With our server shift (great service from Xplosiv.ly) and all the fashion weeks happening through February, a few news items on our radar have been delayed—but we believe they are of interest to our readers, regardless.
   The first is Jameson Irish Whiskey’s new limited-edition bottle for St Patrick’s Day 2013 (right). Jameson had already sponsored the Film Independent Spirit Awards which Lucire reported on last week—it seems fitting that this proudly Irish brand celebrates a quintessentially Irish day with a bottle designed by glass artist David Smith.
   The bottle design was inspired by the glass etching and gilding that one might find in the great Dublin pubs.
   In a release, Smith said, ‘Being both a whiskey drinker, and a Jameson fan, it was an immense opportunity which I couldn’t refuse. It was a natural fit as we both preserve craft and tradition in a contemporary way. Having the opportunity to design an iconic bottle which has hardly changed in two hundred years was one that I’m not presented with often, so I am extremely proud to have stamped my signature style onto the bottle.’
   The limited-edition bottle is available in New Zealand from March 1 with a retail price of NZ$63·99.


   Boegli, meanwhile, has created a new Grand Opera watch, which is the first model with a round dial from the Swiss company. It is limited to 99 pieces, and features a musical mechanism that plays 17 notes from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 (The Magic Flute). The watch has an alligator leather strap with a butterfly buckle.
   Nespresso has introduced a stainless steel-panelled version of its Pixie machine (bottom), meaning that the machine suits even more décors. In terms of engineering, the latest model is identical to the previous one: it still makes a cup of Nespresso coffee in 25 to 30 seconds, has an alert for low water levels, and consumes 40 per cent less power than the best-in-class energy category of A-class machines.
   It comes bundled with an Aeroccino, and is released in April at the Nespresso Boutique in Newmarket, Auckland, selected retailers, through www.nespresso.com or the Nespresso Club in New Zealand on 0800 234-579. Nespresso also offers a cash-back reward for New Zealand customers of NZ$50 on the Pixie range from March 25 to May 19; retail price for the Pixie is NZ$499.
   Our friends at Chanel inform us that there will be an exhibition in Milano dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld’s new book, The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited.
   The exhibition, held at the Rotonda di via Besana (at the via Enrico Besana, 12), opens April 4, with entry free to the public from April 6 to 20. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
   While the exhibition has been shown at other cities, the latest has new works featuring Keira Knightley, Diane Kruger, Carla Bruni and Carole Bouquet. At the same time, displays at Chanel’s via Sant’Andrea boutique will show jackets from the spring–summer 2013 ready-to-wear collection.
   In the main part of the website, Elyse Glickman checks out the pre-Grammy suites for this year, while Lola Saab reports from the Sundance Film Festival, our first report from there since 2004.

