Falling from Grace

Bondage chic

Even amidst a bondage chic revival, I'm mildly shocked to see this Vena Cava bondage print dress. It's pretty damn rad but wow, you can see 'er patch and everything!



Worship Worthy's fall 08 collection, also in the spirit of bondage:


I'm reminded of madonna's majestic sex book;

Let the Right One In

Director Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In is like a poem of a horror movie. This is definitely one of the best films I've seen in a while.

Priestesses of Longing

Admittedly I've taken a long hiatus. Moving to Vancouver for a new job has kept me so swamped in newness that blogging's been the last thing on my mind. That said this week I was summoned by Rick Owens' Spring 09 Collection which he called Priestesses of Longing.

When I saw the collection I basically died a little death and came back to life full of artful longing and desire. It's like the priestesses have baptized me, purifying, making me new again. How can a bloody fashion collection do that? I don't know. There must be something wrong with me. And yet I know I'm not alone in my capacity to be moved by art and fashion. So I think I'll keep on sharing.


Hail Mary of Darkness, post-apocalyptic warrior, pagan gothic priestess. gOD. I can't even take it. The mood reminds me of another beautiful fashion story I fell in love with last year styled by Edward Enningful for Italian Vogue where he juxtaposed puritan and santeria-esque priestess dresses, in a crazy ecstatic mashup evoking the crucible, excorcism, robotic worship, and anime. fucking crazy and beautiful.
















I would also call these women priestesses of longing, though they don't have quite the same warrior strength of Rick Owen's spring 09 models. So I've been nurturing an obsession with this Priestesses of Longing concept for the last few days when my horoscope for this week practically asked me to BE a Priestess of Longing...

Your creed for the last three months of 2008 comes from Nikos Kazantzakis:

"By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create
it. The non-existent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired."

Memorize this meme, Cancerian. Imprint it on your subconscious mind. Make it
so much a part of you that it breathes as you breathe and dreams as you
dream. Allow it to turn you into a magician whose potent desire is as strong
as the longings of 10 normal people put together.

Rick Owens... wherever you are... you've stirred in me a deep inspiration and longing, and for that I thank you.

YSL SS 09 Video

Have your cake and fix it too

Object Factory At the Gardiner Museum

After the ROM's re-opening last Friday a group of friends and I stumbled across Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Design at the Gardiner Museum across the street. The exhibit is an excellently curated sample of interesting modern ceramic designs. And to my delight its centerpiece was my long time favorite Ingo Mauer chandelier Porca Miseria! It almost brought me to tears! Here's a photo from the Mauer catalogue, but it's breathtaking in person.






In many ways I thought Object Factory was a perfect showcase of "re-imagined possibilities of ceramics", as it set out to be, save for one oversight; as Jesar noted, Charles Kraftt's porcelain shot guns (below) would have truly completed the exhibit. Nonetheless, kudos to curator Marek Cecula on a beautiful show. Object Factory runs at the Gardiner Museum until Sept. 7, 2008.

Mr. W

What an adorable little "short"!

Thanks to Gracie Bezaire for leading me to this "spin" on a renewable resource.

Rei Kawakubo for H&M !!!

The mammoth of luxury meets mass market collaborations has truly arrived...  Rei Kawakubo has agreed to design a COMME des GARÇONS capsule collection for H&M.  



I don't even know what to say except... does anyone have some camping gear I can borrow? I might actually have to camp out for this one...

Wear Palettes

Now here's an interesting instance of a blog dedicated to interpreting/translating/processing someone else's blog... sometimes it just blows my mind how much the "web" plot thickens and thickens...

If you're anything like me your daily internet fix consists of a dose of Scott Schuman's The Sartorialist.   Well, a young graphic design student has started a blog called Wear Palettes  where he extrapolates the colour palettes of each sartorial outfit.   Rather genius really.  check it out. 

I just love coming across new levels of free information sharing.  I'm re-blogging this story after reading it on PSFK which of course, is all about the free exchange of ideas in trends and innovation (as opposed to locking ideas behind the login gates of sites of WGSN and the likes). Along these lines, if you haven't yet read Chris Anderson's article "FREE! Why $0.00 Is The Future of Business " in this month's issue of WIRED, well you really should 

- it's a simple, good read with excellent examples of the why's, how's and future of FREE in marketing,  grounded in the torrential exchange of information that shapes contemporary existence. 

cheers.

 

Anne Demeulemeester new store in Seoul

For the record, Anne Demeulemeester is one of my most favorite designers. In fact, it only made sense to me that such a smart and graceful architectural form be erected in her name as her newest boutique in Seoul, Korea.

According to PSFK the boutique reflects an emerging architectural style known as "organic architecture" - and the Anne Demeulemester building in Seoul marks the first fashion post to incorporate it.



This particular iteration used "Le Mur Vegetal" or "The Vertical Garden", a technique developed by French botanist Patrick Blanc, in which a light weight material is used to suspend, cultivate and grow your greens of choice on the vertical plane without soil. Mass Studies, the Korean Architecture firm that designed the Anne Demeulemeester building, used moss and bamboo, both inside and out.




You can view more photos of the building on the Mass Studies website.

Reed Barrow's Artwork

I found a new artist I'm really into: Reed Barrow. Kind of techy, ethereal, and even mystical all at once.

I was first led to his LED chandelier piece which plays a 12 minute video loop of shapes/colours on 360 degrees of its surcace. It's called Monument to Amaranth and lives at the new Tommy Hilfiger retail store in Manhattan.



On his site I found some other great pieces like this "falling" meteorite,



and this Mystification Apparatus.

Lykke Li : Little Bit

I'm more than just a little bit in love with this song right now. The video is sweet too, all washed out like a Juergen Teller photograph. Enter synthy xylophone beat and syropy swedish pop voice and the video kinda makes you feel that bliss of waking up to a sunwashed room, clean sheets, and a heart-on for your crush lying next you.



And how cool is the suggestion of a private dance party at home, with a fully charged spotlight and all!

geek meets street

I love it when contradicting things that I like come together as one, like this case of geek meets street in an html closing "tag" for Bush.


brilliant.




re-blogged from wooster.

Zaki on the cover NOW Magazine

Zaki Ibrahim's show this Tuesday night is going to be bananas. With NOW magazine putting her on their cover the week of the show, (which fyi was scheduled before the NOW feature, not the other way around as the article implies), the crowd's bound to be super hyped!



Here's the photo from the inside spread featuring pleated trousers by the fine chicas at common cloth, and custom bustier by yours truly.

Rorschach Inspired Pt. 2

Another round of inkblot inspired numbers. A few with mixed mediums. oh, and next week, if all goes as planned i should be posting part 3 - the ultimate ode to Rorschach...


watercolour and tinfoil


watercolour, tinfoil and leather / zipper cut out


watercolour and vaseline

Stylist to Zaki Ibrahim

This last week was spent doing some of my most rewarding work to date. Last Wednesday a talented crew and I shot the lovely and talented Zaki Ibrahim's PR shots to support her forthcoming EP. With Jesar's moral and creative support I art directed and styled the shoot. Turns out one of the looks will be used for the cover of NOW magazine, out this Thursday.

Here's a highlight from the day; one lovingly customized bustier avec spray paint, safety-pins, chandelier drop, chains, metal studs, buttons and kilt pins. It was inspired by the work of the stylist god that is Judy Blame (responsible for memorable Neneh Cherry and early Björk looks).



I'll post the NOW cover when it drops later this week.