Black Velvet

PIKNIC MANIA.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 May 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Piknic Season is On!

The sun rolled in Montreal for this first 2010 edition, one of many many more.

Elio Krass

Kevin Yost

Lucie Lebel and Pierre Fontaine

Great music, great weather, great friends, great times.

Go scroll down my lovely ladies' blogs!

Itzel - Cadavres Exquis

Yaya - Legiterally

Kim - Mucho Mistrust

MR. P.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:53:00 +0000

I am no Doherty fan. The whole trash-grunge marketing binge didn't call for any particular attention from me, and kinda made me look away from his music.

I recently discovered his solo album, so worth listening to.

No Pete Doherty on Deezer, but follow the links to the HypeM.

Arcady

I am Rain

Salome

Peter Doherty for Roberto Cavalli

PAOLO ROVERSI

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:16:00 +0000

HABS.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:27:00 +0000

I finally got to jump on the plane for Montreal yesterday. I was lucky enough to get there in the day, the cloud only delaying my flight of two hours, added to a little overview of Scotland, Iceland and Greenland.

Jetlag is funny.

You think you have planned it all right: you will get on that plane, watch a movie, and sleep so you're up for some party time once you hit the city.

Obviously, plans are made to be broken, and you're left completely incapable of containing the ever-growing excitement of the idea of going back.

Flashbacks on May 12th, 2010.

After four little hours of sleep (I tend to leave the packing to the last minute, it makes the journey all the more expensive), I say goodbye to Paris and head to the CDG. Strange encounter with my friend Margaux's family in a nearly empty departure hall, followed by even more strange encounter with an old friend at the gate. Same destination, same flight. I love how small the world actually is.

A Single Man, on the plane. If you haven't seen it yet, don't wait another day.

Trudeau airport. My lovely ladies are waiting for me. Car, music, highway. Get to Hutchy. I can't believe I'm back.

Habs game. In a typical French fashion, I overlook the importance of the night, claiming no interest in Hockey and only wanting to spend my first night with my fellow Canadian loves.

Little did I know I would soon find myself in the city riots when the Habs won the play-offs. The situation got out of control, shops were looted, the police charged. I felt like I was assisting to the showdown of a PSG-Marseille game.

We ended the night properly, at Tokyo.

I feel like I've been around for weeks already.

Summer '10 has officially begun.

TIME FLIES.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 May 2010 09:50:00 +0000

15 years spent at EAB. 15 years of friendship.

And it seems that things have not changed a slightest bit.

We all left for different parts of the globe after high school, but Paris remains a place where we can catch up with old friends.

And what's best than Summer and Sangria for that matter?

Odeon and Bar Dix.

Try it.

F.R.E.E.D.O.M

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:54:00 +0000

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home

Today is a big day, today is a great day. Today is the day I finally get to hand in my UNESCO card and declare myself on holidays after four months spent in my internship.

Paris is grey these days, throwback to the early months of the year when the winter was slowly crawling in. Not cool for a month of May when Parisians are supposed to come out of hibernation to laze on terraces and enjoy the well-deserved first rays of sunlight. This obviously leaves a lot of time to day-dreaming, which the perspective of hitting the Canadian soil in less than a week only makes better.

Crazy Bonnaroo in June is a Go-Go.
Check out the lineup... and see you then!

Here's to a three-day drive from Montreal to Manchester, Tennessee. Here's to music, roadtrips and friends.

See you soon, North America.

SLOW MO'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:14:00 +0000

I have completely disappeared from the blogosphere these past few weeks, and my life has resembled that...

rhythmed by endless coffee and cigarette breaks.

Typical Parisian diet might I add; Good thing I am back in the City.

The Crazy is going to take an end soon and I will just have to wait and see what life is planning for me...

London. Montreal. Paris.

Only time will tell.

For now, I have a date with stats'
Hot Stuff.

SUMMER LOVIN'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:25:00 +0000

One Month.

Summer's slowly rolling in and the countdown till I return to Montreal has already started.

