Love, soft as an easy chair ....

It started with this ...

Seeing as I'm in a post-Christmas holiday mode, and kinda broke, I've not been out much since my return. I came back a bit traumatised by the festive season back home, and have decided to stay in and be a bit proactive about the job thing, spending most of my day sending out CV's, even if down deep inside I know that little will come out of it. Honestly. Good as everyone says it is, my CV has never lead to one single job. But I won't not go down that route... things have a way of falling into place, and I'm making sure they will. Nothing, but NOTHING is going to make me leave this city.

But what has that got to do with the 'A Star is Born' poster pasted above? Well nothing really, except for the fact that being home alone usually brings about the digging out of some long forgotten album or other (I say 'digging out an album', but what I really mean is looking into the mother of all musical hard drives and copying music which was created way before mp3s were ever dreamt of onto my iTunes), and only a few hours ago that album happened to be the soundtrack to one of my big growing-up movies, which I've had playing on a loop since. Right now, as La Streisand sings in the background of lethal black widows, I can just see myself as a nine or ten year old, waiting for his parents to leave the house so that I could put the (real) record on to what then used to be called a 'three-in-one' and singing my heart out to every single one of Esther Hoffman Howard's (Babs' character) songs. Gay? Moi? No kidding!!

There's a story to this. As a child, one of the highlights of my Saturday morning was going to the KRS offices on Zachary Street in Valletta (they were - and still are - the island's main film distributors) to look at posters of forthcoming movies. Whilst the cinemas displayed posters for current and pending releases, KRS would have the ones for films that would have been released a couple of months later. It kept me ahead of the game, you see, so since very few people knew about it, I could boast to all my friends that I'd already seen the poster for the big, upcoming movie ... not that any of them cared. But still, it made me feel smug and up-to-date ... ahead even. I really must have been a nightmare of a child!

Anyway, when I saw this poster, it was a case of love at first sight: a massive, jam packed stadium, topped  by a Francesco Scavullo (this I found out later) shot of  Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand, naked, looking into each other's eyes ... in sepia tones. Jesus did it blow my mind!

Within a week or so, I had bought the LP - that's a Long Play for those who were born in the days of CD - well, it was more of a case of "Mummy, mummy, you have to buy it for me!!"-  and knew all of the lyrics to Babs' songs by heart. I was good like that as a kid. Our then next door neighbour, who was like a second mother to me, always reminds me that I knew all the lyrics to Evita by heart age 7 or 8. Again, me gay??

When the film did finally make it to the screens, it was "Mummy, mummy, I want to go see it", which of course created a bit of a drama. The film was classified suitable for those over the age of sixteen and all my mother's friends advised her not to take me. But I was crafty. Having already been taken to see 'Hello Dolly' and 'Funny Girl', I pulled out the 'But you like Barbra Streisand' card, putting the onus on her. Being the angel then that she still is, she took no heed of her friends' warnings of eternal damntation if she took me to see it, and did. It was a Saturday afternoon, I remember that, and she took me only on the premise that I wouldn't tell anyone she'd taken me. Bless her!

Don't ask me how she got me into the cinema (it was the Embassy in Valletta) - she must have said that she didn't have anyone to leave me with or something like that - but she did, and it was heaven. The outfits (Barbra's white suit, her Navajo poncho, the baby's breathe in her hair), the music, the candle lit bubble bath, the everything ... oh, and probably, I must add, the hunk of man that was Kris Kristofferson, though I have to say, I don''t remember any particular, ehrm, shall we call them 'stirrings' then.

Anyway, it was all hunky dory throughout most of the film, until the unimaginable happened. The couple argued and KK drove off into his jeep, never to return again. That's the last Esther ( gets to see of him, with so much unsaid. Next thing I know, she's in her white suit, bathed in red light, singing his songs, tears rolling down her cheeks ... and even more on mine. You see I was a bit of a cry baby as a child, and would cry at anything, including the opening sequence of 'Little House on the Prairie' (because of the episode in which they had a baby brother who died).

And so my poor mother took me home all red-eyed and still sobbing (honest) only to find my father there, who of course wanted to know what the hell it was it was that had reduced me to that blubbering state. It seems like I wasn't very good at keeping promises then, (I'm a lot better now) because I proceeded to explain the whole film to him, landing my poor mother into a bit of a situation.

Needless to say, she was not very amused!

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!

After a week of too much food, drink and lazing about on the sofa feeling as if I'm about to give birth to overweight sextuplets, I'm back in Barcelona. All will return to normal within a few hours, once I've gotten into the groove of being back home. Bliss!

This Time, It's Sack The Make-Up Artist

Nicole has a powder problem at the NYC premiere of Nine.

You would think that with her quality of skin, Nicole Kidman would be the least likely candidate for a Major Make-Up Fuckup, and yet there she was, on the red carpet for the premiere of Nine in New York earlier this week, looking like she'd just done a Scarface.

