BEST OF LONDON FASHION WEEK

Trying to figure out the best collection at London Fashion Week is like trying to choose between your favourite children. It’s just not gonna happen. London has continuously shocked and surprised me in the last two years with its bold style which seems accidental and scruffy (a good thing). I think this is what is so appealing about the London shows; the designers are diverse, the shows feel young, and the vibe is very street. London just seems a little more earthy and more casual with injections of grunge, yet everybody is delightfully decked out.


Acne, spring 2012. The collection took my heart away to Sweden, and made me consider wearing white, something that is just really, really rare.
Meanwhile, Jaeger London and Roksanda Ilincic stole my heart this season simply based on colour and cut. In Roksanda's collection, we are particularly seeing a fusion of modern cocktail and sportswear, and a new breed of "sophisticated slouch". With Jaeger London, detail and geometry were everything, and the designs were more timeless than anything else.


Roksanda Ilincic, spring 2012


Jaeger London, spring 2012
Mulberry killed it last fall (2011) with their bird prints and purple fabrics. I instantly became a fan. Mulberry’s spring 2012 collection is more calm, cool and collected. Oddly, it seemed prepared for a rainy day in England. How does tulle fare in the rain? Those pastel satchels better be waterproof.


London, you're making my heart pump these days. With or without McQueen.

BEST OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: VPL

Though we are in the midst of Paris Fashion Week with New York, London and Milan behind us, it's important to look back at the best designs in retrospect from all shows thus far. VPL's spring 2012 collection was probably my #1 favourite moment from New York Fashion Week with its sophisticated grey tones mixed with youthful oranges and turquoises. Victoria Bartlett designed with sensuality, mixing exaggerated shapes and structure with interesting textures and drape, overall illustrating woman as powerful. Futuristic yet down-to-earth and ready-to-wear, VPL's panty lines were as visible - and sporty - as ever.

REVIEW: FILMS AT TIFF 2011, PART 2 OF 2

PINK RIBBONS, INC.
Ever wonder what happens to the millions of dollars we donate to “breast cancer research”? PINK RIBBONS, INC. reveals the downside of pink-washing and how it is harming instead of helping the cause, reducing breast cancer into some sort of outsider/terrorist that we can beat. Women diagnosed with breast cancer from all stages tell distressing, heart-breaking stories about their diagnoses going unnoticed until the fourth, final and deadliest stage of the disease. We see clips of breast cancer rallies, parties, pink-lit buildings and huge fundraisers that shut down cities contrasted with very realistic, intelligent and critical reviews of such girly celebrations. And for what cure? Researchers do not even know what the cause is of breast cancer (it is different for each woman). Therefore, finding a cure is impossible.

The most hilarious breast cancer research endorsement came from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I was shocked to see Avon as a major US sponsor, too, considering that many of their products contain ingredients likely to cause cancer. It is shocking to see how many millions of dollars people raise and how many products are emblazoned with pink ribbons, yet such a small percentage goes to researching cancer prevention and environmental factors. Don’t you just love to point out when corporations contradict themselves? This film wins points for being one of the most relevant documentaries of the year.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS
I have never read Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” but I have seen Andrea Arnold’s films (Fish Tank, Red Road) and I was super excited about her latest movie, WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Set in the nineteenth century moors of Yorkshire, a biracial boy named Heathcliff is curiously embraced by Catherine, a young girl who intimately tries to adopt him as a friend. Set within the dark English countryside, the film has some clumsy and comedic break-thoughs, though I didn't twitch once during the screening.


Years later, a teenage Catherine (played by Kaya Scodelario from Skins!) marries her neighbour Edgar with hesitation. Did I mention that she's stunning? The film goes from ratty to elegant to straight up EMO here. Themes of youth, nature and female desire are courageously used, almost uncomfortably, to create a picture of perpetual longing between Heathcliff and Catherine, who loved each other all along. Peace out, Edgar. My only beef with WUTHERING HEIGHTS was that it felt pretentious, and that I was disturbed by the number of dead animal close-ups in the film. The cinematic experience was breathtaking, the texture and sound was rich, and the quality was gripping.

A FUNNY MAN


I started at this festival with a Swedish film and ended with a Danish one. How typical. My final film of TIFF was seen at 9:30am at the Isabel Bader theatre in Yorkville. Nearby parking costs and arm and a leg, but it was worth every penny to see A FUNNY MAN, which follows the life of Danish comedian Dirch Passer and all of the doubts he carried throughout his career in the 1950s. After his stage partner, Kjeld, becomes jealous of his rising career, Dirch’s life begins to plummet. He tries to branch out into other forms of comedy, overworking himself into failure. In typical Danish fashion, we are exposed to dysfunctional families, alcoholism, death and renewal all in two hours injected with black humour. You don’t need to know who Dirch Passer is to care about this movie. Simply recognize its greatness and move on. The acting is beyond excellent and the film is produced exceedingly well. What a great, rewarding way to end off the festival.

