growing old with verve

I don't dress for anybody else, I dress for myself. If somebody doesn't like what I'm wearing, I don't give a shit!

True words of wisdom from a stunning, seasoned queen.  I first noticed Jean when Advanced Style ran this photo of her bedecked digits:

I drooled over her enviable collection of bakelite bangles and rings.  Just look at those chunks!  I had a faceted-top onyx square ring from Paris that reminds me of hers, alas it fell off my finger and broke one night after I'd had a few too many.  This photo was originally unlabelled, but today I discovered that Jean and her partner, Valerie, run their own blog, Idiosyncratic Fashionistas, where you can keep up with their snarky commentary about age in the industry, as well as reports on the fabulous events they attend.  One post to check out is their rundown of a Sonia Delaunay exhibit, whose use of punchy color and geometric forms delightfully inspired the looks worn by attendees of the opening, dutifully photographed by Valerie & Jean.

Jean always has the best toppers, which she elaborates on in their StyleLikeU closet interview.  "I was looking in a store today; they had dog hats, about this big, and I was kinda considering getting myself one!"  A girl after my own heart!

Her deco-candy-dish clear lucite rings slay me.

Never did I think I'd find a glasses chain desireable, but give me this chunky chain link and my cat-eyes would be proud to be safe & secure 'round my neck!

Cherries n' leopard print: definitely a favorite combo of mine.  I make do with my 80s-repro plastic cherry necklace, while Jean keeps it real in bakelite.

gucci, mane!

I do hope someone makes a movie about Gucci's history of intense legal battles over the ownership of its company.  I've never read much about finance or corporate affairs, but this stuff sounds like some epic, multimillion dollar chess game in the sky!  I never knew the corporate courtroom could be this exciting.  On Bernard Arnault's attempted takeover:

De Sole and Ford cried foul, igniting what was one of the most dramatic corporate fashion battles of the 20th century. Gucci accused LVMH — which by then had swallowed up Prada’s stake in the company — of wanting to take “creeping control” without launching a full and fair bid to shareholders. That move would have been perfectly legal in the Netherlands, where Gucci was listed.

The two companies fought bitterly in the Dutch courts — and in the international press — and swapped lawsuits and vitriol on an almost daily basis. At one point, Arnault tried to drive a wedge between De Sole and Ford, publicly courting the designer and quietly undermining De Sole’s authority at every turn.

Seems like it could be The Social Network of the fashion industry--only with considerably older, more leathery Italian men, plus Tom Ford, instead of Jesse Eisenberg.  This movie would be infinitely more juicy with its rows and rows of coke, faint sweatstains through $3,000 silk suits, and goofy catchphrases (apparently Domenico de Sole psyched himself up by saying "Make my day" over and over to the press.  Whatever works, man.)

i'm so predictable

I know, I know--so much for revitalizing my blog, you may say.  I haven't touched it in weeks!  Finals have been redonkulous and I currently have a relative visiting for the holidays.  But I did want to share with you this carol video courtesy of the Paper Magazine staff. It perfectly sums up how I feel about the holidays [and makes me so want to intern there]...

John Roberts X PAPER: A Christmas Carol from PAPER Magazine on Vimeo.

Who wants Bailey's? I do.

i had no idea you could google image search by color!

Fashion Show with Google from Robbin Waldemar on Vimeo.

At Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo we created a 30 second TV commercial for the launch of the new brand campaign ‘more with Google’ in Japan. It features the Image Search functions ‘sort by color’ and ‘similar images’ and shows that you can do more with Google than you imagined.
Directed by Kosai Sekine.

Man, I've never been to a party involving this many computers that didn't totally fail at the whole social side of things.  I'll take their word for it, though--so hey, Friend Who Lives Nearby and Has a Sweet Projector?  I'll be needing that.  I've been eyeing this marvelous HQ graphic of a McQueen dress, and am dying to try it on.  It is completely free of head or body, so I think it'll be a perfect fit!

tramp in disguise / a revamp in earnest

My, how the time flies!  It's been almost a whole year since I arrived in Paris and started this blog.  Except I'm not in Paris anymore.  No more Paris for me.  Am I a little sore?  You could say that.

To give an explanation for the layers of dust we've managed to accumulate here: I've had a rocky semester back at home.  My transition from being abroad & mostly alone was exacerbated by some relationship stuff, a couple of deaths in the family, and my undergraduate thesis.

That said, I haven't stopped loving and following fashion--so here I am to resurrect my web presence in that arena.  In so doing I decided to change my blog's name/URL yet again, but I'm serious this time!  For real.

Right.  On to our topic for the day:

prints.  Space prints.  Like these!

Source: Jack Gavigan / Hot New Things

Tramp in Disguise is Finnish-born Sini Moilanen's knitwear line, which I stumbled across while window-licking at stuff I can't afford.  The photos above were taken at her 2009 Royal College of Art masters show, pieces of which have gone for sale on Not Just A Label and Beyond the Valley.  Sadly, this jumpsuit was not among them, so I briefly considered kidnapping Moilanen to make her my personal silkworm.  She could weave me stuff from the captivity of my attic, like Rumplestiltskin or something.  Anyway.  In a recent interview, she revealed that her spring/summer 2011 collection is inspired by a volcano myth, so her palette will shift to reds and oranges.  I don't vibe on that image so much because these cool blues and galactic magentas appeal to me much more.  Ideally, I'd like to see her experiment more with cut and form; some jumpsuits with architectural silhouettes would be most excellent.

why gareth pugh is god

This video just solidified my faith that Gareth Pugh will carry the torch for us twisted ones in a post-McQueen industry.

I'm new to the world of fashion film, but more often than not I'm disappointed by what I see--lots of 3 minute long videos of lanky girls flailing, and heavy overuse of that Photobooth mirror effect. "Paper Disorder" by Marcus Tomlinson seems to be a trip through Pugh's creative process, its heavy emphasis on his signature pyramid imagery lending the costumes a mystic quality.

I don't think I can direct-link to it here, but you should also head to Tomlinson's site and check out his short film "Afterwards", featuring Hussein Chalayan's designs.

LA LIBERATION.

IN WHICH SWEAT DRIPPED DOWN EACH SIDE OF MY FACE TO MEET UNDER MY CHIN