Lies, it started months ago.

Summer is without doubt the best time to be in the city.

I cannot, cannot wait for...

Midnight Swims

Hanging out on St.Lo

Tam-tams at Mont-Royal

All you can eat Sushi

Roadtripping down South

Skydiving with Itzou

Adrenaline Lay-over

Fairmount Bagels Yumminess

Value Village runs

Stoop chilling

Hutchy Lovin'

GOING CAMEL.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:25:00 +0000

Camel is back.

I think I found my Fall 2010 colour.

Via The Satorialist

HELGA STEPPAN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 08:22:00 +0000

Swedish born artist Helga Steppan audited all of her belonging to create a series of monochrome installations.

Forming colour groupings by playing on 2 and 3 spatial dimensions, Steppan is interested in making the audience participate and experience moments by combining everyday objects, people and environments that relate to each other.

All pictures via FFFFOUND

VOGUE SAID SO.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:24:00 +0000

Ironic much?

I started wearing shorts on a regular basis when I moved to Montreal, an idea my former Parisian self would have found completely grotesque ...Until I met Kim.

Kim is French. She's my roommate. She's an awesome-bubbly-crazy lady with a unique sense of style.

Kim wears shorts to school.

Kim wears shorts to go dancing.

Kim wears shorts to take the plane.

Kim wears shorts to the library.

Kim wears shorts to her driving lessons.

Kim wears shorts on a date.

Jeans, Leather, Bermuda, Jumpsuits, Black & White... Accompanied by sweet tights.

By the by, Kim has her own blog! And you have to check it out.

And now, the short fever has caught the rest of the house and our group of friends. No need to say that Parisians stare at me with crazy eyes, probably thinking I'm a tourist, when I walk around in shorts by 0°. Yes, Montreal hits the -20 C° average during the Winter. And yes, you would be surprised at how many Montrealers (not just Kim) wear shorts.

Skeptics, you will probably not believe me when I tell you that shorts (and tights, this goes without saying) keep you warmer than a pair of Jeans. If you've never tried it, you're probably reading this thinking I am out of my mind, probably not believing anything. But that's okay. Nobody does... until they try it.

Vogue just featured a shorts editorial, so this means it's now okay to wear some right?

So get cracking, because there's a short out there for everyone one of us.

Leather's Big Come-Back//

Zara.

Alexander Wang & Chloe

Daylight Chic//

Adeline Rapon

Erika A. & Elle R.

After Dark//

Karl Lagerfeld & Matthew Williamson

BRICKLANE WALKABOUT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:55:00 +0000

There was a massive American Apparel sale in Bricklane on Saturday.

The line went up several hundred meters, enough to discourage four Frenchies, still exhausted from the January Paris sales fights.

The fashion show was on the streets though. I did not take any street style pictures of the girls and guys hanging out, but these shots will give you a feel of the area if your London visits were restricted to the West End.

All pictures via Refinery29

EASTER RECAP.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:31:00 +0000

London.

Dinner at the Loft

Met with old friends, made new friends

Took the party pants to Carnaby Road

Brunch, brunch, brunch

Happy morning hours

Bricklane hangouts

Ate at tayyabs

Sunshine laziness

Danced some more

Portobello tourists

Happy evening hours

Zzz.

Three fabulous days, in a fabulous city, with fabulous people.

See you very soon, London.

SIMON EKRELIUS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:40:00 +0000

Love, Love…

London-based Swedish designer Simon Ekrelius’ newest Stardust collection is an explosion of volume and fluidity, combined with geometric forms in the cuts and prints.

Just a touch of color on neutral clothes and shoulder pads for an haute-couture feel.

Ekrelius makes us travel in an Asian and Easter European influenced collection.

So simple, yet beautiful.

All pictures via Simon Ekrelius's website.

BUZZ

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:03:00 +0000

Merton is free-styling for all on Chatroulette, adapting his texts to the stranger he has been matched with. Amazing and funny, yet really good!

