Spotlight : Jan Welters and the Pop Motion



Stiletto Magazine

 It's been a while since I've last posted about fashion photography. The reason was simple : I didn't find something catchy enough to be noticed here. The pictures I saw of the Spring season were all the same, with odd postures, tousled models and a remarkable lack of originality, even of beauty. I was quite deceived until I saw the cover of French magazine Stiletto. At least something vivid, something simple yet effective with a great work on the trendy colours of the season and an elegant posture. The serie of pictures inside is of the same quality. The model is emphasized, the clothes too, which is clearly the main goal of fashion photography, but also, the result is beautiful. The artist behind this is Dutch photographer Jan Welters.

 Jan Welters is not very famous yet, but he already worked with many great names, including Vogue, Elle, Jil Sander, Eres, Mango and many trendy French brands, such as IKKS and Zadig&Voltaire. His recipe is quite simple : a fusion between delicate contrasting colours and a mastered rotation of the chest and limbs. Nothing agressive, nor fiendish, but the magic works.

 Now based in Paris, the photographer seems to favour colour, something I appreciate, even if I like his black and white pictures too. These remind me of the work of photographer Marc Philbert and director Ruth Hogben.

Cheryl Cole - Marion Cotillard

Already impressive, the portfolio of Jan prides itself on the presence of many international celebrities, from singer Cheryl Cole to actresses Marion Cotillard ( when she was still decent ), Tilda Swinton and many models, such as Natalia Vodianova.
Admittedly, this is not as exciting as the provocations of a David Lachapelle or the power of a Nick Knight, but we need to encourage this type of photography, first to see what these young talents have in their guts, and secondly because fashion needs quality, and not just fair or even dirty illustrations. Yes, I like boldness, punk and wildness. But I also think that cleanliness and simplicity are still the best tools to promote clothes.
http://www.janwelters.com/
all images copyright Jan Welters, all rights reserved.

A quick article, because I'm working for mags. You have to be a bit patient, but I am still on the fashion front for you, faithful readers ! :)

A girl, a style : Emma Who ?

"Gimme that trophy, you old cow!" Emma W. (copyright unknown)

 Someone had got a great moment of solitude last week. No, it wasn't Lady Gaga doing her Tweety Bird at the Grammys, but someone called Emma Watson during the Elle Style Awards. Vivienne Westwood, the famous veteran designer, who was supposed to give her the Best Dressed Award, declared in front of the whole audience that she didn't have a clue of who this kid was ... Quite ironic, isn't it ? How could you deserve that kind of award if one of the most powerful designers of the world doesn't even know you ? I see you coming, don't blame it on Alzheimer. Because, really : who the hell is Emma Watson ?

(copyright unknown)

 I know, I know ...  I should empathize with her, because that kid really seems to have an issue with fame. For example, she seems to have a secret talent for public humiliation, with a collection of wardrobe malfunction close to great art. But, I can't help it, for me she has the profile of the perfect punch-bag.

First, I can't consider her as an actress because for me, what she did in Harry Potter was certainly not acting : at best, these movies are school shows with special effects. Secondly, I don't understand why everyone is rhapsodizing about her pseudo sense of style. I beg you pardon ? Emma Watson, stylish ??? Let's be a bit serious for once. Most of the time, she looks like a little girl who has borrowed her mummy's clothes and make-up. When she slips on a Burberry jacket, it is a gulag version of Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver !

Marie Claire December 2010

And her pixie crop ( see my article "Pixie crop someone ?" ) is a total disaster. She wanted to be the new Jean Seberg or the new Edie Sedgwick but she looks more like a post-cancer Izzie Stevens or Martine, an heroine of French vintage illustrated books for children. If you cut your hair to look more mature, avoid to put a childish flower on it ... I swear you, I'm trying really hard to like Emma Watson, but I just can't. She reminds me those pictures of kittens : cute, of course, but totally hokey.

