scriptgirl
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bllzn
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Share with us... Your Best & Worst Collections of Haute Couture S/S 2025
bllzn
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^ I'm thinking the same thing. In addition, Noemie looks like a goddess among superheros or one big Azurite mineral treasure. Either way, what a picture!
scriptgirl
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sipa
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^Her sex appeal is incredible in those pics. The second pic is a killer.
scriptgirl
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NEXT
scriptgirl
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nl images
crow_watcher
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^ Noemie looks so young and perky in those pics. She has only gotten better every year.
Love her business attire in post 1546.
Love her business attire in post 1546.
scriptgirl
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marks and spencer
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^I love pink on her!
scriptgirl
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Rarely see Noemie's face from that angle. So beautiful!
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1541 and 1544 she looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks scripgirl
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the independent
Wearing the beehive: The Amy Winehouse experience
Her remarkable voice and riotous lifestyle are already legendary. But could the Camden chanteuse's greatest legacy be a crazy out-sized barnet? As hair fashions reach dizzying new heights, Alice-Azania Jarvis gets to grips with the beehive...
Published: 22 December 2007
Over-the-knee socks, the shoe-boot, those high-waisted jeans: when you recount trends that women have embraced this year, the word flattering is not the first to leap to mind. But the beehive? Surely fashion wouldn't be so fickle.
Well, actually it would. And the inspiration? None other than the chart-sensation-cum-trainwreck Amy Winehouse, she of the sailor tattoos, bloodied ballet pumps and the perennial jeans-and-vest combination. Suspicious as it may sound, Winehouse's towering hairdo is set to become next year's answer to the Pob – or at least if the singer's latest admirers are to be believed. Which, when they include Karl Lagerfeld, they probably are.
Such is Winehouse's allure that the designer paid direct homage to her at the Chanel show he staged in London this month, sending models down the runway wearing impressively vertiginous up-dos and heavily kohl-rimmed eyes. When asked about his muse, the designer announced that Winehouse is "the new Brigitte Bardot": gap-toothed, boundary breaking and – most importantly – beehived.
In New York, the prestigious Bumble and Bumble hairdressing school is now introducing modules geared specifically to recreating the "do". And with Hairspray hitting the West End jackpot, and model Noémie Lenoir sporting a hefty blonde bouffant in the M&S Christmas campaign, the one-time favourite of Mari Wilson is becoming impossible to ignore. But should we all be reaching for our backcomb? I'm not convinced. The hairstyle may be fashionable, but for every Breakfast at Tiffany's beehive moment, there's a Bet Lynch or Marge Simpson moment right behind. Am I bold enough to brave it? Will I be able, even, to lift my head to the challenge. I decide to call the hair salon.
It's 11am by the time I meet Cinta Martello, one of Racoon International's curiously titled extensionists. With nine years' experience styling shoots, she's a veteran in the world of celebrity hair. Racoon specialises in applying so-called "microwefts" – a sort of mid-term hair extension: more enduring than anything found outside a salon but, with a lifespan of two-four weeks, less permanent than conventional "bonded" extensions. At £200 per head they're certainly not cheap, but they are reusable so, once the first set is applied, subsequent sessions cost less. They're also unique in their ethicacy: sourced solely within Europe, using donations from Spanish monasteries, the extensions are 100 per cent real hair.
Martello holds up an inch-thick lock and shows me a patch of adhesive. In order to create my beehive, Martello is going to apply several of these strips to my roots, which will then be pressed together with an alarmingly large pair of forceps. Any doubts I might have about the wisdom of applying glue to my hair are only slightly dispelled by the fact that Winehouse is one of Racoon's clients. Winehouse's hairstyle, Martello confides, is made up almost entirely of extensions, though she's been known to add extra wadding – a polystyrene-like padding – for dramatic effect. I've decide to give this last step a miss; an extension-enhanced beehive sounds conspicuous enough as it is.
Just how big a beehive should be appears to be a matter of some debate. Can a beehive be too big? "The bigger, the glammer," says Martello emphatically. What, just like Amy Winehouse, I ask nervously? "I'm thinking more Chanel than Amy," she says, fussing over my fringe. "Sometimes that girl looks like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards, bless her. But when Karl Lagerfeld did it, he really made it classy. The beehive should be much more about old Hollywood glamour. It should be fun, but sexy and elegant, too."
I've always had a round face and, in moments of weakness, have been known to resent my round nose. With a beehive in tow will I not simply be a cartoonish conglomeration of circles: spherical hair, saucer-eyes, round nose and face, beads and bubble-skirt optional?
Martello thinks not: "The only people who can't carry off beehives are the ones with really long faces. Amy's not classically beautiful, but the beehive emphasises her features." If anything, I'm told, the hive will be streamlining. It should, after all, leave me at least four inches taller.
The session itself is fairly quick. The extensions are by far the most technical part – whatever's going on back there, I'm sure I couldn't do it myself – but, when they're finished, I'm amazed by the colour match. It's almost perfect; the locks flowing from my head are so well-blended that they bear no resemblance to the solid colour-blocks laid out earlier. It's now that the styling comes in, and Martello keeps me briefed at each stage.
