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Mission Local just posted a great profile of my friend Elina Tachkova, milliner and proprietress of Alternative Design Studio / ADS Hats. I retail at ADS-- House of Nines Design is mentioned in the article, and there are several photos of my hats in the slideshow.
Thanks, Elina!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
There is nobody cooler than Grace Jones
Been thinking a lot about Grace Jones lately. Unlike so many of the empty 'celebrities' of today, who are famous for being famous, which is nothing other than their eagerness to expose themselves in public, Grace Jones is famous for being herself. And herself is more than enough to merit it. She is a musician, an actress, a model, and most of all, some kind of force of nature. She has mystery and is totally fierce. She's uncanny, and you don't really want to meet her in a dark alley. Seeing photos of her makes me feel a little bit of fear for my personal safety.
She seems completely fearless. It always impresses me that regardless of how much she is photographed with her clothes off, she never looks naked. She looks like she has just unencumbered herself from the inconvenience of clothing so that she can even more easily kick your ass.
As much as I think it's great that Lady Gaga plays dress-up, she'll never be this stone-cold amazing. Seeing photos of Lady Gaga, it's clear that she has a crack team of stylists on call 24/7 to do these things to her. The clothes are wearing her. She's transformed, but, like with artist Cindy Sherman, I'm always aware that there is a normal girl underneath. Speaking as a normal girl who also likes to dress up, that is great, and a feat in itself. On the other hand, Grace Jones is usually wearing some kind of crazy getup, but it's her force of personality that blasts you in the face. The outfit is just what she happened to be wearing when she stepped off her space ship to conquer the planet.
She seems completely fearless. It always impresses me that regardless of how much she is photographed with her clothes off, she never looks naked. She looks like she has just unencumbered herself from the inconvenience of clothing so that she can even more easily kick your ass.
As much as I think it's great that Lady Gaga plays dress-up, she'll never be this stone-cold amazing. Seeing photos of Lady Gaga, it's clear that she has a crack team of stylists on call 24/7 to do these things to her. The clothes are wearing her. She's transformed, but, like with artist Cindy Sherman, I'm always aware that there is a normal girl underneath. Speaking as a normal girl who also likes to dress up, that is great, and a feat in itself. On the other hand, Grace Jones is usually wearing some kind of crazy getup, but it's her force of personality that blasts you in the face. The outfit is just what she happened to be wearing when she stepped off her space ship to conquer the planet.
Spring / Summer 2011 Ready-to-Wear
I'm loving these looks from the *first* solo collection by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (McQueen's assistant for 15 years before his death last year).
They reminded me of these outfits from past McQueen shows.
Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 2006
I think about this outfit a lot. That entire show, titled 'The Widows of Culloden', is my all-time favorite McQueen Collection. See the video here.
Alexander McQueen, Fall / Winter 2010
She's pulled together influences from a lot of McQueen's past work, including his recurring bird motifs, the padded hips, and the Atlantis theme from Spring/Summer 2010 RTW. I have to agree with some of the fashion reviews I've been reading, she has softened the house's style around the edges. But I don't like that, really. I'll miss his perfectly sculpted Grace Jones-esque bodices and sharp tailoring. And the FW2010 hair and makeup are totally bland. Why the hippie braids?
See the rest of the show here. And, there are high-quality videos of runway shows going back to 2002, on the Alexander McQueen website.
I'm NOT loving anything from my other usual favorites from the Spring / Summer Ready-to-Wear 2011 collections, except for Dior's 1940s South Pacific-inspired collection.
Going against the trend of the last few years, there are not very many hats in these collections, except for these bland, identical Gilligan hats on Dior.
Couture is always more interesting anyway, and more chock-full of hats. Those shows are coming up at the end of January, so there is always hope for the future.
They reminded me of these outfits from past McQueen shows.
Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 2006
I think about this outfit a lot. That entire show, titled 'The Widows of Culloden', is my all-time favorite McQueen Collection. See the video here.
Alexander McQueen, Fall / Winter 2010
She's pulled together influences from a lot of McQueen's past work, including his recurring bird motifs, the padded hips, and the Atlantis theme from Spring/Summer 2010 RTW. I have to agree with some of the fashion reviews I've been reading, she has softened the house's style around the edges. But I don't like that, really. I'll miss his perfectly sculpted Grace Jones-esque bodices and sharp tailoring. And the FW2010 hair and makeup are totally bland. Why the hippie braids?
See the rest of the show here. And, there are high-quality videos of runway shows going back to 2002, on the Alexander McQueen website.
I'm NOT loving anything from my other usual favorites from the Spring / Summer Ready-to-Wear 2011 collections, except for Dior's 1940s South Pacific-inspired collection.
Going against the trend of the last few years, there are not very many hats in these collections, except for these bland, identical Gilligan hats on Dior.Couture is always more interesting anyway, and more chock-full of hats. Those shows are coming up at the end of January, so there is always hope for the future.
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