Fashion | The Blogazine - Contemporary Lifestyle Magazine

11/04/2011

Tung Walsh / Hercules & Arena Homme +

2DM’s rising star photographer Tung Walsh paid us a much welcome visit this morning while in Milan on for a top-secret shoot. (It’s going to be good, kids!) Meanwhile, we got to enjoy his newest published works in Hercules and Arena Homme +.

First up for Hercules, the most “Mediterranean” of men’s fashion mags, he captured interior design magnate David Collins

Next up for Arena Homme +, Tung went way outside the box. For this very lucky Year of the Rabbit, Tung made a series of brilliant portraits / self-portraits with his family in Kuala Lampur – notably his grandfather and son Angus. And the family is looking particularly fashionable, dressed in everything from Versace, Dior Homme, Ricardo Tisci, Vivienne Westwood, to Ray Ban and Palladium. Oh, Malaysia!

Until next time, Tung!

Tag Christof

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09/04/2011

Essen: Teen Delicatessen / Food Porn

It’s time for spring games. Time to stick fingers into some Chantilly. It’s time for the sensuality of food porn. This editorial is of the season, and loves frosting on strawberries. And to go along with it, we have a very special strawberry recipe for you.

Strawberry Choco Cupcake
2 cups flour
 2 cups butter
 2 tablespoons of cocoa
 1 teaspoon salt 
220 g sugar
 2 eggs
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 4 strawberries for garnish

Strawberry Frosting
2 cups Philadelphia
 1 cup butter
 3 cups icing sugar 
Pinch of salt

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa and salt.
Melt the butter and sugar together until the mixture is  fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat them well.
Unite the mixture with flour.
 Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F

18 and muffin tins lined with paper cups of paper.
Fill the molds with dough, be careful not to fill to the brim, stop at mere.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool before decorating.
 Beat the butter and Philadelphia until mixed well.
Unite the icing sugar and salt, and beat slowly.
Cool the frosting for about 20 minutes before using it.
Decorate the cupcakes with a pastry bag.
Go wild with the frosting’s form! 
Cut strawberries in half and use them to flourish the frosting.

Eat. Feel the pleasure.

Editorial photographed by Nadia Moro and styled by Esmeralda Patisso.

Visit Essen for more fantastic insight into the world of food.

Text Cristina Zaga

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08/04/2011

Sandra Suy for Zara

2DM’s illustrator Sandra Suy knows how to work fashion magic. Her girls are fresh, sexy and always really well dressed. And now they’re on Zara shelves the world over – she’s teamed up with the fast fashion giant for a series of four new fragrances including the delicious Fresia and Violetta that we shot here.

Excellent work, Sandra!

Tag Christof

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07/04/2011

Diego Soprana Gets Glamorous

The newest work from 2DM’s Diego Soprana is a surprising departure from his norm. Usually a maker of rigorous and surrealist imagery, the young illustrator has never ceased to amaze us. But these understated and very elegant images highlight his versatility as an artist and demonstrate his breadth of talent.

With this additional direction, he displays an uncanny sensitivity – something that his usual subversive collage work does in an entirely different way. From the Dior chemise, to the Chanel perfume and sophisticated silhouettes, these are pure style. They are filled with midcentury glamour, solid colour palates, imperfect brush strokes and delicate proportions. Think early motion picture animation. Think Mad Men. Nights out on the town captured in Kodachrome. You can almost see them in a 1960 Bergdorf Goodman window…

Tag Christof – Images 2DM/

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06/04/2011

Architect Barbie Does Milano

Barbie has worn many hats in her long life. Mostly frilly ones, berets, and the kind fancy ladies wear when they go “skiing” in Cortina, but mostly just sit in the lodge and drink hot chocolate. Now, though, she’s donning a harder hat. After being everything from an astronaut to a corporate executive, Barbie’s career trajectory has finally taken a turn we can get into. She’s become a maker-innovator with the release of her latest incarnation: Architect Barbie.

