shadows and struggles.

My friend Dom reminded of the illustrious, spirited art of Kara Walker.

Walker is an African-American artist whose work reflects the culture and struggles of African-Americans through black and white silhouetted images. She injects themes of race, power and identity in an enchanting way, evoking a feeling of mystique while strongly impacting the viewer with powerful, and sometimes haunting, depictions of African-American oppression. 

Walker also draws attention to the “black body” accentuating the curves that are commonly associated with the black form, but without having the images appear like caricatures. Her art acts as a conduit for exploring African American culture, and they’re simply visually striking.



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via Shala’s blog. stunning. je n’ai rien plus dire. edit: this photo is from the third issue of LURVE magazine. The Lurve team only gets stronger and stronger! I’m so happy to be a part of  a group of creative, talented individuals. Lyna’s vision is always beautifully executed. The issue is out so go get it!!

via Shala’s blog.

stunning. je n’ai rien plus dire.

edit: this photo is from the third issue of LURVE magazine. The Lurve team only gets stronger and stronger! I’m so happy to be a part of  a group of creative, talented individuals. Lyna’s vision is always beautifully executed. The issue is out so go get it!!



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paris collections a/w2010: Rick, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Damir Doma

Breaking away from the usual monotone aesthetic, Rick Owens broadened his horizons, sprinkling color here and there and breaking up the palate through pattern-work. Those who were surprised to see the color orange sprout out of no where, should delve into his archives, and take a look at past seasons. He started with color. Yet, those earlier collections, pre everyone-and-their-mother-has-a-rick-jacket, were more sensible and wearable than fw2010. While this collection undoubtedly had attitude, it was bit muddled in terms of having a clear sense of direction. However, his ability to constantly re-interpret his classic design techniques, while simultaneously treading on new ground cannot and should not go unnoticed.

Roland Barthes associated wine and butter as tokens of the bourgeois and surely a Lanvin piece could be on that list. Decadence and indulgence were themes that came across clearly, staunchly advocating for the ideal Parisienne . Alber Elbaz is always able to capture a certain femininity without shoving sexiness down your throat. This collection also served as an avenue of experimentation for Elbaz, playing with silhouettes he has not really done before and incorporating a myriad of textures and fabrics, walking a fine line between cohesion and chaos, but thankfully had his feet planted on the better side of things.

Nicolas Ghesquiére’s collection this season was a bit of a loose cannon. A clear thread of cohesion was seemingly absent, and whatever the statement he was trying to convey, did not come across effectively, at least not immediately. Initially it came off as a some futuristic, space-travel narrative (which, frankly, we’ve seen before) but grappling with how the lace came into play and what purpose it served, is like some kind of brain teaser. Perhaps he’s toying with paradoxical ideas, juxtaposing things that have nothing to do with one another; the lace being angelic and feminine, the stiff coats representing an idea toughness or strength. If that is the case, then the collection makes a bit of sense. Or it could be that Ghesquiére just decided to go all willy-nilly on us and maybe  doesn’t care whether we get it or not.

Damir Doma presented a phenomenal collection, that piggy-backed off of his men’s a/w 2010, incorporating some of the same shapes and earthy tones, but also included distinct female silhouettes that fell beautifully on the body. Eliminating any traces of contrived, mechanical design elements (that many designers swear by) , Damir placed emphasis on volume, movement and the cuts of the garments which connoted a feeling of liberation. Being this was Damir’s first collection for women it was nice to see that not too much of his background in menswear impeded on his ability to design for a woman. Albeit, many of the looks were clearly inspired by menswear, he found a natural balance between androgyny and femininity.



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a return to the primitive.

(dazed and confused)

Scholar Mariana Torgovnick, writes on the subject of primitivism and its cultural, and social connotations. In her book Gone Primitive: Savage Intellects, Modern Lives she lays an interesting discourse on primitivism as being this generalized idea that distances the “native” from the “civilized” and yet while there is an obvious distinction between the two, primitivisim perpetually surfaces and posits itself in our modern world. It’s a concept that cannot really be rejected no matter how much we try to advance and develop. How can we dismiss it? This idea of savagery and archaism is often times a great source of inspiration for art, fashion and literature.

In the context of fashion, primitivism is constantly referenced, emphasizing our fascination with it. Rodarte serves as a prime example in the discussion of a primitive aesthetic in fashion. The Mulleavy sisters of are often associated with this tribal, primordial aesthetic through their violent fusion of fabrics and prints. Just the manner in which their garments are constructed connotes savagery.

Primitivism in fashion is also translated in the visual narratives of our magazines

This particular spread from Dazed and Confused (images above), shot by Ben Toms, styled by Katie Shillingford, reiterates the point of constantly returning to the primitive, to the pre-colonial. There is a rejection of the civilized and an embrace of crudity. Primitivism, presents an abstract, alluring, unrefined beauty, which is adeptly captured in this editorial.



