photo : Tim Jenkins

“Rest In Peace (And Jewels). . . “

I read the head-line & felt my stomach drop like a hackneyed phrase.

The style icon ” laid to rest ” by jeweler Shaun Leane

Tom Ford — but you already knew this, Y/Y?

Quick as a click-through, I arrived at Samantha Conti‘s
article ” Daphne Guinness’ Golden Glove” — from which I gleaned details of
the debut event for Contra Mundum, Guinness’ collaboration with Shaun Leane.

detailed view : 18 carat white gold [ yes, " steampunk " : I'm looking at you ]

Having lost two friends last month, it seemed a bit cruel, the cliff-hanger. . .
but brilliant.

[ Cue taken, duly noted : & thank you ]

Photo by Nick Knight

Upon noting Conti’s coverage is dated July 1st—translation : in ‘internet time,’ rigor mortis
has already set—my next thought was “Shit! I bet they’ve already covered this at Haute Macabre.”

Which, incidentally, wouldn’t be a [ optional usage : scare quotes ] bad thing
but I shouldn’t have to explain this

Surprisingly, they haven’t.

What comes as no surprise : the power of zeitgeist, synchronicity. . .
& good taste.

Nixon‘s been on a “Guinness ‘tear‘” this week, &—incidentally—posted a shot of Daphne in a coffin.

Who’s Free Of Flaw? Seriously : Look. Upon. This.

[ from the "Digital Death" event for  World AIDS Day, via Buy Life ]

a documentary about body issues among gay men*
in which I appear.

*[ I'll do us all a favor & skip my Queers-vs-Gays diatribe ; sound like a deal? ]

Well, as it turns out. . .

At Both The Right Time [ Your Leisure ]
& Price [ Free ] ,

an [ edited ] version is available for your on-line viewing

☆— Embed Source : Logo TV —☆

UNLIKE THAT ENGORGED NIP BLINKING A MESSAGE OF
“TOUCH ME/TWEAK ME/C’MON FREAK ME, BABY” IN [ WH ]ORSE CODE

The Following Info?  Bitch, Don’t Get It Twisted. . .

Said another way?

No, I’m not providing marked time codes as any sort of encouragement to
“just fast-forward to [my] section.”  If I were that much of an egomaniac,
I’d have—oh, I don’t know—assaulted you countless times via Facebook
messages [ HATE. THOSE! ] & event invites for The Adonis Factor‘s
4 pm time slot among the airwaves, this Sunday past. . .

On the contrary, the [ forthcoming ] digits have been designated
for those who might be skimming this text &—at the moment—have but a few minutes to spare.

IN SUCH AN INSTANCE, HOWEVER, THE IDEA
IS THAT YOU’LL RETURN WHEN CHANCE PRESENTS.

Not only am I grateful to have been chosen as an interviewee for this film with such timely subject matter,
but I also want to formally express my thanks to the scribes who’ve included me in reviews :
those in which I’m mentioned by name or [ somewhat ] reasonable facsimilie ,
as well as references to me by archetype, regardless of phrasing.

All the clichés about “the ugly side of being beautiful,” a director’s “unflinching gaze” [ homophone much? ] :
they’re all applicable—as are the strong reactions Hines’ investigation provokes.

[ one example ] :

“‘If you’re gonna be gay, you’re just gonna have to experience the wrath of the A crowd,’
one perfect 10 in search of an 11 attests.

Some of us are just too allergic to house music to hazard that . . .”

quips Dennis Harvey, in his review ”Get Thee To The Gym”
for the San Francisco Bay Guardian

He continues :

“Whoever said opposites attract clearly never went to the Folsom Street Fair, where every body type
runs in packs of two (or several). Sure, mom said looks aren’t everything. But was she a gay man?
It’s brutal out there. Combine a sophisticated, compartmentalized urban gay scene
like San Francisco’s own with the Internet’s heightened judging-book-by-cover —
no actual book reading implied — and you’ve got a recipe for looks obsessiveness
that can snare even the safely off-market.”

To which filmmaker Christopher Hines counters, via
interview with Edge New York :

“The point of the film is that we’re men. We’re not going to hold hands and sing ’Kumbaya’
and just all be nice to each other.”

Touché, Mssr. Hines. . . Touché!

That being stated, my Q & A [ conducted on a sweltering summer afternoon, sans the luxury
of air conditioning—hence the Yes-I-Know-I-Could-Moonlight-at-KFC, Honey /
Ain't-No-Need-To-Mention-My-Mug-Being-Beyond-"Dewy" look ]

is nestled within the

25:17 — 28:37

time frame.

If you can survive the commercials
[ we're all impatient, so don't even consider visiting that territory—
same as the unedited, 30 minute longer version with extras:
convenience is a privilege, not a 'right' ]

You’ll see

Behind-The-Scenes Footage from a Mother-Of-London Photo Shoot

featuring make-up artist Stacey Hummell, Design Assistant Marion Clinton
& The Mother Herselfness, Mildred Von Hildegard
* a.k.a. Miss Camera-Shy, Hair Dyed The Color Of Corroded Metal

— as well as —
the photography of
[ listed in order of appearance ] :

[ From The L.A. Weekly : Red Cross, Blue Liz McGrath Sculpture/Background ] : Kevin Scanlon

[ Red Not Dead : On Location, Filming of POX ] : Piper Ferguson

[ From Frontiers Newsmagazine : Green Hat, Turkey-Bone Bouquet by Adele Mildred ] : Amanda Brooks

» Sequence Break : My ‘Lower-Third’/Establishing Shot/Intro «

:: Joie de Vivre ::
an editorial of Gareth Pugh‘s oil-slick, sicker-than-ever Autumn 2010/Winter 2011 collection

✷ Unfortunate, though necessary DISCLAIMER BEFORE VIEWING: This video contains partial female nudity in an artistic context. If you are easily offended, uptight, conservative, under the age of 18 in a country where breasts are against the law for minors to view; if you are on a public computer—including though not limited to libraries, internet cafés, airports, airplanes, and/or places of employment—within a public setting which could potentially expose anyone to partial nudity against his or her free will; if you do not appreciate fashion, have no respect for the beauty of the human body, are a member of the Clergy, adhere to a religion in which viewing the aforementioned will incite questionable behavior, immortal thoughts, if not altogether deem you a candidate for hellfire and eternal damnation; if you are immature, live anywhere on the planet that designates aforementioned material illegal for anyone under the age of 21 and you are not at least 21 years of age, live where obscenity laws are stringent regarding web site content—namely, countries in which women are expected to have their bodies completely clothed in any and all public forums, certain zip codes within the American Bible Belt, or quite frankly, anywhere mired in antiquated notions of morality: do not click on the arrow that appears in the embedded content; do not press “play,” and do not view any other content on this URL under any pretense. In no uncertain terms: please, DO YOURSELF & THE REST OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD A FAVOR & GO AWAY—IMMEDIATELY, NOT ONE SECOND LATER; YES, I AM SERIOUS WHEN I SAY KINDLY NAVIGATE ELSEWHERE & THAT MEANS NOW. ✷

:: whew! ::

That being stated, for the rest of us?

Enable Full Screen
&
C r a n k + T h e + V o l u m e

video description & full credits await
beneath the cut

“Encapsulating all the dark glamour, divine decadence & hedonistic joy of the roaring Twenties, Gareth Pugh’s A/W 2010 collection is a stylised, silver & black Art Deco fantasy projected at breakneck speed into the twenty-first century.”

:: Respect :: Duly :: Noted ::

Direction: Ruth Hogben
Performance: Raquel Zimmermann at DNA Models
Fashion: Gareth Pugh
Styling: Katie Shillingford
Make-up: Alex Box at D&V Management
Hair: Martin Cullen at Streeters
Nails: Mike Pocock at Streeters
Lighting Direction: Simon Chaudoir at United Artists
Soundtrack: Lukid
Photographic Assistance: James Robotham
Styling Assistance: Angela
Make-up Assistance: Louise Bryam
Hair Assistance: Jaimie Tanner, Roku
Production: Gainsbury & Whiting
Electrician: Martin Duncan
Gaffer: Gary Varney
Production Runner: Harry Flinder

I Don’t Do ‘Friendly’ ☀ Photo: Dirk Mai ☀ Make-Up: Stacey Hummell

In a city illustrious for back-handed, capped-teeth “compliments” and unpredictable, unspoken disdain thinly disguised by a veritable check-list of publicists’ blanket statements, Hildegard’s choice for her 160-characters-or-less section on The ‘Twits seemed fitting with the images I’d seen of her clothing designs: anachronistic—a fetish posture collar adorned with tattered lace, roses in an array of shadowy hues and elements of Victorian mourning attire;  sensual—soft tattered edges, the type of attire that fingertips long to touch;  unapologetic—ruched leather, straps and buckles arranged without regard to which body parts “should” or “shouldn’t” be exposed. Essentially, her handiwork is the antithesis of all that is red carpet Hollywood and relentlessly bourg.

Known to her public by the moniker Mother of London, Hildegard is a seminal talent both coveted and revered by fashion cognoscenti . Consequently, she’s rabidly hunted by L.A.’s handful of fashion-forward stylists—hence her stitch-witchery gracing the cover of the latest S Magazine (on the explosive Juliette Lewis), along with editorials in Numero, AnOther magazine, Bizarre, Playboy, Marquis, et al.

Said another way? While I’m unsure how many details of aforementioned ‘Secret Project’ I’m permitted to share at this juncture in time, I can tell you this: upon arrival at the studio, I discovered a stylist had hoarded the collar Mother intended for the shoot.

Photo: Dirk Mai ☀ Make-Up: Stacey Hummell

The nerve. All the same, we had an excellent afternoon. Not only does The Mother corrupt traditional perceptions of fetishwear and period costume, she’s also adorable, donning death metal t-shirts and boundless charisma while doing so.

Yes, my choice of verbiage was deliberate (just as one can be over-dressed in attitude), and yes, I hope to be swathed in her sublime regalia again in the not-too-distant future. Of more immediate import, however—particularly for those quite a distance from her L.A. showroom—I have advantageous news:

Between October 2008 & now (‘now’ being this 22nd of May, Two Thousand and Ten), this textile fascinatrix has posted a mere six items in her etsy shop.

Two of the six are fresh on the market, & while they’re categorized as menswear, I’d classify them as UNISEXY…

an asymmetrical leather collar

:: detailed view (of both the handiwork & model Dylan Monroe) ::

&

detachable sleeves, made of 100% vegan faux ostrich texturized leatherette

Grab your credit cards while you can, style fiends. Who knows how long it’ll be till the next opportunity presents itself…

HAUTE

HAUTE

HAUTE  ATTACK!

With special thanks to Nixon Sixx for casting such an adorable spokesmodel

in this, THE SEVENTH PRIZE RIBBON among

the JARED GOLD/CLINT CATALYST CO-BRANDED MERCHANDISE—

a ‘site exclusive’ for the illustrious

[dot] com

†

Matter of fact, the HMacabre skeleton crew has assembled an on-line boutique

for the erudite enthusiast of shadowed fineries who’s privy to the fact that

one need not spend a million bucks to look like it.

However!

Before my A.D.D.-addled ass has a chance to bifurcate off into scatter-shot territory,

I need to provide the following info —of—

:: where to click :: (HERE!) :: & claim :: First Place as a Hauttie! ::

†

O.K., then Next:

Look upon a few shop highlights for the darkly inclined, such as

the obscenely affordable black smoke leggings,

†

as well as

another collaborative effort with

the gents and ¢ommon ¢ent$ in mind…

(Go ahead & fling the slab of Velveeta at me over that one—I’ll cop the rationale of Twi-hards in my defense: “I don’t know how it happened! I must’ve been roofied or something, ’cause my taste level—I mean, my defenses—were down. Really: I’m really much cooler than that!” )

Mmmm-hrmmm. Right.

All the same, THIS FINE ITEM

is most right-on, indeed!

†

The offspring of joined forces: Haute Macabre with Cyberoptix

(a company worthy its own blog post, truth be told…)

:: rad ties & cravats ::

paired with retinal candy such as the following

drool-worthy [OOPS]  impeccable display of DNA at its finest?

†

—ahem!—

Well, since I’m “already here,” so to speak,

I figured I might as well share…

Since, you know: there’s a more-than-decent chance I’ll be ogling their URL

frequently

More.Hot.Rivet-Heads.&.Goth.Guys,Plz!

Hrmm. Did you guys hear something?

†

But of course!

Furtive whispers from Thee Cult Ov Thee Fashion-Forward

state the obvious

(That is—for any devotee of Haute Macabre or mine owne Dot Com):

BAM!   Be it

xx or xy,

THIS. IS. UNISEXY.

†

Thanks to a number of friends aware of my affinity-bordering-on-obsession with actress and mega-model Kristen McMenamy, my in-box has been bombarded with .jpegs and .tiffs offering peeks into her latest performance: that of the ‘centerpiece’ for Viktor & Rolf‘s AW 2010/11 collection during Paris Women’s Fashion Week.

March 6, 2010 at Espace Ephemere Tuileries

:: The “Glamour Factory” as presented by Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren ::

one conveyor belt, two brilliant designers

ten layers of garments, their Ready-To-Wear collection

stripped off the show’s “leading lady,” piece by piece

oftentimes turning them inside out—before

dressing one of the walking-sticks models awaiting.

& then? the inverse:

each wearing black leather caps, sunglasses, their hair pulled back

top models, yes: but in this context,

all just “part of the machinery.”

Replicas.

:: & note :: the dress :: becomes a behemoth Elizabethan collar ::

Brilliant.

In “Styled Child,” Alex Cho provides the A, B, C or D for this Q & A…

✪ Please Note: ✪

At the time in which this interview was conducted, I didn’t exactly have an unbiased point-of-view.

Friends of mine had recently been laid off—a common occurrence in businesses when things like a “merger” occur… but wounds were still fresh, so to speak.  If not theirs—well, then mine, out of camaraderie.

Rather than call attention to the negative, I hope you’ll be able to apply the aforementioned statement in any instances where it might be [AHEM!] applicable.  As in: flagrantly.

Oh, &…it’s taken numerous attempts for my embarrassingly low-tech ass to get this archived Q & A to post within WP’s established parameters.

:: claws & any other applicable appendages hereby crossed —with— massive thanks to Josh Rotter & Gay.com! ::

(O.K., so maybe I’m not the best at feigning innocence…)

At any rate, this Friday evening, the 13th of November 2009

at 9:30 p.m.

My chum/ “co-star” Aldo Vento and  I

will be making a personal appearance at the screening of

“Delphinium: A Childhood Portrait of Derek Jarman”

at

The Olympia Film Festival

(Among “Delphinium”‘s roster of November Screenings…

This one is paired in conjunction with a live performance by  Steven Severin

of  Siouxsie and the Banshees and
The Glove,