Martine

Emma Watson is a young girl who had the luck to become famous really soon, and as she is an idol for the young public, many brands are using her image for their marketing campaigns. But that doesn't mean that she has got a natural sense of fashion. She's wearing what she's told to, and most of the times, it is more than silly. Stop trying to put edgy dresses on her, she's subscribed to Peter Pan collars and polished shoes. Miss Watson must grow up a little more if she wants to become a real fashionista.
But as for now, Emma darling, go back playing with your Little Pony and leave Grandma Westwood in peace !


copyright Simon Procter for Harper's Bazaar



Spotlight : The Great Circus of Ruth Hogben

Insensate

 You've already read about Ruth Hogben on this blog (see my article "A Future without Catwalks"). A full article on this artist sounds pretty obvious after my yesterday's philosophical thinking on body and fashion.

Ruth Hogben wanted to be a photographer at first, and she had the luck to become the assistant of one of the contemporary top dogs of this art, the famous Nick Knight. One day, while the master was shooting model Lily Donaldson, Hogben decided to use the photoshoot to make a short video. Interested, Knight decided to encourage his pupil in the way of fashion video, and they repeated the experience, within the framework of the website SHOWstudio.

Ruth Hogben

 The duo have then worked for all the rising stars of fashion and design industry : Alexander McQueen, Lady Gaga, Phillipe Starck ... While Knight was shooting designers Rick Owens for magazine Arena Homme (2009), or Martin Margiela's strange hair clothes ( Make up your mind, 2008), his assistant built an impressive self career of fashion filmmaker. For Punk's heir Agent Provocateur, she created a serie of video entitled like a song of Billy Idol, White Wedding (2008), with kitsch and burlesque collages of Kate Moss in lingerie. More than clothes, what fascinates her the most is the body, the aestheticism and eroticism of its movement, as Buttock proves it. A whole video dedicated to this specific body part with a tribute to burlesque and SM, which seems to have escaped from a bobo documentary from Franco-German channel Arte. Not really my cup of tea though.

Perfect



Gareth Pugh A/W 2009

 What I admire the most in Ruth's work are her more "personal" videos ( understand without the visible influence of Nick Knight ), especially the ones she did for designers Pheobe Philo for Celine and Gareth Pugh. Perfect (2010), her video for Celine, focuses on the discreet elegance of the brand and the sensual body language of the model in a succession of peaceful portaits which delicate light reminds us of Renaissance's paintings. But with Pugh, the filmmaker reaches her height. The unusual shapes and the materials used by the British genius create a genuine alchemy with Hogben's fascination with movement and light.

Gareth Pugh Pitti Immagine 2011

Insensate (2008) is a modern version of Shakespeare's suicide scene of Ophelia. Water, and liquids in general, are a recurring tool in Hogben's videos. For this one, she told us a dark tale, mixing mythology, vampiric imagery and horror movies ( listen to the music ). She starts playing with the Chiaroscuro, a technique used in painting and photography to accentuate the silhouettes. It's a game of shadows, of light and of darkness : the videos are either too dark or too bright, and as Pugh's clothes, often in graphic black and white. The only notable explosion of colours in Hogben's filmography are Frieze (2009), an acid trip in a pop and country music (!) universe, and Untitled (2009), which might have inspired singer Kesha.

Joie de Vivre

But aside her use of classical arts ( painting and classic sculpture ), she seems extremely influenced by burlesque, circus and fun fairs. It is clearly visible in Clown (2009), where model Carmen Kass plays a strange creature, mix of Commedia dell'Arte, of Moulin Rouge's dancer and of prostitute ( the video starts with the words "Dark Annie" which refer to Annie Chapman, a victim of Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper ). In Joie de Vivre (2010), she pictures model Raquel Zimmerman ( who, really, is of all the best parties ) as a sinistrous Marylin Monroe and as a dark gogo dancer. Everything is dark, especially the not-so-visible-but-latent humour. In her latest videos for Pugh, the models are puppets with broken joints, dancing robots, hula hoop players, actors of Kabuki theatre or even women cut by a digital magician. 

Rick Owens

Ruth Hogben's universe has also to do with contemporary ballets, danced on intense electro music ( often made by Lukid ), with the inflatable capes of Gareth Pugh as tutu. The models are moon-walking on the screen, alone or multiplied ( a good way to be sure the dancers will always be synchronized ! ) and offer to the viewer images of a breathtaking beauty.  This beauty remains in the recent video for Gareth Pugh 2011's collection, but one cannot but notice that the artist doesn't renew herself a lot. The effects are the same, the movements too. Take a look at those two images, extracted from her 2009 and 2011's movies. Very similar, isn't it ?

Gareth Pugh 2009 and 2011

But considering that Ruth Hogben is still young and that her career is already impressive, I guess that her talent will find many new forms in the future, and even if her last video is nothing new, I am still an admirer of her sense of aesthetism and her phantasmagoria. Few are able to do such gorgeous fashion ( and artistic ! ) videos and to make Gareth Pugh's clothes more desirable and fantastic than they already are.
 http://showstudio.com/contributors/27349
 All images are Ruth Hogben and SHOWstudio all rights reserved.

Gareth Pugh Pitti 2011 and Clown



Trend : 2010 Report

Lee Alexander McQueen 1969-2010 ( copyright Anne Deniau, all rights reserved )

 Yes, 2010 is nearly over. Almost unbelievable as this year has been one of the most intense of the first decade of the 21st century. We can't talk of 2010 without mentioning the tragic disappearance of designer Lee Alexander McQueen. His last collection shined like a gift from heaven. It was good to see that Sarah Burton succeeded to the genius, and also that women were finally taking the lead : women designers ( Phoebe Philo for Céline, Hannah MacGibbon for Chloé, Isabel Marant, ... ) and diversity of models ( young, old, curvy, slim, black, white, asian, transsexual, redhead, ... ). But 2010, it is also a volcano which forced us to realize the vacuity of our transport frenzy, a cursed year for couples ( the divorce of Eva Longoria, and now the break up of Zanessa ! ), and the Crisis with a big C, the new cruel goddess who is running our lives. In short, this is a year in full color ... Quick review of 2010's Fashion.


 2010's collections we loved

If creativity is not the strong point of the Cinema Industry, at least, 2010 was greatly inspiring for fashion designers. McQueen and Miu Miu were the great names. Everyone fell in love with the shiny, girly and playful designs of Mucia Prada. Chanel, of course, was perfect as usual. We can also quote Marchesa, Sportmax and Alexis Mabille, the one to follow. In picture, the deliciously elegant collections of Oscar De La Renta, Basil Soda, Balmain which establishes itself as one of the leaders of the Industry with its brilliant and addictive designs, Etro, with its ethnic luxury, Gareth Pugh which is now considered as a great name, Indian-born Naeem Khan and of course, Alexander McQueen.

 2010's collections we hated

You can be a great genius of fashion and deceive your admirers. Many misleaded in the Mad Men's trend and created real monsters. Others take the expression "Less is more" to the letter and created tasteless clothes. There was also the ones who didn't pull their punches in the boyfriend's trend ... They cannot be right all the time, but we have to collar them before they repeat the same mistake. In picture, Cacharel which was really painful to watch this year, Roberto Cavalli who decided to do the opposite of "Less is more" and stunned us with an horrific collection, I don't even mention the ridicule of Louis Vuitton ( who fortunately redeemed himself with his SS 2011 collection ), Chloé and its menswear , Prada and its damage to the modern women, Stella McCartney and the abominable Topshop Unique and its wild child escaped from a SM adaptation of Peter Pan. Ouch, let's forget those things.

2010's best fashion photographies

A short gallery is worth a thousand words, so admire :

David Benoliel

Sølve Sundsbø for Numero

Rafael Stahelin for Korean Vogue

Mert&Marcus for Vogue Paris

Julia Pogodina for Zink Magazine

 2010's worst fashion photographies

I still wonder what they find to Terry Richardson. It is gross, of miserable quality and the guy looks like a freak. As for Meisel's editorial for Vogue Italia, yuk, yuk and yuk !

Terry Richardson for Vogue Paris - Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia

 2010's best promising designers

Oh great ! New names ! Tons of them ! I already told you about Pedro Lourenço, Alexandre Vauthier, Lilly Marthe Ebener and Li-lee ? But this year, they were not the only to make the buzz. In picture, you can also admire a military outfit from Anthony Vacarello, one from the highly desirable collection of J.W. Anderson ( who also does amazing jewellery ), a gorgeous dress of Talbot Runhof and another one from Louise Goldin, with a stunning photography. Can't wait to see them in the next years !

 2010's trends to worship

On the trends' side, 2010 was also rich in good surprise. In beauty, we were finally liberated from the painful sessions at the beautician thanks to the trend of the natural eyebrows. We love it ! At last, a face with personality ! We also love grey nail varnish, great on the long hands. In our wardrobe, we were happy to find the big, warm, gorgeous sweaters back. Thank you D&G ! We also have a crush for turbans ( here made with a Chloé scarf ), bowler hats and leather briefcase, very nerdy-chic ( pictured : Lancaster, but you can also find a great piece by DKNY at net-à-porter ).

 2010's trends to poke fun at

Every year, it is the same song : unwearable clothes, ridiculous hairdos and beauty tips ... Sometimes, we wonder if the magazines aren't taking us for morons ... Our worst nightmares seem to have been realized in 2010 : the new icon of the teenagers, Kristen Stewart, channelled her inner Joan Jett for a movie ? And bang, the mullet comes back. Seriously, it is the worst thing in the history of hair fashion and I would never have believed it could come back. But it did. Let's hope it would soon disappear. For our own sake.
After Joan Jett, Joan Harris wreaks havoc. Please, forget the years 50s or 60s, or anything which remind us that once women were only good and smily housewifes ... You've easily recognized Louis Vuitton and Prada in the picture. Another trend that we wish will be a temporary fad : flannelette. A dress for Rihanna, sweaters for Dries Van Noten, pants for Isabel Marant. And grey. For me, it is too associated with sweating ...

 2010's faces we liked

They made the year, we love them. Long live Anna Dello Russo and her delicious spark of madness.
This year, the brunettes have taken the lead : Anne Hathaway is definitely the new icon, and this photoshot channeling Audrey Hepburn for Vogue is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G so does her pixie crop ( she is now back to longer hair ). Other brunettes are Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Elisa Sednaoui ( in a shot of Karl Lagerfeld for the Pirelli Calendar ), the misunderstood Isabel Lucas and the adorable and oh-so-fashionable Leighton Meester ( who has got shoes to die for in this shot, see them here : http://justjared.buzznet.com/photo-gallery/2498253/leighton-meester-herbal-madrid-02/ ). Michelle Williams represents the blondes here, and for the redheads, I think that we had our dose this year ( see my article on Christina Hendricks ). As for the men, I have selected the adorkable James Franco and Kanye ... Yes, Kanye. Love him, hate him or totally indifferent, you have to admit that he has guts in his madness.

 2010's faces we liked ( on the catwalks and magazines )

This year was the reign of Constance Jablonski, Jessica Stam, Lara Stone and Ginta Lapina ( what a name ! ) but my selection includes less known names. Eniko Mihalik is one of those rising stars ( gorgeous in red ), along with Jenny Sweeney, beauty Joan Smalls, transsexual Givenchy star Lea T, Liu Wen ( you already know her if you have read my article on her ), the next big thing Tao Okamoto, the Nordic angels Sigrid Agren and Svala Lind and, finally, the doll Charlotte Benson. No male models, as Baptiste Giabiconi is having ( stealing ) the top billing thanks to his special relationship with Karl Lagerfeld.

