Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Beautiful Savage Beauty



               Savage beauty indeed. Wild and untamed, but beautiful in all her glory. What possess savage to be beautiful in the first place, who merged those two words together in the fashion world for all of us to enjoy it?  It could only be one person, Lee Alexander McQueen.



    
           One of the most influential designers of his generation and our time, set the bar high for every designer that came after him. It wasn`t an easy task for his long term assistant Sarah Burton to fill when she took his "shoes" after his tragic passing in 2010, but McQueen`s label flourished under her guidance and is currently more than successful. In his legacy McQueen left thousands of influential designs that gave us sense of fantasy and rebellion, also challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond conceptual expression of culture, politics and identity. 
         To understand better where his passion came from we need to look in the early stages of his life where he began to educate his love for fashion. Education at the traditional Saville Row Tailors Anderson and Shepard followed by Gieves and Hawkes gave him the roots to the technical construction of clothing. From there he moved to the theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans where he mastered six methods of pattern cutting from the melodramatic 16th century to the razor sharp tailoring which became his recognizable signature. It also gave him the necessary tool in mastering the most important skill a designer should have, how to construct  your own  idea. 
       Shortly after his death,  The Costume Institute organized the exhibition in 2011, that celebrated his extraordinary contributions to fashion. It contained his work from Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his last unfinished collection and runway presentation of 16 models, which took place after his death in February 2010. In total, the exhibition managed to collect approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the "bumster" trouser, the kimono jacket and the three-point "origami" frock coat.  It turned out to be one of the most popular shows in the history of New York`s Metropolitan Museum. Exhibition`s wild success attracted more than 660,00 visitors in 2011 making it the eight most visited show in the Met`s 142 year history and putting it in a top 10 that includes the time the Mona Lisa  came to Manhattan in 1963 and a Treasures of Tutankhamun show in 1978. 
           After the steaming success in New York,  it was announced earlier this week that "Savage Beauty" is coming to Victoria and Albert Museum in London from 14 March - 19 July 2015. It would be the first and largest retrospective of McQueen`s work to be presented in Europe.   The V&A`s  director, Martin Roth, said:  " I`am thrilled to announce that the V&A will bring this wonderful exhibition to London to celebrate the extraordinary creative talent of one of the most innovative designers of recent times.  Lee Alexander McQueen was brought up in London, studied here and based his globally successful McQueen fashion brand here - by staging the exhibition at the V&A it feels like we are bringing his work home. "
          Jonathan Akeroyd, chief executive of the Alexander McQueen fashion house, said: " Savage Beauty is a story telling of the most imaginative and talented designer of our time. We are incredibly proud as a house to be able to showcase Lee`s visionary body of work on London as a celebration of his legacy and an inspiration to a future generation.". So, if you happen to be in London during the exhibition opening don`t miss out on this exquisite pieces of art. Tickets are already online at the Victoria and Albert Museum, so you can plan ahead your Beautiful Savage Beauty memory lane.









































Sources that helped in creating this story are:  



                                                                                    Written by Melina Marelja



Monday, April 14, 2014

Coachella......What?






                     Yes, Coachella...... what? Indeed, but only for those of you who are not following the festival scene all around the world. It`s that time of the year that all hungry souls craving good music mark their calender with Coachella`s name which in translation means great music, partying and riding the pleasure train. In the last few days web was filled with celebrity snaps of enjoying their C time. But it`s not actually about celebrity here or what they do, it`s about enjoying or rather feelin great live music in the open space, under the sun and the stars. The idea of the open air festival is not a novelty by itself, almost every country have it, so you can say "the land of the free" it`s no exception. So, what makes Coachella so special? It would be a formula of significant words; Location, World Greatest Artists and People/The Fans.
                 It`s been said that the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is actually a California`s answer to British legend, Glastonbury, which says a lot. As the years goes by it`s proving that point on the dot. It was a different story back in the day when it launched 15 years ago. Back then it was a casual, free spirited thing in the dusty Colorado desert which lasted 2 days. Present day, it evolved to the biggest and most profitable festival on the international calender with some serious money involved. According to Billboard boxscore the 2013 festival`s two weekend  took in  67 million making it the highest grossing festival ever. It`s no wonder cause in 2010 it drew about 75 000 people each day, for an estimated number of 225,000 people per weekend.  So, I guess enough said about the sole popularity and worth.
                 Considering that it`s an annul two weekend, three day affair held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California no wonder it features so many genres of music. It goes from rock, indie, hip hop to electronic and dance. It also includes various art installations and sculptures. This year C is welcoming a huge bill of acts, 184 in total which are spread across the grounds on several stages continuously hosting live music. The main stages are; Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi, Mojave and the Sahara Tent, a smaller Oasis Dome which was used in 2006 and 2011, while Yuma stage was introduced in 2013.
                 Through the years Coachella hosted numerous artists such as; late Amy Winehouse, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Prince, Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Wu-Tang Clan, The Killers, Radiohead, Daft Punk, Madonna, Kanye West, The Black Keys, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, The White Stripes, Jay Z, Beastie Boys, Muse, Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters and the list goes on and on. This year C is holding some pretty impressive names as well; Outkast,  Arcade Fire, Beck, Fat Boy Slim, Lana Del Ray, Muse, Na,s Pharrell Williams, Queens of the Stone Age,  Pixies, Solange, Sam Smith, Calvin Harris, Janelle Monae and many more. It`s not to late to join the party of many and make some long lasting memories, cause life is still young.....





















