Toujours en Vogue

I Love Ballet

2010-11-15T22:25:00.002-05:00

Especially Anna Pavlova.What I find so amazing, so inspiring about the art of ballet is the contrasting components. The way a ballerina moves is so graceful, so poised and elegant. Yet, in order to move as they do, they must be incredibly strong. At the same time, a good ballerina can be as delicate as a baby daisy and suddenly propel into a powerful storm of a different kind of grace. A grace that is defined as a warrior-like quality. There's nothing quite like a good ballerina.

Here's some footage of Anna Pavlova performing 'Dying Swan' :

Vogue Italia Gioiello

2010-11-11T19:12:00.000-05:00

The latest Jewelry supplement for Vogue Italia included a smorgasbord of beautifully designed covers. In the world of jewelry, almost anything is possible. Almost anything goes. And, almost anything will have its 15 minutes of fame. From the here-forever classics, such as Chanel length necklaces and Audrey Hepburn pearls, to the excitingly explosive trend of a fistful of rings- Jewelry's seen it all. This issue of Gioiello also included a jewelry through the ages editorial- everything from charm bracelets in the '60s to rings with exuberant pigs on them in the '80s. The thing I love the most about jewelry is its innate power. Jewelry has the power to completely change the mood of an outfit. How many ways can one wear pearls? The answer is infinite. Jewelry has the power to manipulate the same simple outfit one day into something completely different the next day.

Alexander McQueen S/S '99

2010-11-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

Few designers can execute fashion as art and fashion as fashion at the same time as well as Alexander McQueen. It was a tragic loss for the fashion world when McQueen made his departure. Fashion lost its star performer. Some designers have tried and failed to make their shows as much of an experience as McQueen's. Hussein Chalayan's older shows are among the successful few.

For McQueen's Spring/Summer 1999 runway show, two mechanical robots were stationed around legendary model, Shalom Harlow on a spinning wooden platform. A sense of suspense was built up by the way the robots pensively moved, as if they were contemplating what they should do. When a decision is reached, the way the model reacts is up to our own interpretation. The story is given to us and we are the creators of what is actually happening. It takes a true artist to involve his or her viewer without literally interacting with them. A bond was born between anyone who attended Mcqueen's S/S '99 show, and anyone who ever watches this video.

Marcel Rochas' Seagull Bird Dress

2010-11-04T18:47:00.006-04:00

Once upon a time, in the year 1934, a couturier in Paris dreamt of an elegant little black dress. However, this was no ordinary dress. The dress in Marcel Rochas' mind was rather the opposite of ordinary. Attached to the front shoulder would be a seagull, one of its wings, particularly arched and curved forward. Perfectly running alongside any woman's face who had the brilliant opportunity to wear it. Like something straight out of a surrealistic painting, the dress was formulated, constructed and photographed for Harper's Bazaar- all in the year 1934. It's amazing what the past holds, isn't it?

Peggy Guggenheim's Butterfly Sunglasses

2010-09-28T18:18:00.004-04:00

Sunglasses will always have a dual purpose of disguising and revealing; both at once. To be incognito or to be rather the opposite? That is the question. There are those who choose to wear their kooky cat eyed sunglasses proudly, and there are those who choose to wear their JC Penny sunglasses as a mask, wherever they go. Indoors or outdoors, walking the streets or riding the subway... Curiously using them as a secret weapon to peer out at the outside world from behind their shield. Sunglasses really are funny things.

Peggy Guggenheim (1898 – 1979) was a American art collector and friend to the surrealists who chose to wear her butterfly sunglasses like a badge of honor. A vision of power; inspiring, shocking, and leaving others in complete awe. Most of these photos were taken around the late '60s.

Candy and a Currant Bun

2010-09-27T19:18:00.003-04:00

Edie Sedgwick in Warhol's Poor Little Rich Girl. Soundtrack is Candy and a Currant Bun by Pink Floyd.

Favorites from the September Issues

2010-09-19T10:26:00.004-04:00

Ah, September! The month of magazines packed with as many advertisements as they can fit... Each trying to out-do each other in number of pages as well as "Newness". September in fashion marks the month which symbolizes the time when we're really supposed to pull out our Autumn/Winter wardrobes... It's the time when the magazines start to style the models in warm fur coats, luscious leathers, and slick boots. However, it is at the same time Spring/Summer Fashion month. Collections in New York, London, Milan, and Paris are being presented for the seasons that seem so far away, in the middle of September. The fashion world will always be ahead of itself.

Numero China-

Vogue Italia-

Vogue China-

Vogue Portugal-

Vogue Paris-

Pierrot le Fou

2010-08-23T11:51:00.003-04:00

Pierrot le Fou (1965) is a French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It follows the events of a man who runs away with his nanny and former flame, Marianne, as they travel further and further into the South of France in attempt to find Marianne's "brother", as well as in attempt to escape the Algerian gangsters she happens to be involved with. The movie is very stylistically strong, belonging to the never formally organized Nouvelle Vague/French New Wave movement. Radical experiments with editing and striking visuals make this film a classic example of European art cinema.

Masked

2010-08-20T11:31:00.003-04:00

I leave you this Friday with a photo taken by the french photographer André Ostier of a couple dressed up for a ball given in the 1950's by Baron de Redé at the Hôtel Lambert.

So Light is Her Footfall

2010-08-18T10:49:00.002-04:00

With all the crazy shoes designers have the ability to design with the new given technology, spanning from McQueen' alien-like hunched platforms (S/S 2010), the Lego palace Balenciaga shoes (A/W 2007), it's pretty amazing that no designer has yet to tackle the idea of creating some kind of shoe embodying a cat. The closest thing to this idea would perhaps be Topshop's kitty flat. But I'd like to see something even closer to the resemblance of an actual cat. Maybe something like the shoes/feet in Romanian artist Victor Braunser's Mitsi (1939).

The Night Starts Here

2010-08-16T13:06:00.002-04:00

Vogue Italia, August 2010, presents rough leathers mixed with almost wimpish whimsical scattered pastel colored tattoos. Add garish golds and hard candy colored lips to the mix, and this is what you get:

Eileen Agar's Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse

2010-08-13T11:23:00.002-04:00

Eileen Agar (born 1899) was a British artist whose paintings and photographs are often associated with the surrealism movement. Agar had an interesting life, as she achieved almost overnight success after the first International Surrealist Exhibition in London at the New Burlington Galleries in 1936. One of her most important contributions to the world of surrealism and fashion- both together and as separate things on their own is her Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse. The hat itself was constructed of a cork base, painted yellow and blue, and was decorated with an orange colored plastic flower, a blue plastic star, assorted shells, two types of coral painted green and pink, two star fish, twists of paper, a very large glass bead, a piece of jigsaw puzzle, a piece of tree bark and a large fish bone. Agar placed a high value on the hat, and kept it in her own possession until her death 1991. The hat is now in the Victoria and Albert museum in London.

Be: Jeweled

2010-08-11T12:56:00.003-04:00

My quest for the ultimate odd experimentation on my nails continues. This time with a bunch of tiny Swarovski crystals chunked together sitting a top of shiny black polish.

Fornasetti's Lina Cavalieri

2010-08-09T11:17:00.005-04:00

Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988) was a painter, interior decorator, sculptor, and engraver from Italy. Out of the 11,000 items he created, over 500 of them consist of the face of one single woman; the Italian operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri. The Italian beauty's face spans over plates, paintings, and clocks, and other various objects of design. So, why create so many things related to one woman? The simple explanation Fornasetti offers is this: "I began to make them and I never stopped."

Scaffolding by Dior

2010-08-06T10:48:00.002-04:00

Plywood scaffolding in front of the Dior store on 57th street? Oh no, darling. A
very large leather handbag will hide the changes the store is making until it's reopening in December. The bag looks a little out of place; as if it had rained luxury goods and this particular handbag landed neatly on the sidewalk... or some sort of angry fashion god dropped it on the sidewalk in order to hurt pedestrians. Cloudy with a chance of Dior, anyone?

L'exposition internationale du surrealisme//

2010-08-03T12:23:00.003-04:00

The year is 1938, in Paris. Excitement runs fluid in the air as everyone holds their breath in anticipation of the approaching movement- surrealism. André Breton and Paul Éluard, both writers and founders of the surrealism movement organized the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme at the Galerie Beaux-Arts in Paris. Here, installations, photographs, and other outrageous and avant-garde works by artists of the upcoming movement were showcased. Salvador Dalí, Óscar Dominguez, Marcel Duchamp, Leo Malet, André Masson, Joan Miró, Wolfgang Paalen, Kurt Seligmann, Yves Tanguy, Marcel Jean, Max Ernst, Espinoza, Maurice Henry, Sonia Mosse, and Man Ray were among the select artists that were given mannequins and encouraged to outfit them in any possible way they wanted. Ah, surrealism and fashion. Is there anything better?

O' Venezia Venaga Venusia

2010-07-02T10:37:00.004-04:00

Anyone who has ever glanced at this blog knows how much I adore Fellini. So, today, I'm posting one of my favorite scenes from Fellini's Casanova. Despite what the youtube description says, the ballerina doll is not an automata, but a real person. There's something special about this part of the film because it reeks of antiquity but at the same time harbors a futuristic sense about it. The old clothing, the charming music of Nino Rota; but then, the robotic moves of the tiny doll.

The Essentials

2010-06-24T12:40:00.003-04:00

The ingredients to a good magazine editorial are actually quite simple. A good editorial must first consist, and be based on, the pure rules of aesthetic value. Is it beautiful? Is it interesting? Shocking or ugly in a way that makes one reel back in horror but come back to realize that there is still remaining beauty in the image? Could the image stand on its own as a piece of artwork? Often times, a figure wearing beautiful clothing against a mid-tone gray background is not enough. Sometimes the beautiful clothing begs to be overpowered by a paramount theme or background. A reclusive facade of fashion frontier is the perfect editorial. Often like fine art; inaccessible and intimidating to those who do not understand it.

Too many classless tattoos of inky butterflies and jumbled words aspiring to be some kind of poetry spattered across people's lower backs have made the creature lose much of its original innate beauty for me. However, in this editorial, the butterfly's beauty and grace are astounding. Butterflies should really only be dealt with by Alexander McQueen, Italian fashion magazines, and the hands of children. No tattoo artists, please.

Photos from Marie Claire Italia, June 2010.

Vogue POV July

2010-06-22T12:06:00.005-04:00

Every month American Vogue prints a page called Point of View in which a concentrated idea is cited. Sort of an empowering theme or mantra that leads into the focal fashion frontier of the month's issue. I found this month's POV to be particularly appealing...

"...I do not emulate the pop-burlesque fashion stylings of Ke$ha or Katy Perry. I do not aspire to passe morning-after chic, with bird's nest hair and shredded leather leggings. No. Of Lana Turner and Barbara Stanwyck- and Lena Horne- I sing.

(Have you felt the smooth, snug tug of fine leather gloves being pulled on? Have you considered the REBELLION, the nonconformity, inherent today in a Mamie Eisenhower knit suit? Have you worn a crinoline lately?"

Photos, Lana Turner

Pure Gold

2010-06-19T11:53:00.003-04:00

I've always loved gold nail polish. I've tried tons of brands and different variances of gold, but never have I seen anything quite like this!

From Sea Of Shoes

DeviantArt

2010-06-15T13:02:00.003-04:00

I finally decided to add some art to my DeviantArt account after having it for a year and not uploading anything. So, to anyone who may be interested or to anyone else who has an account, here's my link:

http://toujours-en-vogue.deviantart.com/

Marc Jacobs Resort 2011

2010-06-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Marc Jacobs successfully and continually delivers each collection with an American twist season after season. That he, as a designer, can take an global idea or image and convey it while still incorporating the rapidly dying origins of classic American fashion is pretty amazing. It's no wonder MJ has earned himself his third Womenswear Designer of the Year Award from CFDA. For the resort collection, Jacobs took the so lately a-la-mode idea of "1960's Vacation in St. Tropez" and transformed it into a modern day searing tailoring and point-on classic Chanel references while still retaining his ever original Marc Jacobs style.

