NABIIA - ITALIAN ESCAPADE INSPIRATION BOARD #1 (Kenzo Spring 2009)

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Magdalena Frackowiak and Guinevere Van Seenus for Kenzo Spring 2009

CURRENT ITALIAN SUMMER
ESCAPADE INSPIRATIONS

MUSIC
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Nina Simone
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Astrud Gilberto
Edith Piaf
Marie Laforêt
Françoise Hardy
Brigitte Bardot
The Andrews Sisters
SPECIALLY FOR THE AMALFI COAST & CAPRI:
The Beach Boys
The Pixies
The Smiths
Coco Rosie
M. Ward (and She & Him)
Bob Dylan (Subterranean Homesick Blues era)

RUNWAY
Kenzo (Spring 2009 collection)
Chanel (Cruise 2010 collection)
Prada (Resort 2010 collection)
Balenciaga (Spring 2006 collection)
Louis Vuitton (Spring 2007 collection)
Miu Miu (Spring 2008 and the eveningwear from Fall 2006)
Erin Fetherston (in general)
Lanvin (in general)

STYLE
Flappers
Sailors
Ballerinas
Two-tone
Pearls
Full skirts
Puff sleeves/short butterfly sleeves
Anything that resembles the fabric on a grandmother's couch.

FILMS
Le Mépris (filmed entirely in Rome and Capri)
Sophia Loren movies
Monica Vitti movies
Antonioni movies
Bertolucci movies
50s and 60s new wave films (esp. anything with Brigitte Bardot or Jeanne Moreau)


As mentioned in my previous post, I'm starting my inspiration board for my coming Italian escapade with Bryony in September.

There are two ways I like to embark on a holiday. The first is the spontaneous haphazard route - throw together your luggage in 10 minutes, hop into a car on a whim and go on a week-long road trip that you only decided upon an hour ago, because what's life without those impulse decisions that change the entire colour of your immediate future?

The second kind of holiday is somewhat atmospheric and deeply personal. Often, when I have a theatre performance or a film shoot somewhere, I'll listen to specific music in the dressing room or in the car to get into the right frame of mind for the play or scene. Or I'll put on a certain perfume, because the smell triggers a specific feeling or memory. So it occurred to me, years back, to try setting the stage for my vacations - deciding upon an atmosphere I would attempt to create for myself (through mindset, music, clothing, special destinations within a country, etc.) and coming up with an overall purpose for the trip (e.g. once, I decided to try 'experiencing Japan from the point of view of an absolutely alien, and as a silent observer, standing back and looking in'. What transpired was an incredible feeling of isolation throughout the journey. I spoke as little as possible, and saw and heard things I would never have noticed if I'd been chattering my head off instead of shutting up and watching. It was lonely but inspirational. Not knowing things because I wasn't asking too many questions had an interesting effect on how my mind worked - I found my imagination working overtime to invent theories for why things were the way they were. Can't say I learned many facts about Japan on that trip but experiencing it through the eyes of a complete alien was an out-of-this-world experience, and oddly magical. I plan to take a second trip there and immerse myself in the culture - doing the exact opposite of what I did the first time. It will probably seem like a whole new country altogether, which is half the fun.).

NABIIA falls into the second category of holidays, so I guess this is the first of many Inspiration Board posts to come.





Kenzo Spring 2009 Collection

KEY PIECE
The dress (worn by Abbey Lee Kershaw below) is perfection.
It encapsulates everything I love about this collection.

ETC.
Some of the other looks I liked in the collection: