23.10.2014 | Fashion , Film | BY: Mariella Agapiou
This dramatic short from director Trevor Undi beautifully documents the last two years of the House of Chanel. With an orchestral score composed by Gabriel Yared, the film showcases intimate behind the scenes footage with many a famous face. It revisits memorable campaigns, international events and spectacular archival footage from Karl Lagerfeld’s design house reminding us just how significant Coco’s legacy remains.
22.10.2014 | Fashion | BY: Mariella Agapiou
ELLE has teamed up with Whistles to create a capsule collection of pieces that are all emblazoned with ‘This Is What A Feminist Looks Like’. The slogan was created by the historic Fawcett Society, the UK’s biggest equality campaigning group, and has been worn by well-known feminists such as Tracey Emin, Kirsty Wark and Shami Chakrabarti.
The T-shirt from the range is available to buy now from the premium high-street brands website, and the rest (sweaters, phone cases and a clutch) will be released on the 30th of October, with all proceeds going straight to the Fawcett Society.
21.10.2014 | Fashion | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Cara Delevingne has made her first foray into design, collaborating with DKNY on a 15 piece capsule collection. Taking inspiration from the street, the social-media-savvy model focused on beanies, bombers and crop tops. She also got involved with the casting of the campaign models, taking to Instagram to find the boys and girls that would model beside her: “There are 15 pieces to play with—no rules, no ‘looks,’ just opportunities,” wrote Delevingne, who penned the press release herself also.
Cara D. x DKNY is available to buy now from thecorner.com
20.10.2014 | Film | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Elaine Constantine’s most ambitious project yet is a feature film, written and directed by herself. Having started as an assistant to Nick Knight, she went on to become highly respected in the industry, contributing to the documentary style fashion photography of the 1990’s and early 2000’s, seeing her images published in magazines such as The Face.
Constantine’s work always centred around regular individuals having fun and expressing themselves. Northern Soul is no different. A love letter to the 1970’s Northern England dance movement, when rare American soul music came sweeping into the nightclubs, it’s cast includes Steve Coogan and Lisa Stansfield, and is set to be a youth-culture modern classic.
Norther Soul is out in cinemas now and was released on DVD today.
17.10.2014 | Art | BY: Lydia Winter
This year, Freize London adds to its repertoire of platforms for performance-based installations with ‘Live’, fashionably supported by Alexander McQueen, the Associate Sponsor of the art fair for the second year running.
Visitors will be able to watch a restaging of Robert Breer’s self-propelled Floats, and experience the sensation that they themselves are moving whilst actually remaining motionless, or relax by ‘vacationing’ during an installation from Tamara Henderson. Another of the 6 selected galleries, Shanzhai Biennial, will reconceive Frieze as a lifestyle brand, with products available for purchase.
‘Live’ is a major new initiative that is designed to integrate an important part of Freize’s history into the modern fair – the continuing commitment to showcasing the most experimental and ambitious art to capture visitor’s imagination.
17.10.2014 | Art | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Frieze Festival is taking over Sanderson for four days of of exclusive exhibitions and live interactive artwork. Bringing together street pop art phenomenon Mr. Brainwash and London based talent Dannielle Hodson, there will be never before displayed sculptures and paintings in the hotel’s lobby, coming together for this exclusive exhibition.
Expect to find two horse sculptures by Mr. Brainwash, created from thousands of pieces of classic china along with the UK Can Flag sculpture which is made from 1,233 empty spray cans. As Artist in Residence, Dannielle Hodson has produced a live installation across Sanderson’s façade. Partnering with A Space For Art, she will be working on one of her signature doodles, live, giving us a chance to see her work grow and takeover the hotel’s windows for the duration of the festival.
Hodson also has a an art led clothing label named Maison Twenty who have designed a fine art T-shirt which champions the work of artists such as Andrew Salgado and VJ Von Art. They will be taking over the pop-up shop space to sell their garms as well as a custom-designed Sanderson x Frieze T-shirt.
Not only has Sanderson embraced Frieze artistically, but they have also designed a limited edition Frieze cocktail. Made from blackberry lemongrass and elderflower, this citrus vodka based cocktail will be available for the duration of the fair.
