Jookin, an increasingly popular dance style that originated in Memphis, doesn't claim the flashiest or most difficult of urban dance moves.
The kung-fu windmill spins of break dancing or the spastic aggression of west-coast krumping seem far more physically taxing. But jookin has a unique elegance that — unlike breaking or krumping — allows it to be emotionally poignant in various musical contexts, from rap to classical.
On Saturday evening, in the shadow of the Sears Tower in Crosstown, organizers of a dance "battle" attempted to acquaint jookin's technique and footwork with the world's most established dance form — classical ballet.
In this "Urban Ballet Showcase," staged by Memphis Urban Dance (MUD) Entertainment, competitive stylists paired off in one-on-one matches, competing for a final showdown with one of the evening's two headliners, who were also dueling each other.
A key move in jookin is known universally to ballerinas as being "en pointe," or on the tips of the toes. Jookers, however, are predominately male. Instead of pink satin pointe shoes, they wear colorful sneakers emblazoned with logos such as Nike and Adidas.
The ability to balance on the ends of the toes, frozen in elaborate contortions of torso and limb, is the hallmark of a top dancer. But also, as in classical ballet, the more control a jooker has over his body (especially the feet), the closer he comes to perfecting this mostly improvisational style.
One of the most instructive rounds of the evening, between master jookers G-Nerd and Daniel Price, was danced to a live string quartet playing a Mozart sonata. Their smooth-flowing arms and streamlined footwork might have put a Nutcracker prince to shame.
Personality — aka "showmanship" on the score cards of three anonymous judges — further engaged the audience, and Dr. Rico's humorous costume changes, Spider's mime-like comedy improvisations, and LaShonté Anderson's playful references to Michael Jackson, drew shouts of approval from the crowd of around 2,000.
For the finale, G-Nerd squared off against Division I-ranked Brandon "B. Frank" Franklin. G-Nerd's slow-motion, 360-degree pirouette while dramatically removing his baseball cap resulted in other competitors showering the stage with their own hats. He was declared the winner.
The exhibition was peppered with group dance routines by local schools U-Dig Dance Academy and SubRoy Studios. The Beale Street Flippers also exhibited their skills.
Now that future jookin competitions are in the works, organizers should try to inform viewers about the style's finer points so that distinctions can be made between showmanship and expert technicality. Sure, jookin sizzles to high-energy music. But a quiet Mozart melody reveals it to have unexpectedly light and lyrical soul.
2012年9月16日星期日
2012年9月13日星期四
Ordinary being acclimated for extraordinary
At aboriginal glance, a new building display in Kentucky seems to be an array of accustomed stuff: a hammer, shoes, accurate instruments. On afterpiece inspection, these backward items accomplished the extraordinary.
The accumulating at Western Kentucky University appearance added than 140 accepted items acclimated by luminaries in entertainment, politics, art, literature, sports and science.
There's accessories acclimated by charlatan Robert Ballard, who apparent the bones of the Titanic; a blur splicer from documentarian Ken Burns' alteration allowance and ball shoes beat by Liza Minnelli in a Tony Award-winning performance.
Other items cover a bang acclimated by above President Jimmy Carter to body Habitat for Humanity houses, Jay Leno's board microphone for several years on "The Tonight Show" and lab accessories acclimated by Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
It's a mish-mash of "ordinary accoutrement that helped ascertain a nation's greatness," WKU President Gary Ransdell said.
The abiding exhibit, alleged the "Instruments of American Excellence Collection" — opens Sept. 21 at the Kentucky Building on Western's campus in Bowling Green.
The accumulating is the abstraction of Dan Murph, a country songwriter who lives abreast the WKU campus and in Nashville, Tenn.
Murph, the accumulating chairman, hopes the display inspires visitors to accompany their own aerial ambitions.
"If the accumulating causes just one being to amend their career aisle or dream bigger or appear up with a new abstraction or cartel to try something they consistently capital to try, again the accumulating is a absolute success," he said.
Murph approached Ransdell about two years ago with his abstraction for the exhibit. Soon, a baby accumulation of acceptance and administrators was alive with Murph on accumulation a account of noteworthy humans to acquaintance for donated items to body the collection.
It didn't yield long: Sculptor Raymond Kaskey beatific an old board mallet acclimated in some of his award-winning work. Again came addition big bolt — accessories acclimated by Ballard, the acclaimed underwater explorer, to advice affix his command centermost with abysmal sea robots.
"That's the aboriginal account area we looked at anniversary added and realized, 'OK this can work, this is possible,'" Murph said.
The acknowledgment amount would be the backbiting of any solicitor. About three-quarters of those contacted accept contributed, Ransdell said. The university spent about $125,000 to clean and adapt the display space.
Items ambit from bookish to whimsical.
There's a apprenticed archetype of the U.S. Constitution that now-retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor kept in her accommodation and lab accoutrement acclimated by Roger D. Kornberg, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
There are antic backdrop from Hunter "Patch" Adams, a doctor and amusing activist who was portrayed in a cine by Robin Williams.
There's a flat microphone acclimated by Sam Phillips to almanac the aboriginal hits of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Flat in Memphis, Tenn. There's a dabble from Charlie Daniels, a customized billy from Boston Pops aqueduct Keith Lockhart and ballet shoes beat by acclaimed ballerina Sara Mearns.
There's a agitation from tennis abundant Chris Evert, a skateboard from Tony Hawk, a soccer shoe from Mia Hamm and a golf club from Jack Nicklaus.
Murph's admired item, though, is from anyone who's not a domiciliary name.
It's an old brace of tennis shoes beat by award-winning abecedary Rafe Esquith, accepted for accepting amazing bookish after-effects from acceptance at an burghal school. Esquith said he believes agents should consistently be on their anxiety disposed to students.
"That affectionate of gave me goosebumps," Murph said.
Carter's bang looks like "it's apprenticed in 10,000 nails," Murph said.
"It afflicted what is accepted of presidents already they leave office," he said. "They are no best accustomed to sit down and address their memoirs until the day they die. They are accepted to get off the couch now and accomplish a aberration in the world."
The items announce the harder plan that went into their endeavors.
"Sometimes abundance can be accomplished with the simplest of instruments or tools, if you've got the mind, the affection and the spirit to put those accoutrement to work," Ransdell said.
The accumulating at Western Kentucky University appearance added than 140 accepted items acclimated by luminaries in entertainment, politics, art, literature, sports and science.
There's accessories acclimated by charlatan Robert Ballard, who apparent the bones of the Titanic; a blur splicer from documentarian Ken Burns' alteration allowance and ball shoes beat by Liza Minnelli in a Tony Award-winning performance.
Other items cover a bang acclimated by above President Jimmy Carter to body Habitat for Humanity houses, Jay Leno's board microphone for several years on "The Tonight Show" and lab accessories acclimated by Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
It's a mish-mash of "ordinary accoutrement that helped ascertain a nation's greatness," WKU President Gary Ransdell said.
The abiding exhibit, alleged the "Instruments of American Excellence Collection" — opens Sept. 21 at the Kentucky Building on Western's campus in Bowling Green.
The accumulating is the abstraction of Dan Murph, a country songwriter who lives abreast the WKU campus and in Nashville, Tenn.
Murph, the accumulating chairman, hopes the display inspires visitors to accompany their own aerial ambitions.
"If the accumulating causes just one being to amend their career aisle or dream bigger or appear up with a new abstraction or cartel to try something they consistently capital to try, again the accumulating is a absolute success," he said.
Murph approached Ransdell about two years ago with his abstraction for the exhibit. Soon, a baby accumulation of acceptance and administrators was alive with Murph on accumulation a account of noteworthy humans to acquaintance for donated items to body the collection.
