The Chinese Go Green

Chinese actress Zhou Xun 周迅 is featured on the cover of Elle HK for their July issue. (Not loving that weird 'fro on her head, but she's still very pretty.) It's very interesting to me that they are doing a "Green Issue," as both Hong Kong and China are notorious for their smog issues, but at least there is awareness now to counter those issues, among other eco-friendly prerogatives.

Here Zhou Xun talks about the issue below. I actually enjoyed this clip a lot. For those not in the know, she is a huge star in China (although she hasn't made the leap to international stardom just yet), so for her to lead this initiative is akin to a Cameron Diaz or Charlize Theron showing you how cool it is to live green. I like how they talk about not owning too much clothing (this ties in a lot to that long blurb I wrote last week), or too much of anything, so that with less consumerism, comes less harm to the environment. I also like her story about Jackie Chan traveling to 5 different countries, and although he's mega rich, he carried one bar of soap with him so that he isn't wasteful. That's dedication!



You can also click here to see some behind-the-scenes footage from Elle HK.

The same issue also features actor Takeshi Kaneshiro 金城武; he's so yummy!


Incidentally, both he and Zhou Xun starred in a musical called "Perhaps Love," which I haven't seen yet, but have been dying to. You can see a romantic singing sequence between the two of them here. So cute together!



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more exquisite shots of the V&R exhibit

In a follow-up to my post on "The House of Viktor & Rolf" exhibit in London, Elle UK has a nice video piece on the opening night.

Also, Dazed Digital has more photos from the exhibit. The more I see of the exquisite porcelain dolls and gowns, the more I wish I could be in London right now to partake in the collection! See the new images here.

"It" girls can be normal, too

Sienna Miller is in the July 2008 issue of Elle UK, promoting "The Edge of Love," a new film co-starring Keira Knightley.

The only film that I've ever actually seen Sienna in was "Casanova," co-starring the brilliant Heath Ledger. That was actually a delightful romp, and considering how Sienna's real-life reputation as a party girl preceded her as an actor, I was pleasantly surprised by her performance.

Anyhow, she has a nice, edgy pictorial in the magazine.


The interview centered a lot on her private life, including her love for her boyfriend, who she's reportedly dumped since this went to publication. :P

My favorite part of the interview has to be the tidbits about her hanging out with Keira doing normal stuff. Who knew they both had such an obsession with food?

Her performance as the dark, sex-obsessed, hard-drinking depressive Caitlin is remarkable, particularly bearing in mind she was drafted in two weeks before filming started, when Lindsay Lohan dropped out.

‘I freaked out,’ she says. ‘I had absolutely no time to do all the research I wanted, so a lot of the acting was instinctive. I loved the idea of Caitlin and I loved the idea of working with Keira. I was actually pretty nervous about acting alongside her because my part required me to put on weight. I just stuffed my face for the months that we were in production. It wasn’t hard for me. We were staying in this incredibly eccentric Welsh manor house. I had huge fry-up breakfasts, pasties for lunch and lots of toasties.

‘Then I had to face seeing myself alongside Keira, who is the most beautiful woman in the world. Luckily she is also one of the nicest. We totally bonded on the movie and it was so amazing to find a girl friend in this business. We are actually quite similar.

‘She has said I’m the confident one because at parties she’s very shy and I’m loud. But we just have different ways of dealing with nerves. She goes quiet and I go all effervescent.’ She shakes her head. ‘In Hollywood they don’t know what to make of us because we both drink and smoke and eat. Keira completely shares my obsession with food and cooking. We’re actually on for a cook-off at some point. The competition is pretty tough.'

Since the movie finished, Sienna has been round to Keira’s for ‘one of her infamous Sunday lunch parties’. ‘Keira has this amazing wooden table that everyone just carves anything they like into, from their names to pictures,’ she says. ‘It’s totally vandalised and completely amazing. She’s also a great cook. I did annoy her last time, though, by going home fairly early. Out came all the guitars and I stood up to leave. She was like, “But Sienna, you’re the party girl. You can’t leave.” It’s true. I’m usually the one forcing everyone else to stay up and do mad things like run naked on the beach or wait for the sun to rise, but I also need sleep. When I’m working, I turn into OhmyGodIhavetogotobed woman.’

Click below to see Sienna's behind-the-scenes of her cover shoot.



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painterly

Had I known about this contest I might have ventured into participating, but seeing the winning entry, I'm not sure that that's something I might have designed at all.

Elle had a t-shirt designing contest, where the winning design would adorn a Thakoon-designed t-shirt, to be sold in NYC's Kirna Zabete store. Obviously, a very fun contest for anyone looking for a creative outlet.

What do you think of the winning entry? I think it's in line w/ the current trend of paint-splattered fabric. However, it doesn't draw me in as much, as I think the winning design could have had more of a perspective, more of a direction, rather than such an abstract flow.


I wish I could see what the other entries looked like!

Gorgeous Shu Qi

I'm loving these photos of Shu Qi. Originally from the April 2008 Elle Hong Kong issue, the photos and interview are being reprinted in the Elle China May 2008 issue. She is in her early 30's, but she looks much younger than that. There is a grace to her that makes her likable, and even though I haven't seen too many of her films, I still love her glamorous style.


Click on the video to see behind-the-scenes action during her photoshoot.



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