Just wanted to announce that we just opened the Benjamin Kanarek Blog Shop.  If you have any special requests, please don’t hesitate to contact us…

You Decide…My Rant of the Month.

I had a very interesting experience today. I am running a blog that rather than many blogs out there, actually posts original material. Most of the Fashion Blogs out there scan what is being published and informs the audience of the news.

Very few of them are actually writing pertinent information relating to his field. Well, being that what they are doing is suppose to be reporting on magazines of consequence and those of lesser importance as well, I put out a standard newsletter announcing an editorial of mine in one of the largest circulation fashion magazines in the world and perhaps the number one in China. It is Harper’s BAZAAR and it was our “Fly Me to the Moon” story. I know this sounds pompously arrogant, but if they can publish L’Officiel why not Bazaar?

Now this blog, which I will mention shortly had published via their classic copy and paste techniques  the  magazine editorials they felt worthy of publishing as well as the model and photographer credits.  To our surprise  they responded to our press release notice as a submission which they rejected. It was not a submission, but a newsletter. I found this amusing as we had our 14 page story published in hard copy in over 750,000 issues and on the internet throughout China already, so being rejected by your standard fare blog was of no consequence what so ever.

What I did find surprising however was how non-journalistic this blog was in not covering what they do all the time and that is the sharing of what  the monthly magazines have on offer.

If it were not for those magazine or blogs like Anne of Carversville, Garrence Doré, The Sartorialist and a handful of others that do publish original material, there would be no original material to speak of. You would have all of these blogs just regurgitating the same information ad infinitum until the tap totally dried up. These copy & paste blogs will eventually start to wither away once the public realizes that original material is what these blogs thrive on and leave only the very few that will float to the top of the smegma heap.

Frédérique invented a new name for these types of blogs “The Scannerists“.

So, there you have it… Oh, just in case you are interested… the name of the blog is Fashion Gone Rogue.

You may also find this response interesting at Anne of Carversville‘s web site.

Hi Everyone,

I will make this short and sweet. We are so pleased that “Other Edition” has chosen “Fly Me to the Moon” for Harper’s Bazaar China as their “Editorial of the Month“.

Thanks so much…

The whole editorial can be viewed here and its making of video.

Ben

It seems that Paris is going through a Trade Deficit in Fashion lately. Numerous Designers from outside of France are coming to Paris to take over French old Brands like Phoebe Philo at Céline, the revival of the centenary brand Madeleine Vionnet now shortened to  just “Vionnet” by Rodolfo Paglialunga and recently Giles Deacon at Ungaro. They also often present their own Collection like Manish Arora from India and Gareth Pugh from the UK… Is Paris no longer able to produce and support a new generation of Fashion Designers?

Pedro Lourenço – Fall/Winter 2010-2011 Collection

Pedro Lourenço – Fall/Winter 2010-2011 Collection Video

Pedro Lourenço’s first Collection at the age of 12 – Fall/Winter 2003

Bruce Jones, Photographer, responded to my Post “The Politics of Fashion Photography Part 6“ with his very illuminating thoughts. I felt it was worthy of a separate post so here it is:

by: Bruce Jones

This is hardly unique to “fashion photography.” In my former life as a freelance corporate communications producer, I had plenty of opportunity to observe how the game is played in the executive board rooms of the Billionaire Boys Club. If you have any aspirations of climbing the management ladder of a Fortune 500 you learn the rules of communication: you don’t piss people off, even when they deserve it; you don’t bring your personal problems to work; you keep your personal opinions to yourself; you don’t gossip about somebody else’s rotten attitude in the break room; and you network network network, which means above all maintaining good relationships with the people you’re already working with.

Congress follows Robert’s Rules of Order, not because they’re a bunch of antiquated stuffed shirts, but because it provides a formula for how to vehemently disagree with somebody today in a manner that allows you to cooperate with him tomorrow.

I also worked as an actor/director in theatre for a lot of years; it’s a collaborative art form, and its pecking order varies–I’m directing you in this show; you may be directing me tomorrow. Asserting power needlessly when I have it is likely to bite me in the ass later when I don’t.

Every major institution, particularly if it involves the generation of money, is based on a management hierarchy that gets smaller in numbers at the top in inverse proportion to the amount of influence wielded by the few who occupy the big offices. And it’s pretty hard to predict today who that’s going to be tomorrow, so smart ladder climbers know that getting in a snit with a peer has little present upside and huge potential downside down the road.

Heck, even a functional family understands that it’s best to hold your tongue when you’re angry because otherwise the words that come out get sandblasted into the memories of the people you care about and can sit there for years, gunny-sacked away for ammunition in a future disagreement.

The irony is that your advice is only partially and very selectively true. Your stylist was a bitch who, in spite of her rotten attitude, now works for a company you’d like to do business with. Apparently your outburst didn’t help you, but hers apparently had no adverse affect on her career. The fashion world is full of annoying divas, both photographers and models, who can’t accommodate all of the requests they get for high-end work. Annie Leibowitz is a notorious walking disaster in her personal life, and her inability to manage her business affairs in a professional manner has her infamously in trouble with bankruptcy courts, but I just saw her starring as “famous photographer Annie Leibowitz” in a Hewlett-Packard commercial yesterday. Any one of us who follows fashion photography could name a dozen lesser-known photographers with equal or greater talent who would be far less drama (and $1000s less expense) to work with than someone with this much baggage who always runs her productions massively over budget, but I’m assuming her reputation–both the good and the bad–isn’t affecting her bookings any.

Take your pick of examples from the corporate world who have proven to be fabulously incompetent but who continue to shuffle from company to company, precisely because–not in spite of the fact that–it’s a small universe at the top, and people who hire important people like to work with known commodities. You may have failed in your last stop–as Carly Fiorina did spectacularly at HP–but the fact that HP was willing to hire you as CEO in the first place is all the resume you need to move to the next job. I hear she’s running for Congress now. Go figure.

The bottom line is that notoriety and historical achievement often trump talent, disposition, and manners when the good jobs–the ones people’s reputations depend on–are handed out. Following the common-sense networking rules of work-place decorum that you just handed out probably won’t ever HARM the average guy’s opportunities for advancement, but if your talent has gotten you a big enough name, bad behavior probably won’t hurt you either. John McCain’s reputation as a shoot-from-the-hip independent thinker didn’t exactly endear him to the rank-and-file Republican flock, but once he finally secured the nomination, EVERYBODY wanted to stand next to him for the photo op.

Yes, unkind words can come back to haunt you. Unless they don’t.

I was asked what a Mood Board is and how it differs from a Story Board. This may seem convoluted but this is how I described what a Mood Board is:

A Mood Board, unlike a Story Board, does not indicate a progression of images that will actually be shot, nor the actual setting. What it does do is describe a flavour or nuance of what the ambience of the image will be. It gives one an idea of your intention. It is akin to an interior designer showing colour and texture codes to their clients. It is not a specific chronological plan or set design as would be established in a story board, which is more akin to a visual script. It is a visual and sensory direction. It uses metaphor’s and analogies rather than concrete specific and pragmatic details. Mood boards are being asked of by editors more and more these days to assist them in understanding the direction you are considering and help them decide if that is the direction they wish to explore as well.

I am so pleased to announce that I will have the privilege to work with one of the most talented teams in the “BIZ” for Harper’s BAZAAR China this coming Thursday. It will be shot in Paris at La Plateform Studio’s, one of my favourites. I can’t yet tell you the theme of the story yet, but it is for the July 2010 Issue and it will be “Out of this World”.

Once the story is published I will post the images, as well as the making of video. I will also post my last two VOGUE shoots and video’s when they are published.

For those of you interested, here is the team.

Co-Creative Direction & Video: Frédérique Renaut (Our Fashion-Beauty Director of BK Blog)

Model: Mae Lapres, Marilyn Agency, Paris

Fashion Stylist: Laurent Dombrowicz

Make-Up: Topolino, Calliste Agency, Paris

Hair: Cyril Laloue, Jed Root Agency, Paris

Prop Stylist: Anna Carage, Dessine-moi une vitrine, Paris

Digital Retouch: Freddy Baby, Paris

… and the rest of the support team that will be at La Plateform Studios for this production…

Oh and I forgot, Photography and Co-Creative Direction, Yours Truly.

Thanks

Ben:-)

Fashion silhouettes and the models used in most spreads in all of the major Fashion Magazines are generally quite sleek. Woman who read these magazines aspire to the precedents set by these Trend Makers. It is more often than not very frustrating for the readership to have to live up to the standards being set by those influential glossies.

Pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies make a fortune on their magic formula’s, which they regularly advertise in the Beauty or Fitness sections of ELLE, VOGUE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Marie Claire, etc… The income generated by catering to weight lose and the associated regimes to do so are astronomical. Considering that purchasing one advertising page in one of the above giants cost between $25-35k, you can now begin to calculate the importance of this sector. The Dove campaign is a case in point. But, the problem up to now has been, although weight lose regimes are advertised, the magazines do not really cater to the present physical state of a large sector of the potential readership population. In fact, they more often than not alienate those potential adopters of the Mega-Magazines, by not directly communicating with them. They treat Plus Sized woman as a malady and not a normal fact of life, thus alienating them even more so.

Hungry by Crystal Renn

However, there has been some stirring amongst the general female populace and some magazines are starting to react. Most recently with French Marie Claire’s’ Special Un-retouched April 2010 Issue and in the March 26th, 2010 French ELLE (a weekly), they grace the cover with XXL Model Tara Lynn at FORD Agency. To say it was a cultural shock, would be an understatement. We have become so accustomed to size “0″ models featured on most covers that the shock and awe stopping power of this one became a huge seller, outselling their average weekly sales by a Large Margin… No Pun Intended.

Why did the ELLE cover create such a stir? Well first off, being that the model was not a recognizable celebrity, people had to look more closely at what many would ask, “who is this larger than what I have been accustomed to classic model they generally show,  doing on this cover?” Secondly, breaking with convention is a sure way of getting people to stand up and take notice. Thirdly, it is a paradigm shifting and powerful statement being made by one of the Big 4 most influential magazine conglomerates in the world.

Historically, there have been several magazines and web-zines dedicated to large sized woman’s wear such as, Plus Model Magazine, Daily Venus Deva, Plus Size Clothing Magazine, Lou Lou and several others, but it is quite rare when a mainstream major fashion or trendy press magazine, features full figured women. Perhaps this is indicative of a new trend, which will allow the majors to increase their readership. It wouldn’t surprise me if ELLE were to do a special supplement for Plus Size Fashion.

Miss Dirty Martini by Karl Lagerfeld for V Magazine

Recently Chanels’ Karl Lagerfeld shot international burlesque star Miss Dirty Martini for “V” Magazine at the Chanel Fashion House in Paris. The LOVE magazine gave gloriously and voluptuously round Beth Ditto a cover as well.

Beth Ditto by Mert & Marcus

Ford Model’s Crystal Renn’s book Hungry addresses these issues head on. Are we seeing a trend here? Or are we just witnessing a blip on the screen. Time will tell. But in the mean time, don’t throw out those XXL tee shirts you have hiding in the bottom drawer…

Jacklyn Jablonski opposing Crystal Renn by Terry Richardson

You might also wish to read this article at the Plus Size Tall Web Site.

We are pleased to announce that BK Blog will soon have a forum.

It will be quite different in many ways.  Why?  Because of how the forum will work. There will be special interactive sessions where you will be able to communicate with us at given times, to discuss all aspects of the Fashion Biz and interact with professionals in this métier and several others as well.  We believe that as our forum grows, so will the quality of the Blog…

See You All Soon.

The Team

Is the April issue of French Marie Claire “throwing stones into the water? ” Their whole issue is without any retouching! Finally the readers will be exposed to the RAW truth without the artificial frills!

French Marie Claire cover April 2010

Well, almost… We have to pass through the multiplicity of advertising pages that are as expected, heavily retouched before accessing the first editorial photo that has not been tarnished by that Bad Boy on the Block, Mr. Photoshop. I personally really enjoyed the painted portrait of Julia Roberts with absolutely natural eyelashes for Lancôme and the no eyelid-ed Sharon Stone for Dior. You can even see Julia Roberts beauty mark under her eye! Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink, say no more, say no more.

Bad digital retouching can be worst enemy of celebrities…

… But it can also improve the overall image and atmosphere.

The recent brouhaha started in France last year with Valérie Boyer, a member of the National Assembly of France from the Bouches-du-Rhône district, has filed a new bill stating, any image that has been retouched or post processed should include the following preamble or text, “This photo has been retouched to alter the physical appearance of a person, “Failure to comply with this provision could result in a fine of €37,500,  ($50,000) or as high as 50 percent of the space buying budget of the advertising campaign.

There is something unhealthy in the misrepresentation of body image in our society, said the Marseille’s Congress Woman who wants to “enlighten the consumer.” “It is outrageous,” she says, to believe that one side of the spectrum are the little people with their flaws, cellulite and at the other extreme there are the perfect people. There is an indecency in having us believe we look better at 70 than at 20. I wish to restore and highlight the barrier between the virtual and physical reality.

Turning the pages of the April issue of French Marie Claire I see that the photographers had to use the old technique ‘s before Photoshop existed…

Burning out the skin using overexposure, soft light, adding a half blue filter to whiten the skin, pulled back images, large smile’s for celebrities so their nasal labial folds are hidden, pulled back hair with hands stretching the skin and smoothing the wrinkles. Using grainy film and converting the images to black and white to neutralize the skin tones.

This is where I see digital retouching as necessary! Necessary for making banal images more interesting and a little more dreamy. Photography has changed a lot in the manner in which photos are captured. Today photographers have a lot more latitude giving them the opportunity to use more extreme angles, close-up’s and harder light.

To think that retouching is only about reshaping a model or celebrity or erasing the wrinkles and spots is quite naive. Photoshop is necessary for photographers who rely on the digital retouching process to make their images acceptable. Many of them wouldn’t have been published only 15 years ago, when fashion photographers had to know how to light an image, know which type of film should be used to give the most favourable rendition and how it will translate to print.

Photoshop is also a fabulous tool to enhance the artistic possibilities of the photographer and creative director as never before. I don’t think I would be interested in buying copies of Numéro, Vogue,  Harper’s Bazaar, V, Pop or W magazine if the images, styling and scenery dramatizations were as banal as what I saw in the Marie Claire un-retouched issue. When I buy Feminine Press magazines, it is certainly not for its literary content, but more so for their  Fashion and Beauty stories with their creative visual impact.

Even in the 1930′s photos were heavily retouched using traditional artisan methods, using pencils, paint brushes & spot removers as well as  in the dark room with dodge and burn techniques.

No one is fooled and even adolescents know that a 15 year old model in a glossy magazine is retouched to the maximum. Many teen-aged internet users use a light version of Photoshop or other similar programs to retouch their own photos they post on Facebook! Does doing so lead them to anorexia? If so there would be many more cases. Why doesn’t Valérie Boyer also advocate for the censorship of TV programs like Extreme Makeover that shows how quickly and easily one can be “transformed surgically” from the ground up? What about 3D images, films, video games, cartoons or why not the censorship of sculpture-painter Fernando Botero who glorifies women at the other end of the anorexic spectrum?

French Elle Magazine went even further last year with actresses and models who accepted to pose for Peter Lindbergh without retouching and without make up!!

It does not say if the celebrities featured were botox free, hyaluronic acid or plastic surgery free… That might be a great next theme where there is no retouching, make up, injections or plastic surgery and what you look like first thing in the morning. This niche has already been taken by paparazzi and people magazines.

… And all of this makes me wonder if Valérie Boyer is using an un-retouched portrait of herself on her website?

Example of Digital retouching on gorgeous Super Model Natasha Poly