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| Daft Punk |
As if it wasn’t ridiculous enough that body parts have been
getting their own twitter following (Pippa Middleton’s posterior after the 2011
royal wedding , Angelina Jolie’s right leg after the 2012 Oscars),
now inanimate objects are getting their due as well.
Speaking of the latest item to go viral, It turns out that Pharrell’s
much maligned chapeau has a pedigree. It’s vintage Vivienne
Westwood from her 1982-83 Buffalo collection designed by Malcolm McLaren (a
former beau of Westwood’s) and he’s owned it for at least four years. It’s pretty ironic that as singer/collaborator of Daft
Punk’s “Get Lucky” and the spokesperson for the publicity shy masked French robots who took home three Grammys including Record
of the Year, Pharrell could appear onstage introducing and accepting the award
for the helmeted and gloved duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas
Bangalter, and yet, he’s the one who received the most attention.
performed on television, the first being at the 2008 Grammys. They
appeared in May of 2013 at the MTV VMA’s but only to give an award to Taylor
Swift. Like the band Kiss with their stage makeup, Daft Punk never
goes out without their robot disguise (they say that they were actually turned
into robots at some point when they were experimenting in their studio with
music). It is part of their shtick but also a way to preserve
their anonymity, I imagine. They have referred to it as “sci-fi
glam” and definitely see it as part their allure. Their Grammys
helmets were made to resemble Star Wars stormtroopers.
Homem-Christo wears the gold, Bangalter wears the silver.
Late breaking news: The Hollywood Reporter claims
that they were helmet-less for their after party at the Park Plaza Hotel
however, naturally, there are no photos.
Just as I was thinking how
these tactile and shiny well-engineered props could be made into
wearable art I stumbled upon something interesting online in the
form of Spanish designer/artist Ines Figaredo. Since
2011 Ms. Figaredo has been making really eerie/cool handbags and accessories
that are art pieces made to last a lifetime (think Goth Judith Leiber meets
Salvador Dali). She combines the skills of Spanish leatherwork,
jewelry, embroidery and sculpture into some amazing forms. There
are sculptural skulls called “Hamlet,”apples, walnuts, carousels, a bird cage
with a little man in it, retro telephones, a girl’s face that is happy on one
side and sad on the other as well as some leather bags with eyes and human hair
(eww)!
There is even a “hand” bag, available in the three colors
of metal, which resemble the robot gloves. The skulls are quite reminiscent of
the Daft Punk helmets and are also available in gold, silver and graphite with
enameled teeth. I do think it says “haute Halloween trick-or-treat
bucket” however, these little treasures don’t come cheap ($3,500 and up) as they
are plated with 18 karat gold and sterling silver. You certainly
won’t want junior to borrow these next October! Ines Figaredo has
a studio In Paris but you can purchase online at luisaviaroma.com or on her
website inesfigaredo.com .
(Addendum to article: It was brought to my attention by Pat Jacobs in my mention
of Pharrell’s hat designer, that I didn’t stress the influence that both
Vivienne Westwood, as one of the pre-eminent designers of UK punk and Malcolm
McLaren, also a designer/impresario/musician who managed the Sex Pistols (one of
the most iconic bands of the genre) and recruited Johnny Rotten, had on the Punk
movement. The fact that they were so involved in orchestrating the punk
lifestyle would have been of interest to Pharrell in the selection of his
polarizing hat which he claims to have “just liked.”)