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Ruminating on Roversi and Rizzo: Another Magazine SS2010

The bleak, stark atmosphere in conjunction with the minimal clothing, sans a plethora of accessories, is what made this editorial stand out in the the spring issue of Another Magazine. Olivier Rizzo styled the shoot, implementing deconstruction and simplicity, subtly exposing the human body. As amazing as the styling and the garments are, I see them merely as accessories to the spread as a whole; they helped tell a narrative. Because the editorial was stripped of so many things that are usually found in other spreads (i.e. some cliché location, an over-stylized, categorical look), it was more open for interpretation.

Albeit I know nothing about photography, the composition grabbed me instantly. The spread was shot by the Renowned Paolo Roversi. The way he was able to adroitly capture and extract certain colors and make them pop against the sea of washed out, murky hues was simply beautiful.

There are editorials that take in too much of the capitalist side of the business, having the model pose a certain way to show a dress in the best way possible, or having her step one foot close to the camera to show off a shoe. While it is true that we are in the business of selling clothes, it is always refreshing to see editorials that uphold a certain level of creativity and artistic expression. This one in particular does just that.

Everything from the harmony of the piece to the content worked beautifully, conjuring up an air of sinisterness— just bewitching and raw.

And perhaps I’m going a little too far and ranting a bit, but I can’t help but approach this with a cultural studies lens, and apply Stuart Hall’s idea of audience reception. People will always have a reaction. We are not simply vessels that passively take in content without feeling some way about it. We see it, we process it, we interpret it. Not only is it a natural instinct to react, it is our responsibility, and this promotes discussion. So this is me reacting. I feel it instinctually, and it is my duty to do so. This is why I started this blog.



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Shots that I took at Richard Chai’s show, and photos of Ryan and I at brunch just afterwards.



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Jeneil Williams in LOVE magazine

I know we are already aware of her beauty and how stunning the spread is, but I’m just doing a little reminding. Thanks.




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NYFW round up [aw2010]: Calvin Klein, A. Wang, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Matthew Ames, Richard Chai Love, Richard Chai [men’s]

Calvin Klein

Fresh. Minimal. Simple. Francisco Costa effortlessly personified these words this season. Beautifully tailored jackets and trousers and long-sleeved maxi dresses were just a few of the things that conjured up an air of sophistication and maturity. Keeping the color palette minimal, there was a lot of focus on the lines and silhouettes. This was a clean collection that was beautifully executed, and it was also a reminder of two things: 1) Francisco Costa can do no wrong, and 2) a little goes a long way.

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang’s collections progressively become more esoteric with each season and cannot be fully digested right away. I find that you have to come back to it after seeing it for the first time and try to unpack it as much as you can, almost dissect it in a way. After doing so, then perhaps you can justly review it and form an opinion.

There was a fusion of nostalgia with intangible ideas wrapped up in Wang’s collection. The nostalgia stemmed from the use of velvet throughout. To me velvet brings me back to childhood and wearing velvet dresses and shoes, and surely many other girls have made similar connections. Velvet is not commonly or easily worked into the every-day wardrobe. It was interesting that Wang made it a focal point of the collection. The inability to grasp certain ideas stemmed from the proportions and silhouettes, and also from certain details here and there. Perhaps it is a matter of going back and studying the collection more closely, but for some reason, I just cannot put my finger on it.

Rodarte

The Mulleavy sisters know their strength and know it well. Every collection they put out seems to be an extension of the last, with their continued display of beautiful layering and interweaving of different prints, fabrics and textures. With so many things going into the collection, it ran the risk of looking like someone’s laundry basket, but these girls artfully marry all of these elements together to beautifully construct these pieces. They are able to take colors and fabrics that have absolutely nothing to do with on another, and have no business being in the same garment, and create a visually stunning, organic symbiosis. What’s also nice is the fact they have softened up quite a bit this season and lessened the grip of the apocalyptic, dark aesthetic they’ve had going on for a while, but not for one second have they abandoned their technique and identity.

Proenza Schouler

The Proenza Schouler girl was not so prim and proper this season. She was a little dark, with a bit of a street mentality.  However, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez did not completely sweep the girlishness under the rug, as there were short skirts and babydoll dresses galore. They simply took them and gave them a dark edge with the inclusion of blacks and evergreens. There was something very New York socialite about this collection (which comes at no surprise since the duo’s circle is pretty much made up of them), but more so very NY prep school. McCollough and Hernandez established this motif with their take on the classic varsity jackets and school girl outfits. Their experimentation with proportions might have been the highlight of the collection. The cropped jackets and sweaters were paired interchangeably with both tight, skinny jeans and short skirts, and there were longer coats reaching the hem of the dresses. The prints were playful, and bold and did not in the slightest hinder the collection.

