Cano's techno-baroque couture

February 18, 2014, 2:07 pm

≪ Previous: cats take pride of place in our lives

Technology is probably more 'in' than fashion
nowadays yet it's more and more involved in
it driving tomorrow's garment design and
manufacturing process providing fresh blood
in terms of ideas and solutions once impossible
to acheive. Creativity and innovation merged at
the Samsung EGO 'Innovation Project', a contest
created during the last edition of Mercedes-Benz
fashion week Madrid to promote Spanish young designers.

Renewing its committment to new design values,
EGO sees fashion as the equipoise of creativity,
innovation, functionality and technology founding
in Andalusian gifted designer Leandro Cano Luque
the world-beater. Leandro took my breath away
ever since his 'Buffet' graduate collection (here)
followed by the sumptuously romantic 'Anima'
(here) but the 6-piece collection he showcased
today in Madrid bears groundbreaking features.

Leandro called his latest collection '0.83°' referring
to the every hour decreasing of post-mortem body
temperature to epitomize the creation of ”a series
of dresses that are inert in principle and come alive
through technology” he declares introducing his own
take on hypothermia that's stunning as I expected
it to be. '0.83°' is all played around the duality of life
and death, natural and artificial through volume and
color, traditional techniques and newfangled advances
developed with Ricardo O' Nascimento, Laura Duncker
and Marta Verde Baqueiro such as the tiny ventilation
device allowing feathers to hover inside a transparent
plastic gown or the winding sleeves moving to the
rhythm of the wearer's heartbeat. Simply astounding!

Cano gives birth to a sort of living still life skillfully
combining his baroque-influenced couture aesthetic
with innovative mechanisms providing movements
reminiscent of breath and heartbeat. His signature
hourglass shapes are paired with an embroidered
leather bodice, a translucent cape or a metallic jumpsuit
with latex and wool appliqués in a gorgeous parade
of his trendsetting style: Leandro is just a

heartbeat away from stardom.

> all images via Vogue Spain, unmentioned photographer <

↧

alien spooky flamboyance

February 19, 2014, 2:40 pm

≫ Next: heritage meets innovation

≪ Previous: Cano's techno-baroque couture

Leyre Valiente is another Spanish accomplished
talent, actually a prominent member of European
next generation designers who made a name for
herself by molding leather like no one else creating
corset-like structured bodkins in her own couturesque way.

It's small wonder that she was selected by the EGO
platform by Ifema, Feria de Madrid, to showcase her
collections at the Mercedes-Benz fashion week Madrid.
Her latest ”Nostromo” fall-winter 2014-15 collection
shows outfits for a starship's crew (the name comes
directly from the USCSS starfreighter of the 1979 cult
movie 'Alien') ”a collection of futuristic lines that inter-
twine with biological textures and comprising clothes
to wear from morning to night”Leyre declares

introducing her third collection under EGO.

Models walked the runway like the movie's seven
crew members in an eerie landscape of Xeno eggs,
hibernation capsules and neon light tubes in their
asymmetric uniforms made of quilted jackets worn
over opaline layered skirts in techno organza and
neoprene-like fabrics; graphic sporty looks enhanced
by activewear glossy accessories while gorgeous
black cow leather pleated and embossed evening
dresses - fully conjuring up the designer's Chimaera
creations - epitomize the skin of the alien passenger.
Spooky flamboyance.

> all images via Vogue Spain, unmentioned photographer <

↧

heritage meets innovation

February 21, 2014, 2:26 pm

≫ Next: Irish roots 'n' Celtic knots

≪ Previous: alien spooky flamboyance

If not a historic London mansion, what else could be
expected to host the new collection of a label on the
threshold of 200 years? Pringle of Scotland, the iconic
brand established in 1815 at the birthplace of the Scottish
knitwear industry, has always been driven by technical
innovation in the creation of knitwear as outerwear,
knitting cashmere since the 1870s when it began as
a luxury hosiery manufacturer. Credited with creating
the intarsia design universally known as the Pringle
signature argyle pattern, PoS became a classic

British style icon.

That's why Pringle introduced the new season with an
intimate presentation show at Savile House, the legendary
gents' club founded in London in 1868 ”by a group of the
most distinguished writers and artists of the time. Its home
is a fine 18th Century house in the heart of Mayfair, whose
air of elegant exclusivity reflects the uniquely creative ambiance which is preserved in the Savile Club of today”
the Club's website appropriately informs.

PoS chief designer Massimo Nicosia experimented with
3-D printing and textile engineering pushing the limits of
knitwear and fabric development working side by side
with material scientist and architect Richard Beckett who

applied his cross-disciplinary body of knowledge to
twinsets and melton coats. 3-D printed outfits have
previously appeared in haute couture collections, yet
PoS proudly claims that they're the first to bring this
technology in ready-to-wear.

”I wanted to explore a move away from the more sculptural
costume approach of such pieces - Massimo Nicosia
declares referring to the haute couture printed pieces -
towards a more material, haptic-based approach.”

PoS fall-winter 2014-15 collection incorporates laser-sintered
nylon fabric that's initially printed and then handwoven
into the knitwear through small hooks on the underside
or stitched on top of the wool acheiving striking knitted-in
or pop-up effects that can hardly be described by pictures.

Plushy looks with easy elegant silhouettes in which minimal

sporty knit dresses go hand in hand with graphic 3-D bouclé

and jacquard pieces: loose deconstructed sweaters, sheath
dresses, collarless coats, sleeveless tops, pullovers and
cardigans are adorned with slats of tiny diamonds, matte
sequins and 3-D argyle patterns. To the future and beyond.

> all images via Fashionising<

↧

Irish roots 'n' Celtic knots

February 23, 2014, 1:04 pm

≫ Next: wrapped in textile daydreams

≪ Previous: heritage meets innovation

Derek Lawlor is a renowned designer whose sculptural
jewelry pieces denote a perfect knowledge of forms
and materials pushing the boundary of knitwear with
his couture range artworks ”...demonstrating his artisan
approach and commitment to visionary design”

as he introduces himself.

A Central Saint Martins alumnus, Derek launched his
career with his acclaimed 2009 MA collection revealing
”his trademark cord working technique, in which wax cord
is applied to knit in integrated patterns, resulting in
spectacularly graphic sculptural effects which transform
the silhouette of the garment.”

Lawlor's latest collections represent a step ahead in his
ongoing exploration of the medium, his signature structured
cord working takes new life through fabric manipulation and
bold shades: the London-based designer of Irish descent
reinterprets the traditional Celtic knot design in his AW14
collection of gorgeous macramé neckpieces with intricate
repetitive looped design that can be luckily seen until the
27th February at 'The Barbara Stanley Gallery' - the only
London gallery to solely represent contemporary Irish
art - as part of 'RIAN A Journey Through Irish Jewellery
and Accessories' exhibition curated by Gemma Williams
in partnership with the Ambasàid na hÉireann,

The Embassy of Ireland. I'd break my neck to be there!

> all images © by James Hazlett-Beard<

↧

wrapped in textile daydreams

February 26, 2014, 11:45 am

≫ Next: floaty frocks for streetwise girls

≪ Previous: Irish roots 'n' Celtic knots

The periodically recurrent Afro-ethnic trend takes a
fresh new look through the curious melting pot of
patterns and shapes created by Christa van der Meer,
the young Dutch fashion designer who graduated last
year from the fashion dept. of the Royal Academy of Art
(or KABK) in The Hague after interning at Henrik Vibskov
in Copenaghen and A. Berg (by Sara Lundberg) in Berlin
and studying in a school exchange program at

the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås.

Investigating the relation between her love for portraits
and passion for clothing design, Christa came with a
remarkable graduate collection joining the two establi-
shing a distinctive nomadic identity by mixing disparate
elements of different cultures. ”I approached my silhouettes
as if they were portraits and my materials were to frame
the face” she declared revealing how drawing is essential
for her designing. Christa's unabashed illustration style
mixing photos and detailed fabrics designs, provides a
new brash, vibrant flavor both visually and emotionally.

Her multicultural wrapping looks suggest a street tribe
crossover aesthetic through exotic prints that skillfully
blend patterns and motifs: a collection which is plenty
of fresh ideas and offbeat experimentations in a constant
play of padded volumes, rounded or boxy, subtly highlighted
by the images of fellow KABK's graduate Lisandro Suriel,
a photographer/visual artist who shares with Christa

a penchant for surreal and reverie.

all studio images © by Lisandro Suriel
all catwalk pictures © by Ron Stam

↧

floaty frocks for streetwise girls

February 28, 2014, 10:38 am

≫ Next: Ballade N°1.G Op.23

≪ Previous: wrapped in textile daydreams

London is universally known as the cradle of inventive designers
who dare to jump with both feet into the cutthroat world
of high-end fashion with a wealth of talent and knowledge:

Michael Power is another Irish rising designer to watch
coming out from Central Saint Martins. No institution
can take more credit for the existence of gifted budding
designers than CSM so it's small wonder that the

Academy's MA collections open the fall-winter shows.

”As tradition dictates, London's young designers move
within the wild - calling some of these garments
'showpieces' would be an understatement - but on a
business savvy London fashion scene that has a good
as abandoned the weird for the wearable, it's hard to
judge the MA collections without considering their
commercial viability” Danish-born fashion writer
Anders Christian Madsen unerringly remarked
reporting on the runway shows for SHOWstudio.com,
the award-winning website founded

and directed by Nick Knight.

In a first for an Irish student, Dublin's National College
of Art and Design fashion graduate Michael Power, jointly
won (with Ondrej Adamek) the award for best collection
at CSM's MA fashion show at London fashion week with
his handcrafted womenswear collection. The winner of
'L'Oreal Professionel Creative Award' hails from the
Clonattin area of Gorey, Wexford county and interned
with Vivienne Westwood before completing his MA.

Inspired by Native American Hopi kachina dolls - the
artworks known under this name are in truth stylized
religious icons carved from cottonwood root and painted
to represent figures from the Hopi mythology and not
native-made dolls for children - Juggalos and the art
of French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet, Power's
dark tribal RTW AW14 collection showed handcrafted
dresses in which countless glass beads were trapped
between layers of tulle draped around the body.
Tomboyish models clomped down the runway in tall
covered boots wearing layered black sheer dresses
with elongated sleeves covered with graffiti-like
brushstrokes and markings and weighted with flexible
tubing in white, yellow and blue shades. 'Showpieces'
that lead to eagerly await Power's next steps.

> all images © by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD<

↧

Ballade N°1.G Op.23

March 4, 2014, 11:09 am

≫ Next: tarred & feathered individuality

≪ Previous: floaty frocks for streetwise girls

Jamie Wei Huang is a Central Saint Martins alumna
who sharpened up her skills interning at Christopher
Kane and Alexander McQueen carefully establishing
her womenswear label soon after graduation. She was
shortly selected as the top 5 finalists of the 'Designers
for Tomorrow' award receiveing full sponsorship to
showcase her collection in Berlin, Milano and Paris.

Combining conceptual ideas with modern silhouette,
Jamie Wei Huang's label”is based on the principle of
bringing out the character in contemporary women”
as she declares, through a clean and refined aesthetic
with a masculine edge. Called ”Ballade N°1.G Op.23”
referring to Chopin's early composition in G minor featured
in the movie 'The Pianist' and inspired by images of refugees,
her AW14 RTW collection aims at recreating ”the

resourcefulness that war dictates. Taking luxury

materials and combining them with essential silhouettes,

creates outfits of necessity, where fashion becomes

part of life and a means of survival.”

Structured looks cut to perfection in which a gorgeous
combination of light and heavy fabrics creates a variety
of textures ”through the use of extremely delicate fine
fabrics and finishing details combined with heavy wool
and leather creates a contrast that mirrors the human
beneath the fashion...” - the collection's press statement
reads - ”...a strong collection that stands as one by
incorporating post-war functional details, such as tool
belts, with creative pattern construction and delicate fine
finishing typical of a pre-war lifestyle.” I really dig the
overall contrast between femininity and masculinity
the whole collection is played upon but I'm nuts about
an oversized mannish wool coat with

leather straps on the sleeve!

> all images © by Nhu Xuan Hua<

↧

tarred & feathered individuality

March 5, 2014, 2:04 pm

≫ Next: alien cartoon characters

≪ Previous: Ballade N°1.G Op.23

If it's true that fine feathers make fine birds, what
about the striking quilled creations by London educated
Icelandic designer Anita Hirlekar? The Central Saint
Martins BA graduate who has always been fascinated
by traditional handcrafting techniques and who's steadily
establishing - after significant experiences interning at
Christian Dior Couture in Paris, Diane von Furstenberg
in New York as well as in Rajasthan, western India,
printing with blocks and mud - her own approach by
combining handmade fabrics with print comes with
an enthralling new collection.

Anita's women appear to have undergone a polychromatic

tar & feather treatment being wrapped in elegant

knitted nets looking like solid brushstrokes freshly

squeezed out of tubes of paint. Wool threads
seem to have been shredded and felted together
by hand to create different woven textures that are
paired with elaborate pieces made with shattered
mirror bits creating blinking effects while walking and
are often see-through-paneled. Lively as a painter's
palette, her manipulated fabrics convey a sense of
tradition and innovation at the same time and

I'd really like to touch them to feel the roughness

of this sort of wearable artworks.

The young designer is currently on the MA fashion
textiles course but she proves to have what it takes
to spread her wings keeping on her keen combination
of charm and comfort, old-fashioned and

newfangled techniques.

> all images © by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD<

↧

alien cartoon characters

March 6, 2014, 12:38 pm

≫ Next: Ifitry art lab at SMS

≪ Previous: tarred & feathered individuality

Last summer I declared myself eager to see the
next collection by Senegalese eccentric designer
Selly Raby Kane because she's able to take my
breath away with her cultured irony a collection
after the other. Her free-spirited urban style is fully
expressed by her own RTW label 'Seraka' or simply
SRK which is known for a peculiar Afro pop style
that skillfully mixes tribal motifs and creative patterns.

> all pink background pictures © by Jean-Baptiste Joire<

Probably Dakar's brightest rising star, Selly is always
keeping a sharp lookout for new suggestions fed by
street art, music and cartoons, so it's little wonder
that she called her latest fall-winter 2014 collection
'Alien Cartoon' that stands as ”a reflection on an
invaded African city, where naive and fantastic
creatures would evolve among human beings”
she states introducing her heterogeneous array.

SRK's signature fun and colorful pieces mixing
artistic influences as well as styles and textiles
maintain all their beyond-trend freshness in spite
of being less structured and experimental than
before. Selly keeps on exploring the other side
of fashion on her own by mixing or juxtaposing
patterns and materials in vivid multifarious outfits:
once again she strikes the right chord with

her sassy frame of mind.

> all gray background pictures © by Omar Victor Diop<

↧

Ifitry art lab at SMS

March 9, 2014, 3:21 pm

≫ Next: Dori Tomcsanyi's ski lodge lifestyle

≪ Previous: alien cartoon characters

'Ifitry' is the engaging Moroccan art center overlooking
the Atlantic Ocean founded in 2011 outside the town
of Essaouira to provide ”a very complete picture of the
current Moroccan artistic production” and an artists'
residence that welcomes and inspires creatives from
different countries. An active place for sharing where
more than 100 works are permanently showcased
and cultural events organized throughout the year,
including temporary thematic exhibitions.

'Ifitry, artists between Italy and Morocco' is the collective
exhibition made in collaboration with the International
Casablanca Biennal that opened its doors yesterday in
the beautiful settings of San Michele degli Scalzi - a
former monastery of the twelfth century that later became
host to the Richard Ginori porcelain factory - in Pisa.

Taiguara Alves Giannotti & Andrea Locci

Khadija Tnana

Lucio Pari

Located in the urban park of 'Le Piagge', a beautiful
landscaped area along the Arno river, the SMS exhibition
center's new building - made of reinforced concrete, steel
and glass - was designed by architect Marco Guerrazzi
as the entryway to the old structure and its huge cloister
skillfully combining the language of contemporary design
with the nearby old church and the outer green.

Renzo Lulli

Rudy Pulcinelli

The exhibition is the result of an interchange between
artists housed since 2004 at the Center for Contemporary
Art (ACC Essaouira) 'Ifitry' that eventually merged into
the Casablanca Biennal: its coordinator, Renzo Lulli, the
Italian sculptor living and working in Essaouira (except
when his duties as a scriptwriter lead him all around
Europe) teamed up with Ifitry's artistic director
Mostapha Romli in shaping the SMS display of artworks.

Cristina Gardumi

Andrea Locci

Marcello Buffa

17 Italian artists, half of them from Pisa, were previously
invited in Morocco to take part in residential workshops and
some of the works they created there are now featured in the
23 artists exhibition at SMS. They all stay put under the same
roof until April the 26th in a gripping show highlighting
Moroccan ties with contemporary art as well as the
unique Ifitry project, a global art lab where the only
spoken language is the language of art.

