Slouching Towards Bethlehem

I saw this portrait of Joan Didion by Annie Leibovitz on the Vanity Fair website and instantly fell in love. It’s truly remarkable how this image manages to conjure up the same emotions that I’ve always felt when reading her work, a mixture of dreaminess and serenity, interwoven with a strong, unshakeable sense of dread. I first saw it a few hours ago, and it’s stuck with me, her strange, alien gaze creeping into the back of my mind at the oddest of moments. I don’t think I could expect anything less of her.

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Chip Willis

Chip Willis’ photographs make me think of dreamy stills from some dark, subtitled movie about despair and explorations of one’s Self through mindless wanderings and moody anonymous sex. Otherwise known as the entire cinematic output of any given European country between 1950 and the present, discounting a couple comedies about soccer.  Or the complete contents of my DVD collection when I was 18 and pretentious. Still, I love films like that, and I’d love to see one that contained the images below– I’m thinking something along the lines of L’Avventura?

See more of his pictures on his website and his blog (VERY NSFW… I made the mistake of looking at it to get these pictures, and had to keep on frantically scrolling down, looking over my shoulder in case the office manager walked by. Eek. )

Charlotte Forever

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PS:

Bas

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I’m loving this shoot featuring Coco Rocha in Vogue Korea October 2009. The clothing in it self is highly covetable (I would kill for the black skirt!) but I also think that the crazy hair highlights the beauty of Coco’s face in a way I haven’t entirely seen before. I also enjoy the whole vibe of the shoot– the quirkinesses add charm, but aren’t taken far enough to become twee. The shoot is by Tony Kim, who also photographed her for Vogue Korea August 2009, with vastly different results.

The shoes used are ridiculously hot– anyone know who/what they are? And if there’s a knockoff that won’t cost me a month’s rent? I just had to pay a locksmith my first-born child to get me into my apartment after I locked myself out with a pot of water on the stove, so I have to watch out for expenses at the mo’, but would love love love a pair of heels like this.

More Tao

As predicted, Tao Okamoto continues to be feted– so much so that Vogue Nippon does the unheard-of and dedicates their entire November 09 issue to her. (Also monumental bc they haven’t featured a Japanese model on the cover in years…) A whole slew of famous photographers contributed their take on her beauty. Here’s my favourite editorial, shot by Inez and Vinoodh.

Brooke Shields is a Goddess.

Seriously, check out her shots from the May issue of Australia’s Kurv magazine. The woman is 44. I hope to be half that hot when I’m her age.

Not crazy about her being tagged a cougar, as I loathe the term, but just… wow. She’s crazy hot.

(The Blonds corset!!! Yay!)

Tao

What? I like gritty black and white photography, with punk influences, a dash of androgyny and cool shoes? You don’t say! Seems like I’m beginning to back myself into a rut here.

Regardless, (which I just wrote twice as regardness) I love this editorial from Dazed & Confused August 2009. I’m chiming in on the multitudes with the Tao Okamoto worship– she bored me when she had long hair but now that she’s edged herself out she’s fab. Also, the styling of this shoot is so quirky and odd but profoundly wearable. And the pictures are just purty. Can’t believe I didn’t post it before.

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Shiny shiny

Scarlett Johansson and I broke up a while back, when I got sick of seeing her thrusting her boobs and lips around and simpering like she didn’t have a brain-cell left in her body and had lost the ability to close her mouth (pet peeve alert, anyone?). There is, amazingly enough, a way to be bombshell-curvy and still be able to put a sentence together. My T&A and I made it through school well enough. Just sayin’.

We’re provisionally thinking about getting back together, as marriage and hair dye seem to have boosted her IQ back up to where it was, but I’m still holding off on giving her my pin.

Aaaaanyway, my conflicts and issues with smart girls posing as dumb ASIDE, girlfriend can fill out a dress. Yes indeed.

And this is a rather cool dress to fill out. I love the way the ruffles give the fabric so much more lightness than it has ordinarily. Its fun and subversive.  Wholly impractical, but still quite desirable (for my imginary life where I am apparently a dominatrix/crimefighter/lumberjack, given the clothes I covet for it.)

I can’t find the image credits and I forget when I saved this (and googling the obvious lead to bad site explosion) so… I’ma be naughty and not credit it. I think it’s by Craig McDean again, bc I am repetitive. If anyone remembers, please to pass on.

Past Fashions: Techno

I think we can all agree that Amber Valletta is a golden goddess. For the Techno editorial in i-D October 2002, photographer Craig McDean brought out another side of her– badass and sharp, drawing attention to the almost-masculine strength of her features rather than focusing on her blonde beauty. The effect is so stylised as to be almost cartoony, in the best possible way– highly graphic, with the three-colour scheme forcing the editorial to the viewer’s attention. I love this image of her as a butt-kicking, leatherclad troublemaker.

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