She starts with a thorough hair teasing (although the process is so vigorous, I wonder if bullying might be more accurate) and then gathers together the tangles to form a sort of hairy clump around my crown. Out the corner of my eye, I can just make out the photographer's sceptical expression. I start to wonder if Martello has forgotten her promise of Karl rather than Amy. But at the last minute she gathers up some loose strands, sweeping them dramatically up and smoothing them elegantly over my emerging hive. Does it feel heavy, she asks? In fact, the whole arrangement feels surprisingly light and strangely detached. It's rather like having a small golden-brown cloud hovering just above my head.
Beehives, in one form or another, have been around since the 18th century. The powdered wigs of Louis XVI were not, after all, too different from the golden locks of Brigitte Bardot. But it wasn't until the summer of 1960, when the Chicago hairdresser Margaret Vinci Heldt received a particularly vain though somewhat vertically-challenged customer that the bouffant graduated to official hive status. With its four-inch altitude, the style was first and foremost a means of enhancing the wearer's stature.
As the decade wore on, and hemlines rose, the beehive slowly ascended – and female beauty regimes grew increasingly complicated. Without today's hair extensions, adhesives and curlers, the quest for big hair 40 years ago was considerably more arduous. Women would set their hair in rollers, and then sit for up to an hour under the hairdryer. Then followed hours of backcombing, styling and pinning. At night, women were advised to wrap their hive in tissue-paper and sleep on satin pillow cases to keep it intact. Hairspray sales boomed; by 1964 it had overtaken lipstick as the nation's most popular cosmetic. Meanwhile, school corridors filled with whispered tales of scalps being bitten by lurking spiders.
But hidden spiders are the least of my concerns. As Martello puts the finishing touches on my barnet, it's the day-to-day practicalities of life that I'm finding more daunting. It occurs to me that one should dress appropriately for such a glamorous hairstyle. Standing here in my everyday jeans and T-shirt, I suddenly feel hopelessly upstaged. By my hair. And I've still got to face the office.
Arriving at my desk, I run through Martello's parting advice: "Do carry some hair spray with you, don't use gel; do wear an Alice band if you want to; don't be afraid to accessorise." Her final words are the most fundamental: "A beehive's not practical, so remember to avoid anywhere un-glam. The gym isn't glamorous, so don't go there. Don't do any jogging, swimming or aerobics."
Throughout the day my hair elicits a range of responses. Some colleagues eye me suspiciously – (probably) noting my failure to accessorise. Others coo approvingly. And I get more than a few sniggers.
By lunch time, I'm feeling confident. I start to imagine myself in a denim pencil skirt, or a vintage trench – or, for that matter, a little black dress? I'm cheered by its day-worn dishevelment; less Doris Day, more Brigitte Bardot, or so I like to think.
When the clock strikes six, the trip home looms. As I step on to the Tube I have to duck to avoid getting caught in the door. But still I feel smug, glimpsing my reflection in the window pane. It isn't until I reach the street again that I realise it's raining. Umbrellaless as I am I head out, thinking that perhaps the hive might shield me.
By the time I get home, it's irretrievable: where once I had a beehive, I now have a soggy mass of knotted hair.
It was, without doubt, the most sophisticated hairdo I've ever had and, if ever my turn came to wear Chanel, I'd do it again in a flash. Glamorous the beehive may be, but for life in the real world? Maybe not.
Interesting? Click here to explore further
Wearing the beehive: The Amy Winehouse experience
Her remarkable voice and riotous lifestyle are already legendary. But could the Camden chanteuse's greatest legacy be a crazy out-sized barnet? As hair fashions reach dizzying new heights, Alice-Azania Jarvis gets to grips with the beehive...
Published: 22 December 2007
Over-the-knee socks, the shoe-boot, those high-waisted jeans: when you recount trends that women have embraced this year, the word flattering is not the first to leap to mind. But the beehive? Surely fashion wouldn't be so fickle.
Well, actually it would. And the inspiration? None other than the chart-sensation-cum-trainwreck Amy Winehouse, she of the sailor tattoos, bloodied ballet pumps and the perennial jeans-and-vest combination. Suspicious as it may sound, Winehouse's towering hairdo is set to become next year's answer to the Pob – or at least if the singer's latest admirers are to be believed. Which, when they include Karl Lagerfeld, they probably are.
Such is Winehouse's allure that the designer paid direct homage to her at the Chanel show he staged in London this month, sending models down the runway wearing impressively vertiginous up-dos and heavily kohl-rimmed eyes. When asked about his muse, the designer announced that Winehouse is "the new Brigitte Bardot": gap-toothed, boundary breaking and – most importantly – beehived.
In New York, the prestigious Bumble and Bumble hairdressing school is now introducing modules geared specifically to recreating the "do". And with Hairspray hitting the West End jackpot, and model Noémie Lenoir sporting a hefty blonde bouffant in the M&S Christmas campaign, the one-time favourite of Mari Wilson is becoming impossible to ignore. But should we all be reaching for our backcomb? I'm not convinced. The hairstyle may be fashionable, but for every Breakfast at Tiffany's beehive moment, there's a Bet Lynch or Marge Simpson moment right behind. Am I bold enough to brave it? Will I be able, even, to lift my head to the challenge. I decide to call the hair salon.