 2010's faces we are tired to see

This list will definitely be longer. Of course, Justin Bieber tops it. Please, someone, kidnap that brat and keep him very far from a mic, Twitter and any media ... Same request for Mr and Mrs Brand ( no, they are not as sexy as Mr and Mrs Smith ) : I used to like Russell, now he and his Indian-themed wedding with the queen of attention-whores Katy is really getting on my nerves. If I see her idiotic smile again on Ellen, I think I am going to kill someone. And what happened to Marion Cotillard ? She used to be so sweet, so natural ... Now that she is the face of Dior bags and a huge Hollywood movie star, her style is really monstruous ... And pregnancy doesn't excuse everything, dear. I know she has got tons of fans who think that it is great that she is different, but I still can't stand the face of model Lindsey Wixson. It reminds me creepy dolls. Sorry ! Talking of creepy things, I think that 2011 must be the year of the retirement for Madonna. Being that decrepit and hang out with sexy clothes and much younger Adonis is genuinely indecent.
Yes, I've put Sarah Palin in my list : even if I am not American, I was there during her campaign in 2008 and she scared me. Thinking that she is planning a come-back is totally frightening. A special mention for Taylor Momsen and her proud look inspired by the cheap prostitute of Manilla, for Ke$ha who took the eyebrows' trend too seriously, for Nicki Minaj, Robert Pattinson, Jada Pinkett Smith and her terrifying daughter Willow. Put them all in a bus and take them to Alaska so we don't have to endure them in 2011. That is a serious request, really.

2010's best nervous giggles

Of course, Willow Smith is there. Especially for this outfit. She told the world it has been made by her personal stylist Brea Stinson aka Bstar. Ooops. In fact it was stealed to designer Mildred Von Hildegard. Humiliation for the Smiths, good advertising for the steampunk designer : 0-1.
I think the whole look of Nicki Minaj deserves an award for Best Nervous Giggles of 2010. Seriously, everything this gal wore is ridiculous and attention-seeking.
But the queen of queens is unquestionably Lady Gaga. Her style is amazing, audacious and unique. But sometimes, too much of a good thing leads you to something really disturbing. I cherish the memory of the face of Cher when she had to carry Gaga's meat purse during the VMA ... Priceless. It is better to laugh than to puke actually.

We started with sorrow, we end with humour. That's all a year is, and 2010 was not different.

Spotlight : Ryan Gosling, The Actor You Love To Hate

New York Magazine

It is quite impossible these days to avoid Ryan Gosling, insomuch I am starting to wonder if the scenarists of the Village of the Damned didn't have him as a direct source of inspiration. In one year, he succeeded in reaching the rare and exclusive rank of "IT boy" ( an IT boy is the same thing as an IT bag, except that there is no logo in it, at least until now ), awarded by all the press, masculine and feminine. Even more by the feminine. Now that George is busy buying Nespresso coffee pods ( sorry for the American out there, this is a European-only reference ) and Elisabetta Canalis, and that Brad is becoming a boring old daddy, Ryan Gosling intends to become the new sex symbol of Hollywood. He worked very hard for that, and I am sure he won't allow nobody to get in his way. A tad scary ? Oh yeah.  

W Magazine with Michelle Williams

Indeed, I can't help watching Ryan Gosling smiling at a movie premiere and wondering where the soul of Ted Bundy went. I sincerely pity his co-star Michelle Williams who is enduring the promotion of their Oscars-bound flick Blue Valentine : he really looks at her in the same way Lennie looked at Curley's wife in Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men ... We could almost see fear on her face through her forced smile. Ryan seems to have the talent of putting his female partners in an awkward situation. Recently, his former 'All Good Things' co-star Kirsten Dunst described him as "dark and weird and manipulative". Add an intense relationship with his mother Donna and you will have the perfect image of a psychopath. But then, how did he manage to become such a superstar ?   

Dead Man Bones

 At the beginning, it wasn't evident that Ryan Gosling would become what he is now. A former MMC star outshined by Britney, Justin and Christina, Ryan started his career with a bunch of rubbishy roles such as the ridiculous Hercules. I perfectly remember him as the irritating pest of Breaker High in 1997, and still would slap him. But them, a spectacular change of career. No slapping anymore, he is mind-blowing in The Believer of Henry Bean, a very tense independant tale about a jewish neo-nazi, and also in wonderful Stay of Marc Forster.
Murder by Numbers was a piece of junk, but his relationship with Sandra Bullock brought him attention. Too bad for him, at the time the IT boys weren't existing and Sandra was not Hollywood's heroine yet. But the badass didn't want to give up his goal. Genuine swot, he collected tough roles in independant movies and finally caught the eyes of the producers. He was even offered a role in Fracture, opposite to Anthony Hopkins. And now he plays with all the rising stars of Hollywood : Christina Hendricks, Carey Mulligan ...
And yet, with his leather perfecto and his t-shirts with holes, he was more destined for painting contemporary art and killers' roles in David Cronemberg's movies. Alas, no, he has prefered to inflict us his irritating smile in romantic flicks ...

