Rihanna never ceases to amaze her crowd and she has #rihannaNAVY going crazy with her latest #talkthattalk album which features numerous hits such as Birthday Cake, Talk that Talk, We Found Love and her most recent single You Da One! Rihanna has always been known to switch the style up and this time she does so with a blonde wig. Catch Rihanna on the set of her latest video for "You Da One", in London where she exercises her sex appeal in tights and ripped jean shorts.
She always looks like she's having the time of her life!
Why should we live if we must die? It is one of the questions Danish artist Nikoline Liv Andersen puts us in this exhibition. With a plethora of bodies, thick fabrics, flowers and fruits, life's transience is reflected upon, man in defense against death and the body in decomposition. Through baroque vanitas-settings and references to the myth of Sisyphus - society's eternal quest for financial abundance in a life that undoubtedly lose all worldliness at the end - the project expresses a life without meaning that will inevitably end.
Also on exhibit is the project The Dance of the Deaf and Dumb Eye where Nikoline Liv Andersen examines the theory of the classic Japanese monkeys that naively shut themselves out of the world by not seeing, not hearing and not speaking. Monkeys housed in wigs a la Marie Antoinette and clothing sculptures are visualized through a counterpart to the French court of Louis XVI, whose excessive exuberance and poor communication between nobility and the people led to the French Revolution. The monkeys symbolize today's blind consumer.
Nikoline Liv Andersen graduated as a fashion designer from the Danish Design School in 2006. She works in the borderland between fashion and art, and her unique creations are made of materials such as fur and plastic. She lives and works in Copenhagen. " Since I was little, I had an endless fascination with aesthetic and visual story telling. My heart is beating and my fingers are itching to dress and dress up. I see it as a duty and a great motivation to push the borders of what you are able to wear and not to dwell in the land of compromises where existing target groups are being pleased." ~~ Nikoline Liv Andersen
The exhibition presents two new installations of textile works and a selection of past creations. "Slowly Seeping through my Hands" is currently on view at Horsens Kunstmuseum in Denmark.
The Dance of the Deaf and Dumb Eye by Nikoline Liv Andersen
Photos by Nicky de Silva
Glory by Nikoline Liv Andersen Photos by Signe Vilstrup
Slowly Seeping through my Hands by Nikoline Liv Andersen Photos by Svend Pedersen
The soon to be released, DIOR COUTURE will make a lovely gift for this holiday season. This book is a portfolio of over one hundred iconic gowns for the entire era of Christian Dior haute couture, including dresses designed by Dior himself and those of his successors, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, and John Galliano.
Each of these divine portraits were shot by legendary French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier whose work is regularly featured in leading magazines including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vanity Fair, and many others. Demarchelier was also the official photographer of Princess Diana of Wales, the first non-Briton to become an official photographer for the Royal Family. Shot in various places, a movie studio in Beijing, Times Square in New York and, in Paris, in settings including a private chateau, the Opera Garnier, avenue Montaigne, and at the Hotel Plaza Athenee, the stunning gowns - vintage and contemporary - were taken on models including Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Karlie Kloss, actress Charlize Theron, and many others.
Founded in Paris by designer Christian Dior in 1946, the House of Dior is one of the most revered names in fashion, and his the archetype of Parisian couture. With splendid images accompanied by thoughtful text by former editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, and a special foreword by American artist Jeff Koons, DIOR COUTURE immortalizes one of the most important and long-lived couture houses in the world and is a book that anyone with an interest in fashion will want for their library.
DIOR COUTURE is published by Rizzoli New York Release date: December 2011
Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou (b.1965) is one of the pre-eminent photographers from the Republic of Benin, based in the capital Porto Novo close to the Nigerian border. Trained by his father, the world-renowned photographer Joseph Moise Agbodjelou (1912-2000), Leonce Raphael has since developed his own individual style in contemporary and innovative ways. Shooting with medium format in an outdoor studio, his recent project has focused on the Egungun masqueraders.
Egungun are both named and unnamed ancestral forbears of Yoruba-speaking lineages, found in the republic of Benin and in the Yoruba kingdoms of south-Western Nigeria. Beginning in the 11th to 14th centuries a.d., the masqueraders appear at funeral to mark and guide the passage of the deceased to the spirit world. Annual festivals are held in Yoruba-speaking communities at the beginning of the rainy season to cleanse the town, but Egungun can also appear at any time to avert major misfortune or affliction that threatens the local community. They occupy a range of roles that vary from recent deceased and historical forbears, to acting as community executioners of criminals and witches. Less important and junior performers, such as onidan (miracle workers) oloki (acrobats) and alaba (wearers of cloth) cam also entertain the onlookers with magical feats and the sumptuousness of visual display. ~~Dr Charles Gore, Senior Lecturer in the History of African Art, School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London
Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou explores these dynamic tensions in a major series of individual portraits of Egungun that capture both their individual personalities and quirks while making out their power and elusiveness as liminal visitors from the world of the dead.
Agbodjelou has received international recognition for his portrait photography. This new series - acquired by major private collections worldwide - firmly establishes him as preeminent emerging artist.
This year, V O G U E | Diaspora gave you all a sneak peak on Jhene Aiko; however, we didn't present an outlet for you all to access her music. For those of you who do not know, Jhene released her "Sailing Souls" mixtape on Mar 28, 2011, and it is a collection of honest and soothing music that we all can relate to. Click here to download her mixtape, then comment telling us your favorite song. Watch the video to one of the songs on her mixtape below.
Vogue Note:Hoe ft. Miguel & Gucci Mane, You vs. Them, and Growing Apart ft. Kendrick Lamar are my FAVORITES.
D'Mor J "No Style, No Fashion. It is that simple."
"Take Care," sold 631,000 copies the first week, and became the 3rd highest selling debut of this year, only trailing behind Lil' Wayne and Lady GaGa! Drake's sophomore album leaked, and he was still able to make the numbers....so his fellow colleagues had to give respect because Drake's respect is due. Check out the note Jay Z wrote to Drake below.
"Monster # comes in . Proud of your journey. Peace, Hov."
D'Mor J "No Style, No Fashion. It is that simple."
PH: BJ Pascual Styling: Rain Dagala and Em Millan Make-Up: Paolo Maranan for Clinique Hair: John Valle for L'Oreal Professionnel Nails: Nailaholics Nail Salon and Spa