It's 11am by the time I meet Cinta Martello, one of Racoon International's curiously titled extensionists. With nine years' experience styling shoots, she's a veteran in the world of celebrity hair. Racoon specialises in applying so-called "microwefts" – a sort of mid-term hair extension: more enduring than anything found outside a salon but, with a lifespan of two-four weeks, less permanent than conventional "bonded" extensions. At £200 per head they're certainly not cheap, but they are reusable so, once the first set is applied, subsequent sessions cost less. They're also unique in their ethicacy: sourced solely within Europe, using donations from Spanish monasteries, the extensions are 100 per cent real hair.
Martello holds up an inch-thick lock and shows me a patch of adhesive. In order to create my beehive, Martello is going to apply several of these strips to my roots, which will then be pressed together with an alarmingly large pair of forceps. Any doubts I might have about the wisdom of applying glue to my hair are only slightly dispelled by the fact that Winehouse is one of Racoon's clients. Winehouse's hairstyle, Martello confides, is made up almost entirely of extensions, though she's been known to add extra wadding – a polystyrene-like padding – for dramatic effect. I've decide to give this last step a miss; an extension-enhanced beehive sounds conspicuous enough as it is.
Just how big a beehive should be appears to be a matter of some debate. Can a beehive be too big? "The bigger, the glammer," says Martello emphatically. What, just like Amy Winehouse, I ask nervously? "I'm thinking more Chanel than Amy," she says, fussing over my fringe. "Sometimes that girl looks like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards, bless her. But when Karl Lagerfeld did it, he really made it classy. The beehive should be much more about old Hollywood glamour. It should be fun, but sexy and elegant, too."
I've always had a round face and, in moments of weakness, have been known to resent my round nose. With a beehive in tow will I not simply be a cartoonish conglomeration of circles: spherical hair, saucer-eyes, round nose and face, beads and bubble-skirt optional?
Martello thinks not: "The only people who can't carry off beehives are the ones with really long faces. Amy's not classically beautiful, but the beehive emphasises her features." If anything, I'm told, the hive will be streamlining. It should, after all, leave me at least four inches taller.
The session itself is fairly quick. The extensions are by far the most technical part – whatever's going on back there, I'm sure I couldn't do it myself – but, when they're finished, I'm amazed by the colour match. It's almost perfect; the locks flowing from my head are so well-blended that they bear no resemblance to the solid colour-blocks laid out earlier. It's now that the styling comes in, and Martello keeps me briefed at each stage.
She starts with a thorough hair teasing (although the process is so vigorous, I wonder if bullying might be more accurate) and then gathers together the tangles to form a sort of hairy clump around my crown. Out the corner of my eye, I can just make out the photographer's sceptical expression. I start to wonder if Martello has forgotten her promise of Karl rather than Amy. But at the last minute she gathers up some loose strands, sweeping them dramatically up and smoothing them elegantly over my emerging hive. Does it feel heavy, she asks? In fact, the whole arrangement feels surprisingly light and strangely detached. It's rather like having a small golden-brown cloud hovering just above my head.
Beehives, in one form or another, have been around since the 18th century. The powdered wigs of Louis XVI were not, after all, too different from the golden locks of Brigitte Bardot. But it wasn't until the summer of 1960, when the Chicago hairdresser Margaret Vinci Heldt received a particularly vain though somewhat vertically-challenged customer that the bouffant graduated to official hive status. With its four-inch altitude, the style was first and foremost a means of enhancing the wearer's stature.
As the decade wore on, and hemlines rose, the beehive slowly ascended – and female beauty regimes grew increasingly complicated. Without today's hair extensions, adhesives and curlers, the quest for big hair 40 years ago was considerably more arduous. Women would set their hair in rollers, and then sit for up to an hour under the hairdryer. Then followed hours of backcombing, styling and pinning. At night, women were advised to wrap their hive in tissue-paper and sleep on satin pillow cases to keep it intact. Hairspray sales boomed; by 1964 it had overtaken lipstick as the nation's most popular cosmetic. Meanwhile, school corridors filled with whispered tales of scalps being bitten by lurking spiders.
But hidden spiders are the least of my concerns. As Martello puts the finishing touches on my barnet, it's the day-to-day practicalities of life that I'm finding more daunting. It occurs to me that one should dress appropriately for such a glamorous hairstyle. Standing here in my everyday jeans and T-shirt, I suddenly feel hopelessly upstaged. By my hair. And I've still got to face the office.
Arriving at my desk, I run through Martello's parting advice: "Do carry some hair spray with you, don't use gel; do wear an Alice band if you want to; don't be afraid to accessorise." Her final words are the most fundamental: "A beehive's not practical, so remember to avoid anywhere un-glam. The gym isn't glamorous, so don't go there. Don't do any jogging, swimming or aerobics."
Throughout the day my hair elicits a range of responses. Some colleagues eye me suspiciously – (probably) noting my failure to accessorise. Others coo approvingly. And I get more than a few sniggers.
By lunch time, I'm feeling confident. I start to imagine myself in a denim pencil skirt, or a vintage trench – or, for that matter, a little black dress? I'm cheered by its day-worn dishevelment; less Doris Day, more Brigitte Bardot, or so I like to think.
