Awhile ago I mentioned the fabulous The Next Big Thing contest at FredFlare.com. Because I’m very smitten with this contest, I stopped in to see the 27 lucky submissions selected from thousands for the shop this year — and to decide which one I could vote to give the $1000 prize to.
As to be expected from Fred Flare there are many adorable things to wear, including, for you cephalopod collectors, these playful octopus pins by Nut and Bee.
Celebrity designers include Project Runway champ Jay McCarroll and Jennifer Danielle Perkins of the Naughty Secretary Club and Craft Lab on the DIY Network. And while cuteness abounds in this year’s array of goodies there are a few clever ideas too, like this Baker’s Edge brownie pan which allows everyone who loves the crispy, chewy brownies on the edge of the pan to get their fill.
I don’t even like the brownies on the edge of the pan, but I’ve seen enough fights break-out over these few edge pieces to know this is an excellent idea. I was almost ready to give it my Fred Fan Fave vote when this description of a short film by Candy Eye Factory caught my eye:
In it, 3 chic heroines marvel at the 1980s biggest fashion hits & misses in a scheme to sell vintage clothing to style-starved teens!
I just had to see it.
Just 13 minutes long, The Mallorys Go Black Market DVD is pure perfection.
The premise is simple: Three girls join forces to make some fast money by selling retro fashions on the Russian black market. Their goal: to gather retro clothes here in the US that young girls in Russia want — namely, 80’s styles worn by Mallory Keaton on Family Ties — and make a killing.
But like most simple things, it never is that simple — especially when friends are involved. Triple the threats when you’ve got fashionistas involved in selling clothing.
So what will happen when the big meal ticket, a Foxy O’Clock jacket, item is coveted by one of the girls?
If the premise is promising, the style of the film delivers.
The mockumentary style gives you the feeling of ‘being there’ without compromising the wry comedy. Visually strong, with creative use of color filters, and compact (both design wise and cinematography), the film is, in a word, edgy.
Watching it you have all the sweet satisfaction of a brownie (chewy edge piece or the more moist inside ones, your choice), with none of the calories. It’s a film fix and a nostalgic time capsule — not just of the fashions, but chicks will be reminded of friendship splits and how clothes can mend more than fences, but souls too.
As Candy Eye Factory says, “The Mallorys Go Black Market suggests that the shallow and the superficial are, in fact, sometimes the quickest fix for emotional bruises. For some people, style actually is substance.”
Yummy.
No wonder it’s a Spirit of Slamdance Award winner.
Who would spent nearly a dollar a minute to watch this DVD? Well, I would have if the folks at Fred Flare hadn’t kindly given me a review copy. And I recommend it highly to fans of Indie film, fashion divas, rag dealers, and any woman who survived the fashions of the 80’s. Give The Mallorys Go Black Market $12 and it’ll give you more than 13 minutes of entertainment. I’m still gushing to all my friends about it!
Naturally, The Mallorys Go Black Market DVD won my vote for the Next Big Thing. They sure deserve the $1,000 prize in my book, and thus received my Fred Fan Fave vote. But who will get yours?
The Next Big Thing 2007 voting booth is open until July 13th, so there’s plenty of time! To vote, just click here, then click the “click to vote” button. This will take you to a page with a pulldown-box listing each designer; select and vote.
