Salvor Projects make the coolest geometric graphic prints. For the most part patterns make me uncomfortable because they announce themselves so loudly, but these are all very low-key. I saw these scarves last year but never got a chance to buy one. I love love love them.

Their current scarves are equally as swoon-worthy.

The eye scarf reminds me of a photograph I saw in Vogue probably five years ago of a bloodshot eye with several dozen too many layers of mascara on. I liked it so much I put it on my bulletin board. What can I say, high school was rough.

They make bags and wallets also:

I saw one of these wallets in the pattern of the larger bag at Pas de Deux in January, but alas, I did not purchase it. Instead, I spent the money on drinks at White Star.

They also produce some, dare I say, rad clothing.

Salvor SS09 and SS08 dresses

The two dresses on the right are some variation on the eye print, I think. What's more amazing is that the dress on the left is their interpretation of argyle. Yes my friend, the print on every WASPs' socks from here to West Egg has been reinvented into the unequivocally awesome.

I don't know what's going on with the print on the left. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is actually an optical illusion of some kind where if you stare at it long enough you see the face of Captain Crunch or Jesus or something. And I'm certain that if I were on acid and I saw it I'd be transported to another dimension.

source: salvor projects

more tees

I saw this shirt at Barneys the other day when I went to see if they still had the Alexander Wang goddess dress (they didn't). I just wanted to see the object of so much worship and longing sighs in the cloth. I have to admit though, I too am under the dress' trance.
While I was there, I noticed this Rogan top among their "Barneys exclusives."

There's something distinctly trashy about wearing a shirt with mesh side panels - or at least something very Eurotrash about it. I remember seeing an SNL skit (dear god) years and years ago that had some bit about how sexually off-putting mesh shirts are. Nonetheless, I find this shirt oddly attractive. Actually, given my taste for sheer fabrics and open weaving, the attraction would seem obvious.


I also noticed while on Oak (and also Revolve) a couple of royal/lapis blue shirts that I'm quite fond of by Kain. Of course, it being Oak, the models are contorting themselves and throwing their hair around and not necessarily showing off all of the different angles of the items.

I don't normally wear much blue but I rather like these. Probably because the blue is so intense and rich. They're still available at Revolve, and probably a few more places. The alternative of course, is American Apparel, but they don't seem to have any tanks or sheer burnout tees in lapis. Of course, maybe I just like these tees because they're the closest thing to Yves Klein Blue available.

American Apparel Deep V Neck and Yves Klein's Victory of Samothrace (which I think I saw at the Reina Sofia)

I had a drunken conversation at Socialista (back in the day, obviously) with a girl who had majored in Art History and whose favorite artist is Yves Klein. At the time I thought she was just needlessly pretentious and wrote her off completely, but the more I look at it, the more I have to admit the appeal of the color. I can never really come to a satisfactory explanation of why he limited himself to blue - rather than pink or gold, his other two favored hues - but it apparently has something to do with the Virgin Mary (understandably - blue pigment, being the most expensive in the Medieval period was reserved for her robes), impregnation, and, according to this equally drunk Art History chick, something about being the distillate of the color of pure, sublime happiness. In any event, there is something undeniably compelling about the color, and I would assume that somewhere it's still available for purchase (though I haven't had any success with my superficial Googling). I will admit that I've always hoped Chanel (or someone) would issue a limited edition IKB (International Klein Blue) nail polish. If I was their director of cosmetics we certainly would.

P.S. As mentioned in the Wikipedia article, computer screens can't display true IKB, so the photo is only an approximation.

sources: barneys, oak, american apparel, yvesklein.de

When Camille posted pictures of Damir Doma's Fall 2009 line I immediately began to plot quietly about how I might get my hands on one of those braided scarves. Or how i might make one.

Except I couldn't figure out how to make the braiding frame the edge of the scarf without some complex series of cuts and some kind of french braiding technique. I don't have any fabric up here to experiment with, so I had to put it aside.

But then I noticed while perusing Seven New York's wares, that they have a version of the scarf available which is essentially just a triangle with the ends braided, so DIY plan back in the works.

The question remains, what fabric to use? I like the idea of some kind of raw silk, but obviously that wouldn't do much to keep me warm. In any event, I'm tempted to use a cream color so that it looks very skeletal like that first photo.

maybe i'm just getting stingier

but what the fuck is up with prices these days?! I feel like I'm paying in pesos half the time. I checked back at Oak at that Ideeen top and decided that I might need the dress version, seen below:



It's a cute dress! Very much my style (no color, cinched at the waist, unencumbered by sleeves), but come on man, $400? It's just rayon. The tank is more than $200 and a version of the dress with sleeves and a sash is almost $500. Maybe I've just been buying things used for too long, but seriously? Maybe it's just that there's no realistic promise of finding these on sale as you would with a lot of Alexander Wang pieces. Plus with more obscure designers, it's less likely that I'll find one at a consignment shop. I can bide my time for years waiting for the right price.

Ok, bitch sesh over, but I'm not buying this dress unless I get it at least 50% off. I can live without it.

hmm eeenteresting

right to left: sass and bide, alexander wang, ksubi, ideen, grey ant, all saints, jet tee (?), complex geometries, laeken, james perse, monrow, helmut lang

Everyone is going crazy with the black and white marble/acid wash/tie dye shirts lately. I already posted the Complex Geometries and Alexander Wang. I really like the Ideen and the Ksubi too (especially because the Ksubi has a cut out back, meaning you can't wear a bra with it, meaning I'll never ever wear it). I'm sure there are loads more out there, but I've grown tired of black and white prints.

I guess this is where the trend started?

Jil Sander Mens' Fall/Winter 2008

sources: shopbop, shopstyle, ebay, oak, oak, revolve, google images, complex geometries, oak, zoe, revolve, zoe

while i'm at it

Lauren Kovin's Spring 2009 lookbook is AMAZING. I want every piece.
I'll refrain from posting all of the photos, so here are most of them.

I hate to sound like Ralph Fiennes in Red Dragon, but DO YOU SEE?!?!
Do you see how it goes from this floaty ethereal-sleeved dress into this OTHER totally amazing dress (I'm not eloquent, so why pretend?). Or at least... I hope that's what it does, otherwise I'll feel quite the jackass.

I love this white look so much that I had to post all three views. I hope my use of caps throughout this post has indicated the profound level to which I find these looks appealing.

You can buy her amazing stuff at Oak (They have the second dress in black but they don't do anything cool with the sleeves... maybe I was wrong?)... or in South Korea. Your choice.

good god just kill me now

i am lovesick over this dress. If it is indeed a dress.

Lauren Kovin at Oak.

I don't know how I first heard about complex geometries, but for months (as in before Christmas) I have been aching inside over several of their pieces. The first items I saw were their hood dresses/tees/tanks and I was immediately smitten. But I know myself well enough to know that I would never actually wear the hood up, and it would all be a waste on me.

And then, (or maybe it was at the same time but I didn't notice?) came the binder tee. Whenever I look at it I feel sick with shame that I did not buy it when I had the chance. I had some credit over at Oak, but I kept thinking, I'll just wait until I'm back in New York and buy it in the store and then no shipping charges. And when I finally got there, it just never happened. And I was binder tee-less. I could have still bought it online, but no I dithered. And dithered. And finally made up my mind to buy it, and it was gone. I would say Never Again! but I know I'll do the same thing again, and soon. I keep making the same fashion mistakes over and over.

But I did pick up this split square tee, which looks rather promising. I plan to wear it every day of my trip in hopes that when I'm forced to sit through countless slideshows of my own vacation photos I at least look stylish in them.

But I'm also kind of lusting after this shirt. Mostly the one on the left, but the camisole has an intriguing neckline. Like wearing a scarf, essentially, but unlike certain someones who wear keffiyehs not advertising to the world that I fucking suck.
It all looks very tie-dye/bleached which is all over the place right now and is making me hesitate. But it's cheaper than the Alexander Wang shirt from the last post and I want it. But Reborn, in spite of their well-edited selection, have not been easy to order from in the past. I could call them, but the thought of expending the effort is tiring me right now. What to do...

I also noticed when I was on the site that the Fall 2009 looks are up, and for some reason, they're just not speaking to me as much this time. Maybe it's because the pieces are more seasonally-appropriate (or at least styled in such a way) and you lose the interesting shapes and textures and folds, but I'm just not as excited as I want to be. These are the two looks I like best, and I do like the gray dress, the neckline looks cool (I think that there may be another picture of it on the site in a different configuration). Actually, it might be a short-sleeved dress with the sleeves pulled off and wrapped around the neck somehow. I like the volume on the look on the right with the narrow sleeves, it's vaguely Owens-y. Perhaps I'll warm up to them over the next few months.

sources: complex geometries, reborn, complex geometries