The gorgeous NYC-based Brit Alexa Chung (left) has made no secret of her anti-Mitt Romney feelings in the run up to tomorrow's highly anticipated US Presidential election and she helped organise this impassioned, lip-synced recording of Lesley Gore’s 1964 feminist hit, ‘You Don’t Own Me.’ It was Republican Mitt Romney's damaging proposals that threatened women’s rights, including removing funding for the Planned Parenthood Fund, repealing the Affordable Care Act and the eradication of birth control cover, that prompted Alexa Chung and her super fashionable buddies (including Tavi Gevinson, Lena Dunham, Kate Nash, Tennessee Thomas, Rain Phoenix, Rachel Antonoff, Karen Elson and Zoë Kravitz) to make this effective pro-women and pro-choice statement: (G)Obama.
Wahaca's Day of the Dead Festival at the Old Vic Tunnels
Last week the delicious ‘street food’ chain Wahaca brought Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations to London, holding a brilliant four day Dia de los Muertos festival in the depths of The Old Vic Tunnels. The extremely emotive and vibrantly visual festival is an annual holiday celebrated throughout Mexico to honour and remember loved ones who have died.
With a traditionally painted face (above, with Jessica Pownall) which left me resembling a little zombie-panda, I indulged in the tantalising Wahaca tacos and far too many jasmine margaritas which fuelled my exploration of the vaults where an array of spooky artwork, macabre films and a hypnotic puppet show by the Theatre of Dolls awaited me. FANTASTIC music was later provided by Rodrigo y Gabriela, a Mexican duo whose vibrant energy was completely contagious, followed by the Communion DJs who both guaranteed (perhaps alongside the copious amounts of tequila served) a dance floor filled with skeleton-faced revellers dancing with wild abandon. An unforgettable night.
Above (L-R): Theatre of Dolls and photography by Graciela Iturbide.
Above: With the Director of The Old Vic Tunnels, Hamish Jenkinson.
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition 2012
This week I went to the Natural History Museum to see my favourite annual show: the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. Selected from 48,000 thousand international entries the 100 winning images of exotic, slippery, playful, dangerous and adorable wild creatures are displayed beautifully.
The environmental section, focused on mankind's frequently callous attitude towards the wildlife around them, is particularly affecting. ‘Primal Fear’ by Jabruson (left) which shows a Mozambiquan boy holding a completely terrified monkey captive is still haunting me - exactly it's intention.
This exhibition serves as an important reminder of how spectacular the animals on our ever-changing planet really are, whilst also showing off the huge respect, concern and insane talent that these intrepid photographers that capture their images possess.
The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is on display at the Natural History Museum and runs until 3 March. Admission is £10.
Happy Heidi Halloween
Heidi Klum has become synonymous with Halloween after years of wearing THE best costumes found outside of a film set each year at her star-studded party every October. However, the supermodel has cancelled this year’s 14th annual celebrations after the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Heidi posted this photograph of herself (below) in New York, all wrapped up and wearing wellies, on Twitter saying, "Hope you and your loved ones are safe after the storm. Cancelling my Halloween party... postponing to a haunted Christmas."
With Heidi already having excitedly tweeted pictures this week from her Cleopatra costume fittings (left), impressively designed by Martin Izquierdo, I have decided to celebrate Heidi’s dedication to Halloween by posting some of her other amazing costumes… Happy Halloween Everyone!
The Name's Bond Street
The Name's Bond Street. James Bond Street.
The New Bond Girls
Forget the guns, the gadgets, the martinis and the villains; the most exiting part of any Bond film is undoubtedly always the girls. In ‘Skyfall’ Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris join the super beautiful, iconic ranks of becoming ‘Bond Girls.’ At last night’s glamourous world premiere of the latest Bond, held in London's Leicester Square, the two looked absolutely stunning. Berenice opted for a sizzlingly glamourous red corseted Vivienne Westwood dress (above) and Naomie glittered in a Marios Schwab mesh dress complete with iridescent sequin bodysuit (below). Mario Schwab commented this morning, "it is amazing to have Marios Schwab pieces worn to such an iconic Premiere in London."
How do you think these two beauties will match up to their predecessors?...
Frieze Art Fair 2012
Last weekend I went to Regent’s Park for the tenth Frieze London, one of the world’s leading contemporary art events. With so much art displayed along a dizzying grid, the whole exhibition felt like one giant creative speed dating afternoon, as I whizzed around briefly flirting with each of the 175 gallery’s presentations. Below are a few of my favourites pieces…
Above: Is it a Door? Is it Art? No... I's Frieze. Easy Mistake. Kate Moss by Mario Testino.
Above (L-R): Robert Indiana's Love and Art (1972-2000).
Above: Art appreciating art...
Above (Clockwise): 'I am the One I've Been Waiting For,' Harland Miller (2012), Untitled, Loris Greuad (2012) and 'Inthistogether' Darren Almond (2010).
Above: My favourite of the day. A portrait on old cassette tapes by Gregor Hildebrandt.
Above (L-R): 'A Balloon For Britain,' Scott King (2012) and 'Oh No' Doug Aitken (2012).
Joseph Launches Online Store TODAY
To coincide with Joseph’s 40th anniversary this year, the brand is launching it’s highly anticipated multi-brand online store allowing their customers to order their chic ready-to-wear clothing, bags, shoes and accessories directly from the new sleek website. Joseph is one of the most respected and influential brands within British fashion and I have always relied on their impeccably stylish essentials which always seem to magically work with the rest of my haphazard, ecletcic wardrobe. This will ostensibly be Joseph’s largest store to date; a huge, sparkly, digital flagship allowing us all to access the season’s hottest trends at the mere click of a mouse... Uh oh, now this could be seeeeeeeeriously dangerous!
Brad Pitt's Chanel No 5 Advertisement - Part 2
It appears Chanel acknowledged my grievances yesterday about their new Chanel No 5 advert starring Brad Pitt and have acted quickly... but perhaps too quickly methinks?
I think that this new commercial seems like a rushed, emergency response to yesterday's negative feedback. 'Part 2' (more like 'Take 2'') appears to me like some footage of beautiful women has been hurriedly thrown together in an attempt to cover up some of Brad's bizarre monologue... This is all disappointingly un-Chanel. I think rather than rushing out this ineffective second attempt, I would have preferred for them to have unapologetically stood by their initial advert and accused me, in French please, of being the most 'orrrrrible of philistines for not understanding their higher level of perfume rhetoric.
Above: Conan O'Brien also decided to re-work the original advert. I think this is clear evidence why super Hollywood A-listers tend to record adverts in countries we do not readily have access to view them. Thank Heavens for YouTube... and Nicholas Cage.
Brad Pitt's Chanel No 5 Advertisement Revealed
We have all eagerly waited upon the latest Chanel No.5 advert having being teased for over a month with the teeniest, tiniest of tit-bit-Pitts, and yesterday it was finally released. Am I alone in thinking… Is that it?! Yes, Brad Pitt looks hot. Yes, Brad Pitt sounds hot. But… Where is the romance, the sweeping vistas, the fantasy… the… the… the anything?!
Marilyn Monroe’s coy giggles, Audrey Tautou’s wistful train glances and Nicole Kidman’s can-can under the Eiffel Tower, have all been replaced by a scruffy Brad Pitt and his goatee. As the first man to ever advertise the scent (a job he was paid £4.32 million for!) and with the amazing Joe Wright as his director, is it wrong that I had just expected MORE?! A pensive, sultry Brad looks as if he has rolled out of a bar and given a deeply intense monologue to an invisible flock of birds... Unintentionally funny. Ooh-La-Lazy.