Caramel

Premiering at Cannes last year this sweet Lebanese film ‘Caramel’ has finally been released in Denmark. It sounds delicious, but the caramel is actually used as wax, also called ‘sugaring’. I went to see it without any expectations at all which is often when you get the best movie experiences.
It is a very sensual film about five different women around a beauty parlour in Beirut. It evolves around each of their personal problems with love and female life. These powerful inner dilemmas are related clamly and quitely making them even more heartfelt.
What makes this film so special is not only the pace and the patience it gives this women, it's also the way humour and irony help create a realitic image of women's lives - whether they live in Beirut, America or Europe.It's been said about this film that it's a Lebanese version of 'Sex and the city' - I think it's better because even though it also deals with love and sex, the women in Caramel have a more natural and sensual chrisma than the New Yoker girls. So go see it before it's too late - I dont't think this one will be avaliable on DVD here in Denmark. In Copenhagen it's showing at Gloria.

Music video inspiration

Here are two very different music videos. I really enjoy them both for their dramatic and expressive effects. First up is Beirut’s video for ‘Elephant Gun’. Being an incredible cool band with a unique type of sound I think that Beirut’s video accompanies the mood of the music really well. The 18th century bohemian mystery combined with modern day party spirit makes my smile.


Next is Rôisin Murphy’s video for ‘You know me better’
Now if this is not what you call a stylish video, then I don’t know what is. I love the different looks and how they all remind my of 50s barbie-dolls.

Home of Finn Juhl

Place of the month May:
In this positively amazing summer weather I can’t find any good excuses to stay inside anymore. So I made my first ever visit to the Ordrupgaard museum north of Copenhagen.

The garden there is lovely and the mix of the original building with the new one is interesting and beautiful.
Right next to Ordrupgaard is the house and home of Danish designer and architect Finn Juhl who died in 1989. His home is a part of Ordrupgaard and it’s open to the public. I’ve made it the place of the month in May because it is such a cool experience to see his home. He has built and designed everything himself.
Finn Juhl is not as well know in the broad public as the grand old men of Danish Design PH, Arne Jacobsen or Hans Wegner. But his style and forms are just as interesting and his home is a master piece of balancing colours, shapes and light. His furniture, especially his chairs, are really well know outside of Denmark as well.
To walk around in his home gave you a complete new way of experiencing his design and choices of decoration. In connection with the opening of his house Ordrupgaard has an exhibition showing in detail how he managed to combine his own furniture with colours and his choices of art. Here you can see a small online slideshow of his house.

Finnish art and fashion

Ivana Helsinki has been a favourite of mine for a while. I guess my interest began with her babushka prints about 4 years back and since then I’ve eagerly kept an eye out for new things. I think that Ivana Helsinki is one of the best Scandinavian examples of fashion and art mixing special details with raw materials in simple cuts.

This new A/W collection is different from the former collection which paid strict attention to the prints. ‘Birdring’ as it is called features the model on a birdring throughout the look book photos. The prints are still there with different colourful birds, but overall the collection has a lot of knits and dresses.

A small, but very cool collection

A very sweet and simple collection by Texan artist Alyson Fox caught my eye today. Alyson Fox has made a wall/winter and a spring/summer collection with sustainable materials and according to her website the collections are ‘very eco-friendly’. As much as I’m an enthusiastic environmentalist I still hesitate when it comes to the label ‘eco-friendly’ in fashion.

Eco-friendly clothing is nothing new – but it’s hopefully becoming of a better quality. I remember my mother getting me organic socks and underwear as a teenager. It was a nightmare! – The elastic band in socks and knickers would basically disappear after the first wash. Just imagine that; as teenager walking around with your underwear and your socks slowly loosening and dropping down in pants and shoes. Not funny. So I guess that experience has made me forever suspicious of organic clothes, even though I’m completely for the general concept.The really good thing about Alyson Fox’s Small Collection is that the designs are so cool. The shapes are loose, but in that 20s and 30s style, that I really like. Both the summer and winter dresses come off as very elegant and the fabrics don’t appear fragile at all. In the two video look books you get a good idea of Alyson Fox’s general style. It’s too bad that you can’t buy this too bad that you can’t buy the Small collection online.