Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Dancing Queens.

Lanvin ads always have a sense of life to them, much like the work Alber Elbaz does for the house itself. Last season, the campaign featured Iselin Steiro and Kinga Rajzak mid-catfight. The Fall campaign—shot by Steven Meisel—brings something more light, with Karen Elson and Raquel Zimmerman performing synchronized choreography. The result is as playful as the brightly colored and voluminous dresses pictured below. If the stills weren't enough, a campaign video has surfaced which shows the models (and male counterparts) dancing to Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me." The soundtrack choice brings me a smile for the simple fact that something mainstream won out over something indie. Any pretension is stripped once Pitbull's voice emerges. Quite simply, it's lighthearted fun that is undeniably refreshing. I hope you'll enjoy a couple stills and the video as much as I did. There's a lovely surprise at the end.

Photobucket

Photobucket



Photos via Fashion Gone Rogue

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Marc and Robert.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photos via WSJ Magazine


I'm constantly thinking about having a kindred spirit to work alongside. My dear friend, Gillian, certainly fits the bill, but the majority of her year is spent in Portland. This insightful profile of Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy for the Wall Street Journal Magazine illustrates their personal and professional relationship. Not only is such a relationship something I crave, but what has resulted from their partnership is nothing short of inspiring. In addition, the old photo is awfully precious. Enjoy.



Carine Roitfeld by Karl Lagerfeld

Photobucket
Carine Roitfeld photographed by Karl Lagerfeld


The two had quite an interesting chat in Interview magazine, accompanied by some ravishing photos. I cannot help but to feel full of wonder after reading the interview. Huh.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.



Photobucket

Vintage wrap, thrifted BDG t-shirt, BDG jeans, deaux lux bag, BP Nordstrom scarf (worn as turban), gifted silver and seashell necklaces,
ring purchased at Moksha, tassle necklace Forever 21, assorted bangles, gifted flats


On the day of the Pride weekend street fair, Gillian and I explored the less charted regions of Capitol Hill, where we found a wonderful vintage store called Indian Summer, tucked away not far West of Broadway. I found a beautiful greyish, jade greenish wrap, printed with fish, antelope and other exotically rendered creatures all over it. The fringed hem also got my motor running. I had just spent nice sum at Cairo, another nearby vintage store, and reluctantly fell in love. Gillian looked at me and knowingly said, "Don't pretend you're not going to buy that." (For whatever reason, I have a fierce attraction to ponchos, wraps, capes, and any other garment that loosely covers me that couldn't be called a coat). The large "10" written on the tag seemed oddly low, so I made sure with the owner who reassured me it was ten dollars. All resistance was quelled thereafter.

The Summer weather has required me to be virtually naked (I'm a whiny Seattleite), so my excitement about the garment has not been fully exercised, but on the day I took this photo, it was rather cool and grey. I even put on some pants. I'm also fairly obsessed with headwraps and the like, so I devoted a chunk of my morning to mastering a turban shape with a long scarf. An excess of jewelry, eyeliner, and room in my bag brought together all of the bag lady elements.

I'm so fucking ready for Fall.

Don't tell me I'm less than my freedom.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Copies 6¢

Praise Mario Lemafa for always having his camera with him.

Photobucket

Thrifted button up, BDG cigarette jeans, thrifted Banana Republic ankle boots, thrifted green (faux?) snakeskin clutch

Monday, August 8, 2011

Summer: That's Not My Deal

I've been feeling rather optimistic about summer as of late, despite the fact that I can't stand the heat, nor dressing for it. Last week saw a change when,after having declared I was not "a beach person," I went to Golden Gardens with a group of friends, even braving the icy cold waters of the Puget Sound. And just today I was hellbent on finding a "summer movie" to watch on Netflix. The search was less than successful and lead to potentially startling vocalized frustration. Fortunately for me, Best Coast is a band that certainly provides a sense of escape, easiness, and abandonment that is so often associated with the summertime. Guitar riffs bring images of impressive swells and clinking margarita glasses over taco truck fare. Needless to say, I was rather excited at the prospect of a Drew Barrymore-directed music video/short film, starring ChloĆ« Moretz and an attractive young man I know nothing about, Tyler Posey. The video follows two rival gangs—hello L.A. culture—both of which have a member that becomes enamored with the other. Forbidden love! The styling in the video reminds me of a modern Cry Baby, with its humor intact and the addition of a letterman jacket-wearing gang with a soft spot for color. Morentz is typically adorable in the I-know-how-to-handle-a-switchblade kind of way and her hair may generate envy in a few. The story itself is ripe with an all-too-precious love story, melodrama, and (who would have guessed it?) tragedy. If it were a full-length film on Netflix, I probably would have watched it today. Enjoy.



Update: Here's the extended version.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Giambattista Valli Debuts Haute Couture

The Fall Haute Couture shows last month in Paris flew by and I still have yet to say a word about them. Haute couture has recently been called into question in terms of relevance. In response, Alex Fury wrote a fantastic piece about its significant role in fashion today. Another voice bent on asserting haute couture's importance is Giambattista Valli. In the face of doubt and pessimism, Valli debuted a couture collection that provides hope and perhaps a new direction for the tradition of haute couture.

Valli has a cult of young wealthy girls who are devoted to supporting his ready-to-wear business, so it should come to no surprise that his couture debut is quite youthful. In the haute couture business though, youth are not typically the clients of couturiers. Thus the frequency of shorter hemlines and the exuberance in this collection mark a turn for haute couture.

In typical Valli fashion, expressly decorated elements stood in contrast with more classic, streamlined elements, as in look 32. Between the fabulous use of coral, the feathers, the leopard print, and the dramatic capes, Valli has created a highly iconic collection that capitalized on unabashed glamour. He has not strayed from his DNA—something of great importance in couture—but he's challenged himself and proved what he can do with an atelier.


Hanaa Ben Abdesslem
Photobucket
Aymeline Valade
Photobucket
Tati Cotliar
Photobucket
Hanna Sorheim
Photobucket
Sasha Pivovarova
Photobucket
Hailey Clauson
Photobucket
Kinga Rajzak
Photobucket
Ajak Deng
Photobucket
Nyasha Matonhodze
Photobucket
Aymeline Valade
Photobucket
Caroline Brasch Nielsen
Photobucket
Jac
Photobucket
Jacquelyn Jablonski
Photobucket
Sasha Pivovarova
Photobucket
Elena Todorchuk
Photobucket
Joan Smalls
Photobucket
Ruby Aldridge
Photobucket

Photos via style.com

Friday, August 5, 2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Pride, Phad Thai, and a Poncho

Gillian and I at the Pride Street Fair

Photobucket

We were much happier than we look. Promise.
Photo by Mario Lemafa