The Frieze Festival showcase at Sanderson will be displayed until 18th October.
16.10.2014 | Art , Fashion | BY: Mariella Agapiou
East London boutique Hostem has invited artist Amy Revier to perform in store for a week. To perform, the Texas born artist has installed her traditional floor loom in a studio space set in the concept store where you will find her, morning to evening, weaving textiles that will be sewn into a garment. Revier has also woven a collection of pieces specifically for Hostem, installed in the space for the duration of the exhibition. This will be the first time a large body of her work will be shown together.
“Old ways are retained not out of a sense of nostalgia, but because they serve a function,” states Revier. “I am interested in building from scratch, showing evidence of the hand, and in the plain beauty of well-made things.”
Working single-handingly to weave 3-5 garments a month in her North London studio, Revier’s pieces are intricate and beautiful. And with the materials being sourced from Kyoto-based spinners, most of which are hand-dyed and in limited stock you are left with a highly covetable luxury item for life.
Later Alone She Wore Poems for Clothes is open from the 16th-20th October.
16.10.2014 | Art , Fashion | BY: Lydia Winter
hi you are are beautiful how are you is the product of a two year relationship between photographer Valerie Phillips and Swedish artist/model Arvida Byström.
The pair was initially introduced by a mutual friend who predicted the creative collaboration that followed; Phillips and Byström first met on Skype before eventually working on 3 zines together.
As a photographer, Phillips likes to observe her subjects in their natural environment, living the lives they lead. hi you are beautiful how are you does exactly that, with Byström as the focus. She becomes all the more intriguing because of her eccentric lifestyle and fashion choices.
The result of this quirky friendship is a narrative portrait of a young feminist, questioning modern ideas of beauty and demeanour.
15.10.2014 | Art | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Danny Fox is a poet, musician and model, but predominantly a painter. He was introduced to the Cock n Bull Gallery by artist Sue Webster, who met Fox in her local watering hole. A year later he convinced Webster to visit his North London studio to take a look at his work and she had this to say: “There was simply no more room to breathe and I felt a duty to exhume these unfamiliar masterpieces before the painter suffocated and died – another undiscovered artist suffocated by the toxicity of his own genius.”
Raised in Cornwall, Fox moved to London to carve out a career in the art world having no formal training (unless you count the still life painting his grandma made him do). It is his experiences that he chronicles on giant canvases. His time spent in pubs filled with strippers or even encounters with ladyboys in Bangkok, giving us a glimpse not into his life as such, more a look at his unique interpratations of those unconventional moments.
Danny Fox Paintings will open at the Cock n Bull Gallery, 32 Rivington Street London EC2A 3LX from 17th October – 8th November.
14.10.2014 | Beauty | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Tailored by No. 5 is a recently launched, new salon in East London that offers a bespoke hair experience, completely tailored to you and your lifestyle. Twin sent Online Editor Mariella to visit the exclusive top-secret location to find out what the Tailored by No. 5 experience is all about.
Walking into Tailored by No. 5 I was welcomed by the most adorable grey Shar Pei. Having my hair cut can evoke feelings of stress, however this little puppy had me at ease; the glass of prosecco that was waiting for me also helped. We sat down around a lone desk in a bright studio room filled with photography tomes and magazines for a very informal chat, talking everything but hair. Feeling extremely relaxed now, having uttered nothing of my last holiday – something I find myself preparing before my time in the chair – we turned our attention to my dishevelled mane. Talking previous cuts, washing techniques, styling products and personal taste, I was able to suggest ideas that I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing up to a new stylist, like a short, edgy fringe for example. But walking me through the cutting process I knew I was in very capable hands.
The worst thing about leaving a salon is that sometimes you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see. Worst still, you don’t feel like yourself. Leaving No. 5 I felt like an improved version of myself. My hair had even been styled the same way I would at home, so there was none of that rush-home-and-style-yourself business. The products, a paraben and sulphate-free brand called Unite left my hair soft, nourished and much shiner than it has been in previous months. I left feeling great, my hair looking new and improved, and with a head full of styling and cleansing tips and tricks tailored just for me.