Madonna a la Magnani

Madonna for Dolce & Gabbana, ss 2010

Italian Vanity Fair has published a preview of Dolce & Gabban's ss2010 advertising campaign photographed by Stephen Klein, featuring Madonna - who the Dolce boys make no big secret of being huge fans of. It's all very Italain neo-realist cinema, with Madonna channelling Anna Magnani at the kitchen table, peeling tomatoes, eating pasta and washing dishes.

I like the campaign. It reminds me of their earlier ones with Steven Meisel starring Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Tony Ward in similar settings. As for M? Well, she looks a lot more real than she did in the Vuitton campaigns, though I'm sure the images have been touched up a tad. But, all in all, it gets a thumbs up from me.

This Year's Christmas Card

Happy Holidays!

This year's Christmas mail out comes courtesy of our friend Zahara who took this picture of our Christmas tree last Sunday.

Postcards from Barcelona

When Christian Schallert first came to Barcelona, he couldn’t find the kind of postcards that he wanted to send. So he started making his own. Seven years later, with not a hint of Gaudi, his postcards are available all over the city.

Wish you were here in ...

Two ladies take a stroll down the Rambla

JF:  Let’s get the basics out of the way, how long have you been in Barcelona, and how did you end up here?

CS:  On the 15th of January, I celebrate 7 years in this city. I can’t believe it! I always wanted to live close to the Mediterranean . The sea is far away from Austria, so from there it’s a big illusion, a holiday dream. I thought it would be great to not just have a holiday at a beach city, but actually work and live there … and I had an incredible desire to speak this sexy Spanish language!

JF: That’s understandable, the language was a big part of my love affair with Spain too. I loved it the minute I heard it. It’s such a  happy language, even when they’re saying something sad, it sounds funny.

CS:  Yes, and it’s direct and quite rough sometimes. But I love it. In Austria the woman in the bakery always asks politely: "How can I help you?" and "There we go, here’s your bread".  Here its "DIME!!!" or "TOMA".

 JF:  Yes. I still feel bad when picking up the phone and answering  “Si?”.  But on the other hand, I like that. It goes with the 'roughness' of the city.

CS:  If you want rough just go to the bocadillo stand at Encants market. It’s the roughest and most funny place: “Oye reina: que te pongo? Dime, chato….

 JF:  I have actually been there. For me it’s not that bad because it’s very similar to Malta, but coming from Austria .. .That’s different!

CS:  Oh yes! Austria is very clean cut. Especially coming from a village of 8,000 inhabitants. There is not so much surprise. There it’s all about working, working, working … and building a house, getting married, having kids. And of course, the dog! I am different. I realized that after finishing my studies in Austria when I was 23. Then I got an opportunity  to work for Sesame Street in New York …. and that was the beginning of the rest of my life! Big city, crazy people, adventure, lifestyle …

JF:  Wow! You worked on Sesame Street!! What did you do?

I wasn’t Big Beard, no. I worked in marketing and merchandising. Basically I corrected designs from producers of toys, textile or even shower curtains. I had to tell them which Pantone colour to use for Ernie’s orange head. Or I had to be sure the size of Cookie Monsters mouth is big enough.  It was fun work. But I was actually more excited about my time outside the office. Strolling around in the streets of the Big Apple, brunch in the East Village and dancing in Alphabet City. 

JF:  So it doesn’t look like there’s much chance of you moving back to Austria?

CS:  I admire Austria. I grew up next to mountains, near Lake Constance. My family is brilliant. They run a successful pastry house and ice cream parlour. I love visiting and eating like a crazy bastard. But I am more of a city person, and my Austrian village is too “classy”. So, no, I am not planning to move back in a looong time.

JF: Barcelona beats Austria then …

CF: Barcelona is a city for survivors. You either you make it or you leave it. It’s not a career city like London or New York. Even an art director of a big agency doesn’t make great money here. I had studied economics but didn’t want to focus on a career as a financial consultant or anything similar. Coming here straight from New York, I was inspired by art, design, photography, so I changed my focus from economy and jumped right into the art scene here, exhibitions, museums, courses, a degree in design at Elisava design school ….  I love to be creative, and very visual

JF:  Yeah,  Barcelona does that to you ... There's something about it that tends to kick off the creative bug. So is that how Urbarna come along?

CS:  I had the postcard idea when I wanted to tell my friends far away from where I lived now, how I was doing, how this city really is, how people live here. I always loved to send postcards because it’s a quick message - a sort of vintage SMS - but so much more personal and  stronger because you know that the person who is sending the postcard actually picked a special image, took time to writing something, stamped it and dumped it into a mailbox. I think it’s a big thing to receive a postcard. So anyway, I had problems to find a postcard here that reflected the city’s lifestyle … it was just the Sagrada Familia, or La Pedrera. So I picked up twelve of my favourite photos, went to a printer and printed 30.000 postcards so that the calculation of making some business with this works out (there we go, my economist skills being put to use!!!). I lived in a small room in a shared flat. My room was just full of postcards and no client yet.

Designer clad butts in Sitges 

 JF:  Did you think at that point, what the hell have I done?

 CS:  I believed in it. So I set up a stall at a little market at the Convento de San Agusti and presented my stuff "to the world". I had moments of doubts but the feedback of the people and friends was amazing and really motivating to move on!

JF:  It was a very good idea. I must say, whenever I did send postcards from here, it was always (unknowingly) yours I picked. They’re a lot more interesting that the usual Gaudi ones …

CS:  Wow. I love to hear that. It makes me really happy to get such great feedback …

JF:  Well they show Barcelona as it is ... warts and all

CS:  It’s the real Barcelona and not just this bubblegum design Barcelona

JF:  Exactly. Washing hanging out in the streets, that sort of thing

CS:  Yes. And menu cards with sun eaten, crazy photographs of the bocadillo menus just in front of the restaurant.  I think it’s so funny because it kills off any desire wanting to eat there. So anyway, I kept believing in the postcards, and went from one store to the other,  selling, selling, selling. It was really hard at some point. And I didn’t make much money in the beginning. But I went from a self-made wooden box as a postcard display, to floor and desk spinners and wall racks. And I started with my little bike, going from Montjuic to Parque Guell. Now I have a distributor, an employee, a motorbike and my own apartment. :  And I keep growing. Now I’m doing notebooks, T-shirts, street bags and beach bags, and I started in Mallorca and Madrid with the same concept

JF:  That’s not bad in seven years is it? How do you work? Do you set out with camera in hand looking out for things to photograph or is it more spontaneous?

CS:  I walk around with my camera a lot. I wish I had more time, but things have changed now. Often I have a very clear idea of what I want, and try to watch out for it. Let’s say I need a pic of pan con tomate in a tapas bar. So I check specific places and go crazy with the camera. But the best pics come along spontaneously. Special moments: two old ladies with their flowered dresses holding on to each other walking down Gran Via, boys showing off their fashion brand swimmers at the gay beach. Or a  sunburnt woman trying to achieve a leather tan. I love that shit

JF:  Do you find that now that the business has grown you have less time to do that?

CS:  Yes!!! 100 %. There was a time where I didn’t have time to be creative and productive in terms of taking pictures. But since I hired a person to do all the administration for me six months ago, I have more time to be creative, and that’s important. I need to be doing things constantly, and renovating. The competition doesn’t sleep. Since I launched, there’s about 7 new little postcard companies with a similar approach.

JF:  Is there a particular barrio that produces better images?

 CS: I love Barceloneta. It seems as if time stood still there

 JF:  Yes, and there are some wonderful characters. In fact I think the whole city is full of wonderful characters to photograph. Do people ever object to being photographed? I was in Santa Caterina market the other day and a guy kicked off a big fuss because someone took a picture of him

CS:  I have had problems sometimes, yes which is why I had stopped asking and just took pics. But I’ve learned my lesson because someone sued me for being on a postcard. A man from Madrid, on my Madrid postcards

 JF:  Oh no!

CS: Now, I have to deal with a lawyer and shit. I’ll see how I can get out of that one. But yes, I’ve learnt, so I prefer to ask from now on, and go run around with model releases and getting the papers signed

 JF: What a pain, everything has become so official now! Is there anything you dislike about being in BCN?

CS:  That you have to be patient. Very patient. And don’t expect things to happen when you want them to happen. You always have to add a couple more days and weeks to due dates and you are fine

 JF:  That's the first lesson I learnt! I moved here with a London frame of mind, and I was going crazy. I had to shed all of that. Mañana, mañana is a fact of life here, not a myth.

CS:  I also dislike false promises and major delays in payments. My Swiss friend Raphi always loves when he gets his money paid on time by his Swiss clients. And I’m struggling, and calling clients to remind them to pay...

JF:  We're running out of time of time here, so here’s a final question: What's the one place that foreigners visiting wouldn’t know about that you think they should absolutely see or do?

CS:  Here are some places and things that I love in this city: I think the Encants market is quite an experience. Delicious tapas at Bar Mut  on Pau Claris for very special occasions, lunch or dinner at Candela on Plaza Sant Pere; a walk up on Tibidabo; tennis on Montjuic with all the birds singing; Sitges in winter…. I think what’s most important is to not run around with a tourist map. To just keep discovering, and watch out for great music and dance events at the Apollo or the Mercat de les Flors.

View more of Christian Schallert’s work at www.urbarna.com and the webshop www.icecreamsocialweb.com

Shouldn't the menu make you want to eat? 

No Way, Hathaway

Hathaway, Callas, Cruz (from El Pais)

According to last Sunday's Observer it has been announced that there are 2 biopics of Maria Callas is in the making. Eva Mendes has been confirmed for one, but both Anne Hathaway and Penelope Cruz are being considered for the other. It's not that I don't like Hathaway, she was brilliant in Rachel Getting Married, but I'm rooting for Cruz BIG TIME!!! Go Pe!!!!!

No comment (4)

This is Maluca ...

Maluca 

... and I've not stopped playing her video since a friend showed it to me yesterday.

Living in a Material World

Miriam Giuliana 

Miriam Giuliana’s Milan atelier is a bit of an Aladdin’s Cave. Wherever you look there are piles of exquisite vintage fabrics, trims and other bits and pieces which she transforms into one-off pieces that could be anything from cushions to bags. Whilst preparing for an open—studio day, she spoke to The Barna Blog about her work, and her love of all things textile.

JF: Come vanno le preparazioni per la vendita?

MG: Benone, siamo quasi alla fine, abbiamo finito di allestire lo spazio

JF: Tutto pronto allora ... come lo avete allestito?

MG:  Abbiamo creato continuità tra la zona vetrina e quella laboratorio dove lavoro. il tendone-parete che divide le due zone è raccolto morbidamente di lato con una embrasse e si vede tutta la zona lavoro con i tessuti ecc. messi in ordine per l'occasione. All'ingresso c'è un angolo retrò con una lampada a stelo anni 50 dal cappello rosso ricamato, e poi abbiamo usato i bauli in alluminio per creare delle zone seduta.

JF:  Ah che bello ... cosi la gente potrà vedere tutti i pezzi di materiali ecc. che hai li dietro. È come il covo di Aladino! Come è venuta l’idea di questa giornata di vendite, diciamo, tra amici? Che tu, Arcangelo e Gianantonio siete amici da molti anni…

MG:  Si, Arcangelo sino a qualche anno fa aveva lo studio accanto al mio. Con lui abbiamo fatto spesso degli eventi, per Natale o durante il Salone del Mobile. Il suo era all'interno, quindi la gente entrava da me, passava da lui e usciva dal portone, una specie di percorso guidato molto divertente. Non essendo il mio propriamente un negozio, abbiamo cercato di ricreare la situazione di spazio privato che si apre per un evento, quindi molto informale. È una vendita ma anche un’occasione per salutare gli amici offrendo un bicchiere di prosecco.

 JF:  È sempre meglio che entrare in un negozio, pieno di commessi che ti saltano addosso...

 MG:  Esattamente!

Inside L'Atelier di Miriam Giuliana 

  JF:  C'é qualcosa in quello spazio che ti fa immediatamente sentire comodo -  una cosa rara a Milano! Spiegami un po’ la filosofia dell’atelier di Miriam.

MG:  Prima di tutto ha probabilmente l'energia di uno spazio di lavoro creativo, e poi mi piace un ambiente accogliente, il mio lavoro riguarda gli spazi delle persone.

Spesso devo interpretare quali sono le esigenze di un cliente, anche mantenendo il mio stile. Il concetto dello show room è comunque rivolto ad un tipo di cliente che è attirato da quello che è esposto…

JF: I clienti, quindi, vengono da te già sapendo quello che fai ...

MG:  Direi di si, il mio spazio non è in una zona di passaggio.

Leggono un articolo o vedono un oggetto pubblicato, ma  funziona molto con il passaparola.

 JF:  Noto che questo tipo di negozio adesso é piu cercato - il piccolo segreto che ti offre qualcosa di nuovo, non ‘mass produced’… c’é come un’overdose delle grandi marche...

 MG:  Anch’io credo che sia questo, il desiderio di avere qualcosa di personale, quasi affettivo. Lo noto molto, ad esempio, per quanto riguarda la produzione di borse.

 JF:  Perché tu fai anche borse...

MG:  Si, ho iniziato perchè me lo richiedevano. In realtà sino a qualche tempo fa facevo soprattutto tintura e stampa di tessuti, quindi sciarpe, stole … Poi hanno iniziato a chiedermi le borse, quindi mi sono detta... proviamo, così hanno qualcosa che portano in giro.

 JF : Che lusso, no? Poter lavorare cosi... Intendo dire, creare le cose che ti piacciono, senza restrizioni di “sono un disegnatore di sciarpe, o solamente borse ... o tessuti.”

MG:  Si, sono comunque un'artigiana. Ha i pro e i contro…

 JF:  Che sono?

MG:  La libertà di fare un lavoro che piace, ma anche la precarietà, tendendo presente i tempi correnti.

JF:  Si immagino ... che la situazione in Italia - come in molti paesi Europei - non é esattamente fantastica in questi tempi.

MG:  Direi proprio di no, a Milano poi, c'è un clima di chiusura culturale che non aiuta certo. Sai, è una città basata prevalentemente su lavoro, e se è in crisi quello...

A chair gets a Miriam Giuliana makeover

JF: Tu originariamente di dove sei?

MG:  Sono metà siciliana e metà ligure, puro Mediterraneo

JF: È da molto tempo che sei li?

MG:  Si, ormai più di venti anni! Sono venuta per studiare Pittura all'Accademia di Brera e poi ho iniziato a lavorare. Sino ad oggi mi ha offerto molto, anche se non è una città facile…

 JF:  In questo tipo di lavoro, è essenziale essere in una città come Milano. Dunque hai studiato pittura?

 MG:  Si, mi sono diplomata in Pittura, poi ho lavorato in pubblicità - a  quei tempi tutti lavoravano in pubblicità a Milano. E poi ho iniziato questa avventura con i tessuti.

 JF:  Che, alla fine, è quello con cui ti associo di piu ... i tessuti ... Cos’é dei tessuti che ti affascina?

 MG: Mi viene in mente un'immagine. Io da piccola ho vissuto qualche anno con mia nonna materna, dolcissima - la nonna Rosa. Aveva un armadio in una camera dove cuciva anche, con una di quelle vecchie Singer a pedale. E quell'armadio era zeppo di ritagli di tessuto, scatole con piume, nastri e nastrini, fili... Scatole che io passavo interi pomeriggi ad aprire per curiosare …

 JF:  Allora il tuo atelier è come una riproduzione di quello.

Quando sono venuto nel tuo studio, volevo fare esattamente quello che facevi tu con le scatole della nonna. C'e un negozio qui a Barcelona dove ti devo portare. É una vecchia tienda di passameteria dove trovi di tutto.

 MG:  Bello, quando vengo a Barcellona ci andiamo di sicuro.

Ce n'è anche uno, non ricordo in quale via, che vende filati di lino di tutti i colori. L'ultima volta ne ho presi diversi e Moreno (Miriam’s partner) ha fatto le foto degli scaffali per avere il campionario colori...Non si sa mai..

JF:  E si ... è meglio averle sotto mano quelle cose perche non si sa mai quando ti colpisce l’ispirazione. A te, cosa ispira di piu?  Hai un metodo particolare di lavorare?

MG:  Dipende, a volte è un'immagine, ad esempio avevo fatto delle borsette ispirate ai collages su carta degli anni 20…

oppure direttamente dal tessuto che incontro. Il massimo è quando riesco ad entrare nelle grazie di qualche tessutaio che mi mostra vecchie stoffe che ha in magazzino, a Milano ce n'è qualcuno che mi conosce da anni…

 JF:  Quelli sono i migliori no?

MG:  Eccome no! Anche se spesso non sono così disponibili.

 JF:  Si quello è lo svantaggio. Però, non so, c’é sempre qualcosa di bello nei tessuti vecchi, o diciamo con un po’ di storia ...

MG: Si, si torna sempre al discorso di prima di avere dei pezzi unici. Una mia cliente mi ha portato ultimamente un tessuto da materasso a cui era affezionata, da assemblare con altri miei..e le ho confezionato un copriletto.

JF:  Fantastico!  Mi piace che la gente tiene ancora a queste cose. È come i bambini con le coperte, danno quasi un senso di sicurezza.

 MG:  Si, é anche la percezione che ho io.  Il bisogno di essere unici.

Atelier Miriam Giuliana, via Guglielmo Pepe 20, 20159, Milano will be holding a Special Christmas Sale on Saturday 12 December. To see more of Miriam’s work visit www.miriamgiuliana.com

Sack the Stylist (3)

Sarah Brown at the British Fashion Awards

Why would anyone put the wife of Britain's prime minister in THAT for what is essentially the British Fashion Industry's most glamorous night out?

Trying to work my head round this one ...

A Comme des Garcons Barbie? Coming to a CDG boutique near you soon.

The Great Galliano

At the British Fashion Awards tonight, John Galliano will be an awarded for outstanding achievement in fashion design, which, let's face it, he deserves - and then some.

As a little tribute to Mr  Galliano, I wanted to post a 'top ten Galliano moments' list, but getting hold of pictures of the early collections was proving to be a bit of a headache. Instead, I'm posting this interview with Galliano by Tim Blanks which I came across on youtube, and which gives a pretty good account of the Galliano story, and how he developed from genius student to one of the most influential designers in fashion today, with a few hiccups along the way. The picture's not fantastic, but it's still lots of fun to watch. It's about an hour long in total.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

My 100th Posting!!

Yay! a celebration is in order. This is my hundredth posting!! Didn't seriously think I'd get this far, but looks like it's happened!

Poor Vicky!

According to vogue.co.uk, Victoria Beckham is 'distraught' after 75 pieces from her ss2010 collection were stolen in London whilst on  their way to Neiman Marcus in New York. Apparently the poor driver was held at knifepoint during the heist, which Vogue estimates is worth  around £350,000. That - according to my calculator - makes it an average of £4,666.6667 per piece!!!!

Two studios, two cities ...

