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Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Capitol Covergirl
I think we all knew a day like this would come, a day when it was official in our minds that The Hunger Games is a cosmetics companies wet dream come true. Yep, I said wet dream. It’s true though, because today it was announced that Covergirl Cosmetics is partnering with Lionsgate Studios, and creating an entire Capitol based campaign for the up coming release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Am I surprised by this development? Nope. Am I disappointed? Not really, because this is a bona fide money-maker of a franchise, and Covergirl is one of the most commercial, and successful cosmetics companies in the world. Covergirl are also no strangers to partnering with successful, and highly commercial ventures, like America’s Next Top Model the hugely popular modeling competition program hosted by former super model Tyra Banks. Come to think of it, Tyra Banks even wrote a Hunger Games-esque novel, called Modelland not too long ago. Anyway, Tyra and her attempts at authoring mediocre novels aside, Covergirl and Lionsgate are in for a real treat, and the treat is most likely making a butt load of money.
It’s no stretch of the imagination that with these two companies partnering up,
More like this, less like anything we’ve ever seen before.
they’ll likely come up with some fairly interesting ad campaigns that will pique even the most illiterate individual’s interest. I’m also not surprised that the
campaign being teased already is Capitol focused, we are the Capitol, there’s simply no way to get around that fact. I only ask this if both companies, don’t skimp, don’t hold back, if you want to go Capitol, go Capitol. And when I say Capitol, I mean Wizard of Oz meets Brazil, meets Marie Antoinette, meets French and Italian haute couture, covered in feathers, and painted baby blue. Think of a peacock, add sparkles, with a dash of the Jazz Age– do not be scared, do not pass go, go crazy like you’ve never gone crazy before. Then breathe, and then scream, and then design to your hearts content. I also suggest some Radiohead, and some Pixie Stix be purchased ASAP, maybe some Bjork for good measure.
This is the Capitol, ladies, and gentlemen… not Top Model.
Them There Eyes
Victor’s Village’s Panem Vacation
After a certain point of vacation planning, you begin to measure everything in your live by how far away it is from your vacation like “Four more nights of sleep before vacation!” or “One more day of work before vacation!”
Today, my Victor’s Village declaration is “One more post until vacation!”
The closest we’ll ever be to “going to Panem”!
It’s not that I don’t love writing posts or interacting with you lovely people, just that I’m pretty damn excited to sit on a beach and sip mojitos (oh yeah, and attend my only sibling’s wedding)!
Of course, that got me thinking about vacations in Panem, where there’s really no option to travel to a faraway beaches to simply sit around and only drink things with those little umbrellas in there. Their beaches are crazy eroded versions of ours, used for practical purposes like fishing. District citizens along the coastline seem to do their share of swimming, but Katniss certainly doesn’t recognize it as something people do for fun. It’s a skill set! When you work on a boat, being a strong swimmer is preferable to dying in the midst of hard labor.
Plus, District citizens are too deprived for days off, let alone vacations! Those fancy schmancy things are reserved of the elite class of Capitol citizens!
There’s a really disturbing quote in the books in which Katniss explains that Capitol citizens really only have a few places to vacation: THE OLD ARENAS. Because those pampered little prisses sure as hell ain’t gonna make it in the districts! The Capitol citizens travel to the secure former arenas, where they go on tours, witness reenactments, and get to explore the life of a tribute… except with way less things that can kill them. Scarely, it’s not all that different from those “Live Like A Hunger Games Tribute” fan tours out there right now! It probably doesn’t hurt that most of the arenas are in charming, exotic locales that are breathtaking once you remove all the DEATH from the equation… and the food is scrumptious.
The way to vacation, right thurrrr!
Capitol citizens are narrow-minded and spoiled and not that bright, we know. But don’t they ever wonder what’s going on the the world outside those arenas?
