sartorialism

a long time love of mine, the sartorialist is such a muse of a website. my goodness, what other blog can attract such attention from photographing people in the street? that question doesn't really perplex me because of the exact brilliance captured by a certain Scott Schuman, a man who started to photograph people in New York and has posted the images on his blog since september 2005.
as he describes here, designers are always kept in mind:
"I thought I could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process. My only strategy when I began The Sartorialist was to try and shoot style in a way that I knew most designers hunted for inspiration."
now widening his scope to encompass fashions in Paris, Milan, Stockholm and London, among other projects Schuman has dabbled with some Ready-to-Wear Paris couture shows via style.com.
i personally adore the ethnicity of culture, individuality and observations of clothes that are really quite beautiful that indicate his selection of photos is inspirational above most else.
not only that, it gives me a well-earned opportunity to get into the grit of European fashions, sans the extravagant and misleading couture shows, which is really our only publicised example of what people are wearing over there.
alas, i stumbled across this little nugget, proving that fashion in general should always be kept in perspective.

crazy adventure

"My favourite look in old movies is when a man wears a tuxedo out to a party, but he has a crazy adventure, and the next morning his tie is around his neck, and his hair is down. I wish I could look always look like I came from a party all night."

- Jason Schwartzman in the new issue of Self Service

gag me

i kind of hate myself for liking this. i'm still not sure if I love or hate her - i'm almost convinced that this Lady GaGa persona is soon going to be revealed to be an elaborate art project, and the lady will exclusively tell Perez Hilton that she is actually a dude. or not. the whole thing just feels so contrived. but I do love that she says things like, "You know you're kindred spirits when you both arrive in pastels". i also like that GaGa seems self aware enough to completely take the piss out of herself and interviewers - she told The Guardian, "I used to make my boyfriend dinner in my stilettos, with my underwear on. And he used to be like, 'Baby, you're so sexy!' And I'd be like. 'Have some meatballs.'" when asked what her least favourite food was, she answered, "I'm a pop star. I don't like food at all". she wears some amazing, insane things too; see the metal leotard in the video above, and it's worth hitting up youtube to see the Nasir Mazhar orbit headpiece she wore on Ellen.

encounters

my morning walk was delightful. the weather is warm, flowery and comforting, and the tide is very high.
this girl thinks there's some magic in the air...

mcqueen

"People who move in [fashion] circles never have anything to say. You know it's hard enough doing this job, I don't have to fucking live it as well. I'd rather sit at home watching Coronation Street."

Not all fashion circles are wanky - most people are quite nice actually - but I still think this quote from Alexander McQueen is brilliant.

erinnn

I really can't stand Erin Wasson. Don't get me wrong: she is a hot babe, and I can see the appeal. I'm just a tiny bit sick of bloggers and hipsters ripping off her style and thinking they're so indie and edgy because they're wearing ripped denim and tassels. She can also often sound like a pretentious creep - there was that homeless comment, and then she came out and declared that she'd never sell out. Um, you pout your lips in a freakin' Maybelline ad love: I think that may be damn near close to selling out.

Anyway. What was the point of this post? Oh yes. Usually when I read something about Wasson, I feel like punching my computer screen. But not this time. This are some pictures from an editorial she styled for the new issue of Elle - it references Empire Records, features some young Hollywood talent, and is very cute. And yes, that's Isabel Lucas from Home and Away in the first shot.

hurry up and take the photo!

bootay

i don't like winter. it's no secret. i would much rather be toasting in the sun than skiing on the slopes. humidity? bring it on in droves.
the one thing about winter that pulls me out of my gloom is the endless styles of boots. boots are one of those items you can get in any style your heart desires, chuck on and be free. heeled, ankle, ugg, studded, Frye Harness, patent or suede - for me, they're like jeans. but one million times better. i adore my gumboots like they're my children, they make me so happy and the best thing about it is that they're a simple pleasure. most importantly they're warm. and remember: there's nothing more important than being warm...

bat your lashes

Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes always steals my imagination, and she won’t give it back until i've been completely entranced by her brilliance! Bitch. But truly, she is gorgeous, utterly nuts, and makes wearing things on your head so very stunningly attractive (but it's easy when you're that gorgeous). Her beautiful, ethereal album Fur and Gold is still on high rotate in my stereo, so her new album is on my list of things I must have, called Two Suns. In it, Khan takes on her alter-ego – “a destructive, self-absorbed femme fatale named Pearl”. My absolute favourite shining moments she creates are in Glass, Daniel, Horrorshow, I'm On Fire and What's a Girl To Do.

and so continues the love affair…

well said

lellow!

i came along
i wrote a song for you
and all the things you do
and it was called yellow.

- yellow by coldplay -

upto my knees in fabric

i never really got into the knee-high socks and stockings trend. i had thoughts along those lines and suddenly flashbacks of a flitting teen britney spears and cheerleaders/school girls in general ensued. i envisioned Tokyo tourists doing bunny ears at Darling Harbour. but in light of seeing The Sex and The City Movie...seeing SJP in those ankle boots with her Prada purse, and le gloves? what a heavenly combination! big props Patricia Field. zing! it just seemed so defiantly stylish for her to don them the way she did.

and believing i was Carrie Bradshaw (for the first time since the day before) i went out and bought myself a pair. actually two. exhibit A is a black opaque pair with fine lines that look like dents (see the white pair below), purchased from Sportsgirl. exhibit B is a raunchier black version. they're like the doily type if fishnets were placemats; ending up with them at David Jones from going bananas one afternoon in the stocking section pre-winter was a pleasure (you know what i mean girls, they're all lined up, each differing ever-so-slightly from the next...so what are you doing just standing there?) and they go swimmingly with my white Little Joe silk dress teamed with my black patent heels...but i am yet to wear this ensemble!!!??? it's ok. i like looking at them. but exhibit A i can never look at because they're GONE. i lost them. i've checked/ransacked my room and my drawers like a fat kid searching for mudcake since i discovered this, but nothing. well, a lot of nothing.
so then Prada did their own version last year.


then along came Erin Fetherston.


and all of a sudden they seemed more feminine than those school girls and more classy than those cheerleaders, and made my legs look great, so on the bandwagon i leaped. lovely. but then there's the issue of what type and colour shoes you team them with - too light stockings teamed with too dark shoes with peep-toes makes you look like the heeled edition of the man in the grocery store who unashamedly wears socks with sandals. and this is where i go no siree. but alas, it seems our saviours, the designers of today have found a way around this. just make knee-high SKIN TIGHT boots. and i mean skin tight. they're pretty and chic nonetheless.

today was the launch for the David Jones spring/summer collection and not i, but six unfortunate dressers were lumped with the task of getting a model leg into shrunken Willow suede boots of the knee-high variety. it was stressful to say the least. if her foot was not in 'em by the time models had to line up you would use all your arm strength and vegeMIGHT to literally shove it up in there and zip it AND ever so delicately so you didn't lose skin along the way.
in my adventures at fashion week in april i dressed my model in less life-endangering and extremely swish sequined numbers by Kate Sylvester. they didn't cover the foot, but were simply strapped on under the sole of the shoe, zipped up the leg, and voila! instant glam ma'm.


so from someone who doesn't go out of her way to follow a trend, embrace this one if you really do love it, but go away if you're a school girl or a cheerleader. you lot had your limelight in the '90s, *waves cane in the air*: these ones are reserved for the rockin' ladettes of the noughties.
p.s. i'm lovin' the ones that come above the knee.