Balenciaga Fall 2011 Show Time: March 3, 2011 at 10:00 am Designer: Nicolas Ghesquière Stylist: Marie-Amélie Sauvé Casting Director: Ashley Brokaw Models: Kasia Struss, Daria Strokous, Mirte Maas, and Jamie Bochert
This Texas-raised Swede racked up an impressive tally of bookings, including Marc Jacobs, Balmain, and Chanel, after making her runway debut in the leadoff spot at Alexander Wang. Britt ensured her standout status when Guido Palau chopped her tawny locks into an edgy, peroxide pixie cut backstage at Balenciaga.
Model Britt Maren’s first taste of her first Fashion Week was as the opener for Alexander Wang’s highly anticipated, celebrity-jammed spring show in New York—not bad for a beginner. A flurry of bookings for the Sweden-born, Texas-bred cat-walker followed—Fendi and Roberto Cavalli in Milan; Balmain, Lanvin, Givenchy, and Chanel in Paris—and this week, she was among a handful of faces chosen for a radical pre-Balenciaga transformation. “I didn’t know what they were going to do entirely; I knew that they were going to cut it short—but then there was the bleach,” Maren said backstage at Balmain, hours after debuting her new look at Balenciaga this morning. “Cut it short” is an understatement, though, with backstage guru Guido Palau chopping off nearly eight inches of Maren’s light brown hair and dying it Debbie Harry–platinum yesterday in the secret confines of the Balenciaga showroom. The finished look: eye-grazing and meant-to-be-mussed in the front, with a shorter-than-short shaved neck in the back. “It’s really different, but I like it!” Maren said. “It’s sexier and cooler, and when I wake up in the morning it’s kind of messy.”
Balenciaga Spring 2011 Show Time: September 30, 2010 at 10:00 am Designer: Nicolas Ghesquière Casting Director: Ashley Brokaw Stylist: Marie-Amélie Sauvé Makeup: Pat McGrath Hair: Guido Palau Models: Eliza Cummings, Britt Maren, Jamie Bochert, Kasia Struss, Daria Strokous,and Mirte Maas
Balenciaga Spring 2011 Show Time: September 30, 2010 at 10:00 am Designer: Nicolas Ghesquière Casting Director: Ashley Brokaw Stylist: Marie-Amélie Sauvé Makeup: Pat McGrath Hair: Guido Palau Models: Eliza Cummings, Britt Maren, Jamie Bochert, Kasia Struss, Daria Strokous,and Mirte Maas
If you have opened a fashion magazine, or any magazine for that matter, over the last decade or so, you’ve seen the work of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, known in the industry simply as Inez and Vinoodh. The Dutch photographers (partners in work and life) are the creative eyes behind such contemporary imagery as the Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Yohji Yamamoto and Chloé ad campaigns, and editorial work that regularly appears in French Vogue, V, The New York Times and W. Starting Friday, a retrospective of 300 of their photographs from 1985 to 2010, titled “Pretty Much Everything,” will be on view at Amsterdam’s Foam Museum through Sept. 15. Next year, Taschen will expand on the exhibition with an epic tome of 666 photographs accompanied by original fiction by A.M. Homes. Here, van Lamsweerde speaks on behalf of the duo about its work — past, present and future.
On being labeled fashion photographers: We love what clothes do to build a character in your picture. There’s something that I find fascinating about the language of clothes. It’s kind of like a set of codes that everyone universally understands. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I’m not into fashion. I don’t care about what I wear.’ But when they go for a job interview, they wear something different than [what they would wear] just to go work in the garden or pick up the kids from school. You are saying something with what you wear.
On her favorite models: Raquel Zimmermann, Daria Werbowy, Kate Moss and Anja Rubik. They all have this huge range. They’re mature, they’re grown up, they’re women who have had a life and experience. For about five or six years now we haven’t shot anyone under 18 for that reason, but also for the fact that we feel that the modeling business should not promote girls working under 18. They’re not out of school, their bodies aren’t developed yet, they don’t have a sense of self yet, sometimes they haven’t had sex yet. It’s hard to project all these things on someone who hasn’t had that experience.
