serpentine

I'm a huge coffee table book fan. I love entering people's homes or offices to find a carefully curated selection of books that allow me to catch a glimpse into what they find most beautiful, interesting or bizarre. That said, you'd definitely see Guido Mocafinco's Serpens, on mine.

The images are outstanding. I know most people are squeamish when it comes to snakes- but you can't help but be amazed by their beauty when you flip through. Mocafinco's photography is so detailed and refined; you can feel the texture and weight of each frame while you are mesmerized by the organic twists and turns within. And the rich, saturated colors and patterns only add to satisfy one's palate; nature is such an amazing and fascinating thing. These photos are strikingly beautiful- I had to share.

Photos courtesy of This Blog Rules

Gushing

Rodarte F/W 2009 RTW

I can not express how much I love Rodarte and the creative genius of the Mulleavy sisters. These two embody everything I had ever dreamed of being when I would sit and imagine my life as a fashion designer. Their approach is refreshing; having both been trained outside of the fashion world, their work truly reflects the passion and commitment they have to creating beautiful garments. They ooze with a level of sophistication and respect that I find lacking in many other labels. These are not just garments, they are each beautiful works of art, boldly championing the craft of fashion and the power of ones imagination.

Rodarte S/S 2009 RTW

Now that I've finished gushing, you can imagine my initial excitement when the duo announced they will be collaborating with Target to create a Go International line for the mega chain this upcoming December. The idea that the Mulleavy's will attempt to translate their unique pieces into palatable, mass market goods is at once amazing and bittersweet. While I am already salivating at the idea that I could potentially afford to own one of their pieces, I am nervous that a mass market interpretation of their work would get lost in translation. As I mentioned before, Rodarte is all about craft- their pieces are impeccably detailed and thoughtful, an inherent quality due to the fact that they are all hand crafted by the two sisters themselves. Now call me old fashioned- but there is something so genuinely beautiful about that- garments that welcome a hand touch, created by the same people who dreamed them up, as opposed to a factory somewhere far off. Obviously- the Target line, which will retail from $9.99 to $79.99, will probably be produced overseas... so I can only hope that their vision and aesthetic will not be compromised.

Only time will tell.

Photos courtesy of Style.com

remember when music videos were cool?

i've always loved metronomy- specifically i've been OBSESSED with their song trick or treatz for ages now. but miles recently sent me a link to their video for "a thing for me" and i'm really into it. not only are they musically interesting- but their video is fun and creative- something that has been missing for a long time.

hope you enjoy it as much as i do.


A Thing For Me from Metronomy on Vimeo.

currently obsessed: phone book dress

i came across this dress and i think it's wonderfully ingenious. The entire ruffled and ruched creation is made from one large telephone book! it looks immaculate and I bet it would be so much fun to wear- even if you had to be super careful in it. considering how bored i've been recently, i may consider starting one of my own while i'm at home... if i'm successful, i'll post up some pics.

shake it like a poladroid picture

Today while perusing multiple websites to avoid working, I stumbled upon this wonderful treasure of a website, aptly named Poladroid. On Poladroid you can download their free program and then use it to instantly change your favorite digital photos into grainy polaroid perfection, white frame and all. The program even lets you "shake" the photo after you drag it into the camera- to help make the process a little more familiar. I'm still trying to figure out if it's possible to tweak the colors or add any fun effects- but even if it's just a simple conversion tool- I'm excited to create some faux-polaroids of my own.

here are some I made today while procrastinating.

enjoy the site and send us some photos!

Girl Talk @ Wesleyan

I might actually develop a deep hatred for any WES kids that don't go to this show. On the other hand, I might strike up a long term love affair with anyone who gets me a ticket.... I mean... forreal though.

I'll give you a dollar if you can spot the WES kids in this photo of the Girl Talk show at Terminal 5 on Sunday.

Source - Wesleying & NYT.

everyday living

Lauryn Hill brought her kids to a Martha Stewart book signing.
No witty commentary necessary, the picture says it all.

it's saturday night!

so take a few pointers from dancing god JAMES BROWN to help you feel so good on the dance floor

South Asian International Film Festival

I am an ass for not pointing this out sooner but better late than never, right? Our sophista-friend, Linde is an intern for the South Asian International Film Festival - happening right now- and since everything this lady touches is gold, I suggest you check it out if you're in NYC. More info here!

flashback: garbage

garbage - i think i'm paranoid

Dear Shirley Manson,

I loved you dearly and still you went away.
Please come back.
I miss you.
xoxo,

Jillian

Ps: Who cuts your hair?

