Take a ride on the Orient Express

I've always loved trains; partially because when I was a kid I read Agatha Christie's "Murder On The Orient Express" and immediately wanted to hop on board. I also enjoy traveling by train more than any other mode of transportation. They're a smooth ride; they have people who serve you yummy treats; you can sleep on them and you always see interesting scenery out of the windows.

When I went to France for the first time a few years ago we rode on the train a lot to get across the country. One trip took 10 hours but I barely noticed. Why? Because I was on an awesome train!

One of the other things I love about trains is that you can get up and walk around fairly leisurely. A plane is too small and cramped to take long walks and you can't walk around in a car or on a bike. But because trains have quite a bit of hallway space; it's easy to get around and stretch your legs. You can also meet interesting people while taking these walks.

But I digress.

Annie Leibovitz shot P. Diddy and my favourite model, Natalie Vodianova, for Vogue in a train setting called "Brief Encounter." It sets such a romantic and yet erotic mood; you can actually feel the sexual tension coming through the photographs. It reminds me of those old school English movies where the dashing young man has to leave his lover behind on the platform, but not before one more romp in the train car.

You should also watch the Chanel video starring Audrey Tautou having a fling on a train.

Now I have even more reasons to love trains.

Anna, how could you?

When I found out that actress Jessica Biel would be on the cover of February American Vogue, I was devastated. Ok, that's a bit dramatic; I was more disappointed.

Let me count the ways in which Jessica Biel is not deserving of a Vogue cover.

1. She doesn't have a lot of fashion sense (see the MET gala, all of her movie premieres).

Let me elaborate: Her style is boring, matronly and predictable. Nothing to write home about.

When there are actresses such as Diane Kruger leading the way in fashion, Biel can't even compare. Diane Kruger is way more deserving of a cover.

2. She is a bad actor (see Powder Blue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, The Illusionist, etc.)

3. She has, on numerous times, complained that her beauty has hindered her career. Snort! What an insult to the likes of talented and beautiful actresses such as Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.

4. She has never been in a movie where she is not the girlfriend/sexy love interest. In other words, her roles are boring.

And this is the woman Anna Wintour chose to be on the cover of Vogue. It's insulting to all the other amazing actresses out there. True, Biel is beautiful; but that's only skin deep. There is nothing else there. Trust.

And really, when was the last time anyone really cared about her? Exactly.

November Vogue and "Nine"

Vogue's November issue features the four women stars of the upcoming movie "Nine."

There has been a bit of a hubbub over the overuse of Photoshop on the cover. I don't really know what the fuss is about; there have been way worse cases than this. But I actually like the cover; I like the soft lighting, the deep reds, the romanticism. It's pretty.


Style.com has released behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. It's fun to watch the women joke around with each other. And Penelope Cruz is so naturally gorgeous it's insane.

Anna and Dave

Last night, the Queen Of All Fashion, Anna Wintour, appeared on David Letterman to promote The September Issue. It was amazing.

I barely noticed Dave's questions because all I could do was stare at Anna's reactions. She would alternate between tight smiles and her cold hard bitch face. That woman gives the best bitch face. I love her so much. My favourite part is when Dave asked her what a person could get if they had a $20 fashion budget and she disdainfully replied "you could buy lipstick."

It's obvious that Anna wasn't completely comfortable being up there surrounded by people who are most likely on $20 fashion budgets, but she gamely answered Dave's questions and tried to make little jokes. Please. Get that woman back to the offices of Vogue so she can boss people around!

Another great moment was when Dave asked her what the fashion industry is doing during the bad economic times and she replied that she was going to be at a Macy's in Queens. Queens! Can you picture Anna freaking Wintour in Queens autographing t-shirts? It boggles my mind.

Part one:



Part two:

September is almost here!

"September is the January of fashion" as they say and I couldn't agree more. Have just started getting my September issues in the mail. So far I've gone through Marie Claire, Flare, FASHION and Harper's Bazaar.