There’s 12 districts! Probably with uncharted territory in between! All sorts of different people! No matter how much they love themselves and their way of life, were none of them curious about something that DIDN’T involve the games? Didn’t Finnick fangirls want to do to District 4 and kiss the ground he once walked? Or see the places where famous, glorious battles happened during The Uprising 75 years ago? Or not be in The Rockies because it’s not exactly known for the amazing weather?
Some vacations are panem et circenses, but others are much more than that. We see the sites. We try new things. We go to museums, for goodness sake! We get lost and eat too much and stay in questionable temporary living spaces! These Capitol types don’t know what they’re missing out on, but let’s hope they wonder.
Adios, Mi Amigos!
The Girl With The Pearl
Show me the money!
Just imagine.
You’re walking down a Capitol street, your bright pink mink coat wrapped around your dyed-blue shoulders and your heel-less shoes stomping up the way. You come across this shop with a dress covered with ruffles – I’m serious, even the ruffles have ruffles – and you decide you have to have it. You reach into your pocketbook and you pull out…
What?
Something that I’m always interested to know when it comes to futuristic societies in books, TV and film is what has happened to the money. Since Panem is located in North America, it’s widely accepted among the fandom that it is comprised of parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico. It would not make much sense for just the American dollar, Canadian dollar, or the Mexican peso to be used as the currency of the nation.
We know that the “currency” of District 12 is primarily in the form of trade – though in the movie Katniss does ask the lady who sells her the mockingjay pin “How much?”, implying some use of money – but it seems unlikely that it is that way across all the districts and even more unlikely for the Capitol. Not to mention that in District 12, the trade economy seems more or less de facto rather than Capitol-sanctioned, considering the Hob goes up in flames in Catching Fire.
So back to the scenario above. Do you hand over a card similar to our credit and debit cards? Has paper money at least in concept withstood the catastrophes that occurred prior to the formation of Panem, so you’re offering a bill worth 15 pans (15PN for short)? Is there a machine that scans your eyes or your fingerprint or a chip imbedded in your neck that links to a bank account?
We don’t know how the money thing actually works in Panem, but we know how the wealth does: the rich are über rich and the poor are devastatingly poor. Whatever the rich have, they have a lot of it, and whatever the poor have they barely have any of it.
Yo dawg that dress cost 2000 nemmies that’s outrageous
Twiffidy
The Halfpipe Theater
Last night, I went to see a concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. As I hadn’t bought the tickets I had no idea where our seats would be and it turns out we were in the nosebleed section. Last time I had been up there was Backstreet Boys Black and Blue tour in 2001 (aw yeah, you jealous?), so I forgot how freaking terrifying it can be to be that high up, seemingly out in the open, and also at that steep of an angle that is not normal for your average stadium seating situation.
All of these thoughts entered my mind and then of course reminded me of this:
Are people in the future, mainly Capitol citizens, just not afraid of heights?!
I remember while seeing The Hunger Games in theaters that shot would generally elicit a collective gasp from the audience, and rightly so. How does it even work? No panes of protective fiberglass to keep people or their possessions from flying down into the sections below, just a halfpipe-like theater jam-packed with (mostly computer-generated) Capitol citizens complete with crazy hair and outlandish outfits. No wonder Katniss Everdeen was so nervous!
And how do they even get up there? I don’t imagine many Capitol citizens wanting to walk up so many stairs and at that steep angle too. There are no doors or breaks, not even a defined balcony. I like to imagine they all start at ground level and everyone buckles in (safety first!) and the seats and the floor mechanically shoot straight up in this formation. God help you if you’ve got to pee during the middle of the interviews.
Question is, will we see this again for Catching Fire? Maybe if we do, we can get a better look and figure out how it works.
So yes, when I’m scared, I go straight to The Hunger Games.
