book review: Dressing The Beatles

 

Virtually everything has been written about The Beatles by now, but their impact on fashion has been largely overlooked. Renown Toronto arts journalist and Beatlesfreak, Deirdre Kelly, has taken a deep dive and just published a highly detailed study of the band's sartorial impact on culture in the 1960s and beyond.

Kelly's done her homework, interviewing former tailors, including the cutter of Dougie Millings, Beatle experts like Piers Hemmingsen. and even the band's ex-hairdresser. Her book describes the wardrobe of John, Paul, George and Ringo in exquisite detail that fashionistas will respect and Beatlefreaks (like myself) will enjoy. 

The four Beatles dressed in stylistic unison, starting with their punk look of leather jackets and sneers c.1960 (15 years Punk Rock itself), through their elegant-yet-hip Mod phase of the mid-1960s (dogstooth jackets, turtlenecks), and into their Indian-influenced psychedelic phase where they raided Carnaby Street. Each time the Beatles changed their look, so did Western youth. Kelly's book credits the band for boosting the British fashion industry, something that few historians have done.

Kelly isn't afraid to dish out the dirt on some questionable characters. Dutch designers, The Fool, represented hippie excess and exploitative behaviour. Similarly, the Apple Boutique, which showcased The Fool's garish clothes, was a short-lived money pit that proved The Beatles were genius musicians, but lousy businessmen.

Fashioning The Beatles offers the most revelations in the final years of the band (White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be), a period that is hard to define sartorially. John went through his white phase courtesy of wife Yoko Ono. They all sprouted grew beards and wore denim (the working class uniform). Formalism lingered though, as there are three Beatles sporting suits designed by Tommy Nutter on the cover of Abbey Road. In this period, their fashion choices reflected the members asserting their identities, though their overall casual style remained uniform. (Ringo emerges in this book as the sharpest-looking Beatle.)

Fashioning The Beatles bursts with detail (there are 20 pages of sources) and is highly accurate. Kelly knows her stuff, and her book is an enjoyable and illuminating read.

What to watch this week: Pelé, Tokyo Girl, Creem magazine

 

Tokyo Girl

reviews by Allan Tong 

TOKYO GIRL (on Prime)

ChinoKino score: A

Tokyo Girl would kick Emily in Paris' ass in a Superbowl game.

Tokyo Girl is a Prime series about a smalltown girl who finds her dreams working in fashion in the big city, while Emily in Paris, the Netflix hit, follows a Chicago girl who trimphs in the European culture capital through her Instagram account. Both heroines are fishes out of water, bore wear gorgeous clothes and they dine in dazzling restaurants with lovers and backstabbing colleagues.

After watching Emily in Paris, I remember gorgeous Paris and posh clothes. After watching Tokyo Girl I remember work triumphs, everyday struggles and broken relationships. I remember watching a real person mature.

This comparison, I admit, can go only so far. Emily is told in real time while Tokyo Girl spans nearly 20 years in the heroine's life. Also, Emily is lighter while TG mixes drama with laughs.

Both shows are helmed by strong actresses, though. Emily takes a lot slagging for being an American philistine, but Lily Collins nails the role. Collins injects her character with unexpected vulnerability at times. (A shout-out goes to Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu who nails Emily's bitch boss.) Asami Mizukawa (pictured above) has a tougher gig in Tokyo Girl, portraying how smalltown girl Aya turns into career woman Aya by age 40, when she wonders what th hell she'll do next with her life. Mizukawa pulls it off.

TG's writing is tougher, smarter and more complex. Guys need to watch this show to understand women better. Emily, in contrast, overdoses on gee-whiz sweetness that would kill a diabetic. But, hey, Paris, is dazzling.

The call: Tokyo Girl by 14 points.

 

PELÉ (on Netflix)

ChinoKino score: B

Before Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, there was Pelé. This kid from the slums of Sao Paulo shot to football (soccer) superstardom and put Brazil atop the football map. This doc covers the meat of his career, playing for Santos and leading Brazil to three World Cups, from 1958 to 1970.

Those years were a hell of a ride that lifted Brazilian national pride and made Pelé a rock star. Goals, goals, goals. There's an endless stream of Pelé making acrobatic moves on the football pitch, drawn from vintage black-and-white footage and grainy colour. This doc is thrilling to watch, and captures a lot of Pelé's former teammates and coaches on camera recounting their victories and struggles.