SQUID

2010-05-28T10:42:00.002-04:00

Who's that girl, you ask? Or rather, "Who are those girls?". . . Look again, because they are not girls, but SQUID.

Myths of the Forest

2010-05-25T10:25:00.005-04:00

The searing clarity of the woodlands against the fresh flowing gowns of spring mix with the kitsch- candles, brightly painted men, and animals masks. There's almost an air of Juliet of the Spirits. From Vogue Nippon September 2006.

Watch out!

2010-05-21T23:04:00.004-04:00

Because you never know when a 100 foot tall Anita Ekberg will appear, wandering the streets of your hometown, ready to have some "fun"! From Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio of Boccaccio '70, by Federico Fellini.

Carsten Höller's Slides; "voluptuous panic upon an otherwise lucid mind"

2010-05-18T10:21:00.004-04:00

Remember the sickly yellow colored macaroni playground slide from your childhood? The slide that was superior to all others- predominant in the prototypical idea of what a kid wants. Carsten Höller, a Belgian artist has recreated this infamous slide and regenerated the concept of a slide to question human behavior, perception and logic. His slides complexly offer art pertaining to three different kinds of senses. The eye; because of the beautiful sculpture-esque view of the slide, touch; for the literal experience of gliding down the often three stories of slide, and the mind; pertaining to the experience of self exploration. His slides, which have been installed in at least six various galleries and venues, are also used as Miuccia Prada's exit out of her main office.

Miuccia Prada's slide shown above ^

The Strange Music Videos of Brigitte Bardot

2010-05-13T11:12:00.003-04:00

Most people know of Brigitte Bardot as the sunbathing 1960's icon from France. But the ballerina turned actress/model also had a very quirky singing career. Accompanying this career were a series of bizarre music videos, each one being very peculiar in very French way. Bardot may not have been a musical genius, but her songs are quite "catchy", and they do have something charmingly cute about them. Bardot's videos and musical career will live on forever in an air of idiosyncratic, wacky, but quintessentially French way.

Her Harley Davidson music video must have been the inspiration behind the recent Chanel Resort Collection finale - Georgia May Jagger on a motorcycle.

Go here to see the Harley Davidson video, since I cannot embed it...

Of course, the original comic strip video is better than the "making of", but i couldn't find one that I could embed. You can find the original on youtube if you're interested.

Hyères Festival of Fashion and Photography 2010

2010-05-03T22:12:00.002-04:00

Each year in the beautiful city of Hyères in the South of France, a glorious festival of avant-grade fashions and photography is held. Since the festival's debut in 1985, the venues of Hyères have provided talented young designers who hold uniquely fresh views a place to show their work. The festival is international, so applicants come from all over the world. However, despite promulgating young designers, this is no new york fashion week!! The talent bared by these designers is original and of fresh perspective. For it was at this very festival that Viktor & Rolf and Kris Van Assche gained their fame. If you enjoy fashion as an art form, fashion as a flame of passion, fashion that never gives up and never settles for "everything's already been done before"... If you are sick of deteriorating dying-to-be Balmain dresses and bandage dresses that appear seemingly harmless to the general public...but repeat, repeat, repeat... all without rinsing!!!!... Then the Hyeres Festival will generate a breath of fresh air, straight from the gorgeous South of France.

More repetition

2010-04-24T12:11:00.002-04:00

Linoleum block printing; my new found love.

Yayoi Kusama

2010-04-21T10:29:00.005-04:00

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's (born 1929) art is composed of paintings, collages, soft sculptures, performance art and environmental installations. She was even involved in fashion, but the information is hard to find. Repetition, pattern, and accumulation comprise obsession and result in the overall effect of Kusama's extravagant conceptual art.

The polka-dot was reborn under her name, and flourished to be a theoretic object of meaning.

"A polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colourful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots can't stay alone; like the communicative life of people, two or three polka-dots become movement... Polka-dots are a way to infinity."

~ Yayoi Kusama

Stay golden

2010-04-05T12:05:00.004-04:00

I'm not so much obsessed with the new baby pastel nails of Spring as everyone else is. I actually think they're rather grotesque in nature and closely related to those cheap noisy rattles, covered in thick, sticky baby spit!!! Thus, I decided I wanted some sort of nail art that were more decadent than ever, and still appealing to the concept of the celebration of Spring. So, I went for the gold (leaf).

A few coats of clear nail polish secured the gold leaf while still retaining the sheen. Though, I actually don't have any photos of the finished project.

Take a walk on the wild side

2010-04-01T10:08:00.007-04:00

While browsing for strange shoes online the other day, I came across something I've never seen before. Something envisioned with the prospect of "new". But, more than epitomizing "new", these shoes deftly illustrated "Avant-garde", and shoes as pieces of art. These are the type of shoes that could zealously sit upon one's dresser or other piece of furniture, simply to sit there. Simply to generate conceptions and foster conversations. This blank and rigidly stiff, fresh off-white canvas, smelling still as the back of the dusty local art store awaits dialogue and discussion. Let the world as one enjoy these pieces of bizarre artistry.

Shoes by Iris Schieferstein:

Yes, they're real.

Giulietta degli spiriti

2010-03-28T11:58:00.003-04:00

Giulietta degli Spiriti was Federico Fellini's first film in color. The surrealistic imagery and wicked illusions created only by the master of fantasy and baroque himself, Fellini, were made even more exquisite by the set and costume designer, Piero Gherardi. Along with Giulietta delgi Spiriti or "Juliet of the Spirits" in English, Gheraradi also designed the sets and costumes of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2". A film must have meritorious costumes in order for it to foster and blossom into a classic. The film itself is a luscious trip, delving deep into the fascinations and imagination of an eccentric 1960's housewife. It's a lot of interesting than one might think, with the hallucinatory flashbacks, modern day prophets, and sinning spirits.

Part of the finale, and one of the best parts of the film:

Princess Natalia

2010-03-26T10:04:00.002-04:00

I love the kind of color that is saturated and brimming with an abundance of emotion. The emotion is attached to the color, thus, jewel toned blues, purple, and reds stimulate an out of body, other worldly feeling. Long and vibrant red hair, fingers abounding decadent rings, tiaras fluidly dripping; placed upon a magical mess. The almost malicious gold boots complete the square.

Solve for X. Natalia Vodianova + Vogue Paris (April 2010) = X. X = this:

Lost in weirdness/Daily weirdness

2010-03-24T10:02:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the goal of the day is to find something so off-the-wall weird, that it's enchanting. To that, and to this day, I say mission accomplished. I'm not really sure what this is - whether it's a some kind of make-up artist's project, or something completely different, but it came from reed+rader. Enjoy this state of abnormality!

Playing favorites

2010-03-22T10:38:00.002-04:00

A select few of my favorite rings.

Clear to me

2010-03-20T11:28:00.004-04:00

The classically disgusting jelly shoes that re-emerge every spring/summer season are haunting my dreams. Despite the sticky foot sweat that inhabits each pair; the slipping around on the concrete streets that accompanies it- I have decided I must have a pair. But not just any pair. I want clear, Cinderella, glass-like slippers to encase my flat and pedicured feet.

These heels by Maison Martin Margiela are even better. They, however, are made of glass and sold by the shoe rather than by the pair.

Salvador Dali's Hats

2010-03-19T12:19:00.004-04:00

Dali: One may know him as an artist of all sorts. His repertoire includes drawing, painting, film, sculpture, and photography. But were you aware of his collection of grandiose hats? Dali often wore imaginative hats; from Rhino's horns to Pa de Crostons bread.

Polyvore

2010-03-15T12:25:00.004-04:00

I've been polyvoring lately. Lately:
Peculiarly, my mood is more an unfamiliar nude than black. Inadvertently, I've chosen other means of liberating my creativity than this blog. Perhaps things will change... Maybe they won't.

oodles by toujoursenvogue featuring Valentino shoes

konichiwa b!@#$%^ by toujoursenvogue featuring Miu Miu shoes

green light by toujoursenvogue featuring Kurt Geiger shoes

la dolce vita by toujoursenvogue featuring Roberto Cavalli jewelry

living on a thin line by toujoursenvogue featuring Miu Miu

Accessories at Chanel F2010

2010-03-11T11:09:00.007-05:00

What I loved most about the latest Chanel show were the frost-bitten accessories. There was more fur than ever, as well as more icicle-like baubles that spread across the span of model's whole hand. The classic quilted bag was expertly frozen to look like it belonged to the ice age. On the whole, the accessories were a glacier of decadence which represented moving forward and having fun. Global warming, be gone!

Doll parts

2010-03-07T12:52:00.002-05:00

The flowers are starting to bloom. Giddiness is in the air. It's still Paris fashion week. And I am effervescent with joy.

Balenciaga fall 2010

2010-03-06T10:19:00.003-05:00

Transformation of materials is always an interesting thing. Balenciaga is an always an interesting thing. Vicissitude is when fur is shaved to look like quilting; when cashmere is made to look like industrial foam; when shoes are encased with chunks of plastic- looking like expensive legos. Vicissitude is Balenciaga. Whether wearability stands as a dilemma or not, Balenciaga is doing what the fashion world needs. Paris needs someone to do something different, someone to take a walk on the wild side. Nicolas Ghesquière is pushing things forward. Sometimes fashion needs to be made enigmatic for pure arts sake.

Anna Dello Russo's favorites

2010-03-04T10:38:00.003-05:00

Anna Dello Russo- Fashion director at large for Vogue Nippon. Possibly one of the most interesting women of the fashion world. She is mysterious; a creator of curiosity. Not much information can be found on her, but the street style photos which emerge fashion week after fashion week are satisfying enough.

Here are a few of her favorite things, as shot by Tommy of the jak & jil blog

Mood

2010-03-02T10:30:00.002-05:00

Mood: temper, humor, disposition, inclination. What does a mood board stand for? What does your mood board stand for? And what about his? Hers? Theirs, and its? I feel it necessary to make a mood board every once in a while. It's soothing, really. This one contains clippings from Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, and Vogue Nippon.

Desks, of all things

2010-02-28T11:12:00.006-05:00

I am one who regards the surrealist/futurist movement as one of the most profound enterprises of all time. The dough of an idea starts as a bland and wanton lump, but when other elements are added, other spices are combined, some kind of unmitigated, almighty bread comes forth. It's the directness of the connections from art to fashion- fashion to art. Everything was looked at as a art. Everything had a superior concept behind it. The surrealists took perception and added a drop of psychology. Elsa Schiaparelli, an Italian fashion designer (1890-1973), collaborated with Salvador Dali, taking a few of his artworks to literal terms.

You have no idea how important your expression is...

2010-02-26T11:26:00.005-05:00

Be careful.

From

Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo?

A film by William Klein. Polly Maggoo, a french model is followed by a camera for a french television show in search of finding out who she is. The film becomes more and more bizarre, terrifically surrealistic, and jarring as time goes on. Polly is seen flying over roof tops with an unidentified prince, dancing and singing about animal crackers, and as a young girl screaming and tap dancing. Definitely a must see.

WHITE

2010-02-25T10:53:00.002-05:00

White often symbolizes new beginnings. A new alpha, a new wave rolling towards the shore. Baby lambs are being born, Spring is coming, and everything will soon change. I am overcome with the feeling that everything will be okay. Editorials are making great use of the color white and tying it in with Spring, as always. Magazines all over the world are putting their trust in a simple pigment- white. Winter dies; the white snow turns to brown, offal, rubbish! ... But subsequently, the grass is reborn, the flowers found, reawakened, and reclaimed! Bunnies will play, dresses will be worn without stockings, and high-heel sandals are ultimately once again permitted.

[Vogue Nippon March 2010]

Antiques

2010-02-20T20:12:00.002-05:00

We all know that dreary and often drafty antique store that goes by, making it's way in the world as an old stale collection of dusty things, occupied by the elderly. However, sometimes what is and what should be agglutinate together in a parallel universe called "life".

"Hello, how do you do there, antique store? I've come looking for something, anything that you have to offer from your deep despairs."

