Visionaire #56 Solar: cover by Ron Ethridge

Visionaire has done it again. In their latest issue #56, the magazine has gone Solar Interactive, marching to the sexy tune of harnessing green energy - already much discussed at the recent G8.

More an ode to the Sun than an eco-friendly, zero-carbon emission publication, the magazine uses an innovative printing technology (Photochromic Plastisol Inks or PHOT) to produce a publication that turns to glorious Techni-colour in the sunlight.

Peter Lindbergh

David Sims

The magazine encased in an all white embroidery slip-case, is a board-bound book of B&W photographic content, but take it outdoors and the black & white photographs come to life in colours under sunlight exposure. Some even reveal hidden images. Visionaire’s #56 collaborators Yoko Ono, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, M/M (Paris), David Sims etc have contibuted some awe-inspiring visuals. On the text front, it is usually fluffy or simply non-existent.

M/M (Paris)

Olaf Breuning

Actually this so-called latest technology is nothing new. For a decade now, PhotoChromic inks has been used to stunning effects in custom screen printing and in the advertising industries. Not unlike those novelty T-shirts so popular in the mid-90’s, where colourless ink magically came to life when it was exposed to UV light.

But at a time when Obama is pumping 78.6 billion dollars into the US clean energy industry, it is literally sexier and edgier than the fashion industry. Visionaire’s Sun Salutation pose could not have come at a speedier time.

It is arguably the most visionary (they don’t call themselves Visionaire for nothing) and the most talked-and-blogged about mag, but perhaps, also the least read magazine owing to its limited run - only up to 3000 copies per issue. The hefty price tag of 675USD per year for 4 issues certainly doesn’t help. Much sought-after collector’s issue like no.18 which came in its own Louis Vuitton portfolio commanded a price tag of  USD$5000.

W magazine calls it “couture version of a magazine”.

Expensive, exclusive, inaccessible, but still lusted after by so many. Sure sounds like couture to me.

P.S. you can thumb through Visionaire #56 at Page One and Kinokuniya bookstores. VMan and V, also put out by the same publishers, can be yours to keep at a friendlier price. Sunlight activation not included.

Image source: designscene.net & stylefrizz.com

Front Row makes a business out of dressing up its favourite people, and Tracy Philips & Valerie Wee are in our favourite group. Tracy, a name as recognisable as Zouk is synonymous with this country’s clubbing routine, needs no introduction. Val is a real trooper, it’s expected of cool people with cool jobs since she’s a copywriter at creative agency, Doodleroom. We invited them to tea and dress-up. The Brief? Disco Chicks go to high-tea. It was giggles.

Tracy and Val wear – (Left) Cosmic Wonder Light Source jacket; YoviaJogia metallic tights; Belt by A.P.C; Vivienne Westwood for MELISSA Ladydragon heels. (Right) green tulle top and inner dress by Pettifogr, Belt by A.P.C; Lime green scarf and floral tights stylist’s own, mint green Vivienne Westwood for MELISSA 3-strap flats. All available at Front Row

Midway through tea, the tête-à-tête inevitably went in the direction of “What’s Tracy Philips doing now?” In the week when it was announced that Tracy was leaving Zouk after10 years, it created a conversation fodder for many, even landing substantial inches of news coverage in the papers.

While the chat digressed several times to growing vegetable/herb allotments (Front Row’s interest), 10 workmen (she just moved house), and her ex-neighbour’s blooming cactus that perfumed the street, we finally found out what Tracy Philips is headed.

Tracy and Val wear – (Left) Demisemiquaver striped dress, green lacquer A.P.C bangle; pink lacquer A.P.C bangle; (Right) cotton shirting cum striped pullover top by Cosmic Wonder Light Source; Star necklace by Cosmic Wonder Light Source; iamwhoiam black layered skirt with coloured ropes; nude leggings with knee slits by U’tter. All available at Front Row

Rife with creativity and creation from what’s potentially a very exciting project, Tracy’s new thing is a social enterprise. That sort of took the bang out didn’t it, but wait! Not only will her new company, Sputnik Projects, manage, craft out programmes and curate a space in Orchard Road for young entrepreneurs and creatives, she’s also proposing engaging platforms in the form of retail, exhibitions, workshops, installations, bazaars, performing arts etc etc. If judging by her illustrious portfolio at Zouk (purposeful-while-seemingly-random-and-ridiculously-fun themed nights), this is a project that gives us high expectations of what’s to come. The way we understood it, Tracy’s going to take all the complaints you had as a suppressed, creative youth, whilst drunk and whinging on 1-for-1 whines about the lack of opportunity, and provide you and your lost creative youth a chance of a platform… funded. The Sputnik Project is slated to be up and running by June 2010.

