

www.unionmodels.com

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Fashion Face Book: Julia

27.02.2010 | Blog , Fashion | BY:

Who: Julia Hafström, 17
Born: Malmo, Sweden

Scouted: I was spotted at IKEA in Malmo
Best-loved designer: Comme des Garcons
Favourite photographer: Irving Penn
Not many people know: That my favourite spice is basil and I’m a good knitter
If you had one wish: I’d be able to speak every language in the world fluently

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LFW Flashback: Ashish

26.02.2010 | Blog , Fashion | BY:

Big up Twin Fashion Director Celestine Cooney for her styling at the Ashish show. We think she may be the one responsible for the model’s beanie hats, shades and pastel streaked hair. Nice one Celestine for bringing a bit of grunge into the vibrant and sequinned realm Ashishistan.

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Tainted love

15.02.2010 | Art , Blog , Fashion , Music | BY:

At 21 years old Keaton Henson has already had his own line at Topshop, produced artwork for band Dananananaykroyd and exhibited his illustrations from LA to London. Yet it’s music that’s his real passion. For a while he’s been making money from his illustration work with the aim of putting together an album.

Now – he’s only gone and done it. Last week Keaton released four music videos to a satisfying smattering of success. Shot on Super 8 and co-directed by his close friends, the videos beautifully mirror his soft-spoken, melodic voice as he tells stories of unrequited love. Some tracks are more sinister – in ‘Party Song’ the young Keaton confesses to wanting to kill the boyfriend of the girl he adores. Yet his naïve charm means you’ll be smitten nonetheless.

www.keatonhenson.com

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Love rules

13.02.2010 | Blog , Twin Life | BY:

WAITING by Raymond Carver

Left off the highway and
down the hill. At the
bottom, hang another left.
Keep bearing left. The road
will make a Y. Left again.
There’s a creek on the left.
Keep going. Just before
the road ends, there’ll be
another road. Take it
and no other. Otherwise,
your life will be ruined
forever. There’s a log house
with a shake roof, on the left.
It’s not that house. It’s
the next house, just over
a rise. The house
where trees are laden with
fruit. Where phlox, forsythia,
and marigold grow. It’s
the house where the woman
stands in the doorway
wearing sun in her hair. The one
who’s been waiting
all this time.
The woman who loves you.
The one who can say,
“What’s kept you?”

Published by Knopf

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Talent Watch: Sophie Harris-Taylor

05.02.2010 | Art , Blog | BY:

Who: Sophie Harris-Taylor, 21, Londo
What: Photographer

On her work: “I use a documentary process to capture the lives of the people closest to me. I like looking at the mundane – moments of intimacy, vulnerability, boredom.”

Influences: “My friends – I love the intimacy I share with the people I photograph, every one of them inspires me to take more and more images.”

Inspiration: “Nan Goldin and the painter Gerhard Richter have definitely inspired me the most over the years. More recently I’ve been looking at the incredible work of Maarit Hotheri and Nigel Shaffran.”

Sophie’s favourite photographs: “I change my mind on a daily basis. At the moment I’m working on my first book – these are the first images I’ve chosen to start the book – I haven’t got bored of these yet!” (See above and below)

Not many people know: “I don’t actually know how to use cameras!”

www.sophieharristaylor.com

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chat room

02.02.2010 | Blog , Twin Life | BY:

Forget everything your parents told you about not talking to strangers. Just one click in the world of ‘Chatroulette’ spins you through a virtual roulette of strangers ready for a webcam chat with you. Of course, we participated for research purposes only. Among the 5426 people on-line at the time we met a gang of four rowdy college students from New York, three over-friendly guys from Tunisia and a guy called Ryan who serenaded us on his guitar. And this could be a virtual fantasy, but we swear we also saw a mid-spin flash of the Jonas Brothers. The people we engaged with were less weird than expected, but that said – there was rather a high proportion of over enthusiastic men with a penchant for exhibitionism. ‘Chatroulette’ is a chancers’ game. Approach with caution.

www.chatroulette.com
chatroulette.tumblr.com

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Boy (talent) watch: Grant Thomas

27.01.2010 | Art , Blog | BY:

Who: Grant Thomas, 17, London
What: Fashion photographer

On his work: “Some of my best ideas for shoots have come from the most mundane situations. The other day I was smoking on the ledge of a second storey window with Debbie [his stylist] and I decided to base a shoot on that.”

