All Of This Is Life

2008-06-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

So I've been gone for AWHILEEEEEE. Not just gone from All Of This Is Life but gone from the whole Fashion Internet thingy. So there were all kinds of reasons for it, I had a ton of work, my computer broke, personal shit got in the way...blahblah. One of the big reasons however, was that I was kinda weirded out by the whole having a blog thing and just didn't feel like posting here.
I don't know the reasons why others choose to shutter or put their blogs on ice (I miss stylebytes but think the whole speculation on Agathe and her personal life is kinda scary) but for me sometimes it all just feels like alot of information to be putting out there. I was also kinda thinking about what I want from this blog. I LOVE Fashion in many ways-personal style, styling, as art, as politics...but realized I didn't really have a niche per say- on these pages you can find crap I love from Etsy, items I want, political screeds, reflections (I would never really say that I review stuff but I do reflect on it), pictures of cool people/places/shoots. It was kinda confusing and overwhelming.
But in the last couple weeks there have been tons of fashiony stuff I've wanted to talk about-cool magazines, shoots, clothes, politics-and even though I'm still really new at this I've missed hearing what people have to say about it so I've decided to come back!!
Very soon expect to see...........my thoughts about HIV-Positive fashion, Women, Fashion and Politics (kinda belated since I just got to see Obama's victory speech in person last week), Missbehave, Race and Runways, Covetable Goodies and other crap.

I've been to Berlin and back....

2008-03-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm back,Ok I've been back for awhile but I was thrown right into Midterms so haven't been able to post. I'm still in the process of sorting my pictures, videos, purchases and most importantly dirty laundry some of which I will definitely be sharing with all of you (asides the laundry of course). I had simply a wonderful time, it was fantastic and I have to thank the great Mahret from Fashion&Art for all of her help. She pointed me to two amazing shopping guides which I used to explore the fashion scene of Berlin a bit. If any of you are going I highly recommend checking the stores on these lists.
As I pick myself up from writing all my essays I will definitely be posting about Berlin so bear with me. For a sneak peek I'll just briefly run down some of the non-Fashion related highlights for you:-
hiding from neo-Nazis in Kreuzberg, getting chased around Watergate by a drunk German coke dealer, flashing an entire four blocks of traffic (if you were on Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse two thursdays ago I sincerely apologize for blinding you with my sun-starved thighs-also I may not speak German but rest assured my little construction crew friends, I got the sentiment), having my beer stolen outside a Macdonalds by a very inebriated German man, watching the sun come up over the River Spree while dancing to House (also just listening to House-a first for me), eating bratwurst for breakfast everyday, nearly killing myself and many innocent pedestrians as I biked around Tiergarten, either being hit on or being told-off by a boat policemen (suggestion for that situation-smile awkwardly and run off as fast as possible), having a Head of a Department at Humboldt University slip me his card and of course rolling straight from jumping around to French Electro to my 14 hour flight (highly recommended-sleep is for home not Berlin)....and so much more...

Berlin-a-go-go...

2008-03-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

So yall may have noticed that posting has been a wee bit sporadic for awhile, even after I promised my regular return. This has not been because of lack of inspiration but because I've been real busy finalizing my plans.....TO VISIT BERLIN!!! I may be a little overexcited since this will be my first ever time in Europe and I can't wait. I decided to honour Berlin with my presence (haha) because I have a friend who speaks german and has lived there before, I do not speak German and have no plans to learn it so this might be the only time I would have an opportunity to really explore it and I know that right now it is definitely one of the most exciting cities in the world. I am staying in a hostel (also a first) and the poor dollar exchange rate will probably have me surviving on bread and beer for the duration of my stay but then again thats pretty close to my normal diet-minus the bread of course.
So my little liebchens (no idea if thats correct), have a lovely week, I'll be snapping lots of great photos for you (I think) and don't cry for me....I"M IN BERLIN.

Oh my lord Jesus and his camels I'm so excited, love and kisses from someone GOING TO BERLIN.

I'm just embarrasing myself now, but thats okay I'll be IN BERLIN.

Okay, I stop.

Berlin.

The Ones That Got Away...

2008-03-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time trolling on-line Mall stores ( I would say Mall stores are the American counterparts to British 'high-street' chains) like F21.

I find it less depressing then the stores themselves. The distance afforded to me through the computer allows me to bypass the poor design quality (for the most part), you know crooked seams, stand next to the heater spontaneously combustive fabric as well as the slightly depressive environment with its sham-individual displays and racks. For those who don't know, F21 has two other satellite stores- Heritage1981 (a basics/abercrombie knock-off store) and Twelve By Twelve (a more 'high fashion' site), perusing Twelve By Twelve has given me many hours of amusement (because I'm very simple) looking at their interpretation of design (and the names-calling something Couture does not a crooked seam straighten). I think it's very interesting the way that certain trends are being incorporated into more mainstream or at least affordable fashion that in previous years may not have ever trickled down. I can't help but link this trend with the fairly recent explosion of fashion blogs-access (and encouragement to access) to high fashion sensibilities is definitely huge right now. Since of course these sensibilities are coming from a huge corporate chain only interested in profits which utilizes thirld-world sweatshop labour the question becomes is this process democratization or commodification of high fashion?

Anyway, that was not at all how I wanted this post to go and it makes the rest of it even more embarrassing-As I was eating my cucumber sandwich ( occasionally I make little tea sandwiches with the crusts cut off, it makes me feel dainty) and laughing at the number of times Luxe (at least five) was used in an item title I saw a fantastic feathered dress. Man, I am a sucker for feathers and while I have quite a few feathered accessories its not so easy to find affordable feathered clothes. Even though I really wanted it, shoddy workmanship be damned I was still hesitant. Would I wear it? How? Would it end up being one of those things you buy just to have and never use? Well as I was thinking it disappeared from the website, I was a little regretful but whatever I moved on to a swingy little coat from Topshop. It wasn't until I saw this picture on Jak&Jil (thanks for the intro Kingdom of Style) of Anna Dello Russo the editor of Vogue Nippon that the heartache sunk in. WHY didn't I buy it at first sight? WHHHHY? I could have worn it in this way all swanky with a simple sweater and heels, I could have worn it casually with keds and a soft baggy sweatshirt to class....Man I'm still heartsick over this.

Get thee to...

2008-03-03T23:55:00.001-08:00

Delias if you are looking for bright, cheap, summery shoes. I remember Delia's from when I was a teenager when my cousins used to get the calender but I hadn't looked at their website for quite awhile until today. I was overwhelmed! With prices under $50 I am really loving these as some cheap, colourful summer fun.

Florals the easy way...

2008-03-03T19:19:00.001-08:00

If you are anything like me then the whole spring floral trend conjured up mixed feelings. Love the idea of it; struggle with it in practice, how to incorporate it into my wardrobe when I:
a. don't really wear much colours (greys are my best friend)
b. reserve the craziness for my accessories
c. don't do cutesy without significant amounts of subversiveness.
So what to do, what to do, how do you find floral accessories which aren't cloying? Etsy to the rescue...enter Harlequin Feltwork's Roses. These felted scarfs are really quite exquisite and so innovative. Why wear a flower when you can become one? I can just imagine these emerging from my brown suede coat or worn over a basic black outfit. Beautifully tinted these scarfs would be perfect in adding a bit of colour, incorporating the florals and not overwhelming me with saccharine flower jewellery or something. Check out the Etsy store and the regular website (especially if you want to see pieces modelled by Mercedes from ANTM!).

I'm Back...

2008-03-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Oh my Lord, almost a week without posting=an eternity on the internets. If anyone is still perusing these pages I have sufficiently recovered from my little upset and will be back a-posting now. Anyone who has read maybe two or three or even one of my posts may have noticed that I am always interested in international fashion outside of the major acknowledged metropolises. I always check in to blogs that are plugged into their local fashion week/scene and sometimes for fun I google (I love how that's a verb now) a random city/country and fashion to see what I can come up with. This has led to many torturous hours trying to decipher Russian/Portuguese etc. (I would never suppose foreign sites should have to be in English, after all mine isn't bilingual but it does help) and getting lost in labyrinthine foreign websites, yet once in awhile I come across a gem. In this case I am talking about Haute magazine's web portal Fashion Africa, I have never seen Haute which apparently is a quarterly magazine that highlights the work done by African designers around the world. If it's anything like the website I kinda want to get my hands on it.

There's so much information on this site (plus its super easy to navigate), designer profiles, collection pictures, artist profiles, model/celebrity/socialite information, cool fashiony nightclubs and restaurants, television clips....it's just really loaded with information about African fashion (and western designers). I'm sure that it is just as problematic as something like style.com and I don't want to treat it like the be-all and end-all of African fashion but its a cool starting point to get information on designers/fashion weeks outside the West. My absolute favourite part is probably the Haute blog which doesn't have very many posts but with a discussion of the ethics of designers looking to Africa for inspiration (apparently the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually made a statement about Mathew Williamson's S/S 08 collection, fascinating) I will definitely be visiting there regularly. (Also hoping that the discussion board kicks off.)

Check it out and support it in comments to help keep it alive.

Apologies...

2008-02-27T23:25:00.000-08:00

for my absence. Life has intervened but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can.
Note to self:
1. Buy Foam
2. Cut out Letters
3. Cover in Fabric
4. Glue to Trench Coat (side-note buy trench)
5. Admire

Pradarama

2008-02-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

I did have a post about Prada up before the collection came up on style.com. I was so excited because Prada is a collection I wait for with bated breath but I took it down because I wanted to have time to absorb the show and attempt to gather my thoughts. Mission unaccomplished so unfortunately you will all be subjected to some demented ramblings about lace and a little bit about race.

First of all, historic moment for Prada- Jourdan Dunn being the first black woman to walk the runway in the 21st century, which makes WWD's title Miucci Plays the Lace Card either a way to suggest yet sidestep any serious social commentary or purposefully obtuse (either way uncool). That will have to be an aside for now as race and fashion is so complicated it should be the subject of its own post(s) in the future-after the conclusion of all the fashion weeks.

Second and for the main meat of this post- I enjoyed this collection. I find that Miucci's intellectualism (even as her skill as a designer is uncontested)is a little overplayed-she certainly makes statements but by virtue of their obviousness I find them a little superficial and less interesting than, say Jil Sander's exuberant minimalism or even Balenciaga's theatrical ornateness. However she stands, in my mind, as the Master of Materials. Playing with textures and materials is, of course, not limited to her but undoubtedly Prada deploys her statements not merely through cut and design but heavily through materials.
Examples:
1. Miu-Miu's Fall 07's acrylic jeweled brogue pump in pepto bismal pink, careful neutrals or inkiest blacks speaking to the artificiality of femininity; the disjunct yet continuity between past and present. All of this articulated through a chunk of acrylic and a few scattered 'jewels'. Obvious? Perhaps, but still ingenious.
2. The entire Fall 07 Prada collection. Not much to say about that but that Miucci said she wanted to concentrate on material and that is what she did. So innovative, off the wall and brilliant. One of my most enjoyed collections ever.

That brings me to Fall 2008, the collection which will no doubt see lace spilling out of every suburban mall very soon. Much has been made about this seasons inherent eroticism, understandable, since black lace is not only the most over represented fabric in lingerie but also revealing, however it is so much more. Lace is decidedly a woman's fabric-christening, communion, lingerie, veils, mantilla, death shroud, it inhabits a space intimately connected to the (feminine) body's sacred, sexual, mortal rites of passage. As Prada herself has said "I still don't understand why I like lace - but it is such an accompaniment of women, through childhood, marriage and being a widow," all images which can be seen in the collection.

From this the collection seems to be focused on having the stages of a woman's life intimately envelope her, snowy skin (for the most part) against inky lace. While this collection thus shows a remarkable understanding of how material can speak for itself-becoming just as important as design elements, it does not necessarily show a deconstruction or widening of the category 'woman'. In fact perhaps the lack of diversity on the runway reflects the limitation of Prada's conception of 'woman' as exemplified by the choice of lace.

To how many women is lace and the things that it represents a reality? And to what extent is that sample of 'woman' limited by race, class and culture? Kudo's for the lace Miucci, but let us recognize it for what it is....

Only on the interwebs...

2008-02-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

would I have an ah-ha moment of intense style happiness over something called the Handyman's Helper Magnetic Wristband. Designed to help people who work with things such as nails, screws, basically any small metal things that constantly go astray, it is a powerful magnet which comes in a range of colours from Construction Site Yellow to Periwinkle Blue and is attached to a sturdy strap which can "accommodate even the thickest of wrists."Yes it seems strange to picture this as a covetable, stylish accessory but imagine the things that could be done with it. I mean look at the configurations in the picture, I'm already loving the safety pin pile but you could substitute any metal objects-coins, religious pendants, filings all arranged in any way you like. I don't know how many people have ever had a magnet paper weight. My grandparents had one which was a sizeable magnet and dozens of little metal stars and moons. I would spend hours trying to build the tallest pile I could make until it collapsed. The Handyman's Helper is that on your wrist, and I think it would make class and bus time much more fun. That is until my hand gets stuck to a door handle.

With no further ado ...

2008-02-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

1. A Castle Ring to stand citadel over your hand.

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy how do I love thee? Let me count the rings.

2. The Cloud Ring No. 3...cloud no. 9 more like. This is so delicately structured its absolutely stunning. The two metals look so harmonious.

3. Art Deco Madness, this ring is so attention
getting and looks as if it was dug out of grandma's jewel box.

4. Yes it's foxfur but its recycled. Does that count for anything? Besides the attention grabbing aspect to this ring it also doubles as a duster...Women the supreme multitaskers.

5. Spiky amethyst looks like a beautiful exotic
coloured stalactite springing from your finger.

6. These handmade illustrations collaged onto rings are so funky. I would kill for any one of their hats.

7. A dinosaur eating chicken? This I want to wear to a four star restaurant.

No money for butter...

2008-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
-Jenny Joseph

I spend a ridiculous amount of money on magazines but lately I've been trying to economize and buy most of them in second-hand book stores. So far this has worked out well, even as I've had to wait to tear out all the editorials, I've saved a few dollars. So it wasn't until yesterday that I picked up Dazed & Confused's Jan issue with this fantastic editorial of flamboyant Older Ladies. In the comments over at foto decadent someone suggested this shoot is derogatory as the makeup and styling makes the ladies appear clownish. While I certainly agree that it would be fantastic to see older models in more editorials and definitely that this shoot uses the age of the models to shock (neither the makeup or styling is necessarily that crazy), I also don't see why the fun should be limited to younger models. Screw the age-appropriate thing, fantasy knows no age limit.
This editorial reminds me of the kitschy Joseph poem and my grandma at the same time-she is such a style icon of mine. At 80, she still gets her hair cut and coloured every three weeks, will not go outside without her face being 'on' (I mean fuchsia lipstick, serious rouge and mascara), White Diamonds and coordinated accessories. She never takes off her bracelets, she has dozens of them on one arm and they are almost like a physical history-one from this child, one for a birthday, one that belonged to my great-grandmother. She has a fantastic walk in closet-with a purse shelf, and tucked into every purse is a penny and a clean handkerchief, a shoe shelf where both her spotless white keds collection and her jewelled clear heels live peacefully, hat box shelf with my great grandmother's hats not to mention the dress up drawer she maintained for my cousins and me (my favourite piece would be a pleated chiffon pink dress she wore to the opening of the Bahamian Playboy Club back when it was The Place to be seen). Seriously I love the way she takes care of herself, sometimes its scary e.g. her habit of refreshing her lipstick while driving which has taken years off of everyone around her but I want so much to be just crazily fabulous when I reach that age and I think that the ladies in this editorial are just as inspirational.

When I am an old woman, I will wear pink,
and place tulle flowers in my hair.
Smoke Cigarettes inside and powder my face white

Wrap myself in baseball caps and boas and forget to pay the electricity bill.

Dance fool dance....

2008-02-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Inventory of an average Monday:
1. bruised knees (nothing salacious-merely ice-covered sidewalks and one two many pints of Drooling Moose).
2. one severely snagged index finger nail (see above).
3. one magical toothbrush (honestly, it has literally been dissolved into my industrial dorm carpet and is nowhere to be found).
4. exhaustion due to....illness, four overdue reading reports, one independent study about Post-colonial Sexualities (yeah I don't know either), one spring dance concert (choreographer and dancer), grad school anxiety, a paper proposal about the globalization of AIDS and okay a couple pints of Drooling Moose.
Be all that as it may I caught the photos of Central Saint Martins and while I wasn't planning on an exhaustive post (it takes me days to get my thoughts together) there was one particular designer I wanted to talk about, only to find today that style.com decided to edit the collection and I can't find the pictures anywhere. So if anyone knows another site that has all of the names/pictures of CSM's show please tell me.
As for other stylish obsessions, I must admit I did a little hobbled jig around my room today when I found the Joffrey Ballet's recreation of Le Sacre du Printemps online. I watched this a few years ago and must admit for a dance nerd such as myself it changed my life. The original dates back to 1912 of course, with the score composed by Stravinsky and the choreography by Nijinsky (one of the most brilliant dancers/choreographers ever) for Ballets Russes. Completely controversial it was a complete departure from the traditional Ballet movement vocabulary and the score itself (remeber it from Fantasia) was ridiculed for its harsh jarring tone. It really inaugurated in 'modern dance' as we know it by using sharp ninety degree angles, a generally flat facing with the moves originating in the pelvis as opposed to the feet. Watch it and try to imagine the consternation it would have caused in the early 20th century...it even started a riot on its début. (If you don't have time then just watch the last one, it contains my favourite moves)

Ceci n'est pas un pantalon

2008-02-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Le Style de Street, okay I just made all that up in my cough medicine induced state but it sounds good with a Pepe le Pew accent. There are a ridiculous amount of street fashion blogs out there to satisfy us style voyeurs and keeping up with them isn't easy. I generally wait for a few weeks and sit down with a cup of tea and my computer for a few hours to catch up and depend on reposting from other blogs to alert me to the fabulous ones. Today was catch-up day and I decided to pass on some of my bookmarked images to you guys.

The first from Facehunter-London Fashion Week Friday, February 15, 2008:Is this not simply a fantastic shot? The hair, the cigarette, the fit of the suit, skinny tie, lighting and piercing blues...this boy seems quintessentially British to me. Okay yes the Union Jack is a bit of overkill but there is something a bit Bond, James Bond about him. If you told me this shot was from the '60's I would have believed it. I just think this is beautiful (I mean look at the invisible pants) and plan on printing it out and pasting it on my wall next to my Dean Martin collage (what can I say Dino was one of my first loves). A beautiful boy with a cocked eyebrow and a cigarette behind one ear? My cup of tea.

The second is Kristel found on Just Glitter Lust (an Estonian blog) on Wednesday, October 3, 2007: Oh man she's not joking at all. That hair is dead serious. I really enjoy this blog (in many ways it reminds me of style at home) and must admit that I've had this post saved for months. I think I'm about ready to do it-a huge cloud of tangled hair seems really right. The trick is to make it purposeful, I think-like I know I have couple of seagulls nesting on my head....And? Yeah I'm frizzy...And? The thing is my hair is actually naturally like that-loose curls on the bottom, kinky and tangled in the middle and straight and frizzy on top so not to far to go. Seriously I'm going to try to do this and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

P.S. bonus points to who recognizes the artist I've ripped off in the title...

We're not in Kansas anymore....

2008-02-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Fashion is so much about immediacy-the feel of the fabric, the sound of the material, the way it moves, so I generally try to avoid both shopping online and 'reviewing' shows. I have posted in the past on collections I found exciting, ideas from the runway and musings on globally warmed fashion but have steered clear of actually subjecting anyone to my ranting and raving (primarily because others do it better), but I am bursting with some unformed, sprawling ideas and what is this blog for but that? So thoughts so far...

Osman Y ousefzada

Beautiful colour, rather simple silhouettes but also a fairly exciting incorporation of non-western design traditions, in a non-costumey way. There was no exoticism, no disparate elements, it felt cohesive and natural. This is a fairly huge deal to me, sometimes the way that 'ethnic' inspiration is used by designers rubs me wrong, I find it offensive when non-western design traditions are used as mere embellishments or ornamentation. Firstly because it freezes those traditions into some past or static canon as opposed to similarly evolving arenas of cultural change. Western fashion vs. traditional costumes. Its similar to the way that 'cultural' dance is treated, think about it-the west has post-modern, modern dance but dances from elsewhere are designated as less of an art form more of a performance, e.g. 'african dance' (which means nothing), and treated as if they don't similarly change. Nothing is ever static, to treat it as so is disrespectful in the extreme.

Rodarte

Beautiful decay.

Ethereal rags.

Genius.
That is all.

Jac obs vs. Schwab

As Riz has said "this season, fashion realizes itself as the abstract unconscious form of the social, of all its anxieties, fears, apprehensions, premonitions and promises." War, terror, a drowning world, depressed economies, what feels like the beginning of the end to an Empire and the uncertainty of what the New will bring...

In reaction it seems as if Jacobs was industrious, uninspired but industrious while Schwab was hysterical-replicating the suffocating feel of the world around us on our bodies. For Jacobs I felt this collection was disingenuous, in times of trouble fashion's greatest gift was always outré over practicality, inspiration and optimism rather than abandonment. Think Dior's New Look...miles of fabric offering a big-time F-you to post-war memories of shortage. We are still currently mid-war of course, but in today's age every war will be Post (modern)-war before it even starts and while I am not necessarily of the optimistic bent (why be an optimist when you can be a Malthusian) I found his collection....just Blah. No inspiration, no real message not even a definitive statement of where we are today. It felt more like a personal throwing up of the hands and it seems to me that the world today demands courage to change it or guts to just ride out the end in a swirl of feathers and sequins, not more identi-kit beigobots.

Schwab on the other hand reminded us of the essential madness of the age we live in. Most everyone takes for granted we are 'civilised', the end-result of a long historical evolution, obviously better off-smarter, healthier, wiser (not the same as smart) than our ancestors. MMMHM, excuse my scepticism but I read the news (or fiction, one and the same you know). Turkey bans Youtube, South Africa puts pygmys in a zoo, President of France marries a supermodel, God doesn't seem to mind people being killed (according to others not me), plagues abound unabated, peasants get fat and die and the aristocrats can afford to be thin and live...same old, same old but with a special twist of post-modern Madness. And this, to me is what Schwab uniquely understands, we can be as self-assured as we like, cloak ourselves in futuristic second skin but It will show, through shreds, patterns, there is no escaping the crazy. Something feels so right about the constraint of his silhouette. The enjoyment of suffering is not limited to Masochists-fashion is all about the Death Drive. As a penance for our sins hobbling yourself may seem small, but at the same time it slows us, reminds us of the claustrophobia which characterizes a never more connected and yet still as antagonistic globe. In comparison my giving up chocolate for Lent seems... dissatisfying.

Garet h Pugh

I love, love, love me some Pugh. The theatricality, the spectacle, the darkness he is like my soul-mate. First things first, will those hats catch on? I really would like them to. Secondly and mainly I want to comment on the performativity of Pugh. His is site-specific fashion, the runway is not merely a convenient way to display clothes or even set a stage but is self referentially integrated into the collection. To turn again to dance, I love site-specific dance-allowing a space in its entirety (history, feel, look) dictate the movements. And I am always dissatisfied not with staged dance but with choreographers who ignore the stage, how it frames its contents with a specific history and lens and don't incorporate this into the piece. The runway is similar to the stage, it has a history, it makes a statement about how, who and why we should view fashion. (It elevates it, constructs a hierarchy as to who views it (first-row, standing room, internet), presents it against the bodies of the designers choice...etc.etc.) Just because designers ignore that doesn't make it go away, in fact ignoring it makes it all the more immediate. By acknowledging this, creating clothing for The Show and recognizing the fact that fashion is explicitly a performance Pugh is the Shakespeare of Fashion forcing us to remember that

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts

Put that on your mirror and think on it when you are dressing. It'll be more fun.

Between grief and nothing... I'll take grief...

2008-02-13T15:37:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Marilyn over at a la moda I have been reminded of my early love for Sloane-Ferris Bueller's Sloane to be exact. I grew up with no television until I was 7 and one channel after that. The charming Bahamian channel ZNS (Zed N S, get it right) which played mostly Sesame Street (old school Street the kind which apparently isn't safe for children any more), Bold and the Beautiful and Neighbours (a New Zealand soap in the Bahamas, gotta love that Empire), so a small eclectic video tape collection was my primary televisual experience. Chief amongst those-asides from Hello Dolly on which I blame my love for millinery and Walter Matthau-was Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Not only did I want to have Ferris' confidence, Cameron's eventual courage but I really really wanted Sloane's clothing, most particularly her fringed jacket.For a fringe junky such as myself of course I drooled over Prada's Spring 2007 collection. Fringe on dresses! Fringe on coats! Fringe on bags! Oh those bags. But it wasn't quite enough for me, or rather to much for my bank account. I needed fringe to approach Sloane's-something to slip on over a normal outfit, with exuberant shoulders and attitude to spare. Thus was born the Great Fringe Hunt of 2008. Oh I found fringe, wimpy buckskin vests and sparse little dangles off of purses but I wanted abundance. Which I believe I've found, courtesy of my new best friends over at Open Road Leather & Accessories. These vests are perfect-colourful, plentiful and just a tad vulgar (okay perhaps more that a tad but I have a high threshold). Check them out....Aren't they perfect? Excellent for slipping over a plain white shirt and jeans (re-make of Sloane's bermuda shorts ensemble) or wearing under a blazer, they call for perfect restraint in clothes and makeup in order to allow them to shine and oh how they do. I want.

No Glove, No Love....

2008-02-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has even perused these pages knows I have a serious love for accessories. My clothes are relatively staid-I own button downs in every colour-but look to my bags, my shoes, jewelry, makeup, hair ornaments and scarves you are likely to find every shade under the rainbow, busy patterns, strange shapes...One place I haven't really begun to tread is gloves,I own one pair of heavy duty winter ones but none for fun. Gloves never really struck me as wardrobe essentials/assets as I just quit biting my nails last year(unpolished stubs seemed a little to inelegant to showcase) and I smoke (making it quite probable I would set my hands on fire).However Glovedup may change all that. Not only are these handmade gloves fingerless(yaaaah for smokers/polish addicts) but they are so elaborate and funky they could elevate a plain white tee to couture levels. Designed by Agent Anonyme (with a name like that of course they're going to be good) Glovedup has gotten a fair amount of press-Vogue Italia, Paris Vogue and of course British Vogue's February Editorial Light and Fantastic, not to mention the recent Heatherette and Diesel runway shows.

There is a bespoke service(you know I love those) which would be a great idea for a special occasion (plain AA dress and custom made mutton bone sleeved gloves sounds like heaven) but there are also a wide array of styles for regular sale. Here are a mix of images but you should go to Glovedup to take a look as they add their S/S 08 line to the website-there are also some interesting experiments with crocheted plastic tiara's in the gallery.

A gleaming sea-scene....

2008-02-10T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, this weekend proved more tumultuous than previous expectations and the only blog-related thing I managed to do is clean up my jewellery drawer. While cleaning I took my cue from BonjourJr's Alice and decided to get a little creative with the operation so welcome to CJB's Under-Sea Adventure-complete with reef, surf and pirate's chest. As you can see I pick up jewellery in the weirdest places, I love glittery things and my mother is particularly generous and discerning. Enjoy!!!

Chunky plastic necklace-Miami Airport/Etched Gold Slave Band-Christmas gift from my sister/Single Fish earring-don't remember where that's from but lost the other one years ago/Two Fish Pendants-little shop in Minneapolis.

Black Coral bracelet and ring-Cuban Craft market/Snail shell necklace-Cuba/Red Coral earrings-gift from mummy/Red Coral, Gold and Pearl ring-Gift from mummy/Two flower brooches made from shells-Cat Island craft fair/Shell and gold pendant-Hope Town, Abaco.

Wooden box-India(gift from an aunt)/Diamond Earrings-Gift from mummy/Large, Red and Gold clip back earrings-gift from mummy/Antique button choker-Art crawl in St. Paul mn./Vintage multistrand, tassel costume necklace-From the cutest old woman in a fleamarket in Clear Lake Canada/Vintage Costume jewellery chainlink necklace-same old lady/Gold spiral necklace and 1817 gold coin from a shipwrect-gift from mummy/Faux Pearl and Diamond collar-Claires/Brass chain with a Lady of Fatima and a gold Stella Maris pendant-Church.

View....

2008-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Its not so cold here and its snowing but instead of feeling semi-excited about both of those facts (I like a little cold and I love snow) I find myself uninspired and in search of beautiful things to look at. This must be why I find myself going over the archives of Dudblankpa thetic's LCDM (check it out if you don't already) and JustJr. Which is how I came across BonjourJR(JustJr's beautiful and creative online magazine)'s charming little editorial Accessobots featuring Alice the Parisobot in the latest issue. Here are a few snapshots of Alice and her friends out and about, but you should definitely go and check out the rest of the issue.

Visit...

2008-02-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

Take a gander at several street fashion sites. Its pretty amazing how the personal eye of the photographer can shape what they find on the streets. I don't just mean the venues they frequent but the colours, attitudes, poses of the people on the page all usually fit into a specific scheme. This isn't necessarily a bad thing(thats what blogs are about yeah?)-its just a real reminder of the way our perception of reality, in this case street fashion or the style landscape of a particular place, is shaped by the person who brings it to us. Yeah, yeah that's a weak tirade against the media but really what I wanted to talk about is this great website-wear palettes.
The brain child of a graphic design student this website extracts colour palettes from pictures posted by The Sartorialist-outfits, background everything goes into these palettes. Its like a streetstyle-specific Colourlovers. Take a look, be impressed by the ingenuity of the creator and marvel at the way the palettes all merge harmonious.

All Photos courtesy of The Sartorialist and wear palettes.

Important Update....

2008-02-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah Hood is on Etsy, dunce that I am I missed it the first time. She describes her work on Etsy as "jewellery making for the fun of it". Check it out a lot of the elements in her main collection can be found there. Check it out.

Five Golden Ringssssssss

2008-02-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have quite a few lengthy posts percolating in my little brain, unfortunately due to school work they are going to have wait until the weekend to be pounded out. However not to leave anyone hanging I decided to write about an amazing jewellery designer I recently encountered, Sarah Hood. I came across her work through the Larkin series, the 500 Necklaces and 500 Earrings. These books are incredible collections of some of the most innovative contemporary jewellery and my favoured procrastination tool (besides The Wire and Tastespotting).

Sarah Hood attended Parson's and got her Metalsmith BFA from Washington state as well as a writing degree from the New School. She has 7 jewellery series up on her website. Each of them are distinct fully formed series yet also cohesive as a whole oeuvre.
Using natural materials as well as metal and enamel these mini sculptures seem to evoke fantasy like configurations of seemingly commonplace natural debris, pine-cones, decayed chinese lantern pods, wreaths of deciduous pods. And the intersection between man and nature seems to be laid bare in various pieces-bottled spices, rings made out of mini-potted plants or trios of Landscape materials. Just as haunting as the series dealing with alive or organic materials are the series out of metal or enamel which read as evocative naive scrawls of flowers and plants. With an impressive resume Hood is definitely a designer to watch.

Face your Pockets....

2008-02-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

I have a fondness for glimpses into anonymous strangers lives (although based on the popularity of street fashion and outfit posts, fashion voyeurism isn't limited to me) witness my obsession with simply breakfast, Treats & Treasures and, the subject of this post, the Face your Pockets project. There isn't a lot of information available on this project but it seems to be originating out of Russia. Basically it is a internet art project which calls for people to submit scans of their faces and the contents of all their pockets. Being able to arrange their belongings around their faces, it takes it a bit further then the show us your bag meme as people are actively creating their own self-portraits. You can get a glimpse of not only what their possessions reveal about them but how they feel about those objects and the medium of scans often look very ethereal. Ghosts, aquatic creatures or Rip Van Winkle; all of these images are very captivating.

