Some favourites from Spring/Summer 2011: Part 1
(I saved this post weeks ago and just remembered it exists now. Woops!)

Ann Demeulemeester.

Typical Demeulemeester aesthetic: dark, asymmetrical, completely achromatic. I've been feeling more whimsical and clean cut this season but I can't deny how good Ann is at her craft. The shoes with the sculptural quality, the missing sleeves, the metal veil (top notch), and the black vertical eyebrows which was the cherry on top of it all.

Balenciaga.

The prints, the collars, the slits in the blouses where the leather belt protrudes, not to mention everything about Freja's outfit (sheer skirts, layers, the top blending colour with the bottom, plus Ghesqiuere's signature architectural cut). I find I always swoon over a chunk from a Balenciaga collection and this was definitely it. The only thing that I resented about this collection was the lack of vibrant eye makeup I adored from last season and the recent Resort.

Band of Outsiders.
Very clean cut, very New York, which is atypical for me to refer to as a favourite (I'm much more for intricate, almost chaotic outfits). But I can't get over the patchwork and plaid on something as regular and versatile as a well-tailored blazer. Plus, androgyny is something I've been drawn toward in the past few months, so these looks are high up on my list of outfits to emulate.

Charles Anastase.
Collars again! I'm telling you, I'm a sucker for anything with them, especially lilac dresses with a nerdy vibe (is it just me or does the left look scream muted Luella S/S08?). I like how Charles took the literal take on florals - making them tangible on sheer fabric as opposed to having it merely as a print. And a major contrast of the soft subtle type with those shoes. How much taller do they make the models, do you think?

Comme des Garcons
CdG is the collection I anticipate the most each season. Each time the collection is ready for my anxious hands to click through on Style.com I scan through the pictures voraciously, consuming every single aesthetic and conceptual detail each look has to offer. I felt the collection held a lot of the latter; the concept is something I still contemplate when I look at each outfit, particularly the four I decided to post. The black band wrapped tightly around the model feels like something Chalayan would do. The white jacket with the different textures had me gawking with infatuation - it was a blazer with bipolar tendencies, two sides morphed to make one. Definitely one of the most appealing coats I've seen this season. What really got to me however, were the final two looks consisting of four models - two pairs conjoined by little fabric. I think to Rei clothes is another flesh (consider her Lumps and Bumps collection), so what I did dictate from those looks were a pair of Siamese twins linked together by fabric ("flesh"), though not completely, since regardless of this connection they still have their own individualistic qualities. I feel like I'm delving too deep into my own personal opinion on the concept of this collection and taking it way past it's conceptual intention. But until I stand corrected that's what I gathered from Rei's S/S11 collection.

Erdem.
This was one of my favourite collections. The abstracted floral prints, the shapes of the dresses, the blouses, the lace; for me it screamed teenage garden fairy. Since florals are so relevant nowadays I find I'm less inclined to like prints with flowers on them because I see them around so consistently. But Erdem had me going nuts. This collection had a lot of elegance, but a sort of juvenile elegance (I mean that in the best way possible). Honestly, these dresses make me want to lay in a fucking field surrounded by pansies and carnations and petunias and whatever else.

Gareth Pugh.
I'm not typically a fan of this kind of stuff but I have to hand it to Gareth Pugh. His signature radically inventive collections are always intriguing, regardless if it's not up my alley. I felt like he created a futuristic Queen from an undiscovered planet and thought 'what would her closet contain?' and worked from there. The silver reflective dresses and psychedelic prints were almost too much for me to handle; I mean that in the best way possible.

Hussein Chalayan.
The flat vests! That was the first thing that caught my attention. I believe Margiela did something like this in the past? (it was revisited this season as well, I think, even though Margiela himself wasn't responsible for the work). Nonetheless I loved the fact that it seemed to have only two dimensions, a contradiction considering it was placed on the three dimensional body.

I don't think there's justice done in Chalayan's intention with the bottom two photographs which should undoubtedly be seen in motion (I think all of his collections should be seen in motion; photographs seem to detract from the concept). Dark figures take hold of the dress from separate edges, shifting the fabric in such a manner that the dress seemingly dances, flowing softly with the air. The film of the presentation is called 'Sakoku' and can be seen here. Fast forward to about 6:45 to see what I mean, but you should just sit through the entire thing. It's well worth it.

Proenza Schouler.
So I did love Proenza this season (especially the floral lace, cue tears of sweet sweet envy towards those who will be able to afford the fucking things) but I felt a bit nostalgic for the previous season's teenage witchy vibes. Obviously it proves that Jack and Lorenzo can graduate from one thing to other with ease, completely shifting their aesthetic without recycling the recent. I think my preferences are irrational here for they're more subjective than the opposite. Objectively, this collection was lovely and regardless of my useless nostalgia, I truly adored it. These boys do no wrong.

Rodarte.
There were no words when I first saw this collection several weeks ago, and quite frankly there still are no words. Kate and Laura Mulleavy are masters at whatever they do. Aesthetic, concept, textiles, tailoring, colour palette, etc etc etc. This is easily my favourite of NYC fashion week and could quite conceivably be my favourite of all four. I want to be a teenage fairy of the forest like these girls.

Viktor & Rolf.
You could easily find the link between fashion and art with V&R's dresses; these works belong in galleries more than the runway. S/S11 was Wedding Dress meets Architecture, and I didn't expect any less from these two - they always seem to integrate some sort of harsh, overtly radical design with a seemingly gentle beauty, and somehow it works. Zis ees signature Viktor und Rolf. (Also: contemplating wearing the dress on the left to my wedding. Think I'm being sarcastic?)


(All photos from Style.com with the exception of the Rodarte shoe shot which is courtesy of Dazed Digital)

A few days before the last, I ran a bath and filled it with vermillion. As I sat and peered at white foam growing beneath the water as it punctured itself, I realized my craving for the sound of drums and strums and crooning voices. A crackle of neural energy, somewhere underneath my scalp, occurred in the form of a notion. My fingers grasped for the cabinet handle and holding its breath under shadows an old friend resided. I apologized as I blew and rubbed where a thick layer of grey garnered in between plastic creases. The knob clicked on as my fingers guided the volume higher until it reached its end. Through the static I rolled, as it grew thinner, wider, playing games with my ear canal. The skin upon my fingers moist from temperature measure, I slipped past a gentle guitar strum, and when I scrolled back from the screech of the static a man’s voice echoed in between tiles and scorched liquid, melted vermillion and my own wet skin. A drum began to shed noise in even paces, a series of palms clinging to one another for merely a moment, reverberating between my consciousness. They all built among one another as the tide turned behind the white of my eyes and the drops of waves fell from my chin and became one with the body water. When the song had concluded I lay in a pool of salt and tap and waited for the man in a glass booth to give this series of sounds a name.

p.s.



lol.

Hey guys! It's been two months to the day of my last post; time passes by much too quickly. It's the fifth week of school although it still feels like the first, the weather is changing rapidly though I say this with no negative connotation (for I can now layer and not melt, you see), and Fashion month has already come and gone. But I'll leave another post for an amalgamated collection of what I consider the most aesthetically and conceptually appealing looks of the season. Though that isn't to say this was the most interesting season I've seen; I found some of the collections I was anticipating anxiously left me underwhelmed and even feeling a bit morose (it's weird how clothes can do that). There are however a few more Spring 2011 shows remaining that may shift these sentiments. I guess only time and the looks (I'm specifically glaring at you, Miuccia) will tell.

On a personal fashion-related note, I took a few snaps of today's outfit before I ran out of the house and into the seemingly perpetual rain (I'm reasonably positive it's been pouring for at least a week). Listening to Dry by PJ Harvey whilst purchasing her live DVD Please Leave Quietly at the local record store later that evening did help though. This unremitting obsession with Polly Jean hasn't died down since I first heard Is This Desire? sometime in the Spring and then proceeded to get the rest of her stuff. This woman is incredible. She needs to either adopt me or permit me to become her passionate lover. Or both. I would say something like LOLJK here but I'm not actually kidding so.

Unremitting. Anyways, yes, right, clothes.

Everything is basically either thrifted or from H&M with the exception of the sequin blouse which is from the vintage store Courage My Love located in Kensington Market, Toronto (you should go if you live in the area). And the white thigh-highs are from American Apparel.

Lots of white and lots of layers. I've been tending to stray in that direction with my outfits as of late. Plus I can't get over collars - they've somehow found a way to incorporate themselves one way or another into every outfit I put together. Should have probably saved up for that Miu Miu collar then, don't you think? One day...

Oh, last thing: I've been accepted for an internship at Worn Fashion Journal for their 12th issue! Orientation was the previous evening followed by my first shift this Friday. The atmosphere and the individuals affiliated are marvelous from what I've gathered so far, not to mention the journal itself being the cat's pajamas. Or the bee's knees. Or any other flattering idiom you can think of. 

Here is a glimpse into the 10th issue. After you finish watching this short endearing stop motion video whilst bobbing your head to "96 Tears" you should go out and buy it yourself. We're cool with the shameless advertising, right? 

This is what I wore to the free Metric concert today. Gonna go watch a movie now k bye.





(Everything is from H&M except for the Keds on my feet.)

It's odd to be posting after such a long absence - nearly a month and a half - but I felt like I should re-invest myself into this blog before I find myself completely out of the loop. I have thought about why I have lacked any means of motivation to post and I find it is two things: one, the weather has become an obstacle for it does not permit me to layer and thus I have found myself incessantly moping around and about my closet and as a result: two, my personal taste in style has been making a bit of a transition. Finding I can only generally wear one article of clothing at a time, I began acquiring a taste for collared shirts (don't ask me why because I don't know either. Miu Miu Spring 2010 could possibly be the catalyst but as much as I adore the collection I don't believe it had that much of an overwhelming influence in relevance to this 'style transition' I'm currently discussing. Also I feel like reading Virginia Woolf's The Waves had something to do with it but I haven't really discerned this yet and I'm beginning to digress so). Irrelevantly, I've found myself growing fonder of late 19th century and mid 20th century style as of late, a contrast in taste considering my favourite designers consistently challenge the constructs of what we know as fashion through their radical designs (McQueen and Chalayan primarily come to mind for a multitudinous amount of reasons). I'm not implying that I only admire post-modern designs, simply that they attracted my admiration more than collections that derived inspiration from the eras I currently admire with such a simplistic approach. Possibly now I'm just broadening my view rather than completely changing my style. I can't be entirely sure just yet. I'm writing this post with my mind in a rut regarding this topic so I might come off a bit misunderstood. Still trying to put some pieces together. However, I believe I should work on doing that in a different fashion than digressing in an oppressively constant manner on this here blog, don't you think?