It didn't yield long: Sculptor Raymond Kaskey beatific an old board mallet acclimated in some of his award-winning work. Again came addition big bolt — accessories acclimated by Ballard, the acclaimed underwater explorer, to advice affix his command centermost with abysmal sea robots.
"That's the aboriginal account area we looked at anniversary added and realized, 'OK this can work, this is possible,'" Murph said.
The acknowledgment amount would be the backbiting of any solicitor. About three-quarters of those contacted accept contributed, Ransdell said. The university spent about $125,000 to clean and adapt the display space.
Items ambit from bookish to whimsical.
There's a apprenticed archetype of the U.S. Constitution that now-retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor kept in her accommodation and lab accoutrement acclimated by Roger D. Kornberg, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
There are antic backdrop from Hunter "Patch" Adams, a doctor and amusing activist who was portrayed in a cine by Robin Williams.
There's a flat microphone acclimated by Sam Phillips to almanac the aboriginal hits of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Flat in Memphis, Tenn. There's a dabble from Charlie Daniels, a customized billy from Boston Pops aqueduct Keith Lockhart and ballet shoes beat by acclaimed ballerina Sara Mearns.
There's a agitation from tennis abundant Chris Evert, a skateboard from Tony Hawk, a soccer shoe from Mia Hamm and a golf club from Jack Nicklaus.
Murph's admired item, though, is from anyone who's not a domiciliary name.
It's an old brace of tennis shoes beat by award-winning abecedary Rafe Esquith, accepted for accepting amazing bookish after-effects from acceptance at an burghal school. Esquith said he believes agents should consistently be on their anxiety disposed to students.
"That affectionate of gave me goosebumps," Murph said.
Carter's bang looks like "it's apprenticed in 10,000 nails," Murph said.
"It afflicted what is accepted of presidents already they leave office," he said. "They are no best accustomed to sit down and address their memoirs until the day they die. They are accepted to get off the couch now and accomplish a aberration in the world."
The items announce the harder plan that went into their endeavors.
"Sometimes abundance can be accomplished with the simplest of instruments or tools, if you've got the mind, the affection and the spirit to put those accoutrement to work," Ransdell said.
2011年4月11日星期一
SIC Student Government sponsoring athletic shoe drive
The Southeastern Illinois College Student Government is inviting the entire college district to participate in a recycling drive to turn used athletic shoes into affordable rubber products.
The project was conceived as a way to get community high schools involved with the College and the student government organization. All district high schools were invited to participate in the project, and the top three high schools in terms of donations will receive trophies. Also, if schools have more than one organization that participates, a certificate will be presented for the top organization within that school.
Student government then decided to enlarge the project by opening it up to all the public residents of the college district. The organization hopes for a large show of support from the community and high schools alike.
Many shoe companies are striving to improve recycling around the country and the world. Shoes are most commonly recycled to create three different products: grind rubber, grind foam and grind fiber. These three substances are used for a great deal of recreational facilities, including outdoor basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, soccer and football fields, playground surfaces and gym floors.
For those interested in donating, there are currently collection boxes set up across the camps. Then, the final collection day is set for Saturday, April 30. On that day, shoes will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the event of good weather, the collection will be held in the southernmost parking lot of the SIC campus. If there is inclement weather, the collection will be held in the lobby of the nearby Visual and Performing Arts Center.
All shoes donated should meet the following requirements:
-- Athletic shoes only (no boots, sandals, etc.)
-- No cleats or spikes
-- Shoes must be cleaned
-- Shoe strings should be tied together
The project was conceived as a way to get community high schools involved with the College and the student government organization. All district high schools were invited to participate in the project, and the top three high schools in terms of donations will receive trophies. Also, if schools have more than one organization that participates, a certificate will be presented for the top organization within that school.
Student government then decided to enlarge the project by opening it up to all the public residents of the college district. The organization hopes for a large show of support from the community and high schools alike.
Many shoe companies are striving to improve recycling around the country and the world. Shoes are most commonly recycled to create three different products: grind rubber, grind foam and grind fiber. These three substances are used for a great deal of recreational facilities, including outdoor basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, soccer and football fields, playground surfaces and gym floors.
For those interested in donating, there are currently collection boxes set up across the camps. Then, the final collection day is set for Saturday, April 30. On that day, shoes will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the event of good weather, the collection will be held in the southernmost parking lot of the SIC campus. If there is inclement weather, the collection will be held in the lobby of the nearby Visual and Performing Arts Center.
All shoes donated should meet the following requirements:
-- Athletic shoes only (no boots, sandals, etc.)
-- No cleats or spikes
-- Shoes must be cleaned
-- Shoe strings should be tied together
2011年3月30日星期三
No shirt, no shoes, no class
LBCC is a school rich with student diversity. Every student contributes a different style to the school making it more colorful and multi-factious.
Each student has the opportunity to express oneself as they please. Many identify themselves with the fad they express. Without the variety we all possess on campus, the school just might be boring. The person and there style is what gives that extra touch we need on campus that makes our school glow.
As of now LBCC does not possess a dress code prohibiting student's freedom of fashion on campus. Students are able to dress freely without having a consequence. But would a dress code be needed for LBCC? Is the way students are dressing prohibiting them from learning?
The truth is we don't think it matters. It doesn't seem to be a big issue as long as it does not offend other students. The clothing does not make the student. We do not see how a fashion can affect a student's academic capacity.
The capacity is within the student and there should not be any other factor that a student might be critiqued by. We should all be proud that LBCC does not have such standards that prohibit us from our expression, as some of us recall the uniform look some of us adopted in elementary making us feel imprisoned and just simply bland. Imagine going back to a white collard shirt and blue bottoms.
We're pretty sure nobody wants to go back to that.
This is why as students we should not abuse this right we possess on campus. Common sense should be used we obviously know that a bathing suit will cause controversy and even racy t-shirts can cause a stir.
Yet we see students doing it everyday. Someone mentioned how they can not stand seeing how girls dress up for school looking like its saturday night and they are ready for the club.
As much as some students might not like this, there is nothing that can be done because it is that person's right to wear whatever pleases themselves and not anyone else.
As long as everyone respects each other and every one's unique way of dressing we have nothing to worry about.
We can all continue wearing what makes us who we are. And enlighten LBCC with our colorful clothing that paves the way to new students and the new trends that are here to come.
Each student has the opportunity to express oneself as they please. Many identify themselves with the fad they express. Without the variety we all possess on campus, the school just might be boring. The person and there style is what gives that extra touch we need on campus that makes our school glow.
As of now LBCC does not possess a dress code prohibiting student's freedom of fashion on campus. Students are able to dress freely without having a consequence. But would a dress code be needed for LBCC? Is the way students are dressing prohibiting them from learning?
The truth is we don't think it matters. It doesn't seem to be a big issue as long as it does not offend other students. The clothing does not make the student. We do not see how a fashion can affect a student's academic capacity.
The capacity is within the student and there should not be any other factor that a student might be critiqued by. We should all be proud that LBCC does not have such standards that prohibit us from our expression, as some of us recall the uniform look some of us adopted in elementary making us feel imprisoned and just simply bland. Imagine going back to a white collard shirt and blue bottoms.
We're pretty sure nobody wants to go back to that.
This is why as students we should not abuse this right we possess on campus. Common sense should be used we obviously know that a bathing suit will cause controversy and even racy t-shirts can cause a stir.
Yet we see students doing it everyday. Someone mentioned how they can not stand seeing how girls dress up for school looking like its saturday night and they are ready for the club.
As much as some students might not like this, there is nothing that can be done because it is that person's right to wear whatever pleases themselves and not anyone else.
As long as everyone respects each other and every one's unique way of dressing we have nothing to worry about.
We can all continue wearing what makes us who we are. And enlighten LBCC with our colorful clothing that paves the way to new students and the new trends that are here to come.
2011年3月29日星期二
Lady Gaga celebrates her birthday at Staples Center
Lady Gaga brought her Monster Ball tour to Los Angeles' Staples Center on Monday night -- and celebrated her birthday with her crew and dancers onstage. As the video above shows, they brought out a cake and all of the pop singer's "little monsters" in the crowd sang her a song. No word on who the cake designer was (no doubt the most celebrated, innovative one in the world), but if the number of candles atop it is any indication, the woman born Stefani Germanotta turned 6 Monday night.
It was, in fact, Lady Gaga's 25th birthday, and Pop & Hiss's Margaret Wappler was at the show. Later Tuesday morning she'll offer an overview of this installment of the neverending Monster Ball, which has twirled through Los Angeles at least four times in the last two years. The difference, besides Monday night being Gaga's birthday? It was the first time in L.A. she has performed her recent hit, "Born This Way," since its official release.
It was, in fact, Lady Gaga's 25th birthday, and Pop & Hiss's Margaret Wappler was at the show. Later Tuesday morning she'll offer an overview of this installment of the neverending Monster Ball, which has twirled through Los Angeles at least four times in the last two years. The difference, besides Monday night being Gaga's birthday? It was the first time in L.A. she has performed her recent hit, "Born This Way," since its official release.
2011年3月28日星期一
Who says rural elements of fashion
By now, even people who do not like country style, probably can not ignore its existence! Chanticleer launched a strong brand Chanel handbags woven clogs and almost all of the moment becomes a fashion magazine "Must Buy", together with YSL, Chloe and other fuel to the flames, he just let the wind become a country not with the season not to hot frenzy . Of course, this season is no longer a traditional country style Floral Plaid skirt or shirt, Bottega Veneta white cotton in the most primitive expression of spirituality; YSL printing to reflect the sweet strawberry; play was undoubtedly the most wonderful time of the Dolce & Gabbana, their main and lines were demonstrated to the Older version of our version of the village and the Maiden Style ... ... No matter what type you belong to, in this season, I think you can find the most fashionable Look to the corresponding country.
A hand-knitting grandmothers wardrobe pressure Po Box
Yes, you read right, old-fashioned knitting equipment and back! This crochet way, once popular, but popular in just a few years, hate the old woman who gave it aside. Unexpectedly, in this season Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and other brands of strong blessing, the hand-knitted even once again "re-energized" and return to the field of fashion, but also with the most traditional flower decoration, antique clothing to is this tone. Therefore, the fashion girls, do not hurry to go home looking through my grandmother's closet, surprise waiting for you in there!
Hand taste, hollow, flower decoration, thick lines
Simple, solid, basic models
Burberry
Life Style suggestions may be good to hear
T stage of the Total Look inevitably exaggerated, it may be, and Camilla Belle, the choice of boots with a rugged flavor to dilute the Floral Skirt openwork knit with a "rural flavor" can instantly change from the old-fashioned fashion.
● rural flavor of the hollow sweaters, need to shape Zhuopu wooden bracelets, sweet romance flowers decorative, rather than aggressive in recent years, those extremely hot rivets, metal and other rock style accessories.
● filled with big Logo, and Bling Bling or handbag, not suitable for use with hollow with a sweater, knitting bag or vintage leather satchel taste very strong, is the appropriate choice.
● The more old-fashioned style to the more need to reconcile the youthful temperament, so if you are no longer twenty-eight Love the girl, or try to carefully choose.
B 70's teen idol born naturally white
Now you also believe that the pastoral = Saika, that this season in white dress playing in the garden, should give you a thorough update of this idea. Faction was represented by simple Bottega Veneta and YSL, with almost no processed white cotton cloth, but using Chouzhe, straps and other decorations, simply stylish interpretation of a rare taste. Go girl Zeyi line D & G lotus leaf and lace layered, with cowboy boots and tough, with a sweet Lolita tower rebellious temperament. As for Chloe's fairy veil, as if the 70s fantasy art films heroine, if there is not enough beauty and temperament, in fact more difficult to manage.
A hand-knitting grandmothers wardrobe pressure Po Box
Yes, you read right, old-fashioned knitting equipment and back! This crochet way, once popular, but popular in just a few years, hate the old woman who gave it aside. Unexpectedly, in this season Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and other brands of strong blessing, the hand-knitted even once again "re-energized" and return to the field of fashion, but also with the most traditional flower decoration, antique clothing to is this tone. Therefore, the fashion girls, do not hurry to go home looking through my grandmother's closet, surprise waiting for you in there!
Hand taste, hollow, flower decoration, thick lines
Simple, solid, basic models
Burberry
Life Style suggestions may be good to hear
T stage of the Total Look inevitably exaggerated, it may be, and Camilla Belle, the choice of boots with a rugged flavor to dilute the Floral Skirt openwork knit with a "rural flavor" can instantly change from the old-fashioned fashion.
● rural flavor of the hollow sweaters, need to shape Zhuopu wooden bracelets, sweet romance flowers decorative, rather than aggressive in recent years, those extremely hot rivets, metal and other rock style accessories.
● filled with big Logo, and Bling Bling or handbag, not suitable for use with hollow with a sweater, knitting bag or vintage leather satchel taste very strong, is the appropriate choice.
● The more old-fashioned style to the more need to reconcile the youthful temperament, so if you are no longer twenty-eight Love the girl, or try to carefully choose.
B 70's teen idol born naturally white
Now you also believe that the pastoral = Saika, that this season in white dress playing in the garden, should give you a thorough update of this idea. Faction was represented by simple Bottega Veneta and YSL, with almost no processed white cotton cloth, but using Chouzhe, straps and other decorations, simply stylish interpretation of a rare taste. Go girl Zeyi line D & G lotus leaf and lace layered, with cowboy boots and tough, with a sweet Lolita tower rebellious temperament. As for Chloe's fairy veil, as if the 70s fantasy art films heroine, if there is not enough beauty and temperament, in fact more difficult to manage.
2011年3月6日星期日
Living the dolce vita: Milan's glamorous catwalks
Italian fashion's raison d'etre has always been wearable luxury, ever since plucky young things like Emilio Pucci first made their way across the Atlantic in the mid-20th century to provide an international market with chic, simple couture that could be produced and bought at a fraction of Parisian prices.
Last week in Milan, the country's top fashion houses stayed true to this heritage. Okay, okay, not everyone is going to be able to pull off – or afford – one of Gucci's bright purple furs, Prada's roomy python jackets or Dolce & Gabbana's bedazzling golden evening gowns (luxury comes with a capital "L" for autumn/winter 2011/12, by the way), but it seems likely that a lot of people will want to. And why? Because it all just seemed fun, plain and simple – high-end without being too high concept, upmarket but not too uptight. In fact, a lot of the collections seemed to have a sense of optimism, colour and freshness that is more characteristic of the spring/summer season – take the D&G show, for example, possibly the most youthful, fluorescent and irreverent collection that Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce have produced in years. Or Angela Missoni's offering – a bright pastel paean to leisurely outdoorsiness, replete with what looked like suede and snake wellies. Of course this is Milan so, like it or lump it, there was a huge amount of fur. But, moral problems aside, even the most extravagant of these were far from heavy or dowdy. Karl Lagerfeld stuffed his full of glitter at Fendi. Gucci seemed to go twice round the rainbow in mink. Add a sense of cinematic mystery – Emporio Armani did spies, Gucci did femme fatale, the Jil Sander girls could have been female Bond villains – a pretty thrilling first foot into the new season.
