Paris Post-It Wars

Reason no. 800 why Paris is so brilliant.  August has been dominated by offices out post-it-ing each other.  Full story at the Guardian, pictures from PostItWar.com.



My Little Pony Hair

BLEACH London, hair mecca for the undone hipster, has long been credited with the massive trend of grungey, washed out hair colour in interesting shades.

Hair in pastel colours has been around for ages, the My Little Pony Hair tumblr has a collection of some of the best examples.

Since Gaga went turquoise earlier this month, expect rainbow hair to spread from the sinks of hipsters and emos to the mainstream in a semi-big way soon.  

N.B. It's important to add that the grey outfit she's wearing in this picture is by recent Birmingham City University graduate Rebecca Short, who sent the dress to the popstar's stylist at this year's Graduate Fashion Week in London.  Well done Rebecca! 

Below is a tumblry style picture of my own barnet.  I've been growing my roots out since December so applied Directions semi permanent conditioning hair paint in Alpine Green to the previously bleached half of my hair.  It's a vibrant green at first but as it's semi-permanent, there is the added benefit of getting a slightly different shade after every wash.  This is 4 weeks worth of washing out. 



3's a Trend Tuesday: NON-BORING SNAKES

Rule 1 of trend forecasting: if you see something 3 times in different places/contexts within a small timeframe... it's a trend.  Today my eyes have been bombarded with snakes.  By bombarded, I mean thrice + a Twitter post someone had written about a cobra being nature's version of what happens when you chew your straw at one end. 

Apparently the Skoda ad is old but I only saw it today because it's running on channel 5.  The last time I saw 5 was er, when the Spice Girls launched it in 1997.  5 of course is the new home of Big Brother, where TV gold is being made with narrative such as:-

"It's been 34 minutes since one of the Jedwards gave Amy Childs a wedgie."  Amazing.

Anyway, we're not talking about boring snakes; they're being depicted as clever, dynamic animals rather than the one-dimensional "Oh look I'm a sexy clutch bag on the end of a bimbo" context we've all grown to associate with snakeskin. 

Snakes as the Skoda car engine from the Fabia 'Made of Meaner Stuff' advertising campaign.

Snakes in an excellent music video set in a cult church. Chapel Club - Surfacing.




An albino on a nail blog.  I thought about this for too long.

The Skoda ad reminded me of Iris Van Herpen's snake A/W 2012 Paris couture collection.  The designer previously interned at Alexander McQueen so those references are clear, but it's also got a touch of the Gareth Pugh's, should he ever venture into squiggles. 

Amongst my circle it is an unspoken understanding that clutchbags are for idiots who aren't planning on having any fun at all, zzzzz!  Fingers crossed, the prospect of a great big rucksack made of creepy, pipey, eel-y snakes over the pretty snakeskin clutch is infinitely more exciting.

P.S

If I'd read this I'd have ignored the snakes and been straight, "SHIT YEAH, I remember when Spice Girls launched 5; that wanky song with the circles" then straight to YouTube.   If you're half the loser I am, here it is to save you the bother, at least you're spared the humiliation of physically typing out your lowest point.  You might be surprised this time round to find that the orange mounds have giant nipples.  Enjoy!

- HW

Big Dipper Wax Works Sustainable Candles





Cool candles from Big Dipper Wax Works.  Designs are molded in-house from 100% pure beeswax and can be bought online for between $8 (£5) for a bird to $30 (£18) for the genius instant camera.  Due to the delicate nature of the process, there is always risk of minor imperfections, so slight seconds are available for up to 75% off the original price; a clever way for the company to reduce waste and profit loss. 

Beeswax has the sustainable and environmentally friendly benefits of a longer burn time than other waxes, being non-drip and smokeless, and unlike parrafin candles, has a  clean non-toxic burn which purifies the air. 

Other green businesses would do well to copy the Big Dipper's business model; unique design and meticulous attention to detail comes first, coupled with the feel-good sustainability aspect, sharp packaging, and reasonable price points which eco-conscious consumers have now come to expect. 

Instant Camera Candle - $30 (£18) 

Transistor Radio Candle - $17.50 (£10.50) 

Sculpted Sphere Candles $19.50 (£12)

- HW

A Collection of Warped Videos

Kong are playing a free gig at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch on Saturday. This reminded me how warped their 'Ribbons' video was.  And then I realised that all of the videos I'm overwatching at the minute are quite warped.

Kong - 'Ribbons'



Ben Wheele - 'The Tropical Cake Boutique'
Ben Wheele's 'Decoration' animation at the recent RCA graduate show was very, very, good. One to keep an eye on.



Tom Rubnitz - 'Pickle Surprise'
From the late 80's, the visuals and styling are - and I don't use this word sparingly - AMAZING. "Repeat my mantra... "Ha-mmm. Hammmmmmmm. Heeyum!"



God Damn - 'In Heaven'
Thrashy boys in Marie Antoinette wigs eating chicken - ticks a lot of boxes.  They've promised to let me help with styling on the next one which I already know will be incredible.



David Lynch - 'In Heaven' from Eraserhead
The original mutton-chopped lady in the radiator.  Do not watch before bed time.



- HW

RCA Show 2011: Birgit Marie Schmidt

Nostalgic, timeless, thought provoking jewellery with a story.  Combining childhood memories with incredible craftmanship to make entwined gold horse pieces, the 'I Can't Seem to Get Rid of the Horses' series is beautiful.  An equine knuckleduster?  Swoon. 

Birgit Marie Schmidt's profile on the RCA website, where she recently graduated from the MA Goldsmithing course, gives the following narrative:

And when she turned around she saw that the horses kept walking back towards her. Tall horses and small horses, fair ones and dark ones. She tried to chase them off. Day after day, year after year. ‘Quick, quick. Run!’ It just didn’t feel right for them to be so close. But they still returned every morning and every night, quietly whispering poems in her ear in a language she didn’t understand. But my dear, these words were ravishing. And she kept thinking, ‘Do they hold on to me, or do I hold on to them?’




- HW