Remember the controversial ad campaigns for Benetton?
Children don’t know hate – they are taught it
They captured our attention with amazing imagery that had nothing to do with their clothes. The ads grabbed our attention because it was hard to escape many of the disturbing images which came with a message. They were meant to get stuck in our brain. I can’t remember all the sweaters I bought from Benetton but I do remember the ads.
I stumbled across this article which examines fashion’s new lifestyle approach to advertising through the lens of Jamie Hawkesworth’s India campaign for Trademark. Fascinating!Fashion advertising is an arena that, over the past few years, has evolved into an artistic entity of its own. As brands seek to consolidate and communicate a message that extends beyond the clothes they are putting onto the rails, those at the top of their game have eschewed traditional handbag shots and replaced them with montages that speak to a broader picture of lifestyle luxury – and Jamie Hawkesworth is often the man responsible.
In a market saturated with disposable imagery, it seems as though sustained success is coming from advertising with aesthetic longevity. Earlier this week in The Washington Post, Sarah Halzack noted that, in spite of an ever-expanding post-recession luxury market, flashy, logo-heavy glamour is no longer in *Vogue – a trend that is seeing profits fall for megabrands like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton while those of their smaller counterparts (like Loewe and Miu Miu, also featuring Hawkesworth-shot campaigns) rise. “These are [brands] that really control the supply, and therefore they manipulate the market and the desire for their products,” explains luxury marketer Thomai Serdari – and, with the release of Gucci’s new campaign video and imagery this week, which has Glen Luchford documenting a softly intimate, Wes Anderson-style shoot and short film, it is clear that the big brands are paying attention.
One of the labels that is tapping into this idea of editorial-style lifestyle messaging is new American brand Trademark, whose S/S15 campaign was shot by Jamie Hawkesworth on a trip to India. “We were always fans of Jamie’s early work, particularly his series taken at a bus station in Preston,” explained founders Pookie and Louise Burch. “The images felt like documentary photography which was something we were both drawn to. We wanted to shoot the images for Trademark in the same vein so it felt natural.”
Sending Hawkesworth off with a suitcase of clothing resulted in a series of images that look as much like someone’s (brilliant) holiday photographs as clothing advertisements, just as his shots for Loewe’s accessories collaboration with John Allen are like family snapshots or his A/W15 Miu Miu campaign like an insight into a (very chic) schoolgirl’s life. In this new spirit of lifestyle shots, brands are paying to place advertising in magazines, and some of the pages that they buy don’t even end up featuring clothes.
John Allen x Loewe Photography by Jamie Hawkesworth
When a new label like Trademark makes a statement like, “The focus wasn’t on the clothing” about a (presumably fairly high-budget) campaign, it is clear that there is a shift in direction for those with the savvy to really listen to consumers: and consumers are buying into more than just ostentatiously trend-led pieces, but into an entire aesthetic. Jamie Hawkesworth presents relatable yet aspirational scenarios – an artfully-arranged pencil pot, a beautiful statue observed on holiday in India – and the occasional garment or bag just fits alongside. This is the new era of brand identity – one that extends beyond seasonal pieces – and it is one that seems to be selling.
I still love glamorous imagery in ads but I have great appreciation for where this Trademark direction is taking us.
It’s obvious that shopping is not high up on the list of what dogs love to do.
First Stop. We hope she finds a card quickly so we can get outta here
These two were so well behaved but got bored when I went into almost every shop on 4th Ave. looking for a little something for myself a friend.
Hurry up….just grab any woofin card!
At this point they were not interested even when I modelled some outfits and asked for their opinion.
If you don’t make up your mind we may have to pee on this grass
If shopping was considered a major sport (isn’t it?) and entered into the Olympics I’d be a contender….and bring home the GOLD.
My husband says he will leave me if I don’t stop shopping. God, I’m going to miss that man.MAX the blue healer says “hey mates, I think we deserve a beer for being such good sports”
FYI: here is a partial list of major dog-friendly businesses:
Clothing (unfortunately not the places I usually frequent)
Rings: Samantha Wills Bandwagon Sunglasses, Le Specs $60
Embracing Summer. For me summer is all about simplicity and taking it easy which translates to being more lazy. Hair lighter, toenails brighter, breezy dresses, no makeup, sitting on patios until the sun goes down, eating lots more fruit, plenty of barbeques and at least one beach picnic. It’s a breeze embracing summer.
beachy bracelets
Wearing fun jewellery that never sees the light of day when summer ends, ankle bracelets (I have a crazy collection), straw hats & bags, flip-flops (or go barefoot whenever possible), roller blading (after retiring my blades) & bike riding.
Gold Ring on Left: TomTom Jewelry Wild Child Sunglasses in Black, Le Specs $80 Sunset Multistrand Necklace, Holst+Lee $255 Wild Child Sunglasses in Pink, Le Specs $80 Turquoise Capri Amulet, BaubleBar $68
I may have grown up on what is referred to as ‘the island of Montreal’ but I also lived in Jamaica which is my idea of a ‘true blue’ Island and adapted to being there like a bee to honey. It was a dream waking up every morning to blue skies and a never ending beach outside my door, walking barefoot along that beach to outdoor yoga classes, continuous scuba diving, reading a lot more books, delightful doctor birds and live music at night. Yes, I adapted extremely well.
beach necessity
Double Selfie
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in perpetual summer. Maybe we need the Fall/Winter break to keep from becoming too lazy. And to get things done. Well that’s the excuse I give…to appreciate the sunshine when we get it.
Photographer (first 4 photos): Andrew Stiles at Grid Agency
Hair and Makeup: Alexis Swain at Celestine Agency.
Next up on my doc list are these two, which also happen to be about two of my favourite singers:
High Priestess of Soul – Nina Simone
The documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? is the story of legendary singer and activist Nina Simone. It chronicles her extraordinary life using never-before-heard recordings, rare archival footage and her best-known songs.
The film examines the woman behind the legend, from her childhood as a musical prodigy to her role as a prominent civil rights activist, touching on the beautiful and also troubling moments of her life. It paints a more complex portrait of the famous musician than you might imagine, even spotlighting her complicated relationship with her daughter. It’s just been released on Netflix. Take a moment to WATCH THE CLIP:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moOQXZxriKY
FADE to BLACK:
Singer Amy Winehouse performs during the MTV Europe Awards ceremony in Munich in this November 1, 2007 file photo.
An original! Brilliant, troubled Amy Winehouse sadly passed on way too early. “The more people see me the more they’ll realize all I’m good for is making music.”
The world would have embraced a lot more where that came from.
I just met this cool new guy a few days ago and it’s already moving so quickly.
Bangkok Jack
His name is Jack. He’s much younger than my current guy but I like his energy. He’s adorable, lean & muscular with tons of personality, makes me laugh only he’s a bit of a player. I was warned he has a way with the ladies.
Also, isn’t it a bit too early for him to be showing signs of possessiveness?
I like it here
He no sooner got off the plane from Thailand that our eyes met, love at first sight and then what do we do? We end up sleeping together, but only cuddling. It’s a bonus that he gets along with my dog.
He was looking for some action here in Vancouver so I took him to Mahony and Sons on his second night for the view. What did he do? He got bored and fell asleep right on my lap then after a few rounds he ended up under the table.
This is how we rollBefore we rolled out of here & my hat fell overboard and I almost went overboardIs he ever going home? Or don’t tell me….because then I might have to throw him overboard.
But today we went for a rum run and he kept up right alongside me. So far so good, but we’ll see how it goes. You never know with these smooth types. I might be in trouble.
You’ve got a lot going for you. You’re still relatively young compared to your peers, attractive in a natural sense, multi-cultural, well mannered, fairly safe place to live compared to most & as the second largest country in the world, you boast endless lakes and rivers, access to three oceans, and one of the few places in the world where you can ski, surf and play golf on the same day.
Here are a few other reasons to love you:
You have a lot of talent:
Funny mad men like Jim Carrey (below), Mike Myers, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Seth Rogan and Will Arnett. Just to name a few. Hey, we are funny aren’t we?
Canadians make music that’s heard all over the world. Just to name a few – from Paul Anka to Justin Bieber, this country knows how to make music that sells. We’re well represented by such diverse artists as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Diana Krall, David Foster, Bryan Adams, Alanis Morissette, Michael Buble, k.d. lang, Gordon Lightfoot, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Drake and Anne Murray.
And there’s always hockey, beer and let’s not forget about poutine. I won’t talk about politics though (uggh!).
And we’re always very sorry. I don’t know why politics? but we are a sorry lot. I guess we have a lot to be sorry about ay?
Well I’m not sorry to be Canadian, having lived in three great cities (Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver) and travelled all over this country. We have a lot to be proud of.
célébrations d’anniversaire heureux
Capital Hill – Ottawa
July & August on the blog : From now until the end of August I will post what I want when I want which could turn out to be every day, every other day or a few times a week. Just wanted to let you know in case I miss a day here and there. S U M M E R T I M E
Lemon tarts are one of my favourite desserts. Chef James Henry from the restaurant Bonesin Paris has perfected the lemon tart, according to Garance Doré and her team who visited the restaurant while in Paris. He shares his recipe which is big enough for a large dinner party, or to last you a while if you’d prefer not to share.
For Pastry:
2 ¾ cups of pastry flour (preferably *type 55 bio which is an organic lump-free wheat flour from France – which is what they used for this recipe). You can use all-purpose.
5 oz. malted barley powder
2 ¾ cups butter
2 ¾ cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
5 oz. milk
Mix dry ingredients, stir. Add butter and fold in. Finish with wet ingredients, stirring to an even consistency.