Abderrahmane Ouardane

↧

Dori Tomcsanyi's ski lodge lifestyle

March 12, 2014, 2:52 pm

≫ Next: working class' power shoulders

≪ Previous: Ifitry art lab at SMS

Hungarian designer Dori Tomcsanyi established
her namesake high-end womenswear label in 2010
and its urban sophisticated touch ”by using simple
yet unique and raw style and clean cut items made
of high quality materials” as she states. Born in
Budapest, Dori studied at the MOME, the renowned
Moholy-Nagy Univesity, as well as in Paris where
she attended the Ecole Supérieure

des Arts Appliqués Duperré.

”The brand Dori Tomcsanyi creates uniqueness that
comes from the designer's personal perception and
interpretation of exceptional, yet one of a kind places
and persons. This uniqueness is implemented on
high quality, natural fabric” her website's statement
reads adding that ”nevertheless the minimalist cuts
and colors or the extraordinary fits, the goal is to
always create not only exciting looks, but also ones
that are comfortable and feminine”.

”The minimalist silhouettes, clean lines and many
times ”oversized” looks describe Dori Tomcsanyi.
Each collection revolves around a chosen female
character, for example the cheeky, laid-back urban
girl for the s/s 2012 collection. That influences the
campaign photos, the lookbook, the website and
everything related to that specific collection”, the
designer declares ”the atmosphere of each campaign
is light, positive, sometimes humorous,

but never stern or too serious.”

Dori Tomcsanyi's latest collection, the AW 2014-15,
inspired by the skiing lifestyle of the 1960-70s which
is playfully reinterpreted through feminine sporty
outfits, has been showcased last week in Paris at the
Capsule Show, the fashion and lifestyle trade event
presenting ”a highly-edited assemblage of collections
reflecting the look of the current consumer”.

The collection's peppy mood juxtaposing bold and
pastel hues (with unforeseen touches of black) is
underlined by the forthcoming campaign whose
creative concept is signed by Zürich/Budapest-based
photographer and art director Mate Moro(another
Moholy-Nagy alumnus) and stylist Nora Gyenge who
teamed up with makeup artist Judit Kokeny and hair
stylist Norbert Kozma to create in-studio images as
clean as the garments in unusual poses and points
of view. An invigorating breath of fresh air.

> all images © by Mate Moro, style by Nora Gyenge <

↧

working class' power shoulders

March 14, 2014, 7:02 am

≫ Next: eyemazing makeup art

≪ Previous: Dori Tomcsanyi's ski lodge lifestyle

Carrie-Ann Stein is a London-based designer born
in Lancashire who gave up a reliable career in law
to pursue fashion: year after year she began to feel
unfulfilled realizing that she was actually made to
work in a creative environment rather than in a
prescriptive one so she went back to study recently
obtaining her first class BA (Hons) in fashion design
with knitwear from Central Saint Martins.

Intrigued by fabric making - she is descended from a
family of weavers - Carrie-Ann briskly developed a
conceptual, bit androgynous, British-cool style inspired
by working class culture with outstanding textile

combinations and bold prints.

Her AW 2014 collection's starting point was the double
meanings Carrie-Ann observes in street signs around
North England having discovered that wall banners
”work very well as a communicative tool with printed
garments” in conceptual continuity with 'Postcards
from Blackpool', her knitwear graduate collection
that made waves straightaway being recognized by
London Fashion Scout, the renowned talent platform,
as one of the 'Ones to Watch' designers.

Rectangular shapes mimicking wall banners are wittily
framed with huge metal eyelets protruding from the
shoulders host various signage such as shop fronts
and boardinghouse vacancy signs with humorous
sentences like 'clearance knitwear centre' or 'landlady's
parking only' subtly suggesting a stroll along Blackpool's
waterfront, are paired with slender silhouettes in

vivid colors, laminated and dyed-flocked fabrics.

Tight jersey separates, pencil and panelled skirts,
knee-length pants and sweater tops are accessorized
with printed holdalls, ankle pop socks and silver stilettos
in a kicky collection showing the willingness to take risks
in terms of wearability (except for the sleeker pieces)
that keeps alive the designer's experimental vocation:
paraphrasing a time-honored song by John Lennon,
clothes for working class heroines who want

to be like the folks on the hill.

> all images © by Andrew Edgecumbe<

↧

eyemazing makeup art

March 15, 2014, 11:55 am

≫ Next: she used to love me a lot

≪ Previous: working class' power shoulders

'insomnia'

It was late night when I stumbled across the
mind-blowing counting sheep makeup above
and I became suddenly awakened yearning to
ferret out everything about it and its gifted author:
I was about to enter the otherworldly realm of Tal Peleg.

'yin and yang'

'the crow'

Peleg, a passionate makeup artist, designer and
blogger based in Israel, pushes the boundaries of
her art with jaw-dropping creations: at ease with
every kind of products, techniques and trends, she
unleashes her creativity through beauty and fashion
makeup as well as devising unique effects and
characters or working for bridal parties and events.

'princess and the pea'

'princess and the frog'

'the little mermaid'

She can be conceptual or easy, magnificent or bizarre,
opulent or petty, basic or extremely detailed yet her work
never goes unnoticed. ”Beauty is everything you look
at with love”her byword reads and the magic of folk and
fairy tales and her childhood main readings - among
which the poems of Edgar Allan Poe who's depicted
with a crow on his shoulder and Lenore's grave in the
background - go together with her own rendition of
Disney movie characters, the Moomins, fluffy cats,
fantasy creatures and personal references.

'Nils and the wild geese'

'Moomins'

Tal's fairy tale-inspired series is obviously the most
easy on the eye but we must consider that each one
of her artworks usually needs 3 to 4 hours to be done
yet the sheer artistry in her drawing makes us see
makeup not simply as the ability to turn a glance or
a face divine but as the action of an artist who

performs the transformation in a class of her own.

'break the ice'
> all artworks © by Tal Peleg <

↧

she used to love me a lot

March 17, 2014, 1:38 pm

≫ Next: OC's perceptions of reality

≪ Previous: eyemazing makeup art

...I sat down beside her and she smiled
She said where have you been it's been awhile
She was glad to see me
I could almost read her thoughts
She used to love me a lot...

Johnny Cash, 'She Used To Love Me A Lot'

I was listening to this song from the lost 1980s Nashville
sessions by Johnny Cash, a ballad which is set to be finally
released on record next week while staring at the stunning
pictures of 'Luna' - the latest performance involving dance,
music, video, light, rain, snow, balloons and audience
participation by Seattle based choreographer and dancer
Anna Conner and her fellow associates - and they seem to

work well together in expressing the mixed blessing of love.

Born in L.A., Anna is a graduate of Cornish College of the
Arts with a BA in dance who teamed up with performers
Julia Cross, Autumn Tselios and Kaitlyn Jane Dye in
'Anna Conner + Co' creating ”art that is honest, intimate
and speaks to the human psyche. We do this while striving
to guide and empower the audience through an artistic yet
sometimes unpleasant journey. The goal is to arrive at a
deeper awareness of ourselves and an awareness of the world

that surrounds us...” the movement artists' statement reads.

”As performers our tools are our bodies, our movement is
beautiful and our power lies in taking risks. Our creative
process involves improvisation, collaboration, research,
discussion and reflection, We are interested in showing
how we view the world. It can be a dark, heavy and delicate
place.” Their latest work, 'Luna', will be premiered in Seattle
next Friday at the Velocity Dance Center introducing their
equally ”dark and delicately violent work that illuminates
the individual roles we play in our societies. Are we followers
or leaders? The audience gets to decide this for themselves”
Anna revealed as well as some gorgeous shots by Berlin-born
young photographer April Staso who's currently studying
commercial photography at Seattle's Central Community
College in a triumph of dried flowers, rope,

sheer fabrics and lace masks.

> all images © by April Staso <

↧

OC's perceptions of reality

March 20, 2014, 10:37 am

≫ Next: turning rags into works of art

≪ Previous: she used to love me a lot

What a glass of water perched upon an umbrella
or a floating woman face has to do with everyday
fashion? They just represent the latest step in the
popularization of art that the world of fashion started
doing at the beginning of the twentieth century and
especially since the advent of Andy Warhol who
brought art in daily life changing its perception
from academic to mass providing a new series of
meanings about consumption, popular culture and
the everyday. Art can be inspiring or provoking yet
it matters supplying fresh ideas and new ways of
thinking to the fashion's ceaseless renewal of styles
and Opening Ceremony proves to know it very well.

Opening Ceremony was established in 2002 in
Berkeley, the renowned city on the San Francisco Bay
site of the UC campus - the hotbed of counterculture
in the 1960s - by a couple of friends, Carol Lim and
Humberto Leon, who decided to leave their jobs in
corporate fashion to open ”a single store on a quiet
street in downtown New York”. Twelve years later OC
is ”a global community with outposts in New York,
London and Los Angeles, a department store in
Tokyo, a wholesale showroom, an in-house clothing
line, a blog, an e-commerce site, a TV channel and
an annual magazine” they proudly declare introducing
the brand's multinational approach to retail.

Opening Ceremony's latest collection is aptly called
”Perceptions of Reality” being fully inspired by the
world of surrealist painter René Magritte: in collaboration

with the Magritte Foundation 12 iconic paintings
from the Belgian master's catalog were reinterpreted
and even embellished in printed RTW garments with
shoes by five-star brands such as Manolo Blahnik,
Birkenstock and Vans. The witty claim of the 'OC &
Magritte' limited edition capsule collection that was
unveiled at London fashion week is ”No art history
degree required to rock these printed pieces.”

Magritte's dream-like vision and the distorted perception
of reality created by the juxtaposition of the ordinary
and the weird takes new life almost fifty years after
the artist's demise giving a brand new meaning to the
term ”wearable art” through a stunning collection

that will be in stores next May.

↧

turning rags into works of art

March 22, 2014, 1:19 pm

≫ Next: punk rock anarchy in mint condition

≪ Previous: OC's perceptions of reality

La fille à la balançoire

Let this long week come to an end with a flourish
thanks to the awe-inspiring works by Caroll Bertin,
a self taught French textile artist who turns as if
by magic old shabby clothes and fabrics into childish,
humorous soft sculptures, art dolls or strange

figures with a strong aesthetic sense.

L'échappée belle

Bateau de plaisance

Salle d'attente

Albert & quelques autres

The childlike simplicity of her sewed artworks subtly
recalling a bygone era when life was easier and
placid, makes her easily associated with Naïve art
yet she's quite modern and extremely personal in
turning recycled textiles, frayed old sweaters but
also shoes, bags, jumpers and trousers into easily
understandable storytelling works, fine characters
of an idealized world able to warm our brittle hearts.

Jeune fille en fleur

La corde à sauter

Nuit étoilée

Au fil de l'eau

↧

punk rock anarchy in mint condition

March 26, 2014, 2:50 pm

≫ Next: Bienvenue chez Heezin!

≪ Previous: turning rags into works of art

Here comes a riveting collection that subtly evokes
the anarchic thrill of early British punk rock by mixing
its signature paraphernalia, namely circle-inscribed
capital 'A' letters, black leather, studs and safety pins,
with soft volumes and drapings in wearable feminine
dresses. The 'anarchy-in-the-UK' touch gives a

brand new flavor to the creations of rising

Japanese label 'Mintdesigns'.

Established in 2001 by the husband-and-wife design
duo made by Mr Hokuto Katsui - who studied at
Parsons School of Design in NYC before moving
to London where he graduated from Central Saint
Martins just like his wife, Ms Yagi Nao, who previously
studied Art Criticism at the Doshisha University - the
womenswear brand briskly made an 'arty' name for
itself through a strong use of color, abstract

designs and traditional Japanese techniques.

'Mintdesigns' recently unveiled its latest, fast-paced
fall-winter 14/15 collection at Mercedes Benz Tokyo
fashion week. Called 'Anarchy', the collection combines
soft volumes and tailored shapes with gridded prints,
black leather jackets, massive polka dots and even
Scots with the zeal and daring of a trailblazer.
The label's typical use of showy colors looks subdued
at first with several monochrome outfits but it came
at the end with its range of coral and magenta,

mint green, salmon pink and clear blue tones.

Patterns of stylized human figures (the label's hallmark)
and entwined safety pins decorate coats and dresses
while bright studs embellish cropped biker jackets worn
over flowing skirts with polka dots, checked trousers

and thick-soled brogues, two more hints to

the collection's punkish roots.

↧

Bienvenue chez Heezin!

March 28, 2014, 2:31 pm

≫ Next: art Caturday

≪ Previous: punk rock anarchy in mint condition

”Bienvenue chez Heezin!”, a brand new womenswear
label whose carte du jour includes a noticeably happy
approach to everyday fashion and truly feminine outfits
that look breezy and sophisticated at the same time.

The mastermind behind 'chez Heezin' is South Korean
young designer Jung Heezin, a Central Saint Martins
graduate who made a significant experience interning
at Alexander McQueen where she drew prints and
working for three years for John Galliano as an
assistant designer for bags and accessory carefully
developing a fresh feminine preppy look that springs
from the blend of different fabrics, print and finishing
techniques and dramatic color variations.

The 'chez Heezin' label made its debut in Paris at
'Who's Next' last January - the prêt-à-porter trade
show's claim ”Who's Fresh” was particularly suited to
her cheerful style - with the 'Bienvenue chez Heezin!'
AW 14-15 collection that was showcased in her native
country only a few days ago during the F/W 2014
Seoul fashion week making the whole world of fashion
acquainted with her carefree frame of mind.

Heezin's fabric prints are all based on her drawings
(each printed image has a story behind it, though)
and she welcomes us all to her label's first collection
that skillfully mixes prints with house components such
as wardrobes, doors, knockers and keys with natural
elements like birds and a clear blue sky with a single
cloud pouring water on a gorgeous tangle of leaves
and flowers. ”This is just first step” she declares
making us eager to see what she'll do next.

↧

art Caturday

March 29, 2014, 7:53 am

≫ Next: tender monstrology

≪ Previous: Bienvenue chez Heezin!

On Mona Lisa's lap

It was love at first sight with Zarathustra, the chubby
red cat that appears in countless masterpieces
throughout the history of art ”to pep 'em up!” as
Russian visual artist Svetlana Petrova declares
introducing her fave model. ”Our name is Zarathustra.
We are a cat. According to our assistant (named by
ignoramuses as our 'owner') we are the best cat in
the world...” Zarathustra's fb fan page reads ”...and
we are also very very fond of Art. Our passion is to sit
for the great artists. Only great artists can
appreciate our generous body and sublime soul”.

The St. Petersburg-based photographer made the
decision to Photoshop™ Zarathustra into a painting,
Rembrandt's Danae, just to see how it would look:
needless to say the result was astounding so she
started her ”Great Artists' Mews” online project
that obviously became a sensation.

above: posing as Rembrandt's Danae
below: reclined like Manet's Olympia

The artist's muse is a natural born plus model who
loves to eat shrimps, to evaluate the right size of
lobsters as well as to take on different listless poses
like all cats do (without looking so coquettishly
feminine, though). Svetlana started taking pictures
of her tubby cat with several paintings in mind yet
her double work - first behind the camera, then in
digital retouching - it's not easy at all and as she
points out ”sometimes it takes months to take the
right photo” for her gorgeous series of cat-enhanced
paintings. You may think this is art for 'mewseums'
only, but I really like it. Besides, finally I know

why Leonardo's Mona Lisa is smiling!

↧

tender monstrology

March 31, 2014, 10:48 am

≫ Next: Sorronda's 'guardian alien'

≪ Previous: art Caturday

”Don't be afraid to fall down into the water, to sink
slowly into the seabed. Perhaps, there you will see
a light and find the entryway to a new world. Perhaps
your skin will turn into the bark of a tree, and you will
become invisible, one with the woodlands, so evil
spirits pass you by unnoticed...”

Don't get fooled by the incipit, this story has nothing
to do with Alice in Wonderland or Where the Wild
Things Are, it's the opening to 'Monstrology', the fairy
tale-inspired story/collection by Les', the label created
by Moscow-based young illustrator and designer

Lesia Paramonova who caught my eyes ever since her

debut collection (here) with its 'nature to wear'

inceptionand its own peculiar mood.

”...You run through the mossy field like a black-eyed
roe deer. You run so rapidly that your legs are caught
by the wind. It lifts you into the air, and all the sounds
become a single hum. Six faithful keepers accompany
you. They are the guardians of this forest, the guides
of your soul” the narrative goes on suddenly getting

us acquainted with its fabulous mentors.

Les'(which stands both as a diminutive of Lesia and
the Russian word for forest) has been conceived like
a parallel world, as an invitation to look at ordinary
things from a different point of view deftly exploring
our interaction with nature through stylish garments
representing the access key to its mystical world.
'Monstrology' is about the transformation of six monster

birds whose unusual features such as their furry spots

became embroideries that are skillfully juxtaposed with
her signature delicate yet powerful floral prints.

The collection looks like a compendium of

Les' otherworldly, unique aesthetic.