NYMag's Brooklyn Top 40

Oh, dear...

Check it out!

I'd never heard their number 1 before. I agree with all the GB, but think there should've been some more AC and PB. I'm obsessed with the song "Blind" by Hercules and Love Affair. Thought that "Kids" has become too mainstream to be considered in the list--needed to go to old-school Management instead, perhaps? But what do I know--I've never lived in Brooklyn, therefore I can't judge. I just happen to love indie music.

Like I said before, my taste has traveled abroad. Here are my top artists nowadays:

-La Roux (thanks, Georgina)
-Fever Ray
-The Knife
-Crystal Castles (really want to see them in concert)



-Royksopp



-Lykke Li



-Ladytron



But I'm not into Bjork for some reason. Don't call me crazy!

Dreams Of Burton

I want to go to the MoMA and see this Tim Burton's retrospective. When I was at TFF, I saw a collection of drawings (they were photocopied, but still very cool) that Fellini did called Fellini's Dreams. Very whimsical and intriguing.

I saw a documentary at TFF about Disney animation and its revival in the 90's. Footage was put together from the goofy animators in their office, pre-Little Mermaid and such. Captured among the many staff members was Burton, a scruffy, dark-haired man who was so pale he looked like he hadn't left the studio in ages. Which, at that point, he probably hadn't because this was before he started his own production company and such. Anyway, check out these pictures and read the article in NYMag.

A Response to Georgina

What a tough question. My style icons?

I'd say I prefer Ashley Olsen's style to Mary-Kate's because A has a more classic aesthetic, whereas MK truly enjoys the coked-out grunge look.

It's easier for me to say what designers I like than to figure out what celebrities I respect. But if I had to choose:

-Marion Cotillard
-Emma Watson
-Catherine Deneuve
-Anne Hathaway

I'm going to have to think about other people who I like...it's hard for me to choose! They all have hits and misses...

A communication

I wanted to write a bit on this topic, but I thought I'd just dig up this communication with Fay and pretend I CC'd this e-mail to all of you guys.
__________________________________________

>From: Georgina
>Date: 24 Oct 2009 17:18:03 -0400
>Subject: people
>To: Fay
>Reply-To: Georgina@Dartmouth.edu

who i personally really like their style/consider them style icons/dress like:

diane kruger
mary kate and ashley olsen
kate moss
lauren conrad
blake lively
leighton meester
heidi klum

+ rihanna 1/2 of the time

who's on your list?
__________________________________________

Agree/disagree? Comments?

P.S. Fay, still waiting for your response!

Rent the Runway?

"Netflix for Haute Couture dresses," NYT reports.

The founders say that more than 20,000 women have signed up for the service, which has been shipping dresses for only a week. Bain Capital Ventures provided seed financing, which the company used to build its inventory of 160 styles.

...retail stores in major cities have offered dresses for rent for years. Rent the Runway is betting that its shop-by-Web convenience and the appeal of its top-quality fashions will persuade women across the country to rent a dress for a special occasion without trying it on beforehand.

Interesting funding choice by Bain Capital Ventures.

Giles Deacon Spring 2010

Amazing.

Check out the rest of the pieces online.

DIY and The Economy

<---dumb Proenza Schouler tissue tee for $325 <--smart: Seven for All Mankind sequin jacket $495 (kidding--you could buy that thing at H&M for much less) -->LaRok's interpretation of reality is funny.

I went to Saks and Barney's today to browse pretty things I couldn't buy (though Saks was having yet another 40% off sale). In my promenade among soft satins and busy beads, I realized that the trends nowadays are quite extreme and indulgent, reflecting consumers' needs to feel satisfied when dropping $400 on a top. Nobody wants a T-shirt from The Row that looks the same as one from H&M. They want beads, faux fur, leather and feathers. At Saks, it felt as though if a shirt wasn't beaded, it had ruffles poured all over. Plain leggings are rare compared to pleather ones, or perhaps a pair with intricate gold prints and enough zippers to permanently chafe me. Designers are being forced to go to the extreme to make consumers feel like they are indulging themselves when they're buying something.



On another note, at Barney's I saw feather and bow headbands that I realized I could make by buying feathers and glue at Jo-Anne Fabrics or something. Much cheaper, and really, it means more to make your own accessories.
I even saw a dress by Vena Cava that was really cute with a black, stringy trim stitched all over. I felt like that $500 dress could have been a product of my late night frustration with a needle and thread. Winter term in Hanover will be my time for experimenting with cheapo products and making them look expensive. Aka I'll be starting my own personal Forever 21.

Cheap Thrill

Forever21 delivers. Some of these are really beautiful (at least from the computer screen vantage point), and at around $5 each, I'm reconsidering the time value of money or whatever of spending potentially dozens of hours crafting a pair myself. But I guess it's a different intent... right?

1.
I love these white ones! Although if I'm going to wear earrings this big, I think they'd be less casual. Although I could re-evaluate that thought because these earrings are sick -- maybe good for a more casual night out, more jeans & top, less cocktail dress.

2.
I generally don't like this bib-esque shape for earrings, but just imagine these in the light -- both bright light and hazy light.

3.
Dark clear stones, ooh.

4.
Not ideal in terms of details (I don't like those beads at the bottom), but nice enough if you just want a pair of SPARKLERS (that you won't cry over if you lose). Oh also, I have a horrid habit of losing earrings (and jewelry in general) really easily, which makes me terrified to actually invest in a piece.

5.
These ones are quite gorgeous. Such intricate design. Wear with hair swept back.

6.
These look like dangly flowers, and I love flowers.

7.
These can be dressed up or down. I imagine pairing these with a thin sweater and scarf or a gauzy dress.

8.
White with gold looks so fresh but also luxe. For some reason, these earrings remind me of Lord and Taylor, the department store.

9.
These stone cut flower earrings look amazing in black, very au courant. I wonder how large they are in real life. They'd be great oversized.

10.
Looks like an Alhambra-eque design. I like.

I like earrings 1, 5, 9, and 10 best.Which ones do you like the best?

Jewelry

So my obsession with aesthetics/design/fashion/beautiful objects has finally traversed into the land of Jewelry. Which I recognize is a dangerous land. Ironically, this was partially brought on by my realization that I can "make" any jewelry in our Jewelry Studio here at school. But I'm now wondering if I'll be persistent enough, and I think I'm still in the "well how hard could it be" mindset right now.

My first project I think will be to make a pair of huge earrings, which I've been on the lookout for since last fall, basically to no avail.

Look at this pair of earrings. Oh. my.... I wonder how difficult it would be to make something like this...

Erickson Beamon Medieval Swarovski drop earrings $400

Brass plated drop earrings with black, gray and blue Swarovski crystal embellishment. Erickson Beamon earrings have spiked charms, thick chain body with thin chain overlay, are for pierced ears and have a clear butterfly to fasten to the ear. Drop of earring measures approximately 11cm / 4 inches.

This is admittedly jewelry porn right here. I think it'd be really satisfying to create a piece like this. The difficulty might be completing one earring and persisting to create the next one at the same level of quality haha. Anyway, I will hopefully further update about this topic.

Walmart! You did it!

Now THIS is a proper capsule collection. Everything under $20, so you wouldn't care who made it anyway. It just so happens that Max Azria - one of my favorite designers - is involved, which is actually a testament to its strengths. I cannot say the same for the designer ties I've seen in the collections at Target (which I have never bought a single thing from, despite heavy marketing on their part).

The collection features items you need - tees and leggings - at just the right level of quantity of choice. I am more than happy to sacrifice excessive variations on the same theme of leggings for a huge dip in price point. And particularly when it comes to leggings, Members Only and other types of recent pop-up couture brands canNOT be $100 better in quality than what Miley Cyrus & Max Azria put out. I think this calls for a trip to the local Walmart in West Lebanon, New Hampshire (or is it Vermont? I always forget).

Either way, I'm so there.

____

Postscript: mission SO accomplished.
Cutout leggings. Already obsessed.


They look really good on, promise.

November

Needed a new look. Happy winter.