Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
gladiator bandwagon

I am jumping on the gladiator sandal bandwagon only because I have wanted a pair for the past 4 years and only recently started seeing a large enough selection to find some that satisfy me. For those lucky size 9's out there, take a look at the puppies above sold by Clair Incorruptable.
Of course now, Ebay is being hounded by patient fashionistas bidding on vintage sandals. My favorite internet stores have wonderful options for those of us who can afford them. Here are some offerings from Farylrobin, Givenchy and Modern Vintage Shoes.



Monday, March 24, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
patrick dougherty at max azria



I find the work of Patrick Dougherty incredibly beautiful. Here he weaves a beautiful cocoon around the Max Azria boutique in Los Angeles. It reminds me of the painting technique of Van Gogh (think Starry Night).
"Dougherty's works allude to nests, cocoons, hives, and lairs built by animals, as well as the manmade forms of huts, haystacks, and baskets, created by interweaving branches and twigs together. Many of his works look 'found' rather than made, as if they were created by the natural force of a tornado sweeping across the landscape. He intentionally tries for this effortless effect, as if his creations just fell or grew up naturally in their settings."- Linda Johnson, Curator
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
rick owens' monsters

Every once in a while, The New Yorker publishes a retrospect on a fashion designer that will rival devotional poetry in its complete reverence for the artist. This week's piece on Rick Owens not only succeeded in describing why Owens has established a cult-like following, but also to elevated him to the level of the great conceptual designers such as Rei Kawakubo. Rick Owens' aesthetic has been described as "broken idealism." His elaborately sculptural pieces evoke the sentiment of a seedy crumbling city--perhaps Lima or St. Petersburg. The walls of his own Paris apartment, which he shares with his wife Michele Lamy, are crumbling, shorn of wallpaper, the floors are dusty concrete slabs, the ceilings are a tangle of ducts, wires and pipes. Owens has a similar attitude to clothing--he takes something perfect and fusses it up a bit, whether it be the shape or the fabric. Soft leather jackets are machine washed and dried, semi-transparent organza is layered, t-shirts are long and clingy, dresses are elegant but always asymmetrical: this is glunge (glamour + grunge) at it's finest.

Shown here: jacket, cashmere jersey tube skirt and top from the Lilies collection (2007)
There is a sad romanticism that all of his pieces have which draws me to them. His designs embody the crumbling paint on a cathedral wall. In fact, a large inspiration to Owens are the robes worn in church:
"In Catholic school I always loved that aesthetic of all those robes dragging in those dusty temples, with Jesus and the disciples and all that. It was very exotic and very alluring to me in my very safe little world of small-town California. When I look around here in the studio, I see wanting to re-create those dusty temples and robes and stuff."At times, I was annoyed with Owens' California-boy-in-Paris life, his conservative parents following him around fashion week and his insistence that he was a "deeply cultured person." All of these trappings of celebrity probably made his personality a bit grating to me from the page but the laudatory style with which the article was written really put Owens in a position of high esteem. Check it out if you get a chance!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
natalie portman for te casan
What do you do if you can't find any vegan footwear you like? If you're Natalie Portman, you design your own.
best in show

With Spring upon us and day light savings time just a few days away, I would like to recognize the wonderful clothes of winter one last time. These chic ladies were captured by Scott Schulman in February.




Monday, March 03, 2008
jovovich hawk at target

I took a pilgrimage to Target today to try on a dress from the Jovovich Hawk line. I was hoping to wear it with cowboy boots once the weather improved. The fit was good but the fabric was awkward and stiff, as if it had been starched. It was a disappointment, like most of the designer collaborations with Target have been.
la double vie de veronique
Last year the team at Rodarte placed DVDs of "The Double Life of Veronique" in gift bags at their winter runway show. This particular scene is so haunting and beautiful, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
barney's madhouse sale






to market, to market





thrifting suits