Many minutes accumulated but eventually lead to something rather interesting. An oddly shaped pearl necklace, tinted with yellowy-green. A ring with a properly working watch face on it.

It just goes to show, life is spontaneous. You never know what you'll find whether it be a piece of jewelery in an antique store, or a new friend met in an unexpected place.

Candy

2010-02-19T12:34:00.002-05:00

If there was a fashion goddess who lived on the moon, she would spin gently structured organza cotton candy while watching over the other planets. She let out a giggle and subsequently create voluptuous jelly-fish-like ruffles in her pale colored tulle. When she was feeling passionate about something, she'd simply part her blossom like lips, and out would come the most luscious red colored ball gown that anyone had ever seen. The soft yielding feathers she changed out every night in place of her pillows would later be reconstructed into delicious baby doll dresses. Is this goddess of the moon Marchesa?

[Marchesa Fall 2010]

Adornment

2010-02-14T11:53:00.005-05:00

What do sierras of ugly, muted, and old snow add up to? Ennui. Sometimes, this ennui can be useful. Rather than becoming a lethargic slug, one's brain goes into survival mode. Forget about laying around, forget about monotony! Out of ennui, hatches a golden egg of creativity. Boredom often leads to resourcefulness at it's best.

With my abundance of time I decided to make some earrings.

Death is a Star

2010-02-12T08:44:00.007-05:00

Designer Alexander McQueen was found dead at his London home on February 11, 2010. A man whose talent was appreciated throughout the industry, whose work was revered around the globe as art, whose imagination was boundless, without constraint or inhibitions. What the world lost when McQueen left, yesterday morning, was inevitable and fated inspiration. What Mcqueen's close family and friends lost yesterday was Mcqueen as a person. It's undeniable that Mcqueen pushed boundaries with his garments. With his costumey garb and nigh fatal footwear, Mcqueen will not be forgotten. Yes, one of the great icons of fashion is gone. But what will come of this is the greatest respect of his body of work. Mcqueen left behind his art, and that's one thing that will never perish. Let his death only immortalize him. Let the name of Mcqueen be heard, and let it be canonized.

Fashion through a postcard

2010-01-08T21:16:00.006-05:00

Vintage Postcards are pretty interesting things. They are often at first glance, banal things, but once read and unwound, the history that uncoils is rather startling. A scrutiny of the future. From these postcards, words can be uncovered. Histories can be confabulated. Images can unravel other worlds. This particular postcard, happens to be from 1909. Written by a woman who traveled overseas to go hat shopping in Paris, she exclaims with glee how her time is being passed.

"Paris- May 14th Shopping in Paris may be one long sweet dream, but trying on hats is more like a nightmare. We have tried on tubs, peach-baskets, and umbrellas- the result is I have a "creation" that Guy says looks like a flower garden running riot. Love to all- Anna G."

If you'd like to see more vintage postcards with a side of great blogging, check out one of the best food and postcard blogs I've seen, here.

Repetition

2010-01-04T16:13:00.001-05:00

So shout until your hear no more
But don't you ever ask yourself why
The repetition kills you, the repetition kills you, the repetition kills you.
- The Black Ghosts

Give me contrast

2010-01-03T11:18:00.002-05:00

Miu Miu s/s 2010 was like some kind of exotic remote control god putting all the things I love in a colored glass bottle, shaking it gently, and coming to me and asking me what it is I desire most. Oh, fashion genie, It's contrast that I want the most!!! Conflicting fabrics, colliding concepts, clashing clashing pastels, nudes, and pales - that's what I love! Super-size-me braids, frivolous platforms, and gaudy galore! It fits together like a puzzle of childlike silliness and adult cutouts of seduction to equal perfection.

COPPER

2010-01-01T20:27:00.006-05:00

I love copper. The color itself is draconian, but at the same time endearing. Benevolently pulling one in, along with expectorating and spitting back at the onlookers. Copper is a cogent. Copper is malicious. Copper with assorted beads and organic forms is out of this world!

A copper bracelet I made with found shells and other beads...

2010: the resolution

2009-12-31T21:43:00.003-05:00

With the new year comes new possibilities; new potentiality. But before new- before bounteous - comes renewal. Renewal of the old and forgotten, renewal of the joy. My resolution is to continue this blog- without pausing of hesitation of any sort. Because, I know I haven't been blogging much for the past 6 or so months... And it's something I really used to love. Even despite lack of comments. Continuing with the resolution comes discovery. Discovery of anything I've ever been interested in. From jewelry making to rare foreign languages, this year I'll actually push myself forward to learn not just the abouts but the hows. Books are pretty amazing things. Anything you'd ever want to learn about is contained within the pages of some book, somewhere. And lastly, remember to never lose yourself as a person. You're the only one you've got- forever. And you matter first! I encourage anybody, any readers (if you're still out there) to do the same. Happy new year! 2010 will be fantastic, I just know it.

from German Vogue January 2010

Tu veux ou tu veux pas?

2009-12-01T21:06:00.001-05:00

Is there a greater era than the '60s? ... In France? The divine sillyness of the pop music and culture will forever reign. Brigitte Bardot's 'Tu Veux ou Tu Veux Pas' stands as a fine example.

The British Society for the Advancement of the Mini-Skirt

2009-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

The mini-skirt came, the mini-skirt tried to leave, the mini-skirt survived. Long ago during the reign of the swinging '60s, a group of young women protested against Christian Dior's new below-the-knee creations outside of Dior's fashion house. The protest coincided with Dior's showing of the 1966 Autumn/Winter Collection.

Canvas

2009-11-18T18:15:00.006-05:00

The face is perhaps the most void and barren canvas available. But while it is unmarked, it is brimming already with the given features and expressions of the anima and soul. The face yields to all, but at the same time possesses and takes order and charge of all that is applied to it. Make-up can be escutcheon, a transformative potion, or an organic enhancer.

From Vogue Paris November 2009.

What's my line?

2009-11-08T13:03:00.002-05:00

The infamous Yves Saint Laurent on the game show What's My Line?

1947

2009-11-07T08:43:00.004-05:00

The year is 1947. Glamorous fur coats are being thrown over gowns for special events, avant-garde shoes are being made by fathers for their daughters, specially for the Ascot, princesses are being married, and jewels are PILED plentifully.

These shoes, worn by Irene Clifford at Ascot, were made by her own father.

Le Ballet

2009-11-03T09:54:00.003-05:00

Anna Pavlova - Principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev. Dying swan. Connoisseur of maneuvers. Beauty, grace, and decadence all in one; the epitome of ballet. If there ever was a little girl that did not dream of becoming a ballerina, I believe that images of Anna Pavlova would conjure up a storm of whimsical tulle fabrics and cream colored feathers, nights of spinning on their toes, and the airyness and softness that only a ballerina can bring to mind. I think I want to be a ballerina.

Bunnies and Brown Leather

2009-11-01T12:17:00.003-05:00

I just had to share this photo from the November issue of Vogue Paris. Something about the oversize chunky gold men's watch, soft bunny with it's ears half pugnaciously yanked back, half endearingly held back, and a placket-like sheath of brown leather ignites an amber flame of what is to be November.

Belle de Nuit

2009-10-21T21:22:00.004-04:00

When night comes... colors, vivacious or soporific, are distributed against the darkness of caliginosity. Colors dance like minions, prance like potent chorus girls, wave like abled and ambitious flags against nightfall. However hard color may try to escape the seemingly infinite soot; black prevails. For when one wears black with the night - there is nothing more cosmopolitan. A bond is created where life bleeds into death- day bleeds into night - clothing bleeds in to darkness. Only the archaic street-lamps and birds full of wanderlust can compete.

From Vogue China November 2009.

Backstage S/S 2010: Dolce and Gabbana

2009-10-14T21:51:00.002-04:00

Rose is a rose is a rose. Dolce and Gabbana is what is is, and it always will be. This season though, what was missing was the bounty of overdone ball gowns towards the end of the show. In their place, girls in spunky red leopard print dresses with a side of the woman tux! My favorite part of the show? The backstage photos and the make-up. Oh, and the hair... Definitely reawakened my hunt for the a large ornate hair-clip. I'll search the Earth's ends for one of those!

Carl Erickson

2009-10-12T18:51:00.005-04:00

Fashion illustrator and advertisement illustrator "Eric" was born in 1891 in the USA, to Swedish parents. The stunning detail portrayed in some of the illustrations by Erickson were achieved only by using live models and having them sit static for long periods of time. What makes Erickson's depictions so anomalous, however, is the calligraphic style stokes, and bleeding colors.

A Perfect song for today...

2009-10-11T11:32:00.003-04:00

Today... the chill of Fall comes and the darkness of the brimming and almost pompous clouds sing out their melancholy song.
What's a girl to do?

Alexander McQueen s/s 2010

2009-10-07T15:35:00.005-04:00

What to say about the McQueen show this time around? As always, it, as a ready-to-wear collection, puts all of the haute couture shows to shame! The details, some of which include the labyrinthine twisted fabrics are magnetic trinkets to the eyes. The mind of McQueen is one of a convoluted kind. And, though I do not support back breaking, spine crunching, neck ripping, decapitating shoes... I hold no objection to looking at them.

Viktor & Rolf S/s 2010

2009-10-06T21:17:00.004-04:00

Perhaps, the beauty of Viktor and Rolf's new collection stands as more than just a non objective mumble of attractiveness. Perhaps the meaning is as abysmal as the layers and layers of candy colored tulle which was subsequently hacked into with a power saw to create negative space and in turn- create form. It's the cut; the cut of the economy, the literal cut made directly into the voluminous tulle dress, the cut away from reality and back into fashion. Fashion as art - fashion without strings attached. Fashion by Viktor & Rolf. Conception and execution perfectly melted together to form a warm and welcoming sauce of the unknown.

POP art; LE PUPPY!

2009-10-03T16:49:00.002-04:00

I've never seen anything quite like the beautifully lacquered sculptures of Jeff Koons. One usually wouldn't take a second glance at something so childish and inane as a balloon dog - but Koons reinvents the banal and insipid object into some sort of wicked and majestic eye-popping treat.

TopShop Unique s/s 2010

2009-09-21T17:58:00.004-04:00

I learned about the power of Topshop this summer when I went trailing off to Chinatown with a friend from Parsons. Following the duck and moon cake filled voyage was a shining beacon of light on the corner of Broome and Broadway. Hope, love, life!!! Topshop, in America! The quintessentially British store is really something to marvel at. There, I bought one of the most amazing structured pieces in my wardrobe - a doll-like mini skirt including a wire frame.

The HAIR! London fashion week

2009-09-20T16:55:00.004-04:00

London fashion week has just started, and if there's one thing that's more noticeable than any other detail of design, any other manipulated fabrics, or any dilly dally flounces, it's the HAIR! Oh, sure, New york fashion week is all about the slicked back bun; the high traditional pony... But those Londoners are a group of completely different fashion animals when it comes to hair!

Danielle Scutt and Kinder Aggugini:

Spring 2010 NY Fashion Week

2009-09-17T15:31:00.011-04:00

Never my favorite, but it's always interesting to look though the New York shows. I was expecting the usual (the usual of the past 3 years) of bandage dresses with holes, studs, and metal hardware... but some surpassed and conquered this passe motif. Among these are Proenza Schouler and Erin Fetherson.

Proenza Schouler's gleaming fabrics illuminated the simplicity of the original silhouette of the shift dress and the tent dress. The arresting and extrusive prints of the fabrics conjured up images of a decadent peacock or some other unknown animal from a distant land. There's nothing repulsive about this tie-dye! It's enough to make one want to experiment with tie dye and batik all on their own.

Erin Fetherson; Where do you go to my lovely? How wonderful is it, how extremely refreshing is it, to see such lady -like fashions present in such a modern way. The sheer fabrics, the alluring textures AH! This is rather the opposite of dowdy, which is usually one of the first words that comes to mind when I think of lady-like. Craftily coquettish! What the composition of the complete collection lacks in softness it makes up for with hardness. Blaring Blacks and jeering jewels- it's the best of both worlds.