For 2011 she’s taken on a career that’s eminently 21st century and in line with the forward-thinking ladies of today. With Barbie’s obvious appreciation for design – think pink Corvette convertibles and well-furnished plastic mansions – it’s surprising that it’s taken her this long to realise her passion for the built world. And since she’s been in the fashion game her whole life (and has a bigger wardrobe than Franca Sozzani, Anna Wintour and Anna dello Russo combined), it’s about time she used her highly cultivated taste and sense of style to solve some pressing problems. And we’re very happy that our hot plastic friend has broken the glass ceiling of one of the last remaining male-dominated professions.

So, Architect Barbie has arrived to do battle with the likes of Zaha Hadid, Eileen Gray, Kazyuo Sejima and other female luminaries of our day. What will she call her practice? Barbitecture? Will she trade in her subscription to Glamour for Domus and Architectural Digest? And we can only imagine the kinds of buildings she’ll dream up. While she’ll likely be behind some seriously well-executed shopping malls, we hope she’s passionate about urban housing and radical public green spaces, too.

In honour of Salone Del Mobile, Barbie paid us a visit and let her hair down for a whirlwind tour of Milan’s famous architecture. Once we managed to get her out of La Galleria and away from Piazza Duomo, she went absolutely crazy for Torre Pirelli. But Torre Velasca scared the living daylights out of her. And at the end of the day, she proclaimed that she was “so over pink,” thinking about switching to biodegradable plastic, and that Gio Ponti is her new hero.

Now you’re talking, Barbie.

Text and photos by Tag Christof – Very special thanks to Sofia La Rosa

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05/04/2011

Ana Murillas / The Seventh Seal

The second issue of Spanish culture biannual Tiger Magazine is on newsstands. The jumbo journal’s sophomore foray – The Cinema Issue – is even better than its first time out, with interviews with the likes of Olly Alexander, an excellent piece on Diane Pernet, and work by photographers Rankin, Jonathan Hallam, Miguel Villalobos and JM Ferrater. But mostly we love this issue because you can see the work of 2DM’s super stylist Ana Murillas en grande. She did the fashion for an editorial with photographer Richard Jensen based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film The Seventh Seal. With its rocky seaside backdrop and early morning light, Ana and Richard do a fantastic job of bringing the solemn, spiritual mood of the film into fashion.

As a bonus, catch the fun illustration of Ana at the opening of the issue.

Tag Christof

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04/04/2011

The Editorial: Hugh Holland and The Lost Art Of Living

The world over, cities are crawling with glossy girls and prissy boys whose only aim in life seems to be to perfect their appearance. It’s easy to blame fashion, especially from the outside, but the real culprit is much larger, and the exact opposite of fashion. Blame a well-oiled marketing machine, terribly misguided values (embodied in terribly misguided pop stars), and a fragmented Western culture mostly devoid of nagging discomforts…

We recently came across Hugh Holland’s 1970s photographs of Southern California kids who lived life on the decks of skinny, precarious banana skateboards. They commandeered dry swimming pools, they wore tattered Vans and had suntans. Theirs was a beauty that burst from within. Their exuberance and lust for life was boundless – and captured gorgeously by Holland, who was himself interestingly not a skateboarder. He could see that these kids were alive!

Most striking about Holland’s photos, though, is just how sharply their exuberance and energy contrasts with the pretence of today. Sure, more kids skate now, but it’s only because marketing types seized on the sport’s potential. Endorsements. Video games. And now every suburban kid and pretentious fashion victim worth his salt is somehow a skater, bro.

Going down to the stake park is no longer about the art of skating. It’s about trash talk and showing off your jeans. And the days of the banana board and California sunshine are over: not only do kids no longer roam the streets in search of adventure, they aren’t allowed to venture beyond their front doors without a helmet and fifteen kilos of other protective gear. Is this overprotectiveness the root of the problem? What harm did a healthy scratch do? And in an age of preteen Starbucks patrons, maybe its our inability to be kids – and our inability to let our kids be kids – that keeps us from living openly and exuberantly. Who knows.

So, instead of getting out there and pioneering and exploring in search of something truly new, we only seem to be capable of remixing that which came before. Without a moment’s thought about the lifestyle the look was born of, we dress like skaters. Or strap on a pair of Doc Martens we just bought with daddy’s credit card and claim to be punk. (You’re not punk. Full stop.) Or worse still, we copy something that means absolutely nothing. And we take photos of ourselves on the and post them to Lookbook, hoping desperately that someone will validate our desperation with “hype.” Except those hype points… well, if you say so!

