TANGENTMAG. COM
ISS UE 3
BOLD
- is Editor Heather Cairns
Director Emmanuel Giraud
Art Director LLoyd McAlister Beauty Editor Fern Madden Web Designer Mourad Zeggari
- with Clive Allwright Jana Bartolo Martin Bray Rachael Brooke A.H Cayley Luana Coscia Leticia Dare Rebecca Doyle Ms Fitz Emma Haddock Jason Henley Paul Leonardo Anna Marcella Dominique Matta
Rachel Montgomery Roderick NG Katie Nolan Jacqueline O’Brien Mia Ostberg Craig Fernanda Porto Justin Purdue Ben Rollison Sue-Ann San Lei Tai Matt Webb Jamie Wdiekonski Desiree Wise Rachel Zeilic
- at tangentmag.com info@tangentmag.com Studio 3, 144 Cleveland St Chippendale NSW 2008 Sydney, Australia
Cover Image. Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Model. Chrystal @ Priscilla’s Management Make-up. Martin Bray @ Look Production Using MAC Hair. Clive Allwright @ Network Agency
I S S U E T H R E E
BOLD
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D 8
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FASHION CONTRIBUTORS
The Vital Creative Talents
EDITOR & DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Heather Cairns & Emmanuel Giraud
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BLOG MANIA
16
GUESS WHO?
20
AIR FREIGHT / JUST LANDED
36 GRAVEYARD SHIFT 48 DIABOLIQUE 56 DITA FEATHERS 70 ED WOOD’S WIDOWS 78 WONDER BOYS
MUSIC 102
BROOKLYN IS BURNING
106
HIDDEN IN THE DEPTHS OF EURPHORIA
Contessa Stuto leads the Cunt Mafia
Delphic are Dominating
The Fashion Revolution is Online
BEAUTY
The Hottest New Designers & Models
Zena Imam: Rolling the Dice for the Australian Consumer
30
MACHINE VS. MAN
Trimäpee’s Fixation with Japanese Suicide
TANGENTMAG.COM
86
ART
SEND IN THE CLOWNS
108
GLOBAL ART FEAST
92
SHU UEMURA
112
‘UPCYCLING’ WITH FRÉDÉRIQUE MORREL
98
BEAUTY TRAIN
A Tribute to Lee
Catapulting the Eyelash into Fashion
A Cosmetic Menu for your Make-up Meal
High End Art and Pop Culture from
Tapestry Perverted around the World
116
TANGENT YOURSELF
Melbourne’s Night Creatures
CONTRI BUTORS What do you search for in your work? Creative and innovative clothing that I can work with to develop conceptual ideas/looks. What are the largest obstacles in your craft? Working on large scale productions in a short period of time and still feeling happy with the end result. What’s your boldest fashion vision? If I told you, I’d have to kill you... What’s in your pocket? I’m actually wearing dresses at the moment, with no pockets = I now have a heavy hand bag. What does tomorrow hold? A wine at the end of the day?
TAMMY STONE MODEL
JANA BARTOLO STYLIST
What do you search for in your work? I’m always searching for something different, something new and inspiring. I love a designer who isn’t afraid to step outside of the box! What are the largest obstacles in your craft? The hardest part for me is fitting everything in, running from casting to casting and job to job can get pretty crazy sometimes! What’s your boldest fashion vision? I love a designer who uses their imagination. I’d love to see a lot more colour and structure in the future. What’s in my pocket? My iPhone is always with me. I can check emails and find where I’m off to next. I also never go anywhere without my Paw Paw oil! What does tomorrow hold? I’m just taking things as they come at the moment. I’d love to travel overseas sometime soon and have a crack at the international market, but we will see.
What do you search for in your work? I try to achieve the best I can possibly achieve. What are the largest obstacles in your craft? Over coming my own insecurities. I have to believe in myself a lot more. What’s your boldest hair fashion vision? The boldest hair fashion I have worked on in a while was the McQueen tribute in this Tangent issue. What’s in your pocket? Not enough money!! and holes!! What does tomorrow hold? Lots of Easter eggs! Lots more shoots... and pushing new boundaries!
CLIVE ALLWRIGHT HAIR STYLIST PAUL LEONARDO PHOTOGRAPHER What do you search for in your work? Honesty. What are the largest obstacles in your craft? No obstacles just solutions. What’s your boldest fashion vision? To exceed my vision. What’s in your pocket? The usual. What does tomorrow hold? The unknown.
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TANGENT MAGAZINE
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EDITOR DIRECTOR HEATHER CAIRNS The decision to title the third issue ‘Bold’ was born from the death of Alexander McQueen. To say I mourn him would be conceited, to my disappointment I never had the pleasure of meeting him. What I do mourn, is the loss of what he represented. McQueen was fashionably brave. He lived out his creative visions to a maximum. It is this essence of fashion bravery that we have endeavoured to communicate in the third issue of Tangent Magazine. Fashion is not just about the function of dress, it’s about the emotion of dress. Fashion is a tool for expression , it is the first conversation you have with someone without exchanging dialog. The pages of the third issue will take you from avant-garde Australian designers Trimäpee, to New York enfant terrible Contessa Stuto. All content featuring those who are brave enough to live out their fashion fantasies. To start the issue, I would like to leave you with the words of another fashion great, Zandra Rhodes “I do not and will not design clothes for those who want to sit in a corner, fashion is about becoming a peacock!.”. Heather x
EMMANUEL GIRAUD Fashion has no rules. Photography should respect it. Creatives from all sides of the industry can only produce under a total feel of freedom. Talents such as Nick Knight or Alexander McQueen have already proven it to the world. We all know that fashion is made to be sold. Aside from being a commodity, fashion should always be inspiring as an experimental and artistic medium to inspire and define our world. ‘BOLD’ features the work of some Australia’s and International’s most creative and emerging artists and designers that all have that same feeling and belief in fashion and photography. Models, being fashion actors of our creations, contribute to make a statement in what fashion has to bring to further define our identities. Fashion is not just a dream nore a business, it is the theatre of our lives and emotions. Enjoy this issue of Tangent Magazine and if you think you are BOLD too, let us know. We might see you in the 4th issue!
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BLOG REPORT
BLOG MANIA THE FASHION REVOLUTION IS ONLINE THE ÜBER CHIC DESIGNERS FROM STYLESTALKER, SUE-ANN SAN AND RACHEL ZEILIC, HAVE FOCUSED THEIR KEEN EYE FOR STYLE ON THE WORLD OF FASHION BLOGGING. GET YOUR ONLINE STYLE FIX FROM THEIR CAREFULLY EDITED SELECTION OF THE JUICIEST BLOGS AROUND THE WORLD. IF THESE TWO LADIES CAN GET RUMI OF FASHION TOAST WEARING A SIGNATURE STYLERSTALKER BODY CON DRESS, I’D PAY CLOSE ATTENTION.
zanita.com.au Zanita is our BFF. Not only is she a super successful model, she has become the most amazing photographer. Flick back to the beginning to see how her skills have grown.
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BLOG REPORT
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TOP MODEL BLOGS
natalieoffduty.blogspot.com We love her look. She is also the biggest sweetheart of blogland.
4thandbleekeragency.blogspot.com Alex Spencer is pure sex.
anywho.dk Model ‘slash’ editors of super cool fashion magazine Cover in Denmark.
INSIDER BLOGS
thefblog.com The sneak peek into the glam life of a London stylist.
coacdinc.com NY based confessions of a casting director has all the best model tests and polaroids.
TOP FASHION GOSSIP BLOGS fashionologie.com Part of the NY fash mag pack, she is always the first go to for fashion gossip.
bleachblack.com Watch the creative directors of RVCA Kristin and Valerie spur ideas off each other via their online conversation.
fashionista.com Fierce with witty acerbic commentary.
frockwriter.blogspot.com Journalist Patty Huntington reveals the inside scoop of the Oz fashion scene.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK lovemoreblog.blogspot.com The super gorgeous Bel and her daily exploits. Watch as she moves to the big smoke and starts interning with‌ Stylestalker.
noemisunshineferst.blogspot.com Sexy Parisian DJ, keep an eye out for the pasties.
studdedhearts.blogspot.com If you could only read one blog a day this is it. Yenni is a great editor who only presents the cream of the crop.
thechicmuse.blogspot.com Gorgeous and talented Deni, living the dream of studying fashion in Paris.
