Blog

Emma Forrest provides a new Fashion Fetish essay

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:51:24 +0100

Our fourth Fashion Fetish essay, based on Asia Argento's fifty-strong film series Don't Bother To Knock, is now live. In a twist - focusing on explaining the process behind Argento's work, rather than unpicking the final product - writer Emma Forrest provides the original and unedited script that helped inform the series. Her words were used as a malleable guide, rather than an enforced structured, allowing the films to intertwine reality with fantasy. This exclusive and previously unseen piece celebrates the meticulous creative collaboration between Nick Knight and Argento, allowing viewers a new chance to explore the series' play on fact and fiction. You'll see that while certain pieces, such as 'Doctors', stick closely to the Forrest's words, others descend into a free, raw and open dialogue. Compare and contrast for yourself now.

In Fashion: Phillip Lim and Simone Rocha

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:27:28 +0100

The latest fashion gems to appear before the In Fashion lens are Philip Lim, at 12:30 BST, and Simone Rocha, at 15:00 BST on 21 May. Lim will be discussing his unique path to fashion, which saw him move from finance student to 2007 CFDA Swarovski Award Womenswear winner in just a few short years. Later in the afternoon London's rising star Rocha will also be in discussion with associate editor Lou Stoppard, opening up about her dynamic career so far. In-depth, exciting and frank, these unmissable interviews offer a candid insight into two of the brightest talents on the current fashion scene.

Tune in on Monday 21 May at 12:30 BST and again at 15:00 BST to watch the great conversations live as they unfold.

Home again....

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:01:38 +0100

After the ragga revolution at Versailles, after the courtly dance with the sun king, after all there is home.

Dennis Morris at Apartment 58

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:17:16 +0100

Icons are a rare thing. While it’s easy to spot today’s idols, unpicking their illusive regal quality proves tricky. Explaining that secret star-factor is a pursuit that SHOWstudio and our various contributors have taken up with gusto. From Jake Davis and Matt Williams' exploration of celebrity in #Screen Tests, a modern tribute to Andy Warhol’s famous screen tests, to Nick Knight’s Naomi Campbell: Statuesque, exploring the iconic visual impact of the supermodel’s Amazonian form.

A man who knows a lot about the power of personality is photographer Dennis Morris. From being propositioned by Marianne Faithfull, to documenting the spiralling downfall of Sid and Nancy, Morris has documented the action while being right there in the middle of it – the Louis Theroux of photography, if you will.

Picked up by Bob Marley while waiting outside the Speak Easy Club on Margaret Street during a sound-check, Morris began his spontaneous grand tour of the who’s who of music. Before even reaching his seventeenth birthday his images of Marley had appeared on the cover of Time Out – a tribute to the success of Dennis’s unique reportage meets rock and roll approach.

Attendees at Apartment 58’s new series INDUSTRY were lucky enough to hear from the charming Morris himself, discussing the highs and lows of a career on the road with some of the most volatile subjects imaginable. His talk marks the start of this new weekly roundtable hosted by different stalwarts from the creative industry - a handy dosage of stylish iconography to give you a regular fame-fix. Head to Apartment 58 for details.

The reality check...

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:10:25 +0100

The reality check after gilded raga rebellion in Marie Antoinette pastels at Chanel's Verasailles show. Sitting on stinky Fly B flight, full to its hairy armpits with sweaty scurfy men with carry on bags that have filled all the overhead lockers. I can't breathe. Should have stayed in the green shade of Le Nôtre's yews. I am so angry. What company allows you two bags of 33kg but won't allow you one of 35kg without paying another whack of euros. Thieves and liars all.

New Selling Sex LiveStudio this Friday, 18 May

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:01:17 +0100

This Friday, 18 May 2012, sees a brand new Selling Sex live broadcast. Continuing SHOWstudio's unpicking of the power of clothing - pioneered with our sartorial self defense class from Lara Stone in Get Back, Stay Back - Japanese born designer Atsuko Kudo offers up a lesson in getting dressed. Kudo walks SHOWstudio viewers through the intricacies of applying her signature second-skin pieces, exploring the dialogue between clothing and empowerment. The live broadcast coincides with the display of Kudo's Armour for Prostitutes in SHOWstudio's Selling Sex exhibition, as well as the opening of Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 at the V&A, which features Kudo and her shiny creations.

Tune in from 11:00 BST on Friday 18 May to see Kudo's lesson in latex for yourself.