On shooting celebrities: I actually love it. It’s like a conquest each time. It’s kind of like — I don’t want to say seduction, but it has that part to it. I never really try to talk someone into doing something they don’t want to….We usually have an idea ahead of time what we would like to do, what our fantasy would be on a celebrity, what part we would like to bring out or change. Usually I get quite a good sense in the first five minutes as to how much they want to play with you and how open they are.…The sitting is no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. A lot of people say that they feel hypnotized after they shoot with us because it’s a very, very, very focused, short period of time. Usually within the first five frames I have the picture.
On her dream subject: I would love to shoot Prince. I’m a fan. I think he’s inspiring and I love the way he moves his body and I think he’s a genius. And since there’s no more Michael Jackson, I would say he’d be the one.
Balenciaga Spring 2002 Campaign Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin Stylist: Marie-Amélie Sauvé Model: Isabeli Fontana
I heard she broke your heart again so now you're gonna come and see me we're back to the start again when's she gonna set me free I've been there time and time again the girl's no good for me and you she hurts me too
I heard she broke your heart again I heard she broke your heart well that girl's a heartbreaker
well now that girl may have friends in the business and great qualities that i have yet to see but in my eyes she's done us wrong enough times for you to side with me
I heard she broke your heart again I heard she broke your heart well that girl's a heartbreaker
heartbreaker i'll break her heartbreaker i'll break ya
Izabel Goulart now serves as the International Ambassador for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to fund the cure-focused research at the world-renowned Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami.
Izabel’s brother was diagnosed with type 1 during infancy, and she has been actively involved in charitable work, helping hospitals in her native Brazil raise money to provide free insulin for children with diabetes. Now, Izabel has turned her focus toward a cure and recently toured the Institute to meet the researchers and witness their work for herself.
“I am so excited and proud to be working with the Diabetes Research Institute. Nothing is more important to me than finding a cure for my brother,” said Izabel.
“If I can raise awareness in the course of my travels, and bring attention to the Diabetes Research Institute, I will be helping my brother and millions like him who are living with this disease.”
In her role as International Ambassador, Izabel will be rallying support and raising awareness for type 1 diabetes and for the DRI’s research, which is focused on curing all children and adults living with diabetes.
Some of the activities she will be participating in include serving as a spokesperson or honorary chair at DRI Foundation fundraising events and appearing in public service announcements, among others.
“When I first met Izabel, I was immediately taken in by her warmth and her passion and on her recent tour of the Institute, she exhibited a strong desire to understand the current state and direction of our research. She wants nothing more than a cure for her brother, and she knows firsthand how diabetes can affect the entire family,” said DRI Foundation President and CEO Robert A. Pearlman.
“The Diabetes Research Institute is located in Miami, but we collaborate with leading researchers around the globe to ensure that the finest minds are working to cure this disease as quickly as possible. We’re honored to have an international figure like Izabel joining in our mission.”
Izabel exploded onto the international modeling scene in 2005, photographed by David Sims for French Vogue. In 2006 Izabel walked in the Fall 2006 Balenciaga shows was well as walking as an “Angel” at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In 2007, she also appeared in the show’s CBS television broadcast.
French Vogue, ph: David Sims
French Vogue, ph: David Sims
Balenciaga:
Balenciaga:
She has modeled for designers such as Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Valentino, and Chanel. Most recently, she has been the Spokesmodel and face of Armani Exchange.
About the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation:
The mission of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now. The Diabetes Research Institute, a center of excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is a recognized world leader in cure-focused research. Since its inception in the early 1970s, the DRI has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes research, pioneering many of the techniques used in islet transplantation. The DRI is now building upon these achievements by bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies to restore insulin production. For the millions of families already affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure.
Robert A. Pearlman, president and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, congratulates Izabel Goulart on her new role as International Ambassador.
In the lab with Dr. Antonello Pileggi, Izabel learns about the DRI's collaborations with scientists all over the world, including those in her native Brazil.