When the clock strikes six, the trip home looms. As I step on to the Tube I have to duck to avoid getting caught in the door. But still I feel smug, glimpsing my reflection in the window pane. It isn't until I reach the street again that I realise it's raining. Umbrellaless as I am I head out, thinking that perhaps the hive might shield me.
By the time I get home, it's irretrievable: where once I had a beehive, I now have a soggy mass of knotted hair.
It was, without doubt, the most sophisticated hairdo I've ever had and, if ever my turn came to wear Chanel, I'd do it again in a flash. Glamorous the beehive may be, but for life in the real world? Maybe not.
Interesting? Click here to explore further
scriptgirl
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The DVD Lounge
Movie
A lot of the flack this move gets is that it is exactly the same as the first two. To that I say...The first two were kind of good. While it's true, this movie doesn't do much differently than the first two, that doesn't make it a terrible movie. Tucker still plays the wise cracking black detective, and Lee is still the straight laced chinese investigator, and they both show some growth character wise from the first movie, Tucker around the waist and Lee in the character. They've added enough secondary characters to the third movie to make it seem fresh. Another thing that keeps these movies fresh is the time in between them. It's been 9 years since Rush Hour 1 came out. If these movies had been crammed into 5 years, it would be old and stale by now, but since they've been given enough time in between movies, it keeps from being overly repetitive.
But at the same time, it follows the same path as the previous 2. It switches back and forth between which movie it is mimicking at any given time. It starts out like Rush Hour 1 with Lee and Carter being separate and you get a sense of conflict between the two. The plot gets rolling when Ambassador Han is shot at a UN type meeting called the World Justice Court, and in typical Rush Hour fashion, while Lee is chasing down the assassin, Carter is smooth talking the ladies. Soo Yung, the little girl from the first movie, makes both of them promise to track down the assassin. And since they know the next WJC meeting is in France, they're off to the land of love.
It's in France where they meet a taxi cab driver named George, who Ratner in the commentary refers to as a Peschi type character from the Lethal Weapon movies. While I see the comparison, it's not really valid, Tucker is almost more of the Peschi role. While in France they're trying to chase down Genevieve, pronounced Jean vi eve, to find out the secret behind the triads. Genevieve is played by the stunning Noemie Lenoir, who manages to pull of the Britney Spears shaved head look and still look incredibly attractive.
This is also the section of the movie where we see the growth of the two lead characters from the first movie, during the inevitable "split up" that happens between Carter and Lee in every one of these movies, we see Carter doing things that are stereotypically Chinese, and Lee doing things that are stereotypically black. Most film makers would have done this in subtle ways, but Rush Hour has never been about subtle, so they just come right out and have Lee order fried chicken while Carter gets Chinese.
Once Carter and Lee secure Genevieve, the plot twists and you have Carter and Lee in a fight on the Eifel Tower for the climax fight scene. The fight scenes are typical Jackie Chan fight scenes with lots of fun little moves to attack others. Carter even gets involved with the martial arts scenes in this movie, rather than just shooting a gun all the time. Lee and Kenji's sword fight scene is pretty good. Ratner raves about how nice it was to have two people who knew how to handle a sword doing the scene. Ratner also claims that somewhere on the DVD is the sword fight, expect they both have light sabers.
The acting is good throughout the movie. Hiroyuki Sanada is great in the roll of Kenji, he's a very cool, collected assassin. And Max von Sydow is his fantastic self as always. Lenoir does a great job of being beautiful and Yvan Attal is good as the American hating French taxi cab driver. There's even a Roman Polanski sighting. The shots aren't anything especially beautiful or artistic, but it keeps you focused on the story. There's a couple jump cuts that can be kinda confusing for a second, but not terrible. There are a couple neat little things done with the editing. One that I liked was when Kenji and Lee are bouncing on the net, the movie cuts to a guy whom Carter is fighting falling on a rail, I thought it was a cool way to jump from one fight scene to the next.
A/V Quality
Shockingly, this movie has more CGI shots than Alien vs Predator. Over 500 CGI shots. Most are well hidden, while others are glaringly obvious. The sound is fine. There are a couple cool songs on the soundtrack, maybe not enough to pick it up in stores, but enough to make you think "Hey, that's a pretty cool song." once or twice throughout the movie.
Movie
A lot of the flack this move gets is that it is exactly the same as the first two. To that I say...The first two were kind of good. While it's true, this movie doesn't do much differently than the first two, that doesn't make it a terrible movie. Tucker still plays the wise cracking black detective, and Lee is still the straight laced chinese investigator, and they both show some growth character wise from the first movie, Tucker around the waist and Lee in the character. They've added enough secondary characters to the third movie to make it seem fresh. Another thing that keeps these movies fresh is the time in between them. It's been 9 years since Rush Hour 1 came out. If these movies had been crammed into 5 years, it would be old and stale by now, but since they've been given enough time in between movies, it keeps from being overly repetitive.
But at the same time, it follows the same path as the previous 2. It switches back and forth between which movie it is mimicking at any given time. It starts out like Rush Hour 1 with Lee and Carter being separate and you get a sense of conflict between the two. The plot gets rolling when Ambassador Han is shot at a UN type meeting called the World Justice Court, and in typical Rush Hour fashion, while Lee is chasing down the assassin, Carter is smooth talking the ladies. Soo Yung, the little girl from the first movie, makes both of them promise to track down the assassin. And since they know the next WJC meeting is in France, they're off to the land of love.
