We’ll be the first to admit that it has been a long, long time since we were in the target demographic for Barbie, yet when we heard that a collection of dolls inspired by the Kardashians is rumored to be in the works, we couldn’t help but react with a resounding “huh?!” What’s the fun in that? The whole point of playing with Barbie dolls is the escapism and fantasy; meanwhile, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, you have to admit that the Kardashian sisters have built their ever-growing empire around their willingness to overshare every last banal detail of their daily lives with the public– not exactly the most thrilling source material. Plus, while their fashion choices are typically on-trend, they’re also pretty darn boring. So, we decided to do a little bit of digging, and discovered that there are plenty of celebrity-inspired Barbies on the market that we wouldn’t mind playing with — even as adults. Let us know which doll is your favorite in the comments.
Whether you borrow style tips from Karen O, with outrageous prints and dramatic silhouettes, or you take a more demure cue from Catherine Deneuve’s delicate shift dresses and trench coats, chances are you’ve looked to pop culture for fashion inspiration at one time or another. So it’s only natural to be curious about where the iconic looks that have guided our style fantasies over the years actually originated. To that end, we’ve put together a gallery of original sketches that designers such as Edith Head and Yves Saint Laurent created for looks that continue to influence both the runway and fans’ personal style, after the jump. Read More »
Last weekend marked the 112th birthday of the great Alfred Hitchcock — as if you had to be told, what with all those birthday parties across the nation. To mark the occasion, we considered profiling several elements of the Hitchcock filmography: his technique, his influence, his cameos. But we ultimately settled, as we so often do, on sex.
Over the course of his 60-some feature films, Hitchcock worked with a dazzling array of beautiful women, most of them fitting what became the archetypal image of the “Hitchcock blonde” — smart, sexy, and sophisticated, yet icy and cool. Theories abound as to how and why this specific type of woman was so often his cinematic object of desire (Donald Spoto’s The Dark Side of Genius offers some of the more intriguing ones), but the man knew what he liked. After the jump, we’ll run down his ten most alluring muses.
This morning A Cup of Jo pointed us in the direction of Rides A Bike, a new Tumblr that’s dedicated to finding photographs of old school movie stars riding bikes. We’ve pulled together 10 of our favorite images after the jump; click through to check out leading ladies from Brigitte Bardot to Doris Day wheeling around, and let us know in the comments which photo you like best. We’re rather partial to the Eartha Kitt. R-r-r-r-aow.
Although most photographers ask their subjects to sit, the famous 20th-century portraitist Philippe Halsman commanded his sitters to jump. After shooting commissioned portraits for the top magazines of his day — Life, Look, and the Saturday Evening Post — Halsman would take a picture for his personal portfolio, which he published as Philippe Halsman’s Jump Book in 1959.
His whimsical Jumpology series features artists, celebrities, politicians, businessmen, and royals taking the leap of faith. Grace Kelly, who was soon to become a princess, holds her skirt from hiking too far up her legs, while grinning; Dick Clark lets loose in his suit and shiny loafers; Audrey Hepburn jumps barefoot over grass, while Psycho film star Janet Leigh takes sail in the California dunes; and Salvador Dalí paints a canvas in mid-air as cats and water fly past.
Tonight, the 47th NYFF opens its grand lineup with Wild Grass, a rapturous flight of fancy by 87-year-old French master Alain Resnais. Venerated the world over for his deconstructive, narrative-be-damned opuses Hiroshima mon amour and Last Year at Marienbad, Resnais’ latest tale of romantic obsession is based on Christian Gailly’s novel The Incident, but takes off on the inspiriting belief that “after the cinema, nothing surprises you. Everything is possible.” And, oui, he directs with such-minded freedom — totally, tenderly, tragically. Read More »