13.10.2014 | Fashion | BY: Lydia Winter
St Petersburg native Timur Kim continued to hone his signature patchwork technique for SS15, as seen at LFW last month. Updating denim with digital prints, the show saw models marching down the runway in pleats, tailoring and clean silhouettes.
With the precision of an architect, Kim focuses on the structural integrity of each garment. Each item is handmade in his Dalston studio, where he produces both his RTW collections and one-off bespoke pieces.
Having worked with fashion greats including, Alexander McQueen, the fusion of bold colour and striking shapes in his latest collection has a distinctly retromodern feel that is uniquely Kim’s own.
10.10.2014 | Beauty , Culture | BY: Lydia Winter
Did you ever dress up in your mother’s pearls and lipstick when you were a kid? Watching your mum’s beauty ritual has probably profoundly affected your own make up routines and tricks. But this can work two ways – Dove’s latest research reveals that 34 per cent of mothers admit that their child mimics their negative beauty behaviour. So keeping this mind, Dove has created a new film to inspire women to pledge their positive beauty legacy, and asks them to share who in their life inspires them using #FeelBeautyFor. The film, Dove: Legacy, highlights how important it is to see your own beauty so you can instil these qualities in younger women around you.
This is the latest instalment in Dove’s Self Esteem Project, which has reached over 14 million young people with self-esteem building programmes.
09.10.2014 | Fashion | BY: Mariella Agapiou
One of the easiest ways to revamp your look for autumn/winter is to start with your accessories. We’ve previously paid attention to the hat of the season and celebrated the ankle boot, so we thought it’s time we looked to those leather goods we call bags. You can never go wrong when it comes to a black bag, so here we’ve rounded up four styles from four emerging bag designers we love.
08.10.2014 | Music | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Having grown up listening to contemporary American R&B and soul, inspired by artists such as Destinys Child and Erykah Badu, newcomer Viv fuses these influences with contmporary electronic sounds creating melodic, forward-thinking pop structures. Come A Little Closer is the 20-year-old singer, songwriter from London’s first track. It showcases her talent for songwriting and as a vocalist through it’s futuristic progressive trip hop beats and mesmerizing sounds. We can’t wait to hear more from this young artist.
Listen to Come A Little Closer below.
07.10.2014 | Art | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Frieze is one of the largest art fairs around, attracting many collectors, buyers and art aficionados to the city which in turn causes many shows to pop up around town. Geoff Leong has once again joined forces with artist-curator duo Vanya Balogh & Cedric Christie to support and exhibit over 100 artists in the circular 20,000 Sq ft multi storey Q-Park car park beneath Cavendish Square. Whilst unusual in terms of location, this annual event likes to challenge, entice and entertain all art lovers and visitors.
Featuring a range of mediums such as sculpture, film, photography, painting and as well as performative talks and live presentations from both emerging and established artists. This year, the show also includes a marble sculpture by Andy Elton in the gardens of Cavendish Square.
The exhibition runs daily 12-8pm, from 14-19 October 2014.
06.10.2014 | Film | BY: Hillary Sproul
Buttercup Bill, the debut feature from filmmaking team Emilie Richard-Froozan and Remy Bennett, is billed as a “psycho-sexual doomed love story.” The screen successfully offers a love story complex and rich with that same kind of psychological entanglement and intensity we so often seek during our childhood years. Off-screen, the directors have their own kind of love story: a friendship that began when they were sixteen during an overseas acting/directing course through TISCH.
Coming full circle, Buttercup Bill recently made its European debut at Raindance and will be playing at the New Orleans Film Festival at the end of October.
Why did you choose to film in New Orleans?
Remy: Well, the setting was rural and we needed a rural setting. And we had friends down there.
Emilie: I fell in love with someone who lived down there and I went down there and that was the catalyst: the house that this person lived in…
Remy: We shot the movie in that house that belonged to the person she fell in love with.
How did it feel to shoot in that house?
Emilie: It’s more that it was the people I met there: all of the community. A lot of those people are in the film and it was just a magical experience so it was kind of like no matter what happens–when we were in production–we just had to shoot it in that house because that house was like a magical place.
What was the process of writing a script together like?
Emilie: Lots of cigarettes.
But what was the physical process itself like? Did you pass it back and forth?
Emilie: No, we’d sit in the same room.
Remy: But we passed it back and forth too. We went through so many phases.
Emilie: Well, we’d start a new scene and then we’d go away and come back.
Remy: It was a long process.
Emilie: It took us like a year and a half to two years.
Remy: You go through so many different techniques. We would talk it out sometimes or we would go away and write stuff and exchange it.
Emilie: We’d go to hypnotists and get hypnotised.
Remy: Or we’d go to a restaurant and get a bottle of wine and just talk for thirty hours one session. But we set it up so it was really our job; we had a schedule.
Which was?
Emilie: We worked odd jobs basically and we would sit down and the next thing you know, seven hours had passed.
Remy: We would usually meet at ten in the morning. So, she’d say, “Come to my house at ten” and we’d sit down and be like, “This is our day and we’re not going to leave until seven.” So we would just sit down no matter what was happening, whether it was us just talking or exchanging stories or talking about our lives and being like, “Oh fuck, let’s write this down.” Or we’d have other days where we just wrote, wrote, wrote…
And, of course, you knew you were going to co-direct and Remy would be acting the role you were together writing for her.
Emilie: Yeah, I had a dream during the whole Buttercup Bill thing and I had just gotten back from New Orleans. I had this dream that there was this blonde girl from behind and I knew it was Remy and I was in the desert and I yelled her name and she turned around but it wasn’t Remy, it was a different name I had called. And when I woke up, I forgot the name and I was like, “I know this name. The name is…” But I couldn’t remember it.
My random friend from when I was 15 who I met abroad and who I haven’t spoken to in ten years… I found him on Facebook, wrote him and said, “What was the name of your really mean Swedish girlfriend when you were twenty?” And he was like, “Pernilla.” And I was like, “That’s the name!” And we just started from there. That name, I always knew.
It must be amazing to see this film as a sort of culmination of your relationship up to this point.
Emilie: Yeah, Remy and I met doing an acting/directing class when we were 16. It was at TISCH but it was in Dublin. Remy was in my first short; we made our first short together.
And you just automatically vibed?
Emilie: I can’t get enough of watching her on the screen. And I know that I’m not the only one: she’s it. You know, there are some people that you just want to watch and there are some that you’re like, “I don’t really need to watch them.” Not her. She’s meant to be on the screen.
03.10.2014 | Culture , Fashion | BY: Mariella Agapiou
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, Kate Moss has teamed up with Stella McCartney in a revealing ad campaign. Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Moss strips off to reveal the famous pink ribbon.
McCartney has designed a range of pink lingerie – the Gemma Relaxing collection – which aims to encourage young women to give themselves self-exams when getting dressed. “The main idea was to create something that initiates awareness for women to keep healthy,” says the British designer. “So we decided to make something stylish, with an eye catching pop of colour so that even just opening your drawer and even if you see it and don’t wear it, it’s a reminder.”
Available in store and online soon, all proceeds will go to the Linda McCartney Centre.
02.10.2014 | Fashion | BY: Lydia Winter
Karl Lagerfeld, fashion innovator – and psychic? In light of current events, the Chanel fashion show on Tuesday was even more on point than usual. The Boulevard Chanel, constructed down to the very last detail including puddles and panes of glass, was the elegant backdrop to a revolution. Of course, Lagerfeld actually conceived the idea for the latest show many months ago, taking France’s love for la revolution as inspiration.
Distinct parallels can be seen with the infamous manifestations of Mai 68. Back then, the smell of both personal and political freedom was in the air, which Lagerfeld translated into his clothing for his SS15 collection. The catwalk was a riot of colour and print, with 60s and 70s style separates dominating the silhouette. The collection was not tied down to a single colour, pattern nor shape, celebrating our precious liberty and independence to choose. No doubt the feminist movement of Mai 68 would approve.
01.10.2014 | Film | BY: Mariella Agapiou
Martin Provost’s Violette looks at the the real life story of Simone De Beauvoir’s literary muse Violette Leduc. A writer herself, Violette – played by Emmanuelle Devos – led a troubled, emotional life, always wanting what she could never have. Although she was a lesbian, she was prone to falling in love with heterosexual women and gay men alike and became obsessed with De Beauvoir who did not reciprocate.
