Thursday, April 30, 2009

TGIF: Magazine Edition



V Magazine
's first ever swimsuit issue- Kate is definitely my fave!

The Visitors Must Be Amused

I have always been in awe of Karen O's out of this world costumes and today I stumbled upon the designer of all these incredible pieces- Christian Joy. Joy has designed most of the Yeah Yeah Yeah singer's costumes for her performances and also magazine features. Her pieces are bold, creative, and showcase Joy's fantastic imagination! However she also has a ready-to-wear line for those who are not quite as daring as Karen O. This line is much simpler, but has great construction details, interesting silhouettes and maintains Joy's great sense of originality. If you want to see more of her costumes or collections go to her official site HERE. In February this year Joy had her first solo exhibition at the Audio Visual Arts gallery in New York's East Village. For this show, entitled The Visitors Must Be Amused, Joy decided to be resourceful in her surroundings, which basically consisted of a huge pile of left over scraps from her past projects. She used these materials to create innovative and striking representations of female beings based on descriptions given to her by friends and family, who in return interpreted her piece and incorporated it into a photo or creation of their own. The pieces are so vastly different and so inspired that no description could do them justice, so below are my 3 favorites shown along with the description that they gave to Joy (click to enlarge).

Black Lacquer Smile, interpretation & description by Karen OAlien Space Suit, description by Marci Leiseth & Eduardo JaurezGhost With Boo Sign, interpretation & description by Nick ZinnerThere are many more stunning pieces- have a look at the rest of the exhibition HERE.

(Pictures via Christianjoy.us & Audiovisualarts.org)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Pixie Chicks

Check out this great store called Pixie Market! Inspired by London markets, like Portobello and Spitalfields, this boutique aims to carry unique, underground labels from all over the world. They are adventurous in their selections which results in a wide variety of different and eccentric styles. With locations in NYC, LA and London they also have launched an on-line retailer, have a look HERE. I just love browsing through all their stuff and it's not too expensive considering the design quality and exclusivity. I picked out some of my top picks below- the Stolen Girlfriends Club bandage leggings are very hot and I also love the long tan blazer by Martin Lamothe. They also have fantastic accessories- I adore the cute, quirky miniature hats by Chapeau Claudette and the black, pleated neck piece is beautifully constructed, but I am absolutely crazy about the feather scarf by Mongrels in Common! Unfortunately it is sold out, as many of their best pieces are, so if you are looking to buy don't hesitate too long or you might miss out!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Photographer Profile: Hedi Slimane

Hedi Slimane is definitely one of my favorite photographers. When I discovered his online photographic diary a few months ago I was entranced for hours! I could not stop looking at his photos and I think it is because they are just so pure and honest. They do not try to stand out or be overly dramatic and henceforth they have such a beautiful genuine quality to them. I love the peace and serenity they capture, it's as if he catches a glimpse of someone in a private moment. It was so hard to pick my favorites but below are some of them, rest assure there are many more which you can see HERE.

I love this set because even though there is a lot going on with futuristic lights and crazy masses of ribbon they are still serene and calm. They maintain that honesty that Slimane is so masterful at capturing.

This next set might just be my favorite, but trust me that's a tough call to make. They are of a group of young guys and girls and I just love their sincerity. I feel like the photos truly encapsulate a piece of who these people are, just a mere glance into their lives. I also love how the simplicity of them only enhances their beauty. These pictures make me crave to be photographed my Slimane, which says a lot because I HATE getting my picture taken. There are so many more entrancing photos in this set HERE.
Lastly here are some images from Slimane's Rock Diary, which is made up of 3 books of photos that capture today's rock stars (including Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse, The Cazals, Arctic Monkeys, The Kills) and their young fans. Slimane not only aimed to capture the rock 'n roll lifestyle but also the current youth's strong connection to music and how their identity is deeply bonded to it. By the way my birthday is in August if anyone wants to know what to get me!
(All pictures via Hedislimane.com)

Monday, April 27, 2009

Special Shiny Things

Jewelry is becoming the favorite accessory choice these days as there are increasing amounts of unique and dramatic pieces that can easily enhance a simple outfit. Fred Butler is one of the most inspiring designers I have found lately. She actually started out as a prop and accessory designer who styled many magazine editorials, store displays, and musicians including Beth Ditto and Patrick Wolf.

Selfridges' Window:
Dazed & Confused(Accessory Styling):Dazed & Confused(Prop Styling):Patrick Wolf:Her work is amazing and sought after by so many, thus it made sense for her to create her own accessory line which she finally did in 2008. Fred now has 2 collections under her belt. Her Fall 2008 collection is called Dodecahedron Collision- a title that aptly describes its pieces, as you can see below. It is full of bright colors and angular shapes and ranges from head pieces to belts to necklaces.
Fred's latest spring 2009 collection entitled Dahlia Fantasia(shown below) continues to embrace that same sense of whimsy and enchantment, but is darker and more romantic- sort of mystical. It has an origami theme that is especially apparent and in the layered accordion necklace. There are still many colors that are not as bright but have a beautiful glimmer to them. I just love her pieces and though I probably won't be able to get my hands on any of them, she inspires me to be more adventurous with accessories and just have fun playing around with them! They remind me of something Vince Noir might wear in The Mighty Boosh! He would definitely fit into Fred's target market which she described in an interview with Dazed Digital: "Someone that has a magpie sense of style drawn to special shiny things and someone that has no self doubt in their appearance coupled with total conviction in wearing things as an experience to enhance their happiness."
See much more of her work and accessory collections at her site HERE.
(All pictures via Fredbutlerstyle.com)

April 28 2009


Multicolored heels from Forever 21
Man's white button-down shirt
Magenta tights from Platinum Mall
Black vintage belt from Chatuchuk Market

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Style Profile: Irina Lazareanu

I really love model Irina Lazareanu's style, and it's not just because she dated one of my rock star crushes-Pete Doherty(he's not even that attractive, it's the bad boy thing again!). I just love how she wears men's wear so PERFECTLY- she makes it look so damn good! The vest is probably my favorite piece of clothing, I have a whole drawer dedicated to just vests, and Irina incorporates them so well, whether it's with a 3-piece suit, a dress, or jeans. She also knows how to glam it up- see proof below. Irina can easily slip out of a pair of slouchy trousers into a gorgeous white 3.1 Phillip Lim flowing gown. And it seems she is a fan of Lim as she also wore a incredible tuxedo jacket/dress by the designer, which is probably one of my favorite looks from her. It is one of my goals in life to make men's wear look as good as she does!

Dusk Till Dawn






Beautiful editorial from Plastique the Spring/Summer 2009 issue

Fast Fashion

I think it is really important that great fashion is readily available and affordable for everyone, especially in this economic climate, and I love that more and more brands and stores are now offering more reasonably priced items. Everyone should be able to express themselves through fashion at any price, and it's definitely smart to buy trendy items at a lower price because in a flash they will be out of style! I think Target does a great job with this, they team up with great designers like Johnathan Saunders and Alexander McQueen (shown above respectively). I also recently discovered this fantastic collection they have called Go International. The concept behind it is to offer the must-have trends of the moment at great prices ranging from $17 to $45. They call it 'fast fashion' since every piece is sold for only a limited time and new designs come in quickly, so you can always go back and find something fresh! Below I picked out my favorite designs. I love the 'bandleader' vest- it's a good way to get that Balmain look and the grey bustier top is spot on with the inner wear as outer wear trend and has an Alexander Wang feel to it. The collection also has a great selection of dresses varying from cute and young styles to a more sleek and sophisticated look. I especially adore the grey and black blocked strapless dress and the watermelon colored tiered dress. Check out the rest of their collection HERE.

(Pictures via Target.com)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Game Girl






Daria Werbowy in Paris Vogue May 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Street Style Faves


(Photos via Thesatorialist, Stockholmstreetstyle, Elle, & Facehunter)

I Always Go For The Bad Boys

The above editorial is from the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Plastique magazine. It was a music shoot featuring male musicians including Sam Slaughter(The Raveonettes) and George Barnett(These New Puritans). It also included 2 models/musicians that seem to keep popping up everywhere these days- Josh Beech from Snich(Top) and Ash Stymest from The Mannequins(Bottom). Just this week I have seen these 2 everywhere: on the runway, in ads, in blogs and in editorials, so I became intrigued and wanted to see more(the title explains why!). I have discovered that these 2 friends seem to be rising stars in the modeling world being featured in Dazed & Confused and Vogue Hommes, as well as walking for designers like Balenciaga, Givenchy, Thierry Mugler, and Kenzo. They have become known as 'bad boys' due to their tattoos and piercings. My search also led me to find this great editorial from Ponytail Magazine's 2nd issue which features both boys among other models:I think Josh and Ash have a great look and style, they both seem young and fresh yet still have an edge about them, and of course they aren't too bad to look at either! I'm off to check out their music so I'll leave you with their head shots and Vogue Hommes covers shot by Hedi Slimane: