Sarah Moon

Greetings Folks!  Today is February the 29th - leap year! Technically. according to popular legend, today is the only day in the year on which a woman is allowed to propose to a man... I think, in my case, if I wish to do this, I might leave it another two, three or four leap years. :) When I was a small child at the beginning of primary school, I used to hate February for the odd day number. Aged four, ot was bad enough learning the days in all twelve of the months going, "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one save... February..." and then I would go wrong.

Oh, did you know, on this day in History, in 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-America to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in 'Gone with the Wind'

Anyway, today I am going to do a brief 'thing' (so to speak) on the photographer, Sarah Moon.

She was born, Marielle Hadengue (since she is of French Origin) in England in 1940.  She studied drawing in an Art School and, by 1960, was a recognised model. In 1966, she switched to being behind the camera. 

Her work was noticed at the Modinsolite Exhibition of Avant-Garde Fashion Photography, Delpire Gallery, in Paris in 1968.  Sarah Moon became known for her impressionistic style -  Her work is noted for a sort of softness, a vagueness that's suggestive of the impressionist painters. Though, apparently this came quite naturally since she, like myself in fact, is short-sighted (myopia) I will not say that this is the only reason for vagueness, but it could easily be contributing. After all, when describing the world with my glasses off, the easiest way I have found to do so is saying that everything simply looks like a Monet, though maybe not that bad.

She photographed for Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar (Great Britain), Marie-Claire and other magazines.

 In 1968, Sarah Moon introduced soft-focus visions or illusions as personifications of new fashions with a turn-of-the-century silhouette (on a side note, a silhouette which I am personally fond of)

Her work generates a sense of mystery.  For example, this photo:

<<< 'Pour Madame Figaro'

There is a certain essence of fancy, luxury and, maybe more to the point, melancholia or simple nostalgia manifested in her pictures.  Another point to her photography was her use of distressed prints to give her photos a feeling of age.

The same fancy and almost melancholia, is also clear in Moon's interpretations of Fairytales. For example, in 1985, she gave a personal interpretation to Little Red Riding Hood by directing adult models in sequences.  Another example is her most recent exhibition which looks at the story of The Little Match Girl.

Since 1980, Moon has made hundreds of photos and adverts for  a diverse range of brands.  She has also done regular fashion campaigns for Cacharel. 

In 1990, she was an honored guest at the Fashion Festival of Budapest (which I need to find out about. I have never actually heard of it, and I like knowing things)

 In 1992, Sarah Moon had a solo exhibition at the Staley-Wise Gallery, in New York.

Oh, and taking a step back down my slightly warped tineline, she also received the International Center of Photography Award for Fashion Photography in New York in 1983.

<<< I love this photo. It is a lot more modern than it looks and I really like the use of distressed print to create this charming effect. It looks like a photo taken in the 1920s. Though, on the other hand, it does have a feeling of timelessness to it. I adore the hat, and think the expression on the model's half-concealed face is beautiful in capturing the feeling of the picture. The pearl earring also draws a perfect amount of light into the picture as well.

"I believe that if I didn't work in commercial photography, I would never work in colour. I don't really like colour. To make it work for me, I have to mess with it." Sarah Moon

 "What I aim at is an image with a minimum of information and markers, that has no reference to a given time or place, but that nevertheless speaks to me, that evokes something which happened just before or may happen just after."

On a last note, in honour of Davy Jones who died this morning of a heart attack, aged sixty-six, I am going to include a song by 'The Monkees' in this post (Though I honestly only know two Monkees songs) I hope you enjoy.

Thank you for reading. Please comment and do follow!

Saturday Musings

Greetings folks! Having spent a day doing what feels like a lot, all of which is generally useless, I am resolved to come and post something on my blog.
This morning, I was from half past nine until three o'clock at my Drama Club where I managed to drive myself hoarse for a moment or two while trying to be sufficiently angry for one of my pieces, realised my skirt was a little too short for dancing and failed at mimicking a south african accent.

Having returned home in one piece, I proceeded to emptying the fridge and making my way through a collection of Powell and Pressburger films while simultaneously working on the actual script for one of the plays I am writing (Result! After months of writing out my detailed plan, I have finally gotten down to the actual script: stage directions, semi-witty comments and all. Take that Procastination!)

^^^ The above expression is one I have very much experience of, especially during Mathematics Tests and when being asked what my phone number is.  

So... Powell and Pressburger? Honestly brilliant, though I have not let myself watch more than two of the films since I do not actually wish to have finished the whole boxset of eleven films by the end of this weekend. So far, I have 'A matter of Life and Death' and 'Black Narcissus' under my belt, and I think both are really beautiful. 'Black Narcissus' involves nuns going mad, and 'A matter of Life and Death' involved heaven, WW2 pilots, switches between b&w and technicolour before ending with a quote from Sir Walter Scott. What more could you want?

