From the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Chat Cinema interviews the creative team of the Award Winning film Pebbles. Director Vinothraq’s story inspires the spirit.
Part 1 of 2. Click the link.
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of the interview.
While going over looks from Tokyo Fashion Week I came across Fashion Designer Apocrypha. The color combinations and lace materials grabbed my attention. I sent him an email. Happily, Creative Head Reiji Harimoto responded to grant Black and Paper an interview.
It has several meanings. First, the white must be a standard color in the style of the historical background, imagined the situation in Europe during the regent era. Second, this collection is inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s collection of poems. It only has the information of black ink visually dropped on white paper. However, there are an infinite number of colors that can be imagined from that information. Black ink on paper is generally colored by subtractive mixing, but by reading this as letters, one can imagine a scene that is colored by additive mixing from a dark state with nothing in the head. In this collection, white is the imagination of color, which is the basis of subtractive mixing. His poems are colored based on the experience of the reader, who must have fallen in love once.
Lace is more of a feminine material but you have incorporated the material in the menswear looks, why?
I think Baudelaire’s poetry is an objective and abstract depiction of Baudelaire’s own life, which always depends on women. I also wanted to express such a view of the world. It may be “feminine” by being worn by women. However, when men wear it, it has some kind of matured ”masculinity”. Maybe I wanted to get rid of the peculiarity. Also, during the time of George Brian Brummell’s life, which is the origin of “Dandy”, the way of life of Baudelaire, mechanical lace knitting machines were born in England. It is a technology that has survived the Luddite movement and continues to evolve to the present day. Isn’t that too wasteful to categorize by gender?
What is the Gothic link to the Spring 21 designs?
The answer depends on what you mean by “Gothic” in the question. If I dare to answer in the first place, if you see this collection and feel the Gothic element, it is a scene that you can see from the background of the times, as answered in the first question. If so, I think I have succeeded in expressing my most important “collection should be a literary art drawn with clothes”.
Are you making a gender statement about modern fashion?
In Japan, it seems that gender controversy is often going in the wrong direction. For example, regarding feminism, misandry ideas are strongly felt, and relatively aggressive claims are becoming mainstream in SNS and social media. Many are neither calm nor academic. I don’t think it is desirable to have a conflict with a principle. Also, there are many women with strong social status around me in the fashion industry. When I listen to their opinions, I think that the stronger those claims are, the more isolated they are, and the more the conflict of principles is just creating a groove. I think the same can be said from liberalism and other ideas. That’s why I wanted to create a categorized creation.
Where would a guy wear your pieces?
The image of a man I imagine exists in a twilight space between morning and night at dawn, between daily and extraordinary. It’s just an imagination, and in reality, I’d like you to put it into your own identity and wear it as your own in every scene of everyday life. Because the person who wears it in every scene is the main character. If you’re in Hollywood and your main character is a profession, maybe it’s only when you’re on the red carpet.
I noticed the A/W collection was oversized with layers combined with streetwear style, what influenced this?
Reproduced relatively faithfully to the historical background. I create all the patterns myself, so every season there is a theme in pattern making as well as design. In the theme of the collection, we analyze the social situation and trends of the historical background and calculate back from the one at that time to create a pattern. You cannot create an atmosphere that feels “somehow” just by adding details to the existing body. This is also the theme of life, which is always in conflict between commercial design and authorship.
Stay Tuned for Before Tacky Podcast. Interviews with Fashion Professionals.
Look out for our features on these films unspooling at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Click on a link to enjoy a preview.
Chat Cinema Podcast with the film’s directors coming soon.
This is the first time I covered the the International Film Festival Rotterdam. I must admit, the Dutch event unspools films selected for being different or striking instead of political. As a cinema enthusiasts, I decided to have a more open mind perspective to filmmakers, learn new cinematic languages. Story telling that ventures into new narratives. So far, I have not been disappointed. The global filmmakers showing at the festival have produced some striking features.
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the IFFR.
On my first day I managed to watch 3 films and 4 shorts. Not bad!
Stay tuned for coverage, features and reviews.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam runs from Feb 1st to 7th.
Recently, there have been headlines concerning a Variety film critic making waves about his review of a Carey Mulligan performance. The Chat Cinema team had a discussion on this topic. Self censorship has become the new norm. How can critics write an honest review in the present environment? Should we allow this? Where will it lead? Are actors too thinned skinned?
Four more fashion brands from Paris Fashion Week Couture we liked.
TISK! TISK! Trump, the Political Foil is gone along with his spotlight antics. No longer do we have those off the cuff Tweets taking over the global front pages. The distractions were laughable yet made many feel safe and superior. But today is a different time. Suddenly, many leaders look shoddy at best, mediocre handling of a crisis without end.
The EU is now finger pointing at everyone for their Corona Virus actions. See AstraZeneca headlines. Chancellor Merkel’s puffy, exhausted face looks as if she has not slept in a week. President Macron has pulled another vanishing act, while EU head Von Der Leyen is in the “blame anyone with a pulse” mode for the blocs on going Virus Vaccine disaster.
Meanwhile, The Netherlands is on the edge after 3 nights of Covid Riots. Hundreds have been arrested, with city mayors declaring the country could be headed for civil war.
At least Prime Minister Johnson apologized for his government’s failures. It may not be enough to save him from voter’s wrath.
Spain ran out of vaccines. Portugal is asking for international help. In China, there is a new outbreak possibly forcing millions back into quarantine.
The Democratic Party hopes platitudes and announcements will cover up the reality of “they have no real plan.” California Democratic Governor Newsom wants to reopen the state. Newsroom’s new business as usual approach in the middle of new more aggressive home grown Covid strain makes sense only to a man saying a pray over and over again in his head.
Newly elected President Biden claims 100 million could be vaccinated by the fall. There is no real structure in place for such an operation. Good intentions can only paper over leadership failings for so long.
We may not have liked Donald, despised him. But without his headlines to distract us, focusing on today’s headlines and leaders is alarming.
For some reason, today, I think a lot country heads miss President Trump. If I were their shoes, I would.
Day two of Paris Fashion Week Couture, here are four we like.
Stay tuned for more coverage on the designs, designers and collections.
Highlights from the first day of Paris Haute Couture Week. Over the next few days check back for more details. But meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the creative power of these looks.
The Chat Cinema podcast episode discusses the latest big titles from the streaming services. These shows and a movie have taken the world by storm. Is the hype deserved? One says “yes” while the other cohost is not 100% convinced. You decide.
Click below to see the episode.