Four things I'm in love with in Bologna

You probably know that I live in Italy, more precisely in Bologna, and so far I only showed you a tiny bit of the town thanks to photos. I began thinking that I wanted to share with you what it feels like to live there and the idea of using videos came to my mind. So enjoy this first video !

PS: The song I chose for this video is by Lucio Dalla who died on March of this year and who was from Bologna. He sang this song to tell his love for Bologna as "Piazza Grande" is in reality Piazza Maggiore. His name may not tell you anything but if you know a little bit about italian songs you must have heard "Caruso" which he wrote and sang.

Shug'A'Very

Her majesty Rania of Jordan, the face of a new Middle East

 Let's go to the Orient. Let your cliché behind you and discover the new face of the muslim woman: Rania of Jordan, symbol of the oriental modern woman

Her majesty the Queen Rania of Jordan

   The picture above represents the occidental cliché we have about an oriental woman. The cliché is even more meaningful when it is about a very special woman, the queen of Jordan. Because of her status we expect to see a woman with modesty and restraint, but above all what we expect is a woman wearing the hijab.

The royal couple of Jordan during their wedding

   Yet, the queen Rania of Jordan shines and charms with her beauty, but without the hijab. As a first lady she also represents her country. Like the other first ladies, she is the glamour face of the couple she is forming with her husband, the king Abdallah. But her role is more difficult to represent as she embodies the oriental woman to western countries. Like I said before clichés about women are numerous in the western mind, some are acknowleged, others are not.

Rania is the embodiement of modernism and rejection of the extremism that a lot of people blames Orient for. Her public appearances are the occasion for the international press to admire her beauty and her grace. Besides being a queen politically speaking, she has become for the rest of the world, a beauty queen.

   While designers were struggling to dress her, she chose Elie Saab to make the organza dress that she wore during her coronation. The cut is simple and straight whereas the embroderies and the collar are giving the necessary somptuosity for such an event. 

Ten years later, during the festivities to celebrate this same coronation, Rania doesn't hesitate to wear the same dress but this time with a silvered belt that gives a second life to the dress. Indeed, the queen is attached to symbols and follows her heart, not only with her clothes but also with politics. Rania of Jordan is indeed involved in numerous humanitarian actions in favor of children. She also fights for equality in education and for women rights of which she is the spokeperson. 

Her wedding dress by Elie Saab worn 10 years later

   If we are speaking about symbols, the style of Rania of Jordan is an essential one. Heels, pencil skirts and belts to highlight her thin waist are the basic fashion items of the queen. She changes colors and fabrics but they are two elements that are definitely standing out: the length of her skirts, just above the knee, and necklines are pretty rare in her wardrobe. Here lays the cliché of the chaste muslim woman. But Rania follows the religious precepts by adapting them to her own way of thinking, by modernizing the traditional side of the muslim women wardrobe. 

   However modernity doesn't mean a denial of origins. Her majesty the queen of Jordan is a Middle East woman and absolutely assumes her palestinian origins, her education in Koweit and her life as a woman and mother in Jordan. During official ceremonies, she doesn't hesitate to wear clothes very oriental, like during her visit in Sweden. The golden belt reminds of belly dancers and the indented sleeves gives a very oriental style to her dress.

The queen Rania during her official visit in Sweden

   Event hough in Jordan the public opinion is divided about the queen, the traditionalists blaming her for her progressism and the others supporting her for her modern vision, the international opinion is unanimous: her majesty the queen Rania delights hearts and eyes. This enables her to deliver her message, that is to say that muslim women should be free to choose to wear or not to wear the hijab, that all people are equals whatever the origins. Her message is here to end the cliché that are existing between East and West. 

A queen with an occidental style and progressist

   Again, the gown is speaking, even when the queen is silent, and its voice touches all the world.

Blondyn_Bubble 
(translated from french by Shug'A'Very)

John Travolta meets Tilda Swinton

 Color is very important in my wardrobe but only by hints. I recently bought a pair of Topshop loafers because I needed some more color.  

   I am not really a fashionista. I usually don't buy clothes or accessories because they are trendy but because they correspond to my aesthetic. That is the reason why I bought this pair of loafers.
   I don't think I have style in particular but something reccurent in my choice of outfits is androgyny. This pair of loafers matches my aesthetic because they could also be worn by men. (that is if the color don't freak them out !).

   I really like my afro hair and I love to play with it. Caution ! This isn't a pompadour ! I tried to do my hair like Tilda Swinton in order to get an androgynyous look but my mane refused to obey, even when I threatened it with my flat iron. That is why I ended up with a kind of Grease hairstyle.

 

   I'm actually far from Tilda AND John Travolta but I actually had fun putting this outfit together and styling it. The important is that I felt inspired and creative. So "Be inspired !" 

Loafers - Topshop

Leggings - Calzedonia 

Shirt - Vintage 

Bracelet - Bocage 

Earrings -  Montagnola Market (Bologne) 

Lipstick - Yves Rocher "42"

Vintage Jacket

One highlight of my wardrobe is this absolutely great vintage tartan jacket. It can easily turn a simple outfit into a sophisticated one.

   Last fall, one item that was definitely on my wishlist was a man tartan jacket. I went looking for one and I found it in a thrift shop in Bordeaux, France for a reasonnable price. The cut is really clean and straight. It has thin shoulder pads which changes my silhouette.  

   This jacket can really turn a simple outfit into a sophisticated one. Due to its print, I mostly wear it with single color tops so that the entire look doesn't seem too much. One good example is this sleeveless dark grey dress with a long zipper on each side. The proportions of the dress itself are great and fit the jacket: it's just a little longer so that you can see its hem.

Dress: Mon Showroom

Tartan Jacket - Thrift shop Freep Show (vintage)

Dress - Mon Showroom

Boots - Kiabi

Watch - Casio Vintage

Bracelets and ring - H&M

DAZE - Fondations EP

If you've followed the Project Bassline section, you probably know how much I love the one that I consider as the FUNK MASTERS: Justice, Breakbot, Shook and The Twelves. Well, there may be an addition to this list with another French DJ: DAZE.

  DAZE's new EP, Foundations, is out now and it is funky  ! 

   So I chose New York 1984 to present this EP. From the first notes, you can get the funky feel of the EP but really the voice that comes to complete the song is amazing. And then there is this quiet but great bass line in the background. It’s just lacking a funky keyboard solo. It would have made this song really perfect.

Mood of the song: This song makes me think of the holidays, this time of the day when the sun is starting to go down and it’s time to leave the beach to go get ready for the night.

If you’re a woman, you’re wearing a white shirt which hem you tied in a knot and high waisted black shorts; black platform shoes and golden bracelets; Ray Ban Club Masters sunglasses.

If you’re a guy, you’re wearing an open denim shirt on a colorful printed shirt, denim shorts and leather sandals; Ray Ban Club Masters sunglasses.

Don't forget to like Absolute Bassline's Facebook page 

for more songs update !

Absolute B.

Miss Black France

 In France there are two National Pageants: Miss France and Miss National Prestige. And if that wasn't enough, we now have a Miss Black France. So, is positive discrimination really positive ? I'm not so sure !

     On April 28th in Paris, were organised the first elections of  Miss Black France, by Frédéric Royer. As a model, I sometimes receive e-mails asking me to participate in beauty contests with the following discrimination criteria: the skin color. My Dad being French and my Mom being African, I have always refused to participate in these "all-black" contests. However, when I saw that the Miss Black France phenomenon was growing, it started to tickle my interest.

   We already have a Miss France contest (two now). Frédéric Royer answers that it is not representative enough and that his goal through his contest was to celebrate the beauty of black women. Well, I'm very flattered, M. Royer. He also said that "black women don't appear enough on the cover of magazines and in Paris, black models are a lot less employed than in London". Really ?! Indeed, when I read a Vogue magazine, the type of beauty celebrated is occidental, but that doesn't mean I am going to throw myself on the first black magazine to have my dose of blackness !

    If Frédéric Royer thinks that Miss France isn't representative enough, let me say that his contest is way less representative. Black people isn't the only minority. There are also Arabs, Asians... But does the fashion industry and the magazines take the time to represent this type of beauty ? I do not think so. 

    So why would we only have a contest for black women when France is composed of so many people from very different origins (due to its history) ? And if Miss France wasn't representative enough, we wouldn't have elected Sonia Rolland Miss France in 2000, when her mother is from Rwanda. She was the first Miss France from African origins and as such, she perfectly managed to represent France and her african origins. She showed that she could be a french citizen who respects her african origins. Sonia Rolland actually created an association with her mother, Maïsha Africa, which helps orphans from the rwandese genocide and she also helps fighting against AIDS.

Sonia Rolland, Miss France 2000

    One could argue that we had to wait until 2000 to have a Miss France with african origins, but her election is very significative to me. In order to enforce one's origins, discrimation, doesn't seem to be the solution. Because Mr Royer's contest IS discriminatory. You can call that positive discrimination, but to me it is plain discrimination. It is about putting a minority forward without integrating it into a system that takes into account all the other races. 

    There is a metissage in France, but the majority of the people is white. Young  Mbathio Beye, from Senegal and winner of Miss Black France is beautiful, for sure, but if she one day tries to be employed by a model agency, she will probably struggle because now she is categorised.

Mbathio Beye, Miss Black France 2012

   I would like to conclude without going too far into the considerations about black people or the political considerations abotu France and its immigrant population. I just want to remind you all that finding the right balance is always better than discriminating.

Shug'A'Very

(translated from French by Absolute B.)

Pink Bologna

These days, pink has become my color. I wear more and more pink in my outfits. And I usually use the lipstick, the shoes or the headscarf to put color in my outfits.  So when I found out that Bologne the Red City was also the Pink City, I got even more inspired !  


I once told you that the colors of Bologna wer red, orange and yellow. Well, I also found a baby pink building  that Barbie would die for. 

When I saw this huge building painted in baby pink, I wondered what could it was for. I could only think it was a theater. But then I saw that it was a church. A baby pink church.

On seeing these colors, I immediately pictured it as my setting for my sunday look. 

How does it look ?


Head scarf: bought in South Korea
Jacket: vintage
Suit: Yesstyle
Shoes: Converse  

Less Is More

To me, minimalism is about getting rid of the unnecessary. Not trying too hard. Letting the details speak. 

   I'm sure you'll agree with me, this outfit is quite simple. I'm just wearing a top tucked in a pair of grey short, tights and boots. However, it is not simplistic. My shorts may come from a cheap clothing store, they are still well structured and well cut. 

   But the true stars of this outfits are the accessories. The simplicity of the outfit allows the accessories to shine. The accessories allowed me to enhance a simple outfit. 

Detail: double golden cuff combo

    

    I always wear my cuffs as a pair because for once, symetry is salutary. The collar necklace completes the ensemble. But earrings would have been too much. 

Top - H&M

Shorts - Kiabi

Boots - Kiabi

Collar necklase - Asos

Gold cuffs - H&M

Nail polish - Green Park Maybelline

FREnchfire

 On Fridays, on Incognito, it's all about the bassline. And to me, there is probably no better genre than post dubstep/future garage to appreciate a solid bassline. Minimalist, intricated, subtle. 

Today I present you FREnch fire.

  I may be a digital native (meaning that I can type with both hands, that I own an Ipod, a smartphone, a laptop an that know how to Tweet) but I’m still amazed by how easy it has become to share one’s art, how the Internet has reduced the distance between people, and also between the artists and their public.

  Musicians and singers used to be pictured as unreachable in their golden bubble. The only sort of contact that we could have with them was when seeing them live  or by sending them mail. But now with the Internet and Twitter, things have changed a lot. I am not saying that we'll soon be able to have a drink with our favorite artists but I still feel like it is a great change. Some artists may have realised that if they are where they are, it is also thanks to their fans and that they need them. 

    Another great thing is that nowadays, almost anyone can share its own art may it be drawings, animations, texts, poems or songs.  And now with Tumblr, I have the chance to hear tracks from a few amazing indie artists right after they have finished them and posted them.

