Vaudeville
Let’s have a look at the gloriousity of vaudeville in its heyday, shall we?
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment very much in vogue from the 1880s to the 1930s. The name, vaudeville, is thought to be derived from the expression voix de ville which means voice of the city.
A vaudeville performance is made up with several unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill. These acts tend to include musicians, dancers, comedians, trained animals, impersonators, acrobats, illustrated songs, jugglers, scenes from plays, athletes (yuck), lecturing celebrities, minstrels and movies. Something for everyone, then, except for the athletes thing which sounds like a major fail, cause who likes sports, really? Anyway…
Vaudeville developed from many sources, such as the concert salon, minstrelsy, freak shows, dime museums and burlesque. Well, you can’t go wrong with those ingredients!
Quite a few cool costumes to be inspired from, don’t you think?
Love, Hanna
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada
Meet the marvelously colorful Spanish fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada (1960 – ).
Ruiz de la Prada’s career in fashion started with a bang in 1981, when she launched her first women’s collection in Madrid, which was a total hit.
I don’t really like kids, but for those out there that do – Agatha Ruiz de la Prada also makes insanely pretty children’s clothes. Maybe not too shocking considering the level of crazy fun in her women’s collections.
Love, Hanna
Rescuing Patty Hearst
Nineteen seventy-four was a bad time to go crazy.
Not long ago I read Rescuing Patty Hearst (2004), an interesting memoir written by Virginia Holman (1967 – ) about growing up with a schizophrenic mother in the seventies.
“In 1975, one year after Patty Hearst and her captors robbed Hibernia National Bank, a second kidnapping took place far from the glare of the headlines. Virginia Holman’s mother, in the thrall of psychosis, spirited her two daughters to a cottage on the Virginia Peninsula, painted the windows black, and set up the house as a MASH unit for a secret war. A war that never came. The family — captive to her mother’s schizophrenia and a legal system that refused to intervene — remained there for more than three years.”
Of course, the story Holman tells is absolutely tragic, but due to her sly sarcasm it doesn’t become too painful or tiresome to read. It is quite short, and will probably teach you something about mental illnesses, and since we all know that learning is fun, especially on the weekends, why don’t you get to it?
Enjoy your reading,
Love, Hanna
Tori Amos
Today I present you with one of my all-time favourite musicians, the glorious Tori Amos.
Her solo debut came in 1992 with Little Earthquakes – one of the best albums ever released (biased? Me? No!), and since then, Tori has released eleven more wonderful collections of musical diamonds. Her latest album, Night of Hunters, came out about a month ago.
Tori started playing the piano at the age of two, and at six she became the youngest student ever to be accepted into the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. However, at eleven, she was dismissed from the academy, partly due to her interest in pop and rock music, her own compositions which were not always greeted favourably by the academy, and her refusal to read sheet music. Still, it seems obvious now that she should never be forced to play anything other than her own amazing music and that classical training may not have been perfect for such an individualist.
Here’s a small selection of those beautiful pieces:
Spark (From the Choirgirl Hotel, 1998):
Winter (Little Earthquakes, 1992):
Hey Jupiter (Boys for Pele, 1996)
Cornflake Girl (Under the Pink, 1994)
A Sorta Fairytale (Scarlet’s Walk, 2002)
Love, Mari
The Walkman
Hey guys, remember this?
This wonderful little device that totally revolutionized the way we listened to music, allowing us to bring our mixed tapes with us without any hassle.
So where did this work of genius come from? Let’s ask Wikipedia: “A portable personal stereo audio cassette player, called Stereobelt, was first invented by the German-Brazilian Andreas Pavel in 1972. Pavel filed a patent for his Stereobelt in Italy in 1977, followed by patent applications in the U.S., Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan by the end of 1978.
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony’s portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones.(…) The device was built in 1978 by audio-division engineer Nobutoshi Kihara for Sony co-chairman Akio Morita, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his frequent trans-Pacific plane trips.