For Frangipane (filling):
1 1/8 cup almond powder
1 1/8 cup soft butter
1 1/8 cup icing sugar 4 eggs Zest of two lemons
Mix sugar, flour and butter until combined to a good consistency
Add eggs and stir to finish
Plus: 10 meyer lemons for slicing
Directions:
Roll out pastry and fit evenly to a large tart shell, put in fridge to rest for two hours
Slice 10 meyer lemons finely crosswise and remove all seeds
Blind bake shell until golden, let cool and then fill with frangipane
Layer thin lemon slices on top of frangipane
Bake in oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes uncovered, then cover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes
Check regularly by inserting a small knife – if it comes out dry, tart is ready
*the type flour used for this recipe – see #’s below.
Voila ! Bon appetit !
Bones / 43, Rue Godefroy Cavaignac – 75011 Paris, France
A lesson in numbers – for popular European flour types:
French flour type numbers indicate the ash content (in milligrams) per 10 g flour. The numbers are a factor 10 lower than the German types. Type 55 is the standard, hard-wheat white flour for baking, including puff pastries (“pâte feuilletée”). Type 45 is often called pastry flour, and is generally from a softer wheat (this corresponds to what older French texts call “farine de gruau”). Some recipes use Type 45 for croissants although many French bakers use Type 55 or a combination of Types 45 and 55. Types 65, 80, and 110 are strong bread flours of increasing darkness, and type 150 is a wholemeal flour. Note that there is no type 40 French flour like the German type 405, the closest is type 45.
In Charles Perrault’s Cinderella, he concludes the tale with the cynical moral that no personal advantages will suffice without proper connections.
Disney
When I was very little I was certain that I saw a fairy sitting on my window ledge one morning and it whispered my name. When I ran to the window to take a closer look it flew away. Maybe it was just a grasshopper making a noise in the wind that sounded like my name, but I can still remember it vividly to this day. I like to believe it was telling me that it would look out for me.
I still believe in angels
When I was three I was in the back seat of a taxi cab and leaned on the door and fell out onto a busy street wearing one of my little frilly dresses (of course). My parents didn’t even notice right away perhaps they planned it? but I got up, brushed my dress off and started running like hell towards the car that dumped me. They were horrified as soon as they noticed me missing the next day a few seconds later. Our family doctor paid a visit to the house to check on me later that day and couldn’t believe my luck – not one single scratch and not a mark on the dress.
Then on another occasion as much as I loved to swim, I almost drowned. My mom caught me spinning around in the ocean waves (baby sitter nowhere to be seen) and pulled me out grasping for air just in the nick of time. The angels or the universe or a fairy godmother was looking out for me. I almost changed my name to Deberella.
So let’s just collect our thoughts here for a second:
Disney
This “Fairy Godmother,” whose whole purpose in life is to make Cinderella happy, showed up for the first time EVER in NINETEEN YEARS to spoil her with materialistic things, FOR A F*****NG DANCE, and it will all only last for a few hours? YOU GAVE THIS POOR ORPHAN HAPPINESS THAT WILL LAST SHORTER THAN A LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIE?
Like where was this Fairy Godmother when she was forced to scrub floors?
DisneyDisney
But like all fairytales, there was a happy ending
Source: (for Disney photos & last paragraph) Christian Zamora Staff Writer for BuzzFeed
I love beach cover-ups even if I’m not going to the beach. In honour of the first official week of SUMMER here are some lovely ones to consider.
hunky dory beach companion
I like having a light little something to wear over my bathing suit. Kind of like wearing a négligée to bed – not nearly naked. A little something to take off and put on again if there’s a breeze. These remind me of St-Tropez when I was in St. Tropez…that one time in my life….but still they remind me of there. I’ve been wearing a lot of neutrals this summer with a sprinkling of floral and more skirts and dresses so these all-white covers are so fresh looking, very pretty, flowy and romantic. Perfect for a beachy picnic. Careful not to spill the berries.
Elegant long white lace summer beach dress 2015 with long wide sleeves, open back and side slits. This is your dress, if you are looking for a fancy beach cover up.
Gorgeous white lace long sleeve summer beach cover up 2015 with deep v-neck.
Casual short white lace beach summer dress 2015 with three quarter sleeves and wide neck.
Funny, as I’m posting these I’ve come to realize that I’ve been wearing more black this summer and more white this past winter. Proves there is no right or wrong anymore in fashion as long as the weight of the clothes fit the season. Still working on the beach bod. By the end of this summer I’ll be perfect really good!
Fashion advertising is an arena that, over the past few years, has evolved into an artistic entity of its own. As brands seek to consolidate and communicate a message that extends beyond the clothes they are putting onto the rails, those at the top of their game have eschewed traditional handbag shots and replaced them with montages that speak to a broader picture of lifestyle luxury – and Jamie Hawkesworth is often the man responsible.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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