Girls Season 4 Recap
“I’ve seen a lot of things, I’m 25 years old.”
If you’re like me, you can be cynical, but hopeful all at the same time. As a 20-something woman, it’s hard to comprehend the vagueness of growing up. There isn’t a handbook on it and there isn’t a self-help seminar you can go to that’ll make even the smallest decision easier. It’s the boring lifestyle of being a grown-up that scares me to insanity; and it’s that connection to the women of Girls that has pulled at every heart string of mine during season 4.
In this season of Girls, an HBO show centered around a group of New York women struggling to kickstart their lives, viewers were taken on a personal journey of discovery through each character unlike the previous seasons. A small breakdown of where the characters start off this season:
- Hannah leaves New York to pursue her dreams of becoming the literary voice of her generation in Iowa, maintaining a long-distance relationship with Adam
- Jessa has thrown her filter to the wind, speaking her mind and telling those around her exactly what she’s thinking; like a cold-hearted Judge Judy of free therapy
- Shoshanna has graduated and realized the real world is absolutely terrible
- Marnie is realizing being the other woman to her bandmate, Desi, isn’t working out so well
As the season progresses we also see the men in the ladies of Girls lives take a 180 turn. Desi ends up leaving Clementine for Marnie (and proposing to her later on), Ray gets fed up with his neighborhood government officials and runs for office and Adam starts a new relationship with a woman named Mimi-Rose Howard.
Mario Testino’s “Perfect Ten” Editorial For W Magazine
Photos by Mario Testino
W Magazine always seems to get it right when it comes to their photo shoots and always having the right photographer to create some great imagery. For their latest editorial titled "Perfect Ten," W Magazine enlisted the help of photographer Mario Testino to photograph some of today's top models. With a title like "Perfect Ten," you can assume that not only are the models stunning, but the photos are, as well, with the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jourdan Dunn, and Candice Swanepoel among those featured in the spread. The issue is set to be released in March, but you can check out some of the photos here.
[Via W Magazine]
[RH Photos] Michelle by Bobby Reys
Photos by Bobby Reys
Recently, I've been taking a lot of landscape shots, and every so often, shooting some architecture that really captures my eye. While I love getting to shot outside in nature, I have always enjoyed shooting portraits, and it has been a couple months since I've done so. A few days ago I hit up Michelle to see if she wanted to shoot and see what we could come up with. With the weather in Chicago still being a little chilly, we decided that we would hit up the Lincoln Park Conservatory and take advantage of the great plant/flower life and use it as a back drop. It was fun getting back to shooting portraits, and I can't wait to continue to do more of them. These are some of the shots that we took that day, and you can see more of them on my blog here.
[Via Bobby Reys]
[Video] Pharrell Talks New Album, 'Girls' with Zane Lowe
Pharrell has a knack for finding his way into the news cycle for all the right reasons. The baby-faced 40-year-old super-producer announced earlier this week that he had a new album expected, unveiling the title that was as simple as his epic day-long video for "Happy". It's no great revelation that Pharrell likely lives one of the most satisfying lives in America, and he stopped by BBC Radio 1 to chop it up with Zane Lowe and give the public a little glimpse into how his mind works, what the deal with the hat has been and what the plans are for Pharrell's first solo project. Check out the full video, streaming below.
[youtube id="5hOMMbe8RFc"]
Colorful Portraits of Motorbike Girl Gangs in Morocco
Photos by Hassan Hajjaj
Morocco is an incredibly vibrant and complex place, and a photographer's dream location to shoot. However, in an age where photography is universal and sometimes intrusive, cities like Marrakech often distrust photographer's, seeing them as pervasive, and are questioned about the use of their captured images.
Knowing all of this makes the following photo series all the more intriguing. London-based, Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj beautifully captured the bike culture of Marrakech in his latest series titled, Kesh Angels, on display now at the Taymour Grahne Gallery in New York until March 8. In this series, Hajjaj uses some female friends to represent "Moroccan girl bike gangs" to show something particular of Marrakech. In each image the girls are captured with strong, intimidating expressions to convey an edge, while sporting polka dot veils, Nike djellabah and even heart-shaped sunnies. To add even more color, he used products found in local markets to create a border for each picture.
Although there are no real bike gangs in Morocco, these girls are no joke. According to the photographer's recent interview with Vice, most of these girls speak up to five languages, and are full-time moms who work ten-hour days. What's even more interesting is that Marrakech is a true bike city, used by most of the locals as a source for transportation to work, and most of the bikes used for this shoot are their very own.
Check out the following photos and see more here.
[Via Vice]
Emmy Rossum For Complex Mag
Recently, Complex sat down with Shameless star Emmy Rossum to interview her for its latest cover story. While in Chicago shooting for the series, Emmy talked to the outlet about a variety of topics, from her status as a sex symbol to her take on life and death. The interview also reveals her connection to the fictitious character she portrays in the show and talks about personal issues from her past. The cover story really taps into who Emmy is and how certain events in her life have helped shape her into the person she is today. Check out some of the photos from the photo spread below, and be sure to read the entire interview on Complex here.
[Via Complex]
Behind The Scene Photos of Emily Ratajkowski at Terry Richardson's Studio
A couple months ago, we posted Terry Richardson's shoot with Emily Ratajkowski for GQ Magazine. "Emrata" pretty much took over last year with her role in Robin Thicke's smash hit "Blurred Lines;" Em was the star of the show, and it catapulted her to the main stage. At that point, it was hard to turn a magazine page or scroll a blog without see her gorgeous assets (she loves being naked and with good reason). Yesterday, Terry released some BTS photos of the shoot via his personal site. The photos are what we come to expect from Terry and Emily - glasses: check; flannel: check; more than half-naked bombshell: check.
[via Terry's Dairy]
Emmy Rossum For Esquire
Photography by James White
Emmy Rossum, the star of the hit series Shameless, has a new spread and interview for the latest issue of Esquire magazine. The actress/singer is seen in a variety of get ups and exposing a lot of skin for the spread. With the help of photographer James White, Esquire captured some very sultry images of the 27 year old star whose new upcoming season is set to air January 12th. Accompanying the photos is an interview that hits on range of topics like the time Emmy helped a hit and run victim and somethings about her pets. Check out the photo spread and read the full interview with Esquire here.
[Via Esquire]