Influences: “The insanely talented Sebastian Kim, and the few close friends I surround myself with.”

Grant’s favourite photograph: “I’m a sucker for liking my most recent work – so at the moments it’s an image of the strong-faced model, Georgia Davies (below). She’s standing tough, but elegantly, wearing a vintage floral dress, a white leather corset and the tallest shoes known to man. Truly good photos have the ability to make me cry – so I like people to feel something from my photography too.”

Not many people know: Grant’s originally from Wales and moved to London by himself when he was 16 years old.

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music on my mind

25.01.2010 | Blog , Music | BY:

At 13, Charlotte Gainsbourg made her musical debut with her father, Serge, on a record intriguingly titled, ‘Lemon Incest’. 24 years later comes a moving, and rather magical, album, ‘IRM’, made with Beck.  Tellingly, the title is the French abbreviation for MRI, and explores the after effects of the cerebral hemorrhage that Gainsbourg experienced after a water-skiing accident in 2007. But far from being dour, the resulting album is an evocative mix of industrial clank, beating electronica and ethereal Gallic pop. We’re enchanted.

‘IRM’ is released today on Because Records.

www.charlottegainsbourg.com

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Good golly miss Molly

11.01.2010 | Culture | BY:

Some people just have it all. This time, the person in question is writer Molly Young. Not only does her wit make her one of our favourite scribes, but also pretty, charming and very, very young. Molly has already written for Maxim, The New York Observer and More Intelligent Life, as well as blogging alongside Spike Jonze on the official Where The Wild Things Are website. Not bad for a 22 year old. We wish her all the best and can’t help wondering when she’s going to add Twin to her prodigious editorial list.

magicmolly.tumblr.com

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christmas pressie pig

23.12.2009 | Blog , Culture | BY:

We wish the ‘Royal Dandie’ – the smallest miniature pot bellied pigs in the world – were sold in the UK. For our American readers, these very domesticated cuties will walk on a lead, and at 29-39 lbs are easy to look after and transport. But remember: a ‘Royal Dandie’ is not just for Christmas.

www.royaldandie.com

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living colour

16.12.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

‘Colour’ at Michael Hoppen Contemporary is enough to brighten anyone’s winter day. On show are a dynamic group of art photographers from Nobuyoshi Araki, Alex Prager, Tim Walker, Valerie Belin and Guy Bourdin – all of whose work is defined by their use of colour, pantone and hue. We love Daniele Tamagni’s energetic ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’ which get another worthy outing having been moved straight from East London’s Trolley Books. It’s a vivacious display that livens up London.

‘Colour’ is at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, 3 Jubilee Place,
 London
www.michaelhoppengallery.com

James Dean’s Last Stop, Lost Hills, CA, 2008 © Ofer Wolberger

Untitled, 2007 © Valerie Belin
Top picture: Pastel Cats © Tim Walker

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Park’s life

24.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

Norman Parkinson’s photographic career has spanned almost sixty years, namely working for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and The Bystander. Parks, as he liked to be known, pioneered an approach called ‘action realism’ – taking his subjects away from the rigid studio environment, and into the real world, to vibrant effect.

Parkinson’s portraits from the Thirties to the Eighties goes on show at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan this week. Just a cursory glance at the show proves that Parks had a lifelong fascination not just with photography, but with women: “Being photographed,” he said, “is a whole section of a woman’s identity. She has to be admired…” We have to agree.

Norman Parkinson: A very British Glamour, Galleria Carla Sozzani, Corso Como 10 – 20154 Milano, Italia
www.galleriacarlasozzani.org

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Big pimpin

18.11.2009 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY:

The super style of the ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’ is celebrated this month with a brief but brilliant exhibition. Photographer Daniele Tamagni’s images provide a fascinating insight into the vibrant street style of ‘The Sapeurs’ – the immaculately dressed dandies from the heart of the Congo. As King Kester Emenya, the Congolese musician says, “The white man may have invented clothes but we turned it into an art”. Apparently, Sir Paul Smith, who prefaced the original book based his spring collection on the images. Nuff said.

