After several spicy pineapple tequila drinks, I made a quick stop at The Box which is taken over on Friday's by Kayvon Zand & his accompanying collective, guaranteeing lots of black, lots of face makeup, and a strong dose of gender-bending.
My look was something between a gothic cheerleader and hooker. Dress by Zara, FW11 Harness & bootstraps, Alexander Wang 6" platform boots.
Thanks to my lovely friends with TV's, I was informed that Gaga's gang of dancers were all wearing leather harnesses for the performance during So You Think You Can Dance. And although all of these straps might start looking similar, let me tell you that the ladies were wearing pieces that are brand new! I've always been wary of making full body harnesses, simply because movement can be awkward and restrictive BUT the dancers have completely proven me wrong through lunging, crawling, and dancing like mad.
The full dark army.
Turns out, its nearly impossible to find black hardware so instead of admitting defeat, I grabbed a few cans of spray-paint. Lucky for me, I have fire escape access from my apartment and the days have been particularly warm & conducive to fast drying time.
When I'm not running around in calf-length lace, I usually look something like this. You might be thinking, "IS THAT A GRAPHIC ON A TANK DRESS??" and the answer is...well, yes. But it's a GIVENCHY graphic tank dress, which to me makes all of the difference. While the title of this post is supposed to be a reference to the song covered by Big Black, it also touches on my amorous feelings towards the house that Riccardo Tisci has built. When it comes to label-whoredom, I have my guilty moments, but at the top of that guilt list would be the big G(ivenchy). Forgive me. (I found & purchased the tank dress from INA Consignment)
I find there's nothing better to compliment a simple dress than a 6" heeled platform ankle boot, no? The boots are Alexander Wang, the patent leather boostraps are Zana Bayne Leather FW11 (available for sale in a month)
On a non-gluttonous note, I was graced by the presence of two lovely gents from San Francisco last week, the first being my darling Jerome who I have known since I was a wild 16-year-old party kid, and who is now known for his impeccable taste and eye for menswear. He came to the studio looking for a pentagram harness, and I ended up making him a special one-of-a-kind piece out of navy leather (he also left with a couple of FW11 pieces but those will come later).
Along with Jerome, came photographer Anthony Deeying who came into the SF scene right around the same time that I moved to Berlin, so our paths have not crossed until now. He entered the leather studio on a mission for the Ribcage Harness, which I was happy to make for him. I believe in making leather dreamz come true!
Calf-length lace dress found yesterday at Beacon's Closet for $16.95. Seeing that the temperatures in New York have been in the upward 90's with no sign of relief, I only found it practical to purchase such a distinctly Fall-appropriate garment. It doesn't look like much when its hanging, but once on it transports me to the mindset of Miu Miu FW11 mixed with Prada FW08. I might need to tie all of my leather remnants into a whip to accompany it. I find the length quite striking, especially how the underslip ends right above the knees, leaving a portion of the lace transparent. For now I will keep it as is, but I can't guarantee that the hemline won't rise. The belt is part of my Fall/Winter 2011 accessories collection.
1. Vintage porcelain glove molds, purchased at the Williamsburg flea market 2. Oversized rusted keys, also found at the flea market 3. Metal wrist cuff, made by Sullivan Walsh of Walsh Metal Works (more on this later)
I'm sure everyone here remembers when I posted my favorite SS11 moments back in October (ha ha) but for those who don't, you can click here for a refresher. The point that I'm trying to make, is that when you scroll to the bottom of that post you will see the Ann Demeulemeester white wedge boots on the runway, and now they are on my feet. Dreams do come true! A literal, "runway to reality" moment, thanks to a far-too-generous very-early birthday present from my mother (who got a pair of of SS11 Ann platform sandals for herself). There is something so offputting about a white boot; a mixture of 60's gogo nostalgia, cartoon boldness, and slight animalism...
Silk Wrap Dress - OAK / Triple Wrap Belt - Zana Bayne FW11 / White Boots - Ann Demeulemeester
Today has been a really great one. I conquered sleep, finished a massive project, got some goodies in the mail, and oh...was alerted to a video of Lady Gaga & her dancers performing in harnesses that I custom made for them. Now Gaga's dancers have actually been wearing my pieces for a few performances so far, which has been such a fantastic treat (I rarely ever get to see my work in motion).
One of the most difficult things about working within the fashion industry, is accepting the notion that your work will not always be used, even if it is pulled for an exciting project, and even if it was custom-created for such. No ego, no disappointment, move on to the next shoot. I would rather have my work be seen & handled by a talented crew and not used, then not have it there at all! But THIS performance is exciting. I really fell in love with the harness that I made for Gaga to wear, and couldn't be happier to see it actually worn!
Although I usually plan out my pieces on paper, often times they end up changing once I get working on the dress form. I quickly realized it was next to impossible to make the bust section like the sketch, and ended up improvising a strap formation that I like even more. I took the mannequin photo before I made the garter pieces that buckle three times around the legs..
I know, my sketches are really works of art. And I realize I drew both as female forms, even though one is meant for men! These are the looks for the dancers, which you can see better throughout the video. I ended up making the male dancers' look into two separates of torso harness & hip/leg harness, but the girls' harness stayed pretty true to the original sketch.
You can see the dancers' harnesses a lil better here, from a performance in Sydney. The dancers also wore them in Taiwan and Singapore.
(Can we talk about the closed caption lyrics? Ear condoms!)
Its friends like Chris Habana who make me feel so happy to be living in New York! He is one of the hardest working fellows I know, busy with his namesake jewelry line CHRISHABANA as well as his line for Urban Outfitters, "My Enemy" plus several other endeavors. Not only is he a wonderfully talented and motivated creator, but he is also one of the kindest souls I have encountered in the fashion community. He stopped by the leather studio the other day to gossip, talk shop, and play with leather. He ended up leaving with a sample of the "Low Brace Belt" in red from my upcoming FW11 collection to complete his "Tank Girl" inspired summer ensemble. I approve 100%.
