Hollywood and the Bracelets

Alexander McQueen

Good evening citizens
I regret not having published anything these days but I've been busy! Well yes, last night I had a wonderful night at Hollywood, a fantastic disco in Bardolino (at the Garda Lake).
as you well know I like to celebrate all things, it is always a good excuse to drink and have fun!
We continue to talk about trends for the summer (which has now also arrived even here) and I hope it will be an unforgettable summer!
Do you remember the post where I spoke of the trend of the gold dress? Well even the accessories this summer 'must be at least gold or diamonds for the evening and to call out the afro/chic looks, trend for summer 2014, here are some suggestions, not exactly cheap, but you can  copy them .

XOXO

Paula Mendoza

Balmain

Chloè

Valentino

Royal Ascot vs. World Cup

Goodevening citiziens
how are you? it seems that in Italy the summer does not want to get .... and with the recent defeat at the World Cup even my sporting spirit is gone as quickly arrived! The last hope I put it in my second home ... Germany!
anyway ... past the thrill of the World Cup in Italy it's time to get back to the serious stuff! Deliberately omit to mention the man fashion shows who this year have been preposterous! Let's talk about an event that for centuries passionate about all British! The Royal Ascot! The equestrian competition that is talked about for the sported hats and marching to the royal heights at the entrance!
Here are some of their Royal Highnesses and the best hats seen (just a bit excessive)

XOXO

Sophie, the countess of Wessex

The Princess Anna

The princess Eugenie

The Princess Beatrice

Game of Thrones costumes: The interview

Hello citizens
how are you? I'm late with today's post because the day before yesterday day I had an exam at university and I picked up two vacation days to do absolutely nothing!
As promised, I'll post the beautiful interview with the  costume of Game of Thrones!
I hope that your holidays are going in the best way!

XOXO

 

Hello, Micheles! How did you both start your activity in the Costume Design industry?

Michele Clapton: I started with my own fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers, dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors, moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always very theatrical in my style and design.

Michele Carragher: The first major manifestation of using embroidery as a creative medium was while I studied Fashion Design at college, a lot the designs I was conceiving there I wanted to have a sculptural presence to them. Where I truly honed my hand needle skills was after college when I worked in Textile Conservation, learning different techniques and stitches, absorbing inspiration from all the beautiful historical textiles that passed through my hands. All the skills acquired working in this field have aided me in my present career working in Costume in the Film and Television industry.

Which single costume that you designed for Game of Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the most difficult?

M.C.: Sometimes what looks to be the simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the cape! - and I loved the whole result.

M.G.: I never really feel I have done my best work, with the time constraints of each project I always feel I could have produced better work if given a little more time. So it's more about which embroideries I've I enjoyed within the creative process rather than what I regard as best, such as the embroideries where I have pushed 3-dimensional elements into sculptural territory, as on some of the lion designs I have created for Cersei's costumes. I have also enjoyed developing various scale-like textures for the Dragonscale embellishment on Dany's costumes. Nothing has been the “most difficult”, only time-consuming, such as creating nearly 350 handmade roses and then sewing them onto the train of Margaery's wedding dress.

How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?

M.C.: The costumes on all characters are supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.

When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power, with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's the victor, at this stage.

Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?

M.C.: Groundbreaking movies for me were Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's Hunger.

M.G.: Of course, there are many, but there is one for me personally: Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Steered by the creative eye of Greenaway who utilized his creative team to make a coherent piece of art where the production design and costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier merged together to create memorable imagery: it's dark, surreal and beautiful.

Can you walk us through your design process?

M.C.: The design process starts with a script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk with the production designer to check colours and style since it's really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers, Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the prep period.

M.G.: At the point I become involved in a costume, Michele Clapton will have had meetings with producers, directors, writers other heads of department regarding the project as a whole. When I meet up with her she will have drawings of her costume ideas, mood board influences and fabric swatches. She will then talk to me about the character and what is happening to them in the plot, the type of decoration that will add to the character we are trying to portray to the audience. I then go away and do some of my own research to integrate into the design, although Michele may have something in mind that I will try to realize, she will always want me to experiment and come up with some ideas and samples that she may not have thought of, it is a collaborative and experimental process to get to the end design. Once Michele is happy with the embroidery for that character I usually start to create the embroidery separately from the costume, as it may still be being made at that point and need fittings with the actor in question. I will then apply the embroidery to the completed costume and stitch and bead into it some more so that it becomes part of the costume.

What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?

M.C.: There are many ways into costume design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a designer.

M.G.: There is no one direct route to anything, life is one long experiment of trial and error as no one is born into this world knowing it all, we adapt and evolve along the way, try to take something positive from every situation, you can't please everyone all of the time and all experience is relevant somehow, don't close down your vision, try, experiment, diversify until you are really sure what you want to do. As regards Costumes generally, even if you want to do embroidery it is still good to have some on set experience as a costume assistant, to see how all the departments come together to create each project and you will see how your work may translate to screen.

- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#sthash.tGS4qDU1.dpuf

Hello, Michele! How did you  start your activity in the Costume Design industry?
I started with my own fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers, dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors, moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always very theatrical in my style and design.
Which single costume that you designed for Game of Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the most difficult?
 Sometimes what looks to be the simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the cape! - and I loved the whole result.
How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?
The costumes on all characters are supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.
When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power, with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's the victor, at this stage.
Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?
 Groundbreaking movies for me were Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's Hunger.
Can you walk us through your design process?
The design process starts with a script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk with the production designer to check colours and style since it's really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers, Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the prep period.
What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?
 There are many ways into costume design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a designer.

Hello, Micheles! How did you both start your activity in the Costume Design industry?

Michele Clapton: I started with my own fashion label and organized collaborative shows with choreographers, dancers and fashion designers for the institute of contemporary art in London. I didn't like the business side of fashion so, after my child was born, I started styling for photographers and video directors, moving into commercials and then later film and TV, since I was always very theatrical in my style and design.

Michele Carragher: The first major manifestation of using embroidery as a creative medium was while I studied Fashion Design at college, a lot the designs I was conceiving there I wanted to have a sculptural presence to them. Where I truly honed my hand needle skills was after college when I worked in Textile Conservation, learning different techniques and stitches, absorbing inspiration from all the beautiful historical textiles that passed through my hands. All the skills acquired working in this field have aided me in my present career working in Costume in the Film and Television industry.

Which single costume that you designed for Game of Thrones do you consider your greatest achievement? Which one was the most difficult?

M.C.: Sometimes what looks to be the simplest costume is often the most difficult - especially when they must fit many people. The Unsullied costume was difficult only in that it had to create a uniform shape that could give almost any shaped man a look of strength, and yet it had to be light and not cover too much of the body. I also loved working on the Child of the Forest costume, it was such a collaboration between different crafts - I even made the cape! - and I loved the whole result.

M.G.: I never really feel I have done my best work, with the time constraints of each project I always feel I could have produced better work if given a little more time. So it's more about which embroideries I've I enjoyed within the creative process rather than what I regard as best, such as the embroideries where I have pushed 3-dimensional elements into sculptural territory, as on some of the lion designs I have created for Cersei's costumes. I have also enjoyed developing various scale-like textures for the Dragonscale embellishment on Dany's costumes. Nothing has been the “most difficult”, only time-consuming, such as creating nearly 350 handmade roses and then sewing them onto the train of Margaery's wedding dress.

How does the natural evolution of the characters reflect on their costumes design?

M.C.: The costumes on all characters are supposed to underscore their place in society, their mental state, their journey through the story. For instance: we first meet Cersei as a woman married to a man she loaths, she is cold, stern, removed, except when it comes to her children, and Jaime, her brother.

When in their company she is visibly softer, with kimono style dresses embroidered with birds. As her story unfolds we see her visibly shift, she needs to look stronger, so the structure of her gowns when in court becomes more ridged, she wears a form of symbolic armour and the embroidery starts to become heavier. The use of the Lannister Sigil, the Lyon is used extensively in her jewellery and embroidery. She wears a lot of Lannister red and she still wears the softer Kimono style privately, but even this is more heavily embroidered. When Margaery arrives to wed Joffrey there is a visible struggle for power, with Margeary playing the youthful, carefree, revealing-costume card whilst Cersei tries to power-dress her way through. We see many members of the court shift to copy Margaery's style, and this shows everyone's the victor, at this stage.

Which movies would you regard as groundbreaking and fundamental in terms of costume design?

M.C.: Groundbreaking movies for me were Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and Aguirre: Wrath of God, Sergei Parajanov's The colour of pomegranate - a truly amazing film - and almost any Fellini movie - but especially Satyricon. Contemporary films that come to my mind would be Andrea Arnold's Red Road, and Steve McQueen's Hunger.

M.G.: Of course, there are many, but there is one for me personally: Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Steered by the creative eye of Greenaway who utilized his creative team to make a coherent piece of art where the production design and costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier merged together to create memorable imagery: it's dark, surreal and beautiful.

Can you walk us through your design process?

M.C.: The design process starts with a script, a story. I read this through many times and start to create images in my head, to imagine the characters, what they are trying to say, who they are, their relationship to others... I will start to make mood boards, to sketch and swatch fabrics. If it is a period film I may visit costume houses and museums to look at shapes and cuts. I will share these ideas with the director and follow casting. I will also talk with the production designer to check colours and style since it's really crucial to be developing in the same direction. Once we have cast we will toile up shapes and arrange a fitting to see how the ideas will work: it is important to involve the actor in this process, as we will move the design forward together. Depending on the style and period we will engage crafts people such as Embroideres, Jewellers, Armourers, Dyers in this process and we will continue to fit the actor through the prep period.

M.G.: At the point I become involved in a costume, Michele Clapton will have had meetings with producers, directors, writers other heads of department regarding the project as a whole. When I meet up with her she will have drawings of her costume ideas, mood board influences and fabric swatches. She will then talk to me about the character and what is happening to them in the plot, the type of decoration that will add to the character we are trying to portray to the audience. I then go away and do some of my own research to integrate into the design, although Michele may have something in mind that I will try to realize, she will always want me to experiment and come up with some ideas and samples that she may not have thought of, it is a collaborative and experimental process to get to the end design. Once Michele is happy with the embroidery for that character I usually start to create the embroidery separately from the costume, as it may still be being made at that point and need fittings with the actor in question. I will then apply the embroidery to the completed costume and stitch and bead into it some more so that it becomes part of the costume.

What advice would you give to a young student who would like to pursue your work?

M.C.: There are many ways into costume design, after studying at college try to work with as many designers as possible in different roles, and be prepared to work at any level to start with. Be keen and cooperative. Try also to work on short films as a designer.

M.G.: There is no one direct route to anything, life is one long experiment of trial and error as no one is born into this world knowing it all, we adapt and evolve along the way, try to take something positive from every situation, you can't please everyone all of the time and all experience is relevant somehow, don't close down your vision, try, experiment, diversify until you are really sure what you want to do. As regards Costumes generally, even if you want to do embroidery it is still good to have some on set experience as a costume assistant, to see how all the departments come together to create each project and you will see how your work may translate to screen.

- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#sthash.tGS4qDU1.dpuf

The Game of Throne Costumes

Goodmorning Citizens !!
as many of you know has just finished the fourth season of Game of Throne! Honestly I've never seen but most of my friends yes so I decided to find out a little .... First I found a wonderful photo gallery of costumes and even there only an interesting interview with Michele Clapton costume designer of the highly acclaimed TV series! Enjoy it! ( The interview will be posted tonight or tomorrow :) )

XOXO

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-imag

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through." - See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."

I experienced this type of undefinable pleasure when I discovered that, in order to develop the Dothraki language created by George R. R. Martin in his books, HBO hired David J. Pearson, "professional language creator" and "alien language and culture consultant". For this fictional nomadic population, Pearson created a congruent grammar and constantly expanding vocabulary, and provided the actors with phonetic guidelines and mp3s in which he had recorded the correct pronunciation of each of their lines. One may wonder why they would go to such trouble, but I’d like to think that the producers of Game of Thrones also want to sleep peacefully at night.

Equally, I experienced the same pleasure when, reading the blog of a Russian prop stylist, I found a post in which she talked, with almost religious devotion, about the incredible details that are featured on the show's costumes: details that required months of work and that, in most cases, might be so specific as to not even be noticed by the viewers. Indeed, finding out that, as the plot unfolds and the series proceeds, Daenerys Targaryen’s garments become increasingly more covered with tiny foldings that mimic the scales of a dragon and that the Stark-Lannister war continues across Sansa’s wedding gown, where embroidered direwolves fight and eventually are beaten by a lion, which stands, menacing, on the head, well, devotion seems like a justifiable feeling.

Each film, each TV series creates a small self-sufficient universe and a level of authenticity and coherence, down to the tiniest detail, becomes vital both for the director, and for the cast, in order to truly become part of that universe. Consequently, just as it was absolutely necessary to have a conlang (Constructed language) to bring the Dothraki to life, all the costumes, from the Unsullied's uniforms to the airy garments worn by the prostitute Shae, needed to display the highest degree of detailing in order to look, and feel, plausible and authentic. Even if few viewers would notice, the director and the cast know that those details are there, and are one of the many components that, added to the rest, contribute to achieve the perfect aesthetic quality.
- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."

I experienced this type of undefinable pleasure when I discovered that, in order to develop the Dothraki language created by George R. R. Martin in his books, HBO hired David J. Pearson, "professional language creator" and "alien language and culture consultant". For this fictional nomadic population, Pearson created a congruent grammar and constantly expanding vocabulary, and provided the actors with phonetic guidelines and mp3s in which he had recorded the correct pronunciation of each of their lines. One may wonder why they would go to such trouble, but I’d like to think that the producers of Game of Thrones also want to sleep peacefully at night.

Equally, I experienced the same pleasure when, reading the blog of a Russian prop stylist, I found a post in which she talked, with almost religious devotion, about the incredible details that are featured on the show's costumes: details that required months of work and that, in most cases, might be so specific as to not even be noticed by the viewers. Indeed, finding out that, as the plot unfolds and the series proceeds, Daenerys Targaryen’s garments become increasingly more covered with tiny foldings that mimic the scales of a dragon and that the Stark-Lannister war continues across Sansa’s wedding gown, where embroidered direwolves fight and eventually are beaten by a lion, which stands, menacing, on the head, well, devotion seems like a justifiable feeling.

Each film, each TV series creates a small self-sufficient universe and a level of authenticity and coherence, down to the tiniest detail, becomes vital both for the director, and for the cast, in order to truly become part of that universe. Consequently, just as it was absolutely necessary to have a conlang (Constructed language) to bring the Dothraki to life, all the costumes, from the Unsullied's uniforms to the airy garments worn by the prostitute Shae, needed to display the highest degree of detailing in order to look, and feel, plausible and authentic. Even if few viewers would notice, the director and the cast know that those details are there, and are one of the many components that, added to the rest, contribute to achieve the perfect aesthetic quality.
- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

There is a type of pleasure I feel that I can’t quite define. I could do so, taking a cue from Ben Schott’s Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, and make up a word that would mean, more or less, "the pleasure of observing an almost manic obsession for details and beauty for beauty's sake". I’m referring to the kind of fixation that led Steve Jobs to drive the engineers working on the first Macintosh crazy, by uttering phrases like “the circuit board is ugly”. He justified it by saying that "when you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."

I experienced this type of undefinable pleasure when I discovered that, in order to develop the Dothraki language created by George R. R. Martin in his books, HBO hired David J. Pearson, "professional language creator" and "alien language and culture consultant". For this fictional nomadic population, Pearson created a congruent grammar and constantly expanding vocabulary, and provided the actors with phonetic guidelines and mp3s in which he had recorded the correct pronunciation of each of their lines. One may wonder why they would go to such trouble, but I’d like to think that the producers of Game of Thrones also want to sleep peacefully at night.

Equally, I experienced the same pleasure when, reading the blog of a Russian prop stylist, I found a post in which she talked, with almost religious devotion, about the incredible details that are featured on the show's costumes: details that required months of work and that, in most cases, might be so specific as to not even be noticed by the viewers. Indeed, finding out that, as the plot unfolds and the series proceeds, Daenerys Targaryen’s garments become increasingly more covered with tiny foldings that mimic the scales of a dragon and that the Stark-Lannister war continues across Sansa’s wedding gown, where embroidered direwolves fight and eventually are beaten by a lion, which stands, menacing, on the head, well, devotion seems like a justifiable feeling.

Each film, each TV series creates a small self-sufficient universe and a level of authenticity and coherence, down to the tiniest detail, becomes vital both for the director, and for the cast, in order to truly become part of that universe. Consequently, just as it was absolutely necessary to have a conlang (Constructed language) to bring the Dothraki to life, all the costumes, from the Unsullied's uniforms to the airy garments worn by the prostitute Shae, needed to display the highest degree of detailing in order to look, and feel, plausible and authentic. Even if few viewers would notice, the director and the cast know that those details are there, and are one of the many components that, added to the rest, contribute to achieve the perfect aesthetic quality.
- See more at: http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2014/06/game-of-thrones-costumes#ad-image

The History of Judith Lieber

Good morning citizens
Today I would like to talk about a very special designer, creative and amazing: Judith Lieber!
Maybe some of you do not know who she is, why she is one of the most famous designer handbags of all time! His style includes minaudieres, Which are Often covered in crystals. Animals are a recurring theme, and Often the most expensive purses of the collection with prices on some animal shaped minaudieres exceeding $ 5000.
Collections have changed over the years, from bags in the shape of animals to those in the form of cakes and cupcakes! Maybe some of you will remember her cupcake-handbag in an episode of Sex and the City!

In 1994, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers. Some of her works are exposed in some of the most important museum in the world  like the permanent display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

Convivio : Art vs. HIV

Goodmorning citizens!  

How is your summer? My has yet to begin, unfortunately, I'm still studying for the exams of the university!
Despite this and despite the 'unstoppable hot these days are still with you!
Here in Italy was held a few days ago the gala of Convivio (association for research against HIV) to this have occurred many stars of fashion and entertainment. The evening culminated with an auction to raise funds for research! See below some works sold and I take this opportunity to thank all the partecipants and researchers who make possible defeat, sooner or later, this nasty disease!

 

XOXO

 

 

MUST: Golden dress

Good morning citizens
is another hot day here! And during a break between an iced tea and a dip in the pool I present to you one of the  fundamental Must for the girls this summer! The golden dress!  
I'll launch some proposals not just easy and cheap but you can always reinvent and recreate the style of the catwalk with clothes cheaper and equally beautiful!

XOXO

 

Dolce & Gabbana

Etrò

Anna Sui

Lanvin

Blugirl

Salvatore Ferragamo

Young the Giant

Good morning citizens!!!
today with the hot weather, I thought I'd offer you a new fresh!
I propose this interview (published on Vogue.it) of a band innovative and very interesting. New on the music scene are the release of their second album: "Mind over Matter"

Enjoy it
XOXO

 The title of the album "Mind Over Matter" is a kind of mantra?

Yes, and 'a phrase that is often heard as part of the colloquial language. Sometimes, however, it loses its meaning. We should, instead, begin to think about the meanings that can  hide. It 'a concept of great impact. If we could all live by this philosophy, the problems would not have any impact on the personal creativity ...
Compared to previous work feel more synth and electronic distortions ...
The sound is "fuller". For the whole first album was more basic: drums, guitar and voice. Here we have tried to go further by incorporating electronic elements. They were not new to us but now we've gone even more
You said that being in the studio is like writing a book. Why?
Why is the entire work to be meaningful. Whether it's a work of art, a book, or, as in this case, an album you have to listen to everything from beginning to end to understand the history behind it. In our album, there is a common thread, the first track and the last one is like the first and the last chapter. Maybe that's why the writing was immediate

You recorded in a giant Hollywood studio. What do you remember about that experience?
E 'was great. the sound was perfect. Even the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin recorded there. In the air there was an almost legendary and I think this affected the way you play ...
Morrisey said to be one of your biggest fan. Have you ever met him?
Not yet. But we are in contact with him. We exchanged emails for a couple of years and we sent the new disk. Maybe in the future we might be lucky enough to do a tour together. Who knows ..
One last question. You still live together?
No more We shared an apartment, a sort of home studio in Orange County. In the first place to save money, it worked for a while '. E 'was great but now we've matured and each has more responsibility. We lack a little 'play basketball, cook together. The next goal, however, is keeping alive the creativity without having breakfast every day side by side!

James Fanco's secret

Hello citizens!
 Today's news is really interesting! You all know James Franco right? For the uninitiated is the 'actor who played Harry Osborn in Spiderman ...
however ... it seems that Franco himself has published a photo in which he is in bed with a man, and to be precise about with Keegan Allen!
Please note that there is nothing strange in the fact that the thing is not clear, it's provocative or reality? Truth or fiction? Tell me UR opinion !

XOXO

CFDA : Rihanna the worst !!

Hello citizens!
as I said in my previous post I missed comment with you the most important fashion events and especially the look sported by the participants!
Let's start with the  last night party for the CFDA Awards!
But of course I do not like to always say nice things so I decided to show some of the worst looks that celebrities sported! Comment and tell me what is the absolute worst! For me, the worst is to look for Rihanna!

Too naked, vulgar!
someone should tell her that as fashion icon does not have a future and that his time in the fashion world has gone more quickly than a hangover!

 

XOXO

Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen

Reachel Zoe

Donna Karan

Tory Burch

Irene Neuwirth

Lupita Nyong'o