Future Shock

Love me, hate me, envy me. But never ignore me. This is what the model in the picture is trying to tell us. His pose is so defiant and provocative, that the picture is simply irresistible.

British photographer David Sims made a series for V MAGAZINE (nº45) called Future Shock: surrealistic models with dubious behaviour in black and white. The chosen photograph depicts the purest naugthy and rebel essence of a half naked guy with golden trousers and huge bracelets. This is fleeting youth. This is the future. Future shock.

Black or white. Choose. Gay or straight. Hate or love. Rich or poor. Long hair or short hair. Fat or fit. Beautiful or awful. Chic or kitsch. Avoid the happy medium. Escape from bisexuals, middle-class people and grey colour. Choose. Indifference is death and David knows it.

Balenciaga, Prada, Givenchy, Calvin Klein and Burberry trust David Sims. Arena Homme Plus, British Vogue, Dazed & Confused and Vogue Homme International love his work. His advertising clients have included Pepsi, Helmut Lang, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and Jil Sander. Everybody loves David Sims.

It is all about the anti-indifference. How to keep people’s attention. How to be real in other’s life. How to remain forever. David Sims catches the essence of a certain moment. He captures that moment that is gone forever and becomes eternal.

Grunge

Once upon a time there was a man whose poses and aesthetics became very famous. He was a singer and used to wear ragged jeans and flannel shirts. He was a junkie. His name was Kurt Cobain and he is a legend. This is the way that starts the story of an anti-fashion trend called grunge.

Music has always been an inspiration for fashion designers and that is what happened in the early 90’s with grunge. Cobain’s band Nirvana became so successful that everything started being influenced by these guys: it was an alternative rock mixed with a dark slovenly attitude. Young boys and girls had a new hero: Kurt Cobain.

Grunge was depressing. It was the result of punk’s no future and hippie’s pacifism. It was dirty and rude. It was silly and useless. But it was a fantastic inspiration for catwalks.

Marc Jacobs was the one that brought grunge to runway. He began working for Perry Ellis and was fired when he designed a grunge collection. The press loved it, but his bosses were shocked. The fashion industry began selling plaid long sleeved t-shirts, plaid shorts, plaid trousers… Everything was plaid and oversize. Grunge style became a must have. Music, fashion, art, NYC... Everything was grunge and Jacobs was the guru.

Grunge was terrible for those haute société ladies. Paris was invaded by fleas. Music became noise. Day turned into a very rainy night. Glamour became anti-glamour. Silhouettes were missing. However, celebrities loved it. But one day, the evil queen of fashion industry got fed up of it and convened a meeting in her office with the most prestigious designers, photographers and editors. Nobody knows what happened in there. Next day, grunge died. Anna killed it.

Magnetism

Let the angels fall
And the night turn into day...
Let the wall start shaking
And the earth start quaking
And let the thunder roar...
Everything can go,
If you don't love me...

Five magic C

Cocks

Clothes

Clubs

Cigarettes

and

Madrid

Así es como se debe sonreir cuando llega la noche. Gaspard lo sabe bien.

Mañana, 2º aniversario del Elástico Flexiclub!

Navidad

Anoche comenzaron a engalanar Regent Street con redes spidermánicas de dudoso gusto. Pero a pesar de estos pequeños detalles, a mí me encanta la Navidad, pues es la antesala de las rebajas. La gente compra, las calles están a rebosar, todos se acuerdan de todos, la economía mundial se congratula. En definitva, que todo el mundo sale ganando.

Ay la Navidad... ¿O debería decir la Vanidad? Da lo mismo, ambas son geniales.

Activo vs. pasivo

Hace unas semanas leí en El País Semanal una reflexión sobre la que he estado pensando y que es francamente elocuente. En un artículo cuya temática no recuerdo, había un párrafo que decía lo siguiente: "El mundo tiene dos lados, el de los que miran (voyeurs) y el de los que son mirados. El de los que se ocultan y el de los que se lucen y exhiben. Y éstos pueden ser tan adictos a mostrarse como los primeros a que les muestren".