P.S. I loved those Cadillac commercials; “from zero to drama in 0.39 seconds”. The typefaces were impeccable.

Thanks for a great year, TIFF! See part one of my TIFF reviews.

REVIEW: FILMS AT TIFF 2011, PART 1 OF 2

PLAY
My first film of the festival was PLAY. It was for 2pm on a Friday and there was no rush line. I felt silly, like, was this film going to be worth it? Well, it totally was and the theatre was packed. PLAY is a Swedish film directed by Ruben Östlund. It feels like the entire film takes place in long-shot. Sitting in third row, I was engrossed by the pace, poeticism and beauty of the film. I appreciated every detail, perhaps because I am constantly feeling nostalgic about Sweden and Denmark.

The film was very typical in Scandinavian style with loads of dark humour, almost reminding me of Songs from the Second Floor but more jubilant and youthful. The film undoubtedly questions race relations in Sweden, centering on a group of black kids living in Goteborg who terrorize three neighbourhood boys ages 10-14. Steve Gravestock, Associate Director of Canadian (and Scandinavian) Programming at TIFF, said it was one of the most disturbing films he has seen in years, especially the ending, which was so subjective I wasn’t sure what to think. This film creates a poignant picture of race and immigration in Europe.

GIRL MODEL
The second film I saw that day was called GIRL MODEL, a film about young amateur Russian models that are sent to Japan to obtain “work” with modeling agencies. The film shows a seedy, unregulated side to the modeling business, an industry where hundreds of 13-14 year old girls believe they will make enough money to support their families back home in remote parts of Eastern Europe such as Siberia.


The documentary follows model scout Ashley and her quest to find the "perfect" girl for the Japanese market. The perfect girl cannot be too tall and must be almost childlike with wide eyes and high cheekbones. We find out that Ashley herself was once an international model and she "hated" it. In fact, she hates scouting, despite being able to travel around the world in search of Japan's next top underage model. We end up learning more about Ashley's problems than expected. At the premiere Q&A, one audience member asked, "Is Ashley really that crazy in person?" Dra-ma! GIRL MODEL is a must-watch for anyone interested in the fashion industry.

SURVIVING PROGRESS

Produced by Mark Achbar (The Corporation) with Martin Scorcese as an executive producer (!), this film is based on the book "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright. The book is life-changing, indeed, and the movie lives up to the same expectation. David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall and Margaret Atwood deliver outstanding interviews in the film with insight that will haunt audiences everywhere. Over-consumption comes with a consequence, innovation comes at a cost, and our civilization – bound by progress traps – is destined to fail much like the Romans, Incas and Mayas once did. This film is engrossing; it is a must watch for every person living on planet earth. I would have cut out a couple of scenes, making it shorter and tighter, but fuck it, at the end of the day, you need to see this film. Even if you are apathetic, at least acknowledge what is happening around the world right now by watching SURVIVING PROGRESS. It will make its way into your workplace, your classroom, your Netflix account, your theatre, and your university, just like The Corporation did.

File under: The Corporation, Manufactured Landscapes, An Inconvenient Truth, Inside Job.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA
I seemed to have been aiming to view artsy, slow, pretentious films this year. After much hype from Cannes, I finally got around to seeing Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest Turkish flick, ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA. I expected it to be something along the lines of Fatih Akin’s films (In July, The Edge of Heaven, Head-On) but it was closer to No Country for Old Men, clocking in at just under three hours. The first 90 minutes of the film were ridiculous. Literally, nothing happens; a bunch of dudes and cops look for a body in the countryside during night time, bantering back and forth. I became impatient as the person fell asleep next to me, nodding his bobblehead from left to right.


Finally, the plot changes. Guy’s head is still sleepily bobbling, distracting and slightly offending me. Finally, it becomes daylight in the film and new characters are introduced. FINALLY, we start to discover why these men were looking for a body in the first place. The film unravels like a chess game; quietly suspenseful, packed with ulterior motives. I cannot reveal the plot; it has plenty of twists and turns to surprisingly keep you awake. Is it worth the three hours? If you’re a cinephile/film snob, then yes. Sleeper hit of 2011!

See part two of my reviews from TIFF 2011.

Y-3 x 2 = 6 LOOKS

One of my favourite collections from New York Fashion Week this year was Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3. Judging by the success of his Adidas collections, I sense sportswear making a chic comeback, staying in our closets for good. Yes, even past the point of the London Olympics. Yamamoto's avant-garde design hallmarks stayed consistent while checks and tartans made a brief introduction. Japanese street style meets English punk. Only in New York, of course.