It's in France where they meet a taxi cab driver named George, who Ratner in the commentary refers to as a Peschi type character from the Lethal Weapon movies. While I see the comparison, it's not really valid, Tucker is almost more of the Peschi role. While in France they're trying to chase down Genevieve, pronounced Jean vi eve, to find out the secret behind the triads. Genevieve is played by the stunning Noemie Lenoir, who manages to pull of the Britney Spears shaved head look and still look incredibly attractive.
This is also the section of the movie where we see the growth of the two lead characters from the first movie, during the inevitable "split up" that happens between Carter and Lee in every one of these movies, we see Carter doing things that are stereotypically Chinese, and Lee doing things that are stereotypically black. Most film makers would have done this in subtle ways, but Rush Hour has never been about subtle, so they just come right out and have Lee order fried chicken while Carter gets Chinese.
Once Carter and Lee secure Genevieve, the plot twists and you have Carter and Lee in a fight on the Eifel Tower for the climax fight scene. The fight scenes are typical Jackie Chan fight scenes with lots of fun little moves to attack others. Carter even gets involved with the martial arts scenes in this movie, rather than just shooting a gun all the time. Lee and Kenji's sword fight scene is pretty good. Ratner raves about how nice it was to have two people who knew how to handle a sword doing the scene. Ratner also claims that somewhere on the DVD is the sword fight, expect they both have light sabers.
The acting is good throughout the movie. Hiroyuki Sanada is great in the roll of Kenji, he's a very cool, collected assassin. And Max von Sydow is his fantastic self as always. Lenoir does a great job of being beautiful and Yvan Attal is good as the American hating French taxi cab driver. There's even a Roman Polanski sighting. The shots aren't anything especially beautiful or artistic, but it keeps you focused on the story. There's a couple jump cuts that can be kinda confusing for a second, but not terrible. There are a couple neat little things done with the editing. One that I liked was when Kenji and Lee are bouncing on the net, the movie cuts to a guy whom Carter is fighting falling on a rail, I thought it was a cool way to jump from one fight scene to the next.
A/V Quality
Shockingly, this movie has more CGI shots than Alien vs Predator. Over 500 CGI shots. Most are well hidden, while others are glaringly obvious. The sound is fine. There are a couple cool songs on the soundtrack, maybe not enough to pick it up in stores, but enough to make you think "Hey, that's a pretty cool song." once or twice throughout the movie.
scriptgirl
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belfast telegraph
Stocking Fellas
Marks & Spencer have set up a special Christmas service to help men buy the perfect lingerie gift for the women in their lives. Chrissie Russell meets two special guys and finds out what it takes to get into ladies underwear
Thursday, December 20, 2007
It's Christmas time and, as the song goes, there's no need to be afraid. But many men are. First of all there's the perennial problem of deciding what to buy the wives and girlfriends for Christmas. It has to be something beautiful but also practical. Something special that they'll love, and that says 'I love you'. It's a tricky choice but the one thing that fits all these criteria is also one of the scariest things to buy - lingerie.
The sight of men looking lost in a lingerie department is so notoriously comic it was famously parodied in Father Ted's Christmas special. Every man has known that blind panic, that sense of bewilderment and the sweating, shifty behaviour brought on by being in a predominantly female environment surrounded by lacy bras and pants.
But it's all set to change. Two men in Marks & Spencer's Donegall Place store in Belfast are leading a little Christmas miracle in the lingerie section. Meet Ciaran Doyle (20) and Christopher Close (20), M&S's 'stocking fellas' - and from stockings to bras, nighties and pants they're helping male (and some female) customers brave the bras and get over their underwear fears.
"Some men don't like the idea of going up to the counter with lingerie in front of a queue of women," explains Ciaran. "They don't like standing out in an all female environment and they also feel embarrassed talking to a woman about buying underwear."
It's a scenario both young men were familiar with before their rigorous induction into the frillier side of retail. "I was a bit nervous the first day," recalls Ciaran. " I think any fella would be a bit apprehensive and in the past I don't think I would have bought lingerie for my girlfriend. But I would now."
Christopher agrees: "I definitely would have felt awkward going into the women's lingerie department but if there had been a man there to help, like we are, I would have felt more comfortable."
Picking up on this insecurity is paying off and after a bit of help from the stocking fellas, satisfied male customers have been leaving the shop with armfuls of carefully considered lingerie purchases guaranteed to please their better halves and hopefully result in a very merry Christmas.
The stocking fella service started on December 10 and runs until Christmas Eve and the fellas estimate they're helping a couple of hundred customers every day. "We stay with them and even run the purchase through the till ourselves in the menswear department if that makes them feel more comfortable with it," says Christopher. "Some come straight up and ask for help but you can spot men needing help a mile off - they're twirling round on the spot looking embarrassed."
The stocking fella's job is to glean information on the size, style and age of the woman set to be on the receiving end of the gift.