In 1979, Sony began selling the popular Walkman, and in 1980 started legal talks with Pavel regarding a royalty fee. In 1986 Sony finally agreed to pay royalties to Pavel, but only for sales in Germany, and only for a few models, and refused to acknowledge him as the inventor of the device. In 2001, Pavel threatened Sony with legal suits in every country in which he had patented his invention. The corporation agreed to resume talks with Pavel and a settlement was finally reached in 2003. The settlement grants Pavel the recognition from Sony that he was the original inventor of the personal stereo.”
Have a look at some more and feel nostalgic:
Love, Elin
Abigail Lorick
There is a very good reason to watch the TV series Gossip Girl: the abundance of glorious clothes. It was through this show I discovered American designer Abigail Lorick. Turns out that she designs, among other things, the clothes Eleanor Waldorf gets credit for in the series. And they tend to be good.
When she was 18, Lorick moved to Paris and Milan to work as a model, before returning to America to study fashion in 2003.
In spring 2007 she launched her own brand, and was almost immediately cast as a designer for Gossip Girl.
Lorick is all about elegance and timelessness, with glorious colors to go, and a mission to, in the designer’s own words, “electric blues and exposed zippers.” Thank you!
And another word of wisdom from the lady of the hour: “Don’t ever leave the house without a little bit of color.”
Love, Hanna
Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami (1963- ) is a Japanese artist who has gained international fame for his strange and rather terrifying art.
Murakami is considered one of the most thought-provoking contemporary artists in Japan, and it is easy to see why. Looking at his art is a bit like being on acid (or at least how this is being portrayed in films, I have no personal experience with acid). His work range from cartoony paintings to sculptures, giant balloons, performance events and factory produced watches, t-shirts and other products. He also collaborated with Marc Jacobs to create handbags for Louis Vuitton, which is always a good thing. His signature character is called Mr. DOB, a creature vaguely reminiscent of Mickey Mouse, only the nightmare-version.
Murakami is classically trained in the traditional nihon-ga style, something that is recognizable in his art, in between all the references to pop-culture. He himself does not consider his work pop-art however: “If my art looks positive and cheerful, I would doubt my art was accepted in the contemporary art scene. My art is not Pop art. It is a record of the struggle of the discriminated people.”
Please enjoy some more pictures of his work:
I, at least, find his art really, really scary. But still brilliant. What do you think?
Love, Elin
Good Omens
Good Omens: The Nice and Proper Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is the brainchild of the amazing authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, which means that it is probably one of the funniest books ever written.
It is a story about the End Times. The Apocalypse is nigh, which comes as a bit of an inconvenience for the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, who both have grown rather fond of their quiet earth lives and of the human race. They team up to secretly work against their respective bosses and make sure that the apocalypse is postponed. However, the boy thought to be Antichrist, and raised as such, is really just a normal eleven year old boy, due to an infant mix-up at the hospital. The real Antichrist is living peacefully with his parents, completely unaware of all the trouble that is coming his way.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse saddle up and the race is on. Who will find Antichrist first? And will the world survive?
This is a great story filled with wonderful characters, with the very best from both Gaiman’s and Pratchett’s worlds. If you want to have fun, read this novel.
Love, Elin
The King’s Speech
Ah yes, another Friday night with nothing interesting on the telly. Well, fear not, my friends, I have an excellent suggestion for tonight’s entertainment: The King’s Speech (2010).
It is the Second World War, Britain is facing a crisis. The king dies and the successor to the throne abdicates. It is now up to the seemingly unfit second son, George, to take on the role as king and keep his country calm. However, he is held back by an insufferable stammer. Will he, with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue, be able to overcome his handicap and rule the land?
The King’s Speech won four Oscars for best directing, best motion picture, best leading actor and best original screenplay. It also won 64 other awards, so you know that this is a good film. It stars Colin Firth as King George VI, Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth and Jeffrey Rush as Lionel Logue.
This is a must-see, so if you haven’t already, do so tonight!
Love, Elin
James Franco
Sometimes it may seem like one of the criterias for becoming a Vili Flik hottie is to be dead. Not true. Please don’t die. So today I present to you the still living (and may he do so for a long, long time) fabulous hottie James Franco (1978 – ).
Now, most of you probably already know that the James is an actor. But did you also know that he has a bachelor’s degree in English, and no less then three master’s degrees – two in writing and one in film? That’s rather impressive, I should say.