   One of these artists is FREnchfire. He is a post dubstep/future garage artist, meaning his songs are rather minimalist, very well constructed with the use of the wobble bass (those vibrations that sounds kind of futuristic and that you hear in dubstep tracks), percussions and voice samples. 

I'm always very excited whenever he releases a new song. Every week, he posts a new track and I enjoy his work more and more. His songs are very subtle and intricated. He also chooses great voice samples and manages to build great songs around them. 

We cannot wait to hear what else he’s got in store for us.

Follow him on his Tumblr here: FREnchfire and don't forget to visit our musical sanctuary: Absolute Bassline.

Absolute B.

Italian first names

   When did my obsession over italian names started ? Well, it started when I arrived in Bologna (Italy) as a foreign exchange student, I was starting to get used to the italian daily life, the complete mess, the organisation of the University of Bologna... And I discovered that in Italy, you could be named Peter Peters. I mean, have you ever met someone named Peter Peters ? I have. Piero Pieri.

    Being in a foreign country is always an exciting experience, even if you have studied its language and culture. One funny thing to discover is the first names. You thought Mario was the most popular first name for guys ? Let me tell you that you are wrong. You'll find dozens of people called Francesco, Francesca, Marco, Giorgia, Martina, Ilaria, Davide, Giuseppe, Lorenzo, Giulia, Giuseppina, Benedetta, Dario etc... But I have my own top ten:

1. Ermenegildo. I space out and stare blankly when I'm asked its French equivalent.
2. Sigismondo. Try pronouncing that one.
3. Manfredi. I always thought that name was beautiful. In books.
4. Pierpaolo. Peter-Paul. Yeah, weird.
5. Giuda Taddeo. Must be hard to be called Judas.
6. Piersilvio. Side note: Silvio Berlusconi named his son Piersilvio.
7. Catena. noun: chain. (definition from the Italian-English dictionary)
8. Rosario. noun: rosary.
9. Glauco. Makes me think of the word glaucous. Creepy.
10. Assunta. noun: Assumption

These ten names are the one I have heard since I've been here in Italy and which marked me the most. So yes, these names crack me up but I love Italy for that very reason. It would be less funny if they only had regular names.

Shug'A'Very

(translated from French by Absolute B.)

   

New Beginnings

It's been two weeks now since I've moved to Spain. I have to stay here for a few months so I filled a huge suitcase with clothes and I took a one way train ticket to Zaragoza. It seemed to be the perfect occasion to sort out what was in my wardrobe. I guess. 

Textures

Detail: Vintage pins

Detail: geometric necklace

   Like a lot of people, I stack up the back of my huge wardrobe with piles of old pieces of clothing in the hope of being able to take them out when they are brought back into fashion. I own immeasurable loads of potentially vintage clothes. But when I was packing up, I found that little sky blue tank top made of cheap fabric that I used to wear proudly when I was in 8th grade. That's when I decided it would be good to sort out my clothes ! 

My (small) wardrobe in Zaragoza

   I think that a stay in a foreign country is perfect for a fresh start. In life as well as in fashion. I'm not starting from nothing but from what I used to be/used to wear in order to build what I'm going to be/wear. I personally decided to build a more minimalistic wardrobe. 

Scarf - Etam

Tartan jacket - Vintage (thrift shop)

Jumper - Jennifer

Pants - Promod

Boots - Kiabi 

Nail polish - Green Park by Maybelline

Pins - Vintage (from my own collection, see !)

Geometric necklace - Promod

A great part of immensity

Do you want to go to the seaside ? I fell in love with the seaside.

   I'm a girl from the seaside. So I need the ocean. I never get tired of facing the immensity of the sea, no matter the weather or the season. So let's take a walk together along my beloved sea so I can share with you my love and passion.

Along the water. Le Porge  (France)

   Can you hear the sound of the waves ? This melody makes me so nostalgic of my hometown that I recorded it and put in on my Ipod, in case of withdrawal. It's slow and rythmic at the same time. You can hear each wave that comes crashing on the sand and melts into a harmonious sound. Like notes on a sheet music.