Collage/Clash
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All over Milan runways, designers played with eye-grabbing clashes of texture, colour and mood, both in looks and individual pieces. The first evidence of this was at Fendi, where what looked like a wall-sized collage of papery swatches formed the backdrop for a collection that was all about unexpected mixtures and chic assemblage. Voluminous coats, gathered daintily at the elbow, looked as if they'd been assembled from a series of disparate elements, garnished as they were with coloured patches, false lapels, piping, shawl necks and unexpected cutaways. At Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier was also playing a sartorial Frankenstein. Commenting that designing his 1960s-tinged but undoubtedly forward-looking winter collection "was like being in a laboratory" he did his best to create some sublime mismatches of textile, pattern and style. Fur and nylon met on an oversized, amber-coloured parka; spidery prints in deep yellow, green and orange vied against each other in clashing twinsets; delicate, neutral silk blouses were paired with mottled orange suits in a blotchy, thick wool weave. At Salvatore Ferragamo, Massimiliano Giornetti also got his clash on, playing with classic menswear textiles – houndstooth, pinstripe, woven wool – by setting them against each other (and black and white leopard print) in composite dresses and mix-and-match suiting. Meanwhile at Dolce & Gabbana – a superbly entertaining, surprisingly youthful show in which masculine tailoring and star prints were the defining elements – the designers proudly proclaimed that "clothes and accessories are mixed almost randomly, with no rules".
Iridescent
Nothing draws attention like a sparkly dress and it seemed like Milan was keen to push this 1980s favourite for winter 2011/12. Dolce & Gabbana produced the most bombastic expression of this: a knee-length, long-sleeved gold number in sequins and stars; answered in separates by similar skirts, trousers and oversized dinner jackets. But there was a range of intriguing takes on the trend, from the futuristic, metallic gleam of the heavily layered looks at Roberto Cavalli to the rhinestone-bedecked dresses at Emilio Pucci and the intricately woven, geometric glitter shifts at Marni. At Versus, Versace protégé Christopher Kane used sequins and iridescent glitter as a counterbalance to his winter collection's somewhat surprising sobriety. In Kane's predominantly black looks, which mixed simple, tailored shapes with corsetry and boning at the midriff, glitter became a jarring accent, splashed over the front of dresses in a triangle check pattern and encrusted upon the thick heels of clunky platform shoes. Miuccia Prada, of course, didn't present anything so obvious as a sequin in her fascinating, 1920s-meets-1960s Prada collection, but towards the end of the show she fielded a series of dresses (worn with fur and intricately textured plastic bathing caps) in which pearlescent fish scales (not unlike something that Paco Rabanne might have come up with in his heyday) swished and tinkled against each other for a delightfully shimmery effect. It was half cocktail party, half synchronised swimming gala – and all the better for the confusion between the two.
Green
The Autumn/winter palette in Milan was full of loud, arresting shades, continuing a trend for colour-blocking that has been on and off the runways for the past five years. But if there was one colour that predominated for winter (last season we had orange) it had to be green. Frida Giannini got the ball rolling with her astoundingly luxurious, darkly mysterious collection for Gucci, which was a riot of colour, fur and glamour; spot-on, not just for the brand, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, but for the season. The opening looks said it all: a teal goat shawl, a deep green chiffon dress, an emerald python blazer and a bulky, turquoise fur coat trailing equally bright foxtails. Though Giannini went through some gorgeous shades of amber, mauve, pink and red, it was those deep greens that she returned to for the finale piece – a sheer, halternecked evening gown topped by an elaborate set of handmade green flowers that seemed to burst into bloom across the shoulders. And where Giannini began, others seemed to follow: at Prada, green was a dominant colour in the maxi-tartan print, low-belted dresses (wryly cut with a swooping back), as well as the snakeskin jackets, furs and boots (which came served up with a tromp l'oeuil dance shoe on the foot). Marni, too, had its fair share of green in its geometric-print, cropped-sleeve jackets, deep-green fur coats and contrasting jewelled neckpieces. And Peter Dundas's Emilio Pucci collection, inspired in part by the rustic colours of Tyrolean dress, was almost green all over, beginning with the kaleidoscopic, lace-embellished print dress that he opened with.
Oversize
Alongside all the rather upfront glitter and glamour of the Milan collections, several of the more forward-thinking designers were getting a bit tricksy with the shape of the human body, playing with proportions and creating an interesting, slightly hulking silhouette. At one more wearable end of the spectrum, there was D&G, where a renewed vigour for all things 1980s called for masculine, oversized blazers. The feminine/masculine mix-up also made for broad shoulders at Salvatore Ferragamo, where models donned suit jackets with veryWall Street shoulder pads. But the most exciting developments came from Milan's intellectuals, namely Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. The former tailored her jackets with a wide armhole and an odd, curving seam that wound around the back of the arm to a cropped sleeve. The result was lobsterish in the best sense possible – one of those unique frumpy/chic touches that have become Prada's unmistakable trademark. Raf Simons, meanwhile, was all about extending the body in the most extreme ways possible in his Jil Sander collection, which featured simple, massive jackets with a sleeve that was turned and dropped to the front – resulting in a sandwich-board-like flat back. It's probable there might not be many takers for his satin, padded duvet dress (the challenge of the season will be to see if anyone can wear it and not look like a walking bolster) but the rest of his silhouettes had a graphic impact that made this one of the strongest Jil Sander collections since he started.
Florals
A bit of a surprise for winter, this, but what can you do? Gucci did flowers, Just Cavalli did flowers, Jil Sander did flowers: it's undeniable. But the concept of extravagant blooms suddenly opening in winter chimed nicely with the rest of the colour and glitter that marked the season and has a nice, irreverent sense of humour to it. This, of course, was the whole point at Moschino, where the brand's logo above the catwalk was rendered in red roses; the flowers dictating the colour palette of white, navy and bright scarlet. In a collection that took many cues from naval dress – visored caps, gold rope and aviators were all in play – the roses provided a shock of romanticism and towards the end were rolled out in a maxi print for dresses and dinner jacket lapels, as well as a humorous headpiece (there was also a chicken hat kicking about – though it's anyone's guess as to what trend that's part of).
Raf Simon's flowers – printed on the neat surfaces of his spacious dresses – were similarly large and bold, though of a darker variety.
Last week in Milan, the country's top fashion houses stayed true to this heritage. Okay, okay, not everyone is going to be able to pull off – or afford – one of Gucci's bright purple furs, Prada's roomy python jackets or Dolce & Gabbana's bedazzling golden evening gowns (luxury comes with a capital "L" for autumn/winter 2011/12, by the way), but it seems likely that a lot of people will want to. And why? Because it all just seemed fun, plain and simple – high-end without being too high concept, upmarket but not too uptight. In fact, a lot of the collections seemed to have a sense of optimism, colour and freshness that is more characteristic of the spring/summer season – take the D&G show, for example, possibly the most youthful, fluorescent and irreverent collection that Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce have produced in years. Or Angela Missoni's offering – a bright pastel paean to leisurely outdoorsiness, replete with what looked like suede and snake wellies. Of course this is Milan so, like it or lump it, there was a huge amount of fur. But, moral problems aside, even the most extravagant of these were far from heavy or dowdy. Karl Lagerfeld stuffed his full of glitter at Fendi. Gucci seemed to go twice round the rainbow in mink. Add a sense of cinematic mystery – Emporio Armani did spies, Gucci did femme fatale, the Jil Sander girls could have been female Bond villains – a pretty thrilling first foot into the new season.