Outkast


Arcade Fire


Pharrell Williams



Solange



















Some of the great vibes from this year Coachella from Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams
                                                     
     In the spirit of festivals this year Zagreb is hosting it`s own annual event of good music, InMusic festival 23 - 25.06.2014, be sure to get some great vibes this summer! More info on http://www.inmusicfestival.com/
                                                                                       
                                                                                  Written and edited by Melina Marelja
                                           

Saturday, April 5, 2014

What you`re feeling is.......life



                 I had no intention to write about this, it felt like my head was the place to savour it. But my muse came to me suddenly, in a flash and I just had to write it down, to make it alive, permanent. Why? I would say there is no why here and no answer to give, but I guess there is always why in the end. Like my thoughts in a seemingly direct order. You know when you see a certain movie, hear a specific tune, see a beautiful piece of art, read the inspiring book, clime the highest peek you always dreamt, drown in the most intoxicating eyes you ever saw, rush of pure adrenaline when you create something from your idea alone? All of the above that leaves you filled, surprised, thinking, in awe and placing you in the highest state of mind no drug can give you? I do. It `s called feeling the life. We all feel it, but don`t recognize it as such. It`s like Rae Morris`s "making the wrong moves, walking in the wrong shoes" kinda walk, no looking up. Well, look up, it`s worth it.
             What inspires us? First thing that comes to mind and that fulfilled feeling was when I first saw a movie by Ridley Scott "A good year". It was such atypical movie for him, concerning the place, theme and atmosphere that I believe he just made it for his pleasure alone, not thinking about the box office in the process (well a girl can dream). Expecting nothing, ended in delivering such a surprise that it took me awhile to get a grip on my warm feelings and just savouring the experience. What made this movie so exquisite? I could say it was a beautiful scenery of  Provence in France which always reminds me of Tuscany or great performances of entire cast or the love story or everything combined, but the truth is I just don`t know. I just can`t pin point and grasp the thing that made it so well versed for me. But that`s the thing about feelings,you can`t grasp, explain and bottle them, it`s like fragrance, every time you smell/feel/watch  the feeling is instantly back and you are hooked.
        What I`m asking is what drives us to excel, to keep pushing our limits, to seek beauty and creativity in all that surround us, to feel, live, love? Well, I recently stumbled upon a quote from Peter Lindbergh that related my thoughts on the subject in mind;

      "...creativity is the basis of self-expression. Why are some supposedly more creative then others, and why can`t others open themselves up enough to be able to express who they are? Creativity is the desire to express ourselves. To formulate these expressions, we have to draw from our reservoir of experience, dreams, desires and experimentation and mix together what was, what is, what could be...I don`t think you can learn it, it`s rather something that evolves. Your perception of everything in your life fills up that reservoir....." 

          I probably connected that thoughts with the recently acquired news that Peter Lindbergh is having his first exhibition in this part of the Europe since 1998 called " The Unknown" and "Images of women". Seeking the muse in all that surrounds me, photography was always a part of that creative process, so no need to further explain that  having PL photographs in closeup are a rare treat for me or anyone who values his art. What draws me to his magic is seeking the beautiful, feeling of reality, no enhancement of that same reality. What you see is what you get, but at the same time he`s discovering something that you wouldn`t normally look or find to see. The thing that separate him from the mass is his ability to truly portrait a model, often in black and white with their industrial guts/parts of the set showing exhibit as a deconstructed kind of beauty. Yes, over the years his models were indeed supermodels, actresses, celebrities etc, but in his art you see them all in a different light; raw, vulnerable, fragile, flawed, real and yes, beautiful in the eyes of the observer. And is so true, nobody ever see the same picture as you do.
            The magic of a magician, art from the artist, poem from a poet, design from a designer, novel from a writer, movie from a director, song from a song writer, performance of a singer, journey from a traveler.....it all comes down to a feeling. If you feel it, truly feel it, it has to evolve through something/idea no matter time, age, lack of money or support. Some people are skilled with words, others struggle to form their thoughts to explain what they feelin, but if you posses the strength to come out you talent, it will liberate you, me others and it will set a true tone what we feel for ourselves and for the world.

       ".... Creation is the birth of something, and something can not come from nothing. When someone creates something; a painting, a poem, a photograph, the creativity comes from an idea, from a feeling, emotion, or from a combination of ideas, feelings and emotions that are somehow "reborn" from all our experiences and perspectives. Then our work becomes a real part of who we are. Maybe all this is a question of how deep we are willing to go......."

            Yes, how deep are we willing to go, to search that muse, that fuel which kick our engine in a gear? Discover for yourself. Feel. It. The Life.

      
                





                  






                 






        



                          





                                               
                                                    All photo credit by Peter Lindbergh 


Music and lyrics that came through my mind as I was writing this deserves to be painted and listen on this sheets.

    
   
                                    
                                                                   Rae Morris " Don`t go"

               
    

Exhibition announcement in Zagreb, Croatia, don`t miss out.....       
                                                                                    
                                                                                      Written and edited by Melina Marelja