Go, Look and Scan.

I'm being followed by a moonlight shadow....

2008-02-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

"The "moonlight shadow” atmospherically pervades Pilotto’s

collections and creates a new, material surface that seems to
indicate the future from a past time. His clothes are poetic and
energetic, avant-garde and elegant, leave room for associations
and suspend the norm. They embody the free play of identities,
refuses from explanation and spread a magical appeal.

While every other Fashion Fanatic is probably glued to Style.com in anticipation of all the delights A/W 2008 holds I am still obsessed with my own single-minded fashion quests. Everybody must remember those iconic Balenciaga gold leggings-unfortunately in my case they are emblazoned on my brain probably forever. I have always been in search of some worthy substitute. While the AA gold leggings were considered they never seemed to quite measure up in some indefinable way.

However after I came across these babies on Seven New York I realized that what made those leggings memorable, for me, was not so much the colour but the mechanical aspect of them. These are Peter Pilotto's 'techno' leggings from his A/W 2007 collection (this collection pictured above). Marked at 35% off they are
digitally printed, have a sheer back panel and are really quite spectacular.

On a whim I did some research into this label and I have to say I'm quite impressed by the collections. Peter Pilotto is a former window dresser at Vivian Westwood, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and is the recipient of quite a few awards as well as being featured in many magazine spreads. Not to mention Susiebubble's attention to his Spring 07 collection!!!! Here are a few other goodies from his S/S 2008 look which was his runway debut in London. I quite like the way he uses detailed digital prints and a mostly black and white colour motif.

Check him out on IQONS* to watch the video of his S/S 08 presentation.

Off with her head...

2008-02-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

I realize that this blog is becoming inordinately colourful and, well, it ain't over...meet Soren Bach. These hats come from his 2007 Royal College of Art collection kartoon kouture in which he takes pretty classic hat shapes-the Russian fur, the tricorn, the hood, the helmut etc. and uses innovative colours and interesting materials to transform them into fountains, mohawks and helmets of colourful fur and patent. Almost all of them look functional-warm, comfortable and incredibly hallucinatory at the same time which is no small feat. Enjoy....

Photos: Christopher Moore by way of catwalking.com

The Devil is in the Details.....

2008-02-02T23:22:00.000-08:00

It is just beginning, but already two great ideas have come my way from Rag & Bone and surprise, surprise bcbg max azria.

My Melissa....

2008-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

The Campana brothers are two of my favourite designers. Using simple materials, often ready made pieces-plastic chairs, stuffed animals, car tires and recycled wood they transform them into amazing fantastical pieces which bring together western and global south aesthetics. Of special interest is their collaboration with Artecnica's Design with a Conscious- an ongoing project which seeks "to promote self-sustaining communities of skilled artisans in underdeveloped countries." Asides from the way their work comments on the intersection between today's throwaway culture and indigenous design craft, the whimsy and imagination apparent in their work always captivates me. When I grow up a little, get a job and attempt to move up the property rung I have a feeling I would be willing to sit, eat and sleep on the floor if I could own any one of their fabulous pieces.

What really got me to thinking about the Campanas is that, even as temperatures are dipping and rising all over the place like a roller-coaster, I can't help but think of spring, more particularly my spring shoes. I have a collection right now-oldies but goodies. My orange Minnetonka moccasins may have seen better but I fear thats nothing compared to my leopard Keds which have faded out a bit due to almost incessant wear. Browsing around on the internets I think I will try to replace them with these fabulous Melissa-Campana creations, which combine innovative materials with classic shapes. In the same vein as my shoe collection (lavender Topsiders, electric blue leopard ballet flats) as well as their larger design repertoire, the campana shoes, the tennis in particular, have a sense of humour. Made of vulcanized rubber and available in many different colours, I think that the search begins now.

Inspiration

2008-01-31T16:40:00.000-08:00

I don't often spend a lot of time thinking about Etro-I do like their way with prints but often find their advertising so reminiscent of Cavalli to be a little annoying. I largely dismissed their S/S 08 offerings finding it mostly a re-mash of Fendi's geometric print and the neon neoprene trend. It wasn't until I saw the ads in a magazine that it dawned on me that the recurrent theme I was seeing were large scale agate slice prints. I love agate slices and since the whole agate on a leather string is done to death (I had 15 when I was younger), this is a fantastic and new way to showcase these beautiful crystals.

With No Further Ado, May I Introduce....

2008-01-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

....VeronicaMartens.

This Etsy shop is very new and has some very spectacular necklaces. You might have gotten the picture before but I am a sucker for statement pieces. And these large, colourful, one-of-a-kind necklaces made out of recycled material are certainly that. A few of them are grand pieces which mimic the most traditional of statement jewelry-substitute emeralds and diamonds for the whimsical thread and fabric creations and these would be right at home in a dowagers jewel box- as it is there is something very Auntie Mame about them. However there are several different-arrange it yourself necklaces which are fascinating, allowing you to rearrange your own little constellations, for some one who has the concentration of a five year old the possibilities become endless.

Whenever I see pieces like this, I desperately want to incorporate them into everyday outfits rather than relegate them to special occasions. With these I am thinking, grey sweatshirts, high-waisted faded jeans, converse, or black trousers, black scoop-neck leotard and black ballet flats. They seem as if they would be fine either thrust in the spotlight or incorporated into the ordinary.

What else would you expect from a shop

"described as bright, passionate, colourful, daring, honest and confident"?

The Skinny and the Damned

2008-01-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

ALL PICTURES OF CRYSTAL RENN- One of my favourite models EVER

Inspired by a recent post over at luxenoir and Mode et Utopie about the increasing frailty of models particularly in the Spring 2008 couture shows I've gathered my thoughts on the matter. Size is such a sensitive thing to talk about-from the outset I'll make it clear, I don't want to insult anyone's size; skinny, shapely, plump or taut everyone can look good, be sexy and stylish. Also forget the whole health thing, only you (anyone, regardless of shape) and your doctor can determine that and I am more interested in telling everyone to go get tested for AIDS to give a hoot. Its so dangerous to enter in this terrain, one of my previous blog-haunts had a post quite awhile ago and I was so turned off by the opinions of the authors (typical, oh fat is unhealthy and some people are naturally skinny B.S.) that you will never find them on my blogroll, no matter how popular they get.

The skinny skinny model look-beginning somewhere in the 90's spelled a rebellion against the glitz, glamour and most of all excess of the 80's. A toning down, a tightening, a trimming, it was a reaction to a decade of over the topness and in that context it is understandable. However as fashion has rebounded-minimalism is no longer the name of the game, the skinny skinny model has remained. I'm not talking about the slim and toned look, yeah sometimes streamlined makes clothes look great (and other times a little hip and thigh would be better) but the frail and emaciated look which I (who have friends whose thighs are honestly the circumference of my upper arm) have never seen anyone achieve naturally in real life. This has always bothered me, primarily because I had a friend with an eating disorder and I have always associated those shrunken bodies with control issues. The need to police, to maintain rigorous control over your body. A denial of some of the pleasures in life, firstly food-the ability to savour and enjoy food, sex-starvation and denial cannot a healthy sex life make (even as there is something perversely sexual about those bodies). Instead skinny seems completely consumable; bite-size bodies that fit in your hand, so self policed that there is no need for external control, frailty signaling the internalization of societal messages.

Give me instead the plump, the curvy, the abundant. Really that is what I mean, abundant. There is just more, more to see, to feel, it takes longer to 'consume' those bodies. They are unabashedly physical, present and thus sexual. There is something un-scalable in those bodies. More than a handful, the geography of flesh which is unapologetically flesh; warm, living, jiggling flesh doesn't fade into a background but is a joyful celebration of life. I think in the end this makes people uncomfortable, abundance is intimidating, confidence is so gauche today. Who buys products when they aren't striving for an impossible ideal?
I'm not knocking slimmer folks, and I'm not saying plumper ladies somehow escape consumerism, this is really just a post about what I think and see.

Also check out Too Fat For Fashion...great blog.

Ebaying My Time Away

2008-01-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

Waiting for my friend Remiko to collect me I'm doing nothing useful on Ebay. Which is how I came across Maki-Maki Vintage based out of Canada. I found three things I absolutely love, unfortunately none of them fit me (I almost feel like buying them solely as motivation to go to the gymn more often) so I've decided to share it with all a y'all, because they definitely deserve a good home.

Inspiration

2008-01-28T18:40:00.001-08:00

I am now ensconced in the frozen north, ready for another semester. I am exhausted from working on my paper, really bibliographies are twice as much trouble as the paper itself. However what has been helping me through my study breaks is perusing the Library of Congress's photo collection on Flickr. While the LOC's photos are already online at their website they decided to add thousands of pictures to Flickr and see if viewers could help them with tagging and identifying them. So many of these pictures are beautiful its hard to choose but here are two of my favourites Both of these pictures are of aircraft assembly workers during W.W. II. I love that both women are all dolled up with their tools. The hair style on the first woman is beautiful and the fact she is so done up on the job reminds me of something I learned in high school history:- the Veronica Lake hair style was so popular during WW II that women factory workers imitating her style often got their hair entangled in machinery so she changed her hairstyle.
The second image is a classic take on the Rosie the Riveter. I love the kerchiefed hair, I've attempted that in the past but I cant get it right, maybe if I had a blue jumpsuit, burgundy lips and nails and some flashy jewels.
But seriously look at these images, they are incredibly beautiful and who knows you might find something or someone you can identify?

With No Further Ado, May I Introduce....

2008-01-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

.....fringecollection.

This Etsy shop features the creations of artist paige c. moore. What I am currently incredibly excited about is the limited edition, one-of-a-kind series of necklaces fashioned out of items ranging from lichen (live lichen) to copper tubing. Apparently these pieces (take a look and you will see why I hesitate to refer to them as mere necklaces) grew out of his tradition of fashioning neck pieces for his girlfriend using artifacts found on the camping trips they took.
These necklaces run the gamut from the ultra natural, wood and shell spirals, to the artificial, wood spliced with copper piping. While most pieces have some element of man, there are no candy-wrappers or plastic bags here. Instead the bits of metal and glass look worn and at home with the natural elements, meshed together they remind me of walks on my beach. My house is isolated from everything, the beach is only visible at low tide and is surrounded by rocky cliffs and acres of wild bush all around. In this context the bits of broken glass, worn bottle caps and fragile tin cans that washed ashore looked right at home amongst the seaweed and shells, I never thought of them as 'trash' but instead beautiful little trinkets. In my little hide-out cave I had a box of this 'pirate treasure'. In this collection moore has done with his tools what I did in my imagination...

(Also there are pieces with actual lichen, living lichen which you water to keep alive. I want a freakin necklace that is alive just so I can say.... Oh, I have to go water my necklaces)

Its beautiful outside so all I can think of is shoes and videogames

2008-01-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Still hibernating in the library but I found these cupcakes on flickr and immediately thought of my favourite shoes ever, ever, EVER. Both of these images are so graphically whimsical, I had to share.

Shoe Fever

2008-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

Still working feverishly away on a very overdue, very important paper but didn't want to neglect you my faithful readers (e.g. me, myself and I) so decided to post on one of the websites I regularly scan for fun and inspiration...the Virtual Shoe Museum. This is a collection of shoes-pictures and descriptions, many of which push the limits of what we think a shoe is. You can search the museum through shoe style, type or my favourite: special use (such as birth, death or initiation).

Depending on the day I concentrate on either inspirational shoes- landscapes and goats on loafers-or adventurous and still (to me) wearable creations. Here are a few of the ones I am enjoying right now.

Quick Thought

2008-01-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

I am on vacation in Abaco, one of the Bahamian out islands which is incredibly beautiful. I am staying on a small island in Hope town which is crazy historical ( I just took a walk through a cemetery where nearly everyone was born before 1880). I'm zooming around all day on a golf cart and eating dinner on a harbour side patio surrounded by a lighthouse and sailboats all night, so not much time to post (but I was inspired out here, so look for a long one soon). But while looking at my black patent sandals today I realize it may be time for some new shoes. I've been thinking this for awhile and here are a few contenders.

From Urban Outfitters

And of course Tashken t by Cheyenne (on sale for $93.90!!!)

2008-01-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

I've already posted on one of the Pre-Fall looks I loved (and there were others) but I must admit that when I first saw the announcement go up on style.com I was baffled. Pre-Fall...? I've heard of A/W, S/S, Resort, but what was Pre-Fall (and also whats Holiday?). I did some research and it turns out that it is not so new in Europe but apparently this is the first year so many Americans (with Calvin Klein starting the trend last year) have participated and it has reached such notoriety. How could it not with designers like Lagerfeld presenting Chanel's collection in London over a few glitz filled days?

Yet I don't quite know how to think of this new phenomenon. Is it an attempt by the fashion industry to respond to both important market and global changes? With global warming (I'm a believer) affecting the weather all over the world-not necessarily just warming up but making it more and more erratic (we just had a week of around 40-50F weather when New York was high 60's-somethings off) is it worthwhile to have two major splits that in their use of mood/fabric/materials/inspiration are slightly redundant? (note. they have always been redundant for us down here, show me someone wearing fur in the Caribbean and I'll show you someone dying from heat stroke). Instead it makes sense to have spaced out mini-collections which, as Pre-Fall is supposed to be, are autonomous and designed with the proper fabrics and transitional inspiration rather than mere previews of a larger line (something I don't think every designer did). Switching to a more broken up schedule would also allow designers to stay one step ahead of high-street chains. In an industry plagued with copyright issues and no solution in sight it would allow less and less time for stores to find and copy that "It-item" (also bonus-the end of "It-items", which in my mind would lead to a more relaxed individualistic idea of style).

While I do think that if fashion were to go with this Pre-Fall trend-Pre-Spring, Mid-Summer, Global Warmed Winter etc., it would be great, I don't think that will materialize. Unfortunately I see it as a mere extension of the crazy consumerism that fuels the fahsion industry, by merely appending these collections to major showings, designers can have their cake and eat it too-keeping the megalithic shows which produce the hype that sells their hand-bags, perfume and lipgloss to the masses while also increasing profit by continually having turnover in-store. I don't mean to grumble, I love a good show as much as the next girl and would be sad to see the spectacle disappear. I also appreciate the strain this might put on independent and smaller designers to keep up with an even more intense schedule however I guess I just really want to see fashion adapt to the changing world, not to mention the wider one(I feel a little frivolous saying this, but Fashion is still incredibly oblivious to entire continents-we have style down here too-I swear). I suppose the most I could hope for would be for designers to really take on Resort and Pre-Fall-the two seasons which, because of their transitional phase status, offer the most difficult, rewarding and relevant arena to begin to adapt to a changing world.

Over the next couple of posts I hope to talk about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly(okay not really) of Pre-Fall 2008, starting with:

Balenciaga

It should be no secret I love Balenciaga, I would literally give up a limb to have some of those gold-robot leggings, but I'm not absolutely sure how I feel about this collection. It was divided into three different looks- "bourgeois", "grunge" and "classic". While I enjoyed almost all of the looks there wasn't much integration between the three sections and I'm kinda split on whether this is a good thing or not-is this what Pre-Fall should be about or does it signal the kind of throw-away attitude I want designers to move away from? After looking closely at the clothes I have to admit that there are enough beautiful looks in here for me to really love it, as to which category I fall into.... I appreciate a designer who acknowledges the inherent style schizophrenia in every girl and says to hell with that choice.

Louis Vuitton

Employing a similar strategy Marc Jacobs seemed to want to fit as many different ideas/inspirations into this collection as he could in 19 looks. Unfortunately I was not sold on the whole thing, there were some okay pieces but there was no real cohesion or excitement (particularly around the leg-warmers/shoe area). What I did appreciate was the styling- what looked like taffeta and wool dresses worn with bare legs and chic little flats spoke to the way we really do dress (or at least I do) in a modern melting world.

The Ones That Got Away...

2008-01-16T21:56:00.000-08:00

I love, love, LOVE My So-called Life, I had one T.V. channel growing up but would watch video-tapes of the show as much as possible. I loved Rickie, wanted to be Rayanne and secretly knew I was more of an Angela. Living on a deserted island I was never whole heartedly into the fashion thing when I was that young, even though I begged for my relatives Away (Bahamian for everywhere up north) to send me magazines, I was much more into reading, dressing up and building forts all over the place(come to think of it maybe I was into fashion).

Awhile ago, though, I was talking with my friend about the whole early/mid 90's fashion and she was recounting growing up in Jamaica, when not much was really available fashion-wise (not just fashion-wise and something anyone from the Global South can relate to) and getting her cousins from Away to bring her what she needed to create the latest look:long sleeved shirts under spaghetti-strap dresses, over sized shirts, leggings and combat boots and I instantly got to thinking of Chloe's reinterpretation of the classic Doc Martens. When I saw those shoes go down the runway (okay, okay when I saw the pictures on style.com) I knew I wanted to scoop them up and wear them with flannel, huge cardigans or thick leggings, an over-sized white shirt and a wool hat. I am pretty sure Rayanne would have rocked these shoes like no other.I stalked them on Ebay but it was to rich for my blood. Then I found them on Intermix for $329, I have no job and no source of income but I have obviously been reading too many magazines because that seemed very reasonable. I took awhile and was making some frenzied calculations figuring out how to get them in my closet. I was desperate to get them and just when I decided to give up smoking (I could probably save thousands of dollars a year if I did) they disappeared. I am still Ebay stalking and if you come across any in sz. 9 let me know and I'll be nicotine-free.

With No Further Ado, May I Introduce....

2008-01-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

When I was younger I was obsessed with books about miniature people and I actually still love The Borrowers. I love the ways they would use regular sized items to construct their worlds and for a time I would leave little matchbox beds and coconut jacuzzis around my house and yard to see if they would accept them. Well, I'm pretty sure if I needed to set a trap for any Liliputians this jewelry from Robin's Jewelry Box would be great bait.

This store features incredible, edible (not quite, but it looks like it could be) jewelry. The amount of detail and intricacy that goes into these miniature breakfast, lunch and dinner rings, pins and necklaces can have you staring at them for hours. I love the idea of combining them with more conservative jewelry/outfits. Imagine a fifty-ish silhouette-a nipped in waist, cardigan looped over the shoulders, pearls at your ears /throat and then.....a bacon-and-eggs necklace or a basket of danishes pinned on your gingham collar. I love jewelry that shocks people, especially the slow sneaking kind of shock: "Is that...? That can't be...? Really...It's a stack of Pancakes on her finger (with the works, the only way to eat pancakes is with butter and syrup)?"

How can you resist a store which has a cookie jar necklace with REMOVABLE chocolate chip cookies or an oriental stir-fry necklace with mini chopsticks and small perfectly cooked shrimp (pink, curled and plump). These pieces look like so much fun, I imagine playing with them all day- switching them to match mealtimes, adorning myself with cakes for a date, turning my jewelry box into an imaginary doll dining room........the possibilities are endless and endlessly appetizing. Seriously how lucky would you be if your significant other (or yourself) bought you one of these creations for V.D.-you get the sweetness and the rush of sugar without the calorie guilt.

Buy now and your purchase comes with a free Valentine's Day pin.

Pour Homme

2008-01-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

I love men's fashion. Some of my favourite online haunts are Trashion, Pour Homme, Style Salvage and I can pore over The Sartorialist for hours looking at the details of a cuff, collar or sleeve. My partner in crime has recently started a job so I've nothing to do at night this week but curl up with my computer, style.com's coverage of A/W 2008 Men's collection and a cup of orange tea. Since I am not a man (at least not at this present time) I tend towards the theatrical rather than the wearable. My reference point having nothing to do with how it would look on me (or even most of my friends), I'm freer to appreciate it as design than I am for women's wear (why is fashion so heteronormative / gender decisive?).

One collection that had me coming back over and over was Prada's. In his Style.com review Tim Blanks writes that this collection "pushed sobriety into the realm of fetish." This really sums up one of the prime feelings of the collection-doubled collars, oddly sensual double-breasted suits, a palate of greys lightened up by vivid primary colours, shrunken vest-like halter tops(which I think would look fantastic under a suit over an untucked shirt), shiny metallics and textured fabrics pushed classic looks into the next realm by playing with proportions, additions (tutu's and frenchcut briefs?), subtractions (no buttons...genius) and even though there were weird moments(those same french cut drawers), overall I loved it. I've collected some of my favourites (and commentary) here.

Mouthwatering

2008-01-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Fashion and food, fashion and food...the two have always seemed to be organically linked to me. I am not talking about simple inspiration- cupcake skirts, profiterole dresses or sleek columns of asparagus (okay, maybe only I see that kind of thing on the runway) but rather my favourite game- What Would I Be Eating In That Dress?
I, like almost everyone else, was captivated by Balenciaga's spring collection. I loved the entire thing but especially the opening dresses whose combination of artificial florals and the exoskeleton formed by the contrast stitching and incredible structure reminded me of some kind of macabre cicada's molted skin. Instantly on seeing these images I knew I would want to eat natural food (no molecular gastronomy -that would be too easy) that is bitter, rich, dark, earthy. Something that makes you feel both grounded and uncomfortable at once-organic and sharp in one mouthful/outfit. So here is my simple three-course meal of Balenciaga.

A salad of bitter greens-radicchio, chicory, watercress, arugula. It would be sharp, peppery, sour...the kind of salad you instantly feel self-righteous about, as you perch in your black&white formal playsuit.

Next a main course of mussels-the oyster's gothic cousin, pungent, dark, and delicious. Is there anything as beautiful as a rope of barnacled mussels dripping with water or a plate of clean, caliginous shells adorned with lemons shining like jewels. Drops of their salty brine might find their way to your orange patterned brocade armour.

And last, chunks of pumpkin (cooked of course) and dark chocolate-dusted with a bit of cayenne perhaps. Something hot and spicy, not sweet or saccharine-this dress might be floral but it isn't a strawberry shortcake.

Inspiration

2008-01-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

From Calvin Klein's Pre-Fall Presentation- Costa's designs always make me feel so pure. His clean lines and use of colour enhance the sensuality of these head to toe looks. Demure and evocative all at once, they prove skin isn't the only way to get attention.

Inspiration

2008-01-14T15:14:00.002-08:00

I love browsing Craftster and I came across this post in May of 2005 and immediately started a new clipping file-Jewels. It's never come to fruition but since I'm out of commission due to a busted ankle maybe now is a good time. It's so easy-paper jewels (or whatever), contact paper, links/ribbon/yarn/connectey thingies and boom, statement necklace. I just can't resist big gaudy faux jewels...on hair clips, necklaces, bags.Hell, I would bedazzle my dog if I could.

With No Further Ado, May I Introduce....

2008-01-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

So I troll Etsy an inordinate amount for someone with barely any disposable income. I just find it so inspiring to see so many people creating unique handmade pieces. I have bought quite a few pieces of jewelry from there and recently have been eyeing the kitchen section (just waiting til I have a kitchen then handmade cherry wood utensils are mine). I think its so important to support independent artist/designers because you can be assured that the creative mind and the labour behind the pieces are being properly compensated not shafted by some corporate middle-man. Lately I have been inspired as ever more and more "professional" creative (whatever that means) types have chosen to continue to use Etsy as a viable way to sell and showcase their products. So I decided to use this space to showcase a few users I love and whose products are on my wish list as we speak.

Well then, here is my first Etsy showcase and with no further ado may I introduce Madame Fortuna.....

Her website describes her pieces as "personal Rosaries" and one look at the items in her Etsy shop and you can see why. Antique charm necklaces, hand-blown glass balls filled with feathers and soil, elaborate confections of metal, knives and paste jewels; looking at her pieces I want to put my hair in pincurls and sip sidecars while languishing in a hammock on a jasmine scented veranda. This compulsion comes as no surprise as her newest collection, Storyville was influenced by the pictures taken by Ernest J Bellocq of Storyville, a New Orleans red-light neighbourhood. Each vintage locket in this series is named after one of the Ladies-of-the-night photographed by Bellocq which I think would send me into a spontaneous charleston every time I put one on. Also a portion of the proceeds from this collection are donated to two charities in New Orleans which is admirable on her part-giving back to your inspiration acknowledges the organic link between muse and creator in a socially responsible way (and means you can feel virtuous snatching up one of these pieces of art).