Collage/Clash
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All over Milan runways, designers played with eye-grabbing clashes of texture, colour and mood, both in looks and individual pieces. The first evidence of this was at Fendi, where what looked like a wall-sized collage of papery swatches formed the backdrop for a collection that was all about unexpected mixtures and chic assemblage. Voluminous coats, gathered daintily at the elbow, looked as if they'd been assembled from a series of disparate elements, garnished as they were with coloured patches, false lapels, piping, shawl necks and unexpected cutaways. At Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier was also playing a sartorial Frankenstein. Commenting that designing his 1960s-tinged but undoubtedly forward-looking winter collection "was like being in a laboratory" he did his best to create some sublime mismatches of textile, pattern and style. Fur and nylon met on an oversized, amber-coloured parka; spidery prints in deep yellow, green and orange vied against each other in clashing twinsets; delicate, neutral silk blouses were paired with mottled orange suits in a blotchy, thick wool weave. At Salvatore Ferragamo, Massimiliano Giornetti also got his clash on, playing with classic menswear textiles – houndstooth, pinstripe, woven wool – by setting them against each other (and black and white leopard print) in composite dresses and mix-and-match suiting. Meanwhile at Dolce & Gabbana – a superbly entertaining, surprisingly youthful show in which masculine tailoring and star prints were the defining elements – the designers proudly proclaimed that "clothes and accessories are mixed almost randomly, with no rules".
Iridescent
Nothing draws attention like a sparkly dress and it seemed like Milan was keen to push this 1980s favourite for winter 2011/12. Dolce & Gabbana produced the most bombastic expression of this: a knee-length, long-sleeved gold number in sequins and stars; answered in separates by similar skirts, trousers and oversized dinner jackets. But there was a range of intriguing takes on the trend, from the futuristic, metallic gleam of the heavily layered looks at Roberto Cavalli to the rhinestone-bedecked dresses at Emilio Pucci and the intricately woven, geometric glitter shifts at Marni. At Versus, Versace protégé Christopher Kane used sequins and iridescent glitter as a counterbalance to his winter collection's somewhat surprising sobriety. In Kane's predominantly black looks, which mixed simple, tailored shapes with corsetry and boning at the midriff, glitter became a jarring accent, splashed over the front of dresses in a triangle check pattern and encrusted upon the thick heels of clunky platform shoes. Miuccia Prada, of course, didn't present anything so obvious as a sequin in her fascinating, 1920s-meets-1960s Prada collection, but towards the end of the show she fielded a series of dresses (worn with fur and intricately textured plastic bathing caps) in which pearlescent fish scales (not unlike something that Paco Rabanne might have come up with in his heyday) swished and tinkled against each other for a delightfully shimmery effect. It was half cocktail party, half synchronised swimming gala – and all the better for the confusion between the two.
Green
The Autumn/winter palette in Milan was full of loud, arresting shades, continuing a trend for colour-blocking that has been on and off the runways for the past five years. But if there was one colour that predominated for winter (last season we had orange) it had to be green. Frida Giannini got the ball rolling with her astoundingly luxurious, darkly mysterious collection for Gucci, which was a riot of colour, fur and glamour; spot-on, not just for the brand, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, but for the season. The opening looks said it all: a teal goat shawl, a deep green chiffon dress, an emerald python blazer and a bulky, turquoise fur coat trailing equally bright foxtails. Though Giannini went through some gorgeous shades of amber, mauve, pink and red, it was those deep greens that she returned to for the finale piece – a sheer, halternecked evening gown topped by an elaborate set of handmade green flowers that seemed to burst into bloom across the shoulders. And where Giannini began, others seemed to follow: at Prada, green was a dominant colour in the maxi-tartan print, low-belted dresses (wryly cut with a swooping back), as well as the snakeskin jackets, furs and boots (which came served up with a tromp l'oeuil dance shoe on the foot). Marni, too, had its fair share of green in its geometric-print, cropped-sleeve jackets, deep-green fur coats and contrasting jewelled neckpieces. And Peter Dundas's Emilio Pucci collection, inspired in part by the rustic colours of Tyrolean dress, was almost green all over, beginning with the kaleidoscopic, lace-embellished print dress that he opened with.
Oversize
Alongside all the rather upfront glitter and glamour of the Milan collections, several of the more forward-thinking designers were getting a bit tricksy with the shape of the human body, playing with proportions and creating an interesting, slightly hulking silhouette. At one more wearable end of the spectrum, there was D&G, where a renewed vigour for all things 1980s called for masculine, oversized blazers. The feminine/masculine mix-up also made for broad shoulders at Salvatore Ferragamo, where models donned suit jackets with veryWall Street shoulder pads. But the most exciting developments came from Milan's intellectuals, namely Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. The former tailored her jackets with a wide armhole and an odd, curving seam that wound around the back of the arm to a cropped sleeve. The result was lobsterish in the best sense possible – one of those unique frumpy/chic touches that have become Prada's unmistakable trademark. Raf Simons, meanwhile, was all about extending the body in the most extreme ways possible in his Jil Sander collection, which featured simple, massive jackets with a sleeve that was turned and dropped to the front – resulting in a sandwich-board-like flat back. It's probable there might not be many takers for his satin, padded duvet dress (the challenge of the season will be to see if anyone can wear it and not look like a walking bolster) but the rest of his silhouettes had a graphic impact that made this one of the strongest Jil Sander collections since he started.
Florals
A bit of a surprise for winter, this, but what can you do? Gucci did flowers, Just Cavalli did flowers, Jil Sander did flowers: it's undeniable. But the concept of extravagant blooms suddenly opening in winter chimed nicely with the rest of the colour and glitter that marked the season and has a nice, irreverent sense of humour to it. This, of course, was the whole point at Moschino, where the brand's logo above the catwalk was rendered in red roses; the flowers dictating the colour palette of white, navy and bright scarlet. In a collection that took many cues from naval dress – visored caps, gold rope and aviators were all in play – the roses provided a shock of romanticism and towards the end were rolled out in a maxi print for dresses and dinner jacket lapels, as well as a humorous headpiece (there was also a chicken hat kicking about – though it's anyone's guess as to what trend that's part of).
Raf Simon's flowers – printed on the neat surfaces of his spacious dresses – were similarly large and bold, though of a darker variety.
2011年3月2日星期三
MFW frontline reports: Jodie Ball, WGSN fashion editor
Fashion week might be an endless parade of parties, paparazzi and freebies for some, but it's a different story for the people running the show. In our fashion week blogger series, industry insiders tell us what it's really like to be a part of the fashion week whirlwind.
Jodie Ball, WGSN fashion editor, talks us through her day at Milan Fashion Week.
The day begins with one of my favourite shows of the week, Marni. Wacky colour mixes, bold patterns – this season inspired by Constructivist geometrics, and a hefty dose of sequinned shimmer is probably one of the best ways to kick start a grey and drizzly morning in Milan. In honour of Marni's always upbeat mood, I decide to slip on my current favourite fashion week item – a vintage shantung silk pencil skirt in the most eye watering neon pink you've ever seen. But this after all is Milan, and you're nobody unless you wear a little black, so I pair it with a sheer black D&G shirt with a mad fluffy ruffled front, a camel coat from Zara and black spike-heeled Nicholas Kirkwood ankle boots. I actually got snapped for Grazia's street style pages wearing this skirt which was fun, but it made me cringe when a copy got passed round the WGSN offices!
It was a great collection, perhaps fewer sequins than usual so when the show finishes I nip backstage to get a closer look. I find glittery knits – which have been cropping up everywhere this season, and dyed furs – mink, fox, beaver and racoon. Italy loves fur but most of the British press have anti-fur policies so it doesn't get much editorial over here. Marni is also great for accessories – a core focus for my work at WGSN as I am responsible for all the catwalk trend analysis across footwear and accessories (including bags, jewellery and eyewear). I have to work out the key items, colours and materials for the season ahead by the time Paris finishes, so I am already forming my ideas now. Marni accessories have a very distinctive modular look but I'm feeling a real return to chunky heels this season, and the shoes with platform and block heel cut from one piece of wood would fit perfectly within this trend.
I realise I'm running late for my appointment at Emporio Armani and dash out to find my driver Luca. Luca is my company for the week as I travel alone for work; he encourages me to eat pizza (his favourite food) and plays James Brown on repeat all week. I don't have the heart to tell to tell him I can't bear listening to Sex Machine AGAIN. We pull up to the Armani showroom which is an oasis of calm after the chaos of Saturday's show – Armani draws big crowds in Milan and the nearby roads are always packed with people. It's important for me to schedule what we call "re-see appointments" after a show, as I get to see the collection in detail – I can touch the fabrics, examine the details and really get to grips with looks you see for just 30 seconds on the runway.
After a quick slice of pizza (Luca was finally satisfied) we head over to Bottega Veneta for another re-see. Co-incidentally I saw pizza being delivered to the showroom... it seems even super chic people eat pizza too! The show on Saturday was beautiful but you simply cannot appreciate the exquisite detailing until you get to hold it in your hands. There were purposely bobbled wools, suede-threaded crochet knits, oil-polished staining, crackled wax prints and eight different types of lace.
Then it's show time again and I head over to Dolce & Gabbana which is a hive of activity. I arrive just in time to grab my seat before the Teddy boys and ritzy glitzy girls dressed in the shiniest sequins you can imagine start their parade. It's a big show with multiple models on the runway at once, making it really hard for me to catch each look individually which is important as I have to write a detailed collection review for WGSN. But it was kitsch and fun with some great commercial print directions; expect to see pussy-bow blouses in star prints everywhere next season.
In quick succession I hit up the Missoni, Versus and Salvatore Ferragamo shows. Missoni offered beautiful colour – candy pastels that gently faded into one another on super soft knits while Ferragamo swapped the 70s of last season for a strong 80s look with power dressed city girls who looked ready to make some serious money on Wall Street in their pinstriped tailoring.
MyDaily's contributing editor Christopher Kane offered a small and focused collection for Versace's sister label Versus. He is obviously obsessed with Little Black Dresses at the moment – first presenting ones decorated with colourful gel-filled squiggles for his own line in London last week and now here, with glittery geometric prints and sexy cut-away panels that revealed sheer corsets with rigid boning. It's a strong season for LBDs which is great news because it's such a commercially viable trend.
And so my last day in Milan is over and I head straight for the airport, my head buzzing with everything I've seen. But before I can consider the trends, there is just enough flight time to settle down with a Bloody Mary (my in-flight drink), open the laptop and wonder how on earth I'm going to wrap up my whole day's activities into one blog post for MyDaily. Now let's see, what shall I cut out? My interview with Angela Missoni or the fact I saw boxed pizzas being delivered to the Bottega Veneta showroom... Hmmm, I know which I think is juicier!
Jodie Ball, WGSN fashion editor, talks us through her day at Milan Fashion Week.
The day begins with one of my favourite shows of the week, Marni. Wacky colour mixes, bold patterns – this season inspired by Constructivist geometrics, and a hefty dose of sequinned shimmer is probably one of the best ways to kick start a grey and drizzly morning in Milan. In honour of Marni's always upbeat mood, I decide to slip on my current favourite fashion week item – a vintage shantung silk pencil skirt in the most eye watering neon pink you've ever seen. But this after all is Milan, and you're nobody unless you wear a little black, so I pair it with a sheer black D&G shirt with a mad fluffy ruffled front, a camel coat from Zara and black spike-heeled Nicholas Kirkwood ankle boots. I actually got snapped for Grazia's street style pages wearing this skirt which was fun, but it made me cringe when a copy got passed round the WGSN offices!
It was a great collection, perhaps fewer sequins than usual so when the show finishes I nip backstage to get a closer look. I find glittery knits – which have been cropping up everywhere this season, and dyed furs – mink, fox, beaver and racoon. Italy loves fur but most of the British press have anti-fur policies so it doesn't get much editorial over here. Marni is also great for accessories – a core focus for my work at WGSN as I am responsible for all the catwalk trend analysis across footwear and accessories (including bags, jewellery and eyewear). I have to work out the key items, colours and materials for the season ahead by the time Paris finishes, so I am already forming my ideas now. Marni accessories have a very distinctive modular look but I'm feeling a real return to chunky heels this season, and the shoes with platform and block heel cut from one piece of wood would fit perfectly within this trend.
I realise I'm running late for my appointment at Emporio Armani and dash out to find my driver Luca. Luca is my company for the week as I travel alone for work; he encourages me to eat pizza (his favourite food) and plays James Brown on repeat all week. I don't have the heart to tell to tell him I can't bear listening to Sex Machine AGAIN. We pull up to the Armani showroom which is an oasis of calm after the chaos of Saturday's show – Armani draws big crowds in Milan and the nearby roads are always packed with people. It's important for me to schedule what we call "re-see appointments" after a show, as I get to see the collection in detail – I can touch the fabrics, examine the details and really get to grips with looks you see for just 30 seconds on the runway.
After a quick slice of pizza (Luca was finally satisfied) we head over to Bottega Veneta for another re-see. Co-incidentally I saw pizza being delivered to the showroom... it seems even super chic people eat pizza too! The show on Saturday was beautiful but you simply cannot appreciate the exquisite detailing until you get to hold it in your hands. There were purposely bobbled wools, suede-threaded crochet knits, oil-polished staining, crackled wax prints and eight different types of lace.
Then it's show time again and I head over to Dolce & Gabbana which is a hive of activity. I arrive just in time to grab my seat before the Teddy boys and ritzy glitzy girls dressed in the shiniest sequins you can imagine start their parade. It's a big show with multiple models on the runway at once, making it really hard for me to catch each look individually which is important as I have to write a detailed collection review for WGSN. But it was kitsch and fun with some great commercial print directions; expect to see pussy-bow blouses in star prints everywhere next season.
In quick succession I hit up the Missoni, Versus and Salvatore Ferragamo shows. Missoni offered beautiful colour – candy pastels that gently faded into one another on super soft knits while Ferragamo swapped the 70s of last season for a strong 80s look with power dressed city girls who looked ready to make some serious money on Wall Street in their pinstriped tailoring.
MyDaily's contributing editor Christopher Kane offered a small and focused collection for Versace's sister label Versus. He is obviously obsessed with Little Black Dresses at the moment – first presenting ones decorated with colourful gel-filled squiggles for his own line in London last week and now here, with glittery geometric prints and sexy cut-away panels that revealed sheer corsets with rigid boning. It's a strong season for LBDs which is great news because it's such a commercially viable trend.
And so my last day in Milan is over and I head straight for the airport, my head buzzing with everything I've seen. But before I can consider the trends, there is just enough flight time to settle down with a Bloody Mary (my in-flight drink), open the laptop and wonder how on earth I'm going to wrap up my whole day's activities into one blog post for MyDaily. Now let's see, what shall I cut out? My interview with Angela Missoni or the fact I saw boxed pizzas being delivered to the Bottega Veneta showroom... Hmmm, I know which I think is juicier!
2011年2月27日星期日
Keri Hilson goes for a blend of edge and grace
These days, pop stars' outlandish get-ups sometimes eclipse their music, making them seem more like sideshow attractions than serious musicians. So it's almost a surprise to know there are still some singers who can maintain enviable chic.
Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for an interview on a recent sunny weekday morning.
Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer. (She was in contention last year for best new artist and best rap/sung collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne-Yo and performed at this year's official post-Grammy party alongside the Roots.) It also doesn't hurt that she is statuesque, has a perfectly coiffed bright honey-blond bob and has limbs so long and toned that she hardly needs the extra height her Report Signature 5-inch black platform wedges give her. (And, OK, maybe wearing a fuchsia bodysuit at 10 a.m. could also have something to do with all the necks craned in her direction.)
Hilson's lithe 5-foot-9 frame came from a childhood spent swimming regularly in her hometown of Decatur, Ga. At 14, she went on to compete in the U.S. Junior Nationals. Her involvement in swimming and basketball also dictated her early look, influencing the self-proclaimed tomboy to sport baggy pants and plaid shirts rather than the look-at-me platform shoes and fine jewelry she dons today.
"Growing up, I was a lot more boyish," says Hilson, who at this point has swaddled herself in a bathrobe for warmth, cloaking her Brian Lichtenberg body suit and black suspender trousers from Hollywood Boulevard boutique Lallure. "I only shopped in the men's department of Rich's and Macy's. My mom would drop me off in the men's section and do her shopping in the women's section."
Hilson's preference for men's khakis, plaid button-down flannels and polo shirts as a teenager was also a reflection of the musicians (and fellow Georgians) she listened to growing up. "TLC had a lot to do with bringing back the tomboy look," she says. "The '90s was an era of mixing masculine and feminine. You might wear a cutoff shirt and show your girlie parts but then sag your jeans. I always loved the blend of hard and soft. Like, 'OK, if I'm showing this, then I'm not showing this.' "
It wasn't until she dived head first into music -- majoring in theater and performing regularly at Emory University -- that her current look started to emerge. "My style is always a good blend of edge and spunkiness and grace," says Hilson, who loves really bold, angular prints and is obsessed with houndstooth. She collects it in all forms, including scarves and armchairs, and has worn the print in every one of her videos. She even incorporated it into album covers and the background of her Twitter page.
Hilson describes her day-to-day look as "spunky with hard lines and polish." Case in point: She favors Dsquared's sharp street-aesthetic, oversized sunglasses. (Gucci sunglasses are also a mainstay, but at the moment she loves a huge square pair from Grey Ant), flat boots from Miu Miu and accessories from designer Melody Ehsani, with whom Hilson collaborated to create a gold "No Boys Allowed" pendant in honor of her new album.
Onstage -- where she has been a lot lately, promoting the new album and the single "Pretty Girl Rock," an anthem encouraging women to be confident with their looks -- Hilson's style is drastically different from her everyday look. "Onstage, I'm the superhero version of myself," she says. "When I perform, there's more leather and a lot of black, very strong pieces." The style is more an extension of her sound than a costume teetering on performance art, a la Lady Gaga or Cher.
"I dress a lot stronger because that's the way I feel my music is. In my everyday life, I'm more relaxed and carefree, but when it comes to music and relationships, I am really strong-willed. My [onstage] clothes are almost like putting on body armor," she says. There's that hard and soft again.
One of her softer, more fashion-y moments came at last year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, which she attended with designer Chris Benz, wearing a single-sleeve, brown, blue and marigold circular print dress from Benz's spring 2011 collection.
"It is very ironic," Hilson says through a characteristic wide grin. "My family laughs all the time, they ask me, 'Hmm, do you really like those heels? Or are you just buying them just because?'
"I say, 'No, I actually really like them, thank you.' I can appreciate them. I don't like the way they feel, but I can appreciate a good heel. The tomboy part of me is still very much present, but as undertones. I'm grown now, and I want to look womanly."
Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for an interview on a recent sunny weekday morning.
Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer. (She was in contention last year for best new artist and best rap/sung collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne-Yo and performed at this year's official post-Grammy party alongside the Roots.) It also doesn't hurt that she is statuesque, has a perfectly coiffed bright honey-blond bob and has limbs so long and toned that she hardly needs the extra height her Report Signature 5-inch black platform wedges give her. (And, OK, maybe wearing a fuchsia bodysuit at 10 a.m. could also have something to do with all the necks craned in her direction.)
Hilson's lithe 5-foot-9 frame came from a childhood spent swimming regularly in her hometown of Decatur, Ga. At 14, she went on to compete in the U.S. Junior Nationals. Her involvement in swimming and basketball also dictated her early look, influencing the self-proclaimed tomboy to sport baggy pants and plaid shirts rather than the look-at-me platform shoes and fine jewelry she dons today.
"Growing up, I was a lot more boyish," says Hilson, who at this point has swaddled herself in a bathrobe for warmth, cloaking her Brian Lichtenberg body suit and black suspender trousers from Hollywood Boulevard boutique Lallure. "I only shopped in the men's department of Rich's and Macy's. My mom would drop me off in the men's section and do her shopping in the women's section."
Hilson's preference for men's khakis, plaid button-down flannels and polo shirts as a teenager was also a reflection of the musicians (and fellow Georgians) she listened to growing up. "TLC had a lot to do with bringing back the tomboy look," she says. "The '90s was an era of mixing masculine and feminine. You might wear a cutoff shirt and show your girlie parts but then sag your jeans. I always loved the blend of hard and soft. Like, 'OK, if I'm showing this, then I'm not showing this.' "
It wasn't until she dived head first into music -- majoring in theater and performing regularly at Emory University -- that her current look started to emerge. "My style is always a good blend of edge and spunkiness and grace," says Hilson, who loves really bold, angular prints and is obsessed with houndstooth. She collects it in all forms, including scarves and armchairs, and has worn the print in every one of her videos. She even incorporated it into album covers and the background of her Twitter page.
Hilson describes her day-to-day look as "spunky with hard lines and polish." Case in point: She favors Dsquared's sharp street-aesthetic, oversized sunglasses. (Gucci sunglasses are also a mainstay, but at the moment she loves a huge square pair from Grey Ant), flat boots from Miu Miu and accessories from designer Melody Ehsani, with whom Hilson collaborated to create a gold "No Boys Allowed" pendant in honor of her new album.
Onstage -- where she has been a lot lately, promoting the new album and the single "Pretty Girl Rock," an anthem encouraging women to be confident with their looks -- Hilson's style is drastically different from her everyday look. "Onstage, I'm the superhero version of myself," she says. "When I perform, there's more leather and a lot of black, very strong pieces." The style is more an extension of her sound than a costume teetering on performance art, a la Lady Gaga or Cher.
"I dress a lot stronger because that's the way I feel my music is. In my everyday life, I'm more relaxed and carefree, but when it comes to music and relationships, I am really strong-willed. My [onstage] clothes are almost like putting on body armor," she says. There's that hard and soft again.
One of her softer, more fashion-y moments came at last year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, which she attended with designer Chris Benz, wearing a single-sleeve, brown, blue and marigold circular print dress from Benz's spring 2011 collection.
"It is very ironic," Hilson says through a characteristic wide grin. "My family laughs all the time, they ask me, 'Hmm, do you really like those heels? Or are you just buying them just because?'
"I say, 'No, I actually really like them, thank you.' I can appreciate them. I don't like the way they feel, but I can appreciate a good heel. The tomboy part of me is still very much present, but as undertones. I'm grown now, and I want to look womanly."
