natural

Some more of my photographic compilations, natural art.

A Thousand Words....

A simple idea well executed beautifully in black and white. Possible ideas for London's Best Friend?

Dellal X Wang

Dellal stars as our heroine. New York serves as the stage. Wang is the costume designer. I love this....tainted...wild...free.

S E X H I B I T I O N

When something is entitled simply, Sex, it’s quite hard not to sit up and take notice; Saturday afternoon I journeyed down to Howick Street in Victoria to see the Phillips ‘SEX’ auction viewing, where some of my favourite artists and photographers are up for sale later on this week. With prices ranging from the minute to the magnanimous, the sale will feature 221 lots representing an estimated total value of £1.8 million pounds. Here were the top on my list to see…

Marylin Minter
Ryan McGinley
Spencer Tunick
Tracy Emin
Sue Webster and Tim Noble
Terry Richardson
and the Jenny Saville photograph previously displayed on London's Best Friend 'Art Caption'

Even if you're not looking to buy (and come on, in this financial climate, who is?) at least go and check it out. It's well worth the viewing.

Viewing Saturday 13th March - Friday 19th March
Monday - Saturday, 10am to 6pm
Auction Friday 19th March 5pm

Howick Place London SW1P 1BB
(nearest tube Victoria Station)
www.phillipsdepury.com


Spencer Tunick
Jerez Mountains, 2001
Coloured coupler print
Estimate £3,000-£4,000

Mattia Biagi
Teddy Porno, 2009
Stuffed teddy bear, tar and magazine collage on card in Perspex box
Estimate £3,500-£4,500

Tracy Emin
My Cunt is Wet With Fear, 1998
Soft Pink Neon
Estimate £25,000-£35,000

Patrick Demarchelier
Helena Christensen, New York, 1992
Gelatin silver print
Estimate £3,000-£5,000

Noritoshi Hirakawa
Selected images from Le temps de rien a Montpellier, 2001
Estimate £3,000-£4,000

Ryan McGinley
Tim and Dakota, 2002
Colour coupler print, flush mounted
Estimate £6,000-£8,000


Terry Richardson
Peaches, 2001
Colour Coupler print
Estimate £2,500-£3,500

Tim Noble and Sue Webster
Serving Suggestion, 2004
Replica baked beans and sausage
Estimate £12,000-£18,000

Marylin Minter
Title Unknown

Wiley Camden
Beach from Carmen Electra, 2008
Digital colour coupler print, accompanied by the 'Birthday Bunny' swimsuit worn in photograph. Designed specially for Carmen Electra for Playboy's 55th Collector's Birthday edition
Estimate £1,500-£2,500


Jonathan Yeo
Bush, 2007
26 colour screenprint
Estimate £1,000-£1,500
(ps. if you look close there is the distinct image of a woman engaged in sexual activity)

Arman
Untitled (Brigitte Bardot) 1963
Printed paper collage and chalk on paper
Estimate £3,000-£4,000

T E L E P H O N E

It's finally arrived, the music video of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's newest collaboration, Telephone. I must say, the girls really put on a show this time, the erotic undertone and bisexual references, not to mention Gaga's hardly discreet blurred 'muff' down below, publicly dispelling any rumours she's a hermaphrodite and her shameless cursing, (she shouts 'mother fucker' midway through the video) leaving not much to the imagination. It's definitely risqué to say the least, spanning a whole nine minutes, and does evoke a similar feeling to when Madonna danced in front of burning crosses back in the day, and got arrested in Canada for stimulating masturbation on stage (apparently the Canadians are conservative. Who knew?) Anyway, the action takes place in a prison, diner and pimped out car comically named the ‘Pussy Wagon’. In this video you’ll find sex, murder and a delicious leopard print cat suit. Gaga has once more lived up to the hype; I can’t help but wonder what else she’s going to do to shock us….

PS. Gaga uses a Polaroid camera to take photos of Beyoncé. It seems London's Best Friend is starting all the new trends :)

Elephant Days

What to Do: Take 1 girl. Add alcohol, Music and Elephant costume.

Result: Elephunkdazed

Model: Zoe

Photographer: Alexandra

[NOTE: NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS]

Polaroids

I bought a polaroid camera recently, aiming in vain I suppose to go back to the old days of photography. Yet, as a device, it never fails to succeed in producing a thoroughly origininal image. My fellow blogger and friend Jess modelled, as did my muse Mattie and her wonderful parents :) Note to readers: vintage film is back in.

Short Film

I've been really getting into short films recently, probing my subconscious gently with thirty minute shorts that leave me feeling curious and slightly bewildered. This film is simply called 'Lift' and was executed by one man who sat in an elevator in a tower block of flats, going up and down aimlessly for weeks on end, filming the residents as they came in and out of their homes. The raw quality of human observation, filled with all its hostilities as well as all its generosities, is offered up to us in this simple, yet stirringly effective idea. It both fascinates and disturbs me at the same time. Pure Genius.

Booties

When Sid Vicious was about to commit suicide, he left a single note detailing what was most important to him in the last, precious moments of his life;

"WE HAD A DEATH
PACT
I HAVE TO KEEP
MY HALF OF THE
BARGAIN.
PLEASE BURY ME
PTO

NEXT TO MY BABY.
BURY ME IN MY
LEATHER JACKET,
JEANS AND MOTOR
CYCLE BOOTS

GOODBYE”

He asked to be buried in the clothes he wanted to wear for all eternity. If I do say so myself, dedication need not look farther than that. The tragic loss of Britain's infamous Punk icon still lingers, but in honour of a talented man I ask you readers to take up his example and wear a pair of boots as if you were going to be buried in them.
Booties are the best way to feel, but more importantly, look good. Ankle boots/thigh high boots/rocker boots/high heeled boots.... the combinations are endless. Below are some of London's Best Friend's personal picks.


OFFICE LET IT RIDE TAN LEATHER
£85.00

OFFICE STUD TOE-CAP BOOT
WAS: £100.00
NOW: £80.00

OFFICE LOOSE LACE
£90.00

TOPSHOP ADDISON PEEP TOE WEDGES
£80.00

My 'wish list' item;


TOPSHOP POWER LACE UP BOOT BY BOUTIQUE
£130.00

Portobello Trails

Portobello is famous for its Saturday market, where hoards of eclectic vendors set up camp along its long, winding street in Notting Hill, selling everything from trinkets to taxidermy. I managed to roll myself out of bed and journey over, stopping along the way to coax my friend Connie (who was at home nursing a groggy hangover) to come with me for some haggling and straggling. Shuffling between crowds and fingering the vintage furs we realised our bellies were calling for food, deciding for some real British cuisine of bangers and mash at S&M down the road. It’s a small café, perched on a slant that serves piping hot plates of hearty sausage spooling with gravy, red chequered wallpaper and stills from 60’s movies adorning its walls for a real grainy feel. It’s a perfect after-hangover cure for a feel-good date with your best friend. And who knows? Maybe you’ll see London’s Best Friend next time you go ☺
After eating like cows I bought a leather studded bag for £40 from a Moroccan shop, and Connie found herself some long chain necklaces for £15 that are perfect in accessorizing any look. Shopping is one of many addictions I have, and Portobello is the best place for getting my fix.




Look of the Day; After-Hangover Chic. " I've uhh, basically just got out of bed. My shirt was £2 from a jumble sale, my tights are from going out last night, they've got these weird holes in them- I have no idea how that happened, my shoes are Champion trainers, my top is my pyjama top, the scarf I stole from my dad and the jacket is my little brother's. There'

10 second interview with my friend Connie Greer

Rip Me Up

I’ve been obsessing recently in the divine pursuit of acquiring a real badass leather jacket. The rocker-ripped-tee-jeans-boots-tights combo is always a bold move for anyone to pull off, but a key piece is timeless. So far my wanderings have led me to All Saints, Acne, Alexander Wang, Amazon and Ebay (never underestimate the internet shopping bins, among the plethora of old record albums and PVC shorts can be found a few hidden gems. I was recently outbid for a pair of Harley Davidson ankle biker boots. They went for $30. Damn)
Anyway, I seem to live perpetually in my staple uniform of black American Apparel leggings and Jimmy Choo boots, essential items that flatter one’s assets and yet can also be paired with just about everything. But following the examples of Taylor Momsen, Pixie Geldof, Alexa Chung and Dellal, I do believe a good leather jacket is on the agenda for spring.

