the art of cinema - tenebre

The art of cinema no.4

Tenebre

One of my favourite scenes of all time, Dario Argento's two and a half minute tracking shot in Tenebre is epic. It took them three days to shoot the sequence, using a camera attached to a crane to get a seamless long shot without pauses or cuts.

The Argento formula is an interesting one; there's the usual suspects - pretty girls, gory murder scenes and red-herring characters, but also inventive use of colour, visual effects and amazing soundtracks (Tenebre's being by Goblin) which makes him one of the biggest influences on modern horror films.

Screencaps and clip from Tenebre

roll call - crazy on you

Roll call no.4

Winter 2012

If we still have time, we might still get by
Every time I think about it I want to cry
-Heart, Crazy On You  

Whenever I hear this song, it reminds me of the scene in The Virgin Suicides where Lux and Trip make out in his car.

Similarly, I knew I was crazy for Carven when I read this Lula interview with designer Guillaume Henry. Coming in to an old couture house and re-inventing it entirely wouldn't have been easy - but Guillaume manages to artfully re-create a mix of femininity, modernity and nostalgia every season making Carven one of my favourite labels. 

These are a few of the pieces I picked up in the Paris store; I couldn't believe they were on sale and had so much left in my size!

Carven, I miss you!

1. Carven dress

2. Carven printed contrast collar shirt

3. Carven strapless dress with contrast zip

4. Carven gargoyle sweater

simple

Interior mood no.7

Rohan and I are both excited for change; it looks like we'll be moving soon and all I can think about is new beginnings. A nice shearling throw, new white sheets and little jars for flowers and paintbrushes are a few of the things on my list. 

I have been looking to favourties like Design Sponge,  Simon James Concept store and Milk & Mead for some inspiration. What are your favourite sources of interior inspiration? Please do share!

1. Looking back to W Magazine August 2010 - Ashley Smith & Lindsey Wixson Alasdair Mclellan, 2. Crisp white linen from Simon James Design, 3. Chair collage by me; one, two, three, 4. This is pretty much what I have been doing in my winter break;  Milk & Mead, 5. Love this apartment.

not yet titled

My friend G just started a lovely blog, Not Yet Titled.

Images from Alice Goddard, Girls On Film and Araks via Not Yet Titled

secret squirrel x badlands

A few of you might remember the Secret Squirrel competition I took part in last year and I'm honoured to be doing it again. 

The challenge was to style one of their printed 'Maximal' tops from the current AW12 collection. For a chance to win a Maximal top of your own, head over to their facebook page and like your favourite outfit as well as leaving a comment. The blogger with the most likes then gets to pick a winner based on their favourite comment. Fun, right?

I always love working with local labels and have many favourites from both Australian and New Zealand; so I thought for this look I would try to keep it all local - but then I caved and wore my Carvens! Wearing: Secret Squirrel top, Dress Up trousers, Benah bag and Carven heels.

Here is the facebook album and also a little instagram post I put together for their blog.

Thankyou for the votes xx

p.s. Thanks Rohan for taking the photos

the art of cinema - all the president's men

  

The art of cinema no.3

All The President's Men

T and I watched Alan Pakula's "All the President's Men" recently, on Hannah's advice - It's a fantastic film, beautifully shot, but one shot in particular really stood out; a dual-focus shot in the Washington Post office. I've probably seen dual-focus shots before (I'm pretty sure there's one or two in the original Matrix), but this one really stood out. Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) on the phone, putting the pieces of the Watergate puzzle together, while the rest of the office staff congregate around a TV in the background. It's beautiful. 

I didn't notice the second appearance of this dual-focus technique until Alex Woo's Blog pointed it out, but again, beautiful. Bob's hard at work while all the other phones sit unused.

Screencaps from Cue Applause, Alex Woo's Blog and Todd Ritter

giorgia

Polaroids from the first ever Badlands photo-shoot. I did a lot of styling assisting when I first moved to Sydney and it's been fun to finally work on my own project. More to come soon!

polaroids by me, model - Giorgia from Priscillas

moving forward

The Row Resort 13

All I want to wear is pajama-style ensembles and big hoods with small bags.

images via style.com, collage by me

grandiflora

 

3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 13

Play it cool - palm tree shadows, floral blouses, an injection of leather and that lip print sweater.

via style.com

to paris

I have had a few people email me requesting a more extensive guide to Paris and I'm happy to tell you I have been working on one for the lovely Sherie Muijs. I instantly fell in love with Sherie's label a few moths ago; the shirts are easy to wear, beautifully made and have become a favourite wardrobe staple. Here is part one and two with the rest to come soon. Hope you enjoy! 

1. Hotel Regina polaroid by me, 2. Photo of Brigitte Bardot with my illustration, 3. Inside Merci, photo taken by me, 4. Illustration by me, images from COS.

ps13

Proenza Schouler Resort 13

dream duo

via Russh

illuminate

Neon signs via Nowness and an identity for a personal project Rohan and I are working on.

the art of cinema - pierrot le fou

The art of cinema no.2

Pierrot le Fou

2000 words later and I feel pretty close to this film; it's not my favourite of Godard's work but it's worth seeing for the cinematic style alone. Probably one of the greatest examples of Godard's use of colour - the theme in this case is bold primaries - Pierrot le Fou brings together screen favourites Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo in a madcap action/comedy/romance. The narrative is a bit chaotic and I wasn't really sure what to expect with the ending; but with the exception of Le Mepris it is one of the most idyllically set of Godard's films and the visuals kept me watching all the way through.

Screencaps from Pierrot le Fou via Google