"We got really good training from the manager in the lingerie department who talked us through all different brands and types and what age group is better suited to what and what age of man is more likely to like what," explains Christopher. "But," he adds "you can never judge a book by its cover. The 20-30-year-olds typically buy the sexier styles in vibrant colours while the Autograph range caters more for older women, but I've had 60 and 70-year-old men come in knowing exactly what they want and telling me they want something sexier than what I've originally shown them."
The customer is always right, even (as has happened on one occasion) when it becomes evident the lingerie purchase is for the personal use of the male customer.
Given the success of their service, the two gents could be forgiven for basque-ing in their own glory but they admit their quest to provide women with better chosen undergarments did initially incur a bit of stick.
"I was working down in food when someone came up to me and said I'd to 'go and see Lisa (the manager) in lingerie'," recalls Ciaran. "The next thing I know I'm standing in a booth that says Guys Need Help. My mates have given me a bit of banter and I've heard every joke there is about 'getting into ladies underwear' but some of my mates think it sounds like the best job in the world, even if it's obviously not the most masculine."
Christopher agrees - "it's put us both more in touch with our feminine side" - but a post work schedule of pints and football is firmly in place to ensure a healthy balance is maintained.
Both lads assert that there's no bad time in a relationship to buy a girlfriend lingerie. "In some ways there's still almost a mini taboo when it comes to buying lingerie," says Christopher. "But I don't think you can buy it too soon in a relationship so long as it's the right thing you're buying in terms of style and size. That said, if you've only just met a woman and the next day you're buying her lingerie it might be a bit much. Apart from that ? "
And once men get over their initial fear of finding themselves surrounded by pants and bras they're keen to get more hands on with the whole process. "I've had men come in for help on buying lingerie and then seen them back buying more a couple of days later," says Christopher.
"A lot of men are used to women buying lingerie and looking good in it and it's not really a process they're involved in. But as soon as I start showing them products they get more sure of what they're looking for. The important thing is to make sure he's getting the balance right between what he wants to buy and what the woman is likely to want to wear."
Sports bras aren't popular. " It's always the more dressy stuff," says Ciaran. "The bestsellers are from the TV campaign - the Autograph and Ceriso range. A lot of men ask what product it is they've seen on TV - they know that it might not make their girlfriend look exactly like the model on TV (the depressingly sexy Noemie Lenoir) but they still think it will look pretty good."
Once they're started there's no fear of more complex items like basques, says Ciaran. "Generally men have a good idea of how everything works and if not, then they're eager to learn."
Of course, from spending hours in the department, Ciaran and Christopher have settled upon their own personal favourites. "The purple set from the Autograph range, " they both decide with Christopher adding a close runner-up contender in red and black from the Ceriso range.
But the biggest thing that men need to realise is - size matters. "Without the right sizes there's not a lot we can do," says Ciaran. "But it's also become clear that a lot of women don't know what size they are so we've had men dragging their girlfriends in to get measured," adds Christopher.
It's evident the stocking fellas are keen to do their job well. "I get a lot of satisfaction from the job," says Christopher. "And the customers are really grateful. I've had men shaking my hand and thanking me."
But what happens in the lingerie department stays in the lingerie department.
For although the men Ciaran and Christopher meet have laughed and joked with them while studying a wealth of ladies garments, the stocking fellas say it's a different case once they're out of the department. "I seen men that I've helped buy lingerie later on in menswear and they've ignored me, especially if they are with their partner I can see them looking at me thinking 'don't say anything'."
Still, it's a job they wouldn't mind staying in.
"It's a pity in some ways that it only runs until Christmas Eve because men don't just want to buy lingerie at Christmas," says Christopher.
" Trade booms at Christmas but there's also birthdays and Valentine's Day.
"It would be nice if there was someone in store even for a few hours at different times of the year."
"It's been a good learning experience and socially it's great craic," says Ciaran.
" I wouldn't need to be asked twice to do it again."
The only time the men say they might have to draw the line is if either one of their dads came in seeking advice.
"It would just give me a mental image that seems wrong," says Christopher, shaking his head.
Stocking Fellas
Marks & Spencer have set up a special Christmas service to help men buy the perfect lingerie gift for the women in their lives. Chrissie Russell meets two special guys and finds out what it takes to get into ladies underwear
Thursday, December 20, 2007
It's Christmas time and, as the song goes, there's no need to be afraid. But many men are. First of all there's the perennial problem of deciding what to buy the wives and girlfriends for Christmas. It has to be something beautiful but also practical. Something special that they'll love, and that says 'I love you'. It's a tricky choice but the one thing that fits all these criteria is also one of the scariest things to buy - lingerie.
The sight of men looking lost in a lingerie department is so notoriously comic it was famously parodied in Father Ted's Christmas special. Every man has known that blind panic, that sense of bewilderment and the sweating, shifty behaviour brought on by being in a predominantly female environment surrounded by lacy bras and pants.
But it's all set to change. Two men in Marks & Spencer's Donegall Place store in Belfast are leading a little Christmas miracle in the lingerie section. Meet Ciaran Doyle (20) and Christopher Close (20), M&S's 'stocking fellas' - and from stockings to bras, nighties and pants they're helping male (and some female) customers brave the bras and get over their underwear fears.