Amid the bustling of holiday traffic, a layover, and no time for tea, I took a moment to speak with prominent talent, Yasemen Hussein. The London-based artist and creative all-star designs exceptional artworks that are both captivating to the fine art tenderfoot as well as any artistic mastermind.
   As I found a quiet space nestled in a corner of the airport, a few of Hussein’s designs came to mind: from the beautifully sculpted golden shield commissioned for Will.i.am (right) to the Marie Antoinette metal wig with antlers emitting from it called, Diana, exhibited at the Museum of London in 2010, which she also categorizes as one of her proudest pieces.
   Hussein’s art has intrepid layers. Whether fine-tuned in an extravagant coiled headdress or in the sparkling of Swarovski Elements (e.g. over 25,000 lavish crystals she used to create an outfit for Katy Perry’s American Idol performance of the single, ‘E.T.’ [below]), Hussein’s pieces speak for themselves!
   Outside the creative world, many people may not ponder in detail about the artist or designer behind such avant-garde works that a stage performer might wear. Some may even think it to be entirely the vision of a marketing team or performer themselves. Yet, however wonderful the end result is executed, it does start with an artist’s eye and most certainly one that can take on a mighty challenge transcending the intangible or conventional methods of design.
   Every designer has a process of development, perhaps a special moment when they are entirely in the zone of their body of work. For Hussein, an alumna from the Penland School of Crafts, getting in that zone means being fully open to experiment without limitations.
   ‘I came from a strict working class Turkish–Cypriot immigrant family where I was expected to live the norm of marriage and children. The UK gave me grounding and a true understanding of the importance of research and development. Living in the US gave me the time and experience to understand … to do anything I wanted without creative boundaries,’ said Hussein.
   Clothing has the ability to create an image, displaying expressions of one’s mood or style. Mere shoe choice can even make or break an outfit’s buoyancy! Then, there are forms of wearable art that need no special introduction. It’s the one-of-a-kind bells and whistles: the statement pieces, timeless accessories, and other fashioning elements that fairly garner a worthy showcase all on their own. Hussein’s designs are just that!
   With an eye for structure, an appetite for the bold and underlining æsthetic of sculpture, her art merges the love of working with diverse materials such as metal, glass, and clay. She somehow transforms the initial vision into a forward-thinking wonderland.
   ‘I secretly love the smell of metal when it’s been heated up to a cherry red and the sound it makes when I quench it in water,’ confessed Hussein. But, don’t place too much of a label on her artistic style, she’s a designer who is awe-inspired by a multitude of things. ‘I don’t really think about it or guide myself towards something, I just do it. My style is what I gravitate to, whatever has influenced me,’ said the designer.
   So, what advice would a celebrated and very down-to-earth designer give to aspiring artists? ‘You really do have to love what you do. There really is no winning formula, you have to create your own. Unfortunately it’s not always down to talent. I hate to say it, but a whole chunk is a business mind, patience, and timing,’ said Hussein.
   Needless to say, this was one layover with a chock-full of inspiration that I will not forget!
   You may catch more of Hussein’s (headwear) pieces currently being showcased in the must-see Head On exhibition at Fashion Space Gallery in London. She joins a roster of designers, including catwalk looks by Donna Karan, Gareth Pugh, and A. F. Vandevorst, as well as millinery works of Stephan Jones and Philip Treacy, amongst many others. The exhibition will run through March 23, 2013.
   For more information visit www.yasemenhussein.com.—Tamara Madison

H&M

Hennes & Mauritz presented its first catwalk show at Paris Fashion Week, live at the Musée Rodin and webcast at hm.com.
   Among the VIPs were Chloë Moretz, Tali Lennox, Caroline de Maigret, Ashley Olsen, Pixie Geldof, Lizzie Jagger, Josephine de la Baume, Emma Roberts, Melissa George, Daisy Lowe and Carine Roitfeld.
   The autumn–winter 2013–14 collection showed ‘tailored shapes with delicate dresses to create a tomboy spirit,’ says H&M.
   The collection combines dramatic silhouettes with decorative pieces, and features boho and leather jackets, along with an open-backed sequin dress and a cable-knit sweater.
   Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser for H&M, who is no stranger to Parisian fashion having overseen many of the label’s collaborations with top designers, says, ‘It is such an exciting step for H&M to show key pieces for autumn in Paris. The event was magical, staged in a chic environment full of atmosphere. It was great to see fashion that’s accessible to everyone presented in one of the most important fashion capitals in the world.’
   Since 2004, H&M has been skirting with the top labels in fashion through designer collaborations, but this is the first time the company has shown itself at Paris Fashion Week.
   The show was styled by George Cortina, and models included Cara Delevingne, Isabeli Fontana and Arizona Muse. The décor was meant to reflect a 1970s Parisian apartment. Owlle and 2 Many DJs performed at the post-show party.

After a successful year where Lily Cole promoted the Body Shop through her channels, the ethical beauty retailer has announced that Leona Lewis will be its new ‘brand activist’, to use the company’s term.
   It’s not altogether inaccurate: instead of simply posing in photo shoots for the brand, the Body Shop expects that its activists will use their own networks to promote the company’s initiatives.
   Lewis is no exception: she will help the Body Shop and Cruelty Free International in their global campaign to end animal testing in the cosmetics’ industry, building on the EU ban that comes into effect on March 11.
   She will also hold an exclusive gig for fans, to be streamed on March 26.
   As with Cole, Lewis will put her name to a cruelty-free make-up and fragrance collection, which uses 100 per cent vegetarian cosmetics. The Limited Edition Collection by Leona Lewis features a floral deer motif on its packaging, highlighting that the Body Shop uses man-made musk, not musk derived from deer.
   Lewis said in a release, ‘I’m passionate about beauty and I’m all about animal rights. As a result, I’m really conscious of where the products that I use come from. The Body Shop sells cruelty-free, ethical products containing amazing Community Fair Trade ingredients. The collaboration is a natural fit!’
   Lewis says she is an animal lover and life-long vegetarian. She has netted 20 million album sales since winning The X Factor’s third season in 2006.