"In peace, Love tunes the shepherd's reed;
In war, he mounts the warrior's steed;
In halls, in gay attire is seen;
In hamlets, dances on the green.
Love rules the court, the camp, the grove,
And men below, and saints above;
For Love is heaven, and heaven is Love."

 Onto my outfit for the day. Here I have donned a coat thrifted from ebay and originally bought fot £3, my sister's skirt from John Lewis, a white blouse bought in France at Monoprix while I was in Fontainebleau visiting family. I am not sure how this sort of brooch is called, although I am quite sure it has a specific name. The hair and face are my own.

Underneath the coat, I actually have a jacket of practically the same sort of colour, so you do not notice it  very well apart from in the last photo where I had taken off my coat.

The satchel is a new find of mine, bought while I was in Cambridge last week, and from the Cambridge Satchel Company, which do gorgeous satchels like this in every colour - classical black and brown as well as metallic and fluorescent.

They are not very cheap, but made in Britain out of leather and, by the looks of things, hardwearing and quite practical. I believe they come in two sizes, 13" and 11" though to metric people like myself, that basically means the bigger one and the smaller one.

The weather has actually been rather mild this past week, especially in comparison to the beginning of the week, otherwise I would not have worn something so light. There is very little I detest more than being cold.

 Having now ruled out watching any more powell and pressburger films, I have been spending the last hour playing at being Nostalgic on Youtube, including playing certain artists repeatedly: Juliette Greco, Suzanne Vega, Louis Armstrong and the usual songs from musicals. I shall just post two of these videos. I think they are both particularly poignant, and it was the sort of music I was in the mood to listen to.

 

"Si tu t'imagines..."



Thank you for reading my Saturday Musings, which should probably have been named my 'Saturday Ramblings'

Do leave a comment, and please follow. :)

I was dreaming of sparkling red gowns...

Greetings! Fresh from watching 'You Can't Take It With You' with James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore and Jean Arthur, directed by Frank Capra, and feeling stupidly happy. I am going to buy a harmonica.

On that note, do any of you remember way back to the 8th February and the beginning of New York Fashion Week, debuting with the Heart Truth's Red Dress Fashion Show? (The Heart Truth Campaign has as goal to raise awareness of women’s heart health educational programs)
Well, whether you do or do not, or have never heard or come across this in your life, feast your eyes on Minka Kelly in this glittering Diane von Furstenberg Dress.
I had not realised it at the time, but this picture had fed a growing seed, at the time still subconscious. However, it has now come to the point that I am not simply randomnly daydreaming of sparkling red gowns... I am obsessing over perhaps eventually owning one.

So we all know what red symbolises. We know when looking at a tap that the red is hot. It is the colour most widely chosen by extroverts and can mean temper or anger. In China, on the other hand, red is the colour of happiness and prosperity, which is why brides wear red and doors are often painted red.  

Red is the color of blood, which in turn symbolises life and vitality. Oh, and red is also the colour of passion, love and lust.

There you go. Although I know it is impractical and well, there may be connotations, I am still going to state quite clearly "I want a floor-length sparkling red gown!"

After all, they look like they can be a lot of fun - as these fantastic videos prove:

Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac in 'Les Demoiselles de Rochefort' - an absolutely beautiful film, beautifully shot and not one to be missed. Watch it in English if you must, but it is better in French.

In terms of the dresses, this shows a different option. Without sleeves and thigh-high slit at the side... which could easily be adapted as a a three-inch-above-the-knee-high slit for practicality. :)

"Chantez la vie!

Chantez la pluie!

Chantez le soleil!

Chantez les villes et les champs!"

 

 

Of course, where would the world of sparkling red dresses be without the inimitable Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe? We're just two little girls from little rock... and although this film (Gentlemen prefer blondes) has a much more famous number in the form of Marilyn Monroe singing 'Diamond's are a girls best friend' (Which I love too!) for some reason it has always been this one that has tune which I hum obsessively for a couple of days everytime I see it.

And because I wanted to show even more variety, I included the wonderful Jessica Rabbit. Though this is the point when this dress is a cartoon and therefore serves to illustrate a point about the character and, in doing so, about sparkling red dresses. A point I will probably consider if ever I get the chance to buy a sparkly red gown... well, for a moment or two. My Brother might not be happy of course, but it takes a lot to keep him happy.

On a last note, it might - after all - be this wonderful photo of Graham Norton in a London Production of 'La Cage aux Folles' that really set me off. I think that is the most likely explanation.

....

(To clear up any possible misunderstandings, I do want to make sure that everyone knows that was a joke. I don't mean the fact that Graham Norton looks surprisingly at home in a sparkly red dress, but the fact it was my prime inspiration. In all honesty, it was probably fourth on the list of inspiration)

Well, thank you for reading and apologies for the minimal amount of writing accompanying this post. I need to go and I am too tired out to think of anything witty to say.

Comment and do follow if you like.

Ciao!