GOODNIGHT NEW YORK

VIEW FROM MY WINDOW, THE BEAUTIFUL 'THE STANDARD' HOTEL, NYC. GOODNIGHT NEW YORK. - SW

INSPIRED BY [ADELE 21]

IF YOU HAVE NOT GOT THE ALBUM 'ADELE 21'ON YOUR IPOD YET, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING (AFTER YOU READ THIS BLOG POST!) & HEAD STRAIGHT ON OVER TO ITUNES TO ADD IT YOUR PLAYLIST.

ENGLISH SINGER / SONGWRITER, [ADELE], WAS THE MOST PLAYED ARTIST ON NEW YORK’S RUNWAYS AT RECENT FASHION WEEK. HER BLUESY SOUL MIX EXUDES MATURITY BEYOND HER YEARS. ADELE 21 IS THE FOLLOW ON ALBUM FROM ADELE 19 (BOTH TITLED AFTER HER AGE AT THE TIME OF RELEASE).

'ADELE 21' IS A VERY HONEST, RAW ALBUM THAT TELLS A STORY THAT MOST CAN RELATE WITH. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD IT ON ITUNES, THE FINAL TRACK IS ‘TRACK BY TRACK’ INTERVIEW WHERE ADELE TAKES YOU THRU THE STORY BEHIND EACH SONG & HER PERSONAL STORY ON IT. IT MAY TAKE A FEW LISTENS TO GET INTO THE ALBUM, BUT ONCE YOU DO, I GUARANTEE IT WILL BE ON YOUR TOPPED PLAYED LIST. HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL. – SW

[ABOVE] SINGER / SONGWRITER: ADELE

[ABOVE] MUST HAVE ALBUM: ADELE 21

SO TRUE

'NEVER RUIN AN APOLOGY WITH AN EXCUSE.'

- KIMBERLY JOHNSON

SPOTLIGHT ON: HELMUT NEWTON

“THE CHATEAU STANDS FOR ALL THE FABLES OF EXOTIC HOLLYWOOD. ROMANTIC PASSION IS NO STRANGER; NOR IS THE MEDICINAL DOSE OF SCANDAL. LIBERATED FROM WHAT ONE IS TEMPTED TO CALL THE REALITIES OF THE WORLD OUTSIDE, EMBOLDENED BY THE TRADITION OF PRIVACY AND DISCRETION, LIFE TAKES ON MORE THAN ONE ELEMENT OF THEATRE.” – ANDRE BALAZS

CURRENTLY IMMERSING MYSELF IN ALL THINGS CHATEAU MARMONT AS RESEARCH FOR AN UPCOMING COLLECTION, FAMOUS GERMAN-AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHER, HELMUT NEWTON, (OCTOBER 31, 1920, – JANUARY 23, 2004 ) WORK IS CONTINUALLY POPPING UP IN MY STUDING OF THE ARCHIVES. I HAVE JUST ORDERED A COPY OF HIS FAMOUS BOOK ‘HELMUT NEWTON – SUMO’, WHICH FEATURES HIS WELL KNOWN SERIES OF ‘DOMESTIC NUDES’. A SERIES HE SHOT AT THE CHATEAU, IN THE KITCHEN OF HIS BUNGALOW, THE LAUNDRY ROOM OF THE HOTEL OR, AS THE TITLE SUGGESTS, JUST GENERAL PLACES AROUND THE HOTEL HE CALLED ‘HOME’ AT THE TIME. HIS URBAN-EROTIC STYLE IS SEEN THROUGHOUT HIS WORK. I LOOK AT HIS WORK SOMETIMES & SEE IT BEAUTIFUL, ELEGANT & RAW, BUT CAN THEN LOOK AT THE SAME PICTURE AGAIN & SEE IT IN A VERY HARSH, AGGRESSIVE WAY. I DO LOVE THE ‘DOMESTIC NUDE SERIES’ HOWEVER MORE FOR ITS LOCATION OF OBSCURITY IN A HOTEL WHERE SO MANY MORE GLAMOROUS, ICONIC OPTIONS WERE AVAILABLE. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS THE LAUNDRY ROOM SHOTS – TO ME, THIS KIND OF CHOICE OF LOCATION EPITOMIZES MY LOVE FOR THE CHATEAU MARMONT. WHEN YOU ARE THERE, THE MARMONT IS YOUR OYSTER, THERE IS AN UNWRITTEN KNOWLEDGE OF WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE MARMONT, STAYS IN THE MARMONT. THE POOL TEMPERATURE CHANGES TEMPERATURE AT A CERTAIN TIME TO ENCOURAGE MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS’. CULTURAL WRITER DESCRIBE THE CHATEAU ACCURATELY IN IT ‘IS AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD THAT LIVES BY ITS OWN RULES, ITS OWN FASHION, ITS OWN RHYTHM.’ IT HAS COME TO EMBODY WHAT THE ‘ARTIST’S COMMUNE’ THINKS AN HOTEL SHOULD BE. FOR THE CHATEAU MARMONT IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN THE HAVEN FOR ARTISTS, WRITERS, MUSICIANS, ACTORS, DIRECTORS....THERE IS NO HOTEL LIKE IT IN THE WORLD, AND THERE IS NO WORLD LIKE IT IN ANY HOTEL.” NEWTON WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER THAT WAS NOT AFRAID OF MAKING STATEMENTS. HE IS EXTREMELY PROMINENT IN MY RESEARCH, EVEN GIVEN HIS PLACE OF DEATH, NEWTON WAS KILLED WHEN HIS CAR HIT A WALL IN THE DRIVEWAY OF THE FAMOUS CHATEAU MARMONT.

“IF YOU MUST GET INTO TROUBLE, DO IT AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT,” (LEGENDARY STUDIO BOSS) HARRY COHN

PHOTOGRAPHER: HELMUT NEWTON

http://samanthawillsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/spotlight-on-helmut-newton.html

MISS MOSS....MAGICAL.

IF I DON'T COME BACK IN MY NEXT LIFE AS KATE MOSS, I AM GOING TO BE REALLY DISAPPOINTED. - SW

[CREDITS] KATE MOSS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARIO TESTINO. STYLED BY LUCINDA CHAMBERS. IMAGES; VOGUE UK OCT 08.

WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP ON....

YOU THINK I'M PRETTY, WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP ON

YOU THINK I'M FUNNY WHEN I TELL THE PUNCH LINE WRONG.

I KNOW YOU GET ME, SO I'LL LET MY WALLS COME DOWN.

- KATY PERRY

SPOTLIGHT ON: CHRISTIAN COIGNY

I AM REALLY LOVING SWEDISH PHOTOGRAPHER, CHRISTIAN COIGNY'S WORK AT THE MOMENT. I RECENTLY PURCHASED TWO OF HIS PIECES FOR MY NEW YORK APARTMENT & HAVE SINCE DELVED INTO HIS WORK, EXPLORIG EVERYTHING FROM HIS EXQUISITE FEMALE NUDES (BELOW) TO HIS COMMERCIAL WORK FOR HERMÈS & CHOPARD. I LOVE THE WAY (IN TH ENUDES BELOW) HE CAPTURES A NATURALNESS IN THEIR ACTION, TRULY SEXY & BEAUTIFUL. TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK, VISIT HIS [GALLERY SITE]. - SW

NO WORDS...

I CAME ACROSS THESE IMAGES FROM DAVID & VICTORIA BECKHAM'S SHOOT FOR W MAGAZINE IN MY ARCHIVES. I HAD TO POST, THEY ARE JUST TOO DAMN SEXY NOT TO! - SW

//LOVE WHAT WE DO?.... GRAZIA AWARDS

LIKE WHAT WE DO? WE WOULD LOVE YOUR SUPPORT IN THE GRAZIA SHOPPING AWARDS 2011. TO VOTE FOR SAMANTHAWILLS.COM, SIMPLE [VOTE HERE] BY SENDING AN EMAIL WITH THE TITLE 'BEST ONLINE STORE - SAMANTHA WILLS'. DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME & ADDRESS. ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE SW TEAM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! - SW

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION No.6

TO SEE THE SUN SET ON A MEXICAN BEACH....

"TODAY I FINALLY OVERCAME, HOW TO FIT THE WOLRD INSIDE A PICTURE FRAME."

SOME OF THE MANY BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS I GOT TO EXPERIENCE ON MY TRIP TO TICK OF RESOLUTION NO.6. - SW