When I mentioned the opening of the Louis Vuitton UK flagship to D (aka Mr Disneyrollergirl) on Tuesday, he didn’t hide his disdain. “I’ve seen it. I passed it yesterday, it looks like something out of Dubai airport via Stanstead. Deeply tacky,” was his damning assessment. He may have curled his lip. (more…)
The Gentlewoman magazine (sister publication to Fantastic Man) has just been launched in London and goes on sale everywhere else next week. What I loved:
#1
The name
#2
The interview with Louise Gray on making lists (who doesn’t love a list? Or Louise Gray?)
#3
David Sims’ portraits of Phoebe Philo with fag
#4
Phoebe Philo has the Tim Noble and Sue Webster ‘Forever’ artwork in a hallway of the Celine HQ. And she loves KFC *high five*
#5
The paper (and the smell)
#6
The Self Service-y looking fashion shoot on shorts
#7
The unstoppable Princess Julia
#8
The incredible Jenny Holzer
#9
The tips on gentlewomanly gift-giving
#10
The Cartier watch on page 127
Marina & the Diamonds single artwork channel’s Warhol’s Interview magazine covers – now this is pop art literally!
(On a side note, wouldn’t it be amazing if a mag like Harper’s Bazaar could initiate illustrated covers by contemporary artists. Britney by Elizabeth Peyton? Now that I would buy.)
The premise of the Pop Life exhibition was to explore the link between art and commerce as initiated by Warhol and his many commercial tie-ins and spin-offs and later by Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami and their various enterprises.
It made me finally realise that in today’s popular culture there are few successful creative artists who don’t consider the benefits of the commercial hook-up. Whether it’s a musician or actor sidestepping into modelling (Lily Allen for Chanel, Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein Jeans), an actor/model/singer dabbling in fashion design (Emma Watson for People Tree, Kate Moss for Topshop, Victoria Beckham) or an impoverished fashion designer embracing other more lucrative opportunities (PPQ for Sky+, Giles Deacon for Cadbury’s), the days of the creative who was famous for one thing and stuck to it are long gone. These days, it’s a given that anything is possible.
It’s hard for me to accept because I would prefer people stick to what they’re good at but as a creative myself, I know how hard it is to resist the lure of the commercial. However much creative integrity one may have, ultimately everyone has their price.
