The Museum was small as far as museums go, but the exhibits were awesome– more modern than fine arts in my opinion, but I’m sure they take what they can get. There was the Philadelphia traveling exhibit “From Manet to Picasso” featuring pieces from various established European artists (i.e. Matisse, Degas, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Miro) and impressive exhibitions from several Taiwanese artists. We were also  lucky to catch the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit on the ballet/fashion show Le Defile, featuring Gaultier’s pieces for 12 modern ballets (1983-1994) by collaborator and choreographer Regine Chopinot. Ballets included “Le Defile”, “Delices”, “K.O.K”, and “Soli-Bach”.

A little about the two:

Jean Paul Gaultier was never formally educated in fashion, but was recruited by master fashion designer Pierre Cardin (I WILL post on this wizard soon!) at the age of 18. Most know him through Madonna, when he designed her costumes for the Blonde Ambition tour in 1990– coned bras and what-not.

Regine Chopinot is a French choreographer; she collaborated with Gaultier on 12 ballets that were “anti– fashion/dance” in an avant garde– er, fashion.

... "horny"?

A list of things I spied while perusing the costumes on display: a cloth-sculpted clitoris, cloth-sculpted penis, pillow penis, cut-out tux, cone bra, ribbon-beehive headpiece, a fringed lampshade ballerina skirt, gold spray-painted flower-sculpted sneakers, leather bomber jacket studded with aviator sunglasses and pierced with key chains, knit-couch costume with knit skirt and booties, a bride’s costume consisting of a mesh upper torso, ruched jersey tunic, and long jersey skirt with a beehive wig topped with bride and groom cake tops, and sculpted costumes made with thick, layered textured tulle. There was a quilted body suit, tulle sculpted boots, medal-adorned chaps, and beaded nipples.

As sexual as it sounds, the surprising amount of partial-nudity and obvious exaggeration of genitalia facilitated the viewing of these pieces as costume art; obscenity was marveled and hailed as craftsmanship, especially when blatant and confronting.  Little girls were dancing around their mothers and gazing at whatever there was to see, and their mothers whispering “Now think of how they made these, honey…”– art is funny like that. Proves that any societal norms or rules can be suspended, depending on people’s perspective of context…

Anyway, here’s some clips of the ballets– you can definitely sense the “anti-fashion” and “anti-dance” baffle you, but the aesthetic is wonderful enough to keep you watching.

Le Defile:

Unknown

And some pictures I took outside of the exhibit:

Cointreau-papered disc-hat

Fully knit couched-hip costume plus knit skirt and booties:

Tulle sculpted thigh-highs:

Detail on back of a costume-jacket:

There were several rooms in the Mobilité, sons et formes exhibition from the GRAME Centre National de Création Musicale that were enchanting:

A room ornamented with delicately turning panes of glass painted with gold notes, rigged with tiny echoes of speakers tinkling the slightest notes to the attuned ear.

A room filled with sand became a textured and engaging projection screen for a video featuring a girl dancing her own pattern into the sand-floor. My favorite room by far– people were coming in but for some reason weren’t up to actually dancing and pushing the sand with their feet, sinking in with their toes: they wouldn’t even take their shoes off. Michael and me ended up wrecking it everywhere, dancing and twirling with the girl’s projection, sometimes violently sliding all over the place, through the projection and back, making rows of dunes across the screen, while everyone else watched from the side and gingerly nudged the sand with their shoes. It was so obvious the point was to dance or make your own design… but everyone was so meek…

I wish I could find out more about Thierry de Mey, the artist, but to no avail– for once Google has failed me.

By the time we got done with everything, we were well-famished, and made a bus stop away to Shilin Night Market. Shilin is so old, it has it’s own food court. The area that used to be the night market has been entirely converted to food stands and vendors, and the local specialty is oyster scramble and tian-bu-la. Which we devoured; dessert was even more delicious– gourmet mochi.

Most people in Seattle know of mochi at least in the ice-cream sense; the sticky rice-paste covered ice-cream (mango, vanilla, mango, green tea) can be purchased at any self-respecting Asian grocery. The mochi is traditionally filled with red-bean paste, peanut-butter, or black sugar. We visited a stand at the Shilin food court that served them hot and delicious: baked mochi lends a crunchier outer crust to the sticky, pasty consistency. The black sugar dish had the sugar sauce hot and drizzled over the mochi and the red-bean mochi was served in a small bowl of red-bean soup (sweet). I’m usually overwhelmed by the stickiness, but this place was spectacular…

YummRz!

After that, I went shopping, bickered with my brother, and headed home on the MRT.

Dunno what I’m doing tomorrow, but I really need to send some postcards out…

Graceeee

ps aaahhh new pants

via stylebubble.com

via stylebubble.com

Made by Cooperative Designs for their spring and summer 2010 collection (but who says you can’t wear it on some doubled tights for the wintertime?) check it here.

So cute!

Graceee

Here’s some awesome ideas for some fresh looks—granted, they’re not very traditional (done as fashion show presentations), but good taste consists of the balance of “just so”—a coherent look—will help make your style pop sass and style. Confidence helps: resigning to “that’s not for me” or “I can’t pull that off” simply makes the sentiment true. Go out on the town and paint it whatever goddamn color you want. Remember when you dreamt of “When I grow up…”? Well, you’re grown up. And you can do what you want.

Drastick lips: Black, Dark, Or Eye-Popping Neons
Dramatic yes, but fierce as Tyra Banks (…before ANTM). Makes your eyes pop and draws attention to your edginess…. your dark side.

Too Two Toned Lips
Bump up the sass with an extra pop in your color: two toned lips made a coy appearance at the Nanette Lepore Fall 2010 show. Dress them up, take them out, kiss the boys and make them pout.

Knot (NOT) so Nappy

Fendi features some sweet knots in their Autumn/Winter show. Let your hair take a break from the reliable but tiring ballerina bun– a desperate variety is in need.

Fendi via style.com

allure.com

If the boys don’t know how, lead by example– down to the detail. Don’t fear the tie.

via style.com

There are no faux pas– do what looks good, quirky, fun!

facehunter

Reinvent and appreciate the special pieces; reinvent any persona and make the look yours. Tavi inspired by C. Love.

stylerookie.com

Truth is, haven’t been shopping lately. The sheer amount of clothing and competition is overwhelming over here, not to mention my dad and Michael ragging on about dinner or going home. But when I get back to Value Village…

Graceee

]]> http://www.hearandsay.com/eyelove/looking-for-fresh/feed/ 0 http://www.hearandsay.com/eyelove/bernard-chandran-strikes-my-fashion-gong/ http://www.hearandsay.com/eyelove/bernard-chandran-strikes-my-fashion-gong/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:43:31 +0000 admin http://www.hearandsay.com/?p=922 Under-the-radar designer BERNARD CHANDRAN revives this essence of playfulness. While his Autumn/Winter 10/11 collection features traditional shades of black and white, the accents of blues, violets, and golds bring a sophisticated touch and interest… not to mention the wonderfully luxurious palette of beads, organzas, silks, and feathers. The cuts represent a strong women, emphasis on the shoulders and buckled waists gives a haughty air… a haughtiness deserved by any who rock CHANDRAN’s careful mix of edgy and delicate. The organza and silk gleams femininity and balances with the strong shoulders and the cropped capped sleeves.

The presentation of the “gothic geisha” look coheres with the edgy/delicate contrasts; while the models are masked, their dark lips and glaring eyes show how their femininity is not meant to be objectified, and its presence is anything but silent. We are confronted with a kick-ass and sophisticated collection of pieces (or for the poorer, a gorgeous collection of inspiration) for our fall and winter wardrobes.

Gold beaded dress with patent boots.

www.bernardchandran.com

Viscose with organza dress;
multi-coloured oversized feather bag.
Wool belt with silver buckle; patent ankle boots.

www.bernardchandran.com

Silk and wool dress;
Chiffon bib with metal stud;
Patent ankle boots.

www.bernardchandran.com

Silk top with feather trimming;
Silk short pants; patent ankle boots.

www.bernardchandran.com

Wool dress with embroidery and feather trimming;
Wool rope belt with silver cap;
Peep toe wool ankle boots.

www.bernardchandran.com

View his gorgeous pieces at BERNARD CHANDRAN.

Graceee

Tavi in Miu Miu via stylerookie.com

Today is a different day than tomorrow;

Who you are depends on the everyday;

To be yourself is to be true…

to your present nature;

Not to hold yourself to standards of yesterday.

If fashion is fun (and I think it’s meant to be)

Although it involves a constant maintenance of self-image;

Perhaps we need to stop working so hard to play.

After all, designing goes back to the basics of shapes and lines to form textures on different planes: richer textures pop out at us, lines form visual shapes, etc. Running your eyes over a fine piece involves engagement of colors, senses; if you take it too seriously, you might miss the general picture.

Pierre Cardin is such the inspiration. More on him later.

With this history, new designers need to rework all stereotypes and think beyond the pale: although the luxury goods industry is still ruled by economic means and marketing campaigns (see: extensive influence of the holding company LVMH) rather than romantic notions of haut couture, or aesthetic for art’s sake, perhaps that is the precise problem. Designers designing for strategy rather than the romance of emotions might dull their color palette or hem boredom to null the sass; and what’s the fun in that? It is in the future of young designers, unhampered and unjaded by cloying traditions and regulations, in which we turn to seek hope, new ranges of emotions, aesthetic, and frilly delights.

To Alexander McQueen, celebrated fashion reinventor, may the fashion world keep its bespectacled eyes upon the prize of the lofty, dreamy wonders you’ve bestowed upon us all, the fantastic realms with which the richest ideas and most mind-turning ideas reside… and to young designers, may their majestic visions be carried out through their own perseverance and dedication to their craft.

Some young designers to keep an eye on:

Sera Ulger, who has been noticed quite a bit since her final graduation debut at Ravensbourne , showed a fun, beautiful collection featuring birds. The swatches are bold and complimentary, and the nature-inspired prints keep the looks seamlessly coherent. Not to mention how wearable this collection is for the artsy young girls out there– tasteful, sassy, and very cool.

Another young designer I’m having to steal from the Ravensbourne pool of talent is one Harriet Clinch. Her collection “Kodiak Island” shows a tom-boyish flair in the theme of knits and kodachrome. Knit patterns are reinvented and “quirked up”; knit sweaters reminiscent of Christmas and family-bound childhoods come back in Technicolor and much more flattering knitted graphics (a television; a cute bib-collared winter sweater) that show a creative nostalgia inspired by a blissful (American?) childhood.

Textile designer Emma Lundgern of the Royal College of Art in London, UK presents “folklore reincarnated”, featuring brite neons and crowns of rich, thickly gathered textures and patterns. The presentation of her designs are also equally admirable, eye-catching, and most definitely a formidable consideration in the future of fashion. Dazed and Confused’s interview with Lundgren can be found HERE.

And so the Death of a Queen leads to the birth of other visions of majesty. Seeing as the fashion industry is always “on the move”, and that today’s fashion promptly becomes “oh-so-yesterday” by the time the clock strikes 12, Alexander McQueen may actually fade into fashion’s past quite seamlessly; but that is a fact that cannot be helped as progress continues to push history’s standards higher and higher.

Graceee

So I was showering (as I do), and handily enough, the bathroom’s set with a giant mirror by the shower-head-area as well as a smaller face mirror that accordion’s out from the wall. Prime back-inspection. So I’m inspecting away (as I do), and indubitably, there are the defiant roots of a mullet growing out from the base of my week-old-haircut.

Ask me a couple of months ago, and I would have promptly vomited at the mere scent of a mullet; it’s taboo, it’s stuck in the cringe-worthy-past; but nay, I reverse this sentiment and say: rise of the mullet, part deux. Stereotypically for poor white males who can’t bother with the back of their necks, let alone the rear ends of their hairdos.

So surprise. Also began thinking of wearing men’s cologne. This alarms me on two levels:

- that I am becoming more masculine
- that I am being affected by societal pressures within gender normatives, and
- that I care at all what others think of my appearance

Some saw my previous hairdo, done a little more than a month ago. I still liked it, but it was getting way too impractical. I have too much hair to deal with the constant curtain mess and unflattering misplaced locks and strands– although, standing still and with my head only slightly tilted, it looked fantastic and made my entirely tired wardrobe feel rejuvenated… edgy.

Now, I have a rather Harry-Potter like mess (sticks out everywhere; who knew my hair was that crazy when short?) that’s top/forward heavy with a slight tail (mullet vestige). I’ll spare you the picture and leave it to your imagination. It’s so liberating, though– I’ve *grown* long hair down to my waist before, and it’s so very tiresome to wash (the shampoo/conditioning/rinse cycle is considerably more tedious) and keep out of the way– at least, mine is. Now I can stand in the wind and not have to push and claw things out of my face.

While practicality is precisely what begins to define aging fashion (moms tend to have short bobs or cropped hairdos– pain control from grabby grubby hands is totally understandable), I choose to think of it as freedom. How many cliche’d “I really want this line to be wearable, comfortable, free-feeling” lines do fashion houses splurt out while pumping out five inch heels or itchy woolen shirts? What looks good doesn’t have to feel terrible: but seriously, it really doesn’t. I was lucky to be able to grow my hair out that long– from what I understand, a lot of girls don’t have that ability, and their hair crackles and burns out before reaching whatever princess length they wished for.

Yet this indulgent comfort in long hair as stereotypically pretty, feminine, and attractive is also such a trap for some girls. Many will refuse to alter the length of their locks because of the value of a lengthy mane to their beauty and thus, their self-worth. I’m not saying I’m above it at all; waist-length hair wasn’t too unrealistic for me, and I’ve had very long hair most of my life. Cutting it off (more specifically, shaving half my head) was sort of a way to force myself beyond that, and have more fun over convention safety nets for self-esteem. It is scary– it was breathtaking to feel the clippers buzz against the side of my skull– I remember watching the first lock fall, and I had thought “Oh my God, what I have I done?” But since then, the freer movements, the less restriction of cloying strands weighing my head and neck down, the ignorance of the amount of static surrounding me– now I’m worried I can’t ever try the long-hair-look again (getting the most out of youthful hair).

There are too many possibilities out there for more than the Jennifer-Aniston “Rachael” look– I think people look best when they celebrate the unique qualities of their fl/hair. Curly, frizzy, or straight as an arrow…

Some tasteful varieties to consider, because it’s so hard to find them in the cheesy 80′s style look books often found in the Super Cuts waiting room:

Tao’s iconic andro-cut surprisingly emphasizes her simplistic feminine edge

Blunt cuts don’t have to be hxrdcxre, sometimes they can convey a sense of innocence… softeness

The mullet? </3 ?

I love Paul Rudd, and his hairdo is awesome here, so deal

Love afros

A simple bob gets more interesting with the thick straight-edge bangs and an Amelie-like facial frame and flare

Thick bangs do it again…

Courtney Love inspired wavy blonde shag: beats the space-case platinum blonde, it gives a wilder, freer look and feel… note the inverted shape of the volume

Sometimes its as simple as a thick braid…

via lookbook.nu

short shagged crop? soft, feminine, easy going… chic…? I like coffee with a great haircut

via funambula

Boys can have all the fun; after all, they’re probably getting another cut next month at least….

via jakandjill

Free your hair!

Graceee

… or something along those lines, more or less.

Hotel Moschino, Milan

Think about fashion, nowadays: with the absence of tangible cultural or political movements and the paralysis caused by bipartisan politics as well as the disguise of today’s media behind national values of objectivity and free press, it’s difficult to pinpoint reactionary phenomenon through aesthetic means. Flower power, black power, etc. are examples of these movements reacting against national war and civil rights oppression, respectively. Today, politics are much more ambiguous, and the agency of blame is hidden under the braided folds of economic, social, and political power. We also pick and choose specific symbols and signs to represent who we are as individuals: those in love with the hard 80′s, or the sweet 50′s, or maybe rebellious zoot suits of the 20′s. Personal style can also change by day as well as relative location: what makes it fashionable is the participation in the fluid and comprehensive exchange of these symbols, either decade by decade, sub/culture by sub/culture, or even persona by persona. Authenticity relies on the details– how much investment is apparent in the final effort.

via seaofshoes.com

Being fashionable becomes an experience, not merely threads, buttons, diamonds, and accessories. The story is imperative; the emotional effect of the aesthetic  makes the art. This is what distinguishes pieces from cheap knockoffs: shiny patent plastic gives off an entirely different vibe than a gold lamé leather. Like font: either every letter is sans serif, or it isn’t.

hedislimane.com

There is an air of snobbery about it, no doubt. A story is one version down to its punctuation– a comma misplaced is a sentence misinterpreted. Or an entirely different story altogether. Marshall Mcluhan’s “The medium is the message”: if words and language can only do so much to convey a precise emotion or meaning, we must work extra hard to get at least 50%  (this is a figurative, er, figure) of our exact thoughts across.

It’s easy to shrug off these silly young people as shallow, irrelevant, foolish. Maybe they are, if we juxtapose them with those brave efforts in Africa or tender humanitarian achievements in the hells of Haiti; but believe it or not, humans are all the same whether or not their resume congratulates them, and we live and die amongst each other regardless of color, socioeconomic status, education levels, or sex. A noble calling is only noble through humility, after all (sans sarcasm, a fond form of narcissistic self-expression)– and who is anyone to say that anything will make a solid difference? No one lives long enough to tell. So we each live our lives thirsting to show the world who we are, and how we feel– aesthetically or otherwise. Straining to be heard clearly and precisely, and unfortunately many fail, through the lack of means to communicate effectively for whatever reasons…

To recognize people’s potentials is real power; limiting them through prejudices and jealous whims only limits your own ability to work through walls others cage you in. Spend less time whining about their disabilities, because you’re sadly missing their wonderful talents, their beautiful stories… you’re not listening.

It’s what I need to work on, too.

Graceee

Stud-y this

One of these days these studded shoes are going to walk all over you

and these. durrrr

Imagine this... er, with clothes on, and in the street... looking semi-normal... but hot..

1) Studs walking down the street in Rome. Noooo no no, studs do not walk. They prance. They strut. They look deeply in your eyes for a millisecond, where you fall in love for-ev-er. Often have deep blue or brown eyes, stub-ble, and a beautiful smile. I will not mention their hair. That is another dimension of sexy. Another realm for sensual. We will not go there.

2) Studs on purses and backpacks. Texture-al stud-duction. Is that too much? Do I trespass and punneth too much? No. Because I have studded the sentence with puns. Studs are that in. Be-riddle me with love. Be-riddle me with shiny, metallic delights. Be-riddle me with fine men.

I am delirious.

Just got back from a pleasant stroll towards the beauteous Spanish Steps. We made love with Valentino. We caressed the fine cotton of Dolce & Gabbana. We stroked the fine leather of Gucci. Prostrated ourselves in front of the  Ferragamos. The fine male hired to be a live manniquin at D/G became objectified in our lustful eyes. Good. Good.

No false idols, just expensive ideals. I swear.

More lates. We are off to a fùtbol game tomorrow.

Gracious

Fashion is so cliche as it is; the names that make it big are different than the names that make their items marketable.

For example, I’ve been introduced to the work of two different freelance stylists, and their approaches are incredibly different. One practices styling as a pure form of art; the photoshoots are high/editorial fashion; the look is approachable only to a select few (some may point and say “elite”). The other has an incredibly keen edge on what will be marketed to whom; what kind audience will look at a certain edgy shirt and be 1) afraid or 2) stoked to buy it. You can see this in the way they run and manage their shoots.

A lot of fashion houses have trapped their creative director within these boundaries. Sure, there’s a difference between haute couture and pret-a-porter, but there’s a feeling that a creative ceiling exists– while many pieces of either line are unrealistically impractical– have they reached these heights of imagination, wide range of creative freedom?

Mcqueen's 2010 Spring Pret-a-porter via style.com

Resort 2010 via style.com

Spring 2010 Pret-a-Porter via style.com

Spring 2010 Pret-a-Porter via style.com

Spring 2010 Pret-A-Porter via style.com

Spring 2010 Pret-A-Porter via style.com

Spring 2010 Pret-A-Porter via style.com

Spring 2010 p/p via style.com

Clutch... literally! Spring 2010 P/P via style.com

Spring 2010 P/P via style.com

Spring 2010 P/P via style.com

Not to mention the hair!

Spring 2010 P/P via style.com

Spring 2010 p/p via style.com

Spring 2010 P/P via style.com

There’s something strangely hybrid/cyborg like with this line; while futuristic, the bright graphics definitely clash with the usual take on a Star-Treck suit.And the form fitting sculpts really pull it together– taht strange black clutch with holes for your fingers… well. We’ll see what others come up with, now that he’s gone above and beyond…

EXCELLENCE

<3

Graceee

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