If you're in Barcelona or Milan this weekend, make sure to visit these two open studios that are taking place:

At CAMP!!! in Barcelona you can get your hands on one-off reassembled pieces by underground labels neyney and 41158, whilst at Miriam Giuliana's atlier  in Milan there are beautiful bags, jewellery and other bits and pieces by Giuliana herself, Arcangelo Bungaro, and Gianantonio Allievi. If you're looking for clothes and gifts made by hand, with lots of love, rather than the usual mass-produced, everybody's-got-one kind of things, then these should be right up your street ... or calle ... or strada.

Looks Like I'm Not So Hot On Predictions

Susan Boyle's album, I Dreamed a Dream has gone on to become the fastest selling female debut album on both sides of the Atlantic.

Those who used to read my London Calling column might remember that I had predicted that very soon after the whole Britain’s Got Talent thing was over, we’d all be thinking: Susan who? if the name ever came up again in conversation. Ehrm, it looks like I got that one very wrong didn’t I?

Amy Winehouse for My Fair Lady. PLEASE!!!!

"I'm a good girl I am"

I’ve decided to start a campaign – triggered of by a comment on perezhilton.com earlier this week – in response to his question: who else could play Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming remake of My Fair Lady instead of (yawn) Keira Knightley, who is rumoured to be up for the part. Whilst most suggested (yawn) Natalie Portman or (bigger yawn) Anne Hathaway, one genius came up with what could potentially be the one of the most perfect pieces of casting in film history: Amy Winehouse!

Think about it! She can sing (it is, after all, a musical),  she wouldn’t need much work as early Eliza, and she scrubs up quite well, so would look amazing in the end. The nightmare, of course, would be getting her to turn up on set every day! Oh, and to remember her lines!!

The Evil Box Is In Da House.

 That's it there, in operation ... and a small bit of Donatella. 

Halfway through dinner last Thursday, a friend phoned up to announce that he had just bought himself a new fuckoff flat screen telly, and inform us that if we wanted, we could take the old one off him. “Let me pass you on to Joseph,” said the boyfriend, not wanting to be the one to be seen committing himself to something that I have spent all summer saying is very low on my list of priorities. (As a purchase, I meant, not a freebie. I never say no to a freebie, me).

Having only hours before come across the bubble wrapped DVD player in one of the boxes I unpacked during my shifting room frenzy last week, I immediately said yes, thinking that now that the newly acquired (though not at all new) sofa had transformed what was formerly the bedroom into a living room, we needn’t sit crouched on folding chairs at the desk watching movies online any more, but sit comfortably on the bright yellow, slightly House and Garden c 1986, piece of furniture that the boyfriend has nicknamed Donatella, and watch DVDs instead.

Within less than twenty four hours, we were  at our friend’s picking up what is by today’s standards a huge big dinasour of a TV, which to me seems perfectly fine. Not to the taxi driver who took us home, it wasn’t! “I have three television sets in the house,” he boasted. “What are you doing with that?” he asked, before embarking on a monologue about his HD flayscreen – one of three sets in his home - which cost him €1200, the other one which cost this and the third blah blah blah … that’s me not giving a shit about what he was on about.  I was too busy  signalling to the boyfriend, warning  him not to tip the stupid git. That’s what you get for acting all superior with your passengers!

Back home, and in its designated location, all was plugged and connected, and going. The original plan to limit viewing to DVD lasted all of two days, after which, we were at the electrics shop buying the eight metres of cable required to connect the evil box in the living room to the aerial socket in the dining room (remember, in this household things are very basic). So much for principles, the boyfriend hasn’t stopped reminding me.

This principles thing goes back to my saying that buying a television set was not high on list of priorities. I said so because, from my experience, the output of most Spanish TV stations consists largely of over-coiffed and over made up men (as I type, there’s a guy sporting pink gloss on his bottom lip) and women – Big Brother contestants turned z-list celebrities, gossip columnists and “friends” of whoever’s private life it is they are dissecting – screaming at each other, (those of you who have access to it, think Canale 5 in Italy, and then think a lot worse ) which doesn’t exactly make you want to go out and spend the same amount of money that you would something more useful, like a wardrobe, or shelves to put the books that have been sat there on the floor for ages on.

Anyway principles or no principles, the grey piece of Phillips history has already become part of our daily lives, and we are now spending most evenings in front of it.  Hours previously spent at our desks or at the dining table have now been replaced by watching the the above mentioned programmes, all of which currently seem to talk of nobody but a folclorica who goes by the name of Isabel Pantoja, whose relationship with the ex-mayor of Marbella has come to a very nasty end and who’s way of dealing with it, of course, is by appearing in a ten-page spread on Hola in which she opens up about what really happened with her man.

