great news!

our film "without" was accepted into the Phoenix Film Festival! woohoo! we are thrilled and honored. here's the trailer again, just a reminder :)
yay!


Official Trailer for "without" - a Chad McClarnon Short Film from Chad McClarnon on Vimeo.

20s trends in 2012 | vintage fashion

Hi, lovelies!
most of y'all know i'm a vintage fashion writer for the Examiner. here's my latest article, on wearing styles from the Roaring Twenties in 2012. enjoy!
http://www.examiner.com/vintage-fashion-in-nashville/vintage-1920-s-trends-are-back-for-2012
if you wear this style, let me know!

happy new year

DO NOT SETTLE.

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!

Best Part Productions - FEAR NO ART

Best Part Productions is a Nashville based production company started by Chad and Trey McClarnon, and includes various collaborations with writers, producers, H/MUA, actors, editors, musicians, engineers, and yours truly as wardrobe/costumer/stylist. Chad, Trey, and I have worked together on several projects since knowing each other, including the short film "without."

 

(Official Trailer for "without" - a Chad McClarnon Short Film from Chad McClarnon on Vimeo.)

This film was originally part of the Nashville 48 hour Film Festival (during which teams write, shoot, edit, score, and fully create an entire short film in just 48 hours and compete to win various prices.). "without" won a prize for art direction, which includes my work as the costumer for the film! it was very exciting. further, i am actually in the film (and you can see me in the trailer) and was one of the writers.  Best Part also produced another short film called "A New Life," about a young, newly married couple, which includes my sweet bunny's work as a musician and engineer.

These films were made with the tireless dedication and immense talent of an incredible group of people who are dedicated to these films and to sharing our art with the world. We've dedicated our time and resources to pieces we believe in deeply- and with which we have something to say. Consequently, are currently running a kickstarter to fund submission fees for film festivals, which you can find here- http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1185022472/a-new-life-and-without-film-festival-run

I hope you'll be able to participate in our kickstarter, either by pledging or sharing this link with your networks. Your help is greatly appreciated!!

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.

weddings, fall tips, and vintage night!

so much going on (i have two weddings to attend coming up!) that i forgot to post these articles! all by yours truly....

fall tips!
http://www.thedblstandard.com/articles/fall-tips/94/

vintage night!
http://www.examiner.com/vintage-fashion-in-nashville/vintage-ladies-night-with-musician-rae-hering-october-15th


button, button, who's got the button?
http://www.examiner.com/vintage-fashion-in-nashville/vintage-ladies-night-with-musician-rae-hering-october-15th

and please don't forget- you can still vote for mode. to win a RAWaward up until october 15th!
http://www.rawartists.org/view-artists/userprofile/mode_ copy the link, because they made this counterintuitive- click on it, register, and then enter the link again to find me, because the default is the homepage after you login. sorry! you can vote once a day, every day. thanks for your support! it means the world to me.