I was introduced to stylist Luke Storey and his assistant Lauren Messiah a couple of months ago by a mutual friend - fashion photographer David Solomini. I assisted David on a couple of shoots back in March of this year, but mostly in a production capacity (production coordinator). You can check it out here:
http://issuu.com/alistinternational/docs/atraccionfatal
I'm really a composer/producer of electronic music, but I've been close to the fashion industry for several years, and it's always been a passion of mine. I never really thought of working in it though - I just offered to help out a friend because I was interested in seeing him work, and I had nothing going on that weekend. I had such a good time on set, and met a whole crew of talented and interesting people. It just seemed like a no-brainer that I would do more of this, but perhaps taking on a more specific role.
Enter Luke and Lauren - a hot, talented, dynamic duo. I was fairly certain that Wardrobe Styling would be something that I could get into, but to have firsthand knowledge delivered by someone who has worked extensively in the field break it down and make it something real is too good an opportunity to not take.
Class 1 at the School Of Style in it's current configuration is a 12 hour course spread out over 2 days at Smashbox Studios in West Hollywood. There were 7 of us in the class I took, and the atmosphere was relaxed and easy. Luke is charismatic, and clearly very good at what he does. The content - although voluminous - was very clearly presented, and absorbable, leaving very little need for questions. After 2 days, I am left with a clear picture of what it means to be a Stylist, what is required, and what it's going to take to make it as one. If you strip away the illusions, misconceptions and fantasies from something, and still find the enterprise exciting and appealing I think it's safe to assume that it's a worthwhile endeavor. If this is a field you are interested in getting into, you couldn't do more right by yourself than to sign up for this class: informative, entertaining, inspiring, and loaded with invaluable insight. Thanks to the School Of Style we no longer have to learn the hard way.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
I wake up at 4:44am, turn on the sound system and listen to Psyche a track off the new Massive Attack album on repeat until 5:30am while I drink 4 espressos and smoke cigarettes. Then I make a protein shake, drink another espresso and then get in the shower - the Aeroplane remix of Paris by Friendly Fires plays on the cube which I bring into the bathroom so the sound of the ventilation and running water won't drown it out. I dress quickly putting on a black Vivienne Westwood button-down shirt, black jeans by Naked & Famous Denim, and a pair of black winged hightops by Jeremy Scott for Adidas. I grab my iPod Nano, slip on my Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and float out onto the street listening to....I don't know, perhaps the new Charlotte Gainsbourg album, but maybe it's Beach House because the singer doesn't sound quite as tuneless and hollow as Charlottle Gainsbourg. I walk the 4 blocks to Pershing Square and before I head down into the subway I send a quick text to my sponsor asking him to bring his copy of Just For Today so I can read it on the way to the shoot for A-List International Magazine which is at a house up at the top of Hollyridge Loop in the hills. The house belongs to a friend of David's (my sponsor), and as far as I've been informed he lives there alone, but some friends came in from out of town last night this guy standing in the kitchen is telling me and he says his name is Jason. He carries on talking, something about how he just passed out on the floor 10 minutes before the models arrived and he wasn't sure what was going on but hey, it's nice to meet you he says. There's empty bottles of beer, cheap vodka and sparkling wine all over the place and the models need coffee because they're kind of freaked out or something and I'm thinking how is coffee going to help but I need to find mugs so I don't bother to think about it anymore.
It's afternoon now and the models are eating sandwiches from Larchmont Cheese but I'm sitting out on the deck drinking a large cup of instant coffee and smoking while I write in my journal, just thinking about the day so far and whether or not I should be here, but this cinematography guy called John is out on the deck now too and we're talking about the sober life and remembering not too fondly shooting speedballs and for me the memories are only 10 days old so I really just want to keep writing and John says he's going to look for David. I settle back into my thoughts but then Jason is out on the deck and wants to smoke weed with me and I can tell that he's not too sure about me after I tell him no thanks and maybe it's because I don't want to smoke weed and maybe it's just because he hasn't slept yet. There's something about his blushing face, curly blond hair, blue eyes, and chubby build that's making me think of Caligula - yeah, I'm definitely picturing this guy staggering about in a toga telling bad jokes and hitting on anything with a pulse that'll listen to him babbling inanities.