GUESS
?
WHO
TAKE AUSTRALIA’S EMERGING DESIGNERS WITH THEIR DARING DESIGN AESTHETIC, AND ADD SOME OF THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE AUSTRALIAN MODELLING SCENE AND YOU HAVE A WHOLE NEW PLETHORA OF IDENTITY TO EXPLORE!
VENICE WEARS KYLIE HAWKES DESIGNER KYLIE HAWKES HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? I studied for 4 years at UTS and then set out alone, beginning my label 3 years ago. I love the seasonal nature of fashion, I have a very short attention span and so it suits me perfectly to create new things every few months. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? For A/W I was inspired by Dance, everything from Ballet to Modern Dance and early recordings of movement by photographers like Marey. For Summer I’m looking at some works by American artist Louise Despont as well as Insects. It can come from anywhere really and is completely different each season. I usually start by looking to nature and the work of David Attenborough and that usually sets me off on a great tangent! WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? I love our casual approach to dressing. We never look like we’ve tried too hard although this can also be our undoing as sartorial risk takers are, unfortunately, rare. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR LABEL? Fabric quality is incredibly important to me and many of my designs focus on how the garment will feel on the body. I enjoy the techniques behind making clothes and like to challenge myself to create something that is intricate and special yet feels effortless. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM YOUR LATEST
Taylor wears Mrs Press headpiece, top and skirt, stylists own glasses, gloves and tights.
COLLECTION? The leather pieces have been very popular- they are great for layering. Also the Merino Knits are so comfy and easy to wear, I’ll be living in mine this winter! WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? That’s a hard one. Perhaps Nicholas Ghesquière’s from Balenciaga – I love his focus on technique and technology as well as his forward-looking approach to fashion.
Izzy wears Coup D’Etat.
IZZY WEARS COUP d’ETAT DESIGNER EVA MARTINOV HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? I have always had a love affair with fashion and it was a natural progression to start designing and creating my own sense of individuality. I have always wanted to wear things that just weren’t available in this market. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? I never know exactly where my inspiration comes from, I just have an image in my head of something that I want to wear and that is what I create. WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? I love that Australian fashion represents our culture. We have some amazing emerging designers but unfortunately our greatest talent tends to move overseas. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR LABEL? Coup d’Etat is all about the power and strength of really potent femininity. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM YOUR LATEST COLLECTION? For me the key piece in this collection is the feathered cape. When I’m wearing it I feel like I could conquer the world! WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? Manish Arora, for his extreme talent in transforming his wild imagination into wearable garments, and, Annie Leibovitz because her perspective is so vastly different to my own.
BEN G WEARS DAN JONES DESIGNER DAN JONES HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? I never actually wanted to be a fashion designer, I was planning on doing entertainment design. I had an interview at a fashion college, got in and went with it. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? Music is the biggest form of inspiration for me. I like to sit by myself and really get lost deep into a piece of music. Photography follows closely. WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? LOVE: that it’s becoming more and more open to different looks, trends, people are becoming more comfortable to explore. HATE: I don’t like that a large number of people don’t understand how it functions when there are a lot of very talented and very smart individuals in the Australian fashion industry. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR LABEL? Detailed simplicity, a lot of hand work and development has gone into simple cuts and shapes.
Ben G wears; Dan Jones metallic knit, singlet and meggings, stylist’s own gloves and belt.
WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM YOUR LATEST COLLECTION? A pair of bugle beaded tights, the sound and reflection of the beading is amazing... the sequin knit, because its hundreds of meters of sequins all hand knitted, and the black lace singlet covered in little black crystals. WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? Alber Elbaz from Lanvin, I find his collections sexy but oh so elegant.... its all quite subtle, plus I think he’s so cute!!
DUT WEARS SUBFUSCO DESIGNER JOSHUA SCACHERI HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? I lived in Italy for seven years and in my last year I commenced working for a shoe company that produced footwear for Gucci, Prada and Cesare Paciotti. It was a little taste of the fashion industry which inspired me to start my own label when I returned to Australia. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? I seek inspiration from imperfections, lines & angular objects like buildings . I guess I am always seeking inspiration from everything I see and touch. I also love photography and become inspired when I see an amazing shoot or photo. WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? I love that Australia is developing a true and unique look of our own, but in saying that I feel that at times we as designers are disadvantage due to our consumer behaviour & the lack of people who understand fashion. HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR LABELS AESTHETIC? Clean, directional, futuristic. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM LATEST COLLECTION? Fall 2010 ‘The Inhabitants’ takes us on a journey of discovery, keys pieces are our oversized Italian wool cape, Aphelion dress which has some abstract panels & The Orbit Chain shirt which has a removable accessory on the shirt to give it a versatile look. WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? Helmut Lang.
Dut wears Subfusco shirt, Dan Jones pants.
LUKE WEARS ZAICEK DESIGNER BRENT ZAICEK HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? It wasn’t a conscious decision. It was something that evolved naturally. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? I draw inspiration from the environment, the ocean, music and art. One of the key pieces in my winter range was inspired by a British battle jacket, so, historical events provide me with a huge source of inspiration as well. WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? I hate skinny jeans and bowties- its been done to death. What I love about Australian fashion is the amazing creativity coming out of some of the women’s wear designers. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR LABEL? Masculine attitude. With pieces that constantly push the boundaries. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM YOUR LATEST COLLECTION? Tapered high waist woolen pants, fitted sleeve Ike jacket with leather detail pockets - inspired by battle jackets from the British army. Luke wears Zaicek.
WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? Vivienne Westwood!
TAYLOR WEARS MRS PRESS DESIGNER CLAIRE PRESS HOW DID YOU GET INTO DESIGN? I studied politics of all things then became a fashion journalist. I started writing for Harper’s Bazaar then worked at Vogue for five years. One day I woke up and decided to change my life and work on the other side. I’m lucky I have good people around to teach me the technical things I never trained in. It’s true what they say: a change really is as good as a holiday... WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION? I’m an obsessive vintage collector and have a massive archive, particularly of pieces from the 1930s. I love it when I find, say, a 40s dress and it looks spot on for what’s happening now. WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION? I hate the cultural cringe that persists. Australia is fabulous. I came from London so that was always very clear to me, but lots of people seem so desperate to leave and become New Yorkers or Europeans. I think we should celebrate our own design perspective. What do I love? Jenny Kee. HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR LABEL? Elegant, decadent and vintage-inspired. WHAT ARE YOUR KEY PIECES FROM LATEST COLLECTION? The heavy silk faille New York dress with draped 1940s sleeves and inserts of metal lace is my favorite - it sums up what Mrs. Press is about; using vintage elements to make something modern. I also love our tulle skirts - they are 100% pure fun. WHOSE CREATIVE JUICES WOULD YOU STEAL FOR A DAY? Marianne Faithfull’s. She was amazing in the 60s, she’s amazing now. I love her recent records and she helped Carla Bruni with No Promises.
Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Make-up. Rachael Brook @ DLM using Model Co Hair. Jonathan Geimon Make-up assistant. Jess Palmer. Graphic Design. Jacqueline O’Brien All models from The Agency theagencymodels.com.au
Venice wears Kylie Hawkes bodysuit, bra and vest, Peter Lang necklace worn as belt and models own rings.
A I R FREIGHT /J U S T LANDED ZENA IMAM IS R O L L I N G THE DICE FOR THE AU S T R A L I A N CONSUMER ON PAPER ZENA IMAM IS THE KIND OF WOMAN THAT MAKES OTHER WOMEN JEALOUS. SHE USED TO BE A MODEL, CHECK. SHE GREW UP IN A FAMILY THAT IMPORTS DESIGNER LABELS, CHECK. SHE TRAVELS THE WORLD AS A BUYER FOR XILE, CHECK. THE LIST CONTINUES. HOWEVER, ON TALKING TO ZENA, TANGENT MAGAZINE DISCOVERS THAT HER FASHION ACUMEN COMES FROM AN INTERNAL INSTINCT FOR STYLE AND KNOWING WHEN TO TAKE A RISK WITH THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET.
T
he Xile boutiques are known for their unapologetic glamour. The Brisbane store was designed by renowned Japanese architect Hideo Yatsui and is complete with a bar and bespoke chandelier. Despite this glamour, they were in desperate need of an insertion of cool. In two seasons as head women’s wear buyer for Xile, Zena Imam has done exactly that. It’s strange to think that the woman responsible for bringing Rick Owens, Balmain, Valentino, Preen, Zac Posen and Herve Leger into the exclusive collection of Xile boutiques grew up as a tomboy. Her father, the impeccably dressed Raffat Imam, started the Xile empire by importing men’s designer labels to Australia in the 90’s and was recognised for being the first to bring Versace to Australia. “When I was growing up, Dad’s business was just men’s wear. Dad started bringing in women’s wear designers when I was fourteen and I started to wear Versace’s printed jeans with black Cons.” The colours of Versace’s designs, who Zena accredits as the first designer to fuse rock’n’roll with fashion, fired up Zena’s fashion conscience. And it’s this fashion bravado for teaming Versace with Converse
that was exactly what Xile needed. However Zena was resistant to work in the family business straight from school. After a stint as a model and a make-up artist, she studied business at university. It was whilst studying she returned to the family business and began to be obsessed with the ins and outs of international fashion. This obsession led to a global understanding of fashion and where the Australian market stands. Zena is aware of how shopping experiences have developed for the Australian consumer with the success of Internet shopping sites like Net-a-Porter, allowing us to purchase international designers online. She doesn’t see the expansion of the market as a threat to Xile. “Internet boutiques have a positive effect. They really educate people on what designers are doing and when the seasons are dropping. Net-a-Porter drops seasons as soon as they are available. This is great for the Xile customer as they can visit our stores and see the same pieces in our store. We drop in true seasons in time with Europe. Because we are in Australia our overheads are lower, so our prices are actually better than those on the net, which may come as a surprise.“ This understanding of fashion on a global scale prompted Zena to add to the menu of international designers, feeling that the Australian woman deserved a better choice. “Our customers were getting bored with what we had in store. There are only so many bustier dresses from D&G and leopard prints from Roberto Cavalli you can own. We wanted to give our consumers more choice so they didn’t have to stick to the same aesthetic every time.” She defends the suggestion that selling summer during winter could be problematic for the Australian consumer:
“Our customers are educated. The week it goes in store in Milan it goes in store in Sydney and in Brisbane. They want to wear fashion in season. Our customer travels. When they go to New York, they want to look current “ The instinct of knowing who to cater for allowed Zena to orchestrate the unique combination of labels she brought to Xile. Balmain for it’s overt sex appeal and directional designs, Rick Owens for the consumer that can really wear conceptual pieces, Preen because it’s hip and young with great colour, Zac Posen for red carpet effect, Herve Leger because everyone needs a flattering bandage dress, and Valentino because it’s soft and demure. It is not just which labels Zena has bought that is advantageous, it’s also the quantities. When she buys from a designer she buys in looks not pieces. With her fashion knowledge she is also aware of what’s around the corner with her eye on Christopher Kane’s collection for Versus. She describes the Christopher’s collection for Versus as returning to the essence of Gianni’s designs and unrecognisable from his eponymous label. However she wants to wait until his second season to evaluate whether he can back up his first collection for Versus. The addition of Versus will bring back part of the Versace empire to Xile that her father so famously did twenty years ago. With someone like Zena who’s brave enough to give Australian’s opportunity to wear a mix of the most bespoke and daring international labels, forget being jealous, you should be making friends. Heather Cairns.
BALMAIN
Balmain Jacket, Jeans and Dolce & Gabbana heels, available at Xile.
Beauty Note. Chanel Vitalumière Satin Smoothing Fluid Make-Up in ‘Cendre’, Exceptionnel De Chanel Intense Volume & Sensational Curl Mascara in ‘Obscur’. Chanel Rouge Hydrabase Crème Lipstick in ‘Rose Paradise’.
HERVE LEGER Herve Leger dress, Valentino Heels both from Xile.
ZAC POSEN Zac Posen dress from Xile.
PREEN Preen dress, Dolce & Gabbana shoes both from Xile. Stylist’s own gloves and tights. .
DOLCE & GABBANA Dolce & Gabbana dress, Guiseppe Zanotti heels both from Xile. Stylist’s own gloves.
VALENTINO Valentino dress and Dolce & Gabbana heels from Xile. Stylist’s own tights.
Special Thanks; Tangent Magazine would like to thank TED for lending their import crates, for this editorial. TED is the leading producer of crates for transporting fine art pieces. tedfineart.com.au
Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Make-up. Rachel Montgomery @ Art House Creative Management using CHANEL Hair. Luana Coscia Set Designer. Dominique Matta Manicurist. Raquel Bester Photography Assistant. Dean Podmore Styling Assistant. Cynthia Reynolds Make-up assistant. Victoria Linehan Hair Assistant. Rachael Harley
MACHINE
vs.MAN THE TRIMÄPEE DESIGN DUO, MARIO-LUCA CARLUCCI AND PETER STRATEAS, EXPLORE THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE TO PRODUCE THEIR LATEST COLLECTION, ‘RITUAL REDEMPTION’. THE NEW COLLECTION PUSHES BOUNDARIES OF THE ABSURD CONFIRMING TRIMÄPEE AS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST AVANTGARDE LABELS OF THE MODERN ERA. Australia needs labels like Trimäpee. Trimäpee add a splash of the absurd, in a country that is otherwise far too reserved in all matters of dress. The design duo from Trimäpee started their creative collaboration in sculpture and soon focused their exploration of sculpture to fit the human form. The result was the launch of their conceptual menswear label, Trimäpee, in 2006. In just four years, Trimäpee has burgeoned into producing both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections. They have two flagship stores, offering clothing, accessories, handmade shoes, bags and eyewear. The key to their success has been following their artistic vision and challenging the status-quo. The new collection, ‘Ritual Redemption’, explores the battle of machine vs. man, torn between one body and one soul. The particular ritual Trimäpee has used to articulate the collection is the Japanese suicide ritual ‘Seppukku’. Structured and robust designs heighten the sense of this mechanical task (the physical act), while soft and hand woven pieces oppose the severe, depicting the human emotions (the emotions behind the act itself). There is a focus on structure and form with stiff samurai silhouettes. Metallic accessories serve as amour to protect the human form and a dark palette forces the wearer to focus on the design detail and tailoring.
Mario-Luca Carlucci speaks to Heather Cairns about Trimäpee’s design aesthetic and the new collection. What draws you to design with a bold and rebellious aesthetic? When designing a collection, being ‘bold’ and ’rebellious’ is never our agenda. We make clothes to suit our vision, based on the theme each season, and as a result, bold garments are created. We continue to
push personal boundaries each season. You are your biggest critic - so natural progression and evolution is inevitable, and striving to be better will result in more obscure and bolder collections to come. Where have you drawn your inspiration from for ‘Ritual Redemption’? We drew inspiration from two subjects housed under the one title; the rigidness of a ritual, and the emotion behind the ritual itself. Inspired by the Japanese suicide ritual ‘Seppukku’, we explored the theme of these two opposing notions in the same act – mechanical vs. human. Your menswear designs push boundaries for men’s fashion. What is your vision on men’s fashion? Men’s fashion is exciting. It’s a fast growing market, and nowadays men (in Australia) are becoming more fashion forward and just as willing as women are. This makes designing a men’s collection even more satisfying, knowing that your vision will actually be lived out, opposed to shelved and rejected like past seasons. Australia is still a very small market on a global scale, yet we are taking the right steps through media and other avenues to educate ‘the Australian male’, that appreciating design and dressing the way you feel is acceptable. Which elements of design do you dually apply to your men’s and women’s fashion? Structured forms, tailored silhouettes, texture and appliqués – pretty much all elements of design. The collections are always androgynous apart from few pieces. There is no different design mind when designing for either sex. What do you want your designs to inspire in the wearer? We want to inspire individuality and creativity. Each Trimäpee garment has many ways of being worn – and each person wears the
garment differently. We aspire to the garments being an extension of yourself; your personality and your style. Fashion is not just a commodity, fashion is a lifestyle. If we can evoke that feeling in someone, then we are doing our jobs right. Your signature palette is black and moody. Why do you work in the confines of this palette? Colour for us is a secondary thought. Our collections are based on structure and silhouettes, and texture and pattern. Our aim is to draw people in and invite them to inspect and appreciate the finer details. A dark and moody colour palette has never been confining. What challenges do you have as designers who make avant-garde clothing in a commercialised Australian market? The biggest challenge is population. Our product is aimed at a particular niche market, which is small on a global level, however even smaller here in Australia. The challenge for many designers is finding a balance between what we love, and what sells – without compromising the label and our vision. Australia has been pigeonholed as a ‘surf’ cultured country, which is great on one-hand, yet detrimental on the other. Australia has so much more to offer, but the tragedy is that most independent Australian labels can’t survive in their own market, before they even have the chance to export or try their luck overseas. What does the future hold for Trimäpee? Trimäpee is planning to extend wholesale to more overseas markets, as well as hopefully opening up more retail creative spaces in Australia. Our collection has already extended to handbags, accessories and shoes – next we are looking at a full metal jewellery range as well as eyewear. trimapee.com
“WE MAKE CLOTHES TO SUIT OUR VISION, BASED ON THE THEME EACH SEASON, AND AS A RESULT, BOLD GARMENTS ARE CREATED.”
“INSPIRED BY THE JAPANESE SUICIDE RITUAL ‘SEPPUKKU’, WE EXPLORED THE THEME OF THESE TWO OPPOSING NOTIONS IN THE SAME ACT MECHANICAL VS. HUMAN”
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GRAVEYARD SHIFT DIABOLIQUE DITA FEATHERS ED WOOD’S WIDOWS WONDER BOYS
GRAVEYARD S PHOTOGRAPHER EMMANUEL GIRAUD STYLIST HEATHER CAIRNS
SHIFT Tammy wears Peep Toe boots and necklace, Reactor Rubber long sleeve top, Industria Design rubbermail bra from House of Fetish, Just Cavalli skirt, Illionaire leather cuffs.
Ethan wears Alistair Trung net scarf, Kirrily Johnston pants, Topman boots, stylist own bondage tape.
Tammy wears Nicola Finetti dress, Gucci shoes, Reactor Rubber gloves, Paula Kyle Walden perspex bowtie, Illionaire leather cuffs.
Tammy wears Wayne Cooper dress, Beau Coops boots, Galliano fur hand muffs, Peep Toe necklace and Peter Lang cuff. Ethan wears Kirrily Johnston pants, Topman boots.
Ethan wears Alistair Trung mesh top, House of Fetish moulded leather gas mask, Paula Kyle Walden Perspex shoulder piece.
Ethan wears Alistair Trung fur, Kirrily Johnston pants, Reactor Rubber suspender belt.
Tammy wears Just Cavalli top, David of Spain chrome plate briefs from House of Fetish, Porno Fashion by Andy Chrisst PVC bolero from House of Fetish, Wayne Cooper shoes, Reactor Rubber latex tights, Illionaire leather cuffs, Peter Lang cuffs. Ethan wears Alistair Trung fur, Kirrily Johnston pants, Topman boots, Reactor Rubber suspender belt.
Tammy wears Just Cavalli dress, Reactor Rubber gloves.
Tammy wears Gossip unitard and pants, Gucci shoes, Demon leather feathered collar from House of Fetish, Paula Kyle Walden perspex shoulder pieces, Reactor Rubber gloves and waist corset, Peep Toe necklace worn as belt.
Tammy wears David of Spain chrome plate top from House of Fetish, World skirt, Beau Coops boots, Peter Lang earrings and cuffs. Ethan wears Kirrily Johnston vest, Reactor rubber corset, Kirrily Johnston pants, Brando shoes.
Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud - emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Hair. Clive Allwright @ Network Agency using KMS Make-up. Martin Bray @ Look Production Photography assistants. Claire Wallman & Lauren Trompp Styling Assistants. Daniel Mattthias and Rhiannon Bulley Hair Assistant. Jayde Allwright Models. Tammy Stone @ Vivien’s Management Ethan @ Priscilla’s Management
DIABOLIQUE PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL LEONARDO
Tina Kalivas jacket and skirt and Josh Goot shoes (worn throughout).
STYLIST LETICIA DARE
Annabella wears Romance Was Born jacket and Tina Kalivas skirt.
Hannah wears Romance Was Born dress, Friedrich Gray top and leggings, Josh Goot shoes (worn throughout).
Josh Goot dress.
Josh Goot dress.
Annabella wears Dion Lee blazer, Josh Goot skirt. Hannah wears Josh Goot top and pants.
Photographer. Paul Leonardo Stylist. Leticia Dare Hair. Matt Webb Make-up. Justine Purdue Models. Annabella @ Priscilla’s Management Hannah Saul @ Chic Management
DITA FEATHERS
PHOTOGRAPHER EMMANUEL GIRAUD STYLIST HEATHER CAIRNS
FOR ALL YOUR FEATHER NEEDS
Francesca wears Diva Bracelet, stylists own gloves. JJ wears Samantha Wills bow ring and turquoise bracelets, Diva ring, Alannah Hill necklaces, Chelsea De Luca diamante cuff, and stylist’s own gloves.
Francesca wears Alannah Hill dress and heels, Events fur stole around neck, vintage grey fur, Mondo earrings, Peep Toe ring (pink), Samantha Wills ring (purple). Stylist’s own gloves, stockings and umbrella. Dita Feather boas.
JJ wears Aurelio Costarella jacket and waist corset, Mrs Press skirt, Mondo earrings. Francesca wears Alex Perry bustier and skirt, Dita Feather stole, Alannah Hill pearl and chain necklace, Mondo silver necklace.
Francesca wears Nicola Finetti dress, Paula Kyle Walden bow, Diva earrings, stylist’s own gloves.
JJ wears Collette Dinnigan dress, Kirrily Johnston boots, Alistair Trung fur, Peep Toe necklace, Alannah Hill necklace worn around wrist, Chelsea De Luca diamante cuff, glove from Dita Feathers.
JJ wears Kloset top, Ultimate Body briefs, Hanky Panky suspender belt, Leona Edmiston stockings, Peep Toe necklace, Costume Shop crinoline, Dita Feather’s boa.
Francesca wears Akira Isogawa beaded tulle collar, Harry Who vest, Aurelio Costarella corset belt and leather skirt, stylist’s own gloves and ring. JJ wears Nicola Finetti dress, Alistair Trung fur coat and stole, Samantha Wills ring and stylist’s own gloves.
Special Thanks; Tangent Magazine would like to thank Steve Fairbairn from Dita Feather for letting us use his location for this editorial. Steve has been selecting and hand dyeing bespoke feathers in his Crown Street store for 35 years. Dita feathers is responsible for the feathers in films like Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge’. Dita Feathers, 288 Crown Street, Sydney.
Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Hair. Emma Haddock @ Reload Agency Make-up. Desiree Wise @ Network Agency Photography Assistants. Zara Poole Styling Assistants. Marianne Malafosse
ED WOOD’S WIDOWS
PHOTOGRAPHER JASON HENLEY STYLIST JANA BARTOLO
Photographer. Jason Henley - jasonhenleyonline.com Retouching. Jason Henley & Mia Ostberg Craig - miaostberg.com Stylist. Jana Bartolo - janabartolo.com Fashion Assistant. Yaele Kapulsky Make-up. Desiree Wise @ Network Agency Hair. Clive Allwright @ Network Agency using KMS Models. Heidi & Chrystal @ Pricilla’s Management
Alex Perry dress, Zola heels available at Zomp, Falke hosiery, None The Richer knuckle duster & ring, Lydia Jewels bangle and Sarah Goodwin key lock bracelet.
Qui Hao dress for the Australian Wool Innovation/Woolmark, John Macarthur for Purl Harbour scarf.
Elliot Wardfear bodysuit, Stephanie Melissa skirt, Senso wedges, Cue embellished epaulettes and Ann Demeulemeester belt available from ASSIN.
Bras n’ Things bodysuit, Amy Davidson over-pants, Melissa by Zaha Hadid shoes and Paula Walden headpiece worn as necklace.
Cue dress, Ann Demeulemeester feather headpiece available from ASSIN, Diva Accessories earings, Lydia Jewels bracelet, Regina Garde gold ring, Diva Accessories stone rings and Leona Edmiston hosiery.
