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POP 087/ FRIDAY, 28 AUGUST 2009
Today’s Pop is David. After our unmitigated excitement over the arrival of the new POP yesterday, the only thing we could think to do next was to go political…
We haven’t seen him for over a year, but a video clip of Fidel Castro recently emerged where Cuba’s former leader speaks to a gang of Venezuelan students. Since old man Castro fell ill a few years ago, it’s been up to his younger brother Rafael to govern the socialist island. Fidel pops up once in a while, but these are bad times for ageing dictators - just look at Kim Jong-il over in North Korea who supposedly suffered a stroke last year. He’s even taken the precaution of naming his son as the country’s next leader.
Anyway, back to Fidel. The man, who together with Ché Guevara, personified and glorified the concept of revolution back in the 1960’s (before making swapping it for the concept of dictatorship) spent most of his power time in classic olive-coloured army fatigues. He cut a nice figure in his hat, cigar and trademark beard. Of course, the beard is grey now and cigars are too dangerous for his frail health. But perhaps the weirdest change in his style has been the clothes. Just like a pensioner hanging up the suit after 40 years in the office, Fidel chucked the cargo pants and pulled out his tracksuit bottoms instead as soon as he’d finished his last dictator shift.
Judging by these pictures - a collection of images from his media appearances in the last few years - it’s almost like Castro is sponsored by Adidas. But that’s highly unlikely of course, and it’s unclear whether a German sportswear giant like Adidias would want to support a leftwing politician like Fidel Castro. They much more prefer footballers like David Beckenham and Christian Ronaldo.
The point is of course that there lies the problem. In his crisp white shirt and electric blue sport jacket, Fidel out-dresses Ronaldo any day of the week. Give that white shirt to the Portuguese player and he would have teamed it up with white and tight trousers, and a pair of sparkling Dior Homme trainers, as he walks along a Spanish beach, sipping a Malibu drink. Castro also has a white tracksuit version with blue stripes and red detailing, showing that his colour coordination is not lost with age. Add a navy blue T-shirt with a deep V-neck underneath and you have a commanding - yet casual - outfit. Just how we like our Fidel. Can’t wait until next summer for another video. Who knows - maybe Adidas will have upgraded him to Y3 by then…
POP 062/ SATURDAY, 1 AUGUST 2009
Today’s Pop is David, the younger. You know, the political fashion policeman. This week he turned a corner, as it seems he’s actually found someone who listens to his rants…
It seems that US President Barack Obama, in response to a recent POP blog about his baseball attire, has defended his choice of jeans on live television. But - truth be told - it wasn’t only THEPOP.COM that noticed the poor fit of the trousers and the surprisingly sporty design of the trainers he wore to his obligatory ball throw. No, the subject also surfaced on NBC’s Today show, when host Meredith Vieira challenged him over the outfit.
To his defence Mr. Obama said the jeans were “comfortable” and pointed out the fact that his wife Michelle was the fashionable Obama: “She looks fabulous - I’m a little frumpy”.
But wearing the trousers, dubbed ‘mom jeans’ in the US, is one of Obama’s few fashion mistakes. He has tackled the notoriously difficult casual wear by choosing navy polo shirts and beige slacks, which equals the ‘I might have dressed down but I still mean business’ - look.
Being tall and slim can be a problem when buying suits and, if anything, Obama has suffered from looking like his suits are swallowing his fragile silhouette. POTUS Obama needs to find himself a reliable tailor that truly understands his need of a smart and formal look, as well as a working world economy. Obama also sounded this warning to the American people: “Those of you who want your President to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry, but I’m not the guy!”
Well, praise the lord for that!
POP 060/ THURSDAY, 30 JULY 2009
Today’s POP is David, the other. He’s gone fishing. David’s fascination with fashion in politics has led him to write a letter to his constituency, demanding that any new representatives be given a crash course in Power Dressing. His best fashion advise for any buddying politician? ‘When in doubt, ask yourself: what would JFK have worn?’
East London has always been a hub of creative activity. Artists, designers, writers and musicians started turning towards the East end ages ago for cheap rent and a community of like-minded souls. Coolness followed and, not long after, a new clientele appeared with more money to pay the increasing rents. Inevitably this meant some people had to keep on moving in order to stay productive. Of late they have lived and worked in Hackney Wick, a mainly industrial area, perfect for its converted warehouses and big studio spaces.
Now, with the 2012 Olympics and its re-generation programs coming, it looks like these artists might be forced to move again. Either because their buildings are being knocked down in favour of cycling velodromes or because the location is now worth a hellova lot more money and the rents have gone up.
Some people, however, have made a decision to not let this disgraceful predicament go unnoticed. This weekend sees the second Hackney Wicked Festival take over the area. New and old art galleries show exciting artists, often from the area, and street parties are launched with bands, barbeques and painting competitions. A true feast for and by the people of Hackney Wick!
One of the exhibiting galleries is run by Nomadic Projects, an organisation consisting of three art-loving entrepreneurs. Emma Hammar, Louise O’Kelly and Pau Cato call their three-day pop up show the Museum Of Hackney Wick, as it documents the area and its inhabitants. Emma Hammar explains: “We encourage artists to create histories through documentation and collaboration in order to represent the different realities of an ever-changing urban landscape”.
The trio met through various art-related projects and mostly live and work in the Wick and surrounding areas. “The area seems to be on a creative high at the moment, with the Hackney Wicked festival, new galleries and bars and cafes popping up”, says Hammar, who together with O’Kelly and Cato has managed to get local photographer Stephen Gill to collaborate: “He’s a really lovely and approachable guy, very passionate about the area. We approached him and explained a bit about the project, and he just thought it was a great idea and was keen to help us out”.
Also worth mentioning is the duo James Fisher and Jonathan Glazier. Their contribution - The Changing Face Factory - is an interdisciplinary work featuring paintings, sculptures, drawings and a performance. A bit like Allan Kaprow and his famous Happenings in the 1960’s. Fisher and Glazier will take charge of a certain area in the gallery and create masks, with two mask-bearers simultaneously painting the other persons mask. This performance, or “spectacle of change”, as they call it, will also be documented and printed as a book. “The actual performance will encapsulate the struggle between the opposing forces of change, for and against. We believe that this activity highlights a process close to that in a factory”, Glazier explains.
There is no doubt that the Olympics won’t hinder Hackney Wick to flourish creatively. Go down to the festival, seek out The Nomadic Project and enjoy this smorgasbord of diverse talent - and keep an eye out for their next pop up!
Hackney Wicked 31 July - 2 August
www.hackneywicked.com
www.nomadicprojects.blogspot.com
Also see Dazed Digital article
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