Pelé himself, now 80, tells a lot of his story. He needs a walker these days, undoubtedly a result of many years of taking cheap shots from less-talented opponents. Yet, he still speaks with a sparkle in his eye. All great. However, the issue of him never opposing Brazil's dictator, who imprisoned and murdered his countrymen from 1964 to 1985, is thorny. Credit this film for including Pelé's critics as as well as offering Pelé's own justification for keeping his nose out of politics. Maybe we expect too much from our athletic heroes (Jordan and Gretzky were also apolitical, not Ali), but I winced when Pelé hugs the country's butcher after the 1970 World Cup victory.

2014 Teen Choice Awards – winners

Teens Cast More Than 164 Million Votes

The following were honored today at TEEN CHOICE 2014, which aired live on FOX from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. This year, teens logged on to teenchoiceawards.com and cast more than 164 million votes in support of their favorite celebrities from film, television, music, sports, digital and fashion.

Hosted by Modern Family's Sarah Hyland and Teen Wolf's Tyler Posey, the special also honored Selena Gomez with the Ultimate Choice Award.

Bella Thorne and Cameron Dallas presented the Choice Candie's Style Icon award to actress, singer and dancer Zendaya for her red carpet style and bold fashion choices. Actress Odeya Rush scored the Olay Fresh Effects Breakout Star Award," which was presented by MKTO and Cody Simpson. The award is a special accolade celebrating a fresh face who is poised to "break out" from the pack and showcase her best, beautiful work.

2013 Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards – winners

The winners of the 15th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards were announced last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The Guild handed out competitive awards for costume design excellence in seven categories in film, television and commercial. Four honorary awards were also presented at the Awards Gala.

For Excellence in Contemporary Film, the winner was Skyfall costume designer Jany Temime. Jacqueline Durran won the Period Film category for her work on Anna Karenina. The award for Fantasy Film was granted posthumously to the renowned Eiko Ishioka for her designs on the Snow White film Mirror Mirror.

2013 Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards – nominations

Today, the Costume Designers Guild (CDG) announced the nominations for the 15th Annual CDG Awards.

Nominees include the costume designers for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, Les Misérables, Lincoln, and Mirror Mirror. The latter film was the final work by the late, great Eiko Ishioka.

Honourary awards will be presented to Anne Hathaway (LACOSTE Spotlight Award), Lorne Michaels (Distinguished Collaborator Award) and Costume Designers Judianna Makovsky and Eduardo Castro (Career Achievement Awards).

THR's Costume Designer Roundtable interview

The Hollywood Reporter has done yet another of their very fine roundtable interviews. This latest is features Costume Designers. As with the previous interviews, this one lacks diversity (although there is I suppose some gender diversity with the inclusion of two men). However, the designers gathered are knowledgable and experienced, with many of them having started in theatre. None of them, however, initially set out to become costume designers.

The featured designers are Jacqueline Durran (Anna Karenina), Joanna Johnston (Lincoln), Paco Delgado (Les Misérables), Mark Bridges (The Master), Colleen Atwood (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Julie Weiss (Hitchcock).

Topics discussed include misconceptions about the job, competitiveness, working long hours, ongoing collaborations with directors, working with actors, regrets and advice for up-and-comers in the field.

2012 POP Montreal Festival, Film Pop, Sept 19-23

The 11th edition of the POP Montreal International Music Festival kicks off tonight. Acts performing over the next few days include Gotye, K'naan, Stars, The Sadies, David Byrne, Austra, Rich Aucoin, Patrick Wolf and Purity Ring.

The festival hosts a number of other arts events including a parallel film festival called Film Pop. The opening film tonight is the documentary Searching for Sugar Man by Malik Bendjelloul. Other films include She Said Boom: The Story of the Fifth Column, The Auroratone Project, and Nightclubbing: New York Punk and New Wave 1975-1980. The film festival closes with The Source by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos.

LUX Style Awards 2012 – winners

The 11th LUX Style Awards for entertainment in Pakistan held their gala ceremony in Karachi last night.

The film section was free of suspense, with Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol (Speak) winning for Best Film, Actor (Manzar Sehbhai) and Actress (Humaima Malik) because they were the only nominees in their respective categories. Sehbhai, however, wasn't at the ceremony and castmate Mahira Khan accepted on his behalf. Sehbai later said from Germany that he hadn't been invited and feeling insulted, he rejected the award.

The only other multiple prize-winner was the song Woh Humsafar Tha by Qurat-ul-Ain Baloch. It won for Song of the Year and Best Original Sound Track.

LUX Style Awards 2012 – nominations

The 11th LUX Style Awards, the only entertainment awards show in Pakistan, announced their nominations in 26 categories of Film, Television, Music and Fashion.