Elliot Wardfear dress and leggings.
Alex Perry gown, Paula Walden shoulder piece (worn as headpiece) and Diva Accessories bangles. Nicola Finetti gown, Lamb by Gwen Stefani heels available from Zomp, Lydia Jewels necklace and Diva Accessories ring.
WONDER BOYS PHOTOGRAPHER KATIE NOLAN
STYLIST RODERICK NG
This is Genevieve knit cape, Freshjive flannel and check shirts, Mavi Hunter jeans, tights stylist’s own, Andrew McDonald boots.
Master/Slave top, Freshjive check shirt, Mavi jeans, tights stylits’s own, Timberland boots, Kanekelon accessories in Blonde by Roderick Ng.
Zac wears Mossimo shirt, 2nd Coming skirt, Stussy black and yellow caps, Baubridge & Kay suspenders, tights stylist’s own. Ben wears 2nd Coming jacket, Body Science top, Gas Jeans shorts, tights stylist’s own.
Jacket by 2nd Coming, Mossimo hoody, Master/Slave pants, sequin cap stylist’s own, Andrew McDonald shoes.
Photographer. Katie Nolan @ Reload Agency Stylist. Roderick Ng - roderickng.com Hair and Make-up. Lei Tai Models. Zac and Ben @ Chic Management
Henley leather jacket, Master/slave trousers, Moscot spectacles, Kanekelon necklace by Roderick Ng. Stussy cardigan, Mossimo shorts, Body Science tights and Mavi scarf.
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“IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT ART E X I S T S I N A S PA C E BETWEEN ITS CREATION A N D I T S DESTRUCTION, AND THE SAME CAN BE SAID OF ARTISTS. TRUE CREATIVITY CANNOT COME FROM A CONTENTED MIND, BECAUSE A COTENTED MIND DOES N O T S E E K CHANGE, OR CONTROVERSY, OR SHOCK.”
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It would be an understatement to say the fashion world was shocked by the death of Lee Alexander McQueen. We were beyond shock. Not only has the fashion world lost a true icon, the world of creativity has suffered greatly. But ultimately, shocked as we are, is the news really all that shocking? Does not extreme creativity not flirt with a certain edge? One sweeping glance at his Fall 2009 collection, shows a powerful artistic mind with a skewed view of its world. Garish wax lips disfigured otherwise beautiful models, all other colour sapped from their faces. Outrageous headwear – perhaps a nod to the late Isabella Blow – dwarfed their figures, sitting above harsh, regal structures and hues. They stepped upon cracked mirrors in such sharp heels that it was a wonder these women could walk around the dystopic trash heap he had piled onstage, corpses of former shows’ props. The entire spectacle, a reflection on human consumption and the environment, was utterly macabre, and yet so beautiful. It is this duality that encapsulated McQueen’s vision, and is, admittedly in hindsight, a telling glimpse into the state of his mind. It is often said that art exists in a space between its creation and its destruction, and the same can be said of artists. True creativity cannot come from a contented mind, because a contented mind does not
seek change, or controversy, or shock. A contented mind has no need or desire to question itself, or its context. A contented mind does not push itself beyond its own comfort. Extreme creativity exists on the edge, and McQueen stood alone amongst his personal extremes. He was not the only one. Creative history is more than just liberally peppered with mental illness, and the world of fashion is not exempt. Yves Saint Laurent, a revolutionary designer in his time, suffered from such severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after military service that he was hospitalised, and exposed to electroshock therapy and psychoactive drugs which affected him mentally for the rest of his life. Though his designs and his legacy are seen and appreciated worldwide, he lived as a recluse, his art the only window to his true self. McQueen’s best friend and mentor, Isabella Blow, also suffered from debilitating mental illness; Bipolar Disorder, which resulted in repeated suicide attempts until she was finally, and for want of a less morbid word, successful. Seeing images of McQueen at her funeral – a man utterly devastated – is heartbreaking. Let’s not romaticise this. There was definitely an impetus for McQueen’s action. The loss of his mother, with whom he was inseparable, so shortly after Blow’s own
HAIR C L I V E A L LW R I G H T MAKE-UP M A R T I N B R AY death, is what made him place the noose over his head. But this response, grief or none, is not that of a mentally well human being. Alexander McQueen, like so many artists, suffered from a mental illness that fed his work, and was perhaps also fed by his work. In an industry that rewards and celebrates the products of the untethered mind, we cannot be shocked when these things happen. Instead, we must prepare ourselves for it, and provide more support for those that suffer silently behind their art. To make all well would be to make all boring. Nothing would inspire us, move us, challenge us. Normality is a drag. All we can and must do is be thankful for what we have while we still have it, and come to better understand what exists behind the fabric. May you rest finally in peace, Lee Alexander McQueen. Thank you for making the world a more interesting place. A.H. Cayley
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Tina wears head mask and top by Reactor Rubber, feathered neck piece and cans stylist’s own. Beauty Note: Face: MAC white pigment. Lips: MAC black Lipmix, MAC black glitter.
Chrystal wears Trim채pee cape.
Olivia Wears Trimäpee top. Beauty Note Face: MAC full coverage foundation, MAC Face & Body in ‘White’. Design Lines: MAC black Fluid line and MAC clear Lip Glass.
Camille wears Porno Fashion by Andy Chrisst Beauty Note Face: MAC Full Coverage in white, MAC Blot Powder. Eyes: Mac ‘Boot Black’ eye liner, MAC ‘Harmony’ blush, MAC Khol Pencil eyeliner in ‘Fascinating’.
Photographer. Emmanuel Giraud emmanuelgiraud.com Stylist. Heather Cairns Make-up. Martin Bray @Look Production using MAC Hair.Clive Allwright @ Network Agency using KMS Models. Tina @ Chic Management Chrystal @ Priscillas Management Olivia @ Chic Management Camille @ Chic Management
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SHU UEMURA SHU UEMURA’S BRAND LEGACY OF BOLD CREATION LIVES ON THRU MR SHU UEMURA’S PROTÉGÉ KAKUYASU UCHIIDE. BEAUTY EDITOR, FERN MADDEN, TALKS TO UCHIIDE ABOUT THE BRANDS LEGACY AND THEIR INEXTRICABLE LINK TO THE FASHION WORLD. Utter
the words ”Shu Uemura” within a circle of women…and you will inevitably be greeted with a barrage of adoration of the most, ‘wide eyed’ kind. Shu Uemura has long been recognised as the brand responsible for catapulting the eyelash to the forefront of the global fashion stage, highlighting the ‘lash’ as a key player in expressing creativity. Shu Uemura, is known for their cult Shu Uemura eyelash curler (who could forget its honourable mention in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada), and famed Tokyo Lash Bar: a world first fashion statement for the eyes producing seasonal false eyelash collections (the 2009 Goldglam Leaf collection featured real skeleton leaves drenched in glimmering gold). Shu Uemura is also held in high regard in the fashion world. Designing maestro Karl Lagerfeld uses the high pigment Shu Uemura colour formulations to sketch his collections, while designers Victor & Rolf collaborated with the brand in 2008 for their mode collection. Passing away in 2008 at the age of 79, Mr Shu Uemura left behind his legacy to his protégé, Kakuyasu Uchiide; appointing him International Artistic Director.
Currently the man responsible for designing the bi-annual mode makeup collections, Kakuyasu Uchiide, has emerged as an international powerhouse working backstage fashion shows for Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Tam. His creations are featured in international fashion magazines such as Vogue, W, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.
Tangent caught up with Kakuyasu Uchiide and delved into his creative mind, inspirations and plans for the future of the brand: In what ways do you think the Japanese traditions, rituals and culture have influenced the Shu Uemura brand and what strengths does this bring to the western market? Mr. Shu Uemura’s belief was that ‘tradition is a succession of innovations’. Sen no Rikyu, the master of tea ceremony teaches never to forget the ‘basics’. Packaging is incredibly important in Japanese products, no matter how insignificant an item; the same meticulous care goes into
its packaging. At Shu Uemura our makeup brushes are individually hand crafted by skilled artisans and each hair is stacked by hand. Japanese people are very particular and pay a lot of attention to the small details-that’s why our standards within our brand and as a nation are high. Do you feel that the Asian market has a different sense of beauty to that of the western world? There was a time when Asian women would look to the western ‘ideal’ of beauty, and try and contour their faces like western models, however I believe that times have changed and Asian women prefer to celebrate their natural unique beauty, paying attention to emphasizing the beautiful skin and keeping skin young and beautiful. I think that this ‘b eautiful skin’ trend shows no distinction between east and west. In the role of International Artistic Director, you have been given the task of shaping the brands future and direction. As we enter in to a new decade- How do you hope to continue the legacy that Mr. Shu Uemura began?
