There’s a saying that goes: “You either have it, or you don’t”.
And although, most people these days would love to believe they have it, there is definitely one person you can look back on and say they did “have it”, and equally today too, we are still singing their praises – MORRISSEY.
That sweet croon, and wicked wild hair-do, not to mention that beautiful romantic new wave styling he was always sporting. Striped and houndstooth blazers were never a challenge. Always a little stripped down and casual, that’s the rockstar in him.
Hordes of Mexican teens have adopted him as their Jesus, and Carrie Bradshaw’s little sister has a hamster named MORRISSEY on “The Carrie Diaries”. He’s definitely not one of those forgotten ones.
We came across this lovely wonder, and decided immediately to make it our latest {MUSIC MINUTE}. If you’ve never heard it, you might be expecting something a little creepy from the title, but the song gives a lot more love and tenderness than you might ever expect from a song called “Ouija Board, Ouija Board”.
The record needle is currently hovering over anything and everything with an occult theme, so whether it was today, or twenty years ago, this song is destined to be a, dare I say it, cult classic.
Please enjoy this very special {MUSIC MINUTE}!
+ Ouija Board, Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Would you help me? Because I still feel so horribly lonely . . .
Costumes to die for. Cinematography to boot. These are some of things I’ve been hearing about Wong Kar Wai’s latest film, “The Grandmaster” which is supposed to be some sort of epic tale of the man who trained THE Bruce Lee – Ip Man.
Granted, Bruce Lee is BOSS, but so was his mentor!
The film also star’s two of cinema’s most beautiful faces; that being of the unequivocal Zhang Ziyi, and the uber underrated Kar Wai leading man Tony Leung Chiu Wai as the Grandmaster, himself.
Check out Tony Leung’s bad-ass style choices! So chic, so casual, so COOL! Wool blazer, love the socks, and blue shoe-laces are a nice touch. He finishes it off nicely with the scarf. You’ll never see a star in Hollywood looking that smart. Zhang Ziyi – DYNAMITE. Love the holographic nature of this print – it’s so bold, and some might say too much, but paired with her timeless grace, she pulls off this dress with an effortless flare and edge that only Zhang Ziyi could inspire.
Indeed, there’s been many who say the Weinstein’s hacked a good chunk off the piece, so I might wait to get my hands on a legit Hong Kong copy. So, until then, there are plenty of vids on the net to help entertain my fancy. Thought it would be nice to share them with you, too.
Let’s start with this wicked convo with Wong Kar Wai from VICE:
Now lets see Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung FIGHT!
(it’s always best to a little opera, don’t you think?
Congrats to Philippe le Sourd on his recent nomination for achievement in cinematography at this year’s American Society of Cinematographers Awards! Would love to see him make it to this year’s Academy Awards, as well, so fingers crossed in the meantime.
Just a bit of a taste. Did you catch how the VICE interviewer brilliantly brought up style in context to his films. It’s definitely a great feature, and one we’ve brought up many a time, most recently in a {MUSIC-MINUTE} a few weeks ago.
Movies will always be one of our major sources of inspiration, so don’t think we’ll ever stop watching!
Until next time,
{theEye}
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If there’s one product of American culture that strikes a chord deepest with those special individuals out there who just love rebel style, and all things vintage related to – it’s the Schott Motorcycle Jacket.
First released in 1928 for a whopping $5.50, this beautiful piece of American design reached iconic status when they appeared on the back of Marlon Brando and his gang in 1953’s “THE WILD ONE”. Since then, the Schott Motorcycle Jacket has appeared on the backs of many style idols from James Dean to Jay-Z, and its influence doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.
VICE, the world’s leading counter-culture website, gives a great run-down on the history of the Schott family, a tour through their factory and warehouse, and the full effects of this brand’s gift to the world; so be sure to check it out here! They also provided a wicked summary of the famous jacket’s parts. So time to study up vintage style aficionados, this is 101 when it comes to this kind of stuff!
Of all the Hollywood stars who hitched a ride with each other in the highway of life, our most beloved, and favourite of them all has to be the All-American dream team of Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman.
Never a dull moment with the two. Despite their classic appearance, the duo definitely display some spunk in their relationship. When you go through pictures of the two, they are always laughing, or hugging, kissing, playing games – this is the kind of couple everyone wishes they were in their life.
And you know, they never ever did divorce (unlike so many other Hollywood heat-of-the-moment marriages). Instead, they were loyally by each other’s side all the way to the Newman’s death in 2008. The two would even open a hospital for children in their lifetime together, as well as starring in 10 films together (and 5 more that Newman directed but did not appear in). Yes indeed, there were quite the power couple.
In fact, before marrying each other, Newman was already a married man, and Woodward was dating the Dapper Dan of the Decade, Gore Vidal (the iconic writer and style aficionado). Vidal later claimed the entire relationship was a ruse to distract and entice Paul Newman to Woodward. I guess it worked, because it wasn’t long before Newman was filing for divorce and making the final arrangements to work it out with the talented Ms. Woodward.
