HERE IT IS

Triangle Garter Belt
Buy it HERE

A QUESTION OF PLEATS

(Blazer - Zara / Tshirt - Helmut Lang / Trousers - Jodi Arnold / Shoes - DIY / Belt & Necklace - Zana Bayne)

Trousers and I seldom get along well. Its like kind of like astrology...I'm a Virgo, and tend to bump heads with Taurus's UNLESS there's some sort of cosmic alignment. Er, well you I'm sure you get what I'm saying. Back to the point - I love a high waisted pleated pant but normally they make me look like a sack or a clown, NOT the Yohji-like elegance that I would want them to emit. But as I mentioned before, there are exceptions to every horoscope and I have truly found my cosmic pants.

ZACH IN MANHATTAN

EDIT: Listed the X-back harness on etsy, click HERE

WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES?

Chain of events: Get home from work, change into pajamas as a protest to leaving the apartment, become convinced to go to a show, head to greenpoint on a bus to see Mirror Mirror (http://www.myspace.com/mirrormirrornyc) play, switch to next party, consume too many beverages, constantly remind myself that I'm wearing sequined pants, come home & crash, wake up and go to work.

Whatever is going on to the far left of this photo is brilliant.

MADAME MARIKA BRINGING SHADE TO THE STREETS

Its strange how paths miss and cross and reconvene once more. I came to New York right around the time when Marika (http://wartimerecess.blogspot.com) moved back to Hawaii. We have mutual friends, and an obvious mutual love for black clothing, boots, and leather! Naturally since she was in town, we had to meet up. She came wearing leather leggings and LOTS of Ann Demeulemeester.

BUILDING MY TOOL ARSENAL

I'm starting to feel a little bit like "The Dentist" from little shop of horrors, with all of my tools and blades and punches and strange ambiguous devices...

LURVE MAGAZINE x A.F. VANDEVORST

Tehila: T-shirt - SS 05, Pleated Dress (worn as skirt) - SS 08, Boots - FW 09 / Robin: Lace Tank - SS 05, Black Skirt - FW, 08Boots - FW 09

A.F. Vandevorst Archive Shoot for LURVE Magazine

One of the most exciting projects that I worked on with LURVE was a shoot featuring the designers A.F. Vandevorst, after their spectacular SS10 collection. Cameron (stylist) and I thought it would be interesting to explore the label's archives for the shoot in order to represent their 12 years of design that have led up to where they are now. Since the beginning, there have always been touches of strict tailoring mixed with slight fetishism - whether it be a leather trench coat held together by rivets, a necklace appearing to have bones and pearls strung together, or a powder blue silk dress with an attached nun's veil in place of a hood.

Knowing that the label was based in Antwerp, we were not sure that access to AF's archives was even feasible, but thanks to Corinna and Michael at Nouveau PR and the generous cooperation of the AF team, we were able to bring the concept to fruition. I couldn't be more thankful to everyone who was involved! The shoot can be seen in the current issue of LURVE Magazine which is out in stands right now.

Photographer: Zana Bayne (http://www.zanabayne.com)
Stylist: Cameron Cooper (http://www.cameroncooper.net)
Hair: Danilo Omo (http://www.daniloomo.com)
Makeup: Gregory Alan (http://www.ididthehair.com)
Models: Robin Faulkner (New York Models), Tehila Rich (ONE)

All Pieces SS 10

All Pieces SS 10

Dress - SS 07, Necklace - FW 05

Military Uniform Bustier - FW 04, Black Jodphurs - FW 09, Puffer Gloves - FW 08

Jumpsuit - SS 08, Sheer Shorts - SS 01, Spats & Boots - FW 09

Hat - FW 08, Pearl Necklace - FW 05, Cape - FW 08, Shirt - FW 09, Skirt - FW 09, Shoes - SS 10

Both tops - SS01

LOOKING BACK TO GO FORWARD

(Photo from DazedDigital)

(EDIT - Just realized that this is my 800th post. Major!!)

Last night as I was getting ready to go out, I was thinking about the softened siouxsie eye makeup for Kris Van Assche's SS10 collection. That got me reminiscing about his fake tatted "chola" girls from SS09, with their silk boxer shorts and elegantly relaxed tank tops. At the time of the collection, I was intrigued but not completely sure if it was suited for me - its amazing how clothing can come back and become more relevant than ever before.

I started flipping through a few collections that had been marked in my memory, but not recently revisited. I've had a desire for strong (NOT spectacle) garments for midseason springtime, and now have compiled a lookbook of sorts for bold garments that read as powerful without losing their femininity.

Beside pieces form Assche & Maria Cornejo, I have included three of my favorite collections that were absolutely striking from beginning to end. I fell in love with the entire FW09 show by Armand Basi One, and was devastated that the collection seemingly closed afterward. There were tightly wrapped and bundled long sleeved minidresses paired with creeper boots (pre-wang insanity), motorcycle jackets with oversized shoulders and sleeves, loads of awkwardly shaped pants, and an attitude of nonchalance which aided in the wearability of the trickier pieces.

Next is the short-lived "Angry Chloe Girl" of FW07 by Paulo Melim Andersson - his seasons with the house were the ones that I connected to the most, and I felt as though he was really building up an immaculate point of view. Reviews would always call the collections "arty", "bratty", a little bit more "punk" but I never saw any of that. I found his work to be hyper-feminine with an immaculate selection of fabrics and without any cliche'd silhouettes.

Rounding out the line up would have to be Junya Watanabe's 46-ways-to-drape-a-dress collection from FW08. The dresses specifically hypnotized me; single fabric numbers that highlighted the gravity of draping. Simultaneously simple, yet infinitely complex.

1-3: Kris Van Assche SS10 / 4: Kris Van Assche SS09

1-2: Kris Van Assche SS09 / 3: Zero + Maria Cornejo SS10 / 4: Zero + Maria Cornejo FW10

1: Zero + Maria Cornejo FW10 / 2-4: Armand Basi One FW09

1: Armand Basi One FW09 / 2-4: Chloe FW07 (I mourn the loss of the "angry Chloe girl)

1-4: Junya Watanabe FW08

Gotta love a show where a few mens looks are scattered in...especially when they're as hot as these two above. Both are for Fall 2010, and if this is what the near future looks like I can not wait. The look on the left is Zero + Maria Cornejo - on their own, there are several pieces that could be considered feminine - a printed scarf, pleated tapered pants - but combined together they truly take on a sexy masculine look. The look to the right is not so subtle, very brooding, tightly wound & severe - plucked out of a strong, stormy, androgynous collection by Nicolas Andreas Taralis

& then I got to this. Both looks are from the SS10 season, on the left is Zero + Maria Cornejo and to the right is Kris Van Assche. I can't figure out which is more disturbing: A) that the styling of the two looks is completely identical or B) the fact that out of all of the collections I looked at I ended up picking two looks that are literally the same without consciously realizing it. I guess that's a real, solid "point of view", no?

VANDAM, DARLING!