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“IT IS SAID THAT FASHION DESIGNING MAESTRO KARL LAGERFELD USES THE HIGH PIGMENT COLOUR FORMULATIONS TO SKETCH HIS COLLECTIONS, WHILE DESIGNERS VIKTOR & ROLF COLLABORATED WITH THE BRAND IN 2008 FOR THEIR MODE COLLECTION.”
My mission is to promote ‘art of beauty’ to the world, and to make a large contribution to society through our mode collections and ever evolving products. There are no boundaries or limits to what we can create in art of beauty, Shu Uemura called it “ecology of the heart”, and I wish to continue Mr. Shu Uemura’s dream. What was the inspiration behind the 2010 Tokyo lash bar Eugerie? Eugerie is modes 130th spring mode makeup collection so is a landmark for us. My main inspiration for this collection came from the glamorous fashions of the 1960’s, in particular the ‘rock and roll’ era. The collection combines flashy glimmering shine with a really delicate, glowing satin sheen to the skin, giving a modern 60’s feel. In life and in work- what inspires you? Many things inspire me depending on the time and the occasion that I am in. For instance the delicate leaves of the forests in nature, music and dance are always of great inspiration to me, as there are so many different types that are
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constantly new and changing. Modern art is another thing that I enjoy very much. I find inspiration also from women who are really ‘sharp and cool’ looking like Charlotte Gainsbourg. What is your philosophy on makeup and beauty? I believe in the use of makeup being about bringing out the individual’s beauty and not to create a completely different person. I like to describe this with the Japanese word ‘shin-zen-bi’ which means: Truth, Ethics and beauty. Growing up, was it always your aspiration to become an international makeup artist and to work within the fashion and beauty industry? In my early days to be a makeup artist was not always my dream. I majored in management and law in university, however I was dreaming of working within the fashion industry in my future. I was searching for a job that would allow me be creative. At first I thought that I would be a fashion designer, but then I discovered Shu Uemura and began working with him as one of his first employees. I found the art of makeup to be very exciting and innovative. I regard
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Mr. Shu Uemura as a true creator and a master like nobody else. At the same time I was inspired by Serge Lutens, I keep both of them close to my heart as they are great artists and they have sublimed beauty to the level of art. Do you have any words of wisdom that you would like to share with the aspiring hair and makeup artists of today? What is most important is to have a great eye to observe your teachers. When you are learning, you must give your studies your full attention and be very devoted. In our Japanese philosophy ‘shu Ha Ri’ its says: the repetition of the fundamental technique is the key to achieving a skilled hand. By this it means that you must practice many times, repetitively until you have learned the art.
“IN OUR JAPANESE PHILOSOPHY ‘SHU HA RI’ ITS SAYS: THE REPETITION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL TECHNIQUE IS THE KEY TO ACHIEVING A SKILLED HAND. BY THIS IT MEANS THAT YOU MUST PRACTICE MANY TIMES, REPETITIVELY UNTIL YOU HAVE LEARNED THE ART.”
BEAUTY TRAIN Clockwise from top: MAC Veluxe Pearl eye shadow in ‘Shimmermoss’, MAC Mineralize eye shadow in ‘Pink Split’, MAC Veluxe Pearl eye shadow in ‘Crystal Avalanche’, MAC Cream Colour bar in ‘Pink Shock’, Giorgio Armani eye shadow in ‘Maestro #6’, Giorgio Armani eye shadow in Maestro #9
Left Box (clockwise):MAC Hyper Real Super Fix powder in ‘White’, BENEFIT Get Even powder ‘#1’, NAPOLEON translucent powder. Right Box (clockwise): NAPOLEON China Doll foundation ‘Look 1’, MAC Face & Body foundation ‘N1’, MAC Super Select Moisture Cover ‘NC15’, MAC Skin Finish Natural Mineralize ‘Light’.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Clockwise from left: ORLY nail polish in ‘Everything Rosy’, ‘Haute Red’, and ‘Passion Fruit’, BOBBI BROWN pink cream blush. NAPOLEON eye shadows. BENEFIT Automatic Lip liner Duo Pencil in ‘Naked Ambition’ BENEFIT Automatic Eyeliner Pencil in ‘Call Me Nutty’, BENEFIT Velvet eye shadows in ‘Like What You Sea?’, ’Mermaid’ and ‘I Cannes and I Will’
Green Hand Roll(from top); MAC Dazzleglass in ‘Love Alert’, BENEFIT Benetint Pocket Pal, NAPOLEON Luminous Lip Veil in ‘Pink Pearl’, MAC Dazzleglass in ‘Extra Amp’. Black Hand Roll (from top): YVES SAINT LAURENT ‘#1’ Long Lasting eye pencil, GIORGIO ARMANI Smooth Silk lip pencil in red, NAPOLEON lip liner in ‘Cherish’, MAC lip liner in ‘Magenta’, MAC eyeliner in ‘Fascinating’, MAC Powerpoint eye pencil in ‘So There Jade’, NAPOLEON Khol eyeliner in ‘Mint’, NAPOLEON lip liner in ‘Rubis’. Pink Hand Roll(from top): MAC lipstick in ‘Ruby Woo’, BOBBI BROWN lip colour in ‘Orange 7’, GIORGIO ARMANI lipstick in ‘#501 Rouge D’Armani’, NAPOLEON lipstick in ‘Xenia’. Three Tray Plate (L-R): BENEFIT Lust Duster in ‘Cloud 9’, NAPOLEON Loose Dust ‘#1’ and ‘#9’.
Top to bottom: BOBBI BROWN Metallic eye shadow in ‘Navajo’ and ‘Forest’, BENEFIT eye shadow in ‘Betty’, SHU UEMURA ‘Pressed’ eye shadow in gold, link and light pink and SHU UEMURA ‘Glow On’ blush in pink, red and brown. Photographer. Ben Rollison @ Studio Go Stylist. Rebecca Doyle Beauty Editor. Fern Madden
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Custom Sweetheart ruffle cape by New York Couture vintage Jose mesh tee.
BROOKLYN IS BURNING When it came to featuring Contessa Stuto in the ‘Bold’ issue of Tangent Magazine there was no question to be asked. The Italian ‘heiress’ of New York City night life and underground culture self describes herself as follows; “A short dagger with a tapering blade. I am a Diamond in the ruff, a black diamond amongst worthless mines of Coal; the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a figure of speech, but seems as if it could be a valid answer for a Linear Equation. An unbreakable stone, lined with a fierce sense of style, that makes a true self statement with no help of others.” The
style
celebrated
queen
‘Size’
was
recently
issue of
featured
V Magazine
in
the
globally
and divides her time
between being a rap artist, throwing parties, styling, and busting moves on the dance floor.
She took some time out to tell Heather
Cairns why everyone should step aside and get the fuck out of her way.
You have your fingers in many pies. Tell us about your creative collaborations and artistic projects. A lot of my creative collaborations start and or have been in the nightlife. So I thank a lot of my artistic projects to my club lifestyle. I wouldn’t have interviewed Kid Cudi for URB Mag if I never met The New Pop filming at Roxy Cottontails Pussy Party. Through that I found a passion for throwing crazy underground parties from clubs to warehouses. Seeing artists that have graced my stages like Theophilus London (who’s currently working with people from Mark Ronson to Solange Knowles.) and Maluca who works with Amanda Blank, puts an infinite smile on my face. I also wouldn’t have my amazing producer/recording artist boyfriend Black Cracker without my dancing movies. Thanks nightlife! Why do people go to your parties WHORE HOUSE and CUNT? Well shock value, and lifestyle I assume. Whore House is great because wouldn’t you want to peep a party that has a promoter Promise Smith (Black Angels NYC) in a bikini? CUNT is a crazy fashion queer party, and everyone is looking for a space to wear the funniest outfit and get drunk dancing to the raunchiest, crunkiest music.
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Claw Money Boss jacket Skankin’ vintage bra, Chinese Market leggings.
What makes the perfect club night? Balance - when I look around I need to see a few straight guys googling over girls, because they’ll wanna come again; you need some drunk ass people going nuts on the dance floor (not too many or it’s a mess), and you need a bunch of fashionable gays who only want to dance... balance, balance, balance! What inspires you to construct and manifest your own style? My feelings and my vsion. I have a huge creative outlet getting inspired and referencing strong diva woman. I also consider how I dress art. How would you describe your style? House of Contessa: it’s life - living legendary! Why is New York Home? Well, I am an Italian girl from Long Island, outside of NYC. Growing up being back and forth to NYC, then moving to Brooklyn (my official home), has been the only place I can call home. I haven’t moved here and ‘consider’ it home; it IS home. I do need to get out of this town more, being from NY is a construct in itself. (I feel) like a small town girl that can’t leave.
What do you rap about? High heels, make-up, pussy, transsexuals, homosexuals, the nightlife, being nasty... my life, isn’t that what all rappers rap about? Some write being from the ghetto? I rap about my big ass and parties. How did it feel to be part of the celebrated V Magazine Size issue? It’s funny because when I was going to casting for the spread, I didn’t know it was the size issue. I was actually referred from a friend Jordan Fox (the model in the red wig in the same spread) who was chosen because of his personality and persona (among the other models casted); so I thought it was the same for me; but I noticed a certain excitement from the Photographer Terry Tsiolis; he looked like he felt complete having me in the spread! I felt that my Iconic personality finally was represented correctly when I saw it was for the Size Issue! We ended up being the Forward for the V magazine issue because the photo is so LEGENDARY. I felt it described the historic issue to a T!, or should is say to a V!
What message about fashion would you like everyone to know? Well I don’t really want to say anything about fashion that everyone should know; because fashion is a figment of imagination; like an episode of America’s Top Model; looks glamorous but it’s all smoke and mirrors. Just live life at your best, and I want to quote Rupaul from his new book “What other people think of you is none of your business!” To get a bigger Contessa fix find her on myspace and twitter: myspace.com/drunktits twitter.com/cuntmafia Photographer. Anna Marcella annamarcella.com Stylist/Art Director Ms Fitz msfitz.com.au Model. Contessa Stuto Assistants. Gina Marie & Amelia Gebler Hair/Make-up. Bridget Ritzinger
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Gaga glasses by A-Morir, 2 x leather vests by Babakaul vin tage Versace belt studded brassiere Contessa’s own AA wet look legging.
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“HIGH HEELS, MAKE-UP, PUSSY, TRANSSEXUALS, HOMOSEXUALS, THE NIGHTLIFE, BEING NASTY... MY LIFE, ISN’T THAT WHAT ALL RAPPERS RAP ABOUT? SOME WRITE ABOUT BEING FROM THE GHETTO? I RAP ABOUT MY BIG ASS AND PARTIES.”
Harlequin leggings by Costume National, vintage Americana bra belt from Demonic Vibe, Soho glasses by A-Morir Bloch boots.
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HIDDEN IN THE DEPTHS OF EUPHORIA
DELPHIC HAVE ARRIVED. THEIR DEBUT ALBUM ACOLYTE HAS BEEN DEEMED THE ‘FIRST GREAT 2010 DEBUT’ BY NME AND IS SITTING AT NUMBER 6 ON THE UK ITUNES ALBUM CHART. ACOLYTE IS DESCRIBED AS A ‘SCINTILLATING BLEND OF CLASSIC FACTORY INDIE DANCE WITH THE KIND OF RESONANT TECHNO SHEEN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE IN THE LEGENDARY LABEL’S HEYDAY.’ DELPHIC’S LIVE SHOWS HAVE IMPRESSED THE UK AND EUROPE WITH THEIR EXPLOSIVE FLURRY OF FRENETIC ENERGY. THE GOOD NEWS, FOR THOSE OF US LIVING ON THE ISLAND CONTINENT, IS THAT DELPHIC ARE TOURING AUSTRALIA STARTING MARCH 25TH THIS YEAR. SPEAKING TO A.H. CAYLEY, JAMES COOK OF MANCHESTER’S DELPHIC DESCRIBES THEIR ART, THEIR MOTIVATION, AND THEIR DANGEROUS LIVE SHOWS. How would you describe your sound to
someone who’s never heard you? Electronic music with soul. Who and what influences you the most? Anyone who has had a direction to their work from day one. People such as [David] Bowie & Bjork (and Madonna to a certain extent) have had this, and bands such as Radiohead and Kraftwerk haven’t compromised in their quest for a career of development and a fresh outlook from album to album. There was a lot of hype surrounding you, before you’d even released your first album (‘Acolyte’, out now in Australia through Modular). Do you feel the pressure to live up to these high expectations? I think that as soon as we finished the album in a small, underground, concrete studio at 5am in the heart of [the] Wiltshire countryside, we were able to let go of any pressure we had ever felt. Hype can be a
double-edged sword - it will build awareness, but increase expectation. We were happy to let our first-born into the world knowing that we had completed it in our own time and under our own pressure. In fact, we feel like parents wide awake at midnight still awaiting the “Mum, Dad - I’m alright!” phone call. What should we be expecting from the album? We don’t deal in expectation... but if you’re curious, you’ll hear pop songs hidden in the depths of euphoria. You’ve described yourselves as “ naturally retiring people”. Has that posed a problem in terms of touring and press? All that we’ve experienced in the last six months has been a steep learning curve for us, as naturally we’re people who would prefer to be in front of a piano than an audience. But the thrill you get when step-
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ping on to a stage is something we’re beginning to fall in love with. Your film clips reveal a very artistic side to you. How important to you is the visual that accompanies your sound? Is this something more artists should adopt? Aural and visual experiences are what excite us. For Delphic, the two can be separated, but create much stronger emotion when they are together. The film clips were [our way of] creating a blog … that plays on those senses. We’re not the kind of people to sit behind twitter and say that we’re having a cup of tea and a jammy dodger; we’d rather tell people what we’re doing in a sensory way. How does this artistic focus translate in your live show? We work very closely with our lighting designer, ‘Squib’ to create a show that reflects the light and shade we love
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visually. We run video footage from our blogs/ videos/artwork through coloured neon tubes to create a dynamic and depth to the stage show. In the past this has led to epileptic fits in Bristol, four power cuts in a row at a gig in London, three fire engines called out for a gig in Glasgow, and a five hour power cut to an entire street last week in Shoreditch, London. WARNING! WARNING! Delphic’s live show may cause you harm. Do you see yourselves as continuing the musical lineage of Manchester? How much does the city inspire your art? Manchester’s musical heritage is unavoidable if you’re a new band from Manchester. It is historically quite a poor city where people’s outlet has been their art, and it’s still very similar now. But, we try to look back at some of the good things, disregard the bad things and look forward to a future where Manchester can stand alone as a
contemporary creative city, unhampered by its history. What does the future hold for you? Our tour manager told us the other day that this year would be a record year for him. When we asked why he responded, “Well, you’ll easily break 150 gigs this year.” So I guess most of the future will be on the road, touring, gigging, but that’s not to say we’re not excited about what is in store for us. We will be visiting America, Japan, and Australia before the summer, and then the festival season awaits. We anticipate another release by the end of 2010. delphic.ccm myspace.com/delphic
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GLOBAL ART FEAST TANGENT ART EDITOR, FERNANDA PORTO, HAS SCOURED THE GLOBE TO SERVE YOU THE MOST PROVOCATIVE HIGH END AND POP CULTURE ART EVENTS FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. PORTO IS DISHING UP ART FROM BERLIN, PARIS, NEW YORK, TOKYO AND SYDNEY. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE HUSSEIN CHALAYAN’S FIRST ART EXHIBITION AND YOU LIKE TO VIEW YOUR ART IN THE MOST CONCEPTUAL BOUTIQUES IN PARIS YOU’RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE.
TOKYO CECIL BALMOND January 16 – March 22 www.operacity.jp Cecil Balmond is an engineer who is known for his collaborations with architects Rem Koolha, Toyo Ito and Alvaro Siza to name a few. Balmond helped to create new routes in architecture, making the once impossible possible. Balmond’s latest exhibition Element, in Tokyo’s Opera City Gallery displays a presentation of his innovation and documents his approach.
HUSSEIN CHALAYAN April 3 – June 20 www.mot-art-museum.jp Hussein Chalayan is known for his innovation with the different uses of textiles, materials, experimenting and putting a word forward to emerging technology and social critique within fashion. A forerunner in contemporary fashion that is hitting Japan with his first solo exhibition in Tokyo, surely not to be missed!
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SARKIS February 10 - June 21 v www.centrepompidou.fr A mobile event that will use all the corners from the enigmatic Pompidou Centre and showcase brand new work (some made just for the occasion) from extraordinaire and leading conceptual Turkish artist, Sarkis Zabunyan. The experimental exhibition intends to explore dialogues with the museum’s galleries and renowned artworks and will bring works in the form of videos, sculptures and photography, which will play and make reference to the renowned artworks and galleries.
PARIS OLIVIER ZAHM March 1- April 3 www.colette.fr The man behind the Purple publications, Olivier Zahm is having his first French exhibition at the most conceptual boutique in Paris, Colette. The art and fashion figure selected 10.000 shots that have been taken since 2005 portraying his Paris/New York lifestyle, special friends such as Terry Richardson and Natacha Ramsay. Though his world can be seen as quite extravagant and glamorous, his exhibition does not focus solely on that. The exhibition documents glimpses of everyday life that is interesting to him; food, nature and the street are some of the subjects featured.
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DONALD BAECHLER April 2 - May 1 www.cheimread.com Back at Cheim & Read, the mixed media artist will showcase the stories he recreates through collages and brush strokes that are reminiscent of childhood paintings. Playing with pop art, folk art elements and displaying adulthood with images of the past that are still relevant today.Â
NEW YORK SHEPARD FAIREY May 1- May 29 www.deitch.com Deitch Projects presents May Day, the latest body of work from respected street artist/graphic designer Shepard Fairey. He is responsible for one of the most iconic images of the 2008 Obama campaign and is widely respected in the Street Art and Fine Art communities. He is breaking the stigma that a street artist can’t be respected by well established galleries. For this exhibition he will keep exploring portraiture of iconic figures from the political to the music scene. These portraitures started an idea in small steps, and now have their voice heard and are admired on a global scale.
GALLERY WEEKEND April 30 - May 2 www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de For the past four years the first weekend of May has been exciting in Berlin. Apart from being the start of spring, it is also the weekend where the most established galleries organize joint art openings through the capital. This year (the biggest one yet), has 40 galleries involved with 40 openings planned to happen over a 3 day period. To check all the information and set up your itineraries go to TATSUO MIYAJIMA April 30 - June 5 www.buchmanngalerie.com Since 1987 the Japanese based artist has been playing with our perception of time. His trademark? Colored digital LED devices, usually repeated through a series of sculptures and installation. His work can also extend into photographs and other medias. He is a highly regarded artist in the international scene and will showcase his heavily influenced Japanese technological work in Berlin through the following months.
BERLIN
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ZED NELSON March 12 - April 24 www.acp.org.au Love Me is a collection of photographs shot by Zed Nelson, documenting how far people will push themselves in order to achieve their ideal physical appearance. These boarder-lining art and photo documentary series documents from body builders to Iranians waiting in line for a nose job, a great insight to these media lifestyle we lived and worth being paid attention.
SYDNEY MCA & DAVID ELLIOT February 17 - August 29 www.mca.com.au David Elliot, responsible for the artistic direction of the 17th Biennale of Sydney, has been invited by the MCA to curate their next exhibition - ‘THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age’. The selected works will look into multiple perspectives ambiguities and are displayed in the style of a pre-modern museum: A Cabinet of Curiosities. Some of the artist part of this exhibition are Daniel Boyd, Aleks Danko and Jenny Watson.
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Imagine a contemporary Noah’s Ark with a twist . P aris based company F rédérique Morrel gives a second chance to vulnerable and
The power couple behind the brand are Frédérique Morrel and Aaron Levin. Tangent Magazine had the chance to exchange some words with Aaron about
unprotected
the importance of daring to keep the hand crafted
vintage
tapestries
that
are
doomed
to be washed away into today’s discarded world.
‘Upcycling’
and
‘breeding’
an array of magnificent
species that range from pure art such as to one of a kind tapestry couches.
‘My Dear’
art form alive.
How did your involvement with art and design start?
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“We
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are
currently updating the concept
Decycling Upcycling”
from to
Frédérique and I come from different backgrounds, both rooted in art and design. Frédérique teaches fashion and design at a Paris art school, and is very hands on, she approaches design with her hands. She needs to have a lot of objects surrounding her, and those objects or materials tell her stories. When they tell her a strong story, she makes something out of them. Sometimes it just sits there for a long time, sometimes it immediately becomes a product. My background is in graphic arts. My specialty is corporate identity. I approach things from a problem that
needs to be solved. To me design is about looking at something complex and making it into something simple. Frederique is the creative person behind the company. I just try to make everything work smoothly, and make people understand what we are doing. I have read the whole idea behind the ‘Decycle’ philosophy started after Frédérique’s grandmother passed away and her needlework’s were discarded. What were the first experiments like? We are currently updating the concept from “decycling” to “upcycling”, that we prefer.
Frédérique works a lot with devalued and discarded objects. So she hangs around at garage sales and thrift shops. And for years she saw these popular tapestries hanging sadly there. Of course they reminded her of her grandmother, but she had no idea what she could do with them. Then one day it just ripened in her mind. She came home to our country house with the back of our Volvo station wagon loaded with tons of them. She took them all out of their frames and laid them out on the front lawn. I must say I was horrified. “What the hell are you going to do with those?” I scolded her. That’s where I must admit that Frédérique
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“Taxidermy
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gives
a second life to an animal that has been hunted.
By
covering
them with tapestries, it is like an ancient art where you tell the story of the animal you have killed.
The
tapestries are like a comic strip with the different episodesof it’s life, but in a somewhat disorderly fashion.”
has creative genius. She is not afraid of being ridiculed. The first thing she made with them was a pouf, where each side told a piece of the story, a moment of life. And that is the product that really got Frédérique Morrel off the ground. Family seems to be an important element in the company Frédérique Morrel. How do you tap each other’s creative juices? There’s no real difference between Frédérique and her work. Everything she does is connected to the chain of generations that a women is the center of. It’s all about transmission. The fact that the tapestries end up in garage sales is a sign that they have broken the generation chain. They are no longer handed down, even though they represented lot’s of work and energy and emotion. They are discarded. So in a sense, Frédérique puts them back into a state where they can again be handed down. How important is fashion within your art? Frédérique is in the world of fashion in a broad sense; she creates a trend where there was nothing before. She knows the trend will be copied after a certain time, but that just gives a stronger echo to her work. In terms of materials, she often works with textiles because of their fluidity. Textiles don’t impose on you. It’s a feminine thing.
On your website under the creations section you have two groups - ‘Living’ and ‘Dreaming’. Did you start developing one group first and that lead to the other? In the first iteration of the work with tapestries, it was products that had a real utility, poufs, cushions, footstools, trays, etc. The second level was the animals. In both cases it was a question of “re-birth”. So it naturally connected to taxidermy. Taxidermy gives a second life to an animal that has been hunted. By covering them with tapestries, it’s like an ancient art where you tell the story of the animal you have killed. The tapestries are like a comic strip with the different episodes of it’s life, but in a somewhat disorderly fashion. What is next for Frédérique Morrel? Are you working on a new series of sculptures? We are going to go further with the idea of ‘passe-murailles’. We are thinking of cutting the animals in such a way that they seem to be going through walls, going further than the idea of just trophy heads. We are calling this ‘The Slice of Life’.
Where and when can we check your work in 2010? The best place for information is our website, www.frederiquemorrel.com. We are working on a project for the Milan fair in April, and we will be also at the Art de Vivre à la Française fair in Moscow in October. Currently, we have a window exhibit at the Gallery Libértine in Brussels. We were just nominated for the Talents du Luxe 2010. Words Fernanda Porto. Photographer Philippe Cluzeau.
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