The two both won Oscars: Newman in 1986 for “The Color of Money“, and Woodward in 1958 for “The Three Faces of Eve” (sort of a 1950s version of “The United States of Tara” – a great performance).
Yes indeed, it’s like they had everything. On top of it all, they always seemed to display such class and dignity. Both their style is never over-the-top, and especially Newman is always going for simple classics in his wardrobe. Check out the gallery we have dedicated to our Vintage Valentine’s Day Fashion + Life Crushes below:
85-year old French movie star Emanuelle Riva, star of this year’s unapologetic future classic “Amour“, is already making history as the oldest Actress to be nominated in her category at this year’s Academy Awards, and might just be going on to make history again if she wins- making her the oldest Actress to win the Best Actress trophy ever (beating Jessica Tandy’s record back in 1990 for the film “Driving Miss Daisy” at the age of 81).
“I am truly happy, touched, and honored to receive, today in New York, a nomination for the role of Anne in AMOUR by Michael Haneke. For me, it is an immense gift, at this stage of my life, to be chosen by my sisters and brothers, for what I do as an actress. I never thought, while working throughout the years in Europe and France, that one day, i would cross the Atlantic Ocean, come to the United States, and be nominated. It is quite surreal for me. Shooting AMOUR with Michael Haneke was a complete joy for me, as I felt an absolute trust in him and we were in complete synch. Michael is the very music of his own film.”
The film is nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Style enthusiasts will be excited to see what Ms. Riva busts onto the red carpet come the big night. But, just because of her age, don’t count her out on making an impression. She is French, after all.
But on top of that, she is a star that has been working in the industry overseas for decades upon decades.
Leave it to the Academy to wait until one of the most talented actresses there has ever been is 85 years old to garner a nomination. One of the first films that ever made a real impact on my style, and on my creative outlook was the 1959 art-house film classic, “Hiroshima, Mon Amour“, which aptly starred the beautiful blonde French bombshell (indeed, she was!).
The film was directed my Alain Resnais (“The Last Year At Marienbad“), and written by the novelist Margeurite Duras, in one of the most incredibly poetic screenplays ever written.
The film is fascinating as it travels in and out of the streets of Hiroshima, shot after the tragedy of the Atom bomb.
The film explores an interracial romance between Emanuelle Riva, a French Actress filming a war picture and her romance with the brilliantly handsome Eji Okada, and the culture clash that surrounds them in the beautiful ruins of the sad Japanese landmark.
The film is groundbreaking for the two as Eji Okada is given an almost European sophistication, not to mention a major dose of sex-appeal (something Asian men were not given in films at this time), and Emanuelle Riva bravely explores a plethora of conditions and situations as her character explores her past.
Emanuelle Riva shows off some major chops in this film – showing a range that could only be described as Award-worthy.
Sadly, the Academy was not up to snuff with their foreign film actresses, so it’s great today to see that so many talents from around the world are accepted into the limelight of fame and stardom no matter their age or race – what matters most is talent. And by gosh, does Emanuelle Riva have that!
She is an actress that deserves to be recognized, and whose beauty we are lucky to have been captured on film over sixty years ago . Granted, she is very beautiful still, even at 85 years of age, but it’s really great to glimpse the actress in her younger years, watching her take big risks and break huge grounds. If it weren’t for her risky performances in the past, there probably wouldn’t even be the possibility of the range we see now for female actors in the industry.
Beauty can be summed up in many ways, but most importantly, it is this attitude of unwillingness to coincide with the expectations of the norms that is the most beautiful aspect of any human being there can be.
Fingers crossed for Emanulle Riva come the big night (if not her, we’d love to see little Quevenzhane Wallis take the prize!).
Bullets Over Broadway was a great film from 1994, which garnered a second Academy Award for Dianne Wiest, as well as six other nominations including Best Director for Woody Allen. The cast also includes veteran actors such as Tracey Ullman, Jim Broadbent, Chazz Palminteri, and Mary-Louise Parker.
Starring John Cussack as a neurotic playwright in the 1920s, the film follows the follies of making a work of art, and the many pains of compromises of getting a respectable work of art produced. If the title isn’t indication enough, things quickly fall out of whack as the play gets more and more involved with a mobster and his gang.
The film is undoubtedly one of Allen’s best, and if you enjoyed the 1920s period recreation done in Midnight in Paris, you will be sure to love the scenery here – New York, flappers, the 1920s, Art Deco (everything in swing with the design trends of today, in fact) – and if nothing else, as you will see from this clip, Jennifer Tilly really goes out of her way to steal the show as Olive, the naive and talkative dancer turned Broadway actress.
Some of her lines are the very best. And it is no surprise she got nominated for an Oscar, too, for the crazy kooky character she developed here. Cussack is also great as the Allen-type character, making all the wools, tweeds, vests, ties, messy hair, and academic looks of a playwright come right to life.
If you are a style savant, comedy aficionado, oscar follower, or simply the bored lonely type, then Bullets Over Broadway is the film for you!