First we have several necklaces from her Relic line which are small handblown glass globes on 24'' gold chains. Inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry they come filled with a variety of items, soil to keep you grounded, ethereal feathers, a petit point rose or, my personal favourite, a globe filled with yellow coral pieces which would look fantastic over a black leather dress.

Then we have The Magic Charm necklaces, collections of vintage charms. Up for sale right now there is an absolutely exquisite necklace named Nature Woman with an Amethyst, shell and a wooden pen knife (I have a thing for jewelry with knives even though my friend Remiko nearly killed herself on her penknife necklace). I think this necklace is beautiful and am seriously considering getting it, however I may hold out for a personalized charm necklace. Personalization is one of the services Madame Fortuna offers, from a Magic Charm necklace to a Relic necklace these would make fantastic gifts for someone. I'm thinking of commissioning a Relic for my mother's birthday but what would I put inside? That is the question.

I'm also loving several of the heavy pieces she constructs out of vintage pieces. I love heavy, dark jewelry; the kind which anchors you. As soon as my camera is working I will document my jewelry collection, my favourite two rings, which were my staples last year, are a rather macabre looking raven encased in carved resin-very Edwardian- and a little metal ring I got at a craft fair with a picture of a creepy blue eye framed in a smashed bottle cap. I like to feel really weighed down by jewelry and these two necklaces are perfect.

Visit her page immediately you won't be sorry!!!

Corsets, corsets everywhere and not an inch to cinch

2008-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the adventures in Corset land over at one of my favourite blogs I decided to document two of my favourite corset shops for other cincher maniacs. Before I begin I should add that while I loooooooooove corsets and think that they are incredibly versatile, lending themselves to sexy, glamourous, fun, funky, sophisticated and casual looks (really I've seen someone rock a corset over a tank dress with flip flops and look like they were just running out to the store for milk) I do not own any (due to being overly endowed and fearing that wearing one out of the door might get me arrested for indecent exposure). However I am considering buying a dark brown leather one, wearing it over a black turtleneck and black pants with my brown suede fox-hunting boots; for that Huntress look I'm all about nowadays.

First we have Exquisite Restraint, a corset company based in L.A. which creates custom made corsets in a variety of styles. While not cheap, I think these would be an incredible investment for either a special occasion-a wedding etc-or someone who knew their style enough to know a custom made corset would be a style staple (if thats you, pat your self on the back, you're probably friggin awesome). I browse this site for the inspiration I get from the beautiful pictures, especially check out their blog for the Picture of the Week, and the combo's I make up in my head from the fabric samples. Also a large part of their fabulous-ness is that they have options for us voluptuous ladies/gentlemen (really aren't corsets better over some body?). Just check out some of these images: Limited Edition Tattoo Corset-if I had $849.99 to spare that would be in my closet RIGHT NOW.

Then there is Mio Destino Lingerie which apparently sells lingerie for Women, from Men (huh?). This is more a straightforward lingerie site, which I appear to have a healthy list of in my favourites, but it has an impressive number of corsets. Being straightforward lingerie they are mostly scandalous which I think calls for them to be worn over a baggy-ish boyfriend white t-shirt and loose cut-offs or better yet... mom jeans, or black capri's and plain white keds with a slick of red lipstick. Again there are some great photo's and styling especially by the brand What Katie Did, which uses vintage patterns, makes bespoke corsets and invokes a kind of lusty dusty aura which makes you want to run around clad only in a milk maid corset outfit and kiss sailors or something (yes I am a history major but somehow have a Betty Boop idea of the early 20th century).

The Ones That Got Away.....

2008-01-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

You know that moment you see that perfect thing-shoes, top, lipstick. Well then you probably know what happens when it passes you by whether its due to bank account troubles, just a wee bit too small, fear of derision(though to be honest this doesn't really affect me-I have items that even I acknowledge are ridiculous). Well sometimes I accept it and move on, other times I just can't get the images out of my head, which is how I ended up with a favourites folder full of ended Ebay Auctions. Occasionally I attempt to find a substitute but invariably I am never as captivated by it. Here are two of the most recent items I'm mourning for.

The One That Got Away-from Vintage Opulence
As soon as I saw this bodysuit I knew I needed it, however I was in the airport, having just charged a ridiculous amount of money to my Dad's Credit Card for overweight luggage, magazines(I have to stock up before I come home, the pickings are mighty slim here) and semi-edible airport food. I also have to admit it wasn't anywhere near my cup size which to be honest wasn't really the deciding factor. Anyway, after I got off the flight it was gone and I have been grieving ever since.

I just saw the bodysuit combined with denim in my mind. A dark indigo long-sleeved jumpsuit open to the waist, some faded light blue high-waisted bell bottoms, skinny leg grey jeanings (you know those jean/leggings hybrid-like Brazilian jeans), or by itself with a headband tied around your forehead for a hot '70's lingerie look ....Man I have to stop before I start foaming at the mouth.

The One That Got Away-from Vintage International
These shoes are literally my dream shoes, gold, white, spike metal stilettos=magic (one size to small for me). About two years ago I had an OBSESSION with gold shoes-I had gold loafers, sneakers, sandals, wedges, high heels, every kind of shoe I had it in gold. Nowadays I have gold flat sandals and a pair of oxfords but I really wanted these shoes. They are so deliciously tacky I would have worn them everyday....with acid washed jeans and a wifebeater, anchoring a white floaty dress, cropped jeans and a scoopback leotard; with all my flea market gold jewelry of course. These are literally the definition of bitch shoes and could be used to spice up any outfit. They scream don't get in my way or I may be forced to gouge your heart out with my 5'' metal spike heels.

Taupe What?

2008-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm currently sitting in my bedroom down in the Bahamas eating a hummus sandwich and carrot-raisin salad, looking out over fuchsia Bougainvillea, incredibly bright beaches and an ocean that looks as if God is getting in on the whole ombre trend. The best part of being at home is the fabulous colour you find everywhere in the Bahamas; don't get me wrong, I have learned to love fall in the Midwest, (an autumnal palate just doesn't happen here) but one look out my window here and I have to admit subtle has it's drawbacks. Not only is the natural environment dripping with halcyon colour-indescribable blues, greens, yellows, pink.... but Bahamians love to adorn them selves similarly. 'Skittle jewelry", you know, the whole matching chunky monocolour beads and bangles are extremely popular, as is crazy colour saturated hair and nails. There are all kind of class and race issues wrapped up with beauty here (not just here of course) and many people make fun of these women. As for me I respect style, especially that which requires work, thought and experimentation, I love seeing a woman (or man) who decides to hell with it and walks her own way. I especially love all who deviate from 'classy','normal' or 'acceptable' standards and go the opposite way. Ergo my love for drag, Junkanoo, hair shows, nail shows, pink wigs and women who would never be seen without makeup. This post goes out to them.

Castles, Windmills, Drawbridges, Fruit Oh My!! I could stare at these images for hours and discover something new every minute. They are like complete little universes, the intricate detail, talent and imagination it takes to create them is extraordinary. I have been daydreaming about these forever and am definitely interested in creating a modified version for myself-Perhaps a replica of my house, on my thumb or something? Oh well gotta hurry up before I have a job and dress code to deal with.

Check out these Videos on Youtube, this gallery and this website for more inspiration.

It Begins

2008-01-05T17:47:00.001-08:00

Three years ago I read the phrase "all of this is life" in a Garcia Marques story and knew that I needed it to be not only my blog name but also permanently etched on my skin. With this post I have accomplished at least one of those. But really I have procrastinated about starting this blog for years now, collecting my posts, coming up with ideas, taking pictures but always holding back. No more-welcome to All Of This Is Life-ground zero for all my musings. Hopefully the posts will run the gamut from fashion, styling, food, dance and whatever else crosses my mind.