Bill Cunningham: New York's Straight Shooter

I was fashionably late to the party that is the documentary: Bill Cunningham New York. It was released in September of 2011 and has been sitting in my "list" on Netflix for about two years and I have finally sat down and watched it. Twice. I was deeply moved by Bill, his honesty, philosophy and his eye for beauty. I was moved to tears by his passion and authenticity as a person and an artist.

He perceives fashion in much the same way I do. There are no boundaries, to have style is to be unique and interesting, there is no "in" season or trend as it is all "in". When he photographs he has a very egalitarian view of people. It is about the clothes and the styling not about your social standing is or how big of a bank account you have. His passion for the artistry of fashion and dressing is what propels him, now at 85 years old on his bicycle all over New York City.

Bill's version of a drive by shooting

He first picked up  his camera in the 1960's and has never put it down. He stays authentic and ignores the technological progression of photography and shoots with 35mm film, looks at his negatives and has them developed. No photoshop or masking his true eye or talent level. He is most famous for his long running "on the street" fashion pictorial column for The New York Times. He shoots all the images, chooses every image and the position they appear on the page. He controls his work and has never been a sell out.

He has my ultimate respect. I am in the middle of putting pen to paper to write to him. Gratitude is nothing if it is left unexpressed.  I adore his lifestyle and the fact that he is a true artist, passion is what drives him and the pursuit of beauty, not as he says "cookie cutter sameness". 

"A lot of people have taste but they don't have the daring to be creative. Here we are in an age of the cookie cutter sameness. There are few that are rarities"

Bill spends the majority of his time photographic street style in New York as well as the fashion shows and evening events. He also travels to Paris for the S/S and F/W shows. He believes that to feed your eyes you must shoot everything. He has a natural critical eye and has kept every single negative of every image he has ever taken. They are all stored in filing cabints and boxes in his studio/home.

I hope to cross Mr. Cunninghams path one day and maybe walk my way right into his column. I too am so tired of generic, uninspired people Bill. The amount of of dishonest, unauthentic people are exhausting and I am thankful that you are one of the straight shooters! You are a rare treasure to the fashion industry, New York and the world!

Have you seen the film?

Gaultier Goes GA GA

My love for Lady Ga Ga has been renewed once again as I stumbled across a documentary film called "GaGa by Gaultier" (2011 - Paris). I was astonished to see the french designer interview Lady Ga Ga against the backdrop of her life story. Two creative greats coming together.

It was such a gift to me to see them together as they are both authentic artists and trail blazers in their own right. I have admired the work of Jean Paul Gaultier since I was a little girl. Gaultier as always been avant garde and the first to reject the standard of generic beauty and conventional models back in the 80's. He has never compromised his visions and sent some of the craziest and inspiring garments down the runway.

Me enjoying the Gaultier Exhibit at the de Young Museum, San Fransisco - June 2012

At first I did not get Ga Ga and could not decipher if she was a phony product of the Hollywood music machine or the real deal. I am happy to report however, that after much research, listening to her speak and seeing her push social, musical and fashion boundaries she is indeed the real deal. What a breath of fresh, creative air. I LOVE the concept of "Born this Way" and completely respect what she is trying to do in a passionate and intelligent way. Check out the mission of the Born This Way Foundation.

GaGa On the MTV Red Carpet in Gaultier (2009)

I loved in the interview when she said "I can't dishonor my vision or my vision will dishonor me" a statement any artist can relate too.

I also am happy to see that she does not forget that without her fans there would be no Ga Ga. I find her intentions of liberating people to be genuine; "The object of the monsters ball is no so they leave worshiping me but leave worshiping themselves"

A creative friend on Facebook posted yesterday that she felt uninspired. I wanted to share this video with you as something that has inspired me. Thanks again Ga Ga for inspiring me!

WATCH the 52min interview/documentary here:

Every Mother Counts PART ONE

LisaG (me) 34 weeks pregnant ~ Photo by Heather Millennar


Mother's Day is the perfect opportunity to reflect not only how we appreciate and love our mothers, grand mothers, step-mothers, adoptive mothers or chosen mothers. It is also a time to reflect on how we got here, the actual process of child birth; a natural, relatively safe part of the female human experience, right?

WRONG! Worldwide more than 500,000 women die each year during childbirth and 90% of these deaths are preventable. Don't let your mind automatically jump to a hut in 3rd world or underdeveloped country right away. Developed nations like the US/Canada is included in that number.


Most of us remember Christy Turlington from the pages and covers of hundreds of fashion magazines. It can be argued that her face was one that defined the decade of 1990's fashion as she is one of the original "supermodels". She continues to model but is a lot more than a pretty face!

For Louis Vuitton 2011


She has now become the face and voice for the hundreds of thousands of women at risk globally for maternal death and complications. She has become a Maternal Health Advocate for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) and enrolled in the Masters of Public Health program at Columbia University's Mailman School. She still did not feel like she was making the difference she desired so she has created an organization and associated web site called: EVERY MOTHER COUNTS (www.everymothercounts.org).



She has also created a documentary film called "No Woman No Cry" which will debut on the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) TOMORROW SATURDAY May 7th:

9:30pm Eastern & West Coast / 8:30pm Central
12:30am Eastern & West Coast / 11:30pm Central

AND

Sunday May 8:
1pm Eastern & West Coast / 12n Central

In Christy's words:

"I was inspired to make a documentary film that would share the stories of women at risk of becoming a mortality statistic. I hope that by bringing people together through the universal experience of birth, we can help create a mainstream maternal health movement that ensures the lives and well-being of mothers worldwide, for generations to come."


FILM TRAILER:




Take the time to watch the film and let it inspire YOU as a woman, a mother and a human being to get involved and help!

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO WHERE I HAD A CHANCE TO ASK CHRISTY A FEW QUESTIONS REGARDING HER CAUSE AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP MOTHERS ALL OVER THE WORLD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hugh Hefner

Today marks the 85th year of life for one of the most interesting lives of our time. Many people have many preconceived notions about Hugh Hefner but I'm not sure everyone has the whole story.

Hugh Hefner has done much more for our society than Publishing a Magazine with nude centerfolds, cartoons and intelligent/thoughtful articles.

He was a trailblazer for the Sexual Revolution

An Advocate for Women's Rights ~ Contraception, Freedom of Choice and MORE! His magazine was intended to celebrate women and their beauty, not objectify or disrespect them.



A Friend and Fighter for the Civil Right's movement. He defied segregation laws to allow black and white patrons to socialize in his Playboy clubs. He promoted and employed African American musicians, comedians and entertainers at his clubs and on his TV show. He ignored society's racial taboos because they did not exist in his mind. He stood for and Stands for EQUALITY on all levels.



A Challenger of ideas and ideals about sex, and sexual expressions

A Vanguard for freedom of the press, freedom of speech and expression .. Personal Freedom PERIOD.

A Teacher who has lived an honest life. A life that had many detractors but he owns it. He has created his own fantasy and lives it publically and privately. We should all take a page out of Hef's book, custom design our lives and be HAPPY, closer to our authentic selves.

For this and MORE I raise my glass to you Hef. May you be FREE to enjoy this day and all the rest. You are an inspiration, a right fighter and a self made man who I respect.






Got a free 2 hours to educate yourself? Rent/Buy the Canadian Documentary: "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist & Rebel"