Design house Christian Lacroix files for bankruptcy

Design house Christian Lacroix reportedly filed for bankruptcy last friday.There by becomming the first victim, in haute couture, of the credit crisis.In a statement to Vogue magazine the design house stated that" it seeks to protect itself from a onslaught of creditors"
US group Falics, owner of the brand since it bought the brand from the LVMH conglomerate in 2005 was rumoured to be in negotiacions of selling the house to a swiss buyer last year

Lacroix is famous for his extravagant yet very wearable designs for women. Yet his name became known among the greater public through the hilarious tv-comedy "Absolutely Fabulous ".Eddy and Patsy . the main characters and "fashion victims",repeatedly revered to the designer in the quote"it s not a dress darling, it s a LaCroix"

Insiders in the fashion industry fear other design houses also are affected badly by the crisis and could follow the same path the Lacroix house has gone

Hermes moccasins

Last weekend i went shopping in Amsterdam.With no special goal in my mind i just spend the afternoon window shopping at the city's main fashion street, the P.C.Hooftstraat, often just referred too as the PC.

I paid a visit to Gucci's sacred temple, then went on to Todd's and after a quick peak in the Mulberry's shop i headed for Hermes.And there in the shoes collection i spotted the most wonderfull, soft calf leather brown moccasins.Engraved on top with the H-logo from Hermes.

I know that summer sales are just aroound the corner but the sales assistant assured me this model would not go on sale as it was a very popular item of last collection.So that made me loose my last resistance and i brought this beauties home with me

I am really happy i got them and they add so much flavour to my preppy collection

Arthur

For sweet and funny Arthur.16 years since you passed away.Still missing you after all these years...

Death in Venice

I was 18 when i first saw this movie in an arthouse cinema in Amsterdam.I still remember how overwhelmed by its sheer beauty.And when i reviewed it recently brought out the same feeling

The movie by the great Visconti is a adaption from the Thomas Mann novella 'Tod in Venedig'.It s main theme is the foolish adoration of beauty , chasing our unreachable dreams and fantasies of love.Beauty here personified by the young boy Tadzio(Bjorn Andersen,who the gay Visconti considered the most beautifull boy in the world)and the obsessed professore (Dirk Bogarde in his best perfomance ever).

Plato in his 'Form of Beauty'already mentioned the corruption that lies in captivating beauty and as a contrast described Death being the opposite of beauty.In the final scene we see the professor ,already delirious by the high fever and dying from the Cholera ,in his last moments while you got in background the magnificent Adagietto from Mahlers 5th symphony.Beauty and Death finally come together in what is in my opinion one of the greatest movie endings ever

And this is the most beautifull boy 33 years later at age 50......

H&M Matthew Wilkinson Amsterdam

Today was the launch of the long awaited mens wear collection from Matthew Wilkinson.I was not able to go there before 11.00 this morning but quite to my surprise all items where still available and only few people at mens wear.So lets reveal what i managed to get



First of all the green peacock t-shirt,nothing extra ordinary but like the design and the fabric feels soft




Second item is the same peacock design on a white t-shirt, also simple and nice combined with the flower shawl for men(this is a really nice item, must have!)



And here you see the flower shirt(same design as shawl).It has big mother of pearl buttons and the fabric is nice



This is the white leather belt.The quality is acutually very good and soft



I also bought this white jacket with dark contrast.Its not from the MW collection but i liked it so much so i bought it.

The leather jacket is of good heavy quality too.But i gave it a pass since its too much rock and roll in my opinion.I settled for the not too extravagant designs and i m happy with these items

World's happiest places

Interesting report from Forbes.com: Netherlands ranking position 3 of the list World's happiest places

3. Netherlands

Satisfaction With Present Life: 85.1*

Predicted Satisfaction With Future Life: 88.2*

2009 Gross Domestic Product Per Capita: $55,453**

Unemployment Rate: 4.5%***

*Source: Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development

**Source: International Monetary Fund

***Source: Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook


World's Happiest Places
Lauren Sherman, 05.05.09
A new report reveals where people feel most positive about their lives.


Where in the world do people feel most content with their lives?

According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands at the top of the list, ranking first, second and third, respectively. Outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. The U.S. did not crack the top 10. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth.

In Depth: World's Happiest Places

The report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, or negative ones?

To answer that question, the OECD used data from a Gallup World Poll conducted in 140 countries around the world last year. The poll asked respondents whether they had experienced six different forms of positive or negative feelings within the last day.

Some sample questions: Did you enjoy something you did yesterday? Were you proud of something you did yesterday? Did you learn something yesterday? Were you treated with respect yesterday? In each country, a representative sample of no more than 1,000 people, age 15 or older, were surveyed. The poll was scored numerically on a scale of 1-100. The average score was 62.4.

Why did the northern European countries come out looking so good? Overall economic health played a powerful role, says Simon Chapple, senior economist from the Social Policy Division of the OECD, which put together the report.

While the global economic crisis has taken a toll on every nation, the countries that scored at the top still boast some of the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Denmark, which got the highest score, is not only a wealthy country, it's also highly productive, with a 2009 GDP per capita of $68,000, according to the International Monetary Fund. The United States' GDP per capita, by contrast, is $47,335. Though the U.S. got an above-average score of 74, it did not break the top 10.

Wealth alone does not bring the greatest degree of happiness. Norway has the highest GDP per capita on the list--$98,822--yet it ranked ninth, not first. On the other hand, New Zealand's happiness level is 76.7 out of 100 on the OECD list, but its 2009 GDP per capita is just $30,556.

According to a 2005 editorial, published in the British Medical Journal and authored by Dr. Tony Delamothe, research done in Mexico, Ghana, Sweden, the U.S. and the U.K. shows that individuals typically get richer during their lifetimes, but not happier. It is family, social and community networks that bring joy to one's life, according to Delamothe.

The OECD data shows that another important factor is work-life balance. While Scandinavian countries boast a high GDP per capita, the average workweek in that part of the world is no more than 37 hours. In China, which got a low score of just 14.8, the workweek is 47 hours and the GDP per capita is just $3,600.

Low unemployment also contributes to happiness. "One thing we know for sure," says the OECD's Chapple, "not having a job makes one substantially less satisfied." Denmark's unemployment rate is just 2%, according the C.I.A.'s World Factbook. Norway's is just 2.6%. The Netherlands: just 4.5%. Many economists concur that a 4% unemployment rate reflects a stable economy. The U.S. unemployment rate is currently 9%.

source: Forbes.com

Le Roi danse (France, 2000)

One of the movies i viewed recently and already tops my list of favourits.The story tells about the relationship between Louis XIV(Benoit Magimel) and his italian born court composer Jean Baptist Lully(Boris Terral).
As a teenager Louis XIV became very much interested in ballet dancing.A form of art that was not that refined and galant in those days.Through Lully and his music and choreography, the young King,who was a much talented dancer,brought ballet on a higher level.He was described to dance in a "down to earth", manly style.Lully composed 'Le Ballet de la Nuit'(the ballet of the night) in which the 14th year old King pedicts the rising sun and which gave Louis the nickname "the Sun King".
He kept on dancing untill his 32nd birthday when he experiences an accident on stage and refuses to dance anymore after.Composer Lully changes to writing comical opera s in colabaration with writer Moliere.
For 35 years Lully will hold his position at the court, but slowly looses the admiration and attention of Louis,whom he has secretely been in love with all these years.The love that will tragically end in his death

A movie directed by director Gerard Corbiau who also directed "Farinelli".Not only worthwile viewing because of its ravishing costumes ,wonderfull colours, music by Lully and great acting.But also because of the very attractive and in my eyes yummy main character actors.I personally am very much impressed by this movie, its fascinating and a candy to the eye and the ear

Sunset Boulevard (Film Noir)

The story of Joe(William Holden), jobless scriptwriter,and Norma Desmond(Gloria Swanson) ,once famous movie star from the silent screen who dreams of a comeback on the silver screen after decades of seclusion in her mansion on Sunset.Her dreams and illusions slowly turn into a nightmare as it becomes clear that nobody is waiting for her return.She desperately clings to her obsessed love afair with her young toy boy Joe.As her world gradually falls apart,her life is shattered to pieces and as events start to unfold they take a turn for the worse...

Here the final scene where the camera s in a strange way are finally turning again for Norma Desmond.Probably one of the best scenes in movie history and Swanson at her best performance.This film noir has certain gay aspects.Mainly because we can identify ourselves to certain extent with the character of Norma, a woman of a certain age who desperately clings to her lost youth engaging in a affair with a young toy boy and is in denial of the fact she is not the same as 30 yrs before (doesnt that ring some bells about a certain present day gay icon....;-).Sadly we see many gays turn into Norma's as they grow older....

Watch the clip and try to rent or buy the movie.It s a marvelous classic and must see!