Brand It
Sometimes I wonder about the inner workings of The Capitol, or more like the surface-y workings of the Capitol that people who live in the Capitol probably think are tantamount to global warming, or veganism. The name of the game is this brand loyalty, does it exist in the Capitol, or are they more concerned with style over whose name is stitched across their backside? In my real life I have family who work in the fashion industry, and they’ve informed me over the course of a career that’s spanned nearly 20 years, that believe it or not since the 90s, when everything was seemingly Who you were wearing for the lady folks, that men have become the brand loyalists. Hard to fathom, right– or is it? I dunno, you come to your own conclusions on that one. Anyway, real life aside the subject should really be about the Capitol’s adherence to brand loyalty, or better yet– do we think they even have brands?
I posit this, they do– they just have to reinvent themselves even faster than The Gap (Old Navy for the cheapies). Hell, I remember a time when acid washed jeans were available at The Gap, now it’s cardigans, and whatever it is you crazy kids are wearing now a-days. Kidding, I
wear cardigans too, and some of them aren’t in neutral colors, hold the gasping to a minimum. Here’s another thought along the brand vein– would the stylists that work The Hunger Games be above having their own fashion lines? We know from the viral marketing that was used during The Hunger Games promotions, that prominent Capitol personalities like Caesar Flickerman, and Seneca Crane were featured in a toothpaste ad, and beard trimmer ad, and then of course there was Cinna advertising his ever-present gold eye liner, and Effie advertising her faux eye lashes. I know these Capitol ads were for our benefit, because Effie is not a Capitol celebrity, and Cinna’s 1st Games were the 74th, but I still wonder– in a fictional world, in Panem’s fictional world– would those ads have actually ran, or would they have been more extreme, or more streamlined? We all know by now that The Capitol is an extreme place, where fashions change faster than a season, that people get body polishes, and plastic surgery to alter them selves to look like cats, and of course the pinnacle entertainment showcase of the year is literal fight to the death. Therefore, I say that the Capitol viral ads put forth by Lionsgate barely scratched the surface of the Capitol’s true brand loyalties, or true branding for that matter.
I wonder if The Capitol has a Starbucks on every corner? Now there’s a scary thought, bad coffee, and a city chock-a-block full of fashion victims. Ha.
Them There Eyes
FANSITE EXCLUSIVE: Official Beetee Character Portrait!
Victor’s Village, along with several of our fansite friends, are thrilled to be Capitol Tastemakers for this year’s Victory Tour!
Lionsgate already released triumphant character portraits for Effie Trinket, Caesar Flickerman, Haymitch Abernathy and our Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen.We’ll be analyzing them all Victor’s Village style later this week, so stay tuned for that!
Now, the Capitol Tastemakers are pleased to debut the portrait introducing you to the infamous Volts of District 3, Beetee!
Check Beetee out, sitting in a chair reminiscent of the electric chair, ready to pop the head off that white rose!
Hail the Conquering Victors!
A
bout an hour + ago we got one of the first tastes of the wonders yet to come, other wise known as we got a shiny, glossy, new, fabulous, highly styled, pretty-pretty, white rose laden, poster featuring our beloved Peeta, and our treasured Katniss promoting their Victory Tour! And the world wept, rejoiced, fan-fared, other stuff. No, really, everyone, guys, girls, whatever you identify your selves as– this may be short and sweet, but if this poster is signs of things yet to come? Visually speaking The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will surpass Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games, and quite possibly eat it for breakfast, with maybe a little salt and pepper on top?
Personally, I love the look, it’s polished, as in they look like they’ve been through a body polish a la The Capitol, it’s also streamlined, and the lighting is fantastic, and god knows I love me some good lighting (photographer, I’ve literally left locations because the light sucked), and of course the pièce de résistance– the costuming. Katniss’ dress is gorgeous, a sort of throw-back to the 1930′s with its pleated top, and of course it is white symbolising the image that the Capitol likes to project of her– that’s she’s pure. And then there’s Peeta, looking handsome as ever, also in 1930s style garb– check out the trousers, they have metal tabs instead of him wearing a belt– that’s a throw-back to old school styles right there (yes, I study fashion as well, sue me). I like that Trish Summerville has decided to keep continuity by using the 1930s styles Judianna established in the Districts, I think it falls in nicely as the 1930s was hard-times for most everyone, and also a booming time for Art Deco architecture, jewelry and clothing– which is reflected mostly in the avant garde styles in The Capitol. The way I like to think of it is, the Districts are stuck in the Depression, the Capitol is fully embracing the Victory Rolls, the shoulder pads, and mad fashions seen later in the 1940s, it’s all there if you’re paying attention, promise.
