Yellow Suit...

Patrick McDonald, previously quoted in my last post, here in yellow - top row, 2nd from the right... 

http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/list/128.php

Quite literally painting himself daily with dramatic and precise makeup, flamboyant clothing in multiple colours and textures...  Interesting is a description of him I found on New York Social Diary -             

"This is a man, no matter where you might run into him… always ready for his (full-length) closeup... There’s an artistry and discipline in that that is rare these days, even in New York.” (paragraph 2)

“The first time I saw him I thought it was a costume. Which it is. His costume. Complete, right down to the ever-present chapeau... the impeccably applied make-up, the color mix which although it varies, is always consistent with the sartorial impression he’s out to create. And create he does.” (paragraph 3)

 

I love the costume and I love the fact that I can witness these costumes because the above quote was right, garb such as Mr McDonald's is hard to come by anywhere in the world...

I have an image/idea - Patrick McDonald is my muse but I want to portray his knack for dramatic mode in opposition to what he really is. I want him to wake up in the morning as an artwork and wipe his canvas clean before he leaves the house. I also want the He to be a She... Is this making my muse amusing? Or am I just clutching at straws??? Because, just quietly the idea of having to fill 5mins of film with stop motion is a scary the crap out of me! AFTER THOUGHT (slash thought that I had mid way through writing the previous sentence): A combination of film and stop motion isn't such a bad idea. Film my 'muse' all dressed to the nines, makeup, shoes and accessories intact removing the doona and sitting on the edge of the bed. The close ups from there being where the stop motion comes into it. Something to consider...

Making A Connection...

Trailer from Bill Cunningham New York' documentary trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqiLJBXbss)

Stumbled across this trailer recently and found myself particularly inspired by what Patrick McDonald (the man in the amazing hat) says - "We are all blank canvases when we get up in the morning and we paint ourselves." This idea of daily aesthetic creation is interesting. Some people struggle with this, others don't care and some think highly of this form of expression and spend their lives tweeking and changing and enhancing the process in a never ending 'artistic' journey... I'm interested in finding a connection between this idea of painting our own facades with what we wear and what I was talking about last night - fashion blogger culture and the fine line between standing out in the crowd as something unique and worth following and simply becoming one of many doing the same thing with little uniqueness...

What's Really Funny Is...

One last note for the moment... A real connection between fashion and comedy (in reference to the 'Amuse' theme) can be found in a blog called The Man Repeller. The author aka Leandra Medine, refers to herself as the "resident dick deflector" and her seriously trendy semi transparent, faux round framed glasses as the "birth control glasses". She also makes consistent references to designer clothing and how elements of garments or outfits so closely resemble a vagina (or at least parts of the whole)... She recently won the Bloglovin' 2011 award for Most Original Blog - no surprise there as Lucky Magazine has already described her as "one of the most hilarious voices in fashion." Amused much?... 

     This is just a little ramble... trying to make connections and find direction. I think this blogger come comedian come one-of-many thing is something to keep pondering on.... I genuinely enjoy this idea of poking fun at something that we (by we I mean me) live and breath. Taking a step back and admitting that while we (again, me) love clothing and accessories and shoes and bags bla, bla, bla, it isn't life or death... But hell it's fun!

     The Man Repeller can be found at www.manrepeller.com.

Leandra Medine defines:

 

man·re·pell·er¹  [mahn-ree-peller]

–noun

outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.

–verb (used without object),-pell·ing, -pell·ed.

to commit the act of repelling men:

Girl 1: What are you wearing to the party?

Girl 2: My sweet lime green drop crotch utility pants!

Girl 1: Oh, so we're man repelling tonight?

*DISCLAIMER: the above conversation is not a dramatization, took place in this room 5 minutes ago.

Origin:
2009-10; < repellius (ptp. of repellia to eliminate male attention), equiv. to L repel- (s. of repellix) unattractive, celibate, paris fashion week, M.C. Hammer + -repel -ler¹

After Dinner After thought...

I was just pondering on this idea of a Muse while trawling through the mountainous list of blogs I like to think I 'follow'. The fashion blogger has become the average fashion obsessed (or merely fashion favoured) girl/lady/woman's real life muse - an attainable source of wearable advice. For the most part they dress in the affordable stuff (with a couple of gifted exceptions) so of course they are much more relatable than the models, celebrities and designers they may also follow. However, with the rise of these fashionably apt ladies and men of the html variety doesn't it seem a little like they are ultimately getting lost in a crowd of people who look - and type - an awful lot like themselves...  So the muse has become one of many and if this is so do they remain a muse if there is little uniqueness in what they do? Do they then become amusing?... 

     I didn't intend to make this connection but a lot of the time I do find myself having a little giggle at the semi celebrity that some fashion bloggers get. The ones that instigate the short lived laughter are the ones that riddle their posts with photo after photo after photo of themselves in a lack lustre outfit with the shot before the last being so minutely different I often wonder if they have accidently uploaded the same image twice... Has blogging become a freely available avenue for the fashion hungry nobody to spew their pose-happy attempt at fashion and photography on the unsuspecting blog voyeur? Is this amusing or is it sad?

Another Day...

This blog is one of two I dabble in but unlike the first, Je ne parle pas francais (Translation: 'I don't speak French' - which I actually don't so forgive me if my translation leaves a lot to be desired...) is a forum that I am using solely for University related documentation. More specifically, the documentation involved with the research and execution of my short film which will be entered into Diane Pernet's A Shaded View of Fashion Film aka. ASVOFF film, fashion and art competition. 

The brief: "Muse" (5 minute film)  OR "Amuse" (1 minute film) Deadline: May 1st, 2011 


Knowledge of film making: Nil 
Enthusiasm/excitement level: Boundless and overwhelming...


Now if only I could find a way to incorporate my idea into one of the aforementioned themes...