Full of left bank literary and philosophical history, the film gives us an honest insight into a writer’s world.
Violette opens in cinemas on October 3rd.
30.09.2014 | Fashion | BY: Lydia Winter
London born and based jewellery designer Rachel Boston showed her first fine jewellery collection at London Fashion Week. Full of beautifully wrought, geometric pieces, the items in the collection have the potential to become treasured heirlooms. Twin chats to the New Designer of the Year nominee.
When did you decide you wanted to go into jewellery design?
I knew that I wanted to design jewellery from very early on. I always liked working with my hands so would use my parent’s toolbox and take apart my sister’s jewellery and put it back together in different ways – which I’m sure she didn’t enjoy too much. I then started basing all my projects in my Design and Technology class around jewellery so that I could build up my portfolio and work towards getting in to a jewellery course at university, which I did.
Why did you decide to study at the Gemological Institute in New York rather than stay in the UK?
I grew up in London and also stayed here for university at Central Saint Martins, so really felt like I needed to experience what it was like to live somewhere else, even for a short while. New York has always had such an allure to it for me that when I found out they did the course there it seemed crazy not grab the opportunity. It was the best decision I ever made. I met so many amazing people on the course from all over the world but also met my boyfriend whilst living out there and we’ve been doing long distance for almost 3 years now, which seems crazy to most people but works really well for us.
You showed your first fine jewellery collection at LFW; why did you decide to move into fine jewellery?
Making jewellery that wasn’t trend based and seasonal has always been very important to me. I’ve wanted to create pieces that could be worn forever and passed on as gifts to others so I decided it was necessary that the materials reflected this also. The price point is higher because it’s 18ct gold now instead of plated, but you have the reassurance that these are pieces that will not tarnish, the gold will not fade and you can theoretically pass these onto your grandchildren and they will stay in good condition. The history and the meaning that is given to jewellery and how people become attached to it is one of the reasons I fell in love with it in the first place, so making fine jewellery has happened very naturally.
Do you craft each piece by hand yourself?
I do. As of right now every piece is made in my studio off Hatton Garden (London’s jewellery district) and all the materials are sourced locally. As the business keeps growing this won’t be feasible for me making every piece as it’s a huge amount of work but I’d like to keep it in the studio and based in the UK as I’m a big supporter for British craftsmanship.
What is your favourite piece so far?
It changes all the time but from the new fine collection I think the Jera ear cuffs or the hinged Dagaz ring. The hinged ring is really comfortable and I barely notice I’m wearing it so it’s a great statement piece you can wear everyday. I love the Jera earrings because they fit the ear really nicely and I have the white sapphires specially cut here in London so I they’re very special because it’s such an unusual cut to have.
What is your favourite item of jewellery? Earrings, necklaces, bracelets or rings?
With me more is always more so I like layering necklaces, playing with different lengths and piling rings on for more of a statement. I tend to dress quite casually for the studio, generally just jeans, plain tee and a leather jacket so I love wearing a lot of rings to create more of a statement.
What are the key jewellery trends coming up for SS15?
The market is definitely leaning more towards fine jewellery these days, which I’m really happy about. I think people are starting to realise how much better it is to invest in one significant piece then spending lots of little bits of money on high street jewellery which falls apart so quickly.
What are your plans for your brand – where will you be this time next year?
I’m doing a lot more bespoke engagement ring work which I adore doing. It’s a huge honour to be asked to create someone’s ring that they intend to wear forever and I love working with couples to create something unique, so I definitely would like to do more of that. Otherwise I want the brand to keep growing both in the UK market and internationally and at some point open a small store in London.
What would your advice be to someone who wants to go into jewellery design?
I think it’s important to learn patience and how to figure out your own path and style. I definitely think you have to build a strong foundation on the technical side as well and not just fob it off and give everything to someone else to do for you, you don’t learn that way and you don’t end up pushing yourself.
Who is your ultimate jewellery/fashion inspiration?
Most of my favourite fashion muses are from bygone eras but I love the androgynous style of my heroines like Patti Smith and Joan Jett; they exude this amazingly powerful energy and are such strong women so anything they wear looks automatically cool.
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