Fashion Overdone

while i believe in the old adage, "there's no new thing under the sun," i pride myself on my creativity as a stylist. in fact, as a vintage enthusiast and a person trained in theatrical costuming, i make sure i never repeat concepts or be lazy by using things overdone.
influences are great, homages can be fabulous, but overdone is overdone. copying is lame. uncreative isn't worth anyone's time. so here is my rundown of the most overdone concepts, stances, shots, and ideas in fashion. yes, some of these have been done very well a time or two- but over and over just makes poseurs.
here's what i consider the worst of the overdone worst...

HAUTE IN A HOVEL 

a dilapidated house, abandoned church, or dicey grafittied wall and a model is inexplicably there in full on couture. she just happens to be there. these shoots are meant to set up dichotomies or comment on the eventual destruction of all things, but all i can say is puh-leeese. 

  


ALICE IN WONDERLAND
seriously. how many of these shoots have you seen? this one i at least understand a bit, because the subject matter is so fascinating and there are many characters, colors, settings, and attitudes in the story. however, over and over again, what we see in AIW shoots is really that the team wants to play with one or a combination of the following: madness, petticoats, blue stripes, large vs. small, or red and black. and at the core, the Wonderland is a place where anything is possible: why not take this single most important aspect and apply it to a new and different shoot? and, for the record, circus shoots are not far behind this.

Alice AND the hunch (see below) Gahh!

THE COUTURE HUNCH 
stop. just STOP.

RUNNING MASCARA 

either a crying model or one fully clothed in a shower or bath. she's deep. she's not just a pretty face. those tears are Real. REAL! and most of these are black and white, because that's Legitimate. didn't you know? Suffering is ART. and along the water route is famous.... 

 

& underwater! ugh...

UNDERWATER PHOTO SHOOT

there is a whole site devoted to this. Seriously. http://underwaterfashion.org yes, the light play is beautiful. yes, it's flowy and pretty. but for fashion's sake, can we move on?

AND the damn hunch again!

THE "HOMAGE" TO THE GREATS- MARILYN, JAYNE, MAE...
too numerous to pick illustory photos. and i know you don't really need them. no model is any of these ladies. they are all dead. let's let these them leave the party, shall we? not to mention the fact that part of why we remember these fabulous fashion icons is they were creative, different, and their own.

don't get me wrong- inspiration is fantastic and strong artists are open to it every minute of every day. but the most powerful influenced pieces, in my opinion, are those where you cannot see the jumping off place until it is pointed out to you. at the end of the day, creativity is what truly shows your art- whether you're a stylist, musician, model, designer, whatever. and frankly, if you're not being creative, what Are you doing?

holidays and dragon tattoo

happy holidays, everyone! i hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season- i have! back from holiday blog hiatus and excited for the new year.

one of the best parts of the holiday season was going to the movies with Andrea to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. i'm a huge fan of the books and the Swedish film versions, and was very excited to see this film. for those unfamiliar, it's a Swedish book about a disgraced writer, Mikael, hired by a wealthy former business man to investigate the disappearance of his grand-niece 40 years earlier under the guise of writing the business man's memoirs. the title character refers to Lisbeth Salander, a hard edged hacker hired to assist Mikael.

there's been a lot of talk about the style of the man character, Lisbeth, because of her extreme hardcore, gothic look. while the costumer, Trish Summerville, did a fantastic job with Lisbeth for the most part, i find this type of costuming to be fairly easy. Lisbeth's palate is extraordinarily tight- worn. black. leather. metal. grey. pieces that say, "go away, leave me alone." this is not difficult styling, and Summerville took direction from the book, which describes Lisbeth in great detail, pretty well. though i found her overstyled at times- too put together. too stylish. too deliberate (holes in her clothes and wear in them in particular.).

i'm more interested in the style of the MEN in this film. the main males are Mikael, Vanger (the businessman), his nephew, and Bjurman (Lisbeth's case worker, also a rapist). mostly because the title of the book when transliterated from Swedish is "Men Who Hate Women." it is not Lisbeth, then, who is the title character, it is these men (and which of them actually hates women is up for discussion).
Summerville did something very interesting here. the wardrobe of the men is not all that varied- most wear suits, sweaters, and winter wear (the film is set in a harsh, Swedish winter) but texture, color, and fit are the indicators of their personalities.

Bjurman is the only man in the film who wears touchable fabrics. velvet. cords. his palate is in brown tones and rather understated. this subtly indicates that he desperately wants to be touched but knows he has to blend in to hide his impulses (he is a rapist and a detestable man). his clothes also fit to hide his size- his weight and large belly are not revealed until a pivotal moment.

cord blazer, knit tie

velvet

to the point- once revenge is taken upon him (which i won't spoil), he no longer wears touchable fabrics, though the color palate remains. a subtle indication that a change has taken place.

watch it, unlined jacket.

Vanger the elder, Henrik, is a representation of old Sweden and old masculine ways. a former businessman, still powerful, he is always either in a three piece suit or a large coat (with matching accessories, of course). his hair is combed and his clothing tailored. blue palate. note the subtle pattern matching (dotted tie and striped shirt). very chic and perfectly fitted.

old school style.

dapper and warm

Vanger's level of comfort is denoted by his tie. only at his home and after telling Mikael the story about his niece does he remove his tie. simple, classic, and well captured masculine style.

trust

his nephew, however, has the dark palate of menswear, much in contrast to his stark white, ultramodern, glass house. however, he's inherited the fit and tailoring from his uncle. he is the only man in the film who appears in all black. compared to his uncle, Martin is the new Sweden, the new look. no ties. high collars. sharp.

... sinister?

contrast

and then there's Mikael, played by the very dashing Daniel Craig. Mikael's character not only has to provide a foil to Lisbeth (his palate is light and new enough to do so), but has to stand out from the other men. that said, he is an everyman in this story- the connective character in the story (they all come into contact with him) so his wardrobe contains aspects of the other men. he wears black, blue, and brown, but is the only character who wears quite a bit of grey. the other men also don't wear blue jeans. this sets him up as stylish, young, but also professional and seasoned. since he's been discredited, his dress has a bit of unkemptness- untucked shirts. uneven sleeve rolls, etc.

well dressed, but casual

3 piece - untucked

grey coat

grey blue, fitted jeans

and he is, yes, oh, so handsome!

i very much enjoyed this film. not only was it a great story, it looks fabulous. men's fashion is often looked over in films, but should you see this film, keep an eye out for Summerville's styling. excellent juxtapositions of characters and thoughtful choices. she did a fantastic job.

and everyone have a safe and happy new year!

news!

oh, my gosh! THANK YOU so much to everyone who voted for mode. for a RAWard- i'm in the semifinals! there's a live voting event and showcase November 17th to move to the next round, more info on that soon! i am so humbled by your support, it means so much to me. i'm so happy to have gotten this far- the reality is, i won't win the big prize. not to be self depricating, that is- the grand prize is to design a line, and i'm not a designer! so what would they do with me? but i AM the only stylist who has ever been chosen for RAW, and i'm proud of that fact and to have made it this far! thank you!!! <3

also, mode. has opened a shop on etsy, drink me. vintage. as a stylist, i get inundated with pieces, and sometimes i can't use them or want them to find good, permanent homes instead of being locked in my storage waiting for the right shoot! do check it out and let me know if you are on etsy! would love to have you in my circle. :)

xoxox
mode.

Rae Hering's Ladies Night featuring m.florita jewelry!

http://www.raehering.com

http://www.mfloritajewelry.com

Lovies, I am so excited about this! Friday, September 16th, I will be attending a Ladies Only cocktail hour featuring Rae Hering and m.florita jewelry!  This exclusive event is happening at the historic Wellington Arms building in West Meade. It will feature an intimate performance by Rae and a showcase of m.florita's baubles, as well as founder Marrah speaking about her designs and the customization options for her jewelry and ornaments. And it's being sponsored by Village Wines!

You may remember Rae from this post where I styled a shoot for her, and she also provided the music to the 48 hour film project film on which I worked. She's a fantastic, cabaret inspired singer/songwriter. She even plays the accordion! Her record, Reality Over My Head, is available now and will be at the performance, as well.

 You may remember m. florita jewelry from my brother's wedding (she designed the bridesmaid's jewelry and was a fellow bridesmaid) and from my RAW showcase, where several of my models wore her gorgeous designs. If you will be in town and are free, email me at mode@cicileyhoffman.com and let me know you'd like to come and get all the details or RSVP here. All of your lovely lady friends are welcome, too! If you're a gent about time, feel free to send your better half ;)
This event is the first of an exclusive, grassroots series, so stay tuned for more.

Hope to see you there! And don't forget to dress to impress....