The Masque of Red Death
Harry Clarke (March 17, 1889–1931) was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was an important figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.
Pen, ink and watercolor.
Some of his best known and most successful works are Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales, Goethe’s Faust and Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
“Celtic Mysticism, Symbolism, National Romanticism, Art Nouveau, all claimed an influence in the work of Harry Clarke.” – Belvedere College Museum.
Clarke’s stained glass work:
Though I love Clarke’s figures, for obvious reasons, some of my favorites are his most inert pieces. Landscapes. If you can call them that:
I have the pleasure of owning this piece, and a copy of the The Masque of Red Death seen at the top of this post:
Alex McDowell designed the next installment of the franchise – THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS. This production was one of those disorganized-but-well-intended sequels that began with no shooting script, which contributed to the final film’s story and performance failures. Too bad.
The film is really gorgeous, and McDowell contributed one of the most memorable Alternate-Los Angeles settings in this film. The orange street lights of LA, the smog, Dia de los Muertos, S&M club culture, motorcycles / driving culture, tattoo parlors, the LA River, the Long Beach docks, and Downtown Los Angeles all appear in and inspire the sets in this movie.
THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS, Dir. Tim Pope, 1996
“L.A. is the bane of designers’ existence, because everyone always refers to it as the touchstone of dark futuristic design. It was really important to me that we didn’t shoot L.A. in the rain. I think that would have just said [the old things] all over again…It’s a challenge; there’s never really been a film shot at night that doesn’t use water as an element for reflection. It’s a classic thing.” – McDowell
On broken glass:
“But when we were scouting downtown locations, a recurrent image to me was the broken glass all over the place. Early on, I decided that we could use broken glass to do the same thing as water, but it would have a far more potent narrative message. The Kristallnacht…so there’s those kind of overtones. And then there are earthquake overtones which…is the idea that the people are living in buildings they would never ordinarily be able to. The homeless have repopulated the city because the city’s falling apart, it’s been condemned, and everyone else has moved out.”
EXT. Dust Factory
(frames from original comic/graphic novel by J. O’Barr)
Alex McDowell is one of my favorite, current production designers.
He also inadvertently shaped my tastes / aesthetic/ geekdom by production designing the first two movies in THE CROW franchise. Yes, I’m an uber-geek. It’s cool. I can live with it.
By the way – Alex McDowell started his career designing album covers for The Cure and Siouxie and the Banshees. Then he moved onto art directing music videos and commercials, and then directed some too. You know. No big deal. Later, he designed a few movies you might have heard of. I’ve been a fan of his work since THE CROW. He’ll get an special blog post from me soon, no doubt – he’s amazing!
Gothic-romantic-vengeance-cheesiness-possibly-bad-acting aside, the first two films in THE CROW franchise are gorgeous. Iconic. Visually incredible.
Observe:
THE CROW, Dir.: Alex Proyas, 1994
“I think that the starting point for the design was, obviously, the comic book,” McDowell said. “The imagery of that is great, and it is also very simple… We tried to take the simplicity of the comic book to the film. The setting is a decayed inner city; a place that has gone so far down the tubes, it’s beyond redemption. We really wanted to get across that the city is like a war zone.”
“McDowell made the cathedral his central design point.”
You can see the cathedral elements in the loft that belongs to Eric and Shelley. The set is heavily influenced by the apartment drawn in the comics too.
This commercial cracks me up.
Of course, I respond to descriptions of ”intricate, Venetian frescos” on ceilings and Corinthian details on monolithic columns.
…the promise of virtual bloodshed isn’t bad either.
I’m not a gamer, so this commercial worked on me by using architecture nomenclature. Smarty pants at Ubisoft! The game DOES look gorgeous.
Cute.
Dia de los Muertos is my FAVORITE holiday and event in Los Angeles. I look forward to it every year. This year, the festival will be on Saturday, October 24, from 4pm-11pm. If you’re in LA, DO NOT MISS IT! Swing by the cemetery in between parties. Cool kids do it.
Those in attendance: tons of families, grandparents, punk rockers, drunkies, Mexican food aficionados, musicians, hip hip hipsterrrrs, artists,like…everyone goes. The people-watching is crazy good.
There are parades, musical performances, incredible shrines that honor the dead, vendors, performance artists, costumes, cheap beer and margaritas and food!
Of course, this festival is incredibly beautiful and amazing to witness. Here’s a glimpse:
Johnny Ramone always gets respect.
OKAY.
I’m just saying…
Nicolas Petrou / MAN-ifique fashion show for S/S 2010:
=
Green Man!!
But like…if Green Man was chic. Or crazier. And into layers.
Petrou’s new menswear line is pretty amazing. I wonder how many people have asked Petrou “Hey man, have you seen Green Man before? SHIT’S HILARIOUS!”
There’s no way I can overlook the use of complete-body-spandex, though. That’s Charlie’s thing. And WE LOVE CHARLIE!
Amy Wells at Vintage Vintage Vintage! at the Pasadena Antique Center
Los Angeles Times did a great article on Amy Wells, the Emmy-winning Set Decorator on “Mad Men”. (To clarify, Set Decorators work under the Production Designer, and are wholly responsible for finding and providing all the furniture and decor for the sets.)
Supporting the entertainment industry and interior design aficionados, Los Angeles is full of wonderful antique and home decor stores. Some of the very best stores are found in Pasadena, CA – my hometown! I was so excited to learn that Amy Wells frequents many Pasadena shops to achieve the beautiful, idyllic mid-century design in “Mad Men”.
Amy Wells at Salvation Army
This is SO, SO, SO Awesome.
It’s too easy to satirize one’s upbringing / past / environment. Easy, but by far the most fun thing to do.
ROMA, Dir. Federico Fellini, 1972
Doubt the Vatican with every thinking fiber in your body, but do not doubt the Vatican’s incredible style. Hilarious.
Brooks Brothers x MAD MEN:
Available October 19th.
Buy it here for a $998 steal. The suit is at this sale price until the Season3 finale on November 8th.
Directly inspired by the razor sharp 1960s tailoring favored by the characters of Don Draper (played by John Hamm) and Roger Sterling (played by John Slattery) the “Mad Men Edition” suit has been reinterpreted for today by award winning Costume Designer Janie Bryant. The hand finished, American made suit evokes the clean style and sophistication of the early 1960’s with a trimmer silhouette and period details. Offered in a “static” grey sharkskin fabric the 2-button jacket features narrow lapels, hacking pockets and side vents. Plain-front trousers. Dry clean. Made in the USA.
It’s a beaut. Wish it came with a collar pin too. Any faux Roger Sterlings wanna make out?
By the way…Don Draper is overrated. Yeah, I said it. Captivating, sexy, scum-baggy – yes, all those things are Don. I think I crave justice for those he’s slighted. Me, moral? Huh.
I LOVE the attention and respect Janie Bryant garners from both the public and the professionals. Fans always obsess over the looks/outfits of their favorite fictional characters, and it’s high time that costume designers get regular attention for creating these looks.
I particularly loved the costumes from this episode from Season 3 – Episode 8 “Souvenir”
More S/S 2010 RTW favorites / shoe lust / stuff lust list:
Hermès
Tennis is the inspiration, but not the game.
Is Gautier reading Street Carnage/Vice and heeding the message that men secretly love black socks & high heels? Is that true? Dudes are so funny.
Valentino
WOW. I think I’ve dreamed of owning shoes like these.
Not sure if the former-accessories-only-designer-duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli created a strong overall collection, but their expertise in accessories is evident.
This bag!
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