Louise Gray Fashion Mix now up

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:04:37 +0100

The latest fashion friend to open up their record collection to SHOWstudio is colour queen Louise Gray. Starting with one of the nineties ultimate tunes, Shampoo's Uh-oh, Trouble, the playlist is as unashamedly fun as Gray's signature prints and embroidery. The pop and dancehouse days of Madonna, No Doubt and Junior Velasquez serve as a reminder that guilt-free indulgence can be a good thing. Blast away your Monday blues with Fashion Mix now.

Craig Lawrence Fashion Mix now live

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:40:37 +0100

Exciting, innovative and voluminous - Craig Lawrence's Fashion Mix is a perfect extension of his knitwear design. Lawrence takes us on a diva parade of unforgettable classics, including artists such as Mariah Carey and newcomer Grimes. So grab your earphones, dancing shoes and bop along to a timeless tracklist of girly but biting beats. Listen now.

SHOWstudio launches Contributor Thoughts

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:52:31 +0100

SHOWstudio has always been committed to opening up the process of fashion. As a team we are not just concerned with the final product, but also all the steps, thoughts and, as we so frequently find, hiccups and glitches that go along with producing great fashion film and photography. That's why we're always live blogging, live streaming and even - as with our uber-cute Pussycat, Pussycat project - live shooting via Tumblr and Twitter. As much as these are tools of innovation in themselves they are also mediums of democratisation - a chance to give everyone a peak inside the seemingly enclosed world of fashion image-making.

In this spirit SHOWstudio launches a brand new feature on our site - Contributor Thoughts. This natty little addition allows all our great and good contributors to offer up a snappy sound-bite or condensed titbit detailing their experiences of working on our projects. These can be anything from the inspirations and references behind an individual work to general approaches to fashion film as a medium. We've got Katie Grand divulging that the showgirls and plush plumes in her Fan Club film were inspired by Marc Jacob's theatrical music taste - 'Before the Louis Vuitton show we listened to Marc's iPod which is full of show-tunes, doing something Busby Berkley inspired seemed obvious!' - and our own Nick Knight explaining that his passion for Instagram comes from memories of his most primitive work - 'It takes me back to the style of my earliest photography; no retouching and no long processes of post-production.'

We hope that these fashionable morsels will allow our users even greater access to the secrets behind fashion imagery. In this case, not just the technical endeavors behind our projects but also the creative processes and intellectual ideals behind some of SHOWstudio's best work. Just today, Daphne Guinness made use of this new feature to discuss the story behind her newly launched Fashion Fetish film, 'This film happened in real time. All I came to SHOWstudio with was my turban, sunglasses, and contact lenses. My definition of fetish is anything that you are obsessed with or use as a totem. The S and M connotations have become the perceived meaning of the word, but a fetish is much more than that. My fetish is my eyes. It is how I see the world, as I am a visual person, but I also use contact lenses in order to make the world more soft, my vision is almost too good. So I think it may be, to me, another form of defense. There is method in my madness as was said in Hamlet. As for the rest, it is in the eye of the beholder.'

You can access Contributor Thoughts on the Project Archive and Fashion Film sections of SHOWstudio, as well as on individual project and contributor pages. We'll also be tweeting - so follow us on Twitter to get timely doses straight from the minds of SHOWstudio's wonderful band of contributors!

Nike Building Twist - Wieden and Kennedy

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:54:32 +0100

Wieden+Kennedy are renowned for producing creative projects with a technological twist. As part of their on going relationship with Nike, the Japanese branch of the agency have produced a projection mapping piece that is controlled by one of the Nike Free Twist shoes that they are promoting.

There have been quite a few examples of projection mapping recently with varied success, but the inclusion of an unusual controller in this example adds to the 'magic' of the seeing a building appear to be moving in front of the onlookers eyes. This combined with a high quality projection (albeit not as elobrate as some examples that viewers simply watch) and familiar soundtrack makes for a very effective project and promotion tool for Nike.

New Fashion Fetish essay now live!

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:31:25 +0100

In response to the ethereal vision of wet latex on supple soft skin in Poppy De Villeneuve's Fashion Fetish film, Stephanie LaCava talks to VPL's Victoria Bartlett (the designer behind the coat featured in the film), unpicking her fascination with all things medical. Exploring everything from Bartlett's passion for plastic to the evolution of VPL as a brand, LaCava's piece is a neat insight into the workings of a label that has transitioned pseudo-erotic garments into our everyday wardrobes. Read it now.

The Met...