Be forewarned, this is just the beginning– because more is to come, we have months on end of nibbles that’ll hopefully only wet our appetites for the main event, and personally I cannot wait to see what they unfurl at us.
Them There Eyes
The Capitol at Fashion Week
Sam Claflin has spent the last several days gallivanting around New York Fashion Week with his fiancee, Laura Haddock, which was totally adorable. But there’s another reason for fans of The Hunger Games to be excited about Fashion Week: The Capitol comes to town!
We’re not exactly fashionistas over here at Victor’s Village, but we’re pretty confident that if we had to ft in with The Capitol crowd, we could rock that shit. As much as we love over jeans and t-shirts and hoodies, we’re forever picturing our own version of Capitol Couture. The Capitol look in the first film was great, but it was all very similar. Fashion Week is just an explosion of different colors and designs and accessories, much of which seems tailored specifically for The Capitol!
These designs are from a handful of different designers and collections from different fashion weeks, so there is no continuity. Also, ignore the models. That’s just how there faces are. We imagine it’s the lack of junk food.
Zuhair Muhad
Leave it to The Capitol to go about emulating Katniss’ Mockingjay dress without realizing it’s a sign of The Rebellion. They’ll make it shorter, shiner, more see-through and impossible to miss, kind of like this little number from Zuhair Murad.
Betsey Johnson
Betsey Johnson is the mother of her insane fashion. Much of it might be considered a little too juvenile for the sophisticated Capitol crowd, but these people want attention and this loud, bright color pattern will get them plenty of that. If nothing else, it’s a perfectly viable option for Capitol children.
Thom Browne
It’s Capitol business chic! Leave it to them to take the obnoxiously large shoulder padding of 80s style to a whole new level, going straight into the boxy look with lots of eye-catching details (look at the flower tights!) with this design from Thom Browne. The citizen would be almost completely covered from head to toe, but that certainly wouldn’t stop anyone from looking!
Ellie Saab
It’s a controversial debate in modern society, but it’s a universal truth: Nudity (or at least looking a bit nude) SELLS. By the time The Capitol rolls around, we imagine the world will be over that and citizens will be all about nude and skin-tone shades that give them an au natural look with a bit of flair. Ellie Saab is just a few decades ahead of the curve!
Giambattista Valli
This Giambattista Valli dress harkens back to the loud neon sensibilities that we saw in The Hunger Games movie, but it’s got more layers and structure. The WOW factor that was missing before is the X factor of this outfit, yet it doesn’t go too over-the-top. The movie could have used a bit more of this!
MORE UNDER THE CUT!
The Best of Hunger Games Halloween
First thing first! Welcome to our newly designed site! We decided it was time for a change, a new look that added some funky fresh levity around these parts– we are a humor site, after all– and something that doesn’t make you nauseous if you’re on the site too long! Kudos to TFGeekGirl for the design!
But there is some bad news– Sadly, one of our favorite nights of the year, Halloween, has come to pass. It’s the only night when it’s perfectly okay to dress up like a huge fangirly geek and act like a total fool in a large crowd of people! We miss it so!
Therefore, we have found some of the best Hunger Games Halloween garb from this year and years past for your viewing pleasure, a few of which came from the official Hunger Games Facebook!
Let’s just start with the Overall Winner, shall we?
*Over the continuous chorus of ‘Awwwwww’s* Oh little one! Perhaps your best Halloween has occurred before you’ve even developed a long-term memory, which is a shame! We don’t know where your mommy even managed to scrounge up a shiny blue suit that fit a toddler, but we would like to give her the highest of fives for this achievement. Let’s just hope you don’t develop a costume complex in the future!
Onto an oldie but a goodie, Best Handmade Design!
There’s probably somebody out there who now seriously regrets bringing their old wedding dress to that thrift shop, but we cannot feel sympathy for them because the end result is too fantastic: Katniss, mid-transformation between the Capitol wedding dress and Cinna’s Mockingjay dress. Even though it’s only the bottom of the dress, it looks like making that would be a bit painstaking to put together! 10 cookies from Mellark bakery to the lady behind this getup!
When you’re not really sure what you’re doing, just go for the Best False Confidence!
It takes a lot of cojones to dress up like Panem’s equivalent of the sexist man alive, Finnick Odair, especially with those sandals and the guyliner and the awkwardly burned seaform shorts. But this guy looks like he’s got a rousing chorus of “I’m Sexy and I Know It” pumping through his head as he stands next to Katniss. We don’t know anyone else who could pull that off! Bravo, good sir!
Want to get wild? Check out the Best Take on Capitol Citizens!
Clearly, the girls were WAY more in this than their male companion, who just kind of looks like Willy Wonka. All the same, it’s pretty hardcore to see the Prep Team out and about. People from the Capitol other than Effie need love too! All the points to the woman who was gutsy enough to paint a large portion of her skin green, despite the fact that most people wouldn’t get the reference!
Last but not least, the Best Use of Sports Equipment!
Football pads? Baseball helmets? If you’ve ever played sports or know someone who has, you know these things don’t always come cheap, so why not fashion them into pure, unfiltered badassery in your spare time to save extra money?! Add some white clothes and it’s super simple, yet effective! You don’t always have to go crazy to make an impression, after all.
You may have noticed that we didn’t showcase any Effies! It’s not because none of them were great, it’s because this year was a veritable EFFIE EXPLOSION and too many of them were great. Just search “Effie Trinket costume” to see what we mean. Seriously, we could dedicate several posts to that hotness, but then you all may start to judge us.
Until Next Year, Shine On You Crazy Diamonds,
The Girl With The Pearl
The District Pride Rodeo
When it comes to District pride, some of us just have the advantage over others!
Here’s pride for you!
In the beginning of the month, The Capitol PN Facebook asked fans to submit photos showing off their District pride. The best entries will be presented to all of Panem as “Model Citizens”.
If you’re from the technology district or the lumber district, that may be an easy task! Pose with all your electronic devices! Climb a tree! Whammo! District Pride at its best!
But then there are people like us, stuck in districts where things get just a wee bit trickier!
Victor’s Village is on District 10, aka the Livestock district. In reality, we live in a horrible place to raise livestock. We could find a cow, but we don’t exactly have one handy with which to pose for photos! Incorporating District pride would require us to find a farm, sneak in, hope the grumpy owner doesn’t wake up and assume we’re there to tip cows (as if we have the upper body strength!), and snap a photo. Mind you, the flash from the camera would likely startle the cow and its companions, at which point an angry bovine stampede will commence. Thanks, President Snow!
Best look EVER?! We think so!
“You don’t have to pose with livestock!” You say. “Just dress up like a cattle rancher or something!” What does a rancher look like?! We’re thinking cartoon cowboys. Imagine us in a cheesy cowgirl costume, complete with the boots and a ten gallon hat, shaming every rancher who didn’t spend the majority of their time in a John Wayne film! We would look good, mind you, DAMN GOOD! But futuristic ranchers probably aren’t rocking cowgirl chic (nor are modern day ones, we presume).
Of course, while dressed in the costume we could always try to sneak attack a family member or friend, perhaps a co-worker. We’ll just throw a rubber cow or chicken mask over their head and take photos as we attempt to lasso them…. Though that may be a bit more “Honey Boo Boo” than “District Pride”. We’re pretty sure the districts don’t pride themselves in looking like complete asshats. The Capitol? Maybe. But not the Districts!
Isn’t being obsessed with The Hunger Games pride enough?!
The Girl With The Pearl