Matthew Ames

Every season, Matthew Ames ups the ante and does something new, all while staying true to the essence of his designs. His use of leather was something that we haven’t seen from him before. He was able to take something as tough as leather and construct pants with a full silhouette, as well as tops with more angular, geometric cuts. Ames has always mastered the art of finding the balance between organic and geometric shapes. He’s also never afraid to use color in a way that most designers could not. Orange and mustard yellow made strong cameos, but what heightened the boldness of these colors was the fact that they appeared in a variety of textures and fabrics. The color palette was quite extensive, ranging from pastels to black, making sure there was something in this collection for everyone. Matthew Ames is always able to challenge himself season after to season and churn out something beautiful each time.

Richard Chai Love

Richard Chai abandoned any and all conventions in fashion and created his own manifesto on how to dress. A classic pea-coat can be worn with casual leggings, a maxi dress can be paired with a dress shirt. There are no holds barred. Through Chai’s collection a message of liberation was imbedded. We don’t have to be confined to banal notions like a day vs. night look. Who cares? There is no wrong or right way to approach fashion, and so the wearer is free to do what she wants. Chai showed looks that could be deconstructed, rearranged, and layered a number of ways. There were pieces that were classic, casual, hard, and soft and they all played off each other nicely. He gave us what we wanted—choices.

Richard Chai

Gentlemen, please take note.

For the men,  Chai re-worked classic silhouettes and put a Parisian boy-esque spin on them. It was a quintessential display of effortless, cool. The muted tones, the mixes of blues, the layering all catered to this casual aesthetic that was completely uncontrived. Chai’s strength as a designer is growing exponentially and he has proven himself to be a trusted menswear designer.

photos: style.com & gq.com



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new york fashion week, and so it began.

Fashion week started on thursday the 11th, but seeing as I had school and suffered a brutal week of 8 am classes, I decided to skip out on the opening ceremonies of it all and delved into it hardcore the next day. So really, day 2 was my day 1. I somehow managed to make my way to the tents and down to Milk Studios in the icy streets in heels, without falling! I’ve had some pretty un-chic moments throughout the seasons, which I will not diverge into, but just know that I’ve come a long way since my first season in heels. I have to gloat in my glory.

Something about the tents rubs me the wrong way sometimes, even though it is undoubtedly a fashion institution. Might be because it’s always swarming with overly done-up fashion students, and the freebies are too big to fit in your bag. But it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is the last season Bryant Park will be home to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, and so we bid ado. It will be interesting to see how different it will be when Lincoln Center adopts it. I’m more into the whole Milk Studios/off site thing though.

Yigal Azrouel

Azrouel’s (women’s) collection was quite feminine and very wearable. It catered to almost any woman on the age and social spectrum, but it was a hodgepodge of allusions, silhouettes and looks that have been done before. Texture was a very clear motif. There were embellishments, a variety of fabrics and (including a coat, presumably made out of monkey fur, which I admittedly have a strong liking for), and detailing that veered on the sculptural side. As far as color, red made a strong appearance; interspersed throughout a parade of neutral tones. The collection was a medley of all things pretty, but infused with design elements that we are all too familiar with. While it was aesthetically pleasing and undeniably charming, it was a bit difficult to say that it was unique.

Tim Hamilton

The Tim Hamilton man this season, flies under the radar and has this understated coolness about him. He can be seen sitting outside Balthazaar, smoking a cig, charming some girl with conversation about his favorite exhibits at the Gagosian gallery. I like him. Hamilton paired classic styles with a relaxed attitude, and the theme of effortlessness echoed and resonated throughout the collection.

Odyn Vovk

Austin of Odyn Vovk chose a more intimate space for the show this time around, which made it a lot easier to get a sense of the collection and fully recognize the great little details that made the collection what it is. See my fullreview of the collection here. Let me not forget to mention by boy William walked in the show, his second season walking Odyn Vovk!

Other tidbits:

I unfortunately missed the Jeremy Laing presentation, which I was really looking forward to, but that’s what happens when hunger gets the best of you and you think you have time to grab sushi. C’est la vie, I suppose. There’s always next season.

I have to to say, the Fashion Loves Hanuk Exhibition was the highlight of my day (aside from running into Samuel and Sybille of Encens at Tim Hamilton). Such a cute crowd! Of course I had my dearest and fashion week buddy, Ryan in tow. Too bad I did not take any photos to supplement.

what depresses me the most about this fashion week is that I will miss the Matthew Ames show! Quelle horreur! I know it will be stunning, last season I was almost moved to tears. Wish I can witness such an amazing display of talent up-close again.




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RIP McQueen

Our beloved Alexander McQueen passed away and put me (and the entire fashion industry) in the most somber of moods. I could not fathom how such a thing could happen and so unexpectedly. Such creativity and immense vitality in his garments. I only hope that we continue to celebrate McQueen and continue to garner inspiration from his work. RIP Mcqueen.



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