Boys & Girls

Check out this music video by Martin Solveig featuring Dragonette! All the clothes are designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and the master himself even makes a cameo!

Smile Upon Me

Oh yeah you're the best damn friend that I'll ever have
You'll always smile upon me when the seasons bad

You'll always make me feel best even when I'm blue
You'll always smile upon me and I'll smile upon you too

I don't know what are you now
Since everything has changed
If I did know one thing
Its me whose feeling strange

Yes everything is different
And I don't react well

The changes that come when
Your life's becoming hell

There's a place in this world
Where people like me are found by people like you
So find a place as this forever divine

This Time Baby, I'll Be Bulletproof

I just had to share this video by electropop-synth duo La Roux! I love everything about it from the song, to the Fred Butler props and accessories, to the House of Holland Pantone outfits! The backdrops are crazy colorful and the effects are hypnotizing. And I love lead singer Elly's trademark coif! Check out their official site HEREfor more info and free downloads!

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)

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)

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)

My Coachella Faves

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:

Style Profile

There are so many things I love about my first style profile pick:

1. Her name is adorable- Tennessee Jane Bunny Thomas
2. She is a drummer- something I have always wanted to do
3. She is a vegetarian- as am I
4. She's in an all-girl band called The Like- great music and they have toured with 3 of my favorite bands: Kings of Leon, Phoenix, & Muse. Check out their really cute official site HERE
5. Her boyfriend- the ever so stylish producer Mark Ronson
6. Lastly but most importantly, her style- It's simplistic yet adorable, quirky and fun! I adore her black & white spectator flats, little basket purse, knee-high socks, & huge black-rimmed glasses. I also like how she plays with patterns: stripes, polka dots, flowers & my favorite, leopard print! They way she dresses makes her seem so likable, fun, & witty- it makes me want to be friends with her! Check out some of her outfits below as well as video of The Like opening for Phoenix:

The New Look

I am lovin this music video from Japanese superstar Amuro Namie, styled by Patricia Field. The fashion is 60's inspired, with Twiggy looks, Mary Quant mini skirts, and mod prints.