Lacanau en Février

   But even when it's calm, without any waves, I'm still drawn to water like a magnet. The sun reflected on the ocean is more beautiful than anything to me. I always keep that memory in my head whenever it rains. The thought of the ocean feels me with sun warmth because it also reminds me of the summer. The mediterraneean landscapes have a charm and a tremendous beauty that everyone envies.

The Mediterranean See from Italy

The Mediterranean Sea from from Verezzi in Ligury

   No need to go to the Pacific Islands or Polynesia in order to see breath-taking seascape. Here too, the sea can be transparent or have completely different colors according to the time and place. The water breaking against the rocks also has a visual power.

The see in Le Cinque Terre in Italy

  Now let's end this post with the sun's bed time. We all know it, a sunset on the ocean is priceless. It's perfect time for lovers. The colors change again, the sea becomes dark, more mysterious and more harrowing. One of its thousands faces.

Falling day in Ligury

Sunset on the Mediterranean Sea

 Blondyn_Bubble
(translated from French by Absolute B.)

Singing in the Rain

If you are a cinema lover, you probably have your favorite movie right ? I do have mine, an old but yet very charming one: Singing in the Rain.

 

   Every little girl has a prince charming. I found mine when I was 8 and I haven't left him since then. He made me discover the magic of Hollywood. I remember that night when my Dad sat me in front of the TV and he appeared. I was completely subjugated by him. I was discovering the world of the musicals from the 50's.  I was watching a classic that did not convince everybody when it was realeased in 1952: Singing in the Rain. My prince charming was Gene Kelly.

   In this movie, Gene Kelly is Don Lockwood, a silent film actor at the peak of glory. His companion on screen, Lina Lamont (played by Jane Hagen) is the archetypal glamour actress from the 20's. She is beautiful and represents everything a woman would want to be and everything a man would want. However, behind that image is an untalented actress with an unpleasant voice. She doesn't know how to act, sing or dance. Don meets a new actress, Katy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) and a love story begins which leaves Lina in despair. Indeed, the newly arrived represents a double threat: for her relationship with Don and her career because Katy is talented.  

   Although the story takes place during the silent films era, the year chosen by the scenarist is very emblematic. We're back in 1927 when was released the first talking movie and even singing movie: The Jazz Singer. This movie announces the end of the silent movie industry.

Singing in the Rain shows through its three main character the backstage of the Hollywood industry and the decline of the silent movie in favor or the talking ones; how the career of silent actors ended and the one of singing and dancing actors started because of someting very common now: sound.

    The french movie The Artist adresses the same theme. The only difference being that it was realised during the 21st century, the era of high technology. When I heard of The Artist, I thought the idea was interesting but risky. Who would go watch a silent movie in 2012 and would the acting abilities of the actors be good ? 

Even though Singing in the Rain was filmed in 1952, there is only 25 years of difference between it and The Jazz Singer.  People were still used to silent movies. That is probably why is wasn't that successful. But then it became iconic because it depicts an entire world and a certain era: the golden years, Hollywood, the movie industry and the talking movies. 

    I really wanted to talk about Singing in the Rain because it made me see cinema as art. The storyline may be simple but the acting, the choreographies, the music... everything is tremendous. 
    Gene Kelly is a myth and not only for his part in Singing in the Rain. I admire his entire career.  he wasn't just an actor, far from that. He was also a great ancer and a talented choreographer. Many will sum up Singin in the Rain with the scene that gave its name to the movie but I would choose that scene instead: 

    This scene shows what Gene Kelly is as a dancer: he is energetic and classy. But we can also see how good a choreographer he was when Cyd Charisse appears, playing the part of the femme fatale. Gene looks like he is totally charmed by her, so much so that Cyd Charisse seems to be leading. We can see her, her beauty, her sensuality, her grace. But have you seen how Gene Kelly is barely moving? That is his way of leading. Cyd is trying to seduce him, HE is the center of her attention. and when he decides to dance with her, it is not to seduce her but to let her know who is the leading one in this dance and to steal her a kiss.

The spectator can actually see Cyd Charisse thanks to the slow movements of Gene Kelly guiding her. 

Isn't this scene one of the most sensual ever?

Shug'A'Very

(translated from french by Absolute B.)