Royal New Zealand Ballet

Jack Yan

The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s trio of premières tonight in Made to Move at the St James Theatre was an enjoyable mixture of innovative and classical.
   The first production, danced on a plain stage so audiences could focus on the work itself, was The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud, which fulfilled its promise of paying tribute to the Pacific and its cultures. Award-winning Venezuelan director and choreographer Javier de Frutos crafted a ballet that took historical Pacific Island sound clips, creating a work that was at moments tense, and evocative and respectful of the region’s cultures. Colourful costumes gave Anatomy a visually pleasing look, and there was a raw quality to the ballet.
   De Frutos is known for his contemporary work, but there was enough in Anatomy to please traditional ballet-goers, with most sets having a dramatic quality.
   While the Royal New Zealand Ballet has been known to progress from experimental to crowd-pleasing when showing three works in one night, we thought Andrew Simmons’ Of Days was the highlight of the evening. The Christchurch-born, Dresden-based dancer’s new work was beautiful, touching and emotional, with a strong foundation in classical ballet. Words appeared above the dancers, with a clever play on typography, sometimes occupying a single line, other times multiple ones, reading as poetry while the Royal New Zealand Ballet performed. Audiences were invited to reflect on their life directions, on love, and on their purpose.
   The lighting deserves particular mention, especially how it complemented the outfits, at one point creating a harmonious glow to the stage. Of Days’ costumes, by Kate Venables, showed off the dancers’ physiques and personalized their performances. It was again danced to a relatively empty stage, with translucent backdrops used to highlight shadows, raised to reveal dancers, and lowered as screens on to which the type was displayed.
   The sheer beauty of Of Days would have been strong enough to conclude the evening on a high, and it is our hope that it goes on to win awards.
   RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel already prepared audiences last year when he talked about his Bier Halle, a comedic ballet that tied in with New Zealanders’ own love of beer. Having grown up in Wisconsin, itself known for brewing, Stiefel was inspired by the polka bands of his home state. Johann Strauss II’s waltzes and marches gave Bier Halle musical familiarity, and forced one to admire Stiefel for visualizing a new take on the score. His first original work for the RNZB started with plenty of laughs, but, at its core, is a traditional ballet with a particularly creative execution. The set elicited applause from the opening-night audience, and, as expected, Gillian Murphy—Stiefel’s fiancée—and Qi Huan were particularly expert lead players in a fun cast that included Sir Jon Trimmer, while Paul Matthews’ and Kohei Iwamoto’s roles, as the Nerd and Bird respectively, proved to be favourites.
   It was the grand, uplifting ballet of the night, and the perfect finalé, with a big cast and the audience encouraged to clap along, but it must be said that Of Days’ beauty continued to resonate for us well after the evening had concluded.—Jack Yan, Publisher

Official White House photograph

Above First Lady Michelle Obama reads out the Best Picture winner live from the White House.

Updated at 5.22 a.m. GMT with results of top awards, and at 8.39 a.m. GMT with additional videos