Knowing that my level of tolerance for trash TV is quite high (my line is drawn at Malta’s Top Model, imagine), my big worry is of course that I will become a couch potato and get more and more embroiled in the dramas of  the likes of la Pantoja, so if you start seeing postings on this blog that seem to indicate that this is happening, please, I beg of you, warn me, or arrange for someone to shoot me. Otherwise, before you know it, I’ll be buying myself a subscription to Hola!

Galliano's Christmas at Claridge's - the real thing.

What a way to start the day! In my inbox this morning, I found these shots of John Galliano's Christmas tree at Claridges, which, let's be honest here, makes you never want to look at a traditional Christmas tree ever again!

With Love, Lanvin.

Lanvin stamps designed by Alber Elbaz, for 2010

I have a prediction to announce. Next year, the use of snail mail in France will soar to unheard of heights, and post offices and Tabacs (I’m sure you can get stamps there) will be mobbed by throngs of soignée fashion girls fighting to get their perfectly manicured nails on …. stamps? Yep! Stamps. Featuring drawings by none other than Monsieur Alber Elbaz himself to celebrate 120 years of the house that he now runs with such genius. 

No More Couture at Lacroix, Sweety!

Christian Lacroix takes a bow at what turned out to be his last couture show in July

There's got to be someone with enough money to not let the house of Christian Lacroix become just a perfume and accessories company! I mean, what will couture be without pieces like the one in the picture above?

Project Matryoshka Update: Two done. Five to go.

I had some Tord Boontje for Habitat metal bit laying around doing nothing and I thought it would work for the second doll to cover. My hands are covered in scratches, but it was worth it because I like it very much. The snag is I can't open it ...

Rocks (and Metals) of Fun

The man himself, with one of his beloved French bulldogs, and two pieces from his new collection, 4 Letters 4 Love

Arcangelo Bungaro left his native Puglia for the excitement of Milan, where he worked in fashion, industrial design and then advertising, before starting to design jewellery. As well as working for an important Italian company, he designs his own range of one off pieces, in fact, The Barna Blog caught up with him a couple of days after the launch of his new collection, called 4 Letters 4 Love (with apologies to those who can't read Italian)

AB: Hai visto il filmato? (click to watch video)

JF: Si ho visto foto e filmato. Mi piace moltissimo!

AB: Gooddd! Si capisce il senso?

JF: Si, a me pare che hai voluto fare qualcosa di leggero, piu … quasi giocoso

AB: Si infatti, hai colto nel segno. Sono partito dai cameo, quelli tutti in argento con le faccie, l'occhio e quello con il capricorno e la figura umana (che io non ho mai fatto prima nei miei gioielli). Quindi pulizia, essenzialità e semplicità … anzi anche un po freddi per dare uno stacco con la mia produzione precedente.

JF: Che da quello che conosco io, prima era molto piu elaborato, ricco.

AB: Si, ispirato alla natura ma mai troppo chiaro, e comunque carico di elementi e ricco.

JF: E perche hai voluto questo rompere con il precedente?

AB: Perchè dopo tre anni mi sono rimesso a lavorare su una collezione mia e l'ho fatto in un momento in cui ho avuto il bisogno di esprimere il mio bisogno di leggerezza.

JF: Ah, questa e la prima in tre anni?

AB: Si, con il mio nome si … ho lavorato sulla rottura e nella ricerca della semplicità ho trovato anche l'ironia.

JF: ... infatti anche l’invito e molto 'leggero' ... quasi infantile ... mi piace.

AB: Si appunto. Un momento storico, pesante e angosciante mi ha spinto ad attingere a me stesso piuttosto che all'esterno, e ho trovato l'ironia e la voglia di scherzare con le pietre, i colori e le forme in un certo tipo di gioiello scultura e pezzo unico. Il mio filone di lavoro.

JF: Che nel gioeillo e una cosa 'inaspettata' diciamo. Historicamente, i gioeilli sono "seri”.

AB: Si, direi di si. Sono emblema di affermazione sociale. Si, definiamoli "qualcosa di serio".

JF: All’ inaugurazione la gente come ha reagito?

AB: Pavia è un posto particolare, vicina a Milano è abituata a vedere e poter comprare tutto ciò che il mercato del lusso può proporre. Invece ricerca oggetti nuovi e unici ... Insomma mi aspettavano ed erano entusiasti. Hanno condiviso il mio punto di vista e hanno capito il senso della collezione. Infatti i primi pezzi venduti sono stati le bamboline con le murrine e le pietre preziose, i pesci, le piastre di argento con i profili … Tutti i pezzi nuovi.

JF: Buonissimo! Dunque questo cambio di direzione e stata una buona idea...

AB: ...Mmmmh direi che hanno confermato la mia impressione. La gente ha voglia di leggerezza e di sorridere, e naturalmente di sognare.

JF: Che per un creativo é una cosa importante ... Il fatto di prendere il rischio, e poi vedere che andato giu bene.

