blue, part I

Zero Maria Cornejo, Twinkle, Proenza Schouler, Dries van Noten

ZMC: I actually really love that this print is derived from an image of the ocean - it brings together the chaotic mixing of blue and white in a really visually appealing way without being at all like a hokey Hawaiian shirt. If anything it reminds me of the Great Wave off Kanagawa, but shinier. I also really love that the cut echoes the fluid movement evoked by the print.

Twinkle: Aside from hating the name of this label, I quite like the dress. The print reminds me of a Franz Marc painting, and I'm a big sucker for German Expressionism. I really love the inflections of yellow into the print as well.

PS: Okay, so I'm not the greatest Proenza fan out there. Frankly, I think they make some ugly stuff. But I like the texture here, and the juxtaposition of the black and white against the blue and yellow. I really can't tell what's going on in the skirt part, but from far away the effect is quite nice.

DVN: I love the use of color here. SO MUCH. Everyone knows that Dries is a master of color, and the contrasts here are striking. The Indian blue sari-esque skirt with the orange/red/black top, that (if I could see the print better) I think might be Japanese (bamboo and whatnot?). It looks so vibrant and so fresh. I also love the unexpected green clutch.

source: nymag

black & white, part I

Erdem, Anna Sui, Wunderkind



Prada, Tony Cohen, ThreeASFOUR

bora aksu

At left, two looks from Fall 2009, at right two from Spring 2010

I don't know how Bora Aksu has managed to escape my attention thus far, but I am officially enthralled. His work came up in a search I did for patterns (I've become obsessed since purchasing two patterned tops), and although I wouldn't call these pieces patterned in the traditional sense, I was compelled to investigate further.

I pretty much love everything. The laced shoes, the knitwork, even the leggings on the pieces from Spring. The first look is my favorite, I love the heavy inverted triangle at the neck, which looks to be corded or laced, and how it moves down to meet up with the tulle at the skirt. I suppose it could be said that it has a peculiar visual effect on the bust, making it look slightly low, small, and spherical. But you know, I'm into it. I'd wear it in a heartbeat.


source: nymag

the arnolfini wedding

Jan van Eyck, 1434

I can't stop thinking about this painting. I've seen it before - at the National Gallery in London - but for some reason it's sticking in my mind now. It doesn't have anything to do with fashion, my interest in this, although the bright green of her dress - in real life anyway - is mesmerizingly vibrant. It's just a really beautiful, apparently haunting image.

eddie borgo

Today Gilt had a sale on Eddie Borgo jewelry. I'm not overwhelmingly impressed with it, largely because, like Dominic Jones' work, it just feels like it's capitalizing on the spikes/studs/80s trend and has no real character of its own. But, I gave the sale a peruse, and there were a couple of interesting pieces (although only the last of which I'd consider buying).

The ring: I like the rose gold, it's an unusual choice, and the glass accents and general structure make it look like an early 20th century conception of something industrial. It's a little deco, possibly futurist, and Machine Age. It looks like a microchip modded by an overzealous Steampunk. I back it, but I don't think I'd wear it (rosegold doesn't flatter my skin tone).

The cuff: I like that it's squared, I don't love the rounded pyramids on it. That's about it.

The necklace: It's made of petrified wood!!! Wtf how is that possible? Not that wood petrifies, but that they managed to acquire it for jewelry-making purposes. Did they manufacture it? Did they get it from China, where environmental standards are a joke? Did they raid the petrified forest??!? Also, I like the graining.

source: gilt groupe

back brace

Admittedly, this isn't strictly fashion, but it is meant to be worn. This is a piece by the (I think) Texas-based artist Rebekah Frank. It is meant to be a statement on gender normativity and forces the body into a more "confident" stance while keeping the arms pinioned (the title of the piece is, in fact, Pinion). As far as I'm concerned, this is just an interesting-looking piece, feminist statement or not. I also like that it imposes its will onto the body and alters its form, which is something that fashion has and continues to do (and explore). A garment (excluding shoes) that took on the challenge of good posture would be probably a difficult but productive endeavor. Just a thought

via NotCouture

sick kid post

lanvin blue strapless dress, simona kaunaite porcelain (?) ear brooch, imogen belfield ring, lanvin earrings, jeffrey campbell clinic wedges, rodarte skirt, fleet ilya clutch, made her think spine knuckle ring, betony vernon sperm rings, siegerson morrison cut-out oxfords, lanvin cross-body bag, delfina delettrez hand cuff

Notes:
I don't care that I posted a version of the Delettrez hand jewelry yesterday, I love it, and that's enough. Originally I wanted to do a post on blue and yellow, but my incipient illness and inherent laziness prevented that from happening. I really like anatomical jewelry (duh), so the brooch fits right in, and I've taken a fancy to the idea of brooches as of late. I've been in love with that Rodarte skirt since back when Moses wore short pants, and I'll always have a soft spot for whatever weird shit Fleet Ilya dreams up.

As for the Jeffrey Campbell wedges: I have mixed feelings about these. They certainly look very cool but, as with all things Jeffery Campbell, they are not strictly an original design - the metal side plating is "borrowed" from boots by Akiko Ogawa. And J. Camp does have a boot version - minus the buckles and whatnot. So, while I like these, I'm not sure I could, in good conscience wear them. Besides that, I'm not sure I could pull them off. "Fierce" shoes are for braver, more coordinated souls.

the slow introduction of color

from top left: natalia brilli necklace, vpl insertion bra, alexander wang sunglasses, helmut lang cotton moto jacket, lanvin tulle and pearl ring, repetto oil slick flats, proenza schouler metal cuff, delfina delettrez rubilie stone hand ring, marni top, givenchy brooch, nicholas kirkwood x rodarte heels

I tried on that Helmut Lang jacket at Bloomingdales about a week ago, right before I came back from break and I nearly swooned in the dressing room. It is so soft, the collar draped perfectly (not pictured), it was like a hug from Herr Lang himself. But it's also $400, so I parted ways with it with quiet grace and dignity. BUT THEN I found a fairly similar black version, also by Helmut Lang, for about 25% of the price, so I went for it. I am most pleased.

Anyway, everything else pretty much speaks for itself. Yves Klein blue leather-covered necklace? Delicious and would look fetching on top of one of my many all-black ensembles. VPL bra? Sure, why not. P.S. their stuff runs TIGHT in the chest. Delettrez hand ring? You had me at hello. Lanvin tulle/pearl ring? It kind of looks like an opulent bird's nest, and it's made from a somewhat non-traditional (although not for Alber Elbaz) jewelry material, so yes, I'll take it. The Proenza arm cuff looks like slightly modeled asphalt, which I love, I'll wear anything Givenchy and spiky, and I pine for Rodarte and Kirkwood to such a degree that I make myself slightly ill.

I can't promise anything more than a thank you note in return, but if you're feeling generous, my wishlist is above.

I'm obsessed with the mini-cross-body bag. These are by Boyy, a brand I'd never heard of until literally moments ago, but of which I'm now a big fan. These bags are basically perfect for my purposes, which is something that can hold my cards and phone, maybe some chapstick, and that's it, while being something that I don't have to carry with my hands. They're entirely unintrusive because they hang off the body and can basically be ignored.

I have one cross-body bag now: a Carlos Falchi butterfly (or is it buffalo?) bag I got from ebay, which had the distinct advantage of being cheap as well as stylish. I love it to bits, but there's nothing wrong with having more than one bag, no?

tread carefully

Tristan Webber shoe photographed by Helmut Newton and included in the volume put out by Taschen a few years ago.