With the 85th Academy Awards concluded, Lucire has highlights from the telecast below.
   Daniel Day-Lewis has become the first actor to win Best Actor three times, the third for his role in Lincoln. Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, continued its good fortune and won Best Picture.
   Jennifer Lawrence took home the Best Actress prize for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, as she had at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors’ Guild Awards.
   The actress tripped on her way up to collect her first Oscar, but composed herself, with her words on stage, ‘Thank you so much. This is nuts. You guys are only standing up because I fell and you feel bad. That was embarrassing.’
   Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Tarantino himself won for Best Screenplay.
   Taiwan-born director Ang Lee won best director for Life of Pi.
   As predicted, Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in Les Misérables. Amour has won best foreign film. A teary-eyed Adele, and fellow songwriter Paul Epworth, have picked up Best Song for Skyfall.
   Earlier today, Kelly Rowland showed a lot of leg through her gown, Angelina Jolie-style, the video of which is below.
   Wearing Christian Dior, Jennifer Lawrence, who has captivated audiences with her performance in Silver Linings Playbook, and who is up for Best Actress, talks about her relief at awards’ season ending. She says that she hopes that her film removed the stigma over bipolar disorder.
   We also look at the gowns on the Oscar red carpet, as well as Bradley Cooper’s dinner suit. Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Aniston are highlighted, and there’s a distinct trend toward lighter colours this year. Kristen Stewart, Queen Latifah, Zoë Saldana and Octavia Spencer all went for whites and off-whites, too, in addition to Hathaway and Theron. Adele bucked the trend and look glamorous in black.
   Additional videos from the ceremony proper include the cast of Les Misérables, including Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, performing a medley; Tarantino, Hathaway and Lawrence accepting their Oscars; Adele backstage after winning for Skyfall; and presentation segments featuring Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Aniston, and Mark Wahlberg and Ted. The final video is of director Ben Affleck accepting the Best Film Oscar for Argo, whose win was read out by First Lady Michelle Obama live from the White House.

Kelly Rowland at the Oscars

Jennifer Lawrence

The Oscar gowns

Adele

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux

Quentin Tarantino wins Best Screenplay

Adele backstage after winning her Oscar

Anne Hathaway’s acceptance speech

Mark Wahlberg and Ted present award

Kristen Stewart and Daniel Radcliffe present an Oscar

Channing Tatum and Jennifer Aniston

Les Misérables medley

Jennifer Lawrence trips as she collects her Best Actress Oscar

Argo wins Best Film: Ben Affleck’s acceptance speech

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards took place in a tent at Santa Monica beach on Saturday, supported by Jameson Irish Whiskey, with Silver Linings Playbook the big winner at the event.
   Silver Linings Playbook beat rival independent films Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Keep the Lights on, and Moonrise Kingdom, the other nominees this year. It won best picture, best director and best screenplay for David O. Russell. Jennifer Lawrence, who had already won numerous awards for best actress at other awards, took the same prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
   John Hawkes won best actor for The Sessions, beating out Playbook’s Bradley Cooper. Helen Hunt won best supporting actress for The Sessions, while Matthew McConaughey won best supporting actor for Magic Mike.
   Starlet received the Robert Altman Award.
   Guests attending included Zoë Saldana, Lemon Zhang, Stephan A. Shtereff, Matthew McConaughey, Camila Alves, Daniel Radcliffe, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Mads Mikkelsen, Jake Johnson, Jason Isaacs, Amy Poehler, Stana Katic, Kyle MacLachlan, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Chris Tucker, Kerry Washington, Emily Mortimer, Alessandro Nivola, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Melanie Lynskey, Bruce Willis and Emma Hemming, Jeremy Renner, Jack Black, Tanya Haden, Nina Dobrev, Rashida Jones, Ben Richardson, and Benh Zeitlin. Andy Samberg MCed the event.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Charley Gallay/Getty Images






Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Charley Gallay/Getty Images









Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Lucire tends to have a smaller presence in Milano, although we have managed to source three videos from the autumn–winter 2013–14 collections at fashion week.
   Fendi has been going back to its roots, and autumn–winter 2013–14 is no exception. The abundance of fur (mink and fox) will divide observers, while Karl Lagerfeld kept his silhouette sleek and linear. Emilio Pucci, too, successfully blended past and present under Peter Dundas, who managed to combine the Pucci of the 1960s with a mid-2010s sensibility. There were short skirts, high boots and a lot of fun. Consuelo Castiglioni at Marni, meanwhile, called her collection austere but romantic, though austerity didn’t keep her from putting up plenty of fur as well, alongside wool and silk. There were charcoals and blacks, highlighted with green and red.
   Byblos, meanwhile, from which we have images but no video (yet), called its collection ‘Ophelia meets Kate Moss’, a strong pre-Raphaëlite woman complements a Goth heroine for its autumn–winter 2013–14 vision, which had a sombre mood. Here, too, there were thigh boots mixing with a new romantic look, and jacquard and angora the key fabrics.

Fendi

Emilio Pucci

Marni