AB: Si, infatti mi ha stupito il fatto di non aver dovuto spiegare molto. Tutti hanno capito la mia intenzione. Il rischio c'era, ma sui miei gioielli sono istintivo

e per me non è mercato ma un modo di esprimere me stesso senza aspettarmi nulla. Faccio quello che sento come uno scultore farebbe una sua opera, o un pittore un quadro o un musicista un disco

JF: Come hai comminciato a disegnare gioelli?

AB: Prima la moda ,poi il design, poi l'art direction in agenzie di pubblicità. E poi il bisogno di esprimere la mia creatività in modo diverso. É Milano che me lo ha fatto cominciare questo lavoro. Non ci avevo mai pensato prima

JF: Che tu sei originariamente di …?

AB: Puglia nel sud d’Italia. Tanta storia, tanta cultura, tante emozioni. Ma poche occasioni di esprimerlo, e allora sono venuto a Milano.

JF: Pero difficile immagino per un creativo …

AB: Si, all'epoca non mi consideravo nulla, ero un proiettile carico , pronto ad esplodere. E poi ho scoperto che il proiettile in realtà era un fuoco d'artificio

JF: E milano ti ha dato l oportunita di esplodere ...

AB: Milano mi ha dato il pubblico capace di capire la mia lingua e mi ha spinto a continuare e a sviluppare il mio lavoro in direzioni che non pensavo

JF: Dunque un bel percorso ….

AB: Si. Entusiasmante.

JF: Hai un processo particolare con il quale lavori? Voglio dire, hai una rutina o sei uno spontaneo?

AB: Aspetto il momento giusto. Le mie idee migliori mi vengono nei momenti di crisi. Alzo la voce, e mi viene qualcosa di speciale. La creatività comunque è un fiume che scorre. E un processo continuo.

JF: Mi piace questa di alzare la voce - che tu sei uno a che piace alzar la voce ....

AB: Non in maniera arrogante

JF: Dico, metaforicamente ...

AB: Si appunto. No, non lo sono. Quando però sento solo il brusio della folla, beh, devo dire la mia

JF: Ho visto stamattina una foto di un paio di orecchini in forma di French bulldog, i tuoi cari cani. Parliamo di cani. So che ne hai parecchi, pero non riesco a ricordarmi quanti ne hai?

AB: Ne ho 4 a casa con me, e due da amici, quindi 6 …. Tanti!

JF: Che questa dei cani e una cosa seria con te …

AB: Diciamo che è una passione come quella dei gioielli, un po più privata

JF: Infatti stavo per chiederti se dedichi tanto tempo ai cani quanto ai gioielli.

AB: Con loro divido la mia vita, ma per alcuni aspetti ci sono delle similitudini. I cani restano con te, i gioielli si vendono e se ne vanno ... mi ha sempre affascinato il lavoro estetico negli esseri viventi.

JF: Ti dispiace quando i gioelli ti lasciano?

AB: No, anzi sono felice che qualcuno se li porti via perchè vuol dire che chi li sceglie ha capito e vuole possedere una parte di me.

JF: Dunque il piacere e nel creare, non nel vedere li pronti e fatti…

AB: Diciamo che il mio piacere profondo è il processo creativo. Che il piacere superficiale è quello di raccontarli e venderli e la soddisfazione è vedere che la mia creatura ha un suo posto nel mondo ... anche al collo di qualcuno ... Perchè no? :-)

JF: Quando crea i gioeilli, devi pensare che si devono indossare ...

AB: Certo, è fondamentale che siano comodi che siano indossabili.

JF: Trovi che questo ristringe la creativita?

AB: No, non credo. Viene con l'esperienza, e viene naturale creare qualcosa che sia anche indossabile. Un tempo ero meno esperto, e allora facevo dei gioielli pazzeschi, anche impossibili da indossare. Ma si trattava di sculture e basta.

JF: Tu fai anche scultura? So che dipingi ...

AB: Si, qualcosa. Ma è un lavoro complesso. La pittura è un mondo a se, e la scultura invece è molto più vicina a me e al mondo dei gioielli.

JF: Dato il successo di questa collezzione allora, cosa potremo aspettare da te nel futuro?

AB: Oddio, in questo momento sono come un po svuotato, ma basta poco e mi ricarico.

JF: Eh, lo immagino, avendo appena 'partorito' questa collezione...

AB: Credo che lavorerò sul corpo umano.

JF: Come?

AB: Mmmhhh hehehe ….sarà una sorpresa. Ci sto già pensando in realtà. Il fiume scorre sempre, te l'ho detto, a volte lento e in secca ma è sempre li.

JF: Quando disegni hai in mente una persona particolare, o u tipo di donna?

AB: La mia donna, si

JF: E chi e? O come e?

AB: La mia donna è una sorta di creatura sfocata, si allunga, si dilata, si illumina e si rabbuia.

JF: Che descrizione fantastica!

AB: Si, è una creatura fantastica infatti. Non ci avevo mai pensato chi fosse, me lo hai fatto venire tu.