Snapshots. Graffitis de Salamanca ....

XOXO

Paris - Dallas ....

Chanel (or more precisely Karl Lagerfeld) has done it again. It seems his creative force, imagination and vision have no bounds. The new Métiers d'Art Show has reinvented the Maison's aesthetic once again. Taking as an inspiration the "return" trip Coco Chanel took to Dallas in 1957 to present her newest collection from the Haute Couture house after fifteen years.

 The garments are a well balanced mixture of Chanel's all-time allure with a twist of good old Texan cowboy. Feathers, fringes and pistols co-exist in surprising symbiosis with tweed, pearls and two-piece suits. The artistry and exquisite detail are the handywork of Chanel's artisans but also the long relationship with Lesage, the centenary embroidery house and, for the first time, with Maison Michel, legendary hat makers. 

 The location chosen for the extravaganza was Dallas' Fair Park, a historical venue with Art-Deco architecture, located at the heart of the Texan city. In addition to the catwalk show, Lagerfeld chose the occasion to unveil his latest swim in cinematography. "The Return" featuring Geraldine Chaplin,  is the retold story of Coco Chanel's misadventures and trip to Dallas during the 50s and how America fell in love with her. Beautifully shot and scarily accurate, Chaplin shines as stubborn and charismatic Chanel; just another piece of evidence towards Lagerfeld's immense talent and  multifacetious life.

XOXO

Happy Birthday Miss Callas ....

I don't need the money, dear. I work for art

M.C

XOXO

Snapvideo. Baileys Christmas Nutcracker ...

I am a massive fan of Christmas and everything to do with it; hot chocolate with friends in warm cafes while it is snowing outside, walking around the city looking up at the lit streets and the big, heavily decorated tree at the town square, going into every single Christmas section in all Department stores in London (although we all know Liberty takes the crown), dressing (and stressing) on New Years Eve because you have nothing red to wear, or just nothing at all... The only thing I've never gotten quite exicted about are Christmas Adverts. There have been some beautiful ones here in Spain for the Nougat and the Lottery but this year we've just gone down to the pit where there's no return (I won't even show you the adverts because I am THAT embarrassed). Anyway, when my friend Lizzy (we share ballet-mania together) told me about this year's Baileys advert, I got my hopes up. And it didn't dissapoint. 

The spot is directed by Ringan Ledwidge and features the Royal Ballet stars Steven McRae, Thiago Soares and Iana Salenko. The choreography was the work of Benjamin Millepied (Natalie Portman's husband) who also worked in Black Swan. Set designer is Sarah Greenwood (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) 

From the outset, they wanted emotion to drive the story. "What Benjamin and I talked about from the start is that the emotion of the story has always got to be the driving force, and the motivation for what the camera does and what the dancers do" explains Ledwidge. 

Millepied is familiar with working in advertising both as a dancer (he appeared in a recent Air France ad) and as a choreographer and director. "What I like about the chance of making these short films is you have a very short period of time, a very focused period of time, to be able to tell a story and make everything work, which is an incredible challenge" he says. "Also having the command of what the viewer actually sees; on stage I make work that everyone sees from the audience. Here I can control the image. I think it's one step further into really understading what I do"

Ledwidge also defined how the set and the costumes for the ad would look. "The great think was Ringan had a very strong vision, which was fantastic, his brief was very distinct", says set designer Sarah Greenwood. "There could be something barroque about it", continues Greenwood, "there could be something urban about it, there could be something like a speakeasy about it. It's an amazing after party, or an after-after party".

The style extended naturally into the costumes too, which were designed by Ledwidge's long-time collaborator Rosa Dias. "You've got romance, but interpreted in an urban kind of way" she says of the look they were going for. "It's still very edgy, yet romantic. That's what I tried to do with the girls as well, even Clara's dress, I wanted it to have the romantic, ethereal qualities but also to be torn and distressed. A little bit punk, an element of punkiness". 

Girl walks into a bar, locks eyes with boy, they start dancing... and The Mouse King interrupts. A fight breaks and, of course, the girl ends up beating the bad boy and walking away with the girls. Just a casual night out. Anyway, if you hadn't thought of watching The Nutcracker this Christmas, I hope this advert sparked your curiosity. In London, you have the English National Ballet and, of course, The Royal Ballet, each with their own version. 

Here is the final advert and a video of the making of.

Amen

XOXO