There's a sort of ebb and flow to the revelry, just as the shoot starts and stops and shifts from room to room and at some point I think everyone must have passed out by the pool, but then there are new faces showing up all the time. Towards the end of the day David has to take care of something back down in Hollywood and he's looking for his car-keys but they're nowhere to be seen but that's only because some wanna-be male model and a couple of unfortunately skanky women have them in the bathroom and are doing key-bumps of coke off them while I'm thinking I wonder how they didn't notice the NA key-tags hanging off them but then I'm thinking they probably did notice and thought it was ironic or something and I'm wondering whether that would spoil my buzz if I was staring at a key-tag that celebrated clean time while trying to do coke off a key.
We've been on the go all day and David and I are both pretty out of it but I want to hit a meeting and David says he's down so we drive out to the valley to catch Prime Time on Dickens just down the street from the Galleria. I'm too tired to think about what's being said so I just listen, and then David drives me back downtown. I set my alarm for 5am and notice with some irritation that that means I only I have about 4 hours to sleep then I'm out...
It's afternoon now and the models are eating sandwiches from Larchmont Cheese but I'm sitting out on the deck drinking a large cup of instant coffee and smoking while I write in my journal, just thinking about the day so far and whether or not I should be here, but this cinematography guy called John is out on the deck now too and we're talking about the sober life and remembering not too fondly shooting speedballs and for me the memories are only 10 days old so I really just want to keep writing and John says he's going to look for David. I settle back into my thoughts but then Jason is out on the deck and wants to smoke weed with me and I can tell that he's not too sure about me after I tell him no thanks and maybe it's because I don't want to smoke weed and maybe it's just because he hasn't slept yet. There's something about his blushing face, curly blond hair, blue eyes, and chubby build that's making me think of Caligula - yeah, I'm definitely picturing this guy staggering about in a toga telling bad jokes and hitting on anything with a pulse that'll listen to him babbling inanities.
There's a sort of ebb and flow to the revelry, just as the shoot starts and stops and shifts from room to room and at some point I think everyone must have passed out by the pool, but then there are new faces showing up all the time. Towards the end of the day David has to take care of something back down in Hollywood and he's looking for his car-keys but they're nowhere to be seen but that's only because some wanna-be male model and a couple of unfortunately skanky women have them in the bathroom and are doing key-bumps of coke off them while I'm thinking I wonder how they didn't notice the NA key-tags hanging off them but then I'm thinking they probably did notice and thought it was ironic or something and I'm wondering whether that would spoil my buzz if I was staring at a key-tag that celebrated clean time while trying to do coke off a key.
We've been on the go all day and David and I are both pretty out of it but I want to hit a meeting and David says he's down so we drive out to the valley to catch Prime Time on Dickens just down the street from the Galleria. I'm too tired to think about what's being said so I just listen, and then David drives me back downtown. I set my alarm for 5am and notice with some irritation that that means I only I have about 4 hours to sleep then I'm out...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Total Fucking Pizza Party
The best thing to happen to me in 2009:
http://creamteam.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/09-vroom-go-the-cow-mew-bumruckass.mp3
Makes me smile, makes me wanna cry, makes me wanna dance, makes me wanna kill myself! Sooooo intense....
http://creamteam.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/09-vroom-go-the-cow-mew-bumruckass.mp3
Makes me smile, makes me wanna cry, makes me wanna dance, makes me wanna kill myself! Sooooo intense....
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thank You & Fuck You
Searing hot album from Michael J Collins, featuring hottest track I've heard in a long time - "I just wanna be your disco bitch". Courtesy of Wolf + Lamb Records.
http://wolflambmusic.com/artist.asp?artist=58#
http://wolflambmusic.com/artist.asp?artist=58#
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Simian Mobile Disco @ the Mayan Theater, Los Angeles
2 tickets (1 spare) to see Simian Mobile Disco @ the Mayan Theater downtown tomorrow night - who's game?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
U2 now officially has sexy boots
The Edge deserves to have his fingers chopped off for choosing that name - I mean srsly, how bad can his real name be?! David Evans. What's wrong with that? Anyway, apparently earlier this year they decided to jump on the Justice bandwagon. Ok, they were a little behind, or maybe they just couldn't figure out what song to have remixed. I'm not a fan of U2 if you hadn't guessed; I mean, they're just one of those bands that have been around forever and when you're sitting at a bar and one of their tunes comes on, you're like, "Oh! I like this song, what is it?" Then it sinks in - it's U2 and you're just a little embarrassed and disappointed. I think I just love to hate that band, and I totally don't own any of their stuff. A) I'm not sure most of their songs are worth trying to remix B) Do Justice not have anything better to do with their time? It's a weird remix, but I don't pretend to be familiar with the original. The track is actually pretty catchy though. I'll let you decide for yourself....