And of course, if you wanna meet this intellectual, good-looking, rich and famous guy, you could always enroll as a drama student at New York University, where he works as a teacher. Oh yeah.
Of course, when he’s not busy teaching or studying or reading Kafka, James Franco can sometimes be seen acting. You may have seen him as
Daniel Desario in Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
James Dean in James Dean (2001)
Harry Osborn in The Spiderman triology (2002-07)
Scott Smith in Milk (2008)
Aron Ralston in 127 Hours (2010)
And I saved the best for last, because James Franco portrays one of our favorites in the 2010 movie Howl – he is Allen Ginsberg.
And if you still haven’t seen Howl, well, you know what to do.
Love, Hanna
PS: in Lily’s honor, I give you the ultimate proof that our hottie is, in fact, human:
James Franco sleeping in class. We’ve all been there, sweetie.
Steampunk
Steampunk fashion is admittedly not really a vintage style, but its roots in Victorian style clothing qualifies it as at least slightly vintage.
Like all good things, steampunk has its origins in literature. The term was coined in the ’80s, but works of steampunk fiction were written as early as the ’50s. According to wikipedia, “steampunk was influenced by, and often adopts the style of, the 19th century scientific romances of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Mark Twain, and Mary Shelley.” In short, it often describes a parallel universe where most machinery run on steam (hence the name), and where clothes and language are very Victorian, yet with modern influences. Again, in the words of wikipedia: “while most of the original steampunk works had a historical setting, later works would often place steampunk elements in a fantasy world with little relation to any specific historical era. Historical steampunk tends to be more “science fictional:” presenting an alternate history; real locales and persons from history with different technology. Fantasy-world steampunk […], on the other hand, presents steampunk in a completely imaginary fantasy realm, often populated by legendary creatures coexisting with steam-era or anachronistic technologies.”
Accessories are important, and they should contain some kind of clockwork mechanism, be self-designed and home made, but esthetically pleasing. As steampunks are always looking for adventure, goggles, gas masks, carrier bags and compasses are crucial, and one should always have some mode of transportation available.
And of course, no lady leaves her house without a hat….
Too dependent on modern technology to fully commit to the steampunk lifestyle, you say? No problem! Steampunks are nothing if not inventive, and modern gadgets can be ingeniously adapted.
Steampunk is also well represented in films and television. Famous examples include The City of Lost Children (1995), Wild Wild West (1999), Metropolis (2001), Vidocq (2001), A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) The Prestige (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), and Sherlock Holmes (2009). There are also clear steampunk elements to Doctor Who (1963-), particularly with some of the doctors (the most recent TARDIS is very steampunk indeed). And let’s not forget the steampunk Dalek…
Now, let’s check out some lovely steampunk clothes and outfits, shall we?
(I need these shoes! FYI dear reader, my birthday's coming up...)
Love, Mari
Burberry
The British luxury fashion house of Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry (1835-1926) in 1856.
Since 1956, the fashion house has done quite a lot of cool stuff such as inventing the iconic trench coat, outfitting Norwegian Roald Amundsen on his expedition to the South Pole (now there’s a stylish explorer for you).
Burberry operates under five different brands: Burberry Prorsum, Burberry Sport (fail), Thomas Burberry, Burberry Black Label Men and Burberry Blue Label Women. My favorite? Burberry Prorsum.
The chief designer, or creative officer, if you will, of Burberry these days is the magnificent English designer Christopher Bailey (1971 – ), who’s held the position since 2009.
Love, Hanna
If Chins Could Kill
If you’re not familiar with actor and cult icon Bruce Campbell (1958 – ), you should check out the Evil Dead-movies (1981-92) which earned him his cult hero status. When you’ve done that, watch his performance as a mummy-fighting geriatric Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) (a fairly underrated movie in my opinion). Then, it’s time for his self-degrading My Name is Bruce (2007). By this time, you are familiar enough with his face to play a game of Spot-The-Bruce in Sam Raimi’s films (he appears in almost all of them). It is at this point that you need to read his hilarious and insightful autobiography If Chins Could Kill – Confessions of a B-Movie Actor (2002).