Natalie Portman

 Incidentally, romanticism is not his strong point. Ryan is totally obsessed by Natalie Portman for ages. When she broke up with Devandra Banhart, he flooded her cell phone with some crazy advances. But, wisely, Natalie ignored Ted, sorry Ryan, in spite of his equally talent in terms of mad music ... Dead Man Bones was obviously too intense for her. So, Gosling was forced to make do with less intellectual actresses. The manipulator has a good nose for rising talents, and as soon as a blonde is getting some success, you'd be sure he will pounce on her. Rachel McAdams seems to have bailed herself out, but now it is the turn of Gossip Girl's star Blake Lively. Wish her luck. But it could have been worst : he had got closer of Hayden Panetierre ... That would have been apocalypse, for sure !

Interview Magazine

Sure, I agree that Gosling is a magnificent actor, but there is something about him that makes me want to cry wolf. Maybe it is his rap moment at the last AMFAR's party, or perhaps his stupid idea of gaining weight to embody the character of the father in Lovely Bones, but I can't help thinking this guy is not clear. Please, don't give him an Oscar, or I think his arrogance will become so big it will create traffic jams in Los Angeles.
Instead, I suggest that we cast him as a vampire ( a movie on Anne Rice's Lestat ), a serial killer ( a remake of Primal Fear ) or a werewolf ( oh really Guillermo Del Toro, you totally missed something ). Because we love to hate Ryan Gosling. Because he is "adorable". And dark and weird and manipulative. God, Kirsten, you're such a genius. This quote should be taught to school children.

Spotlight : Florrie under the apple tree

 Everyone knows that the competition is fierce in the industry between the models and the actresses to become the face of a brand. The great labels want famous faces in their advertising, in order to touch the fans. But when it comes to women and products dedicated to their beauty, the customers are more picky. Too sexy, an actress will produce jealousy and pique : "I will never look as good as her", but a model is not close enough of the daily women to provoke an identification. But the brands seem to have solved the problem : nearly an unknown person but who can touch many clients, the musician, man or woman, is perfect for the job.

She was no Timberlake, but when looking for a songstress for their new product, Nina L'Elixir, famous French perfumer Nina Ricci have fallen for a 21 years old British pop beginner. And yet, nothing predisposed Bristol-born Florrie Arnold to become a fashion icon. Singer, songwriter and drummer, the petite blonde was first a live musician for bands as various as Girls Aloud and Pet Shop Boys. But quickly, the fan of Jerry Lee Lewis and the Beatles have turned to a solo career in pop and electro music. Her sound, between Kim Wilde and Miss Kittin, seems very promising, and many trendy labels are now betting on her, after the release of her first EF, Introduction, which diffuses good vibes.

 The voice is of velvet, the atmospheres very dancefloor and mind-blowing material, but there is still way to go before Florrie become the new Robyn. She's got time, she's only 21 and a world of possibilities is opening in front of her. For Nina Ricci, she covers a song of Blondie, "Sunday Girl". More fruity and girly than her usual work, Florrie perfectly enrolls the brand's identity. The video is full of that pink and romantic imagery loved by the perfumer, obsessed by the Original Apple. The young singer is touching of freshness : could it be the perfect springboard ?


 But now that she is on the spotlights, Florrie needs to sharpen her fashion style. For the moment, she doesn't seem to be at her ease, hung on to her monochrome Chanel. But she'd better changes for more colorful and poptastic outfits, more adaptated to her music. I am not asking for another Lady Gaga, Kathy Perry, Roisin Murphy or Nicki Minaj ( please, no more Warhol-esque singers, we have enough ! ) but Florrie would deserve a more dynamic wardrobe, with more Versus and Versace dresses, of bright colors and prints. Let's hope she, or someone in her circle, would think about it ( or read my article, who knows ? ). Anyway, I wish a lot of luck and success to this young talent, who also allows us to hope : Fashion is not only for the "happy fews".

http://florrie.com/
photos Style.com and Matthieu Zazzo for Grazia.

