suggested reading

here are two great fashion-related articles I found that I think you'd all enjoy.

The first link is taken from the Wall Street Journal's fashion blog and it concerns a new trend of "shopping local" for clothing and accessories. Definitely browse-worthy.

The second link is to an article from Bloomberg news, which talks about the recent proliferation of bargaining/bargain hunting in New York's smaller retail stores.

So read up and keep in the know! And if, like me, you're currently snowed in due to the bizzarro blizzard of '08, I suggest cozying up with some hot tea or cocoa and mellowing out to the wonderful sounds of caribou's melody day. I know I will.

watch this

saw this over at Parallel Adele, and thought i should share the wisdom



don't lose touch with reality- fight for your rights

and when the truth goes bang, the shouts splatter out (revolutionize your lives and find a way out)

in light of some of the comments said about iran during the presidential debates last friday and in expectation of some more offhand comments at tomorrow night's vice presidential debate, i thought i would post an interesting video i recently came across, made by a new organization called Voices for Peace, that is trying to shed light on this touchy subject and break the silence caused by the plethora of stereotypes and misinformation present in the media about iran. i hope you'll take the time to watch and that you'll also be open to learn and inform yourselves.

remember, education is key- we are all people, we are all connected.

peace & love

fashion takes a stand

Levi Strauss & Co. is getting involved in politics and I love it:

"Levi Strauss & Co. is putting its famous pockets behind defeating a ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California.The San Francisco-based jeans maker said it will co-chair with Pacific Gas & Electric a group trying to drum up opposition to Proposition 8 in the business community. Chief Executive Officer John Anderson said the move is consistent with Levi’s long history of supporting civil rights causes."
Source: The Associated Press

More information on Proposition 8.

p.s.

"The Elizabeth" hand-knit wedding dress by Jemma Sykes for Butcher Couture

To get a feel for the new (and exciting!) direction knitwear has taken, take a look at this great blog, Knit Kicks, dedicated to all things knit/fashion. It's sure to keep you in the know and introduce you to some great designers and/or work that is being done!

photo courtesy of Knit Kicks

nothing is impossible

I have so much love and respect for Iranian women. Period.

do something

NOT A SIDE NOTE

Before you go out and enjoy the long weekend, don't forget to take some time to reflect on today being the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There are many ways in which you can help the survivors and some of them are super easy. Amnesty International, for example, is urging Congress to honor the human rights of the displaced and help them to return home. To send a pre-drafted letter to your Senator(s) and Representative(s), check out the Amnesty International website. It will only take a couple of minutes.

Trouble The Water Trailer

easy as 1,2,3!

Wake up, sophista-funks! The heavens have heard us calling.

If you are anything like me, you probably have an insane love of fashion and can often be found lusting over fabrics and oogling haute designer looks. You might also frequently feel frustrated by the variety and quality of the goods available to you in mass consumer chains. These lack-luster items often tend to disappoint, and let's face it, no one really loves seeing 20 girls in the same H&M/Forever21 outfit in one day... If you've ever moaned or groaned about the lack of individuality present in the (mass) fashion industry, or boasted that, if given the opportunity, you could do it better, then Iris Ben David's brainchild, StyleShake, is just for you!

The London-based design phenomenon is the first of it's kind, especially at this scale. The purpose is simple; StyleShake serves as an easy, hands on medium that enables the every day consumer to design their own custom clothing on the internet! The website gives its users the opportunity to act as designer- a deliciously tempting offer, with (almost) endless opportunities. And the best part about it is how simple it is! Here are a few dress designs I found while browsing the website gallery.






I definitely recommend taking a look at the site and playing around with the design studio. All you have to do is select a fabric and go through a series of steps which entail making choices about the neckline, bodice, skirt, sleeves, trimmings etc. You can also play around with the different colors available in the fabric family you've selected (as far as I understand, there's no option to mix fabrics). If all else fails, its a great way to be creative while you procrastinate.

Also, you can rest assured that all your fabulous designs will be manufactured in the U.K. and that StyleShake sources their fabrics from reputable companies.

So get on that DIY fashionista grind! And send us pictures!

unexpected surprise

I love graffiti. There's just something about the rawness of street art that instantly hooks me- whether it be the artistry which beautifies unexpected places, or a unique stencil which pops up multiple times in a city, or around the world. The search for good street art and street artists is a passion of mine, a treasure hunt of sorts, which is always exciting and never seems to disappoint.

That said, you might imagine my surprise when I learned about the up and coming graffiti/street art culture growing inside Iran's borders. With its rich history in the arts, specifically calligraphy, it only makes sense that this art form would make its way into Tehran's dusty and crowded streets. The only street art I was familiar with in Iran prior to this discovery were the plethora of government murals which pollute the city with pro-Islamic propaganda. However, unlike these murals, the current Iranian graffiti scene is serving as a much more important realm of creativity and anonymous political action. These images serve as examples of everyday resistance within Iran's borders- commenting on everything from the government's "Islam" to Persian culture to the state of the world/global economy in general. There are many powerful images that strike a chord with viewers, stirring important conversations within the privacy of many households. Aesthetically, many of the images serve to brighten the city, reinfuse it with the color and life this regime has tried so hard to drain from it. I think street art could hold a very important place in the lives of the millions of youth currently situated in Iran. I'm very interested to see how long it'll be before the government starts to censor these budding street artists...

here are a few examples of the work that's been popping up there.

Portrait of a homeless girl, selling fortunes by A1one.

Sticker art in Tehran

Baby Bombs found in Tehran, by A1one

"Muhammads" by the Gaff Boys, commenting on war crimes

A poster for a "Spray Exhibition" in a Tehran gallery

like what you see? check out irangraffiti or kolah studio

CosmoGirl!

Our friend, Jean Pockrus (Wesleyan '08!), was recently featured in CosmoGIRL! magazine.

To read more about Jean's experience, check out College On The Record. There's also lots of good info on Freeganism and Dumpster diving in the article.

battle of the hipsters

I love to listen to people discuss the formerly unofficial feud between LA and NYC hipsters. If you foolishly thought that all hipsters were of the same clan, Radar is ready to set you straight. Those implicated in this article may or may not find this to be hilarious.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the summer-long Wednesday night parties at L.E.S. club Lit. Crossroads high school graduate and NYU student Harley Viera Newton serves as DJ to a slew of her slouching hometown comrades. There are even a few New Yorkers willing to brave the fake glasses and gladiator sandals of their Los Angeles counterparts in order to half-dance-half-slouch while The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back" blasts from the sound booth. Says one L.A. kid, "I feel like I knew half the people there. I saw like nine people who went to my high school. It was cool."

Read the full article here at Radar Online.

I <3 Jourdan & HoneyCrate

I've got a major style crush on Jourdan Dunn. I swoon over her appearance in iD magazine over at the HoneyCrate blog.

FYI: The ladies of HoneyCrate are most excellent.

Personal favorites, for sure.

Subject: Geisha Look For Jillian!

Image courtesy of Eyes Lips Face.

That was the subject of an email that I received from Eyes Lips Face. After Tala's post about Gwen Stefani, I've really been thinking about cultural appropriation in the beauty and fashion industries and the idea of "consuming the other".

Hello academia! Oh, how I've apparently missed you. While I haven't produced a serious thesis point, certainly not one strong enough to contend with the impressive literature that's out there already, all I can say is that this type of advertisement makes me uncomfortable. This ad in particular makes me uncomfortable for a lot of reasons but to start, I'll say the fascination that Americans have with Geisha and the level of misunderstanding surrounding Japanese culture has a lot to do with it.

And that's not to say that in a world of increasingly blurred boundaries and cross cultural interactions, we cannot share inspiration...but there has to be a better way, right?

Paris 4 Prez

Funny or Die and Paris Hilton have teamed up to respond to McCain's whack attack on Obama. Hmmm, let me be more specific. Funny or Die and Paris Hilton have teamed up to respond to McCain's attack on Obama, in which he compared O to paparazzi favorites, Paris and Brit Brit.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

chuckles.

Just curious: Did Paris pick that Dynasty inspired bathing suit intentionally? Perhaps with the hope that it would help us to draw parallels between the 1980s- you know, large scale deficit, the oil glut, Reaganomics - and our current state?

Oh that Paris, she's a clever one.

get ready, tonight

Endless thanks to MILES,

for sending this flashback our way.


shalamar- night to remember

It's just so so good!

GET EDUCATED ABOUT SHALAMAR!
But forreal.

Photo courtesy of Associated Entertainment.

p.s.

I FORGOT TO MENTION...
REASONS WHY GISELLE IS A SUPERMODEL:

Photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott for W magazine.

name to know: Rad Hourani

Left: The designer looking like a young Lagerfield, Right: Hourani in a self-styled shot

Fashion forward and gender neutral, these are the key elements that make Rad Hourani a name to look out for. The young, Montreal based stylist-turned-designer is making his fair share of waves throughout the industry- defying gendered notions of fashion with his highly geometric and androgynous aesthetic.

some sketches for Hourani's a/w 2008 line

Hourani's first line debuted not so long ago, during Paris Fashion Week and since then, he has definitely begun to make his mark, even landing a spot on style.com's Top 10 to watch. Hourani's vision is simple- minimalist, seasonless clothing. His color palette consists mainly of black, with an occasional pop of color, which is often supported by rich textures and textiles such as leathers and knits. The stark angularity and symmetry present in his designs are very different from mainstream aesthetics; the clothes are purposefully sex-less and meant to be accessible to all. As Hourani himself explains, "I don't believe in boundaries of technique, of seasons, of gender, or of anything else," and his clothes definitely tout his beloved beliefs through and through.

video of Hourani's second collection, held in New York

Although a bit on the pricey side, I admire Hourani and his designs for what they attempt to do. Hourani is not only pushing boundaries within the fashion industry, but, in effect asking us to re-evaluate social and gender norms. I really believe we could see big things come from this young radical thinker- I just hope more people catch on and support his cause.

Take a look at his super-cool website here.
Enjoy!

other worldly

New Delhi based designer, Manish Arora loves giving his audience a taste of whimsy mixed with a dash of the surreal when he sends his creations down the runway. Although the Indian designer represented India in Hong Kong Fashion Week back in 2000 and participated in the first ever Indian Fashion Week that very same year, his "big" break didn't actually arrive until his debut show in 2005 at London Fashion Week. His critically acclaimed show set him apart from the rest, marking him as a designer to watch out for in the future.

Arora's aesthetic is a palimpsest; it reflects his many inspirations and cultural influences. His clothing is best described as kaleidescope fashion- strong, vibrant colors, bold patterns and prints mixed together with modernized silhouettes, rich textures and futuristic looks. Despite the cliché of East meets West, Arora's designs do a beautiful job in bringing together the genius of Indian textiles and bead work with Western silhouettes (à la JPG). However, he carefully avoids the dreaded "ethnic" label so commonly used on non-Western designers, which in turn has solidified his place as a bonafide innovator in the field of fashion. His unabashed and unapologetic pushing of the limitations and boundaries of fashion make him one of the more interesting taste-makers of our time.

Take a look at his most recent collection (Autumn/Winter 2008/2009) in the slideshow below, courtesy of fashionistas. Although many of the pieces are fantastical and, perhaps, unwearable, there is still something to be said for the workmanship present in each piece, and of course, their fantastical quality.

Find more photos like this on fashionistas

Also, feel free to check out his previous collections on his website, here.

name to know: Lola Faturoti

Lola Faturoti comes from a fashion conscious family and cites her grandmother as her first inspiration- "I got interested in fashion because my grandmother was a designer, she designed traditional Nigerian clothes". She infuses both her personal experiences and her connection to her Nigerian heritage into her fashion-forward designs.
In the early '90s, Faturoti came to NYC after spending some time in London studying; once in the city she took a job at Charivari where she impressed the company's president, Barbara Weiser. It was Weiser who helped Faturoti to launch her first collection- a critically acclaimed success. Faturoti took a four year hiatus after her first showing but upon her return to fashion in 1999 she put on a show that left such an impact on the fashion world that it resulted in one of her creations being bought by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and also gained Faturoti a spot on Amy Spindler's "Best in America" list , in The New York Times Magazine.


You might recall that in the following year, 2000, Faturoti wowed the world again when she essentially upstaged Ralph Lauren at the end of his show in Febuary. She had staged her own guerrilla fashion show across the street from his and captured the attention of audience members who were leaving. Not long after, Faturoti packed up and moved to Milan where she would live for four years, honing her craft and working hard to leave an impression on the international stage.



But now Lola Faturoti is back in New York and ready to stay, which is a very, very good thing for us.

"New York is my city, I love New York. I think when you're born there's a city for you, that fits perfectly and I think New York is that for me. The energy, the freedom of New York helps me to be free in my inspiration, to liberate myself".

To find out where you can purchase Faturoti's designs, please visit her website.

Photos courtesy of She Breathes and Fashion Africa.

1-2-3-4

Fiest on Sesame Street.
Endearing and informative.

Although Chris Brown and Elmo had better chemistry.