Daily excerpts of new fashion, culture, lifestyle, activism and women's news posts 2007-2019.
Talent and French muse Laetitia Casta is styled by Barbara Loison in ‘The Conquering’, lensed by Francois Rotger for ELLE France December 7, 2018./ Hair by David Delicourt; makeup by Gregoris
Gwyneth Paltrow Did Not Invent Yoga's Huge Popularity In The US | Yoga Journal Shares The Facts
American Oscar-winning actor, businesswoman, lifestyle guru and GOOP founder Gwyneth Paltrow covers the December 2018 issue of WSJ Magazine. George Cortina styles Paltrow in ‘Sweet Success’, lensed by Lachlan Bailey.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, the self-promoter Goop founder said: “I remember when I started doing yoga and people were like, ‘What is yoga? She’s a witch. She’s a freak.’ ’’
Paltrow chose to ignore her inner voice waving a flag in her brain, continuing with WSJ:
“Forgive me if this comes out wrong,” she said, “but I went to do a yoga class in L.A. recently and the 22-year-old girl behind the counter was like, ‘Have you ever done yoga before?’ And literally I turned to my friend, and I was like, ‘You have this job because I’ve done yoga before.’ ”
Actually the real story of the spread of yoga in the US is also rooted in the immigration debate. According to the Yoga Journal, In 1920, Paramahansa Yogananda addressed a conference of religious liberals in Boston. He was sent by his guru, the ageless Babaji, to "spread the message of kriya yoga to the West."
In 1924, the United States immigration service imposed a quota on Indian immigration, making it impossible for Easterners to travel to America. Westerners were forced to travel to the East if they sought after yogic teachings.
One of those people was Theos Bernard, who returned from India in 1947 and published Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience. His book was a major sourcebook for yoga in the 1950s and it remains popular today.
That same year, Indra Devi opened a yoga studio in Hollywood. Her three popular books had housewives from New Jersey to Texas standing on their heads in their bedrooms.
She was the first Westerner to study with Sri Krishnamacharya and the first to bring his lineage to the West.
The person who introduced more Americans to yoga than any other in those days was Richard Hittleman, who in 1950 returned from studies in India to teach yoga in New York.
He not only sold millions of copies of his books and pioneered yoga on television in 1961, but he influenced how yoga has been taught ever since.
Although he was a student of the sage Ramana Maharshi and very much a "spiritual" yogi, he presented a nonreligious yoga for the American mainstream, with an emphasis on its physical benefits. He hoped students would then be motivated to learn yoga philosophy and meditation.
Yoga was established on the West Coast in the mid-'50s with Walt and Magana Baptiste's San Francisco studio.
In 1958, Indian-born Swami Vishnu-devananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswati, arrived in San Francisco, sponsored by the artist Peter Max.
His 1960 book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, became an essential guidebook for many practitioners. Dubbed by a colleague as "a man with a push," he founded the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, headquartered in Montreal, one of the largest networks of yoga schools in the world.
Meditation and yoga exploded across America in the early '60s, when an unassuming-looking yogi "came out of the Himalayas to spiritually regenerate the world." Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation empire now claims 40,000 teachers and more than four million practitioners, with 1,200 centers in 108 countries.
The Yoga Journal article by Holly Hammond goes on in tracing the development of yoga — actually jump-started by the sixties counter culture in America. Yoga Journal was first published in 1975.
Perhaps in a slight to Gwyneth Paltrow, her role as the chief birth mother of yoga in America is not mentioned. Or perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow, like Donald Trump, drowns in her own narcissism.
Photographer Mary Fix captures model Zoe Louis in ‘Golden Hour’, styled by Jess Mederos for L’Officiel Singapore December 2018./ Hair by Sirsa Ponciano; makeup by Caitlin Wooters
Paz Stammler Captures Isabella Molloy For L'Officiel Austria December 2018
Model Isabella Molloy is styled by Melle Braaksma in tailored, edgy looks lensed by Paz Stammler for L’Officiel Austria December 2018./ Hair & Makeup: Nicky Tavilla
THE DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND
Male Gorillas With Engaged Parenting Skills For All Babies In Group Produce More Offspring
By Stacy Rosenbaum, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles. First published on The Conversation.
Paternal care – where fathers care for their children – is rare among mammals (that is, animals which give birth to live young). Scientists have identified more than 6,000 mammal species, but paternal care only occurs in 5 to 10% of them.
Humans fall into that category, along with species like mice and lions. There are also a number of South American monkey species where males take on equal or greater childcare burdens than females. But these species are the exceptions, not the rule.
Scientists believe the reason so many male mammals don’t get involved in caring for their young is because they get higher “returns on investment” if their energy is spent seeking out more mating opportunities rather than actively parenting. Simply put, male mammals that spend their time producing more infants rather than taking care of the ones they have will leave behind more offspring. Over time, natural selection favours males who use this strategy, so fathering behaviour rarely gains an evolutionary foothold.
Mountain gorillas, found in the mountains of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are among the exceptions to the rule.
Though mountain gorilla groups are full of complex social dynamics, just as human families are, in many groups some of the strongest social bonds we observe are between adult males and infants – even when the infants aren’t the males’ own offspring. From the time that young gorillas are old enough to move away from their mothers, they follow males everywhere. Males, in turn, are extremely tolerant. Some regularly hold, play with, groom, and let infants sleep in their nests with them.
In a recent study, my colleagues and I set out to determine why this might be the case, since this behaviour didn’t seem to only benefit their own infants. We found that the gorillas who spent the most time with any young, not just their own, also sired the most infants.
Model Elsa Brisinger stars in ‘God Save The Brit’, styled by Cleo Casini. Alex Cayley is behind the lens for Vanity Fair Italy December 5, 2018./ Hair by Craig Taylor; makeup by Mary Jane Frost
Model Daria Strokous is styled by Ekaterina Muhkina in heavenly feathers femininity, lensed by David Duran for ELLE Russia December 2018./ Hair by Nicolas Jurnjack; makeup by William Bartel
Obscenity Charges Dropped Against Egyptian Actor Rania Youssef Over Red Carpet Dress
Actor Rania Youssef said she didn’t mean to offend anyone with her Cairo International Film Festival ensemble, after walking the festival’s red carpet last week in a black leotard layered underneath a sheer, beaded black gown. “It was the first time that I wore it and I did not realize it would spark so much anger,” said the 44- year-old, citing the influence of celebrity stylists. “I reaffirm my commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society.”
Three Egyptian lawyers — Amr Abdel Salam, Hamido Jameel al-Prince and Wahid al-Kilani — known for using the courts to engage in moral vigilantism, according to The New York Times, filed a lawsuit against Youssef, accusing her of wearing an outfit that constituted “incitement to debauchery.”
The lawsuit was dropped on Monday and it appears that the actor will not face further charges, despite our first finding news of the lawsuit on Vogue Arabia Tuesday morning.
The actress’s gown “did not meet societal values, traditions and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular,” complainant Samir Sabri, The supporter of Egypt’s Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi, Egypt’s current and sixth president, claims to have filed over 2,700 lawsuits over 40 years, targeting actors, clerics, politicians and belly dancers.
Model Weronika Banka is styled by Laia Gomez Ortiz in lush daytime looks lensed by Olga Rubio Dalmau for Cosmopolitan Bulgaria December 2018./ Hair & makeup by Irma Cifre
Chanel Ends Use Of Exotic Animal Skins Including Crocodile, Lizard, Snake + Stingray Skins
On Monday, in advance of Chanel’s pre-fall Metiers d'Art show at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the luxury house announced that it has initiated a ban on exotic animal skins in its designs and products. Chanel will "no longer use exotic skins in our future creations," Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel's president of fashion, told WWD.
The ban extends to crocodile, lizard, snake, and stingray skins, and also includes fur, the use of which Chanel has already wound down in recent years in recent years. "It is our experience that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins," the brand said in a statement, per WWD, noting its intention to begin innovating "a new generation of high-end products" sans skins and furs. In place of these animal products, Chanel will reportedly turn to fabric and leathers generated by the "agri-food" industry.
Top model Julia Van Os is styled by Charles Varenne in ‘Mutante’, lensed by Hugh Lippe in ‘Mutant’ for Numéro #199 December 2018
Gigi Hadid Transforms Into Debbie Harry, Queen of Punk By Mert + Marcus For W Magazine #8
Supermodel Gigi Hadid doesn’t tart up often, but she does a great job of channeling the cool rock star Debbie Harry, circa 1975, lensed by Mert + Marcus for W Magazine’s Issue #8 ‘Celebrate’.
Carlos Nazario styles Gigi in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Chanel, Isabel Marant, Gucci , DSquared2 and more for Gigi Hadid Transforms Into Debbie Harry, Queen of Punk./ Hair by Tomi Kono; makeup by Diane Kendal
"I've always studied how models made pictures," said Gigi, who had been staring intently at a mood board covered with photos of Harry from Blondie's heyday. "It’s always been important to me to make a picture better. I can look at a shot and see where I fit into it, what I can add to the picture. I don’t want to be just another person on the page.” She paused. “I want people to see the new picture with me and one day remember it the way we remember these pictures of Debbie Harry.” So then: Iconic? “Iconic!” Gigi said. “What else is there?”