En efecto, existen dos tipos de personas, pasivas o activas. Es tan sencillo como eso. Es una idea perfectamente exportable al terreno sexual, por supuesto. Y es aquí donde quiero llegar. A la cama, no; me refiero a la idea. A la idea de que existen naturalezas activas y naturalezas pasivas. Son éstas últimas las que se limitan a ver la vida pasar y que raramente participan en su desarrollo. Son personas conformistas que buscan la respuesta en los acontecimientos externos, en lo que les ocurre, desentendiéndose por completo del rumbo de su existencia.


Las naturalezas activas buscan dentro de sí mismas lo que quieren y pilotan la aeronave, llevándola por donde ellos quieren. Aman la vida y son perfectamente conscientes de que sólo hay una vida. Si se caen, se levantan. O por lo menos, lo intentan.


Los activos sonríen. Dijo Chanel que las personas que sonríen son las que siempre tienen razón. Sonríen porque conocen el secreto de la vida. Sonríen y aman. Aman porque el amor es lo único que hay. Y hacen. Simplemente hacen. Son activos. Son positivos. Y hacen. Hacen. Sólo las personas que jamás hacen nada, son las que nunca se equivocan. Que cada uno tiene la vida que quiere. Que cada uno tiene la vida que se merece. Eres lo que haces. Eres lo que piensas. Eres lo que vistes. Eres lo que comes. Eres. Eres y haces. Eres, haces y decides. O a lo mejor, no. A lo mejor, todo está escrito y nadie decide nada. A lo mejor, es más fácil limitarte a ver la vida pasar. Quién sabe.

Solo by LOEWE

Solo is an oasis in the middle of the indescribable chaos of fragrances that should be forbidden. Those toxic perfumes by Thierry Mugler or Paco Rabane break the rules of good taste and change the whole definition of the perfume industry. But Solo is different, as it isn’t androgynous at all. It is masculine and young, similar to Eau Savage or Acqua di Gio.

I have always loved LOEWE, the Spanish maison of LVMH Group. LOEWE is the perfect combination between bourgeois clasicism and the elegant tradition of Madrid. LOEWE has begun an ambitious renovation plan with Stuart Vevers, who became the creative director from January 2008.


Solo means alone in Spanish. But the real definition goes further. Solo might mean unique. Solo is the blue shirt for men. Solo is those men who always take un umbrella with them in London. Solo means to check ourselves in front of the mirror before going out. Solo means lifestyle. The world is divided in two categories: those who know and those who don’t know. Savoir faire. That's all.

Hamlet

O, I die, Horatio;
The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit:
I cannot live to hear the news from England;
But I do prophesy the election lights
On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice;
So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less,
Which have solicited. The rest is silence.

Arte

"El arte no es pintar un cuadro, sino venderlo"

Custo Dalmau-

Attitude

I love change, I am attached to nothing. I am the result of an amazing orgy of popular culture and influenced very much by Hedi Slimane’s vision of youth. Fashion is ephemeral and chamaleonlike. What we loved yesterday, we hate today, so I don’t waste much time thinking if an outfit is in or out. Chanel said that fashion fades and style is eternal, and this is the idea that guides the way I look. I love the madness and devauchery of fashion industry, but I prefer freedom and tranquility for myself.

I am a very complex product, full of several influences. Rock n’ roll might be an inspiration, Armani’s elegant simplicity might be so stimulant, as well as Lagerfeld’s indescribable aesthetics. Master Balenciaga, Dior, Miuccia, John, Tom… I worship them. But Zara, Massimo Dutti or Mango are essential. These are the democratic fashion brands, democratic because of the price. This is the way to make fashion industry less elitist or even more elitist. And I love this cruel war between rulling class and working class. It’s all about classes. It’s all about class.

I do not choose the clothes I wear. Clothes choose me. This might sound pretentious, but no matter where you buy, no matter when you buy. No matter if it is in a vintage shop or in Rue Montaigne. Cheap or chic? Democratic fashion or aristocratic fashion? I mean, Zara or Gucci? Who cares. Attitude. This is the key word. Everything is about attitude.