Beach House
I mentioned these guys in my little write-up of the Grizzly Bear show a few weeks back - they opened at the Hollywood Palladium. Heard this track on Pitchfork - and apparently you can just download the mp3 for free?! It's pretty sweet.
Four Tet "Love Cry"
Um, yes please. Whatever Kieran Hebden has been up to for the last few years, he is very welcome back. Thank you. And thanks to pitchfork too for bringing it to my attention.
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck
Pitchfork says, "Incredible new Charlotte Gainsbourg/Beck video"
http://pitchfork.com/news/37150-incredible-new-charlotte-gainsbourg-beck-video-heaven-can-wait/
What do you say?
Friendly what?
After a rather embarrassing mix-up over the dates for the show, I finally caught up with The XX who were playing to a very enthusiastic audience at The Music Box @ The Henry Fonda Theater last night, Saturday November 21st. You know those unfortunate shows where the band you actually want to see is the opener, and they play a solid but very short set, skipping the tracks you need to hear? Well, that was not how last night went down. The place was packed, people knew the words to the songs, heck, even Mischa Barton was there. Definitely not your typical LA show. I have an unnatural obsession with this band - one might go so far as to say, "That band is so hot right now!" To complete the joyful experience, I bumped into a couple of friends. What with the confusion over dates, I had tickets to see The Juan Mclean DJ at the Echoplex in Silverlake, so I skipped out before Friendly Fires took the stage. Bad form? Perhaps, but I was more than satisfied having seen The XX do their thing, and The Juan Mclean on the decks is always a good time. Anyone else think they slam the sound a little too hard at the Echoplex?
NB- there was a cameraman filming the show for NBC, not sure if it was for a TV show or what, but keep your eyes peeled...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Jasmin Ruiz Blasco
Swing by Blasco's blog and check out all the fine work he's been doing - French-style...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Beautiful Proportions
I've been listening to the debut album from buzz band The XX on repeat for several days now, interspersed with repeats of the song "Crystalised" (track 3 from said album). I have a healthy appetite for obsession yes, but there's just something so very special about this record. The music is not particularly complex, but it is well-written, and extremely well-crafted. It is earnest and heartfelt without being cheesy or angsty, it is beautiful and melodic, but oh so measured and restrained. There's also a hint of this thing that I often find annoying in some tunes, where a part of a melodic phrase sounds like something else, but then goes somewhere else instead of giving you what you expect. This is most likely unintentional, but it adds this absorbing quality for me. As I mentioned in a previous post, word is out that Baria Qureshi has left the band citing "exhaustion", leaving the trio to finish what looks to be a very serious tour through Spring 2010. I will endeavor to catch them supporting Friendly Fires at the Henry Fonda here in LA at the end of the week. In case I didn't make my point clearly: buy this record - buy it, own it, love it...
Hunee
Doing his thing, and doing it well - Hunee's "Took My Love" for Drumpoet Community. If you don't know, now you know...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Choir Of Young Believers @ Spaceland (10/09)
Spaceland is not the venue I would choose for Choir Of Young Believers, but seeing a band as honest and warm as them in a more intimate setting was definitely no bad thing. If you're familiar with "This Is For The White In Your Eyes", you can imagine them playing an old converted theater like the Wiltern with an orchestral backing to a packed and rapt audience gently swaying to the sweet sound of Jannis Noya Makrigiannis' voice. Sure, this is Indie Pop, but it is no generic "we're young, we're angsty, check us out - we're musicians" turgid nonsense that is so ubiquitous in these times. The album itself is beautifully balanced; it's a healthy dose of light and dark, poppy and sombre. They were definitely confident on stage, but without coming across as detached or arrogant. A very sound live performance that struck a chord with me.
Grizzly Bear @ The Palladium (10/09)
An interesting lighting display adorned the stage at the Hollywood Palladium where Beach House (whom I had not heard of) opened for Grizzly Bear. The Palladium is a very large space, and it was pretty mellow when I arrived about thirty minutes before Grizzly Bear were meant to play. Needless to say, it was packed tight by the time Grizzly Bear brought their set to a close. Their music is richly textured, layered with vocal harmonies and very expansive, blending Pop/Folk/Rock/Orchestral into something very much it's own - their most recent offering (Veckatimest) is perhaps the most accessible of the three albums, definitely being the most focused material to date. I've known that these guys are talented, and enjoyed their music for some time now, so I won't tell you that I was surprised at the skillful and potent delivery of the material, but it definitely blew me away. Haunting, evocative, and quite unsettling in just how much emotion it stirred up. Anyone looking for a deeper experience along with their entertainment should make sure to catch these guys doing their thing on stage.
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