So yeah. I've been relentlessly browsing vintage photographs of the past as of late, generally from the Tumblrs I follow or the Google LIFE archives. I've been posting the photographs consistently on my Tumblr so you can frolic over there if you want to see more but for now I'll simply post a few here for a taste.

Teenage girl having nail polish touches added to her sunglasses. Oklahoma, July 1947.

Teenage girl styling her hair. US, December 1948.

The Indian Tribal version of Givenchy Fall '08!

Teenage girl talking on a telephone. Missouri, December 1944. Photograph by Nina Leen.

Victorian era bourgeois sisters I'm presuming. Date unknown.

Young girl blowing a big bubble from a bubble gum. Photograph by Bob Landry, 1946.

"Young Pioneer Palace in Leningrad", year unknown.

St Louis, 1944.

I wore this outfit several weeks ago on a day where the weather finally allowed me to layer without dying if I stepped out into the blistering heat for more than five seconds.

(Pink blouse from Old Navy. All the skirts and the apron are thrifted except for one of the tulle layers which is a tutu from the kid's section as H&M five bucks baby. The socks are from the men's section at Urban Outfitters.)

Basically being in a style limbo plus lacking motivation for doing anything are the catalysts to my infrequent posting. I want to say I'll post again soon but I don't want to lie to you. I'll end this post here with something I wrote a while ago because I have started writing again on a regular basis just recently. Later days dudes.

it is true i attempt to suppress the feeling of indigence that perpetuates whenever memory is rekindled, mentioned in a whisper through the crevices of thought, working it’s way deep into the core of my mind. i blame my present tense by contemplating my recent past, and the actions committed regarding the circumstance. but this suppression is merely that - an attempt, susceptible to a demise like a human heart after death. that potentiality begins to decompose until it is nothing but a canvas marked with blank failures. as i realize this, the contrast of body and emotion begins to wither and they begin to form a link; they are brought together by collision in an objective sphere. my mind focuses on the fluctuation of resentment while my body battles its uncontrollable nature, and for an instance my being is at war with itself. but only for an instance, for one side eventually overpowers the other. in the end, my emotions become a lover’s figure under a silk slip, unsheathed at once, instantaneously.

After weeks of working and having basically no time to go out and get dressed! up! I finally was given the opportunity for my town's heritage day (which is, incidentally, today, therefore I'm wearing this outfit as I type). I decided to play it safe because of the weather (which is so humid it's on the verge of thundershowers) and wear my tutu with as many layers I could have possibly integrated without melting like witches in Oz. Clearly I didn't get very far!

Moving on - I really do hope to update this here blog more often than I have in the past month. I don't know if I will fully comply to this self-proclaimed affirmation until about July 1st though. Which is also known as the day I move from here and into my TORONTO HOUSE. I don't even want to think about it right now however, for then I will be reminded of the two and half weeks of waiting I must suffer through until that wonderful day. UGH I CAN NOT WAIT.

Back to heritage festivities now.

All thrifted with the exception of the tutu and socks, both from H&M.

WAIT ONE MORE THING. See this? I'm dying my hair this colour in a few weeks. (Then back to pink possibly? We'll see). I doubt you even know what colour her hair is because you're so hypnotized by the beautiful thing on her back; Miu Miu AND Comme des Garcons. This is literally a masterpiece.

(via stockholmstreet)

Anywho. Later days.

a thought on La Jetee

if you’re a photography major like me and you ever doubt the credibility of your program and what they make photography out to be, please watch this and trust in everything that lies outside of these educational based contrived claims. tell them that there is beauty in simplistic photographs such as these, those with a raw purity, those bare yet full of expression. a moment stopped in the eye of a lens, immutable, lingering forever through mutable reality - these are the photographs that make hearts feel pleasurable pain, like a warm emptiness realizing these easy moments have come and gone. they are once, always were once, will continue to be once, until death tears us from time and space like life tears a child from its’ mother’s womb. moment after moment after moment, never repeating, never returning. the only manner in which we may return, aside from a subconscious reawakening, is through the photograph. we recall each moment, let it be a tedious one or a dismal one or a glorious one, as a moment of our past caught in the web of present. one of the most beautiful things are these photographs, where a moment you will never relive or be able to replicate is shown to you in all it’s simplistic glory, just as you remembered it.

i get tired of people telling me that photography should be dramatic and salient and obvious and look! at! me! because i don’t think that’s what it necessarily should be. it should be all about moments. naked photographs are just as striking in it’s subtlety.

a moment in an ordinary life. no other kind of photographs matter.

(La jetée, Chris Marker, 1962)