Jump the Walls & Run

Lookbook is the new social networking site for folks to share their sense of fashion. I admit that I was blown away when I first checked it out. Most of the people are beautiful enough to be models (many ARE professional models), the photographs are class, and most of all, the threads are consistently rad.

In addition, it was startling to see people’s comments following the “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all” saying.  I was expecting I might see a few snobby sorts posting “OMG! Kill yourself or burn that dress…“ , but I didn’t see even one!

All I saw were “Loveeee love love it!” and “You’re the most adorable thing!“, and the like. I suppose friendly fashion has arrived.

On a more personal note, I was inspired to see such a wealth of creativity.  A huge number of the folks on Lookbook are also artists, musicians, stockists…, and will often have links to check out their sites or blogs. Does the site provoke vanity? Yes, and sometimes it’s taken to extremes, but I think that factor pales in comparison to the friendliness of community and creativity that exists on the site. Glad to have found it.

I think it’s safe to say that many of us view the fashion industry as a group of folks plagued with vanity, elitism, and a non-realistic view of our world.

I think we’ve all laughed at some of the absurd outfits we’ve seen models wearing in magazines, held disdain for fashionistas bashing movie star’s outfits at the Academy Awards ( …we all know the stars are there because they are superb ACTORS, NOT because they dress particularly well), and scoffed at a simple black designer jacket costing $800.00 when an identical-looking, non-designer jacket might only cost $30.00.

Despite all of that, I have come to develop a heart for fashion. Please hear me out.

British model: Agyness Deyn

What first softened my heart was watching an  interview of model Agyness Deyn on YouTube after I had seen her in a Fashion Rocks shoot with The Paddingtons that prompted me to learn more about this blond rebel.  In the interview, Agyness lacked any of the snoodyness or arrogance I thought a model of her caliber might have, and went on to express that she honestly enjoyed doing runway shows and appreciated seeing all the new designs - not in an, “Ohhhh yesssss, THIS is the NEW Chanel dress” way, but in a “Hey, I really like the colors and shape of this dress ” way, much like one might appreciate a painting. (more…)

I’ll admit that I grew up thinking that nothing too exciting was coming out of France when it came to the current arts. To break it down, the only current French pieces I was ever exposed to that I really felt excited about were the movie Amelie and the album “Puzzle” by Tahiti 80.  However, I would like to say that my view of the French art world has changed dramatically over the past year.

The UK provided the soundtrack to my teenage years with bands like Travis, Oasis, Keane, Stereophonics, Radiohead, Coldplay, DJ Shadow, Damien Rice, Doves, etc., and it seems as though France has been providing some exciting music to my post-teen years with artists like M83, Justice, and Daft Punk. Not only do these groups have some fantastic music (if you’re able to enjoy electronic beats), but their music videos are also among the BEST I’ve seen.  In addition, the single company that inspired me to start Jump the Walls & Run is called Surface To Air and is from Paris too.

Below are my 5 reasons France should be on your artistic radar. (In no particular order.)

1.  New animation concepts: D.A.N.C.E video by Justice

(more…)