THE DIAMONDS IN THE DIRT.

0 com

game over

with four days to go before it hits newsstands, all eight covers of love magazine's aw issue have been revealed.

shown together as a collective, the covers don't achieve the wow factor as the helmut newton esque covers of the last icons issue but i'm still excited.

i'll be buying the agyness deyn cover, i'm probably one of the only people that is actually a fan of the new cropped look and i'm happy she's making a return to the editorial world.

also, pleasing me is the fact that despite what the rumour mill suggested, abigail clancy does not have a cover, i know katie grand likes to play with the worlds of celebrity and fashion but a clancy cover would be taking the piss.

(although i saw a preview of her shoot with alasdair mclellan and i may be forced to eat my words as it's rather good, damn)

dorrian

0 com

in search of the truth

inspired by the archetypes of mythology and the ancient clothing from religious ceremony, with it's mix of delicate and heavy fabrics, complexgeometries a/w collection is a peach!

0 com

her madgesty

queen bee, madonna ciccone celebrated her 52nd birthday over the weekend, hard to believe, or not, depending on who you ask.

i've noticed a lot of people are currently proclaiming their love for 80s desperately seeking susan-era madge and revisiting the iconic period.

for me, early nineties madonna reigns supreme, the time of justify my love, erotica, the sex book. i'm just old enough to remember a lot of it the first time around.

but for now, let me express my love for the dolce & gabbana campaign ads madame c, has been appearing in last season and this season.

i love the play on the traditional italian heritage of both the fashion house and madonna's own family line.

steven klein sure knows how to make a pop singer iconic.

dorrian

0 com

kids of the underground

i've been a follower of 24 year old, verena stefanie's blog, "appeal to the eye" for quite some time now but it is her latest venture, "kids of the underground", that she is currently making her mark with. i met up with verena yesterday to find out a bit more about it.

dorrian: your project, "kids of the underground" how did it start? how did it come about?

verena: i'd been thinking about taking pictures of mcs many times but when i really had the "revelation" about developing a real project was in february 2010. i used to work in the offices of vivienne westwood but at the same time i was working as an assistant to the amazing photographer, james pearson howes. so one day he called me and told me, "hey v, would you like to assist me for a shooting i'll have for nylon guys magazine, it's gonna be about the grime scene in london." i couldn't believe what i was hearing, woo, hadn't slept all night. after having that photo shooting i finally realised what i really want to do in my life, being happy, and photographing and music make me happy, so what better combination than this one! so i started searching through the net, pictures and photography about grime, and actually, yeah, for the idea i had, there wasn't actually something concrete about it, but some photographers (who are doing a really good job that i admire). so i started calling, sending messages but you know, people asked me to show something, and

i didn't have anything to show, and nobody was giving me the possibility to show my skills and start taking some snaps!

then just jam came along, and from then on... everything started to take shape!

i want to do something like martha cooper and jamel shabazz di

d for the hip hop scene in its first years. i know i missed a lot about the grime scene, but i truly believe there's still a lot to document, and i'm trying to show it. something about now for the future!

d: how did you get into grime music? was it living in london?

v: to tell you the truth living in london helps me to get deeper in

to it, it's only when you actually live it that you can feel it! i used to listen to grime when i was living in italy and then when i moved to barcelona but it wasn't the same. i got into listening to grime thanks to dizzee rascal in 2003 (for everybody in uk it's normal listening to dizzee in 2003 but not for someone living in italy at that time) and i still thank my friend, dj king p, for putting "fix up look sharp" in one of the thousand cds he used to do for me.

d: is it hard to be accepted into the scene as a girl?

v: at first i thought it was gonna be hard for me because when you're a girl, you're not taken so seriously sometimes, still now when people follow and appreciate my photography, when it comes that they meet me personally it's like, "woo, i thought you were a guy", or i have comments like, "hey g", or "keep up the good job bro..." hahaha but the truth is that it doesn't make a lot of difference, or better they show me even more respect, for doing it and being a girl.

d: how has "kids of the underground" been received? have you had good feedback?

v: yeah actually, i didn't expect it and so early. especially from two weeks ago, i had a big shock, good one but still, because i'm receiving so many phone calls and emails for shoots, people appreciating it and especially i'm so honoured and grateful for all the support i'm receiving. that is what really matters, the support received and seeing that people appreciate what i am doing. also from big names, replying to my mails and offering their help, things that never happened when i was into the fashion world, when you're nobody there, nobody will "waste" their time to reply to you. twitter is one of the biggest networks for the grime scene and i've seen people re-tweeting what i've been saying, or re-tweeting my links, supporting me and that's amazing. this couldn't be happening if it wasn't for the mcs who are collaborating with me and the people supporting the blog.

d: before i met you i had been following your blog "appeal to the eye", but are you now focusing more of your attention on "kids of the underground" than your previous projects?

v: yes, now i am. "kids of the underground" is still a baby and needs much more attention, "appeal to the eye" is 4 years old, it's a little bit more independent hahaha. "appeal to the eye" is not dead, and i'm starting different collaboration with various magazines, especially with "bobos" in italy, where i'll have a monthly publication, and another magazine from australia. people appreciate what i'm doing now much more in this scene rather than the fashion scene. in the fashion scene it's more like killing each other, kicking each other. they don't want to see the quality of your photography or the quality of your work, they see you as a rival, (i mean between bloggers and street style photographers) even if they are not even those big names, it's not seen as, "we are doing something for the same passion, let's support each other".

d: what's your main ambition for "kids of the underground"? do you want to have an exhibition?

v: a show? i really hope i'll have an exhibition, but i wanna have much more material first. you have to believe in things, if you don't believe in yourself first, nobody else is gonna believe in you. so i would like to do exhibitions and maybe someday have a book published. the other day i saw someone on twitter calling me the "top grime photographer" and for me... really, i was flattered, i also called my mom. i don't feel like that now, but yeah, i tell you the truth, i would love to become that. so far, i will concentrate on working hard on it NOW, doing my best, get the most people involved (mcs-djs-producers) and yeah, the future is a mystery, but it is what i'll do now that will determine that.

d: finally, why did you choose to cover you face in the photograph i took?

v: i want people to focus on my photography and on "the kids of the underground" in my pictures, not on my face.

http://kidsoftheunderground.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/kidsofgrime

main profile photo by dorrian

all other photos by verena stefanie

0 com

paperpac

today i met up with marcus rise to have a chat about his new menswear brand, paperpac.

dorrian: what is paperpac and how did it come about?

marcus rise: paperpac started about six months ago now, the main sort of idea of it was to start up a contemporary menswear street brand. but i didn't want it to be just a brand, i wanted it to be a lifestyle. so the main aspirations for it later on in life is to do events, parties, seminars. i started to notice the youth in london are very ambitious and very creative, everyone was starting to do their own things in their own specific fields whether it was art, music, sport, fashion and i wanted to make a lifestyle brand that represented that for the people that have no dough but a lot of ambition. the whole paperpac name, i'm quite into the rat pack, that old school style of swagger, sinatra, nat king cole, dean martin so that's where the pac side of the name came from. paper is just another word for money on the street so i brought the two words together and created paperpac.

d: is it just yourself involved in paperpac?

m: at the moment, it's just me but as it starts to progress and i'm going to look to get other people that are experts in their field involved to build up the brand.

d: is it predominately a menswear brand?

m: in terms of the brand itself, it is predominately a menswear brand, at the moment it's more streetwear driven so it's only t-shirts, hats, i've just got a sample made now for a shirt but i mean where i really wanna take it is very tailored, very limited. streetwear's good but me personally from the sort of style i prefer is a basic, stripped back look where it's staples of the menswear wardrobe, a nice suit, clean shirts, in terms of the designs on the t-shirts not too worked out so that's where i want the brand to go. i want to fuse streetwear and a contemporary menswear brand so not too dissimilar to what i'm wearing now.

d: where do you get your inspiration from? is it from the street?

m: i tend to get inspirations from all over the place to be honest. i got into fashion about three years ago and that's in terms of really getting into style, different silhouettes and how menswear is done. i get inspired by music videos, artists, people like kanye west, who has been a big influence. the time i started getting interested in fashion was around the time he started coming up and he is now seen as a style icon. i get inspiration from art that i see. magazines are a big, big inspiration for me because i literally just hoard, and buy magazine after magazine. it's weird because i seem to buy women's fashion magazines as opposed to a menswear magazine as it draws more out of me in terms of inspiration.

d: one thing i noticed about how your website differs from other brands is that it not only has the products for sale but you also share editorials that you've seen, youtube videos etc, how relevant do you think blogging is to the fashion industry today?

m: well blogging is as relevant now as any other media format because now people like bryan boy, tavi, denni the chic muse, what they're saying on the blogs, people are really listening to. blogs have sort of become the new newspapers, the new way to get what's happening and it's not too restricted because at the end of the day, anyone can put up a blog and you put your own thoughts out there and usually those thoughts are what the nation is thinking so there's no overheads and there's no-one censoring it. it's very organic, it's freedom of speech. so blogs are more relevant now than ever, more than other media source at the moment.

d: do you think blogging is a good way to get into the industry and to get your name out there?

m: definitely, why not? because at the end of the day, it's all in your hands, you can start up a blog today and within five, ten minutes you can put your thoughts out there. for instance if you want to get into styling, you can style your shoots, take the pictures and put them up on your blog and draw people into it. whereas back in the day, the only way your work would get seen was if it was in a magazine but now you can take your dreams and ideas into your hands, go out and do it guerilla style and put it onto your own space so i think it's a great way to break into the industry.

d: as well as selling on your website, have you found stockists for paperpac products?

m: yeah, i've found a stockist in rivington street in shoreditch called the wholesome store. they're a streetwear store that cater for big brands and small uk brands also. they're really trying to help small businesses and small brands, like myself, get set up and get out there and have a format for selling clothes as opposed to just selling them out the back of your car or just to your pals. the boys down at wholesome have done amazingly for me, they've really helped me out and they really believe in the brand and where i'm going.

d: have people been receptive to paperpac so far?

m: yeah people have been really receptive, more so to the caps that i've done because everyone's sort of going back to that retro, l.a. style of the snapback caps. it's as well as to be expected, the website's just come out, people are starting to hear about it. hopefully people will be as receptive to the cut and sew that i've got coming out and the small transition already that the brand is going to have. i'm really happy with how it's going, the main focus and the whole point of paperpac, is to motivate more young people to get out there and achieve their goals. if you want to be a stylist, go get those clothes today, take those photos today. if you want to be a musician, get your demo tape done, do it, that's the whole idea behind paperpac. it's about getting people to try break into these industries where it's very hard, the fail rate outnumbers the people that succeed. but we're the people that are going to be running these industries in ten years time, i feel if i can be a part of motivating the youth today to do what they want to do, i'll be happy.

d: what's the dream?

m: the dream? i suppose the dream is in years to come when people have looked on the site and been inspired by it and the brand itself and can say, paperpac and marcus rise were a big inspiration in where i am now and obviously, to be filthy rich, to live comfortably and support my family. the dream in ten to fifteen years, is to be one of the leading menswear brands, to be somewhere. the whole thing is that when i'm gone, i want people to see me in the same light as someone like alexander mcqueen. the mark that he left was immense and it will never be forgotten. he's probably my biggest icon in terms of fashion, bar none, he was a genius in the true sense of the word. from his shows, to the fabrics he used, the detail in his garments, it was all more relevant to me compared to your old school fashion houses like chanel. so to be anywhere near him, i'm laughing.

www.paperpac.co.uk

dorrian

0 com

Bruno Aveillan

new and old mini epics by the sickeningly talented Bruno Aveillan

0 com

i know, i know

i know, it's a horrible company.

i know, phillip green is the antichrist in my eyes.

i know, everyone ends up wearing the same things.

however, i have been really impressed by topshop this season, even more so by their current "dark nouveau" trend.

i need this jumper now.

dorrian

0 com

the kills

the kills @ oran mor, glasgow circa 2008.

going through my archives, i found these photos from a couple of years ago.

i first became a fan of the kills after seeing them play a headline show at oran mor in glasgow in october 2005. i had originally bought a ticket as my favourite band at the time, be your own pet, were the support act and it was their first glasgow gig. after a stellar performance from byop which resulted in the whole band moshing with the crowd and myself unfortunately being in lead singer jemina's eyeline as she launched a punch, i was sceptical that the kills would be able to excite me. but i was blown away, the kills are without a doubt one of the best live acts i've seen.

the kills are alison mosshart and jamie hince, or vv and hotel, as they'd prefer to be known.

the kills are nothing short of captivating when they perform, many other bands and artists rely heavily on the crowd, onstage banter, crowd participation, but when vv and hotel play their performance speaks for itself.

with vv predominately hiding behind her hair, throwing herself around the stage and hotel picking a member of the audience to stare out through the entirety of a song, it's mesmerising. the kills always have the audience in the palm of their hand, but you almost feel like it wouldn't matter if the crowd wasn't there, the main people they are playing for, are each other.

sharing a microphone while screaming lyrics at each other, grinding guitars together, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife and it's no wonder the partner of one member is supposedly jealous.

with a fourth studio album slated for release before the end of the year, the kills will no doubt be hitting the road very shortly and i highly recommend purchasing a ticket.

dorrian

0 com

then now next

i've been posting a lot about magazine covers lately but after all, we are in august and it is the time of the september issues.

out next week is i-d's long awaited 30th anniversary issue.

last year, photographer nick knight conducted his three week, 200 portraits session at somerset house for i-d.

the subjects included gareth pugh, the xx, florence welch, patrick wolf, lara stone, christopher kane etc.

aka all my favourites.

a preview of the covers has been unveiled.

kate moss, lady gaga, naomi campbell.

i'll be buying the kate cover obviously.

dorrian

0 com

lohan

lindsay lohan was released from jail on monday and is spending the rest of her sentence in a rehab centre.

lohan is the epitome of trash, and i love it.

mainly because she is the same age as me and if i had as much money/fame as young as she did, i would have fucked it up in exactly the same way.

where there's a car, there's a crash.

photos by terry richardson for purple magazine.

dorrian

0 com

iambounty

0 com

my idea of fun

this is why i want to live in paris.

so i can go here everyday.

givenchy @ 28 rue faubourg saint-honoré, paris.

inspired by the givenchy gift boxes, architect jamie fobert designed the store revamping and rejuvenating it much in the same way creative director and head designer riccardo tisci has done for the brand.

give me money and take me there now.

dorrian