Unfortunately, only one movie was deemed worthy of any nominations in the three film categories. Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol (Speak) was the sole nominee for Best Film and its stars Manzar Sehbhai and Humaima Malik were the only contenders for Best Actor and Actress respectively. The film broke all previous box-office records in the Pakistan and tells the story of a very religious father who is confronted by the liberal ways of his daughters and son.

Mera Saaen led the television nominations with five. Aao Kahani Buntay Hain followed with four mentions. Noman Ejaz and Fahad Musafa were among the individuals who received two nominations apiece.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art – Award winners

30TH FIFA: AN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, A SYMBOL OF REFINEMENT, SURPRISE AND QUALITY!

Montreal, March 26, 2012 – The 30th International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), presented in collaboration with Astral, has demonstrated that after thirty years the public’s devotion to the festival is unwavering, as is the festival’s mission. For the last month, film-lovers, art enthusiasts and tourists joined in the anniversary celebrations. From March 15 to 25, 232 films from 27 countries were presented at nine of Montreal’s finest cultural institutions, representing all artistic disciplines and modes of expressions.

At the awards ceremony held on Saturday, March 24 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the international jury of the 30th FIFA, presided over by singer-actress-director Carole Laure, honoured 12 films from 9 countries. Other jury members included Simon Brault, CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada; filmmaker Jérôme de Missolz; Christopher Jackson, conductor and artistic director of the Studio de musiques anciennes de Montréal; and Spanish art historian and museologist Salvador Nadales.

2012 Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA), Mar 15–25

The 30th anniversary edition of the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA) or International Festival of Films on Art kicks off tonight with an invitation only screening of Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross. The film stars Michael York, Charlotte Rampling and Rutger Hauer as the painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It tells the story of Bruegel's "The Way to Calvary" through a dozen of its characters come to life.

The festival continues over the next week-and-a-half with films about all the arts. It includes films about  painting, sculpture, animation, photography, design, architecture, fashion, film, literature, dance, theatre, opera, music and more.

After last year's successful launch, the Marché International du film sur l'Art (International Market of Films on Art, or MIFA) returns with representatives from countries including France, United States and Spain. MIFA takes place from Wednesday, March 21 to Saturday, March 24. Activities include training, pitch sessions, master classes, roundtables and conferences.

Toronto Fashion Week, March 12-16

Just as the weather has turned very spring-like, the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) begins its newly renamed World MasterCard Fashion Week at David Pecaut Square.

It kicks off tonight with a private reception before launching into shows starting with KORHANI—Home Fashion Rug Runway. In addition to the many runway shows, they will be having other events including an open house exhibit at the Textile Museum of Canada and a Fashion Film Festival.

Designers showing this season include Chloe comme Parris, Soia & Kyo, Lundström, Lucian Matis, Bustle, Melissa Nepton, Joe Fresh, Rudsak, OPPIO, Pink Tartan, 2011 Mercedes-Benz Start Up Recipient MARTIN LIM, David Dixon, KORHANI Home Rug Runway Show, Dare to Wear Love, Caitlin Powers, Cara Cheung, Ashtiani, Sanya Khan, and Travis Taddeo. In addition, Holt Renfrew will showcase Jeremy Laing, Lida Baday, Dennis Merrotto, Mackage, Line, Smythe, Twenty Cluny, and Judith & Charles.

2012 Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards - winners

On Tuesday night, the Costume Designers Guild held their 14th Annual CDG Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The event was hosted by actress Jane Lynch and included presenters Billy Bob Thornton, Diane Lane, Robert Duvall, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

In the Contemporary Film category, the winner was Trish Summerville with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. She had been up against the costume designers for Bridesmaids, The Descendants, Drive and Melancholia.

For Period Film, the prize went to Arianne Phillips for her work on Madonna's W.E. She edged out the designers for The Artist, Jane Eyre, The Help and multiple Oscar-winner Sandy Powell of Hugo.

Jany Temime won for Fantasy Film with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 over Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Red Riding Hood, Thor and X-Men: First Class.

Les Globes de Cristal (French Arts & Culture Awards) - winners

The 7th edition of Les Globes de Cristal (Crystal Globes) took place in Paris for French Arts and Culture in twelve categories. Actress Carole Bouquet hosted the ceremony

Intouchables by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano was named Best Film while Omar Sy was named Best Actor. The film was up against Polisse by Maïwenn, The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius, La Guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War) by Valérie Donzelli and L'Exercice de l‘Etat (The Minister) by Pierre Schoeller. Omar Sy had been competing with his co-star François Cluzet as well as Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Olivier Gourmet L'Exercice de l‘Etat (The Minister), and Jean Pierre Daroussin (Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro (The Snows of Kilimanjaro)).

