Hottest bicycle video I’ve ever seen. Thanks for sharing, Marika.

And when I say NSFW, I mean really Not Safe For Work. It’s not even safe for YouTube, which is why it’s hosted on Vimeo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more girls on bikes, check out Wearing Stilettos on Fixed Gear Bikes

• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion
• Raddest People I Know – Cathy Michel

Click here to view the embedded video.

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion
• Raddest People I Know – Cathy Michel

#1 – Yohji Yamamoto – My Dear Bomb -Absolute living legend! SO inspiring. He cuts cloth like a sculpture.

#2 – Alexander McQueen – Savage Beauty -The master. need i say more?

#3 – Less is More – Minimalism in Fashion -The direction I’m moving in lately. You think it’s the easiest until you try to make it. Smooth clean lines are difficult to cut perfectly.

#4 – The Art of Manipulating Fabric  - This book isn’t new, but I’ve wanted it for a long time because it’s awesome. I even went to Amazon and snooped on the pages inside and it is a gold mine of techniques with how tos. Not available at Eslite

#5 – Subscription to Korean Vogue -I just bought this issue, loves it. FYI, every Dec. they package it with their Spring/Summer collection picks in a mini mag half the size of a regular one. It’s so worth the price. It fits in my purse and it’s my go-to guide. But I need a subscription cuz they are expensive.

#6 – Any of the Taipei In Style magazines. I do not mean the US InStyle, that is shit IMHO. This one has many issues detailing runway pictures divided into $1500NT books – Cut & Sew, Dresses, Shirts, Bottoms, Accessories, etc. I could not find ANYTHING on the internet with a photo. Next time I’m in there, I’ll snap a pic and update this. They also do Spring and Fall collections divided into major fashion week city categories – my most wanted being PARIS, of course. Of the previous, DRESSES.

#7 – Rick Owens (I did not see this at Eslite, but he is one hell of a designer. Major drool over every leather jacket he’s ever made. Maybe someday I’ll have an extra 2000 to drop on it.

#8 – The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, & Marketing (Excellent textbook and contains many things I need to know!)

There were a bunch more books at Eslite I noticed, but can’t remember. This ones are on my list for next year!

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Raddest People I Know – Cathy Michel

She returned back to Cape Town to study film editing, and is now working in the industry there. I recently did an interview with her detailing what she’s been up to in her career. 

• Cathy, can you tell us a little about your average day as a film/video editor?

Everyday I juggle various projects to keep my mind and creativity alive.

Each day is different! That’s why I love this job. It’s so varied. One day I might be on a film set or a location shoot, and other days I’m in the studio, collaborating with the director of a project, or cutting by myself.
A lot goes into an edit. The process generally works like this:

• Discuss the theme/concept with the team
• Shoot
• Transcode footage (This is an in-depth topic haha!)
• Manage media
• Choose Audio, or discuss audio/soundtrack with the director or sound engineer.
• Work closely with sound to get the right edit feel

• Would you like to tell us about your work team? How long have you been working together? What kind of projects do you work on together? (Just music?) 
• What are you working on right now? 

There are three different teams that I work with regularly. My favorite is called Dirty Soul Productions. I love them cos they are funky, super creative, totally brilliant, fun-loving youngsters. They are the guys I do most of my music video edits for.

The Dirty Souls have become one of the most highly sought after music video production teams in South Africa, cos their videos win awards, and are cutting edge.

(*The Dirty Souls Production facebook page)

Just last week we finished a music video for Goodluck’s “Harlem”. It’s a positive outlook on township living in South Africa – putting aside hardships and just enjoying music and dance. An American vocalist collaborated on the song, but the video relates “Harlem” to a similar lifestyle of a settlement in South Africa.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then finally, I work with another production crew called “Beat it”. They do documentaries on current national issues. For example, this month we’re working on a documentary for an international UN Conference taking place here right now on Global Warming. Maybe you’ve heard of it?  “COP17”

• What was your favorite project? What did you like so much about it?

Hmmm, I have so many favourites. But the one video I had so much freedom and fun with was for Robots get the Girls “Plus 1”. It revived my childhood computer game fascination, and I just loved the whole 80’s retro pixilation. (*Ed – They just finished doing a new video for this group, I’ll post it when they do)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I also just worked on a feature film as one of 5 editors for “Safe House” starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Check out the trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was my first feature, so I cannot tell you the excitement and honour it was to work with greats like these!

• If you could work with any artist in the world, who would you most like to do a video for and why?

I’d really like to work with artists and musicians who ignited my passion for music videos. Forward thinkers, like Thom York, Bjork, Chris Cunningham. Yeah, that would be a total mind f*ck…

But also in totally different music genres – I want to explore all styles of music – which gives you the ability to experiment with completely contrasting aesthetics and editing styles…

It really doesn’t matter who they are or how well-known they are. I just like collaborating with creative people with awesome vision – who think outside the box, break the rules, and just have fun while creating magic.

• What upcoming projects are you working on?

Two exciting projects in the next few weeks!