A girl, a style : Micky Green

 The cold is here, and we are all freezing right now, except for some lucky Southerners. So, I've decided to talk about a girl who knows how to warm a concert hall, and us, through her sunshined tunes. Let me introduce you to Micky Green. Micky rhymes with Funky, Cheeky, Girly and many more Sexy adjectives.
A great Fashion's admirer, Micky likes to hang around on the designers' shows with the bobos of Paris.

 There, she spots the best outfits, a bit retro, a bit Lolita, but always adorable. She is able to wear little dresses in Glasgow in December. Little dresses are all her life, she who started her musical career with the album White T-shirt ... White, sure, but colourful too. This 26 fair-head from Australia landed in France 3 years ago, and doesn't want to leave. I guess that French people don't mind, because she's so full of charm.

 Is Micky as sweet as her songs ? We don't know, because sweetness is not the best thing to built a career ... But at least, she seems to be as fruity, acting like a 60s pin-up in a commercial for something sunny. Ah, sun ... I don't know if it is her bleached hair, but Micky reminds me of beach, coconut's milk, ice-creams, and all these things related to the season we are cruelly missing now.

 So, let's put a CD of Micky and a little cute dress and dance, dance, in order to scare the greyness away and to raise the temperature.
"Come for some fun. Come for some sun ..."
Of course, it is working. I swear you.

Decoding : Doctor Fashion and Mister Photoshop

 Who is Salt ? Probably a failed wax figure of Madame Tussauds Museum who lost itself in a photoshot of Angelina Jolie's movie. They are thousands each year to escape the stockrooms of wax museums around the world and to be find again in the cover of magazines. That would be a good lie for bad photoshoppers.
But, the truth is that, by dint of wanting to show the celebs' perfect skins, usual retouches have turned into an attack of the image.

 Cheaper than make up and surgery, Photoshop allows you to remove cellulite, bad skin and excesses of fat. Britney Spears is the one who uses it the most, along with Kim Kardashian and Beyonce Knowles. But it could stay at the level of vanity. The real danger is when it comes to slenderness. Photoshop editors want us to believe that the world is full of sylphes, with extraordinary thin waists and legs. And when they can't plane the hipline, as they usually did on the pictures of the  luscious Christina Hendricks, they put the celeb's face on the body of a model ( moreover already photoshopped ). The following example is glaring : they contented themselves with the fact that they have inverted the body.

 And now, Kimora Lee Simmons has a body she will never have in real life. Magic ? For celebs maybe, but for their public, it is dangerous. If we, reasonable readers are able to override this call to diet, many remain impressionable and think that the only way to be beautiful is to be slim. For a woman such as Kimora, who sports the curves with class, flaunting herself with a fake slim body is a shame, the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. Celebs and magazines must give themselves a sense of responsability : they are the one who drive teenagers to anorexia, or to excessive surgeries. Yes, surgeries between 18 years old. How awful is that ?

 The brands, especially, are guilty, when they reduce the waist of their already scrawny models to such an extent that they seem to have been got out of Buchenwald. "We have changed" they said, "now, we are celebrating the models who are assuming their curves". Yes, they seem to. But after some hours of glory, the iconic Crystal Renn have returned to diet. How do you spell 'hypocrisy' ? Before all the girls of the world would suffer of body dysmorphic disorder, we need to think without our wallets, and stop our frenzy of slenderness. And the world of fashion have to be honest for once, and stop acting like it was suffering of split personality : Photoshop is not its Mister Hyde, but actually its main tool to drive us to conformity. And if we wanted to be different ? To be ourselves. For example, I would like to go to a shop and find something else than size 6 ( size 4 for US ). Because the last time I have slipped into a size 6, I was 10. It is really time to grow up.

Crystal Renn, proud of her curves, but better liked with hollow cheeks

Exercise your eyes : http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/ you will never read a magazine as you used to.