2011年2月24日星期四
Keri Hilson goes for a blend of edge and grace
These days, pop stars' outlandish get-ups sometimes eclipse their music, making them seem more like sideshow attractions than serious musicians. So it's almost a surprise to know there are still some singers who can maintain enviable chic.
Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for an interview on a recent sunny weekday morning.
Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer. (She was in contention last year for best new artist and best rap/sung collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne-Yo and performed at this year's official post-Grammy party alongside the Roots.) It also doesn't hurt that she is statuesque, has a perfectly coiffed bright honey-blond bob and has limbs so long and toned that she hardly needs the extra height her Report Signature 5-inch black platform wedges give her. (And, OK, maybe wearing a fuchsia bodysuit at 10 a.m. could also have something to do with all the necks craned in her direction.)
Hilson's lithe 5-foot-9 frame came from a childhood spent swimming regularly in her hometown of Decatur, Ga. At 14, she went on to compete in the U.S. Junior Nationals. Her involvement in swimming and basketball also dictated her early look, influencing the self-proclaimed tomboy to sport baggy pants and plaid shirts rather than the look-at-me platform shoes and fine jewelry she dons today.
"Growing up, I was a lot more boyish," says Hilson, who at this point has swaddled herself in a bathrobe for warmth, cloaking her Brian Lichtenberg body suit and black suspender trousers from Hollywood Boulevard boutique Lallure. "I only shopped in the men's department of Rich's and Macy's. My mom would drop me off in the men's section and do her shopping in the women's section."
Hilson's preference for men's khakis, plaid button-down flannels and polo shirts as a teenager was also a reflection of the musicians (and fellow Georgians) she listened to growing up. "TLC had a lot to do with bringing back the tomboy look," she says. "The '90s was an era of mixing masculine and feminine. You might wear a cutoff shirt and show your girlie parts but then sag your jeans. I always loved the blend of hard and soft. Like, 'OK, if I'm showing this, then I'm not showing this.' "
It wasn't until she dived head first into music -- majoring in theater and performing regularly at Emory University -- that her current look started to emerge. "My style is always a good blend of edge and spunkiness and grace," says Hilson, who loves really bold, angular prints and is obsessed with houndstooth. She collects it in all forms, including scarves and armchairs, and has worn the print in every one of her videos. She even incorporated it into album covers and the background of her Twitter page.
Hilson describes her day-to-day look as "spunky with hard lines and polish." Case in point: She favors Dsquared's sharp street-aesthetic, oversized sunglasses. (Gucci sunglasses are also a mainstay, but at the moment she loves a huge square pair from Grey Ant), flat boots from Miu Miu and accessories from designer Melody Ehsani, with whom Hilson collaborated to create a gold "No Boys Allowed" pendant in honor of her new album.
Onstage -- where she has been a lot lately, promoting the new album and the single "Pretty Girl Rock," an anthem encouraging women to be confident with their looks -- Hilson's style is drastically different from her everyday look. "Onstage, I'm the superhero version of myself," she says. "When I perform, there's more leather and a lot of black, very strong pieces." The style is more an extension of her sound than a costume teetering on performance art, a la Lady Gaga or Cher.
"I dress a lot stronger because that's the way I feel my music is. In my everyday life, I'm more relaxed and carefree, but when it comes to music and relationships, I am really strong-willed. My [onstage] clothes are almost like putting on body armor," she says. There's that hard and soft again.
One of her softer, more fashion-y moments came at last year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, which she attended with designer Chris Benz, wearing a single-sleeve, brown, blue and marigold circular print dress from Benz's spring 2011 collection.
"It is very ironic," Hilson says through a characteristic wide grin. "My family laughs all the time, they ask me, 'Hmm, do you really like those heels? Or are you just buying them just because?'
"I say, 'No, I actually really like them, thank you.' I can appreciate them. I don't like the way they feel, but I can appreciate a good heel. The tomboy part of me is still very much present, but as undertones. I'm grown now, and I want to look womanly."
Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for an interview on a recent sunny weekday morning.
Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer. (She was in contention last year for best new artist and best rap/sung collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne-Yo and performed at this year's official post-Grammy party alongside the Roots.) It also doesn't hurt that she is statuesque, has a perfectly coiffed bright honey-blond bob and has limbs so long and toned that she hardly needs the extra height her Report Signature 5-inch black platform wedges give her. (And, OK, maybe wearing a fuchsia bodysuit at 10 a.m. could also have something to do with all the necks craned in her direction.)
Hilson's lithe 5-foot-9 frame came from a childhood spent swimming regularly in her hometown of Decatur, Ga. At 14, she went on to compete in the U.S. Junior Nationals. Her involvement in swimming and basketball also dictated her early look, influencing the self-proclaimed tomboy to sport baggy pants and plaid shirts rather than the look-at-me platform shoes and fine jewelry she dons today.
"Growing up, I was a lot more boyish," says Hilson, who at this point has swaddled herself in a bathrobe for warmth, cloaking her Brian Lichtenberg body suit and black suspender trousers from Hollywood Boulevard boutique Lallure. "I only shopped in the men's department of Rich's and Macy's. My mom would drop me off in the men's section and do her shopping in the women's section."
Hilson's preference for men's khakis, plaid button-down flannels and polo shirts as a teenager was also a reflection of the musicians (and fellow Georgians) she listened to growing up. "TLC had a lot to do with bringing back the tomboy look," she says. "The '90s was an era of mixing masculine and feminine. You might wear a cutoff shirt and show your girlie parts but then sag your jeans. I always loved the blend of hard and soft. Like, 'OK, if I'm showing this, then I'm not showing this.' "
It wasn't until she dived head first into music -- majoring in theater and performing regularly at Emory University -- that her current look started to emerge. "My style is always a good blend of edge and spunkiness and grace," says Hilson, who loves really bold, angular prints and is obsessed with houndstooth. She collects it in all forms, including scarves and armchairs, and has worn the print in every one of her videos. She even incorporated it into album covers and the background of her Twitter page.
Hilson describes her day-to-day look as "spunky with hard lines and polish." Case in point: She favors Dsquared's sharp street-aesthetic, oversized sunglasses. (Gucci sunglasses are also a mainstay, but at the moment she loves a huge square pair from Grey Ant), flat boots from Miu Miu and accessories from designer Melody Ehsani, with whom Hilson collaborated to create a gold "No Boys Allowed" pendant in honor of her new album.
Onstage -- where she has been a lot lately, promoting the new album and the single "Pretty Girl Rock," an anthem encouraging women to be confident with their looks -- Hilson's style is drastically different from her everyday look. "Onstage, I'm the superhero version of myself," she says. "When I perform, there's more leather and a lot of black, very strong pieces." The style is more an extension of her sound than a costume teetering on performance art, a la Lady Gaga or Cher.
"I dress a lot stronger because that's the way I feel my music is. In my everyday life, I'm more relaxed and carefree, but when it comes to music and relationships, I am really strong-willed. My [onstage] clothes are almost like putting on body armor," she says. There's that hard and soft again.
One of her softer, more fashion-y moments came at last year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, which she attended with designer Chris Benz, wearing a single-sleeve, brown, blue and marigold circular print dress from Benz's spring 2011 collection.
"It is very ironic," Hilson says through a characteristic wide grin. "My family laughs all the time, they ask me, 'Hmm, do you really like those heels? Or are you just buying them just because?'
"I say, 'No, I actually really like them, thank you.' I can appreciate them. I don't like the way they feel, but I can appreciate a good heel. The tomboy part of me is still very much present, but as undertones. I'm grown now, and I want to look womanly."
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