First one is a music video for a top South African electro band called Goodluck. I think that you (as a fashionista)  will totally love the concept! All I’m going to say for now is VINTAGE GLAM, baby!

Goodluck Facebook Page

The second one is a music video for a killer drum n bass act called Mix n Blend. The track is an eerie dubstep/jungle mix… And the editing for this one is going to be a real treat – manic, speedy cuts to off-rhythm beats… Also think you’ll love this one. It is being launched next week so I’ll send you the link as soon as its online

Mix N Blend facebook page

(*Below is the promo video for their new releases with a short interview…)

Click here to view the embedded video.

From January I’m working with a production company called Mandelbrot Studios, on a magazine-style TV series, all about celebrity and designer weddings. I am the head editor, guiding a team of 4 other editors. The brand image is sophisticated and trendy, yet lively and punchy. Gorgeous presenters and stunning footage!

• Are there any aspects of editing and production work that you haven’t had a chance to try yet? 

So many things I still want to try! I’ve just started getting my hands dirty with filming – my cinematographer friends are teaching me how to shoot on DSLR cameras like the 5D. 550D, D1, etc. I’m getting better, and its really fun! But editing is still my forte, haha.

Directing is also an avenue I’ll explore in the future – but for now, I’m still perfecting my field of editing, and I’m quite content with this J

• Have you noticed any upcoming trends in the music video industry?

It’s really hard to say, cos different genres all have such different video styles.

But I have noticed that the trend is the choice of digital cameras over film. Cameras like the RED and the EPIC have incredible quality and flawless finish! By shooting digital, there is far more opportunity for experimenting, since you can collect vast amounts of footage without having to worry about the cost of reels.

Cutting has becoming far more rhythmic, and there is a lot of experimenting with time-manipulation i.e high speed, speed ramping etc. But there is a lovely attention to aesthetics that I’m pleased to see – thought that goes into colour palette, costume and styling etc to create a visual concept or theme.

• What do you hope to change or do differently in your future projects?

I just want to improve and develop with each project. I want to be able to adapt my editing style according to the varying style and vision of each project, to synchronise with the director’s vision and the sound.

• The video for Flash Republic Killer Moves has got a real gritty underground feel to it. How did you and the artist work together to get that feel for the video?

Click here to view the embedded video.

That one was a pleasure to work on!

Firstly, the costume and styling of the Artist (lead singer) and the model was carefully selected in line with the visual “gritty” or grungy feel. The director collected a bunch of reference pictures and worked with the stylist to get that across on camera.

Secondly, the camera work – The DOP, Roscoe, did lots of steady cam/handheld shots with awkward, disorienting camera angles and movement. Most of the shots were high-speed (at 100 frames per second) giving me, the editor, the opportunity to speed ramp and time-remap shots, so that there is no quality loss.

Another little visual trick on the shoot was using a projector with images/x-rays, which was literally projected over the model in staged shots.

In the edit, I did a lot of single frame flashes on fast beats – eg of skulls/skeletons etc – really quick, so you just notice them without it becoming overkill.

Lastly, the visual effects artist, Blake, added dust and scratch particles and splotches and a dark grade to finish off the grittiness.

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion

Love this mega high creeper flatform, called STINGER, $159.95:

Available at Solestruck. I think I might have to get them.

Here’s another amazing pair, not sure of the name, but they are exclusive to Pixie Market. $209

I LOVE the ankle strap with the pointy toe below, the Zeke Platform Wedge:

Available at Nasty Gal for $208. Hotness on your feet. Ooh la la!

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion

Left center zipper, raised funnel neck, semi-princess seams, mesh lining, 2 piece sleeves (ribbed on the under portion so I can actually bend my arm), and ribbed on the hem. The hem was half an accident, half planned, but I try to always remember when something goes wrong that

Every Problem is An Opportunity For A Creative Solution

Back:

I made the hem in 3 pieces and overlapped the points on the sides. The initial problem was I made the length perfect to my lower waist – but thought it was too short. I like the way the side hems flap in the breeze when I drive my scooter.

Although I’ve been making clothes for a while, it still took me a few days to wrap my head around the pattern, cut the fabric, and sew it. You have to think about – ok – when I zip it up – where do I want the zipper? Where does that meet up on the other side? What about the underneath part, how long? When I unzip it part of the way, do I want to be able to fold it down so it looks like a collar? What other details do I want to include?

I also reminded myself that if something stretches (like ribbing) and you do not want it to (attaching it to the non-stretchy bottom of jacket for example) you can iron interfacing on and it keeps it sturdy.

Ended up with these pattern pieces: self, facing, lining, hems, 19 in all.

The next jacket I make will be an improvement on this one. Trying to work my way up to learning how to make it in leather. I want to feel like butter on the outside.

A few close ups on the master patterns (The one I keep in one piece and trace other pieces off of):

Good at doing math with fractions? Pattern making just might be your calling. (Or you can dowload the Inch Calculator!)

Oh and in case you ever wonder what all the steps that go into making a jacket/coat, I found this sheet from my notes when I studied fashion design at Blanche MacDonald, which explains it all:

• The TS Project – Part 1 – The Brief
• The TS Project – Custom LED Costumes for True Spin Fire Dancing Group
• A-mei in Rice Society Leggings!