Barney's catalog, fall 2009

2009-09-07T09:03:00.003-04:00

Lately, editorials are lacking. It's that somber time between the rush of the super September issue and the true beginning of Fall/Winter. I just haven't seen anything that inspiring lately...
But, I love this season's Barney's catalog. It's fun! The clothes are all there, it's modern and it's young. Fantasize yourself feeding a baby tiger while wearing a beautiful emerald colored dress. Envision yourself walking down the escalator in Rodarte, followed by an astronaut. Cheers to imagination!

Omo

2009-09-06T11:01:00.002-04:00

While there is great beauty in nature, there is also great beauty in the nature of people. People, massive distances away, that have ideas, rituals, and lifestyles so different than us that it's almost an art. Alien to us, these people stand rather as a spectacle for us to gaze at. And as a society we forget that they, like us, do what we do - know what we know - and see what we see only because that's the way it's always been. The world's a pretty huge place.

The Omo People;

September

2009-09-02T21:48:00.005-04:00

It's here already and August has already wasted away... It's more than disappointing that I never have time to post anymore. Who else is excited for NY Fashion week?
I found this little friend at the Girlprops in SoHo. Prince Street!

There's NOTHING better

2009-08-29T12:10:00.003-04:00

than birthday cupcakes; no, I'm not talking about the kind of dreary white whipped frosting and neon sprinklers piled atop one another in a row. I'm talking about these beauties:

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti. "

2009-08-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

If there ever was an appropriate time to use the banal and jejune word "glamazon", it would be to describe Sophia Loren. The Italian actress born in 1934 co-starred along side Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra, and remains an icon til this present day. Grand Italy's Marilyn Monroe.

Ahh-autumn

2009-08-21T20:33:00.005-04:00

In the Fall there is absolutely nothing I love better than converting all of my dresses from seasons past into glorious autumn gowns by pairing them with the most decadent of tights. A certain elan is brought about by tiny threads lacing one up's leg like a wanton spider web. Braids of nylon running up one's stems like a decaying butterfly's wing. There is only one color of my tights and that color is black. Texture and pattern quell all.

From Vogue Italia Suggestions August 2009;

That line has been crossed before

2009-08-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

As have many other lines. This particular line - the hybrid clothing-jewelery line, was crossed long ago, but has started to emerge again by way of young jewelery designers. Seemingly avant-garde, as hip magazines may make it seem - it's not. Almost 20 years ago, circa 1990's, there was Slim Barrett- possibly responsible for the rise in popularity of the tiara in this time period. The jewelery designer collaborated with the likes of Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Chanel -Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, and Montana and Ungano; and continues designing today.

Mothra

2009-08-03T19:26:00.002-04:00

Beast, monster, savage, kaiju!!! The Divine Moth who first debuted in a novel by Takehiko Fukunaga later moved on to films co-starred alongside Godzilla (original Japanese circa 1960s); a major enemy. Mothra will bite the enemy's tail as well as use her psychic abilities to conquer all. I just like the way Mothra looks...

Thrifty

2009-08-01T15:10:00.003-04:00

My need to go to vintage shopping is only enhanced when I visit other areas specifically excluding the town I live in. I found so many amazing things this summer in New York... So when I came back to where I live I decided to take a look in one of the couple thrift stores around. Surprisingly I found this Oleg Cassini jacket - shoulder pads, bell sleeves, pearls and all.

Chanel Couture F 09

2009-07-31T22:37:00.003-04:00

The thing about the Chanel empire... it's Karl vs. Karl. With one spectacular manifestation after the next it's a constant race to beat all previous efforts and shows with the latest. It's usually such an easy task for Karl Lagerfeld, but not so much this time. With the prior three collections having such a distinct essence - S 2009 couture, all white, F 2009 RTW, reinvention of the classics, and 2010 RST, glamorous Marchesa Casati and Venice Lido - what was the Fall 2009 Couture supposed to represent? Despite all this, I did appreciate the hats, hair, and accessories.

Mick Jagger's Wedding suit by Tommy Nutter

2009-07-30T08:27:00.002-04:00

Long ago when suits were still acknowledged as a very important part of fashion and tailoring, little Mick Jagger married Bianca Perez Macias wearing a suit made by Tommy Nutter. Tommy Nutter; the man who studied architecture in the past had now transformed Saville Row and opened the company to a whole new generation. From the same genius who cut John Lennon and Yoko Ono's wedding suits; the new perspective of the three piece suit equaled narrow, square shoulders, wide lapels, tightly flared trousers, and waistcoats.

I love Brooklyn Heights in the Summer time...

2009-07-05T21:48:00.006-04:00

The reason I haven't been posting is because I've been busy in Manhattan taking a class at Parsons. So, Note to blog readers: I will return in a little over three weeks.
Until then, I'll occasionally post sporadic updates when I have the time!

Here's a photo I took in Brooklyn:

The Natural

2009-06-21T12:33:00.003-04:00

The light of the moon shifts over the empty building with only a girl and the finest of garments. The natural hair, the unnatural clothing. The texturally molded dresses create an air suppression- this feeling offset only by the heavy hardware of the accessories. This editorial is one that uses light just as much as styling. From Vogue Nippon June 2009;

Writtenafterwards A/W 09

2009-06-20T08:41:00.004-04:00

Japan fashion week is really something special. Designers Yoshikazu Yamagata and Kentaro Tamai of Writtenafterwords reused and reformed paper, tape, wire, cardboard, and the usual textiles to craft these exorbitant roses. Other indistinguishable pieces more represented as walking sculptures stepped down the already avant-garde runway.

There is a divide; a curtain, between the western world of fashion and the eastern world of fashion. On the West, we have the original aspects of traditional fashion held high: fine materials, aesthetic value, and nothing too different. The West draws inspiration from the ideas and functions that worked previously. Perhaps a cause to this effect is the downfall of the Western economy (America). On the other side of the planet; the East, we have the strong idealism of reconstruction, excessive avant-garde, and more of an art than wearability factor. Look at Manish Arora. It's possible that the closest thing the Western world has to this is London fashion week. Both worlds of fashion support each other in a way. I couldn't pick a favorite if I had too!