The Best Actress award went to Karin Viard and Marina Foïs jointly for their work in Maïwenn's Polisse. Their fellow nominees had been Bérénice Béjo (The Artist), Marie Gillain (Toutes nos envies (All Our Desires)), Valérie Donzelli (La Guerre est déclarée (Declaration of War)) and Leïla Bekhti (La Source des femmes (The Source)).

Montréal Fashion Week, Feb 6-9

MONTREAL FASHION WEEK CONTINUES TO PUSH ENVELOPE OF CREATIVITY AT MFW22

Montréal – Cutting-edge creativity rocks as it steps outside the box and morphs into the one-of-a-kind 22nd edition of Montreal Fashion Week, in collaboration with P&G Beauty & Grooming. Canada’s most important fashion week is rolling out the red carpet from February 6th to 9th at Marché Bonsecours in Old Montréal to welcome a glittering roster of dynamic and distinguished designers. They’re getting set to show off their spin on leading design for the fall-winter 2013 season to local and international media and guests, who will be flocking to the first fashion week on the North American calendar in 2012.

Groupe Sensation Mode, producer of MFW for the past seven years, continues to stay ahead of the international Fashion Week curve by putting the freshest, newest talents front and centre for all to admire in a showy celebration of Canadian and global talent.

Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards - nominees

This morning, the Costume Designers Guild unveiled the nominees for their 14th Annual CDG Awards.

As with the Art Directors Guild nominations, the Costume Designers nominate films and television shows in separate categories for Contemporary, Period and Fantasy productions.

Nominees that have been turning up on many other awards lists include The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo and Bridesmaids. Other than perhaps Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Fantasy Film nominees have not shown up on many awards lists as Fantasy is aften aimed at a very young audience and not taken as seriously.

Grace Kelly exhibit at TIFF Lightbox

Four months after announcing the new exhibit, Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess opens officially today at Toronto's Tiff Bell Lightbox. The first floor gallery space at Lightbox will be dedicated to rare items from the life of actress Grace Kelly who then became Princess of Monaco. This is the only North American venue to host this show.

The exhibition is based on the Grimaldi Forum’s “The Grace Kelly Years” exhibition in Monaco and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s “Grace Kelly: Style Icon” exhibition in London. Video footage includes moments with the Royal Family on their visit to Montreal for Expo '67.

Lightbox hosted an invitation-only opening on Wednesday night that was attended by Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco.

As with earlier exhibitions, Lightbox will be screening related films. Icy Fire: The Hitchcock Blonde runs from November 4 to December 11. The Grace on Screen film series starts December 15 and continues to December 29.

Toronto Fashion Week, Oct 17-21

The latest LG Fashion Week in Toronto for the Spring 2012 collections gets underway tonight. It begins with a show by Holt Renfrew, followed by Juma, Arthur Mendonça and Lala Berlin.

Other featured designers this week include Attitude by Jay Manuel, Chloé Comme Parris, Joe Fresh, Pink Tartan, Arthur Mendonça, Denis Gagnon, Vawk, Joeffer Caoc, and Montreal's Marie Saint Pierre.

The events take place primarily at David Pecaut Square (formerly Metro Square) in downtown Toronto, 221 King Street West. LG Fashion Week runs until October 21.

http://www.lgfashionweek.ca/

2011 POP Montreal International Music Festival, Sept 21-25

The 10th annual POP Montreal International Music Festival begins tonight. The festival brings more than 600 artists to an audience of over 50,000.

The music festival also includes symposium discussions, artisan and visual art exhibitions, fashion shows, film screenings, and a few all-night parties. Many of the events are free.

During the festival, POP Montreal now covers several components which together constitute over 50 events:

10th Matsuri Japon Festival

The 10th edition of the traditional Japanese festival. Enjoy the culture and activities of Japan.  Martial arts demonstrations, okonomiyaki and other delicious foods, games for kids, taiko drum concerts, kimono rentals, Japanese arts and crafts and many other activities. Admission is free !

The Matsuri Japon Festival takes place on Saturday, August 13th, from noon to 9:30PM, at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal, 8155 Rousselot, Montreal, H2E 1Z7, rain or shine.

Matsuri Japon is an event presented in the spirit of a traditional Japanese festival, as a means to develop greater awareness of Japanese culture among Montreal citizens and foreign visitors.