Supreme has released its cards for the season and thank god, because it broke up the utter monotony of the Q/Red/New York/Ford/Muse packages! Several of my favorite models are represented by Supreme, including Pilar Solchaga and Andressa Fontana. The best cards of the bunch are those of Bruna, Lais, the wonderful Martina Correa, and Vika K. The atmosphere is romantically, dreamily wild... tranquil and beautiful.













{models.com}

rufus has better legs than I do?

Unfair!

*My old standby the Verve have a new album (Forth) releasing here on Tuesday the 26th, and several songs from the album are up on their MySpace. I would be more excited if it were actually good.

movies I must rewatch within two days:

Sometimes I get in these moods where I'm kind of overly inspired-- I get a flood of thoughts and impulses and require all sorts of new input. This tends to be a good thing for me as an individual, but a horrible, HORRIBLE thing for my bank account. ;)

Fortunately, my recent purchases haven't set me back as much as usual. There was the Fashion Rocks supplement from eBay that cost about 6 dollars (including shipping)... I was desperate to have it because of the Sasha + Dhani edit and now that it's here, it's sitting untouched on my bureau. I guess it's enough just to know it's there, LOL. There's also the used Kinks cd that arrived yesterday that I'm ridiculously excited to listen to. I have loads of their stuff but one can never have enough from them as far as I'm concerned... for the record, they led me to my blog title; 'Harry Rag' is a song of theirs, and apparently it's slang for a rolled cigarette. The Kinks always educate!

My other, slightly more costly mini-adventures include forays into cooking and the big bright world of custom perfumes. I wanted to make beans recado so of course I had to order some annato seed from Penzeys (and then a spice grinder from Amazon). And since I'm easily seduced by the lure of new fragrances, I've been nosing around the website for Aftelier Perfumes. It's expensive so I'm letting the prospect of ordering samples tumble around in my head for a while before I do anything... rash. Which I'm sure will happen anyway.

However, when it comes to wreckless spending, my biggest vice is by far the cinema! Usually I subject myself to anything heavy but this summer has offered a lot by way of interesting, non-depressing films. First there was The Dark Knight (overrated, but still good), then Pineapple Express a couple weeks ago, then Tropic Thunder this past weekend. Tropic Thunder was hilaaaarious, especially because of Robert Downey Jr. and a running 'Simple Jack' joke that I've been referencing every 4.2 minutes since I saw the movie. Pineapple Express was... cute. Not altogether funny, but the Seth Rogen-James Franco relationship was kinda sweet! If nothing else you can just stare at Franco the whole time. *worth it*

Anyway, back to my original point. I'm in that overly inspired mood again, and when that happens I always get this need to rewatch any movies that happen to suit me at the moment. My list currently includes:

1) About A Boy: I think this has to be one of the most all-around perfect films I've seen. I love every character, every casting choice, the story, the theme... not to mention it's simply very funny as well. Oh and it led me to my love affair with Badly Drawn Boy! I bought the soundtrack right after seeing this in theater.
2) Music & Lyrics: Honestly, I realize that a lot of movies in this genre are completely bland and soul-sucking but I think this one is quite clever, and I like how it follows the creative process of making music throughout the film. Even if you cropped out all the romantic stuff it would still be a solid movie thanks to that. Also, props to Hugh Grant. Personally I think that he probably has about two inches worth of range, but he REALLY knows how to choose roles that suit the way the public perceives him, and he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. So good on him. ;)
3) This Is Spinal Tap: Here we go. Spinal Tap is classic! I saw this for the third time about two months ago, then yesterday I was browsing the MSN homepage and there was a teeny thumbnail picture of Noel Gallagher (getting attention only for being caught up in another one of his insecurity-driven feuds) and as I said on tFS, he really was this close to looking like Nigel from Spinal Tap. Sad for him, hysterical for me!
4) Harold And Maude: I'm one of those people who is always in relationships that are just a touch 'abnormal' by common standards, so this movie speaks to me. Plus, Harold is just... I remember seeing this for the first time and thinking he was the sweetest thing in the world.
5) There's Something About Mary: Actually this came to mind because of Harold And Maude! There's a scene when Mary is talking to Matt Dillon's character (who's spying on her and trying really hard to get into her pants) and he impresses her by saying how Harold And Maude is 'the greatest love story of our time' or something like that. Soooo smooth.












{rotten tomatoes}

yay!

The first of the spring show packages is here! These couldn't be more fun for me. I love models, fashion, and photography, and hell if the packages aren't a perfect fusion of the three! Through them, an agency gets to express its unique 'vibe' and look as well as present the girls it has groomed to, with any luck, storm the catwalks as shows commence. It's always interesting to see what direction an agency takes, as is comparing each one's current stable to the others'.

But the models themselves are the real centrepieces, of course. Inevitably I find a new model to turn my attention to; this time around it's Elena Maximova. Very cute, non?



Even when the newbies fail to impress, every show package is an opportunity to see your old favourites working their magic, and they rarely disappoint. Dreamy beauty Angelika Kocheva's card was perfect, perhaps the best of the bunch.



Then there was Regina F. looking suitably pouty:



... and Nathalie Edenburg, who couldn't help but radiate her usual sweet-faced cuteness.



Everything is beautiful in the world of Marilyn!

where's mentalo man when he's needed?

After talking last time about a couple of my favorite models from the SS '08 season, I began to think more and more about which girls will be the stars of SS '09. Since I'm hopelessly removed from the fashion world and all its workings, I won't bother to make any predictions (this is where the Mentalo Man would have come in handy...), but I will dedicate a little space to some particularly exciting faces that I'd love to see blow up (not literally). The first being Tara Gill.












She's amazing and I don't want to hear otherwise! My tastes are predictable, though. When it comes to models, two types of features tend to win me over instantly-- Scandinavian (par exemple, Kim Noorda, Adina Fohlin, and Elsa Sylvan) and native (American or otherwise). Tara exemplifies the latter. She's a native Canadian blessed with sharp eyes, strong bone structure, and soft lips that add up to one stunning and very striking whole. FW '08-'09 was a fairly good season for her-- she walked for Emanuel Ungaro (pictured) and Kenzo, among others-- but the runways need more Tara. Get on that, fashion gods... and while you're at it, could you help out Yekaterina Simakova?












Yekaterina (AKA Sima) hasn't been seen on the runway except for at Zucca SS '08, and it's probable that she's taking her career one step at a time while she's in school. I sincerely hope she goes full-time soon, though! She has an interesting look overall, with cool Thom Yorke-ish eyes and super pretty strawberry-blonde hair (usually anyway).

Also on my radar is an adorable Brit named Alexina Graham. She hasn't had loads of runway experience yet and it showed during her few outings at FW '08-'09, but I'm willing to bet she'll be far more confident on the catwalk in the coming season. I'm pulling for her because, well, look at that face! So cute, and red hair never hurts either...













Finally, a few more girls I hope will have a stellar season; in no particular order.

1) Arlenis! Miss Bright & Shiny.
2) Pernille Moehler, she of the weirdly cool angles.
3) Alice Burdeu-- not exactly a newbie, but hasn't reached her full potential just yet. The new haircut should do the trick!
4) Heloise Guerin. Awesome hair, and even more amazing on the runway than in print.
5) Toni Garnn-- again, not doing too shabby (shabbily?) but I'm including her anyway. Flat-out gorgeous with a face that takes to makeup perfectly.
6) Pilar Solchaga... sweet, fascinating, and a little bit dark. Comes complete with Bambi eyes.
7) Lyoka Tyagnereva-- she's certainly been gaining momentum lately! I wouldn't mind seeing her here there and everywhere...
8) Sigrid Agren. Blonde hair and dark brown eyes pair up verrrry nicely, here's your proof.
9) Olivia O'Driscoll. Lovely girl, what more can I say!
10) Jenny Albright-- gorgeous skin tone and had a tidily successful Resort season. Good things in store.

xx

{image credits: DNA Models, frillr.com, Jalouse February 2008, and Ford Models}

catwalk favorites

I'm being honest when I say that I probably wouldn't care about fashion week at all if it weren't for models. Pretty clothes are... okay I guess ;), but put them on pretty models and you have my attention! I make this gigantic folder on my laptop during the fashion seasons so I can catalog which shows I like the most, and I always wind up with tons of model pictures stuck in there among detail shots of shoes and various runway looks.

Sifting through my SS '08 folder I realized that, apparently, I liked Alyona a lot at the time. She has an amazing figure (especially for dresses!), and she always walks with a sort of conviction. Sometimes I wonder if she's going to pop through my comp screen and kill me, but whatever.



Another big favorite was Hanne. It's kind of a surprise because usually I don't like the Supreme style faux-edge, but ol' Hanne seems like fun nonetheless. And somehow that strange face of hers makes for some interesting pictures.



Neat style too, don't you think? The Sartorialist picture on the right was published a little while after I had looked through Ohne Titel online, another show that made my favorites list (in its debut season no less!). I loved the tribal aspects to their designs; Hanne reminding me of them probably scored a few points in her favor.

Kim Noorda became one of my ultimate favorite models during SS 07. I had always liked her but somehow she just clicked for me during that season, and it was love! She has the most ridiculously perfect Scandinavian features (*jealous*) and an overall purity of form. I will rue the day she stops working!



Hmm, who else?... actually I think I'll stop there for now. I get the feeling I'm boring all zero of my readers. Tomorrow's another day, though! ;)

PS. You learn something new every day-- I see from my profile that I was born in the year of the snake. CREEPY! Yet oddly suitable...

{image sources: Topshop HQ of Alyona found at the Celebrity City; all others courtesy style.com}

anticipation, part six

Philosophy

























{images courtesy style.com}