Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Icon's Icon...

Ever wonder where some 'style icons' get their inspiration?

Example: Victoria Beckham at Heathrow yesterday.


 Inpsiration: Emmanuelle Alt in August 2009.


See the similarities? Yeah, I thought so. Right down to the grey t-shirt and the cuff in the pant leg. :)

I like it though. It seems, imitation still is the best form of flattery.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Crowns...

I grew up going to church. Every week my Mom dressed us up in our Saturday best (I grew up SDA) and off we went. This is me age 7 or 8 on my way to church. Cute. :-)



It was a beautiful thing, quite literally. 'Cause although church was obviously not about looking nice, I have to admit, it was a mini fashion show. There were some pretty colourful characters too! I remember there was a lady who always had her shoes redone with the same fabric as her dresses. Can you imagine?!

The Sartorialist has featured quite a few "deacons" in on their way to and from church on Sunday, but never the "Church Ladies". I've often wondered why since in my memory the women were just as stylish, if not more so, dressed in their finery,...fur, ribbons, lace, bows, gloves, shoes and wonderfully elaborate hats.

Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry's book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats is a beautiful collection of portraits of these very women.



The book, first published nearly ten years ago is now in it's seventh printing and has even inspired a play of the same name.

Here are some of my favourite portraits from the book.



Thursday, March 18, 2010

I like her shoes...

I don't know who she is or who makes these ultra sexy lovelies, but oh my!


Monday, March 15, 2010

An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth...

So I was perusing around Steve Pavlina's site today and I came across a link to Bruce Mau Design's An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth.

I liked it so much, I had to share it with you!

My personal favourite's:


#4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).
Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.
Don't be afraid to try new things. Every failure is a learning experience.

#9. Begin anywhere.
John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere. There is no time like right now (literally).
Don't postpone your happiness. Do the things that make you happy NOW.

#13. Slow down.
Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.
I love this one, because it's one of my secrets. I've been doing it ever since I read Noelle Chatelet's "La Dame en Bleu" a few years ago. The simple act of literally slowing down makes you concious of things you would otherwise miss and can help give you a new perspective on things.

#14. Don’t be cool.
Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.
I can't say this LOUD enough! Embrace your uniqueness!

 #17. ____________________.
Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.
;-)

#26. Don’t enter awards competitions.
Just don’t. It’s not good for you. 
It's futile, because in fact there is no competition, there's only one you! Thanks Mandy! ;-) Just do you, the best you you can be is always good enough.

 #31. Don’t borrow money.
Once again, Frank Gehry’s advice. By maintaining financial control, we maintain creative control. It’s not exactly rocket science, but it’s surprising how hard it is to maintain this discipline, and how many have failed.
I don't need to explain this one, do I?

#37. Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.
Consider all options. Look at things from multiple angles. Flip it. Switch it up. Be unpredictable. Surprise yourself sometimes!

Friday, March 5, 2010

I like his bag...

A slight variation on the "I like her shoes" series... Can someone, any one, tell me who makes this bag?


(photo from: Modefeber.se)

Give Jack his Jacket...

Jack can keep the damned thing! Give me Balmain!!!




I hear this fabulous thing is 74.000,- though... Can you say: "DIY"? 

And while we're talking Balmain...

 
(photo from: The Sartorialist)

Emmanuelle has got me feenin' for a navy blue blazer. This is from the Fall 2010 collection. Thing is... this photo was taken last week in Milan. The Balmain show was yesterday... 

Somehow this feels wrong or unfair or... well something. To wear items from a new collection before it's first showing, is like letting the cat out of the bag prematurely... Like speaking before your turn, spoiling the surprise even. (Remember Snapplepuss?)   It ain't right I tell ya...

I'm such a goody two shoes... :-)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tattooed Lady...

Remember the days when "The Tattooed Lady" was a circus attraction and looked like this?



I don't either... funny how stereotypes linger in your mind for much longer than they should. When I think of a Tattooed Lady, I think of someone like this:  




I'm glad to say though, that those days are gone. Come one, come all and behold the new and improved: 

Freja, The Tattooed Lady!!

(image courtesy of Getty Images)

I know that Chanel sent tattoos down the runway for Spring 2010 and are even selling the things, but those just seem so well... fake. Maybe it's the fact that the Chanel tattoos are so girly & pretty. They feel more like meaningless decorations, just another accessory. Plus they remind me of those hideous plastic bracelet thingy's that were meant to look like a tribal tattoo band around your arm.

Freja's tattoos are her own, they mean something to her and knowing that is what gives this look a completely different feel. I love the contrast, or rather, the lack of it; the absense of the expected clash of the tattoos with the extremely mature femininity of the clothes. Somehow it works.

This is Oscar de la Renta Fall 2010 by the way. I think it's great that they chose to put Freja in this sleeveless top that shows off her many tattoos, instead of cover them up. I think that is quite a bold and modern choice.

Oh yes, times have changed indeed. Gone are the days of The Circus Tattooed Lady, this is the era of The Amazing 21st Century Woman! :-)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Harper's Bazaar "Jumbo" March 2010

Harper's Bazaar is going "Jumbo" for their March 2010 issue.


Publisher National Magazines will carry the additional cost in paper and distribution as a "credit-crunch treat" for readers.

Lucy Yeomans, the Harper's Bazaar editor, said: "At a time when everyone's thinking about cutting back and downsizing, it's wonderful to be able to treat our readers to this super-luxe, super-sized March issue at no extra cost."

Tess Macleod Smith, the title's publishing director, added that the magazine was an affordable luxury during the credit crunch: "We are delivering a very confident product and this month we're giving readers something extra-special at the newsstand. In these challenging times we continue to push the creative boundaries and deliver a magazine that showcases a wide range of product to exquisite effect."

This is the kind of super-sized special that I like!
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