ALEXANDER WANG
Suede and rib-knit biker jacket
£1,140
net a porter















ELIZABETH AND JAMES
Yoshimoto moto jacket
£810
net a porter

The Glory of Gaga

The story of Gaga begins with a young, complicated girl from the Upper East Side who, obsessed with David Bowie and passionate about music starts playing gigs at fourteen in small, kitschy nightclubs…. who, following a spat of dropping out of college, dabbles in cocaine and performs in drag clubs, and finally rises to stardom as ‘The Fame Monster.’
Lady Gaga was interviewed last night with the conversation guru that is Jonathan Ross. Sporting a glamorous black suit (lets face it, she manages to look good in anything) and a quintessential telephone top hat, designed by Philip Treacey, Gaga was notably more relaxed and at ease with herself, bantering with Ross on fashion, romance and the fact that Gaga doesn’t ‘really have any friends in the music industry.’
Ah well Gaga, you always have us; the millions of fans worldwide who love and adore you for your glorious vocal chords as well as your exuberant outfits. During the interview Gaga revealed her album has gone Diamond, with 10 million copies sold worldwide, commenting on the achievement by saying ‘I feel so blessed.’
Ross, being the ever-probing English gentlemen, went on to quiz Gaga on whether there was a ‘Lord Gaga’ on the horizon, to which the super studded star laughed and replied ‘I’m single and alone, but I’m not miserable, not yet. Nobody will put up with my craziness.
Crazy is good non? It’s better to be crazy than be boring in my opinion, and Gaga herself offers some heartfelt philosophies on her talents and how they affect her fans, quoting ‘if the show is successful they don’t leave connected to me, they leave connected to each other.’ Beyond her mask of glitz and glamour, Gaga is a true connoisseur of un-repressed individuality, she’s made it okay to be different. Her style reflects a combination of expressions and opinions on celebrity culture and our obsession with fame, and in this aspect, Gaga is fiercely loyal, commenting on her wardrobe regime when she said ‘I don’t wear slobby clothes; I would rather die then have my fans not see me in a pair of high heels.’
What a true Lady.



After the interview Gaga performed live for the first time on television her new collaboration duet with Beyonce called ‘Telephone,’ during which she emerged from a classic red telephone box and subsequently gyrated with her back up dancers on the stage.
Ah Gaga, you’ve got us all hooked on you. Even the Queen took a shine to the Pop star at the Royal Variety Show. Gaga leant down and bowed on meeting our monarch, to which old Queenie replied ‘that is a very big piano that you have.’
Ah Bless.

Hot Blooded

First thing you notice is that hair. I wouldn’t be surprised if the colour on the packet said ‘Almighty Red’. Beyond that is voice, which, like the sirens portrayed in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey,’ seem to posses the power to bewitch those who hear it to the point of an ecstasy induced frenzy.
I must confess I have a crush on Florence and her Machine. On wikepedia her rise to fame includes adolescence riddled with "falling into severe holes” and diagnosed dyslexia. Her album ‘LUNGS’ is a triumph to contemporary music. The debut single ‘Kiss with a Fist’ was used in the soundtrack of the film ‘Jennifer’s Body’ and the follow-up single ‘Dog Days are Over’ was recorded with no instruments in a studio the "size of a loo.”
Her stage presence is electrifying, her dancing (which is a cross between a fire lit witchcraft ceremony with a touch of ‘spirit’ fingers from ‘Bring it On’ thrown in) makes you feel excited and saddened and angry and everything all in one go. Her Brit Award performance with Dizzee Rascal…….. No words can describe that vision that was Florence, singing as though it were the end of the world and she were trying to convince everyone on the planet ‘you’ve got the love.’
Welch’s outfits at the recent Brit awards garnered some attention, her eclectic/diva/vintage/kooky style perfected in three flawless looks; starting off on the red carpet in a Zuhair Murad Spring mini dress, on to her performance in a jaw-dropping elegant Ashley Isham gown that perfectly framed her porcelain pins, and ending finally with the after-party do of a Christian Dior mini dress. Ah the girl’s got taste.


But off stage Florence is just like the rest of us bourgeoisie, without her stylists and personal shoppers. If you want to steal Florence’s look, I suggest you spend a Saturday trailing the markets at Camden Town and nit-pick your way through the hoards of retro-chic apparel in ‘Beyond Retro’- authentic Welch at your fingertips.

At present her ‘Cosmic Love Tour’ is sold out. Trust me here when I say I’ve tried. Then again, nothing is impossible.