Photographer Francesco Vincenti captures a dark, old-world elegance, styled by Lucio Colapietro as ‘The Captive Dreamers’. Models Anastasia, Tatiana Katysheva, and Victoria Schons pose for Numéro Russia Fall/Winter 2018./ Hair by Lorenzo Barcella
Vincenti writes about the editorial on his Instagram page:
The captive dreamers story was born from my idea of life. Three girls, out of the blue, find themselves on a trip inside a library bound in time. From the very beginning they don’t understand if they’re living a dream or reality.
What are dreams? Dreams are the mysterious and fascinating places of our unconscious. And if I asked you if life is a dream that we live day by day? What would you think? The truth is one, and it’s that we struggle with two realities: objective and subjective, and we’ll never know which is more true.
To me . . . Everything that you can imagine is real. Life is just a dream!
Right-Wing Bogeyperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Challenges Sen. Joe Manchin's Energy Committee Role
Politico writes Monday that Ocasio-Cortez is leading a group of progressives very unsettled by the prospect of West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin assuming a minority leadership position on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
At a Friday rally outside the Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez joined other Democratic lawmakers and other incoming Democratic freshmen, arguing that allowing Manchin to become the ranking member of the Energy committee would undercut the momentum behind their "Green New Deal" proposal that calls for transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy sources within a decade of initiating the plan.
“The vast majority of Americans believe that we should not be taking money from the industries that we are legislating and really presiding over in our committee work, but in D.C. that’s a controversial opinion,” Ocasio-Cortez said alongside youth climate activists from the Sunrise Movement.
Manchin, who has a 47 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters Joe Manchin has a steady — and expected position given that he’s elected to support voters in his coal country state — regularly accepts election campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry.
Supporters of the Green New Deal say the activism that propelled candidates like Ocasio-Cortez to Washington underscores the citizen support for action on climate change. The argument gained momentum with federal scientists from 13 agencies last week issuing a report forecasting dire economic and physical consequences across America if greenhouse gas emissions continue rising.
“A decade ago it was a little easier to hide behind, ‘I’ve got a state where we can’t do this,’” Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) told POLITICO after the event, noting her Maine delegation colleagues Sens. Angus King (I) and Susan Collins (R) often side with Democrats on climate issues. “It may be hard for Joe Manchin to be there, but I think there’s going to be a lot of other colleagues who say, ‘Hey, this needs to be on our agenda, we’ve got to move forward with some legislation.’ And they could be on both sides of the aisle.”
Rihanna has launched her holiday SAVAGE X Holiday 2018 lingerie collection in a series of scalding images by Charlotte Rutherford. There’s a grand tradition of church hats in the African American and Caribbean communities and Rihanna wears a perspex bubble chair with a wide-brim had made of electric blue tulle.
Her holiday collection will offer denim reworked into lingerie and sleepwear, including printed denim chiffon in a range of sizes from 32A to 40DDD in bras and XS to 3X in underwear and sleepwear.
'We getting NAUGHTY-not-NICE this season,' the pop star/fashion designer captioned the sultry images on Instagram, where she poses in scarlet briefs that read naughty on the waistband.
In a marketing move that’s a true volley across the net to Victoria’s Secret, Rihanna is promoting her 12 Days of Savage, with a special collection selling at a deep discount with a different style/item every day.
Rihanna’s SAVAGE X brand is a blip on the screen, compared to the embattled Victoria’s Secret brand. But her marketing prowess gives key pointers in how to play David and Goliath hardball with the retail giant.
IMG Dominican model Elibeidy Dani Martinez, aka Elibeidy Dani, takes a spiritual stance that often comes at women’s peril, lensed by Miles Aldridge for Numero December 2018.
Models Ruby Aldridge and Oli Green are styled by Nicoletta Santoro in images by Victor Demarchelier for Town & Country December 2018./ Hair by Teddy Charles; makeup by Brigette Reiss-Andersen
Model Jess Cole is styled by Andrew Mukamal in ‘Here Comes the Sun’, lensed by Natth Jaturapahu for Numero Tokyo January 2019./ Hair by Adam Markarian; makeup by Seong Hee Park
Photographer Daniela Rettore captures Alexandra Fabiancsics in a state of glittering. silvery fashion contemplation of woman and nature. Anna Sgura styles the future world editorial and women’s place in it for ELLE Serbia December 2018./ Hair & makeup by Sandra Alves
Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio continues her guest edit role for the Fall/Winter #53 issue of Numero Russia. Ovidiu Batu styles Alessandra in images by Élio Nogueira for ‘Awaken Love’. / Hair by Steven Turpin
See also our earlier EYE post of Alessandra’s Numero Russia covers, news of her new romance with Nicolo Oddi and her AOC Model Archives.
Anne of Carversile is an influential fashion, design and culture news resource for creatives, brands and lifestye businesses since 2007.
All content Copyright © AnneofCarversville.com 2007-2024 or their respective owners where indicated.