So who cares anymore that the Jonas Brothers use Chatroulette?

LAST DANCE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:59:00 +0000

Alexander McQueen's last collection ever was presented in a Paris fashion week intimate ceremony that only a handful of fashion editors attended. The looks, that were finished by McQueen's design team after he passed away last month, were highly inspired by Byzantine art, Greek mythology, and Medieval fashion. An evangelic touch was brought to the collection with angels and wings setting the mood to the show, as if McQueen came back for one last dance.

All pictures from The Guardian

SPRING/SUMMER COLLECTION

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:56:00 +0000

As Paris is going mad about its latest Fashion Week, Amnesty International France jumped on the boat and collaborated with TBWA to launch a new Human Rights campaign to stop violence against women. For anglophones, the ad reads "Violations of Human Rights are still In".

The concept is brilliant, perfectly on time as it also happens to come at the eve of the International Women Day. Among other things, we will be denouncing inequality and abuses tomorrow, that so many women are still victims of, and that should be long gone in memory lane. And Misters, no, the 364 other days in the year are not by definition Men Days!

TWBA for Amnesty International

HEDI AND JERKIN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:36:00 +0000

While French movement Tecktonik never really hit the States (thank you.), LA kids have helped spreading the Jerkin Generation, which is slowly making its way across the country and hitting the East Coast.

Jerkin is all in the legs, moving them in and out on Hip-Hop tunes, and battling on the streets. The dance emerged in Southern California as the youth's rejection of gang culture. Baggy pants were traded off for skinny jeans, and the brighter the color, the better. In an entrepreneurship demeanor, Jerkin is about creating and promoting one's own vintage identity that meets somewhere between the 80s and the 90s decades.

In his newest Rock Diary entry, Hedi Slimane introduces us to the Skinny Jeanz Movement in a street and studio shoot. I couldn't resist, the shoot looks so much fun, just makes you want to join them and dance.

All pictures by Hedi Slimane

The New Boyz highly contributed to the spread of Jerkin, launching their debut single 'You're a Jerk' during the Summer 2009.

PARTY HERE AND THERE, PARTY EVERYWHERE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:51:00 +0000

Party animals keep reinventing the concept of nightlife around the globe, going bigger, better, and crazier. Forget about clubs, today's party is on a bus, train, or plane!

PARIS//

In an attempt to fill its night trains, French train service company iDTGV launched the iDNIGHT in April 2008 to attract a young and low-cost clientele. iDNIGHT offers cheap night travel tickets (at a starting price of 15 euros), and the possibility to party it up until early morning when you arrive (not so fresh) at your destination. A bar section with DJ venues and lighting to put you in a club atmosphere. A lounge section where you can chat and meet people. Such a great way to start off a vacation!

IBIZA//

David Guetta's life a show in itself, so why stop halfway? His most recent gig concept, mixing... on a plane! Some lucky ducks got to board for a few hours of air madness on a Paris-Ibiza Vueling Airline flight. The crew had to maintain the weight balance of the aircraft allowing passengers to take turns in the DJ booth. Sweet PR strategy for both the artist and the airline...

NEW YORK//

New York most definitely ranks among the top party cities in the world, where exuberance is always a must. We went to an underground party organised in a Chinese Mall last time we roadtripped down to the Big Apple. It was absolute madness, so different from what you can see in Paris and Montreal. The place was located under a bridge, and you could hear the roaring sound of the train flapping the railway right above your head. An escalator took us to the very top of the mall, where the party was taking place, in the Chinese restaurant. The venue kept its Asian vibe, and the mood made it feel like we had flown to Beijing for the week-end.

Pretty sweet night might I tell you. But let me also tell you that next time I hit the city, I will be hopping on Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman's 'Discobus' shuttle. The Rusty Knot's owner inaugurated the ride last month, in an attempt to fill their bar on cold and snowy Monday winter nights. Running from Brooklyn to the West Village with very little supervision (the only requirement is that customers be over 21 years old), the party concept reminds me of the Roaring Twenties era, when anything seemed possible.

All pictures via The New York Times

HOLI MOLY ME OH MY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Happy people all around India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, to cite only a few places. Today, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and others celebrated the main day of the Holi Festival, throwing colored powder and water at each other, singing and dancing on the streets. From the youngest children to holy men, including tourists, everybody took part in the festivities to welcome the spring season.

The legend has it that Lord Krishna complained to his mother about the darkness of his skin when compared to Rhada's fair skin complexion, and that, in an attempt to please the infant deity, his mother decided to color Rhada's face. Above all, this means we are about to kiss winter goodbye until next year!

All photos via Reuters and The Guardian

HAPPY ACCIDENTS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:02:00 +0000

Street-photographer Matt Stuart has been shooting scenes of London's everyday life for over a decade, 'very very rarely' leaving his house without a camera. Stuart waits patiently to capture these split second moments, abiding to one rule only: practicing instant photography; nothing is staged nor moved.

I love the energy that is released in all of these pictures, offering a humorous take on London, too often trapped in a formal business cluster. Reminds me of the feeling you get when walking in East London, around Brick Lane and Shorditch. I just want to pack my things and go back.

"I can’t hide behind lights and technology, I am reliant on a small Leica camera, patience and lots of optimism. But what I get in return is the chance to make an honest picture which people know immediately is a genuine moment and which hopefully burrows deep into their memories."

All pictures by Matt Stuart; Interview in Dazed and Confused

EXTRAORDINARY RECORDS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:32:00 +0000

"There's nothing like the feel of holding a record... like that split second before it actually starts, when the pops and hisses of the needle are running along the vinyl"

- Giorgio Moroder

Fat Larry’s Band - Stubborn Kind of Fellow                                                             Samantha Fox - Touch Me

Thompson Twins - Passion Planet

Thompson Twins - You Take Me Up

All pictures from The Guardian

Rush - Count Down/ New World Man

Thompson Twins - Sister of Mercy/ Out of the Gap

The Art of Noise - Peter Gun/ Something Always Happens

All pictures from Discogs

WEDNESDAY.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:19:00 +0000

All pictures via FFFFOUND.

EVE OF TODAY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Back in 1930s, some American designers were asked to predict 2000s fashion. Take a look of the 21st century Eve as seen some 80 years ago... scarily close!

The dress that can be adapted for morning-afternoon-evening has shoulder pad ornaments that resemble those in in Balmain's Spring 2010 collection.

Balmain

Who would have predicted sheer, or 'transparent nets', to make its way into fashion again? Well, even if the nets probably do not catch our 21st century males, sheer is definitely here, brought back by American Apparel hipster trademark.

American Apparel

Even though skirts did not disappear, the designers were right about the futuristic shoe, as seen in Marc Jacob's show at the Spring/Summer 2008 NYC fashion week.

Marc Jacobs

No electric headlight to help us find an 'honest man', but Hussein Chalayan brought the use of lamps to a new level in his Autumn/Winter Airborne 2007 collection.

Hussein Chalayan

Next in line should definitely be the electric belt that adapts the body to climatic changes. So convenient, especially in our good old (and cold) Montreal!

As for men, the designers predicted that there would be no shaving or ties, close to our lumberjack trend... but what about skinny jeans?

GISJBERT HANEKROOT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:48:00 +0000

London is full of great secret places and one of them is the Photographer's Gallery, located in a tiny street right next to busy Oxford Circus. The bookshop is a gold mine for photography lovers, where you can find anthologies at knocked-down prices.

ABBA... ZAPPA is a retrospective of Hanekroot's career as a Seventies Rock Photographer, compiling both professional and personal pictures.

Keith Richards, 1976

Yoko, 1971

Todd Rudgren, 1974

Roger Daltrey, 1973

Joni Mitchel, 1971

Bob Marley, 1976

Grace Slick, 1969

Mick Jagger, 1970

Photos by Gijsbert Hanekroot