Artistic intimacy.

I realize I've been using photo and video as the major focus of my recent posts, but I suppose that's acceptable after such a lengthy (and all-over-the-place) discussion of women. Here's a collection of photos by photographer Will Davidson, featuring Ieva Laguna and artist Tony Ward. The shoot is styled by the amazing Stevie Dance. This shoot will forever be engrained in my mind as a sexual fantasy. There's something so erotic about artists and paint. Love.

Photos via fashiongonerogue.com

Power.

Never just a pretty face.

I've fallen in love with photographer Jonathan Waiter's collection of videos featuring rising models. He writes them off as "sloppy" and "random," but the dialogue between model and photographer created here is penetrating. The last one, featuring twins Aida and Ieva is the most fantastic of the set, complete with such expressive wonder that I erupted in joyful laughter.

http://vimeo.com/5676453 from Jonathan Waiter on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/7859090 from Jonathan Waiter on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/9782410 from Jonathan Waiter on Vimeo.

Question Mark.

Lykke Li - Tonight from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

Paradise.

I love that this song is so dirty. I want sunshine, a lover, and a vacation.

"Take your time
Hard and slow is fine
Lay your hands all over me

Make it last
There's no need to go fast
Just lay your hands on me"

When I'm With You.

I'm sitting here in my dark dorm room,

shut off from the rainy gray weather that Seattle is known for,

with Best Coast blasting from my computer.



This is going to be a Stevie-and-Gillian-driving-with-their-hands-up-on-rollercoast-hills-in the-summer kind of song.

I don't mind sleeping alone.

I sleep a lot better alone.

This is for my girls.

If you know me, it is no secret that I run with a crowd of girls, hardly ever with an ounce of testosterone in sight. After briefly looking over an interview of Christina Aguilera on Lady GaGa in which she accused the media of pitting women against each other, I started to think about my relationships with women. My girls are my everything and it seems that my life has mirrored my appreciation of females to a great extent. So much so that I might consider myself a male feminist. This idea sprouts principally from my ardent loyalty to all women, especially in the face of sexism. I myself have a unique outlook on the population that shares similar anatomy. It's not that I hate men (I don't think), but among other things, I have problems trusting them, and not necessarily in a romantic way. The number of heterosexual males I keep in my company is quite slim and my relationship with my male relatives is quite shaky (though this has nothing to do with my sexuality). Of all the wonderful gay men I've met in a romantic context and otherwise, I cannot claim any as close friends. In my mind, my girlfriends and my mother are my family. I don't feel I need anyone else to somehow "complete" me, for these women are my soul mates. I never want to be the type of person who will choose a significant other over a friend. Besides the relationships I hold with my best friends and mother, my love for women is evident in my individual activities. I check Jezebel (a-not-so-arguably feminist blog) every day, I hardly ever go to the men's sections in stores anymore, my favorite music is by women, and the list could go on... Even in my coursework, I am constantly reminded of my feminist leanings. I take a class called Women Filmmakers, all of my papers for my Composition class this quarter have dealt in some way with power relations between men and women in the field of medicine, and I have consistently chosen feminine subjects for Art History essays over the past two quarters. One could easily claim that my adoration, infatuation, or whatever you'd like to call it, is simply an intense desire to be a woman. Truthfully, I have no interest in possessing any sort of anatomy other than what I possess currently. Transsexuality exists and it is a perfectly acceptable biological occurrence and I yearn for it to be better understood, but I am not transsexual. (As a side note, transgendered women fall under female in my mind, as I believe they should, and receive the same love that biologically born women do). I am simply a man who loves women to my very core and will continue to fight on the front lines in the war of ideological equality. This thought and Christina reminded me of a song and video I fell in love with in elementary school off of Stripped. Even then, I was one of the girls, with an undying belief that my female classmates could do it too, whatever "it" was. One of the things that it addresses is the double standard between men, women, and the expression of sexuality. This is something I've personally been frustrated by, as I am a proponent of free love and expressing your sexuality to whatever extent you please. The thought of a life without women like Madonna, Lady GaGa, and others is frightening.

This is for the women of the world.

