Seb Jarnot

Contemporary graphic illustrator, he's done album covers for the likes of Laurent Garnier, whom we also love.

Enjoy....that is all.

If you like this, I strongly suggest purchasing his book '3 x 7 = 15'. It's only about a tenner, can't go wrong (be a good Christmas gift. I think it's safe to say we can start thinking about that now!)

Muchos love R. x

(Listening to: Country Death Song - Violent Femmes)

androgynius.

I've always kind of been obsessed with Tom Girls, I call them this because they're not Tom Boys, they're not pretending to be a boy, they're just girly girls doing a damn good job of idealising androgyny.

I'm not sure if this post if prolific and profound, but, I remember when i probably wasn't short of 10 years, my nanna telling me about the land girls in WW2 efforts, and instantly, I just fell in love with them, or rather the idea of them; just something about the fact all the blokes went to war, and a new identity for women was created based around rolling up your sleeves, doing what was best for the country, and still, there was a uniformity about it, they were obviously very proud to be doing what they were doing, together, it's inspiring really.

Katharine Hepburn is a woman i find absolutly fascinating, she glamorised effortless cool, a beautifully delicate woman and still the clothes she was wearing made her look strong, she created a romance based around a look that was so unexpected, her whole ethic has inspired me a lot lately. Everyone needs a bit of strength every now and again, somehow.


Women have worn masculine threads over the years to either blur the lines of stereotype, or simply just to play the part of it. Where it has perhaps been used to produce a hard shell masking the perceived weakness of a women, or to symbolise another meaning based around empowerment (Let's not do the 80s - not now), I much prefer to just think of the fun of it. Why not?

I'd love to live in the 50s. it's one of those eras that inspires you more than you realise. The birth of the teenager - of not looking like your mum, of conformity to subculture. The youth came into their own and started preening with money in their pockets. The teddy girls rocked; the feminine approach to their boyish counterpart, the lapels.. collars are really pleasing me at the minute.


In modern day fashion, we see different elements of nostaligia linking into new looks. Suiting and boyish tailoring was a key designer look in AW10 that has been lightly updated for Spring, a trend that magazines embraced and used in shoots. More daring now, magazines know it is acceptable to subtract any feminine elements atall, no lipstick, no feminine hair, just raw androgyny, edgy rebel. These models are dressed as men, and represent women who favour these looks. It is no longer frowned upon to merge gender, and break barriers of identity because I think people accept just about everything in terms of image nowadays, which is a really good thing.

Paul Smith Spring 2011 takes inspiration from both teddy boy spiv looks of the 50s and recent 80s relaxed riviera suiting that has appeared oh so much. I like what PS has done here though, Always do.

This is a shoot from October US Vogue, styled by Erin Wasson, taken from 'Fashion Gone Rogue'.

French Revue de Modes

I'm a huge fan of Freja Beha Erichsen; and really admire her ability to add depth and a persona to every shoot. To me, she is the model that has illuminated this idea of anrogyny and beauty, and proves exactly, how it works well. (Boo George for 'Twin' AW09)


Woman, I feel like a Man.... Think it through Shania.

Lotsa Love,

Bx

Men..."whatever inspires you, raid your mums make up box."

Why men dare to be different: Daniel Radcliffe, Patrick Wolf and Heath Ledger.

When I saw 'Dazed & Confused's' recent photo shoot and interview with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe I was stunned at how beautifully daring it was. It got me wondering about men and feminine transformations and styles. Obviously I'm not talking Gene Simmond's KISS, and I could mention David Bowie, but I don't need to, we've heard all that before. What really interests me is why?

For Daniel Radcliffe I believe this shoot was a way for him to well and truly stamp on his wizards cloak and tell the world that he's not a boy but a man, a man who can be as daring and striking as any other male in the performance industry. And although he did this when performing in Peter Shaffer's raunchy stage play 'Equus', he was still playing Harry Potter. Now the films are over, the transformation can commence. I think that the use of make up in the shoot shatters any thoughts of the 'geeky boy wizard'; he's genuinely beautiful in these pictures, if not a little scary, but I think that's the point.

In the 'Dazed & Confused' interview Radcliffe says:

"when you're covered head-to-toe in make up, the only thing you can do is go for it."

And this conjures up thoughts of why us women wear make up all the time. Essentially it's confidence, to feel beautiful and to transform. Why do we really dress up at Halloween even though we're too old to go trick and treating? Because we can become our alter-egos, a fantastical representation of who we wish we were. I think the same ideals of make up and dressing up apply to men, but obviously it is something not everyone is quite used to in the modern world!

The shoot of Radcliffe aesthetically (with the smeared face paint, dark eyes and slick back hair) drew many parallels to

Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake', an all male ballet which I imagine is far more popular and memorable than the classic

'women in tutus' version (not to sound condescending, both 'Swan Lakes' are truly awe inspiring and Darcey Bussell is a national gem!) But what I'm trying to get at is that Bourne completely transformed this very feminine fairy tale into

something with balls (excuse the pun) and in turn transformed male ballet dancers into something certainly not to be

laughed at but people to admire and very much respect.

Next, a man whom I would consider one of my favourite musicians of the last decade is Patrick Wolf. Patrick Wolf has the most beautiful sense of style which includes make up a' plenty and a mixture of daring couture with British heritage folk.

His style absolutely reflects his music, as with three albums that he has (almost single handedly) produced, he has transformed himself musically and physically. What is so wonderful about this is that we as an audience can see this transformation as a journey through his life as it happens.

His first album 'The Magic Position' is an exploration of electro but with a sense of whimsy, delving into personal feelings of love and heartbreak, for example the songs 'Bluebells' and 'Augustine'. His second album 'Wind In The Wires' for me, saw Wolf going back to his roots, exploring nature and British folk. And although some songs expressed frustration and lack of confidence in human nature ('The Libertine' and 'Tristan') there was still this beautiful air of him, and us, being a part of our landscape. For example, the opening lyrics in 'Ghost Song' are:

"While I'm asleep my spirit crawls out of this bellybutton and goes down to the sea to gather the wind, the wires and the shore, to wander the hills like a day gone before."

Finally, his most recent album 'The Bachelor (Battle One)' Wolf has thrown himself head first into electro. The video for 'Hard Times' directed by Ace Norton speaks for itself! And especially in comparison to the video for 'Bluebells' from his first album.

http://vimeo.com/4887811 - 'Hard Times'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89yEOAapoMc - 'Bluebells'

There is a wonderful romance about Patrick Wolf in the sense that we don't really know who he is. He twists between

styles, he dresses himself up so fabulously, it's like he is playing various different characters of himself. But I also feel

that this is because even he doesn't know who he truly is, and his writing and creating of albums are pieces of the

journey he goes on to search for Patrick Wolf.

The questioning of who he is has even gone as far as his sexuality, presumably because of his expressive style and

appearance, and Patrick's answer to this:

"I don't know if I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with a man, a woman, or a horse."

A brilliant quote which reflects the continual search of himself but also his ability to be comfortable with that.

Ok, so last case study for men in make up. How could we forget the late Heath Ledger and obviously his iconic role of The Joker in the Batman film 'The Dark Knight' directed by Christopher Nolan. Firstly, I think the point about men and transformations in this case is entirely different to Daniel Radcliffe and Patrick Wolf. When Heath Ledger so sadly passed away there were many speculations that his huge immersion of the Joker character might have been to blame in some way. Ledger took a method acting approach to this role and spent many days locked in a London flat trying to find the Joker's psychotic psyche inside himself. When he emerged, what he had created was something nobody expected; a relatively unknown actor in terms of respectability and credibility (apart from 'Brokeback Mountain' he was mainly remembered for teen flick '10 Things I Hate About You') he had suddenly become this terrifying monster. Although Jack Nicholson's adaptation of the Joker was pretty damn scary, he had nothing on Heath Ledger, everything about him was frightening, especially the fact that he'd taken the role so seriously.

"I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices — it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath — someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. He’s just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown" - Heath Ledger Empire magazine interview.

So, the very fact that Heath Ledger had transformed himself so completely for this role made his performance absolutely breathtaking, and his appearance, especially the make up has become completely iconic, and I don't know if the role had anything to do with him passing away; regardless, he well and truly earned the respect of everyone. The image of Heath as the Joker will remain iconic for many years to come and it's just tragic that he'll never know that. Whether his role had anything to do with his passing is not for me to say, all I do know is that he did a bloody good job. But back to make up. Evidently, the Joker's relationship with appearance is that of fear, and this is something quite important when discussing men and make up. To be scary aesthetically for a man seems ok, in that it still gives the impression of power and masculinity. But to wear make-up in a feminine sense seems to attract a lot of fear for men, probably because it is still deemed as quite unusual (which is madness in 2010!)

