Check out this interview with the curators of the MET exhibition ‘Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations’ Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton as they explore the ways the two ladies have employed fashion to provoke and subvert conventional notions of taste, beauty, glamour and femininity.
Last week was one of those weeks where my OCD-driven life took a tumble and way too many pictures found their way on my desktop, in turn hiding the vision of my beloved psychedelic background. Half of the said clogfest was of architecture around Valletta – little do we know that the streets we wander around casually host some of the most impressive designs around. Case of the searching for something that’s right under your nose, me thinks. Enough with the architecture haul. The other half was from my little trip to St James Cavalier in between browsing boutiques and overdosing at Cinnabon. Guilty.
Popping by St James to check out what the art scene here is cookin’ seems to be a growing Valletta staple. Luckily for me, it’s the British Council’s 75th anniversary in Malta and Paula Rego has dug up over 50 works dating from the start of the 20th century up to today from the British Council’s archives for the occasion – the Thresholds exhibition.
Onto the fun stuff. The pieces scattered throughout the upper gallery include works by Graham Sutherland, Gwen John, Wyndham Lewis, Cecil Beaton, Lucian Frued and my favourite, watercolour magician Edward Burra. The fact he’s my favourite has nothing to do with his paintings looking like graphic Mary Katrantzou dresses hanging on a wall. U-huh. Paula Rego’s selection of pieces all seem to emit this sense of ‘at the edge’ – whether it’s adolescence, sexuality, growing up and old or literally falling off a cliff. How this feeling is contained in one exhibition with so many artisans and their assorted styles of work is truly remarkable. You also get the feeling that the selection was autobiographical and deeply personal as well, leaving you thinking as if at the end of the day, you know her too.
A little sidenote: I looooove the spiral staircase room that leads to the upper gallery. Well as much as one can love a room anyway. I think the interiors are exquisite and incredibly tasteful.
Leaving the building, I squeeled “Uuuurrgghhhh so colourful!” when I spotted a little origami wonder round the corner. Sadly, there was no information about this beautiful multi-coloured piece but it made its way to the gallery below anyway. Two thumbs up for ending a blog post with good visuals?
Thresholds – an exhibition of contemporary British art selected from the British Council Collection and curated by Paula Rego is at St James Cavalier, Valletta till 20th May 2012
Mondays and Tuesdays: 9.00 to 17.00
Wednesdays to Sundays: 9.00 to 21.00
Admission to the exhibition is free of charge
A tiny car racing along a pair of Dixie sunglasses. Jewelled and multi-coloured golf shoes taking the form of skyscraper rooftops in the city. A Pyramide bag handle used as a steering wheel. What is all this? This is what goes on inside Miuccia’s head in between designing a collection and having a shot of espresso apparently. Okay scratch the last part. This is the visually stimulating work of Armenian-born illustrator Vahram Muratyan (best known for Paris vs New York and series for Nowness), commissioned by Prada to create animated GIFs featuring accessories from the hit Spring/Summer 2012 collections.
Aptly called Prada Parallel Universes “Where two parallel universes meet under the auspices of Prada style,” the viral illustrations drive out the nostalgia and gear the Prada accessories into the present through a virtual road of Muratyan’s signature style. Check out all the dreamy animations below.
So, here I am compiling my answered FAQs following the barrage of weird questions I get in person, on my email and in my inbox. This is mostly to halt the repeated ones and for the unashamedly LOLS value. This list + future ones will probably end up being a category somewhere on top so be sure to check them out before you send an email with your questions. Note that no question that’s borderline too personal was included. And the rules will stay that way.
In no particular order…
How old are you?
Last time I checked I was twenty-something…
Where are you from?
Oh the one with my favourite reaction. I’m from Nadur, GOZO!
So you speak Gozitan?
And you speak Stoopid?
Your blog got pretty popular quite quickly, so do you have any advice for someone who’s just started blogging?
Do your thing no matter what everybody else is doing. And challenge yourself. A lot.
Who is your favourite singer?
The Queen. Ma-don-nuh!
How much time to do you spend online each day?
Much much more than I’d like to admit.
Do you get weird looks when you’re out if you’re wearing something along the lines of ‘DWP Street: Decadence’?