"Some men don't like the idea of going up to the counter with lingerie in front of a queue of women," explains Ciaran. "They don't like standing out in an all female environment and they also feel embarrassed talking to a woman about buying underwear."
It's a scenario both young men were familiar with before their rigorous induction into the frillier side of retail. "I was a bit nervous the first day," recalls Ciaran. " I think any fella would be a bit apprehensive and in the past I don't think I would have bought lingerie for my girlfriend. But I would now."
Christopher agrees: "I definitely would have felt awkward going into the women's lingerie department but if there had been a man there to help, like we are, I would have felt more comfortable."
Picking up on this insecurity is paying off and after a bit of help from the stocking fellas, satisfied male customers have been leaving the shop with armfuls of carefully considered lingerie purchases guaranteed to please their better halves and hopefully result in a very merry Christmas.
The stocking fella service started on December 10 and runs until Christmas Eve and the fellas estimate they're helping a couple of hundred customers every day. "We stay with them and even run the purchase through the till ourselves in the menswear department if that makes them feel more comfortable with it," says Christopher. "Some come straight up and ask for help but you can spot men needing help a mile off - they're twirling round on the spot looking embarrassed."
The stocking fella's job is to glean information on the size, style and age of the woman set to be on the receiving end of the gift.
"We got really good training from the manager in the lingerie department who talked us through all different brands and types and what age group is better suited to what and what age of man is more likely to like what," explains Christopher. "But," he adds "you can never judge a book by its cover. The 20-30-year-olds typically buy the sexier styles in vibrant colours while the Autograph range caters more for older women, but I've had 60 and 70-year-old men come in knowing exactly what they want and telling me they want something sexier than what I've originally shown them."
The customer is always right, even (as has happened on one occasion) when it becomes evident the lingerie purchase is for the personal use of the male customer.
Given the success of their service, the two gents could be forgiven for basque-ing in their own glory but they admit their quest to provide women with better chosen undergarments did initially incur a bit of stick.
"I was working down in food when someone came up to me and said I'd to 'go and see Lisa (the manager) in lingerie'," recalls Ciaran. "The next thing I know I'm standing in a booth that says Guys Need Help. My mates have given me a bit of banter and I've heard every joke there is about 'getting into ladies underwear' but some of my mates think it sounds like the best job in the world, even if it's obviously not the most masculine."
Christopher agrees - "it's put us both more in touch with our feminine side" - but a post work schedule of pints and football is firmly in place to ensure a healthy balance is maintained.
Both lads assert that there's no bad time in a relationship to buy a girlfriend lingerie. "In some ways there's still almost a mini taboo when it comes to buying lingerie," says Christopher. "But I don't think you can buy it too soon in a relationship so long as it's the right thing you're buying in terms of style and size. That said, if you've only just met a woman and the next day you're buying her lingerie it might be a bit much. Apart from that ? "
And once men get over their initial fear of finding themselves surrounded by pants and bras they're keen to get more hands on with the whole process. "I've had men come in for help on buying lingerie and then seen them back buying more a couple of days later," says Christopher.
"A lot of men are used to women buying lingerie and looking good in it and it's not really a process they're involved in. But as soon as I start showing them products they get more sure of what they're looking for. The important thing is to make sure he's getting the balance right between what he wants to buy and what the woman is likely to want to wear."
Sports bras aren't popular. " It's always the more dressy stuff," says Ciaran. "The bestsellers are from the TV campaign - the Autograph and Ceriso range. A lot of men ask what product it is they've seen on TV - they know that it might not make their girlfriend look exactly like the model on TV (the depressingly sexy Noemie Lenoir) but they still think it will look pretty good."
Once they're started there's no fear of more complex items like basques, says Ciaran. "Generally men have a good idea of how everything works and if not, then they're eager to learn."
Of course, from spending hours in the department, Ciaran and Christopher have settled upon their own personal favourites. "The purple set from the Autograph range, " they both decide with Christopher adding a close runner-up contender in red and black from the Ceriso range.
But the biggest thing that men need to realise is - size matters. "Without the right sizes there's not a lot we can do," says Ciaran. "But it's also become clear that a lot of women don't know what size they are so we've had men dragging their girlfriends in to get measured," adds Christopher.
It's evident the stocking fellas are keen to do their job well. "I get a lot of satisfaction from the job," says Christopher. "And the customers are really grateful. I've had men shaking my hand and thanking me."
But what happens in the lingerie department stays in the lingerie department.
For although the men Ciaran and Christopher meet have laughed and joked with them while studying a wealth of ladies garments, the stocking fellas say it's a different case once they're out of the department. "I seen men that I've helped buy lingerie later on in menswear and they've ignored me, especially if they are with their partner I can see them looking at me thinking 'don't say anything'."
Still, it's a job they wouldn't mind staying in.
"It's a pity in some ways that it only runs until Christmas Eve because men don't just want to buy lingerie at Christmas," says Christopher.
" Trade booms at Christmas but there's also birthdays and Valentine's Day.
"It would be nice if there was someone in store even for a few hours at different times of the year."
"It's been a good learning experience and socially it's great craic," says Ciaran.
" I wouldn't need to be asked twice to do it again."
The only time the men say they might have to draw the line is if either one of their dads came in seeking advice.
"It would just give me a mental image that seems wrong," says Christopher, shaking his head.
scriptgirl
Active Member
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- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 12,226
- Reaction score
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springfield state journal
“Rush Hour 3”
Rated PG-13 (New Line)
In 2007’s summer of the three-quel, none demanded greater explanation for its existence than this third teaming of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as cops clashing with culture and criminals. With not one spark of inventiveness, it’s the same as its predecessors — dancing to Edwin Starr’s “War,” martial arts in opulent rooms, actors who should know better turning out to be the bad guy.
This time, Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) are investigating the attempted assassination of the Chinese ambassador (whose daughter they rescued in part one) in Paris. It leads them to a leggy beauty (Noemie Lenoir), a secretive leader of a Triad gang, a brother-gone-bad from Lee’s past and an overly invasive French detective (embarrassingly played by Roman Polanski).
A single-disc edition offers both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 Surround tracks, but no extras. A two-disc adds commentary from director Brett Ratner, deleted scenes with commentary, a featurette and gag reel. A Blu-ray edition adds enhanced visual commentary
“Rush Hour 3”
Rated PG-13 (New Line)
In 2007’s summer of the three-quel, none demanded greater explanation for its existence than this third teaming of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as cops clashing with culture and criminals. With not one spark of inventiveness, it’s the same as its predecessors — dancing to Edwin Starr’s “War,” martial arts in opulent rooms, actors who should know better turning out to be the bad guy.
This time, Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) are investigating the attempted assassination of the Chinese ambassador (whose daughter they rescued in part one) in Paris. It leads them to a leggy beauty (Noemie Lenoir), a secretive leader of a Triad gang, a brother-gone-bad from Lee’s past and an overly invasive French detective (embarrassingly played by Roman Polanski).
A single-disc edition offers both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 Surround tracks, but no extras. A two-disc adds commentary from director Brett Ratner, deleted scenes with commentary, a featurette and gag reel. A Blu-ray edition adds enhanced visual commentary
scriptgirl
Active Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 12,226
- Reaction score
- 5
this is north scotland
“Rush Hour 3”
Rated PG-13 (New Line)
In 2007’s summer of the three-quel, none demanded greater explanation for its existence than this third teaming of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as cops clashing with culture and criminals. With not one spark of inventiveness, it’s the same as its predecessors — dancing to Edwin Starr’s “War,” martial arts in opulent rooms, actors who should know better turning out to be the bad guy.
This time, Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) are investigating the attempted assassination of the Chinese ambassador (whose daughter they rescued in part one) in Paris. It leads them to a leggy beauty (Noemie Lenoir), a secretive leader of a Triad gang, a brother-gone-bad from Lee’s past and an overly invasive French detective (embarrassingly played by Roman Polanski).
A single-disc edition offers both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 Surround tracks, but no extras. A two-disc adds commentary from director Brett Ratner, deleted scenes with commentary, a featurette and gag reel. A Blu-ray edition adds enhanced visual commentary
“Rush Hour 3”
Rated PG-13 (New Line)
In 2007’s summer of the three-quel, none demanded greater explanation for its existence than this third teaming of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as cops clashing with culture and criminals. With not one spark of inventiveness, it’s the same as its predecessors — dancing to Edwin Starr’s “War,” martial arts in opulent rooms, actors who should know better turning out to be the bad guy.
This time, Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) are investigating the attempted assassination of the Chinese ambassador (whose daughter they rescued in part one) in Paris. It leads them to a leggy beauty (Noemie Lenoir), a secretive leader of a Triad gang, a brother-gone-bad from Lee’s past and an overly invasive French detective (embarrassingly played by Roman Polanski).
A single-disc edition offers both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 Surround tracks, but no extras. A two-disc adds commentary from director Brett Ratner, deleted scenes with commentary, a featurette and gag reel. A Blu-ray edition adds enhanced visual commentary
scriptgirl
Active Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 12,226
- Reaction score
- 5
translated from the French
infrarouge
What impresses you the most?
Je ne remets jamais au lendemain ce que je peux ou dois faire le jour même.
I can never give back after what I can or must do on the same day.
infrarouge
What impresses you the most?
Je ne remets jamais au lendemain ce que je peux ou dois faire le jour même.
I can never give back after what I can or must do on the same day.
Ça m'épate.
It m'épate.
Et ce qui vous déçoit le plus ?
And what disappoints you the most? Mon sale caractêre, je m'emporte trop vite.
My dirty caractêre I emotion too fast. Mais je me suis calmée, j'ai renversé mon pot de fleur aujourd'hui...
But I calmed down, I knocked my flower pot today ... Et bien j'ai remis la terre, les fleurs et tout ça avec beaucoup de calme !
Well, I handed the earth, flowers and everything with great calm! (Rires)
(Laughter)
Les hommes osent-ils vous aborder ?
Men dare they touch you? Comment s'y prennent-ils ?
How you can take? Ils n'ont jamais réussi à m'aborder.
They have never managed to m'aborder. J'ai toujours fait le premier pas !
I have always taken the first step! Ça m'est égal.
I do not care.
Quelle est la question que ceux qui vous croisent, vous posent le plus souvent ?
What is the question that those who cross you, you ask most often? "Est-ce que tu rencontres des gens connus ?".
"Can you meet famous people?".