UPDATE: Thanks to the tipster who let me know that Shirley Manson is on the new show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

while we're on the subject...

i've been meaning to mention this INSANELY awesome new tattoo trend for some time now. 

UV tattoos caught my attention from the get-go. As an individual who loves and appreciates beautiful tattoos, but is perhaps a little wary of putting something on my body for life- they seem like the perfect middle ground. The tattoos are achieved through the use of a special UV ink, which is completely invisible to the eye in normal daylight. So your skin won't show any sign of being inked (after scarring of course) unless in the presence of a black light!

If you take the time to search this new phenomenon, you can find some truly exquisite examples of some amazing tattoos. My personal favorite is the skeleton tattoo, which apparently is one of the most common UV tattoos out there.  

Pretty nifty, if you ask me.

childhood is calling

Colleen Venable has the coolest tattoo that I've seen in a long long time. Connect the dots was a favored pastime of mine as a child. It was low budget and solitary but always so satisfying. While I'm not quite sure that I could walk around with this particular tat on my skin for lyyyyfeee, I do think it's a great idea and it would definitely give strangers on the subway somewhere PG to focus their attention. But on the downside, I think I'd snap after the 34123813409 person asked me what was on my leg.

Source: Core 77

leanne won!

here are some images from her collection. how is everyone feeling about the choice?

vs kenley or korto:

want something to do this weekend?

for all you new york heads reading the blog, I highly suggest trekking to the Met and checking out two current exhibits that are sure to be fun and interesting.

1. The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End

I'm SO excited about this. As Jillian has mentioned before, we are both big fans of African textiles, and I'm happy to hear that this largely important cultural custom is being brought into the mainstream consciousness.

The exhibit honors the beautiful tradition of textiles, which exists throughout Africa with a series of sculptures, paintings, photographs, installation pieces, videos and other media.


2. Babar

The Met has dedicated two of its rooms for a retrospective on one of my all time favorite children's stories. I don't know about you, but I grew up loving Babar and my early childhood consisted of everything from the books to the stuffed animals to a cozy bedspread. I am super excited to check out this exhibit and pretend I'm three years old again. Those were the days.









Enjoy the weekend!

OH SNAP!

Betty White gets feisty while talking about the election!

Trendology is moving!

Trendology is all grown up and needing its own domain. You can now find my blog at:

http://www.trendology.org

I'm slowly but surely learning CSS and so this isn't the final project but Trendology.org is up and running and better than ever so be a friend and check it out! And to those of you who have been reading Trendology from the start - thanks so much for the support, it means a whole lot.

Smooooches.

PS- Don't forget to update your bookmarks and links!!!!

yum

the fashionation newsletter in my inbox just got me salivating.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

John Galiano

Mark Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Stella McCartney

be sure to go over to their site to check out all the goodies- they are deeeefffffffinitely worth it.

the annals of model-dom

models get a lot of crap. it's easy to look at what they do and feel like there's nothing to it, i mean, how hard can strutting down a runway be, right? and with shows like ANTM (or the superabundance of reality model megalomania) i often find i have little empathy for the woes of these walking clothes racks. buuuut, after the fall seen around the world at prada's show this year, i started investigating, and have compiled some pretty ridiculous things these pretty pennies have had to walk the runway in. i'll tell you- i'm not sure i'd want to put myself in their shoes- literally!

mortifying!

i really didn't think her career would survive that one

my next point, how are they expected to keep it together when they can't even see?!

images all from Maison Martin Margiela's spring 2009 collection, courtesy of nymag.com

the respect level just keeps getting higher and higher...

i love janelle monae

and so should you. I know I've mentioned her multiple times before- but I can't help but gush about her. The girls got talent- not that factory made stuff but real, raw, soulful talent. It's refreshing and inspiring.

check out her new video for many moons!

Thien Thu Thien Nhan

I had to share these videos, of Thien Thu Thien Nhan, with ya'll because they are so overwhelmingly beautiful. The dancers are from the Chinese Disabled Performing Arts Troupe and they are all hearing impaired. I've been trying to find out more about the organization and the dances but have come up with very little. While that is most unfortunate, I think you can still appreciate the beauty of what they have created without knowing anything else.