Presidential Showdown: Triumph for a New Cultural Era

In the wake of the presidential election of Donald J. Trump, the air has turned sharp and crisp with optimism and the promise of a reborn America like our parents had enjoyed. A new dawn is rising over the socialist paradigm swamp that had gripped the West since before our parents were even born (1930s), namely The Frankfurt School, serving under different guises the socialist agenda that is now in full swing.



Thanks to Mr. Trump, the global agenda of the private interests and corporate elites has been exposed to a wider segment of the population, and the new presidency will tackle it. Mr. Trump assured that under his presidency no dream will be too big. The forgotten man and the forgotten woman will rise and the USA will become prosperous again.

Alongside it, the cultural marxism that has infiltrated, compromised and jeopardised the mainstream media (MSM), education, religion, morality, family, employment, private property, cultural identity, national sovereignty, and thought process, will be challenged further and hopefully dismantled by the powers that be. The population will hopefully join in once they come to the realisation that they have been duped all along under the false premise of freedom of speech and freedom of choice.



Political change in America will send ripple effects and political change to Europe. Now unless you were born in Europe and have been enlightened about the detrimental effects of socialism and communism to a Nation, you will have no idea of the levels of mediocrity that European nations have been forced to sink to under the EU-UN umbrella over the last 35 years, and this includes design and lifestyle.

You will understand that as a design blog, Mirabelle has an obligation to report these facts to you and get political. I do respect voters choice yet I cannot help but be baffled by the Hollywood backlash against Trump and the dissent from the college kids who should know better but would rather burn the American flag and envisage their whole lives under a jobless, future-devoid, open-border, state-controlled economy that only serves the likes of Goldman Sachs, Bilderberg Group, George Soros, Monsanto and nefarious trade agreements like the TPP. Get a grip, kiddos!

(Pict source)

Although Mirabelle has strong reservations regarding Trump's policies for the environment, the new presidency will however redefine a new society, and creativity will soar to new heights like skyscrapers. Mirabelle is launching a new series: TrumpPower. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring and celebrating the representation of prosperity and success in culture, art, design and fashion. Stay tuned!

Source: (1) The Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump John Lewis Christmas Ad, is based upon (2) the British high street retailer John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 that was cleverly 'reworked' by the creative crew at Joe. You gotta love Buster the Boxer... and the garden critters! (3) Congratulations to President-Elect Trump and to Vice President-Elect Pence on their electoral win! Thank You America photograph, via Donald J. Trump's official website.

The Farce of Modern Art

Whatever falls under Fine Art needs to be treated with care. Whatever falls under Modern Art needs to be treated with caution. And this, not only as a movement but also as a composite of artists that define themselves as anything that oscillates between contemporary and post-modern, with the inevitable Conceptual Art thrown in the middle.

What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG), you might think, but the artist has us believe that their creation goes much deeper than their stating the obvious, that there is depth and meaning and a philosophical point of view blurted out of that fat blob of paint marring a canvas, or that incongruous growth that spikes off like a bizarre assault to the senses. That riches are to be exuded from a modern work of art that either looks like it was thrown together by a five-year-old, or whose incongruity makes it point-blank at odd to the accepted laws of beauty and balance and the classical form of talent that is meant to take an oeuvre through the times, perdure and leave an indelible mark on our collective heritage. And maybe this is where Modern Art develops into a fallacy, thus turning into its own worst enemy.

Maybe this is the frustration of Modern Art: wanting to rewrite the rules by breaking them, and the finished product failing to convince and impress as a result, as the viewers feel they are being taken for a ride. Failing the recognition and admiration and blessing of the Art community as a whole, failing to simply be Fine. Mirabelle is not here to judge, but rather to ponder a Modern Age-old concept: Is Art for Art's Sake a reason for creating Art?

Source: All photography, part of the Champagne Life exhibition currently featured at the Saatchi Gallery in London, UK, until 9th March 2016. (1) 'Moje Sabz' by Iranian artist Soheila Sokhanvari (2011). (2) 'Domestic Terrorist Burt' by American Suzanne McClelland (2014). (3) 'Untitled 21' by Canadian artist Julia Dault (2010). (4) The Truth About Modern Art, a must-watch critique by Paul Joseph Watson! - [Beware: use of strong language].

YSL Music Legends

Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Chuck Berry >> These musicians are living legends, and we'd be forgiven for calling them family. They are somewhat part of the furniture like grandad's rocking-chair or mum's favourite ornament. And when back in late Summer, YSL approached them as part ot its Saint Laurent Music Project, conducted by photography maestro Hedi Slimane in the form of a classic timeless tribute, a generation of fashionista freshers were about to (re)discover them - and we've happily joined the bandwagon!

Jerry, B.B. and Chuck... We have grown up with those guys playing somewhat in our background without realising it, making themselves familiar to us, weaving the soundtrack to our lives in all sorts of funny and weird ways: either by us rummaging through an older relative's record collection, or hearing their music as part of a movie soundtrack, or their names being mentioned by younger generations of musicians as musical legacy to Rock'n'Roll and Co. Their repertoire is a piece of Americana anthology.

The story even goes deeper, through a fond respectful attachment to the guys (regardless of whether we actually know much about them or listen to their music). They're household names, subliminally ringing a bell in our subconscious. Even if we are no music connoisseur, song titles like 'Great Balls of Fire' by Jerry Lee Lewis, 'Three O'Clock Blues' by B.B. King or 'Johnny B. Goode' by Chuck Berry are bound to - at the very least - ring a bell.

Those music legends are now in their late 70s to mid 80s, and when sadly they pass away, they won't just die, they will enter a form of immortality in the arcana of fame, remembered like Elvis or Sinatra, immortalised in the collective psyche. Those guys were meant to stay, not fade away. Like a classic YSL tuxedo.

Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis, Nesbit, Mississippi, August 15th 2013, wearing his Saint Laurent Classic "Teddy" Tux (pict source)

Mr. B.B. King, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 8th 2013, wearing his Saint Laurent "Le Smoking" (pict source)

Mr. Chuck Berry, Saint Louis, Missouri, September 7th 2013, wearing his Saint Laurent "Teddy" Tux (pict source)

J'Adore a Ristretto!

I might be on about TV advertising, and yes Christmas might be creeping up on us, but please let's give Toys 'R' Us and Coca Cola a rest. No disrespect here, but I'm aiming off a tangent away from our kids and teens towards an adult audience with a penchant for elegance and self-indulgence packaged up in timeless style with a deluxe proposition neatly delivered in an experiential mini-film.

Basically we come to the realisation that Christmas is hinted our way when one or both of those household stars sashay into our lounges uninvited (although we'd dream to invite them to stay!) and steal a minute or two of our precious viewing schedule, via the primetime advertising slot that interrupts our favourite programme. Yet - big difference - we don't mind an interruption of such a calibre. And bingo, those two have been teleporting their charms across our TV sets for a few seasons now, with each new season a revisit of the theme without a sign of fatigue in sight!



Ladies, when our easy-on-the-eye suave suited and booted modern Cary Grant a.k.a. Mr Clooney pops round for a presto Nespresso tête-à-tête for our TV eyes only, all our senses get magically awakened (am I talking taste buds?), even if we are no Clooney fans! In a world of swags, how can we resist the charm of such a true gentleman, I wonder?

Our slightly paranoid other halves know darn right we're not swooning over the latest shiny gadgets that come with the latest version of the Nespresso machine but eh they can comfort themselves with Christian Dior's commercial right here (I'm thinking of my dad who just so happens to be Charlize Theron's biggest fan!). Who can fault such excellent taste?



P.S: A great excuse to revisit the great 'Heavy Cross' soundtrack by Gossip!

I Wanna Be Ador(n)ed!

We've heard that Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, while the only rock some chicks care about is the one they wish to wear on their wedding finger, while some would rather spend their Breakfast at Tiffany's, feasting their eyes on dazzling gems rather than forlornly sat at their local Starbucks in a tête-à-tête with their daily mochaccino-donut combo. So be it!

Mirabelle likes it easy, freestyle, free-spirited and way way cheaper (how about $22.00?) with no compromise on style and kudos. And the effect from those little facets adorning the Parvati's Cuff bracelet from Pondicherry is guaranted to rock you more than Queen or Her Majesty's crown jewels - in our opinion! Would you agree?

Plastic Fantastic?

Following on our extremely popular Caught in the Pacific Trash Vortex post that highlighted social activist Chris Jordan's plea about the seabirds from the Midway Atoll, Mirabelle was contacted last month by the designers of an interesting educational infographic that really drew our attention further on the damage caused by the 'fantastic' yet pawned invention that is plastic. We have great pleasure in sharing this catchy bit of information with you.

As a beach babe living on the coast, Mirabelle is faced with the downside of plastic on a daily basis, so we thought we would even drill the awareness message further by adding an advert that also caught our eye. In our view, packaging as a whole needs a total rethink and overhaul, and the plastic supremacy needs to be toned down drastically. Plastic manufacturers/ suppliers and their immediate Fortune 100 clients are to blame, but then again it is up to the end consumer to "vote with their feet" and shun plastics for more sustainable less pollution-prone alternatives that will be less likely to end up back into the food chain. Folks, let's make this work and let's be smarter in 2013!

Sorry, Blogger won't allow picture to zoom in!

Sources: (1) OnlineEducation.net. (2) Concept Ad WWF, by Eric Eykhout, via Behance: "Plastic litter from all over the earth ends up in the ocean, gets caught up in ocean currents and has created a giant swirling mass of 7 million tons of toxic debris dubbed 'The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.' The waters in this immense area contain 6 times more plastic than plankton, a primary food source for fish, marine mammals and ultimately affecting humans as well."

Additional Resources: Find out about professional surfer Kyle Thiermann's mission to help reverse plastic pollution effects on 'surfers paradise' coastlines across the world, via Surfing For Change.

Interesting update (18/07/2013): Two scientists manage to break down phtalates (soft plastic components), using bacteria! (via TED Talks).