I was really, REALLY impressed with Flare's issue. This was the first issue of Flare I ever bought and I was amazed at the beautiful editorials and the great articles. It helped that there were three (yes, three!) covers of one of my favourite models, Daria Werbowy, in the issue. The photo of her in the Louis Vuitton bunny ears was so gorgeous that I had it framed for my wall. Editor-In-Chief Lisa Tant wrote in her blog about how she chose the cover.
Maybe it's time for another magazine subscription.

On the other hand, I was disappointed with FASHION's issue. I'm a huge fan of the magazine but this issue fell completely flat. The editorials were boring and looked a bit amateur- specifically the spread that used several models just seemed disjointed from the rest of the issue. To me, the issue was a bit sub-par, especially for a September issue.

I'm still going through Harper's Bazaar; there are so many editorials that I really have to sit down for a couple hours to get through it. Looks beautiful so far with great models.

Can't wait for Vogue!

And speaking of Vogue, check out this great profile of Creative Director Grace Coddington. The article is about her and the documentary The September Issue. In it we learn that Coddington drove all but one of the main fashion features in that particular Sept. issue- the "semi-disastrous cover shoot with Sienna Miller."

We also find out that she is the only one who can get away with being cheeky and opinionated with Anna Wintour. For example, Coddington had the idea to photograph the camera crew jumping in the air with model Caroline Trentini. "Wintour liked it — but made the comment that Richman's belly would need to be airbrushed to a slimmer shape; Coddington wouldn't hear of it. If the atmosphere captured by "The September Issue" is true to life, Coddington is the only one who stands up to Wintour that way."

I cannot wait to see this movie.

Update: Watch the red carpet arrivals for the movie's New York premiere on facebook here live at 7 p.m.

And here are two just-released clips!

1. Sienna's Wig


2. Texture Shoot

My first Vogue

Back in 1997 I was 12 years old and obsessed with a lil' band called the Spice Girls. For me, no other band existed. I would play their first album, Spice, over and over again and dance to feel-good songs like Say You'll Be There and Wannabe. My cousins and I would bicker over trading cards and posters and I would store precious memorabilia in a binder I treasured.

I'm only remembering this now because when I went up to my cottage last week my cousin burned their music and we spent the whole ride up singing till our throats hurt. It was so much fun that when I got back home I immediately downloaded all their music and I'm listening to them now. It made me think about how much I loved them when I was a young teenager and how great it is that I'm 25 and still love their music.

When I was 12 it would be an understatement to say that I wasn't into fashion. It was jeans and a t-shirt everyday. And even though the Spice Girls were fashion icons (whether that was deserved I leave to you to decide) I never really cared so much for their crazy outfits except for Geri's Union Jack mini-dress.

Then Vogue put the Girls on the cover of their January 1998 issue. As soon as I saw the cover I bought it, even though the idea of Vogue and fashion bored the hell out of me. But who cares about fashion? The Spice Girls were in the magazine!

I don't really remember the interview or the photos inside but I do remember that cover. They looked so different from the outgoing, crazy women I saw so often in photographs and in their videos. They looked....mature. After looking at that issue of Vogue, my perception of the Spice Girls changed and I think a part of me changed as well. They weren't girls; they were intelligent, classy women and it made me want to be like them: opinionated, fashionable and smart.

Thinking about it now I find it surprising that Anna Wintour put a pop group on the cover; I'm not so sure she would do the same today. But it's undeniable that the Spice Girls influenced millions of young girls around the world with their powerful, pro-woman messages. I'm really happy that I grew up listening to their music and I'm thankful that Vogue put real role models on their cover.

Victoria: 1, Anna: 0?

Rumour has it that Victoria Beckham, that wily, Birkin-obsessed alien woman, will be on the cover of a major U.S. fashion magazine in the next few months. Could it be that Anna Wintour decided to be kind and let Vicky be on the cover of her dreams? Will Vogue become a reality for Posh Spice?

