what’s inside a jil sander bag? fashion not-so-vacant.

this is a lovely short film, directed by photographer-turned-director karen collins for vs magazine’s latest issue featuring model helena christensen and her counterpart matt clunan. we’ve gathered that the film is about a cat that eventually, got out of the bag. thus, unleashing a pandora’s box effect that reduced helena into a miniature figurine inside a jil sander bag, where–voila! she meets handsome matt. it’s in this magical entity that they find each other under a table and exchange notes. in all seriousness, we love the open-ended story, and as experts on women’s behavior we know how “every woman alive” not only wears chanel no. 5, but can also relate to the love triangle unleashed here. sometimes your competition is non-other than yourself, as elegantly reenacted here by the inimitable danish goddess, helena christensen…

director-karen collins, stylist-vibe dabelsteen, art direction-jakob f.s., set design-reynaldo, davis carter ford artists, hair-romina manenti see management, makeup-hung vanngo the wall group, manicure-dawn sterling melbourne artists management, models-helena christensen unsigned mgmt.,  matt clunan-ford models, post production advisor-ceft and company new york, editing-luis moreno jump, assistant editors-john dean & adrianna merlucci, finishing poetica, executive producer-alexandra leal jump edit, director of photography- shane sigler, music advisor-ucef hanjani, music composed & arranged by alto soundwaves, assistant director-paul malle, titles-ceft and company new york, fashion coordinator-sabine engesnes, location jack studios.  by xy

ms. 45

zoe tamerlis lund ms 45

here’s the trailer from abel ferrara’s 1981 exploitation film about a beautiful mute girl, and the tumultuous events surrounding her over the course of a few days in the pre-Giuliani-sex-ridden new york city. starring the late zoe tamerlis-lund, she gives a hilariously awkward and sexy performance. ferrara can be a bit too gritty for me sometimes, but having the pleasure of seeing this over the weekend with great company was certainly a night of joy. by sv

i am the cosmos

chris bell musician

chris bell hailed from memphis and was (mostly) the brainchild behind the amazing-yet-not-necessarily-appreciated rock group, big star. bell left the band for a number of reasons: heroin addiction, depression, and that undeniably plaguing issue of feeling overshadowed. this song, not released on an album until 1992 years after bell’s accidental death (he is in fact a member of the infamous 27 club), has been haunting me since i watched the big star documentary a few months ago. i knew the song from a cover (which it pains me to admit) by pete yorn and scarlett johansson; but hearing the words in bell’s enchanting voice, how it’s meant to be heard, is simply magical.  to be honest, the documentary itself leaves something to be desired; it left me confused about the band’s stature not only as musicians but as human beings. perhaps it was the documenter’s vision to make these men seem unlikeable, although judging from the title i truthfully don’t know. with that said, chris bell was a truly extraordinary songwriter, and i will listen to this for years to come. what a mantra; to recite that you ARE indeed the COSMOS–i can’t possibly think of anything more encapsulating. by sv

love is to die

warpaint love is to die


anyone with two eyes and even the teensiest morsel of a brain was/is a fan of chris cunningham and his tremendous and often off-putting music videos for such artists as madonna, aphex twin, bjork squarepusher, and portishead amongst others. cunningham’s wife, jenny lee lindberg is the bassist of warpaint, an extraordinary musical act with whom he’s been working on this documentary for nearly two years. here’s the teaser trailer for love is to die. can’t wait to see the rest. by sv

green porno

isabella rossellini green porno

the delightful green porno is isabella rossellini’s brilliant interpretation of how various insects procreate. a live show will be featured at BAM this january 16-25. rossellini’s quaint storytelling style and the unexpectedly kinky anecdotes are inspired by unprecedented french screenwriter and frequent buñuel collaborator, jean-claude carrière. by sv

the special nelson mandela: buried but never dead

i played this back then, and i play it now because unfortunately apartheid is still alive under other names. a beautiful song for a beautiful man; was playing it in the office all week. free nelson mandela – the specials (aka). written by jerry dammers and performed by his coventry based band the special A.K.A. – with lead vocal by stan campbell – released in 1984 as a protest against the imprisonment of nelson madela by the apartheid south african government. by dd