modern muses: sofia coppola

Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts so far this week, I honestly don't know where the days have got to, how on earth is it already Wednesday evening. Anyway, onto the second installment in my 'Modern Muses' series...

Hmm, where shall I start. As the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola (director of The Godfather films), maybe it was inevitable that Sofia would follow in his footsteps. Making her first foray into the world of the big screen by appearing in one of her fathers films at the at the age of two, today she is the acclaimed, award-winning film director of three cult indie films turned blockbusters. The Virgin Suicides was her directorial debut, followed by Lost in Translation and most recently the sumptuous Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst.

Each of these films is a visual feast for the eyes, from the eerie but beautiful, dreamlike cinematography of The Virgin Suicides to the gorgeously lavish, overtly feminine costumes and sets of Marie Antoinette. She is also a style icon- she has understated chic down to a fine art, and is a long time friend and muse of designer Marc Jacobs. Not to mention mother to 3 year old daughter Romy (her partner is Thomas Mars, the lead singer with the French rock band Phoenix). Wow. Oh and she lives in Paris, a city she has cited as a major inspiration to her. So, anyone else just a teeny bit jealous here...

Images via the New York Times

modern muse: florence

I thought it would be fun to do a mini series called 'modern muses', a look at some inspirational, creative and strong women from the music/fashion/film industries. Who better to start with than a personal favourite of mine- the free-spirited, totally eccentric and hugely talented Florence Welch of the band Florence and the Machine.

Florence is everywhere at the moment- no doubt largely due to her dynamic music and beautiful haunting vocals but I also think one of the main reasons the enigmatic Florence is such an inspiration is because she is real, in an industry where manufactured and mainstream is the norm. She genuinely doesn't give a damn what other people think of her and seems to exist in her own strange, macabre and flamboyant world. This is in stark contrast to some of her musical contemporaries like Lady Gaga, who seems to try so hard to be different and edgy and only ends up appearing contrived.

Everything about Florence from her love of strange and sequined costumes to her obsession with the darker side of life, is bewitching and comes from somewhere deep within her. I get the impression she would still be wearing those clothes regardless of whether she was on a stage in front of thousands of people or dancing around in her own bedroom. You can't help but get the feeling that the overly excitable Florence is just being herself, grabbing life with both hands and having a pretty awesome time while doing just that. Long may she reign as the thinking girls Queen of Pop.

All images are from Florence and the Machine's official website