Japan Fashion Now @ FIT

My new vlog for Japan Society, Nihon New York, deconstructs the sharp silhouettes of Japanese fashion. Everything from Issey Miyake to H. Naoto is covered at FIT's cutting (bleeding?) edge exhibition, and as everyone knows, you can't beat a sack dress! Interview with ever erudite curator Dr. Valerie Steele and spot on commentary by Purevile's Wren Britton offset my off-the-cuff meanderings.



P.S. Oshare = fashionable.

Metropolis 2010

Slate provides a slideshow covering the vast aesthetic influence of Fritz Lang's Metropolis, which is now on view with restored, never-before-seen footage at the Film Forum.



There are mentions of the obvious cinematic offspring - Star Wars, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, and Madonna's "Express Yourself" - but really, just about everything in vogue right now references the dystopian, shadow-laced cityscape of Metropolis...










1. February 2010 Vogue Germany shoot by Karl Lagerfeld
2. 2010 Autumn/Winter line by Gareth Pugh
3. Late 2009 shoot of Lady Gaga by David LaChapelle
4. Late 2009 video of "Empire State of Mind" featuring Jay-Z + Alicia Keys

The list goes on...

Spring Studs + Spikes

Spring 2010 is very Mad Max-cum-Lady Gaga with Christian Louboutin giving studs to the guys, and Louise Goldin providing spikes to the ladies. (Although D&G did jumpstart the revival in 2007 with these beauties...)

BUST Holiday Craftacular

This annual crafty celebration has gotten darker and darker since I first attended in 2007. My favorite dandy (and Daddy of Disko Nouveaux) Wren Britton was there selling his exquisite Purevile! accessories, but there were also other artists that caught my eye.

I fell immediately in lust with Verameat's designs - particularly this vampire fang double duster ring, which I snatched up post haste. Not only does it have a killer look, but apparently it squeezes certain relaxation-inducing pressure points.

Then there was the ever-so-clever "Danziggy Stardust" tee by Jinxed Philadelphia, an irresistible twist with Aladdin Sane's lightning bolt emblazed on Danzig's horned skull logo.

And finally, the ultimate RnR perversion of form and function - this microphone brilliantly reappropriated as a floor lamp (if you include the additional mic stand) by Re-Surface Design. Crafty indeed.

Dark Entries

Author Eva Hagberg explores 25 spaces designed with a retro-futurist aesthetic in Dark Nostalgia. (Including some great downtown haunts in NYC.) A fusion of timeless materials for fully immersible interiors, we're talking "polished leather, velvet, reclaimed wood, and heavy metals," says a review on Flavorwire...




Purevile! has stitched together a fine new website. Do have a look and support designer Wren Britton's "Post-Apocalyptic-Victorian accessories and clothing for Time Traveling Dandies and Femme Fatales of all ages (and genders!)"

Veda

This newly minted shop on 132 Ludlow beckoned me inside with its glowing green cross last night. Veda showcases the work of designer Lyndsey D. Butler, whose pieces in the boutique are goth metal chic with a splash of undead Kelly Bundy on the prowwwl. It's all buttery leather and black lace in Veda, and the gleaming headstone inside makes a great centerpiece for the place. Quite delicious.

Brow Beaten

I wrote a cursory examination of eyebrow-less artists in 2006 for The Big Takeover, and now that shaved brows are so in vogue, (literally!), I had to mention the topic once more. Deborah Harry is pushing the trend, as are a number of Fall fashion looks. (See Adriana Lima for Givenchy.) The New York Times is even promoting the practice as recession-friendly. (Can't afford the latest handbag? Buy a razor instead!)


Speaking as one who has rocked a naked, asexual alien brow for nearly six years, this trend is a bit perplexing. Now, instead of awkward stares and ridicule, perhaps I'll be viewed as one of the elite followers of a new wave of personal grooming. That is, of course, until it soon goes out of style. Then they'll look at my face, thinking, "that's so last season" instead of just wondering why I look "a little off."

Seoul Fashion: Park Choon Moo

Walking through the ritzy 'Rodeo Street' of Seoul's Apgujeong district I discovered an antidote to the overwhelming sea of khaki, white, blue, or pink worn by a majority of the city's inhabitants. Park Choon Moo, president of the upscale designer's collective NWS (New Wave in Seoul), takes cues straight from the deconstructed depths of Comme des Garcons with the gutteral snarl of early Vivienne Westwood. As this shop only seemed to be an atelier, I didn't get a chance to try on any outfits whilst pretending I could afford them. Check out more from her Autumn/Winter collection from Seoul's 2008 Fashion week here.

Death in July: Japanese Cyborgs, Wierd Music, Fashion DIY

This weekend's documented drama. See below. Japan Society's Japan Cuts film fest kicked off my Saturday, with a screening of Korean director Kwak Jae-Young's Cyborg She (The Japanese title literally translates to My Girlfriend is a Cyborg, which I find much funnier). Overall, the film was really a sci-fi romance, but Cyborg She still felt like several movies in one, with the tone alternately saccharine slapstick, apocalyptic disaster, and melancholic human drama. There were many tips of the hat to the Terminator series, from the model name of the cyborg (Cyberdyne 103), to the chick cyborg aping human gestures with adorable results (thumbs up!). The club scene with the robot doing 'the robot' was ridiculously irresistable as well. Despite a confusing presentation of events that didn't line up within the film's past-future continuum, Cyborg She was still successful in its massive chick flick appeal. I nearly shed a tear for robot/human love. A Cyborg-themed party followed the film, which featured free food, Sapporo, futuristic techno, and a few select people whose aesthetics were cyborifically inclined. Next came the Eye and Ear Festival. After transporting myself downtown in the pouring rain, I only made it to see Martial Canterel and Blacklist, which happened to be my two favorites anyways. People freaked for Sean McBride's analog synth wizardry (see DJ Anarexia and her orange pompadour with leopard print Pieter getting down), and headliners Blacklist struck their own reverberating chord with the audience, playing tracks off their excellent recent album, Midnight of the Century. Revel Hotel's Frankie Teardrop was a new addition playing keys, and during Blacklist's sparse, ambient number "The Cunning of History," I had the pleasure of putting my musical prowess to good use whilst shaking some silver coins onstage with (Religious to Damn) Zohra Atash's jingling scarf. Next I headed over to Don Hills for Salvation's 2 year anniversary party. DJ Patrick, NYC's longest running goth DJ helms the night, and I put aside my aversion to public consumption so I could enjoy a delicious piece of cake while The Sisters's "More" blasted in the background. Salvation is still the only goth dance night where local dark post-punk is spun regularly. There's the classics of course, but new stuff has a place to showcase. Sunday's festivities were a bit more laid back and fashion forward. I stopped by the Urban Outfitters in Soho to see Jeralyn and others present in the DIY or DIE event. Not only does she frequently DJ Wierd and run Boston's Rescue boutique and the blog I'll Wear Any Color As Long As It's Black, but she also makes really cool shit. The zine they handed out for the talk featured Jeralyn's how-to advice for studding, as seen on the hot little number below. Other designers included the Six Six Sick girls, who put on the fabulous party at Happy Endings, which is right across the spooky/sleazy park from Home Sweet Home. One of the ladies explained that fringe is thee season's hottest accessory. So there you have it. I was so inspired by the DIY ethic that I decided to go shopping. It was off to Williamsburg where I stumbled upon the Love Brigade store and picked up a subtle, yet quasi-bondage pencil skirt and a neon rosary. For 2 extra bucks they threw my stuff into a cute black tote bag, which was great marketing on their part. If I'm not going to do-it-myself, at least I can support others who will! Which, now that I think of it, seemed to have been the theme for this very weekend.

Tactical Corsets

Planning a trip to skid row, yr local DMZ, or just in search of more fitting protection on the battlefield of <3 ?

Tactical Corsets are complete with pistol and cuffs holder, pepper spray pouch, and other crucial compartments.

Animal Instincts

Four Ukrainian artists make up Bob Basset, the virtual Live Journal user who brings us these lovely leather accoutrements.

(Many thanks to Stephen Musgrave for the tip!)

Shadowtime SF: Five and Diamond

The 'darkside cowboy' look has been branding its boot print across dark fashion since Carl McCoy married Sergio Leone with Aleister Crowley and set the Fields on fire in 1985. To this day, I have never found a single boutique that can adequately inject my ghost town getups with a Victorian flair the way San Francisco's Five and Diamond can. The black leather holster/harness and fleur de lis cuffs in my profile picture are two examples of the amazing leather work with an elegant western twist that the store offers. Along with all kinds of men's and women's clothes and accessories - from bloomers to black lace cowboy shirts with pearlized snaps and detachable sleeves - Five and Diamond also sells distinct pieces catering to the Burning Man crowd that aren't 'darkside cowboy' at all. The shop features many local designers so it's a sure bet you can't get these goods in person back in NYC, which makes it a little piece of hell *ahem* right in The Mission.




(click for greater detail)






Five and Diamond
510 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA

Artist Profile: Purevile!

Old lace with a touch of arsenic, the opulent edges of gilded decay - Wren Britton's Purevile! is fantasy fulfillment in a skeletally-enhanced brooch or antique pendant, an asymmetrical cape or a miniature top hat ensconced in lace. Its origins are in Wren's childhood: the name came to him while watching the 1990 Morrissey video for "November Spawned A Monster." Moz tilted his head up towards the screen, the word "vile" appeared emblazoned on his hat in black electrical tape, and something just clicked.

Since launching his first accessory line on Etsy, Wren has become an official vendor at New York's most eclectic and adventurous happening, Dances of Vice (see my mention of him at January's event), and, more recently, was chosen out of hundreds to showcase and sell his designs at Bust magazine's yearly Holiday Craftacular in NYC.

In October 2008 Wren debuted his first clothing line at the Brooklyn Indie Market Steampunk fashion show, (full disclosure: I modeled one outfit), and the Purevile! empire hit the concrete runway. Wren's exposure continues to expand through feature articles in Marie Claire Italia, Bust, and, this coming April, Country Living. Look for Purevile! locally at the March 21st Dances of Vice and weekends at the Brooklyn Flea.

In a city where copy cat designs and over-priced imports are all too prevalent, Purevile! offers exquisite goods at excellent prices - with custom work always an option. Have you always harbored that burning desire for a raccoon penis bone pendant? Wren offers the kind of sordid intimacy that allows you to request just that. A 21st Century dandy with a camera-ready visage backed up by substantive talent, Wren and Purevile! exist to provide old world style and glamour with contemporary flair and function, of which we are all in dire need.

Christian Joy - The Visitors Must Be Amused @ Audio Visual Arts

If you can't take in an official Fashion Week event, you can still revel in the work of one of New York City's inventive (and rock 'n' roll-related) designers at the Audio Visual Arts gallery. Christian Joy's first solo exhibition, "The Visitors Must Be Amused," features eight different pieces constructed with materials leftover and left out of her work from the past nine years. Joy invited her friends and family to compose a description of a 'female being', which she used to design the looks before each contributor incorporated their costume into a photograph, drawing, or image for display.

Karen O, whose onstage modeling of Joy's outfits with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has perhaps been the designer's greatest advertisement, wrote this to begin her description:

"She had been born under a dead sea. Carved and polished by the dense saline tide, her mouth took on the landscape of the coral graves on which she slept..."

And this is Joy's costume - "Black Laquer Smile":






Nick Zinner's piece looks like a lycra bat-creature, called "Ghost With Boo Sign," while some of the others featured include a silver glam rock alien jumpsuit covered in ruffles and coils, as well as a little black dress - cubism style.

"The Visitors Must Be Amused" is more constructed than de-constructed, and while some pieces are more intriguing than others, the exhibit gives insight into process, collaboration, and inspiration as experienced by one indie fashion designer in NYC. You'll be more than amused.

















Free! Now through March 8.

Hello Kitty + MAC + "the dark side"

As someone who has spent a sick amount of time scavenging for Hello Kitty merchandise across America and Japan - particularly the kind that subverts or updates the classic red, white and childlike design scheme - I was extremely delighted to receive an invite to MAC Cosmetics' launch party for their new HK line. "When innocence meets the temptations of the dark side, what's a gal like Kitty to do?" read the card, which pretty much meant that not even a snowstorm would stop me from going.

For two hours this evening at the Soho MAC store, the Hello Kitty colour collection was available for perusal and purchase a week before its debut in stores on February 12th. The turnout was ridiculous, with gaggles of squealing girls (and a boy or two), enjoying the pink cocktails, bow-shaped pink and black cookies, and free balloons. While I've seen far more radical and dark takes on Sanrio's darling girl (an image of HK with a bandaged eye dripping blood etched onto a shard of imitation glass comes to mind), MAC's mod packaging with black as the core color offset by raspberry, white and gray accents is still pretty cute.




























On a side note, Hello Kitty's brand of mute feminism (she has no mouth) was quite intriguing as embodied by two muscled and waxed dancing boys wearing HK heads, patent leather pants, and army boots. Whose gaze were they courting with that? Any of you post-structuralist gender theorists wanna have a go?

Oprah Magazine Goes Goth?

The February issue of Oprah Magazine (thanks mom!) includes a snarky little vignette expounding upon the gothic aesthetic. There are updates on the latest dark cosmetics and brief quotes from Valerie Steele, curator of the excellent Gothic: Dark Glamour exhibit from the Museum at FIT. (See my post on it here). Apparently, Lancome, of all brands, is launching a new black lip gloss color in Spring. It's quite timely, according to Steele, because "This has been a very gothic moment for fashion." Black is the new black, apparently - so dress accordingly.

Gothic: Dark Glamour - Museum @ FIT

Goth means never having to say good morning, and so curator Valerie Steele from the Museum at FIT has made sure that it’s permanent midnight in her latest exhibit. After descending the stairs into the building’s dimly lit depths, you’ll have to take a moment to adjust before feasting your eyes upon the collection. Gothic: Dark Glamour is the first gothic fashion exhibition ever to be put on by New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, combining high fashion and street fashion from Gaultier, Galliano, and Gothic Lolita to Victorian mourning wear and post-punk finery. While not all designers featured embrace the ‘g – word’, the bleak romanticism and omnipresence of our favorite achromatic color tie all of the exquisite pieces together with sartorial success.

Free! Now through February 21.