If I could invite anyone to a dinner party

I would invite Divine and Grace Jones. And what would I give them as tokens of my admiration?

Shoes. The Vivienne Westwood Moc Crocs for Miss Divine and the Glittery Louboutin Lace Ups for Miss Jones.

I should have known...

So, basically, I should have taken myself more seriously when I mentioned I probably would not have time to maintain a blog this term. I mean, it is mostly for my own narcissistic explorations anyway, but I really do like rambling on about fashion or art or trees or whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. This last week I have had a hellish amount of schoolwork and I might lose my mind in all the art theory, lesbian culture, poetry analysis mash up of it all. But am I going to get my priorities straight and stop posting? Not so much.


I was recently perusing the art of Ben Jones and it brought these dresses from the Balenciaga fall 2010 collection to mind. I usually focus on art by women but I really dig this stuff.

Balenciaga:


Ben Jones:


While they definitely have different aesthetics, I appreciate how both Ben Jones and Nicolas Ghesquiere employ color in their work. They both use pastels in a completely non-whimsical and bizarre way. Ghesquiere's dresses even seem to have a early 90s sportswear vibe, like a pair of Fresh Prince's warmup pants all cut up and frilled over a skinny, white girl. Like I said, bizarre.

Okay, back to work.

Cheers.

Next up at the house of Ungaro?

Giles Deacon. Duh.

Channeling the Moth

This morning I spotted a tiny hole in the shoulder of my wool cardigan. Every once in a while I discover one of these and, today, I began to ponder the culprit: Moths. These strange, ethereal creatures have always intrigued me and lately I have been encountering them in inspiring places. Last fall, I read Virginia Woolf's essay "Death of a Moth" for the first time and have since viewed the insects as comrades in the creative process.



Here is a moth cocoon (via buzznet). The craft behind this process is fascinating. This organza dress by Vivienne Westwood echoes the cocoon's aesthetic:

Also, these fiber work necklaces by Shadowplay remind me of delicate, woven cocoons:


Pair them together and you will be channeling the moth's gauzy, elegance. Just don't forget to keep some moth balls on hand.

The Moon Tree is conveniently located in Salem, Oregon so I will be making a trip there soon. Honestly, the tree itself is not what intrigues me, the idea behind the tree is what's so magical. the moon, trees, space travel...all of my favorite things.

Hopelessly Devoted to You

Every once in a while I check the blogs over at Luckymag.com for updates on online markdowns. Also, each day they offer a new, daily deal. Usually I resist temptation but they recently featured this pair of Generic Surplus oxfords and I caved. I've been lusting after a pair of these bad boys since I first heard the company had released a women's line. Fortunately, the styles mimic their men's line. No pink, no weird heels; just a streamlined, elegant oxford. Check it out:



I think my excitement is exaggerated by the fact that I recieved these in the mail. There is something magical about the postal service. It's like Christmas everytime something arrives on my doorstep.

A Musing on Vampires

Amidst the recent vampire craze, a great character has been lost. Dracula's pallid complexion has been replaced by the chiseled face of youth; solitude sidelined in lieu of horny teenagers. These days, a vampire could be waiting around any corner, waiting to bite in designer jeans. But I have to wonder,

what happened to the Count that started it all?

Where are the castles?

And what about
the motherfucking capes?


Yves Saint Laurent knows what's up.

"I draw rotting corpses all day, I have never been happier. "

A few months ago I came across the art of Aurel Schmidt on Tiny Vices and, basically, can't get over it. Schmidt takes a simple medium: paper, pencil, maybe some pencil crayon and creates these elaborate, sickeningly detailed drawings. She shares a bit about her methods here. I dig the part where she talks about making angsty, satanic drawings as a teenager. She states, "Now I have come full circle, I draw rotting corpses all day, I have never been happier." Her pieces border an almost indistinguishable line between decadence and decay.

For example "Hair Face":




and "Weeping Woman":



Cheeks made of cigarettes? A maggoty grin? Why not? Schmidt's juxtaposition between disgust and appeal works for me. I hope she has a show in Portland soon. I'd love to examine these in person.


I sense a similar aesthetic behind the Rodarte collections. Like this from fall 2010 :

Collaboration anyone?

I'm not sure why I decided to start posting now considering that this will likely be my busiest term this year, however, I figured that I could channel the time and energy I expend on facebook or google imaging baby animals toward a more productive internet project. I don't have a specific focus for this blog space, I just figure it's a place I can catalog the different images and creations that inspire me. I'll mostly obsess over other people's work, but on rare occasion I might post some of my own work. I will start with this:


the delightful metal workings of designer Arielle de Pinto. These are from her 2010 collection. If you peep her site you can check out the photographs from the rest of this collection (which seem quite Lynchian) as well as her charms.

Here is a necklace I've been coveting from Pinto's 2008 collection:


I'd like to layer a bunch of these. Or just get her to make me a chain mail body suit.