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:17:48 +0100

Schiap hair for the Met. Sometimes the party happens in my room - like this time. The preparation is all - like love...the fun lies in the wooing. Felt a bit alone in the glam gala red carpet starry swoop with the photographers baying at Scarlett or Lana Del Rey. The exhibition is like travelling through a woman's sensuous eye - Elsa and Miuccia - complex, compelling and very romantic. Loved a greyish mauve dress with flowers at the neck and a tiny necklace of minute buds that looked like porcelain roses.

Daphne Guinness Fashion Fetish piece now live!

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:39:06 +0100

The latest addition to our Fashion Fetish series is now live! In a provocative and, at points, difficult performance Daphne Guinness incessantly fills her red and teary eyes with hundreds of pairs of contact lenses, creating a display that explores fetish whilst appearing decidedly anti-erotic. The film was inspired by the 1962 Jules Dassin film, Phaedra. In a Wildeian life-imitates-art coincidence, the film has close connections to Guinness' own life, and can be seen playing the background of her own short. Explore Daphne Guinness's film for yourself in the Fashion Fetish project.

Vimeo Awards - Nick Knight to Judge Fashion Category

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:52:33 +0100

The Vimeo Festival + Awards aim to honour the best original videos that have been posted online within various genres. This year the festival has added 4 new exciting categories to the roster, including advertising, action sports, lyrical and fashion. Within each category Vimeo selected a shortlist of videos that they felt stood out from the rest of the field and invited a select few practitioners from within the industry to cast their experienced eyes over the field.

This year SHOWstudio director Nick Knight was invited to give his opinion on the entries within the fashion category, alongside Nicola Formichetti and Humberto Leon (co-owner and creative director of Opening Ceremony).

As well as taking consideration of the judges' opinions, Vimeo also made the shortlist available to the public, allowing users to vote for their favourite. The shortlist is still available online, and will soon be whittled down to 4 winners and announced before the festival starts on June 7th in New York.

Log on to Vimeo to pick your favourite, and see if you can tell which video is likely to be victorious. Unfortunately we can't reveal which video Nick voted for, but we'd be interested to hear which ones are your favourites from the group.

An ode to Fitzgerald - Gatz at the Noel Coward Theatre

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:40:57 +0100

Fans of the roaring twenties are in luck this season. The catwalks were awash with beaded gowns, neat cloche hats and jazz-worthy pumps. It's set to be Spring/Summer's greatest trend - a friend to high class fashionistas and micro flapper dress-clad night-clubbers across the globe. Everyone from Osman to Gucci got in on the act. Ralph Lauren showed sequined prom-ready looks, fit for spoiled daughters and would-be debutantes. Similarly Emporio Armani offered some natty monochrome pieces, perfect for making a sophisticated nod to historical dressing.

It's all very apt. The twenties were a time of upheaval and uncertainty - fallout from the war, financial collapse, gender unrest, social turmoil - a state of play that's comparable to the world's current trials and tribulations. This age also saw the birth of fast fashion - where mass-production methods and new disposable incomes democratised clothing for the first time. Link that to today, where fashion's snapped up just as the models stomp out onto the catwalk, and high street retailers are churning out the new season looks before you can say 'knock-off Celine' and the twenties seem eerily familiar. Perhaps that's why we're all going gaga for Gatsby-style fun and frivolous fashions. A nice bit of sartorial escapism to help these bleak financial traumas swing by in style.

Daisy Buchanan wannabees can get also their fix off the runway. A plethora of Great Gatsby re-makes, odes and tributes are in the pipeline. But forget the forthcoming Hollywood film - starring good-old Leo DiCaprio and the poster girl of retro cinema Carey Mulligan - here at SHOWstudio we're more excited about Gatz, the eight hour (yes that's right - eight hour) play which contains each and every single word of the original book in full. Coming soon to the Noel Coward Theatre, the play sells itself as 'not a retelling of the Gatsby story but an enactment of the novel itself.' We say, why not? SHOWstudio has always championed the process behind fashion, and what could be a more true to this than a committed tribute to every word of the book that has informed the way we'll all be dressing this season?

Who wants a mere mock flapper dress or an edited movie remake when you can lap up every morsel of Fitzgerald's finest word for word? Work the twenties trend the informed way! Stylish.

For Gatz tickets and more information head over to the Gatz London website.

Selling Sex: Lyrically Challenged Collective - live stream finished

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:48:16 +0100

After a riotous hour of action - which has seen the back wall of our Bruton Place headquarters completely transformed into a billboard for female strength and success - our live stream is now over. A big thanks to MC Angel and all her guests for an incredible performance!