Now, we don’t pretend to have a problem with appearance. On the contrary, in fact. But, shouldn’t a look be the result of a life lived? Of a passion? Of a belief? Your own?

Perhaps our old pal Vivienne Westwood said it best when she proclaimed that ‎”Johnny Rotten and all the others were a bunch of conformists. It’s not green hair that makes you different, it’s your brain, your attitude towards life.”

You’ve got that right, Viv.

Catch Holland’s book, Locals Only, at Ammo Books.

Tag Christof – Images courtesy Ammo Books

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31/03/2011

Guest Interview n°24: Liselotte Watkins

You’ve seen her illustrations. If not in magazines like Elle or D Della Repubblica, then on the catwalk for Miu Miu or on her special-edition bottle of Absolut. With a fascination for the nude and Italian architecture, her work is captivating, crowd-pleasing and multifaceted. She could never imagine doing anything other than drawing, and is a busy bee, at the moment finalizing work for several publications and fashion clients.

The Blogazine was lucky enough to catch up with Liselotte Watkins for a long conversation, just a few weeks before Salone del Mobile where her collaboration with Valextra will debut.

Your illustrations are recognizable to the masses, yet your actual identity is quite enigmatic. You even have your own Absolut Vodka! So, who exactly is the real Liselott Watkins?
Haha! I didn’t know I was that mysterious! I’m an illustrator and the most important thing is that my drawings are visible. I have never felt the need to be seen personally. The fact that I have my own Vodka is a little crazy and very fun! However, it feels like the Vodka is for my drawings more than for me.

How did your success get its start?
Success is such a vague conception. I feel that every project I get and every drawing that I do is a success. I rarely feel nostalgic and I’m terrified of the day when I’ll feel content. What is most important is now, and what you do. To just sit and look at your work and feel satisfied is too counterproductive. Upward forward!

What does your creative process look like?
I have just started to photograph a lot as a basis for my images. Every occasion is a challenge. I usually work a lot with models and that collaboration is quite inspiring. What I’m trying to do is to convey a feeling to the models and explain a process. I’m not the greatest behind a camera but the models are extremely talented and make my job so much easier. Afterwards I draw by hand and if I need colour I use the computer. To tint, I always use Photoshop which is not too practical since it is designed for photographers. However, I do like that you can see my lines instead of the computer’s re-made ones.

You’re Swedish, but work from Italy. Are there noticeable differences between the Swedish and Italian creative industries?
I still work a lot with Sweden and other countries, but it has been great fun beginning to work here as well. It’s nice to have collaborations where you are based. It gets much more personal in a way. The fashion here has a much greater history and the craftsmanship is amazing. That’s very inspiring. It’s such a big part of Milan and the present, since you run into co-workers on your free time. The fashion in Sweden has become much stronger in recent years but is still small in comparison with Italy.

How much inspiration can one find in Milan?
A lot! I love the aesthetics in this city. I’ve started to draw plenty more architectural and surroundings since I arrived here. I share my office with two architectural firms, which might be one source of inspiration. Everyday I see things which leaves me speechless. Say, when opening the gates to a palazzo and being struck by these amazing, secret gardens. It’s just incredible how much beauty that lays hidden here in Milan. On the other hand, the fashion isn’t very eccentric or exciting. It’s very much “same old.” A bit more playfulness couldn’t hurt!

And about your collaboration with Miu Miu… how on Earth did your illustrations end up on the catwalk? What was it like to work with one of the world most influential Maisons?
Well, I wouldn’t call it a collaboration, that’s a bit exaggerated. They saw my drawings in a book I was in and chose some illustrations which they wanted to use in the collection. I sent them the drawings and they turned them all into magic! I’m not taking any cred for that. Then the relationship continued with some other things, and they have an incredible professional team.

Where do you go for your everyday escape?
I have never understood the idea of everyday. Is an everyday even necessary? And why would I have the need to escaping? Maybe I’m just lucky, having the most amazing husband and friends who make every day feel like a weekday. My job is also something that surrounds me almost constantly. It’s not like you leave the studio at six and feel pleased for the day.

What is the project of your dream?
The nicest feeling I know is starting a new project. When it’s all about the ideas in your mind and you’ve barely touched the pen. When I photograph a model and I see the image in my mind. I have a lot of freedom when working with my clients and that is a very nice thing. I hardly ever feel the need to compromise. My hope for the future is that it remains the same and that I keep improving at what I do!

What do you prefer to draw when you’re not working?
I mean, I draw whatever I want when working, so I guess it’s all the same thing. But when I do it all my way, I draw more nudity!

It’s a Monday morning, 2021. What does your day look like?
Oh, well my son will be 11 by then, which means that I won’t have to wake up at 06.00 a.m anymore, hopefully. That would be nice. Other than that, I hope everything is as fun as it is today and that I have an amazing office with millions of projects.

I guess that you receive tons of requests of all different kinds, but how do you choose which ones to do?
My agencies and I choose together among all the requests. I tend to say yes to a little too much and they know my schedule better than I do, so they can stop me when I already have a lot of things going on. It’s extremely nice to have agencies.

Could you tell us a little bit more about your collaboration with Valextra for Salone in April?
They had seen my images in D and wanted do have a meeting. I’m very impressed by the company and the quality of their products is just amazing. The craftsmanship is like a dream and I truly love a solid piece of work! So we met and talked about what we could do together. I recently made a couple of images for the window displays, which will be shown at their shop here in Milan, as well as a few images for their interior. They will be seen from the beginning of the week of Salone!

Where in Milan will we see you in the near future?
You will see my work in D of course. Then I hope for more fun collaborations to pop up!

You are extremely productive and I get the feeling that you always have a ton of projects at the same time. Do you never get tired of drawing?
No way!

Interview and Translation Emelly Blomqvist – Images courtesy LundLund Sweden

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29/03/2011

Daniel Sannwald & Tamara Cincik / Test Mag

Photographer Daniel Sannwald shot this treat for Test alongside 2DM’s lovely London stylist Tamara Cincik. Dressed in Michael Van Der Ham (which you can find in Italy only at Luisa Via Roma and The Corner), and rad shades by Janz & Copper, model Elena Sudakova moves in suspended animation through the fractured and trancelike scene. Absolutely stunning.

The short is set to the killer track “Birds of Prey” by Architeq, so watch with headphones on and volume cranked way up.

Tag Christof – Video courtesy Test

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21/03/2011

Luisa Via Roma’s Toxic Friend

 Irreverence isn’t generally a feature of Italian fashion. Classic, sartorial, elegant, yes – all of which are well and good – but when it comes to the occasional colouring outside the lines, there aren’t many options. Thankfully, Toxic Toy of Florence has come to the rescue and is nothing if not irreverent. The brand is a cheeky little buggar among men in stodgy pinstripes, and makes some seriously fun wearables.

Toxic Toy was behind the must-have “My Blog Is Bigger Than Yours” T-shirts for this year’s Firenze4Ever event, and has garnered a mini-cult following thanks to its special editions primarily for Luisa Via Roma. The line consists of men’s, women’s and children’s collections and the occasional oddball. The brand has its hand in human issues too, having launched a successful T-shirt line to benefit leukaemia and other childhood cancer research. And on a lighter note, if you ever want to drive your boss bonkers, a visit to Toxic Toy’s website is a good place to start. Its sound effects are adorable.

Toxic Toy’s founder-designer, the multitalented Tommaso Bencistà Falorni, paid The Blogazine a visit recently to shoot the breeze and show us his stuff. We shot Polaroids of the collection with our SX-70 while he shared inspiration and shed some light on the personality of the brand. His freshly blue hair and cool-kid getup makes it immediately clear that there’s something all-too-often absent in fashion design work: sheer joy. The products are fun and engaging because Bencistà Falorni clearly has great fun designing them.

The label’s new summer collection has added some sophisticated tailoring to its clever graphics for the first time, and with patterns on some pieces that recall warrior shoulder pads and heavy-duty metal studs, the collection has inched closer to serious fashion semiotics than it has before. Nonetheless, it remains wearable and as much fun as it’s ever been.