Jacques Henri Lartigue

2009-06-16T11:06:00.003-04:00

French photographer and painter Jacques Henri Lartigue, born in 1894, started using a camera at the age of only six, and continued throughout his lifetime; seizing almost a century of French culture through his lens. Never before had automobile races, frolicking children, and fashionable Parisian women been captured in such a way. 120 photo albums, a MoMA exhibition, and various magazine editorials are among some of his grander achievements.

Kafka on Dresses

2009-06-14T08:44:00.002-04:00

Photo from Alexander Mcqueen F/W 09:

"Often when I see dresses with many pleats and frills and flounces, draped beautifully over beautiful bodies, then I think to myself that they will not long be preserved in such a condition, but will acquire creases that it will be impossible to iron out, dust in their details so thick it can no longer be removed, and that no woman would wish to make such a sorry exhibition of herself as to put on the same precious dress every morning and take it off at night.
And I see the girls who are certainly beautiful, displaying various attractive little muscles and bones and taut skin and masses of fine hair, and yet daily appearing in that same masquerade, always laying the same face in the same hollow of the same hands, and having it reflected back to them in the mirror.
Only sometimes in the evening, when they come home late from a party, it looks worn to them in the mirror, puffy, dusty, already seen by everyone, almost not wearable anymore."

-Franz Kafka

Summer

2009-06-13T08:09:00.004-04:00

There are hundreds of reasons why I adore Vogue Nippon, hundreds of reasons why I will always love the red Versace dress in the first photo, hundreds of reasons why I fancy editorials on the beach, but in real life detest going to the beach for a vacation, and lastly, thousands of reasons why I cherish Summer.

From Vogue Nippon July 2009

ModCOu

Christopher Kane Resort 2010

2009-06-11T11:02:00.003-04:00

Sheer Brilliancy - innovation through textiles. Florals? So yesterday, so dull, cadaverous, and dreary. Christopher Kane used images of nuclear test explosions from the fifties to the seventies sourced from the internet to cover his simple but delightful little dresses. The imaging on some of the dresses is so strong; it's almost as if the fabric emits hysteric intonation. Kane's growth as a designer is progressive, for sure. There's no end to the arete of each and every one of his collections.

New York, New York

2009-06-10T12:32:00.003-04:00

19 days and counting until one full month of fabulous New York.
It's up to you, New York, New York !

Image: shift

“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”

2009-06-09T09:15:00.001-04:00

- Pablo Picasso

Ahh I love this editorial. The detailed clothing flows with revelry and the morphed garments cut into the whole of the photo- it's metamorphosis of raw materials; models, camera, and clothing turns to this. The light only enhances the exhausted and manipulated colors- it brings out the vivid tonality and story line.

fashionscreen

The Great Kate

2009-06-08T20:08:00.002-04:00

Kate Moss! She can model, she can design, she now she can sing.

Lorenzo Nanni

2009-06-07T10:09:00.003-04:00

All with fabrics- silk, tulle, and embroidery, Lorenzo Nanni captures and recreates forms that appeal to the those who indulge in the more grotesque side of things. Organic matter inspires these beautifully sinister pieces. It's a relatively new approach to art. When asked the simple question of "Why?", Nanni replied "I wanted to create an extra dimension and bring the designs to life." It's fabric play spun by a god who dwells in the glorious realm of textiles.

ImgSource: Dazed

Go to Europe, Zac Posen

2009-06-06T11:02:00.002-04:00

If I had to choose a current favorite American fashion designer, the first thing I would do is sigh. The second thing I would do is try to decide between Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, and Erin Fetherson. That being said, Posen is one of my favorite American designers. I'm not going to do into detail about the exponential differences of the designers of Europe and America; I'm sure everyone already knows. Every time I gaze upon his glowing collections I can't help thinking; what is he doing presenting in America? His clothing; dripping revelry and fresh ideas is much more suited for the likes of Paris or Milan. Much unlike America's new favorite, Alexander Wang's rag tee shirts and ripped cotton leggings that sell for over $800. Marc Jacobs trekked to Paris to present his collection(s), why not Posen?

Zac Posen Resort 2010:

Pierre Hardy A/W 09/10

2009-06-03T18:28:00.004-04:00

Some of the best times spent doing nothing lead to even better times spend doing something. You know what I mean? An example of this would be the discovery and exploration of Pierre Hardy's new collection. Oh, how I adore his masterpieces. From the brilliant man who once stated, "As we are not in a period of real innovation, you have to be totally different while also being the same. The new way is to combine elements from the past with new proportions.", these shoes weren't made for walking. But they're fantastic as idealistic art pieces, alright?

Horse Wave

2009-05-30T13:11:00.004-04:00

Jordan Askill, ex-Ksubi designer and current jewelery designer now takes on sculpture. From the Maker of chains dangling translucent boy heads, and treacherous roses perched on ring bands, the art is guaranteed to be something "new". Wiiild horses...

VENEZIA OTTOBRE 1994

2009-05-29T19:19:00.003-04:00

Movement- the suggestion of motion in a work of art, either by represented gesture in figurative painting or sculpture or by the relationship of structural elements in a design or composition.

A small crack in the off-white broken up wall, the scratches on the unevenly tiled floor, hundred of pigeons; lounging and then swiftly taking flight... all create a sense of movement. It is the contrast between the beautiful silhouette of Monica Bellucci and the rash city streets that define this editorial. From Vogue Italia 1994.

Limi Feu's s/s 09 Headphones

2009-05-27T15:20:00.003-04:00

A couple of days a go, I was browsing through the S/S 09 collections again. In the fashion world, s/s 09 collections came out a century ago (October), but since the collections were created with the seasons of Spring and Summer in mind, I thought I would take another look. Then I remembered reading about Limi Feu's technological princess Leia headphones. They're definitely one of the more interesting accessories on board for S/S 09. So I ask you... what's better? Little plastic buds wedged into your ear canal, or Scandinavian style braids on either side or your head, pumping your Soulwax? A future DJ trend, or non?