The School Of Style

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.

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...

Bondage

Betsey Johnson just put out a black stretch dress with a zip up the front (below), but I'm sure I've seen this dress before....yes I have (kind of) - last year. Ever ahead of the curve, Amanda Benefiel designed and made this (right) for her own label: Another Happy Birthday. People need to start paying attention to these guys, or you just might miss something special happening right under your noses here in LA.

To Be "In The Know"

Hello my friends! My name is Alper Kakir - I am a London-born Persian, and I have spent most of the 26 years of my life so far having so much interest in the worlds of the fashion and the music. I would like to be able to share with you some of my insight, and to hear from you also the opinions of the persons of the world.

For me, to know what they are selling on the most fashionable shopping stores in your city is not to be "in the know". To be "in the know" is not an understanding of what is fashion to the normal persons - it is a state of the mind. The persons that are "in the know" are already wearing what they will be selling in the fashion stores in 1 or 2 years time, and they are listening to the music that is not today playing on the radio and on the television. Unfortunately I am not one of these persons, although I am lucky to know a few persons like this. For the purpose of this blog then, I have chosen the name "Au Courant". The meaning of this very wonderful expression that the English language is borrowing from the French, is up-to-date or with the times.

It is possible for people like you and I to have great style and be very trendy (to be au courant!) by the thinking carefully and the being selective: the fashion industry is taking many ideas from many places and showing it all to us everywhere - on the buses in London, on the large poster-boards in American cities of Los Angeles and New York, and in the beautiful shop displays in Paris, as well as on the television and movie screens across the world. It is up to us to decide what from all this we would like to have for ourselves. I ask of myself and for you too if you like, to be thinking, "What does this shoes say about me? Which color and fabric of scarf will look nice to my shirt? Should I roll up the legs of my new jeans? Why does that person wear such loose-fitting clothes when they are looking like they are having a good body?" When we are using conscious of our appearance, the world is being a more beautiful place, and we can be happy.

To be happy for me is also very important the music, because I like to say the "music is food for the soul". It is not important if one music is fashion or not - there are many musician in this time, and there is something for every person. The most important is for you to feel that this music is somehow giving the nourishment of life to you. I listen to many different styles of music, just as I am liking to wear many different styles of clothing. I like to enjoy the full life, and there are always many occasions for many expressions through the fashion and the music.

That is enough talk of these things for now, but I would let you know what I am thinking for the upcoming months. I would like this blog to be a place that we can share in the love for music and fashion from many places in the world - I will share for you my experiences with such things as the live music, the music from the record shops and internet, and the clothes I am seeing (and wearing!) in the magazines, and on the persons of the cities I am going to. I am now visiting with family in Monte Carlo - it is very fortunate to have my mother living in such a place! We have been spending days by the beach, and taking the car with the roof down along the coast to many beautiful places. I will be visiting Paris for fashion week (ooh la la!), and perhaps taking a week in London before returning to the place I am for this time calling home - Los Angeles. I will leave now for you this quote to think about...

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."

- Coco Chanel