Just as a note: I don't mean to canonize myself or anything of that sort. I realize that I say "I" quite a lot, but this is just a presentation of my point-of-view. Thought it may seems narcissistic to say, I believe it to be quite unique. Men are not necessarily the pigs we sometimes make them out to be and that's surely something I have to work on, but I wanted to honestly represent my feelings, whether they're "right" or "wrong".

Relaxation, Post-Excitement/Exhaustion.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been feverishly at work on major assignments for school and Seattle Fashion Week. SFW wrapped up last Saturday, but my life didn't slow down much until this weekend due to all of the catch-up that needed to happen. My weekend has been restful and even lazy, though I have minimally cleaned my living area. Gillian is finally home and a lot of time has been devoted to watching films, including those for my Women Filmmakers class. Saturday evening, we caught Nowhere Boy, the story of John Lennon's childhood at the Neptune for the Seattle International Film Festival. The weekend-long fit of laziness has been met with unhealthy eating habits, but the rush of next week will lead things back to "normal".

As for Seattle Fashion Week, it was an amazing and often stressful experience. Most of my time at the shows was spent backstage, but Friday I took a turn on the runway for Strut Boutique. Brittany Shefts, the owner, is a lovely new friend of mine and a wonderfully creative being. Many of the garments she showed were somehow altered by way of destruction and dye, with the addition of her own self-created pieces, such as fur shoulder-padded hood I wore. The premise of the show was swamp witches and other dark forest creatures. The other models and I slowly haunted our way down the 80 foot runway to close the Friday night show.

Leading the finale walk.

Brittany with models Lydia, Alexus, Vinessa, and I.

The hair and makeup, by Gene Juarez, was so beautiful that I found it necessary to go out in it. The eyes are just killer. I must say, I quite like looking strung out. The hair color is the result of extensions Miss Shefts dyed herself. Mine will forever be a reminder of a deliciously dark show.



Now, I must return to my zombieness before hitting the hay. I'll be back soon.

I'm alive.

I promise.

Mr. Lanvin

"I do in fact believe that the best traveling you do is from your couch while you eat potato chips." - Alber Ebaz

A List.

Hi, hello, hi hi.

Tomorrow marks the start of the runway shows for Seattle Fashion Week (May 13-15). I have feelings of both excitement and dread. My presense on the blog and elsewhere will be minimal for the next few days. Not only will I be busy with the shows, but I have an essay to write (which I luckily received and extension on), among other school-related projects and such.

I plan on discussing Karl Lagerfeld's latest resort collection for Chanel, as well as the short film Remember Now. Both pieces of art are absolutely brilliant and brought me to lovely place in my stressed state.

Anyway, I'll be around. Sunday is my birthday. Celebration may be postponed.

This is the kind of life I want. I just need to edit some aspects of it.

x.

Take me to South America.

Let's parade around South American foothills among Guanacos. Black and beautiful blurs. I'm my own counterpart.






This was a just part of a beautiful shoot for Elle Brazil.

Photographed by Fabio Bartelt
Modeled by Viviane Orth
Styled by Susana Barbosa

Photos via fashiongonerogue

Come as you are.

This is an old video, but it's too perfect not to post.

I can't help but to keep watching videos of Abbey Lee, though I should be sleeping.

Cat's gorgeous in it too.

Remember Now

Leigh, Freja, Abbey Lee, Giabiconi, Magdalena... This is going to be out of control

California Gurrrls.

My lover, Katy Perry, has returned with a new single called "California Gurls". One of the Boys was a perfect summer album two years ago, so the release of this single is coming just at the right time. Hopefully the album will be coming out fairly soon. I love the album art and the song makes me want to go play in the sun instead of doing work. I may just do that... Check out the song on her website.

Too perfect for words.

fashionista.com

Anna and Diddy forever.

The Costume Institute Gala 2010

This year at the annual Costume Institute Gala, I found myself surprised by some of attendees that looked amazing. The exhibit that opened is called American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, obviously showcasing the work of American designers. It's always exciting to see runway looks in a real(ish) context, though red carpet is not usually my thing. This party is definitely an exception. Those pictured were picked for a variety of reasons. Not all of them are what I might call "best dressed" (I hate those lists anyway), but I applaud interesting choices.

Oscar De La Renta and Oprah Winfrey in his design



Never did I think that I would feature Oprah on this blog, but she looks the best I've ever seen her look.

Anna Wintour in Chanel Haute Couture and Bee Shaffer in Balenciaga



I find it rather odd that Anna isn't wearing an American designer, though perhaps this is an effort to not alienate the rest of the world. There's nothing wrong with a little more Chanel in the world.

Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Roadarte and Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte for Gap



This is one of my favorites of the entire night.

M.I.A., Alexander Wang, Zoë Kravitz in Alexander Wang for Gap



Straight up rock and roll.

Nicole Richie in Marc Jacobs



This isn't a surprise to see, but it does look lovely. I found this to be one of the more conventional looks at the Marc Jacobs show, but I'm still enchanted.

Vera Wang and Mila Kunis in Vera Wang



Gorgeous.

Rachel Bilson in Louis Vuitton



I'm so very happy to see some Fall 2010 Louis Vuitton and therefore, breasts. Lovely.

Sienna Miller in Emilio Pucci and Jude Law



I love this dress on Sienna. The midnight blue is beyond beautiful.

Carey Mulligan in Miu Miu



Carey is always in Prada, so some Miu Miu is no surprise. I'm not obsessed, but I like that Carey dresses unconventionally.

Chloë Sevigny in Proenza Schouler with Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez



I have no words. I just adore all of this.

Gisele Bündchen in Alexander Wang for Gap and Tom Brady



I'm loving this dress on Gisele. I've never seen her look so edgy. You know she kicks his ass in bed.

Phillip Lim and Alexa Chung in his design



Alexa always brings me a smile. Thank god for these pants.

Liu Wen in Naeem Khan, John Demsey, and Constance Jablonski in Jason Wu



Major model love. Liu looks so killer mixing those boots and that dress. Not that Constance is an ugly duckling or anything...

Sarah Jessica Parker in Halston Heritage



I just saw a similar look on the second season of Sex and the City. Sparkle my heart.

Jamie Bochert in Rodarte for Gap



I wish there was a better picture of this dress. The bag is to die for.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Louis Vuitton



Again, the Louis Vuitton is killing me in the best way possible. Maggie looks insane. Ok, on second thought, her boobs look a tiny bit odd, but I love this dress so much I can't breathe.

Chanel Iman in Michael Kors



I gasped when I saw this. Chanel picked something rather risky and pulled it out. I'm not a huge Michael Kors fan, but this jumpsuit is fabulous.

Charlotte Gainsbourg in Balenciaga with the designer Nicolas Ghesquière



Charlotte is one of my favorite fashion patrons. She's fiercely loyal to Balenciaga, but her style never gets boring (the house doesn't exactly either with Nicolas at the helm). She went all out with the shoes too. THE FALL SHOES.

Cassie in Versace



I've never really been interested in what Cassie was wearing, but she looks great in this sexy Versace look.

Lauren Santo Domingo in Proenza Schouler



This is a dress that I wish I had another picture of. I always love what LSD is wearing and Proenza is always an excellent choice. That bag is lovely too.

Dree Hemingway in Calvin Klein Collection



I'm not a great follower of the Calvin Klein brand, but Dress looks gorgeous in this look. The shoes are gorgeous too.

Rachel Roy and Liya Kebede in Roy's design



I love all this pant-wearing. Liya looks amazing and Rachel doesn't look too bad herself. I'm not crazy about the dress, but it's pretty.

Coco Rocha in Zac Posen



Dramatic. Stunning. I would have expected Coco to pick something more conservative and I was oh so pleasantly surprised. One of my favorites.

Blake Lively



This is much better than the Versace from last year. The Marchesa is incredible, but still young. We haven't lost her.

Alessandra Ambrosio in Versace



Lovely.

Katy Perry in CuteCircuit



I love Katy to pieces.

Our Lady performed in Giorgio Armani



An exquisite ending. All my love.

Photos via style.com

Busy.

School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week. School and Seattle Fashion Week.

The Met Ball was tonight. I WILL post tomorrow.