Definitely. But I’m used to it. Funnily enough, kids smile a lot and show more open-mindedness than the adults that accompany them. Big sunglasses help too by tinting everything in sight.
Where would you want to live if you left Malta?
My top pick is definitely Milan. London comes in at number 2.
What are the wardrobe must-haves for boys?
Good quality blazers, never-can-have-enough white shirts, statement shoes and well-cut coats.
What’s your favourite brand?
I give an item the merit it deserves regardless of the brand. But if it had to come down to a ‘brand’ I’d have to say…well you know…
What camera do you use?
A Canon in desperate need of a better zoom lens.
How did your blog name come along?
Funny story. I had just bought my first pair of Prada shoes and someone stopped me and asked me where I got them from. I was like “Pra-duh” and the rest was history. Corny huh?
Which high street shops do you recommend for people who can’t spend so much but still want to be stylish?
Zara and H&M never disappoint me with their budget-friendly fashion-forward pieces. Topshop/Topman too, even though it’s been a while since I found anything striking over at their court…
Do you have any siblings?
Yes two brothers. I’m the middle child. Wooo…
If yes, are they into fashion like you are?
Like I am, definitely not. But I’m sure my younger brother will be when he inherits everything I own…
Do your family members approve of your blog?
Yes they’re all hardcore fans.
I noticed your blog font has changed over the past few weeks, I really like the current one! Keep it?
Yes I had some ongoing issues with the font. It looked good for a few days then I’d wake up and be like “No” and change it. I have a good feeling about the current one though, thanks!
Do you like Lady Gaga’s style?
This is the type of question I was fearing. I guess that’s your answer?
Who are your other favourite bloggers, local and international?
Locally it’s my girls at Boffism and Rouge Reveries. Internationally…Style Bubble, Kate Loves Me and my guilty pleasure…Bryanboy.
Are you on Twitter?
Yes, it’s @danwearspraduh – devil*wearspraduh was a digit too long so I had to opt for option B.
No matter who you are, where you are and what your question is, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to email any time on daniel@devilwearspraduh and I’ll do my best to get back to you presto.
When I started this blog I promised I would give as much attention to the local art scene as possible. That’s an easy task when Malta has its own arts and crafts market – Patches. Patches gathers local artists to showcase their creations – anything ranging from ceramics to soaps to clothing to food, and everything in between. Local artisans aren’t given the attention they truly deserve is what I was thinking when I was en route to Valletta’s City Theatre on a sunny Sunday morning. Judging by the sheer amount of hipsters present outside the venue casually talking about their Instagram uploads, maybe things are changing for the better and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Light however, is exactly what I wished there was more of at the venue itself.
The first proper stop was at the ladies’ vintage corner where Samantha (Blush & Panic), Lara (“Hey Birdie-pie!”) and Holly (Paradise & Lunch) had their vintage gems strategically placed around their stand space. Following the menswear collection from a few days ago, the girls didn’t hold back with the ladies’ vintage stock either – look at that Zandra Rhodes magical tweed. I couldn’t stop fangirling over the rails of clothes they had set up – enough quirky wearable dresses and divine silky blouses to make me wish I was born a girl just to get to wear such beauties.
Holly was a much welcomed discovery. Just as passionate about vintage apparel and jewellery as the two ladies on her side, Holly explained the idea behind Paradise & Lunch - she picks a venue, draws up a menu of food goodness and sets up a selection of vintage items for people to browse and purchase. Food and vintage shopping? Count me in – what is there not to love? I ended up adopting the crocodile wallet shown above. The texture was so appealing I just couldn’t resist.
And what’s Patches without a little sweet tooth OD? Not stopping at the super cute stall of Swirlz wasn’t an option. Too friendly for words, Audrienne showed me all the sugar and spice and halfway through the conversation she realized who I was and spilled that she loves my blog. That was my queue to choose a cupcake and I opted for the chocolate one, which is quite boring when you consider the wide array of flavours available. One word: YUM! And just like that…I was a fan.
Upcoming edition of Patches Market is on the 8th July at Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta
Facebook - Patches Market, Blush & Panic, “Hey Birdie-pie!”, Paradise & Lunch, Swirlz