Hello! magazine is reporting:

"It's all been kept very hush-hush, but she's going to be a cover star in the autumn. To say it's a huge coup is an understatement. For Victoria to have achieved that, for her own business successes, means she's considered a superstar in her own merits. She is beyond thrilled."

If this is true my friend Elaine will be screaming with glee and will make me raise a toast in Posh's honour. It's been a long time coming.

But I'm not sure whether to believe the reports. The Wintour is known to dislike the WAGness of Posh. I think a combination of her concrete balloon boobs, the tight face, the constant frowning and the always perfectly styled style turns the Wintour off Posh. But then again, she did put Blake fucking Lively on the cover. And Posh deserves Vogue more than Serena Van Der Woodsen. Right?

Anyway, I still like to believe that maybe Wintour is lying to Posh; she gets her to do a photoshoot, promising the cover, and ends up shitting on the polaroids. I love Anna Wintour so much.

And in case you need a reminder of how awesome Anna is, please watch the trailer for The September Issue which opens in October for Canada. So far away!




And here are the shots of stiff Posh, posing her tits off on a swing. It looks like the least fun swing ride that ever happened in the history of swing rides.

Should Vogue be budget-consicous?

Last week the New York Times ran a piece on how American Vogue has lately been featuring "mid-range" products in the magazine. They called the new trend "budget-conscious."

They quote fashion director Sally Singer: “We’ve always shown a wide range of price points and lower-priced items,” she said. “As long as Anna Wintour’s been at Vogue, from her first issue, she had jeans on her cover with a Christian Lacroix top. She’s always had a high-low sensibility.”

But lately Singer says the magazine has been deliberately featuring more cheaper items because of the economy. “In the past year, I feel a greater need to signpost certain elements we’ve had in the magazine. Maybe we need to make sure the reader can find them more easily.”

But if readers were looking for cheaper items, why would they go to Vogue in the first place?

Vogue has never pretended to be anything but a snooty, high-society magazine that puts emphasis on living the high life no matter what the cost. People read Vogue so they can take a peek at that luxurious fantasy life. The magazine has never been apologetic for featuring items like a Fendi 24k gold mink coat because readers expect to see ridiculous items like that.

I expect to see outrageously expensive but fabulous clothes, shoes, bags and jewels in the magazine even though I know I can't afford them. But when I start to see items from the Gap or J.Crew I get a bit scared. Where is the fantasy? If I want to see clothes from the Gap, I'll pick up Lucky magazine or walk down Yonge Street.

I do understand the value of the point that during these tough economic times a magazine shouldn't be flaunting inaccessible wealth to the credit-card debt ridden people. But that's the lure of the magazine; it's inaccessibility.

Vogue has weathered two World Wars and several recessions and still come out on top. Why should this time be any different?

So Vogue, you can throw in a few lower-range products to make it seem like you care about the rest of us, but don't throw away your soul aka those gold mink coats. It's just not you.

Coco Avant Chanel

The summer blockbuster season is almost over (anxious to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Monday) but there are two non-blockbuster films that I am very excited to see. One of them is the documentary The September Issue, about the making of Vogue's very popular September issue, and the second is the french film Coco Avant Chanel, starring the lovely Audrey Tautou as Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

Vogue UK released a few images from the film and talked to the costumer designer, Catherine Leterrier. This is what she had to say:

"The relationship with the House of Chanel was excellent," Leterrier told VOGUE.COM of the filming. "I was completely free designing exactly what I wanted for our film which takes place before Chanel created her 'maison de couture'. She started as a milliner. She became successful creating hats."

"The research process was the same as for any other period film," Leterrier explained. "We did research from real garments - in museums, flea markets, vintage shops or private collections - and research from painting and photos. For the show of the end we used authentic outfits from the Chanel Conservatory and Audrey Tautou wore a Chanel suit inspired by 'Mademoiselle' in the Sixties."

My first impression of Chanel's costumes was a bit underwhelming; the colour scheme is very dark (grey, black, navy) and monochromatic but the tailoring, the details and the fit are exquisite. They perfectly capture Chanel's free-spirit and her transformation as a designer.

The photos show her in the popular Chanel suit, complete with pearls and a wonderful dark loose suit with a wide white collar and brooch.

Although the photos don't show whether we will see any more flamboyant costumes à la Lagerfeld (to see if Karl approves the wardrobe click here,) I am looking forward to seeing these subtle, beautiful clothes.

Click here to watch the trailer.

A work in progress

Two weeks ago I moved to Toronto and am living on my own in my first condo. It's been a lot of fun; meeting new people, hanging out with old friends and staying up past the last GO train back to the suburbs.

I've also been having a great time decorating my place. I'm trying to make my home more personal by adding family photographs to walls and on tables. But I am also letting the fashion obsession come out in the decoration; stacks of fashion magazines against the walls and under the coffee table; fashion drawings on the walls, random bags strewn about and coffee table books lying around.

Like I said in the post title, it's a work in progress but I'm excited at my start. My current project is getting a bunch of Vogue covers and my favourite fashion photographs and putting them on my wall like a collage.

What do you guys do in your home that shows your fashion side?

The September Issue

I just watched the trailer for The September Issue and I am trembling with excitement. I can tell that the documentary is probably going to rival Valentino: The Last Emperor as one of my favourite fashion docs.

My favourite bits include:

- Anna telling Oscar de la Renta to take out a look she dislikes from his upcoming collection. "I personally would not put this in the show."
- "This type looks so large and pretentious. It looks like it's going to blind people."
- Grace Coddington telling a minion to mention an "amazing" photo, because Anna has "killed half of it."
- Anna's reaction to a minion telling her that "he didn't do the Coliseum dress" in a photo shoot.
- Anna's minions nervously mumbling after she asks them "is this really the message we want to put in the September issue?"

Check it out here

Wino forever

The last time I think that Winona Ryder made the cover of a major fashion magazine was Vogue in August 2007. Back then she addressed her 2001 arrest over that little shopping spree at Saks and claimed it was due to drugs. I thought that the cover would boost her profile a bit and get her onto the big screen again but unfortunately I was wrong.

Wino has kept it low key, appearing in indie movies and playing small parts (she plays Spock's mother in the new Star Trek movie.)

I used to be a huge Winona fan back in the day. Some of my favourite Wino films are Heathers, Little Women, Edward Scissorhands and The Crucible. She was (and still is) incredibly gorgeous in a quirky pixie-like way. Those big eyes make me melt.

Now she's on the cover of the July UK Vogue and she looks so beautiful. I swear that woman doesn't age (she's 37.) She's promoting her new movie The Private Lives of Pippa Lee which also stars Keanu Reeves, Julianne Moore and Robin Wright Penn.

Will being on the cover of a major fashion magazine boost her career? I'm not sure but I really hope it helps. It's been almost 20 years since she made Scissorhands and dated Johnny Depp. She needs a major comeback. At least for my sake. Do it for me Wino!

I think one of her biggest lures for me is that she is the interminable outsider; she doesn't fit into the Hollywood mold. She has always been a little dark and quirky. Which makes sense when she says:

"I thought it was cooler to be interesting than to be pretty. I must have got that from my parents, who felt strongly about being an individual and being your own person and that looks aren't everything. I always knew that I wasn't, you know, beautiful. I never wanted to be beautiful, I never wanted to be a cheerleader."

The devil she doth appear

I just watched the Anna Wintour interview for 60 Minutes and it left me a little disappointed.

We see very little of Anna's creative process is making Vogue or her opinion of style and the recession.

What really comes through is how much of an influence she is in the creative process of all designers.

We see how she tells designers what colours to use for their collections (Dolce and Gabbana); we see how she picks which designers get to head which labels (John Galliano for Dior) and her complete power over new designers by featuring them in her magazine (Alexander Wang.)

