Victoria’s Secret Show 2009/2010

How could Christmas ever be complete without Victoria’s Secret Runway show, which definitely punctuates my calendar year, almost every year. The stage of the most extravagant runway, maximalistic, carnival-like show that no one should miss.

Somehow I still have my complaints for this year, albeit it being better than last year’s awkward horizontal runway platform and lame orchestra to bubblegum pop. The line-up of music is definitely much better, with Black Eye Peas opening, although the performance is still hindered by the V-shaped platform where singers and dancers still are constraint within the V, lacking much interaction. I still very much prefer the Justin Timberlake year where JT just walked along with the girls up and down the runway throughout his performance of Sexyback. The stage set up and motion graphics were not too ‘wow’ either. That said, the wings were kind of letdown this year. not a single memorable one. ):

What I dislike about this year, is the attention was focused on the ANTM-like contest that was aired concurrently throughout the show, where one girl from the public is able to walk along with the VS angels. I mean I want to see THE RUNWAY SHOW, not some girl fulfilling her 2min American dream, made into an hour’s episode.

But I’m still glad that Alessandra Ambrosio is still strutting strong, although Heidi Klum is becoming slightly momsy already..

Lorenzo Agius

It is popularly believed that actors and actresses have always been favourite muse for photography, especially that for fashion photography, due to their ability to portray and act certain emotions that some models might find it difficult to deal with. Lorenzo Agius does pretty captivating celebrity shoots, second from my favourite celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

SoftBank

I don’t know what this Japanese website sells but it’s so intriguing.
Just like Uniqlo’s campaigns..

shock banana

my final cursive typeface.
i swear kerning cursive type on fontlab is a bitch.

Define Deborah

Prof Deborah Alden is leaving ):

so we initiated a secret operation amongst our batch of VisCommers to come up with a collaborated gift for her before her departure. Operation Define Deborah (Operation DD or DoubleDragon as our codename) derived as tribute to a side project that Deborah was involved in and it also speaks of the impressions that we have for her during our 3 year of encounters, dialogues and other forms of interactions. The gift was collaborated in a time of crazy submission season but I’m glad that people of our batch can still submit something that could fit the theme for the publication.

This was a 2-3 week conceptualization, execution and collaboration, all-along communicated and actively reminded over Facebook. I had to admit it was a tough task coordinating the whole batch amidst the crazy period and albeit the really horrendously shoddy binding work, it was fruitful for a meaningful. I actually had the impulse to do something that I’ll proud of at the end of this semester, since nothing that I’ve churned out this semester had truly made me proud.

Thank you all who have contributed, who tried to contribute and the kind hands of bern for the documentation!

Photographer and his/her model

I did black and white photography this semester. Not just merely taking photos and putting through the photoshop and tweak it to black and white. We develop our own films and thereafter print the selected photos on light sensitive papers. I was initially really put off by how water-, money- and time- consuming the course is. But I guess the efforts do pay off at the end.

The collection is my final assignment. Titled Photographer and his/her Models, I was attempting to present the tough work behind the scenes of glamorous fashion photoshoots, and also the intriguing interaction I observed going on between the photographer (along with the team) and the model.

I was lucky enough to tag along with JW’s fashion photography class to assist for their final fashion shoot, supported by professional models and a whole team of hairdresser and make-up artists. All fashion were owned by photographers and their teams.

serious type

usually i do not post works-in-progress. but this time round i cant wait.
i heart my cursive type much much!

Books Exchange Flea

I’ll be setting up a Books Exchange Flea booth in ADM Cafe this coming Thursday, 4.30-6pm.
This is an initiated project for VIS 390 | Contemporary Issues in Graphic Design, where I’m looking into the sustainability of secondhand culture.
ADMers do support (:
Details on facebook.

marc jacobs X miss piggy

yes. i laughed so hard at this.
miss piggy is having her couture gown made by marc jacobs.
read details and more pictures here.

gunfire

Quoted from accidental mysteries:

‘The ad was directed by Cary Fukunaga for Weiden + Kennedy, Portland using poem by Walt Whitman written in 1888. In fact, the voice of the poem is the earliest known recording of Walt Whitman. How strange is that! At the beginning of the commercial we see the words “AMERICA” (as a large sign) laying down in dark water. Is this a signal re: the end of America— or a new beginning? Fireworks appear throughout as rockets in war. (I told you this was apocalyptic!) Near the end of the poem is a brief kiss by a young black man with a young white woman—not something you see often on TV commercials. The spot, with scratchy Walt Whitman recording and music by Final Fantasy (“The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead – Many Ives Version”) and ends with what sounds like a gunshot in a riot—but alas it turns out to be a firecracker.’

book autopsies

Contemporary artist Brian Dettmer performs archeological tasks of uncovering/exposing the pictures within old books, rediscovering and redefining the relationships between the pictures, separated by the numerous pages between them. Brilliant craftsmanship.

superhero photography

Superheroes in the scene of post war celebrations. Superheroes save the day again!
Look at other photos here.

follow her footsteps

havent been following the traces ever since peezac left sg and i only recently discover new avenues of updates. she’d embarked on a mentored project involving walking and derive, a physical and yet emotional process. go read her process blog and give comments, encouragements, whatsoever.

i thought it was particularly moving (in one of the entries) to be baring emotions for the world to view and judge upon.
i sure have no courage to do this.

i hide all dirty secrets under my stack of dirty laundry.

Dan Tobin Smith

Dan Tobin Smith did this for JayZ’s new album. I thought it was retouched digitally after shooting the white objects. but apparently not. the team painstakingly arranged the objects and paint the 3 stripes of red before taking the photograph. here are the other examples.

fashionnation

Check out fashionnation.
I’m still impressed how Steven Klein burns one model and bathe the other in crude oil.

Nokia N97 x FJ Benjamin

now the cat is out of the bag.

Nokia launches N97 mini Raoul Limited Edition.

And why should I care now that I’m an iphone user? Just because I was behind the team that made this!
it was a first for Raoul (and other FJ Benjamin brands, ie GAP, La Senza, Banana Republic, Guess) to be launched on phone platform, a first for Nokia to launch a fashion widget in Asia, a first for Foreign Policy to be doing the whole fashion interface design, a first for me to be even doing screen-based design commercially.

Sadly the widget now only runs on Nokia. no plans for iphone, otherwise i’d have bragged it everywhere i go.

opps she did it again

I told someone that I’d so slap her with my underwear if she rejects my third concept.
And she just did it again.

fuck.

Adam Haynes

Love the concepts behind the illustrations by Adam Haynes.

unenthusiastic

i oddly un-thrilled this semester.
somehow.
with my cores.

Max Kerning

Typophiles: you ought to know Max Kerning.