So to conclude, it should most definitely not be strange for men to dare to wear make up in any capacity. To prove this, we have artists like Patrick Wolf, who express themselves in whichever way they feel and can be happy in themselves, even if they don't know who their true 'self' is yet. There's people like Daniel Radcliffe who want to prove a point and that point is that he is a man, and he has done that incredibly successfully by wearing make up. And finally, Heath Ledger who has become one of the most iconic film villains ever, and his face paint will be massively remembered and copied by men all over the world. If that wasn't enough, the very last picture ever taken of Heath Ledger shows him in make up, and looking as stunning as ever.

So men......raid your mums make up box!

Love Romeo. x

(Listening to Fionn Regan - 'Snowy Atlas Mountains')

Images: Last FM, Dazed & Confused, Empire.

Johnny Flynns Leftovers.....all that's left in our cupboards right now!

Johnny Flynn Leftovers Dir.MOX from MOX MORKA on Vimeo.

">

Need warming up? Moses Berkson's SOLARIUM does the job better than a scotch broth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ydbyAkK-E

So, apparently when the end of Lykke's tour left her feeling depressed and frustrated, Moses Berkson and herself headed for the desert armed with a super 8 camera and many many mirrors.

First of all, Lykke Li is easily considered in my head as a bit of a genius and an effortless one at that. And that effortless, underground, floatyness she so beautifully airs odes very well to a surrealist short film. I say surrealist, although I should be very careful how I use that word in 2010. The reason I say surrealist is that the second the film began I felt like I'd been thrown back to the 1920's and that if I was very lucky I might be sat next to Marcel Duchamp or Salvador Dali. So, has Moses Berkson purposely paid homage to avant-garde surrealist cinema here or was it just coincidence?

I should probably attempt to dissect the piece a little first, although, joyously, there are no wrong answers in surrealism (good times!) So, we begin in a desert with shards of mirrors sticking out of the sand and Lykke is in a number of scenarios, including struggling to hold up a door, light shining into her blindfolded eyes and throwing sand over a mirror with a spade. For me, I'd guess that these actions are a way to represent her frustration and lack of confidence in the industry she works in. As we know, she went to the desert as a way to deal with her end of tour depression and the burying of a mirror for example is a beautiful metaphor for the demotivation one must encounter along with fame. Also the very fact that throughout undergoing these painful looking actions she is in the fierce heat of the sun suggests that this physical exposure is an expression of how she feels emotionally being in the lime light. As she shines the reflection of the sun into the camera lens the audience are dazzled in a way that, for me, was Lykke saying "this is what is feels like".

Anyhow, when will this rant end I hear you cry!.....Not yet I'm afraid, because the pace and music are most important! The pace picks up speed and the eerie metallic sounds we hear start to pick up too, until the music becomes quite tribal. It's almost as if there is some kind of tribal ritual about to commence, which is also suggested when at the very end Lykke holds her arm up in a kind of Pocahontas salute. Is this a slight hint at expressing conformity and regiment in the music industry? Hmmm....I'd like to think so.

Ok, back to avant-garde. Maybe it's because Berkson's shot Solarium in black and white super 8 with lots of simple wide or close-up shots sneaking in a few cheeky handheld moments that makes me think of 1920's, Dadaism and all that. Or maybe its the odd cuts to close-ups of an ant that takes me back to Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou (I say 'takes me back' like I was actually alive on it's release....I wasn't) But what really drew me to definitively conclude that Solarium is a surrealist throwback is that it shares so many qualities, themes (if I got them right!) and styles with Maya Deren's Meshes Of The Afternoon. I'd have to say that I definitely prefer Maya Deren's to Solarium but that's just because she has the most incredible ability to build tension as an aid to express femininity. Quite honestly, Meshes Of The Afternoon scared me the first time I saw it! And, of course, Maya Deren was and still is, for me a great pioneer for women film makers and artists. So, please have a little watch!.....

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeaq3_meshes-of-the-afternoon_shortfilms

I think that's probably enough talk of surrealist cinema for one day, especially when the hangover hunger is kicking in. A pizza and Saturday night TV will send me right back to normality one hopes!

Muchos Love,

Romeo.

(Listening to - Kit Downs Trio - Jump Minzi Jump)