From 27th – 29th November, London Newcastle Project Space, 28 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP.
www.trolleybooks.com

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porky’s

16.11.2009 | Blog , Fashion , Twin Life | BY:

When in Covent Garden stop off at Crazy Pig Designs. Oddball name aside, we love their mind-blowingly detailed jewellery – take the miniscule spinning bullet cylinder on their trademark revolver earrings. Popular with the great and the good of the rock world, their work has been worn by Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top and Metallica. Oh, and Alexa Chung. This solid gold skull ring is top of our Christmas wish lists.

www.crazypigdesigns.com
crazypigdesigns.blogspot.com

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Wild Wear

12.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

Heidi, the owner of Animazing Gallery where the ‘Sendak in Soho’ exhibition is now on, kindly sent me this snap of Max’s wolf-suit from the ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ film. It was a gift from director Spike Jonze to Maurice Sendak that’s on loan especially for the show. Gggrrrlll.

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Talent watch: Somang Lee

12.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

Who: Somang Lee, 27, Stuttgart
What: Illustrator
Where: Royal College of Art

Somang says: “There is a certain magic about illustration. It allows you to tap into things that go under the surface; inner worlds that you can take from a piece of paper. One of the pieces of my work pictured is taken from a series I did called ‘An Arctic Tale’ (picture above), which were displayed at the Bargehouse earlier this year.  The other is part of a series of etchings inspired by Jonathan Safran Foe’s novel ‘Extremely loud and incredibly close’ (below). This was an exploration of two people who are physically close but have vast inner distances to cross to be truly close to each other.”

Inspiration: Stories – writing combined with illustration make the perfect pair.
Not many people know: Somang takes ‘Free the inner voice’ classes to explore the subconscious in her voice and to help connect with her inner self, which she can then express through her illustrations.

www.somanglee.com

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Food of the gods

06.11.2009 | Blog , Culture , Twin Life | BY:

This week we went to Wahaca in Covent Garden to sample some ‘Mexican market’ food in honour of The Day of the Dead. The restaurant was in all-out festive mode with brightly coloured ‘papel picados’, hand-painted masks and energetic environmental art as far as the eye could see.

As I left – after masses of freshly cooked Mexican loveliness (and countless tequilas) – I grabbed a handful of what I thought were matches. They were in fact ‘grow your own Serrano chillies’. Sweet touch.

www.wahaca.co.uk

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Into the wild

02.11.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

While we wait for the release of the film Where The Wild Things Are, which is based on Maurice Sendak’s book of the same name, check out the ‘Sendak in Soho’ exhibition in New York. This is the largest ever show and sale of original etchings, illustrations and even sculpture from the author’s collection. “They hold a place in my heart almost too dear for me to part with it,” says Sendak. “But now feels like the perfect time.” As we speak, the gallery’s co-owner Heidi Leigh is off to Maurice’s house to collect the original wolf-suit costume from the film, and to go in search of a mannequin to display it on. Any volunteers?

‘Sendak in Soho’ runs until January 2010 at the Animazing Gallery, 54 Greene St., NYC 10013
www.animazing.com

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Talent Watch: Alice Moloney

30.10.2009 | Art , Blog | BY:

Who: Alice Moloney, 22, London
What: Illustrator
Where: Royal College of Art

Alice says: “This watercolour portrait (pictured) is from a series entitled ’10 til 3′. It’s based on a week spent at Newent House Day Centre for the elderly. My final degree show piece is based on criminals. I like the fact that you can never tell who really is evil, and who isn’t, just by looking at mug shots. Some of the characters look completely innocent, but they’re not.”

Influences: Marlene Dumas and Uwe Wittwer.

Obsession: Collecting unicorns, vintage glasses and old photographs from car-boot sales.

Projects: Illustrating a set of commissioned books; one of which is based on the county of Middlesex.

www.alicemoloney.co.uk

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