The title says it all. In this memoir, Campbell recounts his life as an actor whose main body of work consists of so-called B-movies. As he puts it: “The bigger the movie, the smaller the part.” Hilarious as the man himself, the book also offers an interesting inside look at the Hollywood movie-industry – not from the view of a hugely overpaid A-list star, but from someone who tries to make a living in a notoriously unstable profession. Enjoy!
Love, Mari
Black Sheep
As autumn and its darkness is bringing us all down, this week’s film is pure entertainment, no hidden depth or anything like that. It’s the wonderfully silly kiwi horror comedy Black Sheep (2006).
The story is as simple as it is hilarious: a bunch of genetically engineered sheep turn into vicious killers and start terrorizing a New Zealand farm community. In addition to being killing machines, the sheep’s bite will turn people into one of them. And as sheep outnumber the human population in NZ, it’s imperative to find an antidote! The film is very much in the vein ofthe early works of New Zealand’s great son, Peter Jackson, and well worth your time if you’re into that sort of thing (which I really am).
Get ready for the Violence of the Lambs indeed!
Love, Mari
The Mad Hatter
Today, my dearies, is the International Mad Hatter Day, so naturally today’s hottie is none other than the Mad Hatter himself.
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Even though he usually goes by the name “The Mad Hatter”, this term was never used by Carroll himself, however Hatta is pointed out as mad by the Cheshire Cat, and I think you’ll all agree that his behavior is rather eccentric.
Together with the March Hare he is hosting an endless tea party to avoid execution. They entertain and annoy each other with changing places randomly and asking riddles without answers, such as “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”.
The term “mad as a hatter” stems from the time when mercury was used in the making of hats. Hat makers inhaled the fumes which led to neurological damage, including confused speech and distorted vision. However, Hatta does not show any of the typical symptoms of mercury poisoning, and might in fact be modeled after an eccentric furniture dealer called Theophilus Carter. Carter invented an alarm clock bed that tipped sleepers out to wake them up, and later owned a furniture shop in Oxford. He became known as “the Mad Hatter” from his habit of standing in the door of his shop wearing a top hat. Sir John Tenniel, the illustrator of Carroll’s novels, is reported to have come to Oxford especially to sketch him for his illustrations.
The Mad Hatter is a popular character who has been portrayed by many different people and in many different shapes and forms. Here are a few:
Now hat up people and go mad, it’s tea time!
Love, Elin
Bicycles
So sports aren’t necessarily what we do most of here at Vili Flik, but despite that this is going to be a post about bicycles. Vintage bicycles, mind you, we have no tolerance for the new hip tightswearing bicycle crowd who just happen to combine their workout with a trip to the mall. Fail. But, a lot of fashionable people ride bicycles too, and in impeccable outfits no less, so let’s have a looksie on how a bike can be, no, not transportation, darling, but an accessory to accentuate your style.
Let steal some history from wikipedia: “The dandy horse was the first human means of transport to use only two wheels in tandem and was invented by the German Baron Karl von Drais. It is regarded as the forerunner of the modern bicycle and was introduced by Drais to the public in Mannheim in summer 1817 and in Paris in 1818.”
“Further innovations increased comfort and ushered in a second bicycle craze, the 1890s’ Golden Age of Bicycles.”
Yes, that is Katharine and Audrey you see above, both busy proving my point.
Love, Hanna
Roksanda Ilinic
I discovered Serbian designer Roksanda Ilinic under this year’s London fashion week, and I just loved her collection.
Ilinic studied architecture and applied arts in her hometown Belgrade, before moving on to London, where she gained her master’s degree in womenswear.
In 2003 she launched her own label, Roksanda Ilinic, and has since then had an increase in customers, shops and attention throughout the world. And well deserved! She creates beautiful demi-couture; clothes inspired by 40s and 50s Parisian haute couture. Now you just can’t go wrong with that.
Colorful glamour – my favorite combination.
Love, Hanna
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories from 1997 is a wonderful, weird and bittersweet book of stories by Vili Flik hottie Tim Burton. The poem-like stories tend to be about characters who don’t fit in, but who keep trying to. The stories are quite tragic, but, in true Burtonbrilliance, they are also a bit funny and very beautiful. The stories are also accompanied by lovely little illustrations.
Love, Hanna
Vili Flik 