On her tour of the Diabetes Research Institute, Izabel met Dr. Cherie Stabler, head of the tissue engineering program
Balenciaga Fall 2009 Show Time: March 5, 2009 at 10:00 am Location: Hotel de Crillon, 10, place de la Concorde 75008 Paris - France Designer: Nicolas Ghesquiere Casting Director: Ashley Brokaw
Kasia Struss
Olga Sherer
Natasha Poly
March 5, 2009, 6:17 am — Updated: 6:41 am --> Balenciaga: Paris Under the Skin By Cathy Horyn
It sort of adds up: the whispering tingle of Serge Gainsbourg on the soundtrack, the smart-looking shoulders, the mix of Persian blue and kelly green, the draped satin dress in a blend of colors. Today’s Balenciaga show was all about Yves.
Even the setting, in a salon room at the Crillon Hotel, seemed a nod to Yves Saint Laurent, who used to present his haute couture collections at a nearby hotel. And yet, considering how many designers have been influenced by Saint Laurent, this was a very good show on its own merits, an interpretation by a pro who understands the connections between one designer and another, between one generation and the next. Nicolas Ghesquiere has always looked to the women around him; his early collections at Balenciaga captured a style he saw on the street, and Saint Laurent himself was similarly influenced.
A virtue of this collection — certainly from the perspective of sales — is that the overall look is softer and more frankly feminine than Ghesquiere’s recent collections. The main event is the draped skirt or (even better) the draped trousers in dark satin; they ripple softly over the hips and taper down the leg. One pair was shown with a tailored jacket in black wool with black satin draped on the lower half. Another black blazer, showed with a black lace bandeau top, came out with dark gray striped pants. In a sense, Ghesquiere made his mark with trousers, and it’s great to see him again make a statement with them.
The other news was the draped coat dress, in black wool but predominantly in spotty, splashy prints, which Ghesquiere said after the show were inspired by the Balenciaga archive. Suede heels came in a blend of colors, typically with a swag of satin at one side.
One wonders if Ghesquiere has long harbored an itch to interpret Saint Laurent. He bided his time, and chose his motifs carefully. Still, this is a modern Balenciaga collection through and through.
Christmas is a time to be thankful for freedom, health, love, and friendship.
It is also a time to remember those who are less fortunate, or are no longer around to celebrate the holiday.
This Christmas, please think of JonBenet Ramsey. This Christmas is the 12 anniversary of her murder. She would be 18 years old if she were alive today. We will never know what woman she would have been....
Would she have been an entertainer like Beyonce? Beyonce and JonBenet have many parallels. They both have mothers who encouraged them to perform in provocative costumes. Beyonce performed on Star Search as a child. JonBenet competed in beauty pageants as a child.
Also, like JonBenet, Beyonce has a mother who dressed her up in provocative tacky clothes to perform in.
Beyonce Knowles is a cipher - she can be whatever you want her to be: Star Search contestant, girl group member, girl group leader, solo artist, superstar, girlfriend, wife, daughter, sister, Diana Ross, Deena Jones, Sasha Fierce, model, dancer, actress...............
Beyonce has always confused me, and left me cold. Her mother would dress her in tacky revealing costumes, yet she she wanted to be seen as a chaste Christian.
When Vanity sang "Nasty Girl" she sang "I'm looking for a man to love me, Like I've never been loved before. I'm looking for a man that'll do it anywhere,Even on the limousine floor.".
When Beyonce sang her version of " Nasty Girl" she sang: "These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl. Shakin' that thang on that man, lookin' all stank and nasty. Swore you look cute girl in them dukes, booty all out lookin' trashy. Sleazy put some clothes on, I told ya. Don't walk out ya heezy without clothes on, I told ya. You nasty girl, you nasty, you trashy. You classless girl, you sleazy you freaky.".
Her image didn't match her message.
Today, Beyonce has a couple of new tricks: performing in Gareth Pugh outfits - copying the moves Bob Fossse choreographed for Gwen Verdon, and some dancing new moves from choreographer Jonte.
I am not impressed. Beyonce is merely mimicking the postures and carriage of the Legendre fierce children of New York, as seen in Jennie Livingston's "Paris is Burning". Pop stars bringing the style of a minority safely to the white American masses is an old story. Pat Boone took the songs of Little Richard and homogenized them in the 1950's.
In 2009 I am lookign forward to more freedom, originality, peace, creativity, inspiration, and positive energy!
These polas taken last week show what a stunning beauty she is. Her hair is so thick & luxurious, & her eyes are such a velvety brown. She has worked with a a diverse range of clients, including:
