I am pretty sure you know what is going in Haiti right now. If not, well there was an earthquake and several aftershocks that have been hitting and testing Haiti's strength. So as support, on Jan. 14, Mr. Cee along with Brooklyn's own DJ Stakz played one full hour of Kompa and Zouk music. Mind you, this has never been done, like ever. For any of you who did get a chance to hear, it was truly an amazing and uplifting experience for Haitians all over the world (like me). Hopefully, the world can now listen and appreciate our beautiful music and hopefully Hot 97 will do this more often and not only play Haitian music but music from all over the world from the Middle East to Europe to Asia. So, if any of you guys didn't get a chance to, or just simply want to relive the moment, you can find the tribute on Hot 97 and download it there or you can click the below links and download it from usershare.
A ceramic statue of a cow stands tall. The shot is black and white, and the music is reminiscent of a Gone With the Wind soundtrack. The slaughterhouse film is "thematically dark, [but] is aesthetically and cinematically poetic and beautiful." A perfect way to describe Trang Chau's design aesthetic. As a result, Chau chose to name her California based clothing line after the George Franju film, Le Sang Des Betes.
Chau had a love for fashion and design from an early age, "I remember when I was 12, tracing and cutting images of models out of fashion magazines and making paper dresses for them. I didn't professionally begin designing until college."
Her first line was a collaboration with a friend friend four years ago. We are Lucid Dreams was purely couture, but ended when she began the ready-to-wear line she has today. Trang says none of the pieces created for Le Sang des Betes, which translates to 'blood of the beasts', are her favorites; and anyone could tell.
While clicking through the catalog for the Spring 2009 collection, Swarm, I was astonished by the amount of detail and obvious thought put into the design. Filled with pale peach, grey, navy and royal blue, the line is cohesive and plays well into its title. The classic silhouettes are made modern with small construction changes, such as the addition of butter-knife pleats to bubble skirts. The ruffled sleeves added to the shift dress gives a sense of freedom and originality to a shape that has been used time and time again. What would have been a buttoned cap sleeved tee is now
a vest due to the drop of the sleeves to the underarm position, bringing uniqueness to a normal summer outfit. In all honesty, an onlooker would have a hard time picking a favorite as well.
"My interests in different visual media act only as starting points of inspiration in my design process. I rarely incorporate ideas from these genres directly as I'd rather reinterpret them from my own perspective." she explains.
Citing 19th century Gothic literature and filmmakers, including Rainer Fassbinder and David Cronenberg as inspiration on her site, Chau is skilled in recreating the aesthetics found within visual mediums. This is a skill I'm sure will continue to be her best asset as a young designer.
Chau hopes her line can be successful in the years to come, possibly adding menswear and a future plan for expanding to furniture design. At the moment, her dreams are coming true. Having publications such as W
WD and Nylon frequently feature the designer and her collections have helped to spread her line, which she explains is very important to her as a designer.
"[My day] is extremely busy! When you are still a young designer you have to balance the creativity with the business and that's a lot of work for anyone."
Though she considers herself an up and coming designer, she does give one piece of advice, to follow your gut instinct. A piece of advice I believe has helped her to become the lucid dream some are just beginning to believe in.
Hi Dolls, I know I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus, but I've been hella busy of course with good things. So winter skin can sometimes be a b*tch. Here are some tips to hydrate your skin getting and ridding your self of dry, chapped skin for the rest of the winter months
Femme Royale would like to wish everyone a belated but Happy New Year! Yay! Don't fear, we have not abandoned you. We have been hard at work preparing for what will be a very successful year, as you should to! Don't let the "mistakes" from 2009 hinder your growth in 2010. If anything those "mistakes" should encourage and promote your growth. I put "mistakes" in quotations only because I believe you should not see them as mistakes but as lessons. So get ready ladies and gentlemen, Femme Royale is going to take you on a journey. And trust me, you won't want to look back.
"It can happen to you: you’re out, drinking a PBR, minding your own… then you see that dirty and doe-eyed darling across the room, judging the party-thrower’s record collection. And you. Want. Them. Bad. Read on! To turn that lust in your heart into action in your pants.
STEP 1: Picking Your Prey.
If you’re into dudes, check for flannel, traditional wool ponchos from South America, and bike chains worn like a beauty pageant sash. That guy’s sensitive, and he lives close enough to bike.
Dig the ladies? Look for a bit of vanity among the Snoopy sweaters and grandma pants– a bustier or crop top means the apple of your eye embraces the ugly-is-hot ethos, but still wants to maintain the hot.
STEP 2: Dancing.
Kick Gloria Estefan to the curb. The rhythm can’t get you! Jerk your head like you’re getting whiplash, over and over. Stomp one bent foot, and let your middle try and figure out the rest. If your parter mirrors your moves, congratulations: you’re doing the hipster mating dance.
STEP 3: Let’s-Get-A-Drink-Conversation.
Order the worst whiskey. Then talk about your “passion,” like group sound massage, or found art sculpture. Ask if they’ve ever seen Bertrando: Story of An Algae Born Whistler. This film does not exist. If they say they’ve seen it, they want to bone you. If they say no, shame them. Shame = hipster pheromones.
STEP 4: Neuroses.
Share one. For example: “Sometimes I am so porous I feel all of the emotions of the room at once.” “I am incredibly rich, but will never do anything about it except feel guilty and wear dirty clothes.” “Sex makes me cry, because I hate intimacy, yet all I want is love.”
They’ll tell you one of theirs. Nice bonding!
STEP 5: Going home.
At this point, you should be primed for the kill. Here is your weapon: “Parties just make me feel so empty; it was amazing to have a real conversation with you. I think we’re heading out in the same direction– would you mind stopping at my place quickly? I’d really love to lend you, “How to Keep Your Dog A Liberal Vegan In A Conservative, Carnivorous World.”
Get ready for a night of almost-dextrous, totally self-conscious lovemaking!
P.S. Feel like you want some hipster camo before you go on the prowl? Throw on the Matty Top, to look fly and well-flanneled while stalking your desired."