Tracy and Val wear – (Left) Navy dress with asymmetrical drapes by United Bamboo; nude leggings welted knee slits by U’tter; necklace by Cosmic Wonder Light Source; (Right) Vermillion draped dress by United Bamboo; necklace by Cosmic Wonder Light Source; flora stockings stylist’s own. All available at Front Row

FR DAILY: What would be on your wish-list for Sputnik Projects?

Tracy: An affordable Art Fair. It will be an initiative to grow art appreciation and support local artists. Ranging from $50-$500

FR DAILY: Approve! I think alot of us are in a hole where we would love to own some art but can never really afford it. Budget is key. Who are your favourite local artists then?

Tracy: Xin (of Maki Squarepatch) and Melvin from Phunk Studio.

FR DAILY: Music for a revolution: what’s your guilty-pleasure song?

Tracy: I’m walking on Sunshine, KC and the Sunshine Band.

FR DAILY: Favourite labels.

Tracy: Margiela, Bernard Willhelm, Preen. The same few for many years already!

FR DAILY: Favourite street…

Tracy: I like the trees along Gilstead Road, where I used to live. There was a neighbour’s cactus that blooms every once in a while at midnight, and filled the whole street with a beautiful scent.

FR DAILY: Your thoughts on Front Row.. you know we have to ask.

Tracy: I think Front Row is great - charming in design, thoughtfully put together and carries great brands. And it’s genuine, not manufactured. I’m grateful it exists in Singapore so I don’t have to buy everything on-line. Most importantly, it stands for something, and it’s supportive of young local talent.

FR DAILY: << You see why Tracy’s one of our favourite people? Star.>>

FR DAILY: So what do you want to tell the World right now?

Tracy: one thing… I want to share one of my favourite quotes from Robert Frost: ‘I can sum up life in three simple words. It goes on.’

Credits:
Photography: Mark Lim
Styling: Front Row
Make-up: Joanna Koh
Hair: Oba (for Tracy), Akira (for Val) | Kizuki + LIM | 6221-6320

I am a firm believer that hot wax should only touch a person’s body if it came from a burning candle and strictly for the purpose of pleasure. This is why I was glad to hear that scientists developed IPL or Intense Pulse Light treatments which permanently spares one from unwelcome & unsightly hair and the drudgery and pain of shaving, threading & waxing. However, IPL treatments can be quite costly  and inconvenient because it requires repeated visits to the doctor for a span of several months and I for one am averse to the idea of parading my “hairy situation” to a doctor and his/her staff on a regular basis .

Now two new gadgets claim to provide permanent hair removal results similar to those achieved with IPL: The Silk’n SensEpil and Tria Laser Hair Removal system, both of which utilize medical-grade laser technology to zap away body hair permanently in the comfort and privacy of one’s home and at a price that is recession appropriate. (more…)

So what is worth hyperventilating over this late night?

According to WWD, the mass-market-yet-still-cool Japanese brand Uniqlo, has unveiled the name for the collection that has Jil Sander in charge. Called “+J”, the logo is true to the minimalist aesthetic of the legendary designer, who signed a “design consulting agreement” with the brand.

I’m really happy with the choice of font, a simple sans serif. I like that the design is applicable to both Jil Sander and Uniqlo — minimal for the former, basic for the latter, and functional yet stylish for both. I also like that it looks like a cheeky, happy, winking face — am pretty sure this collection will be bringing an unprecedented level euphoria for many (Jil Sander for $80!).  In fact, if the shirt that the logo sits on in the picture above is a prototype, I’m adding that to my To-Buy list now. Looks like the perfect white shirt, which is one of the perennially impossible things to find.

The +J collection will include men’s and women’s apparel, plus accessories, at Uniqlo flagship stores and the brand’s website. Here’s hoping Singapore’s on the list, because I’m pretty sure this hype will be worth it.

Also part of the Resuscitation project is WeatherMAN, a conceptual fashion magazine, which further expounds on the collaborative dialogue between Woods & Woods and its collaborators. Resulting output from Resuscitation project have been assembled into a series of fashion spreads and features from contributors such as WORK, illustrator/photographer Liu Xuan, photographers - Mark Lim and Ivanho Harlim & Shysilia Novita, fashion critic and journalist Hywel Davis, and visual artist Lizzy Oppenheimer. Designed by 2many designers and published by Basheer Graphic Books.

