Mike Bartlett Ups His Game at the Almeida Theatre

Are you game?, photo courtesy of Visit London

            I almost didn’t recognize the Almeida Theatre as I made my way, not to a particular seat, but to a zone for Mike Bartlett’s play, Game. Each audience member was allocated to a different zone with its own unique vantage point. I was handed a set of headphones and entered a confined space decked out in camouflage. A cushioned seat and three television screens greeted me, along with my fellow viewers, who sat a little too close for comfort. I would soon learn that grazing arms with the person next to me would not be the most invasive encounter of the evening.

             The shutters previously obscuring my view opened and introduced a couple in their new home. With my headphones nestled securely to my head, I tuned in to the voices of Carly (Jodie McNee) and Ashley (Mike Noble). Suddenly, I was no longer an avid audience member, but a voyeur in the most Hitchcock way imaginable. The set, or should I say house, was very cleverly devised. It had all of the elements of a “dream house:” a kitchen that spilled into the living room, a spiral staircase, a hot tub, and lots of open space.

             Meanwhile, my headphones were picking up sounds from elsewhere, sounds that synchronized with what the television sets were broadcasting. It became apparent that I was looking at audience members seated in separate zones, while the actors made their rounds to each one. Not only were we watching then, but we were also being watched by unseen strangers, veiled under a cloak of camouflage.

 Carly (Jodie McNee) and Ashley (Mike Noble) move into their "dream house," photo courtesy of Keith Pattison

             Before I viewed Game, there was an air of mystery surrounding it, because I like to approach the theatre by keeping myself in the dark. That’s not to say that I don’t do my research before attending a production, but I tend to restrict my amount of knowledge pertaining to the play. Reading other reviews only clouds my own judgment and I like to enter the theatre with an open mind. I have to say, Game was not what I was expecting at all.

             Encased in their glass “cage,” Carly and Ashley became subhuman, as if I were watching animals in a zoo. As they engaged in mundane tasks like putting away groceries or more intimate exchanges such as arguments, I felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable. Most unnerving of all to witness was perhaps the sex, because I was invading this couple’s privacy, along with all of the other wide-eyed peeping Toms surrounding me. To put it bluntly, we all watched their child’s moment of conception.

             You’re probably wondering what’s the catch. Well, whenever things seem too good to be true, they probably are. Carly and Ashley were afforded their dream house in a housing crisis under one condition: they had to agree to be “game.” Paying customers would take shots at them with tranquilizer darts as they pleased, but the couple would never be forewarned as to when the shots would come. When their son was born, he was placed on the market and he dropped to the floor just like his parents, but with even more ease.

The voyeur's view, photo courtesy of Keith Pattison

             In my zone, a group of girls stumbled in during drunken mid-birthday celebrations. They thought it would be fun to take aim at Carly over and over again. Their complete lack of empathy was jarring, but it made me think of something. When humans hunt animal “game,” this same callousness and complete disregard for life is also present. Only when confronted with the reality of the human equivalent do we see the barbarity of something like trophy hunting.

             When we watch animals having sex, fighting, or with their young, we find it amusing. Yet, people have also become “game,” open to public consumption. Take the example of television series Big Brother, where people tune in to watch the lives of others in an enclosed house. I’ve never been able to grasp why this constitutes entertainment, but then we all have our own ideas of fun.

             I began to feel a bit claustrophobic, a bit panicked, as Game neared its impactful end. That was the point when conscience and ethics tag teamed and made their appearance in the play. Carly and Ashley decided that they needed to leave the “dream” behind, because the risk was becoming greater than the reward. David (Kevin Harvey), the man responsible for manning the station with the tranquilizer gun, entered the house for the first time. Carly and Ashley’s son didn’t want to leave and he was quivering underneath a cardboard box.

Photo courtesy of Keith Pattison

             The little boy had become very fond of a solider game on a handheld electronic device, so David managed to coax him out by giving him instructions and addressing him as "Soldier." Haunting, ghostly images of real military soldiers were suddenly projected onto the walls of the house and the static in my headphones became too much to bear. As a military brat, I felt overcome with emotion. The play’s program featured an article with a newspaper headline reading: “More British soldiers commit suicide than die in battle, figures suggest.” When David was left alone, presumably a former solider himself, he turned the tranquilizer gun on himself as we watched him die. Game over.

             Most of us are familiar with the character Jigsaw from the Saw horror movie franchise. He is often quoted as chillingly asking his victims, “Would you like to play a game?” before they either die or manage to survive one of his sadistic tasks. That’s what life is all about: survival. Bartlett forces the issue out into the open with his thought-provoking play.

             The “game” is really referring to the game of life, which is also the name of a board game. Again, we can play pretend in a make-believe world for a while, imitating ourselves. The board game mimics real life, with options such as a career, college, marriage, and children. Let’s not forget one of my personal favorites either, The Sims. War-based video game Call of Duty is not in fact the real deal, the real battlefield. We don’t have multiple lives or do-overs in reality. If you can make it through each day, if you can learn how to play the real game of life, you’ll come out on top as a winner.

             Game finishes its run at the Almeida Theatre today, April 4^th. Book your last minute tickets here. 

Photo courtesy of Keith Pattison

Earn Your Fashion Stripes with Farfetch

Recreate these looks and get inspired on the Farfetch website here, infographic courtesy of Farfetch

             Although most Londoners were left a little underwhelmed during yesterday’s solar eclipse due to some unwanted clouds, March 20^th also signaled the first day of spring. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already started preparing for the spring by ditching my dark ensembles and revamping my outfits with pops of color. The weather might be unpredictable, but one timeless trend that we can count on to accompany the arrival of spring is stripes. Spring/Summer 2015 looks to be no different with this tried and tested design.

             The versatility of stripes makes it very difficult to have a wardrobe malfunction. Indeed, they are a staple in my own closet. Vertical stripes conjure up the image of a crisp, collared shirt ironed to perfection for a job interview. Navy blue and white horizontal stripes are the classic embodiment of Parisian chic. Who could resist a young-faced Johnny Depp in his black and white striped prison uniform in the 90’s film Cry Baby? Going to jail never looked so good…Then there’s fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who has made sailor stripes his trademark across his 40-year career and not once have they looked out of place on the catwalk or on the shelves. This really is quite the sartorial achievement, especially considering that the fast turnover of the fashion industry means most trends are “out” before they are even “in.”

             Even the unsavory Freddy Krueger made a style statement in his chunky knit red and green striped sweater. We could go so far as to argue that the comic strip character Dennis the Menace is the original 2D mascot for stripes. To ensure you don’t channel either of these less than desirable characters, look no further than the Farfetch infographic provided above. Whether Françoise Hardy, Cyndi Lauper, or Audrey Hepburn is your style icon, you too can earn your fashion stripes.

             To prove the lasting power of stripes, I needed to look no further than my style blog, A Stitch in Time. In May 2014, my outfit post consisted of a striped sweater and denim short dungarees. When I was shopping this weekend, what lined the racks of the stores? Dungarees and stripes, stripes, and more stripes.

Diamonds might be forever, but so are stripes. View my full outfit post here.

Selfridges Set to Suit Everyone's Agender

Selfridges department store located on London's Oxford Street, photo courtesy of Dezeen

             If we take a trip back to the 1980s, we will discover that the bending of gender rules is not a new concept. Stars such as David Bowie and Grace Jones dominated and perhaps even pioneered the open discussion about blurred lines. Fast-forward to the present day and we have the intriguing androgyny of actress Tilda Swinton (who inspired Vivienne Westwood’s Autumn/Winter 2014 womenswear collection), singer Janelle Monáe, and model Andreja (formerly Andrej) Pejić.

Actress Tilda Swinton looking rather reminiscent of David Bowie (left) and singer Janelle Monáe sporting her characteristic suit and tie ensemble (right), photos courtesy of Pinterest

             For example, Pejić was born a male, but went on to model women’s and men’s clothing (both beautifully, might I add). Pejić, curlers in hair, posed removing a white shirt on the 2011 cover of Dossier Journal. U.S. bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders feared that their customers would view Pejić as a topless woman, which resulted in shielding the image with an opaque sleeve. Pejić, who previously reported living “in between genders,” underwent sex reassignment surgery to become a woman in 2014.

Andreja Pejić's controversial 2011 cover for Dossier Journal, photo courtesy of The Huffington Post

             Some people might argue that, in the year 2015, we are in a more enlightened and accepting age than ever before in terms of gender identity. It is indeed true that the times, they are a-changin’. A year ago, Facebook traded in the “male” and “female” gender options for a more inclusive 56-item list to choose from, such as: bigender, cisgender, gender fluid, genderqueer, pangender, transgender, transsexual etc. If you don’t know what any of those mean, I highly recommend that you look them up (I definitely had some researching to do)!  

             The word on the street is that Selfridges department store, located in the heart of London’s Oxford Circus, will be dedicating three of its four floors to a gender-neutral shopping space called Agender. Grace Jones, eat your heart out. The Manchester and Birmingham Selfridges outlets, as well as the official Selfridges website, will also be jumping on board. The takeover will be implemented come March 1^st until the end of April.

             The next kicker is that the new gender-neutral revamp will also apply to mannequins, beauty products, and accessories. Instead of traditional male and female mannequins, the department store’s windows will be given a non-gender-specific makeover. Photography, film, music, and design pieces delving into the concept of gender will additionally be featured in-store and on the Selfridges website.

A previous KTZ design (left) and a creation from Hood by Air during this month's New York Fashion Week (right), photos courtesy of The Daily Mail and The New York Times

             Interior and furniture designer Faye Toogood will be responsible for bringing the concept spaces to life. Expect to see brands such as KTZ, Trapstar, and Hood by Air. I predict that BOY LONDON will stay sitting pretty as it watches the newcomers encroach on its already well-established unisex territory. Toogood’s ready-to-wear collection, a capsule collection by Bodymap, Nicola Formichetti’s collection Nicopanda, a collection from footwear brand Underground, and Rad Hourani’s made-to-order couture designs are all set to make an appearance. You will also be able to feast your eyes on designs by labels including Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garçons, Meadham Kirchhoff, and Gareth Pugh.

Gender-neutral looks by Meadham Kirchhoff (left), Toogood (center), and Nicopanda (right), photos courtesy of Women's Wear Daily

             Gucci’s Autumn/Winter 2015 collection saw the emergence of women walking the menswear runways, while Acne’s male models donned feminist scarves with empowering phrases: “Woman Power,” “Radical Feminist,” “Gender Equality.” Cos and Gap have noted the upsurge of menswear purchases by women, while men have gravitated towards buying women’s knitwear. As if we needed further proof, this month’s New York Fashion Week has shown that the next big trend to adopt comes in the form of a gender shakeup.

Gucci's Autumn/Winter 2015 menswear collection included women on the runways (left), while Acne debuted feminist scarves (right), photos courtesy of DAZED

             In Sweden, a toy catalog challenged gender stereotypes with images of a boy in a Spiderman outfit pushing a pink stroller and a girl wearing denim riding a yellow tractor. In 2012, the gender-neutral personal pronoun hen was added to the online version of Sweden’s National Encylopedia as an alternative to the Swedish han (he) and hon (she). In the United States last year, an employee who wished to be identified by a gender-neutral pronoun sued her company for $518,000 when coworkers insisted on using female pronouns.

Leklust, a Swedish toy company, proposed a gender role reversal in one of their catalogs, photo courtesy of Leklust

             Where you draw the line on the gender-neutral discussion is a matter of opinion, but soon Selfridges will be forcing the conversation out into the open. The fact that the high-end department store is backing such a revolutionary implementation speaks volumes. Perhaps Selfridges could act as the catalyst for some major changes to occur as it tests the cultural norms of our society.

             A Selfridges spokesperson told The Times, “We want to take our customers on a journey where they can shop and dress without limitations or stereotypes…a space where clothing is no longer imbued with directive gender values, enabling fashion to exist as a purer expression of ‘self.’” This powerful statement is hopefully a foreshadowing of a new wave of fashion to follow suit, where boundaries are jagged and edges are fuzzy. Lines will be crossed and that’s okay. Fashion is meant to be controversial, a talking point. Life isn’t always black and white, so it’s about time we made room for the gray. 

             Female, male, or anything in between…it doesn’t really matter. All I know is that never before have you been given a better excuse to steal your boyfriend or girlfriend’s shirt and absolutely rock it. Browse the Selfridges website here.