Since there aren’t any casinos in Taiwan, there aren’t many opportunities to practice playing. I recently discovered an online poker site, Party Poker. Why not practice on there, and maybe try your luck with a bigger buy-in? The home page is in French,but at the top right, you can switch the language preference to English. If you go to the link “How To Play”, there are a few links with some tips. Even if you’re a seasoned poker player, there’s always something more to learn. Playing online is different from real life cuz you can’t read the person’s face to guess how they are playing. Cards don’t lie, but they can deceive you. On that site, you can play to win not just money – in Euros – but a lot of cool prizes like the ipad 2. Who doesn’t want to win some Euros? If you’re a really high roller, they also have some crazy massive prize pool – 100K! How good of a player can you be? Enough to be a professional poker player full-time?

• RADAR – Azealia Banks – 212
• RADAR – Blackmilk Bodysuits
• RADAR – Nude Obsession for Spring 2010

When I start working with a new client, usually they have a general idea of what they want, and we discuss the specific guidelines about appearance and functionality.

I first met up with Key, and later Xiao Hua, to discuss what they wanted, and plan how to execute it.

They gave me their inspiration:

They explained that they wanted to make costumes with LED lights inside. The outfits needed to be stretchy because they were dancers and needed greater flexibility in their movements, as well as being durable enough to be worn for multiple performances. Lycra to the rescue!

To make the suits re-usable and washable, we had to find a solution enabling the lights to be encased inside the outfit, but removable. There needed to be a pocket that held the battery pack, but concealed the connection wires.

The lights chosen were extremely thin, flat, light-weight, had a solid color, and didn’t produce any heat when turned on. The challenge was that they behaved like a thin strip of metal – flexible up and down, but not side to side. Each strip had a fixed length which couldn’t be cut, and only a fixed number could be wired to same battery pack. There were 2 widths, we decided to go for the larger one.

Much like these:

There were also to be 2 teams – red/black (evil) and white/blue (good). Each team was comprised of both male and female dancers, and they had to have their own design that reflected their team and complimented their shape – a total of 4 looks.

(male red/Blk, female red/Blk, male blue/Wht, female blue/Wht)

The end result below – 8 of the 12 dancers.

The next few TS Project posts will show you the patterns – how I achieved the goals of the brief, and the enormous amount of technical construction that went into making them.

• White Rice Society Jacket
• The TS Project – Custom LED Costumes for True Spin Fire Dancing Group
• A-mei in Rice Society Leggings!

They are all showing at The Spot (#18 ZhongShan North Rd. Sec 2, just north of Nanjing on the West side) Visit ahead of time to be sure to pick up your programme guide, the court yard there is a great place to grab a coffee and read up:

I read all the movie write-ups in the guide, and I’d like to introduce to you the ones I am really interested in seeing, in no particular order. Watch the trailers, most have English subtitles.

*videos all work, just might take a minute to see the play button*

#1 – Marimbas From Hell (Las Marimbas Del Infierno)

#2 – The Wind Journeys (Los Viajes Del Viento)

#3 – American Visa

#4 – Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalagie de la Luz)

#5 – Craft (Riscado)

#6 – The Swamp (La Cienega)

Sorry, this trailer isn’t in English, but check it out anyway:

#7 – Little Saints (Santitos)

I couldn’t find a trailer, but here is the synopsis:

“Santitos is a character-driven comedy about a young Mexican woman who has to come to terms with the loss of her teenage daughter. Esperanza’s daughter Blanca suddenly and mysteriously dies in the hospital where she was having her tonsils removed. Shortly afterward, the vision of a saint appears on the greasy glass door of the oven, telling Esperanza that Blanca is not dead. Despite warnings from her best friend and the local priest, she embarks on an incredible journey across the country and over the border that helps her shed her inhibitions one by one. Out comes a different Esperanza, a liberated independent woman who is also sexually uninhibited.” -NYTimes

If you get a packet of 10, you get a 10% discount: 10 tickets for $1800, students are $170/ticket.

The Spot’s Website for tickets and more info, click here

These are only 7 of the 26 films being screened. Which one do you want to see? Here’s a list of the other films, in case you wanna look them up:

Days In The Country (Dias de Campo)

Minimal Stories (Historias Minimas)

Bolivia

High-Rise (Um Lugar ao Sol)

Midnight () Primeiro Dia)

Dawson Isla 10

The Path (El Camino)

Havana Suite (Suite Habana)

Jena Gentil

La Yuma

The Mexican Suitcase (La Maleta Mexicana)

The Night Watchman (El Velador)

Those Who Remain (Los que se Queadan)

The Fists of the Nation (Los Punos de la Nacion)

I Hear You Scream (Ahendu nde Sapucai)

Madeinusa

The Tiniest Place (El Lugar Mas Pequeno)

Hiroshima

Postcards from Leningrad (Postales de Leningrado)

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion

• NSFW – Hot Girls on a Bicycle
• Top 10 Trends for 2012 by JWT
• Shopping – Most Wanted Books on Fashion