It makes you realize that Anna Wintour really does control a lot of the fashion industry in all aspects. All designers owe their jobs to her and in return she controls them. Even Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere is scared of her!

It made me wonder whether that is really good for the fashion industry; the fact that this one person has so much power and is able to dictate her opinion to everyone and they obey.

But anyway, it was still fascinating to watch her. This woman scares me and I love her.

Here is the video:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Watch outtakes here.

We are not worthy!

"Vogue is the best of everything that fashion can offer...we are a glamorous girlfriend." - Anna Wintour.

60 Minutes is airing an Anna Wintour special this weekend and they have released a sneak-peek of what's in store for us.

The clip shows Anna conducting a staff meeting, editing layouts and photos, choosing clothes for photo shoots and talking about how the magazine is dealing with the recession. The best part is when she sternly tells a Vogue staffer to "keep thinking."

I cannot stress how excited I am see this. I would be her foot stool just to have the honour to be in her presence.

A model roundtable of delights

This video is a treat to watch. In tribute of Vogue's model issue, the magazine gathered a bunch of models (and supermodels) at a table to talk about modeling; how it has changed, what they like about the job and their frustrations with the industry.

My facourite part is hearing Iman's delicious voice talk about how her favourite career moment was being the African Queen muse for Yves Saint Laurent. Other interesting tidbits include Caroline Trentini admitting she has insecurities about her body; 16-year-old Karlie Kloss' frustrations with being a "blank slate" and Naomi Campbell being, well, Naomi Campbell.

Please watch:

Supermodels galore

The cover of the anticipated May issue of Vogue was leaked today which I'm excited about because only once a year does Vogue feature a cover and spread with only models.
I wasn't surprised by most of the choices except for the use of newcomer Anna Maria Jagodzinska who appeared on the front flap alongside veterans Liya Kebede and Natalia Vodianova. The others are: Isabeli Fontana, Lara Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Raquel Zimmerman, Caroline Trentini and Natasha Poly.

If only Vogue and other American fashion magazines would feature more models on their covers rather than boring celebrities who have no fashion sense.

I also think that Vogue should put more newcomer models on their covers. Caroline Trentini has been around for ages and I wouldn't exactly call her a "face of the moment" even if she is still popular. Same goes with Zimmerman and Fontana.

It would be exciting to see fresh faces such as Amanda Laine, Ali Stephens, Behati Prinsloo, Jac, Heidi Mount and Han Jin on the cover.

More:

The Godfather

Vogue's multi-model May cover leaks

(Pic: Style.com)

Fashion magazines: next on the endangered list?

For the past few months I have practically stopped buying fashion magazines (save for a flurry of mad magazine spending a week ago) and have taken little interest in my subscriptions to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle.
At first I thought it was because I was getting bored with fashion but I realized that that wasn't true because I was (and am) obsessively reading fashion blogs and keeping up-to-date on the latest shows, news and trends online.

I've been thinking a lot about why I don't seem to care about fashion magazines anymore. But the answer is obvious: the internet, stupid!

I wrote about the monotony of (American) fashion mags a while ago; specifically how Vogue was getting boring and stale. After writing that post a few months ago I still find it true that the magazine is uninspiring and dull. I was hoping that in this doom and gloom environment, Vogue would be putting out something more creative and exciting. Now all I do is flip through the pages and yawn.

International magazines fair a bit better; their photographs inspire me and frankly it's the editorials that make me buy them, not the articles. Yet still; I haven't been obsessively collecting every international issue of Vogue, Elle and Harper's every month the way I used to.

It seems that they have run out of ideas; every month it's the same. The pages look the same, the colours are the same, the models' poses are the same; the pages are the same format. I swear sometimes that Elle and Harper's Bazaar are the exact same magazine.
And I'm sick of the non-fashionable celebrities on the cover.

To borrow the diagram from blogger Style Amor, you can see how these two mags look so much alike, EVERY MONTH.

And Vogue covers. Don't get me started on those. They might as well be using the same celebrity on every cover because they put them in the same dresses and poses wearing the same facial expression.

However I do realize all the work and creativity it takes to make these magazines and I really respect the editors, photographers and everyone else involved in making the magazines happen. There are many talented people who are putting them together.
But I feel that they have fallen a bit behind the times and I think that it's not just the people who are to blame. I feel that magazines themselves are behind the times.

Why wait for a monthly magazine to tell me what the next trends are when I can go to any one of the amazing style blogs out there like fashion toast, karla's closet, Garance Doré or The Sartorialist? They can predict and style the trends better than Condé Nast. They are the ones who are inspirational, who come up with never-before-seen ideas. I get my inspiration now from these bloggers because they can do whatever they want and don't have the restrictions or the carefully planned editorial that fashion magazines do.
Instead of waiting for a magazine to show me the best of the F/W 09 collections, I can see them as soon as the shows are over when the photos and videos are uploaded on the blogs and style sites. I can see the bags, shoes, jewelry and clothes right after they've hit the runway so I can decide right then whether I want to buy them.

Fashion magazines need to keep up with the blogs and other style sites or else they will lose touch with their readers who are increasingly turning to the internet to get their fashion advice.

So, dear readers: Who do you look to for sartorial advice and news? Magazines or style blogs and sites?

Romeo and Coco

I always look forward to the December issue of Vogue because they usually include a fairy tale editorial (ie. Alice in Wonderland) filled with beautiful costumes, a large cast that includes actors or designers, and a romantic setting. This year they went with Romeo and Juliet, starring model Coco Rocha as Juliet and dancer Roberto Bolle as Romeo. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the photos are very romantic with soft lighting, thick tapestries, draped flowers, haunting stone sets and gorgeous long gowns by Christian Lacroix, Nina Ricci, Alexander McQueen and Vera Wang. Actors John Lithgow and Estelle Parsons play Friar Laurence and the Nurse, respectivelly.

I love Coco's expressions; this woman should be an actress. You can see the angst, the longing, the passion and the pain on her face. She makes me want to fall in love with someone forbidden.



Prince: A glooming peace this morning with it brings,/The sun for sorrow will not show his head./Go hence to have more talk of these sad things;/Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:/For never was there a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. (Act V, Sc. 3)

(Photos: Vogue)

Anna Wintour leaving Vogue?

Say it ain't so! What will we do without the Queen B? Page Six is reporting that the Devil herself may be on the outs as her contract expires soon. Their source says:

"Her contract is up soon," an insider said. "She's thinking of retiring. She feels she's done it all and had enough. She has been putting out feelers to intimate friends recommending a possible replacement to S.I. Newhouse. She's so tired out, she just let Men's Vogue close instead of fighting for it."

Vogue will never be the same. But I do see why a change in the magazine would be good.
Consider:

- The horrible cover choices this year (ie. Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley, Gisele and LeBron)

- Ad pages are down

- Anna passed on Project Runway which ended up partnering with Elle magazine whose ad pages are up.

- Men's Vogue has downsized to a point of near death

- Vogue's late-in-the-game reality show, Model.Live wasn't even conceived by Anna.

Rumours have been going around for months that her successor may be a certain European editor but it really could be anybody. I wonder if they will keep it in the Condé Nast family.

US Vogue October 2008

For once, a beautiful Vogue cover! I am so happy to see a talented actress, Rachel Weisz, on the cover, rather than a young celebrity who doesn't know how to dress themselves. She looks amazing in the Rodarte dress from last season and the Balenciaga pants.
It's refreshing to see an actress over the age of 25 on the cover of a fashion magazine which normally treats us with young, nubile things who we can't really relate to and don't have a lot of interesting things to say about life.
I can't wait to read the interview.



(Photos: The Fashion Spot)