Vogue Italia July 2008

Anyone who hasn't been stuck under a very unfashionable rock probably knows about the infamous issue of Vogue Italia coming out today in Italy (whoo!) that features all black models. Just for you, K, since we were talking about this earlier, here is one of the shots from the mag. I obviously haven't seen all the pictures in the magazine, but this is definitely one of my favorites so far. It is so just so gorgeous. I know the "smoking is bad, why does fashion glamorize it" blah, blah, blah. I know, I know, smoking is bad for you, yes, yes, but if you look beyond all that, this is just a beautiful, striking image. The satin, the gloves, the jewelry, the way the smoke curls around her face, her expression all make this a great shot. It blends the classic and the modern in a beautiful way. I love her hat with the net veil. Such a great image, and from a newcomer, too (Sessilee Lopez)!
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Qiu Hao

I consider myself to have a very minimal knowledge of fashion, especially since I'm not exactly in the business. So I don't really have a lot of exposure or information about the really emerging designers, because even the designers I am familiar with but the average non-fashion-obsessed person doesn't know of are pretty famous in the fashion world. I'm no Susie Bubble, who always seems to discover tiny little emerging brands or designers fresh out of design school. But I recently stumbled on the designs of Qiu Hao, a Central St. Martins-educated designer from Shanghai. You don't hear a lot about designers from China and, in the East, Japan really dominates as the fashion superpower of the region. But Qiu Hao's designs are interesting because they are a good mixture of wearability and concept. His clothes gently push the envelope without sacrificing wearability and they seem to have great details and lots of subtlety. I found this interesting interview on YouTube. I love when he says that people don't understand his work, because he doesn't do it in a drama-laden, suffering artist way, so it really just makes you pay more attention to his clothes and try a little harder to figure out what kind of message he's sending out through his work. I kind of wish I could go to China and see his clothes now. Feel free to check out the video.

Striking

I just wanted to put this up because I felt bad I haven't been putting up many images with my posts. And it's gorgeous.

Hooray Inspiration!

My friend left me a message last night saying that I had inspired him to start his own blog (not about fashion, but about hip hop, which I also love). There are probably approximately 3 people who read anything I write, but I feel like if I inspired one friend to get out there and start writing, I can't really ask for anything more. I've put his blog on my blogroll, so if you're randomly clicking through the mainly fashion-related links and happen upon a blog about hip hop, that's why. It's really great, I love the videos he puts up, and how much heart he's putting into his writing. If fashion isn't inspiring you, check it out.

Quote of the Day

"Fashion will prevail." -Vera Wang
In case you need some inspirational words. I know I did, and I feel a little better now. Heh.

Inspiration

My newest little bit of inspiration is, surprisingly, John Galliano's Fall collection. Not because John Galliano isn't a great designer, but mostly because his collections (especially this one) isn't really something I would simply assume would inspire me the way I know Balenciaga and Lanvin, etc. would. His collections are usually pretty riotous and loud, with tons of color and lavishness. I don't really dress like that (at least not with that much color). But I randomly decided to watch the video of his most recent show, and I was immediately mesmerized. The models actually seemed to have personalities when they walked, something you don't see much in shows. They actually posed, with attitude, even! There was this one moment where Mariacarla Boscono comes out with this strange, nubby pink hat and hair that is literally huge, glossy, black feathers (kind of like the ones I've been obsessing over), and she pulls her hands across her face in this awesomely unexplainable way that I just loved. There were lots of feathers as hair in the show, and even a whole stuffed raven carried by Raquel Zimmermann. And he was inspired by a poem I love, Kubla Khan. I will have to see how I can incorporate this into my wardrobe.

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At the Van der Woodsen/Bass Wedding

On Monday night's Gossip Girl finale, Serena wore this pretty tiered Ralph Lauren dress. But what I really like are the gloves. I've been trying to find a way to wear gloves and not look ridiculous. But she beat me to it. Rawr.
P.S. Georgina loses!!! YES! But I still hate her because she still ruined everything.

Oh Steven Meisel...

I kind of love Natalia Vodianova for that picture on the left. Amazing. I love the expression, the colors, the slightly billowing shirt, the shattered glass. I kind of can't explain how striking it all is.

The Colors...

My favorite color is grey, but the colors in the new V May/June issue are just incredible. Just...wow.

It's Monday!!

*edit: Yo, guys. Can anyone explain to me why everyone who visits my blog enters on this page? Is there some search that this pops up under? Why is everyone so obsessed with this picture of Leighton Meester? Any ideas?Do you know why Leighton Meester is so excited? It's Monday, and you know what that means...GOSSIP GIRL SEASON FINALE! GAH! Ok, so I just thought this picture was hilarious.
P.S. BOO GEORGINA! BOO!


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Olé!

Maybe gigantic sombreros will be the new trend in headwear? They keep out the sun! I actually think they're kind of fun.
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Ooooh

As I've said before, I love feathers. So when I saw Kate Moss wearing this ubercool vest, I flipped out a little. Where did she get that thing? All I know is, I love those glossy, black feathers. They remind me of those long feathers in last fall's Prada collection, except that I almost like them more because of the solidly thick layer of lustrous feathers. It's another side to feathers. I'm now on the lookout for this, as well as the wispy, feathery plumage that's a lot more common. But where to find?!

So 2 Days Ago!

I totally saw this first (thanks to my dearest K)! Andd...I saw Frank Warren (creator of PostSecret) tonight at a talk! It was pretty awesome and inspiring. I beat Fashionista! Score!

How to Explain?

I can't really explain why, but I'm a little entranced by this shoot for Flair Italy. And it made me think of something. Earlier today, my friend asked me why high fashion seems so strange sometimes. He wondered why it seemed like clothes you see on the runway seemed like things no one would never actually wear in real life. It was kind of hard to explain to him the conceptual part of high fashion, and how, somehow, when you had been watching the runway for years, a yellow dress covered in feathers and other embellishments wasn't all that odd and seemed pretty reasonable (and gorgeous!). It's funny how a lot of people think high fashion is "weird-looking" and impossible to wear, while people in the fashion community aren't fazed nearly as much. It's kind of cool how many different roles fashion can fill, from conceptual to artistic to functional. And fashion really can become art, like this shoot. It's not just about the clothes, but the way the clothes interacts with the set, the way model's body is contorted until it's almost surreal, everything coming together to make the photograph a real piece of art. I just love the first image, how everything seems distorted and that amazing criss-crossing pattern on the wall/ground/whatever, the way the dress in the second image billows out and creates this swirl of black and white and grey, and the sharp, unforgiving angles of the third image. I kind of love fashion photography a little too much.

The Man Behind the Clothes

Can you believe this is Ricardo Tisci, the (awesome) man behind the Givenchy collections? He doesn't seem gothy or dark at all! It's fun to see how designers dress, because sometimes they dress just like how they design, and sometimes they dress completely differently. Also I like to see them because I admire them so much. A lot of times they're kind of behind the scenes, working their magic on their clothes, so when you see them in real life it's kind of unexpected and fun.

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To the Rescue!

Yay zippers. Yay Rick. Yay Coco. That is all.

Whoa...my hands are huuuge!

I think I may be turning into a hippie. I was already kind of a hippie, but this is more serious than hugging trees and such (yeah, I do like hugging trees). I’ve started really enjoying wearing headbands across the forehead, and I’m even itching to go to the craft store so I can get feathers and fashion myself feathery headbands. One of my friends finds it annoying, but I like it for know knows why. It might just be the fact that I like to wear odd things like that. I’ve never been into boho (I hate that word), but I even looked at…moccasins (*gasp!*) and almost wanted them. It’s not that I have any problem with moccasins and other similarly styled clothing, it’s just that it’s so not me. Maybe I’m having an identity crisis. Hah.
p.s. futurama reference in the title? anyone? no? ok. I'm a dork.

Marni FW08

I almost bought a Marni bag this summer while in Milan. It was super awesome. I forget why I didn't get it. Marni is one of those quirky cool brands that not that many people know about and it definitely takes a specific kind of person to wear it. Consuelo Castiglioni has crafted some very cool collections. This one had an almost spring-y color palette, except with furs. Personally I liked last fall's collection better(I am still obsessed with those fur hood/hat things. Augh I wish I could have one of those things). This collection did have some outstanding accessories, as usual. I liked the peep-toe knee-high boots. I've been wanted a pair of peep-toe boots, as impractical as they are. The striped socks and bags were also pretty covetable. Whee.

Bottega Veneta FW08

Someday, when I'm old(er), I want to be the kind of person who can wear Bottega Veneta(not that I couldn't wear it now if i realllly wanted to...but it would be a little strange/expensive). It's one of those labels that doesn't scream its name all over the place going 'look look we are such an exclusive brand!!' The workmanship of the clothes(and accessories) is so beautiful without being over-embellished. As much as I love to play with my clothes and have fun and try all sorts of new things, sometimes you just want your clothes to whisper rather than shout. This is one of those collections.

Proenza Schouler FW08

I love Proenza Schouler. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are just full of surprises. What grabbed me immediately were the colors. The colors just latched on and wouldn't let go. That's saying a lot, considering I enjoy wearing mostly black, grey, and navy blue. The dresses were pretty, and, just like everything else, beautifully constructed. I loved the pants and coats, too. Basically I approve. I am on a serious search for colored pumps now.