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

Paris Fashion Week, again

John Galliano

 

John Galliano

Yves Saint Laurent

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

More from Paris FW

Christian Dior

Christian Dior

Christian Dior

Jean Paul Gaultier