Photographed by Ivanho Harlim & Shysilia Novita; Clothes: Woods & Woods Man, Shoes by Dr. Martens

www.ivanhoharlim.com

one of my favourite looks in Weatherman; shot by Ivanho Harlim & Shysilia Novita

We’ve taken notice of photographer Mark Lim’s work for a while now. A pedigree from Parsons School of Design with a BFA in photography, Mark now lives and works in Singapore. He has contributed a few spreads to WeatherMAN. More of his fashion work can be seen on his website, along with some really nice urbanscape patterns. He seems to favours moody, textural contrasts… Last we saw him, he had the most delightful mustache, not unlike Poirot’s pomade-perfect tache. He should be at the Woods&Woods show tomorrow, will update on its progress.

www.marklimphotography.com

Photographed by Mark Lim; clothes by Woods&Woods X WORK

"Lookback" photographed by Mark Lim; clothes by Charlotte Wang (one of the 6 new designers who re-used clothes to recreate a new collection)

Clothes: (Left) by Mae Pang, (Right) by Sunny Lim

Front Row in WeatherMAN. Front Row has a contribution in there and loves it.

Here's another that Mark took for Front Row

The mood of the Front Row ad is spot on. Everything that we wanted to say or meant to translate visually has been said. A friend of ours that we showed the initial ad images to was particulary impressed by the model’s hair and the ad’s colour composition. The hair was done by the good folks of Toni & Guy, you know they’re mavericks you can count on. They just get it. They get what you want.

Credits:

Photography: Mark Lim

Make-up: Joanna Koh

Hair: Toni&Guy

WeatherMAN is available for sale from 2-8 July 2009 @ 72-13, and thereafter at Front Row & Basheer bookstores.

A week long exhibition at 72-13, creative-in-residence of the arts space, Woods & Woods, have put out a 3 part exhibition comprising of “The Shop” Installation (a Shop-as-Installation in collaboration with Thesus Chan from WORK), “Look back away from the glare” (a photography/video installation exhibition of 6 new fashion designers who have reworked used clothing into a collection), “The Show Representation” ( an invite-only live-fashion presentation of Woods & Woods A/W 09-10 collection), as well as “The Showroom Exhibition” ( a press showroom doubling as exhibition, by invite only.)

The set-design for The shop installation, a work in collaboration with Thesus Chan from WORK

“The Shop” Installation features an actual shop as an installation piece itself. The Wardrobe installation is comprised of shelves and closet space in a cluster of oddly-sized and awkwardly-angled cupboards. A plywood nest that is outfitted with some really, really nice menswear pieces from Woods & Woods X WORK. The devil is in the details, and we have the photos to prove it. Best of all, these pieces are for sale. You can literally buy them out of their exhibition confinements… (stockist details are yet to be announced, but we are very excited…).

Resuscitation presented by 72-13/ Theatreworks, 2-8 July 2009 | 72-13 Mohd Sultan Road, Space 1& 3.

Woods & Woods A/W09 “Stranger than Fiction”, 8 July 2009 | 72-13 Mohd Sultan Road, Space 2. By Invitation only.

I can’t believe I only just stumbled upon this on DigitalDazed (written by Susie Bubble).

I think that’s a rather square Anna Wintour sitting in the audience. Can’t tell if it’s Hilary Alexander or Anna actually.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Lego Sunnies

Source: dazeddigital.com

Lego for a sponsor - genius!  The Lego fashion presentation and sunnies are sponsorship reciprocity at its best. P.S: the video is old, but the sunnies have just been launched.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac - totally forgot about him. His madcapped designs were lauded in the late ’70s and ’80s. Back in fashion school, I remember flipping very quickly past his runway pictures in Leng Peng distributed  fashion magazines like Gap Press, never giving much thought to his shows as they were simply too much (then). Mind, this was a time when fashion was on the wane from 80’s excess to 90’s austere minimalism, and everything non-utilitarian/minimalistic, or non-deconstructed was considered in bad taste and passe. We were on the rush to herald in the Millennium and Y2K, and thought the future was going to be as Surface and Wallpaper* magazine suggested. Sort of like a rehash of 60’s futuristic fashion movement without the plastic and white PVC. Ridiculous to think about it now. Can’t believe I almost missed JC/DC again.

JC de Castelbajac S/S09

Here’s a designer whose career has spanned four decades, He has designed for Farah Fawcett in Charlie’s Angels, made “tribute” dresses to Mickey Mouse/Pokemon, gave a coat of teddy bears to Madonna to wear, AND counts the late John Pope II as a client! Amazing. A quick reminder’s search turned up an old article from IQONS on JC/DC that makes for a fascinating read:

The most amazing adventure of JC/DC’s life so far was when he was asked to dress 5,000 priests, 500 bishops and the Pope for their visit in Paris. The theme of the collection was the rainbow based on the story of Noah and the arc. God spoke to Noah (more…)