C.I. for H&M love

chanel iman for h&m's holiday campaign.

oui cherie.

NYNYNY

www.sophomorenyc.com

strictly cool.

not gorgeous but sex appeal that lasts

i love this woman. she's strong, sure and has a clear vision of what she wants and also what in life brings her down. it's a gem to have people.

so here's SJP's latest fashion foray, on the cover of American ELLE magazine. Sarah and Carrie are different people, but to me they're very similar, considering the fact that one is a fictional character. my best friend and i had a conversation about her once mid-way through a SATC marathon (we paused first) but she had a good point - she's not stunning to look at. she is attractive, but Carrie isn't one of the lucky head-turner women of this world. but what we both agreed she had, and in droves, is attitude. sexy attitude. this species of girl is unique. she's got swagger like it's her last day on earth and she just saw Bloc Party live in concert. yeah. we then pressed play and saw evidence of this as Carrie did something that proved her point (i can't remember because it was a good 2 years ago, it would have tied this all in neatly if i did wouldn't it?) but i remember her outfit was incredibly original and effortlessly worked (i WANT her wardrobe, you don't understand) because she approaches her sense of style with confidence, candour and cockiness in just the right amount.

it's not about being rude or mean, that's not what i mean - it's about being happy enough in what and who you are to not give a fuck about others' opinions of you.

take it in, but don't let it rule you and get over it, life's too short for that boring behaviour.

Marc Jacobs Spring 2010

"Marc is New York. Marc is New York Fashion Week. Marc is one of the most dedicated, extraordinary people and designers, and he just stays true to what he does, every season. I've been following his work since I started and he's just unbelieveably so on top of his game. I'm his number one fan." - Rachel Zoe, Stylist.

The lover in the relationship. The mother in the family. The designer in the fashion industry. It's Marc Jacobs.

As my personal favourite designer of all time, I appreciate all his lines, some moreso than others admittedly. It's OK because I've scrutinised every one of his collections and media releases, interviews and collaborative projects and all related endeavours of the glorious man that is Jacobs and understand that even if some aren't to my specific taste, I can always appreciate his way with a sketching pencil and sewing machine.

Wishful thinking - don't you think it would be great though if he did still make his own wares by hand?! Hunched over in an underground basement in downtown NYC with mllions of scribbled details on paper encroaching him on clothing lines held up by pegs.

I do.

ANYWAYS.

I can understand where he comes from, from the perspective of a fashion designer relating to the wearer of their clothes, when he said of his latest collection back in the September/October 2008 issue of RUSSH Magazine:

"When I trust my own whims. and the whims of people I trust, I feel that has credibility...belief is embedded in everything you do - so it doesn't actually matter whether people like it. I guess what we do, as a team, is a daily, weekly, monthly re-evaluation of whims."

And then when asked if fashion should be challenging, he casually says an incredibly bespoke quote that pretty much justifies why I love fashion and why i want to write about it all the time - "We don't need fashion. It's not a necessity. We don't need fashion at all, but we want fashion. And that's important. Because what we want is the reason for why we live." He's captured the idea that is on the tip of every devoted fashionista's tongue.

Of course we don't need fashion - no matter how much us girls say we need shoes, it's not true.

We only want them badly because they're just that fucking amazing. It's a whirlwind of constantly changing needs to express different emotions, atmospheres and wants, through proportion and silhouettes. Are you kidding?! That sounds bloody hard if you ask me - but somehow he does it and pulls it off with flair and a cool-headed approach all the while...

"Marc is always surprising, you never know quite what he's going to do. There's always got to be something, you can love it, you can hate it, you can get blown away...but it will always be something that you just do not expect." - Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director, The London Telegraph.

Expect him to be pushing the boundaries sometime again soon in one form or another, and showing us why we're meant to have fun in this lifetime: because we want to.

a note for you

truth be told, i don't like staying up all night.
only when i'm drunk.
i much prefer to go to bed at a reasonable hour as long as i have good reading material and a nice warm cup of tea.
it's comforting to know that what you really love to do with your down time is your career (or future i should say) also, which is why i write the most at night.
a lot of things are given new perspective at night i find.
and those niggling problems created in the day have clarity at night.

so this blog will now be my writing haven.
moreso to share & inspire for you.

if you love my images, you can find new ones regularly on my tumblr page at gaiaerin.tumblr.com .

xx

catharsis

it's such a rush just being with you

michael angel spring 2010. no angel pun.

"The inspiration was these jewellery boxes...and the girls opened them in the 20s and they find all of this stuff. They went into their mum's closet and put it all on. But I wanted to keep it modern; keeping it modern was the use of the neo-print. I think I arrived at this signature place, where it's like 'This is what I want to say, and here it is'. It's nice to be able to